Asian Standard (Leeds) Issue 30 Nov - 5 Dec 2021

pages of

SHOWBIZ INSIDE >>>

WHY Rani WILL ALWAYS BE AN ALL-TIME

Recipe: Nothing beats Supreme Ingredients classic winter warmer -

Chicken & Corn

favourite

See page 21

100 MORE KIDS IN CARE IN LEEDS, AS LOCAL GOVERNMENT GROUP WARNS OF BIG INCREASES OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN IN COMING YEARS See page 12

BY THE PUBLISHERS OF ASIAN SUNDAY

LEEDS / 29 NOVEMBER - 5 DECEMBER 2021 / FREE

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MEET TAHIRA, THE UK’S FIRST

FEMALE PAKISTANI TRAIN DRIVER AN EX-TRANSPORT COP FROM BRADFORD HAS MADE HISTORY BY BEING THE FIRST SOUTH ASIAN WOMAN TO QUALIFY AS A TRAIN DRIVER IN THE UK.

Read more on pages 6 & 7

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E ditors N ot e

HIGHLIGHTS FESTIVE MINI ELECTRIC EMBARKS ON CHARITY TOUR A MINI Electric, wrapped in 2,000 smart LED lights by Twinkly, is starting a five-week tour to spread festive cheer and raise money for three important charities; the MS Trust, Duchenne UK and Alzheimer’s Society.

Lighting the way after the Festive MINI Electric’s first public appearance at The Lexicon Bracknell in Berkshire, on the 25 November, the car will travel to various locations around the UK, driven by project creator Nicholas ‘Nico’ Martin.

The sen-sleigh-tional project first started over three years ago, with Nico handwrapping his MINI in fairy-lights and displaying

it in his local town of Bracknell. However, in December 2020, without the usual Christmas switch-on displays delivering much-needed festive spirit, Nico realised he could use the Festive MINI to bring joy and positivity to people on their own doorsteps, whilst also raising awareness and over £5000 for the MS Trust and Duchenne UK, two charities very close to his heart.

This year, Nico has introduced a guest charity spot taken up by Alzheimer’s Society and he has rallied support from MINI UK, Festive Lights and Italian smart lighting company Twinkly, to up the voltage on his project and make it bigger and better than

l e t a P Fatima

Firstly, thank you so much for picking up your latest issue of Asian Standard and welcome to our new look.

As a local community newspaper my team and I are constantly striving to bring you the stories you want to read and to ensure we report on them factually, accurately and responsibly.

Each week through my column I hope to engage with you and find out what affects you and interests you about Leeds District We also hope to bring you the latest news, reviews and interviews from across the region and beyond.

I am delighted with the cover story this week from our reporter Shawna Healey, of trailblazer Tahira Bibi.

My team and I pride ourselves on sharing such stories but at the same time, we hope that one day we can normalise people from the South Asian community that they no longer have to be shouted at from our front pages.

Things are changing and with people like Tahira Bibi stepping out of her comfort zone and showing us how, the future looks hopeful for acceptance and inclusivity.

This edition also has some great recipes, showbiz updates and the very latest in sports.

Before I sign off for this week, I just want to remind all our readers to stay safe, as we aren’t over Covid yet. So keep sanitising, wear your masks and get vaccinated.

Until next week. Stay safe

Very Best wishes

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BORIS JOHNSON'S RATINGS HIT RECORD LOW British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saw his personal ratings slump to a record low last week, the Daily Mail reported.

The PM suffered another blow as a Savanta ComRes Boris Johnson poll suggested the chaos is forced to insist the PM is 'well' following cutting through to voters, with his net his rambling address to business leaders favourability score dropping to minus recently, and with claims a dozen MPs 14. That was down from minus nine last have sent no-confidence letters to the month, and worse than during the bleak powerful 1922 committee, the report second coronavirus surge last autumn. said. There are also signs tensions The research also showed Labour between Johnson and Rishi Sunak are hanging on to the lead in overall at risk of boiling over, with Treasury support, although the advantage has sources hitting out at Mr Johnson for narrowed from six points last week 'blowing' announcements including a to two. The findings emerged as huge £96billion rail upgrade. Senior Conservatives tried to bulldoze through Conservatives have been venting fury the problems by cheering Johnson to at a series of self-inflicted setbacks, the rafters as he got to his feet for the demanding he brings in experienced big weekly Commons clashes. beasts to sharpen up his Downing Street The baiting came after No10 was team, the report added.

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WHO SAYS NOT CLEAR WEATHER OMICRON MORE TRANSMISSIBLE ever, with an aim of raising as much money as possible for the three special causes.

Nico added: “I’m so grateful for the incredible support behind the project and the teams involved this year. The MINI Electric is even more exciting to drive and means all my trips on the tour are environmentally friendly and the app-controlled Twinkly lights with their amazing customisable animations really give the car a bit of extra magic. I can’t wait to get out on the road to spread some Festive MINI spirit and raise lots of money for the three charities!”

David George, Director, MINI UK said, “We’re extremely humbled to be a part of Nico’s fundraising project with the Festive MINI Electric.

It’s a wonderful idea that will bring people together, make them smile, and also raise funds for some amazing charities.”

For more information on the Festive MINI Tour and to keep updated on where it’s headed visit www.festivemini.com Donate here: https://festivegiving.org.uk/ fundraising/festive-mini/.

Follow Nico’s journey on Instagram: @drivingwithnico

It is not yet clear whether the Omicron Covid-19 variant is more transmissible, or causes more severe disease compared to other variants, including Delta, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

It's not yet clear whether Omicron is more easily spread from person to person compared to other variants, even though the number of people testing positive has risen in South Africa where this variant was involved, the WHO on Sunday 28 November added.

It's also not yet clear whether Omicron causes more severe disease, but preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalisation in South Africa, which however may be due to increasing overall number of people becoming infected, Xinhua news agency reported.

WHO confirmed that there is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants, as understanding the level of severity of the Omicron variant will take days to several weeks. All variants of Covid-19, including the Delta variant that is currently dominant worldwide, can cause severe disease or death, in particular for the most vulnerable people, and thus prevention is always key.

However, WHO said preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron but information is

Image: Shutterstock

limited. More information on this will become available in the coming days and weeks. It added that current PCR tests continue to detect Omicron while further studies are still going on to understand how the Omicron variant will impact on available vaccines and treatments to Covid-19.

WHO classified on Friday 26 November the latest variant B.1.1.529 of SARS-CoV-2 virus, now with the name Omicron, as a "Variant of Concern" (VOC). According to WHO's definition, a VOC, with a degree of global public health significance demonstrates one or more of mutational changes such as increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in Covid-19 epidemiology,

SPOTIFY TESTING TIKTOKSTYLE VIDEO FEED

TikTok has seen its short-form video feed style copied by several other platforms like Instagram, Snap, YouTube and Netflix. And now it looks like you can add Spotify to that list.

As per TechCrunch, Spotify is testing a new TikTok-style video feed in its beta iOS app that shows fullscreen video clips as songs are played.

The feature was first spotted by Chris Messina, who posted a video of the feed in action.

When available, the video feed is accessible from a new fourth tab in the navigation bar labelled 'Discover'. Individual tracks can then be liked as you scroll through the feed, and there's also a three-dot menu icon to bring up options for each song.

Spotify confirmed the test in a statement provided to TechCrunch but declined to comment on if or when it might see a wider rollout.

"At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of

tests in an effort to improve our user experience," a spokesperson said.

"Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We don't have any further news to share at this time," the spokesperson added.

The test comes as Netflix has started testing a similar interface in its iOS app to help users discover new content to watch. Its recent 'Kids Clips' feature shows content from its child-friendly shows and follows the launch of a similar 'Fast Laughs' feed earlier this year.

The Discover feed appears to build upon Spotify's existing Canvas feature, where artists can have videos play alongside their music on the service. The videos shown as part of the Discover feed appear to be the same as those used for Canvas.

increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation, and decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. WHO has since urged countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing on circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, submit complete genome sequences and metadata to a publicly available database, and report initial VOC cases or clusters to WHO. It has also recommended field investigations and laboratory assessments to better understand potential impacts of the VOC on Covid-19 epidemiology, the effectiveness of public health and social measures and antibody neutralisation.

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FORCE TAKES ACTION DURING KNIFE CRIME WEEK West Yorkshire Police have joined a national campaign aimed at tackling knife crime and serious violence.

Operation Sceptre is the national anti-knife crime campaign which takes place twice a year. Throughout the week-long campaign, activity is focused on taking knives off the streets and, ultimately, reducing the number of people involved in knife crime. This is achieved with educational talks in schools, knife sweeps and high visibility patrols.

During the week of action, which ran from 15 – 21 November 2021, West Yorkshire Police arrested 75 people, recovered 34 weapons, executed 15 search warrants leading to a further 8 arrests, 4 weapons recovered. Working with partners the force carried out 53 weapon sweeps, 30 engagement events, visited over 72 schools, and carried out compliance visits to retailers to ensure compliance with legislation in the sale of knives.

Chief Inspector James Kitchen, who leads on West Yorkshire’s own violence and knife crime Operation Jemlock said: “Operation Sceptre brings to light some of the work our team carries out on a day-to-day basis.

Sceptre Leeds south

Op Sceptre wakefield

Calderdale Op Sceptre “This week has been a fantastic success and I am really pleased with the results. Those who feel the need to carry knives in our communities, putting themselves and others at risk will continue to be our focus in

reducing victims of knife crime. So, the operational work carried out throughout this week goes a long way to keeping this in focus and in keeping our streets and open spaces safer.

“Talking and listening to members of the community and having opportunities for joint learning and understanding about the dangers of carrying weapons is also something we were glad to do this week. By being on hand to answer questions, learn from those people and communities affected by knife crime helps us deliver long term problem solving and take a whole system approach to the problem.

“I’d like to thank all the officers, staff and partners who have been involved this week, supporting this important campaign.”

Superintendent Damon Solley, of the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, said: “Tackling knife crime is a key focus for West Yorkshire Police and the force continues to prioritise reducing it through Operation Jemlock.

The Violence Reduction Unit also supports community work with young people to divert them away from involvement in violent crime. During the last 12 months West Yorkshire Police has recorded a 6.4% reduction

in knife crime across the force with 154 fewer victims.

