News from India

Arnab Goswami granted interim bail, returns to Republic TV office

Randeep Singh Surjewala

New Delhi, November 7 (IANS): The Congress on November 7 once again accused the Narendra Modi government of cheating 30 lakh former army men by watering down the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme. Addressing the media here, Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “Modi government’s stand over OROP remains exposed today.” He said by arbitrarily weakening the OROP, the Modi government has disappointed 30 lakh exservicemen. “Today again Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah made a false attempt to mislead the country. Fraudulent Modi government’s conspiratorial effort to throw dust in the country’s eyes will never succeed,” he said. The Congress leader said that despite announcing the OROP in 2015, the BJP government never

him bail following his arrest on November 4 in a case of abetment to suicide of Mumbai architect Anvay M. Naik and his mother Kumud Naik on May 5, 2018 in Alibaug. Returning from the jail, flashing a ‘V’ sign and punching in the air several times enroute his car, Goswami termed his arrest as “illegal” and said no forces Mumbai, November 11 (IANS): Republic TV Managing director and Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami was released from the Taloja Central Jail in Raigad late on the night of November 11. The development came hours after the Supreme Court granted Republic TV Managing Director and Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami channel. He was accorded a rousing, hero’s welcome by the Republic TV staff as he entered the office late on November 11 with plans to go on air. Goswami told mediapersons that he was “absolutely fine” and looking forward to working amid a thunderous applause outside his office building.

Cong accuses Modi govt of duping armed forces by weakening OROP

could stop a journalist and his TV

Courtesy: tribuneindia.com

implemented it. He said it is a conspiracy of the BJP to dupe and deceive the members of our armed forces, which is unacceptable to the nation. Hitting out at the government, Surjewala said that the OROP formula was accepted by the Congress government and an order in writing was issued on February 26, 2014. “But the Modi government diluted and finished this order,” he said. Attacking the government, Surjewala said that the Modi government on November 7, 2015, after assuming power in May, 2014 proceeded to dilute and deny ‘OROP’ to 30-40 per cent personnel by imposing a condition that any armed forces personnel who sought premature retirement on completion of 20 years of service will not get ‘OROP’.

Case registered against YouTuber for cheating ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ owner

New Delhi, November 6 ( IANS

): In a big twist to the Baba ka Dhaba case, the Delhi police on November 6 booked YouTuber Gaurav Wasan for cheating and initiated the investigation in the alleged misappropriation of donation funds. “After receiving the complaint, preliminary inquiry was done after which a cognizable offence FIR U/S 420 IPC has been registered at PS Malviya Nagar and investigation has been initiated,” DCP South Atul Thakur said. The Delhi Police have taken into account some bank details and after deliberate analysis, found that there are certain areas which need to be investigated. Dhaba opposite Hanuman Mandir, Malviya Nagar Market, New Delhi and in the month of October 2020, Gaurav Wasan approached him and shot a video with him to help and promote his business. per the complainant, the accused Gaurav deliberately shared only his and his family members’ bank details and mobile number for donation and collected huge amounts of donation and later Baba ka Dhaba owner Kanta Prasad (left) On October 31, a complaint from the owner of Baba ka Dhaba, Kanta Prasad , a resident of Malviya Nagar, was received at Malviya Nagar regarding cheating and fraud against YouTuber Gaurav Wasan. Accordingly a video was shot and Wasan posted the video on social media through his account namely ‘Swad Official’ and requested the public to donate money to financially help the complainant. cheated the complainant,” the officer added. Prasad, 80, shot to fame after a video of him tearfully recounting the desperation of the months since the lockdown was shared widely across social media The complainant said he runs a stall in the name of Baba Ka “The said video went viral and as platforms.

Former JNU student leader to be prosecuted under UAPA

New Delhi, November 6 (IANS): As the police have received The Delhi government has given prosecution sanction against sanction to Delhi Police for the Khalid from both the Aam Aadmi prosecution of former Jawaharlal Party government and the Home Nehru University (JNU) student Ministry, it can now name him in to the alleged larger conspiracy leader Umar Khalid in an Unlawful their supplementary charge sheet. in connection with the riots in Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) To prosecute the accused under February 2020. case related to the February communal violence in northeast Delhi that left at least 53 persons dead. Section 13 of the UAPA, the Delhi Police needed the sanction from the Ministry of Home Affairs and under Sections 16, 17 and 18 from The Delhi Police has filed a 17,500-page charge sheet against 15 persons for “propagating violence” during the riots. The The sanction was given in the the Delhi government. charge sheet was filed under the riots conspiracy case, in which Khalid was arrested under the UAPA, Arms Act, and the Indian Khalid was booked under the UAPA in a separate case related Penal Code. stringent anti-terror UAPA.

