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Pak judges order new PM to reopen graft cases

Delhi HC blocks Narayanan, Vajpayee letters on Guj riots

For report see page 22

For report see page 24

VOL 41. ISSUE 12

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Sunita Williams makes history on her 2nd space visit

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Mukherjee all set to be the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee

India’s former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is set to win the presidential election on Thursday (July 19), with some analysts predicting he may wield an unusual degree of influence in the ceremonial role. The result of the vote by national and state lawmakers will be announced on Sunday (July 22).

Mukherjee, the candidate of UPA, has enough support to ensure his victory over his rival PA Sangma, the nominee of BJP and

some of its allies.

Mukherjee, 76, will take over as president from Pratibha Patil, a low-profile figure who has maintained a strictly detached stance during her five years in the job. But with the national parliament often deadlocked by disputes among rival parties and no clear winner expected in the next general election due in 2014, Mukherjee could play a key role in overseeing who forms the next government.

“There is no permanent equation in India’s coalition politics and if Mukherjee becomes the president then his art of negotiation will be put to the test,” T K Tripathi, a leading political analyst and author, said. “He can be the kingmaker in this age of complex coalition politics.”

Until last month, Mukherjee was at the heart of India’s Congress-led government, which has struggled with policy paralysis,

PA Sangma

rebellious coalition partners and corruption scandals since its 2009 re-election. As finance minister, Mukherjee has taken heavy flak for a sharp decline in the economic growth rate and growing pessimism about India’s future after years of rapid development.

Amid such uncertainty, Congress faces a major challenge in keeping enough coalition allies on board to push through much-needed reforms, and Continued on page 26

21st July to 27th July 2012

India-Pakistan to resume cricket ties after 5 years After a gap of five years, traditional arch-rivals India and Pakistan may play a bilateral series of cricket in India in December. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced the decision after Pakistan Cricket Board had proposed for the resumption of cricketing ties between the two countries. "It was decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the Pakistan cricket team for a short series in December 2012 January 2013.

The modalities will be worked out shortly," the BCCI said in a statement after a meeting.

The planned series is, however, subject to government approval. "The government is ready in principle to host the Pakistan team", a top BCCI official said. The series will comprise 3 ODIs and two T20Is. The last time the two nations played in a bilateral series was way back in 2007. As per the latest reports

Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi will host ODIs while Bangalore and Ahmedabad will be the venues for the two T20 matches.

However, security concerns will be of prime importance. One thing is sure - whichever city the two teams play in will not matter - one can be assured of full house in the stadium. Also the series is going to be a lucrative commercial venture with television broadcasting rights and other business ventures in the offing. As per reports, the talks for resuming ties between old rivals had been taking place for the past three months.

However, PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said that the board is yet to receive any official confirmation from their Indian counterpart. “As of now we have not received any official confirmation,” he said.

He, however, expressed happiness over the media reports saying Continued on page 26

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Indian-American NASA astronaut Sunita Williams took off on her second space visit at around 8.10 am on Sunday morning.

With this expedition, Sunita Williams has become the first woman in history to head a space mission. Wishes and prayers began to pour in for Sunita as she got ready for her second space odyssey. The 46year-old took off aboard the Soyuz spacecraft that lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Sunita Williams is accompanied by two flight engineers from Russia and Japan and she will be making two space walks during the mission. The trio reached the International Space Station on Tuesday, joining the Expedition-32 crew who are already present there. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam wished the astronaut the best.

Continued on page 26

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Raghu Dixit, Singer-songwriter Raghu is a singer-songwriter with a mission to create a new style of his own, which he describes as “Indian folk-rock, with world rhythms creeping in”. He is based in the city of Bangalore in southern India, and his aim, he says, is to bring new pride to those who speak the local language, Kannada, which is under threat. So, Raghu set out to become an international artist, singing in Kannada as well as English, and in the process publicising the work of the great Kannada poets by setting their works to new music.

Please tell us about the work you are currently doing?

I am currently working on my second album. I have been working very hard over the past couple of months, leaving no stone unturned to make the record sound bigger and better than the first one. We are also currently touring the UK performing at various prestigious and popular music festivals such as Larmer Tree Festival and Womad. I am also currently making music for Bollywood rom-com flick 'Amit Sahni Ki List'

with comedian Vir Das as the lead.

What are your proudest achievements?

Having the highest selling non-film album in India as an independent music artist is still my proudest achievement.

We used the power of the internet to it’s fullest potential to build a very loyal fan base in India. I was awarded the Best Newcomer Award by Songlines Magazine last year. I also performed on 'Later with Jools Holland' which pushed our album up to No.1 on the iTunes UK World

music chart. The icing on the cake was the performance for Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle as a part of her Diamond Jubilee.

Eruption of the literary ‘Lava’ Indrani Thakurata Arguably, India's most prominent liberal thinker and writer, Javed Akhtar, commands attention. A man who dons many hats - this lyricist, script writer and poet slips into each of his roles with great elan.

His latest book Lava, has once again brought the poet in him under the arc lights. “It took me seventeen years to come out with Lava.

Similar to Tarkash, this too is an eclectic mix of various poems, moods and ghazals. The difference lies in its content and reference points.

In this book, I am more objective and have dealt with issues of women emancipation etc.”

A keen observer of the society, Akhtar sees a decline of our language and therefore culture.

“Language is a vehicle that carries its own culture. With each passing day English is getting more important in this globalised world and hence the sharp fall in the popularity of our Indian languages including Hindi and Urdu. Children of today are not rooted to their culture. It is impor-

tant to be rooted, to branch out.” He further elucidates, “ The upper strata of our society is learning the language that has economic utility. The

rest who belong to the lower strata don't have the luxury for aesthetics.

Hence, slowly and gradually poetry is getting limited to a few.”

Though on one hand he is disturbed by many issues engulfing India and its development, he is also confident of its future. "I am very very optimistic about the future of India.

As far as our systems are concerned, we are moving in the right direction.We have an impeccable Constitution, independent judiciary and independent media. No doubt, there are delays in courts but ultimately right verdicts come." Going with the

flow, Shabana Azmi, actress and activist points out the contrast, “India is a country that lives in several centuries. So is the position of women. We have a woman as President, a woman as Speaker, a woman as leader of the opposition and a woman as leader of the leading party and several women Chief Ministers. Inspite of all these, there are cases of female infanticide. She further adds “Government is taking steps to prevent such things. I am optimistic about that. India today is becoming a global power but certain central challenges still exist. The need of the hour is the empowerment of the poorest of the poor."

You were recently announced as an ambassador for the diabetes charity Silver Star, are you excited to be connected to the charity?

What has been the biggest obstacle in your musical career?

The Indian soundscape starts and ends with Bollywood music. This has been the biggest obstacle not just for me but for all independent musicians in the country. However, over the past couple of years, thanks to the power of social networking, we have been able to successfully target and reach our audiences directly - I believe that we have only scratched the surface.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

I think my country, India, has been the biggest inspiration and influence to shape the musician in me. Every 200 kilometres or so, the culture, language, music, dance, food, weather, clothes and terrain changes in India which leaves an artiste with endless sources of inspiration from which to create.

What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my

job is seeing all of the happy smiling faces in front of me when I perform on stage. It is so satisfying to see people experience joy, happiness and laughter. It thrills me when people sing, dance and clap along to our music when we are on stage. The love that we receive from our audiences will always be my greatest treasure.

And the worst?

Irregular schedules which lead to irregular sleep patterns, random food habits and a lack of personal and family time.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

I see myself touring around the world, performing and making people happy - exactly what I am doing today!

No bigger dreams really!

If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

Poverty and ignorance.

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

Bob Marley for his music, R. K. Narayan for his stories, Marilyn Monroe for her beauty and my Grandmother (since she is part of my history) for her amazing food.

Stop force marriage for disabled people Hundreds of adults with severe learning disabilities are being forced into marriage with spouses brought to Britain from overseas, a major government-funded study has found, according to a Times report.

Academics say their research has revealed that 56 cases reported to the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) last year are the “tip of the iceberg”.

Parents often arrange weddings for their disabled offspring in the belief that they are securing a carer, the study finds. But the individuals involved do not have the capacity to understand what is happening or to consent which is why the marriages are classi-

Women prove to be cleverer Women appear to have won a decisive victory in the battle of the sexes.

Psychologists have found that female IQ scores have risen above men’s for the first time.

The finding has been made by James Flynn, a world-renowned authority on IQ tests. “In the past 100 years, the IQ

I am excited and I will do everything possible and to the best of my ability to take Silver Star’s mission forward to the people, both in the UK and in India.

scores of both men and women have risen but women’s have risen faster,” said Flynn. “This is a consequence of modernity. The complexity of the modern world is making our brains adapt and raising our IQ.” It also revealed that IQ was not genetic and could be improved.

fied as forced.

Many of the partnerships result in emotional and physical abuse or abandonment, the research says. It suggests that a large number of the spouses arriving in Britain are unaware that their prospective wife or husband has a learning disability, and that they can also suffer.

Professionals are sometimes afraid to act because they fear being seen as culturally insensitive or racist. Most of the known cases involve families of Indian, Pakistani or Bengali origin but there are thought to be others involving the Middle East, Africa and

eastern Europe.

Ministers have agreed to fund a drive to raise awareness in councils across Britain.

A National Steering Group with the police, social workers, FMU officials and campaigners has just been set up. Chaz Akoshile, the joint head of the FMU, has called on border staff and social services to help end the practice. The UK Border Agency is being asked to pass to social services, cases in which learning disabled adults sponsor visas for spouses from abroad. Social workers then assess whether the individual has “capacity” to consent.

Coalition to end, predicts senior Tory The Coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats is "very likely" to end before the general election scheduled for 2015, a senior Tory has predicted.

Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives, said that the two parties should have a “moment of separation” well before the election in order to set out dis-

tinct policies to voters.

His intervention comes amid simmering tension between the two parties over Government retreat over reforming the House of Lords.

Mr Brady’s remarks came hours after Mr Cameron used a newspaper article to downplay the significance of recent Coalition rows and insist that Britain is “not even close” to an election.

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

COMMENT

Hillary’s Egypt visit: a step in the right direction The visit of Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, to Egypt was a step in the right direction. It signifies the importance US has attached to its relations with the new rulers of the country which was under the rule of military. She had to tread a delicate diplomatic line during her visit. Calling on Mohamed Morsi just two weeks after he became the country’s first democratically elected president, Hillary urged Morsi to open a dialogue with the military as a way to full civilian rule.

She conveyed a similar message to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. The two sides are at loggerheads over the Islamist-dominated parliament, which was dissolved by the Supreme Constitutional Court last month on the grounds that a third of its members were elected illegally. Mr Morsi, whose Muslim Brotherhood allies hold many of the seats, has issued a decree calling it back into session defying the court.

This shows that the new rulers are on a collision course with the court which is not the right way.

Washington’s attitude towards this volatile situation is ambivalent. While it approves of the general direction of travel towards democracy, it remains wary of the Brotherhood’s radicalism and sees the military, at least for the time being, as a restraining force. Any leverage it has comes from it being the main supplier

of foreign aid, which was resumed in March after a five-month suspension and amounts to an annual $1.5 billion, including $1.3 billion of military equipment. A further $1 billion, promised by the Obama administration last year, has yet to be delivered.

Yet, as a long-time ally of Hosni Mubarak, America is still viewed with deep suspicion by the Brotherhood, and the military has repeatedly shown that they will not bow to pressure from across the Atlantic. Trying to force the pace of reconciliation between the two sides will simply prove counter-productive. All Washington can do is to encourage dialogue within a deeply fractured polity. In pursuit of that goal, Hillary’s two-day visit to Cairo was timely.

Her visit also signals the acceptance of the democratically elected government of the country. The US and Western governments have an important role in bringing peace in the country. The country is financially in a bad shape and they need all assistance and support to survive. If the democratically elected government fails the army will step in and capture power. Then there will be more bloodshed and anarchy in the country. In the past the western power tries to boycott the extremist regimes. But the recognition of the Morsi government and the Hillary’s visit signifies a major shift in the attitude of the West towards fundamentalists.

Obama’s comment- a fair assessment US President Barack Obama’s observations on the Indian economy may have riled certain quarters in India. But there’s no denying the fact that the present investment climate in India continues to be worrisome. Hit by policy paralysis, structural lacunae, corruption and the global economic slowdown, India’s growth story has indeed hit the skids. Even Indian industrialists and advisers to the government have acknowledged this in recent months. Then why the fuss if Obama says the same thing? In fact, the US president’s India-specific observations highlight the important role that India plays in global affairs.

In all fairness, Obama’s comments are objective and well balanced. Giving credit where it’s due, Obama has applauded India for pulling tens of millions out of poverty and creating a vibrant middle class.

However, barriers and bottlenecks continue to deter foreign investments needed to create jobs and revive growth. While FDI in retail – vital for improving supply chains, fighting food inflation and giving domestic producers access to international markets – remains a political hot potato, foreign investments in other crucial sectors such as insurance and aviation continue to languish. Similarly, the failure to modernise agriculture and boost manufacturing dampens efforts to fight unemployment and hits economic competitiveness.

In the present era of globalisation, it’s naïve to believe that the Indian economy can grow in isolation or that foreign investor sentiment counts for little. We can only turn a blind eye to the domestic problems plaguing our economy at our own peril. The difficult global economic conditions have created an opportunity to initiate a second wave of reforms. Grabbing that opportunity will not only help India, the world

too is interested – and legitimately so – in a revival of the India story. Unless we want to return to the days of the pre-90s rate of growth, raising the bogey of intervention by the foreign hand serves no purpose.

Acceptance of the advice and criticism shows the maturity of Indian democracy. Instead of viewing it as interference in the internal affairs of the country, the government should graciously accept it and act for the well-being of the country. An ideal example is China which became a world power after opening up its market to the foreign investment.

Ratan Tata wants India-China relations to improve Tata Group Chairman, Mr Ratan Tata, advocates that despite China’s overpowering economic strength India should find a way to be an ally with it.

Describing the India-China relationship as not adversarial, but it is not the best, he, however, added, “you know China has never done anything adversarial to India, and India, I think, has been more concerned about China’s economic strength overpowering India.”

Explaining the complex nature of relationship between the two countries, he said: “I think there is a concern on part of India that China is trying to dominate the region (Asia) and there is an equal concern on the part of China that India is trying to dominate the region.”

Mr Tata further said China has, of course, been assisting and arming Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh which is not the liking of India. Mr Tata says still there are vast scope for improving trade ties between the two countries. He says that the mutual suspicion existing between the two countries must end and relations must improve. Such a situation will be beneficial for both the countries.

26/11 still casts a shadow on Indo-Pak cricket ties Though cricket and politics are two different issues, the invitation extended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to Pakistan to travel to India for an ODI and T-20 series in December is ill-timed.

The invitation by the cricketing body assumes significance because the bilateral ties between the neighbours have been in cold storage since the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. The 26/11 terror strike in Mumbai not only altered its landscape, but also left behind a trail of devastation. And the fallout of the coordinated strike by terrorists from across the border also ensured cricketing ties between India and Pakistan were brought to a grinding halt. There was no new development to announce the resumption of cricketing ties.

Reacting to the decision of the BCCI, ministry of external affairs sources said, "This is an in-principle decision of the BCCI and PCB. There remain security concerns.” Though no Ministry official came on record to say anything on the BCCI's announcement, in private they express their reservations citing Pakistan's failure to deliver on India's demands, including action against Mumbai terror accused. Pakistan is yet to punish those involved in the 26/11 attack and that country has not conceded to India's demand for giving voice samples of the handlers and masterminds of the terror

strike, they said. The terror infrastructure across the border continues to flourish unabated while Pakistanbased militants groups keep sending their armed cadres to Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

The development did not appear to go down well with many others as well. Former Indian captain and legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said there was no urgency to invite Pakistan to play in the country. He said, "Being a Mumbaikar, I feel what is the urgency when there is no co-operation from the other side?"

The Maharashtra Congress too hit out at the BCCI over the decision. State Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said, "The country and the BCCI should be one. The BCCI can not go against country, and they should take a decision which the country wants." BJP leader Kirti Azad said, "It is not a problem with playing with anyone I just want to ask them that what new has happened. The government must answer this. We have provided all the evidences to them but they didn’t take any action."

"I accept that sports is a medium to improve ties but it cannot be misused… I don’t think it is a welcome step, this is a very serious issue," he further said.

The BJP also said that along with the players of the Pakistani cricket team, the terrorists involved in the 26/11 attack should also be brought to India.

www.abplgroup.com

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Thought for the Week Do whatever you can, with whatever you have been given, in the time you have, wherever you are - Nkosi Johnston

Bob Blackman MP for Harrow East

House of Lords Reform Bill In all the hiatus of the past week on the Coalition Government’s proposed House of Lords Reform Bill, the purpose of the House of Lords has been ignored. Equally, most people take the view that there are far more important things for the government to be spending time on such as improving the economy, education, health, long term social care and reducing the cost of benefits.

The Lords is a revising chamber where proposed legislation is carefully and thoroughly scrutinised. One of the main strengths being that none of those doing the verification has been elected and can use their knowledge and expertise to ensure that the legislation achieves what the government of the day intends. I have had the opportunity of working with some of the members of the House of Lords; they are world renowned experts in their fields. Most would never be selected for election and would be unlikely to be elected but they are essential to the machinery of government.

If we were to move to a system of electing the House of Lords, we would lose all of this expertise and the Lords would become another chamber where party politics mattered most. Very quickly, the Lords would challenge the primacy of the Commons and a battle of wills would stagnate legislation.

The House of Lords does need to be reformed but the last thing we need is another set of politicians, elected by proportional representation for a single term of 15 years making them completely unaccountable to the electorate yet having the ability to halt the programme of a government.

In fact, the system would be created for the Liberal Democrats to hold the balance of power for ever.

The number of peers needs to be reduced and we need complete clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the House of Lords. At the moment, the House of Lords has many reserve powers that are not used by convention. In the event of there being an elected House of Lords, there would definitely be a power struggle; it would be far too late to attempt to redress the position then!

There should be a place for nominees by political parties but the power of patronage needs to be reduced. We should move to a system of electoral colleges where professionals nominate individuals with particular expertise to serve as scrutinisers. Doctors, lawyers, accountants and many other professions could nominate people to serve.

The religious organisations could also nominate appropriate leaders to serve, one advantage being that we would have Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim nominees giving their expertise on proposed legislation.

The issue of retirement from the House of Lords should also be addressed, this may not have to be age-related but there should be a facility for those who choose to step down to make way for others. Equally those convicted of criminal offences should be ineligible to remain.

We already know that many sections of society are under-represented in politics, particularly from the Asian communities.

The setting up of appropriate electoral colleges to nominate peers would begin to address this imbalance for a positive step forward. Providing for existing peers to retire would reduce the size of the House and also allow new people to be nominated. Clarifying the role of the House of Lords would also mean that misunderstandings did not occur later!

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com www: abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

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LEICESTER VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Thousands enjoy Belgrave Mela 2012 Leicester city centre was vibrant with the rhythms, colours and spices of Asia Sunday as thousands enjoyed this year's Mela.

Indian music was blasted out across Humberstone Gate from the main stage, where dazzling dancers wowed the crowds.

The Market Place was packed with people as aromatic treats were fried up for the throng.

Sabiha Patel, 31, from Belgrave, who was there

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Crowds enjoying the stage performances

with her husband and three children, said: "It's fantastic – the market is full of great food and things to buy and the children all got their faces painted. There's lots going on."

Nelly Pattni, 37, from Thurmaston, was there with husband Sanjay. She said: "It's brilliant. There's lots to see and it seems to get better every year. There are so many people – I feel sorry for the people who came into Band entertaining the crowds

Al Qaida terrorist back in prison An al Qaida terrorist is back in prison after breaking the terms of his licence.

Habib Ahmed, pictured, 32, was jailed for 10 years in 2008, nine years for being a member of the terror group and an additional year for possessing a document for terrorrelated purposes.

The taxi driver from Manchester was the lieutenant of Rangzieb Ahmed, no relation, who headed a terror cell preparing to commit mass murder, their 11-week trial at Manchester Crown Court heard.

Rangzieb Ahmed, who was also jailed for a minimum of 10 years, was the first person in the UK ever to be convicted of direct-

ing terrorist activities. His intentions were uncovered when he passed three diaries to Habib Ahmed, to bring into the UK. The diaries appeared largely blank but actually

contained details of key al Qaida operatives written in invisible ink - contact books for a terrorist.

Among the names and phone numbers in the diaries were al Qaida's suspected former no 3, Hamza Rabia.

Habib Ahmed was arrested in 2006 and after five years behind bars was released on licence last September under strict conditions. But according to The Sun he is now back behind bars after he began worshipping at an unauthorised mosque and bought a mobile phone. It is understood Ahmed will now have to face a hearing to see whether he must serve the rest of his licence behind bars, the paper reported.

Dancers

town to go shopping!"

Sanjay, 36, said: "There's a lot of good music and we drank some amazing shakes."

Neera Alakarmi and Kavel Darji had been to get henna tattoos.

Kavel, 26, from Rushey Mead, said: "It's a brilliant afternoon – shopping, eating and watching the live performances."

Neera, 24, from Braunstone, said: "I've been

to the Mela every year and it's always great when the weather is good."

The Mela fun stretched all the way up Gallowtree Gate and half-way up High Street with activities, games, a climbing tower and fair ground. There were also drum workshops, printing classes and dozens of stalls selling jewellery, clothes and other goods.

"It's a really amazing day and the atmosphere is unbelievable," said Mandip Khela of GSM Catering as she served up samosas and other treats at the Market Place.

"It's a great multicultural event and makes me proud to be from Leicester.

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Everyone's having a great day."

Eastern Catering was also having a busy day.

Owner Ziggy Rauf said: "I'm pleased to see so many people."

Festival spokesman Nishil Saujani said: "There were tens of thousands of people at least this year and it has been brilliant. Our actors from India were mobbed by the crowds like they were Hollywood stars.

They had a great time and people all said it was a brilliant idea to invite them. The best thing was having such good weather and seeing so many smiling faces all around the city centre – you can't ask for more than that."

Pilot error kills trainee pilot, 21 A 21-year-old trainee pilot died in a plane crash when another pilot refused to accept the empty fuel gauge reading, saying his own calculations were more accurate.

Jaskinder Kaur Samra, from Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton, was a passenger in the rented 1969 Cessna aircraft piloted by American friend Abraham George, 24, who also died in the tragedy.

A second passenger, Shaun Thacker, from Monmouthshire in Wales, miraculously survived the crash after wrapping himself in a duvet to protect his body. He told an inquest that moments before the plane came down, he told Mr George that the fuel gauge was low, to which Mr

Jaskinder Samra, 21, was killed when a Cessna Skyhawk fell from the sky just a few minutes short of an airfield in Georgia

George replied: 'I've done a maths calculation about the distance and I trust my maths more than a 1969 fuel gauge.'

Shortly after those fateful words on the 427-mile flight, from New Smyrna Beach, Florida to

Chattanooga, Tennessee, the engine lost power and the plane crashed.

Thacker's survival meant he was able to tell Black Country coroner Robin Balmain the tale of the crash on September 24, 2010.

Five men found guilty of preying on ‘vulnerable’ girls for sex Five men who preyed on "vulnerable" teenage girls for sex have been found guilty of paying for the sexual services of a child.

A jury at Derby Crown Court heard how Anthony Lambert, 51, Stefan Godfrey, 44, John Shaw, 54, Ijaz Ahmed, 35, and Mark Adaoui, 40, picked the girls up from care homes and streets in Derby and paid them up to ÂŁ30 to perform sex acts.

The men gave the girls, who were aged between 13 and 15, alcohol, drugs and cuddly toys to encourage them to have sex with them.

The convictions come after a lengthy and complex investigation by Derbyshire Police, which started in July 2010, when officers became concerned for the safety of teenage girls who were seen on Derby's streets.

The force worked with

L-R: Mark Adaoui, Ijaz Ahmed, John Shaw, Anthony Lambert, Stefan Godfrey

Derby City Council after they discovered some of the 15 girls involved were in care.

Seven girls were involved in the prosecution of the men, five of whom were victims and two others who were witnesses to what happened.

The girls knew each other but there was no connection between the men, the investigation found.

During the five-week trial, the jury heard one of the defendants, Anthony Lambert, had picked up

one of the victims at her care home with another girl and drove them back to his house. They had sex on his bed while the other girl sat on the floor playing with her mobile phone.

On a separate occasion, the pair drank vodka and smoked cannabis before having sex at his house. On both occasions, Lambert paid the girl ÂŁ30, the jury heard.

At Derby Crown Court last Friday, Ahmed, of Becher Street, Derby; Lambert, of Warren Street,

Derby; and Godfrey, of George Street, Pinxton were all found guilty of paying for the sexual services of a child. The jury also found Shaw, of Kniveton, guilty of the same charge but cleared him of a separate charge of assault. Adaoui, of Carlton Road, Derby, was also convicted of paying for the sexual services of a child and a separate count of supplying cannabis. The five men will be sentenced at a later date, Derbyshire Police said.

Three Asian men charged with abduction of 13 year old girl Meanwhile, three men charged with abduction and involvement in multiple sex assaults on a 13year-old girl over a weeklong period appeared

before Ipswich magistrates Monday.

Abdul Hammed, 46, of Wellington Street, Ipswich, is charged with two counts of rape against a girl under the age of 16.

The allegations relate to July 10 and between July 6 and 12. He is also charged with child abduction between July 5 and 13.

Surin Uddin, 28, of St Matthew’s Row, London, is accused of two counts of rape against a girl under the age of 16 and one child abduction. All the allegations related to the period between July 5 and 13.

Hamza Ali, 38, of Chingford Road, London, is charged with sexual assault on July 13 and child abduction.

The sex assaults are said to have occurred at a house in Chevalier Street, Ipswich, after the girl was

allegedly brought to Suffolk from London in a van.

