AV 31st October 2020

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

inside: Tatas and Guptas eye Thyssenkrupp SEE PAGE - 7

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

31 OCT - 6 NOV 2020 - VOL 49 ISSUE 27

‘WE WILL FEED THE KIDS’ Community cafes and restaurants come forward to eliminate child food poverty as Government shirks its responsibility Priyanka Mehta Boris Johnson has refused to extend free school meals over half term for 1.4 million children despite mounting pressure from local councils, vulnerable parents and 2,200 paediatricians who are urging the Government to reverse its decision. Prime Minister believes he is supporting families through extra money for universal credit and additional funding for councils. But the Tory government has faced increased criticism for its failure to prevent children from starvation as parents particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds struggle to stay afloat especially in the North of England.

Continued on page 6

Fake Covid marshals and robbers target Asian households SEE PAGE - 18

PM Modi opens Girnar ropeway in Gujarat SEE PAGE - 22

India, US sign major defence pact BECA

Mark Esper, Mike Pompeo, Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar The long-awaited Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement or BECA, which gives India access to classified geo-spatial data as well as critical information having significant military applications from the US, was signed on Tuesday as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held the third edition of the 2+2 talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper,

Continued on page 25

2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

www.asian-voice.com

31 Oct - 6 Nov 2020

with Keith Vaz

Landlord fined for risking tenants’ lives

Christina McAnea Christina McAnea grew up in a council estate in Glasgow. Her mother was a cleaner and her father a labourer. She left school at 16 and had various jobs before going to university at 22.

Christina started working for the trade union movement in her 20s in Glasgow and a few years later moved to London. She has worked for UNISON for over 25 years as a national negotiator and is currently Assistant General Secretary, leading the union's bargaining and equalities work. Unison is Britain’s largest union with hundreds of thousands of ethnic minority workers. As one of the most powerful women in the trade union movement Christina has negotiated national agreements in schools, colleges and universities and was chief negotiator for the NHS workforce for over 7 years. She is married and has 2 children - a daughter aged 28 and a son aged 24.

1

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

I consider myself a Scottish Londoner and love both Glasgow and London. They're diverse, lively and friendly cities. There's a river running through both cities and I always feel my heart lift when I cross the Thames or arrive in Glasgow by train and cross the Clyde into Central Station.

What are your proudest achievements?

2

Having two amazing, bright, kind children.

My daughter, Natasha and son, Michael.

Being able to do a job I love for so many years. Leading the first strike in the NHS in over 20 years and getting more money from the Government for low paid workers.

What inspires you?

3

UNISON members who do stressful and difficult jobs for not much money and still manage to support others. I'm hugely impressed by the insight, humour and passion they bring to the union.

What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Politicians and employers who are narrowminded and prejudiced and make assumptions about unions and working people. Of course there are sometimes similar people in unions but thankfully they're not usually in power.

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

My mother was a low paid worker and one of the cleverest and best read people I ever knew. It was the principles she passed on to me about speaking up for yourself, but more importantly, standing up for others

4 5

that have stayed with me throughout my life.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

UNISON and its members have a great reputation and as the lead negotiator for the union when I'm in talks with government ministers and departments or with national employers, I know they know I have the backing of 1.3 million members!

And the worst?

6.

7.

Hearing some of the appalling stories about the way some groups of workers are treated e.g. in the care sector and knowing that there are so many who aren't in a union and that it's probably even worse for them.

What are your long-term goals?

8

I want to help change the way society views and rewards the jobs and skills that really make a difference. Looking after children, the vulnerable, disabled or elderly should be seen as among the most important jobs you can do.

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

I would make quality childcare free for everyone - it's the single biggest way to improve equality and the life chances of the most disadvantaged children and brings long term benefits to everyone.

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

Fred Astaire - he could reminisce about his career and hopefully teach me how to dance.

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10

Yasmin Qureshi discharged from hospital On Friday 23rd, a Labour MP for Bolton South East who had been suffering from pneumonia due to coronavirus had been discharged from hospital.

Yasmin Qureshi and her family had reportedly been in self-isolation after being infected by Covid-19 but then began to feel "much

worse" and was admitted at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Thanking the NHS staff for their "excellent care", she tweeted, "A quick message to say that, thanks to the excellent care I received at [Bolton NHS] over the last week, I have now been discharged from hospital. I am so grateful to the wonderful

staff who looked after me and proud of the NHS."

Paedophile Imam avoids jail On Saturday 24th October, it was reported that Imam Hafiz Rahman who was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault has avoided jail by fleeing to Bangladesh and has never returned to serve his sentence.

The was convicted of five counts of indecent assault at a mosque in the Black Country and was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in jail. But he fled to Bangladesh after being found guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court on October 7, 2016. Now, the victim who had been abused for nearly four years, has aired her concerns with Birmingham Mail that her paedophile attacker may allegedly be doing the same to others. The victim was reportedly only seven when the Imam started taking her to his room, stroking her hair and telling her how pretty she was and gradually proceeded

to serious assault. In a statement to Birmingham Mail, she said, “I was only seven when it started. I didn’t understand Imam Hafiz Rahman what he was doing other than I knew I didn’t like it. In no time, he was touching me everywhere. I tried to push him away, but I didn’t dare say I didn’t like it. Everyone thought I was safe at the mosque. I had tantrums, saying I didn’t want to go, but my parents put it down to my age – and I’d still have to go. "The fact he's been gone so long only makes it worse. I imagine him laughing and thinking: 'I've got away with it. I think he's living his life in Bangladesh and I fear he's doing it again.

That's what worries me the most.”

On Wednesday 21st October, it was reported that a landlord had been fined for risking lives of dozens of tenants.

Manjit Dulay who reportedly owned over 70 flats with a £30 million property empire “like a corner shop” was fined over his failure to ensure fire safety regulations were in place.

In 2014 Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service had first informed Manjit of urgent improvements required and fire safety standards to be upgraded at the site. But repeated inspections by authorities found a non-functioning fire alarm system, useless smoke detectors, unsuitable fire escape routes and a broken emergency air venting system.

Reports note that following these inspections, he was served with a formal enforcement notice in April 2016 and in 2017, Leicester Crown Court heard about recurring problems besides the new ones.

Over time, the fire service officers had installed new smoke detectors themselves and in 2017 Manjit had hired an online company to do a fire risk assessment for £400 but apparently never informed them of the enforcement notice or the scale of problems.

Despite spending money to illegally build two penthouses on the blocks without planning permission, Manjit failed to do the work required to meet fire safety requirements.

On Wednesday, he was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to six counts of risking people’s death or injury by breaching fire regulations.

Besides regulatory breaches, Manjit from Greater Rochdale, Manchester, admitted failing to surrender to bail in February this year. He had absconded for 130 days and then also missed a later appointment to sign in at a police station.

According to Leicester

Manjit Dulay Image Courtesy: Leicester Mercury

Mercury, Lawrence Henderson, representing Dulay, said, “He’s no businessman – he’s a builder. He has taken on far more than he could manage. He’s trying to keep up with what he’s created.”

Whereas Judge Robert Brown told Mr Henderson, “You’re describing a multinational being run like a corner shop. He’s completely out of his depth.”

Judge Brown gave Dulay a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, and ordered him to pay an £80,000 fine plus £66,418 in costs.

The judge told Dulay, “You’re a builder, not a businessman. A radical new approach to compliance is now necessary.”

Drayton Manor Theme Park to be prosecuted On Thursday 22nd October, a theme park will finally be prosecuted for allegedly breaching health and safety regulations.

Drayton Manor Theme Park will face a charge under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act following the death of 11-year-old Evha Jannath who died in 2017 after falling from the park's Splash Canyon water ride. Evha was playing a game with friends to see who could get the wettest when she was 'propelled' 12ft head-first into water on the Splash Canyon ride.

In October 2019, the

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had announced an intention to bring charges against the park. An inquest later declared her death had been 'accidental'. But the HSE confirmed that it is to prosecute the business even as no date has been set for any hearing.

Evha's family, living in the Belgrave area of Leicester, has reportedly welcomed the decision. Her brother Mohammed, in a statement to The Mirror said, “We would like to thank the police, our solicitors, and the community for their help. We have lost our

darling Evha forever.

Nothing will bring her back.”

Cemeteries to run out of graves in Birmingham On Friday 23rd October, Birmingham City Council announced that it will run out of graves at one of its cemeteries in the aftermath of Coronavirus.

According to the local authority only 15 Muslim graves were available at the Handsworth Cemetery and fewer than 70 for other religions, when the article was written. It is anticipated that the cemetery will be full to the Muslim community within a fortnight and to other communities within the next two to three months.

Cllr Sharon Thompson, cabinet member for homes and neighbourhoods said, “The impact of Covid-19 has meant that burial space at Handsworth Cemetery has been used at a faster rate than we would have previously anticipated.

“However, we’ve planned for the time the

cemetery at Handsworth would reach its capacity.

The investment at Sutton New Hall is significant and will provide sufficient burial land in Birmingham for the next 18 years for those communities who wish to be buried in that part of the

city. It has been designed to meet the needs of all communities that wish to be buried at Sutton New Hall Cemetery and can accommodate people from all faiths, as well as different types of graves to meet customers’ wishes.”

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COMMENTS

3

24 - 30 October 2020

Mayors battle ministers At the beginning of this month, two-thirds of black and Asian business owners had stated that they had difficulty accessing state-backed loans and grants in the early days of the pandemic.

According to the Federation of Small Businesses, 250,000 minority-owned businesses contribute £25bn to the economy annually but have been hit disproportionately hard since the start of the crisis. Many have therefore been left on the brink of financial ruin and shut their shops including Asian restaurants, hairdressers, and high street stores. Most have appreciated the Chancellor’s numerous job support schemes and myriad loans for the SMEs but some campaigners have also highlighted that the system is designed in such a way that it prevents minority business owners from access to these sources as a result of institutional inequalities and discriminatory practices in the banking industry. While Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been calling the lockdown “shots” for pubs and bars from their cocoons in Westminster, it is the local councils and regional Mayors who have stood their ground. Mayor Andy Burnham held steadfast against Tier 3 lockdown rules forcing London to offer financial compensation to Greater Manchester. The breakdown in the financial negotiations resulted in Manchester receiving a £60 million support package which fell short of the £75 million financial bailout initially proposed by Mayor Andy Burnham. Yet, businesses in the North of England, which up until now have mostly been ignored by the London powerhouse have some sort of support to whether through a grim Christmas.

In the meantime, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is facing similar intimidation from his predecessor Boris Johnson around the survival of the Transport for London (TfL). Mayor Khan has accused Johnson of “blatantly lying” to the parliament as he negotiates a £4.9bn settlement for the next 18 months to

keep the capital’s tube and bus services going in the aftermath of collapsed revenues because of Covid-19. In 2016, under Johnson, the TfL had a nominal £9.14 bn and as of last year, that debt has increased to £11.175bn with the repeated delays in the cross-rail project being the biggest factor. Now, Sadiq has also accused Johnson of trying to claw back losses through an increase in tube and bus fares, an extension of the congestion charge and higher council tax in exchange for rescue funding.

And employees of the hospitality industry in London had to protest outside Downing Street practically begging the Chancellor for more financial support.

Ultimately, Rishi Sunak was forced into unveiling a lastminute multi billion-pound package for business and workers amid fears of mass unemployment especially as UKHospitality warned of the loss of 750,000 jobs. While Rishi Sunak has been fortunate to have received positive publicity owing to his generous spending spree, both the Mayor of London and Greater Manchester have echoed the “class issue” and “racial inequalities” that the Chancellor appears to be far removed from.

In their joint statement, they said, “The Chancellor takes no account of the number of businesses in an area and the fact that busy city centres like ours have more hospitality enterprises. But there is a class issue here too: the businesses forced to close are concentrated in the poorest communities. They will be hurt most by Tier 3 lockdown.“This isn’t about wanting preferential treatment. It is about basic fairness. It is about treating cities fairly - wherever they are – given they are hit harder by lockdowns. The problem with money and power being concentrated in Westminster is that Whitehall doesn’t see the direct impact of policies in Liverpool, Manchester or even parts of London.”

Perhaps, it is time ministers stopped intimidating the Mayors.

The UK-India handshake With the heavily critiqued yet game changing efforts and policies of the Indian government, in just over half a decade, India is set to become the world’s second largest startup ecosystem by 2022.

In the past decade, 55,000 startups have been launched in India with more than 3200 startups raising US $63bn in funding in the last five and a half years alone. India has also been producing the world's cheapest solar power since 2019. India runs more than 30 skills/training programmes in areas of leather processing, paints and coatings, electroplating and metal finishing, industrial maintenance engineering, bioinformatics, mechatronics, and glass beaded jewellery among others.

As per the World Bank Report 2019, India stands 77th in the Ease of Doing Business Index, taking 26 days to start a new business in the country. The “Make In India” mission came to life in 2014 when India’s PM Narendra Modi green lit it to revive the manufacturing sector by attracting investments from domestic and foreign companies and encouraging local entrepreneurs.

With the advent of Digital India programme, from newly digitised corner shops to local entrepreneurs, India currently has 38,000 active startups as of September 2020, with an average of 4000 added every year. At every step when India pivoted to a new technology at a grass-root level, the citizens slowly caught up with it and are now knowingly or unknowingly well versed and in fact dependent on those technologies.

The UK-India cultural, research and technological ties have only strengthened over the years. British tech companies have attracted a record of VC funding in 2019. Last year, Ola announced its London launch and IT giant Infosys opened its first design and innovation studio in the heart of the city’s tech hub, followed by the latest “Tech Clusters” project as a part of UK-India Tech Partnership - a £3-million fund that invites tech

innovators with connections to the Artificial Intelligence-Data cluster in Karnataka and the Future Mobility cluster in Maharashtra.

According to YourStory, “London is emerging as the natural home for fintech entrepreneurs because of the diverse experiences they can pack into one day. They can meet the regulator in the morning, have lunch with a global bank, hire a top engineer in the afternoon, and enjoy world-class culture in the evening.”

An online publication recently said that the “UK Will Be A Co-Star In India’s Tech Blockbuster”. As we approach Brexit, it would be significant to note that the UK is now the single largest western investor in India with British businesses creating over 422,000 jobs since the turn of the century. India, on the other hand, is the third-largest source of FDI into the UK. Its record number of 842 companies, with combined revenues of £48 billion, employ nearly 110,000 people in the UK. The benefits of this partnership will pave the way for new jobs, economic growth and new avenues to co-create and co-innovate. London is now touted as the launchpad for Indian startups and industries.

UK PM Boris Johnson has stated that the Oxford vaccine is now in Stage 3 of clinical trials, and they have reached agreement with the Serum Institute of India to supply 1 billion doses to low and middle-income countries. While UK-India stick to their commitment of saving the world from this pandemic, to maximise the output from the relationship between the two countries, especially in the startup world, there’s a strong need to reimagine work and invest in growth. The pandemic has brought some permanent changes to the world which requires tech-based solutions for cultural and digital shift. Creating agile work models, redefining normalcy and fostering innovation, and digital adoption will take this relationship forward.

Trump and Biden’s ‘Indian’ bid to win election With just a few days left for the 3 November US election, Republican incumbent Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden both hit the campaign trail soon after the Presidential debate. Trump held rallies in Florida while Biden gave a speech in Delaware. Both of them lashed out at each other with Trump downplaying the threat of coronavirus pandemic and Biden trying to corner him on the same issue questioning Trump's leadership.

Florida is an important state and has often decided who wins the presidency. Biden has a firm lead over Trump in the state.

This election, like the one before, the Indian American voters are playing a pivotal role. They are being courted by both the Republicans and the Democrats this election cycle. The community has historically leaned Democrat. In August, BBC’s Brajesh Upadhyay reported that on a lazy Saturday afternoon, the Trump campaign launched an advert overnight- the viral video had President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking hand-in-hand and showering praise at each other. It had more than a million views on social media. The excitement was unprecedented.Though the Democrats do not have a TrumpModi ally, but they have half-Indian Kamala Harris, who has her own fan-following. Poles suggest Ms Harris has very high chances of winning at the upcoming elections.

Republicans have tried to make inroads into the Indian American community for years, but it was only in 2016 that they had some success through Mr Trump. He was noticed as taking a strong stand against "radical Islamic terror", an issue that resonates with many Indian Americans of Hindu faith.

Many in the community also believe he strongly supports Mr Modi's viewpoint and policies on Kashmir. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense chief Mark Esper's defence and strate-

gic deal with India keeping an eye on China has also struck a deep chord with the diaspora. Though Indian Americans constitute just 1.5 per cent of the population, they play an important role in deciding who would be America's next president. At four million, Indians are the second-largest immigrant group after Mexicans.

Being a high-earning and educated immigrant group makes Indian Americans a very attractive pool of potential donors for political campaigns. Not surprisingly, both Republicans and Democrats make ardent efforts to court them especially in highly contested regions. Of course, whoever leads the nation, will have to forge a strong relationship with India, but fears are Biden may not support PM Modi’s stance on Kashmir. The Diplomat reported that some Republicans argue that presidents from their party are better for the US-India relationship because Democrats harassed India about the development of nuclear weapons during the last century. But party affiliation has unfortunately little to do with assessing which candidate is better for US-Indian relations.

However, Democratic President Barack Obama is the only American President to have made multiple official visits to India.

As chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade in 2015, Obama seemed as close to Modi as Trump did at the recent Gujarat rally.

On the question of threats of terrorism originating from Pakistan, both men have made it clear they stand solidly behind India.One of the main reasons why Biden has chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate is that she is Indian origin and Black. There are 1.8 million Indian Americans, whose vote in crucial swing states ranging from Arizona to Wisconsin could help tip the election one way or another. It may be worth noting that as many as 84 per cent of the Indian American community had voted for President Obama.

Whether the same trend is repeated is yet to be seen.

We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success. – Arianna Huffington

Alpesh Patel

Lessons in Being Prime Ministerial Dear PM Khan, (I know, like you, I cannot believe it either), I thought you may find it instructive to be schooled in the art of Statesmanship and being Prime Ministerial. Let’s start with your Tweets of late. It may be you’ve lost your password and some deranged lunatic has access to your account. Twitter Inc can help recover your account. If you are indeed the one Tweeting, then here are some pointers. First, never Tweet angry. Second, assume you’re always angry.

Let us begin. Everything doesn’t have to be about religion. Politics and religion are a toxic mix. Tone it down. Second, the French. We in Britain have had a few scraps with our garlic eating, wine drinking neighbours. I think we’ve had more wars with the French than the Russians or Germans. But, we like their values. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.

So, when their President gets irked one of their school teachers is beheaded medieval style, you should not bully the victim. We call that victim shaming. It’s not right to say it’s the teachers’ fault. Look, like you, my people have suffered images of Krishna on footwear, and toilet seats.

We get upset, but like civilised people we send polite messages to people not to do it. And they listen and respect that. We don’t threaten them with mass killings, shootings and suicides. Well, they wouldn’t believe us anyway. But when you say that on Twitter PM Khan, they will believe you. Don’t say such things.

It’s bad brand management. You know what they say, ‘it may be you, that’s the problem, PM Khan.’

You seem to think it is okay to chop the head off first, then say to the victim, ‘what do you expect?’.

That’s not how it works. In a civilised country, we try to persuade, explain our feelings are hurt. If a law is broken, we point that out. We don’t go around chopping heads off – and the French certainly don’t – well, not for a couple of hundred years now.

Now, you’ve studied in the UK, partied large at Annabel’s, you know the importance of liberty and how the West works. I appreciate you’ve left that life and they do say, ‘none as extreme as a convert.’

I heard a rumour you went to my University. I, umm, don’t mean to be rude, but having heard your whaling at the UN, I’d really need to see a certificate of admission on that one.

So let’s get back to the French. Perhaps try explaining in your ‘inside’ not cricket field voice that you get upset and it’s not right. I get that. I wouldn’t want to wantonly insult someone’s religion. I agree with you. But to go straight to the nuclear option, well, you seem to have two switches, off and nuclear.

Try nuance. Try something in between. Now genetically I know you will say you come from warrior clans and fighters and only know to fight. We saw that from your relative General Niazi in the 1971. But trust me on this one. You’re not good at the war, fighting thing. If you were, Gandhiji would not have had to go non-violent.

So, top tip. Don’t go nuclear and threaten everyone with annihilation each time you get upset. Take some CBD oil. It’s legal, unlike those other crops you’re exporting. But that’s for another column.

And next time you’re in London, let’s do Annabel’s – a quick one at least.

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31 Oct - 6 Nov 2020

BAME doctors suffer career progression “Racial discrimination” against doctors from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the NHS have impacted their career progression.

A latest report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has found that BAME doctors are consistently disadvantaged when applying for jobs owing to ingrained “bias” in the NHS. Thus, making it much harder for BAME doctors to succeed through consultant interviews in comparison with their white counterparts. The RCP analysed data from 8 years’ worth of annual surveys reporting on the experiences of, and outcomes for, clinicians within a year of completing their medical cer-

tificate of completion of training (CCT).

The RCP which represents 30,000 doctors across the UK found that CCT holders of white ethnicity appeared to apply for fewer posts but were more likely to be shortlisted and to be offered a post. This year’s survey results show that this is still the case, with 61% respondents of white ethnicity far more likely to be shortlisted for an interview and offered a post despite applying for fewer posts than their BAME counterpart. In the meantime, white respondents had a 98% chance of being shortlisted after their first application, compared with 91% of BAME respondents. This gap widened even further when it came to the

likelihood of being offered a post the first-time round: 29% of white respondents were offered a post after being shortlisted for the first time, compared with just 12% of BAME respondents.

In a statement, Professor Mala Rao OBE, medical adviser for the Workforce Race Equality Strategy Implementation Team said, “The RCP should be commended for highlighting the persistence of ethnic variation in the rate of success in securing a consultant post, in each of the past 8 years. Its 2018 data did indeed inspire the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES) steering group to include this analysis in its indicator set and other medical royal colleges to begin to examine

Amish Tripathi: Tolkien of India Priyanka Mehta

Professor Mala Rao

their own data.