India-China dialogue on border dispute to continue: Indian Defence ministry

New Delhi, November 8 (IANS): The military talks between India and China at Chushul in eastern Ladakh to resolve the border dispute ended in a stalemate but both countries have agreed to continue the dialogue to push for a peaceful settlement, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on November 8. The MoD said in a statement that both countries agreed to continue the dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels and take forward the discussions, push for a settlement of other outstanding issues, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. The ministry pointed out that “the two sides had a candid, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.” The Ministry further said that both the countries also agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, ensure their frontline troops exercised restraint and avoided misunderstanding and miscalculations. “They also agreed to have another round of meeting soon,” the Ministry said. Since the talks ended in a deadlock and no thinning of troops will happen, soldiers of both the countries deployed in the area will remain exposed to minus 20 degrees Celsius temperatures. The 8th Corps Commander-level talks between both the countries began at 9.30 am and ended at 7 pm on November 7. It was for the first time that Lieutenant General PGK Menon led the Indian military delegates. Earlier, he had attended two such talks but the delegation was led by the then Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who was transferred last month to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) where he would be in charge of training the future generations of Army officers. Indian Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary Navin Srivastava was also part of the delegation.

Australia’s economic recovery sans fiscal boost could falter: Treasury Secy

Canberra, November 6 (IANS): recovery could falter without Australia’s economic recovery a strong fiscal policy response from the ongoing coronavirus leading to years of anaemic pandemic could “falter” without growth,” he told an Australian strong fiscal stimulus from the Business Economists event on government, Treasury Secretary November 5. Steven Kennedy said. “Fiscal policy has always Kennedy used a recent speech responded to large shocks but to urge the government to lower there is now a question about the threshold for fiscal stimulus, whether the threshold for Xinhua news agency reported. intervention should be lowered.” He said the move would allow the In addition to the federal government to boost the economy government Kennedy said whenever it is flagging rather that states and territories “can than just after a “large shock” also play an important role such as the pandemic. in supporting the economic Kennedy praised the government recovery” by investing in for already providing A$257 billion infrastructure projects. in direct economic support in His comments came days after response to the coronavirus crisis the Reserve Bank of Australia but noted that there was no more (RBA) cut the interest rate to an room to stimulate the economy all-time low of 0.1 per cent to using “conventional monetary” aid the economic recovery from policy. the pandemic which has infected “Given the lack of conventional 27,634 people in the country and monetary support available, the killed 907 others.

PM urges to develop alternatives to Covid-19 lockdowns

Canberra, October 28 (IANS):

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged to develop alternatives to large-scale lockdowns to deal with future coronavirus outbreaks in the country. Morrison recently delivered a direct plea to unshackle the country’s economy from lockdowns and border closures, Xinhua reported. “Borders and lockdowns are not demonstration or evidence of success,” he told the Parliament. “They are ¬evidence of outbreaks that have got out of control. They are evidence of things that have not gone as they should,” he said. “As we look to the future, we cannot look to a future of lockdown as a way of managing this virus. “What we must do is ensure we have the testing and the tracing and the isolation and the quarantine options,” he noted. Morrison praised Australia’s progress up until July and mentioned “the failure of the quarantine” in Victoria’s second wave, referring to breaches in the state’s hotel quarantine system for returned overseas travellers. “We saw the issues of contact tracing and we saw Victoria descend into what was a cataclysmic second wave of this virus,” Morrison said. The national cabinet, which is composed of the prime minister and state and territory leaders, earlier in October agreed to a plan to re-open Australia’s domestic borders by Christmas on December 25. Michael Gunner, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (NT), recently said that the territory was “on track” to open its borders to travellers from regional Victoria on November 2 and to those from the state’s capital city Melbourne by December. “At this stage we’re on track for the national roadmap which is that Victoria will join the rest of us around Christmas,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio. “I want to be a bit careful about giving people too much hope but so far everything is on track,” he said. However, the NT arm of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) called for the re-opening of the border to Victoria to be postponed. With the so-called antiCovid-19 ring of steel separating Melbourne from the rest of Victoria set to be lifted in November, Robert Parker, the NT AMA president, called for Gunner to wait and see if outbreaks surface in regional Victoria. “We should wait to see how Victoria’s eased restrictions pan out, we know all it takes is one super spreader to spark another outbreak,” he told News Corp Australia, adding, “Not taking proper precautions could have potentially fatal consequences.”

