AV 22nd May 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE The people who survive best are those who adapt Author Neema Shah SEE PAGE - 14

'Let's not war, there are enough fires burning outside'.

An interview with actor Tilotama Shome SEE PAGE - 28

Regular Rapid Tests can help save lives SEE PAGE - 16 -1 7

Strongest Man of Gujarat: ‘You are stronger than you think’ SEE PAGE - 32

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

22 - 28 MAY 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 3

COMMUNITY URGED TO FIGHT TOGETHER With calls of testing and vaccination growing, as cases of the ‘Indian variant’ of Covid-19 wreaks havoc in the North-Western part of the UK, how is the diaspora coping?

Cairn sues Air India to enforce $1.2 bn arbitration award

Cairn Energy has sued India’s Air India to enforce a $1.2 billion arbitration award that it won in a tax dispute against India, according to a US District Court filing.

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Neera Tanden appointed White House senior adviser Indian-American policy expert Neera Tanden has been appointed as a senior adviser to United States (US) President Joe Biden. This comes two months after she withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget due to stiff opposition from Republican senators.

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PM Modi to visit cyclone-hit areas to review damage Covid-19 vaccination at the centre opened by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden as Home Secretary Priti Patel looks on

Shefali Saxena Early this week, as Asian Voice went to print, there were 2,323 confirmed cases of B1617.2, popularly termed as the “Indian variant of concern” which has led to threatening to derail the easing of UK’s lock down. The Prime Minister is under major scrutiny for adding India to the “red list” only on 23 April, three weeks after announcing a ban on flights from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Indian Covid-19 variant is feared to be up to 50% more transmissible

than the Kent variant. Bolton, Birmingham, Worcestershire, Luton and parts of London are worst affected. Cllr Neil Nerva, Brent's cabinet member for public health, culture and leisure, said: “A very small number of cases of the variant of concern first identified in India have been located in the borough of Brent”. There are now 86 local authorities with five or more confirmed cases of the Indian Covid variant, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

Continued on page 6

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he will be visiting Gujarat and Diu to review the situation and damage caused by cyclone Tauktae.

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2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

22 - 28 May 2021

with Keith Vaz

Doctors urge ‘utmost caution’ ahead of lockdown easing

Bhavna Talwar (Film Director) Bhavna Talwar is an award-winning film director. She won the National Award for her debut film ‘Dharm’, a moving tale of the triumph of human values over divisive communal attitudes.

The film also opened at the Cannes Film Festival. Her second film ‘Happi’ is a homage to Chaplin as she shines a light on the changing mores of life in the buzzing metropolis of Mumbai.

Bhavna has also directed an adaptation of the children’s book Heidi, starring Bill Nighy and Mark Williams. She is currently casting for her biopic based on the life of the legendary Indian filmmaker, Guru Dutt.

Bhavna started her career as a journalist and moved to advertising before she found her true calling as a filmmaker.

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Which place or country do you most feel at home?

Over years of extensive travel, I’d find myself yearning to be back home once the euphoria of being in a new place subsided. When in Mumbai, I couldn’t wait to be back on a plane, yearning to call a new place home. I’ve come to learn that home is not located in space and time, it’s everywhere I go. I am my own home.

What are your proudest achievements?

My debut film opened at Cannes and was screened at many film festivals. It won me critical acclaim, the National Award for best film on national integration amongst others.

While the awards and acclaim encourage me to continue to do the sort of work I choose to do, I believe that an achievement that I can call my proudest is yet to come.

What inspires you?

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Inspiration comes to me from many quarters. It could be a work of Botticelli or Rembrandt, Gaugu in or Egon Schiele. The slant of light filtering in through a window at dusk, flowers, courage, architecture, love...

I feel inspired every time I’m present in life.

What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Self doubt. I have always aspired perfection and seldom did any of the work that I did live up to my own expectations. Until, a very wise friend, a philosophical guide pointed out that seeking perfection in what one creates is an exercise in futility.

Perfection can only be found in the very act of creating. Excellence is what us mortals can strive for.

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

My husband, Sheetal. He is someone driven by the joy of success and is fearless. Nothing is a mistake for him, only a learning curve. If it wasn’t for him, my films would be sitting in my desk drawer written on sheets of paper, crippled by selfdoubt.

What is the best aspect of your current role?

My films are an act of my politics.

As a filmmaker I can comment and train the mirror on issues that move me.

And what is the worst?

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I love making films. Despite the hard work and heartache my love for what I do is blind. I see nothing that I can term as the worst.

What are your long-term goals?

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To use the power of popular cinema as an instrument for change. To draw attention to the inequities that exist in the world. I am a feminist and hope to draw attention to the myriad issues that women face and hopefully affect real change.

If you were the PM, what one aspect would you change?

The composition of the cabinet to ensure equal gender representation.

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

Emmeline Pankhurst and Rabindranath Tagore. To be inspired

by Emmeline’s fire to continue her fight for freedom that so many of my kind still don’t have. To sit with her on the beach in the company of Tagore as he recites ‘Gitanjali’.

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Ahead of the next phase of lockdown easing on May 17, the BMA is calling on the Government to stand by its ‘cautious approach’ amid concerns that large parts of the younger population remain both unvaccinated and at risk of transmitting the highly infectious Indian variant strain.

Dr Richard Jarvis, BMA public health medicine committee co-chair, said: “With key segments of the population still not vaccinated and clusters of variants, including the rapidly increasing Indian variant, becoming a growing concern, we must approach this next stage of easing lockdown with the utmost caution.

“It is a real worry that when further measures lift on the 17th May, the majority of younger people, who are often highly socially mobile

and could therefore be most at risk of a more infectious strain, are not yet vaccinated.

Despite having the highest rates of positive tests throughout the pandemic, they will now be able to mix in larger groups in hospitality venues without many of the mitigations that have helped to push infection rates lower and lower since the start of the year.

“We are urging the public, and young people in particular, to take a cautious approach to social and physical contact, to continue practising ‘hands, face, space’ and to meet outdoors wherever possible.

“Local public health services are already overstretched managing the current level of local outbreaks and providing surge testing.

So as the country opens for business and people move

around more freely, including between regions with different prevalence of the virus, it is vital that local public health teams in local authorities and health protection units have the additional funding and staff they need to serve their local populations and any visitors effectively.”

“While the public and businesses can take precautions to keep themselves as safe as possible, it is the Government which is steering the ship and must stand by its ‘cautious approach’. To ensure we do not undo all the hard work and sacrifice of the previous lockdown, the Government must continue to monitor the situation with extreme vigilance and have the willingness to act quickly and apply the brakes if needed to prevent the situation getting out of control for a third time.”

Labour party undergoes a major reshuffle Rachel Reeves is now the party’s Treasury spokeswoman, and Anneliese Dodds has been demoted to be party chair.

Nick Brown has been replaced.

Deborah Mattinson is now the director of strategy.

Starmer has removed his deputy, Angela Rayner, from her job as party chair and election chief. Later, he created a new position for her: Shadow Secretary of State for the Future of Work, a position that doesn’t exist in government.

She will also serve as a shadow Cabinet office minister.

Tory successes in the parliamentary seat of Hartlepool

Keir Starmer

in Labour’s former heartlands, have put Starmer into an uncomfortable spot.

In a statement, Starmer said, “The Labour Party must be the party that embraces the

demand for change across our country. That will require bold ideas and a relentless focus on the priorities of the British people. Just as the pandemic has changed what is possible and what is necessary, so Labour must change too.”

Starmer called the results “bitterly disappointing”.

According to results compiled by the BBC, after elections were held in 143 councils in England, the Tories gained power in 13 and Labour lost control of 8. The Conservatives added 235 local council representatives to their tally, while Labour lost 322.

The High commissioner of India to the UK pays tribute to Basaveshwara statue in London On 14 May 2021, the High Commissioner of India, Her Excellency Gaitri Issar Kumar, accompanied by the Deputy High Commissioner, Charanjeet Singh, paid tribute to Mahatma Basaveshwara at his statue in London to mark the 887th birth anniversary of the 12th century Indian philosopher and social reformer.

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It is not every day that a former prime minister is summoned to answer questions relating to his personal conduct by no less than two parliamentary committees.

When Labour MP Rushanara Ali told former Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron, “You were the future once,” during a virtual Zoom call, one of the most beloved PMs of the UK stood still.

As Asian MPs who once sang praises of the erstwhile leader started to question Cameron for his alleged involvement in the Greensill Capital Lobbying affair, Cameron probably wished that he had never taken a dig at Tony Blair in 2005.

“You’re famously known as Teflon man, you’re a great survivor. Your reputation is now in tatters, Mr Cameron.

There really isn’t a road map for an exprime minister, particularly for a younger one,” ” said Ali and she did not mean it as a compliment.

“The former Conservative prime minister endured the darkest of days on June 24 2016 after presiding over the UK’s referendum vote to leave the EU, but yesterday (May 15) he suffered a ritual humiliation at the hands of MPs,” The Times reported.

Cameron’s aim to help small businesses during Covid-19 fell flat because after -all he wasn’t using his own bank balance.

“I was not employed by Greensill as a lobbyist. That was not intended to be part of my role,” Cameron said. He further claimed that his role at Greensill was

about winning new business and offering sound geo-political advice, defending himself that this did not strike him about the company’s impending collapse.

Times went on to report that David Cameron answered questions from MPs a few days ago, and it was hard not to recall that he once promised transparency in public life. History is likely to judge that Britain in the 21st century was anything but open and transparent. And it’s not just about government and lobbyists.

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22 - 28 May 2021

At war footing with racism and anti-Semitism On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that there is no place in Britain for anti-Semitism and British Jews should not have to face “shameful racism”. Mr Johnson was responding to a video, showing convoy of cars with Palestinian flag, driving through a Jewish community in north London and broadcasting anti-Semitic messages from a megaphone. The Archbishop of Canterbury has also come forward and condemned it.

According to surveys conducted by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, the proportion of British Jews who had contemplated emigration from UK due to anti-Semitism at some point in the previous five years was 18% in 2012, and 29% five years later in 2017. In the latter survey, three-quarters of those who had contemplated leaving said that they were considering moving to Israel. However, emigration to Israel fell by 11% between the two five-year periods and was much lower than the contemplated level, at 2899 people in total during 2008-12 and 2579 in total during 2013–2017, or about 1% of the community during each fiveyear period.

Britain took control of the area known as Palestine after World War I. Home to an Arab majority, tension started growing when Britain was tasked with establishing a ‘national home’ for Jewish people in Palestine. Palestinian Arabs opposed the move.

In 1947, they rejected a UN proposal for Palestine to be split into separate Jewish and Arab states. The British left and in 1948 Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel. Many Palestinians objected and a war followed. By the time the fighting ended in a ceasefire in 1949, Israel controlled most of the territory. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled the region, their descendants live in Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Israel claims the whole of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. With tensions high, recent threatened evictions of some Palestinian families in East Jerusalem has caused anger.

Peace talks have been going on and off for 25 years, but so far have not solved the conflict.

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) commissioned YouGov to survey British attitudes towards Jews. The 2017 survey found that 30% of supporters of the Liberal democrats endorsed at least one "antisemitic attitude", as defined by the CAA, compared with 32% Labour supporters.

The 2016 Select Committee enquiry found that, although the threat that the far right posed to Jews had fallen, "Holocaust denial and Jewish conspiracy theories remain core elements of far-right ideology" and BNP continues to stir up trouble and damages societal cohesion. The report also provided evidence of anti-Semitism in the Conservative Party.

Allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party have been made since its members elected Jeremy Corbyn as leader in 2015, partly due to his past associations with anti-Zionists. In 2016 Labour commissioned the Chakrabarti enquiry, which found "no evidence" of systemic antisemitism in Labour, though there was an "occasionally toxic atmosphere".

It also found that Jeremy Corbyn had shown a "lack of consistent leadership ", which "has created what some have referred to as a 'safe space' for those with vile attitudes towards Jewish peo-

ple" and that "The failure of the Labour Party to deal consistently and effectively with anti-Semitic incidents in recent years risks lending force to allegations that elements of the Labour movement are institutionally anti-Semitic."

In February and July 2019, Labour issued information on investigations into complaints of antisemitism against individuals, with around 350 members resigning, being expelled, or receiving formal warnings, equating to around 0.08% of the membership. Jeremy Corbyn was removed from its leadership subsequently. Anti-Semitism is also alleged to exist in the Conservative and Lib Dem parties. Since start of July 2019, reportedly under Boris Johnson’s leadership many politicians have been accused of anti-Semitism.

Is teaching about history enough?

The Home Office provided 'The Jewish Community Protective Security Grant' for the security of synagogues, schools, and other Jewish centres, with the Community Security Trust. It was introduced in 2015 and then Home Secretary Sajid Javid pledged to increase funding, bringing the total amount allocated from 2015 to 2019 to £65.2 million.

The Holocaust is the only compulsory subject in the national history curriculum in secondary schools. The Department of Education provides significant funding to the Holocaust Educational Trust, including programmes for schools and universities. The Government also funds the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

In August 2019, the Imperial War Museum announced plans to spend over £30m on a new set of galleries over two floors at its London site covering the Holocaust and its importance in World War II. The galleries are set to open in 2021 and will replace the existing permanent Holocaust exhibition. The government is contributing £75m to the planned UK Holocaust Memorial.

The government is funding the anti-prejudice charities, the Anne Frank Trust and Kick It Out have provided significant funding via Office for Students to tackle religious-based hate crime in higher education. In September 2019, the government announced a grant of £100,000 to the Antisemitism Policy Trust to produce videos to combat antisemitism online. The current government promised it will provide free entry, in perpetuity, to everyone visiting the proposed new Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced earlier this year.

The Memorial, which is planned to be built next to Parliament in Victoria Tower Gardens, will be the focal point for national remembrance of the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust and all other victims of Nazi persecution.

While Britain’s heart is in the right place, raising awareness in history lessons in not enough. The country’s communities still need to fight racism together. Also, from Iraq war to Afghanistan to Syria to Palestine, Britain has been the common factor. It’s about time its leaders take up responsibility in spreading peace and not conflict. In fact, India should take a leaf from this lesson, and create a museum for Hindus in Kashmir, once genocide and homeless.

It’s time to unite and not play petty politics As Covid cases surge, a viable strategy to contain it enters as spatial refocusing of vaccination and intensifying the vaccination effort in general, as well as precautionary measures such as mask wearing and physical distancing. Covid surge is most evident in eight states. Within those states as well, there is regional diversity; some districts are more prone to the spread of the disease than others. Available vaccines must be diverted to these vulnerable areas and everyone should be vaccinated. Effective communication is another step to win any public health challenge. For example, almost as important as the decision to increase the Covishield dosing gap to 12-16 weeks is the work of reassuring citizens that this is protective and so were the four-weekly jabs, and afterwards everyone must stay masked up.

Social media is awash with treatment protocols based on prescriptions from doctors to their patients. These aren’t universal or sanction for self-medication. Yet countless cases of patients selfadministering steroids prematurely have surfaced. Fake remedies flooding WhatsApp are just as insidious. But to date Covid is being considered just another “fever” by many rural Indians struggling against it. Bridging this unacceptable information divide is essential. With rampant infections, Indians need more clear and persuasive guidance. Confusion among doctors on convalescent plasma has pushed families of patients to hellish exhaustion. Doctors’ forums like IMA could have averted this mess. Convincing a large society to undertake collective preventive measures requires sustained public interventions. The daily press briefings by Union health ministry and ICMR officials, which helped disseminate key information at the pandemic’s start in March-April 2020, must restart.

The liberalised vaccination policy kicked off on 1 May have created the vaccine shortage more acute. According to Centre’s affidavit to Supreme Court, by July, India’s monthly vaccine production may exceed 130 million doses, offering potentially 40,00,000 jabs daily. But this is of little consolation. Centre opened vaccination for the 18-44 age group “to respect the wishes of various state governments”. It’s a reminder of how information is a crucial policy good for society, because states had expressed such wishes with poor data on actual vaccine production. With only 100 million people in the 45-plus category having received their first doses, and even fewer 23 million their second doses, immediate prospects are not good for the 590 million population

in the 18-44 group. Had Centre backed its original plan to deliver 600 million jabs by July end for priority groups with bulk upfront payments like other countries, the story could have been different.

The centre should give permission to more pharma companies to produce vaccine and other medicines needed to fight the pandemic. India should also import vaccines and medicines from US and other countries.

The US, for instance, is already reporting supply gluts. Its Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, Novavax and AstraZeneca shots can help India. It will ease the shortage of vaccines in the country.

Vaccination is the only known remedy to fight the pandemic now. As experts have warned that the third wave is on the wings, all eligible people should the vaccinated at the earliest. The second wave is affecting children also, so they should also be vaccinated. Since India is the leading producer of pharma items, the patent liberalisation policy can enhance vaccine production in India. This is not the time to make unnecessary allegations against the Prime Minister and other leaders.

However, this also applies to the Indian government. The political arrests that were made on Monday in Bengal, is not timely. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the Modi government has unleashed its favourite weapon – CBI, to dismantle the West Bengal government, while the pandemic wreaks havoc.

Two ministers, Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, state legislator Madan Mitra and former legislator Shovon Chatterjee were arrested by India's top anti-corruption agency, in connection with the 2016 Narada bribery case. But no action, however, was taken against two other accused individuals, Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari, who are now members of Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. The Indian Prime Minister immediately faced heavy criticism from opposition leaders and residents in West Bengal for arresting, especially the state minister heading the pandemic management body there, while leaving out alleged culprits, who are now members of his own party.

BJP may have lost the leadership position in Bengal. It still has an incredible role to play as the Opposition party. But digging up bones, when focus should be on fighting the pandemic as a united front, is only detrimental to Mr Modi’s image. This is the time to forget politics. Everyone must join hands to fight the pandemic and save as much lives as possible. One must practice what they preach.

Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something.

– Henry David Thoreau

Alpesh Patel

Covid-19 brings UK-India into a closer friendship and sends a message to neighbours One of the sole positives from India's devastating Covid19 crisis is how it has set the scene for closer UK-India relations. As the Republic reels from a staggering 400,000 cases a day, the UK has promised to help in whatever way it can.

Covid-19 Aid The UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has the pledge to "stand side by side" with the stricken South Asian country. Indeed, Hancock cited the strong bonds between the countries, highlighting ties of both family and friendship.

In late April, the UK sent an aid package of oxygen and ventilators.

This was followed up at the start of May with 1,000 ventilators and three 18-tonne oxygen generators that can provide oxygen for up to 50 people at a time. More aid is to follow.

UK-India Trade Agreement All of this help comes hot on the heels of a move to deepen trade and security between the UK and India.

Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi agreed on the terms of a new Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) by virtual meeting this May. This deal will create 6,500 jobs in the UK with an Indian investment of over £500m. However, this deal is about more than trade cooperation.

Migration and Skills Sharing The long-standing historical bonds between UK and India have resulted in a great deal of migration between citizens. However, a new agreement between the countries will allow 2-year work visas for students and young professionals. With India producing a vast number of top-level graduates in STEM subjects, this deal will benefit both countries.

A Global Security Strategy Of course, more observant readers will note that enhanced UK-India relations represent a change in strategy in the Asian region for the UK. Under David Cameron's government, Britain sought to attract Chinese investment. However, this relationship soured somewhat due to China's threat in the South China Sea, questions over human rights abuses,and tensions over Hong Kong.

Post-Brexit, the UK needs to ensure stability in the region, which means enhanced ties to Japan, Australia, and India. With links to the EU becoming strained, new trading partners and friends are required to ensure the health of the economy. These concerns, in part, are responsible for the recent Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

Conclusion Due to a shared history, the UK and India have always had close bonds. However, with the Republic in its darkest hour, the UK has come to its assistance. India's moment of need has coincided with plans by the two countries to increase trade, security and migration.

Taken together, these events will deepen the cooperation and friendship between the global powers, resulting in a more robust relationship in the future. With China an ever-growing concern in the region, close relations between the UK and India are needed more than ever.

If you would like to donate for Oxygen supplies – GoDharmic has zero UK costs - https://godharmic.com/ Sewa UK too puts all donations to work in purchasing Oxygen to send to India: https://sewauk.org/

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in brief Lord Bhikhu Parekh brings up “adult dependent in brief

relative visa rule” following the Queen’s speech Officially reopening the Parliament last Tuesday, the Queen outlined the government's priorities for the year ahead. In a ten-minute speech in the House of Lords, she highlighted 30 laws that ministers intend to pass in the coming year.

While the Queen's Speech was critiqued for not addressing how best to protect people from conversion therapy, it also missed out on specifics of helping care homes and the homeless, despite mentioning that measures will be taken to reform the operation of the social care system in England. Opening the debate in the House of Lords, Lord Bhikhu Parekh addressed ethnic disparities, and that the first 10 NHS doctors to die belonged to the ethnic minorities along with more concrete data.

“I could go on producing

Lord Bhikhu Parekh

statistics, but they are too well known to be rehearsed. Why is this so? The reasons, again, are fairly straight- forward and have been commented on. They include the fact that many from within the ethnic minorities are front-line workers; they work in high-risk places; they had no or inadequate PPE; they live in cramped houses; and they do not enjoy positions of power and influence, so their complaints go

unheard or are unattended to.

These are many of the factors which have led to the kind of disparity that I talked about. The Government took some time to recognise their importance, but when they did, they did not do enough, and the ethnic minorities continue to pay a disproportionately heavy price for the disaster that struck us,” he said.

He affirmed that the UK needs to “create a society in which there is a sense of solidarity and common belonging”. “It is important that the ethnic minorities should not feel that they are under the sufferance of the wider population, or that their problems are only their own and nobody is going to help them,” Lord Parekh added.

Lord Parekh also emphasised that taxes will have to rise. He said, “The rich will have to pay far more than they have done so far.” He also expressed his

amazement on the fact that Britain has “not developed a culture of philanthropy”.

“Why do we not leave much money to hospitals? Why do we not even think it proper to express our gratitude in these and other ways? I am not saying that the NHS should start charging people,” he explained.

In a remarkable and much needed move, Lord Parekh brought up the adult dependent relative visa rule, which states that doctors and others in this country are not allowed to bring their parents from overseas unless they meet certain very strict conditions.

“I therefore suggest that we take a second look at the proposals from BAPIO, especially the ones that Professor Keshav Singhal and Dr Ramesh Mehta have made, not accepting them in their current form, but with some modifications,” he said.

UK Faith leaders support Lord Navnit Dholakia defends ethnic the Queen’s Green minorities in prison Canopy Faith Leaders from across the UK, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, are urging faith communities to plant trees in honour of Her Majesty’s lifetime of service to the nation, through The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative which was launched on Monday.

The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiative is a unique, UK-wide tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is Patron of the QGC and planted a tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle with Her Majesty earlier in the year to mark the start of the project.

In a special video message, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the leaders from the Buddhist Society, the Interfaith Council for Wales, AlKhoei Foundation, Nishkam Centre, the Church of Scotland, the United Hebrew Congregations of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, the Hindu Council UK, the Moravian Church of Northern Ireland, and the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, encouraged people to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” in 2022.

As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen’s Green Canopy will highlight and showcase

70 irreplaceable Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom and identify 70 Ancient Trees to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.

The QGC project will also create a pilot training programme for unemployed young people aged between 16-24 through Capel Manor College, London’s only specialist environmental college of which The Queen Mother was Patron, to plant and manage trees.

Some of the faith leaders participating in the video message include: · Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh OBE, KSG, Chair of the Nishkam Group of Charitable Organisations · Ms Sarwat Tasneem, Al-Khoei Foundation · Imam Qari Muhammad Asim MBE, Senior Imam, Makkah Mosque, Leeds, Chair of Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board · Ms Muna Chauhan, Hindu Council UK

Earlier this week, Lord Navnit Dholakia PC,OBE,DL, (Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats) shared his two cents on ethnic minorities during the Queen’s Speech debate 2021.

Addressing the House of Lords, he said, “Over a quarter (27%) of the prison population,21574 people are from a minority ethnic group. If their proportion reflected their presence in the community, we would have 9000 fewer people in prison. The economic cost of BAME over representation in the system is estimated to be £ 234 million a year. It is simple to say that they commit more crime.

Not all crimes are reported or solved.The question is how did we produce this anomaly.

In his speech, Lord Dholakia outlined that there is a clear direct association between ethnic minority groups and odds of receiving custodial sentences. “Crime may have a lot to do with access.The

Lord Navnit Dholakia

least offending group are people from the Indian subcontinent. BAME people in prison pepper more negatively about their experience in prisons and relationship with staff.They are more likely to report having been recently restrained or placed in segregation.

Discrimination complaints are inadequately investigated “all to often” according to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.There is a failure to collect the equalities data needed to conduct a meaningful investigation,” he added.

Lord Dholakia highlighted that if the present situation continues, we’ll be heading for serious incidents in our prisons.

General practices nationally are at breaking point An online blog in the British Medical Journal says, the general practices nationally are at breaking point.

While the UK is allegedly dealing with around 90% of patient contacts for under 10% of the national budget, the blog stated, “GPs are seen as the “gatekeepers” to the NHS providing over 300 million patient consultations each year, compared to 23 million emergency department visits. If general practice fails, the entire NHS will collapse.” The blog mentioned that GPs have been sup-

porting over 1 million patients in the community with long Covid.

“A year’s worth of GP care per patient costs less than two

trips to the emergency department, and for the past decade funding for hospitals has been growing around twice as fast as for our family doctor services,” the blog read.

The blog represents some ideas to tackle the situation: Firstly, address red tape, bureaucracy and long hours, which are all key causes of low morale and burnout, immediate changes are needed to enable hospital teams to generate their own interdepartmental referrals, medical

certificates and additional investigations, Simplify referral processes, GP teams cannot be everything to everyone, and our resources are finite, Enable flexible working to become the norm, Invest in health promotion through education and support at a community level, and also highlighted that GPs need a strong media team and patients need to be kept as the centre of what they do.

The NHS Five Year Forward View summed this up and said, “If general practice fails, the NHS fails.”

KEIR STARMER'S AIDE 'WHO GOSSIPED ABOUT ANGELA RAYNER' QUITS Sir Keir Starmer’s closest parliamentary aide resigned amid allegations she spread baseless rumors about Angela Rayner’s private life.

Carolyn Harris, Starmer’s parliamentary private secretary since he became Labour leader last year, left her position as the fallout from his botched reshuffle entered its fourth day.

Harris, the MP for Swansea East and deputy leader of Welsh Labour, is accused of spreading unfounded allegations about Rayner, Starmer’s deputy, including at the weekend while negotiations about her position in the shadow cabinet were taking place. As parliamentary private secretary, Harris was Starmer’s eyes and ears in the parliamentary party. However, her relations with some MPs are said to have soured in recent months.

In a statement released by Starmer’s office, Harris said: “It has been the proudest moment of my career to co-chair the campaign that saw Keir Starmer elected as Labour leader, and to serve as his PPS for the past year.

ABUSE TRIAL FOR JUDGE’S WIDOW The widow of a Court of Appeal judge has gone on trial over the sexual abuse of a boy in the 1980s. Lady (Lavinia) Nourse, 77, denies five charges. Nourse, from Newmarket in Suffolk, was married to Sir Martin Nourse, a former lord justice of appeal, who died aged 85 in 2017. She faces five charges of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 12, and of indecency with a child, all in relation to the same complainant.

Nourse denies the charges, which cover alleged incidents from 1981 to 1990. Jennifer Knight QC, for the prosecution, said that for years the boy had “never told anyone” his account of what had happened. “He tried to bury away the memories and to not think about them.” Knight said that the complainant had become troubled by his memories of the alleged abuse after marrying and having children. She said that the complainant then told his wife what had happened to him and later reported his allegations to the police, with Nourse being interviewed by officers in relation to the claims in 2019.

AGE VERIFICATION FOR SOCIAL MEDIA People could be forced to verify their age before using social media platforms under government plans to protect children.

Facebook, Google, Twitter and other tech giants will face huge fines if under-age children can access their services as part of a new duty of care to be enforced by Ofcom. The government’s new online safety bill, states that enforcing terms and conditions on minimum age thresholds would be included in plans to regulate social media. Children under the age of 13 are not allowed to sign up to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and those under 12 are barred from creating a Google account. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, has a minimum age of 16.

APPEALS BY ASYLUM SEEKERS BARRED Asylum seekers will be barred from taking their appeals to judicial review in an attempt to speed up deportations. Currently, decisions by the Upper Tribunal about immigration cases can be referred to the High Court, which ministers say has led to “spurious legal challenges”. The government wants to make the Upper Tribunal the final court for migration cases, which it also believes will reduce delays in the migration system. The judicial review bill will also seek to stop campaigners from blocking large infrastructure projects on legal technicalities. It will give judges the power to suspend the effect of orders temporarily so that technical issues can be fixed.

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Js . ʉ ǻȃ

Meeting up again?

Yo u ’ r e s a f e s t o u t d o o r s .

Around 1 in 3 people who have Coviid-19 have no symp ptoms and can spread it without knowing so it ’s saffest to meet outsid de because the

Let ’s take this nex t step safely.

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COMMUNITY URGED TO FIGHT TOGETHER Continued from page 1 Asian community was disproportionately affected in the first and second wave, due to possible higher comorbidities, poverty and multigenerational households. So the fear is obviously greater with a more transmissible variant. On May 15, the UK Covid death toll rose by seven amid rising cases of the Indian variant. However, verified data on deaths due to this variant is not available in the public domain. Vaccines Minister Mr Zahawi told the BBC that pilots of vaccinating younger people in multi-generational households in Luton had been successful.

Bolton’s infection rate of 192.3 cases per 100,000 people is among the highest in England. As businesses were slowly getting back on their feet, another lockdown could create “train-wreck” for Bolton.

The PM announced that the Army will be sent into Bolton as surge testing and extra vaccines are deployed in the town to quell the country's worst outbreak of the Indian variant of Covid-19. As residents fear another lockdown approaching, many have complained that localities have flouted Covid protocol.