A fourth man, Mohamed Sheikh, a 31year-old of Seaton Point, London, is also accused of abducting the girl.

During Monday’s hearing Sheikh pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of cannabis.

No pleas were entered on the abduction or sex assault charges. The men’s cases were committed to Ipswich Crown Court, where they will appear on July 26. They were told the window for their trial would be between December 3 and January 18.

Unsuccessful bail applications were made on behalf of Uddin and Hammed. All four men were remanded in custody until their preliminary hearing before the town’s crown court.

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Asian Voice launches

community campaign against changes to UK immigration laws

By Spriha Srivastava

Book on Shahnaz launched The much-awaited book, “Flame: The Story of My Mother Shahnaz Husain” was launched recently in Delhi by Smt. Ambika Soni, Minister for Information and B r o a d c a s t i n g , Government of India.

Written by Nelofar Currimbhoy, the book is published by Hatchette India, the internationally known publishers, who have to their credit the Steve Jobs e-book, appropriately titled “Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011,” as well as J. K. Rowling’s first adult publication. Flame, therefore, is in the best hands.

Endorsed as one of Hachette India’s lead titles of 2012, Flame is the story of Shahnaz Husain as never told before.

The only book on Shahnaz Husain’s life, this fascinating biography is both a professional and personal look at the amazing journey of an icon of our times.

Shahnaz Husain needs no introduction.

Reams have been written about her. Newspapers and journals throughout the world have extolled her achievements and phenomenal success in their exclusive columns.

So much has been said about her, yet so much remains unknown.

Flame tells it all……the saga of a private life that seamlessly weaves into her professional persona, to depict the essence of a woman in all her completeness.

Indeed, glamour and success are dazzling!

When they are founded on a name, they can obscure the “person” and highlight the “persona.”

The book is an enthralling personal account into the life and journey of one of India’s living legends……the essence and the aura of the real person behind the brand name. Written with sensitivity and insight by her daughter, Nelofar Currimbhoy, Flame is a testament of one woman’s determination to live her dream, written by the woman who stood by her side to help her achieve it. In the author’s own words, “I have walked her journey with her. I was there every moment and watched her life unfold like the saga of a story

book.”

Nelofar takes us through vividly written chapters on her mother’s childhood, the formative years, the charmed early married life and her struggle to discover her identity within the stifling walls of tradition. It portrays her growth as a professional and as a

Shahnaz Husain

woman who awakens to the realization that she is destined for a life beyond. As Shahnaz Husain says, “I believe you can make your own destiny. You can be what you will yourself to be.”

Flame chronicles a life that has inspirational significance to every woman and endorses the liberty that Indian women possess, to carve out their destinies in tough circumstances, if they are determined enough to do so. This first ever detailed biographical account of Shahnaz Husain is surely destined to inspire generations of women to follow their dreams with faith and courage. As Nelofar says in her book, “This is the story of my mother who was born a Flame, a flame so bright that no storm in life could douse a single spark of her intensely free spirit.”

Shahnaz Hussain recently also introduced introduced the Nano Sun Range of sun block products. It is one of the most advanced in Shahnaz Husain’s repertoire of skin care products. The result of extensive research, it is a unique combination of organic ingredients and the latest scientific techniques. In her quest for perfection, Shahnaz Husain has c h a n n e l i z e d Nanotechnology, the latest development in skin

science, to formulate products that provide total sun-protection and also enhance natural beauty.

The highly advanced Nanotechnology has been used to formulate Shahnaz Husain’s Nano line of sun block products. By nanotechnology the particle size, shape and surface properties of natural ingredients are reduced to a nano scale, which actually helps immediate absorption of the products into the deeper layers of the skin with atomic precision.

This helps to protect the skin powerfully, providing broad spectrum protection and blocking out the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

The Nano range comprises of highly innovative sun block products that offer protection of SPF 25, 40 and 60. They provide broad spectrum protection from the sun’s UV rays. Containing natural moisturizers and sun-filters, they offer total protection from sun-damage, nourishing and moisturizing the skin powerfully. They also provide anti-tan and skin whitening benefits, delaying the visible signs of ageing. Non-greasy and easily absorbed, they have a matte finish, leaving the skin soft and smooth, with a youthful glow.

However, the latest in Shahnaz Husain’s repertoire of breakthrough products are Eye Pads, specially designed for the delicate area around eyes. These superior replenishing products are ideal for reducing fine lines around eyes and also for combating dark circles and puffiness. They contain beneficial blends of cooling, soothing and refreshing extracts of plant ingredients, like Cucumber, Chamomile, Aloe Vera, Ginseng and Green Tea. The combination of natural antioxidants and moisturisers keeps the skin looking smooth and youthful.

They soothe tired eyes, reduce puffiness and brighten the skin under the eyes. They also help to reduce stress and induce relaxation, revitalizing and rejuvenating the skin around eyes.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

In the last 2 years the British Government has tried innumerable ways to target the immigrants. It has resulted into endless confusion with hardly much of a difference in the numbers. Asian Voice has run several stories raising issues that affect immigrants directly and indirectly. In the 16th June issue (page 1) we spoke about a 'future' campaign and invited our dear readers to write to us about their feeling regarding the upcoming laws to be enforced on immigrants who want to settle here with their families.

This week we have launched the campaign formally and we want more of you, in fact all of you to support us to make our government realise Britain is a multicultural country, where every tradition and faith should be given its due credit. The upcoming changes are to directly and severely affect our culture, age old traditions and our ways of life. We need the government give us our due 'right to equality and life'. Read on to know more about our campaign and the ways you can support this campaign.

On the 9th July 2012 the Government will begin to introduce changes to immigration laws which will restrict the number of people who are able to come to this country. There are two main changes; they will begin to abolish the right of appeal for family visitors applying for a visa to visit the United Kingdom; and they will introduce minimum income requirement for persons wishing to sponsor a family immigration application.

These changes will have a profoundly negative impact on many of our readers, on our grandparents our husbands and wives, our aunties and uncles and cousins. We as a newspaper feel it is only right to launch a campaign against the changes that is why we urge you to join our community campaign for families against the proposals.

Main changes at a glance Changes to family migration routes: l Will introduce a new minimum income requirement for persons wishing to sponsor an application for a nonEEA national partner l Will have to demonstrate a minimum gross annual income of £18,600 l The minimum threshold increases if the applicant has children; £22,400 for one child and an additional £2,400 for each child l Previously there was no minimumincome requirement l Allowing adult and elderly to settle in the UK only where they can demonstrate as a result of age, illness or disability, they require a level of long-term

personal care that can only be provided by a relative in the UK l Will extend the minimum probationary period for settlement from two years to five years Right of appeal against visa decisions: l Uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and first cousins will no longer be considered to be family visitors for appeals purposes l They will no longer be able to appeal against family visitor visa refusal decisions l The government intends to eventually completely remove the right to appeal to any visa application What we are doing We are writing to all MPs to urge them to join our campaign against the Government’s proposals We are writing to Ministers at the Home Office to ask them to review the decision

How you can help You can write to your MP to raise awareness about the issue here: http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/takeaction/family-migration Sign up to our petition calling for the Government to urgently review the changes online: www.ipetitions.com/petition/asianvoice or by post to: Petition Against Government’s Immigration Law Changes, Asian Business Publications Ltd, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW.

Fraudster handed suspended jail term A fraudster has been handed a suspended jail term for his part in a VAT scam, a local paper reports.

Ketan Hasmukh Kansara, 48, of Tolcarne Drive, and two accomplices David Francis and John Capper, started a scam in 2009 where they submitted claims for VAT repayment for purchases and exports of Mercedes and Toyota cars to buyers outside the European Union, the Harrow Times reported. But the sales did not happen and some of the vehicles did not even exist, and Kansara’s falsified claim for a £36,000 payment led officers at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to start an investigation.

After reportedly pleading guilty at the start of the trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Kansara was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for two years, and 100 hours of

community service, on Thursday.

Francis and Capper, who had both denied

being involved in the fraud, were both sentenced to 12 months in prison.

• OCI Applications • Wills and Probate • Private Tax Planning • Immigration Visas (including appeals)

• Property • Divorce 502-504 Honeypot Lane Stanmore Middlesex HA7 1JR

020 8951 6959 • info@pindorialaw.com

www.pindorialaw.com

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Lib Dems launch Dadabhai Naoroji Award In an attempt to improve their success at electing more Asians and other ethnic minority people as councillors and MPs the Liberal Democratic Party are to introduce a special award aimed at their local parties across the country The Dadabhai Naoroji Award was the brain child of Councillor Rabindranath (Rabi) Martins, vice chair of Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats Rabi says " It has long been a source of great anguish to me that Liberal Democrats lag behind the other two major Political Parties when it comes to representation in local councils or Parliament. All the more so because Liberal Democrats claim to be the party of equality and fairness.

The idea behind the award is to encourage Liberal Democrats party managers across the country to do more to promote able individuals from BME from communities into political office I chose to name the award after Dadabhai Naoroji because he was the first BME Liberal Member of

Cllr Rabi Martins

Parliament in Britain over a 100 years ago " The award will be presented for the first time at the Liberty Democrats Party Conference in Brighton this September

by Party President Tim Farron The winner will be the local party that has the best plan or record of embrassing and promoting BME activists.

"The Party recognises that until there are more BME Liberal Democrats at the heart of politics as councillors, council leaders, MPs, Peers and so on the Liberal Democrats will continue to be the Party of third choice for BME voters "

Correction Last week (14 July) in the article "Farewell reception for Anand Kumar" (Pg 7) by mistake it was written that Shri Kailash Singh, Regional Manager, Air India UK & Europe, suggested that "Air India and India House are not in good terms".

It should have rather read "I am trying to make the existing bond between Air India and India House stronger...” It was purely an unintentional misinterpretation and we apologise for this misquote.

Population surges by 3.7 million in a decade The population of England and Wales has undergone its biggest surge since records began after a decade of mass immigration and a baby boom, according to the 2011 census.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that the population of England and Wales grew by 7.1 per cent to 56.1 million, twice the rate recorded in the previous decade.

When the census results for Northern Ireland and an estimate for Scotland are taken into account the UK population stands at around 63.1 million, up four million in the past decade; almost equivalent to adding the entire city of Manchester each year. More than half the population growth has been driven by immigration, with two thirds of immigrants coming from non-EU countries.

G4S boss regrets taking on Olympics The boss of G4S said he wished he had never signed the Olympics security contract and admitted that it had turned into a “humiliating shambles”.

Chief executive Nick Buckles told MPs on the home affairs select committee he was “deeply sorry” his company had been unable to deliver the promised 10,000 private security staff.

He said an extra 500 troops on top of 3,500 already pledged to fill the shortfall might have to be drafted in because he could not guarantee that all his guards would turn

up.

Mr Buckles said the company had taken on the contract to “build its reputation” but added that G4S’s reputation was now “in tatters”.

Mr Buckles said that where police officers had been used to make up for shortfalls caused by his company, the relevant force would be reimbursed. And he added that the military would also be reimbursed and accommodation costs incurred by troops covered. He also said he would consider offering soldiers Games bonuses.

Cutting immigration 'damaging' to UK science David Cameron's efforts to cut immigration are risking Britain’s scientific prowess, the Business Secretary has suggested.

In outspoken comments, Vince Cable

warned that tough new entry requirements for students may be "damaging" Britain's reputation as a good place to study.

He also claimed there is a “powerful constituen-

7

Police apologises to grammar school student

Reece Bahia with parents

A grammar school student who was robbed at gunpoint was allegedly told he could be fined £80 for making a false statement to police.

Reece Bahia was walking home from school when two men, pointed a gun at his stomach and threatened to shoot him unless he handed over his mobile phone and bus pass.

The straight A-grade schoolboy told his parents, Charlene and Naginder, and reported the incident to West Midlands police.

But officers refused to believe a crime had been committed and warned him over his conduct.

Two officers visited his home and told the family he could admit filing a

false report and pay £80 or receive a court summons.

‘I was surprised and felt intimidated by everyone who kept asking me about whether or not I was lying,’ told the 15year-old from Handsworth, Birmingham to Metro.

‘I was angry. All I was doing was walking home from school when two men stopped me in the street.’

A female officer also told Reece’s mother that children made up stories ‘all the time’.

West Midlands Police has placed two officers under supervision and issued a full apology to his family.

It accepted ‘officers were wrong to consider it a false report’.

cy” arguing for more restrictions on immigration that could stop bright students coming to the UK His comments are likely to be seen as a swipe at the Prime Minister's promise to limit nonEuropean citizens coming

into Britain to the tens of thousands, rather than hundreds of thousands.

University chiefs from across Britain have warned that tough new visa restrictions imposed by the Home Office are driving applicants to study in other countries.

UK

8

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

BOPA organises conference to promote community cohesion, solidarity & integration BOPA – British Organisation for People of Asian-origin organised a conference in Coventry on 6th July, 2012 in Conference Theatre at Citibase, Lockhurst Lane in Coventry. The conference was supported by NP Aerospace Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover & Coventry City Council through an initiative called “New Story for Coventry & Warwickshire – Asian Contribution”.

Many eminent Asians Businessmen, women, political leaders, community Leaders, academics, professionals and faith leaders from Indian, Pakistani, Bagladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan communities attended this conference which was a huge success. Dr Rakesh Sahdev opened the conference by welcoming all the guests and stressed that BOPA has started a new campaign in Midlands area to promote community cohesion, solidarity and integration by bringing all the Asian communities on a common platform. This was a unique event where faith leaders joined everyone in asserting a common desire to integrate into the country and recognising a common thread of British identity that should unite us together as one community. Rev Dr Alastair Kirk represented Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of

Dhiren Katwa is currently away

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

LONDON OLYMPICS Justice for Bhopal Victims

Coventry who is Patron of BOPA. Lord King of West Bromwich, another Patron of BOPA, spoke about contribution of Asians in British Politics. Mr Les Ratcliff, Jaguar Land Rover, spoke about the global success of his company which is known worldwide for its excellence of design & service and the new enthusiasm that has been injected by its new India owners TATA’s. Mr Duncan Eldridge, General Manager, NP Aerospace Ltd highlighted the

great contribution of his company to the defence of the country be serving the British Armed Forces from Coventry.

Mr Sanjay Jagatia, Vice President of BOPA, emphasised the hard work British Asians have done and their huge contribution to the British economy and addition of flavour & spice into the British way of life. The conference concluded with Vote of Thanks from Councillor Ramesh Srivastava, Chair, BOPA.

British South Indian Chamber of Commerce organises successful business meet Manmohan Singh to commence “Emerging Kerala Summit” Tej Shah British South Indian Chamber of Commerce, an organisation formed by a UK business programme, held its first ever “UK South India Business Meet 2012”. The event involved all four of the Southern States in IndiaKerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

It was an eventful day with a full day programme in place which was run by the British MP Virendra Sharma and was assisted

by Stephen Timms, shadow MP of East Ham and various members of the Andhra Pradesh Council.

At the event, Prof. Joy Muprappally a former member of Kerala Government, presented a talk to promote Kerala's upcoming event “Emerging Kerala Summit” which is to take place from 12th-14th September this year in

Midland Voice

Virendra Sharma MP, Dr. Cipai Subramanyum, Lord Karan Bilimoria and Stephen Timms MP

Kochi, Kerala.

The Summit will be commenced by India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

Throughout the course of the day, many spokesman told delegates of their experiences when starting a new enterprise in South India. This included advice on how to tackle certain obstacles that may come their way initially. In addition there

were opportunities for delegates to ask questions that concerned them.

Lord Karan Bilimoria, stated some of the difficulties he experienced when he first started a manufacturing plant in India. He told the delegates that there are many British companies that are successfully operating in India. He also advised that many individuals shouldn't be concerned about ini-

tial issues and obstacles as there are many helpful organisations in both India and the UK. The four states were given opportunities to talk about business opportunities in their respective areas. Each state had a different spokesman. Dr Matthew Thomas MD, FRCP(Lon), a professor in medicine talked about the numerous opportunities of public and private medical care in Kerala.

Finally, the event was concluded with an award ceremony. Dr. B. R. Shetty, CEO at UAE Exchange, was presented with a life time achievement award. He established the business in 1980 and since then, during his lifetime career, he has advanced into many other sectors such as healthcare and finance.

Additionally, Dr. Cipai Subramanyum given an award for Excellence in Healthcare.

The campaign to make a difference for the victims of Bhopal disaster soldiers on. Whilst the current campaign has been aimed at opposing the sponsorship and involvement of the Dow Chemical Company with the London Olympic and Paralympic games, our efforts for justice for victims and survivors must go on well beyond these games. It was with this in mind, a motion at the London Assembly on 11 July was tabled calling on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to rethink their relationship with the Dow Chemical company.

The full text of the motion, proposed by Navin Shah AM and seconded by Darren Johnson AM, agreed at the meeting reads as follows: “This Assembly believes that the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to select Dow as a Worldwide Partner has caused damage to the reputation of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This Assembly feels the IOC and national organising committees should consider the environmental, social, ethical and human rights records of companies when awarding highprofile partnership and sponsorship deals.

The Assembly calls on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to recommend that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduces criteria for the selection of Worldwide partners and high profile sponsors for future Games that address the principles defined in their Olympic Charter, and that the IOC review their current partnership with Dow in light of those criteria.”

Introducing the motion I briefly made the following points.

London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG’s) sustainable sourcing Code promises to “place a high priority on environmental, social and

ethical issues when procuring products and services for the games”.

International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) Code of Ethics requires support of sponsors “in a form consistent with the rules of sport and the principles defined in the Olympic Charter” which define Olympism as “seeking to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”.

It is in this context that the Assembly has debated recently sponsorship issues surrounding Dow Chemical, promotion of high calorie brand food & drinks and urged a minutes silence in remembrance of the victims of terrorist massacre during Munich Olympics.

Dow’s denial of their responsibility for the carnage in 1984 and continuing calamity is shocking.

Perhaps the most shocking example of Dow's unwillingness to accept the rule of law is the ongoing criminal case which sees ex-Union Carbide CEO, Warren Anderson, and the entire Union Carbide Corporation facing criminal charges of §.

Union Carbide was charged with criminal offence in 1989 but refuses to face the charges and is a proclaimed ABSONDER FROM JUSTICE. Dow Chemical acquired Union Carbide in 2001, with the full knowledge that the charges exist but refuses to present Union Carbide to the Indian Courts.

However, it is not too late for the IOC to clean up their act for the future Olympic and Paralympic games. It is only right that we demand justice and seek action on the part of IOC for future games to introduce and implement criteria for the selection of Worldwide partners and high profile sponsors that conform to the principles of Olympic Charter, and in doing so keep out the likes of Dow Chemical.

For the full debate watch the webcast of the meeting on the GLA Website The debate is 50min into the meeting.

Alternative email me: navinarchitects@london.g ov.uk

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Obituary

Lady Sajjankunver Gohel The epitome of the old adage, ‘behind every great man, there is a great woman’ Lady Sajjankunver Gohel played a major but discreet role in the success of her late husband, Sir Jay. As a mother she has been a central pillar, a solid foundation for her two sons and grandchildren. Her strength, energy, patience and zest for life were such important drivers in helping to shape all of us. Her values inspire us.

The daughter of Rajput nobleman Jaswantsinhji Sarvaiya, Sajjankunver was born in Rohinshala, Palitana, Kathiawar on Sunday 1st June 1919. She passed away on Tuesday 3rd July aged 93, and a large gathering of mourners gathered last week in Golders Green to celebrate her remarkable life.

The proud wife of Sir Jayvantsinhji K Gohel, CBE, known as Jay, whom she married in 1941. He had just returned to India from London after becoming a Barrister at the Middle Temple, and wished to help Britain’s war effort against Germany by joining the Royal Air Force; unfortunately ill health excluded him from being considered.

Jay was a highly intelligent and ambitious man, and his young bride Sajjankunver proved to be his biggest asset and a great source of strength, and supported fully his meteoric career path, from being appointed a Judge, a Settlement Commissioner, to being based in 1954 in Saigon (Vietnam) as Political Adviser to the International Commission for Supervision and Control in IndoChina, established under the Geneva Accord.

The constant travel and changes of location was disruptive for their two sons, Jaydevsinh and Mayurdhwajasinh, and to whom the couple were devoted, and for who they sought stability and an English education. Sajjankunver fully supported Jay in accepting an invitation by successful businessman Meghji Pethraj Shah to migrate to the UK in 1960 and to help him establish as founder director a merchant bank in the City of London, the Meghraj Bank. It was to prove to be the start of a deep friendship between the Shah and Gohel families.

The move to London was an entirely new career direction for Jay, and a massive environmental change for Sajjankunver but she continued to exhibit the remarkable ability to not just adapt to all challenges, but enthusiastically become involved in all aspects of her husband’s career and interests, and at the same time provide stability and guidance to their two sons. In London Sajjankunver came to be know by pet name of ‘Sushila’.

Jay had multiple interests. He joined the Conservative Party and in his spare time he become involved with public service and supported a number of charities. The couple developed a friendship with the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and most of her Cabinet Ministers. For public service the Queen bestowed on Jay the CBE in 1984, and the Knighthood in 1989.

Sir Jay became the first person of Indian origin after Indian independence to receive both the CBE and the Knighthood, and Sajjankunver became the first with the title of ‘Lady’ and with her demise remains the last Rajput with a title.

As a daughter of a Rajput nobleman,

Leading Lights

by Rani Singh

Special Assignments Editor

Amman Ahmed, 25 Amman Ahmed is the founder of a7records, an online ethical record label. He studied Information Systems Engineering at the University of Manchester. He had a one year placement at Hewlett-Packard as a project manager in Reading, and was a recruitment consultant in Manchester. Amman is a Virgin Media Pioneer - part of a free and open online peer-to peer community for young entrepreneurs.

What is your family background?

My family is from Lahore, Pakistan. I was born and schooled in Leeds.

Lady Gohel was a tall, elegant distinguished person, with disarming charm and unique, polite, manners which she always so effortlessly showed to everyone.

She inspired enormous affection and loyalty, and even in her 90s she never missed an opportunity to show love and affection to those whom she had known and valued. She inspired genuine respect and love. Lady Gohel’s funeral on Sunday 8 July was very well attended, by young and old, and despite the short notice and bad weather.

It was a mark of the affection she was held in that the eulogy at her funeral was led by Mr Anant M P Shah, who gave a glowing tribute to the personal achievements of Sajjankunver, and together with him three of the pall bearers Madhoobhai Mehta, Aroonbhai Ajmera, Rajubhai Shah - were also members of the family of Meghji Pethraj Shah. Her grandson, Dr Sajjansinh Gohel was the fifth pall bearer, and Lord Popat of Harrow the sixth.

In his comments at the funeral, Lord Popat credited the Gohel’s for encouraging him to get involved in politics, stating that ‘Being a Member of the House of Lords is a fascinating and humbling lifestyle, but I would have never made it there without the help and teachings of the Gohel’s all those years ago.’

Mr C B Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice, an old family friend delivered a moving eulogy. He added Mrs Gohel’s son has been a world famous commentator on terrorism and was widely acknowledged.

Dr Gohel gave an emotional and deeply touching dedication to his beloved grandmother, whom he was named after in her honour. Although she and Jay formed a formidable partnership, in many ways Lady Gohel had become an institution in her own right; a fountainhead for the Gohel family, the Guajarati community and for Rajputs. She was a true warrior. At once invincible, somehow timeless, her love and warm embrace was able to span the generations along with being wise, elegant, and with great spirit.

We will deeply mourn the loss of Lady Gohel but it’s important to remember that that a light that bright does not dim as soon as the person is gone. We all will remember Lady Gohel and the beautiful life she led.

Jewellery shop reopens after robbery A jewellery shop which was raided by armed robbers has reopened after three months. Asha, at Seven Kings, was robbed in April by five men wielding baseball bats and a sledgehammer who made off with thousands of pounds of jewellery. Raj Sadheura, whose mother Asha owns the shop, had gone to drop off his son to a French lesson when the men smashed their way into the shop in High Road. The robbers are yet to be caught.

9

Mr Sadheura told a local paper: “I felt really bad as my parents were there and I wasn’t.I got a phone call from a friend saying something is happening in the shop and that’s how I found out, I put my foot on the gas and got back, by that time the police were outside.” The family have been working in the jewellery industry for more than 25 years and despite the robbery they have not considered closing the shop or moving away.

How have Virgin Media Pioneers been useful?

They have been great.

They took me to Johannesburg to build some international business contacts and meet Sir Richard Branson; I met him again in Liverpool at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress; and they also invited me to Parliament.

They have supported me to get media attention in the Times, Live Mint/Wall Street Journal, Manchester Evening News and many more.

They always get me involved in events and help me make the right connections to grow my business. The network is a good way to learn from others who are on a similar journey in business.

How did you come up with the idea for your label?

I was inspired to start a business when I read a book called “The Four Hour Work Week”. I wanted to start a business but was faced with the typical excuses. This book was a turning point for me and I just went with my gut feeling to give it a shot. I scribbled down a number of ideas until I came up with sleep music as a business. I researched the technology behind the music and the concepts and took a risk with just £2000 of my own student loan money.

Tell me about your work.

We are an ethical record label, working

with artists from third world countries. After 12 million views on YouTube, we are now an advertising partner. We sell on iTunes and also have other revenue streams that we share with the artists. It allows them to get recognised and also earn money from their talent.

On the flip side we create music with a solution using specific types of sound technology for each of our many brands.

For example the EasySleepMusic section uses binaural beat, which is a sleep-inducing sound wave that helps relax the brainwaves.

Another example is RelaxMyDog, which uses sound sweep technology. This is a high to low frequency sound that is done in a short burst to grab the dog’s attention. It is designed to focus them on the music that follows which helps soothes them.

We are an ethical record label, working with artists from third world countries When was your breakthrough?

My journey has all been about turning in business. First it was music to help people sleep which then turned into a record label and now it’s turning into something even bigger. I think the breakthrough moment hit me back in October. The idea came to me to turn it into an ethical record label and I just grew it from there. I knew this model could turn into something big.

