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Time for India-China bonhomie

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 43. ISSUE 20

80p

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Ahmedabad on Wednesday

20th September to 26th September 2014

Are funds and apologies enough?

DJ apologises to victim's family as Royal Nurse's death ruled as suicide

Jacintha Saldanha, the hoax-call victim Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed by the Governor O.P.Kohli, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, BJP National President Amit Shah and other dignitaries at Ahmedabad airport

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Ahmedabad on Wednesday on a three-day visit which will focus on significantly ramping up trade and investment, besides addressing the contentious border issue that has seen occasional flare ups between the two Asian giants.

India expects that the visit will address the

"interests and concerns" of both the countries and that "all substantive" issues having bearing on the ties including the boundary dispute will be discussed.

Keen to boost its trade ties with India, the Chinese side has already indicated that it will pledge to invest billions of dollars in India's railway, manufacturing and infra-

Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping (file photo)

structure projects during the Xi's visit, the third by any Chinese President to India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has already arrived in Ahmedabad to welcome Xi, said India seeks greater engagement with China but at the same time sought progress on "issues of concern" saying their resolution will trans-

form the atmosphere in the relations.

"I am looking forward to deepening our engagement across the full spectrum of our bilateral relations, but also seeking progress on issues of concern, because resolution of these issues will transform the atmosphere in our relations and allow us to

Continued on page 26

British Indians split amidst Scottish tug of war

Rupanjana Dutta and Charusmita

Thursday 18th September is the most awaited date for both Scotland and the UK. The Scottish referendum posed to the electorate of Scotland will have strong implications in terms of economic, social and of course political policies. The UK government has a clear policy that it wishes to see Scotland remain part of the UK, while the Scottish government is determined of seeking independence. British Indians, Non residential Indians or

persons of Indian origin (PIOs) especially the British Sikhs, living in Scotland, like other Britons, are divided on which way to vote on Thursday's referendum.

This historic relationship between Britain and the Sikh community is particularly poignant this year due to the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, when 80,000 Sikhs fought for the British armed forces.

Continued on page 16

Southern Cross Austereo, the radio company behind the prank call to Royal nurse Jacintha Saldanha, donated 500,000 Australian dollars (£289,000) to a trust fund for the benefit of the deceased nurse's family following an inquest into her suicide on Friday, 12th September, almost two years after her death.

MP Keith Vaz who has supported the family through the tragedy described the hoax as 'despicable' and 'cruel' and said the family was taking advice on whether to take further legal action against those 'responsible'.

A statement from the radio station read, “We do not assume, of course, that this donation or any amount of money could relieve the feelings of loss felt by Mrs. Saldanha’s family, but it is our hope that it may help them in the future. Southern Cross Austereo has always accepted full responsibil-

ity for the making of the call and its broadcast”.

The family of Saldanha, including her widower, Benedict Barboza, and her two teenaged children, Lisha and Junal, also attended the hearing. Westminster coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox reminded the court that "no one is on trial" at the inquest.

India-born Saldanha, 46, who was working as a nurse in Kind Edward VII's Hospital during the first pregnancy of Duchess of Cambridge, was found dead in her nursing accommodation three days after she received a phone call from two Australian DJs, Greig and Michael Christian, posing as the Queen and Prince Philip, respectively, asking about the details of the second Royal pregnancy.

In his statement before the inquest, MP Keith Vaz had said, “This inquest will finally take place after a wait of over a 21 months.

Continued on page 2

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Pravin Pattni

ther education after passing my "O" levels which are now the GCSE levels after my father's sudden death. I had to take over the business at a young age.

Pravin Pattni was born in Kenya and migrated to the UK in 1974. He started his business from scratch in England. The first shop was converted from a Greggs Bakery where the existing counters were modified to Jewellery counters. After having been in the jewellery business in London for forty years he is proud to be one of the leading Asian Jewellers in the country.

1) What is your current position?

I am the director and owner of Pravin A Pattni limited and Minar Jewellers. I was the Chairman of National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) from June 2012 to June 2014. The NAG represents over 1800 retail jewellery members in the UK. I am now a Board director of the NAG. 2) What are your proudest achievements?

To be the first Asian in 118 years as Chairman of the NAG which has very reputable and long established independent and multiple Jewellers as mem-

bers is indeed a very proud moment in my life. Some of the well known high street names such as Goldsmiths, Ernest Jones, F. Hinds, Beaverbrooks, Boodle and Dunthorne being NAG members makes me even prouder to be elected to lead the industry.I also provide guidelines on Valuing Asian Jewellery to Registered Valuers in the UK. In 2013 Minar Jewellers was chosen from thousands of businesses in the Borough of Wandsworth as The finalist in two categories: Best Independent Retailer, Best small to medium enterprise.

3) What inspires you?

Success and sense of achievements.

4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Not to be able to continue fur-

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

My Primary school teacher who was always very supportive and said two things which are true today as they were then: a) You CAN achieve whatever you want in your life.

B). Smile and the world will Smile with you.

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

To be able to decide the future strategy and direction of the wonderful jewellery industry in

Joanna Lumley criticised for abandoning Gurkha community

Joanna Lumley, the actress who had campaigned for the rights of the Gurkhas, is under severe criticism by the Tory MP Sir Gerald Howarth who represents Aldershot. The town has been experiencing multiple complaints from its constituents regarding discomfort and some have,

reportedly, even left the place.

Lumley has received flak for failing to return to this constituency since Gurkhas who retired before 1997 won the right to settle. Aldershot, since then, has seen a marked influx of Gurkhas and their families.

MP Sir Gerald said

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Lumley during the Gurkha rights campaign in 2009

many of the constituents he represents were 'aggrieved' the actress had been 'nowhere near' since the victory of this 'very emotional' campaign in 2009.

This concern was raised in a debate during which he also called the plight of some of the older ex-servicemen who are unable to speak English.

This, he said, is a 'tragic consequence' of the campaign’s success.

He explained, “The problem does not lie with the younger, recently retired veterans, who speak good English and

don't struggle to find work. The problem arises with the older former Gurkhas who are generally unable to speak English, have virtually no job prospects, are unfamiliar with our customs and often with failing health, inevitably because they are elderly�.

Responding to the comments in her summing up speech, Anna Soubry, the defence minister, said, “Joanna Lumley’s campaign had the highest and most honourable of motives and it was to be welcomed, and it was the right thing to do�.

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the UK. 7) And the worst?

It takes a long time for everyone to see the way I see things.

Sometimes that can be challenging and time consuming to convince them of the vision.

8) What are your long term goals?

To be the best in the industry, a market leader and role model.

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

I would lower the income tax in UK to encourage more businesses to invest, grow and help the economy grow even faster.

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

Henry Kissinger is a man of great wisdom, vision and ability. He is the best diplomat in the world who has been able to broker peace where it seemed impossible. I would be very happy to spend time with him and gain from his experience.

Are funds and apologies enough?

Continued from page 1 It has been a long road for the family and I deeply admire the patience, humility and dignity they have shown throughout this traumatic time. It is right that they finally gain closure�.

One of the DJs who made the prank call, Melanie Greig, stated “I am truly sorry. This tragedy will always stay with me and serve as a constant reminder.� She went on to urge hospitals and the media to learn from the incident, "To fellow announcers and DJs, I urge you to speak up if you don't feel comfortable and consider the feeling of others when trying to make a joke. The joke should always be on us, the DJs." No charges have

been pressed on her.

It emerged that producers for the show had contacted the hospital four times before it was aired seeking permission from the nurse. All were ended by the recipient within seconds, the inquest was told.

However, coroner Dr. Wilcox did say she believed it was 'inconceivable' that Mrs. Saldanha would have consented for the prank call to be broadcast. “It is an irony that four calls made in 115 seconds, which were the cause of so much mirth in Australia could have deprived Benedict [Barboza, her widower] of his wife and Lisha and Junal of their beloved mother,� Mr. Vaz said.

Gandhi Jayanti at Tavistock Square The Indian High Commission and the India League are organising Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October at Tavistock Square, London, from 11am onwards. The event that is open to all will be graced by the acting Indian High

Commissioner HE Ranjan Mathai, Deputy High Commissioner Dr Virander Paul, Minister for Coordination S S Sidhu, Asian Lords and MPs, Mayor of Camden, India League Chairman CB Patel and other dignitaries.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

COMMENT

Government bites the disinvestment bullet

The Narendra Modi government has taken the most ambitious step in its disinvestment programme with a sell-off of its stake in three public sector mega companies: ONGC (oil and gas), Coal India and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The move is expected to add a hefty Rs 45,000 crore to the national exchequer. To this must be added the sum arising from the sale of SAIL, the public sector steel company, a decision made earlier, the formalities likely to be completed within a month. The disinvestment roll-out is in keeping with the plan enunciated by the previous UPA regime of Manmohan Singh. Selected continuities in policy bode well for the overall stability and strength of the body politic. Apart from helping the government’s fiscal health, the latest measures send a clear signal to investors. Other companies are BHEL (power), Finance Corporation and Axis Bank, in which the government has a substantial stake. Hindustan Zinc and Balco are also on the government’s radar for a share sale. Put together, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has budgeted for disinvestment receipts of Rs 59,000 crore. This should play well with the global foreign investment community as well as domestic investors as an earnest of intent.

There will surely be more to come in the coming years. The Indian economy may not be fully out of the woods, but the early signs of recovery do give grounds for cautious optimism. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Indian economy is poised to grow at 5.6 per cent in the current 2014

fiscal. However, impediments to faster growth do require to be addressed urgently, said a group of respected Japanese CEOs, who point to a burdensome tax regime and cumbersome rules and regulations and a strangulating bureaucracy. They have made known their views in a forthright memorandum to Prime Minister Modi, who has promised to set up a special cell in his office for the expeditious clearance of Japanese investment proposals. So far, so good. But a similar approach must surely apply to other would-be investors as well, irrespective of their nationality, in the interests of a level playing field. For this to happen, the Commerce and Finance Ministries must put their heads together by revisiting the country’s tax structure and simplifying its regulatory regime.

Doing business in India must be a pleasurable experience and not a nightmare. That said, it would be wrong to surrender to pessimism.

Whatever the difficulties, India’s promise, potential and rewards are not to sniffed Within a fortnight of Mr Modi’s visit to Japan, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association is gearing up to sign a memorandum of understanding with its Indian counterpart, leading to a further bonding between the two entities on issues such as market research, emissions safety and the like.

Japan’s footprint in this sector is already significant and growing. Let us remember that it was Suzuki’s arrival in India way back in the 1980s that ignited the country’s automobile revolution, the evidence of which is seen on India’s streets today.

Narendra Modi’s forthcoming US visit is being hyped up in sections of the Indian press as a seminal development. Such reports emanate from partially sighted correspondents for whom the world begins and ends with the United States. Whatever comes after that offends their comfort zone, hence excites little curiosity. Western news agencies, syndicated columns from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal or, for variety, the London Times and Nato press releases fill the void. There is fevered excitement that the Indian Prime Minister is to be a guest of President Barack Obama for two full days. To think that Mr Modi, not so long ago, was denied a visa to enter this hallowed territory! To matters of moment, however: Mr Modi is too seasoned a politician to allow personal slights to obfuscate his country’s national interest. What does he hope to get from his host, and what does the host hope to get from his guest? Senator John McCain has said that it is imperative that the US gets India on board its anti-terrorist agenda. A foretaste of the agenda was outlined in the Presidential speech to the American nation on the threat posed to its welfare and security by the jihadi Islamic State now on the rampage in a vast swathe of land starting in Syria and extending deep into Iraq within 40 miles from its capital, Baghdad. A dire warning was issued to militant Islamic rogue elements that there would be no place to hide should they perpetrate their terror on America and American citizens, and on America’s allies. He made a clarion call for a coalition of the willing to mount an assault on the IS and its works. The roll call of the willing included Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Sheikhdoms, Egypt and the Kurdish Peshmaga. Secretary of State John Kerry was soon in the region as vendor of the US call to arms. A question relating to the source of

the ample funds, weapons and training the US comes immediately to mind. The Saudis and the Gulf rulers have been known to be frequent traffickers of these items in pursuit of statecraft.

Egypt, crippled by disorder and insurrection, has its hands full. Shia Iran, a major regional player is left out in the cold, as is Alawite-ruled Syria. The US will take care of the bombing and intelligence guidance, but will not supply boots on the ground – that will have to come from local levies. Finally, and most importantly, the strongest military power in the region and the Muslim world, Sunni Turkey, has turned refusenik: no troops, no arms, no use of its bases even for fellow members of Nato. So where does this leave America’s coalition of the willing? In limbo, of course. Amid such unpromising circumstances will Narendra Modi’s government send India’s forces into battle? You can bet not. India has other priorities. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Russian counterpart have spent an entire day in Dushanber, Tajikstan, reviewing Indo-Russian relations, strengthening them and taking them to a higher level. Furthermore, India has been admitted as a full member to the strategic Eurasian Shanghai Cooperation Organization, headed by Russia and China and including the major Central Asian states and Iran. An added complication for Washington is the cosy relationship between Israel and Russia: Tel Aviv studiously avoided voting for the Western-sponsored resolution condemning Moscow for the dire situation in Ukraine. Back to the Indo-US relationship. Trade and investment should be the hot topics in the Modi-Obama talks.

Each party is looking to gain greater market access from its partner. This is where the future of the Indo-US relationship lies, this is its dynamic core.

Vote bank politics are the scourge of democratic societies, whether it be in India or the UK. Personal ambition has precedence over the public good. What conceivable purpose was served by the recent debate on Kashmir in one of the committee rooms at Westminster? The Lib Dem MP David Ward, who won his seat from a Bradford constituency with a narrow majority, hopes to do better next time round with his large Pakistan Mirpuri constituents. Be that as it may, Kashmir will remain where it has been for the past six decades and more – in India. Those whose souls yearn for a Pax Islamica can simply walk across the border into Pakistan, which was, after all, created in 1947 as a homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. With jihadi terrorism awash from

Pakistan to North Africa, India cannot afford to allow the barbarians to enter its gates. Every state has the right to protect its citizens and their freely chosen way of life. India is no exception to this globally recognized rule. Mr Ward would be better advised to bring home to his Mirpuri constituents the abhorrence of trafficking young girls for sexual purposes as revealed in the recent report on Rotherham, and the beheadings of British and US citizens by IS. In Britain do as the British do; respect British values and practices. Perhaps arrangements can be made for social counseling for the Mirpuri community.. Serious thought should be given remedial to measures for such abuses. The present status of Kashmir is not one of them.

Indo-US ties: Keeping to the beaten track

A futile exercise

3 Everyone, at some time in their life, must choose whether to stay with a ready-made world that may be safe but which is limiting, or to push forward, often past the frontiers of common sense, into a personal space, unknown and untried - Jeannette Winterson

I am a Kashmiri, we all are

I write on my return from India, where British Parliamentarians are being criticised in the Indian press for not speaking at a debate in the British Parliament on Kashmir. Were I an MP, this is what I would have said in any such debate.

“Before all of you this land was mine. By lineage this is my land. I claim it by birthright. This is my land. To those squatting upon the land of my Fathers. I claim it.

By precedence this is my land. I claim it. Shame on you to desecrate the consecrated. My Gods live on this land.

For the ashes of my Fathers and the temples of my Gods I claim it. All of us everywhere in the world who have suffered at the end of an invading sword or imperial pen, we are all Hindustani Kashmiris. All of us, whose ancestors faced the choice, to convert or die, we are all Kashmiris.

And Britain which prepares to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria, knows too, it has the spirit of Hindustani Kashmiris – not to bow down at the end of a sword.

I am reminded of my trip exactly 12 months ago to India after visiting the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Wagha border with Pakistan in Amritsar. ‘Here, in this place, they call it Hindustan, they call it Bharat’ I thought to myself as I approached the Indian border with Pakistan at the Wagah crossing to see the daily parade. Soldiers stomped their feat, Vanda Mataram blasted through the loud speakers, as young girls ran with billowing Indian flags larger than themselves and the families shouted ‘Jai Hind’. I must have stood ten feet tall.

Had my grandmother’s uncle not been busied bringing Hyderabad into the Union in 1947, leaving Kashmir to Nehru, there would not have been a divided Kashmir either. I’ve yet to meet an Indian who believes that that man, Sardar Patel, should not have been India’s first Prime Minister, instead of its first Deputy Prime Minister.

The Sardar should have refused the Mahatma’s request to give the Premiership to Nehru.

Let me tell you about the difference between India and Bharat.

In Bharat there is no line of control. In Bharat we look at the Himalayas of Kashmir and know for 5000 years without dispute, they are a part of Bharat.

Governments invaders imperialists come and go but Hindustan is eternal. As Kennedy said 'ich bin ein Berliner' (I am a Berliner) so we say 'I am a Kashmiri' .

So I repeat, before all of you this land was mine. By lineage this is my land. I claim it by birthright. This is my land. To those squatting upon the land of my Fathers. I claim it. By precedence this is my land. I claim it. Shame on you to desecrate the consecrated. My Gods live on this land. For the ashes of my Fathers and the temples of my Gods I claim it. All of us everywhere in the world who have suffered at the end of an invading sword or imperial pen, we are all Hindustani Kashmiris.”

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MIDLANDS VOICE

Smethwick family fears another arson fire at home

A family living in S m e t h w i c k , Birmingham, for 20 years has been attacked by a man who tried to set their home ablaze with petrol he poured through their letter box on 13th September at 2 pm.

The mother Marzana Chowdhury was alerted of the arson attack when she heard what she thought was running water. She was at home with her 15 year-old son Taher Ahmed. She then saw a pipe being pushed through her letter box with liquid petrol pouring through it. She saw the man walking away and yelled, “What is the problem? Why are you doing that?”. Marzana stated that the man didn’t say anything and just left the site calmly after setting fire to the property. West Midlands Fire Service and police were on the scene in minutes following Marzana's call. They extinguished the blaze before the fire could spread to the rest of the house. Marzana and

Abdul Hannan and family

Taher escaped without injuries.

The family still has no idea why their home was attacked. Mr. Abdul Hannan (the father) seems perplexed, “I haven’t done anything to harm anybody. I have lived in Smethwick for 42 years and in this house for 20 years. We have no trouble with anybody, no cross words.” His three chil-

dren, aged 15, 13 and 9, as well as the parents are living in constant fear of the arsonist now.

Although the physical damage was limited, the family is still in shock over the seemingly motiveless attack.

Detectives investigating the attack have issued a public appeal to gather information about the man seen at the house.

Prof Samir Dani

Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Indian High Commission. The talks were chaired by Lord de Mauley, who is Parliamentary UnderSecretary of State for Natural Environment and Science.

The meeting was told by the business representatives that the ban on the import of mangoes and four other fruits and vegetables from India was a “disproportionate” response to an alleged infestation with fruit flies non-native to Europe. In addition to direct economic losses during the mango

season, there would also be the secondary impact of lost footfall in small Asian shops.

Professor Dani was then invited to take part in a London conference named Inspection Reform: Breaking Down Barriers to Trade and Investment.

Drawing large numbers of international delegates, it was organised by the World Bank Group and the Better Regulation Delivery Office, which is part of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Professor Dani told his conference was to create a world-class platform of intelligent regulation, including a genuine twoway dialogue between UK regulators and Indian exporters. The conference was a success in bringing representatives from 57 countries to the UK to discuss the need to create smart and intelligent regulation, to reduce the burdens of inspection and regulation for small businesses and in turn reduce the barriers for international trade.

Merciless killer gets sentence reduced owing to deafness Awat Akram, 25, who was convicted of murdering his love rival Christopher Penman, 58, and is serving a prison sentence since earlier this year, has been granted some reduction in his tenure owing to his profound deafness.

During the inquest of the case, Akram, pictured, had denied the charge. But after his savage killing was

Captain Tejas in Command

Dhiren Katwa

Professor Dani leads on Fruit and Vegetable imports at International Regulatory Conference

When the EU banned the import of mangoes from India this summer, it came as a major financial blow to a large number of UK Asian businesses, including importers and retailers.

The University of Huddersfield’s Professor Samir Dani has been closely involved in roundtable talks designed to modify or lift the ban and now he has used it as a case study for a paper presented at a major international conference.

Professor Dani, who is an advisory board member of Leicestershire Asian Business Association, which is a component of the National Asian Business Association, earlier in 2014, took part in talks at the London headquarters of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). In attendance were several Defra representatives, plus key figures from the Indian business community and Uday Dholakia Chairman of the National Asian Business Association, the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of

Welcome Aboard!

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

proved, he was sentenced to be jailed for 28 years.

The 58-year-old victim

was knifed 23 times as he slept in his bed in Leicester. The incident took place over jealousy as both men were in a 'triangular relationship' with with a woman named Elaine Bourke, in her 40s.

All three of them were deaf and communicated through sign language, as told to Leicester Crown Court.

Tejas Shah, who turned 27 last month, will next month join Etihad, the flag-carrier airline of the United Arab Emirates, as one of its youngest pilots, ever. I caught up with Tejas during his recent visit to the UK. For Tejas, it’s his dream come true.

As a child, he was fascinated with birds. “I could watch them all day,” he said. Much credit, he says, to his father, Sudhir, for supporting him all the way. It was Sudhir who researched flying schools and the future of aviation in India during Tejas’ teenage years and laid the foundations for his son’s career. Soon after completing his Physics and Maths exams at college, in 2005, Tejas signed up to a flying school in Vancouver, Canada, from where he got his first qualification, the Private Pilots License.

He then moved to San Diego, California where he completed his Commercial Pilots Course.

He explained how, as part of his training, he took part in an exercise involving a “scary” crash landing.

“But”, he added, “it taught me a lot and I gained lots of confidence.”

In June 2006, Tejas returned to India for further study. On completing his exams, and following several interviews, he was offered the job of co-pilot with Kingfisher Airlines.

The airline sent him to Toulouse, France for training to fly the Airbus A320.

He also completed a BSc in Aviation at the Institute of Aviation and Aviation Safety, Mumbai

father, Sudhir, is a chemical engineer and now a corporate trainer and brain mapping expert. His mother, Nita, retired this year after a career with the Indian Bank, spanning 37 years. Tejas has a sister, Prachee, one of India’s most popular classical Kathak dancers. “Prachee has been a big Tejas with India’s former Aviation inspiration for me Minister Praful Patel to constantly University, whilst working achieve more,” said Tejas. for Kingfisher Airlines.

Prachee has also featured During his four years with in various Indian soap Kingfisher Airlines Tejas series including ‘Kyun Ki clocked up 3,000 hours of Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, flying time, which enabled ‘Kundli’ and ‘Koshish’. him to upgrade to the Tejas is married to Aditi Airline Transport Pilot Vora. The couple met in License, or ATPL. 2012 whilst on board, However, because he was 39,000ft in the sky. “It still under 25, he could was love at first sight,” not apply to be captain. smiled Tejas. Aditi, a wellGiven this age restriction known hair stylist in did not apply to Indigo, a Mumbai, was at the time domestic airline part of working as an air hostess the same fleet, Tejas with Kingfisher Airlines. applied and was successTheir hobbies include ful. He became captain at travelling and dancing. the age of 23, making him The couple performed a the youngest captain on stunning dance at a wedthe Airbus fleet in India. ding reception in London Having flown all over earlier this year. Asked for India as well as to his thoughts on India’s Bangkok, Singapore, new Prime Minister Dubai and Muscat, and Narendra Modi, “Yes, I with around 5,500 hours voted for him,” adding, of flying time, Tejas is now “India will definitely be a gearing up to join Etihad better place in future. He Airways as captain. “My being a Gujarati, he has dream now is to become great business sense and the youngest captain to fly realises the potential of the A380 – the world’s this fantastic country.” largest aeroplane,” he Concluding, he laughed, says. A former Jamnabai “Now I sometimes wonNarsee School pupil, Tejas der, was it the right deciis fluent in English, Hindi, sion for me to leave Gujarati and Marathi. His India?”

Curry house in Birmingham fined for swapping lamb with beef To avoid higher costs, a curry house in Rubery, Birmingham, swapped lamb with beef and has been slapped with multiple compensations.