Australian bushfire inquiry makes 80 recommendations

Canberra, October 30 (IANS): The landmark royal commission into Australia’s “Black Summer” bushfires handed down its final report recently, where it made 80 recommendations to prevent future disasters. The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, which was established in the wake of the devastating 2019-20 bushfires in February, made the recommendations, which included establishing a national fleet of aerial firefighting resources and introducing a nationally consistent disaster warning system, reports Xinhua newsa gency. Thirty-three people died, including nine firefighters, in the 2019-20 bushfires, which burned from July 2019 to March 2020. The smoke blanketed much of Australia, including capital cities, and contributed to hundreds of deaths, according to the report. “Nearly 3 billion animals were killed or displaced, and the fires harmed many threatened species and ecological communities,” it said. The inquiry found that global warming was causing an increase in catastrophic fire weather and compromising traditional fire government boundaries. “On some days, extreme conditions drove a fire behavior that was impossible to control. “We heard harrowing personal accounts of devastation and loss. Over 24 million hectares were burnt. Many Australians were impacted, directly or indirectly, by the fires. “Over 3,000 homes were destroyed. Estimates of the national financial impacts are over A$10 billion,” Binskin added. Of the 80 recommendations, 14 relate to the federal government, 23 to states and territories and 41 are joint responsibilities, according to The Australian newspaper. coordination between all levels of government during future emergencies, a real-time national air quality monitoring system and for all states and territories to develop an emergency warning smartphone application. In order to prevent future similar disasters it said the federal government should be given the power to declare a state of national emergency. “The declaration should be made by the prime minister, and legislation should be clear about the circumstances in which a declaration may be made, and the actions that the Australian government can then take to support state and territory governments,” the report said. fighting techniques. Commission chair Mark Binskin, said the inquiry looked into the The remaining two relate to the insurance industry and Australian Building Code Board. However, it warned that the declaration “should not purport to give the Australian government future where extreme weather Responding to the report, the power to determine how the events will “regrettably, be more Emergent Management Minister resources of states and territories frequent and more severe”. David Littleproud said the are to be used or allocated, “What was unprecedented is now our future,” he said. “Every state and territory suffered fire to some extent. The fires did not respect state borders or local government was committed to acting on its recommendations and intended to work together with the states. The report called for greater without their consent”. Littleproud said such powers would not mean that the federal government would be “coming in to take over and fight fires”.

Victoria announces further easing of pandemic restrictions

Melbourne, November 8 (IANS): Victoria, the worst-hit Australian state by the coronavirus pandemic, announced further easing of restrictions on November 8 after it recorded the ninth consecutive day without any new cases or deaths. From 11.59 p.m. on November 8, the 25-km travel limit in the capital city of Melbourne and the hard borders separating the city from lower virus transmission communities in regional Victoria will be abolished, while the statewide compulsory mask-wearing rule remains in place until further notice, reports Xinhua news agency. From November 9, the entire state has been following the unified Covd-19 restriction rules which will further ease limits on gatherings for hospitality venues, indoor sporting facilities, religious ceremonies, and home visiting. Community spaces such as libraries and neighbourhood houses can have up to 20 people indoors, with groups of up to ten. Indoor entertainment venues, such as movie theatres, galleries, museums and music halls will be able to open with 20 people per space. The state recorded zero new Covid-19 cases and no further related deaths for the ninth day running, which brought its 14-day average number of cases down to just 0.4 in metropolitan Melbourne and zero in regional Victoria. Nevertheless, Premier Daniel Andrews still warned Victorians against complacency as the battle against the pandemic is not over yet.

Australia India Dreams now a nightmare for many Women in Business international students in Victoria