What has been your biggest challenge?

I would say hitting a ceiling. What I mean by that is, at first, it was

Amman Ahmed

EasySleepMusic, which could only grow to a certain extent. So I was trying to find something that can grow but also be able to relate that to my current business. I guess when you build a house, the foundations need to be strong to support building onto them.

A7records turned out to be the perfect way to continue the growth of my business.

How much do you listen to your own music, in order to relax?

I listen to my concentration music a lot as it helps me get into the zone and makes me really focus on my work. I listen to my relaxing music when I have five minutes of meditation every two hours throughout my workday. Five minutes of turning off all thoughts while listening to this relaxing music really does help me with my working day and to focus.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to continue growing the record label.

It will now attach onto a bigger concept in which I hope make an impact on the discovery of unsigned artists. I am in the process of seeking growth investment so I can get a team behind me to expand.

HFB elects new committee The Hindu Forum of Britain the largest representative body for British Hindus with over 420 member organisations from different regions around the country.

HFB’s activities are divided into three areas: public affairs and community consultation; capacity building and project development; and interfaith co-operation and relations to help build a strong and inclu-

sive Britain.

The HFB recently held elections. The Chief Guest was Baroness Sandip Verma, and the independent observer was Mr Ashok Verma, President of Global Punjabi society.

Mr Arjan Vekaria continues as the President, while Ms Bharti Tailor continues as the Secretary too. The treasurer is Mr Swaminathan V

Vaidyanathan, Vice President North- Trupti Patel, VP South- Mr Madhava Turumella, NEC members are Mr Bhasker Rughani, Mr Dinesh Chothani, Mr Jitubhai C Mistry, Mr Kartik Mehta, Mr Ramesh Pattni, Mr Sanjay Gadhavi, Mr Shravan Joshi, Mr Sumanrai Desai, Mr Velji Vekaria, Mrs Harsha Tricedi and Mrs Jasuben Mistry.

YOUR VOICE

10

Free school controversy in Harrow The purpose of this statement is to hopefully put to rest the concerns that have arisen regarding our comments on the iFoundation/Avanti Trust school at Harrow Teachers’ Centre. We are hurt and disappointed that our concerns regarding the location of this school have been misunderstood in some quarters and, we feel, deliberately misinterpreted in others. We wish to make it perfectly clear that we both welcome and support the school. Krishna Avanti Primary School is one of Harrow’s educational beacons, and we cannot think of another organisation better-suited to opening a secondary free school in our borough than the iFoundation/Avanti Trust.

The concerns we have raised about the proposed location should not be mistaken as a lack of support for the school itself.

Residents raised with us their concerns about the impact the school could have on traffic, and we have in turn raised these with Council officers. Traffic is always a concern around schools, whatever their type. We are pleased to see that the Council is consulting on this issue, and working with the Avanti Trust to hopefully mitigate any traffic issues that might arise.

Our comments on crime and gang activity have, most regrettably, been misquoted and twisted to suggest these problems would be caused by the school itself. Nothing could be further from the truth. We mentioned these existing problems out of concern for the welfare of the potential pupils and teachers using the school, and hoped that commenting on these issues would increase efforts to tackle them. As councillors we have a responsibility and a duty to look out for the safety and well-being of all Harrow residents – particularly that of children – and this is why it was so important for us to raise the concerns we did.

We appreciate there is a lack of suitable sites for schools in Harrow, and we hope that some of the issues with the Teachers’ Centre can be sorted out. However, as residents may be aware, the Kodak Site is to undergo a significant redevelopment in the near future. We wonder whether that location might be floated as a long-term alternative, given it offers improved transport links and fewer worries regarding criminal activity.

As Conservatives, we value the provision of choice in education, and free schools are providing exactly that option to pupils and parents right across the country. And, as mentioned earlier, we are enormously proud of Krishna Avanti Primary School and what it adds to Harrow’s diverse school community. We were therefore delighted when we heard that the iFoundation/Avanti Trust was considering Harrow as a location for a free secondary school, and that delight remains.

Our sincere hope is that the school will succeed and flourish, and we raised the concerns we did because we don’t want anything to prevent that desire from becoming a reality.”

Councillor Susan Hall Leader of the Conservative Group, Harrow Council Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group, Harrow Council

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Hindu school

Closure of BOAPA

Our panto politicians

Leader of the opposition Conservative group Councillor Susan Hall is trying to defend her indefensible veiled opposition to the Hindu school (Hindu residents hurt - Asian Voice, July 14).

Cllr Hall who previously said that the Hindu school at the Teachers Centre will make the traffic situation an absolute “nightmare”, is now says that her concerns are for the safety for potential pupils and teachers.

Harrow’s Core Strategy (CS) and Area Action Plan (AAP) have designated the Teachers Centre site for free school use such as the Hindu school.

There is no evidence that Cllr Hall voted against CS or AAP or raised any health and safety concerns at the Council meetings. Why the wake-up call now!

Also, Cllr Hall should know that Whitefriars Community School, Salvatorian College and Sacred Heart college are happily working in the locality without suffering from what Cllr Hall describes as the ‘local criminality’.

Is Cllr Susan Hall implying that the Teachers Centre location is somehow ‘no go’ area for Hindus?

It is shameful that Cllr Susan Hall is scaremongering and in the process propagating negative imagery of the local area and communities.

It is a great shame that Cllr Sachin Rajput, Barnet’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, has shown such disregard for the needs of the elderly in his proposals to change day services.

According to a recent council question Cllr Rajput admits that funding cuts are likely to lead to the closure of the Barnet Older Asian People’s Association (BOAPA) Day Centre in West Hendon. Elderly people in Barnet seem to be the target for so many of these ‘One Barnet’ cuts. We have already seen the cuts in wardens for sheltered accommodation and now we have this.

The BOAPA Centre has over 250 elderly members, many with stroke and other disabilities and they will find they will have nowhere to go for help once this excellent day centre for them is axed.

On Tuesday 17th July Cabinet is discussing the results of the consultation on day care. Labour councillors have submitted to the consultation, expressing our concern. We will also be calling-in the consultation results for scrutiny at the Business Managemnet Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 31st July and I would urge people to lobby the councillors on that committee to send this decision back and to reconsider the future of day centres.

Everyone should write to Cllr Sachin Rajput () to stop this madness. He should visit the centre and see at first hand, the good work they have been doing for over 20 years in Barnet. This day centre is a lifeline for many who cannot always rely on their family for support; this is the place where they come to learn all about keeping themselves fit and healthy. If the centre closes, there will be more cases for NHS hospitals and social services, and these services are already pushed to their limit. I feel that the community should stand against these ruthless cuts and stop the council from going further.

It pains me to state that our politicians of every colour, creed and persuasion are completely out of touch with reality. A friend of ours, who lives up North, goes through hell every year, as his home gets flooded on regular interval. He is not alone. There are millions of homes built on flood plains or river banks without any precautions and many get flooded on regular intervals now that heavy, monsoon like rain has become a reality rather than a rarity with climate change. It would cost, on average 20k to refurbish the property. No wonder it takes a heavy toll, not only on their finances but on their health, especially their children who suffer from asthma and water, dampness related illnesses. They are trapped, as these houses are difficult to sell and are uninsurable on most part or the premium demanded is out of reach, not worth the paper it is written on, as there are so many exclusions and compulsory minimum payment of thousands of pounds. Yet, our clueless, uncaring and ignorant governments could not care less. Planning permission has been given to build thousands of new homes on low lying flood plains and old reservoirs drained by water companies and the land sold off at great profit.

Britain is the only country in Europe where its utilities are owned by foreign nations and thus fleeced, robbed and plundered at will. When would these panto politicians wake up from their slumber and provide us a good leadership that was once the hall mark of this country!

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Dr Pravin Shah Legal & General Secretary Harrow Council for Justice

Apology required My grand children currently go to the Krishna Avanti School. The school has worked hard to avoid any traffic congestion in their area by starting the school early by an hour. Krishna Avanti’s excellent reputation can be gauged by the fact that her majesty the Queen herself came to visit the school as part of her Diamond Jubilee.

Both my grandchildren enjoy going to Krishna Avanti. I am very impressed with the dedication and quality of teaching they provide for both my grandchildren. I am looking forward to the chance for my grandchildren going to Avanti House when they grow up.

Cllr Hall’s unwarranted negative views of the Hindu school’s location are not constructive nor helpful. I would expect a Conservative councillor to support the central government’s plan to increase the number of community schools. Does she even realise that her views are alienating traditional voters of her own party!

As mentioned by the chair of the Harrow Council for Justice, I certainly hope the leader of the opposition, Cllr Hall will apologise to the Indian community for her veiled opposition to the Hindu school.

Mrs Premlata Shah Harrow

Cllr Ansuya Sodha Shadow Cabinet Member for Equalities and Social Inclusion West Hendon Ward

International Finance is master and real economy is prisoner International Finance has become so opaque and leverage so high that it no longer serves the real economy. From one financial instrument, it can create “money” six times over with twelve counterparties. LIBOR [London Interbank Offer Rate] is not calculated in any universal way or at a universally recognized time. Interbank fixing rates are 1, 3, 6, and 12-month deposit rates representing the average of rates collected from sixteen leading banks including Bankers Trust, Bank of Tokyo, Barclays and NatWest at 11 am every trading date.

EURIBOR [European Union Interbank Offer Rate] is collected from 57 prime banks in Germany, France, Italy and Madrid for the Euro currency.

Money available up to one year is known as the Money Market. Money available over one year is known as the

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Brand ‘Gujarat’ – which is equated with Guangdong of China, he invited Chinese business community and public enterprises to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit- 2013.

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A new theory says that any physical activity for 15 minutes every day is a good insurance against a plethora of health problems, be it related to the heart, the brain or even cancer.

A study published in The Lancet, a British medical journal, said that just a quarter-hour of physical exertion a day could reduce a person's risk of death by 14% and increase life expectancy by three years compared to inactive people.

Incidentally, another theory published in a different British journal said daily TV-viewing for six hours could take

away five years from your life.

Adding and subtracting years from your life has never before been quantified in such medical terms, say doctors.

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E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

I read about “Money in bank”. I agree that “Syed Kamall” is right. According to my belief all banks such as Barklays – Natwest, RBS, HSBC, Santandar plus Nation wide building society and all other banks and societies must display big posters on their windows mentioning all saver’s money. Up to £8,500 – is safe, insured, and guaranteed. So I think people will be happy and the will put their money in banks or societies they like.

Instead of keeping it in the house. By this, burglary will be also less. As well as crime – lastly I hope this will be right.

Bhulabhai Patel Kenton Capital Market.

A £100m loan can start life at LIBOR plus 2% rate in Sterling. A SWAP contract can change it to a fixed rate contract. However, the swap can be basic, contingent [when interest rate reaches a pre-specified level; reversible [the loan goes back to floating after a certain period]; puttable [one party has the right, but not the obligation, to cancel the swap after a certain period]; zero for floating [one party, which does not pay interest rate, accepts the other party’s payment (in another currency) of a floating rate; extendible [e.g. from two years to three years].£600m has been created from £100m.

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

More on page 15

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

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In a rare gesture, China’s top leadership hosted his delegation at Great Hall of People and had a free and frank discussion and exchange of ideas on a range of subjects including trade, industry, socioeconomic development, investment, and prevailing global economic scenario. Modi emphasized about the shared heritage of India and China, and common vision for improved quality of lives of their people.

In his meeting with the Mr Wang Gang, Vice Chairman of the China People’s Political

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EDUCATION / COUNCIL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

11

Number of male primary teachers Muslim pupils make up 90% of rises by 50 percent Brum’s catholic school In the past four years the amount of male trainee school primary teachers have multiplied by more than 50 percent.

The Teaching Agency, which has the responsibility of initial teacher training, had collected data which showed that the number of men endeavouring a career in primary teaching has grown at five times the rate of woman.

Lin Hinnigan, interim

chief executive of the TA, said: “Primary teaching is increasing a career for the most able graduates. It offers the opportunity ti earn a good salary and progress quickly.

According to the TA, people who take a career in teaching are twice as likely to be in a management position within three and a half years as a pose to graduates in other similar professions.

The organisation is offering young male graduates the chance to contact experienced male teachers to find out more about the role of a primary teacher.

Ms Hinnigan also added “Our aim in joining forces with talented male teachers from primary schools across England is to show the reality of life in a classroom and why there's never been a better time to join the profession.

Multimillion-pound donation to Oxford has personal roots For Michael Moritz, pictured, social mobility is personal. When announcing a £75m donation to Oxford University yesterday, he said: “All of these gifts tend to have personal roots”.

The Silicon Valley Investor is ploughing £75m into maintaining the old ladders along which his family struggled to climb during the 20th Century.

Mr Moritz and his novelist wife, Harriet Heyman, are spending the money towards scholar-

ships for poorer undergraduates starting with 100 in October.

Scholarships financially sustained his father's early life. Scholarships programmes were the reason why he went to Oxford.

He said that he

became worried about “children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK might be intimidated away from applying to Oxford.

He has made education the centre point of his donation. Earlier this year he and his wife were joined by many other families of Silicon Valley who signed the “Giving Pledge” a cause launched

by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to persuade wealthy Americans to give most of their wealth to charitable causes.

COUNCIL NEWS

Fine for importer of cosmetics

Black Rose henna hair dye which contains banned chemicals

A cosmetics importer who sold products containing potentially harmful banned chemicals has been prosecuted by Ealing Council. Mohan Singh Dokal, of MS Distributors, Southall, appeared before Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Friday 6 July, where he pleaded guilty to 12 offences under the Consumer Protection Act. He was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay the council’s £1,800 prosecution costs, plus a £15 victim surcharge – a total of £3,015.

Newham's population has risen Newham’s population now stands at 308,000 up by just over 64,000 in a decade, the 2011 Census revealed.

The figure is a 23.5% change over the 2001 figure of 243,891 and is

It is the Catholic primary school where 90 per cent of the pupils are Muslim.

All 400 pupils at The Rosary Catholic Primary School in Saltley, Birmingham, attend Catholic assemblies, mass and lessons in Holy Communion and Confirmation.

The school is based in an area which is largely populated by Muslim families. Some of the pupils’ parents are Imams. Some of them live in mosques nearby. Some of the Muslim pupils serve as altar servers during school masses.

The Rosary School is not unique in Birmingham. High percentages of Muslim pupils also attend English Martyrs’ Catholic Primary School in Sparkhill and

pupils participate, with the consent of the parents, in the religious ethos and various celebrations.

“For the church, this is a new reality. The task or challenge for the church is if there are no Catholics or Christians attending the school, do we continue the school? We will continue it if local families want it.

And they obviously do, even though they are not Christians.”

Parents in fury over swearing lesson offensive language.

A school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire gave children a worksheet which required them to spell each offensive word and were questioned whether it was appropriate to shout out foul language across a classroom or in public.

The children had to decide whether they thought the words were “always OK”, “OK”,

In the old days schoolchildren were taught the having manners was the key element in becoming a man.

Today a lesson, in a school in Barnsley, seemed to teach something rather different.

Pupils as young as 11 were being shown a list of swear words that were regarded as being very offensive. The task given to them was to grade the

“Sometimes OK”, “never OK” or “depends”.

However this lesson has lead to a controversy between the school and the parents.

Many parents of the children rang the school to give a complaint that the lesson was encouraging the children to swear.

The Department of Education also regarded the lesson as “inappropriate and extraordinary”.

the second highest percentage increase in the country. Newham now has the seventh highest population in London.

Each person is worth at least £600 of grant funding to Newham.

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Brent to tackle ‘beds in sheds’ Brent Council is drawing up plans to crackdown on 'beds in sheds' - outbuildings in residential gardens rented out in contravention of planning rules.

The council wants to tackle the plight of potentially large num-

Holy Catholic Primary School in Small Heath.

Rosary’s chairman of governors Father Bernard Kelly, parish priest at Our Lady of The Rosary and St Therese of Lisieux, commented: “This is a changing parish like all parishes in strong Muslim neighbourhoods. Our school is largely made up of Muslim children whose parents are happy to have them attend a Christian school. The

bers of people who are exploited by illegal landlords and rent poor quality, unsuitable accommodation. Some could be involved in illegal activities while others are unable to claim the support and services they need, it is feared.

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MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Scrutator’s It was on March 25, 2000, during the final year of his term as US President, that Bill Clinton paid an historic visit to India to construct a platform of trust between the two democracies, replacing decades of Cold War estrangement. News of a horrific act of violence grabbed the media headlines: thirty-five Sikhs in the southern Kashmiri village of Chhattisinghpora, in Anantnag district, had been gunned down by assailants whose identity at the time was unclear. For Pankaj Mishra, an Indian stringer for a number of British and American newspapers, the career opportunity was too good to miss. He promptly filed a report from afar, stating that an Indian army hit squad bore responsible for the massacre. The reason? The government of India sought to curry American favour by pointing a suggestive finger at Islamist extremists.

Without further ado, the Guardian newspaper in the UK and its ‘liberal’ US twin, the New York Times, swallowed the story whole as their front-page lead. John Casey, a Cambridge University academic and frequent columnist for The Daily Telegraph in London, pitched in with confirmation culled from denizens of a Peshawar bazaar in north west Pakistan.

Thanks to a stream of first-hand evidence emanating from terror suspect Abu Jundal, now in Indian custody, it transpires that 12 executioners dressed in Indian army fatigues, led by the operational head of the Pakistan-based Laskar-e-Toiba, Muzammil Butt, carried out the bloody deed. Jundal, a Laskar operative himself and a participant in the planning of the 26/11 (2008) terrorist assault on Mumbai, has opened a Pandora’s Box. The purpose of the massacre, he explained, was to incite communal violence that would cast a shadow over the Presidential visit (The Times of India July 9).

Economizing on the truth India’s alleged use of mass murder to gain American approval should have been an absurdity too far. Her Non-Alignment foreign policy since Independence in August 1947 had demonstrated that seeking American approval was never high on the list of national priorities. It was so in 2000; it remains so today.

Be that as it may, the bumptious Lahore-born, London-based Jehadi special pleader, Tariq Ali, claimed brazenly (refer interview Indian Express April 2012) that India kneels to Washington as a supplicant. In his obsession to defame, Mr. Ali surrendered to amnesia on Pakistan’s status as an officially designated nonNato US ally, along with Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan and Israel.

India may partner the US in areas of converging interest – which is much to be desired, particularly on security issues in the Asia Pacific region - but that is some distance from an alliance. As a creature of the British entertainment industry, Mr Ali’s lack of pedigree in sifting fact from fiction is understandable; there is less excuse for the Guardian and the New York Times to be cavalier with the truth.

is unknown territory: too expensive to buy; too little English to read. Cheaper Indian-language publications compete successfully for public attention.

BJP spokesmen were carelessly forgetful of Time’s headline in June 2002: “Asleep At The Wheel”- a reference to the magazine’s perception of BJP Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s inertia during the Gujarat riots. Quoting Time can be a perilous business.

Tata nods If Homer can famously nod, so can Ratan Tata. The man responsible for making Tata an international brand regretted that India hadn’t made an ally of China. His words to The Times of India (July 10) read: “China has never done anything adversarial to India, and India, I think, has been more concerned about China’s economic strength overpowering India, which really we don’t see….I wish we could find a way to be allies.”

London in 1944. It is surely worthy of a reprint.

As a postscript, newly designed fast attack patrol craft have begun patrolling the River Hooghly as a precaution against terrorists coming in from the sea to maim Kolkata, as they did Mumbai on 26/11/2008 (The Times of India July 15).

Guarding the seas

Singapore visitor

A front page Telegraph report (July 10) by Sujan Dutta tells us: “ India is set to commission its latest military post named Baaz (Hawk) on its south-eastern fringe in the Bay of Bengal to oversee a lane through which a quarter of the world’s trade passes….In April this year, the Navy upgraded its detachment in the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea to the level of a full-fledged base named INS Dweepprakshak, in the island of Kavaratti.

Together, INS Dweepprakshak and the naval air station, Baaz, are to become India’s western and easternmost sentinels.”

To keep abreast with contemporary developments, the navy has started a cyber warfare unit (The Times of India July 13).

Singapore, the island state situated near the entrance to the Straits of Malacca, has a close strategic alignment with India.

So when Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong came calling on his Indian counterpart

Ratan Tata

Mr. Tata’s job is to concentrate principally on one set of ledgers, those that relate to company profits and losses The government of India has a raft of balance-sheets to consider, including, importantly, defence and national security.

hurdles prospective foreign investors had to contend with in India. He was making a tactful plea for less cumbersome procedures (The Times of India July 10, 13).

Making way for youth An absorbing think-piece in the editorial page of the Times of India (July 10) – “Handing Over The Baton”- pointed to India’s projected demographic dividend, which is expected to peak in 2030. If this were to be the case, writes N.V.Krishnakumar, shouldn’t the powers that be prepare the country for the transition by bringing the next gen-

Significance of Baaz The location of Baaz underlines its true significance: from here India’s warships monitor the movements of vessels (civilian and military) through the Straits of Malacca, the choke point between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The economies of China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore depend on this critical waterway for their foreign trade.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (L) shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh they had important matters to discuss.

Mr Lee was keen to see a larger Indian footprint in southeast Asia to balance China’s rise.

Beyond geopolitics, India and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up skills-based vocational training institutes.

Indian naval base in Andaman or Nicobar

Rising to the bait Leafing through Time magazine is one way of relieving the tedium of an airport transit lounge.

Its pages do not as a rule tax the grey cells of well functioning brains. This, alas, excludes many of India’s political class whose taste for American (or any other) junk is inexhaustible.

Time’s critical profile of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ignited India’s Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to claim Dr Singh’s reputation had been “dented”. Why this should be is a mystery.

For the Indian masses Time

If Mr Tata believes “China has done nothing adversarial to India”, he must have been deep in his slumbers these past decades. He might do worse than enquire of China’s other neighbours, such as Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, the reasons for their abiding distrust of the Middle Kingdom.

Campbell Bay, where Baaz is situated, is closer to Indonesia than it is to the Indian mainland; it lies at the southern tip of the Great Nicobar island. Spread over 70 hectares, Baaz will shortly be opened by outgoing Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma. It will in time be able to turn around every type of fighter and heavy lift transport aircraft, from the Russian Ilyushin-76 to the heavier and larger US Globemaster.

Following on from this will be an upgrade of the naval air station Shibpur at Diglipur on the northern tip of the Greater Andaman. These developments bring to mind K.M.Panikkar’s masterly monograph, “India and the Indian Ocean: An Essay on the Influence of Sea Power on Indian History”, published in

eration on board? The challenges facing India in economic reforms and breaking the political mould are surely best tackled by a leadership with fresh ideas.

For the gerontocracy across the political divide, it is time to say goodbye.

Lessons of science An arresting item in the Hindu newspaper (July 12) tells how the State of Israel, with a population half the size of Delhi’s, had 10 Nobel laureates, mostly in the sciences. Israel’s neighbours, for all the hype of the “Arab spring,” are trapped in primeval cycles of autocracy, sectarianism and inter-ethnic violence.

The Indo-Israel relationship, with its creative dimensions in science and technology, represents a future that works. It needs to be nurtured for mutual benefit.

Science in India (if the lesson from Israel is to be best understood) should be in the vanguard of social and economic change. Only then will the nation’s true potential be released.

According to estimates provided

by Indian chambers of commerce and industry, India is expected to become home to a 500 million workforce by 2022.

Singapore will make available to India skills-centred curricula to be taught in technical education institutes.

Singapore will fund part of this o u t l a y .

Singapore also plans to extend its education outreach to individual Indian states.

Premier Lee Israel’s Minister of Industry, Trade & Labour Shalom referred to the Simhon and India’s Minister of Urban Planning bureaucratic Kamal Nath

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Political Sketchbook

www.PoliticalAnimal.me

Alpesh Patel’s

The politics of the the Big (Indian) Society At the World Economic Hindu Forum in Hong Kong I was asked to present a business mantra for helping Hindu businesses. I said I have two business mantra, spoken every morning, and if you use them then you too will achieve success.

The first one is ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ and the second one is ‘Shri Krishna Sharanam Mamah’. After all, manifesting God Himself for your works, what else do you need? But if you want a third mantra, I will give you that – ‘If you are a Hindu, I will help you; if you are a Hindu, I will help you’.

This is not to say I will not help you if you are not Hindu, or put obstacles in your way if you are not Hindu. But, it goes to the heart of the two key complaints Hindus make about each other. First that we do not help each other, secondly we actively put obstacles in the path of each other. Of course these are generalisations and like all communities we could do more, especially in an age of Big Society.

Two years ago, sitting by the pool in Spain of Tom Singh’s, the New Look Founder’s, Spanish villa, I was asked why I was tapping away on my laptop. I explained, 90% of my day is spent on emails giving assistance asked by others which has nothing to do with my business. The person asking me, a friend of Tom’s, said, ‘well that’s how business works’. He’s right. Not in a ‘karmic’ sense. Not in a mercantile transaction sense.

Hindu’s often point to the Jewish community as a role model for cooperation. Two weeks ago a friend of

a friend came to see me. He had been out of work for 7 years. He was Jewish. He was beaten by rejections.

His attitude smelt of defeat. Every time I gave him advice on finding a job, he would interrupt about how it wouldn’t work.

I told him, he is sucking the energy out of the room. Why would anybody employ him? But I also remembered the words from the week before I had read in New Delhi, at Birla House, the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated – ‘the job of a leader is to inspire fearlessness’. And so it was for one hour I sat with this stranger and gave him idea upon idea on getting a job. But the best idea I had – I told him I would write to some wealthy Jewish friends, and say to them, ‘My Indian community holds your Jewish community up as a role model for cooperation. I met someone from your Jewish community. He’s a good man.

