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Health & Healing Causes and cure for blackheads on the nose See Page - 18

BollyCat Another British Indian beauty joins Bollywood See Page -21

VOL 38. ISSUE 47

VOICE

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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SEE INSIDE .... Happy Easter to all!

See Page -19

Raj Patel denies to be the new world saviour See Page - 5

3rd April to 9th April 2010

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Congress targets Mody-fied Bachchan

World Sikh Convention in New Delhi next week

tised with the 2002 post Godhra riots. Congress spokesman asked Bachchan whether Amitabh would distance himself from Narendra Modi.

SGPC and Akal Takht have distanced from the meet Various issues facing the Sikh Panth, including the role of Akal Takht, will be debated threadbare at the World Sikh Convention that has been convened jointly by the DSGMC and various Sikh organisations at Gurdwara Raqab Ganj in New Delhi on April 10 and 11. Though the SGPC and the SAD have distanced themselves from the convention, organisers expect over 400 delegates from overseas besides a large number of Sikh intellectuals and representatives of various Sikh organisations to attend it. Harvinder Singh Sarna of the DSGMC said efforts made to resolve some of the major issues, including ex-communication of former Akal Takht Jathedar Darshan Singh, have been futile. “There is confusion and a general mood of despondency in the Panth over the recent developments, including

Continued on page 24

Congress says Amitabh should take a stand on Narendra Modi

The antagonism between Amitabh Bachchan and Congress has suddenly erupted into a full scale war, as the latter mounted

frontal attack on the icon of Indian cinema for siding with Chief Minister Narendra Modi as Gujarat tourism brand ambassa-

100 Gujarat sailors held captive by Somali pirates Atleast 8 dhows were hijacked a week ago, one with failed engine let off Seven dhows, all belonging to Gujarat vessel owners were hijacked by Somali pirates on Saturday last week. Nearly 100 crew members have been held captive, Kutch Vahanvati Association president Kasam Ali has said. Government of India has said they are trying to ascertain the facts. “Over 80-100 crew members of these vessels have been captured. We have already approached the port authorities and

the Director General Shipping in this regard,” he said. “They are trying to locate the ships and make contact with the pirates. But nothing has materialised till now,” the head of the 140member KVA said. “We have lost all communication with the crew. Nor have the pirates made contact with us. We are just waiting for information about the vessels,” he said. Continued on page 24

dor. The latest blogwar unleashed by Narendra Modi and Amitabh Bachchan apperantly propelled the Congress to seek an explanation from the Big B-will you clarify your stand on Gujarat riots and the involvement of Modi in it? The hostility between the superstar and the Congress outshadowed the Bandra-Worli sea link episode in which a section of the Maharashtra Congress objected the presence of Bachchan in the inaugral function. While Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan tried to wriggle out the controversy, Narendra Modi’s blog shifted the attension of Congress. The Gujarat Chief Minister branded Congress and those opposing Amitabh Bachchan as “Talibans of untouchability”. Modi went on to say that Congress would perhaps go to any length in

opposing him and Gujarat. The Modi blog sparked heated reaction, as Congress said they have problem as Amitabh Bachchan is endorsing Narendra Modi and Gujarat, which is stigma-

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Former Union Minister criticises India's attitude towards Pakistan in a London book launch By Rupanjana Dutta On 24th March, Mani Shankar Aiyar launched his two books 'Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist' and 'A Time of Transition: Rajiv Gandhi in the 21st Century' at the Nehru Centre in the presence of the Indian High Commissioner HE Nalin Surie, Rt. Hon. Lord Lamont of Lerwick and Farzana Sheikh. Mani Shankar Aiyar is a former Indian diplomat who resigned from the foreign service and became a politician working for Rajiv Gandhi in 19891991. He is a member of the Indian National Congress party and was Panchayati Raj Minister until he lost his seat in the 2009 Election. He served as Union Cabinet Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas from May 2004 through January 2006 and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports till 2009. He represented the Mayiladuthurai constituency of Tamil Nadu in the 14th Lok Sabha. Recently he has been nominated to the Upper House of the Indian Parliament as a renowned social worker and distinguished litterateur by the President. Mani Shankar Aiyar

not privilege.” Gandhi said, “India of my dream is when poor will have effective voice in the democracy.” Mr Aiyar, also heavily criticised the r e l a t i o n between India and Pakistan especially India's attitude towards Pakistan. He HE Nalin Surie, Farzana Sheikh, Lord Lamont of Lerwick and Mani said, “India Shankar Aiyar formally launching the books at Nehru Centre must enter into a dialogue with not understand the others' held the Indian democraPakistan which is not only faith. Yet accepts another cy in a complete different uninterrupted, rather is light and highlighted the person with all his/her uninterruptible. He said aspect of secularism diversity as an Indian. that syndrome of the which is often passed on With the galore of Indo-Pak relation is not to as just an element of praise, Mr Aiyar shifts our talk when needed to. Indian existence. notice to the side of the India ceases looking at He said that Indian Indian government that Pakistan in a monochrodemocracy has gone has remained neglected. matic way but by engaging through innumerable He brings our notice the Pakistan, India can even changes entering into an under development in out the differences.” local government. He era of coalition governAbsence of dialogue with explained that local govment. It has survived Pakistan will lead no ernment requires a local global economic downwhere and India cannot power for self sustenance. turn and sustained growth take its due weight. “Our administration in 15 years. He emphaInternationally, while hismachinery is very cumbersised that very religion is tory divides India and some, leading to stagnanvibrant in India. It is one Pakistan, we are geocy in human developof the most diverse coungraphically Siamese tries with 28 languages ment...Resources cannot twins, and it is important and 3000 dialects. He be used without disruptwe bridge the gap. India defined a true Indian as ing communities especialobviously could be a one who does not follow ly tribals etc. To ensure nation, the world looks up the same faith as others, their faith in the democrato, provided it proves to does not speak the same cy, we need deepen it and be a better neighbour. language as others or does ensure their entitlement if

Prime Minister apologises to Joanna Lumley over Gurkha row The Prime Minister has said "sorry" to the Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley after Defence and Veterans' Minister Kevan Jones criticised her for abandoning her fight for Gurkha’s rights. Mr Jones apologised last week "unreservedly for any offence caused" after Mr Jones had told

MPs there had been a "deathly silence" from Ms Lumley since her successful campaign last year to win settlement rights for Gurkhas. The actress was due to hold her own news conference last week responding to his attack on her, Mr Jones said his only concern had been to

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Joanna Lumley with PM Gordon Brown in last May

stop middle-men "ripping off vulnerable exGurkhas" trying to move to the UK. He said in a statement: "I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused to Joanna Lumley by my remarks to the Home Affairs Committee — this was not intended. "I have the greatest of respect for Joanna for the superb work that she has done on Gurkha issues. And I know that the whole nation has immense respect for the bravery and courage shown by the Gurkhas now and in the past. "I want to put on the record that I accept that Joanna and her campaign did not seek to mislead Gurkhas about the life that they could expect if they relocated to the UK.

"My sole concern, and that of this Government, with which I know Joanna agrees, is to stop unscrupulous middlemen ripping off and misleading vulnerable ex-Gurkhas who are entitled to settle in the UK when our free service already exists to help them without charge." Downing Street said Gordon Brown held what it called a “positive” telephone conversation with Ms Lumley, in which he expressed regret over Mr. Jones' comment. Chairman of the South London Nepalese Gurkha Association and retired British Gurkha veteran Rag Purja told a national daily: "Joanna Lumley and her fellow campaigners won a fantastic victory for the

Marmalade Drops

The Oscar Curse As this is my first piece for Asian Voice, I had every intention to start with something, powerful, hard hitting and inspirational. Being a family lawyer I’m not short on relationship content, I come across all sorts of people and all sorts of stories. The one thing it does help with is perspective – that singledom is just a stage of life and should be enjoyed in its own right rather than something to run away from. But one of the biggest mixed signals for young 20 something women of my generation is this – they are told to study hard, get a profession, be successful, but don’t be too successful otherwise no one will want to marry you?This at first glance may seem to do with the British Indian mentality, as young female Indians of similar middle class backgrounds are off pursuing and leading fulfilling lives that are not necessarily orientated around conventional projections of what a future should look like. But actually it would seem that it’s not really about culture, as is clear after reading an article in The Times this week about The Oscar Curse. The Oscar Curse is likely to strike the winner of the Best Female Actor award. Soon after receiving the highest accolade in the film industry, it is highly probable that her marriage or relationship will soon break down. And as we go to press it would seem the latest causality Sandra Gurkhas last year, and gave us all the right to come and live in Britain. "Whilst some Gurkhas may have fallen on hard times, the majority of us are far better off in the UK and have access to world class medical care that is just not available in Nepal. "It is the

By Deepti V. Patel

Bullock has also been hit by the curse! It is doubtful there is such a curse attached to the Best Male Actor award. So do women just need to accept that success might be a lonely road? Do we make conscious decisions to focus on one area of our lives at the expense of another and at what cost? Why is it that successful women must beware of flaunting success - be it a successful marriage, career or the Holy Grail, both? I end on this note – conversely we often hear about men who genuinely work really hard to provide for their families and their wives are just after their money. So therefore isn’t it just logical that educating women and supporting their success should be seen as a blessing than a curse – because of a shared understanding of work ethic. Surely that’s not something to be scared of? Maybe the key is about striking a balance, at the right time, for the right person. Until then women who have a pocket full of dreams should want to explore as much as they can. I hopefully in the weeks to come I’ll deliver some powerful, hard hitting and inspirational piece I so want to share with you! Deepti is a lawyer based in London. She has previously written for The Guardian and New Statesman and sits on a number of charitable boards. Government's responsibility, not Joanna Lumley, to now help the Gurkhas who arrive in the UK." Under new rules, announced in May by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, all Gurkhas with more than four years service have the right to apply for settlement in the UK with their families.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

COMMENT

Obama's praiseworthy healthcare reform It took considerable courage and grit to stay the course as the brickbats flew around him, but President Barack Obama deserves praise at home and abroad for his healthcare reform. This legislation has been long overdue, but such was the power of entrenched insurance interests that it had become an untouchable sacred cow. Bill Clinton tried to do the unthinkable in his time at the White House but got his fingers badly burnt and dropped the subject like a hot potato. Barack Obama kept faith with the promise he had made on his election trail by placing healthcare reform at the top of his legislative agenda. He worked at a frenetic pace to convince the American public that such reform was necessary if the those in the country most in need of healthcare, but unable to afford its crippling costs, were to be empowered to live the American dream. Many of his Republican opponents and their allies ran a particularly nasty campaign in which the president's race and origin were brought into play. Black Congressmen often had to run the gauntlet of vicious racial abuse reminiscent of the era of civil rights. America still has demons it needs to exorcize. President Obama weathered the storm; he was the captain on the deck as the swell around his ship rose menacingly. Eventually, the Democratic majorities in the Senate and the House got his legislation through, with dissident Democrats coming on board in the final stretch. The healthcare bill is a compromise of sorts, but that is how democracies operate for the most part. Nevertheless, it is a great leap forward and it has set the scene for further steps of reform in the years ahead. But the initial step had to taken, and it is now on the statute book.

A constitutional challenge has been mounted in the senate, but this epitomises forlorn hope rather than robust expectation. In passing, one can justifiably compare this bill to the uproar surrounding Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal legislation way back in the 1930s. The opposition then was as ferocious and unreasoning as it is today, the hatreds aroused just as stubborn. But America has withstood this in quest of a better life for all its people, not simply the richest. Obama stands tall in the luminous glow of his great predecessor FDR, and, more relevantly, in the tradition of Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) who, in the 1960s, introduced medicare and helped end racial segregation, as a southerner, in America's deep south. It was a brave and commendable move which opened the door for more radical change. The US president has to turn his attention to other pressing matters such as the war in Afghanistan, the deepening uncertainties and conflicts in Pakistan, the social and political fragility of Iraq and the simmering violence in Gaza and the West Bank as Israel and its Arab neighbours fail to resolve their differences. For the US, regional peace is a thankless task, but the cross must be borne. Furthermore, the Obama administration appears to have chosen Pakistan as its strategic ally over India. As China is Pakistan's most enduring ally, Beijing and Washington were most closely engaged with each other than they are, respectively, with India, as the US journalist Arnaud de Borchgrave remarked recently in The Washington Times. However, India has its own strategies and is well able to protect its interests. But that is another story.

NCGO's stimulating question-and-answer meeting in Harrow The National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (NCGO) held an absorbing question-and-answer meeting at the Kadwa Patidar Samaj Hall in Kenton at the weekend. The meeting was chaired most capably by Alpesh Patel, clearly someone to watch should he choose to make a career in politics. One advantage of a public meeting is that questions directed from the floor to politicians cannot easily be fudged or ignored through silence as written communications frequently are. People raised issues of community interest, which were answered by the three representatives of the Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem parties. Dominic Grieve (Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary), Labour and Lib Dem MPs Keith Vaz and Sarah Teather, respectively. The entire session was lively, friendly and honest. The discussion ebbed and flowed, with flashes of wit and humour from the platform keeping the audience fully engaged. Two subjects in particular raised a great deal of interest from the floor. Would there be any objection to the establishment of a Hindu sec-

ondary school in Harrow, which was the wish of a large section of the local Asian community? None at all, answered Dominic Grieve. Keith Vaz was equally supportive. He called for assurance from Tony McNulty, his fellow Labour MP, representing Harrow East, who was sitting in the audience. Mr McNulty promised that should Labour return to of power at the next general election this commitment would be fully honoured. Sarah Teather affirmed her party's support for the measure. To the question why a culturally sensitive crematorium could not be set up to cater to the needs of the Hindu community in Harrow, Brent and Barnet, Mr Grieve's riposte was why ever not. Ms Teather expressed support as did Mr Vaz, who, however, pointed out that this would have been built in his Leicester constituency but for a lack of agreement in the Hindu community. This was a most rewarding occasion and experience. It should encourage greater Asian participation in the political process of this country.

Modi inquisition should end Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is subjected to ritual crucifixion by a section of the Indian media, for whom this has become a spectator sport. He has been accused of genocide in the communal violence that rocked the state in March 2002. Hyperbole and calumny have characterised a campaign worthy of a Tudor star chamber. The US government, whose action in Iraq has resulted in over a million Iraqi deaths, denied him a visa, underlying the hypocrisy of the international politics. Through all this and more, Mr Modi has displayed exemplary restraint and dignity worthy of his office. There was neither petulance nor anger in his deportment, as he stood tall. The Supreme Court of India appointed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to subject him to rigorous questioning. They grilled him last Saturday for none hours with a solitary break. Mr Modi withstood his ordeal without flinching. In subjecting himself willingly to this examination, Mr Modi said: “I have, in all humility, tried

to respect the law of our great land and endeavoured to respect the supremacy of the law by my behaviour.” You most certainly have, Chief Minister. You are a credit to Gujarat and India, one of its valiant and noble sons. The Chairmann of SIT R.K.Raghavan said he was “fully satisfied” with the the questioning of Mr Modi. This was due process, the rule of law as we recognise it. Narendra Modi has contested two state elections and returned to power with a two-thirds majority on each occasion. His administration is arguably the most honest and efficient in India, and is a model for the rest of the country, whether BJP-ruled, Congress-ruled or Communist-ruled. His critics would do well to examine his record and ask if any other state chief minister has done as well, let alone better (See Media Watch, page 12). After which they should shut up and leave the man in peace. This melodrama has run its course. Time to ring down the curtain on the tawdry show.

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Thought for the Week You've got to search for the hero inside yourself. Search for the secrets you hide. Search for the hero inside yourself - until you find the key to your life. - British pop group M People

Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East

The general election will have a huge impact on the Hindu community This weekend I was delighted to attend the National Congress of Gujarati Organisations election hustings in Harrow. We had a robust debate on a wide range of issues: immigration, health, education and international affairs. It was clear that the issues at stake in this election will have a dramatic impact on the Hindu and Gujarati community, and many in the audience were both passionate and knowledgeable when making their points from the floor. At a time when we read so much about people being disillusioned with politics, it’s always fantastic to see people engaging with the issues of the day. As I am out and about knocking on doors in Brent, it’s very unusual to meet people who have no view on the future of their area. It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that this interest in what’s happening in your street or city actually results in people actually going out and voting to change things. The parties have very different visions for the future. The Labour party have bequeathed Britain record levels of debt, and we are going to need to start paying this back. However, we simply cannot slash public spending when the economy is still fragile. This would lead to unacceptable levels of unemployment, with younger people just out of college of university almost certainly the first to be hit as new jobs dry up. In my view, it is unacceptable to make the younger generation pay for the

economic mistakes of this government. For this reason, a Liberal Democrat government is pledging billions of pounds, in our first year in office, to schemes that will create jobs and build up Britain’s infrastructure. For example, we should invest money in bringing empty homes back into use. Everyone knows a property near them that is boarded up and discarded: these empty homes bring down the whole neighbourhood and are a gross insult to families with nowhere to live. If we were to do up a quarter of a million homes we could create 50,000 construction industry jobs: plumbers, joiners, builders. This – and other schemes to create jobs – would make a huge difference to people worried about their future. So, if you get a politician knocking on your door over the next month, make sure you ask them about these important questions. How do they plan to make sure there are enough jobs available after the election? Do they agree we need massive investment in education? Will they commit to making the tax system fairer for ordinary people? Most importantly, if you are not yet signed up to vote, please do contact your local council as soon as possible to apply to go on the electoral role. Only by using your vote can you have your say on the competing ideas for the future of our country.

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

YOUR VOICE

McDonald's Burger degree It has been reported in the press that working in McDonald's restaurant for two weeks will give students the equivalent of a GCSE B-Grade exam pass. Getting academic qualifications from McDonald or TESCO should not be considered as British standards of education. UK education and qualifications at all levels, are highly valued in Europe and hence thousands of students all over the world come here to study. There is no harm in getting a certification of work experience from a bank, laundry or from super markets. The disturbing factor is to make McDonald's experience as equivalent to an academic grade in English or Science. I do not know whether it is the government policy to allow McGCSE'S based on work experience in MacDonald's. Will the government allow supermarkets or food chains to dish out cheap and under valued GCSE'S and Degrees? Accreditation of work experience as equivalent to a GCSE 'devalues the academic nature of the qualifications'. Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

A pain in the neck?

M.F. Husein loves his country India, however, ever since going through a terrifying ordeal and in a bid to save his life, as well as his painting works which were vandalised and due to lack of protection he fled from India under duress and not because of his guilty conscience. After four years wandering between Dubai and England, eventually Qatar citizenship was a solace for his harassment and his old age. The nude murals of Khajurao sculptures are famous through out the world, and every year thousands of local and foreign tourists visit to see the said sculptures. Undoubtedly, Tasleema Nasreen cannot expect guaranteed protection, neither from her country Bangladesh or any other Muslim country due to her provocative article which was against wearing of burkha by Muslim women which is considered blasphemous in Islam. For many years she continued to criticise Islamic tenets, hence she was driven into permanent exile and is now being protected by the government of India by frequently extending her visa. She is perhaps considered to be a cause of concern to the law and order situation in India due to the recent community riots resulting into loss of two lives. A.M.A. Pira Via Email

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

US backed Mumbai attack?

Gujarati students sufferings

Your editorial correctly points out that it is possible for the US to have links with Mumbai terror attacks. Many Pakistanis are trouble makers but it is the US interests to keep the region divided. They divided North and South Vietnam, North and South Korea, East and West Germany, China and Taiwan all these countries, which had no religious differences. I had the fortunate/unfortunate experience to being on the same Cruise ship with ex Pres Musharraf and sat next to him at a gambling table where he was drinking cocktails and only somebody in the pay of Americans can be head of an Islamic country and live such liberal life! Jayesh A Patel Wimbledon, London

A Hornets ’ Nest Yet another hornets’ nest has been stirred up. As if the expenses scandal was not disgraceful enough, it has now come to light that some politicians are charging as much as £5,000 per day to advise commercial organisations. This on top of their £64,000 basic salary! It makes my skin crawl to see that while the poor pensioners have to make do with a measly basic pension of £99 per week, they are cashing in on the expertise which they have gained at the taxpayers’ expense. On top of that comes the revelations of over 400 exotic trips paid for by foreign governments in return for favours. And this may be just the tip of the iceberg. More and more such shenanigans may be revealed as the general election draws nearer. How about giving a peerage to those caught up in this lobby-gate scandal? This begs the 64,000 dollars question. What should the voters do? Completely boycott the election? If we do, then the same old group will get in by default. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Sufferings of Gujarati students in London has been in headlines for long. We hope that only a few students might be suffering financial problems. Rogues in Gujarat have spread myth about rosy and false glitter about London. Indian government must show concern as shown in case of Australia imbroglio. Indian High Commission in the UK, must approach organisations to recover fees. A scheme must be launched for welfare of entrapped students. Philanthropists and governments both Indian and British may give maximum assistance to students for admission in legally safe institutions in UK, to generate goodwill for both governments from prospective graduates. These can also undertake punitive legal fight to recover fees from unscrupulous institutions. Even if litigation fails, it would generate bad publicity against unscrupulous organisations, warn prospective students about malpractice in the UK, adversely affecting revenue of rogues. Information about such shameless rogues in UK and India should be put on the internet, to warn prospective students. Desperate students wishing to return to India, but facing financial difficulties, may be given incentive and assistance. Incentive may also be given by priority admissions in Indian universities, to cover curriculum lost by misadventure in London. Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

India-US ties in Gordian knot

The editorial comment on ‘India-US ties in Gordian knot’ (AV 27th March, page 3) especially British media’s report on the image as India as ‘exotic land of slums and colourful curiosities’ was a brilliant piece. This should open the eyes of those who believe by being born in EU, they are more anglicised and people like me, who do not know how to eat jam and marmalade are to be looked down upon! What a shame! S T Vithalani London

My name is Khan My name is Khan could have been better represented by Shahrukh Khan amongst his fans to avoid the cause of resentment by the people of India, mainly Hindu people to whom Khans are known as descendants of Ghengis Khan, invaders from Central Asia who left India bleeding with terror and looted people centuries after centuries. The word 'Khan' being in red obviously reminded people of the bloodshed in contrast to the other words which are in white. This incident has hurt the feelings of many sober and indigenous people and their demonstration of feelings which were crushed mercilessly by the Government concerned. Its the Indian government's responsibility to justifiably change the name of the film to something more acceptable. R N Patel Essex

Brown’s pet project: National care

I read with interest Rob Tolan’s letter “Brown’s proposal to set up National care in last week’s AV. It is a noble but flowed concept. It is uncharted and unmapped territory. Moreover PM Brown will have to rob Peter in order to pay Paul. The Green Paper, if implemented, will rob OAPs of their Disability Living Allowance and Disability Attendance Allowance (DLA & DAA). Most of them, who have worked hard and paid taxes all their lives, use these benefits to pay for care and home help they need. Surprisingly it will not affect those under pensionable age; many may even be in full time employment. In sharp contrast, George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor has promised to leave these benefits alone, a welcome promise for the old and the infirm. In any case disable backbench Labour MP like Anne Begg and other senior Labour MPs, including the chairman of the influential all-party Commons disability group will support her. It would be a pity if we lose Labour Government that we need for economic recovery and the wellbeing of the nation. It would not be “A future fair for all” if the old, infirm and the disable people are scarified at the altar of electioneering. Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

(Off Coronet Street)

Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment. British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier. ‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Raj Patel denies to be the new world saviour By Rupanjana Dutta In the era where thousands claim to be prophets, saints and even God themselves, predicting future out of dreams, crystal balls and fire places like Nostradamus, there lives a man, in the heart of the US mainland, who feels awkward to be called as the ‘world saviour’ or the ‘messiah’ by an age old religious cult- ‘Share International’ ! In fact he despises being credited for something he strongly believes he is not. He expressed that it pains him to let people down, who has come around half the globe to meet him and seek help as their ‘Maitreya’, but he said he had to deny the claim. This British born economist, settled in the US said, “”It was just really weird...Clearly a case of mistaken identity and clearly a case of people on the internet getting things wrong...It made me really depressed, actually. That evening I was really down.” Raj Patel from Golders Green, North West London, author of books that are critical analysis of world’s economy and global food crisis- ‘Stuffed and Starved’ and ‘The Value of Nothing’ has denied the claim that he is a religious cult’s holy saviour after a bizarre series of emails and personal visits. Raj started a brilliant education career in Oxford, followed by the LSE and Cornell University, has worked for the World Bank and WTO, and protested against them around the world. He’s a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley’s Center for African Studies, an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a fellow at The Institute for Food and Development Policy, also known as Food First. He has testified about the causes of the

Raj Patel

global food crisis to the US House Financial Services Committee and is an Advisor to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. In addition to numerous scholarly publications, he regularly writes for The Guardian, and has contributed to the LA Times, NYTimes.com, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Mail on Sunday, and The Observer. His first book was Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System and his latest, The Value of Nothing, is a New York Times best-seller. His first book, Stuffed and Starved, discusses the problems in global food production and examines how the free market has worked to keep millions hungry. Though grown up in retail shop owner’s family, he has heavily criticised the free market economy and discussed the eventual downfalls. The Value of Nothing, meanwhile, draws on the economic collapse to look at how we might fix the system and improve life for billions of people around the globe. The drama unfolded when Raj Patel was invited on American TV in NYC to promote his latest book, The Value of Nothing.The London-born author, 37, thought his slot on comedy talkshow The Colbert Report, aired on 15th March 2010 went

well enough: the host made a few jokes, Patel talked a little about his work and then, job done, he went back to his home in San Francisco. Shortly afterwards, however, things took a strange turn. Over the course of a couple of days, cryptic messages started filling his inbox. “I started getting emails saying ‘have you heard of Benjamin Creme?’ and ‘are you the world teacher?’” he said. “Then all of a sudden it wasn’t just random internet folk, but also friends saying, ‘Have you seen this?’” What he had written off as incomprehensive suddenly turned into something altogether more bizarre: he was being lauded by members of an obscure religious group who had decided that Patel was, in fact, the messiah. What could be their reasoning? Patel’s background and work coincidentally matched a series of prophecies made by an 87-year-old Scottish mystic called Benjamin Creme, the leader of a little-known religious group known as Share International. Because he matched the profile, hundreds of people around the world believed that Patel was the living embodiment of a figure they called Maitreya, the Christ or “the world teacher”. He was to save the world, and everyone on it. Instead of settling the issue, however, his denial merely fanned the flames for some believers. While his goal appears to match Share’s vision of worldwide harmony, he says the underlying assumptions it makes are wrong – and possibly even dangerous. Unravelling exactly what it is that Share International’s followers believe, however, is tricky. The group is an offshoot of the Victorian Theosophy movement

founded by Madame Blavatsky that developed a belief system out of an amalgam of various religions, spiritualism and metaphysics. Creme – who joined a UFO cult in the 1950s before starting Share – has added a cosmic take to the whole concept: he says that Maitreya represents a group of beings from Venus called the Space Brothers. This 18m-year-old saviour, he says, has been resting somewhere in the Himalayas for 2,000 years and – as a figure who combines messianism for Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims alike – is due to return any time now, uniting humanity and making life better for everybody on earth. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Creme refuses to categorically state whether or not he believes that Patel and Maitreya are one and the same. He suggests that it is not up to him to rule either way, instead blaming media coverage, rather than his own mystical predictions, for making people “hysterical”. “It is not my place,” Creme told the writer Scott James, a friend of Patel, recently. “People are looking to Mr Patel because they are looking for the fulfilment of a story which I’ve been making around the world for the last 35 years.” While Raj struggles to cope with this unwanted anointment, his friends and family are more tickled by the situation. “They think it’s hilarious,” he said. “My parents came to visit recently, and they brought clothes that said ‘he’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy’. To them, it’s just amusing.” Unlike some who have the greatness thrust upon them and eventually get carried away, Patel has his head firm as he hopes that Share will leave him alone so that he can get back to a normal life soon.

