AV 25th September 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE BAPS launches new educational video to celebrate Organ Donation Week SEE PAGE - 13

Hindu family assaulted and abused in Canada SEE PAGE - 22

Celebration of birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 SEE PAGE - 15

R

inside

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

Birthday gift to PM Modi: India administers 25.01 mn vax doses SEE PAGE - 26

25 SEP - 1 OCT 2021 - VOL 50 ISSUE 21

‘Unfortunately, most racism goes undocumented and unaddressed’

Afghan crisis: At this stage, the report card reads, could do better

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel gets a brand new team

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SEE PAGE - 14

SEE PAGE - 25

2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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25 Sep - 1 Oct 2021

with Keith Vaz

Prince William’s Global Earthshot Prize names two Indians among top finalists

Dr Nirmalya Kumar University Professor and Art Director Nirmalya Kumar is the Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University and Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD. Prior to this, he headed strategy at Tata Sons and taught at Harvard Business School, IMD (Switzerland), London Business School, and Northwestern University.

As a consultant, Nirmalya has worked with over 50 Fortune 500 companies in 60 countries and served on twelve boards of directors. Author of nine books, he is considered one of the world’s leading thinkers on strategy and marketing - frequently appearing on lists like Thinkers50, 50 Best B-School professors in the world, and 50 most influential Business School professors.

Passionate about art, Nirmalya supports museum exhibitions through his Bengal School 1900-1950 art collection and served on the South Asian Acquisition Committee of Tate Modern. In recognition of his patronage of South Asian Art, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by SOAS. 1. Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

I have lectured in 60 countries, lived in 5, and held 3 different passports. While you can visit many countries, have multiple nationalities, you can only be from one place - and I am from Calcutta. The art collection is an attempt to create a mini Calcutta in London.

2. What are your proudest achievements?

Ten papers, including three on the rise of Indian business, published in the Harvard Business Review. As far as one can tell, there are only two other nonHarvard Business School marketing professors (George Day & Philip Kotler) with greater than 10 HBR papers over their academic career.

3. What inspires you?

Continuously learning to be the best I can be - it’s the most anyone can expect of me and the least I should expect of myself.

4. What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Cannot think of any. Perhaps being blessed with a relatively low IQ and EQ forced me to work harder (reaching work at 6:00 am) and be more clear in my strategy (so as to not waste that effort).

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

Professor Philip Kotler of Northwestern University, who has been the most famous marketing professors in

the world for the past 50 years. His book, Marketing Management, which I read at the age of fifteen, first excited me about marketing. He, served on my dissertation committee and later became a co-author.

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

Inspiring eager students.

7. And the worst?

Grading assignments:) 8. What are your long-term goals?

Using the art collection to inspire South Asians overseas to be proud of their cultural heritage. The British had convinced themselves that Indians were incapable of producing “fine art". Indian artists in early 20th century embarked on a quest for cultural independence that ran parallel to the Quit India political movement.

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

Better systems to catch unaccounted wealth flowing into UK as well as unreported and inherited wealth within the tax framework. Redirect funds to education, especially primary schools, and arts.

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

Oh, tough one. Muhammad Ali to keep me entertained and inspired. Jamini Roy so I could understand more deeply the thinking behind his art.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss at UN General Assembly Foreign Secretary Lis Truss met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and US Secretary of State Antony

Blinken discussed the close partnership between the UK and the USA and their shared ambitions to build a stronger economic and security alliance between the two countries.

“As two leading free enterprise democracies they recognised the shared common ground between the UK

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and USA on a wide range of areas including the IndoPacific and regional security there and the need to build back better from the Covid pandemic.

“They discussed how they could use the Build Back Better World initiative to provide developing countries with reliable investment to meet their infrastructure needs in a sustainable way.

“They welcomed the recently agreed Aukus partnership on security in the Indo-Pacific region.

“And they discussed the benefits to both countries of the USA decision to lift travel restrictions on fully vaccinated travellers from the UK from November.

“They discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and recognised the need for the international community to deliver a coordinated response to the developing humanitarian crisis and an agreement on how to engage with the Taliban."

The ambitious global environmental award, ‘Earthshot Prize’ aims to find new ideas and technologies to tackle climate change, air pollution and the Earth’s most pressing challenges. The 15 finalists from which 5 winners would be chosen next month include two Indians.

Each of the 5 winners will receive a grant worth 1 million GBP. 14 Global companies have also agreed to

support and scale the ideas developed by the finalists.

Shortlisted candidates

include Delhi based Vidyut Mohan, for developing a portable technology that rapidly converts crops residues that would otherwise be burned into fuel and fertilizer which would create a black smog. Teenager Vinisha Umashankar another shortlisted teenager wants to use solar energy to replace charcoal to power millions of ironing carts used by street vendors daily on the roadside.

Shamima Begum once again asks the British people to forgive her At an age of 15, Begum along with her two friends was groomed and lured away from her Bethnal Green home to join ISIS in Syria.

In 2019, Begum, 19, attempted to return to the UK, having lost two children and on the brink of losing her third baby to a lung infection. After a fierce debate on TV and by the

public, ultimately her British citizenship was revoked by the government.

Terrorist expert Will Geddes doesn’t believe that Begum should be allowed back on British soil, due to various potential risks.

Former home secretary Sajid Javid is also sticking to his original decision to revoke Begum’s citizenship.

Sturgeon under fire after poll reveals referendums are not priority for Scotland people New research conducted on behalf of Gordon Brown comes as a blow to separatist claims the home nations are doomed to split.

According to the survey people’s priorities were aligned on immigration, law

and order, defence and local decision making, near-identical to the people of the UK. While Ms Sturgeon has pledged to hold a second Scottish independence referendum by the end of 2023 after securing a Holyrood

majority by making a deal with the Green party, only 20% of Scottish respondents identified in the survey that referendums are a top priority. The humiliating poll has Nicola Sturgeon under fire today in FMQs.

Parliament’s former staff member commemorated by naming her workplace Julia Clifford, 54 succumbed to Covid-19 in February after 37 years of service in the House of Commons catering department.

In a ceremony attended

by Julia’s friends and family, a plaque hanging at the entrance to the Member’s Tea Room and a golden inscription of the words ‘Julia’s Tea Room’ at the space’s internal doors were unveiled this week at the House of Commons.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said “Julia

was part of us. She will never be forgotten.”

Julia’s husband John has received over 200 letters and condolence cards

from present and former members, including two handwritten notes from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

East London vigilantes attacks young man with his own machete that led to have his hand cut-off According to Metropolitan police, a 19-year-old was attacked by vigilantes on Golding Street in the Whitechapel area. The young man had his hand cut off after being attacked with his own machete.

The police said his condition is not ‘life threatening’ but ‘life changing’.

The second man in his 20s was also found wounded with a knife in nearby Christian street. He was taken to hospital and then arrested and taken to custody.

According to a local councillor, locals here decided to take matters into their own hands, after a

group of young men armed with machetes have allegedly targeted innocent people a few times in this area. He added that “nobody should ever condone vigilantism like this, but it should also be a lesson for people who carry knives, as your weapon can be easily used against you.”

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25 Sep - 1 Oct 2021

A country of shortages?

Britain has become a country of shortages. There have been serious worries around food shortage in the past few weeks, with the Prime Minister warning people of empty shelves, even on Christmas. Then there is the scare of energy shortage, with energy companies begging for help. The icing on the cake is baby shortage, as the birth-rate falls rapidly. One wonders what happened to the country of glory, where the sun never set?

The Prime Minister in his sheer over-confidence has decided to fight his next election based on Brexit. The 2019 election was won by the Conservative party from middle and north England, based on anti-immigration narratives. But now the reality is different. The growing band of Brexiters are complaining Brexit was not meant to be about a “high tax and high spend” economy.

There is a supply chain issue, not created by Covid, but because of a shortage of truck drivers. Brexit was a lie, sold on a promise of £350mn a week to spend on the NHS. When Covid first wave hit and as the pandemic continued, the NHS has been gaping for monetary support. Not a penny from this £350mn per week has been added to its funds. In fact the talk of privatisation has only increased, as demands grow for the monetary support that the medical system needs to protect it from crashing. Brexit was a lie with promises of rainbows and unicorns and more jobs for Britons! The country has more job vacancies, especially as employers struggle to recruit low-paid workers.

A report by Institute for Fiscal Studies said employment opportunities were still 30% below their usual level for almost three-quarters of the workforce, despite reports focusing on severe shortages of staff in several sectors of the economy such as road haulage, care and warehouse work, the Guardian reported.

It said a surge in job vacancies to record levels in recent months had been driven almost entirely by low-paying work, in which new job openings were about 20% higher than before Covid-19.

No news is free of the consequences Brexit has brought. The lie is in shambles now, with Mr Johnson’s macho image to party hardlines in tatters. But what have we learnt from this whole charade, and promises that were broken too easily? Nothing. The cabinet reshuffle, which has kept the positions of Asian ministers intact, also poses a serious question for their future. COP26 is around the corner. Alok Sharma, the President of COP26 is doing a fabulous job, especially travelling to the developing nations and pleading with them to think of climate change as a real threat. There are two questions here. What happens to Mr Sharma, when COP26 is over? Second, when you are trying to engage with the developing nations, especially after Brexit for many reasons, especially the promised ones, what is with the

racist attitude, refusing to accept the fully vaccinated Indians or Pakistanis as “fully vaccinated”? Is it a new low for Britain where Covishield (the other name for AstraZeneca in India) has been unaccepted as a valid vaccine. Is the British government in a new low, now denouncing their own products?

Let’s talk about the energy crisis. In the cusp of a climate change summit, energy providers are in fear of spiralling costs and struggling suppliers.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng held crisis talks with the energy industry and its regulator Ofgem on Monday. This comes as UK energy company Bulb, co-founded by Amit Gudka, is seeking a bailout to stay afloat amid surging wholesale gas prices. Sky News reported wholesale gas costs are up 250% since January and four small energy companies have already folded.

Though Boris Johnson insisted the issues facing the industry are global, industry regulator Ofgem announced that it had appointed British Gas to take on 350,000 customers from People's Energy, one of two smaller suppliers which collapsed last week.

This brings us to the next shortage- that of babies. With the world’s population slowing down, coronavirus has posed many challenges. People are having children late and many opting out of having children due to financial strains and childcare issues.

The Social Market Foundation, whose study revealed the “baby shortage” in Britain, said the ageing population could lead to economic slump. The thinktank urged ministers to create a taskforce to consider the issue. A typical British parent spends 22% of their income on full-time childcare. This is double than most average western economies, according to the report.

Currently there are 3 over 65s, for every 10 workers. But by the middle of next decade, that ratio will rise to 3.5 and by 2060, it will be around 4. According to the report, as per projections by 2050, a quarter of Britons will be over 65 up from a fifth today.

This tends to create a lower share of the population in work, and a higher share in need of economic support. Clearly this will have a negative impact on the economy.

The country and government are facing a triple whammy, but have one last opportunity to mend ways in time. Mr Johnson needs to be less myopic and focus on building the economy, brick by brick, not just by riding on his ego, but by creating real opportunities.

This country has never survived without immigrants or trade, in fact it was built on import-export, since the industrial revolution. Gambling with the future is only possible when there are real strengths with sustainable and lasting monetary backing.

In a country of shortages, Mr Johnson is up against the odds that he can’t win by just promises. Or can he?

Changing CMs before election is a new phenomenon Six chief ministers from five states in India have been replaced since March, a trend that seems to be catching popularity among political parties. Interestingly, five of the leaders were replaced before completing their terms. Since March this year, Uttarakhand, Assam, Karnataka, Gujarat and now Punjab have seen the change in command and only the Assam chief minister was replaced upon completion of the term. Changing the chief minister is a very new phenomenon in Indian politics, where CMs have served for as long as five terms without any break.

Particularly when a party has a majority, it is unlikely that the chief minister would change before his term, unless some exceptional situation arises. Just days before his fourth anniversary in office, Trivendra Singh Rawat, who served as the Uttarakhand chief minister since 2017, was replaced by Lok Sabha MP Tirath Singh in March. The state is scheduled to go to assembly polls next year. In just less than four months after taking charge as the Uttarakhand chief minister, Tirath Singh Rawat submitted his resignation in July. The reasons cited for his exit included the party’s inability to get him elected to the Assembly within six months of taking oath. The term of the assembly is ending in March 2022 and since it is less than a year, the EC may not order a by-poll for the vacant seats in assembly. Pushkar Singh Dhami was chosen as the next chief minister of Uttarakhand by the state BJP legislative party.

Sarbananda Sonowal replaced Himanta Biswa Sarma as Assam CM in May. Sarma replaced Sonowal after the latter completed his term and the state went for polls in May. Karnataka too witnessed a change of guard in July when BS Yediyurappa resigned from his post after completing two years in office. The state, which will be going for polls in 2023, saw the change as 78year-old Yediyurappa had crossed the party’s unwritten rule of retirement at 75. Vijay Rupani has served as the chief minister of Gujarat between 2016 and 2021. He put in his papers with more than 14 months to go for his term as CM. He did not complete his term this time but he did get a chance to celebrate five years in office, including 1.5 years in the last assembly. He had replaced Anandiben Patel in similar circumstances in August 2016. The state went for polls in December 2017. Now Rupani has been replaced by Bhupendra Patel as the new chief minister.

While so far the chief ministers from states ruled by the BJP were being replaced, in a surprise move, the Congress too changed its CM face in Punjab mid-term. The state is scheduled to go for polls early next year. However, before Amarinder Singh could complete his second term in the office, he has been replaced by the Dalit leader. Previously, Amarinder Singh served as the Chief Minister of Punjab between 2002 and 2007. Post 1997, he is the first Punjab chief minister who did not complete his five-year term.

All these developments point to a new trend in Indian politics.

Change is a way of life but replacing a CM before completion of his term is a new phenomenon. Some chief ministers were not very popular among the voters. Rupani has been criticised for his handling of the second wave of pandemic in Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows very well that facing an electorate under an unpopular leader would be disastrous. Even in Karnataka, Yediyurappa was facing some corruption charges. Modi knows that only a fresh face would attract voters to that party. By replacing the old face the party may be able to survive the incumbency problems also. In Gujarat, the old guards were replaced with new faces. The new faces can start from a new slate. They don't have to curry favour with anybody for their survival. Modi might have banked on this phenomenon to attract the electorate. There are some doubts about the functioning of the new ministry without any experienced hands. The new ministers will have to depend more on the bureaucracy to run the administration.

Running out of time to mollify Punjab voters – elections less than five months away and model code of conduct imposition even more closer – Congress had no option but to remove Amarinder Singh, its tallest regional leader. Charanjit Singh Channi has a tough battle ahead ensuring that camps led by exCM and his sworn rival Navjot Sidhu do not act at cross-purposes any longer. But Amarinder’s sacking, with the high command calling a legislature party meeting at short notice and even securing signatures of 60 MLAs, may have sowed the seeds of further rancour. Channi, a Dalit CM in a state with over 31% Dalit voters, is a bold experiment given the Jat Sikh dominance. But the stop gap CM is up against long standing issues that predate even Amarinder’s stint. Congress may even have to conceive a 100-day mission that newly elected governments often pursue. Inability to make headway in the 2015 sacrilege incidents, which had damaged Akali Dal, is hurting Congress. Many years were lost amid CBI’s inconclusive probe but even the state government’s SIT faced a massive setback in the Kotkapura firing case. Continuing hooch and illicit drugs trade are also marked out now as a Congress failure. Further, the state recorded India’s worst Covid case fatality rate, which at 2.7% is twice the national average, indicating the health system failed too many patients. The next state crying for a leadership change is Rajasthan. Sachin Pilot is hoping to replace Ashok Gehlot as the chief minister in the near future.

The Congress high command has to act before it is too late. The Congress lost the Madhya Pradesh govt because of its dilly-dallying with its decision to replace Kamalnath. Now, Rahul Gandhi's hope of leading the opposition in the next Lok Sabha election suffered a setback with Trinamool Congress mouthpiece saying that Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and not Rahul is the alternative to PM Modi.

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. — Herman Melville

Alpesh Patel

The Trouble with Women No, it’s not about the Taliban. I wrote a book with my sister, some years ago, for women entrepreneurs. The gender gap that book identified also persists in investing. Put simply – women are still not investing for their future. And it’s as true for readers of Asian Voice as it is for readers of Financial Times (more so probably).

Data and research across the UK and US show that women are still underinvesting in the stock market.

This relative lack of engagement is true of both their pensions and more general investments. Women's lower participation in investing exacerbates the existing gender pay gap. To meet the goal of an equal society, this is a problem that needs to be addressed.

The Causes of Underinvestment Recent data for the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Centre (GFLEC) has laid bare the problem of underinvesting amongst women. When compared to men, women had fewer savings, more debt, and less access to money.

Additional GFLEC studies also showed how more adults are entering old age with higher debt and little or no financial planning. Financial literacy correlates strongly with better outcomes in adult life. GLFEC proposes that engagement with financial concepts as teenagers can help uplift the population and allow them to make better financial decisions.

There are several factors at play that cause underinvestment. Three big problems affect the pension gender gap: Firstly, women put more into Cash ISAs, but less into stocks. Secondly, women contend with the Gender Pay Gap and the Motherhood Penalty. Thirdly, eight in ten women don't discuss money with friends or family.

The Gender Pay Gap manifests itself into a Gender Pension Gap. New figures from the Chartered Insurance Institute's Insuring Women's Futures initiative suggest that in the UK, the average pension pot for a 65-year-old woman is £35,800. This number is just one-fifth of the average man of the same age.

What Can We Do To Bridge The Gap There are no quick fixes for this problem. Giving children jargon-free books at a young age can help them understand financial concepts and provide them with the confidence to learn and engage in finance.

Employers have a role to play too. There is some movement in this area, with four out of five employers committed to developing a financial well-being strategy. Indeed, many organisations, like fashion retailer Zalando, have taken the lead with educational events that help women manage their money and accrue wealth.

Platforms like Nudge have developed apps that coach and help people to understand and manage their finances. Companies can use these tools to help their staff and employees to better future outcomes.

Of course, programs and initiatives by employers are just the beginning. More needs to be done to reduce the gender pay gap at all levels of work. While undoubted progress has been made in recent decades, female board members at FTSE 100 companies are paid 40% less than their male counterparts. Representation at the board level needs to be met with equal pay.

Financial confidence is an oft-cited barrier to investing for women. Ironically, being cautious can actually help the investment world. However, initially, it's an obstacle that women must overcome. The confidence gap represents a huge missed opportunity that consistently translates into lower retirement funds for women.

One factor pointed out by Gina Miller of the wealth management company SCM is that companies aren't effectively communicating with women to a large extent. Investment companies are used to targeting men, but Miller suggests using different language and information can help bridge the gaps.

While investing confidence is crucial, fund managers and Robo-investors can take the pressure of decision-making away from investors. Continued on page 9

Asian Voice is published by

Asian Business Publications Ltd Unit- 7, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Editor: CB Patel Website: www.abplgroup.com

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fessionals have had much worse experiences than me, including being being victims of physical violence. This needs to end.

- What can be done outside social media to actually bring about a sustainable change in colour directly prohibattitude and culture towards the ited a promotion. immigrant community in the UK? Much racism is more Every policy can and should be subtle than this. More looked at through the lens of racial and more frequently equality. I don't have the expertise racism is being recogZeshan Qureshi or the lived experience to comnised, but we still need ment on all aspects of racism. I decisive action to address it in all its forms. know what it was like for me as a second- Not every healthcare professional or generation Pakistani immigrant, but that doesn't mean I speak for all South Asians, let person of colour has the privilege and alone any other ethnic group. I'm focusing know-how to share their voice on social media on where I feel I can have an impact. My (which is the most vocal platform for such most recent project is trying to develop issues). Do you think they're heard? guidelines for managing racist parents in Unfortunately, most racism goes undocPaediatrics. We can all do our bit. umented and unaddressed. A recent survey I - You've written books on medicine. conducted with my colleague Jameela Sheikh During this break, do you wish to pen suggested barriers to reporting included: down something that would be a departure unclear reporting guidelines, the ineffectivefrom your previous work? ness of reporting, fear of a backlash, and norI'd like to build on my current textbooks malisation of racist behaviour. This needs to as they develop into new editions. I work urgently change so we can identify the exact with a wonderful team of authors, and it's nature of the problem, support victims, and really important to us that we update each hold systems and individuals accountable. book through not only a scientific but also - Have you ever experienced racism in the an equality, diversity, and inclusion lens. In UK or observed discriminatory behaviour some areas there is a clear pathway for thistowards healthcare professionals? skin rashes for example are now much more Yes, many times, including directly being widely photographed on non-white skin told that a parent didn't want a doctor of my than they used to be. For other areas, particethnicity. I find it really upsetting that a parularly those outside my expertise, we need to ent might wish to delay care for their sick think carefully and consult widely to ensure child because of racial prejudice. Many prowe approach things the right way.

‘Unfortunately, most racism goes undocumented and unaddressed’ Shefali Saxena Zeshan Qureshi is a Paediatrician based in London. He graduated with Distinction from the University of Southampton. He coedits the Oxford Textbook of Global Health of Women, Newborns, Children, and Adolescents, along with 13 other books, winning the BMA Young Author of the Year and the New Leader Award from the Association for the Study of Medical Education. He is a wellbeing advocate for doctors and a TEDx speaker.

Dr Qureshi has currently taken a study break from clinical practice to pursue a course in Health, Medicine and Society as a postgraduate student at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the intersection between race and medicine. In an exclusive interview with Sain Voice, he spoke about his tentative departure from routine practice, concerns of the immigrant community at the NHS and sustainable solutions.

- What urged you to go back to university and take a break from paediatric medicine?

It has been almost 20 years now since I first started medical school. I've really enjoyed being a doctor and looking after children in particular. However, I've realised medicine is not as objective as we'd like to think. Much like anything, it is influenced by

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our underlying beliefs and values. How race relates to health is an issue that has been neglected. Understanding why seems to be more of a social science question, not a basic science one. I want to start at the beginning and really get to grips with this important debate.

- How do you think voices like yours can at least act as a stimulus, if not a catalyst to send out a message that healthcare professionals do deserve a break and can foray into cultural sciences?

I am lucky to have had many great mentors throughout my career. In a world with a lot of fog, having people to guide and support you can bring clarity in moments of fear and anxiety. I hope that people through my example can feel empowered to confidently take alternative paths. I'm not complacent though: the proof will be in what I deliver.

- Since the UK stands at a delicate and vulnerable juncture in healthcare, especially in the light of institutional racism, what do you think is the need of the hour that can bring about some relief for immigrant doctors?

My father, a GP, came to the UK from Pakistan in 1974, answering the then government’s desperate call for more doctors. He experienced racism that no one could deny: once for example being told that his skin

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BMA calls for Government action to protect Virendra Sharma MP votes against rise in GPs and practice staff after horrific violent National Insurance from working families Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for with large portfolios of attack in Manchester GP surgery Ealing Southall voted against shares, dividends and propResponding to reports that a number of staff working in a Manchester GP surgery were injured and had to go to the hospital after a violent attack carried out by a patient, BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey said: “We are truly horrified to hear about this awful attack and our thoughts are with the GPs, practice staff, families and patients who have been injured and affected in this dreadful incident.

“While the specific circumstances need to be investigated by the police, this assault, though one of the most extreme, is part of a terrible trend of growing abuse, vitriol and violence that is being directed towards our healthcare workers.

“Abuse of any kind, and particularly physical violence of this nature, cannot and should never be tolerated. GPs and practice staff should never have to fear going to work and patients should also feel confident that

their surgery is a place of safety. The Government and NHS England must act, and fast, before yet more incidents of this severity occur. Being verbally abusive to frontline staff is wrong and unacceptable and physical attacks of this magnitude cannot and should not be allowed to happen again.

“Those who commit heinous acts such as these must be dealt with by the law and is vital that governments, and every national and local health body does much more to ensure the safety of staff working at practices who are clearly being placed at increased risk by the current anti-GP rhetoric.

Indeed, findings from a recent BMA survey2 found that more than half of GPs and almost a third of hospital doctors have faced recent abuse from patients, or those accompanying them, showing the scale of the abuse we face.

“As I highlighted in my letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, 24 hour helpline e Sajid Javid, just a few days ago, 020 8361 6151 we were gravely concerned about the lack of support or public challenge by the Government to the increasing incidents of abuse and misin• An independent Hindu fam mily business formation directed towards • D Dedic di atted d Shiva Shi chapel h l off restt those working in general prac• Washing and dressing facilities tice and his recent comments only added fuel to the fire. It’s • Ritual service items provided appalling if it takes an attack • Priest arranged for perforrming last rites of this level of violence before • Specialists in repatriation n to India the Government listens to the profession and takes action.

“As doctors, caring for patients is why we came into this profession. It is increasingly demoralising and now, seemingly dangerous for us to have to work in conditions Chandu Tailor 07957 250 851 where a lack of support, Jay Tailor 07583 616 151 understanding and resources, Bhanubhai Patel 07939 232 664 alongside the demands of the Dee Kerai 07437 616 151 pandemic, place us in an 24 hour helpline: 020 8361 6151 | e: info@tailor.co.uk | w: www.tailor.co.uk unacceptable position, and at Chani House, Lower Park Road, New Southgate, London, N11 1QD increasing risk.

Conservative moves to raise National Insurance by 1.25% for working families and 1.25% for businesses, slamming the government for “placing an enormous burden on hard-working people”.

The party have strongly opposed the unfair jobs tax saying that it is the biggest rise in taxes on families for over 50 years, and the third tax rise in recent months from the Conservatives, following rises in council tax and personal allowances – and they slammed the fact the jobs tax still doesn’t prevent people having to sell their home to receive care.

Virendra Sharma MP made it clear that under a Labour government, those with the broadest shoulders would be asked to contribute more, that any changes should be fair across generations, and that all forms of income are considered - including those

erty.

Virendra Sharma MP said: “This manifesto-breaking, unfair tax on jobs is not the way to fix the social care crisis, “This is a tax rise that means a landlord renting out dozens of properties in Ealing Southall wouldn’t pay a penny more, but their tenants working full-time jobs would.

“It’s a tax rise that means a poorly paid care worker in Ealing Southall will pay more tax for the care they are providing without a penny more in their pay packet.

“Labour wants to tackle the social care crisis – we’ve started to set out our ambitious plans and offered to work with government to fix this now – but the lack of any real plan and taxing working families and businesses is just not the way to do it.”

Lord Dholakia speaks on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill In the debate in the House of Lords on the second reading of the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill Lord Dholakia the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats welcomed, the long-overdue measures to bring certain offenders who have served sentences of four years or more within the scope of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and to reduce the rehabilitation periods for offenders serving shorter sentences, which will help more reformed offenders live down their past, obtain employment and contribute positively to the community.

Lord Dholakia continued by saying, “Regrettably, however, the positive measures in the Bill are overshadowed by a raft of provisions that are designed to further increase the harshness of sentencing. It requires more offenders to serve lengthy minimum sentences and increases the minimum terms for offenders serving sentences of detention at Her Majesty’s pleasure for murders committed when the offender was under 18. The Bill requires courts to set longer minimum terms

for discretionary life sentence prisoners and It increases the proportion of sentences for certain violent and sexual offences that must be served in custody. A new power will be created allowing the Secretary of State to refer high-risk offenders to the Parole Board for a parole review before release. All these changes come after two decades during which sentencing in this country has already markedly increased in severity.

Lord Dholakia focused the attention of the House on rehabilitative services which may be reduced as a result of this Bill, risking increased instability, self-harm, and violence by offenders. Prisons have found it increasingly difficult to provide resettlement support for prisoners to avoid reoffending after release.

The Government are ratcheting up sentencing at a time when we already use imprisonment much more extensively than other comparable countries in the past, the United Kingdom now has the highest rate of imprisonment in western Europe.

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Less than 100 days away from Christmas, where do businesses stand amid a “national crisis”?

Continued from page 1 Ranjit Singh Boparan, owner of Bernard Matthews and 2 Sisters Food Group told The Independent, “The supply of Bernard Matthews turkeys this Christmas was already compromised as I need to find 1,000 extra workers to process supplies. Now with no CO2 supply, Christmas will be cancelled.”

“This is clearly a national security issue and unlike the labour supply crisis, where the government response to our sector has been disappointing, to say the least, it has to be dealt with as a matter of urgency,” Boparan added.

Meanwhile, The COP26 President Alok Sharma has been quoted by the media, saying, there was "no immediate concerns" over the UK's gas supplies despite soaring wholesale energy costs.

With this, a larger crisis prevails.

Economists had expected sales to climb by 0.5% but instead, they fell by 0.9%, partly blamed on a shift in spending to eating and drinking at restaurants and bars. The 0.9% decline in sales volumes in August followed a downwardly revised slump of 2.8% in July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - and was the fourth month in a row of decline. The ONS report data also showed that during August, 6.5% of businesses in the retail industry were unable to get the materials, goods or services they needed.

Asian Voice reached out to Asian community in the UK to understand their assessment of the situation and what lies ahead for business owners.

Speaking to the newsweekly, Cllr Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, said, “It is really

promising to see Harrow Town Centre buck the trend and show some green shoots of recovery in recent months. Sadly, many other areas of the capital are really struggling, with London stuck at the bottom of the table nationally when it comes to high street footfall. What we’ve recently learned from the London Assembly Economy Committee is that there is not a set pattern or one underlying factor behind why some high streets a recovering faster than others. I think what we need right now is a tailored extension of the furlough scheme beyond the end of this month for sectors that are struggling to get back to normal, such as travel and tourism businesses. I am also concerned about the impact of staff shortages and supply chain disruption on Asian businesses, particularly in the food and hospitality industry. We now need the Government to remedy this by relaxing post-Brexit immigration rules so we can at least in the shortterm have enough workers in the industries that need them.”

Damian Patel of Toy Galaxy told us, “Since the high streets began reopening, there were strong indicators of potential growth which sent a lot of positivity across high streets around the country and with business owners alike. The reality has been far different and the growth has not been close to the level we were expecting. Many factors are influencing this such as consumer confidence in public places still being low.

Where measures such as social distancing and wearing of masks have eased, it has also stopped many people from venturing out.

External factors such as shipping costs, raw material prices increasing and shortages on the stock have all had an impact on our trade which in turn has increased costs. This as a

high street retailer is always harder to absorb and sustain in comparison to online traders where we find a large majority of our competition now comes from.”

