DEC 2020
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VOL 14 ISSUE 164
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Anmol Anand, Debasree Das, Dileep Narayan, Dr Raj Kotharu, Gary Nair, Harpal Sandhu, Manjit Sethi, Narisa Dawar, Sanchita Abrol, Karthik Arasu, Abhi Narayan, Gurpal Singh, Monisha Iswaran, P. Harsora, Nandita Chakraborty, Archita Baweja, Barinderjeet Kaur, Gurpal Singh, Muktesh Chibber, Shivani Prabhu, Payel Ghosh Disclaimer: Opinions published in G’Day India are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. No advertising design or material is to be reproduced without the written consent of the editor. All copyrights reserved to G’Day India. Articles, pictures, photographs and advertisements accepted by G’Day India Pty Ltd are on the understanding that the supplier of such materials has obtained all the relevant copyrights, permissions and grants permission to G’Day India Pty Ltd to publish them. Any liability arising from failure to obtain such permission lies entirely and exclusively with the supplier. Qualities of products and services advertised in G’Day India are not guaranteed by G’Day India Pty Ltd.
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NEWS VICTORIA
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Helping Businesses Lower Bills and Reduce Emissions
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MELBOURNE, Dec 4: The Andrews Labor Government has launched a new grants fund to support Victoria’s large energy users to transform the way they use energy, lowering costs and reducing emissions.
As a part of the Victorian Budget’s 2020/21 $1.6 billion clean energy investment, the $31 million Business Recovery Energy Efficiency Fund will help Victorian businesses fast-track investments that create more efficient production lines and improve their competitiveness. This new fund will lower operating costs for businesses while creating jobs and reducing emissions as part of Victoria’s clean energy transition. The grants are open to medium and large energy using industrial and commercial businesses. Applications for the fund are now open, with two types of grants available — Capital Works and Energy Demand Management. Phase 1 applications for the grants close on 31 December 2020, and phase 2 applications close on 31 January 2021.
Capital Works grants will assist Victoria’s largest energy users to install energy saving equipment and encourage investment in projects that create jobs and support key supply chains. Projects which may be funded include the installation of energy efficient equipment, replacing emissions-intensive equipment with low-emissions alternatives, including switching from natural gas to biogas or electric alternatives, and the purchase of communications and monitoring technology to reduce energy use at a site. Energy Demand Management grants
are also available to businesses to support the installation of energy management systems, energy assessments and implementation of demand management solutions. This includes funding for technology needed to enable demand response, including communications and control technology, professional advice to support uptake, feasibility studies and energy audits. For more information and to apply, visit victorianenergysaver.vic.gov.au/energyadvice-for-business/business-recoveryenergy-efficiency-fund
Illuminating Investment in Medical Research and Jobs
MELBOURNE, Dec 4: Melbourne’s reputation as the capital of innovation and medical research will take another giant leap forward with an Australian-first Genomics Hub to be established at the University of Melbourne. The Illumina–University of Melbourne Genomics Hub will be the first in the Asia Pacific region and bring together the best genomic expertise and technology in Australia to drive better health research and diagnostics, in areas including infectious diseases such as coronavirus. The Hub will give local researchers and innovative businesses access to world-class genomics, bioinformatics and health economics technologies and support analysis of vast amounts of data to better understand the human genome and translate this to new commercial applications. Located in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, it will benefit from being in the presence of more than 40 world-class biomedical organisations, leading hospitals
and clinical research leaders. It will be a win for jobs with hundreds of medical research staff and interns to be employed, boosting links between industry, research and education. The Andrews Labor Government has worked closely with the University of Melbourne and Illumina to secure the $60 million project, which aligns with the State’s International Investment Strategy. The project is the first of many proposals from universities to secure funding from the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund developed in response to the significant impact of the pandemic on Victorian universities. The Fund will support universities
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with capital works, applied research and research infrastructure projects focused on boosting Victoria’s productivity and economy as the state recovers from the pandemic. Illumina is a global leader in DNA sequencing and microarray-based solutions based in San Diego – with 22 offices and approximately 7,300 employees across the globe.
(MEDIA RELEASE)
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NEWS VICTORIA
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Backing New Energy Breakthroughs and Victorian Jobs MELOURNE, Nov 29: The Andrews Labor Government is fast-tracking the next generation of renewable energy, with more than $100 million to unlock the next wave of cleaner, more reliable power, which could create thousands of jobs.
The funding boost is part of a record $1.6 billion investment in the Victorian Budget 2020/21 that will accelerate the development of offshore wind, hydrogen made from renewable energy and other cutting-edge energy technologies. The funding will support research, start-ups and innovation, and provide direct industry grants to get power from ground-breaking concepts out of the lab and into the grid. Victoria is home to many companies doing innovative research on hydrogen from renewables, offshore wind and other renewable technology. Backing these ideas and putting Victoria at the forefront of these game-changing technologies will help drive new investment, open up export opportunities and support local businesses and jobs – particularly in regional
Victoria. It will also help international companies deploy new technology into Australia – such as offshore wind. The funding announced today will also start assessing the transmission infrastructure requirements and considering the regulation and investment settings to support a major offshore wind industry. It will also accelerate the development
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of hydrogen from renewable sources, which offers enormous potential as clean energy. Victoria is already leading the world in building a hydrogen supply chain and is poised to push the frontiers with hydrogen from renewables, given our strong renewable energy infrastructure and workforce. This $108 million innovation funding will make a major contribution to emissions reductions in the future, and see Victoria meet its zero net carbon target by 2050.
(MEDIA RELEASE)
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School Banking Programs to Be Banned MELBOURNE, Nov 29: Banks and financial institutions will be banned from delivering school banking programs in Victorian government schools from 2021 and replaced with quality school-led programs to improve students’ financial skills. The findings of the Royal Commission into the Banking and Financial Services Industry highlighted the importance of financial literacy and education in schools and the economic fallout of coronavirus has further underscored this need. However, there is very little evidence to suggest school banking programs teach students lasting habits to improve financial literacy. Students, teachers and families have also frequently raised concerns about the quality of education and financial literacy outcomes delivered by school banking programs. Concerns have also been repeatedly raised about banks using inappropriate tactics such as luring children with prizes and incentives to develop trust and loyalty in banks at an inappropriate age. There have also been reports around the inappropriate promotion of credit cards to primary school aged children. Additionally, interest rates offered through
school banking programs are unfairly low, resulting in students missing out on compounding interest, one of the key benefits that comes with saving money and banking. To improve students’ financial literacy, the Andrews Labor Government will introduce new teaching resources as well as practical information and tips for students on taxation and how to identify and avoid scams. These resources will be developed in consultation with financial experts focused on what skills our students need. From the start of 2021, these resources will replace low quality activities run by
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external organisations trying to find new customers. Financial literacy skills are taught through the Victorian curriculum from Foundation to Year 10 in subjects such as Mathematics and Economics and Business. Students learn about financial decision making, as well as the rights and responsibilities of consumers. The ban on banks and financial institutions delivering school banking will be introduced from Term 1, 2021. (MEDIA RELEASE)
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NEWS VICTORIA
New CheckIn System for Businesses Across Victoria
MELBOURNE, Nov 30: Victorian business owners across the state can now access a free QR Code Service which will help make things easy as we continue our economic recovery. The Victorian Government’s QR Code Service can be used by businesses and venues to keep records of visitors to help us stay safe and stay open. It’s as simple as registering your business, downloading and printing a poster with the Victorian Government QR Code and displaying it prominently in your business. Businesses or venues with multiple outlets or spaces can register for multiple QR codes. Visitors simply need to scan the QR code using their smartphone camera. For those with up-to-date smartphone software, a pop-up will appear asking for a first name and contact number. For other users, they will be directed to download the Service Victoria mobile App from the Apple or Google Play app stores to complete the check-in. A unique six letter code entered on a web site will be on each QR code poster, for visitors to check-in also. In Victoria, some businesses, workplaces and premises must request that each person who attends the premise for more than 15 minutes provide their first name and phone number. For smaller hospitality venues with a density limit of one person for every two square metres – up to 50 customers – QR code record keeping is now mandatory. All businesses and venues are still required to have pen and paper record keeping on hand as an ultimate backup, if a visitor prefers to not use the QR code method. All data collected through the Victorian Government QR code is securely stored, protecting customers from on selling of contact details. Data will be deleted after 28 days unless it is specifically requested by the Department of Health and Human Services for contact tracing purposes. For businesses or venues that are currently using an existing market-led QR code solution, the Government is working with the sector to develop an Application Programming Interface to allow these systems to link directly into DHHS Contact Tracing systems when check-in data is required. Victorian businesses and venues can now go to http://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/ qrcode to register and be sent their unique QR code to display for visitors to scan and check-in.
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Triceratops to Call Melbourne Home After 67 Million Years
MELBOURNE, Dec 2: Melbourne Museum is preparing to welcome a remarkable addition to its world-leading display of natural history – a 67-million-year-old triceratops skeleton hailed as one of the most complete, and best preserved, dinosaur fossils ever unearthed. Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson today announced the acquisition of the one-tonne fossil, which will go on display at Museums Victoria’s flagship Carlton campus in 2021. The gigantic skeleton dating to the late Cretaceous period was discovered on private land in Montana, USA in 2014 and is currently being extracted from rock at a depth of 1.5 metres. Some 270 bones, close to 90 per cent of the skeleton, have been recovered and excavation is continuing. Featuring a full spine and a 99 percent complete skull, the fossil is one of the most significant dinosaur finds ever made. Measuring six to seven metres from tip to tail and standing more than two metres tall,
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the fossil is larger than a full-grown African elephant. Not only will the fossil be a major attraction for Victoria, it will be a boon for scientific research, helping to crack the code of how one of the world’s best-loved dinosaurs lived. The specimen was discovered by a fossil collector who spotted a pattern on a sandstone rockface looked like part of a dinosaur tail. As part of the state collection at Museums Victoria, the triceratops will join other dinosaur fossils including ‘The Cape Patterson Claw’, a Theropod claw that was the first dinosaur bone found in Australia in 1903. The fossil of the tri-horned herbivore will become part of a Museums Victoria collection of more than 17 million items that explore our history, celebrate our identity and form the basis of world-leading scientific research. (MEDIA RELEASE)
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Making Women’s Voices Heard in Sport MELBOURNE, Dec 2: The Andrews Labor Government is levelling the playing field for women and girls to play, lead and succeed across all levels of the sport and recreation sector. Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence today announced several game changing initiatives that will provide a much-needed injection to the sector and support women and girls looking to take on leadership roles. The inaugural Change Our Game Making the Call program is now underway, with 21 participants taking part in a program that is the first of its kind, which aims to address the lack of gender diversity in sports broadcasting and create pathways for women’s voices in sport to be heard. Led by a team of media experts including international cricket commentator Mel Jones, sports media executive Dave Barham, and sports journalist and broadcasters Kelli Underwood and Andy Maher, the program provides women with the education and support to develop a career behind the microphone. It comes as another 23 up-and-coming female leaders in sport scored a Change Our Game Scholarship, taking the total number of recipients to 190 Victorian women to benefit from professional development opportunities and training courses through the more than $1 million program. The Labor Government also announced a $26,000 Change Our Game Research Grant for an RMIT research project to help Muslim girls overcome barriers towards physical activity. All the initiatives announced today are part of the broader $7.2 million Change Our Game initiative aimed at levelling the playing field for women and girls in sport and recreation. For more information about the Change Our Game programs visit changeourgame.vic.gov.au
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New Departments to Deliver A Healthier, Fairer Victoria MELBOURNE, Nov 30: As we move into the recovery phase of the pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will be separated into two new departments to allow for a dedicated focus on our health system and on the social recovery of our state.
This new department will also be responsible for the key policy areas of Multicultural Affairs, LGBTQI+ Equality, Veterans, and the offices for Women and Youth – meaning better alignment with other policy areas focusing on the recovery and growth of our diverse communities.
Throughout this year, the Victorian Government has bolstered the funding and These portfolios are currently served capacity of DHHS and there has been an by the Department of Premier and extraordinary effort across the department Cabinet and will transfer across when in responding to the global pandemic. the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing begins operation on 1 February. However, the ongoing impact of coronavirus will require a more focused Recently appointed Secretary Professor approach to the delivery of essential Euan Wallace AM will continue to lead community services during the recovery DHHS through the transition period and and beyond. will helm the Department of Health from 1 February. The new Department of Health (DoH) and the new Department of Families, Sandy Pitcher will commence work Fairness and Housing (DFFH) will as Secretary of Department of Families, commence operation from 1 February 2021 Fairness and Housing from 14 December and the Government will work closely with 2020, establishing the new department workers and their unions over the next two ahead of the formal change. months to manage the transition. Originally from South Australia, Sandy The Department of Health will be joined the Victorian Government in 2019 responsible for the Health, Ambulance as Deputy Secretary, Higher Education Services, Mental Health and Ageing and Skills at the Department of Education portfolios and, importantly, continue and Training and since July, she has been leading the Government’s public health Deputy Secretary for Case, Contact Tracing response to the pandemic with Martin and Outbreak Management in DHHS. Foley as the Coordinating Minister. She previously served as the Chief The Department of Families, Fairness Executive Officer of the SA Department of and Housing will include the current DHHS Environment, Water and Natural Resources portfolios of Child Protection, Prevention and has worked in the Commonwealth of Family Violence, Housing and Disability public service, the private sector and at the – ensuring the delivery of the significant UK Commission for Racial Equality. investments from the recent Budget in Victoria’s recovery – with Richard Wynne (MEDIA RELEASE) taking on the role of Coordinating Minister.
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NEWS AUSTRALIA
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
China to impose anti-dumping measures on Australian wine
BEIJING, Nov 27: China's Ministry of Commerce said it would impose anti-dumping measures on wine imports from Australia. The domestic industry has been subject to substantial damages due to the dumping of those products, the Ministry said in a preliminary ruling posted on its website. Starting Saturday, importers of Australian wine will be required to pay deposits ranging from 107.1 per cent to 212.1 per cent, the ruling said. After receiving request from the domestic industry, the Ministry launched the antidumping investigations into the products. China is the biggest destination for Australia's wine exports, accounting for 39 per cent in the first nine months of 2020, according to Wine Australia, the BBC reported. Reacting to China's announcement, Australia's Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the government was "extremely disappointed". "The Australian government categorically
rejects any allegation that our wine producers are dumping product into China," he said.
"Australian wine is hugely popular both in China and across the globe due to its high quality and we are confident that a full and thorough investigation will confirm this." Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the new tariffs make Australian wine unviable and unmarketable in China. "This is a very distressing time for many hundreds of Australian wine producers, who have built, in good faith, a sound market in China," he said. In recent months, Beijing has targeted other Australian imports including coal, sugar, barley and lobsters amid political tensions.
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The tensions grew after Australia backed a global inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April, and effectively singled out China. Since then, Australian imports have been under the spotlight while Chinese students and tourists were warned against travelling to Australia citing fears of racism. (IANS)
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Australia's oldest museum to reopen after renovation
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Sydney lifts water restrictions imposed since 2019 drought
SYDNEY, Nov 27: The Australian Museum in Sydney, which is the oldest one in the country, will reopen after a A$57.5 million renovation, with free general admission to the public till June 30, 2021. The 15-month long renovation project, dubbed "Project Discover" has created more than 3,000 square metres of extra public space by repurposing back-of-house areas, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. The Australian Museum is the country's oldest museum, so it is only fitting this world class institution has an upgraded home in the heart of Sydney," Berejiklian said. "We want everyone to have the opportunity to explore the natural wonders of the world, learn about our history and be inspired by our culture," she added. The major renovation adds education facilities, a new shop, and a second cafe to the museum, allowing the revamped museum to host one major travelling international exhibition or two smaller exhibitions at the same time. Despite free entry on the reopening day, visitors will be required to register their contact details for Covid-19 tracing purposes as the city continues to record zero locally acquired cases of the virus.
(IANS)
SYDNEY, Dec 1: The Australian city of Sydney lifted restrictions on water usage, which were enforced May 2019 to cope with a historic drought. Higher levels of rainfall since earlier this year brought an end to the drought and saw dam levels rise across the State of New South Wales (NSW). "Rainfall has increased our dam levels, so we're easing Level 1 restrictions to Water Wise Guidelines from today. The restrictions have eased, but let's stay water wise," Sydney Water added in the statement. Last month, Sydney received roughly double the amount of rainfall it did in November 2019, recording 69mm at the gauge on Observatory Hill. While in December 2019, the site received just 1.8mm of rainfall, the lowest on record. NSW Minister for Water Property and
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Housing Melinda Pavey said the city's residents did an outstanding job during water restrictions, collectively saving 77 gigalitres of water, the equivalent of 31,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. "Water restrictions have helped curtail demand by around 65 megalitres each day, taking pressure off the filtration plant to provide clean water from Sydney's dams, which have been impacted by bushfires and heavy rainfall," Pavey said. Under the new guidelines, the city's residents can use drinking water to water lawns and gardens before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m., water new turf and gardens for up to 28 days, top up or fill new pools and spas, wash vehicles and buildings and cool off people and animals. Residents will not be able to allow water to run off onto hard surfaces, leave taps and hoses running unattended or allow pools or spas to overflow when being filled.
