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NEWS IN BRIEF
World’s richest man,Jeff Bezos to quit Amazon after 25 years
Jeff Bezos will step down as the CEO of Amazon later this year, the company has announced. The multi-billionaire will renounce the role he has had since he founded the company more than 25 years ago and will become the executive chairman. Mr Bezos will be replaced in autumn by Andy Jassy, who runs Amazon’s cloud business. In a blog post to employees, Mr Bezos said: ‘this isn’t about retiring’ and that the company will be in good hands with Mr Jassy, who has been at Amazon almost as long as himself. He said he plans to focus his ‘energies on new products and early initiatives’ being developed at the tech giant. Mr Bezos said this will give him more time for side projects, such as his space exploration company Blue Origin, the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post, along with his charities. The entrepreneur founded Amazon as an online bookstore in 1995 and has transformed it into one of the world’s most successful companies.
Newcastle: Councillors reject pay rise Newcastle councillors have rejected proposals to give themselves a pay rise. The city’s elected officials were in line for a £100 uplift in their basic allowance this year, on the recommendation of an independent panel. But those plans were swiftly rejected at a meeting, with councillors instead voting unanimously to freeze their pay. Newcastle City Council is expected to confirm £40m of budget cuts and a 5 per cent council tax rise next month, with local authorities across the country facing a financial crisis due to Covid-19. Joyce McCarty, the council’s deputy Labour leader, said that “when many of our residents are really struggling financially, it’s not the right time to agree an increase” in their own wages. The council’s ruling Labour group proposed that basic pay for councillors and the added ‘special responsibility allowances’ (SRA) given to those who serve on committees are frozen at their current levels, rather than accept the suggested 1.09 per cent rise.
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COMMUNITY FOREST BID BY DANIEL HOLLAND
Thousands of trees could be planted across the North East in a bid to establish a new ‘community forest’. A bid is set to be launched this month that could lead to 500 hectares of new woodland being planted across the region by 2025. Rather than one continuous stretch of forest land, the bid would be split up between various locations across Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, and County Durham. However, several local councils are yet to sign up to the project due to funding concerns. Richard Barnes, a planning team manager at Newcastle City Council, told city councillors last week that only Newcastle and Durham had signed up so far and that the other four areas wanted to see costs brought down. Mr Barnes told the council’s overview and scrutiny committee: “The cost of this to each authority is around £45,000 per annum for five years. Only Newcastle and Durham have so far committed that
sum of money. “The other authorities have indicated that they can’t afford that, so we are very quickly doing a lot of work to bring those costs down by changing the structure of the posts that would be created to run the forests.” He added: “If we can bring it down to around £25,000, the indication is that the four other local authorities who can’t afford the larger amount will come on board at £25,000 per annum for five years. “So we are pretty hopeful that we can get it down to that and we will make the bid towards the end of next month [February].” The proposed forest areas include 39 hectares in Newcastle, though Mr Barnes said that not all of the proposed sites are public land and would therefore need the backing of the private sector too. As well as new areas of woodland, the scheme could also include street trees and new groups of trees on green space around the city. It is hoped that a bid to the government can be finalised this month and that planting can start later
this year. The plans could lead to the capture of more than 155,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year. There are currently ten designated Community Forests in England, including in North Yorkshire and Manchester. A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “The councils in Newcastle, Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland and North and South Tyneside are collectively working on an expression of interest to become a new Community Forest in the North East of England. “Part of this process includes potential funding being made available to enable the creation of 500ha of new woodland across the six local authorities over the next five years. “This would include 39ha of proposed woodland in Newcastle. “All of the authorities are supportive of this process, which would most likely need to be submitted by the end of February in order to allow planting to
YOUTUBE TESTING NEW FEATURE TO MAKE SHORT CLIPS, LIVE STREAMS YouTube is rolling out a new feature that would allow users to capture and share moments from videos and live streams. The clips can be anywhere between five and 60 seconds in length and will have a new URL associated with them. “Clips on YouTube allows you to select a 5-60 second segment of a creator’s content (video uploads and streams) that can be shared with others across platforms. If you’re viewing content from one of the channels in this experiment, you will see a clip icon under the video that will allow you to select a portion of the video that you want to clip,” the company said in a statement. One can copy, embed, or send the clip via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit. You can even email it and one can adjust the length of the
clip within the set limits by dragging the slider. YouTube says the clipped video will be played on the original video on
loop. The feature is now available on desktop and Android and it will arrive on iOS soon. The feature is currently in alpha
NARAN AUTOMOTIVE REVEALS ‘CELARE PACK’ FOR DEBUT HYPER-COUPÉ
testing and is available with only select creators and it is similar to the one available on Twitch.
Naran Automotive, the new manufacturer of luxury ultra-high performance cars, has revealed a unique ‘Celare Pack’ for its debut model – The Naran. The ‘Celare Pack’ highlights the duality of The Naran: an aggressive on track weapon as well as an object of beauty. It allows customers to tailor the four-seater hyper-coupé to meet their individual needs, whether they prefer pushing the limits on the track or a more understated and elegant aesthetic on public roads. Just 49 examples of The Naran will be created, with each vehicle individually tailored to the personal taste of the collector, including the designation of a bespoke model name – a convention normally reserved for luxury superyachts. The Naran will debut in early 2021. For more information about the brand visit naran-automotive.com.
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begin in 2021. “Discussions are ongoing between partners as to how most effectively staff the management and maintenance of the community forest going forward, and the budget for this – which is not yet set but will receive financial contributions from each of the councils – will
be announced once the expression of interest is finalised. “We are confident that the expression of interest will go ahead, allowing the North East to create a new Community Forest which will bring economic, social and environmental benefits to our region.”
ELON MUSK’S ROCKET DESTROYED IN EXPLOSION DURING HIGHALTITUDE TEST FLIGHT Elon Musk’s company launched its latest Starship prototype from the southeastern tip of Texas, two months after the previous test ended in an equally explosive belly flop. The fullscale stainless steel rocket reached its intended altitude of 6.2 miles, slightly lower than the last one. All seemed on schedule as the 160-foot Starship flipped on its side and began its descent. But it did not manage to straighten itself back up in time for a landing and slammed into the ground. ‘We’ve just got to work on that landing a little bit,’ said SpaceX launch commentator John Insprucker. ‘Reminder – this is a test flight.’ The next Starship stood
nearby at the launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, during Tuesday’s test, which lasted six-and-a-half minutes. Mr Musk is developing Starship to carry people to Mars, perhaps in as little as several years. It’s the upper stage of his intended moon and Mars ships, meant to launch
Encrypted messaging app Telegram has added a functionality to import your WhatsApp chat history on iOS platform, as it sees a surge in new users signing up in the wake of the controversial WhatsApp data privacy policy. On iOS devices, the feature has arrived with version 7.4.1, spotted first by 9to5Mac. The update has not appeared on Android devices yet. The WhatsApp chat import process works for both individual and group conversations.
This is how it works. In order to import a chat from WhatsApp, open the relevant conversation, and tap the group or contact name from the top of the chat to open its info screen. The “Export Chat” option opens the iOS Share Sheet, where you’ll see the option to select Telegram. Select a Telegram chat to import the messages. “You have the option of importing WhatsApp chat histories with or without their images”. Imported messages
appear in the order in which they are imported. Telegram has seen a significant uptake in new users as WhatsApp’s new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy trigged a fresh data sharing debate. It has crossed 525 million users. The platform has added some other new features where the users can adjust volumes for individual voice chat participants, or report “fake groups or channels”.
atop a mega rocket called Super Heavy that is still being developed. SpaceX tried to launch Starship last week, but failed to secure the necessary approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, prompting a Twitter outburst from Musk.
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ALERT OVER SCAMS TARGETING THE VULNERABLE IN LOCKDOWN AN urgent appeal has been sounded warning people to be on their guard against scams and cons under the cover of lockdown. And they're being urged to look out for elderly and vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours who may fall prey to unscrupulous fraudsters. Middlesbrough Council's Trading Standards team have drawn up a list of the sort of scams to look out for during the current period of national lockdown. A variety of increasingly sophisticated scams use methods such as email, phone and text to dupe the unwitting. These include: Covid-19 vaccine scam text or visit Various versions using the NHS logo claim the recipient is now eligible to apply for a vaccine. A link leads to request for personal information which is then used to steal the victim's identity or demand a fee for the vaccine. The vaccine is free and the NHS will never ask
for bank account, card, PIN or password information, or any personal documentation such as passport or driving licence. The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
the latest victims of crime." Judith Hedgley, Head of Middlesbrough Council's Public Protection Service, said: "My Trading Standards team will continue to work closely with other enforcement agencies to identify the latest scams and doorstop selling crimes, warn the public of their tactics, and tackle the perpetrators."
DVLA scam A text purporting to be from the DVLA says a vehicle tax refund is due. A link then leads to a cloned DVLA site which requires bank details to access - DVLA would never make contact by text. Inheritance scam A text from an ‘investigations team' seeks personal information to validate a claim to an inheritance fund. Once again it is simply a method to obtain personal and banking details to defraud the victim. EE/Sky/Vodafone scam A text claims the mobile service provider needs up-todate personal information to process a bill - a link takes the
unwitting victim to a cloned website which requires the usual personal information. National Insurance scam The victim receives a call informing them that their National Insurance number has been compromised - they are then pressured into giving over personal details which are used by the criminals running the scam to commit fraud.
60 CANNABIS PLANTS SEIZED AT PROPERTY IN NORTH ORMESBY Police have recovered 60 cannabis plants from a property in Middlesbrough, estimated to be worth up to £50,000. Response officers attended an address on Allinson Street in North Ormesby yesterday evening, Thursday 28 January, and located the cannabis farm across three rooms. No one has been arrested at this time, however, enquiries are ongoing.
