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The prestigious London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) returned for its seventh run to celebrate the very best of South Asian movies. Despite its roots in London, the organisers were courteous enough to bring the festival to the doorsteps of Birmingham for a second year. Locals at Cineworld, Broad Street could see a range of feature films, independent projects, short films and documentaries all displaying the richness of South Asian culture.

The Birmingham programme ran between 15th-24th July 2016 and welcomed stars such as Tannishtha Chatterjee, Kamal Haasan and mega star Ajay Devgan who produced the festival’s debut film. On why it was important to bring the festival to Birmingham, Executive & Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said, “It was a pilot project from last year and we wanted to see how it would do in Birmingham, we knew it was the right city because we know you love cinema and culture. You have a huge South Asian community comprised of Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis. We have come back in full force this year to show you the very best of South Asian cinema.”

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J

uly 2016 saw locals gather in Birmingham, Victoria Square to honour the victims of the Srebrenica massacre, a genocidal killing where 8,373 Bosnian Muslims were killed in the town of Srebrenica.

The rally however was also used to

address the growing racism and xenophobia in Britain following Brexit. An emotional and informative day, prominent attendees included activist Salma Yaqoob, Dr Waqar Azmi OBE and Councillor Waseem Zaffar.

The event, titled Remember Together We Are One, saw the linking of the past

with the present, reminding everyone of the devastating effect prejudice can have on innocent people. During the Bosnian war in July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces attempted to seize control of the town of Srebrenica and remove all residents.

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THE TEAM

EDITORS

The rally united people in solidarity against hate and prejudice in the UK following the exit from the European Union.

Ifraz Ahmed Anita Chumber

JOURNALISTS Sheena Ramchurn Husna Anjum

SALES

Continued from Page 3 The area was supposed to be a UN safe zone and was protected by around 600 Dutch peacekeepers. After setting an embargo on food and supplies in the area, Bosnian Serb forces began to advance burning Bosniak houses down along the way and taking peacekeepers hostage.

The Bosnain Serb army demanded that Bosnian Muslim fighters in Srebrenica surrender their weapons in exchange for amnesty. Once this was done however, boys and men were taken away supposedly for interrogation but were instead executed. Women, children and the elderly meanwhile were transported on buses to Bosniak-held territory, reports of rape and

torture were widespread. The Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladić was recorded by a Serb journalist saying, “We give this town to the Serb nation…The time has come to take revenge on the Muslims.”

In total over 8,000 Bosniak Muslims were murdered in what is labelled a genocidal killing, Genocide is translated as the deliberate killing of a group of people from a specific ethnic, racial or political background. The incident has been described as the worst mass killing in European history since World War II. The rally united people in solidarity against hate and prejudice in the UK following the exit from the European Union. Charity Tell MAMA

Grass Verge Destruction

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A city council inquiry has been launched to deal with the concerns surrounding the hazardous motorists.

Councillors have received a large number of complaints about the misuse of the verges in recent years and have said that the issue is causing a safety hazard, with lorries hindering lines of vision, causing obstructions and leaving big puddles and potholes in the ground.

Brownfield Road, Shard End became the first street in Birmingham where parking on the verge is banned, earlier this year. It was also imposed with £70 fines, which could also be introduced in other areas.

A number of procedures may be introduced such as putting wooden posts in the ground to discourage vehicles, planting additional trees

and flowers and event protective mats or grids similar to those that are used on playgrounds.

Councillors may also consider introducing extra parking where there are larger verges.

Now a group of councillors are investigating the issue and considering potential solutions.

Cllr Neil Eustace (Lib Dem, Stechford and Yardley North) said: “It has exploded over the last couple of years. Residents see the street scene as important and like to look after it. Some even trim the grass themselves and plant bulbs, until someone drives a great van over them.

“I am delighted the council has agreed to research methods of reducing grass verge parking in Birmingham. Residents are angry at a minority of motorists churning up grass verges and consider it anti social behaviour.”

reported a 326% increase in Islamophobic incidents and a 57% increase in hate crime after the EU referendum.

Rally organisers called for peace and a stop to racially motivated attacks, arguing the need to learn from the lessons of Srebrenica.

Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, founder & chairman of Remembering Srebrenica, explained the ideology against Muslims at the time in Bosnia, “Scholars claimed that Muslims had deformed genes, a Bosnian war criminal claimed that they were lost in hatred. This is the same ideology that the Nazis used to murder 6 million Jews, although we said ‘never again’ to the holocaust, another genocide happened and it was against Muslims, in Europe on our doorstep. This is a place where you can’t tell the difference between who is a Muslim and who is not, they are all white some having blonde hair or blue eyes and following the same traditions and culture.

Neighbours knew who the Muslims were, a survivor in London told me that the person who put him in a concentration camp was his teacher. How is it that teachers and neighbours can turn against each other?

White people were murdering white people simply because the other had a different name and faith, so if xenophobic attitudes can exist in white communities what future do we have in Great Britain where we have this beautiful

diversity but do not stand up against hatred?”

Religious leaders of Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths attended showing their ardent support and speaking against division within communities.

Birmingham City Council Leader John Clancy also made an appearance urging Birmingham to unite against racism in any shape or form and celebrate its diversity.

White flowers were shared with members of the public as memorials to Srebrenica and children gathered to light candles in tribute.

Salma Yaqoob, former Councillor and leader of Birmingham Stop the War Coalition, spoke to The Asian Today about the impressive turn out for the event, “There has been an absolutely fantastic turnout; young, old, black, white and people from all faiths. We commemorated those who died and celebrated our unity, I am really proud of Birmingham.”

When asked what the British public could do to continue the message of unity, Salma responded, “There are things we can all do from our own homes, in our daily lives,

in the way we talk to people and in how we raise our children. If you see somebody being put down, stand up for them. It takes the silence of the majority to allow the minority to let hatred spread.

Stay strong, know that we are not alone and keep positive even when people are being negative.”

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AUGUST 2016

Birmingham Engineer Creates Innovative Minecraft Teaching Tool

B

irmingham engineer G b e n g a Oludotun, the principle engineer at Birmingham professional services consultancy WSP/ Parsons Brinckerhoff, has created a new way of teaching people about the world of engineering.

Oludotun’s creation uses the widely popular online game Minecraft and gives players, in this case children, 20 minutes to devise

a bridge, harbour or other structure using a number of Minecraft tools and materials in a virtual environment.

Oludoton, who is also a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) ambassador for the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), unveiled his showcase at the Big Bang, an annual fair revolving around science, technology and engineering, held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Gbenga said: “We

hope this activity will help children to make the connection between the virtual world, where they use their imagination to design buildings and structures, and inspire them about a potential career in the real world of civil engineering.”

ICE in the West Midlands plans to implement the Minecraft activity in schools in order to teach pupils about the basic principles of civil engineering.

Engineer uses Minecraft in order to teach and inspire pupils about engineering

Snobs Demolition

Fears

Historic England had requested that Snobs, and the building housing it, be barred from being Listed. Being listed would protect Snobs from modification or demolition. If Historic England has their way, it could mean the end of Snobs in favour for a 22-storey apartment building.

For now, party goers fears have been assuaged thanks to confirmation from developers that Snobs nightclub will not be affected by construction work. However this might not last.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is to decide on the matter by August 8th.

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A Birmingham airport employee has been termed ‘one of a kind’ after she helped a family reach their destination using her quick wit and initiative.

The Doyle family from Coventry were already aboard their plane and looking forward to frolicking in the Portugal sun when disaster hit.

Their youngest member, two year old Jack, was caught having chicken pox and as such, the Doyle family was told to depart the plane.

The Doyles had already sought medical advice and had been given the all clear by doctors, meaning Jack should have been allowed to travel freely. However, due to a miscommunication, the airliner deemed Jack too much of a risk to the other passengers.

The family were consoling the children at the customer service check out after disembarking when employee Zita Small saw them and learned what happened. Small booked the Doyles another flight to Portugal, even upgrading them to first class at no extra charge. After her shift was over, she then drove the family to the Forum Health Centre in Coventry in order to get a fit for flight letter from their GP. Carrie posted the story on Facebook, insisting it go viral. The story has since been shared more than 50,000 times.

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport Chief Executive, even presented Small with a bouquet of flowers.

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AUGUST 2016

Chief of the Millennium

“I’m excited to bring my expertise and industry experience to Millennium Point"

Ian Leslie appointed new finance director for Eastside Millennium Point The Eastside Millennium Point, including the city’s science museum, has a new finance director in Ian Leslie.

Leslie first joined the Millennium Point in 2015 as senior finance manager. In his new role Leslie will work extensively with CEO Judith Armstrong and the two boards – Millennium Point Trust and Millennium Point Property Limited – to maintain the financial capital and profitability of the establishment.

Leslie has a wealth of experience dating back 13 years with positions in WM Housing Group and other financial roles.

Leslie proudly stated, “Whilst Millennium Point Trust will continue to support charities, initiatives and important causes in the region, one of my key focuses will be to drive overall profitability of the business and look for commercially viable opportunities.

“I’m excited to bring my expertise and industry experience to Millennium Point and help Judith and the

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wider Millennium Point team achieve their goals.”

Armstrong voiced her support, “Ian is a commercially focused business professional with years of experience in the finance sector.

“We have ambitious plans for both Millennium Point Property Limited and Millennium Point Trust so it’s imperative that we have talented and knowledgeable people like Ian on board to help us achieve our objectives.”

Midlands Companies Feature in ‘Times’ Listing 16 Companies Have Made their Name on the Influential League Table

The annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table ranks the top 100 British companies with the biggest sales. Regular name include Virgin Atlantic, Dyson and Clarks.

A total of 16 Midlands Companies have appeared on the list, the highest in the region being the 2 Sisters Food Group which is Birmingham based and managed to land the number 7 spot on the league table, having achieved sales of £3.1bn. The company is led by founder Ranjit Boparan who has his eyes set on Bernard Matthews next.

One of the new entrants is

a Warwick-based independent energy company, First Utility, which supplies to over 1.5m homes.

Other Midland companies include JCB which came in at no.

14, the Rigby Group at no. 27, Wilko at no.34, AF Blakemore at no.39 and Bowmer and Kirkland at no. 63.

This year’s Top Track 100 achieved an annual average sales growth of 3% and profit growth of 12%.

London companies took the majority of spots, landing 33 in total, followed by the Southeast, followed by the Midlands.

The Head of Corporate Banking in the UK at HSBC, Dan Howlett, said “at a time of unprecedented uncertainty, we can take real comfort from the dynamic private companies across the UK as recognised by the Top Track 100 league table. Firms such as these are fundamental in helping to get Britain back to business during this post-Brexit period of uncertainty and the inevitable challenges ahead. These businesses are ambitious, agile and passionate about what they do and will play an important part in helping to drive the British economy forward, domestically and internationally."

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West Midlands ‘Mentor of the Year’ revealed A

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Birmingham City University employee has been announced as the West Midlands ‘Mentor of the Year’ at a special event held at Edgbaston cricket ground.

Nasrin Akthar, who works as a schools and colleges liaison officer at Birmingham City University, was given the award in recognition of her commitment to mentoring with Mosaic, HRH The Prince of Wales’ mentoring charity.

Nasrin has mentored on 12 separate Primary School programmes led by Mosaic over the last five years, as well as organising multiple ‘World of Work’ visits for students on Mosaic’s Secondary School mentoring programme.

These visits give groups of young people the opportunity to spend a day with local, high-profile employers in order to encourage them to aspire to a rewarding career.

Mosaic’s Primary School programme pairs mentors from professional backgrounds with small groups of mothers and daughters in primary schools in order to foster high aspirations and to challenge some of the cultural stereotypes sometimes associated with parental expectations of daughters.

Nasrin said: “I have always considered volunteering with Mosaic as a blessing because of all the positive experiences I have

seen many mentees and mentors, including myself, go through.

Being given the West Midlands Regional Mentor of the Year award is completely unexpected “I have always considered and I feel so honoured. I volunteering with Mosaic cannot thank as a blessing because of all my fellow mentees, mentors, link teachers and Mosaic staff the positive experiences I enough for all the support and have seen" amazing experiences they have allowed me to be a part of and Nasrin Akthar will now represent I hope to remain part of the the West Midlands at the national Mosaic West Midlands family for as Princess Badiya Mentor of the long as they will let me!”

Year Awards taking place in Mosaic was founded to inspire London in September. Named and support young people in in honour of Mosaic’s founding some of the most deprived areas Chairman, HRH Princess Badiya of the UK. Through its mentoring bint El Hassan, a member of the programmes in primary schools, Jordanian royal family, these secondary schools and prisons, awards recognise the highest as well as its flagship Enterprise standards in mentoring across Challenge competition, the charity Mosaic’s programmes. uses mentors from a variety of Mosaic has recently become professional backgrounds to part of The Prince’s Trust in a encourage mentees to work hard move that will allow the charity to and aim high. broaden its reach still further.

After winning the regional title,

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London based property developer, Kamran Hussain, lands his new innovative venture at Birmingham, ‘The Badmaash clothing’. The new line which opened its doors to UK’s biggest Asian Festival hopes to see its success follow in the footsteps of famous collections such as Joe Bloggs. With Sandwell and Birmingham Mela being an unexpected sell-out event, the team at Badmaash are definitely expecting big things for the new fashion label. From co-stars of the hit series Desi Rascals already being keen supporters of the pieces we can certainly see why!

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purchased a £1.7 million property in Little Aston, the multi-millionaire is optimistic to expand his current businesses to Birmingham in a move to support the diverse Asian community within the area. He is excited for this expansion and quotes ‘My developments in further areas such as Birmingham and Manchester are just the start of my dreams of becoming worldwide.’

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AUGUST 2016

Wall Collapse Kills Five in Nechells

Police arrived at Hawkeswood Metal at a recycling site on Aston Church Road where a wall collapsed on six men. One man managed to crawl out of the rubble and resides in Heartlands Hospital with a broken leg.

West Midlands Police state that they arrived on the scene but the victims were pronounced dead.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said, "On arrival, ambulance crews found that a wall had collapsed.

"Sadly, there was nothing that could be done to save the five men who had been working next to it."

West Midlands Fire Service state they received reports that one individual was stuck and suffered cardiac arrest.

The men worked near a "large concrete structure containing metal" according to the fire service.

Specialist firefighters are currently on site lifting debris and using cutting equipment to recover the bodies.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Gary Taylor said it was a "devastating incident for everyone involved".

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Lenny Henry Named Birmingham City University Chancellor Comedian and actor appointed University Chancellor to inspire students into the arts

Sir Lenny Henry, 57, has received yet another prestigious title to add to his gleaming list of accomplishments. Just last year, the Dudley born comedian and actor, best known for his stand-up shows and co-founding Comic Relief, was knighted during the Queen’s 2015 Birthday Honours for his outstanding services to charity and the arts.

Henry, who also has a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) can now add University Chancellor to his achievements, having been appointed as such by Birmingham City University, one of Birmingham’s best known institutions.

Professor Cliff Allan, Vice Chancellor of BCU, called Henry "one of the country's most well-

known personalities.”

"He not only encapsulates the university's commitment to both the arts and widening participation, but he is a strong advocate for Birmingham and the region, including his home town of Dudley.”

Henry‘s contribution to the arts include his 2009 role as Shakespeare’s Othello for which he received critical acclaim.

Regarding his appointment as University Chancellor, Henry said it was a ‘superb opportunity’ and that the facilities of BCU "rival anything in the television industry.”

He added “[it] is right in the centre of a city that has changed beyond recognition in recent years and offers the sort of contemporary education I would have killed for when I was a kid.”

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AUGUST 2016

Vic's Column

The Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015 The Energy Efficiency (private rented property) (England & Wales) Regulations 2015 have now been passed, and affect both domestic and non-domestic properties. The Regulations in respect of commercial property come into force on the 1st October 2016 and will prohibit the letting of a non-domestic property with an Energy Performance Indicator of Band E or below after 1 April 2018.

There are certain exemptions to this prohibition which mainly relate to Leases which are very short term leases (of less than six months), or very long leases (over 99 years), or where it has not been possible to carry out the required improvements, either because necessary consent could not be obtained, or the required improvements would have a detrimental effect on the value of the property. The regulations will apply to leases granted on or after the 1st April 2018 whether as a result of a new tenancy or an extension or renewal of an existing tenancy.

In order to claim the exemption, where a Landlord prevented from carrying out improvement works (either because the tenant has refused consent for the improvements to be made, or despite having made reasonable efforts the landlord is unable to obtain a necessary consent), the landlord is required to register the information with the Secretary of State. This Register of Properties that are exempt from the Regulations will be held by the Secretary of State, but it will be the individual landlords responsibility to ensure that registration or submission of the relevant details is made to the Secretary of State at the appropriate time.

If the required energy efficiency improvement works would result in a reduction of more than 5% in the market value of the property, then the property is also exempt from the regulations, again provided that details have been registered with the Secretary of State,.

There are temporary exemptions available where a landlord has recently become responsible for a property, and these give the new landlord a short time to comply with the Regulations.

There are further exemptions available if the pay back period for the relevant energy efficiency improvement is more than seven years, and the formula for calculating the pay back period is contained in the Regulations.

Renting of commercial property following 1st April 2018 will require landlords to pay closer attention to the energy efficiency of their properties and although the exemptions will provide some relief, having a property that is designated sub-standard may have an impact on the marketability of a property.

With regard to existing leases and tenancies, careful consideration will need to be given to any clauses requiring a tenant to comply with relevant legislation, as landlords may expect tenants to bring the property up to the appropriate standard at the expiry of their existing term.

Although the Energy Performance of a property may not have been high on a Tenant’s list of priorities in the past, it will be much more so in the future.

w: www.painters-solicitors.co.uk t: @painters_law or @vic_younis

LOCAL

WWW.THEASIANTODAY.COM

Driverless Cars in Coventry

Jaguar Land Rover plan to test driverless car project on Coventry Roads

Coventry car maker Jaguar Land Rover intend to create over 100 research vehicles as part of a driverless car project. A four-yearlong project, they will be tested on motorways in Coventry.

Initial features of the cars include cars being able to talk to each other and roadside signs, traffic lights and overhead gantries.

The cars can possibly communicate with each other to make driving, lane changing and junction crossing easier.

Tony Harper, head of research at JLR, said, “Our connected and automated technology could help improve traffic flow, cut congestion and reduce the potential for accidents.

“We will also improve the driving experience, with drivers able to choose how much support and assistance they need.

“In traffic, for example, the driver could choose autonomy assist during tedious or stressful parts of the journey.

“But even when an enthusiastic driver is fully focussed on enjoying the thrill of the open road, the new

technology we are creating will still be working in the background to help keep them safe.

“Because the intelligent car will always be alert and is never distracted, it could guide you through road works and prevent accidents.

Jaguar are also creating an assistance system called Safe Pullaway intending to prevent accidents when cars get too close vehicles in front of them during traffic jams. Additional innovations include Over the Horizon and Hazard Ahead.

They are the latest company to spearhead driverless car technology.

In February in fact it was announced that millions of pounds had been put into the first fully connected road test environment for vehicles.

Safe Eid Celebrations Extra police patrol for Birmingham Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations 2016

Birmingham Man Wins £1m on Euro 2016 bet Daman Chick, 32, from Birmingham has won £1m after his bet that Portugal striker Eder, real name Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, would score the first goal of the Portugal v France game came true.

Eder, who was an outsider bet, scored the goal in the 109th minute, securing Portugal’s victory in the Euro games.

Chick, who was in the middle of boarding a plane with his wife and two children when he decided to check his phone, said “I just sort of scrolled through the page, pressed the minute, flicked up and pressed the player and then I got on the plane.

“In all honesty it was hard to speak through the surge of tears that came over me."

The footballing fan only realised his luck after a campaign by BetVictor went out to find the missing winner. They

launched a social media campaign,

Daman Chick wins £1 Million after a bet

#MissingMillionaire, and an appeal went out in the Birmingham Mail.

The bookmaker finally found Chick whilst he was still poolside on his holiday.

On his gambling motto, Chicks says, ‘always expect the unexpected because it happens so often."

I thought I'd just had one too many by the pool.

Man who bet on Portugal striker Eder to score first goal in the finals wins

• Uid-al-Fitr

Police protection will increase for this year’s Eid celebrations following reports of anti-social behaviour in 2015. Patrols will be placed on Ladypool Road and Stratford Road in Sparkhill. Officers will also be working with wardens from Balsall Heath Forum to be vigilant for disorder.

