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International Booker Prize for Hindi novel

Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik gets 2 life terms in terror funding case

Shaunak Sen’s documentary gets Golden Eye prize at Cannes

ROOTS OF RACISM

STILL INTACT?

Indian origin names shine in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022

Two years since the resurgence of BLM, an Asian doctor is allegedly paying the price for the colour of her skin, a veteran police officer of Asian origin has been devoid of a prestigious position in Met Police, and Britain may not be ready for an Asian Prime Minister after-all.

Sir Rohinton Kalifa OBE

Ameet Jogia MBE

Pranav Bhanot MBE

Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022 marks the incredible public service of individuals across the UK in celebration of Her Majesty’s unprecedented 70 years of service. Last year 15% of recipients came from an ethnic minority background.

Continued on page 06

Gujarat win IPL crown in maiden season

In happy societies, ethnicity or religious identity is not one’s destiny, yet a recent critic called out Conservatives - the ‘racist party of leftish nightmare’ for Indian voters.

Interestingly, Labour MP Navendu Mishra had expressed last year in his tweet that “..Racism is alive & well within Labour. A hierarchy of racism exists inside the party & some groups are seen as fair game for attacks based on religion/race/heritage.”

“The British Empire depended on racist ideology in order to function, which in turn produced legislation aimed at keeping racial and ethnic

groups apart … From the beginning, concern about Commonwealth immigration was about skin colour,” an unnamed Home Office historian recently went on record to tell The Guardian.

This controversial statement coincides with the release of the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list 2022 which has close to 95 names of Asian origin. History has it, that many people have returned the Queen’s Honours titles as a mark of their protest against being a subject of the crown. One of them is The Good Immigrant Editor Nikesh Shukla.

Continued on page 13

Gujarat Titans, playing their maiden season of the Indian Premier League, were clinical this summer.

They finished on top of the points table after winning 10 of their 14 matches and then defeated Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1 to book a spot in the final.

In the title clash, Gujarat Titans were the much better team after Hardik Pandya led from the front. GT lost two early wickets but Hardik stitched a 63-run stand with top-scorer Shubman Gill (45 not out) to steer his side to victory in the final and wear the champions' crown. David Miller, who was one of the heroes for GT in a successful campaign, remained unbeaten on 32.

Continued on page 13

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with Keith Vaz

NHS top gynaecologist saw private patients while on sick leave

VISHAL JOSHI Fine Artist Vishal is a Fine Artist, he was born and raised in Leicester, he attended and studied at local school, Soar Valley Comprehensive Secondary School (now College) and Gateway Sixth Form College. Vishal started drawing at a very young age and after his A-levels moved to London to study “Fine Art: Painting” at the Wimbledon School of Art, University of London.

In 2017 he was the winner of the LSA Artist Prize as well as the Viewers Choice Award.

Vishal has shown his work at several Exhibitions and Art Fairs. He is a member and Board member of the Leicester Society of Artists.

Vishal is married to Meera, they have two children: Yash and Kheyali. In his spare time he likes to spend time with family and friends, likes listening to different types of music and enjoy seeing live performances when possible.

1) Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

It doesn’t matter where I am; as long as I am able to make art, I am at home.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Becoming a father is up there as it was something I didn’t know I could do because of a childhood illness. Career wise, the fact that I am an artist is everything... the results that come from it, like the commissions for amazing clients and organisations is incredible and makes me feel proud thinking about it for sure.

When people know of my work before they meet me is also a very special feeling that’s happening more and more recently.

3) What inspires you?

Our life is full of inspirational events and moments. There are often too many inspirations in this modern world with information being thrown at us from every direction; but what helps me to be inspired is when I pause, ponder, and process my feelings through meditation.

I am then able to understand things and manifest that idea into a form of visual art.

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

The biggest obstacle I would say is not one thing in particular as there are many forms of distractions that keep me away from creating art consistently.

Duties, obligations, interests etc take me away from doing what I need to do. We each have a purpose and I am grateful that I am following this career path to achieve mine.

5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

Fortunately, I have been influenced by many people in all sorts of different ways to be ambitious and as authentic as possible. However, since childhood I had an idea of who I wanted to be and that was influenced by a younger me. I am

simply doing what I have always known makes me happiest.

6) What is the best aspect about your current role?

The satisfaction I feel at the completion of a project can be positively overwhelming. When I hand that masterpiece to its new owner, and I see their joy, fills my heart. Knowing my work is being admired by the public energises me to go bigger and better.

7) And the worst?

When I get so caught up with administration (proposals, applications, project prep etc) that I end up going weeks or months without painting …its absolute hell because I sit on ideas and don’t give myself the opportunity to see them through and then they often fizzle away and something else makes its way up the list.

8) What are your long term goals?

To continue doing what I have done so far at the same trajectory and see how far I can go. We have a finite amount of time in this life and as a child I set myself the simple task of being where I am right now. All I have left to do is to raise the bar and enjoy the journey the best I can.

9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?

I would push an environmental agenda on all fronts. Stopping the manufacturing of single use plastics, pursuing the production of renewable resources, and putting an end to factory farming.

10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why.

Not a historical figure but someone I met through Facebook about 5 years ago, Vishal Joshi from Indore, India who sadly passed away last year, may he rest in peace. We not only shared the same name, we also shared similar philosophical thoughts and love for Fine Art.

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Dr Shree Datta, a top gynaecologist who publicly named the NHS for “lethal” failings has been banned from treating patients for working at private hospitals while being on sick leave.

In 2017, Dr Datta went on the BBC’s Today programme to slam the NHS’ treatment of junior doctors.

In January 2019, after having surgery, she said she was too ill to work at London’s Kings College Hospital but within a few days, while she was

receiving sick pay, she was earning thousands more at private hospitals and clinics.

In five months she held 100 appointments and car-

Young neurodiverse Londoners given pathway into employment at new workplace initiative Young neurodiverse Londoners are getting lifechanging work experience in West London. The Hub café in East Acton provides post16 students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) opportunities to gain GCSE and BTEC qualifications in catering and food technology, hospitality and customer service, food hygiene, health and safety and business studies.

Local London Assembly Member Dr Onkar Sahota got to witness the students hard at work when he visited

on May 18th. Dr Sahota praised the scheme for “breaking down barriers” and helping the teenagers “reach their potential, both at work, and in life”. figures Government announced last week show an increase of 1.3 million in the number of disabled people in work since 2017. But in the same period there has been a 1.9m rise in the number of working-age people who report that they are disabled meaning the inequality disabled people face in the jobs market has not reduced.

Around half of disabled people are in work, compared to over 80% of non-disabled people showing the true extent of the UK Disability Employment Gap (DEG). The autism employment gap is even wider, with just 22% autistic people reported in paid work, according to The National Autistic Society.

The number of employers who feel they understand how to offer students with SEND work experience is similarly lacking. The café is one of many steps aimed to reverse these statistics.

London Underground suicides down 44% in five years thanks to heroic TfL staff Suicides on the London Underground have reduced by 44% in five years, new data reveals.

The network’s Suicide Prevention Programme has helped staff to identify people suffering a mental health crisis and act accordingly.

Interventions from Transport for London (TfL) staff doubled between 2017 and 2021, totalling 2,225.

Labour’s London Assembly Health Spokesperson, Krupesh Hirani AM, who obtained the figures through a written question the Mayor

of London, hailed the “lifesaving” suicide prevention training and said the heroic efforts of transport worker deserve “our enduring praise”.

London Underground’s internationally recognised Suicide Prevention Programme training encourages station staff to intervene if they believe someone is contemplating ending their life.

The number of staff interventions on customers displaying suicidal or extremely distressed

behaviour rose from 230 in 2017 to 463 in 2021, peaking in 2019 at 563. So far, this year to 12th May, there have been 188 interventions.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that in 2020 there were 543 suicides recorded in London.

In September 2019, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign which has since provided more than 270,000 free online suicide prevention courses through Thrive LDN.

Departments working on civil service job cuts proposals In response to a demand from Boris Johnson that civil service staffing should return to 2016 levels, government departments are working to a 30 June deadline to

draw up plans to reduce their headcount by up to 40 per cent. To achieve the workforce reductions by that date, secretaries of state have been told to report back on their

Former South Yorkshire Police officer jailed for drug dealing A corrupt former police officer Nabeel Khan who sold class B drugs while working for South Yorkshire Police has been jailed for two years.

Anti-corruption officers who were investigating Khan,25, by stop and search found he had more than £400 in cannabis as well as cash and a "burner" mobile phone hidden in his car in February last year.

He was arrested and immediately suspended.

When his analysis of his

ried out three caesareans, several biopsies and a hysterectomy, Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) heard.

Typically, a 30-minute private consultation in London costs £280 and a caesarean is £6,040.

Datta, 42, who was an ex-chair of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Committee, was later fired by Kings College Hospital for gross misconduct.

phone was carried out, it revealed that he had been arranging drug deals while on duty.

Deputy Chief Constable Tim Forber said: "Nabeel Khan was a corrupt officer who abused the trust and confidence placed in him as a police officer to deal drugs

on our city’s streets and has no place in policing. I’m sorry that he ever found a place here."

After pleading guilty to two counts of supplying cannabis between March 2020 and February 2021 and one count of possession, he was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court.

After his suspension from the force, Khan was dismissed by South Yorkshire Police for misconduct.

departments' plans, Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft and second perm sec Tricia Hayes said in an update to staff yesterday.

It is being said that departments have been asked to model headcount reductions of 20 per cent, 30 per cent, and 40 per cent for consideration by ministers.

In the process of finalising the headcount reduction strategy, the letter states that the submissions will be just the first step, which is expected to continue throughout the summer ahead of final decisions in the autumn. Also, departmental returns submitted at the end of next month will be reviewed by chancellor Rishi Sunak, Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay, government efficiency minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and cabinet secretary Simon Case.

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Be the change you want to see The Queen’s Honours List has come two weeks earlier this time celebrating the incredible public service of individuals across the UK, marking Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee of service. Out of 1134 recipients, the oldest person on the list is 104 years old and the awards also recognise contributions made to youth engagements and climate and environmental changes. Many of the recipients have been awarded for their incredible contributions to the communities.

Author Salman Rushdie is among the three Companions of Honour - of which there are only 65 recipients at any time.

Other than that those making contributions to business, community service, social causes, art & culture, as well as sports have also been awarded a title.

Knighthood has been given to two Asian individuals, including one Indian-origin businessman Rohinton Minoo Kalifa OBE, who is an investor in the Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals. He is also the Chair of Network International and has received Knights Bachelor Knighthoods for services to Financial Services, Technology and Public Service.

Out of all recipients, 59.3% of people have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity; 584 women are recognised in the list, representing 51.5% of the total and 13.3% of the successful candidates come from an ethnic minority background.

9.3% of the successful candidates are disabled or have a long-term health condition; 24.3% of recipients considered themselves to come from a lower socio-economic background and 4.6% of recipients are LGBT. There are roughly 95 South Asians on the list, out of which 40 are of Indian origin making 6.8% of recipients from an Asian ethnic group. This has come down by 1.6% from the New Year’s Honours List when 8.4% of the total were of Asian origin. The list includes young candidates like Cllr Ameet Jogia and Cllr Pranav Bhanot as well as former Councillor and Assembly Member (Brent) Navin Shah, who has also been a regular columnist and supporter of Asian Voice. Veenu

Bhattesa, Kirit Modi, Avnish Goyal, Varsha Mistry, and Bharat Patel are some other prominent names from the community.

However, there has been one particular issue with this very list. The Queen’s Honours List is published on the second anniversary of the Black Lives Matter movement, which questions the ethics and the very use of the term “Empire” after it was labelled as “racist”.

The British Empire once ruled half of the world from North America to India to the Far East. As the UK celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years since she ascended the throne, after her father, King George VI diedshe has become the longest-serving Head of State in British history.

Though the Queen has come a long way as a liberal Monarch, evolving as a modern State Head, including opening up her family’s doors to non-royals and people from ethnic minority communities, historically much of the British Empire had ended under her. Many states became independent and joined the commonwealth umbrella. Some still consider the Queen as their monarch, but the recent controversial visit of Prince William and his wife to the Caribbean shows how those countries would want to detach themselves from her as their Head of State- questioning the very relevance of the term ‘Commonwealth’.

As the Honours List gets published with celebrations going ahead for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, people cannot deny it symbolises a terrible history of pain, humiliation, slavery and partitions, that are still remembered across the world.

Of course, the Queen has served her people well in her own way, despite many challenges. She has always been farsighted and wise beyond her age and is known as a bold trendsetter. With all the controversies that preceded her Crown, it is time for her to influence a major shakeup before she goes.

For setting right all that was wrong in the empire's history, apologies are never going to be enough. Perhaps the new set of monarchs will own up and make the changes that today’s world deserves to see.

Time to engage better with the community?

The Partygate scandal has seen a strange unity among the Tories. More than 26 MPs have apparently signed a no-confidence letter against the Prime Minister and Carrie Johnson’s lockdown party related texts are meant to be published soon. As the Met have closed all inquiries, it is rather interesting to watch what the outcome of Sue Gray’s report be.

Party is a symbolic word here. Mr Johnson’s many level failures have been highlighted through the recent events including one involving his MPs not interacting with India’s Opposition party representatives, visiting a three-day event, and celebrating India’s 75th anniversary of independence.

The same event had hosted India’s Opposition party's MP Rahul Gandhi, was allegedly shunned by Tory MPs and has come under deep scrutiny in an article by The Guardian.

The article has pointed out how the Tory MPs have not engaged with the Indian National Congress representative or anyone else visiting who is non-BJP, especially when Labour party MPs were seen participating in the exchange.

Prime Minister Johnson has of course shone through many criticisms and carried on with his work, including a trip to India to meet his Indian counterpart PM, Narendra Modi. He is aware of the support Mr Modi and his party garner among the Indian diaspora in the UK. But ignoring an entire gamut of politicians from a multi-party nation is perhaps not politically advisable.

Here are the main problems Mr Johnson seems to over-

look. People of Britain are aware of the privileges and discretions MPs and Ministers seem to enjoy. What they cannot however forgive or forget is the life lost in solitude, when the rest of the country struggled with the consequences of the same Prime Minister’s delayed decisions, which led to severe hardships.

A recent front page of a prestigious newspaper had a collage with many faces who lost their loved ones without meeting them during lockdowns– a collage of Boris Johnson’s pensive side face. It is the collective pain- many of those were from the same Indian community, that played a vital role in the Tory party’s victory in 2019 as well in the local council election in Harrow.

While resignation is not the answer, being unremorseful about one's mistakes is also perhaps not the wisest move. Mr Johnson needs to learn to connect with the community better. Newspapers, like Asian Voice, that cater to the diaspora exclusively have not had a chance to speak to the Prime Minister since his win in 2019. In fact, an organisation representing Indian journalists in the UK did not get an exclusive briefing before he headed off to India either. While charismatic and friendly, Mr Johnson and his party, need to cash on the available opportunities and realise how and where they are slipping. Even a small 4.2% of the population can make a sea of differences in how a leader is perceived in their country of residence and that of origin. It is time for Mr Johnson to engage better and deeper, followed by his partymen in his footsteps.

A fairytale debut for Gujarat Titans in IPL Defying all pre-tournament predictions, Gujarat Titans surprised everyone by lifting the Indian Premier League title in a dream maiden season after a seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the final. Gujarat's bowling attack, led by skipper Hardik Pandya himself, limited a formidable Rajasthan Royals to 130 for nine after losing the toss. It should have been a comfortable chase but Rajasthan bowled their hearts out to make it an interesting final. Gujarat remained calm to finish the chase in 18.1 overs. It was not a team studded with star players but Hardik impressed with his leadership and got the best out of his colleagues. His performance with bat and ball also contributed immensely to the team's triumph besides the ability to bounce back from any situation through the brilliance of Miller and Rahul Tewatia. The IPL also offered some redemption for Hardik and finally he turned the corner, leading Titans with finesse, scoring brisk runs and prising out valuable wickets like he did in the final. Through the IPL's long summer, Titans always had consistent performers chipping in without fail. In the final too, players excelled, be it spinner Rashid Khan and batters Shubman Gill and David Miller while Hardik too etched a 34. There were expectations that the Royals would lift the trophy.

However, sport does not entirely ride on emotion and Royals stumbled at the last step. But there was no shame as the squad did remarkably well until the final with Buttler leading the run charts, scoring tons almost at will. Royals last won the

title during the 2008 inaugural edition and the latest comeback augurs well for Samson's men. Another debutant unit, Lucknow Super Giants, also performed well to book a last-four slot. That Titans and Giants stayed the course allayed those fears about a bloated league with 10 teams, throwing up forgettable cricket. Instead it was the big guns, former champion Mumbai Indians and defending champion Chennai Super Kings, that ate humble pie and reiterated the surprise factor in sport. India's top batters – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – had a horror run while the success of rookie speedster Umran Malik, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and veteran Dinesh Karthik revealed that hope is intrinsic to the league. In a year that will witness the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the league was a selection-primer. But a few worries remain and those are centred on the IPL's commercial heft.

In the wake of the Titans' triumph, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said Hardik would be a worthy choice to follow in his footsteps. "When you have leadership qualities, it automatically opens the door for honours at the national level to be able to captain the Indian national team in the near future," the batting great said. The national side are currently led by Rohit Sharma, but at 35 he is unlikely to be a long-term captain. A back injury kept Hardik out after the T20 World Cup last year but he proved his fitness in 15 IPL matches to earn a recall for the five-match Twenty20 series against South Africa beginning on June 9

Thought for the week You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Mae West

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel

Why Tech Entrepreneurs Go Global from the UK Introduction The UK has long been considered one of the best places in Europe to be a tech entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs can set up their base here and make use of the numerous advantages we have to offer when it comes to building a business.

The country's global reach, diversity, and tech-friendly environment all make it an ideal location for entrepreneurs looking for success in today's fast-moving international marketplace. In this article, we'll discuss why UK tech entrepreneurs often choose to go global from here, as well as how they can achieve their goal of operating around the world while maintaining a presence in this welcoming environment.

Every UK Accelerator and Incubator https://entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk/incubation-centres/ https://entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk/business-accelerators/ The UK is one of the best places in Europe to be a tech entrepreneur.

The UK has a lot going for it as a place to be a tech entrepreneur. The country has a good infrastructure for entrepreneurs, with great access to talent and money. It also has a regulatory environment that's conducive to innovation, as well as one of the best tax environments in Europe.

There are plenty of angel investors willing to take risks on small companies—and they're able to do so thanks to government incentives like SEIS and EIS investments (see below).

Find an Expert You Need https://www.great.gov.uk/investment-support-directory/ The UK is home to some of Europe's most successful tech companies. For example: Facebook—founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University LinkedIn—founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman at Stanford University eBay—founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar while he was working at Claris Corporation UK tech entrepreneurs go global because they can.

It's for these reasons that people in the UK go global: They can. The UK has a strong economy, with a highly educated workforce and well-defined legal framework for business. It also has a strong financial sector, making it easy for tech entrepreneurs to raise capital when needed.

They want to (or are told they need to). As more technology companies reach scale, investors expect them to expand internationally—and fast. In order of importance, reasons include access to new markets (such as China), higher growth rates at home versus abroad (in markets such as the US and Germany), expertise in your industry sector or niche market size within countries outside Europe or North America where English may not be spoken widely enough yet https://www.great.gov.uk/advice/ - Provide advice on the exporting https://www.great.gov.uk/markets/ - Discover new markets for your business https://www.great.gov.uk/services/ - Additional services that DIT offer to support their export journey https://www.great.gov.uk/get-finance/ - Advice/guidance on UK export credit agency Conclusion The UK has many positive reasons for being a base to start up a global business from. The British workforce is highly skilled, which makes it much easier to hire the right people. The British reputation for finance and innovation also means that startups are able to access funding more easily than in other countries, and can also be confident their company will be taken seriously by investors when looking at overseas markets. UK universities have great reputations across the world, meaning that graduates can move on easily into well-paid careers after university (or before if they so wish).

Every UK Angel and VC Group and What They Do and Contact Details https://www.openvc.app https://entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk/venture-capitalists/ Asian Voice is published by

Asian Business Publications Ltd Units 207-208, Harrow Business Centre, 429-433 Pinner Road, North Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 4HN Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Website: www.abplgroup.com

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The takeaway in Blackley serves the 'best curry you'll ever have' Michael Dias, was probably around eight years old when he first entered the hospitality business. He was the face of his parents’ restaurant in Corlim in the north of Goa, which is close to the famous Basilica of Bom Jesus, home to the remains of St. Francis Xavier.

During the tourist trail, Michael would be tasked with enticing passing tourists to come and eat. “My dad would always put me right in the front of the restaurant, to bring in the peo-

ple,” he says. “It’s where I picked everything up!”

He made the sign for his parents’ place and decades later, he and his son made the sign for the

Teacher touches girl inappropriately 29-year-old teacher Adam Hart has been found guilty of touching a girl inappropriately. His mentor was 'exasperated' by his approach towards girls, Birmingham Crown Court heard. He also received multiple warnings from staff for the same.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that he lifted a girl up by her bottom, kissed her head and said 'You're alright with this aren't you?'.

He didn't stop at this but told the vulnerable pupil that she was 'addictive' and that hugging her was 'infectious' after she had gone to him for support.

The victim was left scared by his actions and bravely confided in her parents. Initially, he denied wrongdoing but ahead of a re-trial he changed his plea to guilty to a charge of sexual activity with a girl aged

between 13 to 17: adult abuse of a position of trust.

At his sentencing hearing on Friday, May 20, the victim shared her ordeal of how she struggles to trust men and even stands near windows and doors when speaking to them in case she needs a quick escape.

Judge Mukherjee told Hart: "You took advantage of the situation she found herself in and the circumstances you found yourself in, notwithstanding your extensive training.

"You forgot about her and focused on your needs, desires and feelings. You abused your position of trust."

He ordered Hart to carry out 30 days of rehabilitation activity and an accredited sexual offending programme as well as pay £2,500 in costs.

Second person stabbed in Oldham within 24 hours after fatal assault After a second man was stabbed in Oldham within 24 hours, police began their investigation by increasing stop and search powers in the area. On Sunday, May 29, at approximately around 1:35 pm, the attack happened on Minton Street, Glodwick, where police were called.

A man has been admitted to hospital with minor wounds and police are still trying to locate the offender, but say they believe it was a targeted attack.

Police have termed both the stabbings "shocking and serious," and warned that such violence would not be tolerated.

In relation to the incident, police have since arrested a 31-year-old man for questioning.

D e t e c t i v e Superintendent Kate Atton, of Greater

Manchester Police (GMP)'s Oldham district, said: “We have seen such a shocking and serious act of violence this weekend that has involved the use of a knife on the streets of Oldham and this will not be tolerated.

“While an investigation continues at pace to understand the circumstances behind it – and the person responsible - we are also determined to doing whatever’s in our power to prevent any further such incidents taking place in our town.

“That is why heightened stop-and-search powers have been introduced in the Glodwick area and the town centre to allow officers to prevent anyone found carrying weapons to be free to walk our streets.”

Police are asking anyone with more information to come forward.

called Liv’s takeaway, Takeaway, a shortened version of his son and daughter’s names - Livren and Livrinda.

The family now runs from their ex-council house in Blackley.

His wife Cefona makes the spicy, chorizo-style sausage used in the groan-inducing Goan sausage pulao from scratch, mixing the pork with spices, marinating it for three or four days and skinning the sausages before cooking and

serving with rice.

“Even before we started the takeaway, and we would have the windows open, they’d smell it and come and say ‘What’s cooking today, Michael?’, and we would share it with them,” he says.

“But when we opened a takeaway, yes, it was a little bit of a shock for them.”

After completing high school, Michael took up his diploma in hotel management and catering.

Leicester council confirms bin collections during the Queen's Jubilee bank holiday To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, city authorities have confirmed carrying out recycling and waste collections in Leicester during next week's bank holiday.

The services will take place as usual on Thursday and Friday, June 2 and 3 as people celebrate the monarch's landmark. That means city residents should put their household waste bins and orange recycling bags outside their homes by 7 am on their normal collection day.

Throughout the bank holiday weekend, the household waste recycling centres at Gypsum Close and Freemen's Common will also be

open as normal although the trade waste service at Gypsum Close will close for the bank holiday.

Roads in which residents have decided to hold street parties will have their waste collected. However, the collection teams will collect the waste at the beginning of their morning rounds to minimise disruption, according to Leicester City Council.

In February this year, she became the first British Monarch to celebrate 70 years of service and this historic milestone will be marked with a special, four-day UK bank holiday weekend of events, from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5.

Government gives council £135,000 for new 1,500-plus home 'garden village' As part of its strategy for meeting the need for new homes, a council's proposal to build a 'garden village' has been boosted by a further central Government grant. The £135,000 will help Blaby District Council continue planning the proposed Whetstone Pastures development.

In 2019, the project in the southeast of the district was one of only 19 local authority proposals to be granted 'garden village' status. The council has already received £300,000 to develop its vision for it.

Councillor Terry Richardson, leader of the council, said: “This Government funding is something all

residents should be delighted with. We have to keep making sure that the homes we need to build are placed in sustainable communities.

"If we don’t do this our only other choice is to add on large numbers of houses to existing villages. If permission for this proposed Garden Village is given, we can work hard to plan and take control of how new communities look.

"Our track record with New Lubbesthorpe proves this is something we are excellent at doing. We are confident that Blaby District Council can and will deliver and, in turn, protect our existing towns and villages."

Huge four day Jubilee celebration planned in Birmingham city To celebrate 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’'s reign, Victoria Square in Birmingham city centre is set to host four days of festivities.

On June 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Thursday until Monday), a lot of events such as funfair rides, bands, choirs, games, competitions and more, as well as food and drink stands, will be hosted and all will be free.

On June 2, Thursday, the festivities will begin at 12pm and will run until 10 pm on Thursday night.

There will be a good mix of local artists, tribute acts and more. From 8 pm until 10 pm, the lighting of beacons will commence. The service will feature music from the coronation, such as I Was Glad and the Vaughan-Williams arrangement of

'All People That Are On Earth Do Well'.

The next day, the party will start at 12pm, with DJ and street entertainment until 3 pm. Again, live acts will perform from 4 pm until things wind to a close at 10 pm. The next day on June 4, they'll be screening the national broadcast of Platinum Party at the Palace until 10:30 pm.

The special concert will be live from Buckingham Palace and it'll feature performers including Diana Ross, Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Hans Zimmer, Elbow and George Ezra.

On Sunday, June 5, there will be a Big Jubillee lunch followed by the party that will start around 12 pm and will run until 8 pm.

in brief HECTIC WEEKEND AT MANCHESTER AIRPORT AMID REPORTS OF CRYING KIDS, HUGE QUEUES

On Sunday (May 29), the Manchester Airport saw huge half-term queues with trailing bag drop queues reported for TUI flights, as well as various delays to other flights, leaving families waiting at the gates for hours longer than planned. Many had to sleep on the floor overnight while some abandoned their suitcases and went home after waiting hours for them at baggage reclaim.

One of the disgruntled passengers told of how she and fellow travellers had to wait in their seats on the runway for up to four hours after their flights were delayed.

Videos of baggage drop queues trailing out of the doors and into the car drop off area. were shared on social media on Sunday, May 29. Passengers also shared their harrowing experience of waiting in the airport for over six hours with no updates on delayed flights.

MP LISA NANDY BLASTS TORY NEIGHBOUR FOR 'LEXIT' PLAN Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has accused Greater Manchester Tory MP James Grundy of separating the town of Leigh from the borough of Wigan. MP Lisa said the Government should be trying to tackle rising inflation rather than "trying to build walls between Wigan and Leigh" as part of the plan put forward by Leigh MP James Grundy.

Mr Grundy has sought the support of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his campaign. Leigh has always been part of the Wigan borough since the local government reorganisation in 1974, but grumblings about the town losing its identity to its larger neighbour since then have never gone away. Last November, speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Boris Johnson promised to do 'anything he can' to help his Conservative colleague's bid to 'escape' the control of Wigan following Mr Grundy’s question as to what could be done.

“There has been a long-standing feeling that Wigan Council does not care about the Leigh end of the borough,” Mr Grundy said recently.

Speaking to The Northern Agenda podcast, Ms Nandy said: "There's always been a healthy rivalry between us and I'm perfectly happy to engage in that as well. But there's been investment into things like the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh, the arts and culture renaissance that the council is trying to kickstart, with a bit of help now from the Arts Council, has been very focused on Leigh as the main driver of that."

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60-pages of shame

T

he 60-page document of Sue Gray’s report contains details of more than a dozen events that took place during the height of the pandemic between 2020 and 2021. This included a "bring-your-own-booze" garden party and the prime minister's birthday celebrations.

The report also includes pictures of Boris Johnson giving a toast on the departure of a special adviser and Chancellor Rishi Sunak attending the PM's birthday party in June 2020.

Summary On 20 May 2020, there was a gathering in the No 10 garden. The investigation was told that the event was for the purposes of boosting staff morale following a challenging period for staff. The invitation for the event was made initially to No 10 staff and was then extended to other individuals and teams in the Cabinet Office. It was an event planned in advance by officials and attended by a significant number of people. Some concerns were expressed about whether it was appropriate to hold the event.

The event Approximately 20-30 staff gathered in the canteen at around 17.00 on 10 December 2020. Staff had been invited to bring their own refreshments, including a suggestion in the invitation that those joining should bring their own bottle. At the event there was wine, some of which, along with mince pies, was provided by the Secretary of State and his Private Office. The Secretary of State thanked staff at

the event, leaving shortly afterwards to travel back to his constituency. Some people remained in the canteen for a short period.

The event lasted around 60 minutes Findings of second permanent secretary’s investigation into alleged gatherings: Report On 8 December 2021 the Prime Minister asked the Cabinet Secretary to carry out an investigation into allegations reported in the media relating to gatherings in No 10 Downing Street and the Department for Education during November and December 2020.

On 17 December 2021 the Cabinet Secretary recused himself from the investigation as a result of allegations concerning an online quiz held by his private office in the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2020 in 70 Whitehall. It was at this point that I was asked to lead this work.

The terms of reference for the investigation were published on 9 December 2021. The primary purpose of the investigation was to establish a general understanding of the nature of the gatherings including attendance; the setting; and the purpose, with reference to adherence to the guidance in place at the time.

On 31 January 2022 Gray published an update (appended to this report and including the detailed terms of reference and the timeline of regulations) which set out the methodology of the investigation; the 16 gatherings within its scope; and a number of limited, general findings. It also confirmed

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that the Metropolitan Police Service had decided to investigate events on the following dates: v 20 May 2020: a gathering in the garden of No 10 Downing Street for No 10 staff; v 18 June 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a No 10 official; v 19 June 2020: a gathering in the Cabinet room in No 10 Downing Street on the Prime Minister’s birthday; v 13 November 2020: a gathering in the No 10 Downing Street flat; v 13 November 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a special adviser; v 17 December 2020: a gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall to hold an online Christmas quiz for the Cabinet Secretary’s private office; v 17 December 2020: a gathering in Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall on the departure of a senior Cabinet Office official and a No 10 official; v 17 December 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 officials; v 18 December 2020: a gathering in No 10 Downing Street ahead of the Christmas break; v 14 January 2021; a gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of two No 10 officials; v 16 April 2021; A gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of a senior No 10 official; v 16 April 2020; gathering in No 10 Downing Street on the departure of another No 10 official.

The Metropolitan Police has

issued 126 fines for rule breaches in No 10 and Whitehall, with the PM receiving a single fixed-penalty notice for his birthday party. In her report, senior civil servant Sue Gray stated that a number of these events were a clear breach of Covid restrictions in place at the time and said the senior leadership "must bear responsibility for this cul-

ture".

