Indian Abroad: Feb 1-15, 2022 - Vol 1 Issue 24

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

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Air India's divestment complete; Tata Sons takes over control

Covid vaccines administered in India cross 165 cr mark

IANS

IANS

DNA India

Deepak-Raj Gupta IndianAustralian politician honoured with OAM for service to community - Page 5

Rajpath brims over with patriotic fervour as India celebrates R-Day - Page 3

Indian Cooking with Lata Modi -Page 7

New Delhi, Jan 27: The Centre on Thursday handed over the management control of national carrier Air India to a subsidiary of Tata Sons.

With this Air India's strategic disinvestment was complete after the Centre received a consideration of Rs 2,700 crore from the 'Strategic Partner' -- Talace -- which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons.

Besides the upfront payment, Talace will retain a debt of Rs 15,300 crore.

Joshimath: Gateway to mesmerising places at the end of Uttrakhand -Page 22

Shunahshepa: Who is a real father? -Page 23

Bridal trends of 2022 -Page 27

New Delhi, Jan 29: With the administration of more than 56 lakh vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage on Saturday exceeded 165.04 crore, as per the health ministry report. This has been achieved through 180,50,126 sessions.

"A total of 165 crore vaccines doses! In the nation's collective fight against COVID19 under PM Narendra Modi Ji's dynamic leadership, India now has strong protective shield of over 165 crore vaccine doses", said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a tweet.

As per the ministry report, over 4,50,05,663 teens in the 15 to 18 age bracket have also received their first dose of Covid vaccines since the beginning of the drive on January

Job vacancies, cheaper visas for visitors to Australia

Indian aged care facility to be built in Victoria T

I Perth celebrates Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti -Page 8

Notably, the transaction covered three entities - Air India, Air India Express and AI SATS. "The strategic disinvestment transaction of Air India successfully concluded today with transfer of 100 per cent shares of Air India to M/s Talace Pvt Ltd along with management control. A new Board, led by the Strategic Partner, takes charge of Air India," tweeted Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset

Management (DIPAM).

On Thursday, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi ahead of the official handover of Air India.

Afterwards, at 'Airlines House', the HQ of Air India, a new board was constituted which included Tata Group's executives.

"We are excited to have Air India back in the Tata Group and are committed to making this a worldclass airline," Chandrasekaran said.

"I warmly welcome all the employees of Air India, to our Group, and look forward to working together."

Last month, the Competition Commission of India had approved the acquisition of Air India, Air India Express and Air India SATS Airport Services by Talace.

The acquisition envisaged 100 per cent equity share capital of Air India and Air India Express, and 50 per cent for that of Air India SATS Airport Services by Talace.

The airline, along with AIXL, is primarily engaged in the business of providing domestic and international scheduled air passenger

3. On achieving this milestone, Mandaviya congratulated the youngsters of this age group for taking the vaccines against Covid.

"Congratulations to my young friends! More than 4.5 crore children received the first dose of the vaccine. With the #SabkoVaccineMuftVaccine campaign, PM @NarendraModi ji government is securing the future of the country. Let's get the vaccine, make the country safe", he said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, the health minister will chair a high level review meeting on the present Covid situation with five states on Saturday. Mandaviya will review the public health preparedness and response measures being taken in context of Omicron variant in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh through video conferencing.

The minister also reviewed the Covid situation and public health preparedness with 8 southern states and UTs on Friday. The states were asked to focus on the 5-fold strategy of 'Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate & Adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour' along with effective surveillance of cases which is crucial for Covid management.

n Melbourne’s Cranbourne East, a new multi-million dollar elderly care facility will be built with the goal of providing culturally sensitive elderly care services to the Indian community. As part of its election commitment in 2018, the Victorian government has allocated a block of land for the facility.

The facility would be located in the City of Casey in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne and will have

the capacity to house a substantial number of residents in need of aged care services.

The search for a not-for-profit residential aged care provider with ties to the Indian community to develop and run the facility in the southeast region will begin this year with an expression of interest procedure.

People born in India make up the largest group of non-English

speakers in Casey’s vibrant and diversified community, with a considerable proportion of people of Indian cultural heritage aged 60 and older.

Anthony Carbines, Minister for Disability, Ageing, and Carers, claimed that the Victorian government was following through on their election pledge to provide land for the establishment of a residential aged care facility.

he move was made by the Australian government in order to encourage them to fill some of the country's "important manpower gaps."

Visitors to Australia on a student or working holiday visa will be granted a rebate on their application fee, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The government has taken this step in an effort to entice employers to fill some of the country's "critical labour shortages."

According to Bloomberg, the country's economy has been under

severe strain in recent months as a result of the Omicron and Coronavirus outbreaks.

Indian Australian Bundamba scoops the pool at Ipswich Australia Day Awards 2020 community celebrates the

B

undamba brought home the bacon at the 2022 Ipswich Australia Day Awards as the local community’s talented members won a fair share of awards at the official award ceremony on Wednesday evening of 19th January.

Where nineteen of Ipswich’s most selfless residents, unifying local events, cultural and sporting leaders, and everyday citizens making a contribution were selected as finalists for the 2022 Ipswich Australia Day Awards, the Bundamba bagged a lot of appreciation for talents like Kylie Hill – a passionate and inspirational Indigenous artist and mother to a large family who produces art to share her culture as well as help the greater community.

A Redbank Plains artist Kylie Hill of KJH Artworks was awarded the Cultural Award, while Dinmore Bushrats Soccer & Sports Club Inc. stalwart, tireless working volunteer Scotty Morrison won the Sports and Recreation Award .

73rd Republic Day of India

T

he Indian Embassy in Australia opened celebration as the High Commissioner Shri Manpreet Vohra unfurled the national flag and read the Honorable President’s message on the 73rd Republic Day of India, on January 26, 2022.

Furthermore, Professor Dr Ian Hall, Academic Fellow of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne, and Matthew Hayden were presented with letters from Honorable Prime Minister of India to mark the 73rd Republic Day of India in Brisbane.

I will get to learn a lot from Remo as this is my first show as a judge: Mouni Roy -Page 31

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Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

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LEAD STORIES

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS

Spectacular flypast by 75 aircraft at Rajpath leaves people stunned IANS

Rajpath brims over with patriotic fervour as India celebrates R-Day IANS

New Delhi, Jan 26: The teeth-chattering cold on Wednesday morning failed to dampen the spirits of the people coming to witness the Republic Day parade at the majestic Rajpath, here.

The people started arriving at the Rajpath as early as 5 a.m. in the morning, even as the parade begins at 10.30 a.m.

However, this year the rush compared to previous years was less, possibly owing to the fear of the latest Omicron variant of novel coronavirus. Notably this is the second time India is celebrating the Republic Day in a subdued manner.

Still almost every seat for the visitors at the Rajpath was occupied.

It may be also mentioned that the seating arrangement was adhering to the Covid-induced protocol of keeping distance.

The security personnel were even checking the Covid vaccination certificates at the entrance of the Rajpath area.

People, who were standing in the queues, could be heard singing and chanting patriotic songs and slogans.

Amid chilly weather in the morning, the slogans "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vande Matram" injected the heat of patriotism in the veins of the people.

The parade was yet to start at the time of filing of this report.

Jal Shakti Ministry's tableau showcases JJM work in Ladakh

IANS

New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS); A sky blue, smiling, huge drop of water stands resting one a flowing tap right in front, with a traditional Ladakhi mud house behind it. On the one hand are happy Ladakhi people and on the other, the support teams, some women are testing water sources, some men are

www.indianabroad.news

putting in pipelines in place and yet some, checking connections.

For the Jal Shakti Ministry to showcase its flagship project running in Mission Mode - Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), its tableau, 'Jal Jeevan Mission: Changing Lives' at the Republic Day parade this year could not have been a

better opportunity. And the location chosen was Ladakh.

The harshest of terrain and sub-zero temperatures, sometimes even minus 20 at night. Not only are the water sources frozen, but even the supply lines are inoperative because of extreme winter as sometimes the pipes are frozen or burst regularly.

It is in such inclement weather conditions and more than 11,000 feet average altitude that the JJM has sought to bring about a change.

The JJM, as it is popular, aims at providing functional tap water connection to every rural household across India.

Ladakh has the lowest population density in the country (2.8 person / sq km), villages are scattered, and rainfall is scarce. It remains cut off from the rest of the country for a few months in a year due to closure of passes during winters. This affects the supply of materials badly.

Further, most of the water sources are in inaccessible areas, in many areas of Ladakh the water bodies freeze in winters, a lot of labour is required for construction and help of animals & helicopters is taken to lift and transport the material.

"Due to freezing temperatures, in place of regular GI pipe, HDPE pipes are used, and main supply lines are laid below frost line. Wherever pipes come above the frost line, these are encased in 4" dm of glass wool, wood, aluminium jacketing for insulation. Solar power plays an integral part in the water supply chain and ensures continuous flow of water in the pipeline," said an official.

There are technical challenges as well to draw water from frozen water sources.

In such areas where people were forced to dig ice and drink it after melting, now getting clean tap water in the comfort of their homes, schools and anganwadis. "Not only that, through sensor based IoT systems they know live data about quantity, quality and monitoring of the water supplied. Women in villages have been trained to test the quality of water using Field Test Kits (FTKs)," he added.

Ladakh was just a showcase. Across India, the JJM has trained more than 8.6 lakh women so far in ensuring clean tap water to homes with the help of FTKs. Water testing laboratories in the country are now open for the public to get their drinking water tested.

A digital board displaying live temperature and real time data about water supply, chlorination etc., and progress of the Mission is also presented.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, "In a very short span of 29 months since its announcement in August 2019, Jal Jeevan Mission has provided tap water supply to more than 5.63 crore rural households, 8.4 lakh schools and 8.6 lakh anganwadi centres in India.a At the time of announcement of the Mission, only 3.23 crore homes had tap water supply and today more than 8.87 crore homes have tap water connections.

Akin to Ladakh, the JJM Jal Jeevan Mission has been working in the most difficult terrain of the country to provide tap water to communities in high altitudes of Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand or in deserts of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

/IndianAbroadNews

New Delhi, Jan 26: The flypast witnessing 75 aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air Force and displaying a number of formations left people stunned at Rajpath during the Republic Day parade on January 26.