“The RCP’s firm stance against racism and its determination to understand how differential attainment affects its BAME members in their career progression are hugely welcome, as this encourages the whole of the medical workforce to come together to share learning and address race inequalities across the specialties”.

Islamophobhia adviser criticises government On Monday 26th October, the deputy chair of a government taskforce on antiMuslim alleged that Matt Hancock’s claim that “Muslim communities were not social distancing” ahead of Eid had produced “hateful narratives”.

Qari Asim, criticised the government for their refusal to publish evidence behind Health Secretary’s unfounded claims that people were “ignoring government guidelines” as he imposed a lockdown in Northern England ahead of Eid al-Adha. The Muslim community is gravely disturbed with some politicians claiming that com-

Qari Asim

ments from other Tory MPs like Craig Whittaker were “divisive and discriminatory” while some academics opined that they resulted in bullying and misinformation from farright social media net-

works. In the meantime, the government never released any information or evidence publicly that supported their targeted approach of one community.

Now, in response to a freedom of information request to The Guardian, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that it held the evidence to support Hancock’s claim but refused to publish it. It said to publish the data would jeopardise “the internal deliberative process as it relates to policy making”.

But Asim has been urging ministers to publish the data immediately. In a statement to The Guardian, he said, “We saw a rise of Islamophobia online [in the aftermath of the announcement] and the Muslim communities were seen as the cause of another lockdown. Some people definitely felt that the timing of the announcement was very poor. The way it was made showed disregard to a faith community. We don’t want to give rise to hateful narratives and it’s really import that the authorities ensure that such hateful narratives are not suppored.”

Investigation into forced labour of Uyghur Muslims The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is expected to hold a Commons’ hearing session investigating the risks that UK-based businesses presently face in engaging with supply chains that originate in China.

The committee has said that its inquiry would investigate how UK-based retailers are making use of the forced labour of people from the Uyghur minority ethnic group in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

The group of retailers include fashion giant Boohoo which was recently embroiled in a separate controversy around “poor working conditions” for employees in the UK who were allegedly also paid below minimum living wages.

Nusrat Ghani MP leading the BEIS Committee for the Forced labour in UK value chains inquiry said, “There have been a series of accounts of products being sold in the UK which can be traced back to forced labour at camps in China. On the BEIS Committee, we want to

Nusrat Ghani

get a clearer sense of the extent of this problem,

how seriously businesses ask questions of their own supply and valuechains, and to also examine the steps both Government and business could take to ensure that businesses and consumers in the UK do not perpetuate the forced labour of Uyghur.” The Committee also welcomes views on

PROFILE OF THE WEEK

whether existing legislative and audit requirements for businesses in the UK are sufficient to prevent them from contributing to the human rights abuses experienced

by Uyghurs.

The Committee is also keen to understand what action stakeholders believe the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy should take to eradicate forced labour from the supply chain of goods and services sold in the UK.

His words revolutionised Priyanka Mehtayoung India from tracks of atheism to deism. His books enriched young Indian minds with the historical tenets of their religion, compelling them to draw strength from and take pride in Amish Tripathi their culture and tradition. Amish Tripathi, thus, is often described as the “Tolkien of India”.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, Amish worked in the financial services industry for 14 years before becoming an author and devoting his entire life to the quest of finding mythological answers. Now, in his desire to inform the western world of the legacy of Indian culture and tradition, Amish has taken over as the Director of The Nehru Centre in London since October 2019. Established in 1992, as the cultural wing of the High Commission of India in the UK, Nehru Centre is India’s flagship cultural centre enabling greater engagement with the Indian diaspora settled in the UK. Ever since its inception, the institution has had a two-fold approach to enhance UK-India cultural ties and strengthen diplomatic channels. It has been a one-stop-shop for hosting premier classical musical sessions, dance performances, book launches and round tables that provoke thoughtful debate and discussion on current affairs. Now, Amish is tasked with enhancing the golden aura of the Nehru Centre. And many would keep their eyes peeled on how he replicates his influence on young Indian minds with British Indians.

Discussing his two-pronged approach for greater engagement with the diaspora, Amish said, “Nehru Centre has a wonderful golden legacy. But there was a growing perception that the programmes were appealing only to the elderly among the Indian diaspora. The 2nd & 3rd generation British Indians were not attending our sessions and coronavirus has only added more challenges. So, we have responded in two ways.

“To begin with, we have dramatically altered our programming structures. Whilst many of the older traditional events continue, we have also brought in a series of events with more panache, presenting traditional Indian culture in a modern avatar. From literary events to organising sessions on fusion performing arts, and celebrity-led-events.

“To increase our digital footprint and gain the attention of the “socially-active but socially-distanced” generation we have moved the production of all our events online.

Style is an important quotient besides content in the virtual world. And I am glad to report that the results have been fantastic. Our programmes have attracted over 100,000 viewers from all over the UK. This is far superior to the maximum audiences we drew of around 120 people earlier which was primarily from Central London. Most importantly, our examination of Facebook analytics, have illustrated that we are now attracting younger audiences (including British Indian children), and even Britons of non-Indian origin. One of the challenges we are facing is that expectations have gone up. Many of our viewers are expecting bigger events, with more renowned celebrities.

All of us at the Nehru Centre will work hard to ensure that we don't disappoint you.”

You can keep track of their new programmes at (https://www.nehrucentre.org.uk/), watch all programmes on Facebook (Nehru Centre London), YouTube (The Nehru Centre) and Twitter (@TheNehruCentre).

Lawyers accuse Home Secretary of endangering safety On Sunday 25th October, over 800 retired judges and barristers accused prime minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel of endangering the personal safety of lawyers.

The group has signed an online letter urging Boris Johnson and Priti Patel to apologise for their "display of hostility" towards those working in the justice system. The signatories including Rajiv Menon QC, Sonali Naik QC and Judy Khan QC note, “We are all deeply concerned at recent attacks, made by the Home Secretary and echoed by the Prime Minister, on lawyers seeking to hold the government to

the law. Such attacks endanger not only the personal safety of lawyers and others working for the justice

system, as has recently been vividly seen; they undermine the rule of law which ministers and lawyers alike are duty bound to uphold. We invite both the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister to behave honourably by apologising for their display of hostility, and to refrain from such attacks in the future.”

The letter appears after home secretary’s recent remarks against the “leftist” lawyers who make

removal of asylum seekers from Britain a difficult process by their way of seeking a judicial review.

Prime Minister Johnson has also claimed during the Tory conference that the criminal justice system was being "hamstrung by what the home secretary would doubtless – and rightly – call the lefty human rights lawyers, and other do-gooders”.

Earlier, a 28-year-old man entered the office of Duncan Lewis armed with a knife and was subsequently charged with assault, racially aggravated public disorder, possession of, and making threats with, a bladed article in a public place.

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‘WE WILL FEED THE KIDS’ Continued from page 1 Dr Leena Karnik is a mother of two and a Paediatric Haematologist.

She is one of the 2,200 signaLeena Karnik tories of the open letter from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health urging the Government to provide food vouchers to cover school holidays for children from low-income backgrounds.

Mother and Paediatrician “shocked” at the government’s refusal The letter notes, “As paediatricians we are shocked by the refusal of the UK Government to extend the provision of free school meals in England to children from low-income backgrounds during the school holidays.

“Every day, we see the impact of hunger and malnutrition in our work as paediatricians. It is not unusual for us to care for children who don’t have enough to eat or who don’t have access to a substantial meal outside of what is provided in school. Good nutrition is at the heart of health, wellbeing and development for children and young people.

Without it, children’s health outcomes worsen, and with that, so do their life chances.”

Official reports highlight that 2.4 million children are living in absolute poverty and 2.5 million children live in foodinsecure households.

The Department of Education (DofE)

estimates that children from minority backgrounds are in disproportionately higher need for food vouchers including 25% Bangladeshi pupils, about 20% Pakistani pupils and merely 10% Indian pupils. DofE notes that the greatest representation of 25% children are from the North East, about 20% from the West Midlands and 20% from London in need of these free meal vouchers.

Councillor from Chancellor’s constituency slams Government The Chancellor has been banned from a Yorkshire pub following his vote against the extension of free school meal vouchers.

Now, Liberal Democrats Councillor from Richmond, Rishi Sunak’s constituency has set aside funds for the community.

In a statement Councillor Gareth Roberts, Leader of Richmond Council said, "Hardpressed local councils have already suffered millions of pounds in cuts but we will always do the right thing when it comes to vulnerable children and their families. I am pleased that we can set aside funding here in Richmond. We will protect those who are struggling and in need of help through no fault of their own".

Manchester restaurant distributes 300 packed lunches In the meantime, even as the hospitality industry recuperates from Tier 3 lockdown restrictions in Manchester, restaurants such as Royal Nawaab Manchester have made it their

HenalChotai, Red Cup Cafe has been greatly impacted by the

Royal Nawab Manchester

mission to uplift the doubly disadvantaged Asian community.

Announcing their partnership with The Launch Project, the restaurant said, “In light of the government refusing to provide free school hot meals to struggling families throughout half term, we have decided to offer 300 hot meals at lunchtime for children under the age of 16year-olds who would benefit from it. We have partnered with The Launch Project who will be delivering the meals to the most needed in Greater Manchester”.

The restaurant’s London branch has made a similar announcement with plans of distributing 300 packed lunches in Ealing. The DofE has also noted that the highest proportion of students eligible for free school meals in England are from Asian dominated boroughs including Tower Hamlets, Blackpool, Islington and Hackney. Red Cup Café, a café in North Harrow has also joined footballer Marcus Rashford in his campaign to eliminate food poverty in the UK. Parents of a 4-year-old daughter determined not to let other children starve Owned by Reena and

in brief IMRAN KHAN TO VISIT LONDON

Reena and Henal Chotai

Covid-19 pandemic. Inspired by their 4-year-old daughter and supported by Aarti and Aman Sawhney of New Vision Opticians, the couple is now providing 40 packed lunches every day to all those children in need.

Reena said, “We have an almost 4-year-old daughter and our café had suffered greatly owing to coronavirus. What if we weren't able to provide our daughter with a healthy, nutritious meal, and that anxiety spurred us on. We felt that no child should ever go hungry, regardless of circumstances, especially in our country.

Some provisions should have been made to extend the free school meals for this half term period, especially since most of the country is in Tier 2 or 3 lockdown. So, this can mean delays in payments of Universal Credits or more job losses.”

Their menu includes cheese salad wrap sandwiches, 5 veg pasta, jacket potato with cheese & beans and spaghetti with a Napoli sauce, a fruit juice carton, a piece of fruit, a packet of crisps, biscuits and sweets. The couple is likely to carry this forward to the Christmas holidays.

Imran Khan and Nawaz Shariff

There is a likelihood that Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khancould visit UK to mount pressure on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the deportation of Nawaz Sharif.

Apparently, the Pakistan’s Prime Minister is reportedly miffed with his predecessor, Nawaz Sharif, who has returned to frontline politics while in exile in London. In 2017, Nawaz had been ousted from power by the Supreme Courton charges of corruption.He was permitted to fly to the UK for medical treatment last year but has not returned since. Pakistani newspaper Dawn had earlier reported that three weeks ago a letter for the deportation of the three-time Prime Minister was handed over personally to the British High Commissioner. It has cited UK’s own immigration laws of 1974 under which any person sentenced to imprisonment of more than four years had to be deported to the country of his/her origin. Now, Imran Khan is likely to visit London to speed-up the process and build diplomatic pressure on the UK.

REDUCED SALARY CAPS FOR SKILLED MIGRANTS

Ethnicity to be recorded on death certificates On Thursday 22nd October, the UK government announced a series of measures as part of a review into the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on the black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

According to the first quarterly report, the government has mandated that ethnicity of an individual must be recorded as part of the death certification process.

Speaking at the floor of the Commons, Kemi Badendoch, Minister for Equalities said, “There are other measures we can take to protect those most at risk, particularly those from minority groups. So, in my report to the Prime Minister I outlined a number of recommendations and next steps.

These include mandating the recording of ethnicity data as

part of the death certification process, as this is only way we will be able to establish a complete picture of the impact of the virus on ethnic minority groups; appointing two expert advisers on Covid-19 and ethnicity who will bring expertise from the fields of medicine.”

In its first quarterly report, the Cabinet Office’s race disparity unit (RDU) has gathered evidence and data and summarised the work undertaken across government since the first review commissioned by the Public Health of England.Other steps the Government will take include updating the shielded patient list and establishing a series of roundtables over the coming months with faith leaders and other community representatives.

In the meantime, a separate

Priti Patel

Kemi Badendoch

Doreen Lawrence

Labour report has highlighted that Covid-19 "thrives" among black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) communities because of structural race discrimination.

Authored by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the report notes that ethnic minority groups were "over-exposed" and faced "barriers" to healthcare.

She wrote, “The impact of Covid-19 is not random, but foreseeable and inevitable, the consequence of decades of structural injustice, inequality and discrimination that blights our society.The report said BAME workers were more likely than white people to work in "frontline" jobs and come into contact with coronavirus.”

MI5 reportedly colluded with Pakistan On Tuesday October 27th it emerged that the MI5 had reportedly colluded with Pakistan in the questioning of convicted British terrorist Rangzieb Ahmed in 2006-2007.

The high court heard Ahmed accuse Britain’s security services of suggesting to Pakistan’s ISI agency that they arrest him in 2006, and of submitting questions, which were put to him under torture, during which three of his fingernails were ripped out. In 2008, Ahmed was

found guilty of directing terrorist activities for Al-Qaeda and sentenced to life imprisonment, a conviction that was subsequently upheld by the court of appeal three years later.

According to The Guardian, Ahmed was under surveillance when he was in Britain and Dubai in 2005, but his legal team says he Angzieb Ahmed

was allowed to travel to Pakistan in early 2006 where he was arrested a few months later in August at the “suggestion” of the British government.

During 13 months of detention by Pakistan’s ISI

before he was deported to the UK, Ahmed said he was a victim of torture where he was handcuffed in a cell without daylight, deprived of sleep, beaten with a stick and had three fingernails pulled out by pliers.

The collusion allegations emerged on the first day of a court hearing in which government lawyers are seeking to have Ahmed’s long-running civil claim struck out, arguing that he is effectively trying to reopen his terror conviction.

On 24th October, Prime Minister announced that he had scrapped the target to lower net migration to tens of thousands whilereducing the salary cap for skilled migrants from £35,800 to £25,600.

Under the new proposal, the cap needed for skilled migrants to stay in the UK without any time restrictions will be reduced. These plans have been confirmed by the Home Office and will be introduced from December 1.

This follows figures revealing in August that net migration to the UK soared to its highest level since the Brexit referendum in 2016 in the build up to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the ONS report over the past year, around 715,000 people moved to the UK and around 403,000 people left the UK.

50% WOMEN DON’T CHECK FOR BREAST CANCER British scientists have reported that almost half of women do not check their breasts regularly for potential signs of breast cancer, and one in 10 never do so.

According to a latest survey of 1,086 British women, 47% said that they did not regularly check their breasts for any lumps or changes to their appearance, which may indicate that cancer is present. And specialists in breast cancer said the findings were “a cause for deep concern”, as most cases of the disease are identified when a woman has spotted a change and gone for a medical examination.

Women who do not look for changes in their breasts should get in the habit of examining them, as early detection of lumps and other symptoms could save their life, experts say.

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Tatas and Guptas eye Thyssenkrupp On 23rd October, Friday it was reported that a British based Indian-born businessman had expressed his intent in the acquisition of Germany based Thyssenkrupp's steel business.

Sanjeev Gupta, Founder of Liberty House Group has reportedly reached out to local governments and labour unions in Germany Sanjeev Gupta Ratan Tata demonstrating his keen interest in years with the company cautioning “intensifying the dialogue with that it may incur an operating loss of Thyssenkrupp, and would like to $1.2 billion this year. Coronavirus has engage in further due diligence to preled to a decline in the demand for cars, sent a potential binding offer.” and the European steel market continAccording to Money Control, ues to be inundated with Chinese Gupta is now tasked with the job of imports. Gupta, however, reportedly convincing the unions of his plans, has a two-fold plan to refuel the comconsidering the workers have previpany. ously demonstrated their hostility to He will reportedly inject Liberty any change in ownership of the Steel’s 10 million tons of downstream German company. They prefer the facilities in Europe with 3 million tons local government to take equity in the of steel from Thyssenkrupp. The comsecond-largest steel maker in Europe bined entity’s product portfolio, he after ArcelorMittal. And Gupta has believes will be more diverse and thus emphasised that his plans prevent any less vulnerable to market volatility. redundancies at the plant.

In the meantime, Gupta faces comIn a statement to Money Control, petition from the Swedish steelmaker he said, “At this point of time, we are SSAB AB which is presently weighing a allowed to reach out to the different combination with Tata Steel’s stakeholders. We will use the opportuEuropean business as a back-up plan to nity to explain our plans. a deal with Thyssenkrupp AG. SSAB is “We have never done any redunexpected to gain control of Tata Steel’s dancy. In fact, across the world, wherEuropean business if they pursued such ever we have bought units, we have a deal. But Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty Steel saved jobs. I want to explain to the has already made a non-binding indicaunions that the combination of LIBtive offer for the German business.

ERTY and Thyssenkrupp can help preThyssenkrupp is expected to pick serve jobs,” up to two bidders by the end of The German conglomerate has November. been under stress for the past few

Issa brothers under scrutiny There has been renewed scrutiny on the operations of Blackburn based Issa Brothers after their acquisition of Asda. More so, following Deloitte’s sudden resignation as auditor of the Euro Garages (EG) Group’s. According to the Financial Times the auditing firm is concerned “over its governance and internal controls”.

While Deloitte is reported to audit the firm’s Australian business, the UK books will now be audited by KPMG it is believed.

But beyond that industrialists have raised question marks over how Zubin and Mohsin brothers plan to see through what is considered to be the most ambitious UK grocery deal in decades for which EG had partnered with TDR, a private equity firm.

Media reports have cautioned that the financing structure of the deal has still not been finalised and is subject to change over time. At present the buyers have not made any public announcements or even been on a call with EG’s debt investors.

There is no public information on how the “petrol pump” brothers who were recently honoured in the Queen’s birthday list plan to finance the supermarket bid. It is understood that EG is not a party to the Asda acquisition. But its investors have questions about what such a large deal by the company's owners could mean for them. According to The Times, the brothers are using their petrol

Banned from pub for life On Saturday 24th October, it was reported that Chancellor had been banned from a pub in his constituency for life following his controversial vote against the extension of free school meals.

Rishi Sunak was banned from the Mill pub and its restaurant Il Mulino in North Yorkshire besides three other Tory MPs because they voted against a proposal to extend the scheme over the holidays amid a surge in the coronavirus infections. The hospitality industry especially in North of England has been devasted from the varying “tiers” of lockdown. It has now emerged that Alex Cook in his

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Issa brothers

pump sites as collateral to secure the debt for the Asda deal. Reports note that EG currently employs 44,000 people and is generating €20bn of revenues but financial experts have raised concerns over the company’s board which has no external members and includes only the two brothers and two TDR executives. In the meantime, The Times has reported that EG’s €417m of operating profits last year fell short of the €472m of financing costs.

EG’s tax bill has been reduced to £55m over a fiveyear period, even as it recorded underlying earnings worth £368m in the third quarter despite a near-20% drop in the amount of petrol it sold.

Mohsin and Zuber’s father arrived in the UK from Gujarat, India in the 1970s to work in the textile industry. The brothers borrowed from family and friends to buy their own station on the outskirts of Bury in 2001 for £150,000, and according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List have accumulated a fortune of £3.6bn. “personal protest” wants to ban Rishi Sunak permanently from visiting his pub While speaking to Sky News, Alex Cook said, "I thought it was the only way I could get people to listen and see how poor the decision is to allow Rishi Sunak children to go hungry in 2020. Anyone with a decent moral compass would realise that for a government that has spent £12bn on a Test and Trace system that doesn't work, to not fund food for hungry children is ridiculous and can't be allowed to happen.

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Jain institute celebrates Ahimsa Day On Saturday 24th October, the Institute of Jainology (IoJ), held its 18th Jain All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Ahimsa Day meeting online.

The international Jain Institute that represents the 32 UK Jain organisations in government and inter-religious affairs virtually hosted the first of its kind Ahimsa Day attended by Parliamentarians, community leaders and experts. The event is hosted in October annually to coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

“Ahimsa is the key Jain tenet of non-violence/compassion and the event is usually celebrated at the Palace of Westminster. However, with Covid-19 we have had to hold it online for the first time.

“We consider it an opportunity to broadcast the event to a global audience,” said Dr Mehool Sanghrajka, Managing Trustee of the Institute.

Brother Peter honoured at Ahimsa Day Celebrations

Harrow West MP, Gareth Thomas, Chair of the Jain APPG welcomed everyone with a video message and noted how the Jain community had quickly adapted to organising daily zoom events and celebrating festivals online.

Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, also noted the work of Jain community in supporting the NHS, key frontline workers and the elderly in Harrow besides other boroughs.

Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, Minister for Faith, added his

welcome and noted how important the annual Ahimsa Award had become in promoting selfless action and compassion.

The 2020 Ahimsa Award was presented by the Trustees of the Institute to Brother Peter Tabichi, a Kenyan science teacher and Franciscan friar.

He teaches at a school in a semi-arid village in the Rift Valley Province, a region impacted by famine and drought and donates 80% of his salary to supporting pupils in

the local village.

Peter has dramatically improved attendance, reduced local violence and has even taught local communities how to grow crops that can resist famine.

Peter’s students have reached the finals of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry. In only a couple of years, Peter has doubled the number of students attending university.

Dr Mehool Sanghrajka commented, “We congratulate Brother Peter for winning the 2020 Ahimsa Award. He personifies peace, love and compassion in his work with both his students and his community, and truly represents the message of Ahimsa. We look forward to seeing his ongoing success as well as being a beacon for teachers and community leaders everywhere.”

