AV 23rd November 2019

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

23 - 29 NOV 2019 - VOL 48 ISSUE 29

WHERE ARE YOUR ASIAN POLITICIANS?

inside: Shashi Tharoor joins CTD Advisors as a strategic advisor SEE PAGE 9

Gotabaya Rajapaksa sworn in as Lanka President SEE PAGE 22

JNU students protesting against fee hike clash with police SEE PAGE 26

Continued on page 15

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“Corbyn not a true friend of Muslims”, Dr. Ibrahim

Immigration becomes the election hot potato

In an article titled “General Election: Why Jeremy Corbyn is no true friend Patel says migrants would surge under Corbyn's tenure, Labour of Muslims”, Dr. Azeem Ibrahim emphasises that the Labour Party has counters with "fake news" claim questions to answer not just about its attitudes towards the Jewish community but also towards the Muslims In Iraq, Iranian-sponsored A Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, in his piece in The Scotsman has criticallyexamined how Jeremy Corbyn “appear to be a friend to the Muslim community”.

In an article titled “General Election: Why Jeremy Corbyn is no true friend of Muslims”, Dr. Azeem Ibrahim emphasises that the Labour Party has questions to answer not just about its attitudes towards the Jewish community but also towards the Muslims. Chronicling Corbyn's support to organisations such as Hamas in Palestine, the Iranian regime of Bashar al-Assad, and Milošević’s allies in Kosovo he wrote, “The movements and regimes Corbyn supports have been responsible for

Dr. Azeem Ibrahim

Jeremy Corbyn

the deaths of many Muslims and have stripped away any human rights for many more.

“In terms of Kosovo, in 2004 he [Corbyn] put down an early day motion supporting the writer John Pilger’s claim that fewer than 2,788 were killed in the genocide there – and most of these by Nato bombs or the Kosovo Liberation Army militia.

“For the record, Milošević’s allies were responsible for the deaths of almost 58,000 Muslims in Bosnia and over 11,000 in Kosovo.

“He [Corbyn] has a long-standing record of supporting the Iranian regime, which various reports by Amnesty International suggest has judicially killed over 100,000 people since 1979.

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Shia militias have been implicated in at least 15,000 dead in the period from 2014 to 2017.

“Corbyn’s allies in the Stop the War Coalition have become apologists for the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. In addition to the refugee crisis caused by Assad’s forces, it has been estimated the regime is responsible for 60 to 65 per cent of the death toll of around 500,000 people, mostly Muslims, since the uprising started.

Human Rights Watch estimates that dozens of Palestinians have been executed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip without any judicial process, but it is deemed above criticism as a member of Corbyn’s anti-imperialist club.

“He may appear to be a friend to the Muslim community, but in truth, as with the Jewish community, you only have his support if you are the “right sort” of Muslim. And if you are oppressed by a regime in the Islamic world that he supports? Well, then you have no right to complain.

“In his worldview, those who are oppressed by “anti-imperialist” actors are on the same side as imperialism, so their suffering is justified and probably self-inflicted.

“If you are Muslim and are murdered, are forced to leave your home, or have your civil liberties curtailed by a regime he supports, then he will not support you,” he concluded.

Priti Patel

The home secretary, has said the Conservatives would reduce immigration in the UK. Priti Patel said levels of immigration would be lower but has dropped former Prime Minister David Cameron’s target to cut net migration to the tens of thousands.

“We will reduce immigration overall while being more open and flexible to the highly skilled people we need, such as scientists and doctors,” she said. “This can only happen if people vote for a Conservative majority government so we can leave the EU with a deal.”

Soon after the announcement, the Home Office minister Brandon Lewis told the BBC he recognised the Tories had failed to keep promises in the past on reducing immigration.

“I recognise that people, including myself when I was immigration minister, have talked about reducing migration and net migration for years; we’ve not done that. And … that’s let people down. Labour obviously let the people in from all over Europe before when

they were in government,” he said.

“We need to be able to leave the EU, but also with a points-based system – one of the things we have not been able to do before, because we’ve not had a good Conservative majority.”

Immigration has become a major hot potato between the Tories and Labour, as the latter has not yet published its policy and is divided about backing free movement or a more controlled policy.

Patel claimed immigration would “surge” to 840,000 if Jeremy Corbyn became prime minister.

She said, “Jeremy Corbyn has no credible plan for how to deal with the consequences of his open borders policy.”

However, Labour insists it was “fake news” and came from the “make-believe research department”.

The Party is also arguing that the Conservatives have misinterpreted the conference motion, emphasising that there was no mention of extending free movement to new geographic territories beyond EU countries.

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23 - 29 November 2019

BRICS looks to the future BRICS, the acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, is an economic bloc with a political and strategic vision of its own. Its three core members are Russia, India and China. Russia was the progenitor of BRICS. Vladimir Putin, then an unknown, took the reins in Moscow in January 2000, when Russia was in dire straits, its economy in a shambles, politically bewildered, socially crushed, militarily crippled. It was Russia’s Time of Trouble - a very Russian phrase drawn from the country’s momentous past - as a deep national eroded order, while external enemies prowled menacingly around its borders, preparing for the kill. Mr Putin took six months to wade through his state papers grasping the present, drawing up plans for the future. Russia’s international creditors were paid off in record time, and considered statecraft replaced the power vacuum.

President Putin’s outreach in foreign policy began with India; a state visit to Delhi and an address to Parliament was the first step to bilateral summits and a ‘privileged strategic partnership’ – the seedbed of BRICS. Russia the dominant Power in the Eurasian landmass, India its fulcrum, with China, Russia’s foremost neighbour - as it is of India and South East Asia. China is the world’s second largest economy, with a matching military heft.

India and China are the world’s two most populous nations, and constitute two enormous markets. Russia, a military superpower, is among the world’s top ten economies as is India and Brazil. South Africa is the African continent’s second-largest economy, with Nigeria the first. The Cape empowers South Africa’s outreach to Latin and North America and, eastwards to the Indian subcontinent and beyond. Brazil is South America’s giant, its largest economy and its most populous state.

The European Union, NATO, with the United States as the driving force, have cast a disruptive shadow on global stability. Washington’s peremptory economic sanctions against targeted countries deemed threats to American interests, with the EU and NATO, in servile obedience is out kilter with age. Such sanctions are directed principally at Russia and, less stringently, at China as well; they reflect wilful disregard for national sovereignty. Arbitrary US regime change-trade wars, together with jihadi terrorism, are the most potent challenges to international peace. A glaring example is the brutal assault on the lawfully elected government of Evo Morales government in Bolivia, bearing all the hallmarks of a CIA-sponsored military coup.

The true significance of BRICS can be best understood on the wider unfolding canvas we see before us. The recent BRICS Summit in Brasilia stressed economic cooperation. A BRICS bank was set up several years ago as a lending facility for debtor Third World nations. That

said, effective measures were required to surmount critical financial challenges emanating from the US. Thus, Russia, China and India and working on a payment model to finance and boost mutual trade and investment as an alternative to the US-controlled SWIFT [Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications] payment mechanism in a bid to ease trade and tackle the obstacles for countries facing US sanctions regimes.

Russia’s financial messaging system SPFS is to be linked with the Chinese cross-border interbank payment system CIPS. India, meanwhile, plans to link the Central Bank of Russia’s platform with a service currently under development. The new system is expected to work as a gateway when messages on payments are trans-coded in keeping with the desired requirements of a particular financial system.

The US sanctions waiver to India on oil imports from Iran has been withdrawn, the message received and fully understood in Delhi. Prioritising the creation of alternative financial mechanisms is clearly work in progress.

Indian payments for arms purchases from Russia were switched to euros, but the long-term solution would surely be transactions in national rupee-rouble currencies, the subject now of detailed discussions by experts.

Opening a path to closer cooperation with Brazil on trade and investment, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to President Bolsenaro to be Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2020. The invitation was warmly accepted. Prime Minister Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping held talks on deepening Sino-trade and investment through mutually acceptable measures for easier market access.

In conclusion, President Putin invited Prime Minister Modi for the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next year on May 9, the anniversary of Soviet Russia’s Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. The parade will, no doubt, display Russia’s military might as deterrence against similar aggression from the west.

Following his parley with the Russian leader, Mr Modi tweeted: ‘Had an excellent meeting with President Putin.

We reviewed the full range of India-Russia relations. India and Russia are cooperating extensively in areas such as trade, security and culture. The people of our two countries will benefit from our close bilateral ties.’

President Putin, for his part, noted that bilateral trade had increased 17 per cent. He told Mr Modi, ‘This is our fourth meeting this year. I am so glad to have these high intensity contacts. We have been implementing major bilateral projects and strengthening technical cooperation.’ Long may this deepen.

Royal visit builds bridges Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, the Queen’s eldest son and heir apparent to the Throne, has long had a soft spot for India, inherited, no doubt, from his great uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of British India.

Prince Charles was on his tenth Indian tour, his first halt New Delhi, where he made a courtesy call on President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan. A day later, he visited the city’s principal Sikh Gurdwara, where he participated with volunteers, serving the traditional daily meal to all comers irrespective of rank, class, caste, profession or faith in keeping with the social

spirit and message of Sikhism down the ages, from its birth in the 15th century, to the present day. The Royal visitor was greeted by the Sikh high priests, who presented him with a kirpan and robe of honour.

Prince Charles’s next port of call was Bangaluru, where he caught up with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and her party, who were in the city’s local holist medical centre and its residence, where meals are strictly vegetarian. The Royal couple have had a long and fruitful association with establishment and its head. The Prince has been an a conspicuous bridge builder between Britain and India.

Remembrance Day service in Calcutta On 11 November 1918 the guns fell silent on the killing fields of France, Belgium and elsewhere. The holocaust of the First World War was over after four years of the grimmest struggle in the annals of modern Europe.

European soldiers died in their thousands, but so did men from the colonial empires, most notably from the Indian subcontinent.

Remembrance Day has been a solemn anniversary to honour the fallen in battle. It was so in Calcutta, for a century and more the capital of British India. A service of remembrance was held in the city’s St John’s church, where representatives of many a local diocese, church dignitaries and leading city schools were present in force laying wreaths. Wreaths were laid also by representatives of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force; the Governor of West Bengal, the State police, Calcutta police, Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner and the Consul of the United States.

The Revd Pradeep Kumar Nanda conducted the service,

quoting the Biblical words of Jesus Christ: ‘Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you.’

In the memorable lines of the English poet Laurence Binyon, ‘They went with songs to the battle, they were young./Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow./ They were staunch to the end against the odds uncounted./They fell with their faces to the foe.’

The congregation chanted the next stanza: ‘They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old: /Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn./ At the going down of the sun in the morning/ we will remember them.’

There are scattered plaques across Calcutta, some in unsuspected sites, others on cemetery gravestones, names of the fallen in the Great War boldly inscribed on the marble. Rest in Peace.

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

- Plato

Alpesh Patel

Labour vs British Indians: Let’s help Labour I just watched the BBC 2 report on Daily Politics about British Indians deserting Labour and the reasons for the diaspora in doing so. It was a very fair, balanced, and an accurate piece of reporting. But other journalists have not been, or purposely tried to sensationalise the issue.

These are the key reasons for the Party’s isolation – in order of my estimation of popularity (some will have more than one reason). And some suggestions for the Labour Party.

1. Labour’s anti-India attacks. Where on earth do people get these ideas from when Jeremy Corbyn and the others would deny Labour is anti-India? And why should foreign affairs be relevant to a domestic vote?

The Kashmir emergency motion was one big hint.

The other problem Labour have is their denial of "antiIndian” which is not believed. Credibility is shot to pieces.

Then there are Labour MPs like Liam Byrne outside the Indian High Commission whilst it’s attacked. And the former Labour members like Lord Ahmed who between court appearances for paedophilia is busying himself on Twitter bashing India.

But you see it’s not just about India, and if that’s your country of heritage, of course you will speak up. No, it’s about UK-India relations. This election is all about British foreign relations – those with the EU and the impact on the UK. Well, guess what? India is one place you’re wanting to be close to. Who provides doctors for the NHS? Whose billionaires invest in the UK and creates jobs?

Domestic enough for you?

And for someone like me who for 20 years has been asked by Labour PMs and Foreign Secretaries (Tony Blair, Robin Cook, Jack Straw) to help build closer ties – this makes me angry that Labour now is putting all that work in the bin.

So why all this BJP stuff by the media? Just because a British national from the Oversees Friends of the BJP says he doesn’t like Labour, doesn’t make it into some RussiaTrump impeachment scandal, anymore than Labour Friends of India criticising Labour's foreign interference in domestic politics.

But you should take notice if UK nationals who are of Indian origin are annoyed, whether of BJP ilk or Labour, or both, because it’s probably a sure sign people in the trade treaty department of the Indian Government people are going to be mighty miffed. And having dealt with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs for two decades – they hold grudges and have memories. I mean big grudges and long memories. No offence to Indian MEA – I am just saying, they are not push-overs. A smile and selfie ain’t gonna smooth things over as it might for some British Indians.

So it’s not the BJP, it’s the Indian Civil Service you should watch for. And they will be there forever.

What can Labour Do? They might want to seek the advice of Jack Straw or Tony Blair. Get rid of their leader and remove the negative elements in their Party who are hell bent on attacking one of UK’s closest allies in Asia, and one of the few democracies there.

Lack of Indian Heritage Candidates. The letter from the Labour Friends of India was one hell of a nail in the coffin. The wholesale cleansing of British Indians off the Labour candidacy lists has led to a resignation, letters of protests. But why in a representative democracy do you need to be representative? Well you don’t. You don’t need to have ginger hair to speak for people of ginger hair. But you see, with ethnicities, it looks bad, it looks suspicious to put it politely. Or again, it could just be they did the maths and thought, ‘so what’. It also smacks of hypocrisy after lecturing on human rights, and equality – I mean comrade brothers and sisters?

What can Labour do? Well, next time maybe stand by your principles a lot more. I’m sure there will be a next time.

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

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Brain surgeon, 61, avoids jail despite being caught slumped in his £30,000 Audi Surgeon found surrounded by empty booze bottles A drunk brain surgeon has been banned from the road after he crashed his £30,000 sports car while six times the drink drive limit.

Ajay Gupta, 61, was found slumped at the wheel and surrounded by empty booze bottles after he ploughed his Audi Q3 into a parked car near his £400,000 home. A roadside breathalyser test showed he had a staggering 218mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath more than six times the 35mcg legal limit.

Police were so concerned about the high alcohol reading they rushed him to hospital following the crash on July 28.

A second breathalyser test - which was used as evidence - was 142mcg of alcohol per 100ml - more than four times the legal limit.

Gupta, of Brickhill Village, Worcestershire, admitted driving with excess alcohol when he

appeared at Worcester Magistrate's Court on Friday. He was handed a 12week sentence, suspended for two years, banned from the road for 50 months and ordered to do 160 hours of unpaid work.

Gupta was also ordered to pay £135 costs and a £122 victim surcharge.

Magistrates told him: 'It's very lucky we're not sitting here facing far worse consequences for your actions.

'It's very lucky you hit a stationary vehicle with no one in it rather than actually injuring or even killing someone.'

JPs did not offer him the drink impaired driver's course on the grounds he had already completed it once and it had had 'no impact' on his 'predilection for drink driving'.

The court heard Gupta 'hit the bottle' after having an argument with his ageing

mother who was visiting him from India and criticised him for not attending his father's funeral.

Nicola Ritchie, prosecuting, said Gupta was involved in a crash with a parked vehicle at around 3.25pm when witnesses heard 'a loud bang'.

She said: 'Witnesses said that, when approaching the vehicle, they had seen Mr Gupta slumped on the driver's side. Nobody else was in the parked car he struck and no injuries were caused.

'Scattered around the vehicle were various empty alcohol bottles. They say Mr Gupta was unable to lift his head upright or communicate effectively.'

Gupta was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital because of medical concerns following the high roadside breath reading.

Officers were not able to obtain a sample of blood for an alcohol reading but they

Ajay Gupta

were eventually able to secure a reading via the intoxilyzer of 142mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The court heard Gupta had previously been banned from driving for 24 months for drink driving in 2015.

The father-of-two had worked as a brain surgeon in India but was now a brain rehabilitation doctor at a hospital in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Gupta attends Change Grow Live which Mr Hull described as 'the equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous'.

Palace ‘strenuously denies’ Prince Andrew used ‘nword' slur during 2012 Buckingham Palace meeting Prince Andrew was on Monday accused of using the phrase 'n***er in the woodpile' and a colonial-era slur about 'playing the white man' during Buckingham Palace meetings with a top British Asian aide from No 10.

Rohan Silva, who worked for David Cameron, has deepened the Duke of York's crisis and said he was left 'reeling at the prince's use of language'.

Mr Silva, who is a tech entrepreneur who also writes for the Evening Standard, told the newspaper that he met Andrew in 2012 and asked him if he felt the Government 'could be doing a better job' on boosting trade with the world.

Andrew then allegedly responded: 'Well, If you'll pardon the expression, that really is the n***** in the woodpile', upsetting Mr Silva, who is of Sri Lankan descent.

A year earlier, Mr Silva said he met the Duke of York and on that occasion he allegedly told him: 'You’ll never get anywhere by playing the white man' - an offensive term commonly used in Victorian Britain during the colonial period.

It came as Andrew's reputation took a major battering over his disastrous interview with the BBC on Saturday where he floundered as he was asked to explain his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and claims he had sex with one of his young 'slaves'.

Andrew has not responded formally but a Buckingham Palace source said: 'We strenuously deny that these words were ever used'.

But Mr Silva, 38, told the newspaper: 'I walked blinking into the sunshine outside Buckingham Palace, reeling at the prince's use of language.

Rohan Silva

Prince Andrew

He added: 'For a long time afterwards I kicked myself for not confronting the prince on his choice of words — and it's something I still regret today. After all, he clearly wasn't taken to task very often by the people around him, which meant offensive language went unchallenged.'

He added that a year earlier Andrew said a year earlier: 'You’ll never get anywhere by playing the white man' when the discussed whether Mr Cameron could

get the EU to reform, Mr Silva said: 'I genuinely didn’t know what he meant, and the discussion moved on. But the phrase "playing the white man" stuck in my head, as I’d never heard it before. I immediately Googled it.

'The definition flashed up on my screen: an oldfashioned saying, used during colonial times, meaning that only white people can be trusted to follow the rules, unlike dark-skinned natives'.

Illegal immigrant who raped woman can’t be deported as he won’t sign paper An illegal immigrant who tried to rape a Down's syndrome woman and sexually assaulted two nurses has escaped deportation after refusing to sign the paperwork.

Harjit Singh (pictured), 48, who has been in the UK for 19 years, is unwilling to co-operate with a Home Office bid to arrange emergency travel documents to get him flown out. Officials are unable to resort to tougher measures and will have to turn to the Indian

embassy for help, an immigration hearing was told.

Singh, of no fixed address, claims to be a devout Sikh.

He came to the attention of the authorities in 2016 only when he was arrested over the sex attacks. He was jailed in October 2016 at Kingston Crown Court for six years after he ambushed a 35-year-old vulnerable woman that July.

He followed her after she got on a bus in Hounslow, west London, then forced his way into her

flat as she went inside.

Singh tried to rape her, but bizarrely fell asleep, and the woman alerted neighbours.

He admitted attempted rape and trespass with intent to commit a sexual act and was given a further six months after sexually assaulting two nurses at the Royal Free Hospital, north London, in 2015. But Singh, who requires a Punjabi interpreter, absconded while on licence from prison and was put into detention. His delaying

tactics emerged as he applied for bail while the deportation process continues.

A judge at the west London immigration hearing refused to grant Singh bail.

in brief GANG WHO STOLE CARS WORTH HALF A MILLION POUNDS ARE FOILED BY AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER Five members of a gang who stole cars worth half a million pounds have been jailed after they were caught out by an amateur photographer.

The group targeted luxury vehicles including a BMW 6 series, an Audi TT and an Audi A7 from homes across the West Midlands between March 2015 and May 2017.

An amateur photographer spotted four people acting suspiciously in Erdington, Birmingham and handed a picture of the group to police, helping officers identify one of the vehicles as a stolen £27,500 Mercedes.

One of the officers said: 'The man had his digital camera with him and took decent photos. It was a gut reaction prompted by something that looked dodgy to him as the men had arrived in different cars for a meeting in a side road in broad daylight. It is possible we might not have broken the gang without those pictures.'

Alimaan Hussain, and his brother Adnan, 28, both admitted conspiracy to commit burglary. Adnan was sentenced to three years and nine months while Alimaan, a man of previous good character who said he was 'drawn into' the conspiracy at a late stage, was handed a two-year suspended sentence with 200 hours of unpaid work.

Farooq was convicted of conspiracy to commit burglary, conspiracy to handle stolen goods, and handling a stolen VW Golf VRM. He was jailed for five years. Aqeel Hussain was jailed for two years and three months after admitting two counts of burglary and an attempted burglary. The men were sentenced on November 13 at Wolverhampton Crown Court for the offences between 28 October 2015 and 3 May 2017.

MAN CHARGED WITH TERROR OFFENCE AFTER HEATHROW ARREST A 26 year-old man has been charged with a terrorism offence after being deported to the UK from Turkey.

Mamun Rashid, from east London, was arrested on Thursday after he arrived on a flight to Heathrow Airport. It came after Turkey announced it had sent back a British Isis suspect.

On Sunday the Metropolitan Police announced Rashid had been charged with preparation of terrorist acts under the Terrorism Act 2006. He was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London on Monday.

Neither the Home Office nor the police have issued any further details about the offence other than to say it is “Syria-related”.

Turkey has accelerated attempts to deport suspected foreign fighters to their respective countries after Donald Trump criticised European leaders for failing to take back militants caught in the battlefields of Syria and Iraq.

Last month the US president threatened to “drop” captured Isis fighters on the UK border if the government does not start repatriating them from Syrian camps.

The UK government has repeatedly refused calls to repatriate British men, women and children held in Syria, arguing it is too dangerous.

Several suspects, such as Bethnal Green schoolgirl Shamima Begum, and 24-year-old “Jihadi” Jack Letts, have been stripped of their British citizenship.

Two suspected British Isis terrorists, the “Beatles” Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, have been taken from Syria into US custody amid fears they could escape during the Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria.

PREGNANT WOMAN'S MURDER ACCUSED HUSBAND 'USED CROSSBOW AS DETERRENT' A man accused of murdering his heavily pregnant estranged wife with a crossbow has told a court he only used it as a "deterrent". Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 51, shot his wife Devi, 35, at their east London home in November 2018 after their marriage broke down, the Old Bailey has heard.

He said he loaded two crossbows to protect himself from her new partner Imtiaz Muhammad. He denies murder.

Giving evidence, the defendant described seeing Mr Muhammad in the garden from the shed and chasing him through the house towards the stairs. He said he took the crossbows with him "only as a deterrent because I didn't want to be intimidated physically by Imtiaz". He told the court he dropped one of the weapons in the kitchen because he could only aim one at a time. The court heard the defendant did not realise Mrs Unmathallegadoo had been hit. The defendant also allegedly carried out surveillance on the home in Applegarth Road, where he had previously lived with his estranged wife. The trial continues.

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23 - 29 November 2019

"British Jews return from Israel as ‘brainwashed extremists’", Tory candidate Bashir

Indian Parliamentarian launches book at The Nehru Centre Priyanka Mehta On 14th November, Friday, leading Indian journalist and politicians came together at London's Nehru Centre discussing the rise of “Hindu intellectualism” and “identifying with cultural heirtage”.

Launching his book, 'Awakening Bharat Mata', Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta said, “The Conservatives were once called a 'stupid party' by many. Similarly, Hindu nationalism and the pedigree of Hindu intellectualism has long been rubbished. But the narrative is different today.”

Discussing the perception of India that exists in the western media, Dasgupta picked up on the contentious issue of “cow slaughter and beef ban in India”. He said, “In the western media the antipathy towards cow slaughter forms a part of the general mirth of India.

Sometimes, it defines Indian exoticism but more often it is the subject of ridicule. I am not questioning about

(L-R) Swapan Dasgupta, Makrand Paranjpe and Amish Tripathi at The Nehru Centre

people's food habits. But it is fundamental to note that this was a crucial part of India's cultural resistance to colonialism. You find this cultural mobilisation from Vivekananda, Bankim Chandra and other such leaders.

“It would also interest most people to note that most of the legislature against cow slaughter was not introduced by the pre-

sent BJP government but by the former Congress governments.”

Speaking about the factionalism that exists between the Nehruvian ideology which died with the collapse of the USSR, Dasgupta also spoke about the story of the emergent India which embraces as its rich cultural and Hindu identity.

Alongside, Dasgupta the

event was also attended by journalist Makrand Paranjpe and newly appointed director of The Nehru Centre, Amish Tripathi. Dismissing the argument around the “Hindu-victim narative”, Paranjpe emphasised the diaspora to look towards the future.

Discussing Dasgupta's book, Paranjpe read a part of an excerpt to the audience, “The right is an omnibus term. It is not doctrinal. It is best characterised as a set of approaches and attitudes towards public life. This best summarises that the right actually represents a new but different ideology from that of Nehruvian Socialism”.

Dasgupta emphasises that 'Awakening Bharat Mata' is not about Hindu nationalism in power but explores social, cultural and political movements with the aim to encourage a more informed understanding of an idea that will remain relevant in Indian life. It seeks to identify the nature of Indian conservatism and identify its similarities and differences with political thought in the West.

A Conservative Party general election candidate has stirred controversy for alleging that British Jews return from Israel as "brainwashed extremists.”

Amjad Bashir has apologised for the comments, which he had made when he was a Ukip MEP in 2014.