Op Sceptre Dewsbury station

"We have also recorded a 16.5 per cent reduction in robbery with 457 fewer victims and a 24 per cent reduction in hospital admissions for people assaulted with a sharp object, which equates to 60 fewer admissions for this kind of offending.

To date, 938 weapons have been seized from the streets of West Yorkshire and 6,225 arrests have been made.

“Jemlock officers continue to deploy across West Yorkshire to support colleagues, using targeted patrols and specialist police tactics in areas which have been identified as crime hotspots. We continue to need the public’s help to tackle knife crime by reporting incidents and offenders to make sure our resources are where they need to be, and we encourage resident to keep getting in touch.

“If you have any information about knife crime in your area, please contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team via 101, make a report online via the contact us section of our website or ring the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.”

Nominations Open For

Asian Standard' Most Influential

The Asian Standard annual search for the most influential South Asian of Leeds has begun.

Help us find the most influential people from the South Asian community in Leeds

Entries close

SUNDAY19 DECEMBER MIDNIGHT

Influential "Someone or something that has an impact on or shapes how people act or how things occur.

A person who convinces others to listen and do what he/she suggests."

If you think you fit this definition or know someone else who does, then we want to hear about you/ them to help compile our annual most influential list for 2021.

To nominate simply email influentiallist@asianstandard.co.uk with as much information as you can about yourself or your nominee. Don't forget to include your contact name and number so we can call you if we need further information.

If you prefer you can also write to us at Asian Standard Newspaper, 5 Green Street, Little Germany, Bradford, BD1 5HG Closing date for entries is 19th December 2021 midnight. No further entries will be accepted after this date and the Editor's decision will be final.

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LEEDS

MEET TAHIRA,

FEMALE PAKISTA

AN EX-TRANSPORT COP FROM BRADFORD HAS MADE HISTO AS A TRAIN DRIVER IN THE UK.

BY SHAWNA HEALEY One of Northern’s newest qualified train drivers, Tahira Bibi has made history by being the first female Pakistani train driver in the UK. Mrs Bibi, 49, from Bradford, recently passed her final exams to become a train driver. She started her training with Northern in May 2019 but due to the Coronavirus, it has taken longer to complete the course.

Mrs Bibi has had a colourful work history, working for the British Transport Police (BTP) for a decade and working in the charity sector before that.

Now, she loves working for Northern, driving regularly between Leeds and other cities and towns in West Yorkshire.

Mrs Bibi said: “I’m really enjoying my first few weeks. Sometimes your stomach will be in knots as you are driving a train by yourself, but I’ve been trained to do things properly, so it is not too bad.”

Mrs Bibi has not always dreamed of being a train driver. Instead, she picked up an interest in trains after working in Leeds station as a BTP officer for several years.

She said: “To be honest, I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a train driver. It is not something that I thought as a female even, I would be able to do.

“I was a police officer with BTP who police the railways here at Leeds station, and that is where I got to know trains and where I got a fascination with them.”

ASLEF, Britain’s trade union for train drivers, found that in 2019, less than 7% of train drivers were women, and less than 9% of train drivers overall were from an ethnic minority. Being the female Pakistani female train driver in the UK, Mrs Bibi is truly breaking stereotypes within the industry.

Mrs Bibi has full backing from her family in her newest career change. She said: “My family are more supportive now of my career than when I joined the police.

They were more worried about the danger of being an officer than me driving a train.

Driving a train is safer and you are not in a confrontational role.”

When asked about how it feels to be the first female Pakistani train driver in the UK, Mrs Bibi said: “I didn’t know that was the case until I was told after I joined. I feel so proud.”

Mrs Bibi hasn’t come up against any opposition yet, but she mentioned that people often mistake her for a conductor or a guard. Everyone she has told, about her new job is surprised at her career change but supportive.

With only one other female driver hired

Mrs Bibi is part of the 7% of female train drivers in the UK.

at Northern, the question about logistics of where to get ready came up. Mrs Bibi said: “There is a locker room but that is for everyone. We do have a women-only area if we need to get changed.”

Working in a male-dominated space can be daunting, but with a decade of policing behind her, Mrs Bibi has slotted in nicely with the other drivers in the company.

“Interacting with my male colleagues has been fine, I’ve had no issues”, she said.

“I come from a police background, which is another male-orientated job, so it has been pretty much the same. As we are based in Leeds, I knew a lot of the people before, so it has not been as challenging as people would perhaps think.”

Representation in any industry matters because it shapes how people from minority backgrounds are viewed by wider society and how they view themselves.

Representation allows people to feel validated and create a team environment where ideas are diverse, perspectives are varied, and everyone feels different.

For Mrs Bibi, representation in both the police and the rail industry is no different.

She said: “If you see someone that looks like you, talks like you, it makes you think

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LEEDS

THE UK’S FIRST

ANI TRAIN DRIVER

ORY BY BEING THE FIRST SOUTH ASIAN WOMAN TO QUALIFY

Mrs Bibi qualified as the UK’s first female Pakistani train driver in September. if she or he could do it, then I could do it.

Had there been more female Asian police officers back before I joined, I would have joined sooner.

“You think ‘is this for me? Why isn’t this for me? Why are there no ethnic minorities in these roles?”

Mrs Bibi’s favourite route is to Skipton and back but her first journey was from Leeds to Ilkley. “Anyone who has done a driving test, a car or anything, knows that the first drive you do on your own is stressful.

“I qualified in ‘slippy season’ when leaves start to fall and cause problems on the train tracks, so I had to be extra careful.”

The process of becoming a driver usually takes between nine and ten months, with class-based lessons and 250 mandatory hours in the cab of the train. However, due to the pandemic, it took Mrs Bibi over two years to complete the training.

She said: “We did classroom training for about ten weeks with some practical-based stuff thrown in there, and then you get put with a trainer, or a ‘minder’ as well call them, which is driving instructor and you follow their shift pattern.

“Before Covid, I had only been with my minder for two weeks before being sent home. We were off for about eight months from March to the end of October. I came back and was assigned another minder.

I followed his shift pattern and had to log a certain number of hours before I could even consider doing my final assessment.

“The assessment is very long, it is about five days, and it includes so many things such as knowing the rules and regulations and knowing the mechanics of the train you drive.

“The most important thing they

are concerned about is that if something goes wrong, you know what to do in those circumstances, which is why knowing the rules is so important. It is a very stressful five days.”

Working shifts for the past ten years, Mrs Bibi is used to balancing her personal life around unconventional work hours, although she says, the new early mornings can be tough. She said: “Because I was doing shifts with the police, there isn’t much difference in balancing work and home life. I have to say, the earlies, are very early so they can be a bit challenging.

“For example, if I am due to sign on here at 3.58am, I have to get up at around 2am to get ready and drive to Leeds from Bradford, and if it is your first early after having a few days off you will not be able to sleep, regardless of what time you go to bed. We normally, do eight or nine-hour shifts so it can be quite long.”

There are many things Mrs Bibi enjoys about being a train driver, but her favourite thing is knowing that she is getting people, sometimes 300 or more, from one place to the other safely. “My favourite part is getting people from A to B. Sometimes there are 300+ people on the train that you are getting from one place to the next, either to work, or a day out, or to see family.”

Giving advice to young people about pursuing their dreams on the rails, Mrs Bibi said: “Do your research but absolutely go for it. I love this job; I wish I had done it sooner.

“If you go to a station, speak to people.

Speak to the drivers, speak to the guards, the platform staff or even the gate staff. If you have got an interest, go on the website, and do your research.

“It is important that young South Asian women go into non-traditional jobs because it widens their horizons. It maybe makes them think they can do jobs that they thought they couldn’t do.

“You can do things; you can do anything.

You can be that person that other people think ‘I can do that, I want to do that’.”

Tahira Bibi makes history as Britain's first Pakistani female train driver

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COUNCILLORS DISCUSS ANTISOCIAL USE OF FIREWORKS

Leeds Town Hall

BY RICHARD BEECHAM A local councillor has claimed people living in parts of northwest Leeds hear fireworks being set off in Bradford “all year round”.

The comments came during a discussion about the antisocial use of fireworks in Leeds, which council chiefs believe is now such a problem in parts of the city, that it must be dealt with by national lawmakers in Westminster.

A report which went before members of the council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee suggested the authority seek to introduce measures such as “exclusion zones” and for sales to be restricted to certain retailers.

The report also mentioned that the authority had been working closely with Calderdale Council during the recent inquiry into the problem, but did not list neighbouring Bradford Council as one of the contributors.

Cllr Dawn Collins (Con) said: “Being in Horsforth, fairly close to the boundary, we hear fireworks all year round. My feeling at the moment is that it is coming from the Bradford border. The other night we had fireworks going of at half past one in the morning.

“It’s obviously somebody celebrating an anniversary or a wedding or

something, but I am not sure why Bradford isn’t there.

“It’s not a huge issue – if you close the windows, you can get back to sleep, but I am curious as to whether people living closer to Bradford than I do experience that in a worse scenario than I do.”

A council officer apologised for not mentioning Bradford in the report, adding: “Bradford Council was one of the main ones we engaged with, and we continue to engage with them.”

Leeds City Council’s deputy leader Cllr Debra Coupar (Lab) added: “We absolutely do engage with Bradford.

Cllr Chris Howley

Calderdale answered a request to work with us as well, so that’s why they were involved in this work.”

Cllr Coupar went on to claim that the number of antisocial firework-related incidents had actually decreased in Leeds, despite the number of call-outs from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue on November 5 and 6 more than doubling since 2019.

She said: “We had a number of isolated incidents in a few wards in the city but, overall, we saw a huge decrease in the demand for the police, reports of antisocial behaviour and reports needing police action.

Cllr Dawn Collins

“The numbers from West Yorkshire fire service were individual bonfires in people’s gardens. I want to clear up the suggestion made in council that there was an increase in demand for police service over the bonfire and Halloween period.

“It is incorrect – demand has actually decreased.”

Among the new suggestions from Leeds City Council is introducing a “mechanism” through which local authorities can work with communities to prohibit firework use in areas “of particular sensitivity”.

Such a move would come as a relief

Cllr Debra Coupar

to Cllr Javaid Akhtar (Lab), who claimed Alexandra Park in Burley was the scene of huge problems on Bonfire Night.

He said: “I was getting phone calls and was passing them to Mr (Paul) Money (LCC communities officer) and the police, and I’m surprised nothing else has been mentioned.

