AV 18th August 2018

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

18 - 24 AUGUST 2018 - VOL 47 ISSUE 16

SIKHS HOLD LONDON RALLY FOR KHALISTAN Rally by Khalistan supporters

inside: 9-year-old chess prodigy wins fight to stay in Britain SEE PAGE 7

We will return with bigger margin in 2019: PM Modi SEE PAGE 26

72 Years of Independence Rupanjana Dutta Thousands of Sikhs attended a rally in London's Trafalgar Square on Sunday 12 August to demand a referendum on independence from India. To counter this demonstration, a peaceful pro-India rally was organised by people in front of the National gallery. Though the

number was a few hundreds against the thousands campaigning for Khalistan, there were no efforts left on their part, to make themselves heard. However a green coloured Azad Kashmir flag was seen plying, as Lord Nazir Ahmed said, “I believe in Khalistan for my Sikh brothers and sisters.”

Continued on page 5

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18 - 24 August 2018

Vaz announces Performing Arts Prize in honour of Chandubhai Mattani Leicester East MP Keith Vaz announced the establishment of an Annual Performing Arts Prize in honour of the late Chandubhai Mattani who died in Leicester last week.

Mr VAZ made the announcement at the Prarthna Sabha for Chandhubai which was held at the Mayer Community Centre, Leicester.

Hundreds of people attended the event MP Keith Vaz and other tributes were given by Gautam Bodiwala and Mr Mattani's grandson Rohan. Devotional prayers were led by Alap Ashit Desai a close family friend who had flown in from India for the occasion.

Keith Vaz described Mr Mattani as " an icon of Leicester and global music who had brought serenity and style to the Belgrave Road". He went on " Chandu Mattani was

the fifth person I met when I arrived in Leicester 33 years ago from London. I can remember his smile, his grace and his kindness and generosity. In an age of " fake news " Chandu Mattani stood out as a person of truth and love. He never uttered an unkind word about anyone. He lived his music, his family and his community. " Mr Vaz said that Chandubhai's musical recitals in Leicester through Shruti Arts inspired him to establish musical recitals at the House of Commons where legends such as Ravi Shankar, Amjad Ali Khan and Zakhir Hussein performed. He recalled the day that Chandubhai and his great friend Sunil Gavaskar came to Parliament and played cricket on the roof of the House of Commons. " He lived a long life, full of energy and dynamism but it was also too short.

We have lost a giant whose humility and passion for music will be missed by us every single day. We will never see his like again" The Mattani Award for Performing Arts announced by Mr Vaz will be an Annual event which will be awarded at the end of an annual concert in honour of Chandu Mattani which will take place in Leicester.

Chandu Mattani

Young people under the age of 20 will enter the competition and three finalists will perform at the concert. The winner will receive the Award. Further details will be announced after consultation with the Mattani family and Leicester City Council. The first Award is expected to be made on what would have been Chandhubai's next birthday.

British Asians more socially conservative than rest of UK, survey suggests British Asians are more socially conservative - and more optimistic - than the wider UK population, a ComRes survey for the Asian Network suggests. The survey found that less than half of respondents - 43% - thought same-sex relationships were acceptable. It also found more than half (54%) of British Asians had "toned down" their Asian identity to "fit in".

More than 2,000 British Asians responded to the poll as part of the BBC's Big British Asian Summer - a season of programmes across the BBC this August , in which British Asians share their stories..

A similar number of UK citizens responded to the same questions to generate a reflection of the views of the wider population.

Of the 2,026 respondents to the British Asian survey, 1,197 were born in the UK with countries of origin being predominantly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

According to the surveys, just 5% of UKwide respondents would be offended if a relative had sex before marriage - while more than a third (34%) of British Asians would be.

On same-sex relationships, 15% of UKwide respondents said they were not acceptable. This rose to more than a third (36%) of British Asians. The surveys also revealed differences in how age affects attitudes. In the UK-wide survey, younger people were more supportive of same-sex relationships, compared to older people. But in the British Asian survey, attitudes were broadly similar across all age groups.

On religion, over half of 18-34 year olds in the general population said it wasn't important to them "at all". Just 8% of young British Asians said the same.

Overall, 46% of British Asians said it was

Chirag Asnani

"very important" to them - compared to 12% of the general population.

Meanwhile, when asked to describe Asian culture, 33% of British Asians said it was "modernising" and 25% "progressive".

The UK-wide response was 9% and

8% respectively.

When asked about changing their behaviour to fit in, about 12% said they frequently "toned down" their Asian identity 23% said occasionally and 18% rarely. Some 79% said at least some of their cultural traditions were dying out. Overall, though, British Asians were more hopeful about their future than the population at large.

Some 72% said Britain is somewhere you can fulfil your aspirations and ambitions, compared to 64% of the population at large.

The most optimistic group of all were British Indians - with over three-quarters believing in a bright future.

The survey also asked about other topics, including the police and the monarchy: l 59% of British Asians trusted the police, compared to 65% of of the wider population l 51% of British Asians wanted to keep the monarchy, with 26% preferring a republic (the rest were unsure). l Across the UK, 65% wanted to keep the monarchy, with 21% preferring a republic l 48% of British Asians saw religion as a source of division and conflict, compared to 77% of the wider population. l Meanwhile, 30% of British Asians thought Britain has become a "more tolerant place" in the last couple of years - compared to 22% of

the general population.

One person who spoke to BBC’s Asian Network was Chirag Asnani, 25, who said he could agree with parts of the survey's findings as he changed his name to try to fit in with British culture.

At school, he temporarily called himself Craig because people mispronounced Chirag - and because he thought Craig was more of a "white name".

"At the time I thought it would be cool because no-one else had the name Chirag and also Daniel Craig was just becoming James Bond at that point," he said.

"I thought it would catch on. After I while I thought 'this is dumb' and my parents thought 'this is dumb'. So I went back to Chirag and just made sure people were saying it right."

in brief TWO FRIENDS FUELLED

BY HATRED FOR ISLAM JAILED FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS

Two female friends with a hatred of Islam tied up and tortured a Muslim convert in a disturbing filmed attack. Emma Storey and Lois Evans, both from Guisborough near Middlesbrough, have been jailed for their assault on the vulnerable victim. Footage of the distressing incident was played at Teesside Crown Court last Friday where Evans, 30, was jailed for three years and four months and Storey, 35, got two years and eight months. The court heard that Evans had threatened to use a power drill on the man's kneecaps and feet, screaming that she hated Muslims.

DEPUTY HEAD 'FAILS TO GET JOB BACK AT SCHOOL EMBROILED IN TROJAN HORSE PLOT

A deputy head teacher who branded gay people as 'animals' has failed in a bid to win his job back at a school which was embroiled in the Trojan horse scandal.

Razwan Faraz, 38, claimed his dismissal was a result of religious discrimination after he lost his job at Nansen Primary School in 2015. He was one of five teachers suspended after investigators claimed to find evidence of a conspiracy to impose Islamic teachings at schools in Birmingham.

The group tried to introduce 'an intolerant and aggressive Islamic ethos' via a 'brotherhood' WhatsApp group, in which Mr Faraz made homophobic remarks. However the five men were cleared of a plot to infiltrate secular state schools after a disciplinary panel hearing collapsed due to the prosecution withholding evidence.

DENTIST WHO WAS LOCKED UP IN DUBAI LANDS IN UK A British mother jailed in Dubai for drinking on the plane out was met by her delighted family as she landed back in the UK. The 44 year old, who was jailed for drinking a glass of wine on a flight to the popular tourist destination, was met by her partner Gary at Gatwick Airport. Dr Holman, a dentist, was driven back to her home in Sevenoaks, Kent for a private family reunion after the eight hour flight.

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COMMENTS

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18 - 24 August 2018

Independence Day audit Any national audit amidst the celebration of independence is a confection of achievement and failure, as a general rule. India, with its linguistic, ethnic and religious diversities to contend with is no exception. It is worth repeating ad nauseam, that few of the great and good among the world’s large democracies were among the select optimists.

Indian independence was paralleled by the start of the Cold War. The United States, as the leader of the Western alliance was apt to frown upon those reluctant or unwilling to join it in a crusade against the Soviet Union. This, today, has mutated alarmingly into a seemingly irrational and self- perceived projection of an irresistible force squaring up to an irremediable object in allegd defence of democracy and human rights. .

How best can India navigate these treacherous crosscurrents will remain the most challenging hurdle for Indian diplomacy. There are regional issues compounded by jihadi terrorism – homegrown and exported – to consider, followed by the shifting geopolitical templates, each requiring a firm, calibrated response in tune with the prime national interest of strategic autonomy.

Domestically, the challenges are many and none the easier for that. Economic growth moves with measured rather than spectacular pace. In certain segments such as Information Technology the advances since economic liberalization have been extraordinary. As IT is the driver of the fourth Industrial Revolution, India can look to the future with justifiable hope.

Agriculture and viability of farming as a way of life has seen a significant leap forward like no other. To tabulate the gains in so limited a compass is well nigh

impossible, but a perusal of an edit-page article in the Times of India (August 6) by the eminent agricultural scientist and leader of the country’s Green Revolution Dr Swaminathan, will reward readers for their time.

As one surveys the past seven decades, one appreciates the transformation (still work in progress) that has kept food production ahead of population growth. This include the basic staples of wheat and rice, and beyond them buoyant increases in fruit and vegetables, not to speak growth of milk production in which India is now the world leader. The dairy industry has thus taken off in a big way across metropolitan cities, II Tier and III Tier towns and vast swaths of the rural heartland, thanks largely to the0 vision and lifetime of endeavour of the remarkable Dr Verghese Kurien, the godfather of the Amul cooperative, which is now a household brand across the country, its cheeses and butter also sold in markets abroad.

India has come of age in space science and engineering, acquired considerable military muscle and progressing apace in manufacture of capital and consumer goods. As the world’s soon-to-be fifth largest economy, and the world’s fastest-growing large economy has much to be proud of. However, this must accompanied by the equally shaming reality of social and religious intolerance, of gender oppression under the rubric of mob lynching and sexual violence, of assassinations of free-thinking rationalists and of absurdist xenophobia.

The threat to the ‘scientific temper’ once eloquently described by Jawaharlal Nehru, was highlighted in a letter to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, by a group of leading Indian scientists. There is much to do before the Indian dream translates into desired reality.

Farewell M. Karunanidhi Tamil Nadu’s colossus, M. Karunanidhi lost his final battle and died aged 94 in a Chennai hospital. He had lived his extraordinary life to the fullcasting a luminous presence on the Dravidian renaissance for six decades, Chief Minister of his State no fewer than five times. He was laid to rest on Wednesday, August 8 in the city’s Marina Beach next to that of his mentor and inspiration C.N. Annadurai.

Mr Karunanidhi was President of the Dravida Munetra Kazagham (DMK). A social activist all his life, he was a staunch opponent of the caste system and its manifold iniquities, also turning his face against all forms of organized religion. HHe was a cultural icon whose outstanding contribution to Tamil cinema will be cherished by one and all throughout the State and in neighbouring States, where Tamil has deep roots among sections of the educated class.

The fundamental change in Tamil Nadu politics since Independence has been the erosion of entrenched Brahmin dominance. – a democratic transformation

made possible by universal adult franchise, which threw out the old, discredited past for a new, buoyant future of hope for the downtrodden and disadvantaged millions. In education, health care and women’s emancipation, Tamil NNNadu is second only to Kerala.

There is to be a week’s official mourning for Mr Karunanidhi. His passing brought a stream of condolence messages from across the country, led by the words of President Ram Nath Koviind, arrived at the late leader’s residence in Chennai. Mr Karunanidhi’s internment was attended by IIndia’s good and great, from Prime M inister N arendra Modi, former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi and a bevy of State chief ministers.

Mr Karunanidhi’s son, M.K. Stalin, who has been a political figure in his own right is the lead the DMK. He has much to live up to, and his political career hereon will be watched with great interest by the people of India.

UK Greens, greenhorns Britain’s Green Party, it would appear, has adopted the Khalistani cause as their own in the belief that self-determination across the board was the road to happiness. Pray look at the state of the Balkans for a scintilla of responsible wisdom. Former Labour MP and Respect Party MP George Galloway also addressed the rally and Green Party leader Caroline Lucas sent a message of support.

On Sunday in Trafalgar square almost 3000 Sikhs joined a rally to launch the UK referendum for Khalistan.

To counter their rally around 200 Indians also gathered with drums and other musical instruments, though did not fail to make an impact.

A few days ago a UK MP took twitter to protest against people who believe that Sikhs do not require a separate ethnic identity in the UK census. With Brexit days coming closer, the Indian community is trying to establish the importance of a strong UK-India relationship, a step clearly more beneficial to UK than for India. On the other hand with growing popularity of Narendra Modi as a politician among British Indians, the UK ethnic politics has taken a very ugly turn. The same communities that took integration very seriously a few years back, are now fighting for a different identity.

The pro-Khalistani population in the UK have started their separatist movement on Britain's soil, against another sovereign and allied state. They have desecrated India's flag when 54 Commonwealth nations stood witness to

that. UK has done nothing to identify or arrest the perpetrators and take any action, despite having full recordings of those who vandalised. Lord Nazir Ahmed, sitting in the heart of UK Parliament instigated anti-India movements/protests, a fight for azad Kashmir, yet nothing has been done so far to dissuade him from spreading hatred.

He was also present in Trafalgar square on Sunday.

The Conservative party, that has a majority in today's Coalition government, is allegedly suffering from Islamophobia- a curious case of party prejudices, and they are proving to be selectively partial in judgement too.

How is breeding a separatist movement against an allied nation, just an action of self representation or right to demonstrate?

Today's Britain is multicultural, diverse and perhaps 'electively' open, and definitely a lot more acceptable than many of its EU counterparts. The cultural education is also comparatively far penetrable. But British Indians need to accept their 'own' identity, irrespective of sectarian and communal differences and political propaganda.

Nothing they say or do, will make them genetically 'nonIndian'. Why is there no pride in being a part of one of the world's oldest civilisations?

One must remember their history of being- what gave them their 'reason to be'. Divide and rule has been a British political tactic for years. It's rather foolish to fall prey to it, again and again.

Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters -Margaret Wheatley

CIIr Ketan Sheth

Councillor for Tokyngton Wembley Brent Council’s Chair of Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

Putting Money in People’s Pockets We cannot shy away from uncomfortable truths.

Many people in Brent are suffering from poverty. It is not simply just about supporting families and the community. Beveridge pioneered the welfare state to counteract what he called the “five giant evils” – squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease.

Today, the lack of access to justice is increasingly becoming another great evil.

However, the Brent Community Law Centre is helping to redress this issue. They have just successfully assisted seven Brent families with their welfare benefit claims totalling a staggering figure of £38,000. Getting access to and achieving such outcomes, which increase money in people’s pockets, requires lawyers with not just expertise and skills, but with passion to help the community.

Put simply, poverty limits families, trapping them into circumstances that all too often prevent them from reaching their full potentials and subject them to higher levels of ill health; and in particular, mental health issues.

Many of the answers can be found in accessing justice. This is also not a quick fix to tackling poverty; rather it is a social-prescription. It requires rethinking relationships and responsibilities between various stakeholders if we are to tackle poverty.

The number of Londoners living in poverty, after housing costs are taken into account, is around 2.3 million. The poverty rate in London remains significantly higher than the rest of England. The high cost of housing in London is the main factor explaining London’s higher poverty rate. High housing costs and reductions in Local Housing Allowance (housing benefit for the private rented sector), the benefit cap, and the bedroom tax mean significant reduction in income for many lowincome families in London both working and not working.

Welfare changes too have fuelled the increase in the number of people experiencing deeper poverty, despite a decline in overall poverty. Both the proportion of people whose household income is 50% or less (rather than 60%) of median income and the proportion of people whose income is below the level the public believes is necessary to participate fully in society (the Minimum Income Standard) have increased over the past five years.

Further welfare changes, such as reduced work allowances under Universal Credit, and limiting support to two children, will spiral more Londoners into deeper poverty.

It is frightening to think that 60% of Londoners in poverty live in a working family. Rising employment has meant the number of people in a working family in poverty has increased by 50% over the last 10 years to 1.3 million. The statistics go on and speak for themselves.

Therefore, without the work and dedication of the Brent Community Law Centre, many people in Brent would be locked out of the opportunity to reach a decent standard of living and fulfilling their potentials. Providing legal and advocacy services since 1972, this independent community-based organisation plays a pivotal role in the local community by breaking down barriers that prevent access to justice, which is crucial to a healthy democracy.

Editor: CB Patel Asian Voice is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Website: www.abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

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18 - 24 August 2018

Two men found guilty of Ramniklal Jogiya's murder Ramniklal Jogiya's body was found in Stoughton

Two men have been convicted of murdering a jeweller who was kidnapped and tortured in a botched robbery.

Ramniklal Jogiya, 74, was bundled into a van near his shop in Leicester on 24 January while walking home before his body was found the next day.

Thomas Jervis, 24, and Charles Mcauley, 20, were found guilty of murder while Callan Reeve, 20, was convicted of manslaughter.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court cleared Javon Roach of all charges. The trial heard Mr Jogiya had been bundled into a van while walking home.

He was tortured and beaten for information before being dumped in a country lane near Stoughton. Mr Jogiya's mobile phone was thrown away and his body was found by a retired couple driving past the scene.

James House QC, prosecuting, told the court the "sophisticated" operation must have been planned over weeks or even months. Jurors heard Mr Jogiya suffered a series of injuries, including six broken ribs and 21 circular injuries to his torso and shoulder. He was handled with such force one of his biceps were ripped away from the bone.

Jervis was sent back to the shop to open the safe while wearing a burka disguise, but was defeated by a 12-hour time-lock.

The court heard the men needed information from Mr Jogiya to enter the shop, turn off the burglar alarm, access the safe and steal the £200,000 of gold jewellery it contained.

"To get that information, those involved all knew they would have to force it out of him if they were to have any chance of success," Mr House told the court.

"Mr Jogiya was therefore beaten until he divulged the information they required.

The men wanted to steal £200,000 of gold jewellery kept in the safe

"Once they had that information he was dumped, probably still alive but seriously

Friday. Responding to the row over Boris Johnson's recent remarks in a newspaper article, she asked: "If the #burka is acceptable then presumably this is too?"

Hours later, in response to a backlash on social media, she said the tweet had been misunderstood.

"For heaven's sake - no, I am not comparing Muslim women to KKK members and yes, thank you, I do know the difference. I was graphically illustrating how full facial cover can be sinister, which is how many people view the burka," she tweeted.

Her original tweet received thousands of comments, mostly

L to R: Callan Reeve, Charles Mcauley and Thomas Jervis

injured, miles from help, thus allowing the group to access the shop, with the keys they had taken from him."

During the trial Mcauley, who gave evidence in his own defence, claimed Mr Roach "got angry" and "started hitting Mr Jogiya" before "poking" him with a sharp metal tool.

However, jurors acquitted Mr Roach of all charges and Mcauley was convicted for his role in the killing. Mcauley, 20, of Gooding Avenue, Braunstone, and Reeve, 20, of Aylmer Road, both Leicester, along with Jervis, 24, of Enderby Road, Whetstone, Leicestershire, had all admitted kidnap and robbery before trial, but denied murder and manslaughter. Mr Roach, 30, of Norwich Road, Leicester, had denied all the charges.

Mr Jogiya's family released a statement after the verdicts where they said he was known

as "Mota Bhai, or big brother, not just because he was the oldest but because he was bighearted".

"Our father was a true gentleman. He was kind, friendly, loyal, unassuming, generous and well-respected in his community," it said.

"Dad was taken from us before his time, but for him, we will always remember the happier times and he will forever live on in our memories and in our hearts."

Det Ch Insp David SwiftRollinson said: "Rarely have I investigated a crime so wicked and ruthless.

"The depravity, inhumanity and utter contempt they showed for their victim has caused untold anguish for his family and stunned the whole community."

Jervis, Mcauley and Reeve will be sentenced on 10 September.

criticising her comparison of religious expression with one of racist intimidation. "The burka is not a symbol of hatred," wrote one Twitter user.

Muscular Dystophy UK, a charity she has represented since 2013, ended their relationship with the media personality on Saturday night. A spokesman said her comments were made in a personal capacity and do not "in any way" represent the charity's position.

"We believe in a diverse and inclusive society, respect for all and we oppose all forms of prejudice and discrimination," he said. Chief executive Robert Meadowcroft said that the deci-

Christine Hamilton with her husband, UKIP politician Neil

sion to end her role "fully reflects the values of the charity".

In a further tweet, Mrs Hamilton acknowledged she had "offended people". She said she had removed all reference in her Twitter profile to the charities she supported "to avoid any embarrassment".

Three men jailed in shisha lounge fire Three men have been jailed for disregarding fire safety regulations after a blaze ripped through a Shisha lounge in Birmingham – that almost killed a couple. Michael Atkinson and Sherelle Gordon ‘escaped death by seconds’ when floor collapsed during blaze.

Michael Atkinson and Sherelle Gordon who were asleep in the building “escaped death by seconds” when they fell from their second-floor bedsit after the floor collapsed.

Kazim Mashedi, 46, the main lease holder, of the building in Derit End, was sentenced to 18 months after admitting six

breaches of fire safety law.

Waquas Rehman and Sulaman Rahid, both 30, who had both pleaded guilty to five breaches, were each jailed for eight months. Mashedi was ordered to pay £14, 736 costs and the other two defendants £6,000 each. Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mashedi had sublet the Shisha Lounge to Rehman and Rahid while other parts were being used for sleeping accommodation when they should not have been. There was also a wooden walkway that was constructed which had not received any planning permission.

POLICE FORCES SPEND £1.7BN ON OVERTIME IN FIVE YEARS Police officers worked on average more than 97 hours overtime each in one year, a BBC investigation has found. Overtime spending has reached its highest level since 2013 as the number of officers continued to fall. Overtime cost £1.7bn in five years and the Police Federation said money spent in 2017-18 alone could have funded at least 10,000 new police officers.

The Home Office said forces could apply for additional funding when their resources were stretched.

Christine Hamilton axed from Muscular Dystrophy UK charity over burka tweet Christine Hamilton has been removed as a charity ambassador after comparing burkas to the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan. The broadcaster and wife of UKIP Welsh Assembly member Neil Hamilton sparked outrage on Twitter with her comments.

Muscular Dystrophy UK said it opposed "prejudice and discrimination" and had severed all links with Mrs Hamilton. But she said the tweet was not intended to equate Muslim women with the violent white supremacist organisation.

Mrs Hamilton, who styles herself as the "British Battleaxe", posted an image of members of the KKK in their hoods on

in brief

In passing sentence Judge Richard Bond said that the walkway was an “accident waiting to happen” and that in the part of the building where the couple were there were no smoke alarms or detectors.

He said that the 999 call Mr Atkinson made was “harrowing” and went on: “They escaped death by seconds. This had a profound and lasting impact upon them.”

The judge said that it was a high risk premises and that the walkway should have been built from fire resistant material rather than wood which was cheaper. He added any attempt

to install alarms or detectors had been “woefully ineffective.”

The judge also said that the Shisha Lounge had been packed with sofas which provided a ready source of fuel once the fuel had started.

Rehman and Rahid, he said, had “put their desire to make money from the Shisha Lounge before the welfare and safety of others.” and had “done almost nothing in relation to fire safety.” While he said Mashedi, who had run other Shisha lounges, had shown no remorse and described as an “arrogant and selfish man who simply cares about himself”.

HEATHROW AIRPORT PASSPORT QUEUES REACH 2.5 HOURS Delays at Heathrow Airport passport control left passengers queuing for up to two and a half hours last month, figures show. On 30 of 31 days in July, the border force missed its target of a 45-minute wait or less for 95% of visitors from outside the European Economic Area. Virgin Atlantic, which obtained the data, said passengers were "frustrated". The government said it would send 200 extra staff to Heathrow this summer. According to the data, the longest immigration queues were on 6 July when travellers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) - an area made up of 31 European countries - had to wait in line for up to two hours and 38 minutes.

MUSLIM CONVERT ADMITS LONDON OXFORD STREET TERROR PLOT A man has pleaded guilty to plotting a terror attack on London's Oxford Street and raising money for terrorism. Lewis Ludlow, 26, planned to hire a van and hit pedestrians and also targeted Madame Tussauds and St Paul's Cathedral, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey and is due to be sentenced on 2 November. Ludlow, who also used the name Ali Hussain, had hoped to kill up to 100 people. A spokesman for the CPS said he had been under 24-hour armed police surveillance.

Ludlow, from Rochester, Kent, first came to the attention of police in 2010 when he attended a demonstration led by radical preacher Anjem Choudary and his banned Al-Muhajiroun group.

WOMAN RAPED WALKING THROUGH IPSWICH CAR PARK A woman has been raped after she was grabbed by her hair and pulled into an alleyway as she walked through a car park.

The woman, in her 20s, was attacked after a man called out to her as she walked through Tacket Street car park in Ipswich in the early hours. Officers have sealed off the alleyway between the car park and Upper Brook Street while inquiries are carried out. The suspect had an Asian appearance and wore a grey-hooded top.

STOURBRIDGE COMMON DEATH: SECOND MAN CHARGED A second man has been charged murder after a fatal stabbing. Peter Anderson, 46 and also known as Blue, died in hospital from stab wounds after being attacked in Cambridge, on 25 July. Ashraf Hussan, 20, was expected to appear in front of Huntingdon magistrates later. Juned Ahmed, 18, was charged with murder and drug offences and appeared at Cambridge Crown Court earlier this week. A plea hearing was set for 31 August at the same court.

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18 - 24 August 2018

SIKHS HOLD LONDON RALLY FOR KHALISTAN London's India Club Continued from page 1

Sikhs For Justice, a Canada-US based human rights advocacy group which organised the event, announced plans to hold a global referendum in 2020 to give the global Sikh community the chance to vote for the creation of an independent sovereign state of Khalistan.

Supporters from all over the world brandished banners reading 'Free Punjab, End Indian occupation', 'Punjab Referendum 2020 for Khalistan' and 'We will re-establish Punjab as an independent country'. They said they have the right to self-determination under the UN Charter and International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.

Gurpatwant S. Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice, said, "This is a peaceful, democratic campaign to give Sikhs the right to determine their own future. Since announcing our plans, we have been subjected to violent and illegal measures by the Indian state, including trumped-up charges of sedition and illegal detention, designed to silence us. We will not be silenced”.

Leading human rights lawyer Richard Rogers, Director of Global Diligence UK, told the rally that the Sikh people have a strong argument for the right to self-determination under international law. He said they had collated “a great deal of credible evidence” that Sikhs had been persecuted by the Indian government and the only meaningful way to pursue independence was through a referendum.

Former Labour MP and Respect Party MP George Galloway also addressed the rally and Green Party leader Caroline Lucas sent a message of support.

Sikhs For Justice told Asian Voice that their campaign is entirely peaceful and the London 2020 Declaration would give the Sikh people the right to vote on the independence issue.

They said that the Sikhs meet the five-part test for self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter: they have an identifiable territory; a history of self-governance in Punjab; a distinct religious culture; and both the desire and capacity for self-governance.

Groups in support of India The Overseas Friends of BJP (UK) led the counter demonstration to the event held in Trafalgar square in London.

Many other pro-India organisations participated in the demonstration including Friends of India Society International UK. Although less in number, the selfmotivated group of India sympathisers outperformed the separatist group by singing patriotic songs, dancing with the accompa-

niment of Dhol and performing group dances as well as shouting slogans such as ‘Vande Matram’, 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. They stood holding placards saying 'Sikhs for United India', 'Wahe Guru Save Us from this 2020 Madness', 'Chak De India' etc.

Dr Anand Arya from the OFBJP in a statement said, “The London Declaration participants seems to have been hired from other towns of UK and overseas...They had no answer when asked ‘what is the rationale of organising an event in London' of a ‘alleged prob-

12th August 2018 came and went without any impact, as expected. In contrast, the pro India unity rally was bigger, more vibrant and sent the clear message that India’s unity is non-negotiable.