Hertfordshire GP jailed for assaults A Hertfordshire GP who allegedly carried out sexual assaults on three women has been jailed for 16 months. Dr Kanval Nagpal, 61, of Gladding Road, Cheshunt, had denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury at St Albans Crown Court, as reported by the BBC. On one occasion in 2008, Nagpal allegedly tricked a patient into

going to his home where he apparently assaulted her, the court heard. In another case, he allegedly told a patient to relax "as if she was having sex" then fitting a coil would not hurt. Nagpal's barrister Ian Stern QC told the court he

Dr Kanval Nagpal

would now be struck off and would be unable to practice. The offences dated back to 1994, the court heard, when a patient complaining of back pain said she was indecently assaulted as her husband was sitting close by. Nagpal told the court he was check-

“Our London” CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

MAYOR MISLEADS LONDON ASSEMBLY OVER TICKET OFFICE CLOSURES The Mayor promised in his election manifesto to “make transport more convenient” by “halting the proposed Tube ticket office closures, and ensuring there is always a manned ticket office at every station.” He also signed a massive petition outside North Harrow Underground Station on the campaign trail calling on his predecessor not to shut ticket offices or to “drastically reduce” their opening hours. Following this I was delighted that after the GLA election, under my questioning at the London Assembly, the Mayor kept his promise and announced reversal of plans to close ticket offices throughout London. The Mayor deserved credit for keeping his pledge and I was happy to acknowledge this at the time. However, nearly two years on and to my dismay I came across new plans to close ticket offices and reduced opening hours which I took up at a recent Mayor’s Question Time. In response to my questioning on Wednesday 17th March, the Mayor mislead the London Assembly when he replied “no ticket office will be closed”. This of course was not the case according to the information in my possession which I produced at the question time meeting. The plans I pointed out in fact suggested that ten ticket offices will be permanently closed and 140 will have their operating hours slashed with some opening hours limited to 2 hours a day only. The Mayor’s staggering u-turn constitutes one of his biggest broken election promises. Nearly five hundred ticket office staff will be lost under these cuts and many stations will feel less safe and less friendly as a result of this broken election pledge. Within Brent and Harrow, TfL’s plans include closing a ticket office at ing for a specific medical condition which involved moving his hand lightly up her leg to see if she could feel the touching. The second victim was a woman who had attended a meeting at the doctor's surgery in July 2008. Finding herself alone with him, she said the doctor allegedly came up to her and began rubbing her thighs. In the third case, a patient went to see the doctor complaining of headaches. She told the jury that Nagpal allegedly asked "if I was interested in sex". He then allegedly tricked her into coming to

Wembley Park station and severely reduced opening times (at least two hours less) at almost all stations on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines North of Finchley Road. Numerous stations that are currently open until 7pm will see their ticket offices only open in the morning peak, including Dollis Hill, Neasden, Pinner and Kingsbury. I remain concerned about the consequences of reduced staffing on passengers’ sense of safety and access to information. I have fought against these senseless closures well before the GLA election campaign and I will continue to do so with the help or local residents and the trade unions.

BALLGOWN BERTHA DEPARTS IN DISGRACE !

Finally, having helped her Tory masters to deliver London Fire Brigade’s budget for which she was financially rewarded the disgraced Cllr Ball Gown Bertha Joseph has resigned. The hypocrisy of the Mayor and his Tories beggars belief. The delay of some six months in sacking Cllr Joseph or demanding her resignation by the Mayor was never about giving Cllr Joseph time to make her case because she did not have a leg to stand on. The case was judged by Brent Council’s Standards Committee and the Appeals Tribunal for financial irregularities for which Cllr Joseph was found guilty of bringing Council and Public Office into disrepute. The delay in taking swift action from the Mayor was about saving their political skin at the London Fire Brigade and not saving the reputation of public office. Having witnessed this episode closely it’s evident that David Cameron and his party’s talk about cleaning up politics and driving out sleaze is sheer humbug and hypocrisy.

his house to cook a meal for him and some friends, the court heard. When they got to his home she said the other couple were not there and neither were his children. The jury heard the doctor allegedly kissed the woman before assaulting her in various rooms in the house She was driven home by the doctor after she said she would tell the police. Two days later she made a complaint and the doctor was arrested on 3 September 2008. The doctor was found not guilty of indecently assaulting a fourth woman.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Kapilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Face to Face with Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist By Priyal Sanghavi

this thinking overcoming barriers to achieve personal and professional success. I have helped people get out of their comfort zone and speak in front or Through the one to one coaching and group sessions people feel better balanced due to the support, tools and techniques. People have become motivated towards achieving

AV: How did you decide to enter this profession? My grandmother had a heavy influence on me. At 83, she has seen a lot in her life, from being aa refuge and young widow from the Indo-Pak split in 1947. She always possessed was a positive attitude and an abundance of wisdom. This rubbed off on me and encouraged me to explore psychology. AV: Tell us some more about your background. I have a Masters in Occupational Psychology. I continued learning and became qualified in assessing personality through the Myers Briggs personality questionnaire and Level A and B testing. This combined with my Indian upbringing and wisdom helped to create a unique approach which I now adopt. I have worked for large companies where I have spent a lot of time in Asia and Europe developing people and supporting them in achieving personal and professional success. In 2007 I founded www.thinkspalondon .com. This lead to developing the consultancy arm as people were asking for face to face sessions and were inviting me to run sessions at their organisation.

their goals. They go away with a new realisation of their inner potential and capability hand-in-hand with the techniques to hold their head up high and face challenges. Additionally, they have learnt how to deal with various situations and different types of people with confidence and strength. They feel they have accomplished more then what they thought off. Ultimately people feel amazing by banishing negative thoughts and adopting positive thoughts through self discovery. They can stand tall and count their blessings. People go away motivated knowing nothing is impossible.

AV: What improvements have you seen in people after they have come to you? The reason why I love helping people grow on a daily basis is because of the inner satisfaction I get when I see people go above and beyond their goals and expectations that they set for themselves in order to achieve happiness and success. The improvements I have seen are- individuals seeing a willingness to believe things are within their grasp and through

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AV: What does it comprise of? I believe in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;organic learningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; this is something I have developed and comprises of Reflection, self discovery, coaching, visualisation and discussion. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tellingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; people the answers, I do share knowledge and give tips, and ultimately I guide people to reach a healthy level of awareness themselves in order for them to make choices that enable progress. AV: Who should be attending it? Anyone, everyone, kids, adults and teenagers, men or women, my sessions are open to all. AV: Will you be holding more sessions? I am looking at running sessions in Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester. Should there be a desire to have a Think Spa Session anywhere I would encourage readers to get in touch with me and I would be more than happy to organise and run a workshop. I also conduct group sessions and provide one to one coaching and corporate coaching. Whatever the behavioural need or gap I can guarantee that I will be able to unlock potential, break personal barriers and support all to go above and beyond goals that they set for themselves.

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Promises Galore I attended a unique â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Question Timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; event organised by the NCGO that was held at the Kadwa Patidar Samaj Hall in Kenton on Sunday. In the Chair was our own Alpesh Patel who did a great job of keeping the politicians on task. He used wit and guile to disarm them, followed by incisive questioning based on his command of the political landscape and the astuteness to play the politicians at their own game. All I can say is that if the powers to be are looking for outstanding individuals from our community, Alpesh is their man â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and I know we have so many more. In KK I had posed five questions to all the parties. Of course it seems they have been rather nervous to write back to me thus far, but in a public forum like NCGO Question Time, there is no hiding. I asked each representative that without giving any excuses, using old rhetoric or churning our platitudes, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If elected, could they confirm that we will have a Hindu Secondary School in North West London within the term of one parliament?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I am sorry to say but first off the mark was Sarah Teather, and what a mess she made of the answer. A simple question and I ended up getting a long list of ifs and buts, and I have to admit that I was rather undiplomatic in my response to her. I know she works hard, but her answers will have to be better, and more to the point in addressing our requirements. I assume the Tory representative; Dominic Grieve (Shadow Justice Secretary) understood the gravity of the question and was quick to confirm that having a Hindu Secondary School in the area was mandatory and his party would ensure that it happened. Great stuff, after a slow start we were off with one party supporting the contention. Next it was

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For more informationWww.thinkspalondon.co m Contact: mamta@thinkspalondon.com

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our own Keith Vaz representing the Labour Party. Keith was clear â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yes, we must have a Hindu Secondary School in NW London. He then pointed out that in the audience was Tony McNulty, the sitting MP was Harrow East and that we should ask the question directly to him. Tony came forward and gave his total commitment that should his party get in power than a Hindu Secondary School in the area within the first term was assured. So there you have it, what I now want to see from each of these parties is a formal assurance in all their publicity materials that we get through our letterbox.

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Tory? The discussions proved to be interesting, though I suspect it would have been even better had the candidates articulated their responses to make real practical commitments relevant for the audience who were mainly from Harrow, Brent and Barnet. Keith brought a lot of humour to the debate, though not intentionally I suspect, with some of his responses to the questions. The audience was rightly confused as to whether he was Labour, or was he a closet Tory. Dominic Grieve the official Tory representative was often left with shock and surprise on his face as his thunder was taken away by Keith who put the knife into the NHS before he could. There is no doubt that huge amounts of money have rightly gone into the NHS, and for this the Labour Government deserves a commendation. However, how the money has been used, and in particular, some managers and PCT boards all came in for a firing for their laziness and sheer incompetence. The bottom line being that even in areas where we have a high concentration of ethnic minorities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the people who are appointed to represent us on these PCT boards still

tend to be wholly â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;whiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. How is that possible? And this has happened with a Labour Government in power for more than a decade.

Hindu Crematorium? Amrish Patel asked, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;In light of the positive court ruling on open pyre cremations, why is it that with a population of 100 000 Hindus in Harrow, Brent and Barnet that the community still does not have access to a dedicated and culturally sensitive crematorium?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dominic saw no reason why there should be any delays in this happening and wants it to happen as soon as possible. Keith could not understand why with such a large community nothing had happened to date. He went on to remind the audience that in Leicester they have even got a site designated but because the communities are not united sufficiently, nothing has happened to take this forward. If the people and the various organisations in Harrow, Brent and Barnet came together and demanded with one voice, surely no council would be so fool hardy and say no!

Votes count Your vote counts. When any candidate comes to your door for your support, ask them what they will do for our community. Demand that they put that promises in writing and in clear language. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Honourableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; element for MPs has rightly come under scrutiny and it is now for those who want our vote to prove their worthiness. Turning up to our functions, accepting our hospitality and being able to speak a few words of Hindu or Gujarati are not sufficient grounds for a vote. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell your vote cheaply, demand for your rights and those for your community. Use it for the candidate in your area who will deliver what you want.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Leicester Hindus protest against Councillor's comments

National Hindu Students Forum (UK) By Varun Anand and Rudrajoy Chakraborty University of Birmingham PR Team

Varun

Rudrajoy

British Army and Vikram Solanki Attend NHSF’s 6th Annual Sports Competition On Sunday 21st February 2010, National Hindu Students Forum (UK) [NHSF] held another action-packed day of competitive sport. 27 Hindu societies with over 650 students came together from across the country, despite the heavy snow in the morning. The opening ceremony saw special guest Vikram Solanki, an England international cricketer, deliver a speech that spoke of the importance of our Dharma in contributing towards his success. “My faith has played a massive part in my personal as well as my professional life; it’s very apparent that at testing times it’s your faith that you tend to rely on most.” Later on he revealed that he always carries a small Ganesh murti in his Cricket glasses case, which his team mates refer to as his ‘chess piece’! The Football final saw Kings College London overcome Portsmouth; but they did not go home empty handed, as they beat defending champions Leeds in the Netball

final. The Central Zone universities finally lost their grip on the Cricket title as North Zone took home the honours. The morning also saw a special Shiv Puja for Shivratri performed under the guidance of Swami Nirliptananda, the inspirational Guyanese spiritual leader who’s Ashram in London has been engaging people in our Dharma for 40 years. Following a healthy lunch, Kho-kho and Kabaddi took centre stage, and as happens every year, those unaccustomed to the traditional sports soon realised how intense and enjoyable they are to watch and play. Winners of Kho-kho, Brunel, were toppled by surprise finalists Warwick in a match that demonstrated the strength and tactical ability required to play Kabaddi. The crowd also witnessed a NatCom AllStars Challenge, which saw the chapter with the most hours dedicated to sewa activity this year take on members of the NHSF National Committee. Manchester scraped through and as

a result, had the opportunity to play Kabaddi against the British Army, who sponsored the event. Despite their inexperience, the Army did improve as the match progressed, but were nevertheless outclassed by a well-trained Manchester side. NHSF President Kajal Valani rounded up the day with a speech reminding us that we were gathered in the name of Hindu Dharma, and that our actions should respect and represent the values it provides. Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the London 2012 Olympics committee endorsed the event, "The National Hindu Students Forum's Annual Sports Competition is another example of the UK's passion for sport that the London 2012 team spoke about when we won the bid to stage the 2012 Games." NHSF have once again done their bit to inspire young people to engage in sport, stay physically healthy and prepare for the arrival of the 2012 Olympic Games!

Manchester celebrates its investment in schools Manchester City Council is celebrating the ongoing success of its £500m investment in secondary schools across the city, with the publication of a document showcasing all its achievements. Manchester’s ‘School Report’ details the unprecedented £500m capital investment to rebuild or refurbish all 33 of the city’s high schools, seven of which will be specialist academies. The Building Schools for the Future/Academies programme is the largest investment in secondary education both the city and the north of England have ever seen. The report charts the progress to date of the school improvements, detailing the range of projects both completed, currently underway and those due to start in the near future. It is interspersed with striking, high quality pictures highlighting the innovative and inspirational designs that include light, welcoming and open

social and learning spaces, creative eating and outdoor areas and an overall school environment that will help young people to be confident, adaptable, independent and inspired to learn and achieve. Building work started at Manchester’s first BSF site in 2006 and this week sees confirmation of almost £100m for the final wave of building, refurbishment and ICT work at nine schools (see list below). These are due for completion by September 2012. Councillor Sheila Newman, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Children’s Services, says: “We are at the final stage of a vast rebuilding and remodelling programme that will transform the way we educate young people across the city. Manchester’s building programme is underpinned by a step change in thinking to ensure real transformational learning. This will allow us to

bring the benefits of the improvements in education to both students and the city as a whole as soon as possible.” Many of the new buildings have been designed with pupil involvement and are high quality, flexible, learning environments that use space efficiently, facilitate different learning styles and encourage community use. The nine schools to benefit from the final £98.5m Wave 4 investment are: n The Barlow High School n Loreto High School n St Peter’s RC High School n Whalley Range High School n Trinity CE High School n Grange School n Lancasterian School n Chorlton High School (ICT only) n Parrs Wood High School (ICT only) The report can be found online at www.manchester.gov.uk/ bsf

British Hindu group in Leicester are protesting against a Labour councillor for allegedly making anti-Hindu remarks publicly during a city council meeting last week. In an interview with Asian Voice, Cllr Manjula Sood of Latimer ward said, Cllr Andy Connelly of Westcotes ward has made hurtful and illthought comments publicly about the Hindu sect, during a discussion regarding the extension of Gilroes Crematorium ground. He is alleged to have said:“If the Hindus are cremated, there will be no land left for burial.” Sood emphasised that Hindus, who constitute a large part of Leicester, are an integral, peace-loving part of Leicester and are being discriminated against. Leicester famous

as one of the largest Gujarati hubs of Britain. The drama unfolded last week as the Leicester City Council debated over extension of a crematorium towards buildings where many Hindus reside. The Hindu families are agitated as the plan reveals that the cemetery will encroach upon their backyard which they were not informed about when they bought their flats. There is also a proposal to extend one of the chapels to accommodate large gatherings during funerals, specially those of ethnic communities. Cllr Connelly told the Asian Voice, “I fail to understand what is the issue here. I stated that I do not want Hindus to be blamed for delaying the extension of the ceme-

tery. The crematorium will be full in the next 18 months, and afterwards there will be no burials. Hence we need to act soon. Manjula has misunderstood my words. ” However, the British Hindu Voice is outraged at Connelly and has demanded a public apology for his hurtful comments via an email. Vinod Popat, the spokesperson told Asian Voice: “If the party doesn't take this up as an urgent and serious issues, it could have serious repercussions for the Labour Party in the city in the next few months.” When asked about the email by Asian Voice, Cllr Connelly said,“I have not seen any such emails so far. When I receive it, I will justifiably reply to all the points raised.”

Three in court charged with businessman's death Three men appeared at Sutton Magistrates on last Wednesday in connection with the death of a Croydon businessman. Mahesh Mehta, 55, was walking along Warwick Road on October 19 last year, when he was attacked from behind by two men and subjected to a violent robbery. Just prior to the attack, Mr Mehta had visited the HSBC bank on the corner of London Road and Warwick Road.

He was taken by the London Ambulance Service to the Mayday Hospital with severe facial injuries after the attack. Mr Mehta was then readmitted to undergo surgery to a broken eye-socket and a broken nose but died during surgery on Friday November 13 at St Georges Hospital, Tooting. A post-mortem examination was held at Croydon Mortuary on Saturday, November 14 and the cause of

death was determined as fluid on the lungs following surgery on his fractured nose. Lewis Boakye, 23, of Newlands Rd, Thornton Heath, Ryan Williams, 25, of St Edwards Close, New Addington and Michah Rogers-Wright, 24, of no fixed address have been charged with with conspiracy to rob and grievous bodily harm with intent. The three men were due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on March 23rd.

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Midland Voice

Dee Katwa

Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com

Miliband does what Clarke fails to do on Diversity

Barrister to stand for BNP

Both Labour and Conservative are markedly more representative of Britain than ever before. In an attempt to celebrate the successes of both, I put the Tory’s Kenneth Clarke and Labour’s David Miliband to the test - on diversity. The former failed, the latter, passed. Readers of this column may recall how some weeks ago Mr Clarke, the Shadow Business Secretary, had responded, weeks later, with a ‘blank page’ to a list of questions because it was “not part of his brief”. During a recent conversation with Mr Miliband, our Foreign Secretary, I posed the same questions to him. Here, his responses, in part, to a few of my questions, which I received within a fortnight. One way politicians are trying to win the British Asian vote is through the ethnic media. Many politicians, existing and emerging, are even lobbying government to save the BBC Asian Network from its potential demise. Will they keep to their stance post-May 6? On the importance of ethnic media, Mr Miliband described Asian Voice “a

positive display of multiculturalism, diversity and integration in modern Britain”. He added: “You give a voice to British Asians and enable politicians to engage in an open dialogue with your readers about the issues we are campaigning on.” Ethnic media, he said, “helps to integrate and inform ethnic minority groups, helps to make sure politicians are accountable to them and helps to ensure their issues remain an important part of our political agenda.” When asked about the disparity in funding between ethnic groups and community organisations: “As a government we have an important role in ensuring that the diversity which is a real strength of this country is successfully managed and doesn’t lead to problems in the

Caste seminar All are being invited to a seminar entitled Hinduism, Casteism and Development. The speaker will be Professor A Ramaiah, chairperson of the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. The 12pm-3pm event, organised by CasteWatch UK, will take place next Saturday (April 10) in Coventry. To register or find out more visit www.castewatchuk.org

Bhajan Sangeet Rehearsals for a bhajan singing competition being held in Birmingham later this month are underway in full swing. The event, Bhajan Sangeet, has been organised by the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, a national movement which aims to empower, upskill and educate Hindus of all ages. The finale will take place at Radha Swami Centre, Hockley, on April 25. For more information contact Ketan Valambhia on 07970 024 744 or email bhajansangeet@gmail.com

Red card: Kenneth Clarke MP

Green card: David Miliband MP

way that people live and get along together,” said Mr Miliband. “Our government made £50 million investment available from 2008-11 to promote community cohesion and support local authorities in preventing and managing community tensions. Local councils are able to use the money to respond to their own particular cohesion challenges – some focusing on managing new migration, others looking more at how they promote interaction between people from different backgrounds.” He added: “The overwhelming majority of people in

this country live successfully side by side but we cannot take this for granted. We have to keep our eye on the ball and continue taking steps to address issues head on so that we are well placed to respond to the issues associated with population change and globalisation.” In March 2009, I had approached Sadiq Khan, the former Cohesion Minister, on this issue, who at the time had provided an unsatisfactory response. Five months later, I had pursued this with Mr Khan’s successor, Continued on page 26

On-air cop surgery Listeners of Raaj FM, a Birmingham-based Asian radio station, were invited to call in to ask questions about local policing as part of an initiative to communicate more effectively with the city’s Asian community. PCSOs Nafisa Dhillon and Ilyas Jeewa responded to questions on Palwinder Kaur’s hour-long show last Friday. They highlighted ways in which crime and antisocial behaviour can be reported. Pictured: Nafisa, Ilyas, Palwinder and West Bromwich police sergeant Michael Tierney.

Men admit to fraud Jagdeep Bhogal and Manminder Singh, both aged 30, have each been given 26 week imprisonment, suspended for two years, for trying to defraud Virgin Media by selling unlocked and unauthorised media viewing cards via eBay. The men, from Wolverhampton, were also given 200 hours community service each and were ordered to pay £762 costs each at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Petition for flights to India A 20,000-signature petition demanding direct flights be reinstated between Birmingham and Delhi is set to be presented to aviation chiefs in India. There have been no direct flights since October 2008 when Air India stopped flying through the second city. The airline moved its Delhi-AmritsarB i r m i n g h a m -To ro n t o route to travel through London to secure its slots at Heathrow. Birmingham Airport

Chief

Executive

Paul

News in Brief

Kehoe and Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby have launched the “Fly India” campaign to bring flights back to the city. They are asking the region’s business and Asian communities to support plans to reinstate direct non-stop services. There are 1.3 million Indian people liv-

ing in England and Birmingham alone has five times as many Indians as Manchester. Outside of London, the West Midlands has more Indians living within it than any other region in England, with 15 per cent of England’s total, some 200,000 people. To sign the petition visit http://flyindia.birminghamairport.co.uk or become a fan of the Fly India facebook page at www.facebook.com/FlyI ndia

Birmingham barrister Robert Grierson is set to stand in the forthcoming General Election for the British National Party. Mr Grierson, pictured, will contest the Sutton Coldfield constituency which is currently held by Conservative Andrew Mitchell with a majority of more than 12,000. Mr Grierson, 42, single, and a barrister for 18 years, specialises in tax, trust, wills and estates work and is currently a door tenant at St Philip Chambers in Birmingham city centre.

MI6 ethnic recruitment drive Birmingham’s black and Asian communities are being targeted in a new public recruitment campaign by MI6, the secret intelligence service. It is the first time MI6 has publicly launched this kind of campaign. MI6 employs a total of 2,252 staff of which around seven per cent are from BME communities.

Judge to hear Fitzroy’s claims A black businessman who accused the Conservative Party in Birmingham of racial discrimination will get the chance to put his claims to a judge. Fitzroy Stevenson, pictured, has secured a county court hearing into an allegation that Ladywood Conservative Association did not select him as a city council candidate because he is African Caribbean. Ironically, the candidate selected by the Tories in Ladywood, Sharon Pennant, is also African Caribbean.

Crash victim gets £11.15m Wasim Mohammed from Walsall who was left paralysed by a former friend in a car crash has been awarded a record £11.15 million payout. The award is the highest personal injury settlement ever reported in the UK. Mr Mohammed, now 22, was five days off his 19th birthday when he was severely injured in the accident. The driver of the car Wasim was in when it crashed was convicted of careless driving in November 2007 after a three-day trial at Walsall Magistrates Court.

Job cuts at college Around 100 staff at Birmingham Metropolitan College are set to lose their jobs by the summer. Furious union leaders have accused the college of breaking promises on job security made when Sutton Coldfield College and Matthew Boulton College merged in 2009.

Council leader dies Former Sandwell Council leader Bill Thomas has died. He was 69. The Labour veteran, pictured, had a history of health problems and had spent long periods in hospital in recent years. He was one of the West Midlands’ longest-serving councillors. He quit his role in November last year after being charged by police of theft.