chapter launched in Melbourne, 4 November: Victoria’s coronavirus lockdown has turned many international or delivery jobs because that’s all they can do; if they go home they’d have a difficult time coming Victoria students’ dreams of studying and working in Melbourne into a nightmare. Cut off from federal back and that time would use up their TR so that wastes a lot of time and money.’ Melbourne, 4 November: Motivating speeches from a panel of women change-makers marked the launch of AIBC’s Australia India Women in Business Victoria chapter, recently. With a blend of social purpose and business acumen, these women have made their mark in the field of entrepreneurship, activism, and leadership. Grit and passion were evident as the panellists shared their resilience strategies during the challenges of COVID-19 and discussed post-pandemic opportunities for economic recovery. The Australia India Business Council is a membership-based Courtesy_governor.vic.gov government payments like JobSeeker and JobKeeper, losing their existing jobs or unable to find new ones; and switching to digital learning, has left many international students lonely and anxious about their uncertain futures. For Sai Srushti Kasturi, getting admission to study in Monash University was a dream come true, but having to transition to online study as soon as she came, she never got to study in the campus she admired and underwent a hard time being in lockdown with roommates who bullied and harassed her. Srushti, who never got the chance to meet her classmates in person, had a Sudharsun Venkatesan is one such student, who has resorted to a delivery job after recently completing his master’s degree. Sudharsun, who arrived in Melbourne to finish his last semester just a day before the international travel ban, says that the change was ‘a rude shock’ to him. ‘I took a bank loan for the degree, and for my living expenses I was working part-time in a restaurant and interning for this company which helped me make some money for rent, but the pandemic collapsed that completely. I got a grant which helped me sustain myself for the three months of the first wave, but now I’ve just been doing Uber do it all from home, and earn some income on the side. For Deepak Mallya too, it was his mental health that took a blow during this time. ‘I was already stressed about my research because it’s highly competitive, but once lockdown started it increased. My sleep cycle and eating patterns got completely disrupted, I wasn’t able to sleep until 2 or 3 in the morning, so I used to overthink and got group that was formed in 1986 Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau difficult time making friends in Eats delivery which is the only depressed because I’m all alone to foster bilateral relationships AC a whole new environment and thing that’s helping me out,’ said here. I can’t call up and talk to my between India and Australia. Their newly formed Women in Business Chapter not only recognises the economic case for gender equality, it also aims to support its members to promote their brands, expand their referral network and catapult their business. According to of Australia India Women in Business. She expressed her pleasure at attending the event as it celebrated and further enhanced the very warm relationship between Victoria and India and it recognised the absolute crucial role of women in that relationship and skills and didn’t have anyone she knew that she could stay with. Fighting to keep her morale high, Srushti found a new place to move to and shifted there soon, but went back to India after the bond ran out. Srushti is happy to be reunited with her family and dog in Hyderabad. Sudharsun, who was planning to pursue a PhD, but missed out on it due to funding cuts, and is currently looking for other opportunities. ‘This was supposed to be my gallery submissions year, we had to go for exhibitions and get our own personal studios and gallery parents or friends every hour. I was not motivated to do anything, it was a war from within, but I’m recovering now. I started to follow a routine, and drew strength from my spirituality and it’s helped me get better,’ said Deepak. ‘The university gave hardship payments and there chairperson Reet Phulwani, the experience they bring to the table Ahnaf Yousuf Piash, who had which never happened because were charities and gurudwaras Victorian chapter will involve a in terms of business activities finished his bachelor’s degree of the pandemic. It’s hard to that were donating groceries and variety of discussions, special between Australia and India. from Deakin University last do a studio-based degree like food,’ he said. speakers, resources, and fun activities. The intent is to create a community of like-minded and passionate women in business. “At AIBC we have collectively come to the conclusion that by strengthening visibility, collective voice and representation, the Australian Indian Women in Business can be our most promising area of investment,” said Reet during the webinar. Moderated by Sheba Nandkeolyar, National Chair AIBC Women in Business, the webinar started with an opening address from Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria. The Governor also formally launched the Victorian chapter According to Sheba when she formed the Women in Business National chapter, she had a strong vision to try gender diversity in a bilateral business space. Her objective was to facilitate a 50/50 proportion of women’s participation in this space, be it as an entrepreneur, a business owner or a woman leader leading a professional company. Sheba went on to invite the audience to hear about the best practices observed by the powerful panel of speakers as they shared their experience on how they navigated the COVID-19 disruptions. November, is stuck in Melbourne while studying for his master’s degree in the University of Tasmania. Piash, who had originally planned to go back home to Bangladesh before coming back to start his course in July, is glad he didn’t. ‘If I had gone back I’d have ended up being stuck there,’ he said. Although he struggled with his mental health and lack of social life and was unable to get any shifts from his job, Piash says that he is lucky his parents supported him and that the situation of temporary residents in Australia is much worse than that of international students. Most of them are doing Uber Eats visual arts from home because you don’t get enough resources and I thought of deferring but that wastes time and delays everything, and you have to apply for a visa,’ said Pooja. ‘I was very depressed when this started but later on I made a routine where I’m getting up, working out, cooking every day, and it really helps if you’re doing activities all day and talking to your friends. At the end of the day, I just think of the bigger picture where people don’t have basic amenities like shelter or food, so you need to be grateful if you have a house and job,’ said Pooja, whose freelance graphic design work had picked up as she could Studies by the Department of Home Affairs showed that over 70% of Australian international students have chosen to stay back here, which means the majority of students have put their hopes into our country and community, not wishing to lose the chance of coming back here. Contributing $37.6 billion to the Australian economy in the last financial year, international students have poured not only their dreams and aspirations, but also their finances into the country, and the least we can do in return is to support and help them during this time, so that their journeys now are not marked by hunger, loneliness, and desperation.

IFFM 2020- a mind-blowing experience

Melbourne, 2 November: Besides going online, the Indian Film Festival Melbourne (IFFM) 2020 has again raised the bar this year by offering diverse and fresh content with great entertainment value. It was a fabulous viewing experience for the Indian film lovers of Australia and that too from the privacy of their homes and for free to enjoy. In COVID times it has forced all of us to up our game. Melbourne was facing its toughest lockdown, and ‘hope’ seems to be on everyone’s mind. But, then the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne happened and the welcoming news- ease of restrictions. Thanks to IFFM and Mind-Blowing Films Team for saving the rest of 2020. The film festival went online from the 23rd Oct – 30th Oct. Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange, proudly not only brought 60 films in 17 languages including 34 International Premieres and 56 Australian Premieres, but also supports the Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA). IFFM encourages festival participants to donate to MHFA when booking. Film lovers across Australia have enthusiastically embraced this year’s online presentation of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne with over 22,000 film views achieved in just the opening weekend. The festival closed with the closing night South Indian Malayalam film ‘MOOTHON ‘(The Elder One) available to stream from 6 pm 29th October till midnight on 30th October. Another highlight of the closing night is the announcement of the 2020 Short Film Competition winner. The announcement will be made in an online event in partnership with Mental Health Foundation Australia. ‘Together’ is the theme of the 2020 IFFM Short Film Festival Competition which this year received a remarkable and unprecedented 3000+ entries indicating people’s creativity during the lockdown. The winning film is being judged by Varun Sharma, the Festival’s 2011 Short Film Competition winner who is making his directorial debut this year with a Bollywood mainstream film, starring Rani Mukherji and Saif Ali Khan, produced by Yash Raj Studios. Proudly supported by Film Victoria, it has been such a joy to view some unique films that we could ponder over. Thank you IFFM for bringing the community closer, giving us the

