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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

New Delhi Asks Its Diplomats In Islamabad To Pull Out Their Kids From Local Schools

We are waiting for the day Kashmir becomes (part of) Pakistan Nawaz Sharif Pakistan PM

The dream of 'Kashmir becoming Pakistan' will not be realized even at the end of eternity Sushma Swaraj India's Foreign Minister

NO-SCHOOL MISSION

• Indian officials based in Pakistan cannot have their children living with them.

• Spouses, however, can remain in Pakistan for now.

• India has cited security as the reason for the decision.

• Sources said Indian officials can either send their kids back to India or return themselves.

• About 50 children of Indian officials are currently studying in Islamabad's American School.

• Sources say the decision was taken in June 2015.

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Making a fresh dent in India-Pakistan relations, New Delhi has asked its diplomats and other officials to withdraw their children from local schools in Islamabad. The move means India has officially termed Pakistan a “nonfamily” assignment.

A source said, “What it means is that no Indian official based in Pakistan can have his or her children living with them.

Those who seek a posting in Pakistan will have to keep that in mind too.”

However, spouses can remain in the country for now.

Confirming the news, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Vikas Swarup, said, “It is a normal practice for all countries to review staffing and related policies for their diplomatic missions, including in view of prevailing circumstances at those stations.

With effect from this aca-

demic session, officials posted at the High Commission of India in Islamabad have been advised to make arrangements for education of their wards outside Pakistan, till further notice.”

Relations between both the countries in question have always remained sour, lacking mutual respect and one with a hovering sense of resentment on both sides. However, the recent killing of Burhan Wani in Kashmir, and Pakistan's

open support to the protests in the region, deepened the already existing chill. Pakistan has been encouraging violence in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir over the

Indians fear Theresa may damage India-UK relations Many Indians working in the UK voted for Brexit on June 23rd, hoping better job prospects and opportunities for migrants from India. However, now they are casting serious doubts over their own judgement, especially the possibility of a better and stronger relationship between India and the UK after Theresa May, the new Prime Minister of Britain, has allegedly turned hostile towards international students – many of who are from India.

Continued on page 7

Prime Minister Theresa May

Continued on page 26

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ONE ONE with Keith Vaz, MP

Asian Voice |30th July 2016

www.asian-voice.com

to

Dr. Louis Philipson is an endocrinologist-diabetologist and a leading world authority on diabetes mellitus. In 2015-16, he was named as one of America’s Top Doctors by US News & World Report magazine. His research focuses on the biophysical, molecular and genetic aspects of insulin secretion, and the genetics of diabetes.

He is the founding Director of the Kovler Diabetes center, celebrating its 10 years in 2016. Louis was a co-discoverer of insulin gene mutations causing neonatal diabetes, a novel class of mutations causing diabetes through beta-cell ER stress. These mutations are now known to be the second-most common cause of permanent neonatal diabetes, as well as rare causes of later-onset diabetes. Dr. Philipson, together with his colleagues (Dr. Graeme Bell, Dr. Siri Atma Greeley and Dr. Rochelle Naylor) established the first United States registry for monogenic diabetes, including neonatal diabetes and Mature Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY).

Dr. Philipson has served as principal investigator on numerous research projects 1) What is your current position?

I am Professor of Medicine and Paediatrics, in the section of Adult and Paediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, in the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL USA 2) What are your proudest achievements?

In Science, I am most proud of being part of a series of interesting discoveries about insulin secretion and how insulin gene mutations can cause diabetes. In my professional career, I am

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diabetes research.

Dr. Louis Philipson

with funding from the NIH, American Diabetes Association, the JDRF, and pharma and has published widely in biomedical journals. The Kovler diabetes team includes adult and paediatric endocrinologists, educators, nutritionists, nurses, psychologists and podiatrist. Other medical specialists are readily available. Insulin pumps, glucometers and glucose sensors of all types are part of the programme. The team is particularly geared toward referrals and consultations for difficult management problems, in all forms of diabetes. Ongoing research projects include studies in the genetics of diabetes with a focus on diagnosis, causes and treatment of monogenic (single gene) diabetes, early detection and prevention of type 1 diabetes, and cellular studies in the mechanisms of insulin secretion.

He also serves as president of the Chicago/Northern Illinois board of the American Diabetes Association and has been a member of its national board. Dr. Philipson has been an invited speaker and presenter at scientific research conferences and symposia worldwide.

proud to be the founding Director of the Kovler Diabetes Center, which has become one of the most well-known and respected diabetes centers in the United States.

Of course I am terribly proud of my family - my wife Lynn and three children – who are remarkable individuals in their own right.

3) What inspires you?

I am greatly inspired by the struggles of my patients with diabetes on the one hand, and the dedication and achieve-

ments of my colleagues and teachers on the other. Most people do not understand the toll that the daily struggles with diabetes exacts from those who are afflicted with it.

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

Physician scientists struggle with many things, but probably the foremost in my mind is generating enough funding to do the science we want to do, and then sustaining that funding to see the project through. There are many more good ideas then

7) And the worst?

There are certain administrative obligations … and we don't have to discuss electronic medical records.

there are funds to make them happen.

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

I am fortunate to have had a wonderful set of teachers and colleagues. Even in high school and college I was fortunate to have research mentors who spent time with me and encouraged me to a life devoted to discovery and patient care. Among them, the standouts have been Dr. Nancy Schwartz, my PhD advisor, Dr. Donald Steiner my fellowship advisor, and my teachers and colleagues in Diabetes research – Dr. Kenneth Polonsky, Dr. Arthur Rubenstein and Dr. Graeme Bell.

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

Perhaps the best aspect is that I have many roles. I continue to do research, see patients, help build and direct our center, and hep mentor students and junior colleagues who are destined to make ever bigger impacts on

Bilimoria’s book formally launched in London On Monday night, preceded by the sound of the bagpipe by a Gurkha solider, Lord Karan Bilimoria took to the stage at the Nehru Centre, London, to have the UK launch of the book about the life and times of Lord Bilimoria’s late father Lt Gen Bilimoria.

Lord Bilimoria was joined on stage by Mr Patrick Shervington MBE, who served alongside and reminisced on his Warminster days. Field Marshal Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL spoke about what a special friend Lt Gen Bilimoria was to him, and Major Gen Ian Cardozo, the author of the book, who described the process of writing the book, its relevance and the history associated with it. Later,

Lord Karan Bilimoria

during the Q&A session answering to an audience member’s question, Cardozo described a fascinating account of the way the city of Sylhet was liberated during the 1971 IndiaPakistan War. The Indian High Commissioner who also took to the stage spoke of his three reasons for his appreciation of the book. A

L-R: Mr Patrick Shervington MBE, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Field Marshal Sir John Chapple and Major General Ian Cardozo (Book's author speaking)

labour of love between a son for his father, a love for the Indian Army between former colleagues and the High Commissioner’s Dehradun connection, where the Bilimoria family still have a connection.

The India book launch

took place earlier this year in Army House in New Delhi with the Chief of the Army present. The E-version of the book will be available in four weeks time.

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix

Prince Harry’s most candid revelation yet The life of a prince is certainly exciting for those that look up to it. It can also mean being the most diplomatic especially in public limelight. However its turns out, the biggest regret for Prince Harry is not talking about his mother’s death sooner.

Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997 when Prince Harry and Prince William were 12 and 15 respectively at the time.

The Prince, now 31, opened up about the effect of the loss of his mother, just three years ago.

The Prince said: “I really regret not ever talking about it. It’s OK to suffer, as long you talk about it. It’s not a weakness.

Weakness is having a problem and not recognising it and not solving that problem.”

Prince Harry’s revela-

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tion came as he hosted a barbecue at Kensington Place for the mental health charity Heads Together.

8) What are your long term goals?

Long term I would like to see new cures and treatments for diabetes that are safe, effective and affordable, and readily implemented all over the world. Even more importantly would be to help develop new approaches to the prevention of all types of diabetes. Since that won’t happen soon enough, I also look forward to seeing my junior colleagues continue to expand and grow our diabetes center as they take leadership positions here and elsewhere.

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

Given I am in the United States, if we were able to advise the President, I would certainly encourage a one-party health system not unlike that in the UK. While every system is flawed, there are far too many people with chronic illnesses like diabetes that do not receive adequate care due to our fragmented and costly health care system.

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

Einstein would be a fascinating companion, and if he got tired of talking with me we could play violin / viola duets.

Indian women perform during Big Dance Bus tour

Scores of audiences who have gathered on Regent’s Street in Central London on 24th July have had a glimpse of rich Indian art as part of Big Dance Bus tour.

Members of the Inspirational Indian Women presented a classical dance piece choreographed by Ragasudha Vinjamuri much to the delight of several diverse onlookers.

The dance was performed on an instrumental music that included Bharatanatyam and Kathak beats. The moves, the colourful costumes and the music all created a euphoric setting and the audience present greatly

appreciated and applauded the performance.

The dance was presented by Yesha Lakhani, Piya Shukla Sharma, Pritidipa Barua, Darshini Doshi, Aditi Khandelwal, Shweta Dhall, Arti Rawal Vyas Richa and Ratnamatmak, who are all passionate about Indian dance and have learnt the choreography as an empowerment.

The group had a mixture of women who are professionals, homemakers and mothers with young children.

The Big Dance is a project led by the Mayor of London and began in 2006 with biennial editions.

C MMENTS

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Asian Voice |30th July 2016

India on full alert in Ladakh Henry Kissinger, once Richard Nixon’s grey eminence, and long in the tooth as a China admirer, waxed eloquent on Chairman Mao’s humbling of India in the autumnal border war of 1962. He had done so apparently while drawing inspiration and wisdom from a classical Chinese text on realpolitik. India was humbled alright, but it was a wake-up call too. India’s wars with Pakistan – China’s ‘all-weather friend’- and their results were evidence that lessons were being learnt, if not at the required speed. When Mao expired in September 1976, three of China’s principal neighbours – the Soviet Union, Vietnam and India – had been listed in Beijing as China’s sworn enemies. Edward Luttwak, arguably America’s leading strategic thinker, debunking Kissinger, questioned Mao’s wisdom in antagonizing India, once a friend of China, now a nuclear-armed adversary. Luttwak referred to the parallel of the preFirst World War Kaiser’s Germany attempting to humiliate France and ended being humiliated itself. It was the same with Adolf Hitler’s and his vaunted 1,000-year Reich, which was reduced eventually to rubble in less than seven.

China flexing its muscles in the South China Sea, and along the Himalayan borders with India, has finally awoken Delhi to the true dimension of the Chinese threat. India’s Pokhran II nuclear weapon tests in May 1998, accompanied by its missile development, have led to the country’s acquisition of a nuclear second strike capability from land, air and sea, bringing every Chinese city within range of Indian deterrent power. More, of course, needs to be done to secure India from surprise Chinese attack with conventional weaponry. The challenge in this area is being faced with commendable urgency.

As proof, the Defence Ministry took a team of Indian reporters on a tour of the forbidding heights of Eastern Ladakh to witness first-hand the preparations put in place by the Indian Army and Air Force to meet any contingency that may arise, now or in the future. The Hindu and Telegraph reports (July 16) were robust but balanced. The Hindu set the scene with clarity. ‘Bunkers drilled into barren hills, battle tanks at over 14,000 ft,

and additional troops on newly built roads. India’s quiet efforts of beefing up military capabilities to match China’s wide-ranging transformation across the border in Tibet are becoming a reality.'

The Telegraph reported: ‘Order of battle or Orbat, is military jargon for the units, formations, equipment, supplies that are networked to wage war if called upon to do so. India has deployed troops in a slow but growing march that can no longer be kept quiet because of the large numbers involved in the build-up. The Indian government directed a change in 2012 because of a higher threat perception of a China-Pakistan nexus. The command for change in the Orbat has been a secret so far.

The force accretion continues, indicating a bipartisan agreement on the requirement despite the passing of the baton from Manmohan Singh’s UPA II regime to Narendra Modi’s NDA.' Lt-General S K Patyal, apropos of 1962, said: ‘Our force levels are a thousand times better. We are now well-prepared to take on any contingency from anywhere. We have war-gamed everything.’ Colonel Ritesh Singh, an alumnus of St Augustine School, Kalimpong, says his troops are mostly from the mountains. ‘I know I’m here for two years. I have to visit every patrolling point every month, every nook and cranny of my area of responsibility. The brief is clear: visit, check, stay fighting fit, keep morale high, build defences. Eastern Ladakh is no longer a place where we’re just passing through.

The LAC is here. We are here.’

The military are exploring the possibility of an Advanced Landing Ground (rough airstrip) in the Parma Valley behind Indian lines and beyond the sight of Chinese troops. Augmented rapid airlift capabilities are proceeding apace with an Advanced Landing Ground now operational at Daulat Beg Oldi, a height of 16,000 ft. Key bridges and roads have been built to facilitate the movement of heavy trucks and armoured vehicles; others are being constructed fast. Warplanes are making practice runs around Leh, Ladakh’s capital.

Peace is best guaranteed when one is fully prepared for war – an age-old truth that should serve India well in these troubled and uncertain times.

Indian cricket’s Augean Stables set for cleansing The Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, is the richest body in the world, where it was once among the poorest; it is, alas, one of the most corrupt. Cronyism, manipulated internal elections, conflicts of interest in the magic circle of top officials, with politicians in the driving seat overseeing smash-and-grab operations for perks, perquisites and much else. Cricket has long been portrayed as a gentleman’s game, but the Indian cricket board is no place for gentlemen, having housed some of the sport’s most notorious Al Capones. But the good times, it would appear, are drawing to a welcome close.

The Supreme Court of India, asked to intervene in the aftermath of the board’s frequent scams, took a hand in it and has now come up with a raft of swinging reforms that would make it fit for purpose in the 21st century. It has been both a rotten and a pocket borough attuned to an 18th century lineage. A committee chaired by Justice R M Lodha has put forward changes that should be in place sooner rather than later. The Supreme Court has recommended that people above the age of 70 should be barred from standing for office – which means that Sharad Pawar, 75, N Srinivasan, 71, M P Pandove, 70, G Gangaraju, 70, Farooq Abdullah, 78, must bow out; second, that no politician can concur-

rently hold a BCCI office, which disqualifies Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Finance Minister of Bihar, and Hemanta Biswa Sarma Minister, Education, Health & Finance, Assam. No BCCI official can hold concurrent office with a State cricket board. It has to be one or the other. The present BCCI president Anurag Thakur is also the head of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association. A three term is decreed for Ashirbad Behera (Odisha), Ranjib Biswal (Odisha), Niranjan Shah (Saurashtra) and Ajay Shirke (Maharashtra) Abuse of authority could also have received judicial scrutiny, but has not – not yet, anyway. For instance, following India’s disastrous Test series in England in 2011, team captain M S Dhoni was replaced by the Chairman of the Selectors, Mohinder Amarnath.

Instead, Amarnath was peremptorily sacked by then BCCI president N Srinivasan. Dhoni was restored as captain and has enjoyed the status of a deity, despite his record as Test captain being the worst in living memory.

The Lodha Committee has made a start in cleansing the Augean Stables. Hopefully its efforts will gather traction until the job is completed and cricket fans and the larger public can breathe easy again.

Science is opening new doors When paddy is turned into rice in the mill, the husk is discarded. However, for physicist Mancheri Maniketh Shaijumon of the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the discarded husk is something of far-reaching value. A team, of which he is the leader, extracted a carbon material from rice husk, paving the way for a cheaper hybrid energy storage device – the dream of energy technology transformed into reality.

Such energy devices – still work in progress – are designed to pack more power than conventional lithium ion batteries capable of powering a range of gadgets, from a cell phone and a laptop to a camera flash or an electric car. To make such an all-in-one device, electrochemical scientists have been attempting to combine the best of two disparate devices that can deliver power in a

nano second to start up an electric vehicle. A supercapcitator’s ability to harness huge amounts of power in a short time-frame is so impressive that Airbus 380, hailed as an iconic airliner for 21st century travel, uses an array of supercapcitators to operate its emergency evacuation doors.

The IISER team includes Shaijumon’s students, Binson Babu and P G Lakshmi, reports synthesis of one such novel capacitator electrode, their paper published recently in the journal ‘Electrochim. Acta.’ What is unique about the electrode is that it was fabricated from a porous carbon material derived from the rice husk through simple chemical reactions that are environmentally friendly. Most great discoveries have small beginnings. This may be one. More power to Shaijumon’s elbow.

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There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.

- Plato

Beijing reasserts claims in South China Sea The international ruling by the Hague tribunal on China’s exclusive rights in the South China Sea has been dismissed by the Chinese government as ‘null and void’. The Philippines had brought the case before the tribunal. China’s claims are also disputed

by Vietnam and Taiwan. The Straits of Malacca at one end links the waters of the Indian Ocean to those of the Pacific, making this one of the world’s busiest trade routes for China, South East Asia and India. The area is supposedly rich in oil and gas.

Islands carry an exclusive economic attachment of 200 miles of abutting waters. The outcrops of rock entail economic rights up to 12 surrounding miles. Reefs carry no rights at all. The dispute between the contending parties has become especially acute because China, unilaterally, has transformed this broad area, through land-fill projects, into military airfields, an instrument of pressure to translate its de jure claims to de facto rights. A further complication is the right of the littoral powers to explore for oil and gas in waters presumed to be their own. In this instance, India having been empowered by Vietnam to drill in its waters for oil and gas, has run into Chinese obstructions.

Talks between China and the ASEAN states have been ongoing with little sign of any settlement, but Chinese activities in the construction of military bases have proceeded apace. The United States and Japan, the two major Pacific powers by virtue of commerce and naval outreach have been drawn into the region’s politics. They are, naturally, concerned about the freedom of the high seas – a cardinal principle of International Law. India shares similar concerns, hence its trilateral alignment with Japan, the United States and Australia and their joint naval exercises. Beijing has complained that this is part of a conspiracy to thwart China’s rise. A Chinese TV analyst drew a parallel with Britain’s alleged attempt to prevent Germany’s rise prior to the First World War. This is patently false, proof of the man’s imperfect grasp of history. Germany’s rise at the time was comprehensive: great universities, seminal scholars and philosophers, peerless scientists, engineers and industrialists, all exciting global admiration. The weak spot in this formidable array of talent was the German Kaiser William II: capricious, unstable conceited, and the Prussian military caste. William’s ill-conceived policies seeded diplomatic crisis after crisis; finally, one too many of his reckless acts of irresponsibility led to a ruinous conflict. The aggrandizing Chinese leadership would do well to avoid such a folly.

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Labour MP Naz Shah seeks investigation into ‘honour killing’ of British national in Pakistan British Pakistani Labour MP from Bradford West Naz Shah has called on Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take interest in a case of alleged “honour killing” involving a British Pakistani girl who married a Pakistani national of her own free will.

Samia Shahid, 27, married Syed Mukhtar Kazam, less than two years ago, against her family's wishes and went to live with his family in Dubai. This month Samia Shahid, originally from Bradford and a beauty therapist by profession, went to visit her father in a village called “Poteh” near Dina on the 14th of July. Her family, who are also British nationals and Naz Shah MP’s constituents, were in Pakistan following a bereavement within the family.

It is understood that after marrying Syed Mukhtar Kazam, the couple had faced death threats. A family source told The News that Saima Shahid’s sister asked her to come to Pakistan citing her father’s illness. After Saima’s death in mysterious circumstances, her husband was told she died of a heart attack but the parents lodged a statement saying she committed suicide. Her husband lodged

Samia Shahid pictured with husband Syed Mukhtar Kazam

responsibility which I take very seriously. If this is true, we must ensure justice is done for Samia and we must ensure this never happens again.

This idea that you can take your daughter to Pakistan and kill her as you can literally get away with it must be eradicated. There is no honour in killing. It is an evil which we must rid our communities of.

I am asking for 2 things: exhumation of the body and independent autopsy.”

Syed Mukhtar said that he spoke to Samia on the day she died and she was stressed. He says he then called her again and no answer, he then sent an SMS and also tried to contact her sister through What’s App. The messages showed they were opened and read, he said. Then a British cousin Mobeen spoke to him that

evening many hours later and said she'd had a heart attack.

The husband claims that the family buried her before they even told him that she was dead. He has confirmed that Mobeen had threatened him and Samia both that he would kill them when they married.

Syed Mukhtar Kazam believes his wife was murdered in an "honour killing" by her parents and family and demanded the body to be exhumed and an independent autopsy/post mortem be held to establish the real cause of his wife’s death.

Kazam was Samia’s second husband, and claims that his wife’s family had always been opposed to their relationship. Samia’s first husband was a cousin from their village in Pakistan.

New lung cancer campaign launched Public Health England has launched a new nationwide ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign with the aim of raising awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer, other lung disease, and heart disease – all leading causes of death in England.

It is estimated that there are around 80,000 undiagnosed cases of lung cancer, 1 million cases of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – a common form of lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis) and 600,000 undiagnosed cases of coronary heart disease.

The campaign is aimed at men and women aged 50 and over, as older people are most at risk of lung cancer, COPD and heart disease. As part of the campaign a new film has been released that features

real people sharing their personal experience of their conditions and a GP highlighting the signs and symptoms associated with these diseases http://po.st/FTSYVt. Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health England National Director for Health and Wellbeing said: “The estimated number of people with undiagnosed lung cancer, lung disease or heart disease, is deeply concerning. If diagnosed early, these diseases can be managed and treated successfully.

“This campaign is crucial-

ly important to South Asian communities as we know there is an increased risk of heart disease amongst these groups and smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and COPD, a common form of lung disease. The campaign will help people recognise the symptoms and encourage them to seek help, potentially saving lives from what are three of the biggest causes of death in England.”

Dr Jyoti Sood, GP at Newbury Park, Redbridge featured in the film said: “People may put off visiting their GP for a number of reasons. Some may not realise a symptom like a persistent cough or getting out of breath doing things that you used to

be able to do could be a sign of something serious, they may be fearful of what they will find out, or even worry about wasting their GP’s time.

“Anyone who has either of these symptoms should visit their GP – don’t worry about wasting our time, we want to see you. The more people we can encourage to get their symptoms checked, the more likely they are to be diagnosed earlier and treated successfully.”

The film can be viewed at http://po.st/FTSYVt and is also available in Hindi and Bengali. It will be aired across Black and Asian TV channels from Thursday 21st July and run until 16th October. For further information about the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, lung disease and heart disease, search ‘Be Clear on Cancer’.

Hindu Forum of Britain holds AGM Leaders and members from different organisations attended the AGM of Hindu Forum of Britain on Sunday, 10th July at Sangat Advice Centre Hall, Harrow.

Patron Council members C.B. Patel and Shashi Vekaria were also present. After a welcome address from President Trupti Patel, Dr Sachin Nanda from Vichaar Manthan spoke on the impact of EU Referendum on Hindu Community. He opined that whoever wields economic power wields cultural power.

“As British Hindus, we have the ability to appreciate western culture and be proud of

our own cultural heritage” he said.

This was followed by a talk by Jayesh Jotangia of Hindu Lawyers Association on Caste Bill legislation and response required from our community.

An update on Hindu Crematorium was presented and Dr Lakshmi Vyas reported various important matters related to the Religious Education Council.

A brief summary of strategic activities with the Department of Communities and Local Government, National Interfaith Network and Faith Forum was present-

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Drug dealer jailed after police smash national cocaine and heroin gang

A Leicester man has been jailed after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and launder money as part of a national drugs operation.

Imran Patel, 30, was sentenced on Tuesday, for his involvement in a drugs network across Lancashire and Leicestershire.

Six men were arrested last year following raids in which officers seized a kilo of heroin and a further kilo of cocaine - with a street value of £180,000. They also recovered nearly £50,000 in cash.

Labour MP Naz Shah

an FIR in Jhelum alleging foul play. In the FIR seen by The News, the husband alleged that his wife was buried without his knowledge.

Naz Shah has written to PM Sharif calling for a probe to establish facts. Naz Shah writes in her letter to the PM of Pakistan: “Having spoken to the husband and given the circumstances I would like your personal intervention to assure me that the Pakistan government will look into this matter and ascertain the circumstances of death. From my years of experience around women's rights and work I have done around “honour crime”, this case does fit that classic picture and circumstances of “honour killing”.

She added: “As a women's rights activist and an elected member of the British Parliament this leaves me with a huge responsibility. A

In Brief

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Asian Voice |30th July 2016

ed by the President and the annual accounts were read by Haribhai Halai. Haribhai as chair of Diwali Committee informed everyone to save a date, 26th October 2016 for Diwali in Parliament.

This was followed by announcement of appointments, including Ameet Aggarwal of Art of Living as Vice President-London & South, Harshaben Shukla as Vice President North, Dr Lakshmi Vyas as the President of Hindu Forum of Europe representing HFB, Ragasudha Vinjamuri as the Chair for Public Relations Committee, Dr Shiv Pande as

the Chair for Health Committee and Sumnatrai Desai as a chair of Seniors committee.

A briefing was given about the upcoming cultural festival ‘Rangilo Gujarat’ by Priti Versani and Mira Salat and all HFB memebrs present appreciated their efforts and promised to give support.

C.B Patel made concluding remarks incorporating history and achievements of the HFB and initiative taken to unite all national Hindu Organisations.

The meeting commenced and came to a close with Gayatri Mantra.

Man convicted of injuring victim's nose after throwing chilli in his face

A man has been convicted by a jury of injuring a victim's nose with pliers after throwing chilli powder into his face.

