Asian Standard Kirklees Issue 3 - 9 May

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WHAT’S COOKING WITH MASTERCHEF FINALIST

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MADEEHA QURESHI

BY THE PUBLISHERS OF ASIAN SUNDAY

KIRKLEES / 3 - 9 MAY 2021 / FREE

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DISCRIMINATION LAWYER SLAMS GOVERNMENT’S FAILURE TO CONSIDER EXEMPTION TO COVID RULES FOR EID CELEBRATIONS.

Read more on pages 6 & 7

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NEWS IN BRIEF

What do you think of Volkswagen’s new Golf eHybrid Style model?

Order books are now open for an important, fleetfriendly addition to its Golf plug-in hybrid line-up with the unveiling in the UK of the new Golf eHybrid Style model. Priced from £32,995 RRP OTR, and offering CO2 emissions of 21 g/km (WLTP) and fuel economy of up to 235 mpg (WLTP, combined) – as well as a pure-electric range of 44 miles on a full charge – the new 204 PS Golf eHybrid is set to expand significantly the appeal of the brand’s plug-in hybrid offerings.

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HUDDERSFIELD BRINGS COMMUNITIES TOGETHER FOR EID WITH A HUDDERSFIELD BAKE OFF Ramadan is one of the holiest months in the Muslim calendar, which began on 12 April for most Muslims. Ramadan is where Muslims will fast for 30 days, from dawn till dusk without any food or water. At the end of the 30 day fasts, Muslims will host Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations.

The Huddersfield BID alongside Hello Huddersfield want to do something special for Eid celebrations this year and have come up with a unique way to bring communities together to celebrate EID with a Huddersfield Bake off.

To get involved in the Huddersfield Bake off all you need to do is submit pictures of your best decorated Eid Cakes for a chance to win 1 of 3 £50 vouchers to be spent at one of the restaurants in the Huddersfield BID area. For those on social

media use the #huddersfieldeid to enter. The competition will run from 26 April to 13 May, with the best three cakes chosen.

Entries from local businesses, organisations, and Huddersfield residents are invited Entries will be showcased in the digital screens at the Piazza centre in Huddersfield town centre as well as a public display wishing the community a happy Eid. Sophie Patel, Huddersfield BID’s Marketing & Projects Executive comments, “Firstly I would like to wish you all a happy Ramadan.

I am looking forward to the community coming together to celebrate Eid and promote the diversity of Huddersfield. I look forward to seeing your delicious cakes”.

So what are you waiting for? Get baking and clicking those pics!

DELAYS ON POSTAL DELIVERIES MAY AFFECT ELECTIONS

BY TONY EARNSHAW | LDRS Reporter

The new five-door Golf becomes available in the UK as Volkswagen works to broaden already-strong interest in its plug-in hybrid Golf, which to this point has been represented here solely by the sporty Golf GTE. Sitting beneath the 245 PS GTE, the new 204 PS eHybrid model is offered exclusively in luxurious ‘Style’ trim, meaning that this sprightly yet frugal new offering is as well appointed as it is well engineered.

The new plug-in hybrid drive makes it possible for the Golf to become a zero tailpipeemission vehicle when running on pure-electric power only.

Check it out at Volkswagen. co.uk and tell us what you think.

Delayed postal votes could affect next week’s local elections, it has been warned after a Dewsbury woman revealed she was still waiting for her ballot paper.

Jax Lovelock said she made an application for postal votes for her and her father, who is shielding due to Covid, as soon as she was able in March.

The forms should have arrived today but did not. (Apr 29) Now Kirklees Council has confirmed that some voters are yet to receive their packs but has pledged to ensure that no-one will miss out.

A spokesman said: “We have provisions in place to replace any postal vote packs that have not been delivered.”

Ms Lovelock contacted the council when her postal votes failed to materialise and was told she would have to travel into Huddersfield to collect replacement papers in person.

She said that was “ridiculous”.

“I can do it – and will do it – but I’ll have to take time out of work to do so.

“I was told I’d need ID for both me and my dad as well as a letter of consent from him.

“But what about those vulnerable people that can’t travel? How do they ensure they can vote?

“I’m also worried that there may not be enough time between now and polling day to collect the postal vote, fill it in and get to a post office to post it in time for May 6.

“There are no words to describe how I

The scene at Cathedral House in Huddersfield for the local election count in 2019 feel about this.”

She said a council employee revealed that whilst the problem did not appear to be widespread it was random in that spouses in the same household could be affected: one receiving the postal vote but not the other.

She added: “It absolutely frustrates me no end that the most vulnerable people might not be allowed a say in what happens to them locally, and goodness knows why.”

A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “We’re aware that some voters are yet

to receive their postal vote pack.

“Royal Mail commenced delivery of the postal vote packs on April 22 and they are on their way to all households that have applied for a postal vote this year.

“We understand many people applied for a postal vote this year due to the ongoing pandemic and if anyone’s postal vote does not arrive in the next couple of days, which we’re hopeful will not be the case, we have provisions in place to replace any postal vote packs that have not been delivered.

“If you have a postal vote in place and it

does not arrive by the weekend, please contact us and we can arrange for a replacement to be issued.

“Anyone visiting a polling station to vote on May 6, please know that we have all the right measures in place to ensure they are as Covid-secure and as safe as possible for all voters and staff.”

Anyone experiencing problems with postal votes should contact the council’s For any further information or advice please contact electoral services team on: electoral.registration@ kirklees.gov.uk

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FASHIONISTAS FIND ASOS’ NEW ASIAN WEDDING OUTFITS 'PROBLEMATIC' Internet fashion giant ASOS has met with criticism from some shoppers after launching a brand new bridalwear range.

The retailer has launched a range of Lehengas outfits traditionally worn at special South Asian events and weddings.

Posting on its Facebook and Twitter accounts, ASOS shared photos of outfits from its new collection, writing: "We've just expanded our bridal range."

However, the retailer was quickly met with criticism from shoppers, who pointed out that the outfits aren't traditionally bridal. "‘Bridal wear’ from where pls. this is a basic af outfit. the kind you wear to an event not a wedding. plus stealing from our culture? no thanks. try again asos," slammed one critic.

"These are not bridal lol," a third person wrote.

Somebody else said: "There’s no way these are bridal. Stay in your lane ASOS." Some shoppers however were concerned it could lead to cultural appropriation and mean less support for local Asian businesses.

Another critic of the collection tweeted: "Outfits for South Asian events are most often tailored to suit each person so when you have an event with 500+

JUST WEEKS UNTIL RULES CHANGE ON MAY 17 – HERE’S WHAT WE’LL BE ALLOWED TO DO

people, everyone has something unique on. This seems like it just capitalises off our culture and jeopardises small businesses in our community and it’s disappointing."

"Much rather go to Southall and Leicester anyways and get my wear from local businesses and support them," somebody else tweeted.

"Hopefully this don’t get out of hand local Indian dress shops are so vital for the community," chimed in another.

Asos said: "This product is part of our new South Asian wedding collection. One of our ASOSers, who is South Asian, suggested we create more pieces like this, so we can make sure we’re offering the best fashion for a variety of occasions.

"He assisted in the buying, design and creation of these products to bring the collection authenticity, educated our team on the cultural context, fabrics and terminology, and had final approval of the designs.

"It’s something we feel passionately about, and which we want to continue in the future."

BORIS JOHNSON SAID SOCIAL DISTANCING COULD END NEXT MONTH Boris Johnson has said there is a ‘good chance’ social distancing can be dropped from June 21.

Speaking to reporters on the campaign trail in Hartlepool, the prime minister said the success of the vaccine rollout – which has seen 50 million jabs administered, with one in four adults now fully-protected – is ‘really starting to show up in the epidemiology’.

Mr Johnson said he thinks ‘that we will be able to go ahead’ with the next stage of lockdown easing on May 17, when people

got a good chance of being able to dispense with the onemetre plus from June 21.

‘That is still dependent on the data. But that’s what it feels like to me right now.’

will be able to mix indoors, indoor hospitality reopens and foreign travel resumes.

Under his roadmap out of lockdown, June 21 is the date by which it is hoped all remaining legal restrictions on social contact can be removed.

He added: ‘But it also looks to me as though June 21 we’ll be able to say social distancing as we currently have to do it, the one-metre plus, I think we have

However, there have been suggestions other protective measures, such as face masks, may remain in place beyond that date.

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England is just two weeks away from taking its next big step out of lockdown on May 17. People have since a glimpse of freedoms with the reopening of outdoor restaurants and pub gardens, as well as beauty salons, hairdressers and gyms.

However, from May 17, things are meant to be getting a whole lot better.

If the vaccination rollout continues, and infection rates remain under control, it is hoped people in England will be able to mix indoors from May 17.

The rule of six will still be in force for indoor meet ups, although more than six people may meet inside if there are no more than two households mixing at once. Hugging friends and family from different households could also be allowed for the first time in more than a year. Overnight stays at each other’s homes will also be allowed.

Similarly, indoor hospitality venues, including pubs and restaurants, will begin welcoming guests and letting groups of up to six people share a table inside. Meanwhile, the limit on outdoor gatherings is expected to be increased from six to 30. This includes wedding ceremonies and receptions.

Indoor exercise classes, museums, cinemas and indoor children’s play areas will also reopen.

Some controlled larger indoor and outdoor events

will be permitted, with the Government carrying out pilot schemes to figure out how this would work.

Additionally, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on May 3 that the rule of 30 at funerals will be dropped on May 17, with venues assessing how many people can fit in indoor and outdoor spaces with social distancing in place.

Finally, holidays abroad could be permitted after this date, but people have been discouraged people from booking foreign trips for now. As with all other stages of the roadmap, lockdown rules will only be eased if these four conditions are met: The vaccination programme continues successfully.

Data shows that the vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated. Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS. The Government’s risk assessment does not fundamentally change because of any new Covid-19 variants.