"These misguided Sikhs should not try to re-write history and should follow the actual teachings of the Sikh Gurus.

"The Gurus were great visionaries and made immense sacrifices for unity, harmony and peaceful coexistence in India.

"These Khalistani separatists should know that the

suspect wanted in India for his alleged involvement in 2010 bombings in Punjab, is organising the rally under the umbrella of a group named Sikhs for Justice.

However it is believed that the UK government allowed the rally as the country strongly believes in the democratic right to demonstrate within law.

Vijay Chauthaiwale in a tweet wrote, “The @10DowningStreet and her government is making a grave mistake by allowing UK soil a fertile ground for forces like anti-India Khalistan supporters. In

Supporters of India playing dhols

lem in India’ when none of the India’s Sikh supported their demand, as was clear from the statement of Punjab’s Chief Minister Amrinder Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress leader and former law minister Ashwani Kumar as well as chairman of British Sikh Association, Dr Rami Ranger.

“It became amply clear as to who has supported organising and financing this event when pro-Pakistan member of House of Lords Nazir Ahmed spoke in support. Government of India has already mentioned it being sponsored by Pakistan’s ISI. “It is worth mentioning that all the participants in support of India were selfsponsored who spent their own money in travelling to the place with a good number of women participants.”

Jayesh A Patel from FISI UK said, “I tied big dhol to my waist and kept it banging while dancing and making others dance with great slogans. Our loud presence certainly made Khalistani Sikhs uncomfortable. Few Sikhs were with us to show solidarity with India and discontent, displeasure with Khalistani Sikhs!

“It was rumoured that ISI and Pakistan sponsored, funded this Khalistani uprising for Sikh referendum 2020 for Khalistan. It was very obvious when one could see few Kashmiri flags were flying in Sikh gathering for independent Khalistan!”

Dr Rami Ranger, Chairman of British Sikh Association told Asian Voice, "A rally by a handful of unelected pro Khalistani Sikhs for the ‘Referendum 2020’ in Trafalgar Square on

9th Guru was martyred for religious freedom for every Indian and not just for the Sikhs.

"The 10th Guru was born in Patna, Bihar and left for his heavenly abode in Maharashtra. This is testament to the fact that the Sikh Gurus belonged to India and not just to Punjab.

"The Gurus gave us a universal religion to unite mankind, not to divide us as the separatists are trying to achieve.

"Due to the exemplary lives led by the Sikh Gurus, the Sikhs are recognised and respected all over the world as a positive force.

"Sadly, these now selfappointed so called leaders are not only damaging the great name of the Sikh Gurus but also that of the Sikh community.

"As long as we follow the ideals of the Sikh Gurus, we will be respected throughout the world and if we follow these misguided Sikhs, then we will be shunned by all including our fellow Sikhs."

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on last Thursday said that concerns have been conveyed in writing as well as in person to the UK government. "We expected the UK government not to allow a group, whose intention is to spread hatred, and impact our bilateral relations. It has been conveyed that the fringe elements were seeking to spread hatred and communal disharmony, propagate secessionism that impinges on India's territorial integrity," he said.

It is alleged that Paramjeet Singh Pamma, a

past, this policy has resulted into gruesome kidnapping of serving Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in Birmingham in 1984.”

saved from demolition

London's iconic India Club that has been the meeting point for influential Indians over the years, including during India's independence struggle, has been saved from being demolished after Westminster city council threw out a planning application because of its cultural and historical importance.

The freeholders, Marston Properties, had planned to expand and modernise the Strand Continental Hotel, which occupies the same six-storey central London building as the post-colonial restaurant and bar, to create modern tourist accommodation.

The India Club was founded in 1951 by Indian politician Krishna Menon.

Lady Mountbatten and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, were founding members. The club played an important role in nurturing relations between India and the UK from the 1950s onward.

Originally located in Craven Street nearby, it has long served as a meeting place for public figures and since 1964

has been located on The Strand in its current location.

The owners of the India Club, Yadgar Marker and his daughter Phiroza, hoped that Historic England would protect the building with listed status, but in May the decision went against them, putting them in serious doubts.

At a meeting the four members of Westminster planning committee unanimously voted to reject the planning application, on the grounds of the India Club’s significant cultural, historical and community value.

Councillor Tony Devenish, chairman of Westminster’s planning applications sub-committee reportedly said: “Westminster council refused permission for the redevelopment of 143-145 Strand due the potential loss of an important cultural venue located on its site, the India Club. The India Club has a special place in the history of our Indian community and it is right that we protect it from demolition.”

6 EDUCATION

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Replacing blackboards with interactive whiteboards was a waste of money, Damian Hinds Replacing blackboards with interactive whiteboards was a waste of money which did not help pupils’ learning, the Education Secretary has said.

Damian Hinds last Tuesday urged headteachers to embrace modern technology as a classroom aide. But he acknowledged that ministers’ attempts to harness digital innovation have in the past been ill-conceived.

Writing in last Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph, he said: “I recognise that in the past, Governments have been guilty of imposing unwanted technology on schools.

“Over a decade ago expensive interactive whiteboards were rolled out to schools, without the support of teachers, and we saw no subsequent rise in pupils’ attainment directly linked to that technology.”

In 2004, the then Education Labour Secretary Charles Clarke launched a modernisation drive which included axing blackboards and chalk, or whiteboards and felt-tip pens, in favour of interactive whiteboards.

As part of a £15 billion drive to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in Britain, it was announced that all primary schools would receive the new

boards and they would be automatically installed in every classroom when new schools are built.

At the time, the National Union of Teachers hailed the demise of blackboards, with a spokesman saying: "Interactive whiteboards are extremely beneficial. Getting rid of blackboards would also put a stop to that awful screeching noise made by chalk."

Two years later, a Cambridge University study into interactive whiteboards found that they had “been introduced in British classrooms at a rate unprecedented anywhere else in the world”.

Researchers said that by 2004, almost two thirds (63 per cent) of primary schools in England and Wales had at least one interactive whiteboard, adding that “it seems likely that every primary schoolchild in England and Wales has some experience of them”.

However, the research paper concluded that while interactive whiteboards enable innovative teaching styles, their use “cannot be claimed to ‘transform teaching’ in terms of the classroom dialogue and underlying pedagogy".

Mr Hinds wrote that schools

Damian Hinds

must decide which products suit them best, as he warned teachers not to get duped by novelty items which offer little value to learning.

“With around a thousand tech companies selling to schools, it’s by no means easy to separate the genuinely useful products from the fads and the gimmicks," he said.

He told how he has seen state-of-the-art technology allowing pupils to explore Amazonian rainforests, steer ships and programme robots in some schools.

But Mr Hinds said it is “disappointing” that many in the education sector are failing to embrace these kinds of digital

advances.

He said if used appropriately, technology has a huge potential to support students’ learning, save money and reduce the workload of teachers.

The Education Secretary said he intends to host a summit of education and technology leaders to discuss what kind of products are actually needed in schools.

Officials at the Department for Education said they are particularly interested in technology that can be used to help children with particular educational needs, to speed up the process of marking tests and to ease the administrative burden on teachers.

Early years teacher gaps 'risk children's futures' A shortage of graduate teachers working in the early years sector means many young children are at risk of falling behind before they start school, a charity warns.

Save the Children says there are nearly 11,000 too few early years teachers working in nurseries across England. It says all children should be in childcare led by graduate early years professionals for the best start. The government says the charity's claims are misleading.

Save the Children's warning comes a week after Education Secretary Damian Hinds said it was a "persistent scandal" that youngsters were starting school unable to communicate in full sentences or read simple words.

The charity analysed data

obtained through Freedom of Information requests to the Department for Education.

It concludes that 10,731 nurseries, playgroups and children's centres - out of a total of 21,041 - do not have staff with qualified teacher status (QTS), early years teacher status (EYTS) or early years professional status (EYPS).

QTS is typically held by school teachers, while EYTS and EYPS are broadly equivalent and focus specifically on early years education.

The charity estimates that this means that some 325,000 children are at early years facilities where there is not a staff member with one of these

accreditations.

The charity fears a shortage of qualified teachers in early years settings will have a negative impact on children, particularly the more vulnerable.

"Children who start behind, stay behind," says Steven McIntosh, Save the Children's director of UK poverty.

"But high-quality childcare,

led by graduate early years teachers, can ensure children are ready for school.

So instead of lowering ambitions for childcare quality, the government should keep its promise to address the crisis in training, recruiting and retaining these underpaid and undervalued teachers.

"All of our little ones should have access to nursery care led by an early years teacher. Without action, we'll be letting down our next generation."

Mr McIntosh says addressing "this chronic shortage" of early years teachers should be at the forefront of Mr Hinds's ambition to improve social mobility.

Middle-class teenagers 'play the system to get into top universities' According to an article in the Guardian middle-class teenagers and their parents are increasingly using university clearing to shop around for the best courses to the detriment of their less well-off peers, education experts have warned ahead of A-level results day next week.

A growing number of applicants are picking and choosing better offers as the Russell Group of leading research universities have significantly increased the number of students they accept through clearing in recent years, according to admissions officers.

But school leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds lack the confidence and parental and school support that enable their

more affluent peers to take advantage of the rising importance of clearing, educational charities said.

The warning comes after teaching unions said the overhaul of A-levels and GCSEs has increased pressure on pupils to do well and led to more anxiety and stress.

A National Education Union poll, which questioned 656 teachers working in English secondary schools, found 66% believed the assessment methods for the new A-levels are worse for schoolchildren’s mental health than before.

The number of clearing acceptances reached a record high last year, according to Ucas

figures, including huge increases at 10 of the highest-ranked universities with stricter entry criteria. For example, the number of clearing acceptances at Nottingham University rose from 180 to 995 between 2011 and 2017, while Newcastle University’s number went up from 95 to 805, and Liverpool

University from 225 to 690.

Since the removal of the cap three years ago on the number of undergraduates universities can recruit, there has been fierce competition to attract students.

Combined with fewer 18-yearolds in the population, it has led to a buyer’s market for university applicants.

in brief HIGHLY RATED ACADEMY GAVE SATS PUPILS HELP A primary school praised by ministers as a model academy “over-aided” pupils in this year’s national tests, a government investigation has concluded. Year 6 pupils at Harris Academy Philip Lane in Tottenham, north London, were given too much help in their English reading and maths reasoning Sats, according to the Standards and Testing Agency (STA).

As a result, pupils’ scores in those papers have been expunged and they will receive scores only for their spelling, punctuation and grammar tests. In a letter sent to parents on Monday, the academy’s chair of governors, Susan Head, described the investigation findings as “deeply regrettable and disappointing”. She said the findings were being taken “extremely seriously” and responsibility lay with the academy rather than pupils. She said the school was “determined to get to the bottom of what has happened”. The school’s principal, Emma Penzer, wrote to parents before the summer holiday to tell them the Sats results would be delayed because of the investigation.

NEW SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OPENS IN POTTERS BAR Potters Bar Clinic School opened on July 1 in its current premises at the clinic on Barnet Road, where its current pupils are inpatients. The independent special school is owned by private mental healthcare provider Elysium Healthcare, which also owns Potters Bar Clinic and Rhodes Hospital School in Hatfield. The majority of the pupils, aged between 11 and 19, have social, emotional and mental health needs.

They have been using the hospital ward breakout areas as their classrooms, but by September 1 they will have their classes in purpose-built accommodation on the second floor of the clinic.

An Ofsted pre-inspection published in June stated that the school is likely to meet the requirements for all standards it measures, including quality of education, safety, social development, transparency, premises, and leadership. The mixed-gender school, which will exclusively serve children with SEN, can accommodate 30 pupils and will have seven full-time and four part-time teaching staff. At least some of these teachers will be brought over from Rhodes Wood, and pupils will also be supervised and supported, sometimes over 24 hours, by key workers employed by the clinic.

SCHOOL EXCLUSION OF AUTISTIC BOY UNLAWFUL The exclusion of an autistic boy after he hit a teaching assistant with a ruler, punched her and pulled her hair, was unlawful, a court has ruled. Following the incident in February 2016, the child, known only as "L", was given a one-and-half day exclusion.

But a judge in the Upper Tribunal has ruled that "aggressive behaviour is not a choice for children with autism". Campaigners say the ruling will have a major impact on future generations of children on the autism spectrum. The Department for Education says it will consider the implications of the ruling. The case centred on the fact that children with disabilities that mean they have "a tendency to physically abuse" are not protected by the Equality Act 2010. This means that children like L are not treated as "disabled" in relation to their physically aggressive behaviour and so cannot challenge decisions to exclude them from school.

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'Danger' says Police, Range say 'No Issues' An angry and disappointed Range Rover Vogue owner was confronted by the Harwoods Land Rover Edenbridge, a retailer for the brand, when he parked his car at the forecourt on Saturday, after experiencing a number of problems with it. The frustrated owner plastered the car's exterior bodywork with the alleged problems he faced. It said, “Crime Scene. Life threatening. The car blew up three times. Beware.”

Speaking to Asian Voice, the Indian-origin owner who has chosen to remain anonymous, explained what the issues with the Range Rover were, “The sales manager from the retailer told me if I left my car at their forecourt, they would inform police and get it towed. This threat was made despite the fact this car was purchased from the same show room.

“The sales manager then went on to say that if there were any concerns it should be taken up with the head office in Birmingham, rather than Harwoods. He also told me if I wasn’t happy with the vehicle I should just sell it. This is a very irresponsible solution to a serious problem, with potentially serious consequences. The problem has already occurred no less than three times on this model.

Offering such a solution is also very demeaning as a loyal customer, as this is my third Range Rover.”

This Range Rover model has broken down no less than three times whilst under his ownership. The last occasion being on the

UK

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Charity of the year 2018

7

18 - 24 August 2018

Head and Neck Cancer in India – An Urgent Cause Compiled by Professor Vinidh Paleri, Funded Oracle Cancer Trust Researcher and Surgeon at The Royal Marsden Hospital London

busy A41, where there was no hard shoulder. The police were called to the incident, as there is a high risk of dangerous accidents when there is a breakdown on this stretch of the road.

The occupants were told to vacate the car and stand well away from the vehicle.

The police attended within minutes, and cordoned off the area leading up to the car. Despite doing this several cars still nearly went through the cones.

The recovery vehicle then came and the took he car away. This being the third experience the driver has had with the same model, he assumed Ranger Rover would take it with the seriousness it deserves.

However, the retailer simply said as it was within the warranty it would be repaired and sent back. An offer was made for £500, for the inconvenience caused, which was duly rejected.

“This is not a warranty issue,” added the disgruntled owner. “It is much more serious than this. Potentially it is a life or death issue. If a car engine cuts out suddenly on a road, especially where there is no hard shoulder, this puts all the occupants of

the vehicle at high risk of injury or even death. And, other road users are at serious risk as well. The way this issue has been dealt with is not something you would expect from a brand who prides themselves on safety and reputation.

“My first complaint was directed to the head office, who then passed him to the retailer, as the contract is with the retailer. Once they refused to anything about the issue, it was then escalated back to head office, who made me the offer of £500.”

The car was purchased in 2015, from the Harwoods Land Rover Edenbridge and cost £86,000.

This is not the first time a driver of this particular model of Range Rover faced such fate. In July, the Daily Express had reported about a Range Rover Vogue driver in anguish, who had abandoned his car outside the dealership with its issues plastered on the car. Since it was dumped at the dealership it has been spotted by other drivers on social media.

Harwoods Land Rover Edenbridge was not available for any comment.

Head and neck cancers constitute those arising from the mouth, throat, voice box, nose, sinuses and the salivary glands.

These cancers account for approximately 1/3 of the cancer burden in India – more than any other type of cancer.

What makes head and neck cancers unique is that they fundamentally affect who we are as humans as they directly impact our ability to communicate. Head and neck cancers also affect the senses more than any other cancers and can affect a patient’s ability to eat, taste or swallow normally.

Among all of the head and neck cancers in the world, 57.5% are seen in Asia, especially in India.

Prof Vinidh Paleri India accounts for 30% of all global head and neck cancers with more than 550,000 head and neck cancers diagnosed worldwide every year. To put this figure into context, the UK sees between 8,000-9,000 cases. This makes research into better and kinder treatments for head and neck cancer a particularly urgent cause in Asia.

The management of head and neck cancer within India has dramatically changed over the last decade.

Improvements in tobacco control have brought a slow decline in disease incidence; greater expertise in surgery and radiation oncology has meant improved outcomes; cutting-edge research led by some of the leading centres has given us new insights into management tailored to the Indian scenario.

However, much more work needs to be done in the arenas of prevention and health education as 60-80% of patients with head and neck cancers present with advanced stage disease which is much more difficult to treat.

We hope that you will choose to support Oracle Cancer Trust’s work in tackling India’s most common cancer. (www.oraclecancertrust.org) info@oraclecancertrust.org - www.oraclecancertrust.org - Tel: 020 7922 7924

9-year-old chess prodigy wins fight to stay in Britain

British Airways accused of kicking Indian family out British Airways fell in fresh trouble after an Indian family claimed they were removed from a flight in London because their three year old son was crying.

AP Patak has alleged that the flight crew projected them to racist remarks before ordering them and another Indian family that sat behind them off the plane.

The incident has sparked severe outrage on Indian social media and people have called for a nationwide boycott of British Airways.

The incident allegedly occurred shortly before takeoff at London City Airport on a flight destined for Berlin on July 23. An Indian government employee, Patak has complained to Indian Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu in a letter, calling out the airline's “humiliation and racial behaviour”.

He said his son had become uncomfortable and started crying after the seat belt had been fastened and then his wife picked him up

AP Patak

despite the belt sign being on. “My son felt uncomfortable and started crying. My wife managed to comfort him by taking him in her arms. A male crew member approached us and started shouting, scolded my son to go to his seat. My son got terrified and started crying even more,” Patak wrote.

He added, “Another Indian family sitting behind us offered the child some biscuits to console him and and my wife again put the boy on his designated seat and fastened the seat belt even though he kept on crying. The aircraft then started

taxiing to the runway. The same crew member came again and shouted at my son that “you bloody keep quiet otherwise you will be thrown out of the window” and we would be offloaded. We were petrified.”

Patak has claimed that the plane then returned to the terminal and security personnel were called to remove the family and the family in the row behind them from the aircraft. “I wold like to reiterate and emphasise that the said crew member made racist remarks and used hatred words like “bloody” about the Indians.

A British Airways spokesperson responded to the incident saying, “It is a safety requirement for all airlines that passengers are seated and have their seat belt fastened for take-off. We take such claims like this extremely seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We are investigating the complaint and will liaise with our customer.”

Shreyas Royal

Last year, Shreyas Royal became the world’s youngest chess “candidate master.”

Worldwide, he’s ranked fourth for his age group, and English Chess Federation officials have called him “the greatest British chess prospect in a generation.”

The chess champion has grabbed international attention in recent months as his family struggled to find a way to keep him in the United Kingdom to continue playing chess. He was born in India, and moved to London with his parents when he was 3. His father’s computer services job has sponsored their visas since then, but his work visa is set to expire in September.

This week, following an intervention from a number of lawmakers, British Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he made a personal decision to keep the family in the U.K. Jitendra Singh, Royal’s father, told the BBC that the family “started jumping on the sofa” after he received the news from the Home Office via email on Friday that he could apply to renew his visa.

Before Javid stepped in, Singh’s five-year work visa could only be renewed if his salary was increased to more than 120,000 British pounds per year, prompting the family to prepare to return to India. The New York Times reported that just a day

before Javid’s decision was announced, a spokesman for the Home Office said “there is no route within the immigration rules which would allow the family to remain in the U.K.” In early August, the Home Office sent Royal’s family a letter saying that despite the 9-year-old’s “immense promise,” he couldn’t necessarily stay in the U.K., the Guardian reported.

Royal belongs to the Battersea Chess Club, which released a statement on Friday saying that “in ten years‘ time we hope he’ll be a household name as England’s first world champion.”

8 UK

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Pankhanias host Bhagavat Katha at Wembley Stadium to remember their forefathers The Pankhania family organised a Bhagavat Katha Pujya Bhaishri by Rameshbhai Oza in Wembley Arena. On the first day of katha, Sunday 12th August, the daughters-inlaw of the Pankhania family entered the auditorium, carrying the Bhagavat Granth (book) on their head. The Katha has been organised in remembrance of the departed souls of Vraj Pankhania's parents- Puroshottambhai and Jashodaben Pankhania.

Vraj's son Kamal urged the audience to make donations for the Shri Krishna Haveli in Watford Iskcon temple, which needs 7.5 million pounds for completion, out of which 5 million pounds have already been raised. They still need 2.5 million pounds to finsh the project successfully.

The event was also attended by famous Indian jourmalist Tushar Joshi, who was praised by Bhaishri.

Speaking to the audience Bhaishri said, “If you don't value youraself, you cant value anything in life. He went on to say, nowadays people get tired easily and that affects others enthusiasm.” He tried to inluence people positively by his speech. He added that while the diaspora in the UK are very cultured, they are often superstitious and have blind faiths. He urged people to let go of believing in spiritual healers and their likes and thanked CB Patel and Gujarat Samachar for boycotting such adverts. The organisers also invited Bhaishri to attend the Hare Krishna Mandir in Watford.

Lord Jitesh Gadhia attending the event on Monday, in his speech said, “It’s an honour to be asked by our hosts – the Pankhania Family – to say a few words as we begin the second day of this Bhagavat Katha in London.

I have had the privilege

of knowing Pujya Bhaishri for more than 25 years and we warmly welcome him back to London. Pujya Bhaishri’s Katha on such a grand scale – in our great capital city – is long overdue. And we especially welcome him to this iconic venue at Wembley Arena – where he mentioned yesterday – he had done a brief recce last year attending Pujya Morari Bapu’s Ram Katha here, on his way to Paris. Normally in this auditorium, you see internationally acclaimed singers, musicians and other famous artists.

But today we have a

Lord Jitesh Gadhia

Spiritual Rockstar in the form of Pujya Bhaishri. And I use those words advisedly.”

Lord Gadhia, who is one of the youngest peers of Asian origin went on to say, “For almost five decades, through his discourses, he has inspired millions of people around the world and helped transform their lives.

“And through his educational institution Sanidpani Vidyniketan – in Porbandar – he is keeping alive our ancient Vedic culture for the benefit of current and future generations.

“At a time when so much of the world is turning inward, insular and intolerant…Pujya Bhaishri is pro-

Pankhania family with Pujya Bhaishri Rameshbhai Oza

moting the fundamental message and values of Hinduism, which are exactly the opposite “We are torch bearers for the noble values of Vasudhaiva Kutumba-kum the whole world is one family.

“These values are more important today than ever.”

Speaking about Hinduism as a religion he added, “Hinduism is the most peaceful, tolerant and inclusive Religion - so we should stand up and make that case vigorously.

“Indeed, this sentiment was echoed by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech at the Red Fort – on Indian Independence Day – last year when he said that India is about Shanti, Ekta and Sadhbhavana.

“And speaking of Independence Day – it is a hugely welcome coincidence that in just two days’ time you will have the opportunity to celebrate 15 August with Pujya Bhaishri. And I hope you will turn the whole of Wembley Arena orange, white and green – but also red, white and blue – because we are proud of both our Indian and British identities.

“And the following day you will have the opportunity to celebrate Krishna

Janam with him too – and I believe Bhaishri said yesterday that he wants to break all records on that occasion.

You are in for a real treat this week.

“But, seriously, Friends a Katha is the perfect time for reflection and contemplation. An opportunity to re-energise.

“Yesterday, Pujya Bhaishri highlighted the contrast between being raw and ripe.

“This week, I hope he will help ripen our spiritual path – and in that process – unlock the sweetness of the divinity which resides in each and every one of us.”

Ending on three brief but important points, Lord Gadhia told the audience, “Firstly, to express our sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our hosts Vajubhai Pankhania and his entire family for the tremendous, time, effort and resources which they have devoted, in generously, sponsoring this entire Katha.

“It’s a huge endeavour – in planning for over two years. We all pray that the Pankhania Family continues to be blessed with Tan, Man and Dhan to carry on such great community service.

“Secondly, there are many volunteers here dressed in orange and white T shirts, also musicians,

Pakistani origin bishop calls for a near total ban of burkha in Britain A Pakistani-origin bishop in the UK has called for a neartotal ban on wearing of burkhas in public places in the country as he backed former British foreign secretary. Michael Nazir Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, said the burkhas should be outlawed in a wide range of situations where people interact, for example in hospitals, doctors surgeries, universities and schools, according to a report by the Daily Express.

The controversial call from the bishop was backed

by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey. Ali was the first non-white diocesan bishop in the Church of England Johnson has been accused of Islamophobia after saying Muslim women wearing burkas "look like letter boxes". In his Telegraph column he said he was against bans on facecovering veils in public places, but that it was "ridiculous" people chose to wear them. The Muslim Council of Britain accused him of "pandering to the far

right".

Labour MP Jess Phillips said she would report Mr Johnson to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Ali added: "It is true that some women choose to wear the burkha or niqab because they feel it makes them more observant Muslims. It is also true however that the burkha or niqab is being weaponised

by Islamists to impose what they consider to be 'Islamic' character on communities, neighbourhoods and even nations."

Michael Nazir Ali

sound operators, videographers, lighting technicians, the crew backstage, the security team and everyone who has given up their valuable time to help make this an enjoyable and comfortable experience for us all So, on behalf of everyone, I say a big thank you to them for their wonderful seva.

“And third and lastly, I would like to commend Vajubhai for using this unique globally televised platform to support a great charitable cause.

“You heard yesterday about the Shree Krishna Haveli at the Bhaktivedanta Manor – popularly known as the Hare Krishna Temple in Watford. This is an essential hub for the Hindu Community in Britain, helping to preserve our cultural values and protect our iden-

tity for the benefit of future generations.

“I had the honour of accompanying the former Prime Minister David Cameron at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Shree Krishna Haveli in 2016. So, please donate generously to this worthy cause and make it a lasting legacy of this historic Bhagavat Katha in London.

“In conclusion, Friends, I wish you a spiritually uplifting week full of inspiration, enlightenment and divine bliss as we continue the journey with Pujya Bhaishri’s Bhagavat Katha.

“Jai Shree Krishna – Jai Siya Ram.” If you want to donate to the completion of the Krishna Haveli at the Hare Krishna Temple, Watford, please visit www.bhagvatkathalondon.com

Rahul Gandhi to visit UK during bank holiday The Congress party President Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit UK on 24-25 August after a quick visit to Germany on 22-23 August.

The Congress President, who is undertaking his second foreign trip after becoming the party chief, is likely to address the Indian diaspora and the business communities in the respective countries, according to sources. It is rumoured that he would be attending a reception by the Conservative Friends of India followed by a conversation with Dr Mukulika Banerjee at the London School of Economics, organised by National Indian Students and Alumni Union (UK) on Friday 24th.

Last September Gandhi addressed the Indian diaspora in the US on a number of issues including the economy and employment opportunities. He also trav-

elled to Bahrain in January this year, and later to Singapore and Malaysia in March. Gandhi was also supposed to visit Japan in June, but the trip was was cancelled later.

The Indian Overseas Congress UK on their website have announced a mega conference on 25 August at Ramada London South Ruislip from 5pm.

Guest of honour includes Sam Pitroda, Chairman IOC, and Himanshy Vyas, Secretary, INC.

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Benefits of Katha in the month of 'Shravan' Hiresh Pankhania “Yaacchiva Puranam Hi Paramam Sastram Uttamam Shiva Rupam Kshitau Jneya Seva- Niyam Cha Sarvatha Pathanaat Chhravanaadasya Bhaktimannarasathamah Sadyah Siva Paada Praptim Labhatey Sarva Sadhanaat” This Shiva Purana is a highly commended Scripture. Consider it as Lord Shiva’s own manifestation on Earth and observe devotion to it always. Those who read or hear the Purana shall be blessed instantly and shall attain Shiva loka. In this day of Kali, where society has derailed from the path of dharma, bhakti, shraddha (faith), truthfulness, ahimsa (non-violence) and purity, by the grace of Ishvara just by listening and reading the puranas a person is blessed and rewarded with good virtue. Such is the kripa (grace) of Sadashiva. Even a fallen man can become great overnight. If by mere listening to the katha one can attain spiritual upliftment – imagine what would happen to the being that practices and follows the teachings laid down by shastra?