A spokesperson for Spice Kitchen commented on the spending priorities of the citizens and told Asian Voice, “As an eCommerce business, we've seen lots of fluctuations since Covid regarding sales, particularly at the start of the first lockdown when people shopped online exclusively and many of our customers were excited to cook from scratch with their families. Our sales really spiked at this point. Things levelled off throughout the summer as restrictions eased and especially when the high streets opened up, I think the novelty of being able to go back to the shops meant that eCommerce qui-

etened for a little while. We've now seen things balance off. Will be interesting to see what happens if there is a winter lockdown to coincide with Christmas as this could be very busy for us again.”

Meanwhile, before leaving for his US trip, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the media, "We’re experiencing bottlenecks in all kinds of things as the world wakes up from Covid.

It’s like everybody going back to put the kettle on at the end of a TV programme, you’re seeing huge stresses on the world supply systems. But you’re also seeing businesses bouncing back strongly. It is fundamentally caused by the global economy coming to life again. The guy ropes are pinging off Gulliver and it’s standing up, and it’s going to take a while, as it were, for the circulation to adjust.”

Virendra Sharma MP shares love for Ealing Southall high streets as part of Historic England's campaign Historic England is asking people in Ealing Southall “What do you love about your local high street?” as the first part of a national conversation on the future of our high streets. Virendra Sharma MP is encouraging people to get involved.

From Monday 20 – Sunday 26 September, the public body is asking people to share what they love about their local high street on social media.

Historic England commissioned YouGov to find out how people are feeling about their local high street. 73% of people said their local high street is important to them, 54% of people feel pessimistic about their local high street’s future and 40% feel motivated to take action to help their high street’s future. And 71% of people said that

they feel personal interactions are important when visiting the high street.

New research for Historic England shows that 92% of people care what their high street looks like and 90% agree that it’s worth trying to save historic features when trying to improve local places.

Virendra Sharma MP said: “What I love most about Southall Broadway is the people, it still to this day is the heart of our community with people shopping, stopping to talk, having tea or something to eat. I can't walk down Broadway without someone stopping me to talk about something personal or political, it is a living space that exudes energy. Let’s make sure that Historic England hears from Ealing Southall by getting involved.”

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RACIST BRITAIN? Continued from page 1 The UK government had recently announced that from October for travellers coming in from 17 additional countries with eligible vaccines, including Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia will fall under the UK is List of recognized jobs of Oxford AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines.

The UK Government’s decision has majorly impacted Indian students coming to the UK, who are the second-largest contributors of the annual revenue of the UK economy, which is about £28.8 billion. Indian media outlets have termed this as ‘vaccine racism’.

The UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care reviews this list fortnightly, and it maintains that the Indian made version of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is so far approved by the UK is medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and branded as Vaxzeveria, and therefore only one is currently eligible. While the UK and India boast of Trade Agreement and the Living Bridge at molecular levels to strengthen the relations of the two nations, the disapproval of Covishield remains a point of alleged racist abuse that Indians still face while entering the UK. Asian Voice reached out to senior members of the community and parliamentarians to comment on this ongoing alleged vaccine racism against the Covishield vaccine.

Government must play its part In response to the alleged ‘vaccine racism’, Virendra Sharma MP told Asian Voice, “In August I wrote to the UK Government calling on them to urgently approve the Covishield vaccine. This vaccine, designed by OxfordAstraZeneca and manVirendra Sharma ufactured by the Serum Institute of India, has now been recognised and approved by the vast majority of our neighbours in Europe. Approval of this highly effective and safe vaccine would be an important step in reopening international travel and would help reconnect the millions who have relatives living in India with their families. The UK currently recognises the SII produced AstraZeneca vaccine, Vaxzevria. However, Covishield is inexplicably not yet accepted by the UK. The Government must play its part and help families to reunite after such a prolonged and painful separation by urgently approving the highly effective Covishield vaccine.”

At the inaugural session of the Confederation of Indian Industry annual summit last week, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar also flagged this issue. Indian Parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor cancelled his planned visit to the UK in retaliation of these offensive rules.

While Indians continue to express their agony towards the disapproval, the new UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met Dr Jaishanker at the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the progress of Roadmap 2030. Jaishankar appreciated her contribution on the trade side and exchanged views on Afghanistan and the Indo Pacific development. He also urged her to resolve the quarantine issue in mutual interest.

Founder and Chairperson of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK, Sanam Arora tweeted: “I have been saying for months & have said so again - for 2 countries that have elevated their status to Enhanced Trade Partnership & are now working towards a Free Trade Agreement, it is utterly bizarre that we have not authorized #covishield already.

UK is NOT racist towards Indians so I still

don't think that this is about racism BUT the continued delay is now perpetuating this feeling at large in India & is harmful to the bilateral relationship. "Slow bureaucracy", "paperwork" is NOT acceptable responses for what is effectively the same drug!”

Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Heritage Bengal Global Director said, “ I am astounded by this decision of the British Government and it actually goes against science! It also undermines a friendly government and a strong ally of Britain that India Anirban Mukhopadhyay is, and who approved the vaccine for their own people - the same goes with other countries also. Puts up two questions - were these governments reckless in approving the vaccines for use- if yes, is there enough evidence to back the claim up? Or and possibly more damaging for Britain in the short run- is the decision influenced more by commercial reasons than medical or scientific.”

We cannot have dual standards Reacting to the resentment and concerns among Indians travelling to the UK, Lord Navnit Dholakia said, “I am surprised that UK has not accepted the validity of people of India who have been vaccinated with Covishield vaccine which in composition, is similar to Astra Zeneca which is used in Lord Navnit Dholakia the UK. THERE MUST BE A CLEAR EXPLANATION OF WHY THIS IS SO. I shall contact my Minister in the Lords for an explanation. We cannot have dual standards towards Covid based on the origin of these vaccines. The Government should stop this discriminatory approach if it could not deliver a scientific response.”

Not ‘vaccine racism’?

Speaking to the newsweekly, Alpesh Patel OBE shared a different perspective.

He said, “My worry is not “vaccine racism” but a reasonable interpretation of data may be overlooked by some junior literalist box ticker. The US considers the UK AstraZeneca vaccine people unvaccinated.

That’s a similar problem. Whilst there are in other areas evidence of prejudice that things white commonwealth being best, we must follow the data and facts and nothing I’ve seen suggests this is a rational decision.”

If Indian standards are so poor then, why make AstraZeneca in India?

Supporting the Indian citizens, Lord Rami Ranger CBE said, “This is unacceptable by the British Health Authorities to downgrade Indian produced Covishield vaccine. The British should have congratulated India for Lord Rami Ranger its contribution to fighting the Covid pandemic. The statement will send the wrong message to the world about the effectiveness of the Indian vaccination which is not only being used in India but also exported to many countries without any issue and is saving lives. This irresponsible statement will damage the lives of millions of people around the world.

“The Government of India must insist on having the British findings verified which have prompted the British authorities to issue this ridiculous statement.

India’s reaction should be robust and must take the matter to the World Health Organisation for independent assessment.

“If Indian standards are so poor then, why make AstraZeneca in India? Once again India’s success in fighting the pandemic has been ignored by making an irre-

sponsible statement about the effectiveness of its vaccine. Britain too stands to lose millions of pounds in lost revenue from the tourists from India. Finally, Indians will still be able to visit the UK by undergoing tests and by staying in a quarantine.”

Indian companies’ contribution to the UK economy New research published by Grant Thornton UK LLP in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry in April 2021, analyses the data of UK-incorporated limited companies that are either owned or controlled by Indian interests.

This year’s research finds that there are 850 Indian companies operating in the UK, up from 842 in the 2020 report. These companies recorded £50.8billion total turnover, up from £41.2billion in 2020 and employed 116,046 people, an increase from 110,793 in 2020. They paid £459.2million in corporation tax, down from £461.8million in 2020 and 47% have at least one woman on their board, compared with 20% in 2020.

"Tracker analyses fastest-growing Indian companies in the UK The report also provides a Tracker of the fastest-growing Indian-owned companies in the UK, measured by those with a turnover of more than £5 million, year-on-year revenue growth of at least 10% and a minimum two-year track record in the UK. This year, 49 companies met the qualifying criteria for appearing in the Tracker, achieving an average revenue growth rate of 40%," the report said.

For the eighth year in a row, technology and telecoms companies dominate the Tracker, accounting for 20 of the 49 companies included. Birlasoft Solutions tops the list as the fastest-growing company this year, recording 158% revenue growth.

Meanwhile, Diligenta (owned ultimately by Tata Sons) was the largest company listed, with revenue of £388million and an impressive growth rate of 62%.

While technology and telecoms continue to dominate, the proportion of pharmaceuticals and chemicals companies featuring in the Tracker increased significantly this year, up to 27% of the total from 15% in the 2020 report. London remains the preferred location for the fastest-growing companies.

Over half (53%) of the fastest-growing Indian companies in this year’s report are located in London, confirming the capital as their continued preferred location.

However, the South is found to be growing in popularity, with the proportion based in this region up by almost half to just over 16%, from 11% last year.

Anuj Chande, Head of South Asia Business Group, Grant Thornton UK LLP, said that this research finds that the number of Indian companies operating in the UK has increased and that many continue to grow at a rapid rate, with some recording triple-digit growth.

“Brexit marks a significant moment for the UK-India relationship. With a UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement now reached, the UK is free to begin developing its new post-Brexit identity as a ‘Global Britain’ and to strengthen links with major economies beyond Europe. India looks to be one of the first, with the Prime Minister’s postponed visit to India – set to have been his first international visit outside of Europe post-Brexit - a clear indication of the significance of the relationship, with both parties confirming that the conversation will continue online for now.

“As the UK government looks to supercharge the economic partnership to support growth, jobs and prosperity, and India continues its journey to becoming one of the world’s largest economies, the ‘living bridge’ between the two countries, formed by more than 1.5 million Indian diaspora living in the UK, will be more important than ever. India is also likely to benefit from the major modifications made to the UK’s immigration policy, with the new point-based system for visas for skilled workers likely to benefit India significantly due to the creation of a more level playing field," Chande said.

There is no difference!

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL is President of the CBI. He is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited, a Joint Venture with Molson Coors, and Chairman of Molson Coors Cobra India. He is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, and a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London) - the youngest University Chancellor in the UK when appointed.

Successful economies are built on confidence.

With the UK economy re-emerging after 18 months of hibernation, confidence and progression are critical to our recovery.

International travel has been one of the hardest-hit sectors during this crisis. Last week’s change in approach from the UK government will finally start to help the industry to get on its feet, but more needs to be done to address the cost and complexity of remaining testing requirements and to open up more countries still closed to the UK travellers. The UK government should also push strongly for greater recognition of vaccines and keep the ‘no go’ list under regular review.

Recognition of vaccines internationally is essential to provide the confidence for our economy to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic – and goes hand-in-hand with getting international travel back to some kind of normality.

The UK Government and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have yet to recognise one of the world’s largest vaccination programmes, the one in India, including the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, which makes up around 88 per cent of the doses administered in India. I have been privileged to know the Poonawalla family who have been close friends of mine for many years. I recently visited the Serum Institute of India factory in Pune and in more than 3 decades of international business experience, it is hands down one of the most impressive factories I have ever visited, with the most modern technology operating at the highest international levels possible. The Serum Institute of India have to date produced over 750 million doses of Covishield and inoculated people all over the world, including predominately in India.

The Covishield vaccine is exactly the same as the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine that we have administered here in the UK – there is no difference! It baffles me as to why Indian’s vaccinated in India with Covishield are not recognised in the UK, it seems completely illogical to me. I have asked the UK government on several occasions to resolve this situation at the earliest opportunity. Globally, we have all suffered so much during this pandemic, to impose extra restrictions and costs on vaccinated Indians travelling to the UK by not recognising their vaccinations is unnecessary. Mandatory quarantine and testing are prohibitive for collaboration and talent exchange between the UK and India. It is hindering businesses, tourism and Indian international students studying in the UK. Indian students studying in the UK are already paying their fees and contributing so much to our economy, it does not feel right to get them to occur further inconvenience and expense.

I would urge the government to act immediately in recognising Indian visitors who have been double vaccinated with the Serum Institute of India Oxford/AstraZeneca Covishield, exempting them from quarantine.

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However, she was reportedly unable to do so.

“The property, valued at an estimated £2.7 mn a few years ago, had also featured in discussions during the West Bengal Chief Minister’s previous visit to London in 2015,” Hindustan Times reported.

Interestingly, Land Registry shows that the current homeowner bought it in 2018, which is almost one year after Banerjee showed interest in the property for the last time.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Philip Green of Goldschmidt and Howland (a leading London Estate Agent selling

West Bengal government eligible to buy Tagore’s Hampstead Heath heritage home Continued from page 1 If buyers are able to adhere to the intensive procedures of buying this blue plaque property, even the West Bengal government might be able to bid for buying the house and possibly be able to convert it into a memorial of Tagore.

Blue Plaque is a round blue sign attached to the facade of a building to commemorate its historical significance, typically giving the name of a famous or eminent person who once lived in or near the building.

During her debut trip to London, Banerjee had said, “My government is keen to buy the house where Tagore lived. Tagore is our pride. It is a private property and, therefore, I have asked our high commissioner (Ranjan Mathai at the time) to see if we can strike a deal.”

houses in Hampstead Since 1888), who is dealing in the sale of this property said, “We started recently this year when the client decided to sell the house.”

He also clarified that none of the current or previous owners have met Tagore.

When asked if the West Bengal government can buy this property, and turn it into a museum or a memorial, Mr Green said, “In Hampstead there are many historic homes and we have English Heritage blue plaques on houses where famous people have lived.

“If any government of any country wants to buy the property and turn it into a museum they have to get the normal consent,” referring to all the due diligence or planning permissions etc they will need to acquire.

Pensioners to bear the brunt of 12 per cent National Insurance charge Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak's announcement to increase the National Insurance charge on pensioner earnings to 12 per cent is alarming news for elderly people.

Some MPs are demanding the abolishment of inheritance tax, which has been an integral source of cash for the government over the years.

Highlighting the danger, John Cullinane, director of public policy for the prestigious Chartered Institute of Taxation believes that the health and social care levy in National Insurance “in all but name”.

“One of the most interesting aspects of the levy is that it will apply to pensioners, albeit limited to their employment income.

“The Government will no doubt argue that this new levy is a special case but it is hard not to see this as setting a precedent making it easier to bring pensioner earnings within the full scope of National Insurance at some point in the future,” Cullinane added.

The Express reported, “Currently, nobody pays NI on earnings below £9,568. However, at that point it kicks in at a hefty 12 percent for workers below State Pension age. NI then falls to 2 percent on their earnings above £50,270. The new health and social care level will add another 1.25 per cent on top of this, hitting around 25 million people of working age.

Pensioners who continue working beyond State Pension age will also pay the 1.25 percent levy on their earnings from employment, although their income from pensions and savings will remain

exempt for now.”

According to a publication, Dennis Reed, Director of Silver Voices, said this decision must be revisited before removing the earnings element of the triple lock this year. "Our state pension is the worst in the developed world and millions of women were plunged into poverty by the raising of the state pension age with insufficient notice," he said. "£137-60 per week can't buy life's essentials, let alone cope with any household emergencies, and we urge MPs of all parties to vote against the scrapping of the triple lock in Parliament,” he told a news portal.

TUC, National Union of Students and National Pensioners Convention said in a statement: “For pensioners, it means a smaller than expected increase to their income next year. And for students and young workers, it will lead to lower state pensions when they retire.” Even after 10 years of the triple lock, the UK state pension is lower than in most comparable countries. According to an analysis

by Age UK, the rise in women’s state pension age from 60 to 66 has cut the number of female pensioners in the UK by around 800,000 since 2012-13.

But the number living in poverty has jumped by 260,000 – from 990,000 to 1.25 million. This means just over one in five elderly women are struggling to pay their bills in retirement. This compares to 23 per cent of men and 13 per cent of couples. In total, 2.1 million pensioners are now living below the breadline – 850,000 are men.

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CO2 shortage may disrupt supplies to supermarkets and hospitality businesses The ministers have been warned that a severe shortage of Carbon dioxide may hit supplies of beer, fizzy drinks and meat.

The two major fertilizer plants located in Durham and Cheshire, owned by CF Industries are believed to account for 40-60% of the country’s CO2 supplies.

The closure of these two plants this week would affect manufacturers across the food and drink industry.

British poultry council’s Griffiths has urged the government to bail out the two plants to avert a deeper crisis.

Meanwhile, a government spokesperson has said that they are monitoring the situation closely and are in regular contact with the food and farming organizations and industry to help them manage the current situation.

NHS trust wins fight to overturn pubertyblocking drug rules In June, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust brought an appeal against a landmark ruling over the use of puberty-blocking drugs for children with gender dysphoria.

The Court of Appeal’s Friday judgment said that it was inappropriate for the High Court to give the guidance, finding it is for doctors to exercise their judgement about whether their patients can properly consent.

The court heard Tavistock does not provide puberty blockers itself by instead making referrals to

two other NHS trusts, who then prescribe the treatments.

The court has admitted that they were not in a position to generalize about the capability of persons of different ages to understand what is necessary for them to be competent to consent to the administration of puberty blockers.

Carmichael calls new immigration rules ‘Foolish’, causing worker shortages At the liberal democrat’s conference, Alistair Carmichael criticized home secretary Priti Patel’s foolishness of introducing a new immigration system in the middle of a global pandemic and also accused Ms Patel and PM Johnson for being cruel and selfish towards Afghanistan refugees.

He has called upon to expand the Youth Mobility Scheme to EU citizens and scrap an arbitrary salary threshold that dismisses key workers as unskilled and allow employers to recruit

Rohit Vadhwana the workers they need to get us out of this crisis. He has also suggested a ‘humanitarian visa’ to process the claims of refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan.

He has called upon the Tories to do some brainstorming and at the least to start listening to businesses now.

Paris scores above London with lesser sexual harassment for women An exclusive survey indicates that while London is far more open to immigration with greater job and business opportunities and better social cohesion, women in London have experienced more sexual harassment than those in Paris.

Greater London and 1002 in Greater Paris online.

London women have experienced inappropriate jokes or sexual comments 13.3 times, stared at inappropriately 15.1 times, and touched unwantedly 3.5 times as compared to 5, 10.5 and 1.4 times in Paris.

The research was conducted by Ipsos MORI, King’s College London and the University of Paris interviewing 1000 18+ adults in

61% of Londoners believe immigration from outside has had a positive impact on the capital as compared to 27% in Paris.

Shocking report of the culture of racial discrimination and bullying at NHS trust The inspection report has revealed that there is a culture of bullying and racial discrimination across Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust and too many staff are frightened to speak that up. The trust has been told that it requires improvement.

According to the report, the staff survey uncovered that the organisation was above average for black, Asian and minority ethnic staff experiencing bullying, with the number of bullying cases directly attributable to racial discrimination.

CQC’s head of hospital inspection Sarah Dunnett has said that they were concerned about the culture and would monitor the service closely.

There have also been reports of the trust losing talented members as a result of its failings.

When UK’s new culture secretary called for ban on burqas UK’s new Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries’ erstwhile stand on banning burqas has resufaced again.

“I’m very disappointed in Boris that he did not go further and actually use that newspaper article to call for a complete outright ban on a dress code – a medieval dress code – which was designed to cover up women’s beauty and their bruises,” she had told Sky News, suggesting the garment was used to hide scars of domestic abuse.

“Women should be allowed to choose what they wear, and many of these women

are not allowed to choose. As I have said, they are not even allowed to choose who they marry.

“Many of them aren’t even allowed to keep their genitals,” she added, referring to female genital mutilation (FGM), an outlawed practice in the UK. “You cannot expect a society that celebrates gay pride and embraces gay marriage to live harmoniously when condoning the suppression of women forced to cover up, segregate and become invisible,” Dorries had tweeted.

The mystery of contentment

Twenty years after they left college, Sunita and Priya met at a common friend's daughter's wedding in Mumbai.

Priya, an ever-ambitious one, had joined a course in a university in the USA and then settled there for a promising corporate career.

Sunita, on the other hand, had decided to go in teaching, in a local college in a small town. Very good friends during college time, they had tried to keep in touch initially by writing emails, but as life made them busy and demanded their time and attention to more pressing issues, their connection was almost lost. Both were nostalgically happy to meet again and tried to spend maximum time together, leaving their families to enjoy the grand ceremonies of the fat Indian wedding. 'I have achieved quite a success in my career, but am suffering in health. Corporate competition and stress are killing me.' Priya confided in Sunita who heard patiently, with a professorly look on her face.

Then, with a deep breath, she responded, 'I have a less demanding job, more time for myself and family, a kind of good work-life balance. But you know, sometimes I feel I am left behind in the race of success. What am I doing in this small town? Reading out from the same textbooks year and year again, to mediocre level students who are hardly interested in anything else than mobile.'

The conversation went on, touching different aspects of their lives. Both had been very close during college days, so they could speak out their mind, express those hidden fears and feelings that they could not do with others.

Sunita and Priya will go back to their routine lives after the wedding is over, and will perhaps maintain regular contacts henceforth. But the point of discussion is really important for every one of us.

There is always a competition between ambition and contentment in our lives. Those who choose a more relaxed type of life, somewhere feel uncontended in terms of success in career. They lament not achieving high corporate or government positions. On the other hand, those who have chosen to make the best in their career, happen to invariably complain about having no personal time, losing peace of mind and having difficulty in maintaining a good work-life balance. This happens with most of us. A fine balance between career and leisure is difficult to achieve and maintain.

The better you get in your career, the busier you get in life. If you decide to select a more peaceful life, cutthroat competition in occupation leaves you behind. There is always a possibility of regrets in one field when you prefer to prioritise the other. But that is the nature of life, that is the human psychology: difficult to remain contented with what we have. The remorse of not having something always keeps pinching us.

Is it possible to maintain a fine balance between career and personal life? Is it possible to be contented with what you have in terms of health and mental peace without regretting what you don't have in terms of status? Life is a fine balance of competing demands and challenges. We need to draw a line and then be contended with it. If you want to be really happy with what you have chosen, judge yourself with your own criteria, not of others. People will judge you with their parameters, reject that intrusion immediately. Tell them - it's not their concern before they drop in a thought that will raise doubts in your mind about the choices you have made.

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Pregnant woman visiting UK wrongly charged maternity care bill

Nadine Dorries

A BBC investigation reported that some pregnant women visiting the UK have been wrongly told they could be denied visas for future trips unless they pay maternity care bills while in the country. This happened after a woman received a bill of £4600 from CCI CCI Credit Management. CCI

said in a statement: "For this error, we unreservedly apologise. Please be assured that we are currently reviewing all communications with NHS overseas visitors in order to ensure that there can be no repetition of this mistake and that further training is being provided to our teams."

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Lord Ranger and Singh Twins honoured by University of Wolverhampton Award-winning contemporary artists, The Singh Twins, have been honoured by the University of Wolverhampton for their contribution to diversity in the arts.

The Singh Twins, Amrit and Rabindra Singh, MBE, DFA, LittD were presented with Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Arts on Tuesday, 14 September 2021.

The awards were presented to the internationally renowned artists at a University of Wolverhampton graduation ceremony at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Amrit and Rabindra said: “We’re delighted to be receiving this Honorary Doctorate in recognition of our contribution to British Contemporary art and, in particular, for promoting diversity in the arts. Because pushing the boundaries of how art, heritage and culture are defined and evaluated is something we are especially passionate about - not least because of the important role that the arts can play in challenging prejudice and racism in society.”

The Singh Twins are internationally renowned British artists, whose award-winning work - which challenges generally

The Singh Twins

Lord Rami Ranger after receiving the honorary degree

accepted Eurocentric perceptions of heritage and identity in art and society - was cited by Sir Simon Schama as “the artistic face of Britain”.

Their outstanding contribution to British art has been acknowledged at the highest level and features in the Oxford Encyclopaedia of Women in World History.

Their most recent works include NHS v Covid: Fighting on Two Fronts, a tribute to the NHS created for their appearance as guest artists on Channel 4’s Grayson’s Art

Club, and Get Your Knee Off Our Necks, which in response to the murder of George Floyd explores links between institutional racism today and America’s colonial history of slavery.

The University of Wolverhampton also presented an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration to Lord Ranger CBE at a graduation ceremony on Thursday 17 September 2021.

Lord Ranger said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive this honour from the

prestigious University of Wolverhampton and from the Chancellor, Lord Paul of Marylebone. The great work of the university is recognised across the UK and internationally. The University symbolises diversity and multiculturalism at its best.”

Lord Ranger came to the UK with nothing and started his first company with £2 from a shed. Through hard work and business acumen, his company Sun Mark Ltd now exports British Fast Moving Consumer Goods to over 130 countries across the world and has won an unprecedented five consecutive Queen's Awards for Enterprise in International Trade. No other company in Britain has this accolade.

The University of Wolverhampton graduation ceremonies took place at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton from Thursday 9 September – Friday 17 September 2021.

The 17 ceremonies saw over 3,000 students who completed their studies in 2020 collect their awards.

It is the first time the University has held a graduation ceremony since December 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ethnicity pay gap reporting: Woeful lack of women of colour in positions of management and leadership UK MPs debated on Monday whether the UK should make ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory.

As CMI highlighted in Moving the Dial on Race in 2020, the overall pay gap between White and ‘ethnic minority’ groups is at its lowest level (2.3%) since 2012 (5.8%).

Whilst this might sound like great progress, there is a variation for specific ethnic groups. For example, the largest pay gap (+16%) is between the White British group and the Pakistani group. Whether an employee is born in the UK or not continues to be a key pay gap driver.

In a recent CMI survey, 80% of managers agreed that large organisations should be required to report their organisation's ethnicity pay gap.

CMI’s Delivering Diversity report highlighted the lack of ethnic representation at senior levels. In reference to a CMI survey, the report noted that 54% of respondents said fewer than 5% of their team were Black, Asian, Mixed or ‘minority ethnic’ and 83% said fewer than 5% of their board represented diverse ethnic groups.

The UK Government conducted a consultation on introducing mandatory employer-level ethnicity pay reporting in 2018-19. An official consultation response has not yet been published, but the Government has since indicated that it also ran an exercise to test voluntary reporting methodologies with a broad range of businesses to better understand the complexities outlined in the consultation using real payroll data.

The suggestion is that this exercise raised genuine difficulties in designing a methodology that produces accurate figures and allows for interpretation and action from employers.

Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said: “While there has been some progress on the ethnicity pay gap in recent years, companies across the UK are still not as representative as they should be. In particular, there continues to be a woeful lack of women of colour in positions of management and leadership. With gender pay gap reporting being compulsory for larger

The Trouble with Women Continued from page 3 I launched my Campaignforamillion.com to ensure everyone becomes better investors – male and female.

Conclusion Women are still not investing at the same levels as men. Despite living longer, the average pension held by a UK woman of 65 is a fifth of the average man. This gap threatens to affect the quality of life of retirees catastrophically. We must address this issue to help women and families secure a better future. There are several solutions to this problem, such as addressing the gender pay gap and investing in financial litera-

cy education at an earlier age. Additionally, investment firms need to make a better effort to target women and communicate with them in a more engaging way.

Impact investing in companies doing social good is one area that could provide a way to reach women. Statistically, women are far more likely to give to charities than men, so responsible and sustainable investing could provide a way to give women the best of both worlds.

Women face several disadvantages in the world of investment. However, much can be done to solve these issues and help us build a more equal and fairer society.

12.4 per cent increase in mental health queries in the UK Media reports suggest that over 1.5 million people were in contact with English mental health services in June, which is 12.4 per cent higher than the same time last year. About 1.6 million people are waiting for treatment.

Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “We mustn’t overlook mental health when tackling the NHS backlog. The pandemic has been

catastrophic for mental health and its devastating impact will be with us for years.

We need the right resources and decisive action on the long-term challenges to help stretched services that are struggling to meet demand. This means building new mental health hospitals, transforming outdated infrastructure and training more specialist doctors.”

organisations, there simply isn’t a good enough excuse for not making ethnicity pay gap reporting a requirement too. At the CMI we’ve developed a practical blueprint for how this can be done, including providing clear and detailed guidance applicable for every business.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, leaders have a once-in-a-generation oppor-

tunity to build back more inclusively. And the evidence is clear - businesses that are truly inclusive and representative are more productive organisations. The Government should look to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay reporting in the Employment Bill as a matter of social justice, but also to ensure the UK retains its competitive advantage.”

'Newly qualified, Ismat Khan, drawn to Allied Health Professional career by her interest in wider healthcare roles’ oved by the care that her unique!” Ismat grandparents received, Ismat e n t h u s e s .

Khan was inspired to choose a “ R a d i o g r a p h y career and qualification in the NHS. can have so Ismat says, “I always knew I wanted to much emotional interaction. get into healthcare. I explored options Especially with children! Sometimes through a career programme and open they are so scared of equipment, and days. Only then did I understand the we need to make sure our approach is whole variety of healthcare profession- appropriate so they’re relaxed and gain als. a good report in a short space of time.

“Ismat 21, embraced opportunities “Meeting new people, for sure, is to help during the coronavirus pandem- the most rewarding thing. It’s a cliché ic from the very beginning. “The course gave me unique opportunities to develop myself as a person and a professional. I was among 40,000 student healthcare workers, including nurses, midwives and paramedics, who returned to placements to help on the frontline.

“Getting on placement so early on in my first year, getting handsIsmat Khan, Diagnostic Radiographer on experience and understanding the role of a radiographer straight away. That but patients, at the end of the day, helped me to decide very quickly if this make working in the NHS rewarding. profession was right for me.

“I had never realised that there “This role is different every day. We were so many opportunities for proget to be part of a whole range of gression in my role. For example, leaddepartments across the hospital and ership. I never realised when I entered there are several options to specialise into this profession that I could get and progress. I meet a whole range of into teaching and mentoring, which I people from the elderly to children. A love, having had great teachers and hand or chest x-ray may be the same mentors that I now look up to too, as task, but it needs to be handled role models.”

Search ‘NHS Careers’ uniquely patient to patient. to find out more.

“Radiographers, I think, are

M

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Two decades down the drain!

World Pharmacists' Day

Everyone knows that Afghanistan is impossible to conquer, colonize or subjugate against will of the people, as Afghan people are born fighters, firm believers in their culture and religion and mountain terrain gives them complete protection, heaven for modern-day gorilla warfare! Taliban survived onslaught, even against the latest American weapons, that include deep penetrating bombs dropped from a great height.

When Afghanistan opted for Soviet Union type of administration, West foolishly created and armed Taliban to fight Russians, not realizing that socialism, even Communism could be much better and less hostile to the rest of the world than Talibanism!

Time and again West repeats their past mistakes, learns nothing from past failures, defeats and humiliations, which include Korea, Vietnam, Iran under Shah and now Afghanistan, a proud nation that will never tolerate foreign rule. It is simple equation that bombs and bullets can never defeat, conquer or subjugate culture, tradition and in particular religious beliefs. Hinduism is the prime example that has survived thousands of years of attacks, from Islam, Christianity and other cultures. Yet Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam. If we include Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism which have their roots in Hinduism, then Hinduism has more followers than any other religion, including Christianity.