South Indian Malayalam film ‘MOOTHON closed the IFFM

future of Indian cinema with such promising talents and stories.

Young Indians bag Morrison government taking steps to $200,000 scholarships woo international students

to Sydney Canberra, November 5: Press release by the Indian High Commission in Canberra reveals the spread of the coronavirus, and Australia has been a leader in this regard, it has presented able to lodge a further student visa application free of charge, if they are unable to complete their Sydney, November 7: Fourteen students from India are the winners of a prestigious scholarship to attend the University of Sydney this semester. This marks the second year of the Sydney Scholars India program that is valued at that the Morrison Government is making a number of changes to student visa arrangements to ensure Australia remains a priority destination for international students as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The press release says: challenges to the education sector and students, both here and offshore. These five visa changes will ensure international students are not worse off due to the coronavirus pandemic and that Australia remains competitive studies within their original visa validity due to COVID-19. • Student visa holders studying online outside Australia due to COVID-19 will be able to use that study to count towards the Australian study requirement for a post-study work visa. up to $500,000 (INR 24,500,000) especially for Indian students. Two of the winners include Ava Khan and Adhip Tanwar, who are understandably thrilled at the news. As part of the application, they had to share their ideas “that would bring change to India” and their impressive submissions have resulted in winning $200,000 scholarships each. For Ava, who commences a Bachelor of Science (Health) with Adhip Tanwar Courtsey_Facebook Ticket prices announced for AustraliaInternational students are extremely important to Australia and our economy, contributing $40 billion annually and supporting 250,000 jobs. Many also go on to become great Australian citizens. While the closure of our international borders has been critical to our success in slowing with other countries. The changes include: • The Government will recommence granting student visas in all locations lodged outside Australia. This means when borders re-open, students will already have visas and be able to make arrangements to travel. • International students will be • Graduates who held a student visa will be eligible to apply for a post-study work visa outside Australia if they are unable to return due to COVID-19. • Additional time will be given for applicants to provide English language results where COVID-19 has disrupted access to these services. a major in Infectious Diseases, the scholarship provides an opportunity to combine her scholarship has allowed him to take “a leap of faith” to pursue a Bachelor of Advanced Computing India 2020-21 cricket series keen interests in biology and medicine. Her unique idea was the development of an e-health system by linking individual medical histories to India’s already-existing Aadhar cards. “India has anganwadis (rural childcare centers) in 400 districts across the country. They’ve been digitised, but the workers themselves aren’t well-versed with the technology and many keep physical records. So why not link every Indian’s medical data with their national identification number?” The idea came from her own experiences with healthcare as the daughter of an Indian naval officer.“Our healthcare was always free with the best doctors but as I travelled more, I realised that’s not applicable for a lot of Indians. Households below the poverty line don’t always have access to good health care,” she elaborated. With the scholarship, Ava has commenced studies at the university remotely due to border closures. For Adhip Tanwar of Delhi, the after studying commerce in high school. Adhip, like his change of course, has a unique story to share – he spent two years after graduation working as the executive assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Times group in India. While his friends began their undergraduate degrees, he worked out of San Francisco and learnt as much as he could about the business. His “big idea” to bring change is an eLearning mobile and web application ‘TeachIndia’ to provide access to education to all Indian children. “Of course platforms like Udemy and Coursera exist, but their benefits are limited because the courses are taught in English. As the pandemic has shown, online education has eluded poorer households,” Adhip explained “My vision is to host a network of teachers working part-time as tutors, teaching technical and vocation skills in India’s vernacular languages. I’d also envision government involvement so that the teachers are aided by, say, tax rebates or subsidies.” Sydney, November 10: Cricket Australia have released ticket prices, tickets on sale dates and projected venue capacities for all Australia vs. India matches of the 2020-21 Men’s International summer. In a major boost for Australian and Indian cricket fans, there will be no increase in ticket prices for the Dettol One Day International Series matches, Dettol T20 International Series matches and Vodafone Test Series matches, compared to the 2018-19 India tour of Australia. For the fifth year straight, entry level ticket prices remain at $30 for adults while Cricket Australia’s Premium ticket prices have been held, the same as the last Indian tour in 2018-19.Venue capacities will vary by market depending on government allowances and in line with the approved COVIDSafe plans. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), which is set to host ODI and T20 INTL matches and the Vodafone Pink Test this summer, will hold 50 per cent of total capacity, as will Canberra’s Manuka Oval for their ODI and T20 INTL matches and the Adelaide Oval for historic Day-Night Test match starting December 17. At this stage, the Boxing Day Test is set to hold at least 25 per cent of total capacity across Public, Member and Corporate tickets, equating to 25,000 fans each day of the Test. The Gabba is set to host crowds at 75 per cent of venue capacity for the fourth and final Test of the Vodafone Series, starting on January 15, 2021.The split of availability of general public and members tickets will vary per venue and will be communicated at the on-sale dates listed below. CA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said he was pleased to be able to reward and welcome fans back to cricket with competitive ticket pricing and transparent venue capacity numbers.“Having confirmed the schedule for the AustraliaIndia Men’s series, we are so excited to confirm ticket pricing and crowd capacities for this highly-anticipated summer of International cricket,” Hockley said.