As we slowly immerse into this sacred month of Shravan, the devotees of Sadashiva are very fortunate once again to experience the Shiva Mahapurana Katha by the spiritual leader Pujya Shri Giribapu in his own unique style and voice. With the selfless efforts and devotion towards Mahadeva, Ashwin Patel has requested Giribapu to visit the UK again in August 2018 to provide Vedic knowledge and enlighten the devotees with the timeless teachings of Sanatana Dharma and in particular, Mahadeva. Before commencing his second visit to the UK during this summer, Pujya Girubapu has recently concluded his 601st Katha in Canada and will continue to enlighten devotees by providing spiritual discourse on Shiva Mahapurana at four locations within UK. Pujya Giribapu will also be visiting Kailsash Mansarovar in September

to provide Shiv devotees, once in a lifetime experiece of participating in Shiva Manapurana Katha at Kailash.

According to the Shiva Mahapurana, those who observe fast during Shravan Month have their desires fulfilled and are blessed with the grace of Lord Shiva. It is stated in the Puranas that any Bhakti, Jaapa, Daan (Donation) or Shravanam (listening to katha) done during the sacred month of Shravan, the virtue gained is not measurable even in a million years. Childhood is lost by attachment to playfulness. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost in parabrahman. Hence get into the boat of satsanga, company of good people, quickly!

The Shiv Katha dialogues and discourses focus on truth, love and compassion, a universal message that Pujya Giribapu has been spreading across the world for the last 22 years. Within these discourses, Pujya Giribapu inspires and motivates mankind to live an addiction free life, to respect every faith and human regardless of caste, creed, religion and ability, to end dowry and infanticide and to live in peace for the better of mankind. His spiritual discourses truly provide a unique opportunity to enrich all lives with the timeless teachings of the Vedic Parampara. In addition to the spiritual discourses, Giribapu has undertaken many charitable projects such as, targeting to plant over 100,000 bilva trees, treatment for the needy at the Multi-Specialties hospital in Gujarat and protection for cows by building his own cow shelter. His devotion and work truly inspires bhaktas to lead a perfect dharmic life.

Devotees can contact Shivam Foundation UK / Ashwin Patel at +44-7949 888 226 for more information on foundation activities and upcoming Katha schedules.

Man arrested on suspicion of Westminster terror offence Footage released by the BBC shows the moment when the car drives over a pedestrian crossing before crashing into the security barriers. A police officer can be seen jumping over another barrier to get out of the way. Following the attack a ComRes survey carried out for BBC Asian Network found that almost a third of British Asians say they have been treated worse following a terrorism attack. Muslims (40%) were most likely to have experienced a rise in negative treatment, followed by Sikhs (26%).

The poll also implied British Asians were less likely than others in the UK to say immigration is too high. More than 2,000 British Asians responded to the poll as part of the BBC's Big British Asian Summer.

Among those who said they had been treated worse, the most common observation was that they had been treated with Suspect being taken more awkwardness (59%) away by police and more suspicion (53%).

Just under a third said other people had been abusive, while 11% said they had been excluded from events. Tony Arbour AM, Chairman of the Cyclists abandoned their bikes after the collision with one being treated for London Assembly, said: injuries in the middle of the road “Our thoughts are with those injured in this cowardly attack outside He added there was "no intelligence at this Parliament in Westminster. Thankfully, no one time of further danger" to London or the UK as has suffered life threatening injuries. a whole. The suspect, who has not been formal“We thank the emergency services who ly identified, is being held at a south London responded so well and praise the swift and decipolice station and the vehicle is being searched. sive actions of the Met to apprehend the driver No-one else was in the car and no weapons of the car involved. We urge anyone with any have been found. The government's Cobra video or photo evidence to contact the police emergency committee is meeting later. A numimmediately. Londoners will remain steadfast ber of eyewitnesses have said the silver Ford and resolute that such heinous actions will not Fiesta, which was travelling westbound, divide the people of this city but will make us appeared to deliberately hit members of the stronger.” public as it swerved into the opposite lane.

A man was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after a car crashed outside the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday.

The vehicle swerved into cyclists and pedestrians shortly after 07:30 BST, injuring three people. The suspect, in his late 20s, is not believed to be known to MI5 or counter-terrorism police, and is not co-operating with officers. One woman is being treated in hospital for serious but non life-threatening injuries.

Scotland Yard's head of counter terrorism Neil Basu said: "Given that this appears to be a deliberate act, the method and this being an iconic site, we are treating it as a terrorist incident."

Paper Plus Europe Creating wealth from waste Paper Plus Europe is a supplier of carbon neutral paper. The flagship product of Paper Plus Europe is envoPAP - paper made from sugarcane fibre. According to a company source, in the last two and half years, envoPAP has already saved 550,000 trees. It attributes this dramatic success to using a ‘waste to wealth’ approach. Agro-waste from sugar cane comprises 80% of the envoPAP paper compared to paper made from wood fibres. Production of envoPAP helps the environment. Using 8 packets of envoPAP saves one tree. Currently, envoPAP is used for copier and offset printing. Research and development will ensure that envoPAP has a bright future across a range of packaging applications in all industries.

The company was founded by Kaushal Shah. In 2018 Paper Plus Europe was a finalist in the Green Tech Challenge. Green Tech Challenge is an investment competition for green businesses who have the potential to disrupt traditional supply chains. Under Kaushal Shah's leadership, the company has already achieved over two years of successful

trade and is poised to become the leading supplier of sustainable solutions in Europe.

It has already established a strong global presence. Paper Plus attended Print Pack Expo in Nairobi this June to gauge local interest. Demand for their products in Africa has resulted in opening a representative office in Kenya later this year. Currently, the company is valued at £5 million. There has been a steady growth in turnover year on year. The September 2018 fundraising round is intended to provide capital to catalyse product development. Paper Plus is set to grow its research team and accelerate their expansion into Southern Europe in the next 12 months. Kaushal intends to ensure that envoPAP is ready to seize market opportunities presented by environmental concerns with plastic waste. Kaushal also co-founded INWIUS Capital, a private equity investments company in 2017. The company looks set to become a serious player in the flow of investment between India and the UK. INWIUS has multiple platforms for investment and exceptional expertise.

Mo Salah referred to police over driving video Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has been referred to the police by his club after he was apparently filmed using a mobile phone while driving. Merseyside Police confirmed in a tweet that the video had been passed to the "relevant department".

A spokesman for the Premier League club said

they had alerted police after discussions with the player.

They added that any follow-up action on the Egypt international would be dealt with "internally".

The video, which has been circulated on Twitter, appears to show the player, who scored 44 goals for Liverpool last season, using

his phone while behind the wheel as his car is surrounded by fans, including children.

10 READERS VOICE

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Positive journalism Asian Voice has done an enormous service for communal harmony wherever we live. Sadly the media, whether electronic or print, highlights sensational news about strife, hatred and disharmony. Whereas in real life, in India and in Great Britain, the common man has more common sense and the stream of humanity is following at full speed.

I hail from Bharuch district of Gujarat. I left India about twenty five years ago. Bharucsh and Kutch are two districts of Gujarat where the minority communities live in large numbers. Bharuch has perhaps the second highest percentage of Muslims in Gujarat’s thirty odd districts - nearly nineteen percentage. Until 2002 there was distrust, suspicion, fear amongst the communities. The implementation of curfew - Indian Penal Code 144 - was a common occurance. Asssembly of more than five persons was prohibited during frequent riots.

I went to India and Gujaratj with my family in January this year. I am told that since 2002 there is no communal strife in Bharuch or Gujarat. Is that amazing? No that is age old Indian tradition. The politicans of the bygone era were the cause and the consequence was death, destruction and misery for the people. I might as well add that in Bharuch district a huge amount of investment both national and from abroad has poured in. Dahej, Ankleshwar and other areas are humming with industries creating jobs were all communities are able to earn their living.

Mohammed and Ramen families are surely most striking examples of communal comradeship but I know that in Bharuch, Amod and other towns and neighbouring cities have become increasingly more and more multifaith.

Even if this letter becomes longer please allow me some space to refer to Kutch where my wife hails from.

The vast dessert district of Kutch, second largest in India after Leh in Jammu and Kashmir state has as many as twenty-seven percent Mulsim residents. It has not experienced any communal troubles at all. Kutch is different then what it was in 2001 when the horrific earthquake killed thousands of innocent lives and caused indescribable damage. The government of Gujarat, with the support of Central government and the involvement of Indian and multinational companies has changed the face of Kutch. It’s population has doubled and agriculture in that formerly barren land is now the envy of many.

I am not trying to demean the efforts of Narendra Modi as a Chief Minister though he has ensured that investment and state resources are allocated to areas irrespective of the religious propfile of the polulation. The most important contributory factor are Indian values and the teachings of Sanatan Dharma. The Bible says ‘love thy neighbour’ but the Vedas even go much much further.

Asian Voice has done an omen service to it’s readers as well as to the people at large in this country. Can I say long live Asian Voice, long live humanity and long live communal harmony.

Yaswant Jadav Leicester

Rate payers money squandered on rubbish papers I live in Hackney and every week a free sheet is dropped in our letter box. I am aware the same propoganda is being poured by local councils predominantly under Labour conctrol up and down the country.

I have tried to glean at my free sheet and I am sorry to say it is full of rubbish.

The rate payers pay through the nose, the council services are being cut irrespective of need and of the residents as a primary consideration. Millions of tonnes of newsprint are wasted. Why does central government not look at this national wastage more closely?

The sooner this racket is stopped the better for all except the publicity hungry politicians.

Anil Patel Hackney What do you think?

We want to know your views on any issue. Write to: Asian Voice, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW or e-mail: aveditorial@abplgroup.com

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Imran’s new captainship

Patriotic Indians at Trafalgar Square

A cricket legend, who gave a glory to Pakistan by winning a world cup in 1992, has taken a huge challenge in his new role as PM of Pakistan.

Imran was magical on cricket pitch. Can he rise above his predecessors and bring a vital change to transform Pakistan into stable, peace loving and progressive country and make it trustworthy! This charismatic, handsome sporting hero after battling twenty two years in his political life has come on the top to lead his country.

The time will only tale whether he is influential enough to win the hearts and minds of his country folk and envisage the transformation the country needs for peace ,prosperity and safety not only for themselves but neighbouring countries and world at large. Good luck Imran Khan.

Niranjan Vasant By email

I spent the day with Patriotic Indians at Trafalgar Square. I was a fun time for like minded Indians to shout slogans, sings songs, dance and watch performances by Indian dancers.

It was also a message to the British Sikhs (a minority) who had gathered to demand a separate state from India.

They were joined by likes of Lord Nazir a Kashmiri separatist their common link appeared to by Pakistan.

A white tourist family came to us wearing a separatist tee shirt, when I explained what it meant he immediately took it off and said but we support India and are from Israel.

As a Friend of India I was interviewed by various media outlets and the message was though the separatists had 1000 odd presence they had no support from India wheres we fewer in number were backed by 1.2bn Indians. And their demands would never be met.

Jayesh A Patel Wimbledon

Intent vs effect Boris Johnson’s article in a national paper has created havoc.

Maybe his intention was good to start with. Perhaps he was coming out against the Islamophobia about the burkha and other trivial issues. But to talk about letterbox and other things was not only inflammatory for less knowledgable and intolerant population but from my observation it was encouraging easy insults to a vulnerable group of people especially women.

Britain is predominantly a Christian country and by and large is evolving into a multicultural and mutlifaith nation.

At the same time the minorities wearing a uniform of a different shade of skin and particularly Muslims with beards and burkhas and other easily identifiable apparel as well as Sikhs are infrequently insulted accused and attacked - mostly verbally.

Boris Johnson, a very intelligent and otherwise shrewed politician, is very much capable of using language to further his cause. I, for one, don’t believe that his innuendo of letterbox and other such terms were accidental. It’s a shame that what began as a stupid misuse of words has now turned into a political football of a national magnitude. Now not only in the Daily Telegraph but in other publications thousands of words are utilised to further the agenda of one group of politicians or others.

Britain today, amongst all other developed nations has a better record on race relations. More and more Muslims born and brought up in this country are progressing with education and suseqently confidence for a positive outlook.

The inflammatory language of Boris Johnson has not helped that process. I fail to understand how he could make such blunders.

Suleman Ismail Barnet

Lonely generation With advance of technology, iPhone, iPad, computers and 24 hour TV, family life has changed beyond recognition. There is no more gathering at dinner table or routinely going to parks and picnics as family outings. There is wide technological gape between different generations, as normal simple pleasures like playing cards, monopoly, snake and ladder for children and similar games which used to be social occasions, especially at festive times like Christmas holidays, is considered unfashionable and too simplistic, especially for our smart and clever children who could use iPhone with ease at the age of five or six.

There is also steep decline in marriages but break-ups, divorces are common, easily obtainable. There is sharp decline in “Give and Take, Forgive and Forget” attitude, especially among younger generation, as both partners in a marriage are highly qualified and financially independent.

According to recent survey, published in leading newspapers, one in eight middle aged people have never got married; twice the level two decades ago and most live on their own, without a partner. This may sound quite normal when one is young, healthy and mobile. But it is completely different proposition in old age when one may be infirm, in declining health, confined to one’s home and financially not in comfortable zone compared to married couple who have double pension, double income.

No wonder there is six month’s waiting for a place in “Nursing Homes” even though it costs arm and a leg, with weekly charges varying from seven to fifteen hundred, a king’s ransom, the burden mainly falling on Councils and NHS. No wonder our social care services are in crises with ever decreasing financial support from the Central Government, forcing Councils to bear the financial burden that may bankrupt them unless the budget is cut to the bone.

Only Jewish community is geared to take care of their older generation, with their own “Sheltered and Nursing Homes”. How wonderful it could be if our religious establishments like Hare Krishna and Swaminarayan sect build their own such facilities, attached to their popular temples which may not only give comfort to our elderly in their twilight years but also generate sizable income from personal, Council and Government contributions, as many would leave a sizeable donation in their Wills.

Kumudini Valambia By email

Being held to ransom Last week, British Gas, Britain’s biggest energy provider, announced rises in gas prices by 3.8% to take effect from 1 October. Other energy providers will no doubt follow suit.They raise prices in around summer time when people may not be using their central heating or other such energy consuming devices and hence may not feel the pinch at the time.

This big energy firm which supplies electricity and gas to Brirish homes are holding their consumers to ransom.

British Gas has said that it was reluctantly raising prices as there was a 20% rise in prices in the cost of buying wholesale energy since April. But then when the price of energy or transport falls, customers never receive the benefit! We need to have power, we need to use gas and electricity to stay warm in winter and cannot revert to using cow dung or wood for cooking and heating.

People who suffer most from the indiscriminate rises are retired senior citizens who have nowhere to go during the day, and to avoid heating bills, they stay in cold and damp houses and suffer from depression and other illnesses and be a burden on others.

The solution is to nationalise the companies providing the indispensable utilities like gas, electricity and water and or subsidise the cost of these utilities. Instead of giving aid to foreign countries which in fact carry a chip on their shoulders against us, let the charity begin at home!

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Decline of our high street Most of us came here in late sixties and early seventies from East Africa when these British colonies gained independence. It was booming Britain with plentiful employment for everyone, even our ladies who could not speak much English, as manufacturing industries were crying for labour, especially in garments manufacturing.

One pleasure was shopping on our High Streets with stores like Woolworth, Co-op, BHS, Marks and Spencer and many more present on practically every High Street, giving employment to our girls and boys, especially with week-end jobs to supplement their meagre weekly allowance from their parents.

House prices were unbelievable. We purchased our first home in East London for £4000 in 1968. Now it would cost much more to carpet the house or install central heating!

Advent of “Online Shopping” has turned our once flourishing High Streets into a waste land. Woolworth, BHS have disappeared from our high streets and many famous names like Mark & Spencer, House of Frasers, B & Q and many more will drastically reduce their presence in town center. The only shops flourishing on High Streets are Betting, Gambling, Loan Sharks and few restaurants which, instead of providing employment, spread gambling addiction, creating family break-ups.

Fortunately Government has realized the harm it causes and will soon pass legislation reducing the stake from £100 to just £2. This will dramatically reduce such gambling outlets. No wonder gambling giants are crying foul, warning government of mass unemployment in the industry, with closure of thousands of High Street shops.

But these are crocodile tears and I hope it will not influence the government to give in to this black mail, as the gaming industry causes so much misery to ordinary people.

Chancellor’s announcement that High Street shops are at a disadvantage with unfair competition from online giants like Amazon who pay little tax, he will redress the balance and provide a level playing field.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

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 Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com - AV

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MEN TO FACE MURDER TRIAL AFTER BALBIR JOHAL STABBED TO DEATH IN SOUTHALL Two men charged with the murder of a man stabbed to death in Southall are to face trial in September. Balbir Johal, a 48-year-old man from Slough, died after being stabbed in the thigh. Met Police say he was Balbir Johal admitted to a west London hospital shortly at 5.20pm on March 19, but a short time afterwards he was pronounced dead. A post-mortem was carried out on March 22 and his death was found to have been caused by a haemorrhage caused by a stab wound to the femoral vein in his right thigh.

That same day, Hassan Mohammed and Yassin Yussuf were both charged with Mr Johal's murder and appeared in custody at Ealing Magistrates' Court. Mohammed, 23, and Yussuf, 21, appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday (August 9) for a brief case management matter before their trial is due to begin at the court on September 3. A 32-year-old man had also been arrested as part of the investigation but has been released under investigation.

BRITISH MAN WHO SURVIVED ISIS TERROR ATTACK RELEASED AFTER TWO YEARS IN BANGLADESH JAIL A British man who survived an Isis attack has been released from a prison in Bangladesh after more than two years of being held without charge over baseless terrorism accusations. Hasnat Karim had been celebrating his daughter’s 13th birthday at the Hasnat Karim Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka on 1 July 2016 when militants burst in and massacred 22 people. Relatives said the former university professor, who is a British-Bangladeshi national, was forced to act as a human shield by jihadi gunmen who threatened to kill his children. Mr Karim and his family survived the atrocity, but he was imprisoned after being wrongly accused by Bangladeshi police of colluding with the terrorists. Relatives travelled to British embassies and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to plead for officials to secure his freedom, but the appeals came to no avail until last Thursday. Bangladesh authorities released the father-of-two from jail in Gazipur after police filed a charge sheet that did not name him among the accused.

FRAUDSTER JAILED FOR SMUGGLING ALCOHOL A fraudster, who evaded nearly £60,000 in duty on smuggled alcohol, has been jailed, with his dishonest associate also sentenced after lying to investigators. Builder Dilbagh Singh Dhillon, 39, had 46,318 litres of alcohol stored in an industrial unit in Hounslow owned by Sartaj Singh Gill, 33. Officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seized the booze during a raid on 15 September, 2016. They found a diary with detailed recordings of alcohol orders and cash payments. Under questioning, Dhillon admitted owning the diary, but said that someone else had made the entries in the book. Handwriting analysis later proved it was his writing. Gill lied to officers and tried to cover for Dhillon by saying another individual was the tenant of the unit where the alcohol was stored. Investigators unravelled his story and Gill eventually admitted to providing a false witness statement.

YOUNG WOMAN WINS PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP TO AMERICAN UNIVERSITY A young woman has become one of only three UK students to win a prestigious university scholarship. Hana Khan, 18, from Slough, who is completing her A levels at Baylis Court School, has won a place and a financial-aid package to study at the University of North Carolina. Competition for the scholarship was fierce. Hana was amongst the 1,000 students who applied for the Sutton Trust US programme, out of which only 150 were selected. This program gathered together the best and brightest UK pupils for an 18-month programme exploring US higher education, and helping students apply to US universities. Out of these 150, only three were awarded the Morehead-Cain scholarship, of which Hana is the only stateschool pupil.

Sindhu Vee Sandhog Sunetra Senior orthright and gritty yet infinitely warm, new comic, Sindhu, has only risen through the ranks since the start of her entertainment career in 2015. Born and brought up in India, receiving multiple degrees from top institutions across the world, including Delhi, Oxford, work for it! It’s about being the generMcGill and Chicago Universities, she ation responsible for both the kids and is an award-winner, already having aging parents – it was simpler, in a appeared on big shows such as QI and sense, for the older generation. You Have I Got News For You. Her trajecjust give your kid a tight slap – nowatory is as much a reflection of the days, we feel more responsible: more increasingly progressive climate. research goes into what’s happening Sindhu’s debut stand-up show, with our kids. And the schools encourSandhog, currently sold-out at the emiage you to take extra care: the amount nent Edinburgh Fringe Festival, examof bull**** art– if I have to take in one ines the modern experience of motherhood and marriage as an open-minded individual who just so happens to hail from South Asia. “I’m speaking on the cultural aspects of family because I introspect a lot so I’m organically going to expose the inner landscape of myself. My husband is Scandinavian, my parents are Indian, and my kids are growing up with mixed influences so I have a unique point of view. It’s like when you take a piece of fruit cut it in half, slice it horizontally and vertically, and then turn it inside out.” This spikey yet delectable visual metaphor perfectly sums up the comedic content.

Sindhu is rich in pointy anecdotes, as brazen as they are precise: “one of the highlights in my show, Sandhog, is a great bit on the way Indian parents treat action and consequence. The audience loses their minds, especially if they are South-Asian. They recognise it. I mean growing up, I had to develop a sense of humour to survive. Like many mums, mine was the bearer of some brutal truths. Even now, she’ll call and give me encouragement like: ‘are you going on TV? Go and get a manicure: you’ve the broken hooves of a giant donkey!’ I’ll say: ‘mom, that’s intense.” *** But Sindhu’s material doesn’t seek to more children's pasta painting…even contrast British and Asian maternal my strict mother wakes the grandkids perspectives: “I grew up in India so I’m up to give them ice cream for breakfast not going to want to compare,” she – I’m like, why didn’t you do that for stated, “that’s my norm. At school, I me?” But as Sindhu also explained, the thought my British friend was weird harsh reality can set you free: “when because she didn’t get spanked! you are honest, there’s no fesI’ll more likely talk on my tering. Only the means unusual height and how through which to move that’s informed an Family is forward and become betentirely different life everything.

If ter.” That’s clearly why experience.” Sindhu is you don’t undo the darkness can be so taller than most, havfunny, and how an ing modelled for Yves knots from them, Indian female can come San Laurent before to work with such you can eventually arriving on the comemainstream British taldy circuit. In this undo yourself. ent as Karl Pilkington unhindered way, and Alan Davies. “I’m so Sindhu is part of a proud of my accomplishfourth-wave feminist ments,” Sindhu stated, “includstatement that encourages ing my radio show, Sindhustan, on women to stay, above all, true Radio 4. Honestly, being ready to be themselves: putting informed individuraw, including failing, has been the al wishes before any prescribed gender route to my success.” Thus, embracing roles, including traditional notions of the nuances of family dynamics, rebellion. “I always wanted to be a Sindhu is at once a testament to mum and have lots of children,” Sindhu promising social change. Stand-up is continued. “That’s not exactly defying the forty-year-old’s second successful the cultural expectation! But I am endcareer where she had been an investlessly fascinated by how exhausting ment banker before. This not only and complicated it is to love our chilreflects women breaking through bigdren, spouse and parents, but also how ger professional boundaries, but a geninescapable the urge is to love them as erational divide dissolving where the fully as we can. Who the hell doesn't older have access to more youthful want love? You want it, you have to careers, and mums are getting closer to

F

their kids. Sindhu’s signature voice is then a comradely celebration of the time.

Why is your show called Sandhog?

Come and find out: I can’t just tell you. That would be like telling you whether Emily Blunt ‘did it’ in the Girl on The Train.

Is your show about commitment to family life?

It’s more about love. Commitment is such a dry word. Love is complex. It’s difficult to completely love anybody, starting with your parents and then your partner and then your kids! My God, kids are so difficult and yet we find a way to cherish them. Family is everything. If you don’t undo the knots from them, you eventually undo yourself.

Sometimes parents don’t realise how much they’ll be affected by kids.

You don’t realise how irrational that love is. They’re sat there and can’t do anything. The rest of the animal kingdom produces offspring with some sort of innate ability to survive. But human babies can’t do s***. You have to give up your mornings, days and nights.

Does your radio show, Sindhustan, explore overlapping themes with Sandhog?

I talk about children too. The first two episodes discuss how arranged marriage is different to forced marriage. Of course, radio is also different in that you can’t see me and there’s only so much I can say. Live, I can get away with lots. I shock a lot of Indian parents.

Is good comedy as much about bringing your naturally funny character as finessing the performance?

There isn’t a formula. Each comic has their own way. For example, I’m very casual with a little crazy thrown in, and we might as well be having a cup of coffee together. I think more than persona, underlying each comedian’s approach – political, psychological, etc.

– is the relishing of point of view.

Different comics will come at the same topic from a different angle.

Being really open is a main part of your style too.

Yes, I mean life is full of shocking truths. The first time you tell a kid what the f*** is going on, it’s not going to be good. You tell them they have to get to class on time or it’s not going to be OK. The truth is hard which is why so many kids lie!

Finally, how have you Honed your Craft?

By witling down longer stories into the course of a minute: it’s about the economy of words. Knowing when to put the right word where and against which combinations.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S An intruder Murad Ali Shah by name, aged 25, having rammed the gate to former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah’s residence in Jammu was shot and killed by a security guard as he tried to enter the premises.

The relatives of the dead youth protested along with others that he should have been arrested. This is utter absurdity, this being a protected area. If the intruder had caused Dr Abdullah bodily harm or worse, the same demonstrators would likely have charged the authorities with negligence. He paid dearly for his foolish caper (Hindu August 5).

Kashmir on the boil The Kashmir Valley was on the boil last week. Five jihadis were killed in an armed encounter with security forces, while a couple of days later another four were slain by the Army during an operation when the jihadis holed up in house engaged in a gunfight (Hindu 5, 8).

Jihadi held in Kolkata college Dilwar Hasan, 26, Jamaat-ulMujahideen Bangladesh, was arrested in Jharkhand by the antiterrorist police squad. Hasan set up a hub in Kolkata, where he was

parity measures 15 per cent of the growth in the global economy, which is substantial, ‘ said Ranil Salgado, the IMF’s mission chief for India. Behind only China and the United States, India is around thirty years away from the point when the working age population starts to decline. Hence the coming three decades are likely to be one of positive economic activity. (Business Line, Times of India August 9).

M&M first quarter profit surge Mahindra & Mahindra registered a first quarter surge of 67 per cent net profit of Rs 1,275 crore in the current financial year ending June 30, as opposed to Rs 752 crore profit for the same period last

Future that works

IAF takes charge of LCA project

The choice of Hyderabad for this venture surely carries a message: Hyderabad is India’s upcoming megacity, poised to surpass Bangaluru. Hyderabad with its spacious roads and highways, spacious airport and much else, tells of a future that works (Business Line August 7).

Flipkart on a roll India’s e- commerce retail giant, Flipkar, plans to expand its biggest private label SmartBuy across 100 categories by the end of this calendar year, aiming to

generate around one-fifth of its overall sales from private labels over the vnext three years. NM Mew businesses such as sports and fitness accessories, stationery and general merchandise will embellish the SmartBuy brand, launched in 2016. T he brand is currently present in 65 categories

Tejas aircraft

Government has entrusted the IIndian Air Force to take charge of the Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) project from the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd on account of delays in the final operational product leading to an escalation of cost over-runs. The IAf had stipulated a range of improved technologies that would give more teeth to the aircraft’s offensive capability. The IAf is 12 squadrons short of its approved 42 squadron required to meet the needs of a two-front war (Hindu August 5). higher valuations. Investors are chasing start-ups that do not generate much or no revenue at present and market share is the preferred investment metric. The current year bears resemblance to 2014 , when a handful of relatively mature start-ups raised huge sums of money. That was followed by a broader hyper funding wave in 201. Investors have already struck 18 deals worth $100 million or more compared to 22 in the whole of last year (M int August 6).