In the light of this situation, people residing in some areas of Blackburn who are in the range of age 18 and over can receive a coronavirus vaccine. Blackburn with Darwen Council said jabs would be offered only to over-18s with health conditions, in line with government guidance.

Reports suggest that youths aged 11 to 22 are at centre of Indian Covid variant surge in Bedford as locals fear another lockdown. “The B.1.617.2 strain now accounts for almost three-quarters of cases in the town. Council team leader says local lockdowns don't work as people will go elsewhere,” The Daily Mail reported. People aged 36 and 37 are now offered the coronavirus vaccine, in race to beat the new variant.

A story in The Times stated that officials are hoping that surge testing of many asymptomatic people in affected areas, which has worked to contain the South African variant, will be able to keep the Indian variant in check. At a Downing Street press conference Boris Johnson announced that remaining second doses for the over-50s will be accelerated so they come eight weeks after the first.

England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty has said that the aim is to firstly protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus, which “is very heavily predicated by age”.

The Times cited that Pakistan and Bangladesh were put on the red list on 9 April, but India was not added until 23 April. The Labour party has claimed that Mr Johnson was reluctant to upset Indian prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom he was trying to strike a trade deal. Mr Hancock insisted that more arrivals from Bangladesh and Pakistan tested in the UK ahead of April 9 were positive for Covid-19 than those arriving from India. But on 26 April, 122 people tested positive after arriving from India, mainly from Mumbai and Delhi.

Have we lost compassion?

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that care home residents will be able to nominate five visitors for regular

visits when the UK moves to the next phase of lockdown easing on Monday. Meanwhile, people in Wales are being advised to only travel abroad for “essential” reasons for at least three more weeks.

Residents in England have been told they may travel abroad for leisure from Monday. Britons have been urged to stay away from ‘amber list’ countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Greece. This is being touted as “holiday plans thrown into chaos.”

Ironically, ever since cases of the Indian variant rose in the UK, and India was finally put on the red list, there’s been much speculation and unnecessary criticism as to why Indians travelled back and forth.

Many of them have not seen their families for more than a year now.

Sourav Niyogi had travelled to India

Sourav Niyogi

to look after his ageing parents and is now back in the UK quarantining in a hotel, given India is on the red list. “It is not an easy situation to be in,” he said. “However, given the rise of the number of cases in India, the UK government does not have many options. My stay has been smooth so far - the hotel staff has been very helpful. I would say, if all of us follow the quarantine guidelines, we ourselves will be safe and make others safe. I do want to add, I have a small worry that we do not pick up the virus through the hotel air conditioning- given that we still do not know for sure how the virus exactly spreads.”

Shovon Ray recently travelled

have some set of permissions and clearances. Can’t really specify. But most of them were carrying files.”

Commending that the immigration the process was a lot smoother, he explained, “They grouped people according to the area they were supposed to travel for quarantine. Mine was Arora Gatwick. Don’t really know why they sent me this far because I live in London. It would have been easier for me to be a bit closer. But I guess most of the hotels are booked. So don’t think they had an option.”

“Once we reached the quarantine facility there were a few formalities to be completed. And we were allotted rooms. I haven’t been out ever since. Today I took my first covid test since it’s my second day.

Still awaiting results. The next test is on the 8th day. The hotel is alright. Can’t expect much when the world is falling apart. Food could have been better. And the lunch/dinner timings could have been a bit more flexible. Though it doesn’t matter because I’d rate the food 3/10,” he further added.

However, Ray agreed that expecting the government to provide better facilities is asking too much at this time. “But for the price they are charging, stay is not that great. Hopefully if I’m negative at the end of day 10 I’ll go out and get to work,” Ray said.

The bitter truth While a common civic endeavour is needed to fight the variant, commenting on the situation, without mincing his words, Professor Dr Shiv Pande MBE said,

Dr Shiv Pande

Shovon Ray

from Mumbai to London on a packed Air India flight on Saturday 15 May. “My flight had been cancelled four times before this. The original flight was in March. Don’t really know about the fear about the Indian variant because I haven’t been out yet. But the queue at immigration was extremely long. I had to wait four hours till my turn came. I was travelling alone. So, it wasn’t a big issue,” Shovon told Asian Voice.

He mentioned that there were elderly people and families with babies. He said, “They were having a hard time. Especially after such a long flight. Everyone was clearly tired and agitated. Not many staff members at the immigration desk which was making the wait much longer. Once at the immigration desk it didn’t take much long for them to clear me because I’m a UK citizen. But I could see people with different nationalities had a lot of paperwork to go through and had to

“Sadly, the Indian variant is more aggressive and transferable and transmittable. No doubt in hindsight it would have been good if India was put on the red list much earlier. Yes, people who are going to hospital now in Bolton, Blackburn are those who had declined to have vaccinations. The UK is opening now but we should have reconsidered extending it at least by two more weeks. Commenting on vaccinating people who are stuck in the UK and can’t travel to India, Dr Pande said, “It is a very important issue- we should request UK authorities to vaccinate them and protect asap.”

Dr Ashish Dhawan, National General Secretary of British Indian Doctors Association UK, said, “The

Dr Ashish Dhawan

Indian variant is of concern. The data suggests that it is 50 percent more transmissible than the Kent

strain and Matt Hancock went to record to say that if something is not done, it could spread like wildfire in the community. I strongly feel that Indian should have been put on the red list 10-14 days earlier.

Early data that is coming out from Oxford is suggesting that Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna are all effective against the Indian strain.

The ways in which we are going to defeat this strain is mass testing, mass vaccination and if this doesn’t come under control, then consider a regional lockdown. For anyone stranded in the UK, the government should try to first send them back to India and isolate them for ten days.

But if that’s not an option, then they should make sure to vaccinate these people here in the UK.” How is the community coping?

Ishwar Tailor, President Gujarat Hindu Society, Preston is fully vac-

Ishwar Tailor

cinated. He feels that India should have been on red alert earlier. He mentioned, “The people in multigenerational who have not had the jab should test regularly and if positive should isolate. Asian businesses are not suffering as much as the demand for goods is high however they do need to take precautions.

Members of the community need to follow the government guidelines and persevere a little longer so that everyone one can stay safe.”

But is there fear among the members of the community?

While the term “Indian variant” is being mulled over in the name of blatant racism, calls for not calling it ‘Indian’ but B.1.617.2 are rising in the South Asian community citing racism, speaking to the newsweekly, Dr Bhavna K Pandya made an

Dr Bhavna K Pandya

imperative observation and said that “there was nothing to compare at that time to complain about the UK variant.” She further added, “I feel safe in the UK.” Should India have been put on the red list before and that could have stopped the spread of the new variant to so many people? Dr Pandya said, “This is very difficult to say as it is always different when seen retrospectively. At that time there was not much knowledge about the spread-ability of the new variant which we now know that it spreads much faster than the previous variants.”

“Being a health professional, I had both the doses. My husband just received his second dose of the vaccine. However, we both caught Covid before the vaccine.”

What would people in multigenerational households do to protect themselves? Dr Pandya said, “This is challenging. Protecting elderly is very difficult as exposure is not possible to avoid. This is the reason we saw so many of our elderly loved ones losing their lives in all UK waves which was shocking. We also have gone through the same shock waves as what India is going through. The best way forward from this time and date is to vaccinate them.”

Talking about the impact of this variant on businesses of South Asians in the UK, she said, “This should not impact just on South Asians unless the Government puts restrictions on one community only. The Government won’t do that. There will be an impact if the government has to put the restriction again due to the surge of cases.”

But what can the members of the community help each other in this crisis? “Continue to follow the Government guidelines. Wear a mask, keep safe distance, do not gather in many numbers yet, keep the area ventilated. The most important aspect is prevention by vaccine. Take the vaccine when the turn comes. The Government has opened up for all ages in certain areas of the UK for the vaccine to help with this,” she added.

Speaking to Asian Voice,

Harsha Shukla

Harsha Shukla MBE, Vice President North of Hindu Forum of Britain said, “I feel safe because I take precautions and take extra care of cleanliness too, wearing masks and gloves when going out. When the Kent and African variants were quite strong and we were in a lockdown, we vaccinated the community to bring down the rising rate of infection. I’ve got both my doses of the vaccine. Sewa UK is doing an excellent job of providing hot meals, food parcels, PPE kits and other relief material to the community, and the government is also making sure all businesses that are affected by the second wave are taken care of. Communities are doing their level best to help each other. The UK has done an excellent job in taking care of its people in the pandemic, I’m sure the government will do its level best to protect the north western region from the rising cases with vaccination drive. Hopefully, we all will be better together.”

Ministers are considering plans for local lockdowns and this might mark the return of tiers if Indian strain of the coronavirus takes hold. Boris Johnson has shelved a planned announcement of an end to social distancing rules as the faster-spreading Indian variant forces a rethink. The Prime Minister will no longer announce next week that fines for not wearing face masks will end next month, or that businesses will no longer be compelled to keep people at least a metre apart.

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in brief MANCHESTER MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO PROVIDING UNQUALIFIED IMMIGRATION ADVICE AND SERVICES A 36-year-old man has pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court last Monday, 10 May, to four counts of providing unqualified immigration advice and immigration services.

Yasser Mahmood of Heywood Street, Manchester, contrary to section 91 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, carried out this work from October 2016 to February 2018 from offices on Cheetham Hill Road against the ruling of the OISC who had cancelled his registration. Specifically, he gave immigration advice about visa and entry clearance applications when not qualified to do so and corresponded on behalf of others with the Home Office, again when he was not qualified to do so. Mr Mahmood will be sentenced at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court on 8 June, following pre-sentence reports.

MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT RESPONDS TO LABOUR MARKET STATS In response to Labour Market Stats, the Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP has said, “A continued fall in unemployment, a further rise in vacancies, and growth in the employment rate is welcome news as we continue on our roadmap to recovery.

While there is more to do to make sure we support job seekers over the coming months, these figures highlight the resilience of our jobs market and ability for employers to adapt – and through our Plan for Jobs we’re continuing to create new opportunities for people right across the country.”

Passengers 'terrified of catching We can hug again!

Covid' in queue at Heathrow Passengers were left 'terrified of catching Covid' while crammed into Heathrow immigration queue for more than three hours next to hundreds just landed from India.

Some Heathrow travellers have gone on record to say that they were 'terrified of catching Covid' queuing for three hours in the border hall.

“Some claim they were left standing next to arrivals from Covid-ravaged India in the three hour long queues. Department of Health statistics show 1,979 new infections in the past 24 hours, down on last Monday,” The Mail reported.

Cadbury runs out of ice-cream High sales are threatening to exhaust supplies of the mini Flakes that form an essential part of the 99 experience of Cadbury in the UK and Ireland.

“We are seeing a recent increase in demand for our Cadbury 99 Flake in the UK and Ireland that we had not expected,” said a spokeswoman for Mondelēz, which owns Cadbury. Flake ice-cream toppers are half the size of the chocolate bars sold in newsagents and supermarkets, with the mini versions, aimed at the hospitality trade, manufactured outside Cairo in Egypt and also in Coolock near Dublin in Ireland.

Interestingly, the company hasn’t blamed the shortage on Covid-19 or Brexit. In fact, this has happened purely due to high demand and less supply. The food group, which

owns a large number of other chocolate brands including Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone, did not say how long it expected the shortage to last. However, in a statement, it said: “The product is still available to order and we’re continuing to work closely with our customers.”

Brits ignore Matt Hancock's warnings News is abuzz that the UK border rules are branded a 'joke' as Brits ignore Matt Hancock's warnings.

As per reports by several publications, many have boarded hundreds of flights leaving for 'amber list' nations.

Some have said that “they don't care about isolating at home for 10 days,” the Mail reported. Meanwhile, with ease in lockdown restrictions, airports are expecting their busiest day of the year as hundreds of people embark on holidays, most of which are flying to the Algarve in Portugal for the first time since last year. MailOnline analysis found Heathrow and Gatwick are operating at least 340 flights to amber countries.

May Morris, an 80 year old grandmother who became a widow during the pandemic on Christmas Day in 2019, has shared her account of hugging her grandchildren after a year.

She celebrated her 80th birthday in lockdown. “We never thought this day would come. It has just been such a terrible time. We went into lockdown soon after, so you couldn’t mix with people just when you need people more at that time. My daughter and my son have been fantastic and such support but it’s upsetting when you can’t have the children near and give them a hug,” she told The Times. “It’s wonderful to see them unafraid to hug other people again, to explore and have fun,” she added.

Hugging was never banned but social distancing rules and the idea to protect the old from any probable infection was paramount, due to which many families isolated themselves from elderly members and took extra measures to safeguard them.

In Worthing, the town crier Bob Smytherman spent the day greeting people in his uniform, hugging and ringing his bell. “Our local café by the station could have customers back in for the first time,” he said. “I got to hug a few people outside, make a bit of noise and promote the reopening.

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Lord Dolar Popat informed all present that we normally celebrate Gujarat day but as a result of the pandemic our mother country is facing the worst situation in their fight against the pandemic.

Lord Meghnad Desai joined from Delhi and went into the history of Gujarat and when it was formed. Lord Bhiku Parekh who has been associated with NCGO UK since its inception informed about Gujarat in the making, the history of small states with a common Gujarati culture. Lord Navnit Dholakia joined with others in the prayers. Lord Sheikh read a very special dua during Ramadan.

Mr Manmeet Singh Narang – The Minister for Coordination at the High Commission of India London gave condolences and prayers for India and thanked NCGO for the event. Kuldeep Speakers and participants at Gujarat Foundation Day Sekhawat – President of BJP UK & representing MATV informed that it’s not a great day to celebrate NCGO UK marked Gujarat Foundation Day with Gujarat day because of the situation in India. virtual prayers for India National Council of Shaun Bailey- Mayoral Candidate of London Gujarati Organisations UK (NCGO) marking joined the prayers with his message.

Gujarat Day on May 1, 2021 with prayers for India.

Community Organisations and the faith The prayers started with the opening by the organisations highlighted their charitable work President of NCGO UK welcoming everyone and for India and requested everyone to support. We informing them that normally NCGO celebrates were joined by the Chair of Trustees of BAPS UK the Gujarat Foundation Day by raising awareness – MR Mayank Shah, Mr Girish Mashru of Jalaram of the Gujaratis in the UK and promoting the rich Mandir – Wembley, Mr Narendra Thakrar of culture of Gujarat. However, this year all the Valabh Nidhi Mandir of Wembley & East London. events planned for the MahaGujarat Month in May Mr Nemu Chandaria of One Jain and Mr Mayur were cancelled at short notice due to the Covid Mehta of RamChandra Mission & Geeta Shah of Impact in India. He said, we are thankful to all our Women to Women Diamond Services with the honourable guests who have joined us to pray for members of the community organisations.

India.

CB Patel – Patron of NCGO summarised the Dr Mattur Nandakumara from Bhavan Centre prayers with a special message to the community started the prayers followed by the prayer from to unite together and maintain harmony for the Padma Shri Barry Gardiner MP from Bhagwat Gita. betterment of all communities.

Devi Nidhi & Neha Saraswat Ji joined in from India The prayers were coordinated by Krishna with Bhajans. MP Virendra Sharma shared his Pujara – Public Relations Officer of NCGO and thoughts on the current pandemic affecting India. supported by the Web hosts Deepak Patel & The Chief Minister of Gujarat – Mr Vijaybhai Sanjay Odedra – Secretary General NCGO UK. Rupani shared his message through a video mesVice-President Jitubhai Patel thanked all the sage thanking everyone for their support during speakers and the media partners - Gujarat this difficult time and thanked the Gujarati Samachar & The prayers were streamed live on Community for marking the Gujarat Day with MATV sky Channel.

Prayers.

Gujarat Foundation Day

Men detained by Home Office released after face off between police and protesters on Eid in Glasgow Around 200 people gathered in Kenmure Street, with people lying under a Home Office van to stop it moving. Dozens of police officers surrounded the vehicle as people chanted "cops go home" and "leave our neighbours, let them go".

Just after 5pm, police Scotland issued a statement to say the men in the van had been released.

It said: "In order to protect the safety, public health and wellbeing of all people involved in the detention and subsequent protest in Kenmure Street, Pollokshields, Chief Superintendent Mark

Sutherland, has, following a suitable risk assessment, taken the operational decision to release the men back into their community meantime.” "In order to facilitate this quickly and effectively, Police Scotland is asking members of the public to disperse from the street as soon as possible. Please take care when leaving the area and follow the directions of the officers on the street."

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is the MSP for the area, tweeted: "Today's events were entirely down to @ukhomeoffice actions." Police Scotland was "in an invidious

position - they do not assist in the removal of asylum seekers but do have a duty to protect public safety". "I disagree fundamentally with @ukhomeoffice immigration policy but even putting that aside, this action was unacceptable. To act in this way, in the heart of a Muslim community as they celebrated Eid, and in an area experiencing a Covid outbreak was a health & safety risk."

She added seeking reassurances from the UK government that a similar situation will not happen again and the immigration policy to be handed over to the devolved administration.

NCGO UK continues to pray for India through Bhajans Over 300 people joined the National Council of Gujarati Community Organisations on Saturday May 8 to pray for India through online Bhajans.

Various singers from Brahmin Samaj North London and Gunjan groups joined in to recite Bhajans, the programme was hosted by Vandana Joshi &

Gargi Patel from NCGO UK Executive Committee.

NCGO UK is an umbrella organisation for Gujarati Organisations in the UK. Our prayers and thoughts are with the people of India.

CB Patel – Patron of NCGO said “It’s a tragedy in India, when lives are being

affected by this deadly virus.

We have to work together as one community, because, ultimately, the only way we will be safe here is if everyone is safe everywhere.”

A recording of the event is available from NCGO UK website http://ncgouk.org or our Facebook page.

Diaspora solidarity - we have supported but we must do more

By Sonal Sachdev Patel - CEO GMSP Foundation The coronavirus is overwhelming India. But you already knew that.

You see it in the papers, you hear it on the nightly news, and if you are, like us, part of the 1.5-million strong Indian diaspora in the UK, you read about it in horror on your family WhatsApp chats every day.

As British Indians, we are part of a wonderfully rich and dynamic diaspora; a network of people whose sense of identity is connected to and defined by two distinct places 6,500km away from each other.

But no matter how far away we are, or how long we may have been gone, there is an invisible string tying us to our ancestral homeland. We feel it tug with the familiar aromas of pani puri, we feel it when our allegiances multiply during international sporting competitions, we feel it when our world is illuminated each Diwali, and more urgently and painfully, we feel it in the midst of crisis. And right now, India is in crisis.

But what is it that we can most usefully do from our place of relative privilege here in the UK? For starters, we can give. And we have.

It has been incredibly humbling and heartening to witness the generosity of the world’s largest diaspora (estimated at 18 million people), mobilising our communities - of every faith and background - to get vital funding and supplies to India at record speed. In the UK this includes the British Asian Trust, One Family, the Amir Khan Foundation, the British Indian Jewish Association and Dasra who have raised millions to support emergency relief efforts.

In emergencies, speed matters. We learned during the first wave that one of the best ways to save lives and stem the spread of the virus is to support strong frontline organisations. Embedded in their communities, these organisations have responded with incredible agility and compassion, adapting their services swiftly to meet the needs of marginalised and vulnerable people across the country.

There are thousands of such frontline organisations acting as a lifeline for millions in India. Dasra, based in India, has been working with many of them for years and has identified the following: - Swasth Foundation is targeting its COVID response in Mumbai, supporting municipal health workers and providing care to the urban poor through a COVID-19 care centre.

- Swasti is working to reduce the burden on public health services through its tele-care health care response and counselling for hundreds of thousands of people, testing for comorbidities, upgrading government labs and providing additional nurses, lab techs and other volunteers needed on the front line.

- Save Life Foundation is focusing its second wave response on providing oxygen concentrators, generation plants, cylinders and tankers to field hospitals in Delhi to address the urgent shortfall, as well as conducting training and supplying relief materials to healthcare workers - Aajeevika Bureau has spent years building trusted relationships with communities dependent on migrant labour; its helpline has received more than 700 calls a day during lockdown and the organisation is now providing rations, healthcare and nutritional support to more than 60,000 workers and their families - Goonj’s expertise is in working with underserved rural communities, providing rations, hygiene essentials and medical equipment, and facilitating direct monetary transfers to vulnerable groups - Jan Sahas built a registry of more than one million migrant households in the first wave of the virus, and has been sharing that data to shape policy responses and using it to provide targeted relief to some of the most vulnerable groups, including 25,000 women-headed households, women who are pregnant or have small children and survivors of forced labour and sexual violence While the focus of much of these frontline efforts is rightly on immediate COVID-19 relief, we as a diaspora must also think about the ways we can support the rehabilitation and strengthening of a country that has been stretched to its limit during this crisis.

Short-term emergency funding is a plaster; it doesn’t build resilience, it doesn’t ensure community-based organisations have the capacity to respond to the next emergency, or the next wave.

Instead, we should use this moment to reconsider our giving, be both strategic and thoughtful, and move to longer term investments in the people and place we love.

GMSP is a family foundation. Our philanthropy has always been guided by values of faith and family that connect us to our Indian heritage. That has led us to a trust-based philanthropy rooted in our belief in a shared humanity with every single being on Earth.

It has been three generations since my family lived in the country, but like so many members of the diaspora, our connection to India remains profound and lasting.

We feel that familiar tug and we know that India needs us now. It needs us to show solidarity in a way that can bridge divides - between where we live now and where our families came from; between communities of privilege and those who are more marginalised; between the pain of this current emergency and the promise of a more resilient, more hopeful future.

GMSP Foundation was founded by Ramesh and Pratibha Sachdev.

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Preferential treatment Rohit Vadhwana Preferential treatment - or favour - is common in most areas of our life. It may be favour by parents to one child in comparison to other siblings, or favour by government officers to one contractor over the others. There are many examples where preferential treatment is visibly clear.

Is preferential treatment, or favour, always bad? Does it necessarily end up doing injustice to anyone? As a rule, when there is an equal platform, everyone should be treated equally and there should be no favour or bias exercised by decision-makers.

But still, it happens that due to human nature or certain ingrained reasons, such partiality comes into play. In our personal lives, are we doing such partiality - positive or negative - to anyone? Are you in a position to turn the key in someone's favour? Are you a parent who has two or more children, and have one favourite among them? Have you ever shouted out the anger of one person over someone else? Has there been someone who has become a victim of your bad temper even when a mistake is committed by others? Is there any bad impression of one person in your mind which leads you to believe that all faults are of her/his? Sometimes, such differences enter into our behaviour and mind without our consciously being aware. It may result in injustice to someone or undue favour to another. Sometimes undeserved may be rewarded due to such partiality and deserving may have to suffer.

It is better to ask ourselves if we are unconsciously exercising any bias or favour? Rohit Vadhwana, IFSFirst Secretary (Economic)High Commission of IndiaAldwych, London (Expressed opinions are personal)

Harry left the Sunak urges PM to improve UK “to break social care cycle of pain” The Duke of Sussex has possibly readdressed his qualms with his father Prince Charles by saying that he has moved to California to “break the cycle” of “pain and suffering” in the royal family.

The duke is expecting a daughter with his wife, Meghan.

Harry has gone on record to say that he doesn’t want to blame anyone, however, he told Dax Shepard, co-host of Armchair Expert: “I don’t think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody, but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I’ve experienced some form of pain or suf - fer ing because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I’m going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on, basically. It’s a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on any way so we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say, ‘You know what, that happened to me, I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.’ ”

Rishi Sunak is allegedly urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to present a clear plan to have a solid plan to cater to the problems in social care before the Treasury agrees to find billions of pounds a year for a partial solution.

The chancellor is reportedly not convinced that the cap on care costs will be to enough to “reform adult social care so that every person receives the dignity and se cu rity they deserve”.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics have shown that a quarter of deaths in care homes, 42,341, over the past year were the result of Covid-19. Over all, a fifth more residents died than in a normal year. Criticism has emerged further after the Queen’s Speech failed to clarify how and when the care workers will be given their due. According to The Times, offering care

to all who need it and improving its quality as well as cap ping coats is likely to cost £10 billion a year.

29 men charged for sexually abusing young girl for seven years Group of 29 men in West Yorkshire have been charged in connection with the sexual exploitation of a young female over a seven year period. The men are accused of various offences, including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault and conspiracy to rape, in Calderdale and Bradford between 2003 and 2010.

The victim was aged between 13 and 20 years old at the time of the alleged offences, West Yorkshire Police said. A force spokesman explained: ‘The vast majority of offending occurred in Calderdale, while some offences in the Bradford District.

The men, who are now aged between 35 and 64 will appear at Bradford Magistrates’

Court on July 7 and 9. Eight suspects who were arrested over the course of the investigation have been released without charge.

The men charged are: Asad Ali, of Brighouse, Ajmal Aziz, Mohammed Jangier, Mohammed Asif, Harris Ahmed Butt, Taukeer Butt, Muitasim Khan, Mohammed Hamza, Mohsin Mir, Javid Mir, Zahir Iqbal, Wajid Addalat, Sajid Addalat, Saquab Hussain, Ziarab Mohammed, Imran Raja Yasin, Malik Abid Qadeer, Kamran Amin, Mohammed Akhtar, Ali Zulfiqar, Amir Shaban, Sakeb Nazir, from Halifax. Haroon Saddique, Sarfraz Rabnawaz, Nazim Hussain, Sadakat Ali, Zulfiqar Aliof Bradford, Nadeem Saddiqque of Sheffield and Shafiq Ali Rafiq of Dewsbury.

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10 READERS' VOICE

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The Guardian needs to look at India with a fresh pair of eyes I enjoyed reading Kathrine Viners comprehensive report on the eve of The Guardian’s 200th birthday (times change but The Guardian’s values don't). As Kathrine says that the readership is no longer the liberals of Manchester, it is now national and international. She adds that The Guardian reporting is about connecting, empathising, listening and being open to different points of view.

Arundhati Roy is quoted as an example of how politicians are exposed in this case the current leadership in India. Arundhati has been a vocal critic of India irrespective of who was in power in India. She is driven by a certain ideology and has been sympathetic to the Maoist terrorist groups operating in India. To be truly open to different points of view, The Guardian needs to give voice to an alternative view on India. Almost every week articles appear in The Guardian condemning India. It is portrayed as oppressive, intolerant, and autocratic. India is a complex country, and The Guardian should be wary of succumbing to the desire to give a stamp of approval to writers driven by their own agendas.

The Guardian should publish letters challenging a stereotype image of India. After all India is the largest democracy surrounded by countries where there is no freedom. The Guardian needs to look at India with a fresh pair of eyes. A balanced worldview will attract a huge number of new readers from a country that has the largest number of English speakers.

Nitin Mehta Croydon

India’s vaccine drive crumbles Devastating covid surge has taken a firm grip of the Indian nation with catastrophic consequences. The number of people dying and being hospitalised is on the increase.

Scientists mentioned the second wave of deadly Covid19, but the administration slipped badly causing uncountable deaths.

Professors of immunopharmacology suggested immediate action to be taken and a rapid system of monitoring but the leadership of the Nation seemed to ignore. The government and its agencies failed to reach affected communities all over India.

We are most grateful to countries for sending ventilators, medicines, and oxygen supplies. Also, foreign countries have sent people to assist vulnerable communities.

All vulnerable people must immediately be jabbed and inoculated. The Nation to be on the way of freedom from the Covid-19 virus must take up the challenge.

Ramesh Nehru

Congratulations to Asian Voice on its 50th years My wife Sudha, myself and our wider family, friends would like to offer our big congratulations to all at Asian Voice (AV) and Gujarat Samachar (GS) team its 50th year milestone. The comprehensive coverage these newsweeklies provide, keep our communities here and abroad very well informed and updated, which is normally ignored by mainstream. We would like to wish you all the best on your continuing and well-deserved success.

We appreciate that in the era of digital publishing, print publishers face quite a challenge. But the AV and GS team have adapted better and persevered with hard work to expand the readership’s popularity.

The golden age of newspapers and print media has changed but your skilled writers, reporters, editors have targeted our growing new demographic groups with fresh approaches and vigour. Besides receiving a copy of my beloved AV/GS at my doorstep every week, we are fortunate that we can also access a digital version. But there is nothing like reading the print copy at your leisure and pace and is a God sent in this lockdown period.

This is the only paper I know that gives so much update, opinion, columns, reviews, news, interviews, related to our people. The very names, work, achievements, from our communities which stand out and who does not have a chance to be recognised in other publications.

While there is always a negative press about India and multiple issues, this paper gives a very balanced, well thought out views.

But I love the Sports page the most. It gives me immense pleasure to read about different players, athletes, and other local sports.

50 years of roller coaster journey and even with digital publishing, AV still offers best value and prospects with a bright future. It understands its readership and offers that missing link between the community and nation.

Jatish S Shah Northampton

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Is this the beginning of Bio-germ warfare?

People have been talking about WW3 but practically no one thought how or with what weapons it would be fought; that is until now. Use of nuclear weapon is out of question, as it would destroy both the victor and the vanquished. That is why no one has used it since the end of WW2, although there were many conflicts fought with traditional weapons, prime examples are Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

It has now come out that Chinese scientists have been experimenting with biological and genetic weapons for nearly a decade that has caught the West unprepared and will be unable to fight back, an unseen enemy is difficult to pinpoint, to blame. In any case China has uncatchable lead while the West is wondering how to response, sleepwalking to disaster!

Even Third Reich under lunatic Adolf Hitler experimented with germ and poison gas warfare. Fortunately, it was in an experimental stage, Germany still researching when the war came to an end.

Just imagine if Hitler had these advanced biological weapons from the beginning, how many additional lives would have been lost, perhaps even the war.

China is a different type of Fascist State, supper efficient, disciplined and with clever political leaders with unbelievable foresight! Moreover, China’s coffers are overflowing with some $3 trillion in reserve, more than the combined surplus of the entire world, thanks to the generosity, foolishness of the West. It has insatiable hunger to replace America as one and only super-power!

The SARS coronavirus in 2015 and now Covid-19 could not be co-incident, as both originated from China. The West is completely ignorant as to how advance these bio-germ weapons may be, how they are stored and delivered!

