AV 21st January 2023

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

Final commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Pramukh Swami Maharaj

R

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21 - 27 JANUARY 2023

09 Kolkata makes it to ‘World’s Top Food Destinations’: NRIs and Bengalis rejoice

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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14 Reviving Indian languages for the diaspora across the globe

Indian-origin Ravi Kumar the new CEO of Cognizant

MENDING BROKEN HEARTS Despite conscious diets, gym memberships and new year resolutions for better fitness, why are South Asians prone to cardiac health issues? We decode.

Privileged to create positive change for the local community, says British Asian magistrate

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VOL 51 - ISSUE 36

26 Meet Bibi, the star of an Oscarshortlisted documentary who saved hundreds of people

‘RRR’ scores major Golden Globes victory for ‘Naatu Naatu’ and Critics Choice Awards

Paramita Purkayastha

A quarter of Brits (25%) have ditched the gym in favour of exercising outdoors, according to a recent study by outdoor retailer GO Outdoors and mental health charity Mind. 61% of Brits agreed that the outdoors is where they feel most content and unburdened. A third of Brits (33%) have claimed that exercise helps to improve their mental health, and with many people making New Year’s resolutions to get fitter and work on their well-being, now is the perfect time to start.

Continued on page 06

L-R: Jr NTR, SS Rajamouli and Ram Charan at Golden Globes 2023

MM Keeravani’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ scored a major win at the Golden Globes this year, beating Grammywinners Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Rihanna for the coveted prize.

The song from SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ was nominated alongside songs from ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’, Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’.

Continued on page 31

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AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

21 - 27 January 2023

with Keith Vaz

British medical leaders seek urgent reform of GP visa rules

VALLISA CHAUHAN Vallisa Chauhan is a radio presenter, DJ and filmmaker. She graduated from Brunel University after studying Film and Television and embarked on her media career. She started working on a weekday radio show and during this time she started DJ'ing. Vallisa has had a very successful career in this field in the last 11 years both on radio and as one of the very few female Bollywood DJs in the UK. Vallisa also scripted and produced her own feature film called ‘Those 4 Walls’ which was directed by Ameet Chana and starred Kavi Shastri, Anthony Costa, Kabalan Verkumar, Amara Karan, Rakhee Thakrar, Kulvinder Ghir and Shaheen Khan.

She is currently working on a documentary and a few film projects as well as acting in the hit theatre show Mrs Kapoor’s daughter’s wedding.

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

New York, there is just something about it that has a part of my heart. I have been there 14 times already and have another trip booked for this year.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Presenting the flagship show on Lyca Radio, acting in Mrs Kapoor's Daughter's wedding, hosting the Rewind Tour with some massive Bollywood legends, and being nominated for Radio Presenter of the year at the Asian Media Awards.

3) What inspires you?

Seeing other people achieve. When I see someone who has managed to overcome obstacles and achieve it makes me feel like I am also capable of the same and it inspires me to work harder.

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Being a young Asian female in a man’s world. It isn't as much of a problem now as it was when I first started my career. I was naïve and although I knew I had the talent I let others tell me I wasn't good enough and I believe this held me back for a while.

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

My mum. She has always pushed me to achieve and has never stopped me from following my dreams. When I said I wanted to study Film and TV I didn’t get the usual response of that isn’t a career instead she supported me. Once I finished university it was my mum that said I should write a film and that is

exactly what I done.

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

Everything. I absolutely love my job and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I wake up at 4am every weekday morning and yet as soon as I hit the studio, I have a burst of adrenaline that takes over.

Being out in public and being recognised definitely gives me the extra boost needed as well as I am not just a voice anymore people know my face as well.

7) And the worst?

I suppose having to wake up so early.

It means I can’t always attend events that I would like to because I do get tired.

8) What are your long-term goals?

To work on more films, it’s a passion as well as a career and I would love to act in a film which has always been on my list of things I want to achieve. I also aim to have a TV show of my own and feel is I manifest this it will become a reality.

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

Make universities more accessible especially for the poor and free school meals for all children.

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

It may be cliché to say but Mahatma Gandhi as I feel that there is so much you can learn from him in such a short space of time to make yourself a better human being.

Uranium at Heathrow Airport not from Pakistan Islamabad denied reports by The Sun, the Guardian, and Sky News, that a package containing uranium that arrived at Heathrow Airport in December was from Pakistan, Al Jazeera reported.

“No information to this

effect has been shared with us officially. We are confident that the reports are not factual,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokeswoman of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Al Jazeera on Thursday.

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outlet to break the news, had claimed that the package was for Iranian nationals in the United Kingdom. A security analyst based in Islamabad, meanwhile, said that if the package did originate in Pakistan, it would indicate gross negligence in the country. “The detection of metal bars contaminated with ‘small quantity’ of uranium at London’s Heathrow airport is very concerning. If the port of origin of these metal bars is correct, that means the radioactive bars managed to pass through multiple scanning and security checks at a Pakistani airport,” they said.

The office of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, told Al Jazeera that there was no threat to public safety. “We do not comment on live investigations. But operationally, we do not currently assess that this poses any threat to the public,” the office said.

A chronic shortage of doctors led the British Medical Association to urge for streamlining the visa regulation for overseas general practitioners seeking to work in the UK, the Financial Times reported.

Brexit led to Britain relying more on non-EU doctors. But since Covid created a long-drawn-out crisis in the NHS, a ‘national solution’ was needed to make it easier for internationally qualified doctors to

work in the UK, as per an open letter to home secretary Suella Braverman sent by the Royal College of GPs sent last October.

Under the current system, individual GP practices pay a fee of up to £1,500 to become a licensed sponsor of skilled migrant workers needing visas.

Newly qualified GPs from overseas face a unique bureaucratic hurdle because they need to obtain a two-year “Tier 2” skilled

worker visa after their three-year training visa expires, putting additional burdens on GP practices.

This put off at least 30 per cent of international trainee GPs from joining the NHS, according to a survey carried out by the Royal College in 2022. A similar problem does not arise for other medical specialities, which take at least five years, after which all newly qualified doctors can apply for permanent status.

10 corrupt Russian oligarchs exploited ‘golden visa’ scheme Home secretary Suella Braverman revealed that ten Kremlin-backed oligarchs currently on the sanctions list over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine used the “golden visa” scheme for wealthy individuals to establish a base in the UK. The revelations were made at the end of a review into the tier 1 investor visa route, which found a “small minority” of the 6,312 people who had used the visa route between 2008 and 2015 “were potentially at high risk of having obtained wealth

through corruption or other illicit financial activity, and/or being engaged in serious and organised crime”.

Never again would there be a visa scheme based solely on the applicant’s wealth, Braverman added.

While the UK had visa schemes for the wealthy since 1994, the ‘golden visas’ focused exclusively on the applicant’s ability to invest at least £1mn in UK government bonds and shares or loan funds to UK companies, thus disproportionately

attracting applicants from countries identified “as particularly relevant to the cross-border money laundering risks faced and posed by the UK”, by Braverman’s own admission.

While the campaign group Spotlight on Corruption welcomed Braverman’s declaration, it also criticised the revelations which did not address the exact number of high-risk individuals, their countries of origin, and the exact nature of the risks that they posed.

Shamima Begum today In interviews for a new BBC podcast, The Shamima Begum Story, Shamima Begum said that regardless of what people thought of her or how the media portrayed her, she was not a 'bad person’, i reported.

Begum, now 23, was 15 when she fled Bethnal Green in east London with her friends Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria. In 2019, her British citizenship was revoked by

Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary at that time. The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2021 on account of her being a potential threat to national security. Begum, who was born in the UK, has been fighting the decision ever since.

“I’m just so much more than Isis and I’m so much more than everything I’ve been through,” she said in the interviews. Currently living in the ‘de-radicalised’ section of the Al-Roj detention camp

in north-east Syria, Begum is back to wearing Western clothing and reads English books on prisoners and refugees.

According to files obtained by the BBC, Begum and many more Britons were smuggled to the IS by a man who in turn was working as a spy for Canada. She went on to marry a new male recruit to the IS. Today, she says she wants to serve as a warning for other children facing radicalisation.

No action against 90% of complaints against police officers According to a report published by the Home Office last Thursday, no action was taken against 90 per cent of complaints against the police in 2021-2022. Out of 86,000 allegations, 89 per cent of complaints against police officers were categorised as “no action required” and 11 per cent

were assigned a “learning outcome”. Only 46 complaints had led to a hearing, which mostly resulted in a written warning. There were only nine sackings.

These revelations were made after the murder of Sarah Everard and other high-profile cases of corruption and racism. Out of the

The NHS must reform to survive, says Keir Starmer The NHS must reform in order to survive, said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer adding that the NHS should always be free at the point of use but there was also a role for the private sector, including to help clear waiting lists, he told BBC. When asked about reforms for the health service, Sir Keir told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme:

"No, we want to look at all sorts of reform."

"The reason I want to reform the health service is that I want to preserve it. I think if we don't reform the health service we will be in managed decline," he added.

"It will always have to be free at the point of use, it of course should be a public service. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't use effectively the private sector as well."

complaints filed, over 200 were for sexual misconduct, and 1,400 were for corruption and abuse of position.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, meanwhile, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was forced to reinstate police officers even after they had committed gross misconduct because other legal bodies had ruled that they could not be sacked.

The biggest cause of complaints against police officers across England and Wales was the way they responded to calls, followed by the general quality of service, and the use of force. A spokesperson for the Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the police must root out those officers ‘who fall seriously short of the acceptable standards of behaviour’ to ‘root out these officers to restore the public’s trust, which has been shattered by recent high-profile events’.

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21 - 27 January 2023

Thought for the week

Strikes, strikes, and more strikes - Is Britain back to being the sick man of Europe?

The British are believed to be resilient like no other. Even during Covid-19, despite all the challenges and failures that saw thousands of people dead, the community stood together, helped each other unconditionally.

In the 1970s, Britain was called “the sick man of Europe”.

A role previously played by the Ottoman empire in the late 19th century, the title was related to a poor growth record since the second world war combined with terrible industrial relations (29m days lost to strikes in 1979) to make many ask the question “Is Britain governable?”, according to The Economist.

While many thought, 2023 will bring many opportunities for the country, the relentless strikes make it harder to see a country on the path of financial recovery since Covid-19.

Thousands of people lost their posts during Christmas to a postal strike that continues.

Grandparents never saw that greeting card from their little grandchildren, and vice versa. Royal Mail was offered a pay deal worth up to 9% over 18 months - but the Communication Workers Union (CWU) wants more.

The UK has a strike calendar for January and months to come. The BBC reported that secondary school teachers are now striking in Scotland. It comes a day after primary school teachers went on strike, closing all primary schools.

A 6.85% increase for the lowest-paid was rejected, with teachers across UK arguing for 10%, after a 5% increase in 2022. The National Education Union (NEU) - the UK's largest education union with 450,000 members - has announced seven days strikes in February and March.

Some ambulance staff in England and Wales are striking

on 23 January, though the strikes will affect non-life-threatening calls only, but who decides what is a non-threatening life situation?

The Royal College of Nurses (RCN) has announced further strikes on 18 and 19 January in England as the union wants a 19% pay rise.

The University and College Union reportedly wants a pay rise worth either 2% above RPI inflation 12%, whichever is higher; pension benefits restored, and "excessive workloads" tackled. But an increase in pay definitely puts jobs at risk.

The problem at hand remains a vicious cycle of demand and supply. A country to fight off inflation and recession, will need professionals and businesses to deliver uninterrupted.

Failures to do so, will lead to slowing of economy, recession, job cuts and bigger cost of living crisis.

When Rishi Sunak read out his five priorities in the beginning of the year, he was criticised heavily for ducking the challenges that need addressing. The Prime Minister is currently controlling a rebellious bunch of Tory MPs, keeping them at bay, to ensure the government can function normally, providing a sense of stability we lacked in last two years. That is no mean feat. While Mr Sunak was vague on the problems the public wants him to solve, constant strikes in the 21st century has no place in the post Covid world. While worker and union strikes enrage the common man and woman, who are just trying to do their job, get somewhere or home in time or even get their health issues resolved, the lack of understanding among a few is leading to furthering problems for the most.

Sometimes the approach needs to change, and it seems a pandemic hasn’t taught us anything!

Diaspora demands restarting of London-Kolkata direct flights and launch petition The recent Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrated the contribution of the Indian community, living across the world. At an estimated 31 million, India has the largest diaspora in the world, according to a report by UN, with UAE and Saudi Arabia hosting the largest number of migrants from India.

In the UK, we have almost 1.5 million Indians, making up 2.5% of the population.

According to a survey by Insight UK, reportedly, 654 Indian diaspora owned companies through capital expenditure collectively invest around £2bn in the UK economy and the combined revenue of all identified companies is £37bn.

Among the Indians living in the UK, around 800,000 people are estimated to be of Gujarati descent and 600,000 of Punjabi heritage. The Indian Bengali population is however much smaller in comparison to the Bangladeshis settled in the UK. With a number which is estimated roughly around 60,000, the Indian Bengali population largely contributes to UK’s health, IT, legal and banking industries among other professional services. Most of these people have their roots in West Bengal since India’s independence as well as Bengal partition, with close friends and family still living there. And to visit them, they mostly travel to Kolkata airport via Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, UAE and the Middle East.

To ease the journey of diaspora visiting their families and friends in India, Air India, India's leading airline and a Star Alliance member has spread their network across the world, offering connections to over 70 international destinations.

Tata’s Vistara airlines too has joined the effort of connecting diaspora to roots, internationally.

But recently, Air India started regular flights from Birmingham to Amritsar including nonstop routes. Air India also last week launched 12 weekly flights to London Gatwick Airport and 5 additional services to London Heathrow Airport. This includes flights to Kochi, Kerala, from Gatwick (see report on page 7) to serve estimated 45,264 Malayalis living in the UK. The Indian Bengalis are therefore and rightfully demanding direct (if not non-stop) flights to Kolkata, at least thrice a week. In association with Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, the community is formally launching a petition on 22 January 2023 at Ealing Townhall, to collect signatures, so that they can persuade the Air India, Indian government, especially the Prime Minister, Aviation Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs to restart the direct flights. Though as a part of Vande Bharat mission, during Covid-19, there were nonstop and direct flights available to Kolkata for a short period of time, decades ago, British Airways and Air India have flown to Kolkata nonstop and directly, before continuing to other destinations from there, including Bangladesh. The petition will be formally launched by Heritage Bengal Global in association with our two newsweeklies, at HBG's annual Saraswati puja

and 126th birthday celebration of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Though the initial plan is to have London-Kolkata direct flights reinstated, this eventually could be extended to Midlands, North and Scottish airports, depending on the demand and could also prompt extending he route to north-eastern states of India from Kolkata, increasing and including passengers from other communities.

Direct flights are not just hassle free or important to save time for busy businessmen and professionals, who are on tight schedule, but it also helps pregnant women and the elderly, for whom disembarking and embarking an aircraft, transferring to another, sometimes after collecting and re-checking their luggage is a huge task. Often on social media, worried family members would be seen asking if anyone else is flying to Kolkata on a certain date on a certain flight, so that they could help their elderly parents (if need be), to change aircrafts or re-check luggage in Delhi or Mumbai. Though most times people come forward to help, a direct or nonstop flight will ensure such favours are unnecessary. Even if it’s not a non-stop flight, the sheer fact that you do not need to disembark the aircraft, makes it much easier for those with even slight mobility issues.

Why is Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar involved?

After being approached by several readers and, members of the Indian community, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar along with NCGO (UK), started a petition, asking the people to come forward and sign to restart direct flights between London and Ahmedabad. In a short span of time, over 18,000 petitions were collected. The people signing them were not only members of the diaspora, but also were prominent politicians, including British MPs, peers, councillors, and leaders of various organisations.

Unrelentingly working towards the cause, AV and GS did not dishearten despite the initial failure of the campaign due to political issues. In 2012, Prof Manoj Ladwa, along with actor and MP, Paresh Rawal, handed over several thousands of brand-new petition letters from British and Indian MPs, MLAs, and others, to Mr Modi's office.

Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, CB Patel spearheaded the campaign with his dexterity. He also held a dinner for Ministers and MLAs in Gandhinagar in 2013, and Gujarat MPs in Delhi headed by Hon. Shri Mansukhbhai Mandavia (currently the Health Minister) were present, discussing the direct flight issues at length. After years of pressurising and prompting, the campaign ended in success and the direct flight to Ahmedabad was restarted on 15 December 2015.

During his visit to Britain, PM Narendra Modi announced the resumption of the direct flight in November 2015 at Wembley Stadium, paying a tribute to CB’s relentless campaign and his indomitable spirit.

Faith is unseen but felt, faith is strength when we feel we have none, faith is hope when all seems lost. - Catherine Pulsifer

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel

How India Can Better Protect its Minorities According to Pew Research less than half of Hindus vote for the BJP and 20% of Muslims do.

According to the 2011 census, India's population is approximately 1.3 billion people, of which about 18.4% are considered a minority.

The Constitution of India guarantees the right to equality and prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The government has also implemented several laws and policies to protect the rights of minorities. These include the National Commission for Minorities Act, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, and the National Commission for Women Act. The Indian Constitution is one of the most progressive in the world when it comes to protecting the rights of minorities. It contains a number of provisions that ensure that the rights of minorities are respected and protected.

These include the right to freedom of religion, the right to practice one's own culture and language, and the right to equal protection under the law. The Constitution also provides for special measures to protect the interests of minorities, such as affirmative action in public employment and education. In addition, the Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression, and the right to form associations and unions.

The government also provides financial assistance to minority communities through schemes such as the Prime Minister’s 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities. Additionally, the government has set up special courts to ensure speedy justice for victims of discrimination.

These measures are aimed at ensuring that the rights of minorities are respected and protected in India.

The Indian government has taken a number of steps to address the needs of minorities in the country. In 2019, the government announced a 10-point agenda to ensure the welfare of minorities, which included initiatives such as the establishment of a National Commission for Minorities, the launch of a special scholarship program for minority students, and the creation of a National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation.

Additionally, the government has implemented various schemes and programs to provide access to education, health care, and employment opportunities for minority communities.

Furthermore, the government has also taken steps to ensure the protection of the rights of minorities, such as the establishment of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and the passing of the Protection of Human Rights Act. These measures have helped to ensure that the needs of minorities in India are being addressed.

In 2019, the government passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, which grants citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The government has also implemented a number of affirmative action policies, such as reserving seats in educational institutions and government jobs for members of minority communities. A Additionally, the government has established a number of programs to promote the economic and social development of minority communities, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. These initiatives are aimed at providing access to basic amenities, such as housing, healthcare, and education, to members of minority communities.

Take the CAA - can you imagine a Western country permitting citizenship to persecuted minorities in neighbouring countries? The key to remember with India is, those who wish to ignore the data and have their own narrative will always damn India whatever India does.

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Virgin Orbit to return to UK for another launch After the second stage failure of its rocket during its first UK launch last Monday, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit said in a stock market filing that it would attempt another rocket launch from Spaceport Cornwall, Reuters reported.

"Virgin Orbit ... anticipates returning to Spaceport Cornwall for additional launches, and is in active discussions with key government and commercial stakeholders in the UK to start planning mission opportunities for as soon as later this year," the company said. If it succeeded, Britain would be the first European nation to put satellites into orbit.

On Monday, the mission had taken off as scheduled from the airport in southwest England using a converted Boeing 747 aircraft. It even completed its stageone burn with the rocket being released successfully

from the aircraft over the Atlantic. "At some point during the rocket's flight through space, the upper stage experienced an anomaly… This anomalous event ended the mission, with the rocket components and payload descending to Earth within the approved safety corridor without having achieved orbit", the company said in its statement.

Currently, the company is investigating the failure, according to whom all issues identified during the investigation would be addressed before the next mission to be launched from Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Man jailed for 12 years for raping child 22-year-old Daniyal Hussain, a resident of Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, was found guilty of raping a boy and sentenced to 12 years in prison, the BBC reported.

Hussain was convicted of four counts of raping a boy under 13 and of four more counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Hussain had attacked his victim for several years, Teesside Crown Court heard. Hussein had denied all the charges brought against him, resulting in a distressing trial that concluded in midNovember last year.

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Rebecca Lisle from Cleveland Police's child abuse and vulnerable adult unit, said: "This was a very distressing case with a child victim and their family who, in giving their evidence, had to relive the trauma they

had already endured. I hope this result will go some way to help them as they try to come to terms with what they have gone through."

Following the trial, the Cleveland police urged people to come forward, whether they be people who had experienced sexual abuse themselves, or on behalf of someone else.

Chief Inspector Deb Fenny said, "We will listen to you, we will believe you and we will support you while working with our partner agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.”

Children strangled by father?

Two young children found seriously injured beside their mother a few days before Christmas were strangled to death, an inquest heard.

On 15 December, sixyear-old Jeeva Saju and his four-year-old sister Janvi Saju were found seriously injured in their home. They died on the same day at Kettering General Hospital.

Their mother Anju Ashok, 35, was already dead when the three were discovered in their flat in Petherton Court in Kettering.

According to Northamptonshire's senior coroner Anne Pember, her cause of death was ruled to be asphyxia even as more tests were ongoing.

Inquests into the three

deaths were opened and adjourned at the Guildhall in Northampton on Thursday, in a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, ITV reported. Their father and Ashok’s husband Saju Chelavalel, 52, was charged with three counts of murder.

Ashok had been a nurse at Kettering General Hospital since 2021. Her colleagues described her as ‘calm and collected’, caring and hard-working. They visited the scene to lay flowers. Her friend Jismi Chacko said: "I know that she's gone from our side but she's not gone from our hearts. She will be there forever. We are all in real shock, and we can't imagine working without her. It's sad for us."

Royal Mail faces ransomware attack The Royal Mail was attacked by a criminal hacker group leaving its services 'severely disrupted'. While the Royal Mail did not reveal any details during its disclosure of the attack on Wednesday, a document obtained by the Financial Times revealed it to be LockBit, a notorious ransomware operator believed to be based in Russia. Since its emergence three years ago, it has targeted multiple big organisations, adding to the growing risk of cyber threats.

Ransomware attacks typically work by theft of log-in credentials, which the hackers then use to encrypt data, effectively locking the target company out of its own systems. Unless the company paid the ransom

within a particular time, the data was released to the dark web. According to threat analyst of Emsisoft Brett Callow, LockBit’s demands depended upon each company’s ability to pay, and might as well demand £1mn from the Royal Mail.

The incident occurred on the heels of strike action

by Royal Mail employees for 18 days over the past five months as the company remained locked in a dispute with postal staff over modernisation plans and payment. While the company did not reveal for how long its services would be affected or even more importantly, what data was compromised, it was unable to send parcels and letters overseas.

Wales to increase council tax on second homes In a bid to make it easier for locals to buy properties, Wales will introduce tax laws in April that will require second homeowners to pay up to three times the usual rate of council tax.

First minister Mark Drakeford said the move would address the anxieties of first-time Welsh buyers of being priced out of the place they were born in. “The northwestern and western seaboard of Wales [will be] where [housing] issues are the most concentrated,” Drakeford said, referring to research by officials suggesting a high concentration of second homes in beauty spots like Snowdonia. “We are trying to preserve the character of those areas . . . if

you visit a ghost village, because there is no one living there any more, all the things that made it worth visiting there will have been eroded.”

Landlords of ‘self-catering’ properties, meanwhile, have to show that they are letting out for at least 182 days, instead of the previous 70, to continue receiving small business rate relief and avoid paying council tax.

The Welsh government will also introduce a ‘tourist tax’ policy within the next year to charge visitors a small fee in some areas.

Drakeford said he had already discussed it with tourism executives and requested their cooperation to make it work.

Uxbridge, Hounslow and Harrow could be among worst UK towns Uxbridge, Hounslow and Harrow are in the running for the 'the worst place to live in England' in 2023. According to a massive poll conducted every year by ilivehere, a website whose only apparent job is to sort the best places from the worst in the UK, the three West London towns featured in the evershrinking list for 2023, MyLondon reported.

Portsmouth also emerged to be a close contender. The voting for 2023 to "choose which provincial dirt hole in England is going to take the title of the worst place to live in the whole country" was extended to January 31 "to let all you work-based slackers vote," the organisers said. While Harrow and Hounslow are not technically towns but boroughs, they retained their

places in the race to the bottom.

The towns have their prominent redeeming graces, regardless of what most of the UK thinks.

TripAdvisor recommends Hounslow for its bars and live music, and its pick-ups and drop-offs from Heathrow Airport. Uxbridge meanwhile has some of the best Japanese and Italian restaurants in the UK. Harrow, on the other hand, is the perfect place for world foods, including Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Middle Eastern and Indian.

UK minister delayed by Israeli police during Jerusalem site visit Lord Tariq Ahmad, the UK’s Middle East minister and the Minister for Human Rights, was blocked for 30 minutes from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite the Waqf board sharing his details with the police guarding the gates beforehand, the BBC reported.

He was allowed to enter only after the UK officials accompanying him showed the police tweets with his pictures of meeting the Israeli Foreign Minister on Wednesday. As the UK government does not allow Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem, official visits to the place are not coordinated between the two countries.

Lord Ahmed played later told the BBC that it was "security checks, whatever they needed to do", while the Waqf administering the site condemned the police’s actions in no uncertain

terms. "Whether he came as a minister or as a Muslim he shouldn't have been blocked,” they said. The minister, a practising Muslim, then toured the site and prayed in the mosque.

The al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest site for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. The site of two Biblical temples, it is also venerated by Christians and is often the epicentre of tensions and conflicts between the Jews and Muslims worldwide.

Bride pulls off wedding in 48 hours at the Quorn Hotel After the Quorn Country Hotel received unexpected notification for immediate closure as the Home Office considers the possibility of turning it into a refuge for asylum seekers, it called Pooja Devani who had booked the venue to get married on January 29. But the 27-yearold paediatric doctor from Hamilton did the unimaginable- she planned her wedding with her fiancé Arjuna Thakker, also a doctor, within two days, and got married at the venue on January 8, just a day before the place closed.

She told LeicestershireLive that when she went to plead with the hotel after receiving the call on January 5, she was met with teary-eyed hotel

workers. "I really did feel for them because they had to be the bearer of bad news and I don't even know if they will still have their jobs. I asked them to consider that same weekend and they said if I could do it, I could use the venue."

With the help of her wedding planner Charlotte Manson, the hotel staff, and her ‘powerhouse’ family, she not only pulled off the wedding, but could also attend her hen night, and her husband his stag night. Around 65 of the original 85 invited guests made it to the wedding, and with the sun coming out right on cue after a week of poor weather, it was the ‘best day’ for Devani.

60 nurses resign at St George’s Hospital For five days, mental health patients at a major South London hospital are being treated in A&E and 60 nurses have put down their papers from one department, a local MP has revealed.

Putney MP Fleur Anderson described the situation facing St George’s Hospital in Tooting as “chaotic” while the NHS is in crisis. Ms Anderson said for the first time in the hospital’s history, staff had been forced to treat patients in corridors.

Meanwhile, St George’s NHS Trust has announced that it was under “extreme pressure” earlier in January – and expects to be “very busy” over the coming months.

On January 11, Ms Anderson told the House of Commons that “pain, suffering and preventable deaths are up, GP waiting times are up, A&E waiting times are up, mental health and cancer assessment times are up” and said there are “huge gaps in community care”.

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Sanitary pad manufacturing plant set to improve the lives of 50,000 Ugandan girls and women Up to 50,000 Ugandan lives will be significantly improved after the Ugandan Red Cross Society partnered with a UK charitable foundation to build a manufacturing plant for re-usable sanitary pads.

Thanks to significant grant funding from the Randal Charitable Foundation the plant in Namakwa, Mukono district of Uganda, will also create employment opportunities for over 200 vulnerable girls and women who will be trained to make and market the pads.

Once fully established the plant will manufacture 200,000 re-usable pads per year, which is an equivalent of 50,000 4-pad packs.

Around 20 percent of the pads will be given to 10,000 vulnerable girls in-school free of charge. The remaining 80 percent will be commercialised to 40,000 girls and women in the wider community at a subsidised price, which will ensure the long-term sustainability of the manufacturing facility.

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, Founder and Chair of Trustees of the Randal Charitable Foundation, said: “Our mission is to directly

save and significantly improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society in the UK and globally.

“This project is so beneficial to the community because without access to high quality sanitary pads and toilets, or washrooms for changing, many girls and women are not able to go far

from their homes.

“The consequence of this is that they often cannot attend school, and in many cases become trapped in their homes unable to earn a living to support their families.

“We are delighted with our partnership with the Ugandan Red Cross Society because the manufacturing facility will have the dual benefits of ensuring girls are able to stay in school to gain a good education, and in many cases a future free of extreme poverty. It will also deliver sustainable skilled employment to the women and girls involved in the production and sale of the pads.”

Media agency founder honoured Founder and Chairman of multi-cultural marketing agency Here and Now 365, Manish Tiwari, was conferred The Freedom of the City title on the 6th of January 2023, at a solemn admission ceremony in the Chamberlain’s Court at Guildhall, London.

Considered to be ‘one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies still in existence today’, the tradition of conferring the title is believed to have started in 1237.

Historically, this recognition gave a Freeman the Right to Trade, thus enabling members of a Guild or Livery to carry out their trade or craft in the Square Mile. 'Freeman' designated individuals were no more a property of a feudal lord but in fact, were privileged as they had the right to own land and earn money.