The report not only throws light on the toxic culture and bad behaviour towards subordinates at No 10 and some parties went on into the early hours of the morning. The report suggests that officials would rename events to make them seem less like parties.

UK’s leading mid-market private equity investors acquire KTC (Edibles) Limited (‘KTC’) KTC is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of edible oil, supplying over 250 million litres a year to manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers across the UK and globally. Established in 1972, the founding family have grown the business to over £400 million turnover, four production sites and 450 employees.

Paresh Mehta CEO of KTC Edibles Limited said, “This is fantastic news for KTC. While it is business as usual, we are excited by the opportunities new ownership will bring and we look forward to continuing our rapid growth and development. We would also like to thank the Khera family for building such a strong business and supporting the company and its employees over the last 50 years.

“Endless’ acquisition of KTC will provide additional investment for the company’s ambitious growth plans through further development of its operations, range and service offerings. Aidan Robson, Managing Partner of Endless, together with his team will be supporting myself and the wider KTC team to build upon the excellent platform laid down by the founding family.

“The investment in KTC adds another exceptional British food business to Endless’ existing portfolio, which includes Hovis, Bright Blue Foods and Yorkshire Premier Meat. All of us at KTC want to personally say a big thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnerships.”

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QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST 2022

Indian origin names shine in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours List 2022 Continued from page 1 This year, it has dropped down to 13%. 6.8% of recipients are from an Asian ethnic group, which is the same as last year.

In tribute to The Queen, recipients have been awarded for their outstanding contributions across all sectors, but in particular for sustained public service, the environment and sustainability, and youth engagement.

The Jubilee Honours List has 1,134 people who have received an award, out of which 1,002 candidates have been selected at BEM (304), MBE (452) and OBE (246)level. There are about 95 Asian names in this year’s list, out of which approximately 40 are of Indian origin.

Order of the Companions of Honour Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour Sir Ahmed Salman RUSHDIE Author. For services to Literature (London, Greater London) Knights Bachelor Knighthoods Rohinton Minoo KALIFA OBE Chair, Network International. For services to Financial Services, to Technology and to Public Service (London, Greater London) Professor Aziz SHEIKH OBE FRSE Chair, Primary Care Research and Development, University of Edinburgh. For services to Covid19 Research and Policy (Lasswade, City of Edinburgh) Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Avnish Mitter GOYAL Chair, Care England. For services to Social Care and to Philanthropy (Billericay, Essex) Navin Fakirchand SHAH Lately London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow. For Political and Public Service (London, Greater London) Ramesh Kanji VALA OBE Consultant, Ince Group plc. For services to the community and to the Covid-19 Response (London, Greater London) Officers of the Order of the British Empire Shahina AHMAD Principal, Eden Girls’ School, London Borough of Waltham Forest. For services to Education (London, Greater London) Osman AHMED Senior Officer, National Crime Agency. For services to Law Enforcement (London, Greater London) Professor Babak AKHGAR Director, Centre for Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research, Sheffield Hallam University. For services to Security Research (Sheffield, South Yorkshire) Moeen ALI For services to Cricket (Birmingham, West Midlands) Dr Raghib ALI Consultant in Acute Medicine, Oxford University

This List also awards three Companions of Honour - of which there are only 65 recipients at any time - to author Sir Salman Rushdie, for his services to literature.

Rohinton Minoo Kalifa OBE Chair, Network International has Knights Bachelor received Knighthoods for services to Financial Services, to Technology and to Public Service (London, Greater London). He is reported to be an investor in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise, Rajasthan Royals. Professor Aziz Sheikh OBE FRSE Chair, Primary Care Research and Development, University of Edinburgh has been awarded in the same category for services to

Covid-19 Research and Policy (Lasswade, City of Edinburgh).

584 women are recognised in the List, representing 51.5% of the total (44.8% of recipients at CBE level and above are women). Some key Asian origin names include Varsha Kumari Mistry Forensic Practitioner, Metropolitan Police Service (Medallists of the Order of the British Empire), MBEs have been awarded to Sanjeevini Dutta Director, Kadam Dance and Chila Kumari Burman for her uplifting installations during the pandemic.

Ameet Jogia Councillor, London Borough of Harrow and Co-chair, Conservative Friends of Pranav Bhanot India and Councillor, Chigwell Parish Council. For services to the

Community in Chigwell, Essex have been awarded MBE in the Queen’s Honours List.

Under Commander of the Order of the British Empire, many renowned community members like Avnish Mitter Goyal Chair, Navin Care England and Fakirchand Shah, Lately London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow, have won for services to Social Care and to Philanthropy (Billericay, Essex) and Political and Public Service (London, Greater London) respectively.

There is also an OBE for Dr Raghib Ali, who took leave from his university work and volunteered to return, unpaid, to frontline NHS duties – both at his local hospital and the newly formed Nightingales.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This historic Platinum Jubilee is not only a celebration of the monarch but of the qualities she possesses. The honours she confers this week reflect many of those qualities that have been invaluable from all different walks of life and to communities across the UK. I pay tribute to all of this year’s winners. Their stories of courage and compassion are an inspiration to us all.”

The Cabinet Office is hosting a week of free virtual events as part of its first-ever Honours Festival.

Events, which will be held from 14th to 17th June, will feature a series of expert panels, talks and workshops from a range of highprofile, inspirational speakers.

Hospitals NHS Trust and Senior Clinical Research Associate, Epidemiology, University of Cambridge. For services to the NHS and to the Covid-19 response (High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire) Kishorkant BHATTESSA (Vinu Bhattessa), Managing Director, Mandeville Hotel Group and Trustee, Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Temple. For charitable and voluntary services, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Dr Shamil CHANDARIA For services to Science and Technology, to Finance and to Philanthropy (Stanmore, Greater London) Afia CHOUDHURY Foster Carer, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. For services to Children (London, Greater London) Jasbir Singh DHESI Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Cheshire College South and West. For services to Education (Wrexham, Clwyd) Abdul HAI Lately Cabinet Member for Young People, Equalities and Cohesion, London Borough of Camden. For services to Young People and to the community in Camden and London (London, Greater London) Hifsa HAROON-IQBAL MBE DL Regional Prevent Co-ordinator, Department for Education. For services to Social Cohesion (Staffordshire) Dr Azeem IBRAHIM Director, New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. For services to the Union, to Diversity and to Foreign Policy (Glasgow, City of Glasgow) Haroon KARIM Chair, Balham and Tooting Mosque and Trustee, World Memon Organisation. For services to Philanthropy and to the community in South London and Pakistan (London, Greater London) Kamruddin KOTHIA Chair of Trustees, Star Academies. For services to Education (Blackburn, Lancashire) Shivani LAKHANI Society Team Lead, Covid-19 Taskforce, Cabinet Office. For services to Vulnerable Communities during the Covid-19 Response Sumeet Kaur MATHARU Chief Pharmacist, Defence Primary

Healthcare, Ministry of Defence.

For services to Armed Forces Healthcare (Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands) Mohammed Abdul MUNIM For services to the British Bangladeshi Catering Industry (Dartford, Kent) Rohit NAIK Headteacher, Hope School, Liverpool. For services to Education (Liverpool, Merseyside) Vippen Paul SAGOO Founder, Global Asian Awards. For services to the Asian community, and to Diversity and Inclusion (London, Greater London) Tariq Navid SHAH Philanthropist.

For services to Charity (Doncaster, South Yorkshire) Professor Parveen YAQOOB Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Reading. For services to Higher Education (Reading, Berkshire) Dr Asim YUSUF Consultant Psychiatrist and Islamic Scholar.

For services to the Muslim Community (Wolverhampton, West Midlands) Dr Sabir ZAZAI FRSE Chief Executive, Scottish Refugee Council. For services to Refugees (Rutherglen, Lanarkshire)

Chigwell, Essex (Chigwell, Essex) Chenine BHATHENA Creative Director, Coventry City of Culture Trust. For services to Culture and to the community in Coventry (London, Greater London) Dr Chila Kumari Singh BURMAN Artist. For services to Visual Art, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Angela CHADA Executive Director, Springboard Opportunities Limited. For services to Children and Young People in Northern Ireland (Belfast, City of Belfast) Professor Indranil CHAKRAVORTY Chair, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Institute for Health Research and Consultant Physician, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For services to the Healthcare Sector (St Albans, Hertfordshire) Ghazain CHOUDHRY For services to Wheelchair Basketball (London, Greater London) Dr Umakant Ramchandra DAVE Consultant Physician, Swansea Bay University Health Board. For service to the NHS (Swansea, West Glamorgan) Sanjeevini DUTTA Director, Kadam Dance. For services to Dance (Luton, Bedfordshire) Devika Mihiri Anoja FERNANDO Research Library Manager, Department for Work and Pensions. For services to International Librarianship (London, Greater London) Razia Tariq HADAIT Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Himaya Haven CIC. For services to the community in Birmingham (Birmingham, West Midlands) Humera HAQQANI Managing Director, Let’s Talk. For services to Business and to the community in Rochdale (Rochdale, Greater Manchester) Ameet JOGIA Councillor, London Borough of Harrow and Co-chair, Conservative Friends of India. For Political and Public Service (London, Greater London) Dr Manojkumar Narottam Liladhar JOSHI DL Volunteer. For voluntary services to the community in Bradford during Covid-19 (Bradford, West Yorkshire) Chunilal Odhavji KAKAD For services to the community in the

London Borough of Brent (London, Greater London) Najma KHALID Founder, Women's CHAI Project and Lead Organiser, Parent Power Oldham.

For services to the community in Oldham (Oldham, Greater Manchester) Zamir KHAN Community Volunteer. For services to the Blackburn Muslim Burial Society and to the community in Blackburn, Lancashire, particularly during Covid-19 (Blackburn, Lancashire) Barjinderpall LALL Head of Skills, JGA Group, London. For services to Apprenticeships and Skills Training (Greenford, Greater London) Nitin Natwarlal MADHAVJI (Nick Madhavji) Founder and Chief Executive, Joskos Solutions Ltd. For services to Education, to Business and to Charity (London, Greater London) Sandeep MAHAL Lately Director, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature. For services to Literature, the Arts and Culture in Nottingham (Walsall, West Midlands) Timothy MANN National Volunteer Police Cadets Coordinator. For services to Young People (London, Greater London) Catherine MANN Head of Libraries and Arts, Staffordshire County Council. For services to Public Libraries (Bramshall, Staffordshire) Kiritkumar Jamnadas MODI (Kirit Modi) Honorary President, National Kidney Federation and the National Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance. For services to Organ Donation particularly in Ethnic Minority Communities (London, Greater London) Professor Srimathi Rajagopalan MURALI Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For services to International Doctors working in the NHS (Wigan, Greater Manchester) Professor Daljit NAGRA Chair, Royal Society of Literature. For services to Literature (London, Greater London)

Members of the Order of the British Empire Rozina AHMED Principal Policy Officer, Mayor of London's Office.

For services to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Education, Culture and Sport (London, Greater London) Dr Rizwan Yahya AHMED Consultant Respiratory Physician, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Public Health during Covid-19 (Bolton, Greater Manchester) Tariq ALI For services to the community in Wolverhampton during Covid-19 (Wolverhampton, West Midlands) Mohammad ASAD Imam and Muslim Chaplain. For services to Charitable Fundraising and to the NHS during Covid-19 (Walsall, West Midlands) Mohammed Sadiq BADAT For voluntary and charitable services in the community of Leicester and Abroad (Leicester, Leicestershire) Pranav BHANOT Councillor, Chigwell Parish Council. For services to the Community in

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QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST 2022 Continued from page 1 Sharan PASRICHA Founder, Ennismore. For services to the Hotel Industry (London, Greater London) Kawan Deepakchandra PATEL Lately Deputy Director, Head of Social Contact, Cabinet Office and Covid-19 Directorate Lead, Home Office. For services to the Covid19 Response (London, Greater London) Bhawana Ramanbhai PATEL Human Resources Consultant, Defence Business Services, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence (London, Greater London) Bharat PATEL For services to the community in Greater London, particularly during Covid-19 (Watford, Hertfordshire) Dr Chithra RAMAKRISHNAN South Indian Classical Vocalist and Dancer, and Founder Director, British Carnatic Choir.

For services to the Promotion of South Indian Classical Music and Dance (Solihull, West Midlands) Raja Suleman RAZA Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Spice Village. For services to Business and Philanthropy, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Gurvinder Singh SANDHER Chief Executive Officer, Cohesion Plus.

For services to the Arts and to the community in Kent (Longfield, Kent) Harshad Purshottam SAUJANI JP Community Safety Educator, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. For services to Fire Safety (Leicester, Leicestershire)

Avnish Mitter Goyal

Suman Raj SHRESTHA Professional Lead, Royal College of Nursing and Nurse Consultant in Critical Care, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Critical Care Nursing (Crowthorne, Berkshire) Sujitha TROWSDALE Senior Officer, National Crime Agency.

For services to Law Enforcement (London, Greater London) Aisha Simone Lolita THOMAS Founder, Representation Matters.

For services to Education (Bristol, City of Bristol) Anwar UDDIN Fans For Diversity Campaign Manager, The Football Supporters' Association. For services to Association Football (London, Greater London) Sanjaykumar Jayantilal VADERA Chief Executive Officer, The Fragrance Shop and Per-Scent. For services to International Trade (Altrincham, Greater Manchester) Dr Nikita Kirit VED Research Fellow and Lecturer in Medicine, University of Oxford. For services to the Covid-19 Response (London, Greater London) Ameeta VIRK Markets Leader,

4,000 passengers fined for not wearing face coverings on TfL Amid rising concerns about the Omicron variant and in order to stop the spread of coronavirus, compulsory face coverings were put in place. This rule was removed on 24 February.

The mayor of London said, between 4 February 2021 and 27 January 2022, penalty notices up to £200 were issued to 3,996 people for failure in face-covering compliance activity. If paid within 14 days, the fines are reduced to £100 and people who refused to pay the fine within the time limit allowed could be prosecuted, TfL

said.

As per the data, 7,283 people were stopped on London's transport network for not wearing a mask and almost 2,325 passengers were asked to leave the network.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, "A range of measures helped to ensure customers can travel safely and confidently on TfL's services during the pandemic, including requiring face coverings as a condition of carriage both before and after they were a legal requirement and continuing to strongly encourage them today. "

Brits going for private doctors over NHS GPs Patients are turning to private GP services after struggling to get an appointment with a family doctor and the number of such patients has increased in the past two years, polling results indicated. Amid the lowest levels of satisfaction with NHS family doctors, and growing numbers of whom are retiring or working part-time, 1.6 million have used a paid-for GP. YouGov found that since 2020, 7 per cent of people had consulted an online or in-person private GP service. While 4 per cent were previous users, 3 per cent were new cus-

tomers.

Compared to NHS work, private work can be well paid as online GP service offers between £80 and £90 per hour, with a minimum requirement of four hours per week.

NHS GPs earn roughly between £62,000 and £94,000, meaning one working a three-day week could expect to earn £37,000 to £56,000.

GP partners will earn more.

Growing numbers of family doctors are opting for part-time. Compared with 31.4 per cent in 2010, at present 58.4 per cent work three days a week or less.

Moeen Ali

Department for International Trade. For services to the Economy (Bristol, City of Bristol) Rukhsana YAQOOB Education

Navin Fakirchand Shah

Founder and Chair of Trustees, DREAMSAI. For charitable services to the community in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Salman Rushdie

Varsha Kumari Mistry

Consultant. For services to Education (London, Greater London) Nadia SAMDANI, Co-Founder and President, Samdani Art Foundation and Director, Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

For services to global Art Philanthropy and supporting the Arts in South Asia and the United Kingdom.

(Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire) Abrar KHAN For services to the community in Ilford, London Borough of Redbridge, particularly during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Fazle Abbas KINKHABWALA For services to the Indian and Pakistani communities in Birmingham and to the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham Indraprasad LIMBU Broadcast Technician, British Forces Broadcasting Service. For services to the Armed Forces (Basingstoke, Hampshire) Susan Margaret MANN For services to the community in Clapham-Cum-Newby, North Yorkshire (Clapham, North Yorkshire) Rukeya Khanom MIAH Deputy Associate Director of Nursing and Senior Midwife, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Maternity and Healthcare Education, particularly during Covid-19 (Keighley, West Yorkshire) Rebecca Louise MISTRY For services to The Windsor Baby Bank, Berkshire, during Covid-19 (Windsor, Berkshire) Varsha Kumari MISTRY Forensic Practitioner, Metropolitan Police Service. For services to Diversity and Inclusion in Policing and to the Hindu Community (London, Greater London) Joanne MOHAMMED Registered

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire Mansoor AHMAD For services to the community in the London Borough of Merton during Covid19 (London, Greater London) Mohammed Tahir ALI For services to the community in Preston, Lancashire during Covid-19 (Preston, Lancashire) Ibrar ALI Volunteer Development Manager, Bradford Moor Play and Support Service. For voluntary services to the community in Bradford (Bradford, West Yorkshire) Amjid HUSSAIN Director, Bradford Moor Play and Support Service. For voluntary services to the community in Bradford, West Yorkshire (Leeds, West Yorkshire) Md Nazrul ISLAM For services to the community in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Lakshmana Rao KASTALA

Nurse, Royal Bolton Hospital. For services to Nursing and to Disability Awareness (Blackburn, Lancashire) Md Oliur RAHMAN For services to the community in the London Borough of Islington during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Ashfaq SIDDIQUE For services to the community in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham during Covid-19 (London, Greater London) Jayesh Kumar Dayarambhai SOLANKI (Jay Kumar Solanki) For services to Dance and to the community in Greater London

Sanjeevini Dutta

(London, Greater London) Abdul WAKIL Director, Islamic Integration Community Centre.

For services to the Muslim Community in the London Borough of Hounslow (London, Greater London) Thasan YOGANATHAN Care Home Manager, Ammanford. For services to People with Dementia and to the community in Ammanford, Wales (Llanelli, Carmarthenshire) OVERSEAS AND INTERNATIONAL LIST Order Of St Michael And St George

CMG Velavan GNANENDRAN, Director, Climate, Energy and Environment, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. For services to UK Climate, Development and Environmental policy.

*This list is not exhaustive. Since it was released on the day Asian Voice went to press, we were unable to include biographies and messages from the winners. If you have been featured in this year's list and would like us to feature you in our newspaper, please share your quote/bio along with a photo at shefali.saxena@abplgroup.com before Monday 10 am BST. Rest assured we will be duly featuring them in our upcoming issue.

Accused London jewellery thief arrested A woman who was using false identities to carry out a number of jewellery thefts across London has been arrested by the police who were tracking her down for the last six months. After linking the different false identities that she was using, the South East Fugitive Team found out from a partner agency that she was staying in Romania.

On Monday, when the accused

returned from Romania using a false passport, officers arrested her.

Bexley Police tweeted: “#Arrested “1 Arrested for theft who has been wanted for over six months.

“Great work by our South East Fugitive Team in tracking her down and @MetTaskforce for making the arrest. The South East Fugitive Unit has been working for the past six months on apprehend-

ing a female wanted for numerous high-value jewellery thefts across London.

“On Monday, she returned from Romania on a false passport but because the Border Agency were aware of her false identity, she was arrested by TSG when she came off the plane.

“Great work by our South East Fugitive Team with support from Met Taskforce.”

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Gurjar Hindu Union received the Queen’s Award- MBE for voluntary service Gurjar Hindu Union has received the Queen’s Award- Member of the British Empire (MBE) for voluntary service.

The award was for the whole GHU group. A formal presentation of the

award and a certificate were done by Mrs Susan Pyper, HM LordLieutenant of West Sussex at Appletree centre, Sanatan Mandir Crawley. The honour was received by the Board of governors Bharat Lukka,

Chandubhai Nayee, Rohit Patel and Ambassador Ashwin Soni. Bipinbhai Chotai, Illesh Patel, Kiritbhai Patel, Umesh Nayee, and Jigneshbhai Gadhvi were also present on this auspicious occasion.

HBC celebrated 10 Years of Serving the Business Community Harrow Business Centre in North Harrow celebrated 10 Years of Serving the Business Community in Harrow on 27 May. Over 40 international and local companies who are members of HBC, joined in this celebration.

Black and Asian workers monitored at work more than white people Minority workers are being monitored in the workplace compared to white workers, leading to a heightened risk of discrimination at work, revealed a poll that was carried out for the Trade Union Congress by Britain Thinks, a strategy consultancy company. As per the poll results, one in three (33 per cent) of minority workers said all their activities in the workplace were monitored, compared to less than one in five (19 per cent) of white employees.

The study has also found that around one in 13 (8 per cent) of Black and Asian employees said their exact location and movements within a workplace were monitored, using

handheld or wearable devices, compared to just one in 25 (4 per cent) white workers.

Workplace surveillance comprises emails and calls, webcams on work computers, tracking of when and how much a worker is typing, calls made, and movements made by the worker using CCTV and trackable devices.

The study is believed to be the first of its kind that was used to uncover hard data about racialised groups being monitored at work.

The online survey was done by assessing the experiences of 2,209 workers in England and Wales between 14-20 December 2021.

BBC to scrap CBBC, BBC Four and cut up to 1000 jobs BBC has announced major plans that include axing channels including CBBC, BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra and moving them online only. Regional TV news programmes South Today in Oxford and Look East in Cambridge will be scrapped.

Also, as part of the plans, BBC World News and BBC News Channel will merge to create a single 24-hour TV news channel.

It says BBC will be able to save £500million savings as the corporation needs to save an additional £285million after the Culture Secretary announced the licence fee would be frozen for the next two years and

scrapped by 2027.

Director-General Tim Davie said the BBC 'must reform to stay relevant and continue to provide great value for all' and become 'digital-first'. If changes are made, the channels' content such as Blue Peter, Horrible Histories, Scandinavian hit the Killing, and Michael Portillo's Great Railway Journeys would move online and only be available on BBC iPlayer, with Radio 4 Extra moving to BBC Sounds.

The BBC also said that it would be cutting 1000 jobs from the public-funded part of the BBC over the next few years.

Migrants’ Children must not charge for British Citizenship The Home Office has charged children of migrants £1,012 to claim their citizenship since 2018, despite many being born in this country and never having lived elsewhere.

Campaigners believe that this has created a twotiered system in the UK, as almost 30,000 children have to pay to obtain their citizenship in 2020. The government says that people who have benefited from the UK’s immigration system should help to fund its costs.

From this week, the Home Office stated that children from low-income households or under the

care of a Local Authority can apply to have fees waived, however, the fees have not been waived off completely stating it would be maintained in the majority of cases.

As per the official estimate, the processing cost of an application is £416, meaning the Home Office is earning almost £600 profit per child.

Project 17, an organisation that aims and campaigns to end destitution among migrant children, is content with the introduction of a fee waiver to remove the financial barrier for poorer households but is concerned as it has not been scrapped entirely.

Bank holiday weekend could increase Covid infections by 50 per cent Platinum Jubilee celebrations might increase Covid infections by 50 per cent after alling by two-thirds in the past two months, leading scientists have warned.

According to the ZOE Covid study app, new symptomatic infections have tumbled from a record 349,011 a day on 31 March to an estimated 117,136 cases today – with cases relatively stable over the past fortnight.

However, Professor Tim Spector, who runs the ZOE app, believes that greater social mixing over the extended bank holiday weekend, alongside waning immunity, will see infec-

tions rise sharply from their current level of 1 in 37 people across the UK. He told i: “The Jubilee celebrations will definitely put rates up. A lot of people are still infectious, it’s still extremely contagious and lots of people are susceptible again.

“We’re hearing anecdotes from medical conferences where doctors are meeting up and 10 per cent of them are coming down with Covid when they get home. All these big meetings of people, if it’s more than just a few minutes, are causing an increase in infections, so I think we will see a spike after this.”

It's time to say goodbye Rohit Vadhwana e say goodbye on many occasions, either while moving from one place to another, or while changing a school or college, or leaving a city or a company or a country. It's always mixed feelings, and happy-sad moments, to bid farewell to near and dear ones. More often than not, such occasions are painful. Farewell parties are not celebrations but a way to re-live the memories created together with friends.

For me, it is such a time now. As I finish my tenure in the High Commission of India in London and pack for the next destination, I have been going through this experience. It has been a meaningful, long association with readers of Asian Voice through this space where we have interacted weekly, expressing thoughts and comments. In a way, my connection with you is in terms of exploring human values in contemporary times. We have seen together happy and turbulent times, lived through the pandemic - hopefully which is now left behind. This column has given us opportunities to discuss topics of day to day life to which we might not have given enough attention. But over the period of time, we did realise, through this experience, that life is not always a story of grandeur, not always kings fight wars, nor does the romance or action takes place every second.

These might be the subjects of epics, movies and novels, but in reality, we are more concerned about very simple subjects like - how to follow up on a missed call - or whether to call off a relationship - etc. So, why not touch upon such mundane issues in our friendly conversation through this column? Every week we tried to have an informal chat about such topics, just like two close friends do over a cup of tea or a pint of beer. And it worked. It brought us closer and made us feel like real humans.

A strong bond has developed between us as a columnist and readers and therefore I feel its time for me to say goodbye to every one of you, and bid a farewell from London. The next week's column that you will read in this space will not be written from London, but from India where I will be spending some time for training and holidays before joining the next assignment as Deputy High Commissioner in the High Commission of India in Nairobi, Kenya. So, it's going to be an only a change of geography, not of our relationship. And we will certainly not feel any difference by that, hopefully.

But as it's customary, let me say, 'We will be in touch'.

Keep reading here, let's continue to do our combined 'Introspection' every week and accept our small weaknesses and appreciate little strengths. After all they make us what we are.

W

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Pensioners and disabled people to get up to £300 from the government To help Brits with the cost of living crisis, chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled billions of extra pounds of help for hard-up households where pensioners and disabled people will get more cash off their energy bills, this winter. More than 8million pensioner households will receive a one-off £300 'pensioner cost of living payment' later this year.

However, they will have to get Winter Fuel Payment to be eligible, and the £300 will be added to this benefit when it is paid in November or December.

The £300 payment will not be taxed and won't affect eligibility for other benefits.

Around six million people on disability benefits will get an extra £150 payment on top of other government help they receive

and the payment will be made from September, Sunak said.

Meanwhile, the extra £150 will be paid to people who get the following benefits: á Disability Living Allowance á Personal Independence Payment á Attendance Allowance á Scottish Disability Benefits á Armed Forces Independence Payment á Constant Attendance Allowance á War Pension Mobility Supplement Unveiled by Sunak for people on means-tested benefits, many of this group may also get a new one-off £650 payment. The chancellor also announced £400 off energy bills per home.

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Safe & the City Launch i3 react email alerts On the 2nd of June, Safe & the City is launching i3 React Email Alerts. Powered by i3 Intelligence’s AI, these email alerts provide users with important information on upcoming and ongoing protests to help keep people safe and prepared for the Jubilee Bank Holiday.

The Queen’s Jubilee is just around the corner, but not everyone will be celebrating. i3 React Email Alerts will be the ultimate planning companion to stay aware of important protests and riots. Safe & the City’s i3 React collates open-sourced crowdsourced data, notifying users of upcoming and realtime risks of protests via daily emails during the Jubilee long weekend, and through a weekly round up moving forward. i3 React has already detected upcoming planned protests across London, Bristol and other major UK cities due to take place during the Jubilee celebrations. i3 React aims to bring safety to the occasion by providing important information to take note of any disruptions that may interfere with their plans.

Founder and CEO, Jillian Kowalchuk said: “With public events now back in force and increasing restrictions on the right to protest, we believe it is vital for people to have access to a simple way to receive important information enabling them to plan ahead for their safety. No app download is required this time; the daily alerts will drop into their inbox across the 4-day weekend, followed by a weekly digest moving forward.

“Public and personal safety is a cornerstone of our social enterprise. Our ambition for i3 React emails coincides with the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and the growing number of protests in public spaces. To achieve detecting these, we deploy our i3 Intelligence AI platform, monitoring millions of open-sourced crowdsourced information sources to propagate relevant information on protests and riots. We aim to empower subscribers with the information they need to avoid, plan around disruption, or join if they wish.”

Recently, the UK government passed legislation to try and reduce the number of protests and disruptions affecting people’s ability to move around their cities and potential crimes, property damage and violent acts that sometimes follow. While most protests are peaceful, all carry risks for different people, such as the Extinction Rebellion, that have seen some areas come to a standstill.

The initial Safe & the City app was created to help people move safely from A to B and has advanced to powering conversations with the market leaders in mobility to bridge the current safety navigation gaps.

Through partnerships with market leaders in mobility including, Uber and TIER Mobility, Safe & The City continues to challenge safety as an afterthought and champion it as the first consideration within any app.

Royal Mail accused of wrongly charging customers Royal Mail has been accused of imposing incorrect Brexit import duties on items received from abroad, including on items customers already own or that are supposed to be exempt.

One man was billed almost £200 for a pair of spectacles he had left behind on a holiday to Spain, which he had asked the hotel staff to post to him back in Britain. Experts

believe that postal firms are being overzealous with charges. This included £17 in customs duty, £170 in import VAT and a £12 admin charge.

Complaining on social media he said: “I have told them they are my glasses bought in this country, prescription and second hand.

They are not being imported. They are being reunited with their proper owner”.

Police chiefs are at war over National Crime Agency job The country’s most senior nonwhite officer Neil Basu has demanded an explanation from the government about why he was overlooked for the role of director-general at the agency after he was one of the final two candidates.

When The Sunday Times revealed Boris Johnson wanted to shoehorn in his supporter Lord Hogan-Howe, the former Scotland Yard chief who oversaw the disastrous VIP child sex abuse inquiry, Basu broke his silence to say he was “disappointed” to

miss out on the £223,000-ayear job a week.

Defending his record, Hogan-Howe took a dig at Basu and said: “I also led a more diverse police service, with one in three recruits from minority backgrounds by 2017.”

Basu, 53, said he will not be reapplying.

“I am disappointed in the way the process has concluded and will not be applying again. I will be seeking an explanation from the Home Office.”

Britain's UKHSA procures 20,000 doses of vaccine against monkeypox As cases of monkeypox rise in Europe and beyond, the UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has procured more than 20,000 doses of a smallpox vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic (BAVA.CO).

To reduce the risk of symptomatic infection and severe illness, the vaccine is being offered to identify close contacts of people diagnosed with monkeypox, UKHSA said in a Twitter post.

In Europe, the Danish company's vaccine is being used off-label for monkeypox as it is approved only against smallpox. While in the United States it has been cleared for use

against both smallpox and monkeypox.

Smallpox and monkeypox viruses are closely related. According to the World Health Organization, the first generation of smallpox vaccines was up to 85 per cent effective in preventing monkeypox.

Huge Jubilee dance party to be held at Wembley Park Wembley Park will be transformed into a festival for the day to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Led by dance institutions Rambert and Pineapple Dance Studios, dance lovers will be able to learn Caribbean steps and moves.

On Saturday (June 4) there will be live music, dance classes, circus performances, street theatre and much more.

Rambert will be delivering a free

Caribbean Niceness dance class, along with teacher Sheba Montserrat, who will be sharing the history of the moves, with children and adults welcome to join in and learn about Caribbean and Black British history as they learn the steps.

Upon arrival, attendees will be given dance passports to gain stamps as they join each class or visit other attractions by the stadium.