Could China have used Covid-19 as a Genetic Bioweapon on India where it spread like wildfire in such a short time? Could it be a sabotage to keep India down! It is time the West, with cooperation from India, take on China at its own dirty game before it is too late!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

India, UK adopt roadmap to strengthen ties “India, UK adopt roadmap to strengthen ties” is a welcome news for both the countries to develop a strong and mutually beneficial long-term relationship on a solid foundation.

(AV 15-21 May 2021). It will be interesting to see “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” taking shape.

After Brexit, for the UK, India is a naturally strong ally on which the UK can rely upon. India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the present time, of course, we need to acknowledge that there are some setbacks due to present Covid19 situation in India.

The UK really need more quality manpower to come and work in the country, which can easily be provided by India.

India has English speaking young people in the fields of technology, science, medicine, cybersecurity etc. As reported under the new scheme on youth mobility, 3000 young Indian professionals can avail employment opportunities, but I think this is a very small amount. The UK needs more people in the field of healthcare, education, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors to bounce back once the lockdown is over and life becomes normal.

Exchange of illegal migrants is a bit sensitive issue and both countries need to provide more information to each other and prove they are really overstayers and are nationals of either the UK or India. “Roadmap 2030” should be a foundation stone which will help both the countries in the long run provided the UK gives due recognition and importance to India keeping in mind the need of the hour.

Hitesh Hingu London

Projecting India in bad light I salute former Australian greatest cricketer Mathew Hayden as he has penned an emotional note for India amid the ongoing Covid -19 crises. He slammed world media outlets for projecting India as some sort of failed state in handling the pandemic. He blasted world media for bad press reports of India without understanding its diversity and challenges. India a population of 1.4 billion people and implementing and public scheme can be a huge challenge.

He travelled all over the country and knew India very well.

He had the highest respects for the leaders and officials who are entrusted with the task of running such a diverse and vast country. He proudly claims that he had seen India up close over the years hence his heart bleeds to see not only agony but also for the bad press by those who have never spent any time to understand India, its people, and their myriad challenges. World media has habit of always projecting negative and one-sided bias news on India.Not only that our own people also jump on bandwagon to criticise which is unfortunate.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Ontario

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

Hamas Terrorism Kapil Dudakia Israel has once again had to defend itself from the terrorism of Hamas. Sometimes it is easy to forget why this conflict between Israel and Palestine continues with no end in sight. Whilst I am no expert on these matters, I am fairly confident I do know more than enough to understand that Hamas are the terrorists, and Israel are defending their people from terrorist attacks.

First thing you should know is that Hamas proclaims they are the sole custodian of the right of Palestinian people over the whole of Israel (they consider it to be Palestine).

They created an organisation known as Hamas which declared their Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement on August 18,1988.

For your information, the main points of this covenant are: 1. The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine (Article 6). They mean the whole of Israel!

2. Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. That means destruction of Israel.

3. The land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf [Holy Possession] consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgment Day. No one can renounce it or any part or abandon it or any part of it (Article 11). Meaning this conflict can never end, until they have destroyed Israel.

4. The day the enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In the face of the Jews' usurpation, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised (Article 15).

5. [Peace] Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam. There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility (Article 13).

6. The HAMAS regards itself the spearhead and the vanguard of the circle of struggle against World Zionism.

Islamic groups all over the Arab world should also do the same, since they are best equipped for their future role in the fight against the warmongering Jews (Article 32).

I can give you chapter and verse, but I hope the above few points illustrates what we are dealing with. An enemy of humanity that uses religion to summon people to a war cry which has only one aim, to destroy Israel and its people.

It is not about human rights; it is not about the Palestinian people – it is simply about the total destruction of the Jewish people. You don’t have to like Israel or the Jewish people. You don’t even have to agree with what they say or do. However, if you cannot understand the enemy it is fighting, the Islamic terrorist Hamas, then you fail to understand why Israel needs to be strong.

Israel has exercised its right under international law to defend itself from terrorist attacks. It is unfortunate that western politicians on the left, and the woke brigade, have sided with the terrorists. Fortunately, the British public can see the truth and most of us stand with Israel. I await the day when the global Muslim community denounces Hamas with one voice. They have a choice, you side with terrorists or you are with humanity. Make up your minds.

Punish those who don't observe safety measures The second wave of Coronavirus has hit the country so badly that according to statistics, it is more lethal than the first wave.

Highest number of confirmed cases and deaths daily have brought the health care system under severe stress as there is shortage of ventilators, oxygen, and basic medical resources.

The virus has spread rapidly, as the people did not take proper precautions by following SOPs and wearing face masks and the situation turned ugly due to official permission given to observe festivals, political rallies, and mass gatherings.The government must form special teams and should visit public places and force people to follow proper SOPs and punish those who don’t observe safety measures.

The health ministry should also keep an eye on different hospitals to check if they are handling the emergency cases properly.Wearing of face masks should be made mandatory for all and those (ministers and politicians included) found without face masks should be fined heavily. We should also be prepared to tackle the third wave so that it doesn't affect us or our families.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

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E

id ul-Fitr came last week in the midst of a deadly second wave of Covid-19 in India. This was the second Eid during this pandemic.

When directly translated, Eid translates to “the festival of breaking the fast”, pious Muslims say that the better translation is “opening the fast”. Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the month in which the Holy Qur’an was first revealed to Prophet Mohammad. Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, is a month of fasting and prayer.

The opening of the fast during Ramadan, or ‘Iftar’ is special and Iftar dinners are hosted for small or large groups of friends. My husband and I hosted our first Iftar dinner when posted in Islamabad. We invited several friends to our Iftar dinner.

As per tradition, we arranged dates and glasses of water, followed by Sherbet, and a feast of Indian delicacies. After the traditional opening of the fast, our friends wanted to pray. We quickly arranged it by spreading a white sheet on a carpet in a quiet room. It was a memorable evening.

After a month of sacrifice and dedication, Eid ul-Fitr is a time when families and loved ones come together. Eid does not always fall on the same day of the western calendar, as it follows the lunar calendar.

Traditionally, the festival of Eid starts at sunset on the night of the first sighting of the crescent moon. If, for some reason, the moon is not observed, it is celebrated the following day. Thus, Eid is often celebrated on different dates across the world and sometimes even within the same country.

As an obligatory act of charity, money is paid to the poor and the needy (Zakat-ulfitr) before performing the Eid prayer.

Often zakat is given in advance, so that the poor who receive it can celebrate the festival. On the day of Eid, Muslims perform the traditional Eid prayers in a congregation and visit their relatives, friends, and acquaintances or hold large communal cel-

ebrations in homes, community centers, or rented halls. There are some interesting celebrations in parts of the world. In Afghanistan, for example, some people have a tradition of fighting with painted hard boiled eggs. The effort is to break the other person’s egg without allowing one's

Second Eid during the pandemic

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

Every Eid celebration has plenty of sweets for everyone. Different sweets are cooked and consumed in different parts of the world. In India, the vermicelli or Sewain symbolises Eid celebrations.

Sewain or Sewaiyan are either cooked deliciously with milk and sugar, or roasted in ghee (clarified butter) and sugar. The dry

Bhaktivedanta Manor charity wing The Lotus Trust raises £140,000 to help Covid victims in India India is experiencing an enormous spike in Covid19 cases and deaths. The country has set an unwelcome world record for new coronavirus infections, with 349,691 more cases in the last 24 hours. Patients are dying without oxygen amid Delhi surge with 1 death every 5 minutes.

The Lotus Trust, the welfare arm of Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire is working with the ISKCON Temple in Delhi. This help has come at the most vital time for India.

The money raised by Lotus trust, in a matter of a few weeks has allowed a university premise to be converted into a Covid nursing care center with an initial capacity of 250 beds (potential to increase to 1,000 beds) and provide the Covid care facilities free of cost to all comers.

This will provide care for roughly 2,500-5,000 patients over an initial 3month period.

The charity has also been able to assist in the distribution of free meals

to the individuals and families that are not able to cook or afford food due to the current circumstances.

They target a distribution of roughly 2.7m meals over the 3 month period. 1 patient, for 1 day, can be fed for as little as £11, and 100 hot meals can be provided for a donation of just £55.

Dr Sanjiv Agarwal a consultant Urologist at Imperial College and Director of the Lotus Trust said “to achieve this enormous help at this scale and sustain the care for 3 months, will cost £1.85m.

With donations so far received, they have already

started treating patients in hundreds of beds and the daily cooking and distribution of 30,000 meals” So far, the Lotus Trust has collected £140,000 with the help of the congregation and friends of Bhaktivedanta Manor.

He said that he was well aware some other charities are struggling to reach those who need it.

Dr Agarwal said “The Lotus Trust is constantly ensuring that 100% of the donations are making a difference and I am constantly in touch with those providing this service to make sure that it reaching those who need it most”

version is a particular delicacy and my absolute favourite.

This year, Eid has come at a time of enormous suffering caused by the devastating second wave of Covid in India. We used the occasion to wish our Muslim friends happiness and good health.

Invariably, the response was that they were not really in a celebratory mood. With all that is happening around us, the joy of Eid has been robbed by this pandemic along with so many precious lives.

As the number of daily coronavirus cases in India hit record highs, Muslims in several parts of the country have turned mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools) into Covid-19 care facilities to aid patients.

Amid shortages of oxygen and infrastructure, several Muslim organizations came forward to help people struggling with infection.

There are many reports from various parts of India. In Gujarat, administrators running a Darul Uloom, or Islamic seminary, in the city of Vadodara created a Covid care facility consisting of oxygen fitted beds and isolation wards within the campus. A part of a mosque in Vadodara has also been converted into a Covid facility, for which doctors have been hired. The centre has been equipped with oxygen. In New Delhi, a number of isolation centers for patients have been set up. A relief task force with a control room with 30 people working is also operational around the clock to help the patients in Delhi. Several individuals have come up for praise. In Maharashtra, a resident, has been lauded on social media as his foundation has been at the forefront of providing help to Covidpositive patients, while a transport company owner has been using his resources to transport oxygen to Nagpur from various parts of India.

These challenging times are testing us, but human beings are coming together to fight this adversity.

Nurse who cared for Boris Johnson resigns Jenny McGee, the nurse who cared for PM Boris Johnson while he was positive for Coronavirus in the hospital at his bedside, has resigned.

Her resignation comes due to “lack of respect” shown by the government for the NHS and healthcare workers. “‘We’re not getting the respect and now pay that we deserve. I’m just sick of it. So I’ve handed in my resignation,” said McGee. She further added, “Lots of nurses felt that the government hadn’t led very effectively – the indecisiveness, so many mixed messages. It was just very upsetting. It would have been a really good photo opportunity. You know, kind of like Boris and his NHS friends, but I wanted to stay out of it. Lots of nurses felt that the government hadn’t led very effectively, the indecisiveness, so many mixed messages. It was just very upsetting.”

“Yes, we have put ourselves on the line and we have worked so incredibly hard, and there’s a lot of talk about how we’re all heroes and all that sort of stuff. But at the same time, I’m just not sure if I can do it. I don’t know how much more I’ve got to give to the NHS.” “This time there was more than the first surge. The nurses are stretched even more. An absolute shitshow to be honest. At that point, I don’t know how to describe the horrendousness of what we were going through. We were desperate.”

In a statement released on Tuesday through Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust, McGee said: “After the toughest year of my nursing career, I’m taking a step back from the NHS but hope to return in the future. I’m excited to start a nursing contract in the Caribbean, before a holiday back home in New Zealand later in the year. I’m so proud to have worked at St Thomas’ hospital and to have been part of such a fantastic team.”

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S He sang for dying mother on call with doctor A doctor's Twitter thread describing a dying Covid patient's son singing to her on a video call has gone viral on social media and has moved many to tears. Dipshikha Ghosh wrote in the posts that she had video-called the relatives of her patient Sanghamitra Chatterjee -"who is not going to make it" - when her son Soham Chatterjee asked her to spare a few more minutes.

He then sang to his mother. He sang a popular Hindi movie song that, she says, will never be the same to her again. "Tera Mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Nata Koi...," goes the song, which is from a film about a mother and son who were separated for years and found each other. Dr Ghosh said as she watched Soham Chatterjee singing to his mother, nurses too came and stood in silence. He broke down but somehow finished the song, and there were few dry eyes in that ward. After asking the doctor about his mother's vitals, he hung up. "This song has changed for us, for me at least. This song will always be theirs," the doctor wrote. The story has received an overwhelming response on social media, with most users saying they cried reading the story of a son's final goodbye to his mother. (Agency) Roads secular, can’t prohibit religious procession: HC

Roads are secular and “any procession, including religious procession, cannot be prohibited or curtailed because another religious group is residing or doing business in the area predominantly,” the Madras high court has said. As per Section 180-A of the District Municipalities Act, roads and streets, which are “secular,” should be used as roads by all people irrespective of their religion, caste or creed, said a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice P Velmurugan. “If the contention of the private respondent is to be accepted, then it would create a situation in which minority people cannot conduct any festival or procession in most of the areas in India,” the bench said. The judges were hearing a case where Muslim residents of V Kalathur village in Perambalur district, central Tamil Nadu, had objected to processions through Muslim-dominated streets during a three-day temple festival in October 2015. (Agency) SOP violators to face murder charge in Assam

Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta warned that the police would press the attempt-tomurder charge on anyone organising a public or private gathering in violation of the revised Covid-induced restrictions. The fresh SOP includes an extended 2 pm-5 am

curfew and curbs on all public gatherings. “Even if someone slaps a case on the police (later), our personnel will not hesitate to resort to lathicharge against those found violating the SOP. The police have to be strict at this time of crisis and force will be applied on violators,” the DGP said. He urged people to extend help to the government in the fight against the second wave of the pandemic by strictly adhering to the fresh SOP. Mahanta warned people living in containment zones not to take the restrictions lightly. "Containment zones are zero-tolerance zones. We have seen a few instances of people from containment zones violating the rules. Nothing will be tolerated from now onwards.

Whoever violates the rule will be punished," he said. (Agency) 7-year-old breaks piggy bank for relief fund

Buying identical silk skirts for her baby sister and herself was a dream P Pranavika had nurtured for six months. Last week, the seven-year-old ‘shattered’ it herself, breaking open her piggy bank and donating Rs 1,516 in it to the Tamil Nadu chief minister’s Covid-19 relief fund. The daughter of T Palaniswami, a junior assistant with Tangedco, said her priorities changed when she saw a television advertisement inviting people to donate to the fund. Her father Palaniswami had donated Rs 500 to the relief fund last year. The Class II student of PSG Children’s School said she was wellinformed about the contagion that has forced schools to remain shut and people to follow preventive measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. “I know it’s a virus and spreads from one sick person to another by touch and air. I also

know that if we wash our hands and legs, and wear a mask, we can avoid it. People die because of corona.” Her father said Pranavika was fascinated by the certificate he had received. “She asked if she could also contribute to the fund. I said she could, but from her own savings or money.”

It didn’t take long for Pranavika to make up her mind. “I decided to donate my savings to buy medicines and equipment for the Covid patients.” (Agency) False propaganda When doctors and scientists have repeatedly warned against alternative treatments for Covid19, saying that they can lead to a false sense of security and further complicate health problems, a video surfaced recently in which some people were covering themselves in cow dung and urine in the belief that it will protect them from coronavirus.

In the video, a group of about a dozen men squatting shirtless in a field with buckets of liquified cow dung in front of them. Each man dug his hand into the buckets and smeared handfuls of the dung all over their body and head, before standing in a circle and praying. "There is no scientific evidence that cow dung or urine boosts immunity against Covid," Dr JA Jayalal, the head of the Indian Medical Association, said. "People should also understand that using excreta of cows is bound to increase the chance of some zoonotic or infectious disease spreading," he added. This is not the first time that cow dung or urine has been offered by certain sections of people in India as a viable treatment for, or protection against, the SARS-CoV2 virus.

Recently a video shared by a news agency shows that an Uttar Pradesh MLA claims that drinking cow urine had protected him from Covid. (Agency) Covid hits 15 per cent of judges

Chief Justice N V Ramana

said the three-tier judicial system has continued with its task of justice delivery despite being hit hard by the Covid pandemic, which affected numerous staff and judges.

He said as many as 2,768 judicial officers, from among a working strength of around 18,000, have been tested positive since April last year. The coronavirus has also infected 106 judges in the high courts, which together have a working strength of 660 judges. This means, more than 15% of the judges have tested positive for coronavirus.

The incident of Covid cases among SC judges is much higher than that in other tiers of the justice delivery system. Over the period of last one year, as many as 10 judges of the SC have tested positive for Covid and yet, the SC had carried on its scheduled hearings through videoconferencing system. SC has a sanctioned strength of 34 judges but at present there are only 27 judges. (Agency)

Suklabaidya to visit the area to oversee the investigation into how the herd died. While a preliminary probe by the forest department suggested the elephants were struck by lightning, a section of conservationists sought a detailed inquiry to rule out the possibility of the animals dying of some other cause. Assam’s chief wildlife warden MK Yadava said he would be visiting Kundoli with a team of veterinary doctors to carry out the post-mortem. (The Times of India)

18 elephants die in suspected lightning

Jail warder punished for chaining prisoner to hosp bed The visuals of an 84-year-old jail inmate, too frail to move, breathing heavily and chained to a hospital bed in Etah, turned up on social media platforms and invited widespread criticism.

Baburam Balwan Singh was found tied to a hospital bed in the non-Covid-19 ward of Etah government hospital. Taking cognizance of the matter, director general (prisons) Anand Kumar suspended the jail warder and ordered an inquiry. Singh,

In what could be the first known instance of an entire pachyderm herd being wiped out in a lightning strike anywhere in the northeast, the corpses of 18 adult elephants were found scattered across a proposed sanctuary in central Assam’s Nagaon district, hours after a storm blew over. “Fourteen of the elephants were found dead atop a hill while the rest were at the foot of the elevated portion of the Kundoli reserve forest under Kathiatoli range,” principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Amit Sahay said. “The animals were probably huddled together when a bolt of lightning struck during the severe storm.” Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed forest minister Parimal

who was brought to Etah jail on February 6 this year after being convicted in the murder case, is a resident of district’s Kulla Habibpur village. “He was taken to a government hospital due to breathing problems and was referred to Aligarh. But there was no bed available there, so he was brought back to Etah, where he was admitted at the district hospital’s non Covid-19 ward. It is unclear under what circumstances he was tied to the bed. The entire matter is being investigated,” jailor Kuldeep Singh Bhadauria said. Warder Ashok Yadav has been suspended, the jailer added. “Those responsible for shackling the inmate will not be spared,” DG Kumar said. (Agency)

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in brief in brief HUGE VIRTUAL FESTIVAL FOR THE NORTH’S CREATIVE SECTOR RETURNS Hundreds of creative industry professionals are being invited to join a two-day virtual event this month - the only one of its kind in the North of England. The Creative Leaders Festival 2021, organised by GC Business Growth Hub on behalf of The Growth Company, will take place next week from May 25 to 26. More than 70 industry experts from creative, digital and tech industries will be speaking at the event. This year’s expo promises to be even bigger and has been extended to cover more Northern areas. It is open to any creative, digital or tech business, based in the North, operating in fields such as film, TV, photography, design, gaming, fashion, marketing and PR. The event is being supported by Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It will be opened by Minister of State for Digital and Culture, Caroline Dinenage, at 10am.

Post Office Scandal: Father of four hid his wrongful conviction from family for 20 years After a major miscarriage of justice in the history of Britain, 39 sub-postmasters were exonerated in April in one day after years of legal battle and wrongful imprisonment in some heart wrenching cases.

Last week, Asian Voice spoke exclusively to ex-sub-postmistress Seema Misra who was pregnant while she served jail term for a crime she didn’t commit. In the interview, Misra went on to mention that there were many families of wrongfully convicted people who couldn’t send their children to universities or colleges due to major financial setbacks and shame due to the Post Office Scandal.

One such story of a father of

four has surfaced online.

Pramod Kalia’s mother and sister were unaware of his 20-year long battle with the Post Office after being wrongfully accused of theft.

“After running a bustling Post Office in Orpington for 11 years, things began to go wrong for Mr Kalia. The Post Office installed the new Horizon computer software and he couldn't

make the books balance.

Eventually in 2001 there was a hole of £22,000 in the accounts,” the BBC reported.

Much like Seema Misra, Kalia was blamed by the Post Office and was advised by the representative of his union to find the money to fill the hole quickly to keep it out of the courts and avoid jail. Like Misra, he also hid this information from his family.

"I had to go to my mother to tell her I desperately needed this money, but I didn't give her the reason. She didn't ask. So she got me a cheque from her building society account, which I paid to the Post Office,” he told BBC News.

A Post Office spokesman said: "Post Office sincerely is extremely sorry for historical failures and the impact these have had on the lives of people affected. We are taking determined action to fully address the past and have undertaken wholesale reforms to prevent such events ever happening again."

Seema Misra had told Asian Voice that an apology won’t suffice and she demands a full public enquiry of the case, even though nothing can compensate for the trauma, injustice and time lost for hundreds of innocent employees who became victims of the Post Office Scandal.

No place for anti-Semitism in our society

27 year old Sohaib Younis, who hails from Halifax, West Yorkshire, was sentenced to four years for pulling out his ex’s teeth with his bare hands and stabbing her in the head with a pair of scissors in a ghastly attack. He pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and breaching the restraining order last Friday. “Younis had stabbed his ex in the head with a pair of scissors and punched her in the face then pinned her down, put his hand in her mouth, and yanked out two teeth,” The Daily Mail reported.

After thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes after a week of sustained conflict, Boris Johnson slammed the 'shameful racism' against a Jewish scholar who was attacked in Essex as police arrested four after convoy of cars drives through Jewish community in Finchley yelling 'f*** their mothers, f*** their daughters' while flying Palestinian flags.

While the organisers demanded 'immediate action' from the UK Government to end 'brutal' violence against Palestinians, demonstrators gathered around Hyde Park near Marble Arch to begin a March at midday on Saturday. An online video footage showed that protesters threw drinks towards police officers in a massive clash.

“Nine officers were injured during the protests, and nine people

TAXI DRIVER FOUND DEAD AT HEATHROW

AAD condemns overt display of the Palestinian flag at the FA Cup Final by Leicester City players

A taxi driver was found dead at Heathrow in his car. This incident does not come as a shock because many desperate cabbies sleep inside their vehicles in the hope of picking up a fare at a deserted terminal while Coronavirus pandemic devastates air travel.

According to reports, the man in his 50s was discovered in his sleeping bag on Wednesday afternoon. The Daily Mail reported that taxi drivers are facing extra-long wait times at a feeder park near the airport. The industry has been decimated by restrictions placed on international travel.

In a statement to Asian Voice, Jonathan Metliss, Chairman of Action Against Discrimination (AAD) said: Action Against Discrimination (AAD) abhors and is appalled by the overt display of the Palestinian flag at the FA Cup Final by Leicester City players, in particular Choudhury and Fofana.

Sport, and in this case football, is no place for political statements and gestures of this nature which can incite and inflame racial hatred, abuse and violence.

Moeen Ali, the England and

27 YEAR OLD JAILED FOR PULLING OUT EX’S TEETH WITH BARE HANDS

RAPE TRIALS WILL NOW USE PRERECORDED EVIDENCE The Daily Telegraph has reported that from now, “rape victims will be allowed to give evidence on video before a trial” and police should ideally return the phones of the victims within 24 hours to “improve plummeting conviction rates, under a government review to be published next month.” The publication also reported that “under the proposals victims would be able to pre-record evidence including cross-examinations, which would then be played during a court case”. The plan is part of a review led by Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, and Priti Patel, the home secretary.

were arrested”, the Metropolitan Police said. Reports suggested that huge crowds of demonstrators climbed on the top of the gates of Kensington palace and other buildings in the vicinity.

According to news reports, the convoy yelled: 'F*** the Jews... F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine. Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza.'

Around the afternoon of May 16, officers received reports of people shouting anti-Semitic abuse from a car travelling within a convoy of vehicles through the St John's Wood. 'The event passed peacefully and concluded without any arrests,' police said.

The scholar named Rafi Goodwin's suffered injuries

Worcestershire cricketer, was reprimanded by the ICC in July 2014 for wearing pro Palestine wristbands in the third Test Match against India which the ICC ordered him to remove.

Formal complaints will be made to Leicester City Football Club, the Football Association and both the BBC and ITV who screened this, the latter in their news bulletins. AAD calls on the Football Association and Leicester City Football Club to reprimand and discipline these players appropriately as in the

which were addressed at King George's Hospital. An email sent to members of the community said: 'From the description of how the incident started, it does not, at this point appear to be an antisemitic attack.' An Essex Police spokesman told MailOnline the two persons who attacked the Jewish scholar were of Asian ethnicity.

Prime Minister Mr Johnson Tweeted: 'There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.

Ahead of Shavuot, I stand with Britain's Jews who should not have to endure the type of shameful racism we have seen today.'

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: 'Hate crimes are inexcusable and have no place in our city. I've been in touch with the Met Police Commissioner about the appalling reports of

Jonathan Metliss, Chairman of Action Against Discrimination (AAD)

Moeen Ali case.

Similar complaints have been made to Manchester United and Manchester City following the pro Palestinian political state-

antisemitic attacks this weekend.

Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: 'There is no place for this hatred in the UK. I expect @metpoliceuk to be taking this seriously.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the incident as 'utterly disgusting.'

UK Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi tweeted: "We cannot stand by in silence, in the face of forced evictions and the violent atrocities in occupied. #Palestine." Singh has written a letter to Boris Johnson asking him to reveal what representations the UK government will be making to Israel to de-escalate tensions and possible collective international action that UK intends to take in the light of the recent Human Rights Watch report that caters to the illegal annexation of Palestine.

ments made by Paul Pogba and Riyad Mahrez respectively.

Leicester City may have won the FA Cup for the first time, but this behaviour by their players has taken the gloss off their triumph.

Sport, and in this case football, must never be used as a platform for either politics or racism.

For more info: Jonathan Metliss (chairman): info@actionagainstdiscrimination.org Andrew Sherwood: andrew.sherwood@actionagainstdiscrimination.org

Digital bank offers paid leave after pregnancy loss A digital bank is offering its workers paid leave after pregnancy loss, such as miscarriage or abortion. Monzo and Channel 4 will now partner in order to support “either partner affected to take up to two weeks' additional paid leave”.

This will include workers who suffer from pregnancy loss, including stillbirth, miscarriage and abortion, will have up to 10 days' additional paid leave, also including surrogates and partners.

"Monzo takes the mental health of its staff incredibly seri-

cretion of individual employers whether to offer compassionate

leave, annual leave or unpaid holiday.

Arts degrees likely to suffer ously,” the bank said and further added, “recognising that pregnancy loss doesn't just affect women or heterosexual partners.” “It is also offering eight days' flexible paid leave to workers undergoing fertility treatments, diagnosis or consultations,” the BBC reported.

However, it is up to the dis-

If reports are to be believed, university tuition fees could be cut from £9,250 to a maximum of £7,500, according to a government consultation which begins next month.

While science degrees are likely to get solid funding, it is being feared that arts and humanities subjects such as theology, philosophy, history and creative arts are going to “disappear” at many universities because priority will be given to Science.

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, told the Con ser va tive Home website: “The record number of people taking up science and engineering demonstrates that many are already starting to pivot away from dead-end courses that leave young people with nothing but debt.”

14 WOMEN'S VOICE

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The people who survive best are those who adapt Shefali Saxena Neema Shah’s grandparents left India in the 1940s and moved to Kenya and Tanzania, where her parents were born. Her family was so-called ‘twice migrants’ who had roots in one country, built a life in another and moved to a third (the UK).

“I often wondered where our stories were on the bookshelves and this spurred me on to write. There was also the wider story of the 80,000 Ugandan Asians who were expelled by brutal ruler Idi Amin with only 90 days to leave. This story always fascinated me. Like many immigrants and children of immigrants, I’d often wondered what it would be like to leave everything you know and love behind, to start again. I decided to write a novel – Kololo Hill - focusing on a family who are forced to leave everything behind except their devastating secrets,” said Neema

Shah, as she spoke to Asian Voice about her debut novel, published by Picador in hardback, ebook and audiobook and available to buy now.

The contemporary relevance of the book Unfortunately I think the concept of forced migration and starting over again will always be topical. I wrote the novel against the backdrop of Brexit, the Windrush Scandal and the rise of Trump and all those elements fed into my writing.The ground beneath me felt a lot less secure, I found myself asking where my home was as a first generation British Asian and whether others could force me out? It was inevitable that I explored those feelings and experiences in Kololo Hill.

What makes people resilient in migrating and adapting to a new place?

One of the things I’ve learnt during the writing of the novel

Neema Shah

is that there is no one type of person that will remain resilient under the circumstances of forced or economic migration.

Some thrive by adapting, integrating and ‘accepting their lot’ in their new country, some survive solely by convincing themselves that they’ll be able to go back to their home one day. I explore these differing views through the various characters of Kololo Hill because I wanted to show the nuances and the conflicts that come with that.

We need to remember that those who migrate could be any one of us and that we’d all develop resilience in different ways.

On an emotional level though, I think many migrants maintain connections to their homelands through music, through language and food – all things I explore in my novel. On the flip side, they also learn to adapt those familiar things, absorbing different elements of their host cultures. For example, in my family we eat coconut cassava – or mogo, as it’s known in Swahili. We spice this Kenyan staple vegetable

with cumin and coriander. My view is that the people who survive best are those who are willing to be flexible and adapt, but who do so without forgetting and losing their connection to home.

Idea behind the title Kololo Hill is a real place on a hill in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Traditionally, the top of the hill was where the white Europeans tended to live, in beautiful villas and mansions. After Independence, wealthy Asians moved into those empty homes. Below them lived the middle class Asians, below them were the ethnic Ugandans. The family in Kololo Hill live somewhere in the middle of the hill and it’s the home they leave behind.

Aside from that, I love the way it sounds and looks on the page!

Why should Asian Voice readers grab a copy?