(IANS)
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NEWS AUSTRALIA
PM demands apology
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
- As Chinese official tweets doctored image of alleged Australian war crime in Afghanistan
CANBERRA, Nov 30: In a sharp escalation of a dispute between China and Australia, Chinese foreign ministry on Monday shared a 'doctored image' of an alleged Australian war crime in Afghanistan. This did not go well with Australia, which in a sharp rebuke, said that the Chinese government should be totally ashamed of the 'truly offensive' post, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian shared the image on his Twitter handle Monday morning in which a special forces soldier is seen slitting the throat of an Afghan child with a knife and its head wrapped in an Australian flag. "Don't be afraid we are coming to bring you peace," the image states. China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian tweeted that he was shocked by the murder of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers. "We strongly condemn such acts and call for holding them accountable," he said. The illustration was created by Wuheqilin, a self-styled Chinese "wolf warrior" artist, who came to prominence for his pro-Beijing illustrations during the Hong Kong protests last year, the Herald further reported. In his strongest comments against the
Chinese government since he became Prime Minister, Morrison said that the post diminishes China in the world's eyes and demanded an apology from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this post. It diminishes them in the world's eyes," he said "It is an absolutely outrageous and disgusting slur. Australia is seeking an apology from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we are seeking it be removed from Twitter," he was quoted by the Herald. The post comes at a time when Australia is facing criticism after the government-initiated Brereton report found Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed 39 murders in Afghanistan. The Chinese Communist Party last week criticised Australia over the post. "These reports point to the hypocrisy of some western countries who like to consider themselves as guardians of human rights and freedom," Zhao had said. Canberra has been locked in an ongoing trade war with Beijing for seven months, which has seen China slap sanctions on various Australian products. has unofficially banned Australian imports of
coal, sugar, barley, lobsters, wine, copper and log timber since the start of November. It has also imposed anti-dumping duties on barley earlier this year. Beijing has also suspended beef imports from five major meat processing plants in Queensland and New South Wales in May. The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated after Australia pushed for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April without consulting Beijing, widening cracks in the relationship that had been growing since Canberra banned China's Huawei Technologies Co. from helping build its 5G telecommunications network two years ago. China also seems to be infuriated by the Australian participation in the Malabar naval exercise earlier this month.
(ANI)
Homebuilder Success Sees Programme Extended
CANBERRA, Nov 29: The Morrison Government is extending the highly effective HomeBuilder programme which is driving demand in our vital construction sector and protecting jobs by supporting the construction on new homes and home renovations. HomeBuilder will remain demand driven and will be extended from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 which is expected to support the construction or major rebuild of around 15,000 homes. This is in addition to the 27,000 homes the scheme is already expected to support, bringing it to a total of around 42,000 homes across Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said HomeBuilder was driving demand for building work and helping protect the jobs of one million Australians employed in the construction sector. “HomeBuilder is a key part of my government’s Economic Recovery Plan for Australia. We’re keeping people in jobs and putting Australians’ dream homes within reach,” the Prime Minister said. “It’s critical we keep the momentum up for Australia’s economic recovery.” “Extending HomeBuilder will mean a steady pipeline of construction activity to keep tradies on the tools.” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, “The Homebuilder program has delivered the
stimulus the housing sector needed. “The sector is worth $100 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy or around 5 per cent of GDP and more than a million people are employed in the sector across Australia. “The success of this program has not only meant an increase in work on the ground to keep the pipeline of construction flowing but it has also protected jobs in the construction sector as well as across the economy.” Minister for Housing and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar said HomeBuilder would also be adjusted for the building and housing market’s conditions, and after consultation with the construction sector. For all new build contracts signed between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021: • Eligible owner-occupier purchasers will receive a $15,000 HomeBuilder; and • The property price caps for new builds in New South Wales and Victoria will be increased to $950,000 and $850,000 respectively. In addition, the construction commencement deadline will be extended from three months to six months for all eligible contracts signed on or after 4 June 2020. Minister Sukkar said the most recent data showed HomeBuilder had already had around 24,000 applications, on track to exceed
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expected take up levels. “This has been a highly effective programme that’s delivering real results for home buyers and has kept tradies in work throughout the COVID pandemic,” Minister Sukkar said. “There is no better proof of HomeBuilder’s success than the latest Housing Industry Association’s new home sales data, which shows sales are 31.6 per cent higher in the three months to October 2020 when compared with the same time last year. “This is a temporary and targeted programme, and we want to give buyers the confidence and support to enter the market right now at a time when the economy needs it most.” This announcement also builds upon the extension of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme announced in the Budget, which delivered 10,000 guaranteed loans to allow first home buyers to obtain a loan to build a new home, or purchase a newly built home, with a deposit of as little as five per cent. Together this represents an unprecedented level of Federal Government assistance for home buyers and the construction industry alike. More information on the HomeBuilder programme can be found at: https://treasury. gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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Queensland state reopens borders
BRISBANE, Dec 1: The Australian state of Queensland reopened its borders to the residents from New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, after months of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Also on Tuesday, the state of Western Australia announced that as of December 8 it would allow residents from NSW and Victoria to enter without having to quarantine. Thousands of Australian's streamed north into Queensland, reuniting loved ones and offering a much-needed boost to tourism industry operators across the state, which incorporates the Great Barrier Reef. Authorities in Queensland had come under pressure to ease restrictions earlier in order to boost the local economy, saying they would not do so until the threat from Covid-19 was low enough.
As of Tuesday, NSW had gone 24 consecutive days without a locally acquired case of Covid-19, while Victoria, the worst-hit state, had gone more than a month without a single active infection. Virgin Australia said around 100,000 tickets
to Queensland had been booked during the previous week, adding that it expected to reach 60 per cent of prior year domestic capacity by January 2021. "We know many Australians have been itching to visit Queensland to reunite with their loved ones or do business," Virgin Australia Group CEO and Managing Director Jayne Hrdlicka said. "The broader economic contribution that open borders will bring cannot be
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underestimated in what has been the most difficult year for many businesses, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industries." Meanwhile, South Australia's capital, Adelaide, remained a designated Covid-19 hotspot by Queensland officials, meaning residents were still unable to enter without being granted an exemption. Australia has so far reported 27,904 coronavirus cases and 908 cases. (IANS)
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NEWS WORLD
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
US remains top choice for Indian students for higher education "Over the last 10 years, the number of Indians studying in the United States has roughly doubled, and we know why: the United States is the gold standard for higher education, providing practical application and experience that gives our graduates an advantage in the global economy," Minister Counsellor for Public Affairs, David Kennedy, said.
NEW DELHI, Nov 16: Despite the coronavirus pandemic, around 2,00,000 Indian students chose the US as their destination to pursue higher education in the 2019-20 academic year. As per the Open Doors Report of the Institute of International Education (IIE), released on Monday, Indian students comprised nearly 20 per cent of the over one million (10 lakh) students from around the world. The IIE has been conducting annual statistical survey on international students in the US since its founding in 1919 and in partnership with the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972. Over the last few decades, the US has seen a steady increase in the number of undergraduate students from India.
To assist Indian students, the US Department of State offers advising services to prospective students through seven EducationUSA advising centers at the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) throughout India -- New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. EducationUSA is a global network of advising centers in 170 countries that is supported by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) - the Fulbright Commission of India, is a binational organization which promotes mutual understanding between the United States and India through educational and cultural exchanges. Early next year, a second EducationUSA Center is opening in Hyderabad hosted by Y-Axis Foundation. All centers are staffed by EducationUSA advisors who offer information about opportunities to study in the US, helping Indian students find the best program
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and the right fit from among the 4,500 accredited higher-education institutions in the US. Open Doors reports on international scholars at US universities and international students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the US Department of State builds relations between the people of the US and the people of other countries through academic, cultural, sports, professional and private sector exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships and mentoring programs. Approximately 50,000 participants annually embark on these exchange programs, including the flagship Fulbright Program and the International Visitor Leadership Program. ECA also sponsors the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships for US undergraduates with financial need, the Critical Language Scholarship Program in support of US foreign language study abroad, and the EducationUSA network of over 400 advising centers worldwide, which provides information to students around the globe who wish to study in the US. Since the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, ECA has revamped its exchange programs as appropriate to include part- or full-time virtual components or deferred exchanges until such time that they can resume.
(IANS)
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
UK royal family 'cannot stomach' watching 'The Crown'
LONDON, Nov 27: The UK royal family "cannot stomach" watching "The Crown" despite the popularity of the Netflix series which is based on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, according to a royal commentator.
The claim come amidst that Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the second wife of Prince Charles, has been receiving online abuse due to her portrayal in the Netflix drama. Omid Scobie, a London-based writer and the royal contributor for ABC News, said that some family members cannot bear the thought of watching the new episodes. Scoobie said on his Heir podcast that their issue is with the show nearing modern day events. "I think as the show progresses into the more present-day house of Windsor it becomes harder and harder for members of the Royal Family to even stomach the idea of watching it," he said. "There is already a lot of talk about series five and series six."
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The Queen is said to have watched and liked the first season.
Sunday Express reported in 2017 that it was Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who encouraged the Queen to watch the series. However, in 2018, Sunday Express reported that the Queen was annoyed after watching a scene in which Prince Philip was portrayed as being unsympathetic and insensitive to young Prince Charles' struggles with being bullied at school. In September 2019, the Queen's communication secretary, Donal McCabe, wrote to The Guardian saying: "Your article (The writer of The Crown reveals he keeps royal household in the picture) may have the unfortunate consequence of leading your readers to believe that the television series The Crown is made with some sort of endorsement by the royal household, or an acceptance by the royal household that the drama is factually accurate. "We appreciate that readers of the
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Guardian may enjoy this fictionalised interpretation of historical events but they should do so knowing that the royal household is not complicit in interpretations made by the programme. "The royal household has never agreed to vet or approve content, has not asked to know what topics will be included, and would never express a view as to the programme's accuracy." "The Crown" presents a fictional version of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The events are expected to go up until the 1997 death of Princess Diana. By Hitesh Tikoo
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NEWS INDIA
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
India affirms strong bilateral ties with Australia
minerals, education and skill development, infrastructure, maritime cooperation, counterterrorism and cyber-security etc," he added. Citing Australia's participation in the Malabar Exercise 2020, Srivastava stated that the nation is an important partner in the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative tabled by India, as well as in the postCovid economic re-balancing through building more resilient supply chains. "Given the depth and importance of our bilateral relations, naturally, we exchange views on regional and global developments as well as current issues of concern," he said. The 24th edition of the Malabar series of multilateral naval exercises concluded in the Arabian Sea in two phases recently with navies of India, America, Japan and Australia taking part in it, which has reportedly infuriated China.
NEW DELHI, Dec 3: Amid escalating tensions between China and Australia, India affirmed its strong bilateral ties with Australia, stating that the two nations shared values based on commitments to a rule-based order. Responding to a query on tensions between China and Australia, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: "India and Australia enjoy
strong bilateral relationship and both are democratic nations with shared values based on commitments to rule-based global order. Recently the India-Australia bilateral relationship has been elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership at the Virtual Summit between the two Prime Ministers on 4 June 2020." "Our bilateral engagements span across areas including agriculture, mining and critical
The relationship between Canberra and Beijing deteriorated after Australia pushed for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April without consulting Beijing. China recently announced that it will impose temporary anti-dumping duties of more than 200 per cent on Australian wine imports. (ANI)
25M couples in India couldn't access contraceptives due to Covid
GENEVA, Nov 28: The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted contraceptive access for an estimated over 25 million couples in India, said a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Health officials in some low- and middle-income countries are bracing for a surge in new births due to interruptions to contraceptive access during the pandemic, said the report titled "Prevailing against pandemics by putting people at the centre." The report highlighted that the global AIDS response was off track before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but the rapid spread of the coronavirus has created additional setbacks. Modelling of the pandemic's long-term impact on the HIV response shows that there could be an estimated 123,000 to 293 000 additional new HIV infections and 69,000 to 148,000 additional AIDS-related deaths between 2020 and 2022, said the report
released ahead of World AIDS Day 2020 on December 1.
pandemics left the world exposed to COVID-19.
"The collective failure to invest sufficiently in comprehensive, rights-based, peoplecentred HIV responses has come at a terrible price," Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said in a statement.
Had health systems and social safety nets been even stronger, the world would have been better positioned to slow the spread of COVID-19 and withstand its impact.
"Implementing just the most politically palatable programmes will not turn the tide against COVID-19 or end AIDS. To get the global response back on track will require putting people first and tackling the inequalities on which epidemics thrive." Although some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Botswana and Eswatini, have done remarkably well and have achieved or even exceeded the targets set for 2020, many more countries are falling way behind. The report highlighted that insufficient investment and action on HIV and other
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COVID-19 has shown that investments in health save lives but also provide a foundation for strong economies. "No country can defeat these pandemics on its own," said Byanyima. "A challenge of this magnitude can only be defeated by forging global solidarity, accepting a shared responsibility and mobilising a response that leaves no one behind. We can do this by sharing the load and working together." (IANS)
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Corona notices make patients 'untouchables' for others: SC Shah said that the ground reality is such that once such notices are pasted outside Covid-19 patients' houses, others began to treat them as untouchables.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, submitted that the Union government has not given any directions to paste Covid warning notices outside infected persons' houses. "The states may have decided to do it," Mehta said.
NEW DELHI, Dec 1: Even as the Supreme Court observed that Covid-19 notices pasted outside residences of patients lead to their considerations as "untouchables" by others, the Centre washed its hands off the matter by saying states may have decided to do so. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and comprising Justices RS Reddy and MR
He contended that this may have been done to warn strangers to the areas concerned about Covid-19 patients and not to interact with him or her without adequate protection. The top court was hearing a plea against the decision of state governments and Union Territories to affix posters/notices outside residences of Covid-19 patients, who are required to stay in home isolation.
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The plea filed by Delhi resident Kush Kalra through advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma said that such action to disclosure the names of coronavirus patients through the notices was violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution. "Affixing notices/posters outside residences of Covid-19 positive persons tantamount to unprecedented violation of the right to privacy which is a Fundamental Right guaranteed under Article 21 of Constitution," the PIL said. The petitioner said that affixing posters is a primitive practice used in the 18th century to deal with the plague outbreaks. The top court deferred the hearing to enable the petitioner to respond to a detailed affidavit filed by the Centre. (ANI)
Australian envoy, Adani Group chairman discuss bilateral partnerships between India, Australia AHMEDABAD, Nov 26: Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani met at the corporate headquarters in Ahmedabad to discuss issues such as bilateral and strategic partnerships between India and Australia, Adani Group's plans for expansion of its solar power generation capacity and Australia's support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative among others. Both parties discussed the confluence of indigenous art and culture of both nations. The Indian and Australian artists have jointly commissioned a sculpture at Adani Group headquarters depicting subconscious connection rooted in the nature that surrounds Gonds from Madhya Pradesh and the Warlpiri people from Australia. High Commissioner O'Farrell visited the sculpture and appreciated the artwork embodying the two cultures from distant geographies in a harmony. "What an incredible collaboration by Indigenous Australian and Indian Gond artists, celebrating ancient links between the Australian flag and Indian flag. It was a pleasure to see this sculpture in Ahmedabad while meeting the world's largest solar power generation owner and
major investor in Flag of Australia," O'Farrell said referring to the artwork and his meeting with Adani, on a microblogging site Twitter. The visit by the High Commissioner O'Farrell was in accordance with the friendly relations enjoyed by both the nations as they strive towards like-minded goals and is expected to further strengthen the existing bonds between India and Australia. "It was a pleasure hosting Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell to India today. I was energized to discuss India's efforts in the climate agenda and specifically Adani Group's commitment to the energy transition. As leaders in solar power, we continue pioneering the shift towards alternate fuels such as green hydrogen," said Adani after the meeting. India has made concentrated efforts to tackle the challenges posed by climate change through an ambitious solar power generation capacity addition programme. Adani Group has emerged as the largest solar power project developer in the world and aiming to have 25 GW of renewable energy projects in its portfolio. Adani and O'Farrell deliberated on the faster transition to cleaner energy. (ANI)
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G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Go on a Troll-tastic Adventure at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre!
G’Day Mate
!
Celebrate the release of Trolls World Tour with LEGO® these school holidays Melbourne, Thursday 3 December 2020 – Whether you’re a pop diva or a rock superstar, enjoy an all access pass to LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre’s Troll-tastic Adventure during the summer school holidays! From 19 December 2020 – 27 January 2021, you can join the ultimate indoor LEGO® playground in celebrating the release of Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s movie, Trolls World Tour, along with the colourful LEGO Trolls sets by embracing your inner superstar! Come and learn how to perfect your air guitar skills, dance like a diva or build a LEGO instrument. The Troll-tastic LEGO Adventure will have a host of activities including: • Build your own Troll-tastic instrument: Are you excited to make some Trolls tunes? Create and build your own Troll-ified LEGO music instrument in your favourite genre. So, whether you’re a techno head or a pop diva come down and make some Troll-ific anthems! • Create your own hair-raising music video: Be the star of your very own LEGO Trolls music video! From a rock n’ roll ballad to a funky melody, test your skills by using stop motion to create a chart-topping music video on the movie maker • Spot the Trolls World Tour in Melbourne: See if you can find the Trolls touring around
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MINILAND Melbourne. Look closely for the Trolls characters on the LEGO streets of Melbourne for your chance to win a LEGO Trolls prize pack! • Selfie time: Now it’s your time to shine and take centre stage – pick a LEGO instrument and be part of the band…the crowd is waiting, don’t forget to show us your rock star moves! After enjoying the Troll-tastic Adventure in the attraction, you can stop at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre’s retail store where you’ll find imaginative LEGO sets inspired by the Trolls World Tour film. Located at Chadstone Shopping Centre, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is home to a LEGO model of Melbourne, various build and play zones, two rides, a 4D cinema, retail store and much more! The attraction is designed specifically for families with children aged 3-10. Adults must be accompanied by a child (except when visiting the retail store or attending Adult Night events). The attraction is open seven days per week during the school holidays. Guests must prebook their tickets online. For further information or to book tickets, visit: www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com.au
BOOK RELEASE
R
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
An India-Australia Cricket Story You Haven’t Read!
anga Plays Australia begins with a dream in Akkithimmanahalli, and ends in Niamong, a journey of twists and turns, fascinating characters and events interspersed.