Neighbourhood Sergeant John Sproson said: “Residents in North Ormesby have reported concerns regarding drugs activity in the local area and we are tackling the issue head on, resulting in a number of cannabis farms being discovered in the area recently. “We will continue to tackle the issue, as it causes misery for the local community, and we will continue to deny an income to organised crime groups
who take advantage of local properties to carry out their illegal activities. “Anyone who may have information regarding drugs activity in their local area is urged to call Cleveland Police on 101.” People can also report concerns to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk. org.
Trading Standards are also warning that rogue traders are targeting the homes of older people in the Middlesbrough area, claiming that roofing work is needed on their property. The work is rarely required, and if carried out is done to a poor standard and at an exorbitant price, with little chance of redress for the victim. Councillor Dorothy Davison, Middlesbrough Council's Executive member for Adult Social Care and Public
Health, said: "These sorts of crime are despicable and it is unbelievable that fraudsters are taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to play on people's fears and heap yet more misery on unsuspecting members of the public during these difficult times. "The Council will do everything it can to protect people from these fraudsters, including warning people of the latest scams and the steps they can take to prevent them becoming
• Anyone who has been a victim of a doorstop sale or scam should contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline, who take all initial calls for Trading Standards on a national basis - call 0808 223 1133 or visit https:// citizensadvice.org.uk/ consumer Scams can also be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit www.actionfraud. police.uk Regular updates on all the latest scams can also be found on the Middlesbrough Trading Standards Facebook page: https://www.facebook. com/middlesbrough-tradingstandards-545461258846279
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GREAT GRANDAD IS FIRST SOUTH ASIAN GEORDIE TO TURN 100! Celebrates milestone with NHS staff on Covid-19 ward. BY MINREET KAUR Great-grandad Harprakash Nair from Newcastle is recovering after he caught the deadly virus just days before hitting the milestone. His oxygen levels plummeted and he developed pneumonia just a week before his 100th birthday. “We were not sure he was going to make it. He had a heart attack decades ago and since then he’s been really health conscious, and he always made sure he went for walks, so he’s looked after himself.” Said granddaughter Aneeka Verma. He received a card from the Queen and the staff at Royal Victoria Infirmary brought a centenarian cake for him so that his birthday was marked in a special way. “We were devastated due to his age and the thought that we might lose him was frightening. I had caught Covid at the same time and found it debilitating and it made me worry how and if he could survive it” said daughter Ranjena Verma He said: Every year since I turned 90 all my family came to Newcastle and we celebrated together. This time I spoke on the phone to my family and they sent me cards and balloons. I also got a letter from the queen. The staff in the ward all brought a cake and sang happy birthday to me which was a
surprise as they all got together. They are so lovely to me.” “We were gutted to not be there for his 100th birthday as ever since he turned 90, the whole family has always met up to celebrate his birthday but obviously with Covid that wasn’t possible,” added Aneeka, who lives in London. “And when we knew he was in hospital, it was really strange and odd to not be there. “But seeing the video was really cute, and he loves the hospital staff and they love him.” “Seeing my wife and my family! I am getting fed up now. I am bored just sitting all the time. I eat the food when it is nice or I avoid it.” Harprakash had an arranged married at a young age, he lost his first wife and son to TB when he was only 25 years old. He then re married to his wife Santosh in his early 30s in East Patel Nagar in Delhi. This was arranged through his wife’s chacha (uncle). Then after a year of marriage they moved to Newcastle together in 1952 living with Harprakash’s brother in a semi-detached house. They were among the first Indian couples to live in the city. Harprakash is reportedly the first Asian-born Geordie to turn 100. When asked has he ever been victim of racism he said: “I felt no racism, people were polite, I have no complaints. I had support from my
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Santosh Nair and Harprakash Nair - Married for 70 years this month brother. I was very happy and saw snow for the first time I was very happy.” “Work was difficult as when I left India I had a very good job working for the government as a Ration Inspector and had lots of respect from many people. It was difficult to adjust to the UK as I missed my home. “I had no choice but to do door to door sales knocking on people’s door to make money. I hated it, but I had to do it.” His recovery will give hope to the thousands currently fighting for their lives with the virus, which has claimed over 100,000 British lives. Harprakash said: “After what I experienced, I really want everyone to take this pandemic seriously as too many people are dying and suffering from this awful virus. Stick to the rules of lockdown and have the vaccine. As we are part of BAME we need to be extra cautious and I would urge all ethnic minorities to take up the offer of the vaccine as it could potentially save your life.” “It is an amazing uplifting story at this time when there’s normally so much doom and gloom,” added proud Aneeka. Daughter Ranjena Verma said: “my father is a thorough gentleman as well as a very private person. He isn’t a man of many words but when he says something you listen and he is someone that’s hard not to refuse. “Growing up in Newcastle I was very proud of my father especially from his generation he was quite liberal. Never pushed religion onto us let us wear whatever we wanted the only restrictions was never to let anything disrespect the family name. I think that’s what makes me respect him so much.
Anushka Verma Mansigani and Aneeka Verma-Walsh (two granddaughters) with Harprakash Nair on his 97th birthday
A younger Harprakash Nair “My mum was very outgoing loved socialising and had lots of friends and travelled without him. I once asked him why he always stayed at home while mum was out and about and his answer was if mums happy then so am I. Trying to get him out to a restaurant was always a feat. He’d always say why waste money when you can have good food at home! “He is a very humble man and I love him to bits. His determination to live strives through his love of his family and especially my mum. He knows she would be lost without him and vice versa and that what keeps him going. Just shows that love can grow through an arranged marriage.” He wasn’t able to get the vaccination when it was made available because he could not get to the centre. He now will have to wait until a certain amount of time after his symptoms to get the vaccine “If my father who is now 100-years-old has the will power and strength to fight this there is hope for us all” said Rajena. Aneeka says with a smile “I remember him telling me when he was moving to the UK he was told that Newcastle was only around the corner from London, so he thought this for a very long time, but little did he know, it was far from around the corner”. Harprakash and wife Santosh cannot wait to be together again to celebrate their 70th anniversary coming up later this month.
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MIDDLESBROUGH ‘FIRST IN UK' TO MAKE DEVICE PLEDGE TO CHILDREN
BY RAHEEMA KHAN
MIDDLESBROUGH is believed to be the first town or city in the UK to pledge every child will have access to an internet device to support their education. Middlesbrough Council today confirmed the "learning lifeline" for young people after headteachers identified equipment gaps that left children at risk of being left behind. The Council will spend £350,000 on laptops and tablets for more than a thousand children to create a digital legacy throughout lockdown and beyond. Mayor Andy Preston approved the commitment that will see schools receive cash for over 1,200 devices and 250 internet dongles. The Council has acted in response to concerns from schools that more children than feared are missing out on education during the coronavirus restrictions. Around Middlesbrough it is believed hundreds of children who don't meet the criteria for a government-funded device are at a disadvantage. Hundreds of families have
Andy Preston suffered changes in their financial circumstances due to Covid. And teachers have also noted the inconvenience caused by siblings having to share devices. The Council will now pass funding directly to schools so they can respond urgently to need within their communities. Mayor Preston said: "I will always push for the Council to use our resources to be a force for social good. "This is another powerful example of us doing just that and it can have a positive effect
way beyond lockdown. "We must fight inequality wherever it exists in Middlesbrough, whether that be through our goal of being a hunger-free town, or getting every child online to access their school work. "This funding will give a learning lifeline to children who have been missing out. "They may have missed out purely because their brother or sister needed the laptop at the same time they did. "I'm determined that no child in our town will be disadvantaged simply because they can't get online. "Businesses and charities around town are doing great work on this and I'm confident this solution from the Council will have longlasting benefits." The Council has surveyed all schools in Middlesbrough to understand the number and type of devices required. Executive Member for Communities and Education, Cllr Mieka Smiles, said: "We have fantastic schools in Middlesbrough and parents
stretching themselves to the limit to help their children learn during lockdown. "We know from conversations with headteachers that more equipment can make a real difference and I'm proud we're able to commit this funding. "It's an investment in Middlesbrough's future - what could be better than that?" Darren Gamble, headteacher of Acklam Whin Primary School, said: "This is a significant pledge by the Council and it will make a real difference. This funding addresses need that heads across the town are reporting. As teachers, all we want is the best for our students. "The community is coming together to support children right across Middlesbrough. Maintaining their education and staying connected with friends and teachers is vital. Children are going to need support for some time as we recover from Covid and being able to get online and learn will be vital." The Council initially funded 50 laptops and internet dongles in December to help children
asked to isolate when their class bubbles were sent home. That scheme is now growing thanks to a £20,000 donation from Thirteen's Community Fund. Val Scollen, chair of Thirteen's involved customers group, said: "I'm pleased that this funding will be used to provide much-needed support to children and families in Middlesbrough at this difficult time. "We know how tough it can be for families to home-school, and it's made even harder if they don't
have the right IT equipment. So it's really important that we do what we can to support families and this project will make a valuable contribution to families in the area." A fundraising drive led by the Teesside Philanthropic Foundation has also seen more than £60,000 donated to purchase equipment and internet connectivity. The £350,000 commitment from the Council is funded from its Covid allocation from central government.