Mosque worker in sex charges Mosque worker Anzil Majid, 28, of Smethwick, Birmingham, who is charged with sexual offences against a teenage boy, has been remanded in custody until April 21 by Warley magistrates. Anzil worked at Corbett Street mosque in Smethwick.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

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ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Spriha’s

Corner

By Spriha Srivastava

“Designer” Elephants to parade London Animals have a very special place in Hindu mythology and yet we find that many are on the brink of extinction. Fore example, tigers are extremely sacred for Hindus but sadly there are only 1411 left in India and the government and non profits are doing everything to create awareness among people now. Similar is the case for Elephants, who have been a part of not only Hindu mythology but also the royal kingdoms across the Indian sub continent. Elephant Parade 2010 is such an initiative that aims to raise awareness among the International community regarding the alarming figures by which the elephant population ha shrunk. I spoke to NIlesh Mistry, a very talented artist who is one of the two hundred artists to have taken part in what will be known as London’s biggest outdoor art event. Tell us in brief about yourself? I was born in Mumbai and came to London at the age of eight, with my family. As a child I loved to draw all the time. I recall one of my earliest masterpieces was drawn directly on the newly painted walls of our flat in Mumbai - as you can imagine, this was not met with universal approval! However, I received a lot of inspiration from my great-uncle who was a commercial artist in Mumbai and I learnt from him that it was possible to paint, not only as a hobby but also for a job. Even after we came to this country I continued to get a lot of encouragement from my parents to pursue an artistic career and so I went on to study Illustration, first at the Harrow School of Art and then a Post-graduate at Central St Martin’s. My painting is undoubtedly influenced by my Indian background as I love to use rich colours and ornate patterns. I found that this style lent itself well to children’s books and to date I have illustrated around thirty titles, the majority of which are on my favourite subjects of mythology and folk tales. What attracted you to

this creative work? I turned to the elephant in Hindu mythology as inspiration for my design, which is entitled “Heavenly Jewel”. The first part refers to the fact that Indra, king of the gods, travels across the Heavens on an elephant and represented here by the clouds floating around the statue. The “Jewel” part comes from the myth of when the Gods and Demons, in their search for the Elixir of Immortality

churned up the oceans and uncovered the treasures hidden at the bottom - one of the “jewels” being an elephant! Finally, the flying apsaras on either side personify the elephant’s graceful movements. In this design I wanted to encapsulate all my feelings about the elephant its regal bearing, its serene grace and the fact that it is a precious symbol of India that we cannot afford to lose. This statue was done using acrylic paints and took around four weeks to complete. On seeing this design I was commissioned by one of the charity sponsors - BlackRock to paint two elephants for them. Tell us more about the Elephant Parade 2010 in London? Elephant Parade is a ‘parade’ of life-size model baby elephants which are being displayed in major cities around the world as part of an innovative fundraising and public awareness campaign designed to highlight the endangered Asian elephant. Created to support leading charity Elephant Family, each elephant is a unique piece of art painted by renowned artists and designers. The London Elephant Parade will run from May to June 2010 and will be London’s biggest public art exhibi-

tion. With an estimated audience of 25 million, the campaign is aiming to raise over £2 million for the endangered Asian elephant, will benefit more than 15 UK conservation charities, and more than ten projects in Asia. The event will see over 250 brightly painted elephants located over central London throughout May and June 2010. Each model elephant will be decorated by a different artist, designer or celebrity, and will brighten and beautify the city, enhancing every park, street corner and building they grace. These elephants, destined to become highly collectible works of art, will grace key London landmarks turning the capital into an urban jungle. All of the elephants will then be herded together in one of London’s great green spaces for a magnificent exhibition, open to the public. After going on display to the public they will be auctioned by Sothebys at a glittering event which will be attended by the who’s who of London society, including the Duchess of York, Princess Michael of Kent and Joanna Lumley, and this event is set to be the party of the season. What is the aim of this e x h i b i t i o n ? Within only 100 years the elephant population has shrunk by over 90%, dropping from 250,000 to an estimated 25,000, placing this valuable species dangerously close to extinction. If current trends continue the Asian elephant will cease to exist in the wild by 2050. Elephant Parade’s mission is to become the world’s largest financial support organisation for elephants. Elephant Family has been campaigning for the conservation of the Asian elephant since 2002, and is the only UK charity dedicated solely and exclusively to saving the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild. With this new project it aims not only to raise public awareness and gather signatures for a government petition, but also to raise vital funds for conservation projects in Asia.

Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

Sanjeev Bhaskar to star in the Rose Theatre’s production of Dumb Show British actor, writer and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar will play Barry in the Rose Theatre’s next home-grown production, Dumb Show, which opens on 1 April. Joe Penhall’s black comedy tells the story of Barry, aka ‘Mr Saturday Night’ a TV comedian and presenter, who has never quite been able to grasp the celebrity lifestyle he so desperately craves. So when two corporate bankers lure him with the promise of serious money and the perks of fame, he greedily takes the bait. But celebrity comes at a price and Barry becomes the victim of a major tabloid sting. More relevant today than ever before, Dumb Show explores society’s obsession with celebrity, the manipulation and rewriting of truth and the exploitation of misery for entertainment.

Sanjeev Bhaskar, best known for his work in Goodness Gracious Me and the host of The Kumars at No. 42 (BBC) has recently been on stage at the Palace Theatre, London in Spamalot (2008). Sanjeev will be joined by Dexter Fletcher, star of Hotel Babylon (BBC), Band of Brothers (HBO) and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Dexter will play tabloid journalist, Greg alongside Emma Cunniffe, who will play

Liz. Emma has recently been on stage in Amongst Friends (Hampstead Theatre) and The Entertainer (The Old Vic). Emma also starred in the television series The Lakes (BBC). Stephen Unwin is Artistic Director of the Rose. His recent productions include The Winslow Boy, Miss Julie and Treasure Island. Stephen founded English Touring Theatre, during which time he directed almost thirty productions of new and classical work for the company both on tour and in the West End. Winner of the Evening Standard, Olivier and Critics Circle awards for Best Play, Joe Penhall is the writer of Blue/Orange which ran at the National Theatre and subsequently in the West End. He has also written the screenplay for the new major film release, The Road.

Modern twist to Mother India

By Priyal Sanghvi A DJ who has worked on a Japanese Manga film, hates house music and aims to compose for films, a renowned turntablist and electronic composer DJ Tigerstyle speaks to Asian Voice about his latest project, Mother India 21st Century Remix (MI21) -a dynamic audio-visual project on one of Bollywood’s greatest films Mother India. Released in 1957, the film has been recut and remixed exclusively for this performance. Tigerstyle (real name Alvin) is accompanied by cellist Matt Constantine, drummer David Shaw and visual editor Josh Ford. AV: How do you feel playing at the Birmingham Town Hall? Its a really nice venue to play in. I am quite proud that we are playing in such a setting. Matt, David, Josh and I are actually in a band together for a few years. But Mother India project is first of sorts. AV: How did the project come about? It was actually our Indy

Hunjan’s idea. She came to me after an event and explained the concept. We watched the movie Mother India, the first Bollywood movie I’ve properly seen and I enjoyed it. We had to watch it a few times to compose the music. AV: Did the original music influence you? No. We did think about using it but decided not to, as it would not feel fresh. We wanted to make it modern. AV: Will such projects promote Bollywood? Yes of course! A lot of people are opening to Bollywood. Many people told us after they had seen our piece that they want to see the original movie. AV: Are you interested in creating music for films? That’s what I’m aiming for. I’d like to compose music for both Asian and Hollywood movies. I have done some scores for short films and recently a Japanese Manga flick. But no film projects in the pipeline for now. I hope this project does get in the industry. AV: Have you tried contacting the film-makers? We have tried to make

contact with the family and Eros international. But its proven difficult to track them. We hope to show our work to them. AV: Tell us about your background. I was born in Sussex. Since childhood, I love listening to music specially tracks that are original and interesting. I spend a lot of time thinking about it. Started playing for clubs and parties and now I use the turntables to remix music. I got into production five years ago with a friend. My most memorable performance is definitely the one at Sydney Opera House. I love music! AV: Is there any music you don’t like? House! I just do not like it. Period. AV: Do you plan to showcase M121 in India? Of course, we don’t know when but we want to take it to audiences there. That’s where the project should really go. The MI21 project plays on the Mother India weekend on April 11 at 7.30pm at Birmingham Town Hall. For more d e t a i l s , http://www.thsh.co.uk/

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Duncan Lewis offers legal voice to people By Rupanjana Dutta

three people, Duncan Lewis has grown rapidly It was a nice evening and now employs over 400 reception at the Law socipeople in six sites across ety by Duncan Lewis to London. Its staff come re-introduce themselves in from and represent over this economic climate. 60 ethnic groups, and While the room full of more than 60% of them are women. It is particularly strong in the provision of law in areas such as Immigration, Public Law, Crime, Family & Child Care, Housing, Social Welfare and Mental Health. The firm also takes a keen interest in training a new generation of socially aware lawyers. At a time when the Back row: Rubin Italia, Vicash Ramkissoon, Brian Naumann, Vanket number of training A, Peter Wusu, Kinjal Shah, Hardeep Dhaliwal, Tolupe Laleye, David contracts offered by Daud Middle Row: Naim Rahman, Siva Sivapunniyam, Ayan Yalchin, the profession fell by Sarabjit Gupta, Sridhar Ponnada, Shany Gupta, Adam Makepeace, 32% in 2009, the firm Mohan Bharj, David Head, Front Row: Jason Bruce, Fatima Boujettif, now has 68 such conAlice Boyle, Neveen Galal, Amanjit Lalli, Gurpreet Vagha, Jitender tracts – four times Birah, Nina Joshi, Nikki Bhogal that held by any other legal aid firm. And over 20,000 people a year whilst it retains a high solicitors, staff and barrisnumber of those who ters buzzed with exciteby offering them a voice in qualify – 41 of the compament, the formal presentathe legal system. Indeed ny’s solicitors trained intion was launched with a the firm plays a key role in house as well as seven of very professional and well holding Government and the partners – it also trimmed audio-visual. other public bodies to makes an enormous conaccount with over 300 It briefly narrated how tribution to the supplier Judicial Review cases curthe report from the base of legal aid lawyers rently lodged in the High Ministry of Justice for the future. Every year Court – more than any explained that the Duncan other firm in the country. Lewis is providing more 150 graduates also benefit And last year, it had twenlegal aid services than any from its work placement ty House of Lords and other UK firms. In the scheme. Court of Appeal reported year ending March 2009, In a week when the cases. Duncan Lewis has Justice Secretary Jack Established in 1998 by received £9.9m from the Straw MP also announced Community Legal Service’s annual budget of £900m – almost twice as much as the secondplaced firm. The slide show went on explaining how the firm gives a vital role to

NCGO (UK) organises a successful political conference- ‘Question Time’

L-R: Dominic Grieve, MP, Shadow Justice Secretary, CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, Alpesh Patel, Sarah Teather, MP and Keith Vaz, MP

Question Time, a political conference was organised by National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (UK) and Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar in Kadwa Patidar Centre on Sunday 28th March 2010, 11am-2pm. The moderator for the event was Alpesh Patel, chaired by Mr CB Patel. Dominic Grieve, MP from the Conservative party, Sarah Teather from Lib Dem party and Keith Vaz, MP from the Labour party participated in the conference representing their parties. The ‘Question Time’ was attended by about 250 people. A full report will be published in the next week issue of Asian Voice. significant changes to the procedure for tendering for legal aid services, Duncan Lewis is already able to demonstrate that it is providing the highest quality of legal aid services on the most cost-effective

basis. Duncan Lewis Chief Executive Shany Gupta said, “Duncan Lewis is very proud of the leading role it plays in giving so many, often disadvantaged individuals, a voice in the

legal system. We believe that this is a vital social welfare function and are grateful for the enthusiasm with which our staff seek to ensure the best protection of rights for all our clients.”

Manual handling - What you need to know as a busy builder UK Health and Safety Law protects you even if you are not working here legally

Rhaynukaa Soni Outreach Executive

Want to lighten the load on your busy building site? These are the essential health and safety top tips you should follow, even if you don’t directly employ the people working on your site. l Prevent unnecessary lifting and carrying. Position loads by machine and plan where they need to be put. l Avoid heavy materials that could cause problems if they

need to be moved by hand. Choose lighter materials, order smaller bags of cement and aggregates. Keep materials such as concrete blocks dry. l Use simple mechanical aids and make sure they are kept well maintained. l Make sure workers are trained to use lifting equipment and other aids safely. l Think about workers’ size and strength. Have they been trained to lift safely? n Consider hiring lifting equipment at a daily rate to lighten the load. l Avoid repetitive lifting, handling heavy building blocks or other masonry units and installing heavy lintels by hand. This is just a summary – you can find out what else you need to know about health and safety by visiting www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm If you are worried about health and safety at your site talk to your employer, the

What can happen if health and safety is ignored? A builder was installing a 70 kg steel beam by himself. He had to reposition the steel a number of times and subsequently suffered with a ‘slipped disc’ and had to have three months off work. main contractor or a safety representative. If you are still worried, you can contact the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Call our Helpline to speak to an advisor in English, or Gujarati: 0207 556 2181. All calls are confidential and you do not have to give your name if you don't want to. Alternatively, you can send us an e-mail with a complaint or enquiry to: desi@hse.gsi.gov.uk

Helpline: 0207 556 2181 e-mail: desi@hse.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/gujarati

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Scrutator’s NDTV, the boisterous English-language Indian TV channel, is afflicted by what can only be regarded as a juvenile fixationn about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Its high octane, hysterical reporters and commentators consider him fair game for seasonal witch-hunts, but the intended quarry, unmoved by such attention, goes from strength to strength. Like the non-pareil Sachin Tendulkar, who prefers his bat to do the talking, Mr Modi clearly believes Gujarat's continuing rise as an industrial and agricultural hub, plus his ability to win state elections by landslides, are his best advocates. Forbes India (March 20), it would appear, has joined his bandwagon of admirers. Its reporter, R.N.Bhaskar's in-depth coverage of Gujarat's agricultural advances should be an eyeopener to the uninitiated. Saurashtra, once the most arid region in the state, whose soil in times gone by yielded little to the toil and perspiration of struggling farmers, boasts a changed environment today. “Wheat, cotton, banana, papaya, sugarcane, tomatoes and a variety of other crops sprout all over, erasing forever the cliché of Saurashtra being a parched expanse....Saurashtra, along with neighbouring Kutch, a half-desert, half-salty marsh region has become the engine of a farming revolution in Gujarat, propelling the state into one of the fastest growing agricultural economies in the country. Gujarat's agriculture has grown 9.6 per cent per year in the last decade or so, surpassing the national growth of 2.9 per cent and boosting rural incomes.” Inputs have certainly helped, but India's other states also have similar aids without reproducing Gujarat's astonishing success.

Market access Gujarat's secret has been market access. Mr Bhaskar writes: “Gujarat was early to amend the laws governing the marketing of agricultural produce and allow farmers to sell their output to private buyers. Even today, many states haven't done so and keep the farmer tied to the

payments if prices rose at the time of the transaction. While it reduced market risks for the farmer, it also encouraged companies to invest in farming indirectly. The result is obvious everywhere, but nowhere more so than in the 500-acre farm of the Patel brothers in Dolpur in the district of Sabarkantha, in the north-

and Uttar Pradesh, keen to learn their key to success. The brothers are now consultants to other farmers. Very soon, the Patels will be investing Rs 4 crore on a greenhouse to grow capsicum, tomatoes and muskmelons.”

Conserving water Water conservation is a major factor for Gujarat's agricultural advance. The Sardar Sarovar Project, the largest in the state, which draws on the water of the Narmada, has helped, but it has some way to go before it reaches its full potential. Meanwhile, check dams and water harvesting are bringing the state up to speed. Between 2001 and 2006, Chief Minister Narendra Modi ordered the building of check dams wherever possible. His slogan was that rain water on the fields should remain there and the water in rivulets should remain there too. There was little sense in letting all this water drain into the sea. The strategy worked. And farmers began to see a rise in water tables year after year.”A multitude of complementary schemes are now in place, enabling agriculture to take its place as the state's industrial twin in generating wealth and spreading prosperity for the people.

Green Swami In Karnataka, deep in India's southern heartland, comes the tale of Sri

Narmada Dam water brings prosperity to Gujarat’s farming communities

official procurement hubs... Gujarat has persisted with opening up market access to farmers. This also opened up contract farming. In 2004-05, Gujarat took an unusual step. It allowed companies to buy crops from farmers a year in advance.This helped the farmers hedge against price upheavals and a guaranteed price minimum price. What's more, there is also some flexibility to allow higher

east of the state. Jitesh and Bhavesh, both having done masters in agricultural science, have managed to bring together plots owned by family members and friends and grow potato with modern techniques. They contract out their future production to Balaji, ITC and Pepsi. Their high yields have won them admirers. Each week, their farm sees at least 300 visitors from the state as well as Punjab

G u r u p a d a l i n g a Mahaswami single-handedly converting 25 acres of barren land into a virtual gold mine, reported The Hindu (March 18). It said: “The swami participates in every aspect of agriculture, right from the preparation of the land, tilling, sowing and harvesting of the crop....The agriculture and horticulture farm owned by the math [monastery] is self-sufficient. It has an open well and three high-yielding

borrowers that provide sufficient water for the farms. The water management techniques followed by him have earned him many laurels. The entire horticultural farm is watered though drip irrigation....The farm has its vermicompost manufacturing unit that produces 200 tonnes of from 18 pits a year.” Some of this sold. There is also crop diversification. The local community, particularly women, has benefited from the employment opportunities that have arisen from these enterprises.”

Pak-US measures James Lamont, in the Finical Times (26), produced an insightful analysis of US-Pakistan relations. As the Afghanistan war becomes more unpopular in the US, UK and other Nato countries, the Pakistani leadership, military and civilian, are using the opportunity to apply the squeeze on Washington, their country's principal economic and military aid donor. Mr Lamont writes that Pakistanis had “identified the Taliban as a lever to extract money from the west in return for halting the war. Pakistan's cooperation comes at a price. The first is the ascendancy of General Asfaq Kayani. The powerful general in effect led strategic talks with Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, Robert Gates, defence secretary and James Jones, national security adviser, in Washington. “The second is a long wish list. Pakistan wants improved trade access to European and US markets, the faster delivery of more than $15 billion in aid, military hardware and intelligence co-operation. It seeks greater energy capacity, including a civil nuclear deal similar to one agreed with India, in the interests of 'regional stability.' “The list does not end there. Pakistan wants recognition for its part in efforts against extremism and terrorism in spite of a history of support for militant groups behind deadly attacks in Afghanistan and India. It wants the US to talk tough to India about a Taliban role and bilateral peace talks....Such boldness could, however, as easily belong to the calculating leadership of a misgoverned nation that remains harmful to itself and others.”

Israeli drones With America's dalliance with Pakistan in full swing, India has to look to its defences. Rajat Pandit, in the Times of India (March 26), reports India's quiet acquisition of Israeli drones or

nuclear, biological and chemical detection on the battlefield. It plans to induct these miniature spy drones right down to battalion-level by 2017.

Incendiary device The Guardian's Stephen Bates (March 24) relates

Israeli ‘Heron’ MALE Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for the country's military. India has ordered more 'Heron' MALE (medium-altitude, long endurance) drones, ground control systems and data terminals for around Rs 700 crore from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The critical importance of UAVs in modern warfare cannot be overstated, both for snooping and targeting capabilities. India's armed forces are among the leading users of this lethal technology, having already inducted well over 100 UAVs since the 1999 Kargil conflict. These include Israeli Searcher-II, Heron and Harpy 'killer' drones designed to detect and destroy enemy radars. There is also an ongoing joint IAI-(Indian) DRDO project for naval rotary UAVs or unmanned helicopters operating from warship decks for advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconaisaance missions. Apart from using UAVs for spying and targeting precision guided munitions, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to induct Israeli Harrop killer UAVs from 2011 onwards the Harpy and Harrop drones, which enjoy a cutting edge with their electro-optical sensors. Which are capable of striking enemy missile sites, among its military installations. India has also set its ball rolling. After Nishant and Lakshya drones, the Defence Research & D e v e l o p m e n t Organisation (DRDO) is developing the 'Rustom' MALE drones, with the Army keen to induct seven troops of these. The Army also wants to induct man-portable 'mini' and 'micro' UAVs for shortrange surveillance and for

that the “Indian army just might have discovered the world's hottest chilli pepper”- the 'bhut jolokia,' which grows around the banks of the Brahmaputra river, he avers, could be “harnessed in smoke grenades against rioters or to flush out terrorists in confined spaces.” R.B.Srivastava, director of the life sciences department at the New Delhi headquarters of the Defence Research and D e v e l o p m e n t Organisation, was quoted as saying, “This is definitely going to be an effective non-toxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts. It would literally choke them.” Such a smoke grenade might have worked wonders against General Kayani, who headed Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) between 2004-2007. It would surely have brought him to earth with an explosive, yet nontoxic bump? Finally, the vexed subject of MPs' claims, and the non-payment of taxes to the UK exchequer by prominent figures in both major political parties continues to cast a shadow over the country's public life. The Tory peer Lord Ashcroft has been taken to task for such non-parment on his foreign-based enterprises – and rightly so. However, Labour's Lord Swraj Paul, whose reputation has been somewhat sullied by his prior claim to a parliamentary allowance on a second home, and now for non-payment of taxes on his foreign businesses, appears to have got off lightly in terms of media scrutiny and comment. Ethical standards should be applied uniformly if they are to be credible.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

www.abplgroup.com

Alpesh Patel

North Sea gas pipes deal goes to Corus

Consultant Editor Financial Voice

UK steelmaker owned by Tata will be able to save 250 jobs

Dear Financial Voice Reader, The rupee has been strongest since September 2008 because of the continued Indian growth story and hence demand for investors of rupee assets. More foreign investors have been buying Indian shares for a longer period than since August last year fuelling Sensex and Nifty growth. This year foreign funds have bought $3.4billion of local stocks, after buying $17billion last year. With a million marriages planned for April and May the demand for gold remains strong. Clearly when you have a country growing at a fast rate everything is rising. Turning to UK equities (!) by comparison, the ones which hit my radar include BHP, Bunzl, Carillion, Fenner, Halfords, Kingfisher, MicroFocus, William Hill. All on my analysis are showing growth, income and dividend yields. Interestingly there is also Ladbrokes whose new CEO will pocket £12m if he can get the share price to double over the next five years. If you think he can, then you know where to invest alongside him then. That’s the great thing about capitalism – you won’t get £12m, but you will get 100% reward on your capital if you want to do nothing other than bet on his hard work. In fact you don’t even need to tie up your capital. Spreadbetting firms or CFD firms would require say 10% deposit (all the losses are yours though) and it is high risk. So for instance you could tie up £10,000 for a £100,000 worth of stock bet. Of course if it falls – all losses are yours. But if indeed the stock doubles, you would receive £100,000 profit on the initial £10,000 tied up. But please make sure you understand the risks. For those interested in the Euro – despite it getting stronger, I think the Pound will hold strength too for the next couple of months and both currencies remaining at current levels until then. As for the Dollar, yes it’s been getting stronger against the Pound and I have since the start of the year been forecasting this to continue. Expect something of pause soon though as this trade is too obvious to continue for too long. One particular reason is that although US tax receipts have risen, the US deficit is very large and concern over how best to fund it will increase. Also, its been a while since we’ve looked negatively at the US budget deficit. This past week Citigroup and Goldman Sachs ended their bets on a weakening Dollar – that should push the currency stronger too. US jobs figures have been better than expected, tax take and consumer sentiment have also all been better than expected. Overall the UK and US markets are not overvalued given the earnings those countries’ companies are producing. However much further upside for the next month is hard to see given the recent rallies. Essentially since March of 2009 when the Dow Jones hit 6,500, we’re not at 11,000 pretty much – without much of a pause. At worst we could drop to 10,000, but most people are looking to see if the market on positive news can break through 11000 then on to 12000 as the next major target. Of US stocks, Apple (I have some) is still good value because earnings have matched the rise in its share price. Similarly Kraft too is looking very well valued too. Am I obsessed with food?

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Corus, the UK steelmaker owned by the Tata group of India last week secured a deal to supply gas pipes for a North Sea gas field. Energy companies Total and Dong have signed a contract for buying pipes that would cover a distance of 520 kms and the deal is worth about £200 mn. Hartlepool plant of Corus will be manufactur-

secure about 250 jobs for more than a year. It is also likely to create some 100

The Indian carrier also to start 7 more international routes A leading private Indian career, Kingfisher Airlines connected London to New Delhi with a daily direct flight between the British and the Indian capitals. Kingfisher also will be launching seven more international routes shortly, within about one month. According to a Kingfisher statement, New Delhi – London is the first international flight by the

airline from the Indian capital. Chairman and CEO Vijay Mallya made

London’s Heathrow airport (terminal 4) at 6.10 pm (local time). It will leave London at 9.05 pm and arrive in New Delhi at 10.20 am next day The other flights to be introduced include New Delhi to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai and Kathmandu as well as Mumbai to Bangkok, Dubai and Kathmandu. All these flights will be starting by April 24.

the announcement. The flight will leave New Delhi at 1.20 am and arrive at

RBI, Sebi decisions facilitate Stan-Chart move for IDRs Indian banks, MFs, FII now eligible to invest in IDR of foreign companies Standard Chartered, the British bank that is the oldest foreign bank in India is now firming up plans for its IDR (Indian Depository Receipt) issue to mobilise Rs. 50 bn from Indian markets within next three months, upto June this year. IDRs are instruments that facilitate foreign companies to convert their shares into Indian shares. It has got a boost by recent decisions by RBI and Sebi, two of the main Indian regulatory bodies. While the RBI decided to allow Indian commercial banks to by IDRs of foreign companies. Reserve Bank of India, the Indian central bank also raised the cap for QIBs subscription in IDR. Now, QIBs (Qualified Institutional Buyers) will be allowed to subscribe upto 15% of an IDR issue

ing the pipes for the Laggan and Tormore gas fields. Corus will be able to

new positions for a year. Corus chief executive officer Kirby Adams said, “The securing of jobs and the creation of new ones at Hartlepool are particularly welcome”. Total and Dong expected to invest around £2.5 billion into this project. Government gave the approval to develop this gas field only a week earlier.