In a European parliament debate on Gaza in 2014, Bashir said, “As far as brainwashing by the rabbis and the politicians are concerned – I can testify to that. Young men are going over from England where I come from – people of the Jewish faith who my grandchildren have grown up with as decent young men. But have come back as extremists – as people that are brainwashed. They will not listen to reason. There is something very peculiar and wrong going on in Israel.”

Bashir, a restaurateur, defected from the Conservatives to Ukip in 2012, and returned in 2015.

The controversy surfaced after Bashir’s nomination last Thursday for the December 12 election.

Apologising for the comments, Bashir told the

Amjad Bashir

Jewish Chronicle, “I deeply regret the comments I made around brainwashing – this was borne from a personal experience but it was completely wrong and I apologise unreservedly for it.

“I accept the tone I took has caused alarm and distress within the Jewish community, for which I apologise. I continue to believe that the only hope for lasting peace for both Israel and Palestine is constructive dialogue and I will continue to work with both communities to do whatever I can to help achieve that, in particular our strong Jewish community in Leeds North East.”

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AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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23 - 29 November 2019

As I See It

Dear Media in the West, Save The Drama CB Patel

Dear Readers,

Proposed Ram Mandir

Last week, the Indian Supreme Court gave a historic verdict on the decadesold Ayodhya land dispute case. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar did extensive reports on it. I welcomed the verdict as did the majority of Indians. There was an almost desperate need to put an end to the dispute as it was tearing the nation apart. In a much-divided world, this case, as per my understanding, is one for the books.

For those who have been living under rocks and do not already know what I am referring to, allow me to explain. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid was demolished during a political rally that turned into a riot. In retaliation, Islamic radicals set off bombs in multiple Indian cities. The impact of the demolition was such, even Hindu, Jain and Sikh temples as well as other premises, in neighbouring Pakistan were attacked with no intervention of police officials. A land title case was subsequently lodged in the Allahabad High Court. Why such hueand-cry over a piece of land, you ask? It is believed by Hindus that the Babri Masjid was built in a place where a Ram temple stood before.

In a verdict pronounced on September 30, 2010, 2.77 acres of the Ayodhya land was divided into three parts- between the Ram Lalla group, Sunni Waqf Board, and the Nirmohi Akhara. The verdict affirmed that the disputed land was the birthplace of Rama and that the mosque was built after the demolition of a Hindu temple.

Strengthening IndiaUK business relations Rohit Vadhwana

understood. “Hindu nationalists”, he says in reference to the judgment, “are delighted by Mr Modi's increasing boldness”.

I fail to understand how the Supreme Court's judgment ends up being Modi's fault. The heights of ignorance were claimed by another article in 'The Times' that calls out the alleged failure of Modi's 'Swachh Bharat' campaign BECAUSE some people in rural India choose not to use the toilets he had built. I don't understand why the author of the piece thought it was Modi's responsibility to double check all 110 million lavatories built by him were actually occupied. Last I checked, that wasn't part of the Prime Minister's job description.

Okay. We all know Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Did anyone ask for a birth certificate? No! We accepted it as part of Christianity, the Holy Bible. It was accepted by one and all. After 1967, Bethlehem came under

Museum of Archeological Survey of India Long story short, the recent verdict by the highest court in the country ordered the Federal Government to hand over the disputed Ayodhya site within three months to a trust that will oversee the construction of a Ram temple there. It also ruled that a separate five acre land be allotted to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for the construction of a new mosque as relief for the “unlawful destruction” of Babri.

The decision was welcomed across the country, including by many people of the Muslim community. I was satisfied with the result myself. I use the word 'satisfied' and not 'happy' because what recent trends within Western media has shown me is that the verdict was a certain victory of Hindus OVER Muslims. Ever since the judgment, which was passed unanimously by five Supreme Court judges, one of them from the Muslim community, it appears that the press in the West has taken upon themselves to provoke bitterness or reaction from the otherwise lukewarm response from general public.

There are even articles claiming the esteemed judge panel is afraid of Narendra Modi. Why?! “Failure to talk openly about the dark side of the Indian Prime Minister's model is dangerous” says Gideon Rachman in an article titled 'The West Has Given Modi A Free Pass'. Okay, your resentment towards Modi is not accepted but

LIVING BRIDGE

Israeli control. Both, Jerusalem and Bethlehem are considered pilgrimages for the Jewish, Christians and Muslims.

Ayodhya is to Hindus, what Bethlehem is to these two communities. I don't see any need to question it.

Ayodhya is Ram even to the Indians living in the deepest jungles of Guyana. I was very closely involved during the first convention of the GOPIO- Global Convention of People of Indian Origin, in 1989, at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. I was privileged to speak right after Yuvraj Karan Singh and Madhav Rao Scindia. I was staying at the hotel and so was the former prime minister of Guyana (previously known as British Guyana) Cheddi Jagan, and his American wife Janet.

Even during my university days, Cheddi was one of the people I looked up to. One evening during talks with him at the hotel, he told me, even in the deepest jungles in Guyana, in the darkest of evenings, you will hear kirtan, chopai, and Hanuman Chalisa. Our forefathers brought Indians as labourers to Guyana in the 1830s. He said the only connection between India and Guyana is the Ramayana and Hanuman Chalisa. Even though, there are Indians who converted to Christianity, he said, Ram is their idol.

Friends, to me, the Indian Constitution is the epitome of power and its words are the path to follow.

Interestingly, former regional director

(North) of Archaeological Survey of India, Dr. KK Muhammed said he felt vindicated by the Supreme Court verdict in the case. Part of a 10 member excavation team at the disputed site, he was one of the many to say a Ram temple existed before the mosque. He said the judgment “was ultimate and nothing better could have come out.”

Formal Regional Director K. K. Muhammed

“I, as a Muslim, was hounded by certain quarters when I spoke the truth, and today, I stand vindicated.

The Honourable Supreme Court had admitted that pieces of evidence produced by the ASI were correct,” he said.

“There were numerous shreds of evidence which showed that the mosque was built not only over the temple, but some remains of the temple were used to construct a mosque.” Muhammed has my respect for life for what he said next, “Some Muslim rulers in the past had knocked down Hindu temples.

When this wrong act of the rulers is justified, then one becomes part of the original sin.”

As we go to Press, we hear that All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and another group are asking for the review of the judgement.

Their primary claim is that “the mosques can’t be moved to any other place.” It is worth remembering that when the famous Aswan Dam was built in Egypt several historical Mosques were moved to higher grounds without any complaints from the Maulvis or AlAzhar University (top most authority in Islam in Egypt).

Even during the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat, several temples especially the Shoolpaneshwar Mahadev temple. This temple hails from the Vedic times and was moved to the higher grounds with the approval of the Shankaracharya.

Similarly in both Saudi Arabia and Iraq, during major infrastructural developments especially for the canals on the Euphrates and Tigris river, some eight or more mosques were moved.

When I see media with superficial knowledge of history and current affairs, I worry. India is a working democracy. It's elections are held free and fair. For years I have seen the West mess with people's judgments and all I can say is, don't play your little game with Modi and the new India.

A conference titled ‘Sustainable Financing: UK-India Partnership’ was held in Guildhall on 7 November 2019 by the High Commission of India, City of London and Indian Professional Forum. The first session began with remarks by the High Commissioner of India, Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam. There were other dignitaries like Lord Ahmad, Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs, FCO, Rt Hon Peter Estlin, Lord Mayor of City of London & Sir Roger Gifford, Green Finance Institute delivered remarks as well to set the agenda for the day long conference.

During the day, there were seven other sessions which covered topics like ‘Green Finance Keynote Address’, ‘Sustainable Investing Standards & Practices: Engaging Global Stakeholders’, ‘Sustainable Investing: India’s Emerging ESG Asset Class’, ‘Partnering to Achieve Sustainable Goals’, ‘Greening India’s Growth Story’, ‘India’s Clean Ganges Sustainable Infrastructure Programme’, Future of Sustainability: Technology & Financial Innovation Driving Strategies’.

Speakers from across the range of companies, organisations and government spoke on various topics, mainly focusing on the topical agenda given to them. Questions from attendees further explored the topics. The aim of organising this conference was to promote sustainable finance between India and the UK. The potential areas in India for Environmental, Sustainable and Green (ESG) Finances were discussed in various panellists. All over the world, impact finance is taking up and focus of the financing institutes are to take into consideration environmental impact of any financial assistance.

The session on Clean Ganga spoke on the importance and program of cleaning Ganges. The river is considered holy and is home to over 600 million people in India. It contributes over USD 700 billion in GDP of India. But today, the basin is facing ecological and water resource challenges which are aimed to be addressed at the expense of USD 100 billion sustainability programme.

Namami Gange is a national mission to clean the Ganges through a mission mode effort. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was established in October 2016 to achieve this aim. It is seeking technology and finances towards the massive task of cleaning the 2500 km long river.

The conference subject is in line with the celebration of the 150th year of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who epitomised sustainable living and development through his life and message. UK-India Partnership through such a conference on the subject important to both economies will help to create stronger ties between the two countries. It will create a Living Bridge for the two nations.

(Expressed opinion is personal) Do you have a story or suggestion for this column?

Email at: livingbridgeasianvoice@gmail.com

Over 200 personalities appeal to Indian PM Modi for Taseer's OCI status On 14th November, a letter published by PEN America appealed for the revocation of British Indian journalist Aatish Taseer's OCI status.

More than 260 authors, journalists, activists and artists have signed this letter addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Government of India to review its decision to revoke author Aatish Taseer’s Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status.

Those who have signed the letter include award winning author Margaret Atwood, CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, scholar Homi K. Bhabha, author Salman Rushdie, senior journalist Sir Harold Evans, authors Jhumpa Lahiri, and Chimamanda Adichie among others.

Aatish Taseer Taseer, who was born in the UK but grew up in India, is a novelist and journalist. In May, he wrote a cover story for the Time magazine titled “India’s divider in chief”, which was highly critical of Modi’s government. Following the story, he was stripped of his OCI status.

Earlier, Indian officials owed technical reasons for the revocation of the citizenship status. Last week, India’s home ministry claimed that Taseer had “concealed the fact that his late father was of Pakistani origin”.

“I never had any problems with my citizenship until after the Time piece was written,” Taseer told the Guardian. “There have been a number of times where my father’s Pakistani nationality has been as clear as day.”

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23 - 29 November 2019

Bromley businessman named London’s No 1 at FSB Sales Awards

Honours for Dr Nik Kotecha

Piyush Patel is awarded two trophies at Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) National Sales Conference for his dedication to helping small businesses.

Business leader and founder of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Dr Nik Kotecha OBE has been named the Entrepreneur of the Year at this year’s Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.

The Awards, held in London, honour the UK’s most creative and innovative businesses and business leaders, who set new standards of excellence within their industries. Dr Kotecha was nominated for his work in growing Morningside Pharmaceuticals from a garage start-up in the 1990s to one of the Midlands’ leading life sciences businesses, today.

M o r n i n g s i d e Pharmaceuticals, based in Loughborough, manufactures and supplies quality medicines to the UK and internationally. Since its inception, the company has exported to more than 100 countries globally, as well as supplies NHS hospitals and pharmacies twice daily in the UK. Dr Kotecha said: “I am truly honoured and humbled to receive this award, which I would like to dedicate to the hard work, dedication and commitment of our employees."Our commitment is to work with communities to bring them

Local Bromley businessman, Piyush Patel, recently won two top awards at the FSB’s conference in Edinburgh.

He was named both Greater London’s No 1 Membership Advisor and National Best Newcomer at the ceremony last month at The Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh, despite only being an FSB Advisor for twelve months.

Piyush, who took on the self-employed role with the FSB last October, said he was “surprised but delighted” to take home the two awards. He puts his success down to the support local businesses give him.

“These awards are down to all the small businesses – both members and supporters of the FSB and the local business community – who believe in and support me,” said Patel.

“Without them engaging with me and recognising how I can help them, I would not have won either award,” he continued After a 20-year career running his own insurance business, Patel decided to take a step back from the insurance industry last year.

Since becoming an FSB

Piyush Patel

Membership Advisor, he’s been successfully recruiting 25-30 new FSB members on average each month, across Bromley, Croydon, Harrow, North West London and Ealing.

“I felt it was time for me to give something back,” he explained. “I love what the FSB does and how they support small businesses and I wanted to help. For me, it’s about engaging with the small business community, networking, giving talks and showing them how the FSB can help them grow their business. I am leading by example and truly inspired by all the businesses I meet.

I am helping them to develop, grow and make connections that will benefit their

businesses.

Failure, for me, is not an option. I love it, though. It doesn’t feel like work.”

C h a nd r a Sharma, of Tangent Office Resources and FSB Lead Representative in the London Borough of Bromley, said: “Piyush is a highly driven, incredibly motivated individual who has a genuine passion for helping small businesses. He takes his time to explain the benefits of FSB membership and goes out of his way to help promote and connect his members to various opportunities. I am thrilled, but not surprised, that Piyush has been honoured with these two awards.”

As the UK’s largest business representation group, the FSB offers its members a wide range of vital business services including advice, financial expertise, support and a powerful voice in government. To find out more or become a member visit https://join.fsb.org.uk/ma/1 2500220

YOUR EXPERTS INN RUNNING A BUSINESS B INESSS Let’s stay ambitious together We don’t want the inevitable comple exities xities of running your business to dampen your enthusiasm and get in the way of your dreams. So we help you deal with those typical legal, tax, employment and compliance issues that every business faces. With us on your side, your motivations, plans and targets will never take second place to business obligations and concerns.

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE

together and to improve the quality of life of the people living there. I hope this national award helps shine a light on how successful businesses - through corporate social responsibility can make a real difference to the communities they operate in.”As well as his business and philanthropic work; Dr Kotecha also gives

his time to the local community through involvement with Board and Advisory positions for business organisations, government departments, industry associations and charities.

This includes being a CBI Regional Councillor and a Department for International Trade (DIT) Export Champion.

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AsianVoiceNews

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Electric Bazaar

Murder charges after man fatally Ethical Modern Fashions stabbed in Lozells

Sunetra Senior

while Electric Bazaar consummately brings nostalgic fashion to the fore, the brand is also defined by an organic modern spin.

Alicya explained the importance of adapting the original products according to a changing international context.

“Colours that might go well together and work in vibrant, tropically orientated South Asian culture might seem too bold when it comes to the West. For us, the brand means taking traditional elements and preserving their impact. We might choose subtler colours that work for the weather and social style of Britain. We also make simple statements with our designs rather than trying to include a multitude of detail, which can overwhelm a piece. We’ll still use traditional fabrics which are hand-woven and dyed and very good quality. Finally, we try to make the fashion timeless. Our collections do appear classic.”

Created in 2017, Electric Bazaar

lectric Bazaar is a young fashion brand, operating primarily online with a distinctive personal ethos. Founded by close friends, Alicya Mamo and Shamima Khonat, the design platform is dedicated to creating beautiful, singular pieces that deeply honour South Asian heritage.

Indeed, from their jewellery to the clothing, what strikes you most is the brand’s stunning authenticity. This is literally sewn into the fundamental fabric of the fashion. “We give talented artisans from South Asia the due credit,” Alicya told us. “It’s common to have your enjoyed its first big fashion show at the clothes tailored in that part of the world, prestigious Whitworth Art Gallery in and we wanted to give the many female Manchester. “It was such an honour,” workers who work in handicrafts the Alicya beamed. “We were invited to good pay their skills deserve.” showcase our clothes and jewellery, and Designing the products, the diligent received free creative reign. The pieces duo work with craftspeople “on the we chose were shown on the runway, ground” in India and Pakistan to proand we were able to do our own styling duce “in-house, limited-edition pieces” and pick the models too. The biggest which “revive the wonderful traditional highlight was seeing the mixed audience crafts” of the subcontinent while we drew! There weren’t just Muslims or respecting the regions too. This at once Asians coming up to our stall afterwards, combats the harmful culture of fast but people of all ethnicities and culfashion, which erodes the environment tures.” through intensive manufacturing and Here, the fashion brand’s lynchpin plastic waste to name but a few adverse processes. Almost as if an homage to nature then, Electric Bazaar’s style is constituted of precise shapes, simple yet arresting designs, and a range of rich and pastel colours. *** “Shamima and I started the business after we met at university,” Alicya elaborated. “We were both Hijabi-wearing Asian women who loved incorporating our heritage into outfits e.g. I might pair jeans and a t-shirt with a cultural statement necklace. Shamima’s family is of Modest Fashion has been central to from India while mine hails from their success. “It’s a concept that’s Pakistan. We’d both enjoy the excellent trendy at the moment, but simple, humtextile work of the local artisans when ble fashion has existed in the world for visiting our home countries, and ages – women have been dressing in enjoyed displaying them. We soon had their own modest fashions for centuries. people telling us how much they loved Our take on it simply speaks to our relithe looks, and we’ve grown naturally gion as well as our ethnic backgrounds. from there! We have a recreational pasWe saw a gap in contemporary modest sion for design, especially when it allows fashion in that multicultural respect.” us to express the full extent of a colourHowever, while Electric Bazaar’s designs ful identity.” may be renditions of an eternal Alicya shared some of her approach, the modest lifestyle favourite conventional touchAlicya and Shamima channel es: “in terms of design, I brings a new professional “Women love block-printed fabangle. “We are explicitly rics: indigos, blues and anti-exploitation, from have been olives. The ‘Meenakari’ the way we treat our dressing in their jewellery with intricate workers to the planet patterns is beautiful as own modest and everyone around us. well. I love antique mirThis pure philosophy is fashions for ror work where using what underlies every real mirrors is rare: you’ll centuries.” unique design.” Indeed, big get a lot of plastic sheets fashion houses might showbeing used rather than the case catalogues of elegant, real thing. I love the heavier respectable fashions but still hypoembroidery work for clothes which you critically operate in an unequal, decacan see in our ‘Kuchi’ collection. You can dent manner. In fact, Electric Bazaar really get a sense of genuine Afghan style conversely goes so far as to support their where the patchwork is clear.” However, artisan women through socially con-

E

Co-founder of Electric Bazaar, Alicya

scious enterprises such as their excellent Sewing Machine Project.

“This aims to empower women from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab regions in Pakistan to earn a living from home by starting up their own self-sustaining tailoring business. This allows them to support their family by making garments, doing embroidery work, repairs and alterations.” And so, staying loyal firstly to themselves, Electric Bazaar not only emerges a contending fashion brand, but also remodels the very industry through which it is breaking. They go further than reviving an underrepresented culture to establishing it as a strong cornerstone of a more refined future. “Everyone has their own perspective to give. A society thrives when it celebrates these inner differences. Ridiculous competition only forfeits great talent.”

What are your plans for the future?

We’re enjoying the steady growth.

However, it would be good to increase the network of independent artisans we have on ‘the ground’. We’d also love to create shared female working spaces in Pakistan and India, outside of the home to encourage the women who work with their fingers to appreciate their independence in the public sphere.

You and your co-founder Shamima seem to have a strong female friendship. Does Electric Bazaar promote this idea too?

Definitely – if it wasn’t for our friendship, we wouldn’t have the brand.

Obviously, you do get competition among friends, but if you’re both confident in yourselves, I think that helps. It’s why there are a lot of businesses started by men together – I don’t think low selfesteem is as much of an issue.

Also, having a like-minded friendship is great! Shamima and I do not argue and a have a similar peaceful approach to problem-solving.

What are some tips you can give to other young women who might be considering a start-up business?

If you have an idea you believe in go for it. Every business has a risk, but if you really want it you must do it. You don’t even need a lot of start-up money, and don’t underestimate the power of close friends and community in helping you at the start.

You don’t need to be particularly well-versed in business either! You can pick up skills, and also tap into some undiscovered talents of your own along the way. A business has so many facets to it, from the ideas to the practical, and you need to give the whole of you. You might need to take on the role of photographer, or improve your communication skills, for example. Finally, don’t be disheartened in the early stages.

Patience is key.

W: https://www.electric-bazaar.com/

A man and a woman have appeared in court charged with the murder of a man fatally stabbed in Birmingham.

Police found Mazammal Mahmood Butt (pictured), 27, with serious injuries on Lozells Street, Lozells, on Sunday afternoon.

Mobeen Shahzad, 27, of Osborne Grove, Lozells, and Sheridan Fitzsimmons, 28, of Conybere Street, Highgate, Birmingham, were remanded in custody at the city's magistrates' court.

They are due at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Butt died from a single stab wound.

He was confirmed dead before arriving at hospital.

Coventry sculptor calls herself 'The Autistic Artist'

Five years ago, Kitty Kaur was diagnosed with autism. She said she had been struggling to cope with "the outside world" but found creating art made her feel she could achieve anything.

To that end, the 23year-old is being assisted by an employment support programme called Accelerate, which helps

long-term unemployed people into work through guidance and training.

With its help, the sculptor has set up business as "The Autistic Artist" in her home city of Coventry where her work has gone on show.

She said she wanted to "prove to the world that no matter the disability", dreams could be realised.

Police appeal to farming community in Naheed Khan murder inquiry Detectives investigating the disappearance of a woman believed to have been murdered have appealed to the farming community for information.

Naheed Khan, 43, from Thornaby near Middlesbrough, was last seen in May last year.

Despite searches of several locations a body has never been found.

Officers attending a Tees Rural Crime Forum have now urged anyone who noticed suspicious activity on their land in May or June 2018 to come forward.

Ms Khan disappeared shortly before becoming a

grandmother and has not accessed her bank account since 6 May last year.

A 39-year-old man was arrested in February and released under investigation.

The charity Crimestoppers recently offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of her body.

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

UK

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23 - 29 November 2019

Indian homebuyers in London increase by 11 per cent: Knight Frank Wealth Report A recent report titled 'London Super-Prime Sales Market Insight-Winter 2019', Knight Frank found "an 11 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of Indian homebuyers in prime London markets in the 12 months to June 2019”.

The main regions of interest for Indian homebuyers included Mayfair, Belgravia, Hyde Park, Marylebone and St John's Wood.

"An effective discount of about 20 per cent, taking into account the currency and price movements in prime central London in the period between the EU referendum and October 2019, has benefitted Indian buyers," the report said.

In Knight Frank Wealth Report 2019, released earlier this year, the consultant had said 21 per cent of Indian Ultra High Networth Individuals (UHNWIs) had showed interest towards purchasing homes outside of their domicile country, out of which 79 per cent wanted to invest in the United Kingdom (UK).

Shishir Baijal, chairman and managing director, Knight Frank India said, "London has always been a hotspot for Indian

investors due to its economic and political importance.

Despite the recent political and economic developments, the long-term economic fundamentals for the market has remained strong and is therefore continuing to generate interest amongst Indians looking to purchasing properties outside the country”.

Alasdair Pritchard, Knight Frank Private Office and Knight Frank's ambassador to India said: "London will always remain an interesting market for wealthy Indian buyers. Many have an affinity to it -- enjoying the history, the culture and lifestyle on offer. A large number also send their children to the UK for education, investing in property at the same time.”

In terms of super-prime properties, or homes priced above £10 million, global buyers spent a total of £2.06 billion in London in the year to May 2019, marginally higher than £2.05bn in the previous 12 months. While this underlines the resilience of demand against an uncertain political backdrop, overall transaction volumes fell 13 per cent to 104 from 120, the report said.

Shashi Tharoor joins CTD Advisors as a strategic advisor Priyanka Mehta On Tuesday 19th November, leading Indian Parliamentarian and UN’s former under-secretary Sashi Tharoor joined forces with a London-based Strategic Advisory firm. As part of this venture Tharoor will provide strategic advice to clients operating in opaque, unfamiliar political and regulatory environments and manage their reputational risk at CTD Advisors.

He will be joining existing members which include Chris Nickols former Head of British Defence Intelligence, Friends of Israel Group’s influential Honorary President Lord Stuart Polak and former British Prime Minister Theresa May and David Cameron’s National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall Grant. On his appointment, Shashi Tharoor said, “I am looking forward to working with Shoaib Bajwa and CTD Advisors...

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having a Soft Power Strategy in place, are vital business tools these days. Ongoing Brexit uncertainty, access to public information/fake news, China and India’s developing role in the new world order, and the emergence of new global relationships amid the world’s disorder, are all causing geo-political uncertainties for governments, corporates and investors.

“But at the same time creating opportunities to increase their influence and

to succeed provided they have the right strategic advice and geopolitical due diligence”.

Founded in 2018 by a former British banker and business strategist Shoaib Bajwa, it provides strategic advice to wide range of private equity firms, corporations, hedge funds, financial institutions, High-Net Worth families and sovereign entities to navigate their way around unpredictable, challenging environments.

CTD

Advisors CEO/Founder and Geoeconmics Strategist, Shoaib Bajwa said, “I am thrilled that Shashi has joined CTD Advisors.

India is a rising economic and political power and it has an important role to play in tomorrow’s world affairs.

There are exciting times when corporations have started to address geostrategic issues.

“Having Shashi as one of our trusted advisors will give our clients the additional insight in managing crises, communication strategy and geo-economic challenges.

He would also be an asset in further developing CTD Advisors business strategy.”

Tharoor has had an illustrious international diplomatic career at UN spanning over 20 years. In 2006, he nearly became UN Secretary-General and came second to Ban Ki Moon for the UN’s Secretary General position in a tightly contested campaign. His last role in the UN was as UnderSecretary-General. On completing his term and deciding not to continue, in 2007 he returned to India.

10 READERS VOICE

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How to confuse everybody I wish reporters would stop interrupting the politicians they interview. Two people talking at the same time results in neither of them being heard which is very confusing. If interviewees are rambling, reporters should raise a hand to indicate that they must stop talking and then urge them to give a more relevant response.

