AV 7th December 2013

SEE INSIDE ....

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

No book, film on Aarushi-Hemraj murder case: Talwars See Page 25

Indian couple arrested for illegally bringing workers to US See Page 23

26/11: USA sacrificed Mumbai to keep Headley in play See Page 26

VOL 42. ISSUE 31

PM fails to attract Indian students to UK

Tanveer Mann

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) quarterly report has revealed that though immigration in Britain has increased by – only a mere – 150,000 from 2012, there has been a significant decrease in the number of Indian students coming to the UK. But surprisingly, PM David Cameron announced on Tuesday 3rd December, that he is struggling to meet overwhelming demand for action on immigration.

He feared that the government may not be able to meet the low level of immigration previously envisioned.

*Subject to availability

Continued on page 26

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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David Cameron focuses on business during China visit Avoids important human rights issues

Unlike his trip to Sri Lanka, where David Cameron raised the issue of human rights, the British Prime Minister strategically avoided an important issue during his visit to China. Another upsetting incident was ban on a British journalist to attend a press conference.

Cameron also remained quiet on issues of Tibet and even China’s jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo. Asked whether he had raised Tibet with the Chinese leaders, Cameron said only that he had covered “all the issues”.

Accompanied by a large business delegation Cameron could attract China for investment in the

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UK infrastructure. The Prime Minister said that China could invest billions in new nuclear plants, HS2 rail and other projects. The Prime Minister is being accompanied in China by a delegation of senior UK business leaders, including

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Continued on page 26 See also “As I See It” : page 8

7th December to 13th December 2013

Study reveals Asians in Britain more likely to be jailed A governmental study has recently revealed that official racism is still rampant in Britain, branding the judges and magistrates 'institutionally racist,' due to 'more lenient sentences to white defendants' than Asians or Blacks..

The disturbing report, produced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) found black and Asian criminals were almost 20% more likely to be jailed than whites for similar offences, reported by the Independent on Sunday.

The MoJ described the disparities as area of 'increasing concern' and said they were working to address the issue.

The MoJ document, Statistics on Race and

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the Criminal Justice System 2012, published on the department’s website shows that over the past four years black criminals have been less likely to receive police cautions and more likely to have been proceeded against in court, than any other ethnic groups.

The most common outcome for a white criminal was a community sentence; for Asian, Black and Chinese offenders it was custody.

Continued on page 2

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Shirley Pearce

Keith Vaz MP I have very much enjoyed meeting police officers, staff and volunteers in all their roles and seeing the very real challenges policing faces in the 21st century. It is a hugely varied profession, and there is always something new to learn about how policing works.

Shirley Pearce is the Independent Chair of the College of Policing. She is also a Board Member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and Health Education England (HEE) and a Council member of the University of Cambridge.

1) Please tell me about your current position?

I am the Independent Chair of the College of Policing. The College is the first professional body for policing and has been established to raise professional standards in the police. We are also charged with enabling all in policing to have the knowledge about what works best to protect the public and prevent crime. I am not from the world of policing but have worked with the police as a clinical psychologist in mental health settings. I come from an educational and NHS background and hope to bring the experience of working with professional bodies in those areas to the exciting challenge of establishing a professional body for the police. My role as independent chair of the college board is to ensure that the needs and interests of the public are placed at the heart of the College as we strive to support all those working in policing today.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

I have never done anything on my own; anything that has

been achieved is a consequence of working with others.

I am proud of what we did at the University of East Anglia (UEA), to establish so many health professional programmes which really do make a difference and, more recently, of leading Loughborough University to hold the ‘Best Student Experience’ award for 6 consecutive years. These things matter because they affect peoples’ lives, but none of these achievements is down to any single person.

3) What inspires you?

Effective team working always inspires me. Seeing people working together to achieve more than they would have expected to achieve alone is inspiring and can be found it all sorts of settings.

4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

I have of course had ups and downs in both my professional and personal life. I think everyone has. But I have never really identified obstacles. If things don’t work out you either have to try again in a different way or decide that it was not really

for you or the right thing at the time.

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

I have had different influences at different times of my life and it’s hard to identify one alone.

My parents and family have had a great influence on my life and my values. Friends and colleagues have influenced different aspects of my career at different times. My children have always been a big influence and they have always been the greatest supporters of my work, for which I am forever grateful.

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

7) And the worst?

Not the worst aspect, but probably the biggest challenge for me is ensuring genuine engagement from the public.

There are lots of ways the public can engage with their police – through beat meetings, through their PCC or through police.uk. But genuine engagement at the national level is more difficult – there are so many voices and they should all be heard. I am trying to engage as many different people s possible and will continue to do so.

8) What are your long term goals?

We say it in our Strategic Intent – which sets out our vision for the College and is available on our website; our ambition is to establish a world-class professional body that works in the public interest by achieving the highest possible standards in policing. Policing should be a respected profession, and these

standards are needed to do that.

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

I really don’t like the way that debate takes place in political settings. I think those in Parliament should be setting the highest standards of behaviour, and yet debates in Parliament seem to be so adversarial, and not really focused on trying to find the best way forward. It worries me that some may think that this is the way to cope with difference but to me it’s not a good example of how best to work through conflict.

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

I would either want an engineer with lots of practical skills to be able to build a safe house providing shade and protection for me to live in….so I might look to Isambard Kingdom Brunel as I think he would know how to design and build structures (and his worked changed the nation so it would be great to hear his perception of the cultural change that he precipitated). Or, if shelter was already available, I would choose a writer who would be able to keep writing books that I could read so that I don’t get bored!......Dickens would be interesting but I am not sure if he is someone I would actually want to be with… no idea!!

Study reveals Asians in Britain more likely to be jailed

Continued from page 1 The statistics are broken down by types of crime, ruling out the possibility that black defendants might be being proportionally found guilty of more serious offences. The average custodial sentence for black prisoners was 23.4 months but for white it was just 15.9 months.

The proportion of white criminals sentenced to immediate custody by the courts was 26%, while the proportion of Asians in that was 32% and black criminals sent to prison was 31%. The average custodial sentence for white offenders was 15.9 months; for black prisoners it was 23.4 months.

Different types of crime also show sentencing differences. A white person pleading guilty to burglary was sentenced to, on average, 25 months in prison compared with a

black person who typically received a 28-month sentence. Of those pleading not guilty but convicted by the courts, the sentences were 40 months and 47 months respectively.

Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green told the Independent on Sunday: 'The Criminal Justice System should work to promote equality, and should not discriminate against anyone because of their race.

'Targeting a person or a group based on their race or religion is unacceptable, it is divisive and

harmful to individuals and has no place in a civilised society.'

Peter Herbert, chairman of the Society of Black Lawyers and a crown court judge, said the figures represented “institutional racism”.

“I’m not sure what else you can call it,” he said.

“The effect is right across the criminal justice system. From stop and search, to arrest, to charge and to sentencing – every aspect of the process is stacked against defendants from ethnic minority backgrounds. It is not a pretty picture.”

Mr Herbert said the figures needed to be broken down to individual court level, and judges

confronted with their sentencing decisions. “It needs urgent attention,” he said. “I don’t believe that judges are sitting there consciously discriminating against black defendants, but if you look at the cumulative effect of sentencing decisions there is no rational explanation for the discrepancies.

“We need to drill down into the figures and ensure that they are examined on a court-by-court basis.

Judges then need to ask themselves hard questions.”

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Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan said: “If the colour of your skin means you are treated unfairly by our justice system then urgent action is required to address that.”

A spokesman for the EHRC said it was “aware of the issues behind the report” and would “examine the concerns raised”.

O n e former p r i s o n governor told the Sunday newspaper, that he believed there was a degree of “establishment denial” about the problem. “When I worked in Brixton prison, of the 900 prisoners we had, between 60 and 65 per cent were non-white, which was completely dis-

proportionate to the make-up of the community,” said Paul McDowell, now chief executive of the crime reduction charity Nacro.

Richard Monkhouse, Chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, said a unit in the MoJ that had examined the issue under the Labour government had been disbanded.

“I think that’s a real pity because only by understanding what is going on can we begin to address the problem. Judges have to operate within tight sentencing guidelines. So, why is there still disproportionality?

“It’s crucial that people know our system of open and transparent justice will deal with them fairly and equally, regardless of gender, class, age, race or religion.”

Graph courtesy: Ministry of Justice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

COMMENT

Tehelka scandal empowers India

Amid the calls for punishment for the fallen editor of Tehelka magazine, Tarun Tejpal, for the alleged sexual assault on a female colleague, India’s women’s rights activists have lauded women who, having suffered such abuse are taking on the “powerful and mighty” without fear or favour. Activists perceive this as a signal of empowerment. They point to the changing attitude, where women were once shamed into enduring their ignominy in silence. The horrific Delhi gang rape of December 2012 broke the sound barrier, awakening women and men across the land to the degradation of molestation and to the culture of patrimony and kindred social ills which seeded such unacceptable behaviour. Things had to change. Tighter legislation, policing and greater judicial sensitivity were undoubtedly a necessary adjunct to curb this menace, but ultimately it is individual and peer responsibility to bring this scourge under control. A young woman lawyer told her media interlocutor that the significant rise in the number of reported harassment cases arose from the “churning” that followed

in the wake of the gruesome Delhi incident. The widespread revulsion had not gone waste.

Author Himani Dalmia, says: “In India, as compared to the West, women tend to be subdued in the workplace. In fact, in the media, advertising and publishing industries and in some multinational companies women are more vocal and assertive, but in the vast number of non-creative and Indian companies – large and small – women are still restrained and cautious.” The Network of Women in the Media, a professional association of women journalists, has demanded the institutional redress of sexual harassment and assault. It said the “recent developments at Tehelka demonstrates that media houses have a long way to go in ensuring safety for women media professionals.” There is shame and pain in disclosures of sexual molestation and harassment – the washing of dirty linen in public – but there should also be a measure of pride in Indian democracy that such events are exposed and the perpetrators made accountable for their unsavoury deeds. More power to the churning.

The Iran nuclear deal concluded between Tehran, the United States, the European, Union, France, Germany, Russia and China is a victory for common sense, and is a feather in the cap of the Obama administration. The threat of war looming over the region, with its awful consequences, has been lifted as of now. Israeli belligerence, in tandem with jihadi Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies is barefaced cynicism and opportunism. The former heads of Israel’s foremost intelligence agencies, Mossad and Shinbet, only recently retired, have spoken out against their prime minister’s predilection for bombing Iran. America’s Israeli lobby and the US Republican right, who have ruled out the deal as an anathema, must be left to their own devices. The Iran deal is not the endgame but, hopefully, the beginning of the end. Further negotiation are to be held to ensure a permanent peace. That would require further cast-iron, verifiable guarantees that Tehran is not building nuclear weapons and has no weapons programme up its sleeve. Considering the immunity given to Pakistan, with its proven terrorist track record, by the US and China, the Iranians have some cause to feel aggrieved at the double standards in operation.

India is one of the powers most likely to benefit from this peace dividend. Under the strict economic sanctions imposed by the US and the EU, countries violating their provisions would also have had to face stringent economic measures targeting them.

Hence India was forced to limit its imports of Iranian crude and gas and look to more expensive suppliers to fulfill its needs. This hit its foreign exchange reserves. Furthermore, Indian exports to

Iran had to be restricted to meet the requirements of the Iran trade ban, putting an additional strain on the Indian economy, already badly affected by the 2008 global banking crisis and the consequent economic slowdown across the continents.

There was a second, transcending security factor affecting India, namely, the unstable situation in Afghanistan and the possibility of worse to follow after the draw-down of American forces from the country. Pakistani-funded jihadi terror in Afghanistan could fill the void to the detriment regional stability. Which is where Iran comes in. As the world’s foremost Shia state, Iran has been deeply disturbed by the recrudescence of Sunni anti-Shia violence in its neighborhood and its destabilizing influence on the predominantly Shia population in western Afghanistan. Iran, which used to source many of its goods and services from India can now resume interrupted commercial ties with its partner to the south. Politically and strategically, India and Iran cooperate on Afghanistan, where they have parallel interests. Expect, therefore, the resumption of a reinvigorated Indo-Iranian dialogue in which these subjects will come up for detailed discussion. No time is being lost to get things moving. New Delhi is sending a team to speed up plans – which India is partly financing - for the development of Chabahar, Iran’s southeastern port that will facilitate India’s access to Central Asia and Russia via a rail link through land-locked Afghanistan, circumventing Pakistan. An Indian official said: “For us Chabahar is a strategic necessity, otherwise we don’t have access to Afghanistan and Central Asia.”

The new Great Game is on.

Indian political discourse on minorities and minority rights rarely exceeds the unwritten limits of the country’s Muslim community. Parsis, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Armenians and Buddhists, with their emphasis on duties to the state and society are rarely given the public space which their contributions deserve. Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw, Generals Jagjit Singh Aurora and J. F.R. Jacob who led the Indian Army to a famous victory in the war against Pakistan in 1971 over the liberation of Bangladesh were Parsi, Sikh and Jew respectively. The first two are dead, the third, happily, is still with us. Hence decision of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to “protect and project the glories of the Jewish community” by renovating the monuments built in Kolkata over a century ago, was welcome and long overdue. ASI Regional Director P.K.Mishra visited the city’s three synagogues, along with local Jewish activist Aline Cohen, who has battled long and hard for their conservation. Two of the three buildings – Beth El Synagogue and Maghen David Synagogue – are nationally protected monuments but the third, Shalom Synagogue, is unprotected although its importance is not a whit less than those of the others. Moreover, it stands beside the Maghen David site. Mr Mishra announced plans for a Jewish tourism circuit in Kolkata, which will commence with a festival-cum-fair exhibition to highlight the unique facets of Jewish life and culture in the metropolis and beyond. The Jewish community has taken responsibility for the restoration of the Neveh Shalom Synagogue, built in 1911.

“Apart from their rich history, these monuments speak eloquently of the great cultural melting pot the city [was and]is. Many communities [Armenians

among them] came and settled here and left their indelible mark in the form of these monuments. But I am afraid after Aline Cohen, there will be hardly anyone to tell the stories behind these magnificent structures,” said Mr Mishra. Kolkata’s Jewish population numbered 6,000 after the Second World War. Today it is a paltry 25. The same is broadly true of the Armenian community. It isn’t easy to access these Jewish monuments because of security restrictions stemming from fear of jihadi terrorism.

Measures to achieve easier access within a tight security framework are being put in place. The new generation of Bengalis brought up on an incessant diet of poisonous Communist-led Left Front propaganda are largely ignorant of their capital’s vibrant multicultural history, a genuine source of pleasure and enlightenment and not simply politically correct buzzwords.

A revealing postscript to this story comes from the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi, whose Joint Secretary E. Ahmed proclaimed triumphantly that the issuance of Indian visas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Ramallah (and not from Tel Aviv) was a defiant, anti-Israel symbol (albeit unstated) of militant Indian support for an independent Arab Palestine. There is no militancy in the two-state solution, only reason, to which the European Union and most other nations also subscribe. MEA officials set the record straight.

“Making too much of this step would not be correct.

This also means that Israel tacitly agreed to Indian visas from Ramallah,” they said. The reason behind the Ramallah move was to save waiting time and costs. Mr Ahmed’s job is to implement Government of India policy, not to make it. Period.

Iran nuclear deal benefits India

Makeover for Kolkata’s Jewish heritage sites

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Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.

- Alan Alda

Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent Central

A lost generation?

Back in August Syria was much in the news, as Britain, France and the US were considering military intervention in the conflict that was tearing the country apart. Since plans for a bombing campaign were dropped – something I welcomed – media attention has reduced to a trickle.

However, the conflict continues unabated. The UN say the conflict has created the world’s worst refugee crisis in 20 years, with at least 2.2 million people having fled Syria and millions more displaced within the country.

More than half of the Syrian refugees are children, who have had to leave their homes, their schools, their friends and, in many cases, have been separated from loved ones. The war is robbing these children of their childhood and of the chance to learn and grow.

At the end of November I went to Jordan, which borders Syria to the south, as part of my role as Chair of a group of British Parliamentarians who work to promote the welfare of refugees. Jordan alone has taken in almost 300,000 children, some of whom I met while in the country.

On my first day in the country, I went to Za’atri refugee camp which was built in just nine days and now hosts around 100,000 refugees. While there, I witnessed some of what life is like for children living in the camp.

I was shown some of the facilities in the camp for children: a football pitch built by South Korea; a playground with swings and a slide; and a project run by Save the

Children giving children in the camp space to learn and play. However, what I saw children doing the most was working.

The Jordanian authorities have banned cement being brought into Za’atri. So instead the residents of the camp are making their own.

But to do this, groups of children are digging through sand and dirt to get at the finer material needed to make cement.

They do this so they can earn very small amounts of money to help supplement the little their families are given. Refugees aren’t allowed to work in Jordan.

Child labour is also endemic in refugee communities living outside the camp. In Jordan’s capital Amman, I joined a team from the Jesuit Refugee Service visiting families living in cold, damp, unfurnished apartments – none of the children from these families are in school. Instead many of them are out working, including ten year-old Bashir who is the sole bread winner for his family of six. Bashir works from 8am to 10pm everyday selling vegetables. He has no time for school or to play. The crisis in Syria shows no signs that it will end soon, so it could be a long time before these children are able to return home. Action must be taken now to avoid a lost generation of Syrian children. The solutions to the problems aren’t easy, but here in the UK we must avoid thinking that this is a problem that the countries hosting Syrian refugees must tackle themselves.

Continued on page 6

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MIDLANDS VOICE

First Indian visa centre in Leicester officially opened After 20 years of campaigning, the first Indian visa centre in Leicester has opened.

The centre, at the Peepul Centre, in Orchardson Avenue, Belgrave, was officially opened by Shri Ramalingam, the Indian Consul General, and Leicester East MP Keith Vaz. The Labour MP made his own application for an Indian visa following the official opening of the centre, which saves people wanting to visit India dealing with the centres in London and Birmingham.

Mr Vaz said: "I cannot believe that after so many years of campaigning it has finally become a reality. It is a wonderful gift to Leicester. With the Home Office biometric centre in the city centre and now a new Indian visa centre, Leicester is the hub of the East Midlands. People from

Keith Vaz MP and Indian Consul General Shri Ramalingam perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the centre

places outside Leicester, such as Loughborough, Coventry and North-ampton, will be able to come to Leicester, which will also bring in more trade for businesses on the Golden Mile."

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Leicester cafe shut after mouse droppings found

A community cafe and restaurant near Leicester city centre was shut down after health inspectors found mouse droppings throughout the premises.

The city council's environmental health team said filthy conditions at Island Dishes, in Wharf Street North, by Burleys Flyover, posed a "serious risk to public health". An inspection was carried out at the premises, which serves Somali food, on Thursday after a member of the public complained to a city warden about the state of a rear storage area and vermin sightings. Initial findings included mouse droppings on the floor of the serving area, behind a cof-

fee machine and cooking equipment and on table tops. On closer inspection, droppings were found throughout the kitchen and storeroom, including behind fridges and on food storage shelves.

Shilpa Thakrar, representing the city council, said Mr Woods's findings were supported by a second inspection on Thursday carried out by Mr Woods and fellow environmental health officer Claire Douglas. "It was determined there existed an imminent risk of injury to health, and emergency measures were taken by the local authority to close down the business," she said.

Indian restaurant hit with salmonella reopens

Cause of Xmas Day M6 death crash still unknown Two of three family members who died in a horrific Midland motorway crash on Christmas Day were not wearing seat belts, an inquest has heard.

A coroner’s court was also told the Ford Focus involved in the smash had a defective tyre and was being driven at an average speed of 90mph for almost a mile before it spun out of control.

Mohammed Arsalaan Habib, four and Adnan Habib, 10, and their mother’s aunt, Bushra Tazarib, 32, all died of extensive head injuries at the scene on December 25 last year.

The boy’s mother, Parveen Habib, who was at the wheel of the Ford Focus, has not been charged in connection with the crash at junction 15 of the M6 in Staffordshire.

The family members, all from High Wycombe, were en route to a wedding when

Adnan Habib, 10, Arsalaan, 4

their car spun anti-clockwise across all three lanes of the motorway, mounted a grass verge, smashed into trees and rolled over.

During a police interview, Mrs Habib, who was not arrested, told officers she could remember little of the accident: “It was a thud like sound, I just lost control – I just don’t know what happened after that until I was in hospital. I have lost everything, I lost my sons and I lost my auntie.�

The coroner said what exactly had caused the crash may never be known.

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The bug which caused a group of Leicester City Council health inspectors to fall ill following a night out at a popular Indian restaurant has been identified as salmonella.

Leicester City Council's food safety team took 49 samples from the kitchen at Kayal, in Granby Street,

Leicester, after 19 people reported feeling poorly after eating there, over a two-week period this month. The popular restaurant, which has only ever had five star health and safety ratings in the past, closed immediately pending an investigation.

It has now reopened.

Awards for Family Businesses

Brothers David and Keven Nutt of carpets and flooring retailer T. Nutt & Sons who were won Highly Commended in the inaugural Retail Excellence category.

Congratulations to all winners of this year’s Midlands Family Business Awards. More than 300 guests attended the prestigious ceremony at the University of Birmingham’s Great Hall.

Now in their fourth year, the Awards are the region’s only not-for-profit independent initiative for family businesses. The Awards’ chosen charity

this year was The Outward Bound Trust, the educational charity for young people. The Awards are the brainchild of The Wilson Organisation, a Nottingham-based third generation family business. To see the full list of 2013 winners, and for information on how to enter the awards visi t w w w. f a m i l y b u s i n e s sawards.co.uk

(From l to r) Ryan Kandola, Raj Dev, Anil Shermar and Nick Kandola of Birmingham's online lighting and electrical retailer Love Shopping Direct, Highly Commended in the inaugural Retail Excellence category.

Brum doctor faces further patient sex assault charges A Birmingham doctor has been charged with a further 10 offences of sexually assaulting female patients at two hospitals in the city.

Nafees Hamid, from Moseley, is accused of assaulting women at the Priory Hospital, Edgbaston and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham between January 2011 and February 2013.

The 50-year-old neurosurgeon, who is employed

by University Hospitals

Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, was charged by police yesterday (November 29) and remanded to appear magistrates in Birmingham today (Saturday).

Detective Inspector Ian Ingram, from the West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit, said: "We are working closely with the Trust as part of our ongoing investigation."

Hamid was charged on November 19 with sexually assaulting a female patient at the Priory

Hospital in June, this year.

He will appear before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Tuesday (December 3) in respect of this charge.

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has launched an internal investigation.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: "Mr Hamid has been excluded from practising at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham until the criminal investigation is

complete because of the seriousness of the allegation. The Trust has written to patients treated in the N e u r o s u r g i c a l Department informing them of the internal investigation."

Teenager who doesn't know his name, age or nationality found in Coventry A mystery foreign teenager who does not know his name, age or nationality and has never been to school has been found in a city centre, a charity said Tuesday.

The young man is believed to have fled a house he was trafficked to in London when he was a small child and was discovered at a bus station in Coventry.

The mystery youth believed in be in his late teens - heard someone speaking a language he

understood and asked for help, and they put him in touch with staff at the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre. All he had in his possession when he arrived in the Midlands was a letter from a solicitor saying he was 'stateless'.

He told staff he did not know his name, age, or country of origin and had been trafficked into the country. He speaks Urdu, Hindi and basic English and says he came to the UK when he was around

six years old and has been kept in a house in London.

He told the centre's safeguarding unit that he was not allowed outside and he did not go to school.

Mr Wheeler said: 'He thinks he came to the UK when he was six because 'the lady in the house' told him that. But when we gently asked what had gone on in the house, he became very nervous and as of now has said nothing. We have no idea how old he is.'

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Labour’s listening to the voluntary & community sector in Harrow

Walking with the kids of tomorrow Spriha Srivastava

When I received a call from India Vision Foundation to walk the ramp with underprivileged children as part of their event KIDS on RAMP-age, I jumped with joy. The idea of walking the ramp with children was extremely exciting.

I have been associated with India Vision Foundation for close to four years now. It all started when I visited their day care centre inside Tihar Prison as part of a documentary that I was preparing as a Masters student. I found their work and their dedication to be extremely amazing and decided to continue helping out the organization in whatever way I could.

It was a spectacular evening and one dedicated to children. Their confidence, their happiness and the sparkle in their eyes was the main part of the evening.

Dreams and aspirations are two things that prove to be a driving force in anyone’s life. It’s said that if you have dreams you should always let them chase you in order for you to work harder to achieve them. However, not everyone in this world has enough opportunities to pursue their dreams and this is where Navjyoti India Foundation, a NGO run by former IPS officer and India’s first lady police officer Dr. Kiran Bedi comes into play.

Navjyoti India Foundation along with India Vision Foundation, continue to serve the children of underserved communities, with a gripping event 'KIDS on RAMP-age' to provide an exclusive opportunity to

more than 100 children.

