AV 3rd October 2020

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

inside: Indian students distressed with financial and academic burdens seek help SEE PAGE - 7 R

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

3 - 9 OCTOBER 2020 - VOL 49 ISSUE 23

NURSES WANT TO QUIT NHS NHS facing a shortage of 40,000 nurses, as Britain races towards a second coronavirus wave

Youngsters can help grandparents adapt to technology and behavioural changes in fighting coronavirus SEE PAGE - 8

Diaspora outraged

by Conservative party fringe group supporting anti-India sentiments SEE PAGE - 14

Future of selfemployed workers remains uncertain in the winter scheme SEE PAGE - 16 File photo: Nurses protesting at St James Park in August 2020

Priyanka Mehta and Shefali Saxena

On Wednesday 23rd September, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) highlighted an “emerging crisis in nursing� with concerns about record shortages in the number of nurses and low morale among them as Britain races towards a second coronavirus wave. The NHS is presently short of 40,000 nurses and

researchers are pressing for a review of the 12-hour shifts of all nurses to ensure their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing are intact. Health experts have constantly flagged up the issues of racism, pay disparity, burnout and exhaustion that most nurses and midwives face especially those from overseas countries.

Continued on page 6

PM Modi calls for India's inclusion in UN's decisionmaking body SEE PAGE - 26

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with Keith Vaz

Review finds Boohoo was aware about poor working conditions in Leicester factories, MPs call for resignation of the CEO

Anish Mehta Anish Mehta was born and raised in Cheshire. His parents were expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin in 1972 and managed to settle in the North-West of England.

Anish went onto study German/Business Studies at the University of Sheffield, before starting a career as a management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

He took a sabbatical from consulting in 2002, in which he pursued voluntary work and self-development in Latin America and India. Upon his return, Anish continued his philanthropy as well as delving deeper into fitness, mindfulness, and spirituality.

Roll onto 2020 and COVID, even though he still remains a successful freelance management consultant, Anish started a workout group called Barfi Bootcamp (barfi meaning sweets in Gujarati). At first there were just 10 bootcamp members who took the weekly cardio / weights / yoga / meditation / pilates sessions. Now there are more than 230 members from across the world, including the UK, Switzerland, India, Dubai, Africa, and America, with ages ranging from 20 to over 70, many of whom have never exercised before. Anish’s bootcamps are all done through Zoom, and more importantly, he does them all for free and anyone can join.

The fitness camp inspired Anish to become fully qualified Personal Trainer, Nutritional Advisor and Mindfulness Practitioner.

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Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

London. I have travelled all over the world and experienced amazing cultures and people, but London has it all. Ok, the weather isn’t always perfect, you cannot have it all!

What are your proudest achievements?

I was part of a team which organised a charity bike in India, from Taj Mahal to the Palace of Jaipur. An incredibly unique experience for everyone involved and we managed to raise approx. £500,000 What inspires you?

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Those who strive to serve others selflessly and unconditionally. Currently inspired by our NHS and key workers.

COVID has challenged society in so many ways, but we have all witnessed some real superheroes, saving the day What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

I had taken time to get the balance right when you want to get involved in so many opportunities.

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

I have been blessed with 'angel and

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guides' all my life - I think the key is to communicate and talk to those who can help, in your time of your need.

Sometimes the hard part can be to accept that you need help.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

Helping people to help themselves and inspire others.

And the worst?

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Not much. I love what I do!

What are your long-term goals?

To grow the community aspect of health and fitness. But also, to establish our holistic wellbeing coaching organisation (myJiva), which will provide tailored guidance on mind, nutrition, and fitness.

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

I would introduce mindfulness practice into schools e.g. yoga and meditation, as part of the curriculum.

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

Mahatma Gandhi - would love to understand how he transformed from a lawyer in South Africa, to the father of a nation.

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Manchester Covid-19 patient first to be given arthritis drug On 28th September, Monday, a 41-year-old man from Manchester became the first coronavirus patient in the UK to be treated with an experimental arthritis drug.

According to the Sky News, Farhan Hamid is in Intensive Care Unit at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and was given a dose of otilimab - a drug presently under investigation as a potential treat-

ment for rheumatoid arthritis. He was recruited in the Covid-19 trial earlier this month.

The research aims to establish whether otilimab can treat severe lung disease developed as a result of Covid-19. It is funded by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is currently leading the trial.

Researchers have reported-

ly wanted to roll it out to 800 patients across five UK hospitals.

The Sky News reported that those taking part will be allocated into two groups at random, with half receiving a one-hour, single infusion of otilimab and the other a placebo intravenous therapy, in addition to standard care.

The results from the study are expected in the first half of 2021.

On Friday 25th September, an independent review reported that Boohoo was aware of the poor conditions in the Leicester factories with a senior lawyer blaming “weak corporate governance” whilst stating that the management was also privy of the workers being “badly treated”.

Alison Levitt QC stated that Boohoo “capitalised” on the rise of online sales during lockdown whereby the Leicester factories did not cancel orders and took no responsibility for the health implications on the people in the supply chains and shop floors.

In her review, the QC wrote, “A number of witnesses took the view that Boohoo turned a “blind eye” to certain practices and conditions within their supply chains. There were some witnesses who thought that because Boohoo employees including the “compliance team”, “quality control” employees and buyers were physically present at factories in Leicester, they must have been aware of the conditions. Some respondents also questioned the extent to which Boohoo’s inspections were effective at uncovering poor conditions. For example, Witness 368 described visits of the “compliance team” as “focussed on ticking boxes”.

Boohoo has been embroiled in a longstanding controversy and investigation around poor working conditions and employees being paid cash in hand at wages lower than national or minimum living wage. When a local lockdown was imposed in Leicester in the face of rising coronavirus cases back in May, there were reports that the surge of infections can be attributed to these “unsanitary” conditions in these Leicester factories. Ms Levitt has in her

review refuted that there is no evidence to substantiate such claims.

She also stressed that there was no evidence to indicate that the company had broken the law. She said that the problems in Leicester were “complex” and Boohoo is “not solely to blame” and that others have not taken note of this situation for time.

The controversy emerged again after the Sunday Times sent an undercover reporter into a Leicester factory where he reported about exploitation of workers. In the meantime, following the publication of the review, Labour MPs of Leicester have “urgently” called for the board of Boohoo to ensure that such “illegal treatment” of workers should never happen again and that the CEO of the company must resign.

Liz Kendall and Jonathon Ashworth in their joint statement written, “Leicester’s MPs and the City Council have repeatedly raised these issues but our concerns have been brushed aside, downplayed or ignored.

The Chief Executive of Boohoo is ultimately responsible for these failings and should now resign. Boohoo’s board must set out - as a matter of urgency - how it will ensure the poor and even illegal treatment of workers throughout its supply chain never happens again.

“Ministers must also take responsibility for their failure to implement the recommendations of numerous inquiries into worker exploitation and for slashing the budgets of the very enforcement bodies that are supposed to keep workers safe.

“This report must be a turning point for action and we, as the local MPs for Leicester, will be holding the government and Boohoo to account for their response.”

Birmingham conglomerate becomes President of Asian Business Chamber of Commerce On Wednesday 24th September, the director of East End Foods became the President of Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).

Birmingham-based Jason Wouhra OBE took over from Wow Group Chief Executive Qasim Majid and holds a number of other prominent positions including being a governor of Aston University and non-executive director of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust. He is also the Chair of the West Midlands India Partnership and in his new role will be joining disability rights advocate Shani Dhanda, Aftab Chughta at ABCC. Four new committee members also joined the chamber’s council during its annual meeting including Mani Hayre from Mani’s Madness, Pam Sheemar from Natwest, Sajid Gulzar from Prince Albert Community Trust, Kiran Johal from Novotel Hotel and Sally Walder from Amplify.

Commenting on his appointment, Jason said, “I’m delighted to be appointed as president of

the ABCC, having been involved with the Chamber and ABCC for many years through my business life.

This is a particularly challenging time for businesses and communities, especially with the current Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of which we have all experienced in recent months.

“The ABCC represents a vibrant business community in the region, a community which contributes a huge amount to the regional economy and has done so for decades.

Jason Wouhra OBE

“We represent a vast cross-section of the region’s diverse group of businesses and I am proud to have the opportunity to help develop and support all of the very valuable work which has been achieved by the ABCC over the years.

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3 - 9 October 2020

Small Asian businesses battle greater financial loss British politics appears to have a jarring overlap with the classic satire ‘Yes Minister’ where in a bid to re-start the economy, it was insinuated that they can do away with the “tea ladies”. Most Small and Medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are now grappling with similar “cuts” that they will have to make following the end of the furlough scheme. The Chancellor has now unveiled the ‘job support scheme’ whereby the employer is required to provide his staff with 55% of his salary and the employee will receive an additional 22% from the government if they continue to work one-third of their hours.

This will be a sketchy terrain for several SMEs especially Asian SMEs who are out-stretched and at a breaking point following a series of local lockdowns. The wedding and events industry, curry houses, local retail stores, construction firms, hairdressers’ and clothing outlets have already seen their accounts dip into deep red lines by the chaotic lockdown rules and operational hours; many who are currently alive on the furlough scheme. With a surge in the coronavirus cases across Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Slough and London; areas with majority Asian SME businesses, a second national lockdown will result in permanent shutters particularly for those who may not qualify for the new scheme.

An Indian hairdresser in Northolt had earlier discussed their challenges of staying afloat at a time when a ban on festival celebrations in line with social distancing guidelines had nearly depreciated business to half. Employees at Kinnari’s were on furlough and now their fate remains uncertain with a wobbly business. The trend is similar for Asian Wedding organisers in Birmingham and Leicester who have reported how more couples are getting married at homes with current government guidelines mandating that not more than 15 people can attend

these functions.

The Research Briefings of the Government published in July this year, highlight that there were about 5,860 SMEs each employing up to 250 employees at most. It was estimated that only 5% of these SMEs were led by Minority Ethnic Groups amounting to roughly 300 businesses which are far too conservative a number. This has been further argued by Professor Monder Ram, Director of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CRÈME) and who regularly advises the government on APPG for BAME business owners. In his research paper in 2006, he had argued that ethnic minority businesses tend to be concentrated in a narrow range of sectors and located in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. Most of these companies are led by Indians (32%), followed by other Asians groups (10%) and Pakistanis (8%).

While most of the conglomerates and chains are likely to weather through the heady Brexit and Covid-19 concoction of uncertainty with a few roadblocks, a bulk of the Asian SMEs will continue to face financial challenges in keeping their operations alive. Most of these offices, even if they can stay alive, would be required to make necessary haircuts to their staff bearing in mind increasing inflation and the need to compensate for a sufficient salary. Downsizing for some SMEs such as the hairdressers, restaurants and construction firms do not even come with the luxury of allowing their staff to ‘work from home’.

Thus, these employers cannot even cut costs on administrative expenses and utility bills. Ultimately, they will primarily depend on their businesses to pick up to level up their balance sheets.

But the question remains, for how long can they hold on? And what happens to the “tea ladies” in the event that they do not qualify for external financial support from the government?

The Supreme Court will always be supreme It was during the term of Congress - the Indira Gandhi era when the Indian judiciary was forced to safeguard its independence as judges were “appointed, transferred and superseded at the whims of the government.” A paradigm shift happened post 2014 when the Modi government came to power, bearing the yoke of inherited mess from the Congress when it came to judicial appointments.

To device and antidote for what had been damaged as a system for over 25 years of on and off interference of previous governments led by the opposition, wasn’t an overnight task.

Uproar against the legitimacy of the Indian Supreme Court was at its peak during the Ayodhya verdict when the minority population felt that the judgement was biased towards Hindus and heavily influenced by the ruling party. However, the verdict was based upon the fact that lawyers representing the Hindus had provided better evidence of continuous worship compared to the Muslims.

If the government had the Supreme Court in its clutches, case in point - the €3bn tax case against Vodafone wouldn’t have required international arbitration at The Hague. In a huge setback for Indian taxes, the court ruled in Vodafone’s favour after a decade-long fight. Vodafone’s acquisition of majority stake in Hutchison Essar in 2007 (which was India’s second largest mobile phone network at that time) was its last big venture into the international market to accelerate growth.

Vodafone won the case in the Indian Supreme Court, but the group was imposed with tax disputes, additional interest rates and penalties. The case was dealt with international intervention in The Hague, later to be dealt with in Singapore (as per the jurisdic-

tion). According to Financial Times, Vodafone confirmed that the investment treaty tribunal found in Vodafone’s favour. The report said, “This was a unanimous decision, including India’s appointed arbitrator Mr Rodrigo Oreamuno. The tribunal held that any attempt by India to enforce the tax demand would be a violation of India’s international law obligations.”

The investment treaty tribunal held that India would be in contempt of violating laws if it further imposed tax demands. This decade-long saga according to Business Standard - “tarnished India’s reputation among foreign investors”.

In the recent verdict against lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan, the Supreme Court imposed a Re 1 fine in the contempt of court case and said he would be jailed for three months and barred from practising for three years if he failed to pay this fine by September 15. If the court was arm twisted by the central government, we’d have hoped to witness a more brutal judgement against Bhushan. On the contrary, the SC made a memorable statement in a rather dramatic but exemplary manner by using a Rupee to determine the consequences of remarks against the highest court of law without proper introspection. Bhushan’s fine wasn’t running into six figures, which speaks volumes about the autonomy of the court.

In his farewell speech after finishing a 13-month term at the Indian Supreme Court, Justice Dipak Misra said that history can sometimes be kind, sometimes unkind. He summed up what the Indian judiciary stands for in its true spirit, independent of ruling parties and said, “Our judiciary has been the strongest judiciary in the world having capability to handle mind boggling number of cases.

The Supreme Court will always be supreme.”

China engaging in ' Cheque book diplomacy' China under President Xi Jinping has stepped up an "aggressive" foreign policy toward USA, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, India and other neighbouring countries. Since it has emerged as an economic superpower, it is also engaging in 'debt diplomacy' – lending to smaller countries in order to gain leverage. Barbados and its other Caribbean Commonwealth counterparts are among the most recent targets of this campaign. This form of diplomacy has forced far larger and richer countries to surrender international influence to an assertive Beijing. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was touted as an effort to revive the ancient trade route of the Silk Road along with a modern maritime version. Beijing boasted that it would be turbocharging developing economies and global trade with massive infrastructure investment. Some 138 countries on six continents are now involved, the latest of which are in the Caribbean, part of China’s strategic thrust into Latin America. China offers loans to develop badly needed ports, roads, bridges, telecommunications and oil terminals. They come without the moral strings western countries attach and are often not commercially viable. But countries such as Sri Lanka know the bitter realities once they are unable to repay the debt.

It was forced to cede control of its Chinese-funded port three years ago, handing a major strategic asset to Beijing.

The Caribbean offers clear strategic and trade gains for China. Its islands lie off Latin America as well as the Panama Canal, reaching China by the Pacific route. Planned projects include hundreds of miles of road through Guyana, reaching untapped markets of landlocked millions in Brazil, and linking them to a rehabilitated port in Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados signed up to the BRI in February last year, just before Jamaica.

Yet only months later Jamaica suspended all borrowing from

China over concerns about its indebtedness and a desire to balance its relationship with an increasingly alarmed Washington.

Others have raised concerns about the standard terms of Chinese investment contracts, which, as in the case of Sri Lanka, put public assets at risk of seizure in the case of debt default.

Jamaica cancelled a Chinese-funded port project amid intense pressure over the environmental impact. Beijing, undeterred, switched to ports in Trinidad, Antigua and the Bahamas instead.

China has another interest in winning over small island states. These make up most of the few states in the world that recognise Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province. The Dominican Republic dropped its official recognition of Taiwan in 2018 after promises of Chinese investment.

Pakistan and Nepal are other examples of China's debt diplomacy. Now Beijing is offering liberal assistance to Bangladesh to bring it under its fold.

China is also engaged in border disputes with its neighbours.

The armies of India and China have been locked in a bitter standoff at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last seven weeks, and the tension escalated after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15.

Since 2013, China has engaged in five major altercations with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Foreign policy analysts say that the Chinese government is particularly fearful of India's growing relationship with the United States and its allies and partners. The latest border clash is part of a broader pattern in which Beijing seeks to warn New Delhi against aligning with Washington. But it knows that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot be cowed down. China is indeed checked by India.

If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.

- Anonymous

Alpesh Patel

What it means to be a 'Hardline Ruler’ The PM of India is often characterised as hardline – usually by lazy journalist and religious fanatic PM of Pakistan – who cannot utter a Tweet without invoking religion into politics. It is because the people who became his countrymen wanted religion in politics that they left India.

Over the past half century India has fought wars with each of her neighbours, but has not waged war upon her own people who attack the weakest in society. Whilst it is called a Hindu Nationalist Government. Or a Government of Hindutva.

That is portrayed as striking fear into the hearts and minds of minorities I am told. It should. If those minorities are rapists and murders of women. If those minorities are village elders who order rape. IF those minorities are men who gang rape.

Yet again, another woman has died this past week from injuries suffered from a gang rape.

If those minorities are men who attack their wives. They should well fear the Government. All these Indian minorities should be afraid. They say the Government will not be liberal. They are right. We must not be liberal with finding rapists, with capturing rapists, with punishing rapists. They must not be liberal with the police forces and the judges who do not take rape seriously. All those expecting the Government to be so liberal should be disappointed.

They say the Government will be hardline. That a simple chai-walla not of the calibre of a PhD from Cambridge University as the previous PM will be harsh. They should be right. A simple man should know the biggest problem facing India is not the interest rate, or the trade deficit or the current account balance, experts far knowledgeable than he can be hired to think on those problems.

The biggest problem for a chai-Walla is to solve is how to stop our sisters, daughters and mothers being raped. A PhD from Cambridge will not give you the answer to that. But the common men and women have a few ideas born of harsh common sense.

So the Government pledge to you has to be, in this the land of Ram and Sita, where the most noble of all the revered Gods of this ancient land strove to save his wife from evil, a ‘Hindu Nationalist’ is compelled by belief, by values and doctrines to commit to saying here and now: we will rid the country of sex slavery and rape crimes.

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MP demands action against China on aggression in Hong Kong and oppression of Uyghur Muslims On 25th September Friday, the UK’s Commonwealth Minister demanded that China must allow the UN unfettered access to Xinjiang following “grave concerns” about her oppressive policies against the Uyghur Muslims in the region.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon issued a national statement on China at the UN Human Rights Council highlighting the compelling evidence of systemic human rights violations in Xinjiang while demanding that China allowed the UN unfettered access to the province. Requesting release of all those who are arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang, Lord Ahmad said, “In Xinjiang, there is compelling evidence – including from the Chinese authorities’ own documents – of systematic human rights violations. Culture and religion are severely restricted, and we have seen credible reports of forced labour and forced birth control.

Staggeringly, up to 1.8 million people have been detained without trial. Across the country, we also remain seriously concerned about the pressure on media freedom.”

Earlier this month the UK had launched a new parliamentary enquiry into detention

Lord Tariq Ahmad

camps in Xinjiang. This happened following the announcement by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons. The Committee is likely to examine the role of the UK government in preventing British businesses benefitting from forced labour in the UK after reports emerged that the minority groups were working at “illegal wages”.

Tom Tugendhat, chair of the committee, had earlier said, “The mass detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang has horrifying echoes of the 1930s. There have been similar atrocities since, and each time the world has promised to never allow such violations to happen again. And yet, we now have clear, undeni-

able evidence of the persecution of more than one million people in these so-called reeducation camps.”

There is no clear statistical data that provides an estimate of the number of people who have fled both from China and Hong Kong who have sought refuge in the UK following the Chinese aggression. While there are hundreds of Uighur Muslims who have found their way to the UK through Turkey, the UK has promised refuge to all those 3.5 million Hong Kongers who hold British National Oversees (BNO) besides the 2.5 who are eligible to the BNO passports. According to the UK government there was an about the eight time increase in the issuance of BNO passports ever since the political unrest in 2019 with 154,218 BNO passports issued in 2019. The authority also recorded 32,813 renewals by the end of June this year, the second-highest number since 2006.

Commenting on the Chinese aggression in Hong Kong, Lord Ahmad said, “Today, we focus on the serious situation in China. In Hong Kong, Beijing’s imposition of the National Security Law is a serious breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. It violates Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and directly threatens rights and freedoms.

“The National Security Law is being implemented with the apparent intention to eliminate dissent. It allows prosecution of certain cases in mainland China, a jurisdiction where defendants are often held for long periods without charge or access to legal counsel, and where we have concerns about judicial independence, due process, and reports of torture.”

in brief in brief VIMAL POPAT JAILED AFTER CONNING WOMEN ON ONLINE DATING APPS

On 24th September, Thursday, a 41-year-old man from Slough was sentenced to prison by the Harrow Crown Court after it emerged that he had primarily conned women out of money after meeting them on dating apps.

The Slough Express reported that Vimal Popat, of Salt Hill Drive used to strike up an online friendship which would eventually transform into romantic relationships with his victims in person. He would woo them, gain their trust and persuade them to invest their money in a non-existent business. He had given this description that he was a successful Forex trader and they were investing in his business with the promise of healthy profits gained through the purchase and sale of currencies. When the victim’s money was transferred into one of his bank accounts, he would gamble it away and then become unavailable.

The court heard that he had created false banking documents and even stolen from his own relatives, with some of the biggest amounts coming from family. He took more than £300,000 from a relative after even managing to trick him into believing he was a successful currency trader at a family wedding. Police believe that there may be more victims who have not yet come forward. His offences are believed to have totalled £440,824.50.

Popat was sentenced to four years and four viously reported that BAME children suffered months’ imprisonment for each count of increasing levels of trauma, and are afraid for fraud by false representation. The sentences their futures, their families and communities will run concurrently. due to the pandemic. Three quarters of these children, young people and families had reported an increase in discrimination and hate crime within schools and communities, while mental health, isolation and loneliness, and barriers back into education. Now, the £900,000 grant will be drawn from £20 million pledged to the Coronavirus Appeal by the A 16-year-old schoolboy from Slough has Covid-19 Support Fund, established by the been served with an 18-month Youth insurance and long-term savings industry. The Rehabilitation Order (YRO) after it was charity’s specialist frontline workers have found that he had sexually assaulted a girl in reported supporting increasing numbers of maths and biology lessons at his school. young people from these communities during On Wednesday 23rd September, the BBC the pandemic, demonstrating the need for a reported that at the Reading Youth Court UK-wide support service. district judge Davinder Lachlar described the The helpline number for children from offences of the teenager as "serious" as the Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backcourt heard that the offences occurred at the grounds is 0800 151 2605 or visit Berkshire school between 2017 and 2018. https://helpline.barnardos.org.uk Laura Blackband for the prosecution told the court the schoolboy sexually assaulted another female pupil on several occasions, including pushing her up against a wall and groping her. He also sent a lewd Snapchat message to a third girl.

The boy was found guilty of six counts of serving abroad. During a debate on the sexual assault and sending a communication bill, the defence secretary, Ben of an indecent nature. He had denied the Wallace, also accused Labour of taking offences.

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Barnardo’s launches helpline for BAME children and families impacted by Covid-19, a first in the UK On Thursday 1st October, a leading British charity launched an exclusive helpline to support children and families from black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who were disproportionately impacted by coronavirus.

Children’s charity Barnardo’s started this initiative, first of its kind in the UK, in a new partnership with the National Emergencies Trust, (NET). The helpline is expected to provide advice, signposting and support from trained specialist advisors and therapists – who are from a diverse set of cultural backgrounds and able to speak a range of languages.

Commenting on their latest project, Barnardo’s CEO, Javed Khan, said, “I know from personal experience that families in BAME communities have been hit hardest by the virus. Black people are four times more likely to die of the virus compared to white people, while the pandemic and recession are worsening existing inequalities. As a result,

children are suffering bereavement, mental health problems and fear for the future - yet many remain hidden from essential support services and have been left to suffer in silence. File Photo: Khadeeja “Barnardo’s is Bashir with Barnado's proud to be at the fore- CEO Javed Khan front of responding to the challenges faced by vulnerable children and young people. In these uniquely challenging times, we are working in partnership with Government, business and other charities to support those who need us most.” The helpline, therapeutic support and live webchat facility will help communities struggling to deal with issues such as sickness and bereavement and rising hate crime due to the pandemic, on top of entrenched existing inequalities, including poverty, financial hardship and health problems. Barnardo’s had pre-

Nadia Whittome sacked from Labour for voting against armed forces bill On Wednesday 23rd September, the youngest Indian-origin MP was sacked from the Labour Party after breaking the party’s whip by voting against the second reading of a controversial armed forces Bill.

23-year-old half Punjabi Nadia Whittome was sacked alongside two other junior shadow ministers Beth Winter and Olivia Blake who defied the whip and had earlier joined with Jeremy Corbyn and 14 other Socialist Campaign group MPs. Following the announcement, Nadia released a letter on Twitter providing an explanation for her reason of defying the whip. She wrote, “It strikes me that if a piece of legislation has had concerns raised by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the British Legion, Amnesty International and other organisations on the front line of supporting veterans and defending human rights, we need to stop and ask ourselves why.

“This Bill flatly contradicts the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) – a

treaty which the UK has ratified – which states that all victims of torture or illtreatment, regardless of when the violation occurred, must be able to access their rights to remedy Nadia Whittome and to obtain redress. It often takes years, or even decades, to properly process and come to terms with abusive and traumatic experiences and to then find the courage and resource to come forward. I cannot, in good conscience, vote in a way that would make this process even harder for someone in such a terrible situation.”

Labour MPs were required to abstain on the overseas operations bill as the legislation aims to introduce a presumption against prosecution for British soldiers

SCHOOLBOY IN SLOUGH SENTENCED FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A GIRL IN CLASS.

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NURSES WANT TO QUIT NHS large numbers of nurses are Parliamentarians have also Term Plan set out future service leaving the profession.

Many go taken this cause one step further commitments and acknowlBut aside from local residents into nursing as a vocation, and raising similar concerns of the edged the need to increase staff clapping for the welfare of these they should be able to tend to nurses. Besides work conditions numbers with their goal of nurses and recognising their their patients whilst also being there were on-going campaigns reducing the nursing vacancy contribution, not much has able to be healthy and stable in about Immigration Health rate to 5% by 2028.

By the start changed at the policy front. their own lives. It’s not enough Surcharge (IHS) with campaignof 2020, there were nearSpeaking about the to just ‘clap for carers’. Nursing ers stating that migrant nurses ly 40,000 nursing plight of these nursstaff already work hard and have should not be paying £400 vacancies in the es, Rohit Sagoo, throughout a global worked additional visa charges. besides a rate of 11%.

NHS, Founder of British pandemic. At the very least, they Boris Johnson had previously In the meanSikh Nurses, said, deserve to have pay rises, fewer scrapped these fees but a poll of time, earlier this "The claps for night shifts, and skilled supervi158 NHS workers reported havmonth British nursing and medision to process the recent ing to continue to pay for HIS in Association of cal staff have now months so that they aren’t surJuly. It is unclear how many Physicians of stopped, but the viving with compassion fatigue. such nurses are still suffering in Indian Origin pressures of working Confidential support is essential silence.

(BAPIO) announced Rohit Sagoo in a pandemic continso that they can feedback workMeg Hillier, Chairwoman of the launch of a support ue and the challenges ing issues without fearing for the Public Accounts Committee, network to facilitate 25,000that nurses face are even greater their jobs.” said, “The picture from the front 30,000 nurses from India who as the number of positive CovidSurvey shows 36% nurses want line of nursing in the NHS and are or will be serving the NHS 19 cases rise. to quit care homes is not good. I fear, shortly.

