AV 19th December 2020

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

19 - 25 DECEMBER 2020 - VOL 49 ISSUE 33

"FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN" Bosses ask the government why is the hospitality industry being punished when there is little evidence to suggest that restaurants, bars, and pubs are Covid-19 hotspots?

Key achievements of Modi government in 2.0

(File photo: Employees of hospitality industry protesting outside Parliament Square in October 2020)

Priyanka Mehta

On Wednesday 16th December, the hospitality industry in London was once again left on the tenterhooks as the government decided that the capital will be pushed into the toughest coronavirus restrictions to contain a surging number of Covid-19 infections. This announcement which is described as “another nail in the coffin” by the pubs trade body, will force at least 15,489 venues in the capital, as well as parts of Essex and Hertfordshire, to remain in Continued on page 6 tier 3 restrictions.

The Modi 2.0 government completed more than one and half years now. The BJP-led NDA swept to victory in the last general election, winning over 350 seats. Modi 2.0 govt will be remembered for the realisation of decades-old promises of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Full story on page - 26

2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

19 - 25 December 2020

with Keith Vaz

Leicester school reverse decision to reopen

Shaan Sahota Shaan Sahota is a playwright and doctor working in London. Her first play was shortlisted for the 2020 women’s prize in playwriting and earned her a place with (theatre company) Tamasha’s ‘Playwrights Scheme 2020.

In March 2020, she was redeployed to her hospital’s ICU to care for severely unwell patients with Covid 19. As a result of her experience on the frontline, Shaan was approached to create Under the Mask. It is an immersive audio drama in binaural sound, with elements recorded live on Covid wards. It allows the listener to share the heartbreak and wonder of a junior doctor, thrust into the throngs of a global pandemic. It will be staged at the Oxford Playhouse in March 2021.

Before training as a doctor, Shaan studied History and Spanish Literature. She then worked in domestic violence advocacy for Southall Black Sisters, specialising in BAME survivors of honour-based violence.

1

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

I feel an inexplicable affinity for Mexico, where mariachis come to sing in bars as you share a 19th century electric shock between friends , all over bowls of melted cheese. It feels to me like an exaggeratedly brilliant place, where the history, vibrancy and colours are all somehow enhanced.

What are your proudest achievements?

2

I lived in Mexico City for a year, I defied my nerdy physiognomy to become a competitive kick boxer and am planning a year out to work with a medical NGOs in Liberia.

I feel proud to retain a sense of adventure and freedom as I grow older despite all the nudges and expectations to lose this.

What inspires you?

3

I love the feeling of connecting with something outside of myself. For me this comes through my work, and also through art. Through say, reading the memoirs of a 17th century monk, or caring for a vulnerable adult with psychosis and seeing the same light in all of us.

What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

I struggle to know what I want and how to focus my ambition or energy. It’s difficult to advance if you don’t know where you want to end up, and I don’t know where I want to end up!

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

I think having a mother who is a doctor, and who gains a lot of joy and fulfil-

4 5

ment from medicine has been a very positive role model to me. My father has a sterling work ethic and is so committed and diligent, and I think his example has also served me well.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

Medicine allows me to be the one stranger in the room at times of existential transition. The reality of these moments is often so implausible we wouldn’t ‘buy it’ in a film. I think it’s a real privilege to connect and care for people during these private and vulnerable experiences.

And the worst?

6

7

It’s pretty consuming and can be very painful to observe.

What are your long term goals?

8

I find it hard to know what I’ll want in the future and committing to long term plans make me feel trapped. I hope I work to serve my community and bring others up. I hope to have a full and varied life.

If you were PM, what one aspect would you change?

This is boring, but I’d bring in proportional representation; I think ‘first past the post’ is a massive disincentive to political engagement and creates a sense of democratic impotence. I’d also bring in some radical animal rights and environmental policies!

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

For reasons I can’t explain, it’s Jesus Christ. What would he be like?!

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Tributes paid to Sutton businessman On Friday 11th December tributes were paid to a renowned businessman who was being treated for leukaemia but contracted Covid19 and died fighting the virus.

51-year-old Manit Odedra had allegedly contracted the virus while under treatment at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Birmingham Mail reported. Father of two children from Sutton Coldfield had reportedly been fighting the virus for three weeks whilst on a ventilator and tragically died last month.

Speaking to Birmingham Mail, his brother Dipesh Odedra said, "It has been such a shock for the whole family. Manit was such a wonderful person and was loved by so many people. He was such a jolly person who always had a smile on his face. He had friends in Kenya, India, Nigeria, as well as here too and they have all been left upset by his death.

"Our family is originally from Kenya and Manit came over to the UK when he was 18 where he studied for a degree in marketing.

He later returned to Kenya to run our father's business and then came back to England a few years later. He supported various charities and raised money via swimathons and sponsored walks.

In his memory, Dipesh has set up a

Manit Odedra with wife Shital

GoFundMe page to raise money for a charity called UK Seva Samiti. The charity provides food, clothing and blankets to needy families and to children's orphanages in different parts of Gujarat, India. Over £1,700 has been raised already in Manit's memory so far.

Manit is survived by his wife Shital, daughters, 18-year-old Anushka and 17-yearold Dhara, brother Dipesh and sister Agna, as well as his father Batuk and mother Devuben.

On Thursday 10th December, a Leicesterbased school announced a reversal in their decision to remained close early for Christmas over concerns of increasing coronavirus infections.

Avanti Fields School had earlier written to the parents stating the risk of infections among students and staff had risen from medium to high and that after discussions with governors and the city council it had decided to close from the first week of December 9, until the first week of January.

But Headteacher Emma Taplin later sent out a letter stating that the school would reopen after a “deep clean” of the building. In her letter, she noted, “Firstly we would like to thank all the parents for their patience and support in the last few days as we have navigated these challenging and difficult times. We appreciate

the number of reported cases in the school have caused anxiety and we have acted promptly and proactively in order to protect the whole Avanti School school community.

“However, after further discussion with Public Health England, the local authority and other relevant bodies, and given the fact that the school has remained open to other key worker children, we are pleased to share that we will remain open to all children who are not currently selfisolating from Friday December 11 to the end of term (Friday 18).” But entire Year 7 would be off school as well as five other class bubbles. city council’s The strategic director of social care and education Martin

Samuels in a statement to Leicester Mercury said, “15% of pupils and staff were being asked to selfisolate at any one time and very few of those individuals do develop symptoms, but it is a necessary precaution. One of the consequences of this that schools are often finding it very difficult to operate through lack of staff.

“We are increasingly finding children are being sent home not because they have the virus or who have been in contact with someone who has but because the staff who would operate the school are not there.”

Saragarhi statue to be in Bronze On 11th December, Friday, it was reported that the final design of a statue commemorating Sikh soldiers of the Battle of Saragarhi is due to be unveiled in Wednesfield in Wolverhampton in September next year.

The 3m-high sculpture, by artist Luke Perry, is due to be erected as the clay model and will be painted in wax before being cast in bronze. Sikhs constitute almost 10% of Wolverhampton's population - almost 23,000 people and this initiative has been spearheaded by Councillor

Bhupinder Gakhal who aims to create awareness of the battle of Saragarhi which was fought on 12 September 1897 where 21 Sikhs died defending a British army post from 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. He is reportedly "thrilled" by the "wonderful memorial" and hoped it would encourage others to learn more about Saragarhi.

It is due to be unveiled in Well Lane, near the Guru Nanak Gurdwara, on 12 September 2021, the anniversary of the battle.

That sculpture has been displayed in neighbouring

Smethwick since 2018. In a statement to the BBC, artist Luke Perry said, "With artworks like Saragarhi I want to create sculptures that are a visible marker of the under-represented but vital, real people in our communities. Because when you represent people you empower them."

Home Secretary writes to the Mayor of Manchester On Friday 11th December, the Home Secretary wrote to the Mayor of Manchester and Greater Manchester Police expressing her “deep” concerns over the findings of a damning inspection report into the forces as she demanded that their plans improved.

Priti Pratel warned that the “most troubling” part of the GMP report was GMP’s failure to safeguard vulnerable victims as she noted the “wider issues relating to the quality of service that the people of Greater Manchester are receiving from their force”.

Requesting details of GMP’s improvement plan - both from the Chief Constable and Andy Burnham - the Home Secretary also flagged up the “widely-reported failures of iOPS”, GMP’s new computer system.

In her letter Priti Patel noted, “I am deeply concerned that in too many cases the service provided to

victims, particularly vulnerable victims, is falling short, that too many crimes are not being recorded and that in too many cases those failures relate to crimes of domestic abuse,” she writes.

“This report follows previous crime data integrity inspections

which showed serious failings to record crime, and to therefore treat victims as they should be treated.

“I am also aware of wider issues relating to the quality of service that the people of Greater Manchester are receiving from their force.”

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UK

COMMENTS

3

19 - 25 December 2020

A country built by immigrants cannot be hostile towards them Post-war Britain has been built by immigrants. Shopkeepers, sub post offices and bus drivers- built up a robust economy along with SMEs, doctors, nurses and other professionals. Their children are now in the Cabinet, in politics, deciding the country’s fate and most importantly, other immigrants’ fate.

Let’s rewind to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Britain saw a new set of immigrants (most of them British citizens and some who were technically asylum seekers) running away from East Africa and Idi Amin’s brutal regime and arriving in Britain with nothing but grit and hope. But today Britain’s second richest man is of Indian origin.

While Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech was scandalous, Home Office’s decision to evict people with negative asylum decisions since October, is equally worrying. It almost feels like the history is repeating itself. It irresponsibly pushes vulnerable people into homelessness and poverty during a pandemic that has unduly impacted the BAME communities.

Jewish campaigners like Dr Edie Friedman, Executive director, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality, Jack Kushner, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality, Rabbi Sylvia Rothschild London, Rabbi Alexandra Wright London, Rabbi Fabian Sborovsky Manchester, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg London in an open letter in The Guardian wrote, Priti Patel was correct to acknowledge in her conference speech that the UK’s asylum system is broken, and that the current delays to asylum applications are unacceptable.

The present reality reveals the vital need for fairness and compassion.

From Windrush scandal to the current crises with asylum

seekers- everything shows a pattern. Political analysts have slammed the British government for its “repulsive” actions and disregard for human rights as it attempts to unburden themselves of asylum seekers ahead of its departure from the European Union.

Though Britain has decided to step up compensation for thousands of long-term UK residents originally from the Caribbean who were wrongly caught up in a government drive to reduce illegal immigration, officials said, it is surprising that Britain still remains so unsympathetic towards immigrants.

Look at our health system. Last year was the 200 years of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

The Economist pointed out that foreign-trained nurses account for 15% of all of Britain’s nurses. Over 100,000 of them, which makes Britain the largest destination country after the US. This workforce, once largely recruited from the European Union, now are recruiting more from Asia. Last year fewer than 1,000 European nurses registered to work in Britain, compared with 9,389 four years earlier. The number of registrants from outside of Europe, meanwhile, rose from 2,135 to 12,033 over the same period.

In a situation where the country cannot work without immigrants, hostility towards them looks rather silly than not. In July Britain’s Royal College of Nursing reportedly found that 36% of its members were thinking about leaving the profession. That accounts for an increase of 9% from 2019. After the threat of Covid-19, we will be perhaps left wondering if we have enough nurses to weather another pandemic- let alone the third wave now. So it is better to put our house in order fast than not.

Stay out of India’s internal matters India’s internal matters are for India alone to resolve. Not that of The Economist, the BBC, the Khalistanis, separatists, or any other secessionist forces. They have every right to question, “ridicule” in the name of freedom of expression and perhaps, challenge authorities as a “watchdog”. But their critical long-form reads or emotive tweets cannot and should not determine policy-making at any governmental institutional leave aside that of India. Any sovereign and democratic country’s internal governance and administrative issues for that matter lie with the people of that democracy and need to be resolved by the government that they have chosen and elected.

As for the Labour MPs who have been extremely concerned about the water cannons and teargas used as “oppressive measures by the Indian government against the farmers.” They have a right to represent the concerns of their constituents on the floor of the UK Parliament as some of these constituents may have family members back in India. But perhaps, these same Labour MPs will do well to represent many of their constituents who have been victims of predatory sexual grooming gangs. These Labour MPs will speak out in Parliament stating that the predators are pre-dominantly British Pakistani men operating grooming gangs in North of England as they prey upon young and innocent Sikh girls. That acknowledgment, however, is ambiguous and hidden under the label of “Asian” predators.

Instead, Slough MP Tan Dhesi has garnered fame once again as he “ridiculed” PM Boris Johnson on Twitter last week stating that he was clueless. Earlier, during the PMQs, Labour opposition leader had asked Johnson, “So, will the Prime Minister (Johnson) convey to the Indian Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock and does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest.”

In his response to Dhesi’s concerns, Johnson appeared to be making a cardinal diplomatic sin, as he said, “Our view is that of course, we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he appreciates that point.” The government immediately issued a clarification stating that the Prime Minister had clearly misheard the question in Parliament when he responded with Britain's stance on the India-Pakistan dispute instead. While the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) navigates the diplomatic waters as they maintain that the police handling of protests in India is a matter for the government of India. Boris Johnson, in the meantime, has accepted a “very generous invite” and will become the second British Prime Minister to attend India’s Republic Day parade in January next year.

But this has not stopped other Labour politicians from joining Dhesi’s bandwagon as they stress over Johnson’s “incompetence”. British Sikh Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill added how the foreign secretary Dominic Raab had failed to brief the PM on what is “one of the largest protests the world has seen.”

But amid the political rhetoric that often drives Westminster’s agenda is another fundamental difference that needs to be noted. India’s internal administration is very frequently and almost always the point of scrutiny in British mainstream media as they provide column inches and air-time to opinions of British MPs. Why does the opposite not hold water?

Why do the British mainstream media never air opinions of qualified Indian MPs such as Sashi Tharoor on how The Empire created messy partitions and why Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are demanding devolution? Perhaps, because the BBC knows it is not India’s concerns and a domestic issue of the UK. They should do the same while reporting “third world countries”.

A new resolve among AIJA to counter China Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has become more nationalistic and assertive. It has cracked down on pro-democracy protests in semi automatic Hong Kong, interned one million Muslims in Xinjiang region and threatened military force to seize the island of Taiwan. It is rapidly increasing its military presence in the disputed waters of South and East China Sea. In April a Chinese Coast Guard vessel rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat. Later, a standoff between a Malaysian oil exploration vessel and a Chinese survey vessel prompted US and Australia to deploy worships to the sea.

Ignoring the claims of the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam over the energy- rich waters, Beijing has been extending its reach by building military bases there. The long-simmering border tension between India and China on the Himalayan frontier boiled over in June, with troops from both sides fighting in the Galwan Valley. The clashes left 20 Indian soldiers dead and was the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975. Friction also increased between China and Japan in the East China Sea. In a move to counter China's influence in the area, America, India, Japan and Australia (AIJA) held its biggest naval drills last month, sending worships, submarines and aircraft to India Ocean. The exercise shows the seriousness the four nations against China's expansionist activities. The informal grouping of the four nations known as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (simply known as Quad) first came together in 2007. There has been a hardening of attitude towards China among all the Quadrilateral partners. Amid the escalating tensions, there appears to be a new-found resolve among the Quad countries to check China's influence.

The recent actions by Indian Army amid the border ten-

sion demonstrate India's determination to stand up to China's bullying and its efforts to use coercion to have its way. The armies of the two countries are in close proximity in some areas of eastern Ladakh. The Chinese PLA might have underestimated India's resolve to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. For all their famed strategic thinking and planning, they failed to take into account the bravery and courage of Indian soldiers. The two countries have been engaged in a standoff position since April-May and the Chinese have refused to vacate areas in the Finger area and other friction points in the Eastern Ladakh area. In many ways, India has shattered the myth of Chinese indomitable military might.

Strategic experts acknowledge that the recent developments at the India-China border have changed the so-called 'asymmetry in power' argument. India's resolve at the border has proved that the Chinese asymmetry of power argument does not hold water any more. The gallant action by Indian soldiers in Galwan clash was acknowledged the world over. India capturing tactically important commanding heights on the top of the five posts to the south of Pangong Tso tilted the balance in favour of India. Taking those heights could lead to interception of Chinese forces, giving India a tactical advantage.

Forecasts of superior Chinese power did not affect Delhi's decision to meet the threat head-on, something that other countries need to acknowledge. Leading US publication Newsweek reported that the Chinese President Xi Jinping he has risked his future with the high profile incursions into Indian territory that 'unexpectedly flopped' in the face of a ferocious fightback by the Indian Army. The setback in the Himalayas poses problems for Xi. Now, the Chinese side seems to have climbed down and changed tack suddenly.

Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you're already in heaven now - Jack Kerouac

Alpesh Patel

A Financial Movement for our Times We know resilience, whether mental, physical or financial is not just a key attribute to success, but to survival. Politics is about people, and I’ve long said we need to teach these things in our schools.

Covid showed how important this is.

Isolation and bereavement plus fear of the virus has led to a spike in mental illness. I am no expert on coping strategies but I don’t recall schools teaching this. You may say “Google it, or YouTube it”. I’ve written before about the importance of meditation. We know more schools see the benefit in Assembly and not just hymn singing.

Physical our schools are taking seriously for a long time. But we also know our children are increasingly obese and childhood impacts our adult relationship to food. BAME, ie us, have suffered during Covid due to our health and weight.

Because never in human history have peoples moved so quickly without generational acclimatization, so far from the climate and food and activities of their forefathers.

On the flip side many Manchester United fans (see Twitter) have been militantly angry at Marcus Ashford for speaking about hungry school children and not focusing on football – as if he is their slave. Football fans can be the most obnoxious people.

Of course there are those saying that none of this is the State’s responsibility - it is all the fault of parents. That is a political debate.

Finally I come to financial resilience. Much in 2020 was about social mobility, diversity and racism. Lack of financial education must be a huge hinderance. If our schools do not teach it, and if we need it then we can only conclude our parents do not have it – if they did, we wouldn’t need it. And without it we are not financially resilient or socially mobile.

For 2021, as well as feeding hungry school children, protecting us from Covid in schools, our Government should be teaching students not just about hygiene but investing for their futures. All Governments agree it is worthwhile giving tax breaks to savers. It is why we have SIPPs (when I put money in to my SIPP, my tax bill is cut) and ISAs (stock gains in ISA are tax free).

The problem presently is the pension fund industry receives your money and they pay themselves fat fees to buy stocks you could. In fact they usually don’t buy what they should eg Microsoft, but what they shouldn’t eg BP. This is because they are stupid graduates rote taught how to do it what their superiors did (wrong). And second, they set poor benchmarks eg FTSE 100 (it’s same return as 1999 levels).

I hope we will see a new generation of school children learn to save and invest their pension in global shares, rather than have it done for them by poor fund managers. Otherwise they will remain socially poorer than they would otherwise have been.

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19 - 25 December 2020

Majority schools have no BAME teachers On Monday 14th December, the latest report highlighted that almost half of all schools in England have no black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) teachers.

The Making Progress? report further highlighted that schools which reflect diversity in their teaching staff have unfortunately concerns around career progression of those teachers from minority backgrounds. The same research paper also noted that BAME teachers face a “hidden workload” of tackling racial inequalities in schools, which can lead to burnout and high turnover.

Commissioned by researchers at UCL’s Institute for Education, the report questions the idea that the education system is making progress in terms of racial equality in teaching. According to figures for 2019, 65% of pupils and 86% of teachers

are white British. Analysis of the 2018 School Workforce Census and related administrative school census datasets, found that 46% of all schools in England had no BAME teachers at all.

According to the report, “All of the teachers interviewed disapproved of the universal whiteness of senior leadership teams (SLT) in otherwise diverse schools. This issue plays a role in teachers’ decisions to move schools because of a perceived negative impact on the organisational culture. BAME teachers had the same high levels of workload as all teachers, plus an additional ‘hidden workload’ of coping with racism,” the report notes.”

The analysis also found that while half of schools (53%) had BAME teaching assistants, a quarter (26%) had no

reported to the regulator in 2018/19; 32% of those whose cases are taken forward for investigation; and 35% of those whose case concluded at the tribunal.

Only 18% BAME lawyers are actively practising law at present.

The treatment of people brought through disciplinary processes is also disproportionate based on race: 31% of those struck off were from an ethnic minority, with 34% of those fined coming from this group. BAME solicitors accounted for just 17% of those making such a compromise, but made up

BAME staff at all, and only 16% employed more than a fifth of their teachers from BAME groups.

Tayyab Ditta, a teacher in Leeds had earlier said, "A lack of BME teachers meant I had no role models so I never envisaged becoming a teacher. I remember seeing people from my community who'd become successful doctors or engineers but I never saw someone who was a teacher and that is a barrier we need to break down."

40% of those whose case went to a full hearing.

This is the first time since 2014 that the SRA has reported diversity characteristics for those involved in the enforcement processes. Previous studies have suggested potential factors that may be influencing the overrepresentation of minorities, including where BAME solicitors work and the types of practice they undertake. But there have also been accusations that the SRA has unfairly targeted certain groups who may be easier to prosecute.

Earlier last month,

Lord Reed

President of the Supreme Court, Lord Reed had stressed that the a Justice from a BAME background should be appointed to the supreme court should happen within the next six years, according to its president.

Drivers to face daily charges for entering London?

On Friday 11th December it was reported that drivers may potentially face a £3.50 daily charge in order to enter Greater London under on-going proposals from the mayor of London to address the capital’s funding crisis after a year-long coronavirus lockdown hampered Transport for London’s ability to raise funds.

According to The Guardian, Sadiq Khan has now asked Tfl to start feasibility studies for the plan to raise £500m a year.

The boundary charge would be

Sadiq Khan

levied on vehicles registered outside the capital crossing into the whole of London – an area almost 80 times larger than the central congestion zone. An independent review into

Cllr Ketan Sheth Chair, Brent Council Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

Covid, recovery and hope

BAME solicitors take disparity concerns to tribunal On Monday 14th December, it was reported that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is expected to commission a new study into the treatment of black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) lawyers. This announcement follows publication of recent data sets which highlighted the increasing disparity in the treatment of BAME lawyers during the disciplinary process.

According to figures obtained by The Law Society Gazette, SRA confirmed that BAME lawyers constituted 26% of those

CIIr Ketan Sheth

TfL’s finances suggested that road charging would be the best source of new revenue.

The Mayor said, “Ministers have failed to play fair by Londoners when it comes to financing our worldrenowned transport system. It is high time they did so. It is not fair on London that our drivers should subsidise the rest of the country’s roads and get nothing in return.

“We can’t go on expecting public transport fare-payers to subsidise the costs of road maintenance.”

Did you know that life expectancy went up in England in the Second World War? Seems at odd with the facts doesn't it but alongside the horror and causalities there was a great community feeling - we were all in this together, we came together and we pulled together - and health got better! So, there is something of a lesson in that for us today.

Covid-19 has been terrible - whilst some people can get the virus and not feel any symptoms at all, there are others - particularly our senior citizens we know as mums and dads, grans, grandads, uncles and aunties - for whom it is devastating. We all know people who have lost close relatives - I lost two close relatives too, very close together - and one way of remembering them is to keep ourselves, and therefore others, safe.

Being in a community is hard when we cannot really meet together, cannot sing in our churches and temples or shout at football - but we are all, truly, in this together.

We should all remember Tuesday, 8th December - the day of hope - when we began to fight back and the vaccine began its work.

It is perfectly natural for all of us to have questions and to ask them openly - and to ask the experts.

Beware of social media “experts” who really only make things worse by twisting genuine questions into fear and extinguishing hopes - not so much a secret conspiracy but a conspiracy against hope. And let us also remember the things that work - Hands Face Space - washing hands regularly, wearing a face covering and leaving space between us - proven to build barriers against this killer and preventing those of us who might carry the virus without feeling it, from passing it on to those who are not be so lucky; we owe it to those we love and care about the most - because we love and care for them.

Covid-19 also brought huge worries too - people not going to the hospital when they really should or people who are anxious and worried or fearful - there are NHS services there to help us - please do so.

The Office for National Statistics say 1 in 3 of us are more worried about money, one in six worried about their jobs and one in 12 worried about food. Just think about that - and help.

Hope is important - and it is in those vials being delivered to vaccination hubs now, quite rightly for our most vulnerable citizens and those workers on the front line especially in health and social care but also those other heroes on the buses, tubes, shop workers - 10m million people, heroes all, who kept our society going and we owe them all a huge amount of gratitude.

But there are heroes in every family - those who just do the things that families do - they follow the rules - we may miss the touch but we can put an arm round the whole community - ask after one another - just chat, keep calm and take care.

Emily Dickinson, the American poet, wrote: "Hope" is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops - at all Hope is the further shore we can reach from here.

My seasons greetings to you all!

Ilford shopkeeper sent to psychiatric hospital On Thursday 10th December, it was reported that a shopkeeper who had allegedly slit the throats of his two children was sent to a psychiatric hospital indefinitely.

41-year-old Nadarajah Nithiyakumar, originally from Sri Lanka had killed his 18-month-old Pavinya and her three-year-old brother Nigish while his wife was in the shower during earlier this year in April. Baby Pavinya was pronounced dead at the scene and Nigish was rushed to Royal London Hospital where he died two hours later. According to The Daily Mail, the delusional father told doctors he had been “frustrated” because he suspected cus-

tomers were trying to torment him at CVS Superstore in Hainault, Essex, and he was being “followed” by Scotland Yard. He had also reportedly contemplated “suicide” but apparently believed that his children would become “naughty” if they were left without a father and resolved to end their lives before his own.

The court heard that Nithiyakumar was placed into an induced coma after stabbing himself in the neck and chest with a third knife during the attack.

Nithiyakumar had been reportedly known to mental health services since 2010 when he was prescribed antipsychotic medication but had 'sporadic' contact

Nadarajah Nithiyakumar

with them.

Mrs Justice Cutts ruled the father's “dangerousness” was a result of his mental illness and said a prison sentence would be inappropriate.

She said, “I accept the offences were highly specific but I cannot agree that this means the risk to others is

low. Were your condition to go untreated and you found yourself in the same position again, the risk of harm to members of the public would likely be significant. It is not yet known... How complete your recovery will be, although I note psychiatrists observe progress to date has been slow.

“These offences were particularly grave and would were it not for your mental illness bear substantial sentences of imprisonment.