The children, in the age group of 5-18 years, walked the ramp in the show, arranged by the exclusive collections of five designers from India, Thailand & Dubai. There were more than 50 special invitees and hundreds of people to witness this spectacular event and to show their support towards the cause, where the children were the BIG celebrities for the night!

The children of underserved communities walked on the ramp with icons of the corporate world to draw attention towards their untapped talent and the need for equal opportunities in terms of quality education, better standards of living and vocational training.

Navjyoti India Foundation and India Vision Foundation (IVF), both are founded

by Dr. Kiran Bedi and provide education to the children in urban slums and to the children of prison inmates, vocational training to youth, women empowerment and rural development in the villages of Haryana.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kiran Bedi said, "We, at Navjyoti and IVF, are always working towards bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots.

The Kids on Ramp-age event is an initiative to encourage an inclusive, harmonious and integrated society so as to empower one and all. I am very grateful to all the supporters for becoming a part of this event and for walking hand-in-hand with the children of Navjyoti and IVF. I would especially like to thank the five

designers for providing the outfits and to enable our children to have a joyous experience."

The evening was divided into various parts – children from each project walked the ramp confidently, dressed in extremely smart casual or formal wear while the audiences cheered for them. The grand finale was where I was to make my debut and I was nervous for two reasons – one, I had never walked the ramp before and two the confidence with which these kids were walking I was scared if I would be able to match that.

Well, they announced my name and I made my way up to the stage clutching my sari and making sure that I carry it well. Two small little boys came running to me on the stage and held my hands and said – “Let’s go.”

And it all became so easy. I just had to follow them and walk to tunes of a very peppy number.

They led me to the end of the ramp and asked me if we could dance and we did. They didn’t want to stop and I surely didn’t either but the show had to go on so I slowly nudged them and brought them back on the stage.

The entire thing was not more than five to seven minutes but it touched my heart and gave me memories of a lifetime. I have never had so much fun in my life. This felt fulfilling and an evening spent worthwhile.

As Dr. Kiran Bedi said during the event, “If God gives you more; there is a specific reason behind it.” So, look up that reason and act now!

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

The Harrow Labour party is making sure its manifesto for the 2014 election is rooted in the views of the community.

At a packed school hall at Harrow High School on Saturday 30th November evening, Harrow Labour party welcomed over 100 community leaders and representativ es, representing diverse communities and stakeholder groups across Harrow.

This was Labour’s opportunity to hear from them about what they wanted to see from the next Labour administration in Harrow.

We promised to listen and act, where we can, despite the huge, unprecedented and unfair cuts to local government by the Tory Government.

Across the 4 hours, there were some lively discussions and debate on policy areas from Children’s to community services. As ever, the community came up with some great ideas, some of which we will take forward and put into our manifesto for the 2014 elections.

Cllr David Perry, Leader of the Harrow Labour Group said: “The people’s priorities will be our priorities. We recognise the valuable insight

that community and voluntary sector has in making sure we get our policies right, that’s why we held our Community Gettogether where our diverse community representatives have their say. We’ve had great input from our stakeholders, we’ve listened to them addressing

cerns and vision for Harrow are being listened to, it was a very positive and constructive event".

Cllr Sachin Shah, Harrow Labour’s manifesto co-ordinator said: “The Labour party has always had the community at the centre of our values.

We’ve now heard some

their views and aspirations during the preparation of our manifesto. This is the beginning of our dialogue with the voluntary sector and we’d be meeting them on a regular basis to hear them to shape Harrow’s future in the way the community sees it.”

Baldev Sharma Harrow Asian Multicultural Association (HAMA) said: "It was great to have the opportunity to voice the views from the community and help shape the Labour Party Manifesto for the Council Elections in 2014.

We are pleased our con-

great ideas from across the voluntary sector in Harrow. With the Tory government imposing austerity on Harrow all the way to 2020, we can’t promise to include everything asked for, but we now know the community’s priorities.

The Harrow Labour party will now fully reflect on the views of the voluntary and community sector and will start putting pen to paper on our manifesto in the coming days.

The full version of the Harrow Labour Party manifesto will be published early in the New Year.

built upon focusing on the needs of high street retail customers and developing a strong team here at Kolak.

Judges comment: “Purely because of the amount of jobs they have created – 100 employees

at the start to 750 employees now, they have benefited the area hugely and improved lives of hundreds. You can tell from the entry and through customer feedback that they are committed to high quality products.”

Continued from page 3 It is vital that the international community, including the UK, works with the governments of countries like Jordan to ensure the needs of children are met. This means helping not just with the

immediate needs of food and shelter, but also helping to build sustainable solutions. The children fleeing the conflict in Syria cannot afford for us not to, and the future of any postconflict Syria depends on it.

Kolak Snack Foods wins three top business awards

At the prestigious West London Business awards Kolak Snack Foods won the top award of “Overall Business of the year” and also won "West London Business of the year" and highly commended in “Food and Drink Business of the year”.

Kolak’s Managing Director Ashok Lakhani comments: We are very proud to win such a prestigious award especially considering the wide range of excellent entries reflecting the diversity, quality and strength of the West London business sector. Our success is

A lost generation?

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Indian origin man convicted of murdering a business woman

An Indian origin man has been convicted at the Old Bailey, following the death of b u s i n e s s woman Carole Waugh.

R a k e s h Rakesh Bhayani Carole Waugh Bhayani, 41 of Waugh's flat with coWembley was found guilty defendant Nicholas of Carol's murder. He had Kutner, 48, to remove her previously pleaded guilty corpse and store it in a to perverting the course of car. justice, and conspiracy to He explained that he commit fraud. did not contact police The jury heard that Ms because he was involved Waugh, 49, a successful in a fraud with Waugh and business woman had met Kutner and feared he Bhayani during 2011. She would be linked to her was last seen alive on 16 murder. He also claimed April 2012 and it is he had a casual affair with believed she was murthe decease. The court dered somewhere concluded that the marbetween the evening of ried father of two murthe 16 April and the early dered his former lover to hours of the 17 April. fund his out-of-control Bhayani, 41, had told gambling habit. jurors that he went to

Soil from WWI battlefields laid in a London memorial garden

Soil from World War I battlefields in Belgium was laid in a memorial garden in London on last Saturday ahead of the 100th anniversary next year of the start of the conflict.

Seventy bags of "sacred soil" gathered by more than 1,000 British and Belgian schoolchildren earlier this year arrived in Britain by Belgian warship on Friday.

On Saturday, a horse

drawn army gun carriage took the bags past landmarks including Buckingham Palace and St Paul's Cathedral to the new memorial garden at Wellington barracks in central London.

The soil was blessed in a ceremony at the Guards' Chapel before eight-yearold schoolboy Patrick Casey was given the honour of pouring a crucible of soil taken from all the battlefields into the heart of the garden.

Indian transexual appeals for asylum in Britain

An Indian transsexual has appealed the UK government to grant him asylum saying he will face discrimination at home if he is deported, the BBC has reported.

Sameer Neelam, who was born as a female, is said to have been a prominent public sector official in Hyderabad before fleeing to Bradford to seek asylum.

He was reportedly exposed after being found living in private as a man with another woman.

Mr Neelam, pictured, told BBC North that he had faced “violence and harassment” after being “outed” by the Indian media and added that he enjoys “being himself” in the UK, while fears that he will be “tortured and discriminated” if he is returned to India. He now faces being deported to India after the Home Office rejected his claim.

According to government guidelines on asylum applications from transsexuals an applicant "may claim asylum when he or she fears persecution on

account of his or her actual or perceived gender identity which does not, or is deemed not to, conform to prevailing political, social or cultural norms in his or her country of origin."

A spokesperson for the Home Office told BBC North: "The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need it and applications are carefully considered before a decision is made.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing."

Mr Neelam is expected to find out whether he will be deported in the coming days.

UK

Deputy PM praises value of Culture and Diversity at Bhavan's Diwali banquet

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Lakshmi and Usha Mittal, G.P Hinduja, Subhash Chandra, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Gokul Binani, Joginder Sanger, HE Virender Paul Acting High Commissioner of India, Lord Loomba and Rishi Sanger

Rupanjana Dutta

On the 27th November, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan UK held its annual Diwali Banquet at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, which was attended by the esteemed members of the British Indian community, from different walks of life including professionals, businessmen, MPs and Lords. The Chief Guests for the evening were the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the Liberal democrats and the acting High Commissioner of India, His Excellency Virander Paul.

Mr Joginder Sanger, Bhavan’s

Chairman, welcomed those present, including members of both Houses of Parliament, the Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham, as well as leading members of the Indian and UK business world.

In his address, His Excellency Virander Paul paid tribute to the valuable contribution made to Britain by Bhavan and said that the Indian High Commission was always ready to support Bhavan and the Indian community.

Rt Hon Nick Clegg began his speech by praising the valuable work done by the Bhavan Centre in spreading traditional arts and culture. Referring to his upbringing, Mr Clegg went on to affirm his commitment to cultural and ethnic

diversity. He said: “Culture is of immense importance and together with individuality are what defines people.” He also added that he has widely read about Indian culture in books and writings, and it has definitely helped him to shape his vision in life.

The evening’s programme contained cultural items featuring classical dance performances by senior students of Bhavan.

The event came to an end with a vote of thanks by Bhavan’s FundRaising committee Chairman, Dr Surekha Mehta. She specifically thanked all the people involved, including the Chairman, who has completed twenty five years of fundraising for the Bhavan Centre.

KPMG organises successful Asian Festival Dinner to celebrate Eid and Diwali

The Duke of York attended KPMG’s Asian Festival Dinner in London on 29 October, where 300 guests from the Asian business community gathered to celebrate the festivals of Eid and Diwali.

The event, which was hosted by Senior Partner Simon Collins and Tax Partner Nina Amin, was the 10th anniversary Asian Festival Dinner, a key gathering in the KPMG calendar.

Organised by Nina Amin, who was awarded an MBE for her services to the Asian Business Community earlier this year, the event held at the Jumeirah Carlton Hotel in London, brought together some of the most successful Asian business people from the Capital.

KPMG first held an Asian Festival Dinner event at the Cinnamon Club in 2004 with 60 guests and the event has grown in size and reputation over the last 10 years. It is now one of KPMG's most successful

L to R Mr Simon Collins, Mr Frank Carter, Mr Adrian Wilcox, Mrs Nina Amin, Mr Anant Suchak, Mr Mike Woodward and Mr Hitesh Patel

events of the year.

Speaking to guests on the night Nina and Simon emphasised how important the Asian Business Community was to the UK and thanked guests for their continued support of KPMG. Nina outlined some of the key developments for our business over the last decade since launching the event, particularly

how we had grown from a firm of 6,700 people in 2004 to over 11,000 today.

Commenting on the event, Nina Amin said: "There are not very many events or programmes at KPMG that can say that they continue to be relevant a decade down the line, so we are very happy with how this event has grown over the years and

is now an important event on the Asian business calendar."

KPMG were joined by many influential and important members of the Asian Business community including GP Hinduja, Surinder Arora, Lord Noon and Lord Bilimoria, Keith Vaz MP and Shailesh Vara MP, Vijay and Bhiku Patel and George Jatania.

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

PM Cameron, cap in hand, in China As I See It

British PM David Cameron reached Beijing on Monday. He has a very hectic program. It is right and proper in the modern days, as is done in other counties, that the diplomacy helps as much as possible to the economy of the country.

Britain, though a small country, has enormous experience and expertise in several fields. The financial services provided by the City of London and technological prowess of the British industries, universities and research establishments as well as manufacturing sector can offer ample opportunities for China. Prime Minister has taken with him a large delegation of over 100 eminent representatives.

It is also to be remembered that because of size and the population, China as well as India have always been of significant economic force. Again China and India were the largest global markets for the world till the end of the 18th century. The growth of Empire and the subsequent measures of Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and also USA have transformed the dynamics of the international trade and investments.

Things have started changing rapidly, especially in the case of China since 1979. Deng Xiaoping implemented capitalist system in the communist state. Today China has so much to its credit. In the last 34 years the whole gamut has changed beyond one’s imagination.

China is building its infrastructure. Accelerated growth is also rebuilding (roads, residential homes, the entire city’s as well). The new leadership which came to power in China in a very orderly manner, has embarked on incremental progress. It has a declared goal creating 700 million strong middleclass sector.

In the past three and half decades it has built up universities, technological institutes and created very strong foreign currency reserve just sort of four trillion dollars. These and other factors, no doubt attracts the British Prime Minister as well as other industrial countries, big and small. The Chinese reach is so enormous that not only it is the world’s second biggest economy but is a leading trading partner of 128 countries.

Of course the western world desires to share the economic development as China opens up more to the world. Its leadership may realize that democracy and development go hand-in-hand. Both – the people as well as powers that may, hopefully, discover the benefits of political reforms.

JLR expects to sell over 100,000 premium segment cars. Equally Chinese investments in UK can play a very crucial role. Few months ago the Chinese have committed some 14 billion pounds to build a new nuclear reactor at Hinckley Point and Manchester City Office Park. Similarly there are several other projects where Chinese cash and the British creativity can combine to bring further development and employment in UK.

of China.

Recently UK declared that it was opposed to Tibetan independence. How strange. The Downing Street has confirmed that Mr. Cameron has decided to ‘turn the page’ on the row caused when he met the exile spiritual leader in London last year. Eleanor Byrne – Rosengren, a director of Free Tibet Campaign has said that Britons expected ‘Mr. Cameron to act like a statesman and not a salesman’ in his dealings with Beijing.

The ICM survey commissioned by the Free Tibet Campaign showed the 69 per cent Britons think that upholding Tibetan’s human rights was more important than, maintaining good relations with China.

Eleanor Byrne - Rosengren has also said ‘The Chinese government thinks that, a combination of money and threats can ensure the silence of UK politicians’ and she demands that the British government should stand up for justice and human rights in Tibet.

Business first, no doubt, but the respect for traditional values, heritage as well as self respect cannot be ignored in such matters. Great Britain stood alone against Hitler during those most delicate and dangerous years of 1941 to 1943. It paid heavy price. It went to war with Germany because of blood thirsty dictatorship of Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

A country small in size with a proud history of at least one thousand years, stood up for justice and human rights. What is happening in Tibet is very serious matter indeed. It is also reported that Cameron and his government will not speak about democracy and human rights. Perhaps borrower has to be very careful with terms and conditions of the lender.

British Prime Minister must do everything to develop Great Britain. Business first, but the values are also of paramount importance. Thus the British PM need not stoop so low for some cash injection.

The economic partnership is vital and is also part of the British success story. There is no doubt about it.

International investments in any sector of the economy are in a way borrowing by those who need the hard cash. Every lender expects a yield and dividend but some lenders are capable to exert other pressures too.

To borrow is not bankruptcy but the borrower ought to know the terms and conditions of the transactions as well as intention of the lender or investor.

China is, as everyone knows, an authoritarian state and becoming increasingly powerful. It has no qualms in behaving as a crafty lender or investor. It does not respect the norms of the democratic society. Even before the economic resurgence of China, it was a bully to its neighbours. Now, it is capable to challenge even the American hegemony, not only in Asia Pacific region, but in countries far away.

The recent development over the air travel restriction above the disputed islands is a case in point. China being an authoritarian State, one has to be very careful about: 1. Complete negation of intellectual property rights. Corporations of many British, German, American and other countries have experienced that Chinese do not respect intellectual property rights, which is a hallmark of the free market.

2. The most surprising and deeply saddening is the tacit agreement of David Cameron not to meet Dalai Lama in the foreseeable future as a pre-condition for this visit. The Free Tibet Campaign has denounced such maneuvers to win deals for British companies.

3. The per capita income, wealth and GDP of China are far behind that of the UK. In spite the huge strides of China it will take years for them to catch up with the Great Britain. The Crucial fact is the lack of democratic norms, fairness and justice in body politic

There was very interesting debate on human rights in the House of Lords on 21st November. The house was considering a government motion, ‘This House takes note of Her Majesty’s Government’s policies towards countries responsible for violations of human rights’.

Several lords complemented the British Prime Minister for its stand at CHOGM. Lord Bhikhu Parekh ‘particularly thanked the PM for the stand he took at CHOGM in Sri Lanka. He was right to go.’ --- ‘Our Prime Minister was right to visit Jaffna, commiserate with the Tamils, condemn the army operations which killed thousands of Tamils, demand an investigation into what actually happened during the war and afterwards, and meet the representatives of Tamil group.’

Lord Bhikhu Parekh also made very interesting comment of particular interest to Indians and especially of Gujarati extractions.

“An equally sensible attitude is increasingly being taken with reference to Gujarat, the Indian state from which I come, where genocide took place in February 2002, when a large number of Muslims were killed with the complicity of the state. The American Government denied a visa to the Chief Minister but the British Government took a very sensible view and said nothing. Increasingly, the British Government began to recognize that we had no conclusive evidence that the Chief Minister had been directly and actively involved in what had gone on; after all, he had been in power for only four months.

Nor did we ignore the fact that this sort of thing had

Should the British PM stoop so low?

Prime Minister David Cameron with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang

Lord Parekh on Human Rights

happened in other parts of India, and therefore we could not single out one state alone. About 18 months ago or perhaps a little less, the British Government asked the British High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan, to visit Mr. Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat. More recently, the Foreign Office Minister Mr. Hugo Swire visited the place.”

This is credit worthy for Lord Parekh who also has studied very carefully the situation in Gujarat and India. An eminent political philosopher has in a way publicly corrected his view in the light of the positive developments.

“We tend to be selective about where we condemn violations of human rights and where we do not.

Violations of human rights in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia are by and large ignored, whereas we tend to concentrate on them in countries such as China. This sometimes gives the impression that we are unprincipled and that we are using human rights discourse or issues to promote a particular political agenda. We need to ensure that we are principled when we condemn violations of human rights.”

My visit to Parliament

I am no stranger to Parliament and I have been visiting the estate at least once a month for the past thirty years. However, whilst attending the Hindu Forum of Britain’s Diwali celebrations, our very own Lord Dolar Popat gave me the opportunity to sit in the House of Lords to witness Westminster’s second Chamber in action.

Upon my arrival I spotted many familiar faces; Lord Nigel Lawson, Lord Alf Dubbs, Lord Swaraj Paul, Lord William Inglewood, Lord James Gordon, Lord Timothy Clement-James, Lord Wilf Stevenson and Lord John Gardiner to name just a few.

By pure coincidence I entered the Chamber whilst the Communications Committee’s Report on Media Convergence was being debated. This was very much a debate for the future, analysing the impact of how the separate types of mediabroadcast, print and onlinehave all merged together.

Times have drastically changed; newspaper is not just printed on large sheets of paper but is online (as is Asian Voice!) and updated minute by minute, television is not just broadcasted on our TV aerial, but available for us to watch anytime and anywhere. The internet’s impact has been phenomenal and is beyond analysis.

What struck me most during my visit was the quality of the debate; it seemed that every little detailed was taken into account. Whilst the Report found that the convergence of media is no doubt a good thing, it also brings about certain challenges such as; the erosion of trust in the confidence we consume, challenges over the content (TV watershed is now no longer sufficient) and ineffective regulation.

I was fortunate to listen to Lord John Gardiner respond on behalf of the Government regarding the Committee’s finding. I was shocked to hear that “BBC TV programmes on mobiles and tablets accounted for 41% of the 176 million requests for the iPlayer in September of this year.”

The House of Lords lies at the heart of the British political system, yet its role is relatively misunderstood by many. To the world the chamber may seem like an outdated institution but in reality the House of Lords plays a significant role in policy-making. A series of reforms over the last 100 years, the most recent by Tony Blair have seen the Lords change from a chamber of privilege to a chamber based on merit, and form an institution dominated largely by the Conservative Party into one where no party has a majority.

It was also a privilege to see Lord Popat present there who was whipping the debate at the time; the first Gujarati Peer to sit on the front benches of the House of Lords. Catching up with Lord Popat afterwards he said, “there is a reason why I always say that this is the mother of all Parliaments; this is the home of the world’s oldest democracy and it is from this building that the rule of law was first developed and the rights and liberties were first developed in the Magna Carta.

The role of the House of Lords is no less than a Mandir due to the crucial role it plays in our society in protecting and empowering our citizens.”

- CB

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

A Former Corporate Bringing Heart to the City Shira Bassi was born in Punjab and came to live in London from the age of 5.

Shira sees herself as a carrier of important messages rather than significant in her own right. Shira’s background of east and west has helped her to produce a book called “Energy 2 business successful heart leaders.”

She recently returned to London’s corporate scene having spent time in India creating a children’s charity in Goa and pursuing a spiritual journey.

Shira trained at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

From her work with corporate, she has found that it is often a change in the energy of the leader of a company that can effect change in the company.

For this end, she has created a diagnostic tool and a system way of indicating the strengths and weaknesses that a business is realizing. This system consists of a review of “The dynamic conscious resonance of leadership,” Shira said.

Shira Bassi

“This awareness can alter the course of a business. The unconscious awareness of the direction of your energy is like being on a plane thinking you are heading towards India whereas the underlying

currents are taking you to London.” Shira’s opinions are endorsed by Angela Ahrendts of Burberry who attributes her success to energy. Shira mentioned that quantum physicists say that matter does not

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exist and is sourced as energy, which translates in business terms through teams, products and profits.

Shira commented that acupuncture and reiki healing can help unblock emotion that translates as physical illness. “ I am bringing dynamic consciousness to the business model, by identifying what is a leader’s impact on people, profit, promotion place or product/service and how this is affecting business strategy and results.

This is an innovative approach to conscious business leadership and is required in the 21st century world of global trading where trust, collaboration, sustainability, corporate social responsibility and relationships are as important as doing the deals. As we move away from a fear - based economy with its old structures of doing business, I am inviting all business leaders, especially those who are reading this Leading Light column, who are of Asian origin and familiar with energy resonance to reclaim their intuition and wisdom and turn it into a workable holistic business model.”

Shira said that her achievements in transforming company turnarounds in typical management consultancy

models put her at the edge of marrying her dynamic energy model with leaders, business processes and business strategy.

She announced that she has a track record with FTSE 100 companies such as Fortnum & Mason, Land Securities, and Hamleys.

In her book, “E2b successful heart leaders” Shira speaks about the “heart leaders’” personal impact as leaders of energy (heart) and success.

She says, “If you measure success as an income flow it’s an equation of energy multiplied by time multiplied by love.”

Shira said, “The law of attraction is your personal impact on the world. When you love what you do and are intent on making it happen and consistently precisely act upon this you have success as the outcome measured by money. One’s personal impact is the fire or the catalyst that precedes this equation. Without a high score in this, the rest of the equation is doomed to fail. Your personal impact creates an electromagnetic appeal, a power that draws people to your purpose and in turn creates an attraction of momentum to buy your services or products and makes you appealing as a leader.” Shira said that she is able to define this

9

personal resonance for each business leader.

“A balanced energy state between the three higher awareness centres and the lower three actualisation centres are required for a heart leader, where the heart is the gateway between thriving and surviving.

My energy test can show you tools which help to unblock energy centres.

This is an important aspect of accessing energy states.” She explained.

“A focused action can only arise from the appropriate energy state if it is clear, and unblocked. You might ask how would I know it's blocked? When you are unable to access the qualities of that particular energy state.”

Shira can be contacted at shira@londonleadership.co.uk. Shira is available to offering an initial review on your business leadership and also for speaking. She is conducting a leadership retreat is from 10th to 12th January 2014 http://www.eventbrite.co. uk/e/3-days-e2b-successful-heart-leaders-january2 0 1 4 - t i c k e t s 2047663617. Those interested can download her book “e2b successful heart leaders” from A m a z o n http://www.amazon.com/ dp/B00FG58Y8O/ref=r_ soa_w_d

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YOUR VOICE

Boris Johnson’s speech

The title of the speech was “What would Maggie do today?” when he gave this speech at the Centre for Policy Studies on 28 November 2013.

He went on to praise her for many of her achievements. However, there were mistakes too. Utility companies should not have been privatised. Boris says if she were alive today, she would bring back 75,000 assisted places.

Education results in reading, maths and science among 65 advanced nations to be announced next Tuesday will show that UK has gone down even further in the past four years. For 100 years private schools have enjoyed lion’s share of all education funding and charitable donations.

Many public owned companies were privatised at below true value, losing the public purse billions. Burma Oil should not have been sold. Today, it would have been a major source of lower cost energy.

Travelling by car is much cheaper than travelling by tube or train now. Off shoring of manufacturing plants should not have happened.

Boris speaks about 16% having IQ below 85. IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient. The score of an IQ test equals mental age divided by biological age.

Intelligence is mental flexibility, whereas knowledge and skills can be acquired by life experience, through parents, teachers, employers, etc. and accumulated over life course. Sub-categories of ability are verbal and non-verbal intelligence.

Psychometric test measures intelligence, abilities, personality and mood states.