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FARMERS PROTEST MAGNIFIES AS INTERNATIONAL STARS RIRI, GRETA THUNBERG, RIHANNA AND OTHERS EXTEND SUPPORT Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has extended her support to the farmers protesting on the borders of New Delhi against the three farm laws saying that she stands in solidarity with the farmers. "We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India," Thunberg wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. The teen activist's post on the micro-blogging site came after Rihanna shared a news article highlighting the Centre's crackdown on the farmers by cutting off internet services in many regions. "Why aren't we talking about this?!", wrote Rihanna, as
she added the hashtag #FarmersProtest along with the post on the microblogging site. Apart from Thunberg, UK Member of Parliament Claudia Webbe also expressed solidarity with the Indian farmers. "Solidarity to the Indian Farmers. Thank you Rihanna. In an era where political leadership is lacking we are grateful for others stepping forward," she wrote along with sharing a screenshot of Rihanna's tweet. Author and niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Meena also showed her support on social media
towards the agitating farmers as well. She wrote on Twitter, "It's no coincidence that the world's oldest democracy was attacked not even a month ago, and as we speak, the most populous democracy is under assault." "This is related. We ALL should be outraged by India's internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters," she added. Harris wrote further, "Militant nationalism is just as potent a force in US politics as it is in India or anyplace else. It can only be stopped if people wake up to the reality that FASCIST DICTATORS aren't going anywhere." US House Representative Jim Costa also called the ongoing unrest as troubling and added that the situation is being closely monitored. "The unfolding events in India are troubling. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am closely monitoring the situation. The right to peaceful protest must always be respected. #FarmersProtest," Costa wrote.
Rihanna tweet farmers protest
On the other hand Bollywood stars Ajay Devgn, Akshay
Kumar and Suneil Shetty have shown support for the Indian Government and tweeted called out propaganda. Superstar Akshay Kumar shared a statement from Spokesman for Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava and tweeted with it: “Farmers constitute an extremely important part of our country. And the efforts being undertaken to resolve their issues are evident. Let’s support an amicable resolution, rather than paying attention to anyone creating differences. #IndiaTogether #IndiaAgainstPropaganda” Also joining them was Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who chose to directly attack Rihanna calling her a fool and a dummy. Kangana also said the protesting farmers were terrorists. Reacting to Rihanna Kangana tweeted: "No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India, so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like USA... Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies."
Akshay farmers protest tweet Just a few days ago, the Bollywood actress had tweeted calling Indians supporting the ongoing farmers protest as terrorists. Meanwhile, the Haryana government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services in several districts of the state till 5 pm on February 3. Farmers have been
protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
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COVID INFECTION RATE IN UK STILL ALARMINGLY HIGH: PM The coronavirus infection rate in the UK is “still alarmingly high” to consider relaxing social distancing guidelines, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned. Addressing a virtual Downing Street news briefing on Wednesday 3 February, Johnson said that 90 per cent of those aged over 75 in England had received the first dose of a Covid vaccine. The Prime Minister said that although the number in hospital was beginning to fall, the National Health Service (NHS) was still under “huge pressure”. Earlier in the day, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 10 million people in Britain have been given the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, which means 15 per cent of the population have had their first coronavirus jab. Joining Johnson for the press briefing, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty said it looks as if Britain is past the peak of its current wave. “I think that most of my colleagues think we are past the peak. That doesn’t mean
you can never have another peak, but at this point in time, provided people continue to follow the guidelines, we are on the downward slope of cases, hospitalization and of deaths in all four nations of the UK, so I think we do think, at this point, this peak at least, we are past,” he said. The country aims to deliver a first dose to 15 million of the most vulnerable by mid-February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn. England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. The prime minister said he hoped schools in England would be able to begin reopening from 8 March, as evidence showed the coronavirus vaccines reduced “death and serious illness” from the main strains of the disease. But he insisted the government would not be opening schools any earlier than this date, despite First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying that schools in Scotland would begin a
phased reopening from 22 February. Elsewhere, the Welsh government is due to make a decision by the end of the week on whether to reopen its schools after the February half-term. Prof Whitty said schools in England had been managing to “hold the line” and remain open up until the new, more transmissible variant of the virus hit. He said it was up to ministers to decide the opening dates for schools but that he was confident the risk to children of getting Covid-19 was “incredibly low”. Meanwhile, he warned that predictions that every adult could offered a first dose of a vaccine by May and a second by August were “at the very optimistic end” due to supply constraints. Mr Johnson said at the news conference the government would be sticking with its “cautious” approach. He said ministers would outline a “route map” out of lockdown on 22 February and
that the country would be in “a very different situation” to last summer, when disease levels had been reduced but there was no vaccine. Vaccines are being given to the most vulnerable first. A list of nine high-priority
groups which covers about 32 million people - including 90-99% of those most at risk of dying - is being followed, with an aim to vaccinate the first four by 15 February. As of Thursday 5 February, the country’s overall caseload
and death toll stood at 3,882,972 and 109,547, respectively. We continue to urge all our readers to keep following the government guidelines and keeping yourselves and your loved ones safe from coronavirus.
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HRITHIK ROSHAN TO STAR IN BOLLYWOOD ADAPTATION OF THE NIGHT MANAGER
VIRAT KOHLI AND ANUSHKA SHARMA OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THE NAME OF THEIR DAUGHTER
RANVEER SINGH ANNOUNCES THAT JOHNY LEVER HAS JOINED THE CAST OF CIRKUS
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FILM FASHION BEAUTY
KAPIL SHARMA CONFIRMS THE BIRTH OF HIS SECOND CHILD
HRITHIK ROSHAN TO STAR IN BOLLY WOOD ADAPTATION OF THE NIGHT MANAGER the Indian adaptation Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan will lead . ger’ Mana of popular series, ‘The Night Pine, who was Hrithik will take on the character of Jonathan BBC limited series 2016 the in ston Hiddle Tom by recently played . based on the 1993 novel by John le Carre ai in April. The team The Indian version will start shooting in Mumb restrictions are travel once ns locatio l plans to go to internationa . eased who co-created and The series will be directed by Sandeep Modi, year. co-directed hit series 'Aarya' last official Executives close to the project shared that an n is expected versio Indian The soon. out be announcement will of the Disney + to stream on Disney+ Hotstar, a new division e content. network that will see the release of more matur ger of a luxury mana night and r soldie The story follows the former organisation to age espion t nmen gover a by ted recrui is hotel who infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer. was adapted by The original English series starring Hiddleston Bier. ne Susan by ed David Farr and direct Colman, Hugh Alongside Hiddleston, the cast included Olivia The series won der. Hollan Tom and ki Debic eth Elizab , Laurie Emmys. several Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Primetime
SIDHARTH MALHOTRA SHARES FIRST SNEAK-PEEK OF UPCOMING FILM 'THANK GOD' Sidharth Malhotra released the first sneak-peek of highly anticipated film ‘Thank God’ on Sunday as he took to Instagram to show off his police officer look. The 'Student of The Year' star hopped on to Instagram and shared the stunning picture taken from the set of the film. In the picture, Malhotra looks suave, dressed as a police inspector in a police patrol car. Quipping that he's on the way to meet filmmaker
Rohit Shetty (who is known for his police films such as Singham, Simmba, Suryavanshi), Malhotra wrote in the caption, "Just on my way to say hi to Mr. Rohit Shetty( with wink emoticon)...P.s - Sneak peek from #ThankGod." The comedy will also star Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh. Devgn took to Twitter earlier this month to announce the comedy film which commenced shooting in Mumbai on January 21.
Acto r-co med ian Kap il Sha rma has conf irme d that he and his wife Ginn i Cha trath have welc ome d thei r seco nd child . The acto r twee ted on Mon day to conf irm that the coup le had had a bab y boy, add ing that his wife and the new born were both doin g well . "Nam aska ar, we are bles sed with a Bab y boy this earl y mor ning , by the grac e of God Bab y n Mot her both r fine , than k you so muc h for all the love , bles sing s n pray ers … love you all … Ginn i n Kap il #gra titud e," Kap il wro te. This is the coup le's seco nd child follo wing the birth of thei r dau ghte r Ana rya in 2019 . Kap il conf irme d his wife ’s preg nan cy rece ntly on Twit ter and conf irme d that he wou ld be taki ng a brea k from ‘ The Kap il Sha rma Sho w’ to focu s on his fam ily. Mea nwh ile, Kap il is all set to mak e his digi tal deb ut with Netf lix. "I am supe r exci ted for my first -eve r asso ciati on with Netf lix. 2020 has been a bum py ride for ever yone arou nd the wor ld and my mot ive is to mak e peo ple forg et thei r wor ries and welc ome this new year with love , laug hter and posi tivit y," Kap il said . "I alwa ys wan ted to be on the stre amin g gian t but I didn 't have thei r num ber. It's a proj ect clos e to my hear t and I cann ot wait to shar e mor e deta ils with my fans soon ," he add ed.
RYAN COOGLER CONFIRMS HE IS WORKING ON A BLACK PANTHER TV SHOW Filmmaker Ryan Coogler is working on expanding the Black Panther universe by creating a series set in the fictional Wakanda. The series is part of the filmmaker's extended collaboration with The Walt Disney Company as part of his five-year exclusive television deal with the company. Coogler, who is also working on the Black Panther sequel, will develop the television series, described as a "drama based in the Kingdom of Wakanda" for Disney+. Talking about the deal, Coogler said "It's an honour to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on 'Black Panther' was a dream come
true. “As avid consumers of television, we couldn't be happier to be launching our television business with Bob Iger, Dana Walden and all the amazing studios under the Disney umbrella." Bob Iger, Executive Chairman, The Walt Disney Company, is also thrilled to have him work on the television series. "Ryan Coogler is a singular storyteller whose vision and range have made him one of the standout filmmakers of his generation," said Iger. "With Black Panther, Ryan brought a groundbreaking story and
iconic characters to life in a real, meaningful and memorable way, creating a watershed cultural moment," Iger added. Black Panther became a global hit when it was released in 2018, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide. The film became the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Film at the Oscars, and took home three trophies for original score, costume design and production design. The sequel to the superhit superhero film will begin filming soon. The sequel was temporarily put on hold after the sudden demise of Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular superhero.
