Asian Standard Bradford Issue 22 - 28 FEB

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BY THE PUBLISHERS OF ASIAN SUNDAY

BRADFORD / 22 - 28 FEBRUARY 2021 / FREE

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MEET THE MUSLIM MAN ADOPTING A CHURCH INTO A SAFE HAVEN FOR YOUNGSTERS

Read more on pages 6 & 7

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NEWS IN BRIEF Whatsapp privacy policy update - Take 2

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CLEAN AIR ZONE TO START IN JANUARY

BY CHRIS YOUNG | LDRS Reporter Last month, WhatsApp tried to explain to its users around the world that it was changing the way it handled personal information. This hugely backfired and resulted in many leaving the app for rival apps.

WhatsApp owned by tech giant Facebook has now tried to explain the new update, again in a blog post in which it said users will be shown a banner alert in the coming weeks which will encourage them to learn more about the update and what is and is not changing. It will also display messages in the Status section of the app which will declare the firm’s continued commitment to privacy and that conversations will remain end-to-end encrypted.

First look of the Maserati Grecale SUV prototype

A prototype of the new Grecale SUV has been photographed outside the historic Maserati plant on Viale Ciro Menotti in Modena.

The employees were the first to diffuse these images on the social networks.

Innovative by nature, Maserati decided to share the photos of the new model exclusively with the Maserati Family.

The prototype cars are currently undergoing a period of intensive road, circuit and off-road tests, in various conditions of use, to acquire vital data for the preparation of the new SUV's final setup.

The Grecale will be built at Cassino (Italy), where an investment of about 800 million Euros is planned.

The Maserati Grecale will receive its World Premiere before the end of 2021.

A new Clean Air Zone could be fully implemented in Bradford by January.

Next Tuesday Bradford Council’s Executive will vote whether to move ahead with the plan – which will see the most polluting commercial vehicles charged up to £50 a day to enter an area that takes in much of the city centre and Bradford to Shipley corridor.

And a report to the executive reveals that Bradford has been awarded a grant of tens of millions of pounds to help vehicle owners switch to greener technology.

If vehicles are at least “Euro 6” compliant then they

will not be charged to enter the zone.

In 2018 the Government issued a ministerial direction to Bradford Council to come up with a plan to reduce the District’s illegal air pollution levels.

The Council decided that a Clean Air Zone would be the best way of improving air quality in a short amount of time.

A report to the Executive says the Government has awarded £39.3 million funding to Bradford to help implement the zone, and support the upgrade of the most polluting vehicles.

Operators will be able to use this pot of cash to upgrade their vehicles to either less polluting

engines, or completely overhaul them to greener power such as electric.

HGV and bus operators could claim up to £16,000 per vehicle, while van and minibus operators could claim £4,500 for upgrades.

Of the total fund around £10 million will be set aside for taxi operators to upgrade their vehicles.

Private hire vehicles could get grants of up to £3,200 and Hackney Carriages up to £4,000.

The scheme will use a network of automated number plate recognition cameras to identify noncompliant vehicles. The vehicles’ owners would then be charged.

ALL UK ADULTS TO GET COVID VAX JAB BY JULY 31: JOHNSON All adults in the UK will be offered their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged.

More than 17 million people have been given a jab since the UK's Covid-19 vaccine rollout began in December 2020. But Johnson said he now wants the programme to "go further and faster". He said the July target would allow vulnerable people to be protected "sooner" and would help to further ease lockdown rules across the country.

A speedy rollout of the vaccine to all vulnerable people is seen as critical to reducing the pandemic's death toll and relieving pressure on the NHS. The government's previous target was to offer all adults the first dose

by September. The new plans mean that by April 15, all adults aged 50 and over, as well as younger people with

underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk, should have been offered a jab.

However, the order of priority in which the under-50s will be offered jabs has yet to be outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Labour welcomed the vaccine targets being moved forward but called on the government to prioritise people based on their job.

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said "It's perfectly reasonable for teachers, police officers and other key workers who haven't been able to stay at home in the lockdown to ask when their turn will be. "If government aren't going to prioritise by occupation in the next phase, they need to set out why." At least 17.2 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a vaccine

at one of the 1,500 vaccination sites across the country, and almost 600,000 have received their first dose of a vaccine at one of the 1,500 vaccination sites across the country, and almost 600,000 have received their second

Bizarre incident of escaped cow charging into hospital and attacking patients A hospital CCTV showed bizarre scenes of an escaped cow run inside a hospital and attacked patients. The cow caused chaos and panic as it knocked over chairs and started running around, like a bull in a china shop on February 13.

A group of people inside ran to a corner for safety but were followed by the cow that then slammed into them. In the video, the cow falls several times allowing some patients to escape, but leaves an injured woman trapped on the floor as two men manage to grab the

dose. The government has said it met its pledge of offering a vaccine to everyone in the top four priority groups - including those aged 70 and over, care home residents, healthcare workers and people required to shield.

San Rafael in the municipality of San Luis in the department of Antioquia.

animal’s lead and pull it away.

However, it charges at the woman again as a man follows and tries to

coax it back before the cow is finally seen exiting the hospital and the woman looks for help. The incident occurred in Colombia’s Hospital

Local newspaper Vanguardia said nobody was seriously injured in the incident as the trampled woman was treated for minor contusions and pain while the rest of the patients did not seek treatment.

The rogue cow also damaged two motorcycles at the hospital’s entrance and some chairs in the waiting room. Vanguardia said the cow’s owner went to the hospital to apologise for the incident and asked about the woman’s health as well as the material damage, but it is unclear if he plans to pay for anything. There have been no reports of the police opening an investigation.

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SMOKERS TO FACE TOUGH FINES IN WALES FOR SMOKING AT SCHOOL GATES AND PLAYGROUNDS

The report going to the Executive says there will be a “soft launch” of the Clean Air Zone in December, when drivers of non-compliant vehicles will receive a letter informing them the charges will come into play on January 4.

Private cars will not be included in the Clean Air Zone plan.

The full charges for vehicles entering the zone are: Buses & Coaches – £50 HGV – £50 Light goods vehicles, including minibus – £9 Taxi (Hackney or Private Hire) – £12.50 Small or medium sized businesses based within the zone will be able to apply for a possible exemption from the charging.

The Government has also released £3,960,000 in Clean Bus Technology Funding to upgrade 217 commercial buses in Bradford to CAZ Standard, and could soon confirm a further funding of £1,632,000 to upgrade the 102 remaining, non-compliant, commercial and tendered buses in the District to CAZ Standard.

Areas near major roads in Bradford city centre and Shipley have long been identified as having dangerous pollution levels.

Figures that will be given to the Executive say

around 4.7 per cent of deaths in Bradford are attributable to air pollution.

The report says the scheme will have a “planned obsolescence” – as more vehicles are upgraded to cleaner technology income will decrease until it is “entirely eliminated.”

The report says: “It is expected that natural compliance of fleet will be achieved over time as people upgrade their vehicles. The CAP program provides an opportunity for the Authority to use ‘nudge economics’ to ensure project success, by effecting long term positive changes in behaviour through low cost, high impact strategies.”

STRAIN OF H5N8 BIRD FLU DETECTED IN HUMANS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND REPORTED TO WHO A strain of bird flu has been detected in humans for the first time, according to scientists in Russia. Tests found traces of the H5N8 strain of avian flu were present in samples collected from seven workers at a poultry farm in southern Russia, where an outbreak was recorded among the birds in December. The head of Russia’s health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, said the findings have already been reported to the World Health Organisation.

The workers did not suffer any serious health consequences and Ms Popova stressed there was no sign of transmission between humans so far.

Previously another strain of bird flu – H5N1 – has been known to spread to humans.

Outbreaks of the H5N8 strain have been reported in Russia, Europe, China, the Middle East and North Africa in recent months but only in poultry.

It is highly contagious and lethal for birds it has never before been reported to have spread to humans. Hundreds of thousands of birds have had to be killed to stop the infection spreading after outbreaks in farms across the world.

Speaking on Rossiya 24 state TV, Ms Popova praised ‘the important scientific discovery,’ saying ‘time will tell’ if the virus can further mutate. ‘The discovery of these mutations when the virus has not still acquired an ability to transmit from human to human gives us all, the entire world, time to prepare for possible mutations

and react in an adequate and timely fashion,’ Ms Popova said. The majority of human bird flu infections have been associated with direct contact with infected live or dead poultry, though properly cooked food is considered to be safe. Siberia’s Vector Institute said on Saturday it would start developing human tests and a vaccine against H5N8, RIA news agency reported.

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Smokers will soon have to cough up £100 if they are found smoking outside school gates and in public playgrounds. The tough new fines are being introduced in Wales in a bid to ‘denormalise smoking’ for children. Parents and carers – including childminders – will be banned from lighting up while waiting for their kids in outdoor areas, including hospital entrances.

The measure, to be introduced from the beginning of March, will also mean Welsh homeowners are no longer allowed to smoke when workers are in their property.

And the move will also be extended to include selfcontained holiday cottages, caravans and Airbnbs by March next year. Welsh Government minister, Baroness Eluned Morgan, believes the measure will reduce the number of young people taking up smoking and save lives. ‘We know the harms

smoking can do to health and so we’re introducing these new requirements for the benefit of future generations,’ she said.

‘Banning smoking outside hospitals and places where children and young people spend their time, such as public playgrounds and school grounds, will denormalise smoking and reduce the chances of children and young people starting smoking in the first place.

‘We are proud to be the first part of the UK to outlaw

smoking in these areas and once again leading the way.’

Baroness Morgan, minister for mental health, wellbeing and Welsh language, added: ‘Many smokers have already been motivated by Covid-19 to quit and we know quitting with support provides the best chance to stop smoking for good.’

However, the ban will not apply to vaping or e-cigarettes.

Do you think this fine should be introduced in England too?