Boris’ s way of judging people was very crude and contentious. His ideology that greed is good is not what we want to teach our children. Education can and should uplift those bellow IQ of 85, may be in other fields such as sports, arts, vocational qualifications, etc.

It should also be in a what you know society, not a who you know society.

Kevin Khajuria Via Email

Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award 2013

I would like to thank you for publishing esteemed and informative papers like Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar. If it wasn’t for Asian Voice, I would not have known about the Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award 2013 at the Portcullis House, conferred to a most dedicated and peace loving politician Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP who has been in politics for a long time. I did attend the event and asked him a question- whether or not former PM Tony Blair should be charged for war crimes in Hague for taking Britain to an illegal war against Iraqto which he said yes and then I congratulated Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn for receiving the Peace award.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Preferential treatment for China

Impact of Modi in the state elections in India

Tribute to late Mrs. Shardadevi A Patel of Croydon

Asian Voice of 19th October raises question why China receives preferential treatment, especially compared to India which is not only an ex British colony but a leading member of Commonwealth.

Answer is staring in our face.

There is simply no comparison. While China is moving at breakneck speed on all fronts, especially in building its infrastructure, with some 500 power stations, 150 nuclear, thousand miles of motorways every year with clinical efficiency, becoming the workhorse of Asia, leaving behind even super-efficient Japan and South Korea on industrial front. India, in comparison is a pauper, riddled with corruption, internal strife and terrorism.

Chinese navy with twin hulled aircraft carriers and fleets of nuclear powered submarines will rule the waves in two decades and will be first nation to establish a colony on moon.

Even Western visitors to China are dumfounded, amazed at the cleanliness, politeness and honesty of the people who serve overseas visitors. No hotel rooms have safes or visitors need to lock their rooms. One can leave jewellery, mobile phones, cameras in rooms without fear of being stolen. It is an insult even to ask them to put them in their safes!

Chinese tourists outspend Americans and their students will soon outnumber Indians. Even our nuclear power station will be built by France but financed by China, a dangerous combination for our wellbeing? While Western nations are tethering on verge of bankruptcy, Indian rupee is in free fall, China accumulates $40 billion monthly trade surplus that she invests wisely overseas to secure its energy and raw material needs.

The state elections in India in five states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Mizoram were completed this week. The Prime ministerial BJP candidate Narendra Modi addressed several meetings in all these states and attracted large crowds. Mr Modi brought out three issues which affects all Indians namely Ram Mandir, Jammu and Kashmir and Uniform Code bill. These issues were never brought in the public to appease minority Muslims.

The article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir constitution provides autonomous status for the state and it is not fully integrated with India. S. P. Mukherjee sacrificed his life for the integration of Kashmir with India. The present law does not permit outsiders to buy land or settle in Kashmir. Women who marry men from outside the state do not have property right. Kashmir government refuse to construct permanent houses for Hindu pilgrims during the yatra time since it will lead to demographic change in terms of population. BJP wants special autonomous status should be scrapped.

The Vajpayee government was not able to scrap the article 370 due to lack of support from other NDA partners. At Least now BJP want discussion on the subject.

In the year 2002 the court in J & K wanted to remove the article 370 but was turned down by the state assembly.

The second issue is the introduction of Uniform Civil Code bill removing sharia law to provide one law for every citizen of India. Muslims cannot have four wives and no child can marry at the age of 15 instead of 18. The third issue is the building of Ram Mandir. Ramayana united Hindus from the North to the South. When money can be spent on renovating Humayun tomb (burial) ground why not for historical Hindu temple?

Let us pay homage to extraordinary lady, late Mrs. Shardadevi A. Patel of Croydon who passed away on 25th October 2013-(vide obituary in Gujarat Samachar dated 16-10-13.) She was an invaluable asset to Patel as well as entire Hindu community.

In 1986 she founded Jagruti Mahila Mandal, (ladies group). Though she remained in driving seat, she inspired and guided other potential and talented ladies for various projects.

The Jagruti mandal (ladies group), was founded when VHP came under new Executive Committee. Thus she became worthy adversary as well as an ally of VHP. She made Hindu womens’ voice heard at local press, London Borough of Croydon, and civic bodies and other Hindu community organisations. Her organisation participated and assisted in number of programmes and celebrations organised by VHP in Croydon. With capable running of Jagruti Mahila mandal (ladies group), she lifted role of women from level of being second fiddle to men folk to be creative at state and para state organisations and institutions.

I hope that all Hindu community organisations (more than seven or eight in Croydon itself) would wake up and join hands to console Shardadevi’s family and sympathisers of the Mahila mandal founded by her. Mere phone contact or lip-sympathy would not be adequate to acknowledge the heights reached by Shardadevi and legacy of exclusive organisation (a ladies group) for women.

May the soul of dear departed rest in eternal peace at the lotus feet of almighty God.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Indian Pensioners

Sikh student in burglary

It was very sad to read that a 23 years old Bradford University Sikh student was involved in a burglary and was jailed for seven and a half years. Judge Mushtag Khokhar said that I still find difficult as to why you would become involved in something like this, with parents you have. In the course of one night you have thrown away all that you have worked for in two years of University education.

Temptations and easy options sometimes can lead people to commit crimes and have regret in their whole life. This Young student, it appears has fallen in this trap.

I have full faith in British Justice System but I am aware that there are many rehabilitation centres funded by the Government to improve the people’s lives. I would therefore suggest the appropriate authorities that young Sikh who has clean and good previous record to continue attending the University and serve community services.

Dr K R N Moorthy Handsworth

Dharam sahdev Via Email

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“Feinoab” mystery explained

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

It is unfortunate pensioner originally from Indian subcontinent are deprived of annual increment under the state pension new regulations. There are grey areas argued legally and ethically and it is discriminatory, as it is the most unkind cuts to recover UK economy. The money spent on increments is an a drop in an ocean.

I believe Canada, Philippines and Turkey are exempted from this regulation and they have legal and reciprocal arrangements. At least increments should be protected according to inflations prevailing in the respective countries.

As longevity increases, elderly people are prone to age related diseases and disabilities, consequently having heavy financial burdens.

How it applies to British citizens living in Spain, this regulation should be applied to new pensioners and not to ones on old schemes, who are going to die sooner or later.

The new regulation is inhuman and uncivilised and the government of India should take it up.

Harish Shah Haringay

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

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I refer to my letter here last week, headed “Down with this ‘feinoab’ show!”

Readers must have wondered what the word ‘feinoab’ meant in relation to ITV1’s “I’m a celebrity...get me out of here!” programme, the subject of my rant. Alas, my explanation was accidentally left out.

“Feinoab” is a word I invented to describe the publicity-hungry celebrities who take part in this stomach-churning show. It stands for: fading egos in need of a boost.

Rudy Otter

By Email

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Tower Hamlets Council supports Small Business Saturday

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

December 7 is the Small Business Saturday and the Tower Hamlets council is showing its support for the initiative as part of its work to help the borough’s small businesses go from strength to strength.

Taking place in the UK for the first time, Small Business Saturday is about encouraging people across the country to support small businesses in their communities – both on the day and all year round. The celebration of the country’s great small businesses is happening on one of the busiest shopping days of the year – the first Saturday in December.

Small businesses are the heart of many of the boroughs' economy: more than half the jobs in Tower Hamlets are in small or medium sized enterprises, and a quarter are in businesses that employ fewer than 50 people.

This year to mark Small Business Saturday and encourage people from Tower Hamlets and further afield to visit the town centre and support its local businesses, there will be festive food and entertainment, Christmas market stalls, special offers from businesses – and the Christmas lights will be switched on at 3.30pm. The celebrations will continue every Saturday until Christmas.

Brick Lane will also be celebrating Small

Mayor Lutfur Rahman

Business Saturday in style. Residents and visitors alike are encouraged to visit the iconic area experience the excellent cuisine offered by its famous curry houses and the unique attractions which make it an entertainment and cultural hub.

The council will also be launching brand new shopping guides for Bethnal Green Road and Burdett Road, as well as online content and new signage for those town centres.

The council is also investing an extra £355,000 into its town centres, cementing them as go-to areas for residents looking to shop this winter.

An independent team has been appointed to speak to residents and traders to look at the changes and improvements that could be made in three of the borough’s key centres – Roman Road, Brick Lane and Burdett Road – to help target investment and ensure

Cllr Alibor Choudhury

the areas are great places to visit.

Earlier this year, the council also launched the Tower Hamlets Business Forum, to help businesses network with each other and find out about new opportunities.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman said: “Supporting small businesses is a vital part of the council’s aim to help our communities benefit from the local economy. I am pleased to support Small Business Saturday which is an exciting initiative which draws attention to the hard work of our small business owners.”

Councillor Alibor Choudhury, cabinet member for Resources said: “We recognise the vital role that small businesses play in our borough, contributing to the local economy and providing jobs for local people. We are keen to do all we can as a local authority to ensure that Tower Hamlets is a place where small businesses can thrive.”

Brent's candlelit stand against domestic violence

The Civic Centre balcony in Brent was the dramatic backdrop for a moving, candlelit tribute and symbolic balloon release to honour the victims of violence on White Ribbon Day (25 November).

Lead by Brent's Leader, Cllr. Muhammed Butt, Cllr.

Aslam Choudry and the Borough Commander, Matthew Gardner, the ceremony was the culmination of an afternoon devoted to raising awareness of violence against women; the highlight of which was a powerful performance of the play Hurried Steps by the New Shoes Theatre Company.

Inspired by the testimonies of eight abuse survivors from around the world, Hurried Steps was performed to an audience comprised of representatives from Brent Community Safety Partnership; support

Cllr. Aslam Choudry

groups, including the Rape Crisis Centre and members of the public.

The event also featured a poignant speech from a survivor of domestic abuse and the public signing of the White

Cllr. Muhammed Butt

Ribbon Campaign pledge by the Council Leader and Borough Commander never to 'commit, condone or remain silent about men's violence against women in all its forms'.

EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

Sikhs in the British Army Meet School children at Book Launch

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst hosted a unique event last week as serving Sikh soldiers joined Sikh schoolchildren at a book launch which explored the history of Sikhs in the British Army.

Saragarhi: The Forgotten Battle was written by Jay SinghSohal, who is also serving in the Army Reserve, and focuses on this significant battle and its relevance today for serving Sikh soldiers.

At the event Sikh school children from Upton Grammar, Slough Sikh Academy, were given a tour of Sandhurst and the Indian Army Memorial Room, received a special screening of ‘Sikhs at Sandhurst’ and had the opportunity to speak to and question current serving members of the British Army.

Following the event, the book’s author, Jay Singh-Sohal, said: "To pay tribute and reflect upon the story of those Sikhs who fought and died on the frontier and in the Great War in the prestigious Indian Army Memorial Room was a tremendous honour. In launching my book "Saragarhi: The Forgotten Battle" at Sandhurst I hope many more will be inspired by this story of bravery and courage."

Captain Sartaj Singh

Private Harpreet Kaur (Dental Corps), Lt Jagjit Mahwara (Royal Artillery), Lt Col John Kendall (Civil Engagement), author Jay Singh-Sohal, Col Robin Vickers (RMA Sandhurst), WO1 Ashok Chauhan (Civil Engagement), Capt Sartaaj Singh Gogna (REME)

Gogna, REME, who works as a cultural specialist with the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit, attended the event and was a panellist in the Q+A session. He said: “This was a great opportunity to find out more about the long standing and prestigious history of Sikhs and the British Army spanning over 150 years. In addition, it afforded a fantastic opportunity for the inquisitive students to engage with serving Sikh soldiers, learning about their experiences and roles. It is important that we remember our proud and distinguished heritage serving both alongside and within the British Military, and that young Sikhs today do not forget the sacrifices made by their forebears.”

The book centres on an infamous battle that took place on the North West Frontier in 1987, and saw 21 Sikh soldiers fight to the last in defending a small outpost. The actions taken by these soldiers have cemented the reputation of the Sikhs as brave and loyal fighters.

Also speaking at the event was the Sikh civilian chaplain to the Armed Forces, Mandeep Kaur. His role is to provide pastoral care and look after the spiritual welfare of serving Sikhs within the Armed Forces and in the wider community. The event was run in partnership with the Armed Forces Sikh Association – which is a formal network or serving Sikhs in the Armed Forces.

10 years old wins local MP’s Christmas Card Competition On Monday, Sadiq Khan MP, Member of Parliament for Tooting visited Swaffield Primary School in Earlsfield to congratulate ten year old Alitza Chohderi on winning his annual Christmas card competition for 2013.

Every year Sadiq Khan invites primary school children from across his constituency to design his Christmas card. As in previous years, the response from local schools has been excellent, with seven local primary schools submitting hundreds of entries from children of all ages. The entries were judged on 8th November by four community representatives.

After much deliberation, the judges selected Alitza Chohderi’s design to

Southall’s ‘big plan’ moves a step closer to reality

Southall Broadway is undergoing a dramatic facelift since November. It will radically alter the appearance of the busy shopping street to make it more attractive as well as improving traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Work in The Broadway is part of the wider regeneration of the area – known as the Southall Big Plan – which was developed after extensive consultation with local people. It aims to make the area a safer and better place to live, work and visit by improving the town centre, community and sports facilities. It also aims

11

to create new training and job opportunities and tackle anti-social behaviour. Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “A big thank you goes to the 1,400 local people who helped to shape the Southall Big Plan by telling us exactly what changes they’d like to see in Southall. This project really is a great example of community collaboration and there are so many exciting changes to come for the area. I’m looking forward to watching the community grow and transform over the next five years.”

appear on the front of Sadiq’s Christmas card this year. Sadiq presented Alitza with a framed copy of the card, along with a certificate and an invitation for Alitza and her family to take a tour of the Houses of Parliament.

Each runner up will also receive a prize and every child that entered the

co mp e tit ion will receive a certificate from Sadiq.

S a d i q ’ s Christmas card will be sent out to more than 6,000 families, businesse s , Government ministers and Sadiq Khan c e l e b r i t i e s across the world, including this year’s X Factor winner.

The cards this year have been very generously sponsored by local businesses; Pooja Sweets, Chicken Cottage, Prime Group, South West London Television, Ocean Home Designs and Pearl Chemist Group.

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MEDIA WATCH

November 26 was an occasion for solemn remembrance and reflection. Five years ago to the day 10 Pakistani jihadists primed and trained for a suicide mission travelled by boat from Karachi and landed on the Indian coast near Mumbai, from whence they proceeded to their targets to wreak their havoc.

They shot to death 169 innocent people and it took almost three full days before the killers were run to ground and suitably dispatched, the sole survivor, Kasab, was brought to justice and hanged. It was a traumatic experience for the teeming metropolis – India’s financial hub – and for the country at large. Phoenix-like, indomitable Mumbai weathered the ordeal.

The magnificent Taj and Oberoi hotels, the scenes of carnage and destruction, are restored to their familiar glory. The hum of businesses and enterprises, large and small, are to be heard and seen everywhere. Mumbai was subjected to a similar jihadi assault in March 1993 in which 300 citizens perished, and again in the summer of 2006 when bomb explosions in the evening rush hour brought the city’s suburban rail network to a standstill. But this was temporary. Early next morning the commuter trains began running as per schedule.

Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark have published a book on 26/11 called “The Siege,” a chilling blow-by-blow account of what transpired that fatefully tragic day, but they have also raised questions about the unpreparedness and ineptitude of Indian ministers and civil servants, the Mumbai police and administrators, not to speak of the shortcomings of the country’s intelligence agencies. Have these shortfalls been redressed? Alas, no.

Staff shortages

The Hindu newspaper (November 26) writes: “Five years after 26/11, India’s intelligence services are functioning with staff shortages up to 40 per cent….. The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), officials said, face endemic shortages both of personnel with specialist language and area skills, as well as technology experts critical to modern espionage. The Intelligence Bureau (IB), in turn. has been unable to expand its counter-terrorism efforts, despite mounting threats.”

Failures

V. Balachandran, a former officer who headed the official investigation into the intelligence and police failures in the 26/11 tragedy, said: “It is very sad we haven’t sorted out the problems in all these years. I fear we will pay for it dearly.” A key appointment has been held up fo three years because of an inter-departmental turf war.

Excellent departmental decisions are made following intensive discussions, “then nothing happens. It’s about time someone took this seriously,” said a former RAW chief A.S.Daulat.

If another 26/11 terrorist strike heads will undoubtedly roll.

Unfortunately, the wrong ones.

Multiple challenges

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, addressing a confer-

ence of Director Generals of Police in New Delhi, said the jihadi Indian Mujahideen (IM) was behind three of the four major bomb blasts that had struck India this year. He held the IM responsible for the twin blasts in Hyderabad and for the series of bombings in Bodhgaya and Patna, both in Bihar. The Bangalore blast, he attributed to “misguided fundamentalist youths and the remnants of Al Ummah.”

Describing the arrests of IM chief Yasin Bhatkal and his jihadi associate Abdul Karim as a “breakthrough,” for the information they had provided on terror networks and sleeper cells, Mr Shinde and the IB Director Asif Ibrahim cautioned against the irresponsible use of social media in fanning communal tension and conflict. Freedom of expression was something to be cherished but its misuse should be avoided, they warned (Hindu November 22).

Mountain corps

The government has passed the Indian Army’s plan to raise a new ‘strike’ corps along with two ‘independent’ brigades, totalling over 80,000 troops on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The new corps, which will supplement the three strike corps of the 13 already operating on the Pakistan border, is the first to face China. It will be headquartered at Panagarh in West Bengal and will be known as 17 Corps. Its infrastructure, to be completed in seven years, will cost Rs 90,000 crore. Work has begun with officers and men earmarked for posting.

Arunachal Pradesh

With additional armoured regiments and infantry units based in Ladakh, Sikkim and Uttarkhand, the new mountain corps will give India the capability to launch counter-offensive operations into Tibet in the event of a Chinese attack.

In a broad plan to increase force levels along the Himalayan border with China, two new infantry divisions (35,00 troops, 1,260 officers) were raised at Lekhapani and Missamari in Assam in 200910. Their operational task will be the defence of Arunachal Pradesh, to which China has laid claim. The new mountain corps, with two specialized high-altitude divisions with rapid reaction force capability, is designed to give the Indian Army additional strength in the entire region (Times of India November 29).

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Infrastructure Arunachal Pradesh, with its strategic location, will receive exponential development aid to beef up its infrastructure.

That was the message that Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily gave on his recent visit to the State capital, Itanagar.

The government over the past few years, he said, had sanctioned 183 infrastructure projects to improve the State’s communications network. A rail line to Itanagar from Assam will opened in the coming months.

Mr Moily described Arunachal Pradesh “as the crown of India. When Arunachal Pradesh smiles the entire nation smiles and when it prospers the entire nation prosper,” said Mr Moily (Hindu November 18).

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michko received by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur

India, Israel defence deal

According to a recent report in the US publication, Defense News, Israel will team up with India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in a collaborative venture worth $3 billion for the production of a variety of systems related to command and control, battle management, sensors and weapons. An Indian Army official said the Indian Futuristic Infantry Soldier As a System (FINSAS) programme “aims to utilize advanced technologies to enhance capabilities of an individual soldier. [F-INSAS] is based on lessons from conflicts worldwide ad intends to make the Indian soldier a selfcontained fighting machine.”

Portable systems

India’s Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and Israel have agreed to jointly develop portable command-and control systems for Indian soldiers.

The system will have an encrypted computer and a monitor able to operate in harsh Indian weather. The system will be connected with the Indian Army’s battlefield management system, a networkcentric warfare project under development, said another Indian Amy source. The system must be able to grow to accommodate the Indian Army’s 1.1 million troops. In addition, DRDO is teaming up with Israel for joint development of an advanced mobile observation system for infantry soldiers that will operate through a radio frequency sensor, allowing a soldier to remain at a distance while observing and recording a target. DRDO has also submitted a proposal to Indian Defence Ministry to develop an advanced personal network radio able to integrate voice, command, control, communications and intelligence applications; and GPS signals. The system will be connected to long-range radio networks to provide unprecedented operational range. This, too, will be developed with Israeli collaboration.

President Pranab Mukherjee paying homage to the British and Indian dead at the Kohima Memorial

Rural wealth growth real Chairman and Director of Marico Ltd, a consumer goods manufacturer, told a reporter that impact of India’s economic slowdown was felt more acutely in urban rather than rural areas. Wealth in villages had percolated down to the lowest levels of society in the past few years, as witnessed in the demand for consumer goods. The Indian economy, he said, may have bottomed out and a growth rate of 5-6 per cent looked feasible next year.

This forecast is possibly on the road to fulfillment, judging by the 4.8 per cent growth for the second fiscal (JulySeptember), a 0.4 percent improvement over the first fiscal figure.

(Mint November 29, 30)

Arun Tejpal arrested in Goa see comment page 3

Looking to establish a direct presence in overseas markets, Cipla has put in place a top management team with international experience to oversee the project. Under the leadership of

Cipla to spread wings abroad

Cipla, India’s second biggest drug manufacturer by market share, is planning to global on the back of its reputation as a reliable maker and supplier of affordable drugs to some of the world’s poorest people.

Cipla transformed the HIVAIDS treatment situation by offering its copycat antiretroviral combination drug at onefortieth the price put out by multinational drug companies, thus making the life-saving product available to millions of AIDS sufferers in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions where the disease had taken hold.

Dr Yusuf Hamied

its recently retired chairman Dr Yusuf Hamied, a brilliant Cambridge-trained chemist, Cipla has become one of India’s top-rung companies with an annual turnover of Rs 8,000 crore. It has set a sales target of $5 billion by 2023 (Mint November 22).

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Indo-China and The Politics of the Indian Diaspora

Following the PM’s visit to China and his call on the British Chinese diasporsa to build closer ties, what can we British Indians do for Britain given our special relationship with India?

I write to you from the back of a car from the airport to downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The traffic is slow enough to permit me to type. Having landed from Delhi and before this evening flying to Hong Kong; there is a flight I have taken many times which allows me to work a full day in India, then sleep a few hours on the overnight flight to KL; land in Malaysia and work 9-5 in meetings, then in the evening reach Hong Kong by midnight to start early the next morning.

Somewhere in the there I’ll do a run. This is one of those trips.

My meetings in KL and Hong Kong are all about bringing investment into the United Kingdom; working with our Consulates and Foreign Office and local entrepreneurs to make this happen. Trade and investment stop wars, help growth which fuels social care and wealth distribution.

Yet nothing can be taken for granted.

Trade alone does not protect a country and it’s peoples. The Indian diaspora in Malaysia, whilst successful, think of Tony Fernandez the owner with Amit Bhatia of QPR football club, has politically suffered and the Hindus especially largely feel disenfranchised. I’ve been coming to Malaysia for 17 years and am surprised that with time the complaints are louder from the diaspora here.

The British Prime Minister announced a ‘special representative’ for the British Diaspora in Priti Patel MP. Fourteen years ago the Foreign Office asked me to be part of a special advisory group on involving the British Indian diaspora on British foreign policy formulation and the then Prime Minister asked me to be part of the UK India Roundtable to provide policy initiatives for the Prime Ministers’s Offices of India and Britain for closer ties between the two countries.

The Chinese and Jewish diaspora are the two role models. Priti’s role should have two prongs. First, trade and investment. Second, political, social, cultural ties.

First, for trade (exports) and investment from the UK into India (British companies owning Indian profit making

assets) British Indians are uniquely placed. The feeling is that the huge British Gujarati and Punjabi business communities are not leveraging their own connections to export and invest. UK Trade and Investment – the British Government arm is there to help. A British Deputy High Commission is needed of course in Ahmedabad. Target British Indian business owners for exports to India. My own company as a British asset management company chose India for its second fund because as a British Indian we are better placed than our competitors to exploit the opportunity. More British Indians need to be targeted and informed of how to do it – with a string of mentors who have done it already. Information and know-how from other businessmen is vital. When I co-founded TIE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) in the UK, part of the global Indian diaspora of business persons whose Charter Members include Aditya Mittal, this was our aim.

Each British Indian business owner able to export to India or invest in India should be targeted not only to do so and how to do it, but also to be an unofficial ambassador to pull in and teach others.

We need to be on a war footing. It’s good for Britain, it’s good for India, it’s great for British Indians.

The role of Government is to convene, to inform, to open doors. The private sector will do everything else.

The second part of Priti’s role should be in building closer social and political ties. The voice of HM Government is more powerful when she can gather the voice of the British Indian population to lobby the Indian Government. But it is vital to do this in a spirit of partnership not lecturing.

Our resources, expertise, know-how flowing both ways so there is a better understanding of how to tackle issues such as aid, trafficking, forced marriages, educational exchanges. Find the British Indian leaders, the organisations they can move and set the inspiring goals and targets for each with Governmental blessings. But involve the common person – the regular ordinary people not the same cliques who have access anyway. Give true voice to the mass of Indian NRIs in the UK for a genuine not superficial engagement.