Masala Bite Ltd. has been hit with fines and costs totalling thousands of pounds after its bosses admitted that it was intentional and that they did in a bid to save cash, the consumer watchdogs said.

Worcestershire Trading Standards had their undercover officers at work- they bought a lamb madras on two separate occasions from the New Road restaurant, Redditch Magistrates Court heard.

The samples were handed over to laboratory experts who tested it and discovered that nei-

ther of the curries contained any lamb, they just had beef- a meat that cannot be consumed by Hindus owing to their religious beliefs.

The eatery owners

confessed that they had limited finances and as a result, had used the cheaper meat, said Coun Mark Bullivant, chairman of Wo rc e s t e r s h i re Regulatory Services.

Further, he stated, “The menus had not been amended for the same reason although staff

had been told to advise customers of the use of beef instead of lamb – although no such advice was given to trading standards officers during their two visits. The recent Elliott review highlights the need to take a robust and zero tolerance approach to food fraud.

Consumers need confidence in local food businesses”.

Masala Bite Ltd. now is liable to pay £3,489 in fines, costs and a victim surcharge.

The review calls for a food crime unit with full police powers and expertise to be set up as a priority. This followed after food safety bosses discovered horsemeat in beefburgers made in a factory in Small Heath in March last year.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

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UK

Priti Patel explains her nonKapil’s participation in Kashmir debate

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

KHICHADI

Kashmiri Hindus Victorious

Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

Priti Patel, pictured, a British MP of Indian origin who has been appointed "Indian Diaspora Champion" by Prime Minister David Cameron, on Tuesday issued a statement explaining her nonparticipation in the debate on Kashmir held in the British parliament on 11 September 2014.

A report by Ray, an international news agency, had last week highlighted that a majority of British MPs of Indian descent, including Patel, were

either absent or did not partake in the debate, which was intended to embarrass India.

In her statement, Ms Patel told Asian Voice: "While I would have been

proud to represent the views of the British Indian community, longstanding parliamentary protocol prevented me from doing so." She explained she was not able to take part because of her position as exchequer secretary to the Treasury.

As for her position on Kashmir, she stated: "Any political change affecting the Jammu and Kashmir region is entirely for the local people and the Indian and Pakistani authorities to determine."

Profit-making over basic rights: Her Majesty's Passport Office under scrutiny

Britons who have to pay £72.50 for an adult passport have some news to rejoice. The current fee was criticised by the Home Affairs Select Committee which condemned a “complete management failure” at the agency and called for significant cuts in the prices charged for a passport, possibly by as much as £15. The report by the committee added that Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) should be abolished and taken under direct ministerial control.

Citizens who endured delays and costs when tens of thousands of passport applications were not processed in time from May 1 onwards might be eligible for compensation – although the report did not clarify how much money should be paid out.

The committee chairman, MP Keith Vaz, said, “This has been a summer of chaos at the passport office. The state should not be exploiting its own citizens by making a profit

on what is a basic right”.

According to him, it was 'scandalous' that HMPO staff had received bonuses of £674,000 over the last two years. “The management of this organisation would be unlikely to survive to the final round of The Apprentice,” Mr Vaz went on.

It was stated in the

report that “while it is right that applicants are asked to cover the cost of the passport, it is clear that the price they are paying is too high, which is resulting in repeated, large surpluses”.

It suggested HMPO should consider reducing costs to “break even point”, which would be just under £58, a fall of nearly £15.

The Home Affairs Select Committee Report was highly critical of an attempt by HMPO to solve the backlog by relaxing security checks, potentially damaging UK's national interests and security.

The immigration minister, James Brokenshire, said, “HMPO faced unprecedented demand in 2014. Over five million passports have been issued so far this year”.

Muslim academic receives death threat over 'open mosque' plan

Despite death threats, Dr Taj Hargey, one of Britain's leading Muslim academics and director of the moderate Muslim educational centre of Oxford, has vowed to establish an 'open mosque' that will welcome women and gay Muslims in Cape Town, South Africa.

Dr Hargey, who has long campaigned for a moderate, inclusive form of Islam in Britain and elsewhere, said his aim with the Open Mosque is to counteract growing Islamic radicalism in South Africa. In 2008, his mosque in Oxford became the first in Britain to allow

a female Islamic scholar to lead Friday prayers.

He reportedly said that not only he has received "a lot of death threats", but he has also received numerous offers of sup-

port.

However, members of the Cape Town Muslim community have used social media to criticise the new mosque, with some labelling him a "heretic" or "non-believer".

Dr Hargey has threatened to take action against those spreading lies about the mosque.

The advocacy group Muslim Judicial Council of South Africa has reportedly said it is investigating complaints by members of the Muslim community in Cape Town, adding that the mosque was not a mosque but a "place of worship".

Starting next year, Abraaj will support five outstanding individuals for the next five years, from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Turkey and Central Asia as each pursues his or her creative aspirations at the RCA. As the largest international scholarship programme in the creative postgraduate sector, each student will be enrolled

full-time in Masters of Arts programmes in design and the arts. The launch event, held in Kensington, was attended

by Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Mr Arif Naqvi, Founder and Group Chief Executive of The Abraaj Group and Dr Paul Thompson, Rector of the Royal College of Art. Commenting on the scholarship programme,

Rt Honourable Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “I’m a firm supporter of anything that helps people with the potential to engage with the arts, cultural and creative industries to do so. I hope the Scholars will go on to become cultural pioneers not just in their own communities but across the globe.”

Dr Taj Hargey

Ground-breaking scholarship programme announced

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

9/11 will now go down in history as the day the extremists got a right kicking in Parliament, as did their vote loving MPs who prostituted the integrity of Parliament to garner the votes of the Pakistani Muslim community at any cost.

So what am I talking about? Last week in Kapil’s Khichadi I informed everyone of the debate David Ward MP had instigated on Kashmir. The Indian Government were sleeping during this process and finally woke up at the 11th hour to put in their shock and horror statement. Of course one has to question the Indian consulate in the UK, what on earth were they doing?

Fortunately we had Hindus that came together to put up a fight. For once in this country there was a proper briefing paper that was presented to key MPs so they were armed with facts on Kashmir. The Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society also has to be congratulated for coming together at short notice and ensuring that members were available to attend the events on the 2nd and 4th of September, as well as being there on the big debate day -11th September. I spoke to Lakshmi Kaul and Team KP as it is now known, and the clear impression they gave me was of a community that has suffered in silence for far too long. Successive Indian Governments failed to grasp the nettle for fear of upsetting the so called ‘secular’ brigade. They forgot, the first duty of any Government is to ensure justice and it is now time Kashmiri Hindus got justice.

Going back to the debate, David Ward (Bradford East) MP kicked it off with muddled thinking and a bumbling performance. Even his colleagues were rolling their eyes in horror, frustrated they were with this court jester. It came as a huge sigh of relief when he finally concluded, but what was the point of the rubbish he had just expounded?

In came Barry Gardiner who provided a breath of fresh air and livened up the debate and brought focus back on the main issues. He did well and yes he has to be commended. Barry reminded his colleagues that, ‘More than 20,000 people have already been killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, and it is no use Hon. Members here in this Chamber of all places condemning the radicalisation of young Muslim men in their own constituencies, while ignoring the fact that those young men are trained in the terror camps that are operating on the Pakistan border with Jammu and Kashmir. Those who continue to argue to undermine the legitimate sovereignty of India might do better to reflect that the people of India live in a relatively transparent and well-functioning democracy where the economy is growing’.

Last week I put Mr Virendra Sharma on the spot by asking whether he was going to do ‘U’ turn or continue to support the Kashmiri Hindus. I am pleased to say he did well must also be commended. He reminded his colleagues that, ‘Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, the largest democracy in the world, one that is secular, and with elected representation from all the country’s main religions’. Adding, ‘I am also concerned

about the balance of the debate and its misguided aims. I therefore feel the need to mention the terrible plight of the Kashmiri Pandits. The Pandits have been the victims of continued ethnic cleansing’.

At this point it became clear that the Pakistani loving Muslim Kashmiri separatist were agitated. This time they were not getting their own way and MPs who appease to these extremist were left red faced.

However the best was yet to come, in stepped Conservative MP Bob Blackman who immediately put the opposition on their back foot by declaring, ‘I stand as an unabashed friend of India to defend India’s position in the conflict and the people who were ethnically cleansed from Kashmir’. His robust in your face oration stunned the gallery when he said, ‘we can say that the continued conflict of the past 70 years is terrible, but that it is clear where responsibility for it lies. We must place it fairly and squarely with the Pakistanis and their successive Governments’. This was applauded by the people in the gallery.

He continued his fiery speech ending by saying, ‘It is now some 25 years since the worst atrocities in the Kashmir valley, when Hindus were driven out by the Islamic fundamentalists. We should be on the side of the people who suffered [Kashmiri Hindus] and make sure that the people who are in exile have the right to return to the homes that they occupied for centuries’.

There were a number of other contributions; Stephen Pound did his customary sitting on the fence routine.

Paul Uppal stood up and I have to say, given he is a person of Indian origin; his was a lame attempt in what should have been his moment. There were the normal host of pro-Pakistani, proKashmiri separatist loving MPs who were very keen to ensure that they did not harm their Pakistani Muslim votes. These constituted MPs from both the main parties and my message to both Party leaders is simple, get your act together. These opportunistic MPs are playing with the lives of victims simply to secure votes from Pakistani Kashmiri Muslims, and some from this community have brought shame to Islam with the revelations of the wholesale sexual abuse of girls as young as 11 years in places like Rotherham. The mentality that drives the Kashmiri separatist seems to be the same mentality that fires the sexual abuse gangs in the UK and many believe it’s the same mentality that is currently driving ISIS in exterminating everyone in their path in Iraq.

British MPs must be brought to task if they turn a blind eye to gross violations of human rights in places like Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and we have of course seen the ‘Trojan Horse’ in Birmingham. I would not be too surprised if these pathetic excuses for MPs lower themselves to propose the right of self-determination in places like Bradford. No doubt the Pakistani Muslims will be jumping for joy that they have these MPs twisted round their fingers.

However on this day, 9/11, victory went to the Kashmiri Hindus.

J ai Hin d.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

London ranked as world’s top city for leading universities

London is the city with the highest number of top rated universities in the world, with five making the global 100, according to the QS World University Rankings released on Tuesday 16 September.

Imperial College London has jumped up the rankings to claim second place joint with Cambridge, while University College London ties with Oxford for joint fifth.

The capital’s other world-beating universities

include King’s College London at 16, London School of Economics at 71, and Queen Mary University of London at 98. No other city has as many universities in the overall rankings, with London topping the table with 18.

The city also performs exceptionally strongly across all the disciplines assessed by QS, including life sciences, natural sciences, engineering and technology, social sciences, and arts and humanities.

Welcoming the results, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “These rankings consolidate London’s position as the education capital of the world. Nowhere else will you find such a critical mass of top universities within just a few miles of each other, all providing an excellent education and producing graduates who go on to be leaders in their fields. From accountants to zoologists, I’m proud to say that London universities are at the forefront of teaching and research.”

Leicester's Sikh school looks set to re-open before year end Leicester's first free Sikh school, Falcons Primary, which has been in the news due to obstacles in its inauguration, looks set to re-open soon. It was due to open on September 3, but suffered a last minute pullout of funding its principal funding partner Affinity Teaching School Alliance, a partner of the school trustees based in Kibworth.

The meeting between the trustees and Lord

London school makes Sanskrit compulsory

In the heart of London, a British school has made Sanskrit compulsory for its junior division. St James Independent school, a private school in West London, has taken this step, after it realised Sanskrit helps students grasp math, science and other languages better.

Warwick Jessup, head of Sanskrit department, said: “This is the most perfect and logical language in the world, the only one that is not named after the people who speak it. Indeed the word itself means perfected language.”

Paul Moss, headmaster of the school,

Members of the Sikh community meeting Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP and Lord Nash

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said:“The Devnagri script and spoken Sanskrit are two of the best ways for a child to overcome stiffness of fingers and the tongue.

Today’s European languages do not use many Nash, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for schools, was brokered on Wednesday by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz, who is keen to see the school open as soon as possible. Following this, the DfE has said that providing the trustees can meet a number of conditions, the school could still open this academic year.

Mr. Vaz said, “The

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parts of the tongue and mouth while speaking or many finger movements while writing, whereas Sanskrit helps immensely to develop cerebral dexterity through its phonetics.” discussions between the trustees and the Government have been a great success. At the heart of all these matters has been the best education for the children. My special thanks to John Nash who has been an outstanding minister and who has kept his promise to me and the community.”

Around 69 children had been due to take up a place at Falcons Primary.

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UK

London's Muslim communities Soap Star Joins Walk to call for world peace Raise Diabetes Awareness

The London Muslim Community Forum has appealed to all mosques in the Capital to invite their local communities to join them for Friday prayer during a London Jumma Peace Day. The London Muslim Community Forum has organised the peace day to demonstrate a united front against the killing of civilians.

Saleha Jaffer, cochair of the London Muslim Communities Forum, said, "The killing of innocent civilians is barbaric and we call on mosques and Islamic venues to take the opportunity on Friday to send a clear message to all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim, that these actions are not in the name of our great religion of Islam and we stand united in prayer for peace

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

British aid worker Alan Henning

and harmony."

Dr Mohammed Fahim, of South Woodford Mosque, in East London, is also supporting the London

Jumma Peace Day. He said, “There are no sensible people supporting Islamic State (IS).”

Commander Mak Chishty, the co-chairman of the London Muslim Community Forum and the head of community engagement for the Metropolitan Police called on all Muslims and non-Muslims to condemn such acts and stand united in peace and prayer.

According to recent reports, even Al-Qaeda has appealed to ISIS to release the British Hostage Alan Henning but their motives are unknown. According to a terrorist idelogy expert, Dr. Afzal Ashraf, “ISIS's strategy is incomprehensible. It is absurd and Al-Qaeda realises such behaviour will turn potential recruits away.”

Gopal Krishna Gandhi to lecture on India Day at Edinburgh University

Gopal Krishna Gandhi has been invited to deliver a lecture by a Jim Eadie, a Scottish Parliamentary member on September 30th.

The former governor of West Bengal and grandson of India's Father of the Nation- Mahatma Gandhi, has been invited to deliver a lecture on "Independence: Dream and Reality" by the University of Edinburgh's India Centre, celebrating its first India day on October 2 to coincide with Bapu's birthday.

Lord Meghnad Desai, is also due to give a lecture entitled 'Business, the Economy of India and the future of Indian democracy'. India has become the first country which will be celebrated in the campus of the sixth-oldest univer-

Gopal Krishna Gandhi

University of Edinburgh

sity in the English speaking world that boasts of over 18 Nobel laureates.

Professor Sir Timothy O Shea, principal and vice chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, speaking to Times of India said, "The historical ties between India and Scotland are very old and so is the link between Indian scholars and Edinburgh University.

One of our oldest alumnus

is Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, known as the father of Indian chemistry and founder of Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals in 1893.

By having a special India day, we announce how important the country is for us". The India week will also witness UK's most famous Qawali group - The Hussein Brothers performing at the George Square Theatre.

India-born baker named 'flavour queen' Born and raised in the Indian city of Jabalpur, Chetna Makan, pictured, is being touted as the next winner of the Great British Bake Off. She has emerged as the new favourite to win the show owing to her use of Indian flavours in British favourites. Winning this would make her the first non-British contestant to take the crown.

Around 8.3 million watched as the six remaining competitors tacked a range of European recipes, including German gugelhupf cakes, Swedish prinsesstårta and Hungarian dobos tarts.

But Ms. Makan’s Indian flavours stole the show, making her a new favourite with the audience and a surprise com-

the show”, she says.

During the ianitial episodes of the series, she impressed the judges with a cardamom, pistachio and coffee Swiss Roll. Chetna often incorporates mango into her pies and icings. The 'soft spoken' and 'innovative' contestant, who runs a weekly curry club near her home, says, “Baking helped me embrace British culture because baking is a big part of British petitor for this year’s Bake Off crown. “I have tried to use my mum’s Indian influence with British baking and that is exactly what I have tried to do on

food”.

The 35-year-old has given fusion-cooking her own take and has been dubbed the ‘flavour queen’ by judge Paul Hollywood.

Famous actress Nina Wadia together with Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP the founder and patron of the Silver Star Diabetes charity took part in the Annual Fun Walk on Sunday 7th September from Metro Bank Edgware, High Street.

The aim of the event was to raise money for the charity to continue raising awareness of Type II diabetes.

Harrow has one of the highest diabetes rates in London. It is estimated that in 2012, 9.2% of people aged 16 and over had (diagnosed and undiagnosed) diabetes in the borough.

This figure is expected to rise to 10.8% by 2020.

Silver Star Diabetes charity have recently

Bob Blackman MP, Keith Vaz MP and Nina Wadia

opened a new office in Harrow and held free diabetes checks at the civic centre.

Nina Wadia said: “This was an outstanding event. I am pleased that I was able to continue to support Silver Star’s great work and know that the money

raised will help save lives.”

Diabetes is a chronic condition caused by too much glucose in the blood. Over 3 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in the UK. More than one million people are unaware they have the illness.

Detectives appeal for justice on Dr Farooq's 4th death anniversary

Scotland Yard investigating the murder of Dr Imran Farooq, pictured, in London are appealing for anyone with information to come forward four years on.

Dr Farooq was on his way home from work when he was attacked outside his home in Green Lane, Edgware, London, shortly before 17:30hrs on Thursday 16 September 2010.

Dr Farooq, 50, died as a result of multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head. A five and a half inchbladed kitchen knife and a house brick used in the attack were recovered at the scene.

Detectives from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) who are investi-

gating his murder are committed to finding those responsible. To date they have spoken to 4466 people, reviewed 7401 documents and followed up 2379 lines of inquiry and seized 3900 exhibits in order to bring his killers to justice.

This remains an ongoing investigation and we continue to liaise closely with the authorities from Pakistan. A number of lines of inquiry are being actively pursued It is thought that his murder would have required careful planning and help from other people, some of whom may have provided assistance or information unwittingly.

Detectives believe

that Dr Farooq was about to launch a new independent political career before his death and this remains a key line of inquiry in this investigation.

Police know that in July 2010, Dr Farooq set up a Facebook profile and amassed a large number of contacts through this social network.

To date a total of 2 people have been arrested in connection with this investigation.

Indian origin tycoon and son's bail conditions lifted in Rolls-Royce probe A well known Indian origin tycoon and his son, who were arrested as part of the UK anti-corruption agency’s investigation into Rolls-Royce, has had their bail conditions lifted, according to a recent media report.

Sudhir Choudhrie, an ardent supporter of the Lib Dem party, and his son Bhanu were detained and questioned in February by the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) as part of its investigations into the group's business practices in Indonesia, China and other overseas markets.

According the Sunday Times, the bail for him and his son was lifted in July, an indication that they are expected to play

Sudhir Choudhrie

Bhanu Choudhrie

no further part in the inquiry.

Their arrests had mystified aerospace executives because the RollsRoyce allegations had not involved the company’s dealings in India. The SFO declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Choudhries said they

“deny any wrongdoing and have co-operated fully with the authorities”.

Rolls-Royce, the world's second-largest maker of aircraft engines, had announced in March that the firm had cut the number of middlemen it uses as it steps up efforts to prevent bribery and corruption.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

CEO Transforming Independent Retail Mandeep Singh is CoFounder and CEO of StreetHub, the mobile marketplace for independent retailers. StreetHub shows you, in real-time, what fashion and home products are in local shops around you. You can then buy items for five minute collection or 90 minute delivery. For retailers, StreetHub is aggregating independents to give them the scale and technology to drive more customers into their shops.

StreetHub is backed by a group of leading Venture Capital funds including Index Ventures and Octopus Investments.

Mandeep holds a B.A. from the University of Cambridge. He co-founded his first business, a web design agency, in his bedroom at the age of 15.

Mandeep’s parents, now retired, were both Lancashire GPs. He went to school at QEGS in Blackburn. He then studied Natural Sciences and Management at Churchill College, Cambridge University.

“Before university I’d

largely worked on my own web design business, alongside my studies, so I went down a more typical graduate route after Cambridge,” Mandeep told me in an interview. “I joined OC&C S t r a t e g y Consultants, advising corporate and private equity clients, working closely with retailers such as Topshop, BHS, DFS and Asda, Wal-Mart (where I was seconded for six months). I then became an investor at BC Partners, one of Europe’s largest Mandeep Singh private equity funds, acquiring at BC Partners I learnt a Foxtons and Accudyne lot, not only from investIndustries (jointly with ing in companies, but also Carlyle). from spending time with Working with senior management (e.g. at management of large busiFoxtons board meetings). nesses at such a young age However, most of the was a fantastic experience. great companies I’d OC&C was a great worked with had been apprenticeship in the founded by great entrepreworld of business, whilst neurs, which inspired me

to leave to try and help create a great company myself.”

Mandeep said that he’d always had an “entrepreneurial itch.” He set up a web design agency at age 15 with a friend, “which we ran in our spare time alongside school from our bedrooms – I learnt much, from how to run a business to how to overcome the scepticism of banks and friends and family!

I would never change the career I had after Cambridge, as it prepared me well for entrepreneurship and was great training, but I finally took the plunge again in late 2012,” he smiled.

One of the most important early steps Mandeep’s co-founders and he took was to not assume that they knew what independent retailers wanted. “We had a great understanding of the retail market and how technology (or multichannel) was impacting larger retailers, but took the time to pound the streets and talk to independent shop owners – they told us what they needed, not the other way round,” he explained.

As their savings began

to ran out they approached a group of business Angels to invest as part of their seed fundraising – some they knew from their previous jobs, most they only met when they were pitching.

“We want StreetHub to become the destination for finding unique products from local shops for every town and city in the UK, and beyond.”

“We were fortunate to have a great group of individuals invest, including the CEO of World First, ex-COO of Shutl, CEO of Jack Wills, CTO of JustEat and former Directors of Vodafone, eBay and Google,” Mandeep commented.

“Whilst we were raising from Angels we were approached by some of the major Venture Capital (VC) funds, and ended up closing a $1.2m seed round in December 2013 led by a group of Europe’s leading VCs, Octopus Investments (Zoopla, YPlan and SwiftKey), Index Ventures (Farfetch, Net-a-Porter, ASOS) and Playfair Capital (Duedil, Birdback, Believe.In).”

Mandeep and co had to dip into their savings.

9

“Until our seed round we were solely funded from the savings of us founders.

It was a bit of a shock to the system after having been employed but gave us the time and resources to get the business off the ground, and you always try and spend wisely with your own money!

StreetHub is the first shopping app and website based on location. We show you the unique products that are near you, right now, and you can buy them for collection in five minutes or delivery in 90 minutes. So amazingly, the products you see first vary depending on where you are – in west London, you see some superb fashion pieces reflecting local shops and demographics, but in Shoreditch you can find some great affordable pieces for the home.”

Mandeep has one ambition for StreetHub. He finished by saying, “We want StreetHub to help every great independent retailer, no matter where they are. So we want StreetHub to become the destination for finding unique products from local shops for every town and city in the UK, and beyond.”

For more info, go to https://www.streethub.co m/ or download the iPhone app at http://bit.ly/gotostreethub.

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Scottish Referendum

Scottish Independence!

Future of IS

In 4 general elections, the seats won by the Conservatives were twice or more than Labour in London and Southern England including Anglia; while in the Midlands it was about equal. However in North England, Scotland and Wales Labour were about twice the Conservatives.

That is probably true of all general elections since 1945. If that is the case, then Great Britain has been truly divided along regional lines for over 7 decades.

Voting for Labour has not improved one iota the lot of the working class or their children.

Britain continues to play the role of world policeman when its resources are not enough to give its own citizens a decent living standard.

A Yes decision will shake up the political parties like never before since the Union was formed 307 years ago. In very rare times in history, such shock wave is necessary and could do more good than harm overall as all will seek new direction, new vision.

The Scots should ignore all noises coming from outside and look within their innermost selves to guide them as to what is best not only for Scotland, but what it is that should happen to Wales and England and as a result of their decision.

By the time readers open this weekend A/V on Saturday, 20th September 2014, the voters in Scotland would have gone to the polls about “should Scotland be independent country?”