FILM FASHION BEAUTY
HUGE FIRE BREAKS OUT ON THE SET OF UPCOMING FILM ‘ADIPURUSH’ On Tuesday 2 February, a fire broke out on the set of Om Raut's new film 'Adipurush' in Mumbai.
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RANVEER SINGH ANNOUNCES THAT JOHNY LEVER HAS JOINED THE CAST OF CIRKUS
The fire reportedly started at around 4.30 pm on the first day of film’s shoot with over 50 people believed to have been present on the set at the time. It is reported that a short circuit triggered the incident. According to sources in the studio, the fire was brought under control as quickly as possible and none of the cast and crew was injured. Videos from the burning set of the film have gone viral on social media, with many expressing their concern over the unfortunate incident.
shoot," photographer Viral Bhayani wrote on Instagram.
"Fire caught on the sets of #Adipurush at a Goregaon studio #Mumbai. Everyone is safe no one has come under any physical harm.
Earlier in the day, director Om Raut announced on social media that shooting had begun for the film. The film is set to be an adaption of the epic story of Ramayana and will be released in 2022 with Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan starring in the leading roles.
“It happened due to short circuit and the entire chroma set up went into ashes. #Prabhas and Saif were not a part of this
Neither Prabhas nor Khan was present on set at the time of the incident.
Ranveer Singh has confirmed that veteran comedian Johny Lever will be joining the cast of Cirkus. The actor took to his Instagram stories to share the news with his fans. Sharing an image that showed Lever’s trailer, the actor captioned his image: “The one… the only...”. Lever is also set to star in the upcoming ‘Hungama 2’ which recently wrapped
shooting. The film, which is the next collaboration between Singh and director Rohit Shetty, is set to be a remake of the classic film BLANK which was originally a retelling of William Shakespeare’s ‘A Comedy of Errors’. The film began shooting last year in Mumbai. Cirkus will also star Varun Sharma, Siddharth Jadhaw and Pooja Hegde amongst others and is set to be released in towards the end of the year.
BOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES RAISE THE BAR FOR PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATIONS FOR ACTING ROLES
We have often seen actors undergo an intense physical transformation for their roles.
roles that have required them to change their physique.
Recently, it has been the Bollywood actresses that have been undergoing some serious physical transformations for their upcoming roles.
Taapsee Pannu
Here’s a look at a few of the Bollywood women and the
Over the past year or so, Taapsee has undergone a rigorous fitness regime to become an athlete in her upcoming film, Rashmi Rocket. Taapsee stated recently that she had gained several kilos in
the process and her dramatic transformation can be seen in her recent Instagrams and the posters for the film. Rashmi Rocket, directed by Akarsh Khurana, the sportsdrama showcases the story of a girl named Rashmi, and her journey from a tiny village to athletic glory. The film will release later this year.
Kriti Sanon Kriti had announced a while back that she is gaining 15 kilos for her role in the upcoming film ‘Mimi’. ‘Mimi’ is about a girl who becomes a surrogate mother for a middleaged couple. The actress revealed that she had to forcibly increase her
diet intake in order to gain weight and said she struggled throughout the process. The film was scheduled to be released last year but has been pushed back due to COVID-19.
Tisca Chopra Chopra’s upcoming project ‘Fear’ has required the actress to lose a significant amount
of weight. Whilst not much is known about the project, the actress has spoken about her difficulties the process has caused her. "It requires a lot of physical effort in terms of hardcore physical training and changes in diet. I need to have a very lean look in it," said Tisca about her transformation.
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FILM FASHION BEAUTY
AYUSHMANN KHURRANA UNVEILS HIS FIRST LOOK FROM ANUBHAV SINHA’S ‘ANEK’
RAMIN BAHRANI IS ALL SET TO PRODUCE ARAVIND ADIGA’S LATEST NOVEL ‘AMNESTY’
‘I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO CHALLENGE MYSELF’: PARINEETI CHOPRA ON HER UPCOMING FILM ‘THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN’
‘The White Ramin Bahrani Sticking with Netflix to Adapt sty’ ‘Amne Tiger’ Author’s Latest Book sty’, Aravind Ramin Bahrani will direct the adaptation of ‘Amne . Netflix for Adiga latest novel, was also Following the success of ‘The White Tiger’, which to Netflix to return to going is ni Bahra , Adiga by d penne produce more of the author’s work. follows the story The book was released in February 2020 and . He has Danny called Lanka Sri from rant immig of an illegal ing home return avoid and become a cleaner in Australia to try yers, emplo his of one of body the ers discov but, after he whilst avoiding Danny has to try and help solve the murder rities. autho the by ered being discov ced the Ramin Bahrani also wrote, directed, and produ based on recently released Netflix film ‘The White Tiger’ Man Booker and ller bestse Times York Aravind Adiga’s New Prize-winning novel.”
Following the release of the official trailer for The Girl on The Train, actress Parineeti Chopra has discussed how she got into the role of her character in the upcoming psychological drama. "'The Girl On The Train' was an entirely different experience for me as I have never played this kind of a role before. “Getting into the character of Meera Kapoor and working closely with (director) Ribhu (Dasgupta) to bring her to life was an immense learning experience for me," Parineeti said. "As an actor, I have always wanted to challenge myself with more, and this role gave me the opportunity to do so. “'The Girl On The Train' will take the audiences on a dark journey trying to piece together the reality of who actually committed the crime and
have them guessing the truth," she added. The film is an official Hindi remake of the Hollywood thriller The Girl On The Train, which is based on Paula Hawkins' 2015 bestseller of the same name. The Hindi remake follows the story of Mira Kapoor, played by Parineeti Chopra, as she develops a fascination over a woman and her seemingly perfect life, whom she watches from the train window every day. After witnessing something terrible happen to the woman, Mira becomes a prime suspect for her murder and the film follows as her character tries to absolve herself of the crime, whilst dealing with amnesia. The film will premiere on Netflix on February 26.
HARLEEN SETHI JOINS CAST OF THE GONE GAME FOR ITS SECOND SERIES The Gone Game, which became an unexpected sensation last year, has been renewed for a second series, and actress Harleen Sethi is set to join the cast of the thriller in a leading role. Harleen will play CBI officer, Sharmila Sangma, and will lead the investigation in the Gujral case. She joins the original cast of the series including Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur and Shriya Pilgaonkar, who will return as their characters for the second series. Speaking about her new role, Harleen stated: "Having seen the first season, I was instantly sold on the idea of joining this stellar cast and essaying the role of a well-fortified CBI officer Sharmila, a headstrong woman who has made a place for herself in what is predominantly a man's world," "I am excited to showcase what a criminal investigation would be in the new normal. The first season pushed the boundaries on what a lockdown pandemic could be and I'm positive this season is only going to take it a notch higher,"
Actor Ayushmann Khurrana on Tues day unveiled the first look of his character, Joshua, from Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming spy-thriller ‘Anek’. The ‘Vicky Donor’ actor, who had been shooting for the film with Anubhav in Assam, took to Instagram to reveal his first look from the forthcoming movie. He shared two pictures on Instagram , one of which sees him holding the clapper board as he stand s with the ‘Thappad’ filmmaker. Another picture sees the actor dressed in a deep olive green-coloured jacket, driving a jeep in the midst of a jungle. The 36-year-old actor ’s new look from the film includes a side eyebrow slit, and a bearded look with slightly messy hair closely trimmed on the sides. It’s safe to say that Ayushmann’s rugged look as Joshua has certainly raised exciteme nt among his fans since they haven’t seen him in this avatar on scree n before. “Excited to be collaborating with Anub hav Sinha sir. Again. #ANEK. Here’s presenting my look as Joshua produced by @anubhavsinhaa and #BhushanKumar,” he wrote in the caption. This marks Anubhav’s second colla boration with Ayushmann after the critically-acclaimed 2019 film ‘Article 15’. Helmed by the ‘Mulk’ filmmaker, ‘Anek’ is being bankrolled by Anubhav and Bhushan Kumar under Benaras Media Works and T-Series. The film has gone on floors recently and the makers have planned an extensive shoot schedule in the Nort h East region of the country. Sources suggest that ‘Anek’ is going to be Anubhav’s most expensive and big-scale film to date .
INDIAN DOCUMENTARY WRITING WITH FIRE WINS AWARDS AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL An Indian documentary, Writing with Fire, has won both the audience award and the impact for change award for World Cinema Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2021.
debut of filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh and follows India’s only newspaper run entirely by Dalit women as they make the switch from print to digital news.
The documentary debuted in the World Cinema Documentary category which highlights ten non-fiction features from across the globe every year.
The documentary highlights the newspapers’ support of many different social issues like caste and gender.
The documentary is the directorial
she adds. Last year, ‘The Gone Game’ became incredibly popular thanks to not only its intriguing storyline but its unconventional format. The entire series, filmed during the first lockdown from home, was uniquely captured through cameras on laptops, cellphones
and also CCTV lenses, and, after the cliffhanger ending of the last series, many are excited about its return. Filming for the second series is set to begin soon and we can expect to see them on our screens later in 2021 and will return on the streaming platform Voot Select.
The virtual award ceremony was hosted by actor Patton Oswalt on Tuesday night.
FILM FASHION BEAUTY
GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS 2021: THE BRITS DOMINATE ACROSS THE BOARD
nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his performance in Sound of Metal in which he plays a heavy-metal drummer who loses his sense of hearing.
The Golden Globe nominations for 2021 have been released.
received the most television nominations.
Presented by Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji B. Henson on Wednesday 3 February, the nominations saw several British actors receiving recognition for their work.
Olivia Coleman, Emma Corrin, Helena Bonham Carter and Josh O’Connor all received nominations in various roles for their performances whilst the series, as a whole, was nominated for Best Drama Series.