Gordon Ramsay invites East London brownie maker to Hell's Kitchen Mechanical engineering graduate Hash Mastan, 26, who hails from Isle of Dogs and runs Hashblondies has received an invite from Gordan Ramsay to meet people behind the scenes on Hell’s Kitchen. Ever since he was furloughed from the famous Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington in 2020, he has been running his own bakery.

Hash delivers up to 200 brownies a week, walking around 20 miles because "the calories for the tasting need to go somewhere". He says long walks

are “like meditation" which allow him to come up with new ideas.

Unlike his competitors, every week, Hash comes up with a new flavour. He added: "It's not just sprinkling a chocolate bar on top, I build flavour from the bottom upwards."

Hash called Gordan an "inspiration" after a particularly long day handing out samples dressed as Spider-Man, the foul-mouthed chef got in touch by sending a signed book and backstage pass to Hell's Kitchen.

‘I have fostered 27 children’ Afia Choudhury, a foster carer, who started her fostering career 18 years ago, until now has fostered 27 wonderful children and she feels proud that she could bring a difference to their lives.

The first child she fostered was a baby whom she looked after for 17 months who now is a teenager and lives with his adopted family.

A mother of four became an approved foster carer within a year of applying and started caring for two little girls, aged two and three. They came to her within six weeks of her being approved as a foster carer – it was challenging but she completely adored them.

So far she has mentored 20 foster carers and helps the time and again if they come across any problems while fostering.

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Mouthwatering mini-budget In view of the declining popularity of PM Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who are both on “Yellow Card” we all expected the Chancellor to appease voters by offering some relief on the energy front before voters give them “Res Card”! But what Chancellor has given, gifted to voters is nothing short of a miracle, a mouthwatering £15 billion bribe in the hope of people forgetting and forgiving “Party-Gate” and other shortfalls that have dominated headlines, both on TV and in print media.

While it is a welcome relief for the under-pressure public, it seems Chancellor will have to borrow at least £10 billion, raising £5 billion by taxing oil and gas firms that is minting money at our expense. Could this tax affect their investment plans! BP promised to invest £18 billion by 2030. Some pundits fear that these generosities may fuel inflation which is already at 9%, one of the highest in G7 nations.

We should not forget that Britain has the highest per capita debt in the world, even more than America that our children will inherit for our sins! Total debt stands at a mind-boggling £2.3 trillion that would never be repaid in full; the interest charges will affect future budgets and the prosperity of the nation!

At one time, printed money was treated as a valuable asset, protected by gold and hard currency reserves, thus limiting the scope of printing money at will, without a care in the world. Now no one cares what we have in reserve, insatiable desire, a dream difficult to shed!

One feature that will cheer up OAPS is the whooping 10% well-deserved raise for pensioners, most are struggling to make the ends meet, receiving one of the lowest pensions in the EU. It is time for our politicians to reduce the national debt, by increasing taxes on the super-rich, drastically reducing the defence budget and stopping interfering on the global front. This is one lesson we can learn from German politicians; Germany has the best economy in Europe with a huge balance of payment surplus, booming exports and the best workforce. Are we too rigid, too inflexible, or too proud to learn!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

A peep at my past Reader H. Pankhania wrote that she enjoyed the article

by Asian Voice’s esteemed and long-serving journalist Rupanjana Dutta who gave us an interesting glimpse into her life, thoughts and feelings in a recent issue.

Pankhania urged other AV team members to reveal a slice of their lives as well, so, as a former columnist for ABPL Group spanning 12 memorable years I decided to rise to the challenge, highlighting a tiny part of my past that also happens to have a topical slant.

My Mumbai boarding school, way back in the late 1940s, prepared me well for the need to eat less at mealtimes, a lesson which now comes in handy as UK food prices soar. I remember our lunch, in those sweltering, far-off days in India, consisting of a small dollop of rice doused with a little watery dhal. We, AngloIndian boarders, chewed each mouthful the recommended 32 times to make it last as long as possible.

Because our movements were restricted to school territory only, some desperately hungry boarders pretended to play gillie danda near a side gate, and when no one was looking they sneaked out and sprinted to the nearest cafe to buy laddoos, jalebis, dudh pedas, bhajjias and samosas, then dashed back with their haul, hoping nobody in authority spotted them. If caught, the unfortunate chap would be sent to the principal’s office for “breaking bounds”. There he would be ordered to bend over a chair, bare his backside and feel the excruciating sting of six savage strokes, the cane rising each time above the principal’s shoulders and ending its vicious descent with the recipient howling in agony.

I was too timid to sneak out of school myself but relied on braver boys to take the risk, honouring their condition that I would be willing to part with an eyewatering 50 per cent of whatever snacks they purchased with my precious annas. Ah yes, those annas, which sadly do not feature anymore in Indian currency.

In my Maharashtrian home town, where my father was a railway driver, I would hire a bike from a bazaar shop for two annas an hour and take part in races with my friends along dusty, bumpy roads, swerving past bullock carts and avoiding holes in the ground. Ah yes, those were the days! My favourite philosophy acquired after more than 60 years in journalism as a reporter and columnist on national, local, business, company and leisure newspapers and magazines: Rudy Otter

KAPIL’S

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Monkeypox virus Transmission of the monkeypox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract, or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).

Currently, there is no proven, safe treatment for the monkeypox virus infection.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family of Poxviridae. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus.

Monkeypox was first discovered in the year 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in the colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox’.

The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in the year 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. Since then, monkeypox has been reported in people in several countries.

The majority of infections are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The natural reservoir of monkeypox remains unknown.

However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) may harbour the virus and infect people.

Monkeypox starts with a headache and fever, the usual things that you deal with when you get a viral infection.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

Elizabeth line-a tribute to the Queen I took the opportunity to travel on the newly opened Elizabeth Line that is now a part of the public transport network in London. This travel makes you realise that this Line is an engineering marvel and a true tribute to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. The exterior and the interior of the coaches make you feel cosy so that you enjoy riding on a world-class public transport system.

This Line has reduced the journey times and integrated several new geographical locations into London areas that were till now deprived of public transport. Undoubtedly, Elizabeth Line is the best Platinum Jubilee gift to the nation and a jewel for the TfL that will survive for generations to come. No Londoner should miss a chance to experience a journey on this service. Soon it will start operating on Sundays too and will also merge Bond Street station into its network.

Bharat Shah Harrow

Partygate would have never happened There is no doubt that it was one of the worst times to be in government during the pandemic and our politicians were stressed out as were many of us. I wonder if the whole party gate situation arose because of the lack of culture where the team is not aware of natural ways of managing their stress.

Hence they used what is known as a sadly accepted form of stress relief through alcohol.

Imagine a scenario where most of these political partygoers started their day with yoga and meditation and then used various natural breathing and relaxation techniques during the day to stay calm and cantered. In addition, have regular zoom sessions with meditation and relaxation practice. If this type of behaviour and culture was modelled from the top, would party gate have occurred?

It is too easy to reach out for that bottle of wine at the end of a stressed day, but the consequences of this can be dire as is with the government. Alcohol intake compromises your decision-making abilities the next day whereas yoga and meditation enhance clarity and purpose. So, it is no wonder that some of the pandemic decisions did not serve the interests of this country. Perhaps our Rishi Sunak can bring about this change of culture.

Let's ditch the alcohol and go back to nature, to help us through a difficult day. Our Sanatan dharma has the answers for this government.

Hansa Pankhania UK

Charity using art course to encourage people to talk about their mental health To spark conversations about mental health, a mental health charity in Leicester is using art, where Jamila’s Legacy is currently running a six week ‘Art 4 Mental Health’ course, encouraging participants to use painting and crafts as a form of therapy. Rehana Sidat founded the charity in 2015 and has worked in the community for over 30 years as a mental health advocate. She started doing this work when a close family friend passed away due to poor mental health. With the help of two local artists Shazia Daud and Shazia Osman, Rehana runs Art 4 Mental Health.

Kapil Dudakia

KHICHADI

The People's Prime Minister In 2014, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat and the prime ministerial candidate for India, Shri Narendrabhai Modi, galvanised a nation of more than a billion people to rise up and be counted. What followed in the general election was unprecedented in Indian history.

Hundreds of millions of people, from every state, every stratum in society and from all background rose up and went to the polls in huge numbers to elect their new Prime Minister – Shri Narendrabhai Modi. Every news channel that had spent months undermining this lion from Gujarat were left dumbfounded. The likes of Rajdeep Sardesai were left aghast. As news from every seat came in, you could see visibly the trauma on their faces. The Lutyen class and the Khan market appeasers were drowning in their own tears of desperation. Their counterparts in the west, the labour Party (UK) and the Democrats (USA), were left devastated. The anti-India forces knew their game was over. So much so that the heart broken Rajdeep Sardesai even wrote a book titled, ‘The Election that changed India’.

Eight years on and in his second term as the prime minister of the largest democracy in the world, PM Modi continues to make seismic changes to the very infrastructure of the nation as well as politics and governance. To list a few of his major achievements thus far: • Establishing India’s International neutrality (nation first position) • Abrogation of Article 370 (One nation one constitution) • Ram Mandir (reconciliation of historical atrocities) • Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (celebrate the real freedom fighters) • Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (80 million families given free rations during the Covid epidemic) • Develop Covid vaccine, vaccination for all and become a supplier to the world • Rescue Indians from Afghanistan and Ukraine • Surgical strikes on the enemies • Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yogana (help with housing for the poor, 20 million have benefitted thus far) • Jan Dhan Yojana (450 million beneficiaries, more than Rs 1.67 lakh crore in deposits, and over 310 million RuPay cards issued. This has been an enabler in making India a world leader in digital payments) • Ayushman Bharat (healthcare cover for over 500 million people) • Ujala programme (Over 360m LED bulbs distributed cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 40 million tonnes annually) • Ujjwala Yojana (gas cylinders for women in rural India - over 90m gas connections) • Leading nation for FDI (expecting more than $200b) and expected to be a $45 Trillion economy by 2040) • Launching satellites now just a routine with western nations lining up to use the service • A major production hub for global companies The most important change is the tectonic shift in the mindset of the average Indian. They have started to believe in themselves and their nation. There is pride in the nation. There is hope and a determination to progress and succeed. PM Modi has given the nation a massive adrenalin booster that has taken developments in almost every sector to new levels. As you travel through India, the whole landscape has changed. Massive infrastructure developments from roads, rail, bridges, airports, energy, water, sanitation to housing, hospitals, and schools. The list is endless.

This does not mean that PM Modi has finished. In my view this is just the start of what is needed for India. It needs such sustained focus for at least another 20 years.

It’s time for India to become the defacto world leader that everyone comes to for approval.

16th May 2014 changed Bharat forever. Eight years on, the people of Bharat have changed forever. Now it’s their responsibility to make sure they give PM Modi and the BJP at least another two terms to cement in a glorious future.

Jai Hind.

We are grateful to all letter writers for more and more versatile letters well within word limit.

Please keep contributing as always. If you are new, then write to Shefali at shefali.saxena@abplgroup.com

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How are Indian immigrants viewed in the UK?

Ruchi Ghanashyam Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has been posted in many countries including South Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was only the second woman High Commissioner to the UK since India’s independence and during her tenure, she witnessed a number of significant developments in the UK-India relations. @RuchiGhanashyam

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2018 YouGov survey comparing the image of Indian immigrants to the UK with other south Asian counterparts, is doing the rounds on social media. The survey concluded that Indian immigrants had received a healthy positive score of +25, while immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan had figured in the negative zone. The YouGov survey had asked 1,668 UK adults whether immigrants from various parts of the world had made a positive or negative contribution to British life.

Efforts to investigate this intriguing hypothesis threw up a cynical view suggesting that such messages are going around in the social media as Indians feel uplifted by the celebration of 75 years of India’s independence.

Positive assessments of Indian immigrants have come out in the past too. The 2014 migration data analysed by Migration Watch UK, had, for instance, found that Indians “exhibit strong economic characteristics” - they have high rates of employment, high earnings and low rates of benefit claims.

This story is repeated elsewhere too!

Indian immigrants in the US account for approximately 6 per cent of the foreignborn population, making them the second-largest immigrant group in the country, after Mexicans. According to studies, Indian immigrants in the US are more likely to be highly educated, work in management positions, and have higher incomes than either US or foreign-born populations. They also had lower poverty rates and were less likely to be uninsured.

In 2019, 79 per cent of Indian immigrants aged 25 and above reported having at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 33 per cent of US-born and all immigrant adults.

Indians also had much higher incomes; in 2019, households headed by an Indian immigrant had a median income of $132,000, compared to $64,000 and $66,000 for all immigrant and US-born households, respectively.

The earliest groups of Indians entered the US workforce as taxi drivers, labourers, farmers, or small business owners, while the later arrivals often came as professionals or as graduate studies, then moved into professional occupations.

They became financially successful due to the growth of technical industries. There were over 4,000 Indian origin professors and 84,000 Indian born students in American universities in 2007–08, with 35,000 members of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. In 2000, Fortune magazine estimated the wealth generated by Indian Silicon Valley entrepreneurs at around $250 billion. The world is no longer surprised to see Indian origin/born CEOs of the topmost global companies.

A good percentage of the Indian community in the UK is in its third generation now. The first wave of Indians in the UK came from economically deprived backgrounds and worked as manual labourers.

The generation thereafter have achieved success in politics, law, business, medicine, industry, finance, academia and research. 60,000 members of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin form the steel frame of the NHS. Indian culture has become a point of reference within the wider British culture. Whether it is films, music, food or fashion, Indians have made their presence felt in British society.

Though Indians make up around 2.3 per cent (2011 census) of the total population of the UK, they top the recently released Sunday Times Rich list 2022, with three Indians in the top six. Sri and Gopi Hinduja and family top the list. The list of 250 includes fifteen Indian born/origin entries. No wonder, then, that in 2003, Anjna Raheja, founder of Media Moguls, coined the term ‘Brown Pound’ to describe the growing economic power and disposable income of the Indian community.

The contribution and entrepreneurial spirit of the Indian diaspora were brought out by a 2020 report, ‘India in the UK: The Diaspora Effect’, by Grant Thornton in collaboration with the Indian High Commission and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

654 Indian-owned businesses with at least £100,000 turnover collectively generated £36.84 billion, employed 174,000 people, paid £1 billion in corporate tax, and invested around £2 billion through capital expenditure. Grant Thornton’s latest tracker for 2022, prepared with the Confederation of Indian Industries, identified 900 Indian companies operating in the UK, with combined revenues of £54.4 billion, employing 141,005 people, who paid £304.6 million in corporation tax.

Thus, Indian companies and companies owned by Indian born/origin people in the UK generate over 315,000 jobs, not counting the thousands of jobs created by smaller businesses. This on its own would explain the favourable image of the Indian immigrant in the UK. In an article published in the Pakistani daily, ‘Dawn’ on 1 September 2020, Owen Bennet-Jones dwells on the reasons for the success of British Indians.

He says that research in the UK has clarified, for example, that Chinese and Indian pupils tend to make the most progress in primary school. Pakistani and Bangladeshi young people do well between the ages of 11 and 16 but their results taper off between the ages of 16 and 18. Based on available data, it is hard to reach firm conclusions, but he says that socioeconomic outcomes are shaped not just by ethnicity but also by other factors. Some research looking at religion as well suggests that all other things being equal, British Hindus fare better than British Muslims, while Indian Muslims generally enjoy better outcomes than Pakistani Muslims, a finding which is consistent with research that suggests that factors such as gender are more important than someone’s faith.

An answer to this interesting question requires far more in-depth analysis than what is possible in a newspaper column.

While there are many factors that one can think of, perhaps the foremost is the focus on family and education in Indian society. This value system transcends religion and ethnic diversity. Whichever faith they come from, Indians hail from a society that reveres, rather worships, knowledge and wisdom. Indian society is equally at ease with worshipping the goddess of wealth, as it is comfortable worshipping the goddess of learning. This would explain the success of the Indian diaspora in business as well as academia, arts and other fields.

No Indian university in the new points-based system for welcoming highly skilled graduates to the UK Home Secretary’s new visa scheme for talented graduates in areas such as science, engineering and research from internationally renowned universities are encouraged to bring their talents to the UK. However, not a single Indian university name features in the top 50 list which has triggered a debate as to whether this will be of any benefit to Indian students after all.

The world’s top graduates in subjects such as science, engineering and medical research will be able to bring their skills to the UK following the launch of a new visa route targeting graduates from prestigious universities such as Harvard, MIT, the Karolinska Institute and Kyoto University.

From engineering to cyber security to advanced medical research, the UK will be able to welcome talented individuals to drive both economic growth as well as technological and medical advances. The race to attract the brightest and best international talent is fierce and inviting talented individuals from international universities will complement the pool of high achieving graduates from UK universities.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “This new visa offer means that the UK can continue to attract the best and brightest from across the globe. The route means that the UK will grow as a leading international hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today - which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here. The UK is already home to some of the most ground-breaking start-ups, on the forefront of R&D and an incredibly diverse and exciting place to live - come and join in!”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “I am proud to be launching this new and exciting route as part of our points-based immigration system which puts ability and talent first –

not where someone comes from. This government is delivering for the British people by bringing in the high skills and talent our country and businesses need.”

The UK Government is making the country the best place in the world for innovative and talented people to live, work and be successful – and to usher in an unprecedented new era of global collaboration and innovation. With record levels of investment into its research base, as well as being home to worldleading tech companies and four of the world’s top universities, the UK offers unique opportunities for recent graduates.

The new High Potential Individual route is intended to attract those at the early stages of their careers, who demonstrate exceptional promise, providing a highly desirable and able pool of mobile talent from which UK employers can recruit.

Successful applicants will be given a 2year work visa (3-year for those with a PhD) and will be permitted to move into other long-term employment routes. Great innovation is built from a diverse workforce and the new route will ensure the UK continues to nurture talent from around the world.

The visa forms part of a series of changes to the immigration system after leaving the EU to restore control over our borders so that the UK can welcome people based on the skills they have to offer and the contribution they can make, not where they come from.

The new points-based system is will ensure that the UK is open to business and continues to be at the forefront of innovation. The Global Business Mobility route opened on 11 April to simplify and improve various routes to enable businesses to expand.

Later this year, the Scale-up visa route will follow to ensure businesses are supported during periods of growth and are able to recruit talent by enabling them to bring employees to the UK.

Millions of most vulnerable households will receive £1,200 of help with cost of living The significant intervention includes a new, one-off £650 payment to more than 8 million low-income households on Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Pension Credit and legacy benefits, with separate one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households and £150 to individuals receiving disability benefits – groups who are most vulnerable to rising prices.

Rishi Sunak also announced that the energy bills discount due to come in from October is being doubled from £200 to £400, while the requirement to pay it back will be scrapped. This means households will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills from October.

The new Cost of Living Support package will mean that almost all of the eight million most vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 of extra support this year, including the £150 council tax rebate that many families received last month – equal to the average energy price cap rise over this year.

To ensure there is support for everyone who needs it, Mr Sunak also announced a £500 million increase for the Household Support Fund, delivered by Local Authorities, extending it from October until March 2023. This brings the total Household Support Fund to £1.5 billion.

To help pay for the extra support which takes the total direct government cost of living support to £37 billion – the Chancellor said a new temporary 25% Energy Profits Levy would be introduced for oil and gas companies, reflecting their extraordinary profits. At the same time, in order to increase the incentive to invest the new levy will include a generous new 80% investment allowance. This balanced approach allows the government to deliver

support to families while encouraging investment and growth.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “We know that people are facing challenges with the cost of living and that is why today I’m stepping in with further support to help with rising energy bills. We have a collective responsibility to help those who are paying the highest price for the high inflation we face. That is why I’m targeting this significant support to millions of the most vulnerable people in our society. I said we would stand by people and that is what this support does today.”

There is now more certainty that households will need further support, with inflation having risen faster than forecast and Ofgem expecting a further rise in the energy price cap in October.

In order both to fairly tax the extraordinary profits and encourage investment, the Chancellor announced a temporary new Energy Profits Levy with a generous investment allowance built-in.

The new Levy will be charged on oil and gas company profits at a rate of 25% and is expected to raise around £5 billion in its first 12 months, which will go towards easing the burden on families. It will be temporary, and if oil and gas prices return to historically more normal levels, will be phased out.

The new Investment Allowance, similar in style to the super-deduction, incentivises companies to invest by saving them 91p for every £1 they invest. This nearly doubles the tax relief available and means the more a company invests, the less tax they will pay.

Critiquing this package, The Observer wrote, “At last, the chancellor has given in and corrected course.”

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SCRUTATOR’S Dog-walking IAS couple shifted out of Delhi Sanjeev Khirwar and his wife Rinku Dugga, both 1994-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officers who made the headlines for walking their dog at Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi by curtailing the practice time of athletes, were relieved of their duties with the Delhi government and transferred to separate stations. While Khirwar, who was serving as Delhi’s principal secretary (revenue), was transferred to Ladakh, his wife Rinku, who was secretary, lands and buildings, was given a posting in Arunachal Pradesh. Union home ministry sources said a report was received from the Delhi chief secretary stating the factual position relating to the alleged misuse of facilities at Thyagaraj Stadium. Sources said the home ministry took a serious view of the alleged misuse of official position and "indiscretion" by the bureaucrat couple, and decided to not only to relieve them from the Government of Delhi with immediate effect but also transfer them to stations far off from one another. The cases of Khirwar and his wife Rinku were reviewed by the department of personnel and training soon after a section of the media reported that sports persons were regularly being forced out of Thyagaraj Stadium to allow a free run to the couple’s dog. As the report gained attention on social media, Twitter users demanded an inquiry against the couple. (Agency) Odisha girl becomes first K-pop star from India

K-pop or Korean pop, a popular music genre among youngsters, got its first-ever Indian star after 18-year-old singer Sriya Lenka from Odisha was chosen to be one of the new members of the group, Blackswan along with a Brazilian girl.

Lenka from Rourkela city was selected for the last leg of training in Seoul to become a member of the group Blackswan, after its oldest member Hyeme left the group in November 2020. The group’s promoter, DR Music in May last year announced global auditions to replace her after which Lenka and Gabriela Dalcin of Brazil were chosen among 4,000 applicants. Though DR Music was supposed to pick just one member, they announced the names of Lenka and Gabriela to be the 5th and 6th member of the group. Both Lenka and Gabriela will be in Seoul for next few months for practice so that the group brings out their next album. In the last 5 months, the two were put to intense training process which included standard vocal, rap, dance lessons to personal training, language, and musical instruments. Blackswan was started by the company as Rania in 2011. It later became BP Rania before adopting the current name in October 2020. It is currently a 4member K-pop girl band consisting of its leader and Korean singer Go Young Heun (Youngheun), Belgium-based Senegalese singer-rapper-model Fatou Samba (Fatou), Korean singer-dancer Kim Da Hye (Judy) and maknae Brazilian-Japanese singer Larissa Ayumi Cartes Sakata (Leia).

(Agency) More than 200 kidney stones removed from a patient

At least 206 kidney stones were removed by doctors from the organs of a 56-year-old man from Hyderabad. He had been suffering from severe pain on the left

side of his groin for six months. The summer season reportedly exacerbated the man’s pain. Doctors at the city’s Aware Gleneagles Global Hospital removed the stones from the man through a laparoscopy. Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis, are caused when waste products in the blood form crystals which build up and become stone-like lumps.

The patient was discharged a day after recovering from the procedure. Doctors have advised people to consume more water and stay hydrated to avoid the buildup of kidney stones amid India’s heatwave. In 2018, doctors at a Delhi hospital removed 856 kidney stones from a 45-year-old patient through keyhole surgery. (Agency) 10-year-old girl summits Everest base camp A 10year-old skater from Mumbai, Rhythm Mamania, has become one of the youngest Indian mountaineers to summit the Everest base camp (EBC) in the Himalayan ranges in Nepal. Rhythm had no coach or formal training, and would practise by running up and down a long flight of steps.

Neither the perils of low oxygen at a height of 5,364 ft above sea level nor spells of nausea nor blisters on the feet halted the determined girl in her tracks. On May 6, the class five student summited the Everest base camp (EBC) with her parents Urmi and Harshal by her side. Rhythm said, “It was my aim to reach the EBC summit so I did not bother about the cold.

I enjoy sports.” Urmi said, “Rhythm is a national level skater so her thigh muscles are strong. But it is her will and her moral conscience that is worth mentioning. She opted to climb down while others were engaging helicopter rides to descend. And she collected all her litter and brought it back to Kathmandu rather than leave it lying in the mountains. ” (Agency) Lineman's idea saves birds, animals from gory death A simple idea of a power distribution company’s employee has saved several birds, squirrels and small animals from gory deaths. Pained to see these creatures being charred to death after coming in contact with high-voltage lines in the transformers, Dhaval Rajyaguru, an assistant lineman of Paschim Gujarat Vij Company took it upon himself to save these birds and animals. Rajyaguru started covering the porcelain fuse used in heavy transformers with plastic so that the birds and animals don’t come in direct contact with the live wire. After covering the

porcelain fuse on one transformer he kept a close watch for two weeks to see if any bird had died. He was surprised to see that no such incident had happened for 15 days.

Till date, he has covered around 250 transformers. Now, Rajyaguru is giving training to other linemen so that they too can also help in saving the lives of birds and animals. (The Times of India) Bihar girl with one leg hops to school; help pours in

Two years ago, 10-year-old Seema from Bihar’s Maoist-affected Jamui district lost one of her legs in an accident, but that didn’t diminish her passion for education.

Undaunted by the lack of a tricycle or even crutches in the face of abject poverty, Seema began hopping to school which is one km away on one leg every day. The class IV student of Fatehpur Middle School is not only dedicated to her own studies but also teaches other girls in her village and encourages them to get educated.

After her video went viral on social media, Seema won the hearts of netizens across India. While Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to support the child, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, too, extended a helping hand. Jamui DM Avaneesh Kumar Singh visited the ‘kutcha’ (mud) house where Seema lives and gifted her a tricycle. (Agency) An example of communal harmony Setting an example of communal harmony, the first 13 bricks for building a mosque were blessed at at Gurdwara Rai Patti in Punjab’s Pherurian in a combined “ardas” and “dua” before the Sikhs and Muslims of the village carried those to the construction site with respect. Sikhs are major contributors of money and material to the project. Gurdwara president Iqbal Singh said: “We had a gurdwara and temple in the village and wanted a mosque as well. The work started from a gurdwara to promote Punjab-like communal harmony and brotherhood across the country. The village celebrates all the festivals together.” The Sikhs who committed their money to the project include NRIs, besides Sant Baba Gurcharan Singh of Nanaksar. The Sikh-dominated village of 1,400 voters has just four Muslim families. Inderjit Singh, a Muslim from

the village, said: “We longed for a mosque in the village, for which we bought 4.5 biswa of land for Rs 170,000 about 10 years ago but did not have the resources to start the work until now.” He added: “After the prayers at the gurdwara, the Sikh brothers carried the bricks with us.

The mosque will be ready in a year if we get more help. Sikhs have been our major contributors.” (Agency) Mother, daughter clear 10th standard exam together A 36-year-old woman and her daughter cleared the secondary school leaving certificate (SSLC) examination together in Mangaluru’s Munnur gram panchayat. Mamatha Ramesh, an assistant at an anganwadi centre in Kuttar Uchhil, appeared for the exam with her daughter Kushi after a gap of 21 years. “I had discontinued my studies. But after a few years, I realised the importance of education and felt I must at least clear the SSLC exam so that I can be promoted as an anganwadi teacher.

Thus, I started my preparation and enrolled as a private candidate at an institution in Mangaluru,” Mamatha said, adding her daughter helped her with studies. (Agency) Woman carves beautiful artwork on watermelon

Summer is all about the fruits having maximum water content to keep the body hydrated. Watermelon is one of the popular fruits of the season. What if you come across the most beautiful artwork on a watermelon? This is courtesy social media, where artists from all around the world post amazing artwork almost every day. A video going viral on social media shows a woman carving beautiful artwork on a watermelon. The video has received more than 670,000 views and over 31,000 likes. The artwork has surprised viewers all over social media and users have left heartful comments on the post. “That is amazing! Such a talent! Just a shame that will just rot,” wrote a user. Praising the artwork, a second user wrote, “Gorgeous and well worth the time and effort it takes to create a unique object, no matter how ephemeral and temporary. In order to understand the beauty and purpose of this video, one must first understand the beauty and purpose of art. If all you see is food, that's okay too.” (Agency)

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ROOTS OF RACISM STILL INTACT? Continued from page 1 A little ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, it is important to remember that 25 May marked two years of the brutal murder of George Floyd, the 46-year old African American man who was arrested and killed after police officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. His death triggered a new wave of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement which was widely supported and promoted by people of colour across the globe.

Manchester GP Manjula Arora has been suspended by the GMC after claiming she was promised a laptop and plans to appeal in a case that has sparked deep concern among doctors over medical regulation. In a letter to the GMC, BAPIO wrote: 'Differential treatment of non-white doctors have been a significant issue and this case would be another one in point.'

At the same time, Neil Basu’s bid for the crime agency's top job has ended after the alleged No 10 intervention. The government has now effectively blocked or deterred Basu, who is of Asian heritage, from the two top jobs in law enforcement.

He would have been the first Briton from an ethnic minority to hold either. He did not apply for the Met commissionership after Cressida Dick’s resignation in February as government opposition was so clear. In an OpEd in The Guardian, Neil Basu wrote, “I write this as Anil Kanti Basu – the mixedrace son of a white Welsh woman and a Bengali Hindu immigrant, invited to the UK on a medical scholarship in 1961 to help build our glorious NHS, their subsequent treatment would have been entirely recognised by a post-Windrush community that still doesn’t trust the police. I write this with 54 years of lived experience of racism. I understand how they feel.”

Ironically, last year, Tony Sewell’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report on race said there was no evidence to suggest that Britain was an institutionally racist place. Prime Minister Johnson said, “For centuries, our United Kingdom has had a proud history of welcoming people from overseas.”

After two years, did Britain learn and internalise any lessons that emerged from the death of Floyd? Was any progress made in race relations, cultural acceptance and fair treatment of the ethnic minorities? The answer doesn’t seem promising.

Journalist Habiba Katsha spoke to white people in the UK about their learnings from BLM, and some of her findings exposed that most white people haven’t read about people of colour, and if they have, they do not necessarily learn from these books. For some, it was the first time they learned about the roots of racism.

The Manjula Arora case Manchester GP Manjula Arora has been suspended by the GMC after claiming she was promised a laptop and plans to appeal in a case that has sparked deep concern among doctors over medical regulation.

The General Medical Council has said that it is reviewing the Manjula Arora case to see if there are “lessons to be learnt for future cases” after doctors and medical leaders expressed outrage over the decision to suspend the GP. The hearing concluded that Arora had not set out to be dishonest or to mislead but that her use of the specific word “promised” when speaking to the IT department had amounted to dishonesty.

The case centred around incidents that took place in late 2019 and 2020 while Arora was working for Mastercall, which provided a clinical assessment service for the North West Ambulance Service.

The RCGP has welcomed the GMC decision to review the case - but warned that the tribunal outcome had left it 'deeply concerned'.

A college spokesperson told FP Online,

“We are deeply concerned about Dr Arora’s case and while we welcome the decision by the GMC to review the ruling, we will be asking for answers as to why the case was allowed to get through their screening processes and end in a fitness to practise hearing and receiving a sanction.

“GPs are working in an increasingly punitive and litigious environment and any referral to the GMC causes enormous stress and distress for the doctor being investigated, their colleagues and families. As well as being devastating for Dr Arora, cases such as this only make it harder to retain existing GPs and persuade new ones to go into general practice, and particularly to work in out-of-hours.”