Ranga Plays Australia is one of the best books I have read that initiates a child into an alien country while at the same time working as a text of study. I wonder how many can pull off something like this without even visiting the country. I remember a British writer who did the same in the detective genre (Inspector Ghote in Bombay series) without ever having been in the Country. Congratulations on what ought to be the RANGA Series of children's books. M. Bhaktavatsala, Bangalore It was interesting and it created a sort of little suspense as I wanted to know if Ranga could actually fulfil his dream or shall I say his big idea. I would give that a 9 out of 10. Anuj Kumar, London, England This delightful story comes with a sparkle of freshness and simplicity and the reader will be left wondering how much is fact and how much is the imagination of the author. The simple honesty of the characters mixed with the time honoured belief that “anything is possible”, leads us to travel with Ranga on a
journey that will enthral, amuse and at times have you relishing in a sentimentality that we all share when an unlikely hero is given a ‘leg-up’, just because his dream is a worthy one. S. K. Bandyopadhyay, Bangalore A "must-read" for all who love the game of cricket, who love the games youngsters play apart from cricket and who love the game of life in particular. And to those who say they don't like cricket much, read it anyway. You have a very pleasant surprise waiting for you. Gysbert Fine, Melbourne
Acquire your own copy online at: www.lulu.com/spotlight/ianburns
GETTING MARRIED IN AUSTRALIA Marriages and Divorces in Australia All of this data is based upon the National and state statistics on marriages and divorces, including same-sex couples. As per the Attorney General’s department, there are 9467 Commonwealth Registered Marriage Celebrants in Australia last month. Last year, 113,815 marriages were registered which is a decrease of 5,373 (4.5%) compared to 2018 (119,188). There were 49,116 divorces granted in Australia. There were 5,507 same-sex marriages last year, accounting for 4.8% of all marriages. Provisional data released for January to June this year shows a 31.9% decrease in marriages. Last year, Australia's crude marriage rate was 4.5 marriages per thousand estimated resident population. The crude marriage rate has decreased over time, from 5.5 marriages per thousand persons in 2009; and 6.0 marriages per thousand persons in 1999. Last year represents the second full year for which same-sex marriage data is available. Amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 enabling same-sex
couples to legally marry in Australia came into effect on 9 December 2017. Last year, the number of samesex marriages was 5,507, a decrease of 1,031 (15.8%) compared to 2018. Same-sex marriages represented 4.8% of all marriages in Australia. More female same-sex couples married (58.9% of all same-sex marriages) than male same-sex couples (41.1%). Out of these 97.1% of same-sex marriages were administered by a civil celebrant (5,347 marriages). For couples in same-sex marriages the median age for males was 39.3 years, and for females it was 36.5 years.
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FEATURE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
The Spice Queens Sarah Todd and Sabi unite for scratch cooking Indian flavours and fresh ideas
In 1999, Sabi’s husband, Uvaraja Hariramakrishnan, known as Raja, started to import these spices to Australia. Raja runs the business and has continued its success to be one of the market leaders in the industry. He enjoys sourcing the world’s finest ingredients to reach Australia in the shortest transit time. He is dedicated to using his top contacts to ensure quality and consistency is met in a timely manner. Every Pattu product is like gold, treated with the same respect now as it did many years ago in the traditional kitchen. Raja confirms, ‘Even products like ginger garlic paste, content is the key using more than 94% fresh ginger and garlic, maintaining the freshness.’ In addition to the minimum time from grind to consumer, Pattu has expanded its range in Australia. More products to enjoy are lentils, beans, oils, chutneys, rice, flour and a variety of sauces. Creatively and genuinely, Pattu brings the essence of Indian cuisine to its full potential and has the capacity to reach every home in Australia.
T
ime to get excited and learn some quick and easy hero recipes through the magnificent Celebrity Chef Sarah Todd, showcased on Farm to Fork, Season 2, every weekday from 4 pm on Network 10.
India, ‘In spices, freshness is our secret. Our strong distribution network gets the spice products into the stores from our base in Malaysia within the minimum time it is ground, ensuring freshness is delivered to the end users in Australia.’
Although, Indian cuisine is absolutely delicious, it’s taken the back seat in home cooking across households within Australia. This is attributed to the often laborious and multiple techniques required to make an authentic Indian dish. However, thanks to Sarah Todd and Farm to Fork, cooking flavoursome Indian food just got easier. In one word – Pattu.
Sabi also has a strong professional and emotional connection to the brand and its name. Her pioneering grandfather, Mr Nallathambi, set up the business of grinding spices in India, for the daily use of everyday cooking. He named the brand Pattu, after his wife, which means silk in Tamil. He then took the spice milling business to Singapore, and in the 1970’s, Sabi’s father took over the business and began the packed and packaged version of the freshly milled spices for convenience and to retain freshness.
Pattu is a brand of popular products, synonymous with quality spices and Indian food. Taste the Tradition is the company’s motto and their success, since its inception in the 1950s, is due to the quality and consistency of their ingredients. Sabitha Uvaraja, known as Sabi, from Pattu (Sabi Foods), elaborates in an interview with G’day
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It’s no secret that Celebrity Chef Sarah Todd has a strong affiliation with Indian cuisine, her recipes are amazing and capture the essence of Indian cooking. In her own words, ‘I have this wonderful memory of my son’s paternal grandmother cooking traditional Indian food for the family while watching a Bollywood movie. There were no measuring cups or even a recipe. She cooked recipes handed down to her from her mother and the generations before her. Spices were balanced perfectly, and the meals were cooked with love. The dishes become the best version of themselves. This is the essence of Indian cuisine.’ For years, Sarah’s advocated affordable and fresh ingredients, and her love for achieving full flavoured food in a respectable time frame is commendable. Sarah’s secret is Pattu. She highlights, ‘Pattu spices are fragrant and vibrant in colour. The moment you open a packet you can instantly smell the freshness, which is why they are my first choice.’
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
you. ‘The key to creating these authentic dishes is to use authentic products. For this reason, I use the extensive range of Pattu spices. From the simplest preparation of cumin honey roasted carrots to the traditional butter chicken, Pattu spices bring the ingredients alive without overpowering them,’ she says. Raja mentions, ‘Sarah knows her spices and Pattu very well. She impressed Sabi. Sarah also shared with us her Pattu favourites and why. She also advises to get the most out of your product by covering packets with foil once opened or place the spices in a sealed jar away from heat and direct sunlight.’
It’s obvious why Sarah keeps winning hearts with her cooking style and recipes, especially as she’s joined Farm to Fork as one of the hosts. Here, she encourages scratch cooking – simple recipes, finest ingredients, limited time. Sarah cooks from the heart and doesn’t compromise on quality ingredients. She shares, ‘Often people think Indian food is difficult to cook and can be overwhelming for the novice cook. My goal is to prove that home cooks can master the art of Indian cuisine if they have the right ingredients and the willingness to give it a go. I hope, through Farm to Fork, the recipes I create will encourage viewers to try them at home.’ Recently, Mr Tonee Sethi from G’day India, met up with Sabi and Sarah Todd on set, during a Farm to Fork film session, while the ladies were cooking up a scratch storm. He witnessed first-hand how easy it is to utilise Pattu’s range and freshness along with Sarah’s easy Indian recipes to cook flavoursome, healthy food. ‘It’s going to win hearts and taste buds all over Australia,’ Mr Sethi confesses, ‘and the aroma coming from the Pattu Swede Coconut Dahl and Pattu Aloo Gobi dishes made me dizzy with delight.’ However, utilising Pattu’s range of quality ingredients helps Sarah achieve not just food that tastes good, but food that is good for
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sweet to mild to hot. 6. Garam Masala – blend of ground spices adding warmth, sweetness and a touch of heat. Farm to Fork is produced by Dual Entertainment, a top end media and marketing company founded and led by media professionals Darren Anderson and Rikki-Lee Lacco. The show is all about encouraging people to cook, showcase great recipes from all cuisines and educate through food awareness. It’s paramount that the show’s content makes sense to home cooks; to deliver recipes that home cooks want to try and include great products that the home viewers can readily buy. Farm to Fork, Season 2, delivers a strong Indian influence to households within Australia. According to Mr Anderson the producer, Indian cuisine is ‘…increasing in popularity because it’s delicious and more people are trying it. Shows like Farm to Fork are encouraging people to try cooking it at home, which is so very simple with the access to great products like Pattu.’ Pattu products can be found at all good Indian stores and Coles.
Sarah Todd’s Pattu Favourites: 1. Chilli Powder Kashmiri – adds colour and flavour without being too spicy. 2. Cinnamon Powder – aromatic, versatile and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. 3. Cumin Powder – warm and earthy flavour used in stews, soups and gravies. 4. Coriander Powder – lemon flavour with floral aroma used in spice rubs, marinades, sauces, soups and curries. 5. Chilli – a must have item for any pantry is Pattu’s chilli. They have plenty of options, from
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Keeping in mind that Farm to Fork promotes tasty and innovative recipes to reach home cooks, Mr Anderson adds ‘Pattu is authentic and of a very high quality, so we feel real comfort in endorsing and using their product on the show. We felt we had a responsibility to showcase Indian cuisine far more prominently this season, so having a partner like Pattu to work with, and ensuring we are getting the message right was vital for the show.’ If you haven’t already tried Pattu products, especially the spices, watch Farm to Fork and reinvent the way you cook at home. You’ll gain insight into the quality and easy to access products, along with fantastic recipes by Sarah Todd. All this and more to share and enjoy the essence of Indian cuisine any day of the week and special occasion. By Agata Zema
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‘Soul House’
PEOPLE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Created by Daizy Maan, the Australian South Asian Women’s Wellness Space offers South Asian women a chance to rest, recover, connect, and gather strength through sisterhood.
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Diwali gathering and fundraiser at the South Asian Women’s Wellness Space (also know as the Soul House)
t just 26, Daizy Maan has a dizzying list of accomplishments and wisdom that extends beyond her years. From being the youngest manager at Deakin University’s startup initiative, to leading the Australian Digital Job Accelerator program, her newest venture has been to create a healing haven for South Asian women. G’Day India spoke to Daizy about her inspiration and journey to establish the Women’s Wellness Space, which she calls ‘soul house’ with love. Daizy Maan spoke to us from the Wellness Space, which spans over three cottages in the Dandenong Ranges, one of which she lives in. Warm afternoon sunlight streamed in through the large windows in the spacious, cosy room, through which we glimpsed the sprawling lush greenery of the mountains. Daizy, who moved into one of the cottages a few months ago, realised that there were two more cottages neighbouring hers, and thought of helping South Asian women in difficult home environments by providing them with the opportunity to stay there. Daizy explained that during COVID, any excuse to stay out of home had been taken
away from these women, leaving them increasingly vulnerable in their toxic home environments. Musing on this, Daizy was inspired to create a space where these women could come to stay, rest, and experience sisterhood. ‘I didn’t have a strategic plan, I just went with what sounds right and trusted my gut, and COVID has helped me reflect and realise what’s important to me. I’ve been very fortunate, but I thought there’s something missing and I want to do some sort of seva that’s a bit beyond what I’m already doing,’ Daizy confessed. As soon as she had the idea, Daizy shared her own story of abuse online and started fundraising for the initiative, putting her own savings into the project too. In just a short time, she had taken a lease on the full acre with all three cottages and opened its doors to women who could contact her and ask to stay there. ‘After experiencing abuse from my family when I was younger, I decided now that I wanted to do something for other women. It’s quite common, especially in the Punjabi
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community, to get abused at home physically, emotionally and financially, but we’ve had women from South India, Pakistan, and from all different areas that have come and stayed here, and they just pay what they can afford to. Seven women have stayed here so far and twelve have visited,’ Daizy informed. The program is on a six-month pilot and has evolved from the time of its conception. ‘Originally it was just for women undergoing domestic abuse and then I realised this stigma is huge, and after one month of operating this I’ve had to make some changes,’ explained Daizy. While initially she had expected people to stay for a few weeks and fill up forms to apply to stay there, she quickly realised that writing down their trauma was hard, and many women weren’t filling up the forms and often wouldn’t commit to staying for as long as they intended. Fortified by this knowledge, Daizy made it easier for the women to contact her through Facebook, enabling them to reach her, or ambassadors who had already stayed in the Wellness Space, by phone. ‘I just invite them to come for Chai and I talk to them, and if they feel confident, I invite them to stay
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
here,’ said Daizy. While a lot of women aren’t used to leaving their homes and get scared, often changing their mind about staying for a longer time, what worries Daizy is that often these women don’t have a sense of independence, and aren’t aware of what their rights are. ‘I had one woman who stayed here and said to me “oh no my husband is not abusive but he just hit me once…twice,” and then she went on to say that he did all these very abusive things but obviously she didn’t have a language for abuse,’ said Daizy, who realised that many women in difficult situations weren’t getting in touch because of the language she’d used to describe their experience. ‘Now I’ve changed it to say all women are
welcome, whether they’re in toxic homes or not. They can just come and relax. If I say it’s a place for women in domestic abuse, they might not consider themselves victims of that. If someone asked if I was getting domestically abused when I was 19, I would say no, but I was being hit, I was being choked, I was being hurt. There’s a reason why Indian and South Asian women are not using the existing domestic violence support services available, because the language makes you feel like a victim. I don’t want to be called a domestic abuse survivor and be victimised. These women are actually very strong, they just need some time to find themselves again, to find their own power to reclaim their strength.’ Daizy shared the story of one of the guests there—a woman who got married at 22 because of family pressure and stopped pursuing her PhD to try to fix her marriage. ‘A lot of the time, these women form dependent and toxic relationships, because their parents were overprotective and raised very dependent daughters who went on to be dependent on their husbands. If those husbands are abusive, it becomes a very toxic relationship and it’s not easy to leave. They’re not going to leave, they’re going to do everything to make their marriage work, so I never judge the women who come here, I don’t say don’t go back to your husband. I say it’s up to you,’ Daizy reassured. However, after staying for one night,
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the woman sent Daizy a message—’I felt so energised from just spending one day with you at the Soul House…I want to let you know that I finally gathered the courage to speak to my parents about my situation, and that I’m planning on getting a divorce…Thank you immensely for empowering me, I love you so much.’ With an emphasis on creating a nonjudgemental space, Daizy runs a guided meditation session most nights, and is curating a series of talks by inspiring women including civil rights activist Valarie Kaur and burlesque performer and activist Sukki Singapora. ‘We have a good time, we dance, we eat food and it’s fun and that’s important. It’s not up to me to tell them what to do, even if they’re in an abusive home, they know what’s happening to them is wrong. I don’t need to tell them—I just need to provide a space where they feel loved and cared for.’ Musing on what legacy she wants to leave, Daizy said ‘I’ve seen a lot of suffering in the world, and I don’t want other people to go through suffering. I’ve always been a very sensitive soul, I went through my own mental breakdown when I was 19 and ended up in the Himalayas meditating.’ Gathering inspiration from the ashram, she goes to every year to recharge, and from her own experience with abuse and healing, Daizy Maan has created a worthy haven known as the Australian South Asian Women’s Wellness Space. This ‘soul house’ invites self-reflection, growth and rest. In addition, the generous, resilient and trailblazing Daizy is quickly becoming a luminous role model to young South Asian women, who look up to her with admiration, just as she looks to the inspiring women who came before her. By Shivani Prabhu
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CELEBRATE INDIA
Virtual Diwali
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
a Festival of Positivity & Hope
MELBOURNE, Nov 07: As promoted, Diwali 2020 was celebrated virtually due to Covid restrictions. The team took these restrictions as an opportunity to reach out to artists from other states and overseas as well as invite the global audiences. It was truly a new unique experience for all including a very helpful team of Fed Square which helped in our live stream. Some unique celebrations included: Celebrate India took responsibility to share some positivity by initiative on Facebook, by encouraging the community to share how they are managing their lockdown, learning new art, dance and their ways to pass the time. -Followed by establishing of COVID ART GALLERY- where people shared their art and craft projects with well over 65 artworks were received, including from India and other states, - "Indian Cooking Masterclass" by a very well-known chef, Mr Jassie Singh of ‘Horn Please’, ‘Daughter in Law’, ‘Auntiji’ (in Sydney) very popular among Melburnians.
Also invited were international students to attend and the first 125 students registered were personally delivered with a Diwali gift pack which included over 2 months of groceries and sweets. These packs were sponsored by Indya Foods. -"Sing for Diwali competition" went to another height with massive response from all age groups and the recently concluded last Cross Religious competition for the year, "Light for Diwali to XMAS" was very popular again bringing a large number of homes as well as a few business entries included from non- Indian and international students. - Once Vic Premier announced the outdoor gathering of 10 people, we were able to manage and launch the Diwali festival in our own style with the construction of a very large and unique Rangoli with the fresh fruits and vegetables. (7.5 meters in diameter). All vegetables and fruits later on the day were donated to the Food for Life program by Iskcon. Putting together a cultural program focusing only on the folk and traditional
dances from various regions of India highlighting the colors, depth and diversity of Indian culture. The Kath Putli to Sidi Goma dance, from children dance Goti Pua to Haryanvi dance, from Oddisi to Kathak dance, there was something for everyone. Our local groups found new ways and joined with artists in India to prepare acts. Many team members and a large part of our community was shocked and disturbed by the sudden demise of a young, very popular actor, Sushant Singh Rajput who was a humanitarian as well as an environmentalist with so many of his unfinished projects. Celebrate India team decided to honor his short but very successful and meaningful life with a special tribute to SSR with a special dance on one of his song along with a donation of 75 ornamental trees, plants and seating to Parks Victoria who is helping in establishing a SUSHANT POINT in the Werribee mansion for all Indians to visit and remember him to celebrate his life. In this project we were supported by the Aussizz group. Sushant Point, which is very close to its front entrance, will be ready by this Xmas. The program reach on facebook alone was over mammoth 378.8k internationally while the website had over 1250 visits in 2 hours alone beside the additional reach on our YouTube, vimeo and FB of Fed Square. (GDI M.R)
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OPINION
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Invisible Racism – Do you think it exists?