British Indian Nurses “The landscape for combatwith the strain of a huge shortAssociation (BINA) will help Earlier last week, the Kings ing coronavirus ever changes age of nurses and the worrying provide them with all Fund has also raised simiwith mixed messages we have reports of low morale and huge the necessary trainlar issues. In an interreceived from the government numbers considering leaving in ing, guidelines of view with The telling us to first protect lives the next year, we are facing an the NHS and Guardian, Suzie and save the NHS to washing crisis in nursing. emerging them make the King’s Bailey, hands and socially distancing.

“We fully recognise that the aware of the Fund’s director of We also face a nursing staff NHS is reeling under the strain GMC regulaleadership and shortage of 40,000 nurses in the of Covid-19, with staff unsure tions besides organisational UK and have drafted some nurshow they will cope with the sechelping them development said, es from India in the last month ond wave that it seems clear is navigate the cul“The current situation that will be starting work at already upon us. But it must not tural and linguistic is not sustainable.

An Nottingham University Avni Trivedi take its eye off the ball and allow barriers they may urgent review is needed Hospital. What will be apparent a slide back into short-term, criface in their career progression. to investigate alternative shift for this group of nurses will be sis mode. “It must press on with Frustrated with their poor patterns and look at mitigating the communication barriers coherent plans to get the nursworking countries and not havthe impact of 12-hour shifts on between native Indian nurses ing workforce back to capacity, ing received any financial raise staff wellbeing, care quality and and British patients coupled under the kind of working condespite widespread protests, it safety.” with the underlying fear of ditions that can encourage hardhas emerged that some are quitSome children’s nurses also racial stereotyping. We are won, hard-working nurses to ting their jobs just in three years. spoke to the thinktank and already on the verge of leaving stay in our NHS and care This especially after the governauthors of this report, reporting the EU as well as facing a culturhomes.” A Royal College of ment announced a 2% increthat they were asked to “suck it al shift with the Nursing survey found 36 percent ment for the doctors. up” as opposed to demanding #BlackLivesMatter campaign so of respondents were conSpeaking about the dire confor better working conit is imperative that nurses from sidering leaving the ditions of the nurses, Avni ditions. A children’s abroad are treated with the profession in the Trivedi, Women’s Health and nurse reportedly respect and dignity they next year, up from Paediatric Osteopath said, said at their work, deserve."

28 percent before “Nursing and care work isn’t val“the culture is Plans to reduce vacancy by 2028 the pandemic. In ued enough by society. It’s often that you suck it According to the PAC the meantime, performed by women, and peoup and don’t report, as of 2019 the NHS shadow health secple of colour. Working condihave a break, or employed around 320,000 nursretary Justin tions can be poor, with long you’re made to es in hospitals and community Madders said, “This is hours and complex hierarchical feel like you can’t services. This means that the a devastating report structures and pay is often barehack it. There’s a nurses constituted 25% of the Meg Hiller that exposes the lack of ly above the living wage. How is sense that you will total NHS staff, with a further long-term thinking and strategy it possible for someone to take just do whatever is asked of you 24,000 employed in GP pracat the heart of the government's care of others if their own needs because the patient needs that tices. To plug the existing shortapproach to the NHS are woefully neglected? support.” age of nurses, the NHS Long workforce.”

“It is understandable that Now, some Ministers and Continued from page - 1

Sussexes biography can be used in courts On Tuesday 29th September it was reported that the Mail on Sunday is given permission to rely on a biography of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in its legal defence of Meghan’s privacy claim against it. This ruling comes after the newspaper argued that the couple had collaborated with the book’s authors.

Former Hollywood actress Meghan Markle is suing Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the publishers of the newspaper and the website MailOnline, for alleged misuse of private information, breaching Data Protection Act and infringement of copyright over publication of parts of a letter to her estranged father, Thomas Markle. She had launched legal action last year.

Now, Judge Francesca Kaye has allowed the publisher to amend its defence to rely on Finding Freedom. She said the amended defence did not raise “new defences”, but simply added “further particulars” of the publisher’s case. The judge refused permission to appeal, though Meghan’s lawyers can apply directly to the court of appeal.

Lord Loomba raises key questions in the House of Lords Lord Loomba, speaking in the House of Lords last week raised key questions ranging from business support, to regulations affecting the North of England and Covid-19 restrictions.

He also raised questions on the plight of refugee and asylum seeker assistance after the 1st January 2021, and payments for victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

He sought assurance from the Government about the long-term viability of financial support to help businesses survive for longer periods. On the topic of the UK’s imminent departure from the transition period with the EU, and what this means for migrants and asylum seekers, Lord Loomba emphasised the importance of our shared history with Europe and our working together on cross-border co-operation that ensures the best outcomes for people, whatever their status. Lord Loomba wanted to know how the Government proposed to help refugees and asylum seekers in the future, and especially in the light of no deal.

He noted, “Refugees and asylum seekers are often fleeing human rights abuses or persecution in their own country. They are entitled to be treated humanely and with proper due process.” Highlighting the plight of the

children who find themselves in this situation, Lord Loomba, stated, “Children, especially unaccompanied, are the most vulnerable in this situation. They need our help unfettered by bureaucracy and red tape."

He continued, "The nuts and bolts of what exactly a comprehensive readmission agreement means should be published well ahead of the end of the transition period, stressing that it is children who suffer the most in these circumstances."

In a further intervention during the week, Lord Loomba joined an oral question on payments to victims of the troubles in Northern Ireland. He noted that there had been a scathing judgement on the delay to payments. This meant, along with practical difficulties in setting up the scheme, victims would have to wait almost another year to receive any monies. Lord Loomba asked if victims will be compensated for payments lost during the delay period.

in brief ASIAN OPHTHALMOLOGIST ACCUSES NHS TRUST OF MODERN SLAVERY A South Asian consultant accused an NHS trust of forcing him into modern slavery alleging that his managers behaved in a “threatening manner” and forced him into “enslavement”. The ophthalmologist Dr. Shankar Chappiti has lodged a complaint at the Birmingham employment tribunal concerning managers at New Cross hospital and is now running a fundraiser for the said cause. In his complaint against the arm of the Royal Wolverhampton Trust, he has alleged that in 2014, he began holding extra clinics on Saturdays to help his department clear their waiting list. Yet, in early 2018, he was accused by his senior managers of committing fraud of upto £56,000 as he had not seen enough patients in each clinic.

Chappiti claimed the unpaid work amounted to modern slavery under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the European convention on human rights.

He has also alleged that he was told that this would result in a “terrible future for his family”; his children “would not have their father around and there would be no income to pay the family mortgage” and was told to “keep [his] mouth shut” and not speak to anyone about the arrangement. He is now asking the tribunal for a declaration that he was forced to engage in modern slavery and for financial compensation. And the ophthalmologist claims that he is now being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

The 50 year-old British Asian doctor graduated from St George's Hospital Medical School and has now said that the trust, where he has worked for 18 years, discriminated against him because of his race and subjected him to race-related harassment, creating an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment” for him. He also alleged the trust made unauthorised deductions from his wages and leaked details of the fraud allegation to the press.

BMA QUESTIONS GOVERNMENT ABOUT PPE SUPPLIES AHEAD OF A SECOND COVID-19 WAVE On Tuesday 29th September, the British Medical Association (BMA) questioned the government about plans around sufficient stock of Personal and Protective Equipment (PPE) as the UK embraces for a second Covid-19 wave. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said, “With a second wave upon us, health and care workers must be properly protected this time. There must be no repeat of the terrible examples of insufficient quantities of PPE, which put doctors at risk and under pressure to see patients without feeling adequately protected at the start of the pandemic.“More non-Covid care is now being provided, and as the Government has rightly recognised, this means there is still a huge demand for PPE. Given the NHS is likely to be hit by a triple whammy of rising Covid cases, winter pressures, and the additional work involved in dealing with the backlog of care, however, we need urgent assurance that this stockpile of PPE will be sufficient. “There needs to be transparency and detail of scenarios of projected demand both in the NHS and social care to show that there will be adequate quantities of PPE available on the ground for health and care workers. We also need information about how this will work with the logistics of delivery of PPE that had caused difficulties in the first wave. “Although the Strategy speaks of a four-month stockpile, the BMA also believes that a longer duration will be necessary given the escalating spread of the infection and that plans should be put in place for continued supplies.

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in brief in brief LEICESTER EAST MP SUSPENDED FROM LABOUR ON HARASSMENT CHARGES On Monday 28th August, a Labour MP from Leicester East was suspended from the party following charges of harassment of a woman over two years.

Claudia Webbe has insisted that she was innocent and is now due to appear at the Westminster magistrates court on November 11.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Claudia was accused of carrying out the offence between September 2018 and April 26 this year.

In a statement the CPS said, “The CPS has today decided that Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, should be charged with an offence of harassment against one female. The CPS made the decision after receiving a file of evidence from the Metropolitan police.

“Criminal proceedings against Ms Webbe are now active and she has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

THINKTANK HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS OF BAME PEOPLE On Thursday 24th September, a thinktank reported that people from BAME backgrounds were twice as likely to face financial hardships in paying their utility bills, rent and other expenses owing to the adverse effects of coronavirus.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) have reported that people from BAME background were twice as likely to have lost their jobs or otherwise stopped paid working during the crisis.

This appears after it was highlighted that a third of the coronavirus patients in the UK were from BAME backgrounds. It noted that borrowers from black communities also had particularly high relative debt levels compared with their income, at an average equivalent to 18% of their annual gross income, compared with 12% across all groups. Thirteen per cent of people from all minority ethnic groups who were employed or selfemployed at the start of the year were no longer working in June, compared with 5% of the group generally. People from minority ethnic communities are also more likely to be renters who will not have had the benefit of mortgage payment holidays.

In a statement to The Guardian, Shreya Nanda, author of the report said, “Without further intervention, we are on course for a new debt crisis from which black, Asian and other minority ethnic people are particularly at risk. Many in these communities are likely to experience financial difficulty in the months ahead, and to be vulnerable to eviction as a result of rent arrears. Such economic insecurity risks compounding the already disproportionate health impacts borne by people with minority ethnic backgrounds during this crisis – effectively a ‘double whammy’.”

Indian students distressed with financial and academic burdens seek help Priyanka Mehta On Tuesday 29th September, nearly 40 universities around the UK reported a spurt in coronavirus cases, resulting in thousands of students self-isolating and in quarantine ahead of a new term.

With a constant change in Covid-19 guidelines and reports indicating that students may not be allowed to visit their homes during Christmas, many are now demanding that their fees be partially refunded especially as they face financial and academic pressures while coping with Covid-19. The Office for Students, has already indicated that universities would have to seriously consider requests for a partial refund and must not "adopt a blanket policy that refunds are not available". While campaigners have appreciated the assistance provided to local students, they are urging that greater clarity is needed particularly for international students from living alone thousands of miles away from their families.

Student confused over chaotic lockdown messaging Amit Tiwari is the President of Indian National Student Association (INSA) UK. Speaking about how financial and academic factors will impact the emotional and mental wellbeing of stu- Amit Tiwari dents, he said, “Fourth months ago, we didn’t know anything about coronavirus. Now, there is a greater clarity in the progression of the virus. But there is tremendous confusion around the messaging of the lockdown and guidelines. There are different rules for different universities in different regions of the UK and focus is on how local students are

impacted by changing government guidelines.

“There needs to be more stream-lined assistance and support network for international students especially from the universities. What does no mixing mean? Does it apply only for local families or for students living at university dorms, in private accommodations with families as tenants? A majority of these students who will be pursuing their post-graduation will now be entitled to a two-year post study work visa.

That is one of the incentives for many students coming to the UK despite fears of the virus as they want those opportunities to implement their theoretical knowledge into practical experience. But one must calculate the risks of mental well-being especially if you are here on educational loans and hoping to repay them by work experience here.

Also, we are weeks ahead of winter when depression is common among local residents. One can imagine the impact all these factors are likely to have on international students who are learning to assimilate with the new culture.”

27-year-old dies, family fundraises for repatriation Reports estimate that there will be a significant drop in the number of Indian students considering to pursue their post-graduation in the UK owing to fears around the virus. Many have chosen to defer their Rakesh Jangala studies for the next academic year. On the contrary, there is an increase in the number of students joining under-graduate courses. According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the UK universities have recorded a 9% increase in the number of

undergraduate students from outside the UK and the EU. In the meantime, there are some existing students, recent graduates who have found it extremely difficult to weather through the class of Covid-19. On 24th September, 27-year-old Rakesh Jangala passed away due to seizures in his bed at his residence, Manor Park, East London.

He had arrived London in September 2019 to pursue his Masters in Engineering Management, with industrial practice at University of Greenwich. According to his family, Rakesh, son of Venkat Narayana Garu from Khammam, Telangana district started working as a part time delivery boy for AFE agency, Yodel. Following his sudden and unfortunate demise, the family has requested for the repatriation of his body to India. Sources indicate that Rakesh’s family have written to the Indian High Commission who are currently looking into this matter. Meanwhile, they have set up a fundraiser where they have accumulated about £20,000 off the target of £50,000.

Sanam Arora, Chairperson of National Indian Students and Alumni (NISAU) UK said, “We came to know about Rakesh’s unfortunate demise over the weekend and immediately got in touch with the Sanam Arora family to inquire about the kind of support that they needed.

The family said that they hadn’t heard about the incident from anyone apart from their flatmates and that they wanted his body to be repatriated to his family in India.

“We had written to the University during the weekend and yesterday they informed us that they were looking into the matter and assured that they had appropriate procedures in place to deal with this.”

Alok Sharma confirms judge-led inquiry in the Post Office Scandal On Tuesday 29th September, Business Secretary announced that an inquiry examining the Post Office computer scandal will now be judge-led and start this week.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma told MPs that former High Court judge Sir Wyn Williams will chair the review into the plight of sub-postmasters involved in the Horizon IT scandal. Campaigners have called for a judge-led inquiry for several months and have criticised delays in launching the review and the government appears to have finally listened to the plight of the hundreds of postmasters who were wrongly accused of false accounting and

theft following problems with the defective Horizon IT system.

On Sunday 27th September, The Times wrote a scathing piece criticising the Business Secretary for his “lack of engagement” with other businesses and his “absence” during the height of the pandemic.

The newspaper alleged that Alok Sharma had not rolled out any blueprints into the different schemes that would enable businesses across different sectors help with financial provisions, venture capital, scrappage of certain policies and introduction of cuts where needed.

According to the paper, the only support that these businesses have received is directed by the

Treasury and No. 10 whereby they proposed VAT cuts and business rates holidays. The Times, alleged that these are short-term fixes.

But political pundits believe that there maybe certain level of conspiracy in neutralising the power of the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy is as visible with the Confederation of British Industry. Besides, only earlier in the month Alok Sharma had announced an investment of £1mn in a bid to tackle the dangers presented by space debris to satellites. He had confirmed that the government investment amount will be divided between seven projects that will develop

Alok Sharma

new sensor technology or artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor hazardous space debris. The UK government along with the country’s space agency and Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed the formal agreement, saying that it contributes to Britain’s opportunity to benefit from mega-constellations of satellites.

Manchester Arena attacker’s brother had IS videos on phone On Tuesday 29th September, The Times reported that the Manchester bomber’s brother had Islamic State recruitment videos on his phone.

Ismail Abedi had been questioned by counterterrorism police and had pictures on his Facebook where he was holding weapons in 2015, two years before his brother Salm an car-

ried out a suicide attack at the Manchester Arena. According to the newspaper, a photograph, in which he held a machinegun, bore an IS logo. In the latest public enquiry, families of the victims made opening statements where they asked why police and the security services had failed to put together the pieces of the mosaic.

According to John Cooper QC Ismail Abedi’s Facebook account had been “viewed and assessed in July 2015, inferentially by MI5”. The account had images of him holding a rocketpropelled grenade, sitting on an anti-aircraft gun, and holding a machinegun. Paul Greaney, QC, counsel to the inquiry, has said it would explore whether family

members were a radicalising influence on Salman and his younger brother, Hashem. Last week Hashem Abedi, now 23, helped Salman and has been jailed for at least 55 years for murder. Salman Abedi was 22 when he killed 22 people, including children, in his attack at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.

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Youngsters can help grandparents adapt to technology and behavioural changes in fighting coronavirus Priyanka Mehta Over 10 million people have downloaded the new NHS test and trace App since it was officially launched on Thursday 24th September. Launched in nine different regional languages including Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali this App has been criticised for problems including conflicting QR codes and distrust among migrants over data protection rights.

But the App has also demonstrated how young South Asian children living with their grandparents in multi-generational families can help bring about “behavioural changes” among the elderly who struggle with technological and linguistic barriers.

Responding to Asian Voice’s question about how the App can be useful for the elderly to better shield, Dido Harding, Executive Chair of the NHS Test and Trace Programme said, “We spent a huge amount of time testing this App with different cohorts in

Dido Harding

society and designed it in a manner that it is user-friendly for all regardless of their age groups.

“It was piloted in Newham which happens to have an excellent community network of Covid-19 champions. These volunteers in their local communities are reaching out and teaching elderly how to use the App. It is also one of the ways how younger people are now helping their parents and grandparents in keeping safe. But the App must not be mistaken as a substitute for other ways of fighting Covid-19. Technology does not

help solve coronavirus but brings about a behaviour change which is key to combatting this disease.

We believe that this App will nudge for a behaviour change.”

The App uses technology developed by Apple and Google called ‘exposure notification’ and ‘exposure logging’ to do this while offering privacy and data protection rights because it only tracks the spread of the virus as opposed to the carrier. This helps people know the current risks in their local area, maintain a personal record of venues visited where they ‘check-in’ using the official NHS QR code poster and check whether any symptoms are related to Covid-19. It is particularly beneficial to those elderly who are supposed to be shielding at home and cannot visit their nearby testing centres.

The App now helps them order a test, via a link to the NHS Test and Trace website to book a test.

The NHS Test and Trace website will open in a new window. This website will collect their contact details (in order to be able to pro-

vide the test) but this information will not be shared with the App, something that worried a significant proportion of migrants. Booking a test via the app will generate a test code that will allow one to link their test result to the app automatically. If they test positive the app will ask them to share their anonymous contact tracing codes with other app users.

The intricacies of the App and its usage maybe a challenge for the elderly but once downloaded, it can help in early detection and guide other family members in taking precautions around self-isolation especially during the winter months when Covid-19 and flu have similar symptoms.

First Minister of Wales advocates for fair treatment of ethnic minorites The First Minister of Wales has called for “immediate action” following the publication of a Covid-19 report which examined the entrenched inequalities that black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people continue to face.

Mark Drakeford had established a BAME Covid-19 Advisory Group under Judge Ray Singh, with its two sub groups chaired by Professor Keshav Singhal and Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna.

Professor Singhal’s group studied the immediate risk to BAME health and social care workers during the pandemic and Professor Ogbonna examined the socio-economic factors which contributed to the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities. It has subsequent report highlighted the entrenched inequalities experienced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people which COVID-19 has highlighted in the most tragic and worrying of ways.

Published on Thursday 24th September, the report makes more than 30 recommendations and urges the Welsh Government to review existing BAME people's health and social

care in partnership with BAME groups, organisations and patients to reduce future health risks.

First Minister, Mark

will address inequalities of outcome and experience.”

They are currently rolling out the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Strategy for Public

File Photo: Professor Keshav Singhal MBE with Prince Charles

Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales

Drakeford said, “Now is a time for action, and this government is committed to creating a lasting legacy for Wales, where there is fair treatment and advancement for all.

“Organisational, societal and structural changes are needed. I urge all leaders in Wales, at all levels to pledge to positive and constructive action to drive racism and race inequality out of our country. We have to look carefully and honestly at the structures and systems in society, and consider where and how to bring about changes that benefit everyone in it and which

Appointments strategy to improve representation of BAME and disabled people in public appointments - currently recruiting Senior Independent Panel Members to oversee recruitment, and developing leadership and training programme for BAME and disabled people.

According to Mr Drakeford work to develop a race quality action was already under way and would be completed before the end of this Senedd term. A Welsh workforce risk assessment tool, using the most recent research, evidence and data to

identify known risk factors for Covid-19, has been rolled out across health and social care settings, with other versions also available. The tool identifies an

Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna

individual's risk of harm from a coronavirus infection and suggests what that person and their line manager can to do mitigate the risk.

A BAME advice helpline has been funded, initially as a sixmonth pilot project, while a diversity and inclusion strategy to improve representation of BAME and disabled people in public appointments has been set up. Welsh Government has funded a BAME Advice helpline, initially as a 6-month pilot project, delivered by EYST in partnership with other organisations.

Uber wins appeal, regains license to operate in London On Monday 28th September, a San Francisco-based ride-hailing company regained an 18-month license to operate in the UK. Uber has lost its operating license twice since 2017 and in November last year Transport for London rejected the company’s application for a renewal citing “passenger safety” issues due to imposter drivers. The

Mayor of London already faces tremendous pressure from the black cab protestors who had apparently earlier in this month heckled him outside the City Hall with racist comments calling him a “Paki” and that he did not represent them. Now, Uber’s latest victory can prove to be a challenge for the Indian competitor and ride-sharing

App Ola cabs. But Uber also faces a separate case at the Supreme Court over whether drivers should be considered workers with rights.

In the meantime, Sadiq Khan is “closely monitoring” Uber with a vow to take “swift action” if the company fails to abide by the passenger safety standards.

Sadiq Khan

in brief in brief SON OF AN ERICKSHAW DRIVER IN DELHI FUNDRAISES HIS WAY TO BALLET SCHOOL IN LONDON A 20-year-old ballet student has successfully fundraised for his training course at the English National Ballet School in London.

The iGlobal News reported that Kamal Singh, the son of an e-rickshaw driver in Delhi won admission to the school’s one-year Professional Trainee Programme and has raised over £19,000 of the targeted £27,777.

This target includes tuition fees and accommodation costs. He is nearly set to begin his course in October and hopes to join the English National Ballet Company as a professional dancer after the completion of his degree. Speaking to iGlobal News, he said, “My family and my coach always stood by my side, they never gave up on me.

Unfortunately, I could not afford the fees of the one-year programme (£8,000), not to mention the additional living expenses in London. I decided to raise funds on Ketto. I am moved by the love and support I have been getting from the people. I am so grateful to the people who donated for my campaign.”

QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST TO RECOGNISE FRONTLINE WORKERS The 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list will recognise “outstanding contributions” of doctors, nurses, and volunteers in the UK's battle against coronavirus. First list of its kind to honour the contributions of the frontline and key workers, the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list will be unveiled on October 10.

Traditionally published in early June to coincide with the official birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the list this year was postponed to include nominations of people playing crucial roles during the first months of the Covid-19 effort.The recipients include Captain Sir Tom Moore who had been previously knighted by the Queen in a unique ceremony in July after raising about £40 million for NHS contributions at the height of the pandemic.

CHARITY TRIBUNAL DISMISSES DECISION OF APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM MANAGER TO SIKH CHARITY UNDER INVESTIGATION On Wednesday September 23rd, the Charity Tribunal dismissed a Charity Commission decision of appointment of an interim manager to a Sikh charity that is presently under investigation. The Sikh Channel Community Broadcasting Company Limited is registered to extend faith, religious and community services particularly within the Sikh community. But in 2018, the Charity’s income at £1.6 million did not match with its expenditure at £1.5 million. According to the judgment, the Commission said it believed that new trustees have failed in their duties as trustees since their appointment by failing to recognise and manage conflicts of interest. It was also concerned that a former trustee continued to be involved in decisions.

It had appealed a decision by the Commission to appoint Philip Watts and Sarah Tomlinson of Anthony Collins Solicitors as interim managers of the charity

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Kashmir is a part of India

Could Rishi be the Saviour?

I am a fully paid member of the Conservative party and supported its cause a number of times.

I wish to register my concern about formation of a new body called Conservative Friends of Kashmir. It is surprising that such a body which formed by certain members has been allowed.

We already have a thriving and established Conservative Friends of India which has had the blessings of current and past Prime Ministers and other senior members of the party such as yourself. It is a body that is recognised by the Indian government. Further, it has always been my understanding that formation of such bodies must have been sanctioned by the high command of the party. Otherwise one could find other similar sounding and unauthorised fringe groups that could get set up and dilute the whole cause.

Kashmir is part of India and if CFI exists than Kashmir must be part of the CFI. There cannot be a new group created without due authority. If this is not stopped at this early stage, we may start finding other entities like Conservative Friends of Baluchistan or similar getting formed. I have also written to the Prime Minister’s office in equal terms and I am hoping a proper investigation will be done.

Like most elderly Indian ladies, who are not much interested in politics, believing rightly or wrongly that all politicians are the same, dispatching sugar coated pills at election times and then retreating, isolating themselves in their Ivory Towers with bridge raised!

Recent setback for Tories in the latest opinion poll, Labour overtaking Conservatives and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer more popular than PM Boris, do not come as surprise to minority of political pundits who had little faith in PM after his poor performance as Foreign Secretary.

But Boris has certain charm, gift of the gabs and ability to convince voters and is expert at canvasing during election time, saying, promising what electorates want to hear. No wonder he succeeded beyond anyone’s expectation, gaining huge majority at the last general election.

But latest opinion poll is setback if not a disaster for Tories, as only Rishi Sunak comes out favourably, increasing his popularity by leaps and bounds, since he was elevated as Chancellor, his performance above par. But sooner or later, with national debt touching £2 trillion, he will have to balance the books, raise taxes and cut down on expenditure which may not go down well with voters.

So Tories need a cavalry on the horizon, some interlude, with a popular and trusted leader to revert the fortune, come election time. Boris’s Cabinet is more or less barren of popular politician bar Rishi. Perhaps success to control coronavirus, especially with vaccination that may provide permanent solution may change Tories and Boris’ fortunes but it is a big if!

Subhash V Thakrar B com FCA FRSA Vice President and Past Chairman, London Chamber of Commerce, Founder Chairman, Charity Clarity

Test and trace A working test and trace system is essential if we’re to stem the rise in Covid-19 cases. Yet this still has not materialised.

With the Government having dished out test and trace contracts to private companies, accountability and transparency have fallen by the wayside at a time when we need it most.

There is understandably a huge amount of frustration in our community about the current lack of access to testing.

Key workers, parents trying to get test for their children and care homes have all struggled to access tests or faced long delays to receive their results.

The mobile testing centres dotted across the capital were supposed to plug the gaps by offering walk-in testing without the need for an appointment.

However, the lack of capacity built into the testing chain by the Government has severely limited these vital services.

We can still turn things around. The Government must urgently fix the track and trace system by working with universities and industry leaders to boost lab capacity.

Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Our nursery trained politicians!

So often I am at despair watching our politicians at work, whether in HOC or HOL. No one can find fault in our politicians when it comes to helping us in our hour of need. They are kind, caring, public spirited and eager to eradicate poverty on the world map, still thinking it is our duty to rule and regulate the world!

The problem is that they are so engrossed with problems of the third world that they ignore the poverty, debt and crimes right at our door-steps. Our legislations are so poorly drafted that we need amendments, updating, even new legislations time and again, keeping HOC and HOL preoccupied throughout the life of the parliament with repetitive, avoidable legislations.

Prime examples are our laws on dumping, with minuscule fines and prison sentences, mass murders committed by under-age criminals where our courts could not impose life sentences on criminals under the age of 21, even the latest legislation to control spread of corvid 19 with £200 fines are rigid, limited and will need updating if corona-virus is not brought under control, thus wasting valuable HOC’s time.

In sharp contrast, laws in most European countries are so well drafted that magistrates have wide range of power to punish habitual offenders. In Spain courts are able to fine habitual criminals from meniscal £100 to mammoth £100k if situation demands, with same leverage on prison sentences.