My novel explores the lives of a single family, recently married Asha and her husband Pran, his brother Vijay and their parents Jaya and Motichand.

The story looks at their lives in Uganda pre-expulsion and how these different characters cope with fundamental changes to their entire lives, which are of course the echoes of the reallife stories of many Ugandan Asian refugees of 1972. I hope that people will help people understand more about the Asian diaspora and learn more about a key point of both British and Asian history.

G7 to boost girls’ education and women’s employment in recovery from Covid-19 pandemic G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meeting in London this week will invest $15 billion in development finance over the next two years to help women in developing countries access jobs, build resilient businesses and respond to the devastating economic impacts of Covid-19.

They will also sign up to new global targets to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10 in low and lower middle income countries

by 2026.

Educating girls is one of the smartest investments we can make to lift people out of poverty, grow economies, save lives, and build back better from Covid-19. A child whose mother can read is 50% more

likely to live beyond the age of 5 years, twice as likely to attend school themselves - and 50% more likely to be immunised.

The $15 billion in funding is for the 2X Challenge, a partnership between G7 Development Finance Institutions [DFIs] launched in 2018. It leverages funding from DFIs and Multilateral Development Banks to provide finance to female owned and staffed businesses or products or services that particularly benefit women, supporting female eco-

nomic empowerment.

Covid-19 has had a disproportionate and profound impact on women and girls, including losing precious school time, reduced access to lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services, a spike in gender-based violence, and increased risk of job loss.

Now, these fresh commitments by the world’s leading democracies, driven by the UK, put gender equality at the heart of global co-operation to build back better from Covid-19.

More women urged to come forward to shape women's health strategy Women from under-represented groups urged to respond to call for evidence to shape the future of women’s healthcare.

Women from Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those living in the Midlands and East of England and women over 50 are being urged to respond to the government’s call for evidence to help inform the first ever women’s health strategy.

There has already been an incredible response to the call for evidence, with over 50,000 women, organisations, clinicians and carers responding so far.

However, early analysis shows women from the Midlands and East of England, those from Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and over-50s are under-represented in sharing their experiences. This representation is necessary to ensure the strategy works for all women.

To enable as many women as

equality in healthcare then respondents must be representative of the wider population. For example, there are specific conditions that are more prevalent in women from BAME backgrounds and if their experiences are not captured by the consultation then there is a

possible to have their say and capture a variety of views on access to services, experiences and health outcomes, the call for evidence will be now extend- Hosted and developed by Dr. Deepa Narayan, a ed by 2 weeks, to former Senior Adviser at the World Bank, one of Foreign Policy Magazine’s 100 most influential close on 13 June.

Dr Geeta global speakers, and author of the groundbreakNargund, senior ing book Chup.

The work addresses Dr Narayan’s view that NHS consultant and fertility pioneer, gender equality will never be achieved without said: “It is fantastic addressing men and follows her research for to hear that over Chup which addressed issues around women in 50,000 people have India and the inequalities they faced. What’s A now contributed to Man? is developed as an evolving piece of the government research and is based on interviews with over 250 consultation, but if educated middle and upper-class boys and men we are to achieve from across India. Throughout the podcast, Dr

risk that their experiences will not be reflected in future policy decisions or strategies.

Ultimately, this consultation will be used to help support our NHS and healthcare system to deliver the best service it possibly can for all women in the UK, and we must do all we can to ensure it’s a success.”

in brief TWO WOMEN OF COLOUR ARE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR EACH OTHER Leigh-Anne, co-founder of a luxury swimming brand shared an image of Metro’s front page (11 May) on Little Mix's Twitter account, where she highlighted that the paper had captioned an image of her and Andre incorrectly as "Jade with Andre." "Why is it that the two women of colour are always mistaken for each other? 10 years in and still this is happening.

This is the type of shit Jade and I have had to deal with for 10 years and this is another reason as to why I was fuelled to make my doc," Leigh-Anne wrote, adding the hashtag #DOBETTER.” she tweeted. The error confuses Leigh-Anne, who's of Caribbean heritage and identifies as Black, with bandmate Jade Thirlwall, who's of Egyptian and Yemeni heritage. Mirror later issued a statement: “We are sorry for the error and are happy to set the record straight."

80% OF WOMEN PRISONERS SUFFER HEAD INJURIES The University of Glasgow research has found that almost 80% of women prisoners in Scotland have a history of significant head injury - mostly through domestic abuse, a study has found. The study states that 66% of inmates had suffered repeat head injuries for many years and 89% of participants said domestic violence was the most common cause. Of the 78% of women prisoners who had a history of significant head injury, 40% also had an associated disability. Researchers also found that violent criminal behaviour was three times more likely in those with a history of significant head injury, and that women with a significant head injury had spent three times longer in prison.

WOMEN’S AID PATRON RAISES VITAL AWARENESS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE National domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid launched an awareness raising music video called Love Should Not Hurt, featuring Women's Aid patron Melanie Brown (Mel B from The Spice Girls) on May 14. The music release is by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea. Love Should Not Hurt is from British classical composer Fabio D’Andrea’s new album 24, and highlights the reality of domestic abuse through music and dance.

Made in collaboration with Women’s Aid, the video was inspired by Melanie’s conversations with survivors of domestic abuse, and the impact of lockdown on women living with an abusive partner during the global pandemic. According to Women’s Aid report A Perfect Storm, 61% of survivors living with the abuser said that the abuse had worsened and more than two-thirds said they felt they had no one to turn to during lockdown. 10 women and two children were killed by men in the first two weeks of the lockdown (between 23 March and 6 April).

This is three times higher than the average in England and Wales of three women killed every two weeks (ONS 2020).

What’s A Man?: Masculinity in India

Dr. Deepa Narayan

Narayan further addresses these issues with a series of engaging guests including mythology writer, Amit Tripathi; Sushant Digvikar, a gay man, drag queen, singer and actor; retired army General HS Panag; Vishal Talreja, co-founder of NGO Dream a Dream; comedian Neville Shah; and veteran Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil amongst others. Broken down into thematic topics, each episode discusses a new subject or idea, from what it means to be a man, to bodies, sex, or power. The podcast throws light on how gender equality issues cannot be addressed by removing men out of the equation but rather understanding the struggles men may face in having to adhere to society’s expectations of what it means to be a man.

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Coventry University recruitment agency contributes to vaccination success

Prasant Naik: Lepra on the Reality of India’s Escalating Epidemic Sunetra Senior Speaking to us from the very frontline in India, Lepra’s national CEO, Prasant Kumar Naik, explained the reality of the escalating epidemic currently shaking the South Asian sub-continent. It seems the media coverage in the West has not been entirely accurate, tending to focus on the sensationalist image of ‘bodies piling up in morgues’ over the real on-the-ground issue of fuelling man-power and the public’s morale in administering and receiving vital vaccines. Like much of the medical workforce across the country, Prasant and his team of hard-working health workers have been on the job around the clock to be part of the movement that provides the millions of jabs necessary to urgently boost people’s well-being. In fact, “Lepra is one of the only charities in the UK who are providing both PCR testing and extensive vaccination for Covid-19 in India.” Prasant also emphasised their success as being reflective of the national effort: “Our healthcare system is strong and our staff excellent. They should be commended for their tireless efforts.

India’s infrastructure is not collapsing – it’s more that our society is being utterly overwhelmed. This is common issue being experienced everywhere. That is the nature of a pandemic – it’s elementally chaotic. I think it’s better to keep perspective and be constructive.” Indeed, the UK has similarly struggled to adjust to the demand of the viral outbreak with PPE being in short supply and hospitals running out of beds to support struggling patients, and reacted with encouraging sympathy moving forward.

Inherently a shared crisis then, it is better to think of viral challenge in India in terms of nuanced troubles to deliver the helpful solutions. Prasant talked of Indian staff experiencing burn-outs and needing emotional encouragement via international acknowledgement as well as financing of extra healthcare for the country’s vast population: at around 1.3 billion, “of course the death toll is going to be high. What we need is the universal interventionist healthcare to combat this.” To this end, Lepra has put their funds into tackling Covid-19 to generally protect those not on the nation’s official register and the most vulnerable in society. Primarily a charity that fights Leprosy, they are leading by accommodating example: “We see to those who would not otherwise be able to get access to the vaccines. There are many with difficult disabilities such as leprosy and the underprivileged in the slums who do not own a smartphone to register and, in some cases, ID. The government reasonably turns away those not listed, but this is limiting overall progress with complete management of the virus and discriminates against those from the lower strata. This is a disease where everybody needs to be safe or else no one is.” In short, tackling underlying inequality is as important as practically battling the microscopic virus. This is as much a test of psychological health as it is the physical.

Again, it’s a globally resonant truth.

Prasant elaborated on the Indian sociopolitical landscape: “Many more people died during the first wave in India, but the newspapers are only making a fuss now.

This is because poor people were the ones to be predominantly affected. The second wave is impacting middle and upper classes equally and this makes the headline.

However, this is not to belittle the deaths.

Every life counts. Rather we should be thorough in our aid.” Lepra’s testing facility

based in Hyderabad is at present reporting “anywhere from 35 – 40% positive results per day” where the multidimensional organisation provides treatment and mitigation (vaccinations) as well as testing. They have 10 sites across India, including in hard-to-reach remote areas such as Bihar. “Additionally, when we find that someone is positive, we equip them with the isolation kits and treatment and provide the isolation. This protects overlooked families and the communities at large. Many NGOs are focussed on bringing in more ventilators etc. to hospitals, but we want to prioritise prevention and keep people safe locally early on.” Lepra quotes a £19.00 donation to have people from marginalised backgrounds properly privately checked: “the travel from home to

the vaccination centre and back twice for 2 doses, some snacks and bottled water. We have the capacity for rolling-out and scaling up, but require support. It is best to drive private care as the public health facilities are crammed.” As a smaller grass-roots organisation, Lepra also need help with PCR cartridges and reagents where they are not able to place bulk orders, costing between “£10-15,000”.

Thirdly yet significantly, Prasant appealed for contributions to help fight “testing reluctance’. Many are in hospitals because they didn’t want to receive the available vaccines due to superstition, general apprehension and older religious beliefs. As a result,

“

We see to those who would not otherwise be able to get access to the vaccines. There are many with difficult disabilities such as leprosy and the underprivileged in the slums who do not own a smartphone to register and, in some cases, any ID. The government reasonably turns away those not listed, but this is limiting overall progress with complete management of the virus and discriminates against those from the lower strata. A pandemic means everybody needs to be safe or else no one is.

”

we need money to help show the public instructional videos on the importance of the vaccine and how it works: social distancing, ventilation, wearing masks and hand-washing are the big four imperatives.

We take vans, projectors and public speakers across the country to not only explain

this, but the whole health program, including receiving vaccines. It costs around £4,000 altogether. We’re managing with masks and PPE, but need to spread the word to every community we work with so the nation is maximally aware. We’re actually talking to priests and community leaders in the different areas to ask them to try to reach people too. I’ve worked in Africa before where there was the Ebola outbreak, and this is on a larger scale. The resilience of our health workers is what’s almost paranormal!” Finally, Prasant added that world-wide panic and fear works to international detriment: “for me, the priority is the population and we need to keep them motivated. More stress isn’t useful. In fact, breathing in huge amounts of oxygen when distressed means

a higher intake of air! I was disappointed to see the news of huge queues outside crematoriums simply because this does India more harm than good. As I say, even in normal times, you can expect hold-ups. There are long lines as much of the population is Hindu and core ritual is important.

Fixating on this now is distortive, disrespectful and even offensive. Where was the concern before? People are getting affected in their millions, and it’s awful to make them want to hide and evade care to the point of even death with hyperbole. We need to stay positive as possible: this brings calm, factual responses and ultimately effectiveness.” Indeed, this higher mindset counterbalances the deep disaster of the pandemic, truly acting upon the big picture. As Prasant’s bold testimony highlights, medicine and technology transform in the moment but it is ideological progressiveness that will firmly carry these to beat the new coronavirus globally and longterm. Who knows? Perhaps we might even emerge as fundamentally reformed. Let not myopia increase the chance of failure.

Collaborative moderation is the way out.

“Above all, we want to facilitate human dignity. This is a pandemic of our generation – let’s face it powerfully together.”

W: https://www.lepra.org.uk/getinvolved/donate/paypal-donation

Coventry University’s recruitment agency thefutureworks – is helping the region’s vaccination programme by supplying staff, including students, to work at vaccination sites across Coventry.

The recruitment agency, which is wholly owned by Coventry University, was enlisted by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust and has so far supplied more than 230 temporary staff to the vaccination programme. They are working at Bedworth, the Stoneleigh Mass Vaccination Centre and supporting sites in the Coventry area in various roles including vaccination assistant, stewards and pod administrators.

A fifth of the staff recruited to work by thefutureworks for the vaccination programme are Coventry University students. They join a growing number of their colleagues who have worked on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic through local NHS trusts where their campuses are located, namely in Coventry, London and Scarborough.

The Stoneleigh vaccination centre opened its doors to the public and community at the end of January this year. By February, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust had delivered the highest uptake of vaccination in the UK. This prompted praise from the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who recognised the Trust’s ‘spectacular effort’ in a televised Downing Street briefing.

Haider Tanveer, second year BSc (Hons) Business and Finance student at Coventry University, said: “I have been working with the NHS in vaccination centres through thefutureworks while also studying. Working here has been nothing but a positive and pleasant experience; the staff at thefutureworks and the NHS were great in allowing me flexibility to work and study effectively. I’ve gained many useful soft and technical skills from this job while doing my bit to fight the pandemic by helping to get people vaccinated.”

South Asian woman blamed by neighbour for feeding ethnic food to her child A viral post on Reddit claims that a South Asian woman apparently fed some rotis and aubergine curry to a boy whose mother had packed sandwiches for him for lunch.

The boy apparently wanted to take a bite of the food, but he liked it too much and ate two rotis. The mother of the child claims that he has food allergies and he’s vegan. Little did she realise that the food he ate was also vegan.

Instead she became furious and cursed the South Asian neighbour for feeding her son with spicy Indian curry. Redditors went behind the child’s woman debating that myths around Indian food being spicy need to take a halt.

While the neighbour didn’t force feed the child, it’s also open to discussion whether or not one should feed food of any kind to someone’s child without their permission.

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ATI P PRODU CED IN ASSOCIA TION

REGULAR GULAR RAPID TESTS R CAN HELP SA S AVE A VE LIVES S As we follow the UK Government’s roadmap out of the pandemic, regular rapid testing (twice a week) of people with no symptoms can help stop the spread of Covid-19, in addition to vaccine rollout, social distancing measures, wearing masks and following government guidelines.

Around 1 in 3 people with Covid-19 show ow no symptoms and could be spreading it without knowing.

Rapid Covid-19 tests show results within 30 minutes. Taking part in regular testing alongside other precauti utions show ows you’re doing wha what you to help protect your loved ones, customers, workmates, and friends.

Which Covid -19 test should you use?

Who it’s for

Rapid Covid-19 test

PCR test

People with no Covid-19 symptoms

People with Covid-19 symptoms

Sent away for processing Results received Tells you if you have Covid-19

in up to 30 minutes

in up to 72 hours

Rupanjaana Dutta ollo owing the Prime Minister’s ann nouncement that anyone witth no symptoms can now get regular and free rapid Covid-19 9 tests, millions have v been taking ad advantage and are ordering these online, from participating pharmaci cies or picking them up from tesst sites.

If yo ou don’t have symptoms, regular rapid id Covid-19 C id ttesting ti i is a fast and easy way to find out if you haave ve coronavvirus. As lockdown restrictions ease, getting into the regular habit of testing twice a week will play an important role in keeping liffee moving, alongside al the vaccine, hands, face, space rules, and social distancing measures.

Testing twice a week ffor or peop people without symptoms will help stop the virus spreading.

Millions of people are already using regular rapid testing to help protect those around them.

Everyone can now get free rapid Covid-19 tests twice a week. T Tests ests are easy to do, and results come back within 30 minutes, so those who test positive can self-isolate immediately and avvoid passing the virus on to others.

Free rapid tests are easy to get at a local testing site, participating pharmacies and to order online. If you’re ordering tests online, then the process is quick and simple to ffo ollow. Just visit: NHS.uk/gettested - or call 119, where there are over 200 diff ffer erent languages avvailable.

Anyone who tests positive should self-isolate immediately and visit nhs.uk/Get-Tested Tested or call

F

119 to order a confirmatory PCR R test. A negative rapid test result iss not a green light, no test is 100% % accurate and to further reducee the risk of onwards transmission n people should continue to fo follow w the Hands, Face, Space, and Fresh h Air rules.

It is important to report yourr results online straight away way, even iff it is negative or void. It’s easy to do o at gov.uk/report-covid19-result orr by calling by lling 119.

11 Recording R ding all results r lt heelps us get a better understanding off the spread of the virus across th he country.

The results are an nonymous. Scientists use the in nfformati ormation to spot patterns an nd outbreaks more quickly and acccurately; helping reduce the risk off future lockdowns.

If you havve no symptoms, get yo our free, rapid Covid-19 tests at nh hs.uk/Get-Tested Tested - or call 119, 11 wh here there are over 200 diff ffer erent languages nguages available.

The first Covid-19 tests in the UK K were taken in October 2020.

So o far over 58 million people haave ve ussed it and hundreds of thousands off cases havve been found found in people wiith no symptoms which would ottherwise havve been missed and wo ould in turn havve potentially sp pread the illness to many others.

Rapid test is useful, R qu ck and needs to be quic u used twice a week 19 9-year-old Anshu Firake, is a m medical student at University of No ottingham. She took the rapid Co ovid-19 test when it was made availab v vailabl e ffor or testing studen students with

Anshu Firake

no symptoms. Speaking to Asian Voi oice in an exclusive intervieew, she said, “These were the early da d ys y of rapid tests and it was made aavailab v vailable to students at the university. When the rapid test result camee back positive, I self-isolated immediatel diately and went ahead and did a PCR CR test as well. It came out positive too. I reported my results and notified everybody I had met while I was at the university. I isolated at home for two weeks, in my room, which has an en-suite toilet.

“Since my parents and younger

Where to get a Rapid Order online: NHS.uk/get-tested NHS.uk/get-tested

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AsianV Voi oiceNewsweekly

22 - 28 May 2021

17

22 - 28 May 2021

ATI OVERNMENT P PRODU CED IN ASSOCIA TION WITH UK GO VERNMENT

REGULAR GULAR RAPID TESTS R CAN HELP SA S AVE A VE LIVES S As we follow the UK Government’s roadmap out of the pandemic, regular rapid testing (twice a week) of people with no symptoms can help stop the spread of Covid-19, in addition to vaccine rollout, social distancing measures, wearing masks and following government guidelines.

Around 1 in 3 people with Covid-19 show ow no symptoms and could be spreading it without knowing.

Rapid Covid-19 tests show results within 30 minutes. Taking part in regular testing alongside other precauti utions show ows you’re doing wha what you to help protect your loved ones, customers, workmates, and friends.

Which Covid -19 test should you use?

Who it’s for

Rapid Covid-19 test

PCR test

People with no Covid-19 symptoms

People with Covid-19 symptoms

Sent away for processing Results received Tells you if you have Covid-19

in up to 30 minutes

in up to 72 hours

Rupanjaana Dutta ollo owing the Prime Minister’s ann nouncement that anyone witth no symptoms can now get regular and free rapid Covid-19 9 tests, millions have v been taking ad advantage and are ordering these online, from participating pharmaci cies or picking them up from tesst sites.

If yo ou don’t have symptoms, regular rapid id Covid-19 C id ttesting ti i is a fast and easy way to find out if you haave ve coronavvirus. As lockdown restrictions ease, getting into the regular habit of testing twice a week will play an important role in keeping liffee moving, alongside al the vaccine, hands, face, space rules, and social distancing measures.

Testing twice a week ffor or peop people without symptoms will help stop the virus spreading.

Millions of people are already using regular rapid testing to help protect those around them.

Everyone can now get free rapid Covid-19 tests twice a week. T Tests ests are easy to do, and results come back within 30 minutes, so those who test positive can self-isolate immediately and avvoid passing the virus on to others.

Free rapid tests are easy to get at a local testing site, participating pharmacies and to order online. If you’re ordering tests online, then the process is quick and simple to ffo ollow. Just visit: NHS.uk/gettested - or call 119, where there are over 200 diff ffer erent languages avvailable.

Anyone who tests positive should self-isolate immediately and visit nhs.uk/Get-Tested Tested or call

F

Rapid Covidd-19 tests keepin i vital to us k is eeping o ourselves ves and an others safe Dr Farzana Hussain, GP D p partner at the Project Surgery

Dr Farzana Hussain

119 to order a confirmatory PCR R test. A negative rapid test result iss not a green light, no test is 100% % accurate and to further reducee the risk of onwards transmission n people should continue to fo follow w the Hands, Face, Space, and Fresh h Air rules.

It is important to report yourr results online straight away way, even iff it is negative or void. It’s easy to do o at gov.uk/report-covid19-result orr by calling by lling 119.

11 Recording R ding all results r lt heelps us get a better understanding off the spread of the virus across th he country.

The results are an nonymous. Scientists use the in nfformati ormation to spot patterns an nd outbreaks more quickly and acccurately; helping reduce the risk off future lockdowns.

If you havve no symptoms, get yo our free, rapid Covid-19 tests at nh hs.uk/Get-Tested Tested - or call 119, 11 wh here there are over 200 diff ffer erent languages nguages available.

The first Covid-19 tests in the UK K were taken in October 2020.

So o far over 58 million people haave ve ussed it and hundreds of thousands off cases havve been found found in people wiith no symptoms which would ottherwise havve been missed and wo ould in turn havve potentially sp pread the illness to many others.

Rapid test is useful, R qu ck and needs to be quic u used twice a week 19 9-year-old Anshu Firake, is a m medical student at University of No ottingham. She took the rapid Co ovid-19 test when it was made availab v vailabl e ffor or testing studen students with

Anshu Firake

no symptoms. Speaking to Asian Voi oice in an exclusive intervieew, she said, “These were the early da d ys y of rapid tests and it was made aavailab v vailable to students at the university. When the rapid test result camee back positive, I self-isolated immediatel diately and went ahead and did a PCR CR test as well. It came out positive too. I reported my results and notified everybody I had met while I was at the university. I isolated at home for two weeks, in my room, which has an en-suite toilet.

“Since my parents and younger

sisster had come in contact wiith me, they immediately iso olated themselves, but seeparately from me, as they tested negative. I infformed ormed m 4 flatmates too, who also my seelf-isolated.”

Emphasising the im mportance of the rapid test, Anshu added, “If I did not ot take it, I would not havve known nown I had Covid-19.

C So, th h rapid he id test is useful, quick qui k and nd something that needs to bee used by everyone twice a weeek, as we come out of the lockdown.”

29-year-old Alex from Hemel Hampstead works at Jam mVans as a rremoval man.

Th he company daily helps

Alex

people move homes and havve a delivery contract with a local hospice. It also helps in logistics and moving of stocks between 10 charity shops. As part of the process of working with a hospice, Alex must regularly take rapid tests beffor ore jobs. “We’ll have v a rapid test in the mornings.

We’ll start half an hour earlier, and we have v to wait half an hour ffor or the rresults of those tests,” he said.

It was in late February that Alex had the test at about 8.30 in the morning. He waited in his van until the results came back. “I got a text message saayying that, I was positive. It meant that I had to go for for the PCR test. So, I had to drive straight to the PCR test that my company booked for for me.

At first, I thought the rapid test must be wrong, and that the PCR test would say it was negative, but no - that came b k positive back iti as well.” ll ” Alex had no symptoms throughout his isolation period but was glad he did not inffect an anyone in his family, friends, or colleagues. “I didn’t feel an anything. But imagine if I’d given that to my parents, grandparents, or colleagues.

If I’m going around 10 charity shops, I could havve been quite a spreader- putting a lot of other people at risk who may not be as young and healthy as I am. By havving that test it potentially savved lives. I know it sounds dramatic, but it may havve saved v lives, and almost definitely stopped the spread of Covid.”

iin Newham said, “The rapid t test is really easy and can be d done at home. It is a quick and c convenient test and designed for us to tak take it twice a week when we havve no symptoms. one in three people A Around w with Covid-19 don’t develop t the well-known symptoms s such as high fever fever, a new c continuous cough, or change o smell or taste. The rapid of t test looks like a pregnancy t test, it is easy to do and can be d done at home on your own.

“The PCR test is a d fferent diff er test, and we don’t a people to do that unless ask t they havve symptoms, or they t test positive ffor or their rapid t test.

“The rapid Covid-19 test i already helping people. I is l with two teenagers and I live g to work. We do our rapid go t testing on a Sunday and Wednesdaayy. If we did not do t that testing, we could easily b inffected be ected and not realise r iit, eventually spreading it tto others. The testing will undoubtedly savve lives when u we are asymptomatic and w prevent from spreading the p vvirus.”

Dr Amir Khan, GP ssaid, “T Testing esting ourselves ffor or ccoronaavirus virus using rapid Covid-19 tests is vital to us C keeping ourselves and others k ssaffe from fr coronavvirus and keeping inffecti ection rates in o communities low. When our d done correctly, the tests are a least 99.9% specific which at m means that the risk of false p positives is extremely low – l less than one in a thousand, t this means it is a very good

test.”

Everyone is being asked to test twice a week and the frequency of testing is important. Taking Taking a test every 3 to 4 days y is the best wayy to catch people who may havve Covid-19 at the point it becomes highly inffecti ectious.

If you take the tests further apart, you maayy miss the window of inffecti ection and be spreading the virus without knowing.

This type of testing is critical alongside the vaccination rollout and social distancing measures to stop the spread. If these tests are used in combination with other vital inffecti ection prevention control measures such as wearing appropriate PPE, washing hands regularly and social distancing, they are another tool that will help us drive down levels of the virus and keep inffecti ection rates low.

Dr Khan added, “Remember, around one

NHS.uk/get-tested

Collect from: om: Test T est centr tres

in st test taken on

29.10.2020 Dr Amir Khan

in three people who havve coronavvirus do not have v any symptoms but could be spreading it to other people without knowing.

Rapid testing is eff ffective ective at detecting people who are inffecti ectious and helping us find Covid-19 cases that we otherwise would not know about, helping us in our eff fforts orts to stop the spr spread of the virus. Testing Testing regularly, r even when you do not havve symptoms, means we can keep inffecti ection levels low and our country saffe, e, and the good thing is they give you a result within 30 minutes!”

Your Y our workplace

NHS.uk/get-tested

TEST EST CENTRE

For people with NO SYMPTOMS

SHOW NO SYMPTOMS

Get tested or collect from: Most pharmacies

Key facts

people who have Covid -19

Where to get a Rapid Covid -19 test Order online:

Rapid Covid -19 tests

AROUND

If y yo ou ha av ve n no sym mptomss,, get your free, rapi pid d Co ovid vid-19 19 tessts ts a att nhs nhs.uk/ Get-T -Tessted - or call 119, 9, w wh herre e there are o ov ver 200 diff ffer erren nt lan ngua ages availab ailable le.

PHARMACY DEPOT

58.2 MILLION tests taken so far

MILLIONS

en so fa ar tests es s taken

of people in the UK

TEST 2x

WEEK 146,000 positive cases found so far

www w w.asian-vo voice.c .com

AsianV Voi oiceNews

UK

AsianV Voi oiceNewsweekly

17

22 - 28 May 2021

WITH UK U GO OVERNMENT VERNMENT Rapid Covidd-19 tests keepin i vital to us k is eeping o ourselves ves and an others safe Dr Farzana Hussain, GP D p partner at the Project Surgery

Dr Farzana Hussain

sisster had come in contact wiith me, they immediately iso olated themselves, but seeparately from me, as they tested negative. I infformed ormed m 4 flatmates too, who also my seelf-isolated.”

Emphasising the im mportance of the rapid test, Anshu added, “If I did no ot take it, I would not havve kn nown I had Covid-19. So, th h rapid he id test t t is i useful, f l quick i k an nd something that needs to bee used by everyone twice a weeek, as we come out of the lockdown.”

29-year-old Alex from Hemel Hampstead works at Jam mVans as a rremoval man.

Th he company daily helps

Alex

people move homes and havve a delivery contract with a local hospice. It also helps in logistics and moving of stocks between 10 charity shops. As part of the process of working with a hospice, Alex must regularly take rapid tests beffor ore jobs. “We’ll havve a rapid test in the mornings.

We’ll start half an hour earlier, and we haave ve to wait half an hour ffor or the results r of those tests,” he said.

It was in late February that Alex had the test at about 8.30 in the morning. He waited in his van until the results came back. “I got a text message sayying that, I was positive. It meant that I had to go for for the PCR test. So, I had to drive straight to the PCR test that my company booked for for me.

At first, I thought the rapid test must be wrong, and that the PCR test would saayy it was negative, but no - that came b k positive back iti as well. ll ” Alex had no symptoms throughout his isolation period but was glad he did not inffect anyone an in his family, friends, or colleagues. “I didn’t feel anything. an But imagine if I’d given that to my parents, grandparents, or colleagues.

If I’m going around 10 charity shops, I could havve been quite a spreader- putting a lot of other people at risk who may not be as young and healthy as I am. By having v that test it potentially saved v lives. I know it sounds dramatic, but it may havve saaved ved lives, and almost definitely stopped the spread of Covid.”

iin Newham said, “The rapid t test is really easy and can be d done at home. It is a quick and c convenient test and designed for us to tak take it twice a week when we have v no symptoms. one in three people A Around w with Covid-19 don’t develop t the well-known symptoms s such as high fever fever, a new c continuous cough, or change o smell or taste. The rapid of t test looks like a pregnancy t test, it is easy to do and can be d done at home on your own.

“The PCR test is a d fferent diff er test, and we don’t a people to do that unless ask t they have v symptoms, or they t test positive for for their rapid t test.