I’m going to help him. But I want you to prove me right, and meet him and help him too. And then, when you do, I am going to write about it, and give my own community a specific example of the role models you are and indeed an example that if we Indians and Hindus do not help each other, then those that do will ensure we are left behind. So prove yourselves to be the role models we believe you to be, and motivate the best in my Indian community to be like the best in yours. Then I’ll tell the Prime Minister!’ Pretty strong incentives. And all that because I went to the World Economic Hindu Forum!

New visa rules to catch bogus students Britain on Monday announced a targeted interview system for student visa applicants from India and other non-EU countries to prevent abuse and to ensure that they are refused visas if immigration officials have doubts about their genuineness as students, as reported by an Indian national daily.

The new measure follows a pilot scheme carried out in India, Pakistan and 11 other countries, which revealed that some applicants could not answer basic questions in English without an interpreter, but had claimed in forms that they had the ability to study at UK universities. During the pilot, over 2,300 interviews were conducted at application stage between December 2011 and February 2012.

It revealed that almost half (45%) of applicants from Myanmar would have been refused visas if they had been interviewed.

The figure for India was 29%, and 38% for Bangladesh, the home

office said as reported by the Times of India.

"Under the current system UK Border Agency officers are unable to refuse some applications even if they have serious concerns over the credibility of the student - we are toughen-

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ing up the system," immigration minister Damian Green said. The pilot analysis mentions case studies of three Indian applicants whose responses during interviews raised doubts about their credibility and genuineness.

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13

Miss India UK to share 'Shilpa's fate' ?

Five years after actress Shilpa Shetty was subject to racist behaviour on Celebrity Big Brother, Miss India UK Deana Uppal has 'allegedly' faced similar ‘insults’ from a fellow contestant, prompting regulator Ofcom to launch a probe on receiving over 1,000 complaints, as reported by an Indian media.

Hailing from Birmingham, Uppal is the current Miss India UK and has done modelling assignments in the UK and India. In 2007, following an uproar over racist comments by contestant Jade Goody against Shilpa, Ofcom had ruled that Channel 4 had breached its code of conduct.

On June 5, fellow contestant Conor McIntyre was reportedly seen screaming at Uppal and was later warned for the aggression towards her.

On June 25, he was

seen shouting at a weeping Uppal, brandishing her epilator, and abusing her.

McIntyre's remarks prompted demands from women charity organizations for his removal from the Big Brother house, saying that Uppal, pictured, should not have to live with such an intimidating presence. Many took to Twitter to blast Conor's alleged bullying and over 1,000 people lodged complaints with the regulator, prompting Ofcom to launch an investigation into whether the airing of the arguments may have breached the broadcasting code.

However another Indian media has reportedly said that, while the public and media speculate racism, ex-Playboy bunny girl and the show's contestant Shievonne Robinson has allegedly accused Deana of "playing the race card" to garner sympathy.

Deana Uppal

A Channel 5 spokesman reportedly said, "Channel 5 is committed to complying with Ofcom's broadcasting code and will help to facilitate a speedy investigation into this particular episode of Big Brother and Big Brother's Bit on the Side.”

Councillor stabbed in the chest Cllr Ross Hatfull was attacked by four men who were attempting to steal his mobile phone, reported a local newspaper.

The Labour councillor for Valentines ward was taken to the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel.

Labour leader Jas

Athwal said: “He’s lucky to be alive. An inch one way or the other and that would have been it.”

Cllr Athwal said: “It’s sadly a sign of the times we live in that the price of a phone is worth more than the price of a human life. I am thankful that he is ok.”

Cllr Ross Hatfull

14

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

BAPS Children’s Forum Receives Gold Award for Supplementary Education

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Willesden celebrates its 37th anniversary

Dave on flute

BAPS Children’s Forum has received the Gold Award from the National Resource Centre (NRC) for its “high standards of service in providing supplementary education to the community”. Based at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden – the ‘Neasden Temple’ – it is the first supplementary school in the London borough of Brent & Harrow to have

achieved the gold standard.

This latest distinction follows The Queen’s Award presented to BAPS Children’s Forum in 2009 for its outstanding voluntary services to the community.

Among its various activities, BAPS Children’s Forum organises a Sunday school to teach Gujarati, in which it has attained a

100% success rate in GCSE exams, with more than half of the students receiving a grade A or A*.

During the weekly classes, some 70 volunteers assist the 350 students. The school also strives to provide valuebased education helping young people develop into and responsible respectable British citizens.

India's first stereographic 3-D animated feature film enters UK India's first stereographic 3-D animated feature film is being released worldwide on August 3rd.

"Hey Krishna" (Krishna Aur Kans in India) is coming to most major cities across the

world, including London, Birmingham, Leicester and Manchester just in time for Janmashtami, the Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.

The previously

released 2-D TV series "Little Krishna" (by the same producer) is the number one most popular children's show in Turkey. It's also very popular in Brazil, Indonesia, and other places.

Shree Swaminarayan Temple Willesden London, celebrated its 37th Anniversary from the 2nd - 8th July 2012. The event was graced by Swamis from Shree Swaminarayan Temple Bhuj. The celebration included a 7 day Shreemad Bhagwat katha.

Abhishek and poojan of

The SKLPC (UK) celebrated their 40th anniversary on Sunday, 8th July 2012 - Annual Mela at their grounds in Northolt.

Amongst the invited guests were dignitaries Cllr. Mayor Mohammad Aslam, Cllr. Paul Lorber, Cllr. Krupesh Hirani; Cllr.

Manjibhai Kara; Past Cllr.

Mano Dharmarajah, Cllr.

Deputy Mayor Kate Salinger, Cllr. Radha Rabadia, Cllr. Manubhai Makwana, Bob

A comprehensive research study, commissioned by the Loomba Foundation in 2009, has revealed astonishing findings about widows and their children. It discovered that there are 245 million widows and over 500 million children who suffer in silence worldwide and 100 million of these widows live in poverty struggling to survive.

Many of these women and their children are malnourished, exposed to disease, and subjected to slavery.

HIV/AIDS, ethnic cleansing, armed conflict and poverty are among the most prolific causes of widowhood.

Widowed women experience targeted murder, rape, prostitution, forced marriage, property theft, eviction, social isolation, and physical and psychological abuse.

played a flute.

On Saturday evening, the temple hosted a Cultural Night showcasing the talents of the youth aged 418. Performances included dramas, singing, dances and lazium. Video's of the whole event can be viewed on www.shreeswaminarayan.org.uk.

Blackman, Dr Omkar Sahota, Madhvaji Turumula and Steven Pound, MP were present.

An opening ceremony of the cultural program and the Samaj Magazine (available online at www.sklpc.com) was performed by the family of Vascroft Contractors Limited who kindly donated £3,500. The morning activities consisted of a flute and table performance by young artists from

the Pandit Ram Sahai Sangit Vidyalay - PRSSV Sangeet College, and Bal Gokulam (SKLPC Saturday School) where children of the ages of 4 – 10 years performed the Gayatri Mantra, Krishna Geet & Suryanamaskar.

The cultural program, led by the cultural co-ordinator, Deepa Hirani for the afternoon consisted of 19 items performed by participants from various gaams.

3,000 children in 16 states in India. The beneficiaries are selected without regard to race, religion or gender and receive a scholarship of Rs. 500 which are guaranteed for a period of five years initially. Today many Loomba Foundation scholars have completed their education and have moved on to skilled employment or further education.

Even before my father’s body was cremated, my grandmother ordered my mother to remove her jewellery and bindi from her forehead and not to wear coloured clothes ever again. At that time, I was ten, too young to comprehend the sufferings of my mother. However, years later when I was getting married, the priest who was conducting my wedding ceremony asked my mother to move away from the Vediyan because she was a widow and could bring back luck to the newlywed couple.

This has been my inspiration for setting up a charity named after my mother, The Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba Memorial Foundation, which aims to alleviate the plight of widows around the world.

Ghanshyam Maharaj was on Tuesday 3rd July (Guru Purnima). A Bhajan show was held on Friday, 13th July evening with performances by youth and guest by performances Mehboob Nadeem and Dave O'Brien. Dave actually rehearsed and sang a kirtan in Gujarati and

SKLPC celebrates 40 years

My mother became a widow at the young age of 37 years in Punjab in India in 1954. My father died of tuberculosis not a fault of my mother, yet it was my mother who suffered for the rest of her life due to the traditions and stigma of widowhood.

The incident has always haunted me to this day. A mother who gave me birth, a mother who brought me up, a mother who educated me, a mother who always wished me well… how could she have brought me bad luck!

Performances by youth

As part of our global work the Foundation delivers aid to widows, either directly or through its strong network of partners including the Prince of Wales’ international charity Youth Business International and Oxfam (GB).

Persecution and abuse against widows and their children is not a crisis limited to the developing world and large groups of widows can also be found in Europe, including Russia and Central Asia. Western Widows often face social isolation and commonly live with severe insecurity and poverty due to lack of affordable health care and employment.

Children of widows are also affected and may face horrors such as child marriage, illiteracy, loss of schooling, forced labor, human trafficking, homelessness and rape. Sadly 1.5 million widows' children will die before their fifth birthday.

The Loomba Foundation is young but has gone from strength to strength and currently works in fourteen countries, in South Asia and across Africa. To date, the Foundation has educated over 6500 children of poor widows in all 29 states in India, who received scholarships for five years or more and supported over 27,000 family members. The Foundation is currently educating over

In March 2012 the United Nations Economic and Social Council recommended the Loomba Foundation for Special Consultative Status. The Citation Reads - “The Shrimati Pushpa Wati Loomba Memorial Foundation — a United Kingdom-based group that aims to promote the fundamental freedoms and human rights of widows and their children around the world by raising awareness of the gross injustices women face when losing a husband and removing the stigma associated with being a widow.”

Special Consultative Status granted by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is based on criteria including the applicant’s mandate, governance and financial regime. Organisations with special status can attend the Council’s meetings and circulate statements.

Education and empowerment is at the heart of our work.

Through education you can break the vicious cycle of poverty and through empowerment you can give widows the opportunity to be self reliant, educate their children and lead a life of dignity.

F or furth er information pl ease vis it our w ebsite www.theloombafoundation.org or contact Priti Patel at priti@th eloomb afoun d ation.org

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Summer hair tips from internationally renowned celebrity hairdresser Asgar From supermodel Cindy Crawford to Bollywood supremo and one of the world’s most beautiful women Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the name Asgar is synonymous with cutting edge and attention grabbing hairstyles. The UK based hair maestro has worked his magic on scores of celebrities and dignitaries the world over, making the front covers of several leading fashion magazines and item publications with his showstopping and inspirational coiffures.

As well as having styled top models for the front covers of high-end fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, Asgar’s work has also graced the fashion and style sections of national newspapers such as The Observer, The Times, The Independent and The Daily Mail.

A regular on red carpets around the world, Asgar’s hair creations have been showcased at glittering premieres, showbiz events and Awards ceremonies, and he is sought after by the top names in the film, Royal and fashion fraternities.

Asgar’s distinguished celebrity clientele includes supermodels Cindy Crawford and Twiggy as well as Bollywood A List stars Karisma Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan and legend Rekha.

Top 5 Summer Hair Tips From Hairstylist to the Stars Asgar for AV readers: 1. Chlorine control: When on holiday it is only

natural to have a dip in the pool on those hot summer days. Being clued up on chlorine treated pools can avoid both unnecessary and annoying colour damage. Damage can be reduced by shampooing hair directly after swimming and treating with an intense conditioning treatment.

2. Sea inspired waves: Tousled effortless hair is one of the sexiest styles this summer. Achieve this extremely easy to achieve and gorgeous hair style by adding some salt to your styling routine. Rough body and interesting texture can be added instantly to the hair by using a salt spray or surf styling product, perfect in keeping with this season’s hottest hair styles.

3. Turn up the volume: Think big this summer for gorgeous hot evening hair styles. Before styling add some mousse to damp wet

combing hair through with a wide tooth comb, adding mousse before drying should add instant volume and oomph to your hair do once completed.

This added va va voom is essential for any party look for a summer’s night out.

4. D e e p S e a Conditioning: During the summer month’s hair often becomes dull and dry after exposure to more frequent soaking and drying. Control of unmanageable hair can be achieved by completing extensive conditioning treatments at least once a week. This regular treatment will smooth hair delivering control over hair and unruly static hair strands. To ensure complete protection for your hair against the summer sun ensure you are using an SPF hair spray to prevent any unwanted sun damage.

5. Shining through: The simple use of shine mist can add instant life transforming dull and tired locks. On the other hand overly greasy hair can look equally as limp, be sure to have some dry shampoo at the ready should this occur! Dry shampoo can help absorb any excess oils keeping your roots dry ensuring the ‘summer bounce’ remains in your hair.

Flavours of India The Tea Board of India brings to you for the first time an exhibition, ‘Flavours of India’, in joint collaboration between the Government of India (Ministry of Commerce) and the High Commission of India, London. This unique initiative will feature display of diverse variety of Indian tea among other products. With an objective to kinder a connec-

tion between the connoisseurs of tea and its various forms, be it the muscatel Darjeeling or strong Assam, as is said, there is a cup for everybody.

Besides an exquisite range of tea; on offer will be a wide selection of traditional delicacies specially chosen to complement the aroma and flavours of India and a host of cultural performances.

Being organised dur-

Letter Writers' Seminar Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have always valued and cherished the contributions made by our letter writers. To help in further interactions amongst each other and with our team, we are planning a Letter Writers' Seminar in August 2012. To avoid clashes with major events, it will be held on a Saturday between 3-6pm, and we had suggested the dates 4th August, 11th August or 18th August. After much deliberation and taking into account correspondence from various contributors, we have decided to organise the above seminar on Saturday 18th August. We would also extend this invitation to our regular columnists and sincerely hope their participation.

If you are interested in attending the seminar, please register your name at aveditorial@abplgroup.com or via post to our offices.

ing the period of the London Olympics, this two-day event is scheduled to be held on the 1st and 2nd of August 2012 at the Southbank Centre and guarantees a mix of a learning experience, colourfulness and excitement for individuals and families alike.

The prime focus of this exhibition will be on the different assortments of the Indian Tea, spanning from the Nilgiri to the Darjeeling type, which will be available for display and sale. Various entrepreneurs and experts from India will be invited to exhibit and educate the audience on tea, its types and features. In addition to this, the fair will also witness a display of different variety of coffee. The Government will also take the initiative of presenting distinct spices, exclusive of India, and now an integral part of households worldwide.

Also there will be Indian dance performances at the venues.

15

f ashionista

by Debasree Ghosh

Be a Fashionista, Be You! If you have any questions or a story or a new style to share with us, please write to Shree at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Get in Shape Few weeks back we talked about swimwear for all shapes. But let’s face it, there’s only so much one can camouflage. Getting in shape for the beach is a killer though. Most of us find our summer holiday diet hard to stick to. I for one, am just not able to get through the 3pm barrier without an afternoon snack. Figuring out what to eat when you're trying to lose weight can be an overwhelming task especially if you have little time for cooking and food shopping.

But fear not! Women across the country are turning to delivery diets to slim down: Perfectly portioned meals are sent straight to their doorsteps.

Now while half the country is away to sunnier shores in August, I’ll be chained to my desk.

But I am going to be a friend here and give you the low-down on the togo-diets on the market.

Body Chef: Designed to remove the temptations we face when trying to lose weight, Body Chef focuses on the bigger picture, encouraging a healthier balanced diet and lifestyle. Ideal for those who need to retrain their eating habits, or want some short-term food solutions. Meals are available in 3-7 day plans, and there are also extra options for vegetarians or those looking for a detox diet. Food will be delivered to your door in a chilled box with a weekly menu planner, and include three meals a day, plus a dessert.

Options include mushroom curry with rice and chicken crumble, new potatoes and broccoli.

Price plans start from

£95.98 per week.

Myfood: My Food suggests that you could lose 7lbs in 14 days. The company has been running this service of delivering pre-prepared meals for 7 years and allows dieters to choose and purchase their package or their ‘Eat In’ meals either by phone or online. My body-obsessed and lovely colleague Roxanne had tries this plan a few months ago and so I got some first-hand info from

her.

She said she loved their Crimson salad but overall, the food felt very packaged and was not appealing I thir texture, smell or colour. If you want to see for yourself, they cost £17-£19 depending which option you take Diet Chef: Calorie and portion controlled meals designed to help weight loss. There are plenty of snacks, which is great for those who need regular food top ups during the day. Ideal for busy people and fussy eaters you can individually choose your own meals.

Select a hamper, select a delivery option and away you go. You can choose breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus snacks for 28 days, and all meals are calorie controlled.

Choose from meals such as Thai Chicken Curry, Paella and Coq au Vin.

Will you make you lighter by £190.

Soulmatefood: Bespoke meals put together using the latest in American Diet Specific Technology to suit your individual goals. Ideal for fussy eaters - the diet is designed specifically for you. Plus, a team of chefs will create a different meal for you every day.

You’ll get three meals and three snacks, plus a dietary supplement per day, all delivered in a stylish chilled container. Diets are individually designed, but could include meals like tender chicken koftas, with bombay new potatoes, spinach and butternut and sesame chicken.

Prices start at £25 per day for a minimum of a week.

The Pure Package: Based on a balanced diet and controlled portions, it aims to banish snaking and break bad food habits using fresh, ethically sourced produce.

Ideal for cash-rich but time-poor diet devotees, or anyone prone to swapping proper dinners for late-night snacks. There are multiple different programmes to choose from, including Brain Balance and Healthy Eating, plus a special Swimsuit Sensation diet for summer. Each day you'll get a complete set of three meals and two snacks delivered in a temperature-controlled bag. You could be feasting on anything from Asparagus & Smoked Chicken Salad to Spiced Swordfish with Black Bean Salsa. £36.95 per day for a minimum of 10 days including delivery.

YOUR VOICE Embarrassed Indian Alpesh Patel is rightly worried about Hindus not complying with SanatanVedic discipline, eating beef and consider non-Hindu behaviour as badge of honour.

It is a wake up call for those who take survival of Vedic tenets for granted. Current tenacious, assertive and aggressive push

by Abrahamic religions, threatens the very survival of Hinduism.

But let us not forget that SanatanVedic heritage has survived 1000 year of invasion, domination, destruction and subliminal brainwash by invaders, Moguls and British rulers. All through, Indians were not passive victims. In pre Christian and Pre Islaam era, they spread sanatan-vedic faith from Macedonia to Bali and Russia to Ceylone.They fought invaders from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey with matching bravery,

courage to protect their temple wealth, religion and spiritual tenets.

Current multi-religious environment is countered by Sanatanee sadhus, godmen and gurus who are inexorably and assiduously spreading Sanatan-Vedic influence via propagation of Hindu 10 commandments-Yam and Niyam with astang marg, yoga, meditation, non-violence and vegetarianism, which are more effective than brain-washing by dogmatic Abrahamic faiths. What is happening to Hindu tenets is a blip on the time-scale of history. Sanatan-vedic tenets collectively known as Hinduism are eternal and has room for innovation and modernisation, thus can never perish.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

‘Aadukalam’ sweeps Tamil Filmfare Awards

The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 (South) was held on July 8 in Chennai. The star-studded awards ceremony had actors from the four south film industries vying for top honours. The list of the award winners were: Best Film ‘Aadukalam,’ Best Director Vetrimaran (Aadukalam), Best Actor Male Dhanush (Aadukalam), Best Actor Female Anjali (‘Engayum Eppodum’), Best Supporting Actor Male Ajmal (Ko), Best Supporting Actor Female Ananya (Engayum Eppodum), Best Music Director G V Prakash (Aadukalam), Best Playback Singer Male Aalap Raju (Ennamo Edho, Ko), Best Playback Singer Female Chimayee (Sara Sara Vaagai Sooda Va) and Best Lyrics Vairamuthu (Sara Sara Vaagai Sooda Va),.

'Naan Ee' emerges box-office hit; Rajini praises Sudeep

SS Rajamouli has done it. His very debut film ‘Naan Ee’in Tamil has won accolades from film critics and the biggest critics of all, audience. The film is running to packed screens and raking in moolah at the box office. It's massive collection considering none of the actors are super popular in the film and the director is new to Tamil cinema. Superstar Rajinikanth praised the film's villain, Sudeep. After watching the film Rajini said: "I thought I was the best villain to date, but you beat me to it." Sudeep is visibly thankful to Rajamouli for this as all the top stars in south cinema, including the Superstar Rajinikanth showering praises on him.

Meena back on screen!

Doe-eyed Kollywood beauty Meena took a break from cinema, post her marriage, and was very scarcely seen on screen.

However, here's some good news for the beauty's fans! Meena will soon be seen sharing screen space with versatile actor Prakash Raj, in an ad film! A little birdie close to the actress reveals that Meena is currently shooting for the ad film, directed by Producer Siva, with Prakash Raj, at a spot near Kovalam.

This is the first time that Meena is shooting for a Tamil venture, after delivering her daughter Nainika, last year.

However, Meena was seen on a dance reality show on TV, as a judge, some time back! Reports state that Meena has also signed up to star in the Telugu movie, Sri Vasavi Vaibhavam!

Hot Garam masala Kareena to star opposite Imran in Dharma's next

There have been several speculations on who would be the leading lady opposite Imran Khan in Punit Malhotra's next directorial venture. However, Dharma Productions have put the speculations to an end by signing Kareena Kapoor as the leading lady of the film. "Producer Karan Johar, Kareena and director Punit Malhotra met at the Dharma productions office recently, where they went through a lengthy discussion. After the discussion Kareena was finally convinced about the role and is now a part of the venture," said an official spokesperson. This is the second time Kareena and Imran will come together on screen under the Dharma banner.

Parineeti Chopra dating Maneesh Sharma?

Earlier, reports claimed that Parineeti Chopra was in a relationship with Uday Chopra, now she has been linked with director Maneesh Sharma. Sources close to the actress reveal that romance was kindled in them even before her debut in films. The “Band Bajaa Baarat” director was the one, who recommended her to Aditya Chopra, for “Ishaqzaade.” The actress who earlier denied her link ups with Uday, refused to comment about Maneesh, with a shy smile on her face.

Soha and Kunal Khemu fight over getting intimate Having a romantic relationship with a fellow actor can prove to be quite tricky. Soha Ali Khan, who has been dating beau Kunal Khemu since three years, admits to recently having had a fight with him, thanks to some of his racy scenes in his last release.

Soha is of the opinion that before filming for an intimate scene, both the partners should discuss the ‘act’ with each other. She says, “Otherwise Kunal and I would have very bad fights over the issue. I haven’t done anything bold yet, anyway.” Speaking about her tiff with Kunal, she says, “We had a fight about a particular scene, when I went to watch Kunal’s latest film. I don’t think any girlfriend would have been happy seeing that.”

Well she might be long over her ex-flame John Abraham, but guess actress Bipasha Basu can't seem to get over the irritation, John left her with! Looks like Bipasha's failed relationship has made her completely wary of men. So much so that she's tagged men as 'losers' and left us wondering if this have anything to do with John?

In a rather interesting interview to a leading a daily, the actress spoke her heart out and indicated that the men of today, don't really impress her. She said, "Arrey yeh toh ladke hain na aaj-kal, bilkul loser type hote hain.

Woh sahara

I work well under pressure: Sonakshi

Actress Sonakshi Sinha who has been busy shooting for her films back-to-back, recently spent some time at home with family, when her father Shatrughan Sinha was admitted to the hospital. Sonakshi has got more than her share of success. Her next release is “Joker,” a sci-fi film with actor Akshay Kumar. “It’s got aliens and stuff like that. I love sci-fi books and English films. This was the second film I signed and at that point of time, I thought it was interesting,” says Sonakshi.

Considering that both her films have done very well at the box-office, is there pressure to perform? “I don’t feel unnerved. I work well under pressure. I look at it like encouragement. I have been lucky for someone who didn’t want to do acting, but I am also hard-working. People have noticed that this girl can do something. They have noticed my talent so I don’t feel the pressure.”

Osama was addicted to Sunny Leone videos Famous Bollywood director Ram Gopal Verma shocked all with his tweet saying that the slain al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was addicted to Sunny Leone's videos. According to the director's sources, Osama was watching her videos when his house in Abbottabad, Pakistan was raided and he was killed during the encounter. "Is it true that Osama had a stack of Sunny Leone videos in his Abbotabad compound?" tweeted RGV from his personal Twitter account. "My source tells that he was watching her video when he was shot dead," added Ram Gopal Verma's tweet.

However, there was no confirmed news about Osama's addiction to Sunny Leone's videos but porn CDs and videos were seized during searches at his residence in Abbottabad. Media reports earlier said that the world's most wanted terrorist was actually addicted to porn.

dhoondte rehte hain saare time.

Honestly, the quality of men, they are looking only for mothers. And sometimes you don't want to play the mother, it's really exhausting!" And, that's not all. She also indicated that she's got too much unwanted attention since she broke up with John.

"When I became single, I got so much attention, that I had to say, what's going on! These are the same people I knew earlier. Everyone wants to ask you out, it's scary. Everyone called me a schoolgirl. Anyway, I don't like the word," added Bipasha.

Bipasha is single right now and sick of people, who pretend to sympathise with her! She concluded by saying, "If any guy even remotely gives me the dukhiyari vibes, I am like no, please don't call me again!"

Bollywood megastar and martial arts supremo Akshay Kumar has once again shown his caring nature by offering to act in the debut film of his one-time martial arts student, Prateek.

Akshay and Prateek first met when Akshay starred in the 1992 hit “Deedar,” which was directed by Prateek’s grandfather and acclaimed director Pramod Chakravorty. During breaks in the filming, Akshay trained his protégé in the discipline of martial arts. “When Akshay was shooting for my grand dad’s film ‘Deedar,’ he taught me martial arts. I stopped training and he also got busy with his film career. But I have always been close to him,” says Prateek.

Now Prateek, a budding Bollywood actor and director, has penned and starred in his debut project, “From Sydney With Love,” which he has made under his family production banner of Pramod Films. Akshay has offered to perform a cameo in the film and has also helped to launch the film’s music soundtrack.