Mahomed Rafiq Girach (60), from Leicester, was found guilty of causing actual bodily harm to Ayub Lambat, who underwent surgery to have the severed septum between his nostrils repaired.

Girach denied the offence claiming he acted in self-defence. The jury of eight men and four women at the city's crown court rejected his version of events, by a majority 11 to one verdict.

The hearing was adjourned for the preparation of a pre-sentence report and Girach was released on conditional bail.

Gumtree schoolboy fraudster has jail sentence slashed on appeal

A schoolboy jailed for a “remarkably sophisticated” fake car insurance fraud on the Gumtree website has seen his sentence slashed by appeal judges.

Azeem Mahmood Hussain, 19, from Walsall, used online adverts to con victims into paying for non-existent policies. He made almost £4,000 from the scam, which he carried out when he was only 16 years old and still at school.

Last month he was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court to 12 months youth custody for four frauds.

But judges at the Court of Appeal said not enough account had been taken of his young age at the time. They also said there was evidence Hussain had turned his life around, having obtained qualifications and landed a job.

Court puts man on sex offenders register for 5 years It was just another day for an unnamed victim until she found herself groped between the legs by a complete stranger on the Tube. In an incident that occurred on December 13, 2014, Choudry Shakeel from Barnet, grabbed the victim between the legs as she got down from a Central line train on Holborn Station.

To make matters worse, he laughed when she confronted him later. Investigating officer PC Les Dunnett said, "I am pleased that Shakeel has been brought to justice. The nature and circumstances of this offence made it clear that Shakeel was opportunistic and he clearly believed that it was acceptable to commit such an offence, as he laughed it off when challenged."

In a trial held at Blackfriars Crown Court, the jury found Shakeel guilty of sexual assault and sentenced him on the same day. Shakeel was handed a 12 month community order, placed on the sex offenders register for five years, and must pay the victim £1,000 in compensation along with a £60 surcharge.

"The sentence passed here sends a clear message that all offences are treated seriously by the courts and reinforces the 'report it to stop it' campaign, which highlights the importance of reporting all offences of this nature."

UK Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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‘London remains the best place to do business despite Brexit’

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The Palm, Dubai UPBEAT: Vijay Goel, Baroness Sandip Verma and Rajesh Agrawal

Rupanjana Dutta

Baroness Sandip Verma hosted the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Asian Business Association reception at the House of Lords on Friday July 22, 2016. The event was compered by London Chamber of Commerce Deputy President Subhash Thakrar, who gave a befitting introduction to their organisation, the host and Chief Guest, London’s Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal. Also present on the occasion was Vijay Goel, a reputed lawyer in the UK who is the Chair of LCCI’s Asian Business Association (ABA).

LCCI has a diverse history of 140 years, while ABA with its tremendous success of 20 years has proved to be a jewel in the crown.

The reception was attended by members and businesses of all sizes and

proportions, as well as journalists.

Rajesh, who is London's first ever Indian-born deputy mayor for business, spoke about Brexit and its effects, but assured the guests that he has pitched for greater financial autonomy for the British capital, underlining that it “is open for business as Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has emphasised”.

He himself stressed that the city still remains the “best place to do business” despite the EU Referendum result.

Agrawal, who came to this country with £200 in his pocket, is a self-made millionaire and founder of foreign exchange giant Rational FX. He reiterated that London’s Mayor is committed to ensure that the city’s voice is heard during Britain’s negotiations with the European Union (EU) over an exit strategy.

He added, “London

Photo courtesy: Damian Walker

was, is and will remain the greatest city in the world and best place to do business.

“We will make sure London gets a seat when negotiations start (with the EU). It is about time London gets a bit more autonomy and more say in how its contributions to the GDP are used.”

Agrawal, who is from Indore, in India, grew up in humble surroundings.

Believing in London which embraces diversity with open arms, he added that his new role was an opportunity to “serve London, which has served me so well”.

“I arrived in this city in September 2001 with £200 in my pocket. I did not know anybody but this city gave me all the opportunities. Now, it is my chance to make a difference,” said the 39year-old, who stepped down from his businesses to focus on his new role at City Hall in London last month.

Kirit Patel commemoration event Cecil A Soans A solemn yet colourful event to commemorate the recent demise of Kirit Patel, founder and former CEO, Day Lewis pharmacy, was held at the family home in Bletchingley, Surrey on Saturday, July 24, 2016.

The event, which lasted from 2pm – 9pm, was attended by over 3,000 people, from executives from the Pharmacy industry to friends and family of Kirit.

There were ice cream vans, canapes, biriyani and lots of champagne throughout the day. His three children (Jay, Rupa and Sam)

Legendary: Late Kirit Patel

POIGNANT: Brother JC Patel giving a moving speech

gave some heartfelt speeches as well as his brother JC Patel. It was a great family day for a special family man.

Some of the personalities from the industry who attended the event were: Vijay & Bhiku Patel

(Waymade), Bharat Shah and family (Sigma), Bipin & Bharat Chotai (Waremass), Yakub Patel (Cohens Chemist), Manvir Patel (Manichem), Thembalath Ramachandran (Bristol Labs), and Salim Jethwa (Avicenna).

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PRINT IS POWER

6

UK

Asian Voice |30th July 2016

P

rint medium is as powerful as it ever was, both for news dissemination and advertising.

Print medium holds its own position of power to influence the public compared to any other medium.

This is a fact acknowledged by media pundits and marketing professionals of all persuasions. A recent report, published by Newsworks, has shown that adding newspapers to an advertising campaign raises the overall effectiveness of the campaign and increases return on investment from TV and radio.

Switch the TV on or off, click, tap and scroll through a palm-size mobile window, information is at your mercy. And at present, among all media, the reigning ranks are held by print, TV, social media and internet spaces. Among them, the advent of 'digital', and the scale at which it has been adopted by businesses for advertising, has forced discussions on the relevance of Print Media.

However, it is the gross misunderstanding of the power, reach and function of each medium that has led to haphazard debates pitting 'Digital vs Print'. These dialogues plainly assume that digital, TV or radio can replicate the experience, connection, interaction, and mostly 'value in money', offered by Print.

Print Media occupy a unique position and relevance that cannot be argued in simple terms, solely because of the connection they have with their readers.

Every enterprising business attempts to grab the attention of its customers. Its choice of advertising channels is driven by a media's unique advantage to talk, inform and engage.

According to the report published by Newsworks, busineses, small and large, have gained tremendously by adding Print Media to their marketing mix.

Financial Industries gained a whopping 570%.

Retail grew by 280% and the Automotive industry surged by 170% (Source:

As a reader is thoroughly engaged in the editorial power of the paper, advertisements gain the same engagement as is habituated by the reader. The print advertisements have the advantage of not diverting the attention of the reader and have hence more authority in establishing a relationship with the reader. In direct contrast, online or TV Ads disrupt the experience of the visitor.

Moreover, the way a print publication is distributed, multiplies its value. The utility of 'sharing' and

newsworks.org.co.uk/effectiveness).

Print has been the essential ingredient that gave power to their marketing efforts, that made them stay on top of their competition.

the message lives longer. This allows a stronger opportunity to hyper-target and hyper-localize advertising campaigns, especially ethnic media marketing campaigns.

How did this happen?

This was no sheer luck, but a positive exploitation of the unique power of Print.

Reading a paper or a magazine is an experience in itself. The contents of the paper surpass the fleeting nature of a blog or a social media feed, as one scrolls through numerous pages a day. This power is gained through the trust that newspapers build, almost instantly, as a reader picks up a paper, by their own choice.

A newspaper or a magazine is driven by real people, personalities, ideologies, and a vision that cannot be easily replicated or translated.

This creates a higher level of connection with the reader, by virtue of every single piece of content creating a personal relationship that is accepted by the reader.

Voice and Gujarat Samachar's position as market leaders in the ethnic print media remains unchallenged.

That businesses have been consistently engaging with the ethnic community through our print titles for over four decades is another testimony to the power of print. The influence that our print titles command is a vital ingredient in the success of key events such as Asian Achievers Awards, Asian Voice Charity Awards, and Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards, among others.

Worth the Paper it's Printed on

l

Newspapers raise the overall effectiveness of the ad campaign. l Print Media do not just communicate. They connect with the readers. l Financial industries have gained a whopping 570% by adding Print Media to their marketing mix. l Similarly, retail grew by 280%, while the automotive industry surged by 170%. l The paper content surpasses the fleeting nature of a blog or a social media feed. l You can trust a newspaper or a

magazine as it is driven by real people, personalities and ideologies. l Also, the ad content is vetted properly as opposed to unverified online listings. l The print advertisements do not distract the reader. l Research shows many mainstream companies are not cashing in on ethnic media to target BME groups. l Study shows ethnic audiences are 60% more likely to buy a product or service if it were advertised in the ethnic media.

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Father of dead teen gives his ‘best’ to lorry driver who hit her Father of 14-year-old Lavna Chuttoo who succumbed to "catastrophic" head injuries following a road accident, wishes "the very best" to the traumatised driver who hit her.

Lavna was on her way to school on November 17 last year when she was slammed by Gavin Jones' truck a few hundred yards from Coombe Girls' School, New Malden.

While she was attended by parents and passers-by, and an air ambulance that arrived soon Lavna was pronounced dead at the scene. Her father, Chetan Chuttoo said he got "closure" when he met a police team that investigated the accident. "I know the driver is traumatised from what happened. We wish him the very best. I received his condolences at the time, which meant a lot," he said. He called his daughter a "diamond" and talked about how she "taught people to be more

Lavna Chuttoo

aware about life". "She was only 14, and whatever she has done, she had done a good job and got people together and brought them together.

"Miss Chuttoo began to run into the road and in effect ran into the path of the lorry and was killed. In conclusion, it is not likely the driver would have been able to see her when she went into the road," said Detective Sergeant John Hartfree. Lavna was remembered by her friends and teachers and was praised for her "sense of humour, her happiness, her rapturous smile, and her infectious laughter".

Latest twist within Labour 'social networks' are easily embedded in the physical product. They lie in homes, offices, and spaces that spread the message more authoritatively than any other medium.

Readers share their copies. Their peers pick them up, and skim and scan through them. They do not dissipate into cyberspace, and hence

Importance of engaging with UK's Ethnic community through Print Around 13% of the UK's population is black and ethnic minority and the purchasing power of the community is estimated to be worth a whopping £300 billion. In 30 years’ time (2045) it is forecasted that BME groups in this country will be twice as large as they are today. A report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) raises serious concerns that many mainstream companies are not using an increasingly dynamic ethnic media to target BME groups despite research showing ethnic audiences would be 60 per cent more likely to buy a product or service if it were advertised in their media.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar While there has been a proliferation of ethnic broadcast media, Asian

Readers yearn and wait for ideas that are printed on Print, and this anticipation is a strong psychological force that advertisers can tap into, to pleasantly surprise their soon-to-be customers. There are key areas of an engagement experience, where Print dominates, and these areas are very important for any marketing campaign.

For long term marketing objectives, advertisers have the unique power to reach their target audience – an audience that is receptive, trusts the message, and is highly likely to recall the information. And to get an immediate response for retail offers or classifieds, advertising in paper is more trustworthy as it is already vetted as opposed to unverified online listings.

You can switch off your TV, scroll off those ads, but Print is not going anywhere. It is a vital part of engaging readers, and providing value to advertisers.

Needless to say, Print is Power.

The IPA report debunks three popular misconceptions about ethnic minorities: Myth No. 1 – They don’t spend.

British Indian men have an average higher income than the average White Briton.

Myth No. 2 – They behave the same as Whites.

That’s not true either in the media they consume or in any other behaviour. Only 18 per cent of ethnic minorities in Britain solely watch mainstream TV. Sixteen per cent only watch ethnic programming.

Myth No. 3 – They are too hard to target.

It’s wrong to believe there are too many differences between ethnic groups to target them effectively.

There’s a lot of business to be had with relatively cheap, well-targeted campaigns.

It is said a week is a long time in politics and what a week it has been. This time last week we reported on the sudden withdrawal of Angela Eagle from the leadership race. This left only Owen Smith to face Jeremy Corbyn. However this weekend also saw something extraordinary take place.

On Saturday, the MP for Feltham and Heston, Seema Malhotra, accused the staff working for Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell of breaking into her parliamentary office without authorisation. She said “this is a serious breach of Parliamentary privilege.

I understand that the Corbyn aide has been in my office at least twice in recent weeks, when I have not been there, and was aggressive and intimidating”.

She has made a formal complaint to the Speaker John Bercow and Jeremy Crobyn and demanded the incident be investigated.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, John McDonnell described the incident as an honest mistake.

“Officegate" as it’s been dubbed is the most serious revelation since the mass resignation of the shadow cabinet last month.

Speaking during the show John McDonnell appealed to members and supporters not to split the party from within.

In a major development, a case brought before the high court by the Labour donor Michael Foster where he argued that Jeremy Corbyn should not be allowed to contest

Seema Malhotra

the leadership without getting nominations from MPs and MEPs. Michael Foster said in court that the Labour party’s rules were “misapplied” when its national executive committee (NEC) voted to guarantee Corbyn a place on the leadership ballot.

Foster who filed the case against the party’s genIain eral secretary, McNicol, and Corbyn was not seeking anything other than a proper application of the rules.

It is said the NEC took legal advice before voting by a majority of 18 to 14 that Corbyn should automatically go on the ballot paper without needing to obtain the backing of 20% of Labour MPs and MEPs 51 nominations.

If the case is successful the leadership contest would have to start from scratch. Ballot papers for the leadership vote will start to be sent out on August 22 with the result announced at a special conference in Liverpool on September 24.

During this saga the latest opinion poll shows the Conservatives with a 16 point lead over Labour at 43% verses 27%.

UK Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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Government's shocking BME pay gap under scrutiny The Lib Dem party has uncovered that the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) allegedly has the largest pay gap, at 34%, whilst departments such as the FCO, Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Transport (DfT) have no BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) staff at the highest pay grades at all. In at least three departments, the BME pay gap is widening.

In the Energy and Climate Change department, BME civil servants at the top pay grade are paid 14% less than their Non-BME counterparts, even within the same pay grade.

The party has launched a campaign claiming that the black and minority ethnic civil servants deserve parity with their white colleagues.

Last October, the former Prime Minister had announced measures to promote equality, saying “there is no place for a pay gap in

today’s society”.

Greg Mulholland MP said: “The data paints a very concerning picture for civil servants of black and minority ethnic backgrounds. In some departments, they are paid nearly a third less than their colleagues who are white. What is also worrying is that other departments do not have any BME staff at a senior level, and other departments have not even disclosed the data that has been requested.

“The pay gap for BME civil servants shows, there is more that government could be doing.

“I would urge ministers to lead the way and introduce mandatory BME pay gap reporting for government departments and also for large companies.

This would be one step forward to help us tackle this unacceptable pay gap.”

The gap in pay between BME and non BME staff differs between 3-34% in 2016.

7

Indians fear Theresa may damage India-UK ties Continued from page 1 The number of Indian first-year enrolments at UK universities in 2014/15 was 10,125 – a sharp fall by 10% from previous years. It was also hoped by the community that reducing pound rates against rupee would enable more Indian students to come and study in the UK – which now may seem impossible.

According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister is reportedly preparing her new government to crack down on higher education institutions, claiming they have become an easy route into Britain for economic migrants.

Government sources have said the Home Office and Department for Education will examine the student visa regime to see where criteria can be tightened.

In a confidential letter to other ministers, the PM also argued universities should “develop sustainable funding models that are not so dependent on international students”.

But she could have wrongly deported up to 50,000 international students after an English test cheating scam at one school was used to incriminate all who had sat the test.

The Upper Tribunal (Asylum and Immigration)

Mustafa Rajaai, International Officer for the National Union of Students

ruled in March the then Home Secretary’s evidence suffered from “multiple frailties and shortcomings”.

Mostafa Rajaai, International Officer for the National Union of Students, told The Independent: “Thanks to Theresa May's approach to international students while she was in charge of the Home Office, we have witnessed, for the first time in 30 years, a drop in the number of international students coming to the UK. This is while the number of internationally mobile students has been rising year on year.

“While the inquiry into May's actions in response to the 'ETS scandal' is ongoing, she is preparing to devastate more lives by raising feelings

of suspicion and distrust.

“As it stands, the British student visa regime is one of the toughest and least welcoming in the world. By tightening it further, the Higher Education sector will lose out on hundreds of thousands of international students choosing other countries over the UK.” Among the actions being considered are preventing universities from marketing their courses as opportunities for students to work in Britain, tighter controls on so-called “Mickey Mouse” degrees at poor performing universities and further protocols to ensure foreign students return home after finishing their studies.

Despite Boris Johnson's (while he was the Mayor of London) plea to keep Indian students outside the Tory government net migration target, May is going to include them in it, as she plans to cut down the total figure by tens and thousands.

On the other hand the community suspects Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's allegation about India owing £4.4 million to Britain may have damaged the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

Johnson has told the Parliament that India is on a long list of foreign missions who owe the country millions of pounds in unpaid bills.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

According to 2016 figures released by Transport for London (TfL), Indian diplomats allegedly owe them over £4.4mn in accumulated unpaid dues since 2003, most of which allegedly is congestion charge related payment (a payment collected from vehicles for using central London roads).

Johnson released the details as part of a written reply in the House of Commons last week, which include details of 11 serious offences committed by diplomats of nine missions (including India) who have avoided prosecution due to diplomatic immunity.

But the Indian High Commission in London has consistently maintained the stance that it does not owe any congestion charge for its vehicles using the zone in London.

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Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Foreign Office Minister Alok Sharma visits India Alok Sharma has made India his first official visit since being appointed UK Minister for Asia, travelling to Delhi on 24 July and then Mumbai after just a week in his new role.

Mr Sharma held talks with the Indian government ministers, senior officials and business leaders to make clear that Britain is open for business and that India and the UK share a dynamic future on the world stage.

As modern and diverse democracies, our two countries have a natural affinity and enjoy a genuinely strategic partnership that we want to take to the next level. Our existing bonds in security and defence, business, innovation, education and culture are stronger than ever.

Mr Sharma also met business and finance leaders to discuss the UK’s strengths, including in financial services, ‘Smart

Alok Sharma

Cities’ and sustainable energy.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, NATO and the G7, the UK is a truly global player. As a long standing friend of India, we are a great fit with India’s reform programme and, as partners in the G20 and Commonwealth, our grow-

ing collaboration will see both our nations prosper in the world.

The UK Minister for Asia, Alok Sharma, said that he was delighted that India was his first official visit since taking up his appointment as a Foreign Office Minister. “The UK and India have a broad and exciting partnership that includes trade and investment, climate and energy, education, health and culture, reinforced by the large, vibrant Indian diaspora in Britain.

“Britain is open for business and thriving on the world stage. We want the strongest possible relationship with India and I want to continue our vital strategic partnership on this visit and in my new role.”

During his visit, Mr Sharma also met the next generation’s opinion formers on foreign policy at an ‘Emerging Voices’ event.

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Bhajan Sandhya brings Indian community together in Southall Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre situated in Southall organised a bhajan sandhya where Saurashtra's well-known Sri Bhajan singer Niranjanbhai Bhagat marked his presence. A staunch follower of Lord Shiv, Niranjanbhai sang songs including nagar mein jogi aaya, hariguru tame maara taaranhaar, vijdi chamkaare motida parovo paanbai.

Present at the occasion, centre's young secretary Bhaveshbhai Dhokiya appealed for funds to better the organisation, and mirroring his voice, Niranjanbhai sang Bhole ke darbar mein sabka khaata to raise a total amount of £ 6000. Out of this, Sureshbhai Vara donated £1251 on behalf of his

Maggie’s Restriction

mother Jayaben, along Vajubhai with Pannkhamaniya who forwarded the same amount.

Brent Mayor Councillor Pervez Ahmed, Councillor James, Sri Hanuman devotee Ram Bapa, Gujarat Samachar, Asian Voice Editor-Publisher CB Patel, and his sister Kalpanaben Subhashbhai, and manag-

ing editor Kokilaben were amongst those who flanked the event. They were honoured with shawls by Bhagwanjibhai, Natubhai, and Geetaben.

Ram Bapa honoured CB with a shawl saying, "CB Patel means the crutch for our religion, the support for our religion, and the voice of our religion."

Sri Jalaram Community Centre inaugurated in Leicester

Does a person’s faith decide the type of news they report?

Aaditya Kaza

For those within the journalism world, Kelvin Mackenzie is a well known name of British journalism. He is the former Editor of The Sun newspaper, known for his extreme views on a range of issues and is no stranger to controversy.

So it shouldn't have been a surprise when he did it again.

On night of Friday 15th July, as the world’s news channel's scrambled to cover developments about the Nice truck attack in France. Channel 4 news had Fatima Manji co-presenting the bulletin from London, with news veteran Jon Snow in Nice telling their audience the latest information. Fatima Manji is an award winning journalist who before joining Channel 4 in 2012 was with the BBC, she also wears a hijab. It is this last fact which prompted Mackenzie to write his column, and created this controversy.

Mackenzie on Monday 18th July, writing in his column in The Sun headlined: “Why did C4 have a presenter in a hijab to front coverage of Muslim terror attack?”, questioned the news organisation’s decision to put Manji in front of the camera. He wrote that he could "hardly believe my eyes" when Manji appeared on the news bulletin. He carried on, “Was it appropriate for her to be on camera when there had been yet another shocking slaughter by a Muslim?

Was it done to stick one in the eye of the ordinary

viewer who looks at the hijab as a sign of the slavery of Muslim women by a male-dominated and clearly violent religion?”

The press regulator on Monday received over 2000 complaints over the column. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) said it would assess the complaints. The National Union of Journalists joined in the condemnation of the column on Monday.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ’s general secretary said: “To suggest that a journalist is incapable of reporting on a terrorist outrage because of the colour of her skin, her religion or the clothes that she wears says all you need to know about the contemptible views of Kelvin MacKenzie.

Journalism in the UK needs more diversity, not less.”

Channel 4 rushed to the Manji’s defence and gave a statement saying, "The comments published in The Sun by Mr MacKenzie are offensive, completely unacceptable, and arguably tantamount to inciting religious and even racial hatred, It is wrong to suggest that a qualified journalist should be barred from reporting on a particular story or present on a specific day because of their faith.

Fatima Manji is an awardwinning journalist. We are proud that she is part of our team and will receive, as ever, our full support in the wake of his comments.”

Fatima Manji hit back, writing in the Liverpool

Channel 4’s Fatima Manji

Echo, “It would be easy to dismiss Kelvin MacKenzie as an embarrassing, and serially embarrassed, relic of a bygone era in British journalism. But it’s dangerous to regard Mr MacKenzie and those who echo his Islamophobic sentiments as mere pantomime villains. Kelvin MacKenzie has attempted to smear 1.6 billion Muslims in suggesting they are inherently violent. He has attempted to smear half of them further by suggesting they are helpless slaves. And he has attempted to smear me by suggesting I would sympathise with a terrorist. In response to this, I have received kind messages from friends, colleagues, acquaintances and even those I have never met, expressing solidarity and anger at his words. Young men and women of all backgrounds regularly ask me for advice on how to forge a career in journalism. Mr MacKenzie’s monologue will frighten many of them into believing that they will be on the end of tabloid attacks merely for daring to do their jobs.”

The Sun has so far declined to comment on the matter as Fatima Manji is said to be considering her other legal options.

Newly released documents from The National Archives shed light to an interesting policy.

The documents show this policy was seriously considered by PM Margret then Thatcher and her ministers, it involved banning women in polygamous relationships with Asian men from the UK. In 1986, the government wanted to specially ban wives of Pakistani and Bangladeshi men from entering the UK, policy chiefs at Downing Street advised the PM, ‘Though the numbers are small, the problem is vexed and the Home Office are exposed to public pressure.’

In a handwritten note Thatcher wrote ‘The country would be with us on this. We would be crazy to discriminate in favour of the coloured Commonwealth against the UK.’ However the Attorney General, Sir Michael Havers wrote ‘I advise in the strongest terms against taking and action against second wives until there is a change in the law.’

Sri Jalaram Community Centre located opposite Sri Jalaram Prarthana Temple on Narborough Road was officially inaugurated on Sunday, July 10, at the hands of Leicester Mayor Peter Soulsby and Assistant Mayor Councillor Manjula Sood.

Also present on the occasion were MP Liz Kendall, High Sheriff Surinder Sharma, and Motiben Mashru who celebrates her 100th birth anniversary this year, along with members of the

Jalaram Satsang Mandal.

The event also saw several members felicitated for their ample contribution.

South London's Kalaben Raichura who had donated £ 55,000 to the building of the community centre, in memory of her late husband and barrister Purushottambhai Raichura, late Shantibhai Thakkar's family who donated £ 51,000 and, Nareshbhai Popat and family who donated £51,000 for the hall kitchen, were honoured with shawls.

Doctor held for grooming under-age girl online An NHS stomach specialist is accused of grooming a 13-year-old girl online for sex by telling her ‘trust me, I’m a doctor’, a tribunal has heard.

Dr Khaled Zachariah, 41 posted a string of messages on the World’s Biggest Chat and MSN referring to “slow love making all weekend” and adding “it is a turn on to teach you everything”, it is claimed.