“The rapid Covid-19 test i already helping people. I is l with two teenagers and I live g to work. We do our rapid go t testing on a Sunday and Wednesday. If we did not do t that testing, we could easily b inffected be ected and not realise r iit, eventually spreading it tto others. The testing will undoubtedly save u v lives when we are asymptomatic and w prevent from spreading the p vvirus.”

Dr Amir Khan, GP ssaid, “T Testing esting ourselves for for ccoronavvirus using rapid Covid-19 tests is vital to us C keeping ourselves and others k ssaffe from fr coronavvirus and keeping inffecti ection rates in o communities low. When our d done correctly, the tests are a least 99.9% specific which at m means that the risk of false p positives is extremely low – l less than one in a thousand, t this means it is a very good

test.”

Everyone is being asked to test twice a week and the frequency of testing is important. Taking Taking a test every 3 to 4 days y is the best wayy to catch people who may havve Covid-19 at the point it becomes highly inffecti ectious.

If you take the tests further apart, you may miss the window of inffecti ection and be spreading the virus without knowing.

This type of testing is critical alongside the vaccination rollout and social distancing measures to stop the spread. If these tests are used in combination with other vital inffecti ection prevention control measures such as wearing appropriate PPE, washing hands regularly and social distancing, they are another tool that will help us drive down levels of the virus and keep inffecti ection rates low.

Dr Khan added, “Remember, around one

Test T est centr centtres

TE EST CENTRE

For people with NO SYMPTOMS

in

SHOW NO SYMPTOMS

st test taken on

29.10.2020 Dr Amir Khan

in three people who havve coronavvirus do not have v any symptoms but could be spreading it to other people without knowing.

Rapid testing is eff ffective ective at detecting people who are inffecti ectious and helping us find Covid-19 cases that we otherwise would not know about, helping us in our eff fforts orts to stop the spr spread of the virus. T Testing esting regularly, r even when you do not havve symptoms, means we can keep inffecti ection levels low and our country saffe, e, and the good thing is they give you a result within 30 minutes!”

Get tested or collect from: Most pharmacies

Key facts

people who have Covid -19

Covid -19 test Collect fro om:

Rapid Covid -19 tests

AROUND

If y yo ou ha av ve no n sym mptomss,, get your free, rapid pid Covi v d-19 19 tessts ts at at nhs nhs.uk/ Get-T -Tessted - or call 119, 9, wh where there arre eo ov ver 200 diff fferent erent lan ngua ages available.

Your Y our workplace

PHARMACY DEPOT

58.2 MILLION tests taken so far

MILLIONS

en ar tests es s take n so fa

of people in the UK

TEST 2x

WEEK 146,000 positive cases found so far

18 UK - FINANCE

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

22 - 28 May 2021

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel Got an ISA? IFA? SIPP? Worried your 30-something children are not paying attention to investing and making their money work hard so they can retire better off?

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

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

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

Investors should know that stock returns do slow down in the summer months in British and European markets. However, there are a few caveats to this approach that investors should consider.

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

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

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

Mark Yusko at Morgan Creek Capital Management suggests gains in commodities could lead to inflation in Q2. Additionally, he believes capital gains taxes and higher interest rates could lead to a rotation out of growth stocks and into value names.

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

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

While the US and UK have rolled out successful vaccine programs, globally, the COVID crisis is far from over.

There is still some room for disruption.

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

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

We don’t want to trade our investments or be a speculator. We want solid companies we review annually. Learn more about investing (free) on my Campaign – www.campaignforamillion.com to teach a million people how to invest.

Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance under investigation for fraud The Greensill Capital collapse continues to take down its victims, with Sanjeev Gupta's business empire next on the list. In recent updates, his GFG Alliance is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). A press release by the agency stated, “The SFO is investigating suspected fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to the financing and conduct of the business of companies within the Gupta Family Group Alliance (GFG), including its financing arrangements with Greensill Capital UK Ltd.” It added that no further comments would be made

Sanjeev Gupta

as it is a “live investigation”.

Greensill was a major lender to Gupta's businesses. It collapsed earlier in March. GFG Alliance has said it would fully cooperate with the investigation. The conglomerate employs 35,000 people at companies across the globe. Gupta's Liberty Steel alone hosts around 3,000 employees.

The SFO investigation could not come at a worse

three days a week' and I'd like to work from home a day a week.”

He added, “It's also pretty obvious that those who are overly engaged with the company want to go to the office two-thirds of the time at least. Those who are least engaged are very comfortable working from home.” Mathrani recently filled the executive position in the coworking startup. Its busi-

Cameron defended his lobbying the government to grant Greensill access to a government Covid loan programme.

The company's reliance on Greensill caused many to worry that it might itself be at risk following the finance firm's demise. GFG is in talks with finance firms about providing emergency loans. A request for £170mn from the UK government was rejected.

Earlier, Cameron, who worked for Greensill and lobbied the government on its behalf, appeared before MPs to answer questions about his role. He acknowledged GFG Alliance's close relationship with Greensill.

Cameron lobbying row, says 'absolutely no wrongdoing' Former British prime minister David Cameron recently gave oral evidence to the Treasury committee and the public accounts committee, two senior panels of members of Parliament.

He was questioned over the collapse of Greensill Capital and his intense lobbying efforts on behalf of the firm. Released phone and email records reveal Cameron relentlessly pursued top government ministers and officials at the Bank of England to include Greensill in a state-backed lending programme.

Cameron said he want-

ed the “business to succeed.” He said, “I was being paid, I had shares, I had an interest in it.” He added that personal interest “was not what motivated me.”

The former PM opened his testimony saying the session marks a “painful” return to Parliament. He explained his motivations and stressed that he abided by all the rules in place on lobbying.

“But rules alone are never enough. We learned that in this place there are so many issues, personal conduct and codes of behavior and how such con-

duct and behavior appears and can be perceived, these things matter too. I believe there are important lessons to be learned. I completely accept that former prime ministers are in a different position to others because of the office that we held, and the influence that continues to bring,” he said.

When asked if he should have been more aware of the firm's financial difficulties, Cameron said he did not believe the company was in “any severe financial difficulty” in March and April 2020.

He said Greensill founder

David Cameron

Lex Greensill himself said the company only fell in difficulty in December last year. He added that he asked lots of questions and “sought all kinds of answers” about its operations.

He told the Treasury Committee that he had not broken any rules when he tried to influence ministers and officials. He said it had been “appropriate” for him to call and text ministers and officials directly.

UK shows fledgling signs of economic recovery Britain is showing signs of economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic as it gradually relaxes its latest lockdown measures, according to a range of timely and forward-looking indicators. The world's fifth-biggest economy shrank by almost 10% in 2020, a more severe slump than almost all its European peers after it locked down later and for longer than many of them.

But helped by the fast

rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations, it is in the process of lifting its third lockdown while other countries in Europe have recently tightened restrictions. Nonessential retailers in England reopened on April 12 along with pubs and restaurants operating outdoors, and from May 17 restrictions were lifted further to include indoor hospitality, performances and sporting events.

Data from online hos-

WeWork CEO says people working from home are 'least engaged' WeWork CEO Sandeep Mathrani is of the opinion that people who are more comfortable working from home are the “least engaged”. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything festival last week, he added that the “overly engaged” want to go to the office.

Mathrani said, “No one is saying they don't want to go to work. They are saying 'I wanna go to work two or

time for Gupta who was in the process of raising new finance to replace money it received from once Greensill. While the government has promised to save Liberty Steel, the investigation puts a peg on its chance of survival.

In its statement, GFG said it “continues to serve its customers around the world and is making progress in the refinancing of its operations which are benefiting from the operational improvements it has made and the very strong steel, aluminium and iron ore markets.” The news came shortly after former prime and former minister Greensill employee David

Sandeep Mathrani

ness model relies primarily on filling office space. He said that despite the current surge in remote work pattern, the office is an important part of building company culture, collaborating, and innovating. He suggested that the reason more companies had

announced plans to bring employees back to the office, or establish a “hybrid” work model combining in-office and remote work, was because of the “Zoom fatigue” executives have experienced during the remotework era.

pitality booking service OpenTable show a recovery under way following the reopening of restaurants for outdoor service.

Bookings were last down around 35% compared with their level in April 2019, roughly the same as in December before the start of the latest lockdown, the figures show.

A recovery cannot come soon enough for the hospitality sector, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Output in the accommodation and food sector during February stood 58% below its prepandemic level, according to the latest official data.

The volume of job adverts posted on the online Adzuna platform has returned to its pre-pandemic level, a potentially promising sign for a recovery in employment. Still, conditions in the labour market remain far from normal. The number of payrolled jobs were more than 800,000 below prepandemic levels last month, according to official data. Some 363,000 people are classed as longterm unemployed after having been out of work

for a year or more but with a similar number in the sixto-12-month bracket, that figure could soon rise sharply.

Most economists think inflation is almost certain to rise later this year, although views differ on whether it will prove to be transitory. Reports of rising cost pressures among British businesses are more widespread than at any point in the past four years, according to the IHS Markit/CIPS PMI survey.

Similar moves in the past have been followed by a rise in consumer prices.

More finance bosses from British companies are saying they are upbeat about their prospects than at any time since accountancy firm Deloitte began surveying them in the mid2000s. However, such surveys say little about the magnitude of any economic upswing. Whether the optimism translates into a surge of investment and hiring remains to be seen.

And with the Covid-19 pandemic flaring up again in other parts of the world, these early signals of economic recovery in Britain may turn out to be fragile.

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

FINANCE & REAL ESTATE 19

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

22 - 28 May 2021

Cairn sues Air India to enforce $1.2 bn arbitration award Cairn Energy has sued India’s Air India to enforce a $1.2 billion arbitration award that it won in a tax dispute against India, according to a US District Court filing. The move will increase pressure on government of India to pay the sum of $1.2 billion plus interest and costs that the British firm Cairn was awarded by an arbitration tribunal in December. The body ruled India breached an investment treaty with Britain and said New Delhi was liable to pay.

Cairn filed the lawsuit in the US District Court, seeking to make Air India liable for the judgment that was awarded to Cairn. The lawsuit argued that the carrier as a state-owned company, is "legally indistinct from the state itself".

"The nominal distinction between India and Air India is illusory and serves only to aid India in improperly shielding its assets from creditors like

(Cairn)," the filing said.

However, a senior government official said the government and Air India had not received any formal notice of such a suit. "As and when any such notice is received, the government or concerned organisation shall take all necessary steps to defend against any such illegal enforcement action," the official said, adding that New Delhi has engaged a team ready to defend against any enforcement action initiated by Cairn anywhere in the world.

Cairn’s move could potentially jeopardise India’s attempts to divest the state-owned carrier this year. New Delhi said in December that it had received multiple expressions of interest after it moved to privatise the loss-making entity. The senior government official noted New Delhi has filed an appeal against the arbitration award, and

added “the government is confident that the award will be set aside”.

Cairn had since January, however, begun taking steps to identify Indian assets overseas against which it could enforce the award including bank accounts, aircraft and even ships. It had also started registering its claim against India in courts in the United States, Great Britain, Netherlands and Canada.

Reuters last week reported that India had asked state-run banks to withdraw funds from their foreign currency accounts abroad, fearing Cairn might sue to seize the funds.

Commenting on the suit, a company spokesman said that Cairn was taking the necessary legal steps to protect shareholder interests in the absence of a resolution. He said that

"Cairn remains open to continuing constructive dialogue with the Government of India" to reach a settlement.

An Indian official said talks between New Delhi and the company were making "little progress" and noted that India's directive to state-run banks to withdraw foreign currency funds sitting overseas showed the government is worried that Cairn may move quickly to seize assets.

It is unclear whether the suit against Air India could serve as a means for Cairn to seize Air India aircraft that land on US soil.

Airlines has started to use ‘Go First’, the registration of this wordmark and logo are pending approval from authorities, it added.

In March 2021, Go Holdings, said the IPObound company, filed two applications to register ‘Go Airlines’ and ‘www.goair.in’.

A month later, Jeh made an application to the National Internet Exchange of India to transfer 115 domain names registered in the name of Go Airlines from one domain registrar to another domain registrar.

“Our company is opposing the aforesaid applications and have also applied for the registration of these two wordmarks (Go Airlines and www.goair.in) in our own name,” it said.

“There is no assurance that these matters will be determined in our favour or that there will not be claims regarding our intellectual property from Go Holdings in the future. Any such events could have a material adverse effect on our business,” added Go Airlines.

GoAir, promoter spar over trademark amid IPO plan After flying for 17 years as ‘GoAir’, owner Nusli Wadia, in an abrupt move, changed the carrier’s brand to ‘Go First’. The rebranding was initiated ahead of taking his company Go Airlines public.

Go Airlines didn’t divulge the reason for the rebranding but its draft IPO prospectus filed with India’s capital markets regulator Sebi revealed that the GoAir brand was owned by Wadia’s younger son Jeh and not the company.

Jeh also owns two other marks - Go Airlines and www.goair.in, used exclusively by the IPObound company. In March, Jeh had stepped down from the MD’s position at Go Airlines while remaining as its co-promoter.

Go

Airlines, which will be the first Wadia Group company to hit the Street in over three decades (another one Bombay Burmah is the second-oldest publicly quoted company in India), said it will pursue legal options to establish “its ownership over all the trademarks and domain names”.

For some period (2006 to 2009 and from 2013 to 2014), there were written licence agreements between the airline and Go Holdings (Jeh’s company) governing the use of the GoAir brand.

For the remaining years, the use of intellectual property rights was not by way of a written licence agreement, the company said in its draft IPO document. While Go

RBI opposes suggestions of fresh insolvency freeze The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has shot down suggestions of a fresh suspension of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) due to the second wave of Covid, while making it clear that banks can still restructure distressed but viable loans, ensuring that their balance sheets remain transparent.

In initial discussions with the government, the RBI has indicated a freeze will not help anyone in the long run as it will only show lower level of non-performing assets (NPAs).

The government has not completely shut the door on the issue but the regulator’s reluctance will certainly weigh on the decision.

Last year, the RBI went

along with the government’s decision to suspend IBC provisions for six months, which was subsequently extended to a year, but it had reservations. Due to the last round of freeze, several businesses managed to avoid reference to NCLT, enabling managements to stay in the saddle. The moment a case against a company is admitted, promoters lose control as an insolvency professional runs

the show along with a committee of creditors until the resolution process is completed. “It is kicking the can down the road. Any banker would know the exact situation of NPAs on his books even with the freeze but the balance sheet will reflect it after a few quarters,” said a source.

The corporate sector has pitched for a fresh suspension, arguing that there will be additional stress in the wake of the lockdown announced across most states to check the surge in cases, which are still rising by over 300,000 daily.

Officials, however, said that the demand was being amplified by a section of the industry that was facing stress even before the

pandemic-hit India. Besides, by all accounts the corporate performance has been encouraging up to the March quarter and the assessment is that the recovery this time will be faster than last year, given that businesses have not completely shut down and supply chains remain open.

Government sources said that the steps announced by the RBI, allowing restructuring for small retail and business loans, will ease the pressure on the most vulnerable segments. “The slightly larger borrowers have some cushion. We are keeping a watch along with the RBI. It will take a little time to assess the full extent of damage,” said an official.

Clouds on the horizon

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

We have just recently managed to rent a couple of properties in central London, that too only with very aggressive marketing. They were hard work to rent out, even when priced more than 30% below what they would have achieved pre lockdown.

One property is in Mayfair and the other in Marylebone.

Both properties are not only in solid locations, but they are within the most desirable streets within these locations.

Therefore, out of the selection of the properties within this location these should fair relatively better than the rest.

It’s easy to see the rental market in these locations is sluggish. A large segment of the demand for rental properties in central London comes from foreigners, students, and office workers. These have been absent, or at least severely diminished due to obvious reasons. These reasons in my opinion will not go away for a while, despite assurance from those in authority. I believe this lockdown will be enforced again; therefore, it’s prudent to prepare for the worst.

Properties in the outskirts are faring much better in comparison. Again, if we analyse the tenants, they have more bread and butter types of jobs, such as key workers, builders etc.; work which is still going on despite the lockdown. Therefore, the rents are still continuing to flow in at the original rates.

Any property investment should be considered with the customer in mind; and the tenant is your customer. In accordance with this, our focus has shifted to the outskirts of London. Properties which attract even social housing tenants are now back in vogue. After all they don’t have a job to lose.

Our focus is all around the clock, in any direction. We follow the money of course, but are currently targeting bread and butter type deals, focusing on the rentability of the investment.

One layer of comfort for the landlord, which is underused, is an insurance policy which protects the landlord from non-payment of rent. This is invaluable in the current climate. Not only does the policy kick in after two months of non-payment of rent, it also covers legal costs for eviction and has an element of void period cover as well.

I suspect the premiums for this cover will increase in time, as the claim numbers increase; which, in my opinion are highly likely to do. Therefore, there is a window open now to get the cover whilst the premiums are relatively cheap.

Even in regards to the commercial sector, traditionally seen as more bullet proof than the residential segment, things are not as they seem. Big commercial tenants have a few tricks up their sleeves, and have the money and the expertise available to renegade on rents. The bottom line is if there are no feet on the streets and customers coming in, at some point the rent will be affected. Commercial tenants seemingly look like good covenants, however, many have applied for CVAs and there’s not a lot landlords can do about this. Also, many of these tenants when signing the lease use a separate company, and not the trading company for the lease agreement. So, if push comes to shove the trading business is still protected. I have heard it said that a Mom & Pop’s business with the security of a PG can be far better security than a corporate tenant.

JEEP DRIVES THAR TO COURT IN AUSTRALIA Fiat Chrysler (owner of Jeep) and Mahindra & Mahindra are locked in a dispute over the design of the latter’s Thar SUV in Australia. Mahindra’s teaser ad for its Thar in that market appears to be the trigger with Fiat Chrysler demanding that Mahindra should not launch the Thar in Australia and should give a 90-day notice if it intends to do so. The two parties have since moved the Federal Court of Australia. The dispute is over Thar’s design which Fiat claims infringes the Jeep Wrangler’s design. A Mahindra spokesperson said, “We have filed our reply in the proceeding commenced by FCA against us. There are no plans to launch the current model of the Thar in Australia. We would provide adequate notice to FCA, if we were to launch any future model of the Thar in Australia.

BRITANNIA EXEC TO BE NEXT CEO OF BATA INDIA Footwear major Bata India said it has appointed Gunjan Shah, the former chief commercial officer of Britannia Industries, as its new CEO. He will take over from Sandeep Kataria, who was elevated as the global CEO of Bata Brands in November. Shah will join Bata in June. Before moving to Britannia in 2007, Shah has also spent the early stages of his career working with brands such as Asian Paints and Motorola. Shah, an alumnus of the IIM-Kolkata, has experience working across varied sectors spanning consumer durables, telecom and FMCG. He has played a crucial role in growing the Britannia business, having led several business divisions of the company for more than a decade, a spokesperson said.

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Imran Khan retracts criticism of diplomats after widespread backlash ISLAMABAD: After receiving intense backlash for publicly castigating Pakistani diplomats abroad, Prime Minister Imran Khan retracted his criticism of their performance, saying that they are doing a great job. "The foreign service has done a wonderful job as far as diplomacy is concerned," he said at a programme. Khan had in a video conference with Pakistani envoys lashed out at the foreign service officers for not serving the expatriate community well and harbouring a colonial mindset.

His statements came after the suspension of former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz and recall of six diplomats from the embassy in Riyadh over community complaints. These comments by the Pakistani premier did not go well with the foreign service officers, who conveyed their anger through

different channels, reported Dawn.

President of the Association of Former Ambassadors Inamul Haque in a letter written to the Prime Minister rejected his televised remarks, saying that the "public reprimand was ill advised and reflected a lack of understanding of the work that our diplomatic missions are performing despite major constraints and impediments".

An uproar ensued last week at Pakistan's Foreign Office,

where several diplomats lodged a strong protest with the country's foreign minister and foreign secretary for 'scapegoating' them after Prime Minister Imran Khan publicly rebuked Pakistani missions abroad. "We cannot continue like this. The way our embassies are running, this could work in an old colonial system but not in today's Pakistan. Embassies' foremost work is to service the diaspora and then they should work to bring investment into the country that is going through very bad financial conditions right now," the Pakistan PM had said, noting that Indian embassies abroad were "very proactive" in bringing investment to India as compared to Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had held a meeting for more than two

hours with senior officials at the Foreign Office after they expressed reservations over the premier's public criticism, reported The Express Tribune citing sources. "I can tell you the PM's remarks have demoralised the entire foreign service... It appears the prime minister was not properly briefed about the working of the foreign service," a Foreign Office official had said.

One diplomatic source had said the prime minister was oversimplifying the role of foreign missions.The Foreign Office's statement had said the six officers, who were issued recall orders. worked in the diplomatic, community welfare, and consular wings of the embassy. The statement added that Imran Khan had tasked the Prime Minister's Inspection Commission to inquire into the matter and submit its report within 15 days.

In a first, Hindu woman cracks Pak civil services exam ISLAMABAD: In a first, a Hindu woman in Pakistan has cleared the country's prestigious Central Superior Services (CSS) examination and has been selected for the elite Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS).

Sana Ramachand is an MBBS doctor, hailing from rural area of Shikarpur district in Sindh province, which has the largest Hindu population in Pakistan.

She is one of the 221 candidates declared successful in the CSS examination out of the 18,553 who had appeared in the written tests. The final selection has been made after an elaborate medical, psychological and oral tests. The groups are allotted at the last stage when final merit is determined.

After the result, Ramchand tweeted: "Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Sana Ramchand

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh", and added, "I'm pleased to share that by the grace of Allah Almighty, I have cleared the CSS 2020 and been allocated to PAS. All credit goes to my parents.” The pass percentage in the latest CSS has been less than 2 per cent which shows the tough competition as well as the rigorous standards applied by the Federal Public Service Commission responsible

After US exit, Afghan prez wants Pakistan on board to avoid civil war ISLAMABAD: Amid fears of a civil war as US and coalition forces begin their full pullout from a 20-year war in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani has said the “question of peace or hostility in the country is now in Pakistani hands”. He emphasised the need for a regional peace initiative and a bigger role by Europe to “get Islamabad on board”. “It is first and foremost a matter of getting Pakistan on board,” Ghani said in an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel. “The US now plays only a minor role.”

About Pakistan’s influence on the Taliban, the Afghan president said the neighbouring country operates an organised system of support. “The Taliban receives logistics in Pakistan, their finances are there and recruitment is there,” he said. “The names of the various decision-making bodies of the Taliban are Quetta Shura, Miramshah Shura and Peshawar Shura (named after the Pakistani cities where they are located).

There is a deep relationship with the state.”

According to Ghani, the European countries, especially Germany, “can do a lot” in the peace process with the Taliban. “Clear messages and incentives from Germany will help – and, conversely, they should introduce sanctions if the decision goes in a different direction than hoped,” he said.

for these recruitment.

The PAS is the top tier often followed by Pakistan Police Services and Foreign Services of Pakistan and others. Those allotted PAS are appointed Assistant Commissioners and later promoted District Commissioners, the powerful administrators controlling the districts. BBC Urdu reported that Ramchand is the first Hindu woman who had been selected for the PAS after passing the CSS examination.

A total of 79 women made it to the final list and have been allotted various groups including PAS. The topper is also a woman, Maheen Hassan, who was also allotted the PAS. Ramchand did her MBBS from Chandka Medical College in Sindh province and completed her house job in the Civil Hospital

Karachi. She is currently doing FCPS from Sindh Institute of Urology and Transparent and soon would become a qualified surgeon. Several people, including some political leaders, congratulated her on social media for her achievement.

"Congratulations to Dr Sana Ramchand. She has done proud the Hindu community of Pakistan, indeed the whole country," Senior leader of Pakistan People Party Farhatullah Babar tweeted. A social media user Sumeet Rathore tweeted: "Amidst all the unusual news every day, let's congratulate Dr Sana Ramchand - the first Hindu female for successfully qualifying CSS2020Exam, and appointed as an Assistant Commissioner…

Proud for All the Hindu Community.

Chinese envoy warns Bangladesh against joining Quad Dhaka: Chinese Ambassador to years. On March 12, India’s Bangladesh, Li Jiming, warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that Bangladesh should not join United States President Joe the ‘Quad’ group. The diplomat Biden, Australian Prime said that Bangladesh’s relations Minister Scott Morrison and with China will “substantially be Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga damaged” if it joins the intermet virtually in what was the governmental security forum. first Quad leaders’ summit.

The summit came at a time According to a report in when Chinese-Australian relaBangladesh’s The Daily Star Li Jiming tions had plummeted to new newspaper, Li claimed that the depths after Australia called for an indepenQuad is “a military alliance aimed against dent inquiry into the origins of the coronChina's resurgence and its relationship with avirus pandemic, and amid the major milineighbouring countries”. Li further called tary stand-off between India and China the Quad – the Quadrilateral Security along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Dialogue – a “narrow-purposed” geopolitical In recent years, Bangladesh’s relations clique. with China have been on the upward trajecQuad is an informal strategic alliance tory. According to Beijing, the relations comprising Australia, India, Japan and the between Bangladesh and China are termed United States. Officially, the group was con“strategic partnership of cooperation”. On ceived as a space to cooperate for safeguardMay 10, it was announced that Bangladesh ing joint security and other interests in the would receive a major consignment of Indo-Pacific region. However, the arrangeChina-made vaccine doses. For years, the ment is now seen as a counter to China’s Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) has been using military and economic rise. Thus, China the Chengdu F-7, a Chinese fighter aircraft. considers the Quad as an attempt to contain It is a license-built version of the Soviet its ambitions and looks at the group as a posMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. The Bangladeshi sible “Asian NATO” of the future. army and navy use a number of Chinese While the forum has been in the works munitions, including the Type 69 battle for over a decade in various forms, the initiatanks and a patrol ship, and small arms. tive has picked up momentum in recent

in brief COW DUNG CAKES FOUND IN INDIAN’S BAG The US Customs and Border Protection agents discovered cow dung cakes in a leftover baggage of a passenger from India at an international airport in the suburb of Washington DC, according to officials. Cow dung cakes are prohibited in the US as they are considered to be potential carriers of the highly contagious foot and mouth disease.

They were destroyed, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. “CBP agriculture specialists found two cow dung cakes in a suitcase that was left behind after passengers from an Air India flight cleared CBP’s inspection station on April 4,” a media release said. Foot and Mouth Disease is one of the animal diseases that livestock owners dread most, has grave economic consequences, said the US officials.

BID TO MAKE DIWALI AS OFFICIAL HOLIDAY IN NY Indian American New York Assembly member Jenifer Rajkumar has introduced a new bill in the State Assembly which establishes Diwali as a school holiday in New York. The holiday would be observed in school districts with significant populations that celebrate the festival.

Rajkumar said the “law is long overdue.”

“As the first Hindu American and South Asian American woman elected to state office in New York, I take special pride in advocating for new American communities, including those that celebrate Diwali,” Rajkumar said. “The South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist communities are a vital part of our city, contributing to every sector of our society.” “It is long past time to honor their vibrant cultural heritage by making Diwali a school holiday, as community leaders have advocated for years. The time has come,” she added.

Diwali is celebrated by people of multiple faiths, including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists.

INDIAN AMERICAN CONFESSES TO KILLING HIS MOTHER A 28-year-old Indian American man walked into a Queens police station and confessed to killing his mother, police said. The mother was found fatally assaulted inside her Queens home. Pushkar Sharma had blood on his clothing when he showed up and told officers he had killed his mother, a police spokesperson said. That was at about the same time that Emergency Medical Service workers were trying to save the life of 65-year-old Saroj Sharma. The victim’s daughter had called 911 after finding her mother unconscious in the basement of her home in the Bellerose Manor neighbourhood, authorities said. Saroj Sharma had bruising to her face and neck, police said. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Pushkar Sharma was arrested on charges of murder and sex abuse.

OHIO OFFERS $1MN WEEKLY PRIZE AS VACCINE INCENTIVE Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio, US, has announced a weekly $1 million prize and full college scholarships to entice more people to get Covid vaccines. The plan unveiled by the Republican drew criticism from Democrats and GOP lawmakers who said it wasn’t right to use government money for a contest.

DeWine said he understands people may consider the concept a waste. But he said the real waste is a loss of life to the virus now that shots are available. He said vaccinated people under 18 will be entered into a drawing for full college scholarships.

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in brief 12 KILLED IN KABUL MOSQUE BLAST An explosion inside a mosque on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul killed at least 12 people during Friday prayers as worshippers gathered for Eid-ul-Fitr during a ceasefire. The Taliban group, which declared the three-day truce for the holiday, condemned the attack. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Ferdous Faramarz, spokesman for Kabul police, said the mosque’s imam was among the 12 dead and at least 15 people were hurt. The blast came less than a week after a blast at a school killed 80 people. Taliban also denounced that attack and no one claimed responsibility. US officials believe the attack on the school may have been the work of a rival militant group such as Islamic State.

Such groups have not signed on to the holiday ceasefire.

TIBETANS IN LHASA TOLD TO CURTAIL RELIGIOUS PRACTICES Tibetans in Lhasa have been instructed to restrict certain religious practices during the holy month called ‘Saga Dawa’, in what appears to be yet another move by Chinese authorities to curb the religious freedom of the Buddhist population. According to the Phayul news portal, this decision was notified in a circular sent by the Lhasa City Buddhist Association on May 9 ahead of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar which began on Wednesday, which Buddhists consider sacred.

The reason for the order is premised on the risk of spreading coronavirus. But, the activist group International Campaign for Tibet, believes that the real aim is to further restrict Tibetans religious freedom. “While Covid prevention measures are valid, the Lhasa authorities seem to be using them as a pretext to continue reducing space for Tibetan Buddhists to practice their faith during this holy month,” the US-based group said.

OHIO OFFERS $1MN WEEKLY PRIZE AS VACCINE INCENTIVE Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio, US, has announced a weekly $1 million prize and full college scholarships to entice more people to get Covid vaccines. The plan unveiled by the Republican drew criticism from Democrats and GOP lawmakers who said it wasn’t right to use government money for a contest.