Recently in Spain, two criminals dumping fridge- freezer were given long suspended prison sentence and each fined £45K as well as losing their top of the range car. They are not likely to repeat this offence again. It will take a long time to pay-off the fines! Here professional criminals travel from South America on tourist’s visas just to carry out burglaries in posh areas, returning homes loaded with proceeds of the crimes!

It is high time, both public and politicians become streetwise, understand problems we all face at grass-root level, stop acting like Robin Hood overseas and Shylock at home and give us a break we deserve!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Kumudini Valambia By email

Meeting in large groups It is really alarming to learn about “exponential death toll on the horizon in the UK if action delayed” (AV dated 26 Sept - 2 Oct 2020. The UK is passing through a very critical stage as far as Covid19 is concerned especially when winter is approaching.

Most of the members of the ruling party agree about the strict lockdown rules, however a section of people still give priority to so-called freedom of movement over health issues. It is not the time to discuss but to be decisive. Each day lost in debate and discussion will cost the country in time to come.

The government is taking steps based on scientific advice and statistics available at the time of taking decisions. Some people who have not followed the advice is creating more issues for low abiding and sincere citizens.

Freedom of expression and meeting each other is acceptable in normal circumstances but when the country needs, each and every citizen has to play a meaningful part by religiously following the government guidelines.

It may be like short term pain for long term gain.

I think, university students and other educated people should refrain from meeting in large groups and advise others not to do so. The government should give more powers to law enforcement agencies to crack down on the people who are knowingly doing more harm by flouting the rules.

Hitesh Hingu London

Importance of Daughter's Day World Daughter’s Day which was celebrated on September 27th is the only day dedicated to the little angels of our families. The day allows us to admire our daughters, their contributions and the splendour they bring to our homes. A daughter is truly a gift from God. She is always caring, helping and courteous. She helps her parents in every possible manner.

A daughter is a very special creation in the family.

Daughters are not only delicate and lovely, but also a strong pillar of the family. Their sometimes, sweet, smiley faces and beauty encapsulates the joy of parenthood and becomes the cornerstone of strength in families.

Daughter’s Day is a special day set out to celebrate girls for being equal opportunity human beings. The stigma that some cultures have placed around the girl child has not only demoralised girls but also taken away their dignity as human beings. Therefore, this special day is meant to erase the bad memories and stigmas, which are attached to having a baby girl instead of a boy.

Most developing countries around the world have a tendency of stigmatising girls and creating a notion that boys are more important than girls. As a result, creating a special day such as Daughter’s Day creates a sense of belonging and worthiness for girls.

I have only one daughter whose name is Sweta and I love her very much.

Jubel D'Cruz Mumbai, India

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

Deafening Silence of Bollywood Kapil Dudakia On 14 June 2020, the superstar in the making Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his home in Mumbai, with the cause ruled as suicide. History will also record that day to be the beginning of the end of the mafia run, drug infested industry called Bollywood.

A young aspiring life is lost and now finally the CBI are investigating the matter after public outcry over the incompetence of the Mumbai Police. Increasing evidence emerging shows that even the cabal of Shiv Sena has been rocked by what is being unearthed. The astonishing attack by the Shiv Sena mouthpiece on Kangana Ranaut was nothing short of political madness. In one misguided egoistic show of strength, the Shiv Sena destroyed the legacy of Shri Balasaheb Thackeray. Even the people of Mumbai are rejecting this crime ridden syndicate. It seems, enough is enough after all.

Kangana was the first high profile Bollywood celebrity who came out and questioned the death of Sushant. She continues to expose the Bollywood mafia and with that the interconnections between Bollywood, organised crime, drugs, politics, and exploitation began to unravel. The political mafia exercised its power and destroyed her home to make a public show that anyone who dares to stand in their way, will be squashed. However, this is Kangana we are talking about. This lady does not take a step back. This onewoman powerhouse will bring the house of Shiv Sena down for history to record.

News also broke that Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty might also be linked to drugs in some way.

This was the invitation the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was waiting for, and now Rhea is behind bars and being questioned. It seems Rhea is singing the names of many in Bollywood involved in the drugs industry. The latest developments have seen Bollywood A listers being named.

Namely, Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan. All three have now been interviewed and there is speculation that currently the NCB have got in excess of 100 names who seem to be involved in this drugs racket.

Interestingly I have yet to find any of the top A listers in Bollywood come out and make any statement on this at all.

The whole of Bollywood has gone missing. These selfobsessed vane celebrities who were quick to come out to undermine PM Modi, the Indian Government and the reforms being introduced in India are now suddenly silent.

Their collective silence is deafening.

I was therefore pleased when on 27th September Swami Baba Ramdevji urged the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Aksay Kumar, Hema Malini, Salman Khan, Sharukh Khan and others to come out and demand that the scourge of drugs is tackled head on. He went as far as saying he would call some of these stars and ask why they have been reluctant so far. I think it’s time to expose these Bollywood hypocrites in their full glory. The Bollywood ‘families’ with their incestuous relationships have taken the country for a ride. They sing to the tunes of Dawood Ibrahim and are more than willing participants in undermining Sanatan Dharma with their corrupt story lines and vile songs. I am reminded of the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” The power to sort these shameless rogues rests with the people of India.

Take away the money and the public recognition, and these vile repulsive celebrities will crumble. Sushant’s legacy should be a cleaner Bollywood – let’s make it happen.

UK faces double economic whammy The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the economy of all the countries in the world and caused a havoc never witnessed before. A number of businesses have collapsed, others have gone downhill, jobs lost, unemployment rising and lots of unwarranted problems cropping up as a result.

The government has a big challenge for the continued trend. It is worrying that the UK with its divorce from the EU has even greater challenges. There is a difficult and testing time ahead for the PM Boris Johnson. Let us hope that he can deliver the job he has promised to keep our country intact, sound, and tall.

Niranjan Vasant By email

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit. Please keep contributing as always.

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

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in brief in brief BRITISH MUSEUM AND OTHER CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ASKED TO REMOVE CONTROVERSIAL OBJECTS The UK government had recently sent out letters to the British Museum and other cultural institutions to remove controversial objects from display.

The decision came after the controversy which involved the British Museum where a bust of its slave owning founding father Hans Sloane was reinstated in the Enlightenment Gallery.

The letter, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, said: "As publicly funded bodies, you should not be taking actions motivated by activism or politics. The significant support that you receive from the taxpayer is an acknowledgement of the important cultural role you play for the entire country. It is imperative that you continue to act impartially, in line with your publicly funded status, and not in a way that brings this into question.

This is especially important as we enter a challenging Comprehensive Spending Review, in which all government spending will rightly be scrutinised."

However, the museum told the BBC that it had no intention of removing it and it’d rather “contextualise” the collection for the public.

Met Police Chief says it's unacceptable for a police officer to be subjected to racial abuse Shefali Saxena

A recent viral video of Met Police trying to control the angry protesters during the antilockdown protest that took place in Central London has three words echoing for over several minutes: “Shame on you!” A Muslim female police officer was subjected to online abuse post the online sharing of this video.

Despite a huge police force trying to calm the protesters, some of them continued to hurl at the Met Police officers who were trying their best to control the angry mob as a part of their duty. Among these frontline heroes was a female police officer who was wearing a headscarf and trying to keep the protesters at bay, leading from the front. As her video started to go viral on Twitter, a user by the name of Bonnie Lad tweeted: “The UK 2020...An image from yesterday's anti-lockdown protest in London...Hard to envisage in a time gone by that a police officer would de able to dictate her dress/uniform... Unreal and totally not needed or wanted.” The same user also pointed out further, “Mask or the wearing of one must an exception for this new styled British police officer and her attire…”

A user by the name of @ConstableXL reacted to this racist comment by tweeting:

HARPERCOLLINS TRAINEESHIP RETURNS FOR FIFTH YEAR

The HarperCollins Traineeship, set up to help address underrepresentation in HarperCollins and in the wider publishing industry, is open for applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates for the fifth year running. Applications are open to graduates and non-graduates and are made through HarperCollins’ blind recruitment platform.

Two successful candidates will undertake a twelve-month rotational traineeship around the business, learning about HarperCollins and the business of publishing, receiving training and support throughout the year. Each will also have the guidance of a senior mentor throughout the year.

The traineeship has helped create a pipeline of talent from final assessment stage candidates, who are invited to apply for entry level roles in the business alongside other candidates. Since its launch in 2016, the traineeship has seen thirty people take up positions in the company, either after completing their year, or from entering the talent pipeline.

Applications open on 14 September until 15 October 2020 and successful candidates will receive a training allowance equivalent to an entry level salary, starting in January 2021.

John Athanasiou, Director of People, said: ‘I’m delighted to announce The HarperCollins Traineeship for 2021, this is a very important programme and part of our race equality strategy for HarperCollins. Our vision is to create a company that truly represents the world we live in to help grow the business. This scheme attracts the very best talent into our organisation and not only is there the offer of the two traineeship

positions but there is also the opportunity to be interviewed for entry-level roles as part of our talent pipeline.’

In 2020, HarperCollins welcomed Nancy Adimora back to the business as Audience Development Manager reporting into Charlie Redmayne, CEO, focusing on sourcing diverse titles and authors across the organisation. Nancy was introduced to the business through the trainee scheme in 2017. Nancy said: ‘This traineeship has been invaluable. For prospective trainees, it’s the perfect entry point into the world of publishing and a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the industry, but there is also a lot that we can learn from working with new talent from underrepresented communities. The traineeship has had, and will continue to have, a positive impact on the wider business and I’m really looking forward to meeting the new candidates and supporting this year’s selection process.’

Applications are managed via HarperCollins’s blind recruitment platform, with candidates answering a series of questions rather than submitting CVs. Successful candidates will be invited to a virtual assessment day on 5 November consisting of networking and presentations with traineeship alumni, talks and seminars about publishing as well as interviews with managers from across the business. A second assessment day will follow with interviews with the CEO and executive team, presentations from the candidates and a group exercise.

Candidates can apply for theTraineeship, at www.harpercollins.co.uk/corporate/careers.

Email: kally.simmonds@harpercollins.co.uk

“There were others without masks here, myself included. I stand by the many reasons they were ditched by each officer. Question is, why are you picking on the non-white constable? This is a non-issue. But if you really want to grind an axe, come speak to me.”

Many online users, including police officers and members of the BAME community came out in her support.

Expressing his views on the incident, Chief Supt Raj S Kohli told Asian Voice that, “It is unacceptable for a police officer (or indeed any member of the public) to be subjected to racial abuse no matter what the circumstances. I have seen social media footage of a female colleague who is wearing a Hijab. In an extremely dif ficult and volatile crowd, she is at the front of the policing line trying to maintain order and help keep her colleagues safe. The negative comments about her faith are disChief Supt Roy Smith, BCU Commander Met Police UK, North West London “Lots of social media commentary about this officer. Not sure what the fuss is about. I see a professional & brave police officer, my colleague, doing her job just like every other cop that day. A few people need to catch up with modern times.

Nothing more to discuss.” @Jussie_Kaur “What I also see is a young BAME woman doing her job. I am assuming she is also there to help the community as a police officer something that is needed. I would like to see more BAME women officers and

graceful and completely unacceptable.

Quite rightly, any identified offences will be investigated by officers reviewing this incident. As a Chief Supt Sikh man who Raj Singh Kohli wears a turban and who has been involved in public order command, I am deeply inspired to see one of our female Muslim officers wearing a Hijab. Her professionalism and desire to support her colleagues while being confronted with hateful comments is remarkable – we’re all extremely proud. For all the negative comments her faith attracted there will be many, many others inspired by her to consider a career in policing”. credit to you Roy for supporting her.” @Nur_Jahan786 “It’s cause a Muslim woman in hijab is not often seen in the police force .. Society doesn’t expect to see this. It shouldn’t be a big deal but sadly it is .. There shouldn’t be any fuss.. She is a professional doing her job.” @Hemist13 “What a brave young lady !! Admiration for her courage to work as an officer and protect, not to mention the risk she takes of her own life. We should be encouraging all the young people who take the steps to do such a great job.”

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SCRUTATOR’S Toddler survives even as train runs over him Loco pilots Deewan Singh and his assistant Atul Anand had to apply emergency break when they saw a two-year-old on the middle of the track. But the train stopped only after it had passed over the boy. Filled with dread, Deewan and Atul jumped out. They blinked in disbelief at what they saw. The child was crying, scared but miraculously unhurt.

The incident took place near Ballabgarh railway station in Haryana’s Faridabad district. The station is usually not too busy. The two-year-old and his brother were playing at the station. But when the train approached, the elder one ran away leaving the two-year-old on the track. In a video of the incident, the two-year-old was seen crying uncontrollably from beneath the train. The loco pilots saw that the child was trapped beneath the engine. Getting him out would not be easy. So the pilots first tried to calm down the boy and then, slowly, eased him out of the dangerously cramped space. He was then handed over to his relieved mother. The toddler had no injury. Railway authorities have been informed about the incident. The railway authorities have decided to rewarded the loco pilots for saving the boy. (Agency) School dropout designs 360° revolving ceiling fan

Aadhaar card number. Saroj said the details were sought to get the

Rohit Kareliya, a school dropout, has designed a 360degree revolving ceiling fan based on the principle of the gyroscope in his workshop. The 45-year-old resident of Kamrej taluka, near Surat, has applied for patent to protect his invention. It took about six months for Rohit to develop the revolving fan. He said that there were 10 ceiling and five pedestal fans in his workshop. But it was not giving the required cooling effect or air circulation. That was when he thought of developing a ceiling fan that can revolve 360 degrees. Anil Saraogi, registered patent attorney, who has applied for the international patent on behalf of Rohit said, “It took me three months to study Rohit’s invention. During the research, I stumbled upon the lecture on the gyroscopic principle by a professor at Standford University. This is how things got clear in my mind and I took up his patent case.” According to Rohit, the cost of manufacturing the revolving fan comes to around Rs 4,000. (The Times of India)

funds included in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme. She said that Nilesh's phone number was now switched off. To make matters worse, she is an illiterate.

The manager of the bank branch said that the Saroj had deposited sums of money between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 in the bank several times. Police said that they were investigating the alleged deposit of the money in the girl's account. (Agency)

UP teenager becomes billionaire overnight Saroj, a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, became a millionaire overnight due to a banking error. She found £9,99,000 in her account when she went to check the account. The girl lodged a police complaint stating that she did not know from where this much money has come into her account. Saroj had opened this account with Allahabad Bank's Bansdih branch back in 2018.

Saroj said that two years ago, a certain Nilesh Kumar called her on the phone and asked her to send him a photo and her

Marathas to get quota benefits under EWS category The Maharashtra government has decided to give

quota benefits to Marathas under the benefits meant for economically weaker section (EWS), in the light of the Supreme Court staying the implementation of quota in jobs and education for the community. The Supreme Court earlier this month stayed the implementation of the 2018 Maharashtra law granting reservation to Marathas in education and jobs. The government took the decision after widespread agitation by Marathas in various parts of the state. The benefits announced by the state government will continue till the Supreme Court vacates the stay on quota, the

statement said. The Maharashtra government, meanwhile, filed an application before the larger bench of Supreme Court, seeking to vacate the apex court's stay on implementing the quota. The government said the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulkh Shishyavrutti Yojana, a scholarship scheme, earlier meant for those from socially and economically backward category (SEBC) students, will now be made applicable to EWS students too.

The state government has approved £60 million fund for the current fiscal. (Agency) Interfaith couples in Gujarat find solace in other states Interfaith couples in Gujarat who want to marry often cross state borders before stepping over religious lines because of Gujarat’s stern conversion laws.

A report sought by the high court involves a recent case of interstate movement for interfaith matrimony. The HC has asked the Surat police to probe conversion of a woman and her marriage at a Maharashtra temple to the man she eloped with. Conversion is not possible in Gujarat without permission from a district magistrate under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act. So the interfaith couple chose to deal with the formality in Maharashtra before solemnizing the marriage. This is not the first case in which an interfaith couple has gone to a neighbouring state for conversion and marriage. A couple from Morbi had last year travelled to Madhya Pradesh, where the woman converted to another religion to get married to the man of her choice. She was a minor at the time of elopement, and upon reaching the legal age, the couple married earlier this year. They had chosen MP for conversion and marriage because the anti-conversion law in MP is not as stringent as Gujarat’s. (The Times of India) Selfless act wins Kerala woman Rs. 100,000 A month ago while packing food for the people of a coastal village ravaged by sea surge and Covid-19, Kochi resident Mary Sebastian slipped in a hundred rupee note in a packet. Her only thought while wrapping the

currency note in a piece of paper was that it would be useful for the family to buy at least a few cups of tea. IBS Software, an IT firm, as a recognition for her selfless action has awarded her Rs 100,000. Senior officials of the company visited Mary at her residence and handed over the cheque along with a citation. “I have many small loans and the money will help me to close two of them,” said Mary. The company hailed Mary’s act as a “remarkable gesture by a disadvantaged woman without any expectation of recognition or reward.” “During the bleak times, such inspirational stories come as a breath of fresh air,” said IBS Software executive chairman V K Mathews. Mary, a

family members and friends, was on board the MumbaiMandva RoRo boat. Officials on the boat pointed out that he had flouted the Covid-19 norms mandating wearing of mask in public, after which he paid the Rs 1,000 fine, the sources said.

The roll on-roll off (RoRo)-cumpassenger ferry service between Mumbai and Mandwa near Alibaug, allowing passengers to board along with their vehicles, was launched in March.

Meanwhile, MNS leader Nitin Sardesai, in a statement said “no such thing took place” on board the ferry. (Agency)

56-year-old catering worker, did not have a regular job during the lockdown. Her husband V Sebastian who repairs boats also did not have a job during the pandemic.

from a peddler in New Delhi allegedly reported only 1 kg while selling off the rest. The four cops conducted a raid in which 160 kg of marijuana was confiscated on September 11.

The peddler was also arrested but police reported that the man was let off after giving a bribe of Rs 150,000. The bribe was allegedly given to "settle the matter" outside the purview of the law. According to a report, the peddler had procured the weed from Odisha. It also turned out that the cops had reported only 1 kg of the weed while allegedly selling off the rest of the 159 kg. The four cops have since been suspended for the act. The incident comes in the wake of growing debate and investigation in the use of marijuana and its byproducts by Indian celebrities. The untimely and tragic death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has led an investigation into a possible "drug angle" in the case by the Narcotics Control Bureau. (Agency)

Raj Thackeray fined for not wearing mask MNS chief Raj Thackeray was fined Rs 1,000 for not wearing a face mask aboard a boat to Mandwa jetty in adjoining Raigad district. The incident took place when Thackeray, along with some

Complicity of cops in drug trade In a shocking incident, four Delhi police officers who confiscated 160 kg of cannabis

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Diaspora outraged by Conservative party fringe group supporting antiIndia sentiments Rupanjana Dutta Seven MPs from the Conservative Party have re-launched a group called ‘The Conservative Friends of Kashmir’ two weeks back,to campaign for self-determination in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Tory MPs in the group include Paul Bristow, James Daly, Jack Brereton, Steve Baker, Mark Eastwood, Sarah Britcliffe and Antony Higginbotham.

The MPs represent constituencies with significant Pakistani populations and Jack Brereton, James Daly and Paul Bristow are also members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir (APPGK), chaired by Labour MP, Debbie Abrahams.

In a tweet the forum said, “We have relaunched the Conservative Friends of Kashmir. We campaign for self-determination and an end to human rights abuses in Kashmir and Jammu. There is growing support for our cause amongst Conservative MPs and activists. Follow us and our work!”

The action has outraged the Indian diaspora, especially the Hindus in the UK, many who have taken to the social media to voice their displeasure and anger.

How did the Conservative party become the voice of Indians in the UK? The Labour party was the natural choice for Indian immigrants, as they came to the UK and settled since India’s independence in 1947. Many believe it was driven by the emotion that the party was instrumental to the independence movement of India and its subsequent success.

Fast forward by 63 years, David Cameron became the Prime Minister of Britain in 2010 and changed the very way Indians looked at the party, making it a natural choice for the diaspora, especially the Hindus.

The often highly educated, upwardly mobile voters became more willing to give Conservative party its support. There have many studies thereafter and each established how the vote share within the broader ethnic group is steadily on the rise.

Reportedly, there has been strategic efforts to woo Indian voters, who make up a significant proportion of the electorate in marginal London constituencies for example: Harrow East and Hendon as well as “swing” votes in towns such as Watford and Milton Keynes, as the mainstream newspapers pointed out.

One of these conscious efforts was to emphasise on the importance of UK-India relations, especially ‘welcoming’ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi- who has been loved and celebrated as a leader by the diaspora, ever since his days as the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

In 2015, the Wembley Stadium roared with applauds, as the then Prime Minister David Cameron and PM Narendra Modi, walked up to the stage to address the 40,000 Indian diaspora.

Mr Cameron even mastered a few Gujarati words and became a regular visitor of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden with wife Samantha. He openly called himself Britain’s first ever British Asian Prime Minister, in an exclusive interview with Asian Voice.

But with Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour party and the ‘cultureshift’within the party, the movement of British Indian and Hindu voters towards the Conservative party increased. The last nail on the coffin was a motion at the Labour party conference in 2019, which condemned the “recent actions of the Government of India to

MPs who are part of the CFoK

revoke Article 370 in Kashmir.” What the party failed to understand and agree on is that India’s internal matters are not for them to comment on.

Sir Kier Starmer, the new Labour leader and London’s Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal, the co-chair of Labour Friends of India are believed to be trying to set the wrongs right- a result only time will show. But this fraction of Conservative party members and MPs taking on the same lines as the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn has obviously raised much concerns among the diaspora, which has been unequivocally supporting the party in the last decade.

Reaction from the party members, MPs and peers Cllr Reena Ranger OBE and Cllr AmeetJogia, co-Chairs, Conservative Friends of India told Asian Voice, "The

Reena Ranger

Ameet Jogia

Conservative Friends of India, along with our Patrons, Members and the wider Indian diaspora were naturally very disappointed to learn about the formation of the Conservative Friends of Kashmir. We have been in contact with the Chairman of the Conservative Party to express our concerns and the concerns of our members. This group is not an official or affiliated Conservative Party group. We remain in conversation with the Party Chairman and will keep our members updated. We have received significant support and solidarity from many MPs, whom clearly support the policy work and ethos of CF India.”

Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, that has a huge Indian population, told the newsweekly, “I was extremely concerned to see the reformation of the so-called ‘Conservative Friends of Bob Blackman Kashmir’ group. This group fails to even recognise the existence of the State of Jammu & Kashmir, which is viewed as an integral part of India. Jammu and Kashmir are internationally recognised as a state of India and we do not have any other ‘Conservative Friends’ that represent other areas of India.

“Indeed, Party policy is that security in Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter for India and I have previously written to the Prime Minister regarding the issue and he re-iterated Party policy on Jammu and Kashmir both in writing and also on the floor of the House of Commons.

“As a result of the reformation of this group, I have immediately written to the Conservative Party Chairman to object in the strongest of terms any recognition being given by the Conservative Party to this group. There already exists the Conservative Friends of India and a

Conservative Friends of Pakistan groups and I believe that the creation of this group will cause severe tensions between these existing groups – which have co-existed without any significant conflict thus far.

It is Government and Party policy that any territorial or border

"The appearance of this pro-Pakistan group should also serve as a red flag to the New High Commissioner of India, Ms Gaitri Kumar. The fact that so many Conservative MPs have agreed to take a position which is so anti-India, and fraudulently so, is indicative of a clear lack of adequate diplomatic engagement and political briefing.”

Phygital - a new world Rohit Vadhwana All our events, meetings and seminars are not organised virtually. Event buyer-seller meetings and exhibitions are held online.

This is a new situation and people are adjusting to the new normal. But the important question remains: Shall we ever return to the pre-Covid lifestyle? Shall we have physical events, meetings and seminars again? Or we will continue to use the digital and virtual platforms even after Covid?

This is a tricky question and answer may defer from person to person. But one thing is clear. We will have a hybrid, a mix of both, Phygital way of working in the future. Phygital means Physical + Digital. It is the concept of using technology to bridge the digital world with the physical world with the purpose of providing a unique interactive experiences for the user.

We will certainly like to organise physical events as we have been missing that face to face connect. It is evident from the large crowd gatherings happening even against the instruction of government authorities. It is bound to happen. The personal warmth of human presence can never be replaced by a virtual presence.

Everyone has understood and accepted it.

But at the same time, people have realised the benefit of using digital platforms for conducting meetings, webinars and some other business engagements. It has reduced the time and trouble of travelling. It has given convenience to people, liberating from limitations of geographical distances. It is only a miracle that one person can attend a seminar in Mumbai, next hour he can be in Paris and later can also be present in a conference in London. This can happen only in the digital world.

Going phygital has its own advantages. It is very cost effective. Most of the events/meetings could be conducted free of cost. It takes away travel related cost, time and trouble for everyone. It can be organised, promoted and attended easily. It is possible only in phygital mode that a person can attend a meeting in Mumbai, Paris and London, back to back, without wasting anytime. Multiple users, participants and organisers can join hands together to bring out the best result. Technology is improving and therefore digital experience is becoming better. With Virtual reality, 3D technology and other facilities, it will soon become next to the real experience for users.

Therefore, the new world will be neither purely physical nor digital, but a mix of them: Phygital.

disputes between India and Pakistan are a strictly bilateral matter.

“Many colleagues and I strongly believe that should this group be recognised by the Party it will set an extremely unhelpful precedent and open the door to other equally unfavourable groups such as ‘Conservative Friends of Khalistan’ and will undo all the work I and colleagues have done to encourage the 1.5 million diaspora that were left without a political home following the (Expressed opinions are personal) 2019 Labour Party Conference.” ic relations with the world’s largest democLord Dolar Popat, one of the most-popular racy and alienates the British Indian diaspoIndian peers told us, “The ra. This is crude vote bank politics at its news regarding the formaworst. However, this group is not officially tion of the Conservative recognised, and it doesn’t change governFriends of Kashmir was ment policy. We shouldn’t give this unauquite a surprise to many thorised group any further oxygen of pubparty members. However, licity.” it is important to note that this group is not an official What does the diaspora have to say?

Lord Dolar Popat registered or affiliated group of the Conservative party and hence Speaking to it does not reflect the views of the party. As the newspaper, the Founding Chairman of CF India, having Trupti Patel, launched the organisation with David President, Hindu Cameron in 2012, I hope that this group Forum of Britain does not overshadow the tremendous and Trustee, strides we have made in bridging the gap Hindu Forum of between the party and the British Indian Britain Charity community. The Conservative party said, “The Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) is remains the national home for the British clear that Jammu and Kashmir are an inteIndian community as we share similar valgral part of India. The systemic atrocities ues of hard work, enterprise, education and committed against the Kashmiri Pandits family; values which we continue to cham(Hindus) and all minorities by Pakistani pion.”

Lord Jitesh Gadhia, the youngest cross border terrorism is abhorrent.

Conservative peer from “Any politician who attempts to play the community said, “It is politics in the UK at the expense of the regrettable that a tiny victims of such hate terrorism should be minority of Conservative rejected by all decent people. It is thereMPs (7 out of 364) have set fore unfortunate that a few misguided up this fringe group panConservative MPs have decided to create dering to their local cona rift within British society by setting up stituency interests - which ‘Conservative Friends of Kashmir’. undermines our diplomat- Lord Jitesh Gadhia Continued on Page - 15

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in brief in brief VIRTUAL GANDHI JAYANTI The High Commission of India has organised for a virtual Gandhi Jayanti celebration on 2 October 2020, to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. The event which is in association with India League and Nehru Centre, will see an address by Her Excellency the High Commissioner of India, Ms Gaitri Kumar, followed by video messages by C B Patel, Chairman, The India League, Lord Rami Ranger CBE, Patron, The India League and Lord Meghnad Desai, Chair, Gandhi Memorial Trust. There will be a lecture

by Professor Satish Kumar followed by an interaction with university students.