If yes votes win on this irretrievable plebiscite, Scotland would be separated from the centuries’ old Kingdom but, they do not have to appoint a person like Sir Cyril Radcliff to draw a boundary line between would be two nations!

Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British barrister, who had never been east of Gibraltar before arriving in Delhi on July 1947, was appointed to decide India /Pakistan boundary line at the time of partition in 1947. This process of division ended in tragedy that took thousands of lives of Hindus as well as Muslims.

The recent caliphate movement started with the concept of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant). It then expanded to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and now transformed into IS (Islamic State) or the Caliphate, the original aim of those who started the movement in the first place. The Caliphate is not something new. It was formed after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Anyone somewhat conversant with the Islamic history would know that during the Caliphate Islam attained maximum expansion mainly through brutal force, invasion and conquest of other states and by forcing the conquered to convert to Islam. The proponents of the present Caliphate movement believe they can replicate the medieval Islamic conquests by establishing a strong Caliphate or IS. Why did the Islamic Caliphate disappear from the world? One should learn from the evidence of history. Hitler, the biggest killer of the modern history had to go. The empires built on subjugating and brutalising people such as Roman, Egyptian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, Mughal, British, the Iron Curtain of USSR and indeed all such empires could not survive. Even the inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade and apartheid in South Africa has been eliminated.

What is the philosophy of IS people?

The evidence suggests it is kidnapping and abduction of innocent people, ransom money, brutal force, barbarism, beheading and conversion to Islam by force, the same thing they did some one thousand years ago. There has not been an iota of change in their nature. What is the fate of IS? Like the Nazis, hate and evil may raise their ugly heads for a short period but they always meet their inevitable demise.

Nagindas Khajuria By email

Cheese and vegetarians

Mr. Sheth’s questions about cheese may appear incongruent, but are valid as per discretion of devotee. The decision to avoid cheese and foods made with animal products to follow religious tenets makes it sacrosanct for the devotee.

Scientific studies indicate that vegetarian and vegan foods lower the metabolism, reduce accumulation of waste around the cells, retain integrity of vital organs/ delay ageing whereby a geriatric (90 years) can be youthful (30 year.)(vide Asian Age dated 13-9-2014.)

Tenets laid down indicate abundance and variety of foods available at that time. Foods were not treated with chemicals, inorganic ingredients, but were assorted as fruits, nuts, vegetarian or meat. Stricter discipline propounded eating fruits/ nuts only.

Currently, use of chemicals, inorganic fertilisers, bactericides/antibiotics, migration by Jains to inhospitable areas or countries where facilities to pursue food discipline may not be available or practical make it difficult to follow 100% food discipline. Also note that certain incompatible ingredients are hidden under its chemical or generic names, which may not be fully understood by every devotee.

Thus any Jain or non Jain must be prepared to follow diet discipline to the best of ones knowledge, practicality and foods readily available to follow religious precepts.

Lallubhai Patel Gloucester

Threat of ISIS

The geopolitical and military crisis posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) can be dealt with efficiently, with a minimum of U.S. involvement.

As we know ISIS now threatens Baghdad and further destabilization in the Middle East. Despite its success its vulnerability has also increased. This should not be difficult to exploit, since American interests accord with those of the surrounding states of Syria, Iran, Kurdistan (de facto), Turkey and the Baghdad’s new Iraqi government.

ISIS (mostly Sunnis) cannot easily expand much further, since it is hemmed in to the north by the Kurds and Turkey, to the east by Iran (predominantly Shiite), and to the south and west by Assad-controlled Syria and by Jordan. At stake in Iraq are the Baghdad and Basra areas, which are densely populated and where the mostly Shiite population has formed large militias to fight alongside the Iraqi military. Furthermore with air power it would be relatively easy to interdict supply and reinforcement lines and once the supply is disrupted isolated pockets of ISIS terrorists could be defeated one at a time with only a few fighter aircrafts or drones. U.S. has begun these air attacks. Prime Minister Cameron, as he said in the Sunday Telegraph of 17th August, advocates this.

Foreign policy is a form of strategic thinking that begins with identifying a strategic goal, with realizable and measurable outcome. President Obama has said that he is unwilling to commit large forces and sums of money. In my view the realistic goal should be stability which can happen with destruction of ISIS. The U.S and its allies should not worry about the nature of regional governments – in any case they do not have the resources to steer them.

(Sir) Andy Chande By email

Murder of British Aid worker

Subscribe Today Ramesh Jhalla By email

It isn’t often you hear from the Muslim organisations coming out and condemning atrocities committed in the name of

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Jatindra Saha By email Islam. The fundamental question one has to ask is why are there so many terrorist organisations who are on a war footing with non- Muslims and also other sects within their own communities.

We are constantly being told that Islam is a peaceful faith and a number of our MPs get onto that band wagon and proclaim that Muslims are against all terrorist activities. Do you see worldwide extremist terrorist organisations coming out of Christianity, Buddhism or Hinduism? Does this not tell you something about Islam. There is no tolerance or non-believers, there is no debate on Islam. This only shows how shallow the religion is perceived to be.

What we have seen in the recent barbaric incidents(beheadings) was hundreds of times worse in India during the Mogul invasions where hundreds of thousands of innocent people were tortured and executed in the most barbaric ways.

Just read Indian history.

If Islam is a peace loving religion than its followers need to do a lot more and condemn extremist groups to the extent that they have no place on earth to thrive and expand.

Narendra Patel By email

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Diwali is now one month away. The New Year is knocking at the door waiting to bring in colours and light to our lives with fervour of joy and ever lasting happiness. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar as every year will be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself. This year in the English section, we are doing something special for our young readers. l If you are between 7-25 years of age, write an article in English on 'how you celebrate your Diwali every year' or 'your most memorable Diwali with friends and family' or 'how you celebrate Diwali in your school' in no more than 700 words, along with a suitable photo. l if you an organisation, which has a youth wing or support youth activities, tell us how your young members or youth wing celebrates Diwali in 500-600 words with 2 pictures (in no less than 300dpi).

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Dadabhai Naoroji Awards In my capacity as the Prime Minister’s UK Indian Diaspora Champion, I am writing to bring to your attention the opportunity to nominate your family, friends and colleagues for the Dadabhai Naoroji Awards – an accolade presented to those who have made outstanding demonstrable contributions to the UKIndia relationship across a variety of sectors.

The Dadabhai Naoroji Awards are named after the first British MP of Indian-origin and the man who brought the first Indian business to the UK. In his spirit, the Awards are designed to celebrate those who have helped further the UK-India relationship in commerce, culture and education. Any member of the public can nominate someone who has excelled in one of those three fields, although only nominees of British or Indian nationality are eligible to receive an award.

If you would like to nominate an individual for the Dadabhai Naoroji Awards, you are encouraged to visit the following Government website to find the nomination form, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dadabhai-naorojiawards-nomination-form, and then complete and submit it to Naoroji.Awards@fco.gov.uk by the deadline of midnight on 30th September 2014.

Priti Patel MP The Prime Minister’s UK Indian Diaspora Champion

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

11

12

MEDIA WATCH

The horrific floods in Jammu and Kashmir have claimed over 200 lives, with 150 dead in Jammu. A month’s rain cascaded down in a mere four days destroying houses, roads and bridges and marooning thousands of inhabitants. National Disaster Agency teams were out in force, complemented by 30,000 men from the Army, air drops from the Air Force and helicopters to lift thousands of men, women and children from rooftops and the swirling waters below. Navy commandos also played a major role in these rescue operations.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

order is in freefall and labour unrest is rife. A spate of taxi and bus strikes have crippled normal life in Kolkata, and more are on the way. You can bet that no investors from Singapore or India will be in hurry to savour the pleasures of Bengal, such as they are now. The worst of times looms ever larger for the embattled Chief Minister and her cohorts, with the Sarada ponzi scam and its can of worms out in the open. Its mastermind Sudipta Sen is under arrest and leading lights of Trinamool Congress have been implicated in his murky activities.

Noose tightens

This is Srinagar not Venice

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah

Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP, Kunal Ghosh, hauled up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning, has agreed to testify if the presence of Mamata Banerjee during the interrogation was assured and similar questions were put to her.

Scarcely had died down, when one greater hit media headlines: the retired Director General of the West Bengal Police, Rajat Majumdar, had been arrested.

Shortly after his retirement in 2010, he joined the Trinamool Congress, became a top adviser to Ms Banerjee and a close associate of Sudipta Sen and was on his payroll. CBI spokesman Kanchan Majumdar issued the following statement: “We have arrested Majumdar on grounds of conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation of funds.” Other Trinamool notables in custody are: Debabrata Sarkar and Rajya Sabha MP, Srinjoy Bose.(Telegraph, Times of India Sept 10)

Andhra unveils future plans

Army relief operations in Kashmir

Over 150,000 men, women and children had been saved from drowning. An Army field hospital had been set up, and 85 medical teams were fully operational. Many of those rescued tweeted their thanks and appreciation of these rescue missions.

But there were others who were resentful of what they perceived to be the tardy response of the State government to the emergency. The State government should have done what the Army so creditably did. The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he fully understood the anger of these people, and would do everything in his power to galvanize the government machinery to bring relief to a suffering population and save lives: these were his first priority. However, in his turn, he asked for a measure of understanding for the administration’s predicament, since the flood disaster in the region was the worst in 109 years. The good news is that the rain has abated, enabling the relief effort to move to a higher gear. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made an aerial tour of the affected region to gauge at first-hand the scale of

the calamity. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the raging Chenab River, has (and is) wreaking havoc in large swathes of Punjab which has the appearance of an inland sea. Houses, roads, bridges, farmland and livestock have been washed away, destroying the entire year’s agricultural produce. The water level is still rising, so the situation is dire and the impact wiis likely to be long lasting. The overall numbers of dead across the entire region is approaching 500. (Hindu, Times of India, Telegraph Sept 7-11)

Mamata Banerjee in serious bother

Three years ago, it was the best of times for West Bengal’s Chief Minister and her Trinamool Congress, as they swept to power in a tidal surge of popular support. The then ruling Communist-led Front was decimated in the State Assemble elections. A visibly disillusioned electorate appears fatigued by the eccentricities and megalomania of Ms Banerjee. The promised economic revival is pie-in-the-sky. The law and

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu unveiled his plans for its development as a decentralized entity, following its bifurcation, with a separate Telangana keeping Hyderabad as its capital. Naidu told legislators that the truncated Andhra Pradesh would build its new

Prasad in search of FDI for India Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is off to Europe and America in search of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India’s electronics sector. India being too dependent on imports, the Government aims to build a strong domestic platform and redress the present imbalance. “I am going out of my way as a Minister to invite global manufacturers,” he told reporters.

“Democracy, demography and demand are certainly there and, therefore, we will be able to make it.” Apart from chip manufacturing, the Government is pushing envelop by initiating a wide range of incentives to make India an attractive destination for investors, including setting up new electronics clusters, for which approval has been given.

(Business Line Sept 9)

Dell eyes India

PC maker Dell, the US-based $58 billion company, is on a transformative journey from hardware vendor to scalable solutions provider. It plans to make India its fourth largest market bin of the world, from the current eighth largest, in the next 3-5 years. The company, which earned revenues of $12.5 billion from the Asia Pacific including Japan is now eyeing a $21 billion market opportunity in India which is a conservative estimate, says Alok Ohrie, President & Managing Director Bell India. “With the new government winning a majority mandate and after reading the early signs of the new Budget, this $21 billion market opportunity should go up dramatically over the next few years.”

(Business Line Sept 9)

Dell’s R&D team

Dell India’s Research & Development team, with its pool of 2,500 engineers has played a major role in performance of the Dell 13th generation server portfolio, launched globally last

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu with former Singapore primier Goh Dok Tong

high-tech capital in the environs of Vijayawada. The new Andhra Pradesh, he said, would have three mega cities and 100 smart cities. Naidu has long had a reputation as a doer and visionary, so former prime minister and now an emeritus adviser, Premier Goh, came to acquaint himself with Naidu’s vision statement.

(Business Line Sept 9)

week. The Bangalore Design Centre alone contributed 60 per cent to overall server systems management software and 100 per cent on validation engineering and product documentation.

Rudramuni, Executive & Head, R&D, Dell India, said: “We worked on three basics: enhancing applications, performance, simplifying systems manage-

ment and work-load management.” One of the key innovations by the team is a Near Field Communication server management solution that uses mobile devices to manage, monitor and set up servers. (Business Line Sept 10)

Car sales August rise

Continuous excise duty cuts and festival offers and discounts initiated in August have helped domestic car sales to grow by 15 per cent year-on-year. “There is a lot of hope this festive season and we expect it to be better than the last two years’ festive seasons not only in the passenger car segment, but also in the two and three-wheeler sales,” Vishnu Mathur, Director General of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Food products to Russia

India has swung into action to fill the gap in the lucrative Russian market following Moscow’s ban on the import of agricultural products from the European Union, the US and Australia. The Commerce Ministry is in talks with the Russian Government for export of Indian agricultural products including fruit, vegetables, beef, poultry and dairy items. “There is a huge opportunity for us to export farm produce to Russia. We have started talks with the Russian Government as we are in a good position to export a good part of their requirements.,” said an Indian Commerce Ministry spokesman. Russian imports of agricultural products were worth $43 billion in 2013-14 before the one-year ban came into effect.

With Russia eager to source alternative suppliers, Quality certification issues should be cleared expeditiously.

World Food Moscow

Encouraged by the Russian response, exporters of agricultural and marine products from India have decided to participate in force in “World Food Moscow.” an international exhibition to be held in the Russian capital. The agenda has spread to other areas such as pharmaceuticals, rubber goods, furniture and lighting equipment. “We are organizing a ‘Made in India’ show in Russia between September 24 and 26 to showcase India’s strengths in diverse sectors.” According to Rafeeque Ahmed, President of the Indian Export Organizations. Around 125 Indian companies will be present at the show.(Business Line Sept 10)

ISI-linked Lankan spy arrested

India’s National Investigation Agency has arrested a Sri Lankan man, named Selvarajan, who is believed to be linked to an ISI operation run from the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo by Pakistani diplomat Zubair Siddiqui. The operation had targeted the US Consulate in Chennai and its Israeli counterpart in Bangalore. (Hindu, Times of India Sept 11).

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Family of woman held in Iran appeals for her release

Family of a British Iranian woman who is held in Iran after going to a men's volleyball match have appealed for her release, the BBC reported.

the Iranian authorities are "unlikely to grant any consular access".

She has reportedly not been able to see her lawyer since she had been detained but her parents had been allowed to see her some 50 days after her arrest. She has spent part of her detention in solitary confinement.

13

NHS psychiatrist banned from carrying out circumcisions

NHS psychiatrist Dr. Hassan Abdulla, pictured, who illegally circumcised dozens of boys for religious reasons was banned from performing surgery for two years on September 12th after failing to maintain clean or sterile instruments and not keeping up with the standards of the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Dr. Abdulla, 63, admit-

ted he ‘cut corners’ to provide affordable operations for just £70 to Muslim and Jewish parents at his clinic, Al Khalill, in a Leicester terraced house after circumcision for non-medical reasons was banned within the NHS. The doctor admitted six offences of carrying out surgical circumcisions without CQC registration on 41 boys last year. He was fined

£2,700 and ordered to pay more than £30,000 in costs.

He admitted that the premises were inadequate and that he did not maintain sterile instruments.

Stephen Brassington, defending Dr. Abdulla, said, "This is a service Dr Abdulla was providing to the community, and not for financial gain. It was run on a bare minimum in terms of charging for the service”.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, (pictured) was detained after the match in June. Her family say they do not know if she is being held under any charge.

She is now reportedly being held in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.

There was a protest at the time against a ban on women attending, but her brother Iman told BBC 5 Live Breakfast that she was "simply there to get into the stadium and watch the match".

She was released but then re-arrested when she went to collect her belongings a few days later.

The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of reports of a Briton being detained and is "following up" the case.

The FCO says it has "limited ability to assist (UK nationals) in any difficulty" in Iran and that

Gang accused of trafficking 13 years old girl on trial

Five men accused of trafficking a 13 year old girl and taking turns to abuse her after she ran away from home have gone on trail.

Five men accused of trafficking a 13 year old girl and taking turns to abuse her after she ran away from home have gone on trail.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was allegedly told she was a 'nice, beautiful girl' before being coerced into having sex with the men in hotel rooms and private flats in August last year. A jury heard how Mohammed Shapal, 22, and Shakeal Rehman, 26, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, and Usman Ali, 21, Bekir Rasheed, 36, and Yaseen Amini, 36, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, arranged her travel before abusing her.

Rehman denies rape and trafficking. Shapal denies sexual activity with a child and trafficking. Ali denies sexual activity with a child. Amini denies sexual activity with a child and trafficking. Rasheed denies trafficking.

The trial continues.

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14

UK

Haider all set to shock and surprise you EXCLUSIVE

Charusmita

With every Shakespearean adaptation in Hindi cinema, noted Bollywood filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is being applauded for his keen sense of reincarnating the classic Shakespearean characters in Indian settings.

Maqbool (2003) and Omkara (2006) are the first two films of his trilogy which gets its third instalment on October 2nd this year with the release of Haider, based on the play Hamlet. Talking about his upcoming venture in an exclusive interview to Asian Voice, Vishal told that he has dedicated Haider to his father, to who he was supremely close.

Shahid Kapoor, who essays the title role (that of Prince Hamlet) said, “It was not easy for me to detach myself from the character. Even my family noticed the change in me.

But I am keen on doing such films more frequently, maybe even once every year”.

Shraddha Kapoor, although being just five films old in the industry, is already a well established name and sings her second song for Haider, titled ‘Roshe Valle’. Speaking about casting her in the film, Vishal said, “For this film, I was looking for a young actress. I needed someone who looked like a Kasmiri. Shraddha fit in that very well and as for the rest, the script guides the actor where to go”.

The film stars Tabu and Kay Kay Menon in crucial roles of Queen Gertrude and King Claudius, respectively. All of the characters in the film seem to have an

Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bharadwaj with Charusmita

intense, eccentric and dark side. Since the film's storyline has been adapted and rewritten by Vishal in his ever unique style, the characters can be expected to be symbolic of more than one person in the original play Hamlet. He elaborates, “I have not spoken about this before but in Haider, I have combined the characters of both Ophelia and Oratio into the role of Arshiya (played by Shraddha)”.

She plays a Kashmiri journalist.

Also making waves is one of Haider's sound track, Bismil. The song is shot at the Sun Temple in Kashmir. The cinematography and choreography of the song has used 100 feet tall puppets which has fascinated the audience since the launch of the song's video. Shahid touts the song as one of the best shot songs of his career. In his interview to Asian Voice, he said, “Elements like face-paint to depict war situations, have been used in Bismil. It was crucial that Haider did not dance like Shahid. The choreography of the song involved more than just dance steps and that is why it was important that

my usual style of dance did not reflect in it”.

Then there were 100 feet tall puppets in Bismil, which have never been seen in any song before.

Vishal was the creative mind behind using them.

He adds, “We created the 100 feet tall puppets specially for the film. Bhaand is a performer tribe in Kashmir. They use colourful animal masks and puppets, as shown in the film.

In Kashmir, there is a 300 year old tradition of Bhaand performances. I took the idea from there, enlarged it and adapted it for Bismil.

The backdrop of Kashmir is very pertinent.

It embodies the darkness of the plot by symbolising both beauty and tragedy at the same time. But Vishal had different plans earlier- “I wanted to create an espionage thriller and had a different location in mind. It was Gulzar saab (who has also written the lyrics for the songs in the film) who suggested Kashmir”.

Amidst controversies because of the location, Haider has managed drawing trailers and its release is much awaited on October 2nd.

Eco-crime awareness brought out through Environmental films

The two-day Environmental Film Festival on 11-12 September jointly hosted

by UK-based Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence and Indiabased TERRE Policy Centre screened short films which had the audience thought-provoked.

Sponsored by JSW Times of India Earth care Initiative and supported

by Sunmark Industries in the UK, the event screened films showing illegal poaching and trading in endangered and other wildlife species and products and how they are almost on the brink of extinction.

The festival was inaugurated by symbolic lighting of the lamp and watering the plant by Baroness Verma, UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change, joined by Dr S.K

Baroness Verma, Dr S.K Singh, Dr Vinitaa Apte and Ragasudha Vinjamuri

Singh from the High Commission of India, Dr Vinitaa Apte from TERRE Policy Centre and Ragasudha Vinjamuri of Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence. After a welcome song by a group of young children and reading the message of Mr Shende, former Director of the United Nations Environment Program, the video message by Prakash

Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change was relayed. Reiterating on the need for incorporating eco-friendly measures, he congratulated Sanskruti and TERRE for taking initiative of bringing more awareness of eco-crimes to the UK audiences through the film festival.

Dr S.K Singh from the High Commission of India

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Uganda has the “tools to succeed” says Minister East London played host to a gathering of leading international business figures and politicians on Saturday as the Fourth Ugandan Convention took place at the Troxy in Limehouse.

The Convention was attended by a number of senior Ugandan politicians including Vice President Edward Ssekandi, Liberal Democrat Peer and businessman Lord Verjee, Uganda’s Minister for Urban Development Daudi Migereko and controversial Speaker of the Uganda Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, who was a leading figure in passing the AntiHomosexuality Bill before it was struck down by the courts.

Britain is Uganda’s largest cumulative investor, with investments of over £2 billion in Uganda. Trade links between the two nations is already growing at 9% per year and the convention is designed to deepen the already impressive economic ties.

The UK Government was represented by Government Whip and Lord-in-Waiting Lord Dolar Popat, who in his keynote address spoke of his own personal relationship with Uganda as well as the UK-Uganda relationship.

Lord Popat, a Ugandan Asian by birth, spoke of his memories of Uganda as a “country of great beauty … with friendly communities and a great sense of optimism” before paying tribute to Britain for its generosity following the rise of Idi Amin: “I will forever be grateful to the UK for offering me and 28,000 of my fellow Ugandan Asians a warm-welcome and a home.But it wasn’t just a home; Britain gave us opportunities. The UK allows anyone with a good idea and determination, the chance to succeed, irrespective of background, gender or race. You are protected by the rule of law, and empowered by the safety net that democracy provides.”

The Minister quoted

Prime Minister David Cameron’s comments in 2012 that the East African immigrants in the UK have been amongst the most successful groups of immigrants anywhere in the world, stating that “Uganda’s loss has been the UK’s gain” before highlighting how much Uganda has improved in recent years.

Lord Popat talked of visiting Kampala as part of a British Parliamentary delegation and how he was “was amazed at the transformation that has taken place in recent years”. In a reflective moment, he acknowledged that since gaining independence in 1962, Uganda has been on a “rollercoaster ride”, coming through “a socialist Government, a brutal dictator in Idi Amin and a civil war; and now, finally, freedom and democracy under the leadership of President Museveni.”

During his speech, Popat paid considerable praise to President Museveni “for the way he has encouraged outside investment, and how he has used private sector growth to power the Ugandan economy” and for his leadership in bringing peace to Somalia through Uganda’s leadership of the African Union Mission in Somalia.

He also revealed that he had “always remained close to Uganda” and had many friends there, including “some of the prominent Ugandan Asian families who were expelled in the seventies, such as the Madhvani’s and Mehta’s, [who] have returned to Uganda and are once again contributing to Uganda’s society and economy.”

In the main section of his speech, Lord Popat highlighted how the UK and Uganda are building stronger economic and development ties. He revealed that the Lord Mayor of the City of London was currently making her first visit to Uganda, and that over 20 British energy companies –a key economic sector for Uganda, dues to its oil

spoke about climate change issues.

Baroness Verma delivered her powerful message to the community, suggested simple measures in daily lives for mitigating larger impacts of global warming and warned of consequences future generations may face if timely action was not taken.

Sushil Rapatwar, former President of Maharashtra Mandal London delivered

the vote of thanks. Two films were shown on the inaugural day. Animated film Ozzy Ozone jointly produced by UNEP and TERRE explaining the threats to the ozone layer and Himalayan Meltdown produced by UNDP which showed the increasing danger to the lives of people in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and China due to the melting of Himalayan ice causing

industry- visited Uganda in March on a “mission led by my good friend and fellow Ugandan-Asian Subhash Thakrar, Deputy President of the London Chamber”.