Police nailed the Cheltenham stomach specialist, who worked at Gloucester Royal Hospital, after officers posed online as a 13-year-old girl Zachariah tried to arrange a meeting with at a luxury

hotel, the Manchester medical practitioners hearing was told.

During the first conversation, Zachariah introduced himself by saying: “I usually don’t chat up under-age girls, so you are 13?” When the officers replied “yes” the father of two is said to have added: “I am a doctor, I won’t try to seduce you but if you are ready then I might.”

Zachariah was later arrested but no action was taken against him. Police reports were sent to Gloucester Royal Hospital where he worked as a registrar specialising in gastroenterology.

The hearing continues.

UK Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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So in a way, it was a strict upbringing for me.”

Turning point Debarshi’s parents wanted him to be an engineer or doctor. His brother, older by 10 years, did become an engineer. But the younger boy was a rebel and wanted to do something different; a career in advertising.

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Changing the Face of the Advertising World Debarshi Pandit has worked at international advertising agencies McCann-Erickson and Lowe of the IPG group, and Ogilvy and Mather, of the WPP Group. He has also worked at Omnicom Media Group across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

He is currently the Director of OMG Ethnic at the Omnicom Media Group UK. Debarshi was born in Calcutta and raised in Mumbai – so feels that he had the best of both the East and the West.

He comes from a Hindu Bengali family.

Debarshi’s father is a geophysicist. He says, “He discovered a couple of oilfields in India but because he worked for a government company (ONGC) in socialist India, we just have some bottles of crude oil along with the certificates highlighting his achievement. My mother

continues being a home-maker and my parents enjoy 53 years of marriage.”

Early years and influences Debarshi’s parents instilled in him the value of hard-work and striving for the best in whatever field he chose in life. “ T h e y d e c r i e d mediocrity and didn’t shy away from it – I still

Debarshi Pandit

96 /100 in Maths.

According to him, maths is a subject that with the correct answers, I should have got 100/100!

Biggest Challenge “The initial biggest challenge was getting a buy-in to my future career from my parents. I respect my parents and didn’t want to do anything against their wishes – however, I also believe that one should lead their life according to their own free will and not because of someone else.

Having said that, my parents, though initially reluctant, did eventually buy-in to the idea that their son could have a career outside engineering or medicine.

My parents are not ultra conservative and always give a fair hearing when logic gets presented which is exactly what I did to pursue my career.”

Debarshi is an anthropologist but it fits with his work. He says that almost everything he does has an anthropological element to it.

“Studying human behaviour is one of the most important elements in the advertising / media

9

world – why people buy findings, we are also aware what they buy, how they that on a like-for-like basis, respond to different mesthe Asian community in sages, what they like to the UK tends to be better watch, what they love readeducated and more affluing has everything to do ent than its white British with anthropology so I am counterpart and all of these fascinated by ‘this’ side of factors combined have science. There is a reason some serious ramifications why some products sell for clients’ media plans better than others, why that should have a strand certain programmes have a of ethnic targeting.” loyal base and following Debarshi on the lack over others. It all of Asian representahas all to do with tion in the media basic human business in UK. “There is emotions and “There is a a lack of Asian behaviour. lack of Asian Area of representarepresentation work in the tion within within the wider agency and the wider media business that media busiview on the Asian com- desperately needs to ness that desperately needs munity in the change for the to change for UK better.” the better.

“My current Having said that, remit at work is it is also a question primarily focused at of chicken and egg. ensuring that all mainThe recruitment teams stream communications at agencies say that there within the clients of aren’t enough applicants Omnicom Media Group in from ethnic groups who see the UK are also aimed at advertising as a career, and the ethnic audiences that so can’t recruit. live in the country.

But a prospective canThese include the didate from an ethnic Indian, Pakistani, group doesn’t consider Bangladeshi, Afro media or advertising as a Caribbean, Polish, Chinese career option because they and Jewish communities. don’t see enough role modAs per census findings, els from their community 14% of the UK population in senior roles within the is ethnic with the Indian media industry. I am hopecommunity being the ful that things are beginlargest homogenous ethnic ning to change for the betgroup at 1.4 million people ter and it is all a matter of in the UK. time…”

Through our research

IODR - a symbol of disaster rehabilitation remember my dad refusing to buy me a bicycle (which was a big thing when I was a 10 year old) because I got

The Asian Achievers Awards’ Official Charity Partner, the Indian Ocean Disaster Relief (IODR), was founded following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, initially to protect and sustain lives directly impacted by this disaster; to rehabilitate the community, especially vulnerable children whose lives had been irretrievably changed; to support them through education in its broadest sense; and to build local capacity to create sustainable futures for themselves.

Since that time, whenever there is disaster, IODR tries to intervene; by providing immediate relief or by building long-term projects including schools, housing, education, sports, welfare and community facilities.

IODR’s legacy projects have included the Weligama Community Welfare and Education Centre (WCWEC) in Southern Sri Lanka, one of the areas most severely affected by the Tsunami. The WCWEC initially supported survivors and orphans and now assists vulnerable children to educate themselves and whatever family they have left.

IODR has also intervened in the north of the country following the end of civil war; building education and sports facilities for children who had known nothing but war. IODR has similarly supported victims in the Philippines, Haiti, Pakistan, India and Kenya following natural

disasters.

More recently, IODR has concentrated its efforts in Nepal; supporting an existing school in the region of Palubari that was severely damaged by the earthquake in 2015.

IODR has also committed to building a new school in another part of the country, with a sports and play area, a kindergarten and an examination centre which will allow

young girls to sit exams, who previously would not have been allowed to.

IODR understands that natural disasters often result in the exploitation of children, in particular young girls. IODR aims to create awareness of the perils of human trafficking, to assist in rescuing and rehabilitating trafficked girls and to protect others from being forced into

becoming future victims of human trafficking and acid attacks, by allowing them to build confidence and vocational skills.

In the UK, IODR focuses solely on fundraising to support these causes.

To support IODR initiatives, to donate or to find out more, visit www.iodr.co.uk

10

READERS’ VOICE

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Food for thought I am pleasantly surprised that Ramesh Zhalla, who is normally opposed to my views or suggestions, has expressed his support to my indirect suggestion that a telephone call rather than the e-mails from ABPL telling me that the 'Meet and Greet' session at the House of Lords had been cancelled could have been helpful. This would have spared me from travelling all the way to Westminster on that day with my painful condition arising from sciatica.

The programme on that day could not take place because of the unexpected Brexit saga. Don't get me wrong! I am grateful to CBbhai, Rupanjanaben and Kamalbhai for taking the trouble to send me the emails. Perhaps it was my fault not checking the inbox of my mail before setting out to the venue. Some food for thought! There is no doubt that had this event taken place, it would have certainly been one of a kind and would have gone down in the history of newspaper publishing as a beacon for others and envy for many. The other innovative step of Asian Voice is the publication of paid subscribers' stories about their journey from East Africa or India to the UK under the “Remember, recollect, recharge” column. I too have a story to tell and have sent a narrative about my experiences. I eagerly await its publication.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Brexit: The Question Mark

Though the referendum has pointed the way out of the EU, it seems to have been a bit of an emotional decision without giving any serious consideration and thought about its future repercussions. However, our honourable PM has taken a lightning decision to go for Brexit, which seems to be an unexpected quick march towards unchartered waters.

This sudden decision – before appointing an allinclusive commission to study all the aspects of the problems and reporting to the Parliament which will take a final decision, to be implemented by the government – may create some doubts in many thinking minds in the country. The fact that our honourable PM has declared a policy to create a real socialistic democracy is very praiseworthy. But this hurried run for Brexit may generate some worried and varied opinions about it. Whether this completely hurried decision, by forming a Cabinet for this purpose, will prove to be advantageous or not to the country, only time will tell.

Dr Naginbhai P Patel London

Living in fear Why are terrorists throughout the world doing horrible acts where thousands of innocent people, of all ages and castes, are being killed in cold blood?

These terrorists attack any place whether it be a nursery, primary or secondary school, colleges, places of worship, modes of transport, theatres, stadiums or any other such social venues.

There is no preaching in the Quran about needing to kill innocent people. Why are they taking curses from these hapless parents whose lives have been shattered by the terrorists' cruel deeds?

Nature and God help people who do good deeds. In this beautiful world of ours why do people have to live in fear? Why?

Subscribe Today Suds Rasik Bhatt Glasgow

Asian Voice in UK for only £29 for one year

Blessings of our parents

Fond memories of Kenya

On the auspicious day of Guru Purnima one of the followers of Hindu sect called me and conveyed holy wishes on Guru Purnima for healthy, happy and peaceful life for our family and their Guru's blessings. Then he told me that on this day it is pious to give some donation which their sect will use to help poor people in need, some social and charity work and helping people affected by natural calamities.

At that point I told him that my Guru never asked for any donation or anything but on the contrary gave us so much which cannot be measured in terms of monetary value and our Guru's life is a message which doesn't need any preaching.

He then asked me if I could throw some light on the life of my Guru. I said my/our Guru were my late parents who despite having seen ups and downs and hard times, they faced them all with courage and smiling face and were able to give us education, good values and rich heritage of Indian culture and tradition so that we all can have good life and pass on the same ideals to our future generation.

Suresh & Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

The importance of good actions

A man must perform right and truthful action but should not worry about the result which may be either good or bad.

The result will be 100% based on the actions of an individual's past life.

Performng the action correctly and truthfully is 100% in our hands, therefore it is very important to do good, correct and religious acts only.

Kantilal Pankhania By email

Kumudiben’s letter in Asian Voice dated 23-7-2016 quoting Late Nelson Mandela, “You gave us Mohandas; we returned him to you as Mahatma Gandhi” brings about fond memories of Kenya and Indian word “harambe” used by all and sundry. The word was introduced by Indian labourers, who built railways from Mombasa to Kisumu. The word is made up of Deity “Har” and goddess “Ambe”. It was used by labourers to exert collective effort e.g. lifting or moving heavy loads, etc. The word is still used for a collective effort.

Times have changed and progeny of labourers has prospered. But the word is indigenized as Swahili one. Many politicians objected to “harambe” as it denoted Hindu religious figures. But they failed to oust it from national vocabulary and usage. There are also number of Indian words adopted by Kenyans e.g. kalamu meaning kalam (pen), kitabu meaning kitab (book), baba meaning father, baniyani (merchant), mahindi (Indian), etc. This also reminds me of visits by Sri Appa Saheb Pant and later Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, advocate Chamanlal Bajaj (who defended Late Jomo Kenyatta), and Sri Indulal Yagnik who stayed in Kenya to raise funds for the Mahatma Gandhi wing of Royal Technical College in Nairobi.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

Resolution on radicalisation and terrorism

Within the past one month, especially during the last eight days, there has been a spate of brutal violence resulting in bloodbath and loss of a large number of completely innocent human lives. Starting with the carnage in Bangladesh there have now been similar crimes in France, Turkey, Germany and the latest in Kabul (Afghanistan). By any standard or definition they are vengeful acts of terrorism. They are problems of ideology that stem from religious belief and are responsible for radicalisation of weak minds.

Religious belief and religious ideology are important to many people especially to Muslims and as such they will remain ongoing long-time problems for the entire world.

Since 7/7 successive British governments have adopted a strategy called ‘Prevent’ to address these problems. It is a problem specific to Islam and only Muslims themselves can reform their society. Pressure from outside is not going to work. The problem of this nature cannot be solved if Muslims are considered as enemy of the state. The way forward is to have friendly dialogue with Muslims about their view of the humanity and see if they can be persuaded to think in a positive manner and refrain from destructive activities.

Jatindra Saha By email

Hip implants that will last a lifetime

Hip implant is the most common surgery amongst elders. The implant made out of titanium, the hardest metal alloy known, lasts on average no more than fifteen years before needing replacement. The second replacement is less successful. The advance age also plays its part, most patients deny second op due to poor health. But the new discovery by physicists from Houston University, an alloy of titanium and gold, four times harder than titanium will last a lifetime. This alloy named Ti3 is so strong that even diamond is unable to grind it. It will also be used in teeth implants and replacement joints in the near future and will be widely used in industries, especially in drilling, replacing titanium that has served humanity well, widely used in medicine as well as in industry. This new alloy will not turn to ashes when people are cremated. It will be collected and melted down for reuse. This discovery is indeed a blessing for us, although initially it will be costly but with mass production and reuse, the cost will soon come down, especially as patients will not have to undergo a second operation, savings billions to our NHS. Kumudini Valambia By email

Stain on Gujarat

The brutal attack on Dalits in Una, Gujarat, is indeed a shame on the people of Gujarat, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and the most progressive state in the Indian Union.

Dalits provide valuable service to the community, doing most unpleasant jobs that no other community can even contemplate. It is regrettable that Gujarat Government under ineffective and lacklustre CM Anandiben Patel has let people down. This also reflects badly on PM Modiji who personally recommended her when there were better pragmatic candidates around. Modiji, while being extremely successful on “International Stage and Economic Front”, has taken his eyes off domestic issues, resulting in increased attacks on women, Dalits and crimes like rape and child exploitation on the rise. He should have introduced death penalty and public flogging for serious crimes that is blighting the name of BJP, once the most progressive political front but now riddled with arrogance, corruption and intolerance. It is time for him, who remains isolated in his “Ivory Tower”, and BJP to wake up, come out of comfort zone and provide effective law and order before voters turn against them and make Modiji a one-term wonder, which will be detrimental for India and the world.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

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EDUCATION

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

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Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Research suggest girls less confident as they grow older Research carried out by Girlguiding suggests that girls' career confidence plummets as they near the world of work.

A poll of 1,627 girls and young women showed they felt less powerful as

The results show: 90% of nine- and 10year-old girls felt they would have the same chance as boys at succeeding in their chosen jobs l this dropped to 54% among 11- to 16-year-olds l

place.

"This new research shows girls are lacking in confidence at an important stage in their lives when they are starting to think about the future, enter work or begin uni-

Aged seven to 10 I Feel confident in myself 63% I can do anythink if I try 74% I an proud of something I have achieved 75% they progressed through secondary school. Only a third of the 17- to 21-yearolds questioned felt they would do as well as their male peers, against 90% of the nine- to 10-year-olds.

The young women interviewed were a representative sample and not necessarily connected with Girlguiding, says the charity.

l and to 35% among 17 to 21-year-olds.

And only a quarter of the older group said they felt "powerful" compared with a third of 11- to 16year-old girls.

Girlguiding says the data charts how girls' attitudes to themselves change as they become more aware of the barriers facing women in the work-

Aged 17 to 21 31% 40% 41%

versity. As the UK's leading charity for girls and young women it's our responsibility to change this. Guiding builds girls' confidence and empowers them to take on leadership roles from the very earliest age - giving them the safe space and support they need to grow and develop their potential," said Ms Bentley.

Female students urged to apply for top graduate schemes A recent survey carried out by the Association of Graduate Recruiters has found that female students are less likely to aim for top graduate jobs but more likely to land them if they apply.

Its survey of leading employers found that, while 54% of students are women, they make up just 47% of graduate scheme applicants. But they took 49% of the posts, the responses by 170 employers showed.

"Many women don't apply for the top schemes when they should," said AGR chief executive Stephen Isherwood.

Improving the gender diversity of graduate programmes is largely a challenge of attracting women in the first place, says the report. Once they apply

Deal fairly with students, universities told Universities have been told by the Competition and Markets Authority to deal more fairly with students.

Some "still have work to do" to fully comply with consumer protection law, says CMA senior consumer director Nisha Arora in an open letter.

The CMA has already "taken targeted action" to improve practices at three universities, the letter to all higher education providers says.

The government must "hold universities to account", said consumer group Which?

In March last year, the CMA set out how universities should comply with consumer law.

This included providing information to allow students to compare courses, and some institutions were asked to amend their practices accordingly.

11

Nisha Arora

women are more likely to be hired, according to the survey sent to AGR members in April this year.

Even in male-dominated areas such as IT and engineering, women are proportionally more likely to succeed once they decide to apply, the survey found.

For example, women make up only 17% of IT students and 15% of engineering students, but succeed in getting 27% and 25% respectively of the places on graduate schemes in these fields, the report suggests. This means that while men make up 83% and 85% of the student population in these fields, they find it relatively tougher to get

work - taking 73% and 75% of the jobs.

But in the field of law the reverse is true - 63% of students are female but only 58% of the graduate scheme posts go to women.

Graduate employers are making efforts to boost the numbers of women they hire, the research found. Three quarters of the firms which responded to the survey had a diversity strategy in place, and the majority said redressing workplace gender imbalance was the highest priority. Construction and engineering firms were particularly successful, increasing the share of women hires by 3% and 4% respectively in a year, says the report.

12

MEDIA WATCH

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Prime Minster Narendra Modi reached out to the opposition on the eve of the Monsoon session of Parliament in a bid to carry through important legislations, notably the Goods and Services Tax (GST), onto the statute book. The response was encouraging. A broad spectrum of Opposition MPs felt that it was time to move forward in the national interest and not permit interparty bickering to impede parliamentary business. While a general hurrah would at this stage be premature, there are hopes that Parliament would be able to function in the way it was designed to do so. Party positions should be presented with vigour and clarity, consistent with the dignity of the House and its proceedings. (Hindu, Times of India July 18) BJP humiliated

The lunatic fringe of the Sangh Parivar humiliated the BJP mainstream in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh when cow-protectionist

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

vigilantes went on the rampage attacking Dalits believed to be beefeaters. The party’s Vice President Dayashankar Singh launched a scurrilous attack on Mayawati, UP’s Dalit leader, and was roundly condemned by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Stung by the ferocious all-party backlash in Parliament, the BJP expelled the erring Singh from its ranks. Mayawati thanked Jaitley for his words of support for her cause. (Telegraph, Hindu, July 21)

Vietnam envoy lauds India

Vietnam’s Ambassador to India, Ton Sinh Than, made special reference to the dignity of India’s response to the International Tribunal’s decision in the Hague,

in 2014, in favour of Bangladesh in its maritime dispute with India. Both parties had sought the Court’s arbitration and India chose to abide by its verdict. He said: ‘We appreciate the position of India. It is quite clear and positive’ and worthy of emulation by China. (Mint July 19)

OVL undeterred

ONGC Videsh Ltd, India’s principal oil and gas company, has two offshore blocks in the South

India-Russia trade ties set for growth

‘It’s huge,’ said India’s Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who had led her country’s delegation to Russia’s trade fair at

the two countries. (Russia India Reports July 8, 12,13)

India, Russia in FGFA deal

India and Russia are close to finalizing their draft agreement on the last stage of their joint production of the long awaited Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). Both sides are to contribute in equal measure to the project, with costs to be shared between the partners at $4 billion each. Also, the Sukhoi 30MKIs are to be upgraded to

China Sea allotted by Vietnam and does not perceive any threat to its production. It would continue exploration after Vietnam’s reaffirmation of its sovereignty in this area. (Mint July 18)

Construction and earthmoving equipment – traditional bellwethers of economic activity – are on a high, having registered 42 per cent growth in the first half of this calendar year. The fall in growth commencing 2011 signalled declining economic growth across the board. This negative cycle ended in 2015, making industry buoyantly optimistic about the sustainability of high growth.

Reasons for optimism

‘People won’t buy machines unless they are expecting to work soon,’ said Vipin Sondhi, CEO of JCB India. ‘This involves large capital investments. The actual digging of earth is a sign of business activity and not just project announcements.’ (Hindu July 17)

Exports surge

Indian merchandise exports grew in the first quarter of the current fiscal (April to June) reversing the negative trend that started in December 2014. The return to growth of India’s exports could herald higher economic growth for the fiscal ending March 2017.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: ‘We have had extensive consultations with every export sector and not once have I heard anybody tell me that exports are suffering because of our policies.’

Domestic macro economic performance has been improving steadily over the past two years, led by improvement in consumption expenditure and foreign direct investment inflows, according to a Morgan Stanley report. Since the quarter ended March 2016, incoming macro indicators are showing a broadening out in recovery, led by consumption expenditure. The rise of consumption expenditure is of particular significance as it has been weak since mid-2012, says Morgan Stanley. (Mint July 20)

RIL profit climbs

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has posted an impressive profit of 18 per cent for the first

other issues…whatever may have been wrong, he was a Prime Minister, a Chief Minister. In death, one needs to respect the individual, whatever your differences, and I did feel that he had been wronged.’

Need for Uniform Civil Code

She told her interviewer, ‘I’m one who has always believed – and I’m a Christian and a minority – that I would also like to see a common law for marriage, a civil code brought in by the Portuguese. If it can be done there…Goa has a very successful civil code. If it can be done there, why can’t it be done in the rest of the country?’ Quite so. Why ever not?

Shah Bano case

Construction sector in strong growth

Broadening growth

Ton Sinh Than

quarter fiscal (April-June), as the company’s Jamnagar oil refinery – the world’s largest – earned more revenue through increased production. Meanwhile, Reliance revenue from organized retail grew 45.6 per cent. (Hindu, Mint July 16)

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Russian Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov, India’s Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu at the inaugural of AP Pavilion in INNOPROM 2016 in Moscow

Sverdlovsk. She said: ‘In Andhra Pradesh, six new nuclear centres are going to be created, totalling thousands of megawatts of electricity in capacity. Of course, Andhra Pradesh will have both the American and the Russians participating in nuclear energy generation, but the Russians will be the first to Make in India in Andhra Pradesh,’ said the Minister. As nuclear power has met with considerable opposition in Gujarat and West Bengal, the nuclear power station planned for the two states will be switched to Andhra Pradesh, confirmed Dr Sekhar Basu, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India. (Hindu July 21)

Fadnavis for more trade with Russia

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu were in the Sverdlovsk region of the Russian Federation, where an international economic exhibition was held in which India has been designated ‘the Partner Country’.

Fadnavis dwelt on the importance of Mumbai and Maharashtra as India’s financial and industrial hubs, and spoke of the new deals signed with Russian companies, notably for development of the Mumbai metro.

Scindia invited Russian defence companies to invest in Rajasthan for which they will be given every facility, while Chandrababu Naidu signed up deals with Russian companies for the development of Amravati, the State’s projected new capital, which he seeks to make the finest in the world. He quoted Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev as saying that ‘Moscow is not Russia, Delhi is not India’. The mantra from here on will be trade and investment agreements between the different regions of

‘Super Sukhois’ with advanced avionics and weapon systems.

Design contract

The Indian Defence Ministry is currently working on the final Research & Development design contract, which it expects to sign with Russia this year. ‘Apart from resolving technical issues and cost issues, Russia has agreed to allow IAF test pilots to fly its prototype (Sukhoi T-50 or PAK-FA) now,’ revealed an Indian source.

(Russia India Report July 11) Meanwhile, there is little sign so far as to when the much-touted French Rafales will be delivered. In this century or the next?

Shambolic!

Congress voice of sanity

Congress leader Margaret Alva

She strongly opposed Rajiv Gandhi on the Shah Bano case.

Her book tells of the warning by Fidel Castro, transmitted through her to Rajiv Gandhi, to beware of V.P. Singh. Rajiv poohpoohed the warning. (Hindu July 16)

V P Singh’s betrayal

Prime Minister Chandrasekher (informed by the Indian intelligence services, no doubt) charged VP Singh of being a CIA associate. Having stabbed Rajiv in the back, Singh’s infamous Mandalisation programme brought national turmoil and discord. A jihadi insurgency was raging in Kashmir at the time, while the Khalistanis were amuck in Punjab, all of which was in Pakistan’s interest – and, presumably, in America’s too. An American War College paper in 2006 referred to a Sino-US plan (lasting 25 years) to contain India within the subcontinent with Pakistan as their surrogate - all hatched in the wake of the IndoPakistan war of 1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh, which Washington and Beijing vigorously opposed. Period.

BJP wrong-footed in Arunachal Pradesh

The vote of confidence in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly took an unexpected turn. BJPbacked ex-Congress rebel chief minister Kalikho Pul stood down voluntarily, to be replaced by Prema Khandu, and not the expected Nabam Tuki, the former Congress chief minister who held the reins until 30 Congress dissenters deserted the party.

Khandu won the vote of confidence. Game, set and match to Congress.

Margaret Alva has long been one of the enlightened voices in the Congress party. Her recently published autobiography, ‘Courage and Commitment’ reflects a distinguished public life. Never afraid to voice an opinion, she regrets the shabby treatment meted out to Narasimha Rao at his death. ‘I had great respect for him, although like many others, I was upset with him on his handling of the Babri Virat Kohli in double century mode, First Test, Antigua, West Indies. see comment page 3 Masjid and some

UK Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Foreign Office screens “A Girl in the River� amidst Honour Killing debates Charusmita The past two weeks have witnessed heated discussions on ‘honour’ killings in Pakistan following several high-profile cases such as the Qandeel Baloch murder case. What makes these acts worse is their legality in Pakistan. If the family members of the victim (or the victim herself/himself) ‘forgive’ the perpetrators, then the culprits are free to

by her father and uncle.

The screening was part of the Foreign Office’s campaign to highlight the pervasiveness of honour killings and help create opportunities for it to be discussed more openly in Pakistani society and government. Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif, who watched the film in Pakistan, emphasised on the importance of this film and its message.

Director Sharmeen (right) wants 'A Girl in the River' to be shown everywhere in Pakistan, so that people become aware of the extent of honour killings

walk away, along with getting their validation for restoring family’s ‘honour’.