The Crown, somewhat expectedly,
Small Axe, one of five television specials directed by Steve McQueen that directly tackled issues of race, was nominated for Best Television Motion Picture and John Boyega was nominated for Best Supporting Actor - Television for his role in the show. On the film front, Riz Ahmed has been
VIRAT KOHLI AND ANUSHKA SHARMA OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THE NAME OF THEIR DAUGHTER
It has been suggested that Ahmed’s performance in the role could see him win an Oscar and his nomination for the Golden Globe only anticipates this even further. Dev Patel has been nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in The Personal History of David Copperfield. Daniel Kaluuya was also recognised
After receiving immense love from his fans for his latest single 'Casanova', Bollywood star Tiger Shroff has launched an acoustic version featuring the melodious voice of singer Raveena Mehta.
Sharing their first-ever picture with their newborn, the muchin-love couple announced that they have named their daughter 'Vamika'.
After Raveena Mehta's debut with Avitesh Shrivastava's 'Yaadein', she has worked with artists like Rishi Rich, Rahul Jain and Rishabh Kant.
She wrote, "We have lived together with love, presence, and gratitude as a way of life but this little one, Vamika has taken it to a whole new level!
Her appearance in the song for the acoustic version is astounding and she expressed her happiness about being able to work with Tiger on the song.
“Tears, laughter, worry, bliss - emotions that have been experienced in a span of minutes sometimes! Sleep is elusive but our hearts are SO full. Thanking you all for your wishes, prayers, and good energy." The newborn's name, Vamika, is another name for goddess Durga. On January 11, Kohli and
Anushka had welcomed their daughter at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital. The cricketer had revealed the news on his Twitter handle while sharing that both baby and mother are healthy. "We are thrilled to share with you that we have been blessed with a baby girl this afternoon. We thank you all for your love, prayers, and good wishes. “Anushka and the baby are both healthy and we are feeling beyond blessed to start this new chapter of our lives. We hope that you can respect our
privacy at this time. Love, Virat," he wrote at that time. As soon as Kohli shared the news on Twitter, congratulatory messages flooded social media. From Priyanka Chopra to Saina Nehwal, celebrities showered the couple's little one with love and blessings. Last year in August, the couple had announced that they were expecting their first child in January 2021. The duo got married in a fairy-tale wedding which was only attended by the couple's family and friends on December 11 in 2017.
for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah and has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Sacha Baron Cohen received nominations for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performances in Borat: A Subsequent Moviefilm and The Trail of the Chicago 7 respectively. The 78th Golden Globes ceremony will be hosted almost entirely virtually on February 28 by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
TIGER SHROFF DROPS NEW ACOUSTIC VERSION OF 'CASANOVA' FEATURING RAVEENA MEHTA
India cricketer Virat Kohli and his wife and actor Anushka Sharma, who were recently blessed with a baby girl, have finally revealed the name of their daughter.
Anushka took to Instagram to post an adorable family picture and spoke about her experience of being a mother and how their daughter has taken their life to a new level.
FIVE
When asked about her experience collaborating with Tiger and his team, Mehta said, "Tiger is an inspiration to me. I look up to his drive, vision, ability to execute all the while remaining humble as ever. He is extremely diversified and phenomenal at his art." "Avitesh introduced us in the studio and the energy was incredible from the get-go. It's been a beautiful journey and I am looking forward to sharing this beautiful project with the world," added Mehta. The song will be the 'Heropanti' actor's first acoustic feature on his YouTube channel. The music video launched on February 2 and can be viewed at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=MWpWJOesRMc&ab_ channel=TigerShroff
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FILM FASHION BEAUTY
BIG SCREEN MOST
Romantic OF ALL TIME BY REBECCA TODD
In honour of the day of love, and as we are all in a national lockdown anyway, what better than get those hearts all warm and mushy again with our list of all-time favourite romance films. If these don’t tug at your heartstrings, then I don’t know what will. From cult classics, to modern day box office smash hits, these movies will definitely evoke emotions of tears, laughter and romance. Hope it get’s you in the mood for Valentine’s day! Enjoy!
Notting Hill
Richard Curtis’ Notting Hill is perhaps the epitome of the British romcom. Featuring Hugh Grant as a bumbling bookshop keeper, the film captures the highs and lows of love all whilst maintaining its unique charm and sense of humour. The film catapulted Hugh Grant into his current super-stardom and it is the perfect rom-com for Valentine’s day.
Casablanca
For a more classic take on heart-wrenching love, Casablanca is the ultimate look at an impossible romance. Between the film’s backdrop of World War II and Bogart and Bergman’s incredible on-screen chemistry, Casablanca’s portrayal of a love-that-cannot-be remains incredibly poignant even all these years later.
Dirty Dancing Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray’s portrayal of young love in Dirty Dancing has made the film extremely popular ever since its release in 1987, despite its controversy for its more sexual scenes. Its upbeat soundtrack, memorable quotes and choreography that nearly everyone has tried (and failed!) make Dirty Dancing one of the greatest love stories of all time.
La La Land Taking a look at the trials and tribulations of a very genuine, modern relationship through the lens of a musical, La La Land has already established itself as a classic despite only being released in 2016. The film took away five Oscars that year but will probably be most remembered for having to hand its Best Picture award over to Moonlight after the wrong film was called! The film’s optimism and light-hearted nature make it a very fun and entertaining watch, and the film’s soundtrack will be stuck in your head for days.
Titanic
No Valentine’s Day list would be complete without mentioning Titanic. Released in 1999, the James Cameron epic follows the harrowing story of Jack and Rose, who are destined for a terrible fate. Deservedly, the film ended up winning ten Oscars amongst many other accolades and the ending is guaranteed to make anyone tear up.
FILM FASHION BEAUTY
SEVEN
Mughal-E-Azam (1960) Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
F’Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ is considered a landmark film, which broke all records when released and was the longest running film in cinema. Then film starred King of Romance, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The love story of Raj and Simran which has been captured through the beautiful landscapes of Europe to the lush green fields of Punjab and was all the rage in the nineties, with memorable dialogues that won many hearts. The stellar performance and crackling chemistry between the lead pair will make you go zara sa jhoom ja, with love.
It may sound cliché, but old is surely gold. Who doesn’t know about Mughal-EAzam, a romantic Hindi film which saw great success at the box office when it was released for the first time and again when it was re-released in 2004 as a colour version. It’s a classic and it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim, played by Dilip Kumar, who goes on to become Emperor Jahangir and Anarkali, played by Madhubala, a court dancer. Salim’s father, Emperor Akbar, disapproves of the relationship, which leads to a war between father and son. The film has become a cult classic with melodiously romantic songs.
Silsila (1981)
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ is an epic unconventional lovestory which Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgn in pivotal roles. The love saga which goes from the deserts of Rajasthan to the European city of Hungary focuses on love post marriage. This film was the turning point in the career of the leading stars as they are gained vast fame and popularity post the release.
Jab We Met
This film starred Kareena Kapoor (now Kapoor Khan) and Shahid Kapoor. The duo had done many films together, but almost all of them failed at the box office, till this film came along and broke all records. Geet became a household character and the chemistry and comic scenes between Shahid and Kareena can be watched over and over again.
Surprising Silsila didn’t do very well at the box office when released, but it did make headlines, due to the love triangle between Jay Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan’s real life wife and reel life wife in the film) and Rekha whom Amitabh is in love with in the film and is looking to leave his wife for (and real life Amitabh was rumoured to have had an affair with Rekha). Old romantics should definitely keep the tissue box near you before you start this movie; you’ll need a lot of them. The dialogues were well written, especially ‘Main aur meri tanhayee’ which even today is remembered and used in memes by fans. The bonus is the songs, which launched the music career of duo Shiv-Hari.
Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981)
No Valentine’s Day list would be complete without mentioning Titanic. Released in 1Now if a movie like Silsila makes you cry then this will fill buckets with your tears. When the film released there were many rumours floating around that many lovers sacrificed their lives just like Vasu and Sapna, played by Kamal Hassan and Rati Agnihotri in the film. There is no hard proof to the rumours, but the film was super successful at the box office. The end scene was the most tragic ever seen for that era of romantic films.
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FINANCE
Shabab Gulfraz
CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNER, AND A CHARTERED MCSI ACCREDITED FINANCIAL ADVISER
Our resident For more infofinance columnist shares hi rmation shab s finance view ab@asianstand s this week. ard.co.uk
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PUZZLES Crosswords CROSSWORD Across 1 Self-satisfied (10) 7 Good-looking (8) 8 Elegantly stylish (4) 9 Revolve (4) 10 Hush (7) 12 Meat-eating (11) 14 Sleep (7) 16 Language of Pakistan (4) 19 Stitched (4) 20 Chronic sleeplessness (8) 21 Despise (4, 4, 2)
WHY CASH IS NOT ALWAYS A GOOD INVESTMENT
Down 1 Professorship (5) 2 Busybody (7) 3 Kinf of beasts (4) 4 One to whom money is owed (8) 5 Mother-of-pearl (5) 6 Twelfth sign of the zodiac (6) 11 Humorous verse form (8) 12 Young castle (6) 13 Rower (7) 15 Tropical fruit (5) 17 Workers' organisation (5) 18 Capital of Norway (4)
So, Cash ISA’s as well as deposit accounts have in my opinion let down individual savers over the last ten years, with extremely poor rates that have eaten into individual's savings. This is because the rate of inflation has stripped what we get from the majority of bank accounts. Effectively inflation is the caused by the effect of price of goods and services going up over a period of time. New research shows that savers who have £10,000 within a bank account ten years ago would now only have the purchasing power of £9,772.