Woolworths helps customers celebrate Diwali with expanded South Asian product range

Sydney, November 3: Diwali preparations are now made easier and more convenient with special South Asian products available in selected Woolworths stores across the country. Diwali occupies an unparalleled place in the hearts of people, and on this auspicious occasion, Woolworths has embraced the importance of the role food plays during Diwali by offering tailored products for the South Asian community, available in over 200 stores nationally and also online. The range of products includes snacks, spices, rice, atta flour and other cooking ingredients to help create flavourful special dishes during the festive period. These specially sourced products not only offer popular food items, but also provide great convenience to the South Asian community in Australia to help them prepare for the Diwali celebrations. Popular snacks such as Parle G biscuits and Parle rusk, as well as much loved Chings Noodles are also available, providing the opportunity to easily enjoy these little treats for Diwali. Accompanied by popular beverages such as Red Label tea, Bru coffee, Kushi juices and MTR Badam drink cans, Woolworths has customers’ meal, snack and gifting needs covered this Diwali. Woolworths is offering special prices on key household ingredients such as Daawat Basmati rice, Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Atta Flour, Amul Ghee, Katoomba Ginger & Garlic and Dhara Sunflower Oil, used in everyday cooking. Woolworths General Manager for Grocery Food Ewan Shearer said, “We understand Diwali is an important time for family gathering, celebration and feasting. Our teams have been working hard to expand our South Asian product range and ensure customers have all the ingredients and products they need to celebrate. For Diwali, we have the right variety of local and

Courtesy: news.microsoft.com

international products offering great value to help our customers during their busy preparations leading into the Diwali festivities.”

All 4 Indian American democrats re-elected to House of Representatives

New York, November 4 (IANS): All four Indian American members of the House of Representatives who are fondly called the “Samosa Caucus” will get to have ‘chai’ in Congress again. The four Democrats won reelection in the election on November 3, and another was leading in her constituency while the counting was still on. Indian-American Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi Raja Krishnamoorthi was considered such a formidable candidate that the Republican Party did not put up a candidate against him in Illinois. He defeated the Libertarian Party the Hindu Swayam Sewak Sangh. Republican Manga Anantatmula, who tried to unseat Democrat Gerry Connolly, lost by 43.4 per cent in Virginia. candidate by 41.8 per cent. Tulsi Gabbard, who is not of Pramila Jayapal, a harsh critic of India, won from Washington State defeating her Republican Party rival with a huge margin of 69.6 per cent. Roh Khanna received 74.6 per cent of the votes in his California constituency to defeat Republican Ritesh Tandon, who got only 25.4 per cent. Another Californian, Amri Bera was re-elected with a margin of 22.8 per cent over the Republican rival. But Nisha Sharma, who ran for the House as a Republican from California, was defeated by the sitting Democrat Mark DeSaulnier by 50.6 per cent. Indian descent but is the first Hindu elected to the House, did not seek re-election after having unsuccessfully run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. In Maine, Democrat Sarah Gideon had been leading the sitting Senator Susan Collins in pre-election opinion polls by six per cent, according to RealClear Politics. But in an upset Gideon lost by eight per cent, even though Biden won the state. Republican Ritkin Mehta lost the senate race by 22.7 per cent to Corey Booker, the incumbent who also was a candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Sri Preston Kulkarni, who was considered a strong candidate lost in Texas by 7.3 per cent after a campaign against him by a combination of Indian secularists, Democratic Party liberals and Islamists alleging he had ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The former US diplomat had attended Modi’s “Howdy Modi” rally with President Donald Trump in Houston last year and among the contributors to his election campaign was a leader of At the state level, Niraj Antani was elected to the Ohio state Senate. He was a member of the state House of Representatives for three terms having been first elected when he was only 23 years old, becoming one of the youngest legislators in the country. In New York, Kevin Thomas, a sitting state Senator was reelected. Film-maker Mira Nair’s son Zohran Mamdani won a New York State Assembly seat, as did fellowDemocrat Jenifer Rajkumar.