On another point, some political parties want to plant millions of trees to lessen the effects of climate change.

They had better be “magic money trees” judging by the various extravagant General Election promises to pour billions of pounds into the NHS, schools, housing, police, care for the elderly, and goodness knows what else.

Moreover, nationalising the utilities, railways and broadband may seem like a great idea but when anything goes wrong there would be no incentive to fix it quickly, resulting in long and frustrating delays. On 12th December I shall reluctantly vote Conservative, hoping that the current prime minister be replaced by a more responsible and calmer individual who says what he/she means and mean what they say.

Rudy Otter By email

Extinction Rebellion Britain is going through one protest after another, whether it is Brexit, Animal Cruelty, Heathrow Expansion, Green issues or the latest craze Extinction Rebellion to save the planet earth. While this is a worthy cause, as we do not have a spare planet to move to, the method of the protest is too similar, how to cause maximum inconvenience to innocent people who are going on their daily routine.

It robs black taxi drivers of their day’s taking, passengers missing their flights, hospital appointments and much more.

It is time to consider whether there are better, more efficient ways to protest that may bear fruits without inconveniencing ordinary, hardworking people who struggle to put food on the table for their children. Their demand to make Britain carbon neutral by 2025 is impossible to achieve, unless we all are willing to take drastic action, stop driving cars unless they are electric, flying, eating meat, especially beef, as cows are the worse polluter, stop using gas cookers, heating and many more! Even 2050 achievement will take determination and sacrifice on all front.

It is time Extinct Rebellion protesters take right steps, do practical things that include planting at least one million trees, in association with other likeminded bodies, politicians, like Green Party, Lib Dem and few more who wants to plant some 60 million trees annually. Political parties are outbidding each other when it comes to green issues!

In Norway, where 57% of cars driven on their roads are electric, aim to achieve 95% by 2025, as well as their triple glazed doors and windows, minimum use of gas and other such measures will indeed help Norway to achieve carbon neutral status by 2025 if not earlier! It is time to Extinct Rebels to present united front, take practical steps and support politicians who share their dream of making our country carbon free ASAP! Kumudini Valambia By email

Health hazards of fast food Health is wealth. The sale of junk and fast food should be banned completely in schools and colleges, as these food items have no nutritional value in them. They lack vitamins, iron, minerals and dietary fibres.

Junk food is also the source of constipation and other sicknesses like diabetes, heart ailments, clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes. Regular intake of junk and fast food causes obesity and many other health related problems to children and young adults in the future too. The main cause for the increase in the sale of junk and fast food is its increased availability and misguidance of nutritional value.

Fast food has become popular today because the food is inexpensive, convenient and tastes good. However, fast food is often made with cheaper ingredients such as high fat meat, refined grains, and added sugar and fats, instead of nutritious ingredients such as lean meat, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Manufacturers process the raw ingredients, often adding hydrogenated oils, trans fats and monosodium glutamate to enhance taste and prolong the shelf life of the product.

A high intake of trans fat can raise low density cholesterol levels and increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Foods commonly considered as junk foods include salted snack foods, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and sugary carbonated beverages. Not only people consume junk food, but they also consume soft drinks which are an added unhealthy intake.

Teenagers are the heaviest consumers of junk and fast food. They obtain around 25 to 40 percent of their total energy from them. Fast food and vended snacks have become a popular choice for youngsters today who need readily available food when they feel hungry, and food which can be con-

Rise in food banks We did not hear about food banks before the austerity which started a decade ago. Food banks were linked to the third world countries who could not feed their people. Now it has become the buzz word in UK. The question why it is happening in a rich developed country. It is because food bank use is “the result of an immediate income crisis” people are facing due to benefit payment was delays; others are due to changes in benefits and poverty, like low incomes, debt, homelessness and sickness or domestic abuse.

Things you should know about food banks and hunger in Britain today are: 1. Food bank use in the South East, the region known for its wealth and relative prosperity, is up over 60% this year.

2. Thousands of families face the prospect of relying on emergency food handouts this Christmas.

3. Some people who are in full time work are using food banks to support themselves and their families.

4. Many of these work zero hour contracts – people are employed, but can work little or no hours in a week. They have no financial stability, and are not guaranteed enough to pay their rent, bills, or buy food.

5. 3 in 10 people say they are now struggling to feed themselves and their family because of the rising cost of food.

6. Niall Cooper, the national co-ordinator of Church Action On Poverty, says: “Where are we as a society that people in work are having to turn to food banks? It’s a big question but it does not feel like one the Government wants to answer.”

7. Food banks don’t just hand out emergency food, they also provide other essentials such as nappies, formula milk and sanitary towels.

If immediate and appropriate action is not taken the situation would get more acute.

I hope the new government that comes to power next month addresses this crucial problem and put an end to food banks.

Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow

Water World!

I vividly remember watching mover titled “Water World” staring popular and my favourite actor Kevin Costner (1995) describing in frightening reality what would happen if the worse scenario about “Climate Change” become a reality.

In this post-apocalyptic science fiction movie, ice-caps melted, releasing trillions of gallons of fresh water, sea water level rising to unprecedented level, submerging practically the whole earth bar some very high places, oceans become fertile ground for piracy, saving people struggling to find unsubmerged ground in desperation fight for survival.

It seems this fictional movie may become a reality in not too distant future if we fail to tackle climate change scenario in earnest. The recent floods in South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire are a stark warning to our politicians to tackle flood protection in earnest.

Ordinary people suffer unimaginable hardship and health hazards while our politicians of all political persuasion relax in isolation in their Ivory Tower refuge with drawbridge drawn! Occasionally they pay lip service to placate well informed and angry younger generation who are in the forefront to fight climate change!

It is time for our self-opinionated, hibernating politicians to wake up and tackle local flooding in earnest, diverting our huge Overseas Aid and Defence budget to protect our own long suffering people in silence people. A budget of some five billion a year for the next ten years will make this green, fertile land safe and secured against floods once and for good!

Venice is the prime example of what havoc rising tide can unleash on seaside city if politicians fail to act. Sea defence to protect Venice were in place, building work that would have saved the city started in 2003 but due to corruption and apathy, it is still work in progress!

Perhaps our politicians can learn from the young Swedish activist who has drawn world attention and is the ambassador for climate change!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email sumed easily and quickly. This increasingly popular fast food and snack items are the main factors which leads to obesity in young people, especially children.

So children must stop eating junk food and eat only what their mother cooks in the kitchen.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

MAKE YOURSELF HEARD

Write to our ‘Reader’s Voice’ section about what you think regarding the various ongoing issues all around the world. Please send your letters to aveditorial@abplgroup.com Make sure they are NOT more than 350 words. Any letter longer than the limit may not be published.

Note that all your letters are subject to being edited by our team for valid reasons.

- Asian Voice

Kapil’s Khichadi From Asian to Indian - Finally Kapil Dudakia The British media has become so imprisoned in its own “politically correct” swamp that all too often they run a mile from calling a spade a spade. We have witnessed this many times in the past decade or so. Take for example, the episode of Rotherham and the grooming gang. For years, as far as I can ascertain, not one leading newspaper had the guts in identifying the perpetrators of that evil, Pakistani.

The term “Asian” was used in order to either hide their true identity, or to appease to the extremists in society. It was only when it became so apparent as the case came to fruition, that some in the media finally had the permission of their masters to use the term “Pakistani Grooming Gang”.

So, it is what a wonderful surprise that during this General Election suddenly they are all using the term Indian. Yes, I am finally acknowledged for who I am, a British Indian Hindu. You might be a British Indian Sikh, or Muslim, Christian and Jain. The good thing is, you are now at least British and Indian. And you might say, pray please tell us why we have seen this seismic change in the media?

The answer it seems is connected with the Kashmir situation. As soon as India exercised its sovereign right to include the whole of Jammu and Kashmir within the structure of the Indian constitution, the whole western media jumped into action and suddenly we had become either Indian or Pakistani.

Perfectly acceptable. However, their intent was to attack India and Indians. Not only that, their intent was to attack Indians everywhere in the world, as well as the Indian High Commission.

This same narrative has echoed in the political arena. For example, the Labour Party, some of its MPs and Councillors

jumped on the J&K situation and their attacks against India and Indians became vicious. Some of them even joined protest marches that resulted in acts of vandalism. All of this finally culminated in the Labour Party passing the anti-India motion at their conference.

In the past week we have seen this anti-Indian, and increasingly, antiHindu narrative reach hysterical proportions.

Any MP who dares to challenge Pakistan is targeted.

Indeed, Islamic groups now exist in the UK whose sole purpose is to target Tory MPs, like Bob Blackman and Alok Sharma, and attack them on social media. Their attempt is not only to silence any debate that exposes the terrorism emanating out of Pakistan, but to get rid of MPs who dare to expose them for who they are. antisemitic The Labour Party knows it has won against the Jewish community, their focus is now on Indians, especially Hindus and Sikhs. Their job is to silence anyone by using the Islamophobia card. It seems this time round, the number of Indians selected to represent Labour in safe seats is in single digits. The message being, we don’t want you, but we want your face to fool the voters.

So in this election, voters in Leicester, Birmingham, Harrow, Ealing etc are now being classified as Indian, and then a subset, Hindus and Sikhs. The politics of the Indian Subcontinent is being used by the political left to create division on our streets. If left unchecked, the victimisation of Hindus and Sikhs will increase. Our fate is now the same as that of the Jewish community.

Our diverse Indian community now needs to speak with one voice and rise to protect the integrity of this nation.

(Expressed opinions are personal.)

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

Please keep contributing as always.

If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com - AV

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Birmingham University refused to look into student's off-campus rape claim Birmingham University has refused to investigate student complaints of rape where the alleged assaults took place off campus, it has emerged.

A graduate told the Guardian she was left fearing for her safety after the university said it would not take disciplinary action against a male student who she alleged had raped her in her privately rented student accommodation.

In a letter to Alice (not her real name) in May, the university said it could not deal with allegations of misconduct unless it was said to have taken place “during a university-related activity or on university premises”.

“It didn’t feel like the university believed me,” Alice said. “It felt like they

were blaming me because I brought [my alleged attacker] home.”

A former women’s officer at Birmingham Guild of Students said the university had also refused to investigate rape and sexual harassment complaints made by several other female students against male students in the last academic year because the incidents were alleged to have occurred off campus.

Ciara Lally, a cofounder of Revolt Sexual Assault, which campaigns for reforms to how universities handle sexual violence, said: “We’ve heard from students who have been assaulted by their peers but in town or private accommodation that their university has deemed outside their scope. [And] even

instances of students being raped in university accommodation that the university has judged to occur in the context of a private relationship and therefore out of university context and outside their remit.”

A spokesman for Universities UK, which represents 136 higher education providers, said universities should follow its guidelines (PDF) and investigate rape complaints, whether the incident was alleged to have occurred on campus or not.

Andrea Simon, of the End Violence Against Women campaign, described Birmingham University’s stance on offcampus sexual assault claims as “a glaring gap in protection” that should be urgently addressed.

Blind student 'violently' pulled from seat at Oxford Union debate A blind student who was "violently" removed from a prestigious debating society has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ebenezer Azamati was "accosted" by a security guard when he tried to return to a seat he had earlier reserved before the debate on 17 October. He said he was "very pleased" that claims of "false violent disorder" were retracted by the Oxford Union. The union has been asked for comment. The postgraduate student from Ghana said his treatment made him feel "unwelcome in the union, Oxford and even the country".

The Oxford Union, which is independent from the university, has a tradition of hosting debates and speakers stretching back to 1823.

Mr Azamati, who is visually

impaired, was "forcibly and violently prevented from reentering the union to resume his seat" before a debate, according to the university's Africa Society. It said he arrived to the union in Frewin Court early to reserve his seat in the chamber before the debate and then returned to his college. The student was then confronted by a security guard when he tried to return to his seat so Mr Azamati sat in another seat offered by another member before staff attempted to remove him. The society said: "Even if he had re-entered when the debate had started, such poor treatment through violent means remains unjustifiable."

Nwamaka Ogbonna, president of the Oxford University Africa Society, said a security guard had told Mr

Ebenezer Azamati

Azamati he could not enter the chamber because "the union was full" despite the student having apparently reserved a seat.

Ms Ogbonna said: "The argument that he had to leave because there were not any seats is invalid. People are allowed to stand. I think everyone is quite perplexed."

Video footage shared online showed an argument between security and Mr Azamati in the chamber before staff appeared to manhandle him.

The St John's College student, who studies International Relations, said he was "treated as not being human enough to deserve justice and fair treatment".

Good grades and a desk 'key for university hopes' Having a desk to work at, good grades and high expectations from parents, as well as being happy at school, are key factors in encouraging children to go on to university, a study suggests.

Researchers in Croatia found these influences were more important than class size, school, average grades at the school or the wealth of an area.

And they say this suggests schemes to raise aspirations should be targeted at an individual rather than school level.

The study covered over 1,000 pupils.

Researchers from the Institute for Social

Research, in Zagreb, asked 1,050 pupils aged 13, 14 and 15 at 23 schools in the city: whether they would like to continue to higher education about their parents' aspirations for them what level of academic support they received from each of their parents whether they had their own room, computer and desk whether they enjoyed school The researchers also gathered data on the pupils' academic grades, as well as on the size of each school and its classes, the average grade for each school and property prices in the local area. They found none of the school-level factors had any influence on the pupils'

desire to continue to higher education.

But several factors related to parents and home life did. Gender was also found to play a part, with the girls more likely than the boys to want to progress to university study.

High academic grades, however, were the strongest predictor of the pupils' desire to continue to higher education.

Enjoying school was also an important factor.

But the researchers acknowledge the vast majority of parents in the research sample were employed and lived in Zagreb, which is the country's capital city and a university centre.

Pointless work meetings 'really a form of therapy' Meetings at work should be seen as a form of "therapy" rather than about decisionmaking, say researchers.

Academics from the University of Malmo in Sweden say meetings provide an outlet for people at work to show off their status or to express frustration.

Professor Patrik Hall says they are becoming increasingly frequent - as more managerial and "strategy" jobs generate more meetings.

But he says despite there being more meetings "few decisions are made".

Prof Hall has investigated an apparent contradiction in how people can have a low opinion of work meetings, yet their numbers keep increasing.

The political scientist

says the rise in meetings reflects changes in the workforce - with fewer people doing and making things and an increase in those involved in "meetingsintense" roles such as strategists, advisers, consultants and managers.

"People don't do concrete things any more," he says.

Instead he says there has been a rise of managerial roles, which are often not very well defined, and where "the hierarchy is not that clear".

"Many managers don't know what to do," he says, and when they are "unsure of their role", they respond by generating more meetings.

"People like to talk and it helps them find a role," says

the professor.

Many of these people can spend half of their working hours in meetings, he says.

These can spill over into pre- and post-meetings, to such an extent that people might begin to "disguise" how much time they spend attending them.

Prof Hall, who has coauthored a book on meetings, gives the example of the Swedish border police, who describe their overseas meetings as "power weeks".

Meetings can "arouse feelings of meaninglessness", he says. But he argues that is often missing their point.

Once in a meeting - particularly long ones - their function can become "almost therapeutic".

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12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S At its most absurdly comic, the BJP-Shiv Sena clamorous bid for power in Maharashtra brought to mind A Mad Tea-party from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. More seriously, it reveals much of the moral bankruptcy of Indian politics, the aphrodisiac that drives, almost without exception, is simply a bid for power with minimum service.

However, to target India as the exclusive member of this infamous club would be more than a tad unfair to other, more adept practitioners of the black arts.

shared his vision. If India was to become a developed country, top class science, life sciences, engineering were the indispensable keys to this fulfilment The advances made in these fields are proof that successive regimes in Delhi whatever be their political differences, were wedded to Nehru’s vision (Statesman November 14).

Economy: Mixed signals Declining September factory output has led foreign and domestic rating agencies to making gloom-laden forecasts for Indian growth in the current fiscal, and perhaps beyond. It would, however, be premature to accept these as given, remembering that Moody’s and Standard Poor gave the American economy star rating prior to the financial collapse of 2008.

Stars shine

Maharashtra BJP leader Fadnavis, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray in good times!

BJP-Shiv Sena gridlock The BJP won the largest number of seats in the State Assembly elections , 105 to Shiv Sena’s 56, in a legislature of 282 seats. The BJP and Shiv Sena had been partners in government, even if uneasy partners. They fell out over the loaves fishes of office. For 19 tedious days the two sides bargained and hustled. The Sena held backroom talks with Congress and Shard Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party NCP), to no avail. The State Governor blew his whistle and called Time, declaring the Assembly to be in a state of suspended animation, with the imposition of President’s Rule, that is direct rule from Delhi for a stipulated period before another election is held. The Shiv Sena, miffed that the Governor had refused its appeal for three more days to form a government, has now lodged an appeal to the Supreme Court questioning the propriety of the Governor’s decision. (Hindu, Times of India November 11, 12 13).

Disqualification upheld by court India’s Supreme Court has upheld the disqualification of 17 dissident members of the Congress party and one from the Janata Dal by the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. However, they were not barred from contesting the forthcoming State by-elections. (Hindu, Times of India November 14).

Remembering T.N. Seshan India is hugely in debt to T.N Seshan, the country’s first Chief Election Commissioner, whose iron integrity, vision and dedication two T.N. Seshan

decades ago put in place an institution that became the saving of Indian democracy. Through the 1970s and 80s general and state assembly elections had been reduced to alarming depths of corruption and violence, spearheaded by hired goons in fief to corrupt politicians. Census lists were falsified to favour party vote banks. Appointed Chief Commissioner in 1992, the virtuous knight in shining armour came to the rescue of a beleaguered system. The bogus electoral lists were corrected by trained teams under close expert supervision. There was no going back thereafter. The Election Commission was cast in stone, its chiefs deeply respected and obeyed. Under their watch , seven general elections have been held since 1992 and many more State Assembly elections. This, surely, is the greatest tribute to the memory to the remarkable T N Seshan, long India’s pride and blessing. (Times of India, Economic Times, Hindu, Statesman November 12).

Nehru’s contribution to Indian science November 14 was Jawaharlal Nehru’s 130 th birth anniversary.

He was chosen by Mahatma Gandhi – a shrewd judge of men – as best fitted to lead India in the aftermath of the blood and gore of Partition, help heal wounds and take India forward on a democratic path consistent with the rule of law. It was clearly a Herculean task which would take many lifetimes to fulfil. In his lifetime Nehru set the ball rolling. Among his foremost legacies in the making of the New India was Nehru’s close engagement with outstanding Indian scientists such as Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai and others of that genre, who

Five heavyweights have contributed to around half the gains in the Nifty rally since September 20 – when the corporate tax rate cut was announced - to record highs. The benchmark index gained 11 per cent since then, with Reliance Industries, Housing Development Finance Corporation, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and ITC contributing the bulk of these gains. Their ascent is set to continue ( Economic Times November 12) Auto sector in profit The struggling automobile sector was given a Diwali boost, with retail sales of passenger vehicles growing 14 per cent in October, as did two-wheeler sales up by 9 per cent.

Chinese inject life into auto market Half a dozen Chinese companies are to invest $5 billion into India’s auto sector along with their vendor participants. The Chinese motor companies are as follows: Great Wall Motors, Changan Geely, Chery, Weichal. These companies have set up liaison offices, with deep manufacturing facilities and dedicated vendor base; they are also exploring possible acquisitions of running plants or greenfield facility The total revenue size of the Indian passenger car market is around $38 billion and growing at a compounded annual rate of 8.7 per cent between 2008 to 2018.

Developments in India’s sector overall over the next quarters will be pointers to what lies ahead for the industry (Economic Times November 14).

Mergers & Acquisitions bonanza for 2019 India is set to earn $52 billion in mergers and acquisitions among companies in 2019- 20, according to a report by Baker & McKenzie.

Indian deal-making activity is expected to revert to the normal level in 2019, through the next few years, with private investments reviving (Economic Times November 10).

PM Modi with Russian President Putin at BRICS summit in Brasilia, Brazil. See Page 3

Software to take IT forward Software expenditure is set to take IT services earnings to $94 billion in 2020, according to monitoring agency, Gartner (Economic Times November 12).

First woman Naval attaché The Indian Navy has selected its first woman attaché, Lt Commander Karabi Gogoi. Her first posting is to Moscow, for which she will be shortly completing her course learning Russian. This comes a month after the appointment Wing Commander Anjali Singh by the Indian Air Force as Deputy Air Attache, also with a Moscow posting. Lt Commander Gogoi is a naval engineer currently in service at the Karwar base (Times of India November 13).

India as defence innovator Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a statement in Delhi, said he was confident that India would become an innovator in defence technology, and hence also an exporter. His ministry will encourage start-ups in defence equipment. ‘Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of $5 trillion economy by 2024.

Looking at the talent India possesses, I am pretty sure we can become a $10 trillion economy in 10 to 15 years,’ he said (Hindu November 12).

Reddy in robust English fight back Andhra Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has taken on his opposition critics over his government plan to make English the medium of education in government schools, with full safeguards for Telugu and Urdu as compulsory subjects. The system will kick in at the start of the 2020 academic year. Opponents to the scheme include Telugu Desam leader Chandrababu Naidu and India’s Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. Chief Minister Reddy pointedly asked them where their children and grandchildren had studied and were currently studying. The answer: English medium schools. Their hypocrisy was exposed (Times of India November 13).

Postscript: West Bengal’s Left Front regime (1976-2011) abolished English in

the primary and early secondary stages of school education. Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and well heeled senior colleagues sent their offspring to expensive private English medium institutions.

Clearly, all men were equal but some were more equal than others! The Left Front was swept out of office in an electoral tsunami.

Rafale appeal thrown out India’s Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for a review of the French Rafale aircraft deal between India and France, which entailed the purchase 36 of these warplanes for the Indian Air Force. The judgment passed by the bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, was unanimous.

The bench rebuked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his intemperate language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Gandhi issued an apology.

The recently retired Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa expressed his

Rafale

satisfaction with the outcome. He was air chief when the contract with Dassault, the French company that designed and serviced Rafale, was signed. The IAF had stipulated specific weapons’ requirements that needed to be integrated with the plane’s capabilities. Dassault complied with request. The political storm thereafter was designed for party political purpose (Times of India, Hindu November 15).

Indian anti-cancer kit in US breakthrough The US Food and Drug Administration’s Centre for Devices and Radiological Health has designated a medical invention by a Bangaluru-based scientist as a ‘breakthrough’ in the treatment of liver, pancreatic and breast cancers. Cytotron, developed by Rajah Vijay Kumar aids in tissue engineering of cancer cells, altering how specific proteins are regulated to stop these cells multiplying (Times of India November 12).k

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CIIr Ketan Sheth

Leicester newsagent's with centurylong history closes as owners retire

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

Old Oak HS2 decision is key for Brent’s future

A city newsagent's that has served the local community for at least 100 years has closed.

Chandulal and Pratibha Shah, who have owned the shop, in Narborough Road, for 40 years, have decided to retire.

The couple said they were looking forward to some rest after working seven days a week, and to spending more time with their family.

They also said trade for newsagents was not as good as it used to be.

Chandulal said: "The newsagent's business is more or less going down, and I'm 69 so it's time to call it off.

"Our early morning customers will miss the shop.

And we used to do newspaper deliveries for customers

The planned High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line is a key infrastructure project for the UK and for West London. As part of the proposed first phase running from London to Birmingham, there will be two new stations built in London – one at London Euston and one at Old Oak in West London. The Old Oak station is just one mile to the south of Harlesden and is less than three miles from Wembley. The proposals would deliver a new station providing an interchange between HS2, the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) and national rail services from Paddington, in the biggest station built in the UK for over a century.

This provides a fantastic opportunity for Brent’s residents and workers. The new station will provide better connections to central London, Heathrow and the rest of the UK. It will also drive economic growth on the doorstep of Brent. Around the station, there are plans to build 25,500 new homes, 65,000 new jobs, new parks, leisure, retail and community spaces. This opportunity is so significant that the Mayor of London has set up a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to support the regeneration of the area – one of only two MDCs in London.

In summer, the Government announced that it would be undertaking a review of HS2. The review considered a number of options ranging from keeping the project as it is, through to it being completely scrapped. In early November a national newspaper leaked the review’s findings which are that it should proceed as planned although with a slightly reduced train frequency. This is good news for the Old Oak station and associated transport connectivity it brings and proposed new homes and jobs around the station.

The full review is yet to be published and one of the matters that this full review is likely to confirm is the approach to phasing of the HS2 route. Rail experts are expecting the review to also recommend that the Old Oak station becomes a temporary terminus to allow more time for the construction of the HS2 station at Euston, which will safeguard the delivery of early economic benefits for Brent.

In December, a new government will ultimately have to make the decision on how to proceed with HS2. The project can deliver important benefits for Brent’s residents and workers and I am therefore hoping for a positive decision on HS2 and on the early delivery of the Old Oak station.

Youth awards for Slough's community minded youth The Slough Youth Awards presented at the Curve last Friday allowed young people who had made a contribution to their town to enjoy the limelight. The audience was treated to entertainment by talented young people.

Among the winners were Klaudia Walas who was young sport person of the year. She was chosen for her achievements in athletics, and helping others get into in sports. She has competed on a national level multiple times, and amongst other titles she is currently ranked in the top 20 within the UK for triple jump. Runners-up in that category were Zahir

£1 million seized in Birmingham Airport More than £1 million has been seized in the past year from travellers passing through Birmingham Airport suspected of trying to send money abroad for criminal gain. In August, £4,000 was seized from a man who was stopped during an intelligence-gathering operation by the Metropolitan Police.

He was also found to be in possession of controlled drugs and later charged.

