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DIWALI AT THE SUPREME COURT

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COMMUNITY P14 INTEGRATIONISTS CELEBRATE ACCESSION OF JAMMU & KASHMIR TO INDIA

Happy Diwali

MODI MANIA GRIPS UK

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has become more of a global icon, can expect an overwhelming welcome in Great Britain by its Indian diaspora, as they look forward to the leader's visit to London on November 12 to 14.

More than 450 UKbased Indian organisations have joined in to host the 'UKWelcomesModi' event; a king-sized reception at the Wembley Stadium.

Organised by the Europe-India Forum headed by entrepreneur Nathu Puri, the event expects more than 60,000 people. It seeks to create a new record by toppling the number of people who welcomed Modi during his overseas visits and the

UKWelcomesModi has an itinerary to outdo the other.

With a cultural extravaganza, fireworks, and a massive celebratory party, UK Indians believe their welcome will be the

largest to any visiting foreign leader.

Modi has a lot on the agenda, apart from his diplomatic intentions. He will unveil the statue of 12th century Indian p h i l o s o p h e r Basaveshwara, on November 14, on the bank of river Thames, London Borough of Lambeth. Giving a special tribute on his radio show 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi said he was Continued on page 26

Modi's Itinerary

12 November Talks with David Cameron, Visit Gandhi statue, Address Parliament, Westminster Chequers Court visit.

13 November Lunch with the Queen, Buckingham Palace, Wembley Reception, Visit Jaguar Land Rover Factory.

14 November Basaveshwara statue unveil, Visit Ambedkar House

NAMO- the Winner

As the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance and rival Nitish-Lalu's Grand Alliance lock horns for majority in the ongoing Bihar elections, loosely using terms like 'Jungle Raj' and 'Terrorists', the one thing that unfailingly comes to notice is that the NDA's defeat (though not likely) will come as a major blow to the state.

The Bihar elections are expected to play a key role in setting the country's economic tone.

Businesses have their

money on Modi, whose administration has a favourable majority in the Lok Sabha, but lacks the support in the Upper House. Tanvee Gupta Jain, Macquarie Capital Securities India Ltd., said in a report, “Investors view Bihar state election outcome, GST and power sector reforms as the next key triggers. Even as we believe the outcome shouldn't have any bearing on national government, our interactions Continued on page 26

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ONE ONE with Keith Vaz, MP Asian Voice |7th November 2015

to

Stuart McDonald MP

Stuart McDonald MP was born in 1978, growing up in the constituency he now represents, before heading to Edinburgh University to study law. He worked as a solicitor for eight years, with over half of that as an immigration lawyer at the Immigration Advisory Service.

Having joined the SNP back in 1994, in 2009 he went to work in the Scottish Parliament as a researcher and was then appointed as the senior researcher for the official Yes Scotland campaign during the Scottish independence referendum. After the Yes campaign fell short of victory on 18th September last year, he took up a post as with the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) in Glasgow, as their Parliamentary and Public Affairs Officer.

At the same time Stuart was selected for what he thought was the safe Labour seat where he grew up – Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, in central Scotland. But with the SNP conquering all before it in May’s election, a 14,000 Labour majority was turned in to a 15,000 SNP majority.

1) What is your current position?

I am the MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East (where I’m proud to be from), I’m the SNP’s spokesperson on Immigration, Asylum and Border Control and a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee (under the expert Chairmanship of Mr Keith Vaz!) 2) What are your proudest achievements?

Things that have made me very proud include some of the cases

I won as an immigration solicitor – appeals on behalf of refugees, or against entry clearance decisions that were keeping families apart, for example. But I was also proud to be elected to represent my local community in May. 3) What inspires you?

I just want to help ensure people have the same opportunities and support to fulfil their maximum potential and enjoy happy lives – regardless of where they are born, or their sex, religion, race,

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

My parents – for the reasons above. I’ve also been lucky to work with lots of really passionate and talented people, both as a lawyer and in politics.

But as long standing supporter of the SNP and Scottish independence, it would be impossible not to mention my now colleague, Alex Salmond!

sexuality, or any disability.

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

To be honest, I wouldn’t say I’ve faced too many obstacles that I could complain about – I’m fortunate in that regard. My family have always been supportive, as were my school teachers and my friends all were really encouraging when I was selected as a candidate.

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

It’s amazing to be able to articulate arguments in Parliament on issues I’m passionate about – like the government’s pretty pathetic response to the refugee crisis and its absurd migration policies. And as the third biggest party at Westminster, all SNP MPs have a much wider audience to speak to now.

7) And the worst?

I didn’t think it would be such a problem, but I have to confess I get a bit fed up travelling to and

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from London every week – it can be exhausting and disruptive, but it’s part of the job I’ll just need to get used to!

8) What are your long term goals?

I want to become someone that my constituents know they can rely on for help. I want to help change the terms of debate that we have about immigration – it has become pretty nasty and there are a lot of myths out there. And help achieve an independent Scotland.

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

I’d declare Scotland to be an independent country, and encourage creation of strong regional Parliaments in England in order to bring powers closer to the people.

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

Tough question!

I’m sure Nelson Mandela would be good company, as well as a fascinating man to speak to.

Though Captain Cook or Christopher Columbus might have a better chance of getting me off the island – and have some decent stories to tell even if not!

Our Community Loses a Star

Keith Vaz MP

The DrIvIng Force To your DIvorce!

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It is very rare to meet someone who you immediately know has created a legacy. In the case of Lord Gulam Noon, he leaves behind more than one.

Lord Noon made an incredible contribution to this country, and was a passionate believer in the United Kingdom’s values and institutions. It was therefore fitting that we could celebrate his life in the Houses of Parliament.

Joined by the late Lord Noon’s friends and family, as well as Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords, we heard a number of wonderful testimonies, including

from the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, Baroness McDonagh,Virendra Sharma MP and Lord Noon’s widow, Mohini Noon.

They all spoke passionately of the change he has forever made to his industry, and to Britain. We can all be immensely proud of what he achieved, and the record he leaves behind is not one of remarkable entrepreneurship, but the personification of the successful and enterprising British Asian Lord Gulam Noon community.

Monday’s memorial event.

I know one of his A true entrepreneur is proudest moments was not judged only on busibeing appointed to the ness nous or profits, but House of Lords in 2011, their resolve in the face of and his colleagues will miss adversity, how they conhis expertise in the areas of tribute to their community immigration, prevention of and the mark they leave on extremism and education. their industry. On all of Our thoughts and conthese qualities, Lord Noon dolences go to his family at will be remembered as a this difficult time, and I am stand-out role model. immensely grateful to Lord Noon faced them for joining us at

incredible challenges and overcame them all, including a serious factory fire which threatened to end his business in 1994.

When confronted with obstacles, he would dust himself off and keep going.

There are thousands of people in Britain, in India and throughout the world who have benefited from his enterprise, jobs he created, and his big heart.

He also never forgot his roots in India, where he returned every three months and built a charitable hospital in his home town of Rajasthan.

He was a decent, honourable and generous man, who was dedicated to his family and grateful to Britain for giving him the life chances to prove what an extraordinary man he was.

COMMENTS

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

India-Africa Summit: Roadmap to the future The India-Africa Summit in New Delhi was a unique event, a roadmap to the next stage of an enduring relationship. Unlike the smaller, selective summits of the past, the present gathering of heads of state and government of 54 countries covered every corner of the vast continent. The modern roots of India-Africa relationship go back to the latter half of the 19th century during the period of shared European colonial history. Large numbers of Indians migrated to South and East Africa in search of an economically productive life, hence most were traders, but there were also substantial numbers in the professions: lawyers, doctors and teachers..

Mahatma Gandhi journeyed to South Africa in 1893 as an unknown lawyer, then got drawn into politics to challenge racial injustices perpetrated by a white establishment. The experience he acquired in South Africa enabled him to test the efficacy of nonviolent mass movements in India, which he did to good effect. Nelson Mandela was to remark decades later, the ‘Mahatma was South Africa’s gift to India.’

Other notable Indians joined the anti-apartheid struggle and became household names in the country.

For their part, African leaders paid eloquent tribute to India’s giant figures: Gandhi was mentioned, of course, but so was Jawaharlal Nehru. Prime Ministers Anerood Jugnauth, John Dramani Mahama, of Mauritius and Ghana respectively, and Presidents Jacob Zuma, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Robert Mugabe of South Africa, Egypt and Zimbabwe made fulsome references to Nehru and his inspirational role in the formation and workings of the Non Aligned Movement, truly significant in the context of time and place. President Mugabe’s words are worth quoting: ‘Jawaharlal Nehru was an inspirational figure not just in India but also for Africa;’ he also praised the Indian National Congress for showing us the route of passive resistance.

Prime Minister Modi referred to India and Africa ‘as the two bright spots’ in the global economy.

President Pranab Mukherjee, at the State banquet, praised the Prime Minister for his diplomatic initia-

tive in reaching out to Africa, but he also reminded the Indian people of their duty to uphold the highest values of Indian civilization regarding tolerance and respect for diversity.

The challenge facing the Summit was finding ways to convert the past to serve the present; to build an economic partnership based on greater trade and targeted investments, including scientific and technological cooperation, from agriculture, industry, energy, to software and medical services.

Ethiopia is a model, it has transformed into a hive of burgeoning hope and prosperity – a far cry from the terrible famines of past decades. Indians have performed a catalytic role in this process, hence are valued, even revered, in the country as science, math and English teachers, and for their medical and agricultural skills. But, as longtime Ambassador to India, Genet Zewide, pointed out, Indians frequently ask whether Ethiopia abuts South Africa or Nigeria!

Business must be at the heart of the India-Africa conversation.. China has made waves across the continent doing just that. China-Africa trade is worth $ 222 billion, with India it is $72 billion, but India will do well to stick to its proven strengths, concentrating on small and medium-size enterprises, evenly spread employment generation, that require less capital and are the test-beds of innovation. This can surely be done best through a public-private sector partnership. Indeed, India’s private sector companies have the capital, managerial skills and technological expertise to enter the African field and make a real, long-lasting difference to African economies, and to African lives as well. India’s $10 billion soft loan and $600 million in grants constitute symbols of Indian intent. The substantial Indian diaspora in South and East Africa are a major human resource asset for both parties, a bridge between a continent and subcontinent across the Arabian Sea and the Southern Indian Ocean. The African Union is constructing roads and rail networks to integrate domestic markets and supply chains with those of India. Let us, therefore, live the dream.

Zuckerberg hits the ground running Mark Zuckerberg, still in his 20s, like Bill Gates, a Harvard University dropout; is, like the founder of Microsoft, is also founder of world-beating company, Facebook. Zukerberg has followed the Gates trajectory to fame and fortune. Also, like Gates, Zuckerberg is much taken by India.. He was in Delhi last week interacting with a young, thrusting audience, at the IIT Dogra Hall, all ears to catch the master’s voice as he expounded his vision for Facebook. What interest did he, one of the world’s richest men, have courting Indian neophytes who hadn’t climbed the first branch of the tree of success? ‘Answer honestly,’ said the bold questioner. Came the audacious reply: ‘I wanted to tap into the multimillion non-Internet Indian market.’

Reason? What was good for Facebook would be good for India. India had 130 million Facebook users, over a tenth of its total of 1.4 billion users worldwide, the largest outside the United States. More importantly, the country had a billion people with no access to the Internet and Facebook. ‘That’s why I care about India, ‘ he said. ‘Connecting people in India is one of the most important things we can do for India and the whole world.’ He continued: ‘For every 10 people who get access to the Internet, one person gets a job and one person gets lifted out of poverty. India being the largest

democracy in the world with over one billion people who do not have access to basic connectivity, this is our biggest opportunity to help develop the economy and reduce poverty in India,’ said the young American entrepreneur, wise beyond his years. Overwhelmed ‘This hall is too small, next time we should hold a town hall in a stadium,’ proclaimed Zukerberg to thunderous cheers. His foray into China had not met with the expected success because of government censorship and surveillance of the Internet. India, clearly, was the place to be.

The Zuckerberg phenomenon is part of the larger conversation between the civil societies of India and the United States, which in its fullness and diversity eludes their governments whose national interests frequently diverge. For President Harry Truman India was ‘Pretty jammed with poor people and cows wandering around the streets…..’ His Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, declaimed, ‘by and large [Indians] and their country give me the creeps,’ while President Nixon scolded British foreign secretary Sir Alec Douglas Home, for the independence India didn’t deserve. The American people give India an approval rating of 71 per cent, on par with that accorded to Israel. Amazing!

Blair’s regrets, too little, too late Former British prime minister, Tony Blair, it has been revealed, was in cahoots with former US president George W. Bush to invade Iraq a year before the actual invasion. The Chilcott inquiry in London has spent the past six years, and over 10 million pounds, compiling evidence on Blair’s role in the murky affair. He exposed his lacerated soul to the US TV channel, CNN, admitting that today’s desolation in the killing fields of the Greater Middle, sprouting ISIL and al Qaeda, was seeded in the US-led occupation of Iraq.

His excuse that Iraq had been liberated from Saddam Hussain’s brutality, is absurd. Every cabal and crowned head in the region, then, and now, was, and is, a brute, but some of the species did and do a few things better than others. Saddam’s Iraq had the best

educated male and female middle class in the Arab world; and also the largest. His regime was not in possession of weapons of mass destruction,as his Western detractors falsely claimed. In Saudi Arabia, they behead, amputate, publicly flog political dissenters and fund jihadi terrorists. The Saudi state, with Anglo- American military aid, has reduced neighbouring Yemen to a wasteland.. The deluge of disposed humanity awash Europe’s shores is a tragedy for which Bush, Obama, Blair, Cameron, Sarkozy and Hollande bear exclusive responsibility. The complicit Western media hour after shameless hour, trot out a farrago of falsehoods and half-truths to brain dead domestic audiences. Leaders and scribes are on a treadmill to hell.

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Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.

- Walt Disney

Cllr David Perry

Keeping Harrow Safe

Leader of Harrow Council

The local police do a fantastic job in Harrow, which makes us the safest Borough to live in London.

On issues ranging from Hate Crime to burglaries our local Police go above and beyond to keep us safe, by working collaboratively with residents and businesses alike to resolve problems and make us feel safe.

This is despite the £600m of cuts that the Metropolitan Police had to make from 2010 to 2016 – for Harrow this meant, amongst other things, the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) on our streets being reduced from 114 in April 2010 to 28 in August 2015.

On top of this, a scarcely believable £800m of further cuts to London’s police budget are being proposed by the C o n s e r v a t i v e Government, with Harrow being severely affected.

When questioned about these cuts, London’s Chief Police officer Sir Bernard Hogan – Howe said that ‘I genuinely worry about the safety of London’ - this mirrors my feelings about the impact of these police cuts on Harrow.

To make these cuts there have already been suggestions that all Police Community Support Officers should be cut in London.

After a public outcry this decision has been delayed until December, this was an issue that the Labour Councillors raised in September when we unanimously voted to pass a motion that sup-

ported local Police Community Support Officers, and argues against any further cuts to our Police.

With £800m of proposed savings there can be no guarantee that Harrow’s police station will remain open or that our neighbourhoods will have anything but a very minimal police presence.

This would be devastating for all our communities that rely on the Police and feel so reassured by their local presence. And with crimes such as hate crime and assault on the increase, now, more than ever, we need a police force that is able to protect our residents.

In Harrow there are so many good examples of where the police and community work together – the volunteer run Pinner Police Station being an example that springs to mind, and at present its future is completely unknown.

Over the coming months we will be working with the Mayor of London to stop police cuts in Harrow, which will put in danger these community assets and our strong local police force in Harrow, as Leader of the Council I shall oppose such cuts at every opportunity.

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Dazzling display as huge crowds attend In Brief Woman prosecuted by Royal Mail for Leicester lights switch-on dog attack AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

A dazzling display of lights and flames has launched Leicester's Diwali festivities.

More than 35,000 people were estimated to have attended the annual switch-on of the city's Diwali lights in Belgrave Road Sunday. For the first time, the event also included the 100ft illuminated ferris wheel, which opened a fortnight ago.

C o s s i n g t o n Recreation Ground, played host to flaming fire sculptures, fire jugglers and an inflatable screen, where guests could write messages with glow sticks and mobile phone lights. The lights were switched on about 10 minutes at

Photos: Will Johnston

around 7.40pm. As the street was lit up, the huge crowd cheered and confetti began to fall.

The sparkling light display stretches for more than 1,000 metres along the city's Golden Mile and includes 6,000 illuminations.

Revellers enjoyed a lively pro-

Gujarati is one of the most popular 'other' languages in the country It has been estimated that there are anything up to 300 different languages used in Britain today.

But one of the UKs leading 'other' languages has been revealed as being in Leicester according to data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Gujarati, part of the Indo-European language family, is spoken by an estimated 36,000 people in Leicester and 213,000 in the country, equivalent to 17.1 per cent of people in the Leicestershire authority. According the

national census which was taken four years ago in 2011, 9 in 10 people said that their first language was either English or Welsh with more than half a million people (546,000) saying that an 'other' mother tongue was in fact their first language and not English.

Top of the language tree was Bengali, a fluency native to the Bengal region of India, and spoken by 43,500 people in the London borough of Tower Hamlets – 221,400 people across the country and accounting for 19.7 per cent of all other languages spoken.

gramme of music and dance events in Belgrave Road ahead of the switch-on.

People began to cheer and dance as Indian dancers took to the stage to wow the audience.

The festivities continue over the next two weeks. They include an

Indian Summer Diwali Parade through the city centre, live Rangoli at the Clock Tower with international Rangoli artist Janak Chauhan, and a Diwali Mela Bazaar on Humberstone Gate West.

Leicester's Curve Theatre and Phoenix Cinema will also be hosting Diwali-themed events during the fortnight, and there will also be Indian cookery demonstrations on Leicester Market, an art exhibition at the Peepul Centre, and Indian dance at half-time at Leicester City's King Power Stadium.

The event climaxes with the Diwali Day celebrations on Wednesday, November 11.

Leicestershire Police employee admits stealing gold bars and cash A police employee has admitted stealing two gold bars and cash totalling £153,000 belonging to the force he worked for.

Mujibur Ibrahim (25) took the stash of cash and gold from Leicestershire Police's archive store safe earlier this year. It was the proceeds of crime seized by the police during various criminal investigations.

The prosecution alleges the amount taken was in the region of £300,000 – but Ibrahim, of Westcotes Drive, Westcotes, Leicester, only accepts half that amount. Ibrahim pleaded guilty to theft of £40,000 instead of an alleged

£183,555 - of cash from the police's archive store, between February 23 and April 3. Leicester Crown Court heard that the money related to Operation Archer, but no information about that operation was given during the hearing.

Ibrahim also admitted theft of a quantity of cash and a gold bar from Operation Sharder, plus £5,050 and a gold bar from Operation Heel, on April 20 – which was agreed by both the prosecution and defence to have a total value of £113,000. No details about any of those three operations were given to the court.

Trojan Horse' school banned girls from mixed sports It has been alleged that Park View Academy, a “Trojan Horse” school in Birmingham, had banned female students from participating in mixed sports as the teachers “did not want the girls' bits jumping up and down”. This was allegedly stated by the former principal of the school, Monzoor Hussain, to the school press officer, Susan Packer. In a state-

ment, Susan Packer said, “Monzoor Hussain told me that girls were not allowed to play, as the male staff felt uncomfortable. He said that 'the men did not want the girls to be seen with their bits jumping up and down.' This shocked me and made me feel very

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uncomfortable as I did not think it was appropriate for a principal to say that.”

She has also given evidence at a National College for Teaching & Leadership hearing in which five teachers were alleged of professional misconduct.

Peshawar school massacre survivor meets Lord Mayor of Bradford Ahmad Nawaz (15), the boy who survived being killed by the Taliban by playing dead, met with the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Joanne Dodds, on 30th October.