Mechanical paddy transplanting: Punjab Mechanical paddy transplanting is back in vogue in Punjab with an estimated 4,500 acres covered these machines in the current kharif season. A massive shortage of manual labour has been the stimulant for machine-led transplanting. A local farmer said: ‘Punjab Agricultural University scientists recommend that at least33seedlings should be planted every square metre, with manual labourers prepared to plant a

Dilwar Hasan

a registered college student, recruiting new members to the organization. The accused ran a mobile phone shop in central Kolkata (Times of India August 10).

Hindu fringe held: terror plan foiled The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested three men affiliated to radical Hindu fringe operating out of Mallasopara and Satara. Police recovered a large cache of explosives, including crude bombs, gelatin sticks etc.

Vaibhav Raut, 40, and two associates were arrested. They had planned to bomb M umbai,Pune, Satara and Solapur. Information by a special investigation team tracking the assassins of journalist and activist Gauri Lokesh in Bangaluru helped the ATS catch their prey (Indian Express August 11).

India engine of Global growth According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India will be the engine of global growth for decades, playing a role akin to that of China past decades. ‘India has contributed in purchasing power

mere 12. M achiness clearly are a boost to productivity (Indian Express August 9).

Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat best for business Delhi is the most attractive place to do business, followed by Tamil N adu and Gujarat, according to a National Council for Applied Economic Research Index 2018.

Gujarat was in no 1 position but has slipped two places, but the surprise in Tamil Nadu which moved uip four places. Another surprise is West Bengal which jumped 11 places to from last year to emerge in 10th place. In other overall rankings, Haryana is fourth, Maharashtra fifth, and Kerala sixth.(Business Line August 4).

Opposition front a busted flush The notional Opposition front for India’s general election in 2019, it would appear, is a hallucinatory delusion.. The Mamata Banerjee

Anand Mahindra MD CEO

year. The demand for passenger cars and tractors have thrved on rising domestic sales, with exports numbering 9, 360. Vehicles. The demand for both autos and tractors was driven by positive sentiment about the economy ( Business Line August 8).

IKEA debut in Hyderabad Swedish household furniture firm IKEA had a gala opening in Hyderabad. It has swept the city off its feet and promises to be an experience to savour in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

The IKEA concept: something for everyone is no empty public relations gimmick, it is a real life show off the best in Swedish design in furnishings, with an array of vintage Indian products, from handi8crafts and much else, giving the place a local ambience.

Add to this a spanking restaurant serving biriyanis to meat rolls and much else to complete a day to remember.

such as home appliances and mobile accessories (Mint August 8).

Start-ups funding boom returns Indian start-ups have been raising multiple rounds of capital in rapid succession at increasingly

IKEA shopping mall, Hyderabad

contest for the Deputy Chairmanship of the Rajya Sabha (Upper house of Parliament) ended in a comfortable victory for the ruling BJP-led NDA coalition. The Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik’s (Biju) Janata Dal candidate Harivansh was duly elected, beating Congressman B.K. Hariprasad comfortably. The fevered politicking of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was little more than a damp to be a damp squib. The Taming of the Shrew comes readily to mind.

(Hindu, Times of India August 10).

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Kishor Shah (left) was sentenced to four and-half years and Hitesh Patel (right) was given two anda-half years

Alperton Lane, Greenford, on July 19, 2016.

They were both arrested

by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers after driving to the scene in a white Ford Transit van.

A total of 44,500 cigarettes and 746kg of chewing tobacco were discovered in the lock-up during the search and Shah later led officers to his shop where 1,260 smuggled cigarettes were found.

Two large batches were also seized by the Border Force as they came through Felixstowe the month before - containing 200kg of snuff tobacco, 160kg of raw tobacco and 180kg of chewing tobacco.

A further 1.7 tonnes of chewing tobacco was found

Footage shows the two men transporting boxes of chewing tobacco

Image: HMRC

A Wembley shop owner who evaded £250,000 in tax by importing tonnes of cigarettes and tobacco from India is on the run from prison after he failed to turn up at court.

A warrant has been issued for Kishor Shah's arrest after he did not attend court for his trial in July.

He was convicted by a jury of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of duty, in relation to illegal cigarettes being sold at his shop Paan Parlour, on Ealing Road in Wembley.

Shah, of Elm Road in Wembley , hid some of the stash of cigarettes and tobacco under a vegetable stall at the front of his store.

The 63-year-old claimed to the court he could not attend because he fell ill on a trip to India, but was tried in his absence and jailed for four-and-a-half years on August 3.

Shah and Hitesh Patel, a company director from Hanworth Road, Hounslow, imported shipping containers loaded with cigarettes and tobacco from Mumbai.

The pair were rumbled when a sniffer dog found tobacco in lock-ups in

Image: HMRC

Shop owner who hid illegal cigarettes under vegetable stall on run from prison

Some of the illegal tobacco products the duo imported from Mumai, India

at another lock-up on the North Circular Road, Stonebridge Park, on July 22, 2016. Patel had paperwork relating to the shipments at his business, Narayan Foods

Ltd in Johnson Street, Southall. Shah was convicted and sentenced in his absence on August 3 this year. He was given four years in jail for smuggling tobacco and received a further six months, to be served consecutively, for offending while serving a suspended sentence for a similar offence.

The location of Shah remains unknown and warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Patel, who did attend the trial, was also convicted of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of duty and jailed for two and-a-half years.

Both men were disqualified from being a director for five years.

Cyclists react with fury as ministers talk of protecting vulnerable road users' from bikes Cyclists have reacted with fury after ministers spoke of protecting the most vulnerable road users from those on bikes. On Monday the Conservatives official Twitter account shared a photo with the caption: 'We're launching a consultation into dangerous cycling so that our most vulnerable road users are protected.'

The government are considering whether or not to introduce a new offence of 'causing death by dangerous cycling', and have launched a 12-week consultation. But Olympic hero Chris Boardman has blasted the proposals, saying they would not address the dangers of the

road.

Boardman, whose own mother was killed by a truck when cycling in 2016, said he felt 'genuinely sick' after seeing the message on the official party Twitter feed. He responded to the tweet with: 'That says it all really. Wow,

Police officer allegedly sent inappropriate texts to 'vulnerable female' he met on duty A police officer has been charged with misconduct after he allegedly sent inappropriate texts and a picture to a "vulnerable female" who he met while on duty.

PC Farouk Abubakar, a serving constable for Metropolitan Police working in Kingston, was charged with misconduct in public office on Thursday (August 9).

He was charged after it was alleged he had sent "inappropriate texts and an image" from his mobile to a

vulnerable female who he had met while on duty, the Met Police said.

Abubakar has since been suspended from duty.

The Directorate of Professional Standards investigated and later referred the case to the Criminal Prosecution Service, who authorised the misconduct charge against the officer.

He will next appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, September 12.

just wow. I genuinely thought this was a bad joke, had to check it was a real account.'

BBC radio presenter Jeremy Vine also spoke out about the Tory message.

'When I'm on a bike, I'm a vulnerable road user,' said Vine. 'In 2016 there were 1,700 road deaths; three were caused by cyclists.'

Duncan Dollimore, from Cycling UK, described the current system of prosecuting and sentencing for careless or dangerous drivers as 'something of a lottery' which leaves

victims and their relatives 'feeling massively let down'.

He said: 'Adding one or two new offences specific to cyclists would be merely tinkering around the edges.'

Cycling minister Jesse Norman later apologised after the message sparked a hail of angry responses from bikeusers.

Announcing that the tweet had been taken down, Mr Norman said: 'It did not reflect either this set of policy announcements or the very careful work the Government has done to improve road safety for all users, including cyclists. On behalf of all involved, I would like to apologise.'

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Adults without a will: seek specialist advice 18 - 24 August 2018

The Kings Court Trust (KCT) survey reveals that less than half of UK adults have a will.

The majority of will instructions I receive from clients often come from the elderly or those suffering from life limiting illnesses.

Very rarely do I receive instructions from young couples who may have recently married and/or had children.

Participation in various will charity schemes has certainly increased the awareness of will making; however we are still a long way off and the survey is further evidence of this.

Frequently I am instructed by clients who have attempted to draft a DIY will using a pack from the internet.

The danger in doing this is that you have no way of knowing for certain if the will is valid and if it will be upheld as such when you die. Clients have also frequently instructed me after they have previously instructed a will writer or other nonprofessionals who claim to have the relevant qualifications for will drafting. If the will has not been properly drafted, there is little to no recourse, which means you will have no protection. This may only be discovered after the testator’s death.

Instructing a solicitor can offer greater protection in that regard. The most prudent approach for anyone considering making a will is to instruct a specialist solicitor and ideally to make a will before awaiting a triggering event such as illness.

You will be reassured to know that, since solicitors are regulated, there would be recourse for both the testator, whilst they are alive, and for the beneficiaries, if they are not, in the event that a will proves invalid.

The KCT survey also highlights how much misinformation there is. For instance, the circumstances in which

13

a previous will may be revoked and the misconception that under the law unmarried couples who haven’t made a will automatically shall inherit should the other perish. This is of course not the case and the misunderstandings can lead to a very complicated and costly situation following death.

It is for the above reasons that you should instruct a solicitor to either make a will, if you have not already done so, or to review the will you currently have, to ensure any change in have circumstances been updated accordingly.

Caroline Roche

Author, Caroline Roche, is a solicitor and Director in the wills and probate department at Duncan Lewis. Her specialist experience includes, drafting complex wills; advising on inheritance tax due from an estate; gathering the estate when a loved-one has passed; dealing with both taxable and nontaxable estates, handling the affairs when a loved-one has died without a will.

Duncan Lewis Wills & Probate Solicitors Our wills and probate solicitors are able to offer a comprehensive and personal service. As specialists, their expertise includes, drawing up wills; advising on inheritance tax, family law, property law, and international wills.

To instruct a specialist wills and probate solicitor, call 033 3772 0409.

14 COMMUNITY

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18 - 24 August 2018

Dwarkanath Tagore honoured with a new bust in London

JAI KAUR BHAMRA AT LONDON ART EXHIBITION

Rupanjana Dutta Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, best known for his significant contributions in the 19th century Bengal Renaissance has been honoured with a new bust in London.

Though he is mostly remembered as the grandfather of the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore but his contributions and achievements are more than one can think of. Tagore was an astute entrepreneur and had an eye for minute details which took him to places. Needless to say, he was one of the first in that era to realise that India would develop through industrialisation and its relationship with the West. He not only was a true businessman, he also led a life of grandeur and splendour, hence referred to as a “Prince” most often.

Tagore was a believer and an advocate of social change through strong western relationships. He was a frequent invitee at the Buckingham Palace and was a good friend to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

The duo even arranged for a princely send off for his burial ceremony, after he died on 1st August 1846 at St. George’s Hotel in London. He was laid to rest at the Kensal Green cemetery, London.

Dwarkanath rested there silently for decades in the 72 acres cemetery amongst 65,000 other graves, long forgotten and ignored, until Bengal Heritage Foundation and London Sharad Utsav (LSU) along with support from British Council, iLead (Kolkata), Friends of Kensal Green (London) decided to commemorate the founder of the great Tagore family of Jorasanko.

A bust of Dwarkanath Tagore and plaque noting his contributions was unveiled on Saturday 11 August while

Jai Kaur Bhamra, during her visit from Germany, held her first exhibition of abstract colour paintings at the prestigious Arts and Business College of London, on a sunny afternoon of Wednesday, 8th August 2018. Jai was accompanied by her father Jaswinder Singh Bhamra, uncle Amarjeet-singh Bhamra and Dr Mahesh Mathpati, a close family friend.

She was warmly received by Jane Jia, the curator who was immensely happy to have Jai and her work displayed at her gallery. She encouraged Jai to keep producing further work of knowledgeable integrity. Jai is influenced by the anthroposophical line of thought initiated by the philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Having attended a Waldorf School in Germany, Jai’s art is often representational and abstract. She chooses colours and objects to express herself and her zest for life, despite being of special needs.

Pradeep Chopra and Saikat Maitra, VC, WBUT unveiling the bust of Dwarkanath Tagore and the plaque

scores of Bengali professionals paid their respects along with Indians from all walks of life and quite a few enlightened local Brits. The commemoration started at 12.15pm, near Dwarkanath’s tomb, with an introduction on the monument to Dwarkanath Tagore by Henry Vivian-Neal and wreath laying at the monument. Men in Punjabis and Women in Sarees with uttoriyos in traditional Bengali style paid homage to Dwarkanath hymning “Anandoloke Mongolaloke”.

In the chapel at Kensal Green, Sourav Niyogi talked about Bengal Heritage Foundation, its feeling of kinship with Dwarkanath and announcing an annual commemoration to be held on the first Saturday of August every year going forward. There will also be speech presented on Rammohan Roy and

Dwarkanath – “A Curious Connection”. All throughout the duration of the ceremony, mesmerising Rabindrasangeet was sung to re-unite the souls of the 2 Tagores of 2 generations and also the current generation of Bengali professionals in London.

Kolkata based businessman Pradeep Chopra travelled all the way from Kolkata along with his family to witness this splendid occasion. The ceremony was marked by the glorious presence of Saikat Maitra -Vice Chancellor of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad University of Technology. His interest in this ceremony pulled him all the way from Kolkata to London. Mr. Maitra thinks that Dwarkanath Tagore’s achievement on entreprenurship is the “call of the time” in improving the country’s current economic state.

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY SHOWCASES BENGALI FILM FESTIVAL Edinburgh university organised two-months long Bengali film festival for the first time to reach out to the international audience. Dr Sumit Konar, a post-doctorate from the university along with four software professionals viz. Nilanjan, Tirtho, Samrat and Anindya organised this festival on every Friday of the month July and August. They showcased widely loved films such as Kaushik Ganguly's Apur Pachali, Satyajit Ray's Jana Aranya, Gautam Ghosh's Padma Nadir Majhi etc. A special mention went to Aditya Bikram Sengupta's Asa Jaoayar Majhe (Labour of Love) which showcased a dialogue-less silhouette of everyday humdrums and noises.

BAPIO launches Indo-UK Healthcare Policy Forum The High Commission of India and BAPIO came together to organise the first-ever high level discussion on aspects of Healthcare and collaboration between India and the UK. The NHS is acknowledged as the greatest government provided healthcare system in the world, and this year it celebrated its 70th birthday. The NHS has a workforce of 1.5 million, with an estimated contribution of 100,000 staff of Indian heritage. Increasing demand on the NHS has led to many questions of the future direction and sustainability.

Lord Suri, Lord Popat, Dr Rami Ranger and others with High Commissioner Y K Sinha India on the other hand, prepares for

by MPs, Peers and community leaders Terence Stephenson GMC Chair, Prof Derek large scale reform, with the imminent rollincluding Lord Popat, Lord Suri, Keith Vaz, Bell, President of RCPE, Prof Russell Viner out of what is being labelled ‘Modi-Care’.

Rami Ranger, CB Patel and others.

President o RCPCH, Prof Mayur Lakhani The Government Health Protection scheme The Forum aims to serve as a vehicle for President of RCGP, Prof Iqbal Singh, First will enable 100 million of the poorest and implementing healthcare policies, shaping Indian on Queens Honours Selection most vulnerable families’ access to health themes of debate between the care, equivalent to £5,000 per two counties, identifying year. avenues for joint-research, A collaborative approach to encouraging bilateral training draw upon the strengths of programmes for healthcare both healthcare systems was professionals as well as recognised in a high level strengthening health round-table discussion between infrastructure by way of two-way leaders in the NHS, Royal investments.

Colleges, GMC, BMA and 3 key objectives of the Forum Healthcare industries. outlined

by Dr Dev Chauhan are: Discussion was chaired by To work with both governments BAPIO President Dr Ramesh and Health Education England Mehta OBE, who has appointed on the issue of workforce Dr Dev Chauhan as Chair of the BAPIO meeting at High Commission planning and the importance of a newly formed BAPIO Indo-UK robust and effective recruitment mechanism, Committee, Dr JS Bamrah, National Chair of Healthcare Policy Forum. Dr Chauhan is a ensuring both nations benefit, the BAPIO, Dr Adrian James, Registrar RCPsych, British Indian doctor, specialising in the promotion of blood and organ donation in Prof Mala Rao, Medical Advisor for WRES, Care of the Elderly. He has been appointed BAME communities, supporting the Dr Kailash Chand, Honorary Vice President to the prestigious role, working as the government on the ‘Opt out’ organ donation of BMA, Dr Joydeep Grover - Medical National Medical Directors Clinical Fellow, bill which will come into effect in 2020, Director of MDS, Valerie Vaughn Dick for NHS England and the Academy of collaborating with Indian government to COO RCGP and Prof Parag SInhal - BAPIO Medical Royal Colleges. It was attended by adopt a similar initiative and recognising the National Hon Secretary.

It was also attended key personalities from NHS such as Sir Prof

need to support infrastructure for the elderly population.

Dr Ramesh Mehta, President of BAPIO said “With estimated 60,000 doctors of Indian origin and several thousand other healthcare workers including dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists working in the NHS; there is an excellent opportunity to develop collaboration to assist improving the Healthcare in the two countries. Both the countries have strengths and weaknesses.

The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin with its membership of doctors with huge experience of working in both the countries are in enviable position to take an initiative to look in to healthcare polices of both the countries and provide guidance”.

Dr Dev Chauhan, Chair of the Forum commented “The next generation doctors of Indian origin, born and trained in the UK, have natural affinity for India. We are keen to strengthen collaboration between IndoUK Healthcare to support Education, Training and long-term workforce planning.

We are keen to take best UK practices to India but also learn from vast Indian experiences” The Forum will function closely with High Commission of India in taking up issues of concern to Indians in general, and India in particular, through its channels.

High Commissioner Mr. Y. K. Sinha, in his address said that as this new forum comes up, we need to explore ways to nurture and foster this very special India-UK relationship. He emphasised the need to appreciate doctors and health professionals of Indian origin as influential members of the communities they live in, who can play a significant role in advising the government and promoting bilateral ties.

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72 Years of Independence After enduring a generation of colonialism and exploitation, India today is a sovereign country that matches shoulders with leading nations of the world. Not only the most sought after, present India is a prime example of determination and bravery. After fighting all odds for its freedom, leaders and the masses came together to build it back from dust. India's emergence as an increasingly important power, has been a significant development in the international order and especially for UK foreign policy.

On the eve of the 72nd Independence Day, the Central Government has tightened security all across the country. Capital New Delhi has inducted the country's first all-woman Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team for antiterrorist operations to secure the function at Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation.

The 36 women, who have underwent rigorous training of around 15 months from specialists all across India and abroad, come from northeastern states. While 13 of them are from Assam, the rest hail from Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Manipur. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who himself inducted the unit, said the women commandos will be deployed at Red Fort and India Gate during the celebrations.

The official celebration this year will see PM Modi arrive at Lahori Gate of Red Fort, where he will be received by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, MoS Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra. The Guard of Honour

contingent for the PM will consist of one officer and 24 men each from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Delhi Police. With the Navy being the Coordinating Service this year, the Guard of Honour will be commanded by Commander PR Jagan Mohan of the Indian Navy.

The PM, after inspecting the Guard of Honour, Modi will proceed to the Red Fort ramparts, where he will be greeted by the Defence Minister, MoS Defence, Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa.

The GoC Delhi area will conduct the Prime Minister to the dais to unfurl the National Flag. The unfurling will synchronize with the 21 Gun Salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 2281 Field Battery (Ceremonial).

After unfurling the tricolour, MOdi will address the Nation, after which, school children and NCC Cadets will sing the National Anthem.

15

18 - 24 August 2018

Independence and a New Threat to an Old Friendship Alpesh Patel The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 There are two Independence days this week – that of Pakistan and also of its mother, India. Should the UK not take heed of the overt and increasing anti-India sentiment by the Pakistani backed Khalistani-Kashmiri alliance, then relations with the UK will suffer. Just as relations between US and Pakistan have.

Britain is the new battleground for Pakistan in its war against India.

When I worked in the US Congress twenty years ago we had information on Pakistan having the nuclear bomb. Pakistan was outspending India on lobbying however. Add to that that they would use US aid dollars to buy US fighter jets and American politicians bought by Pakistan were more than happy to look the other way.

At the same time from Canada would come the Khalistanis to lobby the US Congress. A handful of extremists with an over-active imagination and delusions of grandeur of their own Taliban-like extremist religious State.

From the UK, Pakistan supports Khalistani and Kashmiri separatists. And with ever more politicians in Parliament willing to listen and advocate their cause, a strategy of Parliamentary

infiltration suited to the UK’s special colonial demography, you have from something small and irrelevant something which becomes an international annoyance.

One thing I can tell you about the Indian Ministry of External Affairs – they’re never in the mood for bullshit excuses. I’ve only ever met very firm minded individuals. Indian politicians may be distracted with internal childish squabbles but the civil servants are clear on what Britain has to do.

I too believe in Voltaire’s liberal idea that I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

And with Mill’s contention that the State should stay out of the affairs of private individuals if they cause no harm to others.

Well these ideas have been manipulated by these Pakistani supported groups to mean you can call hate speech, free speech, you can use weapons against flags and call it free speech, you can seek the destruction of a democracy (not mild criticism) and call it free speech. The rule of law trumps free speech. And the law needs to be enforced on hate speech. Young minds are too immature, ill-educated and naïve to appreciate this. Older wiser heads must prevail in the age of the snow-flake generation.

Yes, India is Independent. But in the words of Churchill, ironically for India, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Be vigilant Britain, your greatest leader warned you – vigilant against those enemies of India, for they are also enemies of Britain. Just ask America – your closest ally. www.PoliticalAnimal.me

Independence Day greetings from

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE

Freedom March to celebrate I-Day in Cardiff A freedom march to celebrate the anniversary of the 72nd Indian Independence, will take place in Cardiff on August 15. Organised

by Indian Honorary Consul Raj Aggarwal, several dignitaries like Lord Mayor Cllr Diane Elizabeth Rees, Cardiff City Council Cabinet member Russell Goodway and Indian businessman Sanjeev Gupta of Liberty Steel and Miss Wales Bethany Steel, are expected to be in attendance. Hundreds of people are foreseen on the parade which will start at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi near the Wales Millennium Centre and finish at Cardiff Castle with a flag raising ceremony.

The procession will take an hour to get to Cardiff Castle, where several performances of traditional Indian dance and music will also be held. Indian diplomat Mr Aggarwal is expected to thank everyone for joining and give insight on the success of the Indian diaspora in the UK. There will be several opportunities for interviews and filming.

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18 - 24 August 2018

Sajid, smart young Indians must be encouraged to jump on the Global Britain bus Manoj Ladwa, Publisher & CEO, India Inc. With Sajid Javid’s appointment as Home Secretary, those who believe in meritocracy, aspiration and progressive immigration policies are hoping that they have a voice in the UK Cabinet. I count myself among them. Like Sajid, I was born to immigrant parents who came to the UK for a new life in inner-city Birmingham.

H a r d w o r k i n g immigrant families like mine and Sajid’s played an important role in building post- war Britain. The legacy of the successful integration of the overwhelming majority of the British Asian diaspora is proof that those progressive immigration policies still have a place in the UK today. It seems only right that the son of an immigrant bus driver from Pakistan, now a rising Tory star, should hold the power to bring about the end of the ‘hostile policies’ that have characterised

the Home Office’s treatment of immigration in recent years.

As he starts to tackle the vexed issue of immigration, Sajid Javid should use his own heritage and journey as a source of strength and inspiration, rather than pander to the isolationists in his party who say ‘the bus is full’. Major issues are about to rear their head.

In September, the Migration Advisory Committee will issue a report on international students which is expected to further increase pressure on the government to remove students – including over 16,000 Indians in the UK – from net migration calculations and instead seek to attract more of them to our country to become talented graduates and lifelong ambassadors.

He will have an even greater job to do, to foster a better visa regime for Indian IT workers, doctors and nurses who continue to

“15th August 1947.A day to remember.

India’s Independence Day. Years of British rule came to an end. A nation was borne to lead its own destiny. Today, 71 years later India stands as a proud nation. Rich in history and deep in its cultural values. Economically a record unsurpassed by many nations across the globe. We salute the country and all its people whose sacrifice did not end in vain. Genuine Democracy prevails in one of the largest nation in the world. The way to celebrate this important day is to take pride in the contribution we all make to build a nation that can be an example to the rest of the world.”

come to this country to support vital businesses and public services. Building Global Britain in the spirit of these progressive immigration policies could be considered a way to spite the Brexit vote, but this should not obscure the real opportunity here. Immigrant communities, like the Indian community, are job makers, not job takers.

I admit that forecasts for the UK’s future outside of the European Union are gloomy.

Deal, no deal, hard or soft Brexit, one thing we have seen is that the UK is in need of dynamic partners and the EU is not suited to playing this part. The fault has been to consider ties with India weaker for the Brexit vote – they need not be. Tasked with establishing a frictionless border at the Irish border, Indian IT companies are emerging now at the cutting edge of tech advancements in AI and firmware. In the short term, firms such as TCS and Infosys could possibly provide innovative and cost-effective solutions to the border and customs question, changing the nature of the issues the UK faces altogether. Other stones remain unturned.

India’s pharmaceutical industry has a proven

As we mark India’s Independence Day, I hope and pray that the bond between our two great countries continues to grow in strength and prosperity.

Long may this special relationship continue.

Messages from MPs

Lord Navnit Dholakia PC,OBE,DL, Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrats vvvvvv

It gives me great pleasure in extending my warmest congratulations to all Asian Voice readers who are celebrating India’s Independence Day this year.

India’s Independence Day is the perfect time to reflect on how far the world largest democracy and second most populous country has come. Britain is privileged to share a very special relationship with India, a relationship that is enriched with the cultural and historical links we share. Furthermore the 1.5 million British Indians play a key role in this special relationship with India, which is sustained very well by Asian Voice and its team.

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to the future. India has a bright and prosperous future building on its strengths and as an outward looking nation keen to form new partnerships with the rest of the world. Here in Britain we look forward to strengthening our ties with India and the leading role our Indian Diaspora will play in taking that partnership forward. Today is a great day to celebrate our past and plan for the successful future we should strive for. I wish everyone a Happy Indian Independence Day. The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP Member of Parliament for Witham vvvvvv

I n d i a n Independence Day is the time that Indians across the world come together to celebrate one of the most auspicious and important dates in our history. On 15th August 1947 we all mark the date when India secured legislate sovereignty and embarked on a new chapter in its history. In the seventy-one years since, as the world has changed around it, India has grown from strength to strength.

India has emerged as the world’s largest democracy with hundreds of millions voting in elections facilitating peaceful transitions of power. The economy has grown and economic reforms have transformed India into a global powerhouse with businesses and investments spanning the world. The country’s culture is distinctive with Bollywood and our cuisine being amongst our greatest exports while our cricketing prowess is famous worldwide. Across India great strides have been made to improve healthcare, education, the environment and infrastructure. The rest of the world looks on with admiration at what India has achieved. Anchored in its strong democracy, economic reforms and a vibrant culture, India is taking its place in the world as a leading power. As well as reflecting on the last seventy-one years of independence, today we also look forward

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Lord Dolar Popat

record of providing safe and cost-effective essential medicines at scale, yet the idea of establishing a much more robust supply of Indian medicines to the UK remains unexplored. India continues to give its vote of confidence in the UK’s green technology sector, too. In July this year, Bharat Forge invested £10 million in UKbased Tevva Motors, which is developing electric vans capable of a greater range than competitors in this space.

The UK can treat India as part of the solution to the current mess, not just another problem. We must seek out serious business opportunities, the building blocks for strategic engagement. Then, an agreement on free trade could be much closer than we think.

Immigration is vital in changing the nature of the dialogue between bilateral partners, and Sajid Javid, in place as Home Secretary, must recognise the role that he also plays in establishing a pragmatic dialogue between the UK and its closest partners. Smart young Indians must be encouraged to jump on the Global Britain bus now more than ever before.