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BY KARTHIK ARASU President of “Australia India Sports Council
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ustralia is a beautiful and welcoming country, where we celebrate multiculturalism not tolerate it, unlike many other countries. Multiculturalism is truly ingrained in our society in every aspect ‘BUT’ still there is an underlying hidden part of our society which sees the color, language, race, food & name and differentiates based on it. This form of racism often eludes our eye as it is covert and invisible. In the streets, shops & states we subconsciously notice a certain dislike, discord, or disengagement by some. However, we move on thinking it’s nothing or we are being misunderstood. Have we ever pondered why it happens to particular communities and not happens to others? Do we see the invisible element of racism here? Not all racism is visible. A store vendor might be cold towards you as a customer based on your looks; an employer might reject an application because of your ethnicity or name; and a child could be bullied or harassed at school playgrounds for their language or food. Racism happens in many different ways - not only via bullying, abusing, or intimidating. It could be because of typecasting or stereotyping a race, making jibes, jokes, name-calling or negative comments about a particular ethnic group or race, excluding someone from groups because they’re different or don’t belong are also racism. These kinds of racism can be much harder to address; sometimes even the victims don’t realise it’s happening to them. Around one in five Australians say they have experienced verbal abuse or namecalling. More than one in twenty Australians say they have been physically attacked because of their race. Racism is more than just words or actions. It also includes the invisible barriers, big and small, that can prevent people from doing as well in life as others simply because of their cultural background. (Source: https://humanrights. gov.au/sites/default/files/whatisracism.pdf) What’s in a Name? Helen Kapalos famous TV personality & Ex Victorian Multicultural Commissioner said she faced resistance early in her career
to her Greek heritage, with one TV boss asking her to tone down her ethnicity and change her surname. A Harvard study found job candidates were more likely to get an interview when they “whitened” their name. Many have changed their names just to fit in the environment around them. You will see so many Sams and Daves in your day-to-day life. Unfortunately, in an attempt to fit in, it’s so open and almost a norm to have a name which is Anglicized, so you feel and act the part. If you are in the hospitality, sales or retail sector and have an Ethnic name you will need extra time at work to explain your name. Many change their names partly in the assumption, an anglicized name may elevate them. Parents from multicultural communities often face difficult times explaining to their children why their names are different and why it’s their most important identity. It’s important to have that conversation so the child feels proud of their name not feel shy about it. I for one never changed mine and yes I still go through a hard time explaining how to say it when I meet someone new, but I take pleasure in it, it’s my name, and I am proud of it. Electoral Racism: Ask any council election candidate from the ethnic community and they will say how their names played a major part in the elections. I know some who have changed their first names just before nomination, and many have received votes without any campaign or being known to the community just with the strength of their names on the ballot paper. Social racism: This is the hard one, often passed on as jokes, one will say anything to you, call you names, mock your food, accent, appearance and say it’s the Aussie way - toughen up buddy. No, it’s not the Aussie way, giving a fair go to anyone and rooting for the underdog is the True Blue Aussie way. In today’s world, hardly anyone would say using racial slur is acceptable,
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but still many actively use it. Subtle forms of racism exist, but they are often dismissed or brushed under the carpet and even the victims are blamed for it. Systematic racism, institutional racism, stereotypes both negative & positive, just a simple bias due to the different background routinely go unnoticed due to fear and ignorance. Of course, there is another ugly side to this that is when someone blames the other person as racist just to get away from their mistakes. This destroys the struggle of the real victims and gives ammunition to the racist. If someone says or does something out of lack of understanding or ignorance, educate first rather than fight as this will go a long way in removing the stenches of racism from society. Covert racial discrimination often exists concealed and hidden in the fabric of society, it discriminates equally as any other form of racism. Racially biased decisions in the workplace are often passed on as a bitter pill coated in honey and rationalised in ways we tend to accept. If you see or notice any discrimination, speak up, racism is more than an individual issue as it shackles our society and darkens our future. So, the next time don’t laugh when a racist joke is told just to fit in, walk away from offenders and make sure they know what they are doing to you and our society. Don’t try to fit in; you are already an invaluable part of this beautiful golden land. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (up to age 25), Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Mental Health Foundation Australia on 1300 643 287 Author: Karthik Arasu is a social and political activist, who has been involved with various initiatives for the multicultural community in Australia. He is currently the President of “Australia India Sports Council”.
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FEATURE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
The No-Nonsense Junior MasterChef
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ev and his Signature Smoked Chicken “I love to try to create authentic flavours in my cooking, and love to cook with good quality produce.” Dev’s first memory of cooking is at the age of four: “When Mum would give me some dough to knead and roll to make roti, or mix/ prepare ingredients.” During the pandemic, I not only watched reruns of my favourite TV shows but became an enormous fan of MasterChef. It kept me going in the kitchen, as well as sparking ways of keeping my mind occupied with writing. Then it finished and I too got occupied with my writing – and then Junior MasterChef happened. This one interview lifts my spirits. It’s not every day I get to meet a genius who is just thirteen. This is what happens when you start getting glued to Junior MasterChef 2020. His charcoal smoked chicken kebab was enough to spark my curiosity. According to Judge Andy from MasterChef, Dev has the recipe for being a professional chef (and I think so too). What was I doing at the age of 13? Probably eating, reading and being a snob on home-cooked meals. As I sit by on Melbourne Cup weekend waiting to start my Zoom chat with Dev and his mother, I notice the thirteen-year-old, shy yet confident, tell his mother he will be “just fine
taking the interview with me”. Born in Melbourne of Indian parents who migrated to Australia back in 2002, Dev is thirteen and currently in grade eight. Cooking is his passion and this junior chef does it at least a couple of times a week (and much more frequently during school holidays). Other than cooking, he is learning classical guitar and has passed level four of AMEB. Dev loves tennis and played competitive tennis in pre-COVID days, representing his local club. His dad, Parimal, works in retail management and his mum, Shuchi, is a business owner. His younger brother Sydh is eleven and his tennis buddy. Both his parents are great cooks and like any foodie household, most evenings when not doing different activities, they’re cooking as a family. I like it when he tells me they all quite often went out together to eat, especially before the lockdowns, and they try different cuisines. Dev loves the way food creates happiness and brings people together. His innovation and creativity allow him to adore food from various cuisines. He takes pride in cooking French, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, American, etc. But his favourite cuisine to both eat and cook is the diverse flavour of rich Indian food, as it’s a representation of his heritage. “I love to try to create authentic flavours in my cooking, and love to cook with various good quality produce.”
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As for Dev, he’s been learning to cook since as long as he can remember. I think credit goes to his mother, as she always wanted him and his brother to be independent. The proud Indian son says that his mother encouraged them to learn cooking. As we ask Dev’s mother to join us in our Zoom chat, I can see the adoration and pride they share for each other. His first memory of cooking is at the age of four, when his mum would give him some dough to knead and roll to make roti, or have him help to mix/prepare ingredients. Dev’s mother is the backbone to his culinary expertise with various flavours and cooking processes. The first full meal that he cooked independently was when he was in grade four. That was a Mother’s Day breakfast, a combination of scrambled eggs on toast and buttermilk pancakes. That one meal was enough to start Dev on a roll for his fascination for cooking. Dev says that he always tries to create authentic taste in the dishes that he cooks, including all the dishes he made in Junior MasterChef. Smoking technique and flavour is an integral part of many Indian cuisines, and he wanted to showcase that. Dev proved to us that if we respect food, food will automatically respect us. Smoked chicken is one of his favourite dishes; he endorses eating it almost too much.
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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His favourite memory is when the judges tasted his food in the first episode of Junior MasterChef. Dev was very nervous, as it was his first offering in the competition. But the judges were very impressed with his dish and they gave him fantastic feedback, which for him was surreal. During the tasting, the judges asked him to get family photos, and at that moment Dev felt like his parents and his brother were there with him. The judges got a bit emotional, which can be the best compliment any cook can ever get. He was humbled and superhappy at the same time. Then he made chocolate mousse with passionfruit centre sphere, which is quite an intricate dessert. The judges loved it so much that it was compared to Raynold Poernomo and Jess Lemon from MasterChef. Raynold is, of course, Dev’s favourite dessert chef, and to be compared to him was an amazing feedback. Dev is an instinctive cook and masters easily what he sees. He tries cooking different things that he’s seen or has eaten somewhere. But in the last few years, along with learning from his mum and dad, he has managed to teach himself how to cook through different recipes, online videos and from family friends. When I ask how MasterChef has transformed his life, The Junior MasterChef humbly tells me he is just happy that he got this opportunity. It has been a great learning experience, which will help him take his cooking to much higher levels. The constructive feedback from the judges taught him time management skills: cooking a dish lost while attempting to recreate Kirsten Tibbals’ lemon meringue tart in the semifinals. I think I was more nervous than him when the pastry cracked, but I give full marks to this young chef who went beyond words, picking himself up and completing the dish. Watch out for this junior chef, as he always goes beyond and above. For someone who has never cooked beef before, he has gone on bravely to not only perfect a juicy beef steak, but ambitiously take it to the next level. I see him as a professional chef in the making. Dr Seuss comes to mind: “You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.’’ under 75 minutes was all part of his journey in shaping him as a cook. Most importantly, he learnt about working under pressure. Not everything goes according to plan. There is nothing worse than getting eliminated with an immunity up your sleeve – this has happened before, earlier this year in senior MasterChef, when big names were kicked off. It doesn’t matter how talented you are; the pressure can be one’s worst enemy. Dev made the brave move by using his immunity. However, the cool, calm, collected boy who never cracks under pressure
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By Nandita Chakraborty
(Nandita is an Author, Screen Writer, Blogger and a foodie. nanditachakrabortyauthor.com.au)
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FEATURE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Children’s education top priority for Indians
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ll parents want the best for their children’ is a centuries old truth. For Indian parents this is by providing them with the best education, confirms a survey.
investing in a house trumps building a corpus for their child’s education.
Scripbox recommends that while individual investment goals are important, investors must have a holistic approach Women, 55 per cent, more than men, to their planning. They should begin by 43 per cent, make investing in their child’s having a financial plan in place that takes education a top long-term goal, said the into account different goals at different survey done by Scripbox, a digital wealth life stages. With education costs, right management service. from pre-primary to university having escalated faster than inflation over the In addition, investing in their children’s last decade or so, Scripbox offers the education is prioritised by Indians in both following recommendations for Indians to metros and non-metros, it said. While be prepared. investing to put aside an emergency fund emerged as the most important shortWork backwards while planning for the term goal, owing to the current pandemic, amount required. For a private college investing in children’s education (46 education in India, the fee over the next per cent) topped other goals such as decade can be anywhere between Rs retirement (43 per cent), healthcare (37 8-15 lakh for the entire graduation course per cent) or buying a house (29 per cent). and a similar amount reaching up to Rs 25 lakh or so for post-graduation. After The survey included 630+ respondents accounting for a 12 per cent escalation in in the age bracket of 25-55+ years across annual education cost, it is an expense India. An equal number of men and of around Rs 14 lakh on an average and women responded to the survey. Among upwards. This means you need a sum the total number of respondents, 50 upwards of Rs 4.5 lakh each year for percent were under the age of 35. three years to fund higher education. In addition, factoring in a yearly increase, The survey points to different priorities recommend upping the yearly investment for those over the age of 35 years amount by 5-10 per cent. and those below. For those above 35, investing in their child’s education, 58 If you have time on your side, start a per cent, is by far their top priority. For systematic investment plan (SIP) in an millennials, those under 35 years of age, equity mutual fund. This will require you
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to invest every month regularly in an equity mutual fund, an amount that will accumulate gains over the next few years to help you achieve that target amount. When you get closer to needing the money, move the corpus to a debt fund for safety of capital. The monthly SIP amount should be such that your equity investment itself grows to achieve the target amount net of taxes, while debt is simply for safety. If you are planning to send your child out of the country for education it is essential to invest in a basket of algorithmically selected Indian and US mutual funds. You can invest in the US mutual funds via an international fund of funds. This hedges against the appreciating US dollar. If you have less than 5 years to fund the education expense, then opt for a 50-50 equity and debt allocation. At the same time begin by investing whatever lump sum you can in equity. Remember, equity investments need time to mature. In the short term, daily market volatility can bear negatively on returns. Hence, the sooner you start, the higher the chances of achieving your expected return. An early start also means lower monthly investment. By Puja Gupta
LEGAL
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Separation and superannuation split
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BY GURPAL SINGH
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ccumulated monetary superannuation is a major asset in addition to the house(s) and/ or business requires division between warring spouses in the event of irretrievable breakdown of relationship/marriage. Interestingly though, superannuation differs from other types of property as it is held in trust and is not immediately available for use. The law allows separating couples to value their superannuation and split the payments so agreed eighter by superannuation agreement or by the order of the court. It seems to be not mandatory, though. Couples can also make a superannuation agreement before or during their marriage or relationship about how any superannuation will be treated at the time of split. Like other property the superannuation is required to be divided on the principles of ‘just and equitable’ on the facts of the case including but not limited to the direct financial contribution by each of the party during the relationship. Provided that a superannuation agreement complies with the legal requirements, the agreement is binding. And if the agreement is binding, then the trustees of a superannuation fund are required by law to implement it; and the court is not able to make an order about the superannuation interest that is dealt within the superannuation agreement.
There are different types of superannuation including the defined benefit interest, growth-based superannuation interest, payments phased superannuation interest, partially vested accumulated interest, percentage only interest. One also requires to understand the unflaggable and unsplittable interest. The superannuation splitting legislation draws the methods of valuing most types of superannuation subject to the following exceptions including a. self-managed superannuation funds -are generally valued with the assistance of an expert like an accountant, and b. the fund approved by the Attorney- General using a different valuation method. An eligible person can apply to the trustee of a superannuation fund for information about the superannuation interest of a member. An eligible person is (a) a member of the fund, (b). the spouse of the member, (c). if the member of spouse of the member has died, the deceased person’s legal personal representative, or (d). a person who intends to enter into a superannuation agreement with the member. The information can only be sought to either properly negotiate the superannuation agreement or in connection with family law proceedings in which the superannuation interest is likely to be considered. A payment splitting agreement must specify an amount – known as the ‘base amount’, a method for calculating the base amount, or a percentage that is to apply to all splittable payments made in respect of the superannuation interest. However, for percentage only interests in both the growth phase and payment phase, the only agreement which can be made is to specify a percentage – hence the title ‘percentage only’ interest.
The parties are entitled to defer making a decision about the split in a superannuation interest. Such a situation is called flagging agreement which effectively prevents a trustee from making any payment out of the superannuation interest until the flag is lifted. If a superannuation interest is a defined benefit interest, it is not possible to actually value the interest until a condition of release is met and the member can know, with certainty, what a superannuation interest is actually worth the dollars amount. If a member spouse is close to the condition of release, the parties may decide that rather than agree on how to split the superannuation now, it was sensible to wait until the condition of release is met, and the actual value of the interest is known before making such a decision about the interest. Once the flagging agreement becomes operative, generally after four days of its service on trustees, it injuncts the trustee from making any payments out of the superannuation interest until the flag is lifted. The flag can be lifted with an agreement between the parties or with the court order. It should specify the split in the superannuation interest on the basis of previous decision while making a flagging order. The superannuation splitting carries tax implications and need to be attended to prior to finalising the agreement between the parties. The splitting agreement becomes binding when the requirements of the splitting laws have been complied. However, the agreement is not binding unless each party obtains independent legal advice. It's obligatory for the parties to get in touch with the legal representative and seek direction in respect of this cumbersome and highly technical process of law.
Gurpal Singh is the principal lawyer of Melbourne law firm, Saundh Singh & Smith Lawyers | W: www.sssl.com.au
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FEATURE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Layering of fragrances helps you discover your scent
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he strength and profile of the fragrance are the two most important points to be kept in mind while choosing a perfume, explains perfume curator Sheetal Desai. Desai has been in the industry for almost three decades and is the founder of wiSDom Fragrances, an independent fragrance design house. The expert shares a few tips and tricks related to using perfumes, and speaks about the different aspects to keep in mind while selecting fragrances. Excerpts from the interview:
differently to the same fragrance. We all perceive fragrances differently. Once we are on the same page, I understand what kind of notes the person likes and how far are they open to trying or experimenting with new notes. Based on that, I start the designing process and its many trials and errors before I decide on sampling the fragrance to the customer. The client then wears it for a couple of days before they come back on how well it suits their skin and how they felt about the fragrance. If any modifications are required, then that will be incorporated, and the bottle is supplied with their name and formulation. This fragrance actually becomes their signature fragrance.