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BANK EMPLOYEE IN ANTI-FRAUD TEAM JAILED AS PART OF TEAM OF CON ARTISTS WHO STOLE £90,000 OF GOODS

Bilal Abbas A member of a bank antifraud team has been jailed after selling customer card details to a gang of con artists operating across the country.

Bilal Abbas, 30, was jailed on 17 February for two years for his part in a sophisticated scam that saw fraudsters pocket more than £90,000 in cash and purchased goods.

A court was told how Abbas used his position in Santander’s anti-fraud team to secure the card details of customers while verifying their account details.

He would then sell that information to his associate Umair Memon, 28, who would use it to purchase high value goods by telephone under a fake name.

A third man, Jordan Hamilton-Thomas, 32, would then attend the stores in

Umair Memon person, posing as Memon’s son to collect the goods.

Days later the transactions would be identified as fraudulent by the bank and cancelled, leaving those businesses targeted out of pocket.

Newcastle Crown Court was told how the men used the details of 21 customers to target 13 different businesses across the country over a 14-month period.

But in April 2018 police became aware of their scam after a jewellers in the Metrocentre contacted officers to report suspicious activity.

The business was concerned after HamiltonThomas visited their store three days in a row to purchase Rolex watches worth more than £14,000.

Officers arrived at the scene while the fraudster was

waiting to collect the goods, but he assaulted an officer and was able to flee the scene.

However, Memon had also attended the shopping centre and was arrested nearby after CCTV identified him as an associate of HamiltonThomas.

Enquiries eventually uncovered the huge fraud and Abbas was identified as being the only Santander employee to have had access to the details of each victim.

Searches at their homes in Bradford later led to the recovery of a haul of goods purchased using stolen card details. Hamilton-Thomas was identified as the third offender and was also arrested.

Pictures were also seized from Memon’s phone that showed he and Hamilton-Thomas enjoying extravagant holidays, going on shopping sprees and even pouring champagne over Rolex watches.

But now they have swapped a five-star hotel room for the four walls of a prison cell after they were each jailed for two years at Newcastle Crown Court on 16 February Following the case, Detective Constable Patrick Naughten welcomed the

Jordan Hamilton-Thomas custodial sentence and said it sent a strong message to suspected fraudsters.

DC Naughten, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a largescale scam that has left businesses in our region, and across the country, thousands of pounds out of pocket.

“Bilal Abbas in particular has been in a position of trust and he has abused that position to target those customers whose details he was employed to protect.

“There is a degree of sophistication to the scam but once we began to uncover the frauds it was clear that Abbas was leaking confidential information.

“From there we followed the trail of breadcrumbs and found a haul of incriminating evidence in the homes of the offenders.

“It became clear they had been living the high life at the expense of their victims and showed no remorse for those businesses they had left out of pocket.

“I am delighted that they are now behind bars and will face the consequences of their actions. The only thing waiting for fraudsters at the end of a scam will be a police cell.”

Following the sentencing, a Santander spokesperson

said: “Santander actively assisted the police with their investigation and we are pleased to see the perpetrators brought to justice.”

The court was told the offences took place between October 2017 and December 2018 with the value of purchases using stolen bank details totalling more than £90,000.

Businesses were targeted across the entire country with locations including Gateshead, Newcastle, Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and London.

Abbas, of Park Lane, Keighley, West Yorkshire,

and Memon, of Briarwood, Shipley, West Yorkshire, both admitted conspiracy to commit fraud and were jailed for two years.

Hamilton-Thomas, of Thirlmere Drive, West Ardsley, Leeds, admitted conspiracy to commit fraud and assault with intent to resist arrest. He was jailed for two years and two months.

Memon was also jailed for a further three months for unrelated driving offences.

The investigation was supported by fraud experts at the North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU) who helped coordinate enquiries across the country.

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MEET THE MUSLIM MAN ADOPTING A CHURCH INTO A SAFE HAVEN FOR YOUNGSTERS

St Mary Magdalene CIC describes itself as a community church established to bring people together to transform neighbourhoods and businesses. The community interest company operates from the former St Mary Magdalene church in Manningham, Bradford and is the brainchild of Muslim man, Sharat Hussain.

After being closed for more than ten years, Bradford based Sharat, decided to put all his savings into the dilapidated church and bought the building from auction in 2014.

Inside, much of the magnificence of the church has been maintained by the youth worker. From the exposed stone walls, exposed timber roof to the tie beam at east end of nave, which is heavily carved and surmounted by a large crucifixion, flanked by two figures and is the focal point of the entire place.

The church grew out of a mission in this predominantly poor part of Bradford. It is believed that the architect was a brother-inlaw of the vicar of a neighbouring church. The design was influenced by the constraints of the site. The church was built up to the edges of the site and has no windows at ground floor level.

This necessitated the high clerestory windows giving an elongated appearance to the church.

The east end was also windowless as it backed on to a nearby factory, the owners of which were

Methodists and did not wish their employees to be distracted.

Back in the 1830’s, Manningham was a selfcontained township, even larger than Bradford itself. It wasn’t until October 1848 Manningham had become part of the Borough of Bradford. At the time it was a thriving place as more people were moving into the towns to work in the mills.

It was also an era where many were deeply religious and as a result churches like St Paul’s (St Paul’s Road, Manningham) were bursting at the seams, despite being enlarged twice before in 1867, which then led to more churches being built and hence St Mary Magdalene came along in 1878.

Tragically, St Mary's was damaged by fire in 1947, and the separate vestry building was demolished for housing in 1985. The church itself was closed by the Church of England in 2004 and sold to St Stephen the Great Orthodox Church who retained the name St Mary Magdalene for the congregation. The church however, mounted huge debts and closed shortly after, remaining closed for years.

Sharat took on the challenge to regenerate the church and has today turned it into a hub of activity. Prior to investing in St Mary Magdalene, the father of four used to work for the local authority in youth services.

Analysis last year by the YMCA youth charity found that local authority expenditure on youth services dropped from £1.4bn in 2010-11 to just under £429m in 2018-19 resulting in the loss of 750 youth centres and more than 4500 youth workers.

Sharat was one of those youth workers who lost his job. Undeterred and even more committed to

ensuring young people didn’t lose out, Sharat put all his energies into making St Mary Magdalene the much needed, safe space for young people and the local community, transforming the damaged church into a community and youth hub.

“Youth services is vital in the fight against knife

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crime and drugs. However, year on year with the cuts to the services it has had a direct impact on crime rates and with the global pandemic this is going to have further impact.” Sharat told Asian Standard Among many projects, such as training, careers advice, networking, St Mary Magdalene has also run the CON-fessions project.

CON-fessions is a programme which looks to tackle issues such as knife crime and drugs. The programme aims to do this by educating the youth.

Sharat has even had a prison cell built within the church, so that young people can see and experience what it would be like living inside the cell.

Hussnain Ali, youth engagement officer for West Yorkshire Police has also been roped in to help with the project, by coming into the church and talking to the young people about the implications of crime.

“Hussnain is a great product of the work of youth services. I remember Hussnain coming to my youth centre twenty years ago, and now I am so pleased to see him come to St Mary’s Magdalene as a police officer doing talks with young people about issues such as knife crime.” Explained Sharat “Drug dealing is the biggest root to all evils in Bradford amongst our young people. So, if we can educate young people around drugs, they can make more informed choices”. He added With the third national lockdown currently in place, most of the activities at St Mary’s Magdalene have had to be temporarily put-on hold and this is a concern for Sharat who believes the pandemic is leading to a rise in young people turning to crime.

Sharat says: “lack of opportunities is pushing some into illegal activities as a way to make quick money.

Crime doesn’t stop even in the pandemic; it is actually on the rise.”

“We have had reports and intelligence that young people were getting lured into criminal activity. We have heard stories where people have said that as a result of being laid off from work, they couldn’t feed their families they had to turn to crime as a means of survival.

“By providing the church as a safe space for young people and to stay informed, I hope we can change lives.”

Young people, who were interviewed by Look North’s community reporter Sabbiyah Pervez seem to confirm that Sharat certainly is changing lives.

One South Asian youth said on the Look North programme: I was surrounded by drug dealers. I didn’t really have any motivation and they were the only people I could look up to or get any motivation from. If it wasn’t for people like Sharat I would still be on the streets.”

While another South Asian youth said: “I don’t want

to be on the streets. I don’t want to be with a bunch of negative people, or a bunch of people keeping me away from my family, so I am glad for places like St Mary’s Magdalene.”

We already had the cuts to youth services and now with the pandemic putting things on hold, this has added to the challenges faced by youth workers.

St Mary’s Magdalene may not be functioning as a church anymore, but it is certainly upholding the values of the Abrahamic faiths: ‘And he found you lost and guided you”.

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BRITAIN’S SKIPPING SIKH WHO IS A POTATO FARMER SAYS IT IS BREAKING HIS HEART SEEING WHAT IS HAPPENING TO FARMERS IN HIS HOMELAND

BY MINREET KAUR In 1985 my grandfather was killed in India and now to see what is happening to the farmers in my dad’s homeland is breaking our hearts.

working population is part of the agriculture sector – and 15 per cent of India’s GDP according to savingpunjab.org comes from agriculture.

Minreet Kaur daughter of Britain’s Skipping Sikh wants justice for the millions of farmers protesting in India against the new agricultural laws.

My dad, Rajinder Singh, is 74 and lives in Harlington, London.

He’s also a potato farmer and activist – he’s become famous as the UK’s first, and only, “skipping Sikh” – and is doing all he can to raise awareness of the gravity of the farmers’ plight. So why isn’t the British government doing the same?

In Delhi, since last November, millions of farmers have been peacefully protesting for justice. They fear that the three new agricultural laws that the government want to put in place will favour the giant corporations and destroy their livelihoods.

More than 60 per cent of India’s

It’s too late to argue that nobody knows about what’s going on, though that may have been the case, at first. Since the protests began, Narendra Modi’s far-

right government has violently tried to suppress them, by censoring social media pages of anyone who speaks out or shares information on the real truth, of what is going on.