Vintage as well as current modern aircraft and helicopters like Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi-17, Sarang, Apache and Dakota displayed different formations, including Rahat, Meghna, Eklavya, Trishul, Tiranga, Vijay and Amrit.

Precision at tremendous speeds was on display and thundering aerobatics done with professional skills at Rajpath in the national capital.

The Rahat formation comprising five LHA flew in five 'Arrowhead' formations. The formation flypast over the water channel North of Rajpath.

The Meghna formation comprising CH-47 Chinook in lead and four Mi-17 1V in echelon, flew in the five 'Arrowhead' formation.

The Eklavya formation consisting of Mi-35 in lead with four Apache heptrs in echelon flew in five 'Arrowhead" formation.

The Tangail formation comprising a Dakota in lead with two Dornier in echelon flew in Vic' formation.

The Traan formation comprising 1C17 with two C 130A in echelon flew in Vic formation.

Netra formation would comprise one x AEW & C with two MiG 29 UPG and two Su-30 MKI in echelon flew in the Arrowhead formation, after Traan formation.

Vinaash formation comprising five Rafale flew in Arrowhead formation after Netra formation.

Thereafter, Baaz formation consisting of one Rafale, two Jaguar, two MiG-29 UPG and Su-30 MI in seven 'Arrowhead' formations.

Trishul formation comprising three Su-30 MKI flew in Vic formation, one minute after Baaz formation approached the dias. The formation pulled up and outward for the Trishul maneuver.

Varuna formation comprised one P8-i with two MiG-29K in echelon and flew in Vic formation behind Trishul formation.

Five Sarang (ALH) flew in ladder formation streaming Tricolour after Varuna formation.

One Rafale flew in at 900 kmph behind Tiranga formation.

Approaching the dias, the aircraft pulled up for Vertical Charlie and carried out 21/2 turns.

In the end, the Amrit formation comprising 17 Jaguar made a figure of 75 aircraft and helicopters.

The parade culminated with the national anthem and the release of Tricolour balloons.

ITBP jawans unfurl Tricolour at icy height in Himalayas on R-Day

IANS

New Delhi, Jan 26: The troopers of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Wednesday celebrated the 73rd Republic Day, 2022 at the icy heights of Himalayas with zeal and vigour, from the heights ranging from 12,000 to 17,500 feet.

The ITBP jawans also known as Himveers, unfurled the national flag in the border areas of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh where at places, the minimum temperature is minus (-) 45 degrees celsius.

The jawans unfurled the national flag at last Indian village Mana at Uttarakhand, border areas of Ladakh, and Kumaon region in Uttarakhand.

The 'Daredevil' bikers of the ITBP also showcased 10 different types of formation at the Rajpath during the Republic Day Parade. This is the first time that the ITBP showcased so many formations such as Lotus Formation, Border Man's Salute, Fly Riding, Pawan Chakki, Horizontal Bar Exercise, Six-Man Balance, Arrow Position, Jaguar Position, Sentinels of the Himalayas and the

/indianabroadnews

theme-based Pyramid on 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' on the 75th Anniversary of India's independence. A total of 146 personnel and 33 Bullet Motorcycles of ITBP will participate in the Mission 'Daredevils'.

Raised in 1962, the ITBP is deployed to guard the 3,488 km of India-China borders. The terrain and weather conditions in the mountainous borders are full of challenges where the brave jawans of the ITBP remained deployed 24x7 to keep vigil at the Himalayan frontiers of the country.

The ITBP is a mountain trained force and all its personnel are professionally acknowledged mountaineers.

The Force is known as 'Sentinels of the Himalayas' for its greater role in the security of the highest borders of the Nation.

The Himalayan border guarding force has recently completed 59 years of dedicated service to the Nation. It has conducted hundreds of rescue operations as 'First responders' in disasters in the Himalayan region over the years.

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LEAD STORIES

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

TATA SONS GETS AIR INDIA Air India's divestment complete; Nobody remained hungry during pandemic induced lockdown: Prez Tata Sons takes over control transport service, along with air cargo transport service.

Air India SATS Airport Services is engaged in the business of providing ground handling services at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram airports, and cargo handling services at Bengaluru airport.

Tata Sons' subsidiary Talace had emerged as the highest bidder for the national carrier under the divestment process.

It had quoted an enterprise value of Rs 18,000 crore for 100 per cent equity shareholding of the Centre in Air India along with that of Air India Express and AISATS. On its part, the Centre had stipulated a reserve price of Rs 12,906 crore.

Air India comes with over 140 aircraft but no real estate assets for Tata Sons News 18

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS): Tata Sons subsidiary Talace, which took over the managerial control of Air India on Thursday, will get more than 140 aircraft and eight logos, among other assets such as human resources.

However, the transaction does not include non-core assets, including land and building, valued at Rs 14,718 crore, which are to be transferred to government of India's Air India Asset Holding Limited (AIAHL).

Besides, Tatas will also not get the world-famous art collection of Air India.

Nevertheless, the group will get Air

India's 117 wide-body and narrow body aircraft apart from 24 aircraft of Air India Express. A significant number of these aircraft are owned

by Air India.

It will also get to operate these aircraft on over 4,000 domestic and 1,800 international routes.

Also, eight brand logos would be transferable to the Tatas, which they have to retail for a period of five years.

As far as revenues are concerned, more than two-third of Air India's consolidated revenues come from the international market. The airline is still the largest player from India

in the international market, having a strong footprint across geographies like North America, Europe and Middle East, with attractive slots and bilateral rights.

Additionally, Air India comes with a frequent flyer programme which has more than three million members.

In terms of manpower, the conglomerate will get the total talent pool of Air India and Air India Express, which stands at over 13,000, including permanent as well as contractual employees.

Under the agreement with the Centre, no employee will be removed for one-year. In the second year, if an employee has to be removed, a VRS option will be provided.

The employees will be provided gratuity, provident fund and post-retirement medical benefits.

Financially, Tatas will retain a debt of Rs 15,300 crore. It had to pay Rs 2,700 crore to the Centre as the cash component.

In addition, Tatas will need to take care of the Rs 20 crore loss per day that the company suffers.

There is also a three-year business continuity clause in the agreement.

Tatas would also need to maintain 51 per cent stake in the airline for at least one-year.

'Time to look ahead, journey starts now': Tata Group Chairman tells AI staff New Delhi, Jan 27: Tata Group Chairman, N. Chandrasekaran, on Thursday called upon Air India employees to work together to build ‘the airline our country needs'.

In a communication to the employees, Chandrasekaran said: "Now is the time to look ahead."

The communication to Air India employees came on a day when Tata Group subsidiary, Talace Private Limited, formally took over the managerial control of the airline.

"I, like many others, have enjoyed reflecting on stories from the airline's brilliant past. My first flight was with Air India in December 1986, and I will never forget how special it felt to be onboard, or the exhilaration as we soared into the

sky," the letter read.

"Today is the beginning of a new chapter. The entire nation's eyes are on us, waiting to see what we will achieve together. To build the airline our country needs, we need to look to the future," it added.

Notably, the purpose of the letter was to welcome the employees into the Tata Group "family".

"Our group has its own storied past. I have learned that to preserve what is best about the past, requires constant change. It is by evolving, adapting and embracing the future that we best honour a glorious history," Chandrasekaran said in the letter.

It added that the "golden age" of Air India lies ahead and the "journey

towards it starts now".

The Centre on Thursday handed over the management control of Air India to Tata Group subsidiary Talace.

With this, Air India's strategic disinvestment was complete after the Centre received a consideration of Rs 2,700 crore from the 'Strategic Partner' -- Talace -- which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons.

Besides the upfront payment, Talace will retain a debt of Rs 15,300 crore.

The transaction covered three entities - Air India, Air India Express and AI SATS. Post the formal take over, a new board was constituted which included Tata Group's executives.

In-flight pilot's welcome announcement changed for Air India passengers New Delhi, Jan 28: If you board an Air India flight on Friday, the pilot will welcome you with a different announcement, as the airline has been formally handed over to the Tata Group.

On Friday, the first day post the formal take over by the Tata Group, the pilots were asked to change the welcome announcement which are made after the closure of the cabin.

"Dear Guests, this is your Captain (Name) speaking... Welcome aboard this historic flight which marks a special event. Today, Air India officially becomes a part of the Tata Group again, after seven decades," www.indianabroad.news

the welcome speech reads as sent out to all the pilots.

Further, the pilots are asked to say: "We look forward to serving you on this and every Air India flight with renewed commitment and passion.

Welcome to the future of Air India!

We hope you enjoy the journey.

Thank you."

On Thursday, Tata Group Chairman, N. Chandrasekaran called upon Air India employees to work together to build the airline according to the country's needs.

In a communication to the employees, Chandrasekaran said: "Now is

the time to look ahead."

The communication to Air India employees came on the same day when Tata Group subsidiary, Talace Private Limited, formally took over the managerial control of the airline.

"Today is the beginning of a new chapter. The entire nation's eyes are on us, waiting to see what we will achieve together. To build the airline our country needs, we need to look to the future," Chandrasekaran added.

He added that the "golden age" of Air India lies ahead and the "journey towards it starts now".

New Delhi, Jan 31: Recalling the multiple beneficial schemes that the government initiated during the last year or two, President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said nobody was left hungry during the pandemic induced lockdown as the government ensured free distribution of ration to 80 crore people for 19 months.

"During the corona pandemic, several countries faced food shortage but my sensitive government ensured that no poor was left hungry. The Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana provided free rations to 80 crore poor Indians

for 19 months," Kovind said in his Presidential speech on the first day of the Budget Session 2022.

"This is the largest free food distribution programme in the world, we have extended till March 2022.

We spent Rs 2.60 lakh crore for the same," he said.

The President also congratulated the farmers, especially the 80 crore small land holding farmers who helped grow over 30 crore tonnes of food grains and over 33 crore tonnes of horticulture despite the pandemic. He also said, his government continued to help the farmers

with minimum support price (MSP) buying Kharif and Rabi crops.

"Soch nayi ho to purane sansadhano se bhi naye raste banaye jaa sakte hai (If we think in an innovative manner, we can work wonders even with old resources," he said.

The President also lauded the combined efforts put in by the administration, doctors, scientists, health workers and even citizens to fight the Covid pandemic that, he said, exemplified the united power of the democracy.

He recounted the steps taken by the government vis-a-vis health sector including vaccination, and said, "Today, 90 per cent or more adults have taken at least one dose of vaccination."