That’s how nations develop special relationships. That is what both countries need and want.

Council meeting descends into choas

A meeting discussing the merger of Newham and Havering Councils' backoffice services descended into chaos on Wednesday 27th November.

Captured on video, Councillor Jeffrey Tucker had to be physically restrained by members of his own party, after a number of nasty verbal exchanges between warring members fell into a bitter race row debate Cllr Tucker has refused to apologise for comments he had made in last week’s Recorder suggesting black and white council officers could not work together.

He had previously called Newham streets “filthy” at a cabinet meeting.

He was called on to apologise by the Conservatives after he is reported to have said he would find it “awkward and uncomfortable” to work with non-white Newham colleagues if a back office merger between the authorities went ahead.

“I think it’s a terrible idea,” he told the Recorder. “I can’t see the two councils being able to work together. Speaking after the meeting, council leader Cllr Michael White (Con) said he had “never seen anything like it” during his 20 years in office.

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UK

A sad story of a family at war EXCLUSIVE

13

Mr Singh senior, in white turban, and his wife Satwant Kaur Singh, in wheelchair, outside London's High Court with his daughter Seema Abbhi and son-in-law Deepak Abbhi at a previous hearing in 2012

Rupanjana Dutta

Jasminder Singh, head of Britain's successful Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels group and a prominent British Sikh businessman is being sued by his 86 years old father Bal Mohinder Singh for abandoning the Sikh tradition of sharing family wealth by excluding him from the business. He told a court last week, that he has been left 'deeply ashamed' that his son had forsaken his Sikh upbringing and failed to abide by the tradition of 'Mitakshara'.

The son is said to be worth around £415mn but his father is allegedly suing him over a relatively small amount of £50mn. Senior Mr Singh claims that his son forced him to retire as the Director of the group, and excluded him from the family business. He also said that he trusted his son 'implicitly and until recently had no reason to doubt that his trust was justified.'

The on going hearing which is listed under High Court, Chancery Division and open to public, was recently attended by me. The hearing was held in a conference room at the Mayfair hotel in London, because of the ill health of Mr Singh Snr. Though the hotel reception did not seem bothered by the hearing in its premises, the staff, barring the Manager, seemed unusually unaware if it was open to public and appeared hesitant to allow a journalist in.

Jasminder Singh

The sitting Judge was Sir William Blackburne, and the hearing was attended by a large number of legal representatives (barristers and solicitors), clerks and the close family members of the Singhs', dressed quite impeccably for the occasion. However, Mr Singh Snr was not seen to be present amongst the audience.

The family members sat in two sections, while Jasminder's elderly mother was in the witness box adducing evidence.

Jasminder was also present in the room, providing occasional instructions and exchanging notes with his legal advisors.

Mrs Satwant Kaur Singh (the mother), remained very calm and composed throughout the questioning, wore what appeared to be a salwar kameez (Indian traditional attire) and a cardigan, and had her questions and answers translated into Punjabi through an accompany-

ing translator. She put on her glasses, as and when asked to go through some statements or documents, and answered mostly in Punjabi, though she did use some English words here and there.

It is not uncommon to witness such family disputes here or in India. But I am sure one realises that not only this dispute is subject to wide public discussion and criticism, but it definitely limits one's faith in institutions like family. Imagine the elderly parents in a witness box, being questioned incessantly by a senior counsel. They are old and frail, and it is something they can surely avoid. It is often said that blood is thicker than water, and I am sure one can arrive at a compromise if they wish to. Such public mud slinging is neither desirable nor advisable. It is very painful and too expensive in every sense of the word.

It is also very difficult to see such a well known and respectable family split due to legal proceedings.

In such occasions one should perhaps refer to their experiences in life.

I cannot and should not comment on the legalities involved in this case, but if one asks me of my opinion, I would suggest that the family must find a midway solution to attain a sensible compromise.

The hearing continues.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

15

TOP THINGS TO DO THIS CHRISTMAS Christmas is one of the best times for Londoners and tourists alike! There is no escaping the festive spirit that oozes from all areas of the capital – December is thriving with mindblowing events, fantastic christmas shows, exclusive parties, acres of funfairs, ice-rinks dotted around the capital and not to mention, a LOT of good food!

Iceskating

ous 's fam London f i e l d t W e s City t r a t f o r d Centre S a g e are Shoppin ady been Though ther ffere di of r be has alr ed into m nu rm ons ti fo ca s lo n a tr ent world. to 's st a ho t e n ar a as S ch hi w Christm this Santa's officially ice skating is atural Grotto om now n-6pm year, the N r at, noo ilable f m S eu n us m M e p s p 8 a o History Christm Mon-Fri, 9am h tickets ava oves until wit pm Ice Rink pr 8 , m m p a 6 r 0 be Eve: 1 c 24: 9amto be num d e an Sun; D one time the .

The r e fo n n. li op ai n dr ag a o ck time ures ect ba ides the perf r ice rink, which feat ildren.

Museum prov oo ch td r ou fo k e rin ar ler -squ 1,000-metre at its centre, and a smal irground carousel ee hot ill be the fa Christmas tr ial feature w ive atmosphere with a ec sp 's ar ye st erfe ov e This r th ba in fé n take lcony ca d 2n y where you ca ulled wine from the ba from Monda m chocolate or e. The ice-rink is open ic ary. looking the nday 5th Janu Su – r be Decem Carols and Candles Service

Winter Won derland

Perfect for a fa or an even mily day out ing date, Winte Wonderland r has something for everyone!

Hyde Park once ag ai gets transfor n, med into a drea m-like world with neverending ri activities an des, d food. A m ain feature the Giant O of the park bs is grasp the be ervation Wheel which al autiful, expa nsive view of lows you to the kids, th e th 'Christmas C Wonderland boasts tw e City. For ircus' and 'C o irque Berserk circuses enter and is '. open from Monday 2nd It is free to Sunday 5th January.

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Fleet Stree t Carols

Traditional Ch Music Rober ristmas Carols will be t su derful 'journ Jones and the St Bride ng by Director of 's Choir at th alists' churc h' on Fleet spirit, there e wonStr w mulled win ill be a Christmas tree eet. In the festive e Address: St and mince pies to sa and candles, with Bride's Churc ti 8AU. Date: h Bride Lan sfy the stomach!

Friday 20th e, off Fleet St, EC4Y December.

A special service for those in working Canary Wharf, there will be carols sung by from choirs companies such as HSBC, FCA and KPMG with along of members aCanary the W h a r f Community from Choir Tuesday 10th December onward. All proceeds will y go to the Street Pastors (Tower Hamlets) charit essen is ce advan in ng Booki en. and Save the Childr ss tial, maximum four tickets per booking. The addre is: East Wintergarden 43 Bank St, E14 5AB.

FOR THE KIDS...

deer at London Zoo Meet Santa & his Rein iting

r will be vis Santa and his reindee nd until Christmas eke we ry eve London Zoo to be a 'Keeper's nce are giving kids the cha a hand preparing Little Helper' and lend zoo's animals. the for treats and presents ad decorating, story There will be gingerbre mas, carousel rides rist time with Mother Ch tions. Plus, everyone and animal demonstra gets a mince pie and et with a Meet Santa tick arrival. Ages 0-10. on r nne pla nt special eve Circle, Regent's ter Ou Address: London Zoo e 24th December.

Sat 7th December – Tu Park, NW1 4RY. Dates:

er Christmas Raymond Briggs' Fath

sduction of the classic illu The first ever staged pro fat ely lov the ut abo s book, strated Christmas children' annual routine to get pre his and s ma rist Ch her sFat ces suc a er aft ic s to the Lyr ents to the world, return ssic is still cla this and on rs yea ful run last year. Forty Lyric mas cockles. Address: warming the cold Christ Tue 3rd te: Da L. 0Q W6 Hammersmith King St, uary.

December - Sat 4th Jan

at Canary Wharf

16

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Do's and Don'ts if you're hosting an Xmas party at yours!

With Christmas just around the corner, it's good to get prepared ahead of time if you've decided to host your very own Christmas party at home.

It can be very stressful but equally, if you prepare properly, can be a thoroughly enjoyable and fun experience. To make the party a success, there a few do's and don'ts you need to follow.

Do

Send your friends invitations – Ensure formal invitations are sent at least a month before the party so guests have enough time to make arrangements and you know how many people to cook for!

Have a Christmas theme – Go all out with your Christmas tree, christmas-themed table, crackers and decorations. It makes the atmosphere that much more festive!

Have enough good food – This is important as guests tend to assess parties on how well they were fed! A possibility is to hire a caterer so that you can enjoy your own party while food is served. But if not, make sure a menu is produced before-hand and food is cooked well in advance so little preparation needs to be done on the day.

Give Christmas Party favours – Candy canes, jelly beans, even small gifts can add that extra touch to your party and will leave your guests with something to remember.

Don't

Invite friends that don't get along – whether your Christmas party is a family affair or mixed with friends and family, don't invite people that will not get along as you don't want an argument ruining your party! If your family are there, it is best not to invite the slightly inappropriate friend you may have that has an odd sense of humour – especially if your grandparents are there!

Buy cheap Christmas decorations – Cheap decorations will make your party look cheap and that is not what you want. Spending a little extra and nice decorations will ensure your party looks the part!

Rely on guests providing food - While some generous guests will bring the perfect deserts as a 'thank you' for being their host, it can often be a hit or miss as some people may forget or bring the wrong food. If you prepare the food, any extra will be a nice bonus!

Spend the evening updating your status on Facebook – Enjoy the event! Its your party and enjoy it in real time. People often get carried away with sharing the moment with their virtual friends whilst their real friends are sitting in front of them. You're guaranteed to have a great time, if phones are kept to the side and traditional board games and jokes takes over.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December 2013

SHORT GETAWAYS! BELGIUM Friday 13th December – Sunday 15th December - £449 per person Eurostar from London St Pancras departing 8.04am Arriving in Brussels at 11.05am Hotel: Martins Brugge (Bruges) – A 3 star hotel located in the heart of the city centre, the perfect place in which to start your exploring from.

Departing Brussels at 18.56pm Arriving in London St Pancras at 19.57pm www.lastminute.com

ROME Thursday 19th December – Sunday 22nd December - £453.32 Flight from Gatwick Airport departing 06.50am 10.15am

Arriving at Rome Airport at

Hotel: Gambrinus Hotel - The boutique Gambrinus Hotel Rome is a 4 star hotel in Rome, occupying a Prestigious building of the early century. It is located in the heart of the city, a few steps away from Via Veneto, the Spanish Steps and Termini Station.

Departing Rome at 19.35pm Arriving at London Luton at 19.15pm www.lastminute.com

BERLIN Thursday 26th December – Sunday 29th December - £325.94 Flight from Gatwick Airport departing 06.30am Arriving at Schonefeld Airport at 09.25am Hotel: Kempinski Hotel Bristol Berlin - his 5 star Grandhotel reflects pure luxury and is ideally located directly on Berlin’s famous Kurfürstendamm Boulevard.

Departing Schonefeld Airpot at 07.30am Gatwick Airport at 08.35am www.lastminute.com

Arriving at

Top CHRISTMAS MARKETS to visit

Christmas markets have become well and truly steeped in Christmas traditions. Originating from the traditional German Christmas market, the Christmas Market has become not just a great place to shop but also a hugely popular leisure destination in its own right. Typically opening a month before Christmas day, the markets usually have stalls selling Christmas ornaments, mulled wine and other festive treats.

Below are some of the best Christmas markets in Europe!

DRESDEN, GERMANY

As the oldest (1434) Christmas market in Germany – a country with more festive markets than any other – Dresden can probably claim to take the top spot.

This year, a huge "candle arch" in the Old Market Square sets the scene for the city's showpiece Striezelmarkt, where stalls are arranged in cosy squares beside the Kreuzkirche. Sticking to tradition, this is the place to pick up Saxon crafts such as indigo-printed textiles, pottery, basketry, lace, handmade paper stars, blown glass, glove puppets and wooden toys.

MANCHESTER

Attracting shoppers from all over the UK and beyond, the market has put Manchester city centre firmly on the Christmas map. No winter in Manchester is complete without a wander through the chalet-lined streets of the markets. This year the market will be celebrating its 15th year and will take over nine different spaces around the city, each with its own distinct character and atmosphere: Albert Square | Brazennose Street | King Street | St Ann's Square |

Exchange Street | New Cathedral Street | Exchange Square | The Corn Exchange | Corporation Street.

PRAGUE

BIRMINGHAM

Prague is a truly enchanting place at Christmas. The breathtaking Old Town Square, a marketplace since the 11th century with the historic Astronomical Clock, is taken over with stalls, an enormous lightbulb tree and the scents of hot punch, mead and roasting chestnuts.

A stage-set nativity scene and daily performances by folk bands and choirs add to the atmosphere. Open from November 28th to January 1st

The largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria and the heart of the city’s christmas event calendar returns to Birmingham each year in mid November for 5 weeks. Explore over 180 stalls selling gifts, jewellery, decorations, handmade toys, delicious German fare and of course the ever popular Glühwein!

LEEDS

Leeds is one of the most established German Christmas Markets in the UK, with traditional wooden stalls, festive greenery, Christmas carousel ride and twinkling colourful lights all creating a unique continental festive atmosphere in the heart of Leeds city centre. Set in the surroundings of the award winning Millennium Square, Christkindelmarkt attracts many hundred thousands of visitors to Leeds each year and forms an integral part of the city’s annual events programme. The market is open Monday – Saturday from 10.30am to 9.30pm and Sundays from 10.30am to 7pm

LILLE, FRANCE

The perfect place to sip mulled wine and eat roast chestnuts amid more than 80 festive market stalls that sell local arts, crafts and regional food specialities such as Maroilles cheese, chicory pâté, macaroons and babeluttes (soft caramels) in Lille. If you get tired of shopping, you can stroll next door to Grand Place – surrounded by some of the city's finest architecture, including the 18th-century, Flemish-Renaissance Vieille Bourse – and take a ride on the164ft-high Ferris wheel while marveling at the snowy-covered miniature village at its foot. Open from November 18th to December 30th.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December 2013

17

EAT OUT If yorkshire puddings, beer and waffles become your staple diet over Christmas, and nostalgia for delicious, authentic Indian cuisine incessantly hovers in your mind, we've put together a list of the finest contemporary Indian restaurants that will have you feeling right at home, whilst you still enjoy your christmas celebrations!

Central

Delicious Mince Pies

Zaman – Marble Arch (Indian/Continental) 0203 627 7522 La Porte des Indes - Marble Arch (Indian) 020 7224 0055 Quilon - St James's (South-west coastal Indian) 020 7821 1899

You will need: 225g cold butter, diced 350g plain flour 100g golden caster sugar 280g mincemeat 1 small egg icing sugar, to dust

West

Rasoi - Chelsea (Indian) 020 7225 1881 Madhus - Southall (Indian) 020 8574 1897 Masala Zone - Bayswater (Indian) 020 7221 0055

Total Time: One hour Serving: 18 mince pies

East

Hydrabadi Spice – East Ham (Indian) 020 8472 0255

1) For the pastry, you need to mix 225g diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Roll the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.

South

Chak 89 - Mitcham (Indian) 020 8646 2177 Tayyab - Whitechapel (Punjabi) 020 7247 6400 Taste of India - Islington (Indian) 020 7226 1125

North

Red Turban - Harrow (Indian) 020 8238 9999 Delhi Spice - Reislip (Indian) 01895 624700 Ram's -Kenton Road (Pure Vegetarian) 020 8907 2030

City

Bangalore express - Bank (Indian) 020 7220 9195 Cinnamon kitchen - Devonshire Square (Indian) 020 7626 5000 Cafe spice namaste - Whitechapel (Indian) 020 7488 9242

AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE BEST Indian Restaurant in Wembley City

Quality Service and Delicious Indian Cuisine at Affordable Prices.

We Cater To All Occasions.

115, Wembley Park Drive HA9 8HG

Phone: 020 8453 5555 Email: reserve@indiamirchi.co.uk Website: www.indiamirchi.co.uk

Please note: Minimum order of £15 for Home Delivery Service.

Drinks are not included in the £15 offer with coupon

Parking available

CHRISTMAS RECIPE

OFF % 5 1 this with n o Coup EAT IN

Takeaways & Deliveries

Catering

your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. (The pies may now be frozen for up to 1 month

2) Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnutsized balls of pastry into each hole.

Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies.

4) Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar.

They will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

3) Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between

For more great Christmas recipes, visit www.bbcgoodfood.com.

18

FINANCIAL VOICE Financial Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

'Do or die' week for the Dollar as major currency pairs are on a turning point, will trends continue or fade out?

Major currency pairs had a quiet last day of the week on Friday as we had no significant changes in their technical outlooks. The Euro missed the chance to gain even more against the Dollar as the data that came in on Friday were rather mixed.

German Retail Sales missed expectations and dropped 0.8% cutting Euro's momentum for higher levels. The Euro-zone Inflation did print a bit higher than estimated but at that point there was little appetite to drive the European currency higher. The Pound also had a quiet Friday hovering around the 1.6350 mark but as Asian markets opened for business on Sunday it popped above 1.6400.

However, Dollar was on cue on Monday with the American coin rising against almost all of its counterparts during the European session. Even though the figures expected from the European region came slightly better than expected it seems that market participants had their minds set on strengthening their pro-Dollar positions as the strong demand came early in the morning. Euro gave up 1.3600 and dropped below 1.3550 followed by the Pound that also lost the 1.6400 support level.

The Dollar demand was also reflected on indices and commodities alike as both the FTSE 100 and Gold dived towards lower levels. The ISM Manufacturing Index that came later in the day justified the strong Dollar appetite and signaled that this might be a good week for the US currency as more US related news are expected down the road.

In my view, the fact that the pro-Dollar rally was spurred without any news-related trigger might mean that investors are looking for better than expected results from the US and a strong recovery in employment data on Friday's NFP report and are piling on their Dollar positions. To add to that, the stronger than expected ISM release brought back on the table the 'early tapering' discussion and I think that the drive behind the Dollar rally is the belief that if Friday's NFP report prints strong as expected then the Fed might just have what they need to justify going ahead with the asset purchases reduction.

The rest of the week ahead of us is packed with significant news events that will ultimately determine whether the uptrends we've seen on the Euro and the Cable will continue or come to a halt. The Euro-zone's GDP is scheduled for Wednesday followed by the Rate Decisions on Thursday and of course the all-important NFP figures on Friday. I believe that this week is 'do or die' for the US Dollar and the impact of the expected releases will pave the way for the rest of the year.

Wipro to acquire US based Opus CMC

Wipro has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Opus CMC (Opus Capital Markets Consultants), a US-based mortgage, due diligence and risk management service provider for Rs 4.65 billion ($75 million) that includes a deferred earn-out component. The acquisition will strengthen Wipro's mortgage solutions and outsourcing business and complement its existing offerings in mortgage origination, servicing and secondary market. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Opus CMC provides comprehensive risk management solutions to the mortgage industry in the US. It has over 490 employees, including over 315 loan underwriters, spread across 5 centers in the US. Opus CMC offers operational and loan level due diligence, valuation

support, forensic analysis, and advisory services on all classes of mortgage products, residential and commercial, ranging from re-underwriting whole loans to collateral reviews of securitized pools. Its customers include several of the top global banks, mortgage conduits, mortgage investors, and independent mortgage originators.

"This acquisition will help us expand in the highend mortgage BPO segment, and brings differentiated capability with a platform-based risk management offering. Wipro's offerings with Opus CMC's capabilities and knowledge base to create an end-toend offering for all mortgage players, with a greater degree of automation and application of analytics," said Manoj Punja, senior VP and head of BPO in Wipro.

Indian economy posts 4.8 % GDP growth

India posted faster-thanexpected quarterly economic growth of 4.8 per cent, boosted by robust farm output, spurring hopes that an end to the country’s prolonged downturn may be in sight.

The official data for the second financial quarter to September beat market forecasts of 4.6 per cent growth and topped the 4.4 per cent expansion India logged in the previous three months.

“Indian GDP growth appears to be bottoming out,” said Miguel Chanco, Asia economist for research house Capital Economics. But “India’s road to recovery will be slow and bumpy,” he said.

P Chidambaram

The figure marked the fourth quarter in a row that India’s growth has been below five per cent.

Expansion has fallen sharply from the heady nearly double-digit growth that the country enjoyed just two years ago.

Still, the figures were a welcome respite for the scandal-tarred Congress party-led government,

which is desperate to nurse the economy back to health before general elections due by May. India’s finance minister P. Chidambaram said India’s economy was going through a “period of stress” but “we are confident of coming out of it and returning to the high growth path.” He forecast India’s economic growth would rebound to six per cent next year and seven per cent the following year. Economists credited the improved July-toSeptember quarterly performance to higher farm output from the best monsoon in half a dozen years. Agriculture output climbed in the quarter by a robust 4.6 per cent from

India’s drugs advisory board recommends import ban on cosmetics tested on animals Move will prevent millions of animals from having harsh chemicals dripped into their eyes and rubbed into their skin

After an extensive PETA India campaign, with help from MP Maneka Gandhi and others – the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which operates under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has recommended the addition of a suitable provision under The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, to prohibit the import of cosmetics that have been tested on animals abroad. This decision – made in the DTAB's 65th meeting, held on 25 November 2013 – comes on the heels of recently enacted bans on the import, marketing and sale of cosmetics and their ingredients tested on animals in the European Union and Israel as well as a recent decision to elimi-

a year earlier.

But India’s rural hinterland accounts for just one-third of gross domestic product and is insufficient to pull the nation’s economy out of its rut on its own, economists said.

Manufacturing output expanded by a tepid one per cent, but better than the April-June quarter when it shrank by 1.2 per cent. Hopes of a big increase in production for India’s religious festival season in October, when it is considered auspicious to buy everything from cars to gold to appliances, failed to materialize this year. Growth fell to a decade-low of five per cent in the fiscal year to March 2013.

UK food giant ABF mulling Tilda takeover

nate animal tests for cosmetics by the Bureau of Indian Standards, which oversees standards for cosmetics.

"We commend the DTAB for its recommendation, which is a positive step for both animals and science. Compliance with international standards can help ensure that cruel and outdated animal tests for lipstick and eye shadow become history around the globe", says PETA UK Associate Director Mimi Bekhechi. "We look forward to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare officially bringing in a marketing ban on cosmetics tested on animals abroad and hope also to see a ban on both animal testing and the marketing of household products

that have been tested on animals in India in the near future."

During cosmetics tests, harsh chemicals may be dripped into rabbits' eyes, smeared onto animals' abraded skin or forced down their throats.

More than 1,200 companies around the world – including LUSH and The Body Shop as well as the Indian companies T r u m o u n t Cosmoceuticals, Future Skin, Omved Lifestyle, Shahnaz Husain and others – have joined PETA India's list of companies that use only modern and reliable non-animal tests for their products.

For more information on harmful animal experiments, please visit PETA.org.uk

The British food giant, Associated British Foods (ABF), which already owns Primark and Twinings, is said to be interested to take over rice producer Tilda for pound 250 million, says Sky News.

The Thakrar family, which owns Tilda, are contemplating a sale, and are understood to have appointed the Rothschild Group to manage the auctioning of the firm. Tilda is a UK firm which started selling rice to British Asians in the early 1970s, but now successfully exports rice to India.

B r a u n s t o n e Properties, Tilda’s parent companies, posted healthy turnover for 2012, rising 13.5 per cent to £120m, while profit quadrupled to £4.1m over the same period.

Director - Sales and Marketing (Global) - Paul Stroud said.

When asked about the reason for the two year delay in entering the Indian market, Stroud said the company took time to formulate product strategy for the Indian market.

"We wanted to make sure that we entered the market with right models and right partners. So it

took us time to look into these issues. We were also looking at developing back-end support, as well as invested on the plant during the period," he added.

Stroud, however, did not share either the investments made at the plant or its annual production capacity.

During the 2012 edition of the Auto Expo, the company had announced its entry into the Indian market with seven models.

However, the company did not go ahead with its launch plans.

The company will assemble four models in its newly established plant in Manesar, while the rest would be come as completely-built units from its

plants in the UK and Thailand.

It would assemble the Bonneville T100, Daytona 675R, Street Triple, Speed Triple and Thruxton in Manesar. The rest Rocket III Roadster, Tiger Explorer, Tiger 800 XC and Thunderbird Storm will be imported into the country as completely built units (CBUs), it added.

While the Bonneville is the lowest priced at Rs 570,000, the costliest bike from the Triumph stable in India will be the Rocket III Roadster tagged at Rs 2000,000.

The company said it would open four dealerships shortly in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

British motorcycle Triumph enters India

After a delay of nearly two years, British brand Triumph entered the Indian market with 10 models. The Triumph motorcycles are priced between Rs 570,000 lakh and 2000,000 (ex-showroom Delhi).