A screening of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘A Girl in the River’, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, was hosted by the Foreign Office on Wednesday, the 20th of July. ‘A Girl in the River’ follows the true story of Saba Qaiser, an eighteen years old girl who survived an honour killing attempt

Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Afghanistan are among the top countries that deal with numerous cases of honour killings every year.

Forced marriage is closely linked to honourbased violence. The trigger for an honour crime or honour killing is often resistance to a forced marriage, marrying for love without the approval of family, or fleeing a forced

marriage after it has taken place.

At the screening, director Sharmeen ObaidChinoy said, "The documentary has galvanized Pakistan and initiated a national conversation to pass the Anti-honour killings bill which will no longer allow forgiveness in honour killing cases.

Screening this documentary at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the UK will send out a strong message that this practice is not a part of our culture or religion."

The UK’s dedicated Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads efforts to combat forced marriages both at home and abroad.

Jointly run by the Home Office and the Foreign Office, the FMU provides assistance including safety planning to prevent forced marriages (both in the UK and abroad), supporting victims to return from overseas, and in extreme circumstances rescuing victims held against their will overseas.

Joanna Roper, Director of Consular Services at the Foreign Office, said, “This screening was to raise awareness about this important issue to show there is no honour in honour killings. That’s why the FCO hosts the Forced Marriage Unit, whose work is vital in working to eradicate forced marriage and associated honour based violence.�

13

After Brexit Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - What does it all mean?

David Davis, who was appointed by Theresa May to oversee Britain's exit from the EU, says a Brexit will happen in December 2018.

According to members of the Bar Council in the UK, due to the Geoffrey Yeung advisory nature of the referendum, the European Referendum Act does not make it legally binding. For this reason, in order to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, there must be primary legislation.

In an open letter sent by the Bar Council to the House Commons in July 2016, it set out the Council’s opinion based on an objective understanding as to the benefits, costs and risks of triggering Article 50.

The referendum did not concern the negotiating position of the UK following the triggering of Article 50, nor the possibility that no agreement could be reached within the stipulated two year period for negotiation, nor the emerging reality that the Article 50 negotiations will concern only the manner of exit from the EU and not future economic relationships. All of these matters need to be fully explored and understood prior to the Parliamentary vote.

Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Theresa May had been reluctant to give a guarantee on the rights of EEA nationals, as well as their non-EEA family members living in the UK; however, in a statement released on 12th July, the government “recognises and values the important contribution made by EU and other non-UK citizens who work, study and live� in the UK.

The statement also confirms there would be no change to the right of EU Nationals and non-EEA family members to reside in the UK and therefore no change to the circumstances in which someone could be removed from the UK. As was the case before the EU referendum, EU nationals and non-EEA family members can only be removed from the UK if they are considered to “pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to the public, if they are not lawfully resident or are abusing their free movement rights.�

At the moment there has been no change to the free movement of people between EU member states. This means that until Article 50 has been triggered, there is no change to the Regulations which allow EU nationals to reside in the UK and vice versa with UK nationals residing in the EU. However, it is unclear what effect the UK’s vote will have on rights of EU nationals living in EU and retrospectively what effect it may have on British citizens in other parts of the EU. About the author - Geoffrey Yeung

Geoffrey is Head of Business Development at Duncan Lewis Solicitors and specialises in UK immigration legal matters. He has extensive experience in all UK immigration categories, specialising in Tier 1 (Investor), Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and all aspects of Tier 2 under the Points-based System.

He is particularly adept at assisting companies and educational institutions with licences and general compliance issues under Tier 2, Tier 4 and Tier 5 of the Immigration Rules. He also has substantial experience with challenging the UK Home Office with respect to UK Immigration Visa Refusals by way of Judicial Review.

Brakes on the Summer Getaway Summer’s here, schools out, and holidaymakers are preparing for their summer break. However those heading to Dover for the Channel crossing to France faced agony as they were gridlocked for hours. In the spate of recent terrorist

activity, French authorities were carrying out extra security checks, causing major tailbacks on the M20/A20 and A2.

It’s estimated some 250,000 drivers were stuck approaching the Kent port from anything between 12-

20 hours as weekend temperatures peaked at 35C. The chaos unravelled on Friday night when only one French border officer was present to check passports of passenger’s on coaches which took 40 minutes to clear one vehicle.

The Bhavan’s Open Day New Academic Y Ye ear 2016/1 / 7 Registration: Sat 10 September 10.30am - 4.30pm PBV

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In the wake of the chaos it emerged that Slough based Khalsa Aid, who usually provide humanitarian aid to disaster and war zones joined in efforts to assist the stranded around Dover.

From it’s base, the NGO dispatched a van and pickup truck carrying close to 6000 bottles of water, biscuits and some 500 cereal bars.

The charity's founder, Ravinder Singh “We met a lot of young families with children, mostly people going on holidays, some heading back home to France. There was just total frustration. People didn't know what was going on. They could see the queues in front. I asked people what time their ferry was and they said they had already missed it.

People were very, very frustrated and pulling their hair out.�

14

SP

TLIGHT

www.asian-voice.com

The Joy of Surviving AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

PR is a creative business; not a one size that fits all

Fazz PR and Events: A Rising Star in the Industry Sunetra Senior

Though only running for 2 years, Fazz PR and Events has already worked with the UAE elite, become a regular organiser of the Chaand Raat Hungama festival – noted for its multicultural nexus as one of the top ten events of London 2013- and is the first Asian business to voluntarily endorse Macmillan Cancer Support. Faz Zia, the glowing head of the outfit herself, was also recently given the Leadership and Mentoring Award by Hounslow Community Council, out of 4000 potential candidates. But what is the secret to Faz’ new-fangled success? Well, it’s not so much that Fazz PR is actually her second signature business – the first was a profitable, 18-year old beauty company which got her in Glamour Magazine 2002, and eventually onto TV doing her own live shows – as the diverse career experience it represents.

Discussing social and personal issues in the studio alongside her more practical, aesthetic efforts in the salon, and later studying film and completing a MBA in business from the London School of Finance, Faz has experienced the very best of many worlds: “There isn’t one aspect of my CV that doesn’t have an intriguing link to another,” she beamed. “That’s why I thrive on the professional platform of PR: it is as important to be broad-minded and understand and grow the brands as well as offering them a list of contacts. It’s a creative business; not a one size fits all. You have to be able to able to draw from yourself and personal dynamism, and connecting with your clients – their personality, mottos and themes - create a grabbing vision that’s at once very new. That applies to the way one approaches any given problem. You should never overly rely on the outside world to define you. Your path is what you can make it – don’t wait too long to figure that out.” Emanating life lessons as well as the sharp industry know-how, Faz really is the genuine PR Guru.

How has your film degree helped you with PR? I have been on various breakfast and health shows and was really curious to know what was happening behind the camera. In order to put together events you do have to understand the ergonomics of the space you’re working with: for example the event for UAE was a big Bollywood concert with great actor and singer Salman Khan so there were press conferences to factor in as well as other televised components. PR is about knowing the minutiae of potential events. Media and entertainment is a huge part of that.

Yes and Social Media is very important. Do you have any tips for maximising success with this?

Your brand needs to be trustworthy so make sure you remember when you’re posting content. Use it to talk about your current projects and clients - keep the focus on why you’re good. This isn’t the place for random updates about whether or not you have a migraine! You should use it to show how productive you have been; why you’re worth investing in. That’s why I also make sure to have regular photos with me featured: it radiates company confidence. I see some professionals posting images of their handbags, favourite designer labels and even sometimes their feet! That oozes insecurity and goes against the point of the whole medium.

What’s been the most important element to keep in mind with PR? Company reputation: you need to keep it up because that’s the trade you’re in. If you slip up, it’s hard to get back up.

Why exactly did you choose to switch from the Beauty Business to PR? My creativity energy for that vocation

seemed to naturally come to an end: there was a point where I could close my eyes and be doing someone’s make-up. When you’re not feeling the same level of inspiration anymore, it is time to challenge yourself again and change the environment. PR is an area that asks of my imagination in a bigger way: every day is varied and requires intense strategic focus.

You’ve got meetings to organise, sponsorships, raising funds and clever, comprehensive planning. I’m working with the colour of an organisational context. I’m looking forward to seeing where it’ll take me.

What’s a common misconception about PR that simply isn’t true?

That it’s all glamour; it’s not – there’s a lot of hard work involved.

What have been some of your proudest projects to date?

I’m proud of the Macmillan Cancer work because it is pro bono and it’s good to give back to the community. I also tragically lost my mother to cancer so it’s a cause very close to my heart. The Salman Khan event also stays with me because it was in commemoration of the National Day of UAE and it was thrilling to see it such a success. It was a very vibrant event with bits red, white, green and black.

Finally, do you have a motto that keeps you going?

Just that you need to keep going: don’t hold onto the negativity. Become a positive resource for yourself. @fazz_zia

www.facebook.com/pages/Fazz -PR-Events/1406488642922639 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/macmi llan-cancer-support-fundraising-dinner-hope-against-cancer-tickets-26550881401

These Stanley Kutnitz’s lines can represent Boris Johnson’s plight!

‘I dance for the joy of surviving, On the edge of the road’ As the theatre of politics on a Shakespearean scale, after some Brutus knifed him in the back, it was good to find Boris Johnson surviving the ramming truckload of journalistic sour grapes of European kind and drenching in his humility with the head hanging something only a genuine human can do. His trouble is he is burdened with a lot of journalistic baggage from the past through his op-ed articles full of wordplay designed to please the readers. This is a lethal combination to have when you are a serious politician. The unfortunate play of destiny it is if you didn’t know at the time you will be one day the Foreign Secretary. The puckish dirt diggers will go to any length like the recent report in The Independent revisiting a dead story from the past to re-varnish it to give it a new shine implying Johnson can put people’s lives at risk. This is the same newspaper, which has given us the nonsense of renaming Mumbai back to Bombay! The most popular op-eds, opinion editorials, are often the ones that poke fun at political correctness.

Readers cannot have enough fun of the posturing by high moral grounds slipping on banana peels. The appeal of Boris Johnson is in his unassuming diplomatic posturing. As one of us, he will join a tug of war and gladly slip. Unassumingly, he will humbly ride a bike.

He is a good writer. In his popular column, Boris Johnson enjoys a handsome purse most op-ed writers cannot dream of, let alone be paid for it. Until now, the banana skins thrown by his journalism remained contained. It worked for him within London politics. On the world stage, it is a different context. First, he needs to borrow help from the poet Naomi Shihab Nye. Her poem, The Art of Disappearing, won’t make him Houdini, but will make up for the quick-wit skills his boss, Ms May possesses.

‘When they say Don’t I know you?

Say no When they invite you to the party remember what parties are like before answering’ Halfway to the poem, Nye also offers a wonderful suggestion: When someone recognizes you in grocery shop nod briefly and become a cabbage’ Not forgetting the cabbage in the last line above exacting the image of Mr Johnson’s hairstyle, Nye offers an amazingly simple solution of the art of camouflage by suggesting to blend with the other items in one’s

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

surroundings.

First, Boris Johnson should starve the journalists completely; no press briefings, no joint statements, no comments, no response to anything that can wait, no cameras, no limelight, and no interviews. Just work in the background. Yes, starve the vultures. It is still the aspect of democracy. Just as it is the aspect of democracy, where leftist journalists, the vultures, twist and bend the truth, not being serious about reporting issues, but creating a jamboree to brand him as a liar.

Let me offer my poet friend, Todd Swift’s lines: Truth is always under reconsideration, has a revolving door policy.’

Second, Mr Johnson should head to India and meet Mr Modi to learn how to survive against the character assassination and lies peddled for years by the blinded individuals still twisting the facts. Modi can teach him the best way to ignore the press and the act of disappearing to make use of the time for more constructive and productive work. Here are again the best lines from Nye’s poem mentioned earlier: ‘Walk around feeling like a leaf.

Know you could tumble any second.

Then decide what to do with your time.’

Theresa May isn’t stupid, though most remainers would believe she is in appointing Boris Johnson as the Foreign Secretary. A clever move allows her handing over the poison chalices to both Priti Patel and Boris Johnson. Priti Patel will need courage in winding down her department (living up to her words). As a real shift in the government policy here in which, instead of cash investment taking priority, the skills investment could take a front seat. It can make a British commitment more productive. Such investment of skills not only creates jobs but also brings back benefits to us. It also stops the abuse of Britain's monetary help. The cash, also, has mastered the art of disappearing at the hand of crooked and corrupt humans. So there you have it: The art of disappearing for Boris Johnson to practise to survive and achieve success and the art of disappearing of cash for Priti Patel to remain faithful to her baggage of winding down her department. The poisoned chalices then turn into magical potions of opportunities.

That will be the real joy of surviving. That will be the real art of disappearing.

That will be walking through the revolving door of Truth. After all, the boss, Ms May, executed the art of disappearing during the referendum campaign, only to win the biggest prize she can have.

AAA - 2016 Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Winners of this year's biggest gala awards depend on your nominations

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

15

B

ritish-Asian representation in professional fields has increased over the last few years. Now an integral part of British life, the Asian community plays an increasingly important role in shaping the country’s future. To acknowledge the hard work and contribution of British Asians – the Asian Achievers Awards (AAA), the annual starstudded event, is held attended by the top echelons of the British Asian society.

Also known as The People’s Choice Awards, AAA recognises the outstanding work of individuals from all walks of life within the Asian community and acknowledges the accomplishments of the finest in the UK's Asian community. Held annually, these awards are organised by Asian Business Publications Limited (ABPL). This year marks the 16th edition of the awards which will be held at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel in September.

There are 10 categories in all for the Asian Achievers Awards.

In the previous weeks we delved into the different categories of AAA such as: Media, Arts and Culture, Community Services, Achievements in Sports,

spent much of his career as a corporate advisor on various boards. He works with both listed and private or venture capitalbacked companies.

Last year's shortlisted candidates included A n i t a Balchandani, a partner of OC&C CENTRE OF ATTENTION: Satvir Bungar (centre), director of BDO, with Lord Dolar Popat S t r a t e g y Consultants and (left) and Dhimant Trivedi, Chief Executive, European Operations, Bank of Baroda Sector Head of the Year category.

Uniformed Services, UK Retail team alongside being a The Professional of the Year Entrepreneur, Business Person Non-Executive Director at Space award is presented for outstandand Woman of the Year, and NK, a luxury beauty business; Dr ing achievement in the Lifetime Achievement.

Farah Bhatti, a Consultant Professions and/or contribution Each year the award night Cardiothoracic Surgeon and to the community. Last year celebrates a certain aspect of the Honorary Associate Professor at Satvir Bungar, director of BDO, society, this year the emphasis Swansea University. Dr Bhatti is bagged the award. Mr Bungar has will be on the Professional of the also a member of the

PRESENTS

ASIAN ACHIEVERS

AWARDS

The people’s choice awards

Opportunities in Surgery committee at the Royal College of Surgeons of England; Professor Venugopal K Nair, the head of Research programme at the Pirbright Institute located in Surrey. His research focuses on unravelling the molecular mechanisms of cancer caused by viruses.

There are many British Asians in the UK who deserve the recognition for their contributions to their respective fields.

If you know someone who has contributed to the community, has broken the glass ceiling and deserves recognition, then nominate them online on www.asianachieversawards.com or register their details on the nomination form of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar this week. Deadline for nominations is 31 July, 2016.

I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

NOMINATION FORM

The prestigious Asian Achievers Awards is hosted every year by UK’s leading news weeklies Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar to honour British Asians par excellence. If there is someone you know who has broken boundaries and deserves recognition for their unique contribution to the community and the nation then please nominate them for one of the awards listed below.

Make sure that you fill in this application form and send it on or before 31st July, 2016 by post, fax or email to Mr. L George, Tel: 020 7749 4013, Fax 020 7749 4081, Email: aaa@abplgroup.com. If you are sending it by post the address is Mr. L George, ABPL Group, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW.

Please tick the appropriate category Uniformed and Civil Services For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services or contribution to the community through any of the above services.

Entrepreneur of the Year Awarded to an entrepreneur with a proven track record of operating a successful business enterprise.

Achievement in Community Service In recognition for an individuals service to community.

Woman of the Year The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made a significant mark in any chosen field.

Sports Personality of the Year Awarded for excellence in sports.

Professional of the Year Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

Business Person of the Year Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of the word and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture Someone who has made a mark in media including print and broadcast media; cinema, art and culture.

Lifetime Achievement Award To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have made immense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individual can be marked as an example for the younger generation.

Application Form Full Name of the Person you are Nominating: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ His/Her Contact Details (Tel & email): ___________________________________________________Occupation of the Nominee:____________________________________________ Plea s e a tta ch the Nominee s' s CV w hic h include s the f ollow ing informa tion (Please do not exceed a limit of 1000 words) (1) Personal background ( 2) Most important career achievements till date.

(3 ) Nominee's contribution to the community and nation.

(4 ) Future Plans, ambitions and visions.

( 5) Any notable obstacles in the Nominee's career that has helped him/her to reach where they are today.

Summary- (Please include a summary in not more than 150 words why the nominee is worthy of winning the particular award in a separate sheet) Your name and contact details: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your current Occupation/Company: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your contact ____________________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________________

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TV Media Partner

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MODI’S 16

SPECIAL

AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

SPECIAL Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

17

SMART DOCTRINE WILL DO INDIA A POWER OF GOOD Since India’s emergence as a BRIC country in 2001, the possibilities of scaling the heights of success have seemed endless. Beyond its emerging economic might, India has sought to utilise its vast population, military strength and cultural attractiveness to advance its interests globally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been particularly adept at manipulating and projecting India as a soft power nation. India is a land with immense soft power capabilities and has the potential to dominate not just the sub-continental region, but even reach the status of global superpower.

Marcus Parekh Soft power, to begin, is a form of influence that one government may have over another. Soft power instruments are strictly non-military, usually comprising political ideas, cultural practices, historical integrity and moral strength. A nation that projects soft power is able to gain allies by influencing the decision-making of others without using direct military aggression or coercion.

India’s current surge in soft power usage – and thus global popularity – has stemmed from Prime Minister Modi’s decision to fuse soft power with hard power in his “smart power doctrine” of foreign policy.

Modi has sought to combine India’s unprecedented military strength while preserving its image as a lovable icon. In his first term, Modi has made visits to more than 20 foreign countries.

Despite the controversial nature of these visits (many in India feel he is neglecting the needs of the domestic population in favour of becoming a global “celebrity”), his attempts to make friends across the world will help tremendously in presenting India as a global player. His attempts to leverage India’s abundance of soft power by conducting universal engagement are vital if India wishes to keep growing as a diplomatic and political force internationally.

Modi has proven himself to be particularly adept at using social media. His 17.9m Twitter followers are second only to US President Barack Obama when it comes to political leaders, while his “selfie” with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been described as the “most powerful selfie in the

world”. Being at the cutting edge of modern communications has allowed Modi to project himself as a progressive world leader and reach out to the younger generations in particular. Social media has also allowed him to demonstrate the great benefits and positives India has to offer on a daily basis, providing a constant, subtle view of India as a great soft power.

But Modi’s attempt to project India would be ineffective if India had little to offer. The fact remains that India is sitting on a gold mine of untapped soft power potential. Its culture and spirituality have connections not just on a regional basis, but a global one. The most obvious example of this is Bollywood. Second only to Hollywood in terms of global revenue, Bollywood films sold over 2.6bn tickets in cinemas in 2014, nearly double that of Hollywood.

Bollywood also produces nearly 1,000 films per year, well over double to the o u t p u t Hollywood, and more than the Chinese film industry and Hollywood combined.

Bollywood’s global popularity and reach means it has great scope for projecting a positive cultural image of India.

Another source of great soft power for India is its sport, with cricket being particularly popular. The Indian Test match and T20 international cricket teams are currently ranked 2nd in the world, while the ODI side currently sits at number 4 in world rankings. But more important than the international side is its domestic T20 league. The

IPL (Indian Premier League) has a global audience, with 335 million viewers being drawn from over 40 nations. In total, the League contributes $182m to India’s GDP annually, while the new TV deal that has been signed between the IPL and Sony Entertainment is worth over $1bn over the next 10 years. The IPL also attracts top foreign players worldwide, with the likes of Shane Watson and Kevin Pietersen choosing to compete.

Of all India's soft p o w e r exports, perhaps t h e

LEADING THE WAY: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with others

CYNOSURE OF ALL EYES: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes selfie with Indian students in France

Beyond its cultural prowess, India has even greater capabilities to influence other cultures through its vast expatriate and student communities. There are currently over 30 million Indian expats worldwide (more than the entire population of Australia) with 1.5 million living in the UK and 3 million living in Saudi Arabia. There are also over 150,000 Indian students studying abroad for higher education. Not only do these students provide a fantastic opportunity for

The Indian Premier League also attracts top foreign players worldwide, including the likes of Kevin Pietersen and others

most underrated is yoga. A practice that has grown exponentially in popularity over the past decade, yoga is a fantastic way for India to connect with all cultures on a spiritual level. Not only is yoga a practice that is extremely popular in the sub-continental region but it is also being used as a medicinal practice in most of Asia for centuries.

Western populations have begun to embrace yoga as an important part of their cultural fabric. Such is its popularity that, following lobbying by Prime Minister Modi, the UN officially declared the 21st of June as International Yoga Day. After its astonishing success in 2015, millions more took

universities (including Oxford, Harvard and Yale) while also gaining enriching cultural knowledge of their own. India is a nation that prides itself on having an exceptionally well-educated population, and so exporting its great and youthful minds gives it the global image of being an intellectually prominent society.

But perhaps the greatest tool in India’s soft power arsenal is its image as a great democratic power. Often referred to as the world’s largest democracy, India has gained m a n y

The Indian Air Force's Jaguar attack aircraft are believed to have a secondary nuclear-strike role

MILITARY MUSCLE-FLEXING: Short and medium range missiles on display during India's annual Republic Day

part in mass events globally this year. In fact, now that yoga is a highly fashionable practice, Modi has looked to capitalise on his strategy of

“yoga diplomacy” – his belief that yoga has the power to cure many global ills, including even potentially climate change.

BUILDING SPIRITUAL BRIDGES: PM Narendra Modi visits two ancient Buddhist temples in Japan – Toji and Kinkakuji – offering prayers and mingling with the common people and tourists

great allies through its history of

democracy-promotion since Independence. Known as

Korea, he called the two nations “democratic allies”.

He also spoke to a vast audience in the UAE to celebrate the two lands' “cultural links”. In an attempt to lure Japanese business to India, Modi not only referenced the spiritual connection between the two countries (through the historical links between Buddhism and Hinduism) but also referenced the openness of the Indian economy and politics, stating “there is no red tape but red carpet in India”.

While many have doubted India’s ability to project themselves beyond the local region, it has become abundantly clear over the past five years that India has the ability to become a global superpower. Modi’s media savvy

the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, India has a particularly strong relationship with the USA through its desire to be democratically peaceful. Its desire to spread democracy to the subcontinental region has made it very pop-

CAPTURING IMAGINATION: Bollywood’s global reach has great scope for projecting a positive cultural image of India

India to spread its cultural practices, they also bring back to India the added benefit of having received a more diverse skill-set and multicultural education.

These students study at many of the world’s leading

WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL SELFIE? India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking a selfie with China's Premier Li Keqiang during a visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing

ular with many great western powers. Prime Minister Modi has spent much of his 20 foreign trips discussing India’s belief in democracy and creating democratic partners. In a speech in Seoul on a trip to South

coupled with India’s democratic and cultural prowess mean Indians worldwide should feel nothing but optimism. A future of great influence and prosperity lie in wait for a nation of already great repute.

MODI’S 16

SPECIAL

AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

SPECIAL Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

17

SMART DOCTRINE WILL DO INDIA A POWER OF GOOD Since India’s emergence as a BRIC country in 2001, the possibilities of scaling the heights of success have seemed endless. Beyond its emerging economic might, India has sought to utilise its vast population, military strength and cultural attractiveness to advance its interests globally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been particularly adept at manipulating and projecting India as a soft power nation. India is a land with immense soft power capabilities and has the potential to dominate not just the sub-continental region, but even reach the status of global superpower.

Marcus Parekh Soft power, to begin, is a form of influence that one government may have over another. Soft power instruments are strictly non-military, usually comprising political ideas, cultural practices, historical integrity and moral strength. A nation that projects soft power is able to gain allies by influencing the decision-making of others without using direct military aggression or coercion.

India’s current surge in soft power usage – and thus global popularity – has stemmed from Prime Minister Modi’s decision to fuse soft power with hard power in his “smart power doctrine” of foreign policy.

Modi has sought to combine India’s unprecedented military strength while preserving its image as a lovable icon. In his first term, Modi has made visits to more than 20 foreign countries.

Despite the controversial nature of these visits (many in India feel he is neglecting the needs of the domestic population in favour of becoming a global “celebrity”), his attempts to make friends across the world will help tremendously in presenting India as a global player. His attempts to leverage India’s abundance of soft power by conducting universal engagement are vital if India wishes to keep growing as a diplomatic and political force internationally.

Modi has proven himself to be particularly adept at using social media. His 17.9m Twitter followers are second only to US President Barack Obama when it comes to political leaders, while his “selfie” with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been described as the “most powerful selfie in the

world”. Being at the cutting edge of modern communications has allowed Modi to project himself as a progressive world leader and reach out to the younger generations in particular. Social media has also allowed him to demonstrate the great benefits and positives India has to offer on a daily basis, providing a constant, subtle view of India as a great soft power.