Police informed readers on Facebook, “As the end of Ramadan approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to wish a happy Eid to all those celebrating.

“This is a time to celebrate and we want to remind everyone to be considerate of others, particularly on the night before Eid. “Last year we received a small number of complaints around anti-social behaviour that spoilt the night for

many families who were out to celebrate.

“Nobody should be made to feel unsafe in their community and we are working with Balsall Heath Forum and other partner agencies to plan our policing response for the night.

“We will have an increased presence on both Ladypool Road and Stratford Road so we can be out and about ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy their evening.

“We’ll also be working with wardens from Balsall Heath Forum and residents who have volunteered their time to patrol the area so people can enjoy the celebrations safely.”

We at The Asian Today encourage everyone across the nation to celebrate safely.

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YOUR MONTHLY SHOWBIZ FIX!

GOSSIP • INTERVIEWS • MUSIC • MOVIES - & MUCH MORE! TURN TO PAGES 37 - 42

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling plows ahead with Birmingham-London HS2 plans

G

New Transport Secretary Supports HS2

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rayling has calmed worries that the new Tory government under Theresa May would see the High Speed Rail plans scrapped. The highly controversial plan is to build a new rail linking London and Birmingham.

It was feared the project would be axed under May, but Grayling has

that's logical.

“But actually we need a better transport system for the 21st century and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system.”

HS2 has met opposition in the form of the Stop HS2 campaign. According to the rationale on their website, “HS2 threatens 350 unique habitats,

"We need a better transport system for the 21st century and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system.” spoken out to assuage said fears.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Grayling said, “I have no plans to back away from the HS2 project.”

“The thing that's important for people to understand is that HS2 is not simply a speed project, it's a capacity project.

“We have lines at the moment which have seen huge increases in the number of passengers, the amount of freight in recent years.

“Of course it makes sense if we're going to build a new railway line for it to be a fast railway line, to increase travel times or reduce travel times from north to south -

67 irreplaceable ancient woods, 30 river corridors, 24 Sites of Special Scientific Interest plus hundreds of other sensitive areas.” As well as sparking environmental concerns, the campaign doubts whether the train will achieve the passenger numbers needed to justify its construction.

Speaking to the BBC, the Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe Rukin said the transport secretary's supportive statement was "hardly a ringing endorsement."

HS2 Ltd, the company building the line, is reportedly going to hand out £11bn worth of contracts this year prior to its construction.

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You Don’t Need Home Insurance AUGUST 2016

18

I

’ve been asked to publish a monthly article relating to Insurance. Although ‘Insurance” is a term that most people can relate to, it can be somewhat complicated and not always as simple as it seems.

Your Insurance policy should be treated as an investment, every care should be taken to make sure that you have the adequate cover and that the correct sums are insured.

It is all too common for the insurer to refuse to indemnify a claim due to the misinterpretation.

I’d like to cov er a topic, which I feel has many people confused. In my 15 - year career in the insurance industry I’ve come across scenarios many times where due to miss understanding, individuals have had the wrong insurance and as a result have lost out.

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LANDLORD INSURANCE -VS- OWNER OCCUPIER INSURANCE

The house that you reside in is called an ‘owner occupied’ property and therefore you need to take out ‘Owner occupier’ insurance.

When renting out a property you need to be aware that you will require specialist landlord insurance.

General home insurance or ‘owner occupied’ insurance is not the correct insurance policy as it doesn’t cover all third party risks that you may encounter by having tenants.

Here’s a quick look into landlord insurance Policies and the different options available to you.

Landlord’s Buildings Insurance.

Your mortgage provider will require you to purchase specialist landlord buildings insurance for your rental

property.

As standard buildings insurance generally covers your property against loss or damage caused by: • Fire or smoke • Theft, vandalism or civil commotion • Oil or water leakage and burst pipes

•

Lightning, storm or earthquake • Subsidence • Damage caused by vehicles, falling trees, animals, aircraft, aerials and masts In the case of complete destruction of your property, buildings insurance also covers

full replacement or repair costs as well as the cost of clearing the area.

As well as covering all of the above, a landlord’s building insurance policy differs from a standard home insurance policy when it comes to cover elements that relate to tenants living in the property such as: If your tenants can’t stay at the property as a result of damage or a buildings claim. In this case landlords insurance will provide temporary accommodation cover for your tenants and in some cases, provide an element of loss of rent cover to protect your rental income.

If your tenants or their guests cause malicious damage to your property a specialist landlord policy would cover the damage caused.

Probably the most important of them all, if you don’t have landlord buildings insurance policy in place and need to make a claim, your insurance could be invalidated and declined.

Landlords contents insurance Landlords don’t normally need full contents cover for their rental property, unless the property is let ‘fully furnished’.

However you may want to give yourself some protection for the things you do provide.

You can usually choose the level of cover that suits your rental property to protect your items against fire and

theft. Landlord’s contents cover includes furniture, household utensils, kitchen electrical equipment and soft furnishings, including carpets and curtains – basically anything that could be removed from the property.

You can often extend the cover to include accidental damage too, a popular addition for landlords.

Rent Guarantee insurance Economic times have led to more and more landlords needing to protect their rental property investment and their income more than ever before.

Even the best tenants can find their circumstances changing, resulting in them being unable to meet their rental commitments.

Having a rent guarantee policy in place can protect you from being out of pocket by helping you recover rent arrears. Legal cover is often provided as standard as well, giving you access to a panel of solicitors to provide help and advice on legal matters.

So, if you are a landlord, and let out your property, whether it’s a residential or commercial, it may be an idea to check your policy documents and make sure you have the correct cover If you would like to have a chat about landlords Insurance or any other Insurance product then please feel free to drop me an email: Akhan@insuredirectwithus. co.uk

Palestine Youth Orchestra T

he Palestine S t r i n g s performed in 2013 at the Proms to a sellout crowd and positive acclaim.

Their sister ensemble Palestine Youth Orchestra will now present their musical genius at Birmingham

Town Hall, Victoria Square.

The orchestra will feature Beethoven, Rahbani Brothers and Mussorgsky as well as others.

Young musicians from Palestine will be joined by students from the Royal Conservatoire of

Scotland, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The Palestine Youth Orchestra was conceived in 2004 by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, the goal was to bring young Palestinian

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Sian Edwards to Tom Hammond and featured soloists including Dima Bawab, Mariam Tamari and Saleem AboudAshkar.

They will perform on Friday 29th July 2016 Venue: Victoria Square, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 3DQ.

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For information on how to help, visit www.helpinglittleangels.org.uk. To get in touch, email info@helpinglittleangels.org.uk

SPOTLIGHT WITH SHAMIM MAHMOOD

Meet Mrs. Shamim Mahmood, founder and CEO of Helping Little Angels (formally known as Jannat-ul-Firdous), a non-political and non-profit charity. Shamim has long been involved in charity having helped with conflicts and disasters in Sudan, Bosnia, Chechnya and Palestine and volunteering for organisations such as Islamic Relief and Muslim Hands.

It was during 2004 that Shamim returned to Pakistan after leaving at age ten. What she encountered was a startling realisation of the poverty and destitution that children as young as four or five lived in. However any attempt to help the children was met with danger. Local gangs such as the mafia threatened Shamim to stay away from the children as they used them as beggars before pocketing the money.

Despite the warnings from her own family that it was too dangerous, Shamim took action and decided to buy and convert a home into an orphanage. She used her own funds as a teacher and money donated from her mother and brother to finally bring the dream to life.

Then in 2005, a major 7.6 earthquake hit Pakistan destroying homes and entire villages. Shamim held a function in England to raise money for the earthquake victims. With the money, she was able to distribute food, water, medicine, camps and even shelter homes.

However the undercurrent of poverty still swept on.

Everywhere she went, Shamim was asked to shelter unwanted children but suffered from lack of space

in her orphanage. Shamim then had another idea, although she couldn’t house them she could still offer them an education. She set up tents, furnished them, bought books and stationary and with the help of hired teachers, began to teach.

Donors offered her money to build an actual school and Helping Little Angels went on to build six more in earthquake and flood damaged areas.

They have built six masjids (mosques), gave financial and emotional support to people too poor to marry and even planted ten fruit trees in a bid to create sustainable communities, with the locals able to sell the fruit and earn a long term living.

Helping Little Angels also trained young girls who were kept homebound waiting to marry how to sew, build vases and create artwork and embroidery, fulfilling Helping Little Angel’s philosophy of not just giving money but fostering work skills that enable people to live independently. A proud moment was building Pakistan’s first ever girl’s college, marking their name in history.

Shamim has since taken Helping Little Angels global, having worked in eighteen different cities. In Syria, she worked with other charities to build water plantations, with one outlet able to benefit 35,000 people and donated food, clothes and medicine.

The philanthropist aims to build more schools and continue to offer free education for orphans. The lives Shamim has touched are countless. The charity knows no bounds, no religion and no limits to what they can do to help.

The lives Shamim has touched and brightened are countless. The charity knows no bounds, no religion, no limits to what they can do to help.

• Shamim Mahmood Founder of Helping Little Angels Charity

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Sandwell & Birmingham Mela 2016

Photography Credit: Silver Fox Pictures

JAS SANSI Man's Mouthpiece king The Thin Photographer and LoveBrum trustee, Jas Sansi brings a dose of all things Birmingham.

With an unprecedented love of the city and its unique diverseness, he brings his 6-foot passion to The Asian Today.

CONGRATS FOR NOTHING! I attended a networking event last night. A business man asked if I was going to congratulate him. I asked ‘what for?’ he replied ‘for Brexit.’ I suspect he was drowning in the delusion he was solely responsible for the UK leaving the EU. I wondered which part he wanted me to congratulate him on; the rise in the number of racist attacks from those who feel the vote legitimised their hatred. Maybe congratulations on the fall in the value of Sterling. Having just purchased some foreign currency at painfully low levels, I didn’t feel like congratulating him on this.

Perhaps he wanted me to congratulate him on the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, a leader who gave the Tories their first outright victory in 23 years.

Maybe he wanted me to congratulate him on David Davies MP finally getting a seat on the cabinet. At 67 years old, I can’t help but suspect if Davies had any talent, he would have been offered a seat years ago.

Or Liam Fox who despite having to resign as Defence Secretary is now in charge of International Business. Let’s

hope he doesn’t take any of his ‘friends’ along with him on overseas trips.

Are congratulations in order for Boris Johnson being appointed the most senior diplomat in the UK? A decision that proves Theresa May does have a sense of humour. I’m looking forward to Foreign Secretary Johnson’s first overseas trip to Turkey.

I imagine Turkish flags simmering in fury from the Bosporus breeze as Boris’s bullet proof car sweeps through Istanbul.

In case you missed it, here’s the poem our Foreign Secretary penned about Turkey’s President Erdogan and my apologies in advance to those of a sensitive disposition;

The annual Asian music festival returned in full swing!

S

andwell and Birmingham Mela returned for another year courtesy of Star Plus.

Taking place in Victoria Park, Smethwick the event returned with even more musical acts, sumptuous food and vivacious dancing. The entertainment featured big names including Zora Randhawa, Sukshinder Shinda, Rameet, Bhangra All Stars and Zack Knight.

Despite the sweltering heat families could enjoy the wild rides at the Fun Fair with popular fairground classics such as the giant Ferris Wheel and Dodgems to more daring experiences such as the Reverse Bungee.

Food was delicious and plentiful taking you on a world tour of the best cuisine with over 20 stalls.

There was also real community participation with the Showcase section of the event, where local rising South Asian artists, dancers and schools could show off their talent.

Audience members were encouraged to participate in these acts creating a wonderful display of diversity and festivity.

We had a chance to speak to some festival goers about their experience:

25-year-old Manny liked the community spirit: “I attended last year and all desis get together to enjoy themselves. People of different backgrounds come

together and that’s the main reason we do the mela, let’s all get together in one place.”

35-year-old Paul came to promote a good cause: “It’s amazing, the fact that this is all organised by volunteers! We actually found out about it from one of the organisers as we work for the charity Cancer Research UK. We have very limited engagement with the Asian

community so after speaking with the organisers this was an opportunity to see Mela and potentially bring our prevention and awareness messages to Mela next year, because cancer doesn’t discriminate.”

35-year-old Paul came to promote a good cause: “I have been on average 12 times. Initially I would come with my sisters because of Eid and it was something we could relate to. The reason I came to this Mela today is because my husband loves Bhangra so I purely just came with him. It’s not something I

get up in the morning to go to but if someone I know wants to go, I come to make a day out of it. With everything that is happening around the world I think people have lost their humanity and respect and events like this are peaceful and family orientated.”

GPD Bhangra Dancers

There was a young fellow from Ankara Who was a terrific wankerer Till he sowed his wild oats With the help of a goat But he didn’t even stop to thankera.

I couldn’t imagine the businessman wanted me to congratulate him on any of these things so as I walked away, I congratulated him on being the most stupid person in the world.

JAS SANSI TWITTER: @jassansi FACEBOOK: fb.com/jassansi

Sukshinder Shinda

Rameet Sandhu

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Andy Street for Mayor

John Lewis’s managing director prepares to run for West Midlands Mayor.

T

he Birmingham b a s e d businessman is eager to enter the race to become the first elected mayor for West Midlands.

Currently, Andy holds the position of chairman of the Greater Birmingham Local Enterprise Partnership, a Government-backed body led by the region’s businesses to boost the economy.

In May 2017, voters in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Walsall, Sandwell, Solihull and Wolverhampton will select the region’s first mayor, as the Government strives towards handing more power to the English region.

A contest to find the ideal candidate has been launched by Labour.

West Midlands MEP Sion Simon, a former Birmingham MP, and former Birmingham councillor Steve Bedser campaign to be elected.

The Conservative Party have not yet officially

chosen a candidate.

Andrew Mitchell however, Birmingham’s Conservative MP, encouraged Mr Street’s ambition.

The MP stated, “If there is the remotest chance of persuading Andy Street to stand as the Conservative candidate for the West Midlands mayoralty then I for one will raise three cheers and the party should bite his hand off.”

He was educated in Birmingham city and previously attended King Edward’s School. While Mr Street was a student at Oxford University he was a member of the Conservative Association.

He is a fan of Aston Villa.

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“There was terrible turbulence during the flight and some passengers were very frightened.

“The defendant started chanting Allahu Akbar over and over again and very loudly.

People were getting very distressed with his behaviour.

“When the plane finally landed, he shouted ‘boom’.

to do and he can’t really explain why he said it. It was the height of foolishness.

“He is very sorry for his actions and realises what distress this caused to other passengers.”

The troublesome passenger will also be placed on licence with a 12 month supervision order after release.

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“Police were then called and the defendant was arrested.”

Sarwar has a history convictions, some of them violent. Defending was Mr Balbir Singh, arguing, “There was considerable turbulence.

One of the cabin crew, with 14 years experience, said it was the worse landing she had ever experienced.

“Mr Sarwar was scared during the flight. He prayed, chanting Allahu Akbar, which translates as God is Great.

When the plane landed he did shout out ‘boom’.

“It was a very foolish thing

Flight Fright

“If there is the remotest chance of persuading Andy Street to stand as the Conservative candidate for the West Midlands mayoralty then I for one will raise three cheers and the party should bite his hand off.”

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38 year old Shehwar Sarwar scared passengers on a plane travelling from Dubai to Birmingham by chanting “Allahu Akbar” and “boom” upon landing. Some people were reportedly in tears. The man has been jailed for ten weeks after being prosecuted at Birmingham Crown Court.

There were a total of 347 passengers on the Emirates Boeing 777. Prosecutor Mr Alex Warren stated Sarwar was disruptive from the beginning by twice refusing to fasten his seatbelt and throwing food everywhere.

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ThinkFest Ltd (part of The Pathway Group) is delighted to be launching The Asian Apprenticeship Awards. Our Aim is to showcase the range of talent and hard work within the BME group. This will not be possible without the support and contribution of businesses and learning providers who share these beliefs.

We believe our efforts will help towards the government’s 3 million apprenticeship targets as well as the BME 2020 plan particularly in increasing awareness and thereby contributing to an increase in the proportion of apprenticeships taken up by young people from BME backgrounds.

It’s our ambition that it will become the norm for young people to choose between an apprenticeship or university on an equal basis.

On the evening of 10th November, 2016 we are expecting 450 people who will attend to celebrate the talent and diversity in apprentices and also recognise the employers and learning providers who support them. You can be eligible for an award if you are an Employer, Apprentice, School or Academy, Learning Provider or Business.

This event is such a worthwhile cause and we appreciate and look forward to your support.

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WHEN & WHERE Birmingham Thursday 10th November 2016 The Asian Apprenticeships Awards is a flagship event to celebrate the talent and diversity in apprenticeships among Asian’s within the BME community. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and promote individuals as well as recognising the success of business / organisations that have played an integral part in investing in young people apprenticeships

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AUGUST 2016

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Ammo Talwar Punch Records

Obama Writes a Letter on his leave from the White House to Brummies

It's all happening, it really is. People are on the streets, doing it for themselves. They're blogging, they're jogging and yes, they're even dogging; making things happen without waiting for permission. Creating demand. Evaluating supply.

So what does this leave for the entrepreneur, the marketeer or even the politician, do we have to run behind the pack?

But today the public pick their own playlists, and it's us who need to get tuned in.

Snapchat, Insta, Twitter and the rest are transmitting, but the broadcast can only be heard on the street. It's the street where Boris Johnson still chases down oiks and where brothers and sisters stand up to thugs. It's for car boots and car racing, for a rally or a riot. It's where the Council wants its new bicycle scheme . The Great British street has always mattered; a turn at Brighton or the King's Road was always the place to frighetn folks with fashion. Marches, concerts, festivals - they're all allowed.But we've never been very happy about art, especially in Birmingham.We paint over Mohammed Ali's murals while he win awards elsewhere. We take down street poster projects

because we 'don't realise it's art'. But in the Whitehouse, Obama knows it's art.

Obama knows street art helped get him get there nearly 8 years ago. He knows people believe the streets; they take their message home, to

schools, to the internet, to their hearts. How? Shepard Fairey made those "Obey" stickers you see on student diaries, he stenciled an image of Barrack Obama, labelled it "Hope" (and "Change", and"Vote", and "Progress") and ran off nearly a million copies. They got all over the US - all over - trust me. Obama wrote to Fairey and said, "I am privileged to be a part of your artwork.

(You) encouraged Americans to believe that they can help change the status-quo.

Obama has inspired me - Not as an outgoing President, you understand, but by starting a new movement. At Punch were always interested in "Counter / Culture" studying those who've started changing the nation from our city's streets; Radicals, Chartists, Abolitionists, Suffragettes, Artists, Rockers, Bhangramuffins, Rastas and Punks. If you're inspired, get in touch. Consider this a manifesto.

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Driving Test Changes made to Better Reflect Real World

T

he driving test will be undergoing numerous changes as a way to make the test more realistic and better prepare new learning drivers.

Set to be scrapped is the reversing around a corner manoeuvre which is being swapped for reversing out of a parking bay.

Most surprisingly, independent driving using road signs is also being ditched in favour of following directions via sat-nav. This update should teach drivers how to use their navigation devices with better efficiency The changes have been trialled across Britain with more than 4500 learners and 850 driving instructors and according to the Director of the RAC Foundation, Steve Gooding, the new tests better reflect the modern

world.

One of the most prominent changes is that learners will be asked to follow directions on a satnav rather than using road signs.

According to Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) chief executive Gareth Llewellyn, “great Britain’s roads are among the safest in the world. But there is scope to do more to keep road users safe – particularly newly-qualified drivers.

“Making sure the test better assesses a driver’s ability to drive safely and independently is part of our strategy to help every driver through a lifetime of safe driving.”

“These proposed changes recognise

that it is more important for candidates to demonstrate the capability to drive independently on high-risk roads than being able to reverse flawlessly into a quiet cul-de-sac.”

“The new approach will be deemed a success if, in the longer term, it produces better-prepared drivers and we experience fewer road casualties.

Meantime we hope these common sense changes will be rolled out swiftly.”

Other additions to the test include vehicle safety and increasing the independent driving section from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.

Suits donated to Hospital in memory of daughter A Leeds family whose daughter passed away last year have donated suits to a hospital in order for other young patients to retain their dignity.

Hafsah was only 11 when she passed away after a month long battle with a rare disease known as HLH, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a disease which carries a 50-50 fatality risk.

After being admitted in June, Hafsah was given just hours to live yet managed to fight for a month before passing away.