He sustained serious injuries when he was shot in the arm during the massacre at his school in Peshawar, Pakistan, which killed 141 people including 132 school children, in December 2014.

He has had over 14 hours of surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, to repair bone and nerve damage to save the use of his arm. A metal plate was placed in his arm and an artery was transplanted from his leg.

The Pakistani authorities agreed to pay for Ahmad's medical treatment in Birmingham after a high-profile campaign in Pakistan.

One in four cancer patients die in 6 months due to late diagnosis

New figures reveal that one in four British cancer patients live only up to six months after being diagnosed as their GPs had missed signed of the disease earlier on.

Many patients turn up at Accident and Emergency units (A&E) with late stage cancer.

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BRITAIN: 51-year-old Stephanie Brice, was prosecuted after her dog mauled the arm of a Royal Mail postman.

The attack had left Stephen Oxtoby wounded with “skin hanging” from a deep six-inch wound. It is said that he had needed 18 stitches for the wound.

Brice was ordered to pay the postman £750 in compensation.

Kids choir set to reinforce British values

BIRMINGHAM: Pupils from an “Outstanding” Birmingham school will participate in a pioneering East meets West-style children’s choir, the first of its kind, ever, as part of a drive to reinforce British Values.

Around 100 Year 5 pupils will this Friday (Nov 6) present a series of songs in Sanskrit, the ancient language, including one similar to the National Anthem of the UK, ‘God Save The Queen’, as part of the inaugural British Carnatic Youth Choir.

Brainchild of Dr Chithra Ramakrishnan, one of UK’s finest Carnatic vocalists, her mission is to raise awareness of this: ‘mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith’, one of four fundamental British Values, according to Ofsted, the schools watchdog.

The following day (Nov 7) a celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of Shruthi UK, a Midlands-based South Asian arts and culture non-profit organisation, of which Dr Ramakrishnan is Artistic Director, will take place in Birmingham. Full story next week.

Job centre staff to advice at food banks

BRITAIN: The work and pension secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has often been quite critical of food banks. On Wednesday 28th October, he said that Jobcentre Plus staff will be sent to food banks to give advice to the users on how to find a job, as well as chase up late benefit payments.

Iain Duncan Smith expressed that he was receiving “very strong feedback” after a trial at a Manchester food bank. He intends to extend this scheme across Britain.

However, charities that have set up these food banks which help over a million people, say that the scheme is being enforced without correct consultation and deliberation.

'Man charges mother £400 for every visit

WALES: It has been claimed that a 62-year-old retired management consultant, had charged his mother £400 for every time he visited her in a nursing home. The Court of Protection heard that he had the power of attorney to his mother's finances and had charged her over £117,000.

The 87-year-old mother from Wales, suffers from dementia. She had given her son the responsibility of her finances 11 years ago. However, there were concerns after her unpaid nursing home bills had come to £29,000.

Judge Denzil Lush told the son, “One would be hard pressed to find a more callous and calculating attorney, who has flagrantly abused his position of trust.”

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers can overcome symptoms

OXFORDSHIRE: Oxford University has found that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is not an actual chronic illness.

The condition is also known as ME. The condition which was once dismissed as “Yuppie flu”, is an illness recognised to have affected 250,000 people in Britain.

It has been found that sufferers can overcome the symptoms by thinking positively and increasing their exercise. This alters their mind-set and makes them feel less tired.

Gout and malnutrition on the rise

BRITAIN: Official figures reveal that gout and malnutrition, diseases which were prevalent in the Victorian era have returned and are currently at a high level.

Gout and malnutrition are associated with indulgence, and over eating and drinking. Gout has afflicted many of our British monarchs, including King Henry VIII. There have been a rise in the number of people being admitted to hospital suffering from malnourishment.

Polish doctor fails English tests

BRITAIN: 56-year-old Dr Tomasz Fryzlewicz, a Polish heart doctor has been working in Britain from 2006.

However, he became the first from Europe to face restrictions on the UK medical register as he failed three English language tests and was sacked by two hospitals.

It was alleged that his broken English could pose a potential risk to patients.

Dr Tomasz Fryzlewicz

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

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“Our London”

Navin Shah, GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

All night weekend Tube service There is general acceptance that in principle weekend night tube will be good for Londoners but it’s important its done safely and without any detriment to local areas and residents near stations serving night service and those with houses backing on to tracks. We know that policing will be a big challenge, particularly given the serious rise in the number of assaults on staff in recent years, many fuelled by late night alcohol.

The service is planned to operate on five underground lines including Jubilee, Victoria, Northern, Piccadilly and Central lines. The overall proposals are for six trains per hour through central London on the Jubilee, Victoria and most of the Piccadilly, Central and Northern lines and on the Northern Line, there will be eight trains per hour to meet demand at busy stations between Leicester Square and Camden Town.

London Mayor’s original plan was to commence the night service on 12th December but there was a large degree of scepticism whether Transport for London (TfL) was actually ready to commence. To a large degree the issues surrounding the concerns raised by the trade unions were about staffing. The launch was deferred by Tube bosses to allow successful conclusion of talks with unions, including agreement on rosters.

Prior to the September start date, as originally planned, I held a public meeting for the benefit of residents around Jubilee Line stations in my constituency which will be affected by the night service. Keith Foley, TfL’s Head of Night Tube Service commented at the meeting that London is growing rapidly and the demand in the last 10 years has rocketed. Travel after 10pm has seen

the fastest growth. Currently late night journeys are mainly by bus which has grown 3 times in last 15 years. Night time service will particularly cater to the lower income workers and key workers like nurses. He said that all night tube service will not create more trips but will cut substantially journey time for workers currently using buses for their night journeys. Mr Foley further informed that there will be no staffing reductions at stations. Staffing level will remain the same at night as during the day time. London Transport has seen decrease in crime through deployment of British Transport Police (BTP).

There will be more BTP at night with new uniformed BTP deployed for the night service. BTP have done risk assessment and it claims that customers and staff will be as safe as they are during daytime.

I was pleased to see the residents and representatives of local residents’ associations at the public meeting to learn about TfL’s plans for all night tube service and hear their views and concerns. There was in principle support for the proposed service but issues surrounding noise, compensation, extra litter, night bus service, and security were raised. Currently there is an impasse and there is no clear indication of when the service would operate. But if and when the service commences if residents have any complaints I would advise them to contact TfL online or telephone TfL’s Customer Contact Centre. I’m reassured that TfL plan to undertake review of the performance of service after six months which will give me and other London Assembly colleagues to scrutinise the performance and take on board any local concerns.

Muslim model commits suicide had found out that her parents were actually her aunt and uncle. The protection order was taken to prevent her being forced into having an arranged marriage.

Simon Nelson, the north Manchester coroner, said while recording a narrative verdict that Nadia Menaz's relationship with her family “was very strained.”

Twenty-four year old model, Nadia Menaz, from Oldham was founded hanged in May 2015. It is alleged that she had killed herself while suffering from depression and having family problems.

Five months prior to her death, she had taken out a protection order against her parents and some of her siblings. She

Environment Secretary says it's fine to eat food after best before date The Environment Secretary, Liz Truss has suggested that it is acceptable to consume food after its “best before” date.

Liz Truss has stated that everyone is responsible of the reduction of household waste.

The Environment Secretary also wants to see less offers of “buy one get one free”, in order to help reduce the amount of food that gets waste or goes uneaten. On asked whether she would eat food which has surpassed

Environment Secretary, Liz Truss

the best before date, she said, “Definitely. I will just see if it smells okay and eat it.”

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Fizzy drinks could lead to heart failure

Experts have warned that drinking two or more glasses of fizzy or sweetened drinks a day could be associated to an increased risk of heart failure. The study found that two 200ml servings, which is equivalent to just over a can a day, could increase the risk of heart failure by 23%.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The Historian Journalist uncovering South Asia’s forgotten stories Shrabani was born in Calcutta and grew up in Dhaka, Kathmandu and Delhi. She graduated in History from St Stephen’s College, Delhi and completed her Masters from Delhi University. In 1983 she began her career as a trainee journalist with The Times of India in Bombay.

She moved to London in 1987, and has since then been the correspondent of the Calcutta-based newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika and The Telegraph.

In 2010, Shrabani set up the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust to ensure that Noor’s story and sacrifice were preserved for the next generation. The Memorial was unveiled in London’s Gordon Square

by Princess Anne in November 2012. Shrabani has a book being launched this week at the Nehru Centre Thursday November 5th, called For King and Another Country.

Over a million Indian soldiers fought in the First World War, the largest force from the colonies and dominions. Many soldiers were illiterate and travelled from remote villages in India to fight in the muddy trenches in France and Flanders.

For King and another Country tells, for the first time, their personal stories: from a grand turbanned Maharaja rearing to fight for Empire to a lowly sweeper who dies in a hospital in England, from a Pathan who wins the Victoria Cross to a young pilot barely out of school.

She spoke to The Asian Voice ahead of the launch, first explaining why she chose this subject.

“I have always been interested in the role played by Indian soldiers in both World Wars and feel their contribution has been constantly overlooked. In 2006, I wrote Spy Princess, the biography of WWII heroine Noor Inayat Khan. The book brought her story to an international audience.

When the centenary of WWI was approaching, I felt I had to write the stories of the first Indian soldiers who travelled to the West. Their sacrifice could not be forgotten.”

Shrabani says her main research and writing took over two years, but she had been collecting material on the subject for a long time.

She worked in libraries and museums and delved into personal histories by tracing the descendants of her

Shrabani Basu

subjects. She also travelled to the areas she was writing about. She explained, “The bulk of the work was done at the British Library and the National Archives. I visited museums and archives in India and went to the regimental centre in Lansdowne in the Garhwal hills. I also travelled

“I want people to know that it wasn’t just the Tommies on the Western Front in WWI. There were Sikhs, Garhwalis, Gurkhas and Pathans in the same muddy trenches.” to the war sites in France and Flanders and saw the memorials in Neuve Chapelle and Ypres.

I contacted the families of the soldiers and pilots and built my narrative.

Ultimately, you have to sieve through the mine of information and find the hidden stories. One of my characters is a cleaner called Sukha. I found his story hidden in the files.”

It was fascinating that Shrabani got to narratives buried in villages across India and Pakistan.

“I went to the village of

Manjood near Chamba in the Garhwal hills in India and spoke to the family of Gabar Singh Negi who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. I met the family of Darwan Singh Negi, VC, in Lucknow. I spoke to the grandsons of Khudadad Khan in Chakwal in Pakistan. He was the first Indian to be awarded the Victoria Cross. I met the grandson of Manta Singh and spoke to the great-grandson of General Willcocks, who was commanding the Indian army.” To put this all into a manuscript, she said, took just over two years.

It’s not easy for a working journalist to write stories daily and manage to research and write a book, so how did Shrabani do it?

“It’s always a lot of juggling. Luckily, I am an early riser and can start work early. I first finish the work for my newspaper and then there is time for research and working on my books. I don’t have a fixed schedule. It depends on how busy it is on the news front. The rest fits in.

I put in some work on weekends as well. As the chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust, there is that side to look after as well.”

She says that she has special hopes for the book.

“I want people to know that it wasn’t just the Tommies on the Western Front in WWI. There were Sikhs, Garhwalis, Gurkhas and Pathans in the same muddy trenches. They fought side by side with their English officers and died in the same fields. It was not a war of their making, but they sacrificed their lives for King and another country.”

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13

Stock Market Watch Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Accendo Markets

Amrit Panesar is a Senior Trader at Accendo Markets, the City trading services provider for CFDs, Spread Betting, Shares and Forex.

CFDs: A simple way to increase profit potential Trading can be an expensive business, even when you’re banking profits.

Investing in traditional shares requires a significant amount of capital to be tied up, sometimes for a considerable length of time. Furthermore, what might initially look like decent profits can be heavily offset by stamp duty and dealing costs.

What if I were to tell you that gains of 5% from shares (before costs) could be increased to something nearer 100% with only a very minor change in how you currently trade? And how about significantly lower dealing costs and no stamp duty?

The instrument that allows Accendo Markets to offer you both of the above is called a Contract for Difference (CFD), and it works by making use of the concept of leverage. Think buying a house with a deposit for a mortgage. Leveraged instruments provide a deposit-based method of trading the markets that vastly increases both flexibility and profit potential, with no corresponding increase in risk when used in the right way.

For example, you may have £10,000 to invest in the markets. You may decide to invest the full amount in Company X. To buy £10,000 worth of the shares might cost 3% in commission and 0.5% in stamp duty. Your £10,000 is now fully tied up in Company X shares, you’ve paid £350 in charges for the privilege and now have to wait for Company X to do some pretty impressive things to

cover costs and realise the profit you’re looking for.

Alternatively, you could have put the same ÂŁ10,000 into a CFD account and taken the same exposure to Company X shares using a CFD. This position would need a deposit of as little as 5%, but the potential profit (or loss) is based on the full ÂŁ10,000 worth of exposure. So you now have ÂŁ10,000 on your account with just ÂŁ500 of it tied up in your Company X position. CFDs are currently exempt from UK stamp duty, and the cost of opening the position would have been ÂŁ25 (dealing costs at Accendo Markets are 0.25% (minimum ÂŁ25) for equities).

Now, if the share price went up by 5% you would be in profit to the tune of ÂŁ500 or 100% of the deposit. If, however, they went down by 5%, you would lose ÂŁ500. If the shares went down more than 5% you would be liable for any additional losses. If Company X went bankrupt (the share price went to zero) you would be liable for the full ÂŁ10,000 in the same way as with a traditional share position. Should things go your way, however, only ÂŁ500 of your ÂŁ10,000 is actually tied up in Company X shares.

The point here is that your research gives you confidence that Company X is under-priced, with good growth potential and unlikely to go bust, meaning little reason to tie up 100% of your capital in Company X. But what if things don’t go your way? If you think a ‘black swan’ event may cause the share price to fall by

20% then you might earmark ÂŁ2,000 of your account balance to cover that potential loss. That still leaves you ÂŁ7,475 to put to use elsewhere in the markets.

Lower dealing costs and a depositbased trading account enable the investor to take advantage of shorter term market moves by trading more frequently, while the use of CFDs in particular enables her to trade both long (expecting prices to rise) and short (expecting them to fall). The chart to the right, of BP (BP.), illustrates this point nicely.

Trends don’t always point up or down. They often point sideways. If you’d held traditional BP shares since July 2010 you’d be just about be breaking even now - 5 years down the line in 2015.

Your money’s done next to nothing.

But look where BP shares have been in the interim – up and down between £3.80 and £4.90 multiple times. That’s multiple opportunities to profit by alternating between long and short positions with each netting a potential 30%, yet those who have been long BP shares since 2010 are no better off in 2015.

With the type of deposit based trading account provided by Accendo Markets the investor enjoys a highly flexible and cost effective way to trade the markets in the short, medium and long term. What’s more, CFDs are exempt from the stamp duty that must be paid on traditional shares. Used properly, CFDs are an immensely powerful tool in

the investor’s box.

To find out how working with Accendo Markets can make your trading experience even better, visit our website or give us a call.

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

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Robber gets 5 years for ripping earrings out of victim's ears 8 Questions for PM Modi on his visit to Britain

1. You are keen to see India as a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council. “Let us fulfil our promise to reform the United Nations Security Council by 2015.” You said at the UN in 2014. Since such reform would require ratification by two thirds of all UN Member countries including China, when do you think India’s aspirations which are supported by the UK, will be taken to a vote at the UN? Or do you think China will veto and so a vote is never going to happen?

2. Violence against women is not a particular Indian problem yet your speeches make clear it is especially un-Indian and un-Hindu. Do you agree with President Carter who says the reason why the mistreatment of women and girls continues in so many manifestations in so many parts of the world, both developed and developing is “In general, men don’t give a damn”?

3. Child malnutrition has for many years been a major problem in India. It is especially troubling because of India’s population means it affects a lot of children. Do you believe a lead from the Head of Government to eliminate the problem before, say, the end of the decade, would eliminate the problem? The way President Kennedy said his Government would ‘send a man to the moon’ before the end of the decade – another seemingly impossible mission until political will from the top directed national effort? You will at Wembley mention India’s successful mission to Mars and no Indian PM has been more popular to direct such a national effort.

4. Your vision of ‘Desh Bhakti’ for nation building capitalises on the ‘love of the motherland’ you have witnessed among overseas Indians in America and of

course in the UK. You have asked their help in making India clean. Do you think there should be a fund purely from overseas Indians? Would billions be raised from abroad if you led the campaign?

5. The small things are big things to regular people, like toilets, as you’ve observed. Will you add this toilet building initiative to the same fund, maybe also a ‘visit clean hygienic India fund’ which especially focusses on religious pilgrimage sites?

6. As you noted, it was the NRI Gandhiji who coming back to India and changed her forever. Entrepreneurs are the job creators as you’ve pointed out to them in Silicon Valley. Do you think you can entice them to India from overseas without financial incentives – but rather a push to their love of the motherland?

Other countries have succeeded and it is a lot cheaper than tax breaks.

7. The ‘Make in India’ programme as you’ve said before in a speech in the UK has to be about India inventing and owning the rights to invention to make India wealthy and great, not just about cheap Indian labour. Do you think your point has been understood or do you think overseas companies see it as ‘use cheap Indian skill and labour and then take the profits overseas?’

8. As India is a majority Hindu nation, but as you said at the UN in 2015, you represent a culture where the Earth is considered a ‘mother’ and the world one family. At a time of unique global climate and peace threats to humanity – should you do more to protect the wisdom of ancient Hindu culture by stating avowedly you are not a secularist and the constitution of India needs amending to recognise her religious roots?

Blair allegedly admits taking 8 months to respond to Chilcot It has emerged that the review into the Iraq War, which commenced in 2003, will not be published until summer 2016. It is also alleged that the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair has admitted to taking eight months to respond to the Chilcot inquiry.

Sir John Chilcot, was accused by families who had lost their loved ones in

come into effect once he leaves prison.

The five-year long order bans him from entering driveways, gardens or yards of any residential property in London without a valid reason. He was also issued a restraining order which prohibits him from entering Charterhouse Avenue, where the victim resides.

Detective Constable Martina English, from Brent Forensic Conversion team said, “Bogus callers are the most callous people as they often target older and more vulnerable people and will try to trick or con their way in. I hope that Gorsia's imprisonment brings some form of

Tony Blair

Sir John Chilcot

Iraq, of “twisting the knife”, after he disclosed that the two-million word report on the Iraq war will not be published until “June or July” 2016.

David Cameron

The present Prime Minister, David Cameron, has stated that he is “immensely frustrated” by the delays in the reports being published.

Guinness stated that a new filtration plant will be set to build in 2016, which will stop the use of the substance used from bladders of fish. “Whilst isinglass is a very effective means of clarification, and has been used for many years, we expect to stop using it as the new filtration asset is introduced.”

Manoj Gorsia

justice to his victim. This sentence serves as a clear reminder we will use every means available to us to catch those whose intent on breaking the law and bring them to justice with the strongest and most compelling evidence against them.”

Pregnant woman asked to prove her pregnancy by fellow passenger to get priority seat in Tube A pregnant woman was left shocked when a fellow Tube passenger demanded, “Where is the baby?”, even though she wore a “baby on board” badge. The passenger demanded that she proved that she was pregnant in order to sit in a priority seat.

Raayan Zafar (32), felt “really, really embarrassed” after being confronted on the Victoria line Tube, in Stockwell.

She explained, “It's early days so that's why I don't show. But that doesn't mean I'm not pregnant or tired or sick all the time.

It was a long commute and I suffer from severe morning sickness- I'm on medication already.”

Raayan Zafar confronted by a man in his 40s on the Tube

Zafar was confronted by a man in his 40s, after another man got up from the priority seat to let her sit down.