But Modi’s attempt to project India would be ineffective if India had little to offer. The fact remains that India is sitting on a gold mine of untapped soft power potential. Its culture and spirituality have connections not just on a regional basis, but a global one. The most obvious example of this is Bollywood. Second only to Hollywood in terms of global revenue, Bollywood films sold over 2.6bn tickets in cinemas in 2014, nearly double that of Hollywood.

Bollywood also produces nearly 1,000 films per year, well over double to the o u t p u t Hollywood, and more than the Chinese film industry and Hollywood combined.

Bollywood’s global popularity and reach means it has great scope for projecting a positive cultural image of India.

Another source of great soft power for India is its sport, with cricket being particularly popular. The Indian Test match and T20 international cricket teams are currently ranked 2nd in the world, while the ODI side currently sits at number 4 in world rankings. But more important than the international side is its domestic T20 league. The

IPL (Indian Premier League) has a global audience, with 335 million viewers being drawn from over 40 nations. In total, the League contributes $182m to India’s GDP annually, while the new TV deal that has been signed between the IPL and Sony Entertainment is worth over $1bn over the next 10 years. The IPL also attracts top foreign players worldwide, with the likes of Shane Watson and Kevin Pietersen choosing to compete.

Of all India's soft p o w e r exports, perhaps t h e

LEADING THE WAY: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with others

CYNOSURE OF ALL EYES: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes selfie with Indian students in France

Beyond its cultural prowess, India has even greater capabilities to influence other cultures through its vast expatriate and student communities. There are currently over 30 million Indian expats worldwide (more than the entire population of Australia) with 1.5 million living in the UK and 3 million living in Saudi Arabia. There are also over 150,000 Indian students studying abroad for higher education. Not only do these students provide a fantastic opportunity for

The Indian Premier League also attracts top foreign players worldwide, including the likes of Kevin Pietersen and others

most underrated is yoga. A practice that has grown exponentially in popularity over the past decade, yoga is a fantastic way for India to connect with all cultures on a spiritual level. Not only is yoga a practice that is extremely popular in the sub-continental region but it is also being used as a medicinal practice in most of Asia for centuries.

Western populations have begun to embrace yoga as an important part of their cultural fabric. Such is its popularity that, following lobbying by Prime Minister Modi, the UN officially declared the 21st of June as International Yoga Day. After its astonishing success in 2015, millions more took

universities (including Oxford, Harvard and Yale) while also gaining enriching cultural knowledge of their own. India is a nation that prides itself on having an exceptionally well-educated population, and so exporting its great and youthful minds gives it the global image of being an intellectually prominent society.

But perhaps the greatest tool in India’s soft power arsenal is its image as a great democratic power. Often referred to as the world’s largest democracy, India has gained m a n y

The Indian Air Force's Jaguar attack aircraft are believed to have a secondary nuclear-strike role

MILITARY MUSCLE-FLEXING: Short and medium range missiles on display during India's annual Republic Day

part in mass events globally this year. In fact, now that yoga is a highly fashionable practice, Modi has looked to capitalise on his strategy of

“yoga diplomacy” – his belief that yoga has the power to cure many global ills, including even potentially climate change.

BUILDING SPIRITUAL BRIDGES: PM Narendra Modi visits two ancient Buddhist temples in Japan – Toji and Kinkakuji – offering prayers and mingling with the common people and tourists

great allies through its history of

democracy-promotion since Independence. Known as

Korea, he called the two nations “democratic allies”.

He also spoke to a vast audience in the UAE to celebrate the two lands' “cultural links”. In an attempt to lure Japanese business to India, Modi not only referenced the spiritual connection between the two countries (through the historical links between Buddhism and Hinduism) but also referenced the openness of the Indian economy and politics, stating “there is no red tape but red carpet in India”.

While many have doubted India’s ability to project themselves beyond the local region, it has become abundantly clear over the past five years that India has the ability to become a global superpower. Modi’s media savvy

the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, India has a particularly strong relationship with the USA through its desire to be democratically peaceful. Its desire to spread democracy to the subcontinental region has made it very pop-

CAPTURING IMAGINATION: Bollywood’s global reach has great scope for projecting a positive cultural image of India

India to spread its cultural practices, they also bring back to India the added benefit of having received a more diverse skill-set and multicultural education.

These students study at many of the world’s leading

WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL SELFIE? India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking a selfie with China's Premier Li Keqiang during a visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing

ular with many great western powers. Prime Minister Modi has spent much of his 20 foreign trips discussing India’s belief in democracy and creating democratic partners. In a speech in Seoul on a trip to South

coupled with India’s democratic and cultural prowess mean Indians worldwide should feel nothing but optimism. A future of great influence and prosperity lie in wait for a nation of already great repute.

18

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.asian-voice.com

UK and India look to a prosperous post-Brexit future AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Paul Scully MP for Sutton & Cheam, brought together UK Parliamentarians and Indian business leaders for a round table discussion in Parliament last week to look into the opportunities that may arise following Brexit.

Following productive trade talks at the highest level over the last year including post-referendum, Mr Scully was keen to continue and build on the positive relationship between the two countries that already enjoy considerable bilateral trade and investment. He said; “India was the natural place to start a series of events to discuss improving trade relations between the UK and its many global partners in the aftermath of the UK voting to leave the EU. I hope that this will show the Indian business com-

WHSmith to refund VAT WHSmith Travel will refund the VAT component charged on all purchases made by non-EU bound customers in its airport branches. The company has been keeping the saving for itself all this while.

However, discounts will not apply to items such as books and newspapers, which are not subject to VAT, or to items costing less than £6. Airport shops are required to collect 20% VAT on purchases made by travellers flying within the European Union and pass it on to HMRC. But no tax is payable for those flying beyond the EU. The refund system has already started from July 20 whereby non-EU travellers can buy their goods VATfree when shopping airside.

Paul Scully MP, A S Rajan and Lakshmi Kaul with other guests

munity that MPs are serious about making Brexit work for everyone as well as demonstrating to MPs that despite the current uncertainty, successful trading between the two countries will develop

regardless.

We explored how to broaden and deepen the bilateral relationship between the UK and India.

The primary feeling at the meeting was one of great optimism and opportunity.

We looked at particular sectors which could benefit from strengthening and broadening our already close and historic ties.

These included IT, travel and tourism, luxury goods, aviation and financial serv-

Corporate Consultant and representatives from offices of Bob Blackman MP and Andrew Rosindell MP. The group resolved to build an informed view among parliamentarians of business opportunities; feed into discussions between India and the new Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox MP; look at visa rules to enable easier business travel and work with UK countries to make it easier to export, thus increasing the mere 12% of UK companies that currently have any trade outside the UK. A series of events will follow with a focus on trade relationships between the UK and various other countries and groups including the Middle East, Commonwealth and ASEAN countries.

G20 countries urged to spend Data likely to show strong UK economy more for growth International Monetary Fund has warned of growing risks to the global economy, calling on some G20 nations to boost government spending. Central bank chiefs and finance ministers from the world's top 20 economies gathered in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu to tackle a slowing global economy facing new uncertainties after the Brexit vote.

"Global growth remains weak, and downside risks have become more salient," the IMF said in a report released before the meet. "Growth could be even lower if the current increases in economic and political uncertainty in the wake of the Brexit vote continue." In an update to its April forecast, the IMF lowered its forecasts for global growth this year, and next by 0.1 per cent, to 3.1 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively.

Britain's new finance

IMF Chief: Christine Lagarde

minister Philip Hammond is among those attending to deliver a message saying his country is still "open for business", said a statement from the British treasury.

The IMF wants advanced economies like Germany and the United States to channel more public spending into infrastructure investment to help boost global growth, an issue that has sparked divisions among G20 members. "Reforms that facilitate the scaling up of infrastructure investment would help raise produc-

tive capacity, boost shortterm demand directly, and catalyse private investment," it read.

Another official said other challenges included the 'Three Ts' – Terrorism, Turkey, and Trump.

Turkey's deputy prime minister Mehmet Simsek sought to reassure other countries.

"Despite what has happened a week ago in Turkey... we will continue to strongly adhere to democratic principles and apply rule of law, and not much really has changed," he said. At an earlier G20 meeting in February, this year, finance ministers vowed to use "all policy tools", monetary, fiscal, and structural, to support economic growth. "The G20 process has given us greater ability to focus globally on how to use the different tools at our disposal to promote growth," US Treasure secretary Jacob Lew told the tax seminar.

India avoided adverse Brexit effect: Jaitley Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India has avoided any adverse impact of Brexit and emerged as a safe haven for investors around the world. Addressing the Lok Sabha, he said the government, the Reserve Bank and market regulator Sebi were keeping an eye on the global developments with a view to protecting interest of investors.

"The government has assessed the impact of Brexit on the Indian economy. Thus far, India has not only avoided adverse impacts, but it has in fact emerged as a safe haven for investors around the world," said Jaitley. He

ices. Exporting brands that can appeal to the burgeoning middle classes in India, a country that is home to one quarter of the world’s under-25 year olds is an exciting prospect as well as looking at Indian brands that are unknown as yet here in the UK.” The round table saw the participation of Minister of Coordination from the High Commission of India, Mr. A S Rajan, parliamentarians including Steve Barclay, Flick Drummond, Alan Mak, Heather Wheeler, Mark Pawsey, Matthew Offord, Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, representatives from the business community like Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Chairman Skylord Group, Mr. Jaffer Kapasi OBE FFA, Director of East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, Mr Datuk SK Lingham, International

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Arun Jaitley

added that the rupee depreciated against the US dollar by around 1 per cent for one day post-Brexit referendum while currencies of other emerging markets depreciated for many days.

"By virtue of its domestic policies, India is seen as a haven of stability and

opportunity in these turbulent times," he said.

India's good exports to the UK and the EU have been around 3 per cent and 17 per cent of our total exports, respectively. India also exports somewhere around $10 billion in software to both the UK and

EU. Jaitley said the potential effect on India's growth could be offset by the weaker price of oil, which will help maintain macro-stability, and by the likelihood of more policy support in the advanced economies.

"The impact of Brexit on trade, if any, in the medium term, would also depend on bilateral trade negotiations that will determine India's future market access to these countries," the FM said.

"Sebi has laid down various regulations, and guidelines for protecting investors' interest and ensuring orderly functioning of the stock market."

The UK economy is expected to grow stronger, with official data anticipated this week. After a series of stronger than expected statistics, economists and analysts expect the pace of growth to have increased to 0.5 per cent in the second quarter of the year.

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research, which has predicted growth of 0.6 per cent in the second quarter, said the quarterly figure masked important differences between months.

Research fellow at Niesr, Jack Meaning said their monthly estimates suggested there was a large expansion in gross domestic product in April, but stagnation in May. "The estimate for June is one of an intensifying contraction across the board, but this is not enough to offset the very strong April num-

bers," he said. An accountancy firm EY reported that profit warnings by UK listed companies have hit their highest level in any second quarter since 2008.

Head of the company's UK restructuring, Alan Hudson said, "Many UK companies still face sluggish, disrupted and competitive markets, with Brexit adding further layers of challenge, but also opportunity."

Adam Marshall, acting director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said he wanted to wait and see what the official statistics say in the autumn. "I was with a company in Northern Ireland which said business was booming. Other companies are changing their hiring strategies. But let's not talk down the economy on the basis of early data."

India looking to overhaul corporate probes Ministry of Corporate Affairs is looking forward to rework the investigation mechanism for companies, including a shift to a committee-driven approach, to deal with allegations of officers arm-twisting companies, promoters or indulging in corruption.

Following the arrest of BK Bansal, director general, on alleged corruption charges, the changes are being discussed in the ministry.

"There is a need to rework the system... we are discussing various options," a source said. A committeeled approach is expected to reduce discretion in interpretation of provisions of the Companies Act and also help protect officers from charges. The ministry cur-

rently orders probe against companies or their directors based on complaints that it receives. The number of cases has increased in the past few months after a brief period when the ministry was going slow on probes, which was attributed to slackness in the system.

However, sources pointed out that in the coming months there was an increase in number of cases being referred to SFIO, something that was flagged at the highest level in the government. Even in case of Bansal, who was dealing with a case of a pharma company, CBI has accused him of trying to prevent the case being referred to SFIO.

REAL ESTATEVOICE Asian Voice |30th July 2016

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SLAM DUNK THE DEAL AsianVoiceNews

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19

We are Experts At What We Do. Your Search For Sound Advice Ends Here.

A contract has just come in this morning, on a property agreed a week ago. The price has jumped up by 5%, since we agreed the deal. The reason for this is that there are two other people who are ready to jump on this deal at £1m. That’s what the agent told me, anyhow. I wouldn’t be surprised though considering the nature of this deal.

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap: A Property Investment Company

An extra £50k, though it’s hurtful doesn't kill the deal; the pounds per sq. ft. has increased by £50, which means we’re buying in at £1,218 per sq. ft.

The nearest comparable we’re comparing against is at £1,768 per sq. ft., so this is a £550 difference in price, which equates to a 30% discount.

Ok, this is post Brexit, I hear you say. Yes, it is post Brexit, but this still does not account for this level of discount given the location which is in the primest shopping district of Central London.

Furthermore this deal is being purchased not as a flip but a long term hold.

The reason being is due to the excellent location we are confident of short letting this property. This means instead of the usual 3-4% yield on this deal we are looking at a yield of 89%.

This means whether the prices go up or down, holding the deal makes sense as you have a strong monthly cash flow. On the assumption of the short let model and assuming a

This is particularly an issue where the properties are sublet in order to satisfy low income tenants.

One particular instance of this was when I was asked to source a tenant for a property on a tenant find

service, not a fully managed service. The tenant we found was referenced and passed the referencing stage and therefore secured the tenancy.

Sometime later I was informed there were 12 people living in the property and the original tenant never moved in.

This resulted in damages of £5,000, and eviction costs as well as a void period.

This situation could have been avoided with regular inspection, under a managed service.

BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY

Bayswater, London, W2 Purchase Price: £485k

I have only seen numbers like this pre credit crunch, when the government had vast amounts of money to

spend on housing benefit.

Unfortunately for investors they capped this, and yields were reduced for such properties, bringing them closer to private rental yields.

Central London is more known for capital growth rather than high yields, and this is what makes this opportunity a rare deal.

The contracts are with us.

If you are interested in this deal call our office now.

Written By: Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap Property Expert

CROWDFUNDING

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY Over the next few weeks we will be looking at rental issues, which come up in the process of investing in property. In the first article of this series we will be looking at the serious issue of subletting, which may mean short term gain but might mean long term damage to the property.

deposit of £400k, and a reasonable mortgage interest rate (and associated mortgage terms), you would be looking at a net income of around £55k per annum.

This third party not only caused damages but made around £28,680 in profit!

The landlord in this situation was only charging £15,000.

Multi lettings can be both profitable and safe if managed in the right manner.

Call me, Richard Bond, Lettings Manager at Sow & Reap to find out how we can help.

Crowdfunding is one of the latest method for raising funds by asking a large number of people each for a small amount of money. Until recently, doing large property transactions involved asking a few people for large sums of money.

With crowdfunding this gets changed, you just use the internet to communicate with thousands of potential investors. Through crowdfunding, investors can pool money together and buy shares of properties, rather than buying the entire property and dealing with the hassle of works, mortgages

l

A lovely one bedroom flat within a period conversion l Long lease l Porter l Lift l Close to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens l Excellent buy and hold opportunity Call us now to reserve!

and tenants, but still end up with usual property returns. By investing through crowdfunding investors also reduce the burden of high interest rates of development mortgages.

One of the benefits of crowdfunding is insider access to private transactions that were historically limited to the extent of one’s personal network. Another benefit is the transparency it brings with it.

The moment a new deal becomes available, investors have the chance

to look over the finer details before committing to a final investment decision. Investors also have the flexibility to choose the amount they wish to invest compared to the large sums that they would had tied up for individual property deals.

This flexibility would help them to diversify their property investment portfolio not just in multiple properties but also by using different crowdfunding platforms.

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FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

SC issues notice to Mallya on plea of banks

Vijay Mallya

India's Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that businessman Vijay Mallya has not disclosed his full assets, including $45 million received by him from a British firm.

"This gentleman has not complied fully with the orders of the court and he has not disclosed all the details about his assets.

He has also not disclosed the amount of $ 45 million received by him from Diageo," Rohatgi said to a bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and RF Nariman.

He said a lot of information had also been concealed, including a cash transaction to the tune of £250 million, which amounted to contempt of court. After taking the submissions made by the Attorney General into account, the court issued a notice to Mallya, asking

him to respond within four weeks on the plea of consortium of banks led by State Bank of India seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against him.

The SC had sought details of assets from Mallya in a sealed cover, earlier and just recently, the consortium of banks had alleged that Mallya was not cooperating in the investigation of cases against him and was averse to disclosing assets.

The Attorney General had in the past, said that beleaguered businessman has not agreed to deposit "substantial amount" as part of £940 million loan due on him to establish his bonafide.

Mallya had said the banks had no right over information regarding his overseas movable and immovable assets as he was an NRI since 1988.

RBI slaps penalty on UCO Bank, Allahabad Bank, Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of £200,000 each, on Allahabad Bank and UCO Bank, along with a £100,000 penalty on Bank of India, over violation of anti-money laundering norms.

UCO Bank, in a BSE filing said the RBI has "imposed a penalty" of £200,000 on the Bank on account of "few lapses in adherence to KYC/AML guidelines." BOI also said the regulator has "imposed an aggregate penalty" of £100,000 on it for certain violations" of the requirements under Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering.

Also receiving similar penalties were the HDFC Bank and the Punjab National Bank.

In a regulatory filing, the private lender said, "Further to the media reports in October 2015 about irregularities in advance import remittances in various banks,

the RBI had conducted a scrutiny of the transactions carried out by HDFC Bank." It added, "After considering the bank's submissions, the RBI has imposed a penalty of £200,000 on the bank on account of pendency in receipt of bills of entry relating to advance import remittances made on lapses in adhering to KYC/AML guidelines in this respect."

Bank of Baroda said, "The RBI has imposed a penalty of £500,000 on Bank of Baroda. Pursuant to the internal audit of the Bank of Baroda, the RBI and investigative agencies in October 2015 were advised by the bank of certain irregularities observed."

The primary bank carried out investigation and noted the deficiences which reflected the weaknesses and failures in internal control mechanisms in respect of certain AML provisions.

www.asian-voice.com

Green demands 'immediate apology' whilst BHS staff left devastated AsianVoiceNews

Former BHS owner Sir Philip Green has demanded an "immediate apology" from MP Frank Field for comments he made about his running of the collapsed retailer. Speaking to the BBC, the co-chair of an inquiry into BHS compared Sir Philip unfavourably to late media magnate Robert Maxwell, who took millions from the Mirror Group's pension funds.

"This statement is highly defamatory and completely false," said law firm Schillings, representing Sir Philip. Mr Field said he would not apologise. He told BBC business editor Simon Jack that Sir Philip's conduct was "displacement therapy". "Instead of writing a big cheque he is firing

Sir Philip Green

off lawyers' letters. He needs to stop messing around and write a big cheque".

The development came after a damning MPs' report, published on Monday, concluded Sir Philip, the billionaire former owner of BHS, extracted large sums and left the business on "life support".

The report, from the Business, Innovation and Skills and Work and Pensions committees and co-chaired by Mr Field, did not suggest that Sir Phillip had done anything illegal but said his failure to resolve BHS's £571m pension deficit was a major factor in the firm's demise.

The pension scheme is now in the Pension Protection Fund, meaning that its 20,000 members will receive less money than they had expected.

Speaking on behalf of BHS staff, Dave Gill, Usdaw National Officer says: “Monday’s announcement is the final hammer blow to BHS staff, who have been worried about their future for over a year since the company was sold for £1

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

and more recently put in the hands of the administrators. Following the news that all remaining BHS stores will be closed by 20 August, Usdaw calls on the administrators to redouble their efforts in finding a buyer for the remaining stores and to secure as many jobs as possible.

“We also call on Sir Philip Green to honour the two promises he made to BHS staff as soon as possible after the company went into administration.

Firstly, to offer employment within the Arcadia Group to the blameless, dedicated and loyal staff who suddenly find themselves unemployed.

Secondly, to ‘sort’ the pension scheme and we await details of what he proposes.

Two Indian American- Tata seeks a way out of European steel woes led firms make it to Fortune 500 list

Satya Nadella

Indra Nooyi

Two Indian American-led firms have found themselves listed in Fortune 500's List of the World's Biggest Corporations in terms of revenue.

Microsoft Corporation, led

by CEO Satya Nadella is ranked 63rd with $93.5 billion and PepsiCo, led by CEO Indra Nooyi, is placed at 127th with $63 billion.

Also on the list are seven Indian companies and one head quartered in Luxembourg led by an Indian. Walmart finds itself on the top of the lot.

Also in place are Arcellor Mittal, at 123rd position with a revenue of $63.5 billion, Indian Oil Corp at 161st and Rajesh Exports at 423.

Among state-run majors, Indian Oil is followed by the State Bank of

India, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum.

Indian Oil is ranked 161st with revenue of $54.7 billion (down from 119th last year), while Reliance Industries Limited is now at 215th (down from 158th).

Bharat Petroleum slipped from 280th to 358th this year and Hindustan Petroleum is at 367th, down from 327th.

However, Tata Motors and SBI have improved their position.

The world’s 500 largest companies generated $27.6 trillion in revenues and $1.5 trillion in profits in 2015, Fortune said. It added that together, this year’s Fortune Global 500 companies employ 67 million people worldwide and are represented by 33 countries.

German company ThyssenKrup has confirmed that it is in talks with Tata Steel's UK branch, over a potential tie-up, giving the strongest indication that the German company would help bring a wave of relief to the European steel sector that lies on the verge of ruins.

A spokeswoman for ThyssenKrupp said, "We have repeatedly emphasised that in this situation, we believe a consolidation of the European steel industry is necessary." "Among others, we are also in talks with Tata Steel." She said it was still unclear "when and with whom" such a merger could transpire. Tata had earlier this month, announced that it was in talks with ThyssenKrupp about creating a European flat-steelproducts joint venture, prompting the German company's confirmation last week.

A joint venture with Tata will help the German conglomerate to focus on its more profitable and stable capital goods business, which makes elevators, escalators, and supplies components to various industries, including those making cars and wind tur-

bines. Analysts at Deutsche Bank said, "We believe such a deal would be beneficial in principle for both players.

Nevertheless, a tie-up including the UK assets could make this much higher risk transaction" for ThyssenKrup. "The idea that anybody would willingly take on a difficult business, and one with a big pensions scheme, just doesn't make any sense," said John Ralfe, a pensions consultant.

"ThyssenKrupp would be bonkers." The Indian company said it was losing $1.3 million a day in Britain amid high costs and a glut of cheap Chinese steel on the global market. Tata's UK assets include a steel plant in Port Talbot, Wales, that employs 4,000 people.

The British government said it was willing to take a 25 per cent stake in any rescue of Tata in a bid to save steel jobs.

Group Executive Director Koushik Chatterjee said that "the inclusion of the U.K. business in the potential joint venture would depend on several issues including ... support from the governments of the U.K. and Wales."

JLR in talks for building battery factory for future electric vehicles Jaguar Land Rover is currently holding talks with Ford and BMW to establish a battery factory for future electric vehicles. The British company is seemingly keen to collaborate and build a plant with the capacity to power several hundred thousand vehicles.

Tesla currently dominates the electric vehicle market, which makes the other three businesses bor-

derline desperate to make the most of the growing demand. Indian company Tata-owned JLR does not

have an electric vehicle and does not build its own EV batteries.

Meanwhile, Ford's batteries for the Focus Electric are produced in collaboration with a subsidiary of LG, and BMW gets its batteries from Samsung.

A joint venture will benefit all three manufacturers. Jaguar is said to be developing its first all-electric car, based

on the F-Pace, Ford has also courted speculation that it will produce an electric model after it blocked Tesla's attempt to use the 'Model E' moniker, and, an all-electric BMW i8 is also in the pipeline but will not come to fruition before the current model's imminent mid-life refresh.

Spokespersons of none of the companies were able to give information on the project.

CURRENCYVOICE

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Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

IMF slash UK growth next year Currency Specialists.

The Bank of England’s Martin Weale signalled that he is not yet ready to vote for an interest rate cut in what will be his final meeting as a member of the Monetary Policy Committee. Weale said there had been no indication that consumers or businesses were “panic-struck” in the aftermath of the Referendum.

However, this contrasts with most of the other MPC members who expect a rate cut in August. Also, Chief Economist Andy Haldane on Friday called for a stimulus package including a rate cut. With Prime Minister Theresa May indicating that she plans to wait until 2017 before triggering the formal EU exit procedure, companies’ investment decisions could be delayed for some time, and consumer confidence may be affected. Markets have yet to see any major data reflecting the state of the economy since the Brexit vote. The U.K.’s statistics office says that inflation figures due on Aug. 16th will be the first to show how the country is faring since the referendum. The U.K. is also running a large current account deficit, equivalent to 5.4% of gross domestic product, compared to a surplus across the EU. This is amongst the highest in the developed world, and investors are worried that Britain will face a recession in coming quarters and will find it increasingly hard to finance its deficit. The

21

Foreign Exchange

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Pound fell against a host of its major counterparts after the International Monetary Fund slashed its forecast for UK growth next year after warning that the decision to leave the EU has damaged the British economy’s short-term prospects and “thrown a spanner in the works” of the global recovery.