“It’s something we need to consider, those communities living around those areas are facing mayhem two weeks before and two weeks after bonfire night. Antisocial behaviour and misuse of fireworks across the park, throwing them at each other, and damaging property is totally unacceptable for our residents.”

Other suggestions from the committee included putting more “diversionary activities” on for young people, to reduce the risk of antisocial behaviour on bonfire night.

Cllr Chris Howley (Lib Dem) added that there was also a “horrific” incident in Weetwood, adding: “Residents were afraid to leave their houses, and it was described by more than one of them as a ‘war zone’.

“More pre-emptive work was needed there and there was a lack of diversionary activities.

“It harks back to prioritising priority areas is wholly appropriate, we should not take our eye off other areas where problems can flare up.”

This article is by the Local democracy Reporting Service

@ASIANSTANDARD WWW.ASIANSTANDARD.CO.UK 29 NOVEMBER - 5 DECEMBER 2021

SPORTS LEEDS

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COVID: FACE COVERINGS TO BE MANDATORY AGAIN IN SHOPS AND ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT AFTER TWO CASES OF NEW VARIANT FOUND IN UK SUCCESS FOR BRADFORD HINDU COUNCIL’S FIRST FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

THE BIG BRITISH SHOWDOWN: COULD AMIR KHAN AND KELL BROOK FACE EACH OTHER NEXT YEAR? Page 24

Page 23

Tighter Covid measures are set to take place tomorrow after two UK cases of the new Omicron variant

HEATED CONFRONTATION: THE FURY FAMILY VS JAKE PAUL!

have been detected.

At a press conference on

Saturday the PM said face

coverings would be mandatory

BY MUSHARAF ASGHAR again in shops and on public

Tommy wasn’t a real fighter. The Fury family did not take kindly what Paul said and started firing moments later with their own accusations at Paul stating he in fact wasn’t the real fighter as he fought nobody too.

social media accounts and over millions on their YouTube channels, but both of them also decided to take on an unusual venture of the sweet science of boxing.

Although Logan just fought recently against former welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, the brother of Logan, Jake has taken things more seriously.

transport England from Jake Paulinhas become one this of the week. biggest names in the world. From being anMr innocent kid however, actor and appearing Johnson said on shows on the popular Nickelodeon hospitality will be exempt from the channel to rising to fame in making rule change, and further details content for YouTube with his older are due to be outlined brother Logan Paul. by the Health

Later in the press conference after a lot of back-and-forth, John Fury had reached boiling point and tried punching the monitor Jake was on.

The press was taken back as to how Jake got under the skin of John Fury, but John laughed it off and said: “My son is going to knock you out”.

As of right now, Jake Paul is undefeated in the ring with a record of four fights without a loss. However, Jake has received criticism over the

Secretary Javid innot theonly ‘next Both theSajid Paul brothers have millions of followers on their respective day or so’.

The rules surrounding face masks were relaxed in England in July.

PCR tests for everyone entering the UK will be introduced and all contacts of new variant cases will

Tommy Fury

have to self-isolate, even if fully

years of fighting ‘nobodies’ and took the initiative to prove his haters wrong in taking the fight against the brother of Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury.

jabbed.

But Boris Johnson said Christmas would be “considerably better” than in 2020 indicating that Boris Johnson

the measures, which include reinstating the travel red list with mandatory hotel quarantine for 10

Officials said the cases were linked

countries, were “temporary and

and connected to travel in southern

precautionary”.

Africa.

The new restrictions come after

In Scotland, Wales and Northern

it was confirmed that two Omicron

Ireland, face coverings are already

cases had been detected in

mandatory on public transport and

Brentwood, Essex, and Nottingham.

many indoor areas.

Image: Twitter

Press conference Jake Paul V Tommy Fury

Tommy Fury plans on taking the reigns from his brother Tyson when he decides to hang up the gloves and call it aThe career. new variant was first reported

Before they settleon their differences in from South Africa Wednesday, the ring, both Jake and Tommy were part with earlyconference evidence suggesting it of a press to discuss their has a higher reinfection risk. much-anticipated fight in December.

Mr said: “Our scientists TheJohnson heated confrontation began moments into the press are learning more hourconference by hour, whenitJake Paul started shouting at how and does appear that Omicron he was the better fighter and expressed

Nominations open for Most Influential 2021

'S

Nominate now at influentiallist@asianstandard.co.uk.

Nominations close Sunday 19 December Midnight

new audience and I thank Jake Paul for that’.

Although the average fight fan wouldn’t really watch a fight like this, it’s hard to argue how much this brings new viewers to the boxing world and the fighting world itself. Jake Paul has also mentioned in previous interviews how the UFC fighters aren’t getting paid enough and had a go at Dana White explaining how he doesn’t pay his fighters what they truly deserve.

All in all, the fight between Tommy and Jake is set to take place next month with both fighters already stating predictions of knockouts soon.

Sajid Javid

Jake has always been symbolised as the ‘mouth-piece’ in all the fights he has had.

His style to promoting a fight delay the arrival of a new variant was even praised rather than stop it all together.” by the promoter Labour’s shadow Health and of Tommy Fury as Frank Warren Social Care Secretary Jonathan said, “I’ve never Ashworth, who is currently selfdone something isolating has tweeted: “Moving with like this before. speed is crucial to get ahead of There’s a lot of spreads hype andvery as rapidly and can be #Omicron. We’ve long advocated you can between see spread people who are mask wearing in crowded areas there’s avaccinated.” lot double but also need; Speeded up vaccine of bad blood He added: “We need to slow down campaign, clarity from MHRA on between the the of this variant here in two’.spread He further antiviral drug paxlovid and plan adds, ‘These the UK, because measures at the for roll out, decent sick pay and types ofcan events border only ever minimise and Pictured Jake Paul in ventilation, especially in schools.” bring a whole Puerto Rico for trainin g camp

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SENIOR COUNCILLOR WELCOMES SCRAPPING OF HS2 EASTERN LEG

BY RICHARD BEECHAM A senior councillor in southeast Leeds has welcomed the Government’s scrapping of the new high speed rail line to the city, claiming the “overwhelming majority” of his constituents are relieved at the decision.

It follows the publication of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan, which scrapped both the eastern leg (Birmingham-to-Leeds) of HS2, as well as downgrading plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, which would have seen a new line run from Liverpool to Hull, with stops at Leeds and Bradford.

Leeds was instead pledged £200m to go towards a new mass transit network, along with extra cash to study how best to get high speed trains to Leeds.

The decision was met with a chorus of condemnation from northern council leaders and MPs, including the leader of Leeds City Council, with claims the north was once again being short-changed when it came to transport infrastructure spending.

But the leader of the Leeds Liberal Democrats group welcomed the

decision, as many of the people he represents live in an area that would have been affected by the new track.

He said: “Whatever the reasoning behind the decision by the Government to cancel the Eastern leg of HS2, it is welcomed by the overwhelming majority of people that I know as a local resident in Oulton

Cllr James Lewis

and Woodlesford.

“However, the relief is qualified by the small print in the announcement today, that our area is still subject to HS2’s ‘safeguarding’ restrictions, and that the government has given the West Yorkshire Mayor £100m to work up a scheme to show how HS2 trains can come to Leeds from Sheffield in the future.

“We will want a cast iron guarantee very early on that it won’t seek to resurrect a scheme that brings it through our patch, as we’ve lived with HS2 blight for long enough.”

Cllr Golton represents Rothwell on Leeds City Council, which is one of the areas the track would have run through, according to earlier Government plans.

His comments clash with those of Leeds City Council leader James Lewis, who last week bemoaned the government’s integrated rail plan for scrapping its planned eastern leg of HS2, which would have run from Birmingham to Leeds, along with the downgrading of the east-to-west Northern Powerhouse Rail plans.

Speaking following the IRP’s publication, Cllr Lewis said: “After more than 10 years of effort,

investment and planning based on the government’s clear proposal to bring HS2 to Leeds, we have been left extremely disappointed and frustrated by today’s announcement which only offers more studies, reviews and uncertainty for highspeed connections to our city – but, sadly, we are not surprised.

Cllr Stewart Golton

“This is not the first time our city has been promised major infrastructure investment, only for it to be curtailed or cancelled.”

But Cllr Golton claimed the watered down, rail plans were just as much the fault of local authorities as central government.

He said: “The writing was on the wall for HS2 for years, and this ‘make do and mend’ package for transport in our region offered now is as much the fault of local Labour council leaders as it is Tory ministers.

“It was always the rail connectivity east-west that was going to have the biggest effect on northern economic growth, and northern leaders made the monumental error of accepting the government argument that Northern Powerhouse Rail could only happen as a further phase of the HS2 project.

“As a consequence, Transport for the North has spent the past six years obsessing about HS2 and took their eye off the ball by not prioritising the case for Northern Powerhouse Rail as HS2 buckled under the ballooning cost – a direct result of years of poor ministerial oversight.”

This article is by the Local democracy Reporting Service

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100 MORE KIDS IN CARE IN LEEDS, AS LOCAL GOVERNMENT GROUP WARNS OF BIG INCREASES OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN IN COMING YEARS

BY RICHARD BEECHAM The leadership of Leeds City Council has claimed it is bucking the national trend of children in care, after new research reveals Britain could be facing a massive increase in looked after children in the coming years.

According to a study from the County Councils Network (CCN), the number of children in care in the UK could be set to increase to 95,000 by 2025, placing huge extra pressures on cash-strapped local authorities.

While Leeds is not part of this network, the increasing strain on adult and child social care is something which the council’s leadership has been warning about for some time, particularly with the extra financial challenges of Brexit and Covid.

According to official Government statistics, the number of Leeds children in care has increased from 1,239 in 2016 to 1,346 in 2020.

However, Leeds City Council’s executive member for social care Cllr Fiona Venner said that with the increasing population of children in the city, this did not represent a rise in the proportion of kids in care.

She said: “Leeds numbers of children looked after and rate per 10,000 of the child population for 2021 do not reflect an upward trend.

“Whilst Leeds would acknowledge demographic pressures and financial challenges on children, families and the services supporting them, this

CLLR Fiona-Venner

Image: Shutterstock

has not yet impacted on numbers of children in care in Leeds.

