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UK
3 Indians named Royal Pharmaceutical Society Fellows
Last week the Royal Pharmaceutical Society released the names of their new Fellows - one of the highest honours that can be bestowed upon Society Members. It recognises the distinction RPS Members have attained in a particular aspect or aspects of their pharmacy career. As Fellowships are based on nominations from Members, it also signifies the esteem in which members are held by their peers, and as such is a mark of achievement which all Members should aspire to. In 2013 the Panel of Fellows appointed 44 new Society Fellows, 27 of these were appointed in November and consisted of three Indians. They are: Raj Aggarwal, Umesh Patel and Bharat Shah. Raj Aggarwal, is a Community Pharmacist
Raj Aggarwal
in Cardiff and Managing Director of Aggarwal Group and was in senior management with Boots plc until 1983, managing large stores throughout the country. He is a Board Member of National Pharmacy Association, Community Pharmacy Wales and Chairman of the South East region. Raj has freely given of his time for philanthropic activity and is Chairman of Kidney Wales Foundation and was awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to pharmacy,
Many congratulations to Meera and Ravi, daughter of Dr Sudhir and Jyotsna Ruparelia and son of Mr Jagdish and Mrs Shyama Kotecha for their wedding on 28 November 2013
Umesh Patel
the Asian community and charitable services. Umesh Patel, who hails from Bhadran, lives in Sunderland and is an NPA nominee on PSNC as well as owning two independent community pharmacies and representing the North East region on the NPA board. He works tirelessly to represent pharmacies both in his area and beyond and he was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2011 New Year Honours List, recognising his services to in healthcare
www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014
Bharat Shah
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Bharat Shah, the managing director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, has led Sigma, a licensed pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor of generic and branded medicines which he set up over 25 years ago, through a challenging recession. He has also tirelessly campaigned for action to solve the drugs shortage on behalf of independent community pharmacists and patients across the UK.
On 1st December 2013, the Nagrecha family and friends of North London Lohana community honoured Dr Sudhir Ruparelia at the Edgware VIP Lounge. In this pic, L-R: Jagdish Nagrecha, Naresh Nagrecha, Lord Dolar Popat, Dipak Jatania, Jagdish Kotecha, Dr Sudhir Ruparelia and Janu Kotecha. Meera and Ravi (left pic) were also invited at this celebration.
Police reveals anti-Muslim hate crimes rising in Britain
Islamophobic hate crimes across Britain have risen dramatically this year, new figures have reportedly revealed. Hundreds of offences were perpetrated against the country's Muslim population in 2013, with the Metropolitan police alone Britain's largest force recording 500 Islamophobic crimes, compared with 336 incidents in 2012 and 318 in 2011. A large number of forces across the country reported a particular surge in the number of antiMuslim hate crimes following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby by two Islamic extremists in Woolwich, south-east London. In May, the month in which Fusilier Rigby was killed, Scotland Yard recorded 104 anti-Muslim hate crimes, followed by a further 108 in June. The figures were obtained by the Press Association which sent
Freedom of Information requests to every police force in England and Wales. However of the 43 forces, just 24 provided figures on the number of antiMuslim crimes and incidents recorded- with some forces admitting they do not always record the faith of a religious hate crime victim. It is therefore likely that the actual numbers of incidents of hate crimes against Muslims perpetrated in 2013 was much higher. Tell Mama, a group which monitors antiMuslim incidents, said it has dealt with some 840 cases since just April- with the number expected to rise to more than 1,000 by the end of March. This compared with 582 anti-Islam cases it dealt with from March 2012 to March 2013. Superintendent Paul Giannasi, Acpo's spokesman on hate crime,
said: "The police service is committed to reducing the harm caused by hate crime and it is vital that we encourage more victims who suffer crimes to report them to the police or through third party reporting facilities such as Tell Mama. "We would obviously want overall crime levels to reduce and to see fewer victims, but we welcome increases in reported hate crime, as long as they are a sign of increased confidence of victims to report. "We are working with local police forces, to help improve the way we respond to hate crime and to provide robust and transparent hate crime data." A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "These are despicable crimes that devastate lives and communities. The courts already hand out tougher punishments where race or religion are found to be
aggravating factors." "The number of people receiving a custodial sentence for these appalling crimes is higher than ever before."
Cemeteries with graves of Indian soldiers receive £5 million grant
Cemeteries where brave Indian soldiers who died fighting for Britain in World War I have been buried, have now received a £5 million grant that will help conserve, repair and protect these burial sites. While visiting Flanders as part of UK's massive plans to mark the centenary of the First World War in 2014, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced this funding. Soldiers from India who sacrificed their lives for Britain will be honoured and remembered during UK's four-yearlong roster to commemorate the centenary of the great battle. Around 1.2 million
soldiers from the undivided India fought for the British Empire during the war, of which 74,000 died. Cameron said "the new funding will help conserve, repair and protect memorials and burial sites across the UK and overseas where British and Commonwealth servicemen and women are buried". The money- £5 million to be spread over the 4 years of the First World War centenary - will also fund new educational materials including downloadable guides, to help explain the importance of sites and honour the sacrifice of those buried or commemorated there.
Musharaf Asghar
Mishal Husain
On Friday 27th December, Telegraph writers presented a list of who, they feel, are the top 10 Britons of the year. Proudly amongst those are two Asians who should be duly praised for their hard work and achievements. Mr Burton is an extremely gifted English teacher at Thornhill Community Academy near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Having featured on Channel 4’s documentary series filmed at Thornhill called Educating Yorkshire, Burton proved that he genuinely cared for his pupils, managing to motivate them into doing
far better in exams than they thought possible. Most notably, he was able to teach Musharaf Asghar, a student who couldn’t utter a word until meeting Mr Burton, was able to read a speech to his school, by practicing with headphones with music playing that would drown out his own voice. Mishal Husain is the new voice of Radio 4’s Today programme. The daughter of Pakistani parents, she worked her way up the ladder of success. Previously, she was an Olympic anchor and BBC Washington correspondent after 9/11.
Asians mentioned in Top 10 Britons of the Year
Inspector reveals Police manipulate crime data Her Winsor, Tom Chief Majesty’s of Inspector Constabulary, has told Affairs Home the Select Committee that he is “almost certain that some manipulation is going on” when police officers record crime statistics. He continued: “in anything that gets measured” there is an “incentive, resisted by many, the manipulate to process to make your own performance look good”. Mr Winsor, who is the first chief inspector of constabulary to come nona from policing background, dis-
agreed with evidence given by the chief of the Police, Metropolitan C o m m i s s i o n e r Sir Bernard HoganHowe, who claimed inspectors praised the police force's crime data as “competent and reliable”. by asked When Committee chair Keith Vaz MP if there is manipulation occurring, Mr Winsor, a former rail regulator and lawyer, said: “It is almost certain that some manipulation is going on. The question is where, how much and how severe.” had he Earlier said,“the fact is in any-
thing that gets measured, once those who being are measured, whose performance are being measured, work out how the system works, there’s an incentive, resisted by many, to manipulate the process as to make your own performance look good.” Mr Vaz said Sir Bernard and Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), the told not had earlier Committee this month that they believe fiddling of statistics is currently occurring.