Speaking about the project, Prateek said: “Akshay supporting me is a huge deal”. He added: “Akshay has promised to work with me in my next venture. So after From Sydney With Love, we will look at a suitable script.”

Photo: Ashutosh Gowarikar

16

Deepika was conscious about her look in ‘Cocktail’

Deepika Padukone is making heads turn with her bold outfits and svelte figure in upcoming film “Cocktail” but the actress says she had t o work hard to achieve the look in “Cocktail.”

The rom-com which also stars Saif Ali Khan and debutante Diana Penty is already creating a lot of buzz amongst the audience thanks to the film's fresh look and good music.

Deepika Padukone says she did not mind wearing the bikini and skimpy outfits for the film. "It wasn't a cakewalk for me to just get into a shirt and call for action. I had to spend time to get myself in a great shape and also develop such a body language that it all looked casual rather than forced. The audience is smart; the moment you try to fake something, they catch you," Deepika said.

The actress plays the role of a rich brat, Veronica, in the film and the actress says she did everything to make sure that she lived up to the standards of the character. "I knew that if I had chosen to play Veronica, I had to be super confident about the clothes. The only thing I was conscious about was looking my best and not about doing what I did," Deepika said.

The movie which is directed by Homi Adjania is written by Imtiaz Ali. The actress feels Imtiaz Ali writes strong parts for his leading ladies and she trusted his character of Veronica in the movie.

Deepika, who is working with Saif for the third time and will soon be seen opposite him in “Race 2,” said she cannot express in words the kind of chemistry she shares with the actor. "I think one of the biggest reasons why people see a lot of chemistry between the two of us is due to the kind of films that we have done.

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18

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Barclays begins search for new chief executive Dear Financial Voice Reader, Finding finance for business is a key problem presently. I work rarely with banks – and so debt finance is not as common in my world as equity finance.

What’s the difference? How do you get it? Well the difference could save the world. I kid you not. Save the world.

I was speaking at an interfaith conference recently and the Muslim panellist next to me, reminded the audience that the advantage of the Usury laws in Christian countries and in Sharia in Islamic ones is that interest is forbidden. Essentially, you are a stakeholder in the other persons business.

Now imagine if the bank’s had been stake holders in issuing mortgages, they would have certainly not have issued such poor risk mortgages and led to the credit crunch. If bankers were paid in shares, they too would take less risk.

And so too in business. It was that bank managers treated the businesses they lent to like a community – owners themselves in it proverbially. Indeed, if they thought like that again, they would restart lending and value investments more accurately, because they’d own them.

Under the present debt based system they are only incentivised to disbelief your ability to repay. If they were co-owners, they would more readily invest in good projects and continue ditching bad ones. Presently they ditch good and bad and go for only the ultra-safe that don’t need the money in any event – motivating the good companies to take bigger riskier bets.

So how does a business find these investors. Angel investors are abound in the UK. Groups such as Envestors meet monthly and listen to pitches from businesses. Not comical ones like in Dragons Den – no one has time to waste like that – but serious businesses who believe in themselves, have a track record, know their financials.

So how much does an investor want in your business? It works like this. Normally they effectively want a 30%pa return. Wow. That’s a big interest rate! Yes, but you don’t pay it in interest. If you think your business in 3 years will be worth, say, £10m, then at 30% pa an investor would have doubled his money. So if he gave you £2.5m today, he would want it to be worth £5m in three years. That is 50% of your company.

Simple. Well it can be more complicated. But Indians usually don’t go down the angel route – maybe they don’t know about it. But they should.

Alpesh Patel (alpesh.patel@tradermind.com) www.InvestingBetterBlog.com and www.alpeshpatel.com and www.TheDealDaddy.me

Gujarat, Germany to set up business centre

A German - Indian business centre (GIBC) has been proposed to facilitate business opportunities between Germany and Gujarat for setting up of offices, technology transfers and joint ventures.

The centre will facilitate investment between companies in Germany and Gujarat. Among other activities, GIBC will facilitate acquisition of German companies for Gujarat companies along with taking care of due diligence.

The centre will also scout for and register technology partners in both countries.

"Germany is the largest trading partner of India in the European Union (EU).

Despite the financial challenges in EU, trade is increasing between the two. The proposed GIBC in Gujarat will act as a bridge between Gujarat and Germany," said Jagat Shah, founder, Global Network, an international trade consulting firm based in Ahmedabad.

GIBC's focus will be on sectors like energy, including renewable, automotive, life sciences, engineering, laser optics, ICT, innovation, research and education.

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Speculation is mounting over who will replace Bob Diamond as chief executive of Barclays. The process of finding a successor is already under way.

Barclays has held talks with external headhunters used for senior executive placements to get advice on finding a replacement as swiftly as possible.

Marcus Agius, who resigned as chairman of Barclays recently only to be made executive chairman a day later following Mr Diamond’s departure, confirmed last week that he was leading the search.

Mr Agius has said he would look at internal as well as external candidates but expectations are grow-

ing that the bank may look outside its own ranks in an attempt to demonstrate a break with the past.

Among the frontrunners is former JP Morgan cochief executive Bill Winters, who was a member of the Independent Commission on Banking that designed many of the industry reforms being put in place by the Government.

The other leading external contender is thought to be Richard Meddings, finance director of Standard Chartered, the emerging markets-focused bank.

Since the financial crisis, Mr Medding’s reputation has soared as Standard Chartered has continued to post an

Bill Winters

unbroken run of record profits. He is also well regarded for his work advising the Labour Government on the bailouts of major lenders at the height of the crisis.

Inside Barclays, Anthony Jenkins, head of the bank’s global retail and business banking unit, has emerged as one of the leading candidates. Mr

Call centres lead ‘northshoring’ wave

After the rise of “offshoring” comes “northshoring”, the movement of jobs either from overseas back to Britain or out of the expensive and crowded south-east to northern cities. With prime office rents falling in the recession and oversupply of buildings leaving lots of empty offices, call centres in particular are moving from the suburbs to the city centre.

When Aegis, the Indian outsourcing specialist, opened a call centre in City Tower, Manchester’s thirdtallest building, earlier this year. The business filled a gap left by public sector cuts, occupying a space vacated by a regional arm of central government. Aegis chose the building for its first operation in Europe and its European HQ. “We wanted to make a statement in coming to an iconic building,” said Steve Crewe,

Jenkins has been credited with leading the turnaround of Barclays’ retail business and is untainted by the Libor scandal, as he was removed from the areas where the manipulation took place. However, his lack of investment banking experience could count against him.

Mr Agius told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that retail banking was relatively easy to understand compared with the markets side of the business. Naguib Kheraj, a senior adviser to Mr Diamond and a former chief executive of JP Morgan Cazenove, is seen as another potential internal candidate.

SpiceJet plans to expand international flight

who runs the call centre.

In Liverpool, meanwhile, the landmark Plaza office block is home to call centres operated by Bosch, the German group that has an outsourcing arm, and Service Source of the US. Overall, the north-west is home to more than 700 call centres, up from 521 in 2004, according to CallNorthWest, part of the University of Central Lancashire. The sector employs 183,000, which is 50 per cent more than in 2004, and about 6 per cent of the regional workforce.

In an industry dominated by multinationals, the Contact Company has made the most of being different. Established in Birkenhead in May 2006 with a staff of 15, the call centre now has 600, with a turnover of £9m. Asif Hamid and Juliet Rhodes, the founders, said that they

spotted a gap for someone to serve smaller businesses with a bespoke system.

Ms Rhodes, managing director, said: “Because we are owner-managed we appeal to them. We are flexible and move quickly.

We are not going to take a week to complete a planned change.” Mr Hamid, chief executive, said that the UK could now compete with Asia.

“We brought Play.com back from the Philippines,” he says. “We are bringing jobs back to the UK.” “The level of service is nowhere near as good. There is high attrition of staff. Wage costs are getting closer,” he said. Adam Stewart, marketing director at Play.com, the online shopping business, said: “We wanted a UK contact-centre provider that’s both a strategic partner and works as an extension of our team.”

Low-cost airline SpiceJet said it would start new flights to six countries, including Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong by end of October this year as part of its plan to expand international operations. "We will launch flights for Kabul (Afghanistan), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Male in Maldives. The services to these countries will be start by October end," company's CEO Neil Mills told the media.

He added that the effort would be to connect to these countries from non-metro cities here in India. The company is operating its international flight services for Dubai, Kathmandu and Colombo.

SpiceJet announced expanding its services in India also.

basis – such as banks, hedge funds and energy companies.

However, like Libor – the interest rate measure that Barclays was earlier this month found to have rigged – the market is unregulated and relies on the honesty of the firms to submit accurate data about all their trades.

This is one of the major concerns raised in the G-20 report, published last month by the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

In the study for global finance ministers, including George Osborne, the regulator warns that traders have opportunities to influence oil prices for their own profit. It points out that the whole market is “voluntary”, meaning banks and energy compa-

nies can choose which trades to make public.

IOSCO says this “creates opportunity for a trader to submit a partial picture in order to influence the [price] to the trader’s advantage”. In an earlier report, the regulator concluded: “It is open to companies to report only those deals that are in their own best interests for the rest of the market to see.”

The price reporting agencies, Platts and Argus, argue they employ journalists to weed out false data submitted by oil traders.

IOSCO says reporters are “well-aware that traders have an incentive to push the market one way or another and do not generally believe everything they are told”.

However it points out this system is heavily reliant on the “experience and training” of journalists to make a judgment about what the oil price should be.

Further alarm bells are being sounded by US regulators, who have already pointed out the rate-rigging scandal could spread

to the oil market.

Scott O’Malia, a top official at the US Commodities Futures Commission, has drawn attention to the “striking similarity” between the potential for manipulating oil and Libor.

British regulators carrying out the Wheatley Review into the Libor scandal have this week signalled they will look into whether other markets were skewed.

Paul Tucker, the Bank of England’s deputy governor, told MPs that Barclays’ abuse of the Libor system may be only one part of the banks’ dishonesty over crucial financial information.

Politicians called on the Bank of England and the Government to take heed of IOSCO’S finding about the oil market to prevent another crisis of confidence in the banks.

Lord Oakeshott, the former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said the oil price system ought to be examined in the wake of the Libor scandal.

Was the petrol price rigged too?

Politicians and fuel campaigners urged the Government to expand its inquiry into the Libor scandal to see whether oil prices have also been falsely pushed up.

They warned any efforts to rig the oil price would affect how much drivers pay at the pump, which soared to a record high of 137p per litre of unleaded earlier this year.

Robert Halfon, who led a group of 100 MPs calling for lower fuel prices, said the matter “needs to be looked at by the Bank of England urgently”.

“We need to know whether the oil price has been manipulated in a similar way to Libor,” the MP for Harlow said. “This impacts on millions of people all round the country concerned about the price of petrol at the pumps.”

Petrol retailers use oil price “benchmarks” to decide how much to pay for future supplies.

The rate is calculated by data companies based on submissions from firms which trade oil on a daily

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

19

It’s a question of asking the right questions

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

A few months ago I had a client who came to see me regarding a mortgage, simple enough at first glance. He wanted to purchase the property he was renting from his landlord. The property was in a prime location of Mayfair. The first question of course was ‘what rate can I get?’

This is often the first question which a client asks when seeking finance. It’s difficult to answer as it’s dependent on what the client can show in terms of income.

Last weekend we had another meeting, in which I got to understand the full situation. He was purchasing the property for £3.6m from his landlord. The property was on the top floor of a mansion block and consisted of 1650 sq ft. There is a possibility of adding another floor on top as the roof space is allocated to this flat alone, thereby almost doubling the square footage of the current flat.

The client is a diamond trader and is often able to multiply the money he has. He wanted to put as least money into the transaction as possible so he could carry on trading. The property is held in an offshore company in Malta, so he would be buying this company and not the property directly thereby saving a huge amount of stamp duty.

The shares would be transferred over into his name. On top of this it transpired all his income is overseas, there is no income coming into the country.

It became clear his main o bject ive was n ot to g et the cheape st rate, th e main o bjec t ive was t o redu ce the amou nt he has to put int o t he d eal, the rate is se cond ary.

In order to do this we needed to find out full information about the client and the transaction, often clients don’t volunteer it as they do not see the relevance or wish to keep certain aspects private. It is very difficult to help someone fully if you do not know their actual situation and the circumstances involved exactly.

The property valuation currently is £4.2m. If the property was to get planning permission for another floor the value would be enhanced to the £5m mark. Given this extra information the deal can be structured to purchase this property without any money whatsoever, except for the expenses associated with it.

As the seller became a friend of the purchaser, he is flexible in his approach on how the deal is done, he has even offered him a loan of £600,000 to help out with the deposit.

The way to do this is for the landlord to sell the property not at £3.6m but at £5m. In other words the contract should be done at the valuation price and not the purchase price. Even with the lack of income coming into the UK we can get a specialist bank to finance this at 60% LTV. This means the bank releases £3m with the other £600k being provided by the seller who takes a second charge on the

The Real Deal High Yield Two bedroom Flat in Little Venice, W2 - £249,950

property. This means the bank takes the first charge when issuing a loan and the seller would get the second charge on the property to secure his funds until they are paid back.

This would mean if t hin gs go to plan th e buyer does n ot e ve n have t o pay t he stamp duty, only a few t housan d poun ds fo r expen se s.

There would need to be a full trail behind the transaction, £3m would come from the bank and a further £2m would need to come from the purchaser. This would go from his bank to the solicitor’s account, the £5m would then go across the seller’s solicitor’s account.

If the purchaser wanted to ensure his funds get returned he could insist on the seller signing a charge for £2m in favour of the purchaser or a company controlled by the purchaser. This way the money would not touch the seller’s account as the charge would need to be satisfied by the seller’s solicitor before he could release the money to his client.

Naturally the purchaser was amazed at the solution we came up with, and the rate now became secondary to the structure of the transaction.

The transaction would need to work in this way: a price of £5m is agreed upon based on a delayed completion of 6 months or earlier at the discretion of the purchaser. This price is subject to planning, if the planning is not achieved the price remains at £4.2m.

In the interim the purchaser applies and gets planning thereby gaining the enhanced price. If for an unlikely reason it fails to come through he will be buying the property for £4.2m and will need to put in £500,000 into the transaction allowing for the £600k the seller is happy to provide.

If t his transaction was d one in the ordinary way, the d epo sit requ ired wou ld be 40% o f £3.6m which comes to £1. 44m. The way t he t ransact io n is going t o be do ne has redu ced the de posit req uire d f rom £1.44m t o zero.

Very good location and amazing views of Central London The block was recently modernised and major works bill of £40,000 paid off Rental income of nearly £21,840pa can be achieved.

Only 1% Stamp Duty Call us now on 0207 096 1354 to secure this amazing deal.

The solicitors on both sides would need to be comfortable with this method, it is sometimes easier to work the other way around and find solicitors who are a bit more creative in the way they do deals rather than trying to get old dogs to learn new tricks.

I recently had one solicitor, whom the client had appointed, try to charge the client 5% stamp duty on the purchase of two blocks of flats worth £1.25m. He insisted this was the amount to be paid as the stamp duty has to be applied on the total amount. Not the case!

Legislation which came in 2011 says the stamp duty rate to be applied will be the total amount divided by the number of flats, in this case it is seven and so only 1% stamp was payable.

It is always difficult to correct a solicitor; they are upholders of the law and professionals. So when I pointed this out and sent him the link to the HMRC website he very diplomatically thanked me for bringing it to his attention and said he ‘would look into it further’.

Inside I think he probably felt like an idiot. If we had gone with his advice the client would have paid £50,000 extra in stamp duty.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 313 4595 Westbourne House, 14-16 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RH

Tips of the Week l Be strict about what you’re looking for, if you want strong rental yield you may be better off purchasing a property above a grocer’s shop close to a station rather than a property for the same price 15 mins away l Remember you never have to pay Capital Gains tax until you sell a property, and you never have to sell a property, you can still extract the increase in price by way of remortgaging

20

financial vOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership and Human Resource Management

maria@abplgroup.com

Maria Fernandes

Are the UKBA living in Ivory Towers?

ealing with the UKBA as a body is like bangD ing your head repeatedly

against a brick wall. As a practitioner clients become frustrated and assume that we are not doing enough to progress their case particularly with moving targets. For example when an application is made the target is 12 weeks. By the time that period has come to pass the target has moved yet again to 16 weeks.

Try speaking to someone at the UKBA. It is not possible to. There are no contact details provided, no means of speaking to a human being. A telephone call at the hugely expensive telephone enquiry bureau is likely to result in the applicant either being told not to bother them (because the application is outside the target of 6 months) or told that the case is “under consideration.” No one has to take responsibility for making a decision or to justify the delay. In fact no one cares about the image of the

IMF cuts India growth forecast to 6.1 pc for 2012 The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its forecast for global economic growth and warned that the outlook could dim further if policymakers in Europe do not act with enough force and speed to quell their region's debt crisis.

In a mid-year health check of the world economy, the IMF said emerging market nations, long a global bright spot, were now being dragged down

by Europe. It said a drop in exports in these countries would combine with earlier policies meant to prevent overheating and slow growth more sharply than hoped.

The IMF cut its 2012 growth forecast for China to 8 per cent from 8.2 per cent, and said it now expected growth of 8.5 per cent next year, down from 8.8 per cent. It revised its growth projections for India to 6.1 per cent this year from 6.9 per cent, and chopped its 2013 forecast to 6.5 per cent from 7.3 per cent.

passport and send it back?

And why must it take several weeks ?

Finally, if all else fails, will making a complaint have an effect? You will definitely receive an acknowledgment of the complaint but that is about it. There will be no investigation, the caseworker will suddenly appear to wake up from their slumber and respond and the matter will get swiftly swept under the carpet.

Obfuscation is the name of the game and the UKBA do it well. Then again they are protected by a culture which demeans the migrant and constantly send s a message that they are not welcome. The ivory tower and the brick wall rule OK. Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years. Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 020 8733 0123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

UKBA. The way that the process is handled is suggests that the applicant is lucky that their application is being considered at all. There is no customer service culture and the policy of the Government does not encourage this Department to put itself in a favourable light.

If it merely concerned students then knowing what the Government think about them it would be understandable.

However the Government have been keen to drum up business for investors.

Those who have successfully entered and then applied for settlement are then mysteriously held back for further enquiries whilst other categories are free to apply for settlement the same day.

And if anyone, God forbid, needs their passport back in a hurry it involves a dance with the Gods to get an acknowledgment of this request let alone get it actioned. Can it really be that difficult for the UKBA to retrieve a

Dealing with Bullies hen the Tory back- being frank, taking a no benchers revolted nonsense approach and W demonstrating against their Lib Dem part- even

ners was it a policy disagreement or were they flexing their muscles to show who was the strongest in the Westminster playground?

When Sonia Gandhi installed Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister but then repeatedly rebukes the ‘government’ for policy failures, is she giving constructive feedback or just making him a scapegoat for her own failures? While such actions are commonplace in the world of politics can they also be considered to be a form of bullying?

Bullying is a word we normally associate with the school playground rather than the workplace.

However, it is a problem which is rapidly becoming recognised as unacceptable and unlawful. No one has the right to intimidate, insult or humiliate someone else at work, irrespective of their position within the company. Of course, bullying is rarely that straightforward or that obvious and those who resort to bullying will hide behind terms such as

strong, robust leadership.

It is often said that the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them.

Sadly, we will never hear Prime Minister Singh remind Mrs Gandhi who is boss. We will never likely see Nick Clegg allow his ministers to vote against their Tory partners. Partly because this would be politically suicidal, but it is also sad reflection that more often than not bullies still get their way unless someone is willing to risk their own career and takes them on.

With an increasing awareness about bullying people and companies are now acknowledging that this can happen in the workplace and measures are being implemented to prevent such behaviour.

This is why it is critical for leaders to be able to distinguish the difference between being a strong leader who achieves their targets and being a bully who achieves their targets.

This is not a typo, usually both will reach the same place, they will both get the job done. The distin-

By Amit Patel

guishing factor between the two actually lies in the process, not the result.

Leaders are required to take decisions, sometimes difficult ones. They need to ensure that deadlines are met and that weaknesses are quickly identified and remedied.

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humour, but without folly.” (Jim Rohn).

Or a simple rule to follow is deal with the people who work for you as people first and employees second. It is not enough to not be a bully, leaders should stand up to them.

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management. He has delivered speeches on People Management and Development throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail@gmail.com

India’s industrial output 99p Stores achieves ‘record’ annual results rises by 2.4 % in May The 99p Stores reported months. The retailer, which tively in the previous two months.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, however, said the improvement in factory output was not enough to indicate any significant rebound in growth.

"I don't think this is an improvement that indicates robust recovery...It's a good news but not very good news," Ahluwalia said. Manufacturing output had been a big drag on the overall IIP data, which is considered a barometer of the economic growth.

The cumulative growth of manufacturing sector in the first two months of the current fiscal stands at 0.6 per cent, while electricity sector has registered an average growth of 5.2 per cent in April-May. However, mining continued to be a drag. Mining output dropped by 0.9 per cent in May. The cumulative contraction in the first two months in the mining sector stands at 2 per cent.

India's industrial output grew by 2.4 per cent in May as against 0.9 per cent contraction in the previous month, led by rebound in manufacturing and electricity production, government data showed.

The cumulative growth in the factory output in April-May period, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), stands at 0.8 per cent year-on-year.

Electricity production grew by 5.9 per cent and manufacturing output increased by 2.5 per cent in May, data released by the Central Statistics Office showed. Reacting on the monthly data, Economic Affairs Secretary R. Gopalan said the May data showed improvement in factory output, especially in some sectors like textiles.

"It has shown improvement. Factory output was negative in the last two months." he said.

The factory output had contracted by 0.9 per cent and 3.5 per cent consecu-

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annual profit growth figures of 14% as well as plans to create 3,000 new jobs. In the last 12 months 99p Stores has opened 51 new branches – creating around 1,500 new jobs - in the UK and Ireland to take its total number of stores to 194.

And it says in the next 24 months it will be opening “more than 100” new stores to push its number of branches beyond 300.

This will lead to the creation of 3,000 new jobs.

It has also increased its family of customers by 25 per cent in the last year to around 2 million weekly shoppers.

“Overall these are record results showing we are one of Britain’s fastest growing retailers,” declares 99p Stores boss Hussein Lalani. “And we would like to thank each and every one of our family of two million customers for making this happen.”

Mr Lalani said the British public is deserting the Big Four supermarkets

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sells a range of 5,000 items - including more than 3,000 branded goods - has doubled its customer base in the last 18 months.

Mr Lalani adds that the company’s robust ‘like for like’ figures shows its business has strong underlying growth. He says: “These like for like numbers are the strongest in the sector.”

During last year 99p Stores has sold 860,000 99p umbrellas, over 125 million tea bags, 11.4 million litres of fizzy drink and more than 7million packs of Walkers Crisps.

For the year ending 31st January 2012 turnover was up 17% to £270 million, pre-tax profits up 14% to £7.2 million and a ‘like-forlike’ growth figure of 3.7%.

99p Stores is now one of the fastest growing retailers in the UK as reported recently by Fast Track in association with The Sunday Times. 99p Stores was founded in January 2001 and has branches in England, Wales and Ireland.

Hussein Lalani

in droves and coming to 99p Stores instead.

He says: “Our customers are telling us they are fed up of having been ‘ripped off’ for years and years paying up to three times the price for essentials. Many tell us it has now become ‘cool’ to shop at 99p Stores. At 99p Stores if you buy 20 items you know what it will cost you – less than 20 pounds.

At other stores shoppers have become nervy – they don’t have a clue what the final bill will be.”

During last year 99p Stores has matured into a “one stop-shop.” It has rolled out fresh fruit and vegetables into its stores, to sit alongside milk, dairy, chilled and frozen meat and vegetables which have been introduced over the last 18

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financial VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

21

Foreign Exchange Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

Crisis in the Eurozone will never end It seems as though the crisis in the Eurozone will never come to an end. Finance ministers across the bloc continue to battle through in order to make it apparent that the EU is on its way to fiscal union. Whether their aims will ever be achieved looks unlikely.

In his speech before the Congress of Deputies last week, the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy announced a raft of measures, which were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, to ensure Spain’s fiscal stability and enhance competitiveness. Among the measures to be adopted is the increase in VAT, the abolition of bonus payments to government officials and tax relief for home purchases, and cuts in unemployment benefits and ministry expenses. The vice president said that these measures are “necessary and urgent� and that they meet criteria with “utmost fairness and equity.�

According to the Spanish Real Estate Market Index (IMIE) from real estate appraisal firm Tinsa, the average price of a house in June had a decrease of 10.8% compared to

the same month of 2011, marking a cumulative adjustment of 30.4% since December 2007, when property prices reached their highest value. Therefore giving investors a fantastic opportunity for a bargain!

Last week we saw GBP to Euro hit a record high with the rate hitting the next psychological level of 1.27! The last time the rate was this high was in October 2008, so now would be a fantastic time for clients/potential clients to commit some funds for any investment. With this in mind hopefully this will create some urgency

and ensure that we can see some financial commitment towards the property while the exchange rate is trading at the high.

The U.S. dollar lost some ground against most major currencies, as data showing a third consecutive monthly decline in U.S. retail sales bolstered expectations for another round of monetary easing by the Federal Reserve.

The Commerce Department said U.S. retail sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.5% in June, confounding expectations for a 0.2% increase, after a 0.2% drop in May. A few months ago Barclays

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Capital predicted that GBPEuro would hit 1.32 by the end of the year. It looks as though their predictions are currently on course, so anyone looking to sell properties and move back to the UK should look at buying the pound as soon as possible to ensure they do not lose any more ground.