Next year, the IMF believes that the UK will experience similar growth rates to Germany – the Eurozone economy most affected by the Brexit-induced slowdown – and France. The update to the World Economic Outlook said there was a risk that the impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU could prove to be worse than expected. Sterling rose against the euro and a broadly stronger dollar on Wednesday after a Bank of England survey showed no clear evidence of a slowing of economic activity after last month's Brexit vote. Again as with Tuesday’s inflation figure, the pound edged higher off the back of the positive data, however any gains that were made were very much short lived as the pound quickly retraced back down as investors are selling of any gains in sterling in the expectation that sooner or later the economy will slow substantially. Many analysts now believe that the UK economy is shrinking, following Friday’s release of the broadest survey of business

activity and confidence since last month's Referendum. The preliminary, Markit survey of purchasing managers, executives who make spending decisions at 1,250 big firms fell by the most in its 20-year history. It was consistent with an economy contracting 0.4 percent in the third quarter, contrasting with an actual reading of plus 0.4 percent in the first quarter. The Bank of England has been clear that easing monetary policy before the end of 2016 may be necessary. The Markit PMIs, which give an early indication of how gross domestic product is likely to perform, suggest the 1.8 trillion pound UK economy is shrinking faster than at any time since the aftermath of the global financial crisis. It showed the services sector - one of the few British growth drivers - has been hit especially hard by Brexit, with orders plunging and confidence crumbling. The slump is the strongest evidence yet that the vote to move out of Europe is dragging the world’s fifth largest economy into recession.

In the Futures market, the odds of the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates by December more than doubled last week to 44%.

This comes after U.S. economic reports including retail sales and industrial production signaled improving growth. These odds are

up from 15% after the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union. U.S. policy makers next meet on July 26 and 27. The dollar rose to a fourmonth high against a basket of major currencies on Tuesday after the release of data showing U.S. housing starts rose more than expected in June, underpinning a theme of strength in the U.S. economy. Groundbreaking on U.S. homes surged 4.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.19 million units, the Commerce Department said.

The dollar rose on Wednesday, hitting its highest level in four months against a basket of currencies, as expectations rose that the Federal Reserve would tighten monetary policy. Fed funds futures rates show investors see a greater than 50 percent chance the Fed will raise interest rates at least once by its December meeting.

Market participants are not expecting any change in the ECB’s current monetary policy stance at their meeting on Thursday.

However, investors are expecting the ECB President Mario Draghi to comment on the possibility of further monetary easing at its September meeting. The assessment of Eurozone economic sentiment fell to minus 14.7, down from 20.2 in June. This month’s reading was the biggest monthly drop ever.

We e k ly Currencies

As of Tuesday 26th July 2016 @ 2.10pm

GBP - INR = 88.32

USD - INR = 67.34

EUR - INR = 73.96 GBP - USD = 1.31 GBP - EUR = 1.19

EUR - USD = 1.09 GBP - AED = 4.81

GBP - CAD = 1.73

GBP - NZD = 1.85

GBP - AUD = 1.74

GBP - ZAR = 18.91

GBP - HUF = 373.77

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

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Search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 people suspended

In Brief

AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

BANGKOK: It has been a little over two years since Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in thin air, taking 239 lives with it.

While countries from different corners pitched together to, launching search operations in the vast ocean, last week's announcement said the search for the jetliner will be suspended, in effect, called off, making it a cold case.

The Boeing 777-200ER vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Investigating officials believed it turned back west and then south, before dropping into the Indian Ocean west of Australia, where most of the

search was carried out.

While the Malaysian government concluded that it was steered off course deliberately, the incident gave birth to several conspiracy theories, including one that said the jet was abducted by aliens.

Businessman from Kuala Lumpur, Tony Wong said, "I am not surprised it's coming to an end without any answers. People are slowly forgetting the incident. No

one will ever know the truth." Over in China, relatives of passengers roundly denounced the decision.

They still don't seem ready to think about the finality of it all. Mother of one of the Flight 370 passengers, Hu Xiulan said, "They are actually just playing with words.

Suspension means termination to us. We strongly demand a re-investigation into how the plane went

Saudi executions in 2016

missing, and there is no excuse for the suspension of the search."

Decision to suspend the search that endured through damaged equipment and punishing weather, was made jointly by Malaysia, Australia, and China. They had together, pitched in a total of $135 million, searching a 46,300 square mile area. While the governments involved did not explicitly say they were ending the search, the likely of them to continue unless specific new evidence is found, is very low. Officials said the search in its current incarnation will not end immediately, it could last into the winter months.

Imran Khan accused of endorsing army rule in Pak ISLAMABAD: Cricketerturned-politician Imran Khan has set the cat among the pigeons when he said Pakistanis would “celebrate and distribute sweets” if the military took over Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, unlike in Turkey.

The 63-year-old former Test captain, who also leads an opposition party in Pakistan called Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI), compared Sharif’s situation to that of Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan who faced an

attempted coup recently and argued that people would not back the government in Pakistan the same way.

Referring to the situation in Turkey, the former Test all-rounder addressing a political demonstration at Islam Garh in Pakistan occupied-Kashmir ahead of elections in the region on July 21 reportedly said: “People will celebrate a military takeover in Pakistan.

The democracy here is threatened by Nawaz Sharif’s monarchy, not mili-

tary. Erdogan served his people, paid off their country’s debts, and constructed hospitals. That is why people supported him against the military. We demand Nawaz to let us know where he got the money from to have offshore assets, but he does not answer us.”

According to the Daily Telegraph, government minister Khawaja Saad Rafique described the remarks as “shameful” and a “conspiracy against national cohesion and solidarity”. He added:

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

“It shows his ill wishes against democracy.”

It comes just days after posters came up all over the country, including the capital Islamabad, bearing images of Pakistan’s military chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, next to the words “For God’s sake, take over!” It is highly unlikely that the military has anything to do with the posters, but anybody calling for a coup can be prosecuted with treason charges under Pakistan’s Constitution.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior announced that an execution was carried out in Riyadh on July 22 bringing the total number of executions so far in 2016 to 100, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The number is more than by the same point in 2015, which was a record year with 158 sentences carried out. Fahad Abdulhadi al-Dusari was found guilty of shooting dead fellow Saudi Mubarak bin Mohammed al-Dusari following a dispute. He was executed in Riyadh province, the agency said. The ultra-conservative kingdom is the most prolific user of the death penalty after Iran and Pakistan, and beheads prisoners publicly.

Teens losing sleep over money worries

LONDON: A study published in journal Sleep Health has found teenagers are increasingly losing sleep over money worries, with fears about the climate change and war declining. The 28-year-old study found that in the 1980s, when the youth were asked what issues kept them awake at night, climate change and the threat of global conflict caused the most worry. But recent recessions have made their worries more prosaic, with youngsters more and more nervous about financial insecurity rather than the end of the world.

Indian American gets 55 years for strangling wife

SOMERVILLE, N.J. : Timma Kalidindi, a 50 year old Indian American who was found guilty of firstdegree murder in the 2013 strangulation of his estranged wife, must serve 85 per cent of his sentence without parole eligibility. Sentenced to 55 years in prison, Kalidindi has 944 days of credit for time already served in jail. Kalidindi and wife Janaki Dantuluru had been married for 22 years, and were separated at the time of her murder. His attorney James Wronko argued for a lesser sentence citing diminished capacity because of a mental illness brought on by stress. The judge however, called the crime "heinous, cruel, and depraved".

Grand Opening of Jalaram Community Centre Bapa's Gateway to Leicester

Shree Jalaram Charitable Trust, Leicester, celebrated the grand opening of the new Jalaram Community Centre – ‘Bapa’s Gateway to Leicester’ on Sunday 10 July 2016.

The Centre was officially inaugurated by the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby and Assistant Mayor, Councillor Manjula Sood in the presence of Liz Kendall MP, the High Sheriff Surinder Sharma, leading Cardiologist and Director of the British Heart Foundation Sir Nilesh Samani, local councillors, donors and members of Jalaram Satsang Mandal.

Earlier, Motiben Mashru, who celebrated her 100th Birthday welcomed and blessed the City Mayor with a garland. In

return Sir Peter adorned Mrs Mashru with a shawl.

All dignitaries partook in the Aarti and were presented with shawls.

Welcoming Sir Peter and the distinguished guests, Pramodbhai Thakkar, Chairman of Jalaram Mandir, said that “the new Centre will provide a place for people from all faiths to come together, learn and contribute to enhancing Leicester’s multicultural success”. He added, “Our City has recently seen many successes and the iconic ‘Bapa’s Gateway to Leicester’ adds one more”.

The City Mayor commended the Trustees of Jalaram Mandir on the magnificent achievement.

“Bapa’s Gateway to Leicester is another example of

Motiben Mashru blesses Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby as Meeraben Thakkar Ruparelia and Pramodbhai Thakkar look on

the contribution by Jalaram Mandir in the inclusiveness of the youth which will promote the rich cultural heritage of Leicester”. Sir Peter said he was “humbled to have been blessed by the 100 – year old Motiben”. Launching a

L to R: Jashuben Thakkar, Prakashbhai Raichura, Rajubhai Raichura, Meeraben Thakkar -Ruparelia, Kalaben Raichura, Pramodbhai Thakkar, Ajaybhai Pau, Rameshbhai Morzaria, Atulbhai Bathia, Nitaben Bathia, Ketanbhai Kotecha and Prafullaben Pattani

Commemorative Souvenir and Guide Book, he added that “this will provide devotees, school children and visitors alike with an insight into the history of Jalaram Mandir and an overview of Hinduism”.

Trustees Bhadrashilb-

Sudhirbhai Thakkar, Prakashbhai Thakkar, Rahkesh Thakkar, Meeraben Thakkar- Ruperlia & Pramodbhai Thakkar

hai Trivedi, Jayantibhai Chandarana Ketanbhai Kotecha and Nareshbhai Popat presented Sir Peter Soulsby and Councillor Sood with a cheque towards the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

Mrs Motiben Mashru and Shardaben Joshi then led the congregation into the new Centre followed by unveiling of donor plaques

by Late Shantilal Thakkar Family, Kalaben Raichura and Family and Nareshbhai Popat and Family.

The Assistant City Mayor, Cllr. Manjula Sood, said she was delighted to present long-standing members with shawls and certificates for their voluntary support to Jalaram Mandir.

Sir Nilesh Samani, addressed the congregation

congratulating the Trust on their achievements and the service they provide to the community.

Sailesh Raja accompanied by his young sons kept more than 700 devotees attending the event immersed in bhajans and all guests were gifted with the commemorative souvenir and Guide Book following Lunch.

Matthew Eld and Stephen Clarke of Leicestershire Police praised the organisers and extended their support for future events saying “It was an absolute honour to be part of the ceremony. The atmosphere was fantastic and the sense of community was brilliant! On a personal level it was the best experience we have had in the 8 year service”.

Beenaben Viresh Popat, Nareshbhai Popat, and Neil Popat and family

WORLD Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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'Prachanda' all set to be next Nepal PM In Brief AsianVoiceNews

KATHMANDU: CPN Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is all set to make a comeback as Nepalese Prime Minister after KP Sharma Oli stepped down from the seat. Constitutional provisions dictate President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will call upon the Parliament to install a consensus-based government within seven days.

The country's single largest party, Nepali Congress has already extended its support for Prachanda and signed an agreement that the former Maoist leader will lead the government for the first

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Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'

months.

While Oli tried hard to get Bhandari to declare he could continue as caretaker Prime

Minister, the efforts were in vain as the no-trust motion in the 598-member Constituent Assembly was backed by 183 NC parliamentarians, 70 from CPN-MC, and three from CPN-United. Bringing an end to the 287-day rule of his government, Oli said, "I have decided to open the road to elect a new prime minister in this parliament and presented my resignation to the president." His government had always exerted an antiIndia sentiment.

While Prachanda's government will have to work towards improving India-

Nepal relations, New Delhi will most certainly be wary of him and his flexible stances.

During years of insurgency in Nepal, the Maoist leader had called for a war against India, and later sought its help to forge a consensus with Nepal political parties. His relations with India however worsened when he became prime minister on 2008 and India stopped him from sacking his army chief.

The soon to be premiere of Nepal, has a lot on his plate, including forging balanced relations with both China and India.

Indian Americans divided over supporting Trump CLEVELAND (OHIO): Around 16 Indian Americans pledged their support to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the party's national convention in Cleveland. Real estate broker Subba Kolla, the first ever Indian American delegate from Virginia to the Republican convention, announced the votes from his state during the debate.

Sudhir Parikh, founder of the Indian American Republican Council, said, "I'm still concerned about Trump. Trump is too antiimmigrant, too anti-minority, and anti-trade. He sticks to his point of view and I'm not sure this represents the views of the Republican

Donald Trump

Party." He added, "I have not decided yet whether to vote for Trump. I'm not going to sit this election out, but I will wait for four months, until the general election, to see what emerges." Parikh also said that many of the party members will follow conservative Glenn Beck's call to

action and vote for a third party candidate.

The convention saw former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's absence. He was one of the 17 Republican presidential candidates during the primary elections.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley declined an invitation to speak at the convention, and while she did attend the meet, maintained a low profile. Florida cardiologist Zachariah P Zachariah, who has attended every Republican convention since 1990, said he would not be attending this year. "It's going to take a while for Trump to unify the party and all the people he's alienated: Hispanics, Muslims, and

Athens welcomes Morari Bapu's Ram Katha ATHENS: Scores of Hindus are on a visit to Athens, Greece, to take part in Morari Bapu's much-celebrated annual Ram Katha.

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis attended the opening day of the Hindu recital, and welcomed Bapu and hundreds of pilgrims to the Greek capital.

Kaminis spoke on how welcome the Katha and its attendees were and talked of the importance of unity among human beings, and how dialogue between people of different faiths is crucial to break down barriers and create unity.

Bapu chose Athens this year as a way of paying tribute to the works of great philosopher Socrates. In the coming few days, he is expected to talk about his teachings, and associate their relevance in the 21st century through parables.

Bapu will also talk about the Socratic Method to pose questions about what makes one truly happy and how to best prioritise the importance of the mind.

The largest of its kind yearly event that saw participation of over 900 people this year, is usually flanked by top leaders from across the globe, and this year is no different with several diplomatic guests expected, including Indian

Ram Katha host Pavan Popat carries a pothi over his head at Intercontinental hotel. Also seen is Morari Bapu, and Lord Dolar Popat

Ambassador to Greece and the Deputy British Ambassador to Greece.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Lord Dolar Popat shared the efforts and work put behind bringing the event together.

“There has been a team working night and day to bring this event together for the past six months.

They have had so many difficulties to overcome, and to see it all come together is absolutely amazing. Bapu really wanted to have an opportunity to talk about the commonalities between ancient Greece and India,

and the influence of ancient Greek philosophy on all of our lives. To hear the parallels between Hinduism and the work of Socrates really poses a lot of interesting questions.”

Lord Popat added, “I have had the pleasure of attending many Kathas and visiting some amazing cities, but given the turbulence that Greece has been through in the past few years and the doubts on many occasions about whether we could bring this event together, this may well be the most impressive Katha yet.”

women," he said.

Republican National Convention Committee woman-elect from California, Harmeet Dhillon was, however, happy to support the businessman, mostly because of his plans to recover the economy. "The concept of economic recovery is a universal concept.

Donald Trump's message is about unity, coming together as a country, and talking to each other," the attorney said.

Several states staged a protest on the first day of the convention, which, according to Dhillon, "lost overwhelmingly". "This was a tactic to slow down proceedings and grandstand for the cameras," she said.

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US court overturns Indianorigin woman's conviction

NEW YORK: An Indian-origin woman's 2015 foeticide conviction was overturned by a US court in lieu with her botched, self-induced abortion. Indiana Court of Appeals overturned the 20-year prison sentence of Purvi Patel in a 30 ruling, with the judges saying the state foeticide statue was not intended to apply to abortions. The court report said the decision relied on how prosecutors have applied the foeticide law in the past, noting that this case was an "abrupt departure" from its typical cases in which a pregnant woman and her unborn child are the victims of violence. "The state's aboutface in this proceeding is unsettling, as well as untenable" under prior court precedent, said Judge Terry Crone in the ruling. Patel is however, not clear of any criminal responsibility and the court has upheld a lower-level felony neglect conviction against her for failing to provide medical care to the baby.

Australia to return stolen Buddha statue to India

CANBERRA: 1800 year old Buddha statue displayed in the National Gallery of Australia is being prepared for its return to India, after it was found to have been purchased from an illegal antiquity trafficker. The second-century statue is 1.3 metres tall, and was purchased from Asian art specialist Nancy Wiener by billionaire Ros Packer, on behalf of the Gallery.

Documents showed that the NGA staff accepted Wiener's story of how she came to possess the statue, and were unaware of the truth. NGA director Gerard Vaughan said the sculpture would likely be returned to the Indian government when their officials visit Australia for an Indian cultural festival in September. "The condition of the statue was so good that it was initially thought to be a fake, though when experts from the Archaelogical Survey of India examined the piece, it was revealed to be genuine."

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One more official attempts suicide in Karnataka In Brief AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

HASSAN (KARNATAKA): A Karnataka Administrative Service officer in Hassan allegedly tried to commit suicide even as the controversy over alleged suicide of two DySPs that put the Siddaramaiah government in a spot is yet to die down.

Assistant Commissioner E Vijaya allegedly attempted suicide by hanging at her residence in Hassan, officials said. They said Vijaya had reportedly sent a message to an Additional SP, who is her neighbour, about committing suicide, and she soon rushed to her house and rescued the officer. Vijaya is now undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Her mother alleged that pressure from higher officials and

protest by few groups had led her to attempt suicide.

Vijaya was recently transferred as Administrative Officer of Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, against which she had moved the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal which stayed the order.

Several organisations had protested against her alleging that she was "corrupt" and had also demanded reinstatement of Nagaraj whom she had replaced. Hassan legislator HS Prakash, who visited the hospital, told a local news channel that "she is still under observation, but doctors have said that she is out of danger."

Earlier this week, sub-

No fresh taxes in revised TN budget CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's revised budget for 2016-17, presented by Finance Minister O Panneerselvam in the Assembly last week, did not impose any fresh taxes, but did lack populist announcements, putting down all those who expected the government to unveil plans for implementing some of its electoral promises.

The budget gave a big boost to agriculture and allocation for the crop loan waiver scheme for farmers. Revenue and fiscal deficit numbers were revised upwards on lower tax collections and increased spending.

Panneerselvam announced that the government had formulated five missions: water resource management and revival of Kudimaramath; housing to achieve hut-free villages and slum-free cities, poverty reduction and economic empowerment of the poor, a clean Tamil Nadu, and a mission for skill development.

O Panneerselvam

The state has set an ambitious foodgrain production target of 147 lakh tonnes, and will launch a new scheme for dry land farming for increasing production and productivity of millets, pulses and oilseeds. The minister added that the government would give 12,000 milch cows to poor women and 4,00,000 goats/sheep to 100,000 poor families this fiscal. At least 535,000 students would be provided with laptops.

Subsidies and transfers accounted for £6.82 billion in the revised budget estimate for 2016-17. Out of it, food accounted for £510 million and electricity £900 million.

Haryana bid to revive lost Saraswati river CHANDIGARH: Haryana state government is all set to make Saraswati river flow by the end of the month. A proposal discussed by the Saraswati Heritage Development Board says water from Uncha Chandana village would be discharged on July 30 through the Dadupur feeder into a route where cleaning work is being undertaken.

The path covers Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, and Kaithal districts. SHDB deputy chairman Prashant Bhardwaj said, "We are working on a plan to release water into Saraswati river through the Dadupur feeder. The modalities are being worked out. It is a fact that Saraswati flowed up to Rajasthan. Even ISRO has acknowledged it."

He said around 69 organisations are involved in the project to revive the river, and the talks are on to make a consortium with the Indian Institute of Technology. Six borewells will be made in Yamunanagar

and two at Adi Badri and Mugalwali. Other than catering to "religious tourists", the proposal involves developing a recreational water park, a botanical garden and a zoo at Adi Badri.

The discovery of some artefacts strengthened the claims of the government that an ancient civilisation used to exist along the river. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the project to unearth the Saraswati river was a mission "to keep alive the soul of a community," even if it meant creating a symbolic or artificial water body. Central government set up a panel under former Kumaon University vicechancellor Prof KS Valdiya to verify Haryana's claims to discovery of the river. In 2002, too, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had constituted a panel to find the river. But after the UPA government came to power two years later, the project was scrapped.

inspector with Vijayanagar police station in Bengaluru Roopa Tambad had allegedly

Mangaluru DySP MK Ganapathy was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7, triggering a huge political storm as he had named a minister and two IPS officials in his predeath declaration.

attempted suicide by taking an overdose of over-thecounter pills, after being pulled up by a senior officer

in connection with a case she was handling. She is now undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Mangaluru DySP MK Ganapathy was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room at a lodge in Madikeri on July 7, triggering a huge political storm as he had named a minister and two IPS officials in his predeath declaration.

In another case on July 5, the body of Chikkamagaluru sub-division DySP Kallappa Handibag, 35, accused of kidnapping a person for ransom, was found hanging in his father-in-law's home at Murgod in Belagavi district.

His family had alleged harassment and conspiracy by senior officials.

Power failure kills 21 patients in hospital HYDERABAD: The government-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad is under cloud after 21 patients died on Friday last. The hospital blamed power failure for the deaths. Some doctors said electricity first tripped around 3 pm and the same situation continued at regular intervals. Although there were four generators on standby, the hospital claimed these had developed snags and couldn't be used when power lines were later cut off to find the cause of the tripping.

The deaths occurred in the speciality wards, including the surgical intensive care unit, neo-natal intensive care unit, respiratory intensive care unit, acute medical care unit and the emergency ward, all of which were affected by the power failure.

“In my 14 years of working at this hospital, on average 10 patients die daily,” said Dr R Raghu, general secretary,

(Gandhi Hospital unit), Telangana Government Doctors' Association. “These extra deaths can only be due to the power cuts.”

Telangana health minister Dr C Laxma Reddy said it would be wrong to directly blame the deaths on power outages. “Tertiary care hospitals in the government sector such as Gandhi, tend to get maximum number of laststage cases, some of which are referred by private and district government hospitals.

So, a high mortality number on a day is not uncommon,” he said.

Prof C V Chalam, superintendent in charge of the hospital, said the deaths would have to be probed to determine if they were directly or indirectly linked to the blackout. Asked what went wrong with the power supply, Prof Chalam said power connectivity had been cut to repair the lines after the intermittent outages.

I was asked to keep away from Punjab: Sidhu NEW DELHI: The BJP MP who resigned his Rajya Sabha membership last week said that he was told to keep away from Punjab and not even look at it, where the elections would be held next year. "I was asked to stay away from Punjab.

How can I quit my roots? The first time can be a mistake. But this is the fourth time it is happening...it was hard to take in," Sidhu, 52, told reporters in Delhi. In a statement Sidhu managed to dodge questions on whether he plans to join Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

"When the going gets tough, it is Sidhu Sidhu...but now they say don't look at Punjab....Have I done anything wrong? At least tell me my crime? Should I stay away to serve the personal interests of some people?" said the cricketer-turned-politician known for his garrulous commentary, not just on cricket.

"No party in the world is bigger than Punjab. I am will-

Navjot Singh Sidhu

ing to accept the consequences," he declared.

Sharing that he contested and won in Amritsar in the 2004 national election at 14 days' notice on receiving a phone call from former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he quipped: "There was a time when I was their only winner in north India. Then the Modi wave came...it sank not just the opposition but Sidhu as well."

Sidhu's sudden resignation last Tuesday instantly triggered speculation that he is moving to the AAP, which has seen a surge in its popularity in Punjab in the months ahead of the elections.

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5 boys ‘burn’ puppies in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Police have sent five minor boys for counselling after they burnt three stray puppies alive at Musheerabad. The incident came to light when a video of the act, recorded by the boys themselves, went viral on social media. The video shows the boys playing with the puppies for sometime before they started a fire with leaves and hurled the animals one by one into it. The video has also recorded the cries of the baby animals. A case has been filed under IPC Section 429, and other relevant sections of Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, the police said.

Kerala may make vaccination mandatory

THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Kerala State Health Minister KK Shailaja said the CPMled LDF government might soon make vaccination mandatory for children getting school admissions.. She said instructions would be given to produce vaccination certificate at the time of the admission of children. The move comes in the wake of diphtheria scare in the Malappuram district of the state. With reports citing the reluctance of a section of people in the district to go in for vaccination being one of the reasons for the sudden spurt of the disease, Shailaja said a massive campaign to create awareness on vaccination would be launched in the state.

Lawyers attack journalists in Kerala

KOCHI: A group of advocates allegedly attacked media persons outside the Kerala High Court, leaving two people injured. The lawyers reportedly shouted abuses at them and threatened them saying they won't allow the journalists to cover the court proceedings. While a section of them even locked down the media room, two cameramen of news channels were injured in the scuffle. The journalists union alleged that the advocates began protesting violently against the media after they were provoked by the coverage of an alleged attempt by a government pleader to molest a woman last week.