Manish Tiwari read the

Manish Tiwari (centre), founder, Here & Now

‘Declaration of a Freeman’ and signed the Freeman’s Declaration Book, before being presented with the Copy of the Freedom—a parchment document inscribed by a calligrapher, along with a copy of the ‘Rules for the Conduct of Life’ which date from the mid-eighteenth century.

Freeman Manish Tiwari said: “On the strength of its multi-cultural legacy The City continues to grow and prosper. It remains at the

Tributes paid to Birmingham dad killed in Pakistan Police have launched a murder probe against a Birmingham dad who was killed in Pakistan. Tributes have been paid for him.

Father-of-four Sajid Sharif was seen as a man who 'touched millions of hearts'.

The 50-year-old businessman used to run

Button & Lace House, in Alum Rock, and other

shops across the city.

Before he was reportedly killed by a gunman on 5 January at his family home in Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi, he had recently celebrated his son's wedding during a visit to Pakistan.

Mr Sharif's death has shocked loved ones in the

UK and abroad, a family member said.

At his funeral, the following day in Gujar Khan, more than 1,500 mourners paid their respects In connection with Mr Sharif's murder, two men have been held in custody and police inquiries are said to be continuing.

forefront of Global finance by leveraging its past and embracing change. I am honoured to be a part of this legacy.”

Before 1996, the Freedom was only open to British or Commonwealth Citizens. Now, however, it has been extended globally and persons of any nationality may be admitted either through nomination or by being presented by a Livery Company.

The legacy is shared by historical figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, Margaret Thatcher and legends such as Professor Stephen Hawking, Morgan Freeman and contemporary statesmen such as John Kerry.

The proud moment for Manish was shared by his family, friends, and colleagues at the ceremony in Guildhall.

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MENDING BROKEN HEARTS Continued from page 1 Despite following regimented fitness routines and conscious diet plans, South Asians are inevitably one of the most vulnerable ethnic groups when it comes to heart diseases. So much so that the American Heart Association along with several other medical groups recommended considering the patient’s ethnicity for the first time in 2019 while determining their cardiovascular risks and treatment options based on research carried out on heart health among South Asian by a team of researchers.

While the regular accepted BMI is 25, for South Asians, there have been public awareness campaigns like ‘Screen at 23’ urging to bring down the threshold BMI to 23 dur-

ation South Asians in the UK do not have the same risk profile as firstgeneration South Asians. Also, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are often at increased cardiovascular risk. This is due to poorer nutrition, lack of exercise, and smoking. We also know that cardiovascular disease is more com-

Varun Bhanot

Lavina Mehta MBE

ing health screenings. While a part of cardiac issues is possibly governed by genetics, stress remains one of the biggest contributing factors when it comes to ailments of the heart. Asian Voice spoke to renowned doctors, nutritionists, trainers as well as stressed desk job workers to understand the most common reasons behind the problem, and we found some really good recommendations along the way.

The recommended solutions are often easier to adopt than the expensive gym subscriptions we buy every new year, only to ditch them a few weeks down the line once the going gets tough.

The South Asians with broken hearts Joanne Whitmore, a Senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, told Asian Voice, “The risk of coronary heart disease is up to 50 per cent higher in first-generation South Asians than in the white European population in the UK. However, there may be differences in risk depending on your ethnic origin. Those at the highest risk are people from a Bangladeshi heritage, followed by people from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka – but even people from a Sri Lankan heritage may be at higher risk than white Caucasians. This increased risk is partly to do with body shape and diabetes. People from a South Asian background tend to develop fat around their middle and this increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which could then lead to coronary heart disease and a heart attack. While lifestyle factors will play a role, genetics and ethnicity also contribute to someone’s increased risk of developing diabetes or coronary heart disease.”

Dr Arjun Ghosh, a multiple international and national awardwinning Consultant Cardiologist at Barts Heart Centre and University College London Hospital and researcher, breaks this down further. “Alongside the genetic factors, there may be some environmental factors which may adversely affect the risk profile – mainly in terms of diet and exercise. There is emerging data to suggest that the environmental factors are modifiable to the extent that second and third-gener-

mon in males and increases with age (in men and women). A healthy diet, exercise, weight loss, and not smoking will all be very beneficial in controlling risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” he said.

This might resonate with Neha, a 36-year-old vice president of a bank in the UK and a mother of two girls aged five and three in the UK. Her father passed away at 52 due to cardiac arrest after a meal one seemingly fine day. He did not have any pre-existing health issues. So once her GP diagnosed her as borderline obese, she signed up for an online exercise regimen with Withstand Fitness last year, because she wants to be a healthier person, a better mother, and be there for her children. She told Asian Voice what made the startup based in India stand out to her, “They take your heart rate and they know what your average heart rate is, the resting heart rate and while you're working out. And if there is any slight change, if you say you're now feeling heavy after a particular exercise, they will stop you. So they will monitor it online to make sure you don't cross your leg because I think people are sometimes overdoing it as well and falling into that trap. So they ensure that you don't overdo it as well because that's the other extreme that we're seeing now.

Aren’t people working out in the gym and falling flat?”

Move your body Breaking the exercise down to bits is something that personal trainer, wellness coach, and fitness activist Lavina Mehta MBE recommends as well. She told Asian Voice, “Prior to the pandemic I raised a national campaign to “Get UK Asians Fit” as I was alarmed by the statistics.

According to diabetes.co.uk, UK South Asians are up to six times more likely to have diabetes than the white population, and with diabetes, prevalence predicted to increase by 47% by 2025, the condition will continue to have a considerable impact on South Asian communities across the UK. They also have a two-fold increased risk of heart disease compared to the general population. The risk of coronary heart disease is up to 50% higher in first-generation South

Asians than in the white European population in the UK. Diabetes increases your risk of CHD and of having a heart attack. We also know that Asians and Minority ethnic people are still less likely than the overall average population in England to be physically active.

Exercise is so important as it makes your heart stronger. This

care of their health so they learn to swim. For me, I don't know swimming, I never was accustomed to, nor was I ever entertained, to go and swim.”

Yoga helped Sourav’s father-inlaw cure his heart blockage which was detected when he was 55.

According to Sourav, South Asian ancestors knew how to strike the

Azmina Govindji

Dr Arjun Ghosh

helps it pump more blood with each heartbeat (cardiac output). This delivers more oxygen to your body.

With more oxygen, your body functions more efficiently. Exercise can also lower blood pressure. It reduces your risk of heart disease, provides healthier cholesterol levels & better blood sugar regulation to help prevent heart attack or stroke.

Being physically active is a major step towards good heart health.

Current guidelines are to do at least two strength training workouts and 150 minutes of moderateintensity aerobic activity per week.

However, people struggle to do even 30 minutes. This is where I recommend my concept of ‘exercise snacking’ - if you don’t have time to do 30 minutes of exercise all in one go, you can break it into smaller snacks to fit more easily into your daily routine. My exercise snacks or short bursts (say 6x 5 minutes of brisk walking) are just as good as doing 30 minutes. A study shows that exercise snacks provide a 40% reduction in blood sugar (glucose levels) and blood fats (triglyceride levels.).”

The disparity between the cultures of South Asia and Britain when it comes to being active is something that was acutely understood by Sourav, a 35-year-old IT professional in the UK. He told Asian Voice that one thing he observed after coming to the UK was the importance the British culture placed on the physical and overall health development of children from a very young age.

According to him, it was so much ingrained among the British that even his colleagues stuck in desk jobs like him took time out to go to the gym or at least seek out some form of physical activity, something that was glaringly absent among his South Asian peers.

“Here every neighbourhood would have a big park. Anyone can go and you'd have a lot of amenities there. Whereas in India, you’d struggle to find proper playgrounds.

You don't have a proper swimming pool, even the ponds that have been filled. As an example, swimming is something that is a frequent activity here and people are more used to it.

But swimming isn't a general practice back in South Asian countries.

Whereas if you don't know how to swim here, it would not be a general case and people would assume you had some serious reasons for not learning it. They would ask, “Are you not necessarily fit, or do you have any health problem that you are not swimming?” Right from the schooling days when they're actually in their school, they're taken outside to the swimming pool to take

balance between the physical, the mental, and the spiritual, something which is getting lost in the overstressed lifestyles in developing countries in the 21st century. For Neha, what helped was the online mode, as it easily allowed her to fit in half an hour to 45 minutes of exercise during her office breaks.

Working out together with other women too gave her a sense of community and motivated her.

Among the South Asians in the UK, another factor is the affordability of gyms or personal trainers during a time when a pandemic created irreparable damages, leading to a high cost-of-living crisis. Not only did it lead to people doing more work due to being stuck at home to make ends meet, but it also made them cut down on what was not naturally ingrained in them as a bare essential- in this case, assisted exercise. Apart from walking distances for which she previously used to drive, Neha, for instance, found the online mode of exercising cheaper than something that she would spend on herself by going to the gym. And it is not only South Asians. According to a recent study by outdoor retailer GO Outdoors and mental health charity Mind, a quarter of the British (25%) have ditched the gym in favour of exercising outdoors. Varun Bhanot, the co-founder of fitness assistant MAGIC, had a solution for this to share with Asian Voice: "In my early twenties I lived a pretty unhealthy lifestyle and got into a position where, according to a personal trainer, I was clinically obese. I realised I had to do something to change this otherwise I was at risk of health problems, so I started working with a PT. I went through a pretty radical transformation and felt so much healthier and happier.

I'd never even lifted a dumbbell before and suddenly I'd lost a quarter of my body fat. The problem is that the way I'd achieved this wasn't very accessible. Personal training is expensive, and it's difficult for people to get started in the gym without knowing what to do. Post covid people want a lot more flexibility when it comes to fitness too. And so, the idea of MAGIC was born. I wanted to create something that could automate a lot of the things a personal trainer can do, and give people the opportunity to achieve amazing transformations at home.

And we decided a combination of AI and hardware could do that with MAGIC- the UK's first AI Home Gym.” Home made food to the rescue There is a prevalent perception that it is the South Asian diet that could lead to an increased risk of

cardiovascular diseases. The New York Times, for example, quoted the aforementioned team of researchers in claiming that high rates of cardiovascular diseases are prevalent among the people who follow either completely South Asian diets or completely Western diets composed of red meat, and alcohol. But what the study did not mention is the significant difference between the diet among South Asians in their countries of origin which is much more varied and healthier to that adopted by migrant communities which is more standardized, market-oriented, and less healthy. Sadly, the latter is now making its way back to the countries of origin and changing the original food cultures, and worse, passing off as ‘South Asian’ diet even in reputed news publications.

Azmina Govindji, nutritionist and a media spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, has a very wholesome take on this. She tells Asian Voice, "Food is an integral part of South Asian culture and there’s no reason why we should deny ourselves our favourite foods to be healthy. Indeed, traditional South Asian cuisine can be very nutritious – we just need to be mindful of our cooking methods and portion sizes. Think about dahls, whole grain chapatis, raita, salad, lean meat and fish - these can all be part of a heart-healthy diet.

What's important for us is to be mindful of things like saturated fat and sodium. Too much-saturated fat can raise the bad (LDL) cholesterol in your blood, making you more prone to heart disease. And sodium found in salt is associated with high blood pressure and strokes.

It’s easy to be an unhealthy vegetarian. You could be eating fried veggie samosas, barfi and chilli paneer and still keep to a vegetarian diet. Paneer is not cottage cheese; in fact, it is full-fat cheese. When researching my latest book Vegan Savvy: the Expert's Guide to Nutrition on a Plant-based Diet, I noticed that many South Asian people have started cooking with coconut oil, but did you know that coconut oil is made up of about 86% saturated fat? That's more than the amount you get in butter or ghee!

We can't do anything about our genetics, but we can make small changes to our lifestyles to reduce our risks. Eating a varied nutritious diet doesn't mean we have to change from curries to boiled vegetables. It is possible to still eat your favourite traditional foods whilst keeping to a heart-friendly eating plan.

One of the tools I've developed in my practice is the ‘VVPC Picture your Plate Model’. You don't need to avoid meat or your favourite foods - just fill more of your plate with vegetables and salad. The VVPC plate has room for all types of food and is the foundation of planning any meal, whether it’s the occasional desk lunch, family dinner, or dining out at your favourite restaurant. Whenever you eat lunch or dinner: imagine your plate split into four quarters. Fill two of these quarters with vegetables or salad, one with healthier carbs (like brown rice or wholemeal roti) and one with lean protein (lean meat, chicken breast, fish, or dhal-based curry).

Whenever you dish up or sit down to a meal, visualise this image, or just think of the letters VVPC.”

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Readmit Zimbabwe to Commonwealth, Lord Loomba urges

Air India confirms London Gatwick launch From the March end, Air India will serve London Gatwick and has announced flights to the UK's second-busiest airport from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, and Kochi.

Not Heathrow but Gatwick will have 12x weekly Air India services: 3x weekly each from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, and

Kochi. At Gatwick airport, two Air India aircraft will be on the ground simultaneously.

Heathrow will have flights from the core and higher-yielding Delhi and Mumbai and both now with higher frequencies, and noncore and lower-yielding routes will be served from lower-cost Gatwick.

In 2019, London-Delhi had over 700,000 P2P passengers with an average fare of $308. When split over distance, its fare per mile was $0.073, nearly double the likes of London-Kochi. With 562,000 London passengers, compared to Delhi Mumbai was a smaller market. However, its average fare was $349, with a fare per mile of $0.078.

Family threatens legal action against soldiers at Windsor Castle for ‘racial discrimination’ Two soldiers at Windsor Castle have been accused of discrimination by a Sikh family. During a visit, Rapinder Kaur, 36, says she, her turban-wearing husband and their two-year-old child were subjected to abuse by guards. The family is now threatening to take legal action against the government. Ms Kaur said that when the

family were walking alongside the castle’s wall, two soldiers made inappropriate “We are watching you” gestures while laughing and showing them the middle finger.

They have made complaints to the Royal Collection Trust, which operates the palace, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which bears responsibility for the

guards.

It has been a year and yet the matter still hasn’t been dealt with properly.

Ms Kaur and her husband have had no response to their complaint other than an emailed apology from a top-ranking lieutenant, and guidance that the soldiers would receive refresher training.

Receptionists outnumber family doctors As per the data, the number of GP receptionists is rising at three times the rate of family doctors.

Across England, nearly 10% more than the number of GPs, there are almost 40,000 receptionists working in doctors’ surgeries.

The rate at which receptionists are growing is also three times faster than that of family doctors, according to the figures, published by NHS Digital and analysed by The Telegraph.

Family doctors switched to telephone and video appoint-

ments, with many also switching to online booking systems during the pandemic.

According to public feedback reported last November to Healthwatch England, the healthcare consumer body, patients continue to face “long waits” to get through to GPs on the phone, often with appointments booked up when they get through.

Meanwhile, the Royal College of GPs said that non-GP staff can aid to free up doctors’ time, but

warned “they are not replacements”.

Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the body’s chairman, said: “Whilst GP numbers have fallen, the number of patients needing our care, and the complexity of their health conditions, has escalated.

“The intense workload and workforce pressures caused by this mismatch is leading many GPs to burn out and consider leaving the profession earlier than they planned, at a faster rate than new GPs are entering it.”

It would be better to work with Zimbabwe within the Commonwealth to address its continuing failings in democracy and human rights than to ostracise the country, crossbench Peer Lord Loomba told the House of Lords in a Grand Committee debate on 12 January 2023.

Noting that humanitarian organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported continuing human rights violations since President Mugabe left office a little over five years ago, the philanthropic peer nevertheless felt there is a significant difference since 2003, when Zimbabwe walked out of the Commonwealth. Agreeing that human rights violations cannot be swept under the carpet, he felt the question is whether exclusion from the Commonwealth is useful in achieving improvements – “and I, my Lords,” he said, “am firmly of the opinion that it is not.”

Lord Loomba said, “For the Commonwealth to foster improvements in democracy and human rights, its members must be willing to work together towards that goal.

The reason Zimbabwe walked away in 2003 is that it had no intention of doing so, and there was no prospect of a process that could see the suspension lifted. For all the questions that hang over Zimbabwe’s current record, I do not believe that to be the case now.

“The Commonwealth is found-

ed on what for most members is a painful past and turns it into a force for good.

Understanding wrongful – both behaviour intended and unconscious – creates the opportunity to put it right. That applies to all of us.”

Lord Loomba reminded the House of Lords that “in 2021, the British government expressed concerns about democracy in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda and Tanzania.” In almost two thirds of Commonwealth countries, he pointed out, homosexuality is illegal – mostly based on laws inherited from Britain. 26 member countries have blasphemy laws, while 16 million people across the Commonwealth are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery.

On the positive side of the ledger, he said, “Zimbabwe last year passed a law giving equal inheritance rights to women in common law marriages.” This development benefits widows, whose cause is espoused by Lord Loomba’s charity, The Loomba Foundation.

“If Zimbabwe – a country with as much claim as any to have suffered from its colonial past – wishes to be readmitted to the Commonwealth on the basis of its values and its charter,” Lord Loomba concluded, “we should welcome that as a positive step and work with Zimbabwe as we do with other members to achieve progress.”

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Johnson received biggest single contribution to an MP at £1mn Boris Johnson became the MP to receive the biggest donation on record at one million pounds, according to data from the Electoral Commission. The donation was made by Brexiteer and crypto investor Christopher Harborne, putting him much ahead of Sir Keir Starmer, who at £740,000 in multiple donations had been the most donated to MP during this parliament before this, according to Sky News.

The figures were made public by Westminster Accounts, a tool launched last week jointly by Sky News and Tortoise Media by collating for the first time the incomes from MPs’ second jobs and donations, in addition to their base salary of £84,144. According to the latest updates, Boris

Johnson is now the most donated-to MP, followed by Sir Keir Starmer, Liz Truss, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and Housing Secretary Michael Gove.

The database will also make it easier to uncover the sources behind the donations, and provide a closer look at MP’s second jobs which are due to be limited with bans coming into effect from March 2023. But those measures will not affect income from speeches, TV appearances, and legal work. Johnson earned over a million pounds in speeches since stepping down as Prime Minister in September, according to the register of members' financial interests.

Partygate continues to rock with claims of sex and shredded evidence As Boris Johnson’s public hearing over his involvement with and handling of the raucous party at Downing Street draws near, fresh details emerged about the April 2021 event, according to an ITV News podcast, the Mirror reported. The allegations included at least two couples having sex, including inoffice rooms, during the raucous party at a time when social gatherings indoors were still banned for people from different residences.

The claims also included evidence being destroyed, leading Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner to ask, “What did they have to hide?”

Tom Brake, director of Unlock Democracy, said: "There can be no excuse for

shredding documents and only one explanation - there is something damning to hide and evidence is being deliberately destroyed."

The ITV podcast ‘Partygate: The Inside Story’ also claimed that only half of the rule-breaking parties were ever investigated by Ethics chief Sue Gray or the Metropolitan Police.

The Privileges Committee is currently investigating whether Johnson’s denials regarding the party in which he was absent were contempt of Parliament. If it is proved so during the public hearing, he could be suspended or be faced with a by-election, squashing hopes for a No10 return forever.

UCU announces major strike for 18 days The University and College Union (UCU) announced that more than 70,000 staff from 150 universities, including academics, lecturers, administrators and librarians, will go on strike for 18 days between March and April this year, i reported.

The union is demanding a pay rise above 5 per cent and an end to insecure contracts, including better working and pension conditions. On 12 January, UCU rejected an offer of a pay rise of between 4 and 5 per cent from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) in favour of a more inclusive settlement. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said in a statement, “‘University staff dedicate their lives to education and they want to get back to work, but that will

only happen if university vice-chancellors use the vast wealth of the sector to address over a decade of falling pay, rampant insecure employment practices and devastating pension cuts. The choice is theirs.”

In November 2022, tens of thousands of staff walked out for three days over the same demands. While the dates for this year’s industrial action are yet to be announced, the union said it was mulling the possibility of extending the strike by including boycotting marking and assessment from April.

Why are people celebrating Divorce Day? “Divorce, in your own time, is a milestone that can be celebrated personally”, says VARDAGS President Ayesha Vardag Shefali Saxena and Paramita Purkayastha The first Monday of the New Year has long been known among solicitors and counsellors as "Divorce Day", marking the day when lawyers reportedly see a spike in couples filing to end their marriages. According to UK-based law firm Wright Hassall, there has been a huge increase in divorce enquiries on average in January, with searches for ‘divorce lawyer’ 36.08% higher in January 2021 than the 2021 average. Additionally, Google searches for ‘how to start divorce’ were 52.38% higher in January 2020 than the rest of the year's average.

Sharing her perspective on Divorce Day, Ayesha Vardag, President VARDAGS (a divorce and family law firm) told Asian Voice, “In the weeks following my divorce, decades ago, my friends persuaded me that a ‘divorce party’ was the perfect way to relaunch and empower myself, as a single woman aged 30. So, I went ahead and rented a room above a gastropub in Islington, ready to begin the festivities in a suitably bold pair of black leather trousers. But it didn’t work.

The bubbles and buzz of other beings couldn’t mask my heartbreak. I didn’t want to celebrate the loss of my soulmate. And even as time has passed and the wounds have healed, I still regret the divorce party. Though not a total disaster, I just wasn’t ready. It didn’t feel right, and it did nothing to ‘relaunch or empower’ me at the time. But divorce, in your own time, is a milestone that can be celebrated

personally. Once time has allowed you to process the grief - or even just the unfamiliarity of separation divorce can be a real opportunity for growth, freedom to develop oneself, new love(s) and new opportunities. Forget about divorce parties - your future is the thing worth celebrating.”

Poonam Chudasama, Family Solicitor at My Family Law UK was quoted by an online publication saying, “Divorce Day, as it is known, is seen to be the busiest day for divorces but as a solicitor dealing with divorces, I can tell you this categorically is not the case.

The first week of January after all the holidays and children going back to school is, without doubt, a time for reflection and there is certainly an increase in enquiries about divorce proceedings, but I find that people want to be prepared before they start any such proceedings because there are more important issues to resolve such as finances and children. Having a set day like Divorce Day, and how it is portrayed in the media, is insensitive to families struggling in their marriages.

There are emotional factors in play as well as dealing with a very practical process to end a marriage. However, I have seen a 40% increase in applications for divorce over the past 10 months.”

Discussing Divorce Day, Dr Kaveri Qureshi, Senior Lecturer, School of Social and Political Science, The University of Edinburgh, told the newsweekly, “Sociologists used to describe British Asians as 'flying the flag for tradition-

al family life'. But whilst the levels of lone parenthood among British Asians remain far, far lower than those in Black British families, at 14% and 12% respectively, the proportion of Pakistani and Bangladeshi children growing up in loneparent families in 2019 was not really very far off the 19% of White British children. This shows us that we need to challenge the idea that British Asian families are straightforwardly 'traditional' families.” Here, she referenced data from the 2019 Labour Force Survey of England and Wales that shows that 63% of Black Caribbean, 62% of Black Other and 43% of Black African children are growing up in lone-parent families.

Dr Qureshi’s research has explored the reasons behind British Asian divorces. According to her, the reasons for any individual marriage breaking down are highly complex, but she drew out four broad patterns: marriage breakdowns as a result of a lack of (financial) commitment; women not putting up with any more of the power inequalities in their marriage; sexual unfairness and infidelity; and partners wanting love and not getting it. So, even though there might often be cultural particularities to the marriage dynamics (eg. when the couple lives with extended family members, marriages often coming about by family arrangement, or involving marriage migration) it seems that British Asian couples have similar marital expectations to those described for majority ethnic couples.

“Very few of the separating couples I spoke to had been to a relationship therapist or counsellor - this seems to be because ethnic majority therapists tend to either not understand, or to exoticize the cultural differences at play,” Dr Qureshi told us.

She further added, “People often assume that divorce is highly stigmatised in British Asian families.

Although my research did identify many cases where divorces led to very significant frictions, and sometimes to separating partners - especially women - becoming cut off from their families; overwhelmingly, people described their families coming around to things over time. So it seems that British Asian communities have taken on board the fragility of marriage and the possibility of divorce and that this is changing the practices of family life in subtle ways, to accommodate new expectations about how family members should behave in the context of divorce.”

So does this mean that with Divorce Day, young South Asians are jumping on the bandwagon of the latest fad? No. Factors like children, finances and the larger society continue to play very important roles in making a decision as significant as filing for a divorce. Rather, for those celebrating Divorce Day, it can be taken as a mark of more financially and socially liberated people gradually refusing to compromise for something that no longer works for them, especially compared to their often-first-generation immigrant seniors.

Prostrate cancer diagnosis in UK depends on ‘postcode lottery'

Armed robber threatens staff, robs Reading Cake Box store

The charity Prostrate Cancer UK warned that men in the UK are at the mercy of a ‘postcode lottery’ of care, the Evening Standard reported. The patients’ locations determined at which stage their prostate cancer was detected. The various data sets used by the charity revealed that at 35%, Scotland had the highest percentage of men diagnosed at stage 4 cancer, followed by the North East and Yorkshire at 20.1%, while in London it was 12.5%.

Prostrate cancer in the early stages has no symptoms, meaning its early diagnosis depends upon awareness and access. Black men and men with a family history of the disease are especially vulnerable. While the data was collected before the pandemic, the charity said the situation

A woman in her 30s was threatened by an armed robber in broad daylight in a Cake Box store in Reading on 10 January, ITVX reported.

The man entered the store in Wokingham Road just after midday, moved to the front counter to access the till, and threatened the victim with an unknown weapon before stealing the cash box and leaving. The woman was not injured during what was described as a ‘frightening ordeal’ by investigating officer PC Kelly Janaway from Reading police station.

The robber was a white man of unknown age and slim build. He was wearing a dark blue zipped jacket over a pair of black trousers with a white stripe on either side and had plain black trainers on his feet. He had a base-

would not have improved since, with health services being under unprecedented pressure.

Laura Kerby, chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This postcode lottery for cancer diagnosis simply isn’t fair… Every man should get an equal chance of a cure, which is only possible if his cancer is caught early…

If you’re at higher risk – which includes all men over 50 – you’re entitled to a free PSA blood test from your GP”. The charity has also introduced an online risk checker to find out more about the disease and one’s chances of getting it.

ball cap on his head and a black face mask on his face and was carrying a black rucksack with the word “Rascal” written on it in white letters.

The police have issued an appeal for help from the public considering the time of the incident. “You can provide any information via the Thames Valley Police website or by calling 101, quoting reference number 43230013517. Alternatively, for anonymity, you can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111,” Janaway said.

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Kolkata makes it to ‘World’s Top Food Destinations’: NRIs and Bengalis rejoice Shefali Saxena A popular food website – Eater – which has over 2 million followers, has come out with a list of the world’s top 10 food destinations.

Kolkata is the only Indian city to have made it to the list. Famous for its history, literature, colonial architecture, and theatre, Kolkata is also famous for its food. You should try the “deviled crabs at a midcentury cabaret and phuchka from a decades-old street vendor,” per Eaton’s suggestion.

Asian Voice spoke to the NRI community and Bengalis about this worldwide recognition for Kolkata, the City of Joy! Arijit Ganguly from Bexleyheath (Kent) gushed about Kolkata and its food while speaking to Asian Voice. He said, “Being in London for almost 5 years, I still miss various street foods of Kolkata. Though we get some alternatives here, to feel the original or traditional taste of those items, we travel back to our hometown at least once a year.”

According to him, Kolkata can easily be called a food capital nowadays with a huge number of restaurants and food joints that have opened in the last few years. “But I personally miss the Kolkatan street foods. The wonder snack 'telebhaja' (fritters) is always on top of my favourite list. While walking through the north Kolkata lanes on a lazy evening, you can feel the harmony of the ageold city with dal bora, phuluri, aloor bom, aamer chop in hand which are freshly prepared by Hatibagan's famous Lakshmi Narayan Shaw. Or we can go for another round of traditional beguni, peyaji, dhoka, dimer devil or vegetable chop from Kashiramer telebhaja at Beadon street,” he said.

He is originally from Howrah, but he said the aura of oily yet mouth-watering telebha-

jas is spread across Bengal. It's a common spectacle to see a big crowd shouting to get their share of telebhaja in front of Ratan da's shop near Mandirtala, or Chandi's boma near the tram depot. “No adda is complete there without a bowl of muri (puffed rice) and the quintessential part of that Bengali cuisine our very own telebhaja. On my last visit to Kolkata, I observed that after Covid years, consumers and sellers are both aware of maintaining proper hygiene while serving or packaging foods. Though there are few exceptions still on some roadside shops, the more they take proper measures early, the more it will help in keeping the telebhaja industry alive. I met a seller near Park Circus who had to take a risk by increasing the food item prices for making those more healthy.

He now uses double refined oils for fresh frying and thick paper plates for serving.

Though it took some time to win back his existing customers, I could see the smile back on his face again with long queues around his shop,” Arijit added.

Sharmistha Roy founder of Sharmi’s Kitchen told us, “As a Bengali cuisine specialist, a catering business entrepreneur in the UK and a born and bred Kolkata girl, I feel extremely proud and joyous that the City of Joy has featured in the Eater's top food destinations in the world. It truly reflects the vari-

ety and depth of so many tastes available to the people of the city due to the various influences of different cultures in its history. I feel the most important step of improvement in the culinary scene of Kolkata is to introduce a standardisation and certification of food hygiene rating by the local government to which all food businesses must adhere.”