Kingfisher connects London – New Delhi with a daily flight

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against the 5% norm at present. Sebi decided that FIIs and Mutual Funds are also eligible to invest in IDRs. Enthused by the decision of the two regulators, Standard Chartered is gearing up to bring the IDR issue within the current quarter of April – June, 2010. If it comes through, this will be the first IDR issue in the history of Indian capital markers. For Standard Chartered, India is the second largest profit centre. Of the total operating profit of StanChart, Indian operations had a share of 20% in 2009. Indian CEO of the bank, Neeraj Swaroop said if the market conditions remain

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2010 BUDGET SUMMARY

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Darling’s Pre-Election Balancing Act With the expectation that the country will go to the polls on 6 May, Alistair Darling delivered what was predictably going to be a highly political Budget that is likely to put substantial financial pressure on high earners, the rich and the banks, but at the same time he provided certain sweeteners for first time buyers and pensioners alike. While many of the measures had been set out in last December’s pre-Budget report, there were some new surprises. These included amongst many, the increased Stamp Duty Land Tax rate on residential properties over £1m from 6 April 2011 and the doubling of the Capital Gains Tax Entrepreneur’s Relief to £2m. However, it does appear that the Parliamentary timetable is such that much of the Budget will not become law before the current session of Parliament ends. Previous experience of Budgets prior to the announcement of an election indicate that there will be a relatively short and non-controversial Finance Act which will be rapidly enacted before the election. No doubt, a longer and more contentious bill will then be introduced in the new Parliament, whatever happens at the polls. The Conservative Government have indicated their commitment to introducing another Budget within 50 days of the election if they come to power.

£250 for pensioners and £400 for individuals aged over 80 years for another year. Child Tax Credits The Child Tax Credit will increase by £4 for parents with children who are aged one and for two year olds from 2012. Child Benefit

Kiran D Patel FCA

2010 is increased to £10,200, of which up to £5,100 can be saved in cash. In order to ensure that savers achieve a net financial benefit from the use of Individual Savings Accounts, it is imperative to compare the “net interest rates” offered by banks and building societies on their ordinary savings accounts against the interest that can be achieved on Individual Savings Accounts. Pension Tax Relief

The main highlights of the Budget are outlined as follows:l Freezing the Inheritance Tax nil rate band at £325,000 between 6 April 2010 and 5 April 2015. l Confirming the Individual Savings Account Allowance as £10,200 for 2010/11 and indexing it thereafter. l Doubling the Capital Gains Tax and Entrepreneur’s Relief to £2m per person for business asset disposals after 5 April 2010. l Doubling the Annual Investment Allowance for investment in plant and machinery by businesses to £100,000 from April 2011. l Confirming that the small company’s Corporation Tax rate will remain at 21% for 2010. l Increasing the Stamp Duty Land Tax rate from 4% to 5% on the purchase of residential properties over £1m starting in 2011/12. l Raising the threshold for Stamp Duty Land Tax to £250,000 for first time buyers from 25 March 2010 for 2 years (a temporary measure). l Imposing the standard rate of Value Added Tax on postal packages and parcels from 31 January 2011. l Confirming the revised restrictions on Pension Tax relief from 2011/12. l Introducing a severe penalty for tax evasion of up to 200% where there is an undisclosed offshore element.

PERSONAL TAXATION AND FINANCE Income tax rates and personal allowances The main allowances, starting rate savings band and basic rate band for 2010/11 are unchanged from 2009/10.

Furthermore the following measures have been introduced with effect from 2010/11:l A 50% “additional rate” tax will apply to all income earners earning in excess of £150,000 per annum. The corresponding rate of dividends will be 42.5%. Dividends, as usual, will apply to the highest band of taxation. l The basic rate personal allowance will be gradually reduced to nil for individuals with a total income of over £100,000. The reduction will be £1 for each £2 of income earned over £100,000, so that individuals earning a total income of above £112,950 will not receive any personal allowances. The effect of the reduction in the basic personal allowance means those individuals whose total income exceeds £112,950 will be taxed at an effective Income Tax rate of 60% on their earnings between £100,000 and £112,950. In order to protect your Personal Allowance, and to avoid the reduction by 50% of every £1 of income over £100,000 it is advisable to reduce your income to below £100,000 if possible, for example by making a pension contribution or by choosing tax efficient investments, which should result in the benefit being achieved from the full allowance. Individual Savings Accounts With effect from 6 April 2011, and over the course of the next Parliament, the annual Individual Savings Account limits will increase each year in line with the RPI. The new annual limits will be rounded to the nearest multiple of £120, with the revised amounts published at least 4 months before the start of the new tax year. The subscription limits from 6 April

With effect from 2011/12, tax relief on Pension Contributions will be restricted for the following:l Employees with a total annual income of £130,000 or over before deduction or relief for pension contributions and charitable donations and whose income together with the value of any employer Pension Contributions is £150,000 or more; and l Other individuals with a total income of £150,000 or over before deduction or relief for Pension Contributions and charitable donations. A taper will apply for those with incomes between £150,000 and £180,000, gradually reducing relief on Pension Contributions until it is restricted to a basic rate of tax only. The new restrictions will replace the special Annual Allowance Charge. In order to mitigate this change, it is advisable to maximise the pension contributions on which you can get full tax relief. If your total income is £130,000 or more, the tax relief on your pension contributions may be limited in 2009/10 and 2010/11. From 2011/12 it may only qualify for basic rate tax relief. Pension schemes: Annual allowance The Chancellor confirmed that the lifetime allowance is to be frozen at £1.8m and the annual allowance is to be frozen at £255,000 from 2011/12 to 2015/16 inclusive. Other measures Winter fuel The Chancellor has guaranteed a higher winter fuel payment of

A tax free payment, every 4 weeks, for children who are under the age of 16, or older if they are undergoing some form of training. Currently £20 a week for the first child and £13.20 for all additional children is being paid. The Chancellor did not announce the amount that is likely to be paid in relation to the tax free payments. Bank Accounts The Chancellor announced that there are currently in excess of one million people who do not have access to a bank account. He has announced that they will have a legal right to open an account over the next five years and banks and building societies will be forced to open a basic account, not necessarily offering an overdraft facility but certainly, having a debit card and the ability to pay direct debits for all individuals who request that an account be opened. Fuel The scheduled 3p per litre rise in fuel duty which was announced in the pre-Budget report in December 2009, will now be staggered in stages of 1p in April 2010, 1p in October 2010 and the remaining 1p in January 2011. Alcohol As expected, the Chancellor announced severe increases in alcohol duties with virtual immediate effect. In particular, he announced that the duty on cider will rise by 10% over the rate of inflation from last Sunday and the duty on beer, wines and spirits will rise by 1% over and above inflation as previously planned from the same time. Cigarettes Again in another expected move, the Chancellor announced that tobacco duty will rise by 1% above inflation from last Sunday and by 2% each year until 2014.

BUSINESS TAXES Corporate Tax Rates The main rate of corporation tax will remain unchanged at 28% from 1 April 2011. The small company’s rate will continue to be at 21% from 1 April 2010. Associated Companies The Chancellor announced the Government’s intention to reform and simplify the associate company rules as they apply to the small company’s rate, following recent consultation. The

changes will take effect from April 2011. The Government is also consulting on detailed proposals of simplifying capital gains tax rules for groups of companies. Annual Investment Allowance The Annual Investment Allowance gives 100% tax relief for investment in fixed assets, namely plant and machinery, for certain businesses. The amount of the allowance will double from £50,000 to £100,000, and will take effect for expenditure incurred from 1 April 2010 for Corporation Tax purposes and from 6 April 2010 for Income Tax purposes. Where the businesses accounting period straddles the effective date, the maximum allowance will be apportioned between the periods falling before and after the date. For example, where a business produces accounts to 31 December each year, for the year ending 31 December 2010, the annual investment allowance will comprise of 3/12 of £50,000 and 9/12 of £100,000, therefore amounting to £87,500. Company cars and vans Where company cars and vans do not produce CO2 emissions, due to the fact that they are electric only vehicles, the scale charge applicable to those vehicles will be 0%. For cars with CO2 emissions of 75g/Km or less, the appropriate percentage scale charge will be 5% (8% for diesel vehicles). Both the new charges will last for 5 years from 6 April 2010. The above measure will enable employees to make use of company cars with zero or very low CO2 emissions without being severely taxed for the use of the vehicle. However, of the vehicles currently available on the market, other than electric vehicles, the taxpayer will be hard pushed to find vehicles that produce CO2 emissions below 75g/Km. Zero emission goods vehicles For businesses incurring expenditure on new zero emission goods vehicles, including electric vans, a first year allowance of 100% will be available. This measure will have effect for 5 years from 1 April 2010 for Corporation Tax purposes and from 6 April 2010 for Income Tax purposes. This measure will enable businesses to acquire new zero emission goods vehicles (electric vans) and obtain 100% tax relief against business profits on the purchase of the vehicles in the year in which the expenditure is incurred. It must be noted that this amount is only really of any practical benefit where business expenditure during the year on plant and machinery, exceeds the Annual Investment Allowance of £100,000. It is important for proprietors to ensure that the timing of investment in new business equipment is managed so that the maximum benefit from immediate tax relief on the first £100,000 a year spent on most

2010 BUDGET SUMMARY

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Kiran D Patel FCA

PERSONAL TAXATION AND FINANCE Income tax rates and personal allowances The main allowances, starting rate savings band and basic rate band for 2010/11 are unchanged from 2009/10.

2010 BUDGET SUMMARY

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010 types of equipment is achieved. Expenditure amounting to over £100,000 in the year may just qualify for the 20% annual written down allowance. Therefore, it is imperative that you consider spreading the cost of investment in equipment over two or more trading years if the amount of expenditure is likely to exceed £100,000. Waiver of loans to participators Close companies will be denied a Corporation Tax deduction for a loan to a participator (broadly shareholders and certain loan creditors) that is written off or released. Close companies (principally companies under the control of 5 or fewer individuals who generally tend to be the shareholders and directors of the company) are charged to tax when they make a loan to a participator, which is repaid only if the loan is repaid. Where a loan is written off, the company may be entitled to a Corporation Tax deduction under the loan relationship rules. The Chancellor announced that for loans written off after 24 March 2010, this qualification for deduction will no longer apply. Despite the above, individuals can still save substantial amounts of tax by trading through a company. For example, a business with profits being achieved of approximately £50,000 can save the owner approximately £3,700 in tax and National Insurance Contributions if it is set up to trade through a Limited Company rather than as a Sole Trader. Taxes on banks bonuses It was announced that banks, building societies and other financial businesses will be liable to 50% Bank Payroll Tax on bonuses of more than £25,000 that are awarded to employees from 12.30pm on 9 December 2009 until 5 April 2010. These measures were published in the pre-Budget report announced by the Chancellor in December 2009, however, there have been some changes to the original proposals. They include clarification of the date when the relevant remuneration is taken to be “awarded” and which businesses are included. Bonuses to employees who visited the United Kingdom for not more than 60 days in the 2009/10 tax year will not be liable to Bank Payroll Tax. All entities that are subject to the Bank Payroll Tax will have to submit a Return to HM Revenue & Customs and pay the tax by 31 August 2010. Improved time to pay scheme The Chancellor announced in his speech that the improved time to pay scheme which applies to small and medium sized businesses allowing them more time to pay their tax bills will be extended for the whole of the next Parliament. Precise details of the extension has not yet been announced. Business rates For in excess of 500,000 small businesses, the level of small business relief rates in England will be increased for one year from 1 October 2010, to give full

relief for eligible businesses occupying premises with a rateable value of up to £6,000 and a tapering relief will apply where the rateable value is up to £12,000. It is expected that approximately 345,000 businesses will not pay any business rates as a result of this measure. In addition, the temporary increase in the threshold for empty property relief to a rateable value of £18,000 will also be extended for a further year to 2010/11, as the Chancellor had indicated in his pre-Budget report in December 2009. Government contracts Building on the recommendations of the Glover review, the Chancellor announced that he will increase the number of Central Government contracts that go to small and medium sized enterprises by 15%. It is anticipated that this will result in an extra £3bn worth of new business from Central Government alone and is likely to end up with £15bn across the wide public sector. In addition, the Chancellor announced that the Government are taking steps to speed up payments to businesses from Government departments so that up to 80% of all invoices issued by small and medium sized enterprises will be settled within five days of their receipt.

Value Added Tax Registration and Deregistration threshold The VAT registration threshold will increase to £70,000 (from £68,000) from 1 April 2010. The threshold at which a business can apply for deregistration will also rise from £66,000 to £68,000 from the same date. It is important, if you are running a new business that you ensure that the level of turnover that you are achieving is monitored on a regular basis. You may be too busy to notice how much your turnover has grown. It is advisable that you track your sales in the 12 months up to the end of each month and if the total tops £70,000, you must register for VAT within 30 days. If you delay the penalties could be severe. Partial exemption and option to tax The Government has also confirmed that the basis on which partially exempt businesses calculate the amount of VAT they can recover will be simplified from 1 April 2010. Simplifications to the option to tax regime for the acquisition of properties that are subject to Value Added Tax has also been confirmed from the same date. Postal services Value Added Tax at the standard rate does not currently apply on the conveyance of parcel packets by Royal Mail (including Parcelforce), and letters too are currently exempt from VAT. As from 31 January 2011, the Chancellor has announced that the standard rate of Value Added Tax (currently 17.5%) will be charged on the conveyance of all parcel packets by Royal Mail (including Parcelforce). Letters will remain exempt from VAT.

The recovery of VAT on certain property The recover of Value Added Tax will be restricted for immovable property, boats and aircraft that are used both for business and private purposes. At present, VAT on these assets is recoverable up front and in full, subject to any partial exemption restriction. VAT is then payable over subsequent years in respect of the private use of the asset. Measures introduced will restrict VAT recovery to the business’s proportion of the asset only, excluding any private use by the tax payer or the tax payer’s staff. Changes to the capital goods scheme will also be introduced so that it will take account of any changes in private use over later years. The changes implement the EC Technical Directive 2009/162/EU and will have effect from 1 January 2011. As a result, rules on the recovery of VAT on Director’s accommodation will be redundant and will be repealed from the same date. Broadband tax The Chancellor’s vision of the future of the UK was defined as the potential to become a world leader in the digital economy. Realising this ambition is likely to create thousands of new businesses and hundreds of thousands of new jobs. The Chancellor also announced that it would open the way for public services to be delivered more effectively and at a lower cost, and that the access to high speed broadband is essential to deliver these goals. In order to deliver these goals, the Chancellor announced that a levy of 50p per month as a landline duty on all telephone landlines. This, is likely to assist in the roll out of super fast broadband for 90% of the Country by 2017.

Capital taxes Stamp Duty Land Tax There will be relief from this Stamp Duty Land Tax on purchases of residential properties that cost up to £250,000 if the transaction is completed on or after 25 March 2010 and before 25 March 2012. This relief can only be claimed by first time buyers who intend to occupy the property as their main residence. In order to help fund this temporary tax relief, an additional rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax would be introduced at 5% on all residential properties costing £1m or more, where the transaction is completed on or after 5 April 2011. The Chancellor has introduced special rules that apply to partnerships that ensure that Stamp Duty Land Tax is not charged on the transfer of land or property between the partners or between a partner and the partnership. However, antiavoidance rules will be introduced to ensure that contrived partnerships are not used to avoid Stamp Duty Land Tax where it would otherwise be due. Where the Stamp Duty Land Tax is overpaid as a result of a mistake on the Land Tax Return, the tax can be reclaimed within 6 years. From 1 April 2011, claims for repayment of overpaid

Stamp Duty Land Tax must be made within 4 years. It will no longer be necessary for the overpayments to have arisen from a mistake in the Land Tax Return. Capital Gains Tax The rate of Capital Gains Tax for 2010/11 remains at 18%. The Capital Gains Tax annual exemption (being the amount of capital gains that can be achieved and realised before tax is paid) has also been frozen at £10,100, with the exemption for trusts generally set at £5,050. Entrepreneur’s relief The Entrepreneur’s relief reduces the effective rate of Capital Gains Tax to 10% on gains arising on the disposal of businesses and certain business assets. Individuals are restricted to claiming this relief on up to £1m of life time gains made after 5 April 2008. This limit is to be increased to £2m on disposals made on or after 5 April 2010. No additional relief is given for gains that exceed £1m made before 6 April 2010. For entrepreneurs who are in the process of selling their businesses, it is advisable to consider delaying the disposal until after 5 April this year when the limit of Entrepreneur’s relief doubles to qualifying gains of £2m. The tax rate is 10% instead of 18% on the excess over £1m after that date. Inheritance Tax The nil rate band for Inheritance Tax has been frozen to £325,000 until 5 April 2015. The rate of Inheritance Tax on this remains at 40%. As property prices are likely to increase over the period to 5 April 2015, and the largest, most substantial asset owned by individuals over a lifetime is their residential home, more and more individuals are likely to be caught under the Inheritance Tax regime in the next 5 years. In order to mitigate this liability, careful Inheritance Tax planning must be instigated as early as possible.

Banking Lending In recognition of the fact that the banks have reduced lending in order to repair their own Balance Sheets, which has caused problems for companies and the wider economy, the Chancellor has announced that an agreement has been reached so that the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB will provide a total of £94bn in new business loans. In addition, the Chancellor announced that half of these loans must go to the small and medium sized business enterprises. In addition to the above, the Chancellor has announced that a new credit adjudicator will be established in order to fast track credit complaints from small and medium sized enterprises. This new credit adjudicator service will examine lending decisions to see if they are fair.

In conclusion In what is being seen as a predictably political exercise, Alistair Darling’s third Budget was a conventional set of announcements. It is unlikely that a substantial amount of the measures introduced in the Budget will be enacted in this Parliament. No doubt a longer and more contentious bill will be introduced in the new Parliament whatever happens during the election. The above information should not be relied upon on its own for detailed tax planning for individuals and businesses. There are many factors that need careful additional consideration and research by you and your professional advisers which could pay handsome dividends prior to taking any action. The outlined proposals may be subject to amendment before the Finance Act is given Royal ascent. Kiran D Patel FCA is a partner at Weston Kay Chartered Accountants. For specific advice, please contact Kiran D Patel on 020 7636 7493 or email him at k.patel@westonkay.com.

WESTON KAY CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS NOT EVERY FIRM OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS IS THE SAME! Located in the heart of London’s West End.Servicing clients throughout the country. A professional firm dedicated to helping business grow. Let us help you to deal with the current demanding climate of compliance and at the same time, assist you in planning for your own, your family’sand your business’s future. To Find Out More About Us And How We Can Work With You Contact Kiran D Patel FCA At: 73/75 MORTIMER STREET LONDON W1W 7SQ

Tel: 020 7636 7493 Fax: 020 7636 8424 E-Mail: k.patel@westonkay.com Web: www.westonkay.com Partners: Joseph Weston, Melvin Kay, Kiran Patel, Jill Springbett

fInAnCIAl voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Maria Fernandes maria@abplgroup.com

Changes to the Points Based System from 6th April 2010

Applicants will be granted 2 years instead of 3 years. They will be granted an extension of 3 years.

dentistry from a recognised UK Institution. There are amendments to the post study regulations specifically for doctors medical students. Doctors will be able to switch into Tier 1 (Post Study Work) within 12 months of completing the Foundation Programme rather than their degree. Doctors who have leave in the old permit free Postgraduate Doctor and Dentist category will be able to switch into Tier 1 (Post Study Work) on completion of the Foundation Programme.

High earnings

Tier 2 changes

Those who do not have qualifications but can demonstrate very high earnings (£150,000or above) will qualify even though they do not have formal qualifications.

These changes affect Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intra Company Transfers) only. The other categories are not affected by the changes. Those coming in as Intra company transfers will score 25 points instead of 30 points. The main change is in the salary bands. Those earning less than £20000 will score not points. It will be necessary to score over £32000 to earn the maximum points (25).

The points based system for Tier 1 and 2 is due to change again from the 6th April 2010. It is still necessary to score 95 points in total. However the new regulations further tighten up the criteria. This article provides a brief overview of the changes. It assumes you already have a working knowledge of Tier 1 and 2.

Period of leave

Exempted Categories The new points system will not apply to those in the UK in the following categories: Tier 1 (general) with leave granted before 6th April 2010 Highly Skilled Migrant Programme(HSMP) Writers composers and Artists

Self employed lawyers The above categories will continue to be awarded the same points which are currently in force when they apply to switch into Tier1(General). Applicant will be granted 2 to 3 years as applicable to take their stay to a total of 5 years.

Doctors in training Restrictions extended to dentists in training. However this will not apply to those who have a degree in medicine or

Exemptions Those currently in the UK under Tier 2 (General) or Tier 2 (Intra Company Transfer) and applying for extensions will automatically score 50 points providing: They have a Certificate of Sponsorship They work in the same job, for the same employer, and earn the same salary or higher.

Administrative There have been clarifications of the instances when a change of employment is required to be notified. There will be 2 areas when it will be necessary to report changes:

It the salary reduces below the sum stated on the Certificate of Sponsorship (unless it is a company wide policy defined in the regulations or the result of maternity or adoption leave) Changes from a shortage occupation to a non shortage occupation job notified. Changing from one code to another New recommendations by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) MAC has published its latest shortage occupation report. The focus for this report was on pharmacists, musicians, aircraft component manufacturing engineers and fishermen. The MAC recommends that the pharmacists category currently the UK shortage occupation list be expanded to include community pharmacists (those who work for private employers other than the NHS). The MAC also recommends those orchestral musician jobs be very closely for leaders of the orchestra only. The MAC does not recommend any other changes to the UK shortage occupation lists. The UKBA will need to consider these recommendations and decide whether to accept them. The changes mainly tighten up the provisions thus making it harder to qualify than before. They do however open up the door for individuals who earn high salaries but did not have formal academic qualifications and therefore until now could not qualify. Maria Fernandes is a principal of Fernandes Vaz solicitors who specialise in immigration and nationality law. She has substantial experience of immigration and is an accredited member of the Immigration Law Panel. www.fernandesvaz.com

Indian Rupee touches at 18 month high against US dollar Indian Rupee touched 45.10/11 per US dollar on Monday at a high of 18 months before it lost the gains on Tuesday. After four days of gains, on

Tuesday, the Indian currency went down. Monday, the Rupee touched at the levels it was last recorded on 10 September, 2008.

However, on Tuesday, the upward trend was snapped as stock markets lost some ground amid speculation that overseas investments could slow down.

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: Of Political Power There I was, moderating the Asian equivalent of Question Time last Sunday between Keith Vaz (Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee), Dominic Grieve (Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary), Sarah Teather (Lib Dem Shadow Housing Minister). The day before I was at the Neasden mandir where to my surprise there were complaints that politicians turn up at election time, make promises, and then you can’t ever get access. So how do you lobby, without hiring Stephen Byers? Well here are some rules: MP’s are generally powerless within Parliament or amongst civil servants. They only have some weight outside Parliament if writing to say, your bank! The reason is, as amply shown on Sunday, they can promise the earth and hide behind phrases like ‘if I were in government...’ and if they are in government then it becomes...’if I were PM...’ Moreover, they can ask for information, but laws and regulations are in place that their influence can’t do much other than maybe speed up a lazy civil servant who may not have taken your case seriously. As we saw with the Byers situation – MPs get into trouble for overstating their power and influence. Use a group eg the

NCGO. If MPs think there is only one person, then nothing will get done. If they think an entire community may be up in arms, then that’s different. Headache: Crosslobby between say the Tory councillor who can bug the Labour MP etc Fear of numbers: Petition – get a load of signatures. Maybe even a Facebook and Twitter page on the issue. Greed: Let the MP know who have written to his Party leadership, whips office, and Party Chairman to keep them informed about how effective and helpful the MP is going to be on this issue. Publicise: Find from w w w. p a r l i a m e n t . u k which select committee is taking evidence on the issue concerned and submit your evidence to that select committee. Find out the All Party Parliamentary Groups considering the issue and write to all their MP members so you build a coalition. Be specific, to the point and don’t sound crazy. Ie don’t let them discredit you or mark you as irrelevant. Maybe get a professional to write the letter. And make it clear what you are asking for. Do not show anger. Do not rant. Provide chronologies, key persons involved and their titles and contact details on a separate sheet – make their life

easier. One poor lady came to me after the event almost in tears telling me the story how her daughter had been attacked and one person after another just pushing her from pillar to post. What does she do? Does she write to Asian Voice to take up her cause? Does she go to her council? Does she write to MPs and Councillors? What about Citizens Advice Bureau? The police? NCGO? The weakest in our community are being maltreated because those in positions of influence are very good at calculating how much power they have. So you have to increase your power. The above approaches help. They create real power or perceived power. The columnist hails from Karamsad and is a former Visiting Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He read Philosophy, Politics, Economics at St Anne’s College, Oxford when he also interned in the US Congress during the Clinton administration, read Law at King’s College, London, qualifying as a barrister. He is a former Bloomberg TV presenter and Financial Times columnist with 250+ columns published in the FT and author of 13 books on business and the markets. He is the founder Praefinium Partners – a global Asset Management company. A.patel@praefinium.com

ArcelorMittal stake in Uttam Galva raised to 33.8% With further investments worth an estimated Rs. 750 to 800 million, ArcelorMittal has raised its holding in the Indian steel making company Uttam Galva to 33.8 per cent. A spokesman for the UK based company

owned by the British Indian steel king Lakshmi Mittal said the company acquired additional 4.9 per cent shares of Uttam Galva recently. With the latest hike, ArcelorMittal now holds 33.8 per cent stake in the Indian company.

ArcelorMittal bought the shares at a price of Rs. 120 per share. Miglani family, the promoters of Uttam Galva now have about 38% stake in the company. The two companies had entered into a co-promotion pact last year.

Indian markets peak a two year high FIIs push Sensex, Nifty on Monday before a minor decline Key equity indices of India – the BSE Sensex and the NSE Nifty touched a 2 year high level of 17,193 points and 5,325 respectively on Monday following strong buying by FIIs, firm trends at the European and Asian markets as well as a weak dollar. The two indices however closed at lower levels

of 17,711 and 5,302. Gains for the day were 0.4 per cent for the Nifty while it were 0.38 per cent for the Sensex. The BSE mid-cap index was up 0.25 per cent, while the small-cap index fell 0.44 per cent. However, the market breadth remained negative. On the BSE, 34.75 per cent, or 1,028 stocks,

advanced, and 62.6 per cent, or 1,852, declined. FIIs were net buyers of Rs 10.628 billion, according to provisional NSE data. Domestic institutional investors were net sellers to the tune of Rs 270.45 crore. A weak dollar also helped the spurt in Sensex and Nifty.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Property Focus Suresh Vagjiani Managing Director of Sow & Reap, a Property Investment & Financing company.