An RCGP statement said: “The college has raised concerns with the Care Quality Commission about the disproportionate impact of its inspection regime on doctors from minority ethnic backgrounds, and we will continue our work to ensure all regulators actively avoid perceptions of discrimination.”

Dr Partha Kar OBE, Diabetes co-lead, NHSE; Director- Equality, Medics, NHSE; Consultant, Portsmouth told Asian Voice,

Dr Partha Kar OBE

“Since the BLM movement, there has been a greater focus on inequalities based on racewith multiple data sets and appointments being made to tackle this. There certainly is more discussion and wider acceptance of this issue- which has taken the debate forward. However, there still remains much to be done. The recent case of Manjula Arora shows how much there is to travel- yet with signs of progress as it has ignited passions, created much debate and forced the GMC to review and rethink. The BLM movement has resulted in many starting to speak up and in a wider leadership context?

Certainly, made progress compared to where things were a few years ago. Results however on a national basis need to shift at a quicker pace too.”

The historical roots of the Windrush scandal The Guardian recently reported that according to a leaked government report by this unnamed historian titled ‘The Historical Roots of the Windrush Scandal’, the origins of the Windrush scandal lay in 30 years of racist immigration legislation designed to reduce the UK’s non-white population.

This radical assumption surfaced after the Home Office commissioned a paper that officials have repeatedly tried to suppress over the past year. The report was commissioned by the Home Office as part of a commitment to educating civil servants about the causes of the Windrush scandal, which saw thousands of people wrongly classified as illegal immigrants by the department.

In the 1950s, British officials shared a “basic assumption that ‘coloured immigrants’, as they were referred to, were not good for British society,” the report states.

A 52-page analysis by an unnamed historian, exclusively shown to Guardian, described how “the British Empire depended on racist ideology in order to function”, and sets out how this affected the laws passed in the post war period.

It concluded that the origins of the “deep-rooted racism of the Windrush scandal” lie in the fact that “during the period 1950-1981, every single piece of immigration or citizenship legislation was designed at least in part to reduce the number of people

with black or brown skin who were permitted to live and work in the UK”.

It found that the scandal was caused by a failure to recognise that changes to British immigration law over the past 70 years had a more negative impact on black people than on other racial and ethnic groups.

The report further stated, “Major immigration legislation in 1962, 1968 and 1971 was designed to reduce the proportion of people living in the United Kingdom who did not have white skin.”

Living in illusion Critics say that we remain far too influenced by the impression that Britain willingly and amicably handed overpower (as Harold Macmillan put it) to Asian and African representatives of “agreeable, educated, Liberal, North Oxford society”.

Britain is still criticised for its imperial past which allegedly monstrosities inflicted untold suffering.

Author compels the Queen to say ‘sorry’ Independent award-winning journalist & author, Dr Mustafa Fetouri wrote a compelling piece in the Middle East Monitor, “Your Majesty: Say sorry to mark your Platinum Jubilee and help end that poisonous history.”

“At 96 years of age this year, 2022, this may well be her last chance to make history by saying "sorry" to millions of people in India, Palestine, Jamaica, Kenya and many more around the world who her ancestors once ruled,” he added.

Are academics nurturing racism?

According to an article published in The Daily Telegraph, the University of Cambridge is offering a class on the history of classical music—with a twist. Called Decolonising the Ear, the course teaches how to listen to music in a “postcolonial” way. The class’s premise is that classical music could be “complicit … in projects of empire and neoliberal systems of power.” In other words, classical music is racist and classist. Course material includes teaching how “genres like opera seem particularly susceptible to racialized representations.”

Ryan Malone, composer and program director of the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation told The Trumpet, “As I teach my students, we are not judging this music; it is judging us. It has been around much longer than we have, and it is reckless arrogance to think we can dismiss its impact on human civilization with our extremely short-lived blip on the human timeline.”

Anti-racism initiatives continue Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy recently tweeted, “The pandemic's unequal impact has been a reminder that racism is still a matter of life and death. I've coordinated this cross-party letter on behalf of the Federation of Ethnic Minority Healthcare Organisations, urging the Chair of the Government's Covid Inquiry to put racial health inequalities front & centre.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) published its third update on the implementation of cricket’s action plan to tackle racism and promote inclusion and diversity at all levels of the game.

Following the publication of the action plan in November 2021, the county cricket network has achieved significant progress to increase Board diversity in line with the targets of 30% female representation and locally representative ethnicity by the end of April 2022.

In the last six months, more than 30

Neil Basu

organisations have appointed at least one new Non-Executive Director (NED) to their Board, with many of these involving major recruitment processes appointing multiple NEDs. At an aggregate level, the county network has now surpassed the Board diversity targets, with an overall figure of 31% female representation on Boards and 16% ethnic diversity, up from 20% and 10% respectively since November 2021. This builds on the action taken across the network since the introduction of mandatory standards via the County Governance Framework (CGF) in early 2020. The proportion of Directors at county organisations who are from a minority ethnic background has tripled from 5% since 2019, while the proportion of Board roles held by women has also grown significantly from a 2019 baseline of 11%.

Today, four of the Board’s 12 members are women and three are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, ensuring that Kent Cricket – a single organisation that is responsible for all cricket in the County from schools and community cricket to the professional game - will benefit from a wide range of skills and perspectives as well as meeting its diversity targets.

In a further demonstration of commitment to strong and diverse governance arrangements, Worcestershire Cricket Foundation (the charitable successor to Worcestershire Cricket Board) has established the most diverse Board of any entity across the game. Following the appointment of seven new Trustees, women represent a majority of the Board (seven of 12 Trustees) and one-quarter of Trustees are ethnically diverse, significantly ahead of local demographics.At an individual level, the ECB understands that 80% of county organisations (40 of 50 entities) have now met their Board diversity targets.

Meanwhile, University of Oxford Lecturer Sam Fowles rightly argued, “Attacking historians and denying the racist legacy of colonialism chills free expression and alienates swathes of the population. Unless we ditch the nostalgia, wise up, and address real problems in the real world, the UK’s best days will remain in an imagined past.”

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Let no one tell you you can't Lolita Chakrabarti Shefali Saxena

I

n an exclusive two-part interview with actor and playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, Asian Voice discussed the future of funding post the pandemic and how one play taught her the possibility of reaching audiences sitting at home.

Below are some excerpts from Part II. Going live without an audience Lolita: The pandemic was horrible. But there were some really interesting things that came out of it because of dark moments. One thing that was clear, is that I did a play called Hymn which was on at the Almeida Theatre. It was at the time when the pandemic took hold again, and we either had to stop rehearsals because everybody shut everybody went home, or we were given the option to put it online.

So we went right there to do it. I think we were the only play rehearsing in London or the country at the time. We live-streamed it for seven nights and reached about 1400 people a night across the world. And it was £10 a ticket. What was extraordinary about that is we got your nose, it was a silent performance.

So the actors acted and then there was no applause nothing at the

end. But social media went mad afterwards. And with nice things, not horrible things and that was I thought, gosh, this is accessible. I got tweets and all sorts from Africa, Australia, and America. It's much cheaper. That was a £10 ticket, which would normally be in the theatre about £40, so it was a quarter of the price.

And then you put into that your cost of travel. So it was very reasonable. And if you can't travel, that option is there.

So I think that has opened the industry to the possibilities of access without a pandemic and that's a really interesting thing, because before people would follow it's too complicated.

There's no point but when we needed an audience, they were there.

They just couldn't come. And I think that was not being undervalued.

Has writing improved during the pandemic?

Lolita: Yeah, definitely no question. I think I've sat at home going there's all this lack of inclusion, the lack of representation down to I mean, you know, all the different

types of people in the world but down to women. I think we're half of the population. And there's not enough we couldn't make it that wrong. I think that awareness of needing to include and represent has become very clear and writing.

So what would I say to women?

Lolita: God! If you want to do it, absolutely do it.

And let no one tell you you can't. And and and I think often we can I don't know if I'm speaking for myself, we can be our worst our own worst critics. So if somebody makes you feel a bit bad you go oh, maybe I'm rubbish and you go down a tunnel. Don't allow it. Just work to be the best that you can really be. Focus on the work and you focus on what you want. Just take steps to get there.

Because impostor syndrome can really engulf us, women, when good things happen to us. We don't believe it most of the time. But also, I think we have to be our biggest cheerleaders.

You can read Part I of this interview on P14 in Asian Voice’s issue dated May 26.

Government launches taskforce to boost women starting fast-growing companies Launched last week, the taskforce will use its convening power to influence high growth investors, the wider business community, and to raise the aspirations of the next generation of female entrepreneurs, especially looking to encourage women based outside of the capital.

Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs is a woman - a gender gap equivalent to 1.1 million missing businesses, and maleled SMEs are five times more likely to scale up to £1 million turnover than female-led SMEs. Minister for Women and

Equalities, Liz Truss, said: “This country can only grasp its full potential by ensuring everyone, regardless of their background or where they live, has the opportunity to succeed. “We want women to be at the heart of the recovery effort, and we’ll do that by helping more women start a business, by getting them into higher paid work, by focusing on skills.”

The Chair, Anne Boden, and its members, will use their combined expertise and connections to work collaboratively with organisations across the UK to support the Government’s

Queen's Speech: Women's Aid responds to Victims' Bill The Queen’s speech which was read out at the Parliament last month made an important aspect related to women.

Responding to the inclusion of the Victims' Bill in the Queen's Speech, Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women's Aid said: “We welcome the inclusion in the Queen’s Speech of the Victims’ Bill, which is designed to improve the experience and rights of victims in the criminal justice system. We know that the rights of survivors of domestic abuse have been neglected within the justice system and survivors have not been fully informed of the support available to them.

"Women’s Aid was pleased to support the consultation led by the Ministry

of Justice on the Victims’ Bill, ensuring the legislation is survivor-focused and helps as many women and children as possible to be safe.

"As important as the Victims’ Bill is, however, we know that a criminal justice focus alone will not transform the treatment of survivors. We need reform across all parts of the public sector and wider society to deliver a cultural change in responses to domestic abuse.

A cross-government approach is vital in addressing the issues facing survivors and the specialist services that support them.

"The Victims' Bill is an important step in the right direction and we look forward to it having a direct impact on the lives of survivors of domestic abuse.”

overall target of increasing the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030 (equivalent to nearly 600,000 female entrepreneurs) with a particular focus on driving change in the area of growth capital.

The taskforce will build on the work of the Rose Review, which found that breaking down the barriers for women entrepreneurs could boost the economy by £250bn. While there is encouraging evidence of a pipeline of innovative woman-led start-ups, more help is needed in supporting women in high-growth business.

Women-led highgrowth enterprise taskforce According to a government press note, the taskforce will use its convening power to influence high-growth investors and the wider business community, and to raise the aspirations of the next generation of female entrepreneurs. The taskforce will collaborate with the Rose Review, with which it shares common ambitions.

It will also work with organisations across the UK to support the government’s overall target of increasing the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030 (equivalent to nearly 600,000 more female entrepreneurs) with a particular focus on driving change in the area of growth capital. The taskforce will raise the profile of high-growth entrepreneurship, identify the main barriers in accessing high-growth capital, and suggest areas to stimulate regional opportunities based on robust data and engagement.

NCDV launches legal support for women prisoners The National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV), in conjunction with HMP Peterborough, HMP Newhall and HMP Bronzefield, has today announced the roll-out of a nationwide scheme designed to give women prisoners and recent ex-offenders in England legal protection from their abusers.

Originally trialled with HMP Newhall in November 2021, the NCDV has devised the partnership scheme which offers residents at any of the 13 prisons in England housing women* a chance to protect themselves using well-established civil law procedures.

Court Orders such as Non-Molestation Orders can provide a significant degree of practical protection. If a perpetrator breaks the Order he or she can be arrested, charged with a criminal offence and sent to prison for up to five years.

NCDV’s Head of Partnerships and Development, Sharon Bryan, said: “The scheme means vulnerable residents can be

offered direct contact numbers to NCDV case workers on their cell phones and access to legal advice from inside prison.

“Our initiative came about thanks to Together Women who run women’s centres across the North of England, including at HMP Newhall and who recognised the high vulnerability of so many women prisoners. It is thought that at least 57% of women in prison will have experienced domestic abuse.”

In 2020 5,011 women were sent to prison in the UK, representing just 4% of overall prisoner numbers.

Most received short sentences for non-violent crimes. In 2019, 33% of women remanded into prison by a magistrate’s court and 40% by the Crown Court did not go on to receive a custodial sentence.

Of 173 women screened at one English women’s prison, 64% reported a history of brain trauma - and for most this was caused by domestic abuse.

Great-granddaughter of the last Prince of Bengal Lyn Innes is the greatgranddaughter of the last Nawab Nizam of Bengal.

Born in Australia, she moved to North America, earned a PhD from Cornell University and taught at

One hundred years later, Lyn Innes tells the true story of her great-grandfather The Last Prince of Bengal, and his family’s fall from power.

The Last Prince of

the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she became associate editor of OKIKE: An African Journal of New Writing, founded by Chinua Achebe. Innes is currently Emeritus Professor of Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent, Canterbury.

The Nawab Nazim (the Last Prince of Bengal) was born into one of India’s most prestigious royal families, his kingdom ranging from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. However, in 1880 British authorities forced him to abdicate and permanently abolished his titles.

The Nawab’s change in fortune marked the end of an era in India.

Bengal tells the compelling true story of the Nawab and his family as they sought by turns to befriend, settle in and eventually escape, Britain.

From glamourous receptions with Queen Victoria to a scandalous Muslim marriage with an English chambermaid; and from Bengal tiger hunts to sheep farming in the harsh Australian outback, this family history visits the extremes of British rule in the age of Empire, exposing complex prejudices regarding the race, class and gender. Innes charts the intimate and the universal, looking – through the turbulent betrayal of a flamboyant Monarch – at what Britain did in India.

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4 - 10 June 2022

Top 10 South West curry restaurants named in new guide The Asian Catering Federation [ACF] has revealed the top ten curry restaurants in the South West of England, ahead of the publication of its new ‘One Hundred Top Curry Restaurants’ guide www.Top100curryRestaurants.co.uk..

The ten featured restaurants in the South West are Mantra in Bath, Urban Tandoor and Mint Room in Bristol, Denley’s Essence of India in Exeter, Spice Lounge in Ilfracombe, Kahuna and Zaman’s in Newquay, and Ragini in Seaton, Prthvi in Cheltenham and Maha Bharat in South Hams.

The ‘One Hundred Top Curry Restaurants’ guide is being published initially online region by region – the South West being the first – before a hard copy is made available next year.

Entries are determined by public votes for the ACF’s various national and regional awards programmes, before winning restaurants are decided following personal visits from a panel of judges.

“The south-west is one of the favourite regions for our judges to visit, because of the depth and variety of innovative cooking,”

said Yawar Khan, Chairman of the Asian Catering Federation.

The ACF will host the 6th Asian Restaurant Awards at the Manchester Hilton on 27th June and Edinburgh at the Sheraton Grand on 19th September.

The 12th Asian Curry Awards are taking place at the Grosvenor House on 20th November 2022.

Speaking about the Guide, the ACF’s chairman Yawar Khan reported that many curry restaurants are facing an existential crisis: “Soaring food, energy and salary costs, combined with rising National Insurance and VAT rates plus severe staff shortages, compounded by customers having less money to spend on restaurant visits and takeaways, means that the rate of closures is set to increase.”

Little English gets British Gala Premiere at London Indian Film Festival on 23 June Set in sunny Slough, Punjabi newlywed Simmy unexpectedly faces disappointment when her British Asian husband does a runner on the wedding night.

With only a basic grasp of English, she is unable to leave the house, surrounded by her kooky in-laws. She finds an unlikely ally in her wayward brotherin-law, Harry, and a secret romance blossoms. Will Simmy find the courage to honour her heart and pursue her dreams?

Starring emerging talent Rameet Rauli and Viraj Juneja as Simmy and Harry, supported by an impressive cast including Seema Bowri, Madhav Sharma, Goldy Notay, Ameet Chana and Nikki Patel. Also featuring Sanjeev Kohli, Yasmeen Khan and Shin Parwana this film is a fun romp through Asian taboos, set against the romantic backdrop of suburban Slough.

Written and directed by Pravesh Kumar, Little English was produced by Resource Productions, shot by Leigh Alner, designed

by Andy Kumar, edited by Kam Parmar with

Philip Moroz as sound editor and music by Niraj Chag.

Director Pravesh Kumar, said: “It feels incredible to have made a first feature film that is an authentic romantic comedy from within the community, from our own lens.

Making a film on a micro-budget is tough and I’ve had to make some compromises but I’ve been blessed with an incredible cast and creative partners. We’ve made this film with everything we’ve got and it’s got a big heart.

It’s not often a film like this is made and I cannot wait for the audiences to see it, because this is for them!”

Young people from Oldham set to perform for Royal Family during Jubilee celebrations On Sunday 5 June, a Platinum Jubilee Pageant will take place in London, combining arts, theatre, music, circus and more to celebrate the Queen’s seven-decade reign.

The procession will take place along The Mall - with 38 young people from Oldham among those taking part - and will end with singer Ed Sheeran performing the national anthem.

The group from Oldham is made up of 28 flag bearers and 10 performers, along with youth service staff, who have been practising hard for their role in one of the biggest celebratory events held for decades.

The young people travelling to London were selected to take part by groups including Oldham Theatre Workshop, Oldham Youth Service, Mahdlo, Point, and arts centre Global Grooves in Mossley.

They will be carrying flags with designs based on what children in Oldham said the borough means to them; with one of them

‘You cannot represent 2bn Muslims of South Asia in one character’, says Iman Vellani aka Kamala Khan from Ms Marvel Shefali Saxena Ms Marvel is an upcoming American television miniseries created by Bisha K. Ali for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character Kamala Khan / Ms Marvel. It is intended to be the seventh television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. Ali serves as a head writer with Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah leading the directing team.

Iman Vellani stars as Kamala Khan / Ms Marvel, with Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Laurel Marsden, Adaku Ononogbo, Laith Nakli, Travina Springer, and Aramis Knight also star. The series was announced with Ali's involvement in August 2019.

Asian Voice was able to watch the first few episodes of Ms Marvel which came across as one of the first non-stereotyped representations of South Asians, with a beautiful mix of Hindi, Urdu and English along with a dose of Bollywood. We spoke to the lead actors about it.

Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Rish Shah said, “I'm so glad that you saw it in a positive light. I mean, it was definitely

approached in that way. And for example, you mentioned code-switching. Now that's something we both (Rish and Iman) have grown up around., I grew up in a family where my parents are talking in Gujarati and Hindi the majority of the time. So the fact that that in itself is represented through all this family is so special to be able to see and even music as you say, yeah, that's such a key factor.”

Iman Vellani who plays the role of Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan) told the newsweekly, “It's a wonderful modern American cultural mix, a mix with like how immigrant children see, Bollywood in Pakistan. Honestly, just watching Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia Bahadir say ‘Eid Mubarak’ in the most beautiful Arabic accent makes my day every single time I watch it. It's like the little things like that really make our show unique and honestly, specificities are why it's it's so real.

Every time you see brown people in Hollywood, they're so generalised because you cannot represent 2billion Muslims in South Asia in one character. That's impossible and our show can't do that either. But we've told one specific story about one specific girl and one specific Muslim family.

And hopefully, this just opens doors for more people to tell you to know, their specific stories.”

Essex Indians celebrate Baisakhi Essex Indians Registered Charity celebrated Baisakhi with much galore to rejuvenate the spirit of Indian New Year in a post-pandemic atmosphere.

The concert took place recently in President Community Hall Laindon filling the hall with music and dance vibes of the Pan Indian diaspora.

The event was spearheaded by Mrs Chinu Kishore assisted by Mrs Sujata Das, new trustees of Essex Indians.

While Tiyas mesmerised everyone with her western song, Aric played superb guitar tunes of ‘Chura liya’.

Folk dance by Arina was mindblowing.

Ratna presented a popular bollywood song ‘ kaisi hai zindagani’ and Molly presented couple of famous bollywood songs.

Sanchita and Junmoni presented folk dances while Alka presented a ‘vandana’ and Meghali, a bhupendrasangeet and Tanishi, a folk.

Sutapa and Anirban presented folkclassic - tapa tini and bengali amarsangi song.

reading "My heart beats in this town."

This royal pageant will be Queen Elizabeth II's fourth such pageant - and only the eighth in history. The first was in honour of George III in 1809, followed by two for Queen Victoria to celebrate her Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

The parade will wind its way through the streets of Singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, Westminster and has passed away. The singer fell ill while performing at an along the Mall, event in Kolkata and was brought to the CMRI hospital, past Buckingham where he was declared dead.

KK leaves behind an extremely precious music library Palace, using carnival, dance, of his work, which includes Pal, Tadap Tadap (Hum Dil music, circus and De Chuke Sanam), Koi Kare (Dil Chahta Hai), Rehna Hai street theatre to Tere Dil Mein, Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno), Ajab Si tell the story of (Om Shanti Om), Tu hi meri shab hai (Gangster), It’s The Time To Disco (Kal Ho Naa Ho), Aashiq Banaya Aapne Queen Elizabeth's among many other blockbuster songs. record 70-yearBorn in Delhi to Hindu Malayali parents C. S. Menon long reign. and Kunnath Kanakavalli, Krishnakumar Kunnath was

Anirban also presented a foot tapping punjabi song - ‘ishq tera tarpave’ The culinary delights were provided by UKDC, Anirban and Arpita with Kolkata street foods who donated £300 to Essex Indians charity.

The trustees of EI thanked everyone for attending and invited the audience for Uttorsuri concert at Bhavan, West London on 2nd July, 2022.

Singer KK passes away in Kolkata brought up in New Delhi.

KK sang 3,500 jingles before breaking into Bollywood. He was an alumnus of Delhi's Mount St Mary's School and graduated from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. KK married his childhood love Jyothy in 1991. His son Nakul Krishna Kunnath sang the song "Masti" from his album Humsafar with him.KK also has a daughter named Tamara Kunnath.

He died of a cardiac arrest at The Grand Hotel, in Kolkata during his performance at College fest, on the night of 31st May 2022. He is a legend of the late 1990.

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4 - 10 June 2022

30 YEARS OF NATIONAL HINDU STUDENTS’ FORUM UK

Parliamentary reception celebrating 30th anniversary of National Hindu Students’ Forum

At the invitation of The Lord Gadhia of Northwood, the National Hindu Students’ Forum (UK) hosted its 30thanniversary celebrations on Wednesday the 18th of May 2022 at the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords.

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fter almost a decade, NHSF (UK), the largest Hindu student movement outside of Bharat, made its presence known in the halls of Parliament, marking our history in the distinguished company of Honourable Lords, Baronesses, Members of Parliament, Councillors, and the wider community. “Ours is a history steeped in success.” Echoed by the former NHSF (UK) National President, Pranav Bhanot (2011-2014) at the Palace of Westminster, these words commemo-

Bhavya Shah, National President NHSF (UK)

rating our accomplishments resounded once again in 2022, in the very esteemed establishment they once found a voice.

The 30th-anniversary celebrations saw the presentation of the NHSF (UK) Exhibition, namely ‘The Hindu Journey in Britain: The Untold Story.’

Comprised of three sections, ‘The Hindu Journey in Britain’ is NHSF (UK)’s bold attempt to tell our tale.

Aligning with our 30th-anniversary slogan, ‘Stand Up, Speak Up, Show Up,’ the NHSF (UK) Exhibition is the first work of its kind to showcase the story of Hindus in the UK - researched, written, and designed by students. The NHSF

L-R: Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar Chauhan (British Army), Lavanya Roychowdhury, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Lodue Miah, Shiv Chand (RAF), CB Patel, Editor-in-Chief, Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar, WO Lenny Brayshaw (RAF), Krishan Kant Attri MBE, Hindu Chaplin

(UK) Exhibition has provided insights into the contributions of Hindus to British society, through the fields of politics and the public sector, economy and enterprise, sports and the sciences, the armed forces, and academia. There exists no space through which British Hindus have not aided the progress of our country. The Exhibition further features a timeline of the landmark moments of our collective history, noting our key achievements and campaigns, and depicting our successive waves of migration since the end of the Second World War. Chronicling the stories of the refugee communities of East Africa and Sri Lanka, to the skilled workers of the late 90s/early 2000s, the poignant anecdotes presented have tugged the heartstrings of many.

Compèred by the National PR Coordinator, Samyak Pandey, the afternoon opened with a welcome address

by The Lord Gadhia, whose continued

support for the students has provided the impetus for the successes of NHSF over the years.

A highlight of the event was a speech by Cambridge University Hindu Cultural Society President (2021/2022), Thomas Awad, who touched upon how his Hindu identity has forever been an integral “source of support”, and how in instances of animosity or isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the

Excerpts from remarks by

Lord Jitesh Gadhia

“I

Thomas Awad, the President of NHSF Cambridge Hindu Society

Hindu Society on campus that was an invaluable pillar of solace. “The sense of community and solidarity provided to us by the wider NHSF (UK) community made me realise that I was never alone and that I am indeed part of one big family. That there was a safe space for me on campus, where I could be my true, authentic self.”

Concluding the afternoon, were words from National President, Bhavya Shah (2021-), who said, “The last 30 years have seen our youth take lead in defining what it means to be a British Hindu. When a student graduates from NHSF (UK), they know they have a responsibility.”

‘Most devotees of BAPS have certainly endured great hardship’

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homas Awad has been exposed to a variety of religious influences throughout his life. Being born into a Christian family, he was initially raised as a Church-going Christian though he was always interested in all religions. “My Grandfather was from a Palestinian Roman Catholic family and attended an Arabic Saturday school with an Islamic basis. It was since the age of 8, however, that my interest in Hinduism began to grow, after learning about the Ramayana in Primary School,” he told Asian Voice. Here’s a short Q&A: - You've had a very secular exposure to culture and religion since your early days. What about BAPS appealed to you when you became a devotee?

I first visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden when I was 11 and I still remember that day so vividly as if it were yesterday. I was so captivated by the whole experience; the stunning architecture, the beauty of the murtis and the incredibly welcoming nature of the devotees. I was left utterly in awe by the aarti, which awoke something deep inside of me. This was the initial spark that would go on to ignite a burning fire. As I grew older, however, it was the beliefs of values of BAPS that attracted me to it. The genuine love and compassion for all regardless of any distinctions, such as race, gender, caste and creed, as taught by Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the Guru Parampara, truly inspired me and I soon realised that I had found my ishtadev.

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-What does spirituality mean to you and how does it help you in everyday life?

For me, spirituality is the very core of my being. My faith is utterly intertwined with every aspect of my life and I would not have it any other way.

Every day I perform nitya puja and do darshan of my small ghar mandir.

Having taken vartman diksha, or spiritual initiation, I wear the doublestringed kanthi and I follow the fundamental niyams of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, such as maintaining a strict vegetarian diet (although I am a vegan) and completely avoiding alcohol and all intoxicants.

Spirituality helps me navigate the challenges of everyday life, reminding me that however centred around myself or my own problems I may be, there is always something far greater than myself.

- During the pandemic, the BAPS team has done God's work in helping people cope with adversities.

What was your observation and experience while following BAPS? The work of BAPS throughout the world is utterly invaluable. It has championed the rights of Dalits, Adivasis and other such marginalised

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communities, helping them to elevate their own lives and communities, in a way that so many others would not.

We have seen the same selflessness during the pandemic, with BAPS donating medical equipment to hospitals in India, and providing food to the needy. In my eyes, this is nothing less than a form of Seva and an act of worship in itself. Bhagwan Swaminarayan placed a huge emphasis on helping those who are in need, so I believe it is my duty, both as a member of BAPS and as a human being, to do the same.

- What according to you is the importance of an institution like BAPS for the Hindu diaspora and people like you who find solace in the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan?

Most devotees of BAPS have certainly endured great hardship, though their strength and resilience throughout is completely inspiring. Hearing many stories of devotees from Kenya and Uganda, I am always so moved by the huge sacrifices they made and how they managed to rebuild their lives as well as Satsang here in the UK. For me, BAPS is not just my faith, but it is also a family, and I know that wherever I go, someone will always be there to look out for me. BAPS has worked hard at preserving the values of Hindu Dharma, both in India and throughout the diaspora, and it allows millions to keep in touch with their faith and culture. BAPS Mandirs provide not only an opportunity to connect with the divine but also a safe haven of serenity away from the busyness of the outside world that can often be so hard to find.

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am delighted to be hosting this celebration to mark the 30th Anniversary of the National Hindu Students Forum. Over the past three decades, NHSF has provided Hindu students at universities across the UK, a safe space to explore their Hindu identity, cultivate their key values, and develop into future leaders and role models. Above all, it has instilled a sense of pride in Hindu identity on campus.

“It’s wonderful to see so many generations represented here this afternoon - from current students to the original founders and alumni of NHSF - to community elders who inspired and supported its creation.

“I am also delighted to welcome a wide range of my colleagues from Parliament - representing both houses and from across all parties. Indeed, support for Hindus and Hindu students should rightly be a source of strong political consensus across our country.

“As well as celebrating the last 30 years of impressive achievement by NHSF - today is also an opportunity to take stock of the story of British Hindus - who now represent over 1 million of our citizens.

“That journey is captured by the exhibition which you see around this room - but is equally embodied by the experiences of so many present here as well. It is a story of two halves: of struggle and sacrifice, as well as positive progress and remarkable contribution to every field of human endeavour.

“Not only would the UK be poorer in every sense without British Hindus - but in many areas of activity, such as the health service - our society would struggle to function without the exceptional talent and skills of the Hindu and wider Indian community.

Yet ours is a quiet contribution - not a bombastic or attention-seeking one - anchored in the very best Dharmic values of duty and service.

“But, at times, the absence of public profile has acted against the interests of Hindus - especially the simplistic media portrayal which conflates the politics of the subcontinent with the underlying philosophy of Hinduism.

“Regrettably, Hindus and Indians have become a punch bag in Parliament too from certain quarters. The public understanding of the world’s third-largest religion is surprisingly shallow and often dominated by images of rituals rather than an appreciation of a 5,000-year-old ancient civilisation from the Indus Valley.

“Now, more than ever, Hindus require a stronger voice and profile to counter the distorted representation. The essence of Hinduism is to be open, inclusive and tolerant of others. We don’t come from a theocratic country, or tradition, but instead from a civilisation which accepts that there are many paths, respecting and embracing difference.

“This is evident across every corner of India and the challenge for us all is to better explain our values and the ground reality - that we represent not only the oldest tradition in the world but one of the most peaceful and tolerant.

“Infact, I would say that in an era of increasing ideological competition and global fragmentation, Hinduism and Hindu values are more relevant than they have ever been.

As torchbearers of the noble values of Vasudeva Kutumbakam - the world is one family - Hindus have a pivotal role to play in countering the forces which are making societies more inward, insular and intolerant.

“So, as NHSF looks back on its legacy over the past 30 years, it can also look ahead to making an ever greater impact in the years to come - supporting future generations to understand and celebrate their Hindu culture and identity - and building on its reputation of being a factory of future leaders.”

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17 4 - 10 June 2022

he Trustees of Jalaram Temple Leicester, together with local school children, community and business leaders - assisted by the Hanuman Sevak Group, gathered to take part in a special tree-planting ceremony on Sunday 8th May 2022, as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations As part of the event, 14 Trees were planted in total. Hindu spiritual leader Mahodayshri Vaishnavacharya Shree Dwarkeshlalji Mahodayshree (Kadi Ahmedabad) who had travelled from India, planted a tree in memory of those who passed away during Covid.