Reflecting on the work of the Department for International Development (DFID), he revealed that this year the Department is providing more than £90 million “to support Uganda’s efforts in critical areas” and thatbetween 2011 and 2015 “the UK will have enabled more than 400,000 people to access family planning, distributed 5 million bed nets to prevent malaria, and helped 300,000 people to cope with the effects of climate change in Karamoja – the poorest area of Uganda.”

In a rare moment of criticism, the speech challenged Uganda’s leaders not to be complacent, stating that “There is still more to do to make Uganda the business powerhouse it should and wants to be”. He went on to explain that “Uganda is rated 132 on the ease of doing business in the latest World Bank figures … several British Businesses have looked to [invest] in Uganda … and yet the deals have died due to a lack of execution [on Uganda’s part]”.

In a closing section that predicted a positive future for both countries, Lord Popat stated that Uganda “has the tools it needs to succeed” and has great people “Who are helping to shape the Pearl of Africa into the business heartland of East Africa.”

He finished by saying that the two countries share a “common goal” of economic development and increased trade links, and that the UK will continue to support Uganda “The UK Government attaches the highest priority to working with expanding African markets. We stand with you in your desire to build an economy that brings prosperity to all Ugandans and we have prioritised our work to target economic growth.” flooding, unpredictable rains and extreme climate patterns.

On 12th September, films produced jointly with the British Council were screened showing human interference and illegal actions that endanger Butterflies, Leopards, Elephants, Turtles, Tigers, Bears and Coral Reefs. Five Gyres, a film on plastic pollution in Atlantic Ocean was also screened.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

15

Singer Arijit Singh receives Going once, going twice, sold to Youth Icon Award from NISU UK the highest bidder…

The National Indian Students Union UK bestowed upon Indian singing sensation, Arijit Singh, its ‘Youth Icon Music Award 2014’. The pan-national representative body for Indian students, alumni and young professionals in the UK attended Mr Singh's incredible concert at the London O2 to present him with this prestigious award - recognizing him as one of the leading icons for the Indian youth, both at home and abroad today.

“Arijit’s incredible journey to success in such a short space of time, a result of his utmost dedication and passion for his craft are extremely inspiring for the youth. By honouring him and celebrating his work with our peer group, we hope to empower youngsters with the motivation to realize their dreams”, commented Sanam Arora, President, NISU UK. Mr. Singh thanked the

Indian youth energies and hence India itself. " - said Vice President, Rhea Ranjan, "Recognizing and awarding artists like Mr Arijit Singh for his work is important to us as it celebrates Indian culture and its transformation but also the Singer Arijit Singh receiving the immense influence Youth Icon Award from NISU UK President Sanam Arora and involvement that the youth has National Indian Students on this culture."

Union UK for the honour, The National Indian commenting that he was Students Union UK works humbled at the honour towards bringing Indian being bestowed upon him. youth together and Mr. Singh joins a numenhancing their educaber of other celebrities in tional, career and cultural NISU’s special members, experience in the UK, in including Shabana Azmi hopes of creating a generaand Javed Akhtar, who tion of Indians who will hold the NISU Honorary become the future leaders Fellowship. "NISU UK is of India. Hence new-age an organization not only artists and industry changrepresenting students, but ing voices are hugely venone aiming to create a erated by the organization. movement to channelize

KBMD, Chartered C e r t i f i e d Accountants, M & M Financial Services and Barclays Bank jointly organised a Professional Forum on 11 September 2014. The event, was very well attended, and held in Harrow.

Speakers included Christine Hallett, CEO of Carey Pensions UK, who standing (L-R) Paul Lee, Raj Patel, Barclays, Kishor Parmar spoke on Auto ABPL group, K K Patel, Ramesh Hirani, Bhavesh Bhudia, Alpesh Enrolment and HiraniSeating.(L-R) Kulbir Sahota, Barclays, Reshma Kanbi, Workplace Pensions, Sapna Patel, Padmini Vaghjiani, Neelam Patel, Vimla Matai David Butler, who es more Professional Forum of pertinent spoke on Relevant Life Cover, KK Patel topics regularly.’ Arvind Halai of GXI of KBMD who spoke on Inheritance Group Commercial Interior Fit-Out & and importance of tax efficient Will Refurbishment, was delighted to be Planning, and Paul Lee of Barclays, present and congratulated the co-sponwho enlightened the delegates on sors for organising the event. Remi Commercial Lending. Raj Patel, Kotomi of Prime Foreign Exchange was Business Manager at Barclays Bank, attending our event for the first time, Southall Branch, had this to say. ‘I am and he remarked that for him, this was delighted to be here at this event, which time well spent and he learnt so much I found to be very interesting and about all the relevant hot issues at presenthralled the delegates present. I ent. would recommend that KBMD organis-

Subscription Rate Revision

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On Friday 19th of September at the Grosvenor House, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women will be charity of the year at the prestigious Asian Achievers Awards. For those lucky guests who are attending, you will have the fantastic opportunity of bidding on some rather special items, generously donated.

On the evening the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women will be raising money for a new and innovative project in Maharashtra, India. The aim of the project is to provide 1,000 rural women with business incubation, access to loans and business growth opportunities, which in turn, will see benefits for both their families and communities.

We’re sure that many of you will agree, this is a great cause to raise some money and we can all have fun while doing so. You will have the chance of showing your support by donating money on the night!

Although the Asian Achievers Awards will produce great entertainment for guests, the highlight of the evening will be the auction hosted by Lord Jeffrey Archer. With special donations from the likes of Tracey Emin and Katherine Jenkins, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has put together a collection of outstanding prizes that will be sure to fuel competitive spirits on the night. So if you want to experience a holiday of a lifetime, have Tracey Emin’s latest watercolour painting hanging in your hallway, or fancy picking the brains of Cherie Blair over a curry, the opportunity is there for the taking!

helicopter to his renowned Pangkor Laut Estates, an Island of pristine beauty.

Guests will spend four nights in one of the most exclusive private residences and will have a personal butler, personal chef, access to spa facilities and exclusive use of Dr Yeoh’s private yacht. Dr Yeoh assures bidders that his guests will enjoy the full compliments of his hospitality and be accorded the finest and most exclusive treatment every step of the way. This breath-taking journey is one to bid on!

Eastern & Oriental Express

Auctioneer Lord Jeffrey Archer, an international bestselling author, has offered up a unique prize of his own.

This is your chance to become a part of literary history, and have your name, or the name of a friend or loved one appear as a character in Jeffrey’s next book. Readers around the world could know you as a rich, successful businessman, a back-stabbing villain, a chauffeur or a five-times divorcee…or maybe even the wife of a Prime Minister. But beware, the final decision on whether you’re a goodie or a baddie lies with Jeffrey.

If reading books isn’t your thing then maybe sport is. Fancy playing cricket with a signed bat from the India Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni or knocking around a football wearing an Arsenal signed t-shirt?

The Estates, Pangkor Laut Island

If you are after a journey through paradise then this is the prize for you!

Your journey will begin being chauffeur driven from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the RitzCarlton hotel. Acclaimed chefs will oversee all meals served in your palatial penthouse suite, with a personal butler attending to your every need. After two nights there, you will travel overnight on the Eastern & Oriental Express to Penang, where you will stay in the Presidential Suite.

Recapturing the elegance and style of the Twenties and Thirties you will be transported back in time on this journey and enjoy lively entertainment and exquisite food. Once in Penang, you will board Dr Yeoh’s private

Pangkor Laut Island

Or if you prefer fine foods and wine, Cherie Blair has offered the highest bidder the fantastic chance of dining with her and five guests at Gymkhana in Mayfair. Guests will enjoy a three course menu of contemporary Indian cuisine using seasonal British ingredients, accompanied with sommeliers choice of wine pairing. This will be the perfect opportunity to pick the brains of an accomplished woman and philanthropist.

We expect the night to get competitive. Make sure you bring your cheque book!

High Class Indian Veg & Non Veg Restaurant

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SPECIAL

Details on London's first Regional Pravasi Divas made official

16

Rupanjana Dutta

With the announcement of the dates to the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in London over three days from October 16 to 18, 2014, the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India has now revealed further details on the programme.

The Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) has been celebrated in India on January 9th each year since 2003 to mark the contributions of the overseas Indian community in the development of India RPBDs are organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with the collaboration of the host Government, the Indian Mission,

Sushma Swaraj

Prominent Overseas Indians and Organisations catering to the needs of the Indian Diaspora.

The objective is to reach out to those members of the community who have been unable to participate in the annual RPBD in India and to pro-

EXCLUSIVE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

vide a platform for the Indian community in the UK and Europe to contribute to the relationship between countries of the region and India.

Participation in the event is expected from all regions of the UK and other countries of Europe.

This convention is not only for the Indian community, but for all persons who are interested in plugging into India’s growing relationship with the UK and Europe. Over 1,000 delegates are expected to attend.

On 17th and 18th October, the major discussions and interactions will take place between 10am6:30pm, at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC), followed by a reception for the attending guests. On

17Th October the Foreign Commonwealth Office is due to host their annual diaspora reception, where they will also host the Dadabhai Naoroji award, giving away the awards to the winners.

The programme of the event will feature discussions on different aspects of India’s relationship with UK and other countries of Europe, including resources, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, skills and education, languages, women in business and culture.

Speakers at the event will include prominent dignitaries from the UK and India, prominent members of the Indian community, British and Indian business representatives, academics and

media persons. Indian Minister for External Affairs, Ms Sushma Swraj is also expected to attend.

Pakistan in the 1960s.

Yousaf is a strident figure in the "Yes" campaign and had proved to be particularly influential with younger Pakistani voters.

To counter his impact, the Labour party has wheeled in the current governor of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Mohammad Sarwar, who previously as a Labour candidate in Glasgow, became in 1997 the first person of Pakistani origin to be elected as an MP to the British parliament. He retained his seat until 2010.

The City Sikhs

Scotland and elsewhere in the UK will remain strong.

They are ready to welcome the Moderator of the Kirk (Church of Scotland) in his resolve to hold a Service of Reconciliation immediately after the Referendum in order to bring the nation of Scotland together in harmony, whatever the historic result may be.

Network speaking with Asian Voice said that they would like to urge the Scottish Sikhs to vote 'No' at the Referendum on Thursday. The rest of the United Kingdom would be at a loss without Scotland, and British Sikhs would be all the poorer without their Scottish Sikh compatriots.

However they also added, that whatever be the results of the referendum, they hope that the ties between Sikhs in

be the Prime Minister forever but if Scotland leaves the UK, that will be permanent.

Unlike other UK elections, in this referendum 16 and 17 year olds will be able to vote in the which is being touted as a once-ina-generation opportunity for people in Scotland to have their say about the country’s future.

Addressing the issue of citizenship and immigration, the Scottish government says that dual citi-

zenship will be permitted, subject to Whitehall’s call over the matter. The Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael has called the Scottish government plans 'fundamentally contradictory'. UK PM David Cameron said the reality would involve stricter borders which could mean an people being forced to “pack their passport when they’re going to see friends and loved ones”.

All the three main prounion UK parties- Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats – have pledged to offer a version of 'devo-max' if Scotland votes no in Thursday’s referendum. 'Devo-max', a term for Maximum Devolution, would mean Scotland having the power over its most reserved matters, except defence and foreign affairs.

RBS, Tesco Bank, TSB, Lloyds and Clydesdale Bank last week issued market advisories on their contingency plans in the event of independence, suggesting they may move their headquarters to England. There is also great speculation and anticipation over the future of BBC in Scotland and the expansion of Scottish Broadcasting Corporation.

UK is a member of the most influential global organisations including the G7, G8, G20, NATO, the UN Security Council, and the EU. This means that people in Scotland are represented at the highest levels when it comes to the

The session topics will include:

l Role and contribution of Indian Diaspora to the British/European societies and economies l How can the Diaspora and the Government of India leverage each other’s strengths to mutual benefit in the framework of India-UK strategic partnership? l ICT and Financial services(ii) Investments in India: The way forward(iii) Role of social media and youth in promoting Diaspora’s links with India l Opportunities and challenges in India-UK

collaboration in trade and investments, including in third countries l NRI/PIO businesses in European countries: Achievements and constraints l Scope and potential of Diaspora’s engagement in Education, Research and Innovation in India l Issues of concern to Indian Diaspora and possible solutions(ii)Role and contribution of Diaspora’s cultural identity in promoting people-topeople contacts For more details on programme log on to http://rpbdlondon2014.c o.uk/. Registration inclusive of all sessions, including lunches on both days and the gala dinner on 18th will cost a fee of £75.

British Indians split amidst Scottish tug of war

Continued from page 1

According to the British Sikh Report 2014, over half of Sikhs in Scotland identified as being 'Scottish Sikhs' whilst the remainder referred to themselves as 'British Sikhs'.

The Sikh community also has a long relationship with Scotland which dates back to 1855 when Maharaja Duleep Singh (the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and the first Sikh to set foot on the British Isles) established his home in a castle in the Highlands and came to be known as the 'Black Prince of Perthshire'.

In the last 160 years, the Sikh community in Scotland has developed to become one of the most affluent and influential groups in the nation and its members have excelled in all walks of life despite there being fewer than 10,000 Sikhs as of the 2011 Census (9,055 Sikhs in Scotland as of 27th March 2011).

Scottish Sikhs can be found throughout mainstream society, from cookery and entertainment shows on TV through to the music and the arts, they were involved in the opening ceremonies of London 2012 and Glasgow 2014, and there is even a 'Singh' tartan on the Scottish Register of Tartans. The courts recognised Sikhs as a race as well as a faith, and that it was Parliament in Westminster which gave exemptions to turban wearing Sikhs from wearing motorcycle helmets

and hard hats on construction sites.

Ray, an International news agency, reported that Indian government's assessment, according to a diplomatic source, is "the community is split on their voting intentions".

He could not definitively say whether it was the older or younger generation that was favouring Scottish independence.

There are an estimated 23,000 overseas Indians resident in Scotland. They are considerably concentrated in the western city of Glasgow, but are also to be found in the capital Edinburgh and along the east coast in Dundee and Aberdeen.

They engage in a variety of occupations from being doctors to professors, professionals in multinational corporations to running restaurants and shops. 60% of the NRIs/PIOs are believed to be Sikhs.

The Indians' active involvement in Scottish politics is limited. There are only four local councillors in the whole of the region, with no one elected to the Scottish parliament or to the British parliament from Scotland.

Such a situation is in sharp contrast to the Pakistani community's inroads into public life in Scotland. The present Scottish Nationalist Party's external affairs minister is 29-year-old Humza Yousaf, whose father migrated from

Autonomy, independence and desperate promisesthe Scottish Referendum Mr. Cameron, addressing the Scots who dislike him and his government, stated that he would not

world’s major economic, political and security issues.

No one knows how long it might take an independent Scotland to join the EU, but Alex Salmond revealed that talks have taken place with major European states including France, Spain and Italy about the prospect of an independent Scotland joining the EU. In the UN Security Council, UK currently has one of only five permanent seats which an independent Scotland would find too ambitious to attain.

Although Buckingham Palace has been at pains to stress that the Queen has no position on the independence referendum, the Scottish First Minister went ahead to say, “The balance of Scottish opinion is, very substantially, that we want Her Majesty the Queen to be Queen of Scots.”

The opinion polls remain divided. Social media is exploding with stories from both sides. It remains to be seen how it influences the added 100,000 teenaged voters.

Summing up all the implications, Joseph Stiglitz countered the view of fellow Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, who recently warned that Scotland would face "huge risks" going it alone and told Scots to "be very afraid". Mr. Stiglitz said that while there would be risks in the event of a Yes vote, the risks of Scotland remaining in the union and UK leaving the EU would be "significantly greater".

XI’S GUJARAT VISIT

3 MoUs to be signed during Xi’s Ahmedabad visit

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

During the Chinese leader's visit to Ahmedabad, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between China Development Bank (CDB) and Gujarat's Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb) for financing industrial projects in the state.

This memorandum will be in addition to the two MoUs - one between the Gujarat government and the Guangdong province of China; and the other between Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the Chinese city of Guangzhou - that are to be signed during Xi's visit.

Sources in the state government said Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a key business meeting on September 17 in Ahmedabad. The state government has invited

and some Chinese companies are taking keen interest in the development of Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro rail project, ports and other industrial activities in the state, sources said.

September 17 is also Modi's birthday.

According to the informa-

tion, Xi will arrive at Ahmedabad airport on September 17 at around 2.30 pm. Thereafter, the Indian PM and the Chinese leader will attend a high-level business meeting and oversee the signing of three MoUs by top officials of both sides. “In the evening, the two leaders will go to Sabarmati Ashram and the riverfront.

Later, they will have dinner together and leave for Delhi,” said a source. The Gujarat government's MoU with Guangdong province will focus on development of the two provinces in industry, business, energy development, water resources management and environment conservation. It will also aim to strengthen cultural ties and increase people-to-people contact. The MoU between Guangzhou and AMC is for the development of the two cities as sister cities.

Narendra Modi with Xi Jinping (File photo)

top business leaders and honchos from banking and financial sector to participate in the business meet with the Chinese delegation. The sources further said CDB will give a commitment to finance a special Chinese Industrial Park and other industrial projects in Gujarat. CDB

Ethnic touch to Xi's dinner meet with Modi

The Gujarat government is making all efforts to make Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting over dinner with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Sabarmati riverfront on September 17 a memorable one. The Riverfront park wears a festive look as six pagodas were being raised. Though the pagodas were imported from Germany, but will have ethnic Gujarat touches with Kutchi torans, Sankheda swing, carved traditional furniture and Gujarati and English books. Chief Minister Anandiben Patel visited the site on Sunday to take a look at the arrangements.

While several parts of Ahmedabad already turned into high security zones, the riverfront wears a festive look. Workers contracted by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation are working round the clock at

the riverfront park near Shahibaug to raise six airconditioned domes attendant with all facilities befitting the heads of the state and the government.

In the first dome, Xi and Modi along with their delegates will have dinner.

The second dome is for the Indian and Chinese delegates, the third for Xi while the fourth is for Modi. The kitchen is at some distance where food will be prepared by chefs from the Taj. The Chief Minister and her ministers will occupy the last dome in

the garden. While domes for the chief minister, kitchen and Modi are ready, the other domes are being built. Each dome costs Rs 1500,000 lakh to 2000,000, sources said.

Two rooms for meeting Each dome will have two main rooms for meeting, an ante-room for the VVIP to rest and a washroom. The interiors will look like the rooms of a five star hotel. Furniture worth Rs 3000,000 have been purchased to give the domes a grand look.

According to sources,

the furniture being brought here have traditional Gujarati carvings. There will be Sankheda type swings at the corner of the Chinese president's dome.

Library for Chinese President There will be a library at the entrance of Xi’s and Modi's domes. Xi's room will have both English and Gujarati books. The doors of the domes will be decorated with Kutchi torans to give them ethnic touch.

According to sources, the dinner will be attended by a limited number of guests from each side and it will not be very ostentatious.

Modi tweets “On 17th, President Xi Jinping will be in Gujarat.

We look forward to extending a warm welcome to him but there will be no birthday celebrations,” Modi tweeted on Sunday.

Modi will turn 64 on September 17.

Cash-rich China is looking to outwit rival Japan by pledging to invest billions of dollars in India's railway, manufacturing and infrastructure projects during President Xi Jinping's maiden visit to India.

As Xi's visit to India scheduled for September 17 draws close, Chinese officials are becoming increasingly vocal about Beijing's decision to scale up investments in India regarded widely as the most safe investment destination, especially after Japan made a splash with commitment to invest USD 35 billion during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tokyo.

With growing Outbound Direct

Investment (ODI) which last year crossed USD 90 billion, China's investments in India, which so far remained a paltry USD 400 million, mostly in Gujarat, are now expected to surpass Japan.

China's foreign exchange reserves, the largest in the world, reached a record USD 3.95 trillion in March and it plans to invest around USD 500 billion overseas in the next five years, a large share of which is expected to find India's way.

China is positively considering investing in India's ambitious plan to build high-speed railways, including bullet trains.

Chinese officials say that China would be commit-

ting anywhere between USD 100 billion to USD 300 billion in the modernisation of Indian railways by replacing existing tracks to increase the speed, station development, establishing industrial parks as well as invest in mega infrastructure projects.

The improvement of tracks could push the average train speeds from 160 km/hr to 180 km/hr, Indian officials say. China is also asking India to hand over certain railway corridors for it to build, develop and maintain high speed railway lines. While Japan bagged the MumbaiAhmedabad first bullet train project, Chinese officials have evinced interest in Chennai and Bangalore

and Bangalore-Mumbai corridors to build highspeed trains.

India has already invited China to modernise railway stations. During Xi's visit, China is set to announce two industrial parks, one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra to begin a host of manufacturing and energy units. The investments are aimed at addressing India's concern of mounting trade deficit which averaged USD 35 billion in the total USD 66.4 billion trade last year.

Xi's visit will focus on economic and trade development, Hu Shisheng, a research fellow at the state-run China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said.

China set to pump billions of dollars in India

17

Police tighten security in Ahmedabad

Massive security arrangements on a par with "international level" are being put in place for the Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit in Ahmedabad on September 17, a top police officer said.

Gujarat DGP P C Thakur said that given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be in the town on that day, the security arrangements will be of "national and international level".

"It is very crucial affair as far as security goes, as both Chinese President as well as the our PM will be in Ahmedabad on that day. Our security arrangements leave no space for any error," Thakur said.

The DGP recently held a top-level meeting with police officials of the city as well as state to ensure the strict enforcement of

security measures and better co-ordination among different agencies.

Jinping is expected to land at Ahmedabad airport at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday and will be driven to hotel Grand Hyatt in Vastrapur area.

After holding a highlevel meeting at the hotel, Jinping is scheduled to visit Sabarmati Ashram and then take a walk and have dinner with Modi on the Sabarmati Riverfront, before flying to New Delhi, official sources said.

"Our activity on that day will mainly revolve around controlling all the access points of route as well the venue, surveillance and taking anti-sabotage measures. At present, we have also secured these areas and kept them under constant surveillance" Thakur said.

The visit of Xi Jinping

Jaysukh J Mehta

The Chinese President Xi Jinping’s India visit starts from Ahmedabad is surprising and interesting. It shows the importance China has attached to Gujarat.

After visiting Gujarat, Xi will be moving to India’s capital Delhi.

Incidentally the visit is scheduled on 17th September, the birthday of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In May 2014, Chinese premier LiKequiong called up Modi to congratulate him on his grand election victory, which paved the way for stronger ties between the two countries. India has an ancient trade history and most countries rushed to India for expanding their trade.

Great scholars visited India and one of them was ‘Hiuen Tsang’ a Chinese scholar, who came in 641 AD. According to records, the Chinese traveller visited Vadnagar, the birthplace of Modi.

An official has visited Vadnagar to explore the possibilities of a meeting between Modi and Xi at this historical site, but ultimately Ahmedabad was chosen for security and easy

approach. Xi will stay for of 6 to 7 hours on 17th September and has a tight schedule. There will be a business conference, some other discussions and a visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagrah Ashram. He will visit Sabarmati river front to have meeting with Modi and dinner.

What is important for India is how far Chinese Government is interested in the core development of the country. As per the estimate, China will commit investment of over $100 billion, which is thrice the amount Japan has committed to invest during the visit of the Prime Minister Modi to Japan. As for India, infrastructure development is very important as it would create employment opportunity to India’s vast unemployed youths. The employment of India’s youth is essential for the wellness of India’s vast population. The world is moving fast and everyone talks about progress but what about human progress. The investment by Japan and China augurs well and India’s future looks bright. But India should adhere to Modi’s call to “Make in India” a reality.

18

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

How a firm in Leeds saved India’s blushes in the Kargil War. I write to you from Kochin, where I spotted an article in the Economic Times which read ‘Flashback to 1999, and the Kargil war. The military is forced to abort missions due to heavy casualties. Then it decides to deploy the controversial Bofors gun to destroy Pakistani outposts from various vantage points. The strategy pays off, but he military realises it will soon run out of ammunition to feed the howitzers. At the urging of the army commanders, the defence ministry turns to Baba Kalyani and his company Bharat Forge to make shells for its Bofors 155mm howitzers.’