Your retained responsibility for these offences falls into the lowest category.

Successful treatment of that condition... Would also mean you were no longer dangerous.”

Nithiyakumar, of Ilford,

admitted two counts of manslaughter. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital for

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19 - 25 December 2020

"FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN" Continued from page 1 Hospitality bosses have warned that thousands of jobs are at risk because of the government’s “illogical” decision to close down pubs, bars and restaurants especially when there is no scientific evidence to indicate that the surge in infections can be attributed to these venues. Neal Khanna is the owner and director of the Clay Owen, bespoke banqueting, catering and wedding services established in 1983. He also owns the Denham Grove hotel in Uxbridge and the Farzi Café in Central London.

Speaking about the utter chaos and disruption that the sudden announcement has caused, he said, “For us, the biggest problem is that we literally opened just 12 days ago. To re-open and then close again in a matter of days is a huge impact on our resources in terms of setting up a restaurant, cleaning it, maintaining the stock besides following through on other logistics.

We had started picking up bookings for the festive period. It is just very difficult for us to open up the business and close down so abruptly.

We would have expected the government to have a bit more scientific knowledge and perhaps, planned it in a manner that would have given us more support and a notice period.

“Currently, it is bizarre dealing with cancellations and wasted stock. This week would have been the busiest week of the year for the hospitality industry. Although, it would have been nothing like last year considering the circumstances but still at half capacity we would have been the busiest. But by the time they allow us to reopen now festive season would be over we would have missed out on a chunk of business that could have alleviated some pressures after being in a state of lockdown almost the entire year.”

Schools are the virus hotspots, but restaurants bear the brunt According to official data 35,742 restaurants are already effectively closed in areas such as Greater Manchester, Kent, the East Midlands and parts of Yorkshire.

The new announcement will mean that more than 53% of English hospitality venues will be unable to offer anything except takeaway and delivery. These restaurants and pubs have remained in some form of lockdown throughout the year even as Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of the trade body UK Hospitality has frequently stated that there is no hard evidence to suggest that hospitality was a source of outbreaks, pointing to schools as a more significant vector of disease. More recently, she has also called

for Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham to be moved back into tier 2.

Agreeing with her assessment, Neal continued, “Even when the second lockdown was announced, restrictions on the hospitality were non-sensical including the 10 pm curfew which resulted in over-crowded tubes at 10 even. There is little evidence to suggest that covid-19 infections were multiplying through hospitality venues alone. Now, it appears that schools are the major virus hotspots. Yet, the hospitality sector is bearing the brunt. So, I don’t know if closing down restaurants will help necessarily help in curbing the infection spread and it is not fair on us. We need more support to navigate through dynamically changing rules.”

Additional financial and logistical support for the industry Hospitality bosses have consistently demanded that they need additional financial and logistical support to sustain through the lockdown phase. A few months ago, as many as 600 employees from the hospitality industry had staged a protest shaking their pots and pans in Parliament Square, as they called the Prime Minister to do a Uturn on the curfew and Tier system designed to curb the spread of the infection.

There has also been an ongoing petition whereby restaurateurs are urging for the appointment of a hospitality minister who can better understand the industry and liaise with the government in policy planning.

Mayor of Birmingham, Andy Street

Responding

to

the

demand for a hospitality minister, Mayor of Birmingham, Andy Street in an exclusive interview told Asian Voice, “There are lots of sectors though which are not being necessarily represented by an individual. In Birmingham, the biggest automotive sector does not have an automotive minister. I think it is about the representatives of the hospitality sector persuading the Treasury and the business department of their special needs. That is the most powerful way of getting the message across instead of having a hospitality minister.”

Now, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also said that financial support for the capital’s hospitality sector from the government should be “sufficient and immediate”. Commenting on the renewed restrictions, Chief executive, Richard

been brought to a practical standstill. Over 20,000 Asian weddings have been cancelled and hundreds of businesses were forced to close. As a result of which thousands of workers forced into unemployment yet, there is not much clarity for these businesses.

Discussing the adverse impact on the Asian wedding industry, Neal further added, “The government in Germany has indemnified the insurance policies for weddings which means that people are making their bookings. The same cannot be said in the UK because the government has taken no such measures and we are left in the dark. At the moment, we have a problem with future bookings because clients don’t want to commit as there is no wedding insurance and they stand to potentially

Richard Burge

Burge, said, “This must include – as a minimum – instant cash support to enterprises in hospitality and leisure, and extension of the business rates holiday into the next financial year – which will help the whole of the high street to plan their outgoings and mitigate the impact of the loss of trade due to restrictions deterring those outside London from travelling in.”

But it is not just the restaurants and pubs that have been adversely impacted. The Asian wedding sector which forms a substantial part of the wider wedding industry, and is worth £14.7 billion to the UK economy while employing 400,000 people has also

Catering by Clay Owen

loose some money. The government needs to have a roadmap for recovery, a plan that initiates consumer confidence.”

Consumer confidence in London is already at rock bottom. Corporates have said that Tier 3 measures would only further paralyse businesses which have already been crippled from the absence of tourists and the shift to working from home culture. They are now frustrated by the lack of understanding and support network from the government and the Treasury.

London Central Mosque attacker jailed On Monday 14th December, a 30-year-old man who had converted to Islam and worshipped at the mosque admitted attacking Raafat Maglad.

Daniel Horton was jailed for a minimum of seven years and will serve another four years on extended licence after he is released. Horton had previously pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article after attack-

ing 70-year-old muezzin, who makes the call to prayer at London Central Mosque, on the edge of Regent’s Park, in February.

Mr Maglad was treated in hospital for his injuries and returned to service less than 24 hours after the attack. Mr Maglad suffered nerve damage, has trouble sleeping and his voice has been "adversely affected”.

The court was also told the victim and defendant were known to one other because Horton, who was

Daniel Horton

homeless at the time, had been attending the mosque for a number of years.

PROFILE OF THE WEEK

In the annals of British history Priyanka Mehta There are very few journalists and historians who have succeeded in their impartial recollection of the other side of The Empire. And Anita Anand will have her name embellished in the annals of history for her undeterred passion to sift through cen- Anita Anand turies of archives and rewrite stories often untold or worse yet, mistold. Her proclivity to question the Kiplingesque representations of The Empire in the mainstream industry and hence, write an antidote on the lesser-known facts is perhaps, best reflected in her latest publication. The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj' beat six other titles for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History 2020. But how did the King’s College graduate embark on this journey of uncovering and reporting the truth?

Recalling her journey into news, she said, “I started working on magazines and newspapers as early as secondary school. Later, at university, I started working for the university newspaper and I was lucky to have won a Guardian’s Young Journalist Award for my features. I was the first Asian to have been honoured with this award then and winning that prize gave me a certain degree of confidence that I might be able to pursue a career ahead in this industry.

“I was called into the newly started TV station then known as TV Asia. They did not tell me initially but it later emerged that they had treated my TV interview as a screen test. So, I was still at university and they informed me that they liked my work asking if I would be able to work with them. I remember I would finish my lectures and essays and rush to the studios to record programs. It was the most fantastic opportunity and I eventually worked my way up to become the Head of News at TV Asia which was then bought out by Zee TV.” The rest they say is history. Soon enough, the BBC noticed Anand’s nose for news, her in-depth understanding of all things Asian, and often requested her expert analysis on South Asian history, politics, and current affairs. Winner of the prestigious Nazia Hassain Award, over the years, Anand has presented several programmes for BBC radio and television, including The Anita Anand Show on Radio 5 Live, Radio 4’s Any Answers, presenting Newsnight and cohosting The Daily Politics show on BBC2.

Feeling incredibly “lucky” and “proud” of her trajectory, Anita then embarked on a tangential journey of excavating the hidden truths and chronicling the Indian perspective of British history. Her first book, Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary, a biography of a campaigner for women’s suffrage and Indian independence, was published in 2015. Anita confirms that six publishers wanted to publish her account of Indian princess Sophia Alexandra Duleep Singh. Since then Anita has penned several accounts of British Indian history alongside renowned historians such as William Dalrymple with whom she co-authored for Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond.

Discussing the significance of lending an Indian voice to British history, she said, “There is an appetite for looking at the past and re-appraising it. That happens when second and third generation Asians grow up and realising that something doesn’t feel or sound right. The Kiplingesque, rose-tinted picture that has been presented in our education system is no longer satisfying. The fact that ‘The Patient Assassin’ won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize which is a very prestigious history prize tells me that there is an appetite for looking at these subjects from the Indian perspective now and re- writing the narrative. A lot of the books that I had read about the massacre and the times around it was written from the British perspective. I made a real effort in going through the Indian archives and look at the Indian voices to narrow these accounts and present the Indian perspective and I was delighted that this book was so well-received.

“I am a product of the relationship between Britain and India and thus, a lot of my stories or the subjects that interest me centre around the British Indian history. I am extremely proud of my roots, culture and heritage that has made me who I am today.”

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19 - 25 December 2020

Watershed reforms in Indian Agriculture sector Rohit Vadhwana India is a country of farmers and villages. Mahatma Gandhi had said, ‘The soul of India lives in its villages.’ And it is true even today as the census of 2011 shows about 68.84% Indians live in 640,867 villages. Main occupation in villages is Agriculture, providing primary source of employment to over 58% of India’s population.

While the first set of Agricultural reforms, in a way of Green Revolution, has made India self-reliant and exporter of food products, contribution of agriculture in economy is only 4% of GVA, and resultantly there is less return for farmers. This has been one main cause of poverty for small and marginal farmers of India.

Government of India has promised to double farmers’ income by 2022 and in that direction, a new set of watershed reforms in the agriculture sector are introduced recently.

While the rest of India connected to international markets, our farmers could only sell in their traditional mandis. Our agricultural policies were created when India was a food deficit nation, and production needed to be incentivised, and the Government needed to protect the farm sector.

I will give you a brief idea about three legislative reforms in the agriculture sector.

The first legislation, termed as

‘The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020’seeks to create a veritable eco system where both farmers and traders can enjoy freedom of choice of sale/purchase eliminating intermediaries. It will also promote barrier free inter and intra state trade and commerce whereby the farmers will not be charged cess for selling their produce and not have to bear transport costs. Interestingly, the Bill also proposes an electronic trading in transaction. Farmers will now be able to engage in direct marketing thereby eliminating the middleman and any other intermediaries.

Another bill, titled, ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price As-surance and Farm Services Bill, 2020’ will empower farmers for engaging with proces-sors, wholesalers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters et al, on a level playing field. It seeks to transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor. It will also enable the farmer to access modern technology, better seed and other inputs, and reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers. It will also enable access to modern technology, better seeds, and effective dispute resolution mechanisms.

In addition to these two enactments, the third important bill is ‘The Essential Commodi-ties (Amendment) Bill which aims to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, onion and potatoes from

the essential commodities list, and remove the imposition of stockholding limits on such items. This Bill seeks to attract private sector/FDI into the farming sector as it takes away any excessive regulatory interference and creates a competitive market environment.

The ambitious goal of doubling farmer’s income hinges critically on unshackling agriculture marketing, which is what these Bills aim to achieve. Now the potential of electronic national market for agriculture (eNAM) can be utilized fully.Complementing these reforms, a Agriculture Infrastructure Fund worth INR 1 lakh crore (about GBP 10 billion) has been launched to create infrastructure close to the farmgate. Further, a huge thrust is also being placed on the collectivisation of farmers through farmer producer organisations (FPOs)/farmer producer companies (FPCs), to improve their leverage and bargaining power.

I am firm believer of the fact that change can only be embraced when we are ready to understand and appreciate all the facts and figures and indeed the vision that it is based upon. There are campaigns based either on ignorance or misinformation, which we hope will clear when it comes evident how this is a ground-breaking moment for the agricultural sector in India.

While I want to make amply clear that this is a sovereign issue and not a matter of con-cern or

comment for any other nation, I am happy to share what our Government has achieved as an area which might inspire others to follow suit, and clear doubts on the positive trajectory these Bills envision for our farming sector.

The Constitution of India identified agriculture as a state subject –and to protect farmers ‘rights, States enacted Agriculture Produce Markets Regulation Acts (APMC) in the 60s and the 70s.

There is a misconception that these new bills dismantle the existing structure of state APMCs, this is not true, in fact they provide competition to this system by opening up alternative marketing structures.

Another misguided concern is that farmers fear that procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will stop. Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has himself stated these bills do not replace the prevailing system of MSP, and farmers can sell their produce at MSP rates, if they wish to.

This is rather a group of forward-looking legislation and it is a win-win situation for all farmers, consumers and entrepreneurs.

Our aim should now be to spread awareness about how path breaking these reforms are, and while it is initially hard for any system to change, I am confident once the facts are appreciated these reforms will be embraced by all.

Writer is First Secretary (Economic, Press & Information) at the High Commissioner of India, London.

BIJA announces new partnership with Mizrahi Tefahot Bank The British Indian Jewish Association has announced a new partnership with Mizrahi Tefahot Bank as part of its winter campaign to raise money to provide food for those in need. The campaign to provide food packages is in partnership with Amrit S Maan’s Punjab Restaurant. Its initial target has been to raise the money for 2,000 parcels.

Mizrahi has agreed to provided matched funding enabling the provision of 10,000 food parcels – for every £1 donated, Mizrahi will give £1. BIJA Co-Chair Zaki Cooper said, “As a charity, we think it’s really important that our two communities use their relationship to benefit wider society, and show that they can help to solve social problems. Hunger, particularly amongst children, affects millions of people in the UK. Marcus Rashford and others have highlighted the issue, and we want to play our own small part in addressing it too.”

Matthew Plax, Head of Corporate Banking at Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, said, “Hunger has always been a problem in the UK – it’s not just an issue for developing countries. However, this has been proliferated by the pandemic and thanks to the efforts of several high-profile role models, it is finally getting the rightful attention it deserves.

8 UK

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19 - 25 December 2020

PRODUCED D IN ASSOCIA ATI A TION WITH UK U GOVERN NMENT

ARE COVID OVIID-19 V VA ACC CIN US AND A HOW WILL HOW W TH HE The goo od news is tha att th he UK Gov overnm ment has se ecured d access to 357 million va vaccine a doses to combat c at Co ovi v d-19.

Rupanjana Duttta

Following months of rigorous clinical trials and anaallysis ysis of the data by experts, e the UK Governmen nt has accepted the recomm mendation from the indepen ndent Medicines and Healtthcare products Regulator egulatoryy Agency (MHRA) to o approve Pfizerr// BioNT Tech ech’ss Covid-19 vaccine ffor orr use.

The Co ovid-19 vaccine is being made aavvailable across the UK U starting with those mostt in need. When it’s your tu urn, you will be in nvited by the t NHS to book an appointtment to get one.

With decades of experiencee in large scale vaccination n programmes, the NHS will w begin putting their preeparations into action to p provide care and support to all those eligible for vvaccinaation. ation Experts are clear. A eff ffectiv ective vaccine v will b vital in slowing s furthe spread. Wiith that in mind the UK Government G ha secured aaccess to 357 million vaaccine doses, vi agreementts with seve separate developers..T The haave help from the Join Committeee on Vaccination Vaccination and Immun nisation (JCVI), a panel off independent experts, set up to identify w which of the vaccines iss best suited ffor o the UK. Here, Dr Farzana F arzan Hussain, GP partner a the Projeect Surgery i Newham explains e why hy w should all b be confident tha the vaccin nes meet stric standards of saffety ety and an eff ffectiv ectiveneess.

The Asian T c community whi hich has grea atter e u errlyin und lyin ng issue iss es s such as diabetess, b ea br athing thing p problems or COPD C COPD, D, is ffar mor more e a risk of Co at ovi vid.

So, they So, th should c come forw war ard an nd ta ake the va vaccine e when they receiive n fica noti attion.

1

Ca an you please e exp p sim mple wordss how d

work?

Covid vaaccine has a little bit the viruss inside. Nott the whol tiny littlee protein from which when injected ed in enable o our bodies to o mak that we call immunitty. That’ the immunity to the real virus.

Do o vaccines work diffe Assian people?

No. The h vaccine h has been b triall ll thnicities to o ensur of all ethni everyonee. There is n vaccine that we givee annually immunissation vaccin Asian people.

2

Do o vaccines work diffe pe eople of differ e ent age gr No again n. Older peop ple are mor to get sick with differ e ent don’t work differ e ently on differ e en at all.

3

Do o comorbidi d ti hiinder the efficiency o I know Covid is new nothing in vaccines in the past to show that comorbid dities havve m made a differ e

4

Can we ever ha av ve a vaccine that is 100% effecti ffective e?

I know we are seeingg the earl early studies of the coronaavirus virus vaccine, but I ha have never known a vaccine that is 100% % eff ffective. ective.

5

6

After the vac ccine is administered, wha att reaction r n does it trigg ger er in the th

body?

Studies show that lik ke other vaccines, there mayy be a little bit of muscle m pain or you might get ffever ever lik like symptom ms as in the flu vaccine.

We are not seeing anyything else.

7

Are there an ny n y side si effects ffects w whi hich would requirre people to sta ay y o off

work?

Some people, and that’ at’s with the flu vaccine as well, will get a ffever eveer like lik you would with a cold. And if you are not n ffeeling eeling well, you may want to stay off worrk. Generally speaking, we would not want peopl p e to stay off work because of the vaccine. e.

Wha at are ar the key k facts tha att an Asian family needss tto know about this vaccine? e?

Sadly, we do know that Asians haave ve been more aff ffected ected by Co Covid and they are at a hi h risk. higher i k Th Thereffor fore, o it is all the more mor important for for them to o come ffor orward and take the vaccine.

8

How many doses d or booster shots are needed? What is the time ga gap between tw wo o booste boo er shots?

At the moment it’s ttwo doses and they are taken three weeks i.e.. 21 days y apart.

9

Dr Farzana Hussain

PFIZER BIONTE N CH CO OVID VID-19 -19 V VA AC CCINE GUIDAN U DAN NCE CE ON MANA NA AG GIN I G ALLER RG GIC REA ACTI CTIONS Thee MHRA advises that any peerson witth a history of immediate-onset onset anap aphylaxis to a vaccine, medi dicine or ffood ood should not receive the Pfizer BioNT o Tech ech vaccine. Anyone due to receive theeir vaccine should continue with their app pointment and discuss any concerns cerns or medical history of serious allergi e es witth the healthcare proffessi essional priior to adm ministration.

What ha ap ppens if there is an ad dverse reaction n??

Depending nding on w what it is, if there’s a litttle bit of pain where the needle has gone iin, you mayy want w to take a couple of paracetamo etamol and rest. r But if the fever fever is ver very high and if you aare concerned about anything, consult consul your G GP.

10

Should the people with any underrllying issues be conc cerned abou ut the vaccine?

Th Asian The A comm community it which hi h has h gr greater t underrlying issues such as diabetes, breeathing problems or COPD, is far more at risk r of Covid. d. So, they should come ffor orward and nd tak take the vaccine accine w when they receive notification.

11

Would yo you recommend a family f gets its vaccine at the th same tiime or do ol older people get get it i first and yo young u ges est last?

12

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the side eff ffects ects of this t vaccine. So, the mphasise on how saffee messaging has to emp the vaccine has been duringg trials and how eff ffective they seem to o be. I have v not seen so far anything that m makes me think that I would not want to tak ke the vaccine myself.

Data ata from fr Na ational Institute for Health Researrch has said tha att o only 4.35% of volunteers o s for clinical trial are To from Asian backgro ound in the UK. To ensure vaccines are e effecti ffective ve, we need more ethnic minoriity representation in the clinical trials. Ho ow do yo you think we we can convince people e from a community suff ffering ffering i fr from f an nxiety i t ttriggered i d b by mistrust, to sign up fo or the research? h?

This is very com mplex. People need constant reminding from fr GPs, community pharmacists, health h visitors, teachers and the volunteer seectors that the BAME community is an equal part of B British society. So, we as a comm ommunity would want to contribute to reseaarch because it would help us.

20

How do yo you p propose to mak ke e the th vac accine acce essib ble to every yo one, ne particularrlly when itt comes to the BAME comm muni unity with its various v barriers?

This is the biggest mass vaccination I havve seen in my liffetime. etime. We W at the GP and local pharmacy know our patients very well. I run a practice with 5000 patients, and I know some of them veery well. So, it is about encouraging them. I certainl certainly think this will be liffesav esaving and d will help us get back uture. to normality in the fu

21

Wer ere there a any specific effects noted in Asian n community c during the trials?

Nothing has come out ut in the li licensing (on the infformati ormation we ha have ve so far) to say that the BAME communityy is more at risk or will havve certain side eff ffects. eccts. We havve not been told anything in thee medical medi proffessi ession about it.

22

Oldest first and thee youngest last. That’s really because of th he vaccine distribution factor. We want to saavve our most vulnerable first. So,, health and social care workers are first prioritised, then n over 80s, then over 70s and so on.

Can the persson wh who is vaccinated go about the eir normal lives soon after being va vaccina atted?

After those have been vaccinated, as long as they don’t havve a fever fevver or pain they can go about their lives as no ormal. The vaccine does not make them inffecti ecctious anyway. They can do everything they w want to.

13

Are there A th any y dos d and d don’ts d ’t once a person has be een v va accina atted?

No, but do continue with all the other measures like sociaal distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and letting fresh air into homes regularly is also important.

14

How long will w this vaccine be effective again nst the virus?

Since coronavvirus hasn’t h been around for for very long, we just do on’t know the answer to that yet.

15

The quick turn naround of the vac accine has been enc couraging. But can yo you assure our readers tha t att they th are safe?

It has been a remarrkable breakthrough in the scientific commu unity, and it has been so quick. But most of th he time the delay occurs because of licensing and a not because of saffety ety testing. So, I am peersonally very confident that saffety ety testing has h been as good as an any

16

otherr vaccine. The public can be assurred that saffetyy has not been compromised compr in turning this aaround so quickly.

As y yo ou must be a aw ware ar in n some vaccines there are traces of pig or foetus’ and devout Muslims Muslims a av void such h vaccines. Can yo you confirm tha ha att this vacc cine will not carry such ingredie ents?

The Covid vaccine does not havve anyy traces of pigg or foetuses. foetuses.

17

Dr Chand Nagpaul from BM MA has pointed out that BAME comm muni unities ha ave lower wer lif life expectancy than n their Whitte counterparts. So, o, p priority should b giiven be i to BAME communities. iti L d London Ma ayor o Sadiq Khan has emphasise ed tha att BAM AME ME Londoners L should be m made a priorrity y.. Wha att do yo you think?

We d do know that BAME people have v been certaainly more aff ffected. ected. But B the bigggest risk facto or ffor or dying d from this Covid viruss is still age related. Ideally, the groups that arre being recom mmended by age regardless of etthnicity is stiill the best and saffest est waayy to do d this.

Obviiously, there will be an overlap p w where I am m working in Newham because 73% of popu ulation is BAME. BAME But we need to o think abou ut who’s most at risk and how many lives we caan save v quickly with this vaccinattion.

18

Ho ow can messaging rela atted t to vaccine be culturally compettent?

We h have v to ensure that the messages are ar out in diff fferent er languages other than English. But I am aware that the BAME communitty has a bit more m resistance and concern reggarding

19

How man ny y pe peo eople will ha av ve to be vac accina atted befor b e we we c consider the community nott at extra risk? How ow quickly could this po otentially ha ap ppen n??

It is a new vaccine. So, we do not know if there will be herd im mmunity. Certainly, for for other diseases like chiild immunisation that protects against polio o we look at 92%. We do not know if that will be the case ffor or this vaccine.

How quickly it caan happen, it depends on so many things. It depends d on the supply of vaccination and wh hat the uptake. That is why we are going with th the most vulnerable ones first. We are hoping to start beffor ore Ch i t Christmas and d by b April ril il a pr proportion ti off th the population will be vaccinated. accinated. So, we need the BAME communityy to come ffor orward and be vaccinated.

23

How will the vaccine be distributed? H How will people be told to come?

At the moment, the Pfizer P vaccination has to be stored in very low w temperature, minus 700 centigrade (-700 ceentigrade). That is one of the reasons we as the GP comm community are not doing this per normal practice. practice We will be part of 67,000 in a group of practices, and vaccine will be deliver elivered to one site in every single borough h. We will all then go to that one site to imm mmunise our patients from there, because off the suitability of that vaccine. Vaccines willl come to that site and we will all be workingg extra hours, 7 dayys a week, 8am-8pm, so that hat peop people can come in and get vaccinated.

24

Ther ere is going to be a natio onal notificaation system by the government, and we can n also do local callings g like GP letters, ters,, texts etc. e There will be a national leetter invitatiion as well.

IIf people p can’t get out of the hou use, c they be vaccina can atted at home e?

Absolutely.

25

we think v va we Do we D accina attion meanss w can go go back ba living normally, y, back ba b to our old o lives?

That’s the hope. When that will happen en is still an unanswered question. It dependss on h how lo long the h vaccine i lasts l ffor; or; how man many people get vaccinated. I don’t think we should get complacent about face masks asks and hand and washing and social distancing. cing. tion But cerrtainly, that is the hope and ambiti of this vaccination vaccinati program.

26

How important are celebrities frrom H t community the y,, ffaith org rganisations and co ommunity org rganisations to spre ead the me essag ge//importance im of v va accina ati t tion among g Asians?

It is ever verybody’ss responsibility. verybody responsibility So, So if more mor itive people can deliver the message it is a positive thing, and it will ensure ensur that everyb body comes ffor orward to get the vaccine.

27

Many from the Asian commun M nity a exposed to misinformation are n, a fear of discrimination and ha av ve mistrus rust in Gov vernment’’ss in intentions to v va accin natte.

How do y yo ou eliminate tha at, t, starting s frrom your lo ocal patients?

Yes, the ther ere havve been a lot of concerns. Local ocal relationships nships and community comm pharmaccists play a vital v role here. So, if anybody has such questio ons they can come ffor orward and get a neutrral and honest answer from health proffessi essi sionals.

28

Will you be ha W aving ving the th vaccine c yourself? And will y yo ou be advissing your fa amily members of all age, to ha av v it ve too?

I will be off ffer ered the vaccine as a healthcar care proffessi essi sional and I will be taking it. M My children are teenagers, so they will be very lo ow in priority because they aree fit and heal ealthy. But when they are off ffer ered, definiteely.

29

IIf yo you get get a flu sho sh t, wha what is the tiime g between getting the flu jab and gap an the virus us v va accine? e?