“Hafsah was always a lively child and loved reading the Qur’an” says mother Farah Ali. “She was training to be a scholar and loved football so when she was taken ill, it came as a big shock.”

After her admittance to the hospital, Hafsah was taken to A&E and during a biopsy on her lower back, the disease was discovered and she was diagnosed with HLH. After being transferred to Leeds General Infirmary’s paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), tubes and wires had to be connected to Hafsah’s body in order to support her.

She was offered to trial a ‘dignity suit,’ a suit that allows the wires and tubes to pass through whilst still covering the patient. After proving successful, the family purchased a further 8 suits for Hafsah and got a

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Liverpool goalkeeper top adapted into a suit for her too.

Speaking on the suit, Farah states, “it is made from this Velcro-like material which just slips under a patient in the bed.

It then gives doctors the chance to access the patient as the suit allows wires and tubes to pass through easily.”

After Hafsah’s death, the family fundraised £1300 and purchased a total of 60 dignity suits which were then donated to the PICU.

Family of deceased daughter has donated 60 dignity suits to Leeds hospital DO YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY? GET IN TOUCH WITH US TODAY!

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The Nachural Summer Business Ball and Awards 2016 24

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Brexit Makes Life Difficult But Not Impossible

B

rexit Makes Life Difficult But Not Impossible! This was the cry from the guest speaker Paul Lalli at the inaugural Nachural Summer Business Ball and Awards dinner at the Wolverhampton Racecourse on Friday the 15th July.

The MD of the multi million pound turnover company based in Derby explained how he struggled to secure employment despite a raft of qualifications, and how eventually after doing so, ended up buying the US owned company that employed him initially as a technician.

He has since grown the company into one which operates on five continents. His offices include those situated in the EU and he was able to articulate that whilst he was to a certain extent immune from the EU exit because of the geographical spread of his business, it was clear that the future was uncertain for those UK companies operating exclusively in the EU through additional bureaucracy and tariffs.

But he added with hard work and persistence all difficulties could be surmounted.

Mr Ninder Johal who is CEO of

the organisers of the Awards, and who was until recently the President of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and sits as a Black Country LEP Board member, spoke about the fallout of the Brexit vote.

Whilst he asserted that it was going to be very uncertain in the short term, if the UK continued to innovate and add value to their products and build on the strengths of its economy and its role in world affairs, the future was still very bright. He spoke about the need to assert leadership and more critically to involve the voice of businesses during the Brexit negotiations.

He also spoke about the positive future for the local region and the potential of the West Midlands Combined Authority where he sits as a member of the shadow board.

The inaugural Nachural Business awards celebrated a number of awards. The main winners on the night were BJS Distribution, a company with offices in Wednesbury, Black Country. They have grown from humble beginnings but with an emphasis on customer service, they have secured major contracts

with national retailers to be their delivery arms in delivering items to residents and businesses all over the UK. They are now looking to move into larger premises with a potential of employing hundreds more in the area.

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Award Winners included: Business Start up Zuri Coffee Shop Community Excellence SAFS Regeneration – Park Hall Ramada Hotel Business Person of the Year Makhan Singh Padda Innovation and Enterprise Interiors Italia Entrepreneur of the Year Raj Gill Business Woman of the Year Natalie Murison Hospitality Red Leaf Business of the Year BJS Distribution Lifetime Achievement Award Charan Dass Sohal Thank you to Paul Lalli CEO of Solid Systems Global, who delivered an excellent keynote speech.

Thank you to Promise Dream the charity on the night where over 450 people attended and where over £3500 was raised.

Thank you to our hosts for the evening who were Sukhi Bart of Brit Asia and Suzi Mann of the BBC.

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Former retail workers have now vowed to protect the streets as two brothers proudly join the law enforcement family.

Syed (left), normally called Luke, worked previously in retail and charity work before attending Tally Ho Training Centre in November. At 25 years old, the young recruit started as a special constable before becoming a full time officer. Merely months later his sibling, 27 year old Sheryar (right), a former retail assistant, joined the PC recruitment scheme.

Luke, based with Solihull Police, said, “I always wanted to be a police officer, I did forensic and investigative studies at university. Then when I became a special constable a few years ago it really made my mind up I wanted to become a full-time officer.

“I managed to get on the training course which finished in April and have spent time with the response and neighbourhood teams in Solihull since. The skillset I have picked up in the process is fantastic, and how to deal with different situations.

“I remember one of my first arrests, a suspected burglar who tried to escape by climbing over garden fences. But I managed to intercept him and it was

such a great feeling to do something to protect the community. It is what the role is about - being able to make a difference and support and reassure the public.”

The Birmingham born pair are the first in their families to join the police force, though they have relatives in Pakistan who are part of their own police teams.

Sheryar stated, “We were excited as a family when Luke joined the police and when the opportunity came around for this latest cohort he said ‘why don’t you apply? I saw how much of a positive impact it had on him and how much more confidence he got from being part of the police.

“As a family we are very close and as brothers we try and push each other to become better officers.

We discuss certain scenarios and how we would deal with them which helps us both. There are so many important skills to have as a police officer such as decision-making and good communication.

“I really love it, and the training is great. I am due to finish that in September and so there has not been a day where I have woken up and not wanted to go to work.”

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First Day of SKIN CANCER Theresa May AUGUST 2016

26

HEALTH COLUMN

Jacqui Jones, Liz Nightingale and Judy Bridge, Macmillan skin cancer clinical nurse specialists, on how to protect yourself from the sun.

A

N

ow the summer months are here, many of us will be enjoying spending time in the sun.

Exposure to the sun is important in order to keep your body healthy and encourage vitamin D production. Too much exposure though can lead to skin damage and the development of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the UK. Every year around 13,000 people living in the UK develop skin cancer.

The sun produces ultraviolet (UV) radiation and there are two types of UV rays that can damage our skin. Firstly UVA radiation penetrates deep into the skin and causes long term damage like wrinkles, sagging and discolouration. Secondly UVB radiation penetrates the superficial layer of the skin and is the main cause of sunburn.

These changes may lead to skin cancer and the simple fact that your skin has changed colour is a sign of damage. But the good news is that skin cancer can be prevented by adopting some simple and inexpensive suncare habits.

To keep safe in the sun, you should adhere to these guidelines: • Sunscreen: Apply SPF 30+ sunscreen with a four-five star UVA rating, every two hours. Use a waterproof sunscreen on children over three years when swimming and reapply immediately after towelling. It is important to use a generous amount and

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if you apply the sunscreen too thinly, it will reduce the SPF factor. Follow the instructions on the sunscreen closely.

• Sunhat. Wear a broad-brimmed hat that shades your face, neck and ears • Sunglasses. Wear wrap-around sunglasses with UV protection to protect your eyes • Shade. Seek shade or cover up – particularly between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest.

Keep toddlers and babies in the shade as much as possible, particularly when abroad.

We are all at risk of skin cancer; however, people that fit into the following list have a greater risk and need to take particular care: • Fair skin that burns easily • Red or fair hair • Lots of moles and/or freckles • A family history of skin cancer • A history of sun burn • Outdoor workers and those with outdoor hobbies e.g. golf, cricket, fishing, gardening etc.

You can still go out and enjoy the weather but make sure you take steps to help protect your skin. Looking after your skin and making healthy lifestyle choices will help prevent skin problems.

Are you on Twitter? To find out what is going on around our hospitals, and for latest news and updates follow us @heartofengland. Join our conversation today!

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust staff provides general and specialist hospital care across Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospitals, Good Hope Hospital and Birmingham Chest Clinic.

The Trust also provides community health services across the borough of Solihull.

The Trust employs more than 10,000 members of staff, making it one of the top five employers in the Midlands.

fter a suspenseful race to leadership, Theresa May was the guaranteed pick after Andrea Leadsom’s surprise exit. Now May has taken the reigns and is currently forming her new cabinet after taking her place in Downing Street.

Boris Johnson has joined the team as the new foreign secretary, a position he was ‘humbled’ to receive. Philip Hammond meanwhile has become the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Amber Rudd is home secretary and David Davis the Brexit secretary.

May famously supported ‘remain’ during the European Union referendum however has

UK’s new Prime Minister Theresa May makes her debut recently announced “Brexit means Brexit” and has told European leaders she will support the UK leaving the EU. Hammond has stated that there would be “no emergency Budget” and that he would work closely with the Bank of England and other financial experts to make careful and effective decisions.

May has received congratulatory messages from leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny and French President Francois Hollande.

A spokesperson for Downing Street has stated that May has, “emphasised her commitment to delivering the will of the British people to leave the European Union”.

“The prime minister explained that we would need some time to prepare for these negotiations and spoke of her hope that these could be conducted in a constructive and positive spirit,” he added.

May will continue to appoint secretaries for education, work, health, pensions as well as others over the coming days.

In her first speech as Prime Minister May stated, “In David Cameron, I follow in the footsteps of a great, modern Prime Minister.

Under David’s leadership, the Government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit, and helped more people into work than ever before.

“But David’s true legacy is not about the economy, but about social justice. From the introduction of same sex marriage, to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a 'one nation' government, and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.

“We are living through an important moment in our country’s history. Following the referendum, we face a time of great national change. And I know because we’re Great Britain that we will rise to the challenge.

As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold, new, positive role for ourselves in the world, and we will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us.

“That will be the mission of the Government I lead. And together, we will build a better Britain.”

Blaze of

Glory

The fire occurred in Bradford where PC Sean Cannon of the West Yorkshire force heard shouts for help on a street. He saw a house in flames and acted immediately, “I saw smoke billowing out of a door and a kid at a window ledge, preparing to jump with a

neighbour waiting to catch him.

“I heard people shouting 'babies, babies' so I took it there were other kids inside, so I ran into the house.”

PC Cannon kept running back into the house to save the remaining family members as rooms engulfed in flames and smoke. He goes on to say, “I got upstairs and there was thick, choking smoke, coming down like a black liquid. I got on my knees and took a breath and thought ‘I’m in trouble here’.

“I found a couple of children in the bedrooms and came running out with them. Someone said I had one under each arm and threw them at him, but I don't remember that.

However there was another relative in the attic the PC discovered, he said, “I got up there and found this lady who didn’t speak English and was too frightened to move. I had to drag her down two flights of stairs, shielding her face in my chest through the flames, until we got outside.”

Birmingham's Flagship Youth Arts Programme G

allery 37 , Birmingham's long established youth arts participation programme, is set for a major return in September 2016 with a new look and a new home.

This year’s Gallery 37 will take place in and around Millennium Point , at the heart of Birmingham's ultramodern Eastside learning district.

Gallery 37 will provide free creative skills training to over fifty young people finding themselves outside of education and employment. This year the emphasis will be on learning and developing practical skills, such as coding, songwriting or fashion, to be delivered by recognised industry leaders including ACE Dance & Music, Apples & Snakes and The BBC Academy.

2016's newlook Gallery 37 will feature

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‘GALLERY 37’, WILL RETURN THIS SEPTEMBER

is returning in suchFLAGSHIP a modern and BIRMINGHAM’S dynamic fashion. 2016 is Birmingham’s Year of Arts and Young People, and ARTS PROGRAMME, ‘GALLER Gallery 37 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the Youth Promise and backing our local creativeSEPTEMBE people.”

WILL RETURN THIS

community outreach workshops, public performances and industry work placements. Gallery 37 is to be produced by the award winning Birmingham based arts and cultural agency, Punch Records . Punch has a history of successfully delivering high profile youth arts projects for over a decade, with one recent project currently on the shortlist for the prestigious national Arqiva social action award.

Punch CEO, Ammo Talwar MBE said: “Punch is excited to be heading up Gallery 37 this year. Millennium Point is the perfect contemporary setting, and we will be bringing top practitioners from successful local creative businesses into the programme.”

Cllr Ian Ward , Cabinet member for Learning and Culture said:

“We are delighted that Gallery 37

BIRMINGHAM’S FLAGSHIP YOUTH ARTS PROGRAMME, ‘GALLERY 37’, WILL RETURN THIS SEPTEMBER

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Gallery 37​, Birmingham's long­established youth arts programme, is set for a major return in September 2016 wi

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The thoughts of:

Desi

Dave

Parting Ways

MOVING THE GOAL POSTS

A

There are many topics within popular culture where my knowledge is a little lacking to say the least. In actual fact the only subject I would consider sitting in the Mastermind chair for might be 70s Glam Rock music, which is not something to include on your CV. A few years ago (quite a few) I tried to inform myself as to the political landscape. I wanted to be sure in my own mind that the vote I cast in the election was the right choice and for the right reasons. But the more I studied the pros and cons of the Left, Right and Centre the more I realized I could not align myself with any political ideology. I do know that I am in no way attracted to the extreme Left or Right.

I believe when you include yourself within the ideology then it is easier to lose sight of what is right or wrong.

For a number of years I was in the habit of voting for the Green Party, not because I wanted them to obtain power, simply because I thought if enough people voted Green then the major parties would tailor their policies to attract the Green vote.

My decision process for voting now is a lot more personal, I simply go by my feeling for whoever I believe is acting in the best interests of the country, who I believe is in politics for the right reasons, which is not as easy as it should be when most politicians are trained on how to avoid answering a straight question with a straight answer.

History has (or at least

should have) taught us that when security is threatened, when your place in the world is diminished and when all around us the inequalities seem to outnumber the normal status quo, then the extremes of the political spectrum have a fertile breeding ground.

I do not know enough about Jeremy Corbyn to say with any confidence on whether or not he is the right person to lead the Labour party or whether or not he would be an asset or hindrance to the chances for Labour in any upcoming general election. I do not know if there is any truth in the stories that his supporters are bullying or intimidating other Labour politicians.

But here is what I do know.

When the Labour party is making it more difficult, more time consuming and more costly to become a supporter of the Labour party, simply to put barriers in the way of the young working class, the very people the Labour party should be looking to recruit, then for me something is not right.

It is possible that the Labour party centre are correct in their assumption that with Jeremy Corbyn at the helm, they carry less weight in the House of Commons. Perhaps he does not fit the remit for a modern day politician. That being said, if you play games with the system and try to manipulate the criteria to suit your own agendas then Pandora’s Box could well be opened.

Perhaps if you move the goalposts, you’re only increasing the risk of an own goal.

ugust 14th and 15th are key dates for the countries of India and Pakistan who will celebrate their 70th independence days respectively. Flags will fly, celebrations will take to the streets and citizens will give thanks for the split that allowed the nations to separate into independent states.

The history of the auspicious day however is a major event for South Asia and we at The Asian Today want to break it down.

In 1885 the Hindu majority Indian National Congress (INC) had their first meeting. The British, who held India under colonial rule, attempted to divide the state of Bengal according to religious groups in 1905. The INC objected to this law whilst the Muslim League was formed aiming to secure rights for Muslims.

Although both groups were at odds they eventually came to an agreement to liberate themselves of

British control. The INC and Muslim League then agreed for Indian soldiers to volunteer for Britain during World War One in return for political talks for independence. Post war however no concessions were made by Britain.

A key moment in the fight for independence then occurred in the Amritsar Massacre of April 1919. A peaceful pro-independence gathering held in Amritsar, Punjab was stormed by British Army troops who opened fire, killing 1,000 protesters. This sparked the Indian people to fight indefinitely for an independent state as well as rally support for the INC and Muslim League.

Then began a war of conflicting parties.

In 1945 England, Winston Churchill’s party was voted out of office and the proindependence Labour Party was voted in. In India Muhammed Ali Jinna, leader of Muslim League, began to campaign for a separate Muslim state

while Jawaharlal Nehru in turn campaigned for a unified India. Some argue that Nehru’s vision was expected as India was the majority faith and Hindus would have held overall power.

With the prospect of independence looming, violence emerged between countrymen. Gandhi called for peace but his voice was drowned out against riots, mass deaths and intense hatred. The result of this was the “Week of the Long Knives” a horrific ordeal that saw the killing of hundreds of people on both sides.

In February of 1947 the British government finally agreed to Indian independence however the partition was still a pressing need.

Figures such as Gandhi and Viceroy for India Lord Louis Mountbatten pleaded for a united India, however rising unrest saw the eventual separation of India into two states.

The Muslims occupied

two key regions in the north on opposite sections, separated by a largelyHindu section.

Now occupying states where the majority of a single faith resides, India and Pakistan celebrate Independence Day with jubilation and gratefulness.

Flags are raised in houses and buildings, businesses are closed for the day and people visit their families exchanging gifts and pleasantries. In Pakistan for instance a change of guard occurs at national monuments such as the mausoleums of poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, considered the father of the nation. In India the president delivers the “Address to the Nation” speech on the day before and the prime minister unveils India’s flag to the nation.

Despite a history of struggle and division, August 14th for Pakistan and 15th for India are days people can come together once a year in peaceful unity.

India and Pakistan are set to celebrate their partition into independent nations

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Charity director’s marathon Glasgow Shopkeeper challenge week A Birmingham charity boss will be put through his paces when he takes on a 7-day marathon challenge.

Zaheer Khan, director of fundraising and communications at Islamic Help, will be running a half marathon every day for a week at Edgbaston Reservoir to raise funds for the charity’s TheWaterPlant project.

The campaign aims to raise £25,000 for the construction of a new water purification plant to serve 9,000 people in Jessore city in Bangladesh.

Zaheer, who has completed the Athens and London marathons, will run 13.1 miles at the reservoir every day from July 25th to July 31st and he challenged others to join him in the long distance trek.

“We’re more than halfway towards our fundraising target and I’m hoping this will give it even more of an impetus,” he said.

“A project like this makes a massive difference to the quality of life for people who don’t have access to clean and safe drinking water. With this particular campaign, we’ll be

Murderer Pleads Guilty

improving life for thousands of people who’ll have clean water every day, something that we take too readily for granted in the UK. “I know there are lots of keen runners out there, so if anyone wants to join me on any day and take part – they don’t have to do the full course – then I’ll be happy for the company.”

The fundraising campaign is encouraging 250 people to donate £100 each and have their names included on a plaque at the new water plant.

The problems of Jessore’s water crisis mirror those across Bangladesh, where an estimated third of the 160 million population has to rely on water that is contaminated or unsafe.

Arsenic contamination in many water supplies is a major problem for communities. Latest estimates put the number of arsenic-related diseases in the country each year at 43,000 Combined with acute poverty, the lack of clean water has created major health problems including malnutrition and disease – a United Nations study said more than 50,000 children in Bangladesh die each year due to diarrhoea.

32-year-old Tanveer Ahmed admitted to the religiously motivated attack

Pokemon Go Politics

The digital craze has seen incredible popularity and sparked worries

P

okemon Go skyrocketed to popularity this month with millions upon millions of users taking to the streets to explore the world and catch Pokemon using their phones.

Even Jeremy Corbyn took a break from the strife of the Labour leadership to catch up on the Pokemon craze. During an interview for the Sunday Politics, Adam Flemmings taught the Labour leader how to catch Pokemon, and together, the two successfully managed to catch a Krabby, a small crab like Pokemon. Upon success, Corbyn stated, “work this morning has not been in vain.”

The mobile app is free to download and provides an augmented reality in which Pokemon appear in the real world via their phones. So far, it has seen immense praise, with Nintendo’s share prices soaring.

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rescue team were even called upon to find a group of teenagers who, whilst playing Pokemon Go, had gotten lost in a cave.

In a bid to catch the creatures, a crowd of players descended upon Leicestershire Although not available in Police Headquarters, alarming all countries, the game has officers and prompting the received a positive global following warning, “we would response with Pokemon like to remind people appearing in the of the security threat unlikeliest of places, level around public including a Pikachu sector buildings and to having shown up consider their actions outside 10 Downing while in the vicinity Street prior to of such buildings as Theresa May’s police premises.” first appearance as Niantic and The Prime Minister.

Pokemon Company, The game the makers of the app, however has met released a statement with a few critical saying “we encourage concerns too. all people to be aware Worries include of their surroundings predators who may and to play with use the game to friends or family, prey on children and players being • The Pokemon Go App especially when you're exploring unfamiliar at risk of mugging places. Please remember to be during their travels. safe and alert at all times, don't A teenage boy in Bexleyheath drive and play, abide by local was hit by a motorbike whilst laws, and respect the locations crossing the road and playing you visit and people you meet the game, requiring medical during your exploration." attention. A specialist mine

Asad Shah was stabbed outside his store in the Shawlands, Glasgow on March 24th, he later died from his injuries.

Tanveer Ahmed from Bradford in Yorkshire has pled guilty to the murder in High Court in Glasgow and will face sentencing in August.