The President recounted the achievements in the field of agriculture, infrastructure, education, Digital India, MSME, and also women's empowerment.

Towards the end, he reminded the Parliamentarians that "next 25 years would be spent on shaping up India that we want to see in 2047 when we celebrate 100 years of Independence."

Samyukt Kisan Morcha to observe 'Day of Betrayal' on Jan 31 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS): The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced on Friday that it will observe January 31 as a 'Day of Betrayal' across India with largescale protest demonstrations at district and block levels.

"All the farm unions associated with the Morcha will observe this protest with great fervour. It is expected that this programme will be organised in at least 500 districts of the country," SKM, a consortium of farmers' organisations, said in a statement after the meeting of its coordination committee.

"In the protest demonstrations on January 31, a memorandum will also be submitted to the Union government. The preparation for this programme was reviewed during the meeting," the statement said.

The SKM had taken a decision to this effect in its review meeting held on January 15. The farmers claimed that the government has handed them deceit.

The farmers had agitated for more than a year, demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws.

After the agitation was called off following the government's decision to repeal the three farm laws, SKM had declared that the agitation could resume if the government fails to meet their other demands, prominent being legal backing for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all farmers.

The anti-farmer stand of the

government is evident from the fact that even after the meeting of SKM on January 15, the government did not fulfil any of the promises made in its letter dated December 9, 2021.

"No action has been taken in the last two weeks on the promise of immediate withdrawal of cases filed against the protesters, or on compensation to the families of the martyrs (who died during the yearlong agitation). The government has not announced the formation of a committee on the issue of MSP either," SKM said, adding, "Therefore, the Morcha has called upon the farmers across the country to convey their anger to the government through the 'Day of Betrayal'."

The SKM also made it clear that 'Mission Uttar Pradesh' will continue, through which "this anti-farmer regime will be taught a lesson".

"A call will be made to the people of Uttar Pradesh to punish the Bhartiya Janata Party for not sacking and arresting Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son was allegedly involved in the tragic incident at Lakhimpur Khiri last year," the SKM statement said.

To operationalise this campaign, a new phase of the mission will be announced through a press conference on February 3. Under this, a message to punish the BJP will be conveyed by all the organisations under SKM through literature distribution, press conference, social media, and public meetings throughout Uttar Pradesh.

The first phase of voting for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections is to be held on February 10.

The SKM reiterated that it fully endorses and supports the nationwide strike called by the Central Trade Unions on February 23 and 24 for issues such as the withdrawal of four anti-labour codes, as well as for MSP for farmers.

The SKM also reiterated that the name, banner or platform of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will not be used by any political party or candidate in the run-up to the Assembly polls in Punjab, scheduled on February 20.

Faced with starvation, Afghans sell kidneys: Report IANS

Kabul, Jan 29: Faced with starvation amid the prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the subsequent economic collapse, some people in Herat province are being forced to sell their kidneys in order to feed their families, a media report said.

According to the TOLO News report, these residents from Injil district have sold their kidneys in the black market for little money in order to survive amid the dire poverty.

"We sell our kidneys if someone buys in order to bring something for our children to eat," said one of the residents.

Among those who have been selling their kidneys are children and women.

According to the law of the country, selling organs or parts are the body is illegal, but these families say that they have no other options to survive.

/IndianAbroadNews

"We are happy, the security situation is good, but prices are a bit high in the country," another resident told TOLO News.

The sale of kidneys due to poverty in some parts of Herat made headlines last year also.

But now as a catastrophic humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan, world leaders and officials are taking the warning seriously.

The UK's foreign secretary Liz Truss said: "We are working very hard first of all to bring people out of Afghanistan, and we are using various routes to do that, we are also putting in additional humanitarian aid into Afghanistan." When asked, she said reports of selling kidneys "are very concerning."

Economic analysts say the lifting of sanctions and the release of billions of frozen dollars of the country's assets from world banks would be effective ways to improve the lives

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of the people of Afghanistan.

"The price of goods rose sharply and caused the most vulnerable sections of society to suffer more," said Abdul Nasir Reshtial, economist.

Following the takeover of the country by the Taliban last August, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and US Federal Reserve cut off Afghanistan's access to international funds.

Unemployment, poverty and hunger have reached alarming levels in Afghanistan.

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DESI ACHIEVERS

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

DEEPAK RAJ GUPTA Indian-Australian politician honoured with OAM for service to community

D

eepak-Raj Gupta was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) this year for his contributions to the Canberra community. An Australian politician of Indian origin, he served in the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory from 23 July 2019 to October 2020.

He wants to increase awareness of India's tremendous cultural diversity.

Gupta is well-known within Canberra's Indian diaspora. He formed the Canberra India Council, served as President of the Canberra India Australia Association, and was the founding president of the Australia India Business Council's (AIBC) ACT Chapter for ten years .He is currently a member of the AIBC at the national level. However, he is perhaps most recognised in the Canberra community for being the first Indian-born member of the Legislative Assembly. After failing to maintain his seat in the Gungahlin-based constituency of Yerrabi in the 2020 election, the Labor MLA's tenure in territory politics lasted less than 18 months.

But Mr Gupta's brief career, which ignited the spark of inspiration in a community, would not have happened at all if he hadn't vowed to break down the institutional and cultural obstacles that have traditionally restricted politics to

the white and middle classes.

He began Holi and Diwali festival melas in 2004. He felt the Indian community deserved more visibility at the annual National Multicultural Festival in Canberra after that experience.

Although it was a week-long event, Indian migrants were only given a 15-minute time slot. He became engrossed in the efforts to secure a lengthier slot and demanded more.

Today, it is a one-day event that is one of the most popular of the festival. Gupta also established the World Curry Festival in Canberra, bolstered by his experience and success in large-scale events and expanding business networks.

Deepak-Raj Gupta arrived in Australia 32 years ago with the intention of finishing his education and returning to India. Having been bestowed with the OAM for his invaluable contribution to the Canberra community, Gupta commented that he had never thought he would be the recipient of such a great distinction. Gupta, who was born in Agra and schooled in Shimla, is grateful for the opportunity he had in his early years, when he worked odd jobs like washing cars and in hospitality. Such opportunities brought him in direct contact with the general public and allowed him to integrate into the local community.

Indian-origin scientist creates 1st molecular structure of Omicron protein Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

Dr Sriram Subramaniam, a professor at UBC's department of biochemistry and molecular biology

www.indianabroad.news

Toronto, Jan 22: An Indian-origin researcher at University of British Columbia (UBC) has created the world's first molecular-level structural analysis of the Omicron variant spike protein.

Published in the Science journal, the analysis which is done at near atomic resolution using cryo-electron microscopy, reveals how the heavily mutated Omicron variant attaches to and infects human cells.

"Understanding the molecular structure of the viral spike protein is important as it will allow us to develop more effective treatments against Omicron and related variants in the future," said the study's lead author Dr Sriram Subramaniam, a professor at UBC's department of biochemistry and molecular biology.

"By analysing the mechanisms by which the virus infects human cells, we can develop better treatments that disrupt that process and neutralise the virus," Subramaniam added.

The spike protein, which is located

on the outside of a coronavirus, enables SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells.

The Omicron variant has an unprecedented 36 mutations on its spike protein -- three to five times more than previous variants.

The structural analysis revealed that several mutations create new salt bridges and hydrogen bonds between the spike protein and the human cell receptor known as ACE2.

The new bonds appear to increase binding affinity - how strongly the virus attaches to human cells.

"The findings show that Omicron has greater binding affinity than the original virus, with levels more comparable to what we see with the Delta variant," said Subramaniam.

"It is remarkable that the Omicron variant evolved to retain its ability to bind with human cells despite such extensive mutations."

The Omicron spike protein exhibits increased antibody evasion.

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In contrast to previous variants, Omicron showed measurable evasion from all six monoclonal antibodies tested, with complete escape from five.

The variant also displayed increased evasion of antibodies collected from vaccinated individuals and

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unvaccinated Covid-19 patients.

"Notably, Omicron was less evasive of the immunity created by vaccines, compared to immunity from natural infection in unvaccinated patients. This suggests that vaccination remains our best defence," Subramaniam informed.

5

COMMUNITY NEWS

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

22 years of Kashmiri State-wide community Migration commemorated leaders’ meeting held R emembrance Day was organised by Kashmiri Pandits in Perth to highlight the forced exodus and killings of Hindus from Kashmir on 19 January 1990.

O

n 13th January 2022, Christine Castley, CEO at Multicultural Australia and key Multicultural Australia community development staff participated in a state-wide community leaders’ meeting via Zoom.

This meeting was convened by the CALD COVID-19 Health Engagement Project (CCHEP) to discuss Omicron, living with COVID-19, and its impact on Queensland’s CALD community.

The discussion was led by the Honourable Leanne Linard, Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Lynne McKinlay, Deputy Chief Health Officer.

These community leaders meetings provide a vital connection between our state government and health leaders and members of some of our most vulnerable groups from culturally and linguistically diverse

backgrounds.

CCHEP is a partnership initiative supported by 9 partners and CALD communities and managed by the Refugee Health Network Queensland.

Partnership initiatives such as this are extremely important in supporting communities to navigate the vaccination of children, booster shots, and the sheer impact of the Omicron variant.

Volleyball tournament by Swachhta Pakhwara in Perth to Singh Spikers Queensland mark Swami Vivekanad’s birthday S A ingh Spikers Queensland organised Singhs Open Cup volleyball tournament on 15th January, 2022 which was a huge success. The men’s only event had teams playing in two divisions. The tournament results were as follows: Division 1 Best setter-Tylor Nix (Beta) Best hitter-Alfredo Walton (Singh Spikers Queensland) Player of the tournament-Connor Rudder (Beta) Bronze -Tune Squad Silver-Singh Spikers Queensland Gold- Beta Squad Division 2 Best setter- Nathan (D.V.A.S) Best hitter- Rahul (ICSC) Bronze -Slavic Jaguar Silver- ICSC Gold-D.V.A.S

s part of an annual Indian tradition in celebrating the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, one of the most renowned monks in the world, a voluntary cleanup of Mills park in Cannington was organised on 15th January, 2022. This program was headed by Samskruthi Perth, with volunteers representing the organisation as well as plenty of others such as NRI Rising Club INC . WA , Overseas Friends of BJP and Kashmiri Pandit Cultural Society of WA.