ProPerty Guru

In the Nick Of Time This week we came across a scenario where one of our clients whose main business is doing up high end properties in Birmingham, needed access to finance fast in order to secure a purchase within a tight time frame. The reason time was an issue is the property has an open market value of £1.5m, he knew this could be achieved if the property was marketed fully in the open market. He had the option to purchase the property for £1.25m if he could complete the deal in weeks. Being a property developer, his income tends to be lumpy. This scenario will definitely not fit the plain vanilla lenders criteria. Currently he is also selling a property for £2.5m with about £800,000 of loan on it. In summary he required confirmation in days that we could get funds for him, the case would have to be non status, and he required the full funds

including all costs and stamp duty. Not only were we able to tick all the above boxes, we also pushed the purchase through our stamp duty scheme and saved him a massive £31,250. Which practically pays for most of his bridging costs. Although the bridging costs were higher than normal plain lending there are distinct advantages. Most bridging companies operate intuitively and the underwriting process is not mechanised. In the current environment were lending is proving difficult, lenders who operate this way fulfil a valuable niche and are refreshing to deal with. The timing within which we can turn around deals is literally days. So when you come across a lucrative deal where time is of the essence call Sow & Reap to execute on time and secure your purchase.

Ride the Wave Whatever the Weather 0People and investors are talking about a double dip. There are theories to say one way and some theories to say the opposite. The bottom line is this: no one knows for sure what the future holds. Many commentators use the past recessions to predict the future, again this is the past and these models were based on assumptions which may not be true now let alone into the future. Factually, investors who have chosen base rate trackers have had it very good with the rate currently at 0.5%. Looking back this was a good decision but hindsight is a wonderful thing. These investors instead of losing money have profited the last couple of years. We have a client who was a free soul and hated any kind of restrictions even on his mortgages and so chose floating rates with no penalties at all giving him the ability to refinance or sell as he wishes. All his properties are Ex Council properties all in Central positions such as Notting Hill therefore commanding strong rents with his monthly mortgages payments being so low he has been making good income. All his properties are with a rate of 0.89% plus the bank base. This is the first time in his life he has been in this situation, where his BTL portfolio is generating so much income. It is important for those who are in this position to note this is a honey moon period, it will not last for ever and it will only go up from here. It is important to make provisions for the future increases in interest rates. This individual is not highly geared, he has built up his portfolio over decades and so has good equity balanced across his properties and so remortgaging when the time is correct will not be an issue. This is not the scenario with all investors. Some do not have the option to remortgage, their level of borrowing is to high for any bank to accept. There is a sector in the market who are enjoying the benefits of being on tracker rates but are highly geared, many have their portfolios entirely made up of new build properties, because in the good old days these could have been purchased without any deposits down what so ever. The deal would be a 15% discount on the purchase price and an 85% mortgage based on the

valuation, hey presto: a free property with no money down. The point is if every one has been given a discount in a new build development, this ceases to be a discount and becomes the actual market price. So in effect you have a situation where all properties have 100% borrowing in new build developments. This means as the rates rise they will not be able to afford to pay the mortgages and will not have the option to sell their properties as there will be no equity left in the property. This is what’s known as negative equity, which means the value of the property is lower than the amount of mortgage you have outstanding on the property. These types of repossessions are yet to come on to the market and so perhaps this will lead to a next dip. Who knows?

So it is better to purchase prudently and with this in mind. Purchase assuming there will be a double dip. This means the purchasing should make sense from an income point of view. Come rain or shine your property must be working for you. You may ask why not wait for the next dip and then purchase? People like to paint the whole market with one brush. The properties which will be coming on the markets from the above scenario will not be in primary locations such as central London. These properties will mostly be in developing areas such as Leeds and Nottingham etc. Areas in prime locations have only risen in price in the last couple of years irrespective of the crunch and will ride well through the next few years what ever the weather.

n Mortgages n Commercial Finance n Property Sourcing n Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale t: 0207 706 0187 F: 0203 014 8484

e: info@sowandreap.co.uk W: www.sowandreap.co.uk

31 Southwick Street, Paddington, W2 1JQ Registered in England No. 05083823

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asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Any ques tion

SwatI bhan

Life style

s write to m amta@ abplgroup.com

by Mamta bhatia, Psychologist

Causes and cure for blackheads on the nose Black heads are generally caused by partially blocked pores. The black appearance is due to the oxidising effect of air on the oil in a blocked pore, combined with the melanin pigment from the dead skin cells. There are a lot of possible causes, but the usual underlying problem is the excessive production of oil and dead skin cells. This is often exasperated by eating the wrong kinds of food like dairy products, sugar, processed foods, and not taking proper care of your skin. Treating Blackheads natural methods • The easiest way is squeeze the black-

heads on nose but one should avoid doing that, or use an extractor tool to tease them out, because you will just damage your skin, and possibly cause a more serious skin condition, such as large spots and cysts. • Prevention is much better than cure, so tackle the root cause of the problem. Start by only using skin care products that are made from natural ingredi-

you’re worth the effort Work, sleep, eat, drink, Laugh, dance, write, think, Breathe, breathe, stop, breathe, Up late, mind greed. No focus, crystallise, Sit still, meditation not tried, Time now, used, hide, Following pursuits, soul guide. Easily done in this life of non-stop work, Priorities set, soul left, murk. Commitment spread, Life’s aims mind led. Break the circle, break the habit, Adapt, grow, navel lit. Reassess, time set, commit, In this life, time limit.

ents and natural oils, and which are not too astringent. If you use astringent products

you will start a chain reaction, whereby your skin becomes too dry, so your body automatically creates more sebum to compensate, which blocks your p o r e s , which creates more blackheads. • Start following a daily exfoliating routine to get rid of dead skin cells. Ensure that you only use the gentlest exfoliating mask, so that you don't damage your skin. You will quickly find that this helps to prevent your pores from blocking up. Finally, avoid applying any products to your skin that contain the following lanolin, alcohol, parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, mineral oil, sodium laureth sulphate, and propylene glycol. • Start eating more of the right kinds of foods. By doing

this you will reduce the production of sebum, increase skin moisture, and increase the production of new, healthy skin cells. Limit the amount of cooked carbohydrates and fats that you consume, and replace them with fresh fruits and vegetables. • If you wear make up, minimize the amount you put on, and try to have some make up free days. Make sure any products you do apply are non-comedogenic and oil free, to minimize the blocking of pores. Don't apply make up if your face is sweating, and never go

Keep up, keep up, No guilt, no guilt, Everything will come, will come Reach you shall, you shall. Page 49 - Spiritual Poetry: A Disciple's Journey First generation Asians were forced to be entrepreneurial, go getting and spirited. There was no choice. This motivation and drive was simply borne out of fear that the community knew very well. Having landed in an unknown country to start a life and support a family with only £3 in the pocket, you could say it was down to survival, sweat and positive stealth that Asians elevated to achieve all that they have today. As a psychologist I work with a new generation of Asians who are now benefiting from a great lifestyle thanks to their parents hard work. This has had an interesting impact on their levels of drive, motivation and appreciation for hard work. I work on building resilience and tenacity, as without these essential skills the legacy our parents built will simply collapse. Here’s what to do. In life, when the competition starts have a good strategy

and know the rules of the game. Planning what you want to do is key. How many of you walk through life going from day to day and not reaching your full potential? Step back and have a self check of how you are living, since only you are accountable for your own life. The only person you can change and control is you. Think about what you are going to do that will catapult you out of your comfort zone and how this will this help you leave your legacy. Visualise your funeral, and what people are saying. Work backwards and plan about what you need to do to create this impact. Learn to pay attention to opportunities that will and grab them because if you don’t somebody else will. Every action has a reaction! What choices have you made that set you up for an outcome that you did not want or need? What worked (retain) and what didn’t (eliminate). It is up to you to choose solid, reliable teachers. Not so you can substitute their thinking for your own, but so you can add to your personal knowledge. Think about is the company you keep. Be mindful that negative energy from others weighs you down and positive energy puts fuel in your car to drive you forward. Successful people develop the ability to manage their state by not becoming emotionally attached to anything negative they hear. Negativity creates barriers that are a complete waste of time to jump over. Contact mamta at think spa London dot com to register for the workshop on April 10th that provides the tools for success. You’ve got what it takes and you’re worth the effort it will take to find your truth and build a successful life, remember, nobody is going to do it for you, but its okay, you don’t need anything that you don’t have within you to do it. The quicker you understand, acknowledge and accept accountability for your life the quicker your results will be as you desire. Go for it now. The future is promised to no one! Any questions contact mamta@thinkspalondon.com

Kozukkattai (Stuffed Rice Balls)

to bed without removing your make up with a cleanser. This is a particular problem around the nose area, because it is easy to get a build up of sweat, make up, and dirt, which leads to the all too common 'blackheads on nose' problem we are all familiar with.

Ingredients • Rice flour 1 cup • Water 1 1/4 cup • a pinch of salt • 1 tsp oil Method 1. Boil the water adding the salt and the oil. 2. Add the rice flour and stir it until it forms a lump. 3. Cooking the rice flour should take only 2 mts. 4. As soon as it is done, cover it for about 10 mts.

5. Knead it well until its very smooth. 6. Make little cups and stuff it with the stuffing you have prepared and steam it for about 10 mts. Stuffing: 1. There are many varieties of stuffing. The most popular is swee coconut stuffing. 2 cups fresh coconut grated, 1/2 cup jaggery powder, one pinch of cardomom powder. 2. Put all these ingredients in a heavy bottomed kadai with 2 table spoon of water and keep on stirring for about 10 mts or until the moisture dries. It should not be too dry either. Make small balls about the size of a cherry. This can be prepared a day or two ahead and stored in the refregirator.

EastEr

asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Where art thou this Easter? By Priyal Sanghavi Rupanjana Dutta Easter is supposed to be a Christian ceremony, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, end to a month long lent. However as a part of a secular state, most of us enjoy the Easter break as a long 4 days holiday 3 months after the Winter break. Though some join in the celebration with their Christian friends while other go to the supermarket and enjoy the feast with chocolate eggs and bunnies. Easter is also a boomtime for the travel industry, even in this economic climate. Come Easter, and most airline prices shoot up and hotels booked out. Many young Asians prefer travelling with their friends and family. Asian Voice had an opportunity to interview some of the young readers and find out what they are doing this Easter. Supriya Rao, 23 a student of London School of Economics said: Easter is not my festival. I have never celebrated it nor have been part of someone's celebration. I have recently travelled to Istanbul and hence plan to stay in. For most of my

classmates and I, it is more of a study holiday. We need to do coursework as it adds upto our final marks. I have not even planned a London outing, I may go out one eveningbut nothing Easter related. It will be a welcome relief to wake up late but otherwise it remains an ordinary holiday.” Yashodara Udupa, 24, video editor said: "I will be travelling with friends to Switzerland. I will be visiting Geneva and Lucerne, as I have heard they are beautiful cities. I have been planning this holiday since November 2009. Switzerland features prominently in Hindi movies and the snow-caped mountains have always enthralled me. I don't celebrate Easter. For me its a much awaited four day long holiday. However I hear that Switzerland has Easter Markets so they would be fun to visit. There is lots to do in London as well. However being a jetsetter and travelling to Barcelona, Paris and Berlin in the last five months, I really look forward to my trip." Suchira Ray, 26, a London based in-house lawyer said: "I am going to Scotland via Lake district

with my friends. We decided to do a coach holiday. I am really looking forward to the trip. It is a break from the tiresome office work, long meetings and conference calls and will be refreshing. Lots of my friends plan to travel within and outside UK. There is lots to do in London as well. Last year I spent one of the days at Hyde Park and had a good time. I also visited Windsor one of the days with some of my friends.” Rani Preatarshini, 24, a London BVC student said: "It's exam time. There are no holidays for us, more of study breaks. It is rather annoying when everyone around is making plans. I will be at home studying for the following exams. I have not even planned a London outing, I may go out one evening- but nothing Easter- related." Avnip Bansal, 27, an IT professional said: "I have had a rather long and tiresome month. I have been looking forward to the welcoming break. I plan to have a lie-in, spend the evening watching tv and ordering takeout. I will feast on easter sweets and chocolate eggs.”

3 top gateways for Easter Isle of Wight If an island holiday is what you require, Isle of Wight is perfect with blue seas, gorgeous hills and a relaxed feel. Ferries run every half hour from Southampton to West Cowes and East Cowes. West Cowes and Ryde are both popular tourist spots. For Easter, visit Dinosaur Isle- a spectacular dinosaur museum.

Specially for the Easter weekend, canoeing-swimming, basketball, art fairsactivities for the whole family have been planned.

Family run BnB's are a budget option from the otherwise fancy hotels. Tip: Hire a car and cover the entire periphery of the island in a day. Further information: http://www.iwight.com/h omepage/

Brighton An hour's train ride south of London is all it takes to hit the coast to one of the

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England's favourite sea destinations. Brighton's rocky beaches have been weekend getaways for a long time. The piers, cafes by the sea, variety of sports activities, chopping and the restaurants at East Street are frequented by all. It also boasts of various cultural performances and nightlife with its cinemas, theatres, bars and clubs. Tip: Choose accommodation close to Brighton Pier to avoid long commutes to the centre of the city. Further Information: h t t p : / / w w w. v i s i t brighton.com/

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The Story of God’s Love By Christopher Benjamin The Presbyterian Church, Wembley Lord Jesus Christ suffers and dies on the cross on Friday, which is known as the Good Friday. It represents the lowest point in the story of this man who did nothing but good. It’s a tragic ending to a life spent in loving, caring, healing and teaching people. The world had pronounced its judgement on Jesus: he was a failure, and his mission was now doomed to die with him on his cross. The events leading to his crucifixion are heartrending, the circumstances surrounding his death, even more so. Abandoned by the people he had come to redeem, abandoned by closest friends he had loved and cared for. What more could the world want in showing itself. Jesus was utterly alone. All of us experience the loneliness when suffering and sorrow, pain and prejudice, death and darkness assail us and when all the world seems to have abandoned us, when even our strength and support seem not to be there for us. It is the experience of every human heart and life that has come face to face with pain. On Good Friday, when Jesus hung on the cross, God was unmistakably there, and with us every moment bearing our pain with us, joining us in our suffering, weeping with us, and with us seeking to find a way to change our suffering into joy. Good Friday inspires us to know that loneliness and suffering is not the end of our story, just as it wasn’t the end of Jesus. The entire world is reminded again this week of the hope that lives and endures forever. Easter Sunday is time of joy and renewal. Easter is the season many Christians will celebrate a hope that overcomes even death. These holy days represent some of the most profound hopes of humanity, which are

Belfast Belfast has fast emerged as a popular tourist spot for the English Mainland. The Northern Ireland capital is an important port and industrial city. Belfast is surrounded by hills situated at the mouth of river Lagan and boasts of natural beauty and over 40

shared in many traditions. We feel our reliance on the Creator who made us. We place our sorrows and cares before Him, seeking God’s mercy. We ask for forgiveness for our failures, seeking the renewal God can bring. Faith of knowing God by our side brings confidence that failure is never final, and suffering is temporary. The Easter season brings renewal of faith to those

who seek it, and comfort to those who need it. This Holy Week will bring us through the darkness of Calvary (the place where Lord Jesus was crucified) to the light of Easter. The cross will be a throne and the man on it a king. In the violence of Calvary is the faith that injustice and violence never win but also that the victory of love is slow. The resurrection took three days a time scale, which says parks. Undertake a guided Titanic tour exploring the rich Maritime history which includes building

the grace of God drops slowly, and takes time to ease its way through the toughness and the darkness of sin and fear. The pain of the journey is eased by the love and encouraging care of others. This Holy Week is a time to discover and experience the love of God. What can we say about God’s love? God’s love is unconditional. God’s love for us does not depend on what we do or say, on our looks or intelligence, on our success or popularity, God’s love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died. God’s love is from eternity to eternity and is not bound to any time-related events or circumstances. In the New-Testament Scripture of the Bible it has been written: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us. We love because God first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God, “yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” the RMS Titanic. Children will love Belfast Zoo which hosts more than 1200 animals. Belfast has a choice of hotels, hostels and BnBs to suit all travel budgets. Tip: Black Cab Tour of Belfast is a must-do activity. Further information: http://www.gotobelfast.co m/

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Rs 3 billion riding on Aishwarya Rai Soundarya Rajinikanth’s wedding in September

South superstar Rajinikanth’s younger daughter Soundarya will enter into marital bliss in the first week of September this year, a close source said. Soundarya will marry Ashwin, son of Chennai based big industrialist Ramkumar, who runs a construction company. The young couple was engaged on February 17 in a grand function. The wedding will be held on September 2 and 3 at the Raja Muthiah Hall, Egmore, Chennai. Before marriage, she is trying to

release her first directorial venture “Endhiran,” with her superstar father in the second week of June.

to id a fr a s a w i n a m a iy Pr act in ‘Rakta Charitra’

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lea d rol es . Ra dh ika Ap te in the ys po liti cia n pla i ero Ob ek Viv s a fea red wa o wh Pa rita la Ra vi, po liti cs . ian Ind uth So in l ua ind ivid ea se d rel be l wil ” “R ak ta Ch ari tra du cpro in its in lat e 20 10 as it is tio n sta ge no w.

Vishal gets a ‘new look’ in ‘Avan Ivan’ Director Bala is well known for presenting his actors with newdimensional looks and it has been illustrious with his films with Vikram, Surya and Aarya. This time, it’s about Vishal, who seems to have gone for a stunning makeover for Bala’s next film “Avan Ivan.” According to the sources, Vishal has almost shaven his head with thick beard, which faintly reminiscences Surya’s looks in Nanda. The actor has been avoiding invitations for social events so as to keep away from public glare. It seems that director Bala has insisted him not to reveal his looks until

the film’s shooting are completed. Meanwhile, buzz is that Aarya’s nonpunctuality has stalled the shooting and Bala has returned to Chennai. Sources from both the ends remain closemouthed pertaining to the sudden halt of filming.

Last year she was seen in just one film Hollywood's "Pink Panther". But this year Aishwarya Rai has four films lined up for release - two southern projects "Ravana" and "Endhiran" as well as "Action Replay" and "Guzaarish", collectively costing over Rs.3 billion. While her bilingual sci-fi film "Endhiran", starring southern star Rajnikanth, is said to be made at a budget of Rs.1.25 billion, approximately Rs.450 million has been spent on Mani Ratnam's muchawaited "Ravana", which is set for a June release. Vipul Shah's "Action Replay" costs around Rs 600 million and if reports are to be believed, UTV is shelling out close to Rs 800 million for Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed "Guzaarish" for which Aishwarya is currently shooting along with Hrithik Roshan in Mumbai. Aishwarya has been busy shooting all these films for the past one year and even

Jacqueline, girl from the planet of love Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez will be seen having special powers in her next Bollywood venture "Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai". No, she doesn't play superwoman...she plays a woman from planet Venus! Writer-director Milap Zaveri says his film is not a sci-fi action movie but a romantic comedy about Tara, a girl from Venus who comes to Earth in search of love. And that's why he didn't want his heroine to do daredevil stunts but she does have some super abilities - the Venus woman has the power to freeze time.

suffered health problems due to her hectic schedules. According to a well-placed source from the team of "Ravana", the Hindi version of which also features Abhishek Bachchan, the actress has given some of the most difficult shots in the movie without complaining about geographical or weather conditions used to can the scenes. "Aishwarya's role in 'Ravana' is the toughest. In the Hindi version, Vikram (southern star) plays Ram and Ravana in the Tamil version. And Aishwarya plays Sita in both the Hindi and Tamil versions. Both the versions were simultaneously shot. Mani Ratnam canned the film in the most difficult and dangerous places. Still Aishwarya gave the same shots twice for the two versions - be it in the rain, on mountains, jungle, etc, " a source said.

Dharam, Hema, Esha come together for a film Dharmendra and Hema Malini, who have scorched the screen in popular films like ‘Sholay’, ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’, ‘Dream Girl’ and ‘The burning Train’ are coming together for a film after 21 years. Both will be doing a guest appearance in daughter Esha Deol’s forthcoming film ‘Tell Me Oh Khuda’. It is believed that the role was earlier offered to Amitabh Bachchan who refused it and later, producer Hema Malini decided to cast husband Dharmendra and herself for it. “Amitji is not

accepting any roles or movies at the moment. We wanted Amitabh to do a role but most probably Dharamji will do it now. We both will be part of ‘Tell Me Oh Khuda’. You will get to see both of us together in the film,” confirmed Hema Malini. She said that Dharmendra, who was hospitalized for chest pain, is fine now.

Rani-Aditya Chopra no longer hiding their relationship Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra have never confirmed their relationship in public. Sure, they've been rumoured to be dating for years now but neither of them ever discussed it. In fact, Rani has always denied it and Aditya hardly makes public appearances, so he naturally prefers to keep his private life quiet. But all lies and pretence went out of the window when they appeared together for a party recently. The party was to celebrate the birthday of Karan Johar's mother, Hiroo Johar. It was held at a South Mumbai hotel and was attended by just a few close friends. Aditya was an important guest in the party and he chose to bring along

Rani Mukerji, who these days, is sighted about only as much as Aditya is. According to sources, both of them seemed very comfortable with each other, indicating that they are a couple. They came in before midnight and sat next to each other for dinner. Aditya also seemed rather relaxed, unlike his usual uptight self and chatted around with the

other guests. Kaajal Anand, Karan's best friend, was also present at the party. SRK was keen on attending the party but he couldn't as he wasn't in Mumbai that night. Sources state that it is indeed a wonder how Aditya, who hates making any appearances at all, was seen not just alone, but with Rani at that.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

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BollyKats Another British Indian beauty joins Bollywood Another British Indian beauty has set foot in Bollywood. She is Aruna Shields and is gaining popularity for her provocative kissing scene with “Prince” aka Vivek Oberoi. Aruna is the first lady to make Vivek’s cheeks turn red in reel life with her confident approach while shooting for the scene. The kissing scene is apparently Vivek’s first kiss in films. On asking Aruna about her confident

kiss scene, the gorgeous lady replied, “It was not something new for me; I had done such scenes earlier as well so the experience counts.” In the action thriller “Prince,” she is a tough espionage agent Maya who performs all her own stunts including bike bungee jumps and free falls. Bold and fearless stunts by Aruna made the whole cast and crew go gaga over her daring attitude. Aruna is qualified in stunts like Fire-Arms,

Divya Dutta bags roles in Hollywood movies A blend of social comedy and drama, the film has three unique romantic stories in one. Produced by Nikhil Panchamiya under the banner of Fourth Wall Productions, ‘Tum Milo Toh Sahi’ is likely to be a gripping flick as it has two of the most intense actors, Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia in the cast. Set in modern-day Mumbai, with all the demands and pressures of city life, the film weaves together the lives of three couples who connect with each other through a series of touching and hilarious moments, sometimes just over a simple cup of coffee. It is about the meeting of souls, the meeting of minds and the meeting of hearts, underlining that love is the driving force in people's lives, irrespective of age... from school kids to the youth of today, from people in their mid-lives' crises to those who are sixty plus. The journey of life slowly aids the discovery of love in all its different shades and hues, at different stages; it brings with it the bitter, the sweet and sometimes the spicy, making life worth living. Tum Milo Toh Sahi is a film about human victory, when ordinary people come together to combine their strengths and stand by what they believe in. Kabir Sadanand has directed the film. He also shares the story, screenplay and the dialogues. The lead cast of the film consists of Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Rehan Khan, Bikramjeet Singh, Sunil Shetty, Vidya Malvade, Anjana Sukhani, Mohnish Behl, Amit Behl, Vrajesh Hirjee, while Tanisha Mukherjee, Raghav Sachar and Smita Jaykar have special appearances. Irshad Kamil has penned the lyrics, while Sandesh Shandilya has scored the music. Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kunal Ganjawala, Dominique Cerejo, Raghav Sachar and Sukhwinder Singh have rendered the playback. Screenplay and credits are also shared by Rajen Makhijani and Sameer Siddiqui, while Story credit is shared by Rajen.

New Hindi movies releasing this week 1. Pankh 2. Sadiyaan 3. The Great Indian Butterfly 4. Tum Milo Toh Sahi

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week No. Film 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

No. Last Week Love Sex Aur Dhokha New Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? 1 Shaapit New My Name Is Khan 2 Lahore New

Total weeks 1 2 1 6 1

Bollywood actress Divya Dutta, who wowed audiences with her performances in 'Delhi 6', 'Morning Walk' and 'Welcome to Sajjanpur', has bagged a couple of Hollywood projects. One of them is 'Hisss', and she says it's one of her best roles. Directed by Jennifer Lynch, the film is about a snakewoman who can transform herself into a human being at will. While Mallika Sherawat plays the female lead, Divya will be seen as Irrfan Khan's love interest. 'It is one of the challenging roles I have received. I am really looking forward to it. I play Irrfan's love interest, who is passionate as well as sensitive. The role is not cliched and has subtle things to portray. It is one of my best roles,' Divya said. The film is being shot in the jungles of Kerala and other parts of India to give it an authentic touch. Apart from 'Hisss', Divya has two more Hollywood projects in hand. One of them is Emmy winning director Fred Holmes' 'Heart Land'. ''Heart Land' is a light hearted film in which I am playing a Punjabi girl. It deals with a sensitive relationship my character shares with a much older man from the US,' said the actress, who seems to be impressed with Hollywood's working style. 'People from the West are extremely passionate and disciplined about work. Everyone, from the junior level to the director, is so involved that we have no choice but to give our best,' she added. The films also stars Amelia Jackson Gray, Reg Grant and Stephan Mario Singh.

Divya refuses to divulge details about her third Hollywood project saying she is bound by a contract. The actress was also seen on the small screen in serials like 'Kadam' and 'Shanno ki Shaadi'. She says although she enjoyed her stint on TV, she has no plans to return to soaps or serials.