She said, “I got the Victoria line from

UK Government urges women to breastfeed in public

Guinness to become vegan friendly Officials reveal that for the first time in the 256year history of Guinness, they will now be offering a vegan friendly pint, as the company is said to be be stopping the use of fish bladders in its filters. Strict vegetarians and vegans have long petitioned to stop the use of isinglass. A spokesperson for

28-year-old Manoj Gorsia, from Wembley, has been jailed for ripping the earrings out of an elderly woman's ears and pulling her chain from her neck, after allegedly forging his way into her home.

It was also alleged that Gorsia had claimed to be a gas company worker, in December 2014, in order to enter the 75-year-old woman's home, Harrow Crown Court heard. He was caught by the DNA left on several pieces of paper he had left behind while escaping the elderly woman's home.

He received a five-year jail sentence and was issued with a criminal behaviour order which will

Through a new campaign started by Public Health England, the UK Government has urged women to breastfeed in public.

Although it is illegal to ask a breastfeeding woman to leave a public space, 6 out of 10 women who breastfeed still step aside to hide it in public.

According to a poll conducted by Public Health England, over 1/3 of women are reluctant to

breastfeed in public, while over 20% of the British public do not want to see someone breastfeeding in public.

Natalie MacGregor, a supporter of this Start4Life campaign said, “When I first tried breastfeeding in public, I was really selfconscious. It took until the birth of my second son to realise that I had nothing to be embarrassed about, and I just wish that I had realised this earlier.”

According to a new trend, brides are opting for an alternative option for their wedding bouquet by replacing the tradition flowers with kale, broccoli and cabbage.

Florists have revealed that fruit and vegetables have become popular as a choice for nuptial flowers.

Carrots, leeks and citrus fruits are said to have successfully replaced roses and peonies.

The symbolic value of herbs have also become a fashionable addition to bouquets. For example, lavender signifies devotion and undying love, while thyme represents courage.

A new green wedding bouquet

Stockwell and requested the priority seat. The man sitting there was a gentleman and gave me his seat, but then a lady who was already standing in front of him tried to take the seat, so I made her notice me by saying 'excuse me'. That lady realised I was going for the seat, but the person sitting beside it started arguing with me, saying the lady wanted to sit there and asking, 'Why are you taking the seat?' I showed him my 'baby on board' badge and he then rudely asked me, 'Where is the baby?' I was shocked- is that way to speak to a pregnant lady? Do I have to carry my maternity notes with me all the time?”

Non-Muslims inmates bullied into paying "protection tax"

According to prison intelligence, it is alleged that non-Muslim inmates in some top-security jails in Britain have been forced into paying a “protection tax”, in other words, “jizya”. It is alleged that it has been enforced by Islamist extremist prisoners in England and Wales.

Prison intelligence have also alleged that religious extremists are using bullying threats and tactics to force non-Muslim inmates to convert to Islam or hand over their money, or give them their phone cards, food, tobacco and drugs.

A former Home Office official, Ian Acheson, has been appointed by the justice secretary, Michael Gove, to review the prison service's approach to dealing with Islamist extremism.

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READERS’VOICE

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Has the West sold their soul?

When someone utters “The West” (TW) (Western Europe and newly created Anglo-Saxon countries elsewhere), an impression flashes in the listener’s mind to associate those two words with freedom of speech and religion, human rights, democracy and propagation of these values. We all know that TW’s past is coloured with colonization, destruction of cultures, killings, pillage, slavery, seizure of lands and many more abominable acts. Here we are concerned with their loudly proclaimed and cherished present values which flash in one’s mind and are considered as their soul.

Let us take a reality check by examining TW’s relationship vis-a-vis two countries (of course there are many more) viz. China and Saudi Arabia. Does any one of the cherished values by TW exists in any one of the two selected countries? Unless someone is either brainless or totally biased the answer ought to be a big “Nope”. We hardly hear any criticism in popular media on nonexistence of their values in those countries.

There are myriad of NGOs created by TW to keep an eye on violations of their values. Also, we do not hear much from those normally loud mouth sentries about violations by the two countries.

One can only surmise from this reality check that TW never cherished those values but have cunningly created such an illusion in our psyche or they have sold their soul in exchange for access to markets, minerals and money (capital) to satiate their greed.

In the last few days some positive actions are heard from UK, USA and EU. UK has cancelled a minor contract to show their displeasure about Human Rights record of Saudi Arabia which resulted in a lecture and warning of severe repercussions by their ambassador in London. Secretary Ashton Carter dispatched the destroyer USS Lassen in the vicinity of several artificial islands in mid sea to protest that they are being built by China in violation of International Law. Promptly China summoned USA’s ambassador in Beijing and read the riot act. The EU Just announced the Sakharov prize award to Mr Raif Badawi, an imprisoned Saudi blogger, to show their indignation. Is it too little and too late?

Narsibhai Patel New Malden

Chilcot enquiry

The whole world knows the truth, about UK /US lied about the Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) and illegal war, killed thousands of innocent people in Iraq.

In the end Blair will getaway with his crime and the thousands of innocent people's killed by the indiscriminate bombing by US/UK will never get justice.

The "Superior vs Inferior "attitude by the west is creating a very unpleasant and insecure environment across the globe and putting the lives of their own citizens and others in danger.

Yam Gurung By email

Remembering Sardarji

Last Saturday was the birthday of our Beloved Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel and we can not help remembering and offering our homage to him. He was one of those who not only fought for India’s Independence but also sacrificed his life in creating the unique India Democratic Union of nearly 550 States! This was the most difficult marathon task which he tackled with resolute mind and iron will! He accomplished his mission and passed away on 15 December, 1950. God Bless his Soul wherever He is!!!

Upendra Kapadia By email

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Islamising cause of India’s partition

India is called a subcontinent because it is the home of many religions, cultures and traditions.

When it became obvious that the British had no other alternative but to grant independence, the only religious community that demanded partition was Muslims.

In 1947 partition turned the Indian subcontinent into secular India and Islamic Pakistan. The cause of partition was commented upon by many journalists. Historians have written books on the subject. Some held Muslims responsible for the partition while others blamed Hindus and ‘divide and rule’ policy of the British Raj. But the real cause is Islamising of India, i.e. conversion of Hindus into Islam. If there were no Muslims in India separatist movement would not have taken place.

Religious conversion changes people’s mind and psychology. Once converted to Islam the converts take Arabic names and identify themselves with the culture and tradition of the Middle East. They become virtual foreigners in their own country.

If Muslims thought India was their home they would not have demanded partition of their homeland. They demanded to have a separate homeland. In other words they did not consider India as their home. They named their new home Pakistan – the land of the Pure. So the Pure had to separate themselves from the impure and infidels.

The same Muslim separatist movement is evident in Myanmar, Thailand, Philippine, Xinjiang province of China and Chechnya in Russia. It indicates people’s inability or unwillingness to live in peace and harmony with others or both.

Jatindra Saha By email

Parallel faiths in India

I do not understand what Ramesh Jhalla aims at Hindu population in India which is decreasing. Hindus were ruled by Muslims and the British and during their period Hindu population was reduced considerably. Once Hindus and Buddhists were rulers from Afghanistan to Bangladesh and now they are pushed into one part of Indian sub-continent.

He should note Christian population is increasing faster due to conversion. Mr. Jhalla claims that diaspora in U.K who are less than 700 000 will waive the flag for Hindus in U.K. What happened to East African Asians? They were kicked out by General Amin. Hindus and even Muslims came to India. India is the only Hindu country where Hindus have right to settle. Who is waving the flag for Hindus in East Africa?

A part of North East India namely West Bengal and Assam will form part of Muslim Bangladesh by 2030 since they are increasing due to Sharia law and Hindus will become minorities. By the year 2070 Hindus will become minorities in India and they will become slaves of Muslims. In the North east five states Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and some parts of Imphal are officially Christian dominated states and all the tribal people were converted to Christianity by Rev. Michel Scott, a Baptist Missionary.

Hindus do not want to become minorities to their own country in 50 years’ time.

Arun Vaidyanathan By email

Hinduism

Arun Vaidyanathan is wrong to blame the Hindu religion for evils perpetrated by its followers. Hindism allows its followers 12 schools of philosophy. Hindus can be gnostic, agnostic, theist, atheist, monotheist or pantheist. How can such democratic religion be dogmatic? Caste/ Varna are not religious problems but social ones. Note that in Hindu religious teachings, Varna is flexible as is evident by episodes of Vishvamitra, a Kshatriya becoming a rishi; Ravan, a Brahmin becoming a ruler; Ram a Kshatriya eating fruit tasted

by Shabri; Bhima, Kshatriya marrying jungle dweller Hidimba; Harischandra a Kshatriya becoming keeper of crematoria, a fisherwoman marrying a Kshatriya, etc. Varna under the name of caste is wrongly implemented by bigots. Hinduism is an alfresco religion worshipping forces of nature, e g sun, moon, wind, fire, water, sky, etc., thus needs no temples.

Temples are post Buddhist creations by Brahmins to remind followers about Hinduism.

Hindus must shake off inferiority complex and impress the general public about eternal, universal, and utilitarian values preached by Hindu religion as way of life.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

We will miss you Lord Noon

As most of us did not know Lord Noon was not well for some time, his passing away came as unbelievable shock. He was one of the most humble, easily approachable persons I knew, despite his enormous wealth, titles and social standing. If we were attending function, he would leave his table and come to me to say hello, as he knew I was in poor health, kind and caring gesture beyond call of duty. He was one of the noblest sons of India; always defending his motherland when most would preferred to remain silent.

Whenever I wrote to him for his opinion, advice, he would readily reply which I find it rare, as most luminary people in similar position would not even acknowledge letters, emails from ordinary people like us. Luminary Lord Noon is well known for his charitable nature, giving millions for good causes, building hospitals, schools in India where most needed. He was epitome of good qualities first generation Asians possessed and role model to young Asians, true rag to riches story. I am sure everyone who came in touch will miss him, as like rose petals, he leaves behind sweet smell that would linger on for long time. May his soul rest in eternal peace and All Mighty give his family strength to bear this enormous loss?

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Housing bonanza for Harrow

Famous Kodak factory site, left derelict for years, will now be developed as housing complex over ten years, providing 1800 homes that Harrow, the most popular borough for Asians badly in need of new homes. Pleasing prospect is that it is American type all-inclusive development, with affordable and assisted homes, parking places, mini market, health centre and primary school on the site. Perhaps it may also include café, pizzeria, pharmacy and gym that which is a norm for such developments in US. Great thought has gone into planning, providing most facilities on site, development that will not place unnecessary burden on surrounding area, although Council will have to develop infrastructure of roads and related facilities that goes hand in hand with such development.

If we follow US path where such complexes are unbelievably luxurious with parks, mini golf courses, developing such sites here for older people who could live in secured, safe environment, many three bedroom houses occupied by pensioners, many living in isolation, could be freed for families, thus alleviating chronic housing shortages in London, bearing in mind that our population will rise by ten million by 2030. At last Council and government is moving away from their rigid, medieval melancholy thinking.

Kumudini Valambia By email

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MEDIAWATCH

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Social and cultural headwinds continue to causing considerable turbulence in Indian politics. The Bihar Assembly elections are being watched with growing interest across the country, especially in the north and east. BJP heavyweight, Amit Shah, will address a public meeting in Kolkata in a bid to put his party in the driving seat for the West Bengal State poll which will be the next major event of the electoral calendar. The BJP is yet to make a major impact in the State, and there ar no sings that this is set to change. As of now, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is way ahead of its rivals judging by the recent municipal and panchayat elections, in which the Communist-led Left Front, the Congress party and the BJP were soundly trounced, although the Left Front and BJP did well in isolated pockets.

Apropos of Bihar, caste loyalties still matter, perhaps less so than before as urbanization spreads, and jobs, education, incomes and new aspirations among the population take hold. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been addressing meetings across the State, hoping thereby to turn the tide BJP’s way, but atrocities against Dalits in Haryana, for example, may well have an impact on similar sections of the Bihar electorate, as news of such incidents spreads more quickly than ever before, thanks to seminal improvements in communications. Lalu Prasad Yadav, one of the principal leaders of the anti-BJP coalition was upbeat with reporters. With his sophisticated daughter [a doctor by profession] at his side, the patriarch fielded questions with his usual aplomb and humour (Hindu, Times of India, Telegraph, Mint October 25-31)

Unabated fanaticism

The Kerala government was up in arms at the raid on Delhi’s Kerala House by Hindu Sena activists, because of rumours that beef had been served on the premises. The Delhi Police came in for severe censure for escorting the Sena members entering the building.

Kerala Chief Minister Ooman Chandy sent off a furious letter of protest to Prime Minister Modi, which had the desired effect. The Delhi Police retracted and the Hindu Sena leader responsible for the incident, one Vishnu Gupta, was arrested.(Times of India, Hindu, Mint, Telegraph October 27, 28)

Scientists decry intolerance

Four hundred eminent Indian figures belonging to the science community including internationally theoretical physicists Asoke Sen and Spenta Wadia, mathematician Madabusi Ranganathan, eminent aeronautics engineer Roddam Narasimha and molecular biologist R.C. Bhargava, have added their voices to the growing volume of concern at the obscurantism and intolerance that is manifested in the activities of bullies, hooligans and even assassins. ‘Our statement is not intended to be against any political party or against any government, it is intended to remind everyone that it is important to a scientific temper and engage in rational thinking,’ they said in an appeal to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s charge that they were ‘anti-BJP fanatics,’ misses the point. There is more at stake than inter-party slanging. India is more polarized today than it has been since independence.

(Telegraph, Times of India, Hindu October 28, 29, 30)

Moody’s warning

International rating agency, Moody’s, has issued a warning to Prime Minister Modi: rein in your hotheads or risk losing the confidence of foreign and domestic investors, increasing concerned at the rising levels of intolerance and social violence in the country. What is bad for business cannot be good for India (Times of India, Business Line, Telegraph October 31)

Development is unity: Modi

Prime Minister Modi spoke out strongly for India’s unity in diversity, saying this is, and would continue to be, the platform for development into the future.

‘India is a naton of diversity.

There are many sects, communities, languages and castes. India is a diverse country and this diversity is our adornment.

Peace, harmony and unity are necessary for development,’ he said. (Hindu, Times of India October 26)

Rahul Gandhi unacceptable

M.L.Fotedar, a longtime Indira Gandhi confidant, has said Rahul Gandhi lacks the leadership qualities to make him acceptable to the broad mass of Indians. Sonia Gandhi, for her part, was too dependent on the counsels of her coterie, and ‘has her best years behind her.’ An honest straight-talking man (Hindu October 26)

Rural sales slump

A sales slump in rural India – the sharpest since 2003 – has forced companies to rethink their strategies and slash costs and suspend investments. Demand for tractors and motorcycles have collapsed in the wake of an erratic monsoon and drought with rural incomes in a nosedive. Business is looking to government to increase public expenditure to kick-start the rural economy. A poor performance there will slow down the national economy (Mint, Business Line October 26)

Business ranking on rise India has jumped four places, from 134 to 130, in the World Bank ranking on ‘ease of doing business.’ In 2005, it took four months to start a business in India, now it takes a month.

More: 231 reforms were implemented in 122 economies last year, drawing the following comment from Augusto LopezClaros, Director of the WB Global Indicators Group: ‘India’s ranking this year is early recognition of these efforts, more is coming.’

He continued: ‘My expectation… .is that if this process continues, if it is sustained, and the authorities the degree of determination which has been in evidence in the last year, then we could see substantial improvement in the coming year,’ he said at a media briefing in Washington (Hindu, Times of India October 28)

Complexities of business in India

Mark Mobius, Chairman, Templeton Emerging Markets Group, told a reporter: ‘If India can legislate into law the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and open the doors wider for foreign portfolio investors, there could be a flood of capital flowing into the country. ‘The GST should save businesses billions of dollars over the long term in the form of taxes, time and inefficiencies. Today doing business in India is like doing business across 29 countries, with each State having its own rules, taxes and so on.’

Management quality

He said he was impressed by the quality of India’s managers.

‘Quality management is very important when you assess companies. This is the strength that India brings. It has some terrific managers. If you could free up regulations, you could have some world-class companies. Already, many global companies are run

by Indians. PepSi is run by an Indian woman,’ he said. Given the size and population of India, the country’s market capitalization should be 20 trillion dollars rather than the 2 trillion it is today, he concluded (Business Line October 26)

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October 20, Hindu October 30)

Trilateral alignment

Rear Admiral Roy Fuller, speaking to reporters on the deck of the 100,000 tonne aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, said ‘these three powExternal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with erful countries are Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov working together to ensure that we have a ing Russian Foreign Minister good exchange of commerce Sergey Lavrov, Swaraj said she through an important part of the was ‘very happy that there was world, including in the South progress on all components of China Sea.’ Captain Craig ‘Druba-Dosti’ [friendship], the Clapperton said: ‘The Indian vision statement drawn up by Navy comes with a fantastic repPresident Vladimir Putin and utation….and I’ll tell you , in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi last 24 hours operating with the at the Indo-Russian summit in Indian ships out here, I’ve been Delhi in December 2014. The incredibly impressed with their next such summit will take place seamanship, their professionalin Moscow in December ism and their ability to command these extremely complex exercisIndia in talks for es.’ Jai Hind! (NDTV October Russian missiles 20).

Defence Minister Manohar Malabar naval exercise Parrikar left for Moscow at the weekend for talks on India’s The recently concluded Malabar acquisition of Russia’s latest Sexercise, in the Bay of Bengal, 400 Triumf air defence missile between the navies of India, the systems, perceived as a game US and Japan should be viewed changer by experts, as it can against the backdrop of a United destroy incoming hostile aircraft, States destroyer, USS Larsen, stealth warplanes and drones at a distance of up to 400 kilometres. The S400 has three types of missile, with different interception capabilities at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, can radar lock and shoot down fifth Indian warships in Bay of Bengal exercising with generation aircraft US and Japanese navies in Operation Malabar like America’s F-35. passing through the South China There are an extensive upgrades Sea to uphold the right of free of weapons systems for all three navigation in international services which will be undertaken waters.

by Russia. (Times of India online

Maruti surge

India-based Japanese carmaker Maruti Suzuki is on a surge, posting a stunning 42 per cent net profit in the second quarter fiscal ending September 30. ‘Higher volumes, material cost reductions initiatives and favourable foreign exchange contributed to the bottom line growth during the quarter,’ said R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki. The company has been launching new products. (Times of India, Hindu October 28)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (third right) stands with African Heads of State and Leaders as they pose for a group photograph during the India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi on October 29, 2015 (see comment page 3)

Time-tested relationship

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on a visit to Moscow, told her Russian hosts that India’s policy towards Russia had always been on track. During her meet-

Facebook founder Mark Zukerberg in Delhi. (see comment page 3)

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Integrationists Celebrate Accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India On Monday 26th October 2015, the British Parliament witnessed a historic seminar commemorating the 68th year of the signing of the Instrument of Accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India, by Maharaja Hari Singh.

The seminar was jointly supported by the Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society and Voice of Dogras, and was supported by the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus led by the Chair, Bob Blackman MP. It was the first ever attempt in the UK that saw the coming together of Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits) and Dogras from Jammu in highlighting the accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India in 1947 and the ratification of this decision in 1954 in the state assembly establishing the finality of the decision made by Maharaja Hari Singh.

Along with Bob Blackman, Lord Popat of Harrow, Virendra Sharma MP – Vice Chair, APPG for British Hindus & Chair, APPG for India, P K Patel, First Secretary, High Commission of India and various community leaders and representatives attended this event.

Bob Blackman said, “I am proud to be hosting the commemoration of the 68th Anniversary of the Signing of the Instrument of Accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India by Maharaja Hari Singh at the British Parliament as the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus, set up especially to provide a voice to the British Hindu community. The seminar is the first such attempt to educate the parliamentarians and members of the community on the history of Jammu & Kashmir. It establishes the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and has been since 1947.”