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6

FOOD & CUISINE

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Indian Cooking with Lata Modi HOME MADE PANEER & CAPSICUM CURRY WITH BESAN AND PEANUTS Side Chef

HOME MADE PANEER

MRS. LATA MODI

N

amaste everyone. I feel like sharing some very beautiful memories with you all today. This has been one of my most proud moment as an Indian living in Australia, especially in Gold Coast.

On 26th of January we all celebrate our Indian Republic Day, no matter where we live. In Australia, it happens to be Australia Day as well on the same day. So living in Australia we very proudly celebrate both with great pride. My kids had learnt our Indian National Anthem when they were little. And Australian National Anthem was taught in schools here. But when we came to Gold Coast, Queensland in 1995, as I had mentioned before that the Indian Community was very very small. I wanted to celebrate Indian Independence Day with my community. So I wanted some children to sing our national anthem to represent India in the big Australia Day celebration. I spoke with some families and we had about 10 young children. To my surprise lots of these kids had never heard of our national anthem. So we practised and they represented India for the first time ever, on the biggest stage here where Australia Day was being celebrated. I was feeling very emotional to see our Indian flag being held by our little children and the echo of our national anthem was in the air. It was such a magical moment.

Lots of parents and grand parents were there and they were so happy that their children were part of this celebration.

Since then we have been holding our flag up high each year with our participation in Australia Day. Now the Indian community is huge and the celebrations are even bigger. And now my grand children are singing the Indian national anthem and making me extremely proud.

JAI HIND

HOME MADE PANEER INGREDIENTS (for up to half kilo) • Two litres full cream milk • Two lemons juice METHOD • In a heavy based sauce pan put milk. Keep the heat medium.

• Bring milk to boil, keep stirring the milk, so it will not get burnt or get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

• Once it starts to boil, put the lemon juice and stir for a minute then turn off heat.

• Now take a muslin cloth, keep it over a mixing bowl, so the water can be saved in the bowl and the paneer will stay in the cloth .

• This water is very nutritious and can be used in curry or to make dough.

• Now squeeze the muslin cloth with very softly with your hands.

• And find something heavy, like a marble cheese board or chakla and put it on top of the muslin cloth. Put

it in the fridge for couple of hours and your paneer will be ready to use.

• Enjoy.

CAPSICUM CURRY WITH BESAN AND PEANUTS INGREDIENTS (for up to 4 people) • Four red or green capsicums washed and cut in bite size pieces • Half cup besan (gram flour) • Half cup peanuts (roasted and roughly crushed peanuts) • Two tea spoon fennel seeds • One tea spoon mustard seeds • One tea spoon turmeric powder • Two tea spoon coriander powder • Two or three dry red chillies • Three table spoon oil of your choice • Salt to taste • Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing METHOD • Heat one table spoon oil a big wok or frying pan.

• Fry besan on a medium heat until it turns a bit light brown.

• Take it out and keep it aside.

• In the same wok, heat two table spoon oil.

• Add mustard seeds.

• Let it crackle.

• Add fennel seeds and dry red chillies.

• Stir for a moment .

• Now add turmeric powder.

• Put your cut up capsicums.

• Add salt and coriander powder.

• Mix it well.

• Cover and cook for five minutes on medium heat.

• This should be crunchy.

• Take the lid off and add the fried besan.

• Mix it really well to coat the besan on every piece.

• Now add crushed peanuts and keep mixing.

• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

• Serve hot with chapatis.

Smitha Kalluraya

CAPSICUM CURRY WITH BESAN AND PEANUTS

Is Veganism the key to a greener tomorrow?

Healthy Ingredients S

IANS

P

eople across all walks of life are experiencing a change in their day-to-day lifestyle; among all, corporate employees have seen a major transformation due to work from home setup. People now are inclined towards prioritising their health like never before. Hence there is an immense amount of innovation happening in the corporate kitchen to make the food at work exciting as well as healthy at the same time.

The organisations are recognising the importance of employees' health and how food is linked to their productivity at work.

Food items that are served educate them with the number of calories it carries along. The workplace should encourage employees to buy foods that have been physically and chemically modified, such as salt-reduced cheese and skimmed milk, supposedly to make them healthier. www.indianabroad.news

This is mainly backed by the dual reason of ensuring good health of employees and enabling optimum productivity at work.

Looking at the larger picture, the change that the pandemic has brought in has enabled people to have a positive outlook towards healthy eating, which was considered dull and boring. Foodservice providers have included ingredients like milk with turmeric or masala milk with dry fruits to keep the cold at bay, deserts with honey and ginger to keep the itchy throat in check, tonic water to keep your stomach from indigestion, provide healthy soup options for snack time to avoid employees indulging in unhealthy eating habits or mix dry fruit sweets to keep the sweet craving in check and many more similar ingredients or recipes are prepared to keep the employees' health in check

considering the pandemic.

A healthier food menu not only makes the employees happy; it increases their productivity level, so they feel more energetic and motivated. Kitchens should prepare a food menu that includes healthier options that are not heavy on dairy, pasta or fattening sauces, include grilled, broiled, baked or steamed foods, and limit items that are fried or sauteed have been shown to help people be more productive for longer.

As a practice, the variety of food served at the workplace is now limited as compared to the preCovid era and more importance has been given to the nutritional value.

Along with food, varieties of teas and a healthy concoction of herbs to strengthen and calm the immunity, wherever applicable. Portion control is also essential for employees as it is one of the most lethal factors that causes almost every health problem.

As we foresee, there are a plethora of innovations we expect to come up in the next few years where there will be more importance given to individual dietary preferences that will be mapped through artificial intelligence. Going ahead every food service provider will highly consider the health and wellness of the employees while they are curating foods along with dietary solutions as it has a big impact on the workplace.

(DRE Reddy, CEO and Managing Partner at CRCL LLP)

wear off meat" a popular New Year's resolution among millennials and Generation Z. Modern-day generations are more aware of the consequences of excessive meat consumption and are voluntarily attempting to reduce it. Today, mock meat, a sustainable lifestyle, and empathy for all is driving Veganism forward.

Veganism, a seemingly innocent word has become an important tool in the fight against degrading environmental conditions, and it has done so in style. It is more than just a diet. It is about choosing a way of life that excludes animal-based products, particularly food. It is a philosophy that vehemently opposes the use of animals as commodities.

Perhaps this is why celebrities like Lewis Hamilton and Tom Ford are so adamantly in favour of a plantbased, eco-friendly diet.

But the question remains, why is the world suddenly blitzed by Veganism?

Veganism is the key to promoting good health Many people believe that the only reason they eat meat is for its nutritional value. It’s high in protein, essential nutrients like iodine, iron, and zinc, as well as vitamins like B12 and essential fatty acids. What if you could get all of these nutrients from a plant-based diet? Processed meats, such as bacon and sausages, are high in cholesterol, making them extremely dangerous in terms of causing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

According to research, eating animal

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flesh, milk, and eggs may be as harmful as smoking. Another study found that strict vegans have the lowest cancer rates, followed by vegetarians who don’t eat meat but do consume animal-based products like eggs or milk. Concluding that, while a high BMI and smoking habits are important factors, dietary choices play a significant role in determining health.

Good enough reasons to switch to a vegan diet?

But are your taste buds preventing you from committing to Veganism?

Don’t be concerned. A plant-based diet has it all covered, from vegan milk, ice cream, and pasta sauce to eco-friendly chicken, mutton, tuna, eggs, and all kinds of meats that look, taste, and even cook like traditional meat items.

Veganism helps environment rejuvenation Leading organisations have repeatedly stated that the meat industry is a major source of pollution, food scarcity, and ocean depletion. According to a recent paper published in Nature Food, global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice as high as those from plant-based foods.

Having said that, one can effectively reduce their carbon footprint by reducing their consumption of animal-based products such as meat, dairy, and eggs and adopting a vegan lifestyle. Indeed, the United Nations has stated unequivocally that a global shift toward plantbased foods and Veganism are

/indianabroadnews

critical components in combating the worst effects of climate change.

Do you need any more reasons to go vegan?

Veganism is equal to taste plus the sustainability Do you think it’s dramatic that animal agriculture is being described as “dark and horrifying”? It is, in fact, and you don’t have to travel far to witness people’s heinous actions.

Snatching infant male calves from their mothers, sending innocent animals to slaughterhouses or worse, and treating animals like machines to produce milk, eggs, and a variety of meat, the stench of industrial farming will never leave humankind.

We won’t be able to wash our hands of the blood of innocent animals, but we can put a stop to these atrocities. Consider for a moment that in order for you to have a tasty snack, a happy and pure soul must be sacrificed.

People today can easily adopt Veganism without compromising their palate, thanks to the introduction of vegetarian meat and healthy advances in plant-based food recipes. You can still eat your favourite chicken wings or pork sausages with a plant-based meat twist. These environmentally friendly meat alternatives taste, feel, and even cook like traditional meats and can be added to a regular diet as a sustainable alternative.

(Sohil Wazir, Chief Commissioner Officer, Blue Tribe)

7

COMMUNITY NEWS

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Bundamba scoops the pool at Ipswich Australia Day Awards 2020 T

he local legend Gregory Broad, who holds several significant volunteer roles in groups such as the Dinmore Bushrats Soccer Club, Ipswich District Neighborhood Watch, Riverview Neighborhood Watch, Scouts Australia, Riverview Dinmore Community Renewal Committee and Ipswich Trades Hall, was awarded the Senior Citizen of the Year award for over 40 years of volunteering to the community. Amanda and the team from Riverview Neighborhood Watch were nominated for the Community Event of the Year for Muscle in Maculata.

And finally naming our Citizen of the Year 2020, Dr. Zoe Knorr – a Clinical Psychologist and Chief

Executive and founder of Grace Homestead, the only long-term residential recovery centre in Queensland for mothers affected by addiction and domestic violence.

Furthermore, Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding added that the finalists are an inspiring set of residents, volunteers and professionals across the fields like Cultural, Sport and Recreation, Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year.

“The annual Ipswich Australia Day Awards are an important platform to publicly honor our local heroes, the quiet achievers doing big things, and those inspiring individuals that enrich our community,” Mayor Harding said.