There will be a dance recital and bhajan by the students of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan and other institutes. Gandhi’s photos in London will be on display too.

A light projection of Gandhi movie on India House, Aldwych is also planned from sunset to midnight.

If you need to contact The India League, email cb.patel@abplgroup.com.

Continued from Page - 14

“The HFB is delighted to note that the Conservative government and our Prime Minister has made it abundantly clear that Jammu and Kashmir are a matter for India alone.

The Indian diaspora are an intelligent community and very able to discern between friend and foe. All good people should unite to seek justice for Kashmiri Pandits and all minorities in that region and in so doing, the world must reject the terrorism exported by Pakistan.

“The HFB stand with all communities who suffer 'Hate Crime ' regardless of their race, colour and class.”

The Hindu Forum of Britain is the largest umbrella body with a broad based membership of Hindu organisations from different regions and cultural backgrounds in Britain.

Rajnish Kashyap, General Secretary/Director, Hindu Council UK (HCUK) told Asian

CAMPAIGN TO ENSURE SCHOOLS TEACH BOOKS BY ETHNIC MINORITY AUTHORS Teach First’s latest report has revealed that the largest exam board in the country does not feature a single book by a Black author in their set texts for GCSE English literature and includes just two books by ethnic minority authors.

As a result, the charity is launching a new campaign calling for a more inclusive education system, having found that a pupil could finish secondary school without studying a single book written by an author who is not White.

To tackle this, the charity is calling for exam boards to ensure that at least a quarter of authors in their GCSE English literature specifications are from ethnic minority backgrounds, extra funding to train and support teachers to appropriately explore racism with their pupils and a fund created for schools to buy books specifically by ethnic minority authors.

PROF BHAMBRA TO TALK ABOUT ‘THE COLONIAL CONTEXT OF NATIONAL WELFARE' As a part of the Centre for Ethnicity and Citizenship Seminar Series, Gurminder Bhambra Professor of Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies in the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, is holding a talk on ‘The Colonial Context of National Welfare: From Imperial Amnesia to “White Replacement” on Thursday, 8th October 2020 at 5 pm on Zoom. In this talk, Bhambra will address the processes of migration that created the British Empire and then discuss the ways in which colonialism and colonised populations were central to the building up of resources within the national state. This talk responds to claims about ‘white replacement’ and the question of who is legitimately entitled to a share in the wealth of European nations, specifically Britain.

The key misunderstanding here is the idea that Britain has been a nation and that national assets have been built up internally to be passed on as an ‘inheritance’ to future citizens.

Voice, "Hindu Council UK condemn the self-determination movement on Kashmir launched by the Friends of Conservatives UK. It is misguided campaign and false narratives are being communicated to the UK people of Jammu & Kashmir. These politicians decide on human rights according to their vote bank – ‘whose’ human rights?

No one seemed to care about the human rights of all those who were and still being killed by ter-

rorists or the communities who had no rights during the article 370 days! What about the human rights of half a million Kashmiri Hindus who were made homeless 31 years ago, who are still homeless and has strong desire to return to their roots? They suffered ethnic cleansing!"

Satish K Sharma, General Secretary, National Council of Hindu Temples (UK) and Chair, British Board of Dharmic Scholars said, “The entirely predictable appearance of the Conservative Friends of Kashmir should be of no surprise Satish K Sharma to us, and the British Indian community should recognise it as an entirely natural and legitimate part of the democratic processes of this country. A quick glance at the demographics of their constituencies confirms that the MPs concerned clearly feel vulnerable and this development is entirely consistent with the entryism and lobbying strategy which has been so effective in misleading the rank and file of Labour party for so long.

“Rather than only expressing outrage, the British Indian community, especially in these 7 constituencies, has a great opportunity to scrutinise and robustly engage with this group. The group which I note is not a Conservative Party affiliate, may be misleading MPs, as often happens and it is in everyone’s interest to hold them accountable and to also require these MPs to adhere to the letter and the sentiment of the MPs’ Code of Conduct.

“It’s is also an excellent opportunity to educate these MPs and the wider Conservative party on the reality of the devastating ethnic and religious cleansing of non-Sunni

I am saddened to learn that a few maverick Conservative Members of Parliament have relaunched the ‘Conservative Friends of Kashmir’ unofficially to satisfy Kashmiri voters in their constituencies. These Conservative Friends of Kashmir will attack India on her human rights record when they should know that the Government of India takes human rights as sacrosanct, and the constitution guarantees equality to all regardless of their race, religion and gender.

The heart of governance is the rule of law with greater emphasis on human freedom.

The fact of the matter is that Pakistan has instigated the unrest in Kashmir after unsuccessfully trying to occupy Kashmir through 4 full-blown bloody wars. It is common knowledge that Pakistan is a sponsor of international terrorism and a haven for banned terrorist groups.

Pakistani Army is known to offer lavish hospitalities and then conveniently ask these Parliamentarians to compromise their democratic principles of upholding equality where everyone is equal regardless of race, religion and gender.

Kashmiris are free to form political Parties and elect leaders of their choice and run Kashmir as they deem fit. However, they are not allowed to use religion to make their fellow Kashmiris and women second class at a stroke. It is time Kashmiris are encouraged to coexist and live in harmony like they do in every civilised country rather than trying to divide themselves and the nations based on their faith.

If religion had the strength to unite,

Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, in Kashmir and in Pakistan, matters which were so prominently and irrefutably aired at the UNGA only a few days ago.

“I view this as an invitation to our community to engage with the issue, for us to play a full, active and vitally necessary role in the democratic processes of this country, our ‘karma bhumi’, it has never been more important. The appearance of this pro-Pakistan group should also serve as a red flag to the New High Commissioner of India, Ms Gaitri Kumar. The fact that so many Conservative MPs have agreed to take a position which is so anti-India, and fraudulently so, is indicative of a clear lack of adequate diplomatic engagement and political briefing. Hopefully now that she is settling down, we will see her stamp her authority on matters and we look forward to seeing a much better quality of authentic engagement emerge.”

CB Patel, Chairman, The India League and Sardar Patel Memorial Society denounced this development and said, “It is irresponsible, divisive and dangerous attempts from an outfit of the Conservative Party.

How will the party CB Patel and the government feel if India creates groups like ‘Friends of Scotland’ or ‘Friends of Northern Ireland’?”

Lakshmi Kaul, a significant member and spokesperson of the Kashmiri Hindus in the UK told the Lakshmi Kaul newspaper, “I

then Bangladesh would still be a part of Pakistan, and every Muslim country would accord free movement of Muslims in their countries.

Sadly, the reality is somewhat difLord Rami Ranger ferent. People always unite for a wrong cause of smash and grab, and once the reason is not there, then they turn on each other. More importantly, religion is a force for good. It is to unite humanity and not divide like the Pakistanis are doing.

These misguided Tory MPs should know that India shares common values and ethos with the United Kingdom, unlike Pakistan, which is a religious State and systematically discriminate against her population based on religion and gender. Pakistani constitution does not accord equality to every citizen as it promotes people based on faith and not merit.

These MPs should appreciate that the Conservative party has evolved over a century with the visions and dedication of our great leaders like Margaret Thatcher and the British values like tolerance, equality and fair play cannot be compromised to the detriment of our next generations. Every Briton should be encouraged to keep religion a private matter and never use it to generate hatred to damage social cohesion

am confused how Conservative party in one breath says it will not interfere in India’s bilateral matters and then in the same breath floats a conservative friends of Kashmir group? I am sure the party does remember the recent victory in general elections that they themselves attributed to labour’s failure to please the Indian diaspora and for their stance of interference on Kashmir. Now why would the Conservatives wish to commit a royal suicide, close on the heels of what is a politically uncertain period, God only knows?

“When there are serious issues concerning the country and its citizens such as economy, terrorism, grooming, why is the party not focussing on domestic issues? If they are to address the elephant in the room why aren’t they setting up a ‘Friends Against Terrorism’ or better still Friends United Against Jehad? I am sure everyone is concerned about the increasing nefarious activities in the UK and radicalisation of young people? “’Conservative Friends of Kashmir’ make the party look stupid and it seems that they had a sort of an afterthought of appeasement. Who will take them seriously like this? I certainly as a member of the party, won’t, here on.”

"I am sure the party does remember the recent victory in general elections that they themselves attributed to Labour’s failure to please the Indian diaspora and for their stance of interference on Kashmir."

and race relation in Britain.

They are privileged to represent their party and our rich and diverse country and to encourage people to use religion in the absence of merit will damage Britain as well as India. They have to see how Pakistan has become intolerant over the years and how diversity is systematically being eliminated.

Ahmaddiyas, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians are getting victimised daily in the name of their faith. No country can progress whilst holding back the progress of her citizens due to their belief.

These MPs can carry on serving the legitimate interests of your constituents but must avoid undermining the rule of law in Kashmir. They should be fair and firm with their members and learn to represent every Briton and not just a handful of Kashmiris.

They should learn from the Labour Friends of Kashmir how their anti-India rhetoric drove the British Indian vote to the Conservative party and help the Conservative win a majority in the last election. The British Indians now consider themselves to be true Conservatives and are abandoning the Labour party in droves.

Instead of capitalising on Labour's mistake, they are following them by relaunching the ‘Conservative Friends of Kashmir’ and scoring own goals for their party and country.

I hope good sense will prevail, and they will stop dividing their party and country by supporting a clandestine organisation which does not have the blessings of the Government or the party.

-Lord Rami Ranger CBE

16 UK

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Future of self-employed workers remains uncertain in the winter scheme Shefali Saxena Amid the fear of a second wave of coronavirus pandemic, Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Winter Scheme comes bearing some gifts and some ambiguous elements. With a respite in business loan schemes, Bounce Back Loans will be extended from six years to 10, cutting monthly repayments by nearly half.

Businesses can apply to suspend repayments altogether for six months and not see their credit fall. Typically replacing furlough with the Job Support Scheme, for someone on £2,000 a month working half the hours, they would get £1,000 normal pay plus £333 from their employer and £333 from the government, though a pay-cut is definite.

This has followed after Sunak’s summer economic statement in July 2020, which confirmed that the furlough scheme – which subsidised wages to the tune of £10bn a month – will end in October.

When it comes to taxes, Sunak’s scheme provides a 15% emergency VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality industries which will be extended from January 2021 to 31 March.

Businesses who deferred their VAT bills will be able to pay back their taxes in 11 smaller interest-free instalments.

As per the winter scheme, self-employed individuals seem to be in an uncertain space.

The extension will be in the form of two taxable grants. The first grant will cover a threemonth period from the start of November until the end of January. This initial grant will cover 20% of average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £1,875 in total. This is much less than the current grant available to the self-employed, which is worth 70% of profits and capped at £6,570.

The second grant will cover a threemonth period from the start of February until the end of April. The government will review the level of the second grant and set this in due course.

However, these schemes come with their own challenges- especially for those on zerohour contracts.

Zero-hour contracts and redundancies Deepa Sugathan, a Solicitor and Partner at a Central London law firm, Silk Route Legal, told Asian Voice that there is no specific reference to calculation of compensation for zerohour contracts under the Job Support Scheme due to come into effect Deepa Sugathan from 1 November 2020.

“We are expecting further guidance to clarify these concerns to ensure fair treatment to employees on zero-hour contracts,” she said.

Talking about the redundancy packages available to employees, Deepa explained that the basic legal position is that the employees who have completed 2 years of continuous service are eligible to receive the statutory redundancy pay. The position remains the same for furloughed employees. The legislation goes further to ensure that the redundancy pay is to be calculated based on a furloughed employee’s actual wages rather than the furloughed pay.

Deepa clarified that the winter scheme’s solution for the self-employed is the extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme Grant (SEISS).

“The inherent issues that were identified in the SEISS are not factored in this extension. Having said that, the Chancellor is facing an unusual challenge of reaching out to all deserving and at the same time preventing fraudsters from misusing such schemes,” she added.

Satpal Singh from Alliance Chartered Accountants London thinks that the government needs to provide detailed guidance on what happens to zero-hours workers. He said, “The plans they have announced around the new ‘Job Support Scheme’ make

for great headlines, but detail is thin on the ground. Hopefully we will get more guidance in the next month and there will be support for zero hours workers. But as the government is trying to reduce the amount it is spending on support; it’s not going to be a huge amount.”

Speaking from an accountant’s perspective on the eligibility for the redundancy package, he said, “The government’s guidance for people who were furloughed using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), then made redundant because their employer is now insolvent, is not great and is still being developed. Workers still have certain rights when they are made redundant, these include getting redundancy pay, a paid notice period and any money their employer owes (for example, unpaid wages).” The non addressal of the original scheme for the selfemployed and their fate is nothing but a tragedy according to Satpal. “People who left their jobs and became self-employed after 6 April 2019– so almost a year before the first lockdown - were left without any support.

They did not qualify for self-employed income support (SEIS) and are again excluded from the winter plan. I understand the government cannot support everyone, but there are thousands of people who started their journey of entrepreneurship after 6 April 2019, and they have been left without support other than to apply for universal credit,” he explained.

Praveen Joshi, Director at RSK Business Solutions, said, “Rishi Sunak has managed to show both empathy and maturity in his role as the Chancellor of the Exchequer. But there are some gaps in the government policies around self-employed and zero- Praveen Joshi hour contracts, which should be reviewed.

“The only feasible solution may be to base this on average working hours done

under such a contract in the last financial year for the concerned employer. Employers also have a moral duty to have empathy towards the employees. They should explore all possible options before going for the redundancies.”

Since the Winter Scheme did not address any of the problems with the original plan for the self-employed, what happens to them? Joshi said, “Company directors who pay themselves a dividend are not covered by the SEISS. This is a major issue in technology sectors as most IT Contractors prior to the pandemic operated this way. IT Contractors find themselves in a loss as they only took nominal salaries and mainly relied on the dividend payments. Additionally, from the perspective of SMEs, the Kickstart Scheme does not work out due to the minimum requirement of 30 placements. As per the government, multiple SMEs can join to apply under this scheme, but this is not a practical solution. RSK Business Solutions as a business would have made use of this scheme if such a limit were not set by the government.”

Aadit Shankar, Founder, Atcha UK, a start-up that delivers Indian food on the go fortunately saw his business flourish during the pandemic. Speaking to Asian Voice, Aadit said, “The government has got a lot wrong in its response to the pandemic, especially with Aadit Shankar respect to hospitality, but broadly speaking the Chancellor’s financial support has been crucial to us surviving and ultimately growing. We’re an online business but even we’ve had to pivot and make some tough decisions; a small grant from the council and a bounce back loan did help us through the toughest months when sales were down by around 50%. The winter plan, particularly the extension of reduced VAT and flexible loan repayment are a huge help and give us the confidence to believe we can make it through this!”

‘Only 5 percent of the new infections come from the hospitality sector’ The Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) UK recently held a virtual event to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on Britain’s Indian restaurant and hospitality industry.

Moderated by award-winning public relations and media professional Sangeeta Waldron, the panellists included: Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder and Chairman, Cobra-beer and President, CBI. Cobra-beer is also helping pubs and restaurants offer a deal similar to the Government’s discounted meals in September; Asma Khan of the Darjeeling Express fame, which has an all-women’s kitchen. She’s also Britain’s first chef to be featured on Chef’s Table by Netflix and Vivek Singh, a celebrity chef and of the Cinnamon Club fame who runs 4 restaurants in London and one in Oxford.

Lord Bilimoria said, “It (this sector) employs over a million people so there are a lot of jobs at stake over there. That’s why we need all the help from the government while we are in the middle of this crisis. This health crisis is real and we’re dealing with a disease that’s highly infectious. We’re now going into a second wave and we’re in a much stronger position to deal

with it than we were in March.”

With growing queues and crowds around evenings in London outside restaurants, a second lockdown might not be in the best interests of the industry.

There’s data to prove why. He added, “Only 5 percent of the new infections come from the hospitality sector, so a lot of people are saying it’s unreasonable to close at 10 o’clock where it’s not where the majority of infections are coming from. We will learn to adapt. We can eat earlier, or they can order after 10pm so that restaurants can remain open and do home deliveries. So, whatever happens, we must try to avoid a second lockdown.”

He also stated that over 400 restaurants opened up and they started doing takeaways to raise £50,000 for the British Asian Trust which helped to raise money for Covid-19 victims in South Asia.

Restaurants also showed community spirit and prepared hundreds of meals and delivered them to hospital nurses, staff and doctors.

“Initially the government didn’t listen and in April we had the Bounce Bank Loans which have now been given to over one million businesses which is an average of £38bn bounce back

loans,” Lord Bilimoria said. “We got the Chancellor to eventually extend even the Job Retention scheme to October. Today, we are very thankful for the measures that have been announced.”

In 2010 the hospitality industry generated 20 percent of the jobs for unemployed people.

This is a vital sector Sangeeta Waldron, Asma Khan, Lord for the UK economy Karan Bilimoria and Chef Vivek Singh Help Out scheme. But I feel a lot of and Indian restaurant industry this would not have been possible, plays a major role in employing had we not had the measures like hundreds of thousands of people.

He also said that the net number of Job Retention and Furlough restaurants that closed during the Scheme. It has also opened eyes to pandemic is 50, which the structure differently, contracts and resilience of the sector. salaries differently. We did not Chef Vivek Singh, who was in want to base our business model agreement with Lord Bilimoria on service charge or tips. We do said, “These are really hard times. not levy service charges. So, all our We’re talking about an industry employees for the last two or three that normally has very difficult years have received their wages as working conditions and at this house wages - that’s their salary. time it is not the easiest career to Nobody plans for this kind of stuff be in. As soon as restaurants were but what it means is that when we allowed to open, a lot of restauare all locked up. When the furrants participated in the Eat Out lough scheme kicked in, they were

all able to receive 80 percent of their wages which was sadly not the case for many other industries who rely on certain wages.”

The Eat Out Help Out scheme cost over £500mn and served over 100mn customers through the unique scheme.

Asma Khan said the idea of feeding and hospitality is in our DNA. She added, “It has taken a pandemic to know about the wafer-thin margins that the restaurants function on. It is a very difficult industry to be in. We don’t go into this to make a fortune. Lord Bilimoria has been amazing in getting the VAT down to 5 percent. So, thank you.”

She emphasised that there’s a need to have a workers’ union in the restaurant industry.

Highlighting on the importance she said, “The problem is that if you’re not united, you’ll be pushed around. We need to ensure rights because it has been very hard for us. A lot of women will lose their jobs. Men will select men thinking that this is a tough time! So many women have come to me who have been let go because their employers are worried that they may have childcare issues with schools closing.”

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel With concerns about another lockdown, I’ve spoken to several people concerned about their financial worries. I’ve put together some top tips from my years of expertise: How to Get Your Teenager to Invest (or Boomer or Millennial) The earlier you start to invest, the more money you will have. That’s obvious. What’s not obvious is that you don’t have to work hard to get that return (teenagers don’t like working hard), and the returns are exponential (so you’ll have a lot more to TikTok about in a few short years).

The maths is mind-boggling. Starting at 18 with just a thousand pounds (let alone at birth, like my son) makes a difference of millions compared to someone starting at 50, by the time both retire, dependant on contributions and average market returns. Investing alone can make millionaires. Let alone all the hard work needed aside from that.

Why It is Not Too Late or too Risky to Start Investing You may think it is too late to start? Or too risky. The best way to reduce risk, is to pick stocks from a global market place. (See below). Also hold for 12 months then review.

That time-frame mitigates the risk of short-term falls which happen even in quality companies.

Don’t forget, your SIPP and ISA can invest in foreign companies and the currency risk and commissions is negligible. You use the same brokers as you do for UK stocks.

What Prompted That First Investment?

The top answers from your peers: My parents/relatives encouraged me It felt the right time My income increased and I had money I started a new job How Do You Research Stocks?

This is what scares people and so they think they have to give their money to a fund manager or expensive IFA. No. You can learn yourself. Promise.

One important thing is filter, filter, filter. That means you pick stocks like a spouse. Make sure they tick ALL the boxes. Are they undervalued, growing, paying income, good cash-flows?

Free tools online allow you to filter, filter, filter. Do not pick by journalist stories. Journalists jobs are to get you to click. They are good at spinning stories. They are not professional investors.

Most people get their information from family or a financial advisor or their own research. I suggest the best is your own research. I’ve listed a free tool at the end of this article.

Whilst people are more likely to have funds than stocks, and many just leave it in an account, I suggest stocks will give you the best returns as funds dilute the returns of individual winning stocks by definition.

Invest Like a Millionaire When You Are Not One Read my book (free) Investing Unplugged. It’s an international bestseller, published by Palgrave Macmillan. I teach you more about what you need to do. It’s free at www.investing-champions.com

UK borrowing figure surges to record £2.024 trillion Recent data reveals government borrowing hit almost £36 billion in August, pushing the UK's national debt to a record £2.024 trillion. The monthly borrowing figure comes after an unprecedented spending by the government to combat the coronavirus and sent the accumulated borrowing for the first five months of the fiscal year to almost £174 billion.

The deficit, however, was £2 billion lower than analysts' expectations and £8 billion below the amount the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated earlier this year when it forecast the likely gap between government spending and income.

Chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, Samuel Tombs was quoted

as saying monthly borrowing figures would decline sharply in the run-up to Christmas as the government scaled back its spending and tax recovered. receipts Borrowing picked up in August as the government paid out £4.7 billion to cover some of the lost income of self-employed workers and spent more than £500 million to cover the cost of the Treasury’s eat out to help out scheme. Tombs said the new

job support scheme announced by the chancellor was “markedly less generous” than the previous furlough scheme. He said, “We also expect take-up of the job support scheme by employers to be modest as they are financially better off employing a few staff members full-time than keeping on a larger number of staff part-time.” He said the lack of any significant injection from September to support the economy meant GDP would flatline at September's level “which we judge is approximately 5 per cent below its pre-Covid peak, over the next three months.”

The chancellor's new multibillion-pound spending package came under heavy criticism, with Chief

Anil Ambani rejects UK judge's comment on his lavish lifestyle Former billionaire Anil Ambani rejected a UK judge's comment that he lived a "lavish lifestyle" as he faced questions about his assets from lawyers acting for three Chinese banks.

Ambani while giving evidence via videolink over a dispute stemming from a defaulted loan. Ambai, who has previously said his net worth is "zero," was questioned about his spending and his finances, including more than $100 million in family loans.

"I think I must put it respectfully in perspective," Ambani said. "My needs are

not vast and my lifestyle is very disciplined. Any suggestion of a lavish lifestyle past, present and future is completely speculative," he said.

The three Chinese banks are aiming to target Anil Ambani's global assets as he owes them more than $717 million as well as significant legal costs. The banks have decided to seek ‘commence enforcement action’ against him following his cross examination in the British high court.

Ambani was ordered by a UK court on May 22 this year to pay $716 million,

including interest and £750,000 legal costs to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, ExportImport Bank of China and China Development Bank.

By June 29, the amount he owed, after taking accrued interest into account, had risen to $717.7 million.

Bankim Thanki, representing the banks, told the commercial court of the UK high court that they had not received a penny from Ambani for the debt or legal fees. After Friday’s hearing, the banks issued a statement, saying they intend to pursue enforcement action

Nokia strikes deal to supply 5G Issa brothers and TDR Capital equipment to BT trying to acquire Asda UK billionaire Issa brothers and TDR Capital have emerged as the front runners to acquire Asda. If it happens, the supermarket could return to UK ownership for the first time in 20 years. It is understood the Blackburn-based brothers and the private equity firm have been named as preferred bidders.

Asda has been owned by US giant Walmart since 1999.

Walmart is selling a majority stake in Asda after a merger with Sainsbury's was blocked on competition grounds. A deal with the consortium could value Asda at £6.5bn according to Sky News, which first reported the story, although it has not been finalised. The US private equity firm Apollo Global Management also remains in the race.

Petrol billionaires Asda already has a relationship with Mohsin and Zuber Issa through EG Group, their petrol forecourt business. The supermarket recently announced its expansion into convenience stores and will initially trial "Asda On the Move" at three of EG Group's fuel station forecourts in Ashby, Leamore and Primley in the Midlands.

Initially called Euro Garages, the Issa brothers founded EG in 2001, expanding it from a single site in Bury, Greater Manchester to owning almost 6,000 sites across 10 countries.

In 2019 the business reported revenues of more than €20bn (£17.9bn). TDR Capital now owns half of the group, with Zuber Issa owning 25% and Mohsin Issa the remaining 25%.

Walmart, which would continue to hold a minority stake in Asda after any deal, declined to comment on the sale process. TDR and Apollo Global Management also declined to comment, while EG could not be reached for comment.

Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay defending the emergency measures. He warned it would be a “difficult winter” and many jobs would not be saved. Barclay said, “We've been honest with the public that we will not be able to save, regretfully, every job. There's a whole range of investment going into the economy in those sectors while we protect as many of those jobs that are viable, that people have been protected in initially through the furlough and now through the winter package.”

Barclay added, “It is right that we also look at the cost to the wider economy, these measures come at a significant fiscal cost and that's why it's right we target those jobs that are viable during what is going to be a sadly difficult winter.”

The Finnish telecoms firm Nokia has struck a deal to become the largest equipment provider to BT's 5G networks. Nokia will now provide additional base stations and antennas to let EE customers' devices make calls and transmit data via the UK firm's 5G "radio access network". The deal will also see Nokia replace Huawei in BT's 2G and 4G networks. EE's network already uses Nokia to provide its 3G service.

The UK government announced in July that all the UK's mobile providers were being banned from buying new Huawei 5G equipment after 31 December, and must also remove all the Chinese firm's 5G kit from their networks by 2027. The decision, which was taken on national security grounds, effectively ended a strong relationship between BT and Huawei that dated back to 2005.

Earlier this year, BT said Nokia's equipment was used at about a third of its 4G sites, which were being upgraded to 5G, while Huawei's kit was used at the remaining ones. At present, Nokia's kit provides coverage to EE customers across parts of London, the Midlands and various rural locations.

The latest deal will extend BT's use of its telecoms infrastructure products to

further cities and towns including Aberdeen, Cambridge, Dundee, Exeter, Southampton and York. Nokia is now set to account for about twothirds of BT's radio access kit. "It was inevitable that some of Huawei's equipment was going to be replaced because of the government's decision," commented John Delaney, a telecoms analyst at IDC. "The big change here is that BT wasn't planning to use Nokia's equipment in many densely populated areas, and now they are. But apart from that it's not a major departure from their earlier plans." It is expected that BT will soon strike a deal to buy kit from a second vendor to avoid becoming solely dependent on Nokia once Huawei's kit is banned outright.

"With this next stage of our successful relationship with Nokia, we will continue to lead the rollout of fixed and mobile networks to deliver stand-out experiences for customers," said BT's chief executive Philip Jansen in a statement.

Anil Ambani

and all available remedies against Ambani. “The banks will use the information from the cross-examination to pursue all available legal avenues to protect their rights and recover the outstanding loans owed to them,” the statement said.

Mortgages hit 13-year high in UK The Bank of England data shows that UK mortgage approvals hit their highest in almost 13 years in August, underscoring the scale of the post-lockdown bounce-back in the housing market, but consumers turned more cautious about day-to-day borrowing. Boosted by a tax cut for home-buyers and a surge in demand for more spacious homes after the lockdown, mortgage approvals jumped to 84,715 from 66,288 in July, their highest level since October 2007, just before the global financial crisis.