There should be full 7 days y in between.

30

IIs the vaccine compulsory by la aw a w?

I it is compulsory If y,, w wh ho will kee ep a track of o those vaccinated and those who are nott?

The vaccine ccine is not compulsory by laaw w. But we wo ould hope people would use their heir commo on sense and come ffor orward to ttake the vaccine. ccine.

31

IIs the vac accine for UK reside ents o only or can visitors from oversseas avail of o it?

Anybod dy entitled to NHS treatmentt as residen nts would be eligible to, even if they havve been b awa wayy for for a w while. Generall ally, visitorss who are allowed to stay underr six months in the UK will not be eligible.

32

Are A there any special ecial a arrangements to tak ke e the th vaccin ines for those wh who are planning to visit v the regi egions g such as India, Pakistan n or o Bangla adesh?

I haave ve not heard hear if anybody planningg to traavel will get any an priority.

33

10 READERS' VOICE

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19 - 25 December 2020

Vehicle Excise Duty

Lockdown Relaxation & Christmas Bubble

The pandemic continues to cripple Transport for London’s main source of income, which comes from passenger fares.

Despite this, the Government has so far refused to provide TfL with the sustainable and long-term funding deal it needs to keep services running smoothly and to secure the future of key infrastructure projects- which are crucial for job creation and supporting London’s economic recovery.

This has meant that City Hall and TfL have been forced to find other ways of making up the financial deficit they face in future years.

One of the fairest solutions would be for Ministers to allow London to keep hold of the money it collects through Vehicle Excise Duty. This is worth around £500 million per year and is currently spent to subsidise road maintenance in other parts of the country.

If the Department for Transport will not come to the table to discuss this, the Mayor has signalled that he might need to explore the option of a new boundary charge in future years. This would mean that motorists outside of the capital, would need to pay a £3.50 charge to drive into Greater London.

The ball is now in the Government’s court.

The decision, to allow up to three households to stay together and form a “Christmas Bubble” during 23-27 December, doesn’t really make sense to me.

Hindus celebrated Diwali during November respecting & obeying current lockdown restrictions at the time in mind.

For all of us, it was a unique experience. Having an “eDiwali” & making most of it through Zoom, WhatsApp and Facebook Calls, etc. Certain elders who were not Tech Savvy did eventually have to work these Apps out & made most of it.

Now the point here if the daily coronavirus numbers haven’t noticeably gone down, how wise is it to have such lockdown relaxation for Christmas? Diwali being equally important to Hindus, how fair is it to allow such lockdown relaxation due to Christmas!

Also, what is the guarantee that this won’t act as a timebomb waiting to explode! Households mixing with one another like this carries a great risk.

Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Year coming to an end There is a real sense of optimism as we are coming to the end of 2020 and start of 2021, based on the vaccine for Covid-19.

No-doubt we are getting on top of the pandemic as we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

WHO lacks the investigation of countries where all sorts of animals are butchered for human consumption which causes, as we have witnessed, widespread diseases and deaths.

Also, our way of life will drastically change as we ae exiting the EU and we face economic challenges. Success always demands a greater effort, and our Churchillian Nation will find solutions.

My friends and I take this opportunity to wish you the compliments of the season and a very merry Xmas and a happy, healthy and successful New Year.

Ramesh Nehru By email

Vaccine for Covid-19 It is really encouraging to know the progress made by India in conducting research on the vaccine for Covid-19.

As reported in AV dated 12-18 December 2020, the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi has visited different manufacturing sites personally to show the gratitude to the doctors, scientists and other staff members who have been working tirelessly to develop the vaccine.

India has once again proved its capabilities in terms of innovation and developing the vaccine on a mass scale in a very short period of time. Our scientists are comparable or better than some of the best worldwide, keeping in mind the resources available.

Now the major task is to make it available from “laboratory to land”, where actually it is needed the most. By combining IT (Information Technology) and logistical capabilities, there is no doubt that the nation is capable of making it a reality and make the country “Covid Free”.

Having a considerable progress on the vaccine is good news but it is not yet the time celebrate and relaxation of rules like social distancing, wearing masks and avoid gatherings. Soon festivals like Christmas, Festival of Kite and marriage season will start which will require extra precautionary measures to avoid transmission of the disease.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom has specifically warned that any complacency against Covid will prove dangerous because of the likely availability of the vaccine.

Devang Bhatt Basildon

What about your own mess, Mr Trudeau?

Being an Indo-Canadian and lifetime liberal party supporter living in our adopted country of Canada, I take great exception PM Justine Trudeau interfering in internal affairs of India.

What a double and shameful standard by Prime Minister, while he himself ignores the plight of Canadian farmers.

Farmers in Ontario claim the Trudeau government has left farmers without any help as they forecast disastrous losses.

The Chair of the Grain Farmers of Ontario Markus is shocked that the Trudeau government appears unwilling to address plight of farmers. Those who are protesting in downtown Toronto for Indian farmers why did you never protest for your own Canadian farmers? Dear Prime Minister look at your own backyard first. It is full of discrimination, women and girls suffering sexual abuses at all levels. The well-educated immigrants are driving cabs, work in factories and suffer racial abuses.

Once hard-working seniors’ citizens homes are dying due to Covid-19 because of sheer neglect.

Many decades ago, Late Pierre Trudeau your father came to Toronto for his election campaign and myself, my wife, two very young daughters went to listen to his speech at the community centre. He was well respected around the world while your Bollywood style trip to India in February 2018 was a total disaster. There is a huge difference between you and him.

Charity begins at home. First sort out your own mess and then criticise India’s Prime Minister and his government.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

Be a tree angel

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

A Year in Politics Kapil Dudakia It has been one year since the General Election that catapulted Boris Johnson from being seen as a side show to becoming the British Prime Minister with a thumping majority that defied the critics, the pollsters and knocked the stuffing out of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.

The pace of change, especially on Brexit was significant and with a few months it became a secondary issue.

We all celebrated the arrival of the New Year, a leap year no less. And no sooner had the masses recovered from the party season, COVID hit the world. Thanks to the incompetence of the Chinese, yet again a deadly virus was unleased into the world. We witnessed the WHO making things up, many believing purposefully to let the Chinese off the hook but President Trump called them out and shamed them on the international stage.

Millions falling ill and according to the latest statistics: there have been more than 71m Coronavirus cases worldwide, more than 1.6m deaths and millions still recovering. For a full year, the overriding topic of discussion was COVID 19. Hardly any other news had traction. So, on the PM’s first year anniversary it was incredible news that Britain became the first country to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. As a nation we can now not only see the light at the end of the COVID tunnel, but we can also see that post-Brexit, the horizon ahead is clear for us to make a future fit for a healthy nation.

Our Chancellor, dishy Rishi, has ploughed billions of pounds into the economy to keep GB Ltd afloat. Not an easy task, but one that he carried out with dedication and empathy. We all know that as a nation we all must buckle up and do our bit to pay for all of this, so lest we forget, stop the whinging, it’s time to get stuck in and make a success of 2022 and beyond.

Jeremy Corbyn lost not just an election, he lost the leadership of the Labour Party and recently, even lost the party whip. This JC was certainly not the Marxist messiah.

In February, the PM and Carrie Symonds announced they were expecting their first baby together.

By March COVID had become rampant and the Government COBRA team came into action. Football was suspended, if there was anything that brought home the seriousness of COVID, this was it. Followed swiftly with a ban on international travel and school closure. If that was not enough, the COVID left hook came into play and we saw the closure of nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres, cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Life changed for all of us. Thankfully, the British tradition of queuing came into its own, we did that so well.

Of course, Captain Tom Moore, who raised £32m for NHS charities, brought a smile to the nation and was rightly knighted.

In June, the madness of Black Lives Matter, which was hijacked by some extremist groups, raised awareness as well as damaged race relations in one go. At our peril we allow these anarchists any more traction.

Did you know that Britain returned three antique bronze sculptures to India more than 40 years after they were stolen from a Hindu Mandir in Tamil Nadu? It’s a start, now we await the return of thousands of other artefacts stolen during the era of the Raj! And folks, this is just a small cross section of key events. 2022 awaits the brave, how are you all feeling?

Wearing a mask before leaving home is an important step in keeping coronavirus at bay. Several studies have suggested that masks can reduce the risk of the contagion by 50 per cent. But masks must be washed regularly, just as we do with our clothes.

After every use, wash your mask with warm water and soap. Let it sun-dry before wearing it again. And always carry a clean, spare mask with you to ensure that you are covered.

Save Mother Earth from deadly pollution is a popular movement, especially amongst young and the educated middle class, with wide-spread demonstrations, occupying bridges, closing roads and holding traffics. Although this is worthy cause that deserves our support, I feel this is wrong choice to bring the issue in public domain. It harms the cause more and may lose supporters who may miss hospital appointments and other such must attend businesses.

No wonder coronavirus is spreading like wildfire in Britain, putting innocent lives at risk, over-burdening NHS and doing immense economic harm, with loss of millions of jobs and livelihood. No wonder queue at “Food Banks” lengthens by the hour; children go to bed on a glass of water.

This nation has not experienced such deprivation, hunger, loneliness and loss of confidence since the end of WW2, with additional burden of fighting Covid 19 at the same time. Suicide rate has gone up, especially amongst young, university students, professionals and BAME that should worry the government.

The best and sensible manner to help the fight against pollution is not demonstration but doing some-thing positive that will reduce carbon in the air and slows down warming of the earth, mainly oceans, melting of polar ice as never before.

One of the best ways is to plant trees, as the rain forest of Amazon in Brazil is losing thousands of acres every year, as it is difficult to satisfy our demand for wood, especially hard wood like teak, ross wood that mainly comes from tropical countries.

The world needs to plant some five siblings for every tree felled, especially in Western countries like Britain, US and EU and discourage use of wood as far as possible. Trees are most efficient at removing carbon from atmosphere and the best way to neutralise earth warming, along with use of solar, wind and hydro-electric that may help to attain zero carbon economy by 2050!

We absolutely loved to read about Dr and Mrs Shukla in Asian Voice last week. The front-page story about the hero couple made us feel that it is important to vaccinate ourselves. If octogenarians like them could brave it, so should we. There are many misguided people in the community.

They fear the vaccine may kill them. But even if the vaccine does not affect them, Covid-19 would definitely kill them.

As London enters the third lockdown, it is pivotal we encourage people in the community to vaccinate. Health Secretary said the virus is mutating differently now and there is a new trend, that is causing the widespread.

Since vaccine is the only answer, we must avail it.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Bulbul Mehta London

Hitesh Hingu London

Keep yourself safe

An inspiration

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19 - 25 December 2020

No time to be careless Ruchi Ghanashyam UK started mass vaccination of its citizens against the coronavirus a few days ago, becoming the first western country to do so. UK is also the first country to have approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine, ahead of the country of its development, USA. A few days later, US FDA gave approval for emergency use of the vaccine. Canada, too, approved the vaccine.

Ninety year old Margaret Keenan became the first woman in the world to be vaccinated with it after the approval of the vaccine in UK, with William Shakespeare becoming the second person to be so vaccinated. This news came as a relief to a global population that has been kept under siege by the dreaded virus for almost one year.

UK was amongst the early victims of this virus. It also saw some high profile Covid-19 warriors in the initial phase.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered from the virus around the same time as Prince Charles and Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Like some other countries, UK imposed a widespread lockdown in March 2020. As the virus seemed to have been brought somewhat under control, and the country started opening up, people relaxed their vigil and came out to enjoy a freedom that had to be denied for weeks on end. It didn’t take long for the virus to sting again and UK went through a second wave, followed by a second lockdown!

This experience is not unique to UK alone. Several countries in Europe also went through a revival of the infection, as the virus continued to rage in the US, and Melbourne went through a long and strict lockdown. In India, the opening up was done in stages, but the festive season in October-November, saw caution being thrown to the winds and we witnessed, what is being described as a third wave!

The enormous sense of relief, bordering on euphoria, unleashed by the vaccination campaign can be explained somewhat by the above backdrop. The successful start of the vaccination process, has generated hope that our suffering is finally behind us. It seems that the human brain and scientific acumen has finally defeated the virus. One feels a sense of release. Our frustration at

being confined for so long has convinced us that we can step out and begin living a normal life again.

We would do well to remember that a cure for Covid-19 is still out of our grasp and that people falling to the coronavirus are still losing the fight in big numbers. Globally, so far, around 70 million cases and over 1.5 million deaths have been reported by WHO data. Vaccine notwithstanding, we are still some way off from putting the virus behind us. That is not to say that we shouldn’t be overjoyed by the start of the vaccination process, but it is good to remind oneself that vaccination is hopefully the beginning of the end. We have to wait to see the end of the virus. Covid-19 has left a lot of fear and trauma in its wake. Being careful does not equate with fear. Not everyone who gets the virus lands up in a hospital. As we all know now, a majority of the cases are cured at home with only some displaying the symptoms of severe pneumonia.

Doctors also know more about this virus now than they did at the beginning of the year. Yet, this virus remains a mystery in many of its facets. We hope that the vaccine will provide long term immunity, but how long the vaccine induced immunity will last, remains to be seen. Now that we are so close to victory over this virus, let us not lose patience. Let us continue to follow the precautions that have been drilled into our minds repeatedly over the last several months: Wear a mask, Keep your distance, and Wash (or sanitise) your hands regularly!

I am trying to remind myself of these life saving measures every day, are you?

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

British Sikhs hold pro-Khalistan rally supporting Indian farmers To commemorate the UN Human Rights Day, on Thursday 10th December British Sikhs demonstrated their support for Indian farmers at a mass protest outside the Indian consulate in Birmingham. Over 100 cars were stationed in solidarity with the Indian farmers as they “protested” against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Agricultural Reforms Bill.

The protest was organised by ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ) and led by “Khalistani” and “anti-India” forces including Paramjeet Singh Pamma.

Dupinderjit Singh, UK Coordinator for Sikhs for Justice, in a statement said, “The farmers of Punjab have the democratic right to peacefully protest against the Indian Government’s damaging Agricultural Bills.

On UN Human Rights Day, we stand together in solidarity with all Sikhs.”

In the meantime, it is understood that the UK Foreign Office is closely following the protests by farmers in India. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

(FCDO) has maintained that the police handling of protests in India are a matter for the government of India.

The government has also issued a clarification stating that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had clearly misheard Slough MP Tan Dhesi’s question in Parliament when he responded with Britain's stance on the India-Pakistan dispute instead.

Earlier at the Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) session in the House of Commons, Johnson responded to Dhesi’s concerns over farmers protesting in India by stating that “any dispute between India and Pakistan was for the two countries to settle bilaterally”.

The Opposition Sikh

Labour MP had raised the issue of the footage of water cannons, teargas and brute force being used against the peaceful protesters.

He had asked Boris Johnson, “So, will the Prime Minister (Johnson) convey to the Indian Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock and does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest.”

Johnson however, appeared to be addressing the Kashmir dispute instead, as he said, “Our view is that of course we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he appreciates that point.”

Dhesi soon took to social media stating that Johnson was clueless as other Labour politicians joined the bandwagon.

HEALTH SECRETARY WARNS OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF COVID-19 AS FILM RELEASED The Health Secretary Matt Hancock is urging the public - and especially young people - to follow the rules and protect themselves and others from Covid-19, as new data and film reveal the potentially devastating longterm impact of the virus.

The film calls on the public to continue to wash their hands, cover their face and make space to control the spread of the virus. The film features the story of Piyush Madhani, 38, who explains how his life has been affected - weeks and months after being diagnosed with Covid-19. He said, “I get short of breath easily and find it difficult to climb the stairs and play with my 3-yearold daughter.”

A study by King’s College London, using data from the Covid Symptom Study App and ZOE, shows one in 20 people with Covid-19 are likely to have symptoms for 8 weeks or more. The study suggests long Covid affects around 10% of 18 to 49-yearolds who become unwell with Covid-19.

Public Health England have found that around 10% of Covid-19 cases who were not admitted to hospital have reported symptoms lasting more than four weeks and a number of hospitalised cases reported continuing symptoms for eight or more weeks after discharge.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, “I am acutely aware of the lasting and debilitating impact long Covid can have on people of all ages, irrespective of the seriousness of the initial symptoms. The findings from researchers at King's College London are stark and this should be a sharp reminder to the public – including to young people – that Covid-19 is indiscriminate and can have long-term and potentially devastating effects.”

Dr Farzana Hussain GP at the Project Surgery said, “Most people recover from Covid-19 without needing specialist treat-

ment and for the majority symptoms will clear just after 14 days. However, for some the symptoms continue for weeks and months, if people are suffering with breath-

Piyush R Madhani

lessness, muscular pain and fatigue then they must speak to their GP and get a diagnosis.”

The Government is committed to supporting people suffering long-term symptoms of Covid-19. The NHS recently announced £10 million to run designated long Covid clinics in every area across England where specialists and GPs will all help assess, diagnose and treat thousands of people who have reported symptoms ranging from breathlessness, chronic fatigue, 'brain fog' to anxiety and stress.

If you are suffering from any long-term symptoms or health problems after recovering from Covid-19, speak to your GP, call 111 or check the Your Covid Recovery website an online Covid recovery resource for patients.

Authorities failed victims of sex grooming The Home Office is expected to publish a paper examining and detailing predatory and grooming gangs operating across the UK it has been understood. The developments follow after police probing an alleged grooming gang charged 32 men with almost 200 offences against girls as young as 13. The alleged offences date from 1999 to 2012 against eight girls in Kirklees, Bradford and Wakefield.

The Sun, reported that the men are believed to be charged with a number of offences - including rape, sexual activity with a child, trafficking and false imprisonment. There are reportedly 196 counts among the defendants in total against eight girls aged between 13 and 16. They were held by cops probing non-recent child sexual exploitation in parts of West Yorkshire as

part of Operation Tourway.

In a statement to The Sun, West Yorkshire Police said, "32 men, largely from the Kirklees area, have been charged with a variety of offences as part of Operation Tourway, an investigation into nonrecent child sexual exploitation in parts of West Yorkshire. Some of the victims were also subjected to offences when they were young adults. Locations in which the alleged offending took place include parts of Kirklees, Bradford and Wakefield."

More recently, former detective at Greater Manchester Police, Maggie Oliver, reportedly helped about 2,000 victims in the last year alone from sexual exploitation and grooming gangs. The mainstream media often identify these predators as “Asian” and that

in the Rotherham incident authorities were wary of being labelled “racists” for inquiring members of a certain community. While child grooming isn't confined to any ethnic group men running these gangs were predominantly from British Pakistani origin.

But Maggie Oliver believes that the problem is less about the ethnicity of the abusers, and more to do with the social class of the victims. In a statement to Sky News she said, "The attitudes towards these kids are that they don't matter. They are an underclass, they're not the chief constable's children. They're not, you know, the prime minister's children. These are children, often from very difficult backgrounds, who don't have a voice, they are easy to dismiss, they are easy to blame."

Teenagers in court over murder On 11th December three teenagers appeared in court charged with the murder of a man who was stabbed in a Birmingham park, the BBC reported.

Two boys and a girl, all aged 17, are allegedly accused of attack on a 29-

year-old Sohail Ali in Summerfield Park, Winson Green and a postmortem examination revealed that he died from multiple stab wounds.

These teenagers from Birmingham and Sandwell, were remanded

into custody by city magistrates and are expected to appear before Birmingham Crown Court. Two other 17-yearolds arrested over Mr Ali's death have been released with no further action, West Midlands Police said.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S Envoys of 64 nations visit vaccine capital Hyderabad Envoys from 64 nations visited the vaccine makers Bharat Biotech and Biological E in Hyderabad’s Genome Valley last week to get a first-hand experience of the Covid-19 vaccine development efforts underway in the world’s vaccine capital.

The ambassadors/high commissioners from countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania were visiting at the invitation of the ministry of external affairs as part of efforts to familiarise the global community about the key Covid-19-related research and development activities being taken up by India. Tweeting about the high-profile visit, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: “In a first, a visit of more than 60 heads of missions was arranged to the research and manufacturing facilities of the leading biotechnology companies, Bharat Biotech and Biological E, in Hyderabad. The participants were briefed on India’s indigenous efforts to develop Covid-19 vaccines, including ongoing clinical trials. As the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, India will contribute significantly to global efforts for producing Covid-19 vaccines”. PM Modi had earlier said that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis, Srivastava recalled in his Twitter post. (Agency) IAF objects to Netflix movie, wants scenes withdrawn The IAF has demanded

withdrawal of certain scenes from an yet to be released Netflix movie “AK vs AK”, after a trailer of it was shared on Twitter by veteran Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor. “The IAF uniform in this video is inaccurately donned and the language used is inappropriate. This does not conform to the behavioural norms of those in the armed forces of India. The related scenes need to be withdrawn,” said the IAF in a tweet. After the video created a storm on social media, Anil Kapoor in a video later “apologised for unintentionally hurting anyone’s sentiments” because the trailer showed him using “unparliamentary language” while wearing an IAF uniform.

Anil Kapoor explained that his character in the film was an actor playing the role of a distraught IAF officer whose daughter has been kidnapped. “I have always had the utmost respect and gratitude for the selfless service of all our defence personnel,” he said. Netflix, too, tweeted that its intention was not to “disrespect the armed forces of India in any regard”. "AK vs AK" is a Vikramaditya Motwane movie,

starring Kapoor and director Anurag Kashyap, playing "themselves as actors". In the one-minute trailer, Kapoor is seen using foul language while

sparring with Kashyap. (The Times of India) 29,000 cold chain points in place for vaccines With three anti-Covid vaccines under regulatory review for emergency use, the government is gearing up with 28,947 cold chain points with 85,643 pieces of equipment across India that are capable of storing the vaccines needed for the first set of 30 million health and frontline workers. The Centre is mobilising additional vaccinators, a digital platform for vaccine delivery and a detailed implementation plan to inoculate around 300 million priority population in the first phase expected to get underway soon. The government is procuring additional cold storage capacities, and supply of equipment to states began on December 10, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, outlining the rollout logistics of the vaccine. Bhushan said the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) has recommended three priority groups, adding up to almost 300 million people. These include healthcare and frontline workers, those above 50 years of age and those with co-morbidities. “Every single Indian who needs to be vaccinated will be given the injection. The vaccination drive, the largest of its kind, could go on for a year or more,” Bhushan said. (Agency)

organised players, they are now getting a decent price of Rs 30-40 per litre. The goat milk is now being used to produce frozen milk, milk powder and even milk soaps to be sold in both national and international markets. Goat milk has also caught the fancy of health freaks for whom it is light on stomach, easy to digest and has high-quality protein. “We have started procuring 200 litres per day goat milk at Rs 30-40 a litre from around 25 farmers of Surendranagar and Rajkot districts,” said Shrey Kumar, cofounder of Rajasthan-based Aadvik Foods, which takes pride in launching India’s first brand of camel milk. “The milk is processed in Kutch. There is lot of demand of goat milk in United States, Singapore and Middle East where we have started direct supply to consumers while we are also exploring to Canada, United Kingdom and Europe,” said Kumar, adding that his firm wants to increase the procurement to over 500 litres a day. Not just Aadvik Foods, many Delhi-based players like Courtyard Farms, Nutragoat, Farm Fresh and others have also started selling goat milk which is said to be the closest to mother’s milk. Some players sell the frozen milk in the range of Rs 400 a litre, milk powder at Rs 1,200 while soaps are sold at Rs 150!

(The Times of India) Navy orders Israeli anti-drone sights Indian Navy has ordered a limited number of Israeli ‘Smash-

Global demand for goat milk, its by-products The ‘maldharis’ of Jamjodhpur taluka in Gujarat

were selling goat milk at a paltry Rs 15 per litre. They were forced to sell the milk to tea vendors or as ‘mawa’ and ghee to local dairies. Following the entry of of

2000 Plus’ computerised fire control and electro-optic sight systems that can be mounted on guns and rifles to tackle the threat from small, hostile drones in both day and night conditions.

Deliveries of the antidrone Smash-2000 sights, which integrate target acquisition and tracking algorithms with image-

processing software, will take place early next year. “Such sights, with each costing less than Rs 10,00,000, can be mounted on rifles to track and shoot down small and fast moving drones with very high kill probability at ranges up to 120 metres. The project will be executed by an Indian firm in collaboration with Israeli original equipment manufacturer Smart Shooter,” a source said. Small drones have emerged as a major military threat in recent years, especially when they work together as a swarm. Drone swarms can be deployed to overwhelm and destroy the air defences of an adversary. Apart from ongoing indigenous efforts, India is set to collaborate with US in developing anti-drone technologies. (Agency) PM Modi, Big's among most quoted Indian tweets

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's April 5 tweet about lighting lamps of "hope and good health" during Covid 19 was the most retweeted in the political space fetching over 118,000 retweets.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan's posting that he had tested positive for Covid-19 on July 11was the most quoted Indian tweet of the year. The most retweeted tweet in the business space in India was tycoon Ratan Tata's post where he had announced £50 million financial aid to fight the coronavirus on March 28. Other most talked about tweets include Indian cricketer MS Dhoni's appreciation post on August 20 for PM Modi's letter on his retirement. In a year-end report dated between January 1 and

November 15, the micro blogging platform revealed mentions for doctors and teachers have increased by 135 per cent and 30 per cent. The most retweeted tweet in India was Tamil actor Vijay's selfie with his fans on February 10. So far his tweet had over 161,000 retweets, 380,000 likes. The most tweeted meme was on Binod. A mention in a video by Slayy Point (@SlayyPoint) set off the meme, which took over the service.

(Agency) 35-year-old mother of 5 raped by 17 There is no end to the heinous crimes against women in India. In the latest incident, a 35-year-old mother of five has been raped by 17 men in Dumka in Jharkhand state. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has directed the police to conduct a probe and submit a detailed report at the earliest.

Dumka SP Ambar Lakra said one person has been arrested while another has been detained and is currently being interrogated.

The incident took place when the woman, a mother of five minor children, along with her husband was returning to her parents’ home from a village. The criminals held her husband hostage before gang-raping the woman. Later the victim lodged a formal complaint against 17, including Ram Mohli of Ghasipur village, after which police formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. Lakra said, “We have arrested Mangal Mohli, who was unnamed in this case. The victim has identified him. Efforts are on to nab the remaining accused.” He added police are awaiting medical reports of the victim.