Finally, Kolkata is getting its due recognition Sayani Sengupta who runs Gooseberri Spices as a Home Chef and Catering Service Owner, said, “Being selected as one of the 11 top Culinary Destinations in the world, finally, Kolkata is getting its due recognition. 4 am winter Nihari and Paya Shorba, early morning Chinese breakfast of meatball soups, momos, dried meat, Kachori Sabzi, Goat Brain Chop, Meat Aloo Biryani, Heritage and Legendary Bengali Pice Hotels and Sweet Shops, Champaran Handi Meat to Litti Chokha near the Ghats of Ganges, the diversity is endless. Experiments in the kitchen of home chefs to cafes are on the rise. But what we need are increased use of locally cultivated ingredients like Kalimpong Ghee instead of butter, Binni Chal as our very own sticky rice, Kalonunia Chal for its supreme fragrance, Orange Tok Lebu from Sunderbans, ancient 3000 years of India's domesticated Kodo Millet and so much more on our plates, to decrease Carbon Footprint. And of course Michelin Stars. These should be the next steps forward.”

The neverending glory of Kolkata food Rumki Paul, of Rumki's Golden Spoon, is a food blogger by profession, a Bengali by birth who feels that the first thing that promptly comes to her mind is the inimitable ranges of luscious food. Speaking to the newsweekly, Paul said, “We can call Kolkata the heart of foodies around the world. The authentic Mughlai dishes like -

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get to able to n u e r a for o eligible ople wh e e r p ’ u r o o f y ere e if i s Visit We’re th rs store too. Se k/Home u .u o e c v .c a s s r a Spec pecsave visiit at s e m o h a ld know ou shou y t h g u Tho

For full details visit specsavers.co.uk/HomeVisit V s.

Kolkata Biryani, Chaap, Rezala, Korma etc. reflect the Mughal Empire’s involvement in Bengal. On the other hand, popular street foods like Fish fry, Mangsher chop, Fish chop, Veg chop and different types of roll recipes reflect the era of the British empire.

Kolkata street food is incomplete without mentioning Fuchka, Churmur, Jhal muri, Singara, Khasta Kochuri, Ghugni etc.

Kolkata’s Chinatown is a great destination for authentic Chinese & Indo-Chinese food.

Fried rice, Hakka noodles, Chilli Chicken, Chicken Manchurian etc. are the finest example of it. Other than these, traditional Bengali food itself is a huge treasure which cannot be explained through words.

Homemade sweets - Payesh, Pithe Puli are old-school recipes but still, Bengalis prepare them every year to get the essence of nostalgia and to carry forward the tradition.”

Why Kolkata is greater than anywhere else Travel blogger Aniket Chattopadhyay said, “From Amudi, Lotey, Mourola to Bhola Bhetki and Hilsa people are fond of different types of fried fish. Like everywhere, if you consider Mughlai food, the recipes are made keeping the class in mind. Like Dewan E Khas and Dewan E Aam. Fish Fry in Kolkata is also like this. If you go to street foods like famous ones, Chitto Dar Dokan in Dacers Lane, Shankar at Triangular Park, Radhu Babu in Lake Market, Apanjan in Kalighat, Niranjanagar near GC Avenue or Alans kitchen in Central Avenue all of them serve fries that can serve middle-class food lovers.

I think Kolkata is the only city in the world where food is really cheap and it can make your belly full even if you have only fifty rupees in your pocket. Fish, generally considered to be the most pricy among life proteins, Kolkata is a magical place when it comes to fish and fried fish.”

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The scourge of airline crashes The latest air tragedy involving a domestic aeroplane in Pokhara in Nepal, which killed over 60 people, is highly shocking and heartbreaking to the core.

Unfortunately, there have been many unanswered deadly air tragedies the world over to date. Even this air tragedy involves a lot of investigative procedures and various governmental agencies to know about the cause of the tragedy.

The lives of the people cannot be taken for granted like this anymore. To begin with, putting an end to these tragedies is the foremost task of the aviation industry. In my native areas like Korkai, Tiruchendur, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, farmers and fishermen have been taking various precautionary measures to protect their farming/fishing activities from the wrath of Nature – like bamboo shoots/poles to protect the banana crops from the strong winds and motorized fishing boats to venture into rough seas. Just like that, even a small step will do, resulting in expected outcomes.

Big countries like America and big continents like Asia should take possible steps and put in a lot of hard work to make sure that all is not lost in the immense joy of flying given the great technological advances and huge human resources available out there - the sooner, the better - in the best interests of all.

P Senthil Saravana Durai Mumbai, India

Our best friend Dogs are described as man’s best friends, rather than women’s best friends, as they are loyal, and dutiful and so often will fight to the death to protect their owners, their masters, taking on big wild boars, bears, bison and other such big animals, sacrificing their lives to protect their beloved owners!

But we can forget at our perils that these cuddly animals were once totally wild animals and now and then their ancient instincts, their inborn tendency could surface without warning and turn upon their owners, the hands that feed them.

So it is of utmost importance that we should never leave dogs, especially big breeds like Alsatians, German shepherds, Rottweilers, Mastiffs and a few more varieties besides young children, especially if there are no adults present.

The recent attack on a dog walker who was looking after a dozen dogs, resulting in the horrible death of a young woman is her prime, example of never lowering our guards when in the company of unfamiliar dogs not accustomed to our presence. It would be interesting to know the facts and what steps the government takes to protect professional dog walkers who provide essential service by looking after other people’s dogs and earning some pocket money!

Dogs are intelligent and loyal animals for the most part. I particularly remember one incident when a tiny, adorable poodle practically saved my life. My rich and affluent neighbour who had five bedroom bungalow surrounded by a beautiful garden with precious plants like various varieties of roses, most difficult to grow in tropical climates and fruit trees like almonds, guava and pomegranates, was situated next to our tiny flat. They had two dogs, one a big Alsatian to protect their property, always tied to a mango tree, handled by one of their gardener and another loveable, friendly poodle hardly bigger than a cat which was left loose to roam around, visit our flats and play with little children.

Being a friendly neighbour without an ounce of pride or arrogance, with two beautiful daughters an added attraction, I used to go there for one excuse or another. One day when I entered their garden gate, the big dog, somehow left loose came running, ready to attack me. I literally froze until the little poodle came and stood between me and the Alsatian, barking loud, as if telling a big dog to stand back. It worked, the fierce dog retreated, and left me alone! What a wonderful story to end this letter with!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

Yes, Prime Minister!

I continue to be impressed with Rishi Sunak's performance at Prime Minister's Questions on BBC2 every Wednesday from 12 noon. He is sharp, combative and bristling with confidence, earning increasingly vociferous cries of "More!

More!" from his Tory backbenchers. Their enthusiastic support is just what he needs to take the country to exciting new levels.

Ash Gupta

To make Rishi Sunak’s plan a reality about Mathematics To make Rishi Sunak’s plan a reality about Mathematics to be made compulsory requires a paradigm shift in the attitude of many people (Asian Voice dated 14.01.23).

Learning basic maths skills is not a luxury but a basic necessity to be successful in any field.

The government has been giving emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects for a reason. Scientific developments depend on how many students are interested in these subjects and how seriously they take these subjects.

Other subjects like history, geography, social science etc. can be learned easily by reading books and literature about the subject but STEM subjects require special training.

Most of the reputed companies also have numeracy/literacy aptitude tests to make sure that candidates have the minimum Maths standard. In day-to-day transactions also the knowledge of Maths helps a lot. I think a basic understanding of Maths and Financial Management is required and should be made compulsory to make sure the future generation is not legging behind other nations who have been taking this seriously and inventing a lot of money on these subjects. Some serious thinking and discussion are required at the highest level in the government departments to make the plan of the PM implemented soon. Just keep politics aside when it comes to making decisions that are beneficial to the nation in long run.

Hitesh Hingu London

UK government will give more power to the police to stop protests Witnessing people blocking roads or marching slowly as part of the protest, the United Kingdom government is planning to revise the law to give police more powers to crack down on protests.

The amendments to the Public Order Bill will broaden the legal definition of “serious disruption”, giving police greater flexibility and “absolute clarity” over when they can interfere in a protest.

To prevent protesters from using “guerrilla” tactics police have already entrusted with additional powers.

“The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute,” Prime

Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement on Sunday night.

“We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the ordinary public. It’s not acceptable and we’re going to bring it to an end.”

Currently, the Public Order Bill is in the final stages of debate in parliament and has faced strong criticism from rights groups who say it imparts too much power to the police.

Rights group Liberty UK, which has been campaigning against the bill, took to Twitter saying the proposed legislation was “an attack on people’s ability to stand up to power”.

NHS crisis: Pharmacies forced to shut down After drug companies trebled the price of some of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics and painkillers, it has directly hit the already struggling pharmacies that are on the verge of getting closed.

The gulf between wholesale prices for commonly prescribed drugs and the amount paid back by the Government to the chemists that dispense them has become so wide that one pharmacist, Amish Patel, said he is now “at the praying stage”.

Amish Patel, a second-generation pharmacist, owns Hodgson Pharmacy, in the Kent village of Longfield. He is carrying forward his father’s business which set up the business nearly four decades ago.

Now, after 38 years of serving the community, the pharmacy is on the verge of closure.

Mr Patel has predicted that he will be out of business in “two to three years”, largely because he is paying three or four times as much for certain drugs than he is reimbursed by the state.

In England, NHS patients pay a standard fee of £9.35 per prescribed item, while in Wales and Scotland, there is no charge. However, the actual price of the drugs charged by manufacturers can be vast.

Community pharmacists buy drugs directly from pharmaceutical wholesalers and are later reimbursed a set figure determined by the NHS Business Services Authority’s Drug Tariff. On behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), this tariff fluctuates as market prices shift and are adjusted on a monthly basis.

DHSC said in a statement: “Community pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system and we back them with £2.6bn a year. On top of this, we have announced a further £100m investment in the sector to help support services.

“We are carefully monitoring access to pharmaceutical services and there remains twice as many pharmacies in deprived areas compared to less deprived areas. We continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to ensure that pharmacy contractors are paid fairly when prices increase.”

Ukraine to receive heavy battle tanks from UK Drawing swift reproach from the Russian embassy in London, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to provide heavy tanks and artillery systems to Ukraine.

Following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, Sunak has promised to send the 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, according to a statement from his office. The move makes the United Kingdom the first Western country who will be supplying the heavy tanks Kyiv has been calling for. According to a readout of a phone call with Zelenskyy, Sunak said the tanks were a sign of the UK’s “ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine”.

Expressing his appreciation for the UK’s military support, the Ukrainian leader took to Twitter, saying “the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield but also send the right signal to other partners”. Sunak’s office said the British prime minister believed that a “long and static war only serves Russia’s interests”. On Saturday, Russian forces fired missiles at Ukraine’s capital and other cities around the country, hitting critical infrastructure, and forcing the UK to take a decision of providing the tanks.

Trainee doctors leaving university with Two teenage boys stabbed over £100,000 in debt at a house party

With more than £100,000 in study debts, student doctors and nurses are leaving university. As per the figures, they begin professional careers saddled with an average of more than student £30,000 in debts.According to the data released by the Student Loans Company, the average trainee doctor last year left medical school with education debts of £32,435.

However, the average figure hides the wide variation of the debts being heaped on would-be doctors, with the biggest student loan last year clocking in at £121,400. debt average The incurred by trainee nurses has increased by more than £10,000 from £19,350 to

£32,033, over the last five years.

Raymond Effah, the cochair of the medical student's committee at the Medical British Association, said: “These student debt numbers are eye-watering, but they will come as no surprise to UK medical students.

“We have been warning about astronomical debt burdens for years but government help with tuition fees and bursaries is still pitifully thin on the Recently ground. announced increases in the maintenance loan do little to help current medical students, especially those reliant on the bursary which has continued to see no increases.”

During an incident at a house party in Harrow, two teenagers were stabbed and two others were injured. On Saturday around 10:48 pm, the Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service were called to Tudor Road following reports that boys were fighting with knives.

Two 16-year-old boys were stabbed and taken to hospital where their injuries were assessed to be not life-threatening.

Two other boys, aged 16 and 15, were treated for minor injuries to their hands and fingers. So far, no arrests have been made and a police investigation is underway.

A Met statement said: “We’re investigating an incident at a house party in Tudor Road, Harrow at around 10.45 [pm].”

The statement added: "The police helicopter was deployed to the area to support officers carrying out searches. There has been no arrest at this early stage.”

Any witnesses who are yet to speak to the police should call 101, giving the reference 7164/14JAN. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, at 0800 555 111.

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

Please keep contributing as always.

If you are new, then write to Shefali at shefali.saxena@abplgroup.com

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Majority of UK online UK reaffirms 2030 roadmap commitments at shoppers had delivery high-level dialogue with India problems in December More than 6 in 10 UK online shoppers (61.5%) experienced delivery issues across the month of December as strikes and capacity challenges plagued the UK’s parcel delivery companies, new research commissioned by Doddle has uncovered.

The most common problem faced by shoppers was deliveries arriving late, which affected 41% of UK online shoppers in December. That might not be so crucial for much of the year, but for Christmas gifts, a delay of just a day or two can make all the difference to the customer experience.

Late deliveries were far from the only problem: more than 10% of shoppers had one or more of their parcels lost by the delivery provider, 13% missed delivery and 9% had something delivered to the wrong address or left in an unexpected location.

“We expected Royal Mail strikes to cause some disruption to services, and that there might be a knock-on effect to other parcel carriers in the busiest shopping window of the year,” comments Doddle CEO Tim Robinson. “What was surprising was the extent to which other carriers in the market also appeared to struggle to manage the volume of deliveries while maintaining an acceptable customer experience. That has dented consumer confidence, with many shoppers now seeking to deliberately avoid or prefer specific carriers.”

More than a quarter (28%) of online shoppers surveyed said that their experiences had caused them to lose trust in deliv-

ery companies, and more than a third (39%) said they would consider avoiding a specific delivery company in future. While majorities did not agree in either case, these sizable minorities will give delivery companies and particularly online merchants cause for concern – few online retailers can afford to have such fractions of their customer base move to a competitor, something 42% of respondents said they would consider doing in order to use a parcel carrier they preferred.

In reassuring news for consumers, despite parcel theft seeming anecdotal to be a frequent occurrence, the data show that only 3% of shoppers experienced a parcel being stolen (although this doubled to 6% for respondents in London). For parcel carriers, the fact that 64% of shoppers still rated their services as good value for money, despite a challenging peak period, may provide some comfort.

Some shoppers plan to change their delivery habits in response to the problems they faced: just over a fifth (21%) reported that they would be less likely to receive deliveries at home in future because of their experiences in December, preferring alternative delivery options like click & collect parcel lockers, pickup points or post office collections, with younger shoppers aged between 18-24 the most likely to say so.

White Pearl wins the food brand of the year award at Asian food and restaurant awards White Pearl, a partner of MAP Trading, a subsidiary of Bestway Group and Bestway Foundation has won the Food Brand of the Year Award at the 7th Annual Asian Food and Restaurant Awards, which recognise the achievements of South Asian Hospitality, across the UK food and hospitality sector. The awards celebrate the culture, flavours, products, and contributions of South Asians across the UK and in the International Food Industry.

The awards ceremony, held recently, played

homage to the leading lights of the Asian hospitality, services and supplier sectors amid a ‘who’s who’ guest list of Ministers, VIPs, dignitaries, celebrities and Asian restaurateurs and suppliers from across the UK. White Pearl began producing Basmati Rice and has now grown to offer over 300 products from spices, chutney, curry paste, ghee, and lentils.

MAP Trading is a growing ethnic foodstuffs business with a wide range of authentic products and is a major importer of Pakistani Basmati rice in the UK.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, met in New Delhi on 16 January for the annual UKIndia Strategic Dialogue.

They reviewed strong progress made on the 2030 Roadmap in the last year and looked ahead to the next phase of bilateral cooperation.

The dialogue celebrated various milestones achieved in 2022; including an agreement on Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications signed in July; the bespoke Young

FCDO PUS Sir Philip Barton and Foreign Secretary VM Kwatra in New Delhi

Professionals Scheme confirmed by Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sunak in November; and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch’s first visit to India last month for the sixth round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.

Sir Philip Barton said: “I am delighted to be here in New Delhi, at the start of 2023, to underline the UK’s commitment to the 2030 Roadmap for deepening cooperation with India.

Through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the UK and India are together playing a key role in tackling the biggest challenges facing the world today, including food and energy security, economic recovery post-Covid and preventing future pandemics.

“The UK and India are also increasingly working together multilaterally, including with the World

Health Organisation and the international community on potential Malaria and Ebola vaccines. I was pleased to hear from Foreign Secretary Kwatra about India’s ambitious plans for its G20 Presidency. India is at the heart of the IndoPacific region, where half the world’s people live and 50% of global economic growth is produced. The UK is committed to working closely with India in making its Presidency a success.”

During his visit to India, Sir Philip also met External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, in addition to a range of UK partners in the country.

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Why Sunak’s maths plan doesn’t add up A better policy would be to review the way in which maths is taught – something is clearly going wrong if we feel it needs the whole of the child's school life to understand enough Maths to function successfully in society

S

unak’s announcement last week that all young people will be required to study some form of maths until age 18 was likely met with sighs of dismay around the country or exclamations of “thank goodness that didn’t happen in my time”.

The Prime Minister’s “more more more” approach – we’ll make them do maths until they “get it” – is sadly typical of the current educational climate and once again misses the point.

If children haven’t gained basic numeracy in the early years, primary school or secondary school will they really be motivated and successful when forced to study Maths at age 16?

Research shows that learning is most successful when pupils are happy and motivation is high, so what good is forcing young people to do something they are not happy about or motivated for?

We spoke to Louise Livingston has over 30 years of experience in education, has an MSc in Educational Neuroscience and is undertaking a PhD in Educational Neuroscience. Louise is Head of Training at the Maria Montessori Institute which offers Montessori teacher training and short courses at the UK’s only AMI training centre and an authentic Montessori school for children aged from 2½ years on five sites in North and West London. hy is Rishi's potential new policy a bad idea?

The Prime Minister's "more more more" maths approach – we'll make them do maths until they "get it" – is sadly typical of the current educational climate and once again misses the point. If children have not acquired the mathematical skills they need for a happy, productive life by age 16, then it is unlikely that drilling them for another two years is going to make an iota of difference and may instead result in disenfranchised young people and more frustration to teachers who are so often required to teach children things that they are not interested in. Furthermore, insisting that children do more maths will leave less study time available for those who are interested in the arts and humanities – further, what impact will this have on engaging in arts and humanities beyond school? A better policy would be to review the way in which maths is taught – something is clearly going wrong if we feel it needs the whole of the child's school life to understand enough Maths to function successfully in society.

Like every aspect of education, Maths is much more successfully learnt when delivered in a way that appeals to children's natural tendencies and interests. My many years of experience working with children and as a Montessori teacher trainer has shown me that when mathematical concepts are introduced early, in a developmentally appropriate way and incorporate an individual approach, that most children love Maths and are mathematically functional long before 18. ill it disproportionately negatively impact school

W

W

children from lower socio-economic backgrounds and state schools?

And why?

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who find learning or aspects of learning challenging for whatever reason often find it more difficult to make progress. It's these children that are the main casualties of a system that requires all children to hit similar targets at similar ages and encourages teachers to "teach to the test", moving on through the curriculum at a pace that is more suited to the teacher's work-load than the child's ability or interest. It is a blindingly obvious fact that children are rarely ready to learn the same concepts simultaneously. They are human beings with unique developmental trajectories yet are frequently expected to work on the same topics or at the same level regardless of their actual level of skill or knowledge.

Sunak's maths policy means that children who have been able to make less progress, regardless of their background, will be forced to acquire additional mathematical skills when time spent on something of greater interest to them might be more useful as they transition into adulthood. o you think this is yet another concern for parents who have children in school?

Suggesting that this last-ditch attempt will ensure the maths skills commensurate with productive adult life is absurd. At a time when our young people should be making their own choices about what will serve their life goals as they transition from adolescence into adulthood, it is a counterproductive strategy, and parents are right to be concerned. o you think it will be a cause for concern for teachers and it will be difficult for them too?

I think so, yes. Something is clearly going wrong if we feel it needs the whole of the child's school life to understand enough Maths to function successfully in life. Beating the same maths drum for a further two years with pupils who are unmotivated by the subject will be incredibly frustrating for teachers.

Additionally, the shortage of Maths teachers at the secondary level undoubtedly has an impact, but the Maths magic should be happening with ease long before children reach secondary school. ill it affect children's mental health, as well as teachers and parents?

Undoubtedly, with NHS youth mental health referrals already up 39% and at an all-time high,

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making two more years of maths compulsory will be stressful to those who haven't enjoyed it throughout primary and secondary education and could further impact pupils' already fragile mental health.

Additionally, expecting teachers to deliver maths to pupils who haven't grasped it in the previous nineyears will be difficult for teachers and parents. ill anything positive come out of this?

There is no doubt that good maths skills are needed in life. The Prime Minister's ideas for increasing understanding of personal finance, mortgages and so on are welcome. They would be good for society, though I would question why this can't be incorporated at GCSE or even earlier, as young people are clearly interested in money exchange and related topics much earlier than 16-18. hy do you think Rishi wants to put this in place in the first place - and is it just a distraction from everything else that is going on?

I am not sure if it is a distraction technique or not.

However, as a firm believer that education must support development from birth to adulthood - and must not be something that we DO to our children, it saddens me to hear that Mr Sunak's solution to the failure of our education system to deliver adults with the sufficient mathematical ability to facilitate their lives is to force more maths upon our young people, irrespective of whether they are interested in it or not.

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New passport fees to increase from next month Those who are planning to apply for a new British passport will have to shell out more money as the cost of applying will rise next month.

The Government said on February 2 it will introduce new passport fees for all applications, which will affect those newly applying or renewing their passport.

The fee for a standard online application made from within the UK will go up from £75.50 to £82.50 for adults and £49 to £53.50 for children.

Postal applications will increase from £85 to £93 for adults and £58.50 to £64 for children.

The Government’s web page

announcing the proposals says: “The new fees will help the Home Office move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.

“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.

“The fees will also contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.

“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”

Woman faked a house fire to get through to humans at Evri To draw the attention of Evri’s customer service department, a woman came up with an elaborate plot.

27-year-old Sani Shah got in touch with daily to track down two missing parcels she sent to customers of her clothes-selling business, leaving her £200 out of pocket.

After a month of back and forth, she had enough. She said: ‘They gave me a reference number and said someone will be in touch, so I replied saying, “Help, your courier has set my house on fire!”.

'They asked for two photos to start an investigation so I went on Google and found a house on fire.

'People have messaged me saying it’s someone’s actual house but I just needed someone to ring me, I didn’t want to message.

The next day I got a call. It was a lady who sounded like she was from the head office. They obviously saw the fire and thought, “Oh, this is serious.”’

Sani, from Milton Keynes, said: ‘I’m not trying to encourage lying and giving Evri stress but this is the extent people have to go to to get in touch.’

Meanwhile, German-owned Evri – part of the Hermes group apologised and blamed a third-party firm.

Jewish students faced antisemitic bullying within NUS, inquiry finds According to an investigation that found “numerous instances” of antisemitism in the union over the last decade, the National Union of Students failed to protect Jewish members and activists from hostile attacks within the organisation.

Because of their faith and their views on Israel, Jewish students have been subjected to antisemitic bullying and ostracisation within the NUS. The independent investigation also found that the NUS’s internal procedures had been inadequate or repeatedly ignored in dealing with their

complaints.

Rebecca Tuck, the independent investigator, said: “For at least the last decade, Jewish students have not felt welcome or included in NUS spaces or elected roles. There have been numerous instances of antisemitism within NUS.” The NUS commissioned a barrister and king’s counsel Tuck last year to investigate allegations of institutional antisemitism, after mounting concerns of 20 former NUS presidents were revealed by the Guardian in April.

UK welcomes Chinese visitors to boost the economy For the first time since the pandemic began three years ago, travellers from China arriving at Heathrow airport this week for the first time were greeted

by UK Health Security Agency officials armed with Covid testing swabs.

Nearly 20 per cent of passengers arriving from China at Heathrow will be asked to take a PCR test.

However, the shops, theatres and sightseeing centres of the UK, are adopting a far friendlier welcome as the world’s biggest spenders on tourism are allowed

to travel for the first time since 2020.

It is believed that the luxury sector, in particular, will be important to the revival of Chinese tourism in the UK in 2023. The return of Chinese

tourists is seen as an important factor to boost the UK’s economic growth, one of Rishi Sunak’s five pledges.

Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium, said: “After a challenging few years and diminished footfall in town and city centres across the UK, retailers will welcome the full return of international tourism.

We expect the luxury market in particular will benefit from a boost in spend with tourists from China.”

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Privileged to create positive change for the local community, says British Asian magistrate Shefali Saxena Usman Rasul, a Pakistani man, is an optometrist living in Burnley. After always being interested in the legal sector, he has worked as a magistrate for the last 7 years in the Lancashire & Cumbria area. On his role as a magistrate, Usman says: “Without any formal experience in the legal sector, I was worried I might not be able to be a magistrate but you really don’t need any specific qualifications – I got all the training I needed. I love travelling to court and having the privilege to create positive change for my local community while learning new skills and enjoying new challenges.” In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, he spoke more about his career, the British judicial system and more.

- What inspired you to take up the magistracy as a professional?

Firstly I was encouraged by my mother who is also a magistrate. She gave me great support in applying and information about the role beforehand, which gave me a good deal of insight into what I would expect as a magistrate. There was an active campaign to recruit new magistrates, particularly from a BAME background. One of the main reasons I inquired about the role was because of the repetitive nature of my current role as an

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backgrounds and cultures optometrist, and law attracted to join in order to reflect me as a new challenge as it is a the proportional reprecompletely different sector. sentation of our society.

- What are the lesser-known Furthermore, individuals prerequisites that one must who present themselves keep in mind before joining the in court will visibly see judicial system? people who relate to No previous criminal conthem and this will continvictions. To ensure one does not ue to add confidence to hold any prejudicial or bias Usman Rasul ensure justice is being against any individual. served fairly. From a magistracy point of - As a person who belongs to the ethnic view, personally knowing cultural norms and minority community, what do you bring values can also allow one to share those to the table which your other counterparts norms and values with other magistrates may not? who may not be as exposed to them. By disExperience, diversity, representation and cussing them in the retiring room or on the understanding of cultural differences and bench, one can help them understand how norms. For example as a Muslim Britishcertain decisions or actions may have arisen.

Pakistani, our values complement the judi- Do you think the South Asian perception cial system. In respect of experience, as a of the judiciary matches the British young magistrate with diverse professional justice system? and life experience, growing up in an ecoThis a particularly challenging question nomically deprived area like Burnley, I feel as I can not comment on what the south my personal upbringing and experiences add Asian perception is without any key data or value to the magistracy. With respect to facts. From my personal experience, it is diversity and representation, the magistracy important the South Asian community feels currently holds a low proportion of magisthat it has full confidence in the indepentrates from diverse communities. To ensure dence, fairness, reputation and representathe magistracy reflects the communities it tion of the British judicial system. Overall in serves, it requires magistrates from various my view, the British judicial system is well respected and viewed across the globe and I hope by serving the magistracy I can continue to upload this view.

- How has your experience been while serving as a magistrate?

Very positive. I can not think of any negative experiences. I have been continually accommodation – most of whom are famisupported fully by mentors, senior magislies. trates and Bench Chairpersons. I feel I do In the last 10 years, the number of peoadd value and experience to the magistracy, ple living in temporary accommodation has by providing my views and opinions when risen by an alarming 74%. The charity has also learnt that more than two-thirds of families (68%) have been living in temporary accommodation for over a year.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘With private rents and living costs continuing to soar, thousands of people are not just facing a winter of worry, they are at risk of losing the roof over their head. At Shelter, we are bracing ourselves for a sharp rise in homelessness in 2023.’

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Nearly 250,000 people in makeshift accommodation According to a homelessness charity, nearly 250,000 people are residing in temporary accommodation due to a ‘chronic shortage’ of social homes and an ‘over-reliance’ on expensive private renting.

As per the analysis of official homelessness figures and responses to a freedom of information request by the charity Shelter, at least 271,000 people are recorded as homeless in England, including 123,000 children.

Shelter’s research concluded that 2,400 people have nowhere to go but to sleep rough on the street, 15,000 people are in hostels or supported accommodation and nearly 250,000 are living in temporary

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman grilled over office expansion The mayor of Tower Hamlets has been asked to clarify for allocating an “extravagant” £ 1.4 million to expand his office in the wake of the cost of living crisis. Lutfur Rahman mentioned in Jacobin Magazine that his Unite Party was “reversing austerity” using socialist policies since his election in May. However, during an overview and scrutiny committee meeting, his party was grilled on planned spending of £1.4m on the expansion of his office and hiring extra political advisors on board for council casework.

Mayor Rahman brought back the

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), extended free school meals from primary schools to all secondary schools, invested £6 million on green infrastructure and delivered a £5 million cost-of-living package for the borough’s most vulnerable residents in his first seven months.