“As the only core city to hold an Outstanding rating for Children’s Social Care; Leeds has been on an improvement journey with a commitment to early intervention and prevention at its heart. Our investment in Family Group Conferencing and retaining a youth service and all our children’s centres are part of this.

“We are conscious of the challenges facing children and families which are leading to a national growth in numbers of children looked after and are committed to continuing to provide support to families early in the life of a problem to avoid increased numbers of children coming into care.”

Since 2016, there had been a national increase in nearly 10,000 looked after children to just over 80,000 overall.

The increase in cases comes at a time when local authorities are facing large cuts to public spending, with Leeds having lost more than £300m in annual spending power in the past decade, when adjusted for inflation.

The CCN conducted a study, projecting the amount of growth in the number of children in the care system could rise significantly over the next four years.

It stated: “Based on the finding in this analysis that the rate of children in care grew by 12 per cent across England over the period 2015-2020, projecting forward means that, without changes to the system, the number of children in the care system is likely to rise from 69,470 in 2015 to between 86,000 and 95,000 by 2025 – a potential 36 per cent increase.”

It claimed that placing one child into a specialist children’s home can “easily

cost £4,000 a week”, compared to less than £1,000 a week for a place with a foster family.

The report went on to conclude that there should be an “unrelenting focus” on trying to keep children with their families as long as it is safe to do so.

It added: “With the overall numbers of children in the system continuing to grow it places pressure on both the availability and cost of placements for these children, and ultimately on local authority budgets.

“There is a need to focus on championing best practice and innovative solutions, whilst being honest about where there is potential to improve the system. Therefore, is also a need for systemic reform of how councils work with their public sector partners to achieve these aims.

“Local authorities, schools, police, courts, and the health service – must

work better together on emerging issues, such as mental health.

“This can only be done effectively if children’s services continue to be locally delivered by councils, but crucially, recognising change needs to happen.”

It went on to say local authorities needed “fair and sustainable funding” to be able to invest improvements, adding: “But their (sic) is also a pressing need for substantive investment vital preventative and ‘edge of care’ services which will allow them to work with families to ensure that children are able to live happy and safe lives.”

The County Councils Network is a group within the Local Government Association – it is made up of mainly of county councils, covering large, more rural areas, such as North Yorkshire.

This article is by the Local Democracy Reporting Service

29 november - 5 december 2021

KARTIK AARYAN COMMENCES DELHI SHOOT SCHEDULE OF 'SHEHZADA' SALMAN REVEALS HOW THE SONG 'OH OH JANE JAANA' WAS REJECTED FOR 6 YEARS JOHN ABRAHAM: I DO NOT HAVE FEAR OF FAILURE

WHY RANI WILL ALWAYS BE

AN ALL-TIME FAVOURITE

TWO

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

MARIAH CAREY ADAPTING MEMOIR INTO TV SERIES Singer Mariah Carey is making a television show with 'Empire' showrunner Lee Daniels, who produced her 2009 movie 'Precious'. The 'All I Want For Christmas is You' hitmaker is planning to bring her life story to television through an eight-part series, reports femalefirst.co.uk. The singer, who released 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey' last year, shared an update with Z100 with host Garrett Vogel, who asked if she would ever consider doing a musical. Carey said "We did the book, And we are getting it together.

I'm working with my friend Lee Daniels. And we are talking about the adaptation of my book. I would rather do that that's why we wrote the book first. Broadway is a great thing, I just want to do something." However, she said a musical was less likely, noting the project was "probably" going to be a television show. She added "Lee is probably going to hear this and kill me but it's probably going to be an eight-part series. The

'Without You' singer emphasised the importance of the show being "gritty, grimy, beautiful, specular and real". She said "I need it to be gritty, grimy and beautiful, spectacular and real!"

In the book, the 'We Belong Together' singer was incredibly frank about her life, including detailing the abuse she witnessed as a child. Her memoir read "By the time I was a toddler, I had developed the instincts to sense when violence was coming. As though I was smelling rain, I could tell when adult screaming had reached a certain pitch and velocity that meant I should take cover." Carey said the pending project was so "difficult now" because of the on-going pandemic - and the ensuing problems - but that the paperback was due to hit shelves soon. She said "It's so difficult now because of COVID and we don't know what's going on. First things first I wrote my memoir last year and now it's coming out in paperback."

AYUSHMANN SUGGESTED TITLE FOR 'CHANDIGARH KARE AASHIQUI', SAYS DIRECTOR

Ayushmann Khurrana's upcoming film 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqu i' has a unique ring to it. The interesting title was suggested by none other than the actor himself, says director Abhishek Kapoor.

In a video shared by the label T-Series on YouTube, a montage of behind the scenes have been shared. The video features Abhishek, Ayushmann, Vaani and other cast and crew members talking about the upcoming film.

In one segment, Abhishek is heard saying "Ayushmann suggest ed this title for the film."

After which, Ayushmann is seen explaining as to why he chose such a title.

"Chandigarh was not explored that much and I could just give that authentic flavour because I have been born and brought up in Chandigarh," he said.

The video then jumps to a shoot taking place in a popular coffee shop and the actor reminisc ed about how he used to come with his father there and have the beverage, which back then only cost Rs 10.

Ayushmann said "Shooting in my hometown Chandigarh for the first time feels really surreal. The coffee house we are sitting in in Sector 17 I used to come with my papa. The coffee here used to be for Rs 10 and today it is for Rs 35 Kitna badal gaya insaan."

Ayushmann will be seen playing a cross-functional athlete in the film directed by Abhishek.

'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' has been directed by Abhishek Kapoor, who is known for films like 'Rock On!', 'Kai Po Che!', 'Fitoor' and 'Kedarnath'. Produced by T-Series in collaboration with Guy In The Sky Pictures, the film is slated to hit cinemas on December 10.

SIDHARTH MALHOTRA STARTS SHOOTING FOR 'YODHA' Actor Sidharth Malhotra has commenced the shooting of his film 'Yodha' Taking to Instagram Story, Sidharth posted a string of pictures from the sets to share the update with his fans. In the first image, he gave us a glimpse of the film's clapperboard.

In another image, he can be seen getting ready for his scene. We can spot him carrying a

KARTIK AARYAN COMMENCES DELHI SHOOT SCHEDULE OF 'SHEHZADA'

backpack.

"Yodha begins," he captioned the snap.

Backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, 'Yodha' is reportedly an aerial action film. Even the Dharma Productions handle shared photos as Sidharth began shooting for Yodha.

The project is being helmed, by Pushkar Ojha and Sagar Ambre.

Actor Kartik Aaryan who is currently basking in the praises for his recently released film 'Dhamaka', shared that he has commenced shoot for his upcoming film 'Shehzada' in Old Delhi.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Kartik shared a selfie of him posing at the shoot set with Jama Masjid in the backdrop. Sharing the

picture, Kartik wrote, "Shehzada in Dilli." The shooting of the 'Shehzada' began last month.

Directed by Rohit Dhawan, 'Shehzada' also features Kriti Sanon. Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Allu Arvind, S. Radha Krishna and Aman Gill, 'Shehzada', which is touted as an action-packed family musical film, will hit theatres on November 4, 2022.

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

NEELAM KOTHARI, MAHEEP KAPOOR, SEEMA KHAN, BHAVANA PANDEY BACK WITH 'FABULOUS LIVES OF BOLLYWOOD WIVES 2'

Make room for the ladies! Glamour divas Neelam Kothari, Maheep Kapoor, Seema Khan and Bhavana Pandey are coming back with the second season of their hit Netflix reality series 'Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives'.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Neelam Kothari, jewellery designer, actor and the better half of actor Samir Soni, posted a clip, announcing that the bold and fabulous ladies

have started filming for the second season of the series. She added the caption, "We're coming back to your screens! Season 2 of the 'Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives' is now filming! I'm sooo excited!!!!"

The sneak peek promises that the second season will be packed with twice the drama, twice the spice, and twice the fashion! The classy and sassy women -- actors Sohail Khan's wife Seema Khan,

SALMAN REVEALS HOW THE SONG 'OH OH JANE JAANA' WAS REJECTED FOR 6 YEARS

Bollywood star Salman Khan has revealed how the song 'Oh Oh Jane Jaana' was rejected several times before he decided to use it in his movie 'Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya', on the singing reality show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa'.

Salman mentioned "I had this song on a CD for almost six years and was rejected by many big music companies at that point in time.

I loved the song so much that I decided to use it for my upcoming film of that time 'Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya' and told Sohail that we should use this song for our movie."

'Antim The Final Truth' actor Salman appeared as a special guest along with Aayush Sharma and Mahima Makwana. During the episode he saw contestants Snighdajit Bhowmik and Aravind Nair perform on popular tracks 'Pehla Pehla Pyar Hain' and 'Oh Oh Jane Jaana'. After looking at their performance, he got nostalgic and shared an anecdot e about his song 'Oh Oh Jane Jaana'. He further added on shooting the song shirtless.

"We were shooting in Madh Island at that time for this song, and our dress designer was Vikram Phadnis. I had gained muscle at that time and the shirt that he had designed for me was fitting like a blouse on me. We had to send it back to get it fixed but it was taking a lot of time, that's when I asked Sohail if we should shoot this song without a shirt.

Sohail wasn't very sure but then when we saw it on the monitor, he said 'let's do it' and that's how I shot for this song shirtless," he conclud ed.

Sanjay Kapoor's wife Maheep Kapoor, Chunky Pandey's wife Bhavana Pandey, and Samir Soni's wife Neelam Kothari, are coming together once again to give us a peek into their years of friendship, their families, their drool-worthy vacations and a lot more. Now filming, Dharma Productions' 'Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Season 2' is coming soon only on Netflix.

KATRINA KAIF, SIDDHANT CHATURVEDI, ISHAAN KHATTER'S 'PHONE BHOOT' TO RELEASE ON JULY 15, 2022 July 15, 2022, will be a special day for movie lovers as Katrina Kaif, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatterstarrer 'Phone Bhoot' is releasing on the particular date.

Directed by Gurmmeet Singh, written by Ravi Shankaran and Jasvinder Singh Bath, 'Phone Bhoot', is Excel Entertainment's newest offering after 'Gully Boy' and 'Toofaan'. In July last year, Siddhant, Katrina and Ishaan shared the first look of 'Phone Bhoot' to announce their upcoming film. 'Phone Bhoot' is touted as a horror comedy.