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh celebrates UK Parliament Week Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) UK is hosting UK Parliament Week Activity with 49 Shakhas participating this year from Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Southend on Sea and Cardiff. This year UK Telugu Hindu Organisation (UTHO) and National Hindu Students Forum (NHSF) will participate in what will be a first in terms of the mass Hindu engagement in UK parliament by all age groups from age 4 to 94.

This year marks ten years of UK Parliament Week. HSS UK is the winner of 2020 UK Parliament Week Partner of the Year Award. Over 2500 HSS UK participants are expected to be part of the group. Dr Harsha Jani HSS UK lead for UK Parliament

Week said, “We believe the entire universe is one family, in Sanskrit we say ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and we work towards this by teaching our youth the value of good citizenship.”

Last year, over 1.2 million people took part in UK Parliament week in every nation and region of the UK, alongside countries all over the world.

David Clark, Head of Education and Engagement at UK Parliament, said, “We are delighted Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK has taken the opportunity to participate in this year’s UK Parliament Week and inspire their members to get involved in their democracy.There are many

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in brief in brief SHAVING BEARD TO END POLIO A 68-year-old community figure from Bradford has shaved off his hair, beard Manoj Joshi and 52-yearold moustache in support of a campaign to end polio worldwide. Dr Manoj Joshi DL had dyed his facial hair purple earlier this month in support of the campaign - before vowing to shave it all off to raise both money and awareness ahead of the Charity Week which takes place between 26 October and 1 November this year.

According to Telegraph and Argus, Dr Joshi underwent his transformation in City Park, and has raised over £3,600 for the End Polio Now campaign in the process. He is currently the immediate past district governor for Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland and the chairman of governors at Bradford Academy. In August, the World Health Organisation certified that Africa was free from wild polio, and now Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where polio is still classified as endemic.

Speaking to the newspaper, he said, "It was a great feeling. A small step like mine raised so much money which will help to vaccinate 75,000 children against polio. I hope actions like mine can make a difference to children and now help to eradicate polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Shaving off my moustache, which I have had for 52 years, was a personal sacrifice which will save a lot of lives and take burdens off of families.

CORBYN’S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF PROUD OF LABOUR’S RECORD ON ANTI-SEMITISM Jeremy Corbyn’s former chief of staff is reportedly proud of Labour’s record on antiHindu Swayam Sangh organises Parliament Week

exciting activities taking place for this year’s UK Parliament Week, including debating, campaigning, mock parliament, ‘being MP for a day’, quiz, colouring and filming video.

Organisations, local community

groups and schools have a chance to get empowered and have their say on issues they care about the most. Change starts with you and UK Parliament Week is a great way to learn how you can make a difference.”

Sikhs write to the Home Secretary

Mayor of Luton suspended from Labour

On Tuesday 27th October, a Sikh MP has written to the Home Secretary demanding urgent action to address anti-Sikh hate crime.

Preet Kaur Gill, who was the first female Sikh MP and chair of a cross party group of MPs who have produced a report on the abuse of Sikh people in the UK wrote, “The scale of hate crimes targeting the Sikh community is a phenomenon that is large- Preet Kaur Gill ly invisible to government and the wider public. Official Home Office data for the last two years shows the level of reported hate crimes targeting Sikhs has increased over 70 per cent.“However, the increased reporting is the result of Sikh community organisations raising awareness of the need to report and has been achieved with no government funding or support.” Earlier, a report, by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs, reported that it aims to establish an official name for and definition of hate crimes against Sikhs through a consultation with government and the wider public over 60 days. They propose that the term “Anti-Sikh hate” be used.

They argue that while terms such as anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are very well established and that hate crimes targeting Sikhs are often “overlooked”. The report also argues that some religious hate crimes against Sikhs are “almost certainly” being reported under Muslim hate crime based on the assumption of the perpetrator. According to official Home Office figures, 117 hate crimes were recorded against Sikhs in 2017-18 compared to 202 in 2019-20.

On Monday 26th October, it emerged that Former Mayor of Luton, who is currently Labour’s candidate for Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, has been suspended by the Party over alleged anti-Semitism.

Tahir Khan, who served as Mayor of Luton in 2016-17, will no longer be able to represent Labour in the 2021 election for the senior police job, and a new selection process is report- Tahir Khan edly underway. This after it is gation into antisemitism in the believed that he Labour Party following a formal posted Rothschild conspiracy referral and detailed legal repretheories on social media in the sentations from Campaign past and to have claimed that the Against Antisemitism, which is BBC is a “Zionist channel”. the complainant.

A Labour spokesman reportIn the first release of its Antiedly said, “The Labour Party semitism in Political takes all complaints of antiParties research, Campaign semitism extremely seriously Against Antisemitism showed and they are fully investigated in that Labour Party candidates for line with our rules and proceParliament in the 2019 general dures, and any appropriate discielection accounted for 82 perplinary action is taken.” On 28th cent of all incidents of antiMay 2019, the Equality and semitic discourse by parliamenHuman Rights Commission tary candidates. launched a full statutory investi-

Jeremy Corbyn

Karie Murphy

Semitism it has emerged. days before the equalities watchdog is expected to publish its report on the issue.

Karie Murphy who has been accused by several former party staffers of meddling in anti-Semitism cases, has said she had been moved to speak out “for the first time to set the record straight” about the party’s handling of cases, claiming that it improved during Corbyn’s tenure. Her comments appear ahead of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) long-awaited report on Labour this week. It launched the review after whistleblowers alleged that the party was institutionally antisemitic in its handling of complaints and within local party structures. “Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, antisemites were removed from the Labour party more quickly, transparently and effectively than ever before. As his former chief of staff, I’m proud of that record,” she wrote in The Guardian.

BLACK PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO BE STOPPED AND SEARCHED On Tuesday 27th October, latest statistics by the Home Office illustrated that black people in England and Wales are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white people. The figures for 201920 come after protests and allegations of racial profiling by police, with claims that trust and confidence in police are under serious strain.l disproportionality.

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Children go hungry in the land of plenty It is encouraging to note that our “Premier League Footballers” who earn millions, are taking interest in the welfare of ordinary people, especially children who are innocent victims of this dreadful disease, an unenviable import from China!

First it was Manchester City’s Rahim Sterling and now Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford who has put politicians on the spot with his continuous attempt to expose the glaring mismanagement on school meals.

When Lady Thatcher stopped free milk for the primary school children, she acquired the unenviable title of “Milk Snatcher” that did a lot of damage to her profile. Let us hope this thrifty government will not be labelled as “Food Forfeiter” that may lose the party significant votes in the newly acquired North East regions, once a Labour stronghold.

Our youngsters are our future. Well-fed and well looked after youngsters succeed on education, social and sports front, making their mark, contributing to the welfare of the nation. It was a pity that the parliament voted against Labour bill providing food vouchers during holiday period.

It would be a shame on us if children go hungry in the land of plenty, fifth largest economy in the world. We have plenty of money, some £16 billion to look after third world, feed the hungry and build hospitals overseas but not some £20 million to feed our own! Do charity begins overseas!

It shows our “Bulldog Spirit” when cafes, coffee shops and other food retailers have come forward to feed children, many of these establishments struggle to survive during this corona-virus epidemic, yet willing to come forward to feed the children, to shame the government.

This is not the Capitalism with human face.

Perhaps Marcus Rashford should go one step further, encourage his fellow Premier league footballers who all earn at least £100k a week, some even £20 million a year, to contribute just 1% of their income that will negate government’s failure to look after the needy. After all, actions speak louder than empty words.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Not yet time to celebrate It is a very powerful and important message from the PM Modi that “Lockdown over, but virus still there” published in AV dated 24-30 Oct 2020.

The government of India has supported people to the best possible extent to minimise the hardships faced by people of the country especially the poorer people. Many schemes have been launched to provide free food as well as financial support.

Due to timely lockdown earlier in the year, India is in a much better position today, keeping in mind its population and resources available, as compared to many European nations including the UK.Cases are under control in India, but it is not the time to celebrate but to reflect and to make sure people follow the rules and guidelines strictly, to avoid another lockdown or a situation of strict regime.

Mr Modi has emphasised that still some people do not follow the rules, or they are careless and take things for granted which is wrong and could endanger their own lives as well as that of others. Looking at live examples of rising cases in the UK and other countries, if a section of people do not follow the rules, I think stricter actions are required to avoid the suffering of the whole nation which will affect very badly to daily wage earners.

Hitesh Hingu London

Tightrope in Bihar Bihar continues to be at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to education and healthcare. Nitish Kumar’s government has reportedly not done much to elevate those standards in the last 15 years. An astounding yet believable number of people are still unemployed, diseases and uneducated in the state. These include teachers, doctors and policemen. Corruption has been under wraps when it comes to building roads and infrastructure. Many say that National Highways 80 is a classic example of this incoherence. Due to these underlying reasons, Bihar elections have seen a massive increase in turnout at the opposition party’s rallies.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and CM candidate Tejashwi Prasad Yadav might be facing brick-bats from the opposition, but he has been able to not only mobilise the minority in his favour, but also the young generation. This is a warning sign for NDA. So far Chirag Paswan’s experiment of breaking away from the NDA has had BJP’s support, yet BJP is walking a tightrope in Bihar. The results will be announced on November 10.

Abhay Rajput Kolkata, India

Gurkhas still not treated equally I am a former British Gurkha and a senior and a first Gulf war veteran. Gurkhas especially from the martial race from Nepal have indeed sacrifice the cream part of their lives for the vested interest of the "British Empire" for the past 205 years. But it is very unfortunate and very sad to say that we the Gurkhas are still struggling hard to find our "status" with the British government and still barred from the basic voting and human rights issues and still facing family separation and deportation! In fact, pre-July 97 our pensions are still not paid according to the Indian payment slab.

Because of the continuing disparity, I was working until the 14 August and lost my job because of Boris Johnson’s incompetent and premature lockdown plans.

Now I am jobless and worrying about how to pay my bills. British government has indeed used the Gurkhas as a diplomacy currency in the international markets and collected a huge revenue from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kongand now from the oil rich state of Brunei and when the war ended, we were sent empty hand and bare foot back to Nepal.Even though the Gurkhas are barred from basic voting rights, Britain supports ‘all lives matter’ in the US. Yam Gurung (rtd) By email

Remembering our departed All Souls' Day, which is celebrated by the Catholic Church on November 2 ever year, is a Christian festival that honours all Christian souls who have died.

Many people visit the cemetery and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Special Masses are celebrated in cemeteries and in churches on that day.

Catholics on this day, remember and pray for the souls of people who have died and who are in Purgatory – the place in which those who have died atone for their sins before being granted the vision of God in heaven.

According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person who dies can go to any one of these places. The first is heaven, where a person who dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God goes. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal sin are naturally condemned by their choice. The intermediate option is purgatory, which is thought to be where most people, free of mortal sin, but still in a state of lesser (venial) sin, must go. Purgatory is necessary so that souls can be cleansed and perfected before they enter into heaven.

There is a scriptural basis for this belief. The primary reference is in 2 Maccabees, 12:26 and 12:32. "Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. Thus, made atonement for the dead that they might be free from sin."Through the power of prayer, the people on earth can help these souls gain heavenly vision they seek. At each one’s home, a special rosary is recited to remember and pray for the souls of their family members, friends, etc.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

The Game of Thrones US President Donald Trump was recently trending on social media for apparently calling India “filthy”. Actually, he did not call India filthy; he said India's air is filthy. NRIs do not get to vote in the US elections. They are Indian passport holders. H1B lets you work in the US, but it does not give you the right to vote in US polls.

America’s leading newspapers have said that more than 62 million people had already voted early as of Monday, either in-person or by mail, and the figure could reach more than 85 million before Election Day. The overall votes might surpass 150 million. Biden continues to lead national polls over Trump with more than 50% of the vote.

Meanwhile, American citizens are so agitated and fearful of controversial and fraudulent elections that one man set up a ballot box on fire, damaging dozens of ballots. The focus of both Trump and Biden as of now is Pennsylvania but Florida will play a key role since it’s not only Trump’s home state but the man has also spent a considerable amount of time and effort in using it for his electoral strategy.

By Tuesday next week, either Joe Biden will win or Donald Trump will continue to serve in the White House for four more years. The current polls predict that Biden is winning over Trump, but the year 2020 is straight out of a leaf from George RR Martin’s script, anything can happen to your favourite character and you know it. When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. So, the least one can do is vote sensibly. We’ve lost enough this year.

Monica Delhi, India

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If you are new, then write to Rupanjana at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com - AV

KHICHADI Corruption: A Way of Life Kapil’s

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

Kapil Dudakia My friend, Prashant Tiwari (a leading political commentator from Delhi and an ex-advisor to former Prime Ministers of India and Mauritius) were discussing why corruption is so endemic in India. What follows is a synopsis of our observations.

Corruption is so rampant that it has for many become a way of life, an accepted evil, this is despite of the best efforts of Prime Minister Modi and his clean image. Now the mega political scams are restricted, but the crony capitalist have continued their practice unabated leading to a slowdown in technological advancement, a lack of competition which could even border on collusion, and higher prices for consumers.

While we must give the present BJP government some credit for its implementation of the GST, we cannot ignore the fact that shadow economies lead to an unorganised workforce, wherein workers face problems with salaries, job security, contract agreements, working conditions and so on. An informal workforce hampers the growth of manufacturing firms through lower degrees of productivity. It should not be surprising that India is a country which largely consists of an informal workforce, and the continuation of such which will affect both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of growth in the long run. The present government was clear with its agenda when it came into power six years ago, and to some extent the intention to rid society of corruption could be seen, namely through the two main economic reforms that it introduced (demonetisation and GST). The reality however reflects the plain and simple fact that either nothing has changed, or it has merely gotten worse. The Punjab National Bank Fraud (PNB) is a clear indication of this, and of course the situation has been reflected in the Transparency International’s global corruption index. A lower ranking for India compared to previous years is certainly a black mark on the BJP government’s report card.

There are many more scams one can list, for example: Bofors, Spectrum, CWG, Fodder, FCI, Coal, Aircel Maxis, National Herald, Banking and so on. Allegations are rife on people like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Sandesara brothers and others who have largely gone into sleep mode. Living a luxurious life under the protection of foreign powers, namely the UK mostly. Whether it’s Congress or the BJP, fraudsters have mastered the art to over-power the system to their advantage. The decades of planting sleeper cells within the institutions of India continue to pay heavy dividends to these crooks.

All wings of the democracy are infected by the corruption virus. Legislative, Executive, Judiciary and Media are overpowered by corporate money. Today, Lok Sabha elections are heavily funded by corporate money hence irrespective of the outcome, they decide the leadership issue.

The prime posting in the key government positions for bureaucrats are decided by third parties in consultation with the ruling elites to secure their interest. In recent times, appointment of Judges in the higher judiciary is pushed by vested interest groups to safeguard their interest and lastly, much of the national media is controlled by select big pocket corporate houses directly or indirectly to set up an anti-India narrative that suits the interest of their business, or their foreign political masters. The essence of democracy is crushed by the vested interest lobbies and the common man on the street struggles to secure his basic rights guaranteed under the constitution.

The dream of establishing an ideal democracy fit for Bharat continues to remain an illusion. And yet, with all these ills, it continues to survive. That’s the soul of Bharat.

Gold burglaries South Asians in Surrey have been targeted by gold thieves.

This is perhaps a vulnerable time for such a petty crime because of the ongoing festive season which isn’t going to end before mid next month for Hindus.

People have been home this year for too long to move around their gold into lockers and yet, about 30 burglaries have been reported since July 2020, which increased once the Covid-19 lockdown was eased. Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and other community brethren have been impacted by these burglaries. We all keep gold for our own cultural reasons and this organised crime is threatening.

People have also lost their wedding jewellery and heirlooms which had sentimental value. We mustn’t forget that Asians use gold as major life savings, and in this testing time of the pandemic where financial security is at stake for every second house, this is deeply disappointing.

Nina Mathew London

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12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S Camel milk ice-cream After introducing fresh camel milk apart from chocolates, Amul dairy has now launched camel milk ice-cream and milk powder. Camel milk has remained in the news since last two years. In September 2018 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed its virtue. “Amul camel milk powder will enable millions of individuals to try the goodness of camel milk across the country for the first time,” said R S Sodhi, managing director of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul. “The milk powder made from natural camel milk procured from camel herders in Kutch will have shelf life of eight months,” he said. “This will be real boon to the milk producers of Kutch as it will help extend the shelf life of milk and extend its availability through Amul’s nation-wide distribution network,” Sodhi said, adding that since Amul launched camel milk products, rates of camel milk in Gujarat have doubled, leading to revival of the sector. Kutch milk union is currently collecting nearly 70,000 litres of camel milk every month. There are around 30,000 camels in Gujarat, mostly of Kutchi and Kharai breeds. The state is home to around 1,000 camel breeders mainly from Rabari, Fakirani Jat, Sama and Sodha communities. (The Times of India) Assam doctor entertains Covid patients

A doctor from Assam has earned praise from actor Hrithik Roshan for entertaining Covid patients by dancing wearing a PPE suit to a number filmed on the actor. The steps performed

by Dr Arup Senapati (34), an ENT surgeon at Silchar Medical College and Hospital, went viral on the social media after the video was shared on Twitter. The clip has been viewed by nearly 800,000 Twitter users. Senapati, who performed on the song “Ghungroo” from Hrithik starrer “War”, said, “dance has been my hobby since my school days and I just wanted to keep the morale of the Covid patients up. I didn’t expect my dance video to go viral like this,” Arup said. Hrithik, who shared the video on his Twitter page, wrote, “Tell Dr Arup I’m gonna learn his steps and dance as good as him someday in Assam. Terrific spirit.” (Agency) 1,72,000-year-old lost river discovered

An international team of researchers has found a “lost” river that ran through the central Thar desert, near

Bikaner, 1,72,000 years ago. The river was likely a lifeline for Stone Age populations, helping them thrive in what is now an arid region, while also serving as an important corridor for human migration, according to the research which represents the oldest directly dated phase of river activity in the Thar region. The new findings push back the previous evidence for river activity in Thar by up to 80,000 years.

Researchers from Germany’s Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPISHH), Anna University (Chennai) and the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER) in Kolkata studied deposits of river sands and gravels exposed by quarrying activity near the village of Nal, outside of Bikaner, in 2014 and 2019. “The key method we used in the study is luminescence dating - this is a dating technique that enables us to calculate the age at which grains of quartz in river sands were last exposed to light,” James Blinkhorn at the MPI-SHH said.

“The previously oldest, well dated evidence for river activity in the Thar comes from the Luni Valley, which was certainly active 80,000-90,000 years ago, with comparable evidence from further south in the Mahi, Sabarmati and Orsang valleys,

where similar evidence for fluvial activity stretches back to 100 thousand years ago,” said Blinkhorn. (The Times of India)

India's anti-tank missile Nag passes final test

The final user trial of India's third-generation anti-tank guided missile Nag was carried out at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan. The missile was integrated with an actual warhead and a tank target was kept at some distance, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said. The missile was launched from the Nag missile carrier NAMICA; it hit the target accurately and defeated the dummy tank's armour. The missile was integrated with an actual warhead and a tank target was kept at some distance, the Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO said. The anti-tank guided missile or ATGM Nag has been developed by the DRDO to engage heavily armoured enemy tanks in day and night conditions. The missile has fireand-forget and top attack capabilities with passive homing guidance to defeat all main battle tanks equipped with composite and reactive armour. With this final user trial, NAG will enter into production phase and will be produced by the defence firm Bharat Dynamics Limited, whereas Ordinance Factory Medak will produce the NAMICA. The missile carrier NAMICA is a Russian-origin BMP-II based system with amphibious capability. (Agency) Business family donates 36 bodies A business family in Surat has donated 36 bodies to medical colleges for the benefit of students. Ten years ago, 251 people from the business family took a unique pledge - the body of any member who dies henceforth will be donated to

medical colleges. In fact, the pledge taken by Savani family turned into a campaign across Saurashtra. In the last 10 years, bodies of around 36 members of the family who died in this period have been donated to various medical colleges across Gujarat. Savanis, with roots in Ramparda village near Palitana, are into education and diamond business in Surat. This is the highest body donation by a single family, probably in the country, said people engaged in healthcare. Savani families are spread over 109 villages in 17 talukas of six districts in Gujarat. “We took this pledge considering shortage of bodies for medical students in colleges. In the last 10 years, 40 in the family, mostly those above 60 years, died. Of these, 36 bodies were donated while four were found unfit,” said Dhanji Savani, vice president of their community organization Shree Savani Patel Parivar. (The Times of India) Apple watch saves 61-year-old's life The electrocardiogram (ECG) feature on Apple Watch has saved the life of a 61-year-old Indore resident and Apple CEO Tim Cook wished him fast recovery post-surgery. R Rajhans, a retired pharma professional who uses an Apple Watch Series 5, decided to check his ECG on the Apple Watch after he felt unwell in March this year. The Apple Watch was gifted to him by his son Siddharth, a student at Harvard University. "Since Apple Watch allows the ECG function, one can check it on a more regular basis. Twice or thrice, in the middle of the night, my father was getting arrhythmia signals or irregular heartbeats.

It's a critical indicator," Siddharth said. When the same result persisted, he decided to share the findings with his doctor. Though Rajhans did suffer from hypertension, he

didn't have any heart condition.

Further diagnosis revealed that Rajhans had low ejection fraction and required immediate heart surgery. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the surgery was delayed but Rajhans continued to monitor his ECG on his Apple Watch. "My dad underwent a Mitral Valve replacement surgery and it was his Apple Watch that helped detect the irregular heart rhythm prior to the Valve failure Echo-cardiograph," Siddharth said. (Agency) Chandrapur's elusive tiger The elusive Rajura tiger that has killed eight humans and injured three others in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district in Nagpur division came close to being captured by the

Forest Department, but managed to escape the trap. The tiger, aged about 6-7 years and being trailed by the department for the last ten months, has managed to keep the four tracking teams at bay. “On Thursday the tiger finally walked into a trap laid inside a culvert on its regular path to pick the bait kept inside.

As soon as it entered, the cage door mechanically collapsed, trapping it inside. “The tiger did attack the bait but probably realised that it had been trapped.