Meanwhile, BJP’s district women's wing observed a daylong dharna against the incident. “The security of women in the state is at stake under the current regime in Jharkhand,” said former minister and ex-Dumka MLA Lois Marandi. (Agency)

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Four-year-old boy receives a letter from Chancellor Rishi Sunak assuring about Santa's visit Four-year-old Yuvraj (Yuvi) Gosrani is thrilled to receive a reply to his letter to Britain’s Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Earlier this month, Yuvi was concerned if Santa Claus was keeping safe and had enough money to visit him and his friends, given the austerity caused by coronavirus. So, he wrote to Mr Sunak asking if the Chancellor had saved some money to help Santa come from North Pole to see him and his friends in London and bring presents.

The letter that was handwritten in pencil and posted to Mr Sunak by his mum, said, “He will need some extra money to buy hand sanitisers and a suitable mask for his ‘big big’ beard.

We have been really good this year

Yuvraj Gosrani

“Finally, I hope I can reassure that Father Christmas will have hand sanitiser provided to him by his elves.

So, I am sure he will be able to deliver presents to you and your friends as normal.”

Yuvi’s mum Nishma Gosrani OBE speaking to Asian Voice said, “Yuvi was excited about his letter and his school took the time to read it out to all his friends. He was even more excited when the post arrived with the ‘downing street stamp and addressed to him’. The Chancellor has a new fan!”

Brexit for the last few days, replied to Yuvi on his usual yellow and green letterhead, wishing him and his family a Merry Christmas. He said, “Many thanks for your fantastic letter about Father Christmas and Coronavirus precautions. It was really well written, and I have to say I am very impressed.”

The Chancellor added that he was happy that Yuvi and his friends have been good this year and washing their hands.

“It is very important that you keep up the good work so that hopefully we will all be able to beat thus virus,” he said.

“As for Father Christmas I think Chancellor Rishi Sunak's letter (reply) to Yuvraj you have suggested two very sensible with washing our hands. We hope he precautions I shall be sure to (Santa) comes to see you too.”

Yuvraj's letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer pass this on for you!

Mr Sunak, who has been busy with

What is COP26?

Subhash V Thakrar, BCom FCA FRSA Former Chair, London Chamber of Commerce and Founder Chair, Charity Clarity The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, is known as COP26 as it is the 26th conference. It is scheduled to be held in Glasgow for 12 days in November 2021. Last such meeting was in Madrid in 2019.

Our own Secretary of State Alok Sharma will be the President of this conference. Glasgow was chosen because it was awarded the status of Global Green City.

I would not blame you if you are not aware of COP26.

Even I have started taking interest only recently.

This is a major opportunity for the UK to showcase its international presence post Brexit. UK has taken a lead in tackling the climate control measures. The UK government has already announced measures towards targeting to reduce carbon emissions to “net zero” by 2050.

I have been attending some webinars on this subject and I feel a several governments and world institutions are now starting to address the problems of climate change. The negative impact of client change has pushed many people in to poverty. According to World Bank estimate 150 m have slipped in to poverty owing to droughts and flooding.

The Lord Mayor of London, William Russell, has taken the initiative in getting City of London, a World financial centre involved in Green Finance. Already Green Sovereign Bonds have having been issued. There are increasing mandatory disclosures for large corporates in their reporting about actions taken to improve environment. The City is looking to share best practice with other countries and help raise the standards. So far dedicated Green finance initiatives have a market capital of $100 m.

The World Bank has several initiatives for Green Finance. It has supported environmental risk screening projects. In 2020, it invested 30% of its investments, around $3.3 bn towards climate change projects. These are aimed at low carbon, climate packages and climate pathways.

Already there are emerging institutional funds specializing is ESG (Environment , Social and Governance) that will have a conscious of improving the environment for generations to come.

This is a great World role for UK to play when we are out of the shadows of Europe. More efforts will be made by governments and multilateral organizations towards climate change. We can look forward to a better world.

Dominic Raab visits India to pave way for Boris Johnson’s trip in January Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar during his first visit to New Delhi from 14-17 December.

The Foreign Secretary’s visit focuses on partnership in a range of sectors such as trade, defence, education and environment, especially in the post-Brexit world.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is Mr Raab’s counterpart in India, held talks with the British Foreign Secretary on Tuesday 15 December.

This trip is believed to be paving way to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to India in January as the Guest of Honour in India’s Republic Day celebration in New Delhi and UK’s invitation to India to be a guest country at the G7 Summit next year.

The Foreign Secretary is due to meet Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday 16 December to discuss a ‘10year roadmap’ for a new era in the UK-India relationship, closer collaboration on an Enhanced Trade Partnership, and working together to end the coronavirus crisis and tackle climate change.

The Enhanced Trade Partnership will unlock economic benefit for the UK

and India. Ahead of a future Free Trade Agreement, it will boost bilateral trade and investment, which already stands at almost £24 billion and grew by 11% in the last financial year.

UK-India investment supports over half a million jobs in each other’s economies. The Foreign Secretary also reaffirmed the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group will visit the Indo-Pacific region next year.

Mr Raab said, “The UK and India have an invaluable and indispensable partnership, and we look forward to strengthening it in the years ahead. Together we can deliver an Enhanced Trade Partnership next year, combine our cyber security expertise to protect our citizens and join forces to protect global health and promote things like vaccine production.

“As COP26 President and G7 President next year we will work closely with our Indian friends, as they return to the UN Security Council, to boost trade, promote peace and work together as a force for good throughout the IndoPacific.”

On Tuesday he also met Minister of Environment

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab meeting his counterpart- India's Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Tuesday

Prakash Javadekar to discuss further UK-India collaboration on climate change.

Boris Johnson’s to visit India in January Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to India in January 2021 to strengthen a key strategic relationship which supports jobs and investment across the UK. During the visit, the Prime Minister will be only the second British leader since Indian independence to attend India’s annual Republic Day parade in New Delhi as Guest of Honour, after John Major in 1993.

This will be the Prime Minister’s first major bilateral visit since taking office, and the first since our departure from the EU, and underlines his commitment to step up the UK’s engage-

ment with the Indo-Pacific region.

Mr Johnson has written to Prime Minister Modi to accept his invitation, and to invite India to attend the UK’s G7 Summit as one of three guest nations alongside South Korea and Australia – delivering the Prime Minister’s ambition to work with a group of likeminded democracies to advance shared interests and tackle common challenges.

The Prime Minister will use his visit to India to boost Britain’s cooperation in areas from trade and investment, to defence and security, and health and climate change.

The UK and India are significant investors and markets for each other’s

economies and our growing trade and investment relationship is worth around £24 billion a year, supporting more than half a million jobs.

There are 842 Indian companies in the UK with a combined turnover of £41.2 billion, creating jobs in all four corners of the UK. That includes 19,500 people employed by Tata Consulting Services at sites including Peterborough, Liverpool, and Edinburgh; around 5,700 people in Warrington, Derby, Cardiff, Derry/Londonderry and Belfast working for business support firm Firstsource Solutions – which is soon to open a new office in Middlesbrough; and 1,200 people employed by Accord Healthcare Ltd in Newcastle and Barnstaple to manufacture and supply medicines to the NHS. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “I am absolutely delighted to be visiting India next year at the start of an exciting year for Global Britain and look forward to delivering the quantum leap in our bilateral relationship that Prime Minister Modi and I have pledged to achieve.

“As a key player in the Indo-Pacific region, India is

an increasingly indispensable partner for the United Kingdom as we work to boost jobs and growth, confront shared threats to our security and protect our planet.”

As the ‘pharmacy of the world’ India supplies more than 50% of the world’s vaccines, with over a billion doses of the UK’s Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured at India’s Serum Institute in Pune.

UK and India have cooperated closely throughout the coronavirus outbreak to maintain the flow of medical goods for our citizens.

The UK has received 11 million face masks and 3 million packets of paracetamol from India during the pandemic, and we continue to work together to keep vital supply chains open.

There are more than 400 British companies in India, including those at the forefront of our collaboration to tackle climate change. Our partnership is creating jobs and opportunities for UK firms in areas such as renewable energy and electric vehicles, as our countries work together to reduce global emissions ahead of next year’s COP26 Summit in Glasgow.

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in brief in brief

VELENDRA KAUSHIK CHAMPIONS SUSTAINABLE FASHION London-based Bengaluru-born designer and LVMH Prize semi-finalist Kaushik Velendra was chosen to create one of his shoulderenhancing menswear suits for Bollywood actress and British Fashion Council ambassador Priyanka Chopra. The strong silhouette, reminiscent of armour, is “not just a power suit, it’s a super power suit. It is meant to change your posture and to give you absolute confidence,” Velendra said in a statement to British Vogue. Priyanka Chopra Jonas was introduced to Velendra by her stylist Law Roach. In her Instagram post the UN ambassador lauded the efforts that South Asian artists were making in pursuing sustainable fashion. She stressed that she is determined to draw attention to the extraordinary talent of South Asian designers in her capacity as the BFC ambassador. She celebrated Velendra as “a South Asian-born designer who is breaking stereotypes, pushing for more sustainable fashion, and changing the way South Asians in the industry are perceived. Not to mention, he opens up his studio space in London to South Asian design students who are struggling to find a place to create.”

Onward and upward to dressing celebrities like supermodel Alton Mason for the Grammy’s, and our very own Ranveer Singh for Filmfare Awards. This year’s Fashion Awards highlighted the people and organisations who have led change in 2020.

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19 - 25 December 2020

TLIGHT

Sawan Gosrani: Laptop Doctors

RADICAL REFORMS FOR THE WINDRUSH COMPENSATION SCHEME Home Secretary has announced sweeping and radical reforms to the Windrush compensation scheme after several weeks of rising anger from the victims who complained about the low offers of compensation that were being made after prolonged delays, it emerged. Priti Patel aims to make these payments more “generous” and “swifter” with the cap on the “impact on life” category of the award being lifted from £10,000 to £100,000 now.

It has also been reported that anyone who has already received an offer of payment under the scheme will have their cases reviewed, with a basic minimum award of £10,000 set to be offered to everyone who can show that the scandal has had an impact on their life. Announcing these measures, the Home Secretary said, “The Windrush generation built their lives and their homes in Britain and I have always said that I will listen and act to ensure they get the compensation they deserve. I truly hope the changes I am announcing today will make a real difference to people’s lives and I urge everyone who thinks they may have been affected to come forward and apply. While nothing can undo the suffering they endured I hope that the additional money and support now available will go some way to rebuild trust so that we can move forward together.” This £10,000 award will be fast-tracked, and paid out as soon as claimants have demonstrated that they have suffered as a result of the Windrush scandal. The Windrush scandal arose in 2018 when thousands of British citizens, predominantly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in the UK. Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits. At least nine people have died in the period between making an application for compensation and receiving an offer. Last month Alexandra Ankrah, head of policy for the scheme had reportedly resigned from her job because she felt the programme was “not fit for purpose” and she was concerned by the attitudes of some Home Office colleagues towards claimants, which she felt displayed a “complete lack of humanity”.

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Sunetra Senior Currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of IT repairs business, Laptop Doctors, Sawan has pivotally transformed the SME over the last decade. He has raised the profile of the tech enterprise based in North London, receiving consistently stellar reviews on Google by operating mainly through Word of Mouth. “90% of our business is driven this way,” he commented. “The quality of service defines us.” Indeed, the famous Forbes magazine has commended this organic form of marketing as superior as ‘92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.’ Furthermore, ‘only 6%’ of marketing executives who have been aware of this fact ‘say they have actually mastered it.’

Effectually responding to recent modern demand then, Laptop Doctors combines speed and the attention paid to each individual case to authentically succeed. “We are a semi-personalised business where customer-care comes first. It’s crucial to have the technical know-how but so is being socially sensitive. This has been my focus as COO. We are honest, friendly communicative and helpful with our range of technological solutions e.g., we tell the customer what is cost-effective compared to pushing expensive options: we’d tell you if your machine was worth repairing or upgrading, and also help recommend a new machine if it was not. We generally treat people well, making sure they always know what’s happening, checking in and talking through the particular concerns with them. We drill into the requirements to get the best outcome for them.”

Laptop Doctors provide a plethora of practical techie support, from basic consultation and upgrades to repairing motherboards and setting up new laptops and installing more complex software. Here, Sawan has worked especially hard to accomplish an admirable business to come out proverbially on top. In charge of overlooking and actively running the company, the journey has been a personal challenge. In addition to facing a continually recovering economy, Laptop Doctors has had to adapt to administrative setbacks and work within a tight budget when it first attempted to grow. “We had transitioned to online before the virus to save money, forgoing a physical location. However, this worked out in the long run as more and more people convert to a digital life-style, working from home and shopping remotely.”

In fact, bigger businesses have struggled to keep customers at this tumultuous time with people prioritising their needs and relying purely on trust. Sawan’s model of organically built connection is favoured over the grandeur of corporate ads. When asked on his favourite computer brand, Gosrani aptly stated: “there’s no one perfect computer and so many types available. I see strengths across a variety of makes: Asus, HP, Dell etc. Rather, it’s about a sturdy machine that speaks specifically to you.”

Indeed, one professional may value memory over lightweight design while another might choose aesthetics with unique apps.

“In that way laptops can be like people: they have the same fun-

damental structure but vary externally!

The human heart, liver and spine can be equated to the physical monitor, network and cables etc.: inbuilt for laptops.” And so, the technical reflecting the psychological, Gosrani’s down-to-earth approach ultimately emphasises the power of the local: a strong public relationship and immediate problem-solving are the overriding gain.

“It’s great when you can put a smile on the client’s face. You’ve helped boost their day” and, who knows, much more…! Indeed, smoothly running devices give us contemporary peace of mind.

What are some common issues expressed by customers?

It varies. Generally, we’ll be dealing with slow or dead machines. There’s also overheating and problems with shutting down. Recently, there’s lots of liquid damage as people adjust to the home environment and try to balance work with the domestic, dropping hot drinks in an unfamiliar set up.

Overall, there’s a need for machines to do a lot more much faster. This includes facilitating Zoom meetings on regular and sometimes huge conference calls.

We are very good with helping here.

What are the skills required to do well at tech?

Being technically savvy. You must have a knack for this. Also, an empathy for different situations – there are so many reasons why a machine is playing up. I learned on the job, carefully watching my superior at the time and asking relevant questions. Now, it’s fairly easy to understand what’s needed. Finally, you must be able to talk to people. Some customers are clued up and you can just chat freely while others might need more explanation…analogies are very useful!

What has been another challenge in running a local business?

The responsibility is huge when you’re running everything – that can be intense.

However, if you are efficient, it’s definitely worth it.

How else have you socially connected with clients?

Through social media – making sure we are visible and easily accessible.

Finally, what do you envisage for the future of Laptop Doctors?

I definitely want to expand, but not necessarily in terms of a physical store. Over the years, it has been cheaper to run the business online and I’ve been able to do more pragmatically. You don’t need to stay in the shop for the sake it and can go out to work frequently. However, it would be good to have a workshop where I could also train others. A simple base for operation would be great. It would be good to focus on the management side with more help serving.

“There’s no one perfect machine and so many types. I see strengths across a variety of makes: Asus, HP, Dell etc.

Rather, it’s about having a sturdy machine that specifically speaks to you.”

T: @LaptopDoctorsUK Facebook.com/LaptopDoctorsUK W: www.laptopdoctors.com

Internship in memory of Leicester broadcaster On 11th December, it emerged that a Media and Broadcasting Internship had been established in memory of a young much loved radio personality following his untimely demise after he contracted a fatal illness.

Rishi Modi from Leicester, UK was visiting relatives in Kenya when he was admitted to a hospital in Nairobi with Covid-19 related symptoms. The 35-year-old died on Monday 7th December.

For many years he was an immensely popular radio host with the Leicester based station Sabras Radio.

Now, a media and broadcasting internship has been established in his name. The internship

Rishi Modi

will be open to those with an interest in broadcasting and who are studying for a degree in media and broadcasting to give them practical experience of the broadcasting and media world. The initiative has been established by Keith Vaz Britain’s longest serving Asian origin MP who met Rishi

Keith Vaz

during his time as one of Leicester’s MPs. Mr Vaz now presents a weekly flagship current affairs programme for Lyca Radio 1458 in London, UK called “Talking Points”. Keith Vaz said, “Everyone is shocked and grief

stricken by Rishi’s death. It is a tragedy for his family and friends and the community of Leicester and beyond where he was loved and celebrated. This internship which will bear his name will encourage young British budding talented broadcasters to follow in his footsteps and acknowledge as he did that the media is a force for good. Through his short and vibrant life he would have created a great legacy for the future. In this profound way Rishi’s talent will still be remembered and recognised.” Details of the internship which will include part of the placement taking place in a news outlet in Kenya will be announced in the New Year.

16 UK

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19 - 25 December 2020

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIA ATI A TION

LOOK AFTE ER YO YOUR BODY TO T FEEL YOUR BE EST

EAT T WEL LL,, LIVE WE ELL Your guide to e en njo jo oyin ng w wha ha at’’s g goo od for you

and improve our wellness and fitness

Making sure we staay healthy is a priority right now. And eating a balanced diet is an importan mportant part of that – so if your diett could do with an overhaul, now’s a great gr time to change your habits. Accor According to the NHS, we should h ld all ll be b aiming to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and basing our meals on higher-fibre foods, foods, like lik wholegrains.

It’s important to eat some dairy or a dairy-alternative too, as well as proteins such as meat, beans, pulses and fish. And while some fat in your diet is OK, we should aim ffor or

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17

19 - 28 December 2020

WITH UK GOVER RNMENT

100 Calorie Sn nacks Feeling peckish h?? One On of thesse quick fixes will fill the gap Homemade de popcorn po (89 calories) The smell of freshly m made popcorn is right up p there ther with freshly baaked bread. As a so ource of fibre, popcorn w will keep you feeling feeling fu ull fo for longer, making itt an ideal snack – plus, itt’s really easy to make.

Fruit ssalad (102 calories) c Cut 550g of seedless grapess in half, and add to 550gg of diced di apple, and 100g of tinned pineapp pple in juice, chopped ed, for for a qui quick and easy asy fruit salad.

TV chef Phil Vickery kery on o hittin ng g yo your fiv fi ve-a e- -da ay y tarrg get Eaating your five-a-daayy fru uit and veg can feel feel a bit daaunting, aunting but there are plenty of wa ways to mak kee th hings easier. Portions P do on’t haavve to be huge – th hree heaped tablespoons off bak ked ed beans count coun as on ne portion – and canned orr frozen fruit and veg alll count too. W Wee asked ask ch hef and canned food food am mbassador Phil Vickery for or his tips if yyou’re looking to o get more of the good stu uff into your everydaayy meals.

1. Reach for the canned fruit an nd d veg veg “All the nutrients, vitamins and minerals of fruit and veg are preserved when they’re canned, plus they’re great value, and can be used in loads of wayys. For example, tinned potatoes make a fab potato curry, and I recently bought a tin of beans – which are full of fibre and one of your five-a-day – for for just 29p.”

2. Cut down own how how much m mea att yo you eat “Most of us eat too much meat, so as well as attempting to make some of your meals

meeat-free, try swapping som me of the meat in a dish forr vegetab vegetables or pulses to maake them healthier.”

3. Mak ke e trea att meals m he ealtthier “Th here are lots of ways y of making your favourite tak keaway way dishes a bit heaalthier. You You could make mak fish hcakes on a Friday instead of getting takeaaway way fish and chiips, or share a portion of fish h between two, and make sw weet potato fries to go on the side. Or try making you ur own fried rice at home, usiing half normal rice, and hallf cauliflower rice. rice It It’ss not goiing to be exactly the same as the original, but you can gett as close as possible while eatting a lot more healthily.”

4. Brin B ng g out o the fla av vour “If you’re making vegetables thee star of a meal, you have v to make them full of flaavour vour.

Wee already eat too much salt, so try using herbs and spices to give your veg a boost. For exaample, canned chickpeas bak ked in the oven ffor or 45 miinutes with a little paprika maakes a great snack.” small amounts and try to choose unsaturated fats where possible. And don’t forget forget to drink p plenty of water too. We know that times are tough at the moment but keeping healthier is a lot easier than you might think. You You d ’t ha don’ h vve to spend d hours h chopping h veg and eating bags of spinach, and it doesn’t havve to cost the earth, either.

Inside, we’ve got loads of ideas for for tasty, healthy meals and snacks the whole family will enjoy. TV chef Phil Vickery gives us a few few fivefive-a-day tips, cheats and shortcuts – so let’s get cooking!

5. Mak ke eh heal ealth hy y eatin ng g pa art of yo your bigg gger life esty ylle picture

Photo credit: Vickery tv TV chef Phil Vickery

10 Steps to weiigh gh g htt loss

“M My brother’s a doctor, and he would remind me that eatting well is part of a whole piee chart of good health.

You u’ve got to get enough exeercise, cut down your porrtion sizes, don’t smoke, keeep an eye on your alcohol con nsumption… eating well is iimportant, but it’s just one slicce of the pie.”

IIff you need to shift the pounds, these tips will help you stay on track 1.

Don’t skip breakfast: Add some fruit to your cereal ffor or a nutrient-packed start to the day.

2.

Eat regular meals: Eating at regular times can help stop you needing to snack.

3.

Eat plenty of fruit and veg: Fruit and veg are low in calories and fat, and full of vitamins, minerals and fibre (fibre helps you ffeel eel full up, too).

4.

Get more active: When it comes to exercise, the more you do the better. The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week.

5.

Drink plenty of water: Stay hydrated by drinking more water – aim for for 6-8 glasses a day. y

6.

Read ffood ood labels: Checking the calories on food labels can help you stay on top of your food intake and succeed in losing weight.

7.

Use a smaller plate: Eating from a smaller plate can help you control your portions.

8.

Don’t ban ffoods: oods: Cutting out foods foods completely can make you craave ve them even more.

9.

Cut down on the booze: Alcohol is far higher in calories than most people think.

10. Shop sensibly: Y You ou can’t reach ffor or something unhealthy if it’s not in your cupboard.

18 FINANCE - UK

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19 - 25 December 2020

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel Did you know you can buy the shares of the best global stocks and put them into your SIPP, ISA, or another pension plan? People do not know that, and they do not know how to do it, or even find out which stocks are out there.

Of course, American companies you've heard of like the following (with their six-month returns in brackets at the time of writing) Microsoft (11%), Alphabet (21%), Disney (42%), Amazon (21%), Facebook (16%), Apple (38%) But what if you want more than US tech? What about Chinese companies or Indian, and what about outside of tech? And quite right too.

After all, look at these, their 6-month return and country of origin) Alibaba (15% China), JD.com (80% China), Pinduodua (140% China), Infosys (70% India), HDFX (55% India), Tata Motors (90% India) Or you could go more exotic - MrcadoLibre of Argentina is up 70%.

But wait? Isn't that difficult? No, all these are listed on the US exchanges, and you can buy them the same way you buy BP or Lloyds shares. And aren't these risky, tiny companies? Surely there is not much information about them, and what about currency risk?

As the internet allows us a window on global finance through the browser, I want to own more foreign stocks.

Why should we miss out on owning some world-beating stocks producing exceptional returns just because we do not have the often ten of thousands of pounds needed for a private client account with a major investment bank that would allow us to access global markets?

Or overpaid fund managers with high fees and narrow focus, when we can have the freedom ourselves.

Online investing allows us to trade foreign stocks cheaply, efficiently, quickly, and easily through American Depository Receipts (ADRs).

ADRs are dollar-denominated US securities backed by and related to the underlying company stock - which may for instance, be UK listed shares or Indian ones or Brazilian. The price of the ADR and the underlying stock will generally move in tandem. Only large companies tend to have these. Of course, in place of trading ADRs, we could always open multiple foreign online trading accounts with different brokers, holding them in other currencies - facing conversion costs and of course learn the language of each country since their e-broking sites often are not in English.

Try E*Trade Korea - www.etrade.co.kr for a taster of the difficulties. Not for me!

Of course, with the ADR, you have the currency risk of holding dollars and the conversion costs involved. But if you intend to put away for several months a pool of money for trading in dollar stocks and don't plan to convert back and forth, those costs and risks can be minimised.

The practicalities of trading ADRs are straightforward.

It is just like trading any US security. You would use a UK e-broking account. And if you don't have one yet, then I suggest looking at my free site www.investing-champions.com Time now for me to return to my portfolio and plans for global domination.

My own global compnies I like based on their valuations, growth prospects, dividends, profitability, cash flow growth: T Rowe Price, Asbury Auto, Volex, Alpha FX, Vipshop, UnitedHealth, Medifast, North Media, Dover, Garmin, Crocs, Factset, LVMH, Marshalls, Neste, Paycom.

UK supermarkets brace themselves for Christmas-time rush amidst Covid-19 British supermarkets prepare for battle as Christmas inches closer. The season brings with it an extremely busy shopping period. Retail stores have implemented incentives such as digital queue systems, and longer opening hours to keep shoppers happy. Reports reveal grocery stores will use traffic light systems, 24-hour opening times, and door marshals to allow customers to shop early.

Shoppers are also urged to avoid going to their local supermarkets all together by shopping online instead. However, most Christmas delivery slots are already filled up and the huge increase in sales could put more pressure on brick and mortar shops. To prepare for the busy time, over 300 Tesco stores across the country will trade for 24 hours from December 14 to Christmas eve. Britain's biggest supermarket chain has also installed a traffic light system in majority of its stores to help regulate the number of shoppers.

Waitrose, meanwhile, is all set to launch a queueing app called Qudini, which allows customers to book shopping time slots remotely. The app allows shoppers to book a slot at more than 100 of their stores. Waitrose is also extending their opening times, remaining open until 11 pm until December 23.

Issa brothers sign £440m deal to buy 285 petrol stations in Germany The Issa brothers' EG Group has signed a £440m deal to buy 285 petrol stations in Germany amidst fears over its debt mountain. The acquisition from OMV is the second deal signed since Blackburn-based Zuber and Mohsin Issa bought Asda for £6.8 billion in October, and extends their business' 6,000- strong network of petrol stations and convenience stores.

It follows a Moody's decision to downgrade EG Group because of the way the company reports its £7 billon debt pile, as well as governance issues which its auditor prompted Deloitte to resign. The purchase of Asda, which is being investigated by the UK competition watchdog, will be

Zuber and Mohsin Issa

Britain's largest leveraged buyout in more than a decade. The Issas sold new preference shares – considered halfway between debt and traditional equity – in the firm to two Canadian pension funds and Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth, in a deal that valued the firm at around £15 billion.