Mortgage lending rose by a weakerthan-expected 3.1 billion pounds ($4.0 billion) in August. Consumer borrowing, a key driver of economic growth, increased by only 300 million pounds in August from July compared with a median forecast for a 1.45 billion pound increase in the Reuters poll.

Compared with August last year, consumer borrowing sank by 3.9%, the sharpest fall since the BoE began measuring the data in 1994. Alistair McQueen, head of savings and retirement at insurer Aviva, said many households were likely to start saving more in anticipation of further economic turmoil as stricter local lockdown measures are reintroduced in some places.

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REAL ESTATE VOICE & INDIA FINANCE

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3 - 9 October 2020

Jailed Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor's London flat attached A posh apartment of jailed Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor worth £12.7 million in London has been attached by the Enforcement Directorate as it digs deeper into alleged money laundering involving the private bank's former boss. The apartment in London's 77 South Audley Street has a market value of 13.5 million pounds in the UK, sources said. Kapoor bought the property in 2017 for 9.9 million pounds in the name of Doit Creations Jersey Ltd, the Enforcement Directorate said in a statement.

The former bank executive was arrested in early March in the alleged scam worth £430 million.

His arrest happened in the

Rana Kapoor

midst of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) capping transactions for every Yes Bank user at Rs. 50,000 for a month. The RBI had to intervene and choose the nuclear option after the private bank couldn't service its debts following defaults by big firms to whom it had loaned large sums. A run at the bank followed, with thousands of worried depositors desperately trying to withdraw whatever

money they could.

Kapoor's wife and three daughters are also among 13 accused named by the CBI in the moneylaundering case at India's fourth-largest private lender.

According to the case filed by the CBI, Yes Bank invested around £370 million in DHFL or Dewan Housing and Finance Ltd around the same time it granted a £60 million loan to a company called Doit, owned by Kapoor's three daughters Roshni Kapoor, Rakhee Kapoor Tandon and Radha Kapoor.

DHFL allegedly did not redeem the £370 million bought in debentures by Yes Bank. The CBI calls it a bribe as DHFL valued five

properties pledged by Doit as collateral at £70 million, though the acquisition cost of these properties was just £4 million. The agency also alleged that Yes Bank sanctioned a loan of £75 million to RKW Developers Pvt Ltd, which is a DHFL group company, for their Bandra Reclamation Project in Mumbai. The whole amount was allegedly siphoned off by Kapil Wadhawan, a relative of RKW director Dheeraj Rajesh Kumar Wadhawan.

The CBI alleged that Kapoor, in criminal conspiracy with Kapil Wadhawan and others, had invested in DHFL through Yes Bank to gain undue benefits for himself and his family. Kapoor has denied all the charges.

Vodafone wins £2 bn tax arbitration case against Indian government Telecom giant Vodafone won a significant ruling against the Indian government in an international court over £2 billion in dues which it had described as unfair. The international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled that the Indian government's imposition of a tax liability on Vodafone is in breach of the investment treaty agreement between India and the Netherlands, sources said.

The tribunal, in its ruling, said the government must cease seeking the dues from Vodafone and should also pay over £4 million to

the company as partial compensation for its legal costs, the source said.

Vodafone and India's finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The tax dispute involving £1.2 billion in interest and £790 million in penalties stems from Vodafone's acquisition of the Indian mobile assets from Hutchison Whampoa in 2007. The government

said Vodafone was liable to pay taxes on the acquisition, which the company contested. In 2012, India's top court ruled in favour of the telecom provider but the government later that year changed the rules to enable it to tax deals that had already been concluded.

In April 2014, Vodafone initiated arbitration proceedings against India.

India is entangled in more than a dozen international arbitration cases against companies, including Cairn Energy, over retrospective tax claims and cancellation of contracts. The exchequer could end up paying billions of dollars in damages if it

loses.

In a different case, the heavily indebted telecoms firm had won some reprieve earlier this month as the Supreme Court gave mobile carriers 10 years to settle millions in government dues.

India's telecom providers have to pay the Department of Telecom nearly 3-5 per cent of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) in usage charges for airwaves and 8 per cent of AGR as licence fees. They have long disputed the definition of AGR but last year the Supreme Court upheld the government's view that the AGR should include all revenue.

UK India Business Council US firm KKR to buy 1.3% signs MoU with Bengal govt stake in Reliance Retail The UK India Business Council has signed an MoU with West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), to focus on accelerating industrial development in the state. This partnership between the UKIBC and West Bengal government will help to boost business and industrial development in the state by proactively developing the business environment and strengthening collaboration with British businesses in the state, a senior official said.

The MoU was signed last week at a virtual roundtable between WBIDC managing director, Vandana Yadav and UKIBC managing director, Kevin McCole in the presence of Nick Low, British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata. “I am delighted to be signing this MoU, deepening the UKIBC

partnership….. I have to say that I have never been more impressed by the dynamism and determination of political and bureaucratic leadership. This is one of the reasons why the UKIBC is so keen to engage and why so many UK businesses want to enter and expand their investment in West Bengal,” McCole said.

UK businesses such as BT, Diageo, Chivas Brothers, PwC, HSBC and Standard Chartered are already significant investors in West Bengal.

The roundtable also examined measures to support businesses in a post Covid-19 world. What was clear is that governments and industry are looking beyond the current crisis to re-shape and strengthen economies, sociosupply chains, economic development and business norms post Covid19, a statement said.

Following the footsteps of Silver Lake, another US firm KKR will invest £5.55 billion for a 1.3% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL). The transaction has valued RRVL at £42 billion, similar to the value assigned by Silver Lake.

With the KKR deal, Mukesh Ambani has sold just over 3% in RRVL to external investors for £1.31 billion. The retail unit, established by Ambani in 2006, is part of his sprawling energy-totelecom conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL).

The foreign money will help RIL finance its acquisitions (it has recently announced the purchase of Future Retail and is in discussions to buy majority stake in a few online startups). It will also aid the assault on rivals Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart in the world’s second-most populous

country where Covid has accelerated a shift in consumer behaviour from brick-and-mortar retail to e-commerce.

While Ambani had said that he has received strong interest from investors in the retail business, he had not specified the total quantum of stake he intends to sell in RRVL. He has, however, offered existing financial investors of his digital services and telecom unit Jio Platforms an opportunity to invest in the retail business. Both Silver Lake and KKR had invested in Jio Platforms the former had put in £1.02 billion (stake of just over 2% in the company), while KKR had infused £1.14 billion (for 2.3%). More investors are expected to check into RRVL as Ambani increases his focus on the consumer business, which will power the conglomerate’s profits in the coming years.

PD Power Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

This week, we manged to get ‘permission’ to convert a dilapidated corner building in a posh part of Harrow on the Hill into 6 rooms under the HMO regulations.

Previously, we had tried to obtain a 9 room HMO, by going through the planning process. This had over 50 objections, despite us tweaking the design in line with the planning officer’s recommendation midway, this was refused. Interestingly, we did not require permission for this site, as it comes under central government legislation which can only be over ridden by the local council if they have applied for an Article 4. They had not, and therefore, the road was clear for development. They had no power to block this application.

What was applied for was a certificate of lawful development. This is simply confirmation from the council that we could do what we wanted to do. However, it was not, strictly speaking, required. I chose to obtain it because I did not want to be half way through a build only for the council to turn up at the door step and halt the development, perhaps because something had come to light from the 18th Century.

Given the previous opposition I thought it is prudent to obtain this unnecessary, but necessary, piece of paper in advance of commencing the works.

Strangely, this mere formality was called into committee by one of the councillors. We simply could not understand why this was done. It delayed our permission, even though there was not a lot they could do about it as it was outside of their remit. However, called in it was, much to our and our planning team’s frustration.

If they refused this, it is a certainty we would have been granted the permission on appeal. In this situation the council would have been liable for costs. Even by this act of calling it in to committee unnecessarily it could be argued that they could be liable.

There was the usual 3 mins of speech during which we had the opportunity to present from our side, in defence of our position, which was mostly a reminder to them that this was unnecessary and would be a cost to the council should this be a refusal. The councillor who called this into committee was under no illusion that they had no power to stop this from going ahead. It was simply to illustrate to all the members that this is happening on their doorstep and they have no power to stop it.

When it came to the vote even the councillor voted in favour of the application, as did every other member. The decision for approval was unanimous, despite circa 40 objections to the application.

This shows the power the Permitted Development rights have. Interestingly, the initials PD represents an Indonesian Martial Art, which I have practiced for many years. Here PD stands for Perisai Diri, which means Self Shield. This is just one segment in action, however, there are many which can be applied to a whole range of scenarios, and building types, and they circumvent local councils and objections; even if the whole street objected it would have zero relevance. From one point it can be argued this is unfair. Whatever the opinions and sentiments, the point being this is a tool which can be wielded with certainty by developers. It is an alchemical process which can be used to transform the use of a building and unlock profits.

APPLE OPENS ONLINE STORE IN INDIA Apple began sales from its online store in India from last week, also coming closer to open a company-owned outlet that it calls one of its most-promising globally. This is the first time that the company has started sales on its own as it had been selling through third-party offline and online partners so far. However, with focus shifting to India in a strong way and the company boosting its manufacturing power here, it is now strengthening direct sales in the country. Apple analysts said response on the opening day has been “very positive”, especially as there has been traction in the online space amid the pandemic. The company is offering full range of its product line-up, ranging from iPhones, iPads, watches and Mac range of computers.

SEBI EASES RULES FOR RIGHTS OFFERS To make it easier for listed entities to get more capital, Sebi revised fund-raising rules. These include allowing companies to make limited disclosures if they mobilise funds through the rights offer route, provided they met all the disclosure norms. The regulator decided to amend the Sebi (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations “with an objective to make the fund-raising through this route easier, faster and costeffective,” it said. The amendments allowed companies to make truncated disclosures, provided the company has been filing periodic reports, statements, information in compliance with listing regulations for last one year instead of last three years, as was required earlier. Sebi also allowed companies in which three years have passed after a change in its management.

20

PAKISTAN & BANGLADESH

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Pak PM against hasty withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan Washington: The stakeholders involved in the Afghan peace process should refrain from the temptation for setting "unrealistic" timelines for an early withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan as it would be "unwise" to do so, said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, Khan said that all partners in the Afghan peace process should "resist the temptation" for setting early timelines and guard against those actors who wish to see instability in Afghanistan for their own geopolitical interest.

"A hasty international withdrawal from Afghanistan would be unwise. We should also guard against regional spoilers who are not invested in peace and see instability in Afghanistan as advantageous for their own geopolitical ends," he wrote in

Imran Khan

the US daily.

This statement in the backdrop of a meeting between delegations from the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha (Qatar) on September 12 for the resumption of negotiations, toward a political settlement in Afghanistan.

Talking about the ongoing talks, Khan said that intraAfghan negotiations will require patience and compromise from all sides. He said that "a blood-

less deadlock on the negotiating table is infinitely better than a bloody stalemate on the battlefield." His statement comes after the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad recently in an interview said that the Taliban would not agree to a comprehensive ceasefire until there is a political settlement.

Amid continues attack by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Khalilzad had said that Washington is ready to work with the Afghan government and the terrorist group.

Afghan official Abdullah in Pakistan Meanwhile, senior Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah arrived in Pakistan on Monday for meetings in a country seen as vital to the success of Afghan talks aimed at ending decades of war. During his three-day visit to Islamabad, Abdullah, a former

foreign minister and chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, will meet Prime Minister Imran Khan as well as Pakistan's foreign minister.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been rocky. Afghanistan and its international allies have for years accused Pakistan of backing Taliban insurgents as a way to limit the influence of old rival India in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies that and in turn accuses Afghanistan of letting antiPakistan militants plot attacks from Afghan soil, which Afghanistan denies.

"Pakistan fully supports all efforts for peace," its foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. "The visit of Dr Abdullah Abdullah will contribute to further strengthening amity, brotherhood and close cooperation."

Shahbaz Sharif arrested, Zardari indicted in money laundering cases LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Leader of the Opposition and PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif was arrested in Lahore while an anticorruption court in Islamabad indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari in a money laundering case on Monday, days before joint Opposition's planned protests to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Shahbaz, the younger brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was taken into custody from the Lahore High Court's premises, where a large number of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) workers gathered ahead of the hearing in the USD 41.9 million money laundering case.

A two-member LHC bench headed by judge Sardar Ahmed Naeem rejected Shahbaz's bail plea after hearing the arguments from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)

team and his lawyer. The NAB arrested Shahbaz and took him to its Lahore's detention centre.

It will produce him to the accountability court for his physical remand.

The Imran Khan government last week filed the money laundering case against 69year-old Shahbaz, who served as chief minister of Punjab province from 2008 to 2018, and his family. Before his arrest, Shahbaz told the media that Prime Minister Khan wanted to have him arrested. 'It is the unholy alliance of Imran Khan and NAB that wanted to put me behind bars,' Shahbaz said.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz strongly criticised the arrest of her uncle and party president Shehbaz, saying he was being 'punished' for standing by his brother Sharif's side.

In a tweet, Sharif said 'this puppet government has endorsed the resolution adopted by the

Top Pak court stays release of Daniel Pearl murder accused ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday barred the Sindh government from releasing British-born al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and his three aides - the main accused in the abduction and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. In April, a two-judge Sindh High Court bench commuted the death sentence of 46-year-old Sheikh, who was convicted in the abduction and murder of Pearl in 2002, to seven years. The court also acquitted his three aides who were serving life terms in the case – almost two decades after they were found guilty and jailed.

Two days after the Sindh High Court overturned Sheikh's conviction, the Sindh government invoked the Maintenance of Public Order to keep the four convicts in jail.

Their detention period is set to expire on September 30. The Sindh government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court verdict. Pearl's parents also filed an appeal to the Supreme Court against the judgment of the high court.

opposition's [multi-party conference].

'Shahbaz Sharif had already said all of the [MPC's] decisions would be implemented whether he is in prison or outside.

No one should be mistaken that such disgraceful tactics will make us bow down.' In Islamabad, accountability court Judge Muhammad Azam Shahbaz Sharif Khan indicted Zardari pleaded not guilty to the and his sister Faryal Talpur in a charges against them. case about the alleged use of Reacting to the developfake accounts by the former ment, Pakistan People's Party president and other accused to Chairman Bilawal Bhuttopark and launder the allegedly Zardari said 'political victimisaill-gotten wealth. The 63-yeartion of the opposition continold husband of the country's ues during a global pandemic'. first woman prime minister 'Runaway dictator traitor, Benazir Bhutto and his 62-yearthree special assistants, minisold sister Talpur were present in ters and the premier's sister the court, which also indicted won’t be summoned because Omni Group Chairman Anwar we have two laws in Pakistan,' Majeed and his son, Abdul he said in a tweet.

Ghani Majeed. All the accused

Bangla PM seeks international help to settle Rohingya issue NEW YORK: Raising the issue of the presence of Rohingya refugees in her country for more than three years, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the global community to play a more "effective role" in finding a solution.

Speaking at the 75th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Hasina said, "Bangladesh provided temporary shelter to over 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. More than three years have elapsed.

Regrettably, not a single Rohingya could be repatriated. The problem was created by Myanmar and its solution must be found in Myanmar. I request the international community to play a more effective role for a solution to the crisis." She further spoke about the challenges posed by Covid-19 outbreak and appealed to the international community to combat the virus with a collective will. "Just as the Second World War created opportunities for countries to come together in their efforts to cooperate, through the establishment of the United Nations, similarly this pandemic

has emphasised the need for collective action under the guidance of right leadership," the Bangalseh Prime Minister asserted.

"The pandemic is a Sheikh Hasina stark reminder that our fates are interconnected and that no one is secured until everyone is secured," she said.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister also sought for technical know-how and patents so that her country can go for vaccine production in mass-scale. "We hope that the Covid19 vaccine will soon be available in the world.

It is imperative to treat the vaccine as a 'global public good'. We need to ensure the timely availability of this vaccine to all countries at the same time," she said. "If we are provided with the technical know-how and patents, the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh has the capacity to go for vaccine production in mass-scale," Hasina concluded.

in brief CHINA EASES ENTRY RULES FOR FOREIGNERS China eased restrictions on some foreigners’ entry into the country, almost six months after it nearly sealed its borders to limit the spread of the pandemic. Foreigners holding residence permits for work, personal matters and reunions were allowed to enter China from September 28, the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs said. Those whose permits expired can apply for relevant new visas, it said. The ministry said foreigners entering China will need to “strictly abide by the regulations on epidemic prevention and control”. Under current rules, travellers to China are subject to a 14-day quarantine and virus tests upon arrival. Those who test positive will be treated or monitored in designated hospitals or isolation facilities.

N KOREA KILLS SOUTH ‘DEFECTOR’, BURNS HIS BODY A South Korean official apparently trying to defect to North Korea was shot and killed by troops in the North who set his body on fire for fear he might be carrying the coronavirus, Seoul said. The official who was killed was a first mate on a government ship monitoring fishing boats near a disputed sea border with North. A North Korean fishing patrol boat found the man wearing a life jacket and clinging to a floatable device, South Korean officials said. Hours later, they said, a North Korean navy ship approached the man and opened fire, although it was clear he was trying to defect. North Korean soldiers wearing gas masks and other protective gear then poured oil on his body and set it on fire, they said. South Korea’s defence ministry called the killing an“atrocious” act. North Korea has yet to comment. If confirmed by the North, it would be the first time that the country has killed a South Korean citizen in its territory since 2008.

PALESTINIAN RIVALS AGREE TO HOLD ELECTION IN SIX MONTHS Palestinian factions have agreed to hold an election within six months, in the latest of many attempts to end more than a decade of infighting between President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement and his Islamist rival Hamas. The factions renewed reconciliation efforts after Israel reached diplomatic accords with the UAE and Bahrain, an event that dismayed Palestinians and prompted their leaders to try to present a united front. “The two sides have agreed in principle to hold elections within six months,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas official in Istanbul, where officials from both groups met over the past two days.

HK ACTIVIST WONG HELD FOR ILLEGAL ASSEMBLY LAST OCT Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong said he was arrested again for allegedly participating in an unauthorised assembly last October.

Wong tweeted that he was arrested when he reported to the Central Police Station as part of a bail requirement. He said he was also accused of violating a precoronavirus law banning the wearing of masks in public places on the pretext they obscure identity. Wong told reporters after leaving the police station that it is the third case against him.

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AFRICA & SRI LANKA 21

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in brief EMBATTLED SIKHS, HINDUS LEAVE AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan’s dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus is shrinking to its lowest levels.

With growing threats from the local IS affiliate, many are choosing to leave the country of their birth to escape the insecurity and a once-thriving community of as many as 2,50,000 members now counts fewer than 700. The community’s numbers have been declining for years because of deep-rooted discrimination in the majority Muslim country. But, without what they say is protection from the government, the attacks by the Islamic State group may complete the exodus. “We are no longer able to stay here,” said a member of the tiny community, who asked to be identified only by his last name, Hamdard, out of fear he may be targeted for speaking out. Hamdard said seven relatives of his, including his sister, nephews, and son-in-law were killed

by IS gunmen in an attack on the community’s temple in March, which killed 25 Sikhs. Hamdard joined a group of Sikhs and Hindus who left Afghanistan last month for India.

NEPAL PLANS TO CONDUCT CENSUS IN KALAPANI AREAS After its recent move to include the map showing Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas of Pithoragarh in its school textbooks as well as on coins, the Nepalese government is now planning to conduct a census in these areas which it has been claiming as its own. Nepal conducts a census every 10 years and its next census exercise is due in May next year. The exercise, by the country’s National Planning Commission and its Central Bureau of Statistics, involves a nationwide door-to-door survey.

DOZENS KILLED IN FRESH AFGHAN CLASHES At least 57 members of Afghan security forces were killed and dozens injured in fresh clashes with Taliban fighters across the country. The fresh clashes took place while teams representing the Taliban and the Afghan government were deliberating on peace in the Qatari capital since Sept. 12. But little headway has been made, particularly on a ceasefire. Sunday night's bloodiest clashes were in the central province of Uruzgan, where 24 members of the Afghan security forces were killed when Taliban fighters attacked security checkpoints.

Clashes and casualties were also reported in the provinces of Takhar, Helmand, Kapisa, Balkh, Maidan Wardak and Kunduz. In Balkh, the Taliban took hostage three members of Afghanistan's spy organisation, the National Directorate of Security. The Taliban did not confirm casualties on their side, but according to a spokesman for the Pamir military corps said 54 of the insurgents were killed in clashes in Kunduz, Takhar and Baghlan provinces.

NAVALNY APPEARS IN PUBLIC AFTER LEAVING BERLIN HOSPITAL Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny made his first public appearance last week after being discharged from a Berlin hospital where Germany said he was being treated for poisoning by a potentially deadly nerve agent. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the incident and said it has yet to see evidence of a crime. A tiredlooking Navalny posted a picture of himself on a park bench on Instagram after the hospital treating him announced he had been discharged. The 44-year-old said he planned to have physiotherapy and might follow treatment at a rehabilitation centre to regain his motor skills, including the full use of his left hand.

Rajapaksa praises Modi for cooperation, hand of friendship COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa praised his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for extending help and cooperation to his country in several areas, including in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, as the two leaders held a 'very successful' virtual summit and agreed to boost the 'robust' bilateral ties.

Rajapaksa’s office released a voice recording of the remarks he made during the summit with Prime Minister Modi. 'I must thank your Honour for the invitation extended to attend this summit. This is my first meeting with you since I became the Prime Minister,' Rajapaksa said.

'Even though we are not meeting face to face our historical friendship would continue to grow', he said, adding that as the leader of the SAARC, India has taken the lead in fostering regional cooperation. 'Prime Minister @narendramodi and I held a very successful Virtual Summit today to exchange views on the #SriLanka – #India bilateral cooperation. We both agreed to continue the two-way dialogue to further advance the centuries-old, robust relationship between our two countries,' Rajapaksa said in a tweet.

The Sri Lankan prime minister told his Indian counterpart

Mahinda Rajapaksa and Narendra Modi

that his party had received a large electoral mandate at two successive elections. 'We are happy with the large mandate we received and I wish to assure you that we will make use of the mandate and create conditions for all communities to live in coexistence,' he said.

On regional security, he told Modi that Sri Lanka was aware of India's ready cooperation and understanding of issues concerning security and international borders.'You are supportive of our efforts to find solutions to these issues while emphasising the need to work in close cooperation,” he said.

Rajapaksa recalled that India had assisted Sri Lanka in combating Coid-19 as the island nation had received praise from the WHO for curbing the pandemic. Rajapaksa said the economies of both countries were presented with opportuni-

ties in the post-Covid phase as Sri Lanka was bent on concentrating on an economy based on local production. He recalled the joint Indo-Lanka effort in handling the oil tanker fire off Sri Lanka’s east coast and said he was thankful to India for its assistance.

The summit was the result of Modi’s initiative during his telephone conversation with Rajapaksa after the ruling SLPP recorded a landslide win in the August parliamentary election.

Lanka seeks deferment of debt payments from India Rajapaksa, meanwhile, sought an additional currency swap facility and deferment of debt payments from India during the summit. Lanka owes about $960 million to India and earlier this year India agreed to a $400 million currency swap facility for Sri Lanka until November 2022.

"An additional request for a bilateral currency swap arrangement worth around $1 billion by the Sri Lankan side remains under discussion," said the Indian foreign ministry in a statement. Modi told Rajapaksa that under the country's "Neighbourhood First" policy, India will continue to "give special priority to relations between the two countries", said the officials.

Sri Lanka has become an arena of competing influence between India and China, which has built ports, power stations and highways as part of President Xi Jinping's signature "Belt and Road Initiative", designed to boost trade and transport links across Asia. But the terms of some of these projects have drawn domestic criticism in Sri Lanka and opened the way for countries such as India, the United States and Japan to rebuild ties in the Indian Ocean country that lies near key shipping lanes.

Rajapaksa, who won a general election last year after promising to pull the country out of its deepest economic slump, has to service mounting external debt amidst the coronavirus pandemic. He told Modi that the Sri Lankan government's policies will facilitate deeper economic and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The Uganda Convention UK The Uganda Convention UK has achieved milestones and surpassed all its targets in the years since its establishment in 2010.

The foundation for this initiative was in reflection of our quest to contribute positively to our Uganda’s economy and increase its GDP through showcasing Uganda as the “Land of opportunities”.

The purpose of the Uganda Convention is to offer authoritative insight on development trends and opportunities in Uganda through a forum that bring together experts, senior government officials, business leaders, professionals and representatives from prominent organisations based in Uganda, the UK, Africa and internationally.

It is our duty to Control the Narrative: “Uganda is the Land of Opportunity” and pivoting the role of the Ugandan Diaspora from family remitters to financial and social investors.

Uganda has been consistently drawing the highest FDI in East Africa, attracting between $250 – 300 million in FDI annually between 2010 and 2016 – largely due to its stable and consistent macro-economic policies, liberalized business environment, proximity as a logistics hub within the Great Lakes region and increased regional trade. British investors were particularly active, with 10 project commitments, followed by Dutch companies.

The convention brings together experts, high profile business and government delegates from Uganda and UK, business leaders, Ugandans in the Diaspora, professionals and representatives from prominent organisations based in Uganda, the UK and beyond. Delegates have access to up-to-date information on the vast potential for investment that Uganda offers to both the domestic and international community. They can acquire business tips, obtain relevant literature on pri-

ority sectors for investment, take part in an interactive Q & A session and hear about the realities of doing business in Uganda.

The delegates also have a chance to a one on one with a dedicated team from a One Stop Centre (OSC) to answer questions from business registration, tax advice and registration, immigration and work permit issues, land acquisition and verification, as well as environmental compliance, approvals and licensing.

The 2013 Index of Economic Freedom ranked Uganda, the 8th freest economy out of the 46 Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

The business operating environment allows the full repatriation of profits after payment of mandatory taxes as well as 100% foreign ownership of private investments. The incentive regime is structurally embedded in the country’s tax laws making them non-discriminatory and accessible to both domestic and foreign investment depending on the sector and level of investment.

Over 100 UK and UK companies operating in Uganda; include well-known companies like Tullow Oil, Standard Chartered Bank, Barclays Bank, Unilever, Citibank; Prudential; AIG; Caterpillar; John Deere; NCR; Sheraton; Marriott; FedEx, Ernst & Young, Deloitte; Price Waterhouse Coopers; General Motors; Coca-Cola; Pepsi-Cola; and American Tower Corporation, Shell and British Airways.

Benefits for British businesses exporting to Uganda include; • stable, liberalised economy • strong natural resource base • government commitment to private sector • low cost workforce • part of 2 regional blocs which increases the potential consumer base • attractive investment policies A potential investor considering investing in Uganda, will find a well-regulated highly liberalised economy in which all sectors are open for investment with a free movement of capital to and from the country. Top prospect sectors for UK exports to Uganda include; agro-processing, farm and construction equipment; oil production technologies; power generation; renewable energy technologies; manufacturing equipment; information and communication technology products; medical equipment; pharmaceuticals; cosmetics; and consumer goods.

“Britain’s reputation – the goods and services offered by British businesses are often, if not always, considered superior to those of its competitors. It is seen to have a quality, akin to a Kitemark Standard, that others simply don’t match. Uganda Government is very keen on the involvement of British project management whilst other countries can offer cheap labour."