The following month, a man who landed at Birmingham from Dubai was found to be wanted on recall to prison and in possession of a large quantity of high-value designer goods, including Rolex watches. He was arrested and returned to prison, and the illicit items confiscated. The cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act by the airport police working

with the Counter Terrorism Unit, National Crime Agency, Border Force and the Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Anyone travelling with large amounts of money is advised to have the correct supporting documentation such as bank statements to prove the authenticity of the cash.

Sonis Immigration F201400933

4th Floor, 79 College Road, Harrow, HA1 1BD info@sonisimigration.co.uk

• • • •

so they will miss us."

The shop, called Narborough Road News, officially closed its doors for the last time last week, but the couple are still working hard to clear out the premises.

Pratibha said: "Everybody is struggling in the industry. The business is not there anymore.

"The newsagent's has been here for at least 100 years. It could be more.

We're not sure.

"Our local customers are really upset."

When the Shahs first took over they sold a lot more newspapers than they do now, as people increasingly turn to digital sources such as LeicestershireLive for their news and information.

Chandulal said that in

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Chaudhery and Aarushe Singh. Zahir, who is a world champion in wrestling and ju-jitsu, said: "I like to teach sports classes and I am aware of the knife crime going on and problems with young people. A difference can be made about the issues if we use sports and activities."

Aarushe said: “I am really grateful to receive this award as it’s important to try new things and believe in yourself. I take this opportunity to continue to make a positive contribution to Slough.”

Ketan Gandhi, service lead for communities and leisure, said: “It was a fantastic night.

Congratulations to everyone involved in organising another successful Slough Youth Awards event and most of all to all our talented and dedicated young people for their fantastic achievements. Well done.”

Chandulal and Pratibha Shah have owned the newsagents for 40 years.

(Image: Glyn Stokes)

"the early days" the shop used to sell around 100 copies of the Sun a day, for example, but now sold between 25 and 30.

About the closure, he added: "After 40 years we're feeling a bit sad.

"There will not be many

newsagent's left on this street, or in the city.

"But we are looking forward to a lie in, time off and not having to work seven days a week.

"We will spend more time with grandchildren and doing our hobbies."

Shree Sanatan Dharm Durga Mandir Vacancy for a Minister of Religion Hindu priest

Location: 3-9 Norman Road, Ilford Essex, IG1 2NH. Closing date for application: 24th December 2019

Job Description The temple priest is responsible for doing daily poojas, aarti and abhishekam and for conducting chounki and playing musical instruments. The priest must provide religious education on the Hindu scriptures to the public and must be able to conduct weddings, mundan ceremonies and other Hindu ceremonies. The priest must maintain the Darbars in the temple.

Qualifications and skills The applicant must have qualifications (preferably a Masters degree) in Hindi, sangeet, sanskrit and musical instruments. The applicant must also have Knowledge of Vedic traditions and must be experienced in performing Hindu rituals.

Renumeration The priest will be paid an annual salary of £20,000 including accommodation, daily meals and other living expenses. We will also provide holiday pay and other benefits according to the laws of the UK.

Contact: Ashu Jain Tel: 07908 677 062 email: ashubjain7@gmail.com or Yashoda Maharaj: Tel: 020 8514 4781 and send your CV and references to the address above.

Advertising Sales Executive

Gujarat Samachar & Asian Voice, UK's leading Gujarati and English newsweeklies are expanding and seeking enthusiastic and target oriented advertising sales persons for its India operation in major cities of Gujarat.

Requirement:

ª A proactive approach in securing revenue through both face to face meeting and other mediums of communication. ª Proper knowledge of the market with excellent communication skills. ª A track record of achieving targets and succeeding within a media sales environment. ª Committed team player with multitasking and leadership ability. ª Past experience in media sales will be an added advantage. Freshers can also apply.

Locations: Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat, Mumbai Reward Package: Best in the industry.

Apply with your full CV and covering Letter to: • shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com

• Call:

+91 79 2646 5960

Horizon Advertising & Marketing

202, Shalibhadra Complex,Opp. Jain Derasar, Nehrunagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India-380015

Check us online @ WWW.ABPLGROUP.COM

14 INTER-FAITH WEEK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

23 - 29 November 2019

We can stamp out hatred through inter-faith relations

Jasvir Singh

logue between the most diverse groups. Support for such sentiment remains strong today, with faith leaders across the world like the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope in Vatican City speaking about the Guru’s influence and emphasising the importance of interfaith discussions.

The Grand Trunk Project, which I founded in

work together to push out hatred. That is also why the Grand Trunk Project and others are working hard in preparing for the inaugural South Asian Heritage Month next summer.

We can strengthen communities’ acceptance of various beliefs, as well as encourage more people to talk to others, regardless of any differences that we may

especially in London with 16% of the population being from a non-white background. I am proud to be a Sikh, it is an integral part of my identity, but I am also a lawyer and a millennial like many around the world.

By spending more time together, seeking to understand our commonalities and appreciate our differences, we can provide a

I am a proud turban wearing Sikh and yet there are times when others mistake me for being a Muslim.

When this has happened,I have had racial slurs shouted at me and been told to “go back to where I come from”. They probably did not know that I was born and raised in London, or perhaps they did not even care. It is what I would describe as “othering” and assuming that everyone who looks different to them must be a threat. To them, someone with brown skin equals somebody who might be a danger to life and limb.

This experience encouraged me to continue working with Faiths Forums for London, who promote inter-faith cohesion, as their Vice Chair and help bring society together in unity rather than division.

We recently celebrated Interfaith Week, a time to increase awareness and understanding between religious and non-religious groups. During that week, I also celebrated Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who encouraged respectful dia-

Indian Jewish Association at the “soup kitchen” with Nishkam SWAT

Zaki Cooper with volunteers of Nishkam SWAT

2017, is the perfect example of people from different faith backgrounds, including non-faith coming together to combat hate.

That year, I organised numerous events across the country for diverse communities to share memories and commemorate the 70th anniversary of the independence of India, creation of Pakistan and the Partition of Punjab and Bengal, a fundamental moment in history.

Thousands of people attended events across the UK, and I believe that diverse projects like this challenge prejudice and discrimination in communities and shows us all that we can

have in our beliefs, our faiths, our languages or our ethnicities.

From my experience, many elements of division have their origins in misunderstanding and lack of interaction and dialogue between different groups in society, be they religious or non-religious, and we need to work together on improving this knowledge. We can be happy in our own beliefs and be respectful of the beliefs of others, even if we do not necessarily agree with them.

The UK is a diverse society with many different faiths and there is a strong minority ethnic presence,

united front against hatred.

My work with the interfaith organisation Faiths Forum for London does this by bringing together diverse communities as too often, faith is abused as a basis to stoke fear, divide-and-rule, and justify violence.

Co-existence is what has made humanity such a formidable force for millennia and we should never underestimate the power of dialogue, just as Guru Nanak taught us over five centuries ago.

On Tuesday, 12th November in advance of Mitzvah Day, activists from the Indian Jewish Association (IJA) volunteered at the Nishkam SWAT "soup kitchen" held at the Strand in Central London.

The IJA volunteers joined the Sikh social action charity to help feed the homeless. The SWAT team feed over 250 people on the Strand five nights a week, and in other locations throughout the UK and internationally.

Organiser of the drive Anu Panesar said, "It was uplifting to do this volunteering with the

Indian and Jewish communities joining forces for Mitzvah Day. It was particularly poignant that we did this on the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism."

“Inter faith is best done when we join forces to tackle a social problem.

We wanted to do something for Inter-Faith Week and for Mitzvah Day. The values exemplified by Nishkam SWAT to look after those in need can be found not only in Sikhism but Judaism and the other great religions," said IJA Co-Chair Zaki Cooper.

Chief Rabbi attends mosque for Mitzvah Day activity

Jasvir Singh (OBE) is Vice Chair of Faiths Forum for London and Chair of City Sikhs

Jains plant 1,000 trees to combat climate change On Saturday, 16th November, as part of the Inter-faith week celebration the Jain community with over 250 members from different groups gathered together at the Kenton Recreation Ground. School children also assembled at the Ground to plant an incredible 1,000 trees to create the ‘Ahimsa Peace Forest’ as part of the Planting for Peace Initiative. This event was also attended by the Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Nitin Parekh, Chair of the AllParty Parliamentary Group for Jains, Gareth Thomas, local Councillors and leaders of local Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Zoroastrian among other groups. The Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Nitin Parekh said,

“Harrow is the most diverse borough in England and this is a great event that has brought people together irrespective of their caste, creed, colour or nationality.”

The primary aim of the event was to spread the message of peace Mayor of Harrow Nitin Parekh with other dignitaries planting a tree and harmony whilst supporting ty in today's youth to care said. the environment to combat for Mother Earth and “Planting 1,000 trees to climate change through mark the 150th birth Nature. We trust many planting trees. Mr Nemu anniversary of Mahatma other communities will folChandaria, Chairman of Gandhi is the most amazing low the example set today.”

OneJAIN, said, idea in this contemporary The event also com“32 Jain organisations in context. I am sure as this memorated the 150th birth the UK under OneJAIN Ahimsa Peace Forest grows, anniversary of Mahatma joined their hands to create the message of peace and Gandhi. Deputy High the 'Ahimsa Peace Forest', Commissioner of India in ahimsa will take deeper and inculcating the responsibiliUK, Mr Charanjeet Singh deeper roots.’

Rabbi Mirvis joined Muslim leaders at the AlKhoei Mosque in Queen’s Park – once the site of a synagogue – for the planting of fig and apple trees, primrose, hyssop and basil.

The trees and plants have ritual significance to both faiths and the event chimed with the “going greener” theme of the day of social action.

“This is what the world should be like all the time.

Mitzvah Day provides a wonderful opportunity to reach out to people of other faiths – as you can see right here – and I’ve also been very impressed to see the extent to which Mitzvah Day has resonated with people right around the country,” said Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as he visited a North-West London mosque for the planting of trees and herbs to celebrate Mitzvah Day.

www.asian-voice.com

AsianVoiceNews

ELECTION 2019

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

15

23 - 29 November 2019

Asian Candidates of the Labour Party S. No. Constituency

Name of the Candidate

1.

Bedford

Mohammad Yasin

2.

Bethnal Green and Bow

Rushanara Ali

3.

Birmingham Edgsbaston

Preet Gill

WHERE ARE YOUR ASIAN POLITICIANS? Priyanka Mehta & Mitali Maheshwari

4.

Birmingham, Hall Green

Tahir Ali

5.

Birmingham, Ladywood

Shabana Mahmood

6.

Birmingham, Perry Barr

Khalid Mahmood

7.

Bolt South East

Yasmin Qureshi

8.

Bradford East

Imran Hussain

9.

Bradford West

Naz Shah

10. Cheadle

Zahid Chauhan

On 12th December 3,322 candidates will be fighting tooth and nail in UK's 650 parliamentary constituencies for the upcoming general election. Out of the 3,322 candidates, less than 200 candidates across all parties or standing independently represent the South Asian diaspora based on analysing data obtained from Democracy Club and Sky News. This means that roughly 5-6% of the candidates contesting from these parties or independently are of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage.

We provide a further breakdown and analysis of these candidates based on their national political parties. Out of the 600+ candidates contesting elections from the Conservative Party, there are about 50 nominations representing the South Asian diaspora. Leading names include Priti Patel, Sajid Javid, Sailesh Vara and debutantes such as Pavitar Kaur Mann and Gurjit Kaur Bains. The Conservative Party appears to have a balanced proportion of nominations between these ethnicities with about over 20 of these hopeful candidates hailing with an Indian-origin background.

However, the same cannot be said for the Labour Party which has a total of about 30 South Asian candidates with only about seven Indian-origin candidates. Leading names include Seema Malhotra, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Afzal Khan whilst debutantes include Apsana Begum and Fazia Shaheen. This year, Labour's oldest serving MP and the face of Indian diaspora Keith Vaz has been substituted by Claudia Webbe in Leicester East.

South Asian names from The Brexit Party include Parag Shah, Sudhir Sharma and Viral Parikh among others. Whereas, those from the Liberal Democrats include Kishan Devani, Anita Prabhakar among others.

Leicester East continues to be a crunch vote

11. Chingford and Woodford Green Faiza Shaheen

12. Ealing Central and Acton

Dr Rupa Huq

13. Ealing, Southall

Virendra Sharma

14. Feltham and Heston

Seema Malhotra

15. Glasgow Central

Faten Hameed

Following the appointment of Webbe, the chairman of a Constituency Labour party (CLP) has resigned, criticising leader Jeremy Corbyn in a letter. John Thomas, who is also a Leicester City Council representative, left his post at Leicester East, stating that he "can no longer follow the clown that leads" the party. Whilst accusing the Labour leader of turning "this great party into a laughing stock” he criticised the choice of general election candidate for the constituency, saying it was "a fix".

In an interview with LeicestershireLive, Thomas said he was not certain if Webbe would be able to defend the 22,428 majority left to her. He said, “Labour are taking this seat for granted. It was a safe seat for Keith Vaz. It is not a safe seat for Corbyn’s Labour.”

Earlier, politicians such as Navin Shah and Sundip Meghani had accused the Party of the lack of transparency and breach of the selection process for the constituency.

In his letter to Jennie Formby, General Secretary of Labour Party, Navin Shah raised concerns around the selection process and Kashmir Controversy. He said, “Claudia Webbe has stated in her reply to my tweet that the selection process comprised long-listing, shortlisting and interview. Claudia knows what’s gone on. I don’t, so can you please confirm how many applied, how many were longlisted, short-listed and the names of the candidates who were interviewed? Can you also confirm if Claudia’s NEC colleagues participated in her interview and decision to selection? I’m appalled that a number of very credible candidates have been completely overlooked and not even been contacted to formally inform us about the Party’s decision let alone give any explanation. I find this offensive and discourteous. As it stands, unless and otherwise you provide evidence to prove me wrong, I take a clear and strong view that the process was seriously

16. Hampstead and Kilburn

Tulip Siddiq

17. Hemel Hempstead

Nabila Ahmed

18. Ludlow

Kuldeep Sahota

19. Manchester Gorton

Afzal Khan

20. Pendle

Azhar Ali

21. Poplar and Limehouse

Apsana Begum

22. Slough

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

23. Stockport

Navendu Mishra

27.

Walsall South

Valerie Vaz

24. Tooting

Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan

28.

Warrington South

Faisal Rashid

25. Twickenham

Ranjeev Walia

29.

Wigan

Lisa Nandy

26. Uxbridge and South Ruislip

Ali Milani

30.

Wycombe

Khalil Ahmed

Asian Candidates of the Labour Party S. No. Constituency

Name of the Candidate

flawed and manipulated favouring the successful candidate.

"Claudia chaired the meeting when the Kashmir motion was debated at the conference. First of all the illconceived motion should have been ruled out of order at the conference and furthermore Claudia failed to intervene and stop a speaker making deplorable comments about Indian army raping women, men and children and making allegations of 10,000 women gang-raped. This can only be ranked as poor chairing of the meeting with no efforts made intervene or challenge the speaker about authenticity of such offensive statements. Given the sensitivity and controversy surrounding the issue and also given the demography of Leicester East with a very substantial Indian community was this aspect taken in to account before arriving at the decision to select Claudia?”

However, Labour maintains that Claudia Webbe was an "excellent" choice.

Muslim voters can swing 31 marginal seats: MCB According to research published on Monday 18th November, by Muslim Council Britain (MCB) Muslim voters could affect the outcome in more than 30 marginal constituencies. This appears as mosques across the country prepare for a nationwide registration drive.

Fourteen of the 31 seats are held by Labour, 14 by the Conservatives and three by the SNP. The MCB, the main representative body for Muslims in the UK, is non-partisan. Harun Khan, the MCB’s secretary general, said, “As active participants in our society, Muslims – in all their diversity – can play a significant role in what may become a close election, and we hope that the parties listen and reach out to Muslim communities across the country to engage on issues of concern.”

The MCB said it was focusing on increasing Muslim voter participation and encouraging communities to engage with the election debate.

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18 FINANCE - UK 23 - 29 November 2019

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel Dear Financial Voice Reader, Wealth is power and election time is proof of that.

Building wealth some would say is one part of their religious duties. I have just returned from Malaysia where in parts of the Indian community for years have been concerned about the treatment of Indians and Hindus.

One reason has been lack of political influence. I have often said it is vitally important given what happened to Indians in Uganda not to take our own self-image as hard working, low crime, peaceful community as something admired by all. There are jealousies.

We must use our wealth creation abilities for good, good for our own and the native community. So let’s get building. I am asked each week by students for advice on their careers in finance. Don’t do what I did. Don’t go into hedge funds. It was fine when I did it, 20 years ago. But now, like most industries, you will be replaced by a robot.

My own fund has produced a very lucrative trading robot for private investors. The aim is to make fund managers redundant.

So do not go into industries you associate with money, but are shrinking in hiring humans. Technology is changing everything. My advice? Maybe a fintech company. I write from Singapore, where at the Fintech festival there were 65,000 people. That will tell you where the jobs in finance are going.

And it’s in technology companies, online banks, and the big giants like Amazon and Google moving into tech and tech based consultancies like Deloitte.

Tech skills, working at a tech bank (you can now have a regulated bank built for you) all will make your CV transferable and future proof. It’s about skills you’ve acquired and the qualifications will evidence these. As an employer I want people who are keen, and can prove skills.

I can test you for skills – ability to learn is key. So often the tests we give are to within 24 hours, give us a solution to a problem. It doesn’t matter that it was not something you learnt at school or University; I need to know you can do it.

Here’s one we give some apprentices: how would you install MT4 trading signals form our indicator onto Telegram? Would you need a VPS? Which one? Why? Now to most people this would be gobbledygook.

That’s the point. You go away and write your interview answer to us. Then we will question you over it the next day. The reason is, it’s your ability to find the answer (it’s not as easy as cut and paste from Google), your ability to sift good from bad answers and solutions and know why and understand why our company may want to do this, so fit a solution to a bigger purpose, not just answering the question – ie show intelligence not just technical knowhow.

UK firm that used Goa call centres to target elderly shut down A UK-based company that targeted individuals of over 65 and sold them health supplements with false and misleading claims from call centres in Goa and transferred most of the income to India, has been closed down following legal action.

Nutrizen Wellness Ltd, based in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, has been wound up in the public interest in the high court and liquidated, officials said.

Incorporated in December 2014, the company used telemarketing techniques to sell health supplements.

Britain’s Insolvency Service began confidential investigations when it received complaints that the company was mis-selling health supplements to the elderly, and discovered that it was purchasing data of individuals of over 65 and calling them from call centres in Goa. Health supplements were sold to the individuals at significant mark-ups. One product, which is available

in shops for £2, was sold for between £30–£40. One 88year-old customer identified by investigators spent over £700 on supplements in just 19 days.

Investigators also uncovered discrepancies in the company’s VAT affairs, as the turnover evident in their bank account was £250,000 higher than that declared to tax authorities. The company also transferred 80% of its sales revenues to the Indiabased call centres. Scott Crighton of the Insolvency Service said: “Nutrizen Wellness deliberately and unconscionably targeted the elderly, pushing their products at astronomical levels of mark-up. They also underreported the true level of their income to HMRC (tax authority), failing to pay the appropriate levels of VAT”.

“We are pleased the courts recognise this behaviour is totally unacceptable and have shut down their activities to prevent anyone else falling victim to their practices”.

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Tata Steel plans to cut jobs across European operations Tata Steel plans to cut jobs across its European operations as it wrestles with excess supply and high costs, the company said. In an interview, Tata group's European chief executive, Henrik Adam, confirmed it was planning to announce job cuts across the European business, which employs around 20,000 people.

No numbers have been made public. Indian-owned Tata Steel, which launched a transformation programme in June to strengthen its European business, has operations, including steelmaking in the Netherlands and Wales and downstream operations across Europe.

There will be no plant closures but the aim is to shield

the company against the "huge number of challenges" it faces, the company said.

"We are working hard on our plans to be operationally cash positive," Adam said, adding that the company was aiming for "a fundamental change". A company spokesman confirmed Adam's comments.

Steel making in Europe has come under strain from international competition and high energy costs, putting large numbers of

well-paid jobs under threat.

European steelmakers blame China for the extent of a surplus in the market, but the world's biggest steelmaker says it has made its own deep cuts to capacity.

Britain last week announced that Chinese steelmaker Jingye has signed a provisional deal to buy British Steel, which went into compulsory liquidation in May. The agreement is politically resonant ahead of British elections as job opportunities have become a major issue. If confirmed, the rescue could save thousands of jobs. ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker, has idled a series of plants across Europe.

Tata Steel said challeng-

ing market conditions had been made "worse by the use of Europe as a dumping ground for the world's excess capacity." The company's European transformation programme launched in June aimed to develop "a simpler and leaner organisation, capable of sustainably financing high levels of investment, Tata said.

Changes will include streamlining supply chains and using technology to improve efficiency, as well as seeking to cut employment costs. Tata's quest to boost profitability follows a European anti-trust decision to block a joint venture with Germany's Thyssenkrupp.

UK companies hope to do more business with India after Brexit UK-based companies are positive about doing more business with India following its exit from EU and believe that Maharashtra is the best state to do business followed by Delhi, according to a report brought out by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC).

“With Brexit on the agenda of UK companies, 26 per cent said they planned to do more business with India as a direct result of the UK leaving the EU. This will be a further boost to the flow of goods, services and investment between the two countries,” the UKIBC’s fifth annual `Doing Business in India Report’ stated.

The report is based on discussions, including a round-table in London with Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and a survey that captured the views of UK companies and higher

education institutions on the operating environment in India and their reform priorities. Overall, the survey respondents were positive about India, with 56 per cent stating that it is getting easier to do business in India, and only 21 per cent saying that it has not improved.

About 23 per cent respondents were undecided on the matter.

For the first time, the UKIBC asked for views on how India’s states and Union Territories were performing on the ease of doing business. “Maharashtra was the clear winner, with 36.67 per cent of respondents giving it the honour, followed by Delhi, which captured 20 per cent of the vote,” the report said.

The most persistent barrier to doing business continued to be ‘legal and regulatory impediments’ cited by

59 per cent of the respondents. This was followed by identification of a suitable partner and taxation issues.

The number of respondents that identified corruption as the top impediment declined to 17.5 per cent in the 2019 report, compared to over 50 per cent in 2014, the release stated.

The most popular reform among UK businesses was ‘improving the quality of bureaucracy’, with 28.6 per cent respondents urging the government to act in this area. The second area for improvement was simplification of the Goods and Services Tax, although the number of respondents calling for it declined to 16.9 per cent from 24 per cent in 2018. This reflects that companies are coming to grips with India’s new tax system, and India has improved its implementation since the

original roll-out, the report stated. The highest scoring aspects of the Indian business environment continue to be tele-communication facilities, followed by the availability of skilled labour, availability of support and service providers, and the availability of a supply chain.

“The findings of this report reflect the long-term advantages of the huge and growing Indian market.

There have been improvements, particularly in tackling corruption, but there is clearly much still to do to remove the persistent barriers to doing business, particularly when it comes to improving bureaucratic procedures and the application of the tax regime, which is a persistent concern for the UK and, indeed, all businesses in India,” according to Richard Heald, Chief Executive, UKIBC.

Johnson drops corporate tax cut plan in bid to woo voters British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put on hold further cuts in corporation tax and told voters he would use the money for spending on health and other priorities.

His comments addressed a central issue in a Dec. 12 election as Johnson has been under pressure to show how he would pay for a plan to reverse cuts to many public services over the past decade and boost infrastructure investment.

“We are postponing further cuts in corporation tax,” Johnson told business leaders at a conference organized by the Confederation of British Industry, an employers’ group. “This saves 6 billion pounds ($7.8 billion) that we can put into the priorities of the British people, including the NHS (National Health Service).”

Britain’s main corporation tax is among the lowest

among the world’s industrialized economies but the government had been due to cut it to 17% next year from 19% now. In September, finance minister Sajid Javid announced Britain’s biggest increase in day-to-day spending in 15 years in what was widely seen as an attempt to counter the spending promises of the left-wing opposition Labour Party.

Johnson, who called the election to try to secure a majority in parliament that would back his plan for Britain’s departure from the European Union, said he would keep Javid as his finance minister if their Conservatives win the election. British media have reported tensions between the teams of the two most powerful men in the government.

The postponed corpora-

tion tax cuts received a cautious welcome from the CBI’s director-general.

“Postponing further cuts to corporation tax to invest in public services could work for the country if it is backed by further efforts to the costs of doing business and promote growth,” Carolyn Fairbairn said in a statement.

Labour plans higher taxes Labour wants to raise the corporation tax rate and income taxes for top earners to help fund its own, bigger spending plans. “Taxation is going to change under Labour. We’ve made no secret of that. We’ve been very, very clear that the richest 5% will pay more,” Corbyn told the CBI after Johnson spoke.

“And over the lifetime of the government, we will increase corporation tax to no higher than the 2010 levels.” In 2010, the corporation

Boris Johnson

tax rate stood at 28%. Before the 2017 election, Labour said it would raise the rate to 26%.

With the prospect of widespread infrastructure nationalization under Labour, and an abrupt Brexit possible under Johnson’s Conservatives, many business leaders say they face unprecedented levels of uncertainty. “I believe we are facing a danger that could get in the way of a bright future, and it takes the form of extreme ideology. And we see it on both sides of the political divide,” the CBI’s Fairbairn said.

REAL ESTATE VOICE

CARVING THE DEAL

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There is a property for sale in Wembley; it’s a semi detached house on a popular, wide tree lined road. In any other market it would have been sold by now. It is not excessively priced at £550K. However, even after three months of marketing it has not sold.