After 9/11, West did defeat Taliban, ousted them from power but wasted twenty years trying to turn Afghanistan into modern democratic State, surrounded by nations ruled by kings, mullahs and dictators, a foolish dream impossible to realize! Now Afghanistan may choose Iran type democracy with real power in the hands of religious leaders, not elected politicians.

People and politicians do wonder what effect this retreat will have on the West, more terrorist attacks, more nations introducing strict Sharia laws! Let us hope Taliban will keep their words, allow free education to women; turn Afghanistan into peaceful nation with positive influence in the West, enhancing peace and prosperity for the common good.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

"Always trusted for your health” is the theme of this year’s World Pharmacists' Day on September 25.

World Pharmacists' Day is celebrated to organise activities that promote and advocate the importance of pharmacists to aware people in the safe and effective use of medicines, getting rid of the counterfeit medicines in every corner of the world.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

'Dismantling Global Hindutva' Hannah Ellis-Petersen's take on the proposed conference called, 'Dismantling Global Hindutva' is disingenuous. The title of the conference has sent shock waves to adherents of the Hindu faith. The title is sinister and threatening. What have global Hindus done to be targeted in this fashion? 53 universities have come together to, 'discuss the issue'. If that is the case why has no one been invited to present an alternative view? Are Universities not the places where genuine debate should take place? This is a well-organised attack on Hinduism by a variety of groups who find the growing following of the faith unpalatable.

Nitin Mehta (This letter was originally published in The Guardian)

False alarm at Manchester airport Monday morning scenes at Manchester Airport, became a nightmare for holidaymakers, and they had to be evacuated from a terminal and aircraft during an emergency.

According to Express UK, someone had set the fire alarm off, normal procedures were followed and

Response Teams stood down and services resumed eventually. Sharing images, some passengers told Manchester Evening News that they were seriously shortstaffed, and clogged up, and we're not even checking passenger locator forms. The situation was pretty grim that morning.

Ambulance shortage continues An 86 year old pensioner blacked out in her kitchen, and suffered a double fracture to her hip and she collapsed on the tiled floor.

Because of the pressure on NHS, paramedics couldn't make it in time and Mrs Lillian Briggs had to wait for eight hours for an ambulance.

She told the Daily Record, “It is inhumane to leave someone lying like that, you wouldn't do it to a dog, something has to be done.”

However, the Scottish Ambulance Service said on Monday that they were exceptionally busy, and are working under extreme pressure while hospitals are nearly full across the

country. Mrs Briggs had to undergo a four hour operation at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Tuesday.

A LibDem leader, defended the ambulance crew, and said that they are not to be blamed. They are being sent when they are

being told to. “The government needs to undertake a fundamental review of ambulance procedures and shortages in the workforce,” he added.

A Scottish ambulance service spokeswoman said, “While we are limited in what we can say due to

patient confidentiality. We are very sorry for the delay in reaching Mrs Briggs after the fall, and we hope that she is recovering after surgery. We are currently experiencing extreme pressure due to hospitals, operating at or near full capacity and staff abstractions. In addition to these external pressures Monday in particular was exceptionally busy, and this regrettably, added to the response times by dedicated staff are working incredibly hard to attend to patients as quickly as possible and investment in additional staff, ambulances, and the latest equipment across the country continues to take place.”

Scientific adviser says, 100 Indian origin space deaths a day “acceptable” scientist sets up an NGO Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and director of the Wellcome Trust and a leading scientific adviser to the government has said, “Politicians across the world are sort of pretending you can have your cake and eat it: ‘You can have zero deaths, no control measures, vaccinate if you want to or not vaccinate — and it will all end.’ I just don’t think that’s realistic,” Farrar told the German podcast Pandemia.

“I think [in the UK] around a hundred deaths a

day, throughout the year, 30,000 deaths a year, in the current situation with the current vaccines, current treatments, current capacity within the system, I think is a level that would have to, in the end, be acceptable.”

Priya Patel has set up an NGO to help Indian students excel in space.

Thiago is a master's degree in space sciences, engineering from the University College London, and is currently pursuing her PhD in the aforementioned institution in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In a statement to India Times. Priya Patinkin said, I want to bring resources to my home country where there is ample talent and passion for space exploration.

She was born in Gujarat kadhi town, which, where she completed her schooling and Gandhi Nagar. Before

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Darbar Sahib was saved

by Hindus Kapil Dudakia Often in the midst of time people forget the sacrifices of the brave. Some of us might not even know of these sacrifices so let me shed some light on how Darbar Sahib (The Golden Temple) was saved by brave Hindus.

Darbar Sahib also called Harmandir Sahib, interestingly Harmandir is also spelled Harimandir (Mandir of Hari), is the main gurdwara for our Sikh brothers and sisters. It has rightly become the most important pilgrimage site not just for Sikhs, but also for people of Indic faiths.

Let me take you back to the days of the partition. It was 6th March 1947; a Muslim League mob marched towards Darbar Sahib from Sherawala Gate to Chowk Fawara. As they marched, they screamed ‘leke rahenge Pakistan jaise jeeta tha Hindusthan’. Their intent was clear, and the call went out to none other the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for help. In their greatest moment of need it was the RSS that gathered their swayamsevaks to become a living human shield to protect Darbar Sahib. The Muslim mob fled when they saw the wall of men in their Khaki shorts, and on that day both pilgrims and Darbar Sahib were saved.

History records that Dr Baldev Prakash (chief of RSS in Amritsar), along with the town pracharak Dr Indrapal, and Goverdhan Chopra who oversaw morning shakhas led the RSS human shield operation.

However, this was just the start. On 9th March 1947 uniformed Muslim National Guards and the Muslim League mob orchestrated their second attack from three sides. Once again, a call for help went out to the RRS. Durga Das Khanna, in-charge of the Karyalaya RSS office assured them of their safety. On this occasion the RSS took a different approach. Rather than defend like a victim, they organised themselves to also attack if necessary.

It was not long when both sides clashed, but on this occasion the Muslim League mob got a thrashing they would not forget. They ran away of course. And in the streets, you could hear, ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Sat Shri Akaal’.

Forward 37 years and the Khalistani extremists had taken over Darbar Sahib. In effect, they held Darbar Sahib as hostage. Darbar Sahib, the place for upliftment and enlightenment had become a bunker full of weapons, enough to start a mini war. On what planet can any true Sikh believe this desecration to be acceptable?

What followed in 1984 was intolerable. However, let us be clear, it was at the behest of the then Congress Party and their goons that led to the deaths of so many of our Sikh brothers and sisters. The root cause was the extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who wanted to not only hijack Darbar Sahib, but also the Sikh faith. Today we witness these Khalistanis gathering in Canada, America and UK under the pretence of their Sikh heritage. They do so with assistance from Islamic extremists and Pakistan of course. That should tell you everything you need to know about these imposters. Our Gurus gave up their lives, and those of their family, to protect Bharat from Islamic invaders. And today we are left to witness how some dishonour that sacrifice by being in bed with the enemy.

Be it the RSS, the BJP or even Congress, let us be clear, there is no such thing as the perfect organisation. They make mistakes, some even fatal. What matters is what they do when the nation and its citizens are in danger. On that front, the RSS have historically proven to be sevaks for the nation who will cover your back in times of crisis.

Princess Beatrice welcomes a baby girl

Priya Patel

moving to London in 2005 Further studies. She has completed her bachelor's degree in physics from Imperial College London, the 25 year old is working on collecting atmospheric data from NASA's perseverance rover that landed on the red planet this year in February. End of story.

Princess Beatrice has welcomed her first child with her husband Edoardo Mapelli on Saturday.

Princess’ daughter is Queen Elizabeth II’s 12th great-grandchild. The new baby's grandparents and great grandparents have all been informed. and we're very delighted about the news A statement from

Buckingham Palace said, “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their daughter on Saturday 18th September 2021 at 23.42 at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital London. The baby weighs six pounds and two ounces.”

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

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UK, USA and Australia sail together with AUKUS

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

On 15 September, Australia, UK, and the USA announced a historic trilateral security Pact, AUKUS, under which, the US and the UK agreed to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered (not nuclear-armed) submarines.

The US had so far shared the technology only with the UK. Australia becomes the seventh nation after the US, UK,

China, France, Russia, and India, to use nuclear-powered submarines.

Once operational, AUKUS would add to the military presence of the western powers in the Indo-Pacific.

The pact does not overtly name any target country, but it does not require much imagination to conclude that it is aimed at countering an increasingly belligerent China. It is not just that Chinese forces continue to occupy parts of Indian territory in Ladakh, or that its assertiveness poses a threat to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea; the Chinese approach to Hong Kong and Taiwan have also raised concerns. With Australia too, China has been engaged in a trade dispute for over a year and has hit Australian exports of coal, barley, meat, lobsters and wine with punitive trade restrictions after Australia called for an independent investigation of the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The AUKUS pact also covers areas like AI and cyber. It is different from the Five Eyes which focuses on intelligence sharing among five countries, USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and traces its origin to the Atlantic Charter, issued in August 1941. It also differs from ANZUS, or Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty, an agreement signed in 1951 to protect the security of the Pacific.

For UK, the Pact can be seen as its coming out statement. It is a step in the direction of realising Global Britain that has been a vision for post-Brexit Britain’s foreign policy. PM Boris Johnson spoke of the hundreds of skilled jobs that would be created by this deal, while Tom Tugendhat, chair of the British Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee, called it a “game-changer”. AUKUS also

Wedding host beware Gosia Anthony, 49, had been dancing in the function room of the White Horse pub in Welwyn village, Hertfordshire, when she slipped after stepping in a spilt drink at the reception for her friend’s wedding in 2016.

She told the judge that she was left in unbearable pain on the floor. She filed a case against the pub’s owner, a company that was operated by the groom’s family and has now been rewarded £32,000 for the damages.

Audrey Alpe, Northwick Park Hospital's longest-serving volunteer passes away Audrey Alpe, 88, joined the hospital in Harrow in 1973 and remained working for the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust for almost half a century.

During her tenure, she was awarded the Volunteer of the Year in 2016 and was then presented with a Gold Lifetime Award for 45 years of service in 2018.

Hunte, who manages the trust’s voluntary service, said: “Audrey was always friendly, reliable and a ready helping hand which is the most you can ask from a volunteer. Being a local resident she spent her whole life in Harrow serving the community. At times she used to share some interesting and funny stories about her early days volunteering at Northwick Park.”

Honour for 'cherished' scientist, Narendra Parmar Narendra Parmar, 68, a specialist planted.

Biomedical Scientist in Red Cell Mr Parmar was a Immunohaematology served NHS father of three and lived in for more than half a century passed Dickens Heath in Solihull. away in April after getting infected His daughter Reena to Covid-19.

Mianger, 42, said: "He was our legend who did Narendra worked in all the everything for his family. departments of the NHS Blood and He was a happy soul, so Transplant, near the Queen easy to get on with.”

Elizabeth Hospital, in a career His colleagues said he spanning 52 years. loved playing the On September 11, a meeting Narendra Parmar Harmonica at community room was unveiled and dedicated and Diwali functions and in his memory at the centre with would do so at every opportunity. his widow Manjulla, 70. A rose plant was also

creates a psychological decoupling of the UK from the EU, whose foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said that the development obliges the EU to think of “European strategic autonomy”.

France was particularly aggrieved as it had a contract for the supply of conventional Attack-class submarines to Australia involving A$90 billion. The French government expressed its deep unhappiness by recalling its ambassadors from the US and Australia, while its Foreign Minister described it as a “stab in the back”. Clarifications coming out of Australia indicate problems with the French contract including long delays.

France also felt aggrieved given its longstanding interest in the Indo-Pacific where French territories are located. The Australian view is that its decision was determined by national interest. The conventional submarines are smaller and able to go closer to the coastlines and estuaries of rivers without detection.

However, the need to surface periodically makes them easy to spot in large expanses of the ocean in the Indo-Pacific.

Nuclear powered submarines, on the other hand, can go for long distances

without the need to surface so long as they have food stocks and depending on the needs of the crew.

Expectedly, China reacted strongly, but the strong comments of the official mouthpiece, ‘Global Times’ once again demonstrated aggressiveness, even arrogance, which validates the need for such a pact. It warned Australia to avoid "provocation" or China would "certainly punish it with no mercy", adding that "Australian troops are also most likely to be the first batch of western soldiers to waste their lives in the South China Sea".

ASEAN countries are worried about the introduction of nuclear technology in the Indo Pacific and fear the start of an arms race. With concerns on freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, AUKUS and the Chinese reaction to it, heighten tensions in the region. Taiwan has understandably welcomed the development.

India has traditionally been opposed to militarisation of the Indian Ocean, but Chinese belligerence has made it prudent for India to join hands with friends in the Indo Pacific through the Quad, consisting of India, US, Japan and Australia, soon to have a physical summit in Washington. A stronger maritime presence of India’s friends and like-minded fellow democracies may add some caution to the Chinese posture towards its neighbours. The divisions created within Europe post AUKUS are not a good sign and need to be bridged post haste.

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SCRUTATOR’S Train halts 25 minutes to help injured croc!

A crocodile in pain can throw even the superfast Rajdhani Express off its timetable. And it so happened last week, when the premium train heading from Vadodara to Mumbai was left cooling its wheels for about 25 minutes en route when an injured eightfoot-long crocodile’s life lay literally sprawled on the track. It also brought a bevy of other trains running on the VadodaraMumbai line to a halt for nearly 45 minutes. However, despite best efforts by railway officials as well as animal activists, the gigantic male reptile couldn’t survive the hit it had taken on its head. Hemant Vadhwana, a wildlife activist, said that he received a call at about 3.15 am from the station superintendent of Karjan railway station that a crocodile was lying on the rail track. He immediately left for the spot alongwith another animal activist Neha Patel on his vehicle.

When they reached the spot, the reptile was moving its jaw for a while. The reptile, had severe injuries on its head. Sadly, it died within a few minutes. The reptile was run over by a speeding train. (The Times of India) Man cycles 4,500 km to celebrate 80th birthday

Jose, an 80 year-old man from Thrissur, Kerala, is a cycling enthusiast.

He had a dream to celebrate his 80th birthday in the rarefied heights of Ladakh.

Jose had reached Ladakh after cycling 4,500 km all the way from Thrissur. Jose said that he had cycled to Leh, a spot just 34 km from Khardung La, which is located at 17,600 feet above sea level and is the highest motorable point allowed for civilians. He could not proceed further from there because of unexpected snowfall. In this cycle expedition, Jose is accompanied by Gokul P R, also from Thrissur, who, incidentally, had undertaken a cycling trip from Thrissur to Khardung La in 2013 via Manali. Gokul’s wife Dr Lekha Lakshmi and their 14-year old daughter joined them from Ladakh after reaching there by flight. Jose, who retired from the Thrissur Medical College Hospital as a plumber, said he has had no major health issues during his cycling trip.

“I encountered an oxygen problem when I reached Leh, but my fellow cyclists supported me by providing artificial supply of oxygen,” he said. “Oxygen shortage is a problem commonly encountered by all, including military personnel, on reaching Leh,” Dr Lakshmi said. Jose said he started cycling when he was in class V. (Agency) 'Software error’ credits £96.4 mn into two kids’ accounts Two Class 6 students of a government school in Bihar's Katihar briefly had £96.4 million credited into their account, courtesy to a supposedly “software error.”

Gurucharan Biswas and Ashish Kumar’s short-lived windfall was “rectified immediately” after Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank realised what had happened, district

magistrate Udayan Mishra said. Earlier, one Ranjit Das of Khagaria had been arrested for allegedly refusing to return a portion of the Rs 550,000 wrongly credited to his account with the same bank in March last year. He told the police that he thought the money was part of a direct benefit transfer promised by PM Modi. "Due to a banking software error, one account was showing an inflated amount. In another instance, the amount appeared only in the printout of a receipt," the district magistrate said. Lalan Biswas, mukhiya of Pastiya village, said, "Children receive money in their bank accounts every month to buy uniforms and books.

When one of our students checked his balance last week, he was surprised to see the amount. Another student did the same and he was in for a surprise, too." (Agency) Man who hid lover in his room for 10 years weds her finally

A man who hid his lover hidden in a room at his house for 10 years without anyone’s knowledge, finally married her legally in Kerala’s Palakkad district.

Rahman and Sajitha entered into wedlock under the Special Marriage Act at a local sub-registrar office. The couple later distributed sweets and thanked everyone who supported them to get married.

Sajitha’s parents also attended the function while Rahman’s relatives who were against the relationship stayed away.

Nemmara MLA K Babu, who attended the wedding, said the couple would get all the support to fulfil their dream of building their own house. The couple, in their thirties, has been living in a rented house after Sajitha’s decade-long stay in the room became public a few months ago.

The Kerala Women’s Commission had registered a case against Rahman saying

that keeping a woman in captivity was against law. (Agency) Woman in trouble for dancing on road

A woman was filmed running across the road to dance at a busy intersection in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, after the traffic signal turned red. The stunt, performed for an Instagram video, has now landed her in trouble with the police, who have served her with a notice for violating traffic rules.

The woman, identified as Shreya Kalra, shared the video on her Instagram account four days ago, from where it quickly went viral. The video shows Kalra, dressed in black, running across the road to a zebra crossing as cars slowed to a halt. She then danced even as commuters waiting at the traffic signal looked bemused by her performance. The video was filmed at Rasoma Square in Indore. At the beginning of the clip, she was filmed herself at a public place without a mask something which several social media users criticised her for. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra has said that action will be taken against the woman under the Motor Vehicles Acts.

"Whatever her intentions were, it was wrong. I will issue an order to take action against her under Motor Vehicles Acts, to stop such incidents in the future," Mishra was quoted as saying. (Agency) What happened after a woman spotted a snake at her house If we spot a snake in our house, our first reaction is panic, horror and then violence. But the reaction of a woman will teach us a lesson or two. An official Facebook page of an NGO shared the clip of a woman trying to save a snake, instead of panicking at the sight of it. In the video, the woman, who finds the snake in the cracks of the floor, takes a stick and tries to drive it away, out of the front gate.

Moments later, we see the reptile moving in the said direction. The NGO - People For Cattle in India (PFCI) - which is aimed at the prevention of illegal cattle trafficking and slaughtering, applauded the woman's actions in its caption. “A wonderful video of a woman sending the snake to safety instead of pressing the panic button,” it read. The video soon garnered praise from Facebook users who applauded the woman for her calmness.

“This is heart-touching,” wrote one user.

Another shared his own experience of saving snakes. “We had so many conflicts at the worksite, every snake caught were safely returned to a nearby forest.” A person said, “I hate people who kill snakes.

Even I have fought with few while seeing them doing it, this is heart touching same thought.” A few of them wrote, “Good job.” (Agency) Woman given 2 vax shots within minutes

Health officials administered two doses of Covid-19 vaccine to a 70-year-old

woman within minutes at a crowded vaccination camp in Jaygha block of Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh. One Bhagwati Devi was given a dose of vaccine at the first counter. When she was about to leave, an employee asked her to collect her certificate/card from the second counter.

When she asked for the card, the employees there said it would be given after administering the dose. Within minutes, a woman employee gave another dose of the vaccine to the elderly woman.

Later, the condition of the woman started deteriorating and she was sent to a nearby Community Health Centre. (Agency) Char Dham yatra gets HC nod

The Uttarakhand High Court has vacated its stay on the Char Dham yatra, opening up the four Himalayan shrines to fully-vaccinated pilgrims carrying a Covidnegative report. The court had stayed the yatra on June 28, just days before the annual pilgrimage was to open on July 1, remarking that allowing the yatra would be “akin to inviting a calamity”. Last week, the bench of Chief Justice R S Chauhan and justice Alok Kumar Verma lifted the stay after the government informed the court that it would adhere to Covid protocol and limit pilgrim numbers to the shrines. The government submitted that 800 devotees will be allowed to visit Kedarnath each day, while 600 pilgrims can go to Gangotri and 400 to Yamunotri.

The government had set the daily cap at 1,200 visitors for Badrinath, but the court limited the number to 1,000. The state also assured the court that only three people would be allowed into the sanctum sanctorum of a shrine. (Agency) Free-to-use bookstalls by the roadside

It's not surprising that in a state with over 96 per cent literacy rate, you get to see free-to-use bookstalls by the roadside.

The nest-like structures on a stilt are not placed in a developed city but in a remote village. The small Kerala village, Perumkulam, has several of these boxes waiting for their readers. It is the state's first "Pusthaka Gramam" or book village.

There are books and newspapers neatly stacked into these nests and people can pick any book of their choice and read them leisurely. They, then, put them back into these boxes. Kerala Tourism shared the video of a “pustaka koodu” to mark World Literacy Day. The video showed a man picking up a book from the nest and reading on a bench placed strategically near it. The tourism department said the public bookcases are a “unique concept” and allow villagers to freely exchange or borrow books. Many people praised the “Pusthaka Gramam” or book village concept as a “brilliant idea” to raise the level of education in villages. Thanking the government, a third user said he had seen this book nests in western countries but did not know they existed in his own state. (Agency)

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10,000 unvaccinated care workers may lose jobs If care workers do not get a Covid jab within the next few weeks, more than 10,000 will lose their jobs. it Figures show 39,000 care home staff in England have still not had their first vaccine by Monday, despite first getting the offer in January. This will imply that they will miss the deadline to get double jabbed before it becomes a legal requirement on November, 11.

This also warns for short of staff within the care home sector.

A Department of Health spokesperson said, “Our message is clear. Vaccines save lives, and it is our responsibility to do everything we can to reduce the risk for vulnerable people in care homes.”

We need more babies A think tank called the Social Market Foundation has said that the birth rate in the UK was almost half of what it was in its post-war peak in the 1960s during the pandemic, and the country's ageing population could lead to economic decline. The think tank said that Minister should set up a cross-government task force to consider this issue.

One of the helpful measures could be childcare provision. The think tank also mentioned that typical British working parents spend 22% of their income on fulltime childcare, which is more than doubled, on average for western economies.

The Guardian reported that the birth rate in England and Wales, peaked in 1964 when the number of children per woman averaged 2.93 Last year it was 1.58, well below the 2.1 replacement level needed to keep the population rate stable, and in Scotland, it was even lower at 1.29.

In a report titled baby bust and baby boom, examining the liberal case of pro-natalism. The think

tank said that this would ultimately lead to a shortage of workingage adults.

According to them, many countries follow the policy or practice of encouraging the burying of children, especially through government support, to have a higher birth rate. The report said. At present, there are little under three over 65s, for every 10 workers, but by the middle of the next decade that ratio will rise to 3.5.

And by the 2060s, the number will be closing in on four.

According to these projections by 2050 quarter of Britons will be over 65 up from a fifth today.

This combination of a lower share of population and work in a higher share in need of economic support clearly has a negative effect on the productive capacity of the economy. The report says that 28% of countries in the world have specifically adopted pronatalist policies to drive up their birth rate.

Dr Aveek Bhattacharya, the chief economist at the SMF and one of the report authors said, “The question of whether the government should intervene to try to increase the birth rate is clearly a sensitive topic that must be delicately handled. However, given the alarming fallen fertility rates and the risk that population ageing poses to our social and economic well being. It is a discussion we should not duck.”

UK remained “unattractive” for international students According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “British universities will fail to offer value for money to students if they persist with online learning, and risk being outclassed by new digital providers.”

Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s director of education and skills, said, “I do think that the value proposition of universities is being challenged in the age in which we live. I don’t think you can ask students to pay £9,000 for just online lessons. Students go to university to meet great professors, they go to university to work with colleagues and researchers in a laboratory, they go to university to experience the social life of the campus and that’s the value proposition of universities.”

But Schleicher warned: “If that remains, I think you are going to see a lot of alternative providers; it’s a very interesting competition when it comes to online provision.

I don’t see universities will be able to maintain a monopoly and I do think that will be reflected in the fee structure. Personally, I think this is going to be a real challenge as our universities find a good way to do something meaningful that is actually personal, intensive, interactive and social.

Then they can charge for that. Or if they just ‘go digital’, I wonder whether they will be able to maintain those costs and students will be willing to pay for them.”

A spokesperson for Universities UK told The Guardian, “UK universities are world-leading, with the benefits of obtaining a degree here wide-ranging. Graduates in England earn on average £10,000 more per year than non-graduates, and this is only one measure of success. The structure of the system in England means that no student pays fees up front and repayments are made based on a graduate’s ability to pay over their working life.”

Reshuffling in the time of Corona Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a Cabinet reshuffle in the UK. During shuffle came as a head-turner for foreign secretary Dominic Raab who was demoted among big names. Raab Priti Patel, Rishi Sunak, Alok Sharma has been replaced by Liz Housing Communities and Local Truss as the foreign secretary, who Government by Michael Gove. The was at the United Nations General Asian community rejoiced as Assembly last week.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, Raab is now being demoted to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Justice Secretary and Deputy Health Secretary Sajid Javid Prime Minister. Gavin Williamson, retained their respective positions. who faced intense criticism over Oliver Dowden replaced his handling of disruption to Amanda Milling, the former schools and exams during the panConservative Party co-chair. demic, was one of the first minisNadine Dorries took over as the ters to be sacked from his post as culture minister and Cop26 education secretary. He was President Alok Sharma saw no replaced by former vaccines minischange in his candidature. ter, Nadhim Zahawi. to data from According Robert Jenrick also lost his post Conservative Home, Mr as the housing secretary. He was Williamson was the least popular replaced by the Ministry of member of the cabinet with

Conservative Party members Liz Truss who has been promoted to foreign secretary from international trade secretary was the most popular.

The BBC reported Sajid Javid that as for the education of those now in the cabinet, about 63% of them went to private schools down slightly when compared to Mr Johnson's previous ratio for last year, but still a stark contrast to his predecessors, just 30% of Theresa May’s first cabinet in 2016 attended independent schools, which was fewer than both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's original cabinet.

Johnson's new cabinet has 43% members who were educated at Oxford or Cambridge. A total of seven members belong to the beam community. The Cabinet now has eight women.

BAPS launches new educational video to celebrate Organ Donation Week In celebration of Organ Donation Week that began on 20 September 2021, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) has launched a new educational video about organ donation and why it is so important to have the conversation with one’s family about one’s wishes.

Organ Donation Week is an annual campaign held in September that aims to encourage people to join the national organ donor register and to share their decision with their families. This year’s focus is the ‘Leave Them Certain’ campaign that aims to encourage people to talk to their loved ones regarding organ donation, specifically highlighting that families are always involved before organ donation goes ahead.

BAPS has been raising awareness about organ donation for

many years. More recently, this has included a series of short videos emphasising the need for Asians to consider organ donation, how Hinduism supports this, and the importance of registering online and having the conversation with your loved ones.

The video highlights the current shortage of Asian donors and addresses the misconceptions about organ donation and the Hindu faith, emphasising that

organ donation is a form of daan (donation) or seva (service) that Hindu scriptures encourage devotees to offer. The video also illustrates the importance of speaking to family members and friends about organ donation so that individuals can make informed and fact-based decisions.

Dr Neil Soneji, a lead volunteer at BAPS, explained, “Talking with your family about organ donation after death can be a sensitive subject. But this video emphasises why it is so important that we have that conversation, because the family’s consent is always needed for donation to take place, even with the new changes to the law, and even if the patient has registered to be an organ donor.

Have the Conversation.

Leave them Certain!”

Aylesbury Hindu Temple Trust Ganesh Utsav 2021 Over 300 people attended the Ganesh Utsav event on 19th Sept at Waddesdon Hall, Waddesdon near Aylesbury, to take the blessings of Lord Ganesha. This is the fourth year that Aylesbury Hindu Temple Trust (AHTT) celebrated this event. Lord Ganesha, also called Ganapati, is said to be the God of new beginnings and a fresh start, prosperity and wealth. Lord Ganesha is believed to bring good luck. This event was marked by various performances, dances, bhajans - all dedicated to Lord Ganesha.

Delicacies were served to the devotees during the event.

This event was well enjoyed by devotees from every age group - children to the elderly. The event was also attended by Member of Parliament for Aylesbury Rob Butler, Member of Parliament for Buckingham Greg Smith, Cllr Mark Winn Deputy

Cabinet Member for Homelessness & Regulatory

Services & Chairman of the Aylesbury Community Board Buckinghamshire Council and Cllr Ashley Waite. Ganpati Visarjan was performed at the end of the event which was accompanied by dance and dhol playing.

Aylesbury Hindu Temple Trust is a charity established in Nov 2018 with a vision of having a temple in Aylesbury. During the pandemic, AHTT has been able to support the community by organising online monthly puja, free yoga sessions, meditation, mantra chanting and Vedic classes, delivering food and other supplies to the people who have been shielding and self-isolating, celebrating festivals together via zoom, etc. The people have come together as a community to support each other.

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refugee charities, and those more entrepreneurial minds offering innovative ideas to tackle housing needs, language training. Quite frankly, public sector provision will be insufficient but the Government needs to enable others to step up and coordinate. For example, how can the private sector help with housing provision?

We need to create peer networks to support women eg women’s charities are experienced in dealing with women facing trauma and upheaval, they have the tools and personnel to take a lot of care in that and even the people who volunteer with them are vetted and are experienced. We also need universities to offer scholarship schemes in the same way that Syrians were given opportunities.

We need the Government to offer educated military professionals, police officers, Government officials, judges, lawyers, journalists and others ways of gaining similar re-employment eg I would like one year fully paid placement scheme offered in the civil service and local government to some of these women in these professional groups. We need to retain and support the continued development of Afghanistan’s talent, particularly the female talent from the country that would be denied in the country, and not have them struggle to get jobs close to what they once could do.

Also, if we ever need to go back to that country, because of military intervention, this is a talent pool of knowledge and skills that we can use. They can also help our society and economy.

And we also need to guard against the issue of Afghan refugees falling into antiimmigrant sentiment. We need to say loudly that these are vulnerable people and it is our duty to protect them.

One final word on this. Those who are coming, either worked for us or they are women who are highly qualified or are the most vulnerable of society fleeing the Taliban, there is not an integration issue.

They will want to make Britain or the US their home. We need to give them a chance, the right support, and let them flourish. The Syria scheme shows the way forward as it did a lot of good.

- At a political and national level, how do you think the UK has fared in dealing with the Afghan crisis?

At this stage, the report card reads, COULD DO BETTER. We will need to secure safe passage out of the country, women aren’t getting out and a humanitarian plan for those left in the country. Moving to resettlement must not set aside the former especially.