The evening saw the release of a White Paper on History of Jammu &

Bob Blackman addressing the guests at the seminar

Kashmir: Instrument of Accession describing what the document was and the various events surrounding the signing of the legal documentation that acceded Jammu & Kashmir to India.

Congratulating the organisers, Virendra Sharma MP said, “this is an important seminar and an act of remembrance for Jammu & Kashmir’s accession to India. 68 years ago history was made, but sadly the roots

The release of a White Paper on History of Jammu & Kashmir: Instrument of Accession

of the longstanding conflict between India and Pakistan were laid too.

Only by understanding why there is conflict can we hope to end it for our future generations.”

Leading the commemoration Lakshmi Kaul, Founder of Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society highlighted the significance and need for conducting this seminar in the UK. “In the UK as well as other parts of Europe there is a growing antiIndia lobby that is making

Croydon celebrates Diwali Croydon Diwali Mela rocked the town centre with 1000s of people in North End Croydon on Saturday 31 October. It was packed with fun food dances music singing and the variety of cultural stalls.

Mayura Patel Chairperson of Croydon Hindu Council who organised this event said "The

people believe that ‘Kashmiris’ want the right of self-determination. This lobby has targeted and attempted to eliminate the very identity of any other minority communities in the region. In fact, they do not acknowledge the state in totality but only refer to the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir area calling out for independence. This misinformed narrative needs to be rectified and the facts need to be laid out. The seminar and com-

feedback was tremendous from all and it was lovely to dance Raas - a Gujarati Folk Dance with Madam Mayor. Children and adults all joined in to dance till the end.

Diwali in Croydon was celebrated with a diversed audience and also as one large Hindu family in Croydon for the first time ever ".

memoration is only a joint attempt by communities from the region of Jammu & Kashmir to state that the state is an integral part of the dominion of India and has been since 1947.

Hundreds of messages of support were received by the organisers including those from the veterans, senior activists and celebrities including actor, director & teacher Anupam Kher, media guru & activist Sushil Pandit, senior journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, plus many more.

UK

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Asian Voice | 7th Novenber 2015

15

Diwali at the Supreme Court Reshma Trilochun

Robert Bourns

MP Shailesh Vara

number of internationally renowned musicians.

As well as celebrating the Hindu festival of lights and the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil; the reception also celebrated the diversity within the legal profession.

Pranav Bhanot, trainee solicitor at Bevan Brittan LLP, addressed the attendees and explained why Diwali is celebrated and how the principles are relevant in law. “The festival of Diwali marks the return of Lord Ram from his 14 years of exile, where lamps lit his way home. Today is a day of celebration, but it is also a day of reflection. If it wasn't for Lord Ram's leadership when facing adversity during his exile, perhaps the festival of Diwali would never have happened.

Taking the lead and making sacrifices, demonstrating integrity, creating

strategies and implementing tactics allowed Lord Ram to be victorious. Many of these qualities are of course necessary and routine in daily legal practice.”

Photos courtesy: Raj Bakrania

Diwali celebrations are not restricted to the home and temples, nor is it forbidden for people of other castes, religions and backgrounds to participate in the festivities. Britain, especially London, is by far the most recipient towards embracing multiculturalism into its society.

One which could be claimed as a landmark event is the first ever Diwali reception which was held at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

The event was hosted by the Hindu Lawyers Association and supported by national law firm, Bevan Brittan LLP. This remarkable event was attended by prominent lawyers and judges from across the legal sector.

The theme of this event was 'The Laws of Leadership and The Winning Mindset', which had topical speeches by lawyer and Principal of Praefinium Partners Ltd, Alpesh Patel; and Vice President of the Law Society, Robert Bourns; as well as Minister Shailesh Vara. There was also an interval of live Indian classical music, provided by a

Pranav Bhanot

Mahatma Gandhi.”

Shailesh Vara further stated, “From a strictly legal point of view, I think it is fair to acknowledge that the leadership that Britain has provided for law means that we have the finest legal system in the world.”

Vice President of the Law Society, Robert Bourns said, “A celebration... light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil- a festival of light. An opportunity to reflect... on our roles and our responsibilities.

Esteemed guests at the Supreme Court lighting Diwali candles The Law Society... is extremely proud of its ting such a wonderful MP Shailesh Vara, membership... Within the group of people here. The Parliamentary Undermembership, some 17,000 beauty of this location... it Secretary of State for the solicitors from BME backoverlooks Parliament Ministry of Justice is grounds, approximately Square, but also, it overresponsible for the courts 15% of the solicitors' prolooks the statue of and legal aid, and is also a

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qualified solicitor. He said, “I'll start off by thanking the sponsors Bevan Brittan, and also the Hindu Lawyers Association for organising tonight and get-

fession... We know that there are more that should and could be done.”

Former barrister and former visiting fellow in Business at the Crawford Christi College in Oxford, and the author of 18 books on investing, Alpesh Patel gave an inspirational speech to the lawyers and barristers present at the reception, telling them to always aim high. “A Hindu lawyer has a statue dedicated to him outside this Supreme Court and in front of the Parliament.

YOU are Hindu lawyers.

That is the heritage from which we come; that is the standard by which we should measure ourselves.

That is the bar and that is the level of duties and obligations upon us.”

This remarkable, one if its kind landmark event, brought together people from different religions and castes under one room to celebrate the fundamental thought of unity and integrity, which, by far, the UK supercedes many nations. The first Diwali celebration at the Supreme Court had an immensely successful turnout, and hopefully such events will be held in the near future.

16

DIWALI SPECIAL

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Exclusive Diwali magazine will be sent

My Diwali Memories

to all Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar subscribers.

■ Ria Mehta, Age 16, Swaminarayan School

We will not be publishing 14th November newspaper edition as we will be closed for Diwali.

Asian Voice wishes all the readers, subscribers and well-wishers a very Happy Diwali and Prosperous New Year!

Rejoicing light over darkness ■ Tanisha Patel, Age 15, Swaminarayan School When Hindus hear of the word ‘Diwali’, they think of family, lights, lamps, Indian sweets, fireworks and triumph of good over evil. In my perspective, Diwali is a way of unlocking another part of me, and discovering that unique sense of culture that lies within all of us.

Celebrating Hindu festivals is always something to look forward to, but it hit me that not everyone could distinguish between the compulsory aspects and the real importance of Diwali. Re-uniting my family at one specific time of the year where we can all catch up and enjoy each other’s company. Lighting fireworks that sometimes never take off, indulging our bodies with the chocolate burphy, visiting temples (not forgetting the troublesome queues) in our sleek Indian outfits, and making a symbolic Rangoli by chucking together a load of lentils and coloured rice.

Together creating an unforgettable array of colours unveiling the typical depiction of the festival of light.

Worshipping gods and goddesses to rejoice good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, truth over falsehood and light over darkness. The tradition of lighting lamps and Diyas to illuminate the cold nights of Diwali will continue, and observing the different shapes and sizes of decorative candles used to ward off evil and darkness. The lighting of a Diya is almost symbolising the face of the New Year ahead of us. The light, representing the renewal and goodness of the New Year.

I have been brought up celebrating this festival annually with my family to honour a new prosperous year. As Diwali is one of the most sacred and colourful festivals for Hindus, the whole country lights up with enthusiasm to dance and sing together as one.

As we progress through time, we can see how the origins of the festival have been updated by having the pleasure of burning candles instead of the ancient way of using cotton wicks and oil. This five day holiday is not only commemorated within the heart of India, but all over the world. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains all unite to eat mithai (Indian sweets) and well, have fun!

The last thing I would like to talk about is the true beauty of this time of year.

Watching people share the happiness and making others smile is definitely my favourite part of Diwali. I am generally quite a positive, generous person, and

When I think about Diwali I go back to senior one and two at the Swaminarayan School when we would have to put on the Ramayana play for the rest of the school. I still remember having to put baby powder in my hair to be Manthra, not my best hair day. Diwali is something that I always look forward to because it’s the time of the year when I can see all of my family and catch up with them, it’s when we can talk about what’s happened in the past year and eat as much food as we can.

We would make rangolis and I’d attempt to help my mum to cook. It’s something we would spend weeks preparing and all be worth it because for once

we’d spend some time together as a family instead of going to our rooms. To me, Diwali would be queuing in line at the Mandir in a questionable Indian dress, then waiting in the Gibbons to look at the fireworks. Even when it was cold and I wasn’t exactly tall enough to see properly it was always worth it.

Diwali is a time when we could all come together, regardless of who you are, to celebrate. I’ve been brought up with Diwali being a main holiday for me and every year someone would always recite the Ramayana to us. We’d light divas and leave them outside our house hoping nothing catches on fire.

The festival celebrates the

triumph of good over evil and that no matter what the power of God will come through. We celebrate the return of Rama and Sita from exile, the welcoming of Lakshmi into our homes, and Lord Krishna’s triumph. It’s nice to celebrate Diwali knowing that there’s such a rich history behind it and that there are so many stories to be told.

It’s also nice knowing that you don’t have to worry about school - but that’s irrelevant.

Diwali, to me, also represents the beginning of a new year. This New Year is started by welcoming Lakshmi to offer wealth and luck. Many people begin a new business year at Diwali which shows how significant it really is to people all around the world. It signifies the beginning of a new year and a new start. Even if you’ve had a not so good year you can always start again and try to make the next year better. Although I would always wonder why my parents would make such a big effort to make Diwali a big thing, I look back on it now and I’m so grateful that they did. It means that when I have my own children, I’ll want them to experience Diwali like I did and make sure that they understand how significant it is to so many people.

Diwali means family and happiness to me which makes Diwali incredibly important. Not just for the presents, they’re just an added plus.

Diwali poem

■ Radhika Radia, age 20

in my eyes to observe the harmony and joy (apart from squishing around people to see the fireworks at the local temple) between the communities says more than actually fulfilling the necessary rituals.

I mean of course visiting temples, meeting family and burning candles are fun, but what really snatches my attention are the bazaars and overcrowded streets filled with electric lights overhead, children playing and families exchanging greetings and gifts. So, to end, I would like to wish you and your family a very happy Diwali.

Diwali is the famous festival of light, Spreading happiness and colour in everyone’s sight.

Sparkly decorations, shining divas and delicious food, Sharing with friends and family; creating a cheerful mood!

Making Rangoli, watching fireworks, and praying together, This is a picture of the Rangolis I created with my family on Diwali .

May you all have a happy Diwali and a prosperous new year!

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

What does Diwali mean to me?

■ Ria Popat, age 16, Swaminarayan School What does Diwali mean to me? The answer you’ll probably expect from a teenage girl in the 21st century is ‘nothing’. And, yes, you’d be right. Diwali means nothing to me. But the question is should it have to?

Let me explain. My name is Ria Popat and I am currently in the fifth form of the Swaminarayan School. I am writing this article to remind the young people of our generation that Diwali is our culture, a significant stepping stone in our religious upbringing to enlightenment. I say Diwali means nothing to me because it shouldn’t have to. Diwali is just a part of my life. Celebrating Diwali is my duty as a Hindu and I think this is often forgotten.

As a child bought up in a Hindu family, Diwali has always meant decorating the house with rangolis and divas or making mithai and nasto in the kitchen! The significance of this day is religious for many, but in my eyes it is much more.

Diwali not only combines the ideologies of Hinduism, such as the victory of good over evil, it is opportunity for us to represent our religion and culture. Today, Indians comprise about 1.4 million people in the UK, making us the single largest visible ethnic minority population in the country. We count. We’re important. Diwali allows us to unite as one and celebrate the festival triumphantly. Personally, this brings me a sense of belonging to our community. Moreover, it allows other cultures to witness,

take notice of and participate in our traditions.

Diwali offers something for all, regardless of colour, age, gender, race or religion.

Another aspect of Diwali I would like to touch on is fun. Diwali can be a stressful few days, however, it is a time of celebration.

In the hustle of finding the best spot in Ikea car park to see the fireworks, and waking up at unreasonable hours to put in a saree, we often forget what really matters. Let’s embrace the fun factor of our festivals.

Maybe this year eat one more samosa? Maybe this year light one more sparkle? Maybe this year do something different.

Live life on the edge. Go large. The festival of light consists of more than the temple and a few candles.

As I come to an end to this piece on Diwali, I would like to say one thing.

Be proud of who you are.

Be proud to show others who you are. Appreciate those around you and look forward to new beginnings.

Wishing every one of you – especially those of you who’ve had the patience to bear with me to the end of this article - a Very Happy Diwali.

P.S: Get over to Asda.

Grab that chokha and loth while you can!

Vande Mataram ■ Akshar Vekaria, 13 years old Vande Mataram!

Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam, Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!

Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim, Phullakusumita drumadala shobinim, Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!

Vande Mataram!

DIWALI SPECIAL

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Lighting up your lights this Diwali

AsianVoiceNews

The most celebrated festival in India, Diwali celebrates Lord Rama's homecoming after defeating Ravana. It symbolises the victory of light over darkness, which is why one of the common practices is to light oil lamps and neon lights, exchange sweets and burst crackers.

The celebrations start with Dhanteras, followed by Naraka Chaturdasi on second day, Deepavali on the third day, Diwali Padva dedicated to wife–husband relationship on the fourth day, and it all ends with Bhai-beej dedicated to sister–brother bond on the fifth day.

As times changed, so did people's approach to the festivities. Diwali in the 90s was simple; people lit small clay diyas, made a colourful rangoli, bought fire-crackers in bulk, packed tons of gifts for friends and family, played cards and made merry. In recent times, it is more about packing your bags and taking your nuclear family to a small getaway to vacation spots.

Decorating the house is always a major task. It normally means lots of lights, colourful rangolis and torans. The most common decoration everyone resorts to is making colourful ran-

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

fect way to add an ethnic touch. Found empty glass jars during your annual house cleaning? Don't throw them away! Our DIY experts know just the right way to recycle them.

golis, drawing it on the courtyard, and the floor.

Celebrated over five days, the last and the best designs are always saved for Diwali day which also includes flower decorations.

The modern life has resorted to sophisticated arts of decoration. Fairy lights and candles have replaced diyas and, rangolis have found a substitute in colourful synthetic sheets.

However, what is not lost in transition, is the spirit and the cultural significance of the festival. As beautiful as they are, they are extravagant purchases and people usually end up splurging more than they intended.

If you aren't keen to invest in Diwali doodah, here are a few DIY decoration tips. Read and learn, people.

FAIRY LIGHTS (WITH A TWIST!) Everybody puts up strings of LED lights to make their house extra snazzy. An extra step and your humble abode will surely stand apart.

You will need: • A set of plain LED fairy lights. (Definitely LED, normal bulbs get too hot and may catch fire).

• Some strips of light transparent fabric. (E.g: Organza, anything preferably flame resistant) • A pair of scissors.

• Electrical tape.

Method: • Choose colours for your rosebuds, brighter colours work best.

• Carefully bunch a piece of fabric around the plastic base of the bulb.

Experiment with different methods of wrapping and folding until you get a rough flower shape.

• Tape the ends of the bud on to the plastic base (not the bulb) to secure your rosebud.

• Repeat until you have covered all of the little bulbs. Not every bud needs to be the same.

GLASS JAR LANTERNS Lanterns are synonymous to Diwali and also the per-

coat all of the jar’s interior.

Let dry.

• Your lanterns are now ready. Put some candles inside and add loops of wire to the tops to hang.

SPICED CANDLES

around the the candle 5-6 times to cover the elastic band.

• Once you have covered the elastic, tie off the ends of the twine in a double knot.

Then tuck the knot under the other strands of twine to hide it.

Simply wrap the ribbon around the candle and over the twine to tie into a bow.

FLOATING CANDLES / FLOWERS This is the simplest and the most original idea ever. Do not be fooled and, see your drawing room get an

You will need: • Old glass jars • Gold dimensional puff paint • Glass paint • Paintbrush • Wire (Optional) Method: • Remove labels and any glue residue from the glass jars and dry completely.

• Apply the gold dimensional paint in various patterns. Draw different decorative patterns or push around the paint to create solid areas of gold. Let dry.

Pour a small amount of glass paint inside the jar and use your paintbrush to

Why use the same old, bland candles when you can spice things up a bit?

You will need: • Vanilla candles • Cinnamon sticks • Thick elastic bands • Twine • Ribbon Method: • Place an elastic band around the bottom of the candle. Slide it up a couple inches and make sure it lays flat with no twists.

• Carefully slide in the cinnamon sticks behind the elastic band, one at a time.

• Fill the cinnamon sticks all the way around your candle until there are no gaps left.

• Wind your twine

instant uplifting with this theme.

You will need: • Big bowl (Preferably copper) • Water • Candles/Fresh flowers (...or Both!)

Method: • Fill the bowl with water and stick some small candles or flowers in it.

• Place it on the centre table of your main room.

Don’t ignore the Workplace Pension If you work for a small business, even if it’s just you and the boss, you could benefit from a workplace pension. In the next few years, your employer will have to offer you one by law. And when you pay in, your boss pays in too. For more information go to www.workplacepensions.gov.uk Qualifying criteria apply.

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ASIANBUSINESS

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Consultant Editor Financial Voice

Alpesh Patel

Dear Financial Voice Reader, Last week I saw an interview with hedge fund legend Jim Simons. He described how he went from being an academic to a multi-billionaire hedge fund manager. So how is it that some people solve the problem of the market?

First, you have to identify the problem, as Jim did. He recognised all people in trying to make money from the market are simply buying low and selling high. To do this he reasoned his way to a being a multi-billionaire by realising he therefore has to find trends in prices.

He worked out that a trend could be over seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks. But he needed some way of knowing the likelihood a trend is about to commence.

He did this by looking at patterns in prices before trends started in the past. This gave him something which worked 7 times out of 10.

But he then needed to work out what to do when he was wrong and the trend didn’t come through?

He realised he had to protect his losses in those cases.

So he did this in two ways. First he made sure he found patterns which told him quickly too if a trend wasn’t going to happen once he got into it. That would save time and money in a trade which is losing.

Second he made sure he bet small sizes initially.

He would then as the trend went his way add to his position.

All this was simple logical reasoning he did. But how does that get you to billions? And what were the patterns.

Well the patterns can be observed by anyone looking at price charts before trends. But what about making billons from such simple observations?

To trade other people’s money and earn fees from it is a completely different ball game of course and I’m often asked how to start a hedge fund. Well you need a track record with real money, for at least a year. Then you need friends and family backing you and trade their money. Then you go to lawyers and set up a fund and appoint a board, pass resolutions and find and appoint brokers, accountants, auditors, custodians, bankers, compliance officers. Then you go out with your presentation pitch to potential investors.

Live any business you have endless days where you are arguing against objections they may have so you address everything before it can arise. Only then do you know you have a great business model.

What is it investors want? Low volatility, ie consistent returns. But most people can’t win every month. And on a losing month you can’t raise capital.

You will also find it difficult with under 12 months track record – actually for some three years track record is too short.

Others will not invest unless you are managing over 1m, some want over 10m.

And when you do the maths you realise that even if you manage 10m, and make say 30 percent return on that ie 3m, and take 20 percent as your fees from that, you get 600k before tax and costs for the huge responsibility of managing 10m. So you quickly think twice and decide it’s better just to manage your own money!

World Bank sees India growing at 7.5% in FY16 The World Bank maintains its growth forecast for the Indian economy for the current fiscal year, expecting it to expand by 7.5 per cent in 2015-16. It has backed the implementation of three key reforms, including the Goods & Services Tax to sustain the momentum. In its development update, a twice a year report on the Indian economy, the bank says it expects growth to accelerate to 7.8 per cent in 2016-17 and 7.9 per cent in

2017-18. The Reserve Bank of India expects the economy to grow by 7.4 per cent in the current fiscal year, while the government pegs it at over 7.5 per cent. The International Monetary Fund expects growth to be 7.5 per cent.