The borders of Delhi have been surrounded by barricades and barbed wire. The internet has been shut down, water and food supplies cut off, and many farmers have gone missing.

There are claims that at least one woman, activist was arrested and sexually assaulted.

Yet now the eyes of the world are on India, following a number of tweets by high-profile celebrities such as Rihanna, Greta Thunberg, Amir Khan and Meena Harris. And now it’s time for the British government to step up and fight for justice – just like my father.

He was born in Punjabi in 1947, a farmer and a landowner.

His family are currently at the protests, fighting for justice. My dad is completely devastated and shocked to see videos of protestors being dragged across the floor, beaten, tear gas being fired – and people dying.

Skipping Sikh

This is cruelty, not how a government should behave.

When the Black Lives Matter protests took place, the world was rightly outraged. So why isn’t the UK condemning these

Family camp in a tent in their garden to show solidarity for the farmers protesting in India against the Indian government atrocious acts of violence?

Dad has found himself in a most unwarranted – and, frankly, unwelcome – spotlight.

He never envisioned that he would be speaking out in public about the fiery protests in his homeland, and how they affect more than 80 per cent of BritishAsians like him.

This isn’t the first-time he has seen injustice, either. In 1985, his father was strangled and killed.

He never found out who killed him, and to this day my family has never seen justice.

My great-grandparents went

through the 1947 partition and were left homeless. Dad saw thousands of lives taken in the Sikh genocide of 1984, at Sri Harminder Sahib – the Golden Temple – in Amritsar, his hometown.

He never expected to see what he is seeing today: another attack on his homeland, which will lead to more deaths – and, potentially, suicide – if there is no resolution between the farmers and the Indian government.

On the ground in Britain, the Indian diasporas are doing what

they can – they’ve held rallies, and one family even decided to camp in a tent in their garden, to show their support. https://twitter.com/TanDhesi/ status/1353078761776967686 s=20 Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP for Slough has written a letter to Dominic Raab which has been signed by over 100 MPs asking the UK government to intervene.

But there has been little movement, since. This isn’t the case online: a few weeks ago a tweet went viral from Rihanna, who asked, “Why aren’t we talking about this?” off the back

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of a news report about the issue. Other celebrities, such as Greta Thunberg, Amir Khan, Meena Harris, film star Salman Khan – and many more – have shown solidarity to the farmers.

these new laws pass.

We’ve since seen footage of counter-protesters in Delhi burning effigies of Thunberg after she tweeted her support.

In PMQ’s last year, Dhesi asked Boris Johnson to intervene and protect the safety of farmers.

The PM’s reply was that this was an issue “between India and Pakistan” – which left many stunned. If the PM doesn’t know what’s going on, how can we expect anyone else to know?

Farmer suicide has risen from 16,000 in 2015 to over 20,000, according to researchers at Saving Punjab – this is only going to increase if we see

Yet one thing is clear: if these protests continue, it’s going to be devastating. There will be ramifications for many – even those beyond India’s border.

ASIAN STANDARD / BRADFORD

Thanks to growing social media activism in favour of the Indian farmer strike, the British government have now themselves been served with a petition signed by more than 100,000 people, which means it will now be debated.

Grassroots UK organisations like Khalsa Aid, Sikh Assembly, Midland Langar Sewa hit the ground running, months ago, to support those families in India who have lost loved ones, with an outpouring of donations totalling just under £400,000 from vocal Asian celebrities Jazzy B, Diljit Dosanjh,

Harbhajan Mann and many more.

American footballer Juju Smith has donated more than £100,000 for medical assistance for protestors.

But it stings for British Asians, like me and my dad, to see that while farmers in India have the support of celebrities – our own government is staying silent.

He feels, as do I, and many others like us, that Johnson has a fundamental duty to stand up against what clearly is – a human rights violation.

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COUNCIL BUDGET, INCLUDING 4.99% TAX RISE, IS APPROVED

BY CHRIS YOUNG | LDRS Councillor Dale Smith said: “We reject this five per cent rise proposed by Labour to fund pay awards and grand schemes in the city centre.”

BRADFORD Council has agreed to its budget for the upcoming year, which will include a 4.99 per cent tax rise, during an at times ill-tempered meeting.

Conservative Leader Rebecca Poulsen said: “We would love to pay public sector staff more, they do work hard. But can you look a retail worker in the eye and say public sector staff are going to get a pay rise – and it is your tax that will pay for it?”

Unlike other recent budgets, the 2021/22 budget will not include any major cuts to services or jobs. But the decision to include a 1.99 per cent Council Tax rise and a three per cent social care surcharge on top of that led to much of the debate at this afternoon’s meeting – which was held online.

The Conservative group had proposed an alternative budget, where Council tax payers would only see a 1.5 per cent increase, and criticised the leading Labour group for imposing the maximum possible tax rise at a time when many people were facing financial hardship.

But the Leader of Bradford Council dismissed these proposals as a “political sleight of hand.”

The Labour budget involved dipping into Council reserves to the tune of £6.4 million as well as the increase in Council Tax. Council staff would receive a 2 per cent pay rise, and there would be a delay to planned welfare rights cuts of £844,000.

Planned cuts to youth services of over half a million would be

Cllr Hinchcliffe pointed out that local government support from national government was not guaranteed beyond the summer, and told Cllr Pollard: “Your budget is risky in the extreme.

scrapped, and there would be an extra £600,000 invested in street cleaning.

The Housing First programme, a scheme to help the homeless people in the District to find stable accommodation, will get a base budget of £360,000.

Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe described the budget as one that would give people in the district “hope.”

Presenting his party’s alternative budget, Conservative Mike Pollard pointed out that “apocalyptic” predictions made last year

that the authority could face a £60 million budget gap due to Covid had not emerged thanks to Government grants and support.

He said it was wrong to introduce the planned pay rise for Council Tax when so many residents of Bradford faced financial uncertainty. He said: “It is good for Council staff, but not as good for households in the district that don’t have a member on the Council pay roll.”

The Conservative budget would scrap some of Labour’s budget proposals, such as

equality development and the Housing First Programme.

Cllr Pollard said Government support for the homeless during lockdown meant this further funding for homeless services was not needed.

He added: “This is responsible, Conservative budget for that has the maximum support at this difficult time for the District’s Council Tax payers.”

The party also criticised Labour plans to support a number of regeneration schemes, such as Darley Street Market and One City Park.

“The Council Tax aspect is a political sleight of hand.

Were you in power you would not be able to mess around with Council Tax like that.

Most Councils, including Conservative ones, are having to put up Council Tax. Your plan will cost £4 million this year, and every year. That is £40 million over 10 years. Where you’re finding that money from, you’re not telling us.”

She said Council staff had seen a relative pay cut due to a lay of pay rises over the years.

She said: “Don’t try and turn public sector staff against private sector staff.”

The Liberal Democrats alternate budget proposed extra investment in green

projects and social care.

Leader of the Lib Dems Jeanette Sunderland said: “We want to see a step change in our approach to climate change.”

Referring to the Conservative’s budget, she added: “It is shameful they are placing a bigger burden on people who need care the most.”

Urging the Labour leadership to focus on public health and improving local green spaces rather than developing regeneration projects she said: “Stop trying to be property developers.”

The Green Party’s alternate budget involved a huge investment in environmental proposals such as decarbonisation and dealing with the illegal air quality levels in parts of the District.

It included the replacement of street trees, investment in walking and cycling routes and the creation of a £10 million climate fund.

Councillor Kevin Warnes said the budget was “ambitious, fully costed, deliverable and absolutely necessary.” He added: “If we don’t do the impossible, we’ll be faced with the unthinkable.”

The Labour budget was voted through with 49 Councillors voting to support it, 20 voting against and seven abstaining.

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COVID ROADMAP OUT OF LOCKDOWN: ‘THERE IS LIGHT AHEAD’ BORIS JOHNSON Boris Johnson has announced that ‘thanks to the vaccinations, that there is light ahead,’ and looking to spring and summer as seasons of hope.

The Prime Minister addressed the nation on Monday 22 February announcing that England is on a "one way road to freedom". He revealed his four-step route out of lockdown, which could see all aspects of society reopened

by June 21.

Mr Johnson hopes to fully reopen the country and remove all limits on social contact within months, so long as the battle against coronavirus continues to go to plan.

Mr Johnson however, warned the Covid-19 threat "remains substantial", but said he was able to plan for a lifting

of restrictions due to the "extraordinary success" of the vaccine rollout.

However, even with every adult set to have been offered a jab by July, Mr Johnson said: "No vaccine can ever be 100 per cent effective, nor will everyone take them up."

He added: "We cannot escape the fact that lifting lockdown will result in more cases, more hospitalisations and sadly more deaths.

"This would happen whenever lockdown is lifted, whether now or in six or nine months, because there will always be some vulnerable people who are not protected by the vaccine.

"There is therefore no credible route to a Zero Covid Britain or indeed a Zero Covid World."

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty echoed the PM, saying the virus is "likely to be a problem, in particular, in the winter for the next few winters".

Boris Johnson's four stage roadmap out of lockdown: • Step 1 (part one) - March 8

He added: "I'm afraid, for the foreseeable future, coronavirus is going to be added to that list of things that those who are vulnerable - even despite vaccination - can be at risk of."

The PM, however, was unable to guarantee, that there will not be a return to restrictions.

"We can’t, I’m afraid, rule out re-imposing restrictions at local or regional level if evidence suggests they are necessary to contain or suppress a new variant which escapes the vaccines."