Afghan crisis: At this stage, the report card reads, COULD DO BETTER

In early September, the New York Times reported that women in Afghanistan who were protesting against the regime were beaten by the members of the Taliban in Kabul. If media reports are to be believed, the Taliban has announced that all women who were holding leading positions in the previous government, ranks 1-3 have been fired. Women who were holding ranks 4-6 “can keep” their jobs after a “competitive” exam against Taliban candidates who will be given 20 bonus points for being males.

In an exclusive chat with Asian Voice, activist Zehra Zaidi discussed the UK’s report card of handling the Afghan crisis, especially women refugees.

- Please talk about your understanding of the situation in Afghanistan with respect to women.

What is the need of the hour?

Vulnerable women and girls are simply not being able to get out of Afghanistan. This is despite being the third priority category for the UK Government after 1. British nationals and 2. those who worked for the British Government such as military interpreters.

Women have become invisible from public life, stuck at home, or hidden safe house to safe house in the case of women MPs, judges, human rights defenders, journalists, police, military women, Government employees, NGO workers, musicians and sportswomen. Only doctors and medical staff have been allowed to work but only if they cover up completely.

This is despite the Taliban’s fake promises that there would be no discrimination against women and women would be allowed to continue their work and their jobs.

We know that despite another of the Taliban’s fake promises, it has banned girls and young women from going to school and getting further education.

Starvation is as much a threat to Afghan women as the Taliban. No money is coming into the country, they are not being allowed to work. We are about to see a humanitarian and health crisis unfold before our eyes.

- How do you think Afghan culture will be revived especially when women, who are opinion leaders and potential manufacturers of consent about cultures, are in danger?

The Taliban may have taken control again, but it is a different country. A whole generation has had freedom and opportunity.

Despite the risks, women activists have taken to the streets to protest against the Taliban.

Q

Q

Zehra Zaidi On social media, Afghan women are campaigning the hashtag #DoNotTouchMyClothes is an online campaign from Afghan women around the world, sharing photos of themselves in traditional colourful clothing.

It is incumbent on the international community to uphold Afghan women’s right to choose their own means of clothing, studies, profession etc. We cannot endorse and financially enable the Taliban to oppress people in the name of culture or religion.

Countries like Britain need to pressurise third countries like Qatar and Pakistan to get significant concessions in return for any international aid or opening up of the country and inflows of money transfers.

- Many women and girls who will take refuge in the UK, will perhaps end up marrying, starting a family or have their first rendezvous with education. Do you think we’re equipped to give them the right foster care without bringing in the difference in faith and cultures?

The UK Government has done quite well in move quickly to issues of resettlement with a dedicated minister in Vicky Atkins (One caveat – that minister now sits in the Justice Dept and not the Home Office, so it remains to be seen how that will work).

What’s missing is a lot of detail. We need the cross-departmental group working on this to put out information at speed and not only coordinating between themselves but ALSO between Government,

Q

Q

Bushra Ali appointed chair of newly created Equality & Diversity Sub-group Bushra Ali of Bushra Ali Solicitors with offices in Leicester and Wrexham has been appointed the first Chair of the newly created Equality & Diversity Sub-group at the Cheshire and North Wales Law Society after the President’s proposal for the formation of the Group was accepted by the committee.

Speaking of the appointment, Bushra said, “I’m thrilled and delighted and would like to thank my fellow members of the Cheshire and North Wales Law Society for the appointment. It was a particularly poignant moment given that at the meeting we were honoured to be joined by Stephanie Boyce, the first black President of The Law Society of England and Wales.

Stephanie addressed us on her desire to see a more diverse profession that champions equal

Bushra Ali, Founder of Bushra Ali Solicitors and The Bushra Ali Group

opportunities for all.

“Equality and diversity are subjects that are incredibly important to me and form the backbone not only of our work at Bushra Ali Solicitors but also of our Corporate Social Responsibility work which, most recently, led to my appointing Aisha Seedat as our Disability, Diversity and Inclusion Champion – a first for a UK-

based law firm.

“At Cheshire and North Wales Law Society we are keen to continue to promote a diverse professional for all, but also to recognise where there remain huge gaps for positive change including tackling the gender pay gap and encouraging applications for senior posts in law firms from diverse groups. We want to encourage students to stop being limited by their own fears and have the ambition and courage to achieve regardless of social status, class, educational background or connections.

Becoming Chair of the Equality & Diversity Sub-group is perfectly aligned to my own equality and diversity work and I’m looking forward very much to rolling my sleeves up and getting started on driving the conversation on all issues diversity, social mobility and inclusion.”

The Bushra Ali Group was launched by Bushra in January 2021 with its work spanning not only Bushra Ali Solicitors but four other organisations founded by Bushra including Empowered Women Empowering Women Global, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network, The Good Lawyers Project and Network 2 Konnect which has been running since 2019. The Group focuses on the various community projects that Bushra and her colleagues are running with a particular and strong interest in equality and diversity. Over the last 12 months, their work in this area has included hosting a plethora of events and initiatives including Bushra speaking at events on the subject of equality and diversity and sharing her journey with national and international audiences.

in brief WOMEN’S SAFETY IS AS IMPORTANT AS COUNTERING TERRORISM According to official statistics, in the year ending March 2020, there were an estimated 1.6 million female victims of domestic abuse in England and Wales, 618,000 female victims of sexual assault and 892,000 female victims of stalking. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) called for "fundamental cross-system change" after identifying continuing failings. The police watchdog has called for serious measures that need to be taken in order to tackle violence against women and girls.

They’ve equated it to be as important as countering terrorism. Three-quarters of domestic abuse cases are closed early without the suspect being charged, its report said.

“The HMICFRS said that the police have made "vast improvements" over a decade in dealing with this "epidemic" of violence but there were still staggering variations between police forces. It said a police power that allows officers to tell women that a partner has a history of abuse, known as Clare's Law, was used so differently by individual forces it amounted to a postcode lottery. And too often, said the inspectors, police were neither working closely enough with colleagues from other agencies nor giving the threat of violence the resources it deserved,” BBC reported.

DENIAL OF THE MORNING-AFTER PILL: WHO WILL DECIDE? The BBC recently wrote about a 17-year-old girl who was denied the morning after pill when she went to a pharmacy in Edinburgh.

Despite using protection, she needed the pill in an emergency. “She expected to be given emergency contraception quickly and easily – after all, the morning-after pill has been available over the counter in the UK for almost two decades,” the report read.

Two years ago, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) had called for the morning-after pill to be given for free over the counter in all pharmacies, without a consultation.

It is imperative to note that the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Guidance says, “In some cases, a pharmacy professional’s religion, personal values or beliefs may influence their day-to-day practice, particularly whether they feel able to provide certain services. This might include, for example, services related to contraception (routine or emergency contraception).”

It also clearly states that pharmacy professionals have the right to practise in line with their religion, personal values or beliefs as long as they act in accordance with equalities and human rights law and make sure that person-centred care is not compromised. Pharmacy professionals must not discriminate against a person based on their own – or the person’s – religion, personal values or beliefs, or lack of religion or belief. They should be sensitive to cultural, social, religious and clinical factors, and recognise that these can guide a person’s choices.

The NHS website also mentions that one is supposed to seek emergency contraception if they have skipped a few days of the daily pill.

This news triggered online debate and continues to leave a huge room for discussion, wherein the society can empower girls and treat their health as paramount, irrespective of the faith they follow.

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Daliso Chaponda: Apocolypse Not Now! (Touring) Sunetra Senior

Pratchett.”

Finally, Daliso at once highlighted As warm and socially progressive as the directly therapeutic draw of he is funny, rising comedian, Daliso, stand-up: “I can articulate for people wowed the judges on much-loved what they’ve been thinking and have television show, Britain’s Got Talent, not been able to say – I’m encouraged in 2017. He even garnered praise from to be outspoken e.g. I’m in the proinfamous critic, Simon Cowell, in the cess of writing on the irritating audition, going on to qualify for the Laurence Fox, who’s a softcore Katie coveted finals and lifting the public’s Hopkins: not even the best of the rightspirit: ‘Not only are you an undiscovered wing! Conversely, my brother, who is a docDaliso Chaponda all-star,’ he was told, ‘but I could also see you tor, must be very professional and cannot owning your own show.’ Fast-forward to 2021 express strong opinions e.g., calling out racism at and the revered comic has fulfilled this prophecy and work. Me: I’ve got the big microphone so it’s my job! I can more. His current stand-up, Apocalypse Not Now, explicithelp exorcise those angry thoughts.” There’s a reason then ly transcends lockdown and he’s writing season 3 of Citizen that Daliso has done so well. His material not only cheers of Nowhere for BBC Radio 4 which he created. It has been you in the moment, but consciously acts as a social salve for nominated for a Rose d’Or. He has also appeared on BBC now’s too often sombre, readily divisive landscape.

2’s QI and The Apprentice: You’re Fired!

Through his intuitive exploration of the psycho-political, Daliso has a rich multicultural background which he shows how comedy can immediately reform the spirit. vibrantly informs his work. Zambian-born, the comedian Make sure you keep updated! Happiness will ensue. spent time in multiple African countries before his parents Tell us about your current stand-up; settled in Malawi; the setting for many a Apocalypse Not Now. What can we unique anecdote. His bold observational expect? comedy emphasises the cosmopolitanism Generally, it deals with big change. I of modern UK, even if the nation itself started writing it at the beginning of the pandoes not always acknowledge it. “My demic. I talk about: how lonely it is to be livname is already abbreviated,” he told us. ing by yourself; paranoia about the end of the “It originally had a ‘T’ in it, but people world etc. But it also becomes about any big have found a way to butcher it! metaphorical apocalypse and not just the Meanwhile, back in Malawi, it’s the easizombie type…e.g. How do you deal with est to pronounce!” Another country of divorce? How you can laugh it off and cope influence on the young Daliso was with any number of catastrophes that are Bangladesh. His father worked for the likely to happen in human life.

High Commission for Refugees with the What are some highlight moments of UN and long holidays were spent there as the show? a child. “A few odd yet definitive features I talk about the #Black Lives Matter made an impression on me, such as the movement, and how little has actually cycle-rickshaws and humid heat. I didn’t Photo Credit: Steve Ullathorne changed despite everyone being caught up in know heat could be like that…in Africa, it at the time. Including myself! A year on, it’s dry weather – you can escape by hidand people are blaming black footballers while the governing under a tree. In South Asia – you can’t run! However, ment is AWOL. I make fun of idealism, but point out its what was refreshing was seeing how very different society ripple-effect as valuable too e.g., protest marches demoncould be. It was fascinating. The Bangladeshi people found strating to people an alternative progressive vision. me intriguing too – they were not used to seeing black peoChildren can see that and know it can be different in the ple. I had folk ask to touch my hair. But I enjoyed the mutufuture. In terms of lockdown, I talk about how secrecy is al curiosity! I was a pop star: young & cute!” not your ally. You need to let people in. I explore the For Daliso then life is about embracing over fearing bizarreness of loneliness. chaos to cathartically confront what’s converging instead of nonsensically turning away. This relevant sensitivity is And how did you survive lockdown?

By doing what felt good – as opposed to what I was meant to be doing e.g. I attempted to read the list of greatest books but soon went all on in comfort food! I watched silly fun things like sitcoms and read books that were entertaining. When life is hard, you don’t have time for depression! Look at Bollywood! There are very few tragic, depressing stories. The people might be facing adversity but there’s dancing, music and laughter. When it’s tough, you don’t want that heavy existential tone. Another action that helped me through was ringing everybody. You didn’t have time to be cut off – just to react with what was true.

“In Bangladesh, a few odd yet definitive features made an impression on me, such as the cyclerickshaws and humid heat. I didn’t know heat could be like that…in Africa, it’s dry – you can escape by hiding under a tree. In South Asia – you cannot run!"

what makes his work smart yet so uplifting. “I often think it’s better to understand someone through who they choose to identify with over the groups that they’re born into. People are so many things – I know I am. That’s why I love comedy. It’s one of few professions where it’s just about you; your personality. You’ve just got to be funny and nothing else matters. Much of my stand-up deconstructs the idea of nationality and identity. You should be proud of where you’re from, but it can also be used as a cage. Some do not like cultural appropriation, for example, but I’m not bothered! Ideas should be shared.” Indeed, diversity is inherent. As well as being a comedian, Daliso is a writer, having penned his first novel during lockdown. He is partial to the fantastical world of Sci-fi: “The genre is typically White, so again, it’s great to be able to break-through with a new perspective. I love fictional escapism like wizards juggling fire etc. One of my favourite authors is Terry

Your humour is quotidian and optimistic – tell us more?

Well, that’s where growing up in Malawi really helped.

As much as I say I’m a Citizen of Nowhere, my roots in the country are deep. It’s the third poorest country in Africa.

Diseases such as HIV are rife and there are so many problems. It’s really not in the nature of Malawians to complain.

You develop a weird kind of positivity. My dad himself was actually a refugee and my mum is a doctor, having worked in some trying places. That dark humour trickles into my comedy – I’d rather laugh about it than wallow.

A sense of community and emotional release has been huge in your attraction to Comedy. What else grabs you about it?

Just that it’s my calling. When I did my first stand-up, I felt immediately that it was right. Here was a profession that combined writing, humour and performance.

W: https://dalisochaponda.com/ T: @dalisochaponda Find the full Q&A online: https://www.asian-voice.com/Lifestyle/Spotlight

Celebration of birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 High Commission of India and India League in London will celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's Birth Anniversary, which is marked as

of Mahatma Gandhi will be held. The programme will include brief speeches followed by the singing of bhajans.

International Day of NonViolence. The programme will be held at Tavistock Square Garden, London WC1H 9JE on Saturday, 2nd October 2021 at 0945 hrs.

On this occasion, a solemn programme to pay floral tributes to the statue

The President and the Executive Chairman of Mahatma Gandhi Foundation UK will be holding a virtual conference to commemorate the Mahatma's birth anniversary. More details are below:

Sadiq Khan at Rahat Fateh Ali Khan concert On Sunday night the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, welcomed over 8000 people to The SSE Wembley Arena with legendary Pakistani singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. The singer kicked off his UK tour, titled 'The Legacy Tour', with a packed Wembley singing along to classic hits such as 'Teri Meri', 'Mere Rashke Qamar' and the timeless 'Dam Mast Kalandar' in an enthralling 3-hour live music spectacle, with Sadiq Khan joining him during an interval.

The Mayor, addressing the crowd on stage alongside Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, said: "The special thing about Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is he's played at the Nobel Peace Prize, he's performed for Kings and Queens, and he makes songs for Bollywood and Hollywood films, but he never forgets his fans in London. Tonight he has brought the community together again and given us another fantastic night to remember here at the SSE Wembley Arena. Thank you

for showing the world that London is open."

He added: "It is great to see the South Asian community in London coming out to enjoy live music again after what has been a very difficult past 18 months.

London is the epicentre of multicultural entertainment and I was excited to welcome Rahat Fateh Ali Khan back to the city for this incredible concert, kicking off a season where some of the biggest artists from South Asia will be coming back to London to perform."

The concert was also attended by award-winning British film director Gurinder Chadha, charttopping music producer Naughty Boy and acclaimed Indian film director Shekhar Kapur.

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PM sacked peer over use of personal email for work In the recent prime minister’s reshuffle, Lord Bethell, the close ally of Matt Hancock who has admitted using his personal email for government business during the pandemic, has been sacked.

In July, the peer was under investigation by the House of

Lords standards committee after it came out that he had sponsored a parliamentary pass for the former health secretary’s lover, Gina Coladangelo.

Bethell, who oversaw the award of Covid contracts, admitted to the practice but denied any wrongdoing, telling the

Lords: “I have read and signed the ministerial code and I seek to uphold it in everything I do.”

Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tweeted: “If PM had any integrity he would have sacked him a long time before.

Bethell has used Ministerial Office and taxpayers’ money to

enrich his friends instead of serving the public and been dishonest about his private emails.”

Hancock resigned after he was caught on camera in a clinch with Coladangelo. Both she and Bethell were involved in Hancock’s campaign for the Tory leadership in 2019.

Local Assembly member raises campaign for Bangla signage at Whitechapel Station with TfL Commissioner Local London Assembly Member, Unmesh Desai AM, has asked the TfL Commissioner, Andy Byford, to keep him updated on discussions surrounding the potential installation of Bangla signage at Whitechapel Station. This comes after the Commissioner said he would ask internally about the idea after Mr Desai highlighted the growing local campaign behind it at the last London Assembly Transport Plenary meeting.

Mr Desai recently visited the newly upgraded Whitechapel Station entrance and ticket hall, which now offers step-free access to platforms ahead of the launch of the Elizabeth Line next year.

Southall Station in Ealing, which has also recently been revamped, has bi-lingual signage to reflect the history of the local Punjabi community.

In a letter to the TfL Commissioner, Mr Desai said replicating this at Whitechapel for the British Bangladeshi community would be the “cherry on top” of the

improvements that have been made to the station and the “perfect way” to mark fifty years of Bangladesh Independence ahead of ‘Victory Day’ on 16th December.

In conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery, Tower Hamlets Council recently supported the installation of a giant illuminated sculpture titled ‘BANGLA’ at Whitechapel Idea Store, designed by the

artist Ruhul Abdin, to celebrate fifty years of Bangladesh Independence .

Local London Assembly Member, Unmesh Desai AM, said: “It is clear that there is a lot of local appetite for Bangla signage to be introduced at Whitechapel Station- especially as we celebrate the fifty years of Bangladesh Independence.

“This would be a simple addition to the fantastic upgrades that have already been made to the station and it would mean a lot to the local British Bangladeshi community, which is the largest in the country.

“I have been delighted to add my voice to the campaign and I took the opportunity to raise it directly with the TfL Commissioner at the last London Assembly Plenary meeting.

“Elsewhere, it has been great to see the contributions of British Bangladeshis to the borough being marked with the huge new sculpture at Whitechapel Idea Store”.

Boxer Amir Khan removed from flight over an alleged row on face coverings British boxer Amir Khan and his colleague were flying from Newark Airport to DallasFort Worth when they were taken off from the flight over an alleged row about face coverings.

In a video posted to Twitter by Khan, he said: "I was taken off the plane when I was going to training camp to Colorado Springs by the police. A complaint was made by American Airlines staff, they said that my colleague's mask was not high enough, that

they had to stop the plane and take me and my friend off when I did nothing wrong. The airline said two people reportedly refused crew member requests to "stow luggage, place cell phones in airplane mode and adhere to federal face-covering requirements".

It denied that police had intervened and that Khan and his colleague have been banned from future travel by American Airlines.

Woman harassed a teacher, psychiatrist and nurse Lubna Khan, 22, from Birmingham used fake accounts to wage an online campaign of harassment against three.

According to the Birmingham Mail, earlier, she had been found guilty of three charges of harassment and one of stalking and had admitted two other harassment allegations.

She was jailed for two years and was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order banning her from having contact with the three

victims.

Her first victim was her old English teacher who she harassed for nearly six months, while the second was a nurse, who had been involved in restraining Khan while she was a patient at a mental health clinic in Birmingham. She used to receive messages from the defendant on her social media accounts. The defendant's third victim was a consultant forensic psychologist who she had

Watford Hindu Temple’s lease extended More than 10,000 people joined the campaign to save the Vel

Murugan Temple, presently in Woodside Playing Field’s former bowls club, as they had to vacate the building by September 17.

It was believed that the temple was warned of being

shut down by Watford Borough Council, which has plans to

build a sports village on the site.

Prashanth Elangovan, a spokesperson for the temple and a Conservative council candidate for the Meriden ward, said the temple’s lease has been extended until January 3, 2022.

been under the care of for a period of time and who Khan had previously assaulted.

In a passing sentence, Judge Richard Bond said "It is doubtless that you caused immense upset to all of your victims. You have sent ‘vile messages’ to the nurse as well as the video which was designed to cause distress to the victim”. He said Khan had continued to commit offences while in breach of a suspended sentence.

Uber cab service admits higher driver cancellations and more time to arrive Uber boss has admitted that their cab-hailing service is suffering higher driver cancellations and longer waits for pick-up leaving customers frustrated.

Drivers have been ditching jobs they don’t think are worth the fare and 35% of cars are now taking five or more minutes to arrive.

According to Uber GM, some of these problems may be due to the introduction of ‘upfront pricing’ last October. Though the pricing is meant to be fairer than the previous system, drivers may lose money if traffic is heavier

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in brief in brief LABOUR’S SHADOW MINISTER AND SECRETARY QUITS Shadow equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova has stepped down to focus on her constituency, while shadow women’s minister Charlotte Nichols also resigned for personal reasons. Cordova announced her resignation after 17 months as the shadow women and equalities secretary with a tweet citing the reason to have more time and efforts to focus on the people of Battersea, her marginal constituency. The resignation of Cordova from Starmer’s shadow cabinet leaves Starmer with a significant role to fill ahead of Labour’s conference next weekend, with a replacement expected to be announced shortly. A senior MP has said that it would be difficult to fill roles citing tensions at a senior level over the party’s stance on transgender rights.

STAFF WORKING AT KFC GROPED COWORKER’S BREASTS AND LATER ACCUSED HER OF RACISM 59 year Joseph Puravady who worked at KFC, sexually assaulted a woman and when the woman reported it, he blamed her for racism denying any wrongdoing.

While working at KFC, Puravady of Clearwater Close, Kensington had followed her to the staff room upstairs.

Then he approached her from behind, rubbed her breasts over her clothing and tried to kiss her neck. The woman’s victim statement outlined how the attack impacted her physical and mental health.

Puravady was sent for eight months by the Judge and was asked to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. The judge criticized him for blaming the victim and accusing her of racism.

SACKED JUSTICE SECRETARY WRITES PM TO INVEST IN LEGAL SYSTEM Robert Buckland after being sacked as justice secretary writes a resignation letter to the PM that the justice system is sorely in need of extra cash. Buckland expressed his displeasure at leaving the government and called it an honour of a lifetime to be able to serve as a minister for seven years, which included his tenure as solicitor general, the prisons minister, lord chancellor and justice secretary. In his letter, he praised the civil servants in the ministry but urged the PM to address years of underfunding in the justice system saying that ‘Justice is beyond price’. He has said that as a government we should always be prepared to invest in it.

RAPIST FLED AFTER RELEASE, GIVEN A 16-YEAR TERM than expected or if they have to make a diversion.

While many drivers have begun working for delivery firms, many others are using multiapping so they can scroll through better offers and ditch a fare to avoid risk.

In 2005, a woman, 37, was raped by Mohammed Zamani, 52, in Bristol. A woman who has been on the run for 16 years has said he should never have been freed. After fleeing the UK and being arrested on his return, Zamani was bailed by Judge Carol Hagen but left the country again. He was tried in absentia and given a 16-year term in the previous week.

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in brief POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ‘FULL LOCKDOWN’ IF ANOTHER COVID VARIANT MANAGES TO GET AROUND THE VACCINE Environment secretary George Eustice has uttered a possibility of England being forced into one more ‘total lockdown’ if we get another covid variant that the vaccine can’t deal with. It is important to note that PM Johnson had unveiled a Plan B if a new variant emerged. Plan B mentions mandatory masks and vaccine passports only and nothing like ‘full lockdown’ if Plan B is not enough.

However, while discussing new more relaxed rules on foreign travel, Eustice has raised the prospect that a new variant may push us into a full lockdown. According to new rules, the green and amber lists are expected to be merged to form a category of low-risk countries and 62 destinations on the red list could be halved. Also fully vaccinated arrivals may be exempted from expensive PCR tests.

EHRC ACCUSED OF “RACIAL GASLIGHTING” A former employee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has accused the commission of conspiring to cover up institutional racism.

She said that witnessed “racial gaslighting” and told The Guardian, “I’m tired of constantly having to be the person who has to both explain racism and defend that it exists (also known as racial gaslighting); and by racism, I mean structural and institutional racism. “I’m tired of being part of an institution that is meant to support the equality and human rights of ethnic minority people, that is meant to acknowledge and accept structural and institutional racism, yet find myself in an institution that is colluding in its denial.”

The EHRC said: “The email was written by an employee as they left the commission and it would not be appropriate to comment further. The general allegation that the EHRC is not prioritising the protected characteristic of race is wrong; work to combat race discrimination continues to be a priority under our strategic plan. However, it is not the role of the EHRC to develop or promote particular political theories on racism; rather, we are a regulator tasked by statute with enforcing and upholding the law of the land.”

NORTHERN IRELAND REQUESTS FOR 100 ARMED FORCES TO HELP HOSPITALS WITH ‘EXHAUSTED STAFF’ Northern Ireland health minister Robin Swann has said hospital staff are exhausted in Covid crisis and appealed to the MoD to send up to 100 armed forces medics to support Belfast City Hospital and Ulster Hospital throughout October.

Northern Ireland Hospitals are working at 106% occupancy and a children's hospital doctor says that this is the busiest he has seen in his 25 years of practice. It is said that the normal winter viruses that come along in Oct-Dec are coming forward quicker and in bigger numbers.

MACA (Military Aid to the Civilian Authorities) has confirmed receipt of the request and says that a decision is expected to be made next week. Swann has also asked people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Hooligans graffiti Swastika symbol at Freeman Hospital In an incident at Freeman Hospital in New Castle, some hooligans graffitied a swastika symbol on the hospital sign, which left the NHS staff heartbroken. According to The Mirror, an investigation has been launched after the markings appeared on the first date. This comes after a year and a half of exhausted NHS workers with around, 8000 people currently in hospitals across the UK. Amid the Covid-19

pandemic wave.

A spokesperson told ChronicleLive, “It's actually really upsetting and demoralising to be accused of being a Nazi, or liars. After the last 18 months which have been so physically and mentally taxing. We have all made sacrifices to keep the public safe.

We have not seen family members we have witnessed heartbreaking moments when loved ones have passed without a

familiar face around them, and we have all worked understaffed, whilst also being underfunded in pay and equipment, the only

The Scottish government asks for military assistance for ambulance services The Scotland government has requested the Ministry of Defence for seeking military assistance to address acute services and a separate request has been made to support mobile testing units.

MoD spokeswoman has said that they have received the request related to Scottish Ambulance Service mobile testing units and they are working hard to identify where they can most effectively assist the government departments

and civil authorities.

Opposition politicians have highlighted a series of serious ambulance delays including one where a man died after a 40-hour wait.

The head of the Scottish Ambulance Service has previously apologized to patients over increased waiting times, due to unprecedented pressure arising from a huge increase in covid and non-covid cases.

New diversity course allegedly offers training in BLM As part of a series of new diversity courses, NHS England staff is being reportedly offered training in Black Lives Matter (BLM).

The training allegedly aims to cover white people, unconscious bias and authentic leadership.

Government insiders told the Telegraph, that the course failed to mention all the BLM group's

objectives and said NHS staff were being indoctrinated with deadly doses of dodgy diversity. The course reportedly adds, ‘to become authentic allies who will be in the struggle for the long haul white people will need to deliberately and honestly work on understanding white culture and white privilege.’

35-year-old woman dies of blood clot 35-year-old Alpa Tailor fell ill after getting the first rose of a Coronavirus jab in March. She complained of symptoms like headaches before she suffered stroke-like symptoms.

She was diagnosed with vaccineinduced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, and later underwent surgery for a major brain haemorrhage and died. This particular condition affects around one in 50,000 people under the age of 50, who have had the first dose of

image source Twitter

the Astra Zeneca. The family told the media that Alpa’s death has left a huge void in their hearts and lives.

Mental Health pandemic An investigation carried out by Telegraph has reported that the number of children who go to A and E with serious mental health issues has jumped by more than 50%. Since the COVID 19 pandemic began.

This is especially after school closures pushed youngsters to this crisis point, it adds. More than two to four three children in England were referred for special mental health care from emergency departments in May this year, compared with just one four to eight in May 2019 The Telegraph reported.

The NHS data says that 27,000 children are being prescribed antidepressants, each month, which is 8% higher from 19 2019.

Why most are teenagers 25 a

month are eight, six, or under, and more than 1000 are aged seven to 11.

Waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services have jumped by more than a third in some regions, according to NHS England Trust.

Meanwhile, and interest chiefs have already one of a mental health pandemic among children, which they predict will unfold over the years, then months when we will be able to see the successive effects of the lockdown on their mental health. Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the waiting lists for treatment for conditions including anxiety and depression have jumped in almost every part of England.

agenda and it is tough to have is to provide help to people who need it, and are currently at breaking point.

In a statement, the Newcastle hospitals NHS Trust added that they are saddened and disappointed by this incident inquiries are going on to identify who is responsible for this incident.

Northumbria Police has urged anyone with information to come forward.

Anti Vaxxer protesters reach Downing Street Anti Vaxxer protesters marched through London on Saturday, demanding the arrest of Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty as they made their way to Downing Street, carrying players and banners.

While 12 to 15-year-olds will now be able to get enough inoculated to help to prevent the virus from spreading in classrooms, demonstrations have been continuing against vaccinations, since some believe the struggle. The protest also included young children who were pulled in prams amid in an aggressive demonstration.

Professor Adam Finn of the Joint Committee on

Vaccination and Immunization told Times Radio, “I've had a lot of people contact me with very strong views, either that they insist that they wish their children to be immunised, without delay, or that they would rather die than have their children immunised. So there are plenty of people out there with very strong views, and those could easily translate into quite aggressive attitudes, one way, in one direction or the other. He also added parents who have children immunized should be tolerant of those that decide not to, and vice versa because the stakes are not high on either side.”

New blood test in 18 months Within 18 months, a blood test that can determine fever, caused by a virus or otherwise will be available at some hospitals and GPs. According to iNews, the test has been made possible by the discovery of three genes that are associated with viruses, but not with other causes of fever, such as bacterial and fungal infections.

The new test will use blood samples to measure levels of three genes, and the pattern, which will help doctors tell if it is a viral infection.

The new blood test was

developed by NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Center (BRC) using samples from bio, a database a collaboration between University College London hospitals, Oxford University Hospitals.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trusts and University Hospitals Birmingham.

‘Brain drain’ in Covid task force According to a report published in The Independent, the government's Covid task force, which trades crucial decisions like lockdowns, PPE and emergency planning is facing a brain drain.

Just as the country case for a potentially brutal winter ahead, this could be prompting a flood of talent to head for the doorway to senior decision-makers or leaving the team after being exhausted.

A UK government spokesperson said, “The Covid-19 task force coordinates the

government's response to the pandemic and will continue to do so. For as long as necessary, we will continue to ensure the task force has the people it needs to do with the vital jobs.”

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Should We Be Looking at International Stocks Outside U.S., Like Emerging Markets, Europe, or China?

The S&P 500 is up more than 30% Alpesh Patel year-over-year. This performance Dear Financial represents an incredible turnaround from the damage caused by COVIDVoice Reader, 19.