How do you curate perfumes? What are the points you look for? What points should be kept in mind while choosing a perfume that suits a Desai: To curate perfumes, I mainly dive personality? deeper to understand the personality of the person and his/her nature, whether Desai: Strength and the profile of the he/she is joyful or a workaholic etc. I fragrance are the two most important also understand the dominating mood factors. If you are a young bubbly and preferences of people and also the personality, your fragrance should be a occasions that he/she is looking forward to vivacious fruity floral or citrus fougere. wear the perfumes at. If you are a person with mature and classic taste you select from florals or Tell us the process behind the making of a woody notes and if you are more of an customised perfume? adventurous person than the world is your playground! Also some personalities can Desai: Customising a fragrance is like carry loud fragrances whereas others are customising a suit for a man or a dress more tuned towards subtle intensity. for a woman. Fragrances are customised for your personality. It’s important What is a layered fragrance and why is it to understand the person and their different? sensitivities and preferences. At the same time, it’s all a trial-and-error process. As Desai: Layering of fragrances is when you fragrances are very subjective and two mix 2 or 3 fragrances to curate your own different persons can react completely unique scent. Layering helps you discover
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your scent, makes it unique and you can wear it as per your mood or occasion or your outfit. Tell us some tips and tricks related to perfumes. Desai: 4 Use fragrance on your hair (not scalp). It makes your hair smell heavenly and also stays for a long time. 4 Never rub your wrist when using a fragrance unless it is ittar. 4 If you like the stronger fragrance then look at the concentration of the fragrance, usually anything that is 20 percent and above is very rich and long lasting. Also, the profile matters. I often hear people want long lasting and that also depends on the profile. So, most fragrances that have gourmand notes, woody notes or musky last much longer. 4 Strong fragrances do not always mean they are very high in quality. Fine fragrances need a beautiful balance of notes. 4 Before buying a big bottle always go for the miniature to see how it suits your skin. 4 Buy fragrances based on what suits you and not what you smell on others. That can be a cue to your liking, but it does not mean it will smell the same on you. By Puja Gupta
EMPOWERING DESTINY
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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Your New Life Demands a New You Every Day is a Choice: What’s Your Strategy to Achieve Success? BY BARINDERJEET KAUR
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ach day presents a choice. Living life in a certain manner is just one of the many daily decisions. Everyone has their way of thinking and making decisions. These behaviours impact life positively or negatively. Should you grow or remain the same? What is your life strategy? We each have a strategy, whether you’re aware of this or not. When we think about strategy, this can be simplified as what gets you from where you are now to where you want to be. The steps to progress and close the gap ¬¬¬¬–– that’s strategy. But the real question is, do you have the right strategy? Do you have the right strategy to help you understand what should be the next important step to achieve results faster? Do you have the desire to accomplish more? Do you see other high achievers and think they are blessed to have it all ¬¬–– wealth, growth, and success? Do you think to yourself that those high achievers are different, and growth is not for everybody? Well, here are 3 reasons why you’re stuck and are unable to elevate to the next level of success: 1. Break the routine: Many people come to me because they want to grow and reach new heights. They want to achieve new heights, but they are held back by their past. What do I mean by that? They are unwilling to leave their old place and want to go to the new place. Think about it. Is it possible to
visit a new place while remaining at home? No, it’s not! To reach new heights, we need to leave our current mindset to achieve more success. This requires departing from our old thinking style to achieve different results. The important thing to understand is that your new dream demands a new you. Your new life demands a new you. To bring a different level of success, you need to bring different levels of changes. Bigger dreams demand bigger risks, fast-growth demands fast action, and different results demand different thinking. Albert Einstein once said, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is a form of insanity”. Running the same pattern and the same strategy means you are operating your business with the same style, thinking, and decision-making strategies. A different approach, perspective, and mindset are required. There is no secret recipe for growth. Your better life demands a better version of you. So, to achieve the next level of success, you must work on yourself. 2. Leave the comfort zone: Operating in your old style is comfortable, convenient, and familiar. After overcoming challenges, we’re ready to reap the rewards. And no doubt you are reaping the rewards. But deep down inside you want more, you desire bigger rewards, but are not ready to leave your comfort zone. Because you have already accomplished a lot in the past, and it is common to equate future success with the amount of energy exerted in the past. Successful people work smarter ¬¬–– they value time, understand the importance of support, and specifically the right support which contributes to achieving results faster.
The things that brought you here are not the things that will take you to new heights. Your decision to work alone until now was good enough to achieve the rewards thus far and now it’s important to understand that new levels demand a new you, a new strategy, a new mindset, which is possible through the right support because two minds are better than one. People hire a coach for the exact same reason. It’s important to understand and recognize what needs to be changed or shifted. When we think about change, our minds think about bigger results equal bigger changes. That’s why working with a coach creates results because many times that shift is not a major one, as small shifts can bring major changes that a coach is aware of and can support. 3. Your perception is your reality: Success has a different meaning to different people and sometimes that could be intimidating. Many times, people equate success to loss of comfort, loss of a relationship, loss of neighbours, or something else. And this perception makes a huge difference. They start to create a pattern unconsciously, which eventually hinders their growth. Now, it’s your turn to reflect: • Have you been doing the same thing for years and are operating your business in the same manner and secretly expect success? • Have you ever equated your success to a loss of some kind? If you answered YES to any of the questions above and are serious about making a change in your personal life, career or business then contact me at 0426886501 to book a complimentary strategy session.
Barinderjeet Kaur is a Life coach and human behavior specialist based in Melbourne. | Facebook page: Empower Your Destiny
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WYNDHAM DIWALI
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Diwali Light Shines Bright in 2020
MELBOURNE, Nov 21: The Festival of Lights known as Diwali and Deepavali is an important festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. The festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil, purity over impurity, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. During the festival, those celebrating illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with candles and lanterns and share meals with families and friends. The festival also serves as an opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate. Wyndham Diwali has played a central role in bringing communities together to celebrate and share this important festival with the broader community for 8 years.
Despite the challenges of Covid-19, the Wyndham Diwali virtual online Festival in 2020 provided an opportunity for the spirit and meaning of Diwali and Indian culture to be shared with all Victorians, and for other cultures to participate in Diwali celebrations. Over 45 performances Indian, and from other cultures, were live streamed on Facebook, MeTV and YouTube, along with Diwali messages from the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Premier Daniel Andrews, Leader of the Opposition Michael O’Brien and other State and Federal Ministers and Members of Parliament. Diwali messages were also livestreamed from Ms. Viv Nguyen, Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, Mr.
Eddie Micallef, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, and numerous cross-cultural leaders. “The Wyndham Diwali 2020 Festival was true to our organisations vision which is Many Cultures – One Nation’’ Mr. Srinivas Shesham, Chairperson of Wyndham Diwali Inc, said, “It serves as a platform for celebrational and learning about other cultures, which is turn builds cultural tolerance and community cohesion.’’ On the day, thousands of Victorians and international participants came together in the spirit of Diwali to spread positive cheer, mark the start of new beginnings, and enjoy the vast array of enthusiastic performances ranging from those taking their first steps in the performing arts to professional performers. “It is fantastic to see the Wyndham Diwali 2020 Virtual Festival performances continue to be viewed online weeks after the official festival live stream event’’ Mr. Shesham, said, “I hope the performances that were part of the festival in 2020 continue to bring joy and cheer to the community into the future, particularly those who continue to be socially isolated. This year Wyndham Diwali launched a home decoration contest proudly supported by TAAI.” This year’s festival would not have been possible without the continued support of the State Government, the Mental Health Foundation, Telugu Association of Australia Inc (TAAI), National Indian Community peak bodies like CIAA, FIAV, FIMO and FIMDV, Wyndham Council and Councillor Heather Marcus, and newly elected Councillor Sahana Ramesh, in particular. “Most of all on behalf of the Executive Committee of Wyndham Diwali Inc, I would like to thank our performers and all those who participated in our 2020 Festival” Mr. Shesham said, “Building on the sound foundations of prior festivals, with your continued support, we hope to bring a bigger and better Wyndham Diwali in the new year.” (News Desk)
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FESTIVALS
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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Merry Christmas!! Ho ho ho … BY ARCHITA BAWEJA
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he jingling of bells and the impeccably adorable decorations at every corner around the city indicates the onset of Christmas. It’s a special time of the year which is full of warmth, joy and celebration. Its holiday time for some whereas for others it’s about taking a break from work and spending some quality time with friends and family. Christmas is celebrated in most countries to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ. It acts as a catalyst to a happy and wonderful life. This is the time to share the untold beauty of the day with family and friends. People in various places celebrate Christmas in different ways, but there are certain customs and traditions which are common across the globe, which may include exchanging gifts and sweets and decorating houses with colourful lights. Not only these people go over and beyond themselves and their families and help the unprivileged and poor. Many individuals, schools and non-profits organise a collection of ‘gifts of affection’ which are then distributed to disadvantaged or disabled children.
Going back to my childhood, Christmas reminds me of sharing and caring. I studied in a convent school and just before the Christmas holidays we spend a day to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. This was our ‘Christmas sharing day’. It started with a student assembly depicting the birth of Jesus in a play and then stories about Christianity and religion. This was then followed by a potluck where we invited the
destitute kids around our school. Finally, the day ended with singing, dancing and a lot of merriment. Nothing has changed over the years and the euphoria of Christmas arriving still remains the same for adults as well as children. Today, I see my nieces and nephews love Christmas the same way we did as kids. It’s a time when the whole family pampers them with gifts and delicious food. They get to decorate the Christmas tree, meet Santa and get photographs clicked with him. Most countries celebrate Christmas with full gusto and so does Australia. Melbourne in particular is all lit up during Christmas. Every year the Federation square across the famous Flinders street station turns into a shiny Christmas square. It offers an amazing array of free sights, sounds and experiences. The centrepiece is the glorious tall LED Christmas tree featuring hundreds of individually-programmed branches topped by a twinkling star. Another attraction of the square is the giant Christmas Bauble which is a white wonder glittering by day and twinkling by night. Some other luring scenes at the square are the Gingerbread village, Christmas projections and Santa’s house. Christmas is unique as it helps us understand the significance of giving and the compassion that it emanates. In a way, it is a reminder to follow the teachings of Jesus and bring out our generosity. It is about giving our time and love to others to enhance the beauty of their life along with ours.
Archita Baweja of Melbourne is an engineer by profession but a writer at heart
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FEATURE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Smart storage solutions for the kitchen
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itchen is at the heart of every Indian home. And with the onset of COVID 19, most of us have taken the control of the kitchen again, perhaps more often than we would like.
and utensils as you use in your everyday life. Bring home Glass dishes that can be multifunctional- wherein you can Cook, Store, Serve and Reheat as well.
will also add a touch of design to your kitchen walls. Organize and reinvent Stack your containers vertically in kitchen cabinets to create more space. Store food so that you can see what Additionally, add a cart or trolley if your Before the pandemic, kitchen was seen you have pantry is full. This way, you can move it as a personal space where entertainment, Arrange your food in a manner that you easily whenever you are cooking and can functionality and aesthetic met. But now can actually see what you have. Neatly stash it away when family or friends come with the routine of daily cooking and need stack your pulses, grains, snacks and visiting. Add a kitchen ladder that can for longer term storage solutions, the spices and other essential ingredients go up against your kitchen wall. This will kitchen feels more short on space and in airtight glass jars. Glass jars helps in not occupy space and you can decorate excitement. freshness and retains the natural flavours. it with plants and use it to stack your Glass Jars are also easy to use as they crockery. Priyanka Kheruka, Brand Head, Borosil are transparent, and food stored can be Ltd shares a few tips to maximise your easily seen and accessed. It’s easy to Sanitize the smart way kitchen space and use smart storage clean and is hygienic. In this precedent times of Covid, safety solutions: and health of our family is the first priority. Invest in smart appliances It’s of utmost importance to regularly De-clutter Kitchen appliances are meant to sanitise and clean the kitchen surfaces, The most important thing to do is demake kitchen jobs easier. But too many food material, regular grocery packets etc clutter and reorganize your kitchen. appliances occupy space. Decide on in the kitchen. Home makers often soak Decluttering will give you more space in appliances that are definitely needed their vegetables in salt water or vinegar the kitchen. When possible, move items as per your cooking needs or are or spray it with disinfectants to kill the that are not used daily off the countertops multifunctional. Ensure one corner of your possibility of germs. Regular Chemical and into cabinets. Clear, organized kitchen has all the appliances stacked sanitisers pose health hazards. Invest in a countertops will transform the way neatly together which are lightweight, UV Disinfection unit. Borosil’s ‘Suraksha’ your kitchen looks and feels. But avoid functional and are from a reputed brand. UV Disinfect Unit is cost-effective specially bumping into cabinets. This will save money, time and effort. designed for modern households. It is able to disinfect 99.9 percent germs Ensure to move away the pots and pans Smart functioning and can sterilize fruits and vegetables, that are not functional for some time. It’s Maximise your existing kitchen space milk and other food packets, bread and probably time to rethink those unused with practical solutions to make your grocery packets, electronics, personal use dessert sets you got during your wedding kitchen look more spacious. For your items and baby products such as toys and which you have stashed on top of spoons, knifes and glasses, buy freebottles. By Puja Gupta cabinets to be used ‘someday’. Only keep range shelves, baskets and hanging rods as many plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, to free your drawers and counters. This
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FEATURE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
39
Why is male infertility on a rise?
I
nfertility is a significant health problem affecting around 15 percent of couples. Over the last few years, the discovery of declining trend of semen quality over past decades has become a major concern. When a couple is diagnosed with fertility related issues, first thoughts often run to the woman. As nature would have it, problems with infertility are equally due to male and female conditions, says Dr. Nameeta Mokashi Bhalerao, Senior Consultant, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Pune. “Infertility is defined as the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse. However, it is important to understand that this is not just a female problem. And the male are equally responsible,” she says. What causes male infertility? The experts explains: While the very root cause of male infertility remains undetermined and more than 30 percent of the causes are not known but out of the known causes broadly 10 percent of the cases are due to semen quality issues another 10% due to infections, about 40% due to varicocele (a condition which refers to the swelling of the veins). Amongst all the main cause behind male infertility is the quality or the number of sperms in males. Beyond all this rising stress, lifestyle, poor diet, intake of alcohol, lack of exercises and being obese are another set of contributing factors. In most cases, men are reluctant to get themselves tested and as a result the blame always shifts to the female partner. Traditionally men are also embarrassed of getting themselves tested for infertility. It is a wrong notion to say and believe if men think
such check-ups or tests may lead to loss of sexual interest and performance. How to correct male infertility related issues? Dr. Bhalerao suggests one must make a choice to take a chance to change your life Always remember the 3C’s of life - Choices, Chances and Changes Maintain a Healthy Weight: Stress and obesity are two of the most significant issues leading to an increase in male infertility in India. The growing emotional stress and changing eating habits impact the fertility of men in a negative way. It is important that both Men and Women maintain healthy weight as being obese effects both the eggs and sperm and can reduce the chance of pregnancy. Eat Right: Nutrition impacts sperm. Fresh well washed whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables green leafy vegetables and beans (legumes), walnuts, have antioxidants and vitamins that help with fertility. Vitamins C and E are especially important. Processed fast foods, high-fat dairy items (ice cream, whole milk, may taste good to you but are not the best meals for your sperm. It important to include monounsaturated fats, vegetable proteins, high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrate-rich foods, More vegetarian sources of iron and Low fat dairy products. Exercise is must and should not be skipped: The key is a balance in exercising. By making some changes - eating healthy meals and doing some regular exercise, you can work towards a healthier weight to improve your chance of pregnancy and having a healthy baby. If you or your partner
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are overweight or obese, losing even a few kilos can improve your chances of getting pregnant. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises along with Yoga should be practiced. Make yoga an integral part of your daily fitness routine. Semen quality plays a pivotal role in maintaining healthy fertilizing ability. Male infertility is a rising global problem with an increasing declining in male semen quality and one of the major contributors to infertility. Diagnosis of male infertility Diagnosing male infertility may involve: hysical examination - including medical P history emen analysis - a sample of the man’s S semen is investigated in the laboratory and checked for abnormalities and the presence of antibodies Blood tests - to assess hormone levels To combat fertility related issues, it is essential to optimize lifestyle factors. Sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, heat exposure, stress, poor nutrition, and harmful environmental toxicants may all adversely affect sperm count and quality. Simply put, just simple lifestyle changes can improve male fertility. However, in other cases, if natural conception is impossible, assisted reproduction techniques can overcome the problem and advanced techniques such as IUI and IVF treatment can be used. Even though specialists know the causes of male infertility, what’s not always known is the cause behind the cause.
By Puja Gupta
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TECH
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Google patents smart ring with selfie camera US-based search engine giant Google has patented a smart ring that can take selfies as you wear it, without a smartphone. Google applied for the patent at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in May 2019. However, it got published only on November 10 this year, reports GizmoChina. As per the patent description, the smart ring houses an aperture (opening) that is enough to fit a finger. Precisely, it says the aperture is shaped to fit the first finger (finger where the ring sits) of the user. Additionally, the smart ring also requires a second wearable device typically a HUD (Heads-Up Display) for transmitting, displaying the images. As per the report, the smart ring would come with two surfaces apart from the ring - one which houses the camera, and the other housing the input device. Both the surfaces are designed to tilt
sideways to comfort the user and his/her finger range. The smart ring may use either wired,
Wi-Fi, WiMax, Bluetooth, NFC one-way/bidirectionally to send the data to the second device.
(AGENCIES)
Now AI may predict movie ratings in future RESEARCHERS, including one of Indianorigin, have demonstrated that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can rate a movie’s content in a matter of seconds, based on the movie script and before a single scene is shot. Such an approach could allow movie executives the ability to design a movie rating in advance and as desired, by making the appropriate edits on a script and before the shooting of a single scene. “Beyond the potential financial impact, such instantaneous feedback would allow storytellers and decision-makers to reflect on the content they are creating for the public and the impact such content might have on viewers,” said study author Shrikanth Narayanan from the University of Southern California in the US. Using artificial intelligence applied to scripts, they have demonstrated that linguistic cues can effectively signal behaviours on violent acts, drug abuse and sexual content (actions that are often the basis for a film’s ratings) about to be taken by a film’s characters. Using 992 movie scripts that included violent, substance-abuse and sexual content, as determined by Common Sense Media, an NGO that rates and makes recommendations for families and schools, the research team trained artificial intelligence to recognise corresponding risk behaviours, patterns and language. The AI tool created receives as input all the
script, processes it through a neural network and scans it for semantics and sentiment expressed. In the process, it classifies sentences and phrases as positive, negative, aggressive and other descriptors. The AI tool automatically classifies words and phrases into three categories: violence, drug abuse and sexual content. “Our model looks at the movie script, rather than the actual scenes, including e.g., sounds like a gunshot or explosion that occur later in the production pipeline,” said study researcher Victor Martinez.