THREE

TIGER SHROFF TAKES TO ICE-SKATING IN BETWEEN SCHEDULE OF 'GANAPATH' Tiger Shroff, who is shooting for his upcoming action thriller 'Ganpath' in the UK along with Kriti Sanon, recently had a tryst with the sport of ice-skating and for a beginner, his stint on the ice looked 'flawless' without any hiccups.

The actor took to his Instagram to share a video showing how he is spending his days off in the United Kingdom, while shooting for a heavy schedule of 'Ganapath'. In the video, Tiger can be seen flaunting his ice-skating skills.

He captioned the video, "Not bad for my first time on the ice". Tiger's rumoured girlfriend commented under the video, "More and more Cardio hahaa."

Responding to her son's first time on ice, Tiger's mother Ayesha Shroff wrote, "Soooooooo cuuuute" in the comments section.

While Elli AvrRam commented, "Wow well done Tiger! Let's do a figure skating movie together now".

In addition, the actor also shared a video of him lifting heavy weights in the gym, on his Instagram story. On the work front, Tiger will be next seen in 'Heropanti 3' and 'Baaghi 4'.

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FILM FASHION BEAUTY

JOHN ABRAHAM: I DO NOT HAVE FEAR OF FAILURE

With an 18-year career in Bollywood that is filled with some of unusual choices of films that hold strong recall value, John Abraham is trying to cater to both sections of the audience - urban and mass. The actor says, he does not have the fear of failure and that drives him to take risks.

The actor is known for 'Jism','Dhoom', 'Dostana', 'New York', 'Kabul Express', to 'Madras Cafe', 'Parmanu', 'Batla House' and the latest released 'Satyamev Jayate 2'.

While some of the above-mentioned films are very clearly commercial potboilers and some are much loved by the urban audience, asked if he has any strategy to make such choices, in a conversation with IANS John opens his heart.

John told IANS "I think the only strength that I have in my career since the beginning is, I have no fear of failure. Initially, there was a list of films that I did that were ahead of their time. So, they did not work for the larger audience immediately after the release. I was ok with it. I also knew from the beginning that every story has its set audience.

"If not instantly, eventually the story will find its audience. So, there are films that I did and that earned a lot of money at the box office, which wasn't something I was expecting when I was making the film. I never put myself under pressure imagining the negative result of the end product. 'Zyada se zyada kya hoga', it won't work for the audience, right? Ok, we will move on to the next film. I live film to film and keep moving on."

His latest released film 'Satyameva Jayate 2', a Milap Zaveri directorial is a sequel to 'Satyameva Jayate'. How the new film picks up at the box office, one has to wait and watch.

Meanwhile, John shared some of the films that are very close to his heart. 'Jism' Released in 2003 the film received a lot of love and appreciation from the critics and audiences alike.

John said, "It will always remain a special film for me because it was my

debut. My favourite song 'Awarapan Banjarapan'! it was first time I got so much adulation from the audience.

I realised how my long hair and physicality became a rage among young stars but for me, back then, I was just a guy passionate about storytelling. Trust me, I am still the same."

'Dostana' One of the most successful films that came out of Dharma Productions in 2008 featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra, the film had a humorous take on gay relationships.

"When I read the script, I just found it funny. I was laughing throughout the reading session.

That was it for me to come on board and do the film. Yes, the rest is history! But I wasn't very calculative about it. I was going with the flow," said John.

'Dhoom' Released in 2004 the first instalment of the franchise John, who played the traditional 'bad guy', really changed the image of the villain. Again, his physicality and passion for bikes created a rage among a whole new generation due to the success of the film.

"When I look back, I wonder how that magic happened really because I am the bad guy, I had no track of love story or song picturised on my in the film.

"All I had is the character and my bike! While I couldn't predict the end result of the film that turned out so successful, I would go back to my earlier point, I had no fear of failure.

You see, that is the point, my driving force," said the actor.

Quite interestingly in all these films that become cult, John has received a lot of appreciation for his strong screen presence and good looks. Be it his bare body, long hair look in 'Jism', flaunting his biceps and walking around the Miami beach in 'Dostana' and biking in 'Dhoom'.

Do the good looks put him into the box of non-actor, in the eyes of the critics?

"Hey, but I am the same guy who did a film called 'New York', a very important story that was. I did 'Water', 'Madras Cafe' and 'Kabul Express' too. I did a film called 'Zinda', 'Force'... well the list is long and I am not being defensive here. I am trying to say in the initial stage of my career when I did those films, 'subtle acting' was not a trend then. So, the performance wasn't noticed perhaps but those films are still watched and loved!

Now, I am trying to reach out to every section of the audience, my choice of films is a reflection of that", John signed off.

3,5

FILM REVIEW

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

FIVE

'ANTIM - THE FINAL TRUTH': AAYUSH SHARMA OUTSHINES SALMAN KHAN

BY TROY RIBEIRO

Starring: Salman Khan, Aayush Sharma, Mahima Makwana, Sachin Khedekar, Rohit Haldikar, Sayaji Shinde, Jisshu Sengupta, Chhaya Kadam, Upendra Limaye, Nikitin Dheer, Waluscha De Souza and Varun Dhawan Director: Mahesh Manjrekar Produced by: Salman Khan Rating: 3.5 stars

Director Mahesh Manjrekar's 'Antim The Final Truth' is a crime drama centred around the circle of fate. Based on the Marathi film 'Mulshi Pattern', the film is about the journey of Rahul Patil aka Rahulya, a farmer's son who joins forces with the ruthless underworld to survive.

After seeing his father Datta Patil (Sachin Khedekar), a farmer and one-time renowned wrestler, reduced to penury, Rahul becomes a rebel of sorts when he by happenstance comes in direct conflict with the local corporator Salvi's goons. His daredevil attitude impresses a small-time gangster Nanya (Upendra Limaye), who then takes Rahul under his fold. Rahul's rise as the don in Pune's underbelly attracts the attention of police officer Rajveer Singh (Salman Khan), who, realising that the cops just could not control the gangsters, decides on, "Hum kuchh nahin karenge, karenge dimag

se (I just won't do anything, but if I do something, I'll act using my head)." He then goes on to quote the Mahabharata to take down the "do take ke gunday (those smalltime goons)." Rajveer Singh plots a gang war, a convenient excuse for not dirtying his hand.

The film is an outright Aayush Sharma canvas. With brilliant screen presence, he delivers his part with panache. Despite being a noir character, he draws you emotionally to invest in him. He is aptly supported by Rohit Haldikar, who plays his childhood friend Ganya. Salman Khan is introduced with flamboyance as the helpful

Sardarji, who also happens to be a police officer. Unfortunately, this fanfare introductory scene lacks lustre and sheen. He does look like a spent force who seems to fit his role perfectly.

Mahima Makwana playing Manda, the attractive tea vendor, and Rahul's love interest, is earnest and promising, but has limited screen time to display her histrionics.

Sachin Khedekar, Upendra Limaye, Sayaji Shinde, who essays the role of Inspector Uday, Nitin Dheer and Jisshu Sengupta, who play the goons Daya and Pitya, respectively, are all in top form, and they deliver pitch-perfect performances making their characters believable. Walushcha De Souza, dancing in traditional Maharashtrian attire to the item number 'Chingari', is far from traditional but refreshing.

Varun Dhawan makes his presence felt in the song 'Vighnaharta'. Instead of being an asset to the film, he is an eyesore simply because he sports his footwear while dancing to an auspicious number in a Ganpati Mandap. His shoe is a distraction. The plot has ample face-offs and action sequences that are astutely choreographed.

The fights that feature Salman Khan are mostly captured in slow motion, probably to camouflage the hero's waning spirit.

For Salman's fans there is a bare-chested, muscle-flexing scene, and a fight with the equally attractive Aayush.

This policeman-gangster face-off fleetingly reminds you of Amitabh Bachchan's fight with Vinod Khanna in 'Amar Akbar Anthony'. Mounted with ace production values the film ticks most of the boxes of a mass, over-the-top entertainer that touches your heart.

SIX

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

WHY RANI WILL ALWAYS BE AN ALL-TIME FAVOURITE

This superstar had everything going against her when she entered the glitzy world of Bollywood with her social drama Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat in 1996.

Rani Mukerji broke the mould of a stereotypical Bollywood heroine with her unique deep voice, and short height. After all, how many female actors can turn on the glam quotient like she did in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with her unique attributes?

Even today her song ‘Ati Hai Khandala’ with Amir Khan is remembered and praised. It’s not easy to be able to stand tall in your second film with the acting perfectionist Amir Khan, but Rani made it her own. She is one of the few stars who has had blockbuster hits with all the Khans of the industry, be it Shahrukh, Amir, Salman and even Saif ali Khan As the ‘Babli’ actress marks 25 years in the industry we take a look back at some of her best movies.

Despite being produced by her father, Ram Mukerjee, Rani’s Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat may not have got a grand film launch or been a huge commercial success, but the film was loved by critics and fans who certainly welcomed the arrival of Rani Mukerji.

The film showcased Rani’s histrionics as a young bride who was forced to marry her rapist and how she overcomes challenges and societal pressures from her in-laws. Rani’s power packed performance and dialogues won her praise and a new fan club This followed with a series of commercially successful films such as Ghulam and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, but it wasn’t until her signing with Yash Raj films for Saathiya that Rani really shined.

Saathiya was directed by Shaad Ali produced by Mani Ratnam

and Yash Chopra and co-starred Vivek Oberoi, with Shahrukh Khan and Tabu in guest appearances. The film went on to fetch Rani her first Filmfare Best Actress critics award.

Rani went on to establish herself by starring in several commercially successful romantic films, including Chalte Chalte (2003), Hum Tum (2004), Veer-Zaara (2004), and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), and the crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli, which has recently been made into a sequel.

Rani effortlessly gave us the character of Vimmi also known as Babli.

Comic timing, drama, dance moves and trend setting fashion, Rani delivered on all levels. When the film released everyone wanted to be Babli and her outfits with the short kurta and big collars were the rage. How many female actors can claim

to having box office success and setting fashion trends?

Rani wasn’t just enlightening in romance and comedy, but the petite actress also showed us, that size doesn’t matter when it comes to action.