- All schools and colleges will reopen, as well as after school clubs- One plus one recreation will be allowed; for example, people will be permitted to meet one other person from outside their household to socialiseCare home residents will be allowed one named visitor to attend regularly- Stay at home order will remain • Step 1 (part two) - March 27, at the earliest - Rule of six to return for outdoor meetings, including private gardens as will two household rule.- Outdoor sports facilities to reopen- Stay at home order to end • Step 2 - No earlier than April 12

- Non-essential retail and personal care such as hairdressers to reopen- Public buildings such as museums and libraries will return- Indoor leisure facilities such as gyms will reopen- Outdoor hospitality will reopen but customers must be seated- No requirement for a substantial meal to purchase alcohol and no curfews on opening times- Self-contained holidays within the UK to be allowed- Funerals allowed up to 30 guests, while wakes, weddings and receptions will be allowed 15- Outdoor attractions such as zoos, theme parks and drive in cinemas • Step 3 - May 17 at the earliest - Most restrictions on outdoor socialising to be removed; no more rule of six- Gatherings of more than 30 will still be illegal- Indoor mixing to be allowed with rule of six or two households- Indoor hospitality can reopen with same restrictions- Weddings will be

allowed with up to 30 peopleLarge events can resume with spectators, though there will be restrictions;- Indoor events will be allowed up to 1,000 spectators or 50% of capacity, whichever is lowest- Outdoor events will be allowed up to 4,000 or 50% of capacity, whichever is lowest- Outdoor seated events, such as football matches, will be allowed 10,000 fans or 25% of capacity, whichever is lowest • Step 4 - No sooner than June 21 - All limits on social contact, such as rule of six, to be removed for both indoor and outdoor settings- Rest of society to reopen, such as nightclubs and other businesses which did not reopen following first lockdownSocial distancing will remain in place until Step 4, with a review taking place ahead of that date looking at how the advice can be removed

22 - 28 FEBRUARY 2021 WWW.ASIANSTYLEMAGAZINE.COM

FLASHBACK WITH

BALLY SAGOO

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FILM FASHION BEAUTY

PRACHI DESAI HAS JOINED THE CAST OF UPCOMING MURDER MYSTERY 'SILENCE CAN YOU HEAR IT'

PRANATI RAI PRAKASH JOINS THE CAST OF EKTA KAPOOR’S ‘BLACKWOODS’

DILJIT DOSANJH WILL STAR IN AND PRODUCE UPCOMING FILM HONSLA RAKH in to play the Actress Pranati Rai Prakash has been roped series Blackwoods. web ing upcom r's Kapoo Ekta in onist antag time. She's "I'll be playing a negative shade for the first I can define my how That's . spoilt and tic, spicy, fiery, drama er journey," anoth on take to d excite very I'm cter. chara next show TV the in said Pranati, who is known for her roles rganj.

Thaku Of y Famil film the and Mannphodganj Ki Binny , Kapur ka According to the sources, Nakul Sahdev, Kanik sh Praka Rai ti Prana side Vidushi Mehra will be also seen along in Blackwoods.

March.

The shoot of the show is expected to start in produced by and Das t Abhiji Blackwoods will be directed by Ekta Kapoor.

Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh is turning his hand to producing with upcoming project Honsla Rakh. The film co-stars Sonam Bajwa and Bigg Boss 13 sensation Shehnaaz Gill and is set to hit the screens on October 15.

Diljit posted the first look of the film on Instagram on Thursday. The poster features a sketched version of Diljit with a baby carrier and a smiling baby.

VIVEK OBEROI ANNOUNCES NEW SCHOLARSHIP CAMPAIGN FOR RURAL STUDENTS Actor Vivek Anand Oberoi has launched a campaign that aims to allocate educational scholarships worth Rs 160 million to deserving students. The biggest beneficiaries of this programme will be children of farmers in rural India.

"Every child from a village, who makes it big, carries not only his family but his entire village forward with

him. There are so many meritorious and talented young students around us but they are unable to afford higher education and coaching even at a subsidised rate or go to a college of their choice due to financial difficulties,” Vivek said.

“I didn't want such bright students to be neglected because of the geography

they come from. My team and I have put together this initiative to help them achieve their dreams so that they can go out there and make a career," Vivek said.

The scholarship programme has been launched under the i30 training programme, a digitisation of mathematician Anand Kumar's Super 30 programme.

" This Dusshera #HonslaRakh, 15th Oct 2021!!" he wrote alongside the poster.

Diljit and Sonam Bajwa have been popular as a pair in the dance track titled Tommy, which featured in the 2019 hit, Shadaa.

Honsla Rakh also features Gippy Grewal's son Shinda Grewal. Other details about the film are still under wraps.

Bollywood actress Prachi Desai is all set to make her debut in the web space with the murder mys tery film, Silence Can You Hear It, starring Manoj Bajpayee.

"This is all too exciting for me and I feel blessed to be making my digital debut with such an incre dible film. My experience of filming with the extraordinary cast and crew of the film has really been a phenomenal one and I can' t wait for the audience to witness the movie on their screens," Prachi said.

The film also features Arjun Math ur, and Sahil Vaid, and is slated to release in March 2021 on Zee5. The film tells the story of the mysterious disappearanc e of a woman.

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

A BIOGRAPHY ABOUT THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LATE ACTOR SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT IS UNDERWAY

Producers Sarla A. Saraogi and Rahul Sharma are all set to make the upcoming film 'Nyay: The Justice' based on the life of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who died by alleged suicide, under the banner of Vikas Productions.

Sarla Saraogi has teamed up with Rahul Sharma jointly for producing the film as a tribute to the late actor. The upcoming film will recapture the memories of the 'Dil Bechara' hero and include the events related to his death case.

The director of 'Nyay The Justice', Dilip Gulati said, "Justice will prevail. Satya Mev Jayate."

The flick will feature Zuber K. Khan and Shreya Shukla in the lead roles. It will also star veteran actor Shakti Kapoor portraying the role of NCB Chief, Sudha Chandran as the CBI Chief, and Aman Verma as the ED Chief. Theatre actor Kiran Kumar will play the role of the Advocate for the hero and Asrani will be seen as Sushant's father.

Sushant Singh Rajput began his acting career in 2008 with the TV show 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil'. However, he became a household name when he grabbed the lead role in Zee TV's 'Pavitra Rishta'.

Sushant quit television at the

The event took place at the 9th convocation ceremony of DY Patil Education Society, Kolhapur where the chancellor, the vice-chancellor, members of the academic council, and the board of management came together to honour him.

After receiving the accolade, Madhavan said, "I am truly humbled by this honour. This will only motivate me to keep pushing the envelope and

challenging myself with newer projects."

The 50-year-old actor marked his acting debut in 1997 with the English film, 'Inferno'. He has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films, and delivered memorable performances in much-loved films like 'Alaipayuthey', 'Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein', 'Rang De Basanti', '3 Idiots', 'Tanu Weds Manu', 'Irudhi Suttru', and many others.

He also appeared in the 2017 action-thriller movie 'Vikram Vedha', which became a commercial and critical success.

RAJKUMMAR RAO AND KRITI SANON ARE SET TO STAR IN A FAMILY COMEDY TOGETHER

peak of his career to enter the Hindi film industry. In 2013, he made his Bollywood debut with 'Kai Po Che'.

The talented actor died under mysterious circumstances in his apartment on 14 June 2020. An investigation by Mumbai Police had considered it an instance of suicide. The family of Sushant, including his father and sisters, had challenged the same and had documented an FIR in a Patna court against his former girlfriend and actor Rhea Chakraborty, and her brother Showik Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide and siphoning his assets.

RANGANATHAN MADHAVAN HAS BEEN AWARDED THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF LETTER FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA Indian actor, writer, producer, and director Ranganathan Madhavan, on Wednesday was conferred the degree of Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) for his outstanding contribution to arts and cinema.

THREE

Madhavan was recently seen in the Tamil-language emotional drama 'Maara', where he played a mystical and gypsy soul. He received raving reviews for his performance and the film went on to become a major hit.

Madhavan is currently awaiting the release of his directorial debut, 'Rocketry The Nambi Effect' which is based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the Indian Space Research Organisation who was accused of espionage. The actor will also star in the production.

Following the excitement of the Roohi trailer release this week, it has been announced that Rajkummar Rao will now be starring in a Mahaveer Jain family comedy with Kriti Sanon.

Whilst not much has been revealed about the project yet, we do know that the film will be directed by Ashishek Jain, who is most popular for his Gujarati titles, and is set to see Rao and Sanon in very different roles.

The so far untitled project will star Rao and Sanon in leading roles and will be the first collaboration between Mahaveer Jain and production company Maddock Films.

The film will be the second collaboration between Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Sanon following from their 2017 film 'Bareilly Ki Barfi'.

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FILM FASHION BEAUTY

ACTRESS MALVI MALHOTRA IS SET TO RETURN TO SCREENS FOLLOWING HER STABBING LAST OCTOBER

SANDEEP NAHAR’S PARENTS FILE AN FIR AGAINST HIS WIFE AND MOTHER-IN-LAW FOLLOWING HIS DEATH

AYUSHMANN KHURRANA FILM ‘ANEK’ ROPES IN INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR STEFAN RICHTER Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has roped in international action director Stefan Richter for the forthcoming Ayushmann Khurrana film Anek.

actor Sandeep Goregaon police has filed an FIR against late abetment to Nahar's wife Kanchan and mother-in-law, for suicide.

"An FIR has Confirming the news, DCP Vishal Thakur said, and filed the day next the came ts paren His hed. been launc law." the per as FIR. We will take the next step ts filed an It has now come to light that Sandeep's paren r for mothe her and an Kanch st again FIR with the police instigating the suicide. on Sandeep Nahar was found hanging in his room February 15. i: The The actor has worked in films such as ‘MS Dhon .’ khana Shafa daani ‘Khan and ri’ ‘Kesa Untold Story ’, ing his follow ed tweet had r Kuma y Kesari lead star Aksha . lence condo ss expre to , death

Richter is known for his larger-than-life action choreography, such as in the Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in the 2017 Hollywood thriller The Hitman's Bodyguard, and for Shah Rukh Khan in the 2011 Bollywood release Don 2.

"Anek is the biggest film of my career in terms of scale, and Anubhav Sinha is leaving no stone unturned to give the audience a huge big-screen experience with his vision.