Any other message will only hurt the UK.

On 15th August 2018, I know all at Asian Voice newspaper and your readers will be marking Independence Day with pride and goodwill to all in India and across the world. I am proud that across India and in the global diaspora community, the progress of India can be seen in so many fields – from technology and science to arts, culture and education. At a time when we look to strengthen our trade and cultural relations between our two nations, we need to look at further ways to grow the ties and bonds between our nations and between the generations.

From poetry to music to history and to business, we have the chance to develop new ways in which India and the UK can continue to learn from each other and work together to create a stronger world based on stability, peace and prosperity. The vision and the leadership from across the community is part of that journey and that message.

I wish all a wonderful Independence Day.

Central London 14th Sept. 2018 VENUE

Seema Malhotra MP Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston

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18 - 24 August 2018

UK INDIA PARTNERSHIP Dr Mohan Kaul, President Indian Professionals Forum

engage with one of the world’s “biggest markets”. Minister Prasad outlined his vision for India as a land of digital opportunities for UK investment: “The UK-India relationship is politics neutral. It is very robust and stable, with a new ecosystem laid by the last visit of Prime Minister Modi to the UK with the UKIndia Tech Alliance.” As the UK prepares to leave the EU it is actively engaged in bilateral talks with India to forge new partnerships, especially in key technology sectors and UK and India will continue to forge strong partnerships: UK will remain the dominant financial centre and Indian companies will benefit from this (Masala bonds have raised over $600 million in last two years) UK will remain R&D centre and Hub

The Indian diaspora is the UK’s third largest ethnic group making up 3% of the population yet roughly half those are among the highest earning, highest skilled professionals working in business, healthcare, education and other sectors.

According to the Centre for Economic and Business and Research, accelerating growth will place India as the world's 3rd largest economy in the 2030s while Brexit is set to transform Britain into a trading and manufacturing hub with a global outlook.

Current links between our countries are strong and the future provides enormous opportunities for Indian Professionals to benefit from developments in both countries: • UK companies in India support close to 800,000 jobs according to the CBI • UK invested $24.07 billion in India between 2000 and 2016 • The UK represents 8% of all FDI into India • India is the third largest investor in the UK creating thousands of new jobs • 800 Indian companies in the UK employ 110,000 people in diverse sectors such as manufacturing and IT • Indian companies in the UK have a turnover of 47.5 billion pounds.

Trade and investment between the two nations is vital now and for the future. Our bilateral dialogues include: • Finance Ministers Economic dialogue • Trade Ministers bilateral • Joint Military exercises • Skills development and research dialogue • Science &technology dialogue • Culture exchanges Speaking at the launch of the Indian Professionals Forum (IPF) on 22nd November 2017, HE Shri Y K Sinha, Indian High Commissioner said “UK and India are

for innovation. Indian companies can establish R&D centres in UK – “Innovate in UK and Scale-up in India”. Many UK companies, such as JCB, are already establishing global operations in India Collaboration on healthcare will grow in UK and India: While India announced mass health insurance to cover over 500 million people, challenges in UK NHS will need Indian talent and skills.

Partnership in IT and FINTECH will grow with the UK-India corridor providing opportunities for UK and Indian companies particularly Start-ups / Tech SMEs India and UK will be the torch bearers for global free trade and the partnership between the two countries will grow stronger, irrespective of the results of Brexit.

important partners in diverse fields... Brexit provides an opportunity to further expand the scale and scope of our vibrant and robust collaboration. Indian professionals in the UK are already playing a hugely important role in these and other areas."

Speaking at the same event Sir Vince Cable, Leader of Liberal Democrats "India is now a major economic power – on some measures the third largest in the world after China and the US. It is very much in Britain’s long-term interest to welcome Indian investment, students and professionals, and to have a stronger, deeper relationship with India." The IPF gathered at Asia House, London, on 9th July to hear Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for IT, Law & Justice, outline India’s digitisation efforts, which are estimated to add $154 billion to the country’s GDP by 2021 and present a huge opportunity for UK-based investors.

Minister Prasad urged UK companies to make use of an open foreign direct investment regime in the IT sector to

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Indo-British camaraderie going through a significant phase Mitul Paniker What was once the world's most powerful country, Britain is going through a difficult and momentous period at present. Dark clouds of Brexit loom over the country as the Theresa May led government grapples to restore sanity.

Amid the internal tiffs and disappointments, the country's foreign relations especially its association with India has come under scrutiny.

In an attempt to shed some light on the present state of things between India and Britain, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar held a talk in Ahmedabad Management Association, Ahmedabad, where four well-known persons took stage and spoke their minds.

'Exchange of Ideas: Indo-British Partnership' saw Dr Mohan Kaul, President of the Indian Professional Forum, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Deputy Leader of the LiberalDemocratic Party of the Great Britain, and Geoff Wain, Deputy British High Commissioner, Ahmedabad speak on the past, present and future of India-Britain relationship.

The overall sentiment was one of hope and determination as the leaders stood firm on a positive and flourishing collaboration.

First to take stage, Geoff Wain began by stating that the current stage of partnership between Gujarat and the UK opened in 2015. He said there were a total of 10 British offices and staff in India- more than in any other country.

Wain said that bilateral relation is an important aspect for not just India, or the UK, but for both the countries.

The key areas to collaborate according to him was in “Mutual Security & intelligence, and Trade Agreement”. The deputy High Commissioner also stressed on the importance of diverting attention to the younger generation- the students. He talked about the various initiatives undertaken by the High Commissioner to bring the youth to the forefront.

Geoff Wain

Space For Improvement: Aim For Economic Advancement Lord Dholakia spoke on the beginning of the relationship between India and the UK. He said the countries have history. “The oldest democracy in the world meets the largest democracy.” Speaking on the impact colonisation had left on the country, and how, despite all the disadvantages, the Indian diaspora today is the largest in the world, Lord Dholakia elaborated on the migration of Indians. He also spoke on the contribution of the Indian community in the UK. “There are over 200 temples in the UK. Over 10,000 Indian restaurants,” he said.

In all the praises of the collaboration of the two countries, Lord Dholakia also pointed out the issues or where the relationship is lacking.

“We can make more economic advancement,” he said. Despite the already advanced partnership, both countries have a long way to go and ways to increase trade or financial advancement can be sought. He said the younger generation should be more involved and considered. “The third issue, is something

several programmes between both the countries, that focus on fields like science, skills, etc. Mirroring Geoff Wain and Lord Dholakiya's views, he too stated that the “future is basically going to be the younger generation.”

“Off the 1.5 million British passport holders, majority are professionals. “Indian origin people,” Dr Kaul said, “are now present in every sector, most of them holding senior positions.

Government data has disclosed that the median income of the Indian community in the UK is highest than any other community. Of the second generation Indian-origin migrants, 30 per cent have become professionals.” He said that a significant change in Indo-UK relations is expected to come, but in a good way. “Britain is keen on boosting relations with India,” he affirmed.

“Meanwhile, India is set to surpass different economies. By 2030, it could be the third biggest economy. So, bilateral relations are set to be win-win,” he said. On suggestions for how the bond can be both, bettered and benefited from, he said, “UK is, and will continue to be on the forefront of innovation. In that context, we can talk to businesses in India and UK can help young entrepreneurs create. A UK India Innovation Fund worth $66 million has been set up.” So while India offers UK companies an opportunity to make use of its open FDI regime in the IT sector, the UK will help innovative companies coming out of India that are looking to expand, and enable creation of 2,500 jobs.

“UK will also remain in the forefront of services. Another important sector for both the countries to collaborate is Health Care. There can be a tremendous market for healthcare centres in the future,” Dr Kaul said. Winding up, he said there is “tremendous hope and scope predominantly in technology and building businesses on a grass roots level.”

Padma Shri Vishnu Pandya summarised the opinions by saying, “India, particularly Gujarat,

Dr Mohan Kaul is the president of the Indian Professionals Forum, a leading think tank based in the UK set up to increase the participation of Indian Diaspora in national policy development and economy and increase UK India partnership particularly as a result of Brexit. He chairs the Global Investment Advisory and Alglotech Ltd, and was also founder of commonwealth Investment Corporation. Earlier, Dr Kaul was involved in setting up commonwealth Business Forum at CHOGM since 1997 and was also the founding Director General and latter chairman of commonwealth Business Council. He was youngest Dean of prestigious institute, IIM Ahmedabad before being selected for the UN and the Commonwealth assignments.

In the past 30 years, Dr Kaul has built an enviable rapport with Presidents and Heads of Government across continents. He has organised over 50 high level forums involving Heads of Governments, Ministers, senior officials, chairpersons and Chief Executives. Dr Kaul has been a member of the Presidential Advisory Councils of Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia and similar councils in different countries, and continues to work closely with them. He has also lead several business delegations to India particularly to Gujarat at Vibrant Gujarat, and other countries in Africa and Asia.

Dr Mohan Kaul

“We need to look forward; Ask what's next?

Interact with children,” Wain said. Elaborating on how strong the relation has gotten after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office, he stated a few “facts” about the extent of the relation between India and the United Kingdom. “I would like to point out a few facts to show how invested both the countries are in each other. 1, UK is a big T20 investor. It has put in £21 million in just the past year. 2, India is the 4th largest investor in the UK. It invests more money in the country than all European countries combined. 3, Both the countries conduct an annual trade worth £18 billion.

There is a 16 per cent increase in the trade relationship. 4, The UK dispenses 600,000 visas for Indians each year. Indians get around 17 per cent of the employment visa. 5, The visa for Indian students had seen a rise last year. The country is more welcoming of students from abroad, especially India.”

Wain said that both the nations have complemented each other on several international platforms. The need, he said is to “foster relationship between the new generations from both the countries.”

we all have been constantly hearing for the last two years. Brexit.” The stand of the UK government on the issue has definitely varied over time, he said.

What had started off as a surefooted hard Brexit, has now wilted towards something more lenient. Lord Dholakia said he is sure the UK government will opt for a soft Brexit. He urged the audience to forget the pre-independence past when they visit the UK and instead, focus on the contribution made by the Indian community to the country. “Don't look back.

Contribute. Go forward,” the Lord said.

It's a Win-Win situation Guest of the hour, Dr Mohan Kaul finally took the mic and described the current IndoBritish relations as a “forward-looking.” He said the kinship has gone through major changes in the last 10 years. “Back in 2015, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Wembley Stadium, UK saw the biggest crowd of the Indian diaspora gathered to hear him speak.

David Cameron, who was then Prime Minister, said to Modi, 'You know the maximum I ever got in a political gathering is 700. I better stick to you!' Efforts to boost bilateral relations began that night,” Dr Kaul said. Dr Kaul said there are

has woken up to a new era of relationships with the UK.” The panel later opened for questions and a neurosurgeon who was attending the talk asked why Indian doctors find it more difficult than their Sri Lankan and Pakistani peers to enter into the medical system in the UK? He said he knows around 50 doctors who have had to take a test in the UK, while doctors from Pakistan or Sri Lanka do not have to appear for a test. Lord Dholakia answered, “At the end of the day, I think one of the crucial things, we have a very strong organisation called Overseas Doctors Association in United Kingdom and in the next two weeks the Indian Doctors Association are having a meeting at the Indian High Commission called by the Indian High Commissioner. This is the type of issue that is ought to be taken at that particular stage. I don't see any difficulty in being able to understand why it has some countries been exempted and others are not. Unless you compare like with like you are not getting any where.”

He added, “If there is a need to ask questions in the Parliament, get your friends to get in touch with me and I tell you, I will be on my feet asking the Minister of Health why there is such a differentiation and what can we do to

remove it.”

Another question was asked by Gujarat Samachar News Editor Achyut Sanghvi, who asked, “How come the UK has not added India in the new group of 11 countries that received a student visa relaxation. Also, UK government had said that India is not ready to take back its illegal migrants. Is this is a case of pressurising India?” Geoff Wain responded by saying, “One of those problems is because we have so many people in the UK of Indian-origin is that sadly we have a large number of illegal Indian nationals in the UK. I think that can be taken

Lord Navnit Dholakia

into account when we are relaxing any kind of visa or immigration scheme. There is no reason why in the future India can't be included in those 11 or the expanded 11. But then, going back to my original statistics, visas for students are up 27 per cent year on year. So it is a fact that I don't see this as a disincentive for Indian nationals to be able to go and study in the UK.” He further said, “I think your second question was around Indian nationals who abscond to the UK. That's clearly an issue that is subject to the judicial process. If by some chance an Indian national manages to get out of India and get out of the UK, as you would expect, we have a formal legal process to go through. About the cases that are currently in the newspapers, I

Padma Shri Vishnu Pandya

am not going to comment on the individuals, but I would say that once that due legal process is followed and it is found that person should be returned to India then we will abide by that decision.”

Another question was, the US is currently in a diplomatic war with other countries. What is the UK's stand? Dr Kaul responded by saying, “UK government or people are very much for free trade and would be all for having free trade deals with almost all the countries. But UK wants to be the spokesperson for free trade and lead.”

Lord Dholakia added, “I think all that remains is determining trade policies. If you remember, Donald Trump recently announced a trade war with China on tariffs, etc, saying that America was sold short in many of the deals and other things. The Prime Minister of UK Theresa May has made it very clear that we stand by EU and other countries and said this is fundamentally wrong and will damage trade all over the world.

She will not subscribe to the point of view that is expressed by President Trump and I don't subscribe to many his views in any case.”

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There are three types of motivated sellers in the market. The distressed, the divorced, and the dead. People in these categories must sell, due to their circumstances. They do not have the luxury of choice.

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

In a market such as this one, comparables cannot be relied upon with the same confidence they once used to command. The market is in a flux. There’s a perception out there that if you purchase a property now at retail value, it may be worth even less in 12 months’ time.

This environment, coupled with the three categories mentioned above, is the perfect combination for the shrewd investor.

We are closing on our second probate property this week.

Probate is a legal document which grants authority to deal with a deceased person’s assets.

Most probate properties have certain symptoms that come with them, for example there’s that musty smell. They often come with the benefit of old well-made furniture. These properties usually

THE POWER OF DHARMA A few years ago, I got involved in a medical business. It was a good idea on paper. If I am honest, however, the business never really convinced me. It all looked good in the business plan.

However, I couldn’t feel any connection to it. Needless to say, this adventure bore little fruit, drained my energy and, most importantly, did not help me express my true nature. It cost me time, money and energy.

In the Bhagavad-Gita 18.47 it says:

18 - 24 August 2018

The more variables you have in a deal the more chance it is a deal. Sometimes you also have a seller(s) who often wish to cash in on their new found wealth. Their need to have the money in their bank account outweighs the need to achieve maximum price.

Being a property with a short lease, as well as requiring full refurbishment means most lenders will not touch this type of deal.

The short lease effects the security for the lender. Most people don’t appreciate a BTL mortgage is given on the basis the property is in a lettable condition. If this is not the case the mortgage will not be granted. There are a few lenders who do refurbishment products, they, however, require a minimum lease length.

There is the option of a bridge,

and fulfil our function. A lion is good at being a lion. A tortoise is an excellent tortoise. A tree fulfils the function of a tree. If we try to pursue a function that is not our nature we will not be happy.

This verse is talking about one’s “dharma”.

We all thrive when we know our role and perform it fully. It is a solemn human responsibility to search for our true function, reject what is unfavourable and shape our activities around our nature.

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require a total gut out; and it can be assumed they do not confirm to any of the current regulations. You can forget looking at the energy efficiency readings.

Almost always they have short leases.

“It is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly.”

“Dharma” is an ancient and oftused word. It can mean “duty”, “religion” or “function”. I like the word “function” because there is an implication that we have a responsibility to find, understand

19

Q: Do I have to give my tenant(s) the How To Rent booklet? however, this needs to be used carefully, as it could destroy the deal, if the exit is not lined up in advance. The aim of a bridge by its very definition is to take you from one place to another, across a difficult terrain. You are not supposed to stay on the bridge!

In conclusion, by the very word probate on a property, the chances are you might be staring a deal in the face.

A short lease, these days, this is relatively easily quantifiable in advance. It needs work, again not a massive issue. Having this much cash tied up in one deal may be tough for certain buyers. Yes, bridging is there, however, you need to ensure you have your ducks lined up and the exit in place prior to entering these types of arrangements.

A: Yes! You or your agent will need to supply this at the start of each new tenancy. Serving the booklet is not a legal requirement, so you will not get prosecuted for not doing it; however, it now forms part of the new Section 21 regulations (notice to tenants). This means that if you ever wish to serve notice on your tenants to leave the property you would not be able to.

Being stopped from serving a Section 21 would make it close to impossible for you to efficiently repossess your property; unless by some miracle your tenant is willing to surrender the tenancy.

Now, if things are going well it might be a walk in the park getting them to leave but on the other hand if your tenant breaches their tenancy or falls into a month’s rent arrears, then possession via a Section 21 would be impossible. The only other option would be to proceed down the Section 8 route and evict them on grounds for possession, but they would need to be in arrears for a minimum of two months.

So, make sure you serve the booklet at the beginning of the tenancy and follow all the other Section 21 requirements.

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Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel Dear Financial Voice Reader, How long before currency volatility whacks the market? Then you still have political instability? I don’t believe interest rates should have risen. It sends the wrong signal to business. Yes we need to save more and spend less on credit – but this is not the solution.

And for those worried about a trade war, I’ve said this on the BBC before too: It’s not a trade war because trade is rising as a share of GDP. But it may become one.

Tariffs are consumer taxes. A way of taxing people whilst they think (if they voted Trump) he is a patriot!

Don’t forget other major US tax cuts for corporates.

This is boosting US markets. I love US markets. IT especially. Basically Trump has given big business tax cuts and taxed consumers – the poorest. Whilst making it look like he is getting jobs for all by tariffs. #Fakenews They don’t work well. Eg BMWs largest factory is in the US, exporting to China! Doh! Rising interest rates and rising taxes are not a good mix. But companies can absorb some of those new taxes so consumer not impacted too much too quickly Lower interest rates takes the sting out – which is why Trump attacked the Fed Bottom line: Trump wants more market rises. I’m not worries about US UK – markets – falling Pound pushes FTSE 100 equities higher, but as Brexit approaches decoupling with US and Europe more likely. Good for diversification of your portfolio!

Oil could reach $100 – this is before Trump tweets about nuclear war with Iran. It’s a tweet so its official US foreign policy. It’s Trump so it’s bluster.

What worries me most is this note about the interest rate rises from the Bank of England – which supports my decision last year to go all in on US stocks with a limited number of UK ones – that we are growing as fast as we can, which is next to nothing. And the reason they give is productivity will probably never improve, our infrastructure isn’t going to improve any time soon.

Pretty depressing reading. So they raised rates! “We think our economy can only grow at a new, lower speed limit of around one-and-a-half per cent a year. We also currently think actual demand is growing close to this speed limit. This means demand can’t grow faster than at its current pace without causing prices to start rising too quickly.” Bank of England When it comes to UK stocks it means I want the exceptional few which are growing faster than peers and have momentum. I cannot rely on broader economic growth alone. For instance, I have Cineworld, esure, Imperial Brands, Mondi, National Express on my radar.

Not sexy tech, but profits are not always sexy.

For a free online trading course visit www.alpeshpatel.com

UK house prices rising faster than wage increases, Halifax says Halifax has cited a surprise spike in UK house prices in July, which has in turn increased the annual rate of property inflation to 3.3 per cent. It said house prices rose 1.4 per cent in July alone, taking the average house price to a new record of £230,280. The annual growth rate jumped from 1.8 per cent in June to 3.3 per cent in July, the largest increase since last November. Halifax said house prices are being supported by the underlying strength in the jobs market, with employment rising by 137,000 in the three months before May. London agents James Pendleton said, “Annual growth just exploded to a level not seen since the autumn. With two negative quarters behind us, many were hoping the usually busy summer period would produce a bit of a bounce, and this is a promising start.” However, Halifax said that transaction activity

“remains soft” and that it expected the number of mortgage approvals to be broadly flat during 2018. Economists said the July figures from Halifax should be treated cautiously. Howard Archer, the chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club said, “We remain doubtful the UK housing market is stepping up a gear. Activity is still relatively lackluster despite coming modestly off 2018 lows, with consumer conditions challenging.”

The bank figures for July are significantly higher than those reported

by its rival lender nationwide. It recorded a rise of 0.6 per cent in July compared with Halifax's 1.4 per cent figure. Its figure for annual house price inflation is 2.5 per cent. Next month's figures will be the first to reflect the impact of the rise in Bank of England base rate to 0.75 per cent although few property experts are expecting a significant impact given that most households are on fixed rates. Jonathan Harris of Anderson Harris said, “We don't expect this month's interest rate rise on its own to have too much of an impact. However, it may cause some nervousness going forward as buyers worry about the possibility of future rate rises. It is no surprise then that fixed-rate mortgages continue to be by far the most popular product as borrowers look to protect themselves against future uncertainty.”

Britain's richest person to leave UK for Monaco Founder and chief executive of petrochemicals company Ineos and a highprofile Brexiter, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is currently preparing to move to the tax-free principality on the Côte d’Azur in a bid to avoid UK taxes on his vast wealth.

Unavailable for comments, only his company said that Ineos was “committed” to its business base in the UK and planned to keep its headquarters in London “for the foreseeable future”.

Ranked the UK's richest person in May, his wealth is estimated to be approximately by £15.3bn to £21bn after he provided access to the privately held accounts of Ineos, which he founded in 1998. Initially pegged at 18th place, Ratcliffe personally contacted the editor the Sunday Times rich list and complained that his wealth had been drastically underestimated. The paper later increased its valuation of his mansion near

Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Beaulieu, in the New Forest, and his two super yachts- Hampshire and Hampshire II. The 65 year old owns 60 per cent of Ineos, which made profits of over £2.2bn last year.

It employs 18,500 people.

His senior-most aides in the company, Andy Currie and John Reece, who each own 20 per cent of the company worth £7bn, are reportedly considering following him to Monaco. This is not Ratcliffe's first move.

He had quit Britain in 2010, when he moved Ineos to Switzerland in protest against the then Labour government's tax regime. The relocation saved him an estimated £405mn in tax. He later moved the company back to the UK in 2016, after the Conservatives returned to power and cut corporation tax from 28 per cent to 20 per cent.

So many of the world’s wealthiest people have moved to Monaco, including Lady Green, the wife of Topshop owner, Sir Philip Green, that the principality is reclaiming land from the sea in order to build more luxury apartments to house them. Nearly 35 in every 100 of Monaco’s residents are millionaires. About 2,700 more millionaires are expected to call the principality home by 2026, according to research by the estate agent Knight Frank, taking the total to 16,100 out of a total population of under 38,000.

UK manufacturing in recession despite faster GDP growth Contradicting official figures that show that the manufacturing sector has slumped into recession for the first time since Brexit, the British economy grows at a faster pace in the three months to the end of June. The Office for National Statistics said GDP increased by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter from a rate of 0.2 per cent in the previous three months, helped by stronger retail sales and good weather enabling the construction industry to make-up lost ground from the heavy snow earlier this year.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said, “We are working hard to build a stronger, fairer economy-dealing with the deficit, helping people into work, and cutting taxes for individuals and businesses.”

The manufacturing industry recorded its second consecutive quarter of negative growth amid weaker international demand for British goods. While manufacturing output fell by 0.9 per cent, the sector is smaller than the dominant services industry, meaning its drag on overall economic growth was only worth about 0.1 per cent. Lee Hopley, chief economist at the EEF manufacturers's organisation said the industry could face tough conditions ahead.

She said, “The autumn Brexit negotiations and related focus on the risk of 'no deal' will increase uncertainty.” Britain’s trade deficit – the difference between imports and exports – widened by £4.7bn to reach £8.6bn in the three months to June, due mainly to falling exports of goods and higher levels of imports.

Is your Council owed tens of millions from a Bank?

Abhishek Sachdev

Almost to the day, three years ago, I remember leaving the hospital in a taxi with my wife and newborn son. During this drive home, I got a panicked call from the Channel 4 legal team; who in turn had just had an unpleasant call with the Barclays legal / media department. What was this

about? The forthcoming Dispatches programme to be aired on Channel 4 on 6 July 2015 about the mis-selling of LOBO loans to Councils.

Thankfully, the programme went ahead.

It is a relief that three years on, 15 councils have now just taken the plunge and decided that in an era of unprecedented funding cuts from Central Government, they now need to seek to recover tens (if not hundreds) of millions, from these arguably mis-sold complex loans.

What are LOBO loans?

As a reminder, these were very long-dated (sometimes

70 years) complex loans with embedded derivatives (like interest rate swaps which were mis-sold to many SMEs), also called ‘Lender Option Borrower Option’ loans. In the last few weeks, 15 local authorities have filed legal claims against Barclays for these loans.

Some councils have also filed legal claims against RBS.

Which Councils have done this?

Greater Manchester, London Borough of Newham, Bristol, Liverpool, Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds, Newcastle, North East Lincolnshire, Nottingham, Oldham, Sheffield, South

Gloucestershire, Walsall and West Yorkshire.

New Mayor at Newham in East London, Rokhsana Fiaz said she had “serious concerns” about the “misselling” of the lender option borrower options, known as LOBO loans, taken out by the Borough before 2010.

Newham had taken out 27 LOBO loans, some of which were for 70 years in maturity at high fixed rates.

Why does this matter?

Never before have councils been under such funding pressure. I have a particularly strong view on this as Chairman of the Audit Committee at Hertsmere

Borough Council. For example, the desperate financial position at Northampton County Council has been exacerbated by these LOBO loans. As I explained to BBC Radio Northampton in February this year, if Northampton were to cancel these loans today, it would cost them more than £250m!

Some of these loans are so complex, even professional financial advisors and audit firms cannot agree on how to present them for accounting purposes - such as Grant Thornton at Lancashire County Council.

If these LOBO loans were so complicated, why on earth

did banks sell them to council officers?

At this stage, I cannot give more detail of these claims due to my current / future involvement in them; as a High Court Expert Witness.

If you are one of the residents of the above Local Authorities; please do ask your Local Councillor about LOBOs and what they are doing to recover the potentially many millions owed to them from Banks.

Tel: 020 7183 2277 www.vedantahedging.com

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in brief

Notices issued against Nirav Modi’s siblings

KKR ACQUIRES RAMKY ENVIRO Private equity giant KKR & Co will acquire 60% stake in Hyderabad-based Ramky Enviro Engineers, an environmental services company, for $530 million. The primary cash infusion into the company and purchase of shares from existing stakeholders valued the company at $925 million. KKR will be investing from the $9.3-billion Asia fund that it raised earlier this year. The deal is the largest foreign investor action - and the first private equity buyout - in India’s fledgling environmental services sector, bolstered by the government’s initiatives in urban waste management and sanitation infrastructure. Ramky’s services includes the management, collection, transport and processing of hazardous, municipal, biomedical and e-waste, as well as the recycling of paper, plastic and chemicals.

FLIPKART-WALMART DEAL APPROVED The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared the proposed acquisition of etailer Flipkart by global retailer Walmart.

The Bentonville-headquartered company had announced in May that it would acquire 77% stake in Flipkart for $16 billion.

The deal is likely to bolster Flipkart’s product portfolio and help Walmart take the battle to US retailer Amazon in India’s booming e-commerce market. While Flipkart’s strength lies in selling consumer electronics like smartphones, Walmart’s entry would enable it to crack the promising online grocery market in India.

INDIA'S INDUSTRIAL GROWTH SURGES TO 5-MONTH HIGH India's industrial output growth rose to a five-month high in June, powered by manufacturing, mining, electricity, capital goods and consumer durables sectors. The surge ignited hopes of a sustained revival in the crucial segment in the coming months. Official data showed industrial output in June grew an annual 7%, accelerating from previous month’s upwardly revised 3.9% and a contraction of 0.3% in the year-earlier month. The growth in April-June quarter was 5.2% compared with 1.9% expansion in the same period last year.

RBI to pay £5 bn as dividend to govt for FY18 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to pay a sum of £5 billion as dividend to the government in line with the Union Budget provisions, enabling the Centre to stick to the fiscal roadmap. The RBI has paid a dividend that is about 63 per cent higher when compared to the previous year (2016-17). As on June 2017, the RBI made a dividend payout of £3.06 billion.