Perth celebrates Netaji Indian Australian Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti community celebrates the

73rd Republic Day of India Interestingly, Indian Republic Day is very special for both India and Australia. Since it’s a matter of coincidence that National Australia Day is celebrated on the same day as the Republic Day is celebrated in India, i.e., on 26th January.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on his official Twitter handle, wished India on Republic Day. Morrison even congratulated India and Prime Minister Modi in Hindi, he wrote “Gantantra Diwas ki shubhkaamnayien”.

The Indian Ambassador of Australia, Shri Manpreet Vohra, also took to

Twitter to thank PM Scott Morrison.

He said, “Thank you Prime Minister Scott Morrison, January 26 is really very special for both Indians and Australians.”

A letter from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, on behalf of the Indian Embassy in Australia, was also shared on Twitter, in which he wrote how 26th January is a wonderful coincidence in global history. Along with this, the desire of Australia to take bilateral relations with India to new heights were also expressed in this letter.

T

he freedom fighter legend of India, a great man and a visionary Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who is more often than not a forgotten hero, was remembered and celebrated in Perth, Australia, on January 23.

To commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, with the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav going hand in hand, the Consulate General of India in Perth in collaboration with Sewa Australia Inc and Indian Society of WA (ISWA), organised a 'Blood Donation Camp' that started from 23 January 2022.

Remembering the great patriot of our nation, Netaji’s slogan of “tum mujhe khoon do, mai tumhe azaadi dunga” still fills the heart of every Indian with a strong zeal and a sense of love and passion for their nation.

Moreover, Perth witnessed a rather enthusiastic string of colourful events under the title of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, for nearly a week.

Photography exhibition on Varanasi

O

n the occasion of National Tourism Day which falls on 25 January, the Consulate General of India, Perth presented a photography exhibition on Varanasi, one of the oldest living cities in the world. The photographs were contributed by Ms Florencia. A film show, Varanasi: A visual treat of Virasat, Sanskruti and Vyanjan was also shown live on Facebook to commemorate the occasion.

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8

COMMUNITY NEWS

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Indian aged care facility HSWA celebrates to be built in Victoria Vishwa Hindi Diwas SBS.com.au

H

Mr. Carbines went on to say that it's critical for people to stay connected to their culture as they age. With a new aged care facility that offers bilingual and cross-culturally trained personnel, traditional food alternatives, and areas for religious and cultural activities, the site purchase would make a difference

to the Indian community.

Pauline Richards, a member of the Cranbourne City Council, was also pleased with the news.

She said that with parks, public transportation, shopping, and health services close by; this is the ideal site for a new aged care facility

to support the local community's older Indian members - and to make them feel at home.

Premier Daniel Andrews of Victoria pledged up to $14.5 million in 2018 to purchase land for two new Indian aged-care facilities in Melbourne's west and south-east.

indi Samaj of Western Australia (HSWA) in collaboration with the Consulate General of India, Perth celebrated Vishwa Hindi Diwas on 16th January at the Manning Senior Citizen Centre by organising a Sahitya Baithak.

Multilingualism is one of the hallmarks of the sovereign state of India but the country is predominantly known for its Hindi language.

Enthusiasts of the Hindi language are found not only in India but also in other parts of the world. Every year, 10th January is commemorated as Vishwa Hindi Diwas (World Hindi Day) with a view to encouraging and promoting Hindi as an international language. Various events and programmes have been organised on this momentous occasion every year since 2006 when the celebrations first began.

Job vacancies, cheaper visas for visitors to Australia Pexel

As a result of the epidemic, workers were forced to isolate after contracting the virus, resulting in supply shortages across the country, with some grocery shelves empty. A number of food and logistics companies have reported that between 10% and 50% of their staff have been absent from work in recent months.

Morrison, on the other hand, made no specific mention of Indian students or workers. He didn't say how the rebate would work, but he did say that it would be valid for the next eight weeks for students and twelve weeks for working holiday visa holders.

It's worth noting that the programme is expected to cost AU$55 million (US$39.5 million), with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg estimating that up to 175,000 people may apply.

In particular, in the last three months, Australia's job vacancies

increased by 18.5 percent to nearly 400,000, a new high. Furthermore, after rising for the previous two months, the jobless rate fell to 4.6 percent in November.

Morrison went on to say that

Australia was in a good position in terms of its Covid-19 response, with high vaccination rates and few deaths compared to other western countries.

Kingz Multicultural Club celebrates Lohri

K

ingz Multicultural Club celebrated Lohri on 8th January, 2022 at the Abruzzo Molise Sporting Club, Western Australia from 5 pm onwards. The event was powered by McIver College and Aussizz Group.

Lohri is a festival which is mainly celebrated in Northern India to mark the end of the winter solstice.

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9

INDIA

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

TN to set up 500-acre mega sports city on Chennai outskirts Chennai, Jan 27 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu State Industrial Development Corporation (TSIDC) has floated tenders for appointing consultants to conduct techno-economic feasibility studies for a new sports city in a 500-acre area in the outskirts of Chennai on the East Coast Road.

The estimated project cost is Rs 700 crore.

The swanky sports city will have athletic tracks, cycle velodromes, an indoor hockey stadium, high-end gymnasiums, and all the modern amenities a sports city can boast of. The sports complex will be coming up at a place on the banks of Buckingham canal where the previous AIADMK government had planned a 3000-acre administrative city.

Tamil Nadu Sports minister, V. Meyyanathan told IANS that the sports city will be one of the best of its kind in the country and at par with international standards. The minister said, "We have studied Pune's Shree Sivaji Chhatrapati Sports Complex as well as Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala. However, the Sports complex that is coming up in Chennai will be better than these facilities."

The Tamil Nadu sports department is keen to implement the motto of 'Catch them Young'. The department will scout for raw talents in rural Tamil Nadu, train them from as young as 8 to 9 years and develop them into world-class athletes.

The sports complex will provide them food, accommodation, and

world-class training with internationally renowned coaches, fitness trainers, sports psychologists, sports medicine experts available for the sportspersons at any time of the day round the clock.

The new sports complex will have stadiums for Persons with Disabilities to undergo training in addition to other 18 sports items.

While there are several stadiums in many parts of Tamil Nadu, the state was lacking an integrated sports training complex and the new facility will be an apt substitute for this.

Interestingly, Tamil Nadu has doubled the number of athletes participating in the Olympics when compared to previous games.

Woman assaulted & paraded in Delhi street; 4 arrested

IANS

TN to set up more Public Charging Stations as Electric Vehicles become popular

IANS

Chennai, Jan 27: Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO) plans to set up more Public Charging Stations(PCS) across the state as the demand for Electric Vehicles is on the rise.

Currently, the PCs are present only in Metro stations and users of Electric Vehicles (EVs) are of the opinion that more PCs are required

as long rides are impossible due to lack of charging stations across the highways.

TANGEDCO is planning to increase the tariff rates of the PCs and is preparing a new plan and awaiting Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC)'s approval for finalising the tariff. At present Metro, terminals are charging Rs 10 per hour and a two-wheeler run on electric power can travel up to 30 km on charging for one hour.

The Union Government has already directed the states to implement PCS be set up every 25 km on both sides of the highway and the TANGEDCO has already commenced work for setting up such facilities.

The Ministry of Power, Government

of India has already communicated to state governments run power bodies like TANGEDCO to invite young entrepreneurs to run the PCS. It may be noted that the Centre has already sanctioned 651 PCS for Tamil Nadu under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme but till now not a single PC has been built in the state other than those in the Metro stations.

Senior Engineers with the TANGEDCO are of the opinion that the department must set up PCS within substations in National highways as well as in city limits as there would be power fluctuations and to overcome this it is better to set up in substations.

5G plea: Delhi HC reduces Juhi Chawla's fine from Rs 20 lakh to 2 lakh IANS

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Thursday reduced the costs imposed on actress-environmentalist Juhi Chawla in relation to a lawsuit challenging 5G wireless network technology - from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

A Division Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh reduced the fine after the cine star volunteered to work with Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) for the cause of marignalised women and children.

During the last hearing on Tuesday, the bench said it will consider

reducing the fine on condition that she should do some public work.

Her celebrity status should be implied for some good of society.

She could do a programme for the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA), the court had said.

Notably, in today's order, the bench also expunged the adverse remarks made against Chawla by the single-judge J.R. Midha who had said in his order that the suit by Chawla was frivolous and filed for publicity.

"Having perused the impugned order on record, it appears to us that the plaintiffs, who do not come from a legal background, should not be made to share the blame or consequences for the manner in which the suit and applications were drafted. The single-judge was also disturbed by the fact that the link of the hearing was circulated to the public at large which led to the proceedings getting disrupted," the court said in the order.

The court's observation was in the light of the last year's hearing of

Chawla's suit, which was disturbed by unknown persons who were singing Bollywood songs of films in which she had acted. The court had directed the Delhi Police to identify the people and proceed against them under the law.

On June 4 last year, Justice J.R. Midha had dismissed her lawsuit against the setting up of 5G wireless networks in the country. Her plea stated the levels of RF radiation are 10 to 100 times greater than the existing levels. It also claimed that the 5G wireless technology can be a potential threat to provoke irreversible and serious effects on humans and it could also permanently damage the earth's ecosystems.

The court had held that the suit filed by Chawla and two others were defective, non-maintainable, and also contained unverified and vexatious assertions and also imposed the fine.

Hence, it allowed Chawla to carry on with her pursuit against 5G before an appropriate forum.

Andhra Pradesh map set to change with 13 new districts Vijayawada, Jan 26 (IANS): Andhra Pradesh celebrated 73rd Republic Day with the announcement to create 13 new districts.

The new districts will come into being from Ugadi, the Telugu New Year. A notification to double the number of districts to 26 was issued on Wednesday.

In his speech at Republic Day function at IGMC Stadium Complex here, Governor Biswa Bhushan Harichandan announced that new districts are being formed to fulfill the promise made by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in its election manifesto to ensure good governance and efficient delivery of service.

With this, Andhra Pradesh will be following into the footsteps of Telangana, which created 23 new districts in 2016, a couple of years after it was carved out of united Andhra Pradesh.

The gazette notification was issued after the state cabinet gave its nod to the proposal at a virtual meeting on Tuesday night. The government has sought suggestions and objections to the proposal within 30 days.

All objections and suggestions should be addressed to collector within whose jurisdiction the area lies, says the notification issued by Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised during 2019 www.indianabroad.news

elections that every parliamentary constituency in the state will be turned into a district. The state has 25 Lok Sabha constituencies.