It is true that Stefan Richter has been roped in for our

film. He comes in with a wealth of knowledge and has been an architect for big scale action movies around the world," said Ayushmann, disclosing the news of the collaboration along with an on-set image of Richter that he posted.

Vaani will be seen with Ranbir Kapoor in Shamshera, in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Bell-Bottom, and in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui with Ayushmann Khurrana. She says she doesn't want to be bracketed as an actress who can do just a particular thing or look a certain way on screen.

"As an actor, I want to try my hands at everything. I'm lucky that I have mass entertainers as well as high-concept content films this year that will enable me to present myself distinctly to audiences and the industry," Vaani said.

She added "I'm someone who wants to explore every genre possible in my career and want to undertake as many risks as possible too. I don't want to be bracketed as an actress who can do just a particular thing or look a certain way on screen."

Vaani dubs 2021 a huge moment in her cinematic career.

"I'm really excited about how 2021 is looking like. It's a watershed moment for me and I want to continue on this path of choosing interesting roles that enable me to express," she said.

"I feel very happy to be back on set after four months. This is my first work after that incident I've been through last year, so it is refreshin g.

I just love to be on a set. I just love to work . It's like food to my soul," she says.

The series is directed by Raaj Verm a, also stars Aman Verma and Tarun Khanna.

"With his craft, the action sequences of Anek will match global standards and give audiences a thrilling visual experience. Anubhav sir and Stefan are making me do something that is extremely new for me. As an artiste, I relish doing different things and constantly explore myself. Anek is taking me on a new journey that I'm really enjoying," the actor added.

VAANI KAPOOR SAYS SHE WANTS ‘TO TRY MY HANDS AT EVERYTHING’ Bollywood actress Vaani Kapoor has three big films coming up, and is keen to constantly explore and present herself in new roles each time her film hits the theatres.

Actress Malvi Malhotra says bein g of a spiritual mindset has helped her tide over the dark memories of her recent past. Malvi had been hospitalised last October after a producer stabbed her thrice for rejecting his proposal.

"I tell myself it is a new beginnin g ever y day and that the only way to go about living is being strong. I am a spiritual person and that help s me keep that dark memory away from me. I am emerging stronger ever y day. I have also started talki ng to other girls and women and have started encouraging them to learn self-defence or call out anyone who is troubling them. Beco ming strong is a slow but steady process," Malvi stated.

It took Malvi four months to retur n in front of the camera, and right now she is focused on work . Know n for her role of Pooja in the TV series "Udaan", Malvi recently mad e digital debut with the OTT show "Geisha".

MAHESH MANJREKAR SAYS COLLABORATING WITH DON LEE FOR ‘1962: THE WAR IN THE HILLS’ HAS TAKEN THE SHOW TO THE NEXT LEVEL Veteran director Mahesh Manjrekar, who has directed the upcoming war drama series, ‘1962: The War In The Hills’, says collaborating with international action director Don Lee has taken the show to the next level. Lee has directed stunts in the ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ franchise and ‘Star Trek Beyond’, among other global hits.

Manjrekar's series is inspired by the 1962 Indo-China war, and showcases how 125 Indian soldiers valiantly fought over 3000 Chinese soldiers at Rezang La and Galwan Valley.

"Don used to write a story of what we were going to shoot, and choreographed it well in advance, which worked

fantastically for me. It became easier, and the climax that he shot was brilliant. Don was absolutely prepared but at the same time open to suggestions because he was working on a terrain which was alien to him," said Manjrekar.

The series has been shot in the higher terrains of Ladakh and remote villages across India, and it features Abhay Deol, Akash Thosar, Sumeet Vyas, Rohan Gandotra, Annup Sonii, Meiyang Chang, Mahie Gill, Rochelle Rao, and Hemal Ingle among others.

1962 The War In The Hills, a 10-episode series, streams on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and Disney+ Hotstar Premium from February 26.

FIVE 'I THINK I AM A LITTLE BIT MORE SHAHID KAPOOR TO FEARLESS': PRIYANKA CHOPRA MAKE HIS DIGITAL DEBUT ON WHY SHE IS TAKING MORE IN UPCOMING RAJ AND RISKS IN HER CAREER DK SHOW FILM FASHION BEAUTY

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is a little more creative and a little more fearless, and she wants to hold onto the feeling while navigating her career in India and abroad.

Over the years, the actress says, she has found a certain confidence where she wants to take chances, and not stick to what is perceived safe.

"I think I am a little bit more

fearless. I don't know if that has to do with being exposed to global entertainment, but there is confidence over the years that I have found in myself where I like to take chances," Priyanka stated.

"Now, I am not sticking to safe.

I'm not sticking to 'if this will work in this specific way'. I'm not a hamster on a wheel right now. I'm feeling creative. I'm feeling free. And feeling like I

want to do so many things," she added.

The actress continued, "And for the first time, I have the ability to tell the story and I can. So I'm actually taking advantage of that. I don't know if that has to do with where I am globally or it's just me as a person after working for as many years as I have. But I'm in a creatively amazing place."

Amazon Prime Video today announced to have commenced production on an upcoming yet-tobe-titled Amazon Original Series featuring Shahid Kapoor in the lead. The quirky drama thriller is created by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and will mark the digital debut of actor Shahid Kapoor.

Filled with Raj and DK’s trademark dark and wry humour, the series will mark the director duo’s new collaboration with Amazon Prime Video following spectacular success of The Family Man. The show is

'MINI AND I HAVE GROWN TOGETHER': ANUJA JOSHI ON THE UPCOMING SECOND SERIES OF HELLO MINI Hello Mini 2 is due for release very soon and the series looks just as intense as ever.

In the trailer, we see that Mini continues to be stalked by an unknown entity and, this time, Mini has to survive in order to win her mysterious caller's challenges.

Commenting on the new series, actress Anuja Joshi said that her protagonist in the show and she have grown together.

"The psychological thriller is a

genre that revolves around complex relationships between obsessive and pathological characters. The stranger continues to petrify Mini in season two as well. 'Hello Mini' season one received a lot of love from viewers. I've constantly been asked when the second edition would release and I am excited now that it is here," said Anuja.

"For me, Mini and I have grown together and it is her bravery and undaunted attitude that keeps me wanting more of her. This

edition will see her entrapped in a dangerous game, stuck in a maze of questions and unimaginable dares that will determine whether she can stay alive."

The 10-episode second season of Hello Mini also featuring Gaurav Chopra, Anshul Pandey, Nikhita Chopra, Darshana Banik, Vinit Sharma, Abhinav Sharma, Ambika Nayak, and Joy Sengupta.

It streams on MX Player from February 26.

co-written by Sita R Menon, Suman Kumar and Hussain Dalal.

“At Amazon Prime Video, we take pride in being home to some of the best talent and storytellers from India and across the world,” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India.

“Shahid Kapoor is an incredibly gifted actor and we are excited to have him join the Prime Video family with a brand new exciting collaboration with Raj and DK. This is a fresh and unique combination that

we’re confident will be a hit with our customers!”

Talking about his digital debut, Shahid Kapoor said, “I have been keen to collaborate with Raj and DK for a while. My favourite Indian show on Amazon Prime Video is The Family Man. I couldn’t think of anyone better for my digital debut than them. Amazon Prime Video is a fabulous service and it’s a privilege to work with them. I loved the story idea when I first heard it and since then it has been an exciting ride so far! Can’t wait to share this series with the audience.”

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FILM FASHION BEAUTY

FLASHBACK WITH BALLY SAGOO

BY FATIMA PATEL

Here are some excerpts from a candid interview with our Editor, where Bally Sagoo talks about his brand new song ‘Kinna Chauna’ and goes on a trip down memory lane discussing his career as a popular artist of nearly (in his words) ‘four decades’ ago.

Fatima Patel: So, from Kinna Sona to Kinna Chauna – tell us about the journey?

Bally Sagoo: Kinna chauna is definitely a Bally Sagoo 90’s

flavour. I did the track last year before lockdown and it’s off my new album. It’s a new song. I found a guy who comes from Jammu – Vikram Marley. He played me the composition over the phone, and I loved it. I thought wow I like this tune. He said will you work with me and I said yes. So, I recorded the track, and I knew immediately I was going to make it a 90’s vibe, because my whole album has got that kind of a touch.

Then the girl in the video, Devshi Khanduri, she is also an actress, she wrote the tune, she wrote the lyrics and not only

He performed across India with Michael Jackson on the History Tour He produced the album Aby Baby with Amitabh Bachchan The first Asian to perform an Indian song on Top of The Pops He made Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan a household name across the globe.

He's a pioneer of East-West fusion, he's a legend, an icon. ...He is Bally Sagoo! starred in the video she directed it too. So, it was all a team effort and now you have it Kinna Chauna.

When I got the press release, similar to your Kinna Chauna video, I had a bit of a flashback moment too. Like you we used to listen to both Bollywood music and western music. Top of The Pops was a staple and to see you appear on the show was an exciting moment for every South Asian.

It was a big moment for the whole Asian industry globally. I got invited to the Palace in India for my achievement by the late president of India. Growing up as a kid I always said that one day I am going to come on that Top of the Pops and my mum and dad were like – chup kar, study kar. So, I was like no one day I am going to be on there and obviously 1996 Dil Cheez - No.12 in the mainstream charts, was the first time ever in history a full Indian language song was in the charts and on Top of the Pops of all things. It was on national radio and it was playing all over. The whole idea was to go to a

chart returns shop and buy a tape or CD. Which is what I was asking all my fans to do, hence it worked, because if you didn’t go to a chart returned shop, they couldn’t register the sale and obviously that’s how we got the position in the charts. It was amazing – 1996.

You achieved that milestone moment in 1996, but here we are in 2021 and we are still not there with any other music. Why do you think that is?

Well, I’ve done everything I can. You’re asking me – you should ask other people. (He laughs). I mean it’s not easy to get our music into mainstream unless it’s got something that the western market will like. My song was more of a meaningful song. It was a very mellow song. It was typical of an epic Bally Sagoo ballad type of track and I’ve done loads of those type of songs. I thought, will people understand it?