The deal was seen as a

way of providing cash to help pay for Asda. The company said the acquisition was funded from existing cash reserves and loans, and would be 'leverage neutral'.

Fast-growing EG was founded by the Issa brothers in 2001, initially called Euro Garages and expanding out from a single site in Bury, Greater Manchester. Last

month, it moved to buy Caffe Nero's 650-strong chain - a move dismissed by that company as "opportunistic". It has already established brand partnerships with the likes of Starbucks and KFC. EG said the new outlets in Southern Germany would expand its presence in that country. It already operates sites there under the Esso fuel brand. Earlier this year, questions were raised about the company's finances after EG Group's auditor, Deloitte, suddenly quit in October and was replaced by KPMG. EG Group said the auditor had signed a "clean audit" for EG Group's 2019 financial accounts and there had been "no disagreements on any auditing or accounting matters".

Govt urged to impose higher taxes on junk food in measure to tackle obesity A brand new research has urged the UK government to impose higher taxes on junk food in a way to deal with obesity in the country. A report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) has called upon the Boris Johnson-led government to impose restrictions on the marketing of junk food as part of its obesity strategy, improved food and drink labelling and an expansion of NHS weight management services.

A study conducted by the think tank revealed only 28 per cent people who describe themselves as living with obesity were taking steps to lose weight due to Covid-19.

The report said that while

this is higher than the 20 per cent of the general population, it “still indicates that government messages in overweight and Covid-19 have done little to help people with obesity address their condition.” Thirty seven per cent of those living with obesity report they are thinking of taking measures, but have not taken steps yet, while 28 per cent reported the ongoing pandemic would not lead them to lose weight.

SMF research director Scott Corfe said, “Warnings about Covid-19 risks and obesity are well-meaning but largely ineffective, they just aren't enough to help people living with obesity and overweight take action on their

weight.” The SMF has called on the government to undertake a “cost-benefit analysis” to set a target for the proportion of the population with obesity that would benefit from bariatric surgery and pharmacological interventions. The think tank said there is a lack of detail around “how and if the funding that is necessary to

No-deal on December 31 a possibility, says BoJo British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cautioned the people against the possibilities of a no-deal, as both Britain and the European Union remain far apart on key issues in Brexit trade talks.

Addressing reporters on Sunday, Johnson said, “I'm afraid we're still very far apart on some key things, but where there is life, there's hope, we're going to keep talking to see what we can do. The UK certainly won't be walking away from the talks.” He added, “I've got to repeat the most likely thing now is of course that we have to get ready for WTO-terms, Australia terms.”

BoJo reiterated his offer to speak to other EU leaders, saying Britain would go the extra mile. “We are always happy to talk and to make progress where we can. I do think, as I say, there is a deal to be done if our partners want to do it, but we remain very far apart on these key issues,” he said. “I repeated my offer, which is, if it’s necessary to talk to other capitals then I’m very happy to do that.

The Commission is very determined to keep the negotiations on the way that they have been done, between us and the Commission, and that’s fine.” Both

Boris Johnson

Britain, and the European Union agreed to “go the extra mile” and continue talks on a post-Brexit deal.

Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, “Our negotiating teams have been working day and night over recent days. And despite the exhaustion after almost a year of negotiation, despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over we think it is responsible at this point to go the extra mile.” They said, “We have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the talks and to see whether an agreement can even at this late stage be reached.”

European Council President Charles Michel welcomed the decision, saying “We must do all we can for a deal to be made possible. We must support a good deal.”

reduce obesity” will be provided. SMF said ministers placed too much emphasis on “individual willpower and not enough on the environmental and economic aspects of obesity.” It said, “The government should make clear that weight basis and obesity discrimination have no place in education or workplaces.”

Unemployment rate on the rise in UK As many parts of Britain went into lockdown to combat the spread of the virus, unemployment numbers rose sharply.

The most recent unemployment rate for August to October - was 4.9%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That is an increase of 0.7% over the previous three months, and means that 1.69 million people were unemployed.

However, this number is always based on surveys taken in previous months and is not completely up to date.

Some of the data was gathered in August when infection rates were low, and large parts of the economy had reopened. The ONS also gathers weekly figures, which show unemployment rising in October, as coronavirus restrictions were tightened around the country.

This suggests the official unemployment rate is likely to be higher in coming months. Businesses such as shops, bars, travel and entertainment companies have had to close because of coronavirus lockdowns. Many have decided that they can't afford to keep all their workers, and have them redundant.

That is why there was a record number of redundancies - 370,000 - in the period from August to October.

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REAL ESTATE VOICE & INDIA FINANCE 19 19 - 25 December 2020

Chairman of Walt Disney, Uday Shankar takes over FICCI On Monday December 14, FICCI announced that Mr Uday Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC & Chairman, Star & Disney India, has taken over as FICCI President for 2020-2021. He takes over from Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group.

The announcement arrived at the apex chamber's 93nd Annual Convention held virtually and inaugurated

by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Mr Shankar is a multifaceted personality with an in-depth understanding of both the new-age businesses and the old economy, besides having an impeccable grasp on the geo-political developments and global business ecosystem.

A journalist turned global business leader, he is all set to lead FICCI at a time when the Indian economy and businesses have just started coming out of the

grips of deadly Covid-19 pandemic, supported by the pro-active government policies and decisions.

In his message as the incoming President of FICCI, Mr Shankar said, “It is a huge responsibility to lead FICCI in these trying times. 2020 has been an extremely tough year for the Indian economy and industry. However, as outlined by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his inaugural address on Saturday, India has shown the way to the world in dealing with Corona, and the economy is coming back to the track quickly. This has given me immense confidence to lead the chamber in providing solutions to the issues faced by not only our members, but industry on the whole.

“I congratulate my predecessor Dr Sangita Reddy for her tremendous work in tough times during the last one year and assure our members that bringing

industry back to normal will be a relentless pursuit during my tenure as FICCI President. The government has utilised these trying times to usher in extensive reform measures and it is now the turn of the industry to quickly firm up the blueprint and the strategies to make full use of these measures in creating jobs and furthering growth. FICCI will fully support Prime Minister’s clarion call of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which is much beyond just being self-reliant — it is a roadmap for India emerging as a major player in the global market and

value-chains. FICCI will play a lead role in providing inputs to the government and implementing the steps to regain the growth momentum and reach to a 8-10% GDP growth trajectory quickly.”

Mr Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman, and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited; President, Unilever South Asia and Member, Unilever Leadership Executive, has been elevated as Senior Vice President of FICCI. Mr Subhrakant Panda, Managing Director, Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd has joined FICCI leadership as Vice President.

As Air India bids close, Tatas and consortium led by staff in fray In a boost to its efforts to disinvest stake in Air India, the Centre said that it has received “multiple expressions of interest” for the debt-laden airline.

These include bids from the Tata Group and a consortium comprising several of the airline’s employees and a US-based investment firm, sources said.

The deadline for submission of formal bids closed at 5 pm on Monday and the Government is expected to notify the qualified bidders on January 5. This is the Government’s second attempt at disinvesting its stake in the airline after the previous move in 2018 ended up without a bid.

While meeting the disinvestment target of £21 billion for 2020-21 may be a tall order - just 5% has been achieved so far - a successful sale of Air India will send a strong message on the seriousness of the government’s strategic sale plan.

“Multiple expressions of interest have been received for strategic disinvestment of Air India. The transaction will now move to the

second stage,” Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, posted in a tweet.

Earlier, the Government had put up 76 per cent stake in Air India for sale along with a portion of debt. But this time, it plans to divest 100 per cent of its equity share capital in Air India Ltd, which includes Air India’s shareholding interest of 100 per cent in Air India Express and 50 per cent in Air India SATS Airport Services.

According to sources, the Tata Group has submitted an official expression of interest for the airline although the bid has not been placed through its affiliate airlines, Vistara or AirAsia India. A Tata Group

spokesperson declined comment. The other confirmed bid has been placed by a consortium of Air India employees and Interups Inc, according to Laxmi Prasad, the chairman of the US-based firm. On its website, Interups says it “is a publicly listed company engaged in the business of identifying and investing into business opportunities or transactions either directly or on behalf of its stakeholders, affiliates, associate concerns and clients”.

The bid by the consortium proposes to give 51 per cent stake to the group of employees involved, which includes some board members among 219 staffers, and 49 per cent to Interups Inc, which will act as the financial partner. The plan to include employees was put in motion by Air India’s commercial director Meenakshi Mallik, who wrote to nearly 20,000 staff seeking participation in the disinvestment process. Some employee unions, however, had advised their members against the move.

India Inc makes case for fresh fiscal stimulus India Inc on Monday urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to take growth-oriented steps, including a fresh fiscal stimulus, in the next budget to maintain the pace of recovery in the economy, which has gone through a rough patch on account of the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

In the virtual pre-budget consultation meeting with the minister, the captains of Indian industry suggested lowering direct tax rates for individuals, more incentives for housing sector and rationalisation of GST structure with a view to boost growth. The industry chambers also made a case for accelerating infrastructure investment, privatisation of state-owned companies and greater

tax incentives for research and development activities.

"The economy is recovering at a quick pace and this momentum needs to be sustained. Quick and timely action by the government has led to this turnaround. Next year's budget must prioritise growth-oriented measures and fiscal considerations should be secondary. The need for further fiscal stimulus remains," said FICCI in its budget recommendations.

Presenting the suggestions, CII President Uday Kotak said, "Government expenditure should be prioritised in three areas infrastructure, healthcare and sustainability. The budget proposals should also address two critical areas of boosting private investments and

The value of certainty

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Last week we were tracking a property due to come into auction. The property was an empty commercial building outside of London.

Even though the property was a rectangle, the square footage was described as 3,000 sq. ft on the ground floor and 1,400 sq. ft. on the 1st floor. This did not make any sense, as the floor plate below should have been reflected in the upper floor.

This is more to do with the way commercial properties are measured. They often use the NIA which only considers usable space. So, from the angle we were considering the deal which was conversion to residential, the square footage is more likely to be 6,000 sq. ft.

It was guided at a mere £150,000. That’s a lot of property for not very much money. The insurance document in the legal pack stated a rebuild value of in excess of £1.2M. According to this, the bricks and mortar value was higher than what it was being sold for.

This lot was in a low value area where two bedroom flats go for circa £130- 150K, thus achieving about £200 per sq. ft. However, when you’re paying £45 per sq. ft. there still plenty of margin left in the deal.

Our planner also advised we can get another floor on the building thereby adding a further 3,000 sq. ft.; this would turn the whole building into a circa 9,000 sq. ft freehold with a GDV of £1.8M. In such low value areas, it’s important to be mindful of the issues. For example, the build cost will eat heavily into the margin, and in some cases eat the margin away completely. What was interesting about this deal is all the permissions of converting the ground floor and 1st floor into residential and adding another floor can be obtained under permitted development. This means you will get your permission within 56 days. This gives certainty to the investor. As soon as the permission is in place you have an uplift in value on the building. It can then be financed, at the new value, potentially giving you a no money in the deal. Permitted development is legislation which is often misunderstood. It is legislation enacted by central government which cannot be opposed at the local level unless there is an article 4 in place.

We had a house in the posh area of Harrow on the Hill, near the private school. The application was for 6 rooms under HMO regulations. We had about 50 objections; many objectors had put a lot of time and colour into their objections. The application was called into committee, which was bizarre, however, it was approved unanimously. It was only called into committee to illustrate to the other council members there should be an article 4 in place.

The site we were looking at in the end went for £280K in auction, not to us but to another bidder. I am sure this will be a profitable venture for them, as long as its carved up in the right manner.

US COURT STAYS WIPRO BIAS CASE A New Jersey federal judge has stayed a proposed class-action suit filed against Wipro by five of its former employees that alleged employment discrimination against individuals who are not South Asians. The court also denied Wipro’s motion to dismiss and said that this matter be stayed pending the decision in another case involving Philips and Wipro that’s pending before a US district court in Texas. Former Wipro employees Gregory MacLean, Rick Valles, Ardeshir Pezeshki, James Gibbs, and Ronald Hemenway has accused Wipro of discriminating against nonSouth Asians in hiring, promotion and termination decisions. They have sought compensatory and punitive damages. When contacted, Wipro declined to comment on the issue. MacLean said while he was on the bench, he had actively sought a new position within Wipro. He said an HR employee had sent him a list of open positions, one of which was located in San Diego, close to his home. MacLean alleged that when he expressed interest in that position, the employee said the position had already been filled.

MALAVIKA HEGDE IS COFFEE DAY ENTERPRISES CEO providing support for employment generation." Emphasising on the urgent need for financial sector reforms, Kotak said achieving the vision of India being a USD 5 trillion economy is contingent on having a strong financial sector, and the government should bring down its stake in public sector banks to below 50 per cent through the market route over the next 12 months, except for 3-4 large banks such as State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Union Bank.

Malavika Hegde, wife of late VG Siddhartha, founder of Coffee Day Enterprises, has been appointed as the new CEO of the company. The announcement has been made a year after the tragic death of her husband and CDEL founder Siddhartha.

Malavika, who is also the daughter of former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, was a non-executive director of the company before being appointed as the CEO. She joined the board in July this year after Siddhartha’s death. In a meeting, the board also approved the appointment of CH Vasudhara Devi, Giri Devanur, and Mohan Raghavendra Kondi as independent directors. The appointment is for five years, effective from December 31, 2020. Last year, in July, Siddhartha was found dead near Mangaluru in Karnataka. He is reported to have committed suicide due to huge financial losses in his businesses.

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Qureshi 'rejects' Pak oppn's deadline for govt to quit ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi "rejected" the opposition's deadline to the government to pack its bags, accusing the 11-party opposition alliance of "prioritising their personal agenda over the national agenda". Addressing a press conference in Islamabad two days after the opposition alliance, also known as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), held its sixth power show in Lahore, Qureshi said he did not want to keep the PDM leadership in any sort of anticipation.

"We reject your ultimatum.

You say the prime minister should resign by Jan 31. We are categorically saying the prime

minister of Pakistan will not step down. You say assemblies should be dissolved. The prime minister has said and I am repeating [his words], assemblies will not be dissolved. The deadline stands rejected," he said. However, Qureshi said that the decision did not indicate the government's "stubbornness", and hinted at the possibility of a dialogue.

"We are political people and are open-minded".

A day earlier, the PDM leadership had demanded the PTI-led government to quit by January 31 or face an intensified opposition movement, including a long march to the capital. The demand was made by PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman while speaking to the media in

Lahore alongside PMLN's Maryam Nawaz, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and other opposition leaders.

As part of the antigovernment movement, Rehman said lawmakers from PDM member parties in the national and provincial Shah Mahmood Qureshi assemblies will hand in During the press conference, their resignations to their party Qureshi claimed there was no leaders by December 31. Fazlur consensus in the PDM over the Rehman had said that if the govmatter of resignations or over the ernment refused to quit by Jan 31, matter of the proposed long a meeting of the PDM's leadermarch. Qureshi claimed that the ship on February 1 will announce PDM's Lahore rally was a "faila long march towards Islamabad, ure", saying the PDM had been the date of which will also be unable to mobilise the masses. decided during the meeting.

Maryam, other top PML-N leaders booked for holding Lahore meet LAHORE: Lahore police have registered a case against numerous top leaders and workers of the PML-N for holding the opposition's public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistan on Sunday in violation of government orders and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the coronavirus.

The First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at Lahore's Lari Adda police station on a complaint of Mohammad Zameer, the security in-charge of the Greater Iqbal Park.

Nearly 40 PML-N leaders, including the party's vice president Maryam Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Asif, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Talal Chaudhry, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Azma Bokhari; Javed Hashmi; and 100-124 unidentified stick-wielding persons "several of whom were dressed in khaki shalwar kameez" have been named in the case.

Maryam Nawaz

At the sixth power show of their anti-government movement at the Minar-i-Pakistan on Sunday, leaders of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had blasted the government and establishment and reviewed the joint opposition’s protest programme.

The FIR was registered under Sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery), 506 (criminal intimidation), 440 (mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt), 147 (rioting), 149

(unlawful assembly), 290 (public nuisance), 291 (continuance of nuisance after injunction to discontinue), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public function) of the Pakistan Penal Code as well as the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Act, 2015, Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, and Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance, 2020.

It stated that the PDM went ahead with the rally even though the Lahore deputy commissioner had refused permission for it to be held in view of security threat alerts and rising cases of Covid19. Complainant Zameer accused the PML-N leadership and workers of holding the jalsa illegally and breaking the gate and security barriers of the Greater Iqbal

Park, causing "severe damage" to state property, violating coronavirus SOPs issued by the government, unnecessarily using loudspeakers and megaphones, and causing "loss to the honour of national heritage". The FIR also accused the organisers of manhandling the security guards of the park and provoking the participants of the rally against the administration.

On Monday, a day after the PDM public meeting, Lahore police had launched a crackdown on service providers for the event. The police high-ups assigned a task to the divisional SPs to identify and arrest those who managed chairs and other goods for the rally and take legal action against them.

The district government was also assigned the same task and accordingly, the Shahdara police registered a criminal case against two major dealers - Mian Imran and Mian Shahid - for "facilitating" the PDM show by selling 7,000 chairs.

Children's Peace Prize for Pak PM reshuffles cabinet Bangladeshi teenager on court’s directive DHAKA: A 17-year-old Bangladeshi teenager has been awarded a prestigious global children’s award for taking action against cyberbullying and an online crime against children.

Sadat Rahman has been conferred with the 2020 KidsRights International Children’s Peace Prize for achievement only few can think about. Rahman developed a mobile app to help teenagers report cyber bullying and cyber crime in the western district of Narail in Bangladesh.

“Serious action needs to be taken right now. Teenagers continue to remain vulnerable to online crime and cyber bullying, particularly in the times we live in,” Rahman said in a remote interview. The ceremony, hosted by a Netherlandsbased KidsRights foundation, was held online this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Rahman has followed the footsteps of Nobel laureate and Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai and the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. His mobile app is called "Cyber Teens" and puts children in contact with a team of youngsters, termed as Narail Volunteers. Rahman, too, is a part of this team of volunteers. This team then gets in contact with the local police officers and social workers and helps the victims out of situations of cyber bullying.

The app also has a section of helpful tips and hints about different kinds of online behaviour, and tips about how to identify and avoid getting in contact with sexual predators of the internet.

Islamabad: Pakistan PM Imran Khan reshuffled his cabinet last week, following the December 7 verdict of the Islamabad HC barring un-elected advisers and special assistants from heading the cabinet committee. This is the fourth cabinet shakeup since Khan’s PTI came to power in 2018.

The IHC judgment noted that Article 93 of the constitution allows the PM to appoint up to five advisors and conferring of a federal minister status on an advisor is “only for the purpose of perks and privileges” and “does not make the advisor a federal minister as such”.

Khan elevated Sheikh Rashid Ahmed as interior minister and appointed Abdul Hafeez Sheikh as finance minister. State-run Radio Pakistan reported that Ahmed was already a part of the cabinet working as minister for railways, while Hafeez Sheikh was serving as advi-

sor on finance and revenue.

Hafeez Sheikh is not an elected member and he could not lead several committees. He was appointed as minister under Article 91 (9) of the constitution and can serve as a minister for six months. He must be elected as a member of the National Assembly or Senate to continue after that. It is believed that Hafeez Sheikh would be made a senator in March when the election for the upper house is scheduled to be held.

Brigadier (Retd) Ijaz Ahmad Shah who was serving the interior minister was appointed as minister for narcotics control, while Azam Khan Swati was appointed as minister for railways. The most notable elevation in the new cabinet is that of Ahmed, who despite failing to improve the functioning of the railways, was given the charge of the interior ministry, a key portfolio.

in brief INDIAN-ORIGIN TO CHAIR POWERFUL CAUCUS IN US Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has been elected as the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), making her one of the most powerful US lawmakers in the 117th Congress. Jayapal, 55, who was elected last week, said the caucus is going to advance racial justice, tackle poverty and inequality and help transform the country.

“I am honoured that my colleagues have elected me,” she said. “We have massive crises knocking at our nation’s door, and the work of the CPC has never been more important.”

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has been elected as deputy whip of the CPC.

ANIL SONI APPOINTED CEO OF WHO FOUNDATION Indian-origin global health expert Anil Soni has been appointed as the first CEO of the newly launched The WHO Foundation, which works alongside the World Health Organization to address most pressing health challenges across the world. Soni will assume his role on January 1 next year. In his new role, Soni will accelerate the Foundation's "work to invest in innovative, evidence-based initiatives that support WHO in delivering on its mission to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all," the Foundation said. The WHO Foundation, an independent grant-making agency headquartered in Geneva, was launched in May 2020 to work alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health community to address the world's most pressing global health challenges. Soni joins the Foundation from Viatris, a global healthcare company, where he served as Head of Global Infectious Diseases.

RS 150,000 MONTHLY EXPENSE ALLOWANCE FOR LAKHVI The UN Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee has given a go ahead for a monthly payment of Pakistani Rupee 150,000 for Mumbai attack plotter Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a proscribed UN terrorist, to meet his expenses. The committee approved the payment that will include expenses of about Rs 45,000 for medicines, food (Rs 50,000), public utility charges (Rs 20,000), lawyer fees (Rs 20,000) and transportation (Rs 15,000) to be accessed monthly from Lakhvi’s bank account, which had been frozen since he was listed a terrorist, sources said.

Lakhvi, 60, was designated as a global terrorist by the UN in December 2008 for being associated with LeT and al-Qaida.

Proscribed terrorists and entities are subject to an assets freeze. The Security Council Resolution 1267 provides for states to sanction basic expenses of the designated individuals if there is no objection over it.

BHUTAN TO DECRIMINALISE HOMOSEXUALITY A joint sitting of both houses of Bhutan’s parliament approved a bill to legalise gay sex, making it the latest Asian nation to take steps towards easing restrictions on samesex relationships. Lawmaker Ugyen Wangdi, the vice-chairperson of a joint panel considering the changes, said 63 of the total 69 members of both houses of parliament had voted in favour of amending the code to scrap the provision. Six members were absent. “Homosexuality will not be considered as unnatural sex now,” Wangdi said on phone from the capital city of Thimphu, without giving details. The changes still need to be approved by the King of Bhutan to become a law. Rights activist Tashi Tsheten said he was “thrilled and really happy” over the move, calling it a “victory” for the LGBT+ community.

Neighbouring India removed a centuries-old colonial prohibition on gay sex in 2018.

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in brief HK ACTIVIST DENIED BAIL AFTER LANDMARK SENTENCING Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow was denied bail pending an appeal against her 10-month jail sentence on charges related to unauthorised assembly during antigovernment protests last year. The 24-year old activist was jailed on Dec 2 along with Joshua Wong for their roles in an unlawful rally near police headquarters in 2019, the toughest and most high-profile sentencing of opposition figures this year. Chow's hearing came after around 16 activists were arrested since Monday, part of a relentless crackdown on opposition forces in the Chinese-ruled city.

Critics say Hong Kong's Beijing-backed government is curtailing opposition and wideranging freedoms guaranteed after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, a charge authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong reject.

SAUDI ARABIA APPROVES PFIZER-BIONTECH VACCINE Saudi Arabia last week approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech novel coronavirus vaccine, state media reported, becoming the second Gulf country after Bahrain to greenlight the drug. "The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA)... has approved the registration of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," it said in a statement. "Health authorities in the kingdom can import and use the vaccine," it added. The SFDA did not specify when it would begin the rollout of the vaccine by US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Last week, Bahrain announced it had approved the emergency use of the same vaccine. Britain and Canada have also approved it. Saudi Arabia has so far recorded nearly 360,000 novel coronavirus cases, including more than 6,000 deaths –- the highest in the Gulf. But the kingdom has also reported a high recovery rate.

FRANCE CONFIRMS BIRD FLU OUTBREAK The French farm ministry said that highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu had been found on a duck farm in the southwest of the country, confirming France’s first farm outbreak of the virus this year. The outbreak was first reported last week but at the time it was unclear what strain of the virus it was. Bird flu has been spreading rapidly in Europe, putting the poultry industry on alert after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds. “The ANSES national reference laboratory confirmed the infection of a farm of 6,000 ducks by the H5N8 virus in the municipality of Benesse-Maremne (Landes region), in which high mortality was observed on December 5,” the ministry said.

A security zone was set up around the farm on December 7, a ban on the move of poultry and additional sanitary measures, the ministry said.

PASSENGERS STUCK IN CRUISE AFTER COVID19 SCARE A Royal Caribbean “cruise-to-nowhere” from Singapore began disembarking its nearly 1,700 passengers who were confined to their cabins for 16 hours last week after a Covid-19 case was detected onboard, forcing the ship back to port. All passengers aboard the Quantum of the Seas had cleared a mandatory PCR test for the virus. Authorities said close contacts of the Covid-19 patient on board had so far tested negative. The patient, an 83-year-old male, had reported to the ship’s medical centre with diarrhoea and a onboard test revealed the infection.

However, two further tests have come back negative.

Tanzania’s Magufuli sworn in for second term after disputed vote DODOMA: Tanzania’s populist President John Magufuli has been sworn into office for a second five-year term amid tight security by the police and the army. The swearing-in came despite the opposition calling for a fresh election, the disbandment of the electoral commission and an “endless peaceful demonstration” over the October 28 vote.

Magufuli over the weekend said he would not pursue another term amid concerns that the governing party, which won nearly all parliament seats, might try to extend the presidency’s two-term limit. Ahead

John Magufuli

of the swearing-in, leaders of Tanzania’s two main opposition parties, ACT Wazalendo and CHADEMA, were charged with organising unlawful assembly and demonstration.

The opposition alleges the October 28 election was riddled with irregularities. Magufuli

received 12.5 million – or 85 per cent – of the total votes polled, while his main challenger, CHADEMA’S Tundu Lissu, got 1.9 million or 13 per cent, the electoral commission said. After the landslide results were announced, CHADEMA and fellow opposition party ACT Wazalendo called for new elections and mass protests.

But police swiftly arrested the parties’ leaders, while a heavy security presence deterred potential protesters and the demonstrations never took place. CHADEMA’s Tundu Lissu, ACT Wazalendo’s leader Zitto Kabwe, and several other opposition leaders were arrest-

ed this week. Kabwe had called for a panel of African leaders to investigate “large-scale irregularities” during the polls.