Other trees were planted by the Chief Inspector Audrey Danvers Chief in Memory of Late Simon Cole ExConstable of Leicestershire Police, Pramod Thakkar, Birju Ghelani, Ketan Kotecha, Jaimina Ghelani & Shidi Trivedi planted a Tree on behalf of the Trustees of Jalaram Charitable Trust; Bhadarsilbhai Trivedi, Jayantibhai Chandarana & Ketanbhai Kotecha, Sanvika & Ruhani Ruparelia Grandchildren of the Chairman Pramod & Jasvanti Thakkar sponsored a Tree in memory of their Great Parents and the Founders of the Temple, Late Shantilalbhai & Late Lalitaben Thakkar which was planted by Pramod, Chandresh & Dipti Dhutia & Ramanbhai Barber MBE (family friends). Deputy City Mayor & Ward Councillor Sarah Russel planted the tree on behalf of the Liz Kendall MP, and other Councillors. Steve White accompanied by Manjulaben Sood MBE & Ramabhai Barbar MBE planted

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Shree

Temple Leicester ter &

VIRBAIMAA JALARAM AM COMMUNITY CENTRE

Jalaram Temple Leicester Tree Planting Ceremony to Mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Tree plantation as explained by Dwarkeshlalji Je Je Shri – 108 Kadi Ahmedabad H Shree Dwarkeshlalji Mahoday Shri –108 Kadi, Ahmedabad, lovingly called JeJe Shree, was on a visit to Shri Jalaram Prathna Mandir, Leicester, UK. A tree-planting ceremony was organised, as part of her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration. The Indian community was lucky to host JeJe Shree at the event.

Explaining the importance of trees Je Je Shri said, "In the Hindu scriptures, trees have been considered as life. According to Vallabhacharya Jagatguru Mahaprabhu, trees give us many lessons of life. Right from the plantation of seed to the delivery of fruits, the trees face so many difficulties in the form of cold weather, heat, rain etc.

But, in spite of that, whenever they yield fruits, instead of keeping the fruit for themselves, it gives away the fruits to others for use. In the same way when a person works hard throughout one’s life and achieves success, the success is said to be meaningful only when their success is useful or helpful to the society."

"As we stand at the temple of Jalaram Bapa right now, let us remember the life of Shri Jalaram Bapa. Whatever Jalaram Bapa achieved in his life, he dedicated that to the society. Jalaram Bapa gives us exactly the same message that each and every tree gives us – work tirelessly to achieve your goals and face all the hurdles, but when you achieve the fruits of your success, make sure that you share them with the entire society," an emotional JeJe Shree said.

In fact, many small children were also present at the venue. When asked about his views on the message that he wishes to give to the world with reference to pollution, JJ said, "In the times of Corona, we all saw how precious Oxygen is. In fact, it was then that people realised the true value of oxygen. People realised that one tree actually benefits so many human beings by provid-

and animals, provide fresh air to breathe, and support all other members of their ecosystem. This is the kind of service that every human being, in every community needs to look at, and it is heart-warming that so many individuals and organisations took part in the tree-planting ceremony. I know that these trees

Trees on behalf of Leicester & Leicestershire Council of Faith, and members of Hindu & Jain temples of Leicester.

Pramod Thakkar, Trustee of Jalaram Temple Leicester, said that the project was important for mother earth. He said, “Trees are indeed essential, as they feed us

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will go some way towards helping with climate change.”

Hindu’s worldview of nature is based upon the Vedas and the Upanishads, the ancient scriptures which not only describe the eternal principles and the unified ontology of humans, gods, and nature, but give prescriptions for living, which then translate themselves in terms of the Hindu way of life, and various devotional and ritualistic practices.

Trees are divine representatives that incessantly consume themselves on multiple fronts to ensure, that all beings survive and remain healthy. The aim of The Queen’s Green Canopy campaign is to urge everyone from individuals to community groups, villages, cities, counties, schools, and corporates to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees through to the end of the Jubilee Year: https:// queensgreencanopy.org.

Pramod Thakkar added: “The Queen’s unwavering dedication to the nation has been an inspiration to us all, so I am delighted that our organisation has led the way forward to plant trees to mark her Platinum Jubilee and support The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative on behalf of the people of Leicester.

Planting a tree is a simple but enduring act that will provide habitat for wildlife and be enjoyed for years to come. I hope our initiative will encourage many more community groups, organisations, and Leicester residents to also plant a tree for the Jubilee, which will benefit current and future generations.”

Tree Plantation by HDH Shashtipithadishwar Goswami 108, Shree Dwarkeshlalji Mahoday Shree & HDH Goswami 108 Shree Ashraykumarji Mahodayshree, Vadodara

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ing them with oxygen. Especially, the way pollution is increasing, the only way it could be countered is through tree plantations. That is why we all have to decide that we will inspire all our children to plant a tree in their name near their home. As the child grows, the tree would also grow. The child would be thereby connected with the tree. As the person progresses with time, the tree will also grow. I strongly believe that there is nothing we can take from this world with ourselves, but if we give something to this world, the world will definitely remember us. If you cannot do anything else, simply plant a tree for this earth and it would be considered as your substantial contribution to this planet."

The event also saw planting trees in the memories of all those who have passed away, who are not between us now.

Commenting on that JeJe Shri said, "Life is not only the time you pass within your body. Life is also living as someone’s inspiration and living in people’s memories.

I pray to God to give peace to the souls of all these people who are not between us now.

Planting a tree is the most beautiful form of tribute to them. I believe that instead of buying an expensive bouquet for someone which may wear off the next day, it would be better to plant a tree for them. We would also be able to act as an example of inspiration by doing that."

he second drive of the tree plantation ceremony was organised on the 22nd of May, as a part of Her Majesty The Queen’s P latinu m Jubilee celebration at L e i c e s t e r . P r a mo d b ha i s a i d t ha t t he T rustees & the temp le are indebted as Krishna Shankar Shastriji (Pujya Dadaji ) blessed us when first shown the project plans, and thereafter laid the foundation s tone and o ffi cial ly o p ened the tem ple where over 10000 devotees attended over two days.

We are blessed that Vallabhkul Parivar is now planting trees.

HDH Shashtipithadishwar Goswami 108, Shree

Dwarkeshlalji Mahoday Shree & HDH Goswami 108 Shree Ashraykumarji Mahodayshree were on a visit to Shri Jalaram Prarthna Mandir, Leicester, UK. The Indian community was lucky to host them.

Moving forward in the event, the host Mr Pramod said, that as a part of the platinum jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen which is going to start on the 2nd of June, individuals around the corners of the UK have been invited to visit and plant trees.

Elaborating their aim, he said, “Everybody, from individuals to community groups, villages, and cities, schools and cooperates should enhance for an environment to plant a tree to the end of jubilee”.

They are conducting this event with the volunteers of Hanuman Mandir who are their helping hand and are too be considered as walking soldiers of the event. Even 2 weeks ago, they planted 14 trees in three schools in Leicester, considering the fact that it will help in contributing to climate change.

JeJe Shree Dwarkeshlalji, said, “Trees have always been worshipped by Indian philosophy, history and religious aspects”. He

also spoke about the importance of organ donation and its value to life and its the biggest form of contribution to society.

Lord Mayor Dipak Bajaj thanked all who planted a tree and contributed to the event while speaking of the award by The Majesty for green plant champion for green canopy.

Resham Singh Sandhu MBE High Sheriff of Leicester said, “The concept of planting a tree is the best way to remember God, which helps and will maintain sustainable development for our future generations.” She also spoke about how whenever Queen Majesty visited, she was always keen to know about the culture and remembered all the small elements of Indian culture.

Explaining how white men are also interested in taking part in Indian culture, Steve White OBE, said that the Jalaram Mandir is at the front side of the city so that people can see it while entering the city and while moving from the city. Planting more trees will help in changing the world.

Describing one of the projects in Singapore, he explained that there is a supermarket where tree sampling is sold free of cost, which is the best gesture toward the environment.

Councillor Rashmikant Joshi MBE said that trees are the lungs of planet earth and are vital for oxygen supply which helps us to breathe and it is indeed a great pleasure that we all are doing this and taking care of our mother nature.

Je Je Shri appreciated the opportunity that he got to visit and also all the elements of Hindu culture and its contribution to the religious aspects.

Je Je Shree also visited the organ donation centre and blessed the supporters working behind this noble cause.

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4 - 10 June 2022

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Alpesh Patel OBE

Best Stocks Now According to Hedge Funds and Analysts It's no secret that the market has been on a roller coaster ride over the past few months. The pandemic has caused unprecedented economic turmoil and uncertainty, leading many investors to believe that we are heading for a recession.

In such volatile times, it's difficult to know which stocks are worth investing in. However, certain indicators can give us a clue as to which stocks are likely to perform well in the current market conditions.

One such indicator is the performance of hedge funds.

Hedge funds are typically made up of highly experienced and professional investors, who have access to information and resources that the average investor does not.

Another indicator that can be useful in identifying profitable stocks to buy now is the opinion of analysts.

Investment analysts research companies and industries to identify opportunities and trends.

Here, we'll look at some of the best stocks to buy according to hedge funds and analysts.

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The company is known for its insurance, railroad, and utility businesses.

Berkshire Hathaway's share price has been steadily rising over the past few years, with a total return of nearly 20% since 2020. The company is one of the most widely held stocks in the world, with many hedge funds and institutions investing in it. It is a haven during times of economic uncertainty because of the company's diversified business interests and strong financial position.

JP Morgan Chase JP Morgan Chase is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City. The company is one of the largest banks in the United States, with a sizable presence in investment banking, asset management, and private equity.

JP Morgan Chase's stock has a value of $90.14 billion as of May 2020 and a market capitalization of $351.48 billion.

The company has a strong balance sheet and is well-positioned to weather the current economic downturn in terms of dividend stocks.

Alphabet (Google) Alphabet is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company is best known for its search engine, Google. Alphabet also owns and operates several other companies, including YouTube, Android, and Nest. Alphabet's stock has performed well in recent years, with a total return of nearly 30% since 2020.

Medtronic Medtronic is an American multinational medical device company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The company is a leading provider of medical devices and therapies.

Medtronic's products are used in a variety of medical procedures, including cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, and diabetes management.

Medtronic's market capitalization is $208.84 billion as of May 2020, and the company is well-positioned to profit from an aging population and the growing need for medical devices and therapies.

CVS Health CVS Health is an American multinational pharmacy and healthcare company headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The company is best known for its pharmacy benefits management, retail pharmacy, and health care clinics.

CVS Health's stock has performed well in recent years, with a total return of nearly 30% since 2020. The growth is also non-dependant on the economic state, which makes this stock one of the best to buy now.

Issa Brothers considering to pull out of Boots takeover bid The British health and beauty chain has been put up for sale by Walgreens Boots Alliance after the US parent indicated that it wanted to focus on the American market. Boots which employs 51,000 people has 2,200 shops and 550 opticians, the majority of which require some refurbishment.

The sale process has been complicated by market volatility caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has made buyers nervous about raising expensive debt.

India’s Reliance

Income of benefit claimants and pensioners to get biggest rise The consumer prices index rose by 9 per cent in the 12 months to April, meaning that welfare recipients and pensioners face a real-terms cut this year after their payments increased by only 3.1 per cent. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, said the Treasury would raise the payments in line with inflation next year after previously blaming the government’s computer systems for his inability to provide more immediate support.

Benefit claimants and pensioners are set to receive the biggest rise in their incomes since 1991 in a move that will cost the Treasury £15 billion next year. The sum will keep benefit payments and pensions in line with inflation.

The Resolution Foundation, an independent think tank, has calculated that the cost would be about £15 billion.

As part of Sunak’s separate £21 billion package of measures announced this week, pensioners will receive a top-up to their annual £200-£300 winter fuel payment in November and six million people on disability benefits will get a one-off payment of £150 in September. Sunak recently announced that all households would receive an automatic discount of £400 on their energy bills. He also refused to rule out more spending to ease the cost of living crisis but promised not to leave a legacy of debt for the country’s children. The chancellor defended himself as a “fiscal conservative” as Tories were divided over his £21 billion package. The chancellor said it was right to act when families were facing “acute distress”.

The Bank of England has warned that UK banks and insurers will end up shouldering nearly £340 bn worth of climate-related losses by 2050, unless action is taken to curb rising temperatures and sea levels.

The regulator has found that without early action, companies would suffer a surge in loan and mortgage

that Walgreens is looking for between £6 billion and £7 billion but that the Issas tabled an offer of about £5 billion. It is not clear how much the gap between the prices is linked to the size of the stake that Walgreens has offered to keep in the business.

Lord Rose of Monewden, chairman of Asda and EG Group, said that the process for Boots was “a bit like with a house — sometimes you want to have a look inside but it doesn’t mean you are going to buy it”.

London’s stock market rules may be relaxed The proposals by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) would mean scrapping the current two-tier system, where firms decide whether to follow looser rules of a socalled standard listing, or the more rigorous standards of a premium listing.

Instead, all companies would need to meet one set of rules, in order to simplify what some industry bodies have said is the UK’s “complex” and costly listing regime.

The proposal to relax London’s stock market rules is an attempt to attract more fast-growing startups instead of losing out to other financial centres such as New York, Paris and Frankfurt.

The UK is hoping to build on last year’s stock market boom, which saw

companies raise £16.9bn on the London Stock Exchange. That was the strongest year for stock market fundraising since 2007.

However, the boom followed years of decline, with the number of companies listing in London having dropped by nearly 40% since the financial crisis. Between 2015 and 2020, the UK only attracted 5% of the world’s initial public offerings (IPOs).

The proposals follow recommendations put forward by the peer Jonathan Hill last year, who recommended the FCA slash the proportion of shares that have to be offered to outside investors from 25% to 15%, and allow companies to issue dual-class shares that give founders more control of listed firms.

After skyrocketing, UK house prices begin to slow down British real estate portal Zoopla said that after skyrocketing, the house prices have started to slow down.

Data from the property portal showed that average house prices in April hit £250,200, marking an annual inflation rate of 8.4% compared to 9% in March.

And Zoopla forecasts that annual house price inflation will fall to +3% by the end of

Banks, insurers in UK may face £340 bn worth of climate-related loss The Bank of England is one of the few central banks to have conducted climate stress tests, alongside the European Central Bank and Banque de France.

The numbers emerged from the Bank’s first climate stress tests on seven of the UK’s largest lenders. These involved three climate scenarios over a 30-year period, covering physical and transition risks, including one in which governments fail to take further steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in average temperature rises of 3.3 C, and a 3.9metre rise in sea levels.

Apollo are bidding together. The Issa brothers and TDR Capital, who together own EG Group and Asda, had been considering buying Boots as part of a strateIssa Brothers gy to improve Asda’s pharmacy Industries and Apollo, the service. They have added private equity firm, have numerous partnerships to become the front-runners to Asda, such as with fashion buy Boots after the Issa brand In The Style, in brothers indicated that they response to intense compewere not prepared to pay the tition in Britain’s supermarasking price. Reliance and ket sector. It is understood

defaults, investment losses, and climate-related lawsuits – particularly for insurers – worth £334 bn across the UK’s 19 largest banks and insurers by 2050.

While the regulator has been praised for the climate stress tests, the Bank of England has come under fire for so far refusing to publish data for individual firms, and stopping short of introducing immediate capital requirements, which would make it more expensive to offer loans and services to fossil fuel companies and carbon-intensive projects.

the year.

More than one-in-20 homes had its asking price slashed in April by an average of 9% or £22,500 – the widest discount margin seen for the last 18 months – while properties for sale are remaining on the market for longer.

The average time a three-bedroom property is taking to sell increased to 18

days in April, up from 16 days in March. In London the increase was greater – from 17 days to 21 days.

Gráinne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla said that, while current high levels of buyer demand is causing the market to move quickly, selling times will steadily increase as demand levels start to fall due to “changing sentiment around

the cost of living and personal finances.”

The property market remains strongest in Wales in April for the 15th consecutive month, with house prices 11.6% up on last year, while annual growth in London is slowest at 3.6%, according to Zoopla, which bases its data on a combination of sold prices, mortgage valuations and agreed sales.

Energy suppliers complain of having hit by surge in wholesale gas prices High wholesale prices have led to a surge in energy costs for consumers and businesses across Europe, but the pressures faced by UK consumers have been particularly acute. Energy suppliers complain that they, too, have been hit by this year’s surge in wholesale gas prices and that the retail sector is particularly fragile.

While governments in other countries have intervened to protect households from surging bills, in Britain, regulator Ofgem has raised the country’s energy price cap 54 per cent, pushing up average bills for

23mn households to about £2,000 a year. In France, for example, rises in electricity costs have been limited to 4 per cent.

Chief executive Jonathan Brearley has warned that he expects bills to rise another 40 per cent to £2,800 in October, when the cap is next updated.

Many consumers fear being forced into fuel poverty, a reason a UK windfall tax has widespread public support. Despite the government’s reluctance to impose such a levy, chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering a broader tax that could

include companies that generate electricity and have been benefiting from high wholesale power prices.

In fact, it is not just wholesale prices that are behind the higher bills in Britain. Among the extra costs hitting UK households is a £68 contribution to rescue customers of the more than 30 energy suppliers that have collapsed in the past year. There are also concerns that weaker operators have sought to frontload customers’ bills to secure funds to support daily operations.

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Green signal for Tata Motors to take over Ford’s Gujarat plant The Gujarat cabinet gave its green signal for Tata Motors to take over Ford India’s passenger car manufacturing plant in Sanand near Ahmedabad.

With the state’s green signal, Tata Motors will also be able to reap the benefits and incentives extended to Ford at the time of launch of its plant. The cabinet has issued a no objection certificate to the companies’ proposal, sources said. Ford Motors announced its exit from India operations and shuts its Sanand plant in April this year.

In 2018, the state had formed a high power committee (HPC) to resolve issues pertaining to execution of large projects.

Shell in talks with Indian consortium to sell Russian assets Shell, a British multinational oil and gas company, is now in talks with a consortium of Indian energy companies to sell its stake in a major liquefied natural gas plant in Russia which the British company abandoned following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Indian consortium’s potential interest in the Russian plant shows how India is willing to move in on energy assets and cheap oil supplies coming on the market as a result of Western companies pulling back from Russia. Shell in February said it would exit all its Russian operations, including its 27. 5% stake in

the Sakhalin-2 LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) plant, amid an exodus of Western companies from the country. The world’s largest LNG trader wrote down $3.9 billion on Russian assets after its decision to leave.

The company has recently entered talks with a group of Indian companies, including ONGC Videsh and Gail to acquire the stake. However, Shell, in addition to ONGC, Gail and other Indian staterun companies have not yet given their response. Shell is also asking the Indian group for separate bids for long term deals it has with Sakhalin 2 to supply it with LNG cargoes and crude oil.

The two automobile giants therefore, had submitted a consented proposal for Tata Motors’ takeover of Ford’s plant, before the HPC. “The

Gujarat cabinet’s approval is only a green signal to the two firms to take the deal forward,” said a source.

Sources confirmed that the two companies will sign a memorandum of understanding in presence of CM Bhupendra Patel. The state government has agreed to pass on all the benefits offered to Ford motors to Tata Motors for the remaining period of the concession agreement,” a source said.

Tata Motors plans to manufacture electric vehicles at the new plant.

Govt approves sale of stake in Hindustan Zinc In a fresh push to disinvestment, the union cabinet recently approved the sale of the government’s residual stake of 29.5% in Hindustan Zinc (HZL) which may help raise muchneeded revenues of nearly £3.8 billion. The move came even as top officials suggested that the Centre push for the privatisation of two state-run lenders.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the sale, which may be through the offer for sale route and will be managed by the department of investment and public asset management (Dipam).

HZL is now a subsidiary of Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta Ltd, which owns 64.9% in the company. The Centre had decided in 2012 to divest its stake in HZL but it got bogged down with delays. In February this year, the Supreme Court had allowed the residual stake sale after the Centre accused the CBI of presenting fundamentally wrong facts regarding HZL’s disinvestment during the Vajpayee government’s tenure and had said that the investigative agency had misled the apex court to direct registration of a fresh FIR for probe into alleged irregularities.

The latest decision to move ahead with the stake sale will also help the government inch closer to the disinvestment target for the current fiscal year set at £6.5 billion. Several high profile sales such as the privatisation of Bharat Petrochemicals Limited (BPCL) has been put on the backburner for now due to lack of interest.

Goyal asks Indian industry to procure locally Following Covid-19 and now the Ukraine war, India and several other countries have been grappling with supply chain disruptions across sectors. With the Indian government seeking to fill those gaps, India’s Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has flagged the issue at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.

Goyal has exhorted Indian industry to procure locally wherever there is an opportunity so that domestic supply chains are fortified and become more resilient and the tendency to place excessive dependence on international supply chains is curbed.

He said despite supply chains having been strained amid global challenges, India

has done exceedingly well in terms of exports and other parameters. The minister also urged Indian Inc to look at boosting value-added exports and ensure that new jobs came into India, instead of raw materials going out of India. Arguing that the government was making serious efforts in that direction, Goyal said the Centre was striving to

India to move ahead with UK, EU trade talks India's commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal was recently in the UK to push ahead with talks, following his meeting with EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, who said that the two partners will formally launch negotiations soon as they move ahead with the next round of free trade agreements (FTAs).

Apart from this, India has signed two trade agreements in recent months, with UAE and Australia, shunning its decade-long reluctance to enter into bilateral deals.

Through these treaties, the government is hoping to

boost trade and drive investments into the economy. The two trade agreements, along with those with Canada and Israel, are currently on the table.

Switzerland is also suggesting that stalled negotiations for an agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) should be revived.

Apart from Switzerland, EFTA includes Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The UK is the next focus with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson setting a Diwali deadline for the talks to conclude.

Businesses too are keen for

the deal to come through quickly. “They are trying to do something that is not just fast but also comprehensive, which also includes digital and other areas,” said Kevin McCole, managing director, UK India Business Council (UKIBC). According to Kevin there were high hopes from the Indian side, that the UK will reduce tariffs on textiles, which will improve their competitiveness with respect to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. From the UK side, much focus is on very high tariffs on automotive and alcohol and Scotch, given that tariffs are at 150%, McCole added.

ensure orderly behaviour of prices and that businesses add value and jobs.

Logistics is one cost where the government is very seriously looking at and if there are any other concerns, the industry may have, we are open to look at each of those, he said, while pitching India as an attractive investment destination.

From Weakness to Strength Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

W

e have a client who wishes to purchase another BTL property. She currently has one which she is generating an income on via Air BnB. The property happens to be close to the Harry Potter studio, it generates higher than normal rental income. I was not aware Harry Potter would have this level of pulling power.

This does come with an extra layer of hassle; as you’re pretty much running a hotel.

Anyhow, this has inspired her to replicate this model again.

With the market this heated, this is easier said than done. Any property which is reasonably priced and hits the market soon attracts multiple bids and often goes above the asking price.

One property which had a garden and a parking space with share of freehold priced at £220K, went under offer without her even getting a chance to visit the property. She then went online and discovered two things, one is you can guzump a deal, this means offer above the asking price, the second being that any offer presented to the agent legally obliges the agent to pass this to the owner.

On this basis, on a Sunday night, she offered £8K above the asking price. She still never got the property.

This is indicative of the market at the moment.

One of the issues is most of the purchase money is coming from a mortgage. This means it comes with a lot of administration and time, and uncertainty.

Therefore, the first step is to put the client in a position of strength and not weakness. This would allow her to have a stronger position when dealing with agents, and open another door up, namely the auction market would be in her reach.

We looked at her two other properties, both on fixed rates; it did not make sense to break these deals.

However, one can get a further advance from the same lender, without disturbing the underlying deal.

As the existing properties are quite lowly geared, floating at around 40-50%, by asking this question and doing this exercise the client will have six figures in her arsenal.

This allows her a far stronger negotiating position when dealing with agents; and allows her to go for properties which are in a dilapidated condition which cannot be rented out immediately. These properties cannot be put on to a conventional BTL mortgage, because the properties are not rentable in that condition.

However, this is where you’re likely to pick up a property with some margin on it.

This can then be tidied up and then refinanced when completed. And instead of paying over the odds, this hopefully allows the client to pay under the market level.

What changed? The ingredients were exactly the same, meaning we didn’t add anything external. We merely showed her a different method, where she was more empowered and will hopefully attract a good deal – soon.

India’s Adani Wilmar becomes best performing IPO in Asia Billionaire Adani owned company Adani Wilmar was listed recently in stock exchanges. The company has become an outlier among not only India’s, but Asia’s newly listed stocks.

The food company has almost tripled since its debut while most newcomers are trading under water.

Out of 121 Asian IPOs worth over $100 million this year, almost two thirds of the region’s new listings are in the red as rising interest rates and the war in Ukraine take a toll. However, Adani Wilmar which is a joint venture between the group

controlled by Asia’s richest person Gautam Adani and Singapore’s Wilmar International, have outperformed all of them.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore and Nippon Life India were among investors in Adani Wilmar’s IPO, which makes Fortune brand cooking oils, wheat flour, rice, pulses, sugar and

other food products.

The firm said it would use part of the funds in the $486 million offering to expand facilities, repay loans and make strategic acquisitions.

The strong performance bodes well for Adani, one of Asia’s busiest dealmakers, who’s expanding his reach after years of focusing on coal and infrastructure-related plays. The tycoon’s move to diversify into new areas like data centers and digital services has paid off, after he capped a run of some 32 acquisitions in the past year.

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in brief BIDEN TO NAME INDIAN-AMERICAN AS SLOVAKIA ENVOY US President Joe Biden is set to nominate career diplomat Gautam Rana as the new US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Slovakia, the latest Indian-American to be named for a key position. In a statement, the White House announced the president’s intent to send Rana’s nomination for further ratification. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, US – with rank of Counselor, Rana is currently Deputy Chief of Mission of the US embassy in Algeria and was the Charg d’Affaires ad interim there from August 2020 to February 2022. Earlier, Rana served as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Charg d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

INDIAN PEACEKEEPERS ATTACKED IN CONGO An armed group launched an unprovoked attack on the MONUSCO (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the FARDC (Congolese Army) positions in Congo on May 22. MONUSCO has the Indian Army troops deployed in the country as part of a multilateral United Nations peacekeeping force. The Indian Army and troops of other nationalities under the UN flag fended off the attack by carrying out a coordinated resistance with the FARDC. The UNSC released a statement condemning the attack and called it a “deliberate attack targeting peacekeepers”. It added that such attacks may constitute war crimes under international law.

The Indian Army troops have been contributing to the stabilisation of the strifetorn region in accordance with a UN mandate.

BLASTS KILL 14 PEOPLE IN AFGHANISTAN At least 14 people were killed and 32 others injured in four separate explosions that rocked Afghanistan’s capital Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, authorities said. Five people were killed and 17 others injured after a blast ripped through a mosque during prayers in Kabul’s Kolola Pushta locality, reports Xinhua news agency. The blast occurred when people were offering prayers in Hazrat-e-Zekria Mosque, police spokesman Khalid Zadran said in a tweet.

TALIBAN SIGN DEAL WITH UAE CO TO RUN AF AIRPORTS The Taliban announced a deal allowing an Emirati company to manage three airports in Afghanistan after the fall of the country’s USbacked government. But, UAE did not immediately acknowledge the deal. Under the deal, the Abu Dhabi-based firm GAAC Solutions would manage the airports in Herat, Kabul and Kandahar, Taliban said. They signed the deal with a person they identified as an MD for GAAC. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Taliban-appointed deputy PM described the arrangement as renewing an airport ground handling deal with UAE.

AF WOMEN DEMAND WORK, EDUCATION About two dozen Afghan women chanting “bread, work, freedom” protested in the capital against the Taliban’s harsh restrictions on their rights. Since seizing power in August, the Taliban have rolled back the marginal gains made by women during the two decades of US intervention in Afghanistan. “Education is my right! Reopen schools!” chanted the protesters, many of them wearing face-covering veils, as they gathered in front of the ministry of education. Demonstrators marched for a few hundred metres before ending the rally as authorities deployed Taliban fighters in plain clothes. We wanted to read out a declaration but the Taliban didn't allow it. They took the phones of some girls,” said protester Zholia Parsi.

Bodies of all 22 Nepal air crash victims, including 4 Indians, recovered KATHMANDU: Nepal Army aid it has recovered the last body from the wreckage site of the Tara Air plane that crashed in Nepal's mountainous Mustang district on Sunday with 22 people on board, including four Indians, minutes after taking off from the tourist city of Pokhara.

"The last dead body has been recovered. Arrangement are made to bring the remaining 12 bodies from the crash site to Kathmandu," Nepal Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Narayan Silwal tweeted.

By Monday night, rescuers had recovered 21 bodies from the crash site, said a statement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

They resumed their search operation to retrieve the last body, according to the officials.

The turboprop Twin Otter 9N-AET plane went missing on Sunday morning in the mountainous region of Nepal. The Canadian-built plane, flying from Pokhara to the popular tourist town Jomsom in central Nepal, was carrying four Indians, two Germans and 13 Nepali passengers, besides a

three-member Nepali crew.

Ten bodies were brought to Kathmandu, while 11 bodies were taken to the base camp from where the rescue operation is being coordinated. President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba have condoled the death of crew members and passengers in the

plane crash.

The government has formed a five-member commission of inquiry to find out the cause of the plane crash. A preliminary investigation revealed that the aircraft had crashed into the mountains after it swerved to the right, instead of turning to the left due to inclement weather, CAAN Director-General Pradeep Adhikari said. On Monday, the CAAN in a statement said that the plane had crashed at Thasang-2 in Mustang district at the height of 14,500 feet.

The airline's passengers list identified four Indians as Ashok Kumar Tripathy, his wife Vaibhavi Bandekar (Tripathy) and their children Dhanush and Ritika. The family was based in Thane city near Mumbai.

Former Pak PM Khan was persuaded to end his 'Azadi March' Islamabad: A former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a retired army general and a leading businessman persuaded ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to not go ahead with the planned sit-in at the end of his party’s long march in Islamabad, a media report said.

Khan launched his ‘Azadi March’ on May 25 to press for fresh elections in the country with the announcement to stage a sit-in in Islamabad but later called it off, saying the government would be happy if he goes ahead with it as it would lead to clashes between the people, police and the army.

"I had decided that I will sit here until the government dissolves assemblies and announces elections, but of

Imran Khan

what I have seen in the past 24 hours, they (govt) are taking the nation towards anarchy," he told his thousands of supporters at the ‘Azadi March’ at Jinnah Avenue.

The surprise decision by Khan not to go ahead with the sit-in at the end of the long march left almost everyone baffled - foes and allies alike.

Lanka PM thanks India for support amid ‘difficult period’ COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is aiming to work towards taking “correct” policy decisions amid a “small window” to reduce the economic crisis impact, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the country’s prime minister, said as he thanked India and Japan over the move to set up a foreign aid consortium. The seasoned leader, who recently took charge as Sri Lanka PM for the sixth time, also said he spoke to India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and “expressed our country's appreciation for the support India has extended during this difficult period”.

In a series of tweets, the 73-year-old leader also underlined that the South Asian nation - in the midst of the worst-ever economic crisis - is also looking to fast-track talks with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and finalise an arrangement by mid-June to “find concrete solutions to problems we’re facing.”

"Assistance from India and Japan: I am grateful for the positive response from India and Japan on the proposal made for the Quad members (United States, India, Japan, and Australia) to take the lead in setting up a foreign aid consortium to assist Sri Lanka," one of his posts read. "I had a conversation with India's Minister of Finance @nsitharaman today. I expressed our country's appreciation for the support India has extended during this difficult period. I look forward to further strengthening ties between our nations (sic)," the Sri Lanka PM wrote in another post.