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APPEAL, VEHICLE DAMAGE INCIDENT, HUDDERSFIELD Police in Kirklees are appealing for information after a road rage incident involving two vehicles in Huddersfield.

Kirklees Patrol Team officers are continuing to investigate the incident which took place at about 12.30pm on Monday April 12 on Castlegate.

It occurred after a Mitsubishi L200 was involved in a minor collision with an unregistered off road bike while turning left onto Castlegate at traffic

lights opposite the town’s bus station.

The rider then followed the car to the next set of traffic lights, opposite the fire station, where he got off the motorbike and kicked the Mitsubishi, causing damage.

The suspect, who was riding without a helmet, then returned to the motorbike and rode off in the direction of Shorehead roundabout and the Sainsbury’s supermarket.

He is described an

overweight Asian male, aged between his late teens and mid 20s, 5ft 7ins tall, and wearing black trousers.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to contact Kirklees Police by calling 101 and quoting incident reference 13210179913. or online via www.westyorkshire.police. uk/101livechat Information can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE LAUNCH POL-ED, KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE Educational Needs are also being catered for with bespoke lessons being produced specifically them.

This will ensure all children have access to the learning and information that they need to keep them safe.

West Yorkshire Police are providing the programme free of charge to all 1260 plus schools and education providers within West Yorkshire. The Pol-Ed team have also ensured that the lessons and inputs provided are aligned to the objectives within the PSHE curriculum and are OFSTED compliant.

Chief Constable John Robins launched Pol-Ed West Yorkshire Police have launched what they believe to be a trail blazing project to help with safeguarding and protecting all young people across West Yorkshire. The project Pol-Ed has been developed by officers and teachers working within West Yorkshire Police for delivery by schools and education providers across the county.

Pol-Ed is a comprehensive programme of lessons that follow children through their school career from age six to 16 years and beyond. Every term at school, for every age group, has a different, but

integrated, series of PolEd lessons that develop as children travel through their educational journey. As the children and young people get older, the lessons change, and themes are revisited that are age suitable.

The ultimate aim of the project is to keep every child in West Yorkshire safe. The resources will provide teachers with the tools to deliver information on the law, crime prevention and safeguarding whilst also building an understanding of resilience, peer to peer support and where to access help if needed.

Children with Special

The force will also be working in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University to

Pol-Ed

academically research the PolEd programme. With Pol-Ed believed to be the first police programme of its kind in the country, the team feel it’s important that they evaluate and understand the long-term impact on children both in their changes to attitude and behaviour.

Chief Constable John Robins QPM said: “This is an amazing programme, which I believe may be the first in the country.

It is designed by teachers for teachers, to be delivered through PSHE. We are pleased to be working in this partnership with schools to deliver education to children and young people, education on policing matters - Police Education or “PolEd” as it will be known.

“We want the PolEd programme to be a key part of our long term approach to keeping children safe. I hope that children and young people across West Yorkshire come to recognise the PolEd brand as something that is there to help them. I hope that teachers see it as a useful, professional, pre-prepared set of lesson plans that cover difficult but essential areas of education for all children and young people.

“The lessons and educational resources, of course, cover crime prevention and personal safety issues; but they are also there to explore and encourage healthy relationships, understand

sexual offences, online safety, respect for each other, of course focussing on respect for women and girls and throughout the lessons which cover safeguarding issues. All the lessons are age appropriate and follow themes through a child’s educational journey from 6 to 16 years and beyond.

“This is just the start and the launch. Lessons will develop and change over time, constantly improving.

“I hope Pol-Ed will contribute to a positive generational change across West Yorkshire, benefitting not only our young adults of the future, but society in the coming decades ahead. “

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DISCRIMINATION LAWYER SLAMS GOVERNMENT’S FAILURE TO CONSIDER EXEMPTION TO COVID RULES FOR EID CELEBRATIONS.

From March this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s four step roadmap began to help lift the UK out of lockdown and reopen the country. The UK is currently at Step Two of the government’s roadmap, which has so far seen schools re-open in March, and has allowed for outdoor hospitality to reopen in England since April 12.

Alongside pubs, restaurants and cafes, non-essential retail and gyms have also reopened, following almost four months of restrictions.

From May 17, indoor hospitality will be allowed to reopen under Step Three, along with museums, cinemas and hotels - should the data allow. Two households will also be able meet indoors for the first time since Christmas.

The roadmap is underpinned by four key tests that are linked to data, which will act like a checklist that must be met before moving on to the next step of reopening.

The four tests will determine whether the vaccine roll-out is going as planned; vaccines are effective in bringing down deaths and hospitalisations; case numbers are not rising so fast that the NHS

risks being overwhelmed; and new variants do not create unforeseen risks.

The third test has triggered early debate, because rising cases alone will not be enough to stop reopening. That will happen only

if rising cases risk overwhelming hospitals.

It comes as new data shows just one in 100 people hospitalised with Covid-19 since the start of Britain’s vaccine rollout had received a jab at least three weeks beforehand.

The failure by the government to even have a discussion about the possibility of exemptions to the rules to allow families to celebrate Eid together is in stark contrast to the conversations around Christmas which started by September and subsequently gathered momentum. This was despite all the data suggesting the idea of Christmas gatherings were just too dangerous and risky. We are in a totally different place now; with deaths and infections the lowest since the start of the pandemic and society gearing up to a return to a sense of normality.

Yunus Lunat Discrimination lawyer and community activist

Yunus Lunat Scientists said the real-world data, showing the impact of vaccines on the most vulnerable people, had given them “a moment of joy”, and should reassure the public about the difference vaccines are making.

According to the new data, just one

dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines led to a two-thirds drop in cases and was 74 per cent effective against symptomatic infection.

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, confirmed on April 28 that the UK had secured another 60

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million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which will be used for booster jabs for the vulnerable, beginning in the autumn.

As of May 2, a total of 34,505,380 people have received one dose of the vaccine, with over 15.3 million people having received both jabs.

With this in mind, community activist and lawyer, Yunus Lunat is disappointed the government hasn’t taken steps to consider the possibility of exemptions to the rules to allow families to celebrate Eid together.

The award-winning lawyer told Asian Standard: “The failure by the government to even have a discussion about the possibility of exemptions to the rules to allow families to celebrate Eid together is in stark contrast to the conversations around Christmas which started

by September and subsequently gathered momentum.

“This was despite all the data suggesting the idea of Christmas gatherings were just too dangerous and risky. We are in a totally different place now; with deaths and infections the lowest since the

ASIAN STANDARD / KIRKLEES

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start of the pandemic and society gearing up to a return to a sense of normality.

restrictions is it fair to ask the government to consider allowing Eid celebrations?

“This was an opportunity for the government to be proactive in its engagement and to demonstrate that it governs for all communities.

This is particularly important in light of the difficulties that the authorities have experienced in conveying their messages regarding the virus risks and then the vaccinations to ethnic minority communities.”

Matt Hancock stated on April 28 that current lockdown restrictions would not be eased ahead of schedule: “The data show that we are essentially precisely on track for where we expected to be at this point and that is obviously good news.” Mr Hancock also confirmed that there are no current plans to relax funeral restrictions.

Asian Standard asked the Muslim Council of Britain for their view on this. The spokesperson of MCB, avoided the question and said:

British Muslims and community leaders had criticised the Health Secretary when he cancelled Eid-Al-Adha last year via a tweet at 9.16pm, the night before Eid celebrations were due to take place.

“The MCB’s priority remains ensuring the safety of our communities and by extension society generally. In line with this, we published our Safe Ramadan guidance and have been working closely with our affiliates to support them.”

However, despite the ‘last-minute’ lockdown, Muslims quickly adapted and the vast majority cancelled their celebrations to follow the new guidelines set by the Health Secretary.

This year however, coronavirus cases are down and more than 15 million people have received their second vaccine jab. With the difference of a mere 4-5 days from Eid-Ul-Fitr to step three of lifting

What are your thoughts?

Should the government consider easing lockdown and allow Eid celebrations a few days ahead of step three of the roadmap?

Mr Johnson during a visit in Batley

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With live products in the showroom, you can get a real feel for what you are purchasing. By appointment, we can arrange a bakery or wood-burning demonstration to show you first-hand how to get the best out of your appliance.

Call now to book an appointment 01484 425416.

Join the conversation with #EasinglockdownforEid

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DESPITE MASSIVE PROGRESS IN VACCINATIONS VARIANTS ARE STILL CAUSING CONCERN Health Secretary receives his first jab

BY DAVID WIBBERLEY The NHS have announced that people aged 40 and over can now book an appointment for a coronavirus vaccine.

flow test have been removed if the person subsequently took a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test – for which swabs are sent to a lab for analysis – and tested negative within three days.

Text messages will now go out to 40 and 41-year-olds inviting them to book an appointment for a first dose of the jab. This is the third time in a week that the age for people to get a vaccination has been lowered.

It is now thought the infection rate in the first peak last spring was much higher than was evident from the reported number of cases. Experts say testing capacity was too limited, at the time, to detect the true number of daily cases.

Since the vaccination roll-out began in December last year, more than 34 million people have given at least one dose in England. More than 14 million people have now been fully vaccinated with their second dose.

NHS Medical Director, Professor Stephen Powis, said: “The rapid rollout of the NHS vaccination programme, the swiftest in Europe, is down to months of careful planning and sheer hard work by nurses, doctors and countless other staff supported by our volunteers”.

He went on to urge everyone to get the vaccination as soon as they were eligible. He said: “If you receive a text inviting you for your jab, please follow the instructions provided and book – it is simple, effective and provides vital protection against the virus”.

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, 42 received his first dose earlier this week. He was given the Oxford AstraZenica vaccine by deputy chief medical officer for England, Jonathan Van-Tam.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that while the UK continues to make progress against Covid, however the majority of scientific experts believe there will be another wave at some stage this year.