I met Baba Kalyani several years ago and asked him his big break. He told me they happened in the late 1970s to acquire a Leeds based company and that was critical to their success.

I was in India looking to find companies to help go global from a UK base in my capacity as Dealmaker for the UK Government. Financial success for Indian companies is not simply born out of success in the Indian markets alone as the Bharat Forge story tells us. The UK is an easier place to do business and that is precisely why Indian companies need to invest here and grow with a UK and Indian base. Europe is 10 Indias – India alone is too small for Indian ambitions.

This was my message to the corporates I met.

I was astounded by the ingenuity of robotics companies in Kochi, who sold to US giants. But the credibility and brand value a UK company brings them, with Indian back end operations would help take them to the next level.

So when you look to invest in Indian stocks, look for companies with a global footprint. Just as when you look to invest in global British companies like Next, Tesco. That way you know growth is not reliant on one small market.

The heads of Microsoft, Pepsi, Deutsche Bank are all Indian – so why are more Indian companies not thinking about the whole world, not just India as their market.

I’ve been promoting Tata Motors as a stock for about 10 years now, and it is because it has a huge British base, and I was right to do so, because it makes a billion in profits from the UK base. The most successful Indian investments will have a British arm – look out for it – just as Bharat Forge saved a nation from embarrassment, thanks to a British component, so too a UK-Indian partnership will prove the most lucrative for Indian and British companies time and again.

India has to improve investment climate: Honda Motor chief

Fumihiko Ike, Honda Motor’s global chairman, said that the new government in India should take steps to improve investment climate in the country as doing business in India remained difficult and processes in the country was complicated and burdensome. Ike, who also heads the crucial Japanese A u t o m o b i l e M a n u f a c t u r e r s Association (JAMA), said the new government should improve the poor infrastructure and end the uncertain tax regime.

Ike's statement came after British telecom giant Vodafone echoed similar sentiments and European oil major BP also expressed "frustration" over the delay in gas price hike, which was delaying the proposed investment by the company. Vodafone, which battles a Rs 200 billion claim by India over a capital gains tax issue,

Narendra Modi with Fumihiko Ike

said foreign companies find it "difficult" to do business in India because of slower government clearances. Speaking at the 54th annual convention of Society of Indian A u t o m o b i l e Manufacturers (Siam) in Delhi, Ike said the Indian government needs to take steps to make the country an attractive destination for foreign investors and "improve the business environment for investments". Ike said compo-

India to become top cotton producer this year

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is the biggest development in terms of financial inclusion.

"When we talk of financial inclusion, the biggest development has been Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana, financial access has to be a national priority. Jan Dhan Yojana is a good scheme,

the target should be universal reach, not speed and numbers," said Rajan.

Modi had announced about the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana in his Independence Day speech and had formally launched it on August 28 this year, stating that it will be the first step for many towards being a part of the economy.

The scheme was simultaneously launched in every state capital on same day.

India will become world's No. 1 cotton grower this year, ousting China from the top spot for the first time in over 30 years, US government said, reflecting a dramatic shift in global supplies amid uncertainty over Beijing's farm policy.

If the projections by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are accurate, it will mark the end of China's dominance of the global cotton market just as Beijing scraps its stockpiling programme. It also comes as the country's textile industry loses its competitive edge with soaring labour and raw material costs forcing some yarn makers to shift production overseas.

The estimate also marks the first official nod from the USDA, whose crop estimates are often used as a benchmark across global agricultural markets, to an inflection point in world cotton supply and demand.

The switch by the two

While inflation abated mildly in August, data showed industrial output was flat in July pointing to the need for a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India to spur industrial activity.

Industrial activity, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grew 0.5 per cent in the month of July over the same month of the previous year, gov-

ernment data showed.

India's retail inflation slowed down to 7.8 per cent in August from 7.96 per cent in the previous month.

The July industrial growth compares unfavourably with the 3.9 per cent recorded in the previous month, the Central Statistics Office data showed.

The cumulative growth

for the period April-July of fiscal 2014 -15 over the corresponding period of the previous year stands at 3.3 per cent. The drop in July is mainly due to the lower output in consumer goods. Consumer goods output contracted by 7.4 per cent year-on-year, while consumer durables output declined by 20.9 per cent. Consumer nondurables, however, grew

Rajan backs PM’s Jan Dhan Yojana

nent suppliers to automakers "encounter problems" in getting business permits and having their paperwork done and many of the processes related to the setting up of factories are "complicated" and thus require simplification.

Ike made a special mention of the tax regime in India which he said was "burdensome" when compared to other countries.

This, he said, was "impeding investments" in India.

The Honda chief sought an early rollout of a single goods and services tax. "India has a complex domestic tax system. We want a single tax system."

However, while highlighting the problems being faced by foreign investors, Ike had a special mention for Prime Minister Narendra Modi who promised to ease investments in India during his recent trip to Japan. Ike said the Japanese investors were enthused by Modi's call to increase investments in India. "He has promised that red tape will be replaced by red carpet.

This makes us optimistic on making investments."

BP Plc, whose $7.2 billion investment in 2011 was the largest foreign investment in the energy sector in India, said that the delay in implementation of a natural gas price hike was frustrating.

top growers had been expected after Chinese farmers cut plantings amid uncertainty over the state support programme and a planting frenzy in India since August after a late monsoon favoured growing conditions.

But shrinking local output will force China's mills to import more foreign supplies once they have eaten through inventories that have swelled to over 60 million bales.

"We're at the beginning of this transition where China will use its stocks, and in four or five years, they may become a big net importer again," said Peter

Egli, director of risk management at British merchant Plexus Cotton Ltd. While China's acreage is expected by many traders and analysts to be on a long-term downtrend, farmers in India may be protected by government support programmes.

In its report, the USDA hiked its estimate for India by 1 million bales to 30 million 480-lb bales of cotton for the 2014/15 crop year that began on Aug. 1.

That would be down from the country's estimated 2013/14 output of 31 million bales, but high

enough to propel the country into top spot for the first time since USDA records began in 1966.

China, which has been the largest producer for over 30 years, is projected to cut output for a second straight year with output of 29.5 million bales this year, down from 32 million bales last season.

Output peaked at 37 million bales during the 2007/08 crop year and production has hovered near those high levels since the government in 2011 launched a stockpiling initiative that kept local prices high, drove huge demand for imports, and caused the nation's inventories to balloon.

India's output, meanwhile took off sharply in the early 2000s. The country surpassed the United States as the world's second-largest producer in the 2005/06 season.

"It's not been a question of if India will become No. 1. It's been a question of when," Egli said.

2.9 per cent compared to 0.1 per cent month-onmonth.

While manufacturing activity contracted 1 per cent, as against the growth of 1.8 per cent in the previous month, the mining sector recorded 2.1 per cent growth versus 4.3 per cent.

The cumulative growth during April-July 2014-15 over the corresponding period of 2013-14 has been

2.8 per cent in mining, 2.3 per cent in manufacturing and 11.4 per cent in electricity.

Retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) slowed down to 7.8 per cent in August from 7.96 per cent in the previous month, helped by slower increases in fuel, light and clothes prices, government data showed. The CPI urban inflation stood

at 7.04 per cent in August, while CPI rural inflation was at 8.35 per cent.

Retail food inflation rose to 9.42 percent in August compared to 9.36 percent in July.

For rural areas, retail food inflation was recorded at 9.83 percent, while for urban areas it stood at 8.40 per cent, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office.

India’s August inflation eases to 7.8 pc, July IIP marginally up

REAL ESTATE VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

19

The cost of perception

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

A beautiful apartment in one of the top streets in Knightsbridge has landed on our table for a meagre £1.5m. It consists of 1,000 sq. ft. on a lease of 85 years, which is considered a very good lease.

At £1,500 per sq. ft. this is a no brainer; this is a good deal. The vendor was in a desperate situation, he originally had this property marketed at £2.25m. This property could either be resold as it is for a couple of hundred thousand extra, or another way is to hold the property for six months, give it a lick of paint and a tidy up and then refinance it to extract the original deposit put in the property at the time of purchase.

If the value stacks up at £2m at the point of refinance, you should in theory be able to extract 75% of the valuation, I say in theory because the rental income will impact the amount you can borrow, and the yields in these patches are terribly low. The overall rise of capital values more than make up for the dampened rental yields hence the continued demand. Or perhaps another way to look at it is because properties in this area are in such high demand is the reason prices have risen so high but the rental has stayed the same.

This is on the table n ow, an d is ready for an in ve st or to c ome in an d d o t he d eal. The o nly decision is how to c arve t his d eal, to resell o r re finance? Or pe rhaps no t make a de cision an d see which way the wind blows, let th e market de cide. P re pare for both scen arios and see which one happen s first.

Even bad buildings in locations such as Paddington, Edgware Rd W2 and even some council properties are now going for £1,000 per sq. ft. I always felt the ex council properties were undervalued, only a few years ago the value of a council flat would typically be half or even one third of the equivalent private flats. When you looked into the reasoning, there was no logic to it except a misconceived perception in the market. On an ex council property the leases are typically long, and when it came to doing a lease extension the cost is much cheaper. The service charges are moderate due to the transparency the local authority has to operate under. For a BTL investment these made much more sense as the rental would still be the same as a private flat and therefore the yield would tend to be higher.

The mortgage lenders also drew a distinction between private and ex council properties and some of them refused to even lend on ex council properties; this fuelled the perception that council properties were not good investments in comparison to private properties. There also existed a snobbery with some investors who insisted in not purchasing ex council property regardless of how good the block was or how good the numbers looked.

Lenders have these policies in place to try and avoid bad property as security, but there’s a massive distinction between ex councils in Westminster and say Manchester. Their policies often made no distinctions and therefore many had a blanket rule not to lend. Many feel these blocks are filled with drug addicts, immigrants and one parent families, this is not really the case with ex council properties in Central London, the original inhabitants of these properties have long ago cashed in under Margret Thatcher’s Right to Buy Scheme and moved out.

Th erefore those wh o d id not invest for what ever reaso n have missed a tric k. As now the se pro pe rties have grown massively in the last few years more so than equ ivalen t private properties.

Even as early as March last year a three bedroom, 755 sq. ft. property which was on the market for £440k in Hallfield Estate is now worth £650k touching £1,000 per sq. ft. We had sourced many properties in this block for our clients as long term buy to holds, this was during the time when the government was paying generous rents. There was some worry with the investors when the caps came, however the rise in capital values have more than compensated for this. They all have done exceptionally well due to the location and the incorrect perception of ex council properties which is changing to the point where in certain blocks there is almost no difference in price.

The Real Deal

On e block ne ar Hyde Park c alle d Gilray House was an ex co uncil block, here the reside nts go t tog ethe r and un der new laws pu rc hased the freeh old from the co uncil. They remo ve d t he label of ex coun cil and th e price o f the propert ies do uble d prett y mu ch over night .

Hampstead, London, NW3 Purchase Price: £650k

This week we are hoping to close a deal on a part commercial and part residential property in W2 which consist of 6,500 sq. ft. for £3.7m, this equates to £570 per sq. ft. Interestingly the original square footage given to us showed 6,200 sq. ft. This happens depending on which floor plan company you send in. As our floor plan came in higher we kept quiet. If it had came in lower we could have used this as a bargaining tool. 300 sq. ft. is worth £300,000 at £1,000 per sq. ft., no small number.

It is always worth sending in a floor plan company, especially for a nonconventional building as it could serve as a valuable bargaining tool, one which comes from a third party. If it is higher you keep quiet, naturally, and if it’s lower you are outraged and quote the Property Misdescriptions Act! The aim will be to maximise the rental of this property and explore possible development to the rear of the building. This property never came on to the market and was disposed of very discretely. What makes this deal more attractive is it’s held in a company, this means we purchase the company and not the property. We pay £18,500 in Stamp Duty as opposed to £148,000.

l l l l l l l

A large one bedroom rasied ground floor flat High ceilings Share of freehold Can be converted into a two bedroom flat Close to the leisure facilities of Finchley Road and Hampstead Heath We expect that we can get permission to convert the basement of this property into residential, adding around another 300 sq. ft. area to the property l Expected value after conversion to be around £950k l Very good long term buy and hold Call us now to secure this deal!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l Remember the mantra of property investment, it’s a bit like trying to be selfrealised, you must forget your whims and follow the mantra; in property it is Location, Location, Location! l It’s good to diversify your business with property, it will be your insurance policy against hard times.

20

BUSINESS

Gold demand remains subdued in India

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

India wins support of developed nations at WTO

The demand for gold remained subdued in India as domestic investors favour equity markets, which have risen 25 per cent in the past six months on hopes of renewed economic growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule. The government surprised industry analysts by keeping import controls unchanged in its July maiden budget, in spite of an improvement in India’s trade balance. "Nowadays it is risky to keep jewellery.

Burglaries are rising and with a fixed deposit there is no such risk," said a farmer who used to invest in gold. A one-quarter drop in local gold prices over the past year has shaken the confidence of Indians in the precious metal.

The main beneficiary

has been stocks, which have been clocking up records on hopes that Modi can deliver on the promise of "better days" ahead that swept him to power in May's general election. Beyond shortterm sentiment, a major push by Modi for every household to get a bank account, better education and living standards, and falling inflation expectations, could herald a more secular change in investing habits. "The attachment of Indians to gold will remain," said Harish Galipelli, head of commodities and currencies at Inditrade Derivatives and Commodities Ltd., referring to gold's culturally embedded role in dowry gifts or decorating Hindu temples.

India has won the support of major developed countries, including the UK and Germany, as also the European Commission, for its stand at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) demanding that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) be kept pending unless its apprehensions on the issue of food security are addressed.

India’s finance secretary Arvind Mayaram presented India’s perspective at the Eleventh Meeting of the Finance Ministers’ of Asia Europe (ASEM) in the Italian city of Milan last week.

Following protracted negotiations, the ASEM agreed to not only drop a reference to non-imple-

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “Make in India” call to make India a manufacturing hub gets a big push in a report by Moody's Analytics, a subsidiary of the global rating agency Moody's.

"Indian politicians are fond of such grandiose announcements, but in Modi's instance it may have some substance," wrote Glenn Levine, an economist with Moody's Analytics.

Last month, delivering his first Independence Day speech Prime Minister Modi had spoken of the need to strengthen the manufacturing sector.

He has also appealed repeatedly to investors: "Come, make in India".

Glenn Levine's report, titled "India Outlook: Prospects Brighten," has drawn its optimistic conclusion from Modi's 13year tenure as Gujarat chief minister, when the state's GDP growth averaged 8.9 per cent as compared to the national average of 7.2 per cent. "As chief minister of Gujarat he helped provide a reliable electricity supply and

attracted both local and foreign-owned manufacturing," the report says.

The government's push for manufacturing comes at a time when many global manufacturers are seeking an alternative to China as costs and risks there rise, the report notes.

Labour unrest has surged in China in recent months amid a slowdown in economic growth. That situation suits India and the new government, which won a historic mandate this May on the promise of faster growth and more jobs.

"Manufacturing offers the surest way to employ millions of workers in middle-income jobs, provide a stable source of foreign currency, and create a reliable path for development. India already has the cheap labour and large local market. Better infrastructure and easier regulations, especially around labour, will help propel manufacturing," the report says.

A majority of India's workforce consists of unskilled labour that has traditionally been

absorbed by the manufacturing sector. However, the sector's contribution to India's GDP has remained largely stagnant at around 15 per cent of GDP for many years now.

The report also notes the "modest progress" made by the new government to liberalise labour laws - an essential step towards becoming a manufacturing power. The government has recently proposed changes to allow companies to make greater use of apprentices, allow workers to put in more hours more overtime, and allow women to work night shifts. "All this adds upside to the outlook," the report notes.

According to Moody's Analytics, the Modi government has made some progress, but it should measure success by whether foreign manufacturers want to do business in the country. "It is a difficult task, but if Modi achieves it he could lift India's long term GDP growth, which is the surest way to lift millions out of poverty," the report concludes.

Moody's Analytics backs Modi’s ‘Make in India’ call

Ratan Tata now invests in e-jewellery company

Ratan Tata, 73, former Tata Group chairman and presently chairman emeritus, Tata Sons, has made a personal investment in online jewellery retailer Bluestone as India's red hot e-commerce sector which has attracted a steady stream of investor money.

The size of Tata's investment could not be ascertained. He joins a list investors and venture capital firms backing the Bangalore-based company founded by IIT graduate Gaurav Singh Kushwaha

Ratan Tata

and Vidya Nataraj. Tata made his maiden e-commerce investment last month when he picked up a small stake in Delhi-

based Snapdeal by buying out an early investor. His latest move is interesting considering Tata group's brand Tanishq emerged as a billion dollar jewellery retailing enterprise under his watch.

"An investment by Ratan Tata who has been at the helm of India's most successful and respected conglomerate is a validation of our approach in building an innovative brand that is disrupting the jewellery market," Bluestone's Kushwaha said.

mentation of the TFA but also include the need for implementation of all of the WTO’s Bali Ministerial decisions in its draft communiqué, an official statement said.

Mayaram was leading the Indian delegation as

I n d i a ’ s finance minister Arun Jaitley was indisposed. “ M a n y countries like the United Kingdom, G e r m a n y, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and the European Commission emphasised on the need for expressing deep concern on non-implementation of TFA without mentioning India’s concern on the issue of food security,” the release said.

He also garnered the support of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia for

India’s standpoint, it added. India is not opposed to the TFA as it increases the ease of doing business but wants its adoption postponed till there is “satisfactory” progress on finding a permanent protection for its minimum support prices to farmers against the WTO’s agriculture subsidy caps that are benchmarked to food prices of the 1980s.

India got a reference to BRICS and disappointment with poor progress on the IMF quota reforms also included in the ASEM communiqué. The communiqué talks about enhanced cooperation between countries of Asia and Europe to create sustainable and profitable growth.

Good days are coming: Nick Clegg at FICCI meet in Delhi

Pratik Dattani

This week marks the midpoint for a busy few months for FICCI. After the historic elections, where the Indian electorate delivered a clear and decisive mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have seen a significant pick-up in activity in the trade and investment corridor internationally.

For example, commenting on the PM's visit to Japan, FICCI President Sidharth Birla said, “We are particularly enthused about the launch of the Japan- India Investment Promotion Partnership under which the two sides have agreed to double the flow of FDI into India and the number of Japanese companies over the next five years." The Free Trade Agreement in services and investment with the ASEAN bloc was also signed, which we welcome as it will supplement the India-ASEAN FTA in goods and help in getting greater market access for India’s professionals and service providers.

Looking internally, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was welcomed by business leaders. Birla said: "This launch has brought into focus the subject of financial inclusion in a manner not conceptualised before. The key distinction from earlier designs is the introduction of a combination of savings, loans and insurance products."

The activity in our UK office has been broadly reflective of this buoyancy in policy announcements and progress in international partnerships.

Following our annual CEOs delegation visit to the UK in June, the first major visit by Indian

CEOs post-elections, we worked with MIDAS, the Manchester inward investment agency, to host a

major summit during the Old Trafford EnglandIndia Test match last month. FICCI SecretaryGeneral Dr Didar Singh was involved in a series of meetings with businesses and universities in Birmingham. We were also at the Commonwealth Games seeking to identify areas we could help Indian businesses.

Tim Newns, Chief Executive of MIDAS, said: "FICCI’s support has been instrumental to the success of our ManchesterIndia business summit.

The influence of the organisation helped us to attract a host of high profile Indian business delegates and media contacts to the event. We at MIDAS are looking forward to working closely with FICCI as we continue our activity with the Indian market.”

We've also hosted regular delegations from India.

The Indian Super League was revealed at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester

earlier this month, where FICCI helped bring a highlevel football delegation.

And just this week, we've hosted senior executives from the luxury textiles and gems areas in India visiting London Fashion Week.

Cyber-security has consistently been identified as a major concern for Indian businesses, according to an annual FICCIPinkerton risk survey. We are working with UKTI to provide platforms for knowledge-sharing. We are in Kirklees near Leeds shortly to have similar conversations around doing business in India.

And as Asian Voice has covered in detail, there has been a steady flow of UK ministers travelling to India. FICCI has had a key role in facilitating this dialogue in Delhi. Indeed, at the biggest UK-India business convention coming up this year, Connect '14 in Delhi in October, FICCI's investment session is aptly named "UK and India: Natural Partners for Investment."

These are sentiments echoed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg "Good days are coming.

Britain is ready and able to help build that. India is our biggest G20 investor and UK has the expertise and investment capacity that can create the best jobs for India's young population," he said alongside UKTI and FICCI in Delhi just a few weeks ago.

CURRENCY VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Sterling could fall by 5% Currency Specialists.

The main economic focus this week revolved around the UK. Sterling took a big hit recently after the Yes campaign took the lead in the Scottish independence poll, just days prior to the actual vote. As a result GBP fell by 2 cents versus the US dollar to its lowest level since November 2013.

Factors which are pulling sterling down are the fears over the Scottish banking sector, it's currency choices if it went independent and the level of debt from the UK Scotland would have to accumulate. Some analysts have suggested that the pound could fall by at least 5% more if Scotland votes “Yes” on 18 September.

This week Mark Carney all but ruled out an interest rate hike this year. In a speech to the Trades Union Congress, The Bank of England governor said inflation is lower than the Bank's two per cent target, slack in the labour market and downward pressure from a strong sterling meant the current inflation environment is not yet conducive to an interest rate rise.

Carney stated that interest

rates should begin to increase by the spring 2015 and thereafter rising very gradually inflation would settle at around two per cent by the end of the forecast period and a further 1.2 million jobs would have been created.

He also explained that low wage growth has in effect, has led to more job creation. It has not resulted in an unusually high level of company profits.

As well as this Mark Carney spoke out about the matter of Scottish independence and he indicated that the Bank of England had drawn up contingency plans if there is a vote to break away on September 18.

Mark Carney also stated he would not provide new information to the Treasury select committee on such a politically sensitive topic, but indicated that a Scottish central bank could need at least 25% and possibly more

than 100% of GDP in reserves if sterling was used after independence.

Although he managed to keep avoiding saying an exact figure throughout the conference, Carney did state that Scotland's banks had assets around 10 times the country's GDP and the size of the banking sector would ultimately determine the scale of their currency reserves Scottish voters go to the ballot box this Thursday to decide whether the nation should remain part of the United Kingdom or go it alone. Polls over the weekend showed the No campaign narrowly ahead in three out of four surveys, but many voters remain undecided The Dollar weakened this week after the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week to a two-month high, interrupting a steady decrease to

Monday September 8th

the lowest level since before the last recession.

Initial claims have been hovering near pre-recession lows as the labour market continues to gather strength on the heels of stronger demand. Bigger gains in hiring are probably needed to reduce slack in the labour market and prompt employers to boost wages, which could propel consumer spending.

The Dollar saw little movement on Thursday despite an August pickup in retail sales and revised figures showing demand in prior months was stronger than first reported, signalling consumers have reclaimed their position among the main sources of US growth.

With little economic data out of Europe the main focus for the Euro throughout the week was the European Central Bank’s monthly report. Mario Draghi stated that they are facing a set of conditions from low growth and low inflation, to high debt and high unemployment which can only be addressed by concerted action on both the demand and supply sides of the economy.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 16th September 2014 @ 6pm GBP - INR = 99.20

USD - INR = 60.89 EUR - INR = 79.12 GBP - USD = 1.63 GBP - EUR = 1.25

EUR - USD = 1.30 GBP - AED = 5.99

GBP - CAD = 1.79

GBP - NZD = 1.98

GBP - AUD = 1.79

GBP - ZAR = 17.72

GBP - HUF = 393.51

www.rationalfx.com

Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

22

WORLD

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Pak HC orders release of protesters; Imran, Qadri mount pressure on Sharif

Islamabad: In a major boost to the morale of anti-government protesters, a Pakistani court on Sunday ordered the release of all arrested supporters of Imran Khan and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, a day after the two leaders suspended talks and mounted pressure on the embattled government.