He wrote of his time in office: “What we’re attempting in our borough is not only to meet people’s everyday needs and confront the current cost-of-living crisis headon but to transform power asymmetries in the longer term.

Long Covid effects ‘resolve in a year’– study People who have been suffering long-term effects following a mild bout of Covid-19 should expect their symptoms to resolve within a year, as per the researchers.

The team of Israeli researchers did a comparison between people who had not been infected with Covid-19 and those who suffered from a mild form of the disease.

They also examined information on lingering symptoms after infection.

The team scrutinised information on almost two million people who were registered with a healthcare provider in Israel who had taken a Covid-19 test between March 2020 and October 2021.

“Although the long Covid phenomenon

has been feared and discussed since the beginning of the pandemic, we observed that most health outcomes arising after a mild disease course remained for several months and returned to normal within the first year,” the academics wrote in The BMJ. “This nationwide dataset of patients with mild Covid-19 suggests that mild disease does not lead to serious or chronic longterm morbidity and adds a small continuous burden on healthcare providers.

“Importantly, the risk for lingering dyspnoea was reduced in vaccinated patients with breakthrough infection compared with unvaccinated people, while risks of all other outcomes were comparable.”

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making a judicial decision which can influence and add balance to the outcome of decisions. I sit in both adult and family Courts and really enjoy both. I sit with magistrates with different levels of life and professional experiences, which allows the learning and sharing of experiences.

- What is your key takeaway from British law?

Independence and fairness. As mentioned previously, British law is very well respected across the globe.

The judiciary is independent and therefore not influenced by either Government or media input. For example, as government ministers change and hold different opinions, this should not affect and influence independence. Also as media outlets voice opinions and can sway public views, it is important they do not attempt to discredit the judicial system.

- What the are challenges of your role?

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There are two key challenges; firstly to ensure I complete the number of sittings per year for both the adult and family court, whilst continuing to work, volunteer and have a family life! For example, school holidays and work commitments can sometimes mean you are not available for some parts e.g. summer or Christmas holidays.

Secondly recruiting new individuals into the magistracy can be challenging, as there are various misconceptions for example one needs a law degree, it is a paid position etc.

In the current economic climate, giving up time, and volunteering is a big ask due to the financial impact it can make on individuals.

Communicating the benefits and impact one can make to the judicial system, one can make a convincing argument about the rewards of being a part of the magistracy!

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Reviving Indian languages for the diaspora across the globe Shefali Saxena

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ridhee Kapoor Gupta, Founder & CEO in her journey as a firsttime mother (of parenthood) predominantly outside India, Pridhee quickly realized that there were not enough books in Indian languages to read to her toddler. She could find enough English books but not enough in her own mother tongue. Pridhee set about to correct this imbalance by writing and publishing books for young readers in Indian languages through T4Tales. A trained molecular biologist with a PhD from Germany, Pridhee has an undergraduate and master's degree from IIT-Delhi and has taught at Macquarie University, Australia. After trying out life in Germany, the USA, India, and Australia, she is now comfortably settled in Singapore. Here’s our exclusive Q&A with Pridhee about reviving Indian languages abroad via interactive storytelling. s an NRI, how important do you think learning Indian languages?

Language plays the most pivotal role in the development of a child starting from when babies communicate to understanding how to express their feelings to learning new concepts in school. Therefore, in a school setting, this translates to most children speaking, reading, writing and listening to English. In these cases, the mother tongue takes a backseat.

Introducing children to their mother tongue early on helps them have a strong identity and a sense of belonging to their culture.

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Research suggests that bilingual or multilingual children are more empathetic towards other cultures and learning an additional language helps increase their brain power, and build problem-solving skills and memory building. hat can diaspora abroad practice (besides traditional tutoring methods), so that their children stay connected to their roots?

It’s simple - songs and stories.

Songs are the fastest way to get your children to pick up words in your mother tongue. Starting with simple nursery rhymes piques their interest easily. Stories, on the other hand, are easy to remember, and leave a lasting impression on kids.

Reading them stories during mealtimes and narrating anecdotes from your childhood helps them relate to your experiences.

Additionally, a popular strategy that bilingual parents use is the “one parent, one language”. Bilingual schools across the world use a similar strategy for language immersion programs, with 2 teachers speaking 2 different languages. ell us a bit about T4Tales. How can Indians across the world use it to their benefit?

T4Tales’s vision is to help parents around the

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world introduce Indian languages to children in their early years through fun, interactive storybooks.

We also want to keep alive verses and stories that are unique to Indian languages.

T4Tales hopes to help parents bring Indian languages to their children from the early years right alongside English. With books that are simple, easy to read and illustrated in a whole new format, we offer books ranging from nursery rhymes to mythological stories retold in a manner that’s more relatable.

All our interactive books are an all-in-one solution, where you support the development of fine motor, gross motor and language skills of a child. n a world where English is the global language and speaking mother tongue is becoming more and more insignificant, especially for Gen Z, what is your take on the revival of Indian languages, abroad?

Firstly, a vast majority of Indians in India still speak regional languages. It is one of the easiest ways to connect to their grandparents.

Also, given how mobile today’s generation is, it would be important to have a tool like a language to stay connected to your roots.

In many Indian households globally, though there is great emphasis on culture and tradition, language takes a back seat. By introducing interactive books at an early age and speaking in the mother tongue, young parents ensure better cognitive development and a certain grounding in children that only comes with their native language.

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New breast cancer screening units to speed up diagnosis Cancer diagnosis will be sped up for tens of thousands of women after the government pledged an additional £10 million to provide 29 new NHS breast cancer screening units and nearly 70 life-saving upgrades to services in areas where they are most needed.

The life-saving investment includes 16 new mobile breast screening units, 13 additional static units, 58 live remote access upgrades for existing units and 10 software upgrades to carry out ultrasounds and Xrays.

These new units and service upgrades will allow more women to be screened earlier, improving outcomes for patients. Screening will be focused at sites where it is most needed, tackling health disparities and improving diagnosis rates in

Latest CQC survey is a ‘wakeup call’ for the Government say RCM A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlights the desperate need to recruit and retain more midwives and should be a wake-up call to the Government, says the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

The survey of nearly 21,000 women who gave birth in February 2022 highlighted growing concerns about the lack of availability of staff and aftercare in hospitals following the birth.

The findings showed that those surveyed were less likely to say they were ‘always’ able to get a member of staff to help them when they needed attention during labour and birth; 63% compared with 65% in 2021.

HRT ‘potentially important’ to reduce dementia risk in women Hormone replacement therapy may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease in millions of women at risk of developing the condition, research suggests.

According to the research, almost two in three people with Alzheimer’s are female, and about a quarter of women in the UK alone carry a gene called APOE4, which is the strongest risk factor gene for the disease.

A team of researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Edinburgh have found evidence of the “potential importance” of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women carrying the APOE4 gene. The study was published in the Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy journal.

Although they stressed they could not say for sure that HRT cut the risk in women, the findings were “really important” amid limited drug options for dementia and an urgent need for novel treatments.

HRT, which helps control symptoms of the menopause, is associated with better memory, cognitive function and larger brain volumes in later life in women with the APOE4 gene, the researchers found.

Prof Anne-Marie Minihane, also of Norwich Medical School, and the coleader of the study, reportedly said: “We know that 25% of women in the UK are carriers of the APOE4 gene and that almost twothirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women.

“In addition to living

longer, the reason behind the higher female prevalence is thought to be related to the effects of menopause and the impact of the APOE4 genetic risk factor being greater in women.

“We wanted to find out whether HRT could prevent cognitive decline in atrisk APOE4 carriers.”

The team analysed data from 1,178 women taking part in the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia initiative, which

line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

This investment will also help deliver a more accessible NHS where patients receive care close to home.

Minister of State for Health, Helen Whately, said: “Catching cancer early saves lives. Last year 100,000 people were diagnosed with cancer at stages 1 and 2. This is the highest proportion on record but we want to do better still.

These breast cancer screening units will mean more people can get checked for cancer, closer to home.

Most people will get the

reassurance of an all-clear but for those who are diagnosed, catching their cancer early is the best thing we can do - and gets them on the path to early treatment too.”

The mobile units will be used flexibly to target areas which will most benefit from increased opportunities for screening and the static units will be placed in areas to improve accessibility, uptake and coverage.

Those areas with existing units will also benefit from upgrades to improve screening by using the latest technology, ensuring the best possible care for patients.

The funding is now in place for NHS trusts to spend within the 2022 to 2023 financial year and the timing for delivery of units will be individual to each trust.

was set up to study participants’ brain health over time.

Dr Rasha Saleh, of Norwich Medical School, said: “We found that HRT use is associated with better memory and larger brain volumes among atrisk APOE4 gene carriers.

The associations were particularly evident when HRT was introduced early – during the transition to menopause, known as perimenopause.

“This is really important because there have been very limited drug options for Alzheimer’s disease for 20 years and there is an urgent need for new treatments. The effects of HRT in this observation study, if confirmed in an intervention trial, would equate to a brain age that is several years younger.”

Results were lower still for care in the hospital after the birth; with 57% who said they were ‘always’ able to get help - compared with 59% in 2021. While these drops appear small, they represent a worrying trend that needs to be addressed urgently.

Commenting on the findings, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Executive Director, Midwife, Birte Harlev-lam, said, “While the vast majority of women surveyed are happy with the care, compassion and kindness shown by midwives which is so instrumental to delivering good maternity care, it is clear that there is a growing trend in expectations not being met. The findings of this survey could not be clearer - there is an urgent need to recruit and retain more midwives across the UK. Those leading maternity services are doing their best to cover the gaps, but it is telling that staff shortages were clearly evident to the

women responding to this survey.

“This is a sad, but inevitable, a consequence of years of lack of investment and low morale leading to a shortage of midwives across the UK. It’s not rocket science. That is why, with a shortage of over 2000 midwives in England alone, we desperately need to attract people into midwifery and retain those who are considering leaving the profession.

The Government needs to act on this now.”

The survey also showed that for some women the care they received fell short of expectations and satisfaction levels have fallen across many areas. It’s clear from the survey those using maternity services don’t always feel they are given the appropriate advice and support and there has also been a decline in people feeling that they get the correct information and explanations they need when seeing a midwife.

More UK women seek ADHD diagnosis Reports suggest that ADHD awareness has soared among women in the UK in the past year, but they have been waiting for longer periods of time to be diagnosed, leading experts have warned.

Figures released by NHS Business Services Authority suggest demand is soaring.

An estimated 170,000 identified patients were prescribed at least one drug for ADHD between July and September 2022 – a 20.4% increase from the 141,000 identified patients during the same period in 2021.

A government spokesperson said the SEND

(special educational needs and disability) and alternative provision green paper, published in March, would focus on improving outcomes for all children and young people with SEND, including those with neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD. “We know how vital it is to have timely diagnoses for ADHD,” they said, adding that Nice guidelines on ADHD diagnosis and treatment were “clear” and that integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS Trusts were responsible for commissioning services.

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Darjeeling Express set to make a grand comeback Following its tentative closure last year, Darjeeling Express is set to make a grand comeback on January 30 this year. Just like their good food saw through the pandemic, it is set to see through the cost-of-living increase too. Asma Khan, the owner, will resurrect the beloved restaurant at Kingly Court, the Carnaby Street enclave, where she opened her first restaurant in 2017.

Amit Sodha: ActionCoach Sunetra Senior

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mit is a leading business coach, working in London, with ActionCoach, a leading global business growth franchise. The astute role model works with various businesses across a diversity of sectors to conscientiously increase wealth. This he does by strategizing profit, boosting morale and shaping respective owners into the best version of themselves. Having exceptionally raised the financial profile of many over just a period of four years, Amit commented: “when an individual becomes bigger and better so too does their own business.” *** Together with ActionCoach, Amit facilitates a bespoke program of personal efficiency that maximises earnings, increases productivity and even

creates spare time to invigorate flourishing companies and make everyone involved happy. Every business is collaboratively explored to optimise time-management as well as practical strategies to achieve the specific chosen goals. There is both emotional and monetary growth. “My success is tied to my client’s success. When they achieve their goals, I’ve achieved mine!” Indeed, Amit has enjoyed success stories from within the world of dentistry to graphic design, construction and beyond: “I have helped a dental company grow from £350k annual revenue to the desired mark of £10 million, for example. An events company went from earning £200k annually to achieving £1.8 million just over 1 year. Another went from sub £180k to over a £1 million. That customer is one of my earlier clients where we

have maintained the working relationship to this day. Some clients don’t want more money, but just a calmer and sustainable business journey. One director used to work 16-hour days – all he wanted to do was finish work at a reasonable time so he can play with his kids every evening – so we achieved this in 3 months” Amit has a strong background in banking, having worked for global investment firms such as Goldman Sachs, Royal Bank of Scotland and ICBC Standard Bank. He elaborated: “I’ve been told the main value-add I bring to businesses is razor-sharp accountability. Lots of people know what they must do, but often don’t get around to doing it. I not only help cre-

AMIT SODHA sure that they are fully implemented.

This includes chasing up clients regularly. Also, the language for business is numbers so we’re hot on that. I often ask the question; This week, how many hours are you investing into working ON your business, rather than IN it? What is the most cash-productive activity you can do this week?

“As the famous author, Simon Sinek, tell us: ‘start with the why of what you are doing’. That’s what’ll get our energies up. A lot of us have sentimental reasons behind our chosen careers and goals e.g., pride, reputability or philanthropy. I turned to ActionCoach wanting to help ambitious owners reach their full potential.

I wanted to actively contribute to pushing others who were like-minded to wholly thrive. People underestimate what they can do in 10 years and over-estimate what is possible in one.

What if we really focus on that? It’s revolutionary. Business people are crazy creatures who risk everything.

The term ‘entrepreneur’ literally means ‘adventurer’ or ‘risk-taker’, in French. I feel privileged to help these folks accomplish their deserved goals”.

"People underestimate what they can do in 10 years and overestimate what is possible in one.

What if we really focus on that? It’s revolutionary"

Finally, proactive psychology is a huge component of success. One must have the positive outlook, or no matter how healthy the business owner; they can become entirely stagnant: “One positive step often opens doors for many more positive steps and opportunities. That way we invite success and often, good luck. As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits says ‘You can increase your surface area for good luck - by taking positive action’ so the question I invite you to consider is: what simple positive actions can you take today that your future self will thank you for?”

To find out more visit:

ate clear tailored plans, but also make

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Birmingham University to Indian diaspora contributions collaborate with Indian partners to the UK celebrated by Vice-Chancellor of ous relationship with India.

Birmingham University, diaspora organisation Signing these exciting new Research collated by UKbased diaspora organisation, Insight UK, throws light on the contributions of the British Indian community in the UK. According to a press statement, Insight UK said, “By nature, we British Indians are relatively quiet, humble and just get on with things without ‘blowing our own trumpet’ so to speak.

“However, whilst that is a great attitude, it is also necessary that our contributions are recognised – espe-

cially now. Unfortunately, there are a few media houses, groups and people who regularly report negative, biased and false/half-truth news about India and Indians.

“We feel that British Indians are the unsung heroes of Britain. We contribute immensely to Britain in various fields, yet many feel we as a community are targeted and belittled - especially by certain media corporations, groups and people.”

Professor Adam Tickell, signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with partners in Bengaluru and Delhi to collaborate on projects on railways, hydrogen fuels, data science, artificial intelligence and education.

The partners include TESCO Business Services (Bengaluru), Vellore Institute of Technology (Andhra Pradesh) and Indo-British Scholars’ Association (Kolkata), to name a few.

“We are a global civic university and a long, illustri-

agreements with partners in areas such as railways, sports science, education and community business gives us a great opportunity to further contribute to Indian society, as we continue to forge meaningful research and education partnerships in India. The University of Birmingham’s collaborative research output with Indian partners has almost doubled over the last five years. We currently have over 40 joint research projects of outstanding quality,” Global quoted the vice-chancellor.

And it will be bigger and better this time, with the menu twice the size of her first place. “It feels like a homecoming. [The menu] celebrates our 10-year food journey from my supper clubs hosted around the dining table at my home to a 90seater restaurant in the West End," Khan told livemint.com.

Westminster blocks Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill The UK government at Westminster made a section 35 order under the Scotland Act to prevent the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill from receiving royal assent, using the power for the first time in history.

The Bill offered to make it easier for trans people to legally change their gender.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack offered the reasoning that was concerned that the Bill would change the Equality Act, a reserved

piece of legislation, in case it was approved. This has been rejected by trans-rights activists and comes under fierce criticism from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

On Monday, Sturgeon had accused the UK government of using trans people as a “political weapon”, adding that the Scottish Parliament, where the Bill was passed with a large majority, will vigorously defend the legislation.

British Indian statistician receives OBE Professor Kanti Mardia was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to statistical science by King Charles III in his New Year's Honours List.

Mardia, an accomplished mathematician based in Yorkshire who completed his first PhD at the University of Rajasthan and now teaching at the University of Leeds, has been a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society since 1964 and a Visiting Professor at Oxford University.

Previously, Mardia received

the Guy Medal in Silver of the Royal Statistical Society in 2003, which also runs the annual Mardia Prize. He received the Wilks Memorial Medal from the American Statistical Society in 2013 and the Gandhi Medal of Honour.

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Greater Manchester welcomes India's High Commissioner to the UK, in his first visit outside of London Local Civic and business leaders welcomed His Excellency, Vikram Doraiswami India High Commissioner in the UK, to Greater Manchester on Friday 13th January, for meetings to highlight and celebrate the importance of India to the city-region and explore opportunities for future partnership.

The visit was delivered by the Manchester India Partnership - an award-winning organisation established in 2018 by the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership – and Greater Manchester’s

Manchester India High Comm Visit

Institute to learn more about the institution's R&D activity in India and the University’s growing Indian student population.

The High Commissioner also met with local MPs, Indian busi-

Manchester India - Photo Credit Lopa Patel

inward investment agency, MIDAS, to bring together businesses, universities, and the public sector to develop a strategic approach to engaging India, in collaboration with the Department for International Trade.

The country’s initiatives in key sectors such as Cyber, eCommerce, Low Carbon and Health Innovation align closely with GM's strengths in these areas; creating huge opportunities for mutually beneficial investment, innovation and job creation.

Whilst in the city region, Mr Doraiswami visited The University of Manchester and the National Graphene

nesses and organisations in the area, including Welspun, one of India's fastest-growing global conglomerates based in Stockport.

Doraiswami was also introduced to the team at The Manchester Museum, set to reopen next month with a brand-new South Asia gallery that will showcase Greater Manchester’s diverse cultural environment and the strong historical links the city-region shares with India.

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham said, “It was a real honour to welcome the Indian High Commissioner in the UK to

Greater Manchester. India is a key partner for our city region and the range of businesses and institutions we met with reflect the strength and significance of our relationship. Just last year the Manchester-India Partnership launched a refreshed strategy which sets out how we plan to develop the relationship further, building on shared ambitions around trade, investment, education and tourism. The Partnership will continue to play a pivotal role as we look forward to strengthening ties with India.”

Manchester India Partnership Chair, Simon Arora said, “India is a priority FDI and trade market for Greater Manchester and we are committed to maintaining and growing this relationship. It was an honour to welcome Mr Vikram Doraiswami to the city region to share ideas and opportunities for mutual growth and prosperity; we look forward to the future of this partnership.”

In September 2022, The Manchester India Partnership (MIP) launched a refreshed strategy to harness the power of its highlevel networks in the UK and India.

Singing bus driver goes viral A bus driver with a love of driving and singing has become the talk of the town after releasing a music video about his job.

59-year-old Ranjit Singh has had 58,000 views of his song and the accompanying music video ‘Bus Driver’ on YouTube since releasing it last year.

For 13 years, the driver from West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, has been driving for National Express. He said he had wanted to film the video to

show his family in India what he did for a living.

“I have a great passion for driving and singing, so I wanted to combine the two together,” he said. The song is in Punjabi with English subtitles. The video

showcases Singh and his colleagues dancing and working through their usual tasks for the day.

Singh told the BBC: “It’s always been my dream to make a music video about my job so that when I retire I can watch it back as a memento and reflect on how me and my colleagues all drive buses together.It’s made me really happy and proud. I’ve received lots of comments and messages. Everyone’s really liked it.”

NHS chiefs plead people from ethnic minorities to support organ donation NHS chiefs want more organ donors from ethnic minorities to come forward as there is a large number of black or Asian people who are in need of transplants, but the donor list lacks donors.

Appealing for organ donors in England and Wales Winnie Andango, lead nurse for equality with organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “There remains an urgent need for people of black and

Asian heritage to discuss and share their support for organ donation.”

On the waiting list last year, there were 1,967 from ethnic minorities.

43-year-old Belinda Otas is waiting for a kidney trans-

Fees for England universities frozen for two years The government has decided to freeze university tuition fees in England at £9,250 for the next two years. However, with maintenance loans rising by 2.8% from this autumn, students face a further squeeze on living costs.

After loans rose just 2.3% this year, the Save the Student money advice website said it was a "devastating blow". Along with this, the government has said it will give a further £15m to hardship funds at universities.

Though the National Union of Students (NUS) which represents students across the UK - has welcomed financial help for students, it said hardship

funds were "a quick fix to a long-term problem".

The NUS has urged the government to offer larger loans and grants for student living costs, and tackle "spiralling student rent".

Robert Halfon, the higher education minister, said in a written statement, that the government recognised "students continue to face financial challenges".

despite the revelations Harry has made about his family and the institution, the public’s opinion of the royal family would be unaffected.

The book, Spare, includes claims done by Harry that his brother physically attacked him and an admission that he killed 25 Taliban soldiers while serving with the

Mr Halfon said: "I'm really pleased to see that so many universities are already stepping up efforts to support their students through a variety of programmes.

"These schemes have already helped students up and down the country and I urge anyone who is worried about their circumstances to speak to their university."

Afghan refugees made to move to take the UK to court A group of Afghan families are taking the government to court because the following move meant their children had to leave a local school during their GCSE studies.

Four families were shifted from a London hotel to one in northern England.

The families say a lack of school places near their new temporary home has since set back the teenagers' education. The Home Office said it was trying to find per-

manent homes for Afghans.

The Afghans' lawyers will argue in a two-day hearing at the High Court next week that the Home Office has not addressed the impact of the hotel move on the children's schooling.

In south London, teachers at Ark Walworth Academy enrolled some of the children, who were living at a nearby hotel but in August 2022, Home Office officials said the families

would have to be moved to new accommodation when the government stopped using the hotel to house refugees.

Ark Walworth Academy principal Jessica West said, "What is difficult is to see them move from a situation that was precarious, that we did everything we could to try and shore up for them, to another situation that isn't permanent and is just as precarious.”

Son killed father with Bollinger bottle A drunken son killed his father with a bottle of Bollinger, then told police “I hate French champagne”, a court was told. Police found Deekan Singh Vig lying on the floor naked next to the body of his father, Arjan

Singh Vig, 86 among 100 bottles of champagne.

Vig’s sister, Rippan, believed because of the effects of the lockdown, he had become more tense and edgy, the Old Bailey, in central London, was told.

Rishi Sunak backs Royal family After Prince Harry’s damaging revelations about the royal family, the coronation in May will be an opportunity “for the country to come together”, the prime minister has said.

Despite the fallout from the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Rishi Sunak has defended the monarchy as an institution to be “proud” of. The prime minister suggested

plant.

She said: “Living on dialysis is like living in limbo, it defines your whole life.”

Maham Majeed of Bury in Greater Manchester died in 2021 at the age of 21. Her organs were donated.

Maham’s mum Nazia, a teacher, said: “Maham was a human compassionate being who would help anyone.”

Visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk and share your decision with your family.

British army in Afghanistan. Other revelations from the book include Harry’s love life, drug-taking and rifts with his family.

When asked whether he believed that the revelations of “dysfunction and allegations of fighting

and betrayal” had harmed the monarchy, Sunak told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC One that the prime minister should not comment on “matters to do with the royal family”.

However, he said he believed that the public had “enormous regard” for the Royal family and was still “deeply proud of them”.

Deanna Heer, KC, for the prosecution, said in October 2021, Vig’s father had been killed at the family’s home in Southgate, north London. “He was attacked with a heavy blunt weapon, most likely a full bottle of champagne,” she said. “His skull was broken, he suffered extensive fractures of the facial bones and his brain was damaged so badly that death would have been swift, if not instantaneous”.

Vig accepted he killed his father and has admitted manslaughter but he denied murder, claiming he did not intend to kill his father or to cause him really serious bodily injury. The trial continues.

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Final commemoration of the 100th anniversary of

Pramukh Swami Maharaj A

month long, grand and divine festivity of his holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj centenary celebrations (PSM 100) comes to an end.

The exhibitions and attractions at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Nagar welcomed over 12.1 million visitors who were motivated to live better lives. The Nagar hosted a variety of displays, attractions, seminars, films and shows, each imparting a unique lesson from the inspiring life of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

Whether at the Nagar or via webcast, millions of people watched the evening assemblies held every day over the past month, learned about Pramukh Swami Maharaj's life and work from addresses made by senior swamis and dignitaries from all over the world. Thousands of attendees gained inspiration from

Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life through professional and academic conferences.

Over 5.6 million cc of blood were donated at the celebration's blood drive, which was also organised.

Hundreds and thousands of people were impressed and astonished by the ornate main gate, Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s 30-foot sculpted image, the replica of Delhi Akshardham Mandir, the enchanting glow garden, the light and sound show and other displays.

Majestic closing ceremony programme at PSM 100 The grand finale ceremony of Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s Centenary Celebrations, titled, ‘We Will Not Forget You’ was attended by thousands of followers. The assembly began with the chanting of devotional hymns followed by the grand entrance of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj on a decorated chariot. The first session of the concluding ceremony explained how people will not be able to forget Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Selected devotees shared their personal experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj and how they will never be able to forget him for what he has done for them and their family.

Senior BAPS swami Viveksagardas Swami spoked about Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life and his sacrifices he made for everyone in society. All people received wisdom, calm, and stability from Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

In Second session, Abu Dhabi mandir project head Brahmaviharidas Swami talked

about Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s construction of temples and their global footprint. After a video about the significance of BAPS temples, senior BAPS swami and mahant of Gandhinagar Anandswarupdas Akshardham Swami remarked how Pramukh

Swami Maharaj changed society’s landscape through festivities. He motivated thousands of selfless volunteers, encouraged skill development, inspired positive

change, and transforming society.

The final part of the programme focused on how even the future will not be able to forget Pramukh Swami Maharaj. His spirituality transcended time's limitations. Each senior swami of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha emphasized on Pramukh Swami Maharaj's greatness.

Tyagvallabhdas Swami had spoken about Pramukh Swami Maharaj's devotion to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and his gurus after Ghanshyamcharandas Swami offered a prayer.

Swayamprakashdas Swami (Doctor Swami) highlighted how Pramukh Swami Maharaj treated everyone equally, whereas Bhaktipriyadas Swami described Pramukh Swami Maharaj's saintliness.

Ishwarcharandas Swami talked about the charming modesty of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

While addressing the devotees at closing ceremony of PSM 100, present head of BAPS- Mahant Swami Maharaj stated that “We saw in today’s assembly that Pramukh Swami Maharaj had cared for everyone. Thus, everyone

felt that he is mine. That is why none can ever forget him, not today and not thousands of years hence.”

He continued by saying “Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s centenary was celebrated in a grand and divine way. By Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s grace, the festival has been completed without a hitch. By celebrating this festival, we offered our devotion to our guru. We should never forget this.

This festival was not celebrated to show anyone or increase our glory.

The true benefit of this festival is

for our life to become more like Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s. He had virtues of service, resoluteness in spiritual observances, unity and affection.”

“Whoever visited this festival, supported it or even appreciated it from afar, may God bless them.

And the service and sacrifice of the

volunteers and swamis cannot be forgotten. They have endured so many hardships. Without the volunteers, this would not have been possible. In such difficult circumstances, they keep courage, and without looking at day or night, served humbly. Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami, Pramukh Swami Maharaj and I have been very, very pleased with their service” he said.

Pramukh Swami Later Maharaj’s centennial celebrations were officially concluded with a

Swamiji’s thread of (moral and spiritual) values.”

“You might typically consider spiritual individuals to be distant and unconnected, but this was the opposite. A living example of rooted spirituality was Pramukh Swami Maharaja. I find the entire event to be inspiring and excellent, but the volunteerism especially strikes me as having strength in our society because it is so firmly rooted and sincere.” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, S Jaishankar.

Dr Aman Puri, Consulate

mass maha-arti, a colourful dance by youths and fireworks.

Guests visited PSM 100 Smriti Irani, Minister of Women & Child Development stated that “I can never relate Pramukh Swami Maharaj with the word “grand” but rather with words “kind and gentle”. It is his gentle form that reflected here, from his way of life, his actions and practices, and from the values he imparted and it is the reason why people from not only the Swaminarayan Sampraday but people from different cultures and society, religions and countries have come here. Only one thread ties everyone together and that is

General of India-Dubai said “I feel blessed to be able to come here on the centenary celebrations of Pramukh Swami Maharaj, I think everything he did was driven by the concept of selfless service. He was touching the lives of millions of individuals. He was really driven by heart it was a journey for him to look at how to connect with the human being irrespective of where the person came from.”

Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj unveils special magazine dedicated to Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj

To celebrate the birth centenary of Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a special magazine was published by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

Param Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj unveiled this special magazine dedicated to the life and legacy of Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj at the Shatabdi Mahotsav in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 12th January, 2023 Though CB Patel, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar could not be there in person, he was recognised by the swamijis present, including Mahant Swami Maharaj. On behalf of CB, ABPL’s Advertising Manager, Kishor Parmar who was present at the inaugural ceremony, was blessed and felicitated by Mahant Swami Maharaj.

CB and his family have been closely associated with BAPS, since the time of Brahmaswaroop Shastri Maharaj.

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Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Alpesh Patel OBE

My targeted return for my pension through ISAs and SIPPs is high. For UK stocks it is 20% and for US it is double that because US stocks as a whole do better. But even with the US if I hit 20% pa I would be happy and of course in 2021 it was far higher because of the markets which made up for last year which was only saved by holding cash and having some energy stocks late in the year.

I have a link to a free portfolio review here: www.alpeshpatelventures.com/links The Stock Market Outlook for 2023 According to the Major Banks According to Morgan Stanley, 2022's tumultuous markets bore a lesson: Many investors might be overplaying their hands. Smart asset holders ought to seek income and return potential outside of U.S. equities, prioritize fixed income, and consider selectively owning stocks.

This isn't to say that equities are suddenly worthless.

It just means that if you want to leverage their benefits — like inflation protection — you'll likely benefit from picking high-quality investments(ie profitable ones) with strong margin resilience and plenty of free cash flow.

Broaden Diversification Although broad diversification has long been a pillar of smart strategies, investors will really need to take the concept to heart this year: 2023 is forecast to be challenging thanks to inflation, bear markets, and layoffs alike all weighing on stocks and bonds. For me this means not just tech but consumer cyclicals too. I own Procter and Gamble, Nike, Home Depot but also Disney, Taiwan Semiconductor too.

The Recession Perspective Forecasters have been predicting a recession since last year — but it never came. Investors shouldn't take this reprieve for granted, however: Experts like BlackRock say central banks' policy-tightening attempts to ease inflation are almost sure to cause one this year — and that, unsurprisingly, investors can't depend on the same regulators to provide a rescue.

Other groups like JP Morgan admit that even if the recession is too close to call in the short term, slower growth and lower inflation are highly probable. Again, the key may lie in looking to alternate opportunities: Instead of stubbornly sticking to longtime market stalwarts like the communication sector, which performed dismally in 2022, move into developing options like energy, healthcare, utilities, and information technology.

As ever I will filter for quality, that means profitable companies, growing sales and undervalued on multiple measures, with low volatility. There will be UK stocks not just US ones in my ISA and SIPP and also some smaller companies too. There are many free tools online like SimplyWall.st and Kofin. Ultimately it’s about knowing how to read and understand them which is where experience comes in.

I expect it to be an up year for the US markets. Not a wildly good year. But okay for me not to be swimming uphill. Also as I have posted on my YouTube channel there are a number of stocks Goldman Sachs identified which I think will double in price.

Gas and electricity will not return to lower price as per experts The boss of Norwegian energy giant Equinor has said he does not expect gas and electricity bills to return to the levels they were before Covid.

Anders Opedal told the BBC the transition from fossil fuels towards less damaging sources of energy meant costs would remain high. Mr Opedal also said that windfall taxes on energy firms were affecting investment in projects in the UK. Energy companies have reported record profits because of higher gas prices.

Equinor, which makes most of its money producing oil and gas, is one of Europe's biggest energy companies, with operations in 36 countries around the world including the UK.

Mr Opedal said it was doubtful that gas and electricity bills would return to a time when the typical UK household was paying around £1,300 a year. The typical annual bill for homes is currently around £2,500 which includes help from the UK government. Mr Opedal said there is "a kind of re-wiring of the whole energy system in Europe particularly after the gas from Russia was taken away". He said huge investment in renewables was needed, including using more hydrogen for example.

In its most recent financial results, it reported pre-tax profits of $24.3bn (£19.8bn) between July and September compared to $9.7bn in the same period the year before.

Scandalous situation as NHS turns to private brokers Private brokers are making millions of pounds a year finding care home beds for NHS patients who are fit to leave hospital.

Agencies are being hired to provide “discharge services”, finding suitable places for elderly patients amid pressures on the health system, according to an analysis. Carehome Selection Ltd, the UK’s biggest social care brokerage, has expanded in the past five years and now claims partnerships with 150 NHS organisations and local authorities, with revenues

of £20m, up about 75% compared with 2018. In 2021, the most senior director of its parent company was paid £609,000, up from £138,000 in 2020, according to its latest accounts. The agency is one of the biggest beneficiaries in a group of firms providing brokerage services, predominantly helping councils seeking places for patients stuck in hospitals.

A chronic lack of social care capacity means up to one in three hospital beds in England are occupied by patients who are ready to leave, with the backlog con-

MPs urge deploying more resources to recover unpaid tax The UK is missing out on £42bn of unpaid tax because HM Revenue and Customs is not deploying enough resources to improve compliance, parliament’s spending watchdog has said.

Tax compliance and customer service are both suffering because HMRC has too few staff working to improve performance, according to the Public Accounts Committee’s latest report. While the £731.1bn HMRC collected in taxes and duties last year was the highest on record, PAC said it is “still not deploying the resources required to maximise the tax revenues it collects or provide an acceptable level of customer service”. The £42bn owed in unpaid tax is around 5% of

the total owed each year. In a report that also criticises HMRC for lacking “ambition” to tackle fraud and error, the MPs noted that the 2021-22 tax gap stood at a similar level to in 2019-20.

HMRC bases its compliance performance and resourcing on maintaining, rather than reducing, the tax gap. The MPs argued that spending on compliance is cost efficient because for every £1 that HMRC spends on compliance activities, it recovers £18 in additional tax revenue. Only putting enough resources – including staff – into compliance work to maintain the current tax gap therefore means the government is “missing out on billions in lost revenue”, they said.

tributing to record ambulance and treatment delays.

Care home brokerages help identify suitable care home places so that medically fit patients can be discharged, freeing up capacity in overstretched wards. But such arrangements are usually made by the NHS and councils dealing directly with each other and local social care providers. A spokesperson for Carehome Selection said it “commits to and is paid based upon performance-based outcomes centred on accelerating speed of hospital dis-

charge”. They added that clients using the service had reduced the average time to discharge medically fit patients from 10 to three days.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: “The purpose of the £500m discharge fund is to reduce the number of bed days lost to delayed discharge. It is for NHS trusts and local authorities to decide whether to access support from the private sector in improving flow through the health and social care system.”

Labour MP Dawn Butler's views on rent crisis The country is facing a rent crisis and this Government seems to be turning a blind eye. As inflation hits the highest rate since the 1980s, food prices soar and energy bills begin to rise again, the last thing people need is rent increases on top of that. Yet, this is the situation for millions of people across the UK who rent from private landlords, as private rents are now rising at the fastest rate for seven years.

They went up by 4% last year, with renters now paying on average 24% of their weekly expenditure on housing, compared to the 16% those with a mortgage pay. And brokers predict that UK rents will rise by an average of 13% over the next year. This increase will be simply unaffordable for so

many people and I am deeply worried for my constituents in Brent. When you take into consideration the extra money those on low incomes pay in prepayment metres, travel, food, people are just about surviving. They’re facing agonising choices, between heating and eating, as wages are simply not enough to cope with rising costs.

Real wages in the UK are forecast to shrink by 6.2% over the next two years, as if it wasn’t bad enough already. The truth is, the cost of rent is often extortionate. One thing the Government could immediately do is follow through on their proposed ban on no-fault evictions, which the Labour Party and housing campaigners have long called on them to do.

Searches at Former Indian Secretary’s residence for giving illegal extension to UK firm Former Union finance secretary Arvind Mayaram, whose residences were raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday, is accused of illegally granting an extension to a UK-based company for supplying exclusive colour shift security thread for Indian banknotes.

In its First Information Report (FIR) lodged on 10 January 2023, the CBI accuses Mayaram, who’s currently the principal economic advisor to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, of

illegally granting a threeyear extension for security thread to De La Rue International in 2012 for kickbacks. A security thread is a feature that many banknotes have as protection against counterfeiting. It consists of a thin ribbon that is threaded through the note’s paper. The FIR, accuses Mayaram, a 1978-batch retired IAS officer, of cheating, criminal conspiracy, and corruption, for allegedly having granted the extension despite the fact that the company’s contract had

expired.

Before he was appointed the finance secretary in 2014, Mayaram was the economic affairs secretary, a charge he held since 2012. He retired in October 2015. Although the FIR was registered only three days ago, the CBI had initiated a preliminary inquiry into the case in February 2017 on the basis of a complaint by Raj Kumar, joint secretary and chief vigilance officer, the Department of Economic Affairs, which is under the Ministry of Finance. Apart from Mayaram, the FIR also

accuses some unidentified officials of the finance ministry, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and De La Rue, of being involved in the case.

“Enquiry has prima facie revealed that Arvind Mayaram had provided undue favours to De La Rue by the way of granting illegal extension to its contract when he was finance secretary. This resulted in undue wrongful gain to the company and corresponding wrongful loss to the government exchequer,” a CBI officer told

Staff to strike as Amazon plans to shut warehouses Amazon plans to shut three warehouses in Britain in a move that will impact 1,200 jobs, but workers will be given the chance to transfer to other units, the online retail giant has said.

The company said it opened a consultation to close three older British warehouses this year in Hemel Hampstead, Doncaster and Gourock, sites employing 1,200 people in

one of Amazon’s biggest markets outside the United States. Those employees will be given the chance to move jobs internally, said Amazon, with those from the first two sites moving to other warehouses nearby. Amazon says

it operates 30 large warehouses across the United Kingdom. Amazon said it planned to open two new warehouses in central and north east England over the next three years, a move it said will create 2,500 new jobs. The Seattle-based online retailing giant said earlier in January it wants to shed 18,000 roles globally, bracing for slower growth as consumers and businesses

cut spending as a result of high inflation.

The planned closing of the British warehouses are not part of the wider restructuring which mainly covers non-warehouse roles in ecommerce and human resources.

Separately, Amazon’s UK business has also faced demands for better pay from its warehouse staff, about 300 of whom plan to go on strike on Jan. 25.

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Bihar govt starts auction for iron ore mines valued Rs 20,000 cr According to an official, the Bihar government will hire SBI Capital Markets to create a report for the sale of glauconite and iron ore reserves worth Rs 20,000 crore in the districts of Rohtas and Jamui.

The government held a meeting with several stakeholders recently to initiate the auction process, Additional Chief Secretarycum-Mines Commissioner Harjot Kaur Bamhrah said.

According to Bamhrah, the state government will soon issue an order appointing SBI Capital Markets as the transaction advisor and asking them to recommend the terms and conditions on which the

auctions should be held.

The state government has asked SBI CAPS, the investment bank and project advisor, to submit a detailed report, she said.

The state government will start the process of approving permission to allow lease-based mining of glauconite and iron ore

reserves worth Rs 20,000 crore in Rohtas and Jamui districts after the report is presented, according to the mines commissioner.

Glauconite, a common source of potassium in fertilisers, is useful in increasing soil fertility, while iron ore is the essential raw material for

making steel.

Earlier, there was a perception that Bihar lost its mineral wealth following the creation of Jharkhand in 2000, she said. "In fact, Bihar has sufficient mineral resources to boost its economy," Bamhrah said.

The Bihar government has started a procedure to authorise mining activities for the state's mineral deposits for the first time since the establishment of Jharkhand. Additionally, the state government has chosen to revise its industrial promotion strategy by inserting clauses that will stimulate private investment in the mining industry, she said.

India imports highest ever Huge investments oil from Russia bagged by Maharashtra at Russia, which in October than 909,403 bpd crude oil 2022 for the first time India imported from Russia world forum surpassed traditional sellers in November and 935,556 Iraq and Saudi Arabia to take the No.1 spot, supplied 1 million barrels per day in December.

India's import of crude oil from Russia increased further in December 2022, topping 1 million barrels per day for the first time ever as Moscow remained its top oil supper for the third month in a row, according to data from energy cargo tracker Vortexa. Russia, which made up for just 0.2 per cent of all crude oil India imported in the year to March 31, 2022, supplied 1.19 million bpd in December. This was higher

bpd in October 2022. The previous record for most crude oil imports from Russia was in June 2022 when India bought 942,694 bpd, according to Vortexa.

Russia, which in October 2022 for the first time surpassed traditional sellers Iraq and Saudi Arabia to take the No.1 spot, now makes up for 25 per cent of all oil imported

by India. The imports peaked as a price cap was agreed upon by the EU on Russian seaborne oil.

Russian oil is available at much lower than USD 60 per barrel cap agreed, industry sources said.

Maharashtra has bagged investments worth around INR 459 trillion on the first day of the Annual Conference of World.Economic Forum underway in Davos, Switzerland, said state Industries Minister Uday Samant.

This investment is likely to create direct employment for at least 10,000 people in the state, said Samant.

"Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at Davos for the international conference of the World Economic Forum and he visited the Maharashtra Pavilion prepared at Davos. In the Maharashtra Pavilion, an

impressive display of the progress of the state will be made and MoUs will also be signed here with important industries," said Sawant."In the prominent presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, MoUs were signed today with various companies and through this, around 10,000 youths will get work," he added. The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Shinde and Minister Uday Samant.

Reliance suspends auction of natural gas Reliance Industries Ltd and its partner bp plc has suspended a planned auction for the sale of natural gas from their eastern offshore KG-D6 block after the government altered marketing rules to cap margins. In a notice, Reliance and its partner BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd (BPEAL) said the auction has been suspended indefinitely. E-bidding for the sale of 6 million standard cubic meters per day of gas was originally planned for January 18 but was later pushed back first to January 19 and then to January 24.

On January 13, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas published new rules for the sale and resale of gas produced from discoveries in deep sea, ultra-deep water and high pressure-

high temperature areas with marketing and pricing freedom. It required bidders to state upfront if they were purchasing the gas through the auction for ‘own use as end consumers (including for use of their group entities) or as a trader.” While end consumers were allowed to resale

any unconsumed gas, traders participating in the auction were allowed to resell subject to a maximum trading margin of INR 200 per thousand cubic meters.

The two partners invited bids for the sale of 6 mmscmd, or a third of the volumes being produced at KG-D6, starting February 2023, according to the tender document. Users such as city gas operators that convert gas into CNG for sale to automobiles and pipe it to household kitchens for cooking purposes, or power plants that use it to generate electricity, or fertilizer units that use it to make urea, were asked to quote a premium they are willing to pay over the JKM price.

Siemens will supply freight trains in India Siemens has signed a 3 billion euro ($3.25 billion) contract to supply and service freight trains in India, the German engineering company said on Monday, the biggest locomotive deal in its history.

Siemens will deliver 1,200 electric locomotives and provide servicing for 35 years under the agreement, also its biggest ever in India. The Siemens-designed, 9,000horsepower trains with a top speed of 120 km (75 miles)/hr

will be assembled in India over the next 11 years, with deliveries starting in 24 months.

"These new locomotives ... can replace between 500,000 to 800,000 trucks over their lifecycle," said Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter.

The order was a big step for Siemens in India, Peter told Reuters, saying the company had previously mainly provided components and infrastructure there.

A mountain out of a molehill

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

There is a client we were originally introduced to as someone who needed refinancing. As time went on I got to know the reason. In short, there has been a dispute with the managing agents. From what I saw the issues had escalated to a point where it went way past the actual problem, and became a personality issue.

This perception was confirmed by professionals whom the clients had employed to help resolve the issues.

There was without doubt a minor breach of the lease, something like an internal reconfiguration which did not affect anyone else; and was not a major breach.

This got one of the members up in arms. He happens to be a British architect, retired and has a lot of time on his hands. As the saying goes, the devil finds work for idle hands…

The other aspect of the story is these clients own not one, but three flats in the block; further more they are from Iraq. Way too many flats for a foreigner; especially in a prime part of Central London.

With these ingredients, they were not going to get an easy ride.

There were a series of incidents which indicate the board, controlled by certain personalities, are not looking for a resolution, but seem hell bent on persecution. They even took it upon themselves to inform the lender their security was in question, due to the breach in the lease.

Whether they even have a right to do this is questionable.

As a result, the lender has made a demand for the full and final repayment of the loan. Thus, leaving the clients between a rock and a hard place.

As the properties are held in an off shore vehicle, and one which is currently not favoured by most lenders, though was many moons ago, it wasn’t easy to identify a lender who would fund this proposition. But we managed to source a lender to refinance this, even with the structure and the perceived breach of the lease. The rates are a little high, but given the circumstances, they are lucky to even be offered a solution.

The clients are frankly fed up with the situation and want out. Therefore, they wish to cut loose and sell.

Local agents appeal to end users and tend to achieve the best price – in a normal market. Currently, the tide is turning, there is a sentiment which is wait and see what happens. Therefore, after listing this in the market, and having little to no traction, despite the original lofty promises given by the agents to onboard the properties, the clients are no better off. In fact, worse; as time and tide waits for no man, and the deadline from the bank is getting closer.

I felt they needed to look at reality in the face and grab the bull by the horns, and suggested an auction. Only an auction with a realistic reserve price would cut this issue out – in the timescale required.

Auctioneers understandably don’t want to take something on they cannot sell, it doesn’t look good for the next auction. Therefore, they tend to favour low reserve prices which helps ensure the lot ends up selling.

The bottom line is the market will decide the price.

So, even if the reserve price is low the market will dictate the selling price.

However, the reserve suggested is below what’s owed to the bank, therefore this will require a top up by the clients.

One scenario is a low reserve will attract a lot of interest, build momentum and they will go for higher than expected. The other is they will not, given the current market sentiment, and an injection of funds will be required.

This is the current predicament of the clients which they are mulling over.

Although the above situation was triggered by a breach in the lease, I feel there will be many scenarios this coming year, where investors will need to offload and off load quick. Auctions will be the obvious route to make this happen – watch this space.

Adani Power moves ahead with D B Power Adani Power and D B Power have mutually agreed to further extend the long stop date to 15 February 2023, for the closing of the transaction for acquisition of D B Power.

Adani Power has agreed to acquire D B Power, which owns and operates a running 2x600 MW thermal power plant at District Jangir Champa in Chhattisgarh. D B Power has long and medium term power purchase agreements for 923.5 MW of its capacity, backed by fuel supply agreements with Coal India and has been operating its facilities profitably.

20 FINANCE & REAL ESTATE

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Nepal’s worst airplane crash in 30 years A passenger aircraft “ATR-72 Yeti Airlines flight” crashed on the runway at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal.

As per the latest report, 70 people have been killed. There were 72 passengers on the aircraft, including four Indians, one British and four crew members. The weather was clear when the accident occurred, and rescue efforts are ongoing, according to the Nepal civil aviation authority. Meanwhile, flight data recorder and black box of the crashed plane has been recovered and the Army has handed these over to Authorities.

The ill-fated Yeti Airlines aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at around 10:33 am (5:03 am GST) for the 25-minute journey and crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport in Pokhara, minutes before landing, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Jagannath Niraula, spokesman for the Civil

Aviation Authority of Nepal said this was the first accident of an ATR-72 aircraft in Nepal, according to media. Last Sunday’s incident was Nepal’s deadliest plane crash in more than 30 years, according to data from the Aviation Safety Network.

Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 claimed that the Yeti Airlines aircraft was 15 years old and equipped with an 'old transponder with unreliable data'.

Travel Blogger posted selfie before dying along with 67 passengers Before the plane in Pokhara crashed into a gorge and caught fire, 33-year-old Elena Banduro uploaded a picture of herself smiling. The enthusiastic Russian travel blogger sent updates on her journey to her social media followers. She uploaded a photo of herself on the plane and captioned it, "Go to Nepal!"

Dead co-pilot’s husband also flew the same airlines, died in crash nearly 16 years ago

‘World’s most beautiful woman’ passes away

Gina Lollobrigida

Italian female actor Gina Lollobrigida passed away at the age of 95 in Rome, her grandnephew, Italian minister of agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida informed.

On the death of "the most beautiful woman in the world", he wrote, “Today #GinaLollobrigida has disappeared, one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture.

Incomparable champion, icon of beauty and versatility, extraordinary woman and

professional. He will continue to live on and inspire through his works.”

Gina Lollobrigida died in Rome after being hospitalised for some time. She is survived by her son, Milko, and grandson, Dimitri. Gina Lollobrigida was born in 1927 in Subiaco, east of Rome and was the daughter of a furniture maker. In the 1950s and 60s, she was one of the world's most desired performers as she starred in a number of films opposite many leading men of that time.

Anju Khatiwada, the copilot of the Yeti Airlines jet that crashed, entered the field of aviation in Nepal after her husband passed away in 2006 while operating a small passenger aircraft for the same domestic carrier.

Kerala village in woe after airlines crash According to reports, three of the five visitors who travelled to Anickad in Pathanamthitta to attend an evangelist's funeral, Mathew Philip, were there to attend the funeral. Philip had spent 45 years in Nepal with a Christian ministry and returned to Anickad two years ago after being diagnosed with cancer.

Indian-origin Ravi Kumar the new CEO of Cognizant IT giant Cognizant appointed Ravi Kumar S as its new Chief Executive Officer who will replace Brian Humphries. Kumar spent 20 years at Infosys where he served as the president and COO until October 2022 before joining Cognizant as the President of Cognizant Americas.

With the leadership changes announced on last Thursday, top-deckers of Indian descent, including 24year industry veteran Surya Gummadi, are back in charge.

Before outgoing CEO Brian Humphries, Cognizant has had Asian CEOs--Francisco D' Souza and Lakshmi Narayanan. The company's founder, Kumar Mahadeva, from Sri Lanka, was the first CEO. US-based analyst Moshe Katri, who had predicted board action, said that former Infosys president Ravi Kumar’s appointment as CEO at Cognizant is an "important event" aimed at

SA Indian-origin freedom fighter Frene Ginwala dies South Africa’s Indian-origin freedom fighter and recipient of National Orders Frene Noshir Ginwala passed away at the age of 90.

In a statement, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that Ginwala left for her heavenly abode on last Thursday evening. Ginwala had suffered a stroke a fortnight ago. She was a descendant of one of the few Indianborn Parsi families. She was sent to the UK for her studies by her parents before they settled in Mozambique, leaving South Africa.

Ginwala assisted numerous ANC members, including Nelson Mandela, after the ANC was outlawed and the apartheid authorities detained the High Command officials in 1963.

Ginwala also helped in establishing ANC in exile in Tanzania. She became the first parliamentary speaker of South Africa after Mandela became president of the first democratically-elected government in 1994.

“On behalf of the nation and of the leg-

The visitors had a close relationship with him and used to visit him often.

The deceased are Raju Thakur, Anil Sahi and Rabin Hamal. They had reportedly taken the flight to Pokhara while two of their co-passengers stayed back in Kathmandu.

British man was among the people killed in crash Nepalese officials initially said Ruan Calum Crighton was from the Republic of Ireland, but the UK government confirmed he was British.

A 34-year-old Mr Crighton was a physiotherapy student and a talented ballet dancer from Essex, died just a day after celebrating his birthday.

A Foreign Office spokesperson stated that “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Nepal and are in contact with the local authorities."

Alongside Mr Crighton there were victims from Nepal, India, Russia, South Korea, Argentina, Australia and France.

islative, executive and judicial components of the State, (I offer my) sincere condolences to Dr Ginwala’s family, her nephews Cyrus, Sohrab and Zavareh, and their families,” said Ramaphosa.

Ginwala, who was born on April 25, 1932, participated in the anti-apartheid movement and fought for South Africa's democratic regime as a scholar, attorney, activist, journalist, and political figure.

“Frene Ginwala played a crucial role in enhancing the capabilities of Parliament by converting activists and leaders into lawmakers who, in turn, were able to reshape our nation. She personified the ideals and expectations of our then fledging Constitution.,” said Ramaphosa said.

“Beyond African shores, she positioned our young democracy both as one that had as much to contribute to as it had to learn from global precedents and experience,” he added.

in brief INDIAN-AMERICAN WOMAN BECOMES SENATOR IN KANSAS STATE Usha Reddy, a member of the Indian American Democratic Party, was sworn in as Kansas' state senator for district 22.

Reddy, a known community leader, on Thursday replaced longtime Manhattan Senator Tom Hawke, who announced his retirement from the Legislature last month. She tweeted, “I was sworn in as the State Senator for District 22 this afternoon. It was great to have my family join me today.” “It has been a very exciting night. I am thrilled to represent Senate District 22.’ Thanking outgoing Senator Hawke for her dedicated service, Reddy said she ‘led with a genuine love for the community and built strong relationships along the way.’ “Senator Tom Hawke is an outstanding leader, and I’m sure I will reach out to him many times,” she said. Reddy has held two terms as mayor and has been a member of the Manhattan City Commission since 2013. She worked as a teacher in Manhattan-Ogden Public Schools previously, where she also served as president its National Education Association chapter. She holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Kansas State University. Reddy will serve out the remainder of Senator Hawke’s term, which expires in 2025. The assignments of Reddy’s committee will be announced in the coming days.

ADIDAS LOSES STRIPE TRADEMARK LAWSUIT Ravi Kumar S

resolving challenges like "record attrition rates, delivery constraints as well as lagging peerlike growth".

“India has always been the soul of Cognizant. Over 70% of the workforce is located in the region, which has made a substantial contribution to world leadership. For the company's survival and development, it's crucial to be aware of what Indian talent can provide, "the executive said. “The company now has two leaders who understand India immensely.”

Sportswear brand Adidas lost a trademark infringement lawsuit against American luxury fashion brand Thom Browne Inc. As per media report, Adidas had claimed that Thom Browne's four stripes were too similar to its three stripes. A New York jury sided with Browne when Adidas had sought more than $7.8 million (Rs 63 crore) in damages.

The three stripes are a common feature in Adidas designs while Browne's creations feature four horizontal, parallel stripes that round the sleeve of a garment. The conflict dates back 15 years. Adidas objected when Browne placed a three-stripe design on a jacket in 2007 because it was too close to their own design. Browne changed to a fourstripe design after deciding to give up. As per documents of the case, Adidas has filed more than 200 settlement agreements and engaged in more than 90 court battles in relation to its trademark since 2008.

US CDC appoints Indian-origin as Principal Deputy Director Nirav D Shah, an Indianorigin epidemiologist, has been appointed Principal Deputy Director at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making him the secondin-command at the national public health agency. Shah, who is in his mid-forties, is currently the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shah will take on the new position as the second in command under US CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

His appointment as Principal Deputy Director comes as part of a

planned, broader overhaul of that agency announced by the US CDC Director in August of last year.

According to media report, Shah previously served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials between March 2021 and September 2022.

Maine Governor Janet Mills in a statement said: "I take comfort, as Maine people should, in knowing that the U.S. CDC and the American people at large will soon become the beneficiaries of his leadership.

Dr. Shah, on behalf of the people of Maine, thank you from the bottom of

my heart.”

“Since his arrival in Maine before the pandemic, and every day throughout it, Dr. Shah has been a trusted advisor to me and an extraordinary leader of the Maine CDC. But even more than that, he was a trusted advisor and a leader to the people of Maine during one of the greatest public health crises of our time,” said Governor Mills.

“I am convinced that Dr. Shah's leadership was a major factor in Maine's success in battling the epidemic, and I have no doubt that he helped save many Maine residents' lives," Mills added.

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in brief EIFFEL TOWER IRAN PROTESTS Slogans like "Woman. Life.

Freedom" and “Stop Executions In Iran”- some of the chants of protesters of Iran- were seen on the Eiffel Tower. Thousands of people held a march in France's Strasbourg in support of anti-hijab protests in Iran. Slogans in support of the Iranian protesters were displayed on the iconic Eiffel Tower as seen in videos widely shared on social media. Slogans like "Woman. Life. Freedom" and “Stop Executions In Iran”- some of the chants of protesters of Iran- were seen on the Eiffel Tower. Protests in Iran began in September last year following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was arrested by Iran's controversial morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being allegedly beaten up. The official Twitter account of the Eiffel Tower, La tour Eiffel retweeted pictures captioned as, ''Four months after the assassination of Mahsa Amini, @LaTourEiffeldisplays @Paris's unfailing support for Iranians fighting for their rights and freedom. For the executions to cease and the will of the Iranian people to triumph!''

FIRST AI-ROBOT LAWYER TO DEFEND IN COURT The "first ever robot lawyer" will represent a client in court next month. According to reports, a defendant will use the legal assistant with artificial intelligence (AI) to contest a traffic ticket. The AI robot was created by a startup called 'DoNotPay'. It will function as a smartphone app and stream all court proceedings in real time.

Joshua Browder established the chatbot for legal services known as DoNotPay in 2015.

The company claims it is now 'home' to the 'world's first robot lawyer'. As a chatbot, it was introduced to help customers who were facing late fees or fines. The AI helper needed a lot of time to be trained on the case, according to Browder. The hearing is slated to take place in February. As of now, the makers of the robot are not disclosing the exact date, location of the court, and the name of the defendant.

MOST WANTED MAFIA BOSS ARRESTED A former trigger man who once reportedly boasted he could "fill a cemetery" with his victims, the 60-year-old Denaro is believed to have become the "boss of bosses" following the death of Salvatore "The Beast" Riina in November 2022. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Messina Denaro was the "most significant" mafia boss and his arrest in his native Sicily was a "great victory" for the state in its war against organised crime.