Deputy chief medical officer for England, Jonathan Van-Tam has given Matt Hancock his first dose of the vaccine There are now over 1700 vaccination sites across the country. including mosques, museums and rugby grounds.

According to the NHS it is estimated that the vast majority of the people in England live within 10 miles of at least one vaccination service.

infections per 100,000 people in the previous seven days. The rate in Bradford has now dropped to 56 per 100,000.

Infection rates across the country have fallen significantly in recent weeks with Selby being the worst affected with 107 reported cases in 100,000 of the population.

The North East is fairing even better with Darlington reporting 26 cases, Newcastle and South Tyneside both reporting 21 and Sunderland reporting 18 new cases, per 100,000.

Data from the week ending 11 April, showed that during that week Covid-19 was spreading more in Bradford than in any other part of the UK with 92.4

Kirklees had also seen a significant drop in its reported figures, down to 71 and Leeds has reduced to 41 cases, per 100,000.

The government have recently changed the way cases in England are reported. Cases that were identified using a lateral

PHE, Susan Hopkins said: “Case numbers for both new variants under investigation remain low and investigations continue into links with international travel”.

In reassuring the public Ms Hopkins added: “There is no evidence of widespread community transmission or that these variants cause more severe disease or render the vaccines currently deployed any less effective.”

Although massive progress has been made with the vaccination programme in England it is likely that those in their thirties will have to wait a few more weeks before being invited to come forward.

People under the age of 30, who are the last cohort to be offered the jab, will be given either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, after officials said that this group should not be offered the AstraZeneca vaccine due to concerns about a very rare potential side effect in the form of an unusual type of blood clot.

Currently England is on track for the next stage of the lifting of lockdown on 17th May with the possibility of the easing of international travel, people being able to meet in groups of up to 30 outdoors, restaurants and other hospitality venues open indoors, and up to 30 people attending weddings or other life events.

The major concern for the government appears to be the spread of variants of the virus.

Public Health England have just announced that hundreds more cases of the Indian variant have been found after two further strains were formally identified.

PHE said the two strains from the same linage have been identified and classified as separate variants. This has now tripled the known cases of variants in England to 400. PHE said they did not believe that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that there had been any significant spread in this country and believed the vast majority of cases were linked to international travel.

Strategic response director at

NHS Medical Director, Professor Stephen Powis

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BRITISH MAN WHO MOVED TO MUMBAI 9 YEARS AGO TALKS ABOUT INDIA’S COVID SURGE AND HOW YOU CAN HELP. British born Vaseem Kader, moved to Mumbai, India nine years ago, with his wife and parents and has become a successful social entrepreneur in the city which is home to the world’s largest film industry.

He told Asian Standard, that his life has been pretty great in India until the Covid disaster hit, destroying families, livelihoods and creating panic.

“I have never seen anything like it” Shared Vaseem over a video call.

“We [India] opened up last year after the first lockdown and just like many other business owners my cosmetics business had suffered during the first lockdown, but then when we opened up, we had a boom. While you guys in the UK, then went into your second lockdown in January, we in India thought we were invincible.”

“The problem here is mismanagement of government. Disaster management in India has been a Disaster.

“If you look at the death rate, it’s not the highest by

18million confirmed cases since the pandemic began.

Vaseem Kader population, the issue is the lack of resources reaching people and making people suffer. The lack of healthcare getting to people quickly. India isn’t short of resources - it’s made the vaccine.”

On Friday 30 April India set another record of new Covid-19 infections in a day - with 386,452 new cases in the last 24 hours.

The country has had more than

As news filters in about hospitals running out of beds, patients with severe Covid are left to fend for themselves at home or be treated at hospital car parks and in the streets.

Distraught people are flooding social media with pleas for oxygen and medicines.

Many deaths in rural areas are also going unregistered. It’s an emergency but thankfully several countries including the UK have sent in aid to help India during this crisis.

The UK has around 1.4million British Indians, many of whom

have been anxiously waiting for news from loved ones, to ensure they are safe or at least have access to treatment from this deadly virus. They also want to do what they can to help India during this catastrophe.

Vaseem, has also offered to help through his social enterprise – Happy Foundation.

He said: “How people can help is by supporting those people who can no longer go to work.”

He continued.

“Imagine a father who is a taxi driver, with lockdown in place how is he going to earn for his family? Where is his income

going to come from?” Asked Vaseem “He isn’t as lucky as the British people who have furlough schemes, grants and even interest free loans. India doesn’t have a decent healthcare or a welfare system and that is the biggest problem here. I am lucky I have a lot of support, but so many of these people don’t and if we don’t help them, many of them will starve.”

The social entrepreneur has decided to step up his social work by helping those who are without income and has had many friends and family from

the UK getting in touch with donations, so they can directly reach those in need, without any red tape or commissions.

If you want to help or donate you can do so by either sending a donation via the Just Giving page https://www. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ vaseem-kader?utm_ term=Q43pBB74W or directly via bank transfer to Starling Bank Maheshkumar Shah A/c 60828114 60-83-71 IBAN: GB12SRLG60837160828114 SWIFT/BIC: SRLGGB2L You can learn more about Vaseem’s work by visiting https://everythinghappy.in/

It’s the little things we do that make the biggest difference...

Salaam, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, volunteers needed.

We all know how important it is for an aunty and an uncle to get their daily cup of chai and atta for their roti. So why not sign up to the NHS Volunteer Responders programme and help those in your community who cannot get it for themselves?

The time needed to volunteer is flexible and on your terms.

Volunteers must be 18 or over, and own a smartphone.

Volunteers needed. Sign up to help support your local community.

If you’d like to volunteer, or need support, please visit nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk

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PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THORNTON LODGE ACTION GROUP

Thornton Lodge Action Group become Community Champions

Thornton Lodge Action Group (TAG) is a charity established in 2006 and is based in Crosland Moor in Huddersfield. The community is home to a large Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population with 84% of the local population accounting for people of Pakistani heritage.

In recent years it has welcomed new communities from Africa and Middle Eastern countries.

The mission of Thornton Lodge Action Group is: - to reduce inequality and disadvantage by addressing gaps in local services and working with partners to alleviate hardship in the local community - to give our clients a sense of belonging and encourage them to make a contribution to the community - to support local residents to develop their skills, confidence

Lead Community Champion, Missbah Hussain, said,

and self-esteem through education, training and employability activities with the broader aim of improving the education, health and economic welfare of the community and local community relations.

“The vaccine is important in saving lives and regaining our freedoms. I please ask that everyone really considers taking up the free vaccine when they are offered it as we want as many people as possible to be protected from COVID-19.”

To achieve our purpose, we work closely with community members to provide a coherent voice to promote positive change and regeneration in our ward. We take a multi-agency approach and work with the Local Authority, Clinical Commissioning Group, Children Centres, Youth Groups and the Police.

Community Champions A recent project Thornton Lodge Action Group has secured is focused on addressing vaccine hesitancy within local communities.

Working with the local authority, public health teams and voluntary community organisations the charity has trained up and appointed 6 Community Champions of different ethnicities and gender to reflect the community it intends to serve.

Over the next six months, the Community Champions will be engaging with local residents to answer questions they may have

Community Champion speaking to a local resident about COVID Vaccination

regarding any misconceptions that have arisen since the rollout of the vaccine. Some of the misconceptions we have addressed so far are that the vaccine poses risk to fertility, that it contains a tracking microchip and that contents of the vaccine are linked to non-halal ingredients.

Whilst the Muslim population mark the holy month of Ramadan we want to spread the message that taking the vaccine does not affect the daily practice of fasting.

Look out for the Community Champions who will be working at school gates, places of worship, outside community centres and busy community areas. If you would like to be put in touch with a Community Champion or you think you can help increase the vaccine take up, please call 07871938174. We can put you in touch with English, Urdu, Punjabi and Arabic speaking Champions.

TAG has fundraised and secured grants to run a spectrum of projects supporting the needs of all sections of the local community.

PROJECTS ARE DRIVEN FROM OUR COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN AND FOCUS ON FOUR KEY STRANDS OF WORK: 1. Education and Training - Community courses, employment support, volunteering, skills training, work placements 2. Health and Wellbeing Exercise and movement, tackling social isolation and domestic violence through befriending, walking groups, work with the over 50’s 3. Sports and Recreation Tackling anti-social behaviour, petty crime, radicalisation through weekend residential, youth leadership, physical and sport activities.

4. Environment - Litter picking, energy efficient homes, improving green areas, reducing carbon footprint.

More information about the charity visit: www.tactiongroup.org.uk or call 07871938174

12

ASIAN STANDARD / KIRKLEES

@ASIANSTANDARD

COUNCIL URGES CAUTION AS COVID-19 INFECTIONS RISE Kirklees’ Covid-19 infection rate is currently the highest in the country after a 22 per cent rise in cases in the last week. The council is urging everyone to play their part in preventing the spread of the virus and to join more than 200,000 local people who have now had their first vaccine dose.

With 71 people per 100,000 in Kirklees testing positive for Covid-19 over the last seven days, the borough’s infection rate is now the highest in England.

There were 316 new confirmed positive cases in the last week in Kirklees, an increase of 22 per cent on last week when there were 257.

The number of deaths in local hospitals related to Covid-19 was four, an increase from one last week. Although the number of people being treated with the virus in those hospitals remains at 16 – no change on last week.

More than 203,000 people in Kirklees have now had at least their first Covid-19 vaccine dose and 96,000 of those have had their second.

Kirklees Council are urging anyone aged 40 and over

in Kirklees can book their vaccination now.

down further. There are three things I’m asking everyone to do over the next few weeks.

Keeping doing the basics, stay safe outdoors and get vaccinated.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Strategic Director for Public Health at Kirklees Council said: “Rates of infection have been reducing in Kirklees over recent months but they have increased in the last week and are currently the highest in England. We can’t ignore our position in the league table and the threat the virus continues to pose.