Spot the
5
differences
Further research from a very reputable investment firm shows that if you had put in the maximum £127,320 allowed into the average cash Isa since 2011, you would have £133,037 after interest. When you take inflation into account inflation, then the money would be worth only £124,857. The fall is steeper than the 0.4% drop in the Bank of England base rate in the last ten years. In comparison the average ISA rate has fallen from 2.2% down to an average low of 0.4%. As an adviser I got taught by a wiser older adviser circa 15 years ago that one should look at money in different pots. This might sound strange, but I look at money in three stages: immediately required, short term money, and long term money, or rather the pantry, fridge and freezer. Pantry, immediate money is funds that should form part of your emergency fund. I always say to clients at least six months of your monthly expenditure should be sat in a bank account. The fridge, or medium term money is money you do not need now, but might be needing in 5 years etc. this could be for an extension, children’s education in the future. I usually find clients that put money away for the medium usually do not touch the funds and leave them invested. We then have the freezer funds, or long term monies. These are monies you do not need for a period of longer than 10 years, and it could be monies invested in pensions,
In the above example you are taking investment risk with 20% of your money, but over the longer term you can expect stocks and shares to perform better than cash. In the event more information is needed, then please contact me directly.
ANSWERS SPOT THE 5 DIFFERENCES 1. The logo on the front of the car. 2. The handle on the right door. 3. The wheel disk on the right tire. 4. The colour on the light behind the car. 5. The logo on the skyscraper.
The key message I want to give this week is cash is necessary, but keeping too much cash in the bank means the only winner really is the bank. They would have invested your funds, and made a return. As an example if you are a very cautious investor and have £50,000 in the bank, and are only prepared to invest £10,000, then as an example the Investment Association Benchmark 40 – 85% sector, which is effectively benchmarking funds where the equity content is 40% - 85% increased over the last 5 years by 51.70%. If £10,000 is invested would now be £15,170 before investment charges, which usually are between £0.8% to 1.50% per annum. At the end of 5 years in the example given your £50,000 now would be £55,170.
CROSSWORD ANSWER
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ISSA BROTHERS’ £6.8BN TAKEOVER OF ASDA NEARS COMPLETION British Asians and Brits in general were excited when the news came that Blackburn’s Issa brothers were the closest to becoming the new owners of one Asda. Well contain your excitement levels as the Issa brothers are now nearing their completion of the £6.8bn takeover.
Issa, TDR Capital partners Manjit Dale and Gary Lindsay, and Walmart executive vice president and chief financial officer Chris Nicholas. Asda chief executive Roger Burnley will also join the board.
News of Asda returning to British ownership for the first time in 21 years was first announced in October last year.
The transaction remains subject to clearance from the CMA.
The Issa brothers said the takeover process was now on track to be complete by later this month, and they have reached an agreement with US retail giant Walmart, which will retain a minority interest in the Big 4 grocer. Mohsin and Zuber Issa also confirmed that Asda’s forecourts business would be sold to EG Group for the value of £750 million. EG Group is the global convenience and forecourts retailer owned by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital. The Issa brothers and TDR Capital intend to launch the syndication of €840 million (£729 million) of institutional term loan B facilities and, later, the offering of £2.2 million of senior secured notes and £500 million of senior notes. The Asda board will now comprise of Mohsin and Zuber
In due course, independent directors will be appointed to the board.
A detailed integration plan will ensure a seamless transition into EG Group’s UK operations, which have integrated four acquisitions since 2015.
“Local control means that strategic decisions will be more closely aligned with colleagues, customers and communities. “With TDR Capital, our long-time partners, we are committed to supporting Roger Burnley, chief executive of Asda, and his team as they continue to reposition the business to drive long-term growth. “We are putting in place a robust capital structure to support that
The forecourts will continue to be branded Asda and will remain a price leader in the fuel market. The Issa brothers and TDR Capital said that following the CMA’s clearance, they plan to sell certain distribution assets to institutional real estate investors. Asda will continue to operate the distribution assets and the transaction will have no day-today impact on the operations of those sites, Asda’s supply chain or workforce. “Asda is an iconic British business that we have known and loved since we were children,” Mohsin and Zuber Issa said. “We are proud to bring its ownership back to the UK and delighted that, with the support of TDR Capital and Walmart, we can invest in its future.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa
growth strategy, and we are confident that external investors will share our belief in Asda’s strong fundamentals and exciting future prospects. “Looking ahead, and subject to the required regulatory approvals, we look forward to working with our Asda colleagues to build an even stronger, more differentiated retailer – including through the investment of more than £1 billion in the next three years to further
strengthen the business and its supply chain. “We are also excited about the proposed integration of the Asda forecourts into EG’s established UK operations, which we believe would underpin the future growth of the combined network.” Lindsay said: “We are very proud to be investing alongside Mohsin and Zuber and supporting the next phase of Asda’s exciting growth journey.
“Asda has strong foundations and under the leadership of Roger and his team we look forward to seeing the business move from strength to strength in the future.” The acquisition of Asda by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital is expected to complete later this month. The transaction will remain subject to clearance from the CMA, which is currently expected in the second quarter this year.
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Adapting to Home Learning Partnership between parents and teachers is helping with the task of home learning. Sarah Hussain When it was announced on January 5, that schools across the country would only be staying open to children of critical workers and vulnerable children, the majority of parents gave a collective shudder.After all, having children is challenging enough at the best of times, but when they’re at home all day, every day, and you have to supervise their education, it’s almost impossible. As father-of-two Errol Murray, from Leeds, says: “There’s a reason that teaching is a paid profession. “The idea of taking care of children and getting an idea into their heads at the same time as working a full-time job is very difficult, and to achieve this with no training is basically a non-starter.’ No wonder many parents were worried about the impact of the closure on their child’s education and academic progress. However, since the March 2020 lockdown, schools have improved hugely the remote learning opportunities they provide for students. First time round – like everyone else – they were caught by surprise, and had to rapidly develop strategies to help educate children at home. By this January, schools were better prepared. Janey Cooksley, headteacher of Briar Hill Primary School in Northampton, and her team had spent months creating a full academic year’s worth of booklets covering all the academic subjects for years one to six. “By 1 September, they were all preloaded onto Google Classroom. For those children who had online access, everything was ready and for those who didn’t, hard copies of the booklets could be posted out,” says Janey. So when the majority of children had to learn from home in January 2021, all Janey’s pupils, and those in the 22 other primaries in her trust, could immediately benefit. “As well as the booklets, we have teacher videos or voice-overs that help explain the lessons and tasks, and our teachers and teaching assistants have weekly calls with each family to check in and see how everyone is coping. It’s our moral duty.” Each school is doing things slightly
differently, with some providing four or five hours of lessons a day for pupils, while others encourage more independent learning. Most record the lessons which are later available to pupils, while teachers are on hand to answer any questions or help with any difficulties. And schools are now being supported by the EdTech demonstrator school and college network, which involves experts helping them get the best out of the technology available. But not every child has access to a computer or wi-fi – something schools and the Government are keenly aware of. Schools can support theirdisadvantaged pupils through the Government’s £400m scheme to provide access to technology.
Around half of Emma Marshall’s pupils are classed as disadvantaged. The head of Havelock Academy secondary school in Grimsby carried out an audit to assess what tech each student had, and provided a device to those in need. Teachers then produced “how-to” guides to help pupils use their tech, and made sure a click-through to their remote-learning website was clearly available on the school home page for ease. “We’ve also provided paper packs of work for those who would really struggling accessing everything online,” says Emma. Now children have live-streamed lessons to complement their set work. “Other times, we’ve got our ‘cheer-up’ videos that the staff filmed to say,
‘We’re still here, we’re still missing you, we want you to see our faces and our smiles because we are here for you’.” Increasingly parents are recognising the huge efforts
I understand not everyone is a trained teacher and some people just need a bit of extra help from the schools. Sarah Hussain
schools have made to teach their children remotely. Parent, educator, PhD student and published author Sarah Hussain from Huddersfield, who has two children, a son aged 13 and a daughter aged 9 told Asian Standard: “I understand not everyone is a trained teacher and some people just need a bit of extra help from the schools.”“When we got the announcement that our children could not go to school the next day, I can’t believe how quickly my daughter’s school prepared online resources to meet her needs. The teachers have been incredible throughout this pandemic and should be applauded.”
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Want to help your child but feel out of your depth? Top Experts tell you how Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, one of the UK’s leading home education providers, gives his 10 top tips on how to effectively help with home learning
1. Take breaks
A bit of experimentation should identify what works best for you and the child. You might find 30-minute blasts followed by 10-minute breaks help to keep your concentration up. Alternatively, you might prefer to work for longer periods at a stretch and then enjoy a longer break. Boring as it might sound, giving your learning a predictable structure and routine does help to make sure you get everything done!
2. Make a routine
Children get the most out of home learning when parents decide when and what they should be studying. At school, the typical day might consist of seven 40 minute periods – four in the morning and three in the afternoon. So should parents try to emulate this?It’s important to remember that most children (and adults) are not able to concentrate for long periods of time, whatever the learning environment and kids do not concentrate on their studies for five hours a day at school. The average lesson is filled with interruptions and irrelevancies and the real ‘work’ might be condensed into 10 minutes. The same is true at home. Even if you have assigned
9. Stick to the curriculum
It’s important to try and cover all of the subjects your child is used to learning about, but don’t worry too much about spending an equal amount of time on each. You will naturally have greater knowledge in some areas than others and it’s fine to lean on these more heavily. However, your child may have interests in subjects you are less familiar with, and it would be a shame if they were unable to continue learning about these during this period. Avoiding these topics altogether could result in your child losing their passion. If you are unsure about any content, it can be quite refreshing to do some research yourself and learn something new, before passing on the information to your child.
40 minutes to a subject, do not be surprised if the useful work is done in just 10 minutes and the rest is spent in (apparently) less productive activity. Organisation is not simply a matter of time slots. It is a combination of timetabling and study objectives. By setting routines, children will find it easier to stay focused, engaged and make progress.