Earlier in March, the RBI paid an interim dividend of £1 billion. As per the budget estimate, the government projected to collect £5.48 billion as dividend or surplus of RBI, nationalised banks and financial institutions. The government realised £5.16 billion under this head in the previous fiscal.

A special Fugitive Economic Offenders Act court issued public summons to absconding diamantaire Nirav Modi's brother and sister.

It said if they fail to appear, their assets will be confiscated under the newly enacted Act aimed at curbing big ticket economic crimes.

Special Judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases in Mumbai, MS Azmi issued three public notices in leading dailies naming Modi's sister Purvi Modi and brother Neeshal Modi as they have been “enumerated as an interested person” in an application made under the new Act by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the diamond merchant.

Both of them have been charged by the ED to have indulged in money laundering and subsequently, escaping from India as the alleged scam came to light. The notice causes the siblings to explain as to “why the properties mentioned in the application, in which your pecuniary interest and/or otherwise, should not be confiscated under the said Ordinance (now the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act).” The court has asked them to appear before it on September 25, the same date on which Nirav has also

Nirav Modi

been summoned by it under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act. The third public notice against Modi, the main accused in a $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, asked him to depose on the same date and time as it said that he is accused in a money laundering case and “as you have left India and are refusing to come back to face trial in that case, you should be declared a fugitive under the above-mentioned Ordinance (now the Act).”

The judge said, “I issue notice to you to show

cause as to why the said application for declaring you a fugitive should not be allowed as to why the properties mentioned in the application, in which you have pecuniary interest and/or otherwise, should not be confiscated under the said Ordinance (now the Act).”

“I, therefore, direct Nirav Deepak Modi to remain present before me... on or before September 25 at 11 AM falling which the said application shall be proceeded with as per the Ordinance/Rules thereafter,” the notice said. The same court had issued the summons on July 25 to Modi after the ED made an application seeking to declare the designer diamond jeweller a “fugitive economic offender”. It had issued a similar notice of appearance under the fugitive law against Modi's uncle and co-accused in the case Mehul Choksi and had asked him to appear before in the next day on September 26.

The ED had moved the court seeking to declare the diamond traders as “fugitive economic offenders” and to confiscate their assets worth £350 million in the case. It had filed two separate applications against them.

Lenders wary of extending new loans to Jet Airways The lenders of Jet Airways are reluctant to extend additional loans to the cashstrapped airline ahead of a key report by the company’s financial auditor, reports said.

India’s biggest full-service carrier, partowned by Etihad Airways PJSC, had approached banks for emergency funding but the lenders prefer that the company raises money from a share sale before they would commit to any fresh credit, said one source. Lenders are waiting for auditors’ endorsement of financial accounts after the airline delayed its earnings announcement last week, sources said.

A spokesman for Jet Airways didn’t respond to emails and calls seeking comments on its efforts to repay borrowings. In a separate statement, the airline said it’s been evaluating funding options to meet liquidity requirements “on priority” and proactively working on multiple revenue enhancement and costcutting measures. Jet Airways is seeking to bolster its finances after reporting a loss in the year ended March 31. Rising jet fuel prices have eroded cash and inflated its total debt to 55.4 times earnings before interest and tax as of March. The carrier said that the audit committee didn’t

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recommend financial results for the board’s approval, “pending closure of certain matters.”

Shares of Jet Airways fell as much as 2.3 per cent on Tuesday in Mumbai. They have tumbled about two-thirds this year, headed for their biggest decline since 2011, and are trading at their lowest level since June 2015.

NSC seeks clarification The National Stock Exchange of India sought clarification from the company on why the results have been delayed and told Jet Airways to disclose the fresh date for its

earnings. State Bank of India, HSBC Holdings Plc and Axis Bank Ltd. are among lenders to the Mumbai-based carrier, which owes a total 94.3 billion rupees ($1.4 billion).

It had cash and equivalents of 3.2 billion rupees at the end of March. A spokesman for HSBC declined to comment.

Representatives for SBI and Axis Bank didn’t respond to calls and emails seeking comments.

Jet Airways has 31.2 billion rupees worth of loan repayments due in the year through March 2019, ICRA Ltd. said in May.

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Melbourne to host the magic of Indian cinema MELBOURNE: Rajkumar Hirani, Tabrez Noorani's "Love Sonia" on sex trafficking. Freida and Richa, Tabrez Noorani, Rani Mukerji, along with the film's lead actress Freida Pinto, Vicky Kaushal, Richa Mrunal Thakur, said they were Chadha and Ali Fazal will spread the looking forward to showcase a film magic of Indian cinema in Australia about the lesser known side of the as part of the Indian Film Festival of harsh reality.

Melbourne (IFFM) - the biggest Hirani, who is here with writer celebration of Indian movies in the Abhijat Joshi and actor Vicky country. Rani said it was an honour Kaushal to show his latest movie to be a guest of honour at the event, "Sanju" to the Australian audience, where 60 films from across 20 said the "lovely people" of languages will be screened.

Melbourne add to its vibe as a city.

"On behalf of the Indian film “We come here and start feeling fraternity, I would like to thank the like kids," quipped Hirani, and Victorian government for added: "I think it's a fantastic place. supporting the Indian industry as it We have considered shooting here is so diverse with so many languages as a lot of Indian films have been and styles, and it is all put under one shot here. I actually do very few roof. It's a matter of great pride for our country to showcase our films Rajkumar Hirani, Tabrez Noorani, Rani Mukerji, Freida Pinto, Vicky Kaushal, Richa films but I would want to come and Chadha and Ali Fazal gathered to spread the magic of Indian cinema in Australia shoot in Australia." here and reach out to people," Rani, Victoria, the government body which offers Apart from film screenings, the IFFM whose film "Hichki" will be screened at the film commission services to productions will host a flag hoisting ceremony ahead of gala, said. Australia's Minister for Creative interested in filming here.

Independence Day. Rani will hoist the flag at Industries Martin Foley lauded the IFFM and "We are looking at increasing the the Federation Square. There will also be a its Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange opportunities and strengthening the dance competition, as well as panel for organising the country's biggest Indian connections that we (Australia and India) discussions ranging on different subjects film festival in its creative capital Victoria. have with each other. And that's what IFFM concerning the film industry, leading up to In its ninth edition currently, the gala does," Foley said. The opening night film is the awards night. has been strongly supported by Film

Reconciliation taking place between people: Lanka PM COLOMBO: Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that reconciliation was build up gradually with the movement of Southern people to the North and Northern people to the South.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe expressed this sentiment during the opening of Mahatma Gandhi Puram housing scheme in Nuwara Eliya. “Many Sinhalese from the South are increasingly visiting the North, especially the Nagadeepa Vihara and Naga Vihara, while many from the North are visiting the South particularly to see what Colombo looks like,” he said.

“These visits are gradually becoming a mode of reconciliation. Northern and Southern people are more reconciled today than in the past,” the Prime Minister said. He said programmes such as the Indian funded Suwaseriya paramedical care ambulance service and the Mahatma Gandhi Puram housing scheme would bring about equality to all communities in Sri Lanka. “We launched the Suwaseriya Ambulance service all over the country, while the Mahatma Gandhi Housing Scheme, opened in Nuwara Eliya, had brought equality to all people in the estate sector. People in the plantation sector did not have villages and a house of

Ranil Wickremesinghe

their own like other people elsewhere,” he said.

“However, they have begun to get their own villages and houses today. They did not demand a separate state like some in the North, who were provoked by the LTTE. “Estate sector Tamils only wanted citizenship and a land of their own. The late President J. R. Jayewardene granted citizenship to estate Tamils. We have given them the land of their own today. “However, we cannot stop at that.

Therefore, the Government has decided to introduce Advanced Level science streams to schools in the plantation sector and had also planned to take over the dispensaries and

hospitals in the plantations in order to upgrade them,” the Prime Minister added.

Also, he said Enterprise Sri Lanka and Gam Peraliya programmes would also be launched in the estate sector soon.

Prime Minister focusses on media.

“There are several TV cameras here today. All of them except for two channels are going to criticise me,” he said.

Wickremesinghe said the present government faced stiff criticism and even lost a Local Government election as a result of the tax hike. He said taxes had to be increased to resolve the debt service issue. He said the Government had managed to get on with development work while resolving the debt service issue.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech said India would always like to see a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka. “This housing scheme, funded by India will take the Indo-Lanka friendship to new stride.

India has provided a grant of $350 million for housing development in Sri Lanka. This is the largest grant India had given to any country,” he said. Also, he said Tamils in Sri Lanka could use Air India direct flights to Varanasi to come and worship Lord Siva in India.

Police chief's son held for attack on elderly Sikh man MANTECA (California): The son of a San Francisco Bay Area police chief was arrested following an attack on a 71-year-old Sikh man at a park in central California. Tyrone McAllister, 18, and a 16-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery, abuse and assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said. McAllister is the son of Police Chief Darryl McAllister, who said his family “is shaken to the core.”

Manteca police said Sahib Singh, who doesn’t speak English, was attacked while walking on a sidewalk next to the park.

Surveillance video shows him being approached by two people. Singh appears to try to walk away but they confront him and he puts his hands up. The two appear to talk to him briefly before one kicks him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. His turban falls off. He gets up and appears to be trying to defend himself when one of the attackers kicks him again, knocking him

Sahib Singh and Tyrone McAllister

down. Singh is kicked several times and an attacker spits on him before leaving.

Singh suffered minor injuries, police said. The motive for the attack appeared to be robbery, police said. In a statement McAllister said that his son had been estranged from the family for several months and had not been home. “Words can barely describe how embarrassed, dejected, and hurt my wife, daughters, and I feel right

now,” he wrote. “Violence and hatred is not what we have taught our children; intolerance for others is not even in our vocabulary, let alone our values. Crime has never been an element of our household, our values, nor the character to which we hold ourselves.”

The chief said his son began running away and getting into trouble about two years ago, committed several theft-related crimes and spent several months in juvenile hall and later, as an adult, another three months in jail. McAllister said he and his wife worked with Manteca police to help track down his son, who now could face felony charges and prison time. The attack was the second on a Sikh man in a week in Central California.

Last week, two men beat a man in Keyes and spray-painted a neo-Nazi symbol on his truck in what police are treating as a hate crime.

in brief PAK ACTRESS-SINGER SHOT DEAD, ALLEGEDLY

BY HUSBAND In yet another incident of violence against women artistes in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, actress and singer Reshma was recently shot dead allegedly by her husband in Nowshera Kalan area.

According to a report, Reshma, who was the suspect's fourth wife, used to live with her brother. Police revealed that the suspect had entered the house and started firing at his wife, following a domestic dispute. He then managed to escape from the crime scene. This is the 15th such incident of violence against female artists in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.

120 KILLED IN TALIBAN OFFENSIVE IN AFGHANISTAN About 100 Afghan policemen/soldiers and at least 20 civilians were killed in four days of fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban over a key provincial capital, defense minister, Gen. Tareq Shah Bahrami said. The insurgents captured several parts Ghazni town from the security forces. The fall of Ghazni town, a city of 270,000 people, would mark an important victory for the Taliban. It would also cut off a key highway linking Kabul to the southern provinces. Bahrami said about 1,000 additional troops have been sent to Ghazni and helped prevent the city from falling into Taliban hands. He said 194 insurgents, including 12 leaders, were killed with Pakistani, Chechen and Arabs foreign fighters among the dead.

SRI LANKAN TOURIST POLICE TOLD TO LEARN HINDI Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara asked the police personnel to learn Hindi. He said that in a few years, the tourism sector was expected to become the largest foreign exchange earner for the country. Therefore, ensuring safety of the foreigners visiting Sri Lanka will be a top priority for the police force, Jayasundara said. "Officers manning the tourism division should pay special attention to language training. In addition to English, they should also learn languages such as Chinese, Hindi and French," Jayasundara said. Sri Lanka's tourism industry, which was in doldrums during the ethnic conflict, has become one of the leading industries after s the ountry was dubbed one of the world's greatest tourist hot spots by several international publications.

HARDLINE LANKAN BUDDHIST MONK JAILED FOR 6 YEARS A Sri Lankan court has sentenced a hardline Buddhist monk to six years in prison for contempt of court. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara is the leader of a Buddhist group accused of instigating attacks on minority Muslims. The court found him guilty of interrupting a court hearing in 2016 for military personnel accused of involvement in the disappearance of a journalist. He has accused the journalist of supporting the separatist Tamil Tigers, who were defeated in a civil war. Two months ago, the monk was sentenced to six months in prison for harassing and intimidating the journalist's wife.

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in brief US NAVY VETERAN GETS 3 LIFE TERMS FOR KILLING INDIAN ENGINEER A US Navy veteran was awarded three consecutive life sentences on federal hate crime charges for killing Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla and wounding two others at a Kansas City bar last year. Adam Purinton of Olathe shot and killed 32-yearold Srinivas Kuchibhotla, and wounded two others - Indian national Alok Madasani and Kansas resident Ian Grillot in February 2017. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty in federal court to hate crime and firearm offenses arising out of the shooting.

Purinton admitted that he targeted and shot Kuchibhotla and Madasani because of their race, colour, and national origin, and that he shot Grillot during an attempt to flee the scene of the crime. The sentences will run consecutively to another life sentence 53-year-old Purinton previously received for first-degree murder in Johnson County District Court.

SIKH MAN SHOT DEAD, COUSIN INJURED IN CANADA A 19-year-old Sikh man was shot dead outside his home and his cousin was injured by unidentified persons in an apparent targeted shooting in Canada, police said. Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was known to local police but had no criminal records, got home on Sunday with his family following a wedding reception.

He then went to the garage to hang out with his cousin, and it was at that time when the shooting started, his family was quoted as saying. The police took both to hospital where Dhaliwal was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in hospital and his cousin is in hospital receiving treatment, the report said.

WOMAN DETAINED AT DUBAI AIRPORT FOR DRINKING WINE A woman had to go through a terrible ordeal in Dubai for drinking a glass of wine on a flight from London. Ellie Holman was asked if she had consumed alcohol by an immigration official at Dubai International Airport. When her reply was affirmative, the mother-of-three was arrested and was held in the airport detention centre.

Holman said, "My little girl had to go to the toilet on the cell floor. I have never heard her cry in the same way as she did in that cell. My passport remains confiscated until the case is settled, which I have been told will take at least a year. So far this situation has cost me around £30,000 in legal fees, expenses and missed work. My practice is closed. All our savings have gone."

PAK SINGER FACES FLAK FOR SINGING INDIAN SONG IN US Pakistani singer Atif Aslam was trolled on social media and also criticised by the country’s mainstream media for singing a popular Bollywood song at a Pakistan Independence Day function in New York.

Atif sang “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” from the film “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani” at the function earlier this month. The performance prompted many of his fans back home to question his patriotism.

“Zero respect for Atif Aslam!” wrote a Twitter user. “Boycott Atif Aslam Ap Ne Dil Tor diya #boycottAtifAslam #AtifAslam,” wrote another user. The singer responded in a long Instagram post. “Simply love my haters. ...Allah is the only one who can make someone worthy of respect or not.

The Pakistani flag is my identity and my fans know that I respect it a lot. I’m glad my fans know how to deal with fake propaganda against me,” he said.

PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH

Imran to take oath as Pak PM on Aug 18 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan will take the oath of prime minister of Pakistan on August 18, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said. He said that the party would decide on Punjab chief minister and cabinet portfolios soon.

The PTI leader said selection of the provincial chief executive is very crucial because the masses have pinned high hopes in the party.

The inaugural session of the National Assembly held on Monday when the newlyelected 324 members of the NA took oath as the lawmakers of 15th Assembly. The MNAs were sworn in by outgoing Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. This was followed by signing the ‘Roll of Members’.

Sidhu, Kapil Dev and Gavaskar invited Three of India's greatest cricketers Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Navjot Singh Sidhu are finally being invited for Imran's swearing-in ceremony. The swearing -in was earlier scheduled to be held on August 11. Imran's party revived the plan to invite the three cricket legends from India, just a week after it had called off the invitation to foreign dignitaries and international cricket players.

"The ceremony will be completely national in its façade and essence," a statement by his party last week had said, underlining that Khan had decided to go for a simple and austere ceremony. It had come as huge embarrassment for Punjab minister, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu who had promptly accepted the yetto-come invitation. Sidhu had declared that he would travel to Pakistan for the event, calling Imran Khan "a man of character", a

Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria presenting a cricket bat autographed by the Indian cricket team to Imran Khan

"Greek God" and someone who is "trustworthy".

Kapil Dev had responded more cautiously, underlining that he hadn't received an invite but he will "surely go there" for the ceremony with the government's approval if the invite did come. Sunil Gavaskar has declined the invitation, citing work commitments in England. Khan, who played first class cricket for two decades, has also invited the Pakistan cricket team that he captained in 1992 to a world cup victory over England.

Indian High Commissioner meets Imran Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria met Imran Khan at his residence in

Islamabad and congratulated him over the victory of his party in the country’s general elections last month. According to reports, Bisaria raised the issue of cross-border terrorism and infiltration, while Khan spoke about the Kashmir issue and alleged human rights violations by Indian forces in the Valley. Bisaria later tweeted that he had a positive and constructive discussion with Khan. The Indian high commissioner also gifted a cricket bat signed by the entire Indian cricket team to Khan. Khan also called for early resumption of the Saarc process and appealed to India to attend the summit which is to be held in Islamabad.

The Indian diplomat accompanied by his deputy, J P Singh, and Pakistan’s PMdesignate discussed a wide range of issues and prospects of India-Pakistan relationships. Basaria and Khan, according to PTI sources, specifically focused on matters of mutual interest. The Indian high commissioner also felicitated Khan on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Khan, sources added, stressed the need to restart dialogue between the two countries on all outstanding issues, including Kashmir. “I hope that India will participate in the upcoming Saarc leaders conference, scheduled to be held in Islamabad soon,” Khan told Bisaria, knowing the importance of New Delhi’s role among Saarc nations. “The telephonic conversation between Modi and Khan has given birth to this new hope,” Bisaria said, adding that after PM Modi’s call to Imran, there was a new optimism in India that relations would move forward in the right direction.

US cuts financial aid to Pakistan by 75 per cent ISLAMABAD: Troubles seem to be mounting for Pakistan as the US has decided to cut its financial aid by over 75 per cent to $150 million from $1 billion. Amid Pakistan's poor economic conditions, the US decision could deeply hurt its shaking economy. Under the defence spending bill passed by the US Senate, the US could cut aid to Pakistan as the country is no longer required to take actions against terrorist groups inside the country. Pakistan's total public debt stands at $199 billion, of which $134 billion is domestic debt while the rest is external liabilities.

The National Defence Authorisation Act, 2019, states that Pakistan is not required to take any action against Haqqani Network or the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Pakistan will also not get any reimbursement for its counter-terrorist activities in the country. The bill was passed by 87 to 10 votes in the US Senate, following which it now awaits US President Donald Trump's approval.

"The legislation reduces the total amount of funds provided for reimburse-

ment to Pakistan to $150 million. This is a significant reduction from the $700 million that was authorised through Coalition Support Fund (CSF) last year," Anish Goel, who was part of Barack Obama's White House National Security Council, said. The Pentagon no longer had any tools to put pressure on Pakistan to undertake counterterrorism activities or action against the Haqqani Network, said Goel, who till recently was a senior staffer in the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The previous Obama administration used to disburse $1.2 billion per year to Pakistan under the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009, also known as the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act, but Trump has taken a tough stance against Pakistan's inability to handle terrorism activities on its soil. Before this, the US had cut $1.5 billion worth of aid to Pakistan in January over its closeness to China and its failure to act against terrorist groups like the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network.

Saudi-backed bank to grant loan The Saudi Arabia-backed Islamic

Development Bank (IDB) is expected to grant Pakistan a loan of around $4 billion to repair the country’s acute balance of payments problem. This much-needed financial assistance will enhance Riyadh’s influence when Imran Khan takes over as prime minister. Pakistan has also returned the favour by supporting Saudi Arabia in its diplomatic fight with Canada over the release of women’s rights activist Samar Badawi. The Saudi loan would be in addition to a $12 billion bailout package being sought from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have plummeted so much over the past year that Chinese loans have kept the country afloat.

The unintended consequence of the IDB’s loan would be to relieve the pain on Pakistan being currently inflicted by American actions. This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has come to Pakistan’s rescue. In 2014, Riyadh had gifted Islamabad $1.5 billion to shore up its foreign currency reserves. The close ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan began during the tenure of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Innocent British man freed after two years in Bangla jail DHAKA: A British man who survived an Isis attack has been released from a prison in Bangladesh after more than two years of being held without charge over baseless terrorism accusations. Hasnat Karim had been celebrating his daughter’s 13th birthday at the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka on 1 July 2016 when militants barged in Hasnat Karim and massacred 22 people.

Relatives said the former university professor, who is a British-Bangladeshi national, was forced to act as a human shield by jihadi gunmen who threatened to kill his children.

Karim and his family survived the atrocity, but he was imprisoned after being

wrongly accused by Bangladeshi police of colluding with the terrorists.

Relatives travelled to British embassies and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to plead for officials to secure his freedom, but the appeals came to no avail until recently.

Authorities released the father-of-two from Kashimpur jail in Gazipur after police filed a charge sheet that did not name him among the accused. He is a British citizen, but the British government did absolutely nothing to secure his release “Karim’s involvement was not found

during any stage of investigations,” Monirul Islam, chief of Dhaka’s counterterror police, said. “That’s why we have not included his name in the charge sheet.” Karim’s wife, Sharmina Parveen said she had feared her husband would be killed during the 10-hour ordeal. “I think they chose him because they knew he would not run away if his family were there too,” she said.

“I cannot describe to you in words how it felt. They kept taking him away and then bringing him back and every time they took him I had no idea if we would ever see him again.” The Isis militants massacred 22 people after ordering hostages to recite verses from the Quran and torturing anyone who could not, before the cafe was stormed by security services.

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in brief

SOUTH INDIA

38 killed as torrential rains wreak havoc in Kerala THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Army has put on high alert after torrential rains lashed through northern Kerala and the hilly Idukki districts. Rain havoc and series of landslides have so far killed at least 38 people, and more than 10,000 people have been shifted to 500 relief camps across the region. The army, navy, air force, coast guard and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for rescue operations in affected areas of Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Malappuram districts. Multiple buildings too have collapsed due to heavy water logging, leaving over 54,000 people homeless. The alert has been issued after water level in Periyar river rose amid concerns that parts of Wellingdon Island in Kochi could be completely inundated.

Most of the deaths have occurred due to landslide in Idukki, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kannur, Ernakulam and Palakkad districts.

Red alert has also been issued as all the five shutters of the Idukki dam were opened after 26 years as the water level inched close

A car is seen submerged in flood water after heavy rainfall, at Vythiri in Wayanad district of Kerala

to full capacity. This was the first time in the history of Kerala that the shutters of 24 dams were opened as several rivers were flooded due to continuous downpour.

Water level had crossed the maximum storage capacity of reservoirs of 24 out of the state's 58 dams, forcing officials to release the water by opening the dam shutters.

Over four red alerts have been issued so far and five columns of the army have been deployed in the state's seven severely-hit

northern districts to help evacuate people and build makeshift bridges.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan personally reviewed the flood situation and relief works being undertaken by the army, navy, air force, coast guard and the NDRF. He has cancelled all public functions till August 12 to personally monitor the situation from the state capital. Earlier, heavy rains even disrupted landing operations at the international airport in Kochi, for two hours as officials feared a flood situation due to the rising water level in the river Periyar. Schools and colleges remained closed in various districts of the state.

Tourists are currently restricted from visiting high range areas and dam sites in the state.

Over 50 tourists, including 20 foreigners from Russia, United States, Saudi Arabia and Oman, who were stranded at a resort in the popular hill station Munnar, have been rescued. They were stranded after roads leading to their resort at Pallivasal was damaged in landslides after heavy rains.

PUNJAB-HARYANA

Move to appoint Justice Gill as Punjab Lokpal opposed CHANDIGARH: Punjab government's proposal to appoint Justice Mehtab Singh Gill as Punjab Lokpal continues to remain a issue between the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal- Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance. A delegation of coalition leaders recently approached Governor VP Singh Badnore to stall the move. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal called Justice Gill a Congressman. He said, “The institution of Lokpal should be above board, and anyone against whom aspersions are cast can't be appointed for the post.”

He said the Lokpal should be a person of impeccable character and as per the Punjab Lokpal Act (1996), the occupant shall not be connected with any political party. “Why use a former judge as a tool against the opposition?” he questioned. Responding to his question, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Sunil Jakhar said, “Calling Justice Gill a Congressman is disrespect to the person who had held the post of a judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court. The Akalis fear that with Gill's

Justice Mehtab Singh Gill

appointment, skeletons will start tumbling out of their cupboard.”

Led by Sukhbir and BJP general secretary Parveen Bansal, the delegation submitted a memorandum to the governor, giving details of Justice Gill's purported association with the Congress and Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. The party has also submitted a representation to Punjab and Haryana high court on the matter, seeking a review of the decision. Meanwhile, the state government has moved a formal case to the HC for a formal nod. “We are waiting for HC's nod, to appoint Justice Gill as Lokpal,” a state government functionary said.

The post has been vacant since April, when Justice (retd) Satish Kumar Mittal had resigned to join as the Haryana Human Rights Commission chairman. Mittal was appointed in 2016 when Justice (retd) Jai Singh Sekhon, an elder brother of former Akali minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, passed away. “As judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court Justice Gill was accused of malpractices using his influence with tainted former PPSC Chairman Ravi Sidhu to get jobs for his kin,” Sukhbir said.

WEST BENGAL

BJP picks NRC as poll plank for 2019 in Bengal KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata same Mamata Banerjee raised Party (BJP) president Amit Shah her voice against Bangladeshis has made it clear that his party living illegally in Bengal. She would fight the 2019 Lok Sabha raised her voice in Parliament elections in West Bengal on the because these people were the planks of National Register of Left's vote bank. Now the Citizens (NRC) and illegal same Bangladeshis are the infiltration from Bangladesh.

TMC's vote bank and hence, Addressing a rally organised by she is raising her voice against the BJP's Yuva Morcha on NRC.” Kolkata's Mayo Road, Shah said, Shah also asked, “I would “I would like to ask Mamataji like to know if national why she is protecting security is important for her Bangladeshi infiltrators. Rahul or vote bank politics. Don't Gandhi is also not clarifying his you think Bangladeshi stand on this issue. They are infiltrators are a threat to raising their voice against NRC India? Don't you think they because these Bangladeshi BJP chief Amit Shah with BJP Yuva Morcha leader Poonam Mahajan and other leaders should be dragged out of our infiltrators are their vote bank in during a public rally in Kolkata country?” I am not against Bengal. But we will not let this Bengal, but against the only solution to the problem is NRC but happen. We will go ahead with the NRC plan Mamata government. She made a huge issue Mamataji is least bothered. She is raising her and push back each and every infiltrator. over NRC. She even said this would lead to a voice against NRC only for vote bank “We should be worried for Bengal's civil war. I would like to clarify today that we politics. The NRC is a national security issue Hindus and Muslims because there are no are not going to stall the process of NRC. We and for the BJP, national security comes first jobs for them. If we don't stop this will drag out each and every infiltrator from and politics later.” He added, “In 2005, the infiltration, how will Bengal develop? The India,” Shah said.

SEA OF HUMANITY BIDS ADIEU TO 'THALAIVAR'

Muthuvel Karunanidhi was laid to rest on the Marina beachfront as a sea of humanity flocked around to bid him a tearful farewell. The former chief minister was a school dropout and had left a significant mark on the state's public life over decades through his literary, cinematic and political achievements. The high and mighty of the country came down to pay their last respects to the leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and his Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh counterparts Pinarayi Vijayan, K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu were in attendance.

Karunanidhi was buried with full military honours with soldiers giving him a gun salute and buglars sounding the last post.