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They also found an interesting connection between risk behaviours and MPA (motion picture association) ratings. As sexual content increases, the MPA appears to put less emphasis on violence/ substance-abuse content. Thus, regardless of violent and substance abuse content, a movie with a lot of sexual content will likely receive an R rating. “In the future, I’m interested in studying minorities and how they are represented, particularly in cases of violence, sex and drugs,” the team noted.
(AGENCIES)
VIRTUAL
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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Creators can now protect their images, videos on FB, Instagram
FACEBOOK has announced to expand access to Rights Manager to help more creators -- who have a large or growing catalogue of content --better control when, how and where they share content across Facebook and Instagram. It means that Page admins can now submit images and videos for rights protection, expanding the reach of the feature and more creators can issue takedown requests over reuploaded videos and images on Facebook and Instagram which are owned by them. “Page admins can submit an application for content they’ve created and want to protect,” said Jeniece Primus, Product Manager at Facebook. The company also announced to give more creators the ability to collect ad earnings from matched Rights Manager content and offering in-stream ads in more countries.
“Within Rights Manager, we’ve improved our Collect Ad Earnings tool and are expanding availability, which means that more creators will be able to collect ad earnings from matching videos that include in-stream ads,” Facebook said in a statement on Monday.
The company has added a new filter view for spotting monetizable matches, better guidance for how to capture monetization opportunities, exportable revenue reports, and the ability to collect ad earnings while placing an ownership link on the matched video. “Additionally, the new in-stream ads toggle in the Creator Studio app enables easy management from mobile devices,” Facebook informed.
The social network also launched new video insights to help rights holders quantify and optimize their protection activities, and leverage fan-driven distribution as a key part of their business intelligence. “We’ve expanded In-stream ads to Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Turkey, adding to the 45 countries where the in-steam program is already available.
(AGENCIES)
Google updates Maps to help people deal with pandemic MORE than 1 billion people now turn to Google Maps to navigate the new normal and the company on Tuesday announced new updates related to Covid layer in Maps along with Google Assistant Driving Mode.
favourites right from the Google Maps app. Google said that its driving-friendly Assistant interface is now being rolled out where people use voice to send and receive calls and texts, quickly review new messages across messaging apps in one place, and get a read-out of texts so you don’t need to look down at your phone.
The updated Covid layer on Android and iOS will soon show more information, including all-time detected cases in an area, along with quick links to Covid resources.
Google Assistant will even alert you to an incoming call so you can answer or decline with voice.
“On Android and iOS globally, you’ll start seeing how crowded your bus, train, or subway line is right now based on real-time feedback from Google Maps users around the world (wherever data is available),” said Dane Glasgow, VP of Product, Google Maps.
“To get started with driving mode, begin navigating to a destination with Google Maps and tap on the pop up to get started. Or, head to Assistant settings on your Android phone or say “Hey Google, open Assistant settings.”
Google said that it’s helped nearly 10 million people get critical information about COVID-19 right from Google Maps since the COVID layer was launched. The company also rolled out the ability to see the live status of takeout and delivery orders in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, Brazil and India when you book or order from Google Maps on Android and iOS.
“Now, you can know when to pick up your food, or when you can expect it to arrive at your doorstep”. You can also see expected wait times and delivery fees, and easily reorder your
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Google said it relies on 170 billion highdefinition Street View images from 87 countries, contributions from hundreds of millions of businesses and people using Google Maps, and authoritative data from more than 10,000 local governments, transit agencies and organisations .
(AGENCIES)
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RELATIONSHIPS
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Romantic partners influence each other’s goals OVER the long term, romantic partners influence each other’s goals -- that is, what one partner in a two-person relationship wishes to avoid or achieve, so too does the other partner, according to a new study. These effects can be observed regardless of gender, age and length of the relationship, as researchers from the University of Basel report in a study of more than 450 couples. The research team from the University of Basel’s Faculty of Psychology wanted to examine the short- and long-term interdependence of approach goals and avoidance goals within couples. The participants reported whether they had tried to avoid conflicts or share meaningful experiences with their partner that day. This was followed by an analysis of how the information affected the goals of the partner. The goals of each person were recorded daily over the course of two 14day measurement periods at an interval
and conflicts, for example, the other tries to do the same. And conversely, when one person seeks personal growth and meaningful experiences, the other wants to achieve them too. The team of psychologists, led by first author Professor Jana Nikitin, found significant delayed effects between the partners. These appeared regardless of gender, age, or relationship length.
of 10 to 12 months; 456 male-female couples took part. The average age of the participants was just under 34 years old, and the average relationship length was almost 10 years. The study appeared in the latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology. The study showed that when one person within a couple avoids distress
It was notable that the daily goals of one partner - which can change - mainly coincided with the medium- and longerterm goal trends of the other partner. It, therefore, takes several days to months for the long-term relationship goals of one partner to have an impact on the goals of the other. “This could be an adaptive mechanism to maintain the stability of the relationship, by not being influenced by every momentary shift made by the partner,” said Nikitin. By IANSlife
Why most young women are stressed about their sex lives MORE than half of young women in Australia experience some form of sexually-related personal distress -- feeling guilty, embarrassed, stressed or unhappy about their sex lives. A study conducted Monash University reported, for the first time, an overall picture of the sexual wellbeing of Australian women between the ages of 18 and 39. Results showed 50.2 per cent of young Australian women experienced some form of sexually-related personal distress, with one in five women having at least one female sexual dysfunction (FSD). A concerning 29.6 per cent of women experienced sexually-related personal distress without dysfunction, and 20.6 per cent had at least one FSD. The most common problem was low sexual self-image, which caused distress for 11 per cent of study participants. Arousal, desire, orgasm and responsiveness dysfunction affected 9 per cent, 8 per cent, 7.9 per cent and 3.4 per cent of the study cohort, respectively, revealed the findings published in the international journal, Fertility and Sterility. “It is of great concern that one in five young women have an apparent sexual dysfunction and half of all women within this age group experience sexually-related personal distress,” said Susan Davis, senior author and Professor of Women’s Health at Monash University.
“This is a wake-up call to the community and signals the importance of health professionals being open and adequately prepared to discuss young women’s sexual health concerns.”
Sexual self-image dysfunction was associated with being overweight, obese, living together with partner, not married, married and breastfeeding.
The study, funded by Grollo Ruzzene Foundation, recruited 6,986 women aged 18-39 years, living in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Professor Davis said if untreated, sexuallyrelated personal distress and FSD could impact relationships and overall quality of life as women aged.
All women completed a questionnaire that assessed their sexual wellbeing in terms of desire, arousal, responsiveness, orgasm, and self-image.
Women who habitually monitored their appearance, and for whom appearance determined their level of physical self-worth, reported being less sexually assertive and more self-conscious during intimacy, and experienced lower sexual satisfaction.
Participants also evaluated whether they had sexually-associated personal distress and provided extensive demographic information.
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By IANSlife
LIFESTYLE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
43
Loneliness highest in 20s, lowest in 60s RESEARCHERS, including one of Indian origin, Dilip V. Jeste, have found that levels of loneliness were highest in the people in 20s and lowest in 60s, with another peak in the mid-40s.
“Compassion seems to reduce the level of loneliness at all ages by enabling individuals to accurately perceive and interpret others’ emotions along with helpful behaviour towards others, and thereby increasing their own social self-efficacy and social networks,” Jeste added.
For the study published in the journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the research team used a web-based survey of 2,843 participants from 20 to 69 years across the US.
The survey suggested that people in their 20s were dealing with high stress and pressure while trying to establish a career and find a life partner.
“What we found was a range of predictors of loneliness across the lifespan,” said senior author Dilip Jeste from the University of California, San Diego, US. The researchers noted that lower levels of empathy and compassion, smaller social networks, not having a spouse or a partner and greater sleep disturbances were consistent predictors of loneliness across all decades. Lower social self-efficacy -- or the ability to reflect confidence in exerting control over one’s own motivation, behaviour and social environment -- and higher anxiety were associated with worse loneliness in all agedecades except the 60s.
According to the study, people in their 40s start to experience physical challenges and health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Jeste said the findings are specially relevant during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Loneliness was also associated with a lower level of decisiveness in the 50s. The study confirmed previous reports of a strong inverse association between loneliness and wisdom, especially the prosocial behavioural component (empathy and compassion).
Men are also affected by Instagram influencers
NOT just women, men and teenagers are affected by Instagram influencers who set global benchmarks for ideal body shape, fashion and even facial trends, say researchers.
to some of the negatives of social media but confirms the influence of fitspiration (‘fitspo’) and body image on this online platform,” said study author from the Flinders University in Australia.
While perhaps not as focused on ‘thinness’ as women appear to be from female influencers, the study, published in the journal Body Image, confirmed males are responding to the body image and fitness messages shared by Instagram leaders, some with millions of followers.
Despite the rise in use of social media, there haven’t been many studies into its effect on men and the new study found there are similarities and differences between women and men.
“This may mean men are less exposed
“While participants all had some vulnerable responses to some types of social media imagery, results typically
“We want to understand what strategies may be effective in reducing loneliness during this challenging time,” Jeste added. The researchers noted that loneliness is worsened by social distancing which is necessary to stop the spread of the pandemic.
By IANSlife
obtained for women cannot simply be generalised to men,” said study author Marika Tiggemann, who has extensively researched the power of social media images on body image, eating and other behaviour in women. According to the researchers, the new study shows there is a high level of response to fitspiration goals via Instagram influencers. “It is interesting that both the fitspiration and fashion images made participants feel more inspired to exercise, and we have certainly seen a rise in men following international fitspo and professional sporting hero influencers,” said study coauthor Isabella Anderberg. The team studied responses from 300 US adult men aged 18-30 who were randomly shown images of bare-chested (fitspiration), clothed (fashion) and control images, similar to those posted by Instagram influencers. It was found that exposure to barechested and muscular images resulted in significantly lower body satisfaction relative to viewing clothed fashion images or scenery images. “It’s important to expand this research, including on the ‘Brotox’ facial ideals set in social media which is leading to more men reportedly using skin products and even cosmetic fillers and botox to keep up to influencers,” Anderberg noted. By IANSlife
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HEALTH
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Drinking cocoa can make you smarter RESEARCHERS have revealed that increased consumption of flavanols - a group of molecules which occur naturally in fruit and vegetables can increase your mental agility.
challenge. Each participant underwent the test before and after drinking a cocoa drink on two occasions and on one of those occasions, the drink was enriched with flavanols.
Flavanols, a sub-group of plant flavonoids, are present in cocoa, grapes, apples, tea, berries and other foods. They are known to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health, but their effects on brain health are not well understood.
Following the carbon dioxide test, the participants were asked to complete a number of progressively complex cognitive tests.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, Sciences found that people given a cocoa drink containing high levels of flavanols were able to complete certain cognitive tasks more efficiently than when drinking a nonflavanol enriched-drink. “We used cocoa in our experiment, but flavanols are extremely common in a wide range of fruit and vegetables,” said study lead author Catarina Rendeiro from the University of Birmingham in the UK. “By better understanding the cognitive benefits of eating these food groups, as well as the wider cardiovascular benefits, we can offer improved guidance to people about how
to make the most of their dietary choices,” Rendeiro added. In the study, 18 healthy male participants aged between 18 and 40 underwent a standard procedure to challenge the brain’s blood circulation that involves breathing five per cent carbon dioxide - about 100 times the normal concentration in air, producing an effect called hypercapnia. Non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy, a technique that uses light to capture changes in blood oxygenation levels, was used to track the increases in brain oxygenation in the frontal cortex in response to this carbon dioxide
The researchers found that the participants who had taken the flavanol-enriched drink had the highest levels of blood oxygenation in response to hypercapnia, reaching levels up to three times higher than participants drinking the non-flavanol-enriched drink. In the cognitive tests, the researchers found significant differences in the speed and accuracy with which volunteers completed the higher complexity tasks, with volunteers who had taken the flavanol-enriched drink performing the tasks 11 per cent faster on average. “Our results showed a clear benefit for the participants taking the flavanol-enriched drink - but only when the task became sufficiently complicated,” Rendeiro noted. By Puja Gupta
Eating mangoes reduces women’s facial wrinkles RESEARCHERS have found that eating Ataulfo mangoes, also known as honey or Champagne mangoes, may reduce facial wrinkles in older women with fairer skin.
high-resolution camera system.
“The system we used to analyse wrinkles allowed us to not just visualize wrinkles, but to quantify and measure wrinkles,” said study researcher Robert Hackman.
The study, published in the journal Nutrients, revealed that mangoes, like other orange fruits and vegetables, are rich in betacarotene and provide antioxidants that may delay cell damage.
“This is extremely accurate and allowed us to capture more than just the appearance of wrinkles or what the eye might see,” Hackman added.
The researchers found that postmenopausal women who ate a half cup of Ataulfo mangoes four times a week saw a 23 per cent decrease in deep wrinkles after two months and a 20 per cent decrease after four months.
consuming more mangoes would increase the severity of wrinkles but speculate that it may be related to a robust amount of sugar in the larger portion of mangoes.
“That’s a significant improvement in wrinkles,” said study lead author Vivien Fam from the University of California, Davis in the US.
The randomised clinical pilot study involved 28 postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin types II or III (skin that burns more easily than tans).
“Women who ate a cup and a half of mangoes for the same periods of time saw an increase in wrinkles. This shows that while some mangoes may be good for skin health, too much of it may not be,” Fam added.
Women were divided into two groups: one group consumed a half cup of mangoes four times a week for four months, and another consumed a cup and a half for the same period of time.
Researchers said it’s unclear why
Facial wrinkles were evaluated using a
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The study looked at the severity, length and width of fine, deep and emerging wrinkles. The researchers said the group that consumed a half cup of mangoes saw improvements in all categories. The team said further research is needed to learn the mechanisms behind the reduction in wrinkles. “It may be due to the beneficial effects of carotenoids (orange or red plant pigments), and other phytonutrients that could help build collagen,” the authors noted. (AGENCIES)
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
ASK DR. RAJ… HOMEOPATHY’S EFFICACY: Q: Hello Dr Raj, I have several friends who have used Homeopathy and most of them have confirmed remarkable results, however, some people say that Homeopathic treatment is merely psychological and it is a placebo effect. Can you clarify this? Ms A..
every time.
Homeopathy works wonders on most patients, relevant to this question specially on children and animals who cannot differentiate between medicine and placebo and cannot be psychologically influenced. Homeopathic remedies and treatments A: Dear Ms A, Many say that are successfully used by parents for common infant ailments if you believe in Homeopasuch as recurrent infections, thy it will to work. It is true eczema, colic, teething pain and in many ways, in the sense other infections. that any medicine will offer Many veterinarians use hoits fullest benefit only if you meopathic medicines to treat believe in treatment. This domestic pets such as cats, dogs belief will help the patient and birds, as well as barnyard take the medication regularly and follow strict guidelines to animals like goats, horses and help the body recover. It is like cows. It has record success rate believing your doctor when he in treating various epidemics over the centuries and where says “Do not smoke, it is bad possible, can even avoid surfor your health”. You believe gery. Homeopathic medicine is it and follow it. However, in fact very safe and side effect Homeopathic medicine is not free and merely acts on the a placebo. Over 500 million immune system to enable it to people around the world use start the recovery process. Homeopathy. Many celebrities such as the royal family, sports people, actors, politiBy Raj Kothuru cians and renowned scholars Please send any of your health related questions to drraj@aurahealth.com.au with Ask Dr Raj as the subject around the world have used line or ph: 94788649 / 0425761826. The questions will be Homeopathy with great results published with your identity protected.
Health tip:
45
Avocados are a great source of potassium, which helps in controlling blood pressure levels
How Can Noise Cancellation Headphones Help You Get Good Teeth?
D
oes the noise of drills at the dentist’s make you run for life? You are not alone. The noise of dental drills cutting deep into your teeth is so scary people often avoid going to the dentist because of it. But what suffers the most from this dislike is your dental health. And you cannot compromise your dental health. To solve this issue, we, at Healthy Smiles Dental Group have introduced noise cancellation headphones at our clinic. Our principal dentist, Dr Ved Berani, says, “Noise cancellation headphones are becoming very popular these days. You can see hordes of people syncing to their favourite rhythms without disturbing others. So, we thought, why not use them for dentistry and provide comfort to our patients suffering from dental anxiety due to dental drilling noise. And it is working just fine. We treat many of our patients while they are using these headphones. Our greatest joy comes when we see them smiling carefree.” Noise cancellation headphones have positively comforted anxious dental patients. Let us learn more about how these noise cancellation headphones prove beneficial to the patients: 1. Music can uplift your mood faster As we all know this proven fact, music is one of the best remedies when it comes to uplifting spirits. No matter how stressed a person is, good music can soothe all the lines on the forehead. When it comes to dental patients who are anxious about their dental treatment, we use the same concept. Our Healthy Smiles clinic provides Spotify streaming in all rooms. You need to select your favourite genre and tune in while we operate on your teeth. Patients have had a great experience with noise cancellation headphones.
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2. It works to distract you from worries Patients suffering from dental anxiety have all kinds of worries and troubling thoughts about a dental procedure. But when we explain the whole dental process in advance, it helps them feel in control of their surroundings with the knowledge of the proceedings in advance. And the noise cancellation headphones add to this comfort. They distract the patients from whatever that is left of the worries. Patients can relax throughout the whole dental procedure. 3. You can also watch a show of your choice on our screen These noise cancellation headphones can also be synced with a TV screen on the ceiling. You can watch a TV show while our dentists work on your teeth. When the patients are relaxed, our dentists can also concentrate more on the treatment. The aim behind using noise cancellation headphones for dentistry is to provide patients with a comfortable dental care experience. Our dentists enthusiastically work towards providing the best dental treatments using state-of-the-art technology so that you can leave all your anxieties behind and walk out with a confident smile. Do not neglect to look after your teeth and oral health because a lot of health issues can stem from oral health conditions. Contact us today to make use of this new method of cancelling out the drill noise and pay your teeth all the attention they need.