The state government split the existing 13 districts to create new districts and also finalised their names. The new districts and their headquarters are Manyam district (Parvathipuram), Alluri Sitharama Raju district (Paderu), Anakapalli (Anakapalli), Kakinada (Kakinada), Kona Seema (Amalapauram), Eluru (Eluru), NTR district (Vijayawada), Bapatla (Bapatla), Palnadu (Narsaraopet), Nandyal (Nandyal), Sri Satyasai district (Puttaparthy), Annamayyia district (Rayachoty) and Sri Balaji district (Tirupati).

Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts in north coastal Andhra region will be reorganized to create Manyam district with Parvathipuram as the headquarters.

Alluri Sitharama Raju district will be created by merging some parts of existing Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts. The district has been named after revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitharama Raju. Anakapalli district will be carved out of Visakhapatnam district.

Kakinada and Kona Seema districts will also be created from existing East Godavari district.

The proposed Eluru district will

comprise parts of West Godavari and Krishna districts. NTR district will be carved out of Krishna with Vijayawada as the headquarter. The new districts is named after N.T. Rama Rao, the legendary actor and former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, who had founded Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Parts of existing Guntur and Prakasam will be merged to create Bapatla district while Palnadu district will be carved out of Guntur.

Few mandals of Prakasam district will now become part of existing SPS Nellore district.

Existing Kurnool district will be split to form Kurnool and Nandyal districts. Sri Satya Sai district will be carved out of Anantapur with Puttaparthy as its headquarters. The new district is named after spiritual leader Satya Sai Babu who died in 2011 at the age of 84 and has his Samadhi at Puttaparthy.

Few mandals of existing Chittoor and Kadapa districts will be merged to create new district Annamayya, named after 15th century saint poet Tallapaka Annamacharya.

Sri Balaji district will be created by merging parts of SPS Nellore and Chittoor districts. The new district will have temple town of Tirupati as the district headquarter and it is named after the deity of the famous Balaji temple.

New Delhi, Jan 27: In a shocking incident, a woman was allegedly attacked by a group of people, including women, who chopped off her hair, tore her clothes, blackened her face, and then paraded her in the Shahdara area. The woman was also allegedly sexually assaulted.

The incident took place on Wednesday and the accused are said to be illicit liquor sellers in the area.

It has been alleged that the woman was also gang-raped.

A video of the incident showed the woman being attacked.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara, R. Sathiyasundaram said that they have arrested four women in this connection.

He said that a case of sexual assault and abuse has been registered with the concerned police station.

"All possible help and counselling are being provided to the victim.

We are taking the matter seriously.

A team of elite officials have been formed to look into it, we will arrest all the accused soon," said the DCP. A source privy to the investigation told IANS that the victim woman has been living in Shahdara area for the past few years. The woman is married and has a child. A man who used to live in her neighborhood was in a one-sided affair with her.

She had spurned his advances many times. A few days ago, the man had allegedly committed suicide.

His family believed that he committed suicide because of the woman.

The family members of the man were angry after the incident and the women of the family were the ones who first attacked the victim.

Police are in the process of verifying the facts and allegations.

The woman is undergoing treatment in a hospital. Her condition is stated to be stable. Her statement has been recorded by the investigation official of the case.

The police are also taking legal opinion in the matter.

Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal issued a notice to the Delhi Police in connection with the matter.

Maliwal said that it was themost unfortunate incident that was reported from the capital.

"A woman was gang-raped by the accused, who deals in illicit liquor business. She was made to wear a garland of shoes. Her face was blackened and she was paraded in the area. Most unfortunate incident.

I am writing to Delhi Police to provide security to the woman and her family and take strong action against the accused," said Swati.

Swati Maliwal, along with her team, met the victim at the hospital and recorded her statement. She has assured all help to the victim.

/IndianAbroadNews

QUICK BITES Breach of marriage promise is not cheating: K’taka HC The News Minute

Bengaluru, Jan 27: The Karnataka High Court has said that a breach of promise of marriage by an individual can't be considered as a crime of cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The individual was allegedly in love with a woman for eight years and then had married another woman breaking the marriage promise.

The court further quashed an FIR against the individual and his family members lodged on the charges of cheating after committing to marry the woman. The bench headed by Justice K. Natarajan has given the order while taking up the petition filed in this regard by Venkatesh, a resident of K.R. Pura in Bengaluru.

"It is stated that the petitioner has violated the promise of marriage.

But, it can't be considered cheating if a marriage promise is violated. The aspect of breaking of marriage can't

be included in the purview of Indian Penal Code 415," the bench noted.

"Criminal case could be filed when a marriage agreement is made with the intention of cheating. But, it has not been established in this case that the petitioner has broken the marriage promise for the purpose of cheating. The girl has not shown anything of that sort and it can't be a crime under IPC Section 420," the court further stated in its recent order.

A complaint was lodged against petitioner Venkatesh and his family members on May 5, 2020 by a woman, a resident of Rammurthynagar with the police. She claimed that petitioner Venkatesh and she were in love for eight years and he had promised to marry her. She sought action against the petitioner as he had married another woman.

Rahul writes to Twitter questioning drop in followers count IANS

New Delhi, Jan 27: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has written to Twitter questioning its policy on suppressing his reach to his followers and not curbing hate speeches in the country.

The letter written on December 27 says, "It is perplexing that growth in my Twitter follower has suddenly been suppressed, with nearly 20 million followers on my Twitter account very active adding 8 to 10 thousand followers daily."

He said in May his account gained 6,40,000 followers but since August it has fallen to zero.

"I have been albeit discreetly informed by people of Twitter India that they are under immense pressure by the government to silence my voice," he wrote.

Rahul said to twitter, "you have enormous responsibility that twitter does not actively help in the growth of authoritarianism in India as the world is watching."

He also mentioned how his account was blocked but Twitter at that time had said that following the complaint by the NCPCR, Gandhi's

Twitter account was temporarily suspended and the party, from his official handle, tweeted that due process was being followed for its restoration.

Rahul Gandhi, who joined Twitter in April 2015 and has 19.6 million followers on the social media platform, is expected to stay connected via other social media platforms.

SP leader injured by stray bull in UP district Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), Jan 27 (IANS): Samajwadi Party spokesman Zahid Ali Khan, 60, has been grievously injured after he was attacked by a stray bull on Wednesday night.

Khan was on his way to make arrangements for the inauguration of the new party office on Wednesday night, when a stray bull tossed him around.

He has been admitted to a hospital where his condition is said to be critical. He has injuries on his face and stomach.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has been repeatedly accusing the Yogi Adityanath government of not making any effort to check the stray bull menace.

Kerala Minister unfurls Tricolour upside down in Kasargod

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 26: In a goof-up, State Ports Minister Ahamed Devarkovil unfurled the Indian tricolour upside down during a Republic Day programme on Wednesday.

The mediapersons pointed out the lapse before the officials, which included high ranking district authorities, could notice.

Soon, it was set right.

Of the 14 districts in the state, Kasargod is the northern most bordering Karnataka.

In Kerala, at the 13 district headquarters, various State cabinet Ministers took the salute, while in the capital

/indianabroadnews

IANS

city it was done by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.

Celebrations across the state was conducted amid Covid protocols.

10

INDIA

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Haryana's Olympian Chopra, Paralympic winner Antil named for Padma Shri The Indian Express

Chandigarh, Jan 25: Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra and Paralympic gold medalist Sumit Antil, both belonging to Haryana, were on Tuesday awarded the Padma Shri.

Also, the state's Om Prakash Gandhi will be awarded the Padma Shri for social work, Moti Lal Madan for science and engineering, and Raghuvendra Tanwar for literature and education.

While congratulating the winners, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the name of the state is being illuminated not only in India but on the world map due to the hard work of the people of Haryana.

"Every Haryanvi is proud of Padma Shri winners."

The Chief Minister said today's youth would take many of these achievements as a source of

inspiration and achieve many similar goals in their lives.

Chopra, the javelin thrower in the track and field athletic competition, created history by winning the gold in the Tokyo Olympics 2021 by throwing the javelin to a distance of 87.58m, becoming the first athlete from India to win a gold medal in the Olympics in track and field event.

Likewise, Antil won the gold in the F64 men's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a throw of 68.55 metres. With this throw, he broke his own previous record.

The founder of Gurjar Kanya Vidya Mandir, Gandhi was born in a farmer's family in a village in Yamunanagar district.

After attaining an MSc in physics, he became a lecturer in a college in

Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and started working for women's education by taking voluntary retirement from there.

He started the Gurjar Kanya Vidya Mandir on April, 7, 1987, and from its inception the school is on the path of progress under his management and guidance.

Padma Shri winner Madan is receiving the award for his remarkable

work in the field of science and engineering. He has been the Vice Chancellor of various educational institutions. He has published 432 research articles and policy papers in international and national reference journals, including 226 original research papers.

Another winner Tanwar will be honoured the award in literature and education. His academic experience spans over 38 years.

From scientist to social worker: Four 4 women among 10 eminent personalities from NE conferred Padma Shri awards Keralites conferred Padma Shri Edristi

The News Minute

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25: A scientist, an exponent of a traditional martial art, a physically challenged social worker, and an acclaimed author were the four Keralites awarded the prestigious Padma awards for 2022.

Sosamma Iype (Animal Husbandry), Shankaranarayana Menon Chundayil (Sports (Kalari)), K.V. Rabiya (Social Work), and P.

Narayana Kurup (Literature and Education) have been conferred the Padma Shri.

A former professor at the Kerala Agricultural University, with expertise in Animal Breeding and Genetics, Iype initiated the process of rehabilitation and conservation of the nearly extinct Vechur cow in 1988, along with other indigenous breeds of Kerala, such as Kasargod

Ex-Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya refuses Padma Bhushan award

and Cheruvally cattle and Attappady goats.

Rabiya, 55, is a physically challenged social worker from Malappuram, who rose to prominence through her role in the Kerala State Literacy Campaign in Malappuram district in 1990.

Kurup, 87 is a poet besides a popular literary critic and has authored several significant works on satire, criticism and travel memoirs, among others.

Reacting to the Padma Shri award, he said even though it has come late he has no complaints at all.