40-year-old Shah posted a large number of videos online about his religious beliefs, he belonged to the Ahmadiyya group. They are known for their peaceful faith activities, Ahmed however claimed Shah “disrespected” Islam.

Ahmed, a taxi driver, was in Glasgow a few days before the murder and met a friend who showed him Shah’s videos. The court heard that Shah claimed to be a prophet in some of his videos, most of his videos about his faith were filmed from behind his shop counter.

Iain McSporran, Advocate deputy, stated, "The accused's consistent and repeated account as to his motivation for murdering Asad Shah was that Shah claimed to be a prophet, which so offended his feelings and his faith that he had to kill him."

“The accused having apparently not received the response he was looking for, reaches into the robes he is wearing and removes

a knife which he attacks Asad Shah, moving behind the counter to do so.

"Stephen McFadyen, approaches and attempts to assist but the incident is fast moving and he is unable to prevent the attack, involving repeated stab wounds aimed at the head and upper body, continuing.

"Asad Shah attempted to flee his assailant and moved outside the shop but the accused kept hold of him and continued striking him with the knife."

Following the attack Ahmed then sat calmly at a bus shelter and complied with police arrest.

Ahmadiyya Muslims are known to be discriminated against in parts of the world and are even banned by the constitution of Pakistan to call themselves Muslims.

Ahmed stated he killed Shah because he falsely claimed to be a prophet. Ahmadiyya Muslim leaders have announced that killing for "blasphemy" was "completely against the teachings of Islam".

"We must not let the same mindset of hate and violence take root here in Glasgow, and for that matter, the UK and anywhere in the world," they added.

We must not let the same mindset of hate and violence take root here in Glasgow

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Local Leader Awards 2016 32

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AUGUST 2016

irmingham’s biggest leadership celebration took place on 21st July 2016. Guests from the across Birmingham and beyond gathered at the Auditorium, South & City College in Birmingham, to mark a very special date in this year’s calendar. The Local Leaders Awards 2016 are dedicated to highlighting Birmingham’s most compassionate and humanitarian leadership among our great city’s charities, social enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, voluntary, and community groups.

The Future Leaders Club is the first and only organisation in Birmingham to exclusively honour, celebrate, and award Birmingham’s Third Sector leaders and managers. The inauguration of the Local Leaders Awards 2016 set precedence by recognising the value of communityfocused leadership.

Curator and Producer of Local Leaders Awards

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2016, Callie Starkey (Head of Ventures at the Future Leaders Club) said, “Tonight’s awards are dedicated to highlighting and celebrating caring leadership by leaders from Birmingham charities, social enterprises, not-for-profit organisations, voluntary and community groups.

It is crucial that we recognise and award the achievements of Birmingham’s most personcentred and communityfocused leaders, in so doing not only are we giving them encouragement, we also hope to inspire future leaders.”

Lauren Charlotte, an electric violinist most certainly wowed the audience during the opening ceremony, with an extravagant and dynamic performance. This was followed by an all-girl Wolverhampton based street dance group, Recognition.

This was yet again, another powerful and energetic performance.

The comperes for the night, Gary Poulton and Victoria

A delicious three course Indian meal was served by Spice Nation.

Over £700 was raised for the Aspire Programme at Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Trust.

All in all, a fabulous, fun and exciting evening, which was trending at the number one position on Twitter with the event hashtag #LLA2016.

For more information about the Future Leaders Club’s Leadership Development Programmes and Local Leaders Awards 2017, including sponsorship opportunities, contact Jazz Singh on jazz@ futureleadersclub.com, telephone 0330 100 5272, Twitter @JazzLeaders, @_Future_Leaders and @ Leaders_Awards.

Smith eloquently took the stage. Speeches by Lord Mayor’s Deputy, Councillor Shafique Shah; Chair at Future Leaders Club, Jazz Singh; and awards sponsor and Chair at Tyndallwoods Solicitors, Judy Dyke, nicely set the context for the evening.

From a shortlist of 38 nominees, all of which were honoured on stage, 10 Birmingham’s third sector leaders were awarded for their commitment to society by celebrating their outstanding service and contribution to Birmingham:

8 Local Leader Awards • • • • • • • •

Joel Blake (Hot 500 Club) Abdullah Rehman (Balsall Heath Forum) Neelam Heera (Cysters CIC) Tariq Jahan (Haroon Jahan Foundation) Amrick Singh Ubhi (Nishkam Centre) Owen O’Brien (Christians Against Poverty) Lisa Thompson (RSVP) Randhir Singh Heer (Midland Langar Seva Society)

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Rising Star Leader Award • • •

Amy Martin (FAMALAM) Outstanding Leader Award Dominic Bradley (Spring Housing Association)

Outstanding Leader Award •

Dominic Bradley (Spring Housing Association)

Celebrating One Year Of Helping Humanity

M

edical Relief International celebrated 1 year of helping humanity at a beautiful lunch reception held at Imrans restaurant Birmingham.

The reception was held in honour of Medical Relief International's Patron Alhaj Alama Maulana Muhammad Bostan Al Qadri (RA.) Tas Hussain, CEO of the charity said in his opening address to the dignatries

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gathered, "On this day of celebration, we pay special thanks an heart felt tribute to Medical Relief International's spiritual guide, inspiration and motivation the great Alama Bostan Al Qadri. Without his advice, sincere prayers and expert direction we would not be where we are today now operating in 4 continents around the world."

Sion Simon, Member Of The European Parliament for the West Midlands, leading candidate for the West Midlands first directly elected mayor added, "The work of Medical Relief International shows what young leaders can achieve and the work of this organisation is not just a credit to this region but to people around the world MRI stands as a beacon of inspiration of what a difference can be made to the lives of those less fortunate."

The Grandson of Alhaj Alama Maulana Muhammad Bostan Al Qadri (RA), Medical Relief International's Communications Director Ahmad Bostan Al Qadri talked about the charity's work to date, "Our first project was to re-build Al Shifah Hospital's Maternity and Neo-natal ward in Gaza which was a $100,000 project we successfully completed with your support. Now the unit serves over 1200 of our sisters, daughters every month.

We have also provided counselling to traumatised Gazan children, sent over 3000 bottles of childrens medicine to Bab Al Hawa in Syria, cooked and fed with our own hands 40,000 refugees in Lezvos."

Other special guests Councillor Ansar Ali Khan Assistant Leader of Birmingham City Council, Labour Chief Whip Cllr Idrese, Birmingham City Council Scrutiny Chairman Councillor Zafar Iqbal JP MBE and Leroy Cohoone Youth Affairs Advisor to the Right Honourable John Spellar.

Tony Blair stands by Iraq War decision amidst Chilcot controversy Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has stood by his decision behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq despite the damning Chilcot report criticising his actions.

A detailed report published by Sir John Chilcot has condemned the former leader stating that Saddam Hussein “posed no imminent threat” and that war was suggested without attempt at peaceful negotiations. The report also criticises Blair’s backing behind the claim of lethal chemical weapons.

It also mentions the deaths of “at least 150,000 Iraqis – and probably many more – most of them civilians” and “more than a million people displaced”. The report stated “The people of Iraq have suffered greatly.”

Additionally, families of armed service members who died in the 2003 invasion have attacked Blair for his decision to enter war labelling him a “liar” and “the world’s worst terrorist.”

Blair stood at a press conference at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster defending his motivation behind the controversial invasion stating it was “the hardest, most momentous, most agonising decision I took in 10 years as British prime minister”.

He extends sympathy to the families stating he feels, “deeply and sincerely ... the grief and suffering of those who lost ones they loved in Iraq…There will not be a day when I do not relive and rethink what happened”.

However Blair stands by the UK’s involvement arguing, “I believe we made the right decision and the world is better and safer.” He however admits that the belief that weapons of mass destruction were present “turned out to be wrong.”

Details of the Chilcot enquiry include the following: • There was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein.

• The judgments about the severity of the threat posed

by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction – WMDs – were presented with a certainty that was not justified.

• Despite explicit warnings, the consequences of the invasion were underestimated. The planning and preparations for Iraq after Saddam were wholly inadequate.

• The government failed to achieve its stated objectives.

Blair went on to say, “The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit…Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein, I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country.” “…I will take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse.

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EDUCATION

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THE ASIAN TODAY

EDUCATION

Vocational Courses Scrapped Around 20,000 vocational courses will be scrapped and replaced with 15 new qualifications for teenagers in England.

A

ccording to the Post-16 Skills Plan, sixteen-year-olds will have either academic or practical options.

The practical courses will be directed at a

“ Thousa nds of ine ffe ctiv e c o urses tha t shor t-change d empl oyers a n d y oung pe ople w oul d be r e place d with s t ra i g htfor w ar d r oute s into techni ca l em ploy m e nt.” set of skilled occupations and will contain a collective core of English, Maths and Digital Skills.

The government says the plans will help to enhance the nation's flair.

The plan was introduced after Lord Sainsbury's Report of the Independent Panel on Technical Education, which suggested simplifying the existing system of practical education is delivered through "15

high-quality routes", with criteria being set by employers.

The report found the contemporary “overcomplex” system which “fails to provide the skills most needed for the 21st century” and emphasizes that this has severe consequences for the country’s efficiency, economy and competitiveness.

Issuing the plan, Skills Minister Nick Boles said a practical education system was required to harness the nation's faculty.

"The Skills Plan is the next step towards that goal, building on the progress we have already made by investing in apprenticeships and creating a skilled workforce that is the envy of every other nation.

"This won't just help our young people get the best jobs but it will also boost our economy, benefitting us all."

The government said: “Thousands of ineffective courses that short-changed employers and young people would be replaced with straightforward routes into technical employment.”

Lord Sainsbury said that at the moment, young people who are considering a

practical education had to select a course out of more than 20,000 courses provided by 160 different organisations.

The government says that it is not crystal clear which course will give them the best opportunity of getting a job.

For example, a growing engineer can choose from a potential of 501 courses.

Every individual course will be offered by a solitary course provider, who will be granted an élite license in a competitive procedure.

The first routes will be available from 2019 and will take place in either college or at a work placement through apprenticeships.

The Association of School and College Leaders said it was vital that the government supports its plan with additional funding for colleges.

They added: "The amount of funding they currently receive is woefully inadequate and this situation needs to be urgently addressed.”

Are you thinking about your next step? Thinking about going to college? Interested in University Level Courses?

Considering earning whilst you learn on an apprenticeship?

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outh & City College Birmingham offers students and adult learners, fulltime, part-time and apprenticeship courses from level 1, right up to university level in a wide range of subjects.

We currently provide courses and training to around 13,000 students and have campuses across Birmingham, all within easy access, so you should never be too far away from college.

South & City College Birmingham is committed to ensuring students have the relevant skills, qualifications and experience required for their future, whether that is to find a job or to continue in education at college or university.

There are many benefits of studying at South & College Birmingham: • Lower tuition costs and smaller class sizes for university level courses.

• A wide range of courses and facilities at all our campuses, studying full or part time.

• Apprenticeships and Higher

Apprenticeships in various sectors.

The college has excellent facilities which we continue to invest in. This includes a purpose built construction campus, hair and beauty salons which are open to the public, music and sound recording rooms, an industry standard auditorium and much, much more!

South & City College Birmingham can help you get the skills you need to get ahead!

Think Big. We Do. Interested? We have a dedicated enrolment date on 18 August for university level courses and general enrolment for all courses from 22 August 2016.

Visit our website www.southandcity. com for full information on all the courses we offer, details on our apprenticeship schemes and to find out all the enrolment dates and times for you to apply.

Alternatively, get in touch with us at hello@southandcity.com or call us on 0800 111 6311.

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XPRESS The prestigious London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) returned for its seventh run to celebrate the very best of South Asian movies. Despite its roots in London, the organisers were courteous enough to bring the festival to the doorsteps of Birmingham for a second year. Locals at Cineworld, Broad Street could see a range of feature films, independent projects, short films and documentaries all displaying the richness of South Asian culture.

The Birmingham programme ran between 15th-24th July 2016 and welcomed stars such as Tannishtha Chatterjee, Kamal Haasan and mega star Ajay Devgan who produced the festival’s debut film. On why it was important to bring the festival to Birmingham, Executive & Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said, “It was a pilot project from last year and we wanted to see how it would do in Birmingham, we knew it was the right city because we know you love cinema and culture. You have a huge South Asian community comprised of Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis. We have come back in full force this year to show you the very best of South Asian cinema.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

Europe’s biggest Asian film festival came to Birmingham

ARMAAN MALIK INTERVIEW

READ ON PAGE 40 Ex One Direction Star reveals Urdu writing on new clothing line

Zayn’s Artistic Edge READ ON PAGE 38 Movie starring Monica Dogra nominated for Emmy

READ ON PAGE 39

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Zayn’s Artistic Edge Zayn Malik can add a new credential to his resume: Designer. The singer has released his new clothing line titled ‘Mind of Mine’ consisting of tops, T-shirts and bomber jackets. It is a 23 piece collection.

What stands out however is t h e Urdu script writing emblazoned across clothing items.

Zayn shared his inspiration behind this fashion venture, “I wanted to approach this as an opportunity to extend my ideas as an artist, and to give fans another facet of who I

am,” he said.

“My family is from Pakistan, so having artwork in Urdu has huge significance to me,” Zayn added, some shirts had “Zayn” and “Mind” written in Urdu script.

Even his girlfriend Gigi Hadid has been spotted wearing a bomber jacket with Zayn’s name written in Urdu across the back.

The 23-year-old also worked with Mark Wilkinson, the artist who worked on the artwork for rock band Iron Maiden’s last album.

“Working with Mark gave me a license to do something exciting conceptually with a lot of colour and detail,” Zayn explained.

“The art we created gives a nod to the vintage rock-band T-shirts but with my own concept.” he added.

Ex One Direction Star reveals Urdu writing on new clothing line

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Twinkle’s Twitter Titter Twinkle points out journalist’s old fashioned nit-picking in comical tweet A recent interview caused quite a stir when journalist Rajdeep Sardesai sprung the issue of motherhood on Sania Mirza. The Indian tennis player who is ranked No. 1 in the women’s doubles rankings was asked why her autobiography made no mention of building a family or having babies, leaving Sania and the social media world flustered.

Twinkle Khanna then took to twitter, remarking “like the embarrassing aunt we all had who pestered us about ‘settling down’- I guess the nation has found a new bua,” causing a flurry of similar tweets in support. Sardesai has since apologised for his remark.

Dr Subaig Singh Kandola’s New Release Nazran Fer Ke will be available to download on iTunes in advance from Wednesday 27th July 2016.

The UK artist released his first single, Tere Jhoothiye Ni Laare earlier this year and is back with his second hit single in collaboration with Popsy The Music Machine, releasing worldwide on Mahaveer Records from Thursday 28 July.

Subaig has a real passion for traditional Punjabi folk music and wishes to follow in the footsteps of folk legends such as Kuldeep Manak, Surinder Shinda and Gurdas Mann.

This talented individual loves Punjabi Culture and wishes to promote its values and emotions through music and video. He also endeavours to demonstrate its vibrant heritage in this current era of globalization and cultural dilution.

After his smash hit debut single, Dr Subaig Singh Kandola is back with “Nazran Fer Ke’’

The singing star is to perform all his greatest hits live at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on August 12th. Khan is to perform at a number of shows this year, with Ricoh Arena being his only Midlands destination.

Khan is the son of critically acclaimed Pakistani musician Fateh Ali Khan and the nephew of Nusret Fateh Ali Khan, another musical great. However Khan has been making his own name in the Qawwali musical world, becoming a well sought after Bollywood and Lollywood playback artist.

Andy Gibb, managing director of Ricoh, said "he is a massive influence in the genre of Qawwali music which has led to Rahat contributing to Hollywood music soundtracks and he is at the pinnacle of his career in the extremely popular world of Bollywood.”

Tickets for Khan’s show are priced at £20-£75 for general admission, with special limited VIP tickets being £200 each. The VIP tickets include meeting Khan, taking a photo with him and having access to the best viewing seats, as well as an exclusive preshow hospitality lounge complete with South Asian food.

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WINNERS OF THE 'BEST LOCAL NEWSPAPER' AT THE ASIAN MEDIA AWARDS 2013

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High fashion showcase o commence July 20th

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ase Rele th : 29 e t a D July

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osted by the Fashion Design Council of India in Delhi, the 4 day showcase took place at the Taj Palace Hotel.

Fasion superstar Manish Malhotra opened the show.

Malhotra is one of India’s most acclaimed fashion designers, having designed pieces for a number of Bollywood actresses, including Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone.

The showcase features all the hottest trends in Indian and global fashion and the best new designs from leading couture designers.

Malhotra’s designs, known for their experimentalism and extravagance, were woven to tell a tale via their detailed craftsmanship. His collection was aptly titled ‘The Persian Story.’ High profile stars such as Padukone walked in the show.

FCDI President Sunil Sethi says “we have always offered the best of India through our eponymous events and the ICW is the most coveted extravaganza in the stable as it showcases couture ensembles, which are emblematic of our rich tradition and historical past… as we get set to indulge in this unadulterated visual treat, we hope to recreate splendor through the art of luxury.”

• India Couture Week

Musical Sensation Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Coming to Ricoh Arena “He is a massive influence in the genre of Qawwali music"

NADAR FILMS AND RHYTHM BOYZ ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT

BAMBUKAT

Bambukat, set in 1960, is a story about a simple girl Pakko (Simi Chahal) who's not fair and looks dusky, her husband Chanan Singh (Ammy Virk) who is poor and from a small village but loves Pakko very much. He believes in doing different things and loves engines and machines and dreams to make different vehicles one day.

On the invitation of in-laws, both Chanan Singh and Pakko reach their house expecting to be looked after but soon realize that everybody is already smitten by Pakko's sister Sami (Sheetal Thakur) and her husband Resham Singh (Binnu Dhillon). The whole house respects Resham

as he is a big officer in railways and also owns a motorcycle, which is a huge affair.

This is where the story of Bambukat takes a turn and Chanan Singh's quest begins to out show Resham Singh and own a motorcycle himself. Here is a story of a common man trying to impress all by outshining his brother-inlaw along a rollercoaster ride of misshaps. Does Chanan Singh succeed in impressing the in-laws and fulfil his dream of owning a motorcycle? Does Pakko get her due share of respect from her family?

Bambukat opens in cinemas 29th July, worldwide.

Udta Punjab Success Despite Censorship Bollywood movie which Controversy

struggled to see release praised for tackling tough issues

Director Abishek Chaubey’s latest centres around a drug riddled Punjab and stars Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Since its release on July 17th, the film earned $7,000,000 worldwide during its opening weekend, making it the 8th highest grossing Bollywood film of 2016.

Initially, producers were worried the film would never be released. The

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had requested 94 cuts be made, including expletives, mentions of Punjabi cities and any shots of drug consumption, even asking for ‘Punjab’ to be dropped from the title.

The cuts caused a huge controversy regarding creative freedom, but given its glowing reviews, the public seems well receptive of Udta Punjab’s tough topics and dark tale.

Movie starring Monica Dogra nominated for Emmy

Empowering docuseries starring Indian singer-actress star bags prestigious nomination

A docuseries called Woman, centered on gender related violence and hosted by American journalist and women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem, has been nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Category Non-fiction Series.

The film features Indian Monica Dogra as a correspondent, who starred in Dhobi Ghat and is part of the rock band Shaa'ir and Func. Dogra said “I feel the series deserved it.

Thanks to Gloria and the entire production team, we are bringing some important women's issues to light.

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Sab Tera Baaghi

Bol Do Na Zara Azher

Cham Cham Baaghi

Itni Si Baat Hain Azher

Salamat Sarbjit

Oye Oye Azhar

Baby Ko Pass Band Hai Sultan

Rasham Ka Rumaal Great Grand Masti

Jag Ghoomeya Sultan

Teri Kamar Ho Great Grand Masti

BHANGRA

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Cruel

Snake Hips (fear. Zayn)

Go Off M.I.A

Bari Barsi

Banger and Money Spinner

BomBaea

Fuse ODG, Zack Knight and Badshah

Jag Ghoomeva

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Marjaniva

Imran Ahmed

5 Taara

Diljit Dosanjh

Pappleen

Diljit Dosanjh

Picha Ni Chad De Diljit Dosanjh

Afsos

Sonu Bhullar & DJ Raj

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Enemy

Zack Knight

Lovers Medley

Asif Khan ft. Naseebo Lal

Dum Dee Dum

Zack Knight ft. Jasmin Walia

Dil Jaaniye Nafees

Befour Zayn

Jaan Atki

Mumzy Stranger

Dance Till They Drop Shizzio, MC DT & Kami K

Bombae

Fuse ODG, Zack Knight & Badshah

Main Aur Tum Zack Knight

Ya Baba

Zack Knight

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 A running theme throughout the festival was ‘change’ as many of the screenings featured tough subject matters that will provoke discussion and even shock viewers long after seeing them. The opening film The Asian Today had the pleasure of seeing was Parched, a moving yet hilarious tale of four women struggling to liberate themselves. Directed by Leena Yadav and produced by Ajay Devgan, the film fearlessly explores issues of sexuality, domestic violence, generational conflict and female companionship in a beautifully shot movie with flawless performances. Yadav revealed the process of making the film, “It was based on a lot of conversations with women I had in a village in South Asia, the conversation then expanded to Bombay where I sent my script to film makers across the world.