The update noted that while public investments have helped kick-start the investment cycle, increased participation of the private sector will be required going forward.

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Controversial comments could derail reforms: Moody's AsianVoiceNews

A report titled, 'India Outlook: Searching for Potential,' by Moody's Analytics has said that the controversial comments by Bharatiya Janata Party members could stall reforms as it lacks majority in the Rajya Sabha. The report also said the Prime Minister needs to keep his members in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility. Moody's report brought into focus the fading sentiments in the financial markets, also highlighting the need for better political outcomes to help India achieve its reforms goals.

Faraz Syed, an economist with Moody's

Analytics, said, “Looking beyond the business cycle, the government's reform agenda needs attention to achieve long-term growth.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's right-leaning Bharatiya Janata Party does not have a majority in

the upper house to pass crucial reforms and has been met with an obstructionist opposition.” The report said, “But in recent times, the government also hasn't helped itself, with controversial comments

from various BJP members. While Modi has largely distance himself from the nationalist gibes, the belligerent provocation of various Indian minorities has raised ethnic tensions.

Along with a poddible increase in violence, the government will face stiffer opposition in the upper house as debate turns away from economic policy.

Modi must keep his members in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility.”

The need for the government to go ahead with the reforms gains urgency considering that investors' optimism on the country's economic prospects has

Modi govt sets up panel to simplify I-T laws The government of India has set up a 10-member panel to simplify the over 50-year old Income Tax Act, in an bid to ensure certainty in tax policy for ease of doing business. Headed by retired Delhi high court judge R V Easwar, the panel will also identify provisions and phrases in the I-T Act, which lead to litigation due to different interpretations.

The term of the committee is one year and the first report is expected by January 2016. The government will most likely include some of the initial recommendations of the panel in the 2016-17 budget. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, “We have been resolving a lot of past issues over the last few months and now time has come to look at some provisions of the I-T Act, to look at how their drafting quality can be improved in order to avoid ambiguity so that everybody is certain as to

what the Act itself says.”

The panel has been asked to suggest alternatives and modifications to the existing provisions and areas to bring predictability and certainty in tax laws, without substantial impact on the tax base and revenue collection. Tax policy reforms have been put on priority area by the Narendra Modi government after a spate of high profile tax disputes put a dent on India's image as an investment destination.

Other members of the panel are V K Bhasin, former law secretary, Vindo

Jain, chartered accountant, Rajiv Memani, consultant, Ravi Gupta, senior advocate, Mukesh Patel, chartered accountant, Ajay Bahl, consultant, Pradip P Shah, investment adviser, Arvind Modi (IRS officer), and Vinay Kumar Singh (IRS officer).

“The committee is expected to give its first set of recommendations by January 2016 and taxpayers can expect to see certain measures in next budget to further streamline the tax laws,” Homi Mistry, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, said.

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been waning. “Net financial flows into equity were around US$16 billion in 2014. However, they are unlikely to reach those highs this year. The same can be said about financial flows into India's debt market,” the report said.

“The precipitous fall in exports from 2015 is expected to continue in 2016. The newfound stability in India's current account balance could come under renewed stress if global growth slows more. So far, lower oil prices have buttressed the trade balance. But a rebound in prices if oil supply rebalances could see the trade balance deteriorate.”

Messi is Tata Motors' brand ambassador Indian automobile giant Tata Motors announced it has signed-up Argentine footballer Lionel Messi as its global brand ambassador for its passenger vehicles. Tata Motors said it has signed-up Messi in a long-term association as its global brand ambassador to promote and endorse its passenger vehicles globally. This is the first time that the passenger vehicle business will be undertaking an overall brand association campaign with a brand ambassador, it said. To start with, Tata Motors will first rollout the association campaign, #madeofgreat, starring Messi. "As we look to expand our footprint across the globe, Messi's unique ability to appeal globally, transcending geographies, makes him ideal person to represent our brand, internationally," said passenger vehicle business unit president Mayank Pareek.

Reforms will further boost biz rank: Jaitley Even after India's 12-slot jump in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business survey, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the actual improvement in the ease of doing business was even better. “I am grateful that the World Bank has recognised that India is now becoming an easier place to business... I believe that this 12point movement does not reflect the full pace of reforms that we have done.”

“A large number of steps which we have already taken are going to be reflected in the rankings next year. These rankings are only up to June 1 and some of those steps, whose impact is not seen on the ground, as yet have not been factored into this. But, I am sure in the years, our rank-

Arun Jaitley ing will certainly improve,” he said. Jaitley, however, also said that more work needs to be done to improve the business environment in the country and has vowed to bring reforms. The report also highlights the reforms already in motion in the country, which were not fully felt by majority of

businesses by June 1.

Released last week, World Bank's Doing Business 2016: Measuring Regulatory Quality and Efficiency, accounts all the reforms taken in 186 different countries, between June 2, 2014 and June 1, 2015.

India ranks 130, from last year's 134, making a significant shift in trend after years of decline. Singapore stays in the top, followed by New Zealand (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Republic of Korea, Hong Kong SAR, China, UK, US, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary, Amitabh Kant said, “A number of things have been done across the 10 parameters. The World Bank has not recognised them

because they recognise usage by public. The cut-off date was May 31 and many of the things will be recognised in next year's study. In addition, institutional changes such as the National Company Law Tribunal, commercial courts and the bankruptcy law will also kick in by hem.

So, we expect a quantum jump next year.”

Jaitley, meanwhile, has shown confidence saying the government will achieve the fiscal deficit target of 3.9 per cent in the current fiscal year. “I have consciously kept this year a very modest target of 3.9 per cent. I think the manner in which tax revenues and expenditure are moving, I don't think this will be difficult to meet.”

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Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

REALESTATEVOICE

The Perils of Procrastination

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

19

Why Do You Put Things Off?

We have started placing boards around some of the developments we are doing, this was of course in the hope people would notice, business would increase and perhaps JV partners with nearby properties would come along. Instead the calls have only come from time wasters, agents often pretending not to be agents and even people who want advice on planning who pretend they want to do a JV. Not one useful phone call has come from this. I had one guy call me up and start telling me how he had been involved in the building we own in Bell Street and how he knew the original owner, and how long he had been in the game. Getting annoyed I asked him what is it he wanted from me, which led to him telling me how many big deals he has done; I still do not know what he wanted although he did manage to coerce me into a meeting.

This is a good indication of the property market in general. It’s full of blaggers and chancers.

Being in property for a period of time is akin to a filtration system, you get rid of the debris and then work with the contacts who can really deliver and get things done.

I guess its human nature too, most people do not deliver on what they say. They like to speculate and talk about things rather than take action. This tendency stretches to many areas of life, typically exercising and dieting. There are many magazines some even weekly, giving the latest research for optimal exercises and diets. The need for these comes from the fact that most humans like to talk, research and speculate rather than to do.

This is the same with investors too; many contact and meet us, they earnestly say they want to do a deal, yet when you place one underneath their noses they come out with a story.

When this story is satisfied they then come out with a different story. They keep doing this in order to avoid making a decision.

You cannot confront them with anything, as the story is not the real reason it is merely a covering, an excuse.

The real reason is fear and their relationship with money. This is not an intelligence thing, many very clever people in the highest rungs of society suffer with the same issue. The reason why this issue is hard to solve is many investors are not ready to acknowledge that this is the actual issue. You cannot wake up a man who's pretending to sleep.

I remember confronting one client who came to our seminar, in quite a frank way. He had been in touch with us for several years, asking about deals and meeting us, yet whenever a deal was placed in front of him there was always a reason why he shouldn't do it.

The excuse I got from him that evening at the seminar was that we always rush him - he needs more time.

It doesn't take long to make a decision, it could take a second or as it did in his case many years. I told him we don't touch lemons, we only place deals in front of him; and because they are deals they go very quickly. Hence we need quick decisions, it’s not from the point of view we are trying to force him into something which is purely for the sake of force. When we have time we are happy to give it. So frankly I told him if he was not interested he should not waste our time and more importantly his own.

The deals which we placed in front of him have only gone up in value. His indecision has cost him hard money. This conversation seemed to shift something in him and he nodded his head in agreement. He finally agreed to move on the next deal, and give it some attention. He ended up purchasing a three bedroom property, ex-council with a long lease, in Hallfield Estate for £318k in 2011. Currently the property is worth £650k. From a £100k investment he has made £230k in four years. Prices in this area have jumped and are still set to rise even further off the back of the regeneration going on in Queensway.

This is a trait which causes procrastination and stems from fear, which costs hard money. You can perhaps get away and fail to see the effects on other areas of life. There are many investors who sit on the fence and always have stories as to why they shouldn't invest.

The issue is if you do nothing you actually go backwards.

Property generally rises medium to long term and money decays sitting in the bank. The cost of living in society is only increasing. I remember we didn't have to pay for University and we used to get free bottles of milk delivered in Primary School. Neither of these exist today.

Therefore sitting on the fence is not an option, even to maintain your current standard of living. There must be progression otherwise you will get left behind. This does not mean you should be reckless or blind in making your decision, but let’s face it property is not rocket science. There are only two ways to make money from it: capital growth and income, there is no third way. The income and outgo is also easy, a layman can understand it, the outgo is mortgage payments and other expenses and income can only be rental.

The Real Deal

Highgate, London, N6 Purchase Price: £550k

On the other end of the scale the reverse can also be true. I met a CEO of a listed company which was started by a very rich Billionaire who owns not one but two Gulfstream G650s, they cost around £65m each. I asked him why a man who has this much money is so hungry for more as I had got to know a little about the man’s character. He give me an answer which surprised me in its simplicity and truthfulness – it was a one word answer: insecurity. It is insecurity which drives him to acquire more and more in such an insatiable manner. This means it cannot be satisfied, as matter cannot satisfy an emotion.

l l l l l l

A nice two bedroom flat in a very strong location New built Excellent finish Landscaped communal garden Share of freehold Close to the open spaces of Queen’s Wood and Hampstead Heath l Excellent capital growth prospects l Very good buy and hold opportunity

So it seems the rich on the other end of the scale also have their issues. But if you’re going to have issues anyway I for one know which end of the scale I would want to be on!

Call us now to secure this deal!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

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27 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8HU

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SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l The majority of money in property is made from capital growth, don't sacrifice this for just rental yields as this is only a part of the returns.

l A heavily discounted property may not be the best buy. Where is the price going to go in the years to come should be the question. It may stay the same, or go even lower.

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BUSINESS

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Lord Davies wants gender equality in company boards AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

The government has said a third of all board seats at Britain's biggest companies should be held by women by 2020, raising its bar of 25 per cent by 2015. It also expanded the target for board seats, currently limited to the FTSE 100, to take in the country’s next 250 biggest companies.

The move follows Lord Mervyn Davies' review on improving the gender balance in Britain's top companies.

An optimistic Davies said, “There is going to be a transformation in the landscape of UK corporate. I

genuinely do believe that.”

Pointing out the changing social attitudes among younger people, who expect to work for companies that “have equality in every way, shape or form” and great acceptance among company leaders that diversity is a business issue. “This is a social change. It started at the boardroom, now it is going to move to executive and pipeline, and at the same time we are going to have a real exposure where there is inequality on pay,” he said. However, even when the government-backed

Lord Mervyn Davies committee has increased and widened its targets to one in three female directors on FTSE 350 boards,

the progress still remains slow for many campaigners. Only two companies in the FTSE 100;

Varanasi Educational Trust UK Reg. Charity No 802554

Welcomes

The Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi to Great Britain

InterContinental Hotels and Unilever, have boards evenly split between the genders. There are just three female FTSE 10 chairpersons, and five chief executives. Vince Cable, former Liberal Democrat business secretary, and Chuka Umunna, former shadow business secretary, have issued a joint call for Lord Davies to report on the progress into the ethnic diversity of boards.

Both of them said there were only four non-white chief executives in the FTSE 100 companies, against 14 per cent of the wider population. “We cannot carry on like this. It sends a terrible message to young Britons of ethnic minority heritage,” they said. Umunna addressed the House of Commons saying the lack of ethnic balance on boards was rather “appalling”. Anthea Simmons, chair of Board Apprentice UK, said that while “culture, connections and confidence” are barriers to women and ethnic minority candidates breaking on to boards, “competence and commitment are not.” Data retrieved by KPMG for the 30% Club has revealed that men were 4.5 times more likely to hold jobs that directly

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

reported to the board, than women. Head of the 30% Club, Brenda Trenowden said she welcomed the move to bring more FTSE companies within its remit, but said she would like representation targets to “apply to all listed companies”. Its latest campaign will also include a “meaningful” specific target for female representation at the executive committee level.

Dianah Worman, diversity adviser to the CIPD, said a “more rigorous focus” on executives was “absolutely critical” because they were far more visible figures inside companies. “Steady-as-you-go works, but you need to have a long term vision as well.”

Now chair of private equity firm Corsair Capital, Lord Davies brushes away the common complaint that not enough suitably qualified female candidates are available, saying, “the talent was there for the boards, the talent is there for the executive pipeline.”

He said it was now time for someone who “looks at it with a fresh pair of eyes.” “I am never going to stop talking about this issue; it has had a profound impact on me.”

India seeks to make air travel affordable

The Varanasi Educational Trust welcomes the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi to Great Britain. He is a true son and Yogi of the great ‘Bharatvarsha”. He transcends the ancient core values of Vedic Philosophy and his actions are taking “Bharatparampara” to the summit of the world.

Humility, love and care for the entire world are integral to his policies. He continues to follow the genius philosophy of Mananyiya Deendayal Upadhyay who was one of the great intellectuals and thinkers of this world. His integral humility shows an understanding of the basic needs of all human beings and an appreciation of their natural environment. World renowned philosophies have so far been unsuccessful in removing misery and suffering from the world. The world is one family (Vasudhaiva kutumbakam).

Inspired by the great teaching of Advaita Philosophy as taught by His Holiness Adi Shankara of the first original Peetha, Jyotirmath at Badrinath (U.P). Adi Shankara was a great exponent of Advaita Philosophy. His disciples teach this philosophy over the world.

Varanasi Educational Trust is an established charity in the U.K. since the seventies. We have been working in the fields of Education, Sanskrit, Sociology, History and the propagation of the Advaita Philosophy. We have been supported by well-wishers from United Kingdom, Ireland, Holland and elsewhere. Inspired by the great teaching of His Holiness Mukulyaranyam School was established in the year 1980 in Varanasi (Kashi) U.P. with the goal of supporting the Mukulyaranyam School. It is a charity registered in India being a centre of learning assisting poor members of our society.

The Mukularanyam school accepts students of all levels ranging from kindergarden through to High School and completion of "A levels” standard. The school is registered with CBSE ( Central Board of Secondary Education) New Delhi. We are recognized and authorized to teach Sanskrit to “A level” standard. We are also authorized to conduct all examinations on our school premises.

Mukulyaranyam School has just been granted permission by the National Institute of Open Schools, New Delhi to conduct open schools. We intend to take education right to the people in villages, remote places by sending our teachers. We plan to open a college for further education in 2016. We will have a range of under graduate courses including Sanskrit, History, Social Science and Philosophy.

Honourable Prime Minister, once again we welcome you to work with us as we strive to contribute to education all over the world.

We are grateful for all your initiatives and excellent vision. We wish you a very successful visit to Great Britain and assure you our full support for your success. Congratulations to all the British people for their glorious support and for appreciating the noble values of our great nation.

Upendra Dave Chairman Varanasi Educational Trust Email: sudave@hotmail.co.uk

Revealing the draft civil aviation policy, the government has proposed tax incentives for airlines, maintenance and repair works of aircraft, besides mooting 2 per cent levy on all air tickets to fund regional connectivity scheme. In a significant move, the civil aviation ministry has pitched for over 50 per cent foreign direct investment in domestic carriers, in case the open skies policy is implemented. Under the policy, overseas airlines can operate unlimited number of flights into and out of India.

Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said the ministry has proposed 2 per cent levy on all domestic and international tickets for regional connectivity scheme, adding that “the government expects about £150 million annually from charging 2 per cent levy.”

The draft of the civil aviation policy proposes a slew of tax incentives for airlines and maintenance works.

The policy has mooted various measures to boost regional connectivity, including setting up of nofrills airport and providing viability gap funding for airlines.

Another proposal is to cap fare at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flight under regional connectivity scheme. To make MRO (maintenance repair, overhaul) cheaper, the government has proposed to exempt such activities from service tax net and not levy any VAT. However, the government has decided to seek more comments from stakeholders before taking a final call on 5/20 norms, whereby local airlines can fly overseas only when they have five years operational experience and at least a fleet of 20 aircraft.

CURRENCYVOICE

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Growth slower in the third quarter Currency Specialists.

The Bank of England is expected to become the second major central bank after the Fed to raise rates since the financial crisis. By contrast, the European Central Bank said last week it was prepared to loosen policy further in the euro zone, Britain's biggest trading partner.

Attention will now be on the BoE's Quarterly Inflation Report, which will be released on "Super Thursday" along with a rate decision and the minutes from the latest monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting. The BoE has said it does not need to wait for the Fed before it raises rates. But many investors remain sceptical over whether they would move first.

The UK economies grow slower in the third quarter of the year being weighed down by the performance of the construction and manufacturing sectors. Gross domestic product grew by 0.5% between July and September down from 0.7% in the second quarter. The rate was also lower than the 0.6% growth predicted by analysts. Part of the slowdown was due to the biggest fall in construction output in three years, a drop of 2.2%. This drop in output

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Foreign Exchange

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could have been influenced by particularly wet weather in August. The service sector, the biggest part of the economy, grew by 0.7%. However, output in the manufacturing sector declined by 0.3%. Furthermore, Chancellor George Osborne said there were more "tough decisions" to come and that his Autumn Statement, due on 25 November, would include "long-term investments for the future".

Consumer sentiment in Germany has once again dropped this month with the consumer climate falling slightly for the third time in a row and at the lowest level since February.

Following a value of 9.6 points in October, the overall indicator is forecasting 9.4 points for November. Like last month, economic expectations are decreasing significantly with the refugee crisis a major concern. Although the data was poor the EUR saw some strength in early trading, the move was attributed to usual month end flows which are typically supportive for the EUR. The leading economic think-tank IFO said in its closely-watched business confidence survey that concerns about slowing growth in

China, the Volkswagen pollutioncheating scam and the massive influx of mostly Syrian refugees in Europe had dented optimism only slightly this month.

In other news, France believes the European Central Bank's monetary policy is appropriate and could only be loosened further with difficulty, Finance Minister Michel Sapin said on Monday. ECB President Mario Draghi struck a dovish tone after the central bank met last week, interpreted by many as a strong signal it will expand the 60 billion euros-a-month asset-buying programme it launched in March to boost growth and inflation in the euro zone, or extend it beyond next September. The single currency continued to struggle a day after ECB chief Mario Draghi told a news conference that the central bank was "open to the full menu of monetary policy". The ECB comments had gone further than the market had expected by signalling that a deposit rate cut was possible, in addition to an extension of the quantitative easing program.

However there was a set of stronger-than-expected data releases from the Eurozone early

on Friday morning, including French services PMI, German services PMI and Eurozone manufacturing, services and composite PMI data, but none of which could abate the relentless pace of the euro’s slide following the much more influential ECB announcement.

The US growth figure disappointed the markets as it came in below forecast rising 1.5% in the last three months. The decline from 3.9% was due to companies clearing out inventory (stock etc.) which showed its biggest swing since 2011. Had it not been for the inventory impact the world’s largest economy would have grown 3 percent which would have been viewed as an extremely good figure. A positive spin was put on the figure as the government’s tally of gross domestic product showed buoyant consumer and business spending.