The 94 year old had breathed his last at a hospital after fighting for life for 11 days.

His son and heir apparent MK Stalin received the national flag wrapped around his father's body. He was seen crying inconsolably after touching his father's feet before the casket containing Karunanidhi's body was lowered into the grave. The leader's youngest daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi fondly caressed his head and cheek one last time.

ACTION SOUGHT AGAINST TWO PUNJAB DISSIDENT AAP MLAS Majority office-bearers of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Punjab unit has demanded disciplinary action against dissident MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu for indulging in “anti-party” activities. The demand was made in a meeting of officebearers, including zone presidents, district chiefs, halqa (constituency) in-charges and heads of different wings, convened in Chandigarh to discuss the ongoing crisis in the state unit. Also present at the meeting were AAP state co-president Balbir Singh, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and Barnala MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.

Balbir Singh said that most of them pressed for action against Bholath MLA Khaira and his Kharar counterpart Sandhu for breaking the party.

MAN GETS BROWN PAPER INSTEAD OF NOTE AT ATM As West Bengal reels from a massive ATM card fraud, brown paper instead of money has come out from one of the ATMs in the state. The incident took place in Howrah district, when one Vijay Pande went to a Bank of India ATM to take out Rs 6000.

However, what he found were two 2000 notes and one piece of brown paper. He immediately alerted bank authorities, who have promised to probe the entire incident.

Kolkata had only lately been hit by a card skimming scam. Over 70 such cases have been reported recently and authorities have found Romanians behind the scam.

Two Romanians were arrested last week from New Delhi for their alleged involvement in the fraud cases.

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HERITAGE HISTORY

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

25

18 - 24 August 2018

The Rise and Fall of Communists in WB • •

Jyoti Basu enrolled in the Middle Temple, but his heart was not there His rule of two decades finished off Congress and Naxalites as well

Once upon a time the left Front government headed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was so powerful in the West Bengal that the Congress Government headed by Chiman Patel in Gujarat and the RSS-run Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini headed by Pramod Mahajan, the strongman of Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in Vajpayee era, were sending study teams to grasp the magic of holding power. Jyoti Basu could run the leftist government for more than two decades in his home state. Even when the Soviet block was crumbling, the Marxists continued to rule over the Writers’ Building in Kolkata which was the centre of British power till 1911 when the capital was shifted to Delhi.

Right from 1977 till 2011, for more than three decades, the Marxists could call the shots. Only in 2011, Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress supremo, known as the Tigress of Bengal, could demolish the Communist hold like a house of cards. She could re-establish her hold on Bengal again and again in the Parliament, the Legislative Assembly and even in the Local

Mamata Banerjee, the firebrant Chief Minister of WB

bodies’ election in 2014, 2017 and 2018 respectively. Now all eyes are set on Ms Banerjee since the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all out to defeat her in next elections of Parliament and Assembly.

Jyoti Basu(8 July 1914-17 January 2010) got enrolled in the Middle Temple “but, honestly, my heart was

Jyoti Basu, the pioneer of the Left Front regime in West Bengal

not in it” as he confessed once.

Hailing from an affluent Bengali family i.e. Bhadralok, his communist vision took roots and blossomed attending weekly lectures delivered

by Professor Harold Laski at the London School of Economics sometimes around 1936. Surabhi Banerjee, his biographer in her book “Jyoti Basu: The Authorised Biography” records: “In 1930s, time was out of joint all over the world.

There was turmoil in Europe as one country after another fell prey to ethnic hatred and dictatorship: in Italy it was Mussolini and his Fascists, in Germany it was Adolf Hitler and his Nazis, in Spain General Franco and his Falangists. Nazism was spreading its tentacles across Eastern Europe and Hitler openly supported General Franco in his bid to overthrow a democratically elected government. The only country that stood like a solid, impenetrable wall against the surge of aggressive fascism was the Soviet Union ruled by the iron hand of Joseph Stalin.”

Basu started participating in the anti-fascist movements in Britain, joined the London Majlis which, like the Oxford and Cambridge majlises, was an organization of London students agitating for Indian independence. In 1938, he was put in charge of arranging receptions and meetings for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Jyotida alighted at Bombay harbor on the first day of 1940 after four years and two months abroad.

Instead of going straight to meet his parents in Kolkata, he preferred to

visit the headquarter of the Communist Party office at Mumbai and stayed for three days. He started organizing the workers on reaching his hometown. Later was selected as a PCO (provincial committee organizer) following the first legal congress of the Communist Party of India(CPI) in 1943. He became a popular face in the communist circles drawing just Rs.1200 per month as a full timer. Basu continued to be a full timer even after his marriage.

He was elected to the Assembly on CPI ticket. On 31 August 1959, as a part of the Food Movement, when he was leading the Kisan Sabha procession of thousands of farmers to Writers’ Building, the police, without giving warning, started beating the people and without firing a single bullet killed 80 people using the lathis. This was a turning point in his life. Raising the issue in the Assembly, cornering the Congress government, comparing it with Jallianwalla Baug massacre, Basu created hell for the government.

In 1962, when China attacked India, the Communist Party refused to call it an attack and faced internal as well as external rift. In 1964, following the ideological struggle, pro-China Communist Party of India (Marxist) took shape parting way with the CPI. Basu would become the Deputy Chief Minister twice in the Ministry headed by Ajay Mukherjee of the Bangla Congress in 1966 and 1969. Siddharth Shankar Ray, the last Congress Chief Minister, paid for his ill advised imposition of the Emergency in India during 1975 and 1977, which not only made Smt. Indira Gandhi loose her Premiership but also got her defeated from Raebareli, her own constituency. It was death-nail for the Congress in the WB too.

Next Column: The Assam King repeatedly defeated Mughals In June 1977 Assembly election, the CPI(M) headed Left Front won 243 seats out of 294 member West Bengal assembly. Till November 2000, Basu continued as the Chief Minister winning all the assembly

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Jyotibabu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, his successor

Basu could manage to take the entire left front with him and people of Bengal on his side. The secular credentials and corruption free regime continued to be darling of

G. Parthasarathy, the first Vice Chancellor of JNU

joined the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by the Congress leader Dr. Manmohan Singh but withdrew her supportafter wards. Though she is known for her

Correction: Inadvertently, in the last column (4 August 2018), instead of the picture of G. Parthasarathy, the first Vice Chancellor of JNU, the picture of another G. Parthasarathy, who is also former diplomat, was published.

The error is regretted.

West Bengal. Of course, as a rough and tough Chief Minister, Basuda had to get the Naxalites eliminated who took arms and went on killing spree. During the Communist regime, the West Bengal suffered on the Industrial front since the leftist labour unions created scare in the minds of the industrialists. Every sector was politicized and only the Communist network could call the shots everywhere including the allocation and spending of the budget

simplicity, at times she becomes difficult due to her tantrums. Known as Didi, unmarried Mamata is a celebrated poetess and a painter. She easily gets associated with people.

Her aggressive temperament and secular credentials make them feel that she provides the only alternative to fight for their cause.

Dr. Hari Desai (The writer is a Socio-political Historian.

E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com)

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elections. His successor Buddhadeb Bhattacharya could win only two assembly elections i.e. 2001 and 2006 and lost to the most aggressive Mamata in 2011. Basu had a chance to take up the responsibility of the Prime Ministership in a coalition government in 1996 but his party did not allow him to be the Prime Minister, paving way for H.D. Deve Gowda to be the PM. This was a biggest blunder on the part of the Politburo of the CPI(M).

from the metropolis to the country side.

When Pranab Mukharjee, who retired as the President of India, was the President of the West Bengal Congress Committee, the firebrand Youth Congress President Mamata Banerjee was declined entry to Rajya Sabha. She left the Congress to establish her own All India Trinamool Congress in 1998, accusing the state Congress leaders dancing to the tune of the leftist and launched various agitations challenging the Communist regime.

Initially, Ms Banerjee joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and became the Union Minister in Vajpayee government. Later, she

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18 - 24 August 2018

We will return with bigger margin in 2019: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi is confident that BJP will win the Lok Sabha election next year by a bigger margin than in 2014, and has dismissed “Mahagathbandhan” as a failed idea that cannot succeed because people want a strong and decisive government at Centre that can perform.

In an email interview, the PM also strongly condemned mob lynchings as a crime irrespective of motives and promised to protect honest business and punish the corrupt and asserted that his government would keep its promise to complete the process of updating the National Register of Citizens in Assam. “A non-ideological alliance of desperate and disparate groups is not a ‘Mahagathbandhan’ but political adventurism,” Modi said about the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties.

Modi said his platform for the next national election would be “development, fast development and development for all.” “We will definitely get more seats than we got last time and I am confident that we will break all records of seats won by NDA in the past.”

He took on Congress over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, saying its vote-bank politics prevented it from implementing accords the party itself concluded in 1972 and 1982 when it was in office. “Congress is guilty of criminal negligence on this count,” he said.

Cow vigilantism condemned On the concerns being raised over incidents of mob violence, including cow vigilantism, he underlined that these incidents need to be condemned in the strongest voice. “My government is fully

committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting the life and liberty of every citizen... No person can, under any circumstances, take the law into his or her hand and commit violence,” he said.

Action against economic offenders He said the government is working actively against economic absconders, and the recent law to confiscate their properties will deliver results. “Anyone who fraudulently takes public money and absconds shall not be spared,” he said.

On Congress’ allegation of corruption in Rafale deal, he said the party has concocted

falsehood and is repeating it. “It is a government-to-government agreement, it is an honest and transparent deal. All else is nothing but propaganda to undermine national interest.”

On the charge that the government had failed to create jobs, Modi said more than 45,00,000 formal jobs were created between September 2017 and April 2018 and EPFO data indicate that 70,00,000 jobs were created last year. He said growth in tourism, loans under Mudra, startups and uptick in construction was bound to have created employment.

No place for Government goal should be ‘common violence in society: public culture’, not ‘common civil code’ President Kovind

Amid growing concerns over mob violence and lynchings, President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday asserted that violence had no place in a civilised society and asked citizens not to be distracted by “contentious issues and extraneous debates.” President Kovind said India was now at the cusp of achieving many long-awaited goals, such as universal access to electricity, eliminating open defecation, homelessness and poverty, among others.

Addressing the nation on the eve of India’s 72nd Independence Day, the President recalled Mahatma Gandhi's mantra that the power of ahimsa (nonviolence) was greater than the power of hinsa (violence). “The power to stay your hand is far greater than the power to strike with your hand. Hinsa has no place in the society,” the President said. Covering a wide range of issues in his speech, President Kovind said women were entitled to a life of their choice and security to fulfil their potential, either as “sheet anchors in our families or critical entrants to institutions of higher learning and workforce. The choice is theirs; as a nation and as a society we must ensure that they have the right and the ability to exercise that choice,” he said.

Addressing students of the Gujarat Law Society, Ahmedabad, on the institution's fourth Founding Day on August 4, chief guest Lord Bhikhu Parekh said, “The government's aim should not be 'common uniform civil code', instead should be 'common public culture'. Until and unless there is a common and indistinguishable cultural environment for every citizen, the uniform civil code (UCC) cannot be applied.”

Speaking on legal pluralism and cultural diversity, Lord Parekh stressed on how important culture is and how much influence it has not only on daily lives but also over the legal system of our country. “Culture is important as it gives us moral basis and values. Altogether, we have plural legal system. We have a right to culture under the Constitution which includes right to personal laws. But it creates problems as marriage, adoption, inheritance etc., are dealt differently under different personal laws,” Parekh said. He added that UCC can provide solutions for several problems as such.

“Law is a symbol of the culture of a country. Which is why, the system has to dispense a universal, mixed cultural system of working. Constitutional amendment should be made that all personal laws shall be subject to the principles of gender equality. Personal laws which are consistent with Constitutional Provision may remain in force. There shouldn't be an environment where one community lives in constant fear of another and loses all trust. I don't wish to comment on the current government, but the minority live in a state of fear. If a sentiment of trust is created between all

Lord Bhikhu Parekh

communities, a common UCC can be implemented.”

Lord Parekh continued, “Our various thoughts, organisation, everything is sculpted by culture. Like what to eat? To take up a vegetarian diet or eat meat? Not only this, it also inspires versatile laws because different communities and cultures have their personal laws. Whom will a person hand over their inheritance?

Different communities follow different rules. In a way, these personal laws are also their unique identity. However, these laws hold gender bias. They bring religion in politics. It constantly tells a person that they strictly belong to a particular religion.”

Also present at the event was Salman Chishty, trustee of Ajmer Sharif Dargah's Chishty Foundation. In his speech, he asked students to consider the fight against religious justice as meditation. He also advised them to take up a spiritual orientation. Also present on the occasion were GLS executive president Sudhir Nanavati, director Dr Mayuri Pandya and Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor Himanshu Pandya.

in brief FORMER LOK SABHA SPEAKER SOMNATH CHATTERJEE DIES

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee died at a hospital in Kolkata on Monday morning following multiple organ failure. He was 89 years old. “Yesterday, he suffered a heart attack and was put on a ventilator. He passed away at 8.15 am today due to multiple organ failure,” said Pradip Tandon, CEO of Belle Vue Clinic.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the hospital announced that he would be given full state honours. “He was a great leader and this is a personal loss for me. His body will be taken to the Calcutta High Court and then to the state assembly, where we will give him the highest respect with a gun salute. After that, it will be taken to his house, and then to SSKM College and Hospital as he had donated his body,” she announced.

INDIAN NATIONAL RELEASED FROM PAK JAIL AFTER 36 YEARS Indian national Gajanand Sharma, who was imprisoned at central jail in Lahore for the last 36 years, has been released by Pakistan. A resident of Jaipur, he had strayed into the neighbouring country when he was only 32. Reports said Gajanand was initially sentenced for a shorter period, but due to a lack of consular access, he was in jail for 36 years.

Pakistan, as part of a humanitarian gesture, also released 30 Indian prisoners, including 27 fishermen at Punjab's Attari-Wagah border. For most of the three decades that he spent in Pak, his family remained clueless about his whereabouts after he went missing in 1982. Jaipur MP Bohra said that Sharma had been sentenced to two months incarceration, but due to lack of consular access, he continued to remain in jail. It was only in May, following an inquiry via the External Affairs Ministry, that Jaipur police contacted his family and submitted documents attesting his identity that he was released.

43 INJURED IN FIRE, BLAST AT BPL REFINERY IN MUMBAI Forty-three people sustained injuries, some of them seriously, in a major fire followed by a boiler blast at a hydrocracker unit of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (BPCL) refinery in Mumbai last week. The impact of the blast was so powerful that windowpanes of some buildings in the vicinity were damaged, and it was heard at some places as far as 6 km from the refinery. Of the injured, 22 were discharged after preliminary treatment at the BPCL’s first-aid centre, and the others were admitted in Sushrut Hospital, Chembur. A police official said “Those injured have fractures and laceration wounds.” In a statement, the BPCL said, the Refinery Fire-fighting team along with Mutual Aid group, which includes the fire brigade, immediately controlled and contained the fire. . During the incident some people suffered minor injuries and were sent to local hospital at Chembur for further treatment.”

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

27

18 - 24 August 2018

HEAD AND NECK CANCER: INDIA’S MOST COMMON CANCER Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer but few may be aware of the particular and devastating impact of head and neck cancer in the Indian subcontinent. Oracle Cancer Trust is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to head and neck cancer research and is proud to have been selected as the chosen charity for this year’s Asian Achievers Awards 2018 event. lobal cancer cases are set to rise to over 23 million new cases each year by 2030.

According to recent figures, 1 in 2 of us in the UK will receive a cancer diagnosis at some point in our lifetimes.1 Head and neck cancer is now the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the most common cancer in developing countries.2 The impact of head and neck cancer is particularly stark in the Indian subcontinent.

Emma Colliver, Head of Fundraising – Oracle Cancer Trust According to a 2016 quote from Makoto Tahara, MD, PhD, Chief of the Department of Head and Neck Medical Oncology, Chiba, Japan – “The overall incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the Asia Pacific region is approximately 300,000new cases per year, which is more than half of the total cases worldwide.” 3

G

combination.

Because of the delicate and sensitive tissues in the head and neck area, patients undergoing treatment for head and neck can experience life-changing side-effects from surgery and radiotherapy treatment for their cancer.

This can include facial disfigurement, permanent loss of taste, speech difficulties, loss of smell and loss of the ability to swallow.

One family member’s account of a patient’s head and neck cancer readsNot only did he lose his sense of taste but his mouth and throat became very sore. Swallowing and eating became increasingly difficult and he was becoming more and more tired. On top of this he was losing weight. The side-effects of treatment dominated every waking moment.

There is clearly an urgent need to invest in research into better and kinder treatments for head and neck cancer not only to improve survival rates but also to reduce the side-effects of treatments.

FILLING A RESEARCH GAP

Yet despite this need, head and neck cancer patients each receive 40% less research funding from major UK cancer research funders than breast cancer patients.

In fact the proportion of UK site-specific cancer research funding going to head and neck cancer has Head and neck cancer is now the most common cancer actually gone down year on year since 2013, reaching in Indian men and women* and constitutes a third of the 2.6% in 20168 despite making up over 4% of UK cancer total cancer burden in India. Head and neck cancer is cases.

Oracle Cancer Trust: Leading Research into Head also the most common cancer in Pakistani men, accounting for 21% of male cancer cases and over 18% of cancer and Neck Cancer Oracle Cancer Trust is the UK’s leading charity dediburden in both sexes.2,9 cated to head and neck cancer research and the only UK Worryingly, nearly two-thirds of head and neck cancer patients in India present when their cancer is at an charity dedicated to funding early stage research into all advanced stage, making it harder to treat, and the mean types of head and neck cancer including mouth cancers, throat cancers, and thyroid cancers. (www.oraclecanage of patients is younger than in Western populations certrust.org) - the fifth and early sixth decades in Asian popOver the last five years alone, Oracle ulations compared with the seventh and has spent over £1.5 million on cuttingeighth in the North American population.2 edge head and neck research and What’s more, head and neck cancer thanks to the charity’s unique and piodoesn’t just have a devastating impact neering research work, scientists are on cancer patients and their families and making new discoveries about head friends. It also impacts a country’s econoand neck cancers and about how to my. Findings in 2010 suggest that the most Cancercell closeup treat and beat them. conservative estimate of welfare losses due Whilst the scientific research funded by to head and neck cancer in India, Pakistan and Oracle takes places at leading UK research institutions, Bangladesh was US$16.9 billion (2010 USD, PPP), equivalent to 0.26% of their combined gross domestic product the discoveries made by Oracle funded scientists have the potential to impact cancer treatments worldwide.

(GDP).4 Since the charity’s establishment in 1979, Oracle’s This makes it not just of human but also of economic imperative to invest in research into new head and neck research programmes have resulted in breakthroughs in radiotherapy, drug development, and advanced surgical cancer treatments. techniques. For instance – l 54% fewer head and neck cancer patients are sufferHead and neck cancer is the collective name for a group ing with dry mouth after their radiotherapy treatment10 of cancers which form in the tissues of the head and neck.

Pilot data collection funded by Oracle contributed to a There are over thirty types of head and neck cancers national clinical trial proving the benefits of a more tarincluding cancers of the mouth, voicebox, nose, salivary geted version of radiotherapy called Intensity Modulated glands and thyroid glands.

Radiotherapy (IMRT) on reducing head and neck cancer Common symptoms of head and neck cancer patients’ incidence of long-term dry mouth following include: a swelling or sore that does not heal; a lump or radiotherapy treatment mass in the head or neck area, with or without pain; perl immunotherapies which harness the body’s immune sistent sore throat; hoarseness or a change in voice; system to kill cancer are being developed in the lab – unexplained weight loss; and unexplained fatigue.7 Oracle is proud to fund a number of pioneering Risk factors for head and neck cancer appear to vary immunotherapy studies under the supervision of world between Western and Asian populations. It is thought expert Professor Kevin Harrington that cigarette-smoking and alcohol consumption are the By funding early stage research, Oracle plays a vital main reasons for head and neck squamous cell carcinorole in supporting the scientific discoveries that will lay ma in the Western population, whereas the use of smokethe foundations for larger-scale national and internationless tobacco- such as betel quid- and areca nut is the al clinical trials into head and neck cancer and the develmost common cause in South-East Asia.2 opment of new treatments for patients.

Mouth cancer is the most common type of head and neck cancer and accounts for more UK deaths each year than testicular and cervical cancer combined.5 Oracle Cancer Trust is privileged to have been selected Alarmingly, mortality rates are projected to rise by a furto be the chosen charity for this year’s prestigious Asian ther 38% between 2014-2035.1 Achievers Awards 2018 event, due to take place on The human impact of head and neck cancer Friday 14th September 2018.

Current treatments for head and neck cancer include Thanks to the generous support of ABPL and the radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, frequently in organisers and sponsors of the Asian Achievers Awards

PREVALENCE IN INDIA

WHAT IS HEAD AND NECK CANCER?

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT ORACLE CANCER TRUST

Charity of the year 2018

2018, Oracle is aiming to raise new funds for research into this most aggressive of cancers, and awareness about the impact of head and neck cancer, including on Asian communities in the UK and abroad.

If you are interested in support Oracle’s work, you can donate at www.oraclecancertrust.org/donate or contact the charity at info@oraclecancertrust.org.

Alternatively, if you are interested in making a major donation to the charity or in establishing your own named research fellowship, please contact Head of Fundraising Emma Colliver at emma@oraclecancertrust.org or 020 7922 7924 to discuss options.

28 BOLLYWOOD

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18 - 24 August 2018

Sara Ali Khan is packed with energy on sets of 'Simmba'

Multitasking helps as performer: Shraddha Kapoor With her fingers in different pots, Shraddha Kapoor is currently juggling quite a few projects this year. From promoting her upcoming film 'Stree' to preparing for a Saina Nehwal biopic, there is a lot going on for the young actress. She also has 'Batti Gul Meter Chalu' and 'Saaho' in the pipeline. “Sometimes working on films simultaneously can get difficult. It takes a toll on you. But it also helps switching between characters. I feel taking a break from one character to another helps me,”Shraddha said.

She added, “But at the same time, you do not want to over-exhaust yourself thinking about one character. One day you are this person, the other day you are another, it is the perk of being an actor that we can be someone else.” Introduced by the film industry as a girl-next-door, Shraddha said she feels blessed today to be getting diverse roles. “With 'Haseena Parkar', I had the opportunity to try something different.

Also, all my characters be it in 'Stree', 'Batti Gul Meter Chalu', and Saina Nehwal biopic are very different from each other. I am glad that makers are looking at me in a different way.”

Talking about the biopic, the 'OK Jaanu' said, “It is a physically demanding film. But it is an inspiring story as so many people look up to her. I feel grateful to be playing that part. I will begin shooting for it next month and the prep is on. I am having a great time playing badminton. It is fabulous to be part of such a great story.”

Currently working on Rohit Shetty's 'Simmba', Sara Ali Khan is said to be completely at home on the sets of the film.

Initially settled to make her debut with 'Kedarnath', opposite Sushant Singh Rajput, the movie got delayed and in the meanwhile, the young one signed on the new project. A source on the film has revealed that Sara is quite the livewire on the sets.

“She is a ball of energy. She has an amazing sense of humour and has bowled over both Ranveer Singh and Rohit Shetty with it. In fact, everyone feels that her vibe is a lot like Kajol, who keeps cracking insane and witty jokes on the sets, the source said. Daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, Sara surely has film in her genes given she has fit in comfortably only on her second venture. Reports also suggest that Shetty is so impressed with her jokes that he has incorporated it into the script of the film, making Sara's character as hilarious as she is in real life.

KJo goes all out for Preity Zinta Nick Jonas confirms engagement with Priyanka Chopra

Actress Preity Zinta who has remained MIA from the film industry for quite some time now has turned producer for the upcoming 'Iskhq In Paris'. Helping her with her project is none other than her pal and filmmaker Karan Johar, who has apparently gone the extra mile to give her a friendly helping hand. News is that Karan has been in touch with the 'Soldier' actress and has been helping her pan out any issues she faces on her maiden production venture.

Also by her side has been Dharma Productions' CEO Apoorva Mehta. An insider said, “Since 'IIP' is Preity's first film as a producer, she sought Karan's advice on various aspects of production. And he has gone all out

to do whatever he could.” They added that be it marketing, post-production or commercial aspects like theatrical and satellite rights, KJo has been a constant source of help. The filmmaker himself confirmed the news saying, “Yes, Preity has been in touch. Everyone at Dharma is very fond of her. In fact, she is one of my favorite female stars. So, Apoorva and I are always available for any assistance.”

The insider added, “Managing a film's production, including marketing, promotions and other jobs isn't easy. And who could be a better person in Bollywood than Karan to advise on production? Preity is grateful to him, since any advice is always handy for a new producer.”

American singer Nick Jonas seems to have confirmed his engagement with Indian beauty Priyanka Chopra. The couple have sent their fans into a frenzy with speculation about their rumoured engagement and upcoming nuptials. While Priyanka isn't answering any questions, Nick was a little more forthcoming at a recent event to launch his new perfume in the US. According to a report, when a fan congratulated him on his engagement, Nick said, “Thanks, man.” This is the closest the two have come to acknowledging their relationship.

Just recently PeeCee had broken silence on the report. At a FICCI event in Delhi, when asked if the rumours are true, she said, “My entire life, especially my personal life, is not for public consumption. 90 per cent of my life is for public consumption, but 10 per cent of it is for me.

I am a girl and I have the right to keep that to myself.

Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I get annoyed. But mostly, I tell my publicists, 'Let it be, today's news is

tomorrow’s trash'. I am not running for office, so I don't owe anyone an explanation.”

On the work front, the actress has signed 'Cowboy Ninja Viking', in which she will pair opposite superstar Chris Pratt. Priyanka is also a part of 'The Sky is Pink', starring Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim.

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18 - 24 August 2018

I am very excited about NTR biopic: Vidya Balan

Hansika's sudden change of plans for Kalaignar!

Actress Vidya Balan is all set to feature in her first Telugu movie, a biopic on legendary actorpolitician and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao. While interacting with the media recently, she said she was having a great time shooting for the film as the cast and crew are really good and professional.

“So, I am very excited about that. I have never delivered dialogues in another language apart from Hindi. Earlier, I did special appearances for one-two scenes in Malayalam film but in this film, I have a full-fledged role,” the actress said.

Vidya plays the character of NTR's wife Basavatarakam.

“I have shot for around five days for the film but it has been a really nice experience as the team is really good and professional. We start shooting sharp at 9 am and finish dot at 6 pm, which is really a unique experience for me,” she said. The 'Tumhari Sulu' was recently announced the ambassador of the Malta India Film Festival.

'N.T.R' is a Telugu-Hindi bilingual muchawaited biopic on the life of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. Nandamuri Balakrishna, NTR's sixth son plays him in the film. He is also producing the movie along with Sai Korrapati Ranganatha and Vishnu Induri under NBK Films, Vaarahi Chalana Chitram and Vibri Media banners.

South beauty Hansika's 50th movie is set to be directed by Jamal. The team had earlier announced that the title and details of the film would be revealed on her birthday, August 9. However, following the tragic demise of Kalaignar Karunanidhi, Hansika took to Twitter to clarify that no announcements would be made as a mark of respect for the former chief minister.

She tweeted, “As mark of respect of our beloved leader #kalaignar karunanidhi ji . We will be rescheduling the announcement of the title. Date and time will be announced soon. Thank u for your patience #hansika50th”. At the age of 27, the actress has already completed 27 years in the film industry. She had started off her career as a child artist in the Television industry, is a now an established actress down south. The actress was just eight when she made her acting debut. She began her career with television show 'Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand'.

Later, Hansika Motwani was also seen in other TV shows like 'Shaka Laka Boom Boom', 'Son Pari' and 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'. Hansika Motwani got her first big break in Bollywood as a child artist with Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta starrer 'Koi... Mil Gaya' in 2003.

Ajay Devgn to make his Tamil debut with Kamal Haasan’s 'Indian 2'?