What I am talking about in the film is very universal.”

Joined by Yadav was Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan who shared his views on why movies about female empowerment are important to make, “I believe in this issue, I have been surrounded by so many women in my family and life. I think it is high time women get as much recognition as men do.” No doubt Devgan has a lot of love for women considering his recent activities on Twitter where he asked people around the world to share proud pictures with their daughters under the hashtag #MyGirlMyStrength.

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The social issues didn’t stop there as other screenings included acclaimed, Oscar winning documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the harrowing true story of a woman who survived an attempted honour killing and her journey towards making peace with her attackers.

Another unique movie was I am not He… She (Nanu Avanalla Avalu) directed by B S Lingadevaru, an empowering story of a man wishing to become a woman and his journey through Bangalore to discover his true self.

These are not your mainstream Bollywood films with song and dance numbers but rather films reflecting a slowly changing society that film makers want to bravely expose to the world. Among guests were BBC Radio hosts Sunny and Shay, who for the past four years have been brand ambassadors for the festival. Shay Grewal shared the need to acknowledge independent cinema from South Asia, “What it shows is that there is a growing community not just Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi, that wants to see stories coming out of India. Not just the Bollywood ones where you are dancing around the trees, which are great don’t get me wrong, but what LIFF does is highlight those films you may not get to see. Why not bring it to Birmingham? This city is second to none.”

Sunny Grewal meanwhile made the case for eliminating gender labels, in reference

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to Parched Sunny stated, “The fact that it has a female voice is irrelevant, the director is a well-established film maker so let’s remove the gender argument and just see her as a film maker.”

Stars of Parched included teenager Lehar Khan who played Janaki, the child bride struggling with a loveless marriage. The young actress was all smiles on the red carpet, “I am extremely honoured to be here and very thankful to be invited. I started my career when I was 12 years old and this is my second film. My parents were very supportive, especially my dad who is a big supporter of women and he was the one who told me to do the movie.” Another esteemed actress was Tannishtha Chatterjee, best known by British audiences for Brick Lane and soon to be starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel in Lion. When asked what attracted her to the role Chatterjee explained, “Strong roles which are complex and layered definitely attract me and Parched is a very special project because the role that I play is a principal role. It’s a pretty crazy part and I don’t think a role like this has been played anywhere in the world.” On the film’s theme of liberation Chatterjee didn’t hold back, “This film is about female bonding, sexuality and desire. If women cannot talk about their desires openly then we cannot be individuals because that is where we are oppressed. The

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main exploitation women experience is objectification and the day we start asserting that I am a sexual being and I have desires, that is when that exploitation will stop.”

One of the goals of The Asian Today is ‘education’ which LIFF stands for in spades.

Echoing Shay Grewal’s words, mainstream Bollywood movies are growing more and more popular in the West, but it’s the independent market where big issues are mostly discussed. Sawhney summed up the power of the festival, “We are showing a reflection of South Asia today in all its rich diversity, but we don’t show the authorised version of Asia, we are the punk rock of Indian film festivals so we do take risks. Films about child slavery for instance which is a huge issue all over the world as over £50 million children are in slavery at the moment. These are global reference films. South Asia is a funny place of contradictions where the government may be anti-gay but the audience seem to be voting the other way! Also if you have a festival on French cinema you won’t see many women film makers, yet we have seven women film makers at this festival.

We are breaking stereotypes.”

Film is a vital medium for change as you can learn so much from someone’s story, so why not head over to events like the London Indian Film Festival and witness the changing world of South Asia. We at The Asian Today look forward to the 2017 edition of LIFF.

The Asian Today speaks to Armaan Malik about his upcoming tour in September 2016 So this is your first tour in the UK?

You were a finalist on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, how do you feel that contributed to your career?

This is my first visit to the UK and my first tour will be in September.

Tell me about the tour, what are your fans expecting?

Im going to be singing, dancing and performing so it will be a mixture of things. I will be singing all of my hit songs and songs from other artists that I really love and are close to my heart.

What made you pursue music?

I come from a musical family so it was natural for me to jump into it.

From a very early age I was very keen on singing and would dream about becoming the biggest singer in the world. I have never looked back after that.

I think it was a great launch pad for me, coming from a musical family background thought my career was easy for me so in order to prove them wrong I gave the reality show a try. I was able to perform with the best talents in India and prove that my voice has made me what I am today. When I came into the top seven and left the show I then sang my first song with in Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan. It was a big achievement early in my career.

After that what has been your biggest achievement today?

My biggest achievement was winning my film fare award, which is such a prestigious award and also the RD Burman Award for New Music Talent 2015. Very few people are lucky enough to get that kind of award so It was a big turning point for me.

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GPD Bhangra Dancers Win International Dance Competition

Gabhru Panjab De (GPD) Bhangra Dancers were awarded two prestigious awards at this years Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. GPD were the winners of Choreographed/Stylized Folk Dance Group Competition and Children’s Folk Dance Group Competition. The group performed traditional Bhangra dance routines, which originated in a Northern State of India, Punjab.

Competing with talent showcased from across the globe between 5th July – 10th July 2016 as part of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. GPD performed astoundingly, impressing the judges and audience.

Gabhru Panjab De (meaning ‘Youth of Panjab’) have been dominating the entertainment industry since 1988 through Bhangra folk dance, leaving audiences wowed and completely spellbound.

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Aishwaria Rai Bachan was one of the first Bollywood stars to make a name for herself in Hollywood, playing the lead actress in films such as Bride and Prejudice and Provoked.

But after a series of flops including Mistress of Spices and The Pink Panther 2, Rai Bachan’s Hollywood career fizzled out and it didn’t seem likely that anyone would dare try again.

It wasn’t until Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire, with its Indian premise that couldn’t help but use Indian actors, that Irrfan Kahn began to carve his way into the western film industry. He has since gone on to star in the Life of Pi, The Amazing Spiderman 2 and will be appearing alongside Tom Hanks in the upcoming Dan Brown adaptation, Inferno.

Bollywood has typically been seen in a comical light by the mainstream media. It has long been known for its singing and dancing

I am a big fan of Bruno Mars and love his music, also Chris Brown and Michael Buble who is one of my favourite artists.

You are the most fashionable singing icon of the year, how would you describe your personal style?

What are your ambitions for the future?

I am looking forward to taking my music to the world and I want to show the world that India is not just Bollywood.

It is a so much more than that, there is so much talent and we surely we can compete with people around the world.

There are so many singers who gave made their name but not a global name. Singers like Justin Beiber and Bruno Mars are known around the world so I would love for Indians to achieve that. There is no outlet for Indian artists to release independent music, only Bollywood has an outlet.

That is why I took the step of covering Sorry. We can do so much more than Hindi and I have written so many songs in English.

The Queen Legend and actress-singer Ellis to tour Coventry this December.

In the months leading up to Christmas, Brian May and Kerry Ellis will embark on their Candlelight Christmas Tour and visit a number of locations, including Coventry. The singing duo are to perform at the Warwick Arts Centre venue this December, with tickets going for $45.

The concerts will feature music from the pairs upcoming album Anthems II which has been in development since last year. The first

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Bollywood Makes Inroads in Hollywood

Who would you like to collaborate with?

Wherever I go I always say I prefer looks over comfort, so even if I feel really hot I always wear clothes for autumn!

Even if I am overdressed compared to other people I like to dress that way because that’s my thing.

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and colourful sets, but not for its compelling stories, directorial expertise or acting ability.

But with Kahn, there is finally a Bollywood actor that has managed to succeed in Hollywood, been given meaty roles as opposed to token roles and been praised for

acting chops to beat.

Now Bollywood beauties Priyanka Chopra, 34, and Deepika Padukone, 30, are to star in their own Hollywood blockbusters.

When rumours first surfaced of Chopra heading into Hollywood, it was feared she would be dismissed as just another beautiful woman cameoing in a movie that needed to up its diversity quota. However Chopra has since proved herself.

The former Miss World has already helmed one season of the American ABC studio’s show Quantico.

Playing the lead, Chopra stars as FBI agent Alex Parrish as she navigates the intriguing world of intelligence and deals with accusations and threats of terrorism.

Quantico proved a success and Chopra managed to foster an American fan base, even landing a People’s Choice Award for Favourite New Actress in a TV Series. Chopra also appeared on The Huffington Post’s “100 Most Influential Women on Twitter” list, named as the most influential Indian woman on Twitter.

Now the actress is to star in the new Baywatch movie alongside Dwayne Johnson, the highest paid Hollywood actor, and heartthrob Zac Efron.

But Padukone, her friend and rival and Bollywood’s top actress at the moment, is hot on her heels. Last month, the former model wrapped up filming for her debut Hollywood project, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,

wherein she plays a love interest opposite Vin Diesel.

Whilst not Oscar contenders, the movies are expected to be big hits among action hungry audiences. And with big name Bollywood actors finally landing substantial roles in popular blockbusters, it paves the way for ordinary Asian actors to get their foot in the door too. Until now, many Asian actors, notable or nameless, were passed up left and right- even for Asian specific roles.

Now it will only be a matter of time before we get Asian home-grown stars, such as British Dev Patel, to join the ranks of cinematic legends. xXx: The Return of Xander Cage is set for release on January 2017, with Baywatch following May 2017.

Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone Continuing to Break Boundaries in Hollywood

Queen Star Brian May and Kerri Ellis Coming to Coventry Anthems album, Ellis’ debut album produced by May, was met with huge praise so expectation for their new music and the new tour are understandably high.

May is to swap his electric guitar Red Special for an acoustic better designed to complement the musical actress Ellis’ voice. The concerts will revisit some of Queen’s biggest hits, a few personal favourite tracks from the two, and feature songs highlighting the welfare of wild animals.

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Manish Gajjar Hindi Film Adviser for Vue Cinemas

BOLLYWOOD MOVIE OF THE MONTH

MOHENJO DARO Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde, Kabir Bedi, Arunoday Singh

During the prehistoric Indus Valley in 2016 BC the evil greed of a man is about to destroy one of the oldest cities in the world, Mohenjo Daro.

Sarman a young farmer enters this city and meets Chaani the daughter of the priest predicted to be the origin of a new society.

In his attempt to win Chaani’s love Sarman uncovers secrets nobody was ever supposed to know about Chaani, about Mohenjo Daro and about his own past!

Mohenjo Daro is an epic adventure drama and it is directed by Ashutosh Gowariker of the Lagaan fame.

Ashutosh Gowariker’s creative vision of this mysterious city is already predicted to be a box office success. This is due to the sizzling on-screen chemistry between Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde and also a refreshing musical score.

It’s going to be a second time round that Hrithik teams up with director Gowarikar after their successful film Jodha Akbar.

It took three years of research by Gowarikar to finalise the fictional plot for his epic adventure romance.

The film’s music is once again provided by Rahman who has previously worked on Gowarikar’s previous releases Lagaan, Jodhaa Akbar and Swades.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON OUR WEBSITE

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ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT

SUNNY MALIK TWITTER: @SUNNYMALIK

B

ollywood's youngest superstar Alia Bhatt recently caught up with The Asian Today during her annual London holiday. Since the start of her acting career four years ago, the 23-year-old has received enormous critical acclaim and enjoys a huge fanfollowing worldwide.

Alia will next be seen with Shah Rukh Khan in Gauri Shinde's 'Dear Zindagi' and opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Ayan Mukerji's sci-fi project 'Dragon.’

In this tête-à-tête, the ‘Highway’ actress talks about fame, movie choices and her thoughts about Bollywood catfights …

Four years ago during the promotions of ‘Student Of The Year’ I asked you whether you feel like a star yet.

You stated you didn’t. Have things changed? Do you think you are a star?

Technically, yes.

Do you feel like a star though?

That’s another question and I would say no. I still have a long way to go. I feel a lot of time has passed since I started and my films have done well. I have had a lot of appreciation and love come my way. I am aware of all these things. I admit that I don’t feel the same. A lot of things have changed since we met for the first time.

I don’t think I would still go around and say that ‘I am a star’ because I still have so much to achieve. Stardom is achieved through a lot of good and consistent work.

It has been good, almost consistent for me.

I think the idea is for me to continue as long as I can and then to finally say that I’ve reached that place in my life.

Your first role in Student Of The Year was glamorous with a lot of song & dance sequences. You then proved with your second film ‘Highway’ that you can equally act really well. Was it hard deciding what kind of cinema to be a part of afterwards?

The idea was always to go with my instinct, which is my biggest driving force.

I have always gone with my instincts for all of my movies. I want to have fun and be part of different worlds on celluloid.

I always want to give people something exciting to watch. That has always been my motto. But yeah, I have been fortunate to get good characters and have worked

with great directors. It’s a bit of luck and bit of thought, put together. However, not too much thought. I don’t overthink it.

There are still people who throw the word ‘nepotism’ at you, especially on Bollywood forums in the comments section when any of your films are announced. Does that bother you?

I don’t read comments and it doesn’t bother me at all. I know the truth and I know how hard I have worked. It sucks to say it, but the ones who say it, are usually the ones really jealous.

Your generation of actors gets along really well. Is it all just a façade?

No, I think we just don’t care. I mean, why you would fight with someone unless they have physically or emotionally tried to harm you or affect you? I don’t have hatred or negativity towards any of my contemporaries. If people have that just because someone else is doing good work, then they are sore losers. Also it takes a lot to not like someone. There needs to be a good reason and not just because we all work in a competitive field. If we turn it the other way around and seek inspiration from each other, it would be quite interesting.

Many actors still actively try to get the same roles…

There is competition but there are so many more opportunities now. A lot more films, and good films, are being made today. If it’s meant to be, it will come your way.

How do you choose your movies now?

For me it has to be the script first and foremost. Then I look at what my character is.

I don’t really care who the actor opposite me is, as long as the script and my characters are well written.

Do you feel that you can be your normal pre-movies self when you are holidaying in places like London or Berlin?

No, there is someone who will recognise you everywhere. In London, there are Indians everywhere. People always walk up to me on the roads or in the shops. It’s fine and not an issue. But I can be a bit more of myself when I am abroad. I can’t walk on the street in Mumbai but I can enjoy that over here in London. It honestly feels great. In Berlin, yes there weren’t as many people who recognised me over there but there were still a handful. Other than that, it’s nice to just be in a restaurant or a bar and have no one look at you too much. These are just pros and cons of being a celebrity. You get used to the fact that heads will turn whenever you walk in somewhere and I never wish for that to go away. But I would say it’s nice to take a break.

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The prestigious London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) returned for its seventh run to celebrate the very best of South Asian movies. Despite its roots in London, the organisers were courteous enough to bring the festival to the doorsteps of Birmingham for a second year. Locals at Cineworld, Broad Street could see a range of feature films, independent projects, short films and documentaries all displaying the richness of South Asian culture.

The Birmingham programme ran between 15th-24th July 2016 and welcomed stars such as Tannishtha Chatterjee, Kamal Haasan and mega star Ajay Devgan who produced the festival’s debut film. On why it was important to bring the festival to Birmingham, Executive & Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said, “It was a pilot project from last year and we wanted to see how it would do in Birmingham, we knew it was the right city because we know you love cinema and culture. You have a huge South Asian community comprised of Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis. We have come back in full force this year to show you the very best of South Asian cinema.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

Europe’s biggest Asian film festival came to Birmingham

AUGUST 2016 DESI XPRESS 37

ARMAAN MALIK INTERVIEW

READ ON PAGE 40 Ex One Direction Star reveals Urdu writing on new clothing line

Zayn’s Artistic Edge READ ON PAGE 38 Movie starring Monica Dogra nominated for Emmy

READ ON PAGE 39

There were twenty four awards presented on the night, the winners: Best in Creative Industries Services to Civil and Third Sector Best to Science and Engineering Rising Star of the Year Best in Medical

“

Winners are announced at The British Indian Awards in association with BDO T

he winners of the British Indian Awards in association with BDO, were announced yesterday evening, at the prestigious ceremony at the Athena, Leicester.

The evening was a celebration of the success and achievements of Britain’s Indian individuals, communities and business people.

“The caliber and scale of talent present at the British Indian Awards is a testament to the commitment and hard work the British Indian community holds, along with the opportunities available in the United Kingdom” commented Yasmin

Mahmood of event organiser’s, O c e a n i c Consulting.

“It was truly an inspirational e v e n i n g and we are humbled and honored to be able to recognise and reward the achievements of the many inspirational individuals and business that participated.

Well done to all of the finalists and winners.”

Attendees from across the

It was truly an inspirational evening country joined the glamorous event which was hosted by Kamlesh Purohit of BBC Radio Leicester. The Awards also raised over £1300 for the official charity partner, Silver Star.

Best in Media Services to Law Services to Education Services to Accounting Indian Community Spirit

Politician of the Year Charity/Community Initiative of The Year Best at Sport Arts & Culture Awareness Services to Entertainment SME Business of the Year Family Business of the Year Leaders in Finance Indian Business in the UK Young Achiever of the Year Businesswoman of the Year Businessman of the Year Business of the Year Entrepreneur of the Year

Gary Singh (Entouraaj, London) Jagtar Singh (Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership, Coventry).

Bal Bansal (Coca-Cola European Partners, London).

Jatin Patek (TSB, London).

Dr Sunil Chopra (London Dermatology Centre, London).

Suzi Mann (BBC Asian Network, London).

Ritu Sethi (The Sethi Partnership Solicitors, London).

Professor Tapas Mallick (University of Exeter, Cornwall).

Bindi Palmer (Rouse Partners LLP, London).

Dr Shamender Talwar (The Unity of Faith Foundation,London).

Priti Patel MP (House of Commons, London).

The Sharan Project (London).

Raj Hundal (Pool Champion, Hounslow).

Samir Bhamra (Phizzical, Leicester).

Indiraa (Barnett).

Mint Securities Limited (Leicester).

Wholesale LED Lights (Leicester).

Sudhir Dole (ICICI Bank UK PLC, London) The Jewellery Channel (London).

Risha Jindal (Digimeal Co, Watford) Harvinder Atwal (BKSB, Mansfield).

Dr Nik Kotecha (Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Loughborough).

PG Paper Company Ltd (Greenock).

Lisa Sohanpal (Nom Noms World Foods, London)

Raksha-Bandhan Coming

Asian Communities Preparing for Hindu Rakhi Festivals have Rakhi shared with them.

Raksha-Bandhan, in true testament to its secularist status, has even been adopted by Islamic and Christian communities. Criminal lawyer, Majeed Memom receives rakhis from all over India from Hindu clients he had represented.

The festival first gained importance during the 1500s after the widowed Queen Rani Karnawati sent a rakhi thread to the Emperor Humayan.

Similarly, according to legend, Alexander the Great’s wife Roshanak sent a rakhi to the Hindu King Porus, asking him not to hurt her husband in battle.

Oddly, last year’s Raksha-Bandhan saw men tie rakhi on women’s wrist. Recently, there have been claims in India that men have been made victims of the misuse of criminal laws protecting women. As such, the rakhi was tied in a bid to ask protection from women who may misuse such laws.

Founder of Hridaya, an NGO working towards gender equality, Amartya Talukdar said “society has gone through massive changes in the last few decades and men are now considered on the same platform with women. Why should laws show a discrimination relations and bringing against them?”

This year’s Rakhi falls on the 18th August 2016. The festival, which falls on the full moon of August, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.

As part of the festival, sisters will tie a red threat on the wrists of their brothers, the thread acting as a symbolic bond of love and protection.

In Sanskirt, Raksha-Bandhan translates to ‘the tie or knot of protection.’ Sisters will tie the thread and pray for their brother’s prosperity whilst brothers will vow to protect and care for their sisters. The festival also celebrates other family and friendship ties between men and women.