Will they relate to it? Will they get into it? Because lyrically it was a very strong song and obviously the music the mood captured a lot of people.

So, if a song is going to go into mainstream today as well, you got to remember when people are listening to it, what are they going for? No one knows what is the secret. People go into certain reasons for whatever, sound or vibe or whether it’s got some kind of rap in there to cross it over.

But it’s like you say, why don’t we have some big tunes in the mainstream? The mainstream also won’t accept a lot of things. I don’t think a lot of songs will chart, regardless of how big they are in Bollywood or some of our bhangra songs, they might be too hard core for some audiences and that has always been a problem really.

You’ve worked with many legends, from Amitabh Bachchan to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, to touring with Michael Jackson.

Who would you say has been your most memorable?

They all are. They all stand up for me, great moments in my time, in my life and I am so grateful that I got that opportunity. I was mainstream, so Michael Jackson needed a mainstream artist on stage in India and obviously I got the call, and I was more than excited. We got to perform for a good 45 minutes and it was like he [Michael Jackson] is going to be on stage next after me, so it was an amazing thing. And by far the biggest and best collaboration for me that stands out is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Magic Touch.

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

SEVEN

me 12 weeks to do that track. In India they make a song over-night. I don’t know how people can work so fast. People can work very quick and it takes me a long time to do a song. But at the end of the day I put my heart and soul into something and while I try to keep the essence of the song, I have to change it, because there is no point me keeping it the same.

It’s a cover version. So, Rising from the East which featured Dil Cheez went on to appear what we are doing is a for on Top of the Pops example taking a Beetles, get a whole different version. Because you don’t or an Elvis Presley track and we are going to do need to have a singer that sounds exactly the it in a different style and that’s the whole idea of same if you’re going to do a new version. You can doing a cover. You take what you think will work have a whole different type of voice. There are no and put something together that you think other rules really. It’s what sounds nice and works with people will enjoy and officially get it released. I get your style of music. That’s what’s important really musicians on board, - live musicians are always because not every singer can sing on every style the best thing. Then hopefully some good singers, of music no matter how good he is. Like some because you can’t get the original singers because singers don’t sing nice love songs and some don’t half of them are not around anymore. But you try sound great on a dance song. So, it’s always about to get good singers. On churaliya it was a brother getting the perfect match. and sister who recorded my song. The guy sounds like Rafi and his voice was so much similar to a Rafi sound and I was like whoa. Then the girl had a totally different sound to Asha Bhonsle sound. So, I thought OK, again it’s a good thing, because we

You literally defined the word remixing when it came to music. When you remixed a song, it was far more popular than any other remixes. For example, the song ‘Churaliya’ has been remixed many times, but yours was always the most popular and even now remixes are happening in Bollywood, but they still have the missing flavour that you brought to remixes.

Well first of all I do take a long time on my productions. Churaliya took three months. It took Still from video Kinna Chuana

To watch the full interview, visit Asian Sunday TV on YouTube.

Credit Photo © David Corio Redferns

Kinna Chuana is out now and is taken from Bally Sagoo’s forthcoming and long-awaited album and features the Punjabi vocals of Vicky Marley with lyrics by Devshi Khanduri. You can watch the video to the song on YouTube.

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PUZZLES Crosswords CROSSWORD Across 1 Plot (10) 7 Organised group of devotees (3, 4) 8 Pound (4) 10 Frozen sweets (4) 11 Final (8) 13 Reply (6) 15 Consume (6) 17 Instances (8) 18 Fair (4) 21 Uninteresting (4) 22 Spare Time (7) 23 Heavy projectile (10)

TAX EFFICIENT PENSIONS What is it?

If you are a UK taxpayer you can get tax relief on pension contributions of up to 100% of your earnings, or £40,000 whichever is lower. This means that some money that would otherwise to the tax man will instead go to your pension pot.

This is because contributions made to UK-registered pension funds may not be subject to tax, and there is also relief on the growth within the scheme.

Spot the

5

Down 1 Small boat (5) 2 Invalid, nit binding (4) 3 Small smooth rounded rock (6) 4 Needed (8) 5 Large city in Illinois (7) 6 Boer (9) 9 Rued (9) 12 Airship (8) 14 Bread-bladed kitchen implement (7) 16 German capital (6) 19 Customary (5) 20 Former Italian currency (4)

differences

The tax relief you receive might be different depending on if you are making the contribution personally, or if it is through your employer.

I pay my own pension. Then what?

If you pay the contributions personally, then you can make the contributions up to the level of your relevant earnings in the tax year, up to the limit of £40,000.

If you have no relevant earning in the tax year, then you can pay up to £3,600 into the scheme per year.

Contributions made in excess of the annual limit result in a tax liability on the extra amount.

What if my employer pays?

Your employer can make contributions into your pension scheme up to the unused contribution limits. These contributions are made before you pay tax, and so the tax bill you face is lower.

Under pension auto-enrolment, employees who earn above the minimum threshold are enrolled into their employer’s pension scheme. Under auto-enrolment the employee and employer contribute fixed rates into the scheme with each payroll run.

This doesn’t count as a benefit, and therefore there is no taxable benefit charge.

If your employer makes the contributions, then they can claim relief from Corporation Tax for the amount.

Contributions into unregistered or non-UK-registered funds are subject to different rules.

If you withdraw funds early, or in excess of the limits, you will be subject to extra tax charges.

There is also a lifetime limit for your pension fund of £1,073,100. Any pension funds above this amount will be subject to tax.

ANSWERS SPOT THE 5 DIFFERENCES 1. The earring.

2. The botton on his jacket.

3. The black lace on his neck.

4. The red light above his head.

5. The street light in the background.

Sounds great, what can go wrong?

CROSSWORD ANSWER

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HEADACHES:

THREE TIPS FROM A NEUROSCIENTIST ON HOW TO GET RID OF THEM

BY AMANDA ELLISON Professor of Neuroscience, Durham University Everyone experiences headaches.

From dull throbbing dehydration headaches to incapacitating migraines, a sore head is an extremely common complaint.

This is perhaps especially true at the moment. COVID-19 can cause them, as can sitting at desks for too long and not getting out of the house enough.

When headaches strike, many people’s reaction is to reach for a painkiller. And these can do the job. But a better solution is often to probe the reasons behind the pain – especially if you get similar types of headaches a lot.

Even though they all entail pain, where the pain is can clue us

into what type of headache we are experiencing. Pain in the face and forehead are markers of sinus-related headache whilst the sensation of a pneumatic drill somewhere in our cranium is often migraine.

But ultimately, all headaches are caused by vasodilation in the head – the widening of blood vessels near the brain. This stretches sensory receptors in the vessel wall and we feel that sensation as pain.

To understand why we need to think about the constraints the contents of our head are working under. Blood is toxic to brain tissue and so is kept separate through

the blood-brain barrier. If a blood vessel leaks or breaks, this results in a haemorrhage and the death of the brain tissue the blood seeps into. So, if our blood vessels dilate beyond comfortable limits, the sensory receptors will fire off signals to the brain, which we interpret as pain.

Headaches are an early warning system. The best way to counteract them is to work out what they are warning us about.

1. Think beyond your head This means thinking beyond your head. Yes, headache pain is

generated somewhere in our head and we feel it in our head and that is why it is called headache. But headache is so much more than that – which is why I’m fascinated by them, have studied them for the past 20 years and recently published a book on the subject.

It’s a two-way street. The cause of our headache can sometimes come from our body or our behaviour.

And of course headaches affect both our body and our behaviour.

If we see headache as something isolated to our cranium then we will never truly understand its cause, our experience of it, or how we can best mitigate it.

Frequent migraine sufferers

intimately understand this and often religiously track their food intake and their activities as well as the weather in order to work out what triggers them. But the normal headache sufferer is often less in tune with the causes of their pain.

Tension headache is a really good example of how this works. It feels like a tight band squeezing around your head with a tonne weight sitting on top for good measure. We are all aware of their occurrence at times of great emotional stress (lockdown homeschooling anyone?) but they can equally be caused by the stress we put on our body, with bad posture for example, or recovery from injury.

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and the actions we take when the pain begins.

2. Listen to the pain If you have a pain in your leg, it might stop you from playing in that tennis match or turning up for five-a-side football. You know that

there is something wrong.

Taking paracetamol or ibuprofen will act to avert the danger, reducing the inflammation, the dilation and the perception of pain, but the headache will reoccur unless we can address the cause.

Sometimes it’s obvious – if you have a sinus headache you’re

23

We may decide a bottle of wine and a takeaway is just the kind of treat we need to relax and de-stress.

3. Use the brain’s natural painkillers

But both lead to dehydration, another ubiquitous cause of headache. With your brain made of more than 70% water, if your kidneys need borrow some to dilute alcohol or salts and spices, it

So what else can we do? One way is to lean into the brain’s natural painkiller system and to boost neurochemicals associated with happiness (such as serotonin and oxytocin) and reward (dopamine).

Having a laugh at a comedy, enjoying a good friend’s company or indulging in some intimacy with a partner will all boost these hormones to various degrees.

Each block pain signals coming from the body, not only helping you get a handle on your headache but also redressing the balance of neurochemicals that were the mechanism of your upset emotional state.

if you play on it, you might do more damage and your recovery will take longer. But we don’t tend to do that with headache. We take a painkiller or an anti-inflammatory and carry on as normal even though our pain receptors are screaming at us that

just going to have to wait for your sinuses to clear, so taking a painkiller or a decongestant may be a good approach – but sometimes our coping strategy can make things worse.

usually comes from this oasis.

The brain loses water such that it literally shrinks in volume, tugging on the membranes covering the brain and triggering pain.

Both entail over-activity of the musculature around the head and neck, which sets up an inflammatory response involving prostaglandins and nitric oxide, both of which are chemicals that act to widen blood vessels.

Inflammatory chemicals also directly activate the trigeminal nerve – the most complex of the cranial nerves and the one responsible for sensation and movement in the face.