So, it managed to pull the door apart and escaped,” Chandrapur Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) N R Praveen said. Asked how they came to know about the incident, Praveen said, “We had laid cameras at the entrance of the trap. The cameras have captured the tiger entering the cage trap.” Prior to this as well, none of the department’s plans seemed to be working to capture the tiger. The department has spread nets on various paths the tiger is known to take, along with baits. The tiger hasn’t yet fallen into any of these traps.

(Agency)

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14 WOMEN’S VOICE

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in brief

The Survivor

Rina Gunnoo

MESSENGER APP’S FAKE PORN BOT ABUSING THOUSANDS OF WOMEN

Rina Gunnoo with her family

Shefali Saxena October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The early goal of Breast Cancer Awareness Month was to educate women about breast cancer and early detection tests so that they could take charge of their breast health. One of their key goals that they wanted to achieve was to promote mammograms as an important tool to be used in the fight against breast cancer. Asian Voice spoke to Breast Cancer Survivor Rina Gunnoo who shared her journey and lessons with us for our readers.

A twelve-year-old Rina Gunnoo lost her mother to breast cancer. Three decades later, Rina first noticed a lump in her breast when she was at the gym. “I could feel a raised bump on my breast which I knew wasn't right. I was 24 when I found it,” Rina said. She then made an appointment with her doctor, who referred her to a hospital for a mini biopsy.

She said, “The results of the biopsy came back with the lump being benign. I told my grandma about the lump and she advised me to just get rid of it, as she was scared as she didn’t want the same to happen to me what happened to my mum.”

“So I went back to the doctor and said that I would like the lump to be removed. When the lump was removed it was tested. I was told that the lump results had come back active and they needed to do a second operation from where they found a lump as they had noticed cancerous cells. They removed more tissue from where they found the lump and tested that too. Luckily they managed to catch the cancer in time, thereafter I had to go for a checkup every three months, for a period of three years,” she added.

Breast cancer and its repercussions weren’t new to Rina. She had learnt many valuable life lessons from her mother’s battle with the condition. Rina said, “I learnt that you should never leave something that may be very important to your life and survival. If my mum didn’t have cancer and didn’t go through what she did, I don’t think I would’ve taken myself seriously with my lump. My mum also discovered a lump and she didn’t think much about it, thinking that it would go away but eventually she went to the doctors and they said that they would refer her to the hospital. Once she had her operation the results came back as being an aggressive lump. She had the option of going through

chemotherapy or radiotherapy for her treatment. She went for the radiotherapy treatment as when she was working with some of the Asian ladies at work they said that losing your hair is a sign of losing your husband. I could remember her coming back from her

radiotherapy treatment and having pen marks on her body. I used to ask why have you got the pen marks and she explained the doctors know where to do the radiotherapy. I saw my mum go through a lot of pain and wouldn’t want anyone else to go through the same.”

We all read and hear a lot about breast cancer awareness, but what is the first thing a patient must do when they're diagnosed and what kind of emotional and financial support do they require? According to Rina, if a person realises there is something different about their breast area they must get it checked out immediately. If they don’t feel comfortable about getting their area checked out, they need to speak to someone whether it’s a female doctor or a female friend or even a family member, who can support them through this time of need. “There is no need

to be embarrassed as it can save your life.

Finding anything different early on can save lives. There are a lot of support groups and speak to your doctor and they can offer counselling sessions. I don’t know how it would affect someone financially, for my mum she was working throughout her cancer stages and I know she was finding it difficult. In those times I think she just had to get on with it,” she said.

We asked Rina about how she prepared herself for the surgery and whether or not she had the right psychological counselling to navigate through this tough phase.

Rina said, “I didn’t prepare myself as I thought once my lump was removed that would be the end of that issue. I didn’t expect the tests on the lump to come back as active and my emotions were all over the place as all the memories of mum came flooding back and what she went through. I thought I was going to die and I couldn’t stop crying. I went through counselling after this as I don’t think I grieved for my mother when I was younger.”

Sharing her advice for women so that they do not overlook symptoms and learn to educate themselves about breast cancer, Gunnoo said, “I would advise them not to ignore the issue, if they find a lump or see anything different to get it checked out straight away. What is potentially a little embarrassment, when it may save your life.

Especially if you’re a young mother with the responsibilities of being a parent. You don’t want your children left having to grow up and fend for themselves without a mother.”

Rina also spoke about the taboo and apprehensions associated with cancer, like losing hair, or scars on body parts. Her take on it is as follows: “The taboos I witnessed when my mum discovered that she had cancer were that our family didn’t want to accept that she had cancer, as no one in our family had previously suffered from this disease, they kept saying it was nazar (evil eye). They kept taking my mum to temples and mosques for blessings to get rid of the disease but the fact was she had cancer and these choices would not provide a cure. She also had women at work influencing her by saying that losing her hair is a sign of losing her husband. I think we need to get rid of these superstitions as it can influence people not to go get themselves checked out and this can cost whether they live to survive in the future.”

Images of more than 100,000 people, some of whom appear to be under the age of 18 have been targeted by an AI-bot on the messaging app, Telegram. According to Daily Mail, pornographic deepfakes are being weaponised at an alarming scale with at least 104,000 women targeted by a bot operating on the messaging app Telegram since July. The bot is used by thousands of people every month who use it to create nude images of friends and family members, some of whom appear to be under the age of 18. As per reports, the bot has been sending out a gallery of new images to a channel on Telegram with more than 25,000 subscribers. “The still images of nude women are generated by an AI that ‘removes’ A separate Telegram channel that promotes the bot has more than 50,000 subscribers. It is believed that the actual number of women targeted by the deepfake bot is likely much higher than 104,000.

SCIENTISTS EXPECT DECLINE IN PLANNED PREGNANCIES IN THE POST-COVID WORLD

Among the many possible and unprecedented changes that one may witness in the post-Covid world, scientists have claimed that due to the psychological fallout from the pandemic, birth rates will drop, people to stay single for longer and women to sexualise themselves more. In a report published online, experts from the US reviewed 90 studies to help them predict how Covid-19 could shift social behaviours and gender norms — even among those not infected.

Experts are predicting that planned pregnancies will decrease in response to the global health crisis as people will defer marriage and kids, leading some nations' populations to shrink. Scientists believe that this decline in birth-rates will have surge impacts on society and economics, which will directly affect job opportunities and support for elderly populations. “Furthermore, the unequal division of the extra household labour brought by lockdown could see gender inequality rise and foster more social conservatism,” the Daily Mail said.

New VC course aimed at women & BAME candidates A new course for women, especially belonging to Black and Asian cultures was announced during the U.K.’s Black Tech Fest last week. It is for those who are wanting to enter the venture capital industry.

According to TechCrunch, “London Business School and LocalGlobe, one of Europe’s leading seed investors, worked together to create two new programs to provide formal business education for roles across the VC world. The Newton Venture

Program courses will cover the full spectrum of investment roles in the venture ecosystem, from VC investors to limited partners, angel investors, accelerators and tech transfer officers. The aim of the programs is to upskill the venture capital sector while broadening the routes through which people can join the industry. The courses will aim for a gender split of 50/50, with at least 50% coming from Black, Asian or other minorities, and will be available to anyone just

starting out or mid-career professionals. There will be two cohorts a year, of up to 60 students, with the first online program set to start in April 2021. The first oncampus cohort will start in October 2021. Applicants are welcome to apply from anywhere around the world; the majority are expected to be from the U.K., the EU, Africa and Israel.”

The report also claimed that the program is an online-only and it will cost £2,050 or £16,000 for the inperson, on-campus program

at London Business School, which is aimed at midcareer professionals.

Scholarships of up to 100% will be available for both programs.

Lisa Shu, Executive Director, Newton Venture Program said in a statement: “To find the next generation of world-leading tech businesses, investors need to be more representative of our society…The Newton Venture Program is a chance to train the next generation of investment professionals and open up

venture capital investing to a wider, more representative range of voices and experiences.”Minister for Digital and Culture, Caroline Dinenage MP said: “Investors play a vital part in the tech sector with their financial backing and guidance helping entrepreneurs turn their business dreams into reality. The sector needs to reflect society, not just because it is the right thing to do but because it makes

good business sense, so this new course is a welcome step to boost diversity and help create more opportunities for founders from all walks of life to succeed.”

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in brief HARISH SALVE MARRIES LONDON ARTIST

Harish Salve

Caroline Brossard

On Monday 27th October, India Today reported that senior advocate Harish Salve is expected to marry London-based artist Caroline Brossard in a private ceremony. Currently based in the UK, the advocate met Caroline Brossard at an art event as the couple share a passion for art, classical music and theatre.Caroline grew up in the UK and has an 18-year old daughter of her own. Harish and Caroline have been seeing each other for close to a year. Harish Salve is most renouned for representing India at the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case in May 2017. The Tata Group and ITC Limited are some of his clients while he also represents Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited.

CHANCELLOR SHOULD REVEAL HIS INVESTMENTS Financial transparency campaigners and MPs have urged the Chancellor to disclose if any of his wealth is invested in offshore tax havens, it has been reported. The Chancellor is under mounting pressure to reveal the whereabouts of the investment of his multimillion-pound personal fortune following widespread speculation that some of his wealth, which is presently managed by a blind trust, could be held in offshore tax havens.

According to The Guardian, the son-in-law of Indian corporate Narayan Murthy registered a blind trust in July 2019 following his appointment as Chief Secretary to the Treasury under former chancellor, Sajid Javid. The daily has reported that under a standard-blind-trust-arrangement-individuals can still receive income from their investments but cannot make decisions about how the money is invested. Now, some campaigners and MPs are concerned that Rishi Sunak will know where his money was invested before he placed it in the blind trust, and that raises concerns that his decisions as Chancellor could be influenced by his personal stakeholdings.

Miracle Punjabi family is alive On Thursday 22nd October, it was reported that two people were killed after a suspected gas explosion resulted in the collapse of a building in Southall. The explosion occurred at a hair salon and phone shop underneath a set of flats where four adults and a child were rescued besides other people being evacuated from the King Street area of Southall.

London Fire Brigade had further confirmed the news, tweeting, “Sadly two people have died at the explosion and building collapse in Southall (incorrectly stated as in Ealing previousl).

Firefighters worked painstakingly to search the building and initial crews rescued a number of people.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Met Police said, "A large explosion was found to have taken place inside a shop. Emergency services entered the building and sadly, two people were pronounced dead at the scene. Formal identification has not taken place, and next of kin have not been informed.

"An early assessment suspected the cause to be a gas explosion. Emergency services are continuing to work together to establish the exact cause which is cur-

rently unexplained.”

In the meantime, Slough Observer noted that London Fire Brigade was called to the fire early on Wednesday and rushed in six fire engines and around 40 firefighters. According to the paper, Jatinder Singh’s shop Dr Phone was “totally destroyed” in the blast.

Speaking to Slough

Observer, he said, “I don’t know what happened. I was told I couldn’t go to the shop, but you can see from the pictures it’s totally destroyed. I don’t know how to explain how I’m feeling. I have lost everything. I don’t know what to say – I’m in shock. I’m really scared that now I don’t know how to survive.”

Later Evening Standard reported how a 39-year-old Sukhdev Singh, hailed a young firefighter who saved his five-month old daughter Manseerat following the explosion. In a statement to the daily, he noted, “There was a huge explosion. We thought we were going to die. My concern was to get my daughter out. We were scared, then out of the dust came the fireman who took my daughter. He was a real hero, I can’t thank him enough. He saved my daughter’s life.”

He and his wife Jasbir, 30 have sought refuge in a nearby temple. The family are now staying with friends as firefighters and police investigate the cause of the blast.

Schizophrenic man guilty of manslaughter On Monday 26th October, it was reported that a mentally ill man had been convicted of fatally stabbing a former Wasps rugby player.

The BBC reported that 36-year-old Gurjeet Lall was initially diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008, denied murder but was found guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility after knifing Grandfather-of-five Allan Isichei in Southall, in August last year.

The trial at Inner London Crown Court heard Mr Isichei had drunk a single bottle of beer at the Plough Inn before making his way home. According to the CCTV footage the pair had become "involved in conversa-

tion". The court heard that the men became further involved in a "scuffle" during which Gurjeet pulled a knife from his pocket. The two men "fell on top of each other" and, while Gurjeet Singh Lall they were wrestling over the knife, Mr Isichei was fatally injured.

Gurjeet is expected to be sentenced at a date to be fixed in December pending psychiatric reports.

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Dr Am mir Khan K GP and TV d doct o or oct he a ap pp for and who will it help? is for anyone o over 16 who has a smart phone, ho can doownload an app and has downloaded ore from Google Play or the App Store. It’s for England and Wales. We need everyone on board idea of conntrolling the spread of the virus - the to do that is knowing where the outbreaks are ing when ssomeone who has tested positive might been in youur vicinity, then getting as many people olate as posssible. w much ha av ve you seen of the a ap pp in ion n?? got it on my phone. I’ve used the QR code poster heck-in plaaces that I go, like the gym, so it’s really y for me to know if someone in the gym at the me ti time hhass tested d positiv iti e. I ha h ven’t had h d an alert l t but I’m reassur e ed that I will know. If you travel ound the coountry, if it’s safe to and you’re allowed , and you put p in the new area, it will give you the evel of risk around you.

What wo would u yo you sa ay y to members of the public who don n’t ’t believe it will make a difference ce??

I was nervous about downloading it because I was worried w about data privacy. However, the app p protects privacy as it uses Apple and Google’s proven Bluetooth technology, designe g ed so that nobodyy will know who or where you are. The only personal information t it requiires is the first half of your postcoode.

That’s all a it needs to alert you to any issuues.

And it work w s. The more people who download oad it, the moore effective it will be.

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How does the a ap pp wo work?

This system doesn’t track you; it does phone spits out random codes and i phones and communicates with the your phone, codes that are signatures o come close to. You have to be close period to get those. Then, if you or s been close to develops symptoms, re and the result is positive, you submit codes to NHS Test and Trace. Eve phones are constantly looking at those ‘yes, I’ve seen that code – it comes fro who’s tested positive’.

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIA ATI T ON WITH UK GOVERNMEN V NT

WHY WE W SHOULD ALL L USE THE NH HS COVID V -19 AP PP Thiss free smartphone app, part of NHS Test and Trace, is deviised to keep you and your loved e ones safe and is endorsed by medical experts.

Thanks to the NHS Covid-19 app, smartphone users around England aand Wales are able to actively participate in the prevvention of the sp pread of the novel coronavirus. By downloading tthe app – which uses Bluetooth technology rather than GPS to help protect privacy p – users can not onlly remain infformed o d off the th risk k level in their local area, but also receive alerts if they have come into contact t with anybody who has tested positive, alert others if they enteer a positive test result, and use a QR scanner to remain informed o d if a place they havve visited reports an outbreak. k. Here, GPs and profeessors explain why we all should download an nd keep using thee app.

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Dr Sarah rah J Jarvis arvis Tes and GP P,, broadcasstter and NHS T est a Trace sspo pokesperson What are the fe eatures of the NHS app p??

I was critical of the previous app, but my ques concerns have been addressed. That’s why to be a spokesperson for Publicc Health England (PHE). The app alerts you if you have been in close contact with somebody who has tested pos coronavirus, but it is only people who have b close contact with someone for 155 minutes or mor The app allows you to pass on details a of your cont anonymously, if you test positive.

Why w wo ould you recommend every veryo download the app p??

Downloading the app is part of the solution. E country which has done well withh Covid-19 one of these apps. If only a small all proport of the population take this up, itt is going t increase the numbers of people being alerte and increase the number of people who are told they could be at risk off spreading the virus. That means that we can a get the R number down and hopefully prevent a general lockdown.

Does the app protect yo your privacy?

They worked with Google and Apple to develop the app. Any data shared with the app is only held on your phone, so if you decide to delete the app – which you can do at any tim – all the data is deleted as well. well Ap pp users ar anonymous and the app cannot be used to track your location, for law enforcem ment, or to monitor self-isolation and social disstancing.

Prof ofes e sor Chrissttopher e Fraser a VISIT THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLA AY Y TO DO OWNLO WNLO OAD THE NHS COVID OVID-19 19 AP APP NOW. If you have ve alrrea eady downloaded the app, please p make surree you ccontinue to use us it to to prro otect tect your loved ved ones ones.

Le Learn earn more a att co ovi vid19.nhs 9.nhs.uk

Profess e or of pa atho ath og gen d dynami ynam mics a att Nuffi ffield ld Departm Deparrtm tmen ent of Med d cine, di Univer e sity of Oxford as helped k keep eep th he virus under ountries. Can y yo ou giv ve e us some s a system that works.. The app is there e not miles away from m where we need epidemic spread. Many countries in trolled the epidemic, including Japan Korea. New Zealand has completely he epidemic, as has Australia. Australia ntact tracing app alongside gside testing and ontact tracing, and social distancing. all of these things. ery single person w wh ho do ownl wnloads pp will make a differ e ence? l make a difference. Our team agree he more people who download it, the we can add to the contr trol effort. If more do it, the more we can turn the tide. eed solidarityy,, becausee we really need s and universities to stay open, and of the time we want people e to get back bs, restaurants and thea heatres - but we o it if the virus is out of control. diffe erence betw ween een en exis existin ng g and fe, isn n’t ’t it? frustrated. As scientis tists, we’re also d we want to be able to hang out with o out. Look around thee world: once you the virus, we’re all better off - and it’s velihoods too.

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Bagels and Samosas: Everything in Moderation The British Indian Jewish Association held its latest Bagels and Samosas webinar on Thursday 22nd October with guest speaker (Lord) Daniel Finkelstein. He was interviewed by Reena Ranger about his life and career, and his new book “Everything in Moderation.”

Finkelstein, a commentator at The Times and Jewish Chronicle, spoke about his range of experiences in politics and the media. He spoke about his early career advising Conservative leaders John Major and William Hague. He then made the transition to journalism and has been a star commentator at The Times for many years. When his friend David Cameron became Prime Minister, he started clandestine monthly meetings with him in Downing Street to interview him about what was happening, with a view to producing a more accurate version of his memoirs. He became a Peer in 2013 and spoke about one of the issues he is most passionate about, which is legislating for assisted dying. The webinar was attended by over 60 people.

Finkelstein spoke about when he first appreciated the friendship between the Indian and Jewish communities, “Whilst I was a candidate in Harrow West [in 2001], Lord Ranger took me to a Sikh celebration, and I was watching it happen. The most respected people in the community go up to the front and give each other certificates and make speeches about each other and then somebody came around with a load of canapes. Everyone was eating whilst this was going on, both simultaneously impressed by

and laughing at the people making speeches about themselves. And I thought my goodness – this is a Bar Mitzvah with turbans!

He went on to explain why the Indian-Jewish relationship is so strong. “I now live in Pinner. Nearly all of my neighbours are either Jewish or of Indian origin.” He said.

“It’s so magnificent. We are incredibly compatible. I think there are lots of things that are involved in that. The combination of feeling very proud to be part of this country, wanting to assimilate to it, understanding its Britishness, but also being very proud of our origins, really enjoying the social, religious and cultural parts of that and feeling that those two things can absolutely coexist; that we can adapt to the modern world and get all of its benefits whilst keeping our culture rooms and our traditions and celebrating both the deep and profound parts of those traditions and the entertaining culturally interesting parts of those traditions. And the feeling that we know we’re in this country and we are accepted. We are grateful to the general population, but we do also appreciate we’re refugees or immigrants to this country as well and that’s not always an unqualified positive experience, there are negatives that go with that. Those things together give us a similarity of interest and background that makes us very compatible

communities and it’s so strong, we all feel it, that's much stronger than any explanation I can give you.”

Cllr Reena Ranger, Advisory Board member of BIJA, said, “We were delighted that Lord Finkelstein came to speak to our group.

As ever, his thoughts and reflections were fascinating. He also showed that he appreciated the value of the friendship between British Indians and British Jews.”

Zaki Cooper, Co-Chair of BIJA, said, “This was another great event for BIJA. Since we started the Bagels and Samosas webinars in July, we have provided high quality content to an appreciative audience. As well as the UK, we had attendees joining from India and Israel too. The Zoom revolution has brought fresh opportunities for us to reach new audiences in new ways.”

Fake Covid marshals and robbers target Asian households Fake Covid marshals and medical professionals are trying to access people’s homes, scamming people with fines and stealing from their homes, the local police have warned. As the festive season draws close, fears increase of such scammers trying to break into Asian homes, in hopes of robbing gold jewelleries and expensive heirlooms.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has warned that genuine Covid marshals do not have the power to enforce social distancing or issue fines by entering into private properties.

In September, Bedfordshire Police said it was investigating reports of two men pretending to be Covid marshals in Dunstable. When the victims asked the marshals for their official identification, they could not produce any and it raised suspicion.

On the other hand, a gang of brutal gold thieves have robbed around 30 homes in Surrey since July. Many of the victims were from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds, as these communities tend to have more gold at home for cultural reasons.

The police have warned public that that a gang of 'organised' criminals was working in the Surrey area and asked those who had gold stored in their homes to take extra precautions.

However, a recent report by the ONS has revealed that, crime has hit an all time low in the UK, except drug offences.

In the beginning of the pandemic, as many students stuck here were trying to go back to India desperately, many fell prey to social media scam, including

people trying to sell them fake flight tickets at £5000.

There were others who witnessed people ‘pretending’ to help the elderly and vulnerable, while robbing them off their money.

'Innovation adds to a country's prosperity' A joint initiative by the High Commission of India and FICCI, the techXchange programme has grown since its launch in 2018. The programme is supported by DPIIT & Startup India.

The first two editions saw the techXchange emerge as a programme to expand collaboration between startups from India & the UK. Through the program in last two years, over 35 mature Indian startups have been supported to explore the possibility to expand into the UK market.

In view of the ongoing global crisis, techXchange 2020 is being held virtually between the 26 to 30 October 2020. The programme is providing opportunities to Indian startups to meet relevant UK Government agencies, ecosystem stakeholders, research institutions & corporates amongst others. The third edition of techXchange was inaugurated in presence of dignitaries and officials from India and the UK. A report on ''Developing A Startup Ecosystem: ReThink UK’’ was also launched.