Dr Ved Berani BDS(Mum), ADEC(Aust), MBA(Melb), FIADFE, MFGDP(UK) Principal Dentist & Clinical Advisor Healthy Smiles Dental Group 150-152 Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130 Call us: (03) 9877 2035 www.healthysmiles.com.au
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HEALTH
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Spending long time on phone not bad for mental health
IF your kids are spending hours on smartphone, don’t panic. In a new study, researchers have found that time spent on the smartphone was not related to poor mental health.
was associated with concerns and worries felt by participants about their own smartphone usage. Previous studies have focussed on the potentially detrimental impact of ‘screen time’, but the study shows that people’s attitudes or worries are likely to drive these findings.
According to the findings, published in the journal ‘Technology, Mind, and Behavior’, general smartphone usage is a poor predictor of anxiety, depression or stress when it comes to digital detoxes. “A person’s daily smartphone pickups or screen time did not predict anxiety, depression, or stress symptoms,” said study lead author Heather Shaw from the Lancaster University in the UK.
symptoms. They also completed a scale which measured how problematic they perceived their smartphone usage to be. Surprisingly, the amount of time spent on the smartphone was not related to poor mental health.
In the study, the research team measured the time spent on smartphones by 199 iPhone users and 46 Android users for one week.
Additionally, those who exceeded clinical ‘cut off points’ for both general anxiety and major depressive disorder did not use their phone more than those who scored below this threshold.
Participants were also asked about their mental and physical health, completing clinical scales that measure anxiety and depression
Instead, the study found that mental health
According to the researchers, mobile technologies have become even more essential for work and day-to-day life during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Our results add to a growing body of research that suggests reducing general screen time will not make people happier,” said study author said David Ellis from the University of Bath. “Instead of pushing the benefits of digital detox, our research suggests people would benefit from measures to address the worries and fears that have grown up around time spent using phones,” Ellis added. (AGENCIES)
Vegans, vegetarians at higher risk of bone fractures
COMPARED with people who ate meat, vegans with lower calcium and protein intakes (on average) had a 43 per cent higher risk of fractures anywhere in the body, researchers have warned.
According to the findings, published in the journal BMC Medicine, vegetarians and people who ate fish but not meat had a higher risk of hip fractures, compared to people who ate meat. However, the risk of fractures was partly reduced once body mass index (BMI), dietary calcium and dietary protein intake were taken into account. “We found that vegans had a higher risk of total fractures which resulted in close to 20 more cases per 1000 people over a 10-year period compared to people who ate meat,” said study author Tammy Tong from the University of Oxford in the UK. “The biggest differences were for hip fractures, where the risk in vegans was 2.3 times higher than in people who ate meat, equivalent to 15 more cases per 1000 people over 10 years,” Tong added. For the findings, the research team, analysed data from nearly 55,000 people in the EPIC-Oxford study, a prospective cohort of men and women living in the UK, who were recruited
between 1993 and 2001, many of whom do not eat meat. Out of the 54,898 participants included in the present study, 29,380 ate meat, 8,037 ate fish but not meat, 15,499 were vegetarians, and 1,982 were vegans when they were recruited. Their eating habits were assessed initially at recruitment, then again in 2010. Participants were followed continuously for 18 years on average, until 2016 for the occurrence of fractures. During the time of the study, 3,941 fractures occurred in total, including 566 arm, 889 wrist, 945 hip, 366 leg, 520 ankle and 467 fractures at other main sites, defined as the clavicle, ribs and vertebrae. In addition to a higher risk of hip fractures in vegans, vegetarians and pescetarians (those who eat seafood but not
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meat) than the meat eaters, vegans also had a higher risk of leg fractures and other main site fractures. The authors observed no significant differences in risks between diet groups for arm, wrist or ankle fractures once BMI was taken into account. The researchers found that the differences in risk of total and site-specific fractures was partly reduced once BMI, dietary calcium and dietary protein intake had been taken into account. “This study showed that vegans, who on average had lower BMI as well as lower intakes of calcium and protein than meat eaters, had higher risks of fractures at several sites,” the authors wrote. (AGENCIES)
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Healthy sleep habits help lower risk of heart failure RESEARCHERS have revealed that adults with the healthiest sleep pattern have 42 per cent lower risk of heart failure regardless of other risk factors compared to adults with unhealthy sleep patterns.
based on the scoring of these five sleep behaviors,” Qi said.
Healthy sleep patterns are rising in the morning, sleeping 7-8 hours a day and having no frequent insomnia, snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness, the study published in the journal Circulation said.
Sleep duration was defined into three groups: short, or less than seven hours a day; recommended, or even to eight hours a day; and prolonged, or 9 hours or more a day.
Sleep behaviors were collected through touchscreen questionnaires.
The findings showed that participants with the healthiest sleep pattern had a 42 per cent reduction in the risk of heart failure compared to people with an unhealthy sleep pattern.
“Our findings highlight the importance of improving the overall sleep patterns to help prevent heart failure,” said study author Lu Qi from the Tulane University in the US. This observational study examined the relationship between healthy sleep patterns and heart failure and included data on 408,802 UK Biobank participants, ages 37 to 73 at the time of recruitment (2006-2010). Incidence of heart failure was collected until April 1, 2019. Researchers recorded 5,221 cases of heart failure during a median follow-up of 10 years.
Researchers analysed sleep quality as well as overall sleep patterns. The measures of sleep quality included sleep duration, insomnia and snoring and other sleep-related features, such as whether the participant was an early bird or night owl and if they had any daytime sleepiness. “The healthy sleep score we created was
They also found the risk of heart failure was independently associated and: eight per cent lower in early risers, 12 per cent lower in those who slept 7 to 8 hours daily, 17 per cent lower in those who did not have frequent insomnia and 34 per cent lower in those reporting no daytime sleepiness. The researchers noted other unmeasured or unknown adjustments may have also influenced the findings. (AGENCIES)
An egg a day can trigger diabetes too, warn researchers SCRAMBLED, poached or boiled, eggs are a popular breakfast food the world over but new research warns that excess egg consumption can increase your risk of diabetes.
developing diabetes, as determined by fasting blood glucose. “What we discovered was that higher longterm egg consumption (greater than 38 grams per day) increased the risk of diabetes among Chinese adults by approximately 25 per cent.
The study found that people who regularly consumed one or more eggs per day (equivalent to 50 grams) increased their risk of diabetes by 60 per cent and the effect was more pronounced in women than in men. Conducted in partnership with the China Medical University, and Qatar University, the longitudinal study (1991 to 2009) led by University of South Australia is the first to assess egg consumption in a large sample of Chinese adults. Epidemiologist and public health expert Ming Li said the rise of diabetes is a growing concern. “Diet is a known and modifiable factor that contributes to the onset of Type 2 diabetes, so understanding the range of dietary factors that might impact the growing prevalence of the disease is important,” Ming said. Over the past few decades, China has
“Furthermore, adults who regularly ate a lot of eggs (over 50 grams, or equivalent to one egg, per day) had an increased risk of diabetes by 60 per cent,” Ming claimed. undergone a substantial nutritional transition that’s seen many people move away from a traditional diet comprising grains and vegetables, to a more processed diet that includes greater amounts of meat, snacks and energy-dense food.
While these results suggest that higher egg consumption is positively associated with the risk of diabetes in Chinese adults, more research is needed to explore causal relationships.
“At the same time, egg consumption has also been steadily increasing; from 1991 to 2009, the number of people eating eggs in China nearly doubled,” he said in a paper published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“To beat diabetes, a multi-faceted approach is needed that not only encompasses research, but also a clear set of guidelines to help inform and guide the public. This study is one step towards that long-term goal,” the authors wrote.
While the association between eating eggs and diabetes is often debated, this study aims to assess people’s long-term egg consumption of eggs and their risk of
The study population comprised 8,545 adults (average age 50 years) participating in the China Health and Nutrition Survey.
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(AGENCIES)
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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Abhishek Bachchan hates waking up early
BOLLYWOOD actor Abhishek Bachchan hates to wake up early, and the actor gave a hint of the fact to fans on social media.
John Abraham is PETA India’s Person of the Year
The actor made his confession while reacting to a study that says: “Starting school at 10 AM instead of 8:30 AM halves student illness and improves academic performance”. Reacting to the tweet, Abhishek wrote: “Why didn’t they realise this when I was in school??” Commenting on Abhishek’s tweet, netizens turned nostalgic and started to share their early morning experiences from the school days. “My school would start at 7.15 in the morning and finish by 12.45.. Then my mom had the entire day to send me to all sorts of classes and tuitions like drawing, dancing, karate falana dhimkana. Right right I can’t do any of that.... why didn’t this rule come then,” commented a user. “In the 70s, our school started at 7.30 AM during winters, At the bus stand at 5.45 AM in blazer & shorts to catch the school bus!
Between 8 AM to 9 AM many of the class were in the queue at the washroom, because the bowels took time to adjust to the winter timings,” recalled another user. “My school started at 7:30 with an extra class starting at 6:30. That too in winters.. Let’s not forget, I did my schooling from northern most state of India,” wrote another user. Abhishek Bachchan is currently in Kolkata shooting for his upcoming film “Bob Biswas.
(IANS)
High time we looked beyond ‘hero-heroine’ formula films: Nawazuddin Siddiqui VERSATILE actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui feels traditional films revolving around a hero-heroine formula no longer work in this day and age.
The “Sacred Games” star also expressed his gratitude towards the directors who have shown faith in him and provided him the chances to do diverse roles over the years.
In 2020, John had sent a letter urging e-retailer Quikr to stop trading in live animals. Over the years, he has teamed up with PETA India to push for a ban on animal circuses, speak up for Mumbai’s dancing monkeys, and star in an adcampaign urging everyone not to keep birds in cages. He also adopted a community dog, Bailey, urged authorities to stop illegal pig slaughter in Goa and put a football jersey on the auction block to benefit the organisations work to help animals.
“After watching a lot of world cinema during lockdown, I have realised that it’s high time for us to look beyond ‘hero-heroine’ formula films. Digital media is acting as a boon. It’s one of the most democratic platforms. I hope people develop habit of watching good content there. There’s no problem if you like watching such movies, but you should also watch other content,” he said. “I feel your mind does not develop after watching the typical formula-based films. It’s very important to educate yourself and I think it happens only if you watch impactful, new and innovative content. If people do not change their habit of watching cinema, then nothing can be done. Formula films dekhte raho aur zombie bante jao (keep watching formula films and keep becoming zombies),” Nawazuddin said.
BOLLYWOOD actor John Abraham has been named the Person of the Year for 2020 by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Past recipients of the honour include politician Shashi Tharoor, former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, cricketer Virat Kohli, and actors Anushka Sharma, Sunny Leone, Sonam Kapoor, Kapil Sharma, Hema Malini, R. Madhavan, and Jacqueline Fernandez. “I feel blessed to be able to do different kinds of roles in my journey so far. Be it ‘Manto’ or ‘Thackeray’ or ‘Serious Men’, having played such varied roles made me understand the beauty of real acting. I thank industry people for believing in me. Now even audience expects me to do different roles with each project. I don’t want to be monotonous. I will keep experimenting. I am here to do innovative projects. It’s very important to challenge yourself, and I am happy to face challenges in life,” he added.
By Simran Sethi
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“John Abraham has been helping PETA India advocate for animals since our inception, and he shows no signs of slowing down. If birds are suffering in cages, puppies are being cruelly sold, or animals are in danger anywhere in the world, we can count on him to come to the rescue,” said Sachin Bangera, PETA India Director of Celebrity and Public Relations. (TIW)
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What worked for me is I decided to swim against the tide: Ayushmann ACCLAIMED actor Ayushamnn Khurrana is also a brand today. He attributes his success to his ability to be himself.
country. I think people understand that I want to do my best for society, for my fellow citizens and I don’t want to fail them ever.” he mentioned.
“I believe what has worked for me is that I decided to swim against the tide and was totally myself. I stayed true to who I am in real life while I was at it,” he said.
Ayushamann says he is going through the best time in his life. “I definitely think that I’m going through the best phase of my career and I want this phase to continue for a long time,” admitted the actor.
The actor says he believed that India was ready to see a different kind of entertaining cinema that was real, relatable and taboo-breaking “because I was ready to see such cinema, and I knew of many people who were having the same dialogue with me”. Ayushmann says he is fortunate that people have loved his brand of cinema, which has hugely contributed to his equity. “I believed that India wanted to bring out and talk about societal issues openly. I’m fortunate that the audience loved my brand of cinema, engaged and participated with my beliefs. What people perceive my equity to be today, comes from me being unafraid about my choices as a human being. If I wasn’t the man who believed in the things
that I have raised my voice for, people would have sensed a disconnect,” he said. The National Award-winning actor says his brand of cinema is a mirror image of his personality in real life. “My films are an extension of my personality, my beliefs, my vision for my
He is rightfully enjoying his bonafide star status today. “It feels great because I know how much hard work, I had to put in to be where I’m today. It is hugely humbling to see people believe in me and have faith in the kind of content that I stand for. It’s gratifying to see people relate to my journey because most of India go through the same drill while aspiring to find success,” he said. “I’m one of them, I will always be one of them and bring out their stories and lives in the form of cinema because I’m deeply inspired by the heroism of the selfmade, idealistic, inclusive people of India,” Ayushmann summed up. (AGENCIES)
I have become more forgiving with time: Hrithik Roshan HIS two-decade journey in Bollywood has helped Hrithik Roshan evolve as an actor and as a human being.
He continued: “As an artist, I have always given my all to my work. I wouldn’t say my productivity has had any kind of shift (during the lockdown). I have missed my film sets, the hustle of each stage of production. But I’m glad that we as an industry evolved to working remotely. I have been working on multiple projects throughout the pandemic, with the unlock, there have been developments.”
“Earlier I used to have a toolbox method but with Kaabil and post Kaabil my process as an actor has evolved. I think I have become more forgiving and at the same time I think I trust myself more now. This allows me to explore better. Without the fear of being wrong,” he said. Hrithik, who made his debut as a hero with the hit film Kaho Na... Pyaar Hai, completed 20 years in the industry in January this year. At 46, when he looks back at his journey in filmdom, all he has is immense respect and passion for work. “The last 20 years, as an actor, have been a joy ride! Filled with learnings and diverse experiences. It has been enriching. I think I work because a working environment helps build virtues. And virtues is what one needs to become the best version of oneself. That in itself is my overall mission in life. Looking ahead, our industry is at a juncture where the audience, storytelling and
Hrithik opened up about his plan of action for the future, too. “The last few months have been a lot of discussions with writers and directors. I’ve been reading a lot of scripts and writing as well. We brainstormed some very interesting and exciting story ideas, and I am looking forward to present these on screen in the capacity of an actor and producer,” he said.
technology are constantly evolving there is so much out there to explore, to depict. It is an exciting space to be in, as an artist. I am excited for the next phase of my career,” he shared.
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How does he select his films? “A story that speaks to the audience, while keeping them engaged and entertained. So, my selection process is not genre centric, but content centric,” he replied. By Simran Sethi
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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Nora Fatehi rides a camel to celebrate 20 Million Instagram followers
NORA Fatehi rode a camel for the first time in life to celebrate her Instagram follower count touching 20 million.