Triumph, which has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the country, will start delivering its bikes from January next year and aims to sell around 500 units in the first six months of the launch in the country.

"We are aiming to sell around 400-500 motorcycles in the first six months of the launch. In the next one year, we are targeting to sell around 1,000 units in the Indian market," Triumph Motorcycles

FINANCIAL VOICE

The Ones That Fly Away

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

From time to time we don’t get the property we are after, it sometimes slips through the net. Sometimes we let it go and sometimes we still chase it.

There are two reasons why we lose deals: one is someone comes in and offers more than us; or the property has not been presented as it really is, meaning as we peel the layers off things which we weren’t told about start appearing. I cannot say the description is a lie as this would be against the property misdescription act. But there is something to be said for lying by omission.

When we are outbid we can either pursue the deal and offer higher or better terms, or simply sit back and wait to see what happens. It is easy to make an offer, this doesn’t mean the buyer can walk their talk and complete the deal. At times the property lands right back in our lap after the highest purchaser doesn’t perform. This is what happened with a property on Kilburn High Rd where we offered £2.675m and there was a higher offer on the table at circa £3m. The other party's lawyers were asking questions and then asking more questions. We stayed at the same level but kept giving the agent a nudge to let them know we are still there to do the deal. Eventually they sent a contract out to us whilst the other deal was going through, we ended up with the property at about £300k less than the other party.

We had a similar scenario more recently with a Pub in Milson Rd which we purchased for £1.25m, again there was a higher offer which didn’t get very far and we were given a window to do the deal. So at times this happens, other times the higher offer goes through.

Only last week we lost a pub in St John's Wood which we were trying to purchase for a cheeky price of £3.15m, this was a 5,000 sq ft freehold property which was coming with vacant possession.

The rest of the roads were all houses, as a house this property would be worth around £8m. That is not to say you will get a house, this would be perhaps a long drawn out planning game with the council taking years.

Wh at was odd and al ert ed us t hat t hings may not b e as t hey seem was th at th e agent s woul d norm all y do a pl anni ng report on t his, in th is si tuati on t hey di d no t.

T hi s was the first issue, as c onversion bac k to residential m ay not be as easy as i t seem s on the surface even t hough onc e upon a t ime t his was a wh ol e h ouse.

T h i s i s t h e n a t u r e o f t h e g a m e , a l l yo u c a n d o i s s t a y p r e p a re d w i t h s h a r p l a w y e r s a n d r e a d y f u n d s t o d o d e a l s , i n t h e h o p e t h a t m o s t d e a l s g e t t ra p p e d i n y o u r n e t ; s o m e i n e v i t a b l y wi l l g e t a wa y .

Normally with properties of this size the agent usually has a deadline which you must have offers submitted by, we missed this deadline as we were still waiting for a response from our architect.

So we told them we wouldn’t be able to make an offer by this time but we were still interested.

They mentioned they had a few parties in the same situation and not to worry they would still consider our offer the following week if we still wanted to go ahead and make an offer. This was a little worrying as normally a building this cheap would be grabbed very quickly. This meant others were also digging deeper.

Part of our due diligence is to get an architect's opinion on properties like this.

In his opinion the chances of getting planning would be very unlikely. Hence after pursuing the building we dumped it. In his opinion it was very unlikely the local council would agree to give up the medical use of the building, as they had protected it.

There had been only one situation in his experience where this had happened and this was where the person applying had given another building for medical use in exchange for his one to receive planning for conversion back to residential.

This is only his opinion and there are possibly ways to get around this but it will take time and patience. Hence we let this property go.

At times we look at a property and when things don’t stack up we decide to dump the deal.

This week we decided to leave a deal which looked excellent on the surface, it was a building in Wimpole St which came up for sale at around £8m. It was made up of 8,000 sq ft which worked out to roughly £1k per sq ft. The building came with two lots of outside space one on the ground floor and the other on the lower ground. The building had a lot of character and is one of the best looking on the street. Prices on this road go to £1,800 per sq ft, so it was excellent value for money. Properties like this are a rarity, they hardly even come onto the market.

The property was made up of part commercial and part residential, with the commercial being for medical use.

The Real Deal

Haymills Estate, London, W5 Guide Price: £995k l l l l l

O ft en c li ent s t hink t hey do not h ave th e means to purc h a s e t h e s e k i n d s o f p r o p e r t i e s . T h e w ay w e o p e r a t e i s t o m ake th es e kinds o f de als avai labl e t o t he mass market, by breaking them up into smal l piec es.

A large four bedroom detached house Three reception rooms Freehold Garden and off street parking Potential to build another property next to this property, subject to planning permission

The property market is like a triangle, the higher you go up the less buyers exist. So deals in strong locations are rarely available on the lower end which I would define at £500k to £1m. As you go up the triangle they become available. Our role is to make this level of the market accessible to the ordinary investor. They get a discount on a property which has a strong level of security due to the location, something they wouldn't be able to access independently.

Call us now to reserve!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

19

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l Warren Buffett says: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful." Right now the market is fearful due to a consistent rise in prices, so it's a good time to strike.

l Always take into consideration the projects which are happening in and around the area you’re investing in, this will ensure strong capital growth in the future.

20

FINANCIAL VOICE

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

Best Interests of children and human rights law

Children’s rights have gained momentum over the years and now play an important role in immigration cases. Since then cases have sought to develop or limit these principles. The case that established clear rights Supreme Court has restated the factors that have to be considered when a child is involved in an immigration case. The principles that emerge are as follows: (1) The best interests of a child are an integral part of the assessment under article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights and must be at the forefront of the minds of the authorities making a decision involving children.

(2) In making the assessment, the best interests of a child must be a primary although not necessarily the only consideration, and the child's best interests do not have the status of paramount consideration; (3) Although the best interests of a child can be outweighed by other considerations it is of great significance; (4) While different judges might approach the question of the best interests of a child in different ways, it is important to ask oneself the right questions in an orderly manner in order to avoid the risk that the best interests of a child might

be undervalued when other important considerations are present; (5) It is important to have a clear idea of a child's circumstances and of what is in a child's best interests before one asks oneself whether those interests are outweighed by the force of other considerations; (6) There is no substitute for a careful examination of all relevant factors when the interests of a child are involved in an article 8 assessment; and (7) A child must not be blamed for matters for which he or she is not responsible, such as the conduct of a parent.

British citizenship is of critical importance and would tip the balance in any case. Obtaining the views of children is also gaining momentum.

New forms In the meantime new forms have been introduced for those making human rights applications either as partners or as children. These forms will need to be used in place of a more general form which has existed until now.

The questions appear to elicit information which is required to be considered under human rights principles.

One of the questions on the form requires the applicant to explain why they cannot live outside the UK and provide evidence.

Calling Nano the 'cheapest car' was a mistake: Tata

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the Tata group has said that marketing the Nano as the 'cheapest car' was a mistake.

"It became termed as a cheapest car by the public and, I am sorry to say, by ourselves, not by me, but the company when it was marketing it. I think that is unfortunate," Tata told a news channel in Singapore about the group's subsidiary Tata Motors' small car.

Tata said, the company may consider launching the Nano in a new avatar in another country and bring it back to India for a fresh start with a new image.

"Maybe it (Nano) gets launched in another country like Indonesia, where it doesn't have the stigma and the new image comes back to India. Or maybe as a changed product that gets marketed in Europe.

There's a lot of interest in

Nano outside India," Tata said.

Tata Motors is working on re-launching the Nano, by incorporating certain changes, Tata said. The Nano has failed to live up to the expectations after being touted as the cheapest car to hit the roads.

Its sales have been dwindling despite the company's attempts to reposition it. In the AprilOctober period, its sales fell 71.7 per cent to 12,322 units from 43,627 units in the year ago period.

Last month, Tata Motors launched a new version of the Nano with CNG and petrol bi-fuel system options.

The Nano has had a troubled past. It was originally to roll out from a plant in Singur, West Bengal, but the plant had to be shifted to Sanand in Gujarat after intense political and farmer protests against land acquisition.

Tata Sons pulls out of banking licence race

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

July 1, 2013, from the current round of licensing,” the company said in a statement. This is not the first time that a conglomerate has sounded off the unfavorable structure laid out by the RBI for new bank licences. Earlier in

June, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) group had decided not to apply for a banking licence citing the same reason. The reasons that may have kept these large groups from entering the fray include bringing all bank-like businesses under the proposed bank rather than continuing with their existing subsidiaries.

There was also no leeway in maintenance of cash reserve ratio, statutory liquidity ratio during the initial years and priority sector lending norms.

Banking aspirants had sought clarifications from RBI on the final guidelines, to which the regulator had issued a detailed

response on June 3, 2013.

By July 1, the deadline to apply for banking license, RBI had received 26 applications. On September 6, the RBI said that Videocon, another large conglomerate had withdrawn its application.

All hope is not lost, however. RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has, on many occasions, spoken of going for `on-tap’ licensing as opposed to the current practice of block licensing. Both, the regulator and the government have also backed the idea of ‘differentiated’ licensing where players could adopt for specific areas of banking and need not meet priority sector norms.

Indian manufacturing returned to growth last month as a strong rise in orders pushed factories to step up production, a business survey showed, suggesting a slow economic recovery is on its way.

An expansion in manufacturing can only boost optimism after data showed Asia's thirdlargest economy grew at a higher-than-expected rate in the three months through September. The HSBC Manufacturing PMI, compiled by Markit, rose to 51.3 in November from October's 49.6. The PMI index is the highest since March and marks its first time above the watershed level of 50 that divides growth from contraction in four months.

"Manufacturing activity picked up, led by a rise in new domestic orders, which helped pull up output growth," said Leif Eskesen, chief econ-

omist for India at survey sponsor HSBC. Offering hope that softness in domestic demand may be leveling off, overall orders grew for the first time in six months despite demand for the country's exports easing off. The new orders subindex rose to 51.9 last month, its highest since April. In October it shrank to 48.9. Such strong demand augurs well and will be welcome news for a government losing popularity ahead of an election next year because of slowing growth and stubbornly high inflation.

The survey pointed to some good news on inflation as well, bringing relief to the Reserve Bank of India, which hiked interest rates by 25 basis points at back-to-back meetings to curb rising prices, taking the policy repo rate to 7.75 per cent.

In a further step towards its goal of becoming the Best Bank for Customers, Lloyds Banking Group has this week introduced Talking ATMs across Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to make it easier for blind and partially sighted customers to withdraw cash and check balances.

The Group has worked closely with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to ensure that the machines serve the needs of those who are visually impaired. Lloyds Banking Group will have a total of nearing 1,300 Talking ATMs working across the UK by the end of 2013.

Talking ATMs are quick and easy to use; cash machines with an audio jack socket and a volume control button can ‘talk’ to customers, providing audio instructions to help them complete their transactions. Blind and partially sighted customers with

other accessibility problems, such as literacy issues and dyslexia, will also benefit from the changes.

Graeme Whippy, Senior Disability Manager at Lloyds Banking Group said, “Lloyds is proud to offer Talking ATMs to customers who need this type of assistance, as we aim to be as accessible as we can possibly be. We’ve worked closely with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to ensure that we get our Talking ATMs right and we look forward to hearing customers’ feedback on how they find using them.”

The following transactions are supported by audio instructions: • Cash with receipt • Cash only • Cash with on screen balance (actual balance is not provided) • On screen and audio balance (actual balance is provided) • Printed balance • PIN Services • Mini statement • Mobile Phone Top Up

The number of female retail investors is at levels well below that of their male counterparts according to new research.

Duncan Lawrie Private Bank estimates there are 8.4 million adult men in the UK that have an investment portfolio, compared to just 5.8 million women.

Of those women that do not have an investment portfolio, almost one in five (17 per cent) said that the thought of investing is too worrying and they don’t want to lose any money, while a similar amount (18 per cent) said that they did not have enough confidence in their knowledge and understanding of investments to start a portfolio.

However, despite the low numbers, women who

do invest are much more likely to seek advice from a financial adviser or bank to help manage their investments with over half (54 per cent) of those with a portfolio saying that they seek the majority of their advice from these sources, compared to just 36 per cent of men.

Richard Boyd, Chartered Financial Planner at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank said: “Female investors have traditionally been at lower levels than men due to pay discrepancies and social imbalance.

However, with women increasingly earning more and taking control over household finances, there really is no excuse for such a divide any more. “Cash is no longer king and this is presenting a real challenge for savers. Investment

portfolios are one of the few effective ways in which people can make their money work harder for them.

Clearly, many women are still put off by a perceived lack of knowledge and understanding, but with a good financial planner or investment manager, these fears can be overcome very easily.”

Trust is still an issue The private bank’s research also found that, as a nation, 78 per cent of people do not have an investment portfolio, with one of the leading reasons for this being trust. Almost one in five (19 per cent) of these people cited a lack of trust in bankers and the economy as a reason for not investing.

Boyd, continued: “Individuals must be able to put their faith in institu-

tions and know that their wealth and prosperity is being put first. While the economy is on a road to recovery the mind-set of many individuals is still heavily tainted due to events of the past. Recent regulation may have attempted to open up the world of investing to more consumers, but it does not seem to have had the desired effect.

“Investment portfolios should not be daunting and to ignore them in the current economic climate and simply rely on cash could be costly. There is a lot more we can all do to help those people considering investing, including providing the right levels of education and advice to engender trust and a culture of long-term investing for the future.”

With barely two months left before the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues new bank licences, Tata Sons, led by Cyrus Mistry, has preferred to opt out of the race.

The decision comes five months after applying for a banking licence. Tata Sons said in a statement that it had evaluated the guidelines for licensing and reached a conclusion that it’s current financial services operating model best supports the current needs of Tata group’s (domestic and overseas) strategy. “After prolonged deliberations and detailed analysis, Tata Sons has therefore decided to withdraw its application dated

Cyrus Mistry

India’s manufacturing activity picks up pace in Nov

Lloyds Banking to introduce Talking ATMs across UK

Number of female investors in UK 2.6 mn below that of male investors

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

Sterling Continue to Strengthen

The pound continued to strengthen for its fourth straight week against the dollar as mortgage approval levels hit their highest level since the financial crisis began.

Mortgage approvals rose to 67,701 in October down from 66,891 the previous month but were slightly lower than expected.

This data vindicated Mark Carneys announcement that the ECB would take steps to prevent a housing bubble by curbing the current lending scheme for home loans.

Carney told the committee that the UK economy is the strongest major advanced economy in the world but the recovery is still in its early stages and thus the BoE are in no rush to raise interest rates anytime soon. Carney reiterated his recent comments as well, stating that the 7% unemployment rate is a threshold where policy makers will consider hiking up interest rates and thus not a trigger.

The jobless rates in Europe fell to 12.1% in October, the first fall since February 2011.That was slightly better than the 12.2% that economists

forecast but there is a significant disparity in the statistics across the 17 countries using the currency. While just 5% of Austrians are unemployed, 27% of Greeks and Spaniards are without a job. In total, 19 million people are out of work and the youth unemployment rate (under 25’s) hitting a record high of 24.4% Consumer prices

in the euro zone rose by 0.9% in November, higher than the 0.8% predicted by economists. Energy prices fell 1.1 in November, but the food inflation of 1.6 pulled up the overall reading. Retail spending in Germany also contracted 0.2 percent in October this figure was lower than the 0.1% increase expected. A further blow to the Euro came after

S&P stripped the Netherlands of its top credit rating. S&P downgraded the Dutch to AA+, citing weak growth GDP prospects and high household debt levels Positive sentiment in Europe was underpinned by solid German GDP figures. The economy grew by 0.3% in the third quarter, bringing growth for the year to 1.1%. Business confidence in Germany also rose in November; the survey also showed business owners are more optimistic about future developments and plans to recruit more staff. This data eased speculation the central bank will cut interest rates further. On a more negative note for the EU, Italy’s retail sales fell .3% for the month of September and are now down 2.8% over the last 12 months. .

Data from the US disappointed with pending home sales falling by 0.6% in October.

Whilst negative data would tend to weaken the US dollar, the currency actually managed to gain as investors flocked to the dollar following the resolution over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 3rd December 2013 @ 4.10pm GBP - INR = 102.33 USD - INR = 62.35 EUR - INR = 84.74 GBP - USD = 1.64 GBP - EUR = 1.21

EUR - USD = 1.36 GBP - AED = 6.03

GBP - CAD = 1.75

GBP - NZD = 1.99

GBP - AUD = 1.80

GBP - ZAR = 16.97

GBP - HUF = 365.11

www.rationalfx.com

Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

22

PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH-SRI LANKA

In Focus

Jillani is new Pak Chief Justice

Islamabad: Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, known as a “gentleman judge”, was named Pakistan’s new Chief Justice, replacing activist judge Iftikhar Chaudhry who led a crusade against corruption and misgovernance. President Mamnoon Hussain approved Jillani’s elevation to the post. His appointment will come into effect from December 12, a day after Chaudhry, the longest serving Chief Justice, retires. Jillani is a close relative of former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani and a confidante of the outgoing chief justice.

17 killed in Bangladesh’s political violence

Dhaka: At least 17 people were killed in the latest wave of violence that engulfed Bangladesh as opposition parties organized nationwide protest to push for the postponement of general elections. Deadly clashes with police left two opposition activists dead in northwestern Sirajganj while several people, including three paramilitary and police personnel, were injured in clashes in the port city of Chittagong, reports said.

56 women killed in Pak for giving birth to girls

Lahore: A total of 56 women have been killed in Pakistan this year for giving birth to a girl, a rights body has said. "A country where mothers are killed for giving birth to baby girls can't be called an ethical society," said I A Rehman, human rights activist and office-bearer of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. According to statistics, "From January 2012 to September 2013, there were also 90 acid attacks on women, 72 cases of burning caused by other means, 491 cases of domestic violence, 344 cases of gang rape and 835 cases of violence against women in the country." The report said 56 women were killed for giving birth to a girl rather than a boy.

Kabul rejects proposal of bringing back stoning to death

London: The Afghanistan government has rejected a proposal to reintroduce public stoning as a punishment for adultery, following international condemnation.

President Hamid Karzai said that the minister of justice has rejected the grim penalty, which became a symbol of Taliban brutality when the group was in power.

According to a report, the government is in the process of forming up a new penal code to unify fragmented rules and cover crimes missed out when the last version was written over three decades back.

Pak to ban Indian language programmes on TV

Islamabad: Pakistan's Information and Broadcast ministry has said that the Indian dramas on local TVs should be banned immediately as the language was influencing the children in an alarming way. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said that a policy directive was issued in 2006 which allowed 10 per cent foreign content, including six per cent from Indian channels, on local TV channels. Chairman Senator Kamil Ali Aagha warned the PEMRA to review the government directive and stop such content immediately, the Nation reports.

Huge Bangladesh fire destroys key garments factory

Dhaka: A huge fire destroyed Bangladesh garment factory supplying key Western brands, authorities said, in a blaze touched off by workers angered over rumours of a colleague's death in police firing. Garments are a vital sector for the South Asian nation, whose low wages and duty-free access to Western markets have helped make it the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China.

26/11 mastermind Hafiz shapes Pakistan policy towards India

New Delhi: An intelligence assessment sent to South Block by the Indian mission in Pakistan says that 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed has intensified his anti-India propaganda and operations to the point of setting the tone of Islamabad’s policy towards India. All this is being done with the blessings of the Nawaz Sharif government.

The memo says that Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the InterServices Intelligence (ISI), 'listens' to Saeed and 'follows his diktats'. Since the ISI is the cutting edge of Pakistan’s India policy, Saeed has thus manoeuvred himself into a position from where he can leave his diabolic imprint on it.

According to the report, the big change now is that Saeed, who was running his propaganda machine from the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) headquarters in Muridke, is

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led government is at the "conclusive stage" of revival of proposed talks with the Pakistan Taliban, a senior minister has said. "Yes, we're (almost) at the conclusive stage to resume talks with the TTP," Information minister Pervaiz Rashid was quoted as saying.

"The government has always had a firm belief in reopening peace talks (with the Taliban)," he said. His remarks came a week after Prime Minister Sharif said that his government was still committed to the revival of proposed talks with Tehreek-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP).

Rashid said the government would remove any hurdles existing before talks with the Taliban and would press ahead with the initiative without causing any loss to the state.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

using Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi as the base of his operations. The JuD is the ‘spiritual mentor’ of terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, which had carried out the Mumbai terror attacks, and is opposed to India and the US. The memo comes days after India mourned the martyrs of the 2008 attacks, whose perpetrators remain at large. Even

the seven low-level LeT operatives being tried in connection with crime may get away as the Pakistan government is doing precious little to expedite the trial.

The internal assessment on Saeed’s activities notes that “JuD Amir Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has been playing a crucial role in promoting the anti-India agenda smoothly with the assistance and support of the Pakistan government. There seems to be an underlying arrangement between the government and the JuD to provide Saeed some space for promoting his agenda of fanning anti- India sentiment in Pakistanis.”

The assessment notes that in Bahawalpur, Saeed warned those declaring Kashmir as an integral part of India that “India would disintegrate if Kashmiri people were not granted right of selfdetermination”. Then in Karachi, he alleged that the

US was supporting the Indian Army and its intelligence agencies in Afghanistan for imparting training to terrorists for activities in Pakistan. In Hyderabad, he accused India of constructing dams to stop water flowing to Punjab and Sindh.

This only lends credence to reports that Saeed is now directing anti-India operations. The Pakistan armed forces journal Hilal recently invoked the water issue to ramp up anti-India propaganda.

Saeed’s enlarged vengeance highlights two trends. First, that the Sharif government is playing a double- game, professing peace through diplomatic channels while unleashing Saeed and the LeT against India.

Second, Saeed's frequent outbursts may weaken the fledgling hopes of peace that the continuation of democracy in Pakistan has raised.

Quoting sources, the report said that interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan discussed the resumption of dialogue with the Taliban with the former army chief Gen (retd) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Initial plans for dialogue were scuttled last month after a US drone strike killed TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud.

Hakimullah's successor Mullah Fazlullah ruled out any prospect of dialogue following the incident, prompting harsh criticism from Islamabad, particularly from the Interior Minister. "The US does not want peace in Pakistan," Nisar had said, adding the drone attack was "murder" of the peace process.

According to a senior Interior Ministry official, Nisar is likely to announce the government's new strategy regarding talks with the TTP by the end of this month.

Islamabad: General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani handed over command of the Pakistan army to Gen Raheel Sharif at a grand ceremony in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday last.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had named the 57year-old Gen Sharif the army chief after bypassing two senior generals, Haroon Aslam and Rashad Mehmmod, for the post.

The change of command of the more than 600,000 troops comes at a time when Pakistan is struggling against a deadly insurgency at home, frosty relations with neighbouring India and the pitfalls of the drawdown of US-led Nato forces from Afghanistan by the end of next year.

Addressing a gathering at the ceremony next to the army’s general headquar-

ters, Gen Kayani said he is certain the army will continue to play a role in the safety and betterment of the country under Gen Sharif's command.

Gen Sharif inherits a diverse legacy from his predecessor. Though Gen Kayani was the first longserving army chief not to show direct political adventurism during his six-year term, the military continued to maintain a strong influence over the country’s foreign policy under his leadership.

The issues related to India, Afghanistan and the US were overtly dealt with by the civilian government, but it was the military which had the final say.

Kayani’s approach towards the home-grown insurgency also remained diverse.

with the Afghan government setting the terms for troops from other Nato and partner nations to remain in Afghanistan after 2014, Rasmussen told reporters.

"In that case, we don't have a proper legal framework in place and it will not be possible to deploy a 'train, advise, assist' mission to Afghanistan after 2014," Rasmussen said.

He voiced hope Karzai would follow the advice of the Loya Jirga and sign. The agreement that Nato needs with Afghanistan is modelled on the proposed US pact and, in any case, Washington is expected to supply most of the forces for the post-2014 Nato mission, so without the United States, the mission is unlikely to be feasible.

Although terms of the

Afghan-US pact were settled after a year of wrangling, Karzai has since added conditions including the release of all Afghan prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and an end to military operations involving Afghan homes.

Nato foreign ministers meet in Brussels to discuss Afghanistan. The delay in signing the US-Afghan security pact is causing mounting frustration among Nato diplomats because it is holding up detailed military planning for the post-2014 mission.

Nato officials and diplomats warned privately of dire consequences for Afghanistan, including threats to up to $8 billion a year in aid, if Karzai failed to sign the US pact.

Hafiz Saeed

Pak govt reviving peace talks with Taliban

New army chief assumes charge in Pak

Nato says Karzai failure to sign pact would end Afghan mission

Brussels: Nato would have to pull all its troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if Afghan President Hamid Karzai does not sign a security pact with the United States, alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

An assembly of Afghan elders, the Loya Jirga, last month endorsed the security pact intended to shape the US military presence in the country beyond 2014. But Karzai said he might not sign it until after elections in April.