Rani once again stole the show in Mardaani and Mardaani 2 with her measured and restrained act. A seasoned star she didn’t go overthe-top with theatrics but captured the nuances required to play a gritty top cop, dealing with heinous crimes, rape victims and a violent murderer. Rani’s performance showed her finesse as an actor in the Mardaani series as it’s not easy to keep a balancing act between being powerful and vulnerable at the same time – which Rani delivered with elan.

Rani’s repertoire also includes physically challenged characters who strive for the greater good in films such as Black, which saw her win several awards and get equal praise for her performance to the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. And then there was Hichki, which saw her play a woman with Tourette syndrome who lands a job in an elite school. Rani carried this film on her own shoulders and helped it become India’s highest-grossing female-led film of the year and the sixth Bollywood film to gross more than $13M in China.

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

Rani Mukerji adored by fans Rani has most certainly created an envious body of work over the last 25 years and we are sure, she is going to continue reigning the hearts of many more as she awaits the fate of her recently release Bunty Aur Babli 2. Do watch our interview with Rani on YouTube at Asian Sunday online or follow the link: https://youtu.be/ttE_4xLFH40 Rani in Black with Amitabh Bachchan

s

ous body of work in the last 25 year

Rani Mukerji has clocked up an envi

Saif and Rani in Bunty aur Babli 2

SEVEN

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14

LEEDS

OPINION

Legal Matters with Luke Patel Luke Patel is a Partner at Leeds law firm Blacks Solicitors LLP specialising in commercial dispute resolution and heads up that team.

Luke was the winner of the Best Professional in Business award at the Asian English Business Awards 2013. Described in the Legal 500 as “exceptional” he primarily acts for individuals, owner managed businesses and SME’s in a wide range of sectors.

TO TERMINATE OR NOT TO TERMINATE?

Vinergy was an Indian company who entered into an agreement (“the Agreement”) with Richmond, an UEA company, under which Richmond agreed to supply bitumen to Vinergy for 10 years.

However, part way through the Agreement Richmond terminated the Agreement and commenced arbitration proceedings seeking damages on the grounds of Vinergy’s breach of its obligations to buy bitumen exclusively from Richmond and its failure to pay an invoice.

Commercial contracts commonly provide that if a party wishes to terminate the contract then it first needs to take certain steps before it is able to do so, for example, by giving notice or allowing the other party the opportunity to remedy any breach. But what if one party wishes to terminate the contract due to the unlawful actions of the other party? This was the scenario which occurred in the case of Vinergy International (PVT) Limited v Richmond Mercantile Limited.

Vinergy was an Indian company who entered into an agreement (“the Agreement”) with Richmond, an UEA company, under which Richmond agreed to supply bitumen to Vinergy for 10 years.

However, part way through the Agreement Richmond terminated the Agreement and commenced arbitration proceedings seeking damages on the grounds of Vinergy’s breach of its obligations to buy bitumen exclusively from Richmond and its failure to pay an invoice. Vinergy claimed that Richmond had terminated the Agreement unlawfully because it had failed to give it notice in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and, as such, it contended that the termination was unlawful and a wrongful repudiation of the Agreement.

At arbitration, the Tribunal

ruled that Richmond had lawfully terminated the Agreement. Vinergy appealed.

The issue which the High Court had to decide was whether Richmond could ignore the contractual provisions in the Agreement and instead rely on its common law right to terminate the contract. At common law, where a party to a contract commits a breach that is sufficiently serious, the innocent party may choose to accept that breach by giving notice to the other party. The contract is then terminated and the

innocent party can claim damages.

This is known as a repudiatory breach. The issue was therefore whether Richmond could rely on its common law right to terminate the Agreement by reason of a repudiatory breach by Vinergy so as to circumvent the notice requirement within the termination clause of the Agreement.

The Court upheld the Arbitrator’s

termination clause.

This case illustrates that where one party to a contract informs the other party that it no longer has any intention of being bound by the contract, the innocent party would not reasonably be expected to give notice before being able to terminate the contract.

Where a party is considering whether to terminate a contract,

decision and dismissed the appeal. It held that there was no general rule that the contract termination requirements should override the common law right to terminate. The Judge found that the termination provision in the Agreement did not apply to repudiatory breaches and even if it did, the breach in question was incapable of remedy and therefore was not within the scope of the

it will need to consider carefully whether or not it has to follow the contractual termination provisions or whether the facts are such that it can terminate on the grounds of repudiatory breach.

If you are involved in any contractual dispute then Blacks Solicitors can assist. Contact Luke Patel on 0113 227 9316 or email him at LPatel@LawBlacks.com

15

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NORTHERN LEADERS SLAM RAIL PLAN

BY CHRIS YOUNG Northern leaders have urged the Government to re-think their plans to scrap the Northern Powerhouse Rail line, and say they would be “letting down future generations” of Northerners if they accepted what Government had offered.

During a meeting of Transport for the North, leaders repeatedly mentioned how Bradford had been particularly hard done by in the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan.

It was announced that the plan for the future of rail services in the North scrapped plans for the Northern Powerhouse Rail line – a high speed rail link between Hull and Liverpool. As recently as the Tory Party Conference, Boris Johnson had said he would “get Northern Powerhouse Rail” done.

The changes meant the hopes of a Bradford stop on the line, which would include a new station at the St James’ Market site, lay in tatters.

Instead there would be upgrades to existing lines.

At the TFN meeting on last Wednesday, members passed a resolution urging Government to rethink its plans.

Members said the Government announcement was bad news for all areas of the North, but particularly Bradford and Hull.

Tim Foster, Interim Strategy and Programme Director, said: “There was significant disappointment in the levels of investment. A number of options appear to have been closed off. ” Creating a new high speed line would have not only made journey times shorter, but would increase capacity on the rail network, allowing more freight to be transported via rail and a more reliable and regular train service – members were told.

Andy Burnham, Manchester Metro Mayor, said: “The East-West connectivity is the single biggest transport challenge in the country.

“Bradford is a proud Northern city – are we really saying we have no more ambition for it as a country than what has been put forward? If we are then it is a dreadful state of affairs.

“It is sending a message to people living in Bradford that they are not even second class citizens, as they are not even getting a downgrade of the plan, they are getting nothing.

“Our priority is to get a new line that goes through Bradford back on the table.

“It would be fundamentally wrong to accept this plan. I don’t think we can admit defeat. To do so would be to sell out generations to come and accept a smaller economy for the North for the rest of our lives. It is about doing what is best for this part of the world – it deserves better than what has been put on the table.”

He said the Bradford stop would boost his area, as well as West Yorkshire.

Mr Burnham pointed out that despite Government investment in Manchester, a new stop at Manchester

Airport would have to be paid for locally. He added: “Manchester Airport has said that if Bradford is on the line, then it would make the case for local contribution worthwhile.”

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin (Lab) said: “This Integrated Rail Plan is not integrated, and it is not a plan. It is a betrayal of the pledge of levelling up West Yorkshire. It is building on existing Victorian Infrastructure and isn’t fit for the 21st Century.

“It is a betrayal the people of Bradford feel in particular. Bradford has been utterly disregarded by this plan, and the Government needs to think again.

“It is not acceptable to think we’ll roll over and accept this. You can’t leave out Bradford and then expect it to flourish and level up with the rest of the country. It is the city with the greatest opportunity for levelling up.”

Steve Rotherham (Lab), Mayor of Liverpool, said the decision to upgrade

Tracy Brabin

rail lines rather than build a new high speed rail line would cause disruption for up to a decade.

The impact of these disruptions could be so great that he suggested Liverpool might in fact be better off without any upgrades if they weren’t going to get the new rail line.

The panel put forward a motion saying the rail plan breached the commitment the Government made on Northern Powerhouse Rail. They plan to go back to Government and urge them to re-think the decision to scrap NPR. Mr Burnham suggested a programme called “land value capture” could help fund parts of the rail development. Popular in other countries, it is a method of using the increased value of land that the new line would create to pay towards the scheme.

North Yorkshire Councillor Don Mackenzie (Cons) criticised other members for speaking out against

Susan Hinchcliffe

the Government’s plan, saying: “If I was a member of the Department for Transport listening to all these well-rehearsed political statements I’d want as little to do with this board as possible.”

He said the Government announcement benefitted his area and its residents in many ways.

Reacting to the meeting, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: “We welcome the outcomes of the Transport for the North board meeting today and the support expressed throughout the meeting for a through station in Bradford city centre, which is connected to Leeds and Manchester.

“We have been reviewing the contents of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan carefully and this will continue in the coming days and weeks.

“We are bruised by the announcement last week, but we are not defeated. We will continue making

Andy Burnham

the clear case for a through rail station in Bradford city centre, connecting us at greater speed to Leeds and Manchester, because we know this will unlock massive social, economic and environmental benefits for millions of people and thousands of companies across the whole of the north, and will achieve the transformation that our children and future generations truly deserve.

“A city centre rail station has the potential to deliver 27,000 jobs and £30bn in economic benefits to the Bradford district over the next decade, as well as bringing 6.7 million people and an area of over £167bn of annual economic output to within a 35-minute journey of central Bradford.

“We are UK’s youngest city and we’ve larger population than Liverpool, Hull and Newcastle, so a well connected new station represents a unique and unrivalled opportunity to realise the potential of Britain’s seventh largest city.

“We are Britain’s biggest levelling up opportunity and we will continue with our plans for greater economic development and we are determined to become Britain’s leading clean growth city all this would be accelerated by the city centre station.

“We are continuing our work with partners to progress other projects and to attract the investment that will drive us towards fulfilling the same ambitious outcome of jobs, businesses and economic benefits for the district.

“We have created proposals to act as a pilot for the Government’s Levelling Up Areas – this would support the acceleration of local development and clean growth and act as a testbed for national approaches to levelling up.”

This article is by the Local Democracy Reporting Service

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WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE RECEIVE SECOND MOST DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS LAST YEAR THE INDEPENDENT OFFICE FOR POLICE CONDUCT (IOPC) PUBLISHED STATISTICS THAT FOUND WEST YORKSHIRE HAD THE MOST ALLEGATIONS MADE AGAINST THEM FOR DISCRIMINATORY BEHAVIOUR IN ENGLAND AND WALES LAST WEEK. BY: SHAWNA HEALEY

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has found that West Yorkshire Police (WYP) has the second most allegations made against it for discriminatory behaviour across England and Wales.

Between April 2020 and April 2021 there were 341 allegations against WYP, following London’s Metropolitan Police that had almost double the complaints, 692, and 108 more than the next closest, West Midlands Police, with 233.