The mobster was nabbed "inside a sanitary structure in Palermo, where he had gone for therapeutic treatment", special operations commander Pasquale Angelosanto said in a video statement released by the police.

Messina Denaro had been number one on Italy's most-wanted list but the only known photo of him dated back to the early 1990s.

He is suspected to have been behind the 1993 bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence that killed 10 people, just months after Cosa Nostra murdered anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in similar attacks. In 2015, police discovered he was communicating with his closest collaborators via the pizzini system, where tiny, folded paper notes were left under a rock at a farm in Sicily.

R’Bonney Gabriel of USA crowned 71st Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel from the USA is Miss Universe 2022. At the grand finale of the 71st Miss Universe contest, which took place last week, Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu handed a bouquet of flowers, draped in the winner’s sash and crowned the diva onstage at the Competition. She was dressed in a crystal covered gown and enthralling jewellery.

Dudamel of Amanda Venezuela finished in second place in the 71st competition, with Andreina Martinez of the

Harnaaz was seen getting emotional as she walked the stage, dressed in a shimmering black corset dress with a trail that was an ode to former Miss Universes. She had brought home the Miss Universe title in 2021. Before that, Lara Dutta was crowned Miss Universe in 2000 and Sushmita Sen in 1994.

Harnaaz has been promoting body positivity and women's empowerment for the past two

Dominican Republic coming in second. Over 80 women from all over the world competed for the coveted title of Miss Universe during the three-hour competition.

Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel, 28, a fashion designer from Houston, Texas, who travelled four hours to compete, was crowned Miss Universe. Her father is Filipino, while her mother is American.

She stated that she wanted to use her title as Miss Universe 2022 to be a "transformational leader."

R’Bonney Gabriel

years, urging women all over the world to accept and love themselves as they are.

Divita Rai of India reached the top 16, but she was unable to make it into top 5.

Ex Afghan MP shot American detained in Iran on hunger strike An American-Iranian His father Baquer, 86, strike seven years ago on dead in Kabul imprisoned is being held in was arrested a month after the day Iran released five Iran has started a seven-day the 2016 swap, after he had Americans in exchange for

As per police reports, former Afghan MP Mursal Nabizada and her bodyguard have been shot dead by unknown assailants at her home in the capital, Kabul.

She was one of the few female parliamentarians who continued to serve in Kabul after the Taliban took over in August 2021. Since the takeover, the city has not experienced a murder of a former administration MP. The local police chief, Molvi Hamidullah Khalid stated that Nabizada and her guard were shot dead in the same room. He said her brother and a second security guard were injured. A third security guard fled the scene with money and jewellery.

She passed away at her office on the first floor of her house. Khalid stated that there were inquiries going on. Questions concerning his potential motives were unanswered by him.

Abdullah Abdullah, who was a top official in Afghanistan’s former western-backed government, said he was saddened by Nabizada’s death and hoped the perpetrators would be punished. He described her as a “representative and servant of the people”. The former Kandahar parliamentarian Malalai Ishaqzai also offered her condolences.

Until the Taliban took control, Nabizada served as the representative for Kabul. She was elected in 2019. She worked for a private non-governmental organisation called the Institute for Human Resources Development and Research and was a member of the parliamentary defence commission.

Rebels abduct 50 women in Africa’s Burkina Faso Gunmen abducted some 50 women in Burkina Faso’s northern province of Soum on January 12 and 13, the government has said.

Armed men seized the women as they were picking wild fruit outside the village of Liki, about 15 kilometres (9.32 miles) from the town of Arabinda, and in another district west of the town. According to local officials, the army and its civilian auxiliaries have carried out unsuccessful sweeps of the area. UN human rights chief Volker Turk called for the release of the women in a statement. “I call for the immediate and unconditional release of all the abducted women and for the national authorities to promptly conduct an effective, impartial and independent investigation to identify those responsible and hold them to account,” Turk said.

The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by the abductions. “Those abducted must be returned safely to their loved ones immediately and unconditionally, and those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

hunger strike in protest of the US's refusal to release him and other dual citizens. Siamak Namazi appealed to President Joe Biden in an open letter to honour his government's promise to make bringing them home its highest priority.

He asked Mr Biden to spend one minute a day for seven days thinking about them. Namazi was arrested in 2015 and later sentenced to 10 years in jail on spying charges that the US said were baseless.

The 51-year-old oil executive began his hunger

their release, which also happened to be the day the nuclear agreement between the US and other major powers went into effect.

"When the Obama unconadministration scionably left me in peril and freed the other American citizens Iran held hostage on January 16, 2016, the US Government promised my family to have me safely home within weeks," he wrote in the letter to President Biden.

"Yet seven years and two presidents later, I remain caged in Tehran's notorious Evin prison."

travelled to Iran to visit his son in prison.

That October, a Revolutionary Court convicted both men of the charge of "cooperating with a foreign enemy state" and handed them 10-year sentences.

Siamak told Mr. Biden that only the US president had the authority to free him and the other two imprisoned AmericanIranians, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz, who is also a British citizen. Siamak was also left out of two prisoner swaps agreed by the Trump administration.

In Loving Memory of

Om Namah Shivay

Shree Krishna Sharnam Mama

Born: 14 October 1948 Kitale, Kenya

Demise: 13 January 2023 London, UK

Sharadbhai Balmukund Parikh

It is with great sorrow that we have to announce the death of our beloved father, Shri Sharadbhai Balmukund Parikh.

He died peacefully on 13th January after a year long brave battle with cancer. Our father was as loving, caring, compassionate and helpful as any person can be. His very life was an embodiment of his email signature “Let us do good today, for a better tomorrow for all.”

We are eternally grateful to Him for having given us a life of love, joy, laughter and abundance.

You, the sweet happy considerate person you have been, will live in every moment of our lives.

With loving remembrance from:

Om Shanti Shanti.

FUNERAL DETAILS: At 9.45 am on Sat, 21st January 2023, Place

Croydon East, Croydon Crematorium, Mitcham Road, Croydon CR9 3AT. Zoom broadcast: Website https://watch.obitus.com User Name: cowe3889 Password: 395558.

No flowers please. Donations to Gita Foundation, U.K. Charity No. 1047975 Barclays Bank Sort Code 20-84-17 Ac. No. 10653810 Jai Shri Krishna

22

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“India is gaining popularity all over the world, but the best is yet to come”

J

ournalists from various cities of Madhya Pradesh, India, warmly welcomed CB Patel, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar at a seminar organised

by State Press Club, Madhya Pradesh, to speakon the topic ‘India's changing image abroad’.

He was felicitated with the most prestigious ‘Devi AhilyaAlankaran’ award by the State Press Club.

Senior journalists from Mandsaur, viz.

Ishwar Ramchandani, Priyanka Ramchandani and Manish Maru presented CB with the silver murti of Bhagavan Pashupatinath.

Speaking at the seminar CB said, “Indians have achieved a unique place in the world through their hard work, intelligence, and devotion to eternal values. The respect and influence of the Indian community have increased over the years but looking at the way the Indian community is progressing, I can confidently say that the best is yet to come.”

CB elaborated on how a few decades ago, other countries perceived India as a poor and weak nation. But with passage of time, India has earned its respect by transforming its image into a progressive one, not only by increasing food production but also byintroducing principles such as Yoga and Ahimsa (nonviolence).

Therefore today, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

(L-R) CB Patel, Alok Bajpai, Navneet Shukla, Kumar Rakesh, Pravin Kumar Khariwal

can have the courage to criticise Russia’s powerful leader, Vladimir Putin about his mistakes. This self-esteem and courage are the result of the efforts of Indians living across the world, trying to make their motherland proud.

Indians have an innateconcept of“shame,” or a reluctance to commit a bad deed or crime, and this has been extremely beneficial to the country’s changing image.

He added, Pakistan was liberated at the same time as India, but its international image now makes it a target of sympathy.

Kuldip Singh Shekhawat, Chairman & MD of MATV media group, London, UK said, “India’s image abroad has improved significantly under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. India has now become a country to which other countries pay close attention.”

story. Today, India is regarded as one of the most powerful countries. Indians are also ahead in the fields of charity and service as well as politics and culture, in the United Kingdom.”

Mr Liloriya also proposed that the State Press Club Madhya Pradesh and Abhinav Kala Samaj should organise a one-of-a-kind event in London celebrating Malwa’s culture and cuisine.

Kumar Rakesh, Editorial Chairman of Global Governance News group and Samagra Bharat Media Group, stated that he has travelled to over 70 countries in

(L-R) CB Patel, Mahesh Liloriya, Lalit Upmanyu, Deepak Budhana

Mahesh Liloriya, Group Editor, ABPL Group UK said, “Today’s Indians abroad are leading the way in many fields, and it’s natural to be proud of their accomplishments. The energy and generosity derived from their eternal values are the reason behind the Indian success

the past and believes that because of Karmayogi Indians, India’s image in the world has changed and respect has increased manifold. Prior to 2014, Indian embassies had to work hard to get minor news published in foreign newspapers; but today, many leading newspapers queue

up for an interview with Modiji.

The image of India has changed in an unprecedented way.

Praveen Kumar Khariwal, President, State Press Club, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, stated that it was a matter of pride that a media personality was among those being honoured by the Prime Minister and President of India, and the club was able to honour him too.

The guests began the event by lighting a lamp and garlanding the picture of Maa Saraswati.

Senior journalists Sanjeev Acharya, Manohar Limbodia, Lalit Upamanyu, Navneet Shukla, Deepak Budana, Akash Choukse, Rachna Johri, Meena Rana Shah, Sonali Yadav, Preeti Bhardwaj, and others welcomed the guests.

Alok Bajpai, a multifaceted cultural worker, coordinated the event, and the vote of thanks was

by Praveen Khariwal, President of the Madhya Pradesh State Press Club.

Unprecedented enthusiasm was seen in the media fraternity to welcome CB. Ashish Patni, Ashish Jha from Raipur, Jitendra Jakhetia, Satyakam Shastri, Dr. Kamal Hetawal, Gaurav Chaturvedi, Ganesh S. Chaudhary from Bhopal, Gagan Chaturvedi, Chandrashekhar Sharma, Ashok Raghuvanshi, Praveen Dhanotia, Tahir Kamal Siddiqui, etc. including many other journalists and culture lovers joined CB to felicitate him.

Another Hindu temple defaced in Ex Union Minister Sharad Yadav passes away at 75 a week in Oz As per media report, second Hindu temple, Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Victoria (Australia) has allegedly been vandalised by "Khalistani supporters" with anti-India graffiti in a week.

The devotees noticed this act of vandalism when they came for ‘darshan’ as the three-day long “Thai Pongal” festival is being celebrated by the Tamil Hindu community.

Usha Senthilnathan, a long-time devotee of Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple said, “We are a Tamil minority group in Australia, a lot of us came as refugees to escape the religious persecution.” “This is my place of worship and it’s not acceptable to me that these Khalistan supporters are

destroying it with their hate messages without any fear.”

"I urge Premier Dan Andrews and Victoria Police to take strict action against these goons who are trying to scare the Victorian Hindu community,” added Senthilnathan.

Makrand Bhagwat, president of the Hindu Council of Australia's Victoria chapter, expressed his outrage at seeing a second Hindu temple

desecrated for Khalistan propaganda.

"Vandalism against our Temples is reprehensible and should not be condoned by the larger community."

Reacting to the incident, Victorian Liberal Party MP Brad Battin said, “In no way, our future can be built on hate when it has been built on working together for so long. There is no place in Victoria or Australia for this kind of behaviour that we are seeing here.”

“Victoria is and will remain the best multicultural state in the world as long as people learn to work together not against each other,” added Battin.

First joint fighter drill between India-Japan Japan and India began their first joint fighter jet exercise recently near Tokyo as the countries upgrade defence and security ties with an eye on China's growing military might.

The 11-day joint exercise will involve eight Japanese fighter jets, with India sending four fighters, two transport aircraft and an aerial refuelling tanker, Japan's defence ministry

said. Around 150 Indian Air Force personnel are taking part in the exercise at the Hyakuri Air Base in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. The drill was agreed

by the two countries during talks between Japanese and Indian defence and foreign ministers in 2019, but was delayed by the pandemic.

Japan and India -- along with Australia and the United States -- are part of the "Quad" alliance, a grouping of regional powers that is increasingly concerned about China's military and economic influence.

Former Union Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Sharad Yadav passed away at the age of 75 years old at a private hospital in Gurugram. He was suffering from health-related ailments.

Yadav is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son.

Yadav was rushed to the emergency room dazed and unresponsive, according to a statement from the Fortis Memorial Research Institute. As per the statement "On examination, he did not have any pulse or recordable blood pressure.

He underwent CPR as per ACLS protocols. Despite best efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 10.19 pm."

At the age of 27, he won his first election to the Lok Sabha in 1974. In 1989, he was then chosen to represent Uttar Pradesh's Badaun in parliament.

Yadav was further chosen to represent Bihar's Madhepura Lok Sabha district in 1991, 1996, 1999, and 2009.

The RJD leader has previously held the positions of Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA

Janata Dal-United with current Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in 2003.

Yadav who had launched his own party Loktantrik Janata Dal, merged with Lalu Yadav's outfit RJD in March 2020 which he Sharad Yadav said was the "first step administration from 1999 to towards a united 2004. He co-founded the opposition", ANI reported

Indian minister received death threats from prison Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari received death threat calls from a man who is imprisoned in Belagavi, Karnataka. Nagpur police traced the caller. The caller has been identified as Nitin Gadkari Jayesh Kantha.

“Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was being threatened from jail. The caller is a notorious gangster and murder accused Jayesh Kantha, who is imprisoned in Belagavi jail.

He threatened Gadkari's office by using the phone illegally inside the jail,” Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, said.

Security was beefed up at Union minister Nitin Gadkari's residence and office in Maharashtra after a man claiming to be a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang made threatening calls and demanded INR 1 trillion. Three threat calls were received on the landline number of Gadkari's Public Relations office in Khamla area between 11.25 am to 12.30 pm. The caller also shared his mobile number and the address in Karnataka where he said the money must be sent.

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EAM Jaishankar defends India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict During his first visit to Austria and India's first visit in 27 years, the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar, has been direct in his responses to Austrian media who attempt to exert pressure on India over problems like Russian oil imports and terrorism.

In an interview, he was asked about why India still purchased weapons from Russia and has increased energy imports. Does that imply that India was gaining from the conflict?

In response, EAM said, "During these 60 years, western countries, including those in Europe, have sold arms to a military dictatorship in Pakistan. The only country that was willing to help us at that time was the Soviet Union. So if we have an arrangement with Russia, it is a direct consequence of Western preferences for military regimes in our part of the world. As for today, when you build a military relationship like that, you can't get away with it overnight and say, I am done now.

S. Jaishankar

Finally, every government has a basic obligation to ensure the security of their country. So if there is an expectation in Europe that we will sacrifice our security because Europe has a problem, then I don't think that's a reasonable expectation." During the interview with Austria's top newspaper, EAM was yet again questioned about India's financial advantage from the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said that "I vehemently reject politically and also mathematically that India is a war profiteer. Oil prices have doubled as a result of the Ukraine war.

In such a situation, even if you get a better price than

other countries, you still pay much more than before. The oil market is also driven up by sanctions against Iran or by what is happening in Venezuela. In such a situation, it makes diplomatic and economic sense to look around the market for the best deal.

Would Europe pay more if it didn't have to?"

The interviewer then asked him if they had no qualms about using oil purchases to fund Russia's war.

To that the Minister responded "Europe imported about $120 billion worth of energy from Russia after the war broke out. That's six times as much as we bought.”

India builds innovative multi-copter The Indian military has been looking for drones to aid logistical operations in high-altitude border areas such as the Himalayan mountain chain. Back in 2019, there were reports on the Indian Army contemplating procuring drones that could carry rations and materials in the unfriendly terrain of the Himalayas.

In October 2022, the Indian Army issued tenders for procuring 363 drones to enhance its logistics chain

and boost operational preparedness along sensitive border territories.

Now, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has created an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can detect explosives without risking the personnel.

Given that it has a payload capacity of 5 kg, the multicopter can drop supplies such as medicines and rations. The DRDO has developed the multi-copter

with a payload capacity from 5 kg to 25 kg and is working to increase the capacity up to 30 kg, he said.

The multi-copter has an onboard Li-Ion battery bank. The advantage of the multi-copter is that it has a high payload capacity and endurance of 30 minutes. It has the feature of payload release. So it can travel to a designated location in auto mode, release payload, and return to the home location.

Harsh weather forecast adds problems to sinking Joshimath Rain and snowfall challenges became tough for the residents of Joshimath in Uttarakhand which is already going through land subsidence rendering people homeless.

Adding to the problems of the people, the meteorological department has predicted rain and snowfall in Joshimath, Chamoli and Pithoragarh on January 19, 20, 23 and 24.

The reactivation of the Western Disturbance in these four days, according to meteorologists, has the potential to alter the weather pattern in the state."There is a possibility of rain on January 19 and 20, while on January 23 and 24, there is a possibility of snowfall along with rain," said Bikram Singh, director of Meteorological Center

Dehradun.

In such a scenario, the government, administration, and district administration in Joshimath's disaster-affected area will need to be on high alert, he added.

After soil subsidence started in Joshimath, hundreds of inhabitants were relocated to relief centres in secure locations. For the Joshimath households who have been impacted, the Uttarakhand government has already issued assistance packages worth millions of rupees.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the relief package has been released for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.

Muslim family allows use of 60-acre land for Hindu event A Muslim family from the Parbhani district agreeed to let a five-day Hindu religious festival held on 60 acres of their property is winning hearts. Parbhani’s history of communal violence keeps the administration on its toes. The Syed family offered to provide their land for a few days when they learned that Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Jadhav was looking for an open, level area with a road for the Shivpuran Katha. In addition to granting the property for free for five days, the family also razed the standing crops of green gramme planted on four acres and 15 acres.

Syed Shoaib, a 25-year-old from the family told media, “As of date, communal polarisation is the biggest challenge before the country. Our step is aimed at selflessly bridging the gap between people of different faiths.”

NRI killed wife who wanted to treat her cancer in US Sarkhej police charged a 72year-old man with the murder of his 69-year-old wife at their apartment in Makarba.

The accused, Kiran Bhow, allegedly killed his wife, Usha Bhow, by stabbing her several times, ostensibly because he opposed her wish to return to the US for treatment of her cervical cancer. Kiran then allegedly stabbed himself too, ostensibly to commit suicide. Usha had severe wounds on her face, chest,

stomach and on wrists, whereas Kiran has wounds on his wrists, neck and stomach. Sarkhej police registered an FIR for murder based on a complaint filed by Usha's brother, Madhusudan Soni, a resident of Memnagar.

Soni said Kiran and Usha had returned after living in Fremont, California, for about 30 years and were living in a house in Prahladnagar Four months ago, they moved to the

Orchid Exotica apartment complex in Makarba. Kiran's nephew, Krunal, whom Kiran had sent a message to simply saying "suicide", called relatives and told them that Kiran and Usha had attempted suicide.

Soni said when they reached the private hospital where Kiran and Usha were taken, he learned that Usha was dead, and Kiran was in a critical condition. He said Kiran first killed Usha and then stabbed himself.

School in New Delhi fights back for education of Afghan women The school is a lone safe haven for Afghan children, especially girls. It operates out of a rented structure on the constrained Masjid Lane in southeast Delhi's residential neighbourhood of Bhogal, hundreds of kilometres from Afghanistan, where Taliban has banned secondary and higher education for Afghanistan's girls.

The school, which had 278 students in grades 1 to 12, was on the verge of closing down after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 due to a lack of funding when the Afghan embassy in Delhi contacted India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for assistance.

Sayed Ziaullah Hashimi, first secretary, Embassy of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and a member of school board, stated, “After the fall of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the school faced many difficulties. The situation was so dire that we had to vacate our

premises because we had no money to pay rent. We couldn’t pay salaries to our teachers either. There was a possibility that school might have to be shut. That’s when India’s Ministry of External Affairs stepped in and promised to support us. Thanks to them, we have been able to continue to provide education to our students.”

While the MEA and school authorities refused to reveal details of the funds, sources said the school runs on a monthly budget of Rs 5.5 lakh.

The Women's Federation of World Peace established the school in 1994 as a centre for Afghan refugee children living in India. In 2008, it expanded into a primary school, and in 2017, it became a high school.

It was then that the Afghan government led by president Ashraf Ghani, on a request from refugees in India, started funding the school.

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SOUTH INDIA

in brief

112 ft Adiyogi idol unveiled Che Guevara's daughter on SANSKRIT PART OF India visit SYLLABUS AT ISLAMIC

A man should be true to his conscience, birth and death are just moments, and living sincerely will give peace, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, after unveiling a 112-ft Adiyogi statue in Avalagurki village, 7km from Chikkaballapur.

Not only the people of Karnataka, but those across the nation and universe are blessed to receive the darshan of Adiyogi in Chikkaballapur, said Bommai, adding that he wants to change the name “Sadhguru” to “Sadaguru” as his vision is in the interest of the nation and unity.

Chikkaballapur has turned sacred as the Sadhguru has constructed the Adiyogi statue and performed spiritual pujas

which will ensure growth, the CM said. “Our nation is sacred, all we want is unity, a good atmosphere and prosperity, and the state government is to sacred committed programmes,” he said.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar said this is the second Adiyogi statue in the nation and through Isha Foundation, more such activities will be promoted in the district and across the state. The unveiling of the statue is a fitting finale to the eight-day Chikkaballapur Utsav on Sankranti, he added. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said by doing yoga, a person holds all the controls of the mind and can achieve everything.

Aleida Guevara, daughter of Cuban revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara arrived in Chennai on a two-day visit on Tuesday to attend events organised by the state unit of the CPI(M).

She was accorded a warm welcome at the airport by CPI(M) state secretary G Balakrishnan and senior leader G Ramakrishnan among others. According to the CPI(M), Aleida, who arrived in Chennai from Thiruvananthapuram, is likely to attend a party meeting and will participate in a public reception. Soumendranath (Anjan) Bera, general secretary of All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO), said, "On January 20, Aleida and Estefania will take part in a few events in Baranagar in the afternoon.

An interactive session with academics at Jadavpur University is planned, followed by a cultural presentation at the open-air theatre, where the couple will be honoured. A public gathering will be heard, where The two women will be honoured once more, and an IPTAproduced grand choir will perform. Che's daughter and grandchildren will also travel to Chandernagore.

Menstrual leave for Kerala students In a pioneering decision, the Kerala government on Monday said it would grant menstrual leave for female students studying in all state universities coming under the Department of Higher Education.

Taking a cue from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in providing menstrual leave to its students,

Higher Education Minister R Bindu said the government has decided to implement the same in all state universities under the purview of the department.

Hailing the decision taken by the Cochin University recently, she said it was for the first time in Kerala that an educational centre has given menstrual leave to students.

PUNJAB

Row for buying helmets for Congress MP died of heart attack at Bharat Jodo Yatra turbaned Sikh soldiers The Akal Takht jathedar, along with Sikh organisations and political parties, have rejected recent defence ministry proposals to purchase ballistic helmets made for turbaned Sikh soldiers and a Canadian-Indian mother's invention of a multisport helmet for Sikh children, calling such contemporary headgear "unacceptable" under the teachings of Sikhism.

Male adherents of Sikhism are required to maintain an uncut beard, wear turbans, and wear turbans. In a video message posted on Thursday, Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh prohibited Sikhs from using helmets, citing a violation of Sikh law.

“A dastar (turban) adorned by a Sikh on his head is not just a 5m to 7m piece of cloth, but a crown given by the gurus. . . and an emblem of Sikh identity,” he said.

Any attempt to cover “a Sikh’s identity with a ‘top’ (cap/helmet) would be seen as an attempt to finish their identity”, he said, while reaffirming turbaned Sikh soldiers’ valour in battle, especially in World War when they a British attempt to introduce helmets for them. The reactions followed the defence ministry’s tender or RFP (request for proposal) for 12,730 ballistic helmets for Sikh troopers on January 5. The helmet will cover the entire head, unlike the bulletproof ‘patkas’ that Sikh soldiers wear.

The proposal states that 8,911 of the native helmets must be "big," while the remaining 3,819 must be "extra-large." SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal referred to the helmets as an assault on the religious identity of Sikhs and declared that the party will oppose the action.

Congress MP, Santokh Singh Chaudhary, passed away after suffering a heart arrest during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Phillaur, was cremated with full state honours in his hometown of Dhaliwal Qadian, in the Jalandhar region.

The yatra was suspended following his death. Chaudhary had lost consciousness while taking Santokh Singh Chaudhary part in the march. He was sent to a Phagwara private hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Chaudhary’s son and Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh lighted the pyre and performed last rites. The body was taken in a procession in a bedecked vehicle, from his residence in Vijay Nagar to the cremation ground.

As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached the cremation ground, a sizable crowd gathered to catch his glimpse of Gandhi while security personnel tried their best to keep the crowd at bay. Jalandhar deputy commissioner Jaspreet Singh laid the wreath on behalf of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and the district administration.

MLAs Sheetal Angural, Raman Arora, Balkar Singh, besides senior leaders of the Congress, including leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and many were present.

WEST BENGAL

500+ pilgrims stranded in ocean in India More than 500 pilgrims from Gangasagar in West Bengal were stranded in the ocean due to dense fog and low tide on a Sunday night recently. The state administration sent them help while the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is carrying out rescue operations.

According to reports, two passenger ferries carrying around 500 to 600 pilgrims from Gangasagar were stranded in the ocean due to dense fog and low tide last night. After receiving information, the West Bengal government immediately sent relief items for the stranded pilgrims. As per

latest reports, all passengers are safe. It should be noted that lakhs of pilgrims took the holy dip at Gangasagar, the confluence of the Hooghly River and the Bay of Bengal, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

A total of seven people have died of heart attacks at the fair in the last few days, including two pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh during the day.

Meanwhile, a total of 125 pilgrims are undergoing treatment at various hospitals on Sagar Island after falling ill due to various reasons, while 25 others have been shifted to Kolkata for better treatment.

Domestic help becomes millionaire after winning lottery Putul Hari, a resident of West Bengal’s Asansol, used to work as a domestic help. But her fortunes changed overnight after she won a lottery worth millions.

Putul’s husband does not earn much so she goes to work at other houses to support the family. She had to take loans for her ailing son’s treatment and daughter’s marriage. But now she does not have to worry about this more as she has won the first prize of one crore rupees in the lottery conducted by the state government. An emotional Putul expressed her desire to build a house with the money and also wants to pay off her debts. Putul, a resident of Prem Nagar, bought the lottery ticket on Sunday night for INR 30. After winning the award, she approached the police at Sen Raleigh Road in Asansol seeking security in fear and panic.

“This time maybe I will get some peace by paying the debt.

I can build a decent house. My earnest desire is to provide my son best treatment,” she said. A teary-eyed Putul said that she doesn’t have to worry about running the family every day from now. However, even after receiving crores of rupees, Putul is unwilling to quit her job.

SCHOOL Basic Sanskrit grammar in class 11 and 12 and then Bhagavad Gita as well as other Hindu texts in the 'Deva Bhasha' in subsequent years of study is the structured syllabus prepared for its students by an Islamic institute in Kerala's Thrissur district.

The new syllabus will come into operation from June 2023 when the new academic year starts. The Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies (ASAS) run by Malik Deenar Islamic Complex (MIC) was in the news recently for setting an example by teaching Sanskrit, also known as 'Deva Bhasha', to its students with the help of Hindu scholars. The decision, to come out with a structured syllabus to teach the ancient and classical language, was taken to inculcate in the students, knowledge and awareness about other religions, the institute said.

INDIAN POLICE CAPTURES CANADIAN GANGSTER’S AIDE The Punjab Police on Sunday arrested an active operative of Canada-based terrorist Goldy Brar from Sundernagar in Himachal Pradesh. Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the accused as Inderpreet Singh, alias Parry (32), a resident of Chandigarh. Parry, who came in contact with Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi at DAV College, Chandigarh, in 2011, had a notorious past with over a dozen cases pertaining to murder and attempt to murder registered against him in Punjab and Haryana, he said.

The accused is also involved in the targeted killing of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Pardeep Singh, who was shot by six persons outside his shop in Kotkapura on November 10, 2022.

He was also involved in Bishnoi’s escape from police custody.

MOBILE PHONES SEIZED FROM INDIAN PRISON With the seizure of around 20 mobile phones within a week and over 500 cellphones in the past one year from the Faridkot Central Jail, the police and the jail authorities are facing an uphill task to control this menace.

Some days ago, the jail authorities started using sniffer dogs to detect unwanted material making on the premises. In order to dodge these specially trained canines, miscreants started using tennis balls.

During patrolling, the jail guards found three tennis balls containing two cellphones, a charger and some other prohibited items.

These balls were sealed with an adhesive and were to be lobbed inside the jail complex. The use of tennis balls to push cellphones and drugs from outside the boundary wall has baffled the jail authorities.