More information at https://www.ugandanconventionuk.org/

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At UN, India calls Pak terror epicentre NEW YORK: Following another attempt by Pakistan to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, India described Pakistan as a country recognised globally as the epicentre of terrorism. During his address to a high-level meeting on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UN, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said J&K and Palestine were the UN’s most glaring and long-standing disputes and the people of Jammu and Kashmir still awaited “fulfilment of the commitment made to them by the UN to grant them their right to self-determination”.

Exercising India’s right to reply, first secretary in India’s permanent mission to the UN, Vidisha Maitra, said Pakistan was a country which was globally recognised as the

epicentre of terrorism, which by its own admission harboured and trained terrorists, and hailed them as martyrs and consistently persecuted its ethnic and religious minorities.

Maitra was referring to Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s remarks in the country’s Parliament where he had termed former Al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden as a martyr. “We

reject the malicious reference made to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. If there is an item that is unfinished on the agenda of the UN, it is that of tackling the scourge of terrorism,” Maitra said.

With Pakistan yet again raising the Kashmir issue at a UN platform, Maitra said India had hoped that during this

solemn commemoration of a shared global milestone, the General Assembly would be spared another repetition of the baseless falsehoods that have now become a trademark of Pakistan’s interventions on such platforms.

“However, for a nation that is bereft of milestones, one can only expect a stonewalled and stymied approach to reason, diplomacy and dialogue. What we heard today is the neverending fabricated narrative presented by the Pakistani representative about the internal affairs of India,” she said. Strongly rejecting the malicious reference made to J&K, Maitra said Pakistan “will do well to turn its attention inwards to immediately address these pressing concerns instead of diverting attention from them by misusing UN platforms”.

China's Uighurs detention centres expanding BEIJING: China’s network of detention centres in the northwest Xinjiang region is much bigger than previously thought and is being expanded, even as Beijing says it is winding down a “re-education” programme for ethnic Uighurs that has been condemned internationally, new research released by an Australian thinktank showed.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said it had identified more than 380 “suspected detention facilities” in the region, where the United Nations says more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking residents have been held in recent years. China has said the camps are vocational skills training centres and a necessary part of efforts to counter the threat of “extremism”.

The number of facilities is around 40 per cent higher than

previous estimates. “The findings of this research contradict Chinese officials’ claims that all “trainees” from so-called vocational skills training centres had “graduated” by late 2019,” lead researcher Nathan Ruser wrote.

“Instead, available evidence suggests that many extrajudicial detainees are now being formally charged and locked up in higher security facilities.”

The researchers used satellite imagery, witness accounts, media reports and official construction tender documents to classify the detention facilities into four tiers depending on the existence of security features such as high perimeter walls, watchtowers and internal fencing. It found at least 61 detention sites had seen new construction and expansion work in the year to July 2020.

Fourteen more facilities remain under construction, while around 70 had had fencing or perimeter walls removed,

China attacked Indian sat communications: US report WASHINGTON: “Computer network attack against Indian satellite communications in 2017” is one among a slew of counter-space activities carried out by China since 2007, listed in a new report by US-based China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), which provides China’s space narrative among other things. Isro, while conceding that cyber attacks are a constant threat, maintains that its systems have not been compromised so far.

The 142-page report notes that between 2012 and 2018, China carried out multiple cybe rattacks, but elaborates on the result only in one case. In 2012, a Chinese network-based computer attack on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the report points out, “allowed ‘full functional control’ over JPL networks”. The report quotes multiple sources while listing out some of these attacks.

India, as part of its counterspace capabilities, demonstrated Anti-Satellite (ASat) missile technology on March 27, 2019, which equipped India with a ‘kinetic kill’ option to destroy enemy satellites. But the CASI report points to how China has multiple other counterspace technologies that are intended to threaten adversary space systems from ground to geosynchronous orbit (GEO).

indicating their use had changed or they had been closed. It noted that more than 90 per cent of the sites were lower-tier security facilities.

The data forms part of the institute’s Xinjiang Data Project, which includes details not only about the network of detention facilities – creating 3D animated models – but also the region’s cultural sites such as mosques.

Ruser noted that many of the centres that had been expanded were higher security facilities, while others had been built close

to industrial parks, suggesting those who had been charged might also have been sent to “walled factory compounds for forced labour assignments”.

Politicians in the United States recently voted to ban imports from Xinjiang, citing the alleged use of systematic forced labour. Beijing recently published a white paper defending its policies in the semi-autonomous region, where it says training programmes, work schemes and better education mean life has improved.

Now China triggers a border row with Nepal NEW DELHI: China's quest to expand its border with its neighbours is never ending.

After its ongoing border rows with India and its claim over south China sea, Bhutan, and other neighbours, it is now trying to annex territories of Nepal. Now China has triggered a border row with Nepal by constructing 11 buildings in a part of the remote border district of Humla, reports in the Nepalese media say.

The border district of Humla is claimed

by Nepal as its own territory. The construction of the buildings by the Chinese security and border forces have been reported to the Home Ministry of Nepal. Since Nepal built a road several years ago, a border pillar has been missing.

There was only a hut in the area in 2005, according to officials who visited the disputed area recently. The Chinese side claimed that the area where the houses are built falls within their territory, according to Bishnu Bahadur Tamang, chair of the Namkha Rural Municipality.

The reports said that during an inspection led by a team headed by district officer Chirinjbi Giri last week, the Chinese officials claimed that their territory extended one kilometre further south from the area where the buildings are located.

After the Nepalese officials reached the site, the Chinese security personnel arrived and asked the Nepali officials to go to the border for talks. Tamang said that they spent around one and half hours. After we reached, a team of the Chinese Army and security officials came and said talks cannot be held on their territory. We claimed that the area to be ours, but they showed us the map and said that it is theirs.

We left the place after that, Tamang said.

In 2015, both Nepal and China had agreed to ascertain the location of the missing pillar. However, no steps had been taken. According to Chakka Bahadur Lama, the pillar was damaged during the road construction on Nepali territory 12 years back. That area where the Chinese have built the concrete road buildings is an old yak caravan route which is used for trade between Nepal and Tibet.

in brief LUKASHENKO IS SECRETLY SWORN IN AS BELARUS PREZ Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in for a sixth term as president of Belarus in a secret ceremony last week - and used the occasion to declare victory over protesters who have gathered in large numbers for more than a month to contest a re-election that they call fraudulent. “This is the day of our victory, a convincing and fateful one,” Lukashenko told about 700 guests. “We didn’t just elect the country’s president. We defended our values, our peaceful life, our sovereignty and independence.” An opposition politician, Pavel Latushko, denounced the president’s move and called on the public “to immediately start a civil disobedience campaign.” The inauguration, which by law must be broadcast live on television, was conducted under wraps at the Independence Palace, Lukashenko’s residence in Minsk.

US JUDGE HALTS BAN ON TIKTOK DOWNLOADS A US federal judge on Sunday halted a politically charged ban ordered by the Trump administration on downloads of the popular video app TikTok, hours before it was to go into effect. District Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary injunction at the request of TikTok. The opinion was sealed, so no reason for the decision was released in a one-page order by the court. The Trump administration order sought to ban new downloads of the app from midnight (9.30 IST on Monday) but would allow use of TikTok until November 12, when all usage would be blocked. The judge denied TikTok’s request to suspend the November 12 ban. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the Trump administration of “abusing national power to unreasonably suppress other countries’ enterprises”.

500 WHALES STRANDED IN OZ, 380 DEAD More pilot whales were found stranded in Australia last week, raising the estimated total to nearly 500, including 380 that have died, in the largest mass stranding ever recorded in the country. Authorities had already been working to rescue survivors among an estimated 270 whales found on a beach near Strahan in Tasmania. Another 200 stranded whales were spotted from a helicopter less than 10km to the south. All 200 had been confirmed dead.

SAUDI ARABIA TO RE-ALLOW UMRAH FROM OCT 4 Saudi Arabia will allow pilgrims residing inside the country to undertake the umrah pilgrimage beginning on October 4, after a seven-month pause due to coronavirus concerns, state news agency SPA reported. Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina undertaken any time of the year. Saudi Arabia will allow 6,000 residents inside the kingdom to perform umrah daily, SPA added. Beginning November 1, Saudi Arabia will allow visitors from specific countries deemed safe to perform umrah at 100% of the revised capacity, SPA said.

J&J KICKS OFF FINAL TRIALS OF ITS ONE-SHOT VACCINE Buoyed by positive results in its earlier studies, Johnson & Johnson has begun the final stage of clinical trials for its Covid vaccine. Johnson & Johnson’s trials in the US, which began last week, will be the largest, with plans to enroll 60,000 participants. The experimental vaccine may have advantages over some of its competitors, experts said, as it does not need to be stored in subzero temperatures, and may require just one dose instead of two. J&J is the fourth vaccine maker to move its candidate into late stage human trials in the US. Dr Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer of J&J, said that the firm might be able to determine by the end of the year if the vaccine is safe and effective.

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in brief JNANPITH AWARD CONFERRED ON POET AKKITHAM The prestigious Jnanpith award was conferred on poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham, at a special function held at his house at Kumaranallur in Palakkad district of Kerala on September 24. The award was presented to the veteran poet by A K Balan, minister for law, cultural affairs, parliamentary affairs and SC, ST and OBC welfare in the government of Kerala, in the presence of CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who joined the ceremony virtually.

Akkitham had been announced the winner of the Jnanpith award in November last year but the presentation was delayed due to the coronavirus lockdown. In light of his deteriorating health condition, the ceremony was organised at the litterateur’s house and was attended by Jnanpith selection board chairman Pratibha Ray, former awardee Vasudevan Nair and Bharatiya Jnanpith director Madhusudan Anand.

BALIKA VADHU' DIRECTOR NOW SELLS VEGETABLES The coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown resulted in thousands losing their jobs in the country. With TV and film shoots coming to an unexpected halt for around three months, a lot of people in the industries are having to battle financial woes.

Ram Vriksha Gaur, one of the directors of the hugely popular TV show Balika Vadhu, has been hit by the pandemic and is now selling vegetables in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh. "I came to Azamgarh for the recce of a film.

When the lockdown was announced we were still here and there was no way we could return to Mumbai. The project we were working on stopped and the producer said it would take a year or more to get back to work. I decided to take over my father's business and started selling vegetables. I am quite familiar with the business and have no regrets,"says Gaur. Speaking about his journey in Mumbai, Gaur said, "I went to Mumbai in 2002 with the help of my friend and writer Shahnawaz Khan. I started with the light department and then moved into the production department of TV shows.

Then, after working as an assistant directors in quite a few serials, I worked as the episode director and unit director of Balika Vadhu".

BIHAR EX-DGP JOINS JD (U) Former Bihar DGP Gupteswar Pandey, who was all over national TV for the last few months, joined the state’s ruling JD (U) amid indications he would contest the assembly polls beginning next month. Pandey joined the party in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the JD (U) president, less than a week after taking voluntary retirement from service. His muchanticipated induction took place a day after he met Kumar and insisted there was nothing political in their conversation. The 1987 batch IPS officer had strongly defended Kumar on the issue of institution of a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

FORMER MINISTER JASWANT SINGH PASSES AWAY Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh passes away at the age of 82 due to cardiac arrest.

During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s rule, Singh handled crucial portfolios including finance, defence and external affairs. He also served as a soldier in Indian Army before joining politics. Many political and other influential personalities paid tributes to Jaswant Singh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted, ‘Jaswant Singh Ji served our nation diligently, first as a soldier and later during his long association with politics. During Atal Ji’s government, he handled crucial portfolios and left a strong mark in the worlds of finance, defence and external affairs. Saddened by his demise’.

Cong MP moves SC challenging farm bills Amid protests against the new farm laws, especially in Punjab and Haryana, Congress MP from Kerala T N Prathapan moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking to declare the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and related notifications as unconstitutional and illegal.

The 58-year-old MP from Thrissur said the new law providing to monetise agricultural produce of farmers would render nearly 150 million people engaged in farming defenceless against big agricultural corporations, who would wring them dry and cartelise to force farmers to sell their produce at cheaper rates.

Advocating resurrection and strengthening of Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees under the 2003 Act, he said it would ensure no farmer was exploited by intermediaries and that all food produce was brought to a common market to be sold through auction.

"Without the APMCs acting as a protective shield around farmers, the market would ultimately fall to the corporate greed of multinational companies who are more profit-oriented and have no care for the conditions of poverty-stricken farmers who are dependent on farming for their livelihood. The APMCs deterred exploitation of farmers by providing a minimum support price (MSP) which would guarantee that the farmer who comes to the APMC would not leave empty handed," he said.

Prathapan said agriculture in

India was characterised by small land holdings and was heavily dependent on weather and vagaries of market demand.

"These challenges cannot be addressed by way of monetisation of farmers’ produce to increase their income. Instead, strengthening the existing APMC system by infusing more capital and effective management of MSP is the need of the hour," he added.

Freedom from mandis will benefit farmers: Modi Explaining the utility of the farm reforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited instances of a large number of farmers who had benefited from being allowed to sell farm produce outside the precincts of APMCs. Dwelling on the farm sector during his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address, Modi said that farmers had flourished when freed from the restriction of selling at mandis only, adding that they would now have complete freedom to sell.

The PM lauded farmers for strengthening the country’s agriculture sector and said the farm sector played a major role

in building a self-reliant India.

“The stronger it is, the stronger will be the foundation of a selfreliant India,” he said. He pointed to a rise in incomes of farmers who benefited from innovative practices and options to sell their produce.

The PM said that he had received many letters from farmers and interacted with some groups to know that changes in agriculture, new dimensions and innovations were giving it strength. He cited examples of farmers from Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh who narrated how they had benefited and made bigger profits by selling their farm produce directly to buyers of their choice, in some cases, even fivestar hotels.

Modi said similar benefits would now percolate to farmers across the country, where they would be outside of the clutches of middlemen even as they got remunerative prices. “Now, they have got freedom to sell not only fruits and vegetables but whatever they produce - paddy, wheat, mustard, sugarcane -

India may go for leasing of military equipment India’s new defence acquisition procedure (DAP) abolishes offsets in government-to-government and single-vendor deals, enables leasing of military equipment, lays emphasis on framing realistic technical parameters for weapon systems and simplifies cumbersome trial procedures.

The new DAP, which comes into force from October 1, seeks to empower the domestic defence industry through the ‘Make in India’ initiative with the eventual aim of turning India into a global manufacturing hub, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

MoD officials, in turn, admitted the 15year-old offsets policy, under which at least 30% of the total contract value had to be ploughed back into India as re-investments, “loaded extra costs” into contracts while failing to bring critical military technology into the country. Foreign companies are known to increase the contract price by around 8-10% to cater for their offsets commitments, they said.

“So, offsets will not be applicable in government-to-government, IGA (intergovernmental agreement) and ab initio single-vendor deals in the future,” said Director General (Acquisitions) Apurva Chandra. This is significant in light of the latest CAG report, tabled in Parliament last week, which had slammed French firms Dassault Aviation and MBDA for their failure so far to fulfil offsets obligations in offering “high technology” to India under the £5.9 billion Rafale fighter deal inked in

September 2016.

The CAG had called for a major overhaul of the entire offsets policy, stressing that it had “scarcely met the objectives” of inducting advanced technology, attracting FDI and bolstering the domestic defence industrial base. As per the new DAP, offsets will continue in deals that have a multivendor competition and bidding. “The offsets guidelines have been revised, wherein preference will be given to manufacture of complete defence products instead of just components in India. Various multipliers have been added to incentivise discharge of offsets,” said Chandra.

The other big takeaway from the new DAP was the introduction of the new provision on leasing, which will allow the armed forces to quickly hire transport planes, mid-air refuelling aircraft, helicopters, simulators and the like for urgent operational requirements without huge initial costs and paying for their upkeep.

The DAP also provides for single-stage accord of AoN (acceptance of necessity) in all cases up to £50 million to cut delays.

anywhere they get a better price,” he said.

Farmers intensify protest Protests against the farm laws intensified as a tractor was set on fire near Delhi's India Gate on Monday. Five people, all residents of Punjab, were detained in connection with the incident.

"About 15-20 people had gathered around 7.15-7.30 am and tried to set a tractor on fire. The fire has been doused off and tractor was removed. Legal action is being taken in the matter," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Eish Singhal said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to lend support to the protests by farmers by leading an agitation in Punjab and will also address a rally, the date and time of which is being finalised, a senior party leader said. He may also join protesting farmers in Haryana if the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government allows him to enter the state.

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh began a sit-in protest at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh, on his birth anniversary. This is Singh's first protest against the farm bills, where he is expected to announce more plans to protest the farm legislations.A dusk-todawn bandh call is being followed in Karnataka on Monday by various farmers' organisations, pro-Kannada outfits besides the Opposition parties Congress and the JD(S), protesting the amendments to the APMC and land reforms acts made by the BS Yediyurappa government.

Bihar election dates announced The Election Commission last week announced polls to the 243-seat Bihar assembly that would test the fortunes of the ruling NDA alliance and the opposition RJD-Congress combine. The election, to be held over three phases - on October 28, November 3 and November 9 - with counting scheduled for November 10, will be keenly watched even if the RJD-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ is seen as the underdog at the starting line.

At the national level, the Modi government has faced unprecedented challenges by way of the impact of the pandemic on healthcare and economy as well as the prolonged military standoff with China - issues that will echo in the assembly polls despite the more usual focus on state and local matters.

While CM Nitish Kumar of JD (U), along with allies BJP and LJP, as well as some new partners, will seek to repeat NDA’s impressive performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it bagged 39 of 40 seats, RJD and Congress will look to exploit what is seen as a certain slackness in governance in Nitish’s third term.

There will be an inevitable element of polarisation as both sides look to consolidate support, and BJP is expected to point to issues like the successful litigation for Ram temple. If the polls are set to be a test of whether voters feel fatigued with Nitish who rescued the state from the lawlessness under RJD rule, they mark an opportunity for opposition’s CM face, Tejashwi Yadav, to prove wrong those who doubt he has the mettle to be a worthy successor to father and RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

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in brief

No-trust motion against Karnataka govt defeated BENGALURU: Amid uproar for a brief while, the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition Congress against the BJP government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was defeated by a voice vote on Saturday night.

"The motion is in favour of Nos. The motion is defeated by the voice vote," Speaker Kageri said as he wound up the current session of the Karnataka Assembly. While initiating the debate on the no-confidence motion, Congress veteran Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on the BJP government, more specifically on Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's family.

Alleging that the BJP government has lost the people's trust to continue in power, Siddaramaiah said the BJP never had the mandate to

BS Yediyurappa

rule the state. "You were short of enough numbers (in the assembly) but you came up with Operation Lotus. Yediyurappa is the father of Operation Lotus (a term used by the opposition to describe moves to lure legislators to BJP) in the country," K Siddaramaiah said as he began the debate on the no-confidence motion.

Siddaramaiah was referring to the fall of the Congress-JDS coalition government in July last year with some Congress

and JDS legislators resigning from the assembly and later joining the BJP. Alleging that the government failed to provide relief to the flood affected people in 2 0 1 9 , Siddaramaiah said the government had sought about £3.5 billion relief from the Centre whereas it got only £166.2 million. On the law and order front, Siddaramaiah claimed the government failed as two people were shot dead in Mangaluru during the antiCitizenship Amendment Act/National Register of Citizens protests.

Alleging the involvement of family in Yediyurappa's corruption, Siddaramaiah said there were charges against one

Vijayendra that he allegedly took bribe from a Bangalore Development Authority contractor to the tune of million of rupees. Vijayendra is an apparent reference to son BY Yediyurappa's Vijayendra, who is BJP state vice president.

Replying to the allegation, Yediyurappa challenged Siddaramaiah to prove the charge. "If there is an iota of truth that my family is involved, then I will retire from politics. If it is wrong then you resign.You should be ashamed of making baseless allegations," Yediyurappa said.

In the 225-member assembly, the ruling BJP has 116 members, Congress 67, JD(S) 33, BSP and nominated 1, independents 2, and Speaker (he has a casting vote). Four seats - Sira, Basavakalyan, RR Nagar and Maski are vacant.

PUNJAB

SAD quit NDA over farm bills amid chinks in ties CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over farm bills, but strains in relations between the two oldest allies had begun surfacing for over a year.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced the decision to snap ties with the NDA amid the stepped up farmer agitation in Punjab over the three farm legislations which were recently passed by Parliament.

It was, however, not for the first time that the two allies had differed on several issues, including various legislations.

On the Citizenship Amendment Act, the SAD had last year said the Act should not specify any particular religion and the right to acquire citizenship should be given to refugees of all religions.

Though the party had voted in favour of the contentious law in Parliament last year, it had maintained that it was against keeping out any religious

Sukhbir Singh Badal

community from the law's purview.

The SAD’s core committee had then reiterated that it supports the CAA to the extent that it protects the interests of the Sikh community but wanted the legislation to widen its ambit to include Muslims as well.

Later, in first signs that all was not well between the two allies, the SAD opted out of contesting this year's Delhi assembly polls.

The SAD had then announced that it would not contest the polls after it was asked by the Bharatiya Janata

Party to change its stand on the contentious CAA. Senior SAD leaders Daljit Singh Cheema and Manjinder Singh Sirsa had then said the party wanted to contest the elections in alliance with the BJP but were left with only two options - either to reconsider the stance over the amended Citizenship Act or decide against contesting the polls.

A year ago, differences between SAD and BJP surfaced when SAD's lone MLA from Kalanwali in Haryana, Balkaur Singh joined the BJP just weeks before the October 2019 Haryana polls. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had then lashed out at the BJP for inducting its lone sitting MLA in Haryana into its fold, saying what the saffron party has done is 'unethical and unfortunate'.

Barely days after SAD decided against contesting the Delhi assembly polls on the grounds cited by it, many senior saffron leaders started raising

pitch that the BJP workers have a dream of having their government in Punjab. Former Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma, meanwhile, was appointed as the Punjab BJP president in January.

Senior BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia had said in January that every party worker has a dream of having a BJP government in Punjab, while another party leader Madan Mohan Mittal pitched for contesting 50 per cent seats in the 2022 assembly polls.

Another BJP leader and former minister Master Mohan Lal had then said the saffron party should go alone in the 2022 assembly polls. Over the years, the SAD-BJP had settled seatsharing formula in the state, with the saffron party contesting on 23 seats and Akalis on 94 seats in assembly polls.

During parliamentary elections, the SAD fights on 10 seats and the BJP on three.

WEST BENGAL

Mamata announces more relaxations KOLKATA: After more than six months of closure due to Covid19 outbreak, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the cinema halls and open-air theatres can reopen from October 1 with a maximum crowd of 50 people.

Mamata also said that the jatras along with all the musical, dance, recital and magic shows will be allowed to reopen.

Mamata took to her official Twitter account to announce the news and said, "To return to normalcy, Jatras, Plays, OATs, Cinemas & all musical, dance, recital & magic shows shall be allowed to function with 50 participants or less from 1 Oct, subject to adherence to physical distancing norms, wearing of

masks & compliance to precautionary protocols."

West Bengal has so far reported a total of 2,44,240 coronavirus infections, of which, 25,544 are still active. The state has also witnessed 4,721 COVID-19 related deaths, which is up by 56 from September 25.

The capital Kolkata has been the worst-hit city that has a total of 53,816 infections and 4,925 cases are still active. Kolkata is followed by North 24 Parganas (48,876), Howrah (17,561) and South 24 Parganas (16,445). The state government's health bulletin said that they have tested 30,55,039 Covid-19 samples to date and the total number of hospitals dedicated for treating Covid-19 across the state stands at 92.

Aid for Durga Puja committees Meanwhile, the Mamata government announced that Rs 50,000 will be given to 28,000 Durga Puja committees in West Bengal. The amount has been doubled from the last year's Rs 25,000.

Making this announcement, Mamata advised people to take precautions while visiting Durga puja pandals amid the pandemic. She directed that pandals need to be open from all four sides, adding "Hand sanitizers should be placed at entry points of pandals, and the wearing of masks to be mandatory. Physical distancing needs to be maintained."

Mamata said, "I am requesting all to keep Durga puja pandal open and spacious.

If sides are covered, then keep

MURDER CHARGE AGAINST 9 TN COPS The CBI has charge-sheeted nine Tamil Nadu policemen for murder, conspiracy and destruction of evidence in the custodial deaths of P Jeyaraj and his son J Benicks of Sathankulam in Tuticorin district in June this year. They were also charged under various sections of the IPC for misconduct by a police official, intentionally giving false evidence, making false charges and criminal act. The chargesheet filed before the chief judicial magistrate in Madurai revealed that the father and son, arrested on June 19 evening, were tortured at the Sathankulam police station in the evening as well as in the intervening night. The victims died in the intervening night of June 22 and 23 due to their injuries.

SASIKALA SEEKS SECRECY ABOUT HER PRISON RELEASE VK Sasikala, close aide of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, wrote a letter requesting authorities of the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru not to release details of her release to any third parties under the Right to Information Act, according to media reports. Sasikala is currently serving a four-year jail sentence in a disproportionate assets case. This comes just days after prison authorities, on 16 September, in response to an RTI query, stated Sasikala's 'probable date' of release is 27 January, 2021. In a letter, Sasikala said the third parties file those applications for gaining publicity and also due to political vendetta. "The oblique motive of some applicants is to complicate my lawful release at the right time," the letter read.

PLEA AGAINST STUBBLE BURNING IN PUNJAB, HARYANA The Delhi High Court sought the Centre's response on a plea seeking immediate steps to prevent stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana on the grounds it would aggravate Covid-19 related problems. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the Centre on an application which contended that stubble burning would increase the air pollution drastically in the national capital and could further aggravate the health problems in the city in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The application was moved by Sudhir Mishra, an advocate, who urged the court that the central government be directed to coordinate a meeting between chief secretaries of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to address the issue.

During the hearing, Mishra told the court that stubble burning has already started in Punjab and Haryana.

BJP APPOINTS MUKUL ROY, TWO OTHERS ON KEY POSTS

Mamata Banerjee

the roof open. If the roof is closed, then keep sides open.

Also, maintain physical distancing. People visiting the pandal must wear the mask.

Keep more volunteers to ensure Covid protocols are being maintained," Mamata said, adding that cultural programme won't be allowed at pandals.

Ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled to be held in 2021, three leaders from the state made it to the list of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national office bearers. While senior leader Mukul Roy was appointed as the national vice-president, Anupam Hazra was appointed as the national secretary. On the other hand, senior leader and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista was appointed as the national spokesperson.

Mukul Roy thanked BJP chief JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reposing faith in him. 'I will fulfil my duties and responsibilities bestowed upon me. In the upcoming assembly elections next year, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh and I will try our best and win elections in the state and form government here."

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3 - 9 October 2020

Significance of Gandhi Jayanti Gandhi Jayanti, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, is celebrated on 2 October every year. On 15th June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced that 2nd October will be observed as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi was a preacher of non-violence. Gandhi is a symbol of peace and truth.

About Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi was born on 2nd October 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. He studied law in the United Kingdom (UK) and practiced law in South Africa. He was a political and spiritual leader in India. He played a major role in the Indian movement. independence Throughout his life, he set an example of simple living and high thinking. He worked for the betterment of poor people in India.

He was a pioneer of non-violence and truth. Mahatma Gandhi started the Satyagraha (nonviolence) movement for the Indian freedom struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi played a very significant role in achieving independence for India from British rule. He proved to the world that freedom can be achieved through the path of total nonviolence. His ideologies of Satyagraha and non-violence have been guiding the entire world till now. India finally gained its freedom on 15th August 1947, through Gandhi's efforts. He was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse.

On 6th July 1944, Subhash Chandra Bose addressed Gandhi as

"The Father of the Nation" and on 28 April 1947, Sarojini Naidu during a conference also referred Gandhi as "Father of the Nation." Some important events in Gandhi's life not only changed the course of his life but also the course of India.