There were improvements in both output and new orders volumes during October. The orders component rose to 55.5 from 54.7 for the highest reading in seven months. The employment measure similarly accelerated.

Additionally, input costs fell for the second month in a row.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 2nd November 2015 @ 2.30pm GBP - INR = 101.01 USD - INR = 66.54 EUR - INR = 72.21 GBP - USD = 1.54 GBP - EUR = 1.40

EUR - USD = 1.10 GBP - AED = 5.66

GBP - CAD = 2.02

GBP - NZD = 2.29

GBP - AUD = 2.16

GBP - ZAR = 21.22

GBP - HUF = 427.40

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WORLD

In Brief

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Guantanamo’s last Briton flies home

LONDON: Britain's Shaker Aamer, the last man held at Guantanamo Bay, will receive £1 million in compensation after 14 years in captivity without trial. His lawyers confirmed that he was bringing legal proceedings against the British government. After he was brought into London, Aamer was taken to a private hospital, where he will spend two weeks. “He was going to give up all hope,” Saeed Siddique, his father-in-law, said after speaking to him on the phone. “He is very happy and he is feeling it is unbelievable. He did not think that he would come out from this place alive. It is everything. He is back alive.” Aamer, who was taken prisoner in Afghanistan in 2001, said in a statement, “The reason I have been strong is because of the support of people so strongly devoted to the truth. If I was the fire to be lit to tell the truth, it was the people who protected the fire from the wind. My thanks go to Allah first, second to my wife, my family, to my kids and then to my lawyers who did everything they could to carry the word to the world.”

Triple first class holder turns down lucrative job to be a yoga teacher

LONDON: Former Cambridge student Rosie Sargeant, who graduated from the prestigious university with a triple first has left her £40,000 paying position at a prominent investment firm to become a yoga teacher. The 23 year old said she had accepted the job because it was 'sensible', however, qualified as a yoga instructor in her final year. “I was looking at the light on the horizon and I started to think 'actually, I love yoga'. I decided to take the nature of the job-yoga and fitness, and take it out the equation and think about my own personal development. My responsibilities are from the ground up and can be very broad.

From cleaning the mats after a class, to negotiating potential invest and teaching classes- a little bit of everything.”

American seeks asylum in Canada

WASHINGTON: A black American, Kyle Lydell Canty, has applied for a refugee status in Canada, claiming he risks being killed by police in his home country due to his race. Filing a claim for asylum, he told a hearing of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board that black people in America were “being exterminated at an alarming rate”. Using the examples of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the death of Eric Garner, who was put in a choke hold by the police in New York, he told the hearing that, “I'm in fear of my life because I'm black. This is well rounded fear.” He has also submitted a “significant amount of evidence” to back up his claim.

Indian-origin girl in US sells cryptographically secure passwords

NEW YORK: An 11 year old of Indian-origin has started her own business of selling cryptographically secure passwords generated by dice roll, in the US. Sixth grader Mira Modi has her own website and generates six-word Diceware passphrases for her customers at $2 each. “This whole concept of making your own passwords and being super secure and stuff, I don't think my friends understand that, but I think it's cool,” she said. Her mother, Julia Angwin, author of Dragnet Nation, employed her to generate Diceware passphrases as a part of research for her book, which is when she had the idea to turn it into a small business.

Nepal gets first woman President

KATHMANDU: Nepal elected its first female President, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, of the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist. She received 327 votes as opposed to her opponent's 214. The new Constitution adopted by the country last month required Nepal to name a new President. Bhandari is an active campaigner for women's rights in Nepal, and was among the leaders who campaigned to ensure women's rights in the new Constitution. She is known for leading demonstrations against then King Gyanendra, in 2006, resulting in an end of his authoritarian rule. She is Nepal's second President since it was turned into a republic.

India loses fuel supply monopoly as Nepal signs deal with China

NEW DELHI: Nepal and China have signed an agreement which will end to Indian monopoly to supply fuel in the former state. Both Nepal and China have signed an agreement on the supply of petroleum products to alleviate shortages caused by the blockade of land routes from India due to unrest over the new constitution. A senior Nepali bureaucrat said, “Nepal Oil Corporation and China National United Fuel Corporation formalised a long-term commercial agreement in Beijing.”

www.asian-voice.com

Pak supported, trained terror groups: Musharraf AsianVoiceNews

LAHORE: Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf recently admitted in an interview that Islamabad supported and trained groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba in the 90s to promote militancy in Kashmir. He also revealed that Lashkar leaders, Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi enjoyed the status of heroes at the time.

Speaking to local media, Musharraf said, “In the 1990s, the freedom struggle began in Kashmir... At that time, Lashkar-e-Taiba and 11 or 12 other organisations were formed. We supported

Pervez Musharraf them and trained them as they were fighting in Kashmir at the cost of their lives.” Saeed is among India's most wanted men

and roams free in Pakistan, making provocative antiIndia speeches. Lakhvi and six other accused face trial for planning and executing the attack on November 26, 2008, that accounted for 166 lives. However, he was granted bail by a Pakistani court earlier this year, prompting strong protests from India.

Musharraf said, “The Kashmiri freedom fighters, including Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi were our heroes at that time. Later on, the religious militancy turned into terrorism. Now they are killing their own people here and this should be

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

controlled and stopped.”

When asked whether Saeed and Lakhvi should also be “controlled and stopped”, Musharraf said, “No comments”. He also said that “religious militancy” was started by Pakistan which brought militants from all over the world to fight against Soviet forces.

“We trained Taliban and sent them to fight against Russia. Taliban, Haqqani, Osama Bin Laden and Zawahiri were our heroes then. Later they became villains,” he said, adding that people need to understand the whole environment at that time.

Pakistan loses UN human rights council poll UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has failed to win a re-election to the top UN human rights body, collecting only 105 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. The Assembly elected 18 members on the UN Human Rights Council last week, through a secret ballot. Pakistan's current term will expire on December 31, for which it was seeking re-election to the 47-member Council.

New travel documents feature The Bard

LONDON: New British passport designs launched by the Home Office flaunt added security features and images from the country's history. The new travel documents, which are updated every five years, feature advances in the use of security printing by using UV and infrared light, inks and watermarks to stop fraudsters from forging the new designs. The travel document now shows seven men and two women, also included are iconic buildings and other historic landmarks, like the Penny Black stamp. The men who made the cut are, John Constable, John Harrison, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Charles Babbage, and Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor.

Also included, is William Shakespeare, who appears in a new high security watermark design on each page. The two women featured are, Elisabeth Scottthe architect, and Ada Lovelace, one of the first computer programmers.

Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said, “By using some of the most advanced technology and security measures around, this passport design is the most secure that the UK has ever issued.”

Sources report the loss was a major blow to the Pakistani delegation that had appeared confident about winning the seat. They have attributed the loss to the way

the delegation fought the election, adding that it could not lobby effectively for the vote.

The new members, who will start their three-year terms beginning January 1 next year, are Belgium, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Kenya, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Togo, Slovenia, Switzerland, United Arab

Emirates and Venezuela.

India is also a member of the council and its term will end in 2017. Members of the council are elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

Geneva-based non-governmental human rights group UN Watch welcomed the defeat of Pakistan, terming it as a “major surprise”.

WORLD

www.asian-voice.com

Qaida claims Bangla attacks, In Brief Imran Khan, second wife Reham releases ‘hit list’ of targets Khan divorce AsianVoiceNews

DHAKA: A regional division of the Al Qaida has claimed responsibility for the attacks on two publishers in Bangladesh who put out works critical of fundamentalist Islam. Both the men were stabbed, one fatally, just eight months after a similar attack was carried out on Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American known for his critical writings on religious extremism. Both the publishing houses had issued Roy's works. While one of the publishers, Faisal Arefin Dipan, succumbed to his wounds, the other, Ahmed Rahim Tutul, is in critical condition.

The terrorist group made claims of responsibil-

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

ity in statements posted on Twitter saying, both the men were “worse than the writers of such books, as they helped propagate these books and paid the blasphemers handsome amounts of money for writing them.” Another statement titled 'Who's Next', describes categories of people as “our next targets”.

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

The list includes writers, poets, intellectuals, newspaper or magazine editors, reporters and actors.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stressed that the rise in targeted violence is coming from political opposition figures in Bangladesh, and the police have named or arrested suspects with links

to two main opposition groups; the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, an allied Islamist party. As 'hit lists' of secular writers do the rounds on the internet, many writers and journalists have begun to think twice before publishing work that could attract Islamists' attention.

Meanwhile, a secular publisher has reported receiving death threats, just a day after the incidents. Somoy Prakashan owner Farid Ahmed said he received a text that read, “You have published several books written by atheists. You have committed enough sins. Get ready for your death.”

China allows couples to have two kids BEIJING: In a historical decision, China has announced an end to its hugely controversial onechild policy, with the official Xinhua news agency saying that families will now be allowed to have two children. Citing a communique issued by the ruling Communist Party, after a four-day meeting in Beijing to chart the course of the country's economy over the next five years, it

reported, China is “abandoning its decades-long one-child policy.” The policy restricted couples to only a single offspring, and for years authorities argued it was a key contributor to China's economic boom.

However, the Chinese population is now ageing rapidly, gender imbalances are severe and its workforce is also shrinking. The Communist party met to discuss ways to put the

country's shaking economy back on track, as it struggles with structural inefficiencies and social policies left over from an era before it embraced market reforms. Known as the fifth plenum, the group discussed the next Five Year Plan for China, the 13th, since the People's Republic was founded in 1949. In the four days, the 205 members of the Central Committee, along with 170

alternates, looked into the specifics of the plan, which was largely worked out through a process of national consultations before the leaders even set foot in the capital.

The growth has slowed down for several years, and analysts say the party needs to embrace further liberalisation to avoid falling into the stagnation of the “middle income trap”.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's whirlwind romance with former BBC journalist Reham Khan, has come to stop as the couple has filed for divorce. Writing on Twitter, Reham Khan said, “We have decided to part ways and file for divorce.” Imran Khan also took to the microblogging website to express his “greatest respect for Reham's moral character and her passion to work for and help the underprivileged.” He said, “This is a painful time for me and Reham and our families.

I would request everyone to respect our privacy.” Khan's previous marriage to British socialite Jemima Khan, the daughter of the financier James Goldsmith, ended in 2004. Khan's political rivals used the marriage to attack Khan by emphasising her Jewish roots.

Hafiz Saeed gets extra cover after `threat'

LAHORE: Pakistan's Punjab province government has enhanced the security of Mumbai attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, after a home department alert that a “foreign intelligence agency” may make an attempt on Jamaat-udDawa chief's life. An official of the Punjab government said, “We have enhanced the security of Hafiz Saeed in accordance with the directive of the home department.” He said more policemen have been deployed at his residence in Jauhar Town and JuD headquarters Chauburji, Lahore.

Punjabi is third language in Canada House

TORONTO: Four years after Punjabi became Canada's third most common language, it has now attained the same status in the country's new parliament after English and French following the election of 20 Punjabi-speaking candidates to the House of Commons. Twenty-three MPs of South Asian-origin were elected to the House of Commons in October 19 parliamentary polls. Three of them do not speak Punjabi, but 20 others do. Among them, 18 are Liberals and two are Conservatives. PM-designate Justin Trudeau is scheduled to unveil his Cabinet this week and some of these Liberal MPs are expected to be included.

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INDIA

Radio frequency tags for newborns in Tamil Nadu

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

CHENNAI: Newborn babies in government hospitals across Tamil Nadu will get hi-tech protection from November. The baby, mother, and the attender will get radio frequency identification tags that would raise an alarm and alert the police if the baby is taken out of its ward.

Dr. Narayana Babu, Dean of the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital said, “Even if any one of them goes away it would beep aloud and alert security and police as well. The

location and route can be immediately traced and they can be stopped.” The step is taken after warning boards and even CCTV cameras failed to stop theft

of babies from the hospitals.

Forty-two newborns have gone missing from government hospitals since 2006, and no one has a clue as to what happened to at least 13 of them.

Muthu Manickam, who works as a lift operator, said “We pray that nobody

else should suffer like us this way.” Samina Fathima, a young mother who delivered her baby at the Kilpauk Government Hospital, said “Now people would be more confident to come to government hospitals. This was a huge worry earlier.” Six lakh and seventy thousand babies are born in government hospitals in the state. With technology being put in place to check child theft from hospitals, authorities hope poor patients would feel safer soon.

Plea to convert Kalam's This man seeks bank house into knowledge hub loan to contest elections CHENNAI: Admirers and supporters of APJ Abdul Kalam have not reacted well to the allotment of his bungalow to Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma. A senior journalist from Tamil Nadu has launched a campaign demanding the former president's official bungalow be converted into a knowledge centre.

Managing Editor of Tamil news channel News7, R Bhagwan Singh said, “All we plead for is a knowledge centre. It serves the ideas he propounded till his last breath...”

Hoping the Centre would reconsider its decision, he said, “I'm sure this happened without the knowledge of the Prime Minister.

I'm sure he would intervene.” Posted on the International Petition Platform, the petition has so far been signed by more

than 20,000 people. Singh said, “Thousands of Kalam's books and documents that he worked on through his life, the Veena that he often played, are being boxed up, so that Culture Minister, who has been in the news recently for his sexist and discriminatory comments, can move in. I'm shocked and appalled at this dishonour.”

India's missile man, Kalam lived in the house from 2007 till his death in July. His grand-nephew APJMJ Sheik Saleem, who recently joined the BJP wasn't too happy with the allotment either.

Killing of dalit children: CBI registers case against 11 FA R I D A B A D ( H A RYA NA ) : CBI has registered a case of murder against 11 people in connection with the killing of two infants of a dalit family in an alleged arson attack in Sunped, Haryana.

Sources said that as per the laid down procedure, the agency has taken over the investigation in the FIR registered by the local police which had named 11 people in the case.

A team of agency officials, headed by a DIG level officer is in the process of collecting forensic evidence and understanding the circumstances of the incident. Some upper cast persons allegedly poured petrol from window and set ablaze the house of Jitender, a dalit, in which his wife Rekha, suffered serious burn injuries, while

his children Vaibhav, twoand -half years old, and Divya, 11 months old, perished in the fire.

The local police has already registered a case against Sunped resident Balwant and his son Dharm Singh. Others named in the FIR include Jagat, Edal, Naunihal, Joginder, Sooraj, Akash, Aman, Sanjay, and Desh Raj of the same village. As the incident sparked outrage in the country, Haryana government decided to go for a CBI probe. The CBI team was accompanied by DCP Pawar, ACP Vishnu Dayal and ACP Gajendra Singh.

HYDERABAD: A man has approached the manager of Canara Bank, Nallkunta branch in Hyderabad, for a loan of Rs 500,000, to contest an election.

K Venkata Narayana says he wants to fight the Warangal Lok Sabha by-election next month as an independent candidate. The seat is currently vacant after sitting legislator Kadiam Srihari resigned in June to become the deputy Chief Minister of Telangana.

A social activist, Narayana runs an NGO called Jana Sankshema Sangam, and had contested the Amberpet assembly seat in 2014 with no success. “If banks give loans to contest election, socially conscious people like me who don't have the necessary financial resources can also hope to contest elections. Isn't that what

In Brief AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

CISF constable shoots himself dead at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: A Central Industrial Security Force constable at the Chennai airport shot himself dead with his service rifle in a rest room at the airport. The police have identified the 27 year old as Pulak Rajbongshi, from Assam. The reason for suicide is yet to be known. Last year in September, CISF head constable S S Yadhav, guarding the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumpudur, Chennai, shot himself dead after he was allegedly denied leave to visit his family in Uttar Pradesh.

Kerala CM thanks Kejriwal, Mamata for support

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy thanked Delhi and West Bengal chief ministers for denouncing the police raid on Kerala House in the national capital. He tweeted, “Thanks to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for supporting Kerala during the Delhi police raid at Kerala House.” Responding, Kejriwal informed him in a tweet that the Delhi Divisional Commissioner was preparing a fact-finding report and that his government “will take strong action on that report”. Kejriwal and Banerjee had come down on the police after 20 officers visited the Kerala House to check if it served beef.

Schoolgirl ends life after alleged sexual abuse by teacher

democracy should be about?” he asked. “We need money to pay for the deposit, for campaigning, for pamphlets and posters.

The government should help people like us.” The bank has referred the application to their head office, seeking direction, as there is no precedent of giving loans to contest elections. Narayana has written a letter to the Prime Minister asking to move a Bill in the Parliament that would allow loans to individuals for contesting elections. He says that this step will also help to ensure white money comes into the funding of elections.

Cycling makes this 58year-old feel young LUDHIANA: Manjeet Singh feels young at the ripe age of 58. A pro-cycler, he has decided to take his love for cycling to the next level. Supporting India's pro-cycling campaign 'Carnama', Manjeet has made up his mind to pedal to his factory once a month. “I feel cycling is a great activity; it has changed the way I live. I bought a mountain bike some time ago and now cycle over 40 km every day.

Trust me, it is a great feeling. I have stopped taking all my medicines as I don't need them now.”

“There is a need for taking some concrete steps for reducing pollution in the city. Cycling, I have realised, is one such activity.” Manjeet recalls the time when motor vehicles were a rarity. “Earlier, most of the people would cycle to work. But that has changed now. There is

www.asian-voice.com

NEW DELHI: Following sexual abuse from her school teacher, a 14 year old girl set herself on fire and succumbed to the injuries, at a private hospital in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. The class VIII student of a private school in Banaganapalli mandal was allegedly being abused by one of her teachers since February this year.

Inspector Srinivas said, “The girl set herself ablaze on October 21 and initially admitted to a government hospital and later to a private hospital. Her father lodged a complaint with the police alleging that Abdullah, one of her teachers, sexually abused her, and due to which she resorted to the extreme step.” Abdullah has been suspended by the school management and detained by the police.

Tamil folk singer held for writing derogatory remarks against Jaya

CHENNAI: The Cyber Crime Police have arrested a folk singer for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. A police team from Chennai arrested S Sivadas from his house at Maruthanda Kurichi near Tiruchi. They said the singer had been associated with the Makkal Kalai Ilakkiya Kazhagam, an organisation involved in revolutionary activities in the region. It is said that Sivadas wrote lyrics demanding the closure of Tasmac shops in the song 'Oorkku Oorkku Sarayam', which was uploaded online.

Meanwhile, the singer's lawyer, advocate Jim Raj Milton said he has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Madras High Court, in the regard.

Akali workers burn effigy of AAP MP Bhagwant Mann bumper-to-bumper traffic throughout the city, simply because of the rise in the number of cars, scooters and motorcycles.”

Excited about his campaign, Manjeet said, “It is a good step. We all need to get out of our comfort zones and think about what is right for the city.

My friends have started complimenting me. There are beautiful places in the city that I had never seen before. I was able to see them all because of cycling.” Cycling along Satluj near Khaira Bet, he said, “The deal is that cycling is always enjoyable.

I would not go to my factory just once a month, but maybe on more days.”

MOGA: Shiromani Akali Dal activists burnt an effigy of the Aam Aadmi Party MP, Bhagwant Mann, who recently allegedly entered a religious function under the influence of liquor. Chairman of the Punjab Khadi Board, Rajwant Singh who led the protest, called his act “unethical and disrespectful” towards the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The activists have asked for action against Mann for attending a religious 'bhog' of two Sikh youths who were killed in police firing during the anti-desecration protesters in Faridkot. Mann has meanwhile, rejected the claims and alleged that he was pushed out of the venue by some people. AAP has given him a clean chit, claiming it was a ploy by some political outfits to damage his image.

No fireworks at Golden Temple this Diwali

AMRITSAR: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Makkar said that following the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Golden Temple would not be lit up this Diwali. He said there would be no illumination of the Temple and no fireworks display either. The Amritsar-based SGPC controls Sikh shrines across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. It has urged all Sikhs not to celebrate Diwali with fireworks, but only light earthern lamps. Golden Temple is illuminated with millions of lights every year.