FAMILY PUTS POSTER OF MISSING BIRD Members of a family in Barasat who lost their pet Budgerigar two months ago have posted flyers around the neighbourhood offering a prize for information leading to their pet. Their desperate bid to get the bird back has been ridiculed by the neighbours and led to numerous fake calls from people who claimed to have traced it but the bird remains missing. On December 21, Satyajit Halder lost the bird from his Barasat flat. Since then, the family has had sleepless nights and has begun a desperate quest that has so far proven fruitless.

Halder’s wife who had been rearing the bird since its birth and used to feed it every day after its mother died, now feels helpless.

After a few days, the family abandoned their search and put up posters showing a picture of bird in several locations.

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India celebrates its 75th Army Day Nepal to gift 350-tonne The Indian Army was officially established on 1 April 1895. India got its first Army Chief in 1949.Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa succeeded General Francis Butcher, the final British Commander-in-Chief of India, as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on January 15, 1949.This year, India is celebrating its 75th Army Day on 15 January.

Why army day is celebrated in India?

Celebrated across India, Army Day is dedicated to remembering those who fight relentlessly to protect our nation and its people. It also marks an important day which recognises army per-

sonnel and celebrates their achievements. After the nation attained independence, on January 15, 1949, Field Marshal Cariappa, the army's first Indian commander-in-chief, officially took charge of the Indian Army, which had previously been known as the British Indian

Army.

The British Indian Army under the administration of the British government was established in 1858. On this day more than 70 years ago, Field Marshal Cariappa, who was a Lieutenant General at the time, succeeded General Sir Francis

India’s oldest pending case settled after 72 years The Calcutta High Court has finally reached a resolution in one of the oldest pending cases in the nation. Last week, a panel of India's oldest high court whose current Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava was born ten years after the case was initially filed in 1951 decided the country's longest legal dispute.

Although the controversy over the dissolution of the former Berhampur Bank Limited has been settled, two of the five oldest remaining matters at the Calcutta High Court remain unresolved. According to the media, every case was filed in 1952.

The Madras high court is currently hearing one case, and according to media reports, Malda and Bengal's civil courts are handling the other cases that are still pending. Hearings have been scheduled for

March and November by the Malda courts in an effort to resolve these contentious issues.

The National Judicial Data Grid lists the Berhampur case as the oldest case heard in any Indian court as of January 9. A petition against the closure of the Berhampur Bank was filed on January 1, 1951, and that same day it was registered as "Case No. 71/1951."

Several lawsuits were filed against debtors

by Berhampur Bank in an effort to recover lost funds, many of whom filed court documents contesting the bank's claims.

According to court records, the petition contesting the bank's liquidation was set for two sessions before the HC in September, but no one showed up. Justice Kapur next requested a report from the court's liquidator.

PM Modi: We, the Global South, have the largest stakes in the future Voice of Global South summit, a two-day virtual summit was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on 12th January 2023 includes the developing and the less developed countries of the world to collaborate on political, economic, social, environmental, cultural and technical issues.

In his opening remarks at the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “the world is in a state of crisis” and told the leaders of developing countries “your voice is India’s voice” and “your priorities are India’s priorities”.

He said, “We, the Global South, have the largest stakes in the future. Most of the global challenges have not been created by the Global South. But they affect us more”

PM Modi also gave his mantra to deal with the challenges of the global south. “To re-energise the world, we should together call for a global agenda of Respond, Recognise, Respect, Reform,” he said He stated that nations must adapt to the needs of the Global South, acknowledge the idea of shared but distinct duties, respect international law and territorial sovereignty, and reform global organisations like the UN. In second session, Modi unveiled three initiatives to assist the Global South in areas ranging from technology to health, by saying medical supplies will be provided to any developing country hit by natural disasters under the “Aarogya Maitri” project.

Indian employees will see raises of 15% -30% this year

Nagaland’s Khonoma mentioned in best tourism villages list

Indian employees are set for Asia's biggest pay increases this year, with top talent earning as much as 15%-30% more, as per survey report by Korn Ferry.

According to a report by the consultancy company, average income in the South Asian country will rise by 9.8% in 2023 following a 9.4% bump last year. With increases of more than 10%, the high-tech sector, life sciences, and healthcare are leading the pack. One of the biggest economies in the world with the quickest growth is India.

Despite being one of the most populous and having millions of people enter the labour field annually, education gaps make the competition for talent fierce even as the general unemployment rate remains high.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) just released a list of the "top tourism villages" in the world. In fact, Nagaland's Khonoma is listed among additional villages as a part of the "Upgrade Programme," which, according to the agency, will gain those that ‘do not fully meet the criteria to receive recognition’.

Khonoma is an Angami Naga village located about 20 km west from the state capital, Kohima, in Nagaland. The village is referred to as Khwünora (named after the Angami term for a local plant, Glouthera fragrantisima). The total population of the village is about 1943, settled in 424 households. It is referred to be "India's first green village."

Robert Roy Bucher as the final British Army Chief Officer. Since we didn't have an Indian commanderin-chief until 1949, despite obtaining independence in 1947. This year’s Army Day parade took place at Madras Engineering Group (MEG) and Centre in Bengaluru with India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as the chief guest. While the Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande would review the parade and present the gallantry awards. Additionally, preceding the parade, last week, he also laid a wreath and paid his respects to soldiers who lost their lives in service of the nation.

stones to build Ram statue in Ayodhya

According to the priests from Nepal's Janaki temple (Janakpur), two shilas (stones) that are about seven feet long and weigh more than 350 tonnes are on their way to Ayodhya to be used to chisel the idol of Lord Ram. An official from the temple trust noted that it is still unclear in Ayodhya if the stones from Nepal will be used to construct the idol.

On the banks of the Kali Gandaki river in Nepal's Myagdi district, priests, community leaders, and inhabitants of Beni Municipality gathered to perform a pooja for the enormous Himalayan stones. The ceremony was attended by Bimalendra Nidhi, Central Committee Member, Nepali Congress; Prithvi Man Gurung, Chief of the Gandaki Province; and, Rajendra Singh Pankaj, a senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader (VHP), among others.

India applauds UNSC's verdict to announce deputy chief of LeT as global terrorist The Ministry of External Affairs said that the UN Security Council's decision to designate Abdul Rehman Makki, the deputy chief of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-eToiba (LeT), as a "global terrorist" would aid in reducing such threats and destroying the infrastructure supporting terrorism in the area. In a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “India remains committed to pursuing a zero tolerance approach to terrorism and will continue to press the international community to take credible, verifiable and irreversible action against terrorism.”

Makki was labelled a "global terrorist" by the UN Security Council's 1267 ISIL (Da'esh)

and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee because of his fundraising, recruitment of radicalised youngsters, and planning of strikes in India.

With this move, UNSC has subjected Makki to an assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo. According to the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee, Makki was listed as "wanted by the Indian Government" and was connected to ISIL or Al-Qaeda for "participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of," "recruiting for," and "otherwise supporting acts or activities of," as well as for being "either owned or controlled, directly or indirectly,

In Loving Memory Sharad Balmukund Parikh 14 October 1948 - 13 January 2023 One sentence that can encapsulate the very ethos of Sharadbhai’s whole life would be, in his own words, “Let us do good today, for a better tomorrow for all.”

Those were not his empty words. He lived by them.

Sharadbhai was born in the lovely highland town of Kitale, in Kenya. His father, Shri Balmukund Parikh had the vision to educate his children in London as early as 1955. He arranged Sharadbhai’s mother Hasumatiben to come to London to fulfil his vision. Sharadbhai was barely six years old when he stepped on London soil.

His beautiful bride in 1974 was Arunaben. Together they successfully owned a Pharmacy in Wallington, Surrey for some 30 years. With their dedication, service and hard work, the pharmacy they had acquired gave them the secure financial foundation on which lay Sharadbhai’s amazingly generous charitable work through all those years of owning the Pharmacy, and after his retirement.

Sharadbhai was for several years, the president of the U.K.’s National Congress of Gujarat Organisation (NCGO). His invitation to dignitaries like the High Commissioner or his Deputy, or to Members of Parliament to attend celebrating functions he organised for the N.C.G.O. were honoured with such renowned persons of the community with their presence.

Sharadbhai, with National Association of Patidar Samaj initiated the annual

Gandhi walk between the two memorial statues of the Mahatma in London.

Sharadbhai was the one who would arrange for water bottles and other comforts for the marchers taking part in the walk.

As a trustee of the Gita Foundation, Sharadbhai was responsible for awarding funds to, amongst several other noteworthy causes, the building of a hospital for the blind in Kenya, for schools in Gujarat, proving computers and refurbishing dilapidated school building.

Surprisingly enough, even in the midst of hardships Sharadbhai never showed any signs that he was in any trouble. He always had a genuine joyful greeting for you.

When he entered room full of people, the whole room would lighten up with his presence and charisma. In all his photos one sees a genuine happy smile and face, not a contrived smile for the camera. He was an inherently happy person. A truly great way to live a life until the ultimate end. That end for Sharadbhai was a peaceful departure on 13th January, 2023, in London, after a year long battle with cancer.

Needless to say, that vibe of being at ease with himself at all times, has radiated to all his family.

The family he leaves, not mourning for his loss, but being grateful for him for the love, joy, laughter and abundance in their lives is his dear wife, Arunaben, his twins Krishna and JayShree, and son Lali, and six adoring grandchildren.

Praying for Sharadbhai to Rest In Peace, we also celebrate Sharadbhai’s wonderful fulfilled life.

Om Shanti Gita Foundation UK registered charity

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Meet Bibi, the star of an Oscar-shortlisted documentary who saved hundreds of people Shefali Saxena Nobel Peace Prize-Winner Malala Yousafzai’s new documentary short film Stranger at the Gate – shortlisted for an Academy Award, Critics Choice Award nominee, and winner of the Tribeca Festival’s Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Short – tells the dramatic, timely story of a former U.S. Marine who plans to bomb an Indiana mosque. When he meets an Afghan refugee and her family, their story takes a surprising turn towards friendship and compassion.

“This film is a powerful true story of forgiveness and redemption,” Malala, Executive Producer of the film, says. “I hope the film challenges every viewer to question their assumptions and show kindness to everyone they meet.”

‘Stranger at the Gate’ tells a true story about US Marine Richard “Mac” McKinney. After several tours of duty in the Middle East, McKinney was shattered and suffered from PTSD. Blinded by fury, he plotted to attack a mosque in his hometown of Muncie, Indiana. But when McKinney visited the mosque to gather information, he meets Afghan refugee Bibi Bahrami, a founder of the Islamic Center of Muncie, her physician husband Saber Bahrami, their son Zaki Bahrami, and Jomo Williams – a member of the Mosque with a generations-long African American family history in Muncie. They befriended him with kindness and love. Instead of committing an act of violence, he discovered a new sense of community and shared faith. After McKinney became a member of the mosque, Bibi Bahrami and the other congregants learned of McKinney’s plan to bomb them, and they chose to forgive him. McKinney not only built friendships with his would-be victims, but he also converted to Islam and subsequently became president of the mosque.

Bibi Bahrami was born and raised in Behsood, Afghanistan. She came to Muncie Indiana in 1986 as a refugee during the Soviet war in Afghanistan to join her husband, Dr Saber Bahrami, Bibi has been a community activist for over thirty years.

After learning English and earning her GED, she went on to receive an Arts degree from Ball State University. In 2002, she founded and became president of her own nonprofit organization, AWAKEN, (Afghan Women’s And Kids’ Education & Necessities), in order to give back to the Afghan women and children she left behind. Through Bibi’s leadership and the support of her community, AWAKEN has made a difference in the education, health care services and vocational opportunities for thousands of Afghan women and families for over a decade. In 2021, after learning that the need for housing and resettlement for incoming refugees was great, Bibi created MARRC as a subcommittee of AWAKEN to help Afghan refugees resettle and thrive in Muncie Delaware county. MARRC has provided six months of urgent support to 115 people and 35 families such as rent, utilities, jobs and many other resources. Bibi is also a member of the Muncie Rotary club, and Interfaith Fellowship and is president of the Islamic Center of Muncie. She is the recipient of the Vivian Conley Award for Humanitarian Service, the Indiana Women of Achievement Award, Ball State’s International Development Award, and the Rotary VIVA Award for Volunteerism. She has dedicated much of her life to the service of others and strives to make a difference in any way she can in the local and international communities.

Asian Voice spoke to Bibi Bahrami about the film and her real-life experiences.

been given to us. hat is your biggest learning from your experience?

As a strong believer in education and service to others this documentary further cemented my own belief of service above self (the saying of my Rotary Club) will result in a better understanding among all people.) I admire people like Josh Seftel, who are willing to make these kinds of documentaries and films to bring the ills of society to the surface in order to find a solution and better understand humanity. hat does your bravery signify about Afghan refugees, especially women in Afghanistan?

As a child, I was blessed to be born to a family who always cared for others in need in our village. I also lived in a refugee camp in Pakistan for six years. My father and I served refugees in many ways during our time in the refugee camp. I have always stood up for women's and children’s rights even in my own extended family.

In 1986 I came to the United States as a refugee during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to marry my dearest Saber, a medical doctor serving others in many ways with compassion, respect and understanding in our community. My bravery, standing for truth and justice, was further strengthened by the support of my wonderful husband. That is why I started my own non-profit organization in 2002 to serve women and children in Afghanistan who have suffered in so many ways for decades.

When I see a situation of need, I always jump to help in any way. Most recently, I heard there were 7000 refugees at Camp Atterbury in Indiana and the dire need to find them homes. I started a subcommittee under my organization to help with this resettlement. Now, over 90% of the population in Afghanistan is at risk of starvation and I will be committing my energy to help continue to make a difference for as many women, children, and families as I can.

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Charles Freger’s vivid portraits of India’s folk rituals and religious costumes in new book ‘AAM AASTHA’ India is the home to a myriad of local traditions, legends and religions, each with its own festivals, rites and rituals bursting with vivid colours and often wildly exuberant costumes.

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ow does it feel to see a real-life story, as sensitive and impactful as this, come alive as a documentary?

I am blessed and humbled to see the documentary “Stranger at the Gate” being liked by many diverse communities.

Originally, I never could have imagined my actions of being a kind and nonjudgmental character would result in an amazing documentary. Serving others has always been part of my daily life, and I learned this from my parents, from Islam, and I am blessed to have 6 children that are also generous and giving to others. But I am grateful and humbled that my service to others through this documentary is creating a positive impact on people around the world. id you ever think it'll make it to the Oscar shortlist?

Originally I did not know all that goes into getting a documentary nominated for an Oscar, but after several screenings, I learned a lot about it. Being a positive person, I always believed in any message which is based on truth, kindness, love, respect, sharing food, and walking in other people’s shoes – to better understand and serve humanity. I have been saying early on that we will make it to the Oscars when I see all the support and kindness that has

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Charles Fréger, the internationally acclaimed photographer and author of the bestselling Wilder Man, continues to explore global traditions and cultures by celebrating the powerful visual aspects of Indian folk culture and religious ritual in his new book AAM AASTHA: Indian Devotions.

Fréger captures the abundance of imagination that expresses India’s countless stories and characters, both human and divine, with his unmistakable, compelling style of portraiture. Publishing on 2 March, this spectacular gathering of gods, warrior figures, deities, musicians, tigers, mahouts, legendary heroes, goddesses, and avatars is set in context with contributions from Anuradha Roy, Catherine Clément and Kuhu Kopariha.

Guests treated to mesmerising performances by world renowned Sarod players Taj, The Chambers presents Rendezvous event series; features legendary Indian classic Sarod players and brothers Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash On Wednesday 11 January 2023, legendary Indian classic Sarod players and brothers, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, performed their finest music at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, Suites and Residences as part of the hotel’s Rendezvous event series.

Featuring celebrated speakers, fine entertainment and coveted masterclasses, each Rendezvous event is tastefully curated to foster networking and connections, and

Audience enjoying the performance

to lay the red carpet with choicest beverages and culinary selections, for its esteemed congregation of guests.

Setting the stage for sharing of views on matters of interest, Rendezvous fosters enlightening conversations and connections between like-minded individuals. Industry stalwarts and eminent personalities come together with a learned audience, allowing free exchange of thoughts, ideas and stories

Taj’s Area Director UK and General Manager Mehrnavaz Avari presenting flowers to Sarod Grand Master and Composer Amjad Ali Khan

The exclusive evening was available to the members of Taj’s very own private members club Taj, The Chambers, and was attended by notable guests within the community and key delegates of the State Bank of India (UK). The audience were treated to a cultural and traditional performance featuring joy-filled music from the world-renowned Sarod Maestros.

This private event was sponsored by the State Bank of India (UK).

The pair are the sons of the iconic Sarod Grand Master and Composer Amjad Ali Khan, who stunned guests at the exclusive event by appearing as the Guest of Honour.

The brothers have an incredible history of performing across the globe, and have played at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and at the Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms last year – to name just a few.

Taj The Chambers provides members

Sarod players and brothers Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash

high-end facilities to conduct business, or simply relax and unwind. It features a sophisticated bar, individual work pods and a smart private dining space. Taj The Chambers offers unparalleled benefits to its members including a lifetime membership, special offers at the restaurants, best room prices and upgrades, complimentary breakfast, curated events, and exclusive experiences. The Chambers today has presence across eight marquee Taj hotels including six in India, one in Dubai, now in London, and will soon launch in New York.

The classical stringed-instrument artists have recently been announced as Associate Artists at London’s Wigmore Hall, in advance of the Hall’s 120th anniversary celebrations. They join fellow Associate Artists such as Lawrence Power and Gweneth Ann Rand and are committed to a five-year relationship with the Hall, performing at least once every season.

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4 easy Yoga poses to heal gastric troubles Our palates are spoiled for choice with the abundance of food options available in the market, resulting in a rise of a wide range of lifestyle-related issues and nutrition has suffered due to the accessibility of ready-to-eat mixes, meal delivery applications and shopping conveniences.

Gastric problems can be caused by irregular eating behaviours, a lack of exercise and irregular sleeping patterns but by enhancing the functions of our metabolism and digestion and strengthening our digestive system. However, treating indigestion and acidity with four easy-to-follow and practicable Yoga asanas is possible.

Vajrasana This is the only pose that can be done on a full stomach. In fact, it should be done right after having a meal. Stand straight with your

arms by the sides of your body.

Lean forward and slowly drop your knees on your mat. Place your pelvis on your heels and point your toes outward. Here, your thighs should press your calf muscles.

Keep your heels close to each other. Do not place the toes on top of the other; instead right and left must be next to each other. Place your palms on your knees facing upward. Straighten your back and

Children’s weight has little effect on mood, behavioural disorders According to a new study, childhood BMI is unlikely to significantly affect children’s mood or behavioural disorders. It suggests that previous studies, which have shown a strong link between childhood obesity and mental health, may not have fully accounted for family genetics and environmental factors.

While children with obesity are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the nature of the relationship between obesity and these mental health conditions remains unclear.

Obesity might contribute to mental health symptoms or vice versa.

Lead author Amanda Hughes, Senior Research Associate in

Epidemiology at Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, UK, said, “We need to better understand the relationship between childhood obesity and mental health. This requires teasing apart the contributions of child and parent genetics and the environmental factors affecting the whole family.”

The scientists examined genetic and mental health data from 41,000 eight-year-old children and their parents from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study and Medical Birth Registry of Norway.

They assessed the relationship between children’s body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight and height, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and ADHD. Hughes and her colleagues found

XBB.1.5 likely to be the next major Covid subvariant Covid-19 cases are on the rise yet again, and according to an early data, the XBB.1.5 sub-variant is no more deadly than omicron.

XBB.1.5 has already spread from the United States.

There are cases detected in several European countries, including the UK, Germany and France. India and Singapore have also reported cases. An epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, UK, Paul Hunter, said, “It is likely XBB.1.5 will become the dominant variant in Europe, perhaps even by the end of January. But we’ll be able to manage it; there’s no doubt about that.”

XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of omicron, which is currently the dominant coronavirus variant globally. It is a “recombinant” sub-variant of omicron, which

contains genetic material from different coronavirus subvariants. Hunter said, “Since we first discovered XBB some months back, it’s been evolving.

XBB.1.5 has evolved escape mutations, meaning the virus is better at evading immunity.”

The World Health Organization and other health institutions are closely monitoring infection and hospital data to track the subvariant’s impact on patients. Because XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of omicron, vaccination and/or prior COVID-19 infection will still provide systemic immunity to it.

a minimal effect of a child’s own BMI on their anxiety symptoms.

They also found conflicting evidence about whether a child’s BMI influenced their depressive or ADHD symptoms. Neil Davies, Professor at University College London, UK, said, “At least for this age group, the impact of a child’s own BMI appears small. For older children and adolescents, it could be more important.”

“Our results suggest that interventions designed to reduce child obesity are unlikely to make big improvements in child mental health. On the other hand, policies which target social and environmental factors linked to higher body weights, and which target poor child mental health directly, may be more beneficial,” Hughes concludes.

look forward. Hold this asana for a while.

Padahasthasana Begin by standing in Samasthithi. Exhale and gently bend your upper body, dropping your head and keeping your shoulders and neck relaxed. Bring the trunk closer to the legs. Try to touch the knees with the forehead.

This may require a lot of flexibility.

If you are starting out your practice, go only as far as it is comfortable. When you are folding forward, attempt to move your torso from the hip joints instead of the waist. Place palms on either side of feet. Try to keep the legs and knees straight throughout the practice.

You may have to bend your knees slightly to accomplish this if you are a beginner. With practice, slowly straighten your knees and try to touch your chest to your

8 healthy eating habits to embrace in 2023

Your eating habits play a crucial role in your overall health and well-being.

Small, consistent positive steps toward healthy eating can make a big change in a year. In her recent Instagram post, author and nutritionist Dr. Nandita Iyer shared some healthy eating habits for 2023 that you must include in your lifestyle.

Combat cold and cough with these 7 foods Cold and cough are common gifts brought in by the winter season. They are symptoms of many viral infections, be it flu, Covid, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), rampant in the winter season. Winter is a season of illnesses; however, it is also a season of superfoods. Eating leafy green vegetables like mustard and spinach and seasonal fruits like alma and oranges can help improve your immunity and guard against infections.

Experts suggest the best way to protect yourself against the cold is by getting good nutrition, exercise, and enough sleep. Some foods to include in your diet to prevent colds and coughs this season.

Garlic This root has natural antibacterial properties, and a compound called allicin that helps fight infections.

Turmeric Milk Commonly known in the West

thighs. Hold eight to ten breaths.

Balasana Kneel down on a mat and sit on your heels. Inhale and raise your arms above your head. Exhale and bend your upper body forward.

Place your forehead on the floor.

The pelvis should rest on the heels.

Ensure that your back is not hunched Paschimottanasana Begin with Dandasana. Ensure that your knees are slightly bent while your legs are stretched out forward. Extend your arms upward and keep your spine erect. Exhale and empty your stomach of air.

With the exhale, bend forward at the hip and place your upper body on your lower body. Lower your arms and grip your big toes with your fingers. Try to touch your knees with your nose. Hold the asana for a while.

as Golden Milk, this is an old household remedy against colds. It can help build immunity. You can also add black pepper for instant action.

Tulsi The leaves of this plant act as a natural immune system booster while keeping infections at bay.

Almonds Almonds are high in vitamin E and contain zinc, which is beneficial during the flu.

Amla This seasonal fruit is rich in vitamin C, which is known to have excellent immunity-boosting and antioxidant properties.

She wrote: Tune into your body.

Understand your hunger cues so you can eat when you are hungry and stop when you feel almost full.

Eat slowly. Chew every mouthful until it is liquidised.

Research has shown that fast eaters are twice as likely to gain excess weight.

Tackle mindless snacking. We often indulge in binge eating for reasons other than hunger such as boredom, loneliness, stress and anger. Tune in to the root cause and address it with non-food tools.

Food should not be your only coping mechanism.

Eat the healthiest foods on your plate first so you will be up with high-quality calories at the start Stock up on good quality fresh produce and nutrient-rich groceries. This means whatever you cook with them will have nutritious building blocks and they will be good for your health.

Balancing your plate is more sustainable than counting calories and logging all the foods eaten every day. Eating should not become a chore.

A rough weekly menu plan helps ensure that your meals are a good balance of complex carbs, proteins and fats, and using a variety of seasonal produce.

Make room for treats as a part of your diet. Abstaining from foods that give you joy will lead to unhealthy cravings and binging.

Sit down and enjoy the treat mindfully to experience the maximum joy out of it.

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Kriti Sanon tells Kartik Aaryan, ‘Let me also do films, will you do all of them?’

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ollywood actors Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon recently attended the trailer launch of their upcoming movie ‘Shehzada’, and brought some playful banter with them. During the event, Kriti told Kartik that he should allow other people to do movies, adding, “kya saare films aap he karenge?”

In the viral video, Kartik looked at Kriti and said, “Aap itne saari filme kar rahi hai (You are doing so many films).” To which Kriti gave a witty reply and said, “Toh acchi baat hai, humko bhi karne dijiye. Kya saara aap he karenge (It’s a good thing. Let us also do movies, will you alone do all the films).” Kriti also added that Shehzada is a very special film for her.

Earlier, Kriti had shared pictures from the sets of ‘Shehzada’ and wrote, “And its finally a wrap!! #Shehzada. Happy sad feeling as always.. Sad that this beautiful journey has come to an end.. And happy that we can share it with you all very soon! Stay Tuned.”

A few days ago, it was reported that Kartik had turned producer for ‘Shehzada’ after the film faced a financial crisis. A source revealed, “Shehzada encountered a financial crisis, and if someone had not stepped in at that moment, the project would have been stalled. Kartik offered to forego his remuneration. That’s when the other producers offered to have him on board as a producer.”

‘Shehzada’ is the Hindi remake of Telugu actor Allu Arjun’s ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramaloo’. The film will be released on February 10, 2023.

Bollywood lacks innovation: Piyush Mishra

Twinkle Khanna calls Akshay Kumar ‘perpetrator of diabolical plan’

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Slap on faces of people who called it propaganda: Anupam Kher on ‘The Kashmir Files’ Oscar nomination

ctor-turned-author Twinkle Khanna called her husband-actor Akshay Kumar the “perpetrator” of a “diabolical plan” in a new post. She took to Instagram on Sunday, and posted a video that featured Akshay Kumar and their daughter Nitara on a small boat in the middle of a lake.

The short clip began with the couple sitting on one side of the boat while Nitara took the seat on the other side. A big lake with swans swam a little distance away from them on an overcast day. Akshay smiled looking around him while Nitara turned around to watch the view behind her in the clip. Twinkle also added The Beach Boys’ song ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’ as the background music.

Twinkle captioned the post, "On a

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ctor, screenwriter, and musician Piyush Mishra is all set to launch his book ‘Tumhari Aukat Kya Hai’. Earlier to the release of the book, Mishra shed light on the curet situation of Bollywood as compared to south cinema and whether theatre artists like him need the support of Hindi cinema to get recognition.

He praised filmmakers from the south for having original ideas and the skills to nurture a movie thanks to their thorough research. Mishra said, “It is very clear they are better than us, they are more innovative and passionate. It is not a cakewalk to make pull-off blockbusters like ‘PS-1’ and the ‘Baahubali’ franchise. And to do so, one needs convincing set up, convincing script, convincing music along with skilled actors.”

He elaborated, “Bollywood too has renowned artistes but this industry lacks innovation. All the formulas are failing here like we clearly saw last year. Bollywood will eventually rely on research. Research karna inki majboori bann jayegi.”

Mishra said that while Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, Rajkumar Hirani, and Tigmanshu Dhulia do make critically acclaimed cinema, it will take some for Bollywood to reach the level set by the south film industry.

“It is unfortunate but cannot deny the fact that theatre artistes do need the support of Bollywood to make a name of their own.

Aisa hi hota hai. Mujhe bhi theatre mein 20 saal kaam karne ke baad fully recognise hone ke liye Bollywood join karna pada. People do cinema for money and glamour.”

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ctor Anupam Kher is overwhelmed with ‘The Kashmir Files’ Oscar nomination, however, he feels it is an answer to all the people questioning the genuineness of the subject. Kher said, “It is a shortlisting, not a nomination. But the thousand mile journey is done by taking the first step. It’s a great feeling. The film is not just cinema, a story of all those people who suffered because of the genocide. It was a very personal subject for me, and became more personal after some people questioned the intention of the filmmaker and the people involved with it.”

The 67-year-old adds, “I’m equally thrilled about getting shortlisted. It is the beginning of a big dream. I’m from a small town, who came to Bombay, and now to get shortlisted for the performance of a film.. It is a humbling feeling.”

Kher feels the film getting noticed by the Academy is also a nod to the “glory of Indian cinema”, adding, “We represent not only those people who were thrown out of their homes in Kashmir, but also the 1.4 billion people.”

‘The Kashmir Files’ opened a chapter

of 1990 exodus and killings of Kashmir pandits on the screen. While the film worked at the box office, many critics called it “propaganda” and misappropriation of facts. The Oscar nomination is an answer to the authenticity of the story, Kher feels.

“For the past 32 years, people kept it under the carpet. When the story arrived, everybody sort of tried to be like ‘this did not happen.’ When the film was accepted by the people, certain people and certain elements tried to derail that genuineness of the film. It is a slap on their face also.

Because I believe that truth finally triumphs. I’m glad that this has happened.”