Following in Akshay Kumar's footsteps, Ajay Devgn too might make a Tamil debut with a huge project. Recent reports suggest that Ajay will share screen space with Kamal Haasan in a sequel to 1996 blockbuster 'Indian'. When asked, Haasan said, “That's what I have been told. Ultimately, it is the director's call.” The movie is expected to go on floors in Hyderabad after Kamal wraps up the shooting of 'Bigg Boss Tamil'.

The big budget political thriller directed by

* Schedule is subject to change

MONDAY 20th - FRIDAY 24th August

TIME

19:00: 19:30: 20:00: 20:30: 21:00: 21:30: 22:00: 22:30: 22:30

TIME

19:30: 20:00: 21:00: 22:30: 23:30:

TIME

19:30: 20:00: 21:00: 22:30: 23:30:

TV PROGRAM NAMES

SAVITRI DEVI COLLEGE & HOSPITAL UDANN SHAKTI ASTITVA KE EHSAAS KI TU AASHIQUI ROOP BEPANNAAH SILSILA DEV 2 KAUN HAI? (Friday only)

SATURDAY 25th August

TV PROGRAM NAMES

DESI BEAT 3.0 NAAGIN - SEASON 3 DANCE DEEWANE KAUN HAI? DESI BEAT 3.0

SUNDAY 26th August

TV PROGRAM NAMES

BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONS NAAGIN - SEASON 3 DANCE DEEWANE KAUN HAI? BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONS

* Schedule is subject to change

MONDAY 20th - FRIDAY 24th August 16:00: RASOI SHOW 17:00: FOOD HIGHWAY 17:30: THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18:00: RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI

SATURDAY 18th - SUNDAY 19th August TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES

* Schedule is subject to change

16:30 17:30 18:30 20:00 21:30 22:30

TIME

18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:30 22:00 22:30

CID Dus Ka Dum Indian Idol Indian Idol Dus Ka Dum Crime Patrol

WEDNESDAY TO FRIDAY TV PROGRAM NAMES Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai Mere Sai Vighnaharta Ganesh Porus Zindagi Ke Crossroads Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai Dil Hi Toh Hai Crime Patrol

MONDAY 20th - FRIDAY 24th August TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 18:30 19:00 19:45 20:30 21:15 21:45 22:15

18:30: 19:00: 19:30: 20:00: 20:30: 21:00:

Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai Mere Sai Vighnaharta Ganesh Porus Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai Dil Hi Toh Hai Crime Patrol

UTTARAN DIL KI PUKAR AMRUTA GHADGE & FAMILY ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN DESI BEAT 3 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 21:30: RADHA KI BETIYAAN 22:30: RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI 23:00: AMRUTA GHADGE & FAMILY

Wednesday August 22, 2018 00:30 Film : Satya 05:00 Film : Titoo MBA 07:00 Film : Kahani Kismat Ki 09:48 Film : Dus Tola 12:22 Film : Phool Aur Kaante 15:31 Film : Do Lafzon Ki Kahani * Schedule is subject to change 18:10 Film : Star Stop 19:01 Film : No Entry Sunday August 19, 2018 22:30 Film : Tutak Tutak Tutiya 00:53 Film : Zeher-A Love Story Thursday August 23, 2018 05:00 Film : The Silent Heroes 01:00 Film : I Am 24 07:13 Film : Naseeb 05:00 Film : The Perfect Girl 10:55 Film : Yes Boss 07:00 Film : Majaal 14:20 Film : All The Best 10:14 Film : China Gate 17:15 Film : Badlapur 13:51 Film : Woh 7 Din 19:50 Film : Kya Kool Hai Hum 3 16:51 Film : Lakshya 22:30 Film : Udta Punjab 20:35 Film : Fox Monday August 20, 2018 22:59 Film : Kasoor 01:15 Film : Mere Dost Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Friday August 24, 2018 01:53 Film : Chor Bazaari 05:00 Film : Chal Bhaag 05:00 Film : Future To Bright Hai Ji 07:03 Film : Pyar Ke Kabil 10:13 Film : Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya 07:11 Film : Krantiveer 10:15 Film : Phool Aur Kaante 13:00 Film : Dastak 13:23 Film : No Entry 16:00 Film : Koyelaanchal 16:52 Film : Awaara Paagal Deewana 19:00 Film : Do Lafzon Ki Kahani 20:15 Film : A Flying Jatt 21:46 Film : Showbiz Saturday August 25, 2018 Tuesday August 21, 2018 23:17 Film : Masti 00:00 Film : Cheetah The Leopard 02:20 Film : Jeet - Born To Win 05:00 Film : Listen... Amaya 05:00 Film : Munna Maange Memsaab 07:00 Film : Katilon Ke Kaatil 07:25 Film : Woh 7 Din 10:19 Film : Krishan Avtaar 10:23 Film : Lakshya 13:20 Film : Jaanam 14:10 Film : Nill Battey Sannata 16:03 Film : Kya Kool Hai Hum 3 16:25 Film : Fox 19:00 Film : Tutak Tutak Tutiya 19:00 Film : Commando 2 21:40 Film : Gangster 21:42 Film : Ek Se Bure Do

SATURDAY 25th August

TIME

Shankar, will be bankrolled by Lyca Production and will be shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The makers are also considering reportedly Nayanthara to play the lead in the film. On the professional front, Ajay Devgn will soon be seen in an urban romcom. The movie marks the directorial debut of known editor Akiv Ali and is bankrolled by Luv Ranjan under his banner Luv Films along with T-Series. He will also be seen in Indra Kumar's 'Total Dhamaal'.

TV PROGRAM NAMES

18:30: UTTARAN

19:00: DIL KI PUKAR

19:30: MIRCHI MUSIC AWARDS 2018 21:30: RISING STAR

SUNDAY 26th August

TIME

TV PROGRAM NAMES

17:30: "WEEKEND KA MAHAEPISODE UTTARAN" 18:30: UTTARAN 19:00: DIL KI PUKAR 19:30: FEMINA MISS INDIA 2018 21:30: RISING STAR

30 UK

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18 - 24 August 2018

Alnwick takeaway fined for peanut in food error

During a previous hearing, the company had admitted an offence against Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations.

David Sayer, from Northumberland Council's trading standards department, said: "The judge classified this a very high risk, high culpability offence.

"The message we'd like to get out to takeaway owners is that advice is available.

"You should contact your local council if you have any doubt whatsoever we'd much rather talk to you than prosecute you."

An Indian takeaway has been fined for failing to inform customers when its meals contained nuts.

Mumbai Flavours restaurant in Alnwick, Northumberland, was visited by an undercover trading standards officer as part of a sampling survey.

Despite stating that it was for someone with a peanut allergy, nuts were found to be present in the food.

Alnwick Indian Restaurant, trading as Mumbai Flavours, was fined £8,000 by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court.

Coming Events

l Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra's Satsang to be held on August 18, Saturday, 6.30 pm onwards at VHP Hindu Temple, 43, Cleveland Rd,Ilford, Essex, IG1 1EE

Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha's head Param Pujya Mahant Swami is currently in Atladara. On August 12, a 20-day lecture programme was initiated. August 13 was celebrated as Pramukh Swami Smriti Din. It was on this day in 2016 that Pujya Pramukh Swami had left the world. Pujya Mahant Swami offered pushpanjali to his statue. He spread the word of unity and empathy. The Hindoda Festival has commenced with the onset of Chatur maas. Pujya Mahant Swami swings Harikrishna Maharaj's hindoda every day. Hundreds of people flock in each day for a glimpse of the Hindoda.

Mahant Swami will continue his vicharan in Atladra till September 2.

Sneh Joshi

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

A convicted fraudster who won £70,000 in a poker tournament has been ordered to pay the cash to the tax office.

Adam Lulat was jailed for 28 months in 2015 for his involvement in a £40m money laundering scam and VAT fraud. He was part of a six-man gang ordered to repay £590,000, although Lulat only had to repay £1 as he had no assets.

But the 26-year-old, of Preston, has been brought back before the courts after his win and ordered to hand the total amount to HM Revenue and Customs.

Lulat had won £68,930 at the poker tournament in Manchester in March.

A HMRC spokesman said: "Lulat thought he'd aced the tournament but we had the better hand in the end."

During a hearing at Manchester Crown Court, he was also ordered to hand over £2,840 held in a personal bank account within three months or face another 15 months in jail, HMRC said.

Lulat was a part of a gang that worked for other crime groups moving about £40m of illicit cash through

Adam Lulat won the money in a card game in Manchester

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

Retrograde Mars and retrograde Saturn are transiting your 9th house. Usually in this period you seek to expand your experiences and awareness, whether through philosophical thinking, travel, or simply activities that take you away from your mundane routines. Instead this is a period of reassessing your viewpoint and looking at your life from a different perspective.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

Retrograde Mars and retrograde Saturn are transiting your 8th house. Usually planets in this house make time for personal transformations and intimate matters. Strong focus on the resources of a partner, inheritance, banking and loans, or taxes is also noticed. Retrograde planets on the other hand make you reassess situations and look at things in a different way without getting emotionally entangled.

Retrograde Mars and retrograde Saturn are transiting your 7th house.

Usually planets in this house can be a time of much learning in your close relationships. It's not the time to push your personal plans forward; rather, it's a cycle in which you give back to a special someone, and compromise in order to find some balance in your life. However, these planets retrograde can make or break relationships. Please tread carefully.

Poland and the Czech Republic. The gang had fabricated businesses to make fraudulent VAT repayment claims against a several EU member states using a complex web of transactions.

a variety of bank accounts in the UK and Europe in 2010 and 2011.

They were also behind a separate VAT fraud and investigators tracked their activities across Germany,

Rochdale mother-in-law found stabbed to death 'never spoke of suicide' A mother who was helping her daughter escape a troubled arranged marriage never spoke about killing herself, her husband has told a murder trial.

Muhammad Tafham, 31, denies killing Rahman Begum, 46, in her Rochdale home. The Crown says he stabbed her before trying to make it look like suicide.

The court previously heard that the mother-offive had been trying to help Aysha Gulraiz, 25, escape her marriage to Mr Tafham and return to her long-term boyfriend in Bradford.

Mrs Begum was found dead on 7 February, lying

on the kitchen floor with a 12-inch knife in her hand, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court has heard.

On Monday, Mrs Begum's husband Gulraiz Sharif told the court that his wife, known as Ruksana, was "happy" and planning a six-week holiday when he spoke to her on a video phone call from Pakistan the night before she was found lying in a pool of blood.

Prosecutor Andrew Thomas QC asked him: "Did Ruksana that night, or ever, tell you she was thinking of killing herself?"

The trial has heard that Ms Gulraiz continued seeing her boyfriend despite marrying Mr Tafham, a cousin on her father's side, who joined her in the United Kingdom in September 2016.

The pair rowed constantly when they tried to live together. The jury further heard that the defendant would only agree to her requests for a divorce after she had lived with him for three years - a move motivated by his desire to stay in the UK. The Crown says Mr Tafham killed Mrs Begum in anger a day after she

Brent Council 'forced' family to move 100 miles away Tenzin Choedon said she was given 24 hours to decide whether to leave London and move her family to Kidderminster.

The mother-of-two claimed Brent Council told her they would '"get no support" if they didn't take up the offer in 2015.

22 families have been placed in the Tenzin Choeden with her children

Worcestershire town by the London based local authority in the last five years according to the online information directory, CarePlace.

In a statement the council said: "Brent always aims to house homeless people within or as close to Brent as possible."

The UK’s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

Two major planet Mars, your ruling planet and Saturn are both retrograde in your solar tenth house. Satisfaction and fulfilment during this cycle comes with difficulty professionally as you need to find different ways to express yourself. You will not easily get support from authority figures during this transit. Avoid the pitfalls by being confident and positive.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Tax office bags Preston fraudster's £70k poker win

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

Two major planets Mars and Saturn are both retrograde in your 6th house. This is a period that finds you tending to many different details of your daily existence--your work, daily routines, and health matters. You may be reassessing your possibilities whether to take charge in your work, or to take charge of your health and diet. Do not be hypercritical of yourself as it is a testing time for you.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

Two major planets Mars and Saturn are both retrograde in your solar fifth house.

This is a time when pleasure-seeking and creative activities begin to be very tedious and time consuming. You are trying very hard to be charming and creative. It is a good time for reassessments in your romance and also how you handle children. Don,t lose patience as you will make mistakes especially regarding your investments.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Retrograde Mars and Saturn are transiting your solar fourth house. This is a difficult time for getting in touch with your innermost feelings and spending more time and energy on home and family. Use this energy to find ways to improve your family relations and your home environment. A good time to explore your inner needs so that you can nurture yourself and others.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

Retrograde Mars and Saturn are both transiting solar third house. This is not an easy time for communicating as retrograde planets make you reassess and be patient in the way you go about usually. If you use this time well, it could be a period in which you come up with solutions to a number of problems. You can also be proud of your intellectual accomplishments, ability to socialize and make connections.

helped trick him to leave the family home in Clement Royds Street so that her daughter and boyfriend could swiftly collect her belongings.

The jury has heard that it will be Mr Tafham's case that when he found Mrs Begum lying dead, he panicked and fled because he thought he would be blamed. The trial continues.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Two major planets Mars and Saturn are both retrograde in your solar second house. This is the most difficult period for you as you can't make decisions.

You have an increased interest in your own possessions, during this period. You are more attracted to objects and possessions that give you a sense of comfort, status, or luxury now. Be careful with your extravagant spending habits and think before jumping into something that you may regret.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

Two major planets Mars and Saturn are both retrograde in your solar first house. You must understand that retrograde planets make you reassess everything you want to do. Usually you experience a renewal of energy and vitality now, and it's a strong time for increased personal confidence. Not with retrogrades as they slow you down and make you begin to look at your life in a totally different way. You will emerge stronger than ever when they go direct.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The two major planets Mars and Saturn are both retrograde in your twelfth house.

This is usually the time to listen to your intuition, to take a break from the hectic pace of your life, and to reflect. You might naturally retreat a little and take more private time for yourself now. Time to take stock of your projects now and not start anything new for a while.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Two major planets Mars and Saturn are both retrograde in your solar eleventh house. Usually you would benefit from networking in this period and you might find some great ideas through others.

However, retrograde planets make you reassess your friendships, working in a team will also be under scrutiny. You should slow down and try to see what works for you and then make decisions as you will find that a lot of people around you are not on your wavelength and it is time you part ways.

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18 - 24 August 2018

in brief SOURAV GANGULY LIKELY TO BECOME NEXT BCCI PRESIDENT

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly might become the next BCCI President. This opportunity came after the Supreme Court set aside some of the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee and approved a new draft constitution with a few modifications. The Indian board is said to be eyeing Ganguly in order to give the BCCI an image makeover.

According to a report, most of the current and former administrators are ineligible for the post because of the cooling-off period.

Ganguly doesn't face such a scenario. He is currently into his third term as President of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Ganguly has enjoyed an all-round association with BCCI and is a part of the advisory committee.

The report adds that the board thinks Ganguly is a perfect candidate. But for this, he must resign from the post of President of the CAB. Moreover, there will not be any zonal rotation policy as far as the post of the President is concerned. Candidates can be nominated from any state association, but have to be seconded by someone.

If Ganguly goes on to become the President of the BCCI, he will have to vacate his position after two years. This is necessary as he has already been an administrator for 4 years. The new rule states that an administrator can complete a cumulative period of 6 years. However, Dada will only enter the fray if there is no opponent.

MIRABAI PULLS OUT OF ASIAD

Indian women's hockey team climb to their best-ever ranking The Indian Women's Hockey Team achieved their best-ever world ranking as they climbed up to the ninth place in the latest FIH Hero World Rankings published by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The climb in ranking comes after the Indian team reached the quarters of the Women’s Hockey World Cup – their best finish at the tournament in four decades.

Previously ranked no 10, India displayed some solid performances throughout the tournament in London, conceding only three goals in the five matches they played.

The Rani Rampal-led team eventually crashed out after losing to silver-medallists Ireland 3-1 in the penalty shootout after a goal-less quarter-final tie at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. The new ranking means that the Indian eves will go into the upcoming 18th Asian Games as the top-ranked Asian team in the world, but Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne believes that this is just a start for this young bunch of girls.

"The new ranking comes as added motivation to our team

File photo of Indian women’s hockey team

for the upcoming Asian Games, but what is even better to see is that the players are not satisfied. There is more hunger in the squad to improve the ranking further by performing consistently at the highest level," Sjoerd Marijne, Indian Women’s Hockey Team Coach said. "We do have plenty of positives from the World Cup as the girls produced very good hockey, showing their grit and character to get through to the last eight," he said.

Marijne said that the improvement in ranking was down to the team keeping their defensive structure intact consistently even when they were under pressure. "One

must note that we only conceded three goals in the whole tournament in London.

The defence was very solid and that starts with our forwardline as your entire team contributes to a strong defensive structure. We have placed special focus on our structure during matches and now we can see that the girls have come a long way in the past two years. They are now fully aware of their capabilities on the turf and I'm sure the new ranking will surely motivate them to excel at the Asian Games."

The Indian team is set to start their preparatory camp with a total of 25 core group members, including the 18-

member squad which was picked last month for the 18th Asian Games to be held in Jakarta-Palembang.

Indian team is placed in Pool B along with South Korea, who have swapped places with the Indian team, to be now ranked World no 10 Thailand, Kazakhstan and hosts Indonesia are also grouped with the top-2 Asian teams. “We only have a few days in camp to prepare ourselves, but we will be looking to ensure that our passing is 100% accurate in our build-up play, and we must also improve our penalty corner conversion rate and take more shots on goal," Marijne said.

Neeraj Chopra named India's flag-bearer for Asian games Neeraj Chopra, star javelin thrower, was named as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the Asian Games opening ceremony to be held on August 18 in Jakarta. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra made the announcement during the send-off ceremony organised for the contingent. The Games will be held from August 18 to September 2 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

The 20-year-old Neeraj is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and won a Gold in the Savo Games in Finland last month. He had won the gold medal in the

Neeraj Chopra

Asian Athletic championships in 2017 with a throw of 85.23

meters. He had also bagged a gold in the 2016 IAAF World U-

20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

India have participated in the Asian Games since the start of the event and therefore, this will be India's 18th appearance.

India are participating in 34 sports out of the total 40. Five hundred and forty three athletes will be part of the Indian contingent in the twin cities of Jakarta and Palembang. India will not be participating in baseball, football, jet ski, modern pentathlon, rugby sevens and triathlon.

Indian athletes had won 57 medals, comprising 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze medals in the previous edition at Incheon, South Korea.

Sports ministry clears 756-member Asiad contingent Just days after Sanjita Chanu’s dope failure rocked Indian weightlifting comes the news that another star weightlifter, reigning world champion Mirabai Chanu, has pulled out of the Asian Games owing to a lower back injury. Mirabai was one of the country’s brightest medal hopes at the Jakarta-Palembang Asiad. The Gold Coast CWG gold medallist informed about her decision in a letter to the Indian weightlifting federation (IWLF). “I would like to inform the federation that I was injured and now I have started training from last week. I want to focus more on World Championships to be held in November 2018 in Ashgabat because that is a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I am not ready for the Asian Games, so I withdraw my name from the Asian Games,” Mirabai wrote to IWLF secretary general Sahdev Yadav.

India's sports ministry has cleared a 756member squad for Asian games to be held in Indonesia. It’s been learnt that the total contingent size now has 572 athletes and 184 coaches and support staff. A total of 48 officials and extra officials haven’t been cleared by the ministry, including the name of Indian Golf Union (IGU) director general Bhibuti Bhushan. It’s been learnt that the names of all accompanying ‘team managers’ in different disciplines have been axed, which comes to more than 20. Some extra officials and those who had applied under the ‘P’ category accreditation in the athletics, equestrian, kurash and sepak takraw disciplines have been dropped.

All officials whose names have been struck off can travel at their own cost. It’s been learnt that the IOA’s sponsors could bear their expenses, but the development could well be a start of another flashpoint between the IOA and ministry. Legendary

sprinter PT Usha, who personally trains middle distance runner Tintu Luka and quartermiler Jisna Mathew, features as ‘coach’ in the 400m and 800m discipline of the athletics squad. As far as Usha’s presence is concerned, there’s a feeling in the sports circles that the ‘sprint queen’ of Indian athletics should have ideally been named in the ‘extra official’ or ‘P’ card holder category. A ‘P’ category accredited person isn’t entitled to stay at the Athletes’

Village or enter the competition arena. The holder of the card will have to make his/her own arrangement outside the village and will get a daily pass to visit the training site inside the village.

Like in the case of sprint sensation Dutee Chand. Her personal trainer Nagapuri Ramesh’s name had been sent to the ministry for ‘P’ category accreditation.

Similarly, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s personal trainer, Ishan Marwaha, had applied for the ‘P’ category card. Out of Usha’s two protégés in the 51-member athletics squad, only Jisna is confirmed to travel to Jakarta. Tintu will have to appear for a confirmatory trial to prove her timing.

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal’s personal trainer and sports medicine expert, Christopher Pedra, too faces the same proprietary question and his name should also have been sent as extra official or for ‘P’ category.

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Indian batsmen must change their tactics to avoid whitewash The Indian batsmen must immediately change their tactics if they did not want to face the ignominy of losing all the five test matches meekly, said former England opener Geoffrey Boycott. He termed the Indian teams batting as naive, irresponsible and bordering on stupidity. Indian batsmen should have shown the mental strength to face as the ball swings and seams. Playing cricket in different countries on different pitches and different climatic conditions is to test one's technique, character and ability to adopt to the changing circumstances. The Indian batsmen have failed miserably to adopt themselves and lacked application while trying to flick outswingers. They have to use all the technique they have learnt to stay put on the crease so that slowly and steadily they will be able to score runs.

Indians batting have been so irresponsible that they threw away their wickets so easily.

One should not get panic if you could not score runs fast. They should have patience and apply their mind so that they can slowly gain confidence and will be able to score runs. Swinging your bats at outswingers is thoughtless.

Trying to work outswingers through midwicket and then being surprised when you get bowled or nick it to the slips is brainless. Playing the ball on the up in front of your pad is a no no. The way the Indian batsmen showed in both the test is a testimony that they have not done their homework.

They have come to England complacently and arrogantly thinking they can bat the same way and everything will be okay on the day. Boycott also warned the Indian team that Jimmy Anderson will be even more lethal at the Trend Bridge.

More mental than technical India captain Virat Kohli feels his team's mounting batting troubles are more mental than technical and has urged his fellow batsmen to "keep it simple" in the head to save the ongoing Test series against England. If a batsman is clear in the head and he's clear about the plans he's taking, then if the ball

Jubilant England Players

does something off the pitch, you're able to counter it, said Kohli. "If my head's clouded, then I feel like the ball can do this, or that.

You know there are three-four scenarios that run in your head. It sounds cliche but as the greats have said, keep this game simple, that's all you have to do. You can't come here and think the conditions are too difficult because they are really not if you're prepared to counter them." The skipper said the demons in the head have to be conquered.

"Any conditions in the world can be as easy or as difficult. In India, if you're not mentally there, it seems like the ball is doing a whole lot, even when it's not." The weather also did not favour India, who batted in overcast conditions while England scored their runs in bright sunshine on day three. "A lot of people are talking about the conditions, that we batted during a difficult time. On the day that was good, we had to bowl. And again, today was overcast and we had to bat.

If we think about these things, we won't be able to plan for the future. There is nothing to be gained from thinking about what has happened and thinking what if. Going ahead in this series, we need to look at the mistakes

we've made in this game and correct them. A sportsman has no other options," felt the captain.

Bowlers did well in the series opener but were not consistent enough at Lord's, he said. "You can't control the toss or the weather. We didn't play good cricket in this game. We bowled well in the beginning but didn't hit our areas consistently. We didn't get enough chances in the field to miss any, but with bat and ball we could have done much better than we did." There are problems across the board for India, as their openers failed in both Birmingham and Lord's, while barring Kohli, the middle-order didn't turn up either. Kohli said that no particular batsman could be blamed for this failure.

"Right now, it's not purely thinking that the openers haven't fired or the middle order hasn't done well, because as a batting unit, we haven't done well in this game as a whole.

All we have to do is gear up for the next game, come out positive and not think about that I've done well...It's all about making the team win, and doing anything that we can to make that happen."

Indian woman cricketer Smriti shines in England Smriti Mandhana, the 22-year-old vicecaptain of the Indian women’s team, has been in great form and has smashed 387 runs in seven innings at an average of 77.40, an incredible strike rate of 185.16 for Western Storm in the KIA T20 League in the UK. This tally includes a 60-ball hundred and two fifties, one of which was the fastest in women’s T20 cricket (an 18-ball affair which is the joint-fastest half century in women’s T20s). She has already smashed the most number of sixes - 21 - in the tournament’s history.

At a time when the Indian women’s team is in a bit of a controversy following the exit of coach Tushar Arothe due to differences with senior players, Smriti’s form, coming just ahead of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, is a huge relief. Smriti said, “After last year’s World Cup, I worked hard on my batting and fitness levels. This has helped me in achieving consistent form.” The lefthander revealed how a slight change in batting technique helped her form. “A minor change in grip, and a slightly more open stance are the two changes I made. It has helped me with my stroke-making and has also helped me clear the in-field easily. I’m feeling more confident with this.” Scoring runs for my country and being consistent is what I always aspire to do. I hope my runs

result in wins for the team. If I score a ton or a fifty in the process, that’s a bonus.”

Smriti is hopeful about continuing this form in the T20 World Cup. “I will try my best. Our team is working hard towards it, and the BCCI has organized camps and tours. It has provided us with enough match practice. We can plan accordingly for the T20 World Cup.”

Smriti values the experience that she’s gained playing in the KSL, and before that in the Big Bash women’s League. “Both are good leagues, and playing in them has helped me improve my game in the T20 format. I have been exposed to different kinds of bowling. It’s a great learning opportunity to also grow as a person and understand my game better in alien conditions,” she says.

in brief BEN STOKES ADDED TO SQUAD FOR THIRD TEST

All-rounder Ben Stokes, who was deemed not guilty of affray charges by a Bristol court on Tuesday, has subsequently been added to the England squad for the third Test starting on Saturday in Nottingham.

Owing to this court case, Stokes had missed the second Test at Lord’s. The allrounder had played a major role in the first Test in Birmingham. He had a match haul of 6-113 across two innings as India lost by 31 runs. Now the England selectors face a selection headache as his replacement Chris Woakes had scored a maiden Test hundred at Lord’s as also taking four wickets in the match. Meanwhile, the ECB will set up a Cricket Discipline Commission that will take stock of Stokes’ involvement in this physical altercation outside a Bristol pub last year.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Olliver Pope, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Jamie Porter, Ben Stokes.

PANT, BUMRAH MAY FEATURE IN INDIAN TEAM Risabh Pant, the talented wicketkeeperbatsman from Delhi, may replace Dinesh Karthik in the third test. Not that any of the Indian batsmen other than Virat Kohli have done well, but the axe could fall on Karthik for the simple reason that there’s a ready replacement available in Pant.

Karthik has scores of 0,1,20 and 0 in the four innings that he has played and hasn’t looked the part at No. 7. Pant, with a firstclass average of 54.50, scored 34 in the practice match against Essex and Kohli might just gamble with the swashbuckler.

It wasn’t too long ago that Sunil Gavaskar made a case for Pant, saying: “It is an opportunity for sure for the third Test, he might get into the team. The fact that he was chosen ahead of everybody else, the moment that Saha was declared unfit, just tells you about the thinking of the selection committee and team management.”

Pant’s form in the IPL was quite exceptional and even though T20 success shouldn’t be the benchmark for Test selection, Gavaskar had felt that “Pant might get in the team as a batsman down the order”. It’s still some days to go before the third Test, but Pant is definitely an option India could explore to make a fightback. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, too, is likely to be available for selection during the third Test. He was “bowling fit” before Lord’s but the team management wanted to give him some more time to recuperate from the finger injury. Unless the Nottingham pitch has something substantial on offer for the spinners, Kuldeep Yadav will probably make way for Bumrah.