ED office questions Amarinder's son Raninder

CHANDIGARH: Raninder Singh, son of PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh, was interrogated for four hours by the Enforcement Directorate regarding suspected violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act in the UK-based Jacaranda Trust case. Raninder, who was accompanied by his lawyer and AICC spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, was told to re-appear along with his passport and bank account details, copies of which he submitted. "I cannot comment on the case since the investigation is in progress," he said.

President of the National Rifle Association of India, Raninder had missed the last summons on July 14, citing preparations for shooters headed for the Olympics.

National Herald case: former Haryana CM Hooda booked

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has booked former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, officials of the Associated Journal Limited, publisher of the National Herald newspaper, and others on charges of alleged money laundering.

Officials said the central probe agency registered a criminal case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after taking cognisance of a Haryana State Vigilance Bureau FIR of May this year. The vigilance Bureau had registered a case of cheating and corruption against Hooda and four officials who were in HUDA for allegedly re-allotting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in 2005.

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Aam Aadmi Party MP suspended from LS for security breach AsianVoiceNews

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday advised Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann not to attend Parliament until a panel set up to probe the video arrives at a decision.

The panel will submit the report on August 3.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker formed a ninemember panel to probe Bhagwant Mann’s breach

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Bhagwant Mann

of security posting a video of Parliament’s interiors. “A nine-member committee will probe and submit its

report to the house over AAP MP Bhagwant Mann’s video,” Sumitra Mahajan informed the house.

Reacting to the suspension, Mann cried foul, saying: “All parties ganged up against AAP in Parliament.

I had sent a written apology to the Speaker but it wasn’t enough. Decision is not against me but AAP which is opposing the Modi gov-

INDIA Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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Billionaire kid spends a month doing odd jobs

ernment.”

The AAP MP from Punjab stoked a controversy after he shot a video clip of his journey from home to Parliament House, including movement past various security check points, and posted it on the social media, drawing flak from various quarters for putting Parliament complex security in danger.

Stem cell therapy holds hope for heart attack patients Two centres in India will join hands soon with the multi-centric global stem cell research where heart attack victims undergoing a by-pass surgery would receive stem cell shots in the operation theatre.

These injections, scientists hope, would enrich the heart cells and repair damages caused due to cardiac arrest.

The cardio-thoracic department of Chennaibased Sri Ramachandra University and Dr Naresh Trehan's centre in New Delhi will start the research after the department of biotechnology

gives its nod for a pilot project. The hospitals will tie up with stem cell bank LifeCell and Harvest Technologies which manufactures devices for stem cell harvesting.

It's a new school of thought. We will not be working on the part of the heart muscle that has died after a heart attack.

Instead, we would work on the remaining part of the heart. The cells that are on the border of the damaged area have a greater potential to be regenerated along with the remaining healthy portions," said Mayur Abhaya, executive director,

Lifecell International.

WHO predicts that by 2010, 60% of cardiac patients in the world will be Indians. "This therapy uses adult stem cells found in the bone marrow. Here too, we would be using a new technology where stem cells can be derived at a much faster rate. In fact in just 15 minutes, against the usual 8 hours," says Scott Shea, managing director Harvest Technologies.

Dr Amit N Patel, director of cardiac stem cell therapies, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, says that injec-

tion of stem cells improve the function of muscles and blood vessels allowing patients to lead a near-normal life. Senior cardio-thoracic surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan agrees. "When drug therapy fails and a heart is not available for transplant, stem cell becomes a viable option. I have seen a success rate of up to 90% in this therapy.

In 20 patients injected with stem cells, we have seen new arteries growing from damaged stem cell areas. A scientific paper on this has been accepted by the International Cardiac Surgery," says Dr Trehan.

Indian wins Mr World 2016 For the first time in the history of the championship, the title of Mr World went to Indian Rohit Khandelwal, in a ceremony held this week at Southport Theatre. Rohit, dressed in a tuxedo designed by Nivedita Saboo, was given the title with Mr Puerto Rico winning 1st Runner Up and Mr Mexico, 2nd. The contest saw 47 participants from across the world.

A visibly ecstatic Rohit said, "I still can't believe that I have won the Mr World title. Being the first Indian ever to win this title internationally makes me immensely proud and ecstatic. It's a dream come true and am very thankful to the Miss India Organisation for giving me

this opportunity and guiding me throughout my exciting journey. My family, friends, and my fans have been a constant support for me and this wouldn't have been possible without the support of my well-wishers." Rohit reportedly went through a rigorous physical

Hospital in Gujarat promotes girl child With a sex ratio as skewered as in Gujarat, a state hospital has come up with a unique way to promote giving birth to girl child.

Ahmedabad-based Sindhu Hospital now offers a full waiver of hospital charges to couples if their newborn is a girl. Managing director of the establishment, Mahadev Lohana said, "For years, we observed that majority of women who got admitted for deliver hoped and prayed for a boy.

Sweets would be distributed on birth of a male child but a girl's arrival would met with stoic acceptance. The

trust decided it was time to celebrate arrival of a daughter." The hospital even celebrates the birth of every girl child in the hospital. "The country and every community needs to celebrate birth of a girl. Even in Sindhi samaj, there are nearly 850 girls per 1000 boys. This has to change," Lohana said. The hospital said around 150 couples have already registered in the hospital to make the best of the offer.

While the move is a baby step compared to the ignorance of the society, it is a step indeed!

training to reach the highest levels of fitness. Along with physical training sessions, he underwent thorough grooming sessions too.

After becoming the Provogue Personal Care Mr India World 2015, he was trained by the best in the industry, like Sabira

Merchant, Supreet Bedi, Jamuna Pai, Dr Sandesh Mayekar, Bodyholics, Kromakay, Amit Khanna, Swaroop Medara, Rukshana Eisa, and others.

Rohit was also given special Football and Circuit training tro increase his endurance and perform the various physical challenges at the pageant.

Other than the main title, Mr Scotland won the Extreme challenge, Mr England won the Sports challenge, Mr China won Style and fashion and, Poland won the talent challenge. They were fasttracked to TOP 10 of Mr World 2016. Mr World, Rohit received a cash prize of $ 50,000 along with the coveted title.

HUMOUR CORNER An elderly couple goes to Burger King, where they carefully split a burger and fries. A trucker takes pity on them and offers to buy the wife her own meal.''It's all right,'' says the husband. ''We share everything.''A few minutes later, the trucker notices that the wife hasn't taken a bite. ''I really wouldn't mind buying your wife her own meal,'' he insists.''She'll eat,'' the husband assures him. ''We share everything.''Unconvinced, the trucker implores the wife, ''Why aren't you eating?''The wife snaps, ''Because I'm waiting for the teeth!' *** Tired of waiting at the back of the line to get on Noah's Ark, a flea jumps from one animal to another as she moves closer to the front. She leaps and leaps until she lands on the back of an elephant. The pachyderm turns to its mate and says testily, ''I knew it! Here they go with the pushing and shoving!'' *** A Russian visiting India, went for an eye check-up. The doctor shows him the letters on the board: CZWXNQSTAZKY Doctor: Can you read this?

Russian: Read? I even know the guy. He's my cousin!

A Gujarati diamond merchant sent his only son to Kochi, Kerala, to survive for a month on odd jobs, in an effort to acquaint him with life. Dravya Dholakia, 21, who is currently doing an MBA in the US, had a surprise in store for him when he arrived home for a holiday.

Savji Dholakia, who is also the proprietor of a Surat-based Rs 6000 Crore company with presence in over 71 countries, wanted his son to learn life skills. He is the same businessman who gifted his employees cars and gifts as bonus, last year. "I gave him three conditions. I told my son that he needs to work to earn his money and he couldn't work at a place for more than a week.

That he can't use his father's identity, nor use the mobile phone, neither the Rs 7000 taken from home for a month. I wanted him to understand life and how the poor struggle to get a job and money. No university can teach you these life skills except experience," Dholakia said. "He decided to come to Kochi as he didn't know Malayalam and Hindi is not commonly spoken there."

Accepting his father's challenge Dravya reached Kochi on June 1, with just three pairs of clothes, and Rs 7000, solely for emergency purposes. A little bereft from the struggles of the middle class, Dravya did struggle initially. "For five days I had no job or proper place to stay. I was frustrated as I was rejected at 60 places, as no one knew me here. I understood what is rejection and the value of a job in these days," said Dravya. His first job was in a bakery in Cheranelloor. He also worked at a call centre, a shoe shop, and even a Mc Donald's outlet, earning Rs 4000 in a month. "I never worried about money and here I was struggling to get a meal worth Rs 40. I needed another Rs 250 per day to stay in a lodge."

Sreejith K, finance professional who took to the boy, said, "I met him at a bakery and noticed something unique in him.

However, as my colleagues warned me against employing him, I didn't respond to his calls. On Tuesday, I received a call from Dravya's company's CEO thanking me and informing me of Dravya's real story."

“This is currently the most profitable business!”

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Dalits unrelenting, continue protests in Saurashtra

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Saurashtra simmers as Dalit groups protest continues on the streets.

Angry mobs have resorted to the conventional way of agitation; blocking highways, vandalising state buses, and pelting stones and arson, all over the brutal whipping of four Dalit youths in Una. Supporters resorted to committing suicide and Dalit community members began openly talking about the atrocities they put up with.

The 52 year old Balu Sarvaiya's head was smashed with an iron pipe when he begged with gau rakshaks to not hurt his sons and two others. This was the incident that triggered the ongoing violence.

National leaders Rahul

CM Anandiben visiting Una victims

Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal visited the victims and their families in

Gujarat.

AAP chief Kejriwal asked, "Why is the police not taking

Arvind Kejariwal (Left) and Rahul Gandhi with victims

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action? It indicates that the government is involved. The state government in Gujarat is anti-Dalit." State Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, whose term has faced a rough time with the Patel agitation last year and now Dalit protests, spent nearly 90 minutes with the people and promised a CBI probe into the incident.

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over the incident. "The Prime Minister should break his silence on the Una incident and action should be taken against the culprits," she said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the thrashing and said such incidents must not be repeated.

"What happened in Gujarat is highly condemnable and such incidents must not be repeated. Sixteen people have been arrested in connection with Una incident, 4 police officials have been suspended," he said, adding that the case has been handed over to the CID.

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IAF plane with 29 on board goes missing There was no sign of the Indian Air Force transporter aircraft that went missing two days ago with 29 people on board, a spokesman for the air force said.

A massive search for the aircraft entered its third day on Sunday with 18 vessels from the navy and the coast guard, as well as eight aircraft, including dorniers and helicopters.

Search operations were ongoing, Vice Admiral HCS Bisht of the Indian Navy said. "The only challenge we are facing is of monsoon conditions, rough seas and another factor is depth in the area," he said.

The Antonov-32 transporter took off from the southern city of Chennai on early Friday on a threehour flight to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It made its last radio contact about 15 minutes after take off from the Tambaram Air Force station, air force spokesman Anupam Banerjee said. No debris or wreckage has been sighted, Banerjee said.

The Indian space agency plans to use its Radar Imaging Satellite that can see through the clouds to locate the missing plane, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman AS Kiran Kumar was quoted as saying. The people on board included six crew members, 15 personnel of the army, navy and coastguard, and eight members of their families.

"I feel my father is safe.

I want all of you to pray they all come back unharmed," Ashutosh Singh, son of Bhupath Singh, who was on the missing AN-32 aircraft, said in an appeal.

The AN-32 had reportedly developed at least three minor technical

snags earlier this month. A Sindhughosh-class submarine was also diverted from an “ongoing mission” to “seek underwater transmissions from the locator beacon of the aircraft” but there was no trace of the ill-fated medium-lift aircraft. “The search will continue through the night,” said an officer.

“The AN-32, which was slated to land at Port Blair at 11.30 am, was observed to have carried out a left turn with rapid loss of height from its flying altitude of 23,000 feet. There was no Mayday call. The endurance of the aircraft was four hours and 15 minutes,“ said the officer.

The twin-engine AN32, which was from the 33 Squadron at the Sulur airbase, had a six-member crew of two pilots (Flight Lieutenant Pushpendra Badsara and Flying Officer Pankaj Kumar Nanda), a navigator (Flight Lieutenant Kunal Barpatte), a flight engineer and two technicians.

The passengers on board, who were all headed for the Tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Island Command, included a woman IAF officer, Flight Lieutenant Deepika Sheoran, who is married to a Coast Guard officer based in Port Blair.

The others included eight civilians from the naval armament depot in Vizag, five IAF non-combatants, four airmen, two Army soldiers, a defence security corps jawan and a sailor each from Navy and Coast Guard.

The sturdy AN-32s have been IAF workhorses in ferrying troops and cargo to forward areas since they were first inducted in 1984. Though they have a relatively good flight safety record, the AN-32s are certainly old despite their ongoing lifeextension and upgrade refits.

India-Pak ties: Not A 'Class' Act!

Continued from page 1

encounter death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Wani. It continues to do so despite India's curt statements asking it to check its sponsorship of jihadi groups in the Valley.

Pak foreign office spokesperson, Nafees Zakaria said, “This is an informal, internal, administrative arrangement we were informed of two months back. No other considerations were communicated to us.” An Indian source, meanwhile, said India had been considering the move ever since Taliban gunmen broke into a school in Peshawar in 2014 and opened fire, killing more than 130

schoolchildren.

Making matters worse, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement saying he was waiting for the day Kashmir becomes Pakistan's part. He urged Kashmiris to “not forget those in Kashmir who are sacrificing their lives for their movement for freedom. Their movement for freedom cannot be stopped and it will be successful.

You are aware of how they are being beaten and killed.

All our prayers are with them and we are waiting for the day Kashmir becomes (part of) Pakistan”.

Sharif not only drew flak from India but also from national media who

called his statement as “wishful thinking”. A report said that by making such statements, it is challenging the authority of India, and inviting more trouble not only for Pakistan but also for Kashmir.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took on the Pakistan PM saying, “The whole of India would like to tell Pakistani PM that the dream of 'Kashmir becoming Pakistan' will not be realized even at the end of eternity.”

She added, “Pakistan’s dirty money, dangerous terrorists and duplicitous state institutions seek to destabilise the Kashmir region.”

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HEALTH&WELLNESS

AsianVoiceNewsweekly | Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Little mistakes can lead to big heart disease risk

Forgetting your family history : To figure your risk for heart disease, you need to know if it runs in the family. You should be aware of what sicknesses your parents have or had, and learn about your grandparents' medical history. If they are no more, try to find out not only how they died, but at what age.

Knowing their lifestyle habits can be helpful, too. Also, if your siblings have any signs of heart disease, especially at an early age, your risks may be higher.

Forgetting to floss: Dental health and heart health go together. In fact, research suggests that poor dental health and gingivitis can promote heart disease. The chronic inflammation that occurs in the lining of the gums sets up chronic inflammation through your body, and little bursts of bacteria may actually get into your bloodstream. People who brush and floss more often, not only have excellent dental hygiene, but are also at a lower risk of developing heart disease.

Not consuming enough dairy: In a recent study, doctors looked at more than 82,000 postmenopausal women followed for eight years and found that the women with the highest dairy intakes cut their risk for developing type 2 diabetes by 50 per cent compared with women with the lowest intakes of dairy products. So, if you've cut back on dairy products to save calories and reduce the fat in your diet, it is, perhaps, not the way to go.

Get some sunlight: Your

body needs some exposure to help

sun you

hours of the morning or toss and turn all night, if you don't get enough sleep, you may be harming your heart. A good night's rest promotes lower blood pressure and reduces the likelihood of irregular heartbeats. Those with good sleep habits are less likely to have heart failure and heart attacks. If you do have trouble sleeping six to eight hours - see your doctor and get evaluated. Your doctor may help you determine if there's a medical reason for your poor sleep, such as restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea.

Ignoring the beans: Black, kidney and other types of beans provide a great source of protein without saturated fat, and they're one of the best sources of soluble fibre, which is important in reducing cholesterol.

Oatmeal and barley are other good sources of soluble fibre. They help sweep the cholesterol out of the blood vessels.

Stocking up on energy drinks: Energy and aerated drinks are the number one source of added sugar and responsible for raising the triglyceride levels in your blood. Triglycerides are a type of fat that can actually make your blood thicker.

So, if you already have some cholesterol building up in your arteries, and then you're trying to push thicker blood through there, it's easy to see how problems occur. Switch to water, or squeeze a lemon, lime or other fruit to quench your thirst.

Sugarcane juice is also a great energy booster.

Avoiding a colourful diet: In addition to fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, fruits and vegetables are also rich in potassium. When it comes to managing blood pressure, increasing the potassium you consume in foods is just as important as reducing the sodium you consume.

Potassium blunts the effects of sodium to help lower high blood pressure. Citrus fruits, bananas, potatoes, tomatoes and beans are all great sources of potassium. So also, white foods count. A recent study showed a 52 per cent decreased risk of stroke

Shaky sleep pattern: Whether you go to bed too late, wake up in the wee

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increase your levels of good cholesterol, says a recent study.

maintain adequate levels of vitamin D, an essential vitamin that is manufactured in your skin in the presence of sunlight. A recent study found that people who had low levels of vitamin D were more likely to have plaque buildup in their blood vessels than those who had higher levels of the vitamin in their blood. Doctors advise you get as little as five to 30 minutes of sun exposure (without sunscreen), ideally between 10 am and 3 pm every day, to help your body manufacture adequate amounts of vitamin D.

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incidence for people who ate a high intake of white fruits and vegetables (like apples, pears, cucumbers and cauliflower).

Not walking enough: It will be good for your heart if you learn to walk short distances instead of taking the car. Park your car and walk into your bank, laundry or parlour. If you build up to 10,000 steps a day, that is equivalent to 45 minutes to an hour of exercise.

Being a multitasker: stress in your life, and consider reprioritising the things you're doing.

Practising yoga, meditation, and deep-breathing exercises are excellent ways to reduce stress levels.

Saving up for the weekend: Many people skip alcohol during the week and guzzle it all over the weekend. But health experts say, it doesn't work that way. Higher quantities of alcohol can harm heart muscle, lead to heart failure and arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation, as well as potentially damage the liver. Too much alcohol has also been shown to raise levels of triglycerides in the blood. Drink only in moderation and spread it out over the course of the week. Drinking a small amount of alcohol may

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any people who suffer from heart disease did not show enough seriousness to deal with it in the initial stage and pay a heavy price in the end. In many cases the symptoms did not show at all. So it is best if, beginning at 20, you get full cholesterol checks done every five years, your blood pressure checked at least every two years and body mass index calculated at each visit to the doctor. Then, at age 45, set blood glucose checked every three years.

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LIFESTYLE

Avoiding company: Nurturing relationships with loved ones not only enhances your life, but also lengthens it. In a recent 13-year study of more than 3,000 people, researchers found that the loneliest women had a 76 per cent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who said they were not lonesome. Loneliness was associated with lower levels of physical activity in both men and women; among women, it was also linked to smoking and being overweight.

Not going on your annual holiday : While we are already aware that vacations can help you destress, there's also evidence that not going on a long holiday may raise your risk of heart disease.

Skipping your morning cup: People feel guilty for drinking coffee in the mornings, but it's loaded with antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation in the body, a risk factor for heart disease. It's not the caffeine in it that helps the heart, it's the antioxidants, so drinking a cup or two of either decaf or regular coffee may help lower your risk.

Trying to do too many things at once is one of the warning signs that you may not be dealing well with the stress in your life the right way. Other signs include working too much, rushing around and not getting much done, delaying things you need to do, talking very fast and eating to calm down. Chronic stress may cause increase in your heart rate and blood pressure, which could damage the walls of your arteries. Step back and look at the causes of heart disease.

Why we should drink buttermilk every day!

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uttermilk, which is a nutritious drink with a lot of vitamins and minerals, is helpful in cooling off our body. There are some amazing reasons why buttermilk is a blessing for our health.

Unlike average dairy products, buttermilk contains less fat, which is good for our heart.

The unique protein in buttermilk that lowers high blood pressure also keeps the cholesterol level in check. Low in calories, buttermilk flushes out fat that usually coats the inner walls of the stomach and intestines after an oily meal.

Buttermilk also aids in weight loss as it helps to calm hunger pangs by keeping your stomach full for a longer period of time. Buttermilk helps you get rid of indigestion, acidity while it boosts your immunity. It is also good for our skin as it is enriched with Alpha Hydroxy Acid which acts as a natural skin lightening agent.

Consuming buttermilk regularly can help us stay hydrated as well as lower your body temperature.

Buttermilk promotes our bone health since it contains a high level of calcium but with less fat compared to milk.

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Akshara Haasan bags Ajith’s film

AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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amal Haasan's youngest, Akshara has signed up for her first Tamil film, in which she will be playing a crucial role. The actress who made her acting debut with 'Shamitabh', has this time roped in Ajith's 'Thala 7', directed by Siruthai Siva. A crew member said, "Though Kajal Aggarwal is the heroine of the film, Akshara has been roped in to play another major role. She has narrated the script recently and has been finalised, too. She will be essaying a very stylish character." Akshara is currently working as assistant director in 'Sabash Naidu' and will join the 'Thala' team in Europe from September.

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Aditi Rao Hydari learning Tamil from Mani Ratnam

diti Rao Hydari could not be happier about her Tamil debut opposite Karthi in Mani Ratnam's 'Kaatru Veliyidai'. She feels the film is very special and is leaving nothing to fate regarding the depiction of her role. A source from the crew said, "Mani sir wants Aditi to speak Tamil effortlessly, so for the past month, she has been working on it under his guidance in Chennai. He's teaching her the accent and intonation. Being very perceptive, he wants to see authentic reactions from her character, and hence he's personally helping her get the language right."

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Dhanush sings a Telugu hip-hop for Thaman

fter the viral 'Why This Kolaveri', and other songs like 'Maari Thara Local', actor Dhanush will now record a Telugu song for upcoming 'Thikka'. The title track for the movie was recorded in music composer Thaman's studio in Chennai.

Thaman said, "I

Sivaji Ganesan-Mohanlal movie to be released at last

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he current generation missed out on the golden opportunity to watch Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan, until now. His relatively unseen movie 'Payana Mozhi' with Mohanlal, directed by Prathap Pothen will be released soon. A story written by Priyadarshan, it is the dubbed version of 1997 Malayalam movie

'Dishoom'

An action-adventure featuring John Abraham, Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez.

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'Yaathra Mozhi' with music given

by Illayaraja.

The king of Tamil cinema, Sivaji Ganesan has given more than a handful of hits in his long stint in the industry. His classics like 'Karnan', 'Thiruvilayadal', 'Deivamagam' and others are still screened in theatres. His 'Sivagamiyin Selvan' just crossed a 100 day mark.

Abhay Deol, Diana Penty tickle the funny bone

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railer of Abhay Deol and Diana Penty's August release 'Happy Bhag Jayegi' is out and it seems on point! Story of the film revolves around a loudmouthed Punjabi bride who runs away from her wedding with the help of her boyfriend and somehow ends up on the other side of the border in Pakistan. The film also features Jimmy Shergill, Ali Fazal, Momal Sheikh and Piyush Mishra. A laughter riot with Deol playing a suave and successful married man, 'HBJ' seems to be one of the major hits this year.

composed the song with only Dhanush in my mind as the singer. I thought his voice would be apt for the situation and mood of the song. So, I sent Dhanush the track, he loved it and immediately agreed to lend his voice for this hip hop song. He had no issues with the Telugu lyrics, and complete the recording in just 25 minutes. He had come well-prepared, as I had already sent him the song."

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Ustad Fateh Ali Khan to perform in London W AsianVoiceNews

ell-acclaimed singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is all set to perform at the O2 for the first time ever, on August 14. The Qawwali singer delivered his latest hit 'Jag Ghoomeya' which topped all Asian charts, for Salman Khan's 'Sultan'.

Rahat's 'Greatest Hits Live' show will be his only stint in London this year.

"I'm very excited to be performing at The O2, London, for the second time, following my sold out tour in 2013. Coming

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

Name is Khan', 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', and 'Drishyam'.

He has also sung for Hollywood films like 'Apocalypto'.

With over 50 albums and more than a 100 hits in the Hindi film industry, he has also been the recipient of several awards. His achievements also include making the headline performer at the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, and the latest performance in March, at the United Nations General Assembly Hall.

His 2014 single 'Zaroori Tha' crossed 100 million

to the UK is always a thrill for me and my performance is timed to fit the Independence Day celebrations for both Pakistan and India. I have a fantastic team of musicians joining me and will be performing my greatest film hits and new material, as well as my esteemed Uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's popular Qawwali numbers, to rock the arena," said the singer.

Rahat Khan has given his vocals to some of the biggest hits in Bollywood, including 'Dabangg', 'My

Priyanka wants to be an achiever

I am not engaged: Deepika Padukone

W

hen you are one of the hottest jodis in B-town, you tend to find yourself surrounded by the paps and inevitable speculation.

Putting an end to a recent one, actress Deepika Padukone said she was not engaged to alleged beau Ranveer Singh, and had no such plan anytime soon. "I think this is the right opportunity for me to clarify, there is no such plan anytime soon. I am not pregnant, I am not married. I am not planning to get married anytime soon," Deepika said to the press at the Indian Couture Week where she walked the ramp for designer Manish Malhotra.

In another interview, when Deepika, who is constantly stuck between her ex Ranbir Kapoor and, Ranveer, she said she wasn't

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erfectionist (control freak?) Aamir Khan is leaving nothing to fate with his project 'Dangal'. Taking up a new task for the movie, the 50 year old will now rap for a song that will be a part of the promotions.