The other partners include, ICICI-UK PLC (Banking Partner), Bobble.ai (Alumni Partner), BDO LLP (Advisory Partner) CIIE.CO (Knowledge Partner), A Y & J Solicitors (Session Partner), FiveForce (Event Partner), Netsavvies

(Social Media Partner).

On Monday at the virtual inaugural event Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Secretary, DPII highlighted that “Innovation in the startup ecosystem adds to the economic prosperity of the countries. The Startup India Initiative builds entrepreneurial skills and provides international exposure to Indian startups.’’

Charanjeet Singh, Deputy High Commissioner of India to the UK said that the UK-India tech partnership provides the global platform and market access to Indian startups.

Through the techXchange program as a way forward to facilitating UK scaleups to access the Indian startup ecosystem as well. While addressing the inaugural session Alan Gemmell OBE, Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for South Asia and British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India shared that, “The UK-India partnership has been driving investments, supporting the job markets in both the countries and creating new avenues for economic growth especially in FinTech. The UK has emerged as the powerhouse of the European Union’s AI sector.

“Post-Brexit, the UK is going to be more willing to engage with business communities from all around the world. Capital and technology

flows will strengthen the dynamic relationship for businesses to grow” highlighted Peter Cook, British Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Sunil Parekh, India Co-Chair, techXchange in his opening remarks said, “techXchange reflects the change that we would like to witness in our economy by selecting deserving startups that focus on improving conditions of the society in healthcare, education, logistics, environment and handicrafts.” Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI during his welcome address congratulated all the Indian startups for taking the first step towards expansion in the UK and also thanked the stakeholders from the UK ecosystem for coming together to support the initiative.

This year’s cohort of 20 scaled-mature startups from Healthcare, Fintech, Education, Logistics and Supply chain, AR & VR and Manufacturing sector and Covid Championsapplications to prevents from Covid-19 will benefit from experts perspectives on the insights of the UK startups ecosystem, virtual talks from incubators of various sector, presentation of the business regions in the UK and individual sector based interaction time with experts.

in brief in brief DRIVE THROUGH DURGA PUJA IN ESSEX

Essex Indians Durgapuja and Navaratri celebrations are one of the largest in the UK and well known for connecting people globally with humanitarian causes. The charity decided to hold festival in Covid safe way following government regulations.

They took a unique initiative of drive through puja darshan for safety of the community. This approach was extremely popular within community.

UNEARTHING ‘HIDDEN HISTORIES’ OF BLACK AND ASIAN WOMEN IN THE CITY A new report throws fresh light on the previously hidden histories of black and Asian women in the City of London in the 17th to the 19th centuries.

The research paper, Black and Asian Women in the City of London 1600-1860, was commissioned by the City of London Corporation and draws on parish and court records, newspaper adverts and previously published works.

The report brings together for the first time details of 160 black and Asian women found in the records during that time period to be living or working in the Square Mile.

It was commissioned for Celebrating City Women, set up to recognise remarkable women connected to the Square Mile, and is part of a series of activities aimed at combatting racism, led by the City Corporation’s Tackling Racism Taskforce

NIRAV MODI DENIED BAIL AGAIN

A UK court has again rejected diamantaire Nirav Modi’s bail application yet again. This has been his seventh attempt to apply for bail. The Westminster Magistrates Court refused to accept a ‘change of circumstances’ since his last application. Previously his bail application has been on the basis of his deteriorating mental health conditions and threats inside jail. His four attempts to get bail was rejected by District Judge in Westminster Magistrates Court last year on 20 March, 29 March, 8 May and 6 November.

His attempt to get bail from high court were also rejected on 12 June 2019 and 5 March 2020. A spokesperson of the Westminster Magistrates Court said, “There was a hearing for bail application today, it was not granted.

The next hearing is listed for November 3.”

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EU's Barnier resumes Brexit Covid-induced job losses hit youth hardest trade talks in London A study reveals that British youth are more likely to lose their jobs compared with older workers, as the ongoing pandemic continues to lash out.

European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier resumed talks in London with his British counterpart as the two sides try to strike a last-minute trade agreement less than 10 weeks before the United Kingdom leaves the bloc’s orbit.

The United Kingdom left the EU in January but the two sides are trying to clinch a deal that would govern nearly a trillion dollars in annual trade before informal membership - known as the transition period - ends on Dec. 31.

There is very little time left to bridge significant gaps between Britain and the EU on sticking points in talks about a post-Brexit trade deal, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday.

“There is also much work to be done if we’re going to bridge what are the significant gaps that remain between our positions in the most difficult areas and time is very short,” the spokesman said.

Michel Barnier arrives for Brexit negotiations in London

Downing Street had said the talks were “over”, but British officials welcomed Barnier’s move and said talks could resume if the EU accepted that both sides needed to compromise to reach a deal. Following a summit last week, EU leaders including Germany’s Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron publicly indicated a willingness to compromise, in effect giving the signal the UK is insisting on.One senior British official said: “We are hoping that talks can begin again in the second half of this week.”

Lord Frost tweeted after his “constructive” talks with

Barnier: “The EU still needs to make a fundamental change in approach to the talks and make clear it has done so. We will stay in close touch.”Downing Street said Barnier’s offer of intensified talks based on legal texts was “what would be expected at this stage in a negotiation”, but Michael Gove, Cabinet Office minister, also called it “constructive”. With less than three months to the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, the UK has for weeks complained that the EU has been unwilling to thrash out the detailed legal language needed to unlock a deal.

HSBC plans to double mobile bank users in cost-cutting drive HSBC Holdings Plc, the London-based bank, which is planning to cut 35,000 jobs to trim costs, is seeking to double the number of mobile users by 2022, which could generate more revenue per customer.

Part of that will mean branch services that can be done digitally, such as opening accounts and making simple investments, are increasingly handled on mobile and other devices, meaning fewer staff will be there to meet and greet customers, according to Kevin Martin, head of digital transformation of its wealth and personal banking business. The employees in place will instead focus on more complex transactions such as family planning, life insurance and mortgage loans, while the bank will strive to do away with paperwork and signatures wherever possible.

This will also allow the lender to set aside more space for its customers, increasing separation and safety in the post-pandemic age. “All of that was already underway,” Martin said in a recent interview. “This crisis has probably accelerated it.”

The shift comes at a precarious time for the global banking industry, which is being walloped by a surge in bad debt after years of struggling with rock-bottom interest rates. Lenders such as HSBC have pounced on

the lockdown to pick up the pace of their digital transformations in a bid to reduce costs in their interactions with customers.

“All the industry is going to struggle for a while in terms of margin on deposits,” said Martin, who is also chief operating officer of the unit.

“What I would say though is that the cost to service our customers on average will decrease.”

HSBC is seeking to trim $4.5 billion in costs over the next three years. The program was last week

revived by the lender after being put on pause due to the virus outbreak.

“Since February we have pressed forward with some aspects of our transformation program, but we now need to look to the long term and move ahead with others, including reducing our costs,” Chief Executive Officer Noel Quinn said in a memo to his staff.

The branch transformation by HSBC could mark a final push into becoming nearly an all digital bank. Almost 90% of its global transactions are already handled remotely and electronically. HSBC has rolled out more than 270 new digital products and features to retail customers so far this year, up from about 160 last year, Martin said.

Home working reduces creative thought, says bank economist Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, said that working from home risks stifling creativity and cuts people off from new experiences.

Haldane said in a speech that the pandemic had "reshaped our working lives, our economic contributions and our well-being", but it was unclear whether this change was for the better. Home working had probably reduced his capacity for creative thought, he said.

Informal chats at work were often more useful than formal meetings, he added. "If you asked me if I am happier working from home, I genuinely would not know. I do not miss the commute," Haldane said, in a speech he gave online to the Engaging Business Summit.

"But I feel acutely the loss of working relationships and external stimuli - the chance conversations, listening to very different people with very different lived experiences, the exposure to new ideas and experiences.

These losses will grow with time. At some point, they will offset the benefits of avoiding South West Trains."

A study conducted by the London School of Economics (LSE) found that in the past two months, the proportion of people to lose their job aged 16 to 25 was 11.1 per cent, compared with 4.6 per cent for those aged 26 and over. The majority of young people (58 per cent) also experienced a fall in their earnings, compared with 42 per cent across the rest of the working population.

In its report, the LSE found that women, self-

employed people and those who grew up in a poor family were more likely to experience unemployment and wage cuts. Titled 'Generation Covid: Emerging Work and Education Inequalities', the study said the pandemic had heightened the need for a jobs guarantee directed at those under 26 that would give them a basic wage and on-the-job training.

They said, “It is wellknown that young workers entering the labour market in recessions suffer a range of consequences, impacting on earnings and jobs for 10 to 115 years, and affecting other outcomes, including general health and the likelihood of entering a life

of crime.” Fearing that the next generation of workers would struggle to gain the skills needed in a postpandemic labour market, they said, “There is also a real concern that people who have lost their jobs are moving on to trajectories heading to long-term unemployment, the costs of which are substantial.”

They also revealed that inequality in the workplace was also likely to worsen over the next decade as university students from the lowest-income backgrounds lost 52 per cent of their normal teaching hours as a result of lockdown, while those from the highestincome groups experienced a 40 per cent loss.

Covid-19 affects six million businesses A brand new study from King's Business School says an approximate six million small businesses in the UK supporting 16.6 million jobs are in a financially precarious position as a result of the pandemic. Nearly two-thirds of entrepreneurs felt their business might not survive the pressures of Covid-19, while more than half predicted they would run out of money within the next 12 months.

Over 350 entrepreneurs were questioned at the height of the first coronavirus lockdown to evaluate the impact on their businesses, and on them as individuals.

Almost 61 per cent reported that the future existence of their business was under threat due to a slump in trade. Researchers said this suggests that there are potentially 16.6 million UK jobs at risk. Small businesses contribute 52 per cent of the £2.2 trillion turnover generated by the private sector and employ 60 per cent of all private sector workers.

Businesses led by women were impacted more adversely than those led by men, with 72 per cent reporting lower trading volume, compared with 56 per cent for male-owned concerns.

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India to challenge Vodafone award in Singapore The government of India will soon challenge Permanent Court of Arbitration award, which quashed the income tax department's demand of £2.2 billion as tax, penalty and interest on Vodafone on the ground that India violated the bilateral investment treaty with the Netherlands by retrospectively amending the law. India's solicitor general Tushar Mehta has opined that an arbitral tribunal cannot render a law passed by a sovereign Parliament ineffective.

"The question of law the power of an arbitral tribunal to virtually and sub-

stantially declare a parliamentary legislation of a competent Parliament of a sovereign nation to be non est and unenforceable itself is an issue which needs to be challenged. I therefore, opine that the Union of India must challenge the said award and must file all available proceedings to challenge the award and/or

to protect the interest of Union of India," Mehta said in his opinion.

Mehta said India should explore a competent forum in Singapore and advised against approaching the Delhi high court or the Supreme Court. "From the award, it appears that the seat of arbitration is Singapore and prime facie the challenge may lie in the said arbitration before the municipal courts of Singapore," the SG suggested.

Two months after Vodafone won the taxation dispute in the SC in January 2012, the Centre had amended the tax laws retrospectively and, in 2013, it

slapped the telecom giant with a tax demand of £1.3 billion. Sources said India has to move fast to challenge the award in an appropriate forum keeping in mind the period of limitation that would be attached to the award. The SG suggested that the future course of action be charted in consultation with attorney general K K Venugopal.

When the law ministry referred the SG’s opinion to the AG and sought his view, Venugopal recused from the process saying he was “prohibited from advising the government in this case by the rules of conflict of interest”.

Indian economy on way to recovery: RBI governor Shaktikanta Das RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said that the Indian economy is at the “doorstep of revival” and both the government and the central bank are prepared to provide all the funds required to support growth. His statement comes a fortnight after he forecast that the economy would break out of contraction in the fourth quarter. “Today, we in India are at the doorstep of the revival process after the impact of the pandemic.

Many financial entities have already raised capital and others are planning and would do so in the coming months,” said Das. Das said that the RBI

has asked lenders to raise capital not just to strengthen their resilience to overcome stress but also to have enough to support growth and ensure that credit flow is maintained when the economy enters the revival phase. Das was speaking at the launch of veteran bureaucrat N K Singh’s autobiography ‘Portraits of Power’. Das recalled his interactions with Singh when the latter headed a panel to review the law on fiscal responsibility and budget management.

“Today, the government is in a fiscal expansion mode to deal with Covid challenges. Post-Covid, once there is a containment of

the pandemic, the government will certainly have to spell out a fiscal road map to adhere to the fiscal deficit-to-GDP target that Singh and his committee have set out,” he said.

Responding to a Shaktikanta Das question from HDFC vulnerable sections of socichairman Deepak Parekh, ety and then provide certain Das said that at the kinds of relief to the other moment, both fiscal and segments of industry and monetary policies are workbusiness - the micro, small ing in close symmetry and medium enterprises. despite the government The RBI is already in a monalready exceeding the cometary expansion mode. We bined deficit target. “The have used instruments and government has taken prutools which were never in dent and calibrated meathe tool kit of the RBI and sures. These are aimed at we are constantly trying to providing support to the innovate,” he said.

Future to move Delhi HC on Singapore tribunal order against Reliance deal Future Retail, a unit of Future Group, is likely to move the Delhi High Court seeking directions on going ahead with its £2.47 billion deal with Reliance Retail Ventures, which has been put on hold by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), sources said. The petition will challenge the interim order issued by an emergency arbitrator of the SIAC. Future Retail is hopeful of getting an early hearing.

Following a plea by ecommerce giant Amazon citing alleged contractual violations, the interim order had asked Future Retail, Future Coupons and the parent company Future Group “not to take any steps in furtherance to the Board Resolution of August 29”. Legal experts said the interim order does not hold much value under Indian laws, and Future and Amazon will have to approach courts in India to

seek directions on the course of action.

Amazon had objected to the Future-Reliance deal, and subsequently instituted arbitration against Future Coupons, Future Retail and Future Group. On Sunday, Amazon said it welcomed the interim order but remained committed to the arbitration process.

Reliance Retail said it intends to “enforce its rights and complete the transaction in terms of the scheme and agreement with Future group without any

delay”.

On Monday, Future Retail notified the exchanges that it had received communication from the SIAC, and enclosed the interim order.

The company also said that all agreements it had with companies were “governed

by Indian Law and provisions of the Indian Arbitration Act for all intents and purposes”.

“This matter raises several fundamental jurisdictional issues, which go to the root of the matter.

Accordingly, this order will have to be tested under the provisions of Indian Arbitration Act in an appropriate forum,” the company said in a statement.

On August 29, Future Retail had announced that it would “sell by way of a slump sale the retail and wholesale business” of its supermarket chain Big Bazaar, premium food supply unit Foodhall, and fashion and clothes supermart Brand Factory’s retail and wholesale units, to Reliance Retail, a unit of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries. The deal, however, ran into legal trouble with Amazon, which had last year signed a £200 million deal with Future Retail under which the e-commerce major would acquire 49 per cent stake in Future Coupons, the promoter firm. Following the FutureReliance deal, Amazon had also said that its agreement with Future Coupons had given it a “call” option.

Double Confirmation

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

It’s always reassuring when someone else spots the same deal as you. In this situation it was a commercial property in Didcot, in commuter belt town, only 40 minutes to Paddington. But you’ll live longer if you live in Didcot and not in Paddington. I know this as a statistical fact having studied mortality at university. Your insurance premium will be less in Didcot because you will live longer.

The property was a vacant retail freehold unit in an upmarket shopping parade. It consisted of two floors and a large V shaped roof.

The angle was to convert the downstairs into residential, and the upstairs as well, under the soon to expire permitted development route.This route circumvents the often subjective and whimsical route of gaining planning permission. What was interesting about this lot was the downstairs was listed as about 980 sq. ft. but the upstairs was listed as 623 sq. ft.

However, the building was a square from the outside, top and bottom. The reason for this discrepancy was this measurement was done using the Net Internal Area. This way of measurement discounts areas like the toilets and storerooms. For redeveloping into residential this discount is irrelevant as you would be using this space. Therefore, if you take the numbers at first glance you would lose about 15% of profit instantly. If you take the time to peer underneath the bonnet all would have become clear. The lot was due to come in auction, however, it was also listed with an agent. What seems to have happened was the original buyer may have been dragging his feet, the vendor then decided he’d had enough and put the property in auction. This then gave the original buyer the kick up his backside he needed, and he quickly moved to complete the deal.The deal was guided at a mere £245K but the GDV was a conservative £700K! You can see why both myself and another colleague in the industry had spotted it.

There was further potential in the roof space, though this would need to go through a non-contentious planning application.There was a difference in opinion in regards to the ground floor; I assumed at first glance a conversion to residential, however, due to the foot flow and the locality, the ground floor would be suited to commercial, but smaller units. The floor would divide well into two, with generous height windows on the front and sides, allowing plenty of natural daylight through.

Even in this environment, the comparables show that small types of commercial unit would rent extremely well. I would have to concur with this conclusion. The added benefit you have with the commercial tenant is that you don’t have the potential void period every 6 months, no maintenance calls and costs, and the eviction is straight forward and quick.

As it happened neither of us got the deal, as it exchanged prior to auction; with the original buyer.

GOVT SET TO DIVEST 10% IN GIC, NEW INDIA Government is set to offer 10% shares in India's largest non-life insurance company New India Assurance through an offer for sale to the public. The Centre may also do a similar dilution in the General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re). However, the timing is not decided. The government had divested close to 15% stakes in both New India and GIC in 2017. The disinvestment of GIC Re resulted in a mop-up of £1.14 billion and New India’s IPO raised £960 million. Both the companies are currently trading at big discounts to their issue price. One of the reasons for not going public was that the shares are considered to be undervalued as not only are their prices at a 20% discount to book value, but also that New India has legacy investments in equities and real estate that are not reflected in the book value.

RBI GOVERNOR TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das has tested positive for Covid-19. He has been regularly attending the RBI central office building in Mumbai through the pandemic. Das disclosed his testing positive in a tweet where he said that he was asymptomatic and was feeling very much all right and would continue to work from isolation. “Work in the RBI will go on normally. I am in touch with all the deputy governors and other officers through video-conferencing and telephone,” he said in his statement. The infection was detected during a routine test. According to an RBI spokesperson, the central office will continue to remain operational. The RBI has four deputy governors - P Kanungo, M K Jain, Michael Patra and M Rajeshwar Rao. The deputy governors have all tested negative. The central office will continue to remain operational as usual as it undergoes frequent sanitisation and there are safeguards, including thermal screening and regular disinfection.

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PM Modi opens Girnar ropeway in Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week digitally opened the newly-built passenger ropeway service at Girnar in Junagadh district. Built at the cost of £13 million, the 2.3-km-long ropeway is believed to be among the longest ropeways in the world to connect a temple.

"Earlier, it used to take 5-7 hours to climb Girnar, but now it will take only 7-8 minutes. More devotees and tourists will visit Girnar. It will give a boost to adventure activities. I am also happy that the project will create more employment opportunities for local youths," the Prime Minister said in his video address.

Passenger ropeway developer, Usha Breco Limited constructed the ropeway in two years in spite of multiple challenges, including tough terrain, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Having nine towers,

the ropeway comprises 25 cabins, including one glass-floored cabin, each having a capacity to carry eight passengers at a time.

The ropeway has the capacity to carry 800 passengers in an hour, and 8,000 in a day. The two-way fare of the ropeway is Rs 700, while the fare is Rs 350 for children in the age group of 5-10.

No fare will be charged for children under the age of five.

There is also an option of availing a one-way ticket for Rs 400.

This is Usha Breco’s eighth ropeway project after Maa

Mansa Devi Shrine and Maa Chandi Devi in Haridwar, Pavagadh and Ambaji in Gujarat, Jatayupura and Malampuzha in Kerala, and Maa Tara Tarini in Odisha. These ropeways ferry more than 7 million people annually. The company is also in the process to develop ropeways

at Shimla, Kullu, and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh.

After the inauguration, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani accompanied by senior officials and leaders travelled in the ropeway, and offered prayers at the Ambaji temple on Girnar.

Two more projects inaugurated The Prime Minister also einaugurated two other projects in the State. The newly-developed UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Ahmedabad - making it India's biggest cardiology hospital. And another is a farmer-oriented scheme – Kisan Suryoday Yojana under which the farmers in the State will now be able to get electricity during day time as well.

Earlier farmers were supplied electricity only during night time.

The State government has allocated a budget of £350 million for installing transmission infrastructure under this scheme by 2023 that will include 234 66Kilowatt transmission lines, with a total length of 3,490 circuit kilometers (CKM) in addition to 9 new 220 KV substations to cover 1,000 villages in the first phase.

Govt paves way for all Indians to Farooq to head 7-party buy land in Jammu & Kashmir Gupkar alliance in J&K Paving the way for all Indians to be able to buy land in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, the government on Tuesday issued a notification to completely repeal 12 of the laws enacted by the erstwhile state and brought about changes in 14 such Acts.

According to a notification – Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020 – dated October 26, the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “With immediate effect, the Acts mentioned in the Schedule to this Order shall, until repealed or amended by a competent Legislature or other competent authority, have the effect, subject to the adaptations and modifications directed by the said Schedule, or if it is so directed, shall stand repealed.”

In the order, the MHA has amended the J&K land Revenue Act, 1996, as it paved the way for anyone to buy land in the two UTs with an exception of agricultural land, “which can only be transferred/sold to an agriculturist, but the government can authorise an agriculturist to

alienate land to a non-agriculturist for sale/gift/exchange”.

Further amending the J&K Development Act, 1970, the order said, the government might on the written request of an Army officer not below the rank of Corp commander, can declare an area as “strategic area” within a local area “only for direct operational and training requirement of armed forces”.

By amending the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1970 the MHA has also clipped the powers of the Revenue Minister, who citing public interest “could overturn” an order passed by a Tehsildar or Assistant Commissioner in respect of any evacuees land or state land.