INDIA

www.asian-voice.com

Modi announces $10 bn additional credit for Africa AsianVoiceNews

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India and Africa must speak in one voice for reforms in international institutions like the UN Security Council.

Addressing the IndiaAfrica Forum Summit in New Delhi, he also took the opportunity to announce a credit of $10 billion to Africa, in addition to the ongoing credit programme.

"To add strength to our partnership, India will offer concessional credit of $10 billion over the next five years. This will be in addition to our ongoing credit programme," said Modi.

Making common cause with African nations, Modi said, “international institutions cannot be representative of the world if they do not give a place to India and Africa. This is a world of free nations and awakened aspirations. Our institutions cannot be representative of our world, if they do not give voice to Africa, with more than a quarter of UN members, or the world's largest democracy with one-sixth of humanity.

That is why India and Africa must speak in one voice for reforms of the United Nations, including its Security Council," he reiterated.

Modi also pledged an

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

25

Gujarati-origin man shot dead in US

Ashwin Patel

Narendra Modi with the African leaders during the special dinner hosted, on the sidelines of the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit, in New Delhi assistance of $600 million to the African continent and 50,000 scholarships for African students in India. "We will also offer a grant assistance of $600 million. This will include an India-Africa Development Fund of $100 million and an India-Africa Health Fund of $10 million," Modi said.

"It will also include 50,000 scholarships in India over the next five years. And, it will support the expansion of the Pan Africa E-Network and institutions of skills, training and learning across

Africa." he added.

Prime Minister Modi earlier said India's development priorities and Africa's lofty vision for its future are aligned, adding that both sides are two bright spots of hope and opportunities in the global economy. He said that India was honoured to be a development partner for Africa.

"It is a partnership beyond strategic concerns and economic benefits. It is formed from the emotional bonds we share and the solidarity we feel for each other. In less than a decade, our trade has more than

doubled to over 70 billion dollars. India is now a major source of business investments in Africa.

Today, 34 African countries enjoy duty free access to the Indian market.

African energy helps run the engine of the Indian economy; its resources are powering our industries; and, African prosperity offers growing market for Indian products," said Prime Minister Modi. He pointed out that nearly 25,000 young Africans have been trained and educated in India in the last three years and said

that they are the 25,000 new links between us.

The Prime Minister said the fabric of this world is richer because of the 54 sovereign flags of Africa.

"Today, their brilliant colours have made Delhi the most special place in the world. To the 41 Heads of State and Government and the other eminent leaders; to the hundreds of senior officials, business leaders and journalists from Africa, I say this: we are deeply, deeply honoured by your presence today," said Prime Minister Modi.

Ashwin Patel, a 59 year old Gujarati-origin man, was shot dead at a convenience store in Irvington, New Jersey, in an incident of a store-robbery gone wrong.

A native of Sarsa town in the Anand district of Gujarat, Ashwin was targeted by two people, who reportedly wanted to rob the store. Patel is the 10th person from Charotar to have been murdered or found dead under suspicious conditions abroad, since February this year.

Patel was settled in the US since the last 20 years, and worked in the convenience store attached to a fuel station. As per reports, Ashwin was at the store when two armed men entered the store and fired four rounds of bullets at him. While one shot missed, the rest hit him; two on the chest and one on the leg. Patel succumbed to the wounds on the spot.

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*Selected lines only, see in-store for details. **Your free £15 gift card will be issued when you spend £100 or more at Toys ‘R’ Us, in a single transaction from 30th October until 19th November 2015 only. Purchases made online will receive a gift coupon. The £100 spend must exclude Baby Milk/Food/Formula, Gift Cards/Vouchers, Insurance and Carrier Bags. Limit one £15 gift card/coupon reward per transaction. The free £15 gift card/coupon can be redeemed against any Toys ‘R’ Us purchases (excluding Baby Milk/Food/Formula, Gift Cards/Vouchers, Insurance and Carrier Bags) in-store from 20th November until 29th November 2015 only. Minimum £15 Toys ‘R’ Us spend applies to gift card/coupon redemption. Gift coupons issued via the website cannot be redeemed in-store and gift cards issued in-store cannot be redeemed online. Toys ‘R’ Us will match any retailers nationally advertised price within 7 days of the advertisement appearing. We will match the price either at the time of purchase or within 7 days of purchase provided you have your original receipt. Price matching applies provided the other retailer has stock locally at the time of purchase. Toys ‘R’ Us coupons cannot be used in addition to price matching. Direct sales, internet sales, telesales and mail order offers are excluded. A price match cannot be issued in conjunction with any other offer.

26

INDIA

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Akhilesh inducts new ministers In the largest cabinet reshuffle under his tenure so far, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav elevated 9 ministers and brought in 12 new faces in a move to add young members in his team. In a surprise move, he also roped in former Akali leader from Punjab, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia. “I got the offer from Mulayam Singh. Until yesterday night, I was in SAD, and now as I have taken oath, I will resign and will join the Samajwadi Party,” Ramoowalia said. Five Cabinet ministers, eight Ministers of State with independent charge and seven Ministers of State were administered oath by Governor Ram Naik at Raj Bhawan in Lucknow. This is the sixth Cabinet reshuffle after the Samajwadi Party came to power in 2012. His move came after several ministers faced accusations of inefficiency. The new ministry has more young leaders, keeping in mind the caste dynamics of the state. Ministers of state, Riyaz Ahmed, Farid Mahmood Kidwai, Mool Chand Chauhan, Ram Sakal Gurjar, Nitin Agarwal and Yasser Shah have been promoted to MOS with independent charge. Amongst ministers of state sworn in are, Radhey Shayam Singh, Shailendra Yadav Lalai, Omkar Singh, Pawan Pandey, Sudhir Kumar Rawat, Laxmikant alias Pappu Nishad and Vanshidhar Baudh.

NAMO- the Winner CONTINUED FROM P1 with investors suggest that NDA winning a majority in the upcoming state elections would be regarded as a referendum for continuation of pro-reform agenda.”

JP Morgan's chief Asian and emerging market equity strategist, Adrian Mowat said, an NDA defeat will not be taken positively by the markets as it will imply another session of Parliamentary logjam.

“We believe a positive resul t herein will be important for the NDA Government, not only from a sentiment and confidence point of view, but also in their efforts to wean a meaningful part of the opposition to their point of view on important reforms requiring legislative action,” Bharat Iyer and Bijay Kumar at JP Morgan said in a note to their clients. “A potential victory of the NDA will likely be interpreted positively as the governm ent regaining the political and economic reform momentum.”

So, one thing is clear, while Modi will still stand undeterred even if he fails to woo the Biharis, the state will stand at a massive loss.

Meanwhile, the

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Modi mania grips UK

fourth phase of Bihar elections on November 2 saw the highest turnout yet with 58 per cent. The Bharatiya Janta Party has renewed confidence as the assessment says the NDA is ahead, though the grand alliance could match in the final round which includes constituencies with a high minority presence.

Continuing the trend, women again outnumbered men in voting, with 60.40 per cent of women voters exercising their franchise, and the figure for men was 54.20 per cent. Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha added average of all the four phases to 55.41 per cent.

“In phase one, the turnout was 54.85 per cent. In phase two it was 54.99 per cent and in the third phase the turnout was 54.24 per cent.”

Nand Kishore Yadav, leader of the opposition in the ongoing assembly said, “Given the high percentage of polling seen in the fourth phase, it is clear that the BJPled NDA has come in a position to form government in the state. The combine would win twothirds of the total seats.”

CONTINUED FROM P1 honoured to unveil the statue. Also, taking the extra step to reach out to the Dalit community, Modi will inaugurate a memorial at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's London house, purchased by the Maharashtra government.

Expressing his excitement, the Indian Prime Minister said, “A day after Diwali, I am going to Britain... I am excited about my visit to Britain and the reason for it is special. A few weeks back, I had gone to Mumbai to lay foundation stone for a big memorial for Ambedkar.

Now, in London, I will formally inaugurate the house

where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar lived, which recently became Indian government's property and a place of inspiration for 125 crore Indians.” He added, “This is the place where Ambedkar did his devotion.”

Calling the social reformer an inspiration to the oppressed and the deprived, he said, “When

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Ambedkar's name is associated, you can imagine how much happiness people like me have.”

In his three-day stay before leaving for Turkey to attend the G-20 Summit, PM Modi will hold talks with British counterpart David Cameron. Both the leaders are expected to deliberate over issues including the Afghan-Pak

situation, the fight against international terrorism, rise of ISIL, West Asia crisis and climate change challenges. He will later visit the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Parliament Square and then visit Westminster to address British MPs in what could be a joint sitting of the House of Commons and Lords. Also, with the 'Make in India' campaign on his mind, Modi would probably meet top British CEOs from the manufacturing sector and then stay at the Chequers Court. He may also visit the Jaguar Land Rover factory, owned by Indian Tata Motors.

However, the highlight of NaMo's maiden visit to the UK, it appears, will be his lunch at the Buckingham Palace in London with the Queen.

The luncheon meet is expected to take place on November 13, as per sources. The Queen has seen India's transition since she took the throne in 1952.

Modi's Chai Party Exuberant about Modi's visit, several Indian communities have come up with an innovative way of honouring the Indian PM. 20 towns and cities will host 'Chai Parties' to keep the buzz going where they will engage local communities in topics and themes they reckon he should take up during his meets with the British Prime Minister and the Queen, amongst others.

AsianVoiceNews

HEALTH&WELLNESS

AsianVoiceNewsweekly | Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Eating banana skin is good for your body W FOOD

e know that bananas are bursting with goodness. They’re filled with potassium and low in salt, making them great for anyone at risk of high blood pressure or a stroke and they boost digestion.

Plus, they contain plenty of iron, protect against muscle cramps during workouts, reduce swelling and even can help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin – the happymood brain neurotransmitter.

But it’s not just the banana itself that’s good for you. According to health nuts, the skin could be the latest “superfood.”

LIFESTYLE

Although it’s usually chucked in the bin rather than eaten, scientists reckon the peel could aid weight loss and boost your immune system and your mood.

“It contains high

amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, as well as magnesium and potassium, and some fibre and protein,” a nutritionist said.

Vitamin B6 helps the body’s immune system do it’s thing, improving the

headache sets in. Even a very low water intake can trigger headaches."

Tyramine, a culprit: Tyramine is an amino acid that has been thought to trigger headaches by reducing serotonin levels in the brain and affecting the dilation of blood vessels. Because of their connection to migraines, tyramine containing foods are important triggers. These include red wine, cheeses, chocolate, alcoholic beverages, and certain processed meats.

Alcoholic beverages: Red wine contains tyramine, phytochemicals called phenols, which may be the real triggers. For some people, drinking any kind of alcohol can bring on a migraine. Other compounds in beer, whiskey, and wine that deplete levels of serotonin (the happy hormone) in the brain could also be triggering migraines.

Chocolates: They can act as migraine triggers because they too contain tyramine. But at the same time, the connection could be that women tend to crave chocolate during stress and hormonal changes, both of which also may trigger headaches. The amount of chocolate can be an issue too, as migraine

patients with the diets highest in fat tended to have more frequent headaches.

Coffee: This deserves a special mention because sudden withdrawal of coffee consumption can trigger headaches. According to one nutritionist, "Coffee is mildly addictive and it temporarily enhances mental alertness and concentration. Sudden withdrawal can often cause headaches, irritability and other symptoms that vary in severity from one person to another." For example, in some people who are sensitive to caffeine, it can trigger migraine headaches, while in others it might actually abort a migraine by relaxing the constricted blood vessels that are causing the throbbing head.

Sugar: Natural sugar is important because all plants and animal store energy chemically as sugar.

All form of natural sugar provide about the same energy value - four calorie per gram. Natural sugar is better than artificial sweeteners.According to the nutritionist a very small percentage of people intolerant to the sweeteners suffer from headaches.

However, this is more common with the sweetener

health or your brain and heart, and it normalises blood sugar levels. B12 also supports brain and nervous system while antioxidents found in the skin can help speed up your metabolism – brilliant if you’re trying to lose a few pounds.

But that doesn’t mean it tastes good. Anyone who’s ever had a nibble of a banana skin will know that it’s not exactly moreish.

The easiest (and nicest tasting) way to eat it is by cutting it up and grinding it into a powder to add to your morning smoothie.

Chuck in a load of other strong tasting foods, to counteract the taste of the peel and you’ll find yourself a whole lot healthier in no time.

Foods that can give you a headache

our diet may be the reason for your f r e q u e n t headaches or migraines, apart from reasons like sinusitis, stress and mental tension. So, you should be more watchful of what you eat to avoid that throbbing pain in your head.

Diet: A headache is a discomfort or a pressurelike sensation in the head.

A migraine is a common type of headache that usually occurs on one side of the head. Dieticians agree that one's diet can affect headaches and they say, "A family history of migraine, apart from stress, food and beverages may be responsible for up to 30 per cent of migraines. If you consider some other triggers such as hormonal changes, stress, sleeping habits, and depression, it's possible that the percentage is actually higher."

One of the most common reasons for headaches due to dietary changes is suddenly switching to a very low calorie diet, in other words, crash dieting.

One nutritionist said, "This can lead to headaches, especially if these diets cut down or eliminate carbohydrates completely. The brain can only use carbohydrates as fuel. Headaches can also set in due to low blood sugar levels. Also, if you start skipping meals or have long intervals between your meals,

Y

FITNESS

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

27

aspartame and not with the newer sweeteners that use sucralose.

So if you suspect the reason for your frequent headaches or migraines might be your diet, it is advisable to see a doctor.

www.asian-voice.com

Dried plums help fight colon cancer

esearchers from Texas A and M University and the University of North Carolina said that a diet containing dried plums could help in the fight against colon cancer risk.

Researcher Nancy Turner said that through the study, they were able to show that dried plums promote retention of beneficial bacteria throughout the colon and by doing so they may reduce the risk of colon cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in the US when men and women are considered separately, and the second-leading cause when the figures are combined. During 2015, colon cancer is expected to cause about 49,700 deaths nationwide.

A good amount of research has already shown that one’s diet can alter the metabolism and composition of colon microbiota, which has major implications for disease prevention and treatment, Turner said.

The research explored the potential cancer-protec-

R

tive properties of dried plums using a well-established rat model of colon cancer, she said, adding that dried plums contain phenolic compounds, which have multiple effects on the health, including their ability to serve as antioxidants that can neutralize the oxidant effect of free radicals that can damage our DNA. Another observation made was rats consuming dried plums had significantly reduced number of aberrant crypts, aberrant crypt foci and highmultiplicity aberrant crypt foci compared to control rats. She said while additional research is needed, particularly in human studies, the results from this study are exciting because they suggest that regularly eating dried plums may be a viable dietary strategy to help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

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www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Actor Vishal is back to films!

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Superstar will soon be ‘Datuk’ Rajinikanth!

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

A

fter winning the N a d i g a r Sangam elections recently, actor Vishal is finally back to shooting 'Kathakali'.

He has joined the sets of Pandiraj's action thriller, which features Catherine Tresa, and is jointly produced by Vishal Film Factory and Pandiraj's Pasanga Productions. He wrote on Twitter, “Back to Kathakali shoot.

Finally. Almost nearing completion. First look soon. Lookin Gud. Nadigar Sangam work in full throttle. God bless (sic).” The movie revolves around the lead character and his travels between Chennai and Kadalur.

Music for the movie will also be given by Hiphop Tamizha, who had composed music for Vishal's Ambala.

S

outh Superstar Rajinikanth has a major fan following in Malaysia, and his recent visit to the country to shoot for upcoming film 'Kabali', created a major ho-ha among the public and the media, who were eugolising the star's arrival. It is reported that the Governor of Malacca, Mohammad Khalil Yaakob,

'B

who is a big fan, called on Rajini the minute he landed in Kuala Lumpur. Sources said that the governor made a request to honour Rajinikanth with the prestigious 'Datuk' title, which was even approved by the government. It is now reported that a huge event is being planned where Rajini will be conferred with the royal Malaysian title.

Shah Rukh Khan was the first Indian star to be conferred with the title, and more recently, international star Jackie Chan was bestowed with the award.

'Bruce Lee' scriptwriter to take director to court

ruce Lee' scriptwriter Kona Venkat is apparently filing a £10,00,000 defamation suit against director Srinu Vaitla.

Venkat is furious that his script wasn't used in Ram Charan's 'Bruce Lee' and claims that what was shot was completely different from his script, but he has been given credit. The scriptwriter now wants to file a £10,00,000 defamation suit against the director and wants a public apology. The movie did not fare well at the box office; made on a budget of

S

£60,00,000, the movie is yet to recover its investment. A media source reports that Venkat is looking to upload the original script online for the public and his fans to know the truth. It is also said that producer DVV Danayya may support him as he has also received the original script.

Samantha’s ‘smoking’ re-tweet invites trouble

amantha is bearing the wrath of the distributors as they feel she is in favour of video piracy. The actress acted in a dual role in her recently released film '10 Endrathukkula' with Chiyaan Vikram in the lead. Directed by Vijay Milton, she appears in a villainous role of an upper-caste leader where she is seen puffing a cigarette. A photo of the actress taking a puff has now gone viral on the internet. Some of her fans were excited with the picture and congratulated her on Twitter, tagging her on a pirated print. Not knowing it was a screenshot from a pirated print, the actress re-tweeted the photo saying she loved her evil act.

She wrote, “Who knew playing evil

'Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein'

A techie has given Addl. Commissioner of Police, Sanket Pujari and rookie officer Sameera some footage in a chronological order.

All three now have to solve a rare case of multiple homicides caught on camera.

Naseeruddin Shah, Anand Tiwari, Amit Sial, Subrat Dutta, Manasi Rachh, Sanam Singh Talwar, Disha Arora, Nishant Lal, Anchal are the leading actors in the movie.

could be such fun! Loved it!” This did not go down well with the distributors of the film as the movie is

Aamir Khan buys daughter's painting

A

amir Khan is over the moon at his daughter Ira's first art exhibition. To encourage her, the 'Taare Zameen Par' actor even bought a painting called, 'The Tiger's Nest'. Sharing his happiness on Twitter, he said, “My daughter Ira's first exhibition, and I managed to buy this one. It's called 'The Tiger's Nest'. I love it!” Khan is currently in the works for his upcoming 'Dangal', a biographical sports drama, directed by Nitesh Tiwari.

doing average at the boxoffice.

A distributor said, “At a time when biggies like Rajinikanth and Vijay have openly stated that they would never feature in a scene where they have to smoke, especially after they received flak for doing it onscreen for Baba and Thuppakki respectively. Samantha's smoking act is really unfortunate. And on top of that she has also proudly put the pirated picture of her smoking on her Twitter account which will misguide many of her female fans.”

Daisy Shah dons a sexy Harbhajan Singh-Geeta pink monokini Basra tie the knot

A

f t e r debuting in Salman's 'Jai Ho', Daisy Shah has now chosen to act in a film of the Hate Story franchise.

Glimpses of her in bold outfits, seen in the trailer, shows Daisy in a completely different avatar in the song 'Tu isaq mera'.

Wooing Karan Singh Grover in a glamorous, pink monokini, this song has certainly amped up the seduction game of the series. Pink bikini are quite the rage in Bollywood recently, and it seems like our little Miss Shah has just taken it a notch higher.

I

ndian spinner Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra have finally tied the knot, making their five year relationship official.

A simple and traditional Gurudwara wedding in Jalandhar, only close friends and family were present for the wedding. While Bhajji wore an off-white, self-onself embroidered sherwani with an ornate red sword, Basra looked stunning in a traditional red and gold coloured lehenga. A lavish reception has been held by the couple in Delhi on November 1.