The Nato-led force currently has around 80,000 troops in Afghanistan, the majority American. Nato is winding down combat operations, handing responsibility for fighting Taliban insurgents to the Afghans, before most foreign combat forces

Hamid Karzai

pull out by the end of 2014.

Nato plans to leave a training mission, expected to number 8,000 to 12,000 soldiers, in Afghanistan after 2014.

The United States has already warned it could withdraw all its forces by the end of next year, the so-called "zero option", if Karzai does not sign the pact.

Without the US-Afghan accord, Nato will not be able to finalise its own agreement

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

In Focus

Huffington Post removes Sonia's name from richest list

Washington: An American news website has removed the name of India’s Congress president Sonia Gandhi from the list of richest leaders of the world after the party derided the portal for the "absurd and ridiculous" item. "Sonia Gandhi and the former emir of Qatar Hamid bin Khalifa al-Thani have been removed from this list," the editor of Huffington Post wrote on its website after the list of the world's richest leader was updated.

"Gandhi was originally included based on a listing on a third party site which was subsequently called into question," said the editor without giving name of the thirdparty site. "Our editors have been unable to verify the amount, removed the link, and regret any confusion," the Huffington post said, four days after it listed Gandhi as the 12th richest world leader putting her asset to $2 billion. The Congress Party had questioned the authenticity of such a figure by Huffington Post. "If Huffington Post would stick to huffing puffing, then I think they would do a much better job for themselves. Because if you do put out these absurd and ridiculous things out in print, then you only open yourself to be made a laughing stock. I would not even like to dignify with a response," India’s information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari on Monday said in New Delhi after the list was released. While putting Gandhi's wealth at $2 billion, Huffington Post had not given details of how it arrived at such a figure.

Racist graffiti against Sikh model in New York subway

New York: The Indian American community has been stunned by the racist graffiti on a Gap advertisement featuring Sikh actor and model Waris Ahluwalia at a New York City subway station. One of the posters featured the turbaned Ahluwahlia, next to Quentin Jones, a model and filmmaker - with a caption that read "Make Love". This was followed by the brand's logo. An unidentified New York vandal crossed out "Make Love", only to replace it with "Make Bombs." Shockingly, someone also wrote under the ad's caption: "Please stop driving taxis." To ensure the situation didn't spiral out of control, Gap has taken immediate action to show its support of Ahluwalia and the Sikh community by featuring him on its Twitter and Facebook profiles.

Indian -American honored for laser displays of Indian heritage

Chicago: Denver-based Manick Sorcar has been honored for introducing the younger generation in India and viewers in the West to Indian heritage through laser displays. Sorcar was given a Special Achievement Award for Cultural Enlightenment, at the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) conference held in Aalen, BadenWürttemberg, Germany. The citation stated that Sorcar was awarded "for exceptional merit in using laser display to celebrate India's heritage, and to prepare the next generation by introducing a course on laser art and animation and establishing the Manick Sorcar Laser Animation Laboratory at Jadavpur University".

Nepali Congress emerges largest party in polls

Kathmandu: The Nepali Congress has emerged the largest party after counting of votes ended in the proportional representation system of the constituent assembly polls. The 601-member Constituent Assembly constitutes 240 members elected through direct voting, 335 via proportionate voting and 26 nominated by the government.

Under proportionate representation system, the entire country is considered as one election constituency and seats are allocated in proportion to the vote secured by respective political party. The Nepali Congress received 24,21,252 votes, followed by CPN-UML with 22,43,477 votes in the proportional representation system. The party led by Prachanda, UCPN (Maoist) is at a distant third with 14,38,666 votes and pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal is fourth with 6,24,284 votes.

Sushil Koirala, president of Nepali Congress, staked its claim to form government. He, however, told a private television channel that his party would seek collaboration with CPN-UM and other political outfits to draft the constitution.

I'm no saint or icon, says Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Sydney: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu insisted she was no saint and no icon, saying she disliked the titles and had always seen herself as an honest politician. The celebrated activist and democracy champion endured years of house arrest at the hands of Myanmar's military regime and has been feted since her release, but she insisted she was just an ordinary person. "I always thought that I was a politician, I look upon myself as a politician, not as an icon," she told an audience in Sydney during her first visit to Australia.

WORLD

23

Indian couple arrested for illegally bringing workers to US

New York: An Indian couple in Kentucky has been arrested for illegally bringing Indians into the US and making them work long hours for low wages at their fast food restaurants. Federal prosecutors have charged Amrutlal Patel and his wife, Dakshaben Patel, both 46, with housing, transporting and employing illegal aliens.

The couple operates four Subway restaurants in Lexington and employed undocumented Indian nationals who worked 10-12 hours a day throughout the week for little pay, a statement said.

That provided a "substantial financial gain" for the Patels, Assistant US Attorney Hydee Hawkins said.

Federal prosecutors have said the Patels are a flight risk and could flee the US for India if they are released. They can use the large amounts of cash they have from their businesses to flee and have already sent about $100,000 back to India, the prosecutors said.

Defence attorneys have argued that the Patels will not leave the country because of their business and two young children. The couple came to the US in 2006, hoping to become citizens.

They added that the Patels were trying to help fellow Indian nationals by providing them with jobs in the US. According to a sworn statement from Homeland Security Investigations agent David Ramalho, an employee at

one of the restaurants run by the Patels told a witness that he had been denied food and allegedly beaten up by the couple.

The employee said the Patels had kept him and three other men from India in a secret room in the basement of their house and used to lock them inside at night.

Sometimes they made the employees work even when they were not well.

The alleged illegal activity lasted for over a year beginning September 2012 and the investigation began after the witness went to Lexington police in August to report that "bad things" were happening to workers at Subway stores operated by the Patels.

Lexington police then began its investigation and

conducted extensive surveillance to document that the Patels were transporting and housing illegal aliens, according to Ramalho's affidavit.

One of Patel's employees had asked the witness to go to police for help because he was tired of being treated badly, Ramalho said.

The employees each owed nearly $100,000 for being brought from India to work for the Patels.

When authorities searched the Patels' home, they found one of the employees in a locked room upstairs.

Another employee told authorities he got food, lodging, transportation and $1,800 a month to work 10 hours a day, seven days a week at the Patels' restaurants.

London: George Osborne is set to cut business taxes this week after Tory MPs called on him to ease small firms’ burden. Some 37 influential Conservative MPs are publishing a report calling on the Chancellor to permanently grant small firms exemption from business rates.

Tory sources said Osborne will heed their advice in his autumn statement on Thursday.

The MPs’ report says firms are still suffering from excessive regulation. A Tory source said: ‘I understand there will be some action on this.’

The demand comes as leading Tories also called for income tax cuts and London Mayor Boris Johnson pressed the case for a one-off VAT cut on a new bridge in the capital.

The group of MPs, led by backbencher Kwasi Kwarteng, also urged councils to offer rate cuts to businesses who occupy empty properties. And the MPs said the threshold of taxable income at which firms have to register for VAT should rise from £79,000 to £100,000.

Small companies are completely exempt from business rates until March 31, 2014, on properties with a rateable value of £6,000 or less and get some relief on those whose rateable value is under £12,000.

Treasury sources said the Chancellor would have to ‘make a decision’ on what to do about business rate relief as it was due to expire next year.

Insiders say it is likely he will extend it until the General Election.

London: Over 2,000 meals are being cooked and distributed daily to the victims of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines by those volunteering for the charity Food for Life.

Run by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the charity’s relief efforts began on 18 November, when more than 2,000 meals were served in Tacloban city, Palo and Tanauan Leyte.

Volunteers also provided over 1,500 meals in the townships of Mayorga, Dulag and Tolosa.

Victims of the typhoon, which the UN estimates to be more than 11 million in total, are arriving daily at the Villamor airbase, which is now a shelter for those who have lost everything and trying to find their relatives in Manila.

Typhoon Haiyan has caused destruction in the Philippines, with some 673,000 people having been displaced. While there are also other relief agencies in the area, Food for Life’s unique contribution remains their freshly cooked vegan meals, which provide immediate nourishment for thousands every day.

The Lotus Trust, a UK based charity, is raising the much needed funds to ensure the Food for Life operations can keep providing the much need support for victims.

You can donate today to help The Lotus Trust to continue it’s vital work, and follow regular updates on the food relief effort: Website: www.thelotustrust.org, Facebook: www.facebook.com/lotustrustphillipines, Twitter: @lotustrust

Osborne ready to extend Iskcon’s Food for Life helps business rate relief until 2015 thousands in the Philippines

Cambodian charity wins UK award for special education

London: On World Disability Day, the Stars Foundation announces Krousar Thmey (New Family) as 2013 Impact Award Winner for Education in Asia-Pacific.

Krousar Thmey is the only Cambodian organisation that offers a comprehensive special education programme for deaf or blind children and encourages their integration into wider society.

When conflict-scarred Cambodia emerged from the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, there were no formal structures in place to educate the country’s deaf or blind children.

And although Cambodia has enjoyed relatively rapid development in the past three decades, the country remains poor with its education system severely limited.

Student and teacher sign together in class, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. KimlongMeng/Majority World

This leaves an estimated one million people with disabilities – 250,000 of whom are deaf or hard of hearing and 170,000 who are blind or visually impaired – at a permanent disadvantage.

The charity operates in 14 provinces across

Cambodia, running five special schools to meet the needs of deaf or blind children from kindergarten through to high school and 36 integrated classes in rural areas.

Krousar Thmey welcomes hundreds of pupils to its Khmer arts and cul-

ture school each year, introducing the children to traditional dance, drawing, music, sculpture and shadow theatre.

The organisation’s academic and career counselling department also helps young adults to access higher education, training, apprenticeships and employment.

Braille workshops and sign language committees adapt learning resources for universities and Krousar Thmey has successfully introduced live signing to national TV news broadcasts.

In 2012 alone, almost 1,000 deaf or blind children enrolled in the organisation’s Special Education programme.

And Krousar Thmey works with over 2,500 children and their families each year.

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INDIA

South

Andhra cops thrash four murder accused in public

Anantapur district police on Sunday took everyone by surprise when they conducted an open 'interrogation' and 'counselling' of four persons accused in a murder case at Guntakal town. A police team descended near the RTC bus stop in Guntakal and started caning four people they had brought along. Even as many people gathered to witness this, the cops took turns to lathicharge the accused. One of the accused was seen falling on the feet of a cop while others pleaded with folded hands.

EC notice to Jayalalithaa for poll code violation

The Election Commission issued notice to Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa seeking an explanation on a complaint by the DMK of alleged violation of the model code of conduct during the Yercaud by-election campaign. In a statement, the chief electoral officer said a complaint was received by the Election Commission that the chief minister announced new schemes on November 28, during a campaign for her party candidate in the Yercaud by-election.

Anti-nuclear activists booked in connection with explosion

Police have booked anti-nuclear protesters, including S P Udayakumar, in connection with the explosion at a village near Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in which six peoplem including three children, were killed. Udayakumar, head of the anti-nuclear People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, his associates Pushparayan, Mukilan and 'others' have been booked under different sections of IPC and Explosive Substances Act, top police sources said.

Punjab

Dera Sacha Sauda threatens agitation

Dera Sacha Sauda sought "strict action" against those responsible for attacking its followers at a congregation in Mehna area of the district and threatened to block traffic across Punjab. The efforts of Akali MLA Tota Singh to broker peace between some radical Sikh groups and Dera failed, following which the sect said that its followers would block roads across the state for two hours next week. On November 26, a clash broke out between Dera Sacha Sauda followers and some residents of Dhudike village leaving several injured. The Dera appealed to the district administration to arrest accused identified in the FIR.

Human trafficking case against Daler Mehndi

Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi appeared in a Patiala court for cross examination in an alleged human trafficking case dating back to 2003. Patiala police had registered a case against Daler Mehndi, his brother Shamsher and others after complainants alleged that the accused had taken money from them on the pretext of taking them abroad. The complainants, however, alleged that the deal never matured and the accused even failed to return the money.

Haryana to study waste management plants in Gujarat

A team of engineers from Gurgaon and Faridabad municipal will visit Gujarat to 'explore' and 'replicate' the solid waste management plants operational in Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot. Authorities say that the reason to select Gujarat was because it's closer to Haryana than Chennai and Salem, both in Tamil Nadu, which also said to have an efficient waste management system. A team has already visited Pune and Kanpur. Once the team visiting Gujarat submits its report, we will see which model suits us best and accordingly work out the details, said Faridabad municipal commissioner Suprabha Dahiya.

Andhra to move SC against Krishna Water award

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Andhra Pradesh would approach the Supreme Court against a tribunal's final award on sharing of river Krishna waters and seek "justice" for the state, a minister said. Minister for secondary education K Parthasarathi said the government of Andhra Pradesh would definitely approach the Supreme Court to seek "justice" for the state on Krishna Water Tribunal award, which has evoked sharp criticism from Opposition parties.

He, however, did not say when the state would approach the apex court. The tribunal, headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar, came out with its final award last week. It

allotted four thousand million cubic (TMC) of water from Karnataka's share to Andhra Pradesh and at the same time allowed the former to increase the storage in

Almatti dam to 524.256 meters.

Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh have called the award a "death blow" to the state, particularly to the

Krishna Delta region. They have maintained that the increase in water share to Andhra Pradesh was "negligible". In the interim award given on December 30, 2010 Andhra had got 1,001 TMC of water, Karnataka 911 TMC and Maharashtra 666 TMC from the river. Prior to that allocation was 811 TMC for Andhra, 734 TMC for Karnataka and 585 TMC for Maharashtra.

The parties are strongly opposed to permission given to Karnataka for raising the height of Almatti dam to 524.5m, a move they said would have adverse impact on kharif cropping in at least half a dozen districts.

A court in Puducherry acquitted all the accused, including Kanchi seers Jayendra Saraswathi and Vijayendra Saraswathi, in the Sankararaman murder case. All the accused except an absconding person were present in the court when Puducherry principal district and sessions judge C S Murugan pronounced the verdict.

The judgment came more than nine years after A Sankararaman, manager of Sri Varadharajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram, was murdered. The judge said there was no substantial and corroborative evidence to prove the murder charge against the accused. The court said the motive for the commission of the murder was not proved since Padma, wife of Sankararaman and witness number 1, and her

son Anand Sharma, who is witness number 3, failed to support the prosecution case.

The judge also said the chief investigation officer admittedly failed to do investigation with respect to the final letter (letter of motive) dated August 30, 2004, alleged to have been sent by Sankararaman.

The murder case that attained nationwide attention took several twists and turns, including prosecution witnesses turning hostile during the course of examination and reexamination.

Sankararaman who had levelled charges of financial mismanagement against the Kanchi seers, was found murdered on September 3, 2004. The Kanchi seers were charged with criminal conspiracy and were arrested by Tamil Nadu police.

HC rejects DMK plea to Kanchi seers acquitted of monitor Yercaud poll Sankararaman murder case

The Madras high court has rejected a petition by the DMK, and said the court could neither monitor the by-poll process in Yercaud nor direct the Election Commission to act in a particular manner.

Justice K K Sasidharan, taking into account the election commission's submission that all steps have been taken to conduct the by-poll in a free and fair manner, said: "In view of various steps taken to conduct elections in a free, fair and transparent manner and conducive atmosphere, a situation has not arisen to direct the Election Commission to act in a particular manner.

Since the constitutional body is monitoring the entire election process by discharging its constitutional duty and respecting the mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution, the request made by the DMK to monitor

Karunanidhi

the election process by the court is rejected." The judge was passing orders on a petition filed by DMK's organisational secretary T K S Elangovan, who apprehended rigging and booth capture by the ruling party's men with the support of local officials.

However, the Election Commission told the court that four companies of paramilitary forces comprising 240 personnel and a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) contingent of 300 personnel had been deployed in the constituency.

Badal predicts 25-year exile for Congress

Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal is not going to lose power in the near future, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal believes. He is now telling Punjab Congress leaders to stop "daydreaming", saying it will not return to power for the next 25 years. In other words, Badal has suggested they go into political exile for a quarter century. "The Akali Dal-BJP alliance is bound to serve Punjab for the next 25 years and even beyond," Badal asserted at a rally.

Even though it is not the first time Badal has made this claim, he has become more emphatic in saying this with his own logic. "The entire Congress leadership should realise the factual position that the Congress party, after having lost two assembly elections consecutively (in any state), could never stage a comeback in that particular state.

"Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar are states where the Congress has been permanently decimated after (twice) losing elections," said Badal, 51, who took over as Akali Dal president from his father and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal

Sukhbir Singh Badal

in 2008. The Akali Dal has been in power in Punjab with alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2007 when the Congress was defeated. In the 2012 election, the Akali Dal-BJP alliance comfortably returned to power. No government has been returned to power in the state for a second consecutive term in over 45 years. In the past, Punjab used to see Congress and Akali Dal-BJP governments every five years.

The Congress, highly factionalised in Punjab, has not learnt its lessons from the assembly defeat. It has been on a losing spree in all elections - from assembly by-elections to municipal polls to panchayati elections.

Bollywood showing Sikhs in bad lights: Akal Takht chief

Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh came down heavily on Bollywood and TV serial producers for deliberately hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs to gain cheap publicity just before the release of movies or serials.

"Time and again, complaints about movies and TV serials hurting Sikh religious sentiments - either by presenting Sikhs in a comical character or poor light or objectionable words against Sikh religion - give an impression that these are deliberate attempts for commercial gains, which is intolerable," the jathedar said.

Whenever there are objectionable scenes on Sikhs in the movies or TV serials, it creates controversies and Sikh bodies take to streets and hold demonstrations, which attract media attention. And to build pressure, Sikh bodies also approach Akal Takht seeking its intervention, he said.

"Akal Takht had made it amply clear that movies having Sikh characters or description about Sikh religion should first take approval from it to avoid any

Giani Gurbachan Singh

controversy. But this has never happened. No filmmaker has approached us before making such movies and complaints come to us just before the release, which also gives credence that these could be deliberate attempts," he said.

Some movies which courted controversy before their release are Ajay Devgn's "Son of Sardar", Akshay Kumar's "Singh is King", Sunny Deol's "Jo Bole So Nihal" and "Singh Saab The Great" (the movie was originally called "Singh Sahib The Great").

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

No book, film on Aarushi-Hemraj murder case: Talwars

Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar who have been jailed for murdering their 14-year-old daughter Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj are angry over the idea of any book or film to on their daughter's murder and have said that they wouldn't allow any such.

Talwar's were approached by national and international film makers and so they are very upset with the idea of making a movie on this case, confirmed their counselor Manoj Sisodia.

London filmmaker Clip F Runyard reportedly visited the Dasna jail on Friday to meet and persuade Talwars; allowing him make a movie and write a book on Aarushi. But, he was not allowed to do so by the jail authorities because of the rules and

Nupur, Rajesh Talwar and Aarushi

regulations of the jail.

Sources also say that he offered Rs 50 million royalty to the couple in case they cooperated.

Rajesh and Nupur are said to be in dismay by the fact that some people are trying to make profits out their grief. Aarushi’s body was found at the family home in Noida on 8 May 2008. Her throat had been slit and she had suffered a fatal head wound.

Suspicion initially fell on the family’s domestic servant Hemraj Banjade

Tarun Tejpal undergoes potency, blood test

Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman journalist, on Monday underwent a potency test which came out positive. Officials at Goa Medical College, where he was brought for the potency test that is mandatory in sexual assault cases, said that the examination fetched positive result.

The 50-year-old Tejpal was subjected to various other tests, including blood test, at the college's forensic department.

He was medically examined for five hours in the morning and later brought again at 3.15pm for further tests, sources said. Goa Medical College dean VN Jindal said that the tests were conducted as per the requirement of the investigation agency.

He, however, refused to disclose the results of the test.

On December 20, 2013 Choice International in partnership with several national and international organisations is delivering the Second Annual International Conference on Disability Equality and Accessibility, at The Hilton Grand Ballroom, Guindy, Chennai, India.

The purpose of this conference is to: Bring together national and international resources to provide an environment for innovation and creativity, with the aim of identifying solutions to initiate change in attitudes and practice that lead to enhanced life opportunities for disabled people in India and global-

whose body was then found on the roof of the house a day after Aarushi’s corpse was discovered. It was speculated that Aarushi’s parents had murdered her after finding their daughter and Hemraj in a “compromising situation”.

The Talwars were sentenced to life in prison for the murders as well as for destroying evidence and misleading investigators.

Runyards is expected to meet with the couple in two weeks’ time.

INDIA

India's Mars Orbiter crosses Moon's orbit

India’s Mars Orbiter spacecraft, which was placed in inter-Mars trajectory in the early hours of Sunday, has crossed Moon's orbit of around 385,000 km and is travelling beyond Earth's natural satellite.

"The Mars Orbiter spacecraft has crossed the Moon orbit's this morning.

So technically after crossing Moon's orbit of around 3,85,000 km, it is now travelling beyond the Moon. It has already crossed 5,36,000 km as of 5pm on Monday," Isro sources said.

This is the first time an Indian-made object is being sent into deep space, they said.

Isro's Mars Orbiter mission had ventured out of Earth's sphere of influence on Sunday, beginning its 300-day journey to the Red planet, marking a major milestone in India's space history.

Isro performed the

trans-Mars injection, a "crucial event" intended to hurl its Mars Orbiter spacecraft into the planned orbit around the sun at around 00.49 hours on Sunday.

It has planned four mid-course corrections in case of any deviation along its path to the Martian orbit before its expected arrival in the orbit of the Red planet in September 2014.

It had performed five orbit-raising manoeuvres on its Mars Orbiter, raising the Apogee (farthest point from Earth) of the spacecraft to over 192,000 km before it performed the "mother of all slingshots."

The spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennae at Byalalu.

Isro's PSLV C 25 injected the 1,350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter into the orbit around Earth about 44 minutes after launch at 2.38pm from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on November 5, marking the successful completion of the first stage of the Rs 4.50 billion mission.

committed to the abrogation of this Article" Party insiders say the party has now tempered the shrillness, but its stand remains the same.

Scrapping Article 370 will be a politically sensitive move and will require massive numerical backing in Parliament. But, said one senior party leader, the BJP could not have skipped a mention of Article 370 as it attempts to galvanize its cadres in the state.

It was for the first time since he began campaigning for the 2014 general elections that Mr Modi has raised an issue close to the RSS's heart.

In his many elections speeches, he has steered clear so far of other such issues like the Ram temple and a Uniform Civil Code, as he makes a pitch on the promise of development.

Court that the case should be heard in London, where Pike lives and where The Indian Hotels Company Ltd, which owns the hotel, has a substantial business presence.

His solicitor, Russell Levy, said that fighting the case through the Indian courts would be an "exercise in futility".

He said: "Mr Pike's only real hope of seeing justice is in a UK court.

The court in Mumbai simply isn't geared up to deal with a claim of this kind.

We estimate that it would take up to 25 years to pursue this claim through the Indian courts rather than in England, where it will take about two years."

Modi calls for debate on Article 370, BJP denies going soft on Kashmir

Tejpal was arrested on Saturday by crime branch after his anticipatory bail petition was rejected by sessions court. He was on Sunday remanded in sixday police custody by a court here after which crime branch officials grilled him for over five hours.

A woman journalist, who was employed with Tehelka, had accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her twice on November 7 and 8 in a lift in a five-star hotel in Goa. He has been booked under Sections 354A (outraging the modesty of a woman) and 376 (2)(K) (custodial rape) of IPC.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's suggestion that the benefits of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir be debated has caused a political storm. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj has clarified that the party is not "going soft" on the issue.

Modi said at a rally in Jammu on Sunday, ""As per Constitution, the debate will go on whether Article 370 will end or continue -- at least there should be debate whether Article 370 has benefitted Jammu and Kashmir or not."

A stand the 63-yearold leader repeated with a tweet today, "Glad that after my call for a debate on Article 370, it is being widely debated among people & across TV, social media. However, we need rational & focused debate not only on 370 but other

issues relating to J&K, including suffering of sections of J&K society."

Modi’s speech seemed to suggest a significant shift and dilution in the BJP's stand.

The Congress' Manish Tewari tweeted, "Is the turnaround on 370 final nail in the legacy of Vajpayee ji & Advani ji?"

Sushma Swaraj said, "It is wrong to say that the

BJP has gone soft on Article 370. Modi has just asked if there has been any benefit from 370."

Closer scrutiny shows that the BJP's latest move is strategically nuanced.

For several decades now the party has been shrill in its demand that Article 370, which grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir, be scrapped. It has been a key political agenda for the BJP's ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS; rivals have attacked it.

The BJP manifesto for the 2004 general elections had no reference to Article 370. But in 2009, the BJP's manifesto said, "Article 370 poses a psychological barrier for the full integration of the people of Jammu & Kashmir with the national mainstream. The BJP remains

ly. Analyse the impact and opportunities under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), other human rights legislation, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and India’s New Companies Bill, to promote the rights of disabled people in India.