It is to be noted here that J&K is currently under the Central rule.

In this order, the MHA has further amended the domicile law by allowing “spouse of a domicile” to be deemed a domicile. This was earlier applied only to children of Central government officials posted in J&K for a total period of 10 years, who are also eligible as domiciles.

Under the order, a new body the J&K Industrial Development Co-operation - has been set up and

if it is unable to acquire land, the government could invoke the provision of the Right to Fair Compensation Act, and acquire the land on behalf of the corporation for public purposes.

Reacting to the development, former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a Twitter post said, “Unacceptable amendments to the land ownership laws of J&K. Even the tokenism of domicile has been done away with when purchasing non-agricultural land & transfer of agricultural land has been made easier. J&K is up for sale & the poorer small landholding owners will suffer.”

With the changes in the land acts, the MHA said, “The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), 2016 will now be applicable in the UT.” The erstwhile state laws, which are completely repealed, include the Jammu & Kashmir Alienation of Land Act, the Jammu & Kashmir Big Landed Estates Abolition Act, the Jammu & Kashmir Common Lands (Regulation) ACT, 1956, the Jammu & Kashmir Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1962, and a few others.

The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, the seven-party amalgam of mainstream Kashmir parties demanding the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, appointed National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah as its president, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti as vice-president, and decided the flag of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir would be the flag of the alliance.

The decisions came at a meeting of alliance constituents, some of whom are arch-rivals, at Mufti’s Gupkar Road residence here. “It’s not an anti-national alliance, it is an anti-BJP alliance…

BJP wants to divide the country, our aim is to ensure that the rights of the people of J&K and Ladakh are restored,” Abdullah said.

Cong appears to distance itself from PAGD Congress appeared to distance itself from the PAGD with J&K PCC president GA Mir staying away from two meetings of the conglomerate. Sources close to the regional Congress unit said this was because of what they described as a “twist” in the objective of the basic demand for the restoration of

Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti

special status to J&K, a reference to recent statements from Mehbooba to the effect that she would raise the tricolour only when the J&K flag, too, was allowed to fly. The source said Congress had raised the issue of the nullification of Article 370 in Parliament but the PDP Rajya Sabha members had not spoken a word on it in the Upper House.

Won’t hoist tricolour: Mehbooba Mehbooba Mufti said members of her party would not raise the Indian tricolour unless they are allowed to raise the flag of Jammu & Kashmir, the right to which had been conferred on the erstwhile state by the now-defunct Article 370 of the Constitution. In her first interaction with the media after her release from 14 months in detention, Mufti said she had no interest in fighting elections unless the special status of Jammu & Kashmir is restored.

PM Modi to visit Gujarat on Oct 30 to inaugurate various projects Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Gujarat on October 30 on a two-day visit during which he is scheduled to launch a host of projects, including the famed seaplane service between Kevadiya and Ahmedabad, said an official on Monday. This will be PM Modi's first visit to his home state since the coronavirus spread in the country.

During his trip, PM Modi would also pay tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the "Statue of Unity" near Kevadiya in Narmada district on the occasion of birth anniversary of the first Home Minister of independent India on October 31, said the official.

As per a tentative schedule, PM Modi would arrive at Kevadiya on the afternoon of October 30. He would first inaugurate the Sardar

Patel Zoological Park, popularly known as Jungle Safari, developed near the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity which is dedicated to the "Iron Man" of India. The zoo houses wild animals and birds brought from all over the world.

Later, the PM would inaugurate a boat service which would operate in the Narmada river between the statue and

Shreshth Bharat Bhavan, around 4km away, according to the tentative schedule.

The PM is expected to take a ride in the boat after inauguration of the service, the official said.

PM Modi would then inaugurate Ekta Mall near the statue where tourists can buy handicraft items brought from all over the country, he said. Other new attractions which will be inaugurated include Children Nutrition Park and Unity Glow Garden. Around 30,00,000 LED lights have been used to illuminate the garden during the night for tourists.

In the night, PM Modi would inaugurate the illuminated Cactus Garden and Ekta Nursery, from where tourists can purchase plants.

The official said PM Modi will stay overnight at Kevadiya.

On the morning of October 31, Modi would first visit the Statue of Unity to pay floral tributes to Sardar Patel on his birth anniversary, he said. On the occasion, a parade, named Ekta Diwas Parade, by Central Armed Police Forces and the Gujarat police will also be organised in PM Modi's presence, the official said.

After speaking from the parade ground near the statue, Modi would interact with civil service probationers, also called Officer Trainees (OTs), through video conferencing. These trainee IAS officers would join the PM from the Lal Bahadur Shastri National

Academy of Administration, Mussoorie (Uttarakhand).

"The Academy is gearing up for Aarmabh 2020 in which a galaxy of thought leaders are sharing their views on India @100, culminating in the PM''s interaction with OTs from the Statue of Unity on 31st October, the birthday of Sardar Patel, the Patron Saint of Indian civil services," tweeted Academy Director, Sanjeev Chopra.

Later in the afternoon, the PM would launch the famed seaplane service connecting Kevadiya and Ahmedabad. A water aerodrome having a floating platform has been built in a lake near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, said the official. The PM would board a seaplane from the lake and reach at the Sabarmati Riverfront before winding up his visit and leaving for New Delhi, said the official.

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in brief

I will lead BJP in 2024 LS polls: Yediyurappa BENGALURU: Hitting the poll campaign trail, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa obliquely expressed his intentions to continue in his tenure even after state Assembly elections in 2023.

Notwithstanding the criticism by his own party men, Yediyurppa said that he would want to lead the party to victory in 2024 Lok Sabha polls along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the Congress in the state gets zero seats in the next Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking at the campaign rally in Tumkuru, Yediyurappa dared the Congress leader, Siddaramaiah to accept his challenge to defeat him in 2023 Assembly polls.

"Let Siddaramaiah know that I will not allow the Congress party to win single seat now or even in next Assembly elections and will ensure them to sit in the

BS Yediyurappa

Opposition. And I will lead the party in next Lok Sabha election along with Prime Minister Modi," he said and quickly added that he was stating this to ensure to strengthen the hands of Modi by handing him even bigger victory in next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

MLA creates controversy Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who represents Vijayapura in north Karnataka, has triggered a controversy with his statement that Yediyurappa won’t be the state’s chief minister for long now. He made the remarks at a function in Bijapur. A video of

his address has since gone viral. Yatnal’s comments come amid speculation that the BJP brass is looking to replace Yediyurappa because of concerns about his age - he is 77 - and resentment about what is perceived as his unilateral way of functioning.

The MLA said Yediyurappa will soon be replaced as chief minister, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has plans to name a leader from north Karnataka as his successor.

“Yediyurappa is a CM only because of the support from MLAs of north Karnataka,” Yatnal said of the chief minister, whose constituency Shikaripura falls in central Karnataka’s Shivamogga district.

North Karnataka is a stronghold of the powerful Lingayat community, to which

Yediyurappa belongs. “Did anyone vote for the BJP in Mandya and Kolar (central Karnataka)? Though north Karnataka people elect about 100 BJP MLAs in every election, when it comes to getting power, we are forced to bow down before the leaders of other regions like Dakshina Kannada.

Even the party high command has recognised this disparity. I know that PM Modi has almost finalised a name from the region for the CM post,” Yatnal is heard saying in a video. Leaders from north Karnataka are disgruntled over not getting their due, he said, seeking to quote party colleague Umesh Katti. Senior BJP leader Katti, he added, had recently lashed out at Yediyurappa’s alleged bias towards his own constituency.

Yatnal claimed Yediyurappa had used £12.5 million allotted for north Karnataka to develop his home district.

PUNJAB

Kejriwal, Amarinder in Twitter war over farm bills NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh took swipes at each other on Twitter over the agriculture bills passed by Punjab assembly with former accusing the latter of "enacting a drama" and "befooling people".

The war of words began after Kejriwal responded to a tweet by CMO Punjab in which Amarinder accused both the Aam Aadmi Party and Shiromani Akali Dal of "double standards". "Amazed at double standards of SAD & AAP, says @capt_amarinder Singh on their criticism of state's bills after backing them in the House.

CM asks @ArvindKejriwal to follow Punjab's examples to bring out similar bills to save farmers," Punjab CMO said.

In his response, Kejrwal asked if a state can amend laws of the Centre. He addressed the Punjab Chief Minister as "Raja Sahib". "Raja Sahib, you amended the laws of the Centre.

Can a state change the laws of the Centre? No. You resorted to drama, mislead the people. The laws that you passed yesterday, will the farmers of Punjab get MSP after that? No. Farmers need MSP not your false laws," Kejriwal said.

"Raja Sahib, do not betray the farmers of Punjab. If you want real benefit of the farmers, then pass an MSP law that the crop the central government does not pick up on MSP, the Punjab government will take it on MSP," he added. Hitting back, Amarinder made a series of tweets and said Kejriwal's reaction smacks of total ignorance and he should have done his homework before rushing to make remarks.

"Your reaction smacks of total ignorance Arvind Kejriwal though I can't blame you as Delhi is not really a state. But I expected you to do homework before rushing to react to my remarks, that were made in interest of farmers, who I thought you might have some concern for. And frankly, Arvind

Kejriwal I thought you knew your Constitution, which clearly says that u/Article 254 (II) states can seek amendment to central laws for local & contextual needs, as has been done in many cases, specially in CPC Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal & CrPC laws. Maybe you Then what did you distribute could check it now! laddus yesterday? Cheated the "So instead of questioning farmers? First, you cheated by my govt's Bills why don't you get making an anti-farmer bill out of your IT mindset and ask sitting in the committee of the your AAP Punjab unit to back us Centre. And now this second in our fight for farmers, unless betrayal?" he said. their support to our Bills was Punjab is the first state to just a facade? The ball is in your reject the three farm laws which court - are you with farmers or were enacted after passage of against them?" he said. relevant bills in the monsoon Kejriwal accused the Punjab session of parliament last Chief Minister of betraying month. The assembly passed farmers and said the Centre is three bills "unanimously" to not going to accept the "protect MSP and check amendments made by the state hoarding of foodgrains". The government. "Raja Sahib, you House also passed by voice vote are accepting yourself that the an amendment to CrPC for state government cannot change exempting farmers from the the laws of the Centre. The attachment of land up to 2.5 central government is not going acres. to accept your amendments.

FREE VACCINE IN TAMIL NADU, DECLARES EPS The BJP's promise of free Covid vaccine in Bihar ahead of state elections, was followed by a "me too" announcement from Tamil Nadu. The criticism of the BJP move on social media and among opposition parties going full swing, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami said a vaccine will be distributed free of charge in his state as well. “Once COVID-19 vaccine is ready, it will be provided to all people of the state free of cost," announced the Chief Minister, whose state is due for election next year. It is a crucial election for the ruling AIADMK, which is trying for a third term. For Palaniswami, who became an accidental Chief Minister after his predecessor Jayalalithaa's death, this is the first election as a Chief Ministerial candidate.

60 SIKH ACTIVISTS BOOKED OVER CLASH Amid allegations and counter charges after a clash between the SGPC task force and members of Sikh organisations protesting over the missing ‘saroops’, the SGPC has got registered an FIR against 50-60 activists.

Following the altercation that left at least 15 persons injured, the protesters were disbursed and the site of the protest, opposite the Teja Singh Samundri Hall, was barricaded. Declaring a ‘blanket ban’ on holding any protest inside the Golden Temple complex in future, SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal alleged the clash took place under the patronage of the Congress leadership which intended to vitiate the atmosphere. He alleged armed with ‘kirpans’ and sticks, the activists attacked the staff members, including a ‘dharmi fauji’.

GJM QUITS NDA, TO ALIGN WITH TMC In a big jolt to the BJP, ahead of 2021 Assembly polls, the GJM, led by fugitive Gorkha leader Bimal Gurung, quit the NDA, underscoring that the saffron party has "failed to find a permanent solution" for the Hills - which had witnessed major unrest over demand for a separate state in 2017.

Addressing a press meet here, Gurung announced that his outfit would align with the TMC and fight against the saffron camp in the 2021 Bengal Assembly polls. The BJP, which is still recovering from the setback it had received last month when Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) pulled out of the NDA, said Gurung, who had been on the run since 2017, wanted to return to the Hills, and had no option but to toe the line of TMC boss Mamata Banerjee. Gurung said his outfit feels cheated as the NDA, despite its assurances, was yet to recognise 11Gorkha communities as Scheduled Tribes.

WEST BENGAL

Posters, rallies for powerful TMC leader sprout in Bengal district KOLKATA: West Midnapore is draped with scores of curious white flags, posters and banners with pictures of Trinamool Congress (TMC) heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari. In most of these posters and banners with Suvendu’s photographs on them, the group Amra Dadar Anugami (we are elder brother’s followers) is claiming to be the organiser. Who are these leaderless organisers is yet to be known.

The sea of flags, posters, rallies in favour of Suvendu Adhikari – without the TMC symbol and flags – for the past few weeks in the district has prompted people to raise several questions. Who are Amra Dadar Anugami? Are these rallies part of Suvendu’s show of strength to send a message to some

TMC leaders in Kolkata? Is he gearing up to play a bigger role in Bengal’s politics while serving the TMC? Or is this TMC’s new strategy to take on the BJP in this coastal belt of Bengal?

There are no clear answers yet but thousands of people rallying for him while wearing t-shirts and holding white flags with his face on them is certainly a strong message

that followers of Adhikari from Midnapore are trying to send ahead of the 2021 assembly polls in Bengal. In the past few weeks there were multiple political rallies at Nandigram, Digha, Egra in East Midnapore and Netai in Jhargram.

The rallies were cleverly crafted in the name of containing Covid-19, festive wishes, and other social welfare work under the banner of Amra Dadar Anugami’.

Strikingly in most of the rallies, the official symbol (twin flowers in grass) of the TMC and party supremo Mamata Banerjee’s picture, were missing. Instead of Banglar Gorbo Mamata or Didi Ke Bolo, the flags and banners say

Amra Dadar Anugami, Banglar Bagh (Bengal’s Tiger) and Bengal’s Rising Sun. As West Bengal is going to witness crucial elections next year, such rallies in favour of an influential TMC leader like Suvendu is certainly going to create more challenges before the ruling Trinamool in West Bengal.

With political strategist Prashant Kishor and Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP from Diamond Harbour constituency and Mamata’s nephew, hitting the ground (as they have already started with North Bengal recently) to strengthen the party, it will be interesting to see how the TMC handles this odd situation.

Suvendu was the key man behind Mamata Banerjee’s movement in Nandigram in East Midnapore in 2007 which helped

her end the 34-year rule of the Left Front in Bengal. Over the years, Mamata has also shown her respect towards him and his family members for their dedication towards the party.

Since then, Suvendu has been known as one of the most powerful leaders in the party but insiders said he was not happy with the "attitude" of a few TMC leaders; however, despite that he decided to work hard for the party only on "Mamata’s instructions". For the past few years, Suvendu had been missing from key party events and rallies. On April 21, 2017, he didn’t attend the TMC’s organisational meet at Netaji Indoor Stadium, reportedly citing health issues. In March 2020, he was once again found absent from a party event at the same venue.

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India’s vigorous response at the border has rattled China: RSS chief RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that India needed to increase its power to be able to respond to China. “In our military and economic preparations, in forging relations internationally and with our neighbours, we will need to be bigger than China,” he said. China was surprised by the vigorous Indian response to its aggression in east Ladakh this year, but Beijing’s reaction to the new situation it faces couldn’t be easily anticipated, he added during his annual Vijayadashami speech.

India’s resolve in standing up to China had led to more countries realising the need to confront the expansionist power that had been taking on several nations. “Unwavering caution, vigilance and preparedness are the only ways to respond,” he said.

“This time China was surprised as India stood up resolutely... just how it will respond is not known,” Bhagwat said.

“If we do this (increase our power and forge close ties with neighbour), we can stop China. Our neighbours like Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal are not just our neighbours. We have had ties with them for thousands of years and more or less they are countries with the same nature and temperament as us. We should quickly associate with them... there will be disputes when borders are shared. We should move faster to remove this issues,” he said.

In fairly explicit references to the border situation with China, the RSS chief said India’s hand of friendship to all should not be mistaken for weakness. “The erroneous impression of those who felt that (India) can be bent this way and that should have been cleared up by now. The bravery of our Army and the self-esteem reflected in the policies of our leadership and the unity of our people should be recognised by China. There is an air of self-confidence in the nation,” he said.

“A haughty China locked horns with a number of countries at a single point of time. Of course, it has been an expansionist regime and has been encroaching upon other’s territories, be it Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and even America. However, India’s reaction to its aggression has left it rattled. Rather, China was taken aback by India’s response,” he added.

Bhagwat said there was a need to be vigilant against internal challenges as well. Political competition was a fact of democracy but there should be some

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat

wisdom in this and elections were not a war between enemies, he said, warning against bitterness within society. “This is not politics, there are forces that want to see a society at conflict with itself, these are in the world and in the country,” he added.

He said the anti-CAA agitation was used to create conflict by propagating the view that it was intended to reduce Muslim population. “These people speak of Bharat ke tukde but use certain situations to present themselves as secular and constitutionalists. They actually have no regard for the Constitution at all. They teach society the wrong things (ulti patti) and they speak the grammar of anarchy as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said. They have worked against the Sangh, only that they are not effective today,” he added.

Light a ‘diya’ for troops: PM At a time when India and China are facing off on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted people to light a ‘diya’ in their homes in support of security forces guarding India’s borders. “We must also think of our brave heart soldiers who are firmly stationed on our borders in the line of duty, even during these festive times, all in the service and security of Mother India. We have to light a ‘diya’ (lamp) at home in honour of these brave sons and daughters of Mother India,” Modi said.

In his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’, Modi also made a strong pitch for unity. “Unity is power, unity is strength, unity is progress, unity is empowerment, united we will scale new heights,” he said. The PM also said India has repeatedly thwarted efforts of those who have sought to divide the country.

Won’t let anyone grab our land: Rajnath

India wants to peacefully resolve the military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh but will not allow anyone to forcibly grab even an inch of its territory, defence minister Rajnath Singh said. The minister made the remarks after reviewing the operational military readiness along the LAC with China in the eastern sector and performing ‘shastra puja’ on the occasion of Dussehra at the Suknabased 33 Corps of the Army. He was accompanied by Army chief General M M Naravane and Eastern Command chief Lt-General Anil Chauhan. Singh also dedicated to the nation the 19.85km alternative alignment of National Highway-310, built by the Border Roads Organisation in Sikkim, which he said would “bolster defence preparedness” in the Nathu La sector in particular and the whole of east Sikkim in general.

Will fight on our soil as well as on foreign soil, says Doval India will fight not only on its own territory but also on foreign soil which becomes the source of a security threat, national security advisor Ajit Doval said in remarks that struck many as significant in the context of the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control.

Addressing the Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, Doval said while India has never attacked anyone first, the new strategic thinking holds that perhaps we could have acted proactively to nip security threats. “It is not necessary that we only fight where you want to. India will take the battle to where the threat originates,” the NSA said, summing up the doctrine of what he called “New India”.

Official sources, however, emphasised that Doval was speaking more in the context of civilisational ethos and his remarks were not directed against anyone in the current context.

India, US sign major defence pact BECA Continued from page 1 in New Delhi.

The signing of BECA with the US is a "significant" move, Rajnath Singh said as he briefed the media after the high-level talks held at Hyderabad House in the national capital. "We held comprehensive discussion on a range of key issues: Inking of BECA with US a significant move. Our military to military cooperation with US moving forward very well. We identified projects for joint development of defence equipment. We reaffirmed our commitment to peace and security in Indo-Pacific region," he said.

BECA, which is the fourth and final "foundational" understanding the US has with India, will allow India to gain access to precision data and topographical images - on a real time basis - from United States military satellites. The signing of the longnegotiated defence pact comes in the

backdrop of India's tense border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said that the situation in the Indo-Pacific was also discussed during the talks. "Our national security convergences have grown; Indo-Pacific was a focus of our discussion," he said.

US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said that the growing defence and security partnership between India and the US will keep a check on the situation in the Indo-Pacific at a time when China is attempting to expand its economic and military clout in the region. The sensitive satellite and sensor data provided by the US under the agreement will allow India to keep a close watch on the movements of Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his country's support for India in its efforts to "defend its sovereignty". "We stand with India to

deal with threats to its sovereignty," he said.

This is the third edition of the 2+2 talks Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh are holding with Pompeo and Mark Esper.

Both sides were assisted by their top military and security officials. The inperson talks were held at a time when India is locked in a tense standoff with China in eastern Ladakh and the Trump administration's growing friction with Beijing over a host of issues including trade tariff and the Chinese military's offensive manoeuvres in the South China Sea. Ahead of the crucial meet, Pompeo and Mark Esper held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

The officials had a "constructive meeting and discussed a number of issues and challenges of strategic importance." Earlier in the day, both the top US administration officials visited the National War Memorial and paid tributes to India's fallen heroes.

Maharashtra blocks CBI from probing cases in state The Maharashtra government has withdrawn the “general consent” granted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), curtailing the agency’s powers to probe cases in the state. The agency will now have to approach the state government for permission to initiate the investigation on a case by case basis. This comes a day after the central probe agency registered an FIR in the TRP ‘scam’ case based on a reference from the Uttar Pradesh police.

The case, which was earlier registered at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on a complaint of an advertising company promoter, was handed over to the CBI by the UP government.

On October 8, the Mumbai police had claimed it had busted a “racket” of “fraudulent” manipulation of Television Rating Points (TRPs) involving three channels including Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV. Six people have been arrested by the police in the ‘scam’, which allegedly involves inducing homes which form the sample set whose TV viewing is monitored to ensure that certain channels get higher ratings.

In the past, states like Rajasthan and West Bengal had withdrawn general consent to the CBI, which reports directly to the Union Home Ministry. But

the order does not turn Maharashtra into a "no go" territory for CBI which can continue to investigate cases registered before the state government withdrew consent. It can also probe people based in Maharashtra who are found to be involved in cases registered in other states.