Same was the reaction from 92 year old Chundayil, more popularly known as Unni Gurukal, known for his in-depth knowledge of Kalaripayitu - the traditional martial art practised and hugely popular in the yesteryears here.

"People say I should have got it long back, but nevertheless, it has finally come. I thank all and dedicate this to my profession. I am extremely happy," said the renowned exponent of the martial arts and a master trainer over the years.

Guwahati/Imphal, Jan 25 (IANS): Ten distinguished personalities, including four women, from seven of the eight northeastern states were conferred Padma Shri awards in different fields.

The four women are Shakuntala Choudhary of Assam for social work while Lourembam Bino Devi and Muktamani Devi, both from Manipur, were recognised for their contributions in art and trade and industry, respectively, and Badaplin War of Meghalaya in the field of Literature and Education.

Choudhury, the 102-year-old Gandhian social worker from Kamrup, is popularly known as 'Shankuntala Baideo'.

Veteran applique textile artist Lourembam Bino Devi, 77, famous for preserving the Leeba textile art of Manipur for over five decades while Muktamani Devi, 49, is an inspirational woman entrepreneur exporting and popularising handcrafted woollen shoes.

War, 60, a scholar and author, has been always promoting Meghalaya's Khasi language globally.

Manipur's 58-years-old doll-making

Sowcar Janaki, Sirpi Balasubramaniam, Muthukannammal among 7 Padma Shri awardees from TN

The News Minute

The Indian Express

Kolkata, Jan 25: Former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, on Tuesday refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award conferred upon him by the government of India on the eve of the country's 73rd Republic Day. Bhattacharya was given the award for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs.

A statement issued by the veteran CPI-M leader read: "I don't know anything about the Padma Bhushan award, nobody told me about it. If I were awarded the Padma Bhushan, I would reject it."

Minutes later, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri confirmed the statement.

Bhattacharya, 77, who is suffering from Chronic Obstructive

www.indianabroad.news

Pulmonary Disease (COPD), hardly gets out of his house for the past few years now. Even during last year's Assembly polls in Bengal, the veteran leader did not campaign for his party. He was hospitalised twice in the last six months.

According to sources in the CPI-M, the party "does not believe in such awards" and hence the CPI-M as well as Bhattacharya has decided to refuse it.

A senior CPI-M leader said, "Earlier, the name of another former Chief Minister of West Bengal and CPI-M stalwart, Jyoti Basu, was proposed for the Bharat Ratna by then UPA government, but Basu also refused the award as Communists do not believe in these types of awards.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya also did the same. It was expected of him."

Chennai, Jan 25: Seven eminent persons from Tamil Nadu have been conferred with Padma Shri award for 2022 for their achievements in the fields of arts, social work and medicine.

The seven Padma Shri awardees are: Sirpi Balasubramaniam for Literature and Education, S Damodaran, for Social Work, S. Ballesh Bhajantri, Sowcar Janaki, R. Muthukannammal and A.K.C.Natarajan for Art, and Dr.Veeeraswamy Seshiah for medicine.

Balasubramaniam, 85, is a Tamil poet, and critic has published several poetry works and was twice awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award - one in 2003 for his poetry collection "Oru Giraamattu Nadhi"

and the other in 2001 for translation of Lalithambika Antharjanam's "Agnisakshi" into Tamil.

Tamil movie actor Janaki, 90, has acted in more than 450 movies in Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu.

She began her movie career in 1950 in the Telugu movie "Shavukaru" and continues to act till 2020.

Muthukannammal is a Sathir dancer, an ancient dance form, Natarajan, a Carnatic music clarinet player and Bhajantri, a Shehnai player are the other Padma Shri awardees under the art category.

Seshiah is a diabetologist and has been awarded with several international and national awards for his contributions in the field of medicine.

/IndianAbroadNews

artist Konsam Ibomcha Singh, a resident of Imphal East district, who is preserving over a 100 years old art form and Sikkim's Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia, 62, an eminent Tangkha painter specialising in traditional Buddhist paintings on cotton and silk, are also featured in the field of art.

Nagaland's T. Senka Ao, Assam's Dhaneswar Engti, and Mizoram's V.L. Nghaka, all authoring many books, have been conferred the Padma Shri awards in the field of literature and education.

Senka Ao, 76, has been doing

works in preserving Nagaland's Ao language through his writings over decades while nonagenarian Nghaka is a Hindi author and translator from Aizawl is well-known for developing a Hindi-Mizo dictionary. Karbi author and poet from Karbi Anglong district Engti, 66, has been working towards preservation and advancement of indigenous languages.

Buddhist Spiritual Leader from Arunachal Pradesh and former Abbot of the Tawang monastery Guru Tulku Rinpoche, 53 also got the Padma Shri award.

New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS): The Union Budget is expected to focus on employment generation, increase in limits for basic tax exemption, standard deduction, medical expenses, rationalisation of tax rates and certain social security investments.

Currently, Section 16(1A) of the IT Act provides for a standard deduction of Rs 50,000 from the salary income of a taxpayer. This deduction was enhanced from Rs 40,000 to 50,000 by the Finance Act 2019 and has not been increased since then.

However, considering the rising inflation and cost of living, there is a need to increase such standard deduction for the salaried personnel from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 in case there is no increase in the basic exemption limit, said Suresh Surana, Founder - RSM India.

Currently, section 80TTA provides deduction up to Rs 10,000 p.a. only with respect to the interest from savings bank accounts with banks/ co-operative society/post office.

However, for the purpose of enabling majority of taxpayers to avail this tax benefit, the existing scope of the said section needs to be expanded in order to cover other types of interest such as interest on bank/

post office term deposits, recurring deposit etc. Moreover, such threshold limit of Rs 10,000 also needs to be enhanced to Rs 20,000 as there was no change in the limit since its introduction by Finance Act 2012, Surana added.

There are numerous exemptions available with negligible upper limits such as Children Education Allowance (Rs.100 pm per child), Children Hostel Expenditure Allowance (Rs 300 pm per child).

The limit with respect to such deductions is not in consonance with the present education cost and needs to be adjusted for inflation and accordingly, enhanced. Further, the exemption limit of Rs 1,500 u/s 10(32) applicable at the time of clubbing of minor's income under section 64(1A) was last revised in 1993 and thus, an upper revision in the same is long overdue. Such exemption limit may be hiked to Rs 15,000 considering the inflation in last 28 years. It may be worthwhile to consolidate all deductions pertaining to the children in one single consolidated deduction of Rs 20,000 per child, Surana added.

The threshold limit of Rs 10,000 for payment of advance tax was last amended by Finance Act, 2009.

Union Budget expected to focus on increase in limits for basic tax exemption, standard deduction

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11

AUSTRALIA

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Covid-19 lockdowns needed to Australia to rebate visa fees protect Indigenous Australians for int'l students, backpackers

IANS

Canberra, Jan 26: A peak body representing Indigenous Australians has called for stricter health measures to protect the vulnerable remote communities from the coronavirus.

The Central Land Council (CLC) on Wednesday urged the Northern Territory (NT) and federal

government to collaborate on a "circuit breaker" lockdown of remote Indigenous communities.

"We need a circuit breaker to slow down the out-of-control spread of the virus in our communities," CLC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Les Turner was quoted as saying in the Canberra Times, Xinhua news

agency reported.

"Our people and their organisations are doing their bit. They now need both governments to stop burying their heads in the sand, face facts and back them."

It came one day after the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) called for a Central Australiawide lockdown.

"We need to see sharp and serious action to respond to what are growing case numbers in Alice Springs and surrounding Central Australian communities," said congress acting CEO Josie Douglas in a statement.

"We are calling for a complete lockdown of Central Australia to be implemented urgently. A Tsunami of Covid cases is coming and we need a circuit breaker."

Australia on Wednesday reported more than 50,000 Covid infections and 87 deaths, according to health department figures from states and territories.

Australians unimpressed with govt's handling of Omicron amid surging cases

IANS

Canberra, Jan 25: A new survey on Tuesday revealed that 51 per cent of Australians disapproved the federal government's handling of the Omicron spread amid surging cases of the highly-transmissible Covid-19 variant.

According to the survey published by the Australian Financial Review (AFR), the people said the handling of the Omicron outbreak

and a shortage of rapid antigen tests (RATs) for coronavirus has diminished their view of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's federal government, reports Xinhua news agency.

Almost 50 per cent of respondents rated Morrison's pandemic response as either poor or very poor compared to 27 per cent who approved him.

While 49 per cent said governments have not found the right balance between opening up the economy and the surge in Covid-19 infections.

Australia on Tuesday reported more than 40,000 new locally-acquired coronavirus infections and 76 deaths - 29 in New South Wales, 29 in Victoria, 11 in Queensland, five in South Australia, and one each in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, according to health department figures from states and territories.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that now there have been 74 Covid-19 deaths in South Australia, 70 of which have occurred since the state reopened its borders on November 23, 2021.

According to the federal Department of Health, there were 5,173 cases being treated in Australian hospitals, including 404 in intensive care units, 146 of which were on ventilators.

Currently, 2,285,286 cases are confirmed in the country with 3,225 deaths.

Aus to establish eDNA research centre to boost biosecurity IANS

Canberra, Jan 23 (IANS): The Australian government has announced a new environmental DNA (eDNA) research centre to boost biosecurity.

The National eDNA Reference Centre will be set up at the University of Canberra in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, reports Xinhua news agency.

Researchers at the centre will be tasked with developing cutting-edge technology to detect pests at the

Australian border.

The eDNA technology works by detecting skin, hair, urine, tissue and faecal matter shed by organisms in an environment such as a shipping container.

It can also be used to detect ribonucleic acid (RNA) from a species.

Dianne Gleeson, a wildlife geneticist from the University of Canberra's Centre for Conservation and Ecology Genetics, said eDNA testing has transformed pest surveillance.

"The work that we've been doing recently with the khapra beetle has been using dust samples from shipping containers where we suck up the dust, extract the DNA and we look for a sign of the species," she was quoted by Nine Entertainment newspapers on Sunday.

"Currently Australia is free of that species and it puts it in a very good market position internationally...

Because otherwise, it's a massive pest and a massive problem for the grain industry so it could be really destructive if it arrives."

The government has committed A$7 million in funding for the new centre.

Andrew Metcalfe, head of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, said eDNA detection was critical to safeguarding Australia's biodiversity.