Confidence in the financial sector is increasingly fading away. Here in the UK first Barclays and now Lloyds TSB are on the front line of the Libor fixing scandal. Bob Diamond, head of Barclays, has already resigned with more seniors likely to be dealt the same card. State owned Lloyds involvement could spark further concerns about the government’s ability to help institutes which practice unlawful financial tactics. It has come to surface that even Bank of England governor may be involved and regulatory bodies in the US are now looking to press forward criminal investigations. The wealth has known to be transferred over to the east during this recession, can it be that the west has now lost its status as leaders in the financial sector?

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 17th July 2012 @ 2pm GBP - INR = 86.08 USD - INR = 55.10 EUR - INR = 67.55 GBP - USD = 1.56 GBP - EUR = 1.27 EUR - USD = 1.23 GBP - AED = 5.74 GBP - CAD = 1.59 GBP - NZD = 1.96 GBP - AUD = 1.52 GBP - ZAR = 12.82 GBP - HUF = 364.67

www.rationalfx.com Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

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PAKIStAn-BAnglAdeSH-SRI lAnKA

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Pak judges order new PM to reopen graft cases

Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court last week ordered Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, the latest twist in a long-running confrontation between the judiciary and the government.

Pakistan's previous prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, was disqualified from his job by the Supreme Court last month after he was convicted of contempt of court for failing to restart work on the cases against the president, who also heads the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

The Supreme Court asked Ashraf, who replaced Gilani, to submit a report on compliance with its orders by July 25.

"Failing which, the court may initiate any appropriate action in accordance with the law," Justice Asif Khosa said, reading out the court's order.

Another showdown between

judges and politicians could lead to further instability in Pakistan, which can ill afford more crises in the face of myriad challenges including a Taliban insurgency, a struggling economy, and widespread poverty.

The government has refused to obey that order, arguing that Zardari has immunity as the head of state.

Zardari denies any wrongdoing, and says the cases were politically motivated. Earlier, hours before the Supreme Court was due to resume proceedings in the case, Zardari signed into law a controversial

bill exempting senior officials from contempt of court charges, in an apparent attempt to shield Prime Minister Ashraf from the charges faced by his predecessor.

Opposition parties have threatened to challenge the new law, saying it is against the spirit of the constitution.

PPP, opposition zero in on Asma as caretaker PM? Meanwhile, the PPP and main opposition PML-N are close to striking a deal on naming a consensus caretaker premier, with top lawyer Asma Jahangir's candidature "under serious consideration", and finalising a date for polls to be held before year-end, a media report said on Sunday.

Amidst intense speculation regarding the outcome of the confrontation between the government and the judiciary, which may see a second premier losing his post, Pakistan's two largest politi-

cal parties "are quietly but rapidly finalising an agreement", The Express Tribune quoted its sources as saying.

Abdullah Hussain Haroon, the Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, and leading lawyer Asma Jahangir, ex-president of the supreme court bar association, are being seen as candidates for the post of caretaker PM in a set-up that will oversee the election, the report said.

Jahangir's candidature is "under serious consideration" while Haroon is being seen as a "soft, back-up option", according to the report. The two parties have been holding discussions in private though they continue to criticize each other in public and in the media. The discussions between the PPP and PML-N will be crucial for the first transition from one popularly elected government to another in Pakistan's history.

As minorities face attacks, Pakistan willing to resolve Pak MPs seek shield for them bilateral disputes with

Islamabad: Parliamentarians from Pakistan's minority communities complained of killing, robbery and harassment and demanded protection against such incidents.

Speaking in the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, lawmakers Darshan Punshi, Lal Chand and Manwar Lal highlighted several incidents of discrimination with members of the minority Hindu community at Mirpur Khas, Shahdad Kot and Mirpur Mathelo in southern Sindh province.

They demanded that the government should take action against those responsible for such incidents.

Darshan was the first lawmaker to raise the issue in the House and referred to the case of one Gul Bahar Shah, a minority citizen of Mirpur Mathelo, who was forced to vacate his house. The PMLN lawmaker said Shah's house was displaced from his house, which was occupied by some influential persons of the area, and demanded an inquiry into the incident. He also mentioned another incident at Shahdad Kot, where the house of a member of the

Bill to curb ISI withdrawn Islamabad: A bill aimed at making the ISI more accountable to parliament and government has been withdrawn from the senate by the presidential spokesman, who had submitted it in his private capacity.

Farhatullah Babar, the spokesman of President Asif Ali Zardari, had submitted the bill last week. It is believed that the move had the backing of the presidency.

The bill was reportedly withdrawn because Babar did not get it approved by a special committee of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party headed by law minister Farook H Naek.

This committee approves all private members’ bills.

Hindu community was robbed and a child was shot though no culprit was arrested for the crimes.

Lal Chand, a Pakistan People's Party parliamentarian, informed the House about the murder of a member of a minority community and said that the alleged murderer, Feroz Khan, was freely roaming and police had not arrested him despite his identification. He also referred to incidents of robbery and theft and the snatching of ornaments from women of a minority community and demanded that the Sindh government should be asked to take action in such matters. Manwar Lal raised the issue of the Balmik temple in Lahore and claimed its income was being usurped by an official of the Evacuee Trust Property Board. He described the official as a member of a "mafia", which was forcing the shrine's 'pandit' to surrender his right to receive income from shops located in the temple complex. The lawmakers urged the federal government to consider the "rising sense of insecurity" among the minority communities.

India: Hina Rabbani Khar

Phnom Penh: Pakistan said it was willing to go by the agreement that it had in the past with India to resolve some of the disputes like Sir Creek and Siachen. "If you look at may be some of the disputes that we have. We have Sir Creek, we have Siachen...

Pakistan has already made it clear that we are willing to go by the agreement that we had in the past," Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in an interview.

She said the two countries must move forward in

the relationship and "moving forward would require that we all are able to sometimes show flexibility, some times we don't need to show flexibility." Khar is in the Cambodian capital to attend the ASEAN ministerial meeting. When asked whether Pakistan was disappointed that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not yet decided to visit Pakistan despite invitation, Khar said "I do not believe in the business of being disappointed. I believe in optimism and I believe that we still would like to host him.

"We welcome him to Pakistan and we hope that within his tenure (he is able to visit Pakistan)." "As I said, for me I look at it as a lost opportunity because there were two prime ministers who got along awfully well, who were able to set the course of a different dimension within this relationship," "So one of them is a former Prime Minister now. So we hope that more opportunities will not be lost." she said.

Afghans protest woman's public execution

Kabul: Dozens of rights activists took to the streets to protest over the recent public execution of a young woman for alleged adultery, which was captured in a horrific video.

The 22-year-old victim was shot dead as dozens of men cheered in a village, about 100 km north of the capital Kabul.

The execution was blamed by the authorities on Taliban militants and caused global outrage, with world leaders denouncing the Islamists, who are waging an insurgency against the Western-backed government. "We want justice," the protesters, almost all women, chanted as they marched from the women's affairs ministry to President Hamid Karzai's heavily-fortified palace. The crowd, stopped at the first layer of

multiple security lines around the palace, shouted that Karzai should take action over the execution. "The execution of the woman by the Taliban was a crime... the government must do everything to bring the culprits to justice," parliamentarian Shinkai Karokhail, who joined the march, said.

"This is the duty of the government to deliver justice."

The demonstrators included Sahar Gul, the child-bride victim of an internationally notorious case of abuse by her husband's family when she refused to work as a prostitute.

Gul, 15, who was burned and beaten and had her fingernails pulled out, was found in the basement of her husband's house last December in northeastern Baghlan province, where she had been locked in a toilet for six months. Since recovering from her injuries after being rescued by police, she has become a symbol of resistance in the povertystricken and deeply conservative nation where women are still often treated as secondclass citizens.

Another woman on the march bore the scars of having had acid thrown in her face by a man whom she refused to marry. Karzai condemned the execution as un-Islamic and unforgivable and security forces have launched a manhunt for those responsible.

In Focus Drive to promote Hindu way of cremation in Pakistan Amritsar: In a first, a Karachi-based organization has launched a campaign to promote Hindu way of cremation in Pakistan.

Pakistan Hindu Seva (PHS), a voluntary organization, has started asking the Hindu community members not to bury their dead ones and instead follow the Hindu rituals of cremation. PHS president Sanjesh S Dhanja said that many poor Hindus in Karachi have stopped cremating their dead and instead bury them due to poverty. "Usually relatives of the deceased themselves dig the graves and perform last rites," said Dhanja. The PHS has also started a drive to clean up Hindu graveyards in Karachi. About 50 volunteers of PHS removed garbage, old and broken furniture, polythene bags, cleaned drains and swept clean Driag Road Massan Ghat in Karachi recently.

ISI lobbyist Fai surrenders to US prison authorities Maryland: Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai has handed himself over to prison authorities after he was sentenced by a Virginia court on charges of tax evasion, for taking money from a foreign government and trying to influence American policy. Fai will be kept at a minimum security prison for two years followed by three years of supervised release.

"I made a mistake, but Kashmir cause is wise. Kashmir cause has not been affected, people came to know that it's an important international issue," he said. Fai's imprisonment was delayed because he had requested to attend his child's graduation ceremony. He was sentenced to two years in prison for accepting money from Pakistan's ISI to fund his illegal lobbying efforts on Kashmir.

Karzai offer to Taliban chief Omar: Run for Afghan president Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar to give up fighting his US-backed government in return for the chance to run for president of the war-torn nation. Mullah Omar, the one-eyed Taliban leader who has been on run since the United States toppled his regime in late 2001, is one of the world's most wanted men and is leading a Taliban insurgency aimed at ousting Karzai. Karzai has repeatedly called on Omar and other insurgents fighting against his administration to renounce violence and accept peaceful reintegration.

Pak court issues arrest warrant for Musharraf in Bugti case Islamabad: A Pakistani court issued arrest warrants for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and several others accused of involvement in the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006. The warrants were issued by Judge Muhammad Nawaz Khan of the anti-terrorism court at Sibi in Balochistan province. Besides Musharraf, the others for whom arrest warrants were issued were former Premier Shaukat Aziz, former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, former Balochistan Governor Owais Ghanni, former chief minister Jam Yusuf, former provincial home minister Shoaib Nosherwani and former deputy commissioner Abdul Samad Lasi. All of them were named as suspects in an FIR registered by police regarding the killing of Bugti in a military operation ordered by Musharraf.

Rehman Malik resigns from Pak Senate Islamabad: Rehman Malik, Pakistan's advisor to Prime Minister on interior affairs, resigned from the Senate over a month after the Supreme Court suspended his membership of Parliament. Malik told reporters at the airport in Karachi that he had submitted his resignation to the chairman of the Senate or upper House of Parliament. On June 4, the apex court suspended Malik's membership of the Senate on the ground that he had failed to provide proof of renouncing his British citizenship.

The court has suspended the membership of nine members of the national and provincial assemblies in response to petitions filed against lawmakers with dual nationality.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Hillary’s motorcade in Egypt pelted with tomatoes, shoes

Cairo: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was targeted by protesters who threw tomatoes and shoes at her motorcade during her visit to Egypt. Hillary was on her first trip to Egypt since the election of the country's new Islamist President, Mohammed Morsi. Protestors also mockingly chanted 'Monica, Monica' in reference to her husband Bill Clinton's extra-marital affair. During the protests in Alexandria, a tomato struck an Egyptian official in the face, and shoes and a water bottle landed near the armoured cars carrying Hillary's aides.

Indian wins USD 1 mn draw in Dubai

Dubai: A 34-year-old Indian has won a USD 1 million lucky draw in Dubai Duty Free's 130th Millennium Millionaire festival. Sreeju Nambron, who works for a construction company in Saudi Arabia, had the winning ticket which made him the winner of the lucky draw.

Nambron is the 54th Indian national to win USD 1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion. The Millennium Millionaire Promotion was first introduced in 1999 and in its 13-year lifespan it has presented 130 USD 1 million cheques to the winners from all around the globe. Two more winners were announced in Dubai Duty Free's Finest Surprise Promotion, with each one winning a luxury vehicle.

White House police officer threatens to kill Michelle

Washington: US first lady Michelle Obama has reportedly received a death threat from a police officer who worked as a motorcycle escort for White House officials and visiting dignitaries.

Washington DC police are investigating a metro police officer for making the alleged comments.

“We received an allegation that inappropriate comments were made.

We are currently investigating the nature of those comments,” said a statement from the D C metro police department. The officer works as a motorcycle escort with the agency, but has since been moved to administrative duty. The motorman allegedly made the comments as several officers from the Special Operations Division discussed threats against President Barack Obama.

Tetra Pak heir arrested after wife is found dead

Indian – origin woman being harassed for opposing Malaysian ruling coalition

Kuala Lumpur: The house of Ambiga Sreenevasan in a Kuala Lumpur neighbourhood looks ordinary enough. Getting into it, though, betrays a different reality. A security guard greets visitors, who are then scrutinised by newly installed surveillance cameras. A bodyguard hovers somewhere inside the house.

The precautions are revealing. Ms Ambiga has become the target of what she describes as “relentless attacks”, including death threats. They have thrust a middle-class lawyer (she is a former president of the Malaysian Bar Council) into the centre of politics in the run-up to what could be a pivotal general election.

Ms Ambiga is coleader of the Bersih movement, a coalition of NGOs campaigning for free and fair elections. To her supporters, Bersih, which means “clean” in Malay, is dedicated to strengthening democracy in Malaysia, where the system is heavily skewed in favour of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). The party has been in power continuously since independence in 1957; it governs in a coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (BN) mainly with two minority parties,

one ethnic Chinese and the other Indian, reflecting the racial composition of the country. To many within UMNO, Ms Ambiga is a grave threat, the more so because Najib Razak, the prime minister, has to go to the polls by the second quarter of next year, but appears to be reluctant to call the election. Though his personal support rating is high, the coalition is less popular.

A mass rally called by Bersih in the capital in April attracted tens of thousands of people, including many opposition leaders. The event ended in riots and violence. Ever since, UMNO and its underlings have been demonising the leaders of Bersih, which may have cheered some from the majority Malay population but could also backfire against the government.

When it started in May, the harassment of Ms Ambiga was almost farcical. A posse of traders turned up outside her door frying burgers to protest about their lost earnings on the day of the rally; silly stuff, though still offensive to a Hindu vegetarian.

More still, a group of exsoldiers marched on her house and shook their buttocks at it, calling her a subversive.

Then things turned

nasty. Several hundred men handed over a petition saying that she was anti-Islamic (in a Muslimmajority country) and should leave Malaysia. Ms Ambiga says that these protests were “either sanctioned or supported by the state”. Finally, on June 26th, a veteran UMNO politician, Mohamad Aziz, said in parliament: “Can we not consider Ambiga a traitor…and sentence her to hang”.

This has caused a storm. Quite apart from the overt threat, the MP lit the touch paper of Malaysia’s highly flammable racial politics; this was a Malay MP insulting a prominent member of the Indian community. The country’s 2 million Indians are normally a divided lot, but they quickly rallied behind Ms Ambiga. Even the leaders of the BN-aligned Malaysian Indian Congress party denounced the MP, ostensibly their political ally. Mr Mohamad issued a limited apology to Indians in general, but not to Ms Ambiga personally.

Ms Ambiga believes the attacks on her, all by Malay men, are racist. She points out that her Malay co-leader of Bersih, a famous writer called A Samad Said, has never been targeted.

It is as yet unclear whether the souring climate could turn Malaysia’s Indians against the BN. They make up only 8% of the population.

Traditionally they have mostly voted for the BN, but some may now change their minds, especially in urban areas where Ms Ambiga is respected. After the BN’s Indian vote fell at the last election in 2008, Mr Najib worked hard to court Indians. Now, that may have been to little avail.

Mr Najib may also be personally tarnished. He portrays himself as a liberally minded champion of multiracial politics, yet critics say he has done little to rein in the racist attacks. Meanwhile, Ms Ambiga and other Bersih co-leaders (not the Malay one) have been issued with a bewildering demand for compensation from the Kuala Lumpur city council for costs incurred during the April rally. Political analysts argue that such tactics are a sign of nervousness though the BN is very unlikely to lose the election. Since May, surveys suggest his support among Chinese and Indian voters has fallen, though that of Malays has increased a bit.

It is all likely to make for a more acrimonious election when one is at last called.

London: An heir to the multi billion-pound Tetra Pak fortune has been arrested over the “unexplained” death of his wife at their house.

Hans Kristian Rausing, 49, was being questioned by police after the body of Eva Rausing, 48, who has a history of drug addiction, was found at the couple’s five-storey house in West London. Mr Rausing, son of one of the richest men in Britain, was initially arrested on Monday on suspicion of possessing a significant quantity of drugs in South London.

Within an hour, detectives searched the house in Cadogan Place that he shared with his Americanborn wife. They discovered Mrs Rausing’s body upstairs, reportedly in a bedroom.

Her husband was then rearrested. A post-mortem examination was conducted and Mr Rausing remained in custody at a South London police station.

The couple had longstanding and much-publicised drug problems. Four years ago, Mrs Rausing was allegedly caught trying to take crack cocaine and heroin into a function at the American Embassy in London.

Justice sought in the murder of two Indian women in US Florence (USA): The dropping of murder charges against the prime accused in the double murder of Punam Gopaldas (31) and her mother Vinaben Patel (57) by a court has upset the Indian community, especially Leuva Patidar Samaj in US. According to the case study the suspects are Punam’s estranged husband Hiralkumar Gopaladas (34) and his uncle Ranjit Kalabhai (56).

According to the prosecution, the charges were dropped because of insufficient evidence. They were stabbed to death at their home at the Country Club of South Carolina in Florence County in June 2011.

US-born Punam, a nurse, and Hiralkumar, an India born but US educated accountant, were embroiled in a contentious divorce and custody row over their son Jay following the breakdown of their arranged marriage. Punam was stabbed 27 times and Vinaben five times.

Punam’s two-year old son Jay, who was present at the time of the crime, was spared. Investigator Keith Lutcken said the toddler was lying beside his dead mother when the crime scene was discovered. “In 18 years of domestic violence cases, this is the most brutal one I have ever

seen,” Florence County Sheriff’s Investigator Kathleen Streett said.

The autopsy report revealed the bodies were recovered seven hours after the murder took place. Sheriff’s Capt. Brett Camp said that the sheriff’s office received a phone call from an out-ofstate relative who requested a welfare check after she was unable to get in touch with her relative.

Deputies arrived on the scene and realized the front door was unlocked.

That’s when they entered the home and discovered the two bodies. A child who was at the residence was not injured but was taken to an area hospital as a precaution and is with a family friend at a secure location, Camp said.

Twelfth Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements III read a letter from one of the Punam’s friends that said, “Hiral was very mentally and physically abusive to Punam.” The solicitor also said Hiral has ties to Malawi, Africa, the United Kingdom and India. Punam’s divorce attorney, Cheryl TurnerHopkins, said the suspect at one point sent his infant son to Malawi for six months to keep him away from his mother, who had to hire the lawyer to get him back.

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INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Indian fisherman killed in US firing off Dubai India on Tuesday asked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to thoroughly investigate the deadly US attack on a motorboat in the Persian Gulf that left an Indian fisherman dead and three more wounded.

As the US offered its condolences to the families of the victims saying it was probing the Monday incident, India said it was taking up the matter with the governments of UAE and the US. "We are in touch with our envoys in Dubai and the US and we have instructed them to take it up with the respective Governments," India’s external affairs minister S M Krishna told reporters in Delhi.

The minister said that the government in UAE had already filed the case regarding this incident. "It is unfortunate that an Indian fisherman has been killed. On behalf of the government of India, I condole the death. We have earnestly taken up the matter."

A ship of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain opened fire at the boat carrying Indian fishermen off the UAE coast in the Persian Gulf.

The fleet later issued a statement saying that the

USNS Rappahannock, an oiler used to fuel other Navy ships at the sea, attacked the small motorboat near the Dubai port of Jebel Ali, because the small vessel "ignored the warnings and came too close".

"The US crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun," the statement said.

It said the incident is being probed.

US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell spoke to Indian foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai to convey her "regret" for the loss of life and assured that the US government would

conduct full investigation.

In a statement, the embassy conveyed its "condolences to the families of the crew of the small motor vessel".

External affairs ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said India was trying for the early repatriation of the body of the fisherman. "India's ambassador in Abu Dhabi has requested UAE authorities to probe the circumstances of the tragic incident," he said.

Akbaruddin tweeted that India's acting consul general in Dubai has rushed to Jebel Ali port "to provide necessary assistance to Indian nationals involved in Gulf incident".

Meanwhile, the UAE also said it was probing the incident. Tariq Ahmed Al Haidan, the assistant to the UAE foreign minister for political affairs, said: "The concerned UAE authorities are investigating the shooting incident."

The Monday shooting comes months after another incident involving Italian marines guarding an oil tanker who shot dead two Indian fishermen off the coast of the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The February shooting caused a diplomatic row between Italy and India.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

The Slaying of Jatasura

fter a terrible fight with rocks, Bhimasen and A Jatasura got into a hand to

hand fight. Like two mad elephants they started trying to pull and grip each other. They then got into a fist fight raining hard blows on each other.

Bhima then shaped his fist into a special mudra of a five hooded cobra and hit Jatasura hard on the head.

The blow was so hard that the demon went into a feint. There was no strength left in him now and he fell like a heap on the ground. Bhima then crushed his hands and legs and then killed Jatasura by breaking his backbone. He looked gruesome with his crushed head and crooked lips.

As soon as Jatasura fell, the Brahmins gathered and started singing hymns in praise of Bhimasen who went to his elder brother Yudhisthira, who blessed him.

What does Jatasura represent in our psychic structure? The word ‘Jata’ means a matted lock of hair. It is symbolic of the confusion we experience when we have too many, very diverse, and contradictory thoughts. This state is an inner monster which has to be killed.

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Delhi HC blocks Narayanan, Vajpayee letters on Guj riots

Purulia arms case: India to scale down ties with Denmark

entitled for the correspondence sought by him, which was exchanged between the president and the prime minister relating to Gujarat riots,” ruled Justice Kumar.

The government, quoting Articles 74 and 78 of the Constitution, submitted that any advice tendered by the Union council of ministers or correspondence exchanged between the president and the prime minister enjoyed immunity from public scrutiny. The government said the correspondence between the president and the prime minister were “classified” and “privileged” documents under Article 74 and hence, the provisions of the RTI could not override the same. It complained that the CIC erroneously applied the provisions of Section 6 of the RTI Act in seeking the classified documents from the government.

The government had sought the quashing of the impugned judgment of the CIC on the ground that the disclosure of the information Ramesh sought “relates to Gujarat riots and any disclosure of the same would prejudicially affect the national security, sovereignty and integrity of India.”

Upset over Denmark's refusal to facilitate Kim Davy's extradition to India, the government has decided to scale diplomatic ties with the country.

This decision comes after Danish authorities refused to appeal in their apex court against a lower court's decision that Kim Davy, wanted in the Purulia arms drop case, would not be extradited to India. Danish authorities decided not to appeal despite efforts by Indian agencies to convince them.

Initially, Denmark had accepted India's request for Davy's extradition but it was challenged by him in a Copenhagen court, which rejected it.

The decision was challenged by Danish authorities in the high court, which also rejected their plea citing poor prison conditions and human rights issues in India. The Danish legal authorities then decided not to pursue the matter further and refused to file an appeal.

A NEW WAY TO BORROW!

Our minds are filled with so many thoughts and desires. We want to do so many things at the same time. We may want to go out for dinner and at the same time we want to get up early to do our yogic practices. We want to get married and settle down but also remain free and enjoy a single life. Our thoughts and desires contradict and fight one another. This is the inner state of Jatasura. Bhima represents our vital and sex energy. When we are in a state of confusion and overwhelmed with negative thoughts, we lose this very valuable energy which leaks out with every thought.

Jatasura had captured Yudhisthira, the one who is steady in battle. So the state of confusion kidnaps our inner steadiness. Many a times it reflects in the involuntary movements of our hands and legs. First, Sahdeva frees himself from the hold of Jatasura.

Sahdeva represents the power of endurance, or ‘sahan-shakti’. This state of inner confusion will not go easily; we have to endure it for a long time with the trust that one day we will overcome it.

Bhima is locked in a hand to hand fight. This shows that we have to fight with each thought and emotion individually.

As we work with each thought, we slowly come to a state where we can kill this monster. First we have to crush its organs of action; those habits that lead to more confusion.

Once the inner monster is made helpless, we can then kill it.

Bhima does represent our sex energy, but that which is free of excitement. This is the basic precondition to killing our inner Jatasura.

The Delhi high court has set aside the Central Information Commission (CIC) order allowing disclosure of the correspondence between then president K R Narayanan and prime minister AB Vajpayee on 2002 Gujarat riots. Justice Anil Kumar allowed the central government’s plea filed against the CIC order of Aug 8, 2006.

The CIC had asked the government to disclose all the letters sent by Narayanan to Vajpayee from Feb 28, 2002, to March 15, 2002, relating to Gujarat riots. The release of letters was sought by C Ramesh through the Right to Information Act. “The order of CIC dated Aug 8, 2006, is liable to be set aside and the CIC cannot direct the petitioner (government) to produce the correspondence between the president and the prime minister,” the judge said. “Respondent No. 2 (C Ramesh) is not

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

In Focus 10-year-old killed in celebratory firing in Uttar Pradesh

A 10-year-old boy died in Bareilly, 250 km from Lucknow on Monday, in celebratory firing, police said. A stray bullet fired during the oath taking ceremony of the Nagar Panchayat members by an overzealous political supporter, hit in the head of Mehtaab, a curious onlooker, leading to his instant death.

Senior Supreintendent of Police (SSP) Bareilly Sanjeev Gupta said that the incident happened at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected chairman of the Nagar Panchayat, Riyaz Ansari. When the oath taking was drawing to a close, a supporter of Ansari suddenly began firing in the air in joy and a bullet hit the unsuspecting Mehtaab. He slumped on the ground and died on the spot, police said.

Pinki Pramanik released from jail

Asian Games gold medallist Pinki Pramanik walked out of jail after 26 days and said she was falsely implicated in the rape case. A Barasat court had granted the athlete bail.