Opening up about his thoughts, Kher mentions, “It was not a regular film, which became successful artistically and commercially. It has seen so much ups and downs. Even though it got a lot of success, people still called it a propaganda film or agenda film, It is an answer to them, not that we are required to give them an answer. But it is the world who has given them the answer.”

freezing Sunday morning, someone decides we must pedal along an icy lake. No prizes for guessing the name of the perpetrator of this diabolical plan. My usual philosophy states: Whatever floats your leaky boat as long as I am not compelled to come along for the ride.

Unfortunately, the laws of philosophy, physics, and thermodynamics all crumble within a Faraday cage called marriage. True?

False?”

Reacting to the post, actor Soni Razdan wrote, "Hahaha (laughing emoji)." Actor Rajesh Khattar commented, "…except usually, the law works in reverse." A fan said, "Means marriage violates all the universal laws. The universe is not safe." "Ufff… what all prices we pay for sat pheras (ritual during Hindu wedding)," wrote another person.

Akshay and Twinkle tied the knot on January 17, 2001. They are parents of a son, Aarav, and Nitara. Twinkle quit acting in Bollywood in 2001 after starring in several films. In 2015, she released her first book Mrs Funnybones. In 2017, she came up with her second book titled The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad.

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Esha Deol joins ‘Main’ cast, set to return to the big screen A

ctor Esha Deol is all set to make a return to the big screens with Sachin Saraf’s ‘Main’. The movie also features Amit Sadh in the role of an encounter specialist. Deol, who made her OTT debut last year with Ajay Devgn-led series ‘Rudra: The Edge of Darkness’, shared the details of her upcoming movie on Instagram.

In a statement issued to the media, the actor said her character depicts the journey a woman goes through to discover herself and excel in life. She said, “My role in the film caters to the growth of women in life. It conveys a strong yet simple message that a woman can achieve the unimaginable. My character wonderfully depicts how a woman discovers herself and excels in life.”

On the work front, Deol will also be seen alongside Suniel Shetty in noir action thriller series ‘Invisible Woman’.

‘Mission Majnu’ is not ‘in-yourface’ like ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, says Sidharth Malhotra

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Huma Qureshi threatens to sue Anurag Kashyap for ‘stealing her song’

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uma Qureshi and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap were recently engaged in a social media banter. She shared a video clip on Instagram Stories and declared that she is “suing” musician Amit Trivedi and Anurag for stealing her song. The filmmaker added that the song my have been stolen, but was never released.

The actress shared a clip from Anurag’s upcoming film ‘Almost Pyaar’ with DJ Mohabbat and wrote, “I am suing Amit Trivedi and Anurag Kashyap for stealing my song.”

Anurag re-shared her post on Instagram Stories and added, “Hahaha and never releasing it.”

‘Almost Pyaar’ with DJ Mohabbat stars Alaya F alongside Karan Mehta. Talking about the film, Anurag had earlier told the media at the teaser launch that the film is close to his heart as it took shape “over the years from my conversations with my daughter”.

He added, "It's a true labour of love with some amazing young actors, great energy, great music by Amit Trivedi with the help of some amazing collaborators like my DP Sylvester and my PD Shazia plus everyone else. It's my going back to my constant exploration of relationships vis a vis the generation which actually defines us and is our future. It's about love and all kinds of prejudices that plagues it. I feel great to move to the next phase of my life with this film.”

Virat Kohli C opens up about being unfair to Anushka Sharma during low phase in life

ctor Sidharth Malhotra is all set to return to the screen with his first release of the year, ‘Mission Majnu’.

The actor plays an Indian spy in Pakistan in the film which is set in the 1970s. The movie is inspired by the work of real unnamed Indian spies.

Speaking ahead of the release of the film, Sidharth says, “It is inspired by true events so we had a lot of public domain information as to what really transpires, at least for my character, when people go abroad from agencies across India to protect the country. They don’t really go blazing. The whole idea is to be so secretive and so unassuming that the person could be in this room and he wouldn’t know. So that dynamic of being unnoticed and unknown in a vast majority of people and not standing out was so interesting to me.”

He adds, “This is the first time for me playing a character based in the 1970s so there is a retro aspect to it. The lingo is different and since I am an Indian spy in Pakistan, he speaks Urdu and portrays himself to be different.

There are so many layers.”

Describing the movie, Sidharth said, “This is a spy genre which is not taking that in-your-fae hero approach. I don’t even use guns in the film. There is one action piece where he is using a gun because in reality, it would defeat the purpose if he was going out killing everybody. I really love the way they would work on information gathering, which is more of trial and error.

That is the USP. It has an emotional graph for sure. It is an out-and-out action film like James Bond or Ek Tha Tiger, where they are blasting things around. I think it makes for a fresher watch.”

‘Mission Majnu’ is all set to release on Netflix this week. It was initially slated for a theatrical release in 2022, however, saw its release date pushed back twice and eventually saw a platform shift as well.

Directed by Shantanu Bagchi, the movie also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Parmeet Sethi, Kumud Mishra, Rajit Kapur, Arjan Bajwa, and Sharib Hashmi. The film will release on Netflix on January 20, 2023.

ricketer Virat Kohli recently spoke about a bad spell in his professional life, also admitting that he wasn’t fair to his wifeactor Anushka Sharma during his low phase. He said frustration was creeping in his life which made him “very cranky and snappy.” He also added tat he was in denial about his “vulnerabilities.”

Speaking in an interview, Virat said, “In my case, in denial, frustration was creeping in. I was very cranky, very snappy in my space. It was not fair on the people

who support you. So I had to take responsibility and kind of put things in perspective.” He added, “I was far off from my cricket.

My attachments, my desire, had totally taken over.

That’s when I realised that I can’t be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself.

Even when I am vulnerable, I am not playing well, I am the worst player around, I have to accept it. I can’t be in denial.”

Virat landed a century in the 1st ODI of the series against Sri Lanka, last week. He scored 113 off just 87 deliveries and India eventually won by 67 runs.

‘Chhatriwali’ not just about safe sex, very ‘holistic film’, says Rakul Preet Singh

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he trailer for Rakul Preet Singh’s ‘Chhatriwali’ is out and it features the actress attempting to educate people about safe sex and the importance of contraceptives. She will be seen playing the role of a quality control head at a condom factory in ‘Chhatriwali’.

Speaking about the premise of the film, Rakul says the movie is “not just about safe sex but also about the health issues that women face due to lack of safe sex.”

She said, “‘Chhatriwali’ is not just about safe sex but also about the health issues that women face due to lack of safe sex. The film also talks about the importance of education. There is an important line in the film that ‘Agar sikhenge to galti carne se bachenge’ and that at the right age is very important. So, it’s a very holistic film, and once you see the film, you’ll see why it’s different.”

Talking about her character, the actor had earlier said in a statement, “I hope this character inspires others to find their voice and speak up against unsafe sex and the many health implications of not using protection. India’s youth make up for majority of the population and educating them on safe sex and sex education is the need of the hour, so I am glad that Chhatriwali is catering to them and everyone else in a progressive and entertaining manner.”

‘Chhatriwali’ also stars Sumeet Vyas and Satish Kaushik in pivotal roles. Rakul had a great time shooting with Sumeet and Satish.

She said, “My experience working with everyone on this film was amazing.

Everyone was extremely passionate about the subject. The entire shoot went like a breeze. There was a lot of improvisation done and if you ask me to sum it up it was a fun shoot.”

‘Chhatriwali’ will stream on ZEE5 from January 20, 2023.

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Shruti Haasan slams reports of “mental problems” A

ctor Shruti Haasan has finally responded to reports of her Telugu original and the dubbed Hindi version will be out on the same day. The film was announced in August 2021. not attending a pre-launch event of her upcoming film Shruti's Veera Simha Reddy will also be releasing on the same ‘Waltair Veerayya’ due to “mental problems”. Directed by K.S. day.

Ravindra, the film stars Shruti with Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, and On the work front, Shruti has ‘The Eye’ releasing this year.

Catherine Tresa. Shruti revealed she had a viral fever, due to She is also a part of Prabhas' next ‘Salaar’. The film marks her which she skipped the event. first collaboration with Prabhas.

Sharing screenshots of several media reports claiming she has “mental problems”, and is undergoing treatment, the actor wrote, “Ok so here’s the thing, misinformation like this and the over dramatisation or flippant handling of such subjects is what makes people afraid to talk everal of Vijay’s fans and seeing films that expect about mental health…Guess women to accept their other moviegoers have what? It doesn’t work.” state and live.” reacted to a viral video She added, “I will always be a featuring a woman who The video received mental health advocate I will slammed the actor’s ‘Varisu’ mixed reactions from the always promote taking care of moviegoers. A fan wrote, and called the film highly myself in all aspects. Oh and….I “After hearing all the had a viral fever so nice try get problematic and regressive. things she said I have a over yourselves and while you In a now-viral video clip, the point to make here. In this are at it please talk to a therapist. woman can be seen talking movie Vijay never said or about ho the movie, in the No really, please do.” influence any women to Produced by Naveen guise of a family drama, stay in their home, in fact Yerneni, Y Ravi Shankar and co- tries to sell the 50-year-old he requests his mom to produced by G K Mohan, under idea of women should bear come with him to lead a the banner of Mythri Movie everything for the sake of a independent life, but she Makers, ‘Waltair Veerayya’ is set family. decides to stay in with the to release on January 13. The family.” Another comDirected by Vamshi mented in Tamil, Paidipally, ‘Varisu’ is the “Nobody forces anything story of the youngest son of on the women in the film. Even with the a family returning home to take over the SIL character, Vijay says the family will reins of the family business after he learns support her if she wants divorce. He that his father is diagnosed with advanceencourages her to go for it.” One more stage cancer. In the clip, the lady says, “A comment read, “This is one of the valid film talking about the importance of family point. But there are many positives around is fine. It doesn’t mean one has to accept the film. Where Vijay leaves the house every wrong that happens in the name of because of his toxic father. Vijay telling family. Again, here’s a film that says it’s himself posing in a shirt and mundu Jayasudha to stay independent and supalright for women to bear everything for at the temple, Vignesh wrote on porting Sangeetha for her divorce matters.” the sake of a family.”

Instagram, “Heart Pongal wishes to A lot of people also agreed to the She adds how the movie thinks it’s each and everyone of you ! All the woman's point of view. One user wrote, alright for a husband to have an extramariway from Sabari Malai! With “She points out that the movie supports tal affair and bear all that for family’s sake.

Aiyyappan’s blessings…” patriarchy and misogyny in a polished way.

“This is just a modern take on a 50-year-old On the work front, Vignesh last Instead of coming up with an answer how problematic idea. In this generation, it’s directed ‘Kaathuvaakula Rendu the movie doesn't, these fans are abusing extremely wrong for a film to expect audiKaadhal’, which featured his nowher (sic).” Another user wrote, “She’s my ences to accept that women should bear wife Nayanthara. He also recently hero (sic).” One more user wrote, “The way everything when it comes to family. Such produced the horror film ‘Connect’, she speaks might be offending for fans, but films shouldn’t be made,” she added. starring Nayanthara in she is spitting facts (sic).”

Talking about the family angle, she the lead role.

‘Varisu’ also stars Rashmika Mandanna, said, “This film has no values. A family Jayasudha, Shaam, Srikanth and Prakash needs to be democratic. Films are not talkRaj in key roles. ing about this angle at all. We only keep

Vijay fans defend ‘Varisu’ as viral video calls it ‘regressive, problematic’

S

Vijay Deverakonda performs puja at home on Makar Sankranti

A

host of celebrities shared their Makar Sankranti celebrations on social media this year. Actor Vijay Deverakonda gave a glimpse of his family puja at home. Sharing the family picture, Vijay wrote on Instagram, “Happy Sankranti”. The photo shows his parents standing on each side of a door. A makeshift chulha built on top of a rangoli is seen at the centre and has a pot over it.

Vijay and his brother are seen sitting near the door. Vijay is seen in a yellow silk dhoti and shawl, while his brother Anand Deverakonda is seen in a green Kurt and white pyjama. On the work front, Vijay was last seen in his debut Bollywood film ‘Liger’. Directed by Puri Jagannadh, the movie featured Ananya Panday opposite him. He will now be seen opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu in ‘Kushi’.

Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana, the Telugu film is scheduled to be released this year. He also has Goutam Tinnauri’s next.

Other celebrity to share their Sankranti celebration was Vignesh Shiva, who tied the knot with actor Nayanthara last year and became a father to twin boys via surrogacy months later, visited Sabarimala temple on the occasion of the festival.

Sharing pictures of

Aishwarya Lakshmi shares cute pic with Arjun Das, fuels dating rumours

A

ctor-producer Aishwarya Lekshmi took to Instagram to share a new picture with actor Arjun Das. She captioned the photo with a heart emoji, piquing the interest of her fans.

Aishwarya was recently seen in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan I’, and the Tamil film ‘Gatta Kusthi’.

In the comments section, some industry friends of Aishwarya's conveyed their wishes, assuming the actor had confirmed her relationship with Arjun. Actor Priyanka Jawalkar wrote, “Woohoo. So happy for you @aishu_ (sic).” Actor Amrutha Srinivasan wrote, “Too cute (sic).” Fans wanted to know if Aishwarya Lekshmi and Arjun Das were really dating. They took to the comments section to get clarity on the same. One user wrote, “Please tell me it’s some movie announcement (sic).” Another one commented, “Is this really happening?

Are they dating? (sic).”

Last year, Aishwarya had eight releases with ‘Gatta Kusthi’ being the last one. In 2022, she turned producer with Sai Pallavi-

starrer ‘Gargi’. After bankrolling ‘Gargi’, which was one of the best films of the year, she chose to headline debutant Charukesh Sekar’s ‘Ammu’ – a chilling thriller about a domestic abuse victim standing up for herself.

Aishwarya will be next seen in Dulquer Salmaan’s ‘King of Kotha’ and ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’. Meanwhile, Arjan, was last seen in Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vikram’. He’s all set for his Bollywood debut with the Hindi remake of the hit Malayalam film ‘Angamaly Diaries’.

He is also working in an Anwar Rasheed Malayalam film, and awaits the release of his Tamil film ‘Aneethi’.

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ollywood actor Gerard Butler recalled his meetings and interactions with Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra several years ago. In a new interview, Gerard opened up on how he once saw Priyanka dancing for a movie while staying in the same hotel. He also spoke about how Pri once organised a lunch “just to be nice, just be a friend.”

“I was actually travelling once, and I am friends with Priyanka Chopra. She was shooting a movie, and we stayed in the same hotel. I was there with seven of my friends, and we were up on the balcony and saw them do all the dancing.

We had a party one night at Shah Rukh Khan’s house. And he was showing me how to do the Indian dancing,” Gerard said.

He added, “I remember around the time of Slumdog Millionaire when I went over. I actually met with the kids from the movie, and Priyanka organised this lunch just to be nice, just as a friend. At that point, I met a bunch of

Gerard Butler recalls meeting Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra

actors and filmmakers and all that to get me into an Indian movie. I want to do an Indian movie, but it's never happened. I haven't had any offers. So here, I'm putting myself out. Will work for food in India.”

The actor also recounted when Shah Rukh showed him how to “do the Indian dancing” when they partied at his Mumbai house, Mannat. He said his favourite Bollywood movie is Mira Nair’s 2001 film ‘Monsoon Wedding’. He said that the film made him want to marry an Indian woman.

Gerard's new action thriller ‘Plane, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, was released in India on January 13. Produced by Lionsgate, the film stars Mike Colter, Daniella Pineda, Kelly Gale, Yoson An, Remi Adeleke, among others.

‘RRR’ scores major Golden Globes victory for ‘Naatu Naatu’ and Critics Choice Awards Continued from page 1

SS Rajamouli, MM Keeravani meet ‘God’ Steven Spielberg S

outh filmmaker SS Rajamouli had a fanboy moment last week when he met Hollywood director Steven Spielberg at a party in the US. Rajamouli took to Twitter to express his admiration for the celebrated American filmmaker.

Spielberg among all of his films, which one is his favourite. “Had the privilege of meeting the God of movies and say in his ears that I love his movies, including DUEL like anything.”

It was a pivotal moment for

SS Rajamouli shared a starstruck moment with Steven Spielberg when both directors met at a party hosted by Universal Pictures. In a photo he shared on Twitter, Rajamouli is seen holding his face and looking surprised as he stood in front of Steven.

Besides him, music composer MM Keeravani can also be seen. In the second photo he tweeted, all three are seen posing for the camera.

Rajamouli wrote along with the photos, “I just met GOD!!!"

He was joined by music composer MM Keeravani, who also posted photos from their meeting and shared Steven’s reaction to their Golden Globewinning song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’. He shared a picture from their brief encounter and wrote in the caption, “And I couldn’t believe it when he said he liked Naatu Naatu.” Keeravani also tweeted that he told Steven

Rajamouli, and the entire cast of ‘RRR’ as Keeravani won the Golden Globe for ‘Naatu Naatu’.

The team, however, missed out on the Best Non-English Language Film award, which was won by ‘Argentina 1985’ from Argentina.

Keeravani, who accepted the award, thanked singers Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj. He said in his acceptance speech, “This award belongs to, in order of priority, my brother and the director of this movie, SS Rajamouli, for his vision. I thank him for his constant trust in my work and support and Mr Prem Rakshith who animated ‘Naatu Naatu’ song and without him, this wouldn’t have happened. Kala Bhairava who has given wonderful arrangements to the song, Mr. Chanderbose for his wonderful words as a lyricist and Mr Rahul Sipligunj along with Kaala Bhairava who rendered this song with high energy and NT Rama Rao and Ram Charan who danced with full stamina on the song. And last but not the least, Mr Siddharth S and Jeevan Babu who programmed for the song. Lastly, thank you Shrivalli.”

Rajamouli took to Twitter after the event, and wrote, “SPEECHLESS (folded hands emoji) Music truly knows no boundaries. Congratulations and thank you PEDDANNA (big brother) for giving me Naatu Naatu. This one is special. I thank each and every fan across the globe for shaking their leg and making it popular ever since the release (hug emoji)…”

RRR has also won Critics Choice Awards in two categories Best Foreign Film and Best Song.

On Monday, team 'RRR' took to their Twitter account and shared a video in which SS Rajamouli could be seen giving his winning speech at the award ceremony held in Los Angeles in which he said, 'Mera Bharat Mahaan'.

While accepting the honour, SS Rajamouli said in the video, "To all the women in my life, my mother Rajnandani, she thought school education was overrated and she encouraged me to read comics and story books and she encouraged my creativity.

My sister-in-law Sreevalli, who became like a mother to me, she always encourages me to be the best version of myself."

The 'Baahubali' director also talked about his wife and his daughters at the award ceremony.

"My wife Rama, she is a costume designer of my films but more than that she is the designer of my life. If she is not there, I am not here today. To my daughters, they don't do anything, just there smile is enough to light my life up," he said.

Rihanna congratulates ‘RRR’ team Pop singer Rihanna, who was nominated with director Ryan Coogler and composer Ludwig

Göransson, was present at the 80th edition of Golden Globes along with boyfriend A$AP Rocky. After the award was announced, she personally congratulated the ‘RRR’ team on their win.

In a now-viral video shared by a pap account on Instagram, the ‘Born Again’ singer was seen walking past the ‘RRR’ table at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles.

Rihanna turned to Rajamouli and the rest of the team and wished them congratulations with a kiss.

‘RRR’ was also nominated for Best Picture Non-English but lost the category to ‘Argentina, 1985’.

Jr NTR was recently heavily critiqued by netizens for changing his accent while speaking at the Golden Globes.

Reacting to this, Pridhee Kapoor Gupta, Founder & CEO of an interactive Indian language learning platform said that this trend is not only seen among Indians but has become a global phenomenon. "It is just that it is highlighted more when it comes from people of colour because of the underlying linguistic discrimination. Code-switching, as we call it, which mostly happens at a subconscious level first, is to do with the need to adapt and communicate on a level where others would easily understand us. In its simplest form, people also do it to appear more professional and advanced in a formal environment," she told Asian Voice.

James Cameron has watched ‘RRR’ twice It was a huge week for SS Rajamouli and his ‘RRR’ team as they attended two major award shows in Los Angeles back to back. After closing in a Golden Globe (Best Song), the movie clinched Best Foreign Language Film and Best Best Song trophies at the Critics Choice Awards. ‘RRR’ however, lost the Best Visual Effects award to James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.

Rajamouli seems to be living a filmmaker’s dream as he socialises

with Hollywood’s finest.

After a brief meeting with ‘God’ Steven Spielberg after the Golden Globes, the ‘Baahubali’ filmmaker had a lovely interaction with James Cameron. He turned to Twitter to share his excitement. Posting photos of him and music composer MM Keeravani meeting Cameron and his wife at the event, he wrote, “The great James Cameron

watched 'RRR'.. He liked it so much that he recommended to his wife Suzy and watched it again with her. Sir I still cannot believe you spent a whole 10 minutes with us analyzing our movie. As you said I AM ON TOP OF THE WORLD... Thank you both.”

Meanwhile, Keeravani, posted “The great James Cameron has watched RRR twice and gave feedback on my score !!! Ocean full of excitement.”

‘RRR’s representation in the West has been lauded by many, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who congratulated the entire team on their win.

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India wins ODI series 3-0 against Sri Lanka, records biggest victory In 50-over international cricket, India made history in Thiruvananthapuram by winning by the largest margin (by runs). This outstanding achievement was made possible during the third one-day international versus Sri Lanka, solidifying India's place in cricketing history.

India obliterated Sri Lanka by a staggering 317 runs, surpassing New Zealand's 290run victory over Ireland in Aberdeen in July 2008.

With an incredible 166 runs unbeaten and his third century in four innings, Virat Kohli lit up the extra innings. Skipper Rohit Sharma (42 off 49) and Shubman Gill (116 off 97) shared a fluent 95-run opening partnership before Kohli (166 not out off 110) propelled India

to a daunting 390 for five with his 74th international hundred and 46th in the 50-over format.

Mohammad Siraj's excellent fast bowling caused Sri Lanka to lose, taking 4/32 in 10 overs to dismiss the opponents. The remaining wickets were then quickly taken care of by a between combination Mohammed Shami (2/20) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/16), securing a convincing victory.

Sri Lankan players were all out for a meagre 73 in 22 overs, The fact that Ashen Bandara was unable to bat due to an injury sustained while fielding put the visitors at a disadvantage right away. At the square-leg boundary, he collided with Jeffrey Vandersay, and Dunith Wellalage was brought in as a replacement.

It is the biggest margin of victory by runs in the history of men's ODIs. The night well and truly belonged to King Kohli. The 34year-old, who had ended a nearly three-year wait for an international hundred in the Asia Cup last year, showed that

he is back to his best.

With three more runs, Kohli will tie Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI hundreds.

Kohli's conversion ratio is remarkable as he got to his 46th ton in 259 innings while Tendulkar had taken 452 innings to get to 49 centuries.

FIH World cup: India & England to a 0-0 draw The Indian hockey team held England to a 0-0 draw after a thrilling Pool D match of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.

Both teams created plenty chances throughout the match but neither team managed to register a goal on the scoreboard. The end result keeps England at the top of Pool D with four points from two matches while India is at second position with as many points but a lesser goal difference (+5 to +2).

Spain, who beat bottomplaced Wales 5-1, is third in Pool D. The hosts had a good early lead, but England gradually gained ground and began to create some threatening opportunities and consistently

earn penalty corners. However, the Indian defence stood firm, and PR Sreejesh made a quick save to deny Sam Ward to keep the score tied.

The second quarter's first ten minutes kept the Indian defence on its toes as England appeared to be the more likely team to score. However, India's final five minutes belonged to them as they produced a flurry of goal-scoring opportunities right before the halftime whistle.

The goalkeeper for England, Oliver Payne, made two outstanding save against Hardik Singh and Akashdeep Singh, while Manpreet Singh came within millimetres of completing a quick counterattack.

Despite numerous opportunities, the two teams entered halftime

with a score of 0-0.

There were many opportunities at both ends during the third quarter, making it an exciting game.

Particularly excellent for India was Hardik Singh, who was only denied a goal by the outstanding Oliver Payne. India also scored a goal, but it was ruled out for a

foul committed in the buildup.

With both teams on the lookout for a winner in the final quarter, it was the home team who took the early initiative but Payne and the English defence stood strong in face of the test.

The match ended goalless with both teams sharing the spoils.

Gujarat wins 11th Viacom 18 secures women’s IPL media rights successive National Blind Cricket title

The Viacom18 bagged the Women's Indian Premier League (IPL) media rights value for the 2023-2027 cycle for a whopping Rs 951 crore which means per match value of INR 7.09 crore for next 5 years. The BCCI will unveil the five WIPL franchises on January 25. The Women Indian Premier League (WIPL) media rights were auctioned off, which is a significant breakthrough for women's cricket. Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), tweeted a confirmated news.

"Congratulations @viacom18 for winning the Women's @IPL media rights. Thank you for your faith in @BCCI and @BCCIWomen. Viacom has committed INR 951 crores which means per match value of INR 7.09 crores for next 5 years (202327). This is massive for Women's Cricket," Jay Shah tweeted.

The Women's T20 Challenge

was originally intended to be an exhibition tournament, but the BCCI ultimately decided to launch the WIPL last year, with the first season's opening match set for March. The BCCI has not officially released the tournament's schedule, but it is widely believed that the first season, which would consist of 22 matches, will take place between March 5 and March 23.

Cricketers without caps— those who have played for India or are now under a central contract—have two options, while those with caps—those who have represented India— can choose between Rs. 30 lakh, Rs. 40 lakh, or Rs. 50 lakh as their basic pricing (Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh).

Prior to the WIPL, the base price has been separated into five categories, ranging from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh. The auction's registration cutoff date is January 26.

Gujarat once again proved prevailing by winning their 11th successive National blind cricket title at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana on Friday.

They out classed Maharashtra by 10 wickets in a one-sided final.

Put in to bat, Maharashtra managed 137-8 in the allotted 15 overs. Pacer Manish Hadiya claimed four wickets. Thanks to the opening pair of Hitesh Patel (77 not out) and Subhash Bhoya (56 not out), the visitors chased the target without losing a single wicket.

"We are thrilled to continue our winning streak. Even though we only had three or four senior players on the field, we played as a team, which allowed us to handily defeat Maharashtra. I believe that our strategy was the

key to the outcome.” Gujarat captain Sanjay Daruuada told the reporters.

Gujarat received a trophy and a cash award of Rs. 21,000 upon returning home, whereas Maharashtra received Rs 15000.

In the meantime, Daruuada requested the event's organisers, the Blind Welfare Organization, to raise the prize money. "We blind cricket players are working to go through all of our obstacles. The winning team should receive at least Rs 50,000 in prize money, said Daruuada.

in brief CRICKETER JAYDEV UNADKAT WALKS PAST HIS 100TH FIRST-CLASS Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat, playing his 100th first-class match, was felicitated by the state unit after the toss against Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

“Jaydev is an exceptional cricketer with outstanding cricketing skill and leadership.

Under his captaincy, Saurashtra became champions of the Ranji Trophy in season 201920 and of Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2022-23. I wish him much more success representing Team India as well as Team Saurashtra,” former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said during the felicitation.In 99 first-class matches, Unadkat has bagged 370 wickets with best bowling figures of 13/103 in a match. Last month, the left-arm seamer made his Test comeback after a gap of 12 years against Bangladesh. Unadkat has been picked in India’s Test squad for the Australia series after a successful return to the side.

MESSI-RONALDO TO FACE EACH OTHER AGAIN IN RIYADH A new chapter in the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will unfurl when they meet in an international friendly match as the Portugal forward gears up for his first game in Saudi Arabia since joining Al Nassr. Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr after a successful career in Europe that included four Champions League titles with Real Madrid and two Scudettos at Juventus. He said it was the "perfect moment" to share his experience in Asia. The Saudi club is the latest stop in Ronaldo’s career that began in 2002 at Sporting CP before the forward spent two spells at Manchester United, the last of which ended on a sour note as he exited following his acrimonious split with the club. For the first time since Juventus defeated Barcelona 3-0 in December 2020, Ronaldo and Messi two players who have been at the centre of the football world's argument ten years will square off on the pitch. Ronaldo will lead Riyadh ST XI, a team made up of players from Al Hilal and Al Nassr, against Messi’s Paris St Germain in the exhibition contest where nothing is at stake, but fans are still excited by the prospect of watching the two stars clash.

INDIA OPEN: PV SINDHU KNOCKED OUT, SEN LOOKED STEADY AND PRANNOY WAS UNPREDICTABLE Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was beaten but defending champion Lakshya Sen looked in fine and went for a straight-game win over compatriot HS Prannoy in the India Open in New Delhi. World No. 7 Sindhu, a former champion, went down 12-21 20-22 to Thailand's world No. 30 Supanida Katethong.

The Indian had lost to the same player in the semifinals of the last edition. World No. 12 Sen, seeded seventh, settled the score against world No. 9 Prannoy after his opening round reversal at the Malaysia Open, with a 21-14 2115 win at the KD Jadhav Indoor hall in IG stadium. Commonwealth Games champion Sen will next take on Denmark's Rasmus Gemke, who knocked out two-time world champion Kento Momota 21-15 21- 11. Prannoy didn't have a good start, committing too many unforced errors to fall behind from the start.

Sen, on the other hand, looked to attack and remained steady in the rallies, producing some good-looking winners to stay ahead at 15-9.

Sen brought down the shuttle with a thud every time it was in range.