DeWine said he understands people may consider the concept a waste. But he said the real waste is a loss of life to the virus now that shots are available. He said vaccinated people under 18 will be entered into a drawing for full college scholarships.

MACRON’S PARTY BARS CANDIDATE OVER HIJAB PHOTO French President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party has barred a Muslim woman from running for as candidate on its ticket in a local election after she wore an Islamic headscarf for a photo that appeared on a campaign flier. La Republique en Marche said the party line was that in secular France there should be no place for the overt display of religious symbols on electoral campaign documents. “This woman will not be an En Marche candidate,” Stanislas Guerini, the party’s general secretary, said. French law does not prohibit the wearing of the hijab or other religious symbols in images that appear on campaign fliers. The episode illustrates how sensitive a subject the place of Islam in France has become ahead of next year’s presidential vote, with the main challenge to a Macron re-election bid coming from the far right.

Kenyan court quashes Kenyatta's constitution change bid NAIROBI: The Kenyan High Court ruled that the constitutional review process initiated

by President Uhuru Kenyatta is illegal and has been a source of great tension in Kenyan politics in recent months. The attorney general's office announced that the government would appeal the decision.

The reform, known as the "Building Bridges Initiative" (BBI), aims to dilute the current "winner takes all" rule, which Kenyatta sees as the cause of repeated post-election conflicts in his country. A referendum on the issue was in the works, but the five judges of the High Court ruled that the president did not have the right to initiate such a reform and that only Parliament or the citizens could do so.

Kenya's restive politics The process, which had

Uhuru Kenyatta

been the subject of 11 different appeals filed by political figures or parties, is therefore "unconstitutional, null and void," they said in their unanimous deci"The constitutional sion. amendment bill is an initiative of the president and the law clearly states that the president does not have the constitutional mandate to initiate constitutional changes by popular initiative," they explained. "Civil

suits can be filed against the president for violating the Constitution," they added.

The BBI draft proposes to amend the 2010 constitution, which established a presidential system of government, by creating, among other things, a post of prime minister, two posts of deputy prime minister and a post of opposition leader. The revision was suggested by a commission set up in 2018 after a historic handshake between President Kenyatta and historic opponent Raila Odinga, who promised to draw a line under years of electoral disputes and political violence.

But it is opposed by Deputy

President William Ruto, an ally of Kenyatta's since his first election in 2012 and his supposed successor, who sees it as a move to remove him from power.

It is almost election time Kenya's presidential election is scheduled for 2022 and Uhuru Kenyatta, who is completing his second term in office, is not eligible to run again. William Ruto, an ethnic Kalenjin who was promised by Uhuru Kenyatta that he would be the Jubilee presidential candidate in 2022, believes the constitutional review will create a system whereby Kenyatta and Odinga, the country's two largest ethnic groups, can share power. The new prime minister's post, he said, would give Uhuru Kenyatta a chance to stay in office.

Bobi Wine protests mass arrests before Museveni's swearing in KAMPALA: Former Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine has protested the new wave of arrests of National Unity Platform-NUP supporters by security in the days leading to the May 12 Presidential inauguration.

President Museveni, the winner of the Jan 14 elections was sworn in on Wednesday (May 12).

Amid fears that there would be protests from opposition backed mobs to disrupt the inauguration at Kololo, security was heightened in and around Kampala. Several arrests were made days ahead of the function. Bobi Wine now alleges that majority of those arrested

from different areas between 10th and 12th May. We have reliably learnt that most of them are being held at CMI headquarters in Mbuya and being subjected to all manner of torture and humiliation,” Bobi Wine said in Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu a statement posted on his social media platwere targeted for being supforms. Those, he says include; porters of the Kamwokya outNuhu Sanya, Sebagala Gordon, fit. He also claims that most of Kasisi Richard, Lutaaya Olivia, the victims are currently being Kalyango Muhamood, held by the Chieftaincy of Munanyagwa Fred, Machete Military intelligence- Mbuya Yasin, Segujja Rashid, Kiweewa but critically tortured.

Evan Jordan, Mayiga Ronald “These are some of our and Nyombi Richard. comrades who were abducted The party has since

Oli sworn in as Nepal PM once again KATHMANDU: KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister for the third time on Friday, days after he lost a vote of confidence in Parliament. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Oli, 69, at a ceremony at Shital Niwas, after he was reappointed to the post on Thursday night as the Opposition parties failed to secure majority seats in Parliament to form a new government.

Oli, the Chairman of CPN-UML, lost a crucial trust vote in the House of Representatives on Monday last. Oli will now have to take a vote of confidence at the House within 30 days, failing which, an attempt to form a government under Article 76 (5) of the Constitution would be initiated.

He previously served as prime minister from October 11, 2015 to August 3, 2016 and again from February 15, 2018 to May 13, 2021.

The president had asked the Opposition parties to come up with the support of majority lawmakers to form a new government by 9 pm on Thursday after Oli lost the vote of confidence in the House on Monday.

Until Thursday, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, who got backing from CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Pushpakamal Dahal "Prachanda" was hopeful to get sufficient votes in the House to stake his claim as the next Prime Minister.

But as Madhav Kumar Nepal took a Uturn after his last-minute meeting with Oli, Deuba's dream to become the next Prime Minister was shattered. The CPN-UML is the largest party with 121 seats in the 271-

KP Sharma Oli

member House of Representatives. At present 136 votes are needed to form a majority government.

If the parties fail to form a new government in line with Article 76 (5) or the Prime Minister elected under this provision does not secure the vote of confidence again, the sitting Prime Minister can recommend the President to dissolve the parliament and announce the date to hold general elections within the next six months.

Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 last year after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced fresh elections on April 30 and May 10 at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli, amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

Oli's move to dissolve the House sparked protests from a large section of the NCP led by his rival 'Prachanda'. In February, the apex court reinstated the dissolved House, in a setback to Oli who was preparing for snap polls.

deployed it’s legal team to fight for the release of the victims.

Meanwhile, he has condemned what he calls ” the blatant abuse of the law with impunity” and described the arrest and detention of civilians in military detentions as not only illegal but also a sign of cowardice.

“We continue to condemn in the strongest terms possible, the blatant abuse of the law with impunity. Abducting innocent citizens and holding them in military cells and other illegal detention centers is not only illegal, but also a sign great cowardice. These are crimes against humanity which will be accounted for, ” he says.

Zuma finally on trial for corruption PRETORIA: Former South African President Jacob Zuma is facing 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering relating to the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military gear in 1999 from five European arms firms in a deal worth almost £3.5 billion at the time.

The prosecution of Zuma, 79, is regarded as a key test of the power of his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, to fulfil his promise to stamp out corruption. Earlier Zuma’s legal team, led by Thabani Masuku, told Pietermaritzburg high court that he planned to apply for the removal of Billy Downer, the prosecutor, from the case. The application is expected to be lodged soon. The trial is then due to get under way next week and Zuma is expected to enter a not guilty plea. More than 200 witnesses could be called.

After the adjourned hearing, Zuma addressed a crowd of well- wishers and led them in singing Umshiniwami (Bring me my machine gun), a song from the anti-apartheid struggle. In 2018 Zuma was forced by the ANC to resign as scandals stacked up against him, and was replaced by Ramaphosa, 68, who vowed to fight corruption.

The case has been dropped and postponed numerous times over the years as Zuma, who was president between 2009 and 2018, lodged a defence against charges that he first faced in 2005. When he became president prosecutors claimed that the charges were politically motivated and abandoned the case. In 2017 the country’s highest court overturned that decision.

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Conspiracy to defraud elderly of ‘The Geeta has brought $500,000; Indian American pleads guilty a revolution to my life’

CALIFORNIA: The US Attorney’s Office in California recently announced that Anuj Mahendrabhai Patel has pleaded guilty to participating in an international conspiracy where he helped collect more than $500,000 in cash conned out of elderly victims. The release said the 31year-old Lake Elsinore Indian American resident fulfilled the scheme by other co-conspirators pretending to be federal agents threatening the victims with arrest on bogus warrants. Patel pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, it said.

According to his plea agreement, from April 2019 to March 2020, Patel participated in an international conspiracy that deceived elderly victims out of their money. Other members of the conspiracy, some of whom are believed to be in India, telephoned victims and pretended

to be government employees or law enforcement officers, the attorney’s office said.

Using several false pretenses – including phony badge numbers and using spoofed government telephone numbers – the coconspirators convinced the victims, most of whom were elderly, that their identities or assets were in trouble, it said. Some victims were told that their Social Security numbers had been linked to crimes and that there were warrants issued by courts authorizing the victims’ arrests. The co-conspirators further told the victims that to clear the warrants, they should withdraw their savings and send cash by mail to other members of the scheme, the release adds.

The victims were ordered to send the parcels through shipping companies that allowed parcel recipients to pick up parcel so long as the recipients had identification

matching the names listed on the parcel as the addressees. The addresses the defendants gave primarily were at locations in Riverside County, but also in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, it said.

Patel admitted he used tracking numbers to monitor the victims’ parcels, and communicated with couriers who used fraudulent identification documents matching the names listed on the parcels as addresses. Patel also admitted to receiving or intending to receive 18 packages sent by victims, the attorney’s office adds. The total loss in this case is approximately $541,420 and Patel admitted the scheme involved at least 10 victims, many of whom he knew were vulnerable people, it said.

Patel’s next hearing is scheduled for June 28. The criminal could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Hospital blamed for the death of Indian origin girl in Perth PERTH (AUSTRALIA): The Western Australian government has apologised for the "failure" at a Perth hospital which left a young girl dead after her parents' desperate pleas for help were ignored. Seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath spent two hours waiting in the emergency department at Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) after presenting with a fever and being triaged in the second-least urgent category during the Easter weekend.

Aishwarya's parents had begged for her to be assessed by doctors after her eyes became cloudy and her hands turned cold. She died soon after she was finally seen. A report

by WA's Child and Adolescent Health Services (CAHS) has found Aishwarya died of sepsis after contracting an infection related to group A streptococcus.

Health Minister Roger Cook summarised the confidential report in parliament, saying it was clear Aishwarya and her parents should have received better care. "They did not get the help they asked for," he said. "I wish to apologise unreservedly for this failure and for the heartbreak and devastation Aishwarya's death has caused her family and her community." Cook later said he had accepted the

resignation of CAHS chair Debbie Karasinski.

The organisation's chief executive Aresh Anwar said he had also offered his resignation but had been asked to continue by the director-general of the health department. Cook, who described the report as "confronting and extremely distressing" would not be drawn on whether Aishwarya's death could have been avoided.

"We don't know. And that's not a conclusion of the report," he said.

"Hospitals are, by their nature, complicated workplaces where decisions often have to be made quickly and in the most difficult of circumstances. I have the utmost respect for the doctors and nurses working in our hospital system.

They do an amazing job under difficult circumstances." Cook has ordered an independent inquiry into the PCH emergency department and

"any matters of specific concern" identified by Aishwarya's family. He said the hospital continued to perform well against safety and quality measures. Aishwarya's death followed months of concerns about understaffing, treatment delays and record ambulance ramping at Perth's hospitals.

Four emergency doctors were off sick on the night in question but the report found staff shortages had not contributed to the incident, Cook said. The report included 11 recommendations, all of which the government has agreed to implement at PCH within the next six months.

They include improvements to the triage process policy and staff education, improved clinical supervision, and development of a "clear pathway" for parents to escalate their concerns to staff. The report also recommends developing an established sepsis recognition diagnostic tool, and a review of staff awareness of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. However, Cook downplayed any potential racerelated concerns. It's understood that Aishwarya's parents are unsatisfied with the findings and plan to make a public address in coming days.

Subhash V Thakrar In this article I will take the liberty of sharing with the readers my own experience of the Bhagwat Geeta.

My objective in this is to encourage every Hindu to at least read the Geeta once in their life and a non Hindu to also read it and find answers to many of life’s questions.

In this article I will take the liberty of sharing with the readers my own experience of the Bhagwat Geeta. My objective in this is to encourage every Hindu to at least read the Geeta once in their life and a non Hindu to also read it and find answers to many of life’s questions.

I have by now distributed over 1000 copies of the Geeta . My favourite version of the Geeta is the one interpreted by Pujya Swami Sivananda and published by Sivananda Press, Durban, South Africa. I have read 3/4 other versions of the Geeta but found that this version in English is the most suitable version, particularly for an English reader. Many of the friends and relatives have asked for extra copies as they also found it impactful.

The editor and owner of Asian Voice, C B Patel was instrumental in my first step to Geetaji. He introduced me to the late Shri Balmukunbhai Parikh, latterly known as Swami Gitaprakashananda. My offices were in Oxford street in London and CB’s offices were in Shoreditch a few miles away. CB called me and said that he had asked Balmukundbhai to come and visit me. My impression was that Balmukundbhai might have needed some professional advice. Here he came. A man in his 80’s and with a permanent smile. We sat and exchanged niceties whilst I kept waiting to be asked a question. No question came but in the process when I asked him his background, he told me that he was an inspector of schools and a headmaster in Kenya and for around 11 years, he had lost his sight but later regained it. I was quite astonished. I asked him about how he spent his time and he said that he just worked to promote awareness of the Bhagwat Geeta. I was curious but felt the courage to admit that at my age of 40 I was ashamed that whilst I tried once to read the Geeta I found it very difficult to comprehend. He then said that he will give me a version that I will be able to read and understand. After a few days he came to my house for Ganesh puja and gave me the copy that I have preserved and read 50-60 times by now.

I believe the Universe brings messages and actions on whatever you sincerely desire. I had desired to read and understand Geeta. This coincided with a beautiful handwritten letter of blessings I received from late Shree Pramukh Swami Maharaj on my 40th. I desired and the Universe delivered all this to me. I urge you to desire to read and understand this epic scripture which was written over 5000 years but still has huge application today.

I read the Geeta everyday and always keep learning new things everytime. I understand that as we evolve over the years the same message of the Geeta brings new understanding to us.

I will always be a student of the Geeta and supplement this with the teachings of Pujya Bhupendrabhai Pandya who I regard to be a scholar of the Geeta. He has the unique quality of giving discourses in English, Gujarati and Hindi. I further supplement this with regular lectures from Sister Shivani of Bhramakumari. I owe all these Divine souls my deep gratitude as they have given me so much without expecting anything in return. This is the yog of karmic satwic actions.

The Geeta has brought a revolution to my life and has widened the limits to my spiritual understanding.

Two Indian American women sue police for wrongfully targeting them LOS ANGELES: Two Indian American women have filed a suit against the Los Angeles police department for wrongfully handcuffing and holding them at gunpoint at a traffic stop last year.

Shibani Balsaver and Sheilanee Sen rented a U-Haul to move from one apartment to another when they were pulled over by police, the report notes.

Officers, apparently believing the truck was stolen, handcuffed the women and held them on the ground at gunpoint - with the incident being captured on video.

Sen, who works in community development, was helping Balsaver, a film producer, move into a new apartment in February 2020. They rented a U-Haul truck to transport Balsaver's belongings

from Hollywood to Los Feliz about a five-minute drive, the report noted.

In a blog post chronicling the incident, Balsaver said a police vehicle was following her most of the drive between her old and new apartments, but she thought little of it, and was confused when it followed her to her new block, according to the report. The

women said at least 10 officers arrived with their guns drawn and they could hear a helicopter overhead. Balsaver described the panic she felt as more cop cars arrived, saying that no one came to the window of the truck to explain what was happening, as a handful of police cars arrived at the scene, as the report described the incident.

The women say police ordered them to exit the vehicle with their hands behind their heads. They alleged officers then slammed them to the ground, and they were unable to properly hear commands due to the loud helicopter, it said.

Sen's boyfriend, Roger, arrived at the apartment ahead of the women and filmed the interaction, according to the report.

"I am grateful that this will not go unnoticed, yet all I can I think is I am going to die alone on camera," Balsaver wrote, the report said. "I feel a knee push down hard into my back. Another forces my head down," she continued. "They grab my right hand, twist my arm behind me, and wrap a cuff around my hand. I lift my left and they do the same," the CBS News report said. The women said they were not told why they were pulled over until after they were handcuffed.

Balsaver told an officer that a receipt for the truck, rented earlier that morning, was in her bag, the report adds. Balsaver said that, after she proved her innocence with the receipt, officers joked and teased her about the incident, telling her to "demand free U-Haul

services for a year."

Balsaver and Sen's attorney, Brian Olney, alleges the officers used "high-risk procedures" during a traffic stop that was not high risk and involved an alleged nonviolent property crime, according to CBS News. "Courts have made very clear, but the LAPD refuses to listen," Olney said in the report.

"They know what the law is, they're sworn to uphold it, but they made a deliberate decision to break it."

The lawsuit names the city, LAPD chief Michael Moore, two officers and a sergeant. It also includes 10 unnamed officers as defendants. The lawsuit said that the women have not received an apology from the police department. They are seeking an unspecified amount of damages.

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22 - 28 May 2021

Opposition parties oppose govt’s Central Vista project Opposition political parties, led by the Congress, have been fiercely critical of the Indian government’s Central Vista project which includes construction of a new Parliament building. The estimated cost of the project is £1.35 billion. The project includes construction of a common central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, a new Prime Minister's residence and office, and a new Vice President Enclave.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, one of the most vocal opponents of the project, has even gone to the extent of terming it a ‘criminal wastage’ and asked the Modi dispensation to use the project money instead on improving medical infrastructure during the Covid-19 pandemic to save people's lives.

“Countless dead bodies flowing in rivers; lines in hospitals up to miles; the right to life security is taken away! PM, take off those pink goggles that let you see nothing except for Central Vista,” Rahul tweeted in Hindi.

CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted: “This is grotesque. No money for oxygen and vaccines as our brothers and

sisters die waiting for a hospital bed to be cremated in parking lots, but Modi will squander public money to feed his megalomaniac vanity. Stop this Crime.”

Reacting to a PIL seeking a stay on the construction of Central Vista, the Centre has told the Delhi High Court that the PIL was just another attempt to stall the project that has been facing such attempts from the beginning on one pretext or another.

Opposition to the project is baseless 1. The Parliament houses members of all parties, so this project will benefit not only leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but leaders across the political spectrum. 2.

Stalling the project at this stage will lead to a further increase in costs and burden on the taxpayers. 3. The project is providing gainful employment to 1,000 workers (500 x 2 shifts) amidst the economic crisis precipitated by the pandemic. 4.

Rahul is exhorting the prime minister to "put people's lives at the center - not your blind arrogance to get a new house!"

India is not a kingdom. The prime minister is indirectly elected by the people’s representatives. Today we have a prime minister from the BJP, tomorrow it could be from the Congress or any other party. It is not Modi’s personal property as is being alleged. 5. The current Parliament building is almost 100 years old and lacks the capacity to accommodate the increase in number of MPs to be based on future census.

There’s more to it than meets the eye The new complex will have 888 seats in the Lok Sabha chamber

Neera Tanden appointed White House senior adviser Indian-American policy expert Neera Tanden has been appointed as a senior adviser to United States (US) President Joe Biden.

This comes two months after she withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget due to stiff opposition from Republican senators.

Tanden has been entrusted with two tasks – launch a review of the US Digital Service, and plan contingencies that could result from the Supreme Court's consideration of Republican lawsuits seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act. Tanden, 50, is currently the president and CEO of a progressive think-tank, Center for American Progress (CAP). "Neera's intellect, tenacity, and political savvy will be an asset to the Biden administration," CAP founder and director John Podesta said. He said the White House has made remarkable progress combating numerous once-in-ageneration challenges - from vaccinating millions of Americans to delivering real economic relief from the coronavirus pandemic, and from strengthening the Affordable Care Act to tackling climate change. "Many of these bold policy solutions, which have bipartisan support from voters across the country, were developed and led by Neera at CAP over many years. The administration's efforts will be magnified with Neera Tanden on the team," Podesta added.

In March, she faced a tough time for the confirmation of her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) over her past social media outbursts against several lawmakers, includ-

Neera Tanden

ing those from her own Democratic Party.

She became the Biden administration's only Cabinet nominee rebuffed by the Senate.

Tanden previously served as a senior adviser for health reforms at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

She worked with Congress and stakeholders on particular provisions of former President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act. Before that, Tanden was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, where she managed all domestic policy proposals. Tanden also served as policy director for Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign. Before the 2008 presidential campaign, Tanden served as legislative director in Clinton's office, and deputy campaign manager and issues director for Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign. She began her career as an associate director for domestic policy in former President Bill Clinton's White House, and senior policy adviser to the First Lady.

Tanden holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a law degree from the Yale Law School.

Farmers, cops clash in Hisar ahead of CM Khattar’s event Violent clashes erupted between farmers and Haryana police in Hisar on Sunday, as the farmers tried to march towards a Covid care centre which CM Manohar Lal Khattar was slated to inaugurate. Police used teargas and lathi charge to prevent the farmers from reaching the venue and disrupting the event. The farmers then pelted police with stones, who retaliated likewise and fired teargas shells into the crowd.

Around 50 farmers and 20 cops, including DSP Abhimanyu Lohan and five women cops, were injured in the clashes that continued for nearly two hours. Police also detained 65 farmers. Around 3,000

farmers had gathered in the town to protest against the visit of Khattar to inaugurate a 500-bed temporary Covid care centre set up on the campus of Om Prakash Jindal Modern School in Hisar on Sunday.

The BJP-JJP government have been facing protests across districts. The Hisar administration kept details of the CM visit secret, but locals got wind of it and panchayats of 72 villages at Landhri toll plaza, 42 villages at Chaudharywas toll plaza, and villagers at Badopatti toll plaza on Saturday decided not to allow the chief minister to enter Hisar on Sunday.

and 384 seats in the Rajya Sabha chamber. The increase in seating capacity in Parliament has created a buzz around the ‘delimitation exercise’ due in 2026. Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of the Lok Sabha and Assembly segments to represent changes in population. The number of seats has remained more or less the same since the last exercise carried out in 1976 on the basis of the 1971 Census.

To ensure that the southern states – which promoted family planning – do not end up with a reduction in seats, the delimitation exercise was frozen till 2001 on grounds that a uniform population growth rate would be achieved throughout the country by then. In 2001, this was further extended till 2026. The base year for delimitation exercise will be 2021 population. The latest Census has been postponed due to the pandemic.

Hence, I have taken the 2019 statewise voting population as the base.

The new capacity of 888 Lok Sabha members means that in absolute terms Uttar Pradesh is likely to witness the highest increase of 63 seats. In relative terms, it is likely to be Rajasthan, almost doubling

to 48.

The Southern Region is likely to witness a decline of 2% in overall proportion of seats. This is likely to be gained by the Northern Region.

And this is the root cause of the opposition. Southern India is the only region which has been holding off the BJP till now. The BJP has minimal presence in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Karnataka is the only state where it is strong and is in power.

A decline in representation of the South will further benefit and strengthen the BJP, the Opposition fears. The Opposition hopes that by pushing the construction of the new annexe/the Central Vista project, it may be able to further defer the delimitation exercise beyond 2026. Then, the absence of adequate infrastructure to house the increase in the number of MPs could be used as a reason to delay the exercise. The delimitation exercise is due in 2026, meaning the new framework is likely to be in place not before the 2029 general elections shows why the opposition to the Central Vista is baseless and is being carried out for political reasons.

ABPL@49 : with gratitude to all By the grace of God and blessings of our elders, well-wishers, readers, and supporters, Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice entered their glorious 50th year on May 5, 2021.

On this special occasion, a virtual event was organised, ABPL @49. The online event was managed by well known announcer, Shri Tushar Joshi. On this auspicious occasion, prominent writers, columnists, and professionals from India and the UK graced the event with their august presence.

Shrimati Mayaben Deepak, a famous singer, initiated the program with prayers.

Jyoti Gurnani, Assistant manager , Sales and Marketing Department, welcomed the guests and addressed, "It makes us feel proud as ABPL Group has achieved another milestone. What began as a small step has risen to stand tall through its countless achievements and accomplishments. The success remains incomplete without all our clients and subscribers as they have helped us to reach out to the world and spread awareness".

Padmashri Vishnubhai Pandya , Hon. Editor , Gujarat Samachar, joined the celebration and said, " ABPL completes its 49th year , but the spirit is still the same and the reason behind this is our values and ethos . It is very difficult task to manage two newspapers - Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar at a challenging time."

Shri Achyutbhai Sanghvi, News Editor , Gujarat Samachar addressed the event and shared his experience of being a part of ABPL. He said Gujarat Samachar has always provided him a platform to share his views.

Mr Manish Mehta , a distinguished digital media personality added, “It’s a coincidence that today ABPL enters its 50th year, and tomorrow I will be completing my 50th year. I have also worked with several media houses and for the last 16 years, I am working with Divya Bhaskar Group. I see Gujarat Samachar/ Asian Voice from a different perspective as it offers its readers creative content that readers love to read and spend their precious time on it. These newsweeklies have become a part of life for Indians living in the UK.” Mrs Kokilaben Patel - Managing Editor of Gujarat Samachar shared her experience of being immensely proud to be a part of ABPL Group. She said that in this journey of 39 years with ABPL she has learned a lot of new things. With continuous hard work, teamwork, and dedication of all our members, ABPL proudly enters its half-century.

As CB says, we believe in “Gyan Yagna and Seva Yagna”.

Consulting Editor, Gujarat Samachar, Mrs Jyotsnaben Shah said, "Even though I have not pursued a course in journalism, Gujarat Samachar taught me to be a journalist." With the continuous guidance and support of Mr CB Patel, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have achieved grand success."

Mr Mahesh Shah, senior correspondent - Chitralekha said that it’s an achievement for ABPL as the employees are maintaining their tenure in the same organization for a long period in comparison to other media houses where employees prefer to change the workplace frequently.

Our esteemed columnist, Mrs Ruchiben Ghanshyam - Senior Diplomat and a former High Commissioner said that on this occasion, she realised why she is so much attached to this newspaper, as her son shares his birthday with this auspicious day for ABPL. She also said that the love and commitment towards India and the UK are valuable which is reflected in these publications.

CB Patel invited Mr Rohit Vadhwana , First Secretary ( Economy , Press and Information) , Indian High Commission , U.K., to share his views on this special occasion. Addressing the event Mr. Vadhwana said, “As ABPL Group is having a strong connection throughout the world, I would suggest you to offer the readers with news across Asia. So, it becomes a real Asian Voice and not an Indian Voice.”

The session was concluded by Mr CB Patel – Publisher / Editor of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice – London, thanking all the speakers and well-wishers. He further added that the ABPL group is blessed with loyal employees who are assets of this organisation and we work for the betterment of the community at large.

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SOUTH INDIA

Karnataka logs 38,603 new Covid cases, 476 fatalities Bengaluru: Karnataka on Monday logged 38,603 new Covid -19 cases, which is significantly higher than Sunday's count of 31,531 fresh infections. And on Monday, the cumulative total reached 22,42,065, while the active number of cases touched 6,03,639, the health bulletin stated. It further noted, 476 people died due to the coronavirus pushing the death toll to 22,313, while the total recoveries reached 16,16,092 after 34,635 were discharged in the last 24 hours.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa asked the patients to make use of the triaging centres in the city to avail medical treatment before going to the hospital. "We are increasing the number of triage centres in the city. There will be doctors available round-the-clock at these centres, who will work in three shifts."

"Looking at the conditions of the patients, the doctors will recommend sending them to the hospitals and will decide when to give treatment at the ICU," the Chief Minister said at the launch of a triage centre of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike at Kengeri in the city.

Meanwhile, Karnataka government said that altogether 97 people in the state contracted mucormycosis or black fungus

as a post-Covid complications in the state.

However, there is no reason to panic as it does not spread like Covid, state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar assured. In case a patient contracts black fungus, Sudhakar said he/she should notify regional centres in the state for its treatment.

Kerala sees fall in cases Continuing to register a decline in new daily infections, Kerala on Monday reported 21,402 fresh Covid-19 case, taking the caseload to 21,39,314, while a record 99,651 people were cured in the last 24 hours, pushing the total recoveries to 18,00,179.

The dip in new cases was detected through 86,505 tests carried out in the last 24 hours, taking the test positivity rate to 24.74 per cent. With 87 more people succumbing to the disease, the toll reached 6,515.

Currently 3,62,315 people are undergoing treatment for the virus in the state. Of the positive cases, 100 people had come from outside the state and 19,612 were infected through contact.

While Malappuram reported 2,941 cases, the highest, Thiruvananthapuram accounted for 2,634, Ernakulam 2,315, Thrissur 2,045 and Kollam 1,946. At least 10,19,085 people are under quarantine in various districts.

33,075 new cases in Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu recorded 33,075 new Covid cases, bringing the state tally to 16,31,291.

Among these, Chennai reported 6,150 cases, bringing the city’s total to 4,44,371. The state recorded 335 deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 18,005. A total of 20,486 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 13,81,690. As of Sunday, the number of active cases in the state is 2,19,342. Till date, 9,56,543 males, 6,41,635 females and 38 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state. According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department , 2,51,17,215 samples from the state have been tested till date. There are 267 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 198 are private facilities.

PUNJAB

Amarinder, Yogi Adityanath spar over new Punjab district Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath had a terse exchange over the creation of a new district in Punjab, which the saffronrobed Chief Minister of UP tweeted shows the Congress' "divisive policy".

Singh, hours after the tweet by his UP counterpart, said in a statement Adityanath's comment was an "attempt to incite communal hatred in the peaceful state as part of the BJP's divisive policies." Singh had earlier announced Punjab's newest and its 23rd district named Malerkotla, some 131 km from Chandigarh, after carving it out from Sangrur district.

"Happy to share that on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ulFitr, my government has announced Malerkotla as the newest district in the state. The

distinction based on faith and religion is contrary to the spirit of India's Constitution.