“Keep doing the basics means; continue to wash your hands, wear a mask and make sure you’re social distancing when you’re out.

Getting tested regularly, or if you have symptoms, is another important way to keep our community safe.

“We need to bring our infection rate down further, particularly with more restrictions now eased and people more likely to come into contact with different households. We have to work together even harder to reduce infection rates and understand that there’s no room for complacency.

“Council staff are out in the community talking to local people and businesses every day about how they can play their part to reduce the spread of the infection. We are delivering community testing for thousands of residents each week and our local contact tracing is helping to contain the spread. We are also working with our partners

“It’s safer outdoors – we can now enjoy more freedoms, including meeting people outside our household. There’s much less chance of passing on the virus when you’re outside but please remember to stick to the public health advice.

Rachel Spencer Henshall in the NHS to arrange pop-up vaccination clinics and our Community Champions are making sure everyone has the right advice and access to their vaccination. In line with restrictions lifting, we’re continuing to work closely

with businesses and venues to support them to reopen safely.

“There are some simple steps we can all take to make sure we build on the progress we’ve made over the past few months and bring infections

“When it’s your turn, please take the vaccine - if you’re over 40, you can book your appointment right now. The vaccine is safe, effective and protects both you and your community. Almost 300,000 vaccinations have now been administered in Kirklees and the programme is successfully bringing down the number

of people needing hospital treatment.

“The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for so many reasons and has had a significant impact on everyone in some way.

“I want to thank all of you for everything you have done in keeping yourself and others safe for such a long time. Your efforts over the past few months mean that we now have many more reasons to be hopeful.

By following the guidance and getting vaccinated, you have helped to bring down the number of people getting seriously ill with the virus. The sacrifices you have made also mean we can look forward to regaining more freedoms as we follow the government’s roadmap.

“By working together, we can bring our infection rates down again, ease pressure on our health services and finally get our lives back to normal. Thank you for playing your part.”

If you’re vulnerable and need support, please visit Kirklees Council’s website or call 0800 4561114.

3 - 9 MAY 2021

AMRISH PURI'S GRANDSON VARDHAN PURI: MY GRANDPA WASN'T AROUND TO MAKE CALLS FOR ME ANGELINA JOLIE'S ROLE IN 'THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD', A HEALING EXPERIENCE FOR HER LAAL SINGH CHADDHA: AAMIR KHAN AND NAGA CHAITANYA TO SHOOT FOR WAR SCENES IN LADAKH

WHAT'S COOKING WITH MASTERCHEF FINALIST

MADEEHA QURESHI

TWO

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

ANGELINA JOLIE'S ROLE IN 'THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD', A HEALING EXPERIENCE FOR HER

that her latest role in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' Hollywood star Angelina Jolie recently revealed ences to create a more impactful performance. allowed her to tap into her own emotions and experi interview, the actor revealed that in the upcoming According to People magazine, during an on-set Hannah, a smokejumper still reeling from the loss ter charac thriller 'Those Who Wish Me Dead', her broken person who carries a great deal of guilt." of three lives she failed to save from a fire is "a very h something and are broken and then find throug been Jolie said, "I am drawn to people who have their way forward and overcome it." for to play people like that. She's been very healing She further added, "As an artist, it's very healing a like feels movie the while And up." back stand me because you just get so broken and then you al terrain inside a great fire, the Oscar winner said great thriller and a great adventure across an unusu well, in a metaphorical sense. as that it's a really emotional film under the surface, t on each other and change each other.

She said, "It's about people who have a great impac Directed by Oscar-nominee Taylor Sheridan, fire." the h throug Emotionally and practically, they go r across a distressed 12-year-old boy named Conno 'Those Who Wish Me Dead sees Hannah' comes and said, "She carries ine magaz People to ter charac her about with no one else to turn to. Jolie talked jumper and a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but she's a lot of guilt, and is quite broken. She's a smoke she feels responsible for it." "I was so happy to and y, traged also somebody that has experienced sweaty, and do things I've never done and feel very be pushed to just toughen up and get dirty and capable," she concluded.

DILIP SAHEB IS HEALTHY, CURRENTLY GOING HOME, SHARES WIFE SAIRA BANU Legendary actor Dilip Kumar is 'in best of his health', informed Saira Banu, veteran actor and wife of Kumar.

The 98-year-old actor was admitted to Hinduja Hospital in Khar for two days for some routine checkup and tests after being suggested by doctors, she added. He was advised by the doctors to get admitted to the Hinduja Hospital in Khar (a non-COVID hospital) for routine check-ups. There is no complexation in the body, his condition is fine, the 'Padosan' actor told ANI. She added, In the last two days, all the tests have been done and now he has been discharged from the hospital.

Thanking fans for all the well wishes, Banu said, because of all your prayers, Dilip saheb is healthy and is currently going home. She added, In the last two days, all the tests have been done and now he has been discharged from the hospital.

Thanking fans for all the well wishes, Banu said, because of all your prayers, Dilip saheb is healthy and is currently going home. Meanwhile, the 'Kranti' actor had cancelled his birthday celebration last December due to the COVID crisis. While his wife Saira Banu has been continuing with her charity work and helping the needy, which has been her monthly ritual for several years.

LAAL SINGH CHADDHA: AAMIR KHAN AND NAGA CHAITANYA TO SHOOT FOR WAR SCENES IN LADAKH

Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist is leaving no stone unturned for his next project Laal Singh Chaddha with Kareena Kapoor Khan. Despite delays in the release due to the Covid-19 pandemic the team is hopeful as it is believed they are expected to resume shooting soon According to a report published in Times of India, Aamir and his team will be shooting the next schedule in Ladakh and Kargil area. The media report stated that while Aamir’s photographers were spotted doing the recce of various locations in Kargil, the team is likely to shoot the war scenes in the area.

It is also reported that Naga Chaitanya, who will be making his Bollywood debut with Laal Singh Chaddha, will also be joining the shoot in Ladakh.

As per media reports, it will be a 45-day schedule and will include the shooting of several action and war sequences. Meanwhile, Kareena had already wrapped the shooting of the movie last year before going on her maternity break. For the uninitiated, Laal Singh Chaddha, which will be helmed

by Advait Chandan, happens to be the official Bollywood remake of Hollywood classic Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks.

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THREE

BRIDGERTON'S JONATHAN AMRISH PURI'S GRANDSON BAILEY STARTS FILMING FOR VARDHAN PURI: MY SECOND SEASON WITH GRANDPA WASN'T AROUND LEADING LADY SIMONE ASHLEY TO MAKE CALLS FOR ME

'Bridgerton' fans, rejoice! Filming of the second season of the popular romantic Netflix series revolving around the new love story of Anthony Bridgeton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) has officially started. People Magazine captured Jonathan Bailey, who is reprising his role as Anthony Bridgerton with new costar Simone Ashley, who is playing the leading lady and Anthony's on-screen love interest Kate Sharma on the set of the series' forthcoming season. In the snaps from the film set, the duo was spotted attending a horse race alongside an array of other 'Bridgerton' stars including the other Bridgeton family brothers- Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), sisterEloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), mother- Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell )and the saviour of all- Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh). The much-awaited second season the romantic drama will reportedly shift the focus from the love story between Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (Rege-Jean Page) to Anthony's romance with Kate.

It will be based on Julia Quinn's novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, as per People Magazine.

Producer Shonda Rhimes has earlier revealed that the first season of the much-loved series was one of the long-awaited projects as part of the eight-show deal she made with Netflix in 2017.

Season one of the series is based on Julia Quinn's novels set in the competitive world of Regencyera London's ton during the season

when debutantes are presented at court. The drama is narrated through the lens of a mysterious gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews). With a viewership of 82 million households, 'Bridgeton' has become the most-watched series on Netflix. The series reached No. 1 in 76 countries on Netflix. In January 2021, Netflix announced that the series was renewed for a second season.

However, in April 2021, creator Chris Van Dusen revealed on his Twitter handle that the series had additionally been renewed for a third and fourth season too. In the announcement which came in the form of one of Lady Whistledown's infamous society papers, viewers learned that Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season and that Whistledown would have her pen ready to report on any and all of his romantic activities. According to People Magazine, if the plot of the book and the series remain the same, viewers will see Anthony looking to find a suitable wife to settle down with, but not to love as

for the eldest Bridgeton, love is off the table after he breaks up with his secret girlfriend, Siena Rosso played by Sabrina Bartlett.

Meanwhile, in February People Magazine broke the news that Simone Ashley would be joining the cast as Kate, the smart, headstrong young woman who suffers no fools including her to-be onscreen love Anthony Bridgerton. In the novel, Ashley's character is named Kate Sheffield. However, the show's creative team previously decided her family would be of Indian descent and changed her surname to Sharma, Deadline reported. British Indian actor Charithra Chandran has been cast as Kate's younger sisterEdwina, who would be seen as the latest diamond of the first water. On the other hand, the first season's incomparable beauty Daphne Bridgeton, played by Phoebe Dynevor will also be joining the cast of season two of 'Bridgerton' this spring; without her Duke, played by Rege Jene Page who announced his exit from the forthcoming parts of the series, in April.

Actor Vardhan Puri, who is late actor Amrish Puri's grandson, said his struggle has been no different from any other actor's because his grandfather was no more when he forayed into cinema.

"It's very difficult to make a mark in the industry. People actually do not assume I had it easy as my grandfather passed away when I was very young and he wasn't around to make calls for me or take me to filmmakers' offices," he told IANS. The actor, who made his debut with the film "Yeh Saali Aashiqui" in 2019, recalled his best memories with his grandfather.

"Everyone is very curious to know what dadu was like. The best memories I have are those when we used to watch films together. I long for those times to come back. I miss watching Chaplin films with him while we munched on lip-smacking snacks and chatted with the family during the breaks," he said. Vardhan

turned a year older on 2 May, and he recalled his grandfather used to be a big part of his birthday celebrations.