The Quad leaders' summit was held recently where leaders of four nations - Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US president Joe Biden, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, and Australian PM Anthony Albanese - met and discussed issues related to the Indo-Pacific issues apart from the Ukraine war and other global matters.

On the sidelines of the summit, India and Japan agreed to work together on assisting crisis-hit Sri Lanka, the Japanese government said, after the meeting between PM Modi and Kishida.

Later, Sitharaman met Sri Lankan high commissioner Milinda Moragoda to discuss the possibility of increasing aid for the country.

“In this context, the minister and the high commissioner explored the possibility of increasing and restructuring the assistance provided by India in the form of credits for essential commodities and fuel as well as balance of payment support,” said a statement from the Sri Lankan high commission.

According to the Dawn newspaper report, there is convergence on one thing - the manner in which it all ended, at least for now, carried clear indications of who made it happen.

The report quoting a source said that those who acted as a go-between included a former chief justice, a leading businessman, and a retired general.

According to the Dawn newspaper, the general perception is that the military had to ultimately play its role to prevent things from getting out of control.

Former National Security Adviser retired Lt. Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi candidly admits that he too agrees with this.

“There is a strong possibility of positive interference by the

military to prevent chaos and seek a return of semblance of political stability so that the process for resuscitating the economy could begin,” Lodhi said.

Another retired general said there was a realisation in the top brass that no one at the helm of affairs would be able to escape responsibility if matters were to go in a wrong direction.

The biggest challenge for the military, a source claimed, was to open up communication channels with Khan, especially in view of their frayed relations.

But, as the former Prime Minister proceeded with the long march plans, a sense of urgency was felt everywhere and multiple channels were employed to bring him around.

Pak faces $6.4 bn in foreign debt, IMF bailout talks on ISLAMABAD: Pakistan faces $6.4 billion in dollar debt due over the next three years as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s new government is trying to meet bailout terms set by the International Monetary Fund.

The country, under pressure to keep its economy afloat and avert a sovereign default, needs about $3.16 billion to pay dollar bonds and loans this year, $1.52 billion next year and $1.71 billion in 2024, according to data.

With a $45 billion trade deficit in the current fiscal year to June and foreign-exchange reserves at $10.1 billion, or less than two months of imports, Pakistan faces the prospect of default for the second time in its history.

The external debt due in the coming fiscal year is estimated to be bigger by Fitch Ratings. The ratings firm includes bilateral obligations of $3 billion owed to Saudi Arabia in time deposits and $4 billion from China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said Jeremy Zook, a Fitch analyst.

In a move aimed at meeting a key bailout condition set by the IMF to unlock the remaining $3 billion from a loan programme, the government raised the cost of gasoline and diesel by 30 rupees a liter.

IMF agreement likely in June Pakistan is expected to reach an agreement with IMF next month to support the cashstrapped country’s sagging economy, finance minister Miftah Ismail has said. Pakistan has repeatedly been seeking international aid to support its failing economy. The talks with the IMF are being held in the Qatari capital Doha.

Ismail said the country is projected to need $36-37 billion in foreign financing in the next fiscal year. Ismail revealed that at present the government was not considering raising fresh foreign debt from the global capital market and commercial banks after the country’s international bonds lost almost one-third of their value, while their yields went up significantly, ‘The Express Tribune’ reported.

He said instead of economic growth, controlling inflation was the top priority of the government. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the next elections in Pakistan will be held in August 2023 and no negotiations will be done with Imran Khan while she slammed Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) for chaos during the recent protest march

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in brief MARCOS JR IS PROCLAIMED NEXT PHILIPPINES PREZ Ferdinand Marcos Jr was proclaimed the next president of the Philippines by a joint session of Congress following a landslide election triumph 36 years after his dictator father was ousted in a pro-democracy uprising. The Senate and House of Representatives also declared that his separately elected vice presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, had won by a wide margin. She is the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, whose turbulent six-year term ends on June 30.

MYANMAR BANS FOREIGN CURRENCY FOR LOCAL USE The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has banned the use foreign currency for local payments in an effort to stabilise the foreign exchange rate in the country. The bank asked government agencies to pay with only Myanmar kyat, saying the use of foreign currencies for domestic payments could lead to higher demand for dollars and cause exchange rate instability, reports Xinhua news agency. The move came after the CBM found out that some government agencies and organisations were using foreign currencies for local payments.

IRAQI MAN ARRESTED FOR ‘PLOT TO KILL BUSH’ The FBI said that they had arrested an Iraqi citizen living in Columbus, Ohio, for aiding and abetting a plot to assassinate former president George Bush in retaliation for waging a war against Iraq. The 52-year-old Ahmed Shihab Shihab was accused of conspiring and abetting a plot to assassinate Bush, going so far as to smuggle immigrants without legal status into the United States to help carry out the killing. Shihab was also accused of committing an immigration crime.

The FBI’s application for a warrant called Shihab a self-described “soldier waiting for directions from the leadership in Qatar. ” And it alleges that he planned to provide material support to the Islamic State group.

MAN MARRIES FOR THE FIRST TIME AT 95 Proving you are never too old to find love, Julian Moyle has married for the first time after finding his soulmate aged 95. He finally said “I do” to blushing bride Valerie Williams, 84, last week in front of 40 guests at Calvary Baptist Church in Cardiff, where they met 23 years ago.

Julian, who emigrated from Australia in 1954, wore a grey suit, while his bride wore a floral dress and a blazer. He said: “It was marvellous and like a new year . We are going to have a deferred honeymoon to Australia, where I will show Mrs Moyle off. She’s so, so kind and giving I’m looking forward to her companionship.” Valerie, who grew up in Cardiff, described Julian as a “fine gentleman”.

BANK SUED FOR DENYING REQUEST TO WORK REMOTELY A former BNP Paribas SA regional director is suing the lender, claiming she was left with no other choice than quitting after it vetoed her request to work remotely from the French Riviera where her husband had got a new job.

Sandrine Sustar, who was based in the northern city of Lille and specialised in real estate financing for wealthy clients, argues that working from home posed no problems during Covid-19 lockdowns and so there was no reason to prevent her from continuing it from the south of France so that she, her husband and their two children could all live together. “She was offering to come back to the office once a week at her own costs,” Sustar’s lawyer said but the bank refused.

India, other nations push for terror-free Afghan, region DUSHANBE: China, Russia, Iran and four central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - joined India in strongly condemning terrorism in a joint statement after the 4th NSA-level regional security dialogue in Dushanbe while also calling for dismantling of terror camps in Afghanistan and the region.

Significantly, while not naming the US or any other western country, the joint statement India signed on mentioned the “view” that countries responsible

for the current situation in Afghanistan should fulfil their “obligations” for economic reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Participating in the conference, NSA Ajit Doval had called for enhanced efforts to check the activities of terror groups and also underlined the significance of respecting the basic rights of women and children at a time the Taliban are said to have imposed restrictions on their activities.

In a bilateral with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani, Doval also warned against possi-

ble use of leftover or abandoned US weapons by terror groups in Afghanistan.

“The heads of delegations called on the relevant Afghan parties to take more realistic steps to eradicate the types of terrorist groups, stop the movement of all terrorist organisations, dismantle their training camps both in Afghanistan and in the region, and ensure that Afghanistan doesn’t serve as a breeding ground, safe haven or source for the spread of terrorism,” said the joint statement issued after the Dushanbe talks.

While China’s terrorism concerns vary from India’s in that Beijing is mostly focused on the activities of Xinjiang-based East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the mention of the need to dismantle terror camps in the region is still significant for India in the context of anti-India activities by Pakistan-based groups like LeT and JeM. The government also managed to get a mention in the joint statement of the Delhi Consensus arrived at in the 3rd regional security dialogue on Afghanistan hosted

by Doval last year.

US envoy praises India for 18-year-old kills 19 school providing humanitarian children, 2 others in Texas aid to Afghans WASHINGTON: US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West commended India for bringing "enormous" capability in helping the people of Afghanistan with humanitarian assistance.

West praised India for working towards protecting the Afghan people with aid to the country. The special representative expressed his will to stand with India and other nations who are striving towards this shared goal of supporting the Afghan people.

He also thanked Joint Secretary J.P. Singh for hosting the ambassador and his team for detailed discussions on

Afghanistan policy in New Delhi. "India is providing critical humanitarian aid, has interests to protect, and brings enormous capability and experience to support the Afghan people.

We'll continue to partner with India and others in the region to advance shared goals," the US special envoy added in his Twitter post.

Notably, India has remained steadfast in providing the necessary humanitarian aid to its neighbouring country in these times of dire need. Earlier, India announced that it will send 50,000 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat to Afghanistan overland through Pakistan.

TEXAS: An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 school children and two adults at a Texas elementary school, officials said.

The attacker was killed by a Border Patrol agent who rushed to the school without waiting for backup, according to a law enforcement official.

The assault at Robb Elementary School in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a US school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.

Officials identified the assailant as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the community.

Law enforcement officials

said he acted alone. Uvalde is home to about 16,000 people. Robb Elementary has 600 students in second, third and fourth grades. Before heading to the school, Ramos shot his grandmother.

Officials said that the grandmother survived and was being treated.

The attack began after the gunman crashed his car outside the school and ran into the building. A resident who heard the crash called 911, and two local police officers exchanged gunfire with the shooter. Both officers were shot. One Border Patrol agent rushed into the school and shot and killed the gunman.

The agent was wounded.

Anaheim mayor Sidhu resigns amid FBI corruption probe CALIFORNIA: Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu resigned as the FBI conducts an investigation into his involvement in the planned sale of a major league baseball stadium in the city. Sidhu submits the resignation letter after an FBI affidavit claimed that during negotiations for the sale he may have provided confidential information to representatives for the Los Angeles Angels.

The affidavit also cited conversations in which the mayor reportedly discussed plans to ask the Angels for “at least” $1

Harry Sidhu

million in campaign support.

Sidhu’s resignation letter was accompanied by a letter from his lawyer Paul Meyer, which said “a fair and thorough

investigation will prove” that Sidhu “did not leak secret information in hopes of a later political campaign contribution.”

“His unwavering goal from the start has been to keep the Angels in Anaheim, so that this vibrant social and economic relationship with the City would continue,” Meyer wrote, adding that a negotiating group for the city, of which Sidhu was an appointed member, conducted lawful negotiations to come to an agreement between Anaheim and the Angels.

Meyer added that Sidhu was

resigning “to continue to act in the best interests of Anaheim and allow this great City to move forward without distraction.” The FBI affidavit does not accuse the Angels of any wrongdoing, and Sidhu has not been charged with any crime.

The FBI is seeking a search warrant, however, and supporting materials for that warrant claim the former mayor, who was elected in 2018, acted against the city’s interests in negotiating the planned $320 million stadium sale, according to reports.

California recognises difference between Kenya’s deputy president, Ruto asks Uhuru for forgiveness Hindu Swastika and Nazi Hakenkreuz NAIROBI: Kenya's deputy president William Ruto has pub-

CALIFORNIA: California Legislative Assembly member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan read Assembly bill 2282 for the second time with specific amendments that would differentiate between peaceful Hindu Swastika and Nazi Hakenkreuz.

Once the bill is passed by the Assembly, it would decriminalise the Hindu Swastika.

Notably, Hindu American Foundation has been extensively working on educating the general public as well as the lawmakers about the difference between the Nazi Hakenkreuz (hooked cross) and the Hindu holy symbol Swastika. In a tweet, the organisation wrote, “California Legislative Assembly member Bauer-Kahan responds to education efforts of Hindu American Foundation and California Dharma communities to amend “AB2282 & decriminalise the Hindu Swastika!”

Executive director of the organisation Suhag A Shukla said, “This is the first time in American history that a state legislature bill recognises that the Nazi #Hakenkreuz is a hooked cross, not a #swastika! We thank Bauer-Kahan for collaborating with Hindu American Foundation and call on the full Legislature to pass amended CA-AB 2282!”

In February 2022, Assembly members Baurer-Kahan and Levine introduced Assembly Bill No 2282 to amend Section 11411 of the Penal Code that deals with the crimes. At that time, the bill did not differentiate between Nazi Hakenkreuz and Hindu Swastika and called for punishment for anyone who places or displays the signs of hate, including “Nazi Swastika”.

licly sought forgiveness from President Uhuru Kenyatta in the wake of a historic political fallout between the two leaders. At a National Prayer Breakfast in Nairobi on May 26, the deputy president admitted that he may have fallen out with the Head of State, which has made it difficult for their government to deliver its promise to Kenyans.

"I also know that serving as the deputy president, I may have fallen short of expectations of my boss His Excellency the President my good friend, I ask for your forgiveness," Ruto pleaded as reported by local media.

"I have also been hurt by many people and on this prayer breakfast, I forgive everybody, I want us to go into this election free of the debt of hurt." Uhuru, on the other hand, said he would wish to proceed to retirement peacefully – according to DP William Ruto's prayer- when his term ends in August.“I do hope the prayers of Ruto come true. I am looking forward to a lot of peace and enjoyment in the years to come,” Uhuru said. According to local media reports, religious leaders had in the past called for the reconciliation between the leaders stating that the unity of leaders was important as the country heads to the electioneering period.

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International Booker Prize for Hindi novel G

eetanjali Shree’s Hindi novel "Tomb of Sand", translated into English by USbased Daisy Rockwell, became the first book in any Indian language to win the International Booker Prize. Shree is also the first writer from India to win the prize. The prize is awarded every year for a book that is translated into English.

It’s distinct from the Booker Prize, which has been won by Indian writers like Arundhati Roy and Aravind Adiga in the past.

During the acceptance speech, Shree said that when the novel was first published in India, some people told her that it was impossible to translate because it didn't have a simple linear plot and there was so much play with language.

“I never dreamt of the Booker, I never thought I could. What a huge recognition. I am amazed, delighted, honoured and

experiences of Partition. humbled,” Shree said after the Frank Wynne, the award ceremony in London. chair of judges, said the Shree said it felt good to be panel were "captivated the first novel in Hindi to win by the power, the the prestigious prize. “Ever poignancy and the since the book got playfulness" of her longlisted, much has been written about Geetanjali Shree & Daisy Rockwell novel. He added that he had not read anything Hindi making it for like it before, and its "exuberance" and the first time. It feels good to be "passion" make it a book "the world could the means of that happening but do with right now." also obliges me to emphasise The prize money will be split between that behind me and this book Shree and the book's translator Daisy. lies a rich and flourishing Shree's 725-page novel competed against tradition in Hindi and South five other shortlisted titles, by Mieko Asian languages.”

Kawakami, Bora Chung, Jon Fosse, Claudia Set in north India, the novel, Pineiro and former winner Olga originally called "Ret Samadhi", Tokarczuk. follows an 80-year-old woman Born in the city of Mainpuri in Uttar who slips into depression after her Pradesh, Shree, 64, is the author of three husband’s death but then gains a new lease novels and several story collections. 'Tomb of life after striking up a friendship with a of Sand' is the first of her books to be hijra and travelling to Pakistan to confront published in the UK. the unresolved trauma of her teenage

108 Char Dham pilgrims die in 27 days About 108 pilgrims dead in less than a month since the Char Dham yatra began on May 3 this year; 90 deaths recorded during the entire six-month period of the pilgrimage in 2019; 102 deaths in 2018 (whole season); 112 in 2017. The figure for 2020 and 2021 was significantly lower as the yatra was curtailed due to the pandemic. As a rattled health system and administration look for answers, the question everyone is asking is: what's killing so many pilgrims to the Char Dham shrines this year?

Around 12,00,000 have been on the yatra so far in 2022. In comparison, 32,00,000 pilgrims attended the pilgrimage in 2019 and 26,00,000 in 2018.

Most deaths this year have been attributed to cardiac arrests at the shrine towns, situated at altitudes ranging between 10,000 ft and 12,000 ft. However, doctors and experts looking for reasons behind this sharp jump said Covid or its lingering aftereffects could be a possible factor.

“Almost 95% of the deaths and health emergencies that we are seeing at Kedarnath this time can directly or indirectly be attributed to Covid. We are saying so based

on details provided by their kin to us,” said Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj, president, Six Sigma Healthcare. In 2013, his agency had been assigned by the state government to "take care" of pilgrims at the Kedarnath shrine.

They have been at it since then. Kedarnath has seen 52 deaths in a span of barely 24 days..

Dr BK Shukla, CMO of Rudraprayag, said, "Some people may have been asymptomatic and probably unaware of their Covid infection. Our teams are contacting their families to take a proper note of their medical history. ” A history of Covid makes people more vulnerable to cardiac issues, experts said.

Adani, Karuna Nundy, Khurram Parvez in Time's most influential leaders Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people of 2022 is out.

The list has few Indians, including billionaire Gautam Adani, advocate Karuna Nundy, who has been championing the cause of the criminalisation of marital rape in India, and human rights activist Khurram Parvez, who is currently in jail as part of an investigation in L-R: Adani, Karuna Nundy, Khurram Parvez a terror-funding case in Kashmir. public activist who ably and bravely uses her Indian American Bela Bajaria, the head of voice both inside and outside the courtroom Global TV at OTT platform, Netflix, is also to bring about change.” Parvez’s profile, part of the list. written by journalist Rana Ayyub, states: Adani is featured among the list of the “The soft-spoken Khurram is almost a “Titans”. His profile states: “Like many modern-day David who gave a voice to countries that have in the past created global families that lost their children to enforced conglomerates, India is also undergoing an disappearances, allegedly by the Indian state. unprecedented concentration of economic Khurram's is the story and the storyteller of and political power that reinforce one the insurgency and the betrayal of the people another. If Modi symbolizes the second, of Kashmir.”

Adani is the poster boy of the first, as he Bajaria, meanwhile, was lauded by competes with Warren Buffett to be the actress and producer, Mindy Kaling, in her world’s fifth-richest person. With Modi’s profile for “helping create the future of stated goal of making India a $5 trillion television”. Bajaria, sharing the achievement economy by 2025, Adani’s journey may have over social media, wrote: “When I came to only just begun.” Adani recently featured in America as a 9 year old, I never saw myself or the Forbes richest people in the world at my Indian immigrant story on screen. And rank 11. now years later to be recognized by Time Nundy and Parvez, on the other hand, magazine for championing stories from all have been featured on the list of “Leaders”. over the world on a global platform is a great Nundy’s profile, written by Supreme Court honor. People all over the world are being advocate Menaka Guruswamy, states: seen. Thank you to Time magazine.”

“Karuna Nundy is not just a lawyer but also a

IndiGo fined for refusing to allow special child to board Civil aviation regulator DGCA has fined private carrier IndiGo Rs 500,000 for “deficient” handling of a special child who wasn’t allowed by the airline’s ground staff at Ranchi airport to board a Hyderabadbound flight with his parents on May 7 this year, following which the family couldn’t make the trip and later filed a complaint.

DGCA said IndiGo’s officials could have been “more compassionate. Airlines should revisit their standard operating procedures and training processes while

dealing with such cases in order to bring a more humane touch,” DGCA chief Arun Kumar said. “…the handling of the special child by IndiGo ground staff was deficient and ended up exacerbating the situation. A more compassionate handling would have…obviated the need for the extreme step…”

The regulator is in the process of revamping rules for evaluating whether a person with disabilities should be denied boarding, which is currently done by airline ground staff within a framework to assess flight risks.

A draft of revised rules will be brought out soon. This may make it mandatory for airlines to consult airport doctor/s and flight captains in special cases like that of the child in Ranchi. Public opinion will be solicited and incorporated in the final guidelines.

IndiGo’s “inappropriate” handling of the special child’s case had triggered public outrage. Some doctors travelling on the Ranchi-Hyderabad flight had requested the airline to let the child and his parents board the plane, assuring that they would help in case the boy needed any help during the flight. But “in line with safety guidelines” as the airline later stated - the child was not allowed to board.

A government-appointed probe panel faulted the airline in its report on May 16.

Investigators were unhappy with IndiGo’s “insensitive” initial response. Earlier this month, the airline stated that it stands by its decision and offered an electric wheelchair to the child. The regulator issued a show-cause notice to the airline, giving 10 days to respond.

in brief WOMEN SWEEP TOP 3 POSITIONS IN UPSC EXAM Women have aced Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2021 by cornering the top three slots, with history graduate from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College Shruti Sharma No 1 in the merit list. This is the fifth time in the past 10 years that a woman has secured the top rank.

In CSE 2014, the top four slots had gone to women candidates. As per CSE 2021 results declared by the UPSC on Monday, there are 177 women (25. 8%) among the 685 successful candidates recommended to various services.

Also, 10 of the top 25 top rankers are women.

The No 2 and No 3 slots were bagged by Ankita Agarwal, also a St Stephen’s College graduate and Gamini Singla, a B Tech graduate.

ED ARRESTS DELHI MINISTER The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain for allegedly “misleading investigations and transferring proceeds of crime” - a serious offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He had been called to the ED headquarters in connection with money laundering investigations he has been facing since 2017 when the enforcement agency booked him under the PMLA on an FIR registered by the CBI. On April 5 this year, the ED had attached properties worth £500,000 linked to him and his family members.

ED FILES NEW CHARGESHEET AGAINST FAROOQ The Enforcement Directorate has summoned former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah in money laundering case before filing a supplementary chargesheet. Farooq has been questioned several times in connection with laundering charges against him and his close associates for irregularities in the J&K Cricket Association when Abdullah was its president.

The ED has attached properties worth £1.4 million of Farooq and another £725,000 worth of assets of Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, a close associate of Farooq. Between 2002 and 2011, the JKCA received £11.2 million from the BCCI. Farooq, then as its president, “appointed” Mirza as “treasurer” in 2003 though he was not elected. Through Mirza, the NC chief allegedly laundered the money of the JKCA, according to the agency.

J&K COPS SHOOT DOWN PAK DRONE

A drone flying in from the Pakistan side with a payload of seven magnetic bombs and as many UBGL grenades was spotted and shot down by J&K police at Rajbagh in Kathua district. “Drone activity observed in the area of Talli Hariya Chak under Rajbagh police station in district Kathua by an early morning search party that was being regularly sent to the general area,” additional DGP (Jammu zone) Mukesh Singh said. “The search party saw the drone coming from across the border and shot it down. ”Several instances of drones dropping arms, most of them allegedly originating in Pakistan, have been reported across the International border in Jammu in recent years. On June 20, 2020, BSF troops shot down a Pakistani drone along the International border in Rathua village of Hiranagar taluka in Kathua district.

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Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik gets 2 life terms in terror funding case

A

special NIA court in Delhi handed concurrent life terms to Kashmiri separatist and JKLF chief Yasin Malik for funding terror in J&K and waging war against the state, rejecting his contention that he had adhered to the Gandhian principle of non-violence and spearheaded "a peaceful struggle" since giving up armed militancy in 1994.

"The convict may have given up the gun, but he never expressed any regret for the violence he committed prior to the year 1994," special judge Parveen Singh said in his 20page order. "When he claimed to have given up the path of violence after 1994, the government of India took it at face value and gave him an opportunity to reform, and, in good faith, tried to engage in a meaningful dialogue with him, and, as admitted by him, gave him every platform to express his opinion."

Malik betrayed "the good intentions of the government" and "took a different path to orchestrate violence in the guise of politi-

Yasin Malik

cal struggle", the special judge said, mentioning how funds mobilised by the JKLF chairman "were used to create unrest" in the form of "paid terror activities of stone-pelting and arson on a mass scale. Therefore, in my considered opinion, it is high time that it is recognised that terror funding is one of the gravest offences and has to be punished more severely," the judge observed.

Former NIA DG Sharad Kumar, during whose tenure the cases were investigated, said the sentence is a landmark as it hands life imprisonment to a terror mastermind and conspirator who, rather than directly committing a terror act, was instigating oth-

NY court pardons 6 Gujaratis caught while crossing US- T Canada border S

ix people from Gujarat who were caught while crossing the Canada-US border on April 28 faced criminal charges for illegal immigration. But Gary L Favro, the judge of a district court of New York pardoned them and instructed them not to use illegal means to travel to the US.

“The human smugglers do not care about you, they care about your money only.

Tell people in your home country about the difficulties you faced and urge them not to use illegal means to travel to the US. People should rather follow the legal immigration procedure to arrive in the US,” Favro told the Gujarati youths during the court hearing.

The six Gujaratis, identified as Amit Patel (22), Dhruv Patel (22), Neel Patel (19), Urvesh Patel (20), Saavan Patel (19) and Darshan Patel (21), nearly drowned in the St Regis river as they attempted an illegal entry into the US from Canada. The six had told the US cops that they were about to die when the police personnel reached there.

Majority of these youths are class 12 pass while two are studying in college.

Four of them told the court they were headed to Chicago while one was headed to South Carolina and another to Georgia. All six youths pleaded guilty for attempting to enter the US illegally. The judge told the youths that they had chosen not to follow proper immigration procedure and had got caught in the hands of human smugglers and faced the dangers of coming through illegal routes.

The public prosecutor representing the US government told the court that the six youths should be spared punishment or fine as they had no prior criminal record and had not used any violent means to get into the US.

ers to commit it with funds and resources arranged by him and others.“The big fish have finally landed in the net,” he said.

Referring to the prosecution's case for the death penalty to the 56-year-old on grounds of his alleged role in the "genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits", Singh said the issue "is neither before this court, nor has been adjudicated upon and thus the court cannot allow itself to be swayed by this argument". He also mentioned that the crime for which Malik had been convicted didn't fall in the realm of "rarest of rare", as outlined by the Supreme Court, and hence this wasn't a fit case for the capital punishment. The court chose the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for Malik under Section 17 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, noting that "financing is the backbone of any operation, including terrorist activities". The court handed him a concurrent life term under Section 121 (waging war against the state) of the IPC. Malik had pleaded guilty to all charges and was convicted.

Modi, Xi, Putin to come together for Brics meet

he Brics 2022 summit to be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping will take place on June 24, official sources said. While the meeting will take place virtually, it will still be followed closely as it will bring Xi, PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin together for the first time since Russia launched its “special military operation’’ in Ukraine.

Xi had on May 19 addressed a meeting of the Brics foreign ministers and called for accommodating each other’s core interests and major concerns, respecting each other’s sovereignty, security and development interests and opposing hegemonism and power politics.

He is likely to use the summit to seek support for his new Global Security Initiative that apparently promotes “common security’’ in the world. While he didn’t

Putin, PM Modi and Jinping

mention the crisis in Ukraine, Xi had said in remarks aimed at the US and Europe that seeking one’s own security at the expense of others will only create new tensions and risks.

Despite the unresolved border stand-off with India in eastern Ladakh, which continues to block any forward movement in bilateral ties, Beijing has sought to give the impression that on major regional and international issues, both countries share similar positions.

Kapil Sibal quits Cong, files RS nomination with SP support

K

apil Sibal, a vocal member of the dissident G-23 grouping, resigned from the Congress party and filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha as an “independent” candidate, with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav by his side at Lucknow’s Vidhan Bhavan.

Kapil Sibal

Sibal told reporters he had resigned from Congress on May 16, ending his threedecade-old relationship. While avoiding harsh words for Congress, Sibal said he wished his erstwhile party well and said that he will try to bring together all opposition parties against the anti-people and communal BJP. Sibal has never been a mass leader, but given his name and stature, his exit is arguably the most dramatic in recent times compared to Ashwini Kumar, RPN Singh, Sunil Jakhar and Hardik Patel. Sources said the prominent lawyer who successfully defended before the Election Commission Akhilesh Yadav’s claim for the ‘bicycle’ symbol following a rift in SP and had been appearing for Samajwadi leader Azam Khan, had a long meeting with Sonia Gandhi after he sent his resignation to her.

His move is a dampener for Congress as it came just 10 days after the Udaipur brainstorming session, which was designed to project a restart with organisational restructuring and a ‘Mission 2024’. It has been raining resignations in Congress lately. Though most of these leaders rode the Congress’s 2004-14 ascendance to election victories and Rajya Sabha nominations, and have since been out of favour with voters, Sibal is a celebrated name who has connections across party lines and is a cut above other defectors.

Varanasi district court adjourns Gyanvapi hearing till July 4

Sonia Gandhi preparing Cong T for 2024 LS elections C

ongress chief Sonia Gandhi constituted a ‘political affairs committee’ to advise her on key issues and also set up a task force with the mandate to prepare the party for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, in a message to party workers that the leadership is readying the organisation for big electoral challenges.

Interestingly, the decision coincides with the third anniversary of Modi 2. 0.The committee, to be chaired by Sonia, gave representations to senior dissident leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. The eight-member subpanel of the Congress Working Committee includes Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni, Digvijaya Singh, KC Venugopal and Jitendra Singh.

The panel, which was announced by Sonia at the chintan shivir, is a rebuff to G23’s demand for revival of the Congress parliamentary board. Discussion is rife if Congress will extend the olive branch to the G23 grouping with the upcoming Rajya Sabha nominations. Three senior members of the group are said to be

Sonia Gandhi

under consideration.

In an obvious bid to signal to workers that Congress is serious about mass mobilisation, AICC also formed a planning group to coordinate ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

The two-month long Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra will be launched on October 2 with the central message against “communalism and polarisation” under the BJP government.

Digvijaya Singh is at the head of the 9member planning group which also includes Sachin Pilot, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Ravneet Bittu, Pradyut Bordoloi, Jothi Mani and Jitu Patwari.

The Task Force-2024, which will include all polls as its mandate, has eight members including Priyanka Gandhi.

he Varanasi district court will further hear on July 4 arguments on the maintainability of a plea by five Hindu women seeking permission for daily worship of the Shringar Gauri Sthal within the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex.

The Muslim side persistently presented their argument and registered their pointto-point objections to the Hindu side’s plea in court on Tuesday. Five Hindu women have sought round-the-year access to offer prayers at the Shringar Gauri Sthal in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex. The Muslim side has argued that the plea is not maintainable as the Places of Worship Act, 1991 prohibits the conversion of a place of worship and orders the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.

A lower court in the city had ordered a video survey of the complex after the plea was filed by the women. The Hindu side, after the survey, claimed that a 'Shivling' was found at the wazukhana of the mosque.

The Muslim side moved the Supreme Court earlier this month demanding that it decide on the maintainability of the plea against the backdrop of the Places of Worship Act. Their lawyer also appraised the top court of the survey report being leaked to the media despite a court order against it and accused the Hindu side of leaking the report to alter the narrative.

The Supreme Court transferred the case from the civil court to a district court, citing the “sensitivity” and “complexities” of the case. A senior and experienced judicial officer must hear the case, the Supreme Court said.

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in brief

SOUTH INDIA

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait attacked in Bengaluru BENGALURU: Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, who was in Bengaluru to address a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, was attacked by a group of three men. As he was seated on the dias and another farmer leader was addressing the media, a man rushed to the stage and attacked Tikait with a television mic.

Before Tikait recovered from it, another man threw black ink on him. One of the attackers shouted slogans saying, "Modi, Modi".

Other farmers in the hall soon rushed to catch the culprits.

As they tried to flee, some threw chairs at them and they were soon caught and handed over to the police. Tikait was in the city to address allegations allegedly made by another farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar - in a

sting operation recently aired by a Kannada news channel.

Chandrashekhar had allegedly claimed Tikait had been trying to broker an end to the 13-monthlong farmers’ movement in New Delhi by taking money and colluding with the union government. “ It is a conspiracy by the BJP and failure on part of the government to provide security cover despite requests being made a day before the programme,” one of the organisers alleged.

Tikait, speaking to media persons, condemned the physical attack on him.

"I never expected a physical assault in Karnataka. A media channel that had done the sting operation was asking provocative questions with an aim to increase

their TRP. Then suddenly a person walked up to the stage and hit me with a mic.