At this time, the formation of Malerkotla Yogi Adityanath and Amarinder Singh (Punjab) is a 23rd district holds huge reflection the divisive policy of historical significance. Have the Congress," Adityanath ordered to immediately locate a tweeted in Hindi. suitable site for the district Responding to Adityanath, administrative complex," Singh the Punjab Chief Minister in tweeted on Friday. the statement said his UP Sikhs across the globe counterpart must stay out of revere Sher Mohammed Khan, Punjab's affairs, "which are in the former Nawab of much better shape than those Malerkotla, who raised his voice in UP under the divisive and against the torture and bricking destructive BJP government, alive of the two sons of Guru which has been actively Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh promoting communal discord guru, by the Mughals. The in the state for the past over Punjab government's move, four years." however, was criticised by the "What does he (Adityanath) UP Chief Minister. "Any know of Punjab's ethos or the

history of Malerkotla, whose relationship with Sikhism and its Gurus was known to every Punjabi? And what does he understand of the Indian Constitution, which is being brazenly trampled every day by his own government in UP?" Amarinder said.

Malerkotla was established in 1454 by Sheikh Sadruddin-iJahan from Afghanistan, and subsequently the state of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by Bayazid Khan. It was later merged with other nearby princely states to create Patiala and East Punjab States Union or PEPSU. During reorganisation of states in 1956, the territory of the former state of Malerkotla became part of Punjab. Singh, who belongs to the former Patiala royals, recalled his cordial ties with the then Nawab of Malerkotla, whom he fondly called "chachaji".

WEST BENGAL

Bengal governor faces black flags, blames ‘collapse of rule of law’ Cooch Behar/Kolkata: Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was greeted with black flags by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters during his visit to Sitalkuchi last week. His car was mobbed by TMC members quite a few times following which the governor admonished the Dinhata inspector-in charge (IC). BJP MP Nisith Pramanik, who accompanied Dhankhar, was seen asking police to lathicharge the mob and make way for the Governor.

The Governor’s visit to Sitalkuchi, where four persons were killed in firing by the CISF on April 10 during the fourth phase of polling in Bengal, also evoked sharp criticism from TMC, which asked if “Raj Bhavan was exceeding Constitutional norms and acting on a post-poll script authored by

Jagdeep Dhankhar

PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, who were still unable to accept their miserable defeat in the justconcluded Bengal polls.”

Dhankhar blamed inadequate police arrangements made during his journey via Dinhata.

“I am being gheraoed repeatedly,” he told the police.

“Trinamool rogues came in my way. It points to collapse of the rule of law,” said Dhankhar, adding that he had never dreamt

of such a “nanga raj” in Bengal. Dhankhar said he saw the pain of people as houses had been looted and materials stored for marriages had not been spared. “Even items stored for last rites were looted,” the Governor said in Sitalkuchi.

Earlier in the day, Dhankhar visited Mathabhanga area’s Choto Khater Bari, where houses of BJP workers had been vandalised. “In a democracy, all have the right to move. It is my constitutional duty,” he said in Mathabhanga in response to the chief minister’s letter that the head of state was overstepping his brief by deciding his itinerary without holding prior consultations with the council of ministers. In Kolkata, former finance minister Yashwant

Sinha said: “The West Bengal governor is acting according to a script provided to him by Modi and Shah, who have not yet accepted their miserable defeat in the elections and who have no respect for the Constitution of India. They will never leave Mamata Banerjee in peace.”

MP Saugata Roy said, “He has shattered to pieces all constitutional norms and decorum. The Governor may have forgotten the constitutional provisions from Article 153 to 162, which makes it incumbent that he acts on the advice of the chief minister and her council of ministers. He has blatantly violated that by proceeding to Cooch Behar, without the consent of the state, and levelling imaginary charges against the chief minister,” said Roy.

in brief ANDHRA CONVERTS TEMPLES INTO COVID CARE CENTRES The Andhra Pradesh government has converted several major temples in the state into Covid Care Centres (CCCs) to accommodate the infected patients. The Endowments Department has completed arrangements in major temples like Annavaram, Dwaraka Tirumala, Vijayawada, Kanipakam, Srikalahasthi, Srikakulam, Mahanandi, Simhachalam, Srisailam and Pedakakani, Andhra Pradesh Digital Corporation (APDC), said in a tweet. Sixteen major temples will have 1,000 beds while smaller temples will have 25 beds.

Primary medicare will be provided under the supervision of doctors, the APDC said. The government has already opened 115 CCCs in all the 13 districts of the state with a bed capacity of 52,471. As on May 16, a total of 17,417 Covidinfected people were lodged in the CCCs and 35,054 beds were vacant, according to the health department.

MLC POLLS IN ANDHRA, TELANGANA DEFERRED The Election Commission of India (EC) postponed polls to nine legislative council seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana scheduled this month due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. In a statement, the EC said it reviewed the matter and decided that due to the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country, it would be inappropriate to hold the election until the pandemic situation significantly improves and conditions become conducive to hold the polls. “The Commission will take a decision in the matter at an appropriate time in the future after taking inputs from the concerned states and assessing the pandemic situation from mandated authorities like National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA),” the statement said. It added the terms of three members of Andhra Pradesh and six that of Telangana state legislative councils would expire on May 31 and June 3.

LAWYERS SEEK TRANSFER OF CHIEF JUSTICE The Punjab and Haryana high court Bar Association has passed a resolution demanding transfer of Chief Justice RS Jha and has decided to boycott his court, forcing the apex regulatory body of advocates, Bar Council of India, to step in to resolve the impasse. The HC Bar Association’s resolution boycotting the chief justice’s court till he was transferred out was stayed by the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, the Bar Council of India (BCI) refused to vacate the stay on an appeal by the HC Bar Association.

However, the BCI, headed by senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, decided to set up a seven-member committee with senior advocate Ashwini Kumar Chopra as convenor to resolve the stalemate.

2 BENGAL BJP MLAS TO GIVE UP SEATS, RETAIN MP BERTHS Two BJP MPs - Jagannath Sarkar and Nisith Pramanik, elected to the Bengal assembly from Santipur and Dinhata, respectively - are likely to give up their MLA seats and send their resignation to Speaker Biman Banerjee within two weeks. The BJP brass wants them to retain their Parliament membership, which will allow them to serve seven assembly segments instead of one each. “The party has sent out a message that it wants me to retain the berth in Parliament. I have been a BJP soldier and will continue to be so,” Sarkar said. “We will submit our resignation within two weeks,” he added. Pramanik, who won by a wafer-thin margin of 57 votes, voiced similar sentiments. The decision of the two BJP MPs will leave a total of five Bengal assembly seats vacant.

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PM Modi to visit cyclone-hit areas to review damage Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he will be visiting Gujarat and Diu to review the situation and damage caused by cyclone Tauktae. Modi will leave Delhi in the morning and will land at Bhavnagar from where he will proceed for an aerial survey of Una, Diu, Jafarabad and Mahuva. The prime minister will also hold a review meeting with officials in Ahmedabad.

The storm has claimed at least 13 lives and left a trail of destruction in the Saurashtra region after it made landfall near Una in Gir Somnath district on Monday, bringing along with it very strong winds and heavy rainfall that damaged nearly 16,500 houses and uprooted over 40,000 trees.

Meanwhile, several Navy vessels, helicopters, tug boats and rescue ships were pressed into service to evacuate people stuck on different barges in the high sea off the Mumbai coast. According to the latest information, a total of 180 people on-board barge P305, which sunk after it went adrift in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai, have been saved. Near 80 people are still missing. Meanwhile, a total of 339 people onboard Gal Constructor and SS-3 are said to be rescued.

Power outages were reported from 5,951 villages, including 52

Covid-19 hospitals and 13 oxygen plants, while damage to 196 roads was also reported from across the region. Several rivers in the Saurashtra region are in spate

Narendra Modi

following the heavy rainfall since Monday. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who took stock of the situation from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Gandhinagar, said 13 ‘accidental’ deaths have been reported including one each from Vapi, Rajkot and Gariyadhar.

The cyclonic storm damaged a sea-facing safety wall and iron gates near the iconic Gateway of India and some jetty stones in the vicinity also got dislodged due to its impact, civic officials said.

The main structure of the historic monument did not suffer any damage, but a portion of the footpath near it caved in, they said.

Huge tidal waves in the Arabian Sea threw heaps of garbage at the monument, which is a major tourist attraction, as the cyclonic storm passed close to the Mumbai

coast on Monday, they said.

Meanwhile, a Chetak helicopter operating from Coast Guard Air Enclave Goa rescued two distressed and stranded employee

of Light House Authority from Vengrula LightHouse– 38 Nautical miles North of Vasco. The lighthouse had a total power failure and was badly damaged due to high-speed wind and rough weather conditions at sea. As many as 2,364 trees were uprooted in Mumbai as heavy winds reaching up to 114 km/hour swept through the city. Mumbai also received 230 mm rainfall due to the cyclonic storm.

Widespread rain over northwest India Remnants of cyclone are likely to cause widespread rain over northwest India for the next three days, with moderate to heavy intensity rainfall forecast in Delhi-

with thunderstorms over the Western Himalayan Region and the adjoining plains of northwest India, especially on May 19 and 20.

These aforementioned regions may

blowing at the speed of 40 to 50 kmph.

Orange alert across northwest India Owing to these rough weather conditions, the IMD has issued an orange alert over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh. This level of advisory instructs residents to ‘be prepared’ for the rough weather conditions. The rainfall intensity will gradually be subdued over the other places, and therefore, only Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and west Uttar Pradesh have been placed under an orange alert for May 20. Warning levels in other places like Punjab, Haryana,

NCR on Wednesday as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The cyclone is likely to move north-northeastwards from the Gujarat coast and weaken gradually over the next three hours, causing heavy to very heavy rainfall over Rajasthan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tauktae is the fourth cyclone in consecutive years to have developed in the Arabian Sea, that too in the pre-monsoon period (April to June). All these cyclones since 2018 have been categorised either ‘Severe Cyclone’ or above.

The cyclonic storm has brought along extremely rough weather conditions across the west coast of India. While the southern peninsula drenched under incessant heavy downpour for the last few days, the storm has now induced torrential rains and gusty winds across Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The storm usually weakens rapidly after landfall as the ocean heat and moisture that fuels the storm are no longer available.

Therefore, the rainfall intensity will gradually reduce as the storm moves inland, but it can still produce heavy rains over Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Wednesday. The IMD states that the remnants of this system are likely to cause fairly widespread to widespread rainfall

also witness isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall on these two days.

Besides heavy rains, all these aforementioned places are expected to experience thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms along with gusty winds

Chandigarh and Delhi are demoted to yellow watch, which instructs residents to ‘be aware’ of the weather. Meanwhile, for both the days, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh has been placed under the yellow watch advisory.

Mallya loses bankruptcy petition amendment battle in UK court A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) moved a step closer in their attempt to recover debt from loans paid out to Vijay Mallya’s nowdefunct Kingfisher Airlines after the High Court in London upheld an application to amend their bankruptcy petition, in favour of waiving their security over the businessman’s assets in India.

Chief Insolvencies and Companies Court (ICC) Judge Michael Briggs handed down his judgment in favour of the banks to declare there is no public policy that prevents a waiver of security

Vijay Mallya

rights, as argued by Mallya’s lawyers. At a virtual hearing, July 26 was set as the date for final

arguments for and against granting a bankruptcy order against Mallya after the banks accused him of trying to “kick matters into the long grass" and called on the “bankruptcy petition to be brought to its inevitable end".

“I order that permission be given to amend the petition to read as follows: ‘The Petitioners (banks) having the right to enforce any security held are willing, in the event of a bankruptcy order being made, to give up any such security for the benefit of all the bankrupt’s creditors’," Justice Briggs’

judgment reads. There is nothing in the statutory provisions that prevent the Petitioners from giving up security," he notes.

Mallya’s barrister, Philip Marshall, had referenced witness statements of retired Indian judges in previous hearings to reiterate that there is “public interest under Indian law" by virtue of the banks being nationalised. However, Justice Briggs found no impediment to the creditors relinquishing their security under Indian law because of the engagement of a “principle concerning public interest" and

favoured the submissions made by retired Indian Supreme Court judge Gopala Gowda at a hearing in December 2020 in this regard.

“In my judgment the simple stance taken by Justice Gowda that Section 47 PIA 1920 is evidence of the ability of a secured creditor to relinquish the creditor’s security is to be preferred," the ruling notes.

The Indian banks, represented by the law firm TLT LLP and barrister Marcia Shekerdemian, were also granted costs in totality for the petition hearings, as the “overall successful" party in the case.

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Drop in India's Covid cases clouded by sharp fall in tests, vaccinations The drop in the number of fresh Covid infections in India is being twinned by a drop in the number of vaccinations - increasing concern about a possible third wave which experts say will affect children. Official data shows the number of tests has also plateaued.

Instead of stepping up tests during a spike - as global experts advise to stay ahead of the curve - the current figures are way below the country's capacity and way below a comparative percentage.

Vaccination figures over the last month shows a shocking drop in numbers from four weeks ago.

From 32,70,000, the number has slid to 690,000.

At the current rate of 1.8 million vaccination per day, it would take more than 3 years to vaccinate 80 per cent of the country's population - the magic figure needed for herd immunity.

To reach the target of vaccinating 1.112 billion people by December 31,

which is what the government is hoping to achieve, 8.95 million people needs to be vaccinated every day. Over the last weeks, several states, including Delhi, have flagged vaccine shortage. A number of vaccination centres have been shut in Maharashtra.

Delhi will have to do the same, at least where 18-44-year-olds are concerned.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said there are vaccine stocks only for the next three days. The Centre, he said, has written informing Delhi that it can send no more vaccine for this age group this month. While the two vaccine producers supplying the country - Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech - are ramping up capacity, the Centre has indicated that supplies can get a boost only in July or August.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar has assured that enough vaccine doses will be

available from July-August. Over the weekend, his cabinet colleague and Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said the number of vaccine doses administered will reach 516 million by the end of July.

The government has been trying to expand the vaccine palette, but so far only Russian vaccine Sputnik V has made an appearance. US vaccine makers Pfizer and Johnson &Johnson have turned down the government's offer, sources have said.

Last week, the Centre announced a bigger gap between the two doses of Covishield - from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks -drawing Congress mockery. The Centre's measure was just expediency in face of the vaccine shortage, several leaders have said.

The number of tests, meanwhile, indicates that the average daily figure is up by only 75 per cent from April 1 - a minuscule figure when the rate infection is

taken into consideration. From April 1 to the peak last week, the number of people infected has undergone a whopping 531 per cent hike.The testing capacity, though, is far from being pushed to the limit. India has a capacity of conducting 330,000 tests, but the daily average is 180,000-- up from 100,000 on April 1. This means 45 per cent of the country's testing capacity is lying unused.

Earlier this month, the government said patients will not need a second test and will be considered Covid-free after 15 days. This, the government had said, was to keep the pressure of the country's labs, which were

being hugely stretched in view of the second wave.

"At present, the laboratories are facing challenges to meet the expected testing target due to extraordinary case load and staff getting infected with COVID-19," said then Indian Council of Medical Research, the nodal body in the fight against Covid.

On Monday, for the second time in three days, the fatality figures crossed 4,000 - 4,106 Covid patients have died since Sunday.

The daily surge dropped below the 300,000-mark for the first time since April 21 - with 281,000 fresh infections reported in the last 24 hours.

Day after Bengal drama of arrest, 3 TMC leaders rushed to hospital West Bengal is once again witnessing high drama just weeks after the fever pitch elections as three of the top TMC leaders and ministers got arrested and CM Mamata Banerjee challenged the CBI to arrest her as well. Although Monday’s daylong drama ended with the Calcutta High Court refusing to give bail to the three arrested TMC heavyweights Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee and Madan Mitra, it resumed on Tuesday morning with three of the four arrested being rushed to hospitals.

The four Bengal leaders

Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee were taken to the Presidency Correctional Home in Kolkata late on Monday night after their bail was rejected in the Narada sting case. On Tuesday morning, former TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and TMC MLA Madan Mitra complained of uneasiness and discomfort and were admitted to the SSKM Hospital’s Woodburn Ward. A few hours later, Subrata Mukherjee too complained of uneasiness and was also taken to the SSKM Hospital while Firhad

Hakim remained at the Presidency jail.

Raid, arrest, bail and back in jail Early on Monday, the day started in Kolkata with the news of minister Firhad Hakim being picked up by the CBI from his south Kolkata residence. Soon, it emerged that CBI had carried out parallel raids on three TMC leaders and Sovan Chatterjee, a former minister. The four leaders were taken to the CBI office even as hundreds of TMC supporters started protesting on the roads and jostled with the central forces as they took away

Firhad Hakim.

TMC supporters and several leaders soon reached the CBI office and started protesting outside the gates.

Within minutes, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the CBI office and challenged the probe agency to arrest her as well. While Mamata stayed put inside the CBI office premises, hundreds of TMC supporters started pelting stones at the building as the security personnel tried to control the crowd.

After six hours of sitting inside the CBI campus, Mamata finally exited the building on Monday evening

even as TMC supporters continued with their protests outside and also in front of Raj Bhawan. Later during a virtual hearing after CBI submitted its chargesheet, special CBI judge Anupam Mukherjee granted bail to all four after

hearing their lawyers and the counsel for the agency.

Later at night, the Calcutta High Court rejected the bail.

The four leaders were then taken to the Presidency correctional facility with their families waiting outside.

Oxygen shortage claims 83 lives at Never exported vaccines at the cost of people in India, says Adar Poonawalla Goa Medical College The dark hour between 2 am and 6 am claimed eight more lives on Saturday due to oxygen fluctuations at Goa Medical College, taking the toll of Covid patients dead due to the oxygen crisis at the premier government hospital to 83 during the past five days. While the GMC doctors were reluctant to directly attribute the deaths to erratic oxygen supply, nurses, relatives of patients and volunteers confirmed that transitory dips in oxygen were noticed throughout the night.

“We cannot directly say that this is the reason (interruption in oxygen supply) why they died. Most of the patients die because of Covid pneumonia and oxygen is an important part of the treatment,” said GMC dean Dr S M Bandekar. A log of dips in the central oxygen pipeline maintained by GMC showed that 13 wards reported a drop in oxygen supply, with the longest drop being recorded in ward 143 for a duration of 90 minutes. However, the availability of oxygen cylinders helped prevent a higher number of casualties, said medical staff.

Critically ill patients sent to GMC GMC dean Dr Bandekar said all critically ill Covid patients are referred to GMC and 160 of them are hooked on to ventilators. “But how to prove that interruptions have caused those deaths?” he said. Health minister Vishwajit Rane said the dip in oxygen supply could not be

correlated with deaths. But on Tuesday last, Rane himself had said as many as 26 patients had died due to oxygen shortage.

He had said many more patients had died earlier too, and the high court should conduct a probe to find out why it was happening. The daily medical bulletin on Saturday said 58 Covid patients lost their lives over the past 24 hours with 33 of the deaths occurring at GMC itself. The deaths also took Goa’s Covid fatality count across the 2,000mark, with doctors saying that this may still not be the peak of the second wave for Goa. Goa’s positivity rate, which remains the highest among states in the country at 42%, only serves to back up the fears of the doctors. The Union territory of Puducherry, at 42.3%, is just a sliver above Goa. After a strong rebuke from the Goa bench of the Bombay high court, the state government appears to have finally grasped the severity of the situation and has rushed through the installation of a 23,000-litre liquid medical oxygen plant, which has been pushed into trial runs within 48 hours of work commencing.

On Wednesday last, hearing a slew of PILs on Covid management and oxygen crisis, a bench of Justices Mahesh Sonak and Nitin Sambre had directed the state government to ensure that no more lives were lost due to the oxygen crisis.

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla in a statement, laid to rest all apprehensions regarding government's vaccine export policy- thereby laying down the basic premise behind SII's vaccine distribution policy, both domestically and abroad. The firm has "never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India.

India's vaccination drive cannot be completed in two or three months given the huge population," said Poonawalla.

He also pointed out the circumstances in which consignments of vaccines were sent abroad and the commitments made by the government in the initial stages of the pandemic last year. "People do not tend to realise that India is amongst the two most populous countries in the world and the vaccination drive for such a population cannot be completed in two to three months," added Poonawalla.

"Serum has delivered 200 million doses, even though we received emergency use authorisation two months after the US pharma companies. If we look at the total doses produced and delivered we rank among the top three in the world," he added."We must also understand that this pandemic is not limited by geographic or

political boundaries. We will not be safe until everyone in the world is able to defeat the virus," the statement said. The Modi administration, has come under heavy criticism for its botched up vaccination strategy and not ordering enough vaccines to give to the people.

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HEALTH

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22 - 28 May 2021

Vegetarians have healthier diseases marker than meat-eaters: Study A new study conducted over 166,000 UK adults reveals vegetarians have a healthier biomarker profile than meateaters. This applies to adults of any age and weight, and largely remains unaffected by their smoking and drinking habits. Presented at week's European Congress on Obesity (ECO), the study was conducted by researchers from the University of Glasgow to understand whether dietary choice can make a difference to the levels of disease markers in blood and urine.

Biomarkers can have bad and good health effects, promoting or preventing cancer,

cardiovascular and age-related diseases, and other chronic conditions, and have been widely used to assess the effect of diets on health. A cross-sectional study analysing data from healthy participants aged 37-73 years was conducted in the UK Biobank study. Participants were divided as either vegetarian (do not eat red meat, poultry or fish; 4,111 participants) or meat-eaters (166,516 participants), according to their selfreported diet.

The researchers examined the association with 19 blood and urine biomarkers related to diabetes, cardio-

vascular diseases, cancer, liver, bone and joint health, and kidney function. Even after taking into account potentially influential factors

including age, sex, education, ethnicity, obesity, smoking, and alcohol intake, the analysis found that vegetarians had significantly

lower levels of 13 biomarkers as compared to meat-eaters.

These biomarkers include total cholesterol, apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, gamma-glutamyl transferase and alanine aminotransferase, liver function markers indicating inflammation or damage to cells, insulin-like growth factor, urate, total protein, and creatinine.

However, they also had lower levels of beneficial biomarkers including highdensity lipoprotein, vitamin D, and calcium and higher levels of fats in the blood and

cystatin-C. Dr Carlos Celis-Morales from the University of Glasgow said, “Our findings offer real food for thought.

As well as not eating red and processed meat which have been linked to heart diseases and some cancers, people who follow a vegetarian diet tend to consume more vegetables, fruits, and nuts which contain more nutrients, fibre, and other potentially beneficial compounds.

These nutritional differences may help explain why vegetarians appear to have lower levels of disease biomarkers that can lead to cell damage and chronic disease.”

The art of eating seasonal food in India Immune-improving Yoga poses India is a vibrant country, with a blessed geography. It has mountains, rainforests, deserts, and an expansive ocean coastline – a beauty to behold. To understand the food culture of the country, it is important to look at the climate first. According to the principles of Ayurveda, there are specific foods that should be consumed as per the weather. But then, it is not just the food and the seasons either, there are also cooking and preservation techniques depending on the geography.

India has four official seasons – Winter, Summer, Monsoon, and PostMonsoon. Ayurveda dictates a constitution of life forces – the doshas vata, pitta, and kapha. While vata involves the energy of movement, pitta involves digestion or metabolism, and kapha involves lubrication.

Meanwhile, there are six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.

Indians usually listen to the season, finding wisdom in what is available from Mother Nature. For example, Monsoon is the season when people are most prone to

catch colds and cough. Stone fruits which are rich in antioxidants are most available during this season in India. In Summer, when the body is in need for hydration, fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumber, and other kinds are available in abundance.

Summer: Okra, jackfruit, pumpkin, brinjal, cucumber, mango, litchi, melons, Indian blackberry, palm fruit, cashew.

Monsoon: Okra, colocasia leaves, apple, custard apple, stone fruits, etc.

Winter: Mustard, spinach, fenugreek, amaranth, beans, radish, red and black carrots, spring onion, green garlic, kohlrabi, ash gourd, yam, orange, chiku, guava, strawberries, grapes, figs, Indian gooseberry, etc.

Geography and food Rice is a staple in the coastal regions of India – Maharashtra, east and north-east, and South. Meanwhile wheat is mostly eaten in regions that get less rain – north India, central, and west India. There are several seasonal and regional grains and millets available like corn, sorghum, and foxtail millet.

There are also rules on what not to eat in a specific season. For e.g., the religion of Jainism preaches not to eat green leafy vegetables during monsoon season as they may carry worms – and Jains are against killing of any organism. Fishermen in Maharashtra do not venture into the sea during monsoon, which is why the state consumes dry fish curries and delicacies in this season.

India's diversity of culture and food is one for the books. Eating seasonal fruits and vegetables not only aids digestion, metabolism, and overall wellness, it also helps one fight seasonal diseases and stay active throughout the year-round.

to try at home As the novel coronavirus continues to lash across countries, experts believe the second or third wave won't really be the end of it. Focusing on government-suggested measures and improving one's immunity seems to be the only way to power through. A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine explores the healing benefits of yoga and meditation practices. While it does not say it will heal Covid-19, there are Yoga-associated anti-inflammatory effects.

The “Brief Overview of Key Subjects” found “there is evidence of stress and inflammation modulation, and also preliminary evidence for possible forms of immune system enhancement, accompanying the practice of certain forms of meditation, yoga, and pranayama, along with potential implications for counteracting some forms of infectious challenges.”

Pranayama connects the body and mind. It supplies the body with oxygen while removing toxins and is meant to provide healing physiolog-

ical benefits.

Anulom Vilom This is an alternate nostril breathing technique with a number of benefits like improving immune system, boosting your memory, improving respiratory and cardiovascular health and regulating blood pressure.

This asana is said to help improve sleep and de-stress.

Virkshasana This asana helps bring balance to your mind and body. It makes your legs stronger and is a great hip opener as it assists the body in establishing pelvic stability and strengthens the bones of the hips and legs. The shift of the entire body's weight to each leg strengthens the liga-

ments and tendons of the feet. It also helps strengthen the thighs, calves, and ankles.

Bhujangasana The reclining back-bending asana strengthens the spine, posterior, chest, abdomen, shoulders, lungs, and improves blood circulation.

Matsyasana This exercise has multiple benefits. From stretching the chest, abs, hip flexors and neck to stimulating two important areas of the body.

First is the throat chakra which relates to communication and self-expression and second is the crown chakra, on the top of your head, which is tied to wisdom and knowledge.

Significant increase in Obesity: new drug turns ‘energy-storing’ fat into ‘energy-burning’ fat child obesity treatments in UK Figures from NHS Digital reveal the number of obese babies and toddlers treated in NHS hospitals has more than doubled in the last two years. Doctors believe obesity was a contributory factor in 1,087 patients aged four and under last year, with 61 less than a year old. Their conditions included diabetes, asthma, potentially fatal sleep apnoea and stomach reflux, caused by scoffing fatty foods.

The figure has more than tripled from 335 in 2013-14 to 1,087 in 2019-20. Tam Fry from the National Obesity Forum was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying it was “horrifying” that infants “scarcely out of the womb” are so overweight.

He blamed a shortage of health visitors and midwives, early weaning to high-calorie foods and overweight parents.

Fry said, “It's an absolute disgrace that children so young are being treated in hospital with obesity. It shows a societal failure to get to grips with a problem that risks haunting these children for life. We need a complete revolution that gives youngsters a healthy start, from before they are even conceived.”

According to the World Health Organization 39% of all adults worldwide were overweight, and 13% had obesity. These conditions are associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.

Changing exercise and dietary habits can help people maintain a healthy weight. However, taking these steps effectively can be challenging for many reasons. Over the years, various drugs that suppress the appetite by acting directly on neurotransmitter systems in the brain have been withdrawn from the market due to adverse effects, particularly involving mood and the

function of the heart.

“Most current prescribed treatments are aimed at reducing food intake by targeting the central nervous system,” says Dr. Yanchuan Shi, who leads the neuroendocrinology group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in Sydney, Australia. “However, these can have significant psychiatric or cardiovascular side effects,” she notes. Dr Shi and colleagues wanted to test a new way of reducing weight gain without affecting the central nervous system.

Conserving energy stores The team focused on a nerve signaling molecule

called NPY. It helps many animals, including mice and humans, survive conditions in which food shortages are commonplace. NPY increases food intake and conserves energy stores by reducing heat generation in a type of fat tissue called brown adipose tissue. In an environment where people have ready access to food and do not get sufficient exercise, however, NPY may make it particularly difficult to lose weight.

“NPY is a metabolism regulator that plays a critical role during states of low energy supply, where it helps store fat as a survival mechanism,” says Prof. Herbert

Herzog, head of the Eating Disorders Lab at the Garvan Institute. Today, however, these advantageous effects can exacerbate existing dietinduced weight gain, leading to obesity and metabolic disease.”

Dr. Shi, Prof. Herzog, and colleagues investigated the effects of a drug called BIBO3304 on mice and human fat cells from people with obesity. The drug blocks a type of cell receptor for NPY called Y1 that is found in fat tissue and other tissues in the body.

Crucially, BIBO3304 cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, so it is unlikely to adversely affect mood.

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ART & CULTURE

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‘Let's not war, there are enough fires burning outside’ In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, actor Tillotama Shome spoke about Raahgir, her choices, and the future of films in the post-Covid world.

Shefali Saxena The opening film of the UK Asian Film Festival is Raahgir (The Wayfarers) (UK/ India, 2019, Dir: Goutam Ghose) which will premiere on Wednesday 26th May at BFI Southbank. The film features actors Adil Hussain, Tillotama Shome, Neeraj Kabi, in the story of a man and woman driven by hunger to search for work in the nearest town.

Q - Your film Raahgir is based on two underprivileged people who are trying to find economic opportunities. It comes at a time when this subject couldn't be more relevant than ever. What was the idea behind the inception of the film? Can you please elaborate?

This is a question for the director. Goutam da films have celebrated the extraordinary stories of ordinary men and women. I wanted to be a part of the film, to work with him, a filmmaker and human with such a rich legacy and yet an abundance of innocence.

Q - From Dussehra (a documentary on incest) to Sir (on Netflix), you've always mirrored the lesser

most trusted, widely appreciated actors in Indian cinema. If given a choice, what would you do differently, especially if you were to write or direct more evolved roles for women?