"In my childhood, my family, friends and I used to go to an uncle's farm in Madh Island and participate in sports all day. All my grandparents used to be judges and give away prizes. It was the best," he said. The actor plans to help people who have been affected

by Covid, this year. "This birthday I am coming together with an NGO to offer medical services to patients suffering from Covid. Apart from that, post dinner I plan on spending time with my parents, my sister Sachi, her husband Nishant, and my assistants who live with me.

After that, I will get on a zoom call with close friends and family and maybe play some games. I want to keep it low-key this time as I'm in no mood for celebration with everything that's going on," he said. The actor will next be seen in the film "The Last Show".

BEN AFFLECK, JENNIFER LOPEZ SEE EACH OTHER AFTER HER SPLIT American actor Ben Affleck was spotted visiting Lopez's Los Angeles home on Friday.

As per People magazine, a source who knows the 48-year-old Oscar-winning actor and JLo both, told the outlet, "They are friends. They have always been friends and they have seen each other through the years." Affleck and the 51-year-old songstress were engaged in 2002 and made headlines as 'Bennifer' during their years together. The two even co-featured in the movies 'Jersey Girl' and 'Gigli'. They delayed their 2003 wedding only days before they were set to walk down the aisle. The two formally split in January 2004. While the information on their friendship post-split may come as a shock to fans, the two have had only beneficial comments to one another as of late. At a point when Lopez was featured on the front of InStyle's May Beauty Issue, Affleck was among a portion of the stars met for the

piece where he applauded the 'Hustlers' actor's professionalism.

"I thought I had a good work ethic, but I was completely humbled and blown away by what she was committed to doing day in and day out, the seriousness in which she took her work, the quiet and dedicated way she went about accomplishing her goals, and then how she would go back and redouble her efforts," Affleck told the magazine. He proceeded, "She stays, right up 'til today, the most diligent individual I've run over around here.

She has the incredible ability, however, she has additionally buckled down for her success, and I'm so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves." As reported by People magazine, the exes have also considered their relationship previously, with Affleck discussing the amount of the media consideration about their relationship was unduly

negative towards Lopez while on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. "People were so f****** mean about her -- sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious s*** was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you

would literally be fired for saying those things you said," Affleck said during the podcast. "Now it's like, she's lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished -- as well she f*****

should be!" "I would say you have a better shot, coming from the Bronx, of ending up as like [Justice Sonia] Sotomayor on the Supreme Court than you do of having Jennifer Lopez's career and being who she is at 50 years old today," he added. In March 2016, Lopez told People magazine that she and the 'Gone Girl' star "didn't try to have a public relationship". "We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids and it was like, 'Oh my God.' It was just a lot of pressure." When she first met the actor, "I felt like ... 'Okay, this is it,' " the "Love Don't Cost a Thing" singer continued. "[But] sometimes I feel like what you think people are and how you see them when you love them is different than when they reveal later."

With respect to their split in 2004, Lopez reflected, "I think diverse time distinctive thing, who can say for sure what could've occurred, however there was a genuine love there."

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VARUN DHAWAN PENS DOWN THOUGHT-PROVOKING NOTE AMID PANDEMIC: 'WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER'

As the country goes through a rough phase due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bollywood star Varun Dhawan penned a thought-provoking note and said that 'we are all in this together'.

The 'Student of The Year' star took to Instagram and shared the message. He said, "If we all survive this, as I hope we shall, remember that when it came down to it, we didn't fight for land or weapons or house or jewellery.”

"We didn't fight for concert tickets or fancy designations or religions or politics. We didn't fight for shares in a company or a seat at the table. We didn't fight for business class tickets or the keys to a house by the beach. When all this is over, remember, that we fought for air," added Dhawan. Taking to the caption, the 'Coolie No 1' star stated, "We are in this together."

Celebrity followers including Katrina Kaif and more than 1.8 lakh followers liked the post. Aparshakti Khurana chimed into the comments section and wrote, "Very well said paaji. This breaks my heart each day a million times," and added a broken heart emoticon. A total of 4,01,993 fresh COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country taking the cumulative count of the cases to 1,91,64,969, the Union Health Ministry reported on Saturday. With 3,523 people succumbing to the infection in the last 24 hours, the death toll has mounted to 2,11,853. Currently, there are 32,68,710 active cases of COVID-19 in the country.

RADHE: SALMAN KHAN OPENS UP ON HIS KISS SCENE WITH DISHA PATANI

Since the announcement of Salman Khan’s much awaited cop drama Radh e: Your Most Wanted Bhai to release on Eid fans are coun ting days for the movie, with the traile r already creating so much buzz from the Prabhudheva directoria l. Amid this, Salman’s kissing scene with co-star Disha Patania has been winning a lot of attention as the Dabangg star is known to have no-kissing policy for years now.

However, in a recently released BTS video of the movie, Salman has finall y opened on the much talked about kissing scene and reve aled that there is a twist to it. The Prem Ratan Dhan Payo actor stated that while there is a kissing scene in the movie he revealed that he had kissed on the tape.

“Iss picture me kiss zarur hai.... Dish a ke saath nhi hai. Tape par hai kiss tape par,” he explained. This isn’t all. Salman was also seen singi ng praises for the MS Dhoni: The Unto ld Story actor and stated that he feels that they looked the sam e age.

"Kamaal ka kaam kiya unhone. Badi khoobsurat lagrai hain. Hum-umar lage hain hum dono. Nahi, woh meri umar ki nahi, main unki uma r ka laga hu (She has done wonderfu l work in the movie. She has looked very beautiful. We look to be of the same age too. No, she did not look my age, I looked like hers),” Salman was quoted sayin g. He also emphasised that he belie ves that an actor can do romance on the screen as long as he can do action.

Earlier, Disha had also heaped prais es for Salman and couldn’t stop gush ing about shaking a leg with the superstar in Seeti Maar. She stated, “It’s always so much fun work ing with Salman sir. It’s like when he performs, he doesn’t have a care in the world, he dances like nobody is watching. I think that is a part of his swag that’ s something that nobody can do. We really had some difficult steps. He didn’t even once say no for anything. Improvised also a lot. He just makes it look so effortless. Nobody can dance like him and he has his own style”.

SEETI MAAR COMPOSER, DEVI SRI PRASAD COMES ON BOARD RANVEER SINGH – ROHIT SHETTY STARRER CIRKUS Devi Sri Prasad, also known as DSP, is one of the biggest names in the Southern film industry, having composed chartbusters for Pawan Kalyan, Jr. NTR, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, Chiranjeevi and many more. He is termed the hit machine in terms of composers due to his ability to deliver consistent chartbusters.

Recently, he recreated his Allu Arjun megahit, Seeti Maar from DJ in Hindi, with Salman Khan and Disha Patani grooving to his tunes in Radhe. The song grabbed over 50 million views in four days on YouTube, becoming an ear worm for listeners.

Now the ace composer has come on board the Ranveer Singh fronted comedy, Cirkus, directed

by Rohit Shetty. “He has composed not one, but two songs for this comedy of errors. While one song has already been shot, the second song shoot is still pending. The ones who have heard the beats of the first song inform that it’s going to be an instant chartbuster,” revealed a source close to the development, adding further

that one of his two compositions is a party number whereas the second one is a romantic track.

“It will be shot closer to the release of the film, depending on Covid scenario. While principal shoot has been wrapped up, it’s just this one song that remains to be done,” the source added. It was a collective decision of Rohit and Bhushan Kumar to bring DSP on board Cirkus, as the makers felt his music would do complete justice to the world that they are trying to create. Apart from the two DSP songs, Cirkus has music composed by some Hindi composers too, however, all the details have been kept under wraps for now.

The movie, an adaptation of Comedy of Errors, features Ranveer and Varun Sharma in a double role. Pooja Hegde and Jacqueline Fernandez as the female lead. The movie is gearing up for a new year release on December 31. The movie also features Deepika Padukone in a special dance number.

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

WHAT’S ON

FIVE

EID SPECIAL

With Eid around the corner, it’s surely time to party. Only with lockdown in place parties may still be limited. If you are going to play it safe and stay indoors for Eid, here are our recommended must watch for the festive period.

RADHE – YOUR MOST WANTED BHAI

LAVA KA DHAAVA

RELEASE DATE: MAY 13 PLATFORM: ZEEPLEX

RELEASE DATE: MAY 5 PLATFORM: NETFLIX

This is probably at the very top of the list, with the mega multi-platform release and starring none other than Salman Khan. Radhe is bhaijan’s much-awaited release and will hit theatres and ZEE5’s pay per view platform ZeePlex simultaneously. The film features Salman as a police officer who has his own style of working. Helmed by Prabhudheva, Radhe also has Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, Jackie Shroff and Megha Akash in pivotal roles.

The trailer of the movie, which released a few days back, promised a masala entertainer with some over the top action sequences and dialogues for fans of Salman Khan.

Lava Ka Dhaava is an adaptation of Netflix’s Floor Is Lava, created

by Megan McGrath and Irad Eyal. Jaaved Jafferi has given the voiceover in the show, and for those who have been fans of the popular Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle and were missing it, Lava Ka Dhaava is for you. The official synopsis of the show reads, “An obstacle game show, a room filled with literal lava and Jaaved Jaaferi’s commentary. #LavaKaDhaava is a dubbed adaptation of The Floor Is Lava, where teams compete to navigate rooms flooded with literal lava. Leaping from chairs, hanging from curtains, swinging from chandeliers, climbing the walls – it only gets MORE intense. Catch the action unfold with Jaaved Jaaferi in Lava Ka Dhaava on 5th May, only on Netflix.”