The property has planning for a 6 metre extension and a loft conversion. The plan was to execute both planning permissions and turn it into a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO), consisting of 6/7 rooms.

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

This makes a lot of sense, as instead of the current rent roll of £1,800pm you would be looking at £675 per room. This equates to £4,050pm for a 6 room HMO, and £4,725pm for a 7 room HMO. The conversion cost has been quoted at £80K. The cost of handling 7 tenancies as opposed to one obviously increases the operating cost.

However, even if we work on the assumption of a 25% cost, you would still be left with an expected income of £3037pm.

This amounts to a 19% recurring income on an investment of £80K. The above is very interesting. However, what’s even more interesting is whatever money is put into the deal can be refinanced back out, so there is no cash left ‘trapped’ in the property.

AGONY AGENT IS HERE TO HELP! Q: I have just found out that my tenant’s sister is staying with her. Does she need to be on the tenancy agreement as well?

A: This is a good question, and actually tends to be a common query that is raised when landlords happen to find out that their tenants have a guest, visiting family or a new partner. Simply answered, no, she does not need to be added to the tenancy agreement on the proviso that she is not staying longer than two weeks in any six month period (a term that should be reflected in your tenant’s agreement).

There are three ways that a tenant is perceived in a landlord’s mind. One, the

23 - 29 November 2019

The existing owner is happy to stay in the deal. The incoming investor will need £400K cash to pay off the existing loan and to do the works. Once this has occurred the property can potentially be refinanced and the £400K can be extracted based on an expected valuation of £650K. The refinancing rates we have managed to source are exceptional. For an HMO the rate is 1.97% per annum.

Furthermore, this rate will be fixed for 5 years. Therefore, the interest payment on £400K at this interest rate will be £7,880 per annum, fixed for the next 5 years.

6 months. But the point is you can get it out and with a firm passive income and an exceptional rate.

In a nutshell, the idea is: you put £400K in.

You get £400K out in a few months. Then you get a solid income for the rest of your days.

In summary this deal requires £400K cash for 6 months. The idea is for this to be returned by way of refinance, with the investor left with a strong passive income.

This is almost like it was back in the days of abundant credit. When you could purchase property with no money in your pocket, using the lenders money in full.

It has been rumoured that Brent Council will be looking to stop HMO applications in 2020.

This means any existing HMOs should have a premium attached to them, as the supply in Brent now becomes fixed.

Ok, there is a slight anomaly in regards to the time period, you cannot get your money out of a deal in 24 hours. Instead you are looking at

We envisage this deal to be gone shortly. Do get in touch with the office if it is of interest.

tenant is the person named in the tenancy agreement; two, the tenant is the person paying the rent; or three, the tenant is the person that lives in the property. Whilst technically all are true this does not mean that you should just add the guest to the agreement. It all depends on the circumstances. For example, it could be that they have a parent visiting them from the other side of the world, so no point adding them. However, a friend that is looking for a new flat and will be staying until they find one might be worth adding.

Written into the tenancy agreement, the tenant has a right of quiet enjoyment; guests are certainly part of that enjoyment

BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY London, NW6 Purchase Price: £415,000

19

and are allowed, but remember only for a limited time.

We suggest that you watch out for a few warning signs that may indicate your tenants’ guest is looking to stay longer: guests who pay rent, receive post at the property, spend every night at the property, moved in furniture and the best one is the guest is making maintenance requests.

Be mindful that there is a thin line between what a guest and a tenant are, and if you have already accepted rent from a guest, you might have initiated a landlord and tenant relationship. If so, your new tenant could claim to have the

same rights as any other tenant, and will not be easy to remove as an unwanted guest.

Such situations of guests becoming tenants can generally be avoided if you have an honest and open conversation with the current tenant, and simply say that the guest is not to stay longer than two weeks, and if they are to stay longer then you want them added to the tenancy agreement. So, the guest would then have to agree to the terms, and you will have a legal record of who is living there, along with a legal agreement.

If you are still finding yourself at a loss, then please contact us for assistance.

l Large two bedroom first floor flat with high ceilings l Period conversion l Long lease and low service charges l Close to West Hampstead and Kilburn stations l Excellent yield of 5.2% per annum l £150K cash required to close this deal, subject to mortgage criteria Call us now for more information!

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 993 0103

info@sowandreap.co.uk www.sowandreap.co.uk 27 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8HU SowandReapProperties

Sowandreapuk

Turning land into cash Get in touch about our land opportunities

20 FINANCE

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23 - 29 November 2019

SC paves way for Mittal's entry in Essar Steel The Supreme Court last week paved the way for Steel baron Lakshmi Niwas Mittal led ArcelorMittal to takeover of the bankrupt Essar Steel from the Ruias after a prolonged legal battle for over two years.

Financial creditors of Essar Steel had moved the Supreme Court against the NCLAT decision to remove the nomenclature of financial and operational creditors and ordered distribution of £4.2 billion to be paid by ArcelorMittal equally.

The money paid by Mittal will go to banks whose loans the Ruias had defaulted on. Essar Steel was among the first batch of a dozen high-profile bad debt cases referred by the Reserve Bank of India for insolvency action in June 2017. The outcome, significant for banks and the government which are keen to recover NPAs, came after a

tortuous journey which marked intense litigation, raising doubts whether insolvency law can successfully recover millions loaned to chronic defaulters.

The SC order breathes fresh hope into the process by emphasising that the Committee of Creditors will have the decisive say in resolutions, with the role of National Company Law Tribunal and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) confined to reviewing whether process is in harmony with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

Although the law provides for resolution in a maximum 270 days, a series of cases in various forums resulted in the entire resolution process stretching to nearly 28 months.

ArcelorMittal’s proposal to take over the Indian company had been approved by Committee of

Creditors (CoC), led by banks, but fresh hurdle arose following a ruling by NCLAT, which held that a financial creditor such as banks and an operational creditor such as a vendor be treated Lakshmi Niwas Mittal equally while settling authorities in insolvency produes. Under IBC, it is the ceedings. There was setback for Committee of Creditors that is the government too as the court tasked with taking major decistruck down the provision sions along with the resolution under IBC making it “mandatoprofessional once proceedings ry” to complete the insolvency have been initiated by National proceedings within 330 days.

Company Law Tribunal.

However, it seemed to be The lenders moved the apex pleased with the fact that the court and a bench of Justices Essar case had finally gone Justice R F Nariman, Surya Kant through. Finance minister and V Ramasubramanian set Niramala Sitharaman said the aside the NCLAT order. In a verdict reinforced the credibility judgment, the bench demarcatand substantive nature of IBC ed the role of resolution appliand would help improve the cants, resolution professionals, process of resolution.

CoC and the adjudicating

Vodafone’s India ops on brink of collapse: CEO Vodafone-Idea, India’s secondlargest telecom company, may be headed for liquidation unless the government eases off on demands for mobile spectrum fees, Nick Read, the chief executive officer of Vodafone, said in London. The battered Indian telecom sector is bleeding heavily. Vodafone-Idea and Bharti Airtel, once among India’s most aspirational and profitable companies, reported record quarterly losses - cumulatively standing at £7.4 billion - as bruises from the brutal price war unleashed

by Reliance Jio were aggravated by the Supreme Court’s recent Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) judgment, which slapped a fresh payment liability of nearly £5 billion on them.

Read said India, where Vodafone formed a joint venture with Aditya Birla group’s Idea

Nick Read

Cellular in 2018, had been “a very challenging situation for a long time,” but Vodafone Idea still had 300 million customers or about 30% market share.

“Financially, there’s been a heavy burden through unsupportive regulation, excessive taxes and on top of that we got the negative Supreme Court decision,” he said.

Vodafone-Idea, which has

India’s oil demand to double: IEA India’s oil demand will increase double folds to more than 9 million barrels per day, marking the largest absolute consumption growth for any country, and its dependence on imports will rise to 90% by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency’s latest World Energy Outlook.

This means the Indian economy will continue to rely in the near term on oil or fossil fuels in spite of the government’s stress on renewable energy and electric vehicles. This does not augur well as the suggested price trends in business as usual or stated policy environment scenarios do not offer any relief on the price front in spite of subdued demand growth from other economies and rising exports from new players such as the US and Brazil. Oil is one of the key elements of the government's fiscal math. Costlier fuel cramps government's fiscal room for social spending or stimulus as it disturbs macro-economic parameters by raising costs for consumers, farmers, transporters and manufacturers. The report says a third of the growth in India’s oil will come from trucks. Another quarter will come from passenger cars, with the Indian car fleet growing by a factor of seven between now and 2040. Use of oil as a petrochemical feedstock will contribute the remaining 15% demand.

time and again sought tax cuts and deferment in payment of statutory dues, now has the dubious distinction of creating a record – at £5.09 billion loss. For Airtel, the loss is at £2.30 billion, the third-biggest quarterly loss for any Indian company (behind Tata Motors’ £2.69 billion loss in the quarter ended December 2018). The only silver lining for the two firms is that since their massive losses are due to frontloading of all possible liabilities, including that arising out of the SC’s judgment, they may come down significantly in case the government provides them relief by way of staggered payments or moratorium. It is also calling for the spectrum payments to be spread over 10 years.

Asked if it made sense for Vodafone to remain in India without such a relief package,

Read said: “It’s fair to say it’s a very critical situation.”

However, Vodafone India denied reports that Read had communicated to the Indian government that “either they should take their boots off the neck of the industry and allow it to better compete... or Vodafone Idea is destined for a potentially chaotic final act with potential repercussions for India’s international standing”.

Govt hints aid Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman indicated that the government intends to address the concerns of telecom companies, which are facing acute financial distress and made it clear that it did not want any company to shut shop. “I want no company to shut operations.

I want everyone to be up and running,” the minister said.

Govt planning to sell Air india, Bharat Petroleum by March 2020 India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government plans to wrap up sale Air India and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) by March 2020. “We are moving with the expectation that we can complete the sale this year. The ground realities will play out,” she said in an interview, while referring to the strategic sale of the two state-run companies, a crucial part of the government’s plan to raise over £10 billion in the current fiscal year.

Sitharaman also said there is a “lot of interest” among investors as evident in international road shows ahead of the sale of Air India, contrary to a tepid response received during the bidding process a year ago. The sale of the two state-owned companies could provide a cushion to the government as it struggles to cope with one of the steepest demand slowdowns in the last few decades.

The government is banking on receipts from disinvestment – comprising strategic sale and public offers – to shore up revenues in a year when tax collections are under pressure.

The minister also said the government took

measures to reverse the economic slowdown at the right time and several sectors are coming out of distress. The finance minister also said industry captains had helped improve their balance sheet and many of them were planning fresh investments.

On taxation, she expected Goods and Services Tax collections to bounce back citing improvement in some sectors and recent steps taken to provide a boost to the ailing economy. Sitharaman also said the Supreme Court judgment on Essar Steel had established constitutionality and legal strength of the IBC law and would have a huge impact on the balance sheets of banks in the next quarter. She said there were signs of a revival in consumer sentiment, which was manifested in demand of nearly £18 billion in loans from banks at the outreach programme during the festival season. “If consumer confidence is not on way to being restored, why would you think that such an amount would have gone out as loans during the two outreach programmes started by banks? And, it is all over the country,” said Sitharaman.

in brief ANIL AMBANI, FOUR RCOMM DIRECTORS STEP DOWN A day after Reliance Communications announced its biggest loss ever, chairman Anil Ambani and some of the directors have resigned from their positions, the telecom company said in a regulatory filing. Ambani, Chhaya Virani and Manjari Kacker quit their directorships, while Suresh Rangachar and Ryna Karani put in their papers earlier. CFO and director Manikantan V had resigned on October 4, 2019. “Since the company is under the bankruptcy process, all the resignations have been put before the committee of creditors for their consideration,” Reliance Communications said. It added that the appointment of D Vishwanath as the new CFO and director has also been put before the creditors’ committee for approval. Reliance Communications, once the flagship of the Anil Ambani group, posted a loss of £3.01 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2020.

INDIA TO ALLOW FOREIGN COS TO BID IN OIL SECTOR SELLOFF India will allow global energy companies to bid during the strategic disinvestment of state-run oil companies, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said. He added that the proposed partnership with Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC for building a $44-billion mega refinery complex in Maharashtra was on “right track.” While attending the energy conference and exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Pradhan said that the doors for foreign direct investments in India’s fuel retail market were opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he met oil company bosses in Houston during his recent US visit. Pradhan was quoted as telling that India was “inviting” foreign majors and he was “enthusiastic” about their participation.

OCT WPI INFLATION OVER 3-YEAR LOW Wholesale price inflation moderated to a nearly three-and half-year low in October, dragged down by a contraction in manufactured product, fuel and power prices, but the fall was limited by an increase in food prices to near double-digit levels. Data released by the commerce and industry ministry showed inflation as measured by the wholesale price index eased to 0.2% in October, slower than 0.3% recorded in the previous month and 5.5% in the year earlier period. Inflation in the manufactured goods segment fell by 0.8% in October, its lowest level since April 2016. The WPI in manufactured goods was 4.6% in the same month a year-ago. Food price inflation shot up to a 63-month high during the month.

SC HOLDS SINGH BROTHERS GUILTY OF CONTEMPT The Supreme Court held former Ranbaxy promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh guilty of contempt for violating its order that had asked them not to divest their shares in Fortis Healthcare. The apex court had earlier asked the Singh brothers to give it a plan as to how they would honour the arbitral award of £350 million granted by a Singapore tribunal against them, in favour of Japanese drug manufacturer Daiichi Sankyo. A bench comprising former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta held them guilty of contempt of court and said that they had violated its earlier order by which the sale of their controlling stakes in Fortis Group to Malayasian firm IHH Healthcare was put on hold. The apex court said it would hear the Singhs on the quantum of sentence later. The Japanese firm had filed contempt petition against them, alleging that execution of their arbitral award had been in jeopardy as the Singh brothers disposed of their controlling stakes in Fortis Group to the Malaysian firm.

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PAKISTAN

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23 - 29 November 2019

in brief TWO GUJARATIS FROM MEHSANA SHOT DEAD IN US Two Gujaratis working at a convenience store in South Carolina, US, were shot dead during an armed robbery last week. The deceased, in their early thirties, were from Mehsana district. Kiran Patel (33), a native of Bhatasan near Jotana, and Chirag Patel (32) from Kharna near Mansa were killed by unidentified persons when they were at work at ‘Po Boys’ store. Ashish Patel, the younger sibling of Kiran, said his brother had been working in the US for a decade where he lived with his wife and a son.

6 ‘INDIANS’ KILLED AT OMAN EXCAVATION SITE Six construction workers, believed to be Indian nationals, were killed in Oman when they were buried at an excavation site of a water pipeline project due to heavy rains.

The incident happened in the Seeb area of Muscat following heavy rain, the Indian embassy in Muscat said. “We are deeply saddened to learn about the incident involving death of six workers, who are believed to be Indian nationals,” the Indian embassy said. The embassy said they are in contact with the Omani officials to ascertain the full facts of the incident and confirm the identities of the victims. Local media reported that the victims were working on a section of pipe that was 14 metres below the ground. The rescue team took nearly 12 hours to recover the bodies, Muscat Daily reported.

INDIAN ARRESTED IN SHARJAH FOR ASSAULTING WIFE A 47-year-old Indian national was arrested in Sharjah after his wife, with a heavily swollen and bleeding eye, posted a video online alleging domestic abuse, according to media reports. Jasmine Sultan, 33, in the video said she needed urgent help as her husband Mohammad Khizar Ulla assaulted her badly.

Sharjah police confirmed that they responded to the news and detained the accused. Meanwhile, the Consulate-General of India to Dubai took note of the matter and got in touch with Jasmine. 'We met Jasmine and are in regular touch with her. We have called her husband to the consulate and understand that local authorities are already questioning him. We will provide all possible help to Jasmine,' the consulate-general was quoted as saying.

No deal will be made in Kulbhushan Jadhav case : Pakistan Islamabad: Pakistan ruled out any deal with India in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case and said that any step taken to implement the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling will be according to its Constitution only. The remarks made by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal came a day after Pakistan Army had said that various legal options for review and reconsideration of the case were being considered.

Faisal said, "There will be no deal…all decisions will be as per local laws.”

"Speculations for amendment in Pak Army Act to implement ICJ verdict regarding Kulbushan Jadhav are incorrect.

Various legal options for review and reconsideration of the case are being considered. Final status shall be shared in due course of time," Pakistan Army spokesperson Asif Gafoor tweeted. In July this year, the ICJ, by a vote of 15-1 in the Jadhav case, upheld India's claim that Pakistan is in egregious violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on several counts. The world court had

ordered Islamabad to carry out an effective "review and reconsideration" of his conviction.

Jadhav, 49, was purportedly "arrested" from Balochistan by Pakistani security forces on March 3, 2016, after he allegedly entered the country from Iran as claimed by Islamabad. India has rejected Pakistan's allegations about Jadhav's involvement in spying and subversive activities and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar where he was running a business. In April 2017, a field general court martial (FGCM), a secret

Kulbhushan Jadhav

military court which had tried Jadhav on charges of espionage and subversive activities in Pakistan, sentenced him to death. His appeal against his conviction was also rejected by the army’s appellate court, prompting New Delhi to take Jadhav’s case to the ICJ.

Pak cleric now calls for lockdown of main roads Islamabad: Pakistan's firebrand cleric-cumpolitician Maulana Fazlur Rehman called off his anti-government gathering in Islamabad after nearly two weeks and announced that the massive protest will be expanded across the country by blocking major highways and trade links to topple Prime Minister Imran Khan. Addressing the 'Azadi March' sit-in, the right-wing leader said that the Plan B would witness the lockdown of main roads outside the cities, such that locals did not suffer and the movement of humanitarian workers, ambulances and firefighting vehicles was not disturbed.

"I appeal to the masses to join the movement and support the lockdown as this fight is for your cause and I direct my workers to take along the local populace with you to block the roads," the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief said. "We have the support of Almighty Allah and that power will provide us strength in these fronts too." He warned the state institutions not to disturb the Azadi march caravans and respect the JUI-F workers in their sitins across the country. "If you (the authorities) remove us from one place we will shift to another and if we are forced to vacate that spot we will appear at the third one, but our movement will not end without resignation of Imran Khan and holding of free and fair elections in the country," he declared.

The firebrand cleric lambasted the government for failing on key domestic and foreign policy fronts. He said only Pakistan's economy was going down whereas the economies of all other regional countries were going up. Fazlur, who is amongst the most pragmatic and deft

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politicians in Pakistan, had in June this year announced that his party would hold a long march to Islamabad in October. The march kicked off from Karachi on 27 October, with rallies from Balochistan province also joining the march in Karachi, and descended upon Islamabad on October 31.

Despite failure to achieve the objective immediately, it is believed that he gained politically by showing his power to assemble large crowds. The discipline and peace of the protestors was also acknowledged even by his opponents.

After initial objections, the two main

Pakistani opposition parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) had joined with several smaller parties in extending support to the Maulana.

22 BANGLADESH - SRI LANKA

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Gotabaya Rajapaksa sworn in as Lanka President Colombo: Sri Lanka's controversial wartime defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was on Monday sworn in as the country's next President. This marks the return of the powerful Rajapaksa dynasty known for its proChina tilt, amidst security challenges following the Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed 269 people.

Gotabaya defeated Sajith Premadasa by more than 13,00,000 votes, according to the official results.

He will succeed President Maithripala Sirisena for a five-year term. Gotabaya secured 52.25 per cent votes (6,924,255) while Premadasa received 41.99 per cent of the total votes polled Gotabaya Rajapaksa taking oath as president of Sri Lanka (5,564,239), the election commission 2009. However, the brothers stand accused of said. Other candidates got 5.76 per cent votes. crimes against humanity, including directing Gotabaya had vowed to “restore relations” the bombings of civilian hospitals and with Sri Lanka’s top lender, China, if he wins torturing journalists - allegations they have the election, despite international concerns denied. over the island nation’s financial debt to the Asian superpower.

Modi greets Gotabaya As defence secretary during the rule of his Prime Minister Narendra Modi brother Mahinda, Gotabaya - nicknamed congratulated Gotabaya and said he looks ‘Terminator’ by his own family - effectively forward to further deepen relations between ran the security forces, and oversaw the final the two nations. Gotabaya thanked the people assault on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil of India and Modi, saying he looks forward to Eelam (LTTE) that ended a 37-year civil war in strengthening the friendship and meeting him

in the near future. The turnout in the election was more than 80 per cent.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who cannot be removed unless he steps down, is expected to resign. The current Parliament cannot be dissolved at least before February next year. It is believed that Gotabaya would appoint his elder brother and former strongman Mahinda as the Prime Minister.

A ‘backward step,’ says Steve Crawshaw The inauguration of Gotabaya as Lanka president signals a backward step for the delivery of accountability and justice in a country that has experienced mass human rights violations for decades. In 2009, he was Defence Secretary in his brother Mahinda’s government. In the final months of Lanka’s long and brutal civil war with the rebel Tamil Tigers, Lankan armed forces repeatedly shelled hospitals in what was cynically proclaimed to be a “no fire zone”. This was, in the words of the UN, “an assault on the entire framework of international law”. Thousands of fighters who surrendered at the end of the war have never been seen again, their fate unknown.

Sikhs third most targeted religious group in US : FBI report Washington: The Sikh community is the third most commonly targeted religious group after Jews and Muslims in the US, according to an annual report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to the FBI, the 2018 data shows the largest number of hate crimes based on religion were reported against Jews (835), followed by Muslims (188) and Sikhs (60).

Another 91 hate crimes were reported against other religions, including 12 against Hindus and ten anti-Buddhist crimes. The data provides information about the crimes motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity. In total, at least 7,120 hate crimes were reported by law enforcement agencies across the US, slightly down from 7,175 in 2017, the report states.

Sikh Coalition, a New York-based think tank that defends Sikh civil rights, said that

it remains a "disheartening" fact that hate crimes remain systematically underreported across the US. "While hate crimes remained relatively steady nationally, reported antiSikh hate crimes rose by 200 per cent since 2017, making Sikhs the third most commonly target ed religious group in the data set," it said. “At the end of the day, this data simply isn’t giving us the accurate information we need to effectively counteract hate against targeted communities,” said Sim J Singh, Sikh Coalition Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy. “It's past time for action.

Congress must pass the next generation of common-sense legislation that equips law enforcement to better identify and track

religion and the fifth largest in the world. There are more than 25 million Sikhs across the world and almost a million live in the US. "This resolution honours Sikh Americans, a vital part of our Nation''s rich culture and diversity. Indiana is home to more than 10,000 Sikhs, and I am proud to introduce the first resolution ever introduced in the Senate in their honour. As the fifth-largest religion in the world,

NAWAZ SHARIF LEAVES FOR LONDON FOR TREATMENT Pakistan's ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday left for London in an air ambulance to seek better medical treatment for multiple diseases, days after a court allowed him to travel abroad for four weeks after he legally challenged the Imran Khan government's condition of furnishing an indemnity bond worth £70 million. The 69year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo left for London via Qatar after arriving at Lahore airport, where the air ambulance - equipped with an intensive care unit and an operation theatre - arrived from Doha. The three-time prime minister has been diagnosed with an immune system disorder and doctors recommended that he should go abroad for treatment as his condition continued to deteriorate desp ite best possible care in Pakistan. Sharif is accompanied by his younger brother and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, his personal physician Adnan Khan and other paramedical personnel.

PAK COURT REJECTS ZARDARI'S PLEA An accountability court has turned down an application submitted by former president Asif Ali Zardari requesting that he be shifted to Karachi for treatment. According to reports, the application by his lawyer termed Zardari's health as "worrisome" and submitted he should be permitted to receive treatment in Karachi. Zardari was brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on October 22 and admitted to the cardiology department's VIP ward. He underwent a number of tests and was declared to be out of danger. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Zardari on June 10 after canceling his pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court in the fake bank accounts case.

AFGHAN-TALIBAN PRISONER SWAP ‘POSTPONED’ hate incidents," he said.

The FBI reported 148 hate crimes against Asians in 2018, while those against Arabs were 82, anti-American Indian or Alaska Native (194). According to the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, Americans experience an average of 250,000 hate crimes per year; this latest FBI data, by contrast, only managed to document 7,120 incidents, with less than 13 per cent of law enforcement affirmatively providing reports of hate crimes, it said.

US Senate passes resolution honouring Sikhs Washington: The US Senate has passed a first ever bipartisan resolution honouring Sikhs, including the more than 10,000strong community members currently living in Indiana, and recognising the historical, cultural and religious significance of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.

Introduced by Republican Senator Todd Young from Indiana and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland, the first of its kind resolution on Sikhism was passed to honour Sikh Americans for their contributions and sacrifices. The resolution said Sikhs in the US and around the world live as per the values and ideals of equality, service, and devotion to God, first preached by Guru Nanak.

Sikhism is a monotheistic

in brief

Hoosier communities are made richer by their contributions," Senator Young said.

The Senate resolution also mentioned four eminent Sikhs for their contribution to the US. The Sikhs figured in the resolution included Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian-American Congressman, elected to the office in 1957; Dr Narinder Kapany, the inventor of fiber optics; Dinar Singh Bains, the

largest peach grower in the United States; and Gurinder Singh Khalsa, the recipient of the prestigious Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award.

The resolution also recognized the contribution of Sikh women Grammy-winning artist Snatam Kaur; New York Police Department police officer Gursoach Kaur; and University of California, Berkeley professor Supreet Kaur.

Indiana-based Khalsa welcomed the passage of the resolution. “This is a historic moment for the global Sikh community. We Sikhs of America are grateful to the United States Senate and Senator Young for introducing the resolution,' he said. A similar resolution introduced in the US House of Representatives too is likely to be passed soon.