Taking too many things on, rushing around trying to get things done in negative time, and trying to be all things to all people are common behavioural markers that will predict a tension headache. That

Where you experience the pain can be some clue as to what type of headache you have.

The knowledge that we can leverage our behaviour and our body to keep our brain’s neurochemicals in balance gives us a way to break the headache cycle. So next time you have a headache for which the causes aren’t glaringly obvious – you’re not otherwise sick and you’ve been keeping hydrated – take a look at your life and see what you can change there. The pain, after all, is trying to tell you something.

This article originally appeared in The Conversation.

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HIGH LEVELS OF LOCKDOWN TRAFFIC THE amount of traffic in the current lockdown compared to the first lockdown has risen higher in Bradford than anywhere else in the country.

amount of people using maps on their devices at various periods during the Covid pandemic compared to January 2020.

New data shows that during the first lockdown, which began in March 2020, car journeys on Bradford roads were just over 40 per cent of the level seen a few months earlier (January 2020).

It shows that the highest level of traffic in any city during the three lockdowns was in Bradford during the second lockdown, which took place in November.

But during the current lockdown, which started early last month, this figure has risen to around 84 per cent – despite advice to remain at home for all but essential journeys.

The rise of 41 per cent is the largest seen in any of England’s major cities.

Bradford Council says the figures reflect the fact that Bradford is a “key worker city” – and that many people have been unable to work from home.

But one Councillor has pointed out that many of the drivers will be people who are simply ignoring advice.

The figures are included in a report into how the West Yorkshire region is coping with the pandemic, which will go before the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership Board on Wednesday 24 February The data comes from technology company Apple – and is based on the

In that four week period traffic in Bradford was over 90 per cent its normal levels.

In neighbouring Leeds, traffic levels were just under 40 per cent in the first lockdown – rising to around 70 per cent in the current lockdown.

Nationally traffic fell to around 32 per cent of normal levels in the first lockdown, and is currently around 62 per cent normal levels.

The report says: “Activity levels for driving and transit are considerably higher during lockdown three than lockdown one in all cities where data is available.

“Locally, Bradford appears to have the greatest driving activity difference between lockdowns three and one but Leeds is in a similar range to other cities.”

In the current lockdown no other major English city except Bradford saw traffic levels above 80 per cent of normal.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The Government restrictions in lockdown 3 have been different to lockdown 1, with more businesses and services able to be open in Covid secure ways.

“Bradford is a key-worker city, and these figures would seem to indicate that a large proportion of the district’s residents have continued to go out to work throughout the lockdown. Some roles such as health care, retail, food manufacturing and distribution have been essential to keep the country running during the pandemic.

“However, we do ask employers to make arrangements for people to work from home wherever possible.”

Councillor Riaz Ahmed (Lib Dem, Bradford Moor) has previously raised concerns about high traffic levels in the city during lockdown.

On hearing the new data he said one cause of the high levels of traffic was young drivers ignoring advice to stay at home.

He said: “There are rogue elements, younger members of society who couldn’t care less. They have no respect for their own lives and others’ lives. We’ve failed to tackle this for far too long. It is about time we resolved this” He said another issue was the high numbers of people who work in service industries in Bradford –

people who can not stay at home.

Cllr Ahmed said: “My take is the furlough system was more for the middle classes not the working classes. They have to keep going to work, people like shop keepers and bin workers. That is also the reason we’ve had high numbers of Covid cases in Bradford.

“The chancellor needs to realise a lot of working class people haven’t benefitted.”

The same report also looks at the number new business accounts opened in recent months, which shows how many new businesses are opening across West Yorkshire.

In January 51.1 businesses out of every 1,000 in Bradford were liquidated – the highest figure for any area of West Yorkshire and up from 9 per 1,000 in January 2020.

The figure was its highest in October, when over 18 businesses out of every in 1,000 in Bradford were liquidated.

However, there are also some signs of recovery.

In the last three months of 2020 the number of small business accounts opened in Bradford was 969. This is a 23 per cent rise from the same period last year, and the biggest rise in the West Yorkshire region.

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WHAT’S ON INDIAN TAKEOVER!

BY REBECCA TODD

In recent years, Indian cinema has had a renaissance on international screens. Over the next couple of weeks, especially, Indian film and television is taking over streaming platforms with some pretty huge releases due to come out. So, if you are looking for some new Indian entertainment to keep yourself amused, shocked and emotional in the coming weeks, check out our selection of top-notch content that will be coming to screens soon…

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

1962: THE WAR IN THE HILLS

FEBRUARY 26

FEBRUARY 26

‘The Girl on the Train’ is an Indian remake of the 2016 Emily Blunt film of the same name.

Based on the international smash-hit novel by Paula Hawkins, ‘The Girl on the Train’ will see Parineeti Chopra take on the role of Mira Kapoor, a divorced woman who is slowly losing control of herself, who becomes fixated on a woman with a seemingly perfect lifestyle. After witnessing something shocking from the window of her train seat, Mira becomes embroiled in a missing persons case as she sets out to discover the truth of what she saw. This psychological thriller is set to be an incredibly different turn for Chopra, who is mainly known for her comedy work, and from the looks of the trailer, this Indian remake could be even more disturbing than the initial 2016 American version. ‘The Girl on the Train’ comes to Netflix on February 26.

The upcoming Disney+ Hotstar production, ‘1962: The War in the Hills’, is a high budget production based on the Sino-Indian War. Based upon the story of the Indian army battalion ‘C Company’, this tv series will show how only 125 Indian soldiers were sent to defend the border after 3000 Chinese soldiers invaded disputed territories. ‘1962: The War in the Hills’ promises to take an unflinching look into the soldiers’ lives, both prior to and during the war. The series is helmed by prolific actor and director Mahesh Manjrekar and will star Abhay Deol in the lead role as Major Suraj Singh. ‘1962: The War in the Hills’ comes to Disney+ Hotstar on February 26.

BOMBAY ROSE

BOMBAY BEGUMS

MARCH 8

MARCH 8

Bombay Rose is finally making its debut on Netflix this March. This festival favourite is an animated portrayal of love based on a true story. Bombay Rose follows a flower seller who, after escaping child marriage, ends up in Mumbai having to choose between supporting her family or falling in love. The film is directed by short animation guru Gitanjali Rao in her first feature length production as director, and each frame is individually hand-painted by a team of 60 artists. The effect of the animation style is breath-takingly beautiful and the film, understandably, has snatched up awards around the world, from Toronto International Film Festival to Venice Film Festival. Bombay Rose comes to Netflix on March 8.

‘Bombay Begums’ marks the return of iconic actress Pooja Bhatt to the screen. This eight-part series is set to debut on International Women’s Day and will follow the stories of five cross-generational women negotiating the highs and lows, the dreams and desires, of modern Mumbai life. The series is directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and will see Pooja Bhatt’s debut after a decade long hiatus. From the looks of the trailer which dropped recently, the series is set to be full of intrigue and high stakes and many fans want to know why this project convinced Bhatt to return to acting once again. Bombay Begums drops on Netflix on March 8.

OPPORTUNITIES HUB BEEN MADE REDUNDANT? LOST YOUR JOB? LOOKING FOR WORK? NEED HELP WITH YOUR CAREER? Meet and network with others via our FREE online networking and training sessions Get FREE help and support at our Opportunities Hub Contact us now and let us help you

T: 01274 735657 Inspirational Women Foundation CIC @Inspirationslwomanfoundation CIC @weare_IWF hello@insapirationalwomanfoundation.org.uk

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RECIPE

GOBI MUSALLAM Gobi Musallam is a very presentable Awadhi (Lucknowi) dish . Musallam meaning whole and this dish means a whole Gobhi (cauliflower). In this dish whole cauliflower is first marinated and then cooked with rich smoothy gravy and served quite exotic way

INGREDIENTS 1 Head of cauliflower (Gobi) 2 Large onion 1 Teaspoon garlic paste 1 Teaspoon ginger paste 2 Medium tomato 50 gm. plain yogurt 2 Teaspoon coriander powder ½ Teaspoon red chili powder ½ Teaspoon turmeric powder ½ Teaspoon garam masala powder 50 gm. broken raw cashew nuts 10 gm. Chironji 1 drop Metha ittar 2 tablespoon kewra water 150 gm. Cooking oil 5 no. green cardamom 5 no . cloves 2 stick cinamom Ingredients for garnishing: 1 brown onion 2 coriander leaves & mint leaves 3 fried cashewnut 4 chandi ka waraq

METHOD Bring a large pot of water to boil. use enough water so all of the cauliflower can be immersed in it.

Add salt, turmeric and chili and blanch/cook the whole cauliflower.

Cover and cook for 4 minutes on each side(top and bottom. Flip after 4 minutes) Remove from water, wipe dry and keep it aside. (Don’t over boil the cauliflower, it should remain a bit solid and in shape) and fry.

Gravy: Grind ginger and garlic into a fine paste.

Make slice onion and fry until golden brown. roast cashews and chironji in a little oil until golden brown.

Blanch tomoto into hot water.

Make the paste ( fried onion , fried cashew , chironji and blanched tomoto and yoghurt.)

In a heavy bottom pan heat oil, add whole garam masala (cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon), and until they crackle.

Add coriander powder, red chili powder and ginger-garlic paste Stir well.Add the paste and garam masala and let it cook for 10 min. when liquid to get rid of excess floating fat. add one cup of water and cook for again 10 min. add mitha ittar and kewra water.

Put the fried cauliflower in pan rapped the gravy and keep a side for 5 min. place the chandi ka warq on cauliflower garnish it brown onion , cashewnut and coriander or mint leaves .

Have a tantalising recipe? Want to share? We would love to feature your recipes. If you would like to have your recipe featured on this page then email us at: recipes@asianstandard.co.uk

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AS LONG AS THEY GO, I'LL GO: DJOKOVIC ON FEDERER, NADAL World No.1 Novak Djokovic has set his eyes on eclipsing the 20 Grand Slam titles tally held

by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and also the overall singles records held by Serena Williams and Margaret Court.