Although it primarily celebrates familial relationships, Rakhi is seen as transcending blood relations and bringing together people of different families, ethnicities and races. It is considered a non-denominational celebration, and even political leaders and social figures may

Rakhi is seen as transcending blood together people of different families, ethnicities and races.

Jas Sansi's Scribbles

Twitter: @Jassansi

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Bastille Day Terrorist Attack

Nice, France, was beset by a terror attack after the driver of a lorry ploughed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day. The driver, identified as Mohammed Lahouajej Bouhlel, sped for a mile down the Promenade des Anglais, killing at least 84 and leaving dozens requiring critical care, before engaging in a gunfight with police and being shot dead.

The Nice local, Bouhlel, 31, is not thought to have ties to any extremist groups, although he was known by police for petty theft. Police searched the bullet ridden lorry and his apartment and he is thought to be French born and of Tunisian descent.

10 children are confirmed among the dead, 2 having died post-surgery. 50 other children are in hospital and one British

Over 85 people, including children, killed in US led air strikes in village of Tokhar

national is among the scores of those injured.

Multiple videos have surfaced online of panic stricken crowds and chaos along with multiple pictures on social media of bodies lying along the road.

Police and anti-terrorism officers flooded the streets of the southern French city after the crisis.

This attack comes just days before Hollande was to end the state of emergency currently deployed in France following the November Paris attack in which 150 people died at the hands of ISIS. However, it has now been extended for another three months.

French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls declared France would conduct 3 days of national mourning.

INTERNATIONAL From Richer For Poorer

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Two generous newlyweds decided to abandon the tradition of spending vast amounts of money on their wedding to instead donate to those less fortunate. Specifically, their earnings went into the education of children

of farmers who committed suicide and books for village libraries.

Abhay Deware, his bride to be Priti Kumbhare.

It was in March 2016 that Deware met President Pranab Mukherjee who encouraged him and his

fellow workers to create socio-economic change.

Therefore, with the full support of their families, Deware and Kumbhare decided to spend their wedding money on the families of the farmers who had committed suicide.

The couple donated Rs. 20,000 each to 10 farmers’ families, where the only breadwinner of each family had committed suicide due to huge debts and crop failures. Remaining savings were used to donate books worth Rs. 52,000 to five libraries in Amravati.

On the wedding day of July 3rd 2016, the couple swapped garlands and decorations for inspirational posters encouraging guests to do more to help society.

Pakistani Internet Star Murdered by Brother Qandeel Baloch was strangled by her brother in ‘honour’ killing

Gutsy feminist provocateur” who had revealed “the hypocrisy of the maledominated establishment

Q

andeel Baloch, a

controversial celebrity in Pakistan, was strangled to death by her brother Waseem for “dishonouring the Baloch name.” He claimed to protest the pictures she

shared online and confessed to giving Baloch a tablet before strangling her.

Baloch was a woman who raised eyebrows in Pakistan for her provocative pictures and videos.

She would post pictures online, share videos of her day to day life

and passionately supported female empowerment in Pakistan.

A divisive figure, Baloch had both fans and detractors. She caused outrage after claiming to do a live strip tease if Pakistan won a cricket match against India. More controversy was raised when Baloch shared a selfie with Mufti Abdul Qavi, a senior member of a clergy. Mufti Qavi was soon suspended following the picture.

Baloch’s brother was arrested in Dera Ghazi Khan in central Pakistan, when captured he stated, “I am not ashamed. We are Baloch and as Baloch we cannot tolerate [this]”. He said this as he pointed to the videos his sister made.

After the killing Waseem tried to run away with two friends who are yet to be found.

Baloch, whose real name is Fouzia Azeem, was buried on Sunday morning in her ancestral village near Dera

Ghazi Khan in Punjab province.

A large number of people attended the funeral.

Despite the divided view of her she nevertheless had a strong fan base with 43,000 Twitter followers and more than 700,000 on Facebook. She encouraged people to challenge Pakistan’s traditional way of thinking and labelled herself a “modern day feminist.”

Madiha Tahir, of Feminist magazine Tanqeed, called Baloch a “gutsy feminist provocateur” who had revealed “the hypocrisy of the male-dominated establishment, especially the clergy, through her social media videos. She wasn't rich, she was a working class woman who dared to be exactly herself.”

Tahir also stated that her death was not a result of ‘honour’ but rather the “pervasive misogyny” of Pakistani society.

85 Syrians Killed in Air Strikes

Children were included in the victim toll of 85 people killed in an air strike launched by the United States, supposedly because the victims were mistaken for Islamic State fighters.

The incident took place in the village of Tokhar near Manbij in Northern Syria where up to 8 families were killed while trying to flee the war torn area.

A report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the strikes were apparently carried out in error as the civilians were mistaken for ISIL members.

The area has been ravaged by fighting between extremists and members of the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF, backed by the US), who have been moving in towards the ISIL stronghold of Manbij.

Since the operation began in May

around 450 air strikes have been carried out in the city. The SDF, comprised of Kurdish and Arab fighters, is attempting to capture the last territory held under ISIL on the frontier with Turkey.

Many ISIL fighters have remained closed up in the city

preventing thousands of Syrian civilians from leaving, reportedly using them as human shields. Air wars, air strike monitors, have claimed that up to 1,400 Syrians have been killed in air strikes since the attacks against ISIS. Chris Wood, director of Air Wars condemned the strikes stating, “Even with the widespread use of relatively precise weapons by the West, air strikes are the most lethal weapon against civilians. It would be unprecedented in the history of warfare for it not to have killed civilians.”

HEALTH

AUGUST 2016

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THE ASIAN TODAY

HEALTH

Ghost Patients patients within 10 working days to check their current address and registration details. If the patient does not reply they will possibly be struck off within 6 months if the GP still cannot contact them.

GPs are concerned that children and men aged between 20 and 45, who are less likely to respond to repeated contact attempts, will lose out on doctor care due to the new scheme.

Dr Robert Morley, chair of

NHS England should abandon this exercise the contracts and regulations subcommittee of the British Medical Association’s GPs committee, said, “Patients have a right to be registered unless they move or register elsewhere, even if they don’t need to or choose not to access services.

NHS England should abandon this exercise, which will have

the inevitable consequences of disruption for patients and a reduction of core funding disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable practices.”

A spokeswoman for NHS England however defended their scheme stating, “The National Audit Office and House of Commons public accounts committee have all drawn attention to the need to ensure accurate patient lists, and for proper stewardship of public funds.”

Royal College of GPs took a more balanced view backing the new scheme but called for strict measures to ensure patients were not wrongly delisted.

RCGP’s chair, Dr Maureen Baker said, “It makes sense that lists are kept as accurate and up to date as possible – but methods for doing this must be properly risk-assessed, so that practices can be assured there are no patient safety implications.”

blood types and conditions, like Thalassaemia or Sickle Cell Disease, which require regular blood transfusions. People who require regular blood transfusions need blood from donors with a similar ethnic background to provide the best match and better outcomes in the long term.

As long as you are fit and healthy, weigh over 7 stone 12 lbs (50kg) and are aged between 17 and 66 (up to 70 if you have given blood before) you should be able to give blood. If you are over 70, you need to have given blood in the last two years to continue donating.

www.mitamistry.co.uk

By: Mita Mistry

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raises money for ground breaking gene discovery @mitamistry

The social media craze of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, has managed to raise vital funds for gene discovery in the progressive neurodegenerative disease. Scientists have discovered a new gene that contributes to the disease, NEK1.

ALS is also known as motor neurone disease (MND).

The Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $115m (£87.7m) and involved people pouring ice and water over their bodies, then sharing the footage on social media.

Celebrities including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston and

Taylor Swift took part in the trend. Although criticised as a stunt the challenge managed to fund six research projects.

Research by Project MinE, published in Nature Genetics, is the biggest study of inherited ALS. More than 80 researchers in 11 countries sought out ALS risk genes from families with the disease.

The discovery of gene NEK1 means scientists can now work on a gene therapy to treat it.

More than 17 million people uploaded videos of the challenge on Facebook which have been watched by 440 million people globally.

A Giving Campaign

On July 11th 2016 British Muslims across London joined others to give blood under the Islamic Unity Society’s (IUS) Imam Hussain Blood Donation Campaign (IHBDC) - the largest Muslim initiative of its kind in the UK. There is a particular need to attract younger donors (from 17 years old) and people from South Asian, Arab and black communities.

Currently, only one per cent of people who have given blood in England in the last 12 months come from black communities and only two per cent come from South Asian or mixed race communities.

People from South Asian, Arab and black communities are more likely to have rarer

How to Use Mindfulness to Help with Negative Emotions

Breakthrough!

Patients to be struck off from GP list after five years of no contact

The NHS plans to save money by removing ‘ghost patients’ from GP surgeries if they fail to make contact for five years.

Cases can include patients who have died, moved away or wish to use another GP practice.

NHS England have claimed that necessary funds will be saved where GPs no longer have to pay £100 per year on such patients. However GP leaders have argued against the new rule stating that it will ostracise patients through no fault of theirs and also remove vital funds for surgeries.

A contract has been drawn up with Capita explaining how patients will be removed from surgery lists, “The supplier shall contact all GP practices in the 11th month of every contract year requesting a list of all patients who are recorded as not having had contact with the GP practice in the past five years.”

Capita will then contact the

47

Life can be a rollercoaster of emotions, it’s not anyone’s fault it’s just the way life is. There are often moments that are overwhelming and difficult to endure which can feel scary. Sometimes, negative emotions surface out of the blue for no obvious reason leaving us feeling angry, anxious, stressed out, sad or even embarrassed.

When a negative emotion rears its head, its very normal to avoid facing it by distracting ourselves with activities like food or drink or something stronger.

Sadly life is such that we all face hardship but the intensity of emotional pain for each one of us can vary from small setbacks like feeling excluded, to intense grief of a significant loss.

The problem is, the more we try to avoid emotional pain the more likely we are to experience it because we are unable to develop the skills needed to cope. By not accepting suffering we give negative emotions permission to control us because no matter how hard we try to escape them, emotions have a way of reappearing possibly in the form of panic attacks, depression or by engaging in unhealthy behaviours like substance abuse, eating disorders, pathological gambling, internet addiction, excessive worry or over-exercising to name a few.

Mindfulness can be your greatest teacher to help you face suffering and accept it as part of the human experience. It gives you the opportunity to step back and understand that emotions are temporary. The more you face up to uncomfortable feelings, the less intense the emotional experience. In the long run you learn to cope with experiencing pain while it also massively enhances happier moments, a paradox we must all understand.

RAIN - 4 Steps to Manage Negative Emotions Here is a very well known mindfulness practice called RAIN (an acronym for the four steps of the process), it can be used in any situation or place. It directs your attention in a clear, systematic way that cuts through confusion and stress.

To read the full article please log onto our website:

www.theasiantoday.com Body Perfect Personal Training ensures you get the optimum workout experience and we are dedicated in helping you achieve your results.

Your individualised plan will include strategies to overcome obstacles and develop a positive mental attitude which will gear you towards achieving your health and fitness goals.

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AUGUST 2016

WWW.THEASIANTODAY.COM

FASHION & BEAUTY

FASHIO

THE ASIAN TODAY Fashion & Beauty Correspondent: Sara Khan Twitter: @sarakblog

Facebook: /sarakblog website: www.sarakblog.com

The Dream Desi Wedding

“I think big statemen t jewellery will also continue to dominat e.”

As wedding season approaches its peak many of you brides may be wondering what to do when it comes to bridal fashion. Well, not to worry I took the opportunity to get you the latest wedding and fashion tips from influential and trend-setting Wedding Planner and Blogger, Sharn of Desi Bride Dreams.

What do you think will be the wedding fashion trends for 2017?

In terms of decor I think a huge trend for 2017 will continue to be florals. Traditionally florals haven’t been used in Asian weddings but nowadays more and more stylish and discerning couples are opting

for huge statement florals for their lavish weddings.

I think we will continue to see this trend grow in 2017 but we will see a change in colour palettes, floral varieties as well as designs and arrangements.

Where do you think Asian wedding fashion designers are drawing inspiration?

I firmly believe that inspiration is everywhere; you just have to look for it. The same applies to Asian wedding designs; I know Sabyasachi is heavily influenced by organic inspiration, which again is everywhere. I have noticed that more

Asian wedding designers are experimenting with cuts, textures and colours as well as embroidery - and they can as Asian brides are becoming more creative and wanting a outfit that is outside of the box.

What do you think will be the jewellery trends for 2017?

Many brides will be opting for more pastel colours for their wedding attire and with this we have seen the rise of colour palettes such as pastel pinks and blues. This of course comes after Pantone announced their colour

of the year this year which is rose quartz and serenity therefore I think in terms of jewellery we will see a trend that really incorporates these colour trends. I think big statement jewellery will also continue to dominate.

What advice and tips would you give Asian brides who are planning their big day?

Be organised and always hire Asian wedding professionals, do your research and ask for testimonials or references where you can. In terms of makeup always ensure you go for multiple trials to ensure you get the best makeup artist for yourself for your big day. Try and do all the planning well in

advance so you aren’t feeling stressed during the end of the process. If you budget allows then consider hiring a Asian wedding planner or a very least a coordinator. An Asian wedding coordinator will ensure your wedding day runs smoothly and above all is stress free.

What services do you offer Asian brides and are you currently seeing any trends?

If you want more wedding tips or advice you can visit Sharn’s website -

www.desibridedreamsplanning.co.uk

I offer Asian wedding planning and Asian wedding coordination. My wedding planning package is for those Asian brides that need help throughout the planning process and this is where I would get involved in all aspects of the wedding planning process. My coordination package is for those brides who have undertaken all the planning themselves and want someone to manage their big day for them to ensure

everything runs smoothly. Therefore I create an itinerary, take over the wedding a few weeks before the big day as well as assist on the day alongside my staff to ensure everything runs smoothly. I have definitely seen a rise in both packages as Asian brides feel they can’t do it all themselves and with over 300 hours of planning time required Asian brides are definitely turning to wedding planners more and more.

FASHION & BEAUTY

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ON & BEAUTY

Taking Control of Your Summer Skincare: 6 Tips

S

easonal changes mean a change in skincare requirements.

Excessive heat, dry spells and wanted or unwanted tanning all

Having fun in the sun is the quickest way to dehydrate your cells and whilst you may not feel immediately exhausted, the signs will begin to show on your body. Dry lips is the

first indication of dehydration.

Ensure to use a strong moisturising lip balm and reapply every 2-3 hours.

Eyes Excess sun doesn’t just cause tanning, it also causes long-term and irreversible damage in the form of premature aging, wrinkles and sunspots. This can happen regardless of age so it’s important to protect your face from the sun. One of the first places

Food and Drink It’s important to stay hydrated during the summer, not just for your body but for your skin too! Water is a must, but did you know Green Tea has potent anti-oxidant effects which can help

to be affected is the under eye area where skin is the thinnest. Protect your eyes with a generously moisturising eye cream, applied before facial moisturiser.

Wearing sunglasses, the bigger the better, when out and about is the best form of protection for the eyes.

clear breakouts and brighten the complexion?

You can even mash green tea leaves and apply it to your face as a scrub. It can get a bit oily, so only use a pinch of leaves and mix with lukewarm water.

Salicylic Acid For those with oily skin, the summer can often make pores create more sebum which lead to yet oilier skin. This can lead to breakouts and dull the complexion. A good way to

combat this is to use a cleanser using Salicylic acid (or glycolic acid). These will help to shed dead skin cells and lift away dirt and sebum.

As salicylic acid increases

sensitivity to the sun, these cleansers should only be used at night-time. They are also too harsh for those with dry/ combination/sensitive skin.

Vitamin C Vitamin C is one of the holy grails of skincare and has long been used in Asian beauty as an acne buster, face whitener, skin softener and skin firmer. It protects against sun damage, promotes

collagen production and reduces discolouration of the skin. Due to its reactivity with sunlight, Vitamin C products should only be applied at nighttime.

If it’s your first time

using Vitamin C, opt for a product containing only 10% Vitamin C. It’s a powerful product after all!

Some products work on a timer, so check the label and be sure to use it up in that time.

SUNSCREEN Without a doubt, sunscreen is a must. Regardless of whether it’s a sizzler or just a tad sunny, sunscreen is integral to protecting you from sun damage. At minimum, pick an SPF of 30. Ensure your sunscreen protects from both UVA

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D H A L I W A L

Dal Dhaliwal is UK’s first Indian Female Health and Fitness Coach to launch a private fitness gym. She is also a Health and Fitness TV Presenter. Dal has been working in the wellness Industry since 1998.

She will teach you strategies to overcome obstacles and develop a positive mental attitude, and will share with you methods on how you too can follow a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise, correct nutrition and wellbeing.

Tips to Tone and Sculpt Your Body and keep Motivated! (Part 2)

do a number on our skin. To help you battle the rays, here are 6 Tips you can incorporate in order to stay fresh faced for the summer.

Lips

DAL AUGUST 2016

(which breaks down collagen and causes aging) and UVB (which causes skin reddening and burning).

Sunscreen should be applied thoroughly multiple times a day. Allow 20 minutes for it to absorb before stepping out and reapply every 3-4

hours. The most important places to protect are the face, neck, chest and arms, though everything that sees sun should be protected.

Sunscreen is used after moisturiser but before make up and should be replaced once a year.

MORE NEWS ONLINE AT

WWW.THEASIANTODAY.COM

In the last issue of The Asian Today I shared Part 1 of my top 10 tips to keep you inspired to workout and to achieve that toned, firm, fit cellulite free looking body!

Here’s Part 2 of my top 10 Tips: Tip #6 Correct nutrition is very important when wanting to lose fat, sculpt and tone the body. It’s essential to eat natural real foods.

Many people find it difficult due to Carb cravings. You can banish those carb cravings by staying away from processed foods such as; cakes, biscuits, breads, white rice, potatoes. These foods convert quickly to sugar in the blood – leaving you craving more!

Try to avoid sugar and fat.

These are lethal combination together and make us want to eat more and increase cravings.

Eat protein with each meal Protein will keep you satisfied for longer and will also lower insulin response which controls our blood sugar levels.

Eating breakfast can also help towards reducing cravings or feeling hungry by keeping blood sugar levels balanced. Eat lots of vegetables – Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, cabbage, kale, garlic, leafy greens, parsley, peppers, water crest and spinach etc. Include Coconut oil in your meals. This is good for energy.

Coconut oil helps to lower insulin spikes and is very versatile oil.

Cinnamon can also help with sugar cravings.

Tip #7 Exercise – With the aging process women’s metabolism can slow down due to the natural loss of muscle mass. Try interval training short bursts of high intervals. Include resistance training in your workout routine.

Weight training / strength training will improve your muscular tone as well as increase your metabolism, so you’ll burn calories faster over time.

Many women fear they will bulk up or become masculine in appearance. This is a misconception! Training with weights will help to increase your metabolism, which is crucial to burn fat – even when you are not doing anything.

Weight training will help you to achieve that lean, tighter, sculpted body. It helps to combat those lose wobbly parts and areas of your body and can also help to

prevent and improve cellulite.

Tip #8 Plan and prepare – Plan and prepare your training sessions for the day / week or even for the month. Remember to keep consistent with your training and nutrition. Opt for shorter sessions rather than long boring cardio sessions. Workouts that combine targeted strength moves and cardio intervals will get you quicker results. Try timesaver exercises such as - Plyometric Strength moves - explosive movements such as jump squats and burpees, workouts using your own body weight etc. These types of workouts will help you to burn lots of calories if done regularly – and are a great timesaver because they are cardio, strength and sculpting all in one. Also try Yoga and Pilates to improve posture and strengthen the core.

Tip#9 If you want to tone and achieve a flatter stomach try doing exercises such as Interval Cardio Training. 30 minutes of interval cardio gets you further than 30 minutes of crunches on the floor.

To burn off the layer of fat that’s hiding your muscles exercises like crunches and sit ups will NOT do the trick – and it’s crucial to eat a clean diet to get those flat abs.

Tip #10 Don’t overdo it! - Don’t set yourself totally unrealistic goals e.g to exercise every day, twice a day! Every so often give your body a rest. Enjoy your ‘rest days’ by planning time with family, scheduling a movie or just curl up with a good book. Give your body and your brain a day to simply just ‘be’. It’s also important to get enough Sleep. During sleep our hormones are fat burning and muscle building. Tiredness can also lead to cravings. Reduce stress – Make time for relaxation and rest You won’t achieve your goals overnight. Be patient with yourself and set realistic time scales to reach your goals. Don’t get discouraged with slow progress or setbacks. You will see results if you keep yourself focused. Most importantly tell yourself you can do it, and you WILL do it.