Several nations, including the United States, noted credible allegations that call the vote’s results – and the country’s democratic ideals – into question. Few international observers were allowed to watch the vote. Magufuli’s CCM party, a version of which has held power in Tanzania since independence from Britain in 1961, has also retained power in the semiautonomous Indian Ocean archipelago of Zanzibar with 76 per cent of the vote.

Kenya seeks to mend ties with Somalia Nairobi: Kenya has constituted a committee to examine and settle the issues between Nairobi and Mogadishu after Somalia severed diplomatic relations with it, government spokesman retired colonel Cyrus Oguna said. Mogadishu's move comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted President Muse Bihi of the break-away Somaliland at State House Nairobi on Monday.

Addressing the media, Col Oguna lamented the deplorable diplomatic relations between the two countries adding that a lot was at stake. “There is a committee that has been put in place to be able to look into the issues that are coming between these two neighbouring countries that have a lot of history between the two of them. Once the issues are addressed then the press will be notified,” Oguna said.

Oguna said Kenya and Somalia have enjoyed shared history and fate and it would be regrettable for issues to crop up driving a wedge between them. He said, “All of us are aware that Kenya and Somalia have a lot of factors that bring us together. We have a historical background, economic ties, and

Bobi Wine suspends election campaign over violence KAMPALA: Bobi Wine, the Ugandan singer and presidential candidate, suspended his campaign after members of his campaign team were injured and his car shot at during clashes between security personnel and his supporters. The developments were the latest in escalating violence in Uganda as authorities crack down on supporters of 38-year-old Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.

“With effect from today, I am suspending my campaign until further notice,” he told a news conference in a village near the capital Kampala. “We are going to the electoral commission headquarters to inquire why we are being tortured by security institutions… our campaign is affected by police brutality.” Bobi Wine is seeking to end the decades-long rule of 76-year-old President Yoweri Museveni in an election scheduled for January 14.

Earlier, Daniel Oyerwot, a music producer for Bobi Wine, was wounded in the mouth by a rubber bullet during the clashes, according to a spokesman for his party.

The singer said on Twitter that several members of his staff were wounded and some were in critical condition. He added that he and his supporters attempted to move to another campaign venue, located in Jinja in eastern Uganda, but security personnel blocked him and shot and blew out his car’s tyres.

KDF that is in Somalia in helping in searching for peace.”

Restoring peace and accommodating at least 2,000 refugees in the Daadab and Hagadera camps are some of the missions he said Kenya and Somalia jointly conducted, adding the sense of fragility to the matter.

However, he cautioned the move will only be in conformity with the diplomatic principle of “scratch my back I scratch yours.”

The diplomatic approach by Kenya comes after Mogadishu ambushed Nairobi with a statement in the wee hours of the night, recalling all her diplomats and ordering Kenyan officials to vacate the capital within seven days. Somalia Minister of Information Osman Abukar Dubbe made

the announcement at a state-run SNTV at 1:40 am on Monday, blaming Kenya for meddling in the country’s internal affairs. ‘’Somalia wants all its diplomats to go back to Mogadishu and Kenyan diplomats have 7 days to leave the country,’’ he stated.

The landmark announcement, marking the new ugly twist of the diplomatic relationship came after Somalia and Somaliland leaders traded blames on Twitter after the leader of the autonomous region visited Nairobi. President Muse Bihi jetted in Kenya to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta at Nairobi’s statehouse to discuss bilateral ties that would culminate in establishing trade relations and joint effort in maintaining security.

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Indian-American Raja Jon selected for NASA's manned moon mission FLORIDA: NASA on Wednesday named the 18 astronauts - half of them women - who will train for its Artemis moon-landing programme. Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari, 43, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, MIT, and US Naval Test Pilot School, is the only Indian-American in the list.

He was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. He reported for duty in August 2017 and having completed the initial astronaut candidate training is now eligible for a mission assignment.

“My fellow Americans, I give you the heroes of the future who will carry us back to the Moon and beyond: the Artemis Generation,” Vice President Mike Pence said at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

“It really is amazing to think

Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari

that the next man and the first woman on the Moon are among the names that we just read...We started today reflecting on a great hero of the past. The Artemis Generation are the heroes of American space exploration in the future,” Pence said after he introduced the members of the Artemis Team during the eighth National Space Council meeting.

The astronauts on the Artemis Team come from a diverse range of backgrounds,

expertise and experience. Most of the astronauts in the group are in their 30s or 40s.

The oldest is 55, the youngest 32.

The agency’s modern lunar exploration programme will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 and establish a sustainable human lunar presence by the end of the decade, NASA said. NASA will announce flight assignments for astronauts later, pulling from the Artemis Team. Additional Artemis Team members, including international partner astronauts, will join this group, as needed.

“We are incredibly grateful for the president and vice president’s support of the Artemis program, as well as the bipartisan support for all of

NASA’s science, aeronautics research, technology development, and human exploration goals,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

“As a result, we’re excited to share this next step in exploration – naming the Artemis Team of astronauts who will lead the way, which includes the first woman and next man to walk on the lunar surface,” he added.

The selected astronauts will help NASA prepare for the coming Artemis missions, which begin next year working with the agency’s commercial partners as they develop human landing systems; assisting in the development of training; defining hardware requirements; and consulting on technical development. They also will engage the public and industry on NASA's exploration plans.

Biden, Harris named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2020 NEW YORK : President-elect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris have been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2020. The pair were chosen over finalists including President Donald Trump, the movement for racial justice, and frontline health workers with Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Time's editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, said Biden and Harris received the recognition "for changing the American story" and "for showing that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division."

Biden and Harris defeated President Donald Trump in the November general election,

making him only the 11th president in US history to lose a reelection bid. In winning the election, Harris is set to become the first female, first Black, and

first Indian American vice president. Biden, a former US senator from Delaware who served as vice president under President Barack Obama, and Harris, a US senator from California, will be featured on the magazine's December 21 cover.

"Person of the Year is not just about the year that was but about where we're headed," the editor added. "The next four years are going to be an enormous test of them, and all of us, to see whether they can bring about the unity that they promised."During a taped segment for the magazine, Biden reflected on the US's morality. "I'm convinced the

American public is looking for the possibilities that are available out there," Biden said.

"They know we're so much better than this. When I ran I said, 'This is about who we are as a nation, who we're going to be, what we want to be.' And the American people stepped up."

Harris reflected on the message from her victory speech in which she discussed the historic nature of her candidacy.

"I will be the first, but I will not be the last," Harris said of the role she'd assume in January.

"That's about legacy, that's about creating a pathway, that's about leaving the door more open than it was when you walked in."

Rahul Dubey among Time magazine's 'Heroes of 2020' NEW YORK: Indian-American Rahul Dubey, who had opened the doors of his Washington DC home to over 70 people demonstrating against the killing of George Floyd, has been hailed among the "Heroes of 2020" by the TIME magazine, honouring those who "went above and beyond the call of duty" this year.

In the "Heroes of 2020", the publication also named Australia's volunteer firefighters who risked everything to keep their country safe, food-stall owners Jason Chua and Hung Zhen Long in Singapore who wouldn't let anyone go hungry during the Covid-19 pandemic, Pastor Reshorna Fitzpatrick and her husband Bishop Derrick Fitzpatrick of Chicago, who transformed their church to support their community during the trying year.

A newspaper deliveryman Greg Dailey, who began a grocery drop-off service in midMarch to anyone in need along his paper route and has since

Rahul Dubey

supplied more than 140 homes and conducted over 1,000 grocery runs in New Jersey's Mercer county, was also named by the magazine. "From citizens providing food and shelter to those in need to volunteers who protected their neighbours from natural disasters, these heroes went above and beyond the call of duty in 2020," TIME said.

TIME described Dubey as "The Man Who Gave Shelter to Those in Need." On June 1, as demonstrators filled the streets of Washington DC to protest the killing of African-American

Floyd, Dubey was home, not far from the White House. After a 7 pm curfew, he noticed crowds in the street outside as "police had set up barricades seemingly to trap protesters, and were pepper-spraying those who remained. Dubey decided to take action," TIME said.

"I open my door, and I start yelling, 'Get in!'" says Dubey, who works in the health care sector. "All these people were swarming in."

Dubey said he gave about 70 protesters refuge in his home, housing them overnight to avoid curfew breaches. "People were coughing, crying, strangers pouring milk into strangers' eyes," Dubey said.

"They were sharing information, writing down numbers for bail bondsmen. It was this real camaraderie." A report in TIME said Dubey claims police officers made several attempts to breach his sanctuary that evening: posing as protesters trying to get inside, and attempting to intercept the

pizza delivery he had ordered for his houseguests.

The move to open his door was driven by instinct, Dubey says nearly six months later. "It's what was needed." For his act, Dubey had been hailed as a hero and saviour as those who took shelter in his house started tweeting about it. "Rahul saved lives last night," one Black Lives Matter activist had written on Twitter. "He ended this with an inspirational speech about not giving up and keeping up the peaceful fight. What a guy.

Thank you, Rahul."

Dubey had told BuzzFeed News that it wasn't a choice to open his door and provide refuge to the mostly young protesters. "If you had seen what was going on in front of my eyes, there was no choice.

People were getting peppersprayed and beaten and slammed to the ground," he had told the media outlet. "I hope that my 13-year-old son grows up to be just as amazing as they are," Dubey was quoted as saying.

in brief SENATE OKAYS TRUMP'S ARMS SALE TO UAE An effort to stop President Donald Trump's high-tech weapons deals with the United Arab Emirates fell short in the US Senate as Trump's fellow Republicans opposed resolutions of disapproval seeking to block the sale of drones and advanced F-35 fighter jets. The Senate voted 50-46 and 49-47, mostly along party lines, to stop consideration of the resolutions, killing them at least until President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. Biden, a Democrat, is expected to review the sales. Earlier, the Trump administration had issued a formal notice of its intention to veto the measures if they passed the Senate and House of Representatives. The White House said the sales support US foreign policy and national security objectives by "enabling the UAE to deter increasing Iranian aggressive behavior and threats" in the wake of its recent peace deal with Israel. Backers of the sale also described the UAE as an important US partner in the Middle East.

US CARRIES OUT RARE EXECUTION The Trump administration last week carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago. Four more executions, are planned in the weeks before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The case of Brandon Bernard, who received a lethal injection of phenobarbital at a US prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a rare execution of a person who was in his teens when his crime was committed. Several high-profile figures, including Kim Kardashian West, had appealed to Trump to commute Bernard’s sentence to life in prison.

PROBE INTO HUNTER BIDEN'S TAX AFFAIRS President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, said that the US attorney’s office in Delaware had opened an investigation into his “tax affairs”. Hunter Biden, who has long been a target of Donald Trump and his allies, said he had learned about the federal investigation from his lawyer, who was informed of the matter by the US attorney’s office earlier that day. “I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers,” Hunter Biden said in a statement released by the president-elect’s transition office.

NETANYAHU TO BE FIRST TO GET PFIZER VACCINE IN ISRAEL Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s going to demonstrate his faith in Pfizer Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine by being the first in the country to be inoculated.

Netanyahu disclosed his plan following the delivery of the first shipment of the vaccine to Israel last week. “I believe in this vaccine, I expect it to get the necessary approvals in the next few days,” Netanyahu said. “I want the citizens of Israel to be vaccinated, and in order to do that, I want to serve as an example to them, and I plan to be the first to be inoculated with the vaccine in Israel.”

Netanyahu promised to bring millions of doses of vaccine to Israel, where morbidity figures have been climbing since the easing of the country’s second lockdown, imposed in mid-September. The daily average for new coronavirus infections climbed to nearly 1,500 last week, double the figure two weeks ago.

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Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK pays tribute to Iron Man of India on his Nirvana Day Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK (SPMS) payed tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel- the Iron Man of India - on the occasion of his Nirvana day. An event was held on virtual platform, where various well-known Indian and British dignitaries paid a tribute to Sardar. The chief speakers at the event were Ruchi GhanshyamFormer High Commissioner of India to UK, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of State - India, Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Chemical Fertilizers, Sairam Dave- International Folk Artist, India, C.B Patel, Chairman of SPMS, Lord Rami Ranger CBE- Vice Chairman, Secretary General and Krishna PujaraSecretary General.

The event began with Sairam's "Sauna Sardar" song and "Vallabh Tari Himmat Wakhanu, Ke Pachi Tari Samaj Wakhanu". One of the popular radio presenter Ravi Sharma paid homage to Sardar and introduced Lord Rami Ranger to the audience and said, “he is the one who has seen the work and dedication of Sardar very closely and under the chairmanship of Lord Rami Ranger we have arranged this event.

Mansukhbhai Mandvia said, "It is a matter of pride to remember Sardar Patel even in UK and pay homage to him on his death anniversary. True homage is paid when we all will take an oath to follow his path. Mansukhbhai further added, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also taken the responsibility of fulfilling the dream of Sardar by removing Article 370 without shedding a drop of blood." In the end, Mansukhbhai even added that

C.B. and I have met many times, even though I had to travel to Delhi from Gujarat, I am present in the event and it’s a pleasure to

Shri Mansukh Mandaviya Union Minister of State - India Ports, Shipping & Waterways / Chemical Fertilizers

see you all.” Even today marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of Air India's London-Ahmedabad direct flight while recalling the old memories. Sairam Dave paid homage to the Sardar in a unique style and said that 70 years have

passed since the passing away of Sardar, but still he is immortal. I am very much thankful to C.B. Sir and Krishna Ma’am for remembering me and inviting me to this unique event. Further Sairam Dave showcased a glimpse of Gujarati culture and Gujarati language in the event and how Gujarati community is widespread in UK. PM Modi, other leaders pay tributes to Sardar On the 70th death anniversary of the 'Iron Man of India', Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, several leaders paid tributes to the stalwart. Taking to Twitter, Prime

many other leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, BJP national president JP Nadda and many others paid respect to Sardar Patel.

Amit Shah taking to Twitter stated that Sardar Patel was a symbol of 'unity and power of India. Shah's tweet in Hindi can be roughly translated into: "The life and personality of Sardar Patel is so vast that it is not possible to get it into words.

Sardar Saheb is the symbol of unity and power of India, he solved complex problems and shaped a united India. His stead-

Shri Sairam Dave International Folk Artist India

Ruchi Ghanshyam Former High Commissioner India-UK

Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Sardar Patel who laid the foundation of a strong and prosperous India. He stated that Patel's path will always inspire everyone to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country. Apart from PM Modi,

fast leadership and national dedication will always guide us."

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar also paid respects to Sardar Patel. Saluting Patel, BJP national president JP Nadda said that he devoted his

LAC standoff is not in China's interest: Jaishankar Foreign minister S Jaishankar said India was being tested in the LAC standoff with China in eastern Ladakh even as he expressed confidence India will meet the national security challenge. The minister also said that the LAC situation is not in China's interest as its "carefully developed" goodwill will likely dissipate because of border tensions with India. He described the recent events at the line of actual control as very disturbing. Just a few days ago he had noted that China had advanced five different reasons for it mobilisation along the LAC. Speaking at the FICCI annual general meeting, Jaishankar refused to hazard a guess on whether or not a breakthrough is expected soon in the talks for disengagement. The external affairs minister said a lot of discussions had taken place over the proposed deal. "For a variety of reasons, they didn't close it out. I can tell you on our side, we were dead serious. We wanted to deal with those issues because we thought there was something much bigger that was in store for the relationship. But it didn't happen. And often when it comes to trade discussions (they) are like business discussions between two governments," he

S Jaishankar

said. "I would not go into prediction zone at all, whether it is going to be easy or not, and what will be the timelines. I do not believe that the events of this year have helped at all. In fact I think the real danger is that the goodwill which was so carefully developed will dissipate," he said.

"But I also would say that, yes, we are being tested. I have every confidence that we will rise to the occasion; we will meet that national security challenge. But beyond that, at this time, I would really frankly keep my own counsel," he added. He said these events have raised some very "basic concerns" as the "other party" had not abided by agreements on respecting the LAC. According to the minister, what has happened in the past 6-7 months is not actually in the interest of China. "Because what it has

done is - it has significantly impacted public sentiment (in India).

Professionally, I have seen the evolution of how the Indian public feels about China over the last many decades and I am old enough to remember much more difficult days, especially in my childhood and in my teens," he said.

Jaishankar also said a lot of work had gone into developing the relationship on both sides. "I think the events of this year have been very disturbing; they have raised some very basic concerns because they have happened because the other party has not abided by agreements that we have had with them about respecting and observing the line of actual control and not bringing the forces to the line of actual control."

Asked about the proposed trade deal with the US, Jaishankar said fairly serious negotiations had taken place between the government and the Trump administration on resolving outstanding trade issues. "I think the general thinking on both sides was 'let's deal with differences before we think of something bigger'," he said. When asked about the outcome of the US presidential election, Jaishankar suggested that the ties between the two countries will continue to expand.

entire life for the 'unity and integrity of the nation'. 'Sardar Patel's selfless patriotism and determination is inspiring for all of us.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was born on 31st October 1875 had a major role in merging all the princely states in India.

He was called the 'Iron Man of India' because he managed to unite all 562 princely states of the pre-independent British India to build the Republic of India as we know today. The Iron Man of India served as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India as well as the Home Minister during the political integration of India and the India-Pakistan war of 1947.

Sardar Patel died on 15 December 1950.

The prime minister also expressed his deep admiration and respect for him and has been the brain behind the Statue of Unity project in Gujarat, a tribute to Patel who had passed away in 1950.

DCGI asks Bharat Biotech, Serum to submit updated data on trials The drug regulator has asked Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII), which have sought emergency use authorisation (EUA) for their antiCovid vaccines, to submit updated safety and immunogenicity data from Phase-3 trials being held in India, official sources said.

The subject expert committee (SEC) on the matter had invited the three applicants - SII, Bharat Biotech and Pfizer - to make presentations regarding their applications seeking EUA for their vaccine candidates. However, applications from only Bharat Biotech and SII were considered as Pfizer sought more time to make submissions.

Senior health ministry sources said that seeking additional data was part of the thorough process. The ministry denied as “fake news” reports that the emergency use applications of SII and Bharat Biotech had been rejected on safety and efficacy grounds. “Both Bharat Biotech

and Serum made their presentations but data from Phase-3 trials was not there. We have asked the companies to submit updated information from Phase-3,” a senior regulatory official said.

According to the official, Bharat Biotech and SII have been asked to submit whatever data is available from their ongoing trials in India. “While Bharat Biotech is conducting Phase-3 studies on 26,000 subjects in India, it has given two doses to around 6,000 participants. We have asked the company to submit whatever data is available from India trials,” the official said.

Similarly, SII has been asked to submit updated safety and immunogenicity data from its local trials.

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Central team in Karnataka to assess flood damage BENGALURU: An InterMinisterial Central Team (IMCT) will visit different parts of Karnataka to assess the damage and extent of loss caused by the floods this year. The sixmember IMCT, which will be split into three teams, will visit parts of northern and coastal Karnataka.

Chief Minister, B S Yediyurappa met team members on Sunday ahead of their field visit. "I heartily welcome InterMinisterial Central Team led by Shri. Ramesh Kumar Ganta, who have all been deputed to Karnataka to make first hand assessment of damages and loss caused due to floods," he said.

He said £57.78 million had been released from the NDRF for flood relief.

This is the second InterMinisterial Central Team to visit Karnataka. Prime Minister,

Narendra Modi had earlier reviewed the flood situation twice through video conference and had assured the state of support. The southern state had experienced major flooding in August - and experienced heavy rains again in the months of September and October. This was accompanied by very high discharges from reservoirs in Maharashtra to downstream Karnataka and this was probably the first time the state faced floods in Krishna and Bhima basins in a single year.

The chief minister's office said that floods and landslides have damaged crops in more than 16,00,000 hectares; around 34,794 houses had been damaged, apart from extensive damage to critical infrastructure.

The government has estimated the total damage at £1.54 billion.

"In view of the estimated huge loss of £1.54 billion, I urge the

IMCT to recommend release of central assistance to enable us to provide relief to the affected people and to take up repair of damaged infrastructure," Yediyurappa was quoted as saying.

To provide immediate relief the state government disbursed input subsidy of £55.11 million to 712,000 farmers. Pound 132.04 million was committed for flood relief, repair and reconstruction.

The state government is providing Rs 500,000 for completely damaged houses, Rs 300,000 for severely damaged houses and Rs 50,000 for partially damaged houses. The state will incur an expenditure of £46.5 million towards housing assistance. The Central team will be travelling to flood affected areas in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Udupi districts, official sources said.

PUNJAB

Punjab DIG resigns to support agitating farmers CHANDIGARH: Punjab DIG (prisons) Capt Lakhminder Singh Jakhar submitted his resignation last week, saying he was doing so because he wanted to stand with the farmers protesting against the three contentious Central farm laws.

He said his resignation should be treated as premature retirement.

Capt Jakhar, who had served in the Army, had joined as a 1994-batch Punjab Police Service (PPS) officer and was to superannuate in August 2022.

The DIG had been suspended in May after a preliminary inquiry into charges of graft for allegedly demanding monthly payments from jails officials. However, he had denied all allegations against him at the time. “He was reinstated over a month ago. But the regular departmental inquiry is still pending against

In his letter to the principal secretary of the home department, Capt Jakhar wrote, “I, Capt Lakhminder Singh Jakhar, DIG, prisons, would like to inform you of my considered and introspective decision to stand with my farmer brothers who are peacefully Lakhminder Singh Jakhar protesting against the farm ordinances, 2020 him,” IGP (prisons) Roop Kumar (sic) which are detrimental to Arora said. the interest of farmers and their Capt Jakhar had hit the future generations.” headlines in March 2012 when as The letter adds, “As I am Patiala jail superintendent he myself a farmer by birth and had refused to execute the death same being inherited by me warrant of former Punjab CM from my forefathers who tilled Beant Singh’s assassin, Balwant their agricultural lands with Singh Rajoana. He faced hands to grow food and serve contempt of court charges for the mankind (sic). I have always his refusal but these charges listened to my conscience and were finally dropped by the now I earnestly feel that I should Punjab and Haryana high court. stand by my brotherhood.”

More farmers head to Delhi Apprehending that the standoff between farmers and the Union government may be a prolonged affair after talks between the two sides turned out to be futile, a large number of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have started for Delhi to join the protests. The farmers’ unions from Punjab and Haryana have started sending new batches of young farmers to join the protestors camping at Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi.

With the new batches of farmers heading towards the national capital, the Delhi police beefed up security arrangements at all the entry and exit points besides deploying additional police and paramilitary forces.

The various alternative routes to Delhi from Punjab and Haryana have also been sealed.

WEST BENGAL

Bengal’s top officers refuse to attend Delhi meeting KOLKATA: Bengal's defiance of central directives continued as both chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and DGP Virendra didn't turn up for a meeting on law and order in the state with Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla in Delhi. Senior officials said the state government was still to get a response from the Centre to its two letters - one on the summons to the chief secretary and the DGP and the other on central deputation for three Bengal cadre IPS officers.

The Union home ministry had last week directed the chief secretary and the state police chief to meet Bhalla in his on Monday to discuss law and order against the backdrop of three attacks on BJP national president JP Nadda's convoy en route to

Diamond Harbour from Kolkata.

A day later, the Centre directed that three IPS officers posted in the state - South Bengal IGP Rajeev Mishra, Presidency range DIG Praveen Kumar Tripathi and Diamond Harbour SP Bholanath Pandey - be sent to Delhi on central deputation.

Responding to the summons to him and DGP Virendra for the meeting in Delhi, chief secretary Bandyopadhyay had requested that their "attendance" be "dispensed with" as the state government was "already" addressing the situation in the wake of the attacks on Nadda's convoy and that several people had been arrested in this regard.

The Bengal government then, in another letter, intimated the Centre of its inability to release the three police officers for central deputation, citing the

in brief 'ANCIENT GOLD' DISCOVERED DURING TEMPLE RENOVATION Villagers stumbled upon "ancient gold" during the renovation of a temple in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, and it was seized by authorities and deposited with the government treasury despite the locals protesting against it, officials said. During the renovation of a temple of Lord Shiva taken up by the villagers themselves, "gold items", said to be weighing over half a kg, were found beneath the steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum a few days ago. Officials, on receiving information about the treasure, reached the temple, asked the villages to hand over the gold to the government. While devotees and local people declined to part with it as they wanted to place the gold again at the very same spot after completion of the renovation, authorities were firm on taking it, the officials said. After talks failed, officials deployed adequate police force and seized the gold from the villagers and deposited with the government treasury.

KERALA CM OFFERS FREE VACCINE TO PEOPLE People in Kerala will be vaccinated for free whenever the Covid-19 vaccine becomes available, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. With this announcement, Kerala joins a growing list of states that have said they would vaccinate people for free, such as BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. The BJP promised free vaccination in Bihar just before election to the legislative assembly in October. "This (Covid-19 vaccination) is an important issue.

This is one thing a majority of people are thinking now. There needn't be any doubt.

While the extent of the availability of the vaccine for people in Kerala is an issue that needs to be looked into, but available vaccine will be provided for free. The government does not intend to take money for that (vaccination) from anyone. We will take steps for free distribution," Vijayan said.

CHANDIGARH HIKES FINE FOR NOT WEARING MASK The Chandigarh Administration has increased the penalty for not wearing a face mask from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. However, it said that there will be no night curfew in the city to curb the coronavirus crisis. During a review meeting, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore directed Deputy Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar to go for stricter punishment for violations of Covid-19 guidelines. The UT Administration has also decided to open classroom teaching for the students in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, from December 1, 2020. The Chandigarh Administration has also permitted the coaching institutions to open from December 1, subject to strict observance of Covid-19 protocols, both in classes and hostels.

MUKUL ROY SEEKS PREZ RULE IN BENGAL Mamta Banerjee

still continuing fight against the pandemic as a reason. As the state government claimed to await responses from the Centre to its twin missives, Bandyopadhyay and Virendra stayed put in Bengal and went about their "routine work", officials said. The state government is exploring legal avenues on the communication regarding the three IPS officers,

the officials added, implying there was no possibility of their release as requisitioned by the Centre.

The officials said there was a paucity of IPS officers in Bengal and the "sudden and simultaneous" withdrawal of three officers overseeing arrangements for the Sagar Mela in January 2021 would result in administrative problems.