Few such events are listed below: 1913 - Gandhi's activism and arrest in South Africa, 1917 Gandhi established Sabarmati Ashram, 1920-1922 - Non-Cooperation Movement, 1921 - Gandhi was given exclusive authority over the Indian National Congress, 1930 Salt (Dandi) March, 1942 - Quit India Movement, 1947 - British Declared Indian Independence.

Major Ideologies of Gandhi are: Truth and non-violence, Satyagraha, Sarvodaya (Universal Uplift), Swaraj, Trusteeship, Swadeshi.

Some of the books written by Mahatma Gandhi are: The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Hind Swaraj, The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism, The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas, Peace: The Words and Inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi (Me-We), Mohandas Gandhi: Essential Writings

How is Gandhi Jayanthi Celebrated?

On this day, people gather at their respective towns and cities to remember Mahatma Gandhi and his contribution to the freedom struggle of India. On this day special functions are organized in schools, other educational institutions and communities organize functions. Despite caste, religion and lifestyle, people gather together to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. Several commemorative activities and cultural events are held at several places where special prayer and get-together are organized.

Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is celebrated across India and the world. The events include: offer prayers, People commemorative ceremonies, and tributes at several locations all over India. Other events like art exhibitions and essay competitions are hosted. Awards are presented to projects stimulating a non-violent way of life. On this special day, people show films and book readings on Mahatma Gandhi's life and achievements. Flowers and flower garlands are placed on the statues of Mahatma Gandhi throughout India.

Gandhi - Interesting Facts The Mother tongue of Mahatma Gandhi was Gujarati.

Gandhi was the youngest child of his parents. He had two brothers and one sister. Gandhiji did his schooling from Alfred High School, Rajkot. Mahadev Desai was Gandhi’s personal secretary.

Gandhi spoke English like an

India's Covid -19 tally crosses 6 million India's Covid-19 caseload crossed 6 million on Monday with 82,170 new cases, while the number of recoveries surged to 5.02 million after 74,893 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said.

The toll due to Covid-19 rose to 95,542 with 1,039 more deaths on Monday. Of the total number of cases (60,74,702), 9,62,640 are active cases which comprises 15.85 per cent of the caseload, according to the ministry data. With a total of 50,16,520 recoveries, the recovery rate rose to 82.58 per cent. The case fatality rate declined to 1.57 per cent, the ministry added.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 72 million samples have been tested so far, with 709,000 tests being conducted on Sunday. India's Covid-19 tally had crossed the 2 million mark on 7 August, 3 million on 23 August, 4 million on 5 September and 5 million on 15 September.

It took 110 days for the Covid-19 cases in the country to reach 100,000 mark, while it had taken 59 days more to go past the 1 million post. The cases jumped from 1 million to 2 million in 21 days, then it took 16 more days to race past 3 million, 13 days more to cross the 4 million mark, 11 days to go past 5 million and 12 days to cross 6 million.

Providing information about the trajectory of recoveries in the country, the ministry said that the rise in the number of total recovered cases from 100,000 in June 2020 "has been steep" and the last 1 million recoveries were added in just 11 days.

"India's total recoveries have crossed the landmark milestone of 5 million on Monday (50,16,520). With a very high number of Covid patients recovering every single day, India's steady trend of posting high level of

Irishman. This is because one of his first English teachers was from Ireland.

Famous author Leo Tolstoy and Gandhi interacted with each other through letters.

Gandhi established a small colony, Tolstoy Farm at an 1,100 acre site in South Africa for his colleagues in the Satyagraha struggle. It was 21 miles from located Johannesburg. Gandhi fought not only for Independence but also demanded fair treatment for the untouchables, lower caste. He has done several fasts in support of them. He called untouchables as Harijans meaning "children of God". In 1982, "Gandhi," an epic historical drama film based on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi won the Academic Award for the best motion picture. In 1930, Time Magazine named him "Man of the Year". Mahatma Gandhi was nominated 5 times for the Nobel Peace Prize. During World War II, Gandhi wrote a letter to Hitler, addressing him as "Dear Friend".

Gandhi beseeched him to stop the war and Hitler never wrote back.

British released a stamp honouring Gandhi, 21 years after his death. Gandhiji was not born with the title 'Mahatma'. Nobel Prize-winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore gave the title of Mahatma to Gandhi. When Jawaharlal Nehru gave a tryst of destiny speech to celebrate independence, Gandhi was not present. Gandhi was assassinated

by Godse in the garden of the

Travellers from Dubai, UK mainly behind Covid importation into India, says study Travellers from Dubai and the UK were primary sources of Covid-19 importations into India, according to an analytical study done by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi. According to the research, which has been published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, Covid-19 got induced into Indian states mainly due to international travels.

daily recoveries continues," the ministry said. "The total recovered cases have outpaced active cases by more than 5 times.

With the exponential increase in the recoveries, there is close to 100 per cent increase in recovered cases in one month," it said.

Noting that 15 states/Union Territories are showing recovery rate more than the national average, the ministry said 78 per cent of the total recovered cases are recorded in 10 States/UTs with Maharashtra contributing maximum to the total recovered cases followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

State-wise deaths Of the 1,039 new deaths on Monday, 380 were in Maharashtra, 80 in Tamil Nadu, 79 in Karnataka, 77 in Uttar Pradesh, 60 in West Bengal and 50 in Punjab. Forty-five more people succumbed to the disease in Andhra Pradesh, followed by 42 in Delhi, 31 in Chhattisgarh, 26 in Madhya Pradesh and 21 in Kerala. There were 17 more fatalities in Assam, 16 in Haryana, 15 in Rajasthan, 14 in Odisha and 13 in Puducherry.

Eleven people died from the pathogen in Himachal Pradesh, followed by 10 each in Gujarat and Goa, nine in Jharkhand, eight in Uttarakhand and seven each in Jammu and Kashmir, and Telangana.

former Birla House.

The funeral procession of Mahatma Gandhi was 8 km long.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued "The Gandhi series banknotes" by displaying a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi since its introduction in 1996. In 1959, the Gandhi Memorial Museum was established at Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is also known as the Gandhi Museum.

Mahatma Gandhi's Famous Quotes: You must be the change you wish to see in the world, An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind, Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Where there is love there is life, Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever, In a gentle way, you can shake the world, If you don't ask, you don't get it, The future depends on what we do in the present, Action expresses priorities, The weak can never forgive.

Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong, Hate the sin, love the sinner, Nobody can hurt me without my permission.

The study has also found that infected cases from Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh played less role in spreading the disease outside their communities. Whereas infected people in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, and Karnataka played a significant role in the local transmission, and some of them caused interstate transfer too.

"We tracked the spread of Covid-19 and its diffusion from the global to national level and identified a few super spreaders who played a central role in the transmission of the disease in India. The Covid-19 spread in phase one was traced using the travelling history of the patients, and it was found that most of the transmissions were local," Sarita Azad, Assistant Professor, IIT Mandi, said.

"The research team has used the travel history of infected patients from January to April as the primary data source and a social network was created depicting the spread in the early phase of the pandemic. The research found that the maximum numbers of connections were established from Dubai (144) and the UK ( 64),� she added.

Azad explained that statistical metrics calculated from the data revealed that Dubai and the UK played a crucial role in spreading the disease in Indian states and were the primary sources of Covid-19 importations

into India. "Dubai's eigenvector centrality was the highest that made it the most influential node. The statistical metrics calculated from the data revealed that Dubai and the UK played a crucial role in spreading the disease in Indian states and were the primary sources of Covid-19 importations into India.

"Based on the modularity class, different clusters were shown to form across Indian states, which demonstrated the formation of a multi-layered social network structure. A significant increase in confirmed cases was reported in states like Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh during the first phase of the nationwide lockdown, which spanned from March 25 to April 14," she said.

"The modularity class of states such as Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Andhra Pradesh was low. Hence, it is likely that infected cases from these states played less of a role in spreading the disease outside their communities. Whereas states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, and Karnataka played a significant role in the local transmission, and some of them caused interstate transfer too," she added.

Azad, who conducted the analytical study, along with her student Sushma Devi, said, "When a pandemic like Covid-19 subsides, a good research work serves as a record for the future. In this work, we have used real time data and demonstrated how the disease got diffused from the global to national level from January 30 to April 6.

This will be an important contribution to understanding the disease transmission in India during the early phase of the pandemic."

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3 - 9 October 2020

PM Modi calls for India's inclusion in UN's decision-making body Addressing the 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week raised questions on the response of the global body to the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed over one million people and infected over 33 million worldwide.

The Prime Minister listed out India’s priorities and its role in the global setup, assuring its cooperation in dealing with the pandemic. Highlighting India’s achievements and role in 75 years of the United Nations, Modi called for reforms with “changing times” and India’s inclusion in the decision-making process within the global body.

Strong push for UN reforms In his pre-recorded video statement to the landmark general debate of the 75th session of the UNGA, PM Modi questioned for how long will India, the world’s largest democracy and home to 1.3 billion people, be kept out of the decision-making structures of the United Nations, asserting that reform in the responses, processes and in the very character of the global body is the “need of the hour.”

“When we were strong, we were never a threat to the world, when we were weak, we never become a burden on the world,” he said. The prime minister’s strong push for UN reforms and the much-delayed expansion of the powerful Security Council came as India takes over a non-permanent member’s position at the United Nations Security Council from January 2021 for a period of two years.

“For how long will India be kept out of the decision-making

structures of the United Nations?

How long would a country have to wait particularly when the transformational changes happening in that country affect a large part of the world?” Modi asked.

“Today, people of India are concerned whether this reformprocess will ever reach its logical conclusion,” he said, adding that every Indian today, while seeing the contribution of India in the world organisation, aspires for India’s expanded role in the United Nations.

On Covid pandemic and India’s cooperation in vaccine production While questioning the response of the United Nations in dealing with the pandemic, PM Modi assured the global community that India will use its production and delivery capacity to help all humanity in fighting the virus. “Over the last 8 to 9 months, the whole world has been battling the pandemic of the coronavirus.

Where is the United Nations in this joint fight against the pandemic? Where is its effective response?” Modi said as he asserted that reform in the responses, in the processes, and in the very character of the United Nations is the need of the hour.

In an assurance to the global community, PM Modi said that “even during these very difficult times of the pandemic, India’s

Narendra Modi

pharmaceutical industry has sent essential medicines to over 150 countries.”

“As the largest vaccine producing country of the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today.

India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis,” he said.

On tackling pandemic with Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign PM Modi also enunciated his government’s ambitious AatmaNirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant) campaign, saying a self-reliant India will be a “force multiplier” for the global economy. “In the changed circumstances of the post-pandemic era, we are moving forward with the vision of a ‘Selfreliant India’,” he said, adding “a self-reliant India will also be a force multiplier for the global economy.”

To address the economic stress brought by the pandemic, the Modi government had announced an over £200 billion AatmaNirbhar

India, China agree to not send more troops to forward areas India and China have agreed not to further escalate the border situation through a series of measures, which significantly include not sending more troops to forward areas, but a tangible breakthrough on deescalation eluded the marathon military commander-level talks held last week.

The test of the joint statement issued will lie in actual Chinese actions in disengaging and deescalating along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, in accordance with the "consensus" reached between foreign minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10.

The 14-hour dialogue between delegations led by 14 Corps commander Lt-General Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief Major General Liu Lin, did not lead to any forward movement in defusing the almost five-month long troop confrontation, sources said.

The joint statement signalled a more positive outcome, with the two countries agreeing to “earnestly implement the important consensus” reached earlier between PM Narendra

Military commanders meeting

Modi and President Xi Jinping to maintain peace along the LAC. The Jaishankar-Wang talks had also agreed to both sides taking actions to "quickly disengage" in the high-altitude region, where both sides have amassed well over 50,000 soldiers each as well as tanks, armoured vehicles, howitzers and surface-to-air missiles systems.

As per the joint statement, the two armies will refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and taking any actions that may complicate matters. They will also strengthen communication between the local commanders to avoid “misunderstandings and misjudgments”.

The statement seems to signal that the current standstill may

continue, with senior government sources hinting that "apex leadership" level discussions may be needed to break the logjam.

The two sides agreed to hold the seventh round of military commanderlevel meeting as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border area.

Sources, however, said there was “hardly any meeting ground” on actual troop disengagement and de-escalation during the military talks, which included diplomatic representation from India for the first time. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in fact, has assiduously used the cover of diplomatic and military talks to crank up its troop and logistics build-up in the region.

At the military talks, India pressed for a concrete roadmap for “complete de-escalation” at the immediate face-off sites as well as the ‘depth areas’ along the entire frontier in eastern Ladakh.

Bharat campaign to ease the economic impact of the virus and the subsequent lockdowns enforced to contain its spread.

“Following the mantra of ‘Reform-Perform-Transform’, India has made great efforts to bring about transformation in the lives of millions of its citizens,” he said. “In just about 4-5 years, India has brought over 400 million people into the formal financial sector. In the same period, 600 million people have been freed from open defecation. This was not an easy task. But India has proved that it can be done,” he said.

The Prime Minister said his government has ensured that there is no discrimination in extending the benefits of all the schemes and initiatives to every citizen of the country. “Large scale efforts are being made in India to promote women entrepreneurship and leadership. Indian women, today, are the biggest beneficiaries of the largest microfinancing scheme of the world,” he said

adding India is one of those countries where women are provided paid maternity leave of 26 weeks.

On terrorism and friendships with neighbours The Prime Minister said that a gesture of friendship by India towards one country is not directed against any third country.

He also emphasised that when India strengthens its development partnership with a country it was not with any “malafide intent” of making the partner country “dependent or hapless.”

He explained that from India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ to views on the Indo-Pacific region, the country has always worked for the interests of humankind. “Any gesture of friendship by India towards one country is not directed against any third country.

When India strengthens its development partnership, it is not with any malafide intent of making the partner country dependent or hapless,” Modi emphasised.

“We have never hesitated from sharing experiences of our development,” he said. In his virtual address, PM Modi said that on October 2, India initiated the ‘International Day of NonViolence’ and on June 21 the ‘International Day of Yoga’.

He further said: “India will always speak in support of peace, security and prosperity. India will not hesitate in raising its voice against the enemies of humanity, human race and human values – these include terrorism, smuggling of illegal weapons, drugs and money-laundering.”

NCB questions Deepika, Shraddha, Rakul and Sara The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) probing the drug angle in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case last week accepted the “voluntarily surrender” of the cell phones of actors Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh for a detailed examination.

In order to corroborate their submissions made to the NCB, the actors, who appeared before it on Saturday, have voluntarily submitted their mobile phones, something which has been taken on record by investigating officers.

Others who have submitted their phones are Deepika’s manager Karishma Prakash, designer Simone Kambhatta and Sushant’s talent manager Jaya Saha.

The NCB on Saturday also arrested Kshijit Prasad, who was briefly associated with filmmaker Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, and claimed to have found documents and WhatsApp chats indicating his alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking. NCB also claimed to have found a weed joint. The NCB had also questioned Dharma Productions’ Anubhav Chopra in connection with film industry's drug nexus.

In a statement, film-maker Karan Johar had said Prasad joined

Dharmatic Entertainment, sister concern of Johar’s Dharma Productions, in November 2019 on a contract basis for a project which did not materialise. Chopra was briefly associated with his banner as an assistant director and worked only on two projects, he said.

The NCB had earlier arrested actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and some suspected drug peddlers. Sushant (34), an emerging Bollywood star, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14. According to NCB sources, Karishma Prakash’s WhatsApp chats included conversations about drugs with one ‘D’ and the central agency wanted to find out who this person was.

The NCB team also got important information from Sushant's talent manager Jaya Saha. Sara Ali Khan and actor Rakul Preet Singh’s names cropped up during the questioning of Rhea Chakraborty.

Meanwhile, considering the media frenzy around the `A-lister’ Bollywood stars who are being questioned in the case, the Mumbai police issued a warning that media should not engage in reckeless chases of actors’ vehicles.

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3 - 9 October 2020

Those re-infected have more severe infection: Lancet

Shefali Saxena

Re-infection of Covid-19 has been confirmed using whole genome sequencing in four healthcare workers from Mumbai. All four have a more severe Covid-19 infection as compared to their earlier episode, according to a preprint published on The Lancet medical journal’s website.

The four re-infected patients include three doctors from the BMC-run Nair Hospital and another healthcare worker from Hinduja Hospital.

The research - conducted by the two hospitals along with the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Delhi - found 39 mutations within eight genomes (four samples each of the first infection and four samples from the second infection).

“For all four HCWs (healthcare workers), the second episode had more symptoms, with constitutional manifestations and illness that lasted longer than the first episode,” said the paper whose main authors include Dr Jayanthi Shastri from Nair Hospital and Dr Sujatha Sunil from the ICGEB. “Frontline healthcare workers are exceedingly exposed to SARSCoV-2 and reinfec-

Ryan said young people should not be blamed for a recent increase in infections despite growing concerns that they are driving its spread after restrictions and lockdowns were eased around the world. “I really hope we don't get into finger wagging, it's all because of the youth. The last thing a young person needs is an old person pontifi-

tions are a possibility. An RT-PCR positive test does not confirm reinfection. Only whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the viral isolates from the different episodes can confirm a reinfection,” Dr Sunil said.

While the first Covid infection was asymptomatic to mild in these healthcare workers, all needed hospitalization the second time around.

None of them, however, developed breathlessness or infection in their lower respiratory tract. “This can perhaps be explained by their young age,” Dr Shastri added. One of the main aims of the paper is to underline the risk, a repeated one at that, faced by healthcare workers. “Older HCWs may experience more severe

respiratory involvement,” the doctor added.

Re-infection cases are being reported from across the world ever since the first confirmed case in Hong Kong reported a month ago.

“Phylogenetic analysis of the eight complete sequences with 52 other samples from India collected between the months of April-July revealed that these samples clustered together showing they were part of the same larger clade and aligned close to the Wuhan reference strain,” said the paper.

The team found that the reinfected staff had D614G mutation, which is known for having a spike protein that makes it easier for the virus to infect people.

against Covid-19, Bruce Aylward said, “We're in discussions with China about the role they may play as we go forward.” He confirmed that Taiwan has signed up to the scheme, even though it is not a WHO member, bringing the total to 159 participants.

The UN agency published a draft criteria for the assessment of emergency use of Covid-19 vaccines to help guide drugmakers as vaccine trials reach advanced stages. cating and wagging the finger.” He said it is rather indoor gatherings of people of all ages driving the epidemic. The organization is currently in talks with China about its possible involvement in the COVAX financing scheme designed to guarantee fast and equitable access globally to Covid -19 vaccines. WHO senior adviser and head of the ACTAccelerator programme to back vaccines, treatments and diagnostics

US, China out of WHO's 150-country alliance for vaccine distribution Around 156 nations have joined a global scheme for fair distribution of future vaccines against Covid19. An alliance led by the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the scheme would account for about two-thirds of the world population.

However, major powers like China and the United States have not signed up. US President Donald Trump's administration has already secured future supplies through bilateral deals, while China maintained a prominent silence. The Covax plan aims to deliver 2 billion vaccine doses around the world by the end of 2021, with a priority on healthcare

Dr Arjun Ghosh

According to the World Heart Federation, “individuals with preexisting medical conditions, such as heart disease, are at higher risk” in the Covid-19 pandemic. Asian Voice spoke to Dr Arjun Ghosh, consultant cardiologist at Barts Heart Centre and University College London Hospital to learn more about the implications and precautions related to cardiological conditions.

Global Covid death toll may hit 2 mn before finding vaccine, says WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) believes the global death toll from Covid-19 could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used and could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic. Head of the agency's emergencies programme, Mike Ryan said, “Unless we do it all, (2 million deaths) is not only imaginable, but sadly very likely.” He added, “We are not out of the woods anywhere, we are not out of the woods in Africa.”

Multifactorial causes make Asians more prone to developing cardiovascular disease

workers and the vulnerable. The vaccine alliance led by WHO and GAVI published the list of signatories after a deadline for binding commitments expired.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Covax will give the world the largest and most diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates. This is not charity, it's in every country's best interest. We sink or we swim together ... This is not just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.” There are dozens of vaccines in testing for the coronavirus. The alliance said it expected another 38 wealthy countries to join the initiative in coming days.

First and foremost, we asked Dr Ghosh about how vulnerable are patients with existing cardiological issues to Covid and what precautions they can take. He said, “These patients are at increased risk of having a more turbulent course with Covid. They need to take the same precautions as most people - social distancing is key and washing hands etc. They need to be aware of the symptoms and get tested/socially isolated as appropriate.”

According to Cancer Research UK, the backlog of people waiting to be screened for cancer grew to about three million between March and August. The Times reported that the charity believes GPs sent 350,000 fewer people than normal for an urgent suspected cancer referral. The same report claims that NHS England says four-fifths of cancer patients continued to receive treatment during the pandemic but tens of thousands experienced delays. Some have been forced to fund biopsies or scans. Others have paid privately for surgery, fearing that more delay could allow their cancer to grow.

Withstanding this situation, it is imperative to know how patients or people suffering from Cardio-Oncological issues have been coping. Commenting on how difficult it is to treat them in such times when meeting them in person is a risk and a challenge, Dr Ghosh said, “Treating patients in general has been a challenge which has resulted in new ways of working being adapted very quickly in the NHS and private sector. Phone and video consultations have now become the norm for those patients that do not need to be seen face to face. We are nearly back to capacity in terms of clinic visits and diagnostic testing so we will expect to provide normal/expected levels of care going forward. Things may change depending on how bad the second wave is but contingency plans are in place to try to continue running as many non-Covid services as normally as possible going forward.”

But what are the primary contributing factors that lead to cardiological disorders and eventually result in oncological cases?

“Commonest risk factors for cardiac problems are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and being overweight.

There are common risk factors for cardiac disease and some cancers e.g. smoking and coronary artery disease and lung cancer,” Dr Ghosh said.

Sharing his advice for the Asian Community on maintaining a healthy heart, the doctor told us, “Asians are more prone to developing cardiovascular disease. The causes are multifactorial (genetic, diet etc). They are more prone to central obesity and development of diabetes. Physical fitness/activity is not necessarily a "norm" for the older generation. Together these contribute to the increased incidence of heart attacks and strokes. Prevention is better than cure and healthy diet and exercise are key here as well as stopping smoking. If they have any cardiac concerns they should see their doctor.”

80% people in Britain not following self-isolation guidelines If a recent research is to be believed, over 80 per cent people in Britain refrain from following self-isolation guidelines when they have Covid-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who tested positive. Raising major questions about the effectiveness of England's Test and Trace programme, a study led by King's College London found that the majority were unable to identify the symptoms of Covid-19.

It found that only 18.2 per cent of people who reported having symptoms of Covid in the last seven days had not left home since the symptoms developed, and only 11.9 per cent requested a Covid test. It also found that only 10.9 per cent of people told by the NHS Test and Trace scheme to self-isolate after close contact with a Covid case had done so for 14 days as

required.

The researchers said financial support for self-isolation could encourage adherence.

They wrote, “Our results suggest that financial constraints and caring responsibilities impeded adherence to self-isolation, intending to share details of close contacts, and quarantining of contacts.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a

“world-beating” test and trace system. However, it has been dogged with problems, regularly failing to meet a target of reaching 80 per cent of contacts.

The government introduced fines last week of up to £10,000 for breaking self-isolation rules, and are offering a £500 support payment to low-paid workers who lose income from quarantining.

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‘Art is more a hobby and not a profession’, is a wrong way of thinking Shefali Saxena Illustrator and storyteller Amandeep Singh’s artwork for his brand Inkquisitive recently celebrated the ten year anniversary of producing artwork around religion, pop-culture, politics, sports and more. Asian Voice spoke to Singh to learn more about his journey so far.

Amandeep Singh

What does it take to nurture art (belonging to the Asian community which is obsessed with cliche career options which may or may not include arts) and pursuing a career in it for over a decade?

So often, we are told to believe that art is more a hobby and not a profession and it's the

wrong way of thinking. Being Sikh, our tenth Guru was an artist, and our ancestors from the Maharajas adopted the belief and interest of such an expression, so why should the nurturing and appreciation of such art demise now? More so now than ever, when Arts can be celebrated in so many different avenues and ways with the digital age. I feel so often, when I first began 10 years ago, art as a profession was such a taboo subject, it's one of the reasons I chose to take this on as a challenge to succeed in the industry and I'm glad I did. I am one of the fortunate kids who got lots of support from my parents to indulge in the arts.

But somewhere down the line, parents don't always see the worth of their child and believe art is not a 'safe' option which is another bubble that needs to burst. There's room for so much nurturing if we take the time to start at grassroot levels.

How supportive was your family when it came to giving wings to your creative ventures?

My parents are my blessing.

With my Father having worked at the Indian High Commission, I would often find him working

on projects for the Royal Family, Princess Diana, Prime Ministers and so on. He would write invites to them and as a child fell in love with his calligraphic skillset. It was at a young age I adopted the idea of picking up a pen and using it to draw everything and anything. The idea of ink to paper excited me and I never dropped the pen. So fast forward 30 odd years, the conversations to tour the world, to hold exhibitions and to invest my time and money into machinery and tools wasn't a hard task to deliver. My parents understood and clearly saw my passion for the arts and it's that what made ends meet.

What would be your advice to aspiring artists who want to pursue this career and also make a living out of it?

I would say to understand the importance of consistency.

Even with a BA and an MA I found myself at the bottom of the pile. Nobody wanted to give me a job. But I understood that I'm going to have to be consistent with my passion. If you really want something, nothing can stop you from getting it and I did exactly just that. Being known as a global

figure or having the following I do did not come overnight and it's nothing that was given very easily. Also understanding that money and fame isn't everything. You can get so lost under the spotlight with your name being praised and your art selling for an overwhelming amount, but never get it twisted.

Always remember why you started in the first place.

Understand what made you do what you do and never let that thought bubble get clouded.

Lastly, experimentation is key, never get comfortable doing the same thing, ALWAYS feel uncomfortable, it's the only way you will grow.

How Indian cinema became a part of the central menu of multiculturalism in Britain To discuss the challenges of working around Indian cinema before it became Bollywood, Manch UK’s virtual event presented a panel which was curated and chaired by Rosie Thomas, Professor of Film at the Centre for Research and Education in Arts and Media (CREAM), University of Westminster, along with panelists: author and screenwriter Farrukh Dhondy, filmmaker and researcher Behroze Gandhy filmmaker, and filmmaker Pervaiz Khan.

“On a wet Sunday morning of November 1949, a trickle of people, some Indians in their sarees, providing a sudden splash of colour, in the grey of London’s Bakers Street and some English, could be seen making their way to the classic cinema to see an Indian feature film. It was touch and go whether the handful of India league members responsible for founding the India film society would be able to make a success of this first show. Some considered that they would never be able to get people out of bed early on a grey Sunday morning to see an Indian film, particularly one without English subtitles. But the pessimists fortunately were proved to be wrong. The first members of the society came for classic cinema from all over London and beyond, and ‘Kismat’ starring the hot favourite Ashok Kumar and Mumtaz proved to be an instant success. So the India league which was responsible for all these efforts was formed in 1930 by Krishna Menon, later to become the first High Commissioner of India to Britain. It was literally the overseas branch of the Indian National Congress which was trying to activate a cultural movement in Britain as propaganda for the Indian independence movement,” Gandhy quoted author Pamela Cullen.