Pakistani police arrested several protesters and a court on Saturday ordered that 100 opposition activists be sent to jail on a 14-day remand for holding illegal protests and for other violations.

Out of the hundred, 91 workers belong to Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while the remaining are Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers.

Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Sunday set aside the orders of the lower court and ordered the release of the workers.

The judge also asked the

government to file a reply over the arrests by September 17. Both Khan and Qadri have alleged that hundreds of workers of their respective protesting groups have been arrested in a crackdown launched on Friday.

The government has said that only those people who were involved in attacks on police and official buildings including the Pakistan Television office were arrested.

Islamabad police chief Tahir Alam said that police would request the court to set aside its

release orders as those arrested were involved in the attack on Parliament.

Addressing his supporters on Saturday night on the completion of one month of protest, Khan vowed to continue protests in front of Parliament till Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif steps down. "There is no room for negotiations any more...We will not leave till the premier resigns," Khan said.

He questioned Prime Minister Sharif if it is democratic to arrest young workers. "Officials putting

young people behind bars should be ashamed of themselves...It is our democratic right to protest peacefully," Khan said.

"Sharif's real face has been unveiled, he is a dictator and his rule is worse than General Pervez Musharraf's rule," Khan said. "We cannot rely on the police or judiciary anymore," the PTI chief said.

He said that his dream of "Naya Pakistan" would soon come true and promised to introduce transparent government system in the country after ousting the present government.

Qadri, who has been leading parallel demonstrations, said he has suspended talks with the PML-N government following the crackdown here on demonstrators demanding Sharif's ouster.

Both leaders have been agitating since August 14.

At least three people have been killed and over 550 injured in violence during the protests.

Taliban group in Pakistan gives up armed struggle

Islamabad: The Punjabi Taliban, one of Pakistan's most deadly Taliban groups, has abandoned its armed struggle and announced it would now focus on promoting sharia law in the country.

This group is believed to have carried out a number of terrorist attacks, including the 2009 assault on the Pakistan army's general headquarters in Rawalpindi, in which nine soldiers were killed; the commando raid on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the same year, and the 2011 attack on the naval airbase at Mehran in which 18 servicemen and two USdonated aircraft were destroyed.

It has also been blamed for a number of sectarian atrocities, including attacks on the country's Ahmadi Muslims and the assassi-

nation of Pakistan's Christian minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti in 2011.

The announcement is seen as a further setback for Pakistan's alliance of 'Taliban' terrorist groups, which has suffered a number of setbacks in recent weeks. The Tehreek- e Taliban Pakistan umbrella group broke into three factions earlier this month after a group of commanders, mainly Mehsud and Wazir tribesmen from North Waziristan,

announced they had broken away to form their own group.

Observers said they were divided over the Pakistan army's offensive in the tribal areas which has driven thousands of people from their homes and fuelled dissent over whether the militants should fight their own country's army. There is also opposition to the umbrella group's leader, Maulana Fazlullah, who is based in Kunar province in Afghanistan and regarded as an outsider by Wazir and Mehsud tribesmen.

The rift has been credited with yielding intelligence which led to the arrest of a gang of terrorists which carried out the failed assassination attempt on Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old

schoolgirl who defied the Taliban's ban on female education.

The Punjabi Taliban's existence and the success of its terrorist operations has been a long-standing challenge to government attempts to portray its insurgency as one led by distant militants from the country's unruly tribal frontier rather than strongly rooted in Pakistan's heartland.

Its announcement that it was abandoning its "armed struggle" was made with a declaration of its patriotism and desire to defend Pakistan from "outside threats".

Punjabi Taliban chief Ismatullah Muawiya said that after consulting other Muslim leaders, the organisation would now limit its use of force to "infidel forces" and would focus on promoting sharia law.

Irate passengers force Pak MPs out of aircraft

New Delhi: A video showing Pakistan lawmakers Rehman Malik and Ramesh Kumar Wakwani being forced to deboard from a Pakistan International Airlines jet by angry passengers, who accused them for a two and a half hours delay has gone viral on the internet.

Angry that their PIA flight PK-370 from Karachi to Islamabad had been delayed for over two hours, passengers stopped Pakistan Peoples Party leader Rehman Malik and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz Member of National Assembly Ramesh Kumar Wakwani

Rehman Malik from boarding the plane after accusing them of holding the place back while other passengers waited for hours.

The video shows irate passengers saying: 'We have taken it for too long... 68 years... are we

going to take it for another 68 years?' Pakistan daily Dawn reported that as soon Malik approached the jetway, angry passengers were heard shouting: 'Malik sahab, sorry. You should go back. You should apologise to these passengers. You should be ashamed of yourself... 250 passengers have suffered because of you. It is your fault, sir.' The video clip also shows passengers ridiculing and booing both the leaders as they approached the aircraft. It is also reported that some crew members joined the angry passengers to vent their anger.

Malik’s path was blocked by passengers forcing him to turn back towards the gate.

After the video began to go viral, Malik defended himself on Twitter saying that the delay was because of a technical problem and not because of him.

However, PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that the delay in the flight was due to a technical issue and not the fault of Rehman Malik.

"PIA does not promote VIP culture... but this flight was delayed an hour and 30 minutes due to a technical reason," Tajwar said.

In Brief

Daily walk prevents ageing and early death

London: A doctor has claimed that walking daily for half an hour is equivalent to taking a “magic pill” that combats ageing and prevents early death. Dr James Brown, from the School of Life and Health Sciences at Aston University, told the British Science Festival in Birmingham that it could help prevent obesity and diabetes, lower the risk of some cancers, relieve depression and anxiety, increase mobility and reduce the chance of hip fractures by 40 per cent among old people.

Pay $ 1 mn to park your vehicle in New York

New York: The underground parking space attached to a luxury apartment block in Manhattan’s SoHo area has been fixed at $250,000 (£155,000) per tyre. It is four times the price of an average American home. At $6,666 (£4,125) a square foot, they are considerably more expensive than the nine three-bedroom flats they are attached to, which are on the market for up to $10.45 million (£6.47 million), or $3,140 (£1,943) a square foot.

Broken heart can kill the elderly early

London: A research by the University of Birmingham has found that broken heart can cause early death in elderly people because grief weakens their immune system. Bereavement causes stress hormones to become unbalanced in the elderly and can lead to a reduction in immune system cells. Scientists recruited about 100 participants, half of whom were aged over 65, while the others were aged 18 to 45. In each group, half had suffered a recent bereavement. They found that hormones became unbalanced in the elderly. Young people have a more robust immune response but this weakens with age. The study could explain the phenomenon whereby couples married a very long time die within a short space of time of each other.

Regular consumption of mangoes good for obese people

Oklahoma (US): A study by researchers at Oklahoma State University, College of Human Sciences, has found that regular consumption of mango by obese people may lower blood sugar levels and does not negatively impact body weight. "We are excited about these promising findings for mangos, which contain many bioactive compounds, including mangiferin, an antioxidant that may contribute to the beneficial effects of mango on blood glucose. In addition, mangos contain fibre, which can help lower glucose absorption into the blood stream," said Edralin Lucas, the leader of the research. "Our results indicate that daily consumption of 10 grams of freeze-dried mango, which is equivalent to about one-half of a fresh mango (about 100 grams), may help lower blood sugar in obese individuals."

Earth’s ozone hole can be closed in 30 years

London: The earth’s damaged ozone layer which caused an environmental crisis in the 1980s and frightened millions of people will be “well on track” for recovery by mid-century, the UN said. The fragile shield of gas protects the planet from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, which cause skin cancer, cataracts and damage vegetation. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons, gases used in spray cans, fridges and insulation foam, were found to be damaging the ozone layer and their use was restricted under the Montreal Protocol in 1987.

Shaming fat people would be counterproductive

London: Scientists say that making fat people feel bad about their weight only makes them heavier and that weight discrimination should be treated like sexism or racism. “Shaming and blaming” fat people is counterproductive and society needs to confront one of “the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice,” they said.

Well-wishers donate £1.2 mn to gutted dogs’ home

London: Traffic on the M6 was brought to a standstill as people flocked to donate to Manchester Dogs’ Home after a suspected arson attack left 53 dogs dead. In the 48 hours since the blaze, well-wishers gave more than £1.2 million in cash and hundreds donate dog blankets and beddings for the 150 surviving dogs left homeless.

Overwhelmed staff were forced to ask well-wishers to stay away from its sister site in Warrington, Cheshire, after more and more people came to help. A spokesman for the charity said: “At the moment the response has been so great Cheshire Dogs Home is gridlocked, so till further notice please be patient and stay away from our Cheshire home.”

WORLD

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

In Brief

Bullying can cause depression in children

London: Research has found that children regularly bullied by their brothers or sisters are twice as likely to become clinically depressed or harm themselves as young adults. Experts said that the findings showed the need for parents to intervene to prevent the effects of sibling rivalries getting out of hand.

Encourage motorists to switch from diesel to cleaner fuel: Johnson

London: London Mayor Boris Johnson said that government should give cash incentives to diesel car users to scrap them and improve air quality. The Mayor called for the Government to reward drivers of the most polluting diesel vehicles for switching to cleaner alternatives, to help the capital meet European clean air targets. Johnson has already announced plans to introduce an extra £10 fee for drivers entering the central London congestion charge zone from 2020 to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions. He said the Government should help tackle local pollution hot spots and fund a transition to zero-emission buses and taxis.

People who were “seduced into buying a diesel vehicle” by tax incentives should now be given £1,000 to £2,000 to encourage them to switch to cleaner models, he said. “I feel very sorry for them,” the Mayor said.

“This has been a massive failure of public policy, millions of people were told they were doing the right thing, the clean thing, the environmentally friendly thing, by buying a diesel. They feel very hacked off now when told they are more polluting."

24 killed in Pak mosque collapse

Lahore: At least 24 people were killed when a mosque collapsed in a densely-populated area of Lahore. Jamia Masjid Hanfia in Daroghawala on the outskirts of Lahore and close to the Wagah border collapsed when more than 50 people were offering afternoon prayers.

The huge minaret of the mosque fell and brought down the roof along with it. Twenty-four worshippers died in the incident, rescue official Jam Sajjad said.

“We have almost completed the rescue operation. But we fear that a couple of bodies could be under the rubble,” he said. Twenty-one injured people have been admitted to city hospitals where the condition of seven were stated to be critical.

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PM vows to punish killers of Haines

London: British Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to hunt down and punish the killers of David Haines, a British aid volunteer held captive

by Islamist militants in Syria.

Haines is the third Westerner beheaded in recent weeks by the Islamic State group, which has seized vast swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.

"This is a despicable and appalling murder of an innocent aid worker. It is an act of pure evil," Cameron said, adding that "my heart goes out to the family of David Haines who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude throughout this ordeal."

"We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes," Cameron said.

The prime minister turned down demands from MPs to recall parliament insisting that there would be no kneejerk response to the murder of Haines. Islamist militants released a video on Saturday night showing Haines’s killing, apparently by another Briton, and issuing a death threat against a second British captive, Alan Henning. A grim-faced Cameron called the group the “embodi-

ment of evil” but promised a “calm, deliberate” response.

In statement Cameron said, David Haines was an aid worker. He went into harm’s way not to harm people, but to help his fellow human beings in the hour of their direst need – from the Balkans to the Middle East.

His family spoke of the joy he felt when he learned he had got this job in Syria. His selflessness, his decency, his burning desire to help others has today cost him his life.

But the whole country, like his grieving family, can be incredibly proud of what he did and what he stood for in his humanitarian mission.

David Haines was a

British hero.

The fact that an aid worker was taken, held and brutally murdered at the hands of ISIL sums up what this organisation stands for.

They are killing and slaughtering thousands of p e o p l e , Muslims, Christians, minorities across Iraq and Syria. They boast of their brutality. They claim to do this in the name of Islam. That is nonsense.

Islam is a religion of peace. They are not Muslims. They are monsters. They make no secret of their desire to do as much harm not just in the Middle East, but to any countries or peoples who seek to stand in their way or dare to stand for values they disagree with.

Meanwhile, there is momentum behind the formation of an international coalition to destroy ISIL. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has said that 40 countries have agreed to contribute. Tony Abbott, the prime minister of Australia, said that the country was preparing to

contribute 600 troops and up to ten military aircraft to the campaign. France has also offered to take part in airstrikes in Iraq.

Britain has not ruled out airstrikes but is refusing to spell out its plans, including whether it is prepared to carrying out bombing raids in Syria as well as Iraq.

The prime minister’s own MPs urged him to speed up decision. The former defence secretary Liam Fox called for strikes on ISIL to begin “before it’s too late.” He said: “It’s very clear that it needs to be dealt with, and that our allies in the region lack the sufficient military capability to overcome them, so either we give them those elements of capability they require or this continues.”

He added that there was no need to seek explicit permission from the UN security council over the bombings. The former foreign office minister Alistair Burt called on Cameron to spell out his plans to parliament. “I think certainly the prime minister should be in a position to say to colleagues what his thinking is following the killing of the hostage, where Kerry’s efforts have got to in terms of pulling an alliance together, and he will want to listen to MPs about that.”

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INDIA

15 Hyderabadi youths who wanted to join ISIS apprehended

Hyderabad: At least 15 engineering students, including a girl, from Hyderabad, who wanted to fight alongside ISIS in Iraq and Syria, were tracked down by the Telangana police in West Bengal after their parents complained about their missing.

The police did not arrest or book any of them, who were brought from West Bengal. Instead, they kept talking to them. As a result, the students gave away more names, including the girl who had said she wanted to join ISIS in Iraq. They had plans to fly to Iraq from Bengal.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

"The jihadist propaganda has been effective in luring youth who were told that the proposed Islamic state could become a reality if youth from different parts of the world joined the fight.

Chandrababu Naidu Now, during his current tenure, the chief minister is making use of the advances in technology like 'Cloud' to further eGovernance and eCabinet is a "momentous" initiative, the CMO sources said. For the eCabinet, a new file-sharing system has been put in place using the FileCloud tool for ministers and top bureaucrats. After a recent trial run, the new system has been used for the first time on Monday and is expected to become a permanent feature of the cabinet meetings from now on.

should not be seen in isolaHyderabad: Political parties tion as the TV channels have criticised Telangana which have been blocked chief minister K were “demeaning the legChandrasekhar Rao for his islative system of remark that he would Telangana.” “bury” the media 10 km Telangana BJP president under the earth” if it G Kishan Reddy “insults” his state said that in a even as journalists democracy you protesting against should know how the blocking of to tolerate crititwo TV news cism. Nobody can channels were take law and order taken into preveninto their hands. tive custody.

KCR threatening While opposithe media for tion BJP condemned the Chandrasekhar Rao attacking his policies were “undemocratic” deplorable, Reddy added. language used by Rao at a KCR was referring to TV function in Warangal, channels ABN Andhra Congress said the chief minJyothi and TV 9, which were ister had “no clue about blocked by the Association governance” and reminded of Telangana Multiple him of the duty to safeguard System Operators in midmedia freedom.

June for allegedly airing proHowever, Rao’s daughgrammes "denigrating the ter and Telangana Rashtra Telangana dialect, sentiSamithi MP K Kavita said ment and feelings" of the the chief minister’s compeople of the state. ments about the media

Andhra CM holds paperless cabinet meeting

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh state cabinet has now gone paperless.

Wielding iPads in their hands, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his council of ministers conducted a meeting in what is being called "eCabinet", a first-of-its-kind initiative in India. It was a regular meeting of the state cabinet, but the uniqueness this time was that it is paperless, with the government switching over to the electronic format in conducting proceedings.

The agenda and the minutes of the meeting were all electronically recorded while a power-point presentation was made on important subjects for elaborate discussion, sources said.

Andhra Pradesh government, during Chandrababu's previous stint as chief minister between 1995 and 2004, had been a pioneer in launching various eGovernance initiatives.

Haryana, Maharashtra assembly polls on Oct 15

New Delhi: The chief election commissioner of India VS Sampath has announced that the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra would be held on October 15 and the counting of votes would take place on October 19.

In Maharashtra, 228 assembly constituencies will go to the polls while Haryana will vote for 90 seats. Last date for filing nominations will be September 29 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination will be October 1.

Major political parties have already entered into the campaign mode in these states with Prime Minister Narendra Modi going to Haryana to campaign for the BJP where it is contesting all the 90 seats having broken its long-time alliance with Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). BJP party president Amit Shah has held intensive negotiations with its ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on seat sharing and arriving at a consensus on their chief

SIMI operative from the city accused in a terror case.

The group was in regular touch through code language. As suggested by the Karimnagar boy, the other group members got passports.

Some also received money from unidentified sources. The amount sent to them was in the range of about Rs 350,000. "We spoke to the boys and their parents and counselled them against getting involved with ISIS. But we will be probing the incident further and we'd like to know who sent them money," said a cop.

They have a vague idea of the Islamic state and its objectives or the operation. They thought they would be fighting against tyrannical rulers and creating a new Islamic state," a police officer investigating the case said.

Cops have identified one student from Karimnagar as the brain behind the move. He had floated the "jihad" idea to his friends through social networking sites. Among those he was able to influence was a relative of former

VS Sampath

ministerial candidate should the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance win the state election.

Negotiations are still going on.

Both states are ruled by the Congress and in Maharashtra it is in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party. Sampath put the number of voters in Haryana at 16 million and in Maharashtra at 82 million.

He promised to ensure free and fair polls apart from creating a proper atmosphere for the conduct of the elections. Sampath said the Election Commission was "watching closely" the situation in flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir, and the election dates in Jharkhand as well as Kashmir would be announced later.

Telangana CM threatens to `bury the media'

Nurse who treated ‘Nirbhaya’ gang-raped

Chandigarh: A nurse, who treated 2012 Delhi gangrape victim 'Nirbhaya' at Safdarjung hospital, was allegedly sexually assaulted by seven men in Punjab's Mansa district, reports said.

The 33-year-old woman was allegedly raped whole night inside a tubewell shed in the Gurna village.

Police have registered a case and arrested two accused - Balwinder Singh Kala and Manwinder - in connection with the case.

Strangely, the woman has refused to undergo medical test. Reports claim that the woman knew one of the accused, who is said to be the husband of her ailing friend. The incident happened after she was picked up by her friend's husband from Budhlada railway station and taken to an isolated place. She was gang-raped there and taken back to the railway station. When she tried to raise an alarm at the station the accused fled.

The alleged rape victim was given a call by her

friend’s husband, who asked her to visit Punjab as his wife was in a critical condition. The Delhi based-nurse was part of the team of doctors, who treated 23-yearold trainee physiotherapist, who was brutally gangraped inside a moving bus in Delhi by six people on December 16, 2012.

'Nirbhaya' was initially admitted at Safdarjung hospital and later shifted to Singapore for further treatment. Unfortunately, due to grievous injuries the 'Delhi brave heart' lost her life in Singapore hospital.

"This is a matter of grave concern. She is not only Nirbhaya's nurse, she is a nurse and is a women and I believe such kind of behaviour towards women is not only deplorable but this is something beyond contemplation. Strictest action should be taken against those who have done this to the good nurse," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said.

South Brief

CBI files fresh charge-sheet against Jagan

Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the quid-pro-quo investments case against YSRC leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy filed one more charge-sheet naming Ongole MP Y V Subba Reddy, IAS officer S N Mohanty and V V Krishna Prasad, son of former Home Minister Vasanth Nageswara Rao, among the list of 14 accused. The CBI accused Jagan of influencing the then government headed by his father YSR to allot 70 acres of prime land to Indu Projects Ltd at two places in the city at throw away prices. In return, the CBI said one Syam Prasad Reddy had invested Rs 700 million in a firm owned by Jagan.

Police question rail minister’s son

Bangalore: Karthik Gowda, son of union railway minster D V Sadananda Gowda, charged with raping and cheating a Kannada film actor, appeared before the police for investigations. He was taken to Dr Ambedkar Medical College hospital before being questioned by the police.

Karthik reportedly came to the police station along with his advocate in the wee hours to avoid media.

Stalin denies rift with Karunanidhi

Chennai: DMK treasurer and youth wing leader M K Stalin denied reports of a rift between him and his father and party chief M Karunanidhi.

Stalin asserted that attempts in some quarters to drive a wedge between him and the party’s unquestioned leader Karunanidhi would not succeed. In a statement, he said those who were actually behind such attempts would fall a prey to their own designs. Stalin, who has been meeting party leaders, functionaries and seniors across the state, said he had the blessings of both Karunanidhi and general secretary K Anbazhagan before undertaking this exercise.

Though Karuanidhi at 90 continued to work for the DMK, Stalin said he was going around as his father could not travel much.

North Brief

BJP releases list of 43 names for Haryana polls

Chandigarh: Seven women and 11 youth are among the first list of 43 candidates the BJP announced last week for the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana. The names were cleared after a marathon meeting of the newly-constituted Central Election Committee chaired by party president Amit Shah and attended among others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among those nominated are Premlata Singh from Uchan Kalan. She is the wife of former Congress leader Birendra Singh who recently joined the BJP along with several leaders and workers. Prominent party leader Abhimanyu Singh will contest from Narnaund and Ramvilas Sharma has been nominated from Narnaul.

Panipat youth makes device to turn breath into words

Gurgaon: A Panipat youth Arsh Shah Dilbagi has developed a device that helps people with developmental disabilities, like Locked-In Syndrome and ALS, communicate, using only their breath. The device, called 'TALK', uses signals from a person's breath via Morse code, picked up by a sensor, and then converts them into speech. Dilbagi, a student of DAV International School, Panipat, says the device even allows almost entirely speech impaired and paralyzed people to communicate like never before.

Punjab has a right to special package, says Sukhbir

Amritsar: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked the Centre for special economic assistance for the state for its war against terrorism. Asserting that it is the legitimate right of Punjab to get a financial package for suffering during militancy and its after effects, Badal said in Amritsar that he and chief minister Parkash Singh Badal would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitely to press their demand. He has demanded tax concessions for Punjab on the pattern of hill states like Himachal Pradesh.

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Direct London- Ahmedabad flight: Shankersinh Vaghela writes to civil aviation minister

Shankersinh Vaghela, the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, has written a letter to Ashok Gajapati Raju, India’s civil aviation minister, on the need to re-start the direct flight between London and Ahmedabad flight. In the letter Vaghela mentioned that about a million people of Gujarati origin are settled in the United Kingdom and a large number of them visit Gujarat frequently.

There are substantial economic relations between the people of UK and Gujarat as well as the adjoining states in Western India.

The people of these states have also their relatives settled in UK. Accordingly, there is a constant and heavy flow of visitors between two countries. Keeping these factors in view, earlier there were direct flights between London and Ahmedabad.

A large number of Indians, particularly Gujaratis, settled in UK as well as people of Gujarat have represented to civil aviation ministry that due to discontinuance of these direct flights sometime back, frequent visitors have been facing acute hardships.

Presently they need to travel via Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha and such circuitous travelling becomes extremely inconvenient for the Senior Citizens, old women and children.

Shankersinh Vaghela

Apart from alleviating the problems of these people, direct flights will

obviously provide a fillip to tourism from UK to India. Economic relations particularly bilateral trade will also be boosted.

Therefore, people from the various corners are requesting to concerned authority to consider for direct flights between Ahmedabad and London at the earliest possible.

In the above context I would like to request you to recommence Air India direct flight from Ahmedabad-LondonAhmedabad.

Narendra Modi call for the BJP parliamentarians, considering that party president Amit Shah had cautioned them to avoid disconnect with the electorate following the massive victory in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

At his meeting with the party MPs in July end, Shah had asked the MPs to focus on 'Sampark, Samvaad and Samanvay’ (communication, dialogue and coordination) between them and the voters.

Addressing the party MPs for the first time in the Central Hall of Parliament after his elevation as party chief, Shah had cautioned them against the disconnect and had asked them to take the

upcoming Assembly elections and by- polls seriously to ensure the party’s victory.

The National BJP Communication Cell facilitated the survey with Local Circles - a community social media site. The survey was conducted to seek the opinions of citizens about the working of the Modi government.

Paritosh Vyas, national coconvener of the Communication Cell, said that over 50,000 citizens submitted their responses for each of the eight questions that were asked.

The poll thus offered a good insight into what the citizens and communities thought about the new government, he added.