CBI in unviable situation While it may not be practically possible for the agency to carry out raids and arrests if the state government and police refuse to cooperate, it can overcome the problem by approaching courts. There have been several examples of courts allowing such pleas by the CBI. Also, while the CBI cannot register fresh cases in Maharashtra, it can conduct investigations in the state by getting a case registered in another state where it does not suffer from similar disability.

Still, the order puts the CBI in an unviable situation, given the number of central government employees in Maharashtra and Mumbai being the financial capital. The state is home to several public sector undertakings and a base of legions of I-T and customs personnel something which explains why the agency had to split the state into four zones.

In sharpest fall, Covid cases in India dip to 16% In the steepest weekly fall yet in Covid-19 numbers in India, fresh infections recorded last week (October 19-25) were nearly 16% less than the previous week's tally while deaths from the virus fell by 19% during this period. India recorded just over 360,000 fresh cases during the week, the lowest in absolute terms in three months (since 320,000 were detected in the July 20-26 week), as per data collated from state governments. This marked a drop of 15.7% from the previous week's numbers, the sharpest weekly fall in cases since the pandemic hit India. Last week, nearly 430,000 cases were recorded in the country.

This was the sixth straight week of decline in fresh Covid-19 cases from the peak of 6,45,014 infections reported during September 7- 13, indicating a sustained reduction in the pandemic’s spread in the country.

Sunday’s death toll lowest in 108 days since July 9 Meanwhile, India achieved another positive milestone when the number of recoveries crossed 90% of all cases on Sunday. Close to 71,30,000 people have now recovered from the infection, out of a total caseload so far of 79,10,000, as per database. Deaths from the virus were down 19% from last week’s toll. This week India recorded just over 4,400 fatalities due to Covid-19, as compared with 5,455 last week.

Deaths too have been declining for five consecutive weeks since peaking at 8,175 during September 14-20.

26 PAKISTAN

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Pak to review Jadhav’s conviction A Pakistani parliamentary panel has approved a government bill that seeks a review the conviction of death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav, complying with the directives of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), according to a media report. The draft bill titled the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance was discussed and approved by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice despite stiff resistance from the Opposition.

Taking part in the debate, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem said the bill has been introduced in compliance with directives of the ICJ. He warned that in case the bill was not adopted by Parliament, Pakistan could face sanctions for not complying with the ICJ’s verdict.

Kulbhushan Jadhav

Fifty-year-old retired Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. In 2017, India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence handed to him by a military court. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of

Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

However, the committee members from the Opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-iIslam (JUI-F) requested its chairman Riaz Fatyana to reject the bill. However, Fatyana, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), decided to settle the matter through voting. He also tried to stop two PTI members from leaving the hall before voting. Eight members voted in favour of the bill, while five opposed it, the report said. The Opposition members termed the bill as NRO for Jadhav. The NRO is the National Reconciliation Ordinance which former president and military dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf offered to the-then exiled political leadership and under

which several corruption cases against different politicians were dropped.

Aliya Kamran of the JUI-F accused the government of misleading the country’s establishment, saying that they were not here to legislate for Jadhav and the bill should be presented before the public and bar associations for a public debate. The legislation is unnecessary since the judgment of former chief justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk has already said the constitutional courts can review the judgments of the military courts, Kamran said. Syed Naveed Qamar of the PPP said that through the legislation, the government was trying to give Jadhav relief of appeal against the sentence of a military court which is not even available to a Pakistani citizen.

This is tantamount to giving an NRO to Jadhav and “we oppose this bill,” he said.

Pak army, police heading for a confrontation NEW DELHI: A major crisis is brewing in Pakistan, with the police in the Sindh province putting up a determined fight against the all-powerful military for “abducting” its chief, Inspector General Mushtaq Mahar, and forcibly getting his signature on the arrest warrant of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Captain Safdar Awan (retd).

The situation is so tense that Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had to step in and order an inquiry to prevent the Sindh police from going on mass protest leave. Ayesha Siddiqa, an expert on Pakistan’s military affairs, said that the Sindh police was finally tired of excessive intervention by the military. “I would say the Sindh police got

Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa

tired, but then the Sindh government may have encouraged the police to take this stand,” Siddiqa said. The Sindh government is ruled by the opposition Pakistan People’s Party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

This is one of the rare occasions in

Pakistan to remain in FATF ‘grey list’ ISLAMABAD: Citing strategic deficiencies and non-compliance with six key markers in its 27point action plan on terror-financing and money-laundering, Paris-based global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said Pakistan will continue to remain on its grey list.

The decision was announced by FATF president Marcus Pleyer after a three-day virtual plenary session. “To date, Pakistan has made progress across all action plan items and has now largely addressed 21 of the 27 action items. As all action plan deadlines have expired, the FATF strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by February 2021,” the FATF said in a statement.

Pakistan also needs to work on four areas to “address its strategic deficiencies”, it said.

Listing the deficiencies, the FATF said that Pakistan needs to: • “Demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terror financing activity which target designated persons and entities, and those who act on the behalf/direction of the designated persons or entities”.

• “Demonstrate that terror financing prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions”.

• “Demonstrate effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions against all… designated terrorists and those acting for or on their behalf; preventing the raising and moving of funds, including in relation to nonprofit organisations; identifying and freezing assets; and prohibiting access to funds”.

Pakistan when the military has been challenged. Sushant Sareen, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in India, said the kind of protest seen from the Sindh police is unprecedented. “Nobody expected this. Also, Bajwa’s announcement of an inquiry either reveals a complete breakdown of the Army’s chain of command, or that it is looking for a scapegoat,” Sareen said.

Former Indian envoy to Pakistan T C A Raghavan said it is unclear what happened on the night when the IG is said to have been abducted. “But it shows that Nawaz Sharif’s fiery rhetoric against the chief of

army staff and generals has brought to the surface a certain latent hostility that is always there in Pakistan against Army high-handedness,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Vinod Bhatia (retd), India’s former director general of military operations, added that the Pakistan Army has become too overbearing in terms of domestic and international politics, as well as economics. “Gen. Bajwa has been dictating all Pakistan policies, including when Imran Khan went to the US. I think this controversy will die down, but the simmering sentiments regarding the Army’s behaviour will remain. The Sindh police’s actions reveal a major fault line between law enforcement and the Pakistan Army,” he said.

India asks Pak to prosecute Headley for 26/11 attack New Delhi: India asked Pakistan to prosecute Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley, and seek his testimony as a witness, in the 2008 Mumbai attacks case. The government conveyed this to Islamabad last week, while reiterating that India is open to hosting a Pakistani judicial commission to examine witnesses in Mumbai or to question them through a teleconference.

The 26/11 plotter, who pleaded guilty, is serving a 35-year sentence in the US for planning terror attacks in Denmark and India. India believes his deposition before Pakistani authorities, exposing Pakistan's ISI links with the perpetrators, will set to rest any doubt about the role of Pakistani state actors in the attacks that left 166, including six Americans, dead.

Headley has confessed before both US and Indian

agencies that he acted at the behest of ISI and that the terror group responsible for the attack, LeT, was acting under the same spy agency's umbrella. That he turned approver and pleaded guilty, while leading to his conviction by a US court, also meant that under US laws, he can no longer be extradited to India, or to Pakistan in the unlikely event of Islamabad acting on India's advice and seeking his prosecution.

Not being extradited to

India, Pakistan or Denmark was one of the conditions on which the rogue US intelligence agent had turned approver. In his plea bargain, Headley had agreed that when directed by the US attorney’s office, he would "fully and truthfully" testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, videoconferencing or letters rogatory. This opens the door for Pakistan to implead Headley.

in brief 8 PUNJABIS WIN BRITISH COLUMBIA ELECTIONS Eight candidates of Punjabi origin have emerged winners in the British Columbia provincial elections in Canada. All eight belong to the ruling New Democratic Party, which secured an absolute majority with 55 seats in the 87-member House. Three of them - Labour Minister Harry Bains, Deputy Speaker Raj Chouhan and Parliamentary Secretary Jagrup Brar - have been elected MLAs for the fifth time. Bains won from Surrey-Newton. He defeated Paul Boporai of the Liberal Party. Chouhan won from Burnaby-Edmonds. He defeated Liberal Party’s Tript Atwal, the daughter of former Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and SAD leader Charanjit Singh Atwal. Brar retained his Surrey-Fleetwood seat. He belongs to Deon village in Bathinda. Rachna Singh, daughter of Punjabi writer Dr Raghbir Singh and an alumna of Panjab University, has been reelected from Surrey-Green Timbers. She defeated Dilraj Atwal of the Liberal Party.

Ravi Kahlon retained his Delta North seat.

Aman Singh defeated Jas Johal from Richmond-Queensborough. Jinny Sims and Niki Sharma won from Surrey-Panorama and Vancouver-Hastings, respectively.

SHEHBAZ SHARIF SENT TO JAIL IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif was sent to jail in a money laundering case. Shehbaz, the younger brother of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 28 after a court rejected his bail application in the money laundering case. Next day, the 69year-old former chief minister of Punjab province was sent on a physical remand by an accountability court. Later, an accountability court of Lahore rejected the NAB's plea seeking further extension to his physical remand. Shehbaz told the court that NAB didn't ask any questions about money laundering during his three weeks detention.

SENIOR AFGHAN AL-QAEDA LEADER KILLED Afghan security forces have killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, a senior Al-Qaeda leader who was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists list, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a tweet. The head of the US National Counter-Terrorism Center, Chris Miller, confirmed al-Masri's death in a statement, saying his "removal .. from the battlefield is a major setback to a terrorist organization that is consistently experiencing strategic losses facilitated by the United States and its partners." Al-Masri has been charged in the United States with having provided material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organisation, and conspiracy to kill US nationals.

18 KILLED IN KABUL SUICIDE BOMBING A suicide bomber struck near an education centre in the Afghan capital last week, killing at least 18 people and injuring 57 others. According to reports, a suicide bomber wanted to enter the education centre, Tareq Arian, spokesman for the interior ministry, said. But he was identified by the centre's guards after which he detonated his explosives in an alley. He said the attack had left at least 18 people dead and 57 wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban said it was not involved. Residents in several districts of western Kabul belong to the minority Shiite Hazara community, often targeted by Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group. In the past, extremists have targeted several education centres and other facilities in the area.

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in brief in brief STAMPEDE KILLS 11 AFGHANS At least 11 women were trampled to death when a stampede broke among thousands of Afghans waiting in a soccer stadium to get visas to leave the country, officials said.

Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the governor of the eastern Nangarhar province, said another 13 people, mostly women, were injured at the stadium, where they were trying to get visas to enter neighboring Pakistan. He said most of those who died were elderly people from across Afghanistan. In a separate incident, at least 34 Afghan police were killed in an ambush by Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan, officials said. It was the deadliest attack since the Taliban and the Afghan government began holding long-delayed peace talks last month, part of a process launched under a deal signed between the United States and the insurgents in February.

The talks are seen as the country's best chance for peace after decades of war.

TEACHER’S KILLING: PARIS TO SHUT MOSQUE IN CLAMPDOWN French authorities said on Tuesday they are shutting a Paris mosque in a clampdown on radical Islam that has yielded over a dozen arrests following the beheading of a teacher who had shown his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The mosque in a denselypopulated suburb of Paris had published a video on its Facebook page days before the murder, railing against teacher Samuel Paty’s choice of material for a class discussion on freedom of expression, said a source close to the investigation. The interior ministry said the mosque in Pantin, which has some 1,500 worshippers, would be shut on Wednesday for six months. Interior minister Gerald Darmanin has vowed there would be “not a minute’s respite for enemies of the Republic”.

POPE FRANCIS VOICES SUPPORT FOR SAMESEX CIVIL UNIONS Pope Francis, who since the beginning of his pontificate has taken a more tolerant tone toward homosexuality, appeared to break with the position of the Roman Catholic Church by supporting civil unions for samesex couples, according to remarks Francis made in a new documentary. Speaking about pastoral outreach and care for people who identified as LGBT, Francis directly addresses the issue of civil unions in the film. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” Francis said amid remarks in which he otherwise reiterated his support for gay people as children of God. “I stood up for that.” The pope appeared to be referring to when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and opposed legislation to approve same sex marriages but supported legal protection for the rights of gay couples.

It was not immediately clear when Francis made those remarks, but Evgeny Afineevsky, the director of the documentary, ‘‘Francesco,’’ said that Francis made the remarks directly to him for the film.

CHINESE CITY TO OFFER EXPERIMENTAL VACCINE Shaoxing city in China’s Zhejiang province will offer experimental vaccines to its residents, as China broadens an emergency use programme to people in non-priority groups, the city’s health commission said. It did not name the vaccine, say when inoculation would start or how many doses would be offered. Residents aged between 18 and 59 who are not in priority groups, can apply online for inoculation.

Applicants will need to give reasons for wanting the vaccine on their applications and will be charged 400 yuan ($60) for two doses, with an additional inoculation fee of 28 yuan per dose, the city said.

Indian-Americans strongly behind Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Washington: Joe Biden and his running mate Senator Kamala Harris have the best understanding of the IndianAmerican community, the leaders supporting the two Democratic candidates have said, describing US President Donald Trump as a "foe" who criticises India on the world stage. With less seven days to go for the November 3 presidential election, Indian-Americans asserted that Biden, first as a US Senator and thereafter as the vice president, has a strong track record of helping the community.

"After four years of the Trump administration, we know our children and grandchildren will not have the same opportunities as we had. We need a leader who understands our community, our values, our pride and appreciates our hard work and gives equal opportunity and say in his administration," said Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Bhutoria said that Biden and Harris are the leaders who will lead the country out of this mess and restore its soul, revive the middle-class economy and re-establish America's leadership on the world stage and best relationship with India.

Referring to the final presidential debate between Trump and Biden on Friday, Bhutoria said that the president criticised India on the world stage. "The community understands who the real friend of India is, who the foe. Trump is a foe. Most recently on the debate stage saying- you cannot trust India''s Covid-19 numbers and India is

filthy. He has suspended the H1 Visa Programme, put trade deals with India in jeopardy, and has used (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi''s friendship for photo opportunities only," he alleged.

During the final presidential debate, Trump accused China, India and Russia of not taking care of their "filthy air" as he justified America's withdrawal from the landmark Paris climate agreement.

"Biden celebrated Diwali with (former) president Obama in the White House and at his residence. The former vice president has a deep connection with Indo-American community and India. Biden understands the values of Indo Americans. In his recent Op-ed he shares how he felt deeply connected to the Indian community and the val-

ues of the Indian community," he said.

Indian-Americans share deep connections with Biden and Kamala Harris, he said.

According to a recent survey, 80 per cent of Indian-American community is strongly behind Biden and Harris. "Indo Americans understand that the way they share their values with Biden and Harris, (they) think that (US President Donald) Trump does not share their values and has failed and is leading America on the wrong path," Bhutoria said.

California State Assembly member Ash Kalra said that he has known Senator Harris and her sister Maya for over two decades. "Kamala's pride of her Indian heritage runs as deep as her love for her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris.

Kamala speaks fondly of her trips to India as a child and connects many of the ideals she fights for as an elected leader to the Indian values of her upbringing," he said.

Tanzania opposition warns of election fraud DODOMA: The leader of Tanzania's main opposition party accused the electoral commission of tampering with voter lists ahead of Wednesday's general elections.

Tanzanians will elect a president, deputies and local councillors after five years of John Magufuli's regime, marked by a crackdown on political opponents in a country once viewed as a beacon of stability in East Africa.

"There's massive (biometric voter registration) manipulation. Millions of ghost voters and polling stations," Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the Chadema party, wrote on

Twitter. "Legitimate voters" have been moved or disappeared from voter lists, he said, calling on the National Electoral Commission to provide an explanation.

An insufficient response "will electrify this country and render the election impossible (from the outset)," he added.

Zitto Kabwe, leader of ACTWazalendo, another opposition party, said voters had been added to his constituency in the western city of Kigoma.

"In my constituency, some 13,830 ghost voters have been added in the list. Some national service soldiers and students have been prepared to vote through these names," he

claimed on Twitter.

During President Magufuli's five years in office, political rallies have been banned, freedom of speech suffocated and opposition leaders killed, abducted and arrested.

Tundu Lissu, the Chadema candidate who will challenge Magufuli at the polls, recently returned from three years in Belgium recovering from a 2017 assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times. As voting day approached, authorities sought to hinder Lissu's campaign, banning it for seven days in early October for "seditious

John Magufuli

language".

Amnesty International said this month that opposition parties were facing harassment, arbitrary arrest and intimidation from authorities ahead of the vote, whereas the ruling party was allowed to campaign free and unhindered.

China's abuse of Uyghur Ananya Birla slams US Muslims denounced restaurant for being ‘racist’ UNITED NATIONS: Dozens of countries in a United Nations meeting on human rights expressed grave concern over human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, calling on Beijing to provide “immediate, meaningful and unfettered access” to China's northwest border region.

Some 39 countries including Turkey, Germany, the US and the UK urged Chinese authorities to respect the rights of over 1 million Uyghur Muslims who are being kept in Chinese concentration camps, prompting an angry response from authorities in Beijing. “We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong,” Germany’s UN Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said.

The declaration, signed mainly by European countries, stated that violations of religious freedom, forced labor and involuntary sterilization are the main

key indicators of criminal activity by Chinese officials. "There are severe restrictions on freedom of religion or belief and the freedoms of movement, association and expression as well as on Uyghur culture," Heusgen said.

"Widespread surveillance disproportionately continues to target Uyghur and other minorities, and more reports are emerging of forced labor and forced birth control, including sterilization."

Turkish committee also voiced Ankara’s concerns over the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. "While respecting China’s territorial integrity, the expectations of our country and the international community from Chinese authorities is that Xinjiang’s Uyghur Turks and other Muslim minorities live in peace as equal citizens of China and that their cultural and religious identities are respected, as well as guaranteed," the committee said.

NEW YORK: Ananya Birla, the daughter of Aditya Birla Group’s chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, has slammed a US restaurant for being “racist”, saying the ItalianAmerican dining place in California “literally threw” her and her family out of their premises.

The singer and artist took to Twitter to Ananya Birla share her ordeal, saying “this is not okay”.

“This restaurant @ScopaRestaurant literally threw my family and I, out of their premises. So racist. So sad. You really need to treat your customers right. Very racist. This is not okay,” she said in a tweet. The Scopa Italian Roots restaurant is an Italian-American dining place by chef Antonia Lofaso in California.

“We waited for 3 hours to eat at your restaurant. @chefantonia Your waiter Joshua Silverman was extremely rude to my mother, bordering racist. This isn’t okay,” Ananya said in another tweet, in which she tagged Lofaso. Her mother, educationist and mental health activist Neerja Birla, also lashed out at the restaurant for ill-treating them. “Very shocking… absolutely ridiculous behaviour by @ScopaRestaurant. You have no right to treat any of your customers like this,” she wrote on Twitter. “I have never experienced anything of this sort. Racism exists and is real. Unbelievable. @ScopaRestaurant,” their son Aryaman Birla also tweeted.

However, Pablo Moix, a partner in the restaurant, denied that they were thrown out of the restaurant. He said that the situation arose when they were asked for their original IDs as required under state law to serve alcohol, which two people in the party had and the others only had copies of them. The situation escalated and then “deescalated” and “they stayed and finished their meal”, Moix said.

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How the pandemic paved way for Pendora Sweets Shefali Saxena Naina Soni was born in Uganda to a Gujarati family.

She spent her childhood in Leicester and after getting married, she settled in London.

She worked in retail for over 26 years and then decided to do something for herself.

Naina has been married for 38 years and loves travelling, yoga and cooking.

She’s now the founder of ‘Pendora Sweets’ in London.

Asian Voice exclusively spoke to Naina Soni to know more about the challenges of running a business in the pandemic, catering to festive demands and being a woman entrepreneur.

When and how did you come up with Pendora sweets?

Pendora began in early August. After taking an early retirement I decided I wanted to try something new and different and came up with concept of pendas with fusion flavours, My family tried some of the products and encouraged me to set up Pendora sweets and I decided to take the plunge and launch Pendora Sweets just in time for the auspicious occasion of Raksha bandhan giving me a great excuse to launch and share my product.

What kind of support did you require to start it and how did your friends and family help out with it?

I initially was quite nervous to set up this business as it was totally new to me. However I always knew I wanted to get my products out there and this is when my family came in. They gave me the encouragement and the push to launch Pendora sweets and my friends and family have been very supportive. They have also been very supportive in giving me feedback which is extremely important as at Pendora Sweets taste plays a huge factor and this has helped in perfecting the recipes and has encouraged me to be more adventurous.

How does it feel to be a woman

entrepreneur?

I believe that it is hard work dedication and motivation that drives both men and women equally to achieve their goals and

the feeling of your work being appreciated and to be seen as an entrepreneur is exciting, although I believe I still have a lot to achieve and lots of work to do until I get Pendora sweets to where I want it to be. I always knew I wanted to have my own business and I feel so empowered that I am able to start this journey … and this is only the beginning!

What are the challenges of starting a new business?

The main difficulty was the initial launch, I was very excited but nervous as I had no idea how everyone would react to my products but I feel the main challenge is competition. However I do believe a little competition is always good as it allows us to continue to thrive and push us further to achieve our goals. Another challenge is getting Pendora out to those who are not on social media.

What is your vision and mission for Pendora Sweets?

Pendora sweets has come a long way from its initial launch and I continue to take it to even greater heights, we have invested in luxury bespoke packaging and now have a wider variety of flavours to add to the collection such as; Lotus Biscoff,

Naina Soni

Tutti Fruiti, Carrot cake and Blueberry. My vision is for Pendora Sweets to be a household name when it comes to mithai and I would love for everyone to try them. Our key focus as present is preparing for Diwali and making sure our customers are able to enjoy these festive treats. Over the next few months I aim to increase awareness of the business and expand marketing.

I would love to take part in exhibitions; however this has been difficult with the pandemic situation. We are also looking to launch a festive new flavour for Christmas.

Halloween Henna World-famous henna artist Pavan Dhanjal has launched her new products for AutumnWinter 20/21 including Glow-in-the-Dark and Neon Henna.