YOU CAN TWEET DAL YOUR QUESTIONS TWITTER: @DALDHALIWALPT FIND HER ON FACEBOOK: /DAL DHALIWAL WWW.BODYPERFECTPT.COM

50

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AUGUST 2016

THE ASIAN TODAY PR supremo and food blogger Anita Champaneri brings her blog Ms Delicious PR and all things food to The Asian Today, bringing all the news from hot restaurants to cool bars and everything in between. www.msdeliciouspr.blogspot. com

FOOD

FOOD & TRA

Oily Fish Fights Against Bowel Cancer

New Prezzo Restaurant Opens up in Moseley Italian-themed restaurant opens second Birmingham restaurant

New Restaurants Fabulous summer dining has hit the heart of Birmingham with a hat trick of new restaurants that are ideal for summer drinks in this glorious heat wave.

Zen:

Colmore Business District was buzzing from the launch of the new Zen Metro on Cornwall Street. Property and finance professionals came out in force to support BrandAsia’s newest venture, Zen Metro.

This sophisticated Thai restaurant in the heart of Birmingham’s financial district boasts an extensive menu,

chic interior and a party atmosphere to match. With this iconic bar being the sister restaurant of award winning Asha’s, nothing other than exemplary service and great food was expected and definitely delivered.

You can enjoy Zen Metro’s elegance and charm whilst devouring a fabulous selection of traditional Thai bites and curries such as skewered grilled prawns with mango; raw papaya salad; coupes of duck salad; mini bowls of massaman curry and green chicken curry, not to mention the new Thai inspired cocktails.

Bardolino:

Chef Marco Pierre White has time warped back to his childhood days visiting his mother’s birthplace, Bardolino to bring us his new pizzeria, bellini and expresso bar. Bardolino is an ultra casual restaurant, with a great location at The Cube overlooking the canal.

The Italian represents an

affordable, friendly and casual dining experience with recognisable classic Italian dishes and the smell of freshly baked pizza is divine.

Diners can expect a variety of authentic dishes from stone-baked pizzas from the Zingara with ham, mushrooms and truffle oil to Bresaolae Mozzarella with cured beef and tomatoes. The menu also boasts homemade pasta dishes that have all been created using some of Italy’s finest ingredients. Marco’s bellini cocktail is definitely worth trying out too!

Fleet Street Kitchen:

There’s a fantastic new Fleet Street Kitchen in Mere Green, Sutton Coldfield full of the same style and buzz of its’ sister restaurant in the city. Serving freshly prepared dishes using a mix of carefully sourced ingredients to satisfy your taste buds. They have a great seafood selection: pan seared seabass, parma ham wrapped

monkfish, smoked salmon and pan roasted cod.

The FSK group have worked hard to keep the motto - ‘The best parties are always in the kitchen’, and the finest food is served ‘Farm to Table’.

Embracing its farm to table philosophy the restaurant has all the ingredients for success - a relaxed vibe and a mouthwatering menu. We visited on its first day of trading and it was alive with the buzz of summer diners, enjoying hearty meals against the clinking of wine glasses. Looks like the place to be for the well heeled of Sutton.

Get more food news on twitter @deliciouspr & on the web : www.msdeliciouspr.blogspot.com

In an investigation involving 1659 bowel cancer sufferers over the span of 10 years, scientists found those with bowel cancer who increased their intake of oily fish lessened their risk of dying from their condition.

Oily fish contains high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids which is shown to reduce the growth of tumours.

Although the study appears promising, the sample size is thought to be too small and although the risk of death from bowel cancer was lessened, death from any other cause, e.g. heart of health related, was not affected.

More studies are to be carried out.

A new Prezzo restaurant has opened in Moseley Village on Alcester Road. The casual dining chain is the second one to open in Birmingham, the first having been opened in Harbourne.

Prezzo now has more than 220 restaurants in the UK. The company is known for converting old buildings into restaurants, the new Moseley addition having been converted from a Kwik Fit tyre depot, a 4000 sq ft building.

The deal was completed by prominent real estate company Cushman and Wakefield who now have a 25 year lease on the property.

Ed Purcell, who works as part of Cushman & Wakefield’s Birmingham retail team, said

Birmingham suburbs were becoming an increasingly favourable choice for leisure chains and restaurants.

“This deal shows the continuing improvement of Birmingham’s suburbs and their growing attraction for chains who in the past may have shied away from them.”

Other chains have begun making moves into the Moseley area, including Costa coffee which recently converted a Barclays bank into a café.

Pizza Express may be opening up a new restaurant too and Davenports brewery submitted an application to turn a former HSBC building into a bar, restaurant and 10 bedroom hotel.

£1,500 Cronut Anyone?

Cristal rosé champagne caviar, gold leaf, saffron-infused butter croissant dough and even powdered Nutella are just some of the ingredients that go into the world’s most expensive cronut, a cronut being a cross between a doughnut and a croissant.

The dessert, or ‘Luxury Zebra Cro,’ was created by the Dum

Dum Donutterie in London and costs a staggering £1,500.

Paul Hurley, the founder of Dum Dum Donutterie and creator of the cro, said “after months of testing flavour combinations with some of the world’s rarest and specially sourced ingredients, I’ve created the most luxurious Cro I’ve tasted!”

Curry Charity Night!

Calcutta Brasserie Indian restaurant has collaborated with Leo’s Appeal for a fund raising curry evening. Leo’s Appeal is part of Milton Keynes University Hospital Children's Ward's charity.

On September 14th 2016 guests can enjoy live music, dancing, games and a grand buffet.

Ali Ajmol, general manager of Calcutta said, “We have worked with Leo's Appeal in the past and visited the Children's Ward, which inspired us to help and do anything we can to make the time children have at the hospital as comfortable as possible.”

The restaurant aims to raise £2,000 on the evening which will be out into the children's ward at Milton Keynes Hospital.

Tickets for the event are at £20 per person.

Milton Keynes restaurant to host charity curry event for Leo’s Appeal

TRAVEL

AVEL Ryanair to ‘Pivot Away’ from UK

Ryanair is reported to reduce its capacity in Stansted and increase capacity in Europe following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. In its first quarter statement, the budget airline said they would “pivot our growth away from UK airports and focus more on growing at our EU airports over the next two

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years.”

“This winter we will cut capacity and frequency on many London Stansted routes (although no routes will close).”

Shares in Ryanair plummeted more than 30% after Brexit due to investor concerns that the economic uncertainty would cause a drop in consumer spending.

51

West Midlands buses to introduce contactless payment N

ational Express West Midlands have announced that buses will be fitted with contactless payment technology. 1,500 buses will be able to take bank

Travel Concern for those Heading to France Delays have resulted in large tailbacks and even a 12-mile queue.

AUGUST 2016

In the wake of the Nice attacks, the French border staff have been conducting additional security checks on all vehicles crossing into France.

However the Port of Dover has been hit by serious understaffing and as such have been overwhelmed by the crush of holiday goers.

According to the Kent County Council, one coach now takes 40 minutes to process.

These delays have resulted in large tailbacks and even a 12mile queue. Motorists have been forced to sleep overnight in their cars with police, charities and council workers bringing food and water.

Although congestion has eased, police have warned those looking to summer in France may face similar delays and disruptions in the coming weeks.

cards, smart watches, smartphones, cash and Swift cards for payment.

Peter Coates, managing director of National Express West Midlands, said, “We know our customers want the choice of using contactless when they travel.

“Only a month ago, we introduced it on the Midland Metro and already 7% of passengers buying a ticket on board are using contactless.

“So, as part of our pledge to the West Midlands Bus Alliance to get more people travelling by bus, we are investing in contactless because it makes journeys quicker and easier for passengers.”

By the end of 2016 the scheme will first appear in Coventry buses before moving to Birmingham and the whole of West Midlands in the next 2 years.

The change is set to make travelling easier for passengers by saving them time from buying tickets at bus stops.

A report on the congestion effects on bus passengers said, “If London-style cashless buses with contactless payment and smart ticketing could be extended to the rest of the UK, bus journey times could be improved by up to 10% by halving dwell time at bus

stops.”

“In urban conditions, dwell time makes up between 25% and 33% of total journey time. The big five bus operators in the UK have set a target to introduce contactless bus transactions by 2022.

“They should do everything possible to accelerate this, and it is realistic for them to achieve this goal in the large conurbations within three years.”

“If London-style cashless buses with contactless payment and smart ticketing could be extended to the rest of the UK, bus journey times could be improved by up to 10% by halving dwell time at bus stops.”

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Snapchat Sued Over Explicit Content

Millions of parents in the United States today are unaware that Snapchat is curating and publishing this profoundly sexual and offensive content to their children.

S

napchat used to be a simple app where you took a picture, sent it to a friend and then it disappeared.

However, currently it serves as a messaging app, a video sharing app and a news app. It is also renowned for its face-swapping dogmasking revolution in online communications.

But the question arises and plagues the minds of many of whether it is indecent and are children being put at risk due to the content that is provided on there.

An interesting lawsuit finds itself at the

centre of these questions.

The main focus of the lawsuit is on the Discover function of Snapchat, where publishers are falling over themselves to be seen.

Content comes from Daily Mail, Vice, Buzzfeed and many others, exclusively made for Snapchat. Users are exceedingly encouraged to swipe through stories and watch videos from many of the publications.

Explicit stories such as “10 things he thinks when he can’t make you orgasm” from Cosmopolitan magazine is just one example

TECHNOLOGY

that was given in the lawsuit, among many others.

The complaint argues that Snapchat is constantly pushing content like this without any caution or thought over the age of the user.

The lawsuit, filed by John Doe, a 14-year-old from Los Angeles said: "Millions of parents in the United States today are unaware that Snapchat is curating and publishing this profoundly sexual and offensive content to their children.”

The teenager has been made anonymous by State Law however we know that he has “good grades”.

Snapchat released a brief statement.

"We are sorry if people were offended," a spokesman wrote in an email.

"Our Discover partners have editorial independence, which is something that we support."

The old publisher/platform debate is familiar territory when it comes to controversy for social networks as it provides them a highly effective defence where users post material that upsets people.

The defence basically says that what publications on Snapchat do it up to them and has nothing to do with Snapchat itself.

However, Ben Meiselas, an attorney with Geragos and Geragos, argues that this shouldn't be the case here.

"Snapchat's tentacles are all over this content," he said.

"The layout, its format, what's presented on a day-to-day basis - Snapchat is not a passive observer of this content."

He pointed out the way Snapchat described Discover when it initially launched the feature in January 2015.

"It's the result of collaboration with world-class leaders in media to build a storytelling format that puts the narrative first," the company said.

"This is not social media."

Mr Meiselas argues that it is the collaboration that makes Snapchat responsible.

"It's not about censorship." Mr Meiselas said.

"When you target minors the way Snapchat does, you have certain obligations to children and parents when you open the door to this exclusive club that's curated by Snapchat.

"It's not an attack that could be enjoyed by an adult audience. This isn't attacking content providers, it's not attacking the freedom of the press."

The lawsuit is demanded $50,000 per desecration.

A win for 14-year-old John Doe could make way for several Snapchat users to be compensated. This will come at a huge cost to Snapchat, to both its pocket and reputation, if they lose.

Snapchat has been sued for posting indecent content on the app that could be putting children at risk.

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THE ASIAN TODAY MANAGING YOUR CONTACTS Your contact list is just a list of contact list, right? Wrong, managing your contact may sound like the mundane but it is the life blood of most people’s working lives and businesses. Below are some apps to make sure your use of those contacts that you spent some so long acquiring stay updated and don’t go to waste.

Sync.ME This app tries to approach contact management in a simplistic way. It pulls information from your Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and DMV accounts to keep your contacts automatically updated with the latest profile pictures and any other contact information that may change over time. Sync.ME also includes a photo sharing function and birthday reminders.

Available for Android and iOS for free.

Drupe This contact app brings Facebook, Google hangouts, emails, messages, calls all together in one spot. It neatly displays all of your contacts in a list with easy action buttons, all you need to do is drag and drop contacts into the appropriate action button and Drupe starts to default app. You can handle all your calls, emails, messaging from here and Druple also comes with a dialer and recent interactions history functions.

Available on Android for free.

53

TECHNOLOGY Yahoo’s New Home Yahoo, like AOL before it, joins the Verizon team for $5bn (£3.8bn) after endless bidding. The sale does not include Yahoo’s prize stake in Chinese firm Alibaba.

Microsoft offered $44bn for Yahoo in 2008.

Chief executive of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, said, “Yahoo is a company that has changed the

Cloze Cloze is more than your average address book. It is a feature rich, all in on contact/ social network/ email control centre. It syncs with information from your social media and emails so that your contact list is constantly up to date. It is also a one-stop-shop for your social media allowing you to tweet, update status information, like and share links plus a lot more. Cloze also allows you to interact with different people including your account manager from DMV. Cloze also identifies who your most frequent interactions are with and will surface tweets, status messages and other information from those people.Available on Android and iOS for free.

AUGUST 2016

world, and will continue to do so through this combination with Verizon and AOL.” In an email to Yahoo staff Mayer wrote, “I love Yahoo, and I believe in all of you. It’s important to me to see Yahoo into its next chapter.”

Verizon Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam claimed that

acquiring Yahoo would put Verizon in a highly competitive spot as a top global mobile media company and help accelerate their revenue stream in digital advertising.

Verizon Communications Inc. is an American broadband telecommunications company and the largest wireless communication service in the United States.

Addappt This app is great... if a significant number of your other contacts are using it.

It tries to take the hassle out of keeping your contacts up to date by sharing changes with other Addappt users, which means if I change my number and am using the app too you won’t have to lift a finger to alter my information, and vice versa. The app also comes with group messaging support. One tap messaging which allows you to interact with staff from DMV if you have any problems, smart watch support and more. Available for Android and iOS for free.

Tan Ali

Director at DMV Communications Tan is the Managing Director for DMV Communications with extensive ICT experience spanning over 20 years. DMV is a growing independent UK supplier of cost-effective telecommunications, bespoke unified business communications solutions to SME, mid-market and corporate businesses. DMV deliver a hassle-free reliable service and will listen to all your business requirements before recommending the most appropriate solutions from DMV’s unified, extensive, flexible and fully-customisable product portfolio.

Connect Connect is all about keeping your contacts within easy reach with quick swipe controls which make it incredibly easy to send messages, calls, add or remove contacts and more. Aside from these quick navigational tools, Connect also allows users to create custom groups so you can keep personal and professional (and others) separate. Available on iOS for free.

CircleBack This is another app which utilise social integration by monitoring all of your networks for changes to not just contact number but also job titles, companies and more.

CircleBack also tries to merge duplicate entries in order to streamline your address book and syncs your contacts across multiple devices and platforms. Available on iOS for free

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THE ASIAN TODAY O2 Customer Data Sold on Dark Web

O2 customers may have had their personal details and information sold across the dark web, an area of the internet that is hidden and therefore a breeding ground for illegal activity such as hacking and the selling of illegal goods and information.

Hackers have gained access to O2 customer data via a method known as ‘credential stuffing,’ a process where already stolen login data is

BUSINESS

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BUSINESS

Rolls-Royce £2bn Write Down I

n the aftermath of the Brexit vote, Rolls-Royce is estimated to post a £2bn write-down due to the weakening sterling.

The Darby based FTSE 100 Company, known for its car manufacturing and aero-engines, was impacted due to an accounting rule which forces companies to value their hedge book on the last day of the accounting period.

This year’s fell the day after the Brexit vote and saw the sterling plunge.

Last month Rolls-Royce, which has a workforce of more than 23,000 people in the UK, said that it expected its underlying profit for the first half of the year to be close to breaking even.

The company has been caught in a downturn recently, having 5 profit warnings due to rising costs and its oil and aircraft markets suffering a fall.

Warren East, who became chief executive just a year ago, has executed what he hopes to be a transformation programme, shelving multiple layers of management in an attempt to cut £200m in annual costs.

used to repeatedly target other accounts. After accessing O2 user data, other information such as birth date, full name, address, emails and passwords can be obtained, which then go on to be sold.

An O2 statement said “we have not suffered a data breach…we have reported all the details passed to us about the seller to law enforcement and we continue to help with their investigations."

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Teen Conquers Dragons Den BUSINESS

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15-year-old is youngest person to win investors in tough reality show

• Arminder Singh Dhillon with his Boot Buddy

T

eenager Arminder Singh Dhillon won over the dragons in famed reality show Dragons Den with Boot Buddy, a device that quickly cleans muddy footwear.

Dhillon created the Boot Buddy at 11-years-old after his mother complained repeatedly about him entering the house with muddy

shoes. The teenager combined a water bottle, plastic knife and washing up brush to clean his boots after football practice one day, inadvertently creating a prototype of the Boot Buddy.

With the support of family Dhillon drew up a design, then turned into a 3D model and eventually a functional product.

The family unit then stepped into Dragons Den, a reality show where budding entrepreneurs seek investments for their ideas from five steely business people. Famous business magnates include Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden.

To Dhillon’s delight, three dragons agreed to invest in the young inventor. Touker Suleyman, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden all pledged £20,000 for a 10% share of the business.

Arminder said, “The whole experience is indescribable. I’m still amazed at having seen my idea become an actual product and to now have the support of three such inspirational business people is incredible!

“Stepping in to the Dragons’ Den was definitely daunting but I’d rehearsed my pitch thoroughly and I had my mother and brother by my side for support so I wasn’t too nervous.”

Peter Jones proudly stated, “We’re so impressed by Arminder.

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55

BP Puts Oil Spill Behind it

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the worst spill in US history, appears to be over (at least financially) for BP. The expenses and compensation for the disaster have amounted to $61.2bn, more than double the company's market capitalisation.

Bob Dudley, Group Chief Executive, said he was "very pleased to have finally drawn a line under the material

liabilities for Deepwater Horizon” but admits they “expect the external environment to remain challenging.”

BP share prices have gone up, with the head of research at Wilson King Investment Management, Richard Hunter, saying “whether this update marks a new chapter for a revitalised company remains to be seen, but the reaction of the share price has shown that this may well be the case.”

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He’s come up with a fantastic product and had the drive and determination to see it through.

He’s leading the way for the next generation of great British business people.”

Boot Buddy efficiently cleans tough muddy shoes and boots with only 300ml of water and a couple of minutes.

Dhillon went on, “A large part of the dragons’ investment will be spent on marketing to take Boot Buddy to a wider audience.

“I plan on attending various trade shows and festivals both in the UK and abroad. I hope Boot Buddy will one day become a household name saving people hours of wasted time by changing the way they clean their muddy footwear forever.”

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New Space Agency Facility Prepares for Lift-off

BUSINESS

Architectural Company Expands with Help From Local Business Lender

• Ariel view of Westcott Venture Park

The £4.12m project will be for the use of UK companies and academia and will be located in Wescott, Buckinghamshire. The European Space Agency will be overseeing the initial design phase before an autumn review that will move the project to full implementation.

The UK is already known for its world-class space propulsion systems, with Buckinghamshire having grown a renowned reputation for its rocket research and

specialist defence and space developments.

Katherine Courtney, Interim CEO of the UK Space Agency said “our investment in a National Space Propulsion Facility will add several new capabilities to the UK space sector and build upon what is already a world-class UK space propulsion sector.”

As well as advancing space technology, the new facility will aid in the commercial telecommunications and satellite market.

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Stafford based curtain wall and façade engineering company has been able to secure a number of high-profile building contracts since obtaining funding from BCRS Business Loans.

Lordswood Architectural Ltd,

established in 2012, was formed when Dee Benning decided to fulfil a lifetime ambition of running his own business, after being made redundant from a company operating in the same sector.

Whilst most mainstream financial institutions rejected Dee’s applications for funding BCRS Business Loans was quickly on hand to help. The not-forprofit lender provides loans from £10,000 to £150,000 to support the growth of viable businesses in the West Midlands.

Dee Benning, Managing Director of Lordswood Architectural, said, “I approached BCRS Business Loans for funding in order to fuel the growth of Lordswood and, more specifically, to purchase a delivery vehicle.

BCRS listened to my proposals and could see the potential in my business when others doubted me. My assigned loan officer came out to meet me and was helpful at every stage of the loan process.

Quite simply, Lordswood wouldn’t be where it is today without support from BCRS Business Loans.”