However, many analysts believe that U.S. stocks are overvalued.

So what global markets show investors consider to make gains? Are European or Emerging Markets good future bets? Has the recent turmoil in Chinese markets left them promising hunting grounds for cut-priced stocks? Let's dig deeper.

The State of the Markets In late August, and then in early September, the FTSE FTSE AllWorld index dropped by ten and then 15 points. There are several factors at play here, like fears over a slower COVID recovery and the future reduction in the U.S. stimulus money that many feel have contributed heavily to the stock market's growth over the last 18 months. Additional concerns over China's robust data privacy rules and Australia and New Zealand's zealous approach to a rise in COVID-19 cases have also lowered investor sentiment.

Of course, it wasn't meant to be this way. At the start of the year, China and South Korea had made double-digit gains, and emerging markets like Indonesia and South Africa were performing strongly.

Many analysts thought 2021 would be a year of market rotation.

Record Money Flows into Global Markets 2021 is set to see record inflows into global investments.

According to the Bank of America, over $1 trillion is predicted to be invested in the world markets this year. Interestingly, the bulk of this money has been invested in ETFs and passive funds.

But last year, investors pulled around $240 bn out of U.S. stock funds. And there are reasons to believe that more could leave this year. A vast majority of investment banks are suggesting that European stocks will outperform U.S. stocks. As a result, European mutual fund flows have been at their strongest for six years.

There have been positive signs for European stocks over the summer. In June, economic data for the U.S. caused investor confidence to waiver. At the same time, global equities set intraday highs and a record close.

Which International Markets Are Worth Consideration?

There are six commonly cited concerns for U.S. stocks.

1) They are overvalued 2) U.S. inflation is a concern 3) Pandemic related stimulus is soon coming to an end 4) The economic data suggests the U.S. is bouncing back slower than Europe 5) New strains like the Delta variant could still cause economic disruption 6) The Biden Administration has designs on regulating and even breaking up Big Tech companies.

The S&P 500 is performing exceptionally well, but some, or all, of these factors, could impact upward movement. So what other markets could prove a safe haven for investors?

European Stocks European stocks have fallen out of fashion in recent years. While investor sentiment is pessimistic, Karen Ward at Morgan Stanley believes these low expectations present an opportunity.

Additionally, she adds that the Fed will need to taper asset purchasing in the U.S., and a shift toward climate change could favor European stock.

Chinese Stocks Chinese ADRs have been popular with international investors for some time. On paper, a wealth of flourishing tech firms in the world's second-biggest economy looks promising, especially because many Chinese stocks are looking very cheap. But not for me. I find them too risky.

However, there are considerable risks with Chinese stocks at the moment. Tencent and Alibaba have come under pressure from the Chinese government in recent months. Other stocks, like the massive ridesharing app Didi, are facing monopoly crackdowns. And then there is Evergrande!

U.K. Stocks After years of underperformance, many U.S. fund managers are paying attention to U.K. stocks once more. Indeed, more fund managers are overweight with U.K. equities rather than being underweight. Brexit is slowly being worked out, and the vaccine rollout means the economy is recovering strongly.

Other Markets For many investors, Europe is too stagnant, while China is too risky. Several other markets are at least worthy of consideration.

Australian, New Zealand, and South African stocks have an impressive long-term track record to rival U.S. stocks. While the aforementioned lockdowns in Australia and New Zealand will give investors some pause, they might also provide investors with a chance to pick up some bargains.

Conclusion While the S&P500 has overperformed the MSCI's Europe, Australasia, and the Far East (EAFE) index by 13.7% to 5.4% over the last decade, international stocks have a place in a diverse portfolio.

However, I would still keep the majority of my capital in the U.S. market for one simple reason: If the U.S. markets fail, so too will the rest of the world. South African, Australian, and New Zealand ETFs and indices could prove to be attractive under the right conditions, but investors considering Chinese stocks should be cautious. Recent drops in Chinese equities might grab the interest of bargain hunters, but for now, China looks very risky.

UK govt set to hold crisis talks with energy industry The UK government held crisis talks with the energy industry, and regulator Ofgem as a surge in gas and electricity prices threatens to put more suppliers out of business and squeeze consumers. The talks came as UK energy company Bulb seeks a bailout to stay afloat amid surging wholesale gas prices, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson maintains the issues faced are global.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government has a plan to put a special administrator in place in the event of companies’ fail-

ure. Seven energy suppliers in the UK have failed this year and there are concerns more will do so as prices rise, exposing unhedged companies that have sold energy to customers at lower levels than they can now buy in the market.

Ofgem released a statement saying, “Ofgem continues to work closely with government and industry to ensure consumers continue to be protected while global gas prices are high and will speak further on these issues at the industry round table

soon.”

Johnson’s spokesman said there are currently no plans to change the energy price cap and it will remain in place to “protect consumers.” They said, “It’s in place to protect people’s energy bills. That’s what it does, that’s what it has done, and as I say, it’ll continue to do so.”

Calls to abolish inheritance taxes increase Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer continues to face increasing pressure to call for a rise in wealth taxes to balance out Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s National insurance hike.

Leader of British trade unions, Frances O’Grady declared “Tax wealth to fund social care” at the Trade Union Congress conference held last week.

The statement came a day before MPs debated the legislation to enact the National Insurance hike which will help boost NHS funding and pay for social care reform in England.

Meanwhile, an economist at the freemarket Institute of Economic Affairs, Julian Jessop believes the levy should be abolished altogether. A report by express.co.uk quoted him as saying, “I’m not a fan of inheritance of tax because it isn’t obvious to me why someone should have to pay more tax because they have died. People should be free to build up assets and pay tax on the assets as they are going along, that’s fine. There might be a case for taxing the capital gains on your first home as well as your second

Boris Johnson

home.”

He added, “The idea you should pay a tax bill because you have died, I don’t really see any justification for that. My personal view is that it should be abolished, I just don’t see what it is about dying that means you should pay tax. It doesn’t make an awful lot of sense to me.”

An Inheritance Tax is currently paid on anything above the £325,000 threshold, which was frozen until 2016 by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in his March budget. Capital gains tax is another wealth tax which could be changed. It is applied to the gain from the sale of something you own, and typically charged on things like

shares, properties, businesses and other high value items. There is an annual capital gains tax allowance of £12,300, and the rate you pay depends on whether you are a basic rate or higher rate taxpayer.

If media reports are to be believed, the government could align capital gains tax with income tax, which could see the highest rate paid, currently 28 per cent on residential property, increase to 45 per cent. Jessop believes this could lead to an unfair “triple taxation”. He said, “The whole problem with inheritance tax and capital gains tax is a lot of them are running into the risk of being double or triple taxation. These are investments built on the back of income that people have already paid tax on, so I think you should tax income not capital otherwise you discourage people from saving and investing.”

He added, “It’s another good example of how there isn’t an easy win here, if you want to get more money out of the economy it really needs to be based on income rather than wealth or anything else.”

UK inflation rate highest since 1997 The UK consumer prices index surged by 3.2 per cent in the 12 months to August as revealed by official data last week, the largest ever month-on-month increase since records began in January 1997. The Office for National Statistics, which published the data, noted that the surge was “likely to be a temporary change” and said the UK government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” program last year may have accentuated the jump.

A statement by the ONS said, “In August 2020, many prices in restaurants and cafes were discounted

because of the government’s Eat out to Help Out (EOHO) scheme, which offered customers half-price food and drink to eat or drink in. Because EOHO was a short-term scheme, the upward shift in the August 2021 12month inflation rate is likely to be temporary.”

The reading is yet again above the Bank of England’s target of two per cent and will no doubt add weight to those calling for an end to unprecedented pandemic-era stimulus policies. Chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, Samuel Tombs highlighted that used car prices were

to blame for the upside surprise.

He said in a research note, “The larger-than-normal month-to-month increase in the core CPI in August also was mainly due to a huge 4.9 per cent rise in used car prices, which pushed up that component’s inflation rate to an eye-catching 18.3 per cent.”

With CPI based on the annual change in the price of basket of goods and services, much of the recent increase reflects a sharp snap back from a record slump last year. Supply chain disruption is at its worst since the 1970s and companies are reporting a record number of job vacancies.

Surge in flight bookings to the US Sunak gives his blessing to multi Virgin Atlantic has reported a 600% surge in flight bookings to the US and British Airways reported a jump in searches after the US said it would lift restrictions to allow fully vaccinated passengers from the UK and most European Union countries to travel to the country from early November.

Bookings jumped overnight after the US government announced on Monday the end of the 18-month travel ban first imposed by Trump in the early stages of the pandemic.

Virgin Atlantic said most bookings were to New York, while typical leisure destinations were also popular with holidaymakers.

Orlando flights were up 11 fold, Miami bookings rose nine-fold and demand for Las Vegas was up eight-fold.

Juha Järvinen, the airline’s chief commercial officer, said: “Following the gradual relaxation of travel restrictions, we’ve seen demand increase to many of our global destinations, but the USA has always been our heartland.” British Airways, the other major UK carrier flying to the US, has also started taking crossAtlantic bookings again. It has a flash sale on flights until midnight on Tuesday, with return deals to New York starting at £320 for travel from January, and Los Angeles from £349 from November.

billion-pound equity trend UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has rendered his support and blessing to a multi-billion pound trend that has seen foreign private equity firms buy out British businesses. Speaking at the launch of Treasury Connect, an event intended to bring together fast-growing tech businesses with investors and politicians to spur innovation in areas such as fintech and life sciences .

Addressing a growing trend in which overseas buyers target UK firms, Sunak said, “We’ve always been an economy that benefits from investment in it. I would view it as a sign of confidence in the UK. It’s good news for our economy.” Foreign private equity investors spent nearly £25bn on British firms between the start of 2021 and mid-August as per figures revealed from Dealogic.

The figure was more than £42bn factoring in minority stakes, a record since Dealogic began tracking the data in 2005. Meanwhile, the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket Morrisons is moving closer to a £7bn takeover

by US private equity group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

This isn’t the first time, household names like Asda, AA, John Laing, and LV have long been snapped up by private equity since the beginning of the pandemic.

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Lifeline for telcos as govt offers four-year moratorium on dues The central government approved several measures to extend a lifeline to the cash-strapped telecom sector, including a redefinition of the muchlitigated concept of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) to exclude non-telecom revenue and a four-year moratorium on players’ dues to the government. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government was keen on ensuring that there were more players in the sector and consumers retained choices, when asked about the fears about a duopoly emerging with just two major telecom players Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. In all, Vaishnaw announced nine structural reforms and five procedural reforms for the sector, including a fixed calendar for spectrum auctions with an extended tenure of 30

years for future spectrum allocations, and a mechanism to surrender and share spectrum. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector has also been allowed up to 100% under the automatic route, from the existing limit of 49%.

Together, these measures would pave the way for large scale investments into the sector, including for 5G technology deployment, and generate more jobs, he said.

Experts are, however, not sure the package would be enough to keep their troubled joint venture Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) afloat as the moratorium on AGR dues, spectrum dues and interest payments, would only provide temporary relief with these deferred dues to be payable eventually with interest.

The tariff regime still needs a reboot for players to sustain operations, they said, echoing Bharti Airtel

top brass.

The earlier definition of AGR, backed by the Telecom Department and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019, had made telcos liable to pay £16 billion. Last September, the apex court had granted players 10 years to pay up, starting April 2021. The change in definition that will reduce the burden on telcos, applies only prospectively, so those past dues remain payable.

Interest on those dues will now be compounded annually instead of monthly and the Minister said interest would be charged at a ‘reasonable’ rate of MCLR plus 2%. MCLR refers to the lowest lending rate banks are permitted to offer - the marginal cost of fundsbased lending rate.

Rating agency ICRA assessed that the moratorium on AGR dues provides an annual cash flow breather of around £1.4

billion for the industry while the moratorium on spectrum dues gives another £3.2 billion of annual cash flow relief as a whole.

“Further, a moratorium of four years gives enough time for industry to carry out fundamental improvements by way of increasing tariffs, which is critical from the industry perspective,” said Sabyasachi Majumdar, senior vice-president at ICRA. Bharti Airtel Managing Director and CEO for India and South Asia, Gopal Vittal, said these reforms would further boost the firm’s efforts to invest in the digital economy. “More needs to be done, however, towards a sustainable tariff regime to ensure the industry gets a fair return.

This will in turn allow it to continue investing in new technologies and innovation to bring world-class services to customers,” he added.

Tatas, SpiceJet promoter submit financial bids for Air India Tata Sons, the holding company of India's largest conglomerate, and SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh are among those who submitted financial bids to acquire loss-making state airline Air India. Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary of the department that is overseeing the privatisation process, tweeted of financial "bids" being received but did not say how many companies were in fray.

A Tata Sons spokesperson confirmed that the group has put in a bid for the national carrier.

SpiceJet chairperson and managing director Ajay Singh has submitted a financial bid in his personal capacity, sources said.

Another source said multiple financial bids have been received for the airline.

The financial bids will be evaluated against an undisclosed reserve price and the bid offering the highest price above that benchmark would be accepted. The bid will be initially examined by the transaction advisor before the recommendation is sent to the Cabinet for approval.

Wednesday was the last day for putting in the financial bid, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management is taking the process to the next stage. The process now moves to concluding stage," the secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, said on Twitter.

The Centre has been trying to find a buyer for Air India and earlier the government was up for selling a 76% stake. Now, the Centre is selling 100% stake of Air India. The process started in January 2020 got derailed because of the

pandemic and this time, the ministry was firm to not postpone the last date of bidding. Tata Group was among the multiple entities that had put in an initial expression of interest in December 2020 for buying Air India.

As of March 1, 2019, Air India's total debt was over pound 6 billion. The debt will be transferred to its new owner but the government made it easy for the new owner by inserting a flexibility clause. Going by the new clause, the new owner of Air India will have to absorb £2.33 billion while the rest would be transferred to Air India Assets Holding Ltd, a special purpose vehicle.

Lenders to Videocon make U-turn, approach NCLAT for fresh bids After getting rapped for accepting Vedanta group's bid that would give just 5 per cent of their outstanding loans, lenders to Videocon Industries approached the insolvency appellate tribunal NCLAT seeking fresh bids for the debt-laden consumer durable firm. Billionaire Anil Agarwal's Twin Star Technologies had offered £296.2 million to takeover Videocon Industries, which was 4.15 per cent of the admitted claims of £6.48 billion of lenders.

SBI, the leading lender of Videocon Industries, has approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) requesting for a rebidding of the 13 companies of the debtridden group, on account of

strong observations against £296.2 million takeover bid

by Anil Agarwal's Twin Star Technologies. SBI, on behalf of assenting creditors of Videocon, which represents 94.98 per cent voting had filed an application before the NCLAT requesting to remand back the matter to the Committee of Creditors (CoC) for reconsideration and allow to conduct a fresh process of inviting bids.

A two-member NCLAT bench headed by Justice Jarat Kumar Jain and Kanthi Narahari, Member, has posted the matter for further hearings on September 27.

SBI, a lead financial creditor in the CoC with an 18.05 per cent voting share, has said that the Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law

Tribunal (NCLT), while approving £296.2 million bid by Twin-Star Technologies has made certain observations over the low-resolution plan and hair-cut suffered by various class of stakeholders.

Even the NCLAT, while granting an interim stay over the resolution plan and NCLT approval, had said that there are "exceptional facts" into the matter. Earlier on June 9, the Mumbai bench of the NCLT had approved takeover bid by Twin Star Technologies for the 13 companies of the debtridden group. However, the NCLT order was stayed by the appellate tribunal on July 19 over the petitions filed by two dissatisfied creditors of the Videocon Group - Bank

of Maharashtra and IFCI Ltd and had directed to maintain "status quo ante.” Filing a reply affidavit before the NCLAT, SBI said assertions have been made in the present appeals by the dissenting financial creditors about non-disclosure of their respective share of the liquidation value, which has resulted in them not being able to take a proper and prudent decision.

"The observations of the Adjudicating Authority (NCLT) and the Appellate Tribunal necessitated a reconsideration by the Assenting Financial Creditors of their decision to accept the haircut of 95 per cent, it said.

Let There Be Light Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

We are currently examining a deal ripe for redevelopment under the new permitted development rules.

Planning under permitted development is not really planning, in the sense that it is a legislation set up by central government to short cut the red tape surrounding planning.

If certain requirements are met, the permission has to be granted within 56 days.

This has been around for many many years now, but it has reincarnated into varying forms. The popular office to residential conversion which is now pretty much common knowledge falls under this category. This, at one point, got so popular there was a shortage of office space, and so it became more lucrative to deflate to back to its original usage class, even though the developer had spent money and time to gain planning for residential conversion; the latest one being classed as MA which came in 1st August 2021.

This class has a criterion of requirement for adequate natural light to be provided for all proposed flats. The site we are examining seems land locked to the rear, and therefore the only way to provide light is through roof lights, as the rear commercial is only on the ground floor.

One of the interested investors who has some experience in developments translated this right of light as a need for a window. This was based on something someone had said in a planning department; however, this is not what the legislation says, it says natural light and not outlook.

The problem with having new legislation, is it is untested practically. However, the writing seems clear. We have also had several of our planning consultants to confirm our understanding is the correct one.

However, it always prudent to have a couple of alternate strategies to keep in the inside pocket. Even though one may be technically correct, sometimes from a commercial point of view it would be easier to go with the flow and short cut the process.In order to bring natural light within the landlocked parcel, one can allow for a courtyard, this would not only allow natural light but also outlook as well; it will address the imagined issue. Though, conversely, you will lose some square footage.

Permitted development can only be applied within the existing fabric of the building. Therefore, there cannot be any alterations as part of the application.

There are a couple of ways to address this point: one is to apply for roof light first and then apply for permitted development once it has been granted. The other is to have the applications running in parallel and have the PD approved subject to the planning for the roof light; the latter saves time and, therefore, money. There is precedent to confirm this works.

The deal we are investigating has a very lucrative angle to it and we are confident of tackling the issues prior to acquisition. The planning game requires one to present their case, as one might do in court. For example, if all the properties were to go to social housing tenants or key workers this would strengthen the probability of it going over the line more expediently. If you have an appetite for such property deals, do get in touch.

Three banks may gain most from bad bank The National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL) will have maximum impact on loan books of Bank of India (BoI), Union Bank and Punjab National Bank (PNB), which will sell over 1% of their loans to the bad bank. According to rating agency Crisil, the bad bank, or NARCL, will lower the NPA level of banks by 20-25% over time.

However, the immediate impact on the bottom line will be limited as lenders who sell loans in the first phase will receive just around £270 million upfront cash payment as against the £9 billion of bad loans they sell to the corporation. Also, investing in the security receipts issued

by NARCL will not increase the capital requirement of banks due to the government guarantee. Of the £20 billion of bad loans to be transferred to NARCL, around £3.06 billion will be guaranteed for five years. NARCL will pay 15% of whatever amount the loans are valued at, in cash. The remaining 85% will be paid using security receipts.

According to a Jefferies report, the government guarantee will keep the security capital neutral as without the guarantee banks will have to set aside funds towards provisions. A sovereign guarantee being risk-free does not attract similar capital requirements.

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Won’t allow militant attacks on others: Taliban FM KABUL: Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in his first press conference since Afghanistan’s new cabinet was named, said the government remains committed to its promises not to allow militants to use its territory to attack others. The presser comes as governments around the world search for indications on how it will rule. The US and its allies have pushed the Taliban not to repeat its harsh rule of the 1990s. Muttaqi gave little sign whether the Taliban will bend to the international pressure. He would also not say how long the interim government would be in place. He repeatedly insisted other countries must not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal issues, including in response to a question on whether elections would eventually be held.

He did, however, make the first confirmation by a member of the new government of its commitment to a deal last year with the US. Under the deal, the Taliban promised to break ties with al-Qaida and other militant groups and ensure they don’t threaten other countries from its territory.

Taliban deny their Dy PM killed The Taliban have denied that one of their top leaders has been killed in a shootout with rivals, following rumours about internal splits in the movement nearly a month after its lightning victory over the Western-backed government in Kabul. Sulail

Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, former head of the Taliban political office who was named deputy prime minister last week, issued a voice message rejecting claims he had been killed or injured in a clash.

“He says it is lies and totally baseless,” Shaheen said in a message on Twitter. The Taliban also released video footage purportedly showing Baradar at meetings in the southern city of Kandahar. The footage could not be immediately verified.

The denials follow days of rumours that supporters of Baradar had clashed with those of Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani network that is based near the border with Pakistan and was blamed for some of the worst suicide attacks of the war. The rumours follow speculation over possible rivalries between military commanders like Haqqani and leaders from the political office in Doha like Baradar, who led diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement with the United States.

Women’s ministry shut down Workers in the Afghan capital Kabul replaced signs for the country’s women’s ministry with those for the Taliban’s moral police, as female former employees of the department said they had been locked out of the building. A sign for the building was covered by a replacement in a mixture of Dari

IMRAN DRAWS CRITICISM FOR CALLING HAQQANIS ‘PASHTUN TRIBE’

Amir Khan Muttaqi

and Arabic, reading “Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” according to photographs and witnesses. Female employees said they had been trying to come to work for several weeks only to be told to return to their homes, according to videos filmed outside the building. The gates of the building were finally locked, one of the women said.

“I am the only breadwinner in my family,” said a second woman, who also said she worked in the department. “When there is no ministry, what should an Afghan woman do?” Taliban spokesmen did not respond to requests for comment.

When the Taliban were last in power from 1996-2001 girls were not allowed to attend school and women were banned from work and education. During that period its Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice became known as the group’s moral police, enforcing its interpretation of sharia that included a strict dress code and public executions and floggings.

Initiated dialogue with Taliban for inclusive govt, says Pakistan PM ISLAMABAD: Pakistan PM Imran Khan said that he was in talks with the Taliban on installing an inclusive government in Afghanistan that provides representation to all ethnic groups of the war-torn country.

“After meetings in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan’s neighbours, and especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan government to include Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks,” Imran tweeted. “After 40 years of conflict, this inclusivity will ensure peace and a stable Afghanistan, which is in the interest not only of Afghanistan but the region as well.” Almost similar views were expressed by leaders of other countries at the recent 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) Summit, with economic cooperation among the member states and Afghanistan’s situation being the pivotal topics.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had spoken via a video link, noted that the new provisional government could not be called representative or inclusive, “as we do not see representatives of other ethnic groups there, but believe we need to work

Imran Khan

with it”. Putin also criticised the withdrawal of the US-led forces from Afghanistan and urged the SCO member states to talk about dealing with the volatile situation there.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had said it was necessary to “encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework” and “resolutely fight all forms of terrorism” so that it can live in peace with its neighbours. He was of the opinion that Afghanistan should be guided to be more open and inclusive, and pursue moderate domestic and foreign policies.

Earlier this month, the Afghan Taliban had announced a 33-member caretaker government without any non-Talib or women.

The interim set-up is dominated mainly by Pashtuns, who constitute less than half of

Afghanistan’s population.

‘Sorry is not enough,’ say survivors of US drone strike Sorry is not enough for the Afghan survivors of an errant US drone strike that killed 10 members of their family, including seven children. Emal Ahmadi, whose 3-year-old daughter Malika was killed on August 29, when the US hellfire missile struck his elder brother’s car, said that the family demands Washington investigate who fired the drone and punish the military personnel responsible for the strike. “It is not enough for us to say sorry,” said Ahmadi. “The USA should find the person who did this.” Ahmadi said the family is also seeking financial compensation for their losses and demanded that several members of the family be relocated to a third country, without specifying which country. News organisations in Kabul reported after the strike that the driver of the targeted vehicle, Zemerai Ahmadi, was a longtime employee at an American humanitarian organisation and cited an absence of evidence to support the Pentagon’s assertion that the vehicle contained explosives. The missile struck as the car was pulling into the family’s driveway and the children ran to greet Zemerai.

Death sentence for paedophile who raped and murdered 100 boys ISLAMABAD: A judge told evil child killer Javed Iqbal that he would be strangled then 'cut into 100 pieces and put in acid' in front of his victims' parents. Iqbal had confessed to the rape and murder of 100 boys and his method involved dismembering then dissolving their corpses in acid.

The judge in Pakistan, where Iqbal is from, thought that he deserved to meet an end every bit as grisly. According to a report, the judge said: "You will be strangled to death in front of the parents whose children you killed, your body will then be cut into 100 pieces and put in acid, the same way you killed the children."

To this day, it remains to be one of the most gruesome death sentences ever handed out - but it never happened. The Pakistani government blocked the method of execution on human rights grounds and Iqbal killed himself in prison while he was

that he wasn’t lying. Iqbal told waiting to face justice for the The News newspaper in Lahore frenzied six month killing shortly before he was arrested spree in the 1990s. that he had no remorse.

Iqbal, who was born in He said: "I have no regrets. I Lahore in 1956, spent decades killed 100 children. I was denied grooming young runaways, justice. I could have killed 500; orphans and beggars, coaxing this was not a problem. Money them into his depraved world was not a problem. But the with promises of riches and Javed Iqbal pledge I had taken was of 100 giving them special treatchildren, and I never wanted to violate this." ment in his video arcades and luxurious He claimed his motive was revenge, telling homes. But in December 1999 he admitted how he was angry with police who he to murdering 100 boys during the previous claimed had beaten him over allegations of six months, writing to a newspaper and sodomising children in the 1990s. police to reveal to heinous - and previously While he denied he was charged, these unnoticed - crimes. claims were contradicted by later newspaper Although he later denied all of this, Iqbal investigations. He added: "I was so badly had kept detailed records of his victims, beaten that my head was crushed, my backincluding their names, ages, and phobone broken and I was left crippled. I hate tographs. Children’s clothing was found at his home along with other sickening proof this world.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan drew criticism for giving an inaccurate account of the proscribed terror outfit Haqqani Network, describing it as a Pashtun tribe in Afghanistan that had played a crucial role in the defeat of former Soviet Union in the 1980s before waging a war against the US and its western allies after their invasion of the war-battered country in 2001.

“The Americans never understood what the Haqqani Network was. Haqqani Network is a tribe. It is a Pashtun tribe living in Afghanistan,” Khan said in an interview with the CNN. He went on to say that when the Afghan jihad took place, there were five million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. “Among them a few were Haqqanis and Haqqanis were the Mujahideen fighting the Soviets… they were born in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan,” he said. “What they (Americans) were asking us was that we were supposed to check among three million Afghan refugees which ones were Taliban (and Haqqanis) and which were not,” Imran added.

FRANCE SUSPENDS 3,000 HEALTH STAFF OVER VACCINE REFUSAL Hospitals, care homes and health centres have suspended around 3,000 workers across France for failing to comply with mandatory Covid vaccination, the government said, as countries around Europe weigh how far to go to combat the pandemic. With the mandate for workers in hospitals and care homes taking effect, its very concrete impact - unvaccinated staff forbidden to work - started to be felt.

According to local daily Nice Matin, nearly 450 health workers - out of 7,500 - have been suspended in just one hospital in the city of Nice, in southern France. The government, however, shrugged off the impact. “It hasn’t been chaos, far from it,” health minister Olivier Veran said, adding there were 27 million workers in the sector. There have been a few cases where it has affected care, he said, like the use of an MRI being briefly complicated, but most suspended staff work in support roles, limiting the impact. “Most of the suspensions are only temporary. Many have decided to get vaccinated as they see that the vaccination mandate is a reality,” Veran said.

STUDENT KILLS 6 ON RUSSIAN CAMPUS An 18-year-old law student wielding a shotgun went on a shooting spree on a Russian university campus, killing at least six people and wounding 19, according to state media. Video footage posted online showed panicked students jumping from the second storey of a school building to try to escape.

The gunman resisted arrest but was later wounded and taken into custody, law enforcement officials said. He was identified as a student at Perm State University, where the shooting took place, about 1,046 km east of Moscow. He had obtained the shotgun legally in May, authorities said. A traffic police unit was the first to reach the scene, and the suspect opened fire on them. He was wounded when police returned fire and then was disarmed.

PUTIN TO SPEND SOME DAYS IN ISOLATION Russian President Putin said he would have to spend “a few days” in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with Covid-19. Putin was speaking via a video link at a summit of a Russia-led security bloc being held in Tajikistan which he had initially planned to attend. It was previously unclear how big the outbreak was. “This is not just one person or two people, there are dozens of people,” he said. “And now I have to remain in self-isolation for a few days.” Putin, 68, has had two Sputnik V shots. His spokesman said the president’s isolation could last at least a week.

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DUTCH MINISTERS QUIT AS AFGHAN SCANDAL WIDENS The Dutch defence minister became the second cabinet member to resign over the Afghan evacuation debacle. Ank Bijleveld followed foreign minister Sigrid Kaag out of the door after parliament formally censured them over a crisis that has left dozens of interpreters stranded in Afghanistan. The Dutch ministers are believed to be the first Western officials to resign over the chaos that followed the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.

Unlike Kaag who resigned earlier, Bijleveld had originally refused to quit but finally bowed to pressure, saying she did not want to hamper the “important work” of her colleagues. The Netherlands evacuated over 1,500 people, both Dutch nationals and eligible. But many Afghans were left behind, including 22 interpreters, according to the government, despite calls from MPs to evacuate them months ago.

CHINESE ENVOY BARRED FROM UK PARLIAMENT A day before he was due to attend a reception at the Parliament House, China’s Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, has been informed that he cannot come there while Beijing continues to sanction over halfa-dozen lawmakers, reports said. Zheng was due to attend a House of Commons reception, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on China. However, after protests from the MPs concerned - five of the House of Commons and two of the House of Lords the respective presiding officers, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lord Speaker Lord McFall announced their decision. In the wake of the UK’s decision to impose sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China had in March imposed travel bans on five MPs and two peers whom it accused of spreading lies about the country.

The five Conservative MPs had written to the Speaker last week, expressing their concern over the parliamentary group’s invitation to Zheng to its summer party.

BIDEN DENIES XI TURNED DOWN MEETING OFFER US President Joe Biden denied a media report that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, recently turned down an offer from Biden for a face-to-face meeting. The Financial Times cited multiple people briefed on a 90-minute call between the two leaders last week as saying Xi did not take Biden up on the offer and instead insisted that Washington adopt a less strident tone toward Beijing. “It's not true,” Biden said when asked by reporters if he was disappointed that Xi did not want to meet with him. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement earlier that the report was "not an accurate portrayal of the call. Period."