While Nadal and Federer hold the record for most Grand Slam titles in men's singles, Margaret holds the record for most titles in women's singles with 24 and Serena trails the Australia legend by one Slam win.

"Roger and Rafa inspire me.

That's something that I've said before. I'll say it again. I mean, I think as long as they go, I'll go," Djokovic said after beating Russia's Daniil Medvedev to win a record-extending ninth Australian Open title on Sunday.

"In a way, it's like a race (of) who plays tennis more, I guess, and who wins more. It's a competition between us in all areas. But I think that's the very

reason why we are who we are, because we do drive each other, we motivate each other, we push each other to the limit," he said.

When asked about his goals for the year, Djokovic said "Getting closer to maybe Roger's, Rafa's record, Serena, Margaret."

The Australian Open win will ensure that Djokovic will surpass Federer's record of most weeks spent at No.1 -- 310. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have dominated men's singles tennis, particularly the Grand Slams, for nearly two decades. From the 2003 Wimbledon to the 2021 Australian Open, the three players have won 58 out of 70 Grand Slams. They won 18 consecutive slams from the 2005 French Open to Wimbledon in 2009, and 13 consecutive slams from the 2017 Australian Open to the 2020 Australian Open.

WILL DEMAND SHIFTING OF T20 WORLD CUP IF INDIA DON'T GIVE WRITTEN ASSURANCES ON VISAS: PCB CHAIRMAN. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani has said that he will demand the shifting of the T20 World Cup to UAE if India do not give written assurances on visas for every stakeholder.

Last year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had announced that the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held in Australia in 2022 while India will host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 as planned.

"Our government has never told us that we can't play (in India). We have agreed with the ICC that we are going to participate, and we can't contravene that.

At the ICC level, I have clearly said we need a written assurance from the Indian government

that not only our team and squad's visas, we also need visas for fans, journalists, and the board officials, but that's also all written in the ICC host agreement and according to that we have put our demand," ESPNcricinfo quoted Mani as saying.

"ICC has also been a bit loose on it as they told us that it will be done by Dec 31, 2020, but it didn't happen. I again raised it in January and in February directly with the ICC chairman, then I talked to ICC management and I told them that I need a clear decision by March. They are saying that by end of March. If it doesn't come, I will demand the shifting of the event from India to UAE," he added. Mani said that ICC has backup plans and if India fails to host the tournament, it will

take place at an alternative venue. "It's already been decided that if India can't hold the event it will be shifted to UAE. Legally and constitutionally it's our right to participate in the tournament and nobody can remove us from the tournament and the ICC chairman does realise this," he said. "Unfortunately, it's unhealthy that especially cricket in India is being linked with politics.

On a personal level, I have no problems with Sourav Ganguly and he is quite open about it, he wants to organise the tournament in India and I have no problems with it too if he can convince every stakeholder. But ICC has backup plans and if they (India) can't do it, it will be held at an alternative venue," Mani added.

PREMIER LEAGUE: MAN CITY MAINTAIN WINNING STREAK WITH VICTORY OVER ARSENAL Manchester City maintained their winning run in the Premier League after securing a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday.

With this victory, Manchester City made it 18 straight wins in all competitions and equalled the club record 11 consecutive away victories.

Also, it was their 13th consecutive Premier League victory. In the 2nd minute, Raheem Sterling leapt high to nod in Riyad Mahrez's right-wing cross and it proved to be decisive as

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Manchester City consolidated their top position on the Premier League table. Sterling could have scored twice more in the first five minutes while Ilkay Gundogan was denied

by Bernd Leno, who tipped away his 56th-minute shot. At the other end, Mohamed Elneny drove wide after some hesitancy in the City defence with 17 minutes left. Manchester City now have 59 points from 25 games while the second-placed Manchester United have 49 points from as many games.

PREMIER LEAGUE: MANCHESTER UNITED REGISTER 3-1 WIN OVER NEWCASTLE UNITED Manchester United were held to a draw by Everton and West Brom in their previous two games in the league.

However, the team put on a dominating display against Newcastle United to ensure they secure three points from the game.

Marcus Rashford put Manchester United ahead in the 30th minute when he nutmegged Emil Krafth, beat him again inside the penalty area, and drilled the ball beyond goalkeeper Karl Darlow at his near post.

The lead, however, did not last long as Newcastle United managed to equalise six minutes later through Allan Saint-Maximin.

Daniel James restored the hosts' lead in the 57th minute before Bruno Fernandes sealed the victory from the penalty spot with 15 minutes left, following Willock's foul on Rashford. Also, during the match, Shola Shoretire made his senior Manchester United debut.

The youngster, who celebrated his seventeeth birthday earlier this month, came on in the final few minutes of the Premier League encounter when he replaced Rashford. At 17 years and 19 days, Shoretire became the second-youngest player to represent the Reds in the Premier League, with only Angel Gomes doing so at a younger age. Manchester United now have 49 points, ahead of third-placed Leicester City on goal difference and 10 points behind leaders Manchester City.

22 - 28 FEBRUARY 2021

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AS LONG AS THEY GO, I'LL GO: DJOKOVIC ON FEDERER, NADAL Page 30

PREMIER LEAGUE: MAN CITY MAINTAIN WINNING STREAK WITH VICTORY OVER ARSENAL Page 31

IPL 2021 AUCTION: THE LIST OF SOLD AND UNSOLD PLAYERS The Indian Premiere League has become an incredibly important sports event in the annual sporting calendar for cricket fans. However, the game also attracts leading business men and women thanks to the huge revenue earning potential it brings from royalties, endorsements among other things.

Now in its 14th edition investors and sports enthusiasts battled it out at the IPL 2021 auction, for their favourite players from a list of 292 shortlisted players.

The 292 players who were up for grabs were from 11 different countries, 164 of which were Indian players.

After the IPL retentions last month, teams released quite a few players, clearing up room for new players to be picked in the auction. There were a few players traded in and out during the trading window.

The auction list was shortlisted after the franchises submitted their list of players.

The event was described as a mini auction, but it the headlines were certainly

not mini, as teams furiously outbid each other to claim their player of choice. The spotlight was certainly on South Africa’s Chris Morris who broke the box office, registering a bumper sum of

INR 16.25 crore, the most any team has spent on a player in the history of the IPL auction.

For those of you who are interested here is the full list of sold players.

IPL 2021: FULL LIST OF SOLD PLAYERS Steve Smith, Delhi Capitals, INR 2.2 crore Glenn Maxwell, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 14.25 crore Shakib Al Hasan, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 3.20 crore Moeen Ali, Chennai Super Kings, INR 7 crore Shivam Dube, Rajasthan Royals, INR 4.4 crore Chris Morris, Rajasthan Royals, INR 16.25 crore Dawid Malan, Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab), INR 1.5 crore Adam Mine, Mumbai Indians, INR 3.2 crore Mustafizur Rahman, Rajasthan Royals, INR 1 crore Jhye Richardson, Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab), INR 14 crore Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mumbai Indians, INR 5 crore Umesh Yadav, Delhi Capitals, INR 1 crore Piyush Chawla, Mumbai Indians, INR 2.40 crore Sachin Baby, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 20 lakh Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 20 lakh Ripal Patel, Delhi Capitals, INR 20 lakh Shahrukh Khan, Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab), INR 5.25 crore Krishanppa Gowtham, Chennai Super Kings, INR 9.25 crore Mohammad Azharuddeen, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 20 lakh Sheldon Jackson, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 20 lakh Vishnu Vinod, Delhi Capitals, INR 20 lakh Chetan Sakariya, Rajasthan Royals, INR 1.2 crore Riley Meredith, Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab), INR 8 crore M Siddharth, Delhi Capitals, INR 20 lakh J Suchith, Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 30 lakh Lukman Meriwala, Delhi Capitals, INR 20 lakh Cheteshwar Pujara, Chennai Super Kings, INR 50 lakh Kyle Jamieson, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 15 crore Tom Curran, Delhi Capitals, INR 5.25 crore Moises Henriques, Punjab Kings (KXIP), INR 4.20 crore Jalaj Saxena, Punjab Kings (KXIP), INR 30 lakh

Utkarsh Singh, Punjab Kings (KXIP), INR 20 lakh Vaibhav Arora, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 20 lakh Fabian Allen, Punjab Kings (KXIP), INR 75 lakh Dan Christian, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 4.80 crore Liam Livingstone, Rajasthan Royals, INR 75 lakh Suyash Prabhudessai, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 20 lakh KS Bharat, Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 20 lakh Harishankar Reddy, Chennai Super Kings, INR 20 lakh C Hari Nishaanth, Chennai Super Kings, INR 20 lakh Pawan Negi, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 50 lakh James Neesham, Mumbai Indians, INR 50 lakh Kuldip Yadav, Rajasthan Royals, INR 20 lakh Yudhvir Charak, Mumbai Indians, INR 20 lakh KC Cariappa, Rajasthan Royals, INR 20 lakh Bhagath Verma, Chennai Super Kings, INR 20 lakh Marco Jansen, Mumbai Indians, INR 20 lakh Saurabh Kumar, Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab), INR 20 lakh Karun Nair, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 50 lakh Kedar Jadhav, Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 2 crore Sam Billings, Delhi Capitals, INR 2 crore Ben Cutting, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 75 lakh Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 1.5 crore Harbhajan Singh, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 2 crore Venkatesh Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders, INR 20 lakh Akash Singh, Rajasthan Royals, INR 20 lakh Arjun Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians, INR 20 lakh That is some big money. IPL 2021 has been scheduled between 11 April 2021 and 6 June 2021. IPL season 14 opening match likely to be played on 11 April 2021 between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capital. IPL 2021 Final could be played on 6 June 2021.

(Note based on currency rates as of 22 February 1 lakh Indian rupees = £981.57 and 1 crore Indian rupees = £98,160