Luckily I used my hand to block the blows, failing which I would have suffered a head injury. My hands are swollen," he said, adding the incident was a failure of the State government.

"There were intelligence people in the room.

How did this happen? This was a pre planned attack. I demand the police to conduct a fair probe into the incident and bring to book all those behind the incident," he said. Another farmer leader Yuddhaveer Singh, who was also present at the press conference, said given that the attackers carried a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shouted "Modi Modi", it was

7 PILGRIMS FROM KARNATAKA KILLED IN UP ROAD CRASH Rakesh Tikait

up to the ruling dispensation to conduct a fair probe.

Meanwhile, Tikait denied all allegations made against him by Chandrashekhar.

"The allegations are baseless and without any evidence. Farmer's movement is a historic movement that forced the Union Government to roll back the three farm laws. Yes, we were negotiating with the government, but not to broker end to protest," he said. When quizzed whether he suspected the involvement of Chandrashekhar, he said the police must find the truth.

PUNJAB

Punjab health minister sacked over bribery charge CHANDIGARH: The AAP government in Punjab sacked health and family welfare minister Vijay Singla for alleged corruption and got him arrested soon after, based on an audio clip from a sting operation in which his officer on Bhagwant Mann & Vijay Singla special duty (OSD) is Singla’s OSD Pradeep purportedly heard seeking Kumar was also arrested on “shukrana” (commission) on suspicion that he was the gosanctioned contracts. between in the bribe scandal.

CM Bhagwant Mann, who They were both produced in a first received a complaint city court that remanded them against the 52-year-old firstin police custody. time MLA around 10 days ago, According to the FIR, Singla said his government had allegedly demanded walked the talk on “zero commission for allotment of tolerance of corruption”. In a funds against government video message on social media, contracts. Initially, he allegedly Mann said, “Nobody, however demanded a 2% commission on influential the person may be, the total amount of £5.8 will be allowed to continue million, amounting to with such malpractice.” £116,000, to which the An FIR was registered complainant didn’t agree. The against Singla on the CM’s sacked health minister then instructions under the scaled down the demand to 1%, Prevention of Corruption Act. the FIR said. The complainant, He was picked up from his Rajinder Singh, admitted to private residence in Mohali and offering Rs 500,000 as bribe to taken to the police station for escape harassment. questioning.

Punjabi singer shot dead; Canada based gangster owns responsibility CHANDIGARH: Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jawaharke village of Mansa district on Sunday. This follows a day after the Punjab police withdrew security of 424 people, including Moose Wala.

Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar has claimed responsibility for Moose Wala’s murder. Brar, who has close ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, said in a Facebook post that he had killed Moose Wala to avenge the death of gangster Vicky Middukhera.

Punjab Police are in the process of remanding Lawrence Bishnoi, a close associate of Goldy Brar, who is lodged in Tihar Jail. He will be questioned in connection with the shooting.

Based on a complaint by Moose Wala's father, an FIR has been registered.

Sources said that an AN-94 Russian assault rifle was used to shoot and kill Moose Wala.

Moreover, the number plates of the vehicles used in the attack

Sidhu Moose Wala

have been found to be fake.

Moose Wala's parents have refused to send his body for post mortem. The singer's mother has blamed the Punjab government for the death of her son. Punjab DGP VK Bhawra said Moose Wala's murder seemed to be the fallout of an inter-gang rivalry. He added that 30 rounds of bullets were fired at the singer and at least three weapons might have been used in the crime.

Moose Wala had contested this year's Punjab assembly election on a Congress ticket from Mansa and was defeated by AAP candidate Vijay Singla by a huge margin of 63,000 votes.

WEST BENGAL

CM, not governor to be chancellor of Bengal universities KOLKATA: The Bengal cabinet passed a unanimous proposal to make the chief minister the chancellor of state universities instead of the governor.

A bill to this effect would be introduced in the state assembly, Bengal education minister Bratya Basu said. The state may choose the ordinance route if there was “a delay from Raj Bhavan in giving assent to the bill passed by the assembly,” sources added. Basu first broached the issue on December 24 last year in the backdrop of strained relations between governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Jagdeep Dhankhar & Mamata Banerjee

There has been no reaction from Raj Bhawan to the decision.

According to the governor’s official website, Dhankar is the

ex-officio chancellor of 17 universities in Bengal. A TMC leader said the decision was taken because Dhankhar, in his

capacity as chancellor, had been raising questions on the selection of vice-chancellors which was the prerogative of the state government.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reacted sharply to the cabinet’s decision.

“Mamata Banerjee wants to have all powers in her own hands.

This is one such move in that direction. She wants to run an authoritarian regime where nobody can question her actions.

This is a tactic to divert people’s attention from burning issues,” said Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.

Seven pilgrims from Karnataka on their way to Ayodhya died while nine others were injured after the minibus they were travelling in collided with a truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. A group of 16 people - primarily from Karnataka’s Bidar and Gulbarga districts - had left the state on May 14 to visit religious places in Uttarakhand and UP, Bahraich SP Keshav Kumar Choudhary said. “Around 5. 30 am on Sunday, when they were heading to Ayodhya and had reached Nainiha market on the Bahraich-Lakhimpur road, a truck coming from the opposite direction crashed head-on with their minibus,” said the SP. A police team had to use gas cutters to retrieve five bodies. Nine others were taken to the district hospital where two of them succumbed later, police said. An FIR has been filed against the truck driver.

BSY'S SON DENIED MLC POLL TICKET In a setback to former Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa, BJP leadership denied a ticket to his son and state unit vice-president B Y Vijayendra for the June 3 legislative council elections. Vijayendra’s name was among the 20 names recommended by the state BJP core committee, which includes CM Basavaraj Bommai. However, the party’s central leadership denied a ticket to him. Of the seven seats for which elections will be held, BJP, with its strength in the assembly, can win four seats, while Congress and JD(S) can win two and one, respectively.

This is the third time Vijayendra has been denied a ticket by BJP. With Yediyurappa’s supporters openly expressing their ire against BJP brass, Vijayendra appealed to them to show restraint. According to some party insiders, the leadership decided against giving a ticket to Vijayendra as it would weaken BJP’s stand against dynasty politics ahead of 2023 polls.

TRAINING FOR 85 FIRSTTIME PUNJAB MLAS Eighty-five first-time Punjab MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha will return to the classroom.

Having little knowledge of the working of the House, the MLAs have been invited to learn “the tricks of the trade”. A three-day session, being organised in association with the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies, will be conducted through lectures by parliamentarians, legislators and officers. From the importance of holistic health to the process of legislative and financial business in the Assembly; and from committee systems to the importance of question hour - the MLAs will get lessons in all aspects of business of the House. The need for training the legislators was felt as 73 per cent of the legislators are first-time MLAs.

GOVERNOR SLAMS MAMATA KIN FOR ATTACKING JUDICIARY West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar slammed Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee over the latter’s attack on a section of the judiciary. While addressing a rally in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, Abhishek launched a scathing attack on a section of the judiciary for directing CBI to probe on various issues in the state.

Describing a section of the judiciary as biased, Abhishek said that a couple of judges are acting at the behest of others by directing CBI probe on minor issues. Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee’s nephew for his comment, the BJP said that ‘judiciary’ is the last resort to ‘save Bengal’.

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Indians are getting fatter and it's a big problem

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ndians are getting fatter, according to a new government survey, and experts are warning about a health emergency unless the growing obesity problem is tackled on a war footing.

Once considered a problem of the affluent West, obesity has been spreading in recent years in low and middle-income countries - and nowhere is it spreading more rapidly

PM Modi lists achievements of his govt in 8 years P

rime Minister Narendra Modi last week summed up his eight years in office so far as a relentless pursuit of the India envisioned

by Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, without once allowing or doing - even if inadvertently - anything that would “make citizens of the country hang their hands in shame”.

He was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a 200-bed K D Paravadiya Multi-specialty Hospital at Atkot, about 55 km from Rajkot city, in Jasdan taluka. The hospital has been built by BJP leader Bharat Boghra with the support of Shree Patel Samaj, Atkot.

“My government has provided over 30 million pucca houses to the poor, toilets to more than 100 million families, cooking gas cylinders to over 90 million women, electricity connection to over 25 million poor families, piped water (Nal Se Jal) to more than 60 million families, free medical treatment up

to Rs 500,000 to over 500 million Indians,” the PM said listing his government’s achievements during his tenure.

Modi said that these were not mere statistics, but proof of his commitment to providing a dignified life to the poor. “In the past eight years, I have spared no effort to serve the nation. I have neither allowed, nor done anything personally that will make you

or even a single person in the country ashamed. We have made an honest attempt to build an India as envisioned by Bapu and Sardar,” the PM said.

Virtually inaugurating the world’s first Nano Urea (liquid) plant constructed by IFFCO at Kalol in Gandhinagar district, PM Modi said despite the high prices of fertilisers in the international market due to the pandemic, coupled with a surge in prices because of the (Ukraine) war, the Centre has ensured that farmers have got fertilizers at no additional cost.

Mahatma Gandhi wanted an India in which the poor, Dalits, Adivasis and women are empowered, cleanliness and health are part of life, the economy is based on swadeshi (local) solutions,” said PM Modi adding that his government’s slogan ‘Sabka saath, sab ka vikas, sabka vishwas aur sab ka prayas’ has given a new direction to populist development.

Narcotics Bureau admits no evidence; Aryan Khan cleared

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than in India.

Long known as a country of malnourished, underweight people, it has broken into the top five countries in terms of obesity in the past few years.

One estimate in 2016 put 135 million Indians as overweight or obese. That number, health experts say, has been growing rapidly and the country's undernourished population is being replaced by an overweight one.

According to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the most comprehensive household survey of health and social indicators by the government, nearly 23% of men and 24% of women were found to have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more - a 4% increase for both genders over 2015-16. The data also shows that 3.4% of children under five are now overweight compared with 2.1% in 2015-16.

"We are in an obesity epidemic in India and globally, and I fear it could soon become a pandemic if we don't address it soon," warns Dr Ravindran Kumeran, a surgeon in Chennai and founder of the Obesity Foundation of India.

Dr Kumeran blames sedentary lifestyles and the easy availability of cheap, fattening foods as the main reasons why "most of us, particularly in urban India, are now out of shape".

BMI, which is calculated by taking an individual's height and weight into account, is the most accepted measure globally to classify people into "normal", "overweight", "obese" and "morbidly obese". According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a BMI of 25 or above is considered overweight.

But Dr Kumeran and many other health experts believe that for South Asian populations, it needs to be adjusted at least two points lower at each stage because we are prone to "central obesity", which means that we easily put on belly fat, and that's more unhealthy than weight anywhere else on the body. This would mean that an Indian with a BMI of 23 would be overweight.

"If you take 23 as the cut-off point for overweight, I think half the population of India - certainly the urban population - would be overweight," says Dr Kumeran. According to WHO, too much body fat increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, including 13 types of cancer, type-2 diabetes, heart problems and lung conditions.

And last year, obesity accounted for 2.8 million deaths globally.

he Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dropped Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, and five others from its chargesheet filed in the Mumbai cruise raid case with officials pointing to “lack of sufficient evidence” and “shortcomings” in the probe - from no video of searches, dodgy witnesses and improper seizure of phones to no medical test for those apprehended.

Aryan and 19 others were arrested by the NCB’s Mumbai zonal unit in October last year on charges that they were all “intrinsically connected” after several of them were rounded up by a team led by the central agency’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede during a raid on a docked cruise ship.

The NCB had arrested Aryan on the basis of chats claimed to have been found on a phone seized from him. Following the raid on October 2, Aryan was formally arrested the next day and granted bail on October 29 - after he had spent over three weeks in jail.

The NCB said in a statement: “SIT (Special Investigation Team) carried out its investigation in an objective manner. The touchstone of the principle of proof beyond reasonable doubt has been applied. Based on the investigation carried out by SIT, a complaint against 14 persons under various sections of NDPS Act is being filed. Complaint

against rest six persons is not being filed due to lack of sufficient evidence.”

Speaking to reporters, NCB DirectorGeneral S N Pradhan confirmed that the names of Aryan and five others were not included in the 6,000-page chargesheet filed in a Mumbai court. “There were shortcomings in the investigations. There was no corroborative physical evidence to support the allegations,” he said.

Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the Government has recommended action against Wankhede for “shoddy investigation” in the case. Action has also been initiated in connection with a separate allegation linking him to a fake caste certificate, sources said.

Detailing the agency’s findings, SIT chief and NCB Deputy Director-General (Operations) Sanjay Singh said: “There was no video recording of the searches done by the investigating team. Most of the people were arrested on the basis of confessions. No medical test was done on anyone to prove whether they consumed drugs.”

Singh said: “A basic premise was given that Aryan’s friend Arbaaz Merchant (who was also arrested) had the drugs. But Arbaaz never said he had brought it for Aryan, nor was there any evidence to prove the same. In

Keen contests between BJP, Cong nominees for RS seats

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he last-minute entry of two media barons in the Rajya Sabha election has set up a contest between the BJP and Congress in at least two states, Rajasthan and Haryana. Zee group chairman Subhash Chandra, a member of the upper house of parliament, filed his nomination from Rajasthan with the BJP's endorsement.

The Congress is in a position to win two of the four seats in Rajasthan and the BJP, one.

There will now be a contest for the fourth seat with Subhash Chandra challenging the Congress's Pramod Tiwari.

The BJP reportedly wants to tap into the resentment simmering in the state's ruling Congress and the Ashok Gehlot versus Sachin Pilot feud that threatens to explode any time.

The Congress is facing anger over its choice of Rajya Sabha candidates - Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari - all from other states and seen as "outsiders" by local MLAs. The BJP's candidate is Ghanshyam Tiwari, a former minister of the Vasundhara Raje cabinet. In the 200-member Rajasthan assembly, each candidate needs 41 votes to win. The Congress has 108 MLAs and the BJP has 71 votes. The BJP has 30 surplus votes and to win a second seat, it needs another 11. The Congress, to win a third seat, needs 15 more votes. Smaller parties and independents will, therefore, play a critical role in who wins the seat.

In BJP-ruled Haryana, the Congress will

face a tough fight over one seat. Kartikeya Sharma, the managing director of ITV Network, is set to contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Haryana. His entry may queer the pitch for Congress's Ajay Maken.

Kartikeya Sharma is the son of former Congress leader Venod Sharma and the sonin-law of former Haryana Speaker Kuldeep Sharma. He has the support of the BJP as well as the JJP (Jannayak Janata Party). JJP leader Ajay Singh Chautala said all 10 MLAs of the party will support Kartikeya Sharma.

Any party needs 31 votes to win a seat. The Congress has 31. The BJP has nine surplus votes that it can transfer to Sharma. Though Congress leader Ajay Maken is in a strong position, on paper, factors that could impact him include sulking Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi; reports suggest the BJP may reach out to Bishnoi.

In Maharashtra, which has six seats, a tweet by Congress leader Nagma A Morarji on her 18-year wait for a Rajya Sabha opportunity sparked buzz about 'local vs outsider' friction in the party. The Congress is sending Uttar Pradesh leader Imran Pratapgarhi to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra for the sixth seat.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) says they have the numbers to win three out of six seats, who are to be elected by 288 members of the state assembly. The BJP can win two on its own, which leaves the contest wide open for the sixth seat.

fact, Aryan had told Arbaaz beforehand not to carry any drugs to the party.”

Apart from Aryan, the names of Avin Sahu, Gopal Ji Anand, Sameer Sehgal, Bhaskar Arora and Manav Singhal have been dropped in the chargesheet. Anand, Sehgal, Arora and Singhal were employees of Caneplus Trading, the company that organised the cruise.

Wankhede transferred to Chennai Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede, who headed the NCB in Mumbai when the Bureau arrested several people in a drugs case last year, including Aryan Khan was on Monday transferred to the DG Taxpayer Service Directorate in Chennai. The officer was posted as Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM) in Mumbai following his transfer from NCB earlier.

Monsoon arrives in Kerala 3 days ahead of schedule

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he southwest monsoon arrived in Kerala on Sunday, three days ahead of its normal date of onset (June 1), beginning the fourmonth rainy season in the country, said the India Meteorological Department which has already predicted ‘normal’ and well-distributed rainfall during the season. This is only the third occasion in the past 10 years when the summer monsoon recorded early onset - before June 1.

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some parts of central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of Kerala, some more parts of Tamil Nadu, some parts of Karnataka, and some more parts of south and central Bay of Bengal, some parts of northeast Bay of Bengal and northeastern states during next 3-4 days,” said the Met department. The monsoon map released by the IMD shows the seasonal rains will reach western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and parts of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan during June 25-30.

The IMD had earlier this month predicted the monsoon onset over Kerala on May 27 with a model error of ± 4 days. It claimed that its operational forecasts of the date of monsoon onset over the state during the past 18 years (2005-22) were proved to be correct except in 2015. “All conditions are fulfilled for the onset of monsoon over Kerala. . . Conditions are now further favourable to also cover more parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bay of Bengal and also northeastern states.

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TREMENDOUS LOSS CAUSED BY THE DEATH OF SOCIALLY DEDICATED AND GUTSY RAJESH PATEL (RJ) Kokila Patel

Rajesh Patel (RJ Insurancewala), who achieved success in the field of insurance at a young age, said goodbye to this world on Sunday (May 22) and fell into deep sleep. As news of 71-yearold Rajeshbhai's demise spread like wildfire, his relatives, friends and acquaintances went into a shock. Rajeshbhai's sudden exit has put his playful life to a halt!

Rajeshbhai is survived by his wife Prafullaben, two sons Rikesh and Rajiv, two daughtersin-law Kriya and Jaishel and grandchildren Xenia & Zac. addition to two grandchildren.

friendly relations with G. K. Noon of Noon Products and Hatimbhai & Farookbhai of Sutarwala Brothers.

Rajeshbhai Jayantibhai Patel (Dharmaj)

Highlights of the life of a jolly good fellow Rajesh Patel Rajesh Patel, son of Jayantibhai and Sushilabahen Patel of Dharmaj and Sushilabahen Patel, spent his

DATE OF BIRTH 2nd, January 1951 Vidhyanagar, which was buzzing with several colleges imparting studies in Engineering, Commerce, Home Science and Science, looked youthfully beautiful decorated with a scarlet of orange flowers

Dynamic Rajeshbhai Patel

childhood and student life in Vallabh Vidyanagar. He studied at a high school in Vidyanagar. Sarojben M. Patel, who happens to be the sister-in-law of our editor/publisher Shri C. B. Patel and the director of ABPL Group, was the teacher of Rajesh Patel. During those times Rajesh was infamous as a mischievous student, but he sincerely respected his teacher Sarojben who was very strict on discipline. After coming to the UK and achieving landmark success in the field of insurance in Isleworth, he came to know that his honorable teacher, guru Sarojben was also in London.

He came to know that she was the director of ‘Gujarat Samachar’ and sister-in-law of editor C. B. Patel.

As soon as he came to know about Sarojben, he visited Gujarat Samachar office to meet his Guruteacher. After expressing his immense pleasure on meeting her after so many years, he bowed down to her with respect. After that he used to be very respectful towards the teacher who had played a critical role in his upbringing. As a student he never forgot the respect he owed to his teacher.

insurance owes his success to his nature of taking challenges. He never tried to force upon anyone to sell him an insurance policy, but instead visited a client's home and explained to them the importance of insurance policy and private pension. Engrossed in cricket also along with the insurance business, Rajesh Patel was actively involved with Indian Gymkhana since 1976.

L-R: Ex. Indian team captain Azharuddin, Dhirubhai Gosai & Rajesh Patel

over Gulmohar trees all around.

The famous ‘Shastri Maidan’ playground is located in the center of Vidhyanagar. This huge playground was a home to several cricket match contests. Several maverick cricket lovers bunked college classes to play cricket here.

One of them was our Rajesh Patel.

Rajesh was mischievous right from the beginning as his love for cricket was unparalleled. If someone is looking out for him, he would be mostly found playing at the Shastri

Rajesh Patel with Bishan Singh Bedi

Cricket lover Rajesh Patel After completing high school education, Rajeshbhai joined BJVM Commerce for further studies.

During those times the center of

DEMISE: 22nd, May 2022

Maidan.

Rajesh Patel, who settled in London in the 70s and achieved considerable success in the field of

Indian Gymkhana Secretary S. K. Soni felicitating Rajesh Patel

Former associates of Indira Gandhi, Vikram Kaul and Sheela Kaul had close relations with Rajesh Patel. During the visits of the Indian cricket team to the UK, there are always very strict security protocols. Nobody can closely meet the team members and no programs could be organised with them. However, Rajeshbhai had a fatherly relationship with Rajsinh Dungarpur who was the past chairman of Indian Cricket Board (BCCI). Due to this Rajesh Patel not only organised a felicitation program of Indian cricketers, but also gifted all of them with a gold ring.

After the Indian team won the World Cup in 1983, Rajesh Patel took the cricketers to Neasden to take blessings of Rev Pramukhswami Maharaj. Rajesh Patel who was a Swaminarayan disciple and affiliate had immense faith in Lt. Rev. Pramukhswami Maharaj. He had highly cordial relations with Rev. Mahantswami and other saints of the BAPS. A soul dedicated to social service In the decade of 80s, National Association of Patidar Samaj (NAPS) purchased a grand building in the London borough of islington archway. The building was formally handed over to NAPS at the hands of Rajesh Patel, the gutsy Patidar of Dharmaj who also gave a substantial contribution of GBP5000 towards the purchase.

Rajesh Patel stayed as an active member of Willow Tree Lion’s Club for twenty years and was instrumental in donating substantially towards several social programs including over 50 eyecamps.

Rajesh Patel also worked as the spokesperson for a huge water park in Mehsana spread over several

He has also had the special honour of becoming the longest serving chairman of Indian Gymkhana. With a flair to make friendship with unknown people in moments, Patel was associated with Indian Gymkhana since last 25 years. Inspite of most members of Indian Gymkhana being Punjabi and non- Vikram Kaul & Rajeshbhai blessed by Param Pujya Pramukh Swami Gujarati, Rajesh Patel was chosen by everyone in leadership role acres that belongs to the Shanku because of his humorous, frank Group (One of the best and most and humble nature. During the advanced water parks in India with chairmanship of Rajesh Patel, a water resort and natural health whenever there was an interna- center). He was Shanku’s brand tional cricket match of India, ambassador for the UK and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Europe. and Kenya, a friendly match used At this onset ‘Gujarat Samachar to be organised at Indian – Asian Voice’ family prays to God Gymkhana. This friendly match to help Rajeshbhai soul rest in used to be sponsored by Rajesh peace and give his family members Patel – RJ. Rajeshbhai had strong the strength to face the sad demise.

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Adventurous children have better mental health, says study A study, published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, led by the University of Exeter suggests that children who spend a lot of time in the adventurous play show fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Scientists asked parents how often their children engaged in play that was “thrilling and exciting”, where they might experience some fear and uncertainty.

Results of the study come at a time when fewer and fewer children today are venturing out for adventurous play such as climbing trees, riding bikes, jumping from high surfaces or playing out of adults’ sight. The research sought to test theories that adventurous play offers learning opportunities that help build resilience in chil-

dren, thereby helping to prevent mental health problems.

The team surveyed nearly 2,500 parents of children aged 5-11 years. Parents completed questions about their child’s play, their general mental health and their mood during the first Covid-19 lockdown. The research was carried out with two groups of par-

ents - a group of 427 parents living in Northern Ireland and a nationally representative group of 1,919 parents living in Great Britain.

They found that children who spend more time playing outside had fewer “internalising problems”, characterised as anxiety and depression.

Helen Dodd, Professor of Child Psychology at the University of Exeter, who led the study, said, "We're more concerned than ever about children's mental health, and our findings highlight that we might be able to help protect children's mental health by ensuring they have

Correct these common posture mistakes we all make Your posture depicts the state of your mind. A good posture has numerous benefits that may not be immediately visible. For example, sitting straight can make you more productive at work. Keeping your back and neck straight also helps relieve many aches and pains.

Your posture is how you bear the weight of your body while sitting, standing, or doing any activity.

There are three common bad postures that people may practice unknowingly.

1) The most commonly practiced posture mistake is slouching and forward head where the load of the upper back, neck and head is going or dropping forward.

2) Another mistake is excessively tilting towards one side. It can be noticed

during sitting or standing 3) Standing with a forward or backward tilt is yet another posture.

So, how can one correct these mistakes?

We can start by practicing a small exercise routine at your desks. There are many stretching exercises that could be done just by sitting on your chair in which a psychotherapist

can guide you better.

Take small breaks between working hours could be for a small walk or just to breathe.

Position your laptop right. Always have your laptop screen at eye level, at an appropriate distance. A good comfortable chair and footrest can make good posture practice more effective.

plentiful opportunities for adventurous play. This is really positive because play is free, instinctive and rewarding for children, available to everyone, and doesn't require special skills. We now urgently need to invest in and protect natural spaces, welldesigned parks and adventure playgrounds, to support the mental health of our children.”

Dan Paskins, Director of UK Impact at Save the Children, said, “Every child needs and deserves opportunities to play. This important research shows that this is even more vital to help children thrive after all they have missed out on during the Covid-19 restrictions. More play means more happiness and less anxiety and depression. That's why Save

Adulthood insomnia can lead to cognitive problems in old age A new study at the University of Helsinki looked into the development of insomnia symptoms in midlife and their effects on memory, learning abilities, and concentration after retirement. The follow-up period for the study was 15-17 years and it found that long-term insomnia symptoms and later poorer cognitive functioning have a clear connection. Doctoral Researcher Antti Etholen, said in a report, “The findings indicate that severe insomnia symptoms were associated with worse cognitive function among those who were on statutory pension.”

The research also found that the memory problems and problems in learning ability and concentration increased as the insomnia

Fruits and vegetables play important role in ADHD symptoms in children Children who eat fruits and vegetables faceless inattention, according to a recent study. The findings of the study were published in the journal, ‘Nutritional Neuroscience’. As part of a larger study, researchers asked parents of 134 kids with ADHD symptoms to complete a detailed questionnaire about the typical foods the children ate, including portion sizes, over a 90-day period.

There also was another questionnaire asking parents to rate symptoms of inattention, a hallmark of ADHD, in their kids, such as having trouble staying focused, not following instructions, difficulty remembering things, and difficulty regulating emotions.

Co-author of the study and associate professor of human nutrition at The

Ohio State University, Irene Hatsu said results showed that kids who consumed more fruits and vegetables showed less severe symptoms of inattention.

Hatsu said, “Eating a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, maybe one way to reduce some of the symptoms of ADHD.” Another study, that

evaluated the effectiveness of the supplement showed that children who took the micronutrients were three times as likely to show significant improvement in their ADHD and emotional dysregulation symptoms than those who took a placebo. That study was published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and

the Children is supporting the Summer of Play campaign which brings together organisations from around the country to pledge their support to enable children to have fun, spend time with friends and enjoy freedom.”

Welcoming the findings, Jacqueline O'Loughlin, Chief Executive of PlayBoard NI said, “This research emphasises the importance of adventurous play.

Children and young people need freedom and opportunities to encounter challenges and risks in their everyday playful adventures.

It is clear from the research findings that playing, taking risks and experiencing excitement outdoors makes a positive contribution to children's mental health and emotional well-being.”

Adolescent Psychiatry.

Yet another study involving the same children, published earlier this year in the journal Nutrients, showed that kids whose families had higher levels of food insecurity were more likely than others to show more severe symptoms of emotional dysregulation, such as chronic irritability, angry moods and outbursts of anger.

Hatsu said the three studies all paint a similar picture. “A healthy diet that provides all the nutrients that children require can help reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children.”

They added, “Our studies suggest that it is worthwhile to check the children’s access to food as well as the quality of their diet to see if it may be contributing to their symptom severity.”

symptoms were prolonged.

Prior research has shown that there are a number of mechanisms that can explain how sleep can affect cognitive functioning. The study also demonstrated that if insomnia symptoms eased over the years, cognitive functioning was also found to be better at retirement age compared to the problems persisting.

According to the researchers, long-lasting insomnia symptoms should

be considered risk factors for poor cognitive functioning.

“Based on our findings, early intervention tackling insomnia symptoms, or measures aimed at improving the quality of sleep would be justified,” says Professor Tea Lallukka.

Lallukka believes that intervention studies are still needed to ascertain the effects of measures in support of good sleep."In subsequent studies, it would be interesting to shed further light on, for example, whether the treatment of insomnia can also slow down the development of memory disorders," Lallukka said.

The ways stress is messing with your menstrual cycle Stress can be devastating in more ways than one. Being under stress can lead to a list of physical and mental health issues which may affect every aspect of your life. The rise in cortisol levels can cause many changes in the body and the mind including changes in menstruation. There are many ways the stress you are enduring can change your monthly cycle.

Missed periods - Stress can shorten, lengthen, delay, or even stop your cycle. The average period cycle is of 28 days.

However, one who is stressed may have a cycle of less than even 20 days. When a woman is stressed, the body produces cortisol. Depending on how the body reacts to stress, the cortisol may lead to delayed or light periods or no period at all.

Dysmenorrhoea or painful periods - Painful cramps take a toll on one’s productivity for the duration of periods.

Prompt heavy flow - If you are under stress, there are chances you may also experience a heavy flow during the periods. This cuts down on your average daily activities and prompts uneasiness and exhaustion.

Worsened PMS - Women who are stressed may also experience PMS symptoms more intensely. One may also experience abdominal pain, cramping, and mood swings.

Stress often comes from factors like irregular eating, sleeping, and working patterns. It is challenging for women, especially those managing their careers and households to maintain balance as this can lower their productivity.

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Jacqueline gets permission to fly to Abu Dhabi for IIFA A

ctor Jacqueline Fernandez, who is currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, has been granted permission by a Delhi court to travel abroad. The actress is being investigated by the ED in £20 million extortion case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

The ED had issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) against Jacqueline, effectively curbing her freedom to travel overseas during the course of the investigation. The actress had applied before the court to suspend this LOC and allow her to travel abroad to attend the IIFA Awards in the UAE. The actor briefly withdrew her permission when the awards were postponed.

The court allowed her application but with a set of conditions. A report quoted Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh, as saying, “Considering the facts and circumstances, the application at hand is allowed. The applicant is granted permission to travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE from 31.05.2022 till 06.06.2022 and for this given period, the LOC against the applicant issued in this case shall stand suspended.”

The actress has also been asked to submit Rs 50,00,000 as a guarantee of her return to the country as a condition for this permission. The court said, “The applicant shall submit an FDR to the tune of Rs 50,00,000 along with an undertaking that in case of her non-return, the FDR shall stand suspended and shall also provide a surety of Rs 50,00,000. The applicant shall submit her itinerary, place of stay and the number at which she can be contacted. On her return, the applicant shall inform the investigating agency about her return.”

On the work front, Jackie will be next seen on screen in mystery thriller ‘Vikrant Rona’. Directed by Anup Bhandari, the movie also features Kichcha Sudden, Nirup Bhandari and Neetha Ashok. The movie will be released in six languages including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and English, on July 28. Actor Salman Khan recently announced that his banner Salman Khan Films (SKF) has come on board as North India presenters for the film.

Jackie also has ‘Cirkus’ alongside Ranveer Singh.

Helmed by Rohit Shetty, the movie is said to be an adaptation of the Shakespearean play ‘The Comedy of Errors’.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 emerging as one of the biggest Hindi hits

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artik Aaryan starrer 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' is emerging as one of the bigger box office hits of Hindi cinema since the pandemic began. In its first week, the Anees Bazmee directorial has made £9.20 million at the box office and it seems like the £10 million mark will be breached soon.