TOOFAN

RELEASE DATE: MAY 21 PLATFORM: AMAZON PRIME

SARDAR KA GRANDSON RELEASE DATE: MAY 18 PLATFORM: NETFLIX

Featuring Arjun Kapoor and Neena Gupta in the lead roles, Sardar Ka Grandson is a family entertainer. Directed by Kaashvie Nair, the film is about a grandson (Kapoor) trying to fulfil his grandmother’s (Gupta) wish to visit her home in Lahore. As he cannot take her to Lahore, he plans to move the entire house from Lahore to Amritsar. The film also stars Rakulpreet Singh, John Abraham and Aditi Rao Hydari in prominent roles.

Actor-director duo Farhan Akhtar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who gave cinephiles the National Award-winning sports biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, are all set to present another sports drama, Toofan. It also stars Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Supriya Pathak Kapur and Hussain Dalal. According to the makers, the film, “presents the story of a goon from the streets of Dongri set against the backdrop of boxing, his fall and triumphant comeback against all odds in life.”

MILESTONE

RELEASE DATE: MAY 7 PLATFORM: NETFLIX Ivan Ayr, who previously helmed the critically acclaimed movie Soni, has directed Milestone that explores the life of a middle-aged truck driver Ghalib who is coping with a personal tragedy and is also scared of losing his job to a young recruit. The film stars Suvinder Vicky and Lakshvir Saran in the lead roles.

SIX

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

WHAT’S COOKING WITH MASTERCHEF FINALIST MADEEHA QURESHI:

‘I have tasted all sorts of bittersweet moments in life’

She may not have won MasterChef, but she has certainly been winning hearts.

Leicester based Madeeha Qureshi managed to make it as a finalist on recently aired MasterChef, after impressing judges and critics with her South Asian and Middle Eastern inspired food.

Madeeha didn’t win the MasterChef title, she won over many fans with her relatable personality.

The mother of three was born in Pakistan but moved to Saudi Arabia when she was three months old. She moved back to Pakistan at the age of 18, but then came to the UK to study Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and ended up making the UK her permanent home.

We caught up with the high-spirited 39-year-old on her MasterChef experience and what she enjoys cooking during the month of Ramadan.

BY FATIMA PATEL Fatima: Congratulations on making it as a finalist on MasterChef. What was the highlight or your best moment on the show?

Madeeha: My best moment was when the critics said this is one of the best things they have eaten so far (in the year).

I would say that was one of my shining moments in the MasterChef competition.

One of the highlights for me was when you were making the aloo tikki starters and you got a little emotional, despite emotions you cooked a stunning dish. Have you had a chance to watch that episode back, and if you have how do you look back on that moment?

People don’t really know this, but we were given a brief to prepare a five course tasting menu for the Covid lockdown heroes. We had to prepare five dishes and it was down to the judges and the team to choose which one they want to go for.

I was the only one who did a vegetarian starter and yes there were lots of emotions attached because they were in memory of 30 odd years of when I was in Saudi Arabia, during the Gulf war. I have seen war, seen peace, the great Arab Spring and the great unrest. For a 39-year-old I would say I have seen more than what my life is.

So, yes, I have tasted all sorts of bittersweet moments in life.

I can understand your emotions, as naturally cooking for Covid lockdown heroes, must have reminded you about

being in lockdown as a child living in Saudi Arabia through the Gulf war. Is this why you invest in cooking to see these bitter moments of life through?

The way I see cooking, is a source of meditation for me. It always revolves around memories. Once Greg asked me ‘you’re an emotional cook?’ I said yes! For me food without emotion is just ingredients on a plate. If you don’t pour your love into it, you can’t bring it to life.

I have to relate myself to whatever I cook. Even if I cook daal I have to relate myself to it. Cooking runs in my blood, in my family. Even though I was an only child, I have been brought up in a joint family system, with grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins, and everyone had their own taste. Add to that

FILM FASHION BEAUTY

my dad working in Saudi Arabia, so we had a huge multicultural hotch pot and so there was a lot of influence from people all over the world on my cooking and now I want to feed the world.

SEVEN

That clearly showed in the MasterChef episode where you cooked the Hakka Chicken. You took the phrase ‘feed the world’ literally it seems as it was the largest serving ever cooked on MasterChef. It’s a very desi thing to do, to make extra.

(Laughs) Exactly, they didn’t tell me why are you using extra ingredients, they let me do it. It was only when I cooked it, I realised I am just going to be serving two people. We are so used to cooking in a big pot, big meals that reducing it down to two portions is a bit of a mare for me. It’s not easy.

Any plans to open your own restaurant?

I need an investor. If anyone is interested get in touch.

You have had the best of Saudi Arabian street food and also Pakistani street food due to your upbringing, but which for you is the best?

I would say both of the cultures and cuisines have got their own best items. I equally love a pakora or a samosa as much as I love my Saudi street food – any barbecue that they do I really enjoy.

I can’t really pick either one of them because it could be injustice if I picked one.

For me street food, not matter where it belongs is the index of the nations soul. This is how I see it and this is not quoted from anywhere, these are my own words, this is what I think.

They [street food] truly represent the country’s vibrancy and their flavour because street food is something which is readily available. That’ why I am very much into it. It’s easy, it’s fast and kids love it..I love it.

As we are in the month of Ramadan, what’s a typical Ramadan feast in your house?

Generally, I try to serve healthy Iftar’s (meal when you open your fast). As tempting as the oily foods are, it’s not good for you. So, I do Saudi shorba, which is a soup made out of oats and lamb, which goes back all the way to the prophet (peace be upon him). It was one of his favourite dishes as well. It’s

Aloo Tikki

very nourishing and tasty. Apart from that I make some mocktails, which are really refreshing.

I do have samosas and pakoras, but small amounts. Suhoor (meal before closing fast) time we normally do oats, fruits and yoghurts. Sometimes we do date molasses – date syrup. It is authentically an Iraqi, Jewish thing. Particularly in Iraq they have the best date syrup in the world, which is very nutritious and absolute joy to eat. Try it with yoghurt and make a sauce out of it, or on ice cream. It’s delicious.

If you want to get more cooking tips from Madeeha then follow her on Instagram madeehaqureshi_maddieg

I have spoken to many doctors and health professions to seek clarity about the Vaccine and they have all assured me that the vaccine is safe. Doctors and other NHS key workers along with many senior Ulema (scholars) and even myself have had the vaccination.

I would encourage every member of our community to get the vaccine when invited.

SHAYKH UMAR HAYAT QADRI HEAD IMAM OF MARKAZI JAMIA MASJID GHAUSIA & CHAIRMAN OF SUFFAH FOUNDATION

To find out more about Community Champions and the vaccine visit: www. tactiongroup.org.uk or call 07871938174

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Vaccinations being given at twilight clinic

MASJID RIZA SUPPORTING THE COVID-19

VACCINE UPTAKE DURING RAMADAN Local people found it easier to get their Covid-19 vaccine during Ramadan, thanks to an evening pop-up clinic held at a Huddersfield mosque.

Masjid Riza in Birkby was transformed into a vaccination clinic on the night of Friday 23 April.

Medical leaders and Islamic scholars have stressed that getting the vaccine does not break the fast observed

by Muslims during daylight hours over Ramadan.

The British Islamic Medical Association, an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain, has issued specific advice, recommending the vaccine and insisting it is okay to have during Ramadan as it is not nutritional, nor does it contain any animal or foetal products.

The NHS in Kirklees responded to calls from the

local community to hold the evening clinic during Ramadan. GPs offered the first dose of the vaccine to people aged over 45, or over 30 with a health condition that puts them at greater risk from Covid-19.

Dr Burhan Ahmed, Clinical Director for Greenwood PCN and GP at Croft Medical Centre said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to get their vaccine

when they are eligible.

“Muslims should not delay getting their vaccine during the holy month of Ramadan.

The vaccine is not nutrition, so it does not invalidate the fast.

“We know that some people may prefer to get their jab after Iftar, when they have eaten. Holding a clinic after sunset gives people greater choice.”

It is the second time a pop-up vaccination clinic has been held at the mosque.

Sharafat Ali, Trustee, Masjid Riza said: “We’re pleased to welcome our local GPs back to Masjid Riza and open our doors to our local community.

“It’s really important that Muslims continue to get their vaccine this month. Many Muslim scholars across the country have come together

to say it is permissible to have the vaccine during Ramadan.

“Please, accept the offer of the vaccine when you’re invited. It is one of the keyways out of the pandemic, insha’Allah.”

The NHS is now inviting people aged over 42 to get their first dose of the vaccine.

Appointments can be booked by visiting the NHS website or by calling 119.

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GROUND BREAKING REPORT ON THE EFFECTS OF SCHOOL UNIFORM COSTS DURING COVID Covid Realities' study reveals the true costs for low income families

BY DAVID WIBBERLEY The conclusions of a ground-breaking study into the effects of Covid-19 on families says: “Families are not uniform; it is simply unacceptable that they are being driven into debt, or to chose between blazers and heating, in today’s Britain.”

The major study into the effects of Covid 19 on low-income families by York University and Birmingham University in partnership with Child Poverty Action Group has found that the cost of school uniform is a key source of financial and emotional stress for families.

Covid Realities, a country-wide

participatory research programme looked at experiences of families on a low income during the pandemic; it was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Through this research, working directly with parents and carers it was hoped to understand the impact of Covid-19 on families’ dayto-day lives.

The project was set up to better understand the struggles of daily life for low-income families, and help policymakers make the right decisions.

The Covid Realities report said: “The lockdown has seen the closure

of businesses, local services and schools, causing serious economic hardship and stress. This crisis affects everyone, but some more than others.

We know that people in low-income communities are more likely to become unwell. We know that BAME communities have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19.”

The report continues: “We also know that families living with children, and carers of children, face particular challenges, especially when they are trying to get by on low incomes.”

Project lead and lecturer in social policy at University of York, Dr Ruth Patrick said: “The research had a really broad remit looking at the experience of families. Because people were filling in online diaries things came up that we were not anticipating”. Dr Patrick added: “We got a lot of diary entries with people who were really worried about the cost of school uniform and how people would meet the addition cost.”