Apart from Hollywood flicks, Divya has a few Bollywood movies like 'Hello Darling', 'Haat The Weekly Bazaar', 'Chehere', Amole Gupte's 'Stanley Ka Dabba' and another one with director Sudhir Mishra in her kitty.

Martial Arts, Cable, Bikes & Cars, Scuba diving, sky riding and gymnastics. Not only adventure sports, Aruna has got her feminine side intact too with dancing skills like belly dancing, dancing with snakes, Flamenco. Kumar Taurani’s film ‘Prince’ stars Vivek Oberoi, Aruna Shields, Nandana Sen and Neeru Bajwa.

InDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Harin Pathak resolves a two year old issue in minutes A photograph of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Ahmedabad International Airport shifted to a better place on Ahmedabad MP’s initiative This is an example of how a proactive and alert leader can resolve issues in minutes which are otherwise left lingering on for weeks, months or in some cases even years. An alert passenger, a native of Nar village in Kheda district and now settled in London, Arvind Patel had complained to the airport authorities that the photograph of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the arrival lounge at Ahmedabad’s international airport was placed in an embarrassing place, just next to a toilet door. Arvind Patel is a regular traveller between Ahmedabad and London. He felt offended that the authorities can be so casual as to place the photograph of the very man after whom the airport is named, at such an awkward, embarrassing place. About two years ago he had drawn the attention of the airport officials on the issue, requesting them to shift the photograph at an appropriate place. As could well be expected, the official asked Arvind Patel to give his suggestion in writing. The offended traveller obliged, but the officials

Harin Pathak

didn’t act on the issue for over two years. Arvind Patel, when he returned to Ahmedabad recently, after a gap of more than two years, was shocked to find that the photograph had not been moved. He brought the matter to the notice of Petlad MLA, Kaushik Patel – a former minister in Gujarat government and the president of Ahmedabad Sardar Patel Seva Samaj and also Dinsha Patel, a minister in the Government of India. Dinsha Patel is also the president of the Sardar Patel Memorial Trust. Mr Patel didn’t stop at that. He wrote a letter to C B Patel, publisher and editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, the two prominent ethnic Indian publications from

UK and urged him to take up the matter with the authorities in India and resolve it. C B requested Shri Bhupatrai Parekh, Hon Editor of Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice at Ahmedabad to pursue the matter. As a part of the direct flight campaign, Bhupatrai Parekh contacted Harin Pathak for his support. Even CB spoke to the BJP MP from Ahmedabad. Mr Pathak said he would take up the matter with the authorities in Delhi. When CB made a mention of the picture of Sardar Patel, Harin requested to send a copy of the letter from Arvind Patel to him. Immediately on receiving the copy, Harin spoke to the authorities at Ahmedabad airport, asking them to shift the photo to a more appropriate place. Finally, the photograph was shifted in a matter of minutes when the BJP MP took it upon himself to resolve the issue. Otherwise, for over two years, the issue was left unresolved. Harin Pathak has a good rapport with the officials, being an ex-officio president of the advisory committee for the Ahmedabad airport.

India to put in place new emigration law for Diaspora MOIA seeks to empower emigrants through systematic interventions With a view to protect the interests of Indians settled abroad, India’s ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) has undertaken the process of drafting a new emigration legislation. V Narayanasamy, minister of state for Planning and Parliamentary affairs

told a gathering at Chandigarh last week that the government would pursue a pro-active policy for transforming the emigration system and empowerment of emigrants. He promised that the govt. of India is doing its best to protect the Indian emigrants from

unscrupulous elements. International migration is an important dimension that impacts economic relations between the developed and developing countries, he observed as he added that people should seek legal route for emigration.

Africa offers insurance cover to Punjabi agri-investors In a bid to encourage Punjab farmers and makers of agriculture equipment and machinery to invest in African continent, Africa offers risk insurance coverage to eliminate any possibility of risk in their investment, informed Zimbabwe ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe. He said this at a conference organised by Assocham on ‘Opportunities for Agriculture in Africa: With focus on Punjab’ at Palm Courts resort in Patiala. Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur was the chief guest and other dignitaries who were present on the occasion were

Gennet Zewide, Ambassador of Ethiopia; Jose Jose Maria Morais, High Commissioner of Mozambique; John WJ Kijazi, High Commissioner of Tanzania; Nimisha J Madhvani, High Commissioner Uganda and SK Walubita, High Commissioner of Zambia. The conference was held with an aim to apprise Punjab farmers about the farming opportunities available in Africa with an aim to provide mutually beneficial food security to both Punjab farmers and the African countries. Wutawunahse said the proposed risk insurance would be covered by leading African banks, besides

multilateral bodies like the World Bank. The entire African continent has already struck agreement with the World Bank for the purpose and also issued directives to the banks in the continent, he said. Preneet said Africa could become a major export market for agricultural commodities, therefore, encouraging Punjab's investors to set up projects in the continent by identifying potential areas. The Ministry would also actively facilitate the interested Punjab’s farmers in the African continent and at the same time, investors of equipment and machineries would be protected from bilateral investment, she said.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

The deep unconscious We will continue from where we left off in the last article – Uttanka obtains the queen’s two earrings, thanks the king and the queen, and starts his return journey. On his way back, he observed a naked sadhu (hermit) coming towards him. The sadhu was visible at times but then would become invisible. Just before his meal, Uttanka decided to bathe in a nearby river, leaving the earrings on the bank. The sadhu appeared, picked up the earrings, and ran away with them. Uttanka followed in vain; right before Uttanka’s eyes, the sadhu turned into a snake, drilled a hole in the ground, and vanished. Uttanka then remembered the words of the queen and realised it was Thakshak, the naga, who had taken the earrings and then vanished to naga-loka (the country of nagas) deep below the ground. Uttanka unsuccessfully attempted to follow the snake by opening up the hole in the ground with a stick. At this point, God Indra took pity and entered his stick as a thunderbolt; there was an explosion and a tunnel, which Uttanka used to reach the strange land of nagas, was formed. There he prayed, especially to Thakshak to return the earrings, but to no avail. He saw two ladies weaving a beautiful piece of cloth on a loom, using a black and a white thread. The loom had twelve spokes, being turned by six small boys. There was also a man with a very beautiful horse. Uttanka recited a prayer, explaining the symbolism of the scene. He pointed out that twenty-four fortnights in a year were represented by the black and white threads across twelve spokes, symbolising the phases of the moon. The six young boys represented the seasons. The ladies were the two aspects of the cosmic intelligence – form and energy. The horse represented time and the man (the owner) was divinity, the cause of all things – seen and unseen. This interpretation pleased the man and he asked Uttanka what he could give him. Uttanka asked for all the snakes to do as he wished. The man asked Uttanka to blow air directed at the backside of the horse. On doing

so, smoke came out from the five sensory openings of the horse. This smoke filled the whole naga kingdom; Thakshak found it hard to breathe, came out of his palace and gave the earrings back to Uttanka. Uttanka realised that his guru’s wife was to perform the ceremony within the hour and his return journey was still two days away. The man asked him to mount the horse and on doing so, Uttanka reached his guru’s place in a flash and delivered the earrings to his guru’s wife in time. This part of the story depicts how a disciple moves into the unconscious and learns the secrets of time. The snake, disguised as a naked sadhu (sometimes seen but mostly not), represents deep desires which lie unseen in the

This capacity to hold is called ‘dharana’ by Sage Patanjali. The ability to observe this pattern, the cause of pain, is ‘dhyana’. In this observation, if the pattern dissolves and the bonds which tied the soul break, the joy of freedom is ‘samadhi’. Uttanka goes into his unconscious, sees, and understands the mysteries of time. In this, he observes his own divinity represented by the owner of the horse (or ‘ashva’ in Sanskrit, also meaning time). In understanding time, lies the freedom from all desires. This inner guru asks him to blow air into the anal opening of the horse. Digestion is a process that starts at the mouth and ends in the anus. Blowing there symbolises the process in reverse or reverse time, what the Taoists call as the backward flowing method, which Patanjali calls as ‘pratiprasav’. We create situations where the

hid-

unconscious, manifesting only at times to be seen. When we are not aware (represented by Uttanka’s dip in the river), desire in form of the ego, symbolised by Thakshak, steal the higher emotions or energies we have acquired by meditative practices. To reach to the root of desires, we must use our sensitivity to take our awareness into the unconscious mind. The God Indra (Indra meaning senses) is the symbol of sensitivity and him entering Uttanka’s stick as a thunderbolt implies Uttanka using the energies of sensitivity to reach the area of deep desires. For instance, if someone hurts us, just by holding the sensitivity of the pain (not doing anything else), we are able to go to the root of the pain in the unconscious.

den ego reveals itself. This is symbolised by the smoke which makes Thakshak appear. If we see a situation where someone is going to insult or hurt us, we should not run away but allow it to happen. The soul is never hurt, only the ego is. The minute we feel pain, we realise that it is out of self-love. By dissolving the self or sending the ego back in time, then what remains is love, or the two earrings – love and faith. This is the deepest spiritual grace we can be worthy of. Uttanka riding the horse back home shows that he has not only understood but now also is the master of the play of time. (Edited by Chintu Gandhi. Illustration by Siddharth Ramanuj.) The author can be reached by emailing 3srb@live.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Rajivs assassin Nalini’s plea for early release rejected The Tamil Nadu Government on Monday told the Madras High Court that it has rejected the plea for premature release of Nalini, serving a life term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The government's decision, taken on March 24, was conveyed to the court by Advocate General P S Raman. The Prison Advisory Board, constituted by the government to consider Nalini's representation, has rejected her plea on eight grounds and the state government has accepted it, Raman told a division bench of the court.

Ahmedabad – London direct flight campaign at peak, scores of Gujarat MLAs sign a memorandum to Praful Patel The campaign for resumption of Ahmedabad – London – Ahmedabad direct flight, initiated by the NCGO, UK and Asian Voice as well as Gujarat Samachar has received whole hearted support from leaders of all parties in Gujarat was at the peak this week, as scores of MLAs from the state, belonging to all parties signed a memorandum addressed to the Civil Aviation Minister of India, Praful Patel, supporting the demand for resumption of Air India’s direct flight to connect Ahmedabad with London. Gujarat BJP president Ranchhodbhai Faldu has signed up his support, while BJP chief whip in Gujarat Assembly, Pradeepsinh Jadeja as also Bhupendra Lakhavala, a former BJP minister in Gujarat and an MLA took keen interest in the matter as they wrote personal letters to Praful Patel, demanding the resumption of Air India’s flight. Gujarat Congress and NCP Chiefs of the state have already written letters, while Siddharth Patel, Gujarat Congress chief also spoke to Praful Patel on the issue. Atleast 31 Congress MLAs have signed a common letter, addressed to Civil Aviation Minister, while from the BJP, 19 MLAs have signed a letter to support the demand of immediate resumption of the Ahmedabad – London – Ahmedabad flight that was all of a sudden cancelled over 2 years ago. Here is a list of the MLAs who have signed the memorandum: BJP 1 Ranchhodbhai Faldu (Gujarat BJP president – Kalavad in Jamnagar dist) 2 Bhupendra Lakhavala (Former minister - Vadodara city) 3 Mangaldas Patel (Former speaker of the assembly, Mansa in Mehsana dist) 4 Jitubhai Sukhadia (Former chief whip of BJP –

World Sikh Convention in New Delhi next week Continued from page 1 the amendments to the Nanakshahi calendar. After years of hard struggle, this calendar was prepared and implemented but in less than a decade, it has been amended to appease a section of Deras,” says Sarna. Various important issues, including appointment of Jathedars of various Takhts, their retirement, defining their duties and responsibilities besides taking action against those who commit sacrilege by equating Guru

Granth Sahib with their own religious books, need to be thrashed out. Other important issues, he said, include appointment of a panel for a complete probe into the incidents that took place in a place of worship in Vienna and closing of various deras also needed to be discussed so that the future line of action could be decided. Sarna said while there would be delegates’ conference on April 10, a public convention would be held on the second and last day on April 11.

100 Gujarat sailors held captive by Somali pirates Continued from page 1 Mr. Bholim said five vessels are from Kutch while two others are from Porbander and Veraval. He feared that there could be more vessels hijacked by the Somali pirates. According to the Naval headquarters in Delhi, the abduction of the sailors took place at high seas off the Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden a week ago. “The Shipping Director General has confirmed the pirate attack on these dhows on the basis of information received from another

dhow that was apparently let off by Somali pirates after initially holding it captive for a couple of days,” a Navy officer said. The hijackings came to light after a dhow, identified as MSV Arzoo that was freed by the pirates after holding it captive for a couple of days sailed to Seychelles waters, anchored there and informed Indian authorities about the abductions, the officer said. India is investigating the hijacking of several boats off the coast of Somalia amid news reports that eight vessels and 120 Indian sailors have been seized.

Sayajigunj in Vadodara city) Daulat Desai (Valsad) Naranbhai Patel (Unjha in Mehsana dist) Shirish Shukla (Khambhat in Kheda) Pro. (Mrs.) Vasuben Trivedi (Jamnagar) Dr. Ms. Nimaben Acharya (Anjar in Kutch dist) Laljibhai Solanki (Jamnagar – rural) Vallabh Kakadia (Rakhial, Ahmedabad city) Shanker Chaudhary (Radhanpur in Banaskantha dist) 13 Rakesh Shah (Ellisbridge in Ahmedabad city) 14 Dilipsinh Parmar (Modasa in Sabarkantha dist) 15 Govind Patel (Rajkot) 16 Devusinh Chauhan (Matar in Kheda dist) 17 Pravin Makadia (Upleta in Rajkot dist) 18 Keshubhai Nakrani (Sihor in Bhavnagar dist) 19 Mohan Kundaria (Tankara in Rajkot dist) Congress 1 Siddharth Patel (Gujarat Congress Chief - Dabhoi in Vadodara dist) 2 Shaktisinh Gohil (Leader of opposition in Gujarat assembly – Bhavnagar) 3 Mohansinh Rathwa (Deputy leader of Congress in assembly – Pavi Jetpur in Vadodara) dist. 4 Arjun Modhwadia (former leader of opposition – Porbandar) 5 Babubhai M. Shah (former minister, Rapar in Kutch dist.) 6 Manibhai Patel (Kapadwanj in Kheda dist) 7 Kirankumar Makwana (Jambusar in Bharuch dist) 8 Paresh Vasava (Nizar in Surat dist) 9 Chandubhai Dabhi (former deputy speaker, Karjan in Vadodara dist) 10 Bavkubhai Undhad (Babara in Amreli dist) 11 Shailesh Parmar (Shaher Kotda, Ahmedabad city) 12 Dhirsinh Barad (Junagadh)

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 Haribhai Patel (Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar dist) 14 Tusharsinh Maharaol (Devgadh Baria in Panchmahal dist) 15 Hirabhai Patel (Lunavada in Panchmahal dist) 16 Suresh Patel (Kalol in Gandhinagar dist) 17 Ramsinh Parmar (Thasra in Kheda dist) 18 Khumansinh Chauhan (Savli in Vadodara dist) 19 Dhirubhai Bhil (Naswadi in Vadodara dist) 20 Farookh Sheikh (Kalupur in Ahmedabad city) 21 Jitubhai Chaudhary (Mota Pondha in Valsad dist) 22 Amarsinh Vasava (Dediapada in Bharuch dist) 23 Raghavji Patel (Jodia in Jamnagar dist) 24 Deetabhai Machchar (Jhalod in Dahod dist) 25 Dr. Anil Joshiara (Bhiloda in Sabarkantha dist) 26 Mahendrasinh Vaghela (Meghraj in Sabarkantha dist) 27 Mansinh Chauhan (Balasinor in Kheda dist) 28 Vajesinh Panda (Dahod) 29 Poonabhai Gamit (Vyara in Surat dist) 30 Niranjan Patel (Petlad in Anand dist) 31 Bhagwan Bharwad (Talala in Junagadh dist)

Praful Patel assures sincere, early efforts for resumption

Secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Mr. Bholabhai Patel met civil aviation minister and his party colleague Praful Patel at New Delhi on Tuesday personally. The minister, according to Bholabhai Patel has assured him that he will make efforts for the resumption of the flight at the earliest. Bholabhai also briefed the minister about the campaign going on in London for this purpose. According to him, even Praful Patel acknowledged the fact that he has received representations from London and also from various leaders and MLAs from Gujarat for the Air India flight.

Narendra Modi deposes before SIT Raghavan says Gujarat CM could be questioned again Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi kept his date with the SIT, as he faced a grueling 11 hour questioning by the officers on his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. Modi appeared at the SIT office in Gandhinagar and deposed in two sessions on Saturday, 27th March. After attending the questioning, Modi spoke to the media, as he said he has always maintained that no one, including himself is above law. He added that he would abide by law, cooperate with the Special

Investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court. He described the questioning as difficult moments for him. He also invoked God to give him more strength. Modi is the first-ever chief minister of any Indian state to be called for questioning in a criminal complaint. SIT Chief R K Raghavan was not present at the SIT office when Modi appeared. Another member of the team, A K Malhotra is believed to have questioned the chief minister. SIT chief said he

was satisfied with Modi’s deposition. Replying to questions later, he said the SIT has to submit the report to the Supreme Court by 30th April. He added that if felt necessary, Modi could be again asked to face questioning. The SIT had summoned Modi to depose in connection with a complaint of Zakia Jaffery, widow of former Congress MP Eshan Jaffery, who was killed in Gulbarg society riots case of 2002 along with 69 others. The complaint also alleged that

he had instructed officers not to take action. He questioned on a range of issues beginning with the intelligence failure on the kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya, how this could have led to the burning of the train at Godhra, the post-Godhra killings and why the police failed to act, right up to his incendiary speeches during the elections of December 2002. Asked by reporters, Modi said, "Questions ranged from February 27 (2002) till the elections".

Congress targets Mody-fied Bachchan Continued from page 1 Further, in New Delhi on Monday, posters of Abhshek Bachchan were removed from a programme held on the occasion of the Earth Hour, as chief minister Sheila Dikshit was to attend the function. That was done even as the younger Bachchan was the brand ambassador of WWF, the hosts of the function. Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan has questioned the Congress attitude, as he said even the Tatas and the Ambanis are doing business in Gujarat, he is being singled out for promoting Gujarat Tourism. The Congress dared

Amitabh Bachchan on Monday evening to distance himself from Modi. "I want to ask Amitabh Bachchan a direct question. He is the brand ambassador of Gujarat, I want to ask him does he condemn the role of Narendra Modi and Gujarat government in the

ed Modi's offer to be Gujarat's brand ambassador for tourism, a move that has landed him in a political controversy. Speaking to NDTV's Prannoy Roy Big B had pointed out that his alliance is not with Modi's politics or governance. On Monday morning,

untouchability from our social life during his life time... These 'Talibans of Untouchability' have lost all their sensibilities in their pursuit of antiGujarat attitudes.'' (Read and watch: Modi calls critics 'the Taliban' of public life). In Gujarat, the Opposition said this is

Modi brands Congress as “Talibans of untouchability” Big B’s presence at Mumbai function snowballs into a huge controversy pogrom of 2002... and if he does condemn it, then let us see whether he remains the brand ambassador... which I think he will condemn," said Manish Tewari, Congress spokesperson. Bachchan has accept-

Modi blogged his own take on the issue: ''The love of Amitabh Bachchan for Gujarat is being dragged into controversy. Respected Mahatma Gandhi had worked ceaselessly for the removal of

Modi's desperate attempt to shift focus from his own tough weekend where he spent nine hours being questioned by a panel about his alleged role in the Gujarat communal riots of 2002.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

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Sajjan Kumar gets full bail in anti-Sikh riots case The Congress leader’s case is extraordinary, says Supreme Court Congress leader and former MP from Delhi, Sajjan Kumar got a big relief from the Supreme Court of India on Monday, as the apex court granted him full bail for the entire trail period in the antiSikh riots case against him. Observing that it is jot justifiable to keep a person

The court was in custody 25 years hearing the petiafter the violence, tion of Jagdish the supreme court Kaur, who lost bench headed by her husband and Justice P three sons to mob Sathasivam said it fury near the would not interD e l h i vene in the Delhi Cantonment durcourt order of Sajjan Kumar February 26, granting the riots, to ing anticipatory bail to terminate the February 26 Sajjan Kumar. bail order.

The widow's case is one of two in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against Kumar and others for allegedly instigating the mob. The CBI has listed offences including robbery, murder, dacoity and inciting mobs in its chargesheet.

Finally, Punjab to have a cancer registry Alarmed by the preliminary findings of the first house-to-house survey of cancer cases in Punjab, the Centre has decided to allow the state’s proposal for setting up a Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) to monitor the actual cancer burden over a period of time and between regions. To be set up in Bathinda, the area with highest incidence of cancer cases in Punjab,

the PBCR’s role would also be to design suitable treatment facilities. The yet-to-be-published cancer survey has shown prevalence of the dreaded disease at 31 cases per lakh of population. The worst hit is Malwa belt, with Muktsar and Bathinda reporting the maximum incidence of cancer at 75.1 and 75 patients per one lakh population, respectively, more

than double the state average. The lowest incidence of 10.8 is in Amritsar, followed by Jalandhar and Mohali at 15.1 and 14.5, respectively. So far, the country has 24 population PBCRs, with all major states except Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa covered. The Punjab proposal will cost Rs 40 lakh, the amount to be paid by the Centre. “If unexpected trends are observed, caus-

es can be ascertained. PBCRs are the only ways to monitor the effects of preventive measures,” Dr JS Thakur from the WHO’s Non Communicable Diseases Department told TNS. Thakur was part of the PGI, Chandigarh, team that reported DNA damages among Punjab’s people due to cancer, loosely attributed to chemical toxicity of water.

Snacks, cold drinks on AC city buses in Mumbai The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) would introduce food service on its AC buses soon. "We plan to come out with a service where commuters can have packaged food items like wafers besides cold drinks, mineral water and newspapers. Commuters can avail of this service in King Long

buses," BEST Chairman Dilip Patel said. M/s Creative Concept has submitted a proposal to introduce in-vehicle retailing. The firm will pay the civic undertaking Rs 350 a bus per month, officials said. "With this, the loss-making BEST aims to rake in some money and attract commuters," a corporator said.

Brit entrepreneurs learn style of Indian business at Ahmedabad Leaders from 18 London SMEs attended a five-day marketing programme at IIM K. K. Joseph & Viren Vyas India is a country with vast opportunities, especially in the field of trade. In order to get a first-hand feel, owners; CEOs or other officials from 18 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from United Kingdom participated in a 5-day marketing programme at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) recently. The course gave them an opportunity to understand the Indian customer’s psychology, media trends, pricing methods, government laws and various other marketing strategies focused on Indian consumer. The UK companies were from diverse sectors such as soft drinks, glass processing, medical and health industries, hair products, specialised motor driving etc. Some were from the field of training and consultancy. “Though the companies are from different fields, one thing common among them is that they all want to do business with India,” said Maurice Potts, deputy head of South Asia unit of UK Trade & investment (UKTI). In a chat with Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, he says there is great potential for them to provide skills, services, products and methods they hope they can bring to India and join the great Indian economic journey. When asked how he finds Gujarat/India as a trade/investment partner, he says, “We feel very comfortable with the positive trade and investment outlook and environment in Gujarat and in India. We find the local people and local business very

Dr. Piyush Goel, Mourice Potts and Hasnain Mohamedali

receptive and interesting. Before companies come to India or even think about coming to Indian market, we need to understand the country which is so vast and has different local cultures and identities. In order to help the companies, UKTI has sponsored this programme so that the companies know about the Indian economic history, background, culture, Indian business models, the market and how to serve it. We have also learnt a lot about the growth models of India and how India has come to where it is today, why the economy is so well established.” He finds India very open, dynamic and very quick to take up new ideas. “Though UK and India look similar, sometimes the differences are more subtle. So it takes a little more time to understand where the differences are and how the business is done here. The course has helped us understand and appreciate the approach of Indian business and the little differences that we have to make in our products and services to serve the Indian market. The course has also helped us understand the regulatory environment in India, what we need to work on and how

distribution works here. The course has also given us a clear idea of the regional aspects and how it is very difficult to take India as one big market, the regional approach we have to make to serve different states in India.” He said that unlike last year, this year the course was more focused on business to business links. This year after the course, some of the companies were spending some more time in India to put into practice what they have learnt in the course. They would be meeting Indian companies to establish trade links. During the course they were able to meet some companies and establish links which in future would be very useful. Mr Maurice said that UK companies are really looking to move into India. “UK has got a very good name for being innovative and good at research. If UK companies join hands with Indian entrepreneurs it can work wonders.” On UKTI, he says that they have a large network with 9 offices in different parts of India with 90 staff members and they have really increased their focus on the country. Since England has a large Indian population it helps in establishing joint ven-

Darshan Gatecha, Jitendra Patni and Piyush Desai

tures and partnerships with Indian companies. Mr Hasnain Mohamedali, the CEO of Wig-O-Mania, and one of the participants at the course, said that though he is an Indian originally from Mumbai, he was skeptical to do business with India. But now thanks to UKTI, he has been able to get an overall view of what India is all about in the 21st century and beyond and this course and other seminars were giving them that overview. He said that a person like him with an Indian origin, got so much of input, but for the Britishers it was a revelation because it was a very daunting task for them to come to India and do business. UKTI gave them that passage, that kind of a bridge and the most important thing is that UKTI is ready to help them in future also. He says his company is in the business of wigs and other hair products. He saw a niche market for his brand in India. Ironically, no other hair brand is currently available in India. He says that he was not looking at the fashion industry for selling his product. He is mainly looking at medical purpose of the wigs. In western countries hospitals

itself cater to the needs of patients i.e. ladies who are undergoing chemotherapy. During the chemotherapy the hair starts falling and the patients, especially the ladies need a wig whenever they want to go out. He says it is very difficult to get a wig of one’s specifications. So he finds a huge opportunity in India to sell his brand of wigs. “If there is an agency or person to take responsibility, so that it is not abused, my company is willing to give a part of my production to the poor patients free of charge. Once the need of a particular patient is over the wig can be recycled and given it to another patient,” he added. Dr Piyush Goel, CEO, International Federation of Healthcare Professionals, is very much impressed with the business climate in Gujarat. Though he is basically from Lucknow he wants to buy some property in Gujarat and start a hospital here. He also wants to start a training centre here so that Indian students need not have to go to UK and spend a lots of money to get a degree or certificate from UK in healthcare. He finds the healthcare service in India cost effective and of international stan-

dards. Mr Piyush Desai, regional development manager, India of Vector Management Limited is in the construction management. His company is mainly in the consultancy service for airport construction. “Besides UK our company is doing business in Europe and Africa. We want to expand our services to India and looking at opportunities here. The course gave us an overall view of the business climate in India. We are looking for joint venture with Indian companies. First of all, we have to study the conditions in India to know whether our type of service has any future there.” On investment plans in India, especially in Gujarat, he says, “Since we are in the consultancy service, at present we are not planning any direct investment in India.” On future plans, he says, “if at all we may open an office, it will provide employment to local people.” He is a native of Valsad, who migrated to the UK. Jitendra Patni, another participant, is a CA and in the field of account outsourcing. He finds vast opportunity in India for his company. He says that the Gujarat government is doing a good job and finds phenomenal development in Gujarat during last 10 years. His parents originally migrated to East Africa from Jamjodhpur and he came to the UK thereafter. Another participant was Darshan Gatecha, business development manager of Budson Limited. He is in the online entertainment and gaming business.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Z-category security for Ram Dev in Nepal Kathmandu: Indian yoga guru Baba Ram Dev would be given a red-carpet reception and Z-plus category security on his arrival in Kathmandu on Friday. Nepal's state media said that in view of the threats received by the saffron-clad yoga teacher, top security has been earmarked for Ram Dev's nine-day visit. A tight security cordon has also been thrown around the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. The Tundikhel grounds at the heart of the capital will turn into a sea of followers from early Saturday morning when Ram Dev kicks off his five-day Yoga Science Camp, which is expected to draw over 50,000 people.

Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

Barack Obama speaks with Hamid Karzai during a meeting in Kabul on Sunday

Kabul: US president Barack Obama has made a surprise visit to Kabul and met Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai. Obama has vowed to deny a safe haven to Al-Qaida and reverse "Taliban's momentum" in the country. He asked Karzai to act decisively against corruption on his first visit to the country. He also met American troops stationed there and said that his country’s aim was to “destroy” and “dis-

mantle” Al-Qaida and its extremist allies in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. "We are going to disrupt and dismantle, defeat and destroy Al-Qaida and its extremist allies. That is our mission. And to accomplish that goal, our objectives here in Afghanistan are also clear: We're going to deny Al-Qaida safe haven. We're going to reverse the Taliban's momentum," Obama said in his address to US soldiers at the Bagram airfield.

Death for 17 Indians for murder of Pakistani India seeks consular access India has, meanwhile, sought consular access to the 17 Indians who have been sentenced to death. "The Consulate is seeking more details, including a copy of the judgment," the mission said in a statement. An official source at UAE's Ministry of Justice, meanwhile, said the death sentence awarded to Indians was subject to appeal, Emirates News Agency WAM reported. According to the procedures followed in the UAE, the primary ruling has to be presented to the court of appeal to ratify the ruling. The ministry of justice appoints lawyers for those who are unable to do so, especially in

homicide cases that entail life and capital sentence. According to UAE laws, the convicted workers can move an appeal within 15 days of the verdict, a court official said. In New Delhi, Minister of Indian Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi said: "We have already asked the Indian Consulate for a report and they have been asked to move fast for helping those people to appeal." Meanwhile, the Indian Community Welfare Committee in Dubai and Indian Association Sharjah have said they would step up anti-alcohol awareness campaigns in labour camps, following recent bootlegging violence.

Moscow subway bombings kill 39

India, US reach N-reprocessing deal

Dubai: Seventeen Indians have been sentenced to death by Sharjah's Shariah Court for killing a Pakistani man and injuring three others in a vicious attack last year. Judge Yousuf Al Hamadi sentenced the 17 men to death after all evidence, including DNA tests, showed they had knifed the Pakistani to death, Khaleej Times reported on Monday. The victim had died of his wounds after he was stabbed repeatedly on various parts of his body and had also suffered brain damage, police said. The attack in January last year followed a fight over the control of the illegal liquor business in Al Sajaa area of Sharjah, one

Yangon: Myanmar's opposition party led by Aung San Suu Kyi said it would boycott polls expected later this year, after the country's military rulers introduced a controversial new election law. The National League for Democracy decided at a party meeting to refuse to register for the first polls to be held in two decades, a move that would have forced it to oust its detained leader and recognise the junta's constitution. But the NLD now faces dissolution in less

than six weeks for failing to register, according to the new legislation brought in earlier this month for the elections due to be held by the end of November.

Moscow: With the death of a woman in a hospital, the death toll in the suicide bombings on Moscow bombings has risen to 39, officials said Tuesday as the country entered a day of mourning. Five people remain in critical condition out of 71 hospitalized after the blasts that were blamed on Chechen rebels, city health department official Andrei Seltsovsky told the Rossiya-24 state news channel. Only eight victims had been formally identified, he said. The preliminary investigation found that female suicide bombers detonated belts of explosives during the Monday morning

Continued from page 8 Shahid Malik. At the time his PR team had responded giving hope that Mr Malik was keen to discuss face-to-face, yet three scheduled meetings, the most recent on 8 December 2009, were cancelled from his end and a response never received. Has the perceived insularity and familybased nature of Asian businesses been a strength or a blocker to more mainstream success, I asked Mr Miliband. His response: “We should celebrate the great contribution the Asian business community makes to the UK economy.” We need to make sure that all businesses are able to benefit from the government support on offer. The Labour Party takes its relationship with ethnic minority groups in the UK, especially the Asian community “extremely seriously”, said Mr Miliband. Elaborating on my question on how

the Labour Party can ensure that buzz-words such as diversity and community cohesion do not remain talking shops, he added: “Since 1997 we have introduced the national minimum wage, tax credits and the New Deal, each of which has helped ethnic minority groups to find work and support their families. We have also introduced some of the toughest anti-discrimination laws in Europe. Modern political parties must reflect the diversity of modern communities and it is crucial that local Labour parties, especially in parts of London, Yorkshire and the West Midlands where the Asian population is sizeable, tap into the energy of local neighbourhoods and involve local people. Labour’s international achievements are among our proudest, but our internationalist outlook must apply also to our party at home.”

Labour has 49 candidates from ethnic minority communities standing in the General Election which, Mr Miliband says, “will improve our representativeness and, while not going far enough, is good base from which to build.” Immigration policy is a political hot potato. Enforced deportations, loss of control of asylum seekers, loss of benefits for refugees until they are accepted all stand to damage the reputation of the UK in Britain. In response to this, “you’re absolutely right,” said Mr Miliband, “immigration and asylum policy will always be a hot potato and let’s not forget that the Tories ran the bulk of their last general election campaign on a negative immigration ticket.” He added: “Labour’s vision of the future is of a firm but fair system, one which is good for Britain, protects our borders and where fair rules apply to

Suu Kyi to boycott elections

Aung San Suu Kyi

of the emirates of UAE, the paper said. The police had said the suspects had attempted to kill three other compatriots of the victim, but they managed to escape and were rushed to Kuwaiti Hospital for treatment. The convicted men are aged between 17 and 30 years. According to the three Pakistanis who survived, 50 people set upon them with knives on that fateful day last year. Police had rushed to the area and arrested the 17, who had allegedly led the attack. The others were let off due to lack of evidence. During court hearings, all the suspects confessed they had fought with and murdered the victim.

b e g a n . Entertainment events and shows on television were cancelled. Services were to be held at several churches. Heightened transportation Blast victims lie in a subway train hit by s e c u r i t y an explosion at Moscow's Lubyanka remained in station on Monday. effect across rush-hour at two central the capital and in cities Moscow subway stations. across Russia. Police with It was the first terrorist machine guns and sniffer activity in the Russian dogs patrolled subway capital for years. entrances. Flags flew at half staff Monday's first exploon government buildings sion took place just before and at the Kremlin as a 8 a.m. at the Lubyanka day of national mourning station in central Moscow.

Washington: India and the United States have concluded a nuclear fuel reprocessing agreement to advance their bilateral civilian nuclear deal, the Obama administration said on Monday. The agreement, a key step in the full realization of the US-India nuclear deal reached some 18 months ago, will enable Indian reprocessing of USsupplied nuclear material under safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Nuclear reprocessing typically involves separating and managing components of spent nuclear fuel.

all. We have introduced a new Australian-style Points Based System which will allow us to be more selective so that only those with the skills that we need to build a stronger economy can come here. We are taking tough enforcement action against illegal migrants and we are removing newcomers who break the law. Asylum applications for the last three months of 2009 were the lowest since the early 1990’s. It was Labour that signed the UK up to the European Convention on Human Rights which prevents us sending someone to a country where there is a real risk they will be exposed to torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Our opponents in this election, the Tories, still stand opposed to the European Convention on Human Rights.” Ending the interview with some lighter ques-

tions, I asked Mr Miliband about his most memorable experience, “being in Rangoon when the monks were marching.” He added: “When they passed the British Embassy they stopped to applaud. It showed that the morals that guide our foreign policy are valued around the world.” When asked about his most admired place in the world, “I cannot possibly choose a favourite,” he smiled. “It is a privilege to travel as much as I do and learn about the world.” As for Mr Clarke and his fellow Tory cronies, well, there are more black and female faces but the white public school male still reigns, according to recent research by The Sunday Times. The research shows 60 per cent of candidates have already made at least one failed attempt at parliament. Their average age is 43. More than 40 per cent of these potential new Tory MPs were privately

educated – compared with 7 per cent of the UK as a whole – and at least a third went to Oxbridge. In fairness, the Tories have been successful in recruiting ethnic minority candidates. Some 7 per cent of candidates in winnable seats are black or Asian. Currently, the party has just one black and one Asian MP, but the research suggests seven Asians will win seats in the next parliament, as well as four black candidates. In addition, the icon for the new generation of gay Tories is a candidate for Stourbridge in the West Midlands – Margot James, a millionaire entrepreneur. And while there were just 17 women Tory MPs at the last election, 44 new female candidates – almost three times that number – could claim Conservative seats in the next parliament if the party wins an overall majority. Only time will say.

Miliband does what Clarke fails to do on Diversity

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Sharif backs out of move to clip Zardari powers Islamabad: In a surprise move, opposition leader and former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif decided against supporting a constitutional reforms package that envisaged a major overhaul of the country's constitution and undoing constitutional changes made by former military rulers. The package, which was slated to be introduced before the country's parliament, sought to amend one-fourth of the constitution's articles. Sharif said he had taken the decision at the eleventh hour, as the country's superior judiciary wasn't taken into confidence regarding the procedure of the judges' appointment.

Headley names serving Pak Army men behind 26/11 In focus.........

New York: In a major revelation, PakistaniAmerican terror suspect David C Headley has confessed about the involvement of serving Pakistani Army officials in the 26/11 attacks, thus exposing for the first time the Pakistan’s direct link in the deadly attacks. It has maintained the role of 'non-state' actors in planning and executing the attacks that killed around 160 and injured scores at three places in Mumbai. Till now the American investigators were refer-

David C Headley

ring to the handlers as A,B,C,D. But Headley’s confession has established their identity as major Sayeed, Major Iqbal, Major Sameer and Colonel Shah. His admission has clearly exposed the close relationship between Al

Qaeda and the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) and the Pakistan Army, according to a former CIA analyst. Headley has admitted to his own role in the planning of the Mumbai attacks in a Chicago court and India is trying to get direct access to him. Headley's revelations around a European cell were particularly disturbing, Bruce Riedel, who was a member of the National Security Council in the Clinton administration and is now at the Brookings Institution was

quoted as saying by the New York Times. They showed that "Al Qaeda still has a significant operational infrastructure somewhere in Europe," he said. Details of Headley's activities, contained in his plea agreement with US authorities, "raise troubling questions about how an American citizen could travel for so long undetected from his home base in Chicago to well-established terrorist training camps in Pakistan," the Times said in a report from Islamabad.

Pak gets bonanza from US, but no N-deal Washington: Lavish praise, modest economic assistance, and selective military supplies were laid out for Pakistan by the United States as it kicked off their high-profile "strategic dialogue" without immediately meeting Islamabad's soaring expectations. A $125 million energy sector aid and a slew of social sector projects that will bring Pakistan unspecified millions more was Washington's cautious first response to Islamabad's demand for a civilian nuclear deal and a bill for $35 billion it says it

has incurred in the war on terror. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton deftly skirted around questions about the nuclear deal, saying "we will listen to and engage with our Pakistani partners on whatever issues the delegation raises," and adding, "We're committed to helping Pakistan meet its real energy needs." Hillary followed that up by saying the two sides are moving forward with $125 million to Pakistan for energy sector projects, an assistance program she

announced in Pakistan last October. In addition, she disclosed that USAID administrator Rajiv Shah, the top-ranking IndianAmerican in the Obama administration, will sign "implementation agreements for three thermal power station rehabilitation projects" with Pakistan. Pakistan foreign secretary Qureshi added later that the two sides had agreed to fast-track Pakistan's requests "that have pending for months and years on the transfer of military equipment."

They did not identify the equipment or its value. Other initiatives unveiled included upgrading significant road infrastructure in Pakistan's troubled northwest; concrete steps to help Pakistan boost exports of agricultural products and to improve agricultural infrastructure; greater market access for Pakistani products, approval of flight access for Pakistan International Airlines to Chicago, via Barcelona; and priority for setting up Reconstruction Opportunity Zone.

Court bans AQ Khan from giving media interviews Lifts curbs on his free movement and asks govt to provide him with security Lahore: A Pakistani court on Monday restrained disgraced atomic scientist AQ Khan from talking to the media on the country's nuclear programme and leaking sensitive information. In its judgment in response to a petition filed by 74-year-old Khan seeking the removal of restrictions on his movement, the Lahore High Court ruled that Khan was not allowed to talk about nuclear weapons technology. However, the court lifted restrictions on

Abdul Qadeer Khan

Khan's free movement and directed the federal government to provide him security so they can

accompany him wherever he goes. "AQ Khan is a free man now and the government will provide him security," Ali Zafar, the scientist's lawyer, told reporters. Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry gave the judgment during in-camera proceedings. He had earlier deferred his verdict three times and asked Khan and the government to settle the matter out of court. During the hearing, the government filed two petitions one seeking

restrictions on the free movement of the scientist and restraining him from giving interviews and another seeking permission to probe claims attributed to Khan by The Washington Post about the transfer of nuclear secrets to Iran and Iraq. Khan also submitted an affidavit in which he claimed he had not given any interview to The Washington Post or other publications regarding Pakistan's nuclear programme.

Pak cab driver charged in Chicago with Al Qaeda links Chicago: A Pakistani American taxi driver with alleged ties to Ilyas Kashmiri, a terrorist leader in Pakistan linked with Mumbai terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, has been charged with supporting Al Qaeda. Raja Lahrasib Khan, 56, who became a naturalised US citizen in 1988, was arrested last week in his cab and charged with attempting to send money to Al Qaeda. Authorities allege Khan also discussed attacking a stadium in the United States this summer but said there was no

imminent danger. Federal authorities said Khan's arrest is not tied to the Mumbai terror plot case involving Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives Headley and Rana. Headley recently pleaded guilty and is providing information to authorities about his dealings with alleged militant leaders in Pakistan. Kashmiri, identified as the leader of Harkat-UlJihadi Islamiya (HUJI), a terrorist group based in Pakistan and Kashmir with links to Al Qaeda, was indicted in January 2010 along with Headley and

Rana for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to attack a Danish newspaper. 'While there was no imminent danger in the Chicago area or elsewhere, these charges, once again,

affirm that law enforcement must remain constantly vigilant to guard against domestic support of foreign terrorist organizations,' US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement.

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Six soldiers, 86 Taliban fighters killed in battles

Peshawar: Taliban fighters stormed a security check post in the tribal belt close to Afghan border killing six Pakistani soldiers and in a fierce battle that ensued 25 militants were also killed, official sources said. The battle took place in the Aurakzai Agency where security forces have stepped up a drive to flush out militants believed to be sheltering here from a military offensive in the nearby South Waziristan. The troops have launched a number of raids on the Taliban hideouts using heavy artillery and helicopter gunships to target the militants. Sixty one militants were killed in these attacks as they targeted a seminary in the area where Taliban commanders were holding a meeting bringing the militants death toll to 86. The gun battle erupted when Taliban militants attacked Feroze Khel, a key town in Aurakzai, from four directions. Lt Col Anwar Abbas was among the soldiers who died in the firefight in which six more soldiers were also reported wounded, official sources said. Security officials believe that Taliban fighters have infiltrated into the Aurakzai Agency after fleeing South Waziristan in the face of the army offensive. The area is considered to be a stronghold of Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who is believed to have been killed in a drone attack. A foreign militant was among the 25 rebels killed in the skirmish. His body was recovered and brought to the local Frontier Corps headquarters in Kalaya, the sources said.

Priest kills three daughters, himself

Islamabad: A temple priest committed suicide after killing his three minor daughters, all under 6-year-old, to please goddess Kali Mata in Bhemomal area of Sind province last week. According to police and eyewitnesses, religious rituals were regularly performed at the Kali Mata Temple established on the first floor of a house owned by Tekam Das Meghwar in Bhemomal. Reports say that Meghwar first slaughtered his three daughters, Parwati, 6, Reena, 4, and Aarti, 1, with a sharp knife and then slit his own throat to make Kali Mata happy. Moulchand, brother of deceased Meghwar said, “My deceased brother was priest of Kali Mata and he performed pooja the whole night but in the early morning when power supply failed he slaughtered his three daughters before committing suicide with a sharp weapon.” Initial police investigation suggested that Meghwar, early on the morning, entered the residential portion of the house and asked his wife to bring milk from a nearby shop. Taking advantage of absence of anybody in the house, Meghawar slit the throats of his three daughters. The ill-fated mother told police that "when I returned home, I saw heads of three girls in a cradle placed in room. Body of Meghawar also lay in a pool of blood with his throat slit."

Gilgit-Baltistan gets its first woman governor

Islamabad: Dr Shama Khalid became the first woman governor of Gilgit-Baltistan in the history of the country. Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as "Northern Areas", was granted self-rule by the government on 29 August 2009 by passing the Gilgit and Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order 2009. The chief justice of the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan administered the oath to Dr Shama Khalid. The ceremony was witnessed by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah and federal ministers. The president also conferred civil and military awards on outstanding individuals at an investiture ceremony held in connection with Pakistan Day. Overall 190 individuals were conferred awards on Pakistan Day, out of which the President himself gave away 75 civil and 56 military awards in different categories, at the special ceremony.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

This week CB Patel will talk to Dineshbhai Shonchhatra of Major Estate and Regional Chairman of Lions club about mortgage and current house crisis and also with artists- Karshan Sagathiya, Chetan Gadhvi, Sandip Rawal, Thushar Joshi, Vishva Kunchala and Dipti Desai, of Aapno Malak, Gujarati folk group, about their upcoming performances in Leicester and Harrow If you do not have a tv, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

Week commences 3rd April 2010 ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

To ask questions please call on: 020 8963 1001

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cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

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Thursday 7pm to 8pm

Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Coming Events

Win a pair of tickets

l St Luke’s Hospice Indian Mela (fair) is organised with lots of Indian themed stalls, selling products and offering taster sessions. Saturday 24th April 2010 Venue: Claremont High School, HA3 0UH Time: 11am until 2pm. Contact: Kate Gammell on 020 8382 8096

Sanjeev Bhaskar in DUMB SHOW

l Sophusion Spring Sale …..up to 50% off on selected items. Sunday 11 April: 10 am - 6 pm at 104 Woodcock Hill, HA3 0JD, contact Krishna Shah: 07958 959104 / info@sophusion.com l1- The Essence of Krishna featuring Hariprasad Chaurasia with Alarmel Valli Presented by the Lions of Moor Park in association with Asian Music Circuit in aid of The Chain of Hope. Saturday 17 April, 7.30pm, Cadogan Hall London, SW1X 9DQ 020 7730 4500 www.cadoganhall.com 2- The Asian Music Circuit Presents.... At Café Oto Wednesday 28 April 2010, Café Oto, London, E8 3DL. www.cafeoto.co.uk 3- Courtly Love- Indian poetry, music and dance from the palaces of the Maharajahs Organised jointly with Poets in the City Thursday 29 April, 2010, 7.00pm in the Ondaatje Wing Theatre at the National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE , Call 020 7306 0055 Book online at www.npg.org.uk/events l The ARCC Classical Tent at Croydon Mela Sunday 1 August 2010, 1.30pm till 6.30pm, free Lloyd Park, CRO 5RD. For more details visit www.croydonsummerfestival.org l Lions Club of Hadley Wood in association with the Asian Foundation For Help organising a Charity Mehfil on Saturday 10 April 2010. Contact: ali@dewood.co.uk or call 07712-563254 l Muslim Organisation Leicestershire presents FMO Youth and Community Awards at Leicester Exhibition Centre, Leicester LE1 3HT, 7:30pm, Contact: Jaffer Kapasi, 0116 2664 668 l The Leicester Asian Carnival, 2nd - 4th April 2010 at Parklands, Oadby, Leicester, For further information aplease visit: www.asiancarnival.co.uk

1 – 17 April Rose Theatre, Kingston

Sanjeev Bhaskar (Goodness Gracious Me, The Kumars at No.42), Dexter Fletcher (Hotel Babylon; Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) and Emma Cunniffe (The Lakes) star in Stephen Unwin’s major revival of a brilliant black comedy by Joe Penhall about our celebrity obsessed society, the pitfalls of fame and a classic tabloid sting. Win a pair of tickets to a performance of your choice. Simply answer the following question: Which West End musical did Sanjeev Bhaskar star in, in 2008? a) Chicago - b) Spamalot - c) Wicked Send your answers to: rosetheatre@rosetheatrekingston.org by Thursday 8 April. Terms and conditions apply.

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Your energy and attention will be very much devoted to financial matters. The tide of fortune continues to run strongly in your favour for some time to come. You will be working harder than usual, intent on getting thing done. Close personal relationships may come under some stress and strain.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

It is certainly going to be a fortunate time for those already married or in an established relationship. The keynote is emotional enrichment through close interaction with a loved one. Facets of your life that have been a source of restriciton and dissatisfaction will begin to loosen their hold.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 You will find added scope and greater incentive to push full steam ahead with your cherished aims. You must be careful not to tread on other people's toes. This is the right time to talk things over with your loved one - especially anything that has been worrrying you or making you feel insecure.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 There seems to be a danger of conflicts of duty between home and work. Your work is likely to take up a lot of your time which may generate some domestic strain. Try to balance these areas of your life. Some of you will be intent on expanding their mental horizons through meditation, yoga or by travelling. LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You have the dynamic planet Mars in your sign. This planet indicates a desire to push forward, to assert yourself mentally and physically. This also means that you want to improve you work prospects. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level - tread carefully. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 Give top priority to important written work. This applies particularly to financial and commercial interests. If you can manage to get away from usual routines, this will prove to be highly enjoyable and have a beneficial effect on your physical and psychological well-being. Loved ones will be looking after you. LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 It seems that the winds of change begin to gather momentum and put a strong focus on domestic and family matters. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak. It will serve you well in getting things sorted out without upsetting anyone. SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Make a very conscious attempt to stick to main priorities. Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people. If you know your ground and are not afraid to stick your neck out, you can create your own opportunities. A good time for the affairs of the heart. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life and you will have fun communicating with others. CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 With Venus traversing your sign of leisure for some time to come, it will put you in the right mood if you intend to indulge your pleasure-loving instincts. Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on affairs of the heart. Existing emotional differences can be easily sorted out now. AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Guard against being too impatient and restless. You will need to exercise care in the use of credit. Extra energy and drive will serve you well in getting things accomplished, but try not to come on too strong when you deal with others. There appears to be a more successful trend coming into effect. PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

You will have the distinct feeling that everything is moving ahead at a very satisfying pace. Indeed, you will be in a forward-looking mood, more inclined to reflect on the future. The power of destiny is very much in your own hands and any major decision you make will have a profound effect on your future.

time

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

43 45

19 21

Across 1 Fodder holder 5 Organized walk 10 Gent from aberdeen 14 Oil cartel’s letters 15 Hilo hi 16 Cover a lot of ground? 17 1970 Bobby Bloom hit 19 Distiller grains 20 Pacifies 21 Show off 23 Players 24 In existence

25 28 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 42 43 44

Gelcap alternative Wander about Gave the eye to Malingerer Bagel topper Without slack More poorly Like a weak joke “The Three Faces of ____” Genuflection joints Tightwas Olios Best of the bets Cancel Downright adorable

45 47 51 52 54 55 56

Smooth, in music Touched tendelry Oodlers Thoreau’s Hautboy Nestiling’s call “The Four Seasons” star 57 Fax button 58 Robust 59 Overly curious Down 1 Cell body 2 Wall St. debuts

Solution of Crossword-80

SPELLATHON - 81 Today’s Ratings: 01-average |02-good | 03-outstanding

How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain A the central letter. There should be at least one T P seven-letter word. J Plurals, foreign words and proper names are C O not allowed. British English Dictionary is K used as reference.

Solution of Spellathon - 80 epic, SPECIFY, spice, spicy

M A S S E

A N E T O

B L A H

A U D I

T O T E

R U I N

H E M E N

E M I R

R O S E O F I S A L L U O S T T H U A U S T R R N E S D

5 7

6 2

1 9

2 6

P B S E E L U N A D E O O D N O A N S T A I E P S H R I O O D N O R S T A

I W O N

B E A U

I T T Y

E V E S

I N I N K

R E E S E

If you have a helum filed balloon in a closed car, an you go around corner. Will the ballon swing in to or out of the corner? Solution of 80 : Our ages now are seventythree and thirty-seven.