Lordswood Architectural has a vast amount of experience in delivering high quality curtain wall and façade solutions across all project sectors.

Local contracts include Worcestershire County Cricket Club, Franklin House in Bournville, Birmingham, Battery Retail Park in Selly Oak, Birmingham and Telford College of Arts and Technology, to name but a few.

The success of Lordswood has now resulted in a workforce of over 25 people, allowing for an in-house team of designers and project managers to offer a comprehensive service for all customers and contracts.

“BCRS Business Loans were very fair and flexible to work with so I had no hesitation in contacting them again for a top-up loan. We are now in a position to relocate to larger premises so that we are able to accommodate new machinery and employees, with plans to hire a further 5 staff members in the near future.”

Paul Kalinauckas, Chief Executive of BCRS, said, “BCRS is proud of its flexible approach to lending. We analyse loan applications on individual merit without basing our decision purely on computerised credit ratings. We take time to look at the business and the people running it first, because our security is the quality of the operation itself”.

Adding another accolade to its list, Lordswood Architectural won the ‘Most Promising New Start-up’ award from the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce in July, signifying a bright future for the firm.

For any businesses looking for access to finance please contact BCRS Business Loans through the fast track online application facility at www.bcrs. org.uk or call 0345 313 8410.

Greener and Cleaner New National Express Buses National Express Midlands has been awarded £3 million worth of government funding in order to buy 29 new buses with the latest green-friendly technology.

Managing Director Peter Coates said “as part of the West Midlands Bus Alliance, we have pledged to do all we can to cut emissions and improve air quality in the region. We will be investing this money in 10 hybrid and 19 fully electric buses, and installing electric charging facilities for the vehicles…

“These new buses are in addition to the 156 buses with Euro 6 engines, the highest green standard on the market that we already bought over the last two years, and the 101 Euro 6s that start arriving this summer.

“We also have 48 hybrid buses in our fleet - using them means we avoid emitting the equivalent of 30 34kg of CO2 every day.

“And we are working with Birmingham City Council on their 100 Bus hydrogen project. 22 fuel cell buses will come into service in 2018 their only emission will be water vapour. So it’s excellent news that they have received funding from this low emission bus scheme for that project.”

ABCC

AUGUST 2016

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G

Birmingham chamber's Future Faces Awards shortlist unveiled C

andidates revealed who are vying for prizes in second annual awards run by young professionals' arm of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce The shortlist has been revealed for the second ever 'Future Faces' competition to recognise up and coming business talent in the West Midlands. And sponsored by HSBC, will recognition young business people aged 35 and under across five categories at a ceremony on September 16 at Edgbaston Stadium.

As well as the main categories, the ambassador and venue of the year awards will also be announced on the night.

Russell Jeans, director of membership and business services at the chamber, said: "This year the growth of Future Faces is evident in the high calibre of applications we received which proved to be a challenging task for our judges."

The nominees were chosen by a judging panel made up of Mr Jeans, Alan Gilmour, acquisition and retention at Police Mutual, Justice Williams, managing director of Women Who, Mark Gilman, professor of SME growth at Birmingham City Business School and Nick Holzer, chief executive of whisk.com.

The shortlisted candidates are: Communications • • •

Innovation •

• The judging panel for the 2016 Future Faces competition (from left) Alan Gilmour, Justice Williams, Nick Holzer and Russell Jeans

•

Industry

Andile Siziba, MediServices Healthcare Andrew Ward, Scorchsoft Scott Hardman, Blue Vine Consultants

• •

• •

• • •

Amrit Chandan, Blue Vine Consultants Ryan Turner, Avicio Vincent Fabre, Hydroforce

Andile Siziba, MediServices Healthcare Raj Patel, Vanti Samantha Slingsby, Tinker Taylor TV Professional Services

•

Entrepreneurship

Alex Evans, NHS Community Trust Samantha Slingsby, Tinker Taylor TV Sophie Drake, Story Comms

r e a t e r Birmingham Chambers of Commerce is set to launch a new startup membership designed to help new businesses get off the ground.

The new package, aimed at companies who have been trading for less than a year, features all the benefits of a standard membership as well as access to 11 half-day workshops.

The start-up workshops will offer expert advice on areas such as market research, marketing and promotion, financial forecasting, raising finance, legal requirements and employing people, legal structures, pricing structures and trends, selling skills, networking and social media.

Russell Jeans, director of membership and business services at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “Startup businesses play a critical role in the region’s

• • • •

Beth Farminer, Deutsche Bank Hayley Porter, Deutsche Bank Joanna Maguire, Mott MacDonald Phil Hutchinson, Mills & Reeve Sarah Bennett, Deutsche Bank

From Exports to US Expansion W

You can now book your place for this event on the website: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com

SS

SS

ISSUE No.212 JULY 2016

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0121 667 8719 CALL NOW ON TO ADVERTISE

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BIZ FIX! HLY SHOW 37-42 TURN TO PAGES YOUR MONT - & MUCH MORE! • MUSIC • MOVIES

AND RANVEER SINGH DEEPIKA PADUKONE 'THE WINNERS OF IN BEST PERFORMANCE LEADING ROLE'

ALL OUR READERS

TO TEAM EID MUBARAK THE ASIAN TODAY

apart politically, r In a country tearing ourselves togethe it is vital to stitch and understanding with tolerance

was ays after Britain to leave announced Union the European incident an unpleasant a Manchester occurred on army tram, American lecturer Juan veteran and racially Jasso Jr, was youths. abused by three men to the After asking

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litz and glamour of covered the face the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) the Spanish Awards 2016 in It was nothing capital of Madrid. with Actors less than exquisite causing many and Actresses

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hearts to flutter. the show was The highlight of and Deepika Ranveer Singh the Best Padukone winning Leading Role, Performance in Although Male and Female. for ‘Piku’ and Deepika’s was for ‘Bajirao Ranveer’s was Mastani’.

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A start-up membership is priced at £240 per year (including VAT) and organisations can pay by quarterly direct debit.

To find out more or to sign up call 0800 603 6650.

Chamber to launch new membership scheme for start-up businesses To find out more or to sign up call 0800 603 6650.

A panel discussion will look at how UK exporters can hope to expand and grow in the US. Lauren Hunt, of BABC Midlands, said: “UK Trade & Investment and the Council of American States in Europe (CASE) will also be participating so there will be plenty of expert advice on offer to companies seeking practical information and help with regard to navigating the vast market opportunity that exists in the US. “There will also be opportunities for one-to-one meetings with CASE officials but appointments have to be confirmed in advance.

Anyone interested should contact SelectUSA on 0207 894 0419.”

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

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AMJAD SABRI

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bride from Birmingham, became the Anoushka Sharma of the Jagger newest member with tying the knot dynasty, after son James the rock-star rebel’s Jagger.

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ith business leaders being forced to reexamine their international trade strategies in view of Brexit and a general climate of economic uncertainty, an upcoming seminar in Birmingham will be of particular interest to those focused on the US market.

The seminar, being organised by BABC in association with SelectUSA, the US government programme to promote and facilitate business investment, is being held on 13 September at the Snowhill offices of KPMG, where John Simmons, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the US Embassy in London will give an overview of the US business environment.

51

NARGIS FAKHRI INTERVIEW

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36

Call TODAY for Fantastic Rates in The Asian Today Newspaper & www.theasiantoday.com

57

CALL: 0121 314 2892

OR E-MAIL: sales@theasiantoday.com

58

AUGUST 2016

TO ADVERTISE CALL NOW ON 0121 667 8719

THE ASIAN TODAY So what about Park Value?

According to online estate agent Housesimple.com, property prices close to local parks are 19% higher than average. That’s an average premium of a staggering £41,000!

The largest premium yet is a home in Southend-on-Sea which is 165% more expensive than homes in the same area not near a park.

CEO of HouseSimple.com, Alex Gosling, said “in large urban sprawls where many properties don’t have a garden or access to a communal garden, living near public parks or green spaces is often one of the top wishes amongst buyers, and that high demand inevitably impacts on the price they will pay.”

PROPERTY

PROPERTY

Properties near Waitrose enjoy £38,666 added to house price

A

survey has shown that having a Waitrose located near your home may be able boost the value of your house price.

Waitrose has long been popular for its upmarket goods and services and is popular among the middle class.

According to Lloyds Bank, having a supermarket near your home can raise your property price by an average of £22,000. Given Waitrose’ prestigious reputation,

the ‘Waitrose Effect’ can up your home by almost £40,000.

Even living by more modest supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl can boost prices by £1333 and £3926 respectively.

The Lloyds Bank study compared average house prices in postal districts containing a supermarket around England and Wales against typical property values in the surrounding towns.

The Waitrose Effect has dipped

somewhat however, as last year homes near the esteemed supplier increased by 12% as opposed to this year’s 10%.

Properties near Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer offer a rise of £27,000, while those near Tesco are worth £22,000 more, those near Asda worth £5,000 more.

Lloyds Bank mortgage director, Mike Songer, said “our findings back-up the so-called 'Waitrose effect'. There is definitely a

correlation between the price of your home and whether it's close to a major supermarket or not.

"Our figures show that the amount added to the value of your home can be even greater if located next to a brand which is perceived as upmarket.

"Of course, there are many other drivers of house prices beyond having a supermarket on your doorstep, but our research suggests that it is a strong factor."

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0-60MPH IN 3 SECONDS & A TOP SPEED OF 267.7 MPH

Bugatti Chiron

The latest Bugatti instalment is set to be the fastest and most powerful car in the world The Veyron has long been the benchmark for supercars, with the Super Sport version of the Veyron boasting a top speed of 267.7 mph. The car has won numerous accolades including having been named Car of the Decade by Top Gear.

However a successor is set to take its place. The Bugatti Chiron was first revealed in March at the Geneva Motor Show where its blue hues and sleek style wowed the crowds. Like the Veyron, the Chiron has a carbon fibre body, an independent suspension and AWD system, an 8.0-liter W-16 engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Engineering Chief Willi Netuschil purports 95% of the Chiron in new. Despite weighing almost the same,

it is wider than the Veyron, longer and slightly lower when excluding the fin on the roof.

The Veyron can achieve 0-60 mph in 3 seconds and 0-180 mph in 14 seconds and although Bugatti engineers aren’t releasing the specific stats just yet, they have revealed the Chiron can surpass that, going from 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds and, after inserting a second speed key, reaching a height of 261 mph.

Having been developed from the Veyron Super Sport engine, the Chiron features a 25% increase in power and a 5% increase in torque.

If the Chiron proves itself against the Veyron, it will mark a huge success for Volkswagon, Bugatti and Ferdinand Piëch, Bugatti’s

engineer and business executive.

However this is all according to computer simulations. In real life tests, no one has been able to top a speed of 250 mph.

Bugatti head Wolfgang Dürheimer said, “we are approaching the 250 mph barrier very carefully because that speed is a big stress for all components on the car...you need to be very advanced in the car’s development so the test drivers can do a professional job without risking their lives.”

However Dürheimer maintains the Chiron will be able to exceed the 268 mph needed to beat out the Veyron. Tests will wrap up the summer before the first batch of Chirons are delivered this August.

WHAT’S BRAKE GOT TO DO WITH IT - PART 2

In our last issue we had a comprehensive survey of the brake system, its composite parts and their functions. In this, Part 2, we will look at the importance and process of servicing the brakes.

The action of depressing the brake pedal activates the release of brake fluid that in turn gives rise to the brake pads (or shoes) rubbing against the brake discs (or drums) to slow down or bring the wheels to a stop. As said before, the properties of the brake fluid is central to this whole thing. It has to be kept at a high pressure. Any thing that compromises the copper pipes or rubber hose could lead to lower pressure as well as change the make up of the brake fluid. The fluid has a strong affinity for water. Water in the atmosphere will make its way into the fluid, given the slightest chance.

Proper servicing of the brake system requires that the brake fluid be topped up as needed. As the brake

pads wear, the brake fluid levels will fall. The entire system must be flushed every two years. The hoses and pipes must be checked for leaks and damages.

The mechanical bits of the braking system include the caliper, brake pads (or brake shoes) and brake discs (drums). In most cars, the level of wear on the break discs and pads can be easily checked. However, these are increasingly computerised. In many high-end cars, computers are needed to release and change pads Calipers are normally changed when needed.

Regular brake checks must include removal of dust and dirt from the caliper as well as checks of the rubber cover of the caliper pistons.

So, servicing and caring for your brake system is absolutely essential.

Remember, you want to be able to use your brakes to stop your car, not for another car or the kerb to have to stop you.

Presented by Ken Ivey Ltd T/A Regency Auto Centre, 260 Hospital Street, B19 2YF. Tel: 0121359 3299

Toyota Cars in Major Recall

8.0-liter W-16 engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission

Toyota vehicles including the Prius hybrid, Lexus CT200h and Prius plug-in, have small cracks in air bags in the driver and passenger sections. This could cause the bags to expand and partially inflate.

No injuries or accidents have been yet reported of the recalls from 1.42 million vehicles internationally.

Reportedly 141,000 vehicles contain the defect, nearly a

quarter of which are British.

743,000 vehicles in Japan, 9,000 vehicles in China, 495,000 in North America and 46,000 vehicles in other countries are being recalled.

The vehicles in question were manufactured in two factories in Japan between October 2008 and April 2012. Toyota will soon release a statement to customers who could be affected.

60

AUGUST 2016

TO ADVERTISE CALL NOW ON 0121 667 8719

SPORTS

RECRUITMENT EVENT SUCCESS! The events, which took place on Thursday 23 June and Friday 8 July were met with a high turnout at St. Andrew’s. Interested candidates were able to turn up and speak to the Club’s senior staff about their matchday and casual worker opportunities. Strong attendees were then offered an interview ahead of the 2016/17 season, whilst a selection were offered a position that afternoon. “Our recruitment events show we’re trying to break down the exclusivity that perhaps some might associate with the Club,” HR Assistant Adele Barron said. “We had an excellent turnout and we’re delighted that some attendees left with a job that is flexible to their commitments. “The 2016/17 season is going to be hugely positive for the Club and I hope our new staff are going to enjoy their roles.”

The Matchday & Casual Worker opportunities for the new season are:

A key objective of the Club in 2016 has been to forge links with local people, community groups, businesses, service providers, schools, colleges, universities and JobCentres, within Birmingham, to ultimately become an Employer of Choice for local people.

The Club are now working with many of these local businesses, community groups and service providers, and are keen to engage further with additional service providers and community groups in order to promote employment vacancies and training opportunities within the Club, to hard to reach local people. If you wish to receive direct notification of vacancies for distribution to your networks, please email jobs@bcfc.com.

· · · · · · · ·

In addition to our matchday and casual worker roles, we also provide lots of different opportunities to become involved with the Club, including work placements/internships for those currently studying, apprenticeships, and graduate/volunteering opportunities. We also offer the opportunity for our matchday staff to gain NVQ’s in a number of areas which will help support their long term development and/or future employment prospects.

Chefs (All Levels) Hospitality Service Assistants Hospitality Bar Assistants Kiosk staff Kitchen Porters Sales Assistants – Superstore & Ticket Office Stadium Hawkers Stewards

If you have any further questions or a general enquiry, please email jobs@bcfc.com

BIRMINGHAM CITY FOOTBALL CLUB CALL ALL SCHOOLS & GRASS ROOTS FOOTBALL TEAMS

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SPORTS

AUGUST 2016

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Wales of a Good Time The football team have risen to rank 11 in Fifa world rankings after their go of the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

They have jumped 15 places beating England by two ranks who are currently at 13.

Northern Ireland meanwhile dropped to 28th place while Scotland fell to 50th after failing to qualify.

Republic of Ireland are at 31st after moving

Wasim Akram E

I still have a house here, I come back to visit my friends and everyone is so friendly.

The people are so hard-working and that is what I learned from my time playing here, you have to work hard to achieve success.”

Akram represented the Pakistan national cricket team and holds the record for most wickets in List a Cricket with 881, second only to Sri Lankan off-spin bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan. He is considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Akram was the bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and is currently The Brand Ambassador alongside Ramiz Raja and Director of PSL Franchise Team Islamabad United (PSL).

Former Cricket Captain awarded honorary fellowship from University of Central Lancashire Continued from page 62 Despite the WHO labelling Zika a global public health emergency, they released a statement saying “Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes.

“People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice.”

Regardless of the WHO’s advice, sportsmen alike have been dropping out of the games like flies. So far, the list includes American tennis players John Isner and Sam Querrey and Australian tennis players Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic. Most recently, Czech tennis player Tomas Berdych also pulled out, also

citing Zika concerns.

Meanwhile, a recent investigation revealed Russian state-sponsored doping of athletes, prompting the World-Anti Doping Agency to call for a ban on Russia attending the Rio Olympic Games.

68 Russian athletes appealed against the ban, including two time Olympic gold medallist Yelena Isinbayeva and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

After emergency talks within the IOC, a decision was made to ban Russia from participating in the track and field events. The International Canoe Federation has banned 5 from Russia’s canoe team from participating as well.

A second report which the IOC is currently looking into revealed senior figures in Russia’s

MURRAY

up.

Wales’ performance at Euro this year was argued to be their best at a major international tournament, although they did rank higher at 8th place in October 2015.

The winners of 2016 Portugal and finalists France moved up two and ten places to sixth and seventh, while Spain, Brazil and Italy make up the rest of the top 10.

Fellowship Honour x-Lancashire County Cricket Captain Wasim Akram is being awarded an honorary fellowship from University of Central Lancashire for contributions to sport.

The bowler has spent 11 successful years at the club as a player and captain.

He said, “It’s a massive honour and a privilege for me to receive this Honorary Fellowship,” “I never thought I would be wearing academic robes so to get this award from such a fantastic University is absolutely overwhelming. I love Lancashire, I enjoyed playing for Lancashire,

ANDY

Wales have climbed the Fifa world rankings beating England

61

Crowned Wimbledon Champion 2016

The star tennis player has claimed his second title beating Milos Raonic 29 year old Murray beat Raonic scoring 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) and has repeated the success of his 2013 victory. He has become the first British man to win more than one Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1935.

Murray proudly said, “I'm proud to have my hands on the trophy again. This is the most important tournament for me every year, I've had some great moments here, but also some tough losses. The win feels extra special because of the tough losses.”

Famous faces at the match included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and previous champions Stefan Edberg, Bjorn Bork and Boris Becker.

25-year-old Canadian Raonic was debuting his Grand Slam Final and went into the match with 137 aces under his belt, but he only reached his 138th five games in. Murray however dominated the game, the ultimate backhander set Murray onto a 6-1 lead where he scored a forehand which Raonic was forced to return into the net.

Raonic even praised Murray’s ability to return hits, “He moves incredibly well, he returns well - those are his two biggest strengths, and he's been playing well. Every time you play him, you know he's going to get more returns back than anyone else, along with Novak.”

The champion played his 11th Grand Slam Final and was a favourite to win, his previous opponents have included Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in previous finals.

sport ministry may have been involved in the doping scheme, even suggesting the Russian Secret Service had been swapping positive urine samples for clean samples.

Despite the obstacles, the Olympics is still plugging ahead. The Olympic Flame visited the town of Santos recently where it was passed to retired Brazilian footballer Pelé.

British Olympic favourites include Mo Farah, who recently won his 5000m race at the Anniversary Games said ““it’s going to be a lot harder than London 2012…it’s going to be a real battle.”

After the Olympics are over and the gold medals are awarded out, the Paralympics are set to take place in September with the city of PyeongChang, South Korea, hosting the Winter Olympics come 2018.

Despite the obstacles, the Olympics is still plugging ahead.

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T

he Olympics are set to kick off August 5th.

Spanning almost three weeks, the legendary games are to feature all the biggest names in sport, including Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Michael Phelps.

At a press conference, Bolt, a six time Olympic champion and world record breaker, vowed to win the 100m and 200m events, hoping to beat out rival favourite US sprinter Justin Gatlin.

Athletes have begun arriving at the Olympic Village, with more to come in the following days before the official opening ceremony. The International Olympic Committee

has predicted over 500,000 tourists.

If all goes well despite the setbacks, Rio could benefit from the increased tourism and revenue and see a transformed city.

However, the games are sparking worries after an outbreak of the deadly Zika virus. The condition, which causes birth defects in babies, has since spread to 23 countries across Central and South America.

In a letter to the World Health Organisation, WHO, 150 scientists called for an end to the Olympics given the pandemic potential and concern that athletes, officials and tourists could contract the virus then take the disease back home.

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