The survey revealed that 69 per cent of the citizens said they have felt some positive ground level impact with the new government taking charge.

According to the survey, citizens also felt that the government must do more on issues like fighting corruption, women’s safety and communalism.

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Mansukh Mandaviya too writes to civil aviation minister

Mansukh Mandaviya

Mansukh Mandaviya, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and leader of all-party committee for direct flight between London and Ahmedabad, has also written a letter to India’s civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju regarding the resumption of direct flight. In his letter he mentioned that State Government of Gujarat and many social organizations have already requested the ministry to resume direct flight between Ahmedabad and London

by Air India. In past Air India operated its flight in this sector but now they have stopped causing untold hardship to people visiting UK and those visiting Gujarat. He said

that in his opinion there would be sufficient passenger traffic load in this sector. He requested the minister to take urgent steps so that direct flight can resume at the earliest.

Vadodara's Vishwamitri river and the crocodiles

India firmly behind Modi’s reforms, finds study

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing the things rightly and approval rating for his bold decisions - like calling off the secretary- level talks with Pakistan - is high. But, many of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Members of Parliament are wanting in their efforts to connect with the electorate in their respective constituencies.

These are some of the findings of an online survey by the BJP Communication Cell covering over 50,000 respondents, 90 per cent of whom approved the decision to call- off talks with Pakistan. About 69 per cent of them said that there is a positive vibe at the ground level ever since the Modi government took charge.

To a query – “Has your MP started working or engaging with the citizens on local issues” - 59 per cent of the respondents replied in the negative.

Only 15 per cent replied in the affirmative. The revelation could be a wakeup

INDIA

Ashvin G Sanghavi

The population of crocodiles in the Vishwamitri river in Vadodara is large and is still growing. There are close to 204 crocodiles in the river and the recent flood has refreshed memories of 2005 when the reptiles had entered several homes.

During the recent floods in the river, there were cases when these crocodiles lost their way and entered places like fields, societies and roads. When water from Vishwamitri gushed into the city and residential colonies, six crocodiles also flowed in.

Fire brigade personnel rescued a crocodile from Siddharth bungalows. It was one of the scariest rescue operations carried out by the personnel in the city.

When the fire brigade men were rescuing the stranded people, the crocodiles were following the rescue boats all the time.

About six came in the colony after the wall of EME got washed away.

The crocodiles didn't have any exit route from the colony so they kept moving around inside.

However, they did not interfere with relief opera-

tions. The forest officials have launched the crocodile awareness campaign along the rivers in Vadodara ahead of the monsoons. Vadodara witnessed seven crocodile attacks on humans in Vishwamitri River and other water bodies in the last few months that led to panic among citizens. A baby crocodile lost its life when it strayed into a busy road. The body of a woman who was dragged

away by a crocodile in Kashipura village has been found. Two other crocodiles that had strayed from Vishwamitri were captured from Kamatibaug area. The crocodiles were captured and will be released in safer locations.

The crocodiles which strayed into a residential society in Boriavi village of Anand district was rescued by officials of forest department and members

of Nature Health Foundation (NHF).

There is no let-up in crocodile attacks on humans in Vadodara district. Last week, a 33-yearold man was pulled away by a crocodile in the village of Sinore taluka.

Crocodile created panic in a village near Kota's Rampura as it entered a residential area. People caught it and handed it over to a forest department team. It is for the authorities to arrange for all such crocodiles to be shifted to Vishwamitri river for their natural habitat. In another case, locals were stunned to find a crocodile in a lake.

Forest department officials were called in and they rescued the reptile.

River Vishwamitri should be declared as national habitat for crocodiles Vishwamitri river passing through Vadodara can be declared as a habitat for crocodiles. Members of an animal welfare society mooted the idea that Vishwamitri should be declared as a national habitat for crocodiles.

They argue that if Gir forest is the national habitat for lions and Madhya Pradesh is for tigers, then why not develop Vashvamitri river as the national habitat for crocodiles. They don't want any of these crocodiles to lead a “dog's life.” All these things will become past history, once Vishwamitri is developed as the natural habitat and all crocodiles are shifted there.

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INDIA

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BJP suffers shock defeat in by-elections

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party, which suffered a rout in the general elections, bounced back on Tuesday in the assembly by-elections in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. For the first time in 15 years, the BJP will now have its lawmaker in the West Bengal assembly.

In Gujarat, the BJP romped home in Vadodara Lok Sabha seat that was vacated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he also won from Varanasi parliamentary constituency. The Maninagar assembly seat, which Modi once represented, too saw a BJP victory. But, the Congress wrested three seats from the BJP, which retained six seats. In Andhra Pradesh, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) retained Nandigama assembly seat, while the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) too retained Medak Lok

Sabha seat in neighbouring Telangana.

In the northeast, the BJP was leading in an assembly seat in Assam, while the AIUDF won one seat and was leading in two assembly constituencies. An independent candidate won in Sikkim.

Tripura saw the CPI-M candidate emerge victorious with a record margin.

Buoyed by the performance of the Samajwadi Party that won four seats and was leading in four constituencies, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said he was happy that the people of the state have reposed faith in his party and given a thumbs down to the "communal" politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We are happy and thankful that people have preferred development and prosperity over false hopes

and communal politics that BJP practised," he said. The SP has won from Sirathu, Hamirpur, Bijnore and Charkhari assembly constituencies and had a comfortable lead of over two lakh votes in Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency from where Tej Pratap Singh, grandnephew of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, is the party candidate.

The BJP, which had won all the 11 seats in the 2012 state assembly elections, went down to just three as counting progressed. The party won the Saharanpur (City) state assembly seat while its candidates were leading convincingly in Lucknow (East) and Noida seats.

In Rajasthan, the Congress candidates won from Weir, Surajgarh and Nasirabad constituencies while the BJP's Sandeep Sharma was elected from

the Kota South constituency. An upbeat Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan state president of the Congress, described his party bagging three seats as "a win of our party workers". "Despite the use of official machinery by the BJP, we have won. The BJP did nothing since it came to power and on the contrary it stopped the social welfare schemes...," said Pilot. Pilot said that the party is now looking forward to the municipal and panchayat polls in the state due in the next few months.

Kailash Nath Bhatt, Rajasthan state spokesperson of the BJP, however, said: "This result does not in any reflect on performance of the (Vasundhara) Raje government. It was fought more on local issues. Yes, the party will sit and introspect the results."

Govt speeds up relief work in Jammu and Kashmir

As the water level continue to recede, the Government of India is extending all possible help to the people of floodaffected Jammu and Kashmir by speeding up relief work.

While many areas in Srinagar are still submerged under water, the Army has managed to rescue 72,050 people while the Air Force has rescued another 17,105 flood victims.

The Navy has also brought at least 1,000 people to safer places.

Essential commodities, including food packets are being air dropped. Food packets, water and medicines are being sent to all the affected areas. Relief camps are being organised at different places and pro-

vision of food, shelter and others are being made.

Army has so far deployed 80 medical teams to provide medical aid. A team of Special DGHS, Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary and Addl. DDG Director (EMR) of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been sent to Srinagar.

BSNL communication

connectivity has also been partially restored in the State.

Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami has also been stationed at Srinagar since September 11 for reviewing the flood rescue and relief works.

Rains lash Valley again, Jhelum rises Meanwhile, anxiety grew on Sunday with fresh

rains lashing the Valley, the Jhelum rising, and the weatherman predicting more downpours with thunder and lightning for the next five to seven days across the state a situation unfavorable for effective rescue work.

While the rain on Sunday was intermittent, it compounded problems of the flood-hit people in relief camps at various places in south Srinagar. Localities like Bemina, Batamaloo and Karan Nagar continued to remain under 10 to 15 feet water, the locals said on phone which worked with great difficulty. Srinagar’s two main hospital, SMHS and GB pant, are still under 15 feet water.

PM Narendra Modi will address the UnitedNational General Assembly in NewYork in Hindi,home minister Raj nath Singh said. Modi is expected to address the UN General Assembly on September 27.

“I, as a minister, once delivered my speech at the United Nations in Hindi...

Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his speech at United Nations in Hindi,” the home minister said at a function organized on the occasion of Hindi Divas at Rashtapati Bhavan.

Singh said Modi also speaks in Hindi when he meets foreign dignitaries.

Singh said Atal Behari Vajpayee was the first PM to deliver his speech at the US in Hindi. He said 55% population of the country spoke Hindi while 85-90% people in the country understood Hindi even though it was not their mother tongue.

Continued from page 1 realise the full potential of our relations," he said.

Modi will welcome Xi, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including two senior members of Politbureau and the Chinese Commerce Minister, at his hotel on Wednesday, which will also be the Prime Minister's 64th birthday. Xi will visit Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram and will spend some time along with Modi who will host a private dinner for the Chinese President at the Sabarmati riverfront.

The leaders will witness signing of three MoUs here before heading to the Ashram.

Modi felicitated at ‘Abhivadan Samaroh’ Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who arrived in Ahmedabad was felicitated at an ‘Abhivadan Samaroh’ organised by the Gujarat unit of the BJP. This is his first visit to the state after assuming office of Prime

Minister.

Addressing thousands of enthusiastic party workers, the Prime Minister said that for the first time in 30 years, a stable government with full majority has been elected at the Centre. He said this has significance beyond merely gaining power or forming the Government. He said the whole world had been waiting for three decades for this moment, and now the perception of the world towards India is changing for the better.

The Prime Minister appealed to the people to elect Governments with full majority and clear mandate in all elections.

He said there should be clear mandate for Governments in the states as well, as this was in the interest of development.

Modi said the federal structure of the nation should be strengthened. He said the Union Government wants every state to be strong, and will support states in their

quest for development, irrespective of whichever party is running the State Government.

Talking of the vision of the Central Government, the Prime Minister said he sees things from the common man’s perspective, so that the common man gets empowered. He referred to the recently launched Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, and said bank managers are now going to the people, inviting them to open bank accounts.

The Prime Minister assured the party workers that he would continue to work for “Sarvjan Sukhay, Sarvjan Hitay” and would never let them down.

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel said, 1.25 billion people of India have been experiencing the Gujarat model of good governance under the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

Party president Amit Shah and the state BJP president RC Faldu also addressed the gathering.

Modi to address UN in Hindi

Time for India-China bonhomie

In Brief

Militants who attacked Malala Yousafzai arrested

Islamabad: The Pakistani army said that it had arrested the gunmen who tried to kill schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousafzai in the country's restive northwest in 2012. The teenage activist was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen but recovered and went on to earn international plaudits for her fight for the right of all children to an education.

Spat between users of e-cigarette and public health officials

London: The spat between the users of e-cigarette and its opponents have turned ugly recently. Public health chiefs have accused e-cigarette users of a campaign of online abuse, saying that junior scientists are being scared away from research by explicit attacks from “vapers” on Twitter. Professor John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, is facing an official complaint after he retaliated, calling them names. Vapers, as enthusiasts for e-cigarettes are known, insist that occasional abuse from among their number is merely frustration with a “patronising” public health elite. The spat illustrates how high passions run over e-cigarettes, both among users and public health experts, who are starkly divided on the issue. More than a million Britons use e-cigarettes, and many say that these have helped to end long smoking habits. Last week a group of experts said that ecigarettes had the potential to save tens of thousands of lives if all British smokers switched to them.Yet some public health experts, including the World Health Organisation, say that e-cigarettes must be restricted because the long-term effects of nicotine are unclear.

China snubs Dalai Lama, says it can appoint his successor

Beijing: Rejecting the Dalai Lama's views on ending the system of reincarnated Tibetan spiritual head, the Chinese government said it would preserve the centuries old tradition among Tibetan Buddhists, saying it has the powers to appoint the next Dalai Lama. “The title of the Dalai Lama is conferred by the Chinese government,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. China had a “set religious procedure and historic custom,” she said. “The 14th Dalai Lama has ulterior motives and is seeking to distort and negate history, which is damaging the normal order of Tibetan Buddhism,” Hua said. The Dalai Lama, 79, told a German paper that the tradition of the spiritual head of the Tibetans could end with him. He said Tibetan Buddhism wasn't dependent on a single person.

Qatar releases Brit-Nepalese researchers

Dubai: Two British-Nepalese human rights researchers, who were apprehended by Qatari authorities for investigating the working conditions of Nepalese labourers in Qatar have been released.

Krishna Upadhyaya along with colleague Ghimire Gundev, 36, were detained by Qatari authorities in Doha on August 27, while filming a documentary on the treatment and working conditions of Nepalese labourers at World Cup construction sites in Qatar.

Upadhyaya's wife, Sarita Poudyal, said that the duo were released, adding that she had received a call from her husband who told her that he had been freed and then updated his Facebook to inform his friends.

The Norway-based Global Network for Rights and Development's researcher Krishna Upadhyaya and photographer Ghimire Gundev had gone missing on August 31st as they were preparing to leave the country.

Radha Krishna temple opens in Germany

Bielefeld (Germany): Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple has opened in Bielefeld in Germany after Kumbabishekam ceremonies. The construction of the temple began in January 2013. Now daily poojas are being conducted here. Besides sanctuary, it also plans to construct a cultural centre to host discourses and music and dance events. Thiyagaraja Sarma Parameswaran Iyer is the priest. Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA), congratulated the management for the construction of this beautiful temple. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this new temple would help in this direction. Zed said that instead of running after materialism we should focus on inner search and realization of self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

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HEALTH WATCH

Sushma’s Health & Beauty Blog

Tomato extract relieves damaged arteries

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study has found that a substance found in tomatoes relieves impairment of blood vessels, which may explain why people who eat a Mediterranean diet have a notably reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease.

A supplement of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant which is 10 times more potent than vitamin E, improved and normalised function of the endothelium (the inner lining of blood vessels) in volunteers with cardiovascular disease, researchers from the University of Cambridge found.

Dr Joseph Cheriyan, consultant clinical pharmacologist at Addenbrooke's hospital and associate lecturer at the University of Cambridge, said: "There's a wealth of research that suggests the Mediterranean diet which includes lycopene found in tomatoes and

other fruit as a component - is good for our cardiovascular health. But so far, it's been a mystery what the underlying mechanisms could be."

Researchers gave 36 cardiovascular disease patients, who were all on statins but had impaired function of the endothelium, and 36 healthy volunteers either Ateronon (an off-the-shelf supplement containing 7mg of lycopene) or a placebo treatment.

Endothelial function predicts future events, so having a healthy

endothelium is an important factor in preventing the evolution of heart disease.

It was conducted as a double blind trial, which meant that neither study participants nor the researchers knew which treatment was being provided.

They found that the lycopene supplement worked in the patients, improving the widening of the blood vessels by 53% after placebo correction, but not in the healthy volunteers.

Constriction of the blood vessels is one of the key factors that can lead to heart attack and stroke.

The supplement had no effect on blood pressure, arterial stiffness or levels of lipids.

Lycopene is found in tomatoes and its potency appears to be enhanced when it is consumed pureed, in ketchup or in the presence of olive oil. It is also found in other fruit and vegetables, such as

grapefruit, watermelon, asparagus and carrots.

Cheriyan said the results reinforced the need for a healthy diet in people at risk from heart disease and stroke. "We've shown quite clearly that lycopene improves the function of blood vessels in cardiovascular disease patients," he said.

"A daily 'tomato pill' is not a substitute for other treatments, but may provide added benefits when taken alongside other medication." He said much larger trials were needed to establish whether lycopene did reduce heart disease.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, says: "Impaired endothelial function is a known predictor of increased risk of future heart disease.

Further work is needed to understand whether the beneficial effects seen in this small study translate into clinical benefit for atrisk patients."

foods. Good source of mucilage - Mucilage helps assures a healthy intestine and proper absorption of nutrients.

Benefits of Eating Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are good for the heart - Flaxseeds are rich in alpha linolenic acid which prevents inflammation and protects blood vessels from damage.

Researchers showed that regular intake of these seeds lowers LDL (low

density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol) and increase levels of HDL (high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol).

Flaxseeds are rich in antioxidants Flaxseeds are significantly higher in antioxidants compared to fruits or vegetables. Adding flaxseeds to your diet boosts your overall and also helps in delaying ageing.

Flaxseeds prevent cancer - Studies show that eating flaxseeds reduces the risk of breast cancer, prostate and colon cancer.

Help with digestion and weight loss Flaxseeds are high on fiber which is why they help in relieving constipation.

They also leave you feeling full which stops you from overeating.

Flaxseeds are extremely good for glowing skin

and healthy hair because of the high amount of omega 3 fatty acid present in them.

Flaxseeds and Women's Health Listen up ladies!

Flaxseeds with their wonder properties are a brilliant solution for all kinds of hormonal problems.

Due to their high content of lignans, flaxseeds help reduce high levels of estrogen and also boost low estrogen levels. They can help reduce menopausal symptoms, such as flushing and night sweats.

Flaxseeds can also help women with irregular periods and those with extreme symptoms of PMS - for example, headache, anxiety, mood swings etc. They also help in controlling heavy bleeding during menstruation, reduce the risk of breast cancer and improve uterine function.

alongside conditions such as gambling.

The psychological compulsion to eat is driven by the positive feelings that the brain associates with eating, but it is not as bad as drug addiction.

"The brain does not respond to nutrients in the same way as it does to addictive drugs such as heroin or cocaine," the researchers said.

People can become addicted to eating for its own sake, not to consume specific foods such as

those high in sugar or fat.

"So the focus on tackling the problem of obesity should be moved from food itself and towards the individual's relationship with eating," the researchers said.

"More avenues for treatment may open up if we think about this condition as a behavioural addiction rather than a substance-based addiction," said John Menzies from the University of Edinburgh in Britain.

For the study, the

researchers examined the scientific evidence for food addiction as a substance-based addiction.

"There has been a major debate over whether sugar is addictive," said professor Suzanne Dickson from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

"There is currently very little evidence to support the idea that any ingredient, food item, additive or combination of ingredients has addictive properties," Dickson added.

Flaxseeds are ultimate powerhouse of nutrition

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laxseeds are the ultimate powerhouse of nutrition. They're tiny nutty-flavoured seeds that not only taste good but have innumerable health benefits.

They're extremely versatile and can be sneaked into almost everything you eat. Linseeds or flaxseeds usually come in two different colours, brown and yellow, but the nutritional profile of both is absolutely identical.

Flaxseeds are a source of three key nutrient: Omega 3 fatty acids Omega-3 are polyunsaturated fatty acids, considered as essential nutrients that our body can't produce but needs to maintain good brain health and cognitive function.

Rich in lignans Lignans are naturally occurring forms of the female hormone estrogen and are found in certain

I

Overeating is a behavioural disorder

f you cannot resist overeating despite the obvious health risks, you may well be suffering from an eating addiction which, as a study shows, is a behavioural disorder and could be categorised

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

Can This Really Help In Slimming?

Losing weight quickly can give loss of weight for a few days and this does give encouragement and motivation. If you carry on a low calorie diet for some time it ends up as a crash diet. Is this a good thing?

No if you eat less, your sodium intake is likely to be lower. This usually means that the first few Sushma Bhanot pounds lost are mostly Pharmacist, Ayurvedic and water weight. The body Homeopathic Consultant, Lecturer and Author. Heads could be deprived of necesResearch and Development sary nutrients found in at Coolherbals food causing you to be less healthy. Eating all necessary vitamins, minerals and proteins is important in any dieting programme. If you cannot get these through your diet take a food supplement. Losing weight too quickly can slow your metabolism and make you gain more weight when you resume eating normally. So what should you do?

Eat six small meals a day helps your metabolism and helps. If you want to lose weight, eat when you need to and continue consuming fewer calories than you burn.

In ayurveda we say that digestive juices are at their peak in the mornings then at lunch time followed by evening time so eat a healthy breakfast. If you are not a breakfast person then have a hearty lunch rather than dinner.

Make sure you eat regularly, every 3 hours.

Eat all six tastes. In the book Slimmer in 1 Hour...

Slimmer Forever written by us, Ravi Bhanot and Sushma Bhanot our research from Japan shows that people living in mainland on traditional Japanese diets are not as obese as those Japanese who live in the main cities and eat more fast foods such as burgers, pizzas and fried chicken. So what is the difference in their diets? Primarily traditional Japanese, Chinese and Indian foods have all the six tastes. This means that the tongue’s thousands of taste receptors are more satisfied.

There is less of a craving to eat more...but do not eat large portions. To get the six tastes eat sugar, salt, sour, bitter, astringent and pungent foods daily.

If you feel this would not work with you sprinkle six taste spices on your food, such as the Coolherbals Kapha Spice Mix. Eat sweets. Do not deprive yourself of sugar– you are setting yourself up to fall. If you like sugary things eat them but instead eat a smaller piece of cake for example.

Exercise – weight bearing and cardio. Muscle does burn more calories than fat, but according to Dr Claude Bouchard, muscle will burn six calories a day, while a pound of fat will burn two. Cardio exercises are more important as calories are shed with them. Exercise is good for you, but don’t undo all the good work. Eat a small snack of nuts and raisins instead or one of the low Kapha energy foods. For a list email us.

Weigh yourself daily on an empty stomach as weight can fluctuate because of the food you eat and water retention. Keep a daily a journal of your weekly progress.

Need to Slim?

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Tel: 020 8597 9039 Email: ravi@coolherbals.com

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I would like to quit: Samantha

n a recent interaction with the media, Samantha has shocked one and all by saying, “I would like to quit when I’m busy acting in multiple projects rather than calling it a day after a few years when I’m left with no projects at all. She adds, I do not believe in the number game, and as of now I’m racing ahead the time to complete the project which I signed on. I would be happy to finish all these and say goodbye to my acting career.” Samantha is one of the busiest actors in the town and she will be seen in ‘Kaththi’ and Vikram’s ‘Pathu Enrathukulla’ for Diwali & Pongal respectively. But at the end of the meeting, Samantha was quick to add that her friends are not ready to let her go from the industry as of now.

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Abhishek ready to work in a Tamil film

ollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan expressed his eagerness to work in a Tamil film as he recalled his ‘old bond’ with this city. Abhishek, who is the owner of the Chennai franchise in Indian Super League (ISL), is also looking forward to spend some sporting days here as the glamorous soccer event unfolds. “I would love to and I am dying to do a Tamil film,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Chennai.

Abhishek, who was part of many Hindi projects of Tamil diretors Mani Ratnam and the late Jeeva, said that he had shot several times in Chennai and had many friends here. He mentioned his favourites Tamil icons Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan and said he has a ‘soft corner’ for another tinsel town hero, Vikram. Vikram had donned the role of Bachchan in the Tamil version of Mani Ratnam-directed ‘Raavan’ and is credited as a versatile star adept at slipping with ease into any challenging role.

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Hansika disagrees with Khushboo

uite often, Hansika is compared with Khushboo, with regard to their bubbliness and screen presence.

Working with Sundar C for the third time, in 'Aranmanai', Hansika has got the opportunity to move up close with Khushboo as a family. Hansika is overwhelmed by Khushboo's simplicity and follows her advice when it comes to her career. However, she also means to differ from Khushboo's opinion. "I and Khushboo ma'am get to interact a lot. She appreciated my performance in 'Aranmanai'. She advised to me that no matter how much people relate and draw a comparison of me to her, I am far different and an individual performer on my own. She also commented that I am much better than her, but I certainly do not agree with her on that - she is always best! She is a helpful critic who advises me time and again on my performance and constantly encourages me," says Hansika.

Daawat-e-Ishq

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A R Rahman to compose for Pele's biography

aawat-e-Ishq (Feast Of Love) is a comedy drama directed by Habib Faisal and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. It features actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Parineeti Chopra in the lead roles. Music

‘Pocket Gangsters’

lives at stake and demanding huge some from the relatives or friends of the hostage. It is a hostage drama cum comic thriller telling the story of a girl who is worth millions.

The film is directed by is Hemant Nilim Das. The cast includes Madhur Mittal, Shivangi Mehra, Raghubir Yadav, Vijay Raaz, Mukesh Bhatt, Monalisa, Hemant Nilim Das. Kidnapping is the theme of the film. The film narrates the dark world of "pocketing" human lives, putting their

It is a psychological thriller and an emotional drama film written and directed by A n u r a g Kashyap. The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and also opened the 2014 New York Indian Film Festival. The film stars Girish Kulkarni, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vinit Kumar Singh, Surveen Chawla and Vipin Sharma in pivotal roles. The film will also feature model turned TV actor Rahul Bhat in an important role.

of the film has been composed by SajidWajid. Anupam Kher and Karan Wahi also prominently figure in the movie.