Speakers: Lt Gen Jaswant Singh Ahluwalia, President of the Institute of Directors (IOD) India; Mr Siddharth Jayakumar, ManagerTrade Operations, IndusInd Bank Ltd. Siddharth is a person with cerebral palsy, has been working at IndusInd Bank Ltd for the past five years and was

promoted this year to the position of Manager for Trade Operations with IndusInd Bank Ltd in Chennai.

Ms Madhavi Latha Prathi, Paralympic Swimmer, Gold Medalist in the 1st State Level Paralympic Swimming Championship - India 2013. An MBA graduate in Banking and Finance, Madhavi has worked in the field for several years as well as taking forward her passion for sports.

Madhavi has won many sports related awards.

Mrs Hardeep De A Singh, Head- Corporate Quality, Safety and EMS, Air India Ltd, and many more.

A holidaymaker left paralysed after being caught up in the Mumbai terror attack has argued his compensation claim should be heard in the UK. Will Pike, 33, from north London, is in a wheelchair after falling nearly 50ft (15m) from his bedroom window.

He was trying to escape the extremists who attacked the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in November 2008. He alleges the hotel owners did little to provide security despite warnings an attack was imminent. 'Exercise in futility' The freelance filmmaker and his then girlfriend, Kelly Doyle - who is also

bringing proceedings claim they saw limited security checks with only one metal detector and cursory screening of guests. Will Pike was injured when he tried to escape from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. They say they were not given proper advice about emergency procedures or evacuation routes.

When they heard doors being kicked in and shots being fired, they had to break a window with furniture from their smoke-filled room and try and reach the ground using bedding and curtains knotted together, they said. Pike's lawyers, Leigh Day, told the High

Tarun Tejpal

25

Narendra Modi

International conference on Mumbai terror victim seeks UK disability equality and accessibility compensation claim

26

INDIA

26/11: USA sacrificed Mumbai to keep Headley in play

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

David Headley, an American citizen and a valued CIA proxy, who infiltrated the Lashkar-eToiba (LeT), a banned Pakistani Islamist outfit, planned the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed, and more than 300 injured.

Headley selected Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, as the theatre of operations while acting as a ‘prized counter-terrorism asset’ for the United States, according to senior officers in the Joint Terrorism Task Force, who described his covert career as running for 11 years. When the LeT’s 10-man suicide squad sailed from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, at dawn on 22 November 2008, they navigated towards a landing spot in Mumbai, marked on a GPS provided by the Washington DCborn maverick. Reaching Mumbai, LeT’s team fanned out, following routes plotted by Headley over an intense two-year period of surveillance. The gunmen shot dead tourists

at the Leopold Café, massacred more than 60 Indian commuters at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station, and then laid siege to a Jewish centre and two five-star hotels, including the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace.

This month sees the

Continued from page 1 According to the report, the largest group of migrants came from China - 40,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in the 12 months to June (8.7% of the total) making China the leading source of immigrants.

There was a 24% fall in the number of Indians at UK universities over the 2011-12 period, which some have blamed on the scrapping of poststudy work visas, which had given international students an automatic right to work after they graduated.

Essentially, Indian students are merely 'temporary' in the UK. They do not have the same benefits as the immigrants from EU countries including free access to the welfare system in the UK, which could be the prime reason why more students have become discouraged from studying here.

On one hand, Cameron's promises on there being no limit to the number of students allowed to come to the UK, during his week tour of India last month, seem fruitful.

The British Council's recent announcement of the largest-ever sponsorship in India seems to be rhetoric put in action. Yet in fact, if looked at closer, the very fact this announcement has been made, implies that this is an undercover incentive to

make more Indian students study in the UK, clearly announced because of the dwindling numbers.

The British Council said that around 370 scholarships worth almost 1 million pounds will be offered to students in the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in England, South Wales and Northern Ireland and also launched the Great Career Guide to help Indian students choose to study in Britain and learn about opportunities available in UK. Citing the UK-India relationship as “extremely strong”, the new British Deputy High Commissioner Bharat Suresh Joshi added to Cameron's rhetoric praising the education sector, “We have 40,000 (Indian) students and that is about 10 per cent of the total four lakh overseas students studying in UK. That is the second number of highest after Chinese students.”

But the ONS report highlights that immigration of non-EU citizens saw a statistically significant decrease to 242,000 in the year ending June 2013 from 282,000 the previous year. It goes on to state that fewer New Commonwealth citizens migrated to the UK for formal study, now similar to estimates in 2005/06.

Visitors from India

fifth anniversary of the Mumbai attacks, and the most complete survey to date of former and serving intelligence agents, diplomats, police, and survivors from 12 countries, reveals that the CIA repeatedly tipped off their counterparts in India to an imminent attack, using

intelligence derived from their prize asset Headley.

What they did not reveal was that their source, a public school educated Pakistani-American dilettante and entrepreneur, was allowed to remain in place even as the attack was realized. His continuing proximity to the terrorist outfit would eventually lead to a showdown between Washington and New Delhi.

The Indian intelligence agents accused their US counterparts of protecting Headley and leaving him in the field, despite the imminent threat to Mumbai. Irate Indian officials claimed that Headley’s Mumbai plot was allowed to run on by his US controllers, as to spool it would have jeopardized his involvement in another critical US operation. Having infiltrated the LeT, Headley also won access to al-Qaida, making him the only US citizen in the field who might be able to reach Osama bin Laden.

Three years before America’s most wanted terrorist was finally run to

ground in Abbottabad, this was an opportunity that some in the US intelligence community were not willing to give up.

In 2009, several months after the Mumbai atrocity, agents from the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s foreign intelligence agency, confronted the CIA with these claims.

India is said to have accused the US of pursuing ‘a narrow self-interest’ and having some responsibility in the deaths in Mumbai.

However, the CIA stood firm, one senior agent claiming that ‘Indian incompetence’ was to blame for the attack. In 2006, the US had warned India that the LeT was forming a suicide squad to attack India from the sea. More than 25 increasingly detailed bulletins followed that named Mumbai as the prime objective, and identified several targets, including the Taj hotel. Additional bulletins suggested that a team of highly trained gunmen using AK47s and

RDX, military-grade explosives, would seek to prolong the attack by taking hostages and establishing a stronghold, before a final shoot-out that they hoped would be broadcast live around the world on TV. Headley was chaotic and his Mumbai plan was almost undermined by his private life. By 2008, he was married to three women, none of who knew of the others’ existence, two living apart in Pakistan and one in New York. The wife in the US, however, grew suspicious after he championed the 9/11 attackers, reporting him to the authorities.

Eventually, Headley’s mother informed on him to the FBI. Five years on, with American officials continuing to remain silent over Headley (and the conflict of interest that enabled him to run amok in the field), and with New Delhi still prevented from accessing him, the full truth about Washington’s culpability in 26/11 remains muddied.

still chose to come to Britain with it up by 20,749 from last year, but still not a significant amount, whereas Chinese increased by 80,755.

In terms of people working in UK, the number of National Insurance Numbers allocated to nationals of Asia and the Middle East has recently fallen by 14% to 92,000 in the year to September 2013 since the previous year.

This comes as Cameron recently admitted that it would be difficult for the Tories to meet a key immigration target, because not enough people are leaving Britain.

Making it clear that the overwhelming demand for action on immigration comes from the European Union, it still angers many in the Asian community who feel they are generalized into being referred to as 'Immigrants' and therefore being attached to all the negative connotations of that word.

Indians students and workers add significantly to the fabric of the UK society and economy. If not coming for work or study, the tourists alone add wealth to the country and help the country grow.

The government should be addressing the influx of immigrants from the EU who take advantage of benefits in the UK and do not work or pay taxes.

Continued from page 1 The investment offer made

by China's premier, Li Keqiang, which could also see more funding for British new nuclear projects, marks a triumph for the Prime Minister who wants to increase the UK's economic, trade and diplomatic ties with Asia's largest economy. The Chinese have also shown willingness to purchase equities and stocks in UK nuclear power projects. UK side was also open to this idea. Cameron also put his weight behind a free-trade agreement between European Union and China. This move may help British companies win a greater share of business in the Chinese markets. On the other hand, China is expected to seek the UK's support to secure a European free-trade agreement, with the proposed accord having received an unenthusiastic reception from the 28-nation bloc.

Apparently, some countries are concerned that a deal would see the region flooded with cheap Chinese goods.

With deals signed on projects from the joint exploration of outer space to bicycles, the potential amount of new business was £5.6 billion and that 1,500 jobs would be created as a direct result. They ranged from a £4.5 billion contract for Jaguar Land Rover to supply 100,000 luxury vehicles to smaller deals for Moulton to provide bicycles for the Chinese market and even a contract for Manchesterbased Sweet Mandarin

foods to sell Chinese sauces to the Chinese. Many British products were on display at Tuesday's lunch at the Shanghai exhibition centre, where scenes from James Bond's Skyfall and ITV drama Downton Abbey played on giant screens.

Cameron won warm applause from Chinese guests as he told them about plans for same-day visas for business visits to the UK. Despite some concerns surrounding the role of Chinese investment in the UK, Cameron offered a robust defence of Beijing's role in the British economy and his commitment to keep the door open to China. "No country in the world is more open to Chinese investment than the UK,” he said.

"My Government is committed to working with the Chinese government in a way of mutual respect and understanding to deepen these relations and remove barriers to trade and investment and partnership between our two countries," said Cameron. He also assured students at Shanghai's Jiao Tong University who raised concerns about Britain's visa system that there was "no limit" on the numbers of Chinese who could study in the UK and said he hoped to raise numbers from the current 105,000.

"If you are thinking of investing in Britain, come and find us. You will get a warm welcome," he said at a business meeting in Shanghai.

"We've discovered that

Britain is easily replaceable in China's European foreign policy. Moreover, Britain is no longer any kind of 'big country', but merely a country of old Europe suitable for tourism and overseas study, with a few decent football teams," the staterun Global Times newspaper wrote on the British Prime Minister’s visit.

"We think we have a lot to learn from China in this regard because of the success of your high-speed rail.

We welcome Chinese investment into nuclear power and other infrastructure, so there will be very open competition to provide the infrastructure for our networks, so we welcome Chinese investment into that as well,"Mr Cameron said adding that he sees China’s rise as an opportunity not just for the people of China but for Britain and the world too.

"Some in Europe and elsewhere see the world changing and want to shut China off behind a bamboo curtain of trade barriers.

Britain wants to tear these trade barriers down," he affirmed.

Talks in the Chinese capital resulted in a number of deals and initiatives.

These included a joint initiative to boost digital and media industries that could be worth £2 bn to British companies; the establishment of a jointly funded £200 mn UK-China Research and Innovation Partnership aimed at increasing research projects; and an accord to boost co-operation on cross-border crime and health.

David Headley

PM fails to attract Indian students to UK

David Cameron focuses on business during China visit

HEALTH WATCH - TRAVEL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Discard myths to successfully manage diabetes

Thailand – Phuket & Koh Samui

hailand is a surfeit of fantastic temples and T ethereal scenic beauties.

The nation is rich with various cultures, traditions, cuisines and kindhearted people. The best time to visit most of Thailand is between November and February, because it rains the least and it is not too hot.

Phuket is one of Thailand's premier tourist destinations located in southern Thailand, it is well known for rubber plantations, beautiful beaches, temples, water sports, massages, spas and nightlife. To avoid the city crowds catch a boat ride from Phang Nga Bay to enjoy quiet green waters and magnificent views of limestone cliffs. Also visit the famous James Bond Island and Koh Panyee, located on the bay. Enjoy various water sports activities or get a rejuvenating massage in any of the spas. You will want to wait until the sun goes down and have a romantic dinner. Walk through the old town of Phuket and capture the architectural beauty of 19th century Portuguese buildings, shops, cafes, museums and cobbled streets.

If you are traveling with kids, Phuket FantaSea at the Kamala Beach is a must visit. It is Asia’s biggest cultural theme park displaying Thailand’s history and modern cultures. The park offers exciting elephant shows, buffet restaurants, adventure parks, shopping centres and some unexpected wonders. Newly launched attractions include The Tiger Jungle Adventure, and Magic Fountain both parks are open every day except Thursdays.

Try modern Thai cuisine at LIM's on Kalim Beach and Pan Yaah restaurant, which specializes in stir-fried dishes.

Nine Lounge Bar has a

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great variety of cocktails to offer along with the best views of the setting sun.

Koh Samui an exotic Island, is just 5 hours drive from Phuket, direct flights are available form the local airport - Krabi.

Explore the magnificent beaches and lush green tropical trees. Ramble through the Fisherman's village to find authentic Thai houses, wood Chinese shops and magnificent buildings and peruse exquisite corals and souvenirs from Koh Samui markets.

An absolute must see is the Wat Plai Laem temple known for its colorful statues of Buddha. There is also an 18-armed image of Gunyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. - kids will love to feed the fish at the

Beach” starring Leonardo Di Caprio. If you like adventure, you can climb the 500 meter Koh Wua Talap, to get a birds eye view of the entire island.

Make a reservation at the Nuch's Green Ta'lay Restaurant an ideal place to unwind, relax and enjoy some authentic Thai cuisine. You can also go to Baitong at Chaweng Beach , it serves a range of international and Thaifusion dishes. You can also enjoy the Surf Turf night every Monday and open-cooking station nights on Friday's. They even have BBQ nights on Tuesday's.

If you have a day free take a small tour to Bangkok and visit the Temple of Emerald Buddha and reclining Buddha's temple where statue measure more than

lake surrounding the statue. Later head to the most famous destination of Koh Samui, Big Buddha, where you can find the Mara posture of Buddha.

Spend the evenings walking across the bay from Big Buddha to Choengmon Beach, where you can find a family friendly crowd. This beach is known for its calmness, tranquility and water activities like swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skiing, water skiing and para gliding.

A constellation of 42 different islands forms the Ang Thong National Marine Park. This national park gained lot of fame after the movie “The

150 feet in length. Drop a coin in the temple and take luck back with you.

Spend an afternoon at the renowned Floating market or take up a cycling tour and explore the areas canals, fruit orchards, shrines and temples at your own pace.

For return flights, 7 nights in Phuket, 3 nights in Koh Samui and transfers, this package starts from just £1045 pp.

Brightsun Travel offers a price match promise on worldwide flights and holidays so you will get the best deals. To book your dream holiday, call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or visit www.brightsun.co.uk

Diabetes population is dangerously on the rise worldwide yet misconceptions and myths about this lifestyle disease that is linked to various other health complications are in abundance.

Prevention, as doctors say, can be practised with knowledge and therefore awareness is an important tool to fight this health monster.

One of the most popular myths associated with diabetes is that it is caused by consuming too much sugar. Eating sugar does not cause diabetes per se, although it is recommended to limit your sugar intake. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the glucose level in the blood rises beyond the normal limit which damages tissues in the body and can lead to a host of complications like cardiac problems, kidney problems and even blindness.

Another common myth is that once you start taking insulin you become dependent on it for life. People often think that insulin is like a drug that you get addicted to, but the truth is that diabetics are not so much bothered about insulin itself as the process of daily injecting themselves with it. Insulin, in fact, reduces the complications that come with diabetes and helps you lead a better life.

S.K. Nagrani, senior consultant, Diabetology at Max Hospital, concurred. "People think that

insulin may drastically reduce their blood sugar level and harm them, but the truth is insulin is the best way to control diabetes," he said. Most people also still have a notion that diabetes is the disease of the elderly, and that people whose parents are diabetics will, in turn, suffer from the disease too - both of which are not true.

That diabetes is the disease of the old is the most common myth in the Indian scenario. Although the chances of type 2 diabetes increases with age, diabetes is being detected in youngsters, children and even in newborns.

When it comes to children and youngsters, lifestyle plays a big role in preventing this disease. Less outdoor activity and junk food are the two main culprits of childhood obesity in kids these days - a point of concern by itself which in turn makes children vulnerable to diabetes at an early age.

“Our lives are becoming busier than ever, and that has started reflecting in our food habits and lifestyle. When it comes to children, in the rush of

daily life and the need for something attractive enough to eat, parents pack ready-to-eat food stuff like burgers or crisps and fried snacks in their lunch box which is hardly healthy," said nutritionist Esha Verma.

"In this context, it's a good idea to take reference from our traditional Indian food that offers a perfect balance of nutrients in the simple rotisubji, and improvise it.

School and college canteens too should encourage healthy eating options," she added. Like in children, obesity in adults too can lead to health complications like diabetes. Almost 50 per cent diabetics are obese.

Diabetes is a chronic disease which cannot be cured but can be controlled, and a diabetic can live a healthy life with proper medication and regular check-ups. A healthy diet is one in which 40-60 per cent calories come from carbohydrates, 20 per cent from proteins, and 30 per cent or less from fats. Anyone who says that 'special diabetic food' is good enough is wrong.

Regular rice is much maligned and is fast being dropped in favour of its unpolished avatar. But are the charges valid? Sports nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar separates the grain from the husk.

The Chinese eat rice with every meal, breakfast included, and the average Chinese on the street is thin, if not skinny. In our country, however, we are getting skeptical about rice and yes, we are all getting fatter. We either give up rice or replace it with wheat or 'brown' rice.

What is wrong with this approach?

Replacing rice with wheat is not a good idea since it means reducing your intake of amino acids (protein's building blocks) and Vitamin B. As for brown rice, it has the outer layer (husk and bran) intact thereby making it high in fibre. Now of course we want fibre but if your rice has more fibre than you can digest, brown rice will only cause indigestion. On the other hand, rice that emits blinding whiteness may not be the best source of nutrients either.

Thus, to get the best of both worlds, polish your rice to the extent that helps it retain its nutrients (proteins, Vitamin B and fibre) and looks brownish or reddish. Remove the outer bran but allow the rice grain to show off its brown/red strains. Don't worry, this won't compromise the taste and yes, you can eat basmati rice with the brown/red strains as well. The protein in this rice (red-rice or hand-polished rice) is absorbed much better by your body than in brown rice. It is also way easier to cook and digest as compared to brown rice. It is easy to digest, easy to absorb, easy to assimilate proteins from and easier on your excretory system too. This is exactly how the farming community of India eats its rice.

In fact, Ayurveda uses rice-based diets in treating various imbalances in the body. Dal-chawal is a nutritious meal, possessing the entire spectrum of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also accelerates fat burning. In fact, the essential amino acid methionine found pre-

dominantly in rice helps mobilize fat from the liver.

As India is dominantly vegetarian, getting proteins from rice, especially the essential amino acid methionine and the conditionally essential amino acid (becomes essential under conditions of stress) tyrosine is crucial for us.

Diabetics should also eat rice since they need these proteins.

Know that rice is not a bad thing. The bad thing is when we mindlessly decide if one thing is good for us and that if we do it a lot, it becomes only better.

We do that with rice so often now. A humble dalchawal meal is so satiating that it makes you eat slower and improves your chances of eating the right amount (the cornerstones of fat loss or accelerated metabolism, good digestion and health itself).

Health benefits of rice

To Our Readers

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

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

‘24’ director to bring Kajol on TV?

Priya Anand along with Vemal and Sathish in a train

irector-writer Rensil D'Silva who is currently directing Anil D Kapoor in the thriller series “24,” is

W

now penning another TV show, this time with a woman as the protagonist. A source said the show would be centred around a large Delhi family headed by a single mother. The 27episode drama is likely to be shot in Delhi. The show will be produced by Siddharth Malhotra who said, "Right now we have put it on hold," refusing to reveal any further details.

e had reported earlier that director Kannan has roped in Vemal for his upcoming movie. The latest news is that Priya Anand has been taken on board to play the female lead. The actress will play the role of an educated girl who hails from Madurai and is clear in what she wants. The first half of the movie will be set in a train and will feature Vemal, Priya Anand and Sathish.

The second half will be shot completely in Thoothukudi.

The movie will be produced by Michael Rayappan in first copy basis. The movie will be a typical Kannan style family entertainer and the shoot is expected to kick off by the end of February.

No 'Bullett Raja' in Pakistan

igmanshu Dhulia's ambitious film, “Bullett T Raja,” has missed the bus to

Pakistan. It won't open across the border after a Pakistan court passed an order stating that no Indian film will be censored or released there. The Saif Ali Khan-Sonakshi Sinha starrer is the first casualty. The order has been issued in response to a petition filed

by TV talk show host Mubashir Lucman. It is reportedly the consequence of a conflict among TV channels in Pakistan. The move was allegedly masterminded by one of the channels which did not get the telecast rights of several Bollywood films.

I don't like stardom: Saif Ali Khan

ational-award winning actor Saif Ali Khan says he dislikes N fame and stardom and does not

attach much significance to it. "I don't like stardom... It is not important for me. I want to be respected as a person and money can do that. I don't like people making noise, camera flashing, drama and three security guards walking with you. It is horrible," Saif said. "I love acting and love getting paid for it. I love making money. It is nice, these things are great. I don't want to be famous, I don't like the attention. It sounds strange to people. It feels nice to be walking and seeing things around, do normal things. I want to be happy, comfortable. That is why I spent lot of time abroad,” he said.

Suneel Darshan to launch his son Shiv Darshan

fter a hiatus p e r i o d , A acclaimed filmmak-

er, Suneel Darshan, is all set to produce once more, this time making a romantic comedy featuring his son, Shiv Darshan, as the lead.

Suneel Darshan, who gave audiences evergreen, box office hits such as “Ek Rishtaa” starring Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar; and “Andaaz” starring Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra, is back from a six-year sabbatical to give Shiv a grand entry into Bollywood, following his acting and dance studies at schools in New York. Femina Miss India Earth 2011, Hasleen Kaur, plays the main lead opposite Shiv Darshan in the film.

Jayam Ravi is on a mission for the project with Nayantara

Jayam Ravi has been giving it his all for his current projects “Boologam” and “Nimirndhu Nil.” The actor was required to beef up heavily for his roles in these films putting on close to 15 kilos. The actor has revealed that the shooting of Samuthirakani's “Nimirndhu Nil” is now over and he will be hitting the gym with a mission to shed weight for his next project that’s being directed by his brother Raj a. The yet to be titled film will feature the most wanted heroine in the market, Nayantara, paired opposite Jayam Ravi. The brothers are planning to commence shoot from the first week of December. Details regarding the film’s subject and other cast and crew details are yet to be announced.

Shruti can't stay with me: Sarika I

t was reported earlier that Shruti Haasan was attacked by a stalker and she had filed a police complaint against the stranger.

The stalker had been identified and arrested by the Mumbai Police. Sarika, Shruthi’s mother, expressed her concern over the entire issue. "I am worried for her, but then we have to learn to handle

such situations", she says.

When Sarika was questioned if Shruti should live with her (she stays alone in an apartment), she replied saying that she cant do that because she has a career to take care of and that she needs to be travelling a lot. "Once children grow up they want to be independent." She added.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Shahid thanks Sonakshi for no 'link up' rumours

Is Aishwarya fed up of Jaya Bachchan?

has been linked with most of the sheroines he has

worked with, including Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Amrita Rao. So it's surprising why rumours about romance brewing between him and his “R...Rajkumar” costar Sonakshi Sinha haven't started making the rounds yet.

Shahid says it's all thanks to Sona.

"There have been no rumours of link-ups between Sonakshi and any of her heroes in the past. It has got nothing to do with me," he says. The actress, on the other hand, explains, "I don't really know why, but when you are good friends, people see you are having a blast with your co-star and then they stop bothering you about it."

B

ollywood diva Aishwarya Rai has been living as a dutiful daughter-in-law since she got married to Abhishek Bachchan in 2007. She is known to share a strong bond with both her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan.

However, if rumours are to be believed then Aishwarya is keen to move out of the family home and live separately with her husband and daughter.

A report says that things are not smooth between Aishwarya and Jaya. The report further added that Jaya allegedly keeps a tab on all activities of her bahu and keeps on interfering in her professional as well as personal matters. It is said that Aishwarya is expected to update Jaya about all her professional activities, something that Aishwarya does not appreciate.

There are also rumours that both of them are very uncomfortable in each other's company at public events. It was also reported that Jaya scolded a reporter who called Aishwarya by her name, creating quite a scene at a party.

The secret of Shraddha Kapoor’s glowing skin

he pretty actress of “Aashiqui 2” fame, T Shraddha Kapoor is

Salman wants to be in a relationship I

t is good news for all the girls out there, Bollywood's most eligible bachelor Salman Khan has gone on record saying he wants to be in a relationship soon.

The 'Dabangg' Khan of Bollywood made this candid confession in his conversation with Karan Johar on the much awaited talk show 'Koffee With Karan'.

Salman Khan, who has stayed away from 'Koffee With Karan' for the first three seasons, will be spilling the beans about love, marriage and sleeping alone on the show. It is where he admitted that he is single and would want to be in a relationship: "I want to be in a relationship, but..." Salman Khan has in the past been in a steady relationship with former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, Sangeeta Bijlani, Katrina Kaif. There were rumours of him being in a relationship with Romanian beauty Iulia Vantur but nothing came out of it. In the recently released teaser of the show, host Karan Johar is seen at his wittiest-best by bombarding superstar Salman Khan with questions that were kept unanswered by him.