The study found that school uniform costs are a serious source of financial and emotional stress for families living on a low-income across the UK.

Family budgets stretched to breaking point during Covid a major study finds.

Through the Nuffield Foundation funded research programme, parents have been working in partnership with researchers to document their experiences of everyday life in the pandemic, sharing diary entries online and taking part in online activities

The research had a really broad remit looking at the experience of families. Because people were filling in online diaries things came up that we were not anticipating. We got a lot of diary entries with people who were really worried about the cost of school uniform and how people would meet the addition cost.

Dr Ruth Patrick Project lead and lecturer in social policy at University of York

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and virtual discussion groups.

One parent who took part in the study said that she was on Universal Credit and told the researchers that the annual uniform cost for her child was £390 per year not including school shoes and trainers. The £75 grant received from the local authority to put towards school uniform covered the cost of one jumper and one P.E. top. The parent referred to the spiralling cost of uniform for parents, citing last year when her child’s school chose to move away from a plain £5.00 P.E. tops and instead use a sports logo company increasing the cost of one top to £17.99.

The covid restrictions have forced some schools to change uniform requirements at the last minute. One school is reported to have given two days’ notice to move to joggers and trainers which has meant an unexpected additional cost for parents.

The final report focuses on the cost of school uniforms; setting out how, for many families, uniforms represent a financial burden that tip precariously balanced budgets firmly into the red. This is the case at any time, but especially in Covid times, when mechanisms for managing on a lowincome have all too often become impossible.

In the case of school uniforms, school uniform banks have become widely depleted or temporarily shut, charity shops have closed, and getting handme-downs from friends and family

has been made widely impossible by lockdown restrictions.

The report describes families’ experiences and provides recommendations for policy change, saying: “We conclude by setting out best practice for schools on uniform, while also calling on the government to urgently target families with children for more financial support.”

In England, the government are

currently debating a bill which could set statutory guidance on the maximum cost of school uniform.

The bill has been broadly welcomed

by Covid Realities and other child poverty charities.

A parent said: “Politicians must be made to understand the real problems many families face between eating a healthy diet and being able to switch on the heating in in order to keep warm in the winter. My daughter

is in need of school uniform, but this means cutting back on other essential items to afford the cost”.

The Department of Work and Pensions have said “that no school uniform should be so expensive that it leaves pupils and families unable to apply for their preferred school.”

Dr Patrick said: “This issue predates the pandemic, parents were having difficulties affording school uniform

when it is as expensive as it was, it is even worse in these pandemic times”.

Dr Patrick points toward the insecurities and anxieties for parents as their children return to school and is concerned about the effects these additional financial worries surrounding school uniform will have.

She said: “These multiple worries will ultimately have a negative effect on people’s mental health.”

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REMOTE WORKING: WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE LESS PRODUCTIVE AT HOME THAN OTHERS – NEW RESEARCH

BY PROFESSOR STEPHEN BEVAN to re-order work tasks; 85% said they could control their thoughts from distracting them from the task in hand; and 83% said that they had no problem resuming a concentrated style of working after an interruption.

Each of these dimensions of self-regulation were strongly positively correlated with high productivity per hour worked.

Has working at home during lockdown made people more productive or not? This has been the subject of some lively debate recently.

Many companies do not routinely measure productivity.

A large number will have traditionally assumed that they get the highest output when staff work longer hours or under close supervision, but remote working is clearly causing some to re-evaluate this. Major firms, for instance professional services group PwC, have been sufficiently impressed to make remote working a permanent option for their staff.

On the other hand, some business leaders insist that remote working is compromising productivity and is therefore not workable in the long term.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, for example, has dismissed it as an “aberration that we’re going to correct as soon as possible”. So who is right?

Surveys tend not to be good at measuring productivity objectively. The research partnership Work After Lockdown, on which I’m a co-investigator, has been trying to improve on this. We have just published the results of an ESRC-funded survey in which we asked 1,085 respondents working from home in the UK about their productivity.

We chose to use standard measure of labour productivity used by economists, output per hour worked, where output refers to the value of the goods or services in question. Using this meant we weren’t just measuring whether people were working

longer hours.

We asked our respondents whether they felt that their selfreported productivity was the same, better or worse compared with the pre-lockdown period.

From the results, 54% thought they got “a little more” or “much more” done per hour worked than before the lockdown.

Combined with those who reported that their productivity was the same as before lockdown, it meant that almost 90% reported that productivity had been maintained or improved – echoing the results of other UK studies. In other words, barely one in ten people reported that their productivity had gone down during lockdown. So why would working from home have made most people more productive, but some less so?

Productivity and mental health We also questioned our respondents about their mental health, and scored them using the World Health Organization’s WHO-5 index. From plotting the results on the graph below you can see a very clear pattern, with

higher productivity associated with better mental health. In fact, the mental health scores for the most productive workers in our survey were twice as high as the least productive.

Productivity and mental health of remote workers

It’s worth remembering, of course, that many people working from home during lockdown have been living with mental-health challenges such as isolation, money worries, home-schooling or other health problems. Clearly if organisations want to ensure that employees are productive working from home, the value of investing in measures to support

It is not clear from our data whether poor mental health causes or contributes to a decline in productivity or whether being productive helps to boost mental health. It seems reasonable to think that both are probably true.

To explore this relationship, we looked at people’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances and their capacity to overcome setbacks or interruptions – referred to in the literature as self-regulation. We might expect people with such abilities to remain focused on a task, and be more productive as a result. Sure enough, this was supported by the data.

Over 90% of our respondents reported that they could concentrate on one activity for a long time; 94% said they were able to use the autonomy afforded them by their employer

Graph work after lockdown

psychological wellbeing is very clear.

Working in future The social disconnection of working at home over an extended period may well erode people’s mental wellbeing and productivity in future – perhaps especially among workers who thrive on interacting with colleagues and clients to swap and shape ideas. The outgoing chief economist of the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, has expressed concerns about this, and 73% of our survey respondents reported that they ideally wanted working patterns that allowed them to vary their place of work to reflect the tasks they were performing.

With this in mind, it has become very fashionable for companies

to talk about “hybrid” working lately. But it’s an imprecise concept, and if businesses are to give employees clarity around what can be done at home and what needs to happen at a traditional workplace, they will need to decide which jobs truly need to be done at a particular time or location.

Getting this wrong may risk compromising the mental health of employees – for example, if prolonged remote working increases isolation or increases work intensity. It may also mean that companies never quite manage to deliver the long-term productivity gains they are hoping to secure once lockdown is over.

This article originally appeared in The Conversation

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FINANCE

Ilyas Patel

ENTREPRENEURIAL TAX ADVISOR WITH AN EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF GROUND-BREAKING TAX SAVING TOOLS

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&

PUZZLES Crosswords CROSSWORD Across 1 Branch of mathematics (10) 7 Examine (7) 8 Offensive to the sight (4) 10 Silence (4) 11 Harshness (8) 13 Unlucky accident (6) 15 Stringed instrument (6) 17 Response (8) 18 Aid in crime (4) 21 Spoken (4) 22 Letters in sloping type (7) 23 Darling (10

Ilyas Patel is an breaking tax sa entrepreneurial tax advi dealing with ta ving tools. Being a busin sor with an expert knowle co.uk or call 01 x issues and with HMRC. essman himself, he has yedge of groundar For more info 772 788200 rmation visit ws of experience ww.taxexpert.

NEW TAX RATE OF 54.5%!

Down 1 Donkeys (5) 2 The -- of March (4) 3 Warmer (6) 4 Brandy (3-2-3) 5 Animosity (3-4) 6 Bad dream (9) 9 Mesmerism (9) 12 Former French prison (8) 14 Common bird (7) 16 Fashionable (6) 19 Constructed (5) 20 Long story (4)

Why you could be left with a 54.5% tax bill?

What is it?

In the Chancellor’s 2021 budget, Rishi Sunak announced a series of planned tax rises.

The increase in corporation tax has resulted in an increased marginal rate for profits over £50,000.

Depending on how your income is configured, you may be stung twice by marginal tax rates.

How does it add up?

For profits of £50,000 or below the corporation tax rate will remain 19%. For profits above £250,000 the tax rate will be 25%.

Spot the

5

differences

For profits between £50,000 and £250,000 the tax rate is scaled until you reach the 25% rate.

In order to do this, the profits between £50,000 and £250,000 are taxed at 26.5%.

On top of this, the additional tax rate for dividends is 38.1%.

This means that £1,000 taxed at the marginal corporation tax rate of 26.5% would be £735, and if this was then taken out as dividends at the 38.1% tax rate it would leave £455 in your pocket.

CROSSWORD ANSWER

That means that out of the £1,000 you would pay £545 in tax, or a 54.5% tax rate.

What does this mean for you?

Depending on how you take your income and how much profit your company makes, this may have no impact on you. If it does, then you still have two years to plan for this situation.

It may be that you wish to take advantage of the low capital gains tax rates by selling or liquidating your company.

Or it could be time to re-evaluate how you draw income from your company as there may be more tax efficient alternatives to the dividends, for example using the tax relief on pension contributions, or making sure everyone’s lower tax bands are fully utilised.

ANSWERS SPOT THE 5 DIFFERENCES 5. The color of the pistol grip.

4. The necklace on Patani's neck.

3. The ring on Patani's finger.

2. The color of Patani's lipstick.

1. The color of one of the glasses on Salman's sunglasses.

If you can read this

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RECIPE

MURGH SAFFRANI TIKKA INGREDIENTS

METHOD

300 gm. chicken leg ( bone less) 10 gm ginger paste 20 gm. garlic paste Salt to taste 1 tsp lemon juice 80 gm. hung youghurt 25 gm. cheddar cheese ( grated) 10 gm. cashew nut paste 15 ml oil for mixing 20 ml oil for baste 5 garam masala 10 khusbo masala 15 gm. white pepper powder 10 gm. red chilli powder.