DENMARK TO BAN ONLINE DATING FOR LIFE-TERM PRISONERS Prisoners serving a life sentence in Denmark will be stopped from entering into new romantic relationships to counter the phenomenon of “groupies” of criminals, the justice ministry said. “We have seen disgusting examples in recent years of prisoners who have committed abominable crimes contacting young people in order to gain their sympathy and attention," justice minister Nick Haekkerup said. “This must obviously be stopped”. The ban on new relationships will apply during the first 10 years of a prisoner's sentence, restricting them to letter or telephone contact only with people already close to them prior to their detention. Recently a young woman revealed that aged 17 she had fallen in love with Peter Madsen while he was in custody.

He went on to be convicted of brutally killing journalist Kim Wall in his homemade submarine in 2017.

South Africa’s top court rejects Zuma’s bid to overturn sentence PRETORIA: South Africa’s top court has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma had failed in his bid to have his 15month jail sentence for failing to attend a corruption inquiry overturned. The sentence was handed down in June after Zuma failed to testify at an inquiry probing corruption during his nine-year rule, seen as a test of post-apartheid South Africa’s ability to enforce the rule of law, particularly against powerful politicians.

Zuma, recuperating in hospital after undergoing surgery for an undisclosed illness, asked the court in July to revoke its sentence for contempt arguing it was excessive, and that jail would endanger his health and life. In a majority decision, the Constitutional Court rejected his arguments.

“The application for rescission is dismissed,” Justice Sisi Khampepe said as she read the

Jacob Zuma

majority decision, which included an order for Zuma to pay costs. It was the latest legal setback for the 79-year-old anti-apartheid veteran from the African National ruling Congress, whose presidency between 2009 and 2018 was marred by widespread allegations of corruption and malfeasance. He denies wrongdoing.

“Obviously the foundation is disappointed with this judgment,” Mzwanele Manyi, spokesman for the JG Zuma Foundation, said in response.

Zuma’s jailing on July 7, after

handing himself over to police at the last minute, led to violent riots, looting and vandalism in South Africa, killing more than 300 people and costing businesses billions of South African

rand. successor Cyril His Ramaphosa described the unrest as an orchestrated attempt to destabilise the country and pledged to crack down on alleged instigators. The violence was also fuelled by simmering frustration among largely Black communities still living in squalid conditions long after the ANC swept to power in South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994.

A former senior intelligence operative with the ANC’s then banned military wing

uMkhonto we Sizwe before rising to the highest office, Zuma says he is the victim of a political witch hunt and that acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is biased. Zondo served as chairman of the graft inquiry.

The department of correctional services placed Zuma on medical parole earlier this month after surgery following his hospitalisation in August.

That decision is being challenged by the opposition Democratic Alliance. Zuma faces 16 counts of fraud, corruption and racketeering related to the 1999 purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and equipment from five European arms firms when he was deputy president.

He is accused of taking bribes from one of the firms, French defence giant Thales, which has been charged with corruption and money laundering.

Justin Trudeau to form minority govt in Canada OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has won a minority government, the country’s public broadcaster projected, after a close election battle against the opposition Conservatives. CBC News reported that the Liberals would get the most seats in Canada’s 44th Parliament but would fall short of the 170-seat threshold needed for a majority.

Liberal candidates won or were leading in 157 electoral districts – known as ridings – at about 12.15 am EST, CBC projections showed. The final

results may be out late on Tuesday, Canadian media have reported, as election officials will begin counting hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots.

“Millions of Canadians have

chosen a progressive plan,” Trudeau said in his victory speech.

“The moment we face demands real, important change and you have given this parliament and this government a Justin Trudeau clear direction.”

Trudeau said Canadians did not want to hear about elections any longer and that the results meant he has a “clear mandate” to get country through the pandemic.

In what experts said was a

US may review ties with Pak over its ‘double dealing’ WASHINGTON: The Biden administration will review US ties with Pakistan in light of Islamabad’s support for Taliban terrorists while professing to help Washington in Afghanistan, the country’s top diplomat told the US Congress. Amid considerable disquiet among lawmakers and the US commentariat over Pakistan’s duplicity in Afghanistan, US secretary of state Antony Blinken acknowledged at a congressional hearing that Islamabad had played a dodgy role that involved “hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan,” and in light of this, the US would re-assess ties to formulate what role Pakistan needs to play in the region. “(Pakistan’s role) is one that’s involved harbouring members of the Taliban, including the Haqqanis... It is one that’s also involved in different points cooperation with us on counter-terrorism. It has a multiplicity of interests some that are in conflict - a clear conflict - with ours,” Blinken said while responding to lawmakers who grilled him on Pakistan’s “duplicitous” role in Afghanistan over the past two decades. Consequently, the US, going forward, would insist that “every country including Pakistan, make good on the expectations that the international community has of what is required of a Talibanled government if it is to receive any legitimacy of any kind or any support,” Blinken said.

But lawmakers cutting across party lines demanded more severe action against Islamabad for its subversive role, including ending its status as a major non-Nato ally

(MNNA) that opened up a military and financial aid spigot that cost US taxpayers billions of dollars. The US bankrolling of Pakistan came even as its support for Taliban terrorists claimed the lives of American soldiers in Afghanistan.

In a follow-up Senate hearing, the Republican ranking member of the foreign relations committee, Senator James Risch, said any country that backed Taliban “should risk a strategic downgrade in their relationship with the US”, even as Blinken appeared to warn Pakistan against a hasty recognition of the Taliban government.

Outside the congressional hearings though, scepticism reigns over Washington’s belated acknowledgment of what has been known for two decades, and what one senator said was Pakistan’s “double dealing” - and whether the US has the leverage to change this.In scathing critiques on Washington’s “kid glove treatment” of Pakistan, some of the US commentariat are now calling for outright sanctions against Islamabad even as lawmakers are tentatively proposing less severe measures. “The American defeat to the Taliban and, by extension, Pakistan is a humiliation rooted not in a US military failure but the corrosiveness and shortsightedness of America’s own political debate. It is a blow the US might have avoided, but should not take without a response. Simply put, it is time to sanction Pakistan,” Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute, wrote recently.

push for a majority, Trudeau triggered the snap election in mid-August, telling voters he wanted them to have a say over how the country finishes its fight against the coronavirus.

But he faced a tough challenge from the Conservatives, headed by Erin O’Toole, and experts said Trudeau, who has been prime minister since 2015, struggled to convince much of the electorate about why the election was necessary during the pandemic. O’Toole took to the stage to concede defeat, saying that he had called Trudeau to congratulate him on his “hard won” campaign.

Lanka minister threatens to kill Tamil prisoners

Lohan Ratwatte

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan prisons minister Lohan Ratwatte resigned after an uproar over his alleged remarks to kill Tamil prisoners during his recent visit to a jail in the island nation’s north central region.

Ratwatte, the Minister of State for Prisons Management, tendered his resignation after outrage from the Tamil political parties which sought his exit from the Cabinet and arrest over the remarks. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has accepted Ratwatte’s resignation, presidential spokesman Kingsley Ratnayake said. Ratwatte went to the Anuradhapura prison in the country’s northern central region on September 12 and allegedly forced two prisoners to kneel and threatened to kill them, according to reports. His act prompted the Tamil parties to condemn his behaviour and call for his resignation. “We call on the government to immediately remove the state minister for prison management and have him arrested and charged after an immediate inquiry for allegedly threatening to kill prisoners in Anuradhapura on Sunday, September 12,” the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) tweeted.

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Washington urged to act against US-based Khalistanis operating in India WASHINGTON: The Indian government has provided the United States considerable evidence of links between USbased Khalistan groups and militants and terrorists operating in India but Washington has been largely "unresponsive,” says a report by a top American think tank which also noted that cooperation between Khalistani and Kashmiri groups has become increasingly apparent in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

In a report titled, “Pakistan's Playbook: Destabilization Khalistani Activism Within the US” the Hudson Institute said that "perhaps the most worrisome aspect of US-based Khalistan agitation is the likelihood that Pakistan's intelligence agency is responsible to a considerable degree." The report says there is recent increase in "Khalistanrelated anti-India activism within the US" and that the likelihood of Khalistan groups receiving funding, support, and military training from Pakistan is also substantive.

The report calls for action by the US government in respect to Khalistan groups and says that all groups responsible for terrorist attacks in India should be included in its list of designated global terrorist groups. The report notes that New Delhi has made appeal for action against such groups.

"Unfortunately, the United States government has shown no interest in violence committed

by Khalistan activists, even though the Khalistan campaign's most ardent supporters are located in western countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

Despite urgent Indian requests to these countries to curb Khalistan separatist groups within their borders, their governments have remained unresponsive to India's appeals," the report said.

"Making these demurrals all the more puzzling is the increasing involvement over the last decade of Khalistani groups with Pakistan's so-called Kashmiri groups, who have also become the focus of American intelligence and policy

communities," it added.

The report has been prepared by a study group that includes Dr. Aparna Pande, director of the Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia; and Husain Haqqani, director for South and Central Asia. The report said that "cooperation between Khalistani and Kashmiri groups has become increasingly apparent in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe, with Kashmiri and Khalistani activists often operating in tandem," and noted that joint protests of Khalistani and Kashmiri separatists have occurred in Washington, DC, Houston, Ottawa, London, Brussels, Geneva, and other European capitals.

"Importantly, the recent increase in Khalistan-related anti-India activism within the US is occurring as the United States and India are collaborating to confront the rise of China, especially in the Indo-

Pacific. Pakistan is a critical Chinese ally and therefore has a vested interest in weakening this India-US collaboration," the report said. It noted that campaigns such as the one for Khalistan could also serve to distract Washington and New Delhi from strengthening the Quad (Australia, India, Japan, U.S.) partnership.

Acknowledging the strategic objective of mobilizing the peer rivals of the US and their primary South Asian ally against India, one of the most active Khalistan separatist groups in the US recently published open letters to the leaders of Russia, China, and Pakistan requesting their support," it said.

Hindu family assaulted and abused in Canada OTTAWA: A 44-year-old Hindu man and his family were performing a small religious ceremony in the Streetsville park in Mississauga city, Canada recently when two teens approached them and started abusing them. They also assaulted the man and threw rocks at him.

The man was able to flee from the park with his family in the car. The accused kept throwing rocks at them while they were leaving the park resulting in damage to the car.

The victim went to the hospital, where he was treated for the injuries. As per the doctors, his injuries were not lifethreatening. The wife and two children escaped unharmed.

Nishan Duraiappah, Peel Police Chief, issued a statement that the Police department would not tolerate such hate crimes in Peel which is known for its diversity and culture. He said, “The abundance of rich culture and diversity that we have here in Peel region is one of our many strengths. Being able to practice and celebrate one’s faith in peace and safety is a fundamental right here in Canada.

Those responsible for the crime will be identified and appropriate action will be taken against them.”

Police said that the attackers had been described as 16 and 18 years old. They both had dark hair. One of the attackers is believed to be white, while the second one was an Asian. In the

official statement released on Peel Police’s website, the police has requested the witnesses to come forward and provide whatever evidence they might have of the incident, including dashcam videos if any.

As per the police, the members from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bureau have initiated the Reassurance Protocol to ensure social support and relevant services to the family, if needed.

Crimes against Hindus This is not the first time Hindus faced hate crimes in Canada. In recent times, the global Hindu diaspora came together to fight against a wellplanned attempt of the Hinduphobic gang that

organized an anti-Hindu conference named Dismantling Global Hindutva.

Since farmer protests broke down in India, several cases of hate crimes against Hindus have been reported, especially in Canada. During Holi celebrations in April this year, a group of around 100 protesters barged into the area where around 400 Hindus were celebrating Holi.

They started shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government. They also blocked the route on which the Tiranga Yatra was supposed to take place.

The event was delayed for around three hours. reportedly, Khalistani flags were raised by the protestors.

Indian American charged for Hindus rally condemns ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference insider trading of Mylan stock NEW YORK: An Indian American former executive at pharmaceutical company Mylan has pleaded guilty to insider trading in the company’s securities, the Justice Department said. The department said Dayakar Mallu, 51, of Orlando, Florida, worked with another executive at Mylan to make trades between 2017 and 2019 based on nonpublic information about Mylan. The information ranged from corporate earnings, to new drug approvals, to Mylan’s eventual merger with a division of Pfizer.

At the time, Mallu was Mylan’s vice president of global operations information technology. The Justice Department listed the other Mylan executive as an unnamed co-conspirator. Mallu realized net profits and losses avoided of more than $4.2 million, the department said. He allegedly shared the trading profits with the other Mylan insider through payments routed through India. He also sent false information to his tax preparer, the Justice Department said.

Mallu is scheduled to be sentenced in January and faces a maximum 25 years for the insider trading and three years for the tax offense. He also consented to charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission that, if approved by a judge, would bar him from acting as the officer or director of a public company.

Mylan merged in late 2020 with Pfizer division Upjohn to form a new drug company known as Viatris.

CALIFORNIA: Nearly 60 Indian American Hindus converged on Little India for a rally to condemn the “Dismantling Global Hindutva” academic conference.

Participants from diverse backgrounds gathered in the hot sun in the Little India enclave for over an hour.

Ironically being held on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the “Dismantle Global Hindutva” conference “aims to ostracize Hindus and Hindutva (essence of Hinduism), in the name of ‘academic freedom of speech’,” said the release. Poster slogans at the rally revealed the protesters’ demands, such as “Protect Hinduism,” “Attack on Hinduism is Attack On Humanity,” “Condemn Conference Against Hinduism and Hindutva,” with the protesters saying the real meaning of “Hindutva” means the essence of Hinduism.

According to the release, the protesters also repeatedly shouted loud chants of “Condemn Conference, Protect Hindus!”

Geeta Bhatt, a lead organizer, said, "We condemn the ‘Dismantle Global Hindutva’ conference. We would like to warn the sponsoring universities that we Hindu Americans will boycott the universities that have sponsored this conference or allowed it to take place, as a way to ostracize our Hindu religion. We will not send our children to the sponsoring universities.”

Subhash Bhatt, a coorganizer, stated, "Hindutva believes in peace and in nonviolence and we are here to bring awareness of Hindutva and Hinduism. It has been deliberately mislabeled by nonHindu communities to give it a negative connotation."

in brief GIRL STUDENTS MOLESTED IN CANADA’S TOP VARSITY Canada’s Western University, which is the country’s top research university, faces a major crisis as several female students residing in hostels were reportedly drugged and sexually assaulted. Many social media posts suggest that as many as 30 female students were drugged and sexually assaulted during orientation week which started on September 6. The allegations include drinks being spiked, sexual assault and rape. University authorities, who have received only four complaints so far, beefed up security on campus and in hostels. Chris Alleyne, Western University associate vicepresident of housing and co-associate vicepresident of student experience, said: “I want to be very clear, sexual violence will not be tolerated. Nothing is more important than the safety and welfare of our campus community.

As part of Western’s policy on gender-based and sexual violence, we assess and act immediately on any reports of sexual violence.”

NORTH AND S KOREA CONDUCT DUELLING MISSILE TESTS North Korea and South Korea test fired ballistic missiles, the latest volley in an arms race that has seen both countries develop increasingly sophisticated weapons while efforts to get talks going on defusing tension prove fruitless. South Korea tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), becoming the first country without nuclear weapons to develop such a system. South Korean President Moon was attending that test firing when word came of the North Korean launches, its first ballistic missile tests since March. North Korea fired a pair of ballistic missiles that landed in the sea off its east coast, according to officials in South Korea and Japan, just days after it tested a cruise missile that is believed to have nuclear capabilities.

PLANE CRASHES INTO MOUNTAIN A small cargo plane with three crew members on board crashed into a mountain in Indonesia’s jungle-clad Papua region, police said. The Rimbun Air flight lost contact with air control authorities shortly before it was due to land at an airport in Papua’s Intan Jaya regency, police and transport officials said.

“The weather at the airport was not supportive, it was predicted that the plane would land but the runway was not clearly visible,” Papua police spokesman Ahmad Mustofa Kamal said, adding a search operation for the three-man crew was underway.

BLINKEN DELETES TWEET SAYING US STANDS WITH HK The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took down a tweet which said that the United States would “stand with the people of Hong Kong”, a post in which he accused Beijing of weakening the city’s long-term political stability. He issued the statement after seven Hong Kong opposition district councillors were disqualified this week and their oaths declared invalid. US State Department spokesman Ned Price too tweeted the same message, which was also deleted. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hong Kong office issued a statement strongly opposing “irresponsible comments from certain US politicians” on Hong Kong, saying that “no US slanders” would deter the nation’s determination to enforce “patriots administering Hong Kong”.

A day later, Blinken sent a more moderate tweet, removing the US offer to stand with Hong Kong residents and the obvious exhortation to Beijing to listen to the voices of all Hong Kong residents.

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3,000 kg drugs worth £2.1 bn from NAU develops organic liquid fertilizer, pesticide and fungicide Afghanistan seized at Gujarat port from banana stem waste The disposal of banana pseudo stem was a big problem faced by the farmers. After the harvest of the fruit, the trunk or the stem of the tree has to be cut and disposed off. The disposal of this horticultural waste is expensive for the farmers. If the waste is allowed to rote in the field, it can create environmental pollution.

Now, the Navsari Agriculture University (NAU) in Gujarat has come out with a solution to this problem. After years of research, the university has achieved a very important milestone in developing organic liquid fertilizer, liquid pesticide as well as liquid fungicide from the processing of banana stem waste. All these products have huge commercial value and the University has obtained international patients for them.

These products not only will help the farmers earn from the disposal of their banana waste, but the products derived from the waste will again help the farmer and agriculture. As Banana is a common fruit produced in many countries all over the world, many countries would be having similar problems of disposal of the banana stem waste, as it is generated in

huge quantities every season. This research will not only help the farmers but the NAU is also poised to earn handsome income from the patented products.

The research was conducted under the project in-charge and nodal officer Dr. T. R. Ahlawat and research scientist Dr. Chirag Desai. Speaking about development of these products, Dr Desai said that many products have been successfully developed from the banana stem waste – ie fabric from the banana stem fibre, high quality paper etc. But paper and organic liquid fertilizer as well as more derivatives of the same are the key achievements that have been a commercial success too.

Team member of the project and senior research fellow Riddhi Desai said

the stem waste holds significant amount of water and also fertilizer residue.

The banana stem processing unit was able to utilize that and develop the organic liquid fertilizer and further derivatives, which was branded as “Novel” organic liquid fertilizer. As the fertilizer turned out to be a huge success, the team put in further efforts as per the need and demand from the community, farming adding more ingredients and were able to successfully develop organic liquid pesticide and fungicide.

While the farmers will be able to make some extra income from the disposal of the stem waste, the organic liquid fertilizers, pesticide and fungicide will help reduce the use of chemical inputs in farming and thus be a double boon, helping conserving the environment.

In possibly the biggest ever single seizure of drugs in India, the Directorate of Revenue and Intelligence (DRI) has recovered 3,000 kg of Afghan heroin worth approximately £2.1 bilion in the international market from two containers at Mundra port in Gujarat, people familiar with the development said.

The consignment, originating from Afghanistan, now under Taliban rule, was shipped to Gujarat on September 13-14 via Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port and was hidden inside the containers of semi-processed Afghan talc, imported by a firm based in Andhra Pradesh.

A Chennai-based couple has been arrested and several Afghan nationals from the Delhi-National Capital Region have been detained by agencies. They are being interrogated for possible Taliban-ISI link, said an official. The DRI on September 16 and 17 searched the two containers, exported by a Kandahar-based company, on the basis of specific intelligence inputs upon which it found 1,999.58 kg of heroin packed in two bags in one container and 988.64 kg heroin in one bag in another container. It was layered between the talc to avoid detection by security and customs officials.

Experts from the Gandhinagar Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) examined the substance and found it to be “very high quality” heroin that likely originated in Afghanistan. Officials have estimated the worth of heroin at £700,000 per kg in the international market, which makes it the largest seizure in India ever.

Following the recovery, searches have

PM Modi against rushing to recognise Afghanistan govt as it is not inclusive PM Narendra Modi urged the international community not to rush into recognising the Taliban government, saying it is not inclusive and was formed without negotiations, raising questions over the acceptability of

UK return girl creates winning business of customised sweets in India

Nischal Sanghavi UK's education has been helping students from all over the world and their families in more ways than thought off. That is one of the reasons higher education in UK is one of the most sought after education option for students graduating or passing out of Higher Secondary Schools in India.

Dhara Kapadia, a resident of Ahmedabad, is one such aspirant who wanted to study in UK after completing graduation as a Homeopathy (alternate medicine) doctor. After completing Masters in Clinical Research from Cranfield University in Bedford, Dhara took up a corporate job in Cambridge city.

Her love for homeland and desire to live with family made her descend back to Ahmedabad. She then took up a corporate job in India.

According to Dhara, her endeavour to chase her own rainbow started before 5 years ago when she commenced a home based Mango business, where she directed organic mangoes to the clients straight from the farmer in a farm-to-table model.

In three years, Dhara identified a niche market in India for traditional and home made sweets. But due to pressures of mod-

ern time-bound lifestyle and lack of traditional age-old cooking know-how most people do not have access to that traditional taste they yearn. In the new economy, sweets are selected from those on display shelf at corner shops or dedicated sweet outlets. This sweets are professionally mass manufactured using machines and professional 9 to 5 staff. Dhara identified a market for home made sweets. In addition to this the limitation to select sweets from only those on display meant that rather than buying what is available, people would choose to order bespoke sweets to match their exact choices. In India sweets are mostly ordered well in advance during fes-

tivals and celebrations.

Impact of UK exposure According to Dhara, "My UK education and 4 years stay immensely helped me in sharpening my soft skills like decision making and communication abilities. My parttime job with Dominos, while in Bedford

been carried out at several places, including Delhi, Ahmedabad and Gandhidham in Gujarat and a few places in Andhra Pradesh.

Several Afghan nationals have been “picked up” and are being questioned about suspected links with the consignment/its smugglers, officials said. Intelligence agencies believe that Pakistan and anti-India elements in the Taliban together are trying to push Afghan heroin into India to shore up finances for terror activities.

There have already been multiple meetings among central agencies to discuss the impact in terms of drugs smuggling, infiltration of foreign terrorists and terror activities in India following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15. The Afghanistan government had briefly banned the export of talc in 2015, which are a major source of funding for both Taliban and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) as they get $10 to $12 per tonne mined talc, used in baby powder.

Officials said there could be several more arrests in this case as it has larger international ramifications.

has helped me gain customer management and relationship skills. I teamed up with my 65 year old mother to create our first sweet product of 'Mathura's Peda' from my grandmother's recipe. The traditional Peda which was otherwise only available in the market of the holy town of Mathura, was sold like hot cakes in Ahmedabad."

Social Media is the new Marketplace While traditionally Indian sweet sellers invest in swanky storefronts to lure customers and deal in ready cash payments, Kapadia's 'Mango Junction' sweet business do not have a retail interaction counter.

They have succeeded by selling all their stuff through social media platforms.

Deliveries are made through third party services and payments are received online.

However, according to Dhara in lieu of any display shop they faced a stiff struggle on how to find customers and how to change the contemporary buying behaviour.

Present day Currently, Dhara in her 30s cooks and sells over few hundred kgs of 20 types of customised sweets every month to suit clients taste buds. People have been asking for various customisations like less sugar, sugar free, diet sweets, those for children, with less dry fruits, without butter and oil, without silver foiling. While some people even ask to use jaggery instead of sugar, some others want to create sugar free sweets from dates. They have been receiving orders from various parts of India, in addition to US & UK. One of the main reason people order home made sweets has been the guarantee for hygiene and chemical free ingredients.

the new regime that has taken over Afghanistan. He was virtually addressing an ‘Afghanistan outreach’ session of the SCOCSTO summit in Dushanbe.

In his first public remarks on Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of Kabul, the PM Modi said it is necessary the global community considers the issue of recognising the Taliban regime only after considerable thought and in a collective manner, keeping in mind the need for proper representation for women and ethnic minorities in the new government.

Modi backed a central role for the UN and dispelled any ambiguity over India’s stand with regard to recognition of the new regime. His rejection of the Taliban’s claims to legitimacy could sharpen competition with Pakistan, which is seen to have influenced the installation of hardliners in leading roles in Kabul.

In an earlier speech during a function at Somnath in Gujarat, Modi had, without naming Taliban, said that “empires founded on terror did not last long”. Modi said instability and radicalisation in Afghanistan will encourage terrorist and extremist forces and called upon SCO member-states to develop, based on a zero tolerance approach to terrorism, strict and shared norms that serve as a template for global anti-terror cooperation in the future.

These norms should include a code of conduct to check cross-border terrorism and terror-financing activities and also a mechanism for its implementation,” he said. The PM underlined the significance of efforts to ensure that Afghanistan is not used to spread terrorism and called for a code of conduct to check cross border terrorism and terror-financing.

He said instability and radicalisation can encourage “other terrorist groups” to grab power through violent means and encourage terrorism and extremist ideologies. In its statements at the UN and elsewhere India has consistently set out support to terrorism and violation of the rights of Afghan people as red lines the Taliban must not cross.

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With 26,92,000 doses, Karnataka tops Covid vaccination drive in India BENGALURU: Karnataka topped the Covid vaccination drive in India on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Friday last by administering 26,92,000 doses till 9 pm, Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education K Sudhakar said. The state stood first in the country ahead of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which achieved over 26,62,000 doses and 24,86,000 doses respectively.

According to data released by the state health department at 8.30 pm, Karnataka had achieved 85 per cent coverage by administering 26,92,955 doses, against the target of 31,75,000. "I would like to thank all the health workers and other staff who have been involved in this

historic vaccination drive," Sudhakar said.

It is a phenomenal effort by Karnataka to administer more doses than Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which have several times more population, he said, adding that "It is really apt that this effort coincides with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has led the war on Covid from the front."

Meanwhile, the state on Friday last also the crossed "milestone" of administering over 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine till date.

According to the release, the districts that topped in Karnataka during the drive are Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike- BBMP area (398,000 doses), Belagavi (239,000 doses), Dakshina Kannada (133,000 doses), Ballari (133,000 doses), Tumkuru (124,000 doses) and Mandya (115,000 doses).

Bengaluru Urban, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Ramanagara, Hassana,

Davanagere, Chikamagaluru and Haveri districts achieved more than 100 per cent of the day's target. The vaccination drive, also called "Mega Vaccination Mela" was conducted in over 12,000 Covid vaccination centres across the State. With Friday's performance, total doses administered in the State in September have gone up to 87,00,000.

Karnataka administered a total of 51.2 million doses till 9 pm on September 17. "We are very confident of crossing the target of 15 million that we have set ourselves for September," the minister said, also expressing confidence about vaccinating the entire adult population in the State by the end of November.

PUNJAB

Channi, Sidhu both will be faces of Congress in Punjab polls: party NEW DELHI: Hours after rivals BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and BSP accused the Congress of appointing a Dalit CM in Punjab as a gimmick, the grand old party came out firmly in support of Charanjit Singh Channi and said it would fight state elections under both the CM and state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

“Our face will be Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu as also ordinary Congress workers and important leaders who will be supporting them. Let there be no misgivings about our Punjab CM. Channi as CM will be the face of the Congress in Punjab elections and PCC chief will also be the Congress face,” Congress media head Randeep Surjewala said, seeking to control the

damage done by AICC general secretary Harish Rawat’s remarks that the Punjab election would be fought under Sidhu. Earlier, former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar also questioned Rawat's statement on Sidhu leading the party in the election.

The remark triggered political reactions with BJP, Mayawati and Akali Dal questioning Congress intentions behind naming a Dalit CM. “This is just a political gimmick,” said Mayawati while BJP’s Amit Malviya said Channi was a night watchman for cricketer Sidhu and would hold the CM seat for Sidhu till latter takes charge.

Surjewala attacked the rival BJP asking why it had not nominated any Dalit CM in 12 odd states where they rule with allies. The Congress media chief

Navjot Singh Sidhu and Charanjit Singh Channi

also said the appointment of a Dalit CM in Punjab was a historic step and would go a long way in the political empowerment of disadvantaged sections.

He hailed Channi for announcing pro-people

decisions after taking oath and said more historic decisions would follow.

Surjewala clarified later, “If anybody says one or the other will be face it’s being misinterpreted by media.

Channi and Sidhu will both be faces,” Surjewala reiterated.

WEST BENGAL

Former union minister Babul Supriyo joins team Mamata KOLKATA: Former Union Minister Babul Supriyo joined Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, two months after he was asked to resign as junior minister in the Environment Ministry and a month after saying he won't join any other party and would quit politics. Later, he amended his plans and said he would remain a Member of Parliament.

"If opportunity comes your way, you should decide, and I have decided to take this," Supriyo told reporters. He was listed as the BJP's star campaigner for the Bhabanipur bypoll, where the BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal will contest against Mamata on September 30.

Supriyo is the fifth BJP leader - the four others were BJP MLAs - to join Trinamool Congress after Mamata's party

won the assembly election in May and retained power.

Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh said more BJP leaders are in talks to join the party. "Many BJP leaders are in communication with Trinamool leadership.

They are not satisfied with BJP. One (Mr Supriyo) joined today, another wants to join tomorrow.

This process will go on. Wait and watch," Ghosh said.

Supriyo was seen to be upset after he was made to quit as Union Minister in the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reshuffled the cabinet by appointing 43 new names in July. "I'm surely sad for myself," Supriyo had tweeted on July 8, the day he resigned as Union Minister, and later deleted the post to replace with a new one that said he was "extremely

Babul Supriyo with Derek O'Brien and Abhishek Banerjee

happy" that he left the stint "without a spot of corruption on me".

His departure not a loss: Suvendu BJP leader and leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said Supriyo`s departure did not cause any loss to the BJP since he is not politically significant.

Suvendu said, "This is his personal decision. Babul ji should immediately resign from membership of Parliament.

Before leaving, he should have informed the BJP. BJP has not suffered any loss due to his departure. He is not a mass

leader. Supriyo is also not even a good political organizer. He does not have political significance. I did not get a chance to work with him for a long time. But personally, he is a good friend." "He had the issue of status and ministership. I had been a cabinet minister in the state government and held three big positions. But I left everything and joined BJP on ethical and ideological ground.

Supriyo had been only a Minister of State. He was a minister for seven years. Not a single booth president will go after him. He has no political impact," he added.

in brief BSY CAUTIONS PARTY WORKERS AGAINST TAKING OPPN LIGHTLY Former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa cautioned his party colleagues against taking the opposition lightly in the upcoming elections. "I have a suggestion to all of you. None of you should take the opposition lightly. They have their own calculation and strengths," Yediyurappa said at the BJP Core Committee meeting in Davangere. The Lingayat strongman claimed that a few Congress leaders are in touch with some BJP leaders. "You need to tread with confidence without giving chance to such incidents (defection). We have to make a sincere effort for the BJP to come back to power with 140 seats in the next assembly elections," Yediyurappa, who stepped down as the Chief Minister on July 26, said. He said the party can be strengthened by inducting into the BJP leaders from SC/ST and OBC communities.