Kareena teases Ranbir about Katrina

ne of the most awaited episodes of this seaO son's 'Koffee With Karan' is

Priyanka, Deepika to share Karan's couch!

Y

es its true! The two most beautiful and successful Bollywood actresses of today, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra will spill the beans together to host Karan Johar on his much hyped celebrity chat show 'Koffee With Karan'.

Deepika's pairing with Priyanka hasn't come as a surprise as the two ladies share a great friendship off-screen too. Last season we saw Deepika sharing great chemistry with actress and fashion icon Sonam Kapoor on the same show. Although,

blessed with naturally beautiful skin. The young actress has been receiving compliments on how healthy and glowing her skin is. The actress, however makes sure that she gives special attention to her skin on a daily basis. However, her secret to good skin is very simple; a good face wash, moisturizer and drinking plenty of water. Also eating right is one of the key factors which help the young actress maintain her fresh look.

once off the set, the two actresses faced a hard time clarifying their statements made about co-star Ranbir Kapoor.

In the same season, Karan had paired then lovers Priyanka and Shahid Kapoor for a candid chat session. The news of the Deepika-Priyanka pairing lays to rest rumours of Dippy making an appearance with current flame Ranveer Singh or PeeCee tugging along with cousin Parineeti. Let us hope that this episode is as steamy as these girls earlier outing on the show.

most definitely the one with star cousins Kareena Kapoor and brother Ranbir Kapoor. According to a report Kareena teases Ranbir with Katrina and even mentions that she has a lehenga ready for his wedding. Not just that, Bebo goes a step further and reportedly tells Ranbir that she has been rehearsing on 'Sheila Ki Jawani' and 'Chikni Chameli'. Although Ranbir and Katrina have been spotted together many a times two haven't publicly admitted to their relationship so far.

Not qualified to write autobiography: Big B

egastar Amitabh Bachchan says he is not "qualified" to M pen an autobiography even

though he has an illustrious career of over four decades in Indian cinema. At an open question-andanswer session, Big B was asked if he has given a thought to sharing some of his life's experiences via a book. "I am not qualified to do that," said the 71-year-old thespian who continues to entertain the people through his films.

30

UK

Support for the vulnerable and Taxpayers in court fees changes

People taking high value cases through civil courts in England and Wales will be expected to pay much more towards their running costs, Courts Minister Shailesh Vara has announced – while the fees for domestic violence injunctions will be scrapped.

Changes to the fees charged for using civil courts will mean hardworking taxpayers will no longer be left footing so much of the bill for operating them. At present around £100m of running costs have to be found from general taxes each year.

The proposals include: l Scrapping the £75 application fee for domestic violence injunctions which will help thousands of women seeking nonmolestation and occupation orders. More than 20,000 applications were made in 2012. l Increasing the fees for cases involving claims for money (for example when someone makes a claim for compensation) on a

sliding scale, with a maximum fee of £1,870 – and considering moving in future to a system where the fee is calculated as a percentage of the amount under dispute in the court case. l Introducing a percentage-based system for commercial proceedings (where businesses dispute whether a contract has been fulfilled and seek settlements) as well as charging a daily rate for the time they spend in court. l Introducing a standard fee of £270 for civil cases which are not about claims for money (applying for someone to be declared insolvent or to repossess property for example) - instead of the current mixture of fees.

Fees would stay the same for cases involving sensitive family issues including child contact, divorce financial disputes and adoption applications – as well as a reduction in the fee for local authorities to apply to take a child into care.

Coming Events

l Monday 9th December 2013 – Polarised by Arvind Thandi, directed by Janet Steel at 7.30pm at Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP. Contact 020 7240 6283. l Tuesday 10th December 2013 – To Forget and Forget by Neelam Parmar, directed by Suzanne Gorman at 7.30pm at Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP. Contact 020 7240 6283. l Wednesday 11th December 2013 – Book Launch: The Global Vegetarian by Mridu Thanki from 6.30pm at The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 020 7491 3567. l Thursday 12th December 2013 – Music and Dance: Kaleidoscope – Celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema by Nrityakala The Rhythm from 6.30pm at The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 02074913567.

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Editorial Executive: Tanveer Mann Tel: 020 7749 4010 - Email: tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Nihir Shah - Email: nihir.shah@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Kalpesh Shah Tel: 07539 88 66 44 Email: kalpesh.shah@abplgroup.com Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel / Fax: +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912 Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Writer Bhanubhai Pandya’s daughter-in-law passed away Well-known writer Bhanubhai Pandya’s daughter-in-law Farhin Dhanraj Pandya (32) passed away on November 28, 2013. During her 14 years of married life, Farhin had not only won the heart of her husband Dhanraj (Bhavin) but also the entire Pandya family.

“Farhin, who used to respect all religions, came into our family as a daughter-in-law but left as the daughter of Pandya family. With her departure for the heavenly abode, my son Dhanraj lost a largehearted and fitting life partner as well as my two granddaughters Maya (13) and Danya (6) lost their loving mother. Our family is in deep shock due to her untimely demise,” said bereaved Bhanubhai.

Farhin was on a holiday tour in Wales along with her husband Dhanraj and two daughters on August 31, where she had a severe heart attack at Swansea and went into a coma. She was kept at a hospital in Swansea for nearly one and half months. Despite treatment there, she couldn’t come out of the coma and was later shift-

ed to Central Middlesex hospital in Park Royal. In spite of all sorts of efforts from doctors and experts, they couldn’t save ‘Brain Dead’ Farhin.

Our loss of Farhin will never be fulfilled and may her departed soul rest in peace. Farhin’s parents Mallikaji and Semi Faruki are also in state of shock due to the sad demise of their young daughter.

Prayer Meeting For the peace of departed soul of Jannatnashin Late Farhin, a prayer meeting has been organised by Shri Bhanubhai Pandya on Thursday, December 12 from 6.00 pm at Shri Kadava Patidar Centre, Kenmore Avenue, HA3 8LU. Ibadat and BhajanSatsang as well as ‘Bhojan Prasadi’ have been arranged. Contact Bhanubhai Pandya 0208 427 3413; 07931 708 026

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

Your ruling planet Mars, continues to occupy your opposite sign for some time to come. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in anything that requires drive and initiative. If you are involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will be the one who comes out on top.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The Sun energizes your sector of change, transformation and regeneration. On a more practical level, you may be dealing with joint finances and shared resources now more than usual. You should also make sure that your tax affairs are in order. You are more willing than usual to explore and delve deeper into life's secrets and arrive at meaningful conclusions.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

You have everything to gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the time to put them into practice.

Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. A great time to meet and interact with people.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

The Sun transits your solar sixth house and highlights your health and also makes you take pride in your day to day work. Hence, you should enhance your skills, get organized and take up a health regime for your well-being. This transit highlights the need for efficiency and as such you should bring in the new and get rid of the old ideas that do not work.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You are exploring and searching now, making connections, and paying attention to your immediate environment. Socially you are very popular and your communications strengthen your connections. You will be busy with errands, paperwork, phone calls, and light socializing. Siblings, close relatives and friends may play an important role in your life during this period.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

A blast of personal energy comes your way, and showing your leadership skills works for you now. Romance and pleasure are highlighted this week. The flowing, expressive, and spontaneous energy surrounding you attracts like-minded people.

Be sure to take time to enjoy yourself, preferably around others!

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change. This week the focus is your house of family and home. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

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SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Jupiter's transit in your Solar 9th house of travel and spirituality is good for widening your horizons. Business dealings, particularly long-distance ones and those involving publicity and promotion, are likely to be profitable now.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 The flow of good energy this week makes you want to be responsible which can benefit you socially and personally.

Financially, you have everything going for you. Be prudent and do not fritter away your good fortune.

You should avoid using credit, simply because your spending habits may be excessive and impulsive.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

There may be a certain amount of unfinished business to be dealt with. Therefore you will need to adopt a fairly flexible policy in order to accommodate the odd twists and turns of everyday life. There are planetary energies firing you up preventing you from sleeping properly. Give yourself plenty of physical outlets to calm you down mentally.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 This is a good time to cut back on extravagant spending and consolidate your finances. Your social calendar is likely to keep you very busy and you will have lots of opportunities to promote yourself. For some of you this is also a good time to meet like-minded people which could lead to romantic liaisons.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 More than any other time of the year, your focus is drawn to your career and standing in the society. This is the time when you are more interested in, and focused on, accomplishing something important. Contact with authority figures is more likely during this period.

Recognition will come your way whether you ask for it or not, and the responsibility that goes with it.

Dhoni in ICC Test, ODI teams; Kohli misses out on ODI spot

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has found a place in both ICC Test team of the year as well as the ODI side of the year but surprisingly Virat Kohli, who has been a consistent run-getter in the 50-over format in the last one year, didn't figure in the ODI team.

ICC's Chief Executive David Richardson said while Kohli was extremely unlucky to have missed out on in the ICC ODI Team of the year, led by compatriot Dhoni, but he should be making it next year. "It will be very surprising if Kohli does not make the team next year," he added.

In the period under consideration for selection, August 7, 2012 to August 25, 2013, the Delhi batsman, who is often referred to as the bold new face of Indian cricket, had amassed 689 runs, including two tons, at an average of 40.52.

India's World Cup winning skipper Dhoni, who made the list for the sixth consecutive year, was expectedly named the captain. Also included in this squad was left handed India opener Shikhar Dhawan and all rounder Ravindra Jadeja, both of whom have played stellar roles in their team having a golden run in ODI format, including the ICC Champions Trophy that India won last June in England. Dhoni has also been picked in the ICC Test Team of the year, along with teammates Cheteshwar Pujara and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as 12th man.

England captain Alastair Cook was named the captain of the Test side.

The Ranchi-born wicketkeeper-batsman is also in the running for winning the ICC Cricketer of the year along with five other players who were short listed. He is also in with a chance to win the ICC ODI Cricketer of the year with compatriots

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhawan and Jadeja.

Ashwin and Pujara are in the running for the ICC Test Cricketer of the year with four others. It is the fourth year in a row for South Africa's Hashim Amla, while England captain Alastair Cook, who is named as the Test captain, appears in the side for the third straight year.

The teams were chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by the ICC's Cricket Committee chairman and former India captain Anil Kumble.

South Africa's pace spearhead Dale Steyn was named in Test side for sixth year in a row.

Richardson also announced the short-lists for the ICC Awards 2013, which will be broadcast as a TV show on December 14, in a departure from the annual dinner function, because of the tight playing schedule of various players.

"It is always tough to decide on the Test and ODI teams of the year, with so many worthy candidates to consider based on the players' performances between August 7, 2012 and August 25, 2013," said Kumble, chairman of the awards selection panel.

Kumble was joined on the panel by former Pakistan

fast bowler and captain Waqar Younis, former England captain and wicketkeeper Alec Stewart, former South Africa batsman Graeme Pollock, and former New Zealand women's player Catherine Campbell.

The ICC Test Team of the Year is (in batting order): Alastair Cook (Eng, captain), Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind), Hashim Amla (SA), Michael Clarke (Aus), Michael Hussey (Aus), AB de Villiers (SA), MS Dhoni (IndWicketkeeper), Graeme Swann (Eng), Dale Steyn (SA), James Anderson (Eng), Vernon Philander (SA). 12th Man: Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind).

ICC ODI Team of the Year (in batting order): Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Shikhar Dhawan (Ind), Hashim Amla (SA), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), AB de Villiers (SA), MS Dhoni (Ind, captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja (Ind), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Mitchell Starc (Aus), James Anderson (Eng), Lasith Malinga (SL). 12th Man: Mitchell McClenaghan (NZ).

Short-lists of nominees for individual awards: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), James Anderson

SPORT WORLD

Dhoni wins ICC People's Choice Award

(Eng), Michael Clarke (Aus), Alastair Cook (Eng), MS Dhoni (Ind) and Kumar Sangakkara (SL).

ICC Test Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla (SA), James Anderson (Eng), Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind), Michael Clarke (Aus), Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind) and Dale Steyn (SA).

ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year: Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Shikhar Dhawan (Ind), MS Dhoni (Ind), Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak), Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) and Kumar Sangakkara (SL).

ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year: Suzie Bates (NZ), Charlotte Edwards (Eng), Meg Lanning (Aus), Dane van Niekerk (SA), Anya Shrubsole (Eng) and Stafanie Taylor (WI).

ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Trent Boult (NZ), Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind), Joe Root (Eng) and Mitchell Starc (Aus).

ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year: Kevin O'Brien (Ire), Kyle Coetzer (Scot), Ed Joyce (Ire) and Nawroz Mangal (Afg).

ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year: Umar Gul (Pak), Martin Guptill (NZ), Brendon McCullum (NZ), Ajanth Mendis (SL).

ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year: Suzie Bates (NZ), Shanel Daley (WI), Deandra Dottin (WI), Meg Lanning (Aus), Sarah Taylor (Eng) and Stafanie Taylor (WI).

David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Paul Reiffel and Rodney Tucker.

ICC Spirit of Cricket: Mahela Jayawardene (SL) and Farhad Reza (Bang).

India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won the 2013 ICC People's Choice Award Dhoni is only the third cricketer to win the award after Sachin Tendulkar in 2010 and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in 2011 and 2012. "This is one of the awards that has given me tremendous satisfaction, since it comes from the key stakeholders of the game - the fans. Recognition from the people who support and encourage us day in and day out only inspires me to put in that much more, and go the extra mile for them. I would like to thank all those people who have voted in my favour," Dhoni said in a statement.

Indian shuttler Sindhu wins Macau Grand Prix gold

It has been a roller-coaster ride for the promising Indian shuttler P V Sindhu this year. The lanky 19-yearold, who has beaten eight of the top 10 players in the last one year, had become the first Indian woman to bag a bronze at the World Championship in August but thereafter she experienced a big slump. However, the Hyderabadi ensured that she ends the year on a high by thumping Li Michelle of Canada 21-15, 21-12 to win the Kumpoo Macau Open Grand Prix Gold.

Zol to captain India U-19 in ACC Asia Cup

Maharashtra batsman Vijay Zol has been named captain of the India Under-19 squad for the ACC Asia Cup in the UAE, which will begin on December 28. Kerala wicketkeeper Sanju Vishwanadh, who was part of the Under-19 team for the Asia Cup in 2012, has been appointed Zol’s deputy. The tournament will also feature teams from India, Pakistan, UAE, Nepal (Group A) and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Malaysia (Group B). India will open their campaign against the hosts (UAE) on December 28 while the much awaited contest against the arch-rivals Pakistan will take place on December 31. Squad: Vijay Zol (captain), Sanju Vishwanadh (v-c), Akhil Herwadkar, Ankush Bains, Ricky Bhui, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav, Amir Gani, Karan Kaila, C V Milind, Avesh Khan, Rishi Arothe and Monu Kumar Singh.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to bat for UNICEF

International cricket sensation Sachin Tendulkar has become UNICEF Ambassador for South Asia during a signing ceremony in Mumbai. In this capacity Tendulkar will support UNICEF’s work in promoting hygiene and sanitation in South Asia.

Known as the “Master Blaster,” Tendulkar is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game.

He is the first player to score a double hundred in a one-day international and holds the record for the highest number of runs in both formats of one-day international and test match cricket.

“I humbly accept the responsibility of being an Ambassador for UNICEF in South Asia. I look for-

ward to working with children and communities in the region, urging them to use toilets and

wash their hands.

Following simple practices can contribute to a hygienic lifestyle which is important for the good health of children and women across the world,” Tendulkar said.

After sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia is the region with the highest number of under-five deaths: 2.3 million in 2011. In this region, 39 per cent of children under the age of five are stunted. South Asia is also the region with the highest number of people without toilets: more than 680 million people don’t use toilets.

Sanitation has a strong connection not only with personal

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hygiene but also with human dignity, wellbeing, public health, nutrition, education.

Children under five are the most vulnerable to the effects of poor sanitation. Every year, more than half a million South Asian children under the age of five die of diarrhoea, caused by unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene behaviours.

“When playing cricket, Sachin Tendulkar had the unique power to reach everybody in all corners of South Asia and the world. Now Tendulkar will do the same and lend his voice to reach everybody in all villages and communi-

ties in South Asia with hygiene and sanitation messages. Using a toilet and hand washing with soap means healthy lives with dignity and helps all children to thrive.” said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia.

U N I C E F Ambassadors are celebrities with a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of children.

Highly talented in their individual right, they all share an ability to bring children’s issues to attention, to galvanize support from the public and lead decision makers and to raise urgently needed funds for vital UNICEF programmes.

SPORT

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th December2013

Dhawan powers India to series win over West Indies

India clinched the ODI series against West Indies 2-1 with a comfortable five-wicket victory in the third and final match at Kanpur, riding on Shikhar Dhawan's sparkling century. The Indians first restricted West Indies to 263 for five and then overhauled the target with 23 balls to spare to lift yet another ODI trophy at home.

Dhawan stole the limelight with an attacking 119 that came off 95 balls, his fifth ODI hundred, while Yuvraj Singh notched up a 74-ball 55 to seal the issue for the home side at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

It was a welcome return to form for Yuvraj, who cautiously put together 129 runs for the third wicket with Dhawan to set the platform for the easy win.

Earlier, the trio of Kieran Powell, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo struck halfcenturies to propel West Indies to a challenging total.

Powell (70) carried on his good form from the last match and registered his second fifty of the series.

Together with Samuels (71), he shared a 117-run secondwicket partnership to lay the foundation for West Indies after the visitors were put into bat by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Towards the end, Darren Bravo (51 not out) and

Shikhar Dhawan

Darren Sammy (37 not out) played aggressively to take West Indies past the 260-run mark. Comfortably placed at 137 for one at one stage, West Indies looked set for a big score but India staged a comeback with quick wickets to restrict West Indies to the manageable score.

For the hosts, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with figures of two for 45 from his quota of 10 overs.

India's chase did not start on a very good note even though Dhawan made his intentions clear in just the second over of the innings when he clobbered Jason Holder thrice to the fence.

The hosts lost Rohit Sharma in the fifth over with just 20 runs on the board.

Rohit gave a straight-forward catch to Dwayne Bravo at the

first slip while trying to push at an away going delivery from Ravi Rampaul.

Virat Kohli looked in great touch during his brief 19-run stay but he too was undone by Rampaul's probing length outside the off stump.

While trying to leave a delivery at the last moment, the ball just brushed Kohli's bat on to the safe hands of wicket-keeper Johnson Charles.

But from there on it was a Dhawan-Yuvraj show as the duo went about its business in style and shared the run-aball century partnership.

Dhawan was the aggressive one among the two. The hallmark of Dhawan's innings was his elegant drives through the extra cover region and short-arm pulls.

Dhawan sent the West Indies bowlers' on a leather

hunt and found the fence at will. He completely dominated the Caribbean attack and hit as many as 20 boundaries during his fiery knock.

By the time Yuvraj and Dhawan got out, they had ensured the series-clinching victory for India. Yuvraj was caught by Dwayne Bravo at the slip off Sunil Narine in the 31st over but not before the left-hander reached his fifty which was laced with seven fours. Dhawan finally departed in the 38th over, caught by Dwayne Bravo of his own bowling as the bat turned in his hand. Dhoni (23 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (2 not out) completed the formalities for India with consummate ease.

Dhoni's decision to bowl first after winning the toss did not yield the desired result as his bowlers could pick up just one wicket before Powell and Samuels joined hands to take West Indies forward. Opener Johnson Charles (11) failed yet again when Bhuvneshwar Kumar went through his defence in the fifth over with a perfect inswinger leaving West Indies at 20 for one.

But thereafter Powell and Samuels got together and played sensibly, mixing caution with aggression to stitch a century stand for the second wicket and lay the foundation for a big total.

Gaganjeet Bhullar wins Indonesia Open

Kapurthala lad Gaganjeet Bhullar scripted a brilliant chapter in India's golfing history, winning the Indonesia Open.

Bhullar led after every round, only sharing the lead in the third round with Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond. Bhullar's power-packed performance at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course in Jakarta saw him take home $135,000 (over Rs 800,000) in prize money and jump two places to be placed fourth in Asia's Order of Merit with total earnings of $462,378. The Arjuna awardee carded a blemish-free three-under 68 in the final round to leave behind Thailand's Chapchai Nirat and Nicolas Fung of Malaysia by three strokes. "In golf anything is possible, that's what I have always believed in. If you have trust in your abilities and will power, you can excel anywhere. The rest is for you to see. I just stayed focused throughout and went with the flow," Bhullar said.

Ex-Indian batsman Kambli suffers heart attack

Former Indian Test batsman Vinod Kambli has been admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai after suffering a heart attack.

Kambli, who will turn 42 on January 18, has played 17 Tests and 104 ODIs for India.

Kambli had undergone angioplasty on two of his blocked arteries in July 2012, but news of this operation was largely kept under wraps. Kambli was driving from Chembur to Bandra when he suffered the attack. He was taken to the hospital by a lady traffic officer. According to his wife Andrea Kambli is stable and recovering well.

Sachin takes different path to old school friend Kambli

Sachin Tendulkar and his school friend Vinod Kambli burst onto the scene together in India but then went their separate ways

You would, wouldn’t you?

The best batsmen just want to bat and bat. And schoolboys are hardly known for their obedience.

These two schoolboy batsmen were going rather well. So well in fact that they had both passed their double centuries.

On the boundary’s edge their assistant coach was waving his arms furiously. He was demanding their attention. It was time to declare. The team total had surpassed 500 after all.

But the batsmen were having none of it. This was too much fun. They carried on batting. And batting a bit more.

By lunch of what was the second day of this three-day Harris Shield semi-final in Mumbai in 1988, one had 349 not out and his friend 326 not out.

But they knew they had disobeyed instructions.

Their coach, Ramakant Achrekar, a man they both respected hugely, was not present, as he had to work that day.

Instead it was his assistant, Laxman Chavan, whose instructions had been disregarded.

At the interval Chavan told the pair of youngsters that they should phone Achrekar. Their coach asked the score. Over 700 came the reply. “Declare!” screamed Achrekar, according to Vaibhav Purandare, an Indian author.

“Sir, I’m batting on 349,” said the one young man by the name of Vinod Kambli, before the phone was passed to the other, the captain.

Sachin Tendulkar was his name.

You may have heard of him. “Sir, Vinod needs one run to complete his 350, we’ll declare as soon as he gets out,” he said.

“Declare!” shouted Achrekar, and for once Tendulkar was in trouble.

But he and Kambli had already put on an unbeaten 664 for the third wicket for Shardashram School against St Xavier’s College, and two stars of Indian cricket had been born.

A year later Tendulkar was playing Test cricket for India. “He took the elevator to the top,” said Kambli, “whilst I took the

stairs”.

But by 1993 they were on the top floor together in the Indian Test team, with Kambli at three and Tendulkar at four in a series at home toEngland.

In the third Test in Mumbai, Kambli made 224, still the highest Test score by an Indian against England.

In his next Test against Zimbabwe, the left-handed Kambli made 227.

Tendulkar was not to score his first Test double-hundred for another six years.

In his next two Tests against Sri Lanka Kambli made two centuries. But after another 10 Tests he was dropped. That was in 1995, and he was aged just 23. Despite averaging 54.2, he never played another Test.

How different were the paths then taken by those schoolboy mates. Recently Tendulkar announced his retirement amid an avalanche of paeans; last week Kambli at the age of just 41 was rushed to hospital in Mumbai having

suffered a heart attack. He is said to be in a stable condition.

Tendulkar was always the model professional; Kambli was always the classic larrikin, with his golden earrings, funky haircuts (although the pate is now bald) and extravagant lifestyle.

Maybe Kambli was before his time because he might have fitted in nicely in the indulgent excesses of the Indian Premier League now. He has a fashion model wife, after all, and has appeared in Bollywood movies.

But even though he was still playing international one-day cricket in 2000, and indeed Indian first-class cricket until 2004, it was his lax attitude, not a susceptibility to the short ball, that scuppered his career.

So it is little surprise really that his friendship with Tendulkar did not remain strong.

“I haven’t heard Sachin’s sound for a long time and it hurts me,” said

Kambli recently. “It’s been seven long years and we haven’t met with each other. In between we just shared a few text messages and that’s all. It seems as if we have become enemies now.”

When Tendulkar made his brilliant and emotional retirement speech at the Wankhede Stadium last month, it irked Kambli that he was not mentioned.

Their coach Achrekar was namechecked.

“I wish he could have taken my name in his speech,” said Kambli, “because I was expecting him to at least mention our world record partnership because it was from there that we started. It was a career-changing innings. I was definitely hurt.”

It has been reported that Tendulkar will visit Kambli in hospital. You would hope that would happen. You doubt they really are enemies.

Tendulkar is simply not like that.