Adil Hussain and Tillotama Shome in Raahgir Oh thank you for feeling that way debated/discussed sentiment of about my work, I am very the common man which encouraged! I would have spent encompass pivotal societal even less time whining about issues. What makes you choose how unfair and difficult the such imperative projects and industry is. I would have spent where do you seek your more time investing in growing inspiration from to play such myself. Nobody can be more roles? committed to your growth than The criterion for selection is yourself. I wish for more evolved a very symbiotic one most of the roles not just for women but time. You think you are men too. The stereotypes are choosing, not knowing the not just stifling but also stillborn project has chosen you. I can and boring as hell. only look back at this process Q - Given the uncertainty of the retrospectively. I came into the pandemic and logistics of world of performance as an act filmmaking while following of defiance against certain protocol, what according to you limitations that I felt were is the future of the movies in stifling me. Acting continues to India? Please address the OTT be that act of defiance against versus Theatre war if possible. despair, disbelief and all the Let's not war, there are toxic stuff that does me no good. enough fires burning outside. I Q - You're unarguably one of the for one do not want to bring in

the syntax of war and it's divisive philosophy into any other world, least of all the arts. It's time to build bridges and heal.

Artists, storytellers, filmmakers can't just continue making things just as they were... nothing is the same. Why are we making what we are making?

This will lead us in ways that I hope will transcend all petty differences and create a new world where art manages to capture this extraordinary time as we pass through it and it passes through us.

Q - Do you think female actors will be given their due (monetarily and critically) in times when financing movies can be a daunting task for producers and projects will see the light of the day after much evaluation?

I believe we will be given our due. I would like to believe that.

If I can't believe in change, life would be insufferable. Women will play an important role in rehabilitation and their contribution will be respected just verbally but not economically too. I would like to believe in this possibility very much.

Channel 4 and Sathnam Sanghera to call out colonial myths in Empire & Me (w/t) Channel 4 will be tearing down the myths and misunderstandings of colonial history in a new commission that examines the way that the Empire has shaped modern Britain.

A 2x60 series from Sandpaper Films, Empire & Me (w/t) will see writer and broadcaster Sathnam Sanghera go on a very personal journey to unearth the roots that bind

his country to its colonial past.

Travelling across Britain and speaking to people from a variety of walks of life with his distinctive candour and wit, Sathnam will look at the ways in which the Empire is remembered and how this has created Britain’s

culture and its politics.

Sathnam’s journey across the series isn’t just intellectual.

His starting point is his own family’s experiences, their memories of racist signs in shops and of the antiimmigrant local MP Enoch

Powell in Wolverhampton when they arrived in 1968.

Sathnam will explore what it means, as a child of immigrants, to live in the shadow of the Empire. He also will ask how Britain, at a moment of enormous cultural and political division, might be able to come to terms with its past without hiding from its most troubling episodes.

Unique Art and Culture of Karnataka highlighted in the UK Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence, in association with The Bhavan- London hosted Kaustubham Karnatakam which highlighted Yakshagana, Dollu Kunitha, Veeragase, and Kamsale dances.

Some of these are hardly known or seen in the UK among wider audiences. Melodious lyrical contributions in classical and folk genres were presented by talented and award-winning singers from British Kannada Diaspora. It is the first program of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav series in the UK. Opening words were given by Dr. Nandakumara, Executive Director of The Bhavan. He began his rendition quoting from Bhagavata and continued speaking on Purandara Dasa compositions. The cultural program began with an invocation by Sneha Tayur who sang Purandara Dasa composition. Yakshagana, a 500-year-old traditional Indian Theatre art form was presented by Yogindra Maravante.

Raghavendra Gama spoke briefly on Dollu Kunitha, followed by a performance by their Anjaneya Kala Dollina

Sangha from Gama- Karnataka.

Basavaraj Harlapur, joined by members of his team, presented on Veeragase, followed by a performance by their Veerabhadreshwara Purvantara Janapada Kala Mela from Gadag,

Karnataka. Harsha Rani spoke on Kamsale while the dance was presented by young learners Sharad Shrinivas and Prateek Deshpande. Ganapati Bhat spoke on the importance of showcasing unseen art forms

and commended the organisers and performers for raising awareness among people. Vote of Thanks was rendered by Dr Ragasudha Vinjamuri, in which she has outlined individual as well as collective responsibility of people and organisations to pass the baton to the young. The program was co-hosted by Radhika Joshi and artist coordination in India was done

by Shobha Sagar, while VIVIDLIPI streamed it on YouTube.

The UK’s position as a cultural leader is at risk In an open letter, leaders from the arts sector have told the government that if the proposed 50% cuts to arts subjects at universities go ahead, the country’s position as a cultural leader will be at risk. It would include courses – including music, dance, drama and performing arts; art and design; media studies; and archaeology. After consulting the Office for Students (OfS) and the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, these courses were deemed to not be “strategic priorities”.

“The letter - organised by the Contemporary Visual Arts Network and signed by 300 art world

figures, including Sonia Boyce and the directors of all four Tate locations – said the plan to halve the amount spent on some arts subjects was a “strategic misstep”,” The Guardian reported.

The letter reads: “The current proposal may limit the availability and accessibility of places on arts courses and result in fewer courses being offered...This will have a detrimental impact on our ability to retain our world leading position, attract inward investment through our cultural capital and our share of the global art market.”

The letter contradicted the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport strategy.

in brief GURHARPAL SINGH RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Professor Gurharpal Singh received a lifetime achievement award at the 7th Sikh Studies Conference held by Zoom on 7 and 8 May at the University of California, Riverside.

The award was in recognition of Gurharpal's pioneering contribution to Punjab and Sikh Studies that included, among other things, the formation of the Punjab Research Group (1984), and as the founding editor of the International Journal of Punjab Studies (Sage, 1994) and Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory (Routledge, 2005). Drawing on his current research supported by the Leverhulme Trust, Gurharpal delivered a paper at the conference on 'The partition of India and the Sikhs: some unspoken assumptions'. Outputs from this project are forthcoming in Sikh Nationalism (Cambridge University Press, January 2022) and The Partition of India and the Sikhs (2023).

THE GRANDDAUGHTER PROJECT Shaheen is a renowned the Sufi Islamic World peace advocate and a direct descendant of the revered Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, one of the most significant saints of the Indian subcontinent and founder Chistiyya order of Sufism. The Granddaughter Project charts the experience of three very different women from around the world, who collectively use their voices to improve societal attitudes towards women for the benefit of their granddaughters. There’s Helga the Holocaust survivor, Kamla who was born into the Bengali Famine of 1943 and Lynette, a child of the Windrush generation. Each woman tells her story to her granddaughter for the first time in order to empower them and to give them the wherewithal to succeed where each of them have failed.

HERD OF ASIAN ELEPHANTS SPOTTED IN LONDON

British actress Joanna Lumley, Bollywood star Amy Jackson and TV presenter Donna Air joined a herd of life size lantana elephant sculptures as they crossed The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace, marking the next step of the CoExistence campaign.

Pictured alongside the magnificent animals were a number of Ghurka guards. It will be their responsibility to ensure the elephants remain guarded as they move into their next destination on the Kings Road and into the Royal Parks this summer.

Global Bollywood star and Elephant Family Ambassador Amy Jackson commented, “Following The Mall, these elephants will continue to make their way around the globe on their 13,000 mile migration. As they reach new places they will tell the story of our crowded planet, the effect of our human footprint on wild spaces and share inspiring ways we can coexist with all living beings that make our world magical – from tigers and badgers to nightingales and elephants.”

Along with Amy, Patron Donna Air also joined the migration to show her support to the CoExistence campaign.

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Priyanka on body positivity: I remind myself I am loved In a slew of interviews, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas spoke in length about singer Billie Eilish's new British Vogue cover, and body positivity. Gushing over the singer, Priyanka said, “She was unbelievable, so beautiful. Billie being herself, in her glory. That's what resonated with people I think, her being her best self and she looked amazing.”

Priyanka shed some light on body positivity, and how she adapts to her constantly changing body.

Speaking in an interview, she said, “My body has changed as I've gotten older, just as everyone’s body does, and I've had to adapt mentally as well with like, OK, this is what it looks like now, this is what I look

like now, it's alright, and catering to my now body and not my 10-or 20-years-ago body.”

For Priyanka, confident in one's own skin is the key. She said, “I just try to remind myself that I am loved and I feel good from the inside. I feel confident when I walk into a room and I try to remind myself that that has nothing to do with my body. Even though this culture gives credence to that, too much, maybe.”

On the work front, Priyanka has multiple projects in the pipeline, including Amazon series 'Citadel', romantic drama 'Text For You', and the highly anticipated 'The Matrix 4'.

Neetu Kapoor on living alone: I like my privacy

Amitabh contributed £1.5 mn in fight against Covid-19 Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan has a panache for writing. In his recent blog post, he shared his contributions to the ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus. Amitabh revealed that he contributed about £1.5 million and will not step back from doing more, even if it means dipping into his own funds. Amitabh also encouraged others to come forward. He wrote, “May we all come forward in a display of solidarity and togetherness, to hold each others hand in this trial and win.”

In his post, he wrote, “In this battle against this virus, many

have contributed and continue to be resolved in more .. the mention in the information circles resounds with £200,000 that I donated for the care Centre in Delhi for the moment .. but as days go by the figure of my personal contribution and donation shall be about £1.5 million.” He added, “Of course such figures are beyond my means, but I work and labour and resolve to dig into my earnings for those that need it most and with the kindness of the Almighty have been able to give this amount .. in time, if I am able to harness some more of my personal funds I shall not hesitate to contribute more.”

Amitabh added that he is helping people within the industry as well. “And there are those colleagues and friends that have run into difficult times financially .. they too have been given funds to tide over some of the trouble they find themselves in. This is not trumpeting my 'wares' .. if at all it can be a motivation for many others to come forward and donate, the amount of misery that one hears and sees could be greatly reduced.”

Amitabh said he ordered 20 ventilators from overseas, and that “they have started to arrive.” He also ordered oxygen concentrators from Poland, which shall be airlifted for Delhi. The actor said, “Meanwhile, the food for the poor has been initiated and 1,000 packets of dry food shall be going out to the poor.” He also adopted two children who lost their parents to Covid-19.

Veteran actor Neetu Kapoor has opened up about how her privacy is important to her and why she chooses not to live with son Ranbir Kapoor or daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. Neetu has chosen to stay on at her residence after husband Rishi Kapoor passed away last year.

Speaking in an interview, Neetu said she wants them to be busy with their lives. She said, “I say mere dil mein raho, mere sar pe mat chadho (stay in my heart, don't stand on my head). When Riddhima was with me during the pandemic, I was so stressed for one year because she couldn't go back. I used to get restless. I used to tell her to go back, Bharat (son-in-law) is along. I was literally pushing her away. I like my privacy. I am used to this way of life.”

After Rishi's death in 2020, Neetu has maintained that her children helped her heal. She had earlier said that the two of them supported her and gave her time to heal. Now, she wants them “to be busy with their lives” and stay in her heart.

“They have to get on with their lives.

I get happy when they come, but I want them to go back to their homes and be settled. I just say one thing, don’t meet me every day, but stay connected. I don’t want them to be around me all the time, I am very independent that way. I love my life the way it is,” the actor added.

Neetu is making a comeback with Raj Mehta's 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo'. The movie also stars Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles.

Paresh Rawal shuts down death rumour with hilarious reply Actor Paresh Rawal has become the latest Bollywood celebrity to fall prey to death hoaxes. The actor on Friday took to Twitter to rubbish a claim that he had died. He junked it with a witty response. The actor saw a hoax on Twitter that claimed he had died on Friday morning at 7 am.

Rubbishing it, the actor wrote, "...Sorry for the misunderstanding as I slept past 7 am...!"

In March this year, Paresh had confirmed on social media that he had been diagnosed with coronavirus, days after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.

"Unfortunately, I have tested positive for Covid-19. All those that have come in contact with me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested," the actor had written. Before Paresh Rawal, many celebrities such as Lucky Ali, Mukesh Khanna, Kirron Kher and others have also fallen prey to viral death hoaxes on social media in the recent past.

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Vidya Balan to collaborate Salman’s 'Radhe' creates with 'Tumhari Sulu' makers history; breaks records Vidya Balan is one of the finest actors in the film industry and has some amazing films to her credit. While the actress is currently working on the film 'Sherni', she is reportedly in talks for collaboration with the makers of her film 'Tumhari Sulu' for yet another realistic slice-of-life drama.

As per reports Vidya has given her nod to Ellipsis Entertainment's next. The production house is led by Tanuj Garg and Atul Kasbekar who also produced 'Tumhari Sulu'. The two have been discussing ideas to collaborate with Vidya for some time now and have finally zeroed in on script. As per reports the film will see Vidya play a strong character with emotional undertones. The film co-produced by Swati Iyer Chawala will be shot in Mumbai and South India over a 45-day schedule.

Vidya Balan starrer 'Tumhari Sulu' which saw the actress play a housewife turned radio jockey for a late night show which marked Ellipsis Entertainment's first production. The production house will next be producing Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin's 'Looop Lapeta', the shooting of which has been wrapped up.

Huma Qureshi joins hands with Zack Snyder to launch 100-bed hospital Actor Huma Qureshi has joined hands with global children's rights organisation Save The Children, along with ace Hollywood director Zack Snyder, to help Delhi fight the Covid-19 outrage. She shared last week that she will help the organisation launch a 100-bed hospital with an oxygen plant in the Capital. Her Twitter post read, “I've joined hands with @stc_india help Delhi fight the pandemic. We are working to build a temporary hospital facility in Delhi, that will have a 100 beds along with an oxygen plant. Please support us #BreathofLife.”

Snyder too requested his fans to donate to the cause. He shared a post reading, “I've joined hands with Save The Children to help Delhi fight the pandemic. They are working to build a temporary hospital facility in Delhi with 100 beds along with an oxygen plant. Please support.”

On the work front, Huma and Snyder have collaborated on the upcoming 'Army of the Dead'. The filmmaker has been showering praises on the actress, calling her “amazing” on more than one occasion. Huma meanwhile, also has 'Valimai', 'Bell Bottom', and SonyLIV series 'Maharani' in her kitty.

My kids made fun of me after watching 'Koyla': Madhuri

Anushka-Virat raise £1.1 mn for Covid-19 relief Power couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli have thanked people as they successfully raised money to help India at a time when the devastating second wave continues to claim victims.

Their fundraiser, for which they collaborated with Ketto went on to collect over £1.1 million.

Anushka tweeted, “Truly amazed and humbled by the spirit of solidarity that you all have shown. We are proud to announce that we have raised more than our initial target and it will go a long way to save lives.

Thank you for your overwhelming support in helping the people of India.”

'Radhe – Your Most Wanted Bhai' released theatrically in international markets on Friday (May 14) opened to a thunderous response from the audience. Right from fans cheering for the film in theatres overseas, to massive bookings on streaming platforms, the fans of the superstar Salman Khan watched the film as soon as it was released making it the most-watched movie on the day itself sending the servers crashing while making it a total Eid blockbuster.

Radhe emphatically demonstrates the success of a hybrid release and shows an effective model of releasing a film during these very tough times. This would be important not just to the stakeholders of Radhe but to the entire film industry of the country that is reeling under the impact of the pandemic. In a virtual interaction with media about the film, Salman said his characters are not really fit to be role models.

Salman said, “'Dabangg' is a character, I can't take that character back home. 'Radhe' is a character, I can't take back that character. I can't walk around in front of my parents as Chulbul Pandey. My dad would hit me, my mom would slap me and my brothers and sisters would be embarrassed of me.

So, I am at home as a son and as a brother. I would rather be somebody like 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'.”

He added that he “does not take the flirting and the love story back home with the heroines, nor do I take all the action, beating up 50-60 people, chopper sequences. I don't have that in my. That's a self obsessed or egoistic person. I know what my capacity is, I know how much I can do and I know how much the stunt double can do. I don't take that back home but I take a bit of the goodness back.”

Virat Kohli also tweeted, “Words fall short to express how overwhelmed we feel to have exceeded our target not once, but twice, thanks to each one of you.

To everyone who has donated, shared, & helped in any way, I want to say a big thank you. We are #InThisTogether & we will overcome this together.”

The pair partnered with crowd-funding platform Ketto and started the #InThisTogether campaign on May 7. They urged fans on social media to support them in their fight against Covid-19.

Kohli and Anushka managed to raise £360,000 in a single day after donating £200,000 from their own pockets.

Madhuri Dixit is undoubtedly one of the finest actors we have in Bollywood and she has proved the same with her body of work all these years. However, did you know that her kids once made fun of her after watching her in Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Koyla’?

In a throwback interview, Madhuri told a news portal that once her kids were watching ‘Koyla’ when she was leaving home for some work. Later, when she returned, she found a note on one of their computers asking her why she was acting funny in the film.

The actress also revealed another instance where her kids watched ‘Gulaab Gang’. There was a scene in the film where Madhuri raises her arm and says a dialogue. She revealed that her kids were imitating her for so long after that. The actress says this is how she is treated at home.

Madhuri has films like ‘Tezaab’, ‘Ram Lakhan’, ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!’, ‘Dil Toh Paagal Hai’ and many others to her credit. She was last seen in ‘Kalank’ where she was seen reuniting with her ‘Saajan’ co-star Sanjay Dutt. The movie also starred Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, and Aditya Roy Kapur in lead roles. It received a mixed reaction from the audience and the critics alike.

Madhuri is yet to announce her next film.

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Malayalam actress rocks the internet with a reply!

During Ramadan, cinema celebrities all over the country are taking it to their social media to post their wishes for the Muslims.

Most of these celebs uploaded their pictures and videos of themselves in a Ramzan attire to wish their followers. Likewise, Anu Sithara, a very popular Malayalam actress too uploaded pictures and a video on her official social media handles wearing Ramzan attires wishing her millions of followers. In regard to this, She wore a dark green veil around her head like a Muslim and posted with a caption of “Eid Mubarak to all??”

Among her followers, Sathyamoorthi Sathya commented on the post whether she converted herself as a Muslim? The comment garnered

huge attention and were anticipating what the actress would reply to this question. To this, the actress' short and immediate reply is, "to human" which meant that she got converted into a Human and made it clear that every religion is same to her and being Human is importantly above all. It insanely went viral all over social media with reactions praising her.

She is one of the established actors in Malayalam cinema and has massive following on social media. She debuted for the silver screen as child artist in the film "Pottas Bomb" and as lead actress in Omar Lulu's "Happy Wedding" in the year 2016. This reply has really won hearts and it shows what great character she possesses.

Chiranjeevi urges fans 'Friends: The Reunion' to be released on May 27 to donate plasma, get vaccinated Southern superstar Chiranjeevi took to social media recently to share a video message in which he requested the people of Telangana to stay indoors and not venture out during the lockdown. The actor also encouraged people to donate plasma and get vaccinated.

Chiranjeevi has been helping people in need since March last year. He co-founded the Corona Crisis Charity (CCC) and helped thousands of workers in the film industry get their food essentials. In his recent message, he spoke about the severity of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown which is in place to tackle the spread of the virus. He requested people not to venture out unnecessarily and follow the safety rules.

The actor also listed out key points a person who tested positive for Covid-19 should follow to isolate themselves from the family, adding that vaccination

centres are open across the state during the lockdown and urged everyone to get the vaccine.

Fans of TV show 'Friends' were in for a massive surprise as the makers announced a release date for the much-anticipated reunion special. While fans across the world rejoiced, among them was actress Nazriya Nazim, who took to her Instagram Stories to express her excitement. She shared the teaser of the reunion special on her Instagram Stories.

The makers released a short teaser of 'Friends: The Reunion' and revealed its release date for May 27, last week. The episode is an unscripted reunion special, directed by Ben Winston and produced by Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane.

It was filmed at the original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank.

It will feature a slew of celebrities like David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, Cara Delevingne and Lady Gaga, among others.

Malayalam actor PC George passes away at 74

On the work front, Chiranjeevi's 'Acharya' has been indefinitely postponed. It was scheduled to be released last week.

TV Listing * Schedule is subject to change

MON 24 MAY FRI 28 MAY 2021 14.30 KASAM 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.30 BEST OF COOKERY SHOW THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 MOLKKI

Malayalam actor PC George passed away last week at the age of 74. He was suffering from kidney-related ailments.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

The actor is best known for playing the role of antagonists.

PC George made his big-screen debut with 'Amba Ambika Ambalika' and has over 60 films to his credit as an actor. His

21.00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21.30 RAMAYAN 22.30 NAMAK ISSK KA 23.00 BAWARA DIL SATURDAY 22 MAY 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.30 BEST OF COOKERY SHOW DESI BEAT RESET 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 RAMAYAN 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 23 MAY 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.00 CHOTI SARDARNI 20.30 RAMAYAN 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3

works include films such as 'Adharvam', 'Chanakyan', 'Innale', and 'Peruvannepurathe Visheshangal'. One of the actor's films to make a mark was Ramu Kariat's 'Dweepu'.

He was appreciated by fans and critics alike for his stellar performance in 1988 Mammootty-starrer 'Sangham'.

A policeman by profession, he retired from the Kerala Police as Superintendent of Police and held both careers smoothly.

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 24 MAY FRI 28 MAY 2021 8.30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 15.00 RAMAYAN 16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 DIL KA RISHTA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 BARRISTER BABU 21.00 BALIKA VADHU-LAMHE PYAAR KE 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

22.00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3 SATURDAY 22 MAY 11.00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 15.00 RAMAYAN 16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 BARRISTER BABU 21.00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 SUNDAY 23 MAY 11.00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 15.00 RAMAYAN 16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 DESI BEAT RESET 21.00 BALIKA VADHU-LAMHE PYAAR KE

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ICC test rankings: India retain top spot after annual update India remained the number one Test side after the annual update of the ICC team rankings. India head the table after gaining one rating point for an aggregate of 121, having accumulated 2,914 points from 24 matches. Virat Kohli's men are closely followed by their World Test Championship final opponents, New Zealand, with a rating of 120. The Kiwis have garnered 2,166 points from 18 Tests and gained two rating points. India's 2-1 win over Australia and 3-1 win over England over the past year and New Zealand's 2-0 series wins over the West Indies and Pakistan have helped them keep ahead of the pack.

According to an ICC statement, the latest annual

update eliminates results of 2017-18. The latest update rates all matches played since May 2020 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent. England (109 rating) have climbed a place to third at

the expense of Australia (108 rating), down to fourth now.

England's jump came after their 0-4 defeat to Australia in 2017-18 was dropped from the rankings. Pakistan (94) have gained three points but

remained at fifth spot, while West Indies (84), who beat Bangladesh 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Sri Lanka in series played this year, have jumped two places to sixth, their best position since 2013. South Africa (80) and Sri Lanka (78) have dropped a rung each to seventh and eighth positions respectively, followed by Bangladesh (46), who have lost five points and Zimbabwe (35), who gained eight points.

The Proteas, thus, have equalled their lowest in Test ranking history. India and New Zealand will square off in the inaugural World Test Championship final at Southampton's Ageas Bowl from June 18 to 22.

Strongest Man of Gujarat: ‘You are stronger than you think’ Kunjal Zala Varun Pradip Dave is the youngest person to hold the title of the ‘Strongest Man of Gujarat’.

With no family members in this sport, Varun had to fight hard to reach where he is today. He took up Powerlifting, which is a strength sport, at international level, and recently spoke to Asian Voice exclusively about his journey.

AV: What got you into training and when did you decide Powerlifting was your sport?

I always wanted to represent team India and wear the Indian jersey. Therefore, I changed many games starting from cricket, basketball to football. Then, I saw my sister getting trained for one of her national tournaments of a game named kurash - a type of judo. During those practice sessions, the coach insisted on me to become a Powerlifter and that

Varun Dave

was how it all started.

AV: How did you feel during your first-ever powerlifting meet?

It was a great day and I was very enthusiastic and excited. But somehow I didn't win any place. I knew it was not enough and I needed to practice a lot more.

AV: How many medals do you hold? Any plans to break the national or world records?

I have won 10 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals. Besides, I have one national record and a record of winning the title of

‘Strongest Man of Gujarat’ at the age of 17.

AV: Take us through your training routine and your diet.

I have not taken a single holiday in the last five years. As an engineering student, I attend college from 7am-5pm. After that, I have my extra classes up to 7:30pm. Finally after attending all the classes, I go to the gym.

Parties and outings aren’t really for me. I stay at the gym until 10pm. Sometimes I even practice till midnight.As an International Powerlifter, I have to be very conscious and strict about my nutrition and workout. Since it’s a pandemic, all the gyms are closed so I regularly work out at my home and maintain my fitness.

AV: Any idea what the competitive plans are for the rest of the year?

I am currently just focusing

on working out at my home and my diet. But as soon as the country gets back to normal, I am having bigger plans and goals to achieve.

AV: Any advice for younger readers or anyone that may be looking to get into the sport?

I advise all the young readers, not to be disheartened, as you might have not found something you excel at. Once you find the right path, nothing can stop you.

During my school days, I was ignored because I was short, looked younger than my age, and didn’t score good marks in my exams. Often my teachers called me names such as ‘good-fornothing’. I could write a book about all the terrible things that have been said to me. But don’t worry, one should accept everything with a smile and remember that you are stronger than you think.

India’s Tests against England, Australia were not fixed: ICC The ICC on Monday dismissed claims made by news channel Al Jazeera that India’s Test matches against England (2016) and Australia (2017) were fixed, saying the passages of play identified as fixed were entirely predictable, and therefore “implausible as a fix”. Al Jazeera in a documentary - ‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’ - released in 2018 had claimed that India’s game against England in Chennai in 2016 and the one against Australia in 2017 in Ranchi were fixed.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) also cleared five people - filmed by the channel of any wrongdoing saying even as they behaved in a questionable manner but no credible evidence was available to charge them. During the programme, an alleged bookie

Aneel Munnawar was seen making claims about his dubious connections and history of fixing matches including two Tests involving Virat Kohli’s Indian team.

To assess whether the passages of play highlighted in the programme were unusual in any way, the ICC engaged four independent betting and cricketing specialists to analyse the claims,” the ICC said in a release after it concluded its investigation.

“All four concluded that the passages of play identified in the programme as being allegedly fixed were entirely predictable, and therefore implausible as a fix,” the release added.

The ICC did not name the people exonerated but sources said former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza, Sri Lanka’s

in brief FOOTBALL STARS HAIL UK’S VACCINATION PROGRAMME A host of football players and pundits – past and present – have hailed the UK’s Covid- 19 vaccination programme as the ‘best defence’ of 2021. Football legends Chris Kamara, Eniola Aluko, Chris Hughton, Carlton Cole, Jules Breach and Harry Redknapp appear in a short film, choosing their best defenders of the season so far – with the Covid-19 vaccination programme coming out on top - and encouraging the public to take-up the jab when offered. The film’s release comes as more than 20 million UK adults have received both doses of their Covid-19 vaccine. More than 36 million people in the UK have had their first dose of vaccine. As part of the government’s plans to tackle rising cases of the B1.617.2 variant of concern first identified in India, appointments for a second dose of a vaccine will be brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for the remaining people in the top nine priority groups yet to receive their second dose.

Strengthened surge testing, genome sequencing and enhanced contact tracing measures are also being deployed across the North West to control the spread of the variant. Sky Sports presenter and football pundit Chris Kamara said: “I would encourage anyone who is offered the jab to step forward to take it – I already have, and it was so easy. It’s the best way back to doing the things we love, not least getting back to watching football the way we know it.” Director of Women's Football at Aston Villa and former England player Eniola Aluko said: “It’s great to see more and more people receiving the vaccine, especially now younger people are becoming eligible.” Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I am hugely grateful to Harry Redknapp, Chris Kamara, Eniola Aluko, Chris Hughton, Carlton Cole and Jules Breach for lending their support to help get the UK vaccinated.

ENGLAND PLAYERS UNLIKELY FOR RESCHEDULED IPL England have a busy international schedule from June onwards and the players are unlikely to be available for the remainder of the suspended IPL if the T20 tournament is rescheduled this year, says ECB director of cricket Ashley Giles. There are two windows for the T20 event to be resumed this year - one is in the second half of September and before the T20 World Cup (October-November) and the other is after mid-November. But England’s top players will be in action at both times. They have tours to Bangladesh and Pakistan in September and October, while they will compete with Australia at the Ashes right after the T20 World Cup. “We’re planning on involvement of England players in England matches. We’ve got a full FTP schedule. So, if those tours to Pakistan and Bangladesh are going ahead, I’d expect the players to be there,” Giles was quoted as saying by a website.

LANKA SACK ODI CAPTAIN KARUNARATNE Tharanga Indika and Tharindu Mendis were among them.

They had joined the investigation, carried out of the world governing body. While small-time Mumbai first-class cricketer Robin Morris was also filmed, he didn’t join the investigations.

“No charges will be brought under the ICC AntiCorruption Code against any of the five Participants to the Code who featured in the programme due to insufficient credible and reliable evidence,” the ICC said.

The comprehensive ICC

investigation focused on three main areas: the claims made by the programme, the suspects who were part of it and how the programme gathered evidence. “In the case of the claims aired in this programme, there are fundamental weaknesses in each of the areas we have investigated that make the claims unlikely and lacking in credibility, a viewpoint that has been corroborated by four independent experts,” GM (Integrity Unit) Alex Marshall was quoted as saying in the release.

Sri Lanka sacked one-day captain Dimuth Karunaratne and dropped him and a host of other big names from the squad heading for Bangladesh. Former captains Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal were also dropped, along with Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep. Kusal Perera has been named as the new captain, with Kusal Mendis as his deputy. Karunaratne, a 33year-old left-hand batsman, has played 34 ODI matches and scored 767 runs for Sri Lanka.

Mathews had featured in 218 ODIs, scored 5,835 runs and claimed 120 wickets. Chandimal has scored 3,698 runs in 149 ODIs. Lanka Cricket did not say why the players had been dropped but their new selection committee - headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe - and coach Mickey Arthur have indicated that the squad will be given a fresh look with an eye on the 2023 World Cup. Out of the 18 players named, only 33-year-old Isuru Udana is older than 31, and just three players are above 30.