It’s so precious when people appreciate your work: Vidya Balan
“Celebration continues. I rode a camel for the first time! It was so fun,” the actress posted on her verified Instagram account on Thursday along with a picture of her camel ride, carrying “20M” shaped balloons. Sharing a message for her Instagram family, the actress wrote: “I wouldn’t do it without you guys. I am so lucky to have you guys. Twenty million and counting. And it’s crazy and it’s just the beginning. We have so much to do and I wouldn’t be able to do without you guys. I love you so much.” On the work front, Nora recently featured in the music video, “Naach meri rani”, sung by pop sensation Guru Randhawa. The actress will next be seen in Ajay Devgn starrer “Bhuj: The Pride Of India”. The period
drama looks back at the story of 300 women of Madhapar village in Gujarat’s Kutch district, who played a pivotal role in helping India win the 1971 Indo-Pak war. (IANS)
Pregnant Anushka Sharma performs Shirshasana with Virat’s support BOLLYWOOD actress Anushka Sharma and her husband, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, are expecting their first child. On Tuesday, Anushka shared that she is doing Yoga asanas regularly even during pregnancy, except the ones restricted by her doctor. Anushka has shared a photograph on her verified Instagram account where she can be seen performing the Shirshasana with hubby Virat’s help. Her yoga teacher virtually assists her while the actress performs the asana by leaning against a wall, head down. “This exercise is hands-down (and legs up) the most difficult one #Throwback. P.S. — As yoga is a big part of my life, my doctor recommended that I can do all such asanas that I was doing before I was pregnant barring twists & extreme forward bends, but of course with the appropriate and required support.” Anushka wrote. “For the Shirshasana, which I have been doing for many years, I ensured that I used the wall for support and also my very able husband supporting me balance, to be extra safe. This was also done under the supervision of my yoga teacher @eefa_shrof who was virtually with me through this session. I’m so glad I could continue my practice through my pregnancy,” she added. Mom-to-be Anushka recently shared that she will get back to shooting once she
ACTRESS Vidya Balan has won many awards as well as love of the audience. She finds it really precious when people appreciate her work. After making her Bollywood debut with “Parineeta” in 2005, Vidya went on to play impactful roles in films such as “Paa”, “Kahaani”, “The Dirty Picture”, “Tumhari Sulu” and “Mission Mangal”. Due to her choice of roles, she is often considered one of the actors who have changed the image of women on the Bollywood screen. Asked if she feels it has become her responsibility to show strong women through her work, Vidya said: “No, I don’t think it’s my responsibility at all, but I think it is something I veer towards because I get inspired by strong women stories. I have always been inspired by strong women in my life which is why I choose the kind of stories that I do. I’ll do anything that I’ll relate to instinctively.” Her award-winning short film “Natkhat” too has left an impact on people’s minds. It is a story of a mother teaching her young son about gender equality and toxic misogyny. “The story called out to me. It’s so powerful, and the fact that may be it could touch people’s lives and make them think because it’s so relevant,” said Vidya. Apart from acting in the short film, She is also attached to the film as a producer. “Ronnie (co-producer Ronnie Screwvala) offered me the producer credit because he just felt that the budget could not afford an actor’s fee, couldn’t afford my fee, and he thought I could help if I came on as a producer,” she said. “Natkhat”, featuring and co-produced by Vidya, had won top prize at the third edition of ShortsTV’s Best Of India Short Film Festival 2020. Now, it is one of the short films eligible for an Oscar nomination.
delivers her first child. “Being on the set brings me a lot of joy and I’m going to be shooting continuously for the next few days. I will be back shooting again once I deliver my first child and establish a system at home that ensures me to balance my child, my home and my professional life. I intend to keep working for as long as I live because acting truly makes me happy,” said Anushka, who is currently shooting for endorsements. (AGENCIES)
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“I have never dreamt of awards, anything of this sort. So no, I didn’t have an Oscar dream but I am thrilled to know that a film with which I am associated as both an actor and a producer, is now eligible for an Oscar nomination,” she said with excitement. For her, recognition is important. “It is an acknowledgement and a validation. One for me, the litmus test is always how I feel about what I have done. It is so precious when people appreciate your work. So yes, national, international or universal, I think recognition is important. I think more than important, it is just precious for an artiste,” said the National Film Award winner. She was last seen in the OTTreleased film “Shakuntala Devi”. (IANS)
FASHION
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Your Summer wardrobe makeover guide 2020 BY DEBASREE DAS
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ustralian summer is knocking at the door, with the restrictions easing away slowly we are totally in a mood to celebrate. Melbourne summer is special and with 60 days of warmer days, I wish to make the most of it. So, let us give you a summer wardrobe Capsule makeover, here are my top picks and trends of 2020. We always search for who wore what and can I replicate that look, here are some simple ways to get your summer wardrobe ready. #Summer Dresses: Dresses are the perfect and obvious choices for summer, talking about the spring-summer trends of 2020, here are the variations you can bring along to your dresses. Off shoulders/ vibrant prints/ classic whites/ 2-piece dresses, the choices are enormous. Boho prints are totally in this summer, vibrant colours, block prints and florals are totally called for this season. Style them with a statement hat and a tote to finish the look. Patterns that are ruling this year’s Spring/ Summer fashion are Statement sleeves, which could be puffed sleeves, off-shoulders, frills to add to the drama or pleated patterns. #Playsuits: They are my major style crush, easy to style and totally fashionable. Perfect for a backyard BBQ Luncheon or catching up friends for a cocktail get-together. #Denims: Denims are for all seasons; denim skirts and shorts would be my pick for summer. Styling them with a beautiful statement scarf and a tank top or choosing to just leave them on with a floral top. Whatever you choose, make sure to add your personal glam to your outfit.
summer to get that look. Style it with a corset / Statement belt to complete the look. Styling tip: Hussle around your husbands’ wardrobe to grab that oversized white shirt to style the look. With so many options to wear and flaunt this summer, make sure to stay fashionable and chic whatever you wear and don't forget to keep me a follow on Instagram to see what I am flaunting this summer?
#Jumpsuits: Love these for those long road trips and house parties. Florals or classic stripes are always my picks for transitioning between spring to hot summer. They go very well as workwear to dinner dress too. Perfect to camouflage those legs if you do not wish to show off yet look stylish. # Shirt dress: Don't throw away your oversized shirts, style them differently this Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @travelinstylewithdebs for your daily fashion inspiration. travelinstylewithdebs
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FOOD
bon appĂŠtit
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Did you know:
A handful of peanuts can reduce the risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease
Melissa Leong on being the first female judge on 'MasterChef Australia'
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elissa Leong feels being the first female judge on the popular cooking reality show, MasterChef Australia, comes with great responsibility, to represent the underrepresented while doing a good job as a judge. "Well, I wasn't really thinking about that (the responsibilities) when I said yes to the job. I was thinking more about whether or not I could take on this role and do justice to it. That was the first and foremost thing that I always consider (while taking up the job)," Leong told IANS. "Since taking on this role, I think it has been very clear that my being here means a lot to a lot of people. So yes, there is a responsibility to do the job well, and to represent people that have not necessarily been represented before. I think that is not just me being female, or not just me being Asian, but it also now opens up the consideration and the possibilities for all other forms of representation to be seen and to be heard as well," she added.
It was announced last year that food writer Leong, chefs Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen would be replacing George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan as judges of "MasterChef Australia". With the announcement, she became the first female and first Asian Australian judge of the show, ushering in a new era for the reality TV show. Asked about the evolving food industry for women and people of colour, the food writer of Singaporean heritage said: "We still have a really long way to go." "But I think that it is a really good time to be a woman in the food industry. I think it is a really good time to be a person of colour in the food industry. For a long time, we have felt misunderstood or misrepresented, or we have had people speak on our behalf. Now, we have the opportunity to be heard in our own voices, and to express what we want to express the way that we wish to do that. And that's really important because everybody, every human deserves that," said Leong.
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Leong has started shooting for the reality show and says shooting has changed a lot in the Covid-19 era. "There have been changes like social distancing, and a few other elements in place. Getting on a food show means hygiene is already something that is paramount in terms of consideration, so that really didn't change much," she shared. Leong continued: "But in terms of not being able to hug people or give high five, or do any of that sort of thing. It is difficult, but I think we are all very aware of how lucky we are to continue to shoot through such an uncertain period of time." She was recently seen judging "Junior MasterChef Australia 2020", which streams on Disney+ Hotstar Premium in India. She is currently busy filming the next season of MasterChef Australia, which will air in 2021. By Sugandha Rawal
Singapore becomes first country to approve sales of Lab-grown meat
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Learning wine etiquette T
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ingapore has become the first country to green-light sales of cultured chicken after the national food agency determined that it is safe for consumption. Cultured meat is produced via cell culture, instead from slaughtered animals. Chicken bites by Californian food start-up Eat Just is the first product to have passed the regulatory approval. Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick said that the cultured chicken bites would be manufactured in Singapore. He expects the product to "be served to consumers in a restaurant setting soon," though a timeline for when such chicken bites might be available is so far unclear. According to the chief executive, in the beginning, such meat would probably cost as much as premium chicken, but the price would fall as production is stepped up. He explained that "to achieve our mission, we'll need to be below the cost of conventional chicken."
(ANI)
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he festive season is here and for many of us this year is about entertaining at home, in small groups. If you are hosting a celebratory soiree, wine is an integral part of it. Master of Wine, Sonal Holland, helps you demonstrate the best wine etiquette with these simple tips. Tip 1: As a host, there is always one general rule to follow, which helps you never go wrong. Be generous with the wine you serve. Nothing is better than building great memories over a bottle of wine, so ensure you choose wisely and well. Tip 2: The festive season is a great time to experiment, when hosting intimate gatherings! We all have our tried and tested wines that we go back to, but why not expand your guest's palettes by serving as many styles of wine as possible? When hosting a wine party at home, try to create an assortment of different bottles of wine, your guests can choose from. The beauty of wines is about enjoying the diversity of its various styles and discovering new tastes. Tip 3: It's important to invest in good quality stemware to serve wine. It's a fact that the taste of even the most ordinary wines is enhanced when served in proper glasses. Choose clear stemware with no design or cuts. Ensure the glass has a lovely, steady base, a stem to hold the glass with a broad base at the bottom of the bowl, and narrow rims. Keep it simple yet highquality, and you will never go wrong. Tip 4: When hosting an evening at home, chances are that some of your guests will arrive with gifts of their own, many times, a bottle of wine. It becomes your duty to ask your guests if they would like you to open their bottle and serve the www.gdayindia.com.au | M: 0412-114-383
wine to the guests - often, wine-loving guests make a lot of effort to choose and bring a good quality bottle of wine to a party, and would therefore appreciate you and the rest of the guests, trying what they have brought. At other times, some guests are simply recycling bottles of wine they don't want for themselves, so may not be comfortable with you opening their bottles at the party. Either way, it's important that you ask them first, to let them decide if their bottle should be opened at the party or saved for later. Tip 5: As a host, especially one who loves wines, it is absolutely fine for you to take the stage so to speak, to tell your guests a little about the wines you've chosen for the evening, and why. The only tip is know when to stop. A few amusing, informational anecdotes about the bottles chosen are charming; anything more and you stand to lose your audience! By Puja Gupta
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DIET
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Being Heart Smart BY DEEVYA GUPTA
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outh Asians and in particular those from India appear to have a higher risk of developing heart conditions. Why is that? Those from an Indian background also have a higher risk of having diabetes, blood pressure and higher cholesterol. These add to the risks of developing heart conditions over time. These conditions are also now affecting people from a younger age. Smoking and a less active lifestyle, as well as stress, may be added factors which increase the risks further. Between men and women, men tend to be at a higher risk. What are some things we can do to help reduce the risk? Get regular testing done with your doctor: If you believe you are at risk or have someone in your family who has been affected by a heart condition, it is good practice to have regular check-ups with your doctor including any blood tests. Take your medications if you have been advised to do so: If your doctor has advised you to take medications to assist in reducing your risk, take them on a regular basis as advised by the doctor. Monitor your cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure By keeping these within the recommended ranges, you will be reducing the burden on your body and therefore the risks associated with these medical conditions Keep up with your regular physical activity
The general recommendations are 150 minutes of gentle exercise per week, over a period of 3-5 days (or unless otherwise advised), keep your body in a routine and overall you will be feeling fit and healthy to keep the oxygen pumping around your body. Take care of your dental health By taking care of your dental health, you reduce your chances of having an infection which may affect the heart. Are there any specific foods to help with heart health? Generally speaking, having a balanced intake is the best approach. Including at least five servings of vegetables, salads or daals in a day will help you to take in many vitamins, nutrients and most importantly fibre. Fibre will help with not only keeping you full and regulating your bowels but also has been linked to reducing cholesterol. Having two serves of fruits per day will also add to your overall fibre intake as well as giving you some extra vitamins. Swapping white bread and atta to wholegrain or multigrain will also increase your overall fibre to help with reducing cholesterol. Reduce your intake of butter and cream and swap to olive oil wherever possible as this has shown to also improve cholesterol. Try to avoid adding extra salt to foods because you most likely already get enough from your daily intake, especially if you have higher blood pressure. Keep well hydrated. If you are dehydrated your heart will need to work harder to pump blood which may cause some irregularities. If you eat meats regularly, go for lean meats, skin removed and try to add more fish like salmon or tuna to help reduce the overall cholesterol that may build up as a result. You can usually find options such as ‘heart smart’ or ‘lean’ meats in the supermarket. Include a variety of nuts and seeds if you have no issues consuming them, one handful per day of unsalted nuts can help boost the good fats the body needs to help reduce risks further. Need more specific and tailored diet advice? Get in touch with one of our Dietitians! Please note this advice is provided for the general population. Specific advice should be sought from your health care provider or Dietitian. If you need a Dietitian feel free to get in touch with us.
Deevya Gupta is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian in Melbourne | W: www.abcofnutrition.com.au
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RECIPE
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
Papflet Hara Masala (Pomfret fish cooked with fresh green herb paste)
Pomfret fish is an important food sources for humans. It is widely available in the Asian countries, there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy it here in Melbourne! Pomfret is healthy and wonderfully tender when steamed, baked in the oven, fried or cooked in a curry. Pomfret Fry is a mouth watering fish recipe.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pomfret (medium sized) Salt and pepper ½ tsp turmeric powder Juice of half a lemon 1 tbsp garlic paste 1 tbsp ginger paste 1 tbsp red chilli paste 2 tbsp fresh mint paste 2 tbsp fresh coriander paste 1 cup rice flour 2 tbsp olive oil Oil – to cook
METHOD
1. Clean fish and make slits on either side. 2. Marinate the fish with salt, pepper, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Set aside for 15 mins. 3. In a bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients, except the rice flour, to make a thick paste. 4. Generously apply the paste on both sides of the fish and set aside for 30 minutes or more. 5. Coat the fish with a thin layer of rice flour on each side.(optional) 6. In a pan, heat enough oil to pan fry or deep fry the fish, according to preference. Fry the fish until golden brown. 7. Serve hot with Tadka Dal and Basmati rice or Chappati.
SERVES:
Serves four people.
GARNISH:
BY MANJIT SETHI
With lemon wedges and onion rings.
TIP: Have your fish pre-cut down the
centre for better taste.
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recipe
from the private collection
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ASTROLOGY
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
By D. Narayan (Tantracharya) Mesha (Aries)
This month will bless you in terms of taking a new job offer, triumphs in your professional front, giving you a steadiness in your career. You will need to be careful about your health this month. Your family will provide support and encourage you positively towards achieving personal and professional goals Best days: 3, 12, 30 Lucky Colour: Red, Orange, Cream
Simha (Leo)
Vrishabh (Taurus)
December 2020 predicts gains and abundance in your horoscope. Taurus natives will observe an increase in their savings, and prospects of a hidden source of income could also add to your wealth. The sudden rise in income will give you the confidence to spend and invest your savings back into your business. There are good chances of earning from the share market. Best days: 9, 18, 27 Lucky Colour: Green, Blue
Kanya (Virgo)
A good month for your finances. You will use your savings for the betterment of your family and domestic life. You may also spend your money on your house. You may also invest your money in speculations in the latter half of the month. However, you need to be careful while investing in speculative activities.
You will get interested in a lot of speculative activities. However, as luck is not in your favour, its efforts in the speculation may not bring good results. It is essential to understand that risking your money on venturing projects may not always work out for you. Try investing your money one at a time to avoid financial losses.
Best days: 5,3 Lucky Colour: White & Orange
Best days: 3, 12 Lucky Colour: Orange, Green
Dhanu (Sagittarius)
Makara (Capricorn)
You need to worry about their finances this month. This is because the month will bring them plenty of opportunities to earn and save money. New income sources from a foreign land would open up for the native. However, investing in a new business venture may require funds which may lead the native in debt.
A sudden change in profession or some well-thought up financial activities will give you gains. Friends and family will be really cooperative in helping and supporting your financial status. Recovery of dues this month seems good.. Investing a chunk of your savings on a new business venture is also a possibility.
Best days: 9, 18 Lucky Colour: Red, Blue
Best days: 1, 3, 4 Lucky Colour: White, Green, Blue
Mithuna (Gemini)
M: 0425 660 220
Karkat (Cancer)
There is an indication of an unplanned expenditure this month. December 2020 will be a little challenging to keep a track of your finances. you may see money coming your way one day, and the following day you may notice a financial difficulty. You would need to keep a tab on their finances.
You will have a desirable month in terms of wealth. You may spend money on speculative activities and even on your education. Both of these investments will positively have good results in your future that your luck will give you a rise in your income. Those expecting a promotion in your job may hear favourable news.
Best days: 2, 7, 9 Lucky Colour: Red, White, Yellow
Best days: 9, 18 Lucky Colour: Red, Blue
Tula (Libra)
Vrishchik (Scorpio)
You may obtain the money that will add up to your savings. However, you will witness a rising expenditure as well this month. Even though you will see a good cash inflow, the overall savings will be unsatisfactory. The increased expenses in the medical bills will also hamper your daily expenditure, and the need for money will be more frequent by the end of the day.
You would have a stable financial period this month. there will be a good inflow of money from various sources. A sudden rise in your career will also bring you more money in your pocket. Expenses, however, will also increase - especially, either on a romantic trip with your lover or a luxurious extravagance.
Kumbha (Aquarius)
Meen (Pisces)
Best days: 9, 18 Lucky Colour: Red, Blue
Aquarius native may land into money related to trouble in spite of a wellestablished career. This may be due to the risk factor that is involved in most business transactions. Since your expenses will be high, you may suffer from a loss of cash flow this month. Hence, it is highly recommended that the native should do their due calculations before investing a lot of money into a business venture. Best days: 5, 3, 6 Lucky Colour: White, Green
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Best days: 1, 3, 4 Lucky Colour: Red, Orange
A desirable month for you financially. Your past investments will positively bear fruits this month. You may try your luck in speculative activities. However, do not become overconfident investing your money in the share market. You will need to be extremely careful about your investments before taking any financial risk. Best days: 2, 7, 9 Lucky Colour: Red, Yellow, White
Have a laug h
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
HAVE A LAUGH
Last Friday, I took a guest to of making an extra trip to get it a Fancy Restaurant. I noticed right now." that the waiter had a spoon in his shirt pocket. I was impressed. I also noticed that there was a string hanging I looked around and saw all out of the Indian waiter's zip. the waiters had spoons in their Looking around, I saw that all of pockets. the Indian waiters had the same string hanging from their zips. When the waiter came, I I asked the waiter, "Excuse me, inquired, "Why do you place the can you tell me why you have that spoon in your pocket?" string there?" He explained, "The boss hired McKinsey Consulting to reengineer our processes. They discovered the spoon was the most frequently dropped utensil. Approximately 3 spoons per table per hour are dropped. If our staff carry spoons, we can reduce the number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15 manhours per shift." As luck would have it, I dropped my spoon and he replaced it with his spare one. "I'll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead
Then the Indian waiter lowered his voice. "Not everyone is so observant. McKinsey also suggested we can save time in the restroom. By tying this string to the tip of our manhood, we can pull it out without touching it and eliminate the need to wash our hands, shortening the time spent in the restroom by 45%." I asked quietly, "After you get it out, how do you put it back?" He whispered, "Mckinsey didn't mention that in report, so, "We use the spoon."
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G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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www.gdayindia.com.au | M: 0412-114-383
G’DAY INDIA | DEC 2020
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