The data was published the data last Tuesday, 16 November.

The annual report comes during Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) and the racism row between Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) and exsports star Azeem Rafiq.

WYP has also recently launched a Sikh Association for Sikh police officers and members of the community.

In West Yorkshire, there is 204, or 3.4%, Asian police officers in the Force, and even fewer black officers, with just 23 officers in the estate.

In England and Wales, racist discrimination accounts for 2% of all allegations against Police and there were 91 allegations of discrimination

The report comes at the same time as Azeem Rafiq’s allegations towards the YCCC. based on religion or belief.

The complaints against WYP represents nine percent of discriminatory behaviour against all

Police forces last year.

There were 109,151 allegations recorded in total by all forces in England and Wales in 2020/21. In this

West Yorkshire Police received the second highest amount of discrimination allegations between 2020 and 2021.

period, WYP logged 4904 allegations, the second-highest across all forces.

West Yorkshire Police logged the fifth-highest number of complaints In England and Wales, with 3,234 complaints in total last year.

Discrimination means treating someone badly or unfairly because of a characteristic they share with others. Unlawful discrimination is set out under the Equality Act 2010.

It includes direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation, discrimination arising from disability, and failure to make reasonable adjustments.

Discrimination can be based on racism, religion or belief, homophobia and biphobia, transphobia, disability discrimination, ageism, and sexism.

A complaint can contain multiple allegations, meaning the number of alleged bad behaviour by the police is usually higher.

There were 16 allegations put to the force across the year relating to sexual conduct, the joint third highest in the country.

Complaints and allegations made against the police can be dealt with informally, or formally under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

The complaint is escalated to be dealt with formally if allegations are serious, or there is a lack of satisfaction with an informal resolution.

Most of the allegations against WYP 2,039 (54%) were dealt with formally, but then not investigated further. There were 1,634 (43%) allegations solved informally, with just 82 cases or 2% investigated after being treated formally.

Detective Superintendent Mark Long, of West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “Our officers and staff interact with thousands of people daily and the vast majority of members of the public are satisfied with the service they receive. It is vital though that there is an effective system in place should someone have reason to complain.

“West Yorkshire Police is one of the largest police forces in England and Wales, which is reflected in the number of complaints we have recorded in the past year; however when looked at by the number of complaints per 1,000 employees, we are in line with the national average.

“While in an ideal world we would want to be in a position where there are no upheld complaints, unfortunately, this is not the case.

What is vital though is that we listen to what complainants are telling us and use it to improve our service in the future.

“We have done a lot of work internally to promote the Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Behaviour that are expected of everyone working in the police service. In recent years we have also introduced mandatory training in unconscious bias and abuse of position for a sexual purpose.”

19

CROSSWORDS AND PUZZLES

CROSSWORD Across 1. Thailand, formerly (4) 3. Immaculate (8) 9. Autumn month (7) 10. Edible fish (5) 11. Not expressed directly (5) 12. Cancer or Capricorn (6) 14. Game bird (6) 16. Bigger (6) 19. Stinging plant (6) 21. Musical note (5) 24. Intended (5) 25. Antagonistic (7) 26. Reject (4,4) 27. You (archaic) (4)

Spot the

5

differences

Down 1. Deficit (8) 2. Upper room (5) 4. Sea rover (6) 5. Forbidden (5) 6. End of the day (7) 7. Not all (4) 8. Dies down (6) 13. First showing of a film (8) 15. Alfresco (4-3) 17. Nearly (6) 18. Male relative (6) 20. Carried (5) 22. Whinny (5) 23. Fail to include (4)

CODEWORD

ANSWERS SPOT THE DIFFERENCE CODEWORD ANSWERS

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

21

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RECIPE

CHICKEN & CORN SOUP Nothing beats this classic winter warmer from Supreme Ingredients.

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INGREDIENTS

METHOD

2 tbsp oil

In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the

200g chicken breast, finely chopped

vinaigrette and set aside. Heat oil in a deep pot over

½ cup finely chopped carrots ½ cup finely chopped cabbage 1 tsp Supreme Garlic Paste ½ tsp Supreme Coarse Black Pepper

medium heat. Add garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds then add chicken, salt and coarse black pepper. Stirring occasionally cook until chicken is fully cooked through.

Dash of soy sauce

Add in chopped cabbage, carrots and dash of soy sauce.

2 tsp white vinegar

Sauté for 4 minutes then pour in creamed style corn,

418g creamed style corn

chicken stock and salt (if needed). Stir well and bring

3 cups chicken stock Salt to taste ¼ cup water

to a boil. In a bowl make a slurry by mixing together ¼ cup water and 2 tbsp cornflour. Over medium heat, add

2 tbsp cornflour (for thicken)

cornflour slurry and stir constantly till soup thickens.

Spring onions, sliced

Serve topped with the sliced spring onions and chilli, soy vinaigrette.

Chilli & Soy Vinaigrette: 1 tsp oil ¹/₈ cup white vinegar ¹/₈ cup soy sauce 3 green chillies, thinly sliced

Recipe in partnership with Supreme ingredients.

For more recipes visit www.supreme-ingredients.com

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SUCCESS FOR BRADFORD HINDU COUNCIL’S FIRST FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

BY SHAWNA HEALEY

South Asian communities from across West Yorkshire came together to play in an inaugural football tournament organised by lads from a grassroots cricket club in partnership with Bradford Hindu Council.

The tournament was held at the Football World Leeds sports centre on Pontefract Lane and consisted of ten teams.

Cousins Nikhil Lal, 26, Dhiren Lal, 23, from Wakefield, and friends Tejas Patel, 21, and Ryan Patel, 19, both from Leeds, are part of the Yorkshire Leuva Patidar Samaj (YPLS) cricket club that organised the event with help and funding from Bradford Hindu Council (BHC).

Two months ago, the four men went to BHC with the idea to create a tournament that brings different communities from across the county together after playing in their last one more than four years ago.

BHC agreed to the tournament, allocating funds from a pot of money that was given to them from Sporting Equals, a charity that promotes ethnic diversity in sport and physical activity.

The grant from Sporting Equals

Bradford Hindu Council’s first football tournament was a success One of the driving forces behind the tournament, Mr Nikhil Lal, said: “Our motivation to create the tournament came from simply wanting to play. We’ve played in tournaments within our community before, but these have been few and far between, with the last one taking place back in 2017.

“These sorts of events require a lot of time and effort to organise, hence the lack of activity over the last few years.

nt

Ten teams took part in the tourname

has also funded other sports days put on by BHC including a six-a-side cricket tournament in September, a beginner’s golf day in October, and a month’s worth of ring and kho kho sessions starting from Sunday 28 November.

The Council is also planning yoga sessions, table tennis, badminton and more in the future.

“We realised that the only way we could play in one was to come together as a group and organise one ourselves and that’s where this all started.”

The group of lads have known each other since birth, with Nikhil and Dhiren’s dads being brothers, and close friends with Tejas and Ryan’s fathers.

Nikhil Lal added: “We’ve been involved with YLPS our whole lives, literally since the day we were born, however, we only became connected with the Bradford Hindu Council very recently.

“We proposed the idea to the BHC, and they agreed to give us funding as per their partnership with Sporting Equals.”

The event was a big success, with the players and the spectators enjoying the tournament equally as much. Nikhil said: “After much preparation and organisation over the last two months, the day finally came and thankfully it is safe to say that it was a great success especially given it was our first time organising and hosting a tournament.

“Several people have fed back to us since saying how much they enjoyed it and how well organised it was.

“Personally, for us as a group, it was great to see a variety of Indian communities coming together to play the sport we all love.”

The team ODB’s captained by Mukesh Patel won the tournament, with the Changa Boys captained

by Jayesh Mistry coming in second place.

Bradford-based restaurant Lyceum Bar & Grill provided hot samosas and channa for the event with Indian Women’s Community UK group providing pizzas and chips.

Local business K.S Opticians also provided fruit, water, and crisps for the players and their family and friends.

General secretary for BHC, Harkishan Mistry, said: “The tournament was organised through BHC as part of the twenty organisations we have under our umbrella.

“We had a meeting and the youth from YLPS said that they were up for

organising this event.

“The four lads found the venue, sorted out the teams and sorted out the criteria, it was all very well organised. They just got on with it.

“They did a fantastic job in organising the tournament. It was a great day out for all teams involved

and those who came to watch.

“The event was such a success that we are hoping to carry it on in years to come.”

Mr Harkishan Mistry added: “We funded this tournament in an effort to get people back to normal and interacting with each other. Hopefully, this tournament and other sport sessions we are organising will help improve mental health and physical health, things that were ruined during the pandemic.

Community projects liaison officer for BHC, Dharmesh Mistry, said: “It is important to get communities together because, at this moment in time, communities are struggling.

“Covid-19 has caused all sorts of difficulties. We have lost a lot of people and so we are looking at how to get back out there safely.

“One of the things we are looking at is mental health and how it is at the forefront of everything at the minute.

“For us, and everybody else, it is important to get everyone’s mindsets fresh and healthy.”

Communities from across West York

shire took part

Pizza and chips were donated from the Indian Women’s Community UK group

SPORTS THE BIG BRITISH SHOWDOWN: COULD AMIR KHAN AND KELL BROOK FACE EACH OTHER NEXT YEAR?

BY MUSHARAF ASGHAR

Image: Shutterstock

Before the likes of the big fighters of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fighting in Wembley, one big fight which many fight fans wanted to see was the clash between Bolton born and bred Amir Khan and the Sheffield native Kell Brook.

Although the fight didn’t take place years ago when both fighters were in their prime, the promoter of Amir Khan, Eddie Hearn has expressed how both could meet next year in the MEN Arena in Manchester.

Khan has been inactive and living in Dubai after winning his last fight against former featherweight champion Billy Dib in 2 years ago. Kell Brook entered the ring last year against current WBO champion Terence Crawford but came up short after being knocked out.

Both Brits might be past their sale by date as Eddie Hearn expressed in a

recent interview stating its nowhere near the fight that could have happened.

Many boxing fans feel the same as they also believe its quite pointless seeing the two fight with the number of loses and inactivity both fighters have had over the years.

The fight really should have happened early 2011 before Khan lost to Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.