Yellow colour 50 ml fresh cream (thick) Few string of saffron ( soaked in hot water)

Cut the Chicken Brest boneless into Chunks (Tikka). Clean the chicken remove all side fat and apply first marination (ginger garlic paste, salt red chilli and lemon.) Leave for 30 min.

Make second marination with hung yoghurt salt, white pepper powder, garam masala, khusbo masala, cashew nut paste, cheese and little yellow colour. Squeeze the chicken and put it in a marinade and finish with cream, saffron and oil and keep aside for 3 hour.

Put it on skeewer and cook it in tandoor till done.

Serve hot. With chutney.

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

SPORTS

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AGUERO, TORRES TAKE CITY TO VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE Manchester City could be crowned Premier League champions by the end of this weekend after Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres secured a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Aguero, City's all-time record goalscorer, will leave the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires next month and has endured a campaign ruined by fitness issues. But the Argentina striker relocated some of the old magic with a sublime touch and thumping finish to find a 57th-minute breakthrough and his second league goal of the campaign, reports DPA. There were just 83 seconds between Aguero's opener and Torres's calmly taken second, and City will win the title for a third time in four seasons if Liverpool beat second-placed Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Palace full-back Tyrick Mitchell made an important block when Torres met Benjamin Mendy's ninthminute

cross on the volley.

Raheem Sterling darted onto Aymeric Laporte's lofted pass and inside a couple of Palace challenges, but Mitchell was able to get back for another vital intervention. Christian Benteke had a chance to breakthrough before the half hour -- the Belgian striker's shot on the turn smothered at close quarters by Ederson. As their phalanx of playmakers rested up on the bench, City struggled for their usual fluency. Gabriel Jesus volleyed home Fernandinho's 36thminute cross but had strayed needlessly offside. With attempted intricacy failing, Aguero opted for something more uncomplicated -- in terms of conception rather than execution -- when he controlled Mendy's low cross then thumped a halfvolley past the helpless Vicente Guaita.

City's four-pronged attack went for the kill and Aguero

was involved once more in a swarming attack as Torres picked out the bottom left corner from the edge of the area. As in their 2-1 Champions

League semi-final first-leg win at Paris Saint-Germain, City were a team transformed after the break. Sterling thumped Jesus's pass against the base

of the post and Benteke made the last-ditch block to prevent last weekend's EFL Cup final hero Laporte from adding to his tally. Joao Cancelo thundered

just over from a Torres backheel and Sterling curled agonisingly wide as Guardiola's men swaggered towards full-time and overall glory.

MARADONA NOT WELL HAMILTON TOPS CARED FOR BEFORE HIS SECOND PRACTICE SESSION IN PORTUGAL DEATH: REPORT Months after the death of legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, a commission of experts has made serious allegations against his doctors and nurses. The newspaper "La Nacion" cited a report by the medical commission on the last days of the star issued on Friday, "The conduct of Diego Armando Maradona's medical team was inadequate, deficient and inconsiderate. The patient was left to his fate." Maradona died of a heart attack last year in November at the age of 60. He was recovering from surgery at the time.

Though, it cannot be said with certainty that the star footballer would not have died with better medical care, at least he would have had a better chance of survival, said the report.

An investigation is being carried out into potential irregularities in the treatment of Maradona at his house in a guarded residential area north of Buenos Aires

during the last two weeks of his life, reports DPA. The state prosecutor's office is investigating at least seven members of his medical team for negligent homicide. The 1986 World Cup winner was recovering at his home after doctors had removed a blood

clot in his brain. According to the experts' report, the football star's care "was characterised by deficiencies and irregularities". "Maradona was not properly monitored and supported by the medical, nursing and therapeutic staff," said the report.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes improved his time from the first practice session to top the time sheets in the second session on Friday, ahead of the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimao. After a fifth place in the earlier run, Hamilton clocked 1 minute 19.873 seconds around the 4.684-kilometre Autodromo Internacional do Algarve to beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who was 0.143 seconds behind, reports DPA. The Dutchman had a sensor issue earlier in the session but managed to get back on track.

Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas topped the first practice session but dropped to third in the second run.

Carlos Sainz was Ferrari's best driver coming in fourth, while team-mate Leclerc was seventh. Alpine cars also improved their times and came in fifth and sixth with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, respectively. McLaren managed to have Daniel Ricciardo in eighth, while Imola podium finisher Lando Norris was 12th. Lance Stroll

of Aston Martin and Sergio Perez of Red Bull made it to the top 10 on ninth and 10th place, respectively. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel finished 15th. In the first session, there was a curious moment involving the Aston Martin driver when he went into the wrong pitbox, dropping

into the McLaren box instead.

"Sorry for that. Had to happen at some point," he said over the radio after pulling up to where his former team Ferrari were positioned last season. Rookie Mick Schumacher of Haas was three positions behind on 18th.

The final race takes place on Sunday.

SPORTS

UNITED-LIVERPOOL CLASH MOST HISTORIC GAME OF ALL, SAYS SOLSKJAER The match between the Red Devils and Liverpool is one of the biggest clashes in the history of the Premier League, said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the manager of Manchester United.

Old Trafford will be hosting Liverpool later on Sunday and if the United loses this match, then Manchester City will be crowned Premier League champions for the 202021 season. United is currently 13 points behind table-toppers Manchester City, while Liverpool is at the sixth position in the points table, four points behind fourthplaced Chelsea. It's a big, big weekend in football. It's probably the most historic game of all. Every time we play against Liverpool we desperately need to win.

There's no doubt my players will be ready and we'll give everything, Solskjaer told

MUTV. It's just a historic, fantastic game to play in. I've had some good memories and bad memories, and let's make sure this will be a good memory, he added. Liverpool's previous meeting with United in the Premier League this season failed to live up to expectations as the match ended in a draw.

We've improved definitely. We're winning tight games - we've won them more than last year and every game in the Premier League is tight, said Solskjaer. Say there are five even games and you just tip them and you get the momentum and win four of them and draw one instead of losing four of them and drawing one of them, they're tight moments.

We've said it all through the season - you have to earn the points every game. It's a big, big difference between a team in momentum and swimming against the tide, he added.

WILL DO ANYTHING TO OUTCLASS MAN CITY, EVEN IF I HAVE TO DIE ON PITCH: NEYMAR

Ahead of the secondleg semifinal against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker Neymar has said that he will be do anything to help his side emerge triumphant, even if it

means that he has to die on the pitch.

Manchester City had defeated PSG 2-1 in the first-leg semi-final earlier this week and as a result, the Paris-based side now faces a herculean task to progress to the finals of

the tournament. The first thing to do now is to rest and then really refocus on the Champions League. We had a very tough first leg against Manchester City but we have to believe it no matter what the stats say or our percentage chance of winning, Neymar told the club's official media channel. I think every Parisian should believe in us! I am in the front line, and I will be the first warrior who goes into battle for the team. I will give the best of myself and I will do anything to bring this back no matter what, even if I have to die on the pitch, he added. In the first-leg semi-final, PSG had gotten ahead after a goal from Marquinhos, but in the end, Manchester City stormed right back to gain a 2-1 victory. Kevin de Bruyne and Riyaz Mahrez registered the two goals for City to hand them a 2-1 win in the first-leg. Manchester City will take on PSG in the second-leg semi-final on Tuesday 4 May at the Etihad Stadium.

SL NEED 5 WKTS, BANGLADESH 260 RUNS TO WIN 2ND TEST Sri Lanka ended the fourth day of the second Test against Bangladesh needing five wickets to win the match and the series.

Bangladesh were 177/5 wickets at stumps, 260 runs away from their target.

Spinners Ramesh Mendis and Praveen Jayawickrama were the wicket takers for the hosts. Mendis ended

the day with three wickets while Jayawickrama took two. The day ended early with the umpires calling the players off due to bad light. Sri Lanka earlier declared at 194/9 wickets, with captain Dimuth Karunaratne following up his ton in the first innings with a 78-ball 66. They thus set Bangladesh a target of

437 to chase. The first Test had ended in a draw. Brief scores Sri Lanka 493/7 wickets declared iamp; 194/9 wickets declared (Dimuth Karunaratne 66, Dhananjaya de Silva 41; Taijul Islam 5/72); Bangladesh 251 iamp; 177/4 wickets (Mushfiqur Rahim 40, Saif Hassan 34; Ramesh Mendis 3/86)

3 - 9 MAY 2021

SPORTS

AGUERO, TORRES TAKE CITY TO VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE

UNITED-LIVERPOOL CLASH MOST HISTORIC GAME OF ALL, SAYS SOLSKJAER

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WIMBLEDON COULD HOST LIMITED NUMBER OF SPECTATORS The annual Wimbledon tennis tournament could witness 25 per cent crowd capacity this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, according to the competition's bosses.

Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club, which hosts the competition, and Sally

Bolton, chief executive, gave an overview of the plans for this year's event at a news conference on Tuesday, reports DPA. Decisions have yet to be made regarding final prize money for the winners and how many tickets will be available for sale as this

depends on government rules at the time the competition kicks off from June 28. Ticket prices will, however, remain at 2020 prices after last year's event was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. "At this point in time, applying the current guidance to our

outdoor venue results in a capacity of around 25 per cent across our grounds," Bolton said. "This makes for exceptionally challenging conditions for ticketing allocation. While it remains too soon to finalise our individual court capacities, we

will work hard to create the mix of spectators Wimbledon is so well known for, whilst also working hard to protect the financial performance of the championships and the service we deliver to the Lawn Tennis Association," Bolton added. Ticketing distribution

will be delayed to as "late as possible" so that the club has a chance to allow for more spectators. The traditional day of rest on the middle Sunday of the tournament will also be scrapped from 2022 due to developments in the care of grass courts, Hewitt added.