‘Ugly’

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R Rahman’s prominence has kept increasing as the years pass by in Hollywood and he had already composed for ‘Hundred Foot journey’ & ‘Million Dollar Arm’ this year. He is all set to swing his arms in the air with international artists for Brazilian football legend Pele. The movie was supposed to release around the FIFA World Cup, but the makers have ruled out the possibility by citing the post production works and now they have assured the movie will be out in the first quarter of next year. Jeff Zimbalist has directed the movie while Vincent D’Onforio has played the role of three time world cup winner.

‘Roar’

The film directed by Kamal Sadanah. The cast includes Pulkit Jawahar, Pranay Dixit, A b h i n a v Shukla, Achint Kaur, Varindar S i n g h G h u m a n , Naura Fathi, Ali Quli, Aaran C h a u d h a r y, Aadil Chahal, Himarsha Ve n k a t s a m y, Subrat Dutta, Tiger Shroff and Alia Bhatt.

The story is about a Royal Bengal White Tigress who killed a young photojournalist. The bother of the photojournalist and his men try to track down the tigress.

Here comes a villainous poacher who plans to use the hunters as bait to trap his prize catch, the Royal Bengal White Tigress. But little do they know that the hunters are soon going to become the hunted.

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Parineeti wants to shed her 'bubbly' image

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ollywood actress Parineeti Chopra, known for her carefree attitude, says she dislikes being called 'bubbly' as she feels the term does not suit her personality.

The 25-year-old actress, who has starred in films like 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl', 'Ishaqzaade', 'Shuddh Desi Romance' and 'Hasee Toh Phasee', is awaiting the release of her fifth release 'Dawat-E-Ishq'.

"I know I am lively and I always smile when I talk but a name like bubbly doesn't suit my personal-

ity. You can talk about a cold drink or champagne when you say bubbly, but not me! So, I am requesting everybody to not call me by that name. You can call me as an expressive person," Parineeti said.

'Dawat-E-Ishq' directed by Habib Faisal also stars Aditya Roy Kapoor and Anupam Kher, and will hit theatres on September 19.

Parineeti said that she was yet to watch her cousin sister and fellow actress Priyanka Chopra's latest release 'Mary Kom', which is a biopic based on the Olympian boxer from Manipur.

"I am sorry I couldn't find time to watch it. Due to the promotional activities I am reaching home late everyday," she said.

I am in no hurry to get married: Bipasha

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Hrithik Roshan's daredevilry stunt

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uperstar H r i t h i k Roshan has shot a daredevilry stunt for “Bang Bang” that will see him water skiing after being hooked to a sea-plane!. "This is the first time such a stunt has been shot for any film in the world and we can boast that a Bollywood film has recorded this feat," says Siddharth Anand, the director of the film. Hrithik says, "In Bang Bang I have pushed myself to the extreme. This sequence called for mental and physical tenacity. The rush that I experienced while training and executing the sequence was out of the world. I was hooked to a sea plane while I did the stunt. I had trained non-stop to even attempt the sequence."

ollywood actress Bipasha Basu says that she is no hurry to to get married when asked about reports of her engagement with boyfriend Harman Baweja. “I respect marriage as an institution. But there is time for it. I will do it in my own time. I have films to do, besides acting I want to do a lot of other things which I can’t talk about now,” she said.

For now, Bipasha is keeping her fingers crossed for the success of her latest release ‘Creature 3D’. Her last two films – ‘Aatma’ and ‘Humshakals’ did not do too well at the box office. Bipasha does feel bad about the failure of ‘Aatma’ while she kept herself away from the promotions of ‘Humshakals’.

“I was hurt when ‘Aatma’ did not do well. I think the film was not promoted properly. The feedback that I got from the people is that they were not ready to see me in the role of a mother but I don’t regret doing that movie.

‘Humshakals’ was a regret right from the go.

I don’t have anything against the film. I was not aware about the story idea… didn’t know what I was playing and how it will turn out. So when I don’t know about the film and my role why should I promote it?,” she asked.

Bipasha started her career in 2001 with ‘Ajnabee’ and went on to star in films like ‘Jism’, ‘Raaz’, ‘Corporate’, ‘Apharan’, ‘Dhoom 2′, ‘Lamhaa’, ‘Aakrosh’ and ‘Race’.

Arjun Kapoor enjoys working with his father

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ctor Arjun Kapoor enjoyed the experience of working in ‘Tevar’, co-produced by his father Boney and uncle Sanjay, as they didn’t impose any pressure on him. ‘Tevar’ is about a simple boy and his love story. It’s emotional and overwhelming. I loved working with my father and uncle. None of them put any pressure on me and gave me my space to perform as an actor,” Arjun said.

Meanwhile, Arjun is excited about his English language Bollywood entertainer ‘Finding Fanny’, which was a new experience for him.

No break for Ajay Devgn

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I won’t do multi-starrer films: Ali Fazal

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ollywood actor Ali Fazal doesn’t like work in multi-starrer films. He has decided to be a part of solo lead films following the success of his last release 'Bobby Jasoos'.

The 27-year-old actor, who started his career in Bollywood with multi-starrers including '3 Idiots' and 'Fukrey', said he would like to do bigger roles now.

"My next two films will have me in lead roles and that show people are putting trust in me.

All my earlier films were either multi-starrer or did not have me in the prime focus but I would now want to change that. I will refrain from doing small roles and films with more than one hero," Ali said.

Ali's upcoming films include Mahesh Bhatt's production 'Khamoshiyan' and 'Sonali Cable'. In both the films, the actor will be playing the protagonist.

"I admire Bhatts, they are amazing and the way they are guiding us is fabulous. With 'Khamoshiyan', I am moving away from hugecast films and I hope I get better roles from now," he said. The actor even turned down his debut Hollywood TV drama 'Homeland' for the films.

ctor Ajay Devgn did not take a day’s break after his portrayal as Bajirao Singham in “ S i n g h a m Returns. He began working on his next action thriller “Action Jackson!”

Ajay who hid his chiseled body below the khaki and white vest for “Singham Returns,” had to bare his torso this time. Keeping this in mind, the Bollywood superstar put himself on an even more electrifying exercise regimen. Directed by Pradhu Dheva, “Action Jackson” also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Yami Gautam, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Sonu Sood etc and is scheduled for release on 7th November, 2014.

Rani Mukerji to be felicitated by MP Chief Minister

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a d h y a Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will honour Rani Mukerji for her realistic portrayal of a woman police officer in “Mardaani.” The state government has organised a felicitation function which will be graced by many state bureaucrats.

It was learnt that when Rani received the invitation, she immediately responded positively. Inspired from the real life story of a cop who works against child trafficking, Rani Mukerji played the role of a strong headed CBI officer who is on a mission to hunt down the man who runs a racket of flesh trade.

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UK

Navaratri - celebrating the Mother Goddess

"Navaratri" literally means "nine nights." This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of summer and again at the onset of winter.

During Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal mother, commonly referred to as "Durga," which literally means the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred to as "Devi" (goddess) or "Shakti" (energy or power). It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything.

Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.

We think this energy is only a

form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all of us are her children. "Why moth-

Coming Events Navratri Festival

l South East Gujarati Association â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25th Sept till 4 Oct and Poonam on 5th October 8:30 till 12:00, and week end upto 1. Venue: Shaheed Udham Singh Asian Community Centre, White Hart Road, SE18 1DG, Contact: 0208317 0244 l Navratri Day time Garba by Jasper Centre 1:30-4pm, 25 Sept- 3 Oct. Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow, HA1 2SU. l Kalani Sewa Navratri, 25 Sept- 4 Oct, Venue: Dhamecha Lohana Centre, HA2 8AX. Contact: Vinod Thakrar: 07960541216 l Navnat Vanik Association, Navnat Centre, Printing House Lane, Hayes, UB3 1AR, 25 Sept- 4th Oct, Sharad Poonam 11th Oct, Contact: Bharat Mehta 07850166556 l Shree Jalaram Jyot Mandir, Repton Avenue, Sudbury, HA0 3DW, 25th Sept- 3 Oct, Contact CJ Rabheru07958275222 l SKLPC UK, India gardens, UB5 6RE, 25th Sept- 7th Oct, Contact: Mavji 07831430812 l Shree Jalaram Seva Trust, Feltham Assembly Hall, TW1 4BD, 25th Sept- 4 Oct, Sharad Poonam, 8th Oct. Contact: Jeetan Gokhani, 07985700000 l Shree Jalaram Mandir-Greenford, 39- 45 Oldfield Lane South, UB6 9LB, 25 Sept- 3 Oct, Sharad Poonam, 8th Oct. Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Mobile: 078712 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 1121 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 40912 - Mobile: 078712 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 078712 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912

er; why not father?", you may ask. Let me just say that we believe that God's glory, his cosmic energy, his greatness and supremacy can best be depicted as the motherhood aspect of God. Just as a child finds all these qualities in his or her mother, similarly, all of us look upon God as mother.

In fact, Hinduism is the only religion in

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

the world, which gives so much importance to the mother aspect of God because we believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.

Every year the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of climatic change and solar influence.

Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi , who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.

Contact: Dr Mansukhbhai Morjaria 0208 578 8088 l Karamsad samaj UK, Barnhill Community High School, UB4 9LE, 25 Sept- 3 Oct, Sharad Poonam, 7 Oct, Contact: Mahendra Patel 07956458872 l Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharma Bhakti Manor Woodlane, Stanmore, HA7 4LF, 25 Sep- 3rd October, Contact: Vikesh Waghjiani 07960995308 l HYG, Sanathan Mandir, Apple tree Centre, RH1 25 Sept- 3 Oct, Contact: Chandubhai Nayee, 07440744098 l Nagrecha Brothers organises Nagrecha Hall, E15 1DT, 25 Sept- 3rd Oct, Contact: Hasubhai Nagrecha, 0208 555 0318

Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 2012, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group (South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 022 2471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 9311581597

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Sun and Mercury in your opposite sign makes you feel invincible, but the way to utilise this transit is to sift through all the opportunities that come your way. You know you have no choice but to streamline and reassess your priorities.

Try to create a balance between expansion and conservation.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

If your ambitions have been undefined, don't worry as from now on, you understand exactly what kind of impact you need to make on the world. Sun and Mercury in your work sector rules your daily life. All those little details should run perfectly, without you constantly worrying.

Health-wise you will be feeling fit and relaxed.

Jupiter, planet of growth and expansion is transiting your 3rd house and Sun and Mercury are transiting your solar fifth house. With these transits you are likely to see benefits, and experience growth, in the areas of romance, creative expression and children. For single Geminians, meeting a special person is highly likely.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Jupiter, the planet of plenty in your 2nd house, with Sun and Mercury in your solar 4th house will bring noticeable improvements to your environment. This is a time when you put down roots and seek to belong. Besides, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations that support you and your growth.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion is in your sign, Sun and Mercury are transiting your solar third house. During this period educational and communication opportunities present themselves and your ideas will be well received. The ability to express and communicate your ideas is extremely important to you at this time.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

Sun and Mercury are transiting your solar second house. During this cycle, you are likely to see and enjoy benefits to your earning power and this will boost your own sense of security and wealth. Money problems from the past may clear up, if you manage your resources properly.

Sun and Mercury are transiting your sign.

Jupiter is transiting your 11th house. Your charisma, appearance and self expression are to the forefront. This transit heightens your optimism and generosity, and the entire cycle has the potential for being a relaxed, fortunate, and hopeful time in your life. Furthering your personal ambitions comes more easily.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Sun and Mercury transits your solar twelfth house. This transit brings benefits to activities that take place "behind the scenes". Meditation and retreats may be particularly helpful to you now, as they regenerate and invigorate your spirit.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

With Sun and Mercury riding high in your 11th house, you should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people of your own calibre and pursue any romantic liaisons that might present themselves.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 With Sun and Mercury in your solar 10th house, your career is lit up and bodes well for the coming weeks. Some of you will be in a reflective mood and taking stock of your lives and working out the best direction to take. This is a good time to re-assess your home and work balance.

Expansive Jupiter in your opposite sign, with Sun and Mercury in your Solar 9th house of travel and spirituality is good for widening your horizons. Business dealings, particularly long-distance ones and those involving publicity and promotion, are likely to be profitable now.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Sun and Mercury transit your solar eighth house of joint finances, loans, taxes, sexuality, and psychological matters. This is a time of increased accumulation of wealth and in some cases, a significant tax refund or inheritance, or other such benefits.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Ravi Shastri backs Duncan Fletcher

His report will decide Duncan Fletcher's future as India's cricket coach and Ravi Shastri, who served as Team Director during the just-concluded limited overs series against England, has put his weight behind the underfire Zimbabwean by calling him a "solid character".

Shastri lavished praise on Fletcher, who is under the scanner after a mixed tour of England during which the Indians were thrashed in the Test series before bouncing back to win the ODIs. "He is tremendous. He would have done over a 100 Tests as coach, which is massive. He is technically very sound. He is a solid character. He is respected.

He is a fatherly figure," Shastri said. "I knew Fletcher from the 1983 World Cup. Then in 1984 I led an India Under-25 side to Zimbabwe, where he was my counterpart. So I was aware of his leadership qualities already. Also what made Fletcher's job easier was having the trio of Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar as his assistant coaches," he added. "Fletcher is the coach. He looks after the handling of various things including little, little stuff.

My experience comes into play from the outside - of having been there, done that. The fact that I watch so much is a massive help.

And my personality is such if I feel like saying something I don't hold back. I don't care who it is."Speaking about his own stint with the team, Shastri said he is glad to have made a positive difference after the 1-3 loss in the Test series. "I got more than I would have expected. I say that only because of England's record at home, not many sides have thrashed them 3-0 in a four-ODI series. It is a big achievement: from what they were mentally after the Test series defeat, and then to respond in that fashion made me feel proud," he said.

"I had to make it (the dressing room) a place

where the boys wanted to enjoy themselves. I was very clear when I said I am doing this job because I believe in them. And that was enough. As I got talking to them one on one, things started falling in place," he added.

Shastri said he had plenty of one-on-one chats with the players during the ODI series, which India won 3-1. "I was not afraid to speak to a guy individually. Ground, bus, bar, dressing room, while eating - we were talking cricket.

Communication is important. The advantage I had was I had watched these boys a lot. I told them I have watched more cricket than I have played. I have learned more about cricket after I stopped playing," he said. .

Shastri especially focussed on star batsman

Virat Kohli, who had a somewhat subdued run in both the Tests and ODIs. "About Virat, you knew it was due (the half-century in the Edgbaston Twenty20). The reason he did not perform earlier was a combination of mental and technical issues. You cannot get out to the same bowler in the same fashion five to six times. So there is an issue. "He has to accept there is something wrong otherwise you cannot get out. And that had to be addressed, which we did.

There are certain issues Virat understands he needs to work on, which he has been doing. Similar case with Shikhar (Dhawan)," he explained.

On his equation with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shastri said, "...both of us know each other well. Our job was to make his life easier after the Test series. Our job was to take the pressure off him. Our job was to communicate more with the players, make them at ease, and give them the confidence."

Shastri agreed with Dhoni's assessment that it turned out to be a decent outing for the team with a lot of positives to take home.

(PCB) spokesman.

Saqlain, who took 208 Test and 288 one-day wickets in an illustrious career that included a long stint at Surrey, confirmed he would help. "Yes, I am ready to help and I am in contact to work out modalities of my travel to Pakistan," Saqlain said.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Ajmal would be suspended

from international cricket after a biomechanical analysis of his action in Brisbane found his bowling arm flex was more than the 15 degrees allowed. His action was reported during Galle last month's Test against Sri Lanka.

The PCB initially said it would appeal against the suspension but later changed its stance and asked its committee on illegal bowling action to assess the report. The committee has recommended that Saqlain must be requested to help Ajmal. As per ICC rules Ajmal will remain suspended until remedial work on his action after which he can apply for a reassessment.

But if reported again within two years, Ajmal would be banned for a year.

Ajmal's suspension has dented Pakistan's hopes for next month's limited overs and Test series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates next month and more importantly in next year's World Cup. The PCB, meanwhile, has stopped Ajmal from speaking to the media. "I shall wait for the outcome of deliberations and verdict of Pakistan Cricket Board's Illegal Bowling Action Committee and until that process is complete, I shall not be making any further comments on the subject," Ajmal was quoted in a PCB release as saying.

ers had no belief that they could win the gold (at the Commonwealth Games).

It's a process of development, it doesn't happen overnight. But I think these group of players sincerely believe that if they play to their potential they can beat against Malaysia, Korea, China, Pakistan, Japan and win the title," the Australian said.

Insisting that India and Korea are the teams to beat in the Asian Games, Walsh said they have improved upon their defensive skills post the World Cup earlier this year.

"Teams are always going to concede late goals, early goals and goals in the middle period. But i think we have improved as a defensive structure. I think we are getting better at knowing on how to play during situations and there comes the business of self belief. "You got to understand what you are trying to do and believe in your abilities. I think we are growing and leaning those things," he said.

Walsh feels going by form India's has a realistic

Saqlain to help Ajmal correct illegal action

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will help countryman Saeed Ajmal correct his bowling action which led to his suspension from international cricket. Saqlain, 37, invented the "doosra", a delivery which turns away from the batsman as opposed to conventional off-spin.

It is widely believed that bowlers who bowl the doosra bend their arm more than the allowed 15 degree, though Saqlain himself was not accused of chucking during his career.

"We are in contact with Saqlain and are in the process of negotiating the contract with him to help Ajmal on his action," said a Pakistan Cricket Board

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Rohit Sharma to miss entire CLT20

Rohit Sharma is facing a lengthy layoff from the game due to multiple injuries. After sustaining a fractured finger in the recent ODI series against England, Rohit has also suffered a shoulder injury, thus effectively ruling him out of the CLT20. According to a report, Rohit visited the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Physiotherapists stated that this additional shoulder injury means that Rohit will miss another four weeks and he now faces a race against time to be fit for the first ODI against the West Indies in Kochi on October 8. Rohit's unavailability is a big jolt for Mumbai Indians, who are the defending CLT20 champions. Pollard, who led the Barbados Tridents to the 2014 CPL, might lead the team as they take on Lahore Lions in the first qualifier in Raipur on September 13.

Saina Nehwal wants Vimal Kumar as coach for Asian Games

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, who has been training under Vimal Kumar for the last one week, wants the former chief coach to travel to Incheon, Korea with her for the upcoming Asian Games.

"Saina has requested BAI to include Vimal Kumar in the list of coaches who would be travelling to Korea for the Asian Games. We have requested the authorities and are awaiting their decision," said a senior BAI official. "Initially, three coaches - Pullela Gopichand, Madhumita Bisht and Vijaydeep Singh were supposed to go but now we have included Vimal's name and dropped one sports analyst from the list. An additional coach will help when simultaneous matches of Indian players are held on adjacent courts," he added. Battling with poor form, Saina had decided to train under former chief coach Vimal Kumar to prepare for the prestigious Asian Games after returning from the World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark where she lost in the quarterfinals.

Sania meets Modi after US Open victory

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after her victory in the US Open mixed doubles last week. Sania met the Prime Minister in a courtesy visit. She was accompanied by her mother Naseema Mirza. Partnering with Bruno Soares of Brazil, Sania clinched her third mixed doubles Grand Slam title recently. Modi had congratulated Sania just after her victory. Earlier, she met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad. She is the brand ambassador of the newly-created state.

We have 'self belief' to break Asian Games jinx: Walsh Looking to break the 16year-old Asian Games 'gold' jinx, Indian men's hockey team coach Terry Walsh said that the current lot of players have the "self belief" to come up trumps in the upcoming quadrennial event in Incheon, South Korea.

Walsh said unlike the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Sardar Singhled side has the ability to turn the 2010 Guangzhou bronze into a gold at the Asian Games to be held from September 19 to October 4.

"One of the really important area is self belief. That's very closely linked with confidence and the willingness and ability to play the level without

the fear of losing," Walsh said ahead of the team's departure for Incheon.

"Confidence is a huge part of performance.

Confidence and anxiety are very closely related and that's something you have to guard. You need to know the difference between being confident and being anxious. "The problem was that the play-

chance of lifting the Asian Games title and earn a direct qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics. "My view is that we are progressing really well. There is a considerable difference in our level of performance from pre-World Cup to post-Commonwealth Games," the coach assessed.

"If you ask me are we in a position to do well, my answer would yes we are. I an very open and honest about what in think and i think this tournament puts us in a position where we can do extremely well. If we continue to do well then the opportunity to play in the final for the gold medal is in front of us." India won the Asian

Games only two times -the last time being 1998 edition in Bangkok. In the Incheon Games, India are placed in Pool B along side arch rivals Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka and Oman. India will open their campaign against minnows Sri Lanka (September 21) and Oman (September 23) before taking on tough teams like Pakistan (September 25) and China (September 27). "That's one of the advantages of being a higher ranked team in a competition because you get a chance to build into the tournament. We want to get progressively better as the tournament goes and build towards the semifinals," Walsh said.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 20th September 2014

Serbia beat India 3-2 in Davis Cup World Group play-off

India's agonising wait to return to the World Group continued as the hosts lost 2-3 to Serbia in the rainhit playoff tie after Yuki Bhambri surrendered tamely in the decisive fifth rubber against Filip Karjinovic in Bangalore on Monday.

Krajinovic turned out to be a hero for the Serbians with his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win as the 2010 champions reclaimed their place in the World Group. The result means that India will now again fight it out in Asia/Oceania zone in the 2015 season. The last time India had made it to the World Group was in 2011, interestingly losing to Serbia in the first round.

On Sunday, till the rain forced suspension of play in the second reverse singles between the number two players, Yuki was fighting tooth and nail following Somdev Devvarman's inspiring win over Dusan Lajovic.

However, Yuki did not look the same fighting player on Monday as he failed to rein in his unforced errors and failed

Serbian team

Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna

to grab his chances. Twice Yuki had the opportunity

to break Krajinovic and turn it around but he

failed to do so.

Coming to the courts, trailing 3-6, 4-4, dropping serve was the last thing Yuki needed but he did exactly that and when he had a chance for redemption in the next game, he could not do so.

He squandered two break points when Krajinovic was serving for the second set. Krajinovic though played like a man possessed as he saved the

breakpoint with a fiery ace. The Serbian was precise in his stroke-making and hit winners at will.

Playing a live fifth rubber for the first time, Yuki was far from convincing in his effort as he dropped serve in the first game of the third set at love as Krajonovic raced to a 3-1 lead.

Yuki's serve deserted him as he won only four points in three service games. He saved himself from falling further by saving two break chances in the fifth. The set went with serve and Krajinovic sealed the tie without any fuss.

In the 114-year-old history of Davis Cup, there have been only 51 instances when nations have came back from 0-2 to win the tie and India have done that only once when they beat Brazil in 2010 in Chennai. Somdev had won the fourth rubber then and Rohan Bopanna the fifth.

On Saturday, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna had brought India back with their stunning win in the doubles after the hosts

lost both the singles on Friday.

Somdev then pulled off a majestic win in the fourth rubber over Dusan Ljovic to lock the tie 2-2.

A disappointed Yuki conceded that he made quite a few mistakes.

"Whatever I did, it did not work. I repeated mistakes. I have not committed more mistakes in my 10-year career that what I did this week," Yuki said after the match.

"I had chances all week. Maybe I am not used to this kind of position. Twice I was up 30-0 on his serve, he was 15-40 at one stage but I could not take those," he added.

The results: Singles: Dusan Lajovic bt Yuki Bhambri 7-5, 6-2, 6-3; Filip Kranjinovic bt Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Doubles: Ilija Bozoljac/Nenad Zimonjic lost to Leander Paes/Rohan Bopanna 6-1, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 3-6, 6-8; Reverse singles: Lajovic lost to Devvarman 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6; Kranjinovic bt Bhambri 63, 6-4, 6-4.