3. Get rid of distractions
It’s really hard to focus when the TV’s blaring, the radio’s on or there is lots going on in the place you’re working, so try and get rid of the distractions. Also, concentrating is easiest when you’re in a quiet, comfortable place, so play around with how you and your child study – sitting, standing or lying down; inside or outside; with lots of light or without – and find a method that helps them concentrate.
don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find it harder to concentrate, learn and retain information. The trick is pretty simple – get some sleep! Most people between the age of five and 11 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night, while 11 to 18-year-olds need 8 to 10 hours.
stressPlenty of scientific studies have shown the benefits of sitting silently, with your eyes closed and the mind focused on the present. This can dramatically reduce stress levels – a factor that’s been proven to exacerbate tiredness and reduce memory retention.
4. Divide up the work
6. Don’t multitask
8. Utilise TV and online learning
Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself when faced with a really big or difficult task. The best solution is to break it down into smaller pieces, planning out the various stages that need completing before you start. This way, your child will know what needs doing and you’ll both get a good sense of progress as you work.
5. Get lots of sleep
It’s an accepted fact that if you
Janey Cooksley, headteacher of Briar Hill Primary School in Northamptonshire. “Remember, this is a short-term situation and in the end the children will catch back up even if they temporarily fall behind. Just do what you physically can. “Reading is important – building fluency and a love of reading unlocks doors to everything else. “Let children socialise. They thrive on interaction, so book FaceTime sessions, plan online family games or virtual play dates so they get to see their friends.”
Sarah Hussain, parent and educator: With the pandemic everyone’s lives have been disrupted, so even more important than before to try and keep to routine as much as possible. For example, gettingup times and bed-times should remain the same. It is often useful to involve children in creating this routine, so that they feel part of the plan, rather than the plan being imposed on them. You could display the routine using a timeline, or maybe pictures and visuals. Encourage children to develop independence by referring to their own routine/plan themselves.
10. Make it fun
Sometimes, particularly when there’s a lot of work to be done, it can be hard to resist the urge to multitask and try and get lots of jobs done at once. This is best avoided though, as, in essence, you’re dividing up the amount of brainpower you have available to a given task, meaning you might miss out on important bits of information.
7. Meditate and reduce stress
Technology is a massive part of education both in schools and at home. Sites like BBC Bitesize and Geography Games are great for delivering educational content in a fun, engaging way.It can also be used to keep in touch with the home learning community to share tips and advice.If you’re temporarily home learning, then tools like Google Classroom can help you interact with your class and teacher from school.
Shamshad Azad, Award winning Design and Technology teacher says: “If you are working from home, this is an ideal opportunity for your child to explore your world of work and learn about what you do. Talk to them about your job and involve them if you can with things like calculations or sorting paperwork. Children will naturally focus more on subjects they enjoy or find easy. Monitor this to make sure they are accessing all areas of the curriculum equally. It’s ok for a child to struggle or grapple as it means they are being challenged by the work. As long as they are having a go it’s ok to make mistakes. Don’t get anxious for not being able to help, this does not help the child and children may feel responsible for your emotions.Speak to other parents/ carers about what they are doing and share best practice.”
Stevie Goulding, helpline co-manager for child mental health charity YoungMinds. “Remote learning can be incredibly challenging for parents, so it’s really important to be kind to yourself and make space for alone time. “Break up the work – set small amounts throughout the day to help them feel less overwhelmed. And personalise it – use their toys to help them add and subtract.”
Learning doesn’t have to be a chore, there are hundreds of games you can play to exercise your brain, including the following memory tests. There are card games where you have to match pairs or groups of face-down cards, flipping two each turn and reverting them face-down if they’re not a pair. You could also place a number of small, random items on a tray, memorise the items for a minute, then cover the tray, listing as many of the items as you can remember in a given time period. Then there are two-player games, such as Memory Master, where one player stares at a picture (magazines, books or photos all work) for a minute, after which the second player quizzes them on all aspects of the picture.
Extra support for disadvantaged children HussainThe UK Government has: • Invested more than £400m to support youngsters with access to technology, including providing 1.3 million laptops and tablets. • Teamed up with leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families until July 2021. • Provided 54,000 4G wireless router, with free data for the academic year, to help children access remote education and vital social-care services. • Provided a further £300m to early years, schools and colleges for tutoring, building on the existing £1billion Covid Catch Up Fund. For more guidance on remote learning and support for mental health and wellbeing, visit gov.uk/coronavirus-remote-learning
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MOVIE REVIEW MALCOLM & MARIE
the camera pushes away, leaving the character amongst a vast amount of negative space that really pinpoints a sense of loneliness and helplessness.
BY REBECCA TODD When the pandemic began, the lockdown forced almost all film production to cease completely.
It is the direct contrast between the use of these shots that enhances the heightened emotions of the film.
Left with no projects to work on after season 2 of Euphoria was shut down, writer and director Sam Levinson was left trying to create something that would adhere to Covid restrictions. Malcolm & Marie is the product of these restrictions.
The use of black and white cinematography also punctuates the characters’ every movement, emotion and word.
Shot with just a 22-member crew, this tense romance drama was shot entirely during lockdown in California and the cast and crew lived and worked together for three months, honing this production to produce Malcolm & Marie.
The film strips away any interfering visuals with both the simplicity of the set design and the use of shallow focus and foregrounds Zendaya and Washington as they rhythmically perform the script, dancing their way through a series of aggression, apology and anguish.
The film begins with the couple, Malcolm (John David Washington) and Marie (Zendaya), returning from Malcolm’s film premiere where he has received high praise for his creative vision. We watch as an argument builds between the pair, beginning simply with Marie being upset that Malcolm did not thank her in his speech but quickly spiralling into an intimate discussion of the couple’s issues with their relationship. The film focuses entirely upon this conversation between the characters. The argument
There are, however, moments where the film lulls and the verbose dialogue does become a little taxing. between the two happens almost in real-time and we watch as both characters are slowly stripped away of their glamorous premiere outfits until they are left bare, with nothing left to conceal them. The two actors deliver careerbest performances. It is their characterisation that allows the content of this film to remain as captivating as it
does when you are essentially just watching a singular conversation play out. The way the pair are able to portray a genuine love and care for one another despite delivering truly vicious dialogue, which divulges into issues of self-harm and drug abuse, is quite remarkable and is what keeps the film believable.
Perhaps the strong, emotional connection comes from the actors living and working in such close confines throughout the lockdown period, but the almost effortless dynamic between the two makes their relationship feel incredibly genuine and tangible. The choice of soundtrack throughout is incredibly
precise and elevates the rest of the dialogue. The music is used almost as a tool by the characters to help punctuate their argument, as they utilise songs to their advantage in order to both distress and express their emotions to their partner. One particular moment sees the characters listening to the Dionne Warwick song ‘Get Rid of Him’ in silence for an extended period as Marie tries to hurt Malcolm as he has done to her. In the places where dialogue would not encapsulate the precise emotions, the soundtrack is used as an extension of the conversation. Levinson also uses the cinematography to an incredible advantage throughout the film. The framing specifically enables us a deeper understanding of the pair. When Malcolm and Marie are shot together, the camera pulls in for extremely tight close-ups in order to enhance their chemistry and create an almost claustrophobic atmosphere. However, when the characters are left alone after yet another brutal exchange of dialogue,
In a few scenes, John David Washington monologues heavily about the construction of his film, reciting director after director in an attempt to highlight the character as a true cinephile. These moments leave the film a little cold, as it becomes far too aware of itself and far too pretentious. After all, it really is the chemistry of the pairing that electrifies Malcolm & Marie and any moment spent away from their dynamic is of detriment to the film. Malcolm & Marie is a brutal, honest portrayal of a couple trying to negotiate their problems. Whilst both the script and cinematography of the film are impressive, it is the performances given by Zendaya and John David Washington that elevates the work to something truly inspired. Their dynamism creates a very sincere representation of a dysfunctional relationship and despite the extreme drama of the conversation, their heartfelt portrayals ground the film in reality. Malcolm & Marie is available on Netflix from February 5.
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RECIPE
CHILLI PANEER Deeply satisfying and palatable Chilli paneer. Chilli paneer is an Indo-Chinese style dish, with paneer (Indian cottage cheese) as it’s main ingredient.
INGREDIENTS Paneer 250 gm (cubes) Salt & black pepper to taste Corn starch 1/4th cup Oil 3 tbsp Garlic 13-15 cloves (chopped) Ginger 1 inch (chopped) Green chillies 8-10 nos. (slit) Spring onion bulbs 5-6 stalks Capsicum 2 medium size (diced) Spring onion greens 1/4th cup (chopped) Sugar 1 tsp Soy sauce 2 tbsp Red chilli sauce 2 tbsp Cornflour 5 tbsp + water 100 ml Salt & black pepper to taste Spring onion greens for garnish (chopped)
METHOD In a mixing bowl, add paneer cubes, salt & pepper to taste and corn flour, mix and coat the paneer well with the corn starch. Set a pan on medium heat, add oil and shallow fry the paneer from all the sides until golden brown. Set a pan on high heat, add oil, garlic, ginger green chillies and spring onion bulbs, sauté it on high flame for 3-4 minutes. Add capsicum, spring onion greens and sugar, continue to sauté it for a minute. Add soy sauce and red chilli sauce, sauté it for a minute. In a bowl add cornflour and water and mix well and add the cornflour mixture, salt and pepper to taste, cook until the sauce thickens. Add the fried paneer, mix gently and coat the paneer well with the sauce. Finish it by adding freshly chopped spring onion greens and take it off from the flame. Your paneer chilli is ready to be served, serve it immediately as a party appetizer with some schezwan sauce on side. Accompanies beautifully with rice or even roti.