Senior BJP member Mukul Roy sought immediate imposition of Article 356 in the state to “restore democracy”, while BJP’s Bengal minder, Kailash Vijayvargiya, said the party would appeal to the Election Commission for deployment of central forces there. This comes after BJP president JP Nadda spoke against president’s rule in West Bengal and underscored “democratic processes”. “I know my party president or other party seniors may not agree to this, but I feel Article 356 must be imposed immediately if we have to restore democracy in the state. However, this is my opinion and not the party’s,” Roy said. Vijayvargiya said “We will urge the EC to allow people to cast their votes without fear... we will seek immediate deployment of central forces.”

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The writer is a Socio-political Historian - E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com Dr. Hari Desai

Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers’ Conflict with Judiciary • In 1961, D. Sanjivayya wrote to Union Home Minister alleging the Judges • In 2020, Jagan Mohan Reddy openly writes to the Chief Justice of India ecades before Jagan Mohan Reddy, the present Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (AP) wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India making wild allegations against the High Court judges, Damodaram Sanjivayya, the second Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (AP), had written a 9-page letter dated 4 November 1961 to Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Home Minister of India, complaining about the judges of the same High Court! Of course, the issue was settled without much hue and cry in public by the then Nehru Government but present day controversy has taken ugly shape of whether contempt of court proceedings be initiated against a popular Chief Minister.

Jagan Mohan Reddy, the present Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, wrote a strong worded letter to Justice S.A.Bobde, the Chief Justice of India on 6 October 2020 making wild allegations against the judges of Andhra High Court including one Justice N. V. Ramana who is next to Justice Bobde in seniority and one who is expected to be the Chief Justice of India. In the past the judiciary rarely and exceptionally faced such criticism, but these days the Indian Judiciary is being attacked day in and day out from within and Home Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. In the even by the politicians. scathing letter, Sanjivayya, the first Dalit K.K.Venugopal, the Attorney General of Chief Minister of India, accused the then India, says: “Today electronic and print media Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice P. are freely commenting on pending cases in an Chandra Reddy of being “communal-minded” attempt to influence judges and public and acting at the behest of fellow judges perception. This is doing great damage to the Justices P. Satyanarayana Raju and Jagan institution.” Media trials are definitely Mohan Reddi. damaging the judiciary but even sitting as well Sanjivayya said, “the High Court had fallen as retired judges too have been critical of on evil days” after Justice Chandra Reddy took certain judges by holding press conferences or over as the Chief Justice. “The sad issuing statements. Justice Ranjan Gogoi, the degeneration in every aspect is beyond retired Chief Justice of India and present description,” Sanjivayya wrote, adding that Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), had at “politics have crept into the High Court where point of time joinedthree other brother sitting also groupism on communal and other lines judges of the Supreme Court holding press has been predominant.”Sanjivayya alleged conference criticizing their own head and that in all appointments and transfers, Justice seniors. Later a lady assistant had accused Chandra Reddy was guided by considerations Justice Gogoi even when he was CJI which of communalism and favouritism. Citing an turned out to be a big controversy. example, the then CM said “E. Venkatesam, Even after CM Reddy’s letter to the CJI though he is average type of lawyer, has been and release of the letter by his advisor to press, recommended by the Chief Justice for the High Court judges continued to be appointment as high court judge” because he “irritation” for him. In a peculiar development was “a junior under Mr P. Satyanarayana in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Raju.” “On the whole, I hear sickening reports November 2020, a division bench has about these persons,” Sanjivayya said and converted the hearing on a batch of habeas requested Shastri, Prime Minister Jawaharlal corpus petitions and petitions alleging police Nehru and the Chief Justice of India to do excesses as a hearing on the issue whether justice to the people of the state. there is a "constitutional breakdown" in the Sanjivayya wrote, the “Chief Justice State of Andhra Pradesh. A division bench Chandra Reddy openly encourages his castecomprising Justices Rakesh Kumar and Uma men in the bar much to the heartburn of other Devi has directed the government counsel to members of the bar.”“How can there be real make submissions on whether the court can national integration if such high placed record a finding that there is “Constitutional dignitaries behave in such unbecoming breakdown” in the light of the circumstances manner and if they are allowed to continue which are prevailing in the State of AP. like that? The confidence of the public will be During the hearing held on 20 November shaken if the judiciary favours one group or 2020, certain interesting exchanges happened community,” the letter stated.“It is not good in the court, when Justice Rakesh Kumar, the for the institution or the state or even for presiding judge, made several oral himself if people lose faith on some account observations on the policy decisions of the or other. I can assertively state that the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government of the confidence of public is badly shaken in his State. Justice Rakesh Kumar termed the threeregime as Chief Justice,” the former CM wrote capital decision of the Jagan Government to and sought Justice Chandra Reddy’s be "mindless", as crores of public money have transfer. “If he is not transferred from the already been spent on the present capital.

High Court immediately, the reputation Justice Rakesh Kumar was transferred from thereof will be damaged beyond repair. I Patna High Court to Andhra Pradesh High therefore strongly press for his transfer at Court last year. Shortly before his transfer to once in the interests of the state and its people AP High Court, Justice Rakesh and the reputation of Next Column Kumar had created a furore in the high court itself,” the Patna High Court by passing First Convention of Indian the letter stated. a direction for CBI investigation It seems present National Congress in 1885 into alleged corruption in the Christian Chief Minister subordinate judiciary. In that order, Justice of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy is Rakesh Kumar had made startling drawing inspiration from Sanjivayya but his observations such as "corruption in this High open political battle is certainly damaging the Court is an open secret" and that "judges were prestige of Indian judiciary. In fact, such more interested in enjoying privileges than issues must be settled by the rulers and the administering justice". judiciary amicably without tarnishing the From the records of the National Archives image of the judges. Unfortunately, the of India, this writer could lay hands on an political bosses aspire to have “committed interesting letter written in 1961 by the then judiciary” and do not prefer independent state Chief Minister D. Sanjivayya to Union judges.

D

No coercive steps to control population, govt tells SC The Central government has told the Supreme Court that India is on the verge of achieving a replacement level of fertility rate of 2.1 through various voluntary birth control measures and rejected suggestions to adopt the coercive China population control model, saying such methods cause demographic distortions.

The health & family welfare ministry’s submissions came in response to PIL petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, who had pleaded that “to have good health; social, economic and political justice; liberty of thoughts, expression and belief, faith and worship; and equality of status and opportunity, a population control law, based on the model of China, is urgently required”.

Advocating strict implementation of the almost-half-a century-old family planning slogan “hum do, hamare do”, Upadhyay had termed population explosion in India as a major cause of poverty, criminal activity and distorted development. He had sought a direction from the SC to the government to frame a law on population control and family planning.

The ministry said, “India is unequivocally against coercion in family planning.” Taking a dig at the China model, which was suggested by the petitioner, it said, “In fact, international experience shows that any coercion to have a certain number of children is counterproductive and leads to demographic distortion.” This is indeed the case, with China’s population graph showing an imbalance between younger, workingage people and older ones needing societal benefits such as pension and healthcare, it said.

25 of 36 states/UTs have achieved fertility of 2.1 or less The health & family welfare ministry said India is on the verge of

achieving a total fertility rate (average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime) of 2.1 by 2025, as set out in the the National Population Policy of 2000 and through the guidance provided in the National Health Policy of 2017.

“India is witnessing a constant decline in the TFR, which was 3.2 in the year 2000 as against 2.2 in 2018. The wanted fertility rate is only 1.8, indicating thereby that couples on an average do not want more than two children.” “As many as 25 out of 36 states/UTs have already achieved the replacement level fertility of 2.1 or less.

As per the Census, 2001-11 is the first decade in the last 100 years which has not only added lesser population as compared to the previous one, but also registered the sharpest decline in the decadal growth rate, from 21.5% in 1991-2000 to 17.6% in 2001-11,” it said.

However, 146 districts in seven states - UP (57), Bihar (37), Rajasthan (14), Madhya Pradesh (25), Chhattisgarh (2), Jharkhand (9) and Assam (2) - have shown TFR of 3 and above. These seven states account for 44% of the country’s population. The Centre listed a dozen schemes being implemented to achieve a replacement fertility rate of 2.1 by 2025 and, interestingly, the government gave credit to five schemes announced by UPA-II led by Manomhan Singh. “At present India is knocking at the door of achieving replacement level of fertility, and has made remarkable improvement in reducing maternal and child mortality,” the government said.

Army chief on visit to UAE and Saudi Arabia to boost defence ties

India's Army chief General M M Naravane last week left for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a significant week-long visit to bolster defence cooperation and security ties with the two important countries in the Gulf region. This first-ever visit by an Indian Army chief to the UAE and Saudi Arabia comes at a time when their traditionally close ties with Pakistan have faced turbulence in recent months. UAE has also now “normalised” ties with Israel, with Saudi Arabia likely to follow suit soon.

Gen Naravane will hold meetings with civilian and military leaders in the two countries to discuss measures to enhance military ties, as well as visit defence establishments and academies. His first destination will be

the UAE, following which he will be in Saudi Arabia. It will be Gen Naravane’s third foreign trip with clear diplomatic import in recent months after he visited Myanmar with foreign secretary Harsh Shringla in October, and then Nepal in November. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also visited the UAE and Bahrain on November 24-26. India has over the years steadily built stronger defence ties with the Gulf nations through joint exercises, military training and intelligence-sharing, even as discussions have also been under way to export the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to countries like the UAE. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also keen on joint defence production ventures with India.

26 INDIA

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Controversy over new parliament building Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid foundations for a huge new Indian parliamentary building, the centrepiece of a grand but contentious redevelopment of New Delhi’s colonial-era core. Critics say the 200 billion rupees ($2.7bn) that the government is reportedly spending on the vast project could be better directed to fighting Covid-19 and repairing the pandemic-battered economy.

India is one of the worst-hit countries and has so far recorded more than 9.7 million infections and at least 141,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Modi also performed rituals at Thursday’s ceremony to kick off construction of the new parliament – a building meant to be the heart of the officially secular democracy of 1.3 billion people.The project begins even as legal challenges make their way through the Supreme Court that could potentially scupper, or at least delay, the overhaul. It also comes as tens of thousands of farmers, angry at new agricultural laws, blockaded the capital for a second week, in a major challenge to the authority of Modi and his reform agenda.

Due for completion in 2022, when India marks 75 years of independence from Britain, the much larger new parliament will replace an old building that the government says is showing signs of “distress”. Designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens in the early 20th century as the commanding centrepiece of the Raj, the area also comprises the grand Rajpath boulevard, the president’s residence, government offices, the national museum and the India Gate war memorial. Modi’s overhaul of the sweeping, tree-lined and lawned vista will see it enclosed by rows of imposing new government buildings and the prime minister’s office shifted and enlarged. Some of the old parliament will be “retrofitted” and continue to be used for government business, while other buildings will reportedly be turned into

museums. Some will be demolished.

Modi’s office said the redevelopment “will match the aspirations of a new India”.

But there has been a chorus of criticism, not just at the price tag, which is expected to be 9.7 billion rupees ($130m) for the triangular parliament complex alone.

Tikender Singh Panwar, an opposition politician and an expert on urbanisation, said that the redevelopment was a “big scandal in the making”.“Curiously, for a project of this significance, size and cost, the details are sketchy … I see this as a fascist leader wanting to leave an imprint of his glory on Delhi,” he said. Political commentator Arati Jerath said the redevelopment signalled the “making of a new India that will bear Modi’s imprint”.

“This money could have been well spent on healing and repairing the economy and creating jobs but instead of which it is being spent on fulfilling one man’s grandiose dreams of what a new India should look like,” said Jerath.

Some opposition parties have also criticised the government’s decision to perform Hindu rituals during inauguration. The project has also run into legal trouble with several petitions in India’s top court questioning its validity on the grounds of land and environmental rules. The Supreme Court expressed unhappiness over the government’s rush to inaugurate the project before it had considered the pleas.

It, however, allowed paperwork and other procedures – including Thursday’s ceremony – to go ahead.

PM Modi lays foundation stone for development projects in Kutch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid foundation stones for three development projects in Kutch. These projects are - a 30,000 megawatt capacity hybrid renewable energy park along the Indo-Pak border at Khavda, a desalination plant at Mandvi and a milk processing and packaging unit at Anjar. The upcoming hybrid renewable energy park is expected to attract an investment of £15 billion and create employment opportunities for 100,000 people, the Prime Minister said. PM Modi, who was on a day-long visit of Gujarat, was speaking after virtually laying foundation stones for the projects from a function at Dhordo village.

The hybrid energy park, being touted as the biggest such facility in the world, will be capable of producing 30,000 megawatt, or 30

gigawatt, of electricity using both solar panels and wind farms installed at one place.

Spread over 72,600 hectares of waste land, the first of its kind energy project is expected to play a major role in fulfilling India's vision of generating 450 gw (4,50,000 mw) of power by 2030.

Significantly, at a time when farmers protest against Centre’s new farm laws continued at Delhi’s Singhu border, the PM will meet a group of progressive farmers of Kutch including some native of Punjab who are engaged in agriculture activities at Kutch border.

The PM reached Bhuj airport at around 12.35 pm and Dhordo helipad at around 1.15 pm. He laid the foundation stones of the projects through a function organised at tent city in presence of Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. He has also reviewed the status of important

projects being handled by the government.

“The government was asked to prepare departmentwise, project-wise and major scheme wise presentation to be made before the PM,” a source close to the development said. Chief secretary Anil Mukim had instructed all concerned departments to prepare status report of various activities and important projects including the centrally funded Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train and national highway projects being executed in the state. “A team of key secretaries of government of India have also been asked to be present during the PM visit. A presentation on Gujarat’s industrial development was made before the PM and senior officers.

Both chief minister Vijay Rupani and deputy CM Nitin Patel were present during the presentation. .

Key achievements of Modi govt in 2.0 Continued from page - 1 In the first year of the Modi 2.0, the government has taken several key decisions, including the abrogation of Article 370, criminalisation of triple talaq, anti-terror terrorism law, Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case as an incentive.

From abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, both have been the two key ideological highlights of the BJP’s manifestoes over the decades, and both issues were settled in the favour of the party in the last one year.

Article 370 Abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, became a primary selling point for the Modi government which came within 100 days of coming back to power.

The government said Article 370 abrogation was necessary for full integration of Kashmir into India.

It also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir division and Ladakh division, sending a strong message to Pakistan that Delhi was prepared to retaliate in the same capacity.

Triple Talaq Another issue that left the opposition crumbling and gave the BJP an upper hand was the issue of triple talaq. The BJP government succeeded in criminalising the practice of instant divorce among Muslim men and successfully pushed through both houses of

Parliament despite opposition from its own camp.

UAPA The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was amended by the government to give more teeth to agencies. The opposition opposed this but Home Minister Amit Shah put up a strong defence.

The government said amendment in the law was necessary to fight terror activities. The amendment conferred power to the government to designate an individual as a terrorist and seize their property.

Ram Mandir The construction of Ram Mandir has featured in every election manifesto of the BJP for decades. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ram Mandir which was criticised by many Muslim politicians and religious leaders the community. The verdict paved the way for the construction of a temple at the disputed site and the process has already begun.

Citizenship Act Then came the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The passage of CAA, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from three neighbouring Muslim majority countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh) on the ground of religious persecution, prompted intense violent protests. It was also one of the key promises made by the party in its manifesto.

Goods and Services Tax The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was in the pipeline for 17 years before it became a major tax reform in 2017. For long, India was seen as a non-friendly country for business owing to its complicated tax laws. The GST subsumed 17 existing indirect taxes to make compliance of taxation laws by the business world simple. The rollout of GST through a special session of Parliament three years ago remains a major highlight of the

Modi government.

Insolvency and bankruptcy code The link between failed businesses and the consequent banking ailment was long seen as a problem area for economy growth and policy making. The Modi government enacted the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) law in 2016. The law was amended for the second time earlier this year to make it more attuned to ground realities.

Sardar Sarovar dam The construction Sardar Sarovar dam was another highlight of Modi government. The dam generates electricity as well as supply water to the parched areas of Gujarat, MP and Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the dam on the Narmada river. The project which has been the subject of much controversy for decades now is reported to be one of the largest dams in the world having a length of 1.2 km and a depth of 163 metres.

Statue of Unity The Statue of Unity is another major achievement of the Modi government. It is a colossal statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home minister of independent India and adherent of Mahatma Gandhi during the non-violent Indian Independence movement. Patel was highly respected for his leadership. The statue is located in the state of Gujarat, India. It is the

world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres (597 feet). It is located on the Narmada River in the Kevadiya colony, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on 31 October 2018, the 143rd anniversary of Sardar Patel.

Bihar elections Another achievement of the Modi government is the successful conduct of Bihar election during the Covid restrictions. Elections in India are a grand affair. Billboards, posters, mass rallies and crowds are a must for parties to make their presence felt. However, this time due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released a set of guidelines to be followed by each party and their workers during campaigning. For the first time, parties were told to organise large-scale 'virtual rallies' in the villages and cities of Bihar.

Swachh Bharat Though it has its origin in the Nirmal Gram mission, the Swachh Bharat campaign is one of the big socio-political achievements of the Modi government.

Cleaner, healthier kitchen Another highlight of the government and the one that played an equal political role besides the toilet scheme - in getting Narendra Modi back to the PMO is free distribution of the LPG cylinders. It was done through the Ujjwala Yojana, under which women in villages get free one LPG cylinder connection per household.

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19 -25 December 2020

PM Modi assures farmers, says govt there for them 24 hours Amid the ongoing farmer protests at Delhi borders against the Farm Acts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday again reiterated that the three farm laws have been rolled out keeping in mind farmers and their interests and slammed Opposition parties for misleading and instigating them. Meanwhile, firm on their stated stance, unions and ‘jathebandis’ accused the government of trying to drive a wedge in their unity using issues like SYL canal and called Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s meetings with “so-called famer leaders illusionary/ diversionary tactics”.

Speaking in Gujarat, where he unveiled various projects, the Prime Minister questioned, “Can any dairy owner who enters into a contract with a dairy farmer for buying milk take away his buffalo.” Assuring that farmers’ lands will remain safe, the PM said the laws will benefit all, including small and marginal farmers who will also have the same freedom as dairy farmers to sell their produce to who they want.

“Opposition leaders are misleading farmers for narrow political gains,” he said, adding that the government is there to resolve any “issues/doubts farmers might have 24 hours. The farm laws are for your benefit. Different parts of the country have given them their blessings. I am sure ‘jagrook’ (aware/progressive) farmers of the country will defeat those spreading lies and misleading them”. he PM said agriculture reforms are exactly what farmer bodies and even opposition parties have been asking for years.

Govt ready to discuss farm laws Looking to keep the lines of communication open with unions opposed to the new farm laws, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Centre was ready to discuss the legislations “clause by clause” once the agitating farmers responded to a set of amendments proposed by the government.

Farm unions, however, intensified their agitation in several parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, and MP by sitting on fast, organising demonstrations and blocking key roads, therby triggering traffic snarls that lasted for several hours in some places, particularly paralysing transport on NH-8 - the main link between Rajasthan and Delhi. Defence minister Rajnath Singh echoed Tomar, saying the Centre was open to dialogue, but asserted the recent reforms

had been undertaken with the best interests of farmers in mind and “there is no question of taking retrograde steps” against the agriculture sector since it was the “mother” of all sectors.

Speaking at a Ficci convention, Rajnath Singh

Himachal Pradesh and J&K and some parts of UP for the second consecutive day due to protests near Shahjahanpur in Haryana on NH-8. Cabs and private bus operators also did not operate its buses to Delhi.

The government, meanwhile, received a

amid signals from Rajasthan that hordes of farmers there are straining at the leash to proceed to the capital. Around 1.45 pm on Sunday, traffic on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway stalled at Jaisingh Khera as hundreds of farmers from Rajasthan were

Use iron fist in a velvet glove Veteran Indian Economist, Journalist and Columnist, Swaminathan Aiyar, who is considered fair and unbiased in his views, urges India's PM Modi to stand firm on his farm reforms. In his column in The Times of India, he said that the farm laws laws are highly sensible. One allows farmers to sell produce anywhere in India, not just in government mandis where they pay levies and commissions. The second lays out a framework for contract farming, which is voluntary and mutually beneficial. The third amends the Essential Commodities Act that historically has been used to stop produce moving across states and impose stock limits on traders. The latter has made it impossible for traders to build large global-sized warehouses — any stock limit said, “We are always willing to listen to our farmer brothers, allay their misgivings and provide them with assurances (that) we can provide. Our government is always open to discussion and dialogue” adding agriculture was one sector able to avoid adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our produce and procurement have been plentiful and our warehouses are full,” he said. Tomar met MPs and MLAs of Haryana on issues relating to farm laws, the state’s share of waters from the SutlejYamuna link canal and construction of three dams in the upper reaches of the Yamuna river.

Meanwhile, in Punjab and Haryana, farmers held demonstrations and gherao at the offices of deputy commissioners with a large number of protesters turning up in tractor trolleys. In Rajasthan, state roadways buses as well as trucks remained disconnected with states, including Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Punjab,

announced by a state government will make the warehouse owners instant criminals. Freedom to sell anywhere in India should be seen as a fundamental farm right, and stock limits should be seen as socialist dinosaurs thwarting a modern warehousing system. Modi must stick to all three laws. Punjab farmers have benefited from government procurement of wheat and rice at a Minimum Support Price, something not done for other crops. Only 6% of Indian farmers benefit from MSPs, but they are concentrated in Punjab and have huge clout. Modi has guaranteed that MSPs will continue regardless of the new reforms, but the farmers worry that the reforms are the first steps to ending MSPs, and so want the laws rescinded.

boost, even as protests intensified, with the late Sharad Joshi’s All India Kisan Coordination Committee supporting the new farm laws and its representatives meeting Tomar. The AIKCC suggested that the laws be made “optional for states to accept or reject” as a way out to end the current impasse. Though groups from Haryana and Uttarakhand had met Tomar in support of the laws last week, AIKCC coming on board is significant as this umbrella organisation has nearly 7,000 farm NGOs as members working in Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.

10,000 more to join, Delhi on edge over mega farm stir The Singhu border in Delhi is bracing for the biggest logjam of the farm agitation so far, with 10,000 more protesters expected to join those already at the protest site

stopped by police from going further. The Alwar administration diverted traffic through the BehrorTatarpur-Khairtal route.

The tail of vehicles stuck on the highway stretched up to 10km. The border was opened for vehicles coming from Delhi after 3.5 hours, according to officials.

"We have not blocked the highway. It's a consequence of the fact that the police have blocked us placing barriers. We are simply trying to go to Delhi to get the government listen to us," said Amra Ram, a farmer activist from Rajasthan. At Singhu, the refrain was that everyone was there for the long haul.

"We will stay here for as many months as required.

We are not short of anything. If the government feels that we will starve and die here, they are wrong.

Each of us is a warrior and will fight like one," said Gurnam Singh, a resident of Moga who has called his entire family to camp there.

Another protester who has been there since the

first day said 2,000 tractor trolleys carrying at least four people each were on their way to Singhu.

Gaganpreet Singh, a resident of Delhi who has been serving food to the protesters, said he he had asked his friends to join him to add to the numbers.

"I come from a family of farmers and will always stand for their rights. The protesters are no fools that they would leave their homes and stay on the roads under such circumstances if it were for nothing," he said.

Fellow protester Mannat Singh said the plan was to block every entry point to the capital. "We will also try to block the arterial roads within Delhi.

It’s not as if we want to create any inconvenience to the people; we just want our protest to be noticed."

Reconsider proposals A day after farmer unions opposing the new agri laws rejected the Centre’s proposals, the government once again asked them to consider the assurances offered and said it remained open for talks whenever the unions were ready even as they stuck to their guns and declared plans for a ‘rail roko’.

While indicating yet again that repeal of farm laws as demanded by the agitating farmers was not on the table, Union agricul-

ture minister Narendra Tomar dwelt on the assurances and amendments promised by the Centre and said it was ready to discuss provisions that the unions believed affected the farm sector adversely.

Farmer union goes to SC The Bhartiya Kisan Union has filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking it to quash three agricultural laws passed by Parliament in September.

Thousands of farmers have over the past few weeks been protesting against these laws, demanding that the government repeal them. The Bhartiya Kisan Union's petition, filed by its president Bhanu Pratap Singh, claimed that the three laws will lead to commercialisation and will throw the farmers at the mercy of corporates. Citing the ongoing farmers' protest along the national capital's borders, it said a "rail roko" agitation, too, would begin soon. Calling the new laws "arbitrary", the petition alleges that they were passed without adequate discussion. The Supreme Court has already issued notices to the Central government on a batch of petitions challenging the farm laws passed by Parliament in September.

These laws were first introduced in June as ordinances by the Central government.

28 HEALTH

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India may wait for UK clearance of AstraZeneca vaccine India probably will wait till UK authorities clear the coronavirus vaccine developed by University of Oxford and AstraZeneca as experts from India's drug regulators sought their data before assessing the vaccine candidate on their own. Being manufactured and tested in India by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the vaccine candidate is among three that have applied for an emergency approval. The others include Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine, and a domestic vaccine called Covaxin being developed by Bharat Biotech.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's Subject Expert Committee (SEC) reportedly said, “After detailed deliberation, the committee recom-

mended that the firm should submit the following data/information for further review: 1. Updated safety data of the Phase II/III clinical trial in the country; 2.

Immunogenicity data from the clinical trial in UK and India; (and) 3. The outcome of the assessment of UKMHRA for grant of EUA

(emergency use authorisation).” The assessments will be sent as recommendations to the CDSCO, which will take the final call.

The committee reportedly also asked Bharat Biotech, which presented Phase I/2 data, to present data from its Phase 3 trials. The meeting, conducted last week, marks

the formal beginnings of Covid-19 vaccine candidate testings that may have derived enough data to judge its safety and efficacy. Pfizer, meanwhile, sought more time to appear before the committee.

Media reports quoted a source as saying Pfizer has been told they can approach whenever they are ready. The next SEC meeting is expected to undertake once the two manufacturers submit their data. Pfizer's vaccine is the furthest along, showing 95 per cent efficacy. However, there has been no trial in India for the vaccine. The Oxford-AstraZeneca, to be manufactured and marketed by the Serum Institute of India, is currently conducting a phase III trial in India with 1,600 participants across 15 sites.