Priyanca Radhakrishnan sworn in as NZ Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, November 2 (IANS): Keralite Priyanca Radhakrishnan on November 2 became the first Indian to be sworn in as a Minister in New Zealand as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unveiled her new cabinet. The 41-year-old has been sworn in as the Minister for the Priyanca Radhakrishnan Community and Voluntary Sector. has been in active politics with Radhakrishnan, born in Chennai the Labour Party. and brought up in Singapore, She shot into prominence and has her roots at Paravur, Kochi, became a household name in where her grandfather was a Kerala during last Onam when she medical professional as well as a came live with Ardern to extend Communist. her greetings on the occasion. A two-time MP from Auckland, Radhakrishnan continues her love she reached New Zealand to with Malayalam songs and she pursue her higher studies, said her most admired singer is following which, she became none other than popular Keralite a Kiwi national hailing from playback singer K.J. Yesudas. Christchurch and since 2004, she

Dalai Lama greets Biden, emphasises need to address pressing issues

Dharamsala, November 8 Harris, to be your Vice President,” (IANS): Tibetan spiritual leader, “Following my devolution of the Dalai Lama on November 8 political authority over matters congratulated Joe Biden on his relating to the cause of Tibet to election as the next President of the elected Tibetan leadership the US, saying climate change is in exile, I have been committed indeed pressing. to promoting human values, “As you may be aware,” he wrote religious harmony and the in a letter to the President-elect, principles of non-violence and adding: “I have long been an compassion, which I believe are admirer of the US as the anchor very much needed in today’s of liberty, democracy, religious world.” freedom and the rule of law.” “I would like to thank you for your “Humanity places great hope support for the Tibetan people, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai in the democratic vision and during your time in Congress Lama leadership of the US as leader and the previous administration, “On their behalf, I take this of the free world. Particularly in as well as for your statement opportunity to express my these challenging times, I hope in September this year. It has gratitude once again,” the elderly you will be able to contribute to been the Tibetan people’s good Buddhist monk said. shaping a more peaceful world in which people suffering poverty and injustice find relief. “The need to address these issues, as well as climate change, is indeed pressing,” the Nobel Peace Laureate added. “May I also commend you for your choice of a woman, Kamala fortune to have received the friendship and encouragement of the American people and their respective Presidents in our endeavour to protect and preserve our ancient Buddhist culture -- a culture of peace, non-violence and compassion -- that has great potential to benefit humanity as a whole.” Wishing him every success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of the US and in contributing to a more peaceful and harmonious world, His Holiness concluded his letter by offering his prayers and good wishes.

Modi greets Joe Biden, says will look forward to working closely

New Delhi, November 8 (IANS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 greeted US President Elect Joe Biden and said that as Vice President his contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable and India will look forward to working closely together. The Prime Minister also congratulated Vice President elect Kamala Harris saying her success is path breaking, and a matter of immense pride not just for your chittis, but also for all IndianAmericans. In a series of tweets, Modi said, “Congratulations Joe Biden on your spectacular victory! As the VP, your contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable. I look forward to working closely together once again to take IndiaUS relations to greater heights.” Congratulating Kamala Harris, who is set to become the first woman Vice President of the US, he said, “Heartiest congratulations Kamala Harris! Your success is path breaking, and a matter of immense pride not just for your chittis, but also for all Indian-Americans. I am confident that the vibrant India-US ties will get even stronger with your support and leadership.” Modi’s remarks came soon after Biden, the former two-term vice president and a Senate veteran, won the US Presidential elections to be the 46th President of the US while Harris will be the next vice president, the first woman and the first person of colour to hold the office.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Congress President Sonia Senior Enlisted Leader Forum in Gandhi also extended warmest 2023. congratulations to President-elect The ministers also announced Biden and Harris on her election that following the recent as the next Vice President. convening of the second She said, “Under the wise and Australia-India-Japan-US mature leadership of President- Quadrilateral Ministerial Meeting Elect Biden and Vice President- in Tokyo on October 6, 2020, the Elect Harris; India looks forward Quad consultations would now be to a close partnership that held annually. will be beneficial to peace and They expressed their support for development in our region and further strengthening the Quad around the world.” cooperation through expanded Former Congress chief Rahul activities, including initiating a Gandhi took to twitter and wrote, dialogue among the development “Congratulations to President- organisations of partner elect Joe Biden. I’m confident countries. that he will unite America and The US will host the next 2+2 provide it with a strong sense of ministerial dialogue in 2021. direction.” “Congratulations, Vice-Presidentelect Kamala Harris! It makes us proud that the first woman to ADVERTISE serve as Vice President of the US traces her roots to India,” he said WITH US in another tweet congratulating Harris. The US welcomed India’s co- Call us at hosting of the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference, Indo-Pacific 1300 859 066 Armies Management Seminar and