Rosie Thomas called the session an attempt to “explore and excavate an era” while discussing the films of the 80s and 90s with a bit of a peak into the 1970s. In those days, ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ was screened on a Saturday morning without the songs because it was assumed that the British audience wouldn’t be interested in the songs. During that time in academia, Rosie

said that Indian cinema was scarcely on any syllabus. “I had the memory of one Hindi film I had seen in Jaipur that never left me so I decided I’ll go to Bombay (now Mumbai) and study the Hindi film industry, which was met with horror by my professors who said, “You can’t study cinema. Cinema isn’t culture.”

Nowadays every second anthropologist is studying visual culture,” Rosie said.

Producer Behroze Gandhy explained that in 1979, the immigrants arrived from India, Pakistan and East Africa, and continued to import their culture from the mother country. The west did not satisfy their need for entertainment. She said, “Television soon paled and the pubs and discotheques did not lure them due to rigid orthodoxy. Hence, Indian cinema had no rival as a source of entertainment in the entire Asian community in Britain. In the 50s there was only one cinema showing films on Sundays only. Today there are nearly 200 centres showing Indian films throughout the country. And that is the whole story of how these competing film societies mushroomed all over the country.”

Screenwriter Farrukh Dhondy shared his experience of watching films in the early 70s and said, “When I came to study at Cambridge and it had no such theatres. We had to watch European cinema and develop a taste for it which was completely different.

Having been brought up on Indian cinema, I couldn’t lose the addiction. It is a kind of addiction such that you got to hear songs and for God’ sake hear Lata Mangeshkar’s dripping with sex voice.”

Gandhy said, “We did a series on Hindi

pictures at the Institute of Contemporary Art. The key films were Sholay, Mother India and Pakeezah. Channel 4 was one thing that made coming back to Britain palatable given its push under the Labour government in the 1970s.”

Parvaiz Khan said that he showed films of Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal in Birmingham as a youth worker. “I remember showing early documentaries by Anand Patwardhan, spread across the West Midlands. Community organisations would approach us. Funding has always been a challenge in the arts,” he said.

in brief in brief ‘DADI’S LOVE’ MAKES IT TO DUCHESS’ CURATED LIST OF 100 SNAPSHOTS FROM COVID-19 The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton has curated a list of 100 snapshots from for a Covid-19 lockdown photographic journey which is backed by Queen Elizabeth II. One of the snapshots from the final list is the Indian grandmothers and their love for their grandchildren. The picture titled ‘Dadi’s Love’ is a portrait by Simran Janjua which traces its roots to the Indian word for father’s mother Dadi. The ‘Hold Still’ digital exhibition, featuring 100 portraits selected from 31,598 submissions from across the UK during the project’s six-week entry period since May, was launched this week by the National Portrait Gallery in London. Focussed on three core themes – Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness – the images present a unique record of shared and individual experiences during an extraordinary period of history, conveying humour and grief, creativity and kindness, tragedy and hope.

During the virtual launch, the Queen said, “It was with great pleasure that I had the opportunity to look through a number of the portraits that made the final 100 images for the ‘Hold Still’ photography project. The Duchess of Cambridge and I were inspired to see how the photographs have captured the resilience of the British people at such a challenging time, whether that is through celebrating frontline workers, recognising community spirit or showing the efforts of individuals supporting those in need.”

DUBAI-BASED INDIAN AUTHOR SHORTLISTED FOR BOOKER PRIZE 2020 Dubai-based Indian origin author Avni Doshi’s book on the tale of a relationship, has been shortlisted among four debut novels for the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction 2020. Her book ‘Burnt Sugar’ is among the six books to make the final cut for the £50,000 literary prize to be announced in London in November.

She joins a select group of Global Indian authors to make the Booker cut, including Salman Rushdie, Kiran Desai and Aravind Adiga. This year’s shortlist is completed by Diane Cook for ‘The New Wilderness’, Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga for the third novel in her trilogy – ‘This Mournable Body’, Maaza Mengiste for ‘The Shadow King’, Douglas Stuart for ‘Shuggie Bain’ and Brandon Taylor for ‘Real Life’.

Book Recommendation The Daughter from a Wishing Tree: Unusual Tales about Women in Mythology by Sudha Murty Did you know that the Trinity often turned to goddesses to defeat the asuras?Did you know that the first clone in the world was created by a woman?

The women in Indian mythology might be fewer in number, but their stories of strength and mystery in the pages of ancient texts and epics are many. They slayed demons and protected their devotees fiercely. From Parvati to Ashokasundari and from Bhamati to Mandodari, this collection features enchanting and fearless women who frequently led wars on behalf of the gods, were the backbone of their families and makers of their own destinies.

India's much-loved and bestselling author Sudha Murty takes you on an empowering journey-through the yarns forgotten in time-abounding with remarkable women who will remind you of the strong female influences in your life.

The book is available on Amazon.

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Priyanka joins Idris Elba, Salma Hayek to help first time women directors Joining the likes of Hollywood hotshots, actor Priyanka Chopra has signed up for ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group First Time Directors program where she will help produce stories and give a voice to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), and women filmmakers. The programme will help create 50 films helmed by first time BIPOC and women directors.

Priyanka said, “When I founded Purple Pebble

Pictures our mission was clear, to create opportunities where there were few, and to tell global stories for global audiences irrespective of location and language. I am proud to say that we have remained true to that mission since the very first day, always prioritizing content over anything else. Not just the US, but the world, is a melting pot of different races, ethnicities, and religions, and the entertainment we consume should reflect the world we

actually live in.”

She added, “I am proud to join ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group on this initiative to not only tell diverse stories, but to do so from diverse storytellers.”

Others collaborating for the project include Idris Elba, Hayek, John Salma Leguizamo, Eva Longoria, Angela Bassett, and Courtney B Vance. On the work front, Priyanka recently joined HBO Max's 'A World of Calm' as one of the narrators.

'Made in Heaven' actor Arjun Mathur nominated for Emmy award 'Made in Heaven' actor Arjun Mathur has been nominated in the best performance by an actor category of International Emmy Awards 2020. He has been nominated for his portrayal of Karan Mehra in the web series.

The actor was “clueless” till a friend informed him about the recognition.

“Getting the award isn’t even a thought; I mean this nomination is enough. The jury has got so much work from all over the world and picked you and two-three others.

I really can’t believe it,” he said. Radhika Apte had been nominated for best

actress category at last year’s Emmy.

Mathur says the credit is never his alone. The first thing he did was to call Zoya Akhtar and Nitya Mehra to thank them because it’s their creation and for providing him with the opportunity. “What’s more amazing is that we go through years in our career with all these doubts and insecurities and not feeling good enough, and then something like this happens, and that’s it.

Signals like this give you hope. It tells you that both happiness and rejections are fleeting, you just need to keep walking,” he adds.

Anushka slams Sunil Gavaskar Sonu Sood for 'distasteful' comment hits back at trolls, tells them to help someone with their money Actor Anushka Sharma responded to former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar's controversial comment on her and cricketer husband Virat Kohli.

Commenting on Kohli's performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Gavaskar had recently said, “Ab jo lockdown tha, to sirf Anushka ki bowling ki practice ki unhone, who dikha video main, us se to kuch nahi ban na hai. (During the lockdown, he was practicing only on Anushka’s bowling, that won’t help him).”

Anushka took to Instagram to write, “That, My Gavaskar, your message is distasteful is a fact but I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her of her husband's game? I'm sure over the years you have respected the private lives of every cricketer while commentating

on the game. Don't you think you should have equal amount of respect for me and us?

Anushka added, “I’m sure you can have many other words and sentences in your mind to use to comment on my husband’s performance from last night or are your words only relevant if you use my name in the process? It’s 2020 and things still don’t change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements? Respected Mr Gavaskar, you are a legend whose name stands tall in this gentleman’s game. Just wanted to tell you what I felt when I heard you say this.”

Gavaskar's comment has not gone down well with Anushka-Virat's fans online, with many of them calling upon the BCCI to remove him from the commentary panel.

Actor Sonu Sood has been one of the first ones to extend a helping hand during the ongoing pandemic. India's migrant displacement situation, health emergencies, and several other issues saw him emerge a hero, well, a good Samaritan at least!

However, trolls continue to troll him, with several even calling him the “biggest scam of 2020”. There are people who claim he didn't actually help migrants on such a large scale, and even shared screenshots, alleging that most of the people who sought help from him on Twitter have now deactivated their accounts.

Speaking to a media source, Sood said, “These are a handful of people, and they suddenly rise from nowhere on social media.

They don't actually exist in reality. I didn't bother to see what they've written, some friends told me. Who has the time to read?

I've got lots of things to do for people.”

He said, “Someone said 'Yeh log to foreign se kisi ko nahi laaye'. A couple of days back, a flight landed from Philippines, and

they replied on that tweet of students 'You don't exist, it's fake'. The students sent their boarding passes and flight number, along with college names to check. Suddenly, these trolls vanished. These are paid people. Onetwo people run 100-200 accounts.”

Sood said he has a list of 7,03,200 people who he connected with over the last four months, along with their addresses, phone numbers, Aadhaar card details. He said, “Anything you want to know, and that number is increasing by every second.”

30 BOLLYWOOD

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Urvashi Rautela set to collaborate with Remo D'Souza Choreographer-filmmaker Remo DSouza and actress Urvashi Rautela have joined hands for a project.

The details of the project are still under wraps, but the actress has shared the experience of working with the filmmaker.

"Working under Remo Sir's vision is indeed a great opportunity for any artiste. We were supposed to work together two years back. However, that didn't happen.

I'm blessed he chose me again. He's one of the most inspiring, supportive and wonderful directors I've ever worked with," she said.

"We had shot in Goa because Goa means beautiful golden beaches and history that is associated with this state. We have captured a lot of natural beauty. We had also shot in very beautiful old churches and beaches," she added.

Urvashi is currently busy shooting for her upcoming Telugu film 'Black Rose'. The actress shared the first look of her from 'Black Rose' and captioned it saying, "I'm that rare Black rose, deep, dark and enticing.

Yet, I grow with thorns, sharp and poisoned. People who love me end up pricked and hurt. #BlackRose First Glimpse climbed to the top & trending #1, thank you all for the massive love. It's time for #BlackRose to show its face. #BlackRoseFirstLook out now! More surprises your way (sic)".

Varun Dhawan resumes work, tests for Covid-19 Varun Dhawan has returned to work after a long Covid-prompted hiatus. The actor shared a picture from his work place, complete with a mask on and standing alongside a medical professional. Also sharing a video of getting a coronavirus test done, he wrote, “Returning to work. With all precautions. Do gaz ki doori. Mask hai zaroori.

Swipe to see my test (it always stings) thank you to all the medical personnel.”

Genre: Drama Mystery Duration: 5 seasons

Meet the scandalous Greenleaf family We were left on a cliffhanger at the end of 2019 and we were not sure which way Charity was going to go in regards to Phil’s question.

Would Lady Mae consider the offer to achieve her dream and will Mae and James’s sort out their differences. The final season of Greenleaf has finally appeared on Netflix and it is one you don’t want to miss.

The Greenleaf family are full of controversary and we have been following their lives for the past four seasons.

We were introduced to Bishop James Greenleaf and his wife Lady Mae whose once-estranged daughter Grace returns home following the death of her sister Faith.

Although her father is happy to see her the rest of the family are not so much. She has bought her daughter along with her and after finding out some information about her sister’s death she decides to stay to try and investigate further.

As time goes on, we learn that Grace’s other sister Charity is pregnant, but her husband turns out to be gay and therefore she is left to bring up her child on her own.

Prior to the pandemic, Dhawan had been busy working on his father's film 'Coolie No 1'. A part of the movie had earlier been shot in Thailand. The team had also wrapped up the shoot of the movie in Goa in February.

'Coolie No 1 in the remake of his father's earlier film of the same name.

While the 2020 film will star Varun and Sara Ali Khan, the older 1995 film starred Govinda and Karisma Kapoor.

Kangana turns emotional over HC comment on her office demolition Actor Kangana Ranaut tweeted an emotional post after hearing the Bombay High Court's comment to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) on her petition against the demolition of a part of her Mumbai office. Kangana said she had “tears in her eyes” when the court said the decision should not be delayed as the house was falling apart during rains.

Kangana tweeted, “Honourable Justice HC, this brought tears to my eyes, in the lashing rains of Mumbai my house is indeed falling apart, you thought about my broken house with so much compassion and concern means a lot to me, my heart is healed thank you for giving me back all that I had lost.” A bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and R I Chagla directed the BMC H-ward officer Bhagyawant Late to file his reply to the plea. Late had signed the demolition notice served to Kangana on September 7.

BMC's senior counsel Anil Sakhre also sought more time for Late to file his reply. The bench, however, directed the BMC to file the reply on Late's

behalf by Monday, saying it could not delay the hearing. The bench said, “We cannot leave the demolished house the way it is. You need more time here but otherwise you are fast.

The building is demolished partly, and in the heavy monsoon, we cannot

leave it in this state. We will start hearing the petitioner tomorrow.”

In her plea filed in the HC on September 9, Kangana sought that the demolition carried out by the BMC at her Pali Hill bungalow be declared illegal.

Grace’s brother Jacob is having an affair that his wife finds out about and their daughter runs away with her no-good boyfriend.

Grace also confronts her uncle Mac who she blames for the death of her sister and in a confrontation, Mac winds up dead. On top of all of this the family face an IRS bill that could ruin them and the church.

Greenleaf is a great American TV show which shows you an American family from a different side of the spectrum. They are church goers and from the African community, yet they are very much American in all other aspects. It brings together family drama, controversy, greed, corruption and deceit. It is very fast paced, and you won’t be left with a boring moment throughout any of the seasons. It is a show that is binge worthy and once you start you will not be able to stop.

The final and concluding season has just been added to Netflix but all the past seasons are also on there, so you will not miss out if you hadn’t already watched it. What will season five bring? The official trailer has been released and shows that there will be further relationship problems as well as the issue of the church being knocked down. The drama will most definitely continue.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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SP Balasubrahmanyam succumbs to Covid-19 Singer-actor SP Balasubrahmanyam succumbed to coronavirus on Friday. The 74 year old was admitted to Chennai's MGM Healthcare in early August after testing positive for the virus. He tested negative for Covid-19 on September 5. The news of his death came as a shock to celebrities across India. Music maestro AR Rahman, singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle mourned his death, as did Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

SPB or Balu, the legendary playback singer boasted of a singing career of more than half a century. A Guinness record holder for singing the highest number of songs, SPB has sung more than 40,000 songs in 16 languages. He sang first in his mother tongue Telugu. SPB's voice dominated the radio, or TV during the 70s and 80s as the audience remained mesmerised with his melodious songs for more than 54 years.

Widely regarded as one of India's finest playback singers, SPB has been awarded a bevy of accolades and awards throughout his music career. He has been conferred with the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times; recipient of the coveted Padma Shri (2001) and Padma Bhushan (2011) from the Government of India. Besides this, he also won numerous Filmfare and state awards over the years.

Apart from being a phenomenal vocalist, SPB has also made brief stints as an actor, music director and producer.

As a playback singer, he is most remembered for lending his voice to Salman Khan in his early films - 'Maine Pyar Kiya', 'Saajan', 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' to name a few.

SPB buried with full state honours The mortal remains of SPB was laid to rest with police honours at his farmhouse near Chennai on Saturday. Earlier in the day, hundreds of people stood in a long queue to pay homage to the singer as well as celebrities from the movie world at the farm house. The singer's family performed the last rites. The mortal remains were brought to the farmhouse on Friday evening. A large number of people gathered at his residence to have a last glimpse of the singer and pay their respects.

Later in the evening, his body was taken in a van to his farmhouse at Thamaraipakkam. Enroute several people stood on the pavement and bade SPB a tearful goodbye. On August 5, in a Facebook post, the 74-year-old SPB said that he was suffering from a very mild attack of coronavirus and had got himself hospitalised to take a rest.

He had said that though the doctors had advised him to stay at home and take a rest, he decided to be in a hospital, as at home his family members would get concerned. SPB hoped to get discharged from the hospital in two days. But it was not to be.

Saiee Manjrekar set to make Telugu debut Actor Saiee Manjrekar is all set to make her debut in the Telugu film industry with upcoming actionthriller 'Major'. Makers of the movie confirmed signing the actress for a crucial role and will join the sets in October. A bilingual shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi, 'Major' is inspired by the life of NSG commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan who was martyred in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008.

In a statement, Saiee said, “For me, what matters is the script and the impact the character has in the overall narrative. Once you deep dive in the dissection

of the character, there are so many beautiful emotions that as an actress I can explore. This is what I saw in the script of Major which is why when it was offered to me, I instantly said a 'yes' to it. I am open to working even down South and this one is a bilingual shot simultaneously in two languages. I can't wait to start shooting for the film.”

Directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, the movie stars Adivi Sesh in the title role. Talking about the role, Sashi said, “Casting right is the base for good direction. When we watched her work, we felt that Saiee Manjrekar fit the bill perfectly.”

Prabhas' 'Radhe Shyam' team to head for 15-day schedule in Italy The crew for Prabhas' upcoming Telugu film 'Radhe Shyam' is reportedly all set to leave for Italy for a 15-day schedule in the first week of October.

Makers of the film have so far completed two schedules abroad, and are left with one foreign schedule which they hope to complete in October.

The film went on the floors in January this year.

The team successfully wrapped up their Georgian schedule in March and returned to India.

Media reports reveal the makers have acquired all the necessary permissions and have completed the visa process for the trip. On the work front, Prabhas has two more projects in his kitty, including a pan-Indian science fiction film with 'Mahanati' director Nag Ashwin. The film will also feature Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone's Telugu debut. Prabhas also has a multilingual film titled 'Adipurush' on the horizon.

Prabhas said in a statement, “Every role and every character comes with its own challenges, but portraying a character like this comes with tremendous responsibility and pride. I am very excited to portray this character from our epic, specially the way Om has designed it. I am sure the youth of our country will shower all their love on our film.”

TV Listing

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 5 OCT FRI 9 OCT 2020 6:30 INTERNET WALA LOVE 14:30 KASAM 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 16:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 18:30 SHAKTI 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 SHAKTI 20:30 SHUBHARAMBH 21:00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 5 OCT FRI 9 OCT 2020 8:30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 14:30 OM NAMAH SHIVAY 15:30 JAI SHRI KRISHNA 16:00 DHARAM THI GUJARATI 16:30 RASOI SHOW 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30 DIL KA RISHTA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) -

21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 23:00 PAVITRA BHAGYAA SATURDAY 3 OCT 18:30 NAMASTE BREAKFAST 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR SUNDAY 4 OCT SEP 13:30 AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY 16:30 DESI BEAT RESET 17:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 DESI BEAT RESET 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR

WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 22:30 MERE HUMRAHI SATURDAY 3 OCT 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 17:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 20:30 BARRISTER BABU 21:00 BALIKA VADHU SUNDAY 4 OCT 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 17:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU

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Super over victory for Royal Challengers For the second night, the Indian Premier League witnessed a desert storm, an astounding display of batting brilliance and heartstopping moments in plenty on Monday. With 90 needed off 30 balls, Mumbai Indians rode on the brilliance of Ishan Kishan (99) and Kieron Pollard (60). Pollard almost crossed the finish line. But with 19 needed off the last over, RCB’s Sri Lankan left-arm pacer Isara Udana put the breaks on the MI innings to bring about a Super Over, with the match tied at 201each.

After Navdeep Saini bowled brilliantly to restrict Mumbai to seven runs in the Super Over, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli saw Royal Challengers Bangalore through to a thrilling win, with the seemingly out-of-form Kohli finishing with an assured boundary off Jasprit Bumrah.

Earlier, RCB opener Aaron Finch (52) weighed in with his experience while his rookie partner Devdutt Padikkal (54) checked into the crease with maturity and calmness. The result was a solid platform for De Villiers (55) to his flair and showcase flamboyance. Finch and Padikkal did well to counter the new-ball pair of Trent Boult (2/34) and James Pattison as RCB raced to 59 in the Powerplay.

Rajasthan's record chase Last match heroes, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson, and Rahul Tewetia produced another matchwinning performance to help Rajasthan Royals thump Kings XI Punjab by four wickets in a high-

remain unbeaten.

Laced with five fours and two sixes, he paced his innings beautifully reaching 50 off 42.

Morgan unbeaten on 42 was more than happy to play the second fiddle.

scoring IPL match at Sharjah on Sunday.

After the 81-run partnership between Smith and Samson was broken by Jimmy Neesham in the ninth over, the Kerala batsman took it upon himself and outdid every opposition bowler with a blazing 85 off 42 balls. Later, all-rounder Tewetia (53 off 31) took the Royals home.

Captain Smith, in the company of Jos Buttler (4 off 7) opened for the Royals yet again, only to part ways in the third over. But the early jolt did not derail the Royals’ run chase as first Smith and Samson and Tewatia later helped Royals script the highest run chase in IPL’s history.

Earlier, facing an innocuous Royals’ bowling, Mayank Agarwal brought up his first century of the tournament, a power-packed 106 off 50 balls that was laced with seven sixes and 10 fours. His captain KL Rahul, who smashed 132 not out in the match against

Royal Challenger Bangalore, was on Sunday happy to play second fiddle a fine 69 off 54 balls to help the team post a mammoth target of 224/3.

Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dished out a quality performance to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets in their IPL-13 match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. After the bowlers restricted Sunrisers to 142/4 in 20 overs, young Shubman Gill played a classy knock along with the experienced Eoin Morgan to get KKR back to winnings ways.

The win will bring a lot of relief for the Knights, who lost their opener against Mumbai Indians by 49 runs. KKR got off to a bad start losing Sunil Narine to pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who replaced Sandeep Sharma in the team, early on. But Gill (70 off 62) showed resilience and maturity to

Two wins for Delhi Capitals Prithvi Shaw’s elegant strokeplay (64 off 43 balls) and a disciplined all-round bowling helped Delhi performance Capitals make it two wins out of two in IPL-13. Having scored 175/3 from their 20 overs riding Shaw’s effort, Delhi restricted Chennai Super Kings to 131/7 and notched up a comfortable 44-run win in Dubai on Friday.

For the second time in succession, CSK left themselves with too much to do in the run chase. MS Dhoni walked in to bat in the 16th over when 78 were needed off 26 balls. He was dismissed for 15 off 12 balls in the final over. Clearly, CSK need Dhoni to do more with the bat in the coming games. Unlike the CSK spinners who disappointed once again, the DC tweakers – Axar Patel and Amit Mishra – stood up to the occasion and stifled the opposition batsmen. In eight overs between them, they conceded only 41 runs for one wicket.

Rahul's century KL Rahul blasted a masterclass century to help Kings XI Punjab bounce back from the opening setback and hand a 97-run thrashing to an unpredictable Royal Challengers Bangalore at

the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

RCB made a mess of the stiff chase, and barring a 49-run fourth wicket stand between AB de Villiers (28 off 18b) and Aaron Finch (20 off 21b), they hardly offered any resistance. They were off to a forgettable start, losing the trio of Devdutt Padikkal (1), Josh Philippe (0) and captain Virat Kohli (1) in the first three overs, and later, the lower order also succumbed under the pressure of the mounting asking rate.

Rohit's 80 helps MI's first win The much-talked about Kolkata Knight Riders batting unit came a cropper as they lost their opening encounter to Mumbai Indians in IPL-13 by 49 runs on Wednesday. This was MI’s first win in the United Arab Emirates after six defeats since the 2014 IPL edition. There’s something about Kolkata that seems to charge up Rohit Sharma. Be it the Eden Gardens in Kolkata or the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the MI skipper’s love affair with KKR continued as his majestic 80 (54b, 3x4, 6x6) helped his side put up a formidable 195 for five.

None of the KKR batsmen could get going and their only hope faded when Jasprit Bumrah clean bowled Andre Russell for 11 only. The pacer made a great comeback after going for 43 runs in the last match, finishing with two for 32. On the contrary, KKR’s most experienced bowler Pat Cummins’ giving away 49 runs in his three overs made a big difference to the final outcome.

Google honours Indian BCCI planning complete Former Australia swimmer Arati Saha cricketer Dean Jones dies overhaul of NCA of heart attack in Mumbai

Arati Saha

Google remembered legendary Indian swimmer Arati Saha by dedicating Thursday’s doodle to her on 80th birthday. Saha was the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel on September 29, 1959. She covered a distance of 67.5 km from Cape Gris Nez, France to Sandgate, England in 16 hours and 20 minutes. Upon reaching the English side of the Channel, she hoisted the Indian flag.

Later, during several interviews, Saha mentioned that she was inspired by another long distance swimmer, Mihir Sen, who was the first Indian to swim the English Channel (in 1958). Following her spectacular feat, she was awarded the Padma Shri in 1960, becoming the first Indian sportswoman to be given the honour.In 1999, the Indian postal department celebrated her accomplishment by unveiling a Rs 3 postage stamp in her name. Saha also represented India in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics at a tender age of 11. Saha was born in a middle-class Bengali family in Kolkata. Google doodle is a depiction of Saha swimming along with a compass and a view of the ocean, in reference to her journey across the English Channel. It was illustrated by fellow Kolkata native, artist Lavanya Naidu. Saha passed away in 1994 after battling acute jaundice and encephalitis.

In a not-so-surprising move, the BCCI has decided not to allow the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to renew the contract of any of the coaching staff members who had been hired in 2019 on a one-year contract under the aegis of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA).

The appointments of bowling, batting and fielding coaches at the NCA – who came to work under NCA director Rahul Dravid – had been done by the COA without any interview processes last year, against the very protocol that the COA had mandated for all appointments, including the Team India coach and support staff.

“It was a case of apples and oranges given the way NCA hired coaching staff without interviews last year. Right now, with the pandemic disrupting everything, these coaches have had nothing to do in the last five-odd months. So, what’s the point renewing these contracts?

The BCCI will look at a complete overhaul of the structure and do things the right way once cricket begins,” said those tracking developments.

The coaching staff, whose

contracts are not being renewed, had no idea of the development until they received calls in the last 48 hours from Dravid and BCCI’s outgoing general manager (operations) for domestic cricket Saba Karim to personally convey the same.

Other than Dravid, physiotherapist Ashish Kaushik – who has a ‘permanent employment’ with BCCI; trainer Anand Date; operations manager Kshemal Waingankar; and education head Sujit Somasundar are among the few individuals who will continue to work at the NCA. Among coaches, Narendra Hirwani (spin), Abhay Sharma (wicketkeeping) and Under-19 coach Paras Mhambrey continue to remain in their jobs, pending the terms of their contracts.

The likes of Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Subroto Banerjee, Shib Sundar Das, Mansoor Ali Khan, Subhadeep Ghosh, T Dilip, Rajiv Dutta, Apurva Desai, Sitanshu Kotak, Ramesh Powar, among others, are the ones whose contracts have not been renewed. These individuals were involved with various age groups, including U-19 and India ‘A’ too.

Former Australia cricketer-turned commentator Dean Jones has died of a heart attack in Mumbai. He was 59. Jones was in India as part of IPL‘s official broadcaster commentary team and was staying in a bio-secure environment in a Mumbai hotel.

He played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs during his international career between 1984 and 1992. In Tests, he scored 3,631 runs at 46.55 including 11 centuries and 14 half-centuries while in ODIs, he struck 6,068 runs at 44.61 with seven hundreds and 46 fifties.

“Dean Jones was one of the great ambassadors of the game associating himself with Cricket development across Dean Jones South Asia. He was passionate about discovering new talent and nurturing young Cricketers. He was a champion commentator whose presence and presentation of the game always brought joy to millions of fans. He will be sorely missed by everyone at Star and his millions of fans across the globe. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” Star said.

After finishing his playing career, he turned to commentary and became a popular figure. He dabbled in coaching too mainly in the Pakistan Super League where he won two titles with Islamabad United (2016 and 2018).