WHATZIT? - 81 Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

Joseph Priestley and John Dalton – The pioneers of modern science

The late 18th century saw a remarkable growth in technological innovation in Britain such as steam-powered industries which brought greater efficiency and increased production, ultimately laying the foundation for its world-wide empire and economic prosperity. These were also glorious years for British science. Two of the outstanding scientists of this era that spring to mind are Joseph Priestly and John Dalton. A scientist, clergyman, scholar, author, and teacher, John Priestley (1733 – 1804) is best known for his enormous scientific contribution in chemistry of gases especially the discovery of oxygen. Born near Leeds, Priestley was trained as a minister and between 1767 and 1773 was a minister at Mill Hill chapel in Leeds where none of his religious commitments dampened his enthusiasm for scientific quest. Priestley was an amateur scientist. His interest in chemistry was a consequence of living adjacent to a brewery in Leeds. He became interested in the gases evolved during fermentation and soon discovered that carbon dioxide was formed

Solution of - 80 : Out of sight, out of mind

Joseph Priestley

which could be absorbed by water. The resulting soda-water brought Priestley much fame and made possible the sodawater industry of the future. With his innovative experimental work Priestley studied gases or ‘airs’ as they were called then. He discovered a new gas and called it ‘dephlogisticated air’ and showed that it was neces-

sary for the respiration of plants and animals and for combustion of material. The new gas was renamed ‘oxygen’ by a French chemist Lavoisier. Oxygen was literally a key element in the revolution that transformed chemistry and established the modern science. Besides oxygen Priestley discovered other gases such as sulphur dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide (later called ‘laughing gas’). He also conducted experiments in

Mill Hill chapel, Leeds where Priestley was a minister

the newly discovered science of electrochemistry. In 1780 Priestley became a minister in Birmingham but his open support for 18th century French Revolution provoked so much hostility that in 1791 he left Birmingham. After staying for a while in London (where he also met with hostility) he emigrated to America where he was warmly welcomed. He continued his scientific and theological work until his death. John Dalton: British Physicist, chemist, and meteorologist John Dalton (1766-1844) is best remembered for his revolutionary atomic theory of matter which opened the way for modern atomic science. It explained many phenomena that scientists before him couldn’t understand. Dalton originally came from Lake District (born in Cumbria) but spent

KAKURO - 81

5 Solution of sudoku-80

HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a sub-grid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each subgrid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution.

C L A S L I S P W E E T I O N A N R E O N G E R F G R A F F I A T S L E T T E R O A D W N I S I N S O B I N H L I S E O D I E

By Dr Anil Mehta

MINDBENDER - 81

Sudoku-81

3 4 5 6

C R O S S W O R D - 81

Eye of a camera One of eight Fly larva Athol Fugard play, “A Lesson from__” 7 Holds up 8 Half a dance? 9 Seasonal rhintitis 10 Rose with a bound 11 View from cornell 12 Cooking chamber 13 Lab procedure 18 Like some seals 22 Truth stretcher 24 Two-Wheelers 25 Clan emblem 26 Desert plant 27 Shields film 28 Evans and Earnhardt 29 Large scholarly books 30 Apply elbow grease 32 Collection of warships 35 Toenail,sometimes 36 Years on earth 38 Tangled bow 39 Sacramental disk 41 Died down 42 Something beyond doubt 44 Military trainee 45 Vientiane’s location 46 Dresden’s waterway 47 Pitch symbol 48 Flight school final 49 Concludes 50 6/6/44 53 Feeling of wonder

pass

Solution of KAKURO - 80

The numbers in the pink Example squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine. 12

Note: A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination. For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

John Dalton

much of his life in Manchester where he did his scientific work. In 1793 he was appointed professor of maths in a college in Manchester, a position he held until 1799, when he set up his own academy. Dalton produced fundamental work on atomic theory in which he stated that each chemical substance (element) is composed of tiny, invisible and indestructible particles called atoms that can participate in a chemical reaction. Compounds are formed when atoms of different elements combine in certain proportion. Dalton further proposed that all atoms of the same element have the same weight (atomic weight). He also arranged elements into ascending order of atomic weights. Dalton used relatively simple experiments in his work. Among other things, Dalton studied the properties of gases and their solubility in water. He also gave detailed explanation of colour blindness from which he himself suffered. His contribution to atmospheric physics and meteorology was also very significant. Almost a recluse with few friends, Dalton lived a simple, bachelor life. He died of stroke in 1844 in Manchester and was accorded a civic funeral. By proposing atomic theory Dalton put chemistry on a very firm basis. No wonder he and Priestly are viewed as greatest British scientists of 18th century and founders of modern science.

HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

Hair loss and the importance of good nutrition By Urja Patel vegetrition.com It is normal to lose between 50-100 hairs a day, this is part of the hair renewal process. However most people suffer from excessive hair loss at one time in their life. There are many reasons for this including medication, radiation, chemotherapy, exposure to chemicals, hormonal and nutritional factors, thyroid disease, generalized or local skin disease, and stress. Many of these causes are temporary and a few are permanent. Since the follicle is very sensitive it does respond to imbalances in the body. Most hair loss causes by disease or illness is temporary and resolves itself after the body has returned to a healthy condition. High fever, severe infection, severe flu: Sometimes one to three months after a high fever, severe infection or flu, a person may experience hair loss, this is usually temporary and corrects itself. Thyroid disease: Both an overactive thyroid and an underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. Thyroid disease can be diagnosed by your physician with laboratory tests. Hair loss associated with thyroid disease can be reversed with proper treatment. Deficient diet: Some people who go on low protein diets, or have severely abnormal eating habits, may develop protein malnutrition. To help save protein the body shifts growing hair into the resting phase. If this happens massive amounts of hair shedding can occur two to three months later. A sign of this is if the hair can be pulled out by the roots fairly easily. This condition can be reversed and prevented by eating the proper amount of protein. Its very important when dieting to maintain an adequate protein intake. Medications: Some prescription drugs may cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. Examples of such drugs include some of the medicines used for the following: gout, arthritis, depression, heart problems, high blood pressure, or blood thinner.

High doses of vitamin A may also cause hair shedding. Low serum iron: Iron deficiency occasionally produces hair loss. Some people don't have enough iron in their diets or may not fully absorb iron in their diets. Women who have heavy menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and can be corrected by taking iron pills. Major surgery/chronic illness: Anyone who has a major operation - a tremendous shock to the system may notice increased hair shedding within one to three months afterwards. The condition reverses itself within a few months but people who have a severe chronic illness may shed hair indefinitely. A relatively unknown fact is that hair transplantation surgery can actually cause additional hair loss or "shock fallout". Hairs lost from shock fallout usually don't regrow. Alopecia Areata: This type of hair loss is believed to be caused by the immune system reacting to hair follicles as if they were antibodies and shutting them down. The hair loss is usually limited to a coin sized area and all the hair in the area is lost leaving a totally smooth round patch. In a more severe rarer condition called Alopecia Totalis, all hair on the entire body is lost, including the eyelashes. Treatments include topical medications, a special kind of light treatment, or in some cases drugs. Fungus Infection (Ringworm) of the scalp: Caused by a fungus infection, ringworm (which has nothing to do with worms) begins with small patches of scaling that can spread and result in broken hair, redness, swelling, and even oozing. This contagious disease is most common in children and oral medication will cure it. Stress: Stress can cause hair loss is some people. Usually it occurs 3 months after the stressful event has occured and it may take 3 months after the stress period has ended for the hair growth to resume. In most cases

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it is temporary if the person is not predisposed to genetic or Androgenic Alopecia, if they are stress may trigger the onset of genetic hair loss or may worsen existing Androgenic hair loss.

Diet

A wholesome diet, rich in silica, calcium and iron, will help reduce or prevent hair loss. Green, leafy vegetables, especially sea vegetables, are good mineral sources. Raw oats provide silica. Dried fruits and cherry juice are rich sources of iron. For women, thinning hair or hair loss can be a sign of a problem in the gastrointestinal tract. It could be a sign of insufficient stomach acids; It could also mean a deficiency of protein, zinc and other nutrients. Taking two acidophilus tablets after or between meals (four to six tablets per day) for two months will help.

For men, balding process can be slowed down by taking a low-fat diet. Some scientists postulate that the male pattern baldness is tied to increased testosterone levels during puberty. A high-fat, meat-based diet raises testosterone levels, and that may adversely affect hair follicles. For example, in Japan, male pattern baldness was very rare prior to World War II when the diet was lean and healthy. The Japanese now consume a more fatty, Westernized diet. Baldness is now increasing substantially among Japanese men. Eating low-fat foods may not stop hair loss; but it might help slow down

the hair loss. Anemia is one of the most frequent causes of hair loss. Eat plenty of iron-rich foods, like liver (Avoid if you are pregnant) and other organ meat, whole grain cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, dates, and raisins. The hair is comprised mostly of protein. To encourage hair growth, adhere to a diet rich in protein. A recommended diet for this p u r p o s e includes brewer's yeast, wheat germ, and two tablespoons of granulated lecithin. Along with protein, these foods are also high in B vitamins, an important nutrient for hair. European studies have found that soy protein reinforces hair and stimulates its growth. In one study, The hair growth increased by 15 percent. Tofu and soy milk are good sources of soy protein. Other good sources of protein are: low-fat cheese, eggs, fish, beans, brewer's yeast and yogurt. Another important nutrient for hair health is silica. Silica is found in the outer coverings of potatoes, green and red peppers and cucumbers. Bean sprouts are also high in silica. Eat whole

foods including sprouts. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron. Include a good serving of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Vitamin E is important for healthy hair growth. Eat avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil on a regular basis. If hair loss is due to thyroid dysfunction, eat more foods rich in vitamin A and iodine. Eat vegetables such as carrots or spinach in unrefined, cold-pressed seed oils such as flax, walnut or pumpkin seed and sea salt. Take turnips, cabbage, mustard, soy beans, peanuts, pine nuts and millet if there is a deficiency of iodine.

HEALTH WATCH IN BRIEF Breathe easy: a natural fruit compound may help asthma

A preliminary study by a New Zealand company, Plant & Food Research,* shows that natural chemicals from blackcurrants may help breathing in some types of asthma. Researchers found a compound from a New Zealand blackcurrant may reduce lung inflammation with a multiaction assault in allergyinduced asthma. The compound was found in laboratory experiments to enhance the natural defence mechanisms in lung tissue by both suppressing inflammationcausing reactions and minimising inflammation. The findings are published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. Fruit consumption has been shown to reduce symptoms in allergy-induced asthma yet this research is the first to give insights into the mechanism by which this may occur. The researchers identified that the component, epigallocatechin, reduced inflammation in lung tissue. Epigallocatechin is a known antioxidant and a major component of proanthocyanidins found in blackcurrants. In the Plant & Food Research study, led by Dr Roger Hurst, cells from lung tissue were used to test the effects on the immune system of a proanthocyanidin rich extract, from blackcurrant cultivars grown in New Zealand. When the lungs are exposed to allergens, the body's natural response is to attack the perceived foreign body which in some individuals results in long-term inflammation. Selective compounds found in fruit and vegetables may work together with the body's own natural defence mechanism to suppress long-term lung inflammation. This study shows that epigallocatechin, from blackcurrants, works in conjunction with other natural immune responses that occur at the same time to reduce inflammation. These actions are dis-

tinct from the inflammation-reducing activity of another group of compounds, anthocycanins, which are also rich in blackcurrants. Anthocyanins are known for their antioxidant properties and, interestingly, have been shown by Dr Hurst's research group to also influence inflammatory mechanisms and complement the body's own natural immune responses. The research shows some compounds in fruit thought to promote health with their antioxidant activity are keeping us well by other means. "To find natural compounds that potentially reduce lung inflammation and complement the body's own immune response is an exciting breakthrough," says Dr Hurst. "Should we discover more about how this works we may eventually develop foods containing these compounds that could provide more natural alternatives to assist conventional drug treatments for asthma and even other allergic re-actions." The study is part of Plant & Food Research's Food Innovation science platform that focuses on discovering the natural goodness in fruit, vegetables, grains and seafood and using this knowledge to develop fresh whole foods, ingredients and food concepts. Dr Kieran Elborough GM Science Food Innovation says research is improving the understanding of food and its makeup, how it benefits us and the development of new value technologies, ingredients and products. "Maintaining wellness in a natural way is a growing consumer trend that food companies recognise, "says Dr Elborough. "New Zealand is well known for its quality fresh produce and I am quietly confident our understanding of natural compounds in fruit, vegetables, grains and seafood has good potential for food and beverage companies."

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

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Tendulkar firm not to play T20 World Cup Maestro’s cricket career will be featured in a museum Even as Maharashtra government announced last week that a Museum will be built in the state that will feature the cricket career of Sachin Tendulkar, the little master remained firm in his decision not to play T20 cricket for India. He had decided this before the first T20 World Cup. After the second edition, even one of the Indian selectors, Yashpal Sharma had asked Tendulkar whether he will review his decision, but Sachin did not budge.

In the IPL season III, currently underway,

Sachin is in a superb form and has even led his team Mumbai Indians very successfully. This form again became the reason for present as well as former cricketers to push the maestro in revisiting his decision, but it made no difference. Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain and a very talented all rounder was among those who said Sachin should play. He added in the same breath that his absence would be a definite benefit for all

other teams. A museum on Sachin Tendulkar The Maharashtra government last week announced that a museum on the career of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar would soon be built in the state. The museum will depict the life and cricket career of the master batsman, who recently became the first player in the history of the game to score a one-day international double hundred.

Vinay Kumar is the new face in Indian team for World T20 Spinner Piyush Chawla back; Ishant and Sreesanth dropped A few names that were expected to feature in the Indian squad for the forthcoming World T20 did not find favour with the selectors, as Vinay Kumar, a Karnataka pacer is the only new face that has been selected for the 15 member Indian cricket to play the tournament in

West Indies starting at the end of this month. Leg spinner Piyush Chawla has made a comeback in a team that will be led by skipper M S Dhoni. One of the top batsmen for India, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra have been declared fit and picked up, while

Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth have been ignored. Even Robin Uthappa, in a good form in the showpiece event of IPL has not been selected. The World Twenty20 starts on April 30, five days after the end of the IPL. The Indian team: MS

Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar and Rohit Sharma.

Bret Lee gets OZ call for T20 World Cup Australian speedster Brett Lee will be playing international cricket after a long gap. He has been included in the team for T20 World Cup to be played in West Indies. Lee was out due to elbow injury and later a surgery for the same.

Collingwood shines with a half century on Monday

Paul Collingwood helped Delhi Daredevils push up the score to 177 runs, as he and David Warner of Australia built upon the foundation. While David Warner thought he was out but was called back by the umpire after doubts over the return catch held by spinner Murali Karthik, Collingwood was out to a very brilliant catch which would otherwise have been a definite six. Collingwood scored a fine half century. He made 53 from 45 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes. Warner scored an unbeaten 107 from 69 balls, with 9 fours and 4 sixes.

Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchel Johnson are the three other pacers in the 15 member team to be led by Michael Clarke. Lee has already announced his retirement from Test cricket. Australia must finish top of a group also includ-

ing Pakistan and Bangladesh to avoid going out in the first round for the second tournament in a row. Their opening game is against Pakistan on May 2 in St Lucia before facing Bangladesh on May 5 in Barbados. The team: Michael

Clarke (captain), David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Shaun Tait.

Mumbai win an exciting game to beat Punjab Even loss of Sachin Tendulkar early could not help Kings XI Punjab, as Saurabh Tiwary and R Satish helped them clinch the match in the last over with 3 balls to spare. It was sixth victory for Mumbai Indians, as Kings XI Punjab lost by 4 wickets. Kings XI could put up just 163 as Lasith Malinga claimed 4 wickets giving away 22 runs. Mumbai Indians could not exploit the home advantage fully as Sachin was sent back early. Shikhar Dhawan

though played a composed innings at the start with a half century, while Tiwary scored a whirlwind 31 at the crucial stage, helping Mumbai score another victory in the IPL season III. Just as Mumbai allowed things to drift a touch in the chase, they had earlier allowed Punjab to stretch the target. Lasith Malinga had sizzled with three wickets from four balls, which included a perfect yorker to knock out Shaun Marsh, the only batsman who offered some resistance. Though

Mumbai restricted Punjab to 163 they could restricted the Sangakkara’s men within 125. Barring Marsh, Punjab's batsmen looked woefully out of touch. If Punjab got anywhere close to a decent score, they have only Marsh to thank for. This was his first IPL game this season but he looked in good touch right from the start. (Brief scores: MI 164 for 6 (Dhawan 50, Tiwary 31) beat KXIP 163 (Marsh 57, Malinga 4-22) by 4 wickets).

Indian Premier League - Points table (for matches Teams Mat Mumbai Indians 6 Royal Challengers Bangalore 6 Rajasthan Royals 7 Delhi Daredevils 7 Deccan Chargers 6 Kolkata Knight Riders 7 Chennai Super Kings 7 Kings XI Punjab 6

played upto Won Lost 5 1 4 2 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 2 5 1 5

29th March) Tied N/R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pts 10 8 8 8 6 6 4 2

Net RR +1.313 +0.961 +0.112 -0.240 -0.369 -0.614 -0.190 -0.771

Mohammad Yousuf hangs his bat Indefinite ban forced the Pakistani veteran to retire Even as veterans like Shahid Afridi said he should not, Momammad Y o u s u f announced to hang his bat after Pakistan Cricket Board slapped an indefinite ban on him over the disastrous tour of Australia earlier this year. After a 12 year cricketing career, Yousuf announced his decision to retire a few days ago. “I received a letter from the PCB that my staying in the team is harmful for the team, so I announce my retirement from international cricket. I always played for my country and if my playing is harmful for the team then I don't want to play," he said. Yousuf has played 88 Tests, nine as captain and scored 7,431 runs at an average of 53.07, including 24 centuries. He also scored 9,624 runs in 282 one-day internationals. Yousuf was among seven Pakistan players penalised, for various reasons, by the PCB. He and Younis Khan were handed indefinite bans, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan were banned for a year while Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined and placed on probation for six months.

English Premier League Matches Saturday, 3 April Arsenal v/s Wolverhampton Emirates Stadium 15:00 Bolton v/s Aston Villa Reebok Stadium 15:00 Burnley v/s Man City Turf Moor 17:30 Man Utd v/s Chelsea Old Trafford 12:45 Portsmouth v/s Blackburn Fratton Park 15:00 Stoke v/s Hull Britannia Stadium 15:00 Sunderland v/s Tottenham Stadium of Light 15:00 Sunday, 4 April Birmingham v/s Liverpool St. Andrews Ground 15:00 Everton v/s West Ham Goodison Park 16:00 Fulham v/s Wigan Craven Cottage 15:00

IPL: Results of 8 matches played till Monday, 29th March Match Date Teams No. 25 28 March DC v/s MI at Mumbai MI won by 41 runs Brief scores: MI 172/7 (20 overs); DC 131 (17.4 overs) 24 28 March RR v/s CSK at Ahmedabad RR won by 17 runs Brief scores: RR 177/8 (20 overs); CSK 160/6 (20 overs) 23 27 March KXIP v/s KKR at Mohali KKR won by 39 runs Brief scores: KKR 183/5 (20 overs); KXIP 144/6 (20 overs) 22 26 March RR v/s DC at Ahmedabad RR won by 8 wickets Brief scores: DC 148/9 (20 overs); RR 151/2 (15.4 overs) 21 25 March MI v/s CSK at Mumbai MI won by 5 wickets Brief scores: CSK 180/2 (20 overs); MI 181/5 (19 overs) 20 25 March RCB v/s DD at Bangalore DD won by 17 runs Brief scores: DD 183/4 (20 overs); RCB 166/9 (20 overs) 19 24 March KXIP v/s RR at Mohali RR won by 31 runs Brief scores: RR 183/5 (20 overs); KXIP 152 (19.1 overs) 18 23 March RCB v/s CSK at Bangalore RCB won by 36 runs Brief scores: RCB 171/5 (20 overs); CSK 135/7 (20 overs)

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd April 2010

IPL discipline whip cracks hard on all

Bhajji slapped huge fine, Sangakkara banned for one match and also fined It all started with the strongest of the actions, as Ravindra Jadeja was banned for the entire IPL season III. Ever since, the highly successful show piece cricket extravaganza has been hard on the disciplinary action side, leaving none, including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar. The latest one on the receiving end was Harbhajan Singh, who was fined US$15,000 for his outburst against Deccan Chargers batsman T Suman on Sunday. Others to have faced the action include Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir, Mumbai Indians Captain Sachin Tendulkar, Chennai Super Kings captain M S Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, while Kumar Sangakkara, the Kings XI Punjab skipper got the harshest of the fines – a one match ban after repeated offences of slow over rates. All the captains were fined US$ 20,000. Harbhajan Singh, who starred with bat and ball in Mumbai Indians' victory over Deccan Chargers in the IPL fixture in Mumbai on Sunday was in his elements. Match G R Vishwanath slapped $15,000 fine for Bhajji’s outburst directed at batsman T Suman after dismissing him. Harbhajan smashed an 18-ball 49 to lift Mumbai to a good score, and then

Harbhajan Singh

Entire Kings XI Punjab team fined US$ 20,000 each for repeated offences Mumbai Indians team owners also likely to be warned over Jadeja episode snapped up three wickets to help them defend 172. Suman was dismissed caught and bowled by Harbhajan, after which the bowler gave him an invective-ridden send-off. The offie pleaded guilty to a Level 1 offence, which relates to "excessively audible or repetitious swearing", and Viswanath imposed the fine on him. For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the IPL match referee's decision is final and binding. Sangakkara banned for slow over-rate K u m a r Sangakkara, the captain of Kings XI Punjab, has been banned for one match after his side was found guilty of not completing their overs on time, for the third time in the IPL. The latest instance was on Saturday, 27th March in the defeat against Kolkata Knight

Riders in Mohali. The entire team of Kings XI Punjab also was fine US$ 20,000 each, while Sangakkara got a US$ 50,000 fine in addition to the ban. Jadeja's ban continues

Ravindra Jadeja

Even as his original team – the Rajasthan Royals pleaded for allowing Ravindra Jadeja to play for the team as they have lost quite a few talented players, the IPL finally

held that for his violations of contract, the all rounder will have to sit out for the season. He was banned before the season III got underway, as he first did not sign the contract offered by RR and than approached Mumbai Indians. Both his actions were found a violation of players code of conduct. The decision was taken during a hearing chaired by Arun Jaitley, an eminent lawyer and head of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association, following representations from the player and the two franchises involved Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. Jaitley upheld the ban after finding that "the player contrived a situation to his advantage by breaching the player trading rules and not signing his third year contract for IPL 2010 with the Rajasthan Royals", the league said in a statement. Jaitley also recommended that owners of Mumbai Indians be warned for "having approached a player who was under an obligation to play for another franchise" and said "a more deterrent line of action should be considered" for future offences of this nature.

Sania Mirza’s love game lands in Pakistan Indian tennis star to wed cricketer Shoaib Malik soon Her first engagement to a childhood buddy was called off recently. Now, Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis sensation has bowled over Shoaib Malik Sania Mirza Pakistani cricketer Dubai – a comfortable Shoaib Malik. The two proposition for Sania to be have decided to get marable to continue playing ried. Both the families tennis without much of a have confirmed that the problem. two will be marrying, posThe duo recently met sibly this month itself. in Dubai recently and this This is perhaps the first was followed by the two ever cross border marriage families giving them the of two sports persons, approval to get married. both icons among the Shoaib Malik confirmyouth in their respective ing the news on his countries. Twitter account late It will perhaps also be Monday night, said: “The a unique reality at some news of me marrying point of time in future, Sania is true. Inshallah, when even after marriage; will get married in April.” Sania would possibly repIt is worth a mention resent India and Shoaib here that Malik seems desrepresenting Pakistan. tined to have some conThe issue that perhaps nection with Hyderabad clinched the relationship in India. was Shoaib Malik agreeing Earlier, another that Sania can continue to Hyderabadi girl Ayesha play tennis even after marSiddiqui had claimed she riage. The Pakistani crickwas married to Shoaib eter holds a UAE passport way back in 2002, over and will settle down in phone.

World T20 matches in West Indies Match Date and Time Match No. (local – West Indies) 01 Fri Apr 30. 13:00 Group B – New Zealand v/s Sri Lanka - Guyana 02 Fri Apr 30. 17:00 Group D – West Indies v/s Ireland - Guyana 03 Sat May 1. 09:30 Group C - Afghanistan v/s India - St Lucia 04 Sat May 1. 13:30 Group A – Bangladesh v/s Pakistan – St Lucia 05 Sun May 2 09:30 Group C - India v/s South Africa – St Lucia 06 Sun May 2 13:30 Group A - Australia v/s Pakistan - St Lucia 07 Mon May 3 09:30 Group B – Sri Lanka v/s Zimbabwe - Guyana 08 Mon May 3 13:30 Group D – West Indies v/s England - Guyana 09 Tue May 4 09:30 Group B – New Zealand v/s Zimbabwe - Guyana 10 Tue May 4 13:30 Group D - England v/s Ireland - Guyana 11 Wed May 5 09:30 Group A - Australia v/s Bangladesh - Barbados 12 Wed May 5 13:30 Group C-Afghanistan v/s South Africa - Barbados 13 Thu May 6 09:30 A1 v/s D2 - Barbados 14 Thu May 6 13:30 C1 v/s B2 - Barbados 15 Fri May 7 09:30 A2 v/s C2 - Barbados 16 Fri May 7 13:30 B1 v/s D1 - Barbados 17 Sat May 8 09:30 A1 v/s B2 - Barbados 18 Sat May 8 13:30 D2 v/s C1 - Barbados 19 Sun May 9 09:30 C2 v/s D1 - Barbados 20 Sun May 9 13:30 B1 v/s A2 - Barbados 21 Mon May 10 09:30 A1 v/s C1 - St Lucia 22 Mon May 10 13:30 B2 v/s D2 - St Lucia 23 Tue May 11 13:00 B1 v/s C2 - St Lucia 24 Tue May 11 17:00 D1 v/s A2 - St Lucia 25 Thu May 13 11:30 1st Semi-Final - St Lucia 26 Fri May 14 11:30 2nd Semi-Final - St Lucia 27 Sun May 16 11:30 Final - Barbados