This week’s recipe has come from Veganuary. Veganuary is a charity that encourages people worldwide to try vegan for January and beyond. For more information visit www.veganuary.com
Have a tantalising recipe? Want to share? We would love to feature your recipes. If you would like to have your recipe featured on this page then email us at: recipes@asianstandard.co.uk
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IOC PUBLISHES FIRST 'PLAYBOOK' OUTLINING MEASURES TO DELIVER 'SAFE' TOKYO OLYMPICS The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it has published the first Playbook, a resource which outlines the personal responsibilities key stakeholders must take to play their role in ensuring safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.
involved in, or attending the Games has a key role to play. Central to this are the Playbooks that form an integral part of a new and robust masterplan developed over the last 12 months to protect every Games stakeholder and, importantly, the people of Japan during Tokyo 2020."
"The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (Tokyo 2020) today published the first Playbook, a resource which outlines the personal responsibilities key stakeholders must take to play their role in ensuring safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer," IOC said in a statement.
Tokyo 2020 Games Delivery Officer Nakamura Hidemasa commented "The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the daily lives of people around the world, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games need to adapt accordingly. Safety and security have become everyone's top priority, and this summer's Games will be no different. Accordingly, Tokyo 2020, the IOC and the IPC have jointly published individual Playbooks for each stakeholder outlining the rules that need to be followed by all Games participants."
IOC said the series of Playbooks provide a framework of basic principles that each key stakeholder group will follow before they travel to Japan, when entering Japan, during their time at the Games and when leaving the Games. "The first of this series of Playbooks is, for logistical reasons, aimed at International Federations and Technical Officials. Playbooks for the athletes, media, and broadcasters will be published in the coming days. Accompanying the publication of each Playbook will be a series of briefings from the IOC, IPC, and Tokyo 2020 with the stakeholders in question," the statement read. In the 33-page Playbook aimed at International Federations and Technical Officials, it is mentioned not to use public transport unless given permission. "Use Games
transport systems according to your own specific Playbook. Do not use public transport unless given permission," the Playbook reads. It is also mentioned "Support athletes by clapping and not singing or chanting." IOC said these Playbooks are the "official, centralised source of information" for the Olympic and Paralympic Games stakeholders, and the first versions will be updated with more detail over the coming months, as the global situation relating to COVID-19 becomes clearer ahead of the Games. Also, IOC said the Playbooks are the basis of their game plan to ensure that all Olympic and Paralympic Games participants and the people of Japan stay safe and healthy this summer, adding that they have been
developed jointly by Tokyo 2020, the IOC, and the IPC.
treat any potential positive cases," it added.
"They are based on the extensive work of the All Partners Task Force, which also includes the World Health Organization, the Government of Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, independent experts and organisations from across the world, and the interim report published by the Three-Party Council in December 2020," IOC said.
Speaking about the publication of the Playbooks, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi, in a statement, said "The health and safety of everyone at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 are our top priority. We each have our part to play. That's why these Playbooks have been created - with the rules that will make each and every one of us a sound, safe and active contributor to the Games. We know these Olympic Games will be different in a number of ways."
"...The Playbooks also outline a typical journey for each stakeholder group, beginning with measures starting 14 days before arriving in Japan, testing before departure and upon arrival in the country, and the use of smartphone applications to report health and support contact tracing during Games time. Measures will also be in place to identify, isolate and
"For all Games participants, there will be some conditions and constraints that will require flexibility and understanding. We are providing the main directions at this stage, but naturally don't have all the final
ARGENTINA CHANGES NAME OF MARADONA CUP AMID LAWSUIT FEARS Argentine football's Professional League Cup will cease to be called the Diego Maradona Cup because of possible legal action from heirs to the deceased legend's estate. The tournament adopted Maradona's name just days after the 1986 World Cup winner's death from a heart attack in
November, reports Xinhua news agency. However, Argentine football officials decided to revert to the tournament's original name for fear of future lawsuits for the use of Maradona's name and image. According to lawyer Martin
Apolo, image and naming rights form one of the "most important assets" in Maradona's inheritance. Argentine media reports have estimated Maradona's estate to be worth between $75 million and $100 million.
The decision to drop Maradona's name comes less than a month after Banfield won the inaugural edition of the Maradona Cup by beating Boca Juniors in the final. The 2021 Professional League Cup is scheduled to begin on February 14.
details yet; an update will be published in the spring and may change as necessary even closer to the Games. We will make sure all the information needed is shared as quickly as possible to ensure we are fully prepared to protect all those coming to and residing in Japan during the Tokyo 2020 Games," he added. He continued "By committing to following the Playbooks we will be stronger together. In return, the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be remembered as a historic moment for humanity, the Olympic Movement and all those contributing to their success." Craig Spence, the IPC's Chief Brand, and Communications Officer, said "To ensure safe and successful Games this summer, every single stakeholder
"The Playbooks were created from the perspective of the participants themselves, based on the interim summary that was published at the Coordination Meeting for COVID-19 Countermeasures last December. They include not only the specific measures that need to be taken, but also details of the rules that need to be observed and the appointment of a single person to oversee COVID-19 countermeasures in each stakeholder group to ensure effectiveness. The purpose of this first edition is to communicate 'what we know at this time' to a large number of people in an easy-to-understand manner. The Playbooks will be updated to the second edition this spring as the situation changes," Hidemasa added.
SPORTS
RASHFORD SURPASSES CATONA ON MAN UTD'S GOALSCORER LIST Striker Marcus Rashford surpassed Eric Cantona's goal tally for Manchester United with his strike against Southampton in an emphatic 9-0 win in the Premier League.
Greenwood's low cross in the 25th minute Rashford earned his 83rd goal for the Reds - one more than Eric Cantona and that put him 25th on the all-time list of top goalscorers for United.
With this win, United consolidated its position at the second spot in Premier League standings and the side is now tied with topplaced Manchester City. Both teams now have 44 points.
Up next for Rashford on the list of scorers to tick off is David Beckham, who found the target 85 times during his trophy-laded United career.
Converting Mason
As a result of this comprehensive 9-0 win, United equalled the feat for
largest margin of victory in the Premier League. United had earlier set the record in 1995 by registering a 9-0 win over Ipswich Town. Leicester City then also equalled the record in October 2019 after beating Southampton by the same margin. Southampton got off to the worst possible start as Alexandre Jankewitz was shown a straight red card in the initial minutes of the match for a nasty challenge on Scott McTominay.
In the first half, United went on to register four goals as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford, a Jan Bednarek own goal and Edinson Cavani got among the goal scoring charts. United did not let the momentum drop in the second half as the final 45 minutes saw five more goals being scored to hand the side a marvellous victory. Anthony Martial registered two goals, while McTominay, Bruno Fernandes and Daniel James scored one goal each.
2022 WORLD CUP WILL BE PLAYED IN PACKED STADIUMS: INFANTINO The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played in packed stadiums next year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said "I am very, very confident (it) will be incredible, will have the same magic, uniting the
world," Infantino said in a virtual press conference in Geneva. "We will be back to where we have to be." The World Cup is scheduled to be held next year between November 21 and December 18.
Infantino also announced that FIFA is joining with the World Health Organisation in their campaign for fair access to Covid-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. "We all have to play our part in the battle against the
coronavirus. We are also calling on the international community to act together to ensure a level playing field in relation to access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests across the globe," Infantino said.
6 - 12 FEBRUARY 2021
SPORTS
IOC PUBLISHES FIRST 'PLAYBOOK' OUTLINING MEASURES TO DELIVER 'SAFE' TOKYO OLYMPICS Page 30
RASHFORD SURPASSES CATONA ON MAN UTD'S GOALSCORER LIST Page 31
MAYWEATHER TO FIGHT JAKE PAUL AND 50 CENT AFTER LOGAN PAUL Floyd Mayweather Jr posted on Instagram saying that he is planning on facing YouTuber Jake Paul and 50 Cent in exhibition matches this year after he fights Logan Paul. The exhibition match against Jake Paul depends on whether he defeats former UFC fighter Ben Askren in their boxing match on April 17th. Don’t be surprised if none of those exhibition matches happen. If ticket and payper-view sales are dismal, it’s likely that none of Mayweather’s fights will happen. Mayweather doesn’t have to stoop to this level to make money. If he’s determined to fight matches, he should come out of retirement and run the gauntlet by fighting these three fighters in order: Manny Pacquiao Canelo Alvarez Gennadiy Golovkin Oscar De La Hoya would jump at the chance to fight a rematch with Mayweather, and that would arguably do a lot more pay-per-view buys and ticket than his poorly thought out matches exhibition fights against Logan and Jake Paul and 50 Cent. At least with De La Hoya, he’s a former boxer and world champion. The Paul brothers are talking heads from the Youtube world. The 45-yearold 50 Cent AK Curtis James Jackson III is a rapper, actor, businessman, and television
producer. 50 Cent is NOT a boxer. Mayweather and Logan were supposed to be fighting this month on February 17th, but the fight was postponed. Logan says they want to make sure there’s a live crowd for the exhibition. Mayweather, 43, says his fight with Logan will take place in Tokyo, Japan. We’ll see if Mayweather vs. Paul attracts an audience in Japan, as there’s no selling point. If Mayweather was still relevant and he was fighting a popular fighter that the Japanese boxing fans were familiar with, maybe fans would be interested in paying to see it live during the pandemic. Neither of those things apply. Mayweather Jr isn’t relevant, and he’s fighting non-boxer, from the Youtube world. There are pockets of fans that are happy that Mayweather is doing exhibition matches, and they say that he’s earned it. Those will likely be the main people that pay his asking price to see these mismatches during the pandemic. Hardcore boxing fans will likely steer clear of buying any of these fights, and Mayweather will have to keep postponing. If Mayweather is unable to sell the three fights, he needs to bundle them together on one card and give the fans a three-for-one deal. It would be like when George Foreman fought five guys on one night.