'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' will battle against Anubhav Sinha’s 'Anek', which stars Ayushmann Khurrana. While Ayushmann is often considered one of the most bankable stars when it comes to drawing an audience, it is yet to be seen if he will be able to repeat the magic with 'Anek.'

Kartik, in the meanwhile, has been on cloud nine as he celebrates his recent success. The actor was recently in the holy city of Varanasi to celebrate the success of the film.

Earlier, Kartik shared that he wanted the film to do well at the box office. He said, “I hope it does well, from the first

'Bollywood kabhi khatam nahi hoga,' says Rohit Shetty poster till now, it has been the talk of the town. Everybody has been talking about this film, and they have enjoyed it.

The kind of reaction I have heard from people after they watched the trailer is that they really want to watch the film. I hope they go to the theatres and watch it.”

'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' was released alongside Kangana Ranaut’s 'Dhaakad', which failed to create an impression on the audience.

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ilmmaker Rohit Shetty said that the rising popularity of South Indian films across India should not be seen as an end for Bollywood. Rohit said that both north and south Indian cinema can do well, as there was no competition between the two. Several B-Town celebrities have recently weighed in on the ongoing north versus south films debate.

Akshay’s Samrat Prithviraj includes a disclaimer on Sati and Johar

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handraprakash Dwivedi’s Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ has been awarded the U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The certificate came in after the filmmakers made five changes as suggested by the CBFC. Akshay plays the titular role of Indian king Prithviraj in the movie that marks the Bollywood debut of the 2017 Miss World Manushi Chillar. The movie also stars Sanjay Dutt and Sonu Sood and is set to hit theatres on June 3.

A media report said that the film has bagged U/A certificate after five changes were made. The examining committee at the CBFC had asked a word “haran” meaning kidnapping to be replaced with “waran” meaning selection while “nana” was to be replaced with “sage”. It added that “kabza” meaning capture had to be changed to “hamla” meaning attack and the word “antim” meaning last was deleted from the end slate, and the word “mahaan” was inserted. The CBFC also asked for a disclaimer stating that the filmmakers and persons involved with the film do not encourage the acts of Johar or Sati.

Ahead of the release of the film, union home minister Amit Shah will watch the movie on June 1. Dwivedi had said in a press statement, “It is our honour that the Honourable Home Minister of our country, Shri Amit Shah ji, is going to witness the epic saga on the glorious life of one of Bharatmata's bravest sons, Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, who sacrificed his life for the country.”

Speaking during an event, Rohit said, “The trend of ‘Bollywood khatam’ will never happen. In the 80s, when VCRs came to the forefront, people said that theatre will go out of business, and Bollywood is finished. Then recently with the boom of OTT, many people said that Bollywood is finished. So… Bollywood kabhi khatam nahi hoga.”

He added that south Indian films have been remade in Hindi since the 1960s. Rohit said, “When you’ll check the history, you will learn that the south is there since the 60s and 50s. Shashi Kapoor’s ‘Pyaar Kiye Jaa’ was a remake of a south film. In the 80s, when Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna were at their peak, a new boy entered into cinema world, Kamal Haasan sir with ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ and it was a hit.”

On the work front, Rohit is filming his upcoming series titled ‘Indian Police Force’, which stars actor Sidharth Malhotra. He is also working on ‘Cirkus’ with Ranveer Singh and Jacqueline Fernandez. It is scheduled for a December 2022 release.

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Top Gun Maverick Review: Tom Cruise gives adrenaline rush, T even at 59

Gujarati Actress, Komal Thacker @ Cannes

Dr Anahita Bhatt

Rupali Shinde Director: Joseph Kosinski Screenplay: Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Bashir Salahuddin, Jon Hamm, Monica Barbaro, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman

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op Gun Maverick starts with giving away the history of Top Gun, how fighter weapons to school were formed and was named Top Gun, followed by its most popular theme song where pilots show off their skills. The audience also gets a sneak preview of old photographs picturing Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and his late friend Goose.

Lt Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) who is now a captain, has been a fighter pilot for over 30 years at the Top Gun. He is now called as an instructor to train its top pilots that includes Lt Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller) aka Rooster, the son of Maverick’s late friend Goose. Maverick, who first refuses to work as an instructor, eventually gives in to train the pilots. Val Kilmer who is playing Adm. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, encourages Maverick to take up the position and also asks him to confront his past and sense of guilt by preparing his late friend Goose’s son Lt Bradley Bradshaw.

Meanwhile, he tries to create a bond with Lt Bradshaw who is mad at Maverick for pulling out his papers and discouraging him from becoming a fighter pilot.

There are some interesting dialogues which not only define the character but also set the tone of the movie. "Thirty-plus years of service. Combat medals. Citations. Only man to shoot down three enemy planes in the last 40 years. Yet you can't get a promotion, you won't retire, and despite your best efforts, YOU REFUSE TO DIE......" shows you that Pete Maverick is here to stay and slay.

The best part of this movie is that one gets to see adaptations of the popular scenes from the cult classic Top Gun 1986, be it playing sport on the beach with fellow teammates or Tom Cruise chasing a fighter plane on his superbike. Also, they have beautifully adapted "Great Balls Of Fire '' song sequence where Maverick sees his late friend Goose’s son Lt Bradley Bradshaw playing the song in the bar, reminding him of his old days with Goose.

Once again, you relive the bond and friendship which comes in a different way in this movie. Director Kosinski maintains the charm, racy and bravado storyline taking it to a new level of emotions and camaraderie.

The performances of all the characters are promising. The director has weaved emotions effectively throughout the movie.

There are no exaggerations or superficial acting, just pilots who you want to win in their mission. Having said that, the director decided to keep it hearty which gets unrealistic at one point.

You get a feeling that the movie has been directed in a manner, where there will be just good endings and no deaths, to appease the audience. In one scene, Tom Cruise aka Maverick decides to take the prototype to its Mach 10-speed objective, and he reaches but decides to push further into highhypersonic speed, resulting in the prototype's destruction. But, Maverick is seen walking away with minor bruises.

Tom Cruise does not fail to charm, despite his age.

Remember, he’s 59!

Gen Z should definitely brush up their knowledge before seeing Top Gun Maverick, as many scenes are beautifully depicted showing a connection with its prequel, be it songs or scenes. This movie will appeal to those who enjoy the real action scenes and which are depicted flawlessly.

he 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival is an invitation-only International Film Festival held from 17 to 28 May 2022 in Cannes, France. It is considered to be the most prestigious film festival on a global platform. A number of Bollywood celebrities have made their way to the guest list through their efforts and outstanding performances.

This year marks the festival yet more special as a Gujarati Actress, Komal Thacker, made her way to the guest list of the Cannes Film Festival.

Here’s her Q&A with Asian Voice.

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hat has your experience at the Cannes Film Festival been like?

I consider those 30 seconds as the best thirty seconds of my life. I felt so proud of myself for being the only Gujarati lady on the red carpet amidst all the international celebrities. I felt extremely proud of myself standing wearing a saree among the most celebrated actors. It is not unusual to wear a gown at such international events, but I wore a saree gracefully. as there any specific reason why you chose to wear a saree?

As soon as the dates for the Film Festivals were out, I quickly booked my tickets and completed the formalities for entry into the Cannes Film Festival. At the same time, I had already informed my designer, Nikita Thakkar to have my saree ready because I was sure that if I got a chance to go there, I would wear a saree for my first walk on the red carpet. here are not many Gujarati celebrities who have been a part of the Cannes Film Festival. How do you think Gujaratis should make their way up there?

Before I came here, I have already had lead roles in Bollywood movies. But I wanted to walk the red carpet as a Gujarati film actress. I could have easily said that I am a Bollywood film actress. But I chose to represent the Gujarati film industry. This, I think, is what impressed

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the Indian Pavilion and they gave me the opportunity to walk the red carpet. If a Gujarati decides to do something, nothing on this earth could stop him from accomplishing his goal. If the Gujarati film industry comes together, they have the strength to bring the Cannes Film Festival all the way to Gujarat! The Gujarati movies today are being made very finely but there is a lack of audience. If the Gujarati audience supports the films, we could reach great heights. ow will your experience at the Cannes Film Festival change the way you work?

I shall now be more confident with my work. I will be more proud of myself and the Gujarati Film industry because in the end, it is the Gujarati film industry that gave me all the fame. Going back to work will be a very special moment for me.

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Yami Gautam defends reaction to a negative review of Dasvi A

ctor Yami Gautam has spoken about her public reaction to a review of her film ‘Dasvi’, which was released last month. In an interview, the actor said that the review did not come from “a good intention and place”. The actor recalled being hurt and felt that the review tried “to wash away everything.” The actress added that she was one of the readers and “that’s why it was disappointing”.

Yami shared a series of tweets last month, saying she found one of the reviews of her performance in ‘Dasvi’ “extremely disrespectful”. The movie, which was released on Netflix and Jio Cinema on April 17, also starring Abhishek Bachchan and Nimrat Kaur.

Speaking in the interview, Yami said, “I was (hurt). It didn’t come from a space where I have spoken to five people and then written. I read it, I felt and I wrote it and I thought it was necessary. Main har baat pe nahi bolti hun. Criticism humesha hona bhi chahiye (I don't speak always. There should always be criticism)...par jahaan par it gets personal ya jaha mujhe laga (when it gets personal or where I felt) that 'I'm not wrong in feeling this emotion, I'm not being carried away by emotion', I felt like expressing. I felt like it was necessary...How can you dismiss something being from the fraternity, and dismiss it the way it was written.”

"The problem wasn't someone didn't like my performance, that's all right. But it didn't come from a good intention, it didn't come from a good place. Could have said that it didn't work, no problem. Jo ek shabd tha woh aesa laga ki (From the one word it felt that) you're trying to wash away everything as if it doesn't mean anything. I know how honestly I have worked all my life, without compromising, keeping my dignity and values intact, I don’t owe anyone anything in this industry, I have a lot of gratitude for certain directors ad producers but it's my own journey," she also added.

Reacting to a Film Companion review of the movie, Yami had shared a screenshot of a part of the review in April. It read, "Yami Gautam is no longer the dead girlfriend in Hindi films, but the combative smile is starting to get repetitive.”

Yami wrote, "Before I say anything else, I’d like to say that I usually take constructive criticism in my stride. But when a certain platform keeps trying to pull you down

consistently, I felt it necessary to speak up about it. My recent films & performances include 'A Thursday', 'Bala', 'Uri' etc. & yet this is qualified as a 'review' of my work! It's extremely disrespectful!"

She added, "It takes years of hard work for anyone & especially a self-made actor like me to keep proving our mettle again & again with every opportunity. This is what it comes down to from certain reputed portals! It's heartbreaking since I did look up to @FilmCompanion once upon a time, like many of us, but I don't seek that since long now! I would request you not to 'review' my performance henceforth! I'll find grace in that & it'll be less painful.”

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Nayanthara visits Vignesh’s ancestral temple amid marriage rumours A ctor Nayanthara and filmmaker Vignesh Shiva have been together for quite some time now. Earlier last week, the couple visited Vignesh’s ancestral temple and their visit has kicked-off rumours about their wedding once again. A video from their temple visit has made its way to social media and fans have yet again begun speculation that they are indeed gearing up to tie the knot.

In the latest video, both of them can be seen getting out of a car and walking into Valathur village temple near Papanasam in Tamil Nadu. Earlier this year in March, a video of Vignesh and Nayanthara visiting Kalikambal temple went viral when it leaked on social media. The highlight of the video was that Nayanthara was spotted with sindoor and fans were wondering if she married Vignesh in a hush-hush ceremony. This was not the first-time rumours had made the rounds about the couple getting married in secrecy.

In the video, Nayanthara and Vignesh were seen in the temple premises as fans mobbed them for a picture. A highly protective Vignesh was seen shielding Nayanthara with his hands around her.

On the work front, Nayanthara was recently seen in Vignesh's directorial ‘Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kadhal’, a romantic comedy co-starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Vijay Sethupathi. In the film, Nayanthara played a character called Kanmani Ganguly, who falls in love with Vijay Sethupathi’s character that’s loved by Samantha’s character at the same time. She currently awaits the release of Telugu film ‘Godfather’, co-starring Chiranjeevi. She has played his sister in the movie, which is a remake of the Malayalam blockbuster, ‘Lucifer’.

She also awaits the release of the Tamil thriller ‘O2’, a race-against-time survival thriller. The film’s teaser was unveiled recently and it’s tipped to be a film completely set inside a bus. Directed by debutant GS Viknesh, the film will see Nayanthara fight for survival for her son who’s sick and travelling with oxygen support. Produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, this will be the third Nayanthara-starrer to opt for a direct OTT premiere and skip a theatrical release.

Kamal Haasan recalls how his career as child actor ended A

ctor Kamal Haasan took a trip down memory lane recently and recalled his days as a child actor. In an interview, Kamal said that he was “like a trained parrot” then. He also revealed that when he lost his “first two teeth that my market as a child star ended”. The actor also said that he didn’t realise how lucky he was to “rub shoulders with M G Ramachandran, Shivaji (Ganesan)” as a child actor.

Kamal made his acting debut as a child artist with the Tamil movie ‘Kalathoor Kannamma’ in 1960, and then starred in ‘Partial Pasi Theerum’ the same year. Two years later, he also featured in the ‘Paadha Kaanikkai’ and ‘Kannum Karalum’ in 1962.

Kamal said, “As a child actor I was like a trained parrot, I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t even know I was moving with such great stars. It was only when I lost my first two teeth that my market as a child star ended. And, I was no longer a child and was growing into a boy and then a man. So, those times I was an ordinary

man and suddenly I realised how lucky I had been as a child artist to rub shoulders with MGR, Shivaji (Ganesan).”

He also spoke about the times when Hindi movies were filmed in Chennai, “I have seen Shammi Kapoor Saab, though I was only at that time a Tamil film actor.

They used to make those films in Chennai as well at that time. Mohd Rafi Saab would be singing at AVM Studios (in Chennai). I have seen all that and I didn't realise what kind of dream world I lived in. I longed for it and I went back as a technician. Because I wasn't sure if I wanted to be an actor at all.”

On the work front, Kamal will be next seen in the upcoming movie ‘Vikram’. A high-octane action drama, the movie also stars Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil along with Kalidas Jayaram, Narain, Antony Varghese and Arjun Das in supporting roles. Suriya also has a cameo in the film. It will release in theatres worldwide on June 3.

Pawan Kalyan, ex-wife, attend son’s high school graduation A

ctor Pawan Kalyan and ex-wife Renu Desai were proud parents at their 18year-old son Akira Nandan’s high school graduation ceremony. Renu took to Instagram to share a long post on her son completing high school and how “fast” he has grown up. Akira has been living with his mother after Pawan Kalyan and Renu got separated.

Her post read, “An era ends and an era begins.

Proud parents of an amazing boy on his graduation day. No more getting ready for school early morning, no more worrying about the bus timing, no more rushing to get the lunch packed on time, no more tuition, no more PTM, no more school… I have told Akira that his true journey begins now and I hope he finds his own spot in the sunlight without needing the light of his parents. My little baby grew up really fast.”

Meanwhile, Akira is getting ready for his acting debut. In 2021, in a video clip that surfaced on social media, he was seen showcas-

ing his martial arts skill.

Comparing it with a clip from Pawan Kalyan’s film, fans wrote on social media, ‘like father, like son’. Fans were quick to compare Akira’s widely shared video with a clip of Pawan from his movie ‘Komaram Puli’.

One fan said that the skill runs in his blood. Another fan wrote about walking in the footsteps of his father.

Although it has not been officially announced yet, it has been reported that filmmaker Trivikram is planning to launch Akira Nandan in a grand way. Trivikram and Pawan Kalyan are close friends and have worked together in multiple projects, over the years.

Vijay Sethupathi's 'Maamanithan' release postponed again V

ijay Sethupathi made his acting debut as a lead in 'Thenmerku Paruvakaatru' directed by Seenu Ramasamy. The film was well-received.

Later, they teamed up together for the films like 'Idam Porul Yaeval', 'Dharmadurai' and 'Maamanithan'. The film 'Idam Porul Yaeval' is yet to be released.

'Dharmadurai' became a huge success. The film was produced by RK Suresh.

Ilayaraaja and his son Yuvan Shankar have co-composed the music for the film 'Maamanithan'. 'Maamanithan' is the first film in which the two are paired. The fans are eagerly waiting to enjoy the music.

The posters, teaser and trailer of the film have already been released and have received good attention among the fans. 'Dharmadurai' producer RK Suresh has acquired the Tamil and Kerala theatrical distribution rights for the film.

It was officially announced that the movie 'Maamanithan' will first be released on May 6th. But after that the release date was changed and it was announced that the release date is May 20th. But the film was not released on that date either.

Following this, the film crew has now decided on a new release date. Vijay Sethupathi has shared a new poster related to this, which is going viral on the internet. The poster announces that the movie Man will be released on June 23.

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‘Modern Love: Mumbai’ episode on gay romance not available in UAE A

mazon Prime Video’s new anthology series ‘Modern Love: Mumbai’ premiered on the streaming platform on May 13. The series features six stories of love all set in Mumbai, among which is ‘Baai’, which stars Pratik Gandhi, Ranveer Brar and Tanuja. The film focuses on a love story between a gay couple and how the protagonist has hidden his sexuality from his grandmother.

However, the particular episode is curiously missing from the version of ‘Modern Love: Mumbai’ available in the UAE. Many viewers have reported this absence with some speculating it may be due to the nation’s strict stance against the portrayal of LGBTQ romance. Directed by Hansal Mehta, ‘Baai’ focuses on the love story of Manzar (Gandhi) and Rajveer (Brar) and how Manzar has hidden his sexuality from his Baai (grandmother, played by Tanuja).

The episode/short film has been applauded for its sensitive portrayal of the LGBTQ community and gay romance.

A few social media users posted over the last few days that the second episode of ‘Modern Love: Mumbai’ was not available in UAE. One Twitter user even said that ‘Made in Heaven’- another show featuring a gay protagonist - was also unavailable in the country. Tagging Amazon AE and Prime Video, Twitter user @shwoooohadha wrote on May 14, “Any reason why Episode 2 of #ModernLoveMumbai is not available in UAE? You

guys also took #MadeInHeaven away.” Amazon Help asked them to reach out to the Prime Video team. When the user responded that they did not get any response, the official Amazon Help account responded, “We apologize for that, the content of Prime Video is regional and is determined not only

by Amazon. We are trying our best to add new

content.”

Other social media posts have also pointed out the absence of ‘Baai’ in the UAE. A post on Reddit’s Bolly Blinds n Gossip subreddit by u/full_metal_028 stated, “I am not able to see the episode Baai in UAE. Have used multiple VPNs as well. My brother can access the 2nd episode from India using my account.” Many in the thread speculated if it was due to the show’s gay romance.

Shaunak Sen’s documentary gets Golden Patton Oswalt Eye prize at Cannes complements Rajamouli’s RRR D A

elhi-based film director Shaunak Sen received the prestigious L’OEil D’Or award, also known as The Golden Eye, for his documentary, “All That Breathes”, at the Cannes Film Festival. The jury said, “L’OEil d’Or goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters.

You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters. It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quijotes who may not save the whole world but do save their world. ” The award includes a cash prize of 5,000 euros.

Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi’s apocalyptic air and escalating violence, the film maps the lives of two brothers, Saud and Nadeem, who have devoted their lives to rescuing and treating the black kite from a rundown basement in Wazirabad.

Earlier in January, the 88-minute documentary had received the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance International Film Festival.

The film is dedicated to Sen’s father, who passed away following a stroke last July.

Netflix launches Ilaiyaraaja’s rendition of Stranger Things Season 4 opening theme O

scar-winning musician Ilaiyaraaja has recreated the opening theme of the popular Netflix show ‘Stranger Things’ for the upcoming fourth season. Netflix launched the video for the theme song early last week. The video showcases classic ‘Stranger Things’ elements and Ilaiyaraaja can be seen battling the rift through his powerful tunes. The series is directed and written by the Duffer Brothers.

Caitlin Schneiderhan, Paul Dichter, Kate Trefry and Curtis Gwinn have also co-written the show.

The video opens with kids running towards a tent-like structure that has various games. Once they get in one, the screen shows them 'Stranger Things'. They run into a dark forest, only to see Ilaiyaraaja orchestrating a company of musicians. He is seen in his trademark white dress in the video.

Fans were impressed with the video and showered the Netflix post with appreciation and love. One of them wrote,

“This is crazy!” and another commented, “Goosebumps!”

One of them also requested Tamil versions of the previous seasons and wrote, “Release previous seasons in Tamil.”

Talking about the new season, actor Sadie Sink, who plays Max said in an interview, "(It) really kind of just dives deeper into some of the bigger questions that I think a lot of the fans have been asking. I think people are going to really be very satisfied with this season.”

"There's always a lot of humour in the show.... The hallmark of the show is being able to bring humour to really serious and dark supernatural circumstances," actor Joe Keery, who plays Steve said. ‘Stranger Things 4’ Volume 1 landed on Netflix on May 27. The second volume will release in July. ‘Stranger Things 4’ was released in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English.

ctor-comedian Patton Oswalt shared a series of tweets complimenting filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus ‘RRR’. The Primetime Emmy Award winner recommended his fans to watch the movie.

Starring Ram Charan and Jr. NTR, the movie broke several box office records since its release and has earned over £110 million at the box.

In his first tweet, Patton wrote, “If this ISN’T playing near you in IMAX then this is the next best way to watch it. F***en @RRRMovie is insane."

Team RRR then thanked the actor, replying to the tweet. Patton then wrote, "You guys are out of your f**king minds, you should not be allowed to make films, and I can’t wait to see what you do next.”

As per boxofficeindia.com, Rajamouli's ‘RRR’ has minted over £112.7 million worldwide. The movie is loaded with VFX and is based on the lives of Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) and Alluri Seetharama Raju (Ram Charan) in pre-independence India. The movie also features Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Olivia Morris, Alison Doody, and Ray Stevenson.

Ram Charan spoke about the success in an interview with Variety. Commenting on the film opening to the No 1 tag at the global box-office in its opening weekend, he said, “I did expect it to be a big hit, but the No 1 tag I never expected – that was a beautiful surprise. That was mind-blowing for us, even for Rajamouli I feel.”

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No more bio-bubbles from India-SA T20 series T

he BCCI will not conduct the forthcoming T20I series between India and South Africa in a bio-bubble. “If I’m not wrong, the bio-bubble for IPL2022 was the last. For the IndiaSA series onwards, players will be tested (for Covid), but will not in any bio-bubble,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said.

Since Covid-19 struck, cricketers have been forced to play sport in strict biobubbles, which have caused mental fatigue, resulting in many of them opting out of key tours and games. However, Shah says that with their families too staying with them in the bubbles, the players also enjoyed being there. “Yes, it’s tough for the players.

However, they got a family-like atmosphere inside the hotel bio-bubble. In the case of the IPL, we had hotels dedicated to each team.

The whole tournament was held at one

place. All the teams had their lounges, recreational centres (to relax and unwind). So, they were also enjoying,” said the BCCI secretary.

Having conducted three IPLs during pandemic time, the BCCI deserves praise, felt Shah.

“We were among the first cricket boards which conducted a domestic league (during Covid, in 2020 in the UAE). We created the largest bio-bubble in the world. When IPL-2020 kicked off, there wasn’t a single Covid case. We conducted more than 30,000 tests during that tournament. We’ve to thank the UAE government also for giving on arrival visas and providing tight security. In 2021, we tried to hold the IPL in India, but the moment there was a Covid outbreak in the teams, we immediately postponed the IPL and shifted it to UAE,” Shah elaborated.

UK govt approves sale of Chelsea FC to Boehly-Clearlake consortium The British government issued a licence that permits the sale of football club Chelsea, minister Nadine Dorries said. Current owner Roman Abramovich is subject to sanctions by the British government. He put the London club up for sale in early March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

"We are satisfied the proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or other sanctioned individuals," Dorries said on Twitter.

Boehly-Clearlake consortium, which agreed terms to acquire Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds ($5.33 billion) earlier this month, passed the Premier League Owners' and Directors' Test. “Following extensive work, we are now satisfied that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned

individual," the British government said in a statement.

"We will now begin the process of ensuring the proceeds of the sale are used for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, supporting victims of the war. “The steps today will secure the future of this important cultural asset and protect fans and the wider football community." It was a hotly-contested sale process following Russia's invasion of Ukraine three months ago and Boehly's group had to guarantee 1.75 billion pounds ($2.2 billion) of investment in the team to be chosen as the new owners.

Groups led by Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca and former British Airways chairman Martin Broughton were earlier eliminated from the bidding process while a consortium led by Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family pulled out of the running.

Gujarat win IPL crown in maiden season Continued from page 1

Hardik was sensational with the ball, taking 3 for 17 off 4 overs to destroy the Rajasthan Royals batting line-up. He picked the key wickets of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer to keep them to 130 for 9 off 20 overs.

Rashid Khan was brilliant once again. He was difficult to get away on a slow pitch and finished with 1 for 18 off his four overs. Sai Kishore also picked two wickets as GT rounded off a clinical performance with the ball.

Chasing 131 for an IPL trophy in their debut season, the Titans got off to a poor start when Prasidh Krishna removed Wriddhiman Saha for 5 off 7 balls. Saha has had a good time with GT this summer but he failed in the playoffs - in Qualifier 2, he had been dismissed for a duck.

Matthew Wade was sent back by Trent Boult for 8 off 10 balls before Hardik Pandya, basking in the glory of his bowling heroics, walked in to join Shubman Gill. The two men steadied the GT innings with a solid partnership for the 3rd wicket as GT sought triumph in a packed stadium in Ahmedabad.

Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya added 63 for the 2nd wicket before Yuzvendra Chahal removed the Gujarat Titans captain for 34 off 30 balls. Pandya's innings was punctuated with 3 fours and 1 six in what was a true captain's knock.

The pair was calm even after losing two early wickets and backed themselves to rotate the strike and punish the bad balls in a

partnership which dashed RR's hopes of a second IPL triumph.

After Hardik's dismissal, Shubman was joined by David Miller and both batters took Gujarat Titans across the finish line to mark jubilant celebrations at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

It was a fitting end to GT's sensational campaign. Hardik has been phenomenal as leader and an ace all-rounder while Shubman Gill, who top-scored for the champions on Sunday, has been brilliant at the top.

David Miller, who was by Gill's side, played his role as finisher perfectly game after game as GT finished on top of the points table and then played another important knock in Qualifier 1 to seal their berth in the final.

After Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and decided to bat, Hardik broke the back of RR's batting line-up with the wickets of Sanju, IPL 2022 Orange Cap winner Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer. Hardik finished with figures of 3 for 17 off 4 overs, rocking the Royals who would have targeted more than their eventual 130 for 9 off 20 overs.

Yash Dayal gave the Titans their first breakthrough when he dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal for a 16-ball 22 in the fourth over of the innings. And then Hardik Pandya got to work.

In his first over, Hardik struck to remove his RR counterpart Sanju for 14 off 11 balls before removing RR top-scorer Buttler for 39 and the dangerous Hetmyer who managed only 11 off 12 balls.

Emami Group to invest in East Bengal A day after BCCI president Sourav Ganguly hinted at the possibility of Manchester United taking the ownership of East Bengal, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee put all speculations to rest, announcing that the Emami Group would be the new investor for the Kolkata club.

“Both sides came to me for tea today and they have agreed (to join hands together). As a result, East Bengal’s problems in relation to playing in the ISL have been solved,” Mamata said in presence of East Bengal and Emami Group’s key functionaries.

While the CM’s announcement cleared the uncertainty hanging over East Bengal’s future following the end of their tumultuous two-season association with previous investor Shree Cement Ltd, the club officials welcomed the move, saying the priority would now be forming a “competitive” team in the new season.

“Because of various reasons, we failed to live up to expectations in the past of couple of seasons. Our focus now is on making a strong and competitive team so that we can fight for the championship and not finish at the bottom of the table,” senior East Bengal official Debabrata Sarkar, who attended the meeting with the CM, said.

Taking “pride” in the new venture, the city-based multinational company also offered “the best standards of the sport” to the club and its fans.

“It is a great moment of pride for us to forge a relationship with an iconic football club like East Bengal. We were motivated by Didi (chief minister)’s passion for sports to form this relationship and are thankful for Didi’s support to make this possible,” Aditya V Agarwal, Emami Group director, said later on.

in brief INDIAN GM PRAGGU FINISHES RUNNER-UP IN CHESSABLE MASTERS It was a see-saw battle in the final of Chessable Masters, an online chess tournament, that Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa lost to World No. 2 Ding Liren in the tiebreakers. The clash -which went down to the wire -ended at around 2. 20 am and by 8. 45 am the 16-year-old had arrived at his school to appear for the Class XI state board exams. Praggu has been performing the balancing act with aplomb by planning his day in such a way that there was sufficient time to not only study for his exams, but also prepare for the battles against the world’s top-rated players. “The last few days have been incredibly tiring. It’s a first for me -writing exams and playing a tournament simultaneously. I had the computer applications exam and it went well,” Praggu said. Praggu’s long-time coach RB Ramesh said it was a tribute to the youngster’s mentality that he managed to handle his matches and the exams at the same time. “His biggest asset is to be able to stay in the moment. To write an exam just hours after that heartbreaking loss shows his character,” Ramesh said.

After losing on Day 1 of the final, Praggu showed nerves of steel to win the second leg 2.5-1.5 and take the clash into the tie-breakers.

The first game started with the Semi-Tarrasch opening and both players were solid in their play to split points after 41 moves. The second clash came to life with a queen exchange.

Praggu was able to capitalize on a good position and win that contest. “That particular win gave me enough confidence to take the match deep,” said Praggu. Ding and Praggu drew the next two games as the final headed into the tie-breakers comprising two blitz games and then an armageddon game if needed. Praggu had an advantage in the first blitz game but failed to press home the advantage and the match ended in a draw. In the second blitz clash, Praggu committed an error and Ding was quick to capitalize on it to win the clash and with it the title. Ding praised Praggu for giving him a hard time.

French Open: Bopanna, partner in doubles semi-final The 42-year-old Rohan Bopanna reached his first-ever Roland Garros semi-final in men’s doubles. Bopanna and his Dutch partner Matwe Middelkoop pulled off a heist against the pairing of Llyod Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara. They won the Quarterfinal 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) after being down in super tie-breaker.

Bopanna and partner will take on Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) / Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) in the semifinal.

The 16th seeds Bopanna and Middelkoop brought out all their experience as they went from 0-3 down in the Super tie-breaker to win 10 points on the trot and seal a berth in the semi-final.

Bopanna earlier had won the mixed doubles title at French Open along with Gabriela Dabrowski in 2017.

With Middelkoop hitting some stunning forehand winners and Bopanna finding winners with incredible calmness, the veteran doubles pairing got to their first-ever Grand Slam semi.

May skip Wimbledon Bopanna said that he will skip Wimbledon this year, as the grass-court

Grand Slam appears set to play to the ‘no points’ tune. The Championships, starting June 27, banned Russian and Belarussian players from playing their event. The ATP & WTA Tours then hit back by stripping the major off ranking points. The 42-yearold, India No. 1 in the men’s doubles, has struggled with knee issues, will reconsider his decision should the tournament go through with points.

“It makes no sense for me at this age and stage of my career to be playing Wimbledon without points,” Bopanna said.

“It’s best-of-five, on grass, where you are getting down low for the ball… Points maybe short, but you’re serving and volleying, moving forward, putting a lot of load on the knees. ”