STALIN'S APPEAL AFTER NEET SUICIDES Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin appealed to students tormented by the matter of appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to undergraduate medical courses. His plea followed reports of a third case of suicide in a week related to the controversial exam. A 17year-old girl died allegedly by suicide, the third such death in less than a week. The daily wager's daughter, who had appeared for NEET 2021, was anxious over clearing it. She had scored 84.9 per cent in Class 12. Her death followed a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old's on Sunday, merely hours before the exam. Over the past few years, 15 medical aspirants ended their lives in the state. "I beg of you, please do not end your lives. Nothing is impossible for you. Study with that confidence. Parents, too, should instill self-confidence in children and not stress them out," Stalin said in his appeal.

BJP DEMANDS PROBE AGAINST SIDHU Seizing on the remarks made by outgoing Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh against PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu over his alleged links with the establishment in Pakistan, the BJP has asked the Congress high command whether they would take cognisance of the allegations and take action. BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said, “Capt has called Sindhu anti-national. This is a very serious allegation. BJP is asking only one question to Congress that why Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka are silent? We demand Congress to speak on this issue and put their version. Will Congress take cognizance of these allegations and take action on it,” Javadekar added. Former Union minister Javadekar’s statement comes a day after Amarinder Singh stepped down as the Punjab CM saying he felt “humiliated”. On Saturday, Singh, who has long been embroiled in a bitter battle with Sidhu, called him “anti-national”, “incompetent” and a “security threat” to the state and the country.

TMC’S ARPITA GHOSH RESIGNS AS RS MEMBER Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Arpita Ghosh resigned from her seat last week.

The TMC said her resignation was part of the organisational reforms that are underway in the party. Arpita, a theatre personality, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC last year, and was seen as one of the very vocal members of the party. She was among the six TMC MPs suspended during the Monsoon session of Parliament in August for unruly conduct. TMC chief whip Sukhendu Shekhar Roy said the resignation was a “party decision. It was an organisational decision. Our organisation is in the process of undergoing so many changes. So it is part of the organisational reforms. It is not that she will not have any role to play just because she is no longer a Rajya Sabha member.

She is very much in the party and she will play other roles in the party,” Roy said.

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Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel gets a brand new team The BJP created history in Indian politics by pressing on with the ‘total no repeat’ formula, dropping all 22 ministers of the previous government led by Vijay Rupani and inducting a brand new team of 24. Most of them are freshers.

The disruptive change has been occasioned by Bhupendra Patel’s recent and staggeringly unexpected elevation to the post of the chief minister. By any yardstick, the culling is one of the most audacious political experiments orchestrated by PM Narendra Modi in his home state Gujarat, often referred to as the saffron party’s laboratory. The bold move also signals the supreme confidence of Modi in his party’s grip over Gujarat. It wa a day of hectic parleys and unrest earlier, with senior ministers being open about their dismay at the prospect of being axed.

But even that rare episode of discord in the party did not alter the high command’s resolve to prop up a new team of netas to lead Gujarat into the 2022 assembly polls. It was pegged to be an attempt to wipe out any antiincumbency sentiment that voters may harbour after the BJP’s more than two decade rule, especially in the aftermath of the deadly Covid19 pandemic.

In the tsunami of transformation, senior leaders including former Dy CM Nitin Patel, Pradipsinh Jadeja, Saurabh Patel, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, and Kaushik Patel - each with decades of experience in the government were cast aside as ‘Team Dada’ took over. The new ministers were sworn in by Gujarat governor Devvrat Acharya.

Of the 24 ministers, 10 have cabinet rank and 14 are ministers of state. Five ministers of state have been given independent charge. If prior experience of ministership is a benchmark, this is essentially a team of freshers.

Almost a dozen of the new ministers are first-time MLAs including CM Patel. Two women, Nimisha Suthar and Manisha Vakil, have bagged ministerial berths.

Only three members of the Bhupendra Patel cabinet have prior experience of being ministers. They are Kiritsinh Rana, Rajendra Trivedi, and Raghavji Patel. The induction of Raghavji along with two other Congress

turncoats - Jitu Chaudhary and Brijesh Merja - is perceived to be a move to douse resentment which erupted over the removal of three turncoat ministers.

In the new cabinet, caste equations were also rejigged to give more prominence to OBC and SC/ST communities. The number of OBC ministers jumped from four to six while the number of SC and ST ministers rose from three to six.

The surprise element in Bhupendra Patel’s selection as the CM resonated in his cabinet formation as well. CM Patel has kept most of the key portfolios held by Rupani. The relatively low-profile Kanubhai Desai was given arguably the most important cabinet-rank portfolio: the finance department.

Former Dy CM Nitin Patel had ruled the finance department for long. Ex-speaker Rajendra Trivedi was given revenue, law and justice, and parliamentary affairs. The youngest minister in the cabinet, Harsh Sanghvi, 36, has been appointed as the minister of state for home. Jitu Vaghani, meanwhile, has been absorbed into the cabinet after a successful stint as the state party president.

The health department held by Nitin Patel has gone to another Patidar MLA, Rushikesh Patel, who represents Visnagar in Mehsana district. With Bhupendra Patel at the helm, six Patidar ministers were sworn in; Rupani’s government had eight.

The complete change of guard created a major flutter across the state. Political observers said PM Modi first toyed with the “change is the only constant” theory in 2007 in a taluka panchayat election in Gondal. In 2010 he implemented the “no repeat” formula in the civic elections in Ahmedabad and Surat. The GAS (GondalAhmedabad-Surat) formula’s success in cutting anti-incumbency spurred determination to replicate it, albeit in a limited measure in assembly elections of 2012 and 2017 and even the 2019 general elections when many senior leaders were denied tickets.

“This experiment has consistently given results and has been implemented in the cabinet formation to create a positive impression among people before the 2022 elections,” said a keen observer of Gujarat politics.

List of ministers and their portfolios in new Gujarat cabinet The new 24-member council of ministers of CM Bhupendra Patel includes 10 Cabinet Ministers, 5 Ministers of State with Independent Charge and 9 Ministers of State.

Cabinet Ministers Bhupendra Patel – Chief Minister, Home, Urban Development, General Administration, Information and Broadcast, Industries, Mines and Minerals, Capital Projects, Narmada and ports among others

Purneshkumar Ishwarlal Modi – Roads and building, transport, civil aviation, tourism and pilgrimage development

Rajendra Trivedi – Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, Revenue, Law and Justice

Arjunsinh Chauhan – Rural development and rural housing

Jitendra VaghaniEducation

Kanubhai Mohanlal Desai – Finance, Energy and Petrochemicals

Rishikesh Patel – Health and family welfare, medical education, water resources and water supply

Kiritsinh Rana – Environment, climate change, and printing and stationery departments

Naresh Patel – Tribal Development and food and civil supply

Pradip Parmar – Social justice and empowerment

Raghavji Patel – Agriculture and animal husbandry

Ministers of State Harsh Sanghavi – MoS Home, disaster Jagdish Ishwarbhai – Cottage industries, cooperation, salt management and police Brijesh Merja – industry and protocol. housing, independent Independent he will also handle charge as MoS of sports, Jitu Chaudhary – Fisheries charge- Labour and industries, forest and Employment, Panchayats, youth and cultural activi(independent charge), environment, climate rural development and Narmada, water resources ties, NRI, excise and prohirural housing change and printing and stationery bition, border security and prisons and water supply Manisha Vakil – Independent chargewomen and child development, social justice and empowerment

Kuber Dindor – Higher and technical education, legislative and parliamentary affairs

Kirti Singh Vaghela – Primary, secondary and adult education

Mukesh Patel – Agriculture , energy and petrochemicals

Gajenddra Singh Parmar – Food and civil supply

Nimishaben Suthar – Tribal development, health and family welfare and medical education

Raghavbhai Makwana – Social justice and empowerment

Vinod Moradiya – Urban development and urban housing

Arvindbhai Gordhanbhai Raiyani – Transport, Civil aviation, tourism and pilgrimage development

Devabhai Malav – Animal husbandry

Nimaben Bhaveshbhai Acharya has been made Gujarat Assembly Speaker after Rajendra Trivedi resigned from the post and was inducted into the new cabinet.

Channi takes oath as Punjab CM, dy CMs picked amid drama Three-time Congress MLA Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as the first dalit chief minister of Punjab on Monday, along with two deputies – Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and O P Soni. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat, besides PCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu, attended the ceremony. While the party leadership has tried to strike a caste balance by picking Randhawa (a Jat Sikh) and Soni (a Hindu), along with the party’s dalit face for the top post, the selection of the deputy CMs was not without drama - which was seen in choosing Channi the previous day as well.

Party insiders said Rawat had spoken to Brahm Mohindra, a sixterm MLA, on Sunday night for the deputy CM’s post and the latter had even got congratulatory calls

from senior party leaders. AICC national treasurer Pawan Bansal had also tweeted to congratulate Mohindra and Randhawa as deputy CMs. But things changed

by Monday morning, with the perception of being from former CM Amarinder Singh’s camp working against Mohindra. Finally, the leadership settled for Soni, a fiveterm MLA. Both Randhawa and Soni are from the Majha region.

In his first remarks after the

swearing in, Channi, who took the oath of office and secrecy in Punjabi, appealed to the Centre to scrap the three contentious farm laws. He also spelt out the agenda of his government, saying relief will be provided to the economically weak by slashing power and water bills and the sand mafia will be wiped out from the state. Channi also promised to resolve the pending issues of state employees.

Flanked by Sidhu and Rawat at his first press conference as CM, Channi said: “Punjab is an agricultural economy and if there is a threat to the farming sector, we will make any sacrifice. I make an appeal to the Centre to take back the three farm laws. The economy

of the state is dependent on the farming sector. We support the farmers’ agitation.” Announcing a slew of relief measures, he said that power for the agriculture sector should continue to be free.

“However, water supply for the rural sector should also not be billed. There are pending bills ranging from Rs 10,00,000 to 30,00,000 and the cabinet will waive them... The power supply of economically weak households will not be disconnected for non-payment of bills. The pending bills over five to 10 years will be waived to resume their power supply. We will tear off their bills. In urban areas, bills of water supply and sewerage will not be charged for houses of up to 150 or 200 square yards. The 18-point agenda of AICC will be implemented one by one without delay."

‘Humiliated’ Captain resigns Earlier, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as chief minister after two months of alleged humiliation by the Congress leadership admittedly prompted him to resign along with his entire council of ministers, albeit with the caveat that state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was unacceptable to him as a prospective successor as he would be “a disaster”. Amarinder declared he wouldn’t quit politics, but would wait to explore and exercise his future options when the time comes. The two-time CM stepped down with a one-line resignation letter to pre-empt what was widely being seen as a move to remove him from the chief ministership through an emergency Congress Legislature Party meeting convened by the AICC. He met the governor less than half an hour before the meeting.

26 INDIA

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Birthday gift to PM Modi: India administers 25.01 mn vax doses India on Friday last administered a record number of over 25.01 million Covid-19 vaccine doses taking the cumulative figure to over 790 million and giving a major push to the vaccination drive on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday.

The numbers went up steadily through the day with the cumulative number of doses administered in the country crossing 792.5 million at 10 pm, according to data on the Co-WIN portal. Officials said the final tally will be higher when data arrive from all centres.

Hailing the achievement, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, "Every Indian would be proud of today's record vaccination numbers. I acknowledge our doctors, innovators, administrators, nurses,

Narendra Modi

healthcare and all front-line workers who have toiled to make the vaccination drive a success. Let us keep boosting vaccination to defeat Covid-19."

Karnataka administered the highest number of over 26,90,000 doses, followed by Bihar with more than 26,60,000 doses, Uttar Pradesh with over 24,80,000 doses and

Madhya Pradesh with over 23,700,000 doses. "#VaccineSeva a gift to the prime minister on behalf of health workers and people of the country.

On the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, India has crossed the historic figure of administering 20 million vaccine doses in a day, setting a new record. Well done India!" Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted in Hindi.

The government said India has crossed Europe in the total number of vaccine doses administered so far.

On Friday, it said, 17,00,000 doses were administered per hour, 28,000 doses per minute and 466 doses per second.

vaccination numbers on the day.

“The focus for the day was on 7,500 villages where the rate of vaccination is low compared to the state average. From the morning, over 5,000 teams were deployed with the stock of vaccinations which carried out inoculation at all possible places including public places, religious spots, at various societies and localities, and administrative or educational buildings,” said a senior health department official.

Several hospitals and medical associations across Gujarat also marked the day as organ donation pledge day. At Civil Hospital and IKDRC in Ahmedabad, over 700 staff members took pledge for donation of organs in case of brain death and disseminating information about it.

Kundra gets bail, released from jail after two months

IT raid on Bollywood actor Sonu Sood In a major revelation, the Income Tax Department accused Bollywood actor Sonu Sood of financial irregularities worth over £25 million by way of unutilised charitable funds, bogus contracts and circular transactions with one of his partner companies, and diverting funds to evade taxes. The disclosures came after IT sleuths’ swoop for two days on some 28 premises in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kanpur and Gurugram in one of the biggest such investigative actions on any actor or entities linked with him.

In a rare official statement, the Income Tax Department, without naming him, has said that Sood evaded tax worth £2 million so far, besides listing other alleged wrongdoings. An NGO, ‘SOOD Charity Foundation’, launched by the actor in July 2020 collected donations of £1.89 million till date of which it spent only £190,000 towards various relief measures (for migrants), and the rest lies in the bank accounts.

The SOOD Charity Foundation also raised another £210,000 from abroad through a crowd-funding platform, violating provisions of the FCRA, said the tax department. Raids on a Lucknow-based infrastructure company with which Sood had entered into a tie-up for a realty project brought out more financial improprieties.

Detailing them, the IT Department said the

Some opposition leaders said it would have been much better if the government conducted vaccination on a such large scale daily, and not just on PM Modi's birthday. RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha tweeted, "The scale of vaccination reached today underlines that we indeed have the capacity to increase the daily vaccination targets. Only thing required is to free the 'drive' from 'Event-Management' mode. Jai Hind."

22,60,000 doses in Guarat Gujarat celebrated PM Modi's birthday with a record 22,60,000 doses of vaccination. To put the figure in perspective, the earlier one-day vaccination record was 895,000 on August 31. With the update on Friday, the total vaccination in Gujarat reached 55.5 million. Several states recorded high

was group involved in generating fake bills of subcontracts to Sonu Sood siphon off funds worth around £6.5 million. The group has also indulged in dubious circular transactions worth £17.5 million with a realty company based in Jaipur.

The IT Department has seized £180,000 cash besides sealing 11 bank lockers. It said that he routed his ‘black money’ income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many fake entities. The probe found at least 20 such entries. These bogus loans, in turn, were ploughed back for making investments and acquiring properties.

The revelations signal a setback for Sood, who scaled pinnacles of popularity during the pandemic by helping the migrants reach their homes.

Incidentally, Sood’s ‘Pravasirojgar’ initiative entered into a joint venture with an Indian company backed by a Singapore-backed group with an investment of £25 million, to provide employment to Indian youth. Sood who remained tightlipped on the matter so far, took to social media to write, “you don't always have to tell your story. Time will tell. I have pledged to myself to the service of the people of India with all my strength and heart.”

Businessman Raj Kundra walked out of a Mumbai jail, a day after a local court granted bail to the key accused in a pornographic films case in which he was arrested two months ago.

A jail official said Kundra was released from the Arthur Road Jail.

Chief metropolitan magistrate SB Bhajipale allowed Kundra's bail application on furnishing a bond of 50,000. The 46-yearold businessman's associate and co-accused Ryan Thorpe, who was also arrested along with him on July 19, was also granted bail by the court in the case pertaining to the alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some apps.

Kundra was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. Kundra, who is Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband, moved a bail plea before the metropolitan magistrate court after the police filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case. Kundra claimed in the plea, which he filed through advocate Prashant Patil, that there was no evidence to date with the prosecution that would connect the Hotshots mobile application, used in the alleged porn films racket, with an offence under law. The probe agency has said that

the Hotshots app was being used by the accused for uploading and streaming obscene content.

He claimed there was no evidence of him being Raj Kundra "actively" involved in the creation of alleged questionable porn content. Kundra alleged he was falsely implicated, was not even named in the FIR and was dragged by the respondent (police) in the case. Kundra also claimed that he is being made a "scapegoat" for reasons best known to investigators. He also said that the contents of the complaint in the case do not disclose any prima facie offence against him.

The police, in their nearly 1,500-page supplementary charge sheet filed in the court on September 15, claimed Kundra was the "main facilitator" in the pornography case and he along with other accused exploited young women struggling in the film industry. Yash Thakur, a Singapore resident, and London-based Pardeep Bakshi have also been shown as wanted accused in the charge sheet.

The public prosecutor opposed Kundra's application and said that just because the charge sheet has been filed, it does not imply bail has to be granted. After hearing both sides, chief metropolitan magistrate Bhajipale granted Kundra bail.

Akhara parishad chief Narendra Giri found dead Superstitions over Covid-19 vaccine in Bhadran village of Anand As the government is continuously striving hard to ensure smooth vaccination programmes, the greater challenge is posed by the suspicion and superstitions concerning the vaccine itself.

The Anand administration has been facing issues with people having misconception around vaccination in the rural areas. A mysterious incident happened, when a team of medical staff reached Bhadran village of Anand, to vaccinate the people staying in the village.

Around 150 people of Bhadran village refused to take the vaccine and said, “We trust our Goddess and she has prevented us from getting vaccinated”. The officials tried to convince them and explained to them the need to

get vaccinated, but they refused and eventually the team has to abandon its efforts. To reach the target of fully vaccinated district, Anand administrative officials are encouraging people of 351 villages to get vaccinated.

The group demanded written assurance from the officials that if anything went wrong, the government has to take responsibility for the fault. Despite of several efforts, people refused to take the vaccine, so the Medical Officer Dr Vashisht reported to the senior authorities.

The local administrative staff organizes meetings to spread awareness among the people, conducting door-todoor surveys to encourage people to get jabbed.

Mahant Narendra Giri, the president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), was found dead at Shri Matt Baghambari Gaddi in Prayagraj on Monday evening. He was 62. His body was found hanging from the ceiling inside a room. ABAP is the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu monastic orders of the country.

Police claimed to have recovered a suicide note from his room. They also claimed that Narendra Giri has accused one of his disciples Anand Giri of “mental torture” which forced him to take the extreme step. Anand Giri was later taken into custody in Haridwar.

Reports said some of Narendra Giri’s disciples alerted police about the incident on Monday. Senior police officials rushed to the spot. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditynanath sought a detailed report of the incident from the state home and police top brass.

ADG (law and order) Prashant Kumar said followers of Narendra Giri had brought his body down from the noose after breaking the doors before the police reached the site.

Mahant Narendra Giri

Confirming that a handwritten suicide note has been recovered from the room, the ADG said: “He has accused one of his disciples, Anand Giri, of mental harassment. We have traced Anand Giri to Hardiwar and a police team has been dispatched to arrest him.” He said the scene of the incident and the suicide was being forensically examined.

Sources said the suicide note runs into four sheets of paper (written on either sides). In the suicide note, Narendra Giri has stated that he had

lived life “respectfully and wanted to die respectfully” as well. The suicide note talks of his disciple Anand Giri having caused mental harassment to him. Informed sources said a major part of the suicide note is more of a “will” containing details like which disciple of his should get what.

In Hardiwar, Narendra Giri’s disciple Anand Giri described the incident as a murder and sought a probe into the incident. Talking to reporters at his Ghaziwala village ashram minutes before he was taken into custody by cops from Shyampur police station in Haridwar, Anand Giri said his name in the suicide note was a part of a conspiracy. “It should be probed how Mahant Narendra Giri, who usually never wrote more than a few lines at a time, wrote such a long note,” he said.

Narendra Giri was involved in a bitter property dispute with his junior Anand Giri a few months ago. The matter was later resolved supposedly in the presence of a senior police officer and two politicians. Narendra Giri’s death sent shockwaves among his followers and fellow seers in Prayagraj, Haridwar and beyond.

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HEALTH

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25 Sep - 1 Oct 2021

Long work hours may just kill you, here’s how We are all running a race. A race against time. There’s a whole lot to be done and only a lifetime to do it. If you need any more proof that burning the midnight oil is not the best thing to do, new research reveals that toxic work cultures and stringent work habits may put you in serious trouble.

The United Nations revealed that work-related injuries and illnesses kill nearly two million people annually. A joint assessment by the UN’s health and labour agencies has taken into account global disease and injury burden linked to job stretches from 2000 to 2016. A shocking 1.9 million deaths worldwide were officially linked to work-related causes in 2016, a surge from 1.7 million,

which were recorded at the turn of the century.

The study examined occupational risk factors other than long working hours, including exposure to carcinogens like asbestos, ergonomic factors like prolonged sitting and manual handling of loads. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press statement, “It’s shocking to

see so many people literally being killed by their jobs. Our report is a wake-up call to countries and businesses to improve and protect the health and safety of workers.” study The also found that the greatest cause of death has been chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which killed 415,000 people in 2016, followed by strokes and ischaemic heart disease. Death rate from heart disease associated with exposure to long working hours went by 41 per cent, while stroke deaths brought on by excessive work rose 19 per cent.

So, how can one cope with long working hours? your day.

Plan Prioritising your tasks and scheduling your work hours may just be your saving grace. It will not only give you a feeling of accomplishment, it will also ease your stress.

Track time. Utilise a time tracker to help you understand how you could get better.

Take a break.

Sometimes, it is just that simple. Taking a break is just as important as working. Know when to stop.

Research suggests productivity builds up for 52 minutes in one go, and then goes down. Take a 5-7 minute break every hour, make a cuppa or just sit back and breathe.

Revolutionary drug set to benefit ovarian cancer patients A new revolutionary drug combination is expected to work wonders for thousands of women suffering from ovarian cancer as it was shown to shrink tumours in half of patients with an advanced form of the disease. The pair of drugs could offer a new treatment option for women with a type of ovarian cancer that rarely responds to chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Scientists from early trials of the new drug combination called the results “fantastic”.

Conclusions were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress, suggesting the treatment was highly effective. They were so successful that a phase 2 trial is

already underway. Phase 1 trial, led by a team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, tested the drugs VS-6766 and defactinib in patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer. Researchers said this type of cancer tends to develop at a younger age, less than 13 per cent of patients respond to chemotherapy and less than 14 per cent respond to hormone therapy.

Trial results revealed tumours shrank significantly in 46 per cent of the 24 patients evaluated.

Outcomes were even better in patients with a particular mutation, with 64 per cent who have KRAS-driven

tumours seeing them shrink after treatment. The researchers said this indicated that tumour profiles could be used to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from the new treatment.

Prof Kristian Helin, chief executive of the ICR, said, “Overcoming cancer’s ability to evolve resistance to treatment is a huge challenge for cancer research. This study has turned a deep understanding of how cancer fuels its growth and develops resistance into a highly targeted treatment for patients who currently have few treatment options.”

Dr Susana Banerjee, consultant medical oncolo-

Standing associated with better insulin sensitivity Researchers during a recent Finnish collaborative study of Turku PET Centre and UKK institute believe standing is associated with better insulin sensitivity. Findings of the study were published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Insulin is a key hormone in energy metabolism and blood sugar regulation. Normal insulin function in the body may be disturbed by e.g., being overweight, leading to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Type 2 diabetes is one the most common lifestyle diseases worldwide, and its onset is usually preceded by impaired insulin sensitivity.

This refers to a state in which the body does not react to insulin normally, and the blood glucose levels rise.

In a study of Turku PET Centre and UKK institute, the researchers investigated the association between insulin resistance and sedentary behaviour, physical activity and fitness in inactive working-age adults with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. They observed that standing is associated with better insulin sensitivity independently of the amount of daily physical activity or sitting time, fitness level, or overweight.

Doctoral candidate Taru Garthwaite from the University of Turku said “This association has not been shown before. These findings further encourage replacing a part of daily sitting time with standing, especially if physical activity recommendations are not met.” The study also empha-

sizes the importance of healthy body composition on metabolic health. Results show that increased body fat percentage was a more important factor in terms of insulin sensitivity than physical activity, fitness, or the amount of time spent sitting.

“Regular exercise is well known to be beneficial for health. It seems that physical activity, fitness, and sedentary behaviour are also connected to insulin metabolism, but indirectly, through their effect on body composition,” Garthwaite explained.

“Our aim is to study if reducing daily sitting time by an hour has an impact on energy metabolism and fat accumulation in the liver and the whole body, for example, in addition to insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation,” said Garthwaite.

gist and research lead at the Royal Marsden’s gynaecology unit, said, “If these findings are confirmed in larger trials, they’ll represent a significant advance in lowgrade serous ovarian cancer treatment.” She added, “I am delighted that this drug combination has worked so well in a group of patients who are in urgent need of new treatments, including those who have previously been treated with a MEK inhibitor. We’re very hopeful that this could become the standard of care for women with low-grade serous ovarian cancer.”

Healthy Communication Psychologist Mamta Saha Dear Readers, our communications can enhance the quality of our relationships in life. We know that having effective communication skills is a fundamental in having a successful life. We as humans, love connecting with other people because it makes us happy and good communication is the key when we want our social interactions to be a positive and happy one. To achieve this, it is vital that we know how to have healthy communications.

Healthy Communication equals Healthy Relationships Knowing how to communicate with your friends or family in a clear, honest, and mindful way is a tool you can use to help you better connect and convey your feelings which can improve your connection to them. Well, what can we do to try and have healthy communications with our loved ones? Let me help you with a few easy steps you can start using to have effective and healthy communication.

Nothing is imposssible Let’s start with the most important one. Being able to listen actively to our partner or friend. I believe that active listening is so much more than just not talking, but also trying to understand the emotions the speaker is trying to convey. It is an art that requires a genuine interest in the other person, a curiosity rather than an anticipative mind. You will be surprised at how much you will be able to learn about the other person. Another one of my personal favorites is, keeping our emotions in check.

How many times have you felt stressed during a disagreement with your spouse, kids, boss, friends, or coworkers and then said or done something you later regretted?

Everybody has a need to feel: seen, heard and recognised An effective way to tackle this to take a step back and pause to collect out thoughts, of course, it is easier said than done. Take a moment to calm down before deciding to continue a conversation or reschedule it. By giving yourself time to think, you will be able to identify your feelings and the real reason of the statement you are going to make. One last bit of advice: Give up the need to be right. A conversation with your partner is not a battle that you have to win. You don’t have anything to prove. That often leads to losing the goal of the conversation. You know that working things out between you can be a messy process, and you expect to have reactions.

WAIT: Why Am I Talking?

Like painting or singing, communication in relationships is a skill that requires practice. If you would like to improve communication in your relationships, you have to make conscious efforts and take steps that might make you step out of your comfort zone or nothing will change.

For more, follow me on Instagram: Saha_mamta and Facebook: Mamta Saha. Sign up for my free e-book on www.mamtasaha.com and reach out if you have any questions: mamta@mamtasaha.com. Good luck dear one x

Practice mindfulness in daily life, reduce stress Peaceful moments are scarce in current times. eating food, it could be that you are walking Most of the time we are juggling multiple tasks from one room to the next room. It could be while our mind runs down other things. Being that you are sitting and watching a show or completely immersed in the present moment, being part of a conversation which you are not and mindful of what we are doing, gives us satdirectly involved in. Mindfulness is to fully isfaction, reduces our anxiety and relieves our engage with that experience, utilize all your stress. Practicing mindfulness has a lot of bensense organs, to make sure that you are expeefits like self-control, objectivity, improved riencing it more fully,” says Dr Chibber. concentration, mental clarity, among others.

Experiencing a moment to its fullest or immersing yourself in a task completely, Dr Kamna Chhibber, head of mental brings satisfaction in your life. It boosts your health and behavioural sciences at Fortis productivity as you complete the task at hand Memoria, Gurugram as quoted in a report as quickly. Dr Chhibber said, ”Mindfulness saying, “Mindfulness essentially says when you allows you to kind of slow yourself down to be are in a situation what you need to try doing is able to immerse yourself in the moment and to to be fully there. A lot of people may think fully do the things you would like to while you mindfulness may mean that we need to sit are actually fully enjoying them or doing the down and meditate, but it's not that. It's about best that you can do at that moment in able to engaging with experiences more fully and that achieve your own potential at that time and is something if it is done, it allows you to manwhatever the activity may be. It can have its age your stress levels better because you are various benefits as a result. It is oftentimes not constantly feeling pulled and pushed into suggested that mindful engagement and multiple directions.” mindful occupation is something very essen“Mindfulness can be applied to each and tial.” every aspect of your life. It becomes more about 'in the moment, in the To Our Readers present, in the here and now' good faith. Before you try in reports these publishing are We at the time you are doing an any of these remedies, please consult the doctor. We are not activity. That activity could be responsible for any adverse effects.- Editor

28

ART & CULTURE

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in brief

Indian Raga Festival

MUMS, CHILDREN, AND BABIES

Shefali Saxena IndianRaga Festival 2021 is a celebration of music and dance and a delightful experience for cultural aficionados.

The first-ever edition of the ‘IndianRaga Festival’ was acclaimed by fans and artists alike. It ended up attracting an audience of more than 10, 000 people online and more than 500 people attending the immersive festival in person.

This year's event will see unique music and dance productions created by UK-based artists who were guided by maestros and award-winning choreographers such as Sujata Banerjee MBE, Chitraleka Bolar, Divya Ravi, Vamshi Krishna Vishnudas, Prathap Ramachandra along with IndianRaga fellows, Mahesh Raghvan, Chiinthu Sarvan and Eshani Sathe.

A specially commissioned danceSamaja Vara,

conceptualised and performed by Ashwini Deshpande, Pranita Chaudhary, Anaya Vasudha Bolar and Ami Jayakrishnan will be showcased at the festival.

IndianRaga Festival 2021 will feature career-defining masterclasses by Chitraleka Bolar, Sujata Banerjee and Rekesh Chauhan as well as IndianRaga producer Mahesh Raghvan who are renowned globally for their rich contributions to Indian and

Western classical art forms.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Rekesh Chauhan said, "I am thrilled to be back performing in cities across the nation again and delivering a masterclass at the London Indian Raga Festival. The arts provide the gold dust in making our society richer - and we can now quench the thirst of music lovers once again. Churchill famously said, “never let a good crisis go to

waste”, the pandemic has provided never before seen opportunities for artists to create an abundance of work online and collaborate virtually with artists across the globe. At this masterclass session, I will be bringing these virtual collaborations to life showing how you can turn your creative passion and ideas into an international production."