Khan vs Brook does seem like its targeted for February next year at 147lbs which puts Khan at an advantage as Brook only recently fought at 147lbs and lost when we fought Crawford. The fight could however if negotiations are agreed could happen at junior middleweight.

Eddie Hearn has also made it clear rather than the Brook fight he would love to see Khan face the unbeaten prospect Conor Benn who is 24-years-old. It does seem however Khan would not go ahead with this as the risk is too big and the money wouldn’t be right.

Amir Khan

helm for the 2024 European Championships.

If he sees out the full term of his agreement, it means Southgate will have occupied the role for eight years after he was promoted from the Under-21’s to replace Sam Allardyce. During his time in charge, the 51-year-

Image: Wikipedia

old Southgate earned a reputation for giving a chance to young players and has led England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, and the final of this year’s European Championships, where England lost on penalties to Italy.

His assistant coach Steve Holland has also agreed to a new contract. “I am delighted that Steve and I have been able to extend our stay in our respective roles. It remains an incredible privilege to lead this team,” he said. Southgate thanked the “board” of the Football Association (FA) for their support, along with the players and support staff.

“We have a great opportunity in front of us and I know they and the fans are all excited about what this squad could achieve in future,” added Southgate.

Gareth Southgate

Nominations open for Most Influential 2021

Kell Brook

WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS CALLED OFF OVER COVID FEARS; PAK, BANGLADESH, WI QUALIFY

ENGLAND COACH SOUTHGATE SIGNS 2-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION England coach Gareth Southgate has signed a two-year contract until the end of December 2024, the English Football Association has confirmed. The news comes just a week after England assured their place in next year’s World Cup finals in Qatar and means the coach will also be at the

Image: Screen Grab

'S

Nominate now at influentiallist@asianstandard.co.uk.

Nominations close Sunday 19 December Midnight

Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies progressed to next year’s Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday called off midway the qualifiers, currently being played in Harare, due to the introduction of travel restrictions from several African countries, including the host country Zimbabwe, following the breakout of a new Covid-19 variant in southern Africa.

The decision to call off ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021 was taken during the preliminary league phase of the nine-team tournament, which was to decide the final three teams for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, to be played in New Zealand, as well as two additional teams for the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship.

The qualifiers were thus decided according to the team rankings as detailed in the tournament playing conditions. Therefore,

Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies will progress to the event in New Zealand, the ICC said in a release on Saturday. Play in two of the three matches on Saturday -- Zimbabwe v Pakistan and USA v Thailand -- started as scheduled but the third fixture of the day, between the West Indies and Sri Lanka, could not be staged as a member of the Sri Lanka team support staff tested positive for Covid-19. ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said “We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel the remainder of this event but with travel restrictions from a number of African countries being imposed at such short notice there was a serious risk that teams would be unable to return home. “We have

explored a number of options to allow us to complete the event but it isn’t feasible and we will fly the teams out of Zimbabwe as soon as possible. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies will now qualify for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 by virtue of their rankings, whilst Sri Lanka and Ireland will also join them in the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship,” Tetley was quoted as saying in the release. The teams that have qualified for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3 are Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand (hosts), Pakistan, West Indies, and Bangladesh. The number of teams in the third cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship (from 2022-2025) has been increased from eight to ten, and these teams will be Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Ireland.

SPORTS THE BIG BRITISH SHOWDOWN: COULD AMIR KHAN AND KELL BROOK FACE EACH OTHER NEXT YEAR?

BY MUSHARAF ASGHAR

Image: Shutterstock

Before the likes of the big fighters of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fighting in Wembley, one big fight which many fight fans wanted to see was the clash between Bolton born and bred Amir Khan and the Sheffield native Kell Brook.

Although the fight didn’t take place years ago when both fighters were in their prime, the promoter of Amir Khan, Eddie Hearn has expressed how both could meet next year in the MEN Arena in Manchester.

Khan has been inactive and living in Dubai after winning his last fight against former featherweight champion Billy Dib in 2 years ago. Kell Brook entered the ring last year against current WBO champion Terence Crawford but came up short after being knocked out.

Both Brits might be past their sale by date as Eddie Hearn expressed in a

recent interview stating its nowhere near the fight that could have happened.

Many boxing fans feel the same as they also believe its quite pointless seeing the two fight with the number of loses and inactivity both fighters have had over the years.

The fight really should have happened early 2011 before Khan lost to Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.

Khan vs Brook does seem like its targeted for February next year at 147lbs which puts Khan at an advantage as Brook only recently fought at 147lbs and lost when we fought Crawford. The fight could however if negotiations are agreed could happen at junior middleweight.

Eddie Hearn has also made it clear rather than the Brook fight he would love to see Khan face the unbeaten prospect Conor Benn who is 24-years-old. It does seem however Khan would not go ahead with this as the risk is too big and the money wouldn’t be right.

Amir Khan

helm for the 2024 European Championships.

If he sees out the full term of his agreement, it means Southgate will have occupied the role for eight years after he was promoted from the Under-21’s to replace Sam Allardyce. During his time in charge, the 51-year-

Image: Wikipedia

old Southgate earned a reputation for giving a chance to young players and has led England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League, and the final of this year’s European Championships, where England lost on penalties to Italy.

His assistant coach Steve Holland has also agreed to a new contract. “I am delighted that Steve and I have been able to extend our stay in our respective roles. It remains an incredible privilege to lead this team,” he said. Southgate thanked the “board” of the Football Association (FA) for their support, along with the players and support staff.

“We have a great opportunity in front of us and I know they and the fans are all excited about what this squad could achieve in future,” added Southgate.

Gareth Southgate

Nominations open for Most Influential 2021

Kell Brook

WOMEN’S CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS CALLED OFF OVER COVID FEARS; PAK, BANGLADESH, WI QUALIFY

ENGLAND COACH SOUTHGATE SIGNS 2-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION England coach Gareth Southgate has signed a two-year contract until the end of December 2024, the English Football Association has confirmed. The news comes just a week after England assured their place in next year’s World Cup finals in Qatar and means the coach will also be at the

Image: Screen Grab

'S

Nominate now at influentiallist@asianstandard.co.uk.

Nominations close Sunday 19 December Midnight

Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies progressed to next year’s Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday called off midway the qualifiers, currently being played in Harare, due to the introduction of travel restrictions from several African countries, including the host country Zimbabwe, following the breakout of a new Covid-19 variant in southern Africa.

The decision to call off ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2021 was taken during the preliminary league phase of the nine-team tournament, which was to decide the final three teams for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, to be played in New Zealand, as well as two additional teams for the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship.

The qualifiers were thus decided according to the team rankings as detailed in the tournament playing conditions. Therefore,

Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies will progress to the event in New Zealand, the ICC said in a release on Saturday. Play in two of the three matches on Saturday -- Zimbabwe v Pakistan and USA v Thailand -- started as scheduled but the third fixture of the day, between the West Indies and Sri Lanka, could not be staged as a member of the Sri Lanka team support staff tested positive for Covid-19. ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said “We are incredibly disappointed to have to cancel the remainder of this event but with travel restrictions from a number of African countries being imposed at such short notice there was a serious risk that teams would be unable to return home. “We have

explored a number of options to allow us to complete the event but it isn’t feasible and we will fly the teams out of Zimbabwe as soon as possible. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies will now qualify for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 by virtue of their rankings, whilst Sri Lanka and Ireland will also join them in the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship,” Tetley was quoted as saying in the release. The teams that have qualified for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3 are Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand (hosts), Pakistan, West Indies, and Bangladesh. The number of teams in the third cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship (from 2022-2025) has been increased from eight to ten, and these teams will be Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Ireland.

SPORTS

29 NOVEMBER - 5 DECEMBER 2021

SUCCESS FOR BRADFORD HINDU COUNCIL’S FIRST FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

THE BIG BRITISH SHOWDOWN: COULD AMIR KHAN AND KELL BROOK FACE EACH OTHER NEXT YEAR? Page 24

Page 23

HEATED CONFRONTATION: THE FURY FAMILY VS JAKE PAUL!

BY MUSHARAF ASGHAR Jake Paul has become one of the biggest names in the world. From being an innocent kid actor and appearing on shows on the popular Nickelodeon channel to rising to fame in making content for YouTube with his older brother Logan Paul.

Both the Paul brothers not only have millions of followers on their respective

social media accounts and over millions on their YouTube channels, but both of them also decided to take on an unusual venture of the sweet science of boxing.

Although Logan just fought recently against former welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, the brother of Logan, Jake has taken things more seriously.

Tommy wasn’t a real fighter. The Fury family did not take kindly what Paul said and started firing moments later with their own accusations at Paul stating he in fact wasn’t the real fighter as he fought nobody too.

Later in the press conference after a lot of back-and-forth, John Fury had reached boiling point and tried punching the monitor Jake was on.

The press was taken back as to how Jake got under the skin of John Fury, but John laughed it off and said: “My son is going to knock you out”.

As of right now, Jake Paul is undefeated in the ring with a record of four fights without a loss. However, Jake has received criticism over the

Tommy Fury years of fighting ‘nobodies’ and took the initiative to prove his haters wrong in taking the fight against the brother of Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury.

Tommy Fury plans on taking the reigns from his brother Tyson when he decides to hang up the gloves and call it a career.

Before they settle their differences in the ring, both Jake and Tommy were part of a press conference to discuss their much-anticipated fight in December.

Image: Twitter

Press conference Jake Paul V Tommy Fury

The heated confrontation began moments into the press conference when Jake Paul started shouting at how he was the better fighter and expressed

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new audience and I thank Jake Paul for that’.

Although the average fight fan wouldn’t really watch a fight like this, it’s hard to argue how much this brings new viewers to the boxing world and the fighting world itself. Jake Paul has also mentioned in previous interviews how the UFC fighters aren’t getting paid enough and had a go at Dana White explaining how he doesn’t pay his fighters what they truly deserve.

All in all, the fight between Tommy and Jake is set to take place next month with both fighters already stating predictions of knockouts soon.

Jake has always been symbolised as the ‘mouth-piece’ in all the fights he has had.

His style to promoting a fight was even praised by the promoter of Tommy Fury as Frank Warren said, “I’ve never done something like this before.

There’s a lot of hype and as you can see there’s a lot of bad blood between the two’. He further adds, ‘These types of events Pictured Jake Paul in bring a whole Puerto Ric

o for training camp