Covid complications include kidney, lung and cardiovascular issues A brand new research reveals that individuals who contracted Covid-19 suffered from several complications like kidney, lung, and cardiovascular issues.

The study, published in CMAJ, identified patients who had a Covid-19 related health visit between March 1 and April 30, 2020. Over half of all patients were admitted to the hospital and approximately five per cent were admitted to the intensive care unit. The median age was 65 years, and 55.8 per cent were female.

Dr William Murk, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, with coauthors from Aetion, Inc., HealthVerity, Inc. and the University of Toronto, wrote, “Understanding the full range of associated conditions can aid in prognosis, guide treatment decisions and better inform patients as to their actual risks for the variety of Covid-19 complications reported in the literature and media.”

Common complications associated with Covid-19

were pneumonia, respiratory failure, kidney failure, and sepsis or systemic inflammation, consistent with other studies. The absolute risk of someone with Covid-19 having these serious conditions was 27.6 per cent for pneumonia, 22.6 per cent for respiratory failure, 11.8 per cent for kidney failure, and 10.4 per cent for sepsis or systemic inflammation.

The researchers also found associations with a range of

other lung and cardiovascular conditions, such as collapsed lung, blood clotting disorders, and heart inflammation – the risk of these, however, were relatively low.

Malnutrition, obesity on the rise in India: NFHS decreased in this period in most states. To top things, the share of Indians with anemia also increased between the latest two rounds of the survey in a majority of the states. States like Assam saw a very signifi-

cant rise of anemic people, with the share of women increased by 20 percentage points. The share of anemic men and women was the highest in West Bengal, while anemic children topped in Gujarat.

Your authenticity is your strength Psychologist Mamta Saha Dear Readers, as 2020 comes to a close the hustle and bustle of Christmas will naturally feel different this time round. My hope for you is that you create time to slow down and fully utilize the opportunity of your projects pausing and shops closing to spend time journaling, reflecting, reading and as often as you can practicing meditation or gentle stretching.

My wish for you is that you always remember that you are enough, you always have been, and you always will be. Your misunderstood uniqueness is not your work to explain, we all have uniqueness, some hide it well others don’t. Your authenticity is your strength.

You are bold. You are worthy, you are humane. Often people misjudge you and even when you try to explain they may decide to hold their inaccurate view of you.

That is also not your work to resolve my dear reader.

Trust that by some way or another there is a message in their behaviour and a sign for you to focus on being who you are, even if they judge you wrongly.

Be kind to yourself with the same love that you give to others. If you ever feel like you are giving more than you are receiving, take a step back and observe the dynamic, is this really the case? If it is, then adjust your behaviour and ask yourself why you feel the need to overextend yourself for someone who does not value nor appreciate you. You deserve better, you deserve to be respected and given the same level of love and time that you give to others.

I have personally done this in my life, and it has transformed how I feel. I no longer give my energy and time to people who abuse it. Holding back has been a brave and courageous move, and as scary as it felt at the time, I wouldn’t want to change a thing. The pillars of a strong relationship are trust, support, respect and love. Do you feel like you are getting this?

Those who assume their harsh projections on you are fighting an internal battle that you cannot see, and it is not your job to fix. No matter how close those people are to you, your responsibility is to work on you, we are all equal and at different stages of our journey, always hold that at the forefront of your mind.

You have always been distinctively perfect in your own way; we all are.

Inhale this wisdom, your brilliance, you are here to serve something higher that yourself, stride through your journey with strength, the world needs you. Now fly and be in all of your glory, leave your narratives and story behind, you have amazing work to do.

Download your free e-book ‘Just in time’ from www.mamtasaha.com, tune into Saha Mindset podcast on Spotify and follow me on Instagram: saha_mamta. Feel free to email too: mamta@mamtasaha.com

Rich countries hoarding Covid vaccine: Report The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS) over the weekend.

The survey, which was conducted after a gap of about three years, was released for only 22 states and Union territories. It includes big states such as Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal. An alarming finding from the latest NFHS sheds light on child nutrition.

NFHS 5 findings show a rise in child malnutrition levels. The share of children who were stunted increased in 13 states, while the share of children who had low weight for their height increased in

12 states. The share of underweight and overweight children also increased in 16 and 20 states, respectively. The survey also reported an increased share of men and women who were overweight or obese. Share of obese men increased in 19 of the 22 states and Union territories for which the data was available.

The share of obese women increased in 16. The share of obese women increased the most in Karnataka, by 6.8 percentage points, and the share of obese men increased the most in Jammu and Kashmir, by 11.1 percentage points. To be sure, the share of underweight men and women

A new report by the People's Vaccine Alliance warns rich countries are hoarding significant doses of Covid vaccines while poor countries risk missing out. The coalition of campaigning bodies says nearly 70 lower-income countries will only be able to vaccine one in 10 people. The threat looms despite OxfordAstraZeneca pledging to provide 64 per cent of its doses, and WHO's vaccine commitment, known as COVAX, securing 700 million doses of vaccines to be distributed between 92 lower-income countries that have signed up.

The People's Vaccine

Alliance – a network of organisations including Amnesty International, Oxfam and Global Justice Now, says not enough to go round, and drug companies should share their technology to make sure more doses are produced. Their research finds that rich countries have bought

enough doses to vaccinate their entire population three times over if all the vaccines are approved for use.

While rich nations represent just 14 per cent of the world's population, they have bought up 53 per cent of the most promising vaccines so far. Oxfam's health

policy manager, Anna Marriott was quoted as saying, “No-one should be blocked from getting a lifesaving vaccine because of the country they live in or the amount of money in their pocket. But unless something changes dramatically, billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and effective vaccine for Covid-19 for years to come.”

The alliance has urged all pharmaceutical corporations working on vaccines to openly share their technology and intellectual property so that billions more doses can be manufactured and made available to everyone.

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Priyanka on trying her hand at producing movies Actor Priyanka Chopra Jones is one of the biggest names of Bollywood and Hollywood today. Not only is she a great actress, she also has a successful production house which primarily produces regional films.

Speaking at the 18th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit last week, Priyanka talked about her decision to become a film producer and the inspiration behind it.

Talking about her production house, Priyanka said, “When I joined the film industry, there is always opportunity for the big guns,

who have been established. It takes a really long time for writing, directing, production, acting talent to be able to get through the doors.

My company was all about giving opportunities to smaller, more quaint stories and that's how the regional cinema thing started.”

She added, “And also my mother told me that when I turn 39, I might not have a career very soon. So I was like, 'You're right'. We started the company and today in both countries, multiple languages, across multiple mediums. My

greatest joy with Purple Pebble is being able to create an all SouthAsian cast, movies and TV shows in Hollywood. We haven't seen that very often. It is really my quest to try and influx Hollywood with Indian talent, as much as I can.”

Priyanka has a slate of streaming projects on the work front. She will be seen in Ramin Bahrani's 'The White Tiger', and Robert Rodriguez’s 'We Can Be Heroes' on Netflix in January. She is also reportedly in talks with Amazon Prime for a deal to produce content.

Choreographer Remo suffers heart attack Choreographer Remo D'Souza has suffered a heart attack and is currently undergoing treatment at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital. Remo has undergone angioplasty and is now stable. As per a report, the 'Race 3' director's wife is present with him at the hospital. His wife Lizelle revealed that it was a blockage and doctors have done angiography.

Stating that he is in the ICU, she urged everyone to pray for his early recovery.

Remo's friend Mahesh Kukreja has stated that he is doing fine and everything is under control. Remo is known for his choreography as well as directing films like 'Street Dancer 3D', 'ABCD', 'ABCD 2' and 'A Flying Jatt' among others. The choreographer has also judged dance reality shows Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, Dance India Dance and Dance Plus.

Kangana winds up 'Thalaivi' shoot Actor Kangana Ranaut has wrapped up shooting for her most ambitious movie yet, 'Thalaivi'. Kangana took to Twitter over the weekend and announced the news, saying she has “mixed feelings” about parting ways with the titular character. The movie is a biopic on actor-turned-politician Jayalalithaa.

Kangana tweeted, “And it's a wrap, today we successfully completed the filming of our most ambitious project Thalaivi- the revolutionary leader, rarely an actor finds a character that comes alive in flesh and blood and I fall in love so hard but now suddenly it's time to say bye, mixed feelings.” She thanked the whole team for an

“opportunity of a lifetime.”

She added, “Opportunity of a lifetime thank you team @vishinduri @ShaaileshRSingh @BrindaPrasad1 @neeta_lulla @rajatsaroraa, Vijendra Parsad ji @ballusaluja @gvprakash @thearvindswami and director A. L. Vijay sir, each and every member of my wonderful crew, thank you”.

Kareena-Saif not decided on second child's name yet Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan is pregnant with her second child, but is better prepared with handling the press this time. She, and husband Saif Ali Khan have not thought of their second baby's name yet and will wait for them to be born.

Speaking in a recent episode of 'What Women Want', Kareena discussed naming the new baby with actor Neha Dhupia.

She said, “after all the controversy that was caused by her first child, Taimur's name, she and Saif have not even thought about it. We're like going to leave to the last minute and then spring a surprise.”

Neha suggested she should hold a poll to decide the best name, however, Kareena isn't all for it. She said, “I'm gonna tackle this right at the end.”

A raging debate broke out on Twitter over Taimur's name, with several believing Saif shouldn't have named his son after Turkish ruler Timur who invaded India. He had addressed the controversy in 2017 by saying, “I haven't told anyone about this – I thought for a second about changing his name.

For a couple of weeks.

And Kareena was a little against it, and she said, 'People respect you for your opinion and you can't'... So I said, yeah, but it's not about people. I don't want him to get unpopular.”

Kareena and Saif are all set to welcome the baby around in March. On the work front, she finished her portion of shoot for 'Laal Singh Chaddha'.

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Anushka-Virat feature in top 25 global influencers list India's top couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli have found a place in the global list of top Instagram influencers. The report, compiled by global data collection and analysis platform Hype Auditor, ranked the top 1,000 Instagram accounts by quality of audience and the authentic engagement that they can drive to create awareness, to empower, inspire or impact people through their voice and clout. The list was topped by football player Cristiano Ronaldo, with an authentic engagement of 4.5 million per post.

Meanwhile, Kohli was the highestranking Indian on the list, at the 11th posi-

tion, followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 17, and Anushka at 24th place with an authentic engagement of 2.6 million per post. The only other Indian celebrities to make it to the top 50, were Katrina Kaif, and Deepika Padukone who were ranked 43rd and 49th respectively.

Anushka and Virat, who celebrated their third wedding anniversary last week, are expecting their first child. The baby is due in January. On the work front, Anushka is yet to sign her next project as an actor after 2018's 'Zero'. However, she has her hands full with her production ventures.

Genre: Coming of age comedy Duration: 119 minutes

When dating apps go wrong Indoo is a fiesty girl from Ghaziabad who has one aim in life, to find love. Her best friend insists she should join a dating app and so she finally gives in. But with one wrong swipe the comedy begins.

Swara asks Twitter user to convince farmers of the benefits of new bill than celebrities Actor Swara Bhasker has responded to a Twitter user who challenged her, singer Diljit Dosanjh, actor Ammy Virk, and singer Mika Singh to a debate on the controversial agriculture laws. It needs to be noted that the four have rendered support to the protesting farmers, irking several in support of the Narendra Modi-led government.

A Twitter user who goes by the name 'desi mojito', wrote, “Challenging @diljitdosanjh @ReallySwara @AmmyVirk and @MikaSingh to have a virtual debate with me on Farm bills. You all can take 4 days to study the bills and prepare. Hai dum?”.

Swara responded to the tweet, advising him to convince the farmers instead of explaining benefits of the bill to celebrities.

She wrote, “This is the foolishness & fallacy that has in the 1st place created this mess. Why convince us of the farm bills & it's benefits. the farmers should be convinced of it. GET IT? It's not that hard! Why don't u go engage in a conversation with the protesting farmers?” The actress has been tweeting in support of the protesting farmers, criticising the government for its use of water cannons to disperse crowds gathered in Delhi.

On the work front, Swara has been reigning on OTT platforms, with her recent post release 'Bhaag Beanie Bhaag' garnering praise on social media. She will be next seen in a same-sex love story 'Qorma', directed by Faraz Arif Ansari.

Kiara Advani is back in a comical role. She was a hit when she played the role of Monika opposite Diljit Dosanjh in the film Good Newwz and this time she takes on the role of a young energetic girl Indoo, who comes from a town called Ghaziabad and she wants to find love.

She has been holding out for her first kiss as she wants it to be special even though half the town’s population has the hots for her. One evening her best friend Sonal talks her into visiting her boyfriends house to try and seduce him, however when Indoo arrives there she catch’s her

Ranveer completes 'marvellous' 10 years in Bollywood Actor Ranveer Singh completed a fantastic 10 years of his acting career last week. He commemorated the day by sharing a picture of him standing in an empty movie theatre as if soaking in the experience. He wrote, “To commemorate my 10 year milestone in the movies...it was only fitting that I return to the sacred chamber of dreams...it was marvellous.”

Ranveer made his film debut opposite Anushka Sharma in 'Band Baaja

Baaraat'. His industry friends, and fans wished the actor, showering him with congratulatory messages on Instagram.

On the work front, he will be seen next with wife and actress Deepika Padukone in their fourth film together – '83'. The Kabir Khan film will have him essaying the role of World Cup-winning former Indian captain Kapil Dev, while Deepika plays his on-screen wife Romi Bhatia.

Ranveer also has 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar' and Rohit Shetty's 'Cirkus' in the pipelines.

Tiger Shroff's levelheaded response to marriage proposal Actor Tiger Shroff's recent 'Ask Me Anything' session on Instagram garnered a lot of attention, with fans going ga-ga over an impromptu wedding proposal. Tiger initiated a session telling his fans, “#askme in a bit Hellooo I know this is overdue so ask away and ill try and get back soon.”

While most of the questions circled around the actor's fitness secrets, one fan wrote, “Marry me. Come to the UK.” The actor's answer caught several by surprise. He wrote, “Maybe in a few years, when I can support you...so much to learn and earn until then.”

Many were impressed, including us, over Shroff's simple, and levelheaded answer. The 30 year old is

quite active on social media, especially on Instagram. He shared his stunt rehearsal video last week, where he can be seen practising flying kick with his trainers.

Dressed in a black sports tee and grey joggers, he is seen practising the flying kick by hitting a ball that his trainers are holding.

The post garnered over 900,000 views in a matter of minutes. On the work front, Shroff recently unveiled the first look of his upcoming action-thriller 'Ganapath'.

boyfriend canoodling with another girl. In a turn of events Indoo ends up at this girls wedding where her brothers friend a young boy tries to hit on her ans spikes her drink.

Sonal then insists she joins a dating app to aid her in her mission. Indoo doesn’t want to believe this is an option for her but after her friend pushing her, she decides to join. Indoo then accidently swipes the wrong way on the Diner app and this aids her in hooking up with gorgeous Samar who turns up at her house pretty fast as her parents are away.

The news reports that there are two terrorist on the loose and In some sort of confusion Indoo believes Samar is one of the terrorists that the police are chasing and this roles out the comedy.

Indoo Ki Jawani is absolutely hilarious and will keep you laughing throughout the film as we watch Aditya and Kiara navigate their way through the film. The film keeps Indoo’s personality very juvenile which could get a little tiring, but we all need a good laugh to start finishing off the year.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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Pearle Maaney has no qualms with being called 'newcomer' Currently basking in the success of her previous film 'Ludo', Pearle Maaney says she wouldn't have asked for a better Bollywood debut. The Malayalam actor/VJ/scriptwriter/producer has even garnered a lot of praise for her portrayal of a nurse in the Anurag Basu directorial.

Speaking in a media interview, Maaney said, “People are rewatching it.

I've discovered a whole new audience base thanks to OTT. Till things get

better, I feel OTT is going to be providing us with entertainment in the comforts of our homes. My friends and family staying abroad, who would earlier miss watching my films, are now being able to watch and share feedback. Also, the percentage/numbers giving way to the grading system is soothing. The people are the decision maker now.”

She added that she has no issues with the “newcomer” tag. “There has to be a beginning to everything that's great.

This is my first step and it might take me another one or two years to come up with my next Hindi film but I'm happy and grateful to have started my journey with Dada (Anurag Basu). A lot of people consider working with him as the ultimate goal... I've no issues being called a newcomer because I've started a new chapter.”

On the work front, Maaney has a Hindi film and web series in the pipeline, and her Tamil film 'Valimai'.

Mohanlal's 'Drishyam 2' teaser to be unveiled on Christmas Teaser of ace actor Mohanlal's upcoming Malayalam crime drama 'Drishyam 2' will be unveiled on Christmas Day, December 25. The team wrapped up shooting recently, and is currently occupied with the post-production work. The movie is a sequel to the highly successful 2013 movie 'Drishyam'. It marks the reunion of Mohanlal and

filmmaker Jeetu Joseph.

'Drishyam 2' went on the floors in September.

Meanwhile, the ace actor has commenced shooting for his latest Malayalam film 'Aarattu', his fourth collaboration with filmmaker Unnikrishnan.

Tipped to be an action-thriller, 'Aaraattu' has been written by Udaya Krishna.

TV Listing

Simran to play Tabu's character in Tamil remake of 'Andhadhun' Actor Simran Bagga has confirmed she will play Tabu's character in the Tamil remake of Ayushmann Khurrana's wellreceived movie 'Andhadhun'.

Calling it a massive responsibility, Simran described the character as bold yet challenging.

Speaking in an interview, Simran said, “Andhadhun was a landmark film in Indian cinema and reached audiences in different regions. Playing Tabu's role is a huge responsibility. It is a bold, yet challenging role. But I

am looking forward to essaying the part in the Tamil remake. I want to see myself in this new avatar, and I'm quite excited. It's a character that will be seen throughout the film. I am confident that this will be another feather in my hat.”

Set to be directed by JJ Fredrick, the remake stars Prashanth in the lead.

Vijay joins hands with Nelson for upcoming Tamil project Actor Vijay is to collaborate with filmmaker Nelson Dilip Kumar for the first time.

Tentatively titled 'Thalapathy 65', the film will be bankrolled by Sun Pictures. The production company took to Twitter to announce, “We are happy to announce Thalapathy @actorvijay's #Thalapathy65bySunPictures directed by @Nelsondilpkumar and music by @anirudhofficial #Thalapathy65”.

The project will reportedly go on floors from January 2021. The remaining cast of the movie is yet to be

announced. On the work front, Vijay currently awaits the release of his Tamil film 'Master'. He will be seen in the role of a college professor with a violent past in the movie.

'Master' also stars Malavika Mohanan, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and Andrea Jeremiah. It is set to release in theatres for Pongal 2021.

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 21 DEC FRI 25 DEC 2020 6:30 INTERNET WALA LOVE 14:30 KASAM 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 16:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 18:30 NAMAK ISSK KA 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 SHAKTI 20:30 MOLKKI 21:00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 21 DEC FRI 25 DEC 2020 8:30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30 DIL KA RISHTA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 22:30 MERE HUMRAHI

21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 23:00 NAMAK ISSK KA SATURDAY 19 DEC 18:30 DESI BEAT RESET 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 NRI HAADSA 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR SUNDAY 20 DEC 16:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 18:00 CHOTI SARDARNI 19:30 NRI HAADSA 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 NRI HAADSA 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR

SATURDAY 19 DEC 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 20:30 BARRISTER BABU 21:00 BALIKA VADHU SUNDAY 20 DEC 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 16:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 16:30 THE RASOI SHOW 17:30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU

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England cricketers to play 7 matches in Ahmedabad England will become the first touring team to play in the newly-built stadium in Ahmadabad.

The schedule for England cricketers tour of India has been confirmed. They will play four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs in February and March 2021 across three venues. The team will arrive on 27 January directly into Chennai from Colombo. The first two Tests of the tour will take place in Chennai on 5-9 February and 13-17 February at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The third and fourth Tests will be staged on 24-28 February and 4-8 March at the redeveloped Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad, which opened earlier this year and is the largest cricket stadium in the world with a capacity of 110,000. The third Test will be a day-night match,

and this will be the first time both countries have played each other in a day-night Test.

The white-ball leg of the tour commences with five T20Is all taking place at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad from 12 March to the 20 March. Eoin Morgan's men will conclude the tour in Pune with three ODIs taking place on 23 March, 26 March and 28 March at the MCA

Stadium.

Jay Shah, BCCI Honorary Secretary, said: "The BCCI prioritises health and safety of both teams and would make sure that the tour is held adhering to all safety protocols agreed by the BCCI and ECB medical teams. "Both Boards have worked closely to put together an exciting series that promises to provide high octane action between two

powerhouses of world cricket.

"This will be India's first bilateral series at home since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the home season will bring back joy to cricket fans."

Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said: "International cricket between India and England is a highlight of the cricketing calendar and always attracts significant levels of interest from fans around the world. "We have been delighted with the planning that has been undertaken by the BCCI to ensure the three venues in Chennai, Ahmadabad and Pune will be ready to host international cricket in a biosecure environment and look forward to working closely with them over the coming weeks to finalise those plans.” The England team will leave on 29 March.

Football club FC Leytonstone launches girls’ football programme FC Leytonstone has made history by launching an under 12's girls football team. The programme which was launched in July 2020 was sponsored by Lint Group. Lint Group specialises in property letting, sourcing and management. FC Leytonstone's very first session was inundated with over 35 girls attending where they were only expecting a maximum of 10 girls to show up.

Girls Programme Head Coach Sabah Mahmood says, “This shows the thirst for change in the local community. The local community in Leytonstone are predominantly of Black and South-East Asian origin. In the past, South-East Asian Muslim females like myself were not supported culturally to push

themselves in sports like football.

My generation can change things. We can open doors that were not open for our parents.”

Munaf Abhram, the chairman of the club, says, "It had been an aspiration of our football club, to enter a girls football team. Over the last year, we have been working with our partners to create new opportunities and greater capacity for young people to play football and we have put great focus on supporting girls and young ladies to play."

The East London football club was founded in 2003 and has continued to provide a platform for young people to play and enjoy football regardless of their background, as well as an opportunity to get them away from the gang and

knife culture plaguing our communities. The club now boasts of 7 youth team ranging from u8s to u13s as well as a men’s team. Lint Group’s

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, PayTM founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Adobe Systems CEO Shantu Narayen are among the top high profile entities and individual investors, who just joined throwing their weight on the American T20 league, namely Major League Cricket (MLC) just a week later Shah rukh Khan’s KKR announced it’s partnership to launch MCL team Los Angeles City.

Satya Nadella

based franchises.

In his school days, Nadella represented his alma mater Hyderabad Public School in the much competitive Hyderabad Schools cricket and have won many trophies and medals too.

While Shah Rukh backs Los

ROHIT SHARMA LEAVES FOR AUSTRALIA Indian batsman Rohit Sharma cleared the fitness tests at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after a threeweek rehabilitation spell due to a hamstring injury. The BCCI had issued a statement stating that Rohit had been tested for batting, fielding and running between the wickets at the NCA and that the medical team was satisfied with the Hitman's physical fitness.

The right-hander left for Sydney from Mumbai via Dubai on Sunday and is set to begin a 14-day hard quarantine outside of India's current bio-secure bubble. According to the statement, Rohit will be reassessed by the medical teams after the completion of his quarantine period to determine his selection for the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The Indian opener has been provided a detailed programme to follow for the two weeks he will be quarantined for.

AUSTRALIA TO ALLOW 30,000 FANS PER DAY IN BOXING DAY TEST The Melbourne Cricket Ground will be permitted 30,000 fans per day during the Boxing Day test between Australia and India after authorities eased crowd restrictions last week. The match was to be capped at 25,000 fans per day but Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula confirmed the increase on social media after the southern state confirmed it had notched its 41st consecutive day without a new case of Covid-19. The second test of the four-match series will be the first time fans have been allowed to attend the iconic stadium since 86,000 watched Australia win the Women’s T20 World Cup final against India in March.

ICC ODI RANKING: KOHLI, ROHIT OCCUPY TOP TWO SPOTS Managing Director Rizz Patel says, “We believe in promoting equality for all, starting with the youth because they are the future.”

Satya Nadella, many top investors eyeing US T20 league

It seems that the investors tied up in the last quarter of 2019 by American Cricket Enterprise, the owners of MCL. It also seems that all three of the investors have invested their individual stakes at the MLC entity level and currently do not hold allegiances or interests in any of the city-

in brief

Angeles, Nadella has to settle for Seattle. Nadella and his wife also own a stake in the Seattle based MLS soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. It is also learnt that the Dallas-based real estate tycoon and billionaire Ross Perot Jr. and his partner

Anurag Jain have invested in the Dallas franchise of the said league. Perot Jr is also a minority stakeholder in the NBA team, Dallas Mavericks.

It is also known that PayTM founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, who recently collaborated with BCCI as PayTM extended its contract with cricket board to remain the title sponsor for all domestic and international cricket in India until 2023, is also in the list of high profile investors in MCL. The new league is operated by ACE, founded by Vineet Jain, Satyan Gajwani of Times Group and Vijay Srinivasan and Sameer Mehta of Willow TV. US cricket is also in the process of co-bidding for a major Global ICC event in 2023-2031 cycle with West Indies Cricket.

India skipper Virat Kohli cemented his place at the top of the ICC ODI rankings after scoring two half-centuries in the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma sits at the second spot despite missing the recent ODIs against Australia. In the ranking for bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah sits on the third spot. Players from India and Australia have made significant gains in the latest rankings. During the first ODI of India's tour of Australia in Sydney, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya missed out on becoming the third batsman to score a century in the match following the likes of Australia captain Aaron Finch and batsman Steven Smith.

Playing his first ODI since the 2019 World Cup, Pandya struck 90 in the first game and 92 not out in the third to make his first appearance in the top-50 for batsmen by occupying the 49th place with a career-best 553 points. From the Australian camp, captain Finch's innings of 114 in the first ODI, followed by 60 and 75 helped him up to a career-best tally of 791 points and fifth place.

Steve Smith's pair of 62-ball centuries in the first two matches enabled him to move back into the top-20 for the first time since 2018.

He is currently at number 15 with 707 points.

Glenn Maxwell's 167 runs in the series came at a strike rate of 194.18 and featured two half-centuries, to push him back up to 20th in the rankings. This is the first time he has been in the top-20 since February 2017.