Tez Ilyas set to embark on nationwide ‘Vicked’ tour One of the rising stars on the comedy circuit, Tez Ilyas, is set to embark on a nationwide tour later this year with a brand new and highly anticipated stand up show, ‘The Vicked Tour’. Tickets are on sale now from tezilyas.com. Tez said: "I have so missed my day job... that I do in the evenings. I cannot wait to tour the country and celebrate our freedom with my fans.”

Kicking off in Stockton-OnTees on 10 September 2021, the tour will visit Reading, G Live, Cambridge, Chester, Chorley, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Lincoln, Southport, Leamington Spa,

Peterborough, Derby, Harrogate, Kendal, Sheffield, Leeds, Oxford, Warwick, Leicester, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Nottingham, and a homecoming show at Blackburn’s King George’s Hall on 27 November before culminating in Manchester.

Described by The Guardian as ‘Blackburn’s Chris Rock’, Tez was nominated for Club Comedian of the Year in this year's Chortle Awards. As well as delivering his politically astute stand-up, he is one of the stars of hit sitcom Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three) and has appeared on a host of panel shows,

including Mock The Week and The Last Leg, as well as fronting his own critically-acclaimed cult-hit satirical series The Tez

O'Clock Show (Channel 4).

In April this year, Tez published his first book ‘The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13 ¾‘. In this suitably dramatic rollercoaster of a teenage memoir, Tez takes us back to where it all began: a working-class, insular British Asian Muslim community in his hometown of post-Thatcher Blackburn. Meet Ammi (Mum), Baji Rosey (the older sister), Shibz (the fashionable cousin), Was (the cool cousin), Shiry (the cleverest cousin) and a community with the most creative nicknames this side of Top Gun.

Cambridgeshire & West Sussex have started a six-week programme for mothers and their kids which will open new ways to meet and hang out with other new mums.

Murmuration Arts are holding a free sixweek online programme for new mums in Crawley and Peterborough, where they can get to know each other and their babies through creativity in music. Sessions will run weekly on Wednesday mornings for six weeks. More information is available on @MurmurationArts on Twitter.

BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

Lost for 80 years, a classic film set to premiere at BFI A film which was thought to have been destroyed by the Nazis has been restored to be officially premiered after 80 years at BFI next month.

The BFI announced the rediscovery, restitution and restoration of Stefan and Franciszka Themersons’ long lost 1931 anti-fascist masterpiece Europa, available to new audiences 80 years after it was seized in Paris during the Second World War. The official website gives some context to this sudden discovery. It read, “Originally

Estate, the Commission for Looted Art in Europe negotiated the restitution of the film from the Bundesarchiv, which had preserved the a representational image from Europa original nitrate film since the reunification believed to have been destroyed of Germany in the 1990s.” by the Nazis, Stefan and “Europa has now been Franciszka Themersons’ donated by the Themerson incendiary film was Estate to the BFI National rediscovered by chance in the Archive for long term Bundesarchiv, Berlin, in 2019. preservation. Housed at the On behalf of the Themerson BFI’s Master Film Store in

The Long Song You can be one of the first to see Suhayla ElBushra's adaptation of Andrea Levy's awardwinning novel The Long Song when it premieres at Chichester Festival Theatre this autumn.

Set in Jamaica during the last turbulent days of slavery and packed full of Levy's trademark wit and flair, this ebullient and life-affirming play finds humanity, humour and hope in the darkest of times.

This 'timely adaptation' (The Week) features a cast of fifteen, including Tara Tijani making her professional debut as July

and Llewella Gideon (Small Axe - Mangrove, The Real McCoy and Absolutely Fabulous) playing Old July.

The tickets cost £20 and the premiere will take place between Oct 1 to Oct 23.

Warwickshire, it has been brought together with original material from the Themersons’ other surviving films, most made after they arrived in England during the war and where they lived for the rest of their lives,” it added.

Fully restored in 2K, Europa will receive its world premiere at the 65th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express on Wednesday 6 October at BFI Southbank, the first time that the film has been seen since the early 1930s.

Date: 21 September – 3 October | Birmingham BIDF is back – live, outdoors and in venues.

You can join in with Birmingham’s signature dance festival and their imaginative and entertaining live programme - produced by DanceXchange and watch some amazing dance performances in venues and spaces across the city, from Centenary Square and Digbeth to Midlands Arts Centre and Cannon Hill Park.

CALLING ALL MARVEL FANS!

Mutiny: Asians storm British music This Wednesday, art lovers witnessed an absorbing and thrilling account of the contribution of Asian musicians to British pop in the 90s.

Over the course of seven years, Vivek Bald captured the rise and fall of what was always imperfectly described as the “Asian Underground”. Shot with virtually no budget in a style that mirrored the ethos of the featured legendary artists such as Asian Dub Foundation, Talvin Singh and Fun^Da^Mental. Mutiny: Asians Storm British Music is part music documentary, part social history and remains as a unique time-capsule on the music culture of the British Asian second generation.

Until 24 October | Suffolk Power of Stories is an exhibition in which three iconic costumes from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther are woven into a patchwork of storytelling traditions from across time and place. The outfits of T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye - featured in the extraordinary Black Panther film - sit alongside Marvel comics, historic museum objects, and local stories. From music to movies, carvings to cartoons, this exhibition questions the impact of stories on our perception of the world.

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BOLLYWOOD 29

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Deepika crashes Ranveer’s Insta AMA session, interaction leaves fans in splits Ranveer Singh conducted an Ask Me Anything session on Instagram for his fans. However, multiple celebrities pitched in to send in their own comments and questions including Tiger Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, and his wife and actress Deepika Padukone.

Arjun asked “How are you so sexy baba?” To which, Ranveer responded saying, “Aap ki training (It is all your training).” Meanwhile, Tiger called him a “beaasttt” and got a shout out too. “Sunday subah squats maare jayenge…

Tiger bhai ki shaan mein @tigerjackieshroff.”

However, the most interesting question was from

Deepika who wrote, “When are you coming home?”

Ranveer responded, “Khana garam kar lo baby, main abhi buss punch hi raha soon (Heat up the food, baby, I am just about to reach).” The celebrity couple often have such exchanges over the internet, and their fans are there for it.

On the work front, Ranveer and Deepika will be seen together in Kabir Khan’s sports drama '83’. While he will play former cricketer Kapil Dev, she will be seen as his wife Romi Bhatia. The movie also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Boman Irani, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk, Harrdy Sandhu, and others.

Aamir’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ completes production Aamir Khan’s much-awaited movie ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ has finally finished its production stages, as announced by its makers last week.

Backed by Aamir Khan Productions, Viacom18 Studios and Paramount Pictures, the movie also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan.

An official adaptation of Tom Hanks’ movie 1994 ‘Forrest Gump’, the movie went on floors last year and was shot across 100 locations in the country.

Makers of the revealed movie shoot wrapped up recently, and the cast and crew celebrated the moment on its set.

Helmed by Advait Chandan, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’s screenplay credit will be shared between Atul Kulkarni, and Eric Roth who adapted the 1986 novel.

The movie chronicled the life story of the titular protagonist, a slow-witted but kindhearted man from Alabama. The movie went on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director. ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ is scheduled to be released on Christmas this year.

Sidharth Malhotra on character in

‘Mission Majnu’

Shamita Shetty receives a ‘tight squeeze’ from sister Shilpa Actor Shilpa Shetty reunited with sister Shamita Shetty, who returned home after completing her journey of six weeks in the Bigg Boss OTT house. The Karan Johar-hosted show had its finale recently. While Shamita finished as the second runner-up, Divya Agarwal emerged the winner.

Shilpa, who has been constantly rooting for Shamita, gave her a warm welcome. She also shared adorable photos on her Instagram account with a caption that read, “And my Tunki is back yaaay. You not gonna be able to get out of this tight SQUEEZE @shamitashetty_official . Welcome home.”

Later in the day, Shamita also shared a video on her official Instagram account. In the video, the 'Mohabbatein' actor thanked her fans and well-wishers for their constant support. “Thank you everyone for all the love and all the support, and for keeping me in for so long. I am amazed by your support. I love you all. Stay blessed and stay positive, always,” she said in the video.

Shamita was praised by her fans for playing the Bigg Boss game with grace. The actor, who had earlier participated in Bigg Boss 3, called her Bigg Boss OTT journey very different. “It has been different. I have learnt a lot from this house,” Shamita told Karan during the grand finale episode of the reality show.

In a recent interview, actor Sidharth Malhotra spoke in depth about his character of a RAW agent in his upcoming film ‘Mission Majnu’. The movie marks the feature directorial debut of ad filmmaker Shantanu Bagchi, and is produced by Ronnie Screwvala of RSVP, and Amar Butala and Garima Mehta.

Sidharth said, “This is a film inspired by true events. It’s about an important mission that RAW did. It is more of a thriller than action.

This is the first time I am playing a spy agent but it is not a James Bond character. I am somebody who keeps manipulating people to get

information out. In that manipulation, I got an opportunity to play various shades that I had not in the past. It’s a tone and world that is completely fresh. I have not done a period film before. It was a new experience.”

Inspired by real events set in the 1970s, ‘Mission Majnu’ follows the story of India’s most courageous mission in the heart of Pakistan that forever changed the relationship between both nations. Penned by Parveez Shaikh and Aseem Arrora of 'Bellbottom' fame and 'Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana' writer Sumit Batheja, 'Mission Majnu' also marks the Bollywood acting debut of south star Rashmika Mandanna.

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Priyanka Chopra joins the Producers Guild of America Actor, producer and writer Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been inducted into the Producers Guild of America (PGA) as a member of the organisation. The guild shared the announcement on Twitter. The post read, “#MembershipMonday : @producersguild welcomes actress, singer, and film producer @priyankachopra as a member. Ms. Chopta Jonas has 14 producer credits to her name, including an executive producer credit for #TheWhiteTiger.”

The PGA is a non-profit trade organisation that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media. It has over 8,000 members spanning the full Producing Team in Scripted, Non-Fiction, Documentary, Animation, and New Media sectors.

Chopra expressed her gratitude on Twitter. She wrote, “Grateful to be inducted. Thank you @producersguild.”

Priyanka’s most recently produced and starred in Ramin Bahrani’s ‘The White Tiger’ based on Aravind Adiga’s 2008 novel of the same name, was nominated for best adapted screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards. The actor will be next seen in the highly-anticipated ‘The Matrix: Resurrections’, starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. On the work front, she has multiple projects including rom-com ‘Text For You’, Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Citadel’, a movie on Ma Anand Sheela, and Farhan Akhtar’s directorial ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ alongside Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.

I don’t live with fear of people: Akanksha Kapoor Actress Akanksha Ranjan Kapoor celebrated her 28th birthday last week, and for her, it’s the year of taking a step towards embracing her “loud” self and finally letting go of the fear of getting judged. Speaking in an interview, Akanksha said, “Over these years, I’ve learnt to embrace my true self, including the insecurities, 100 per cent. I have a very loud personality, in general.

I was someone who used to get cautious if anyone said anything about me, I used to be, ‘Oh My God’. I’m someone who talks or laughs loudly.”

She added, “I’ve realised that it’s important for you to be you, and just get over the fear of people.” Akanksha made her acting debut with the web film ‘Guilty’ last year, asserting that there’s just no way to live otherwise.

Akanksha said, “People who don’t like you, will not like you even when you do something which is the best. So, it’s better you do what pleases you.”

This was Akanksha’s second birthday amid the pandemic, and she celebrated it in London. “London is my favourite city. After wrapping up my work, I just took a flight to the city. And I plan to do nothing here. I’m actually not doing anything here, not even shopping. I’m just chilling, walking in a park and picking up coffee. Earlier, I was doing nothing in Mumbai and now I’m doing nothing in London.”

Kangana reacts to Ryan Reynolds’ statement 'Hollywood is mimicking Bollywood' Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds recently appeared in a promotional video for his film ‘Free Guy’, in which he addressed his Indian fans.

Describing the multiple aspects of the movie, Ryan noted that the film sounds similar to a typical Bollywood movie. He said, “If you’re wondering whether Hollywood is just mimicking Bollywood…Well, the answer is yes.

We have no shame, no shame at all.”

Many reacted to the clip, including actress Kangana Ranaut, who shared an Instagram post featuring Reynolds’ statement. Kangana said Hollywood is trying to steal theatre screens as well. She said, “And trying to steal our screens…” Kangana had recently expressed her concerns over

Hollywood films overshadowing Indian films in India.

She had said at a recent press conference, “We need to discourage American and English movies as they are taking over our screens. We need to behave like one nation. We need to stop dividing ourselves like North India or South India. We need to enjoy our own films first, be it Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu or Punjabi.”

She added, “This is what they are doing here also… We don’t appreciate each other, and rather see the dubbed versions of ‘Lion King’ or ‘Jingle Book’. But we will not give a dubbed version of a Malayalam film a chance.

This will not work in our favour. We must keep our people and our industry our priority.

This is the way to make an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Kind of take it positively, Jacqueline Fernandez on internet trolling

In his new chat show ‘Bak Bak With Baba’, actor Arjun Kapoor conducted a quiz segment with his guest, and ‘Bhoot Police’ co-star Jacqueline Fernandez. The two talked about their school crushes, eating habits, and online trolling. Fernandez also spoke about starving herself in her younger days.

When asked about the importance of food in her life, Arjun said it wasn’t so high up on her priority list. “I definitely love to celebrate with food, for instance, today was our wrap. I got food for everybody. We cut a cake with my team. I feel it’s nice that celebrate with food.

There was a phase in my 20s when I did turn to food and that was late at night. I lived alone so it was like cake, ice cream, anything crispy. I actually did have a terrible relationship with food and then I went starving for a week, which is really bad for you. So, now it’s about knowing that I don’t need to turn to it, tomorrow is another day and we will get through it.”

Jacqueline also talked about online trolling and the “meanest things” she has read about herself online. “It’s ok, we all get it. I read things about myself how terrible I sound, how terrible my accent is and how I speak Hindi, bad criticism on how I look.” When asked how she deals with it, she said, “I kind of take it like positively. I am like ok what do they mean. Then, I feel may be there is some room for improvement. There is some criticism where you feel this person is being nasty. Some actually makes sense to me.

This is why Amitabh endorses a paan masala brand

For those wondering why a person of Amitabh Bachchan’s stature endorses a paan masala brand, we may finally have an answer for you. Amitabh recently responded to a person, identified as his “top fan” on Facebook, who questioned the actor about signing an endorsement deal for a paan masala brand. Amitabh endorses the brand along with Ranveer Singh, while another brand of paan masala is endorsed by Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan.

Addressing Amitabh, his fan wrote, “प्रणाम सर ससफफ एक बात ही पूछनी है,, आपसेक्या जरूरत है, आपको भी कमला पसन्द पान मसाले का सिज्ञापन करना पड़ा,,सफर क्या फकफहैआपमेऔर इन टटपुँसजयो में(Why did you need to do pan masala ad? Sir, you are an idol for millions of people. If you do such ads, what is the difference between you and these sell-outs?).” Many people spoke about this on the actor’s timeline, commenting that he was sending the wrong message to the country by doing such ads.

The actor wrote, “Vijay Kalla मान्यिर, क्षमा प्राथी​ीहूँ, सकसी भी व्यिसाय में यसद सकसी का भला हो रहा है, तो ये नहीं सोचना चासहए सक हम उसकेसाथ क्यूँजुड़ रहेहैं! हाँ, यसद व्यिसाय हैतो उसमेंहमेंभी अपनेव्यिसाय केबारेमेंसोचना पड़ता है। अब आपको येलग रहा हैकी मुझेयेनहीं करना चासहए था, लेसकन इसको करनेसे, हाँमुझेभी धनरासि समलती है, लेसकन हमारे उद्योग मेंजो बहुत सेलोग काम कर रहेhain (Sir, I ask for your forgiveness. If someone is doing well in their business, we should not wonder why we are joining them. If there is a business, we also have to think of our business. You feel I should not have done this, I was also paid for it but there are many people working in our profession).”

On the work front, Amitabh is currently hosting TV show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 13’.

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25 Sep - 1 Oct 2021

Aishwarya wraps up Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ 19 test on a regular basis. ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ marks Aishwarya’s fourth collaboration with Mani Ratnam. It will be released in two parts.

Both Aishwarya and Ratnam have worked together in multiple projects like ‘Iruvar’, ‘Guru’, and ‘Raavanan’. ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is based on writer Kalki Krishnamurthy’s historical fiction novel of the same name. Set in the backdrop of Chola Dynasty, the novel has been adapted for the big screen by Ratnam along with writer B Jeyamohan, who has penned dialogues for the movie.

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has wrapped up the shoot of Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. She took to Instagram to share a poster of the period drama and revealed that the movie is scheduled to hit the screens around summer in 2022. Aishwarya went back to shooting for the film after lockdown regulations were eased around the country.

The team shot in Puducherry, and then moved to Hyderabad for the next schedule. Aishwarya recently filmed an elaborate song sequence in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. Along with 400 junior artists, she ensured she undertook a Covid-

Nabha Natesh on ‘Andhadhun’ remake Actor Nabha Natesh, who is all set to feature in ‘Maestro’, a remake of acclaimed Hindi film ‘Andhadhun’, says she approached the project as a fresh film. She plays the character of Sophie, originally played by Radhika Apte in the Sriram Raghavan directorial. ‘Maestro’ features actor Nithiin stepping into the shoes of Ayushmann Khurrana to play a blind piano player who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a murder.

In an interview, Natesh said she avoided falling into the trap of comparing how Apte had performed the role to retain freshness in her portrayal. “I didn’t want to compare with what she had done in the original film. My take on the character was to (understand) the mindset of a person who falls in love with a visually impaired person. Sophie looks at him as someone so strong, who has a desire for life which is beyond his visual impairment. I thought my character should stand on the zeal of his character and build it accordingly,” she said.

Directed by Merlapaka Gandhi and produced

by Shresht Movies, ‘Maestro’ is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The film also stars Tamannaah Bhatia in the role originally essayed by Tabu in the National Awardwinning 'Andhadhun'.

Natesh said in her Telugu film career of three years and of nearly seven movies, ‘Maestro’ was the first remake she worked in.

“The original film had made a huge impact. It proved that people will watch and support a film like Andhadhun if it’s well made. Bringing that content to Telugu, which may not have been seen before in the industry, was extremely exciting.

My character is nothing like what I had done previously. But I thought if I watch the film again, I would get into a conflict. I followed what the director was asking me to do. I didn’t remember every single frame of the original film, so ‘Maestro’ was a fresh film for me once I went on sets to begin filming,” she said.

Prithviraj’s ‘Bhramam’ set to premiere on Amazon Prime next month Malayalam superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran’s crime thriller ‘Bhramam’ just got a release date.

The film will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on October 7, as announced by the streaming giant.

Directed by Ravi K Chandran, the movie will be jointly produced by AP International and Viacom18 Studios. It also stars Unni Mukundan, Raashi Khanna, Sudheer Karamana, and Mamta Mohandas in pivotal roles.

‘Bhramam’ dwells on the dualities of a pianist who pretends to be blind, played by Prithviraj. His journey takes him into the middle of a murder mystery and as the plot thickens, a set of bizarre events unfold. Prithviraj also took to Twitter to share the announcement.

He added that ‘Bhramam’ will also arrive in theatres worldwide barring India.

His tweet read, “Proud to introduce my film, Bhramam - available in India only on @primevideoin and in theatres worldwide (except India) from 7th Oct, 2021.”

On the work front, the actor was last seen in ‘Kuruthi’. He is also returning to direction with Mohanlal-starrer ‘Bro Daddy’, which also features his mother Mallika Sukumaran.

Vijay Deverakonda’s new photo from ‘Liger’ is as intense as they come Shooting for the highly-anticipated actio movie ‘Liger’ resumed last week.

Makers are currently filming the intense action stretches in mixed martial arts (MMA) formal involving actor Vijay Deverakonda and other foreign fighters.

The film’s co-producer Charmme Kaur shared the news along with a new still of Vijay from the sets on social media. She wrote, “BLOOD SWEAT VIOLENCE begins today.. #shootmode #beastmode #LIGER #salaacrossbreed.” In a brand new photo, a

shredded Vijay is seen resting in a caged MMA ring, while showing off a tattoo. It also showcased the actor with a complete new cornrows hairdo and a ponytail.

Directed by Puri Jagannadh, ‘Liger’ marks the Bollywood debut of Deverakonda. It also stars Ananya Panday as the female lead. Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Bose Roy are also on board to play other pivotal roles. Bankrolled by Puri Connects and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the movie will have a simultaneous release in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

SATURDAY 25 SEP 6.00

TV Listing

Saajan Vina Suno Sansaar

13.00 Narsinh Mehta (Re-run) 14.00 RASOI SHOW

18.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 19.00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 27 SEP FRI 1 OCT 2021 6.00

Maa Tara Haiya Na Het

13.00 Narsinh Mehta (Re-run) 14.00 RASOI SHOW

18.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI 19.00 BHAKT GORA KUMBHAR

19.30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

20.00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI 21.00 PREM NI BHAVAI

21.30 BOLO KETLA TAKA

SUNDAY 26 SEP

12.00 Aa Chhe Aapni Dosti Unlimited Yaar

15.00 Fodi Laishu Yaar

19.30 MARU MAN MOHI GAYU

18.00 PREM NI BHAVAI

21.00 PREM NI BHAVAI

19.30 ABHILASHA - EK ASTITVANI

20.00 RASHI RIKSHAWALI

21.30 BOLO KETLA TAKA

19.00 SHU CHALE CHE

22.00 SHU CHALE CHE

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 27 SEP FRI 1 OCT 2021 8.30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 17.30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 19.00 19.30 20.00 20.30 21.00 21.30

DIL KA RISHTA BHAGYA KA LIKHA EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN DIL SE DIL TAK BARRISTER BABU BALIKA VADHU 2 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2

SATURDAY 25 SEP 16.30 RASOI SHOW-DESI FLAVOURS 17.30 DESI BEAT (SEASON 3) 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 19.30 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 DESI BEAT RESET 21.00 FEET UP WITH THE STARS (SEASON 2) 21.30 SASURAL SIMAR KA 2 SUNDAY 26 SEP 14.00 BIGG BOSS 15 (WEEKEND KA VAAR) 18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 19.30 EK SHRINGAAR SWABHIMAAN 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK 20.30 DESI BEAT RESET 21.00 FEET UP WITH THE STARS (SEASON 2) 21.30 DESI BEAT RESET

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Kohli to step down as RCB skipper and T20 captain

Barely few days after announcing his decision to step down as India’s T20 captain, Virat Kohli announced the change of guard at the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore from next season.

On the eve of RCB’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi, the Bengaluru-based franchise’s skipper took to social media to announce the end of his reign at the helm that has

lasted nine years. “… before the second leg of the tournament starts, I have spoken to the squad this evening to inform everyone that this is going to be my last leg in the IPL as captain of RCB. This is something that was on my mind for a while as I recently announced stepping down from T20 captaincy as well to manage my workload, which has been immense over so many years. I want to be able to be committed to the responsibility that I am fulfilling,” the 32-year-old batsman stated.

Explaining on what prompted his decision, Kohli,

who has led RCB in 132 matches, explained, “I felt I needed the space to refresh, regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward and also, understanding that RCB is going to go through a transitional phase with the big auction coming in next year.” On more than one occasion during his 2plus-minute video message, Kohli reiterated that he would stay committed to the franchise till his IPL retirement.

Last week Kohli announced that he will step down as India's T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in UAE but will continue to lead the side in ODIs and Test cricket. "I've decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in

October," Kohli said in a statement posted on his Twitter page.

For some time, there has been speculation about Kohli's future as white-ball captain especially in the backdrop of Rohit Sharma's brilliant track record of winning five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians.

"I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward," he further added. The decision, Kohli said, was taken after consulting head coach Ravi Shastri, his heir apparent Rohit, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah. The T20 World Cup starts on October 17.

October 17, 19 and 21, also in Rawalpindi.

“The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) board convened this weekend to discuss these extra England women’s and men’s games in Pakistan and we can confirm that the board has reluctantly decided to withdraw both teams from the October trip,” the ECB said in a statement.

“The mental and physical wellbeing of our players and support staff remains our highest priority and this is even more critical given the times we are currently living in.

“We know there are increasing concerns about travelling to the region and

believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments.” The move is a bitter blow for Pakistan, which became a no-go area for international teams after a deadly 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore.

Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja said England had failed his nation’s cricket team by pulling out of the tour. “Disappointed with England, pulling out of their commitment and failing a member of their cricket fraternity when it needed it most,” tweeted the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman.

After New Zealand, England too call off Pakistan tour First it was New Zealand which abruptly abandoned their tour of Pakistan citing a security alert in a massive blow to the South Asian country's hopes of staging regular international cricket. Following the footsteps of New Zealand, England also withdrew their men’s and women’s teams from next month’s white-ball series in Pakistan citing “increasing concerns about travelling to the region”. The historic trip, which would have been the first ever by an England women’s team and the first by their male counterparts since 2005, was in serious doubt from the moment New Zealand pulled out of their own series in Pakistan last week over security fears.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) then issued a statement announcing their decision to call off the tour. "Following an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for

Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground, it has been decided the Blackcaps will not continue with the tour," it said. NZC declined to share details of the security threat and said arrangements were being made for the team's departure. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told her Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan that the cricket team could have been attacked, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed told reporters.

Pakistan security agencies did not have any such information, he added.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi was due to host England men’s and women’s Twenty20 doubleheaders on October 13 and 14 as their men prepare for next month’s T20 World Cup. Heather Knight’s women’s team were then due to play oneday internationals (ODIs) on

IPL: Nine-wicket win for Royal Challengers An authoritative Kolkata Knight Riders bossed Royal Challengers Bangalore from the beginning to the end to record a convincing nine-wicket win in their IPL match on Monday. Showing serious intent after their mediocre outing in the first phase of the league earlier this year, the Knight Riders bowlers fired in unison to bundle out Royal Challengers Bangalore for a paltry 92. Then, the opening duo of Shubman Gill and debutant Venkatesh Iyer played some breathtaking shots and made light work of the chase of 93, completing the formality with as many as 10 overs to spare.

Shubman Gill was dismissed for 48, but the damage was already done. Venkatesh Iyer

finished things off in style.

Varun Chakravarthy starred for KKR with the ball after RCB captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat. Chakravarthy picked up three wickets for 13 in his four overs. Andre Russell also picked up three wickets, while Lockie Ferguson picked up two wickets. Prasidh Krishna also picked the all-important wicket of Kohli.

Chennai beat Mumbai by 20 runs Chennai Super Kings (156/6) beat Mumbai Indians (136/8) by 20 runs to once again become tabletoppers in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. Chasing 157 to win, MI lost the plot when Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya were dismissed in quick succession to leave them at 94/6. Before that, Deepak Chahar had Quinton de Kock out LBW for 17 to give CSK their first breakthrough and followed it with with wicket of Anmolpreet Singh, whom he clean bowled.

Shardul Thakur then struck

in his first over getting the big wicket of Suryakumar Yadav. In the first innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad hit his 6th IPL 50 and finished on 88 off 58 balls as CSK posted 156/6. Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Adam Milne picked up two wickets each.

Gaikwad added 81 runs with Ravindra Jadeja before Bumrah broke the partnership with Jadeja's wicket. MI struck in the first over of the innings with Boult dismissing Faf du Plessis for a duck. Then, Milne and Boult dismissed Moeen Ali and Suresh Raina in the next two overs to reduce CSK to 7/3. It later became 24/4 in the Powerplay with Milne getting MS Dhoni's wicket. Ambati Rayudu had to retire hurt after getting hit on the elbow.

in brief KUMBLE BACK ON BCCI'S RADAR FOR HEAD COACH'S POST Life may come to a full circle for Anil Kumble as the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI might ask him to apply for the post of head coach of the Indian team along with VVS Laxman once Ravi Shastri finishes his term after the T20 World Cup. Kumble was the coach of the Indian team for a year between 2016-17 when the Cricket Advisory Committee headed by Sachin Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly had appointed him, replacing Shastri. However a bitter fall-out with captain Virat Kohli led to Kumble tendering his resignation after the Champions Trophy final defeat against Pakistan. Along with Kumble, the board may also approach Laxman, who has been a mentor of the IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad for some years now. However Kumble will be favourite even as Laxman will also remain in contention. "Anil Kumble's exit needs course correction. The manner in which the CoA succumbed to the pressure of Kohli and removed him, wasn't the best example set.

However it also depends on whether Kumble or Laxman are ready to apply for the job," a senior BCCI source privy to development said. Kohli has already announced that he will quit as T20 captain after the World Cup. For the BCCI brass, a reputed Indian coach is always the first choice and both Kumble and Laxman with their stature in Indian cricket with 100 plus Test matches along with coaching experience fit the bill perfectly. A foreign coach is the second option.

"The criteria for BCCI's coach's job will be such that only a select few with very good record as player as well as experience of coaching/mentorship can apply for the top job," the source said. Asked if Vikram Rathour is in contention, the official said,"He can apply if he wishes to but he doesn't have the stature to become a head coach of the Indian cricket team." "He is at best an assistant coach.

However, when we select the new coach, he will have a team all by himself. So let's wait and watch," the source concluded.

BCCI CONFIRMS OFFER TO PLAY TWO EXTRA T20IS IN ENGLAND The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that it has offered to play two extra T20Is during the Indian team's tour of England in July 2022 to compensate for the losses suffered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) due to cancellation of Manchester Test because of Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. "It is correct that we have offered to play two extra T20Is when we visit England next July (only for the white-ball games). Instead of three T20Is, we will play five T20Is. Alternately, we will be willing to play a oneoff Test as well. It is up to them to choose either of the offers," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said.

INDIAN WOMEN LOSE BY 36 RUNS Indian women’s team made a disappointing start to its tour of Australia as it suffered a 36-run loss in a 50-over warm-up match at Brisbane last week. Opener Rachael Haynes (65), Meg Lanning (59) and Beth Mooney (59) smashed individual fifties as Australia posted a challenging 278 for nine after batting first at the Ian Healy Oval. In reply, India could only manage 242 for seven in their 50 overs with Pooja Vastrakar (57) emerging as the top-scorer. For Australia, Ellyse Perry (2/38) made a successful return to new-ball duties as she, along with 19-year-old quick Stella Campbell (3/38), snapped two wickets each inside the first 15 overs to leave India reeling at 88 for four. Perry produced a disciplined performance, bowling a tight line and was rewarded with the wickets of opener Smriti Mandhana (14) and Mithali Raj (1). Campbell made her case for an international debut as she got rid of Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh (11) early. Yastika Bhatia (41) then gave ample display of her resilience as she negotiated a barrage of short balls from Darcie Brown, 18, before being dismissed by leftarm finger spinner Sophie Molineux (1/12).