29

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Deepika launches 'Deewani Mastani' in style

E

ros Bajirao Mastani - Deewani Mastani Song The sensational Deepika Padukone, created a right royal buzz as she promoted her upcoming release, Bajirao Mastani.

Kicking off the lavish weekend with the Blenders Pride Fashion Week, and rounding off regally with an exclusive meeting with the Rajasthani royal family, Deepika was certainly in demand! Launching the latest song, Deewani Mastani from the film, Deepika travelled to two different cities in two days for promotional events phew!

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

L

Parineeti's journey from size 38 to 30

osing weight was a tough regime for Parineeti Chopra, given the true Punjabi's love for food. However, with a strict workout regime and diet plan, the actress has managed to shed a few extra pounds.

Parineeti has always openly talked to the media about her weight issues. In an interview, she said, “I am a 25 year old and there is no reason for me to look fat. I want to look great. I am taking care of myself and I am losing even more weight because I want to look better.”

Not the kind to be comfortable in her own skin, like Huma Qureshi and Vidya Balan, Parineeti said, “Those actresses are comfortable in what they look like. I used to feel uncomfortable. I am in a visual medium and should be able to compete with every good-looking actress. I was sick and tired of clothes not fitting and having limited options on what to wear.”

Despite her hatred for

exercise, she took up gymming, and soon shut her critics up with a toned avatar.

“I used to be 86 kilos; I used to wear size 38. Right now, fitting into a jeans o f

size 30 is a big achievement.”

Parineeti has a tendency to gain weight easily due to her poor metabolism. Like most of us, she too loves binging on pizzas and pastas.

But, this could have been a major hurdle in her weight loss journey. Here is what this 'Daawate-Ishq' starlet has to say: “I gave up pizza! It’s my first love. I c a n let

go of anything but not pizza.

But I didn’t have a choice.”

So, to follow her dreams and make a mark in the industry, Parineeti had to give up on those pizzas, burgers and other fast food.

Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Arjun Kapoor all praise for Kareena

A

rjun Kapoor is probably starstruck by 'Jab We Met' actress Kareena Kapoor, who used to be his childhood crush. Calling her a simple person who hasn't taken her stardom seriously, Arjun said it was easy to work with her in their upcoming 'Ki and Ka'. “The first thing I learnt is being simple, she had not lost herself after being here for a long time.

She has always been the same person. She is the same person on sets as she is off it. She doesn't take her stardom seriously. I think that is her biggest asset.”

He could not stop

gushing about her, saying she listens to her directors very patiently. “She is a gifted actor, she listens to her directors. As an actor, she just patiently listens to what the director wants.

A lot of people have their opinion or point of view, but Kareena doesn't do that, she still listens to her directors,” he said.

“That humility towards your craft is something I love. Films are as good as directors, actors are selfish people... Directors see the bigger picture.” The actor is presently quite excited about his stint on small screen as a host with adventure reality show "Khatron Ke Khiladi".

30

UK

www.asian-voice.com

Anshu Jain joins the Board at Chance to Shine Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

The former co-CEO of Deutsche Bank, Anshu Jain, has joined the charity, Chance to Shine's Board of Trustees.

Anshu Jain, who is a lifelong player and supporter of cricket, is giving his support to this campaign to spread the power of this sport, as well as make sure that all young people have the opportunity to play and learn through cricket.

The former co-CEO of Deutsche Bank, Anshu Jain, has joined the charity, Chance to Shine's Board of Trustees.

Anshu Jain, who is a lifelong player and supporter of cricket, is giving his support to this campaign to spread the power of this sport, as well as make sure that all young people have the opportuni-

city and state schools, so boys and girls can experience this great game, has long been dear to me. I am honoured to have been asked to help the Chance to Shine team.”

Donald Brydon added, “To have someone with

Anshu Jain

ty to play and learn through cricket.

Jain will join fellow Sir recent additions, Danny Alexander and Sophie O'Connor on the board, which is chaired by Donald Brydon CBE. Talking about his new role, Anshu Jain said, “Chance to Shine's mission to take the game of cricket and its values of fair play and team work to inner

Population to soar by 10 million over 25 years According to official projections published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Britain's population will be increase by 10 million over the next 25 years, which is five times the European average. Prime Minister David Cameron, has pledged to improve migration control.

According to official projections published by the Office for National

Coming Events

l Book Launch- "What Happened to Netaji" by Anuj Dhar: Saturday 7th November 2015, 7pm. India Club Restaurant, Strand. l Rangoli Competition: Sunday 8th November, 3pm.

Children's Diwali Party: Saturday 7th November, 3pm.

Fireworks on Diwali Night: Wednesday 11th November, 7:30pm. Gujarat Hindu Society (GHS), South Meadow Lane, Preston PR1 8JN. Contact: 01772 253 901. l Vaso Nagrik Mandal UK: Sunday 8th November, 4pm- late. National Association of Patidar same Hall, 26b Tooting High Street, Tooting Broadway, London SW17 0RJ. Contact Pradipbhai Amin: 07930 474 711. l Diwali Celebration" Sunday 8th November, 6:30pm.

Three Bharatiya Mandal, Indian Community Centre, 103 Union Road, Ashton under Lyne OL6 8JN. Contact Amritbhai R Mistry: 07900 415 132. l Celebrate Diwali & New Year: Saturday 7thThursday 12th November. Blood Donation: Sunday 15th November, 9:10am- 4pm Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury, Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Complex, Kingsbury Road, London NW9 8AQ. Visit: SwaminarayanGadi.com/London l Deepawali Utsav: Monday 9th- Thursday 12th November. Anoopam Mission, Brahmajyoti, The Lea, Western Avenue, Denham, Middlesex UB9 4NA. Visit: www.anoopam.org l Diwali Celebrations: Wednesday 11th & Thursday 12th November, 11am- 4pm. Jasper Centre, Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow HA1 2SU. Contact: 020 8861 1207. l Diwali & Annakut Utsav: Wednesday 11th & Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Editorial Executive: Reshma Trilochun Tel: 020 7749 4010 - Email: reshma.trilochun@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Account Executive: Arjun Chokshi Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email: arjun.chokshi@abplgroup.

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Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912 Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad,

Anshu's standing join the charity is a significant addition. His long-term passion and love both for cricket and for our mission to use cricket to improve lives is evident. I'm thrilled to welcome him onto the Board.”

Statistics (ONS), Britain's population will be increase by 10 million over the next 25 years, which is five times the European average. Prime Minister David Cameron, has pledged to improve migration control.

The new data reveals that the population is expected to be 74.3 million in 2039. It could even reach 80 million, in the most extreme scenario.

Thursday 12th November. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, 105-119 Brentfield Road, Neasden, London NW10 8LD. Contact: 020 8965 2651. l Firework Display on Diwali: Wednesday 11th November, 7:30pm. Apple Tree Centre, Santa Mandir, Ifield Avenue, Crawley RH11 0AF. Contact Dilip Limbachia: 07808 932 858. l Diwali by Rajput Samaj of UK: Saturday 14th November. Totteridge Academy, Barnet Lane, Totteridge, London N20 8AZ. Contact: 07956 337 898. l Brahmbhat Samaj UK- Diwali Milan: Saturday 14th November: 6:30pm- 11:30pm. The Compton School, Summers Lane, London N12 0QG. Email: jayinamdar@ymail.com l Diwali Celebrations by Shri Ballabh Nidhi UK: Monday 9th- Thursday 12th November. Sri Sanatan Hindu Mandir, Wembley.

Contact Pundit Shri Vishalbhi Pandya: 07557 308 251.

Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 2012, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain International Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 022 2471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 9311581597

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ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Not only will the general pace

of everyday life gather a speedier momentum but there are liable to b a few unforeseen problems along the way. It is only if you try to cram too much into the day that you will come a cropper or damage your health, so be warned. Be prepared to shoulder certain responsibilities.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. New beginnings are favoured around now, as long as you do not bite off more than you can chew. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 At home, be at your diplomatic best and try not to tread on anyone's toes. Passions will run from hot to cold, and relationships may suffer. Even the most strong-willed Geminians will be more open to compromise to keep the peace. Plan your spending and set sensible budgets to reach your financial goals.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 The Sun illuminates your fifth house. After a period of “nesting”, you are coming out of your shell, ready to perform and to express yourself creatively.

You are feeling inspired creatively and romantically and you express your loving feelings quite openly now. At this time, you instinctively know how to place yourself in the best light in order to make a good impression on others.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Responsibility is your key word, especially at work. Set your own goals, rather than trying to meet those set by someone else. Your ability to manage what you have on your plate earns respect from others around you. You will benefit in every way if you learn to self-discipline and pace yourself wisely.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The prevailing astrological trend indicates increasing vigour and stamina, both mentally and physically. At an ordinary everyday level you can expect this to be a pleasant time, indulging in the good things of life and taking a much needed break. At a deeper level, however, there does appear to be a new energy stirring within you. Romance will have its pleasant surprises.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 With Venus traversing your sign for some time to come, it will put you in the right mood if you intend to indulge your pleasure-loving instincts. Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on affairs of the heart. Existing emotional differences can be easily sorted out now. Your creativity is riding high and you should make the most of this phase.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 A great time to meet and interact with people. Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. Don't get too carried away and lose sight of little things that mean a lot to you.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There is likely to be a powerful incentive to do what remains to be done and tie up loose ends.

You have everything to gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the time to put them into practice. Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. A great time to meet and interact with people.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

It is a particularly favourable time for dealing with financial interests with a long-term basis, such as investments, insurance and pension schemes, legacies and all jointly held resources. There may be a certain amount of unfinished business to be dealt with. Therefore you will need to adopt a fairly flexible policy in order to accommodate the odd twists and turns of everyday life.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

You will have the distinct feeling that everything is moving ahead at a very satisfying pace. Indeed, you will be in a forward-looking mood, more inclined to reflect on the future and its potentials. The power of destiny is very much in your own hand and any major decision you make will have a profound effect on your future.

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Indian boxers need more support: Amir Khan

AsianVoiceNews

British boxer of Pakistan origin, Amir Khan, said he was impressed with Vijender Singh, India's first Olympic and World Championships medallist who is now a professional boxer. Khan took the professional world with a storm and didn't take time to rise through the ladders of professional boxing, winning the WBA light welterweight title at the age of 22 after his lifechanging fight against Andreas Kotelnik. Now 29, the Bolton-based boxer is one of world's highest-paid fighters and has an impressive professional record of 34-3 with titles across three weight division to boast about.

Khan, who was impressed with the determination of Indian boxers, said he was ready to harness the abundant talent present in the grass-roots of India, which, according to him, was not getting the support it deserves. "India is a beautiful place. I have always wanted to come here. My parents were here in 2010 for the Commonwealth Games and my brother (Haroon)

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Amir Khan boxed here in Delhi. It's my first time and I think it's an amazing place. I loved it.

The people are nice here, very hospitable. It’s a lovely place. I never expected it to be this nice. I will definitely be back. I came here with my family. My wife has been here before. It's just brilliant," Khan said. In Delhi to attend a friend's wedding, Khan said he plans to start a chain of academies in the country.

"I am here for a friend's wedding but obviously I have many plans. I have my

own Amir Khan foundation. I want to do something over here for the needy, for the people who need help. May be go to the villages, may be built something for them. Also my own boxing academy promotion. Next year hopefully we will build gyms. We are in talks at the moment, nothing has been confirmed as of yet. It's all about giving India a chance.

"Indian boxers need more support. They need more people to follow

them, support them. With support you become a better fighter. Indian people need to get behind their boxers. The talent is here, you have Mary Kom, Vijender, but they need support. They are not getting that support as much as it's needed," he added.

Khan said he was impressed with Vijender, India's first Olympic and World Championships medallist who is now a professional boxer. Vijender made a smashing professional debut by knocking out Britain’s Sonny Whiting in Manchester last month, ruthlessly demolishing the man who promised to put the Indian through hell at the Manchester Arena.

"Vijender is doing really well. He has won his professional debut. Obviously, the transition was going to be hard from an amateur to professional. But he has done it really well. He is fighting again next month.

He has a great future ahead of him. We need more people like Vijender because having more people like him will promote boxing in India.”

Taylor gives England good platform England were 222 for four wickets in reply to Pakistan's 234 all out at the end of the second day of the third and final test in Sharjah on Monday. James Taylor was unbeaten on 74 and Jonny Bairstow was 37 not out. Their stand for the fifth wicket was worth 83 at the close.

Pakistan, hoping to maintain their impressive record since moving matches to the United Arab Emirates, won the second test after the first was drawn. England eventually had the better of a slow day's play, in which only 48 runs came in the middle session.

Starting the day at four for no wicket, they lost Moeen Ali cheaply for 14, falling with a cross-batted slog at Shoaib Malik. That was the only wicket to fall before lunch, although

Alastair Cook and then Joe Root perished in quick succession soon after the interval. Cook was outsmarted again by Yasir Shah, who had dismissed him in both innings of the previous test.

The England captain was one run short of his 46th test fifty when he tried to glance a delivery from the leg spinner but only managed to deflect it

onto his pads before Azhar Ali took the catch at forward short leg.

Root (four) soon joined him back in the pavilion after wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed took a low, onehanded catch off Rahat Ali to leave England 97 for three.

Taylor, returning to test cricket after an absence of three years, and Ian Bell saw them through to tea,

only for Bell to be smartly stumped off Yasir for 40.

That was Pakistan's last success of the day, however, Bairstow accompanying Taylor through to the close to leave England in the driving seat.

Earlier, James Anderson claimed four wickets as England made a good start to the third and final test in Sharjah by bowling out Pakistan for 234 on Sunday. With England needing a victory to level the series, Pakistan won the toss and batted but Anderson and fellow paceman Stuart Broad made them regret their decision by producing combined figures of six for 30.

"We're delighted but I don't think anyone knows what a good score is," Broad said after his side ended the day on four for no loss in reply.

expected to be reached at their annual general meeting in Mumbai on November 9. A decision on scrapping the commentary contracts, which made it mandatory for the official broadcaster to hire Gavaskar, Shastri and Sivaramakrishnan, is also likely to be taken at the meeting. Shastri is currently engaged in a different role as the Indian

team’s director.

A top BCCI official said, “After Jagmohan Dalmiya’s death and the change at the top, equations within the BCCI have changed. The secretary Anurag Thakur and president Manohar now enjoy the numbers. Of late, the secretary and president haven’t been happy with the way Srinivasan has been representing BCCI at

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Sehwag joins All-Stars T20 series

Recently retired Indian batsman Virender Sehwag has become the latest high profile player to confirm his participation in the inaugural Cricket All-Stars series, co-promoted by Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. The AllStars matches will be played in several cities across the US next month with the first game scheduled for November 7 in New York. The event will then move to Houston on November 11 and Los Angeles on November 14. The 37year-old Sehwag announced his retirement from international cricket last week and joins a host of former India internationals who will play in the US including V.V.S Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Ajit Agarkar. "Warm welcome to my friend (Sehwag) and a batsman with his distinct style! Sehwag joins us at T20AllStars, 10DaystoGo," Tendulkar tweeted. However, Sehwag is the only player still playing domestic cricket. He has also signed up for the Masters Champions League, another tournament featuring retired players, expected to be held in January 2016 in the United Arab Emirates.

"Sehwag, Welcome to the cricketallstars buddy !!!! See you in NY (New York) and congrats on a wonderful career champion," Warne tweeted. However, his decision means Sehwag will miss part of Haryana's Ranji Trophy campaign. Sehwag scored a century in his most recent match for them, against Karnataka in Mysore.

IPL COO Sundar Raman resigns

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) accepted the resignation of Sundar Raman who quit as Indian Premier League Chief Operating Officer on Tuesday.

There were numerous calls for the ouster of Raman after he was questioned by the Justice Lodha Committee for his alleged role in the spot-fixing scam.

Contrary to earlier regime when Raman was perceived to be one of the most powerful figures in the board, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had recently categorically stated that Raman is merely "an employee" and made it clear that they would not rush to any decision regarding him. In December last year when the Supreme Court made certain parts of the Mudgal Committee report public, Raman was decreed to have been 'in touch with a contact of a bookmaker eight times during the last IPL season'.

Shashank Manohar all set to become new ICC chairman

Following his election, new BCCI president Shashank Manohar is all set to replace N Srinivasan as the ICC chairman. High-profile commentators such as Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and L Sivaramakrishnan are alos likely to lose their board contracts.

A consensus among board members, in favour

Shashank Manohar of Shashank Manohar taking over as ICC chief, is

31

the ICC.” There has been talk that there was a difference of opinion between the ICC chairman and the BCCI’s top officials about the venues of the World T20 Championship in India next year. Srinivasan became the first ICC chairman after the 2014 revamp of the world body, with a two-year term, but it’s the prerogative of the

cricket board to decide its representative.

If Manohar’s name is accepted by all members, which seems a formality, the new board president will serve as the ICC chairman till June 2016. In case Srinivasan is withdrawn from the ICC, the Chennai administrator will cease to be a significant player in Indian cricket affairs for the first time in a decade.

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Asian Voice | 7th November 2015

Sania-Martina pair lifts WTA finals doubles trophy www.asian-voice.com

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza is on Cloud Nine as she and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis lifted their ninth title together this year beating the Spanish pair of Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro to clinch the WTA Finals women's doubles trophy at Singapore. Sania and Martina, the top seeds, prevailed 6-0 6-3 over their eight-seeded rivals in a lopsided summit clash, which lasted little over an hour. Before this, Sania and Martina had won eight titles (Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Beijing) and finished runner-up just once (Rome falling to WTA Rising Stars Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic).

The Indo-Swiss pairing dropped serve only once through the match and broke their opponents five times to wrap up a compre-

hensive victory. Sania and Martina are now unbeaten in 22 matches, stretching back six tournaments. In fact, since their last defeat to Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan in Cincinnati - they have dropped just two sets.

Muguruza and Suarez Navarro - late replace-

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza ments in the draw after Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova's withdrawal - were completely outplayed in the match.

In the second game, Sania unleashed a ferocious forehand to break Muguruza. The second set was more competitive, but Sania and Martina did not

let go of their supremacy and wrapped up after little over an hour on court.

"I feel like it was a perfect day," Hingis said.

"Sania just played out of her mind - she was everywhere today, getting everything back and playing incredible tennis."

This triumph is espe-

cially huge for Martina as the trophy was her 50th WTA doubles title, a milestone only 15 players have reached (Martina Navratilova, Rosie Casals, Pam Shriver, Billie Jean King, Natasha Zvereva, Lisa Raymond, Jana Novotna, Arantxa SanchezVicario, Gigi Fernandez, Helena Sukova, Larisa Neiland, Cara Black, Rennae Stubbs, Wendy Turnbull and Liezel Huber). Sania and Martina ended the year as the world number one women's doubles team and the Indian tennis ace said a win in the WTA Finals is the perfect way to wrap off the year.

"To play in tournaments like this is what we've fought all our lives for and it's incredible to play in front of a packed stadium," said Sania.

"We feel very fortunate.

We've done some amazing things together and it's the perfect way to end the year for us," she added.

Ajmal: Bhajji, Ashwin are chuckers

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal, who has been barred from international cricket due to a suspect action since September last year, has reportedly accused Indian off-spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh of chucking. In a series of tweets, Zainab Abbas, a sports anchor/analyst for a local Pakistani TV channel, revealed that Ajmal claimed in an interview that all of Harbhajan's deliveries were bowled with an illegal action. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never seen him (Ajmal) this frustrated. Ajmal claims that Harbhajan chucks for sure.

He said 'main challenge karta hoon keh woh 15 degrees ke andar nahin' (I challenge that his arm bends more than the permissible limit of 15 degrees),â&#x20AC;? Abbas tweeted.

The offie, who took 178 wickets in just 35 Tests, also alleged that those running the game were applying the `chucking law' to specifically target Pakistan's players.