Pavan Henna has created an amazing new range for Halloween, Christmas & party season: innovative glow-in-the-dark and neon products and we anticipate a great deal of excitement! The products include, Glow In the Dark: once charged with natural light (like a luminous watch dial), this formula will glow in the dark for up to 2 hours and Neon Henna: Blue, Green, Pink, Orange and Yellow: a hit of UV light will ensure your look changes immediately!

With cones

(applicators) that are as easy to use as a pen, sufficient for 15 designs. This new range can be applied to most surfaces - pumpkins, laptops, mobile phone cases & drinking glasses. The products can be used by all ages and skin-types and last on the skin for 24 hours. They can be washed off easily with soap and water, and are non-toxic - Vegan friendly and sustainably sourced. Speaking to Asian Voice Pavan said, “We have launched our neon henna for Halloween in Topshop on Oxford street and curated a window display for them. We are so proud to launch henna on such a high platform and make henna recognised as a makeup brand that is

SPOOKY FACTS ABOUT HALLOWEEN

l Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween l Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder that Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death. l The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant that someone was about to die. l The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.” In fact, wiccan were highly respected people at one time. According to popular belief, witches held one of their two main meetings, or sabbats, on Halloween night. l Scottish girls believed they could see images of their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of the fire on Halloween.

Other girls believed they would see their boyfriend’s faces if they looked into mirrors while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween.

fun, inclusive and safe to use. Our mission has been to revolutionise henna and it feels like our hard work is finally paying off.”

Ramayana - An ancient Indian epic

Diwali in London (DiL) Committee in association with Puranas is presenting Ramayana - An ancient Indian epic.

Director Neelima Penumarthy’s motto is – “Connecting Cultures” through stories. Written and narrated by her teenage sons, Shreyas Pulle and Ayur Pulle, Puranas’ audiobook “Ramayana : An Ancient Indian Epic” featured in The Times, UK as one of the

“Top 10 audiobooks of 2017”.

The programme will be held virtually on Zoom on Saturday 31st October at 7 pm. The opening song will be performed

by Saachi Sen and the puppet show will begin at 7.15 pm., followed by a closing son by Avi Simmons at 7.30 pm and a discussion.

For more information log on to https://www.diwaliinlondon.co m/.

in brief in brief BOLLYWOOD NIGHTMARE HALLOWEEN NIGHT

A Bollywood Nightmare themed Halloween Night will be held on Saturday 31st October, 6-10pm @Terminal 6 Lounge Bar - Osterley Park Hotel (TW7 5NA). The night will celebrate the spookiest day of the year with Bombay Funkadelic. Participants can dress up, eat, drink and freak out this Halloween, enjoy Indian food, monster drinks, tricks & treats along with Live DJ sets by Mixalucks & Paxstar Bollywood, Bhangra & RNB hits will be played all evening. Anyone of Age 18+ can attend the night and the tickets will cost £15 per person.

For more info you can dial 07811186139 or book tickets at www.buytickets.at/bombayfunkadelic

MELATOPIA Founders Ajay Chhabra and Julian Rudd have reinvented the 18th edition of South Asian culture-fest, London Mela which will be held online and virtually for the first time ever on 7-8 November 2020. Melatopia, featuring South Asian music, dance, food, and culture will be a one-of-a-kind festival experience within an immersive VR experience in Sansar. Usually performed at the festival’s home in Southall Park, London Mela organisers have embraced the digital realm with the first Virtual Reality Mela ever staged, to keep everyone safe during Covid19. According to the founders, the audiences will be able to experience live artists, dance performances and DJs in an extraordinary VR online space specially created for the Mela. Whether viewed on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or wearing VR glasses, audiences will be able to engage with the performances and each other in new and innovative ways. The performers include pop sensation and BBC Future Music Artist Celina Sharma features as well as Roma Sagar and Rio Jai. Punjabi Hit Squad and Chand Ali Khan, and other artists featured in Melatopia will be recorded exclusively for the event.

Ajay Chhabra, Artistic Director, Melatopia said, “With so much change occurring all around us, from the very personal loss of loved ones to the major change artists and communities are facing the world over.

Melatopia is our way to keep fearless ambition alive, to be bold, to take risks and to create a new platform for what we know best, the coming together of community and artists to create a new utopia, Melatopia!

The South Asian Diaspora is international, with a footprint on every major continent, in every major city globally - In a time of isolation, Melatopia is an exciting new opportunity to bring this international diaspora of people together, by using new technology and cross arts form connections, to a new and intergenerational audience.”

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In Loving Memory;

DR RASHMI PATEL MBE It is with profound sadness that we must announce the untimely passing of Dr Rashmi Patel MBE,beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Colleague and Friend.

Rashmi was born in Moshi, Tanzania on 3rd July 1952.

She was the adored oldest child of the late Pramukhbhai and Sumitraben Patel, and elder sister to Hemant and Kalpana. In 1971 she attended University and began her dental training pathway. It was there that she met her husband Mahesh, whom she later married in 1974. After graduating, the ambitious and hardworking couple undertook postgraduate training and began to build and grow a successful life together. They later set up a series of highly successful dental clinics, which she used to help develop the careers of many budding young dentists, many of whom are now key figures within the dental community.

She was always on hand to give inspirational advice as both a woman and a professional.

Rashmi was an incredibly dynamic and strong woman.

Whilst building her dental career, she also found time to raise her beloved children Anita and Neil. She valued education, intelligence and kindness above all else and ensured that they both became well rounded professionals like herself.

As the years past Rashmi’s family grew, first with the introduction of her son-in law Dr Amit Patel and then later she was blessed with the arrival of

her gorgeous grandchildren Dylan and Sophia whom she doted on and adored.

Over the years Rashmi’s professional accomplishments were numerous. Since qualifying she was appointed as a tutor and examiner for the Royal College of Surgeon's prestigious Member of Joint Dental Faculty examination, as well as an examiner for the National Board of Dental Nurses. Rashmi was a Diploma tutor for the MFGDP, a member of many dental committees, and an editor for several dental publications.She was appointed as a tutor to the prestigious Central London Study Group, an Examiner at the Royal College of Surgeons, England and later was elected as President of the Anglo-Asian Odontology Group (AOG) and was recognised for her contributions to the group with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. She served on the Standing Dental Advisory Committee to the Secretary of State for Health after which she was raised to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as a Member (MBE) in 2003 for work within the dental profession and charities.

Athough she was dedicated to her role as a devoted mother and dentist, Rashmi found time for her other passion-raising funds and awareness for numerous charitable causes close to her heart. Rashmi was well known for her generosity and enthusiasm and for her ability to motivate others to reach deep into their pockets to help those less fortunate.

Beyond all this, she was a fiercely faithful wife to Mahesh and epitomised all that was good in the Asian tradition of the kind, generous and most dutiful matriarch. A wonderful mother, devoted grandmother and loving sister.

A remarkable being, a remarkable life and a remarkable soul that left an indelible mark on all she touched.

The Shrimadh Bhagavad Gita, which is the guiding philosophy, explains to us that for her soul there is never birth or death. Nor having once been, she never ceases to be.

Her soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable, and unchangeable. She is in bliss for she has merged with the eternal.

Om Shanti: Shanti: Shanti: Dr Mahesh Patel Dr Neil Patel Dr Anita Patel Dr Amit Patel

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Alia crosses 50 mn followers on Instagram, thanks fans Crossing a major social media milestone, actor Alia Bhatt has shared an appreciation post on Instagram. Thanking her fans on the occasion of crossing 50 million followers, Alia also made a reference to the hate she received after Sushant Singh Rajput's death. Sharing a picture, Alia wrote, “Today is appreciation day.. thank you my family.. my people.. you have today given me 50M love.. I love you ALL to the stars and beyond. I'd like to take this moment to share something I've learned over the last couple of months.. social media connects us.. it excites us and yes it also entertains us.. but IT IS NOT US.” She added, “Even when I was at 5, 15, 50K love I was as happy and as grateful as I am today. I truly truly truly believe that our

lives are made up of the relationships we cultivate with people and most importantly OURSELVES...no one has the right to make you feel any lesser or greater by the touch of a button.”

“So as I said, today is appreciation day. I would like you all to take a moment and appreciate yourselves.. appreciate your mind, your body, your heart and your soul!! Because no like or dislike.. no follow or unfollow..no troll or poll can take who YOU are away from yourself. Ok bye.”

Alia and several from the film fraternity faced a lot of flak after Sushant's death. Her latest movie 'Sadak 2' was also attacked online with viewers ganging up and downvoting its trailer to make it the most 'disliked' movie trailer on YouTube.

Genre: Revenge Drama Duration: 6 episodes

When a life long secret is revealed it causes drama The story is of two childhood best friends come together to celebrate but a past secret causes mayhem. Rohan, played by Jim Sarbh and Sunny, played by Pulkit Sharma are childhood best friends. Rohan’s younger brother is getting married in the countryside in the UK and Sunny is invited and decides to attend. Rohan and Sunny decide to use this as an opportunity to party and catch up and totally let loose, in this weeklong affair.

Hrithik shells out £10 mn for a 'mansion-in-the-air' Actor Hrithik Roshan has reportedly bought apartments worth almost £10 million in Mumbai, in a bid to integrate them for a 'mansion-in-the-air'. The deal involves a duplex penthouse, while the other is a single-storey home. The apartments are on the 14th, 15th, and 16th floors of a building on Mumbai's JuhuVersova Link Road.

Media reports revealed the apartment offers an unrestricted view of the Arabian Sea, and is spread across a combined 38,000 sq ft. There is a 6,500 sq ft terrace, and the family will have access to 10 parking spots. The actor has shared pictures on social media from his sea-facing house during the lockdown. Originally a 4 BHK, it was renovated by interior designer Ashiesh Shah into a den and two bedrooms.

On the work front, Hrithik is currently working for the fourth instalment of the 'Krrish' franchise.

Anushka's pregnancy cravings include halwa and puri-chana Actor Anushka Sharma, who is expecting her first child with husband and cricketer Virat Kohli, just shared a post about an ideal Durga Ashtami meal craving.

The actress shared a picture of the spread involving halwa, and puri-chana on her Instagram stories. She also wrote a caption stating “Missing this today and how”.

Anushka is currently in the UAE, where the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is being played. Posting a few sun-soaked pictures of herself in a white tee and orange dungarees and captioned them, “Pocketful of sunshine.” Virat too shared a picture of the two of them in a pool, with the Atlantis hotel at Palm Jumeirah in the background. The photo was taken by Virat's Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers.

Virat and Anushka shared the news of their pregnancy on Instagram lately. Their baby is due in January.

Not far away in the town of Southall a violent criminal family live and consists of Kuljinder and his two brothers Pali and Jassi. Pali wants to quit the family business and has a plan to run away with Jahaan, who is also Kuljinder’s wife and they have been having an affair behind his back.

Both of these seemingly different lives collide when Kuljinder attends Krish’s wedding and a past secret is revealed that connect Rohan and Kuljinder. This starts a chain reaction of violence and incidents that changes all of their lives drastically.

The film is classed as a revenge drama which from the start sets an imagine in your mind that it is to do with get-

ting retaliation for a past secret. Something that is important to note with this film is that although it has a large cast, all the actors are very passionate about the film and this is seen within the film. Each actor plays their role really well and it is very relatable as we have all been to a wedding where some sort of drama has taken place.

'Taish' is not like some of the other films we talk about in this column as it is a lot darker with all the violence and human emotions involved. But it is a great film to watch as it is a step away from all the lovey dovey films.

Saying that where there is wedding there is always some fun to watch and 'Taish' is no exception.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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31 Oct - 6 Nov 2020

in brief SALMAN'S FAMILY BUYS SRI LANKA PREMIER LEAGUE FRANCHISE Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's family has bought Sri Lanka Premier League's (SLPL) Kandy Tuskers. His younger brother Sohail and father, Salim Khan, are part of the consortium - Sohail Khan International LLP that has made the investment in the franchise, according to a report. The event, whose player draft was conducted over the last two days, is slated to begin on November 21. Conforming the development, the Khans said that they made the investment as they saw a "lot of potential" in the league. "Given the players we have in our team, the league in general, and the passion of the fans, which are second to none, we see a lot of potential," Sohail said. He added that Salman will attend all the Kandy matches. Expressing excitement about Chris Gayle being a part of the team, Sohail said that "Gayle is obviously the Boss Man, but we have a very good team." Lauding the players, he further stated that "Kusal Perera is our local icon and we also have Liam Plunkett, Wahab Riaz, Kusal Mendis and Nuwan Pradeep among others. It is a good balance of youth and experience."

Although the SLPL player draft took place over the last two days amid a lot of confusion over player availabilities and the game rules, Sohail said he's happy with the team he brought together.

DUBAI TO HOST IPL FINAL ON NOV 10 Dubai will host the Qualifier 1 and IPL final while the other two play-off games will be held in Abu Dhabi, the BCCI announced. The Qualifier 1, to be contested between the top two teams in the league standings, is scheduled for November 5 while the final will be held on November 10. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host the Eliminator, to be played between third and fourth placed teams, on November 6, as well as the Qualifier 2 (winner of Eliminator vs loser of Qualifier 1) on November 8.

WOMEN’S T20 CHALLENGE IN SHARJAH The BCCI also announced the schedule of the Women's T20 Challenge which will take place in Sharjah from November 4 to 9. The players landed in Dubai earlier this week and are undergoing a six-day quarantine. The final will be played on November 9. The teams Supernovas, Velocity and Trailblazer - will play each other once to decide the finalists.

Velocity’s Mansi Joshi, who tested positive for Covid-19, has been replaced by Meghna Singh.

KAPIL DEV DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER ANGIOPLASTY Former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev, who underwent emergency angioplasty after suffering chest pain last week, was discharged from the Delhi hospital within three days. Kapil Dev complained of chest pain on Thursday last following which he was taken to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute’s emergency department. He was reported stable after the emergency angioplasty on Thursday and was discharged from the hospital on Sunday. “He’s doing fine and can resume his regular daily activity soon. He’ll be under regular follow-up consultation with Dr. Atul Mathur,” the hospital said in a statement.

INDIA WOMEN WIN GOLD, MEN SETTLE FOR SILVER The Indian women’s team claimed a 6-2 win over Indonesia to win the gold but the men’s side settled for silver after losing to Australia in the final of the Asian Nations (Regions) Online chess championship last week.

Kings XI Punjab notch up fifth win Three days after losing his father, Mandeep Singh showed his grit with a fine half century to guide Kings XI Punjab to a commanding 8-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah on Monday. This was Punjab’s fifth victory on the trot and kept their playoff hopes alive as the Mohali-based franchise rose to fourth in the IPL points table.

Chasing a modest 150, KL Rahul and Mandeep saw off the initial overs quietly before setting the tone with a steady 47-run opening stand before the KXIP skipper was trapped by mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Mandeep (66 not out), who looked rusty at the start, however, carried on without much fuss and together with Chris Gayle ensured the Kings’ innings crossed the line with seven balls to spare. In the process, the right-left combo forged a 100-run stand for the second wicket. Gayle scored a brisk 51 off 29 balls, comprising two boundaries and five sixes.

Ben Stokes slams 107 for Royals Steve Smith’s stubborn decision to make Ben Stokes open the innings for Rajasthan Royals finally paid big dividends at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday night.

Stokes slammed an incredible 107 not out of 60 balls to drive Royals home by eight wickets against the Mumbai Indians.

Chasing a mammoth 196, the 29-year-old gave the Royals a solid start and anchored the chase with Sanju Samson (54), who too played a remarkable innings. Apart from making the tall chase look all look easy, Stokes also made history, becoming the first batsman in the IPL to hit two hundreds in successful chases. Earlier, Hardik Pandya (60) picked up the slack to help Mumbai post a challenging total on the board.

After deciding to bat first, Mumbai were 121/4 at the end of 16 overs when Pandya and Saurabh Tiwary (34) added 44 runs in the following two overs, taking the total to 165/4 at the end of the 18th. Their 64-run partnership end in the 19th over, but by then it had changed the complexion of the MI

innings. Pandya carried on the onslaught, hitting 26 runs off the last five balls.

CSK beat RCB by 8 wickets Coming into the contest against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings were the wounded lions. They had little to lose and pride to restore. It’s not for nothing that they say a wounded lion is more dangerous than a hungry one, as Virat Kohli and his men learnt the hard way at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Faced with the first early exit from the competition, Dhoni and Co. snapped their three match losing streak with a clinical eight-wicket victory. After their disciplined bowling attack - led

by Sam Curran (3/19) - restricted RCB to 145/6, Rituraj Gaikwad struck form with his unbeaten 51-ball-65 to help the struggling side overhaul the target with eight balls to spare.

Varun makes Knights’ day A clinical performance was required to keep their playoff hopes alive and Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy rose to the occasion as KKR beat Delhi Capitals by 59 runs in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While Rana (81) and Narine (64) helped KKR post a winning total of 194 in 20 overs, mystery spinner Chakravarthy bagged 5/20 to choke the Capitals middle order. Put in to bat by Capitals’ skipper Shreyas Iyer, KKR once again changed their opening

fours and a six in an aggressive knock. The lefthander, who didn’t have a good start to the season, scored his second half century, his first having come against the same opponent in their away tie in Sharjah.

Sunrisers beat Rajasthan Royals Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by eight wickets in the IPL match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar scored unbeaten half-centuries to help SRH get across the line, after the Hyderabad-based franchise was handed a target of 155 runs. Manish scored 83 runs off 47 deliveries in an innings comprising of four boundaries and eight sixes. Shankar accumulated 52 runs off 51 deliveries, hitting six fours.

Pacer Jofra Archer picked two wickets. Earlier, RR finished with a total of 154 runs for the loss of six wickets. Sanju Samson was the highest runscorer, accumulating 36 runs off 26 deliveries. The rest of the batsmen failed to make their presence felt, with a lack of acceleration at any stage. Ben Stokes scored a 32-ball 30 looking extremely uncomfortable at the top of the order. Windies all-rounder Jason Holder was the pick of the bowlers for SRH, accounting for three wickets while conceding

Where they Stand (26-10-20) Team MI DC RCB KXIP KKR RR SRH CSK

M 11 11 11 12 12 12 11 12

Won Lost NR Net RR Points 7 4 0 +1.252 14 7 4 0 +0.434 14 7 4 0 -0.092 14 6 6 0 -0.049 12 6 6 0 - 0.479 12 6 7 0 +0.505 10 4 7 0 -0.029 8 4 8 0 -0.602 8

pair, with Rana walking in with Shubman Gill. Rana revelled in his role as an opener and hit 13

33 runs. Rashid Khan and Vijay Shankar further picked a wicket apiece.

Siraj's impressive show for RCB Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj's fiery opening spell, accentuated by two rare wicketmaiden overs, set up Royal Challengers Bangalore's dominant eight-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, on Wednesday night. Siraj virtually killed the contest, running through the KKR top order in a stunning display of swing bowling. He ended with enviable figures of 4-2-8-3 and in the process emerged as the first bowler in the history of IPL to bowl two wicket- maiden overs.

Siraj’s impressive bowling saw Kolkata meakly folding at 84-8.

Only captain Eoin Morgan showed some resistance with a top-score of 30. In reply, RCB completed the formalities in 13.3 overs, securing their seventh win from 10 matches and moved up a place to second in the table with 14 points. Ich award.

KXIP beat DC by five wickets Nicholas Pooran smashed a 28-ball 53 as Kings XI Punjab defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets in an IPL game on Tuesday. Pooran hit three sixes and six boundaries in his knock as KXIP scored 167 for five in 19 overs to notch up their third successive win in the tournament. Earlier, opener Shikhar Dhawan blasted a second successive unbeaten hundred but KXIP pulled things back in the death overs to restrict Delhi Capitals to a below-par 164 for five. Dhawan, who had scored an unbeaten 101 off 58 against Chennai Super Kings in their last match, clobbered 12 fours and three sixes in his 61-ball 106-run knock to become the first batsmen to score back-to-back centuries in IPL. On way to his innings, Dhawan also became the fourth Indian batsman to cross 5,000 runs in IPL.

Injured Rohit Sharma ruled out of Oz tour In a major setback for India, star opener and limited overs vicecaptain Rohit Sharma was ruled out from the team’s tour to Australia due to a hamstring injury he suffered during IPL2020 as the selectors picked a jumbo squad for the trip. The injury puts a question mark over Rohit’s participation in the Mumbai Indians’ remaining games in the tournament.

2020 has been a bad year for Rohit in terms of injuries. In February, the Mumbaikar was ruled out of the New Zealand tour after suffering a calf injury.

The trio of Rohit, Ishant Sharma (abdominal muscle tear) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (leg injury) is thus not a part of the touring party. “The BCCI medical team will continue to monitor the progress of Rohit Sharma and

Rohit Sharma

Ishant Sharma,” said a BCCI release.

In the case of Ishant, however, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) has set a ‘deadline’ for him to recover by November 18, after which he needs to train for three to four weeks. In Rohit’s absence, the inform KL Rahul has been

promoted as the vice-captain of the limited overs sides. With the selectors finally running out of patience with Rishabh Pant, who has been dropped from the limited-overs teams, Rahul has been chosen as the first-choice wicket keeper in the shorter formats. In fact, he is the only gloveman in the ODI team, with

Sanju Samson being the second option in the T20 side. In a brave move, the selectors have included Tamil Nadu ‘mystery spinner’ Varun Chakravarthy, who took a fiver on Saturday against Delhi Capitals for the Kolkata Knight Riders, in the T20 side.

As expected, with Ishant still recovering from his injury, young pacers Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj, who’ve both impressed with pace and control in the IPL, have found a spot in the Test team.

Unfortunately for him, Suryakumar Yadav continues to be ignored despite producing some sizzling performances for MI this IPL. “Four additional bowlers - Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kartik Tyagi, Ishan Porel and T Natarajan - will travel with the Indian contingent,” said the BCCI release.

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to alll the mum ms, dads and grandparents t who go out of their way e ect festiive to create the perf curry with aromatic a fluffy basmatti.