A source from the unit said, "Aamir is excited about doing a rap number.

It is a peppy track that will be used in promotions.

After recording it, he will shoot for the video." Khan made his singing debut in 1988 with famous 'Aati Kya Khandala' song for 'Ghulam'. He later recited shayari in 'Sarfarosh' and 'Fanna' and last sang for 'Taare Zameen Par' in 2007. "In this one, Aamir's is the only voice. Pritam has composed the song while Amitabh Bachchan is behind the lyrics. When the makers broached the idea, Aamir was excited and gave

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ctress Priyanka Chopra who did an interview with Flare Magazine recently shared her "recipe" for success.

Now an international star, PeeCee has created a niche in both Bollywood and Hollywood.

Priyanka said she doesn't limit herself and aspires to be an achiever, adding that "there is no luxury of quitting to be an achiever."

She said, "For me, more than being an actor or a musician or any for the multiple things that have been given, I want to be an achiever, and I don't want to be limited to just one thing. You have to figure out what your weakness and your strengths are.

Once you identify your weakness and your strength, you put the weakness in a box, shut it and put it away, and you focus on the strength and you become the best version of whatever you are within that time." She made waves in Hollywood as Alex Parrish, an FBI recruit who becomes a suspect of a terrorist bombing, in

apprehensive about Kapoor's bad phase at the box-office. "He knows what he is doing. It didn't surprise me because everyone's career goes through its ups and downs.

What you can't take away from someone is their talent, which he is blessed with.

He is also very hard-working.

He is not someone who takes his lineage for granted."

Aamir Khan turns rapper

American drama series 'Quantico'. Thanking her Indian genes, the 'Mary Kom' actress said, "I thank my mom and my dad and my Indian genes for the fact that I don't necessarily need

to train very much. I'm very active, agile by nature and have done action movies.

I'm very familiar with it, but, when it comes to training, I've only trained in parts."

Huma making forays into Malayalam films

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it a thumbs-up. However, he wanted to rehearse before stepping into the recording studio," said the source. With the shooting of the film all wrapped up, Khan has already begun practising for the song.

"Pritam and Amitabh are part of his practice sessions.

Mr Perfectionist wants the track to be nothing short of perfect and is enjoying trying his hand at rapping."

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal is based on the life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. The film is set to release on December 23, 2017.

views on Youtube, quite a record for an independent single.

Tickets for the event can be bought from A X S . c o m , www.theo2.co.uk.www.th eo2.co.uk, or booked on 00844 856 0202. They are also available at Vediorama on 020 8907 0116. The passes include privileges like access to different free live events, and activities including Bollywood dance workshops, DJs, specially selected street food stalls, and more.

ver since her banging debut in 2012 movie 'Gangs of Wasseypur', Huma Qureshi has made quite a mark in Bollywood. Making her Malayalam debut this year across superstar Mammooty in 'White', Huma said she wants to be more active in the South film industry. " T h i s

movie just fell into my lap. It's a beautiful love story and I haven't done one in a while. My character Roshni, is full of life and is instrumental in bringing a change in the life of this man who is older than her. They share a beautiful relationship that transforms both of them," Huma said. When asked why she chose a South film, she said, "South films have a lot more intricate plots and layered characters and that's why Bollywood ends up remaking many of their films.

Sometimes we even water them down to lessen the complexity."

Talking about her

experience working with Mammukka, she said, "The best lesson I learnt is that a great actor is as good a co-actor. I was really nervous and didn't know what to expect from this film.

I didn't know how to conduct myself on the sets of a South Indian movie because I had no reference, no audience and he's a really big star. I felt like I was going to work with Mr Bachchan in Hindi. I was really nervous, but have to admit he was a wonderful costar."

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UK

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Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

A milestone for Indian Diaspora poets

By Dr Debjani Chatterjee MBE

Last month the House of Lords saw a colourful occasion that was also history in the making – for English language poets of the Indian diaspora.

The celebratory evening was hosted at the House of Lords by Lord Bhikhu Parekh, himself a distinguished Indian diaspora non-fiction writer, and a Patron of the Word Masala Foundation and poet Yogesh Patel, the Founder-Director of nonprofit Word Masala Foundation. The event was his brainchild. The ambitious event with a tightly packed programme that included speeches, book launches, poetry readings, award ceremonies, slide presentation and networking, attracted some sixty people, including wellestablished as well as rising poets, poetry publishers and journalists.

In his welcome address, Yogesh Patel stated his intention of bringing together and honouring eminent Indian diaspora poets from Britain and the USA, as well as some insightful British publishers who support diaspora poetry.

A coup that he was par-

ticularly proud of was a publishing contract for Isle of Man-based Usha Kishore whose next poetry collection will be brought out by Eyewear Publishing.

Zata Banks treated the gathering to an inspirational keynote speech on the ‘creative opportunities at the intersections of poetry and film’. Zata is the founder of Poetry Film, an influential research art project that was launched in 2002 and has an archive collection of over 1000 films.

Lord Parekh and Baroness Usha Prashar presented awards to poets: Meena Alexander, Usha Akella, and, in absentia, Saleem Peeradina and Pramila Venkateswaran; as well as Shanta Acharya, Siddhartha Bose, Kavita Jindal, Daljit Nagra, Usha Kishore, Reginald Massey and Debjani Chatterjee. A wonderfully exciting award of a different kind was Word Masala’s first Crowd-Funding Award, given to Mona Dash to support the publication of her next poetry collection.

[Dr Debjani Chatterjee MBE has had sixty+ books published in various countries and won many prizes for poetry, literary translation and writing for children.]

Coming Events

l Chinmaya Mission are holding a series of talks by Swami Tejomayananda entitled ‘The Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom’ Venue: Logan Hall, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL Dates and Times: Friday 5th, Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th August - 7.30pm till 9pm ; Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th August - 7.15pm to 8.45pm.

All talks are in English and are free to attend. More information call 07810 384311 l National Hindu Welfare Support Birmingham are holding a free awareness seminar entitled ‘Protecting our children and yourh from grooming’ Date: 6th August 5pm to 7pm Venue: SPA Community Centre, 249 Warwick Road, Birmingham B11 2QX For Sat Nav use B11 3ND Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Deputy Editor: Anand Pillai Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Email: anand.pillai@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Senior Business Development Manager: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Head - New Projects & Business Development: Cecil Soans - Email: cecil.soans@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Advertising Sales Executive: Rintu Alex - Email: Rintu.alex@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4003 - Mobile: 07816 213 610 Business Development Manager: Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Journalist & Marketing Coordinator: Aaditya Kaza - Email: aaditya.kaza@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4009 - Mobile: 07702 669 453 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Shabde Magazine, Shobhan Mehta Mob: 07846480220 (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar,

London talks on the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Tejomayananda Swami Tejomayananda, the Global Head of Chinmaya Mission will be conducting 5 evening talks at Logan Hall, London from 5-9 August 2016.

Based on Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita, the talks are entitled ‘The Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom’ and will expound on what is required of a spiritual seeker pursuing liberation from bondage, addressing the various challenges and obstacles along the way.

As the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, Swami Tejomayananda has continuously and dynamically pursued his guru Swami Chinmayananda’s grand spiritual and organisational vision to provide individuals from any background, the universal wisdom of

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Saturn retrograde and your

ruling planet Mars are in the sign of Sagittarius. Both these planets are now transiting your solar ninth house. This house in your chart signifies higher learning and expanding your horizons but Saturn here restricts and impedes your progress. You will go through a mental tug-of-war but you will emerge the wiser for your experience.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

You must be careful with money, joint resources, taxes etc., anything linked with your solar second and eighth houses. This area of your life is affected by retrograde Saturn and Mars. It will be important to watch your spending and pay attention to fine print when making purchases or commitments.

Though, this is a good time for friendships and networking. Your social life is picking up pace.

Vedanta and the practical means for personal growth and development, enabling them to become positive contributors to society.

For further information, please visit www.thescienceofhappiness.co.uk, e-mail bg7@chinmayauk.org or call 07810 384 311.

COMPETITION

Pakistan’s Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, will perform at The O2 on Sunday 14 August 2016. Asian Voice has TWO tickets for this once in a lifetime show. Answer the following question for a chance to win:

Name the number one song by Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from the movie Dabangg Send your answers by email to aveditorial@abplgroup.com Closing date for the competition is - Friday 5th August 2016

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

With Saturn retrograde and Mars in your opposite sign, you will continue to be in a restless mood for some time to come. This makes you impatient with restrictions and even more determined to cut your own path. Do not get over-anxious if everything seems to be in slow motion - it is time to pull a few strings. You are likely to experience tension in close relationships..

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 The Sun and Venus continues to transit your solar second house. This is the most "financial" period of the year for you. You have an increased interest in your own possessions, during this period. You are more attracted to objects and possessions that give you a sense of comfort, status, or luxury now.

Careful with your extravagant spending habits.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The Sun and Venus continues to move through your solar first house. You experience a renewal of energy and vitality now, and it's a strong time for increased personal confidence. The emphasis is on self-expression. You are more decisive and forward-looking now, and you put more faith in your own abilities.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

You may be anxious to spend extra time on a work-related project, but here are responsibilities at home that will also demand attention.

You may feel a bit hemmed-in or pressured at times.

Jupiter and Your ruling planet Mercury in your solar house puts emphasis on your social-romantic life and how you go about having a good time. Once you get going there is no stopping you.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 The transit of two planets Jupiter and Mercury in your Solar 12th House indicates that experience will put you in a deeply reflective mood.

This is a favourable time for getting away from usual routines and seeking a retreat for a few days. It will be good for you to get involved in therapies that help you to get in closer touch with your inner self.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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Career developments grab your attention this month, and unexpected events trigger new directions. A more creative direction is likely, and you'll find that it suits you very well. Brand-new initiatives are not favoured generally speaking. This is a good time for re-assessment and fine tuning anything that you have already started.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Although all kinds of opportunities are coming your way, there are many obstacles between you and the fulfilment of any of these. As you clear your path you will get closer to achieving your dreams. Relationships and romance are both under scrutiny by the presence of Saturn and Mars in your Solar 1st house.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

Expansive Jupiter and Mercury in your Solar 9th house of travel and spirituality is going to play a great part for some of you, who are widening their horizons. An important time to build too, as Saturn in your solar 12th House can be very severe and restrictive. Regardless of the limits, you have the capacity to turn the course of your life in a more fulfilling direction.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 The Sun and Venuscontinues to transit your solar seventh house--your partnership sector. This can be a time of much learning in your close relationships. It's not the time to push your personal plans forward; rather, it's a cycle in which you give back to a special someone, and compromise in order to find some balance in your life.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 The Sun and Venus puts a spotlight on your solar sixth house. This is a period that finds you tending to many different details of your daily existence--your work, daily routines, and health matters.

You may be in the position to take charge in your work, or to take charge of your health and diet. Do not be hypercritical of yourself.

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England win second Test, level series AsianVoiceNews

England beat Pakistan by 330 runs to win the second Test at Old Trafford and levelled the four-match series at 1-1. Pakistan, set a mammoth 565 to win, were bowled out for 234 in their second innings with more than a day left in the match. The third Test starts at Birmingham's Edgbaston ground on August 3.

Pakistan’s batting woes continued after they were set to make a mammoth 565 to win the second test against England. James Anderson and off-spinner Moeen Ali picked up two wickets each and captain Misbah-ul Haq was bowled

by Chris Woakes as Pakistan slumped to 161/5 at tea on the fourth day at Old Trafford.

England, which had a 391-run first innings lead, has four sessions to take the remaining five wickets and level the four-match series 1-1.

Earlier, captain Alastair Cook and Joe Root

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smashed unbeaten half centuries as England blazed 75 runs in 40 minutes after resuming on 98/1 before declaring the second innings at 173/1.

Cook struck 76 off 78 balls. Root followed up his first-innings 254 with 71 off 48 deliveries. At lunch, Pakistan were wobbling on 47/2. The hosts added a quickfire 75 to their overnight 98/1, with skip-

per Alastair Cook and Joe Root playing freely, before declaring to set Pakistan an unlikely victory target of 565. Anderson then struck to remove Shan Masood for one, the opener edging a ball to Cook at first slip that moved away, and trap Azhar Ali plumb lbw for eight. Pakistan survived without any more setbacks although Younus Khan should have been dismissed

when he was dropped in the slips by Cook off Ben Stokes.

Mohammad Hafeez was 24 not out at lunch with Younus on 12 but Pakistan are in deep trouble.

England, trailing 1-0 in the series after defeat at Lord’s, amassed 589/8 declared in their first innings with Root scoring 254.

Saina Nehwal seeded fifth at Olympics Star India shuttler Saina Nehwal has been seeded fifth while her compatriot PV Sindhu is seeded ninth in the women's singles at the upcoming Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.

Kidambi Srikanth, meanwhile, has received a ninth seeding in the men's draw.

Saina is world no 5 and Sindhu is ranked 10th in women's singles, Srikanth's ranking is 11th in the world in men's singles. The seedings are based on the world rankings as of July 21 for the final confirmed Olympic qualifiers.

Each singles category has 13 seeds. Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei and Spain's

winner of three World Superseries titles this year, is also seeded ahead of the London Olympic bronze medallist Saina.

There are only four seeds in each of the three doubles categories and none of the Indian pairs figure in the seeding list.

Carolina Marin are the top seeds in men's and women's singles, respectively. Lee, runner-up at the last two Olympics and winner of two BWF World Superseries titles this season, is followed in the seedings by two-time world champion Chen Long (2; China) and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan (3; China).

In women's singles, two-time world champion Marin heads a competi-

The men's singles draw will consist of 41 players in 13 groups, while 40 competitors will be divided into 13 groups in women's singles.

Each group will have one seed. The draw in doubles will have four groups of four pairs. Each group will include a seeded pair.

tive field ahead of two Chinese Wang Yihan (2) and defending Olympic champion Li Xuerui (3). Thailand's in-form Ratchanok Intanon (4),

Two Indian sports persons fail dope test Dope misery came India's way when two Rio-bound Indian sports persons wrestler Narsingh Yadav and shot putter Inderjeet Singh tested positive for banned substance. The 28year-old Inderjeet was caught using a banned steroid in an out-of-competition test on June 22.

Sources said it was a "fancy-sounding" drug though the name could not be ascertained.

"The National Anti-Doping Agency sent a letter to the athletics federation saying Inderjeet had failed a dope test," a source said. India was sending its largest-ever athletics contingent to the Olympics and this latest development has created huge doubts in the minds of the international dopewatchers.Gold-medallist in the Asian championships, Asian Grand Prix and the

Narsingh Yadav

World University Games last year, Inderjeet was the first Indian athlete to qualify for Rio and the hope of breaching the 21m barrier on his Olympic debut, led him to a US-training stint in Pennsylvania. It is here, people close to the development, feel that he might have come in touch with performance enhancing substances.

Inderjeet had been registered by NADA for its testing pool and he was "avoiding" getting tested by the agency. "We were

SPORT Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

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Indian hockey wizard Mohammed Shahid is no more

Mohammed Shahid, one of the greatest names in Indian hockey and part of the team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, has died at a Gurgaon hospital owing to a severe liver condition and kidney failure. He was 56.

Shahid, whose abilities as a forward during the 1980s marked him out as an exceptional talent, had been admitted to SSL Hospital at Banaras Hindu University with severe stomach pain. With his health deteriorating, he was flown to New Delhi and admitted at Gurgaon's Medanta Medicity hospital.

Three weeks later, on July 20 he passed away. He is survived by his wife Parveen Shahid and twin children Mohammad Saif and Heena Shahid.

Born on April 14, 1960 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Shahid burst onto the international hockey scene at the age of 19 in 1979 against France at the Junior World Cup. But it was during a four-nation tournament in Malaysia that he won rave reviews from his captain Vasudev Baskaran - who would lead India at the 1980 Olympics - while leaving the opposing Pakistan players stunned by his mastery.

Shahid's style of play was based on speed and an ability to dribble the ball with rare wizardry, and it was this aspect of his game which won him fans across the country during the 1980s and revived Indian hockey when interest had started to wane against cricket's immense popularity following the 1983 World Cup win.

Fellow hockey great Zafar Iqbal, with whom Shahid formed a terrific pair on the hockey field during that decade - in particular at the 1982 and 1986 Asian Games - was distraught at the news. "I am deeply saddened, I have lost one of my closest comrades. We played together for seven years. His contributions to the game are immeasurable," Zafar, who had visited the ailing Shahid in the hospital, said.

On hearing the tragic news, India's goalkeeper and captain for the Rio Olympics PR Sreejesh, who had visited the ailing Shahid last week, was left stunned. "I am speechless. When we visited him, the situation was very critical. It's a great loss for Indian hokey. Shahid was a living legend who brought hockey to a different level," he said.

Shahid - who also captained India during the 1985-86 season - received the Arjuna Award in 1981 and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1986. Since retiring from hockey, the somewhat reclusive Shahid had worked with the Indian railways and was based in his hometown Varanasi.

Sachin Tendulkar to meet Indian team in Rio

Inderjeet Singh

doubting something was wrong when we came to know about him avoiding the NADA tests. Our worst fears have come true," sources said.

Inderjeet returned from the US in the summer and participated in the Indian Grand Prix in the capital in April where he finished a fault-ridden second. Though he struggled with a shoulder injury and loss of form in recent times, but still he was considered a potential finalist in the Rio Olympics.

Meanwhile, Narsingh Yadav was surprised with the positive result, NADA Director General Navin Agarwal said. Narsingh was set to compete in the 74kg freestyle category at the Olympics. Agarwal said it was too early to say if Yadav's Rio hopes are over.

"The disciplinary panel has sought more details on the case," he said. "It's too early to determine how much time they will take to come out with a verdict. But I would say we should know in a week."

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will travel to the Rio Olympics after being invited by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach along with other eminent global personalities.

Tendulkar, who is an Indian Olympic Association goodwill ambassador, will leave for the Brazillian city on August 2 and also meet the Indian contingent during his trip. “Sachin recently visited the government hospital in Mumbai to get a yellow fever vaccination which is mandatory for countries like Brazil.”

Tendulkar, who underwent a knee surgery in London recently, is expected to be reasonably fit to travel to Rio. His trip comes amid speculation that cricket could be included in the 2024 Games roster.

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Asian Voice | 30th July 2016

India crush West Indies by an innings India defeated West Indies by an innings and 92 runs on the fourth day of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua on Sunday following a seven-wicket haul by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ashwin decimated the West Indies' middle and lower order after lunch to boast figures of 7/83. This was India's biggest margin of victory outside the subcontinent.

Ashwin made good use of the conditions to extract appreciable turn from the pitch and was helped along by some poor application by the West Indies batsmen. Carlos Braithwaite, who remained unbeaten on 51, was the highest scorer among the hosts. Coming together with the hosts toterring at 132/8, Braithwaite and Devendra Bishoo (45) engaged in a desperate battle with the Indian bowlers as they sought to postpone defeat.

The duo displayed copious amounts of patience

and application to frustrate the Indian bowlers for a long time and forge a 95run partnership. Bishoo even hit Ashwin over the mid-wicket boundary for a six a couple of overs before tea to offer some much needed cheer to the home crowd. However, the hosts' heroic resistance suffered a rather tame end shortly after tea. Bishoo fell agonisingly short of a half-century when he offered a relatively tame catch to Cheteshwar Pujara at midwicket while trying to hoist a delivery by Ashwin.

Shannon Gabriel lasted all of three deliveries before being outfoxed by an Ashwin delivery that spun in sharply to hit the stumps as the visitors celebrated a well-deserved victory.

Earlier, the West Indies continued their battle during the rain-shortened morning session.

Opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika and Samuels forged a 67-run stand following the dismissal of Darren Bravo early in the morning. The match was halted due to rain half an hour before the

end of the first session, forcing an early lunch, as the West Indies, who were on Saturday bowled out for 243 in their first essay, were battling to avert an innings defeat. Resuming the day at 21/1, the West Indies received a big blow in the first over of the day when left-handed overnight batsman Bravo edged an awaymoving delivery from pacer Umesh Yadav to wide third slip fielder Ajinky Rahane, who dived low to his left to pluck a brilliant catch.

It was just the start the Virat Kohli-led visitors wanted and the wicket further boosted their confidence. However, the home batting duo of Chandrika and Samuels came out with strong resistance to deny India any more wickets.

While Chandrika was all about doggedness and determination as he played 84 deliveries for 22 not out, Samuels, 35, showed the way for the West Indies with attacking intent.

Samuels took the attack to the opposition and hit 11 boundaries among the 85 deliveries he faced.

Indian pacer Ishant Sharma tested him early with rising deliveries but he fended them with determination - twice spanking them through the covers for fours. Indian bowlers also made the fault of bowling much outside the off stump as Samuels and Chandrika found them comfortable.

Froome wins the Tour de France for 3rd time

Chris Froome of Britain survived two crashes, severe storms, an uphill dash on foot and a daredevil descent to become the winner of the Tour de France for a third time last week. With the victory, Froome, the leader of Team Sky, cemented his status as a cyclist without peer and Sky’s as cycling's top team.

Initially a seemingly quixotic project to transform Britain into a cycling power, Sky has now won three of the last four Tours.

It did not win the bestteam competition at the Tour, which is based on aggregated times, but it was able to consistently surround Froome with strong teammates, one of the keys to his victory, particularly in light of the exceptionally strong winds the riders faced in southern France.

Following tradition, the final stage, which concluded with nine laps of the Champs-Élysées, was largely ceremonial. The riders swapped congratulations, and Froome and his teammates sipped some Champagne and beer while showing off special race clothing. The host broadcaster took full advantage of its helicopter

Indian eves crush Canada 5-2 in USA tour

The Indian women's hockey team produced a rampaging performance as they thumped Canada 5-2 to record their second victory in their USA tour in Pennsylvania last week. Starting quickly off the blocks India were dominant in the early exchanges, pushing Canada on the defensive. The Eves won a PC early in the first quarter, but failed to convert from it. Soon enough though, they had the lead via Vandana Katariya's field goal in the ninth minute. Canada came out quicker in the second quarter and scored the equaliser via a Stephanie Norlander PC conversion in the 17th minute. Over the course of the quarter, India stoically defended several of Canada's PCs and ensured they went into half time level at 1 goal apiece. The two teams came out all guns blazing in the second half; Canada dominating the ball in midfield as India looked to play on the counter. It was the latter's tactics that worked, though. A quick press led to Deepika scoring their second to take the lead in the 38th minute. Canada equalised via a Brienne Stairs goal in the 42nd minute. With little time left in the third quarter, a host of chances fell to both sides with their respective goalkeepers put to the test. Canada's PC was bravely denied by Savita in India's goal, before an attempt by Anuradha was denied by Kaitlyn Williams in Canada's. Inseparable, the teams went into the final break tied at 2-2. In the final quarter India came out with renewed zest and were soon in the lead via Deepika's second goal in the 49th minute. Two minutes later, Vandana doubled her tally with a field goal and extended India's lead to 4-2. Reeling from the double blow, Canada tried to string together some possession and take control of the game, but India never truly let them back in it. Poonam Rani scored a fifth in the 58th minute to consolidate a second consecutive victory for India on the tour.

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra creates history

camera to show off scenic wonders, particularly the 16th-century chateau and elaborate stables in Chantilly, where the 113km (70.2-mile) stage started.

There was no in-race drinking, however, for the sprinters of the Tour and the teams that employed them. André Greipel, a German rider on the Belgian Lotto Soudal team, won what is probably cycling’s most prestigious sprint.

“Thanks for your kindness in these difficult times,” Froome said in French from the Tour’s final podium. “You have the most beautiful race in

the world. Vive le Tour.

Vive La France.”

This month’s truck attack in Nice did not noticeably thin the crowd that gathered to see Froome lead the race onto the Champs-Élysées. But security, traditionally high, had clearly been increased.

Cafes along the cobbled street were ordered closed, as were some Metro stations. At the subway stops that did remain open, spectators were held back to allow police officers to inspect bags and parcels.

France’s riot police teams are usually kept in vans and buses on side streets during the Tour’s finale. On Sunday, they

were out mingling with the crowd, as were plainclothes officers dressed as cycling fans.

The French, who still pine for another Tour winner, still had a rider to cheer this time. Romain Bardet, the unusually slim climber, gave them a lastminute stage win and finished second over all, if a substantial 4 minutes 5 seconds behind Froome.

The final podium spot went to Nairo Quintana of Colombia, the leader of the Spanish Movistar team, who showed none of the form he had used on the second-to-last stage in 2015 to give Froome a scare.

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to set a world record on his way to win a gold medal at the IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championship at Bydgoszcz in Poland last week. Neeraj, who hails from Panipat, logged a throw of 86.48m to become the first Indian athlete to win gold at any world athletics championship. The 18-year-old Indian athlete kicked off his first round with a throw of 79.66m that put him in second place before he bounced back strongly to post the world record in his second attempt. South Africa's Johan Grobler finished second with a throw of 80.59m ahead of Grenada's Anderson Peters, who logged 79.69m. With the feat, Chopra has also snapped the old world record of 84.69 metres held

by Latvian Zigismunds Sirmais. He also bettered his previous personal best of 82.23 set at the South Asian Games earlier this year, which was incidentally a national record. Neeraj's throw also put him ahead of reigning defending Olympic gold medalist Keshorn Walcott, who recorded his best at 86.35m in 2016