Pramanik was arrested on June 14, 2012 after she was accused of being a male by her live-in partner, a 30-year-old estranged woman who also alleged that she was raped by Pramanik. Asked whether she would file a defamation case, Pramanik said she would consult her lawyer on this matter. Her father and other family members received her after her release from Jail. Pramanik had won the 4x400m relay gold in the 2006 Doha Asiad and silver in the same event at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Pramanik had bagged three gold medals in the 2006 SAF Games in Colombo when she won the 400m, 800m and 4x400m relay events. A PIL was moved in the Calcutta High Court on July 6, 2012 alleging inhuman torture on the athlete.

Congress raises `16.62 bn in 5 years, BJP `8.52 bn

India's GDP growth rate may have dropped in the past few years but that has had little impact on the bottom lines of the country's leading political parties. The coffers of the main parties have been swelling, with the richest amongst them, the ruling Congress, having made a cool Rs 16.62 billion in the last five years till 2011-12 and the BJP in second place with Rs 8.52 billion.

Not surprisingly, the highest income for these parties came in 2009, when parliamentary elections were held.

According to Income Tax returns of these parties, Congress's annual income went up from Rs 2.20 billion in 2008-09 to Rs 4.97 billion in 2009-10. In the next two years, the party raked in almost Rs 4 billion per year.

Similarly, BJP's income swelled to Rs 2.20 billion in 2009-10, up from Rs 1.24 billion a year earlier. It touched Rs 2.58 billion in 2010-11.

Last year (2011-12), when economic growth slowed down again - the GDP plummeting to 6.9% from a high of 8.4% in the previous two years - both parties registered a dip in collections.

While the Congress made Rs 3.07 billion, down from Rs 4.68 billion the previous year, the BJP's collection saw a Rs 900 million drop, settling at

Rs 1.68 billion. All major parties continue to source most of their funds from unidentified donors, according to the I-T returns.

The donors' lists and returns of the Congress, BJP, NCP and BSP show that these parties have not disclosed the names of entities who account for a major chunk of their funding. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which has been campaigning for transparency in funding of political parties and has obtained these I-T returns, has written to the Central Board of Direct Taxes demanding a probe into undisclosed contributions to parties, which constitute up to 90% of their total collections.

"It has been more than a year and the CBDT has not yet responded to our request though they had promised to look into the matter," said Anil Bairwal, coordinator of ADR. He said the sources and flow of such donations needed to be tracked to curb black money infiltrating into the coffers of political parties.

BSP, the party led by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Dalit icon Mayawati, stands third in the list of parties with the highest collections. Its income went up from Rs 700 million in 200809 to Rs 1.82 billion in the

election year 2009.

In five years till 2011-12, Mayawati's party received more than Rs 4.25 billion, mostly through cash donations. It has revealed little about its contributors claiming most donations were below Rs 20,000 and thus exempt under election rules from mandatory disclosure.

Some time ago, the party had subverted I-T department's moves to unearth its donors, successfully arguing that all its cash contributions were made by poor supporters out of love and affection for the party leader. Bairwal said the Congress, which claimed to have collected at least Rs 9.78 billion through sale of coupons in the five years till 2008-09, did not provided any contributors' list for this collection. It provided details of contributors who together accounted for a paltry Rs 850 million during this period.

Surprisingly, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has left behind the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party in generating funds. CPM stood fourth in the list, having collected Rs 3.35 billion in the five years up to 2011-12. SP made only Rs 2 billion during this period and NCP was far behind with Rs 1.40 billion.

25

Leopard kills 7-year-old girl in Mumbai

A seven-year-old girl, Sanjana Thorat, was dragged away by a leopard at around 10:30 pm on Sunday from Shankar Tekdi in Mulund Colony of Mumbai and nine hours later only the head was found about 500 metres from her hutment, while there was no trace of the body. This is the first instance since 2006 when a six-year-old girl was killed by a leopard at Kandivli.

The incident occurred when Sanjana, accompanied by her mother and grandmother, went to attend nature's call. With her mother and grandmother standing guard, Sanjana climbed on the top of the water pipeline, and as she sat on top of it, the leopard pounced on her, caught her by the neck and dragged her towards the jungle. The two women watched helplessly as their child was being dragged away and soon they started screaming for help. Hearing their screams, people of the slum which is located on the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park rushed to the spot. They also immediately called the police, who informed the forest officials.

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INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Pak-based Lashkar wants to revive militancy in Kashmir: Abu Jundal With a Kashmir at peace not to their liking, the Pakistanbased Lashkar-e-Taiba is planning major terror attacks in the state and elsewhere in India, Abu Jundal, one of the arrested handlers of the 2008 Mumbai attackers, has revealed to his interrogators.

Jundal, believed to be "a mine of information" on the Lashkar and its anti-India plans, also told his interrogators that the group was planning to push hundreds of trained gunmen and weapons into Kashmir.

"The group wants to revive militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly make its presence felt in urban areas," a reliable source privy to his interrogation details said.

The source said that Jundal, believed to the highest ranking Indian in the terror outfit, had stayed for some time in Pakistanadministered Kashmir before and after the Mumbai attack

and became close to the Kashmiri militant leadership in Muzaffarabad.

He told his interrogators that the United Jehad Council (UJC), an amalgam of terror groups that operates out of Muzaffarabad, was making elaborate plans to push fresh groups of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir through non-traditional routes along the Line of Control (LoC) - a de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Jundal, deported to India from Saudi Arabia last month, has revealed that these groups were planning to enter Kashmir through Poonch and Rajouri in the Jammu region.

These militants, as per the Lashkar plans, will then be sent to different parts of India where they will target places of worship and other crowded spots. "Peace in Kashmir has in particular upset the Lashkar. The

Lashkar leadership has asked the UJC commander (Syed Salahuddin who also heads the Hizbul Mujahideen) to pull up its socks," the source quoted Jundal as saying.

"They (militants) are planning big strikes in Kashmir," the source added, citing Jundal's interrogation.

Sources in Jammu and Kashmir Police said that the information had been shared with them. Subsequently, security has been beefed up, particularly for the hundreds of thousands of Hindus visiting the Amarnath cave temple near the south Kashmir tourist resort Pahalgam.

Kashmir Police sources said two recent militant strikes in south Kashmir in which a soldier and two policemen were killed may be part of the latest Lashkar strategy.

Jundal, who is being questioned at the heavily guarded special cell office of Delhi Police, has told his interrogators that it was actually a Kashmiri Lashkar commander who got him into the group. Aslam Kashmiri, a known militant commander in the custody of Delhi Police after his arrest in 2009, met Jundal in Beed district of Maharahstra in 2005 through another Lashkar militant, Fayaz Kagzi. Kashmiri, the sources said, had been given the job of recruiting into the outfit young Indian Muslims who could be radicalised.

They said Jundal was an easy target for Kashmiri because he was highly sentimental and was mesmerised by his jehadi talk.

Continued from page 1

sandwiched during the Christmas break in England's tour of India. The decision to resume cricket ties evoked mixed response from former cricketers in both the countries. While some hailed the decision, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar questioned the "urgency" to revive ties with Pakistan.

At a time when the situation in the other side of the border remains far from friendly and peaceful, the UPA government’s attempt to resume cricketing ties

between the two nations after a gap of five years has attracted criticism from political parties.

Even Maharashtra Congress has expressed opposition over resumption of Indo-Pak cricket matches with state chief urging the BCCI “to take cognisance of people's emotions before deciding to hold ODIs.” The BJP said, “We should not give political logic to justifying sporting events. Who will be responsible if the common men react differently

during the matches? Then the friendly gesture will turn hostile, instigating the hawks on both sides of the border,” the party said.

The task of sending Pakistani nationals back across the border after the matches will be an onerous one. After World Cup semifinal match at Mohali, it was reported that many Pakistani spectators went untraceable, raising suspicion that they came here for anti-India activities, former Rajya Sabha leader Ahluwalia said.

India-Pakistan to resume cricket ties after 5 years

that it is a good omen for both the countries. The IndoPak bilateral cricket ties were snapped after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks even though the two teams came face to face in multi-team events such as the 2011 World Cup. The Pakistan Cricket Board was pushing hard for the resumption of ties but with the BCCI playing hardball citing the busy international schedule.

The series is likely to be

Mukherjee all set to be the Indian President Continued from page 1 the party is already braced for a tough battle to retain power in 2014. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also unlikely to win a clear majority in the general election, which means that a shaky coalition of regional parties could try to form the government. Despite his decades at the top of the Congress party, Mukherjee commands respect across the political spectrum and his renowned negotiating skills would be valuable after a messy general election result.

“Political ties are changing. Every party is scouting new partners to be able to form the government,” Sanjay Kumar, a political analyst at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies think-tank in New Delhi, said.

“It is in this turbulent scenario, Mukherjee as a president will be able to steer the ship of the state. He is a trouble-shooter,” Kumar said.

“This [presidential] election process has fractured ties among the coalition partners.” In an indication of Congress’s woes, Mukherjee’s candidacy has not been supported by one of the ruling coalition’s key

partners, the West Bengalbased Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee. But now she has reluctantly agreed to vote for Mukherjee.

Under the constitution, the prime minister holds the most executive power, and the president plays a role in government formation at state and federal levels, when necessary. “I am sure if any president follows his predecessors he will not face difficulty,” Mukherjee said on Sunday. “I have seen many presidents facing difficulties... but they found the solution within the framework of the constitution.”

The BJP is backing former parliamentary speaker P A Sangma, who represents a tribal constituency in the remote northeast. But he fails to win support of even all of NDA partners. JD-U, Shiv Sena and the Marxists are supporting Mukherjee.

But in yet another twist in the already dramatic presidential polls, Mamata Banerjee did a U-turn, saying that she will support Mukherjee in the presidential poll. The TMC chief said that supporting Mukherjee's candidature is a 'painful decision' but she will do it as she 'does not want to waste votes'. She said that the Presidential

polls have split all the political parties: the United Progressive Alliance, the National Democratic Alliance and the Left. Mamata added that she had spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and informed him of the TMC's decision.

The electoral arithmetic seems to be favouring Pranab with all the UPA constituents, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of IndiaMarxist, All India Forward Bloc, Janata Dal-United and Shiv Sena have also expressed their support for him.

Jaswant Singh to challenge Hamid Ansari for Vice-President's post BJP leader Jaswant Singh was on Monday chosen by the NDA as its unanimous candidate for the August 7 vice-presidential election against UPA nominee Hamid Ansari.

The opposition alliance said it had reservations over the re-nomination

of Ansari, particularly the manner in which he conducted the Rajya Sabha when the Lokpal Bill was discussed and the Women's Reservation Bill was passed.

"We have decided not to give them (Congress-led UPA) a walkover... We have unanimously decided that Jaswant Singh will be the NDA candidate in the vicepresidential poll," L K Advani, NDA working president, announced after an NDA meeting.

Advani said JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav had also raised concerns over Ansari's conduct in the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha where marshals were used to oust those opposed to the legislation.

He said the same concerns were shared with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he had called him on Saturday to seek support for Ansari's candidature.

Advani said Yadav, also the NDA convenor, was initially approached to contest the vice-presidential election, but he declined citing his interest in active politics.

The BJP leader indicated that the NDA would reach out to all such parties which have not committed their support to the UPA nominee.

In Focus Nuclear capable Agni-I missile successfully test-fired

India successfully test-fired its nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile, having a range of 700 km, as part of training exercise to ensure preparedness. Agni 1 was launched from the Wheeler Island off the coast of Odisha. It was a textbook launch meeting all mission objectives and the missile reached the target point in the Bay of Bengal following the prescribed trajectory," said Avinash Chander, the Program Director of the missile program. The missile was launched from Road Mobile Launcher System and was tracked by Radar and Telemetry stations located along the coastline. Two Naval Ships located near the target point tracked the missile in the terminal phase of the Flight.

Ward boy administers injection, kills youth

Family members of a 25-year-old youth who died after being administered an injection at a hospital in Surat have filed a police complaint against a doctor and a ward boy, who have gone missing after the incident.

Prakash Puwar, a resident of Pandesara developed an ear infection a few days ago and was undergoing treatment at Parshva clinic run by Dr Rahul Shah, an ENT surgeon. When there was no improvement, Dr Shah advised him to undergo a minor operation at Vardhaman Hospital in the city since his own clinic did not have sufficient facilities.

On Sunday afternoon, Dr Shah successfully carried out the operation on Puwar. In the evening, Dr Shah sent a ward boy in the Vardhaman hospital to administer an injection to Prakash. A few minutes after being administered the injection, Prakash complained of chest pain and cried loudly before falling unconscious. Prakash was rushed to Bharti Maiya Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Three RJD leaders quit, likely to join JD-U

In a major setback for Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, three senior leaders and former Bihar ministers quit the party and are likely to join the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in the presence of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Awadh Bihari Choudhary, Ejazul Haque and Indradeo Prasad resigned from the RJD on the ground that there was no internal democracy in the party, said a party leader.

Sunita Williams makes history on her 2nd space visit Continued from page 1 On her last flight six years ago, Sunita spent a record breaking 195 days in space, the only woman in history to do so. This time, she will be flying up in a Russian Soyuz capsule.

Sunita along with two other cosmonauts on Tuesday (July 17) successfully docked their Soyuz spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) for a four-month long stay during which they will conduct over 30 scientific missions. The 46-year-old NASA astronaut Williams, Russian Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency flight engineer Akihiko Hoshide arrived at the ISS after two days in orbit. "Everything is perfect," Malenchenko radioed Russia's Mission Control Center in Korolev after docking with the space station.

This is the second space mission for Williams. She also holds the record of the longest spaceflight - 195 days - for woman space travellers. The crew which will return home in mid-November is expected to conduct over 30 scientific missions during their stay aboard the ISS. In the space, Williams and her team of astronauts also plan an orbital sporting event to mark the Summer Olympics in London. Williams and her crewmates will join the three others already living on the space station: Commander Gennady Padalka of Russia, his cosmonaut colleague Sergei Revin, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, who have all been in space since May. The six crew members will work together for about two months. Acaba, Padalka and Revin are scheduled to return to Earth on September 17. Before they depart, Padalka will hand over command of the station and Expedition 33 to Williams.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

In Focus Actor Dara Singh passes away in Mumbai

V e t e r a n Bollywood actor and wrestler Dara Singh passed away in Mumbai last week. The 83year-old actor was admitted to a Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital on July 7 following a cardiac arrest. Singh was shifted to his Juhu home from the hospital as his family wanted him to be at home in the last stages of his life. Singh started his career as a wrestler and went on to win the coveted Commonwealth Wrestling Championship way back in 1959. Dara Singh, who won the title of Rustam-e-Hind for his wrestling prowess, entered the film world in the 1960s. He appeared in various films like "Watan Se Door", "Daada", "Rustom-E-Baghdad", "Sher Dil", "Sikandar E Azam", "Raaka", "Mera Naam Joker" and "Dharam Karam". He was last seen in the 2007 release "Jab We Met". Dara Singh also appeared in TV serials and is best known for his portrayal of Hanuman in "Ramayan". Dara Singh was Rajya Sabha member from 2003 to 2009.

Shiv Sena leader killed in Pune

A Shiv Sena leader was killed by unidentified assailants as he was returning home from the party office on the outskirts Pune city, police said here on Tuesday. The victim, Pandurang Ambike, 42, was the branch head of party's Haveli taluka on the outskirts of Pune city. "Ambike was attacked by three unidentified men (Monday night) while he was driving home on his two-wheeler.

The attackers first stopped him and then hit him on his head and arms with a sharp object," an officer from the Haveli police station said.

Arrested soldier handed over to Pakistan

A Pakistani soldier, who was arrested near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, has been handed over to Islamabad under the present ceasefire agreement. The soldier, identified as Arif Ali, was arrested by Indian soldiers when he crossed over to the Indian side in the Kerni area of Poonch sector in the Jammu region.

Soldiers seized two SIM cards from the soldier, who belonged to the 25 Frontier Force of the Pakistani Army. No weapons were, however, found in his possession. Certain media reports earlier quoted sources as saying that the Pakistani soldier had told his interrogators that he had defected to India to seek asylum since there was lack of basic amenities in Pakistan.

No love marriages, mobiles for women in this UP village

Women under the age of 40 in the Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat area can't visit a market unescorted, get married to the man they love or use mobile phones.

In a Taliban-like diktat, the village panchayat has barred women up to the age of 40 from going to the market alone, using cellphones and being seen in public without their head being covered to safeguard them from eve-teasing and harassment.

This decision was taken at a panchayat meeting of Asara village in Baghpat district after growing incidents of harassment in the area.

The panchayat has issued a order that anyone resorting to love marriage will be boy-

cotted by the community and anyone found helping them will face a similar fate.

The panchayat blamed the telecom boom for the “sharp increase in instances of eve-teasing and elopement

in the region” because young boys and girls can communicate with each other on cellphones unmonitored. This, the panchayat claimed, has led to the “objectionable union” of young people caus-

ing embarrassment to the parents and communities.

It also criticised the media for “raking up the issue unnecessarily.” This Talibani restriction on women has lead to some sharp reactions and infuriated women's rights activist.

Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research, said: "Instead of taking action against the alleged perpetrators involved in the harassment, the panchayat has decided to keep tabs on the women. It is barbaric and mindless. The diktat is also in violation of the Supreme Court’s orders against such khap panchayat decisions and is against the tenets of the Constitution".

In a strange but true incident, a boy and a girl were forced to marry in the wee hours after they were caught in an objectionable situation. But the same panchayat, which served as a quasi-judicial body and got them forcefully wedded, ordered the separation of the newly-married couple within 12 hours of their marital vows.

The incident took place at a nondescript Milliktola village under Baisi police station of Purnia district in Bihar. Nineteen-year-old girl was in love with Md Hasnoor, a resident of neighbouring village Bakhariya in the same district. But differ-

ent religions, reluctant parents and a hostile panchayat prevented the duo from making their affair public, thereby deferring the plan to marry.

So one fine evening, when girl’s mother went out to attend a social event at a neighbouring village, she asked one of her female family friends to give company to her daughter if she did not return that night. She somehow, convinced the acquaintance to allow her to stay alone in the night. But the young girl late in the night made a phone call through her mobile to her boyfriend and asked him to come over to stay with her till her moth-

er returned. As Hasnoor rushed there to be with his lady-love, the villagers got an inkling of what was “cooking” inside.

They caught the couple red-handed in a compromising position. The girl and her boyfriend were dragged out of house, tied with ropes and beaten up with iron rods.

The panchayat meeting was convened immediately which suggested that Hasnoor should wed her then and there. The boy was asked to shell out gold coins as “meher.”

Later in the day, when the groom’s father came to know about the incident he was

furious. “How could someone marry my son without my permission,” he shouted.

Another panchayat meeting was convened within 12 hours of the wedding. This time the panchayat said that in view of Hasnoor’s father’s refusal to give permission to the marriage, the couple should be separated.

Hasnoor was asked to cough up `75,000 to his estranged wife as compensation. Flabbergasted over the panchayat diktat, the girl eventually lodged a case in this connection at Baisi police station a couple of days back, and has demanded justice.

Married at 1 am, separated at 1 pm

At 50, he may be India’s Forget car, find my dog; Ahmedabad resident tells cops oldest medical student

Graft accused Kalmadi to attend London Olympics

Former Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee (OC) chairman and graft accused Suresh Kalmadi has been granted permission to attend the London Olympics from July 26 to August 13 by a special CBI court. Suresh Kalmadi moved court seeking permission to travel to London for the Olympics, in his capacity as a member of the International Association of Athletics Federation. Kalmadi, who is out on bail in a graft case related to the 2010 CWG in Delhi, in his capacity, as a member of the IAAF Council and as president of Asian Athletics Association (AAA), is required to attend certain meetings, conferences and matters of the IAAF during the London 2012 Olympics," said Kalmadi's application. Kalmadi also placed on record the invitation from the IAAF Council and programme schedule of the Olympics and details of travel ticket sent to him by association's general secretary Essar Gabriel.

The CBI in its first chargesheet in the case against Kalmadi and 10 others described him as a prime accused and the mastermind in the corruption case related to financial irregularities in awarding a Rs 1.41 billion contract for a scoring system.

27

An Ahmedabad resident has left his dog and car to the custody of an ashram in Naroda while he went on pilgrimage to Amarnath with the ashram mahant.

However, when he returned, he was shocked to know that the car and the Labrador dog had been missing. He has named caretaker of the ashram for the theft.

According to Naroda police officials, Shailesh Bhatt, a resident of Shalibhadra Apartment near Anjali Crossroads, was earlier living in Naroda and was a frequent visitor at Ganesh Ashram in the area. Last month, when he visited the ashram, the mahant asked him to accompany him to Amarnath pilgrimage.

Accepting the offer, he started off on June 24 from Ahmedabad.

At that time, he had left a Tata Indica car and his three-year-old

dog to the custody of Amit Mistry, caretaker of the ashram.

"As per Bhatt's complaint, he got the dog from a friend in Mumbai two years back and since then it had been part of his family. The dog was left behind by an Australian couple. The family was so attached to it that the dog also got mention in the invitation card of Bhatt's son a year back," said a Naroda police official.

Sources said that Bhatt's family is in great grief and his children have uploaded photograph of the Labrador on their social networking sites to get any details. "They have told investigators to find the dog whether or not the car could be tracked. The family members visit the police station at least once a day to get updates," said sources.

The 177-year-old Madras Medical College perhaps has the oldest medical student in the country. N Saravanapavan, a 50-yearold Sri Lankan Tamil, has been a student of the famed medical institution, one of the oldest in the country, for 24 years now, occupying a room in the college hostel.

The case tumbled out after Saravanapavan approached the Madras high court to erase certain adverse remarks on his travel documents, so that he could travel hassle-free between India and Sri Lanka.

"He took his second year examinations 16 times," government advocates told the court earlier this week. On paper, he is in the final year of his MBBS course now. All

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these years, he kept filing petitions and managed to extend his student visa, which is set to expire soon. Saravanapavan has already left the country and is hopeful of returning to complete the course after getting the visa extended, his counsel said.

He was a prime accused in the Chennai airport bomb blast case of 1984 in which 33 people were killed. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987, only to be acquitted of all charges by the Madras high court in April 2000.

After his conviction, Saravanapavan came out of jail on bail, returned to his country and joined the MBBS course in 1988 after coming to India on a student visa.

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28

travel & women

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

women achievers Dhvani Desai: award-winning animation filmmaker

By AV Correspondent

Stunning Seychelles For the most idyllic holiday in the world, the Seychelles islands are really how you would envisage paradise. The islands are lapped by crystal blue waters with powdery white sand beaches shaded by coconut palm trees. A pristine and protected environment, the Seychelles is home to some of the most diverse displays of natural beauty in its fauna and flora.

Situated in the Indian Ocean, it is an archipelago of 155 stunning islands. If you want to relax or book a honeymoon for yourself or some newlyweds in the family, the Seychelles should be your first choice. Sunbathing, snorkelling, sailing and relaxing are the main activities for visitors. Mahé island boasts 65 silver beaches, plus an array of restaurants, cafés, bars and casinos in the tiny capital, Victoria. Creole is the main language, and English and French are widely spoken.

The weather in the Seychelles is great all year round, with temperatures ranging from low twenties to low thirties, perfect for sunbathing, enjoying strolls along the beaches and villages and breathtaking sunsets.

Mahé island offers some beautiful sightseeing spots including Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden, located on the top of a mountain offering fantastic views of the beach. You can do a rain forest trek inside the garden and then enjoy a lovely lunch at the restaurant and while there make sure to see the giant tortoises the various spice and fruit trees.

To discover the history of the island,

visit the Seychelles National Museum.

From the slavery period through to the colonization by the French and British and finally independence, the history of the Seychelles is on display complete with interesting exhibits and photos.

For places to stay there are many resorts to choose from and over the next few months, Brightsun Travel is offering some fantastic deals on luxury resorts with a variety of offers including free nights, free half board, 15% off and special deals for honeymooners.

A great offer is at the 5* Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa. Pay 5 and stay 7 nights and with flights, this package is just £1359pp. This hotel is located on the third largest island in the Seychelles, Silhouette Island, and offers amazing wildlife, dramatic mountain views and a rich cultural heritage.

Only steps from the idyllic palm fringed beach, all of the stunning villas at this Seychelles resort hotel offer spectacular views, luxury amenities, wireless internet access and spacious living areas. The secluded suites offer great garden or ocean views, spacious bedrooms and sun-soaked outdoor private patios with loungers.

Another fantastic offer is at the Paradise Sun Resort on Praslin Island from only £1425pp including flights, 7 nights stay and half board. Paradise Sun Hotel is situated on the north-east coast of Praslin on one of the most idyllic locations, Côte D’Or beach, surrounded by lush tropical gardens, white coral sands and crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. The hotel is constructed in typical Creole architecture with wide decks set in lush lawns and are sea facing, offering modern facilities in a tropical setting and friendly atmosphere.

The resort offers a variety of activities with highlights being a boat tour with snorkelling, the sunset cruise and bike riding.

Anse Lazio, located nearby, is considered as one of the world's finest beaches, a haven for snorkellers and home to hundreds of different species of fish and coral life. Other attractions close to the Paradise Sun Hotel are the Vallee De Mai Nature Reserve where you will find the unique “Coco de Mer” palm tree, the Black Parrot and Blue Pigeon birds. You can also take fantastic boat trips to go island hopping if you want to explore the Seychelles.

To arrange your Seychelles holiday, book with Brightsun Travel, who offer a complete holiday service with helpful and experienced consultants. Brightsun have special late summer and honeymoon deals on luxury resorts and offers a price match promise on worldwide flights and holidays so you will get the best deal. To book this dream holiday, visit www.brightsun.co.uk or call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486

Dhvani Desai is an awardwinning animation filmmaker and a poetess. She is best known for her animation film “Manpasand - the Perfect Match” produced by the Children's Film Society of India. She has produced numerous animations and special effects for advertising films.