A plan to swap two Western hostages with three Taliban prisoners has been postponed, an Afghan government official said, and Taliban sources said the group had moved the Westerners to a “new and safe place.” Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said the government would release a leader of the Taliban’s Haqqani militant faction and two other commanders in exchange for two university professors, American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks. The deal is seen by the Afghan government as a key move in securing direct talks with the Taliban, which has hitherto refused to engage with what it calls an illegitimate “puppet” regime in Kabul.

But a diplomat said in Washington that the exchange had not taken place. An Afghan government official said it had been postponed, without elaborating further.

16 KILLED AS TWO TRAINS COLLIDE IN BANGLADESH At least 16 people were killed and over 50 others injured in a head-on collision between two trains in east-central Bangladesh.

Chittagong-bound Udayan Express from Sylhet and Dhaka-bound Turna Nishita collided near Mondobhag station. An official said that the accident occurred because the loco masters did not obey the signals. "Three coaches were badly mangled and the victims are from these coaches," the official said.

Three separate probe committees have been formed to investigate the mishap. Nine of the deceased, including five men and four women, died on spot. Others died at different hospitals after the injured passengers were taken there.

A police official said that 12 people died on the spot, while three others succumbed to injuries at different hospitals.

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in brief PAKISTANI JAILED FOR DUTCH ANTI-ISLAM MP MURDER PLOT A Dutch court sentenced a Pakistani man to 10 years behind bars for planning to assassinate anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders after the MP announced a cartoon competition depicting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The man, identified as Junaid I. by local media, was arrested in August 2018 at a train station in The Hague after he posted a film on Facebook in which he said he wanted to “send Wilders to hell” and urged others to help. Judges at The Hague's district court found the 27-year-old man, who had travelled from France, guilty of “planning a murder with a terrorist motive” and “incitement to commit a terrorist deed”. Wilders, 56, known for his peroxide bouffant hairdo and firebrand antiimmigration and anti-Islamist statements, lives in a safe house and has been granted 24-hour protection by the Dutch state.

WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE WATCH A one-of-a-kind Patek Philippe watch sold for $31 million (£22.2 million) at a charity auction in Geneva, making it the most expensive wristwatch ever auctioned. The Patek was sold as part of the Only Watch auction held by Christie's to benefit research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

For the sale, watchmakers including Patek, Audemars Piguet and F.P. Journe created and donated one-of-a-kind watches, which are coveted by top watch collectors around the world. The fact that the sale was for charity helped boost the bidding prices, according to the auctioneers. The buyer of the watch has not been identified. The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime reference 6300A-010 is the only one of its kind that will be made in stainless steel.

KUWAIT'S GOVERNMENT SUBMITS RESIGNATION Kuwait's prime minister has submitted his cabinet's resignation to the ruling emir of the Gulf Arab state, a government spokesman said. The resignation came after Kuwaiti lawmakers submitted a motion for a noconfidence vote against Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid al-Jarrah al-Sabah, who is a senior member of the ruling Al Sabah family.

Cabinet resignations in Kuwait happen frequently when elected lawmakers are set to question or submit a no-confidence vote against senior government officials. The emir still has to accept the resignation in order for it to be final. He would then request a new cabinet to be formed. Lawmakers had questioned Sheikh Khalid over alleged abuse of power, charges he rejected.

18 KILLED AS ISRAEL STRIKES IN GAZA Israeli airstrikes killed more Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza last week as rocket fire toward Israel resumed after a brief lull, raising the toll in the strip to 18 Palestinians in the heaviest round of fighting in months.

The military said more than 250 rockets have been fired at Israeli communities since the violence erupted following an Israeli airstrike that killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander accused of being the mastermind of recent attacks. Israel stepped up its battle against Iran and its proxies across the region. The latest fighting brought life in much of Israel to a standstill.

CANADA POLITICIAN TOLD TO LEAVE HOUSE OVER HOODIE Canadian politician Catherine Dorion has inspired a backlash online after being forced to leave the National Assembly in Quebec because she was wearing a hoodie. Dorion, who is a member of the left-wing Quebec Solidaire party, entered the halls of the legislature on 7 November in a sweatshirt and jeans. Her outfit sparked complaints from colleagues so Dorion decided to leave the office as she didn’t want to “cause a scene”.

The incident has sparked anger with some saying the response is sexist.

Nikki Haley plays with the Trumpism card Washington: Nikki Haley has turned out to be the right bet to become the first female president of America. The former ambassador to the UN has been viewed as Donald Trump's heir apparently by many. With the launch of her book, 'With All Due Respect', Haley has shrewdly demonstrated both her loyalty to and independence from the president, as well as embodying her motto: "Kick'em with a smile."

The book took no time to hit the headlines, because Haley used to publicly knife two of her most prominent ex-colleagues in a quite remarkable revelation.

While she was working in the administration, Haley divulged, the then secretary of state Rex Tillerson and the chief of staff John Kelly tried to recruit her into a resistance movement who wanted her aid in thwarting Trump. “Kelly and Tillerson confided in me that when they resisted the president, they

weren’t being insubordinate, they were trying to save the country,” Haley writes. The former governor of South Carolina says she was disturbed by the revelations and opted not to join the gang. “It was their decisions, not the president’s, that were in the best interests of America, they said. The president didn’t know what he was doing.”

Tillerson denied the claim, while Kelly gave more cryptic response about ensuring the president made "informed decisions". Haley also elicited the most meaningful praise imaginable from Trump, "Make sure you order your copy today," he said. Its a far cry from 2016, when Haley was endorsing Trump's rivals and warning the Republicans about the dangers of his candidacy for president.

"During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation," she said in January 2016. Trump hit back

on Twitter, "The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by Nikki Haley!"

On paper Haley has it all.

Bright, tough, attractive, IndianAmerican, female, Southeren, Conservative, friendly with Trump but not in his pocket, she potentially solves a lot of problems Republicans have with suburban women and the spectre of racial animus. Some pundits have even speculated that Trump might give Mike Pence the boot and pick her as his running mate for 2020, a discussion that has sparked a tense rivalry between Haley and the Pence camp.

Matt Moore has known Haley 15 years and was chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party while she was governor said, "She has a soft touch, but she can also kick butt and take names," Haley was born

to Sikh parents in tiny Bamberg, South Carolina. She still acts as a carer for her parents and has emphasised her family credentials during her political ascendancy. She’s often spoken about how traumatic it was to be governor of South Carolina during the Charleston church shooting of 2015 when a white nationalist killed nine African Americans.

What Haley really offers, to many Republicans, is a vision of a brighter, less divisive future; one that acknowledges Trumpism but is not beholden to it. Rather, she’s carved out a position where she’ll make muted criticisms of specific Trump actions but balance them with vocal public support for the president.

US Congressional Commission's hearing on Kashmir nearly fizzles out Washington: A US Congressional National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, mob violence and revocation of Commission's hearing on human rights Article 370 led to the growing sense of situation in Jammu and Kashmir nearly fear among the Indian minorities. Last fizzled out as only four of the 84 memmonth, the Subcommittee on Asia, the bers of the panel turned up for the hearPacific, and Non-Proliferation of the ing, the second such meeting by an US House Foreign Affairs Committee American panel after India abrogated also held a hearing on the situation in Article 370 to revoke the special status Kashmir. of that state.

Duschinski in her testimony Republicans refused to attend the acknowledged that while an investigahearing held by the Tom Lantos Human tion into crimes against Kashmiri punRights Commission, saying that this dits still needs to happen, it should not commission "is biased, one sided and be used as a mechanism to justify or has lost credibility.” Except for erase other Kashmiris' struggles. "It's Republican Co-Chair Christopher H imperative to investigate all crimes Smith, no other member from the party Sunanda Vashisht against Kashmiri pundits through an turned up for the hearing. Smith in his the region, alongside her cousin, who have international inquiry since Indian criminal brief remarks said that Kashmir is a bilateral been arrested under the Public Safety Act justice processes have failed," Duschinski issue between India and Pakistan, which termed a "lawless law" by Amnesty said. "It's also imperative that the pain and needs to act against terrorist groups based International and condemned in a United suffering of any Kashmiri community inside its territory.

Nations report last year. "My cousin might should not be instrumentalised, manipulatPeople who testified before the twobe in jail and other people are in jail but the ed or weaponised as a claim against other and-a-half-hour long hearing include whole place is under arrest," Fazili said. communities." The testimonies also highCommissioner Anurima Bhargava of the US Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative lighted another issue that Kashmiris have Commission on International Religious from Texas, asked for a pathway to ensure been calling for since the beginning of the Freedom, associate professor of human rights in the region. "We should try current crisis: Their right to self-determinaAnthropology and Director of the Center for to find a pathway to at least do the basics to tion, and for them to have the agency to tell Law, Justice and Culture, Haley Duschinski ensure human rights in the region. Why not their own stories without getting dragged of the Ohio University, human rights lawyer allow the members of the US Congress to into a talking point in the India-Pakistan Arjun S Sethi, writer Sunanda Vashisht and visit both parts of Jammu and Kashmir -- in conflict.

John Sifton of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

India as well as Pakistan," Lee Testifying before the Commission, said. Anurnima Bhargava, Sunanda Vashist, an Indian-American commissioner from the US columnist, told lawmakers that Kashmir has Commission on International been an integral part of India. "India is not Religious Freedom, alleged, just a 70-year-old nation that you see. India "Religious minorities in India is a 5,000-year-old civilisation. There is no FINANCIAL A SERVICES are under a state of fear and Kashmir without India. There is no India active persecution and viowithout Kashmir. It's both ways. And I will PROTECTION MORTGAGES lence." Bhargava, who is of say this at the top of my voice," KashmiriLife Insurance Residential Indian descent, said the American Vashist said in response to the Critical Illness Buy to Let restrictions in Kashmir separatist- supported panel of experts at the Income Protection Remortgages impacted the ability of people hearing. "India's democratic credentials are to "practice their faith", visit unmatched. They have successfully in a their places of worship and democratic setup, defeated insurgencies in Please conta act: exercise their rights.

Punjab and Northeast. It's time to strengthDinesh Shonchhatra S She alleged that there was en India against this insurgency in Kashmir Mortgage Ad dviser a growing persecution of reliand the human rights problem (in Kashmir) gious minorities specially will be solved forever,” she said.

Call: 020 8424 C 4 8686 / 07956 810647 Muslims in India manifested In her testimony, Yousra Fazili, whose in the form of anti-convercousin Mubeen Shah was one of the thousion legislation, and claimed 77 High Street, Wealdston ne, Harrow, HA3 5DQ sands held without reason leading up to the that the Ayodhya verdict, mortgage@majorestate.co om ~ majorestate.com August 5 move, shared examples of others in

24 INDIA

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SOUTH INDIA

BJP fields 13 Karnataka rebels as candidates in by-election BENGALURU: A day after the Supreme Court ruled that the 17 disqualified Karnataka MLAs are eligible to contest the election, the Bharatiya Janata Party ‘rewarded’ 13 of them by offering party tickets for the December 5 by-election. Byelections are being held in 15 seats left vacant by the disqualification of the JDS and Congress MLAs whose exodus plunged the previous HD Kumaraswamy government into a minority.

Fourteen of the rebels were from the Congress and three from the JDS. The disqualification was confirmed by the Supreme Court, but former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar's order banning the MLAs from contesting polls till 2023 - the term of the current assembly - was cancelled. "There is a growing trend of the Speaker acting against the constitutional duty of being neutral. Further horse trading and corrupt practices associated with defection and change of loyalty for lure of office or wrong reasons have not abated.

Thereby the citizens are denied stable governments," the judges observed, stressing on

the need to consider strengthening certain aspects so that "such undemocratic practices are discouraged and checked". Soon after the court's decision, the MLAs said they would join the BJP, and this was endorsed by Chief Minister Yediyurappa.

"It is because of the sacrifice of these 17 legislators that I have been able to take oath as Chief Minister," Yediyurappa said, welcoming the rebels into his party. "As the Chief Minister along with the party president, I would like to

assure you that we will keep up the promise made to you and won't betray you," said a grateful Chief Minister.

The legislators were disqualified under the anti-defection law as they refused to attend the assembly despite entreaties by the Congress and JDS, which finally lost a trust vote. The two parties had then alleged that the BJP deliberately lured the MLAs as part of "Operation Lotus".

The BJP is confident of winning a majority of the 15 constituencies during the by-election.

PUNJAB

President urges people to follow Guru Nanak’s teachings SULTANPUR LODHI: President Ram Nath Kovind attended functions of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Punjab government at Sultanpur Lodhi on the occasion of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. He highlighted the contributions made by the founder of Sikhism for the welfare of society.

Kovind recalled the Guru’s inspiring thoughts, “Satguru Nanak pargateya mitti dhund jag chanan hoya (With the divine light of Guru Nanak, the mist has been cleared).”

He said Guru Nanak was committed to eradicating injustice and inequality from society. “Guru Nanak was born on this auspicious Kartik Poornima and people of all faiths respect him,” he said at the function organised by the Punjab government to commemorate the occasion. The President urged people to follow the Guru’s teachings of living in peace and universal brotherhood.

“The Guru preached the three principles of 'naam japo', 'kirat karo' and 'vand chakho' (Meditate on God through reciting and chanting prayers, work hard and share your resources with the community).” He wound

up the speech with, “Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, waheguru ji ki fateh.”

Amarinder raised the issue of pollution due to paddy stubble burning and appealed to farmers to follow the Guru’s teaching of “pavan guru, pani pita, maata dharat (Air is our President Kovind and his wife Savita at the historic Gurdwara Ber Sahib teacher, water our father, and Sunder Sham Arora. Capt Amrinder and his earth our mother).” He also thanked Prime wife and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur also paid Ministers Narendra Modi and Imran Khan for obeisance at the gurdwara before the opening the Kartarpur Corridor and urged President arrived. Former chief minister people to avail the opportunity of visa-free Parkash Singh Badal also offered prayers. The access to the gurdwara that commemorates SGPC function started on November 1, while the last resting place of Guru Nanak Dev. the state government event began on Earlier, Kovind and his wife Savita spent 15 November 5. minutes in the historic Gurdwara Ber Sahib Amarinder asks SGPC to bear $20 service where the SGPC honoured him with a siropa fee (robe of honour). The President also saw the Meanwhile, Amarinder asked the SGPC to beri (tree) under which Guru Nanak is pay out of their own coffers the $ 20 service believed to have meditated. Kovind was fee being charged by Pakistan for visiting the accompanied by Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib as very few pilgrims including Prem Singh Chandumajra and have taken the Kartarpur corridor since its Balwinder Singh Bhunder, and former SGPC inauguration. president Jagir Kaur, besides cabinet minister

WEST BENGAL

Minister Supriyo faces protest during visit to cyclone-hit areas Kolkata: Union minister Babul Supriyo faced massive protests and was asked to go back by a group of people when he arrived in South 24 Parganas district to take stock of the situation in cyclone 'Bulbul'-hit areas.

Supriyo, who said that he had been asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the storm-ravaged areas in Bengal, claimed that the agitators were activists of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Shortly after he reached Namkhana, one of the worstaffected places in the state, protesters stopped his convoy and showed him black flags.

Criticising the Mamata Banerjee-led party for engaging in "dirty politics" over his visit,

the Union minister said he would submit a report on the ground situation to Modi. The singer-turned BJP MP also claimed that the TMC engineered the protests as it did not want him to get a "firsthand idea" of the situation at the ground level. "I knew I would face protests during my visit. The agitators were all TMC activists," Supriyo asserted. After his convoy was stopped, Supriyo took a bike to reach Fraserganj where the storm left a trail of destruction, rendering thousands of people homeless. The minister met locals and enquired about their condition post the cyclone, which made landfall between Bengal and Bangladesh coasts.

"I visited 'Bulbul'-hit Namkhana & Bakkhali, where the storm left a trail of destruction rendering thousands homeless. Several locals complained about lack of relief materials and food for the last four days. The TMC, however, will continue to engage in dirty politics," he told reporters. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh condemned the protests against Supriyo and said he was visiting the affected areas as a representative of the union government and not as BJP leader. "If there is nothing to hide, then why is TMC afraid of the visit? The TMC is claiming that relief work has started but the fact is it has not started yet

Babul Supriyo

and they are trying to hide it," Ghosh alleged.

Taking a jibe at Supriyo, senior TMC leader and state education minister Partha Chatterjee said Supriyo should have done his homework before visiting the storm-affected places. "What is he doing there now? Where was he when the cyclone barrelled through the coastal areas?’’

in brief CONG, BJP CLAIM WINS IN LOCAL BODY POLLS The results of local body elections in Karnataka have given both the Congress and the BJP something to cheer about ahead of next month's by-polls. Of the 418 wards for which voting was held the Congress won 151, the BJP claimed 125 and the Janata Dal (Secular) won 63; 55 wards were won by independent candidates. "Congress has emerged as the Number 1 party. I would like to thank the voters of local bodies in which the elections were held," party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. The ruling BJP has done well in its stronghold of Mangaluru. The party took to social media to announce its victory. "Under the leadership of President Nalin Kumar Kateel & Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, the BJP continues its victory march in urban local body elections. We sincerely thank voters for reposing their faith in us by giving 44 seats out of 60 in Mangaluru Corporation. Hearty congratulations to our candidates," the party said in its post.

ALAGIRI, KAMAL HAASAN SUPPORT RAJINIKANTH Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth appears to find support from former Union Minister and ousted DMK leader M K Alagiri and Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and actor Kamal Haasan for his "political vacuum" statement.

Alagiri agreed with Rajinikanth on the issue and said the actor is the right person to fill that void. Endorsing the superstar's view, Alagiri who is the elder son of late DMK president M Karunanidhi, said he agreed with Rajinikanth that a political void continues in the state after the death of the Dravidian leaders. "Of course, there is a vacuum that exists for good leadership in Tamil Nadu. I hope Rajinikanth would fill that vacuum," he said. Kamal Haasan also echoed Rajinikanth's statement and said there was a dearth of 'good' leaders unlike in the past.

REPRIEVE FOR BEANT SINGH'S KILLER The Union Home Ministry has commuted the death sentence of Babbar Khalsa terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana who was sentenced to death in 2007 for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. The decision has been communicated to the Punjab government and Chandigarh administration, said sources, adding the remission order will be pursued by the Chandigarh administration. "The UT administration will be the one following it up on his remission," a Punjab government official said. Rajoana, 52, who is currently lodged in Patiala Central Jail, is the prime accused in the case and he will now serve life imprisonment.

A former Punjab Police constable, Rajoana was sentenced to death on August 1, 2007 by a special CBI court in Chandigarh and his execution was scheduled for March 31, 2012.

BJP WORKERS INJURED IN CLASH WITH COPS More than 60 BJP workers, including senior party leaders, received injuries after Kolkata police lathi charged protesters and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse them from agitating in front of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters against spurt in dengue deaths in the city. The BJP accused the Trinamool Congress government of trying to "hush up" the figures. The protest march, convened by BJP Yuva Morcha, was led by BJP president Dilip Ghosh and was taken out from Central Avenue in the city.

The march was scheduled to culminate with the gherao of the civic office. Nearly 35 BJP supporters, including 12 female workers, were arrested by the police for violating the law and order situation in the city. As many as 44,852 dengue cases were reported from Kolkata and its adjoining areas, a report revealed. As per a government official, 25 people have died of dengue in the state.

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Terrorism caused $1 trillion loss to Jains and Sikhs Walking Together world economy: PM Modi at BRICS Dr. Harvinder Singh Sahota (Laguna Beach CA) and Dr. Sulekh C. Jain (Las Vegas, NV)

Terrorism has caused $1 trillion loss to the world economy and the atmosphere it created has indirectly and deeply harmed trade and business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the BRICS Summit in Brasilia as he welcomed increased cooperation from the members of the grouping.

The 11th BRICS Summit was held under the theme: Economic Growth for an Innovative Future.

BRICS leaders - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the 11th BRICS Summit where deliberations took place on key areas such as trade, investment and counter-terrorism. Brazil is the current chair of the grouping which represents over 3.6 billion people or half of the world population and they have a combined nominal GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.

Addressing the Plenary Session of the 11th BRICS Summit at the iconic Itamaraty Palace Prime Minister Modi said terrorism has emerged as the biggest threat to the development, peace and prosperity. He said that the scourge has caused USD 1 trillion loss to the world economy. In 10 years, terrorism has claimed the lives of about 225,000 people and destroyed societies, Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BRICS leaders at Brasilia in Brazil

said. Modi also proposed to hold the first meeting of BRICS water ministers in India. Modi also emphasised on paying special attention to mutual trade and investment, saying intra-BRICS trade accounts for just 15 per cent of the world trade, while its combined population is over 40 per cent of the world's population. Modi described India as the world’s most open and investment friendly economy in his address to the Brics forum. He also urged the Brics business leaders to invest in the country and take advantage of its “limitless” possibilities and “countless” opportunities.

On the sidelines of the 11th BRICS summit, Modi met Brazilian President to discuss ways to enhance the bilateral strategic partnership. The two leaders held "fruitful talks" to strengthen bilateral ties. The Brazilian President accepted Prime Minister Modi's invitation to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations next year and said that a large business

delegation will accompany him to India. The two leaders also discussed other areas of cooperation including space and defence sectors. Modi also welcomed the decision of the President to grant visafree travel to Indian citizens.

The prime minister also held separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During the meeting with the Chinese President, it was discussed that the Special Representatives will have another meeting on matters relating to the boundary question and reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and security in the border areas. This is significant as even after the informal summit, India and China have not yet succeeded in finalising dates for talks between the Special Representatives. They both agreed on the importance of maintaining close dialogue on matters relating to trade and investment, the government said in a press release.

On November 12, 2019, the world celebrated the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, an apostle of peace. On the same day India and Pakistan opened the Kartapur Sahib Corridor connecting the two holiest Sikh Shrines in India and Pakistan. This has enabled a free passage to thousands of devotees to visit the holy place.

Jainism is one of the oldest while Sikhism is the youngest religion of the World. In terms of population, Sikhism is the 5th largest and Jainism the 6th largest in the world. Both religions are minority in India. There is so much in common between the two religions. Since the birth of Guru Nanak Dev and Sikhism, Jains and Sikhs have been working and walking together. This is a living and true example of interfaith dialogue, inter-dependence, co- existence, respect, cooperation, sharing, caring and helping each other. In this article, we provide a quick glimpse of this rich and impressive history (past and present).

Lot of history of Jains and Sikhs are inter-twined. 2,600 years ago, Bhagwan Mahavir was born in Bihar and Jainism flourished in Bihar. Patna (Bihar) is where much of Sikh history was made. Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Govind Singh Ji lived in Patna. Guru Govind Singh Ji was born in Patna (Bihar). 350 years ago Salis Rai Johri, a prominent Jain in Patna; hosted Guru Teg Bahadur and his family on his way to Assam.

Wife of Guru Teg Bahadur, Mata Gujri stayed with this Jain family for several years.

In this Jain household Guru Govind Singh was born and grew up to the age of 6. Later this Jain family donated a piece of land for the dharamshala and eventually the Sri Patna Sahib Takht (a Sikh Holy place and place of worship) was built there. This same Jain Johri also built a Jain Temple next door.

The Jain temple and Sikh Gurudwara on the same land next to each other in the same campus just separated by a simple wall are a unique example of respect for each other.

Jain and Sikh gurudwara (Sri Patna Sahib Takht ) next to each other

Sikhs and Jains have never harmed, quarreled or destroyed each other’s places of worship.

Jains and Sikhs together made Ludhiana a hosiery capital of the world. The Punjabi University in Patiala has a Dept. of Jainology. All Sikh Maharajas who ruled states in Punjab have employed Jains in very important positions because of the Jains trust and honesty. Jains and Sikhs have not only co-existed but have provided safety and shelters to each other.

Ahimsa (non-violence) is the core Principle of Jains. A Jain is known by the practice of Ahimsa in all his/her Professions and walks of life. Sikhs Practice Ahimsa by Seva (Service to others) to the needy and afflicted in distress and in natural and manmade calamities and their practice of free langars (since last 550 years) throughout the world is the hallmark of Sikh tradition. Jains and Sikhs doesnot have caste system and stand for equal rights and respect for all humans including women. Both Jainism and Sikhism are least known and most misunderstood in the West.

Academic study of Jainism and Sikhism has significantly lagged behind of other Indic religions in North America. Jain and Sikh Community leaders are closing this gap by establishing Centers for Jain and Sikh Studies. Let us work together even more to learn from the beauties of each tradition and dismantle all the walls of hatred and mistrust. This is the real and true message of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Prince Charles concludes visit to India SC chides Rahul but Britain's Prince Charles' official visit to India, packed with a diverse range of engagements over two days in New Delhi and Mumbai, concluded on November 14, the British High Commission said. In a diverse range of engagements, he celebrated the deep cultural connections between the UK and India and looked forward to further bilateral cooperation on issues like sustainability and climate change.