Sonia and Rahul hail Biden, Harris on victory

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, November 8 (IANS): development in our region and Congress President Sonia Gandhi around the world,” she said in her has extended her warmest congratulatory message. congratulations and also on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi behalf of the party, to Joe Biden tweeted: “Congratulations to on his election as the 46th US President-elect Joe Biden. I’m President as well as Kamala confident that he will unite Harris on her election as the next America and provide it with a Vice-President. strong sense of direction.” “Under the wise and mature “Congratulations, Vice-Presidentleadership of President-elect elect Kamala Harris! It makes us Biden and Vice-President-elect proud that the first woman to Harris, India looks forward serve as Vice-President of the US to a close partnership that traces her roots to India,” he said will be beneficial to peace and in another tweet.

UN watchdog: Pak doesn’t deserve to be in UNHRC Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

Thousands of km away from US, TN villagers rejoice over Kamala’s win

Chennai, November 8 (IANS): As the news of Kamala Harris’ election as the new US Vice President began to pour in, villagers thousands of km away in Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu (TN) celebrated the occasion by bursting crackers and distributing sweets. No surprises here, because Harris’ maternal grandfather P.V. Gopalan hailed from Thulasendrapuram village located in Tiruvarur district. Some days ago, they had even held special prayers at Sri Dharmasastha Temple in their village for her victory. The villagers drew big ‘kolams’ outside their homes to wish good luck to Harris. Big banners with pictures of the Democratic nominee were also put up by villages at some spots. Earlier, when she was nominated as the running mate of presidential candidate Joe Biden, villagers had celebrated by distributing sweets. But it is not the first time that people in Tamil Nadu have prayed for the victory of an American candidate in the US presidential elections. In 2008, when Barack Obama and John McCain slugged it out, people of hosiery town Tiruppur had prayed for Obama’s win. The economy of the knitwear garment exporting town of Tirupur, almost 400 km from state capital Chennai, is driven almost entirely by exports to more than 35 countries, with the biggest market in the US. The slowdown in the US and European markets in 2008, a fluctuating rupee vis-a-vis the dollar and several local problems saw the town’s exports in fiscal year 2007-08 dip for the first time since the early 1980s. Export revenues in the town came down to Rs 99.5 billion ($2 billion) in 2007-08 from Rs 110 billion in the previous year. Now with the global financial meltdown drying up US and European orders further, the chances of growth disappeared, exporters had told IANS then. But Tirupur’s exporters, ancillaries and workers believed an Obama win will change the glum situation. “There is a general perception here that a Democrat-led US government is better for Indian business,” Azhill M.S. Mani, President of Tirupur Industrial Federation had told IANS. “Obama is certainly a better bet if we go by his pre-election speeches and announcements,” echoed SK Vivekananda, Managing Director of knitwear exporter Shakthi Knitting Ltd. People in the town, which houses 7,000-odd knitwear and ancillary units that employ around 600,000 workers, even chanted ‘Om Obama’ on the lines of ‘Om Labhum’.

Vice President Elect Kamala Harris

Soon after, journalist turned film director Janaki Viswanathan produced movie “Om Obama” showcasing how a small village in Tamil Nadu gets affected due to globalisation and recession. “Though the movie was not released in theatres, it was shown in some film festivals,” Viswanathan told IANS. Queried if she harboured plans to make a movie on Harris, whose mother Shyamala comes from Chennai, Viswanathan quipped: “Why not? There was a meme with the White House sporting

the name ‘Kamala Nivas’.”

New Delhi/Islamabad, November

8 (IANS): In an unprecedented move, the UN Watch took a scathing dig at Prime Minister Imran Khan for his intolerant views and Pakistan’s inclusion in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Pakistan was recently re-elected to the UNHRC even as the country’s human rights record is one of the worst in the world. Recently, a French teacher was beheaded by an Islamist in Paris for exhibiting Charlie Hebdo cartoons in a class on the idea of freedom of expression. While President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear that Islamic radicalism and terrorism will not be tolerated in France, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan justified the brutal act of beheading by arguing that the teacher had committed “blasphemy” by showing the cartoons of the Islamic Prophet. The official Twitter handle of the government of Pakistan had quoted Khan saying, “Blasphemy in garb of freedom of expression is intolerable.” The Geneva-based rights group, which is the only UN-accredited watchdog of the global body, on Twitter, rebutted Prime Minister Khan saying, “Your presence on the UN Human Rights Council is intolerable.” In its response, the Pakistan government accused the UN Watch of being a pro-Israel Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with evident bias against Muslims. Arslan Khalid, the digital media adviser to Prime Minister Khan on Twitter alleged that the NGO had nothing to do with the UN. The NGO countered the Khan government saying that Pakistan pretended to be a defender of Muslims and yet takes an apathetic stand on the human rights abuse of over one million Uyghur Muslims. The UN Watch pointed out that the Pakistan government instead supports and praises the Chinese government which is perpetrating genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province.