Born in Mumbai, Desai hails from a well respected family. Her father Sudhir Desai is an acclaimed poet, thinker, scholar and her mother Tarinibahen Desai is a distinguished writer in Gujarati. Her elder sister Sanskritirani Desai is also a leading Gujarati poetess and her brother Sanskar is a senior documentary filmmaker.

At an early age, she started painting and writing poetry. She also acted in children's professional plays, and travelled across Gujarat to perform on stage. She also appeared on TV and Radio as a child artiste. Desai obtained MBA from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management after completing her Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Elphinstone College, Mumbai. She joined the Government Law College, Mumbai and later gained a post-graduation diploma in computer management from Jamnalal Bajaj Farali Pattice is a Gujarati recipe that is made during fasts. The preparation of this recipe is quite similar to the North Indian Aloo Tikki, except for the taste.

Ingredients: For the outer crust: 4 large potatoes, 2-3 tbsp water, chestnut flour or arrowroot flour or buckwheat flour or 2 slices of bread, 1 green chili finely chopped (optional), cooking salt or sendha namak.

For the inner filling: 1 cup of grated coconut, 2 tbsp of roasted peanuts, 1 tbsp of roasted cashew nuts, 1 tbsp of raisins, 1/2 tsp of lime juice or 1/2 tsp of amchur powder, salt, oil for deep frying.

Method: Boil the potatoes and then mash them. Take care to see that there are no lumps in the potatoes.

Add chopped green chillies to the mashed potatoes.

Soak the breads in water, squeeze the water completely from the bread.

Mash the bread and mix it with the mashed potatoes. This makes your farali pattice’s outer covering. The mixture should be smooth with no lumps, so that the pattice do not break while frying.

Coarsely grind the peanuts and cashew nuts.

Institute of Management Studies.

Desai entered the field of animation in 1991. She worked as a trainee at a computer animation studio, where she learnt 2D animation. After this, she joined Xavier's Institute of Communication in Mumbai for formal training in 3D animation, before working in two animation studios. Desai then joined the Computer Graphiti (a pioneer studio in the field of animation), before establishing her

own animation studio Metamorphosis in Mumbai.

Desai co-directed a short animation film “The Mahatma” with her brother depicting the principles of Gandhiji, which was produced by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation. The film was selected at the Tehran International Animation Festival in 2001 and at the Mumbai International Film Festival.

Desai directed ‘Manpasand - The Perfect Match”was screened three

times at the 9th Hamburg Children's Short Film Festival and won a bronze medal at the 2008 New York Festival's Film and Video Awards.

The Panchatantra-based tale (using the Vaishnavite Sanjhi art style, a form of stencil art) took over two years to make, with 42 artists working on it.

It was nominated in many international film festivals including festivals in Germany, Canada, China, Greece, Poland, Slovak Republic and Turkey. It was also nominated in the International Animation Film Festival in Hollywood, as well as being selected for the International Competition of Animated Films for Children and Youth in the Czech republic in 2007 and being shown at Hyderabad's The Golden Elephant during the 15th International Children's Film Festival in November 2007 and as the inaugural film at the Asian Women's Film Festival in New Delhi in 2008. Desai expressed surprise that the film had not been considered for the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2008.

Desai has also worked on cartoon and animated titles produced by the National Film Development Corporation of India.

Farali Pattice

To the coconut, add chopped raisins, the coarsely ground peanuts and cashew nuts. Add all the other ingredients mentioned for the inner filling.

Mix well and keep aside.

Take a handful of the potato mixture. Shape it into a bowl like shape. Take some 1-2 tsp of the inner stuffing and place it in the center of the bowl like potato mixture. Seal the inner stuffing by gently bringing together the edges of the potato mixture in the center. Apply some oil in your hands while doing this. The filling has to be properly sealed with the potato mixture, so that while frying the pattice do not break and thus the filling comes out. Flatten the pattice slightly. You could also take two potato mixture, flatten them like small puris with your hand.

Place the filling in the center of one puri. Cover with the second puri and seal the edges firmly.

Make patties of the entire mixtures and keep aside.

Deep fry them in hot oil on a medium flame till golden brown and crisp from outside. Serve with sweet curd/plain curd or coriander chutney or mint-coriander chutney.

Nutrients: A serving of chestnut flour contains 25 calories. This consists entirely of unsaturated fat, as chestnut flour contains no saturated fat or trans fat. It does not even have cholesterol. This also makes chestnut flour safe for people with gluten sensitivities.

HealtH WAtch

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

At least be a once a week Experts tell you why going veg is a good idea, even if it's just once a week.

Detoxifies: A veggie diet contains dietary fibre (bottle gourd, pumpkins, spinach, cabbages), which flushes toxins out of the body. A diet containing only eggs, fish and mutton is a poor source of fibre.

Stronger bones: Gorging on meat can lead to protein overload. This can tax our kidneys, interfere with the absorption of calcium and prompt the body to extract existing calcium from the bones. Such calcium excretion is rare amongst vegetarians.

Carb deficiencies: A non-vegetarian diet is a poor source of carbohy-

Pistachios can protect your heart during acute stress Scientists say eating a handful of pistachio nuts a day can help reduce the damage done to the body by acute stress. Experts at Pennsylvania State University have claim that the nuts help lower blood pressure and heart rate in difficult situations.In a study participants were given a variety of healthy diets, some containing pistachios, some without.

The scientists then measured their subjects’ cardiovascular responses, first as they took a challenging mental arithmetic test and again as they immersed their feet in cold water.

The largest drop in blood pressure was associated with eating about 1.5oz of nuts a day.

“Daily events, such as a tight deadline or public speaking can increase blood pressure,” lead author of the study published online in the journal Hypertension, as saying.

"These results are significant because they show that physiological responses to stress are affected by the foods we eat,” she noted.

To Our Readers We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

drates.

Carb-deficiency can lead to ketosis - a condition where the body starts breaking down fat (instead of carbs) as a source of energy.

Easy digestion: Complex carbohydrates in vegetarian foods are digested gradually providing a steady source of glucose. Conversely, meats rich in fat and proteins are difficult to digest.

Healthy skin: Eating beetroot, tomato, pumpkin and bitter gourd can clear off blemishes. And guava, apples, pears and peaches, eaten along with their peel, promise a glowing complexion.

Weight management: Avoiding meat is the simplest way to reduce fat

Your finger length says much about your health

intake. Instead, eating whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, and fruits, lowers cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and obesity.

Easy on the teeth: Our molars are more suitable for grinding grains and vegetables than tearing flesh. Digestion begins

Fake sugars won’t help you lose weight If you think sprinkling that packet of artificial sweetner over foods or beverages may help you shed extra pounds, then you may be wrong. A new statement by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association has claimed that replacing regular sugar with artificial sweeteners won’t always make you thin.

The study behind it says that substituting fake sweeteners into your diet can help you reduce your intake of calories and sugar, both major culprits of obesity.

But there is ‘limited and inconclusive’ evidence that artificial sweeteners help consumers lose weight in the long run. Those small bags of artificial sweetners “are not magic bullets” against extra body-baggage, said Christopher Gardner, the main author of the study Artificial sweeteners only work when consumers don’t “overcompensate.”

Which basically means: don’t throw away all those precious calories you’ve saved by drinking a diet soda only to eat a chocolatechip cookie and a chilicheese dog. People do this

more often than you’d think, and the study said it happens more often with foods containing artifical sugar than with beverages.

For years, websites across the Internet have criticised America’s range of fake sweeteners, going so far as to claim that they can in fact cause obesity because of the chemical changes they produce in the body. “The sweeteners that people use to lose weight are actually causing them to not only gain weight, but to make weight loss efforts extremely difficult,” the website MomsWhoThink.com argues.

The Sugar Association’s “Truth About Splenda” page urges viewers to “take action to inform your family and friends about the realities concerning the chlorinated artificial sweetener Splenda. And warnings about the dangers of the chemical Aspartame in artificial sweeteners can be found across YouTube, where users like Dr Nordquist have uploaded videos claiming that “there are over 92 different health side-effects associated with aspartame consumption, killing over 300,000 people every year.”

with the saliva, which can only digest complex carbohydrates present in plant foods.

Phyto nutrients: Diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, stroke and bone loss are partially preventable with a good intake of phytonurtients. As these are present only in vegetarian diet, the non-vegetarians are at a loss.

Persistent cough could signal lung cancer

A new government advertising drive has warned the public to be vigilant about persistent coughs as they could be a sign of lung cancer. The campaign, which is being run in TV, radio, print and online media, recommends people with coughs lasting three weeks visit their GP. Research has shown that the public are much more aware that lumps and bleeding are warning signs of cancer than a cough, but the ads make clear persistent coughs should also raise alarm bells. The push is being backed by celebrities including comedian and

actor Ricky Gervais, TV star Linda Robson and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. "It is vital that cancer patients get treated quickly so they have the best chance of surviving," the media quoted Mike Richards, Cancer tsar Professor as saying. Lung cancer affects 33,000 people in England every year, with the majority of cases occurring in people over the age of 55. But when diagnosed at an early stage, as many as 80 percent are alive five years after diagnosis compared with 7 percent if it is spotted late on.

We all know that regular exercises and a healthy diet can add years to our lives. However, there's a school of thought out there that believes that this is not enough.

Certain physical characteristics can make you vulnerable to certain health risks. The length of a certain finger could lead to a simmering health problem, and becoming aware of that would help you prevent or prepare yourself for it.

But it is not yet clear as to what led to the following assumptions: Finger length: If women have an index finger that's shorter than the ring finger, then it means she's prone to osteoarthritis of the knee. But if the index finger is longer or equal to the ring finger, you are safe. For those whose index finger is shorter than the ring finger there is a need to exercise to strengthen your knees with squats and lunges.

If you've been wondering at the connection arthritis has to finger length, both are said to be related to low levels of estrogen.

Length of legs: There are reasons why long legs have that drool factor. But short legs seem to always be at the receiving end. This peculiar study drives it even

further saying that those with short legs are likely to develop liver disease.

So if you are one of them, mind your drinking habits.

Arm length: Your arms have a different story to tell. Extend them to a T-position. If the distance is less than 60 inches from fingertips to fingertips, you are prone to Alzheimer's.

These are signs to take up activities that stimulate the brains and body.

It could be anything from playing the guitar to taking dance lessons or playing chess.

Small calves: Those with calves that measure less than 13 inches are likely to get stroke, so don't forget to drink green tea daily to keep the fat at bay.

Wrinkled ears: A linear wrinkle in your ear lobe, which starts on the back of your ear lobe and runs across indicates that you are more likely to get a heart attack. So make sure to have a regular cardiovascular check-up and maintain a healthy weight.

Sense of smell: If you have problem identifying food with their aromas, you are more likely to suffer from Parkinson's disease. So feed your brain the right vitamins to keep your sense of smell sharp.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

CB Live is the only Gujarati live programme in UK on Television This week in CB Live, CB will be present to take questions from the listeners and discuss various burning issues. By public demand the telephone lines will be open all through out the program.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Mercury retrograde ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Occurs in your solar fifth

house. Extra care should be exercised when it comes to matters surrounding romance, children, and creativity. Be as non-judgemental as possible and you should avoid jumping to any premature decisions. This is a period of review and rest. Speculation and gambling are not advised right now.

7pm to 8pm Every Thursday

CB LIVE Every Thursday on MATV (SKY 793) 7pm to 8pm For more information email: cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk or call Alka Shah on 07944 151 893

Shafilea Ahmed's father denies murder

Shafilea, father Iftikhar and mother Farzana

Iftikhar Ahmed denied any involvement in the death and dismissed his wife’s new allegation that he had hit her on the night she disappeared as untrue.

Mr Ahmed went into the witness box two days after his wife, Farzana, 49, dramatically changed her defence.

She now claims in a document submitted to the court that on September 11, 2003, she came downstairs to see her husband in a “very angry” state, hitting and slapping Shafilea around the face.

The mother-of-five said she tried to intervene but was told to “shut up”.

When she tried to “protect” her daughter she was pushed away and then “punched with a clenched fist”.

Mr Ahmed describe his daughter as talented and athletic. Her best subject was art, but in all areas of her academic life she was “absolutely bril-

liant”.

He added it had been “devastating” to be accused of murder, but as the trial had come closer he and his wife had brought he and his wife closer.

He denied that there was any plan for Shafilea, to go through with an arranged marriage, but confirmed he had received an offer on her behalf.

“At the time I said I didn’t wish to discuss it until she had finished her studies”.

He said he first knew of Shafilea’s perception of an impending marriage when she returned to school after running away from home for a second time.

Two police officers met him there, and he told them: “I don’t know how she got that impression”.

He then spoke to his daughter, telling her: “There is no marriage”.

The trial continues.

Asian Voice Main Office Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW.

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Asian Voice switchboard: 020 7749 4000 Gujarat Samachar switchboard: 020 7749 4080 Sales: 020 7749 4085

Fake marriage couple revealed A registry office marriage ceremony was revealed to be a sham just moments after the ceremony finished when the bride and groom hastily removed their wedding rings, a court has heard.

Instead of exchanging kisses, the bride Marcela Tancosova and the groom Choudry Kanwal (pictured) took off the rings and handed them to a guest at the Sheffield ceremony.

But unfortunately for them the moment was captured by CCTV cameras and it led to the couple, from Slovakia and Pakistan respectively, being arrested for a fake marriage.

Further investigations revealed that Tancosova, 35, was pregnant by another man, she had a husband back in her home

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Mercury retrograde occurs in your solar fourth house. Extra care should be exercised when it comes to family relations, real estate matters, and domestic issues. Be as diplomatic as you can with family members. Try to put off major decisionmaking with regards to home improvement, moving, and family matters for the time being.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 All Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you because Mercury is your sign's ruler. This transit occurs in your solar third house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to composing letters, emails, making phone calls, and with communications in general. Issues with siblings or neighbours - these should be resolved amicably.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Retrograde Mercury transit occurs in your solar second house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to new financial initiatives. There may be the need to resolve old, nagging issues regarding personal finances. Take this time to re-budget and re-think how you want to spend your cash during this period.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Mercury is retrograde in your solar first house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to your body language. Others may misinterpret whatever you say and you should be aware that you can give off mixed signals. Good time to review the manner in which you come across to others.

country and lived with another Slovakian man who was in prison at the time.

The couple could only communicate using sign language.

Coming Events l Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street. London W1K 1HF Fri 20 July 6.30 pm Indian Folk Music : Baishnav Tantra & Papia Ghoshal, Sat 21st July 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm Yoga for Africa Connecting Olympic Hearts l National Association of Patidar Samaj presents Gujarati comedy play- Bachume Baltima utaaro, Patidar Samaj Hall, SW17 0RG. Sun 22 July. 5-6pm- dinner. 6:15- show l Free summer cultural classes for children and adults, 27 July-31August, 11am-1pm Shree Jalaram Mandir.

Contact: 0208 578 8088 l Sunday 22 July- Bhajans- 3-5:15pm. Monday 23 July Shravan Mas Shiv Puja, 9am-5:30pm, Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple, Contact: 07882253540 l Akademi's upcoming performances of Bells as part of the Mayor of London's SHOWTIME festival of free, outdoor arts events. l Victoria Park, Finchley. Ballard Lane, North Finchley N3 2NE, 9pm 25th July FREE l Lewisham Big Screen, Blackheath Common, All saints Drive, Blackheath SE3 0TY, 9.45pm 2nd August FREE l Turnham Green Park, Chiswick, W4 4JF 9pm 4th August FREE l Brahm Samaj presents Mehfil by Nayan Pancholi & Party (from Ahmedabad, India) on Saturday 21st July 2012 at The JFS School (The Auditorium),The Mall, Kenton, Harrow HA3 9TE -8 pm to 11pm (doors open 7pm).

Contact Harshaben Trivedi 07956 586 926 l Shree Khadsupa Kachhol Parivar (UK) has arranged a friendly family gathering on Sun 29July, 12-5pm. St Chad's Parish Centre, Coleman Road, Leicester.

Contact: Sureshbhai 0116 2835080

COMPETITION If you want to win a CD of Bol Bachchan answer the following simple question: Who is the director of the film Bol Bachchan? a. Yash Chopra b. Rohit Shetty c. Karan Johar The first three winners of the competition will be chosen on first come first basis.

Send your correct answer to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by Monday 23 July 5pm.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 Retrograde transit of Mercury occurs in your solar twelfth house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to private and personal matters. Be as non-judgemental as you can, but do keep an eye out for deceptiveness and falseness in others. Good time for yoga and meditation.

It's a lovely week for a higher knowledge and travel, as Venus and Jupiter embrace your 9th house.

Bear in mind that Mercury turns retrograde in your eleventh house of friends and associates as well. The next two weeks would serve you well if you spend more time listening than speaking.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

Mercury turns retrograde in your tenth house of career and status, slowing down your progress at work. It is important for you to be steadfast and focused as misunderstandings and confusion reign.

Stay as organized as possible while Mercury, the planet of communications does its best to trip you up.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Mercury turns retrograde in your ninth house of travel and adventure, slowing down your pace for the next two weeks. Your mental focus could be anywhere other than your normal routine - find a way to break up the monotony.

Don't be afraid to take on extra responsibilities as it could lead to better prospects.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The planet Mercury turns retrograde in your eighth house of joint resources, taxes, wills, legacies and alimony, creating confusion and complications for you during the next two weeks.

Mars is also in your work house, so make sure you have plenty of focus when making decisions.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Your closest relationships come under scrutiny as Mercury, the planet of communications goes retrograde in your seventh house of marriage and partnerships. There can be a lot of misunderstandings and confused signals. You'll need to listen carefully to what your partner is saying.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

The next two weeks may bring confusion and misunderstandings at work and troubles with your health as Mercury turns retrograde in your sixth house. You'll need to pay more attention to detail and double check everything before finalising important matters.

Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

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Asian Voice - Saturday 21st July 2012

Mark Ramprakash quits firstclass cricket after 25 years

Former England batsman and one of the most prolific scorers in English county cricket, Mark Ramprakash, announced retirement from first-class cricket last week.

The 42-year-old Surrey batsman, who may well be the last player to score 100 first-class centuries, has decided to bow out after 25 seasons of county cricket.

It is believed Ramprakash made his decision to retire after Surrey indicated that his contract, which expires at the end of this season, was unlikely to be renewed.

Ramprakash will end his career with 114 firstclass centuries to his name, the 100th coming against Yorkshire at Headingley in 2008.

He has scored 35,659 runs in 461 first-class matches since he first played for Middlesex in 1987 and a further 13,273 runs in one-day cricket.

Ramprakash played 52 Tests for England between 1991 and 2002 without achieving the same levels of consistency he enjoyed at county level. He averaged 27.32 in Test cricket as opposed to 53.14 in county cricket with two centuries, 133 against Australia at the Oval in 2001 and a Test best 154 against the West Indies in Bridgetown in 1997-98.

Only 14 players have scored more first-class hundreds than Ramprakash, who notched up his hundredth century in 2008 and will finish with 114 to his credit. He may prove to be the last batsman to reach that landmark.

In all, he scored 35,659 runs from 461 games and averaged 53.14, figures that place him among the alltime great county batsmen.

He scored 1,000 runs in a season on 20 occasions.

Figures do not convey his patience, the meticulous way he built innings or aesthetic appeal of his strokes.

Having averaged more than 100 in 2006 and 2007, he struggled in challenging conditions at the start of this season, which resulted in him being dropped by Surrey for the first time since joining them from Middlesex in 2001.

He scored a meagre 107 runs in ten County Championship visits to the crease, leading Surrey to indicate that his contract would not be renewed.

Despite averaging 42.50 against Australia, he proved unable to crack Test cricket consistently. In 52 Tests he recorded two hundreds, against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1998, then versus Australia at the Oval in 2001. His overall average of 27.32 does scant justice to his talent.

Those appearances spanned 11 years from his debut against West Indies aged 21 in 1991, with successive coaches trying hard to crack the code to unleash his full talent.

In 1999, he was interviewed for the England captaincy to succeed Alec Stewart, but the selectors opted for Nasser Hussain.

The reasons for his inability to convert the gift that first flourished as a 17-year-old at Middlesex became a constant, headshaking topic on the county circuit. England selection could be ruthless, but his brooding intensity was self-destructive. It became a cliché to say that he wanted success too much.

He moved slightly nervously into the world of celebrity in 2006 when he won the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing programme, but is almost certain to stay in touch with cricket either as a media pundit - he has worked successfully for Sky Sports - or a coach.

Even as a youngster, his technique was exemplary.

He always demanded the highest standards from himself in terms of preparation and performance, though he became more relaxed in his later years.

Danny Garcia stuns Amir Khan to claim WBA title One punch changed everything for Amir Khan, the UK boxer. Danny Garcia’s left hook swung in from long distance and found Khan directly in its path, knocking him on his back and ending his hopes of facing Floyd Mayweather Jr and being a unified world light-welterweight champion again.

Garcia had Khan on the canvas three times before Kenny Bayless, the referee, waved the bout off at 2 min 28 sec of the fourth round. But he had never recovered from that first hammering hook, landed with 30 seconds left in the third round.

It was shockingly similar to the way Breidis Prescott flattened him in 2008. The flaws that led to that firstround defeat were supposed to have been ironed out, but he was exposed again at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the early hours of Saturday.

Just as his after-fight party was due to be kicking off, Khan was receiving a brain scan. He was released with a clean bill of health, but few sports come with such extremes of high and low. The tactics had been for Khan to try to counter-punch, but he ignored those plans.

Instead he pressed forward, catching Garcia repeatedly with fast jabs

Amir Khan sits dazed on the canvas in the fourth round

and straight rights.

The more he landed, the more confident he became, the more risks he took. In the third, he stepped in with a left and right, left his gloves low and was caught flush. Written off as a ranting madman before the bout, Ángel Garcia, Garcia’s trainer-father, was suddenly a boxing genius. His nonstop abuse of Khan in the build-up had worked.

“The plan was to counter-punch but he got away from that,” Freddie Roach, Khan’s trainer, said. “I think Garcia really got under his skin. He wanted to go in there and knock the guy out and got caught with a big shot.”

There was talk that Khan would move up to welterweight next to face Mayweather in December.

Those plans are wrecked now. It was his second successive defeat and

there was nothing controversial about this one.

“It wasn’t my night,” Khan said. “I started coming in with my hands down and Danny took advantage. I respect Danny. He was countering very well. I got a little complacent and he took advantage and stopped me.”

Certainly Khan, who took this bout at short notice after a rematch with Lamont Peterson was scrapped when the American failed a drugs test, did not seem to have his mind fully on the job.

Whether it was the double training camp, or perhaps that he simply took Garcia lightly as he looked ahead to Mayweather, it had been a display lacking in discipline.

For Garcia, though, now the WBC, WBA and Ring magazine champion, who had been a 5-1 underdog, and his father, there

was reason for celebration.

“I couldn’t let the opportunity slip by me,” he said. “I always say to myself, ‘if I lose this fight, I die in the ghetto’. Khan’s a great fighter. Either he was going to knock me out, or I was going to knock him out.”

His father, Ángel, quickly ruled out a rematch against Khan.

“You don’t go back to wearing an old pair of shoes when they’re finished,” he said. “We don’t want to go back to him.

He’s an ex-champion.”

But Richard Schaefer, CEO of Khan’s promoters, Golden Boy, insisted that Khan remained an attraction. “As long as you are exciting, people want to come and see you,” he said.

“With Amir, you never know what is going to happen. TV networks see now that winning is overrated, you’d rather have someone lose an exciting fight than win a stinker.

“After two defeats he is not going to go to the back of the line, he’s a mainevent fighter.”

Uncertain road ahead While Danny Garcia’s father wrote off the chances of meeting again, Schaefer insisted that it was possible. “In the 140lb division [light-welterweight], the biggest fight out there is the rematch,” Schaefer said.

It’s now or never for Bopara to nail down his place For Ravi Bopara, back in the big time after a frustrating period on the subs’ and physio’s bench, a prolonged absence seems to have induced a laissezfaire attitude that may stand him in good stead against South Africa.

Whenever he has been asked recently about his chances of returning to the fold, after the failure of Eoin Morgan in the UAE and Jonny Bairstow against West Indies, Bopara has shrugged his shoulders and said “what will be will be.”

He could not have sounded less uptight than if he was wearing a pork-pie hat, alto sax slung over his shoulder, ready to riff a little number at Ronnie Scott’s.

Maybe it has been a front. Maybe, though, he recognises someone who had put too much pressure on himself during his earlier endeavours in an England shirt that brought a mixture of success (three consecutive Test hundreds

against West Indies, for example) but also failure so drastic that, even in these days of selection consistency, twice he had been removed from the firing line. Once in Sri Lanka, after three successive ducks, and at the end of the 2009 Ashes series, when his demotion paved the way for Jonathan Trott’s remarkable run.

Trott himself has shown that the obsessed and the uptight can succeed in international sport, but maybe Bopara now realises that route is not for him.

His reputation in county cricket is of someone a little too laid-back and dopey for his own good, but maybe that path remains his best chance of sustained success at the higher level, if he can marry his own insouciance with the hard-edged demands of Andy Flower and his England colleagues.

Certainly, in the recently concluded one-day series against Australia, there were signs, especially in his languid and, at times, destructive batting in the final match of that

series at Old Trafford, of the free-flowing player known to all at Chelmsford. Of course, in Test cricket, especially against an attack of South Africa’s quality, it may not be as easy for Bopara to be so dominant, but if he is relaxed, confident and able to revel in the moment and the competition, he will give himself the best chance of success.

Those watching on will wish him well because he has endured some ill-luck along the way: pencilled in last summer against Sri Lanka, only to be omitted at the last after Morgan, just back from the IPL, took the touring team apart with a brilliant hundred; then the injuries, to side and thigh, that cost him last winter and at the start of this summer. With Morgan’s recent technical changes bearing fruit and young players pushing hard, it really is now or never for Bopara.