He began his visit by presenting a Commonwealth “Points of light” award to Kerala's Jolly Johnson, founder of the Helping Hands Organisation (H20). Prince Charles held a bilateral Prince Charles with winners of the Ashden Awards discussion with President one of the e-rickshaws by Mariya”, one of the female drivers Ram Nath Kovind, where they noted their mutual interest working with Ashden winner SMV Green. in green issues and traditional medicine, as well as the Prince Charles also visited a Sikh gurdwara, where he important role of the Commonwealth. The president gave learnt about the significance of the 550th birth anniversary Prince Charles a tour of the herbal garden, where he of Guru Nanak. Marking the 75th anniversary year of the planted a champa tree in his name. He also visited the India Battle of Kohima, Prince Charles recited the Kohima Meteorological Department to discuss weather forecasting Epitaph and laid a wreath of Khadi poppies, made by systems. members of the Royal British Legion in the UK, the “He was given a tour of the control room, showcasing statement said. how the Centre operates to forecast, track and respond to In Mumbai, Prince Charles joined a British Asian Trust cyclones and other potential disasters”, including the latest meeting to gain an update on the work of the Trust in India. cyclone Bulbul in Bangladesh. There he heard from Sunita The meeting included discussion around the Quality Narain from the Centre for Science and Environment about Education Development Impact Bond. He then attended a India’s solutions to air pollution,” the statement said. He discussion with Indian business leaders on how to also met with three winners of the Ashden Awards, who accelerate a transition to sustainable markets. Prince demonstrated their innovative technologies. Prince Charles Charles finished his programme by meeting children who was shown an innovative e-rickshaw charging station have benefited from support from the British Asian Trust. designed by SunMobility before being taken for a spin in

spares him of contempt

The Supreme Court chided former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for going overboard in making statements that the SC had endorsed his Rafale deal linked ‘chowkidar chor hai’ jibe at PM Narendra Modi during election campaigns and said “certainly Gandhi needs to be more careful in future”.

While the decision on the contempt petition initiated

by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi was rendered by CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay K Kaul, Justice K M Joseph in a concurrent 75-page judgment did not utter a word about contempt proceedings against Rahul except saying, “I agree with Justice Kaul.”

Justice Kaul, also writing on behalf of CJI Gogoi, dealt with the contempt case against Rahul in less than four pages and dropped contempt proceedings against him by accepting his belated unconditional apology. Earlier, Rahul had said that ‘chowkidar chor hai’ jibe was hurled in a “rhetorical flourish in the heat of the moment” and that his statement had been used and misused by his political opponents to project that he had deliberately attributed

Rahul Gandhi

the utterances to the SC. But he soon followed it up by tendering an unconditional apology and said the attribution to the SC was “unintentional, non-wilful and inadvertent”. It is the latter affidavit which saved Rahul from contempt.

The SC said, “It is unfortunate that without verification or even perusing as to what is the order passed, the contemnor (Rahul) deemed it appropriate to make statements as if this court had given an imprimatur to his allegations against the prime minister, which was far from the truth.

This is not one sentence or a one off observation bit a repeated statement in different manners conveying the same. No doubt the contemnor should have been more careful.”

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Seven-judge SC bench to review Sabarimala verdict The Supreme Court did not alter its ruling allowing women of all ages to enter the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala but asked a seven-judge bench to evolve guidelines to decide cases involving a clash between the right to equality and the right of denominations to follow their customs - a tussle that has been brought to the fore by the campaign to let women into temples, mosques and Parsi agiyaris (fire temples).

A five-judge bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, by a 3-2 majority, said the seven-judge bench would evolve a comprehensive judicial policy to guide the court in future adjudication of cases of conflict between citizens’ right to equality and a believer’s faith in religious practices and customs. CJI Gogoi, in a nine-page judgment also written on behalf of Justices Khanwilkar

and Malhotra, said reference to a seven-judge bench was needed as the possibility of a collision between fundamental rights between the right to equality on the one hand and the right of individuals to practise their faith and of denominations to follow their affairs on the other went beyond the Sabarimala temple entry case.

The conflict has also inspired petitions “regarding entry of Muslim women in dargah/mosque, Parsi women married to a nonParsi in agiyaris and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community”. The majority judgment said the seven-judge bench would also decide if the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Rules, 1965, mandating the entry of all Hindus into all temples, applied to Sabarimala. It said the bench would “grant fresh opportunity to all interested

parties” and consider their arguments. But in their minority opinion, Justices Nariman and Chandrachud responded with a 59-page dissent criticising the CJI for raking up future cases of likely faith versus fundamental rights scenarios.

Evolve a consensus on temple entry: SC Justices Nariman and Chandrachud said the case in

hand related to the entry of women into Sabarimala temple, comprehensively decided on September 28, 2018, and the present fivejudge bench should not be concerned about pending petitions. They said the previous judgment must be implemented in letter and spirit and any attempt to thwart - or encouragement to thwart it - “cannot be countenanced”. The two

judges told the state to evolve a consensus by holding talks with various stakeholders in the Sabarimala case to ensure the entry of women of all ages into the temple. CJI Gogoi, however, raised a seminal issue - the power of constitutional courts to tread on questions such as those involving a particular custom which, while essential to a religion, happens to be violative of fundamental

rights. In 2018, then CJI Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar, Nariman and Chandrachud had all veered to the conclusion that women of all ages be allowed to enter the temple.

Sabarimala temple opens, cops bar women below 50 As the Sabarimala temple opened for the two-month annual festival amid tight security, the Kerala police in defiance of the Supreme Court order, stopped women pilgrims at Pamba, 5km from the hill-top temple of Lord Ayyappa, checked their documents for proof of age and allowed only those above 50 to proceed further.

According to police, 10 women pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh “who were below 50” were turned back. Heavy security arrangements are in place at Sabarimala. Around 1,400 police personnel have been deployed at the Sannidhanam (the area near the sanctum), led by a superintendent-rank officer and 10 deputy SPs.

JNU students protesting against fee hike clash with police Hundreds of students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) staged a massive protest and clashed with police in New Delhi against a set of proposed rules ranging from a 300% hostel fee hike to dress code and restriction of their movement in the campus.

Students and police clashed after the former refused to disperse from the All Indian Council of Technical Education (AICTE) headquarters, the venue where the JNU convocation was taking place. Following which the police used water cannons and authorities rushed in paramilitary forces to the spot. Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Human Resource Development

Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal were attending the convocation.

“The hostel fee including our food charges is proposed to be hiked 300% - from between less than Rs 2,500 to around Rs 7,000 per month.

Collectively, the university is planning to charge an all inclusive Rs 60,000 per semester per students from less than Rs 10,000 at the moment," said Lata Kumari, a protesting student of JNU. “The JNU has always promoted quality and poor talented students with almost nil support system get good education here.

They want to change the culture of the varsity," said Kumari, a Ph.D student.

Pokhriyal, who stayed

inside the convocation venue for almost six hours, due to the protests said in a tweet later that he spoke to few students and have assured them that their issue will be addressed in a

SC rejects pleas for review of Rafale verdict The Supreme Court rejected pleas for a review of its judgment that gave a clean chit to the Modi government on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and said there is no ground to order an FIR by the CBI or a roving inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the controversial deal.

But a separate and concurring verdict by Justice K M Joseph that the unanimous judgment 'would not stand in the way' of the CBI from taking action on the complaint for lodging of an FIR prompted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to say the judge has left open a 'huge door' for investigation.

The three-judge bench was headed by former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

As the verdict set off a political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the judgment as 'victory of truth' and demanded an apology from Gandhi. Shah asserted that the decision is a befitting reply to those leaders and parties who rely on 'malicious and baseless campaigns' while BJP working president J P Nadda said Gandhi tried to 'mislead the nation from road to Parliament'. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned if Gandhi raised the issue at the behest of French company Dassault Aviation's rivals.

Gandhi demanded a criminal probe as well as an

inquiry by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the £5.8 billion deal while Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala claimed the judgment is not a clean chit by the apex court. 'Rather than indulging in celebrations, BJP government should agree to a JPC investigation,' Surjewala said.

The top court while refusing to re-examine the aspects of pricing, decision making process and selection of the offset partner in the deal for purchase of 36 Rafale jets from Dassault Aviation said the review applications cannot be entertained unless there is an 'error apparent on the face of the record'.

varsity meeting later this week. Students said the proposed hostel rules have underlined that any violation or protest in the hostel may lead to expulsion, denial of degrees,

and invite other penalties.

The proposed rules restrict entry into hostel at 11.30 pm and ask each resident to inform the warden well in advance in case they stay out at night.

Students were protesting inside the campus for days now over the proposed restrictions and wanted to speak to the vice-chancellor. But the VC has not addressed their concerns as yet and instead has been talking that students have turned unruly and kept some deans under captivity for hours earlier.

Some provosts have resigned from their hostel responsibilities in the last few days over the proposed manual under pressure from the students. JNU has been facing a constant conflict between students and administration over their political ideology, punishment on students and other academic and administrative issues.

CJI’s office now under RTI, with key caveats The Supreme Court declared offices of the Chief Justice of India and high court chief justices as “public authority”, making them liable to provide information to queries under the Right to Information Act, but weaved in caveats of “judicial independence, privacy and genuine public interest” to protect judges and judiciary against witch-hunting.

A bench of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices N V Ramana, D Y Chandrachud, Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said the SC, which is a “public authority”, would necessarily include the office of CJI and judges in view of Article 124 of the Constitution. In the process, it upheld a 2010 judgment of the Delhi HC that directed the CPIO of the SC to furnish information on SC judges who have declared their assets. Although the SC stayed the HC order, judges have been voluntarily declaring assets.

Writing the order, an attempt to balance competing considerations of accountability and transparency with independence of the judiciary and privacy of its members, Justice Khanna explained,

“The office of the CJI, or for that matter judges, is not separate from the Supreme Court, and is part of the Supreme Court as a body, authority and institution. The CJI and the Supreme Court are not two distinct and separate ‘public authorities’, albeit the latter is a ‘public authority’ and the Chief Justice and judges together form and constitute the ‘public authority’, that is the Supreme Court of India.”

RTI queries will have to clear public interest test After ruling in principle that offices of the CJI and CJs of the HCs are public authority amenable to the RTI Act, the SC said RTI queries seeking information will have to clear the cardinal public interest test. “When public interest demands disclosure of information, judicial independence has to be kept in mind while deciding the question of exercise of discretion,” the bench said.

The five-judge bench led by former CJI Gogoi struck a note of caution on whether information about selection of persons for appointment as judges of HCs or SC would be made public under the RTI Act.

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Fasting for 24 hours once a month helps patients with heart problems live longer Periodic fasting could lengthen the lifespan of patients with heart problems, a new study suggests.

The concept, known as intermittent fasting, involves people going without food or drink for the majority of the day, if not the whole day.

Researchers found that patients who had a catheter threaded to their heart to treat a cardiovascular condition - and practiced intermittent fasting - lived longer than patients who didn't fast. The team, from the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, also found that intermittent fasting patients were less likely to be diagnosed with heart failure.

The team has conducted previous research on patients with diabetes and found that rates of coronary heart disease were lower in those who practiced intermittent fasting.

The results suggest that

the effects of chronic disease, which develop over decades, are softened by fasting. 'We've been doing fasting research for quite a while using a similar approach. We wanted to see if, perhaps, fasting was the specific characteristic responsible for lower rates of mortality,' principal investigator Dr Benjamin Horne, director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute, told DailyMail.com.

Researchers asked the patients whether or not they practiced intermittent fasting regularly, and then followed up with them 4.5 years later. They found that the regular fasters had higher survival rates and were less likely to be diagnosed with heart failure than those who didn't practice fasting.

'We were surprised by the strength of findings,' Dr Horne said. 'There seemed to be profound effects, more than you would expect.'

The mechanisms behind

why intermittent fasting is unknown but the researchers have some theories. It could be that fasting boosts a person's red blood cell count while lowering sodium, both of which reduces the risk of poor heart health.

'It takes about 12 hours of fasting to activate the mechanisms in the body,' Dr Horne said.

'So fasting for a 24-hour period once a month trains the body to activate those mechanisms.'

For future studies, the team plans to look at the physical effects of fasting on elevated cholesterol levels and the psychological effects on appetite.

However, the researchers note certain groups - including pregnant women, young children, older adults, those who have undergone organ transplants and those taking medications for chronic diseases - should not fast.

Severe allergic reactions rise in children in England over past five years The number of children being admitted to hospital in England with a severe allergic reaction has risen every year for the past five years.

NHS figures show 1,746 children were treated for anaphylactic shock in 201819, up from 1,015 in 2013-14.

The parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after eating a baguette containing sesame, called the increase "deeply alarming".

Scientists say environmental factors could be to blame for more allergies.

Children under 10 were most likely to be affected by anaphylaxis, with 1,018

admitted to hospital last year - compared with 601 in 2013-14.

When adults with severe allergic reactions treated in hospital were also included, the figures rose from 4,107 cases to 5,497 over five years.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction which can be lifethreatening.

The most common causes of severe allergic reactions are foods such as nuts, fish and shellfish but they can also be triggered by wasp and bee stings, drugs and dairy products, among others.

Even the tiniest exposure to one of these allergens can be enough to set off an anaphylactic reaction and bring on breathing difficulties, rapid heartbeat and loss of consciousness.

The increase in allergies

is not simply due to society becoming more aware of them and better at diagnosing them.

Instead, scientists believe factors such as dietary changes, exposure to microbes and pollution may play a role in the rise - particularly for Western lifestyles.

An allergy expert has previously suggested that teenagers taking risks when managing their food allergies was likely to be a factor in the increase in severe allergic reactions in that age group.

Heart wire test detects 'hidden' angina with a 15-minute check giving early warning A new routine test could help diagnose common heart problems in thousands of British patients.

The 15-minute check, in which a wire the width of five twisted strands of hair is inserted into the heart via the arm, spots a hard-todetect form of angina.

The condition is the result of reduced blood flow to the heart and is an early warning sign that a patient might go on to have a heart attack or stroke.

Patients with suspected angina are given a heart Xray called an angiogram to identify the cause and work out the best treatment.

About 250,000 are carried out in the UK every year. But angiograms only spot blockages or narrowing

in the large arteries that supply blood to the heart.

About two in five patients who have an angiogram are found not to have this problem and told they have a healthy heart.

is known as microvascular angina.

Now researchers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London have identified a way to check

But problems with the smallest arteries that supply the heart – which are too tiny to be checked in a standard angiogram – are also known to cause angina. This

large and small arteries in one hospital visit.

During a standard angiogram, a dye that makes the large arteries show up on an X-ray is injected.

The new microvascular angina test could be carried out immediately afterwards if no problems with the large arteries are detected.

It involves a very fine wire being inserted into the coronary artery via the arm.

The wire contains a sensor that can detect changes in blood flow to the heart muscle. Patients are then given a drug called adenosine, which, in healthy arteries, causes dilation and the increase of blood flow.

If this doesn’t happen in the smallest arteries supplying the heart, it suggests a problem.

The research also found there are different types of microvascular angina, which may respond to different treatments.

in brief DANGEROUS LEGACY OF VACCINE MYTHS AS 1 IN 3 CHILDREN HAVE MISSED POTENTIALLY LIFESAVING JABS

One in three parents say their children have missed at least one potentially lifesaving jab, a recent Daily Mail poll revealed. In a sign that ‘anti-vaxx’ myths may be hindering take-up, many cited concerns about safety and side-effects.

A total of 30 per cent of parents surveyed said their children had missed one or more routine jabs including MMR, flu or meningitis. One in four claimed the reason for missing the appointment was ‘safety concerns’ about vaccines.

A quarter of parents surveyed said they were often exposed to anti-vaxx messages on social media sites. The findings of the poll – conducted by ComRes on behalf of the Mail – come amid plummeting childhood vaccination rates.

Last month this newspaper launched a major campaign to boost uptake, particularly for the MMR jab for measles, mumps and rubella.

The number of children receiving both doses of the MMR is at its lowest in seven years at a time when measles and mumps rates are surging.

Among the 1,083 parents who took part in the poll, one in ten said their child had missed at least one MMR vaccine.

A total of 27 per cent said their children had not had their annual flu jab on one or more occasion. Children are meant to have the flu vaccine every year from the ages of two to 11, mainly so they don’t spread the virus to the elderly and other high-risk individuals.

Of those who had missed a jab, 25 per cent of parents blamed ‘concerns over vaccine safety’ and 17 per cent cited worries about ‘long-term side effects’.

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of the NHS, warned last night that vaccine rejection was a ‘ticking public health time bomb’.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘These figures are disheartening and show we are on an uphill struggle to convince some parents about the benefits of vaccinating their children – social media must take a lot of responsibility for this. The dangerous myths and untruths being peddled by anti-vaxxers to anxious parents are causing untold damage and the whole of society will suffer the consequences.’

QUALITY OF FRIENDS – NOT QUANTITY – IS THE KEY TO BEING HAPPY Having hundreds of friends on Facebook is no substitute for a handful of close friends in real life, a study has found.

Researchers discovered that people with only a few friends were at least as happy as those with far more if many of theirs were online.

The number of 'peripheral others' someone connected with online – former classmates and coworkers, for example – had no bearing on how satisfied they felt. Social media, the researchers said, has encouraged younger people to have larger but more impersonal networks of 'friends'.

But instead of trying to amass friends, they added, a better cure for loneliness might be spending time with those you're closest to.

Scientists from the University of Leeds did their study using data from two online surveys conducted on 1,496 people by a non-profit research organisation.

People taking part in the study revealed their ages, the make-up of their social networks, how often they had different types of social interactions, and their own feelings of wellbeing. They included details of how often and how they interacted with family or neighbours, and whether they included people who provided services to them in their networks.

The number of close friends someone had appeared to be the only thing which influenced how satisfied they were with their social life.

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement any advice. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

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Tabu roped in to play crucial role in 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani starrer 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' has a fresh addition to its ensemble.

Bollywood's fine actress Tabu has been roped in the sequel of the 2007 horror-comedy 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa.'

While the original featured Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and Shiney Ahuja, the sequel will have a fresh cast. The Anees Bazmee directorial went on floors in Mumbai on October 9 and now Tabu will join Kartik and Kiara in the ghost story.

Kartik couldn't hold his excitement for this new addition and

shared his picture with Tabu with a message which read, “Welcome @tabutiful Mam to the world of#BhoolBhulaiyaa2 Cant wait to Shoot !! A source close to the development said, "Tabu has been in talks with the makers for a while now. She loved the script and her role. She is expected to join the cast in January when the second threemonth schedule kicks off in London and Rajasthan."

Interestingly, this isn't Tabu's first stint in the horror-comedy genre.

The actress was seen in 2017's

horror-comedy, 'Golmaal Again', directed by Rohit Shetty. Tabu played Anna Mathew in the movie someone who can interact with ghosts. The source further added, "Though it’s the same genre, there’s nothing in common between the two films and Tabu’s character, too, is dramatically different and one of the USPs of the film." While talking about the sequel, the source added, "But while 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' was a psychologicalthriller with lots of laughs, the sequel is a proper horror-comedy with plenty of spooky moments."

Battle lines drawn between Sona Mohapatra and Anu Malik

Singer Sona Mohapatra has expressed displeasure over music composer and singer Vishal Dadlani for staying quiet on his Indian Idol co-judge Anu Malik, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women. It so happened that Vishal tweeted about the political imbroglio in the formation of Maharashtra government. He wrote, "You know what's incredible? 99 per cent of Mumbai couldn't care less about whatever is going on with the formation of the government. What amazing apathy (sic)."

Sona Mohapatra, who has been expressing her displeasure about Anu Malik being reinstated on Indian Idol, wrote, "You know what's even more incredible? That you continue to give gyaan about apathy but choose to do nothing about #MeToo accused co-judge Anu Malik on Indian Idol? Hypocrite

much? (sic)."

On October 20, 2018, Sona has shared an incident where an aspiring singer and an Indian Idol hopeful was sexually harassed by Malik. She wrote, "Sony TV clearly doesn't care about India or any values. Continues to celebrate this predator on the judge's chair.

Read this India (sic)." Sona got a supporter in the form of Abhay Deol, who commented on the post saying, "Admire you very much Sona.

You have my support (sic)."

Sona then shared the screenshot of the actor's comment and wrote, "The first actor from our industry to extend support, @AbhayDeol. Has always been a man with a mind of his own and has made his own road to travel in. Walks his talk. Thank you and big love. Also thank you for being on the right side of history (sic)."

'Good Newwz' posters promise ‘biggest goof-up of the year’

Kriti Sanon joins Akshay Kumar for 'Bachchan Pandey' Kriti Sanon is all set to star as lead actress opposite Akshay Kumar yet again in 'Bachchan Pandey', slated to release on Christmas 2020.

Akshay and Kriti were last seen in 'Housefull 4' which turned out to be a major hit this year. The film is helmed by Farhad Samji and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala in association with NGE Movies.

Announcing the news, the official handle of Nadiadwala Grandson welcomed the actor writing, "We're extremely happy and elated to announce the charming Kriti Sanon is here to make our Christmas 2020 merrier than ever!

Welcome back to the #NGEFamily with #BachchanPandey!" While Kriti is the latest entry, Akshay's first look from the feature was already out in late July in which he was seen donning a black lungi with a golden border.

Moreover, adding to his tough look, the actor put on think chunk of gold chains with a nunchak in

his hand and forehead smeared with vibhuti and red tilak. The film will lock horns with Aamir Khan starrer 'Laal Singh Chaddha'.

With this, Kriti has added another to her long list of projects including the upcoming release 'Panipat' and 'Mimi', shooting for which commenced recently. The 'Heropanti' actor has had a year marked with releases with three of her films hitting big screens this year - 'Luka Chuppi', 'Arjun Patiala' and 'Housefull 4'.

'Good Newwz' is going to be a quirky take on surrogacy. And keeping with the theme, the makers have released first look of the upcoming rom-com in three posters. Starring Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani, the film has been helmed by debutant director Raj Mehta.

Makers Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Akshay’s Cape of Good Films unveiled three exciting posters, two of which feature the male leads squeezed in between the

baby-bumps of expecting mothers played by Kareena and Kiara. The third one has all the leads together. It was earlier reported the film will be a funny family drama, in which AkshayKareena and DiljitKiara play married couples trying for a baby.

Akshay and Kareena are reuniting after almost a decade in the film. Tweeting the posters, Akshay wrote, “‘Squeezing’ in some #GoodNewwz for you this #Christmas season. Stay tuned, the biggest goof-up of the year is coming!” He further added, “There’s always someone who ends up with the same #Christmas present as you!” and “The goof-ups are bound to multiply…and that’s how you get, #GoodNewwz!”

Karan Johar also tweeted the posters with the caption, “Unwrap the best #GoodNewwz this #Christmas! These 4 are ready for a bumpy ride! In cinemas 27th Dec.”

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23 - 29 November 2019

'DeepVeer' go religious on their first anniversary Its been an year since Bollywood's power couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Italy. The duo marked their first milestone in the most religious way.

Deepika-Ranveer headed first to Tirumala Tirupati temple with their entire family to seek blessings. The couple and their families went to Amritsar the next day to offer prayers at the Golden Temple.

Sharing the picture of her temple visit with husband Ranveer, the 'Padmaavat' actor wrote, "As we celebrate our first wedding anniversary,we seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara. Thank You all for your love,prayers and good wishes! @ranveersingh". On the morning of November 14 last year, the stars tied the knot with a traditional Konkani wedding,

Rohit Shetty takes an epic dig on Sara Ali Khan Sara Ali Khan proved her mettle with her debut film 'Kedarnath' released in December last year. However, it was Rohit Shetty's 'Simmba' that gave her the perfect landing platform. Also starring Ranveer Singh, the film emerged as one of the highest grossers of 2018.

Recently, Rohit and Sara appeared as guests on a talk show hosted by Maniesh Paul in which the filmmaker trolled the 'Simmba' actress and how. During the show, Sara asked Rohit, Golmaal ke liye aapko koi heroine mili hai (Have you selected a heroine for the next Golmaal film)?" To which Rohit Shetty replied: "Jab bhi Golmaal banayunga, aap hi ko lunga (Whenever I'll make Golmaal, I will take you only)." This called for some celebration on Sara's part, who was abruptly cut short by Rohit. He added with a straight face that he has been asked by the makers of the show to "beech beech mein mazak bhi karna (crack jokes in every now and then)." Looks like Sara is now eyeing on Rohit's super-popular 'Golmaal' series after blockbuster hit 'Simmba'. Rohit is currently busy with his next project, 'Sooryavanshi'. 'Sooryavanshi' is the fourth film in Shetty's cop drama universe in which Akshay Kumar is essaying the role of Veer Sooryavanshi, a character that was introduced as an anti-terrorist squad

officer in the Ranveer Singh-starrer 2018 film 'Simmba'. 'Sooryavanshi' will also have a cameo appearance of Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn, with Katrina Kaif as the lead.

After the success of 'Kedarnath' and 'Simmba', Sara has two films lined-up for 2020. The first one is an Imtiaz Ali directorial, touted to be a sequel to 'Love Aaj Kal', also starring Kartik Aaryan. The next one is 'Coolie No 1', which is the remake of the 1995 hit film of the same name. Also starring Varun Dhawan, the comedy-drama is directed by the original director David Dhawan.

which was followed by an Anand Karaj ceremony on November 15. DeepVeer, as fans fondly call them, were also accompanied by their respective families Ranveer's parents Anju and Jagjit Bhavnani along with their daughter Ritika and Deepika's parents Prakash and Ujjala Padukone and their daughter Anisha Padukone.

Meanwhile, Deepika will next be seen in Meghna Gulzar directorial 'Chhapaak,' playing the role of an acid attack survivor alongside actor Vikrant Massey. The movie is set to be released in 2020. On the other hand, Ranveer is all set to create a blast on the silver screen with his upcoming film '83 which is helmed by Kabir Khan. The film is slated to release on April 10, 2020 and it also stars Deepika as the female lead.

'Laal Singh Chaddha' to bring the three Khans together?

Aamir Khan starrer 'Laal Singh Chaddha' can possibly bring the three Khans of Bollywood together for the first time on the silver screen. The shooting of the film has already begun in Chandigarh and several pictures featuring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Taimur as well have surfaced on the web. The film is a remake of Tom Hanks' hit film, 'Forrest Gump.'

Aamir has reportedly asked good friends Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan to be in the film as well. In the original film, there is a scene where Tom's character is sitting on a bench. It seems Aamir wants Shah Rukh and Salman for the scene, where all three will be seen sitting on the bench. The source privy to the project said, "He is very keen to have a special appearance from the two. While Shah Rukh has agreed, Salman is yet to give his consent." If Bhai agrees, then it will be the first time we will see the Khan triumvirate in a film.

The film is releasing on Christmas 2020. Some days back, a picture of Kareena went viral. She was seen dressed simply in a pink kurta, white salwar, purple dupatta and flip flops. There is buzz that Kareena auditioned for her role in the film. Aamir's look as a Sardar also left people impressed.

The film is written by Atul Kulkarni and Advait Chandan is the director. He made 'Secret Superstar' before this. Aamir has not had a release since 'Thugs of Hindostan' (2018) which was panned badly by the critics and audiences. Aamir announced 'Laal Singh Chaddha' on his birthday in March.

Rani Mukerji turns on the action mode in 'Mardaani 2' Rani Mukherjee is back to reprise the role of the fierce and committed Superintendent of Police, Shivani Roy who is out to nab a rapist. The trailer of 'Mardaani 2' was recently released indicating that the setting this time is Kota, a city where thousands of students arrive every year to fulfill their career dreams.

The two-and-half minute long trailer begins with NCRB data stating, 'More than 2,000 rape crimes are committed by boys under 18 years in India every year. These are only registered cases'. Rani Mukerji is a no-nonsense cop, investigating a “brutal sexual assault” in Kota city. She won’t rest until she gets her hands on the 21-year-old villain who is described as “pure evil.” The last sequence in the trailer, where Rani is on the lookout for the suspect, leaves you stunned. The trailer hits home with the horrifying details of rape and murder of young women, angry dialogues delivered by Rani and the fact that the criminal is not even an adult.Inspired by true events, the film is helmed by Gopi Puthran who wrote

'Mardaani.' The first instalment in the franchise, 'Mardaani', directed by Pardeep Sarkar dealt with the issue of child trafficking in India. Talking about the film, Rani Mukerji had earlier said, “In Mardaani 2, we will again tackle a subject that will be shocking; it will show something very real, very alarming to audiences and make them aware of what’s happening in and around our lives.” Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film will hit theaters on December 13, 2019.

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23 - 29 November 2019

Shruti Haasan and Varalaxmi to join hands in Telugu cop film TV Listing

* Schedule is subject to change

Talented actresses Shruti Haasan and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar had recently hit the headlines as the duo will be seen teaming up together for the first time for an upcoming Telugu cop film which also features popular Tollywood star, Ravi Teja. Titled as 'Krack', the poster features Mass Maharaja in stern look.

Directed by Gopichand Malineni, this film is reportedly neither inspired nor a remake of any film and is based on several true incidents. The makers had been treating their

fans earlier with the announcement of the cast. The film will also feature popular actor who had won the National award for the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for 'Visarnai', Samuthirakani. The film also stars Paayal Rajput, Priya Jawalkar, and Nabha Natesh in supporting roles.

Shruti, who was last seen in 'Katamarayadu' (2017), took a break from acting to focus on her music career.

Meanwhile, Teja is wrapping up his next release 'Disco Raja'.

Mammootty stuns in 'feminine' avatar Veteran actor Mammootty is known for the wide variety of roles he has played on the big screen, and is awaiting release of his magnum opus 'Mamangam'. What has sent social media into a tizzy is Mammootty's feminine look from the film that was released recently. The movie was set in the backdrop of the ‘chavers’ (warriors) who plots to overthrow the Zamorins old rulers of Calicut.

The film which was scheduled for release on November 21, has been pushed to December 12 according to reports. Delay in the visual effects works is being cited as the reason.

The lavishly-mounted film will see the 67-year-old actor in the role of a warrior. The period drama is set against a religious festival held once every 12 years at Thirunavaya, on

the banks of Bharatapuzha in Kerala.

The trailer

and the making video of the movie was well received in the social media.

"I felt I should not let this opportunity go. It is my duty as an actor to bring historical stories and characters and their bravery on screen, especially for the younger generation. I should act like a bridge between cinema and history and audience," Mammootty had said earlier. The much-hyped movie is directed by M. Padmakumar who had earlier done ‘Parunthu’ with the ace actor. The cast includes Mammootty, Unni Mukundan, Achuthan, Sidhique, Manikkuttan, Manikandan Achary, Tarun Arora, Prachi Tehlan, Kaniha, Anu Sithara, Iniya and others in prominent roles.

The movie is produced by Venu Kunnappilly under the production banner Kavya Film Company.

SATURDAY NOV 23, 2019 01:52 FILM: PHOBIA 06:00 FILM: VIKALP 08:33 FILM: JURM 11:00 FILM: NASEEB 14:50 FILM: ENGLISH VINGLISH 17:39 FILM: ENTERTAINMENT 20:25 FILM: MAUSAM 23:53 FILM: PHATA POSTER NIKLA HERO SUNDAY NOV 24, 2019 02:30 FILM: THAKSHAK 06:00 FILM: BAAT BANN GAYI 08:10 FILM: CHAMELI KI SHAADI 10:52 FILM: LAKSHYA 14:42 FILM: WELCOME TO KARACHI 17:22 FILM: BADLAPUR 20:00 FILM: KYA KOOL HAI HUM 3 22:46 FILM: PHOBIA MONDAY NOV 25, 2019 01:00 FILM: FAMILYWALA 06:00 FILM: MUNNA MANGE MEMSAAB 08:30 FILM: TUM HASIN MAIN JAWAN 11:32 FILM: BAS EK PAL 14:38 FILM: PHATA POSTER NIKLA HERO 17:32 FILM: MAUSAM 20:58 FILM: MASTI TUESDAY NOV 26, 2019 00:37 FILM: SANAM TERI KASAM 03:12 FILM: KYA KOOL HAI HUM 3 06:00 FILM: TITOO MBA

20:00 INDIAN IDOL 21:30 THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW MON 25TH NOVEMBER - FRI 29TH NOVEMBER 18:30 VIGHNAHARTA GANESHA 19:00 MERE SAI

19:30 TARA FROM SATARA * Schedule is subject to change

SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 16:30 ZINDAGI KE CROSSROADS 17:30 MERE DAD KI DULHAN 18:30 THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW 20:00 INDIAN IDOL 21:30 THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW SUNDAY 24TH NOVEMBER TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 16:30 ZINDAGI KE CROSSROADS 17:30 MERE DAD KI DULHAN 18:30 THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW

Thala Ajith's 'Viswasam' tops Twitter India's 2019 list Thala Ajith and Nayanthara starrer 'Viswasam' raked gold in box office becoming one of the biggest blockbuster of 2019. Released on Pongal along with Rajinikanth's 'Petta', 'Viswasam' was produced by T.G. Thyagarajan under the banner Sathya Jyothi Films.

Recently, Sathya Jyothi Films posted a picture in their official Twitter account which showed that 'Viswasam' topped the list of the most influential moments of Twitter India, while the second and third positions were bagged by the 2019 General Elections and the Cricket World Cup Tournament. The makers thanked Ajith's fans for keeping the buzz high in the social media spaces.

'Viswasam' struck a chord amongst the audience for exploring father-daughter relationships in an action-based milieu directed by 'Siruthai' Siva. The soundtrack of the film is composed by D. Imman.

After 'Viswasam', Sathya Jyothi Films will be bankrolling director R.S. Durai Senthilkumar's 'Pattas', which stars Dhanush, Sneha and Mehreen Pirzada in pivotal roles.

08:08 FILM: HIRAASAT 10:59 FILM: SHOWBIZ 13:18 FILM: TEHZEEB 16:25 FILM: D-DAY 19:25 LIFESTYLE : STAR STOP 20:00 FILM: FOX 22:28 FILM: MASTI WEDNESDAY NOV 27, 2019 01:51 FILM: BANARAS 06:00 FILM: 18.11 - A CODE OF SECRECY 08:27 FILM: HAISIYAT 11:33 FILM: NAZAR 13:56 FILM: SANAM TERI KASAM 17:08 FILM: FOX 19:33 LIFESTYLE : STAR STOP 20:01 FILM: RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0 22:42 FILM: HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI THURSDAY NOV 28, 2019 01:13 FILM: SHAKTI-THE POWER 06:00 FILM: DAMM 999 08:12 FILM: JHEEL KE US PAAR 10:58 FILM: GANGSTER 13:19 FILM: ISHQ CLICK 16:03 FILM: DIL 19:41 LIFESTYLE : STAR STOP 20:20 FILM: DO LAFZON KI KAHANI 22:57 FILM: RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0 FRIDAY NOV 29, 2019 01:32 FILM: UDTA PUNJAB 06:00 FILM: HUFF! ITS TOO MUCH 08:00 FILM: UTTHAAN 10:49 FILM: GUNAAH 13:17 FILM: SHAKTI-THE POWER 16:51 FILM: HAPPY BHAG JAYEGI 19:25 LIFESTYLE : STAR STOP 20:00 FILM: COMMANDO 2 22:34 FILM: NIL BATTEY SANNATA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 25TH - FRI 29TH NOV 2019 13:00: SWARAGINI 13:30: BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 14:00: TERE NAAL ISHQ 14:30: BEPANNAH 15:30: SIRF 30 MINUTES 16:00: THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 2 16:30: RASOI SHOW 17:30: CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00: TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30: DIL KA RISHTA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 25TH - FRI 29TH NOV 2019 15:00: THAPKI PYAAR KI 18:30: VIDYA 19:00: RAM SIYA KE LUV KUSH 19:30: CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00: SHAKTI ASTITVA KE EHSAAS KI 20:30: KITCHEN CHAMPION 21:30: BIGG BOSS - SEASON 13 22:30: BAHU BEGUM 23:00: BEPANAH PYAARR

20:00 ISHAARON ISHAARON MEIN 20:30 PATIALA BABES

21:00 KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI 22:00 MERE DAD KI DULHAN 22:30 TARA FROM SATARA

23:00 CRIME PATROL SONY MAX 2 PRIME TIME 19:00 MONDAY HASTI 19:00 TUESDAY HIMMATWALA 19:00 WEDNESDAY SADAK 19:00 THURSDAY SATTE PE SATTA 19:00 FRIDAY 1942 A LOVE STORY

19:00: 19:30: 20:30: 21:00:

JAHAANARA BIGG BOSS (SEASON 13) MOHE RANNG DO LAAL BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 22:00: RED ALERT SAT 30TH NOV 2019 11:00: MAHAKALI 14:30: KUNWARA 17:30: DIVINE DESTINATION 18:00: BIGG BOSS (SEASON 13) WEEKEND KA VAAR 19:30: DESI BEAT RESET 20:00: DANCE DEEWANE (SEASON 2) 21:30: JAAGTE RAHO SUN 1ST DEC 2019 11:00: SHRIMAD BHAGWAT 17:30: DIVINE DESTINATION 18:00: BIGG BOSS - SEASON 13 WEEKEND KA VAAR 19:30: DESI BEAT (SEASON 3) 20:00: DANCE DEEWANE (SEASON 2) 21:30:00 JAAGTE RAHO

23:30: CHOTI SARDAARNI 00:00: GATHBANDHAN SAT 30TH NOV 2019 18:30: VIDYA 19:00: RAM SIYA KE LUV KUSH 19:30: CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00: SHAKTI 20:30: KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 21:30: BIGG BOSS (SEASON 13) WEEKEND KA VAAR SUN 1ST DEC 2019 11:00: GATTU BATTU 11:30: RUDRA 14:30: READY 17:30: BIGG BOSS (SEASON 13) 19:00: CHOTI SARDAARNI 19:30: DESI BEAT RESET 20:00: FOOD HIGHWAY 20:30: KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 21:30: BIGG BOSS (SEASON 13) WEEKEND KA VAAR

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Mahant Swami at Bochasan

Devotees are coming in large numbers to attend the morning and evening assembly and seek blessings from Mahant Swami. A special assembly for Kartikti Poonam was conducted on 12th. Mahant Swami, on 14th, performed Ishtika Pujan at the Harmandir in Sinhol in Anand. Maha Annankut was organized recently in Atladara. Saints from Ataladara gave a detailed account to Mahant Swami regarding the event. On 15th evening the satsang sabha was organized by the saints and saints of Mahelav. Dance and dialogue were also presented. Videos of Annakut darshan were shown from the temples falling under the Mahelav Temple. Mahant Swami said, "Appeasing the Lord is equal to a profit worth billions, so keep praising the Lord." On 17th evening, Swami delivered Prerna Vachan to the saints and the devotees. Many devotees and saints are visiting Bochasan to seek blessings from Mahant Swami.

Coming Events

l Wedding and fashion show, Date: 24 November, Sunday Venue: Oshwal Centre, Cooperslane Road, Potters Bar EN6 4DG, UK, For free registration visit: www.oshwal.org.uk/weddingshow To Book Stall call: 07708 753 510 or email: wedding@oshwal.org l The Bhavan's Diwali Gala, Date: 23 November, Saturday Time: 6:30 pm, Three Rise of Light Date: 24 November, Sunday, Time: 6:00 pm Venue: The Bhavan - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 4A, Castletown Road, West Kensington, London W14 9HE Contact: 020 7381 3086 l Melodies of Maestros, Date: 22 November, Friday Time: 6:30 PM, Exhibition – Artworks of RK Laxman Date: 26-29 November from 10:00 am Venue: Nehru Center UK 8S, Audley Street, Mayfair London W1K 1HF. Contact: 020 7491 3567 l Shree Sattavis Gam Patidar Samaj (Europe) organises special Sammelan, for community members Date: 24 November, Sunday, Music performances followed by dinner. Contact: 020 8904 9191.

EVENTS

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23 - 29 November 2019

Special sammelan honouring members The Trustees are proud to announce a special Sammelan’s day on Sunday 24 November 2019 where they will be honouring some of our samaj members, and therefore request you to make an extra effort to attend this unforgettable event in their Samaj’s history.

The Samaj from its inception is now finally better placed and very pleased to be able to recognise the efforts of so many of its members who have worked tirelessly and selflessly in one form or the other. They shall be contacting these Stallworth’s asking them to be personally present with their families in honouring them by accepting a small token of our gesture in the

form of a Shawl which has been very kindly donated by our past Trustee Chair Kiritbhai Rambhai & Sulochnaben of Bakrol.

The evening will comprise of get to gather, brief information of Samaj activities, entertainment by group of Musicians and Food donated by Kantikaka & Family of Savera Foods.

Finally, the trustees are committed by virtue of their positions and are expected to be equally committed in their positions as Samaj members in ensuring the continuity of all its values not mentioning the pride, dignity and identity they all derive by its mere existence.

For more information please contact Anantbhai Patel on 07761 126 715

l Indian Block Printing - Ashmolean Museum Discover the art of Indian Block Printing around Jaipur and Jodhpur using authentic Indian woodblocks to print on a variety of papers, in a variety of colours, and using repeat patterns and design placement.

Date: Saturday 30th November Time: 10.30am till 3pm Venue: Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH Tickets: £85/£80/£75 Full, Concession, Members l Learn to cook an Indian feast! - This Indian cooking class is part of our international cuisine series. We transport you into new and exciting world of culinary delights that you can replicate easily at home. Expand your repertoire with new dishes from Indian cuisine full of amazing flavours and tastes. Our classes are informative and fun. Everyone gets involved

Indian Weavers - Poem by Sarojini Naidu WEAVERS, weaving at break of day, Why do you weave a garment so gay? . . .

Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild, We weave the robes of a new-born child.

Weavers, weaving at fall of night, Why do you weave a garment so bright? . . .

Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green, We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.

Weavers, weaving solemn and still, What do you weave in the moonlight chill? . . .

White as a feather and white as a cloud, We weave a dead man's funeral shroud.

Artworks of R.K.Laxman exhibition Venue: Nehru Centre Date: Tues 26th Nov till Fri 29th Nov Time: 10am till 6pm With frugal brushstrokes that convey a wealth and depth of meaning and wry wit that unerringly finds its mark, R K Laxman’s incisive cartoons have put in perspective every significant political, social and economic event in India’s evolution since Independence.

Indeed, the ‘Common Man’, Laxman’s representation of Everyman, endeared him to successive generations of readers as he embodied

their hopes and fears, dreams and aspirations, disappointments and joys.

Curated by Dr Dharmendra Bhandari, Laxman’s close friend and biographer, this exhibition gives viewers the chance to admire R K Laxman’s technique and incredible oeuvre up close. From a rare look at Laxman, the artist, to his caricatures, humour and the political cartoons he is best known for, Dr Bhandari presents an eclectic selection that reveals a new side to Laxman even as it celebrates the work that established him as a national icon.

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What’s on and we enjoy a relaxing time together. What’s more, it makes a perfect gift and taster session for curious tastebuds too.

Date: Saturday 30th November Time: 10am till 12.30pm Venue: Food Tech Room, Prendergast Vale College, Elmira Street, London SE13 7BN Tickets: £69 @ eventbrite.com l Winter Warmer - Yoga Masterclass Join Kath for this final Dru Yoga Masterclass of the year, as we warm and energise with a longer, more dynamic class. This class includes Dru Dance sequences, designed to energise your body and mind! Dru Dance is a poetic fusion of graceful Dru Yoga sequences and classical Indian dance movements, choreographed to inspirational music, designed to uplift and empower! Please bring: a yoga mat, a blanket and a bottle of water, and wear comfortable clothing you can easily move in. Please note:

COURTESY: AJIT NINAN FOR TOI

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this class is NOT suitable for pregnancy.

Date: Saturday 30th November Time: 10.30am till 12.30pm Venue: Fleet Arts, The Fleet, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 1NU Price: £20 l Geetanjali – Various Shades of Tagore’s Music An enchanting melodious event highlighting various aspects and shades of Rabindrasangeet in Bengali, English, Hindi and other languages nationally and internationally and how these songs were also depicted in Bollywood movies by other producers and writers, recitation of Tagore’s famous poems and dances on his famous renditions.

Date: Monday 2nd December Time: 6.30pm onwards Venue: The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 1HF

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Sport

23 - 29 November 2019

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Sports personalities come together for the inaugural Sport For Good Charity Dinner On 8th November, Go Dharmic, hosted an amazing fundraising dinner at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.

The charitable organization which is developing education facilities for thousands of underprivileged children through its ‘Shape a Future’ campaign, was supported by Monty Panesar who donated auction items helping the fundraising effort for Barry Goudriaan.

Dharmic causes and the team are very close to my heart. I have been involved since the beginning and I am proud to play a part in helping educate thousands of children,” said Panesar.

Barry runs the Original Everest Marathon for GD schools in India, Nepal and South Africa. The funds raised will go towards the much-needed development of underprivileged government schools, some of which Barry will be visiting when he travels to

Monty Panesar with a child at the event

Nepal for the Original Everest Marathon in December.

The ‘Sport For Good’ charity dinner was supported by a number of sporting icons like Brain Stein, former Luton & England football legend, Maria Costello MBE, the fastest woman on a motorcycle. Neil Burns, former Leicestershire, and Essex first-class player and head of London County.

Northamptonshire Cricket players Rob Keogh, Rob Newton, and head coach David Ripley were also present. Other notable guests included Zara Balfour, award-winning director of the movie Children of the Snowland, Dolly Ahuja, Mrs. India UK, million-copy bestselling author Louise Jensen, Om Gurung MBE, Regimental Sergeant Major with the Gurkha Signals, Dr. Ken West, Performance Scientist and Dr. Brian Hemmings, CEO of Golf Mind.

Spinners choke West Indies as India women wallop to 4th win With the series already in their pocket, India women continued their domination over the West Indies women by notching up a five-run win in the raintruncated fourth T20 International in Providence.

India women now lead the fivematch series 4-0 after sealing the series in the third game. In the rain-marred fourth T20 International which was reduced to a nine-over-a-side affair, India women made 50 for the loss of seven wickets after being sent into bat.

Pooja Vastrakar (10) was the lone Indian to reach a double-digit score.

Hayley Mathews (3/13) scalped three wickets for the hosts, while Afy Fletcher (2/2) and Sheneta Grimmond (2/10)

Best-ever medal haul in Para Worlds for India

India signed off the campaign at the World Para Athletics Championship with their biggest ever haul - nine medals - finishing 24th in the nine-day competition in Dubai.

Until this edition, London 2017 had been India's best-ever show, where the para athletes finished with five medals (one gold) in joint-34th place.

In Dubai, India won two gold, two silver and five bronze besides a few fourth-place finishes, securing 13 qualifying spots for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. China topped the medals tally with 59 medals including 25 gold. Brazil (39) and Great Britain (28) followed China.

Asian Para Games 2018 champion javelin thrower Sandeep Chaudhary stood out by setting a new world record (F44) on the way to clinching the gold with a personal best of 65.80m in men's javelin F64 category.

picked up two wickets apiece.

The Indians then bowled and fielded with discipline to restrict the West Indies women to 45 for five in their nine overs. India s k i p p e r Harmanpreet Kaur completely relied on her spinners and they did not disappoint her as off-spinner Anuja Patil (2/8), Deepti Sharma (1/8) and Radha Yadav (1/8) kept the Windies on a

tight leash throughout to ensure the win.

Mathews (11) and Chinelle Henry (11) topscored for the home team.

India's threat of withdrawing from CWG still open India’s threat of withdrawing from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games over exclusion of shooting still stands, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra said after the meeting between a Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) delegation from Britain and the IOA’s top brass.

CGF president Louise Martin, its CEO David Grevemberg, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta and Batra failed to break the deadlock over the Birmingham Organising Committee’s (OC) decision to drop shooting – an optional sport in the CWG – from the 2022 Games edition.

The IOA asked the visiting CGF representatives to hold a Commonwealth shooting championships for participating nations closer to the Games and count the medals won at the tournament towards the official medal tally of the Birmingham Games.

Martin said that shooting will not be part of the Birmingham CWG as the decision had been taken by the host city, but the effort would be to look beyond 2022 Games and to ensure smooth conduct of shooting events at the future CWG editions in 2026 and 2030. Batra said there was discussion towards bringing back shooting among core sports before 2026 and 2030 CWG, which will make it a compulsory sport in the Games roster.

Mehta revealed that India has shown

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Narinder Batra

interest in bidding to host the 2026 CWG edition in New Delhi.

“The term boycott I had used previously was not appropriate. It should have been withdrawal, so I would use the term ‘option of withdrawing from the Games’. The meeting was both successful and fruitful but the proposal of withdrawal from 2022 CWG still stands,” Batra said, with Martin and Grevemberg in attendance.

“We will take into consideration the discussions we had with the CGF officials, and then go back to our executive committee and the general body to take a final decision,” Batra said. While the EC is planned for November 23, the general body meeting could happen in late December.

Monty Panesar

Team India dominates Test cricket With Team India touching 300 test championships, they seem to be dominating test cricket.

Mayank Agarwal is the new batsmen that every domestic cricketer is trying to follow. It is difficult to replicate Virat Kohli's style of batting but youngsters in India can look at Mayank Agarwal and get an idea as to what is required to play Test cricket. It is the attitude of Agarwal that impresses Virat. He wants to perform for India and think how he can make this team better. That's a different mindset to 'how can I perform and get runs'. He is thinking about the team first, then himself, and that's what makes Virat want him to score a triple hundred.

This Indian team is about enjoying each other's success because they want global domination.

However, there remains a question mark about Shikhar Dhawan's selection in the Test team. You have a mature cricketer in Agarwal who respects the game. He knows that when you make a good start you must make the most of it because there are times in Test cricket when you can get a good ball which can end your innings. He wants to put the team in a good position so they dont lose. He has the ability to hit big sixes and this has been a dream come true for him.

Given his current aggression and winning strategy should he be included in the T20 team? If he strikes form, I think Shikhar Dhawan's inclusion will be a welcome headache for the Indian selectors because a left and right combination will work well.

The three Indian seamers on this pitch were ruthless. With Shami's ability to bowl a peach of a bouncer, this Indian attack is a lethal one. The pitch was flat but you can't take the Indian seamers lightly.

Since 2018 they have bowled teams out 38 times. They have a good rotation of bowlers. Mohammed Shami is India's 'go to' man. He gets the ball to move in the air and off the pitch. He has taken 48 wickets in 2nd innings since 2018. Should Shami be given the new ball?

The Indian seamers take great delight in each other's success and they are the key to Virat's world domination plan. Their fitness is amazing.

Shami and Yadav are bowling really quick which takes the pitch out of the equation, while Ishant Sharma bowls according to the situation and maintains the pressure at the other end. This seam attack reminds me of the fearsome West Indies attack. They are a threat on any surface and they are always looking to get wickets. The entire session on day 3 was bowled by the fast bowlers.

India is getting close to world domination like the Australian teams under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. It is this culture that Virat has developed in this team. He wants new players coming in and developing into world class players sooner than he did. One aspect that is surprising is the huge turnout of crowds for Test cricket in India. This is India's sixth home Test win in a row. This is where Virat Kolhi has taken the team to greater heights.

It helps with the fact that he is the most successful Indian captain with 32 wins from 52 matches under his belt. In Test cricket it is the bowlers who make successful Test captains. Virat wants at least one of the batsmen to take responsibility and Agarwal has shown that he has the maturity to bat long and help India win. Virat wants to develop a group of 4-5 core bowlers to score overseas victories. This is the ultimate challenge for him. Can he consistently produce overseas wins? Is he a Superman? His new programme 'Super V' suggests that anything is possible with Virat Kohli.

You can follow Monty Panesar @MontyChannel