"While the program will have the capacity for broad risk management application, our immediate focus is to address risks associated with khapra beetle and high-priority hitchhiker pests generally," he said.

Melbourne, IHM media coordinator Thiruvallam Bhasi said that an ageing population and increasing demand for health services, coupled with the increased adoption of new technologies and practices is changing the role and skills required of a nurse in Australia.

"Fresh recruitment of nurses to Australia in the past two years has suffered on account of the pandemic and also there has been new protocols in place since 2020 for nursing registration in Australia. We have launched a six months course - Graduate Certificate In Advanced Nursing," said Bhasi.

IHM, an education institute based in Melbourne has been training

aspiring nurses for the past 15 years and helped over 17,000 nurses to pass the bridging course enabling them to work in Australia.

"This course will help overseas trained registered nurses gain a thorough understanding of the practice styles and requirements in Australian healthcare settings, as well as prepare them to confidently take the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency's Objective Structured Registered Clinical Examination (OSCE) (AHPRA)," said Keralite, Bijo Kunnumpuram CEO of IHM. A large number of nurses from Kerala and other states of India work in Australia.

The New Indian Express

Canberra, Jan 19 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said the government would rebate visa fees for international students and backpackers to support the workforce challenge amid surging Covid-19 cases nationwide.

Those include international students who arrive in Australia over the next eight weeks and backpackers who arrive within 12 weeks, Xinhua news agency reported.

"And there are around 150,000 students who have visas who we are encouraging to come back to be there for the start of their university or college year," he told reporters in Canberra.

"But we also want them to come here and be able to be filling some of these critical workforce shortages, particularly those who are working and being trained in health care, aged care, those types of sectors," he said.

Australia on Wednesday reported more than 70,000 locally-acquired coronavirus infections and more than 60 deaths, according to health department figures from states and territories.

The latest data make it the second

deadliest day of coronavirus pandemic in Australia after more than 70 deaths were reported on Tuesday.

A poll published by Nine Entertainment newspapers on Wednesday found that an overwhelming majority of Australians want the federal government to subsidize rapid antigen tests (RATs) for Covid-19.

The Resolve Political Monitor found that 86 per cent of voters believe RATs should be free or subsidised in

some way.

Morrison said despite the increasing number of cases and staff shortfalls in critical supply chains, Australia was "doing better than almost any other country in the world" in the fight against Omicron.

"When it comes to even the large number of more than 350 deaths in the course of the past week, our death rate that relates to Omicron is one of the lowest in the world," he said.

Cost of living, healthcare top poll concerns among Australians: Survey IANS

Canberra, Jan 24: A new survey published on Monday has revealed that Australian voters have rated cost of living and healthcare as their biggest issues ahead of this year's general elections.

According to the YouGov survey published by News Corp Australia, 50 per cent of respondents said the cost of food, petrol and household bills will determine how they vote in the elections, reports Xinhua news agency.

The cost of living was followed by healthcare, the economy, and climate change as the next biggest issues, with 37, 34 and 32 per cent of participants identifying them as key issues, respectively.

Almost half of the respondents, 43 per cent, said they do not consider themselves supporters of any particular party.

The general election for the 47th Parliament of Australia is due to be held in the first half of 2022, with experts predicting a May poll.

Recent surveys have found the opposition Labor Party holds a

significant lead over the governing Coalition, which has been in power since 2013.

The YouGov survey also found that young Australians and those who earn more than A$100,000 per year were more likely to be concerned about climate change.

Older Australians rated the economy and healthcare as their biggest issues.

A separate poll published by Nine Entertainment newspapers corroborated YouGov's findings, with 86 per cent of respondents rating cost of living as important to their decision on how to vote.

The Resolve Political Monitor found 29 per cent of voters believe the Coalition is better-equipped to keep the cost of living costs down compared to 28 per cent for Labor.

Leaders warn of back-toschool Covid spike Canberra, Jan 27: Australians have been warned to brace for a spike in Covid-19 infections when schools return from the summer holidays.

The Premiers and Chief Ministers on Thursday held a National Cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to discuss Australia's outbreak of the Omicron wave of Covid.

According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the leaders told the meeting that they are expecting a jump in case numbers

when schools reopen from Monday.

There were more than 40,000 new cases reported across Australia on Thursday and more than 70 deaths, according to health department figures from states and territories, Xinhua news agency reported.

Department of Health data revealed there were 5,227 cases being treated in hospitals in the country on Wednesday, including 372 in intensive care units, 144 of which were on ventilators.

Canberra, Jan 17: Life expectancy of Australians has increased to a record high during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study published on Monday revealed.

In the study, researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) found that life expectancy for both Australian males and females increased by 0.7 years between 2019 and the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

The increase far outstripped the average growth of between 0.09 and 0.14 years recorded in Australia between 2015 and 2019, according to the Canberra Times.

By comparison, life expectancy in the US fell by 1.7 years for women

and 2.2 years for men in 2020.

Vladimir Canudas-Romo, co-author of the study from ANU's School of Demography, said the significant difference could be attributed to Australia's quick response to the pandemic.

"Australia was in a unique position to be able to close borders to the rest of the world. Now with the strong compliance on vaccinations, we are likely to be one of the safest places in the world," he was quoted as saying by the Canberra Times.

The ANU researchers found that Covid-19 containment measures introduced in 2020 caused a "sharp decline in the spread of other infectious diseases", with deaths from pneumonia and influenza

In the state of South Australia, Premier Steven Marshall declared the state has passed its Omicron peak, when over 5,000 cases were reported daily in mid-January. The figure on Thursday reached 1,953 new cases and 100 deaths.

In Australian Capital Territory, Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a media release on Thursday that all school-based staff and students will be provided with two Rapid Antigen Tests per week for the first four weeks of Term 1.

Over one lakh nurses required Life expectancy of Australians rise to record high in Australia by 2030: IHM

Tumbler

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 26: More than a lakh qualified nurses will be required in Australia by 2030, as per an official of Melbourne-based Institute of Health and Management (IHM).

Speaking to IANS over phone from

www.indianabroad.news

/IndianAbroadNews

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falling 20 per cent.

A sharp decline in social mobility due to lockdowns and travel restrictions also caused a significant decline in the number of road deaths.

"Coronavirus was among the few causes of death that really increased from 2019 to 2020 in the case of the US there was an extreme case of Covid strongly declining life expectancy," Canudas-Romo said.

"In Australia even when mortality increased due to Covid, we still had so much decline in infectious diseases, accidents, heart attacks and strokes, that our life expectancy increased by three-quarters of a year," he said.

12

WORLD

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Taliban govt stops media outlets from holding conference IANS

New Delhi, Jan 27: The Taliban government in Afghanistan prevented media outlets from holding a press conference in Kabul over concerns about the status of media in the country, reported media organisations.

The conference was supposed to

be held on Wednesday in Kabul, reported TOLO News.

The Afghanistan Journalist Center in a statement said the conference was to be attended by 11 representatives from different media organisations.

"All national and international media outlets were covering it, however,

unfortunately, due to the verbal order of the officials of the Islamic Emirate, the conference was cancelled," said Ali Asghar Akbarzada, head of the Afghanistan National Journalists' Union.

Members of the Afghanistan National Journalists Union said that the Islamic Emirate instructed them to not hold the conference until they receive permission.

"We call on the Islamic Emirate to finalise their decision in the future.

They should make the decision as soon as possible and give us a permit so we can hold our conference based on it," Akbarzada said.

The Taliban government did not comment over whether it prohibited the conference of the media outlets or not but said that it remains supportive of the media, based on Islamic regulations.

Over 43 per cent of media activities have been halted and over 60 per cent of media employees have become jobless since the Taliban swept into power in Afghanistan, say media reports.

Macron holds talk with Biden over Ukraine IANS

Paris, Jan 26: French President Emmanuel Macron, along with several European leaders and heads of European Union (EU) institutions, held a video conference with US President Joe Biden, said the Elysee in a press release.

During the video conference on Monday evening, Macron expressed his deep concern about the situation on the borders of Ukraine, and stressed the need to work collectively for a rapid de-escalation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The de-escalation, according to the press release on Tuesday, requires constant coordination between European partners and allies, as well as an enhanced dialogue with Russia. It also requires negotiation efforts within the framework of the Normandy format.

Macron underlined that the EU can play its full part in an appropriate response to Russia's proposals

raised in December 2021 on measures to ensure the security of Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The Elysee also announced that

Macron will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming days.

Biden warns Putin of 'personal UN Humanitarians seek additional sanctions' if Ukraine is invaded $3.6 bn for Afghanistan aid

7 News

IANS

United Nations, Jan 27: The UN team in Afghanistan has launched a $3.6 billion plan to help reduce new-found suffering and save lives, a UN spokesman said.

The overarching One-UN Transitional Engagement Framework, launched on Wednesday, aims to help the Afghan people meet their basic human needs, said Stephane Dujarric,

chief spokesman for UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres.

The funding is in addition to the $4.4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan the UN announced on January 11, saying it needed to aid 22.1 million Afghans this year, Xinhua news agency reported citing Dujarric.

"It just shows ... the increased needs that we see in Afghanistan as we gain access to more regions."

The UN team is working to reduce the suffering of the Afghan people by saving lives, sustaining essential services and preserving basic community systems, he said. "The framework is a way of better managing the resources that we will get and better managing the implementation."

The framework calls for additional funding "to sustain essential social services such as health and education; support community systems through maintenance of basic infrastructure ... and promotion of livelihoods and social cohesion, with specific emphasis on socio-economic needs of women and girls."

Afghans suffer from a hobbled agricultural economy, sanctions throttling financial liquidity and now severe winter weather following the Taliban takeover of the war-torn country on August 15, 2021.

Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a humanitarian exemption to a 1988 sanctions regime. It said humanitarian assistance for basic human needs in Afghanistan is not a violation of the sanctions.

EU urges member states to abolish 'cumbersome' travel restrictions Brussels, Jan 26 (IANS): The European Commission has urged member states to discontinue any additional travel measures introduced when Omicron began to spread across the European Union (EU). Holders of valid EU digital Covid certificates should be allowed to enjoy travel restriction-free, the Commission said.

In a joint statement, Commissioners for Health and Justice, Stella Kyriakides and Didier Reynders on Tuesday said the extra restrictions made travel "more cumbersome and

less predictable across the EU." The 27 member states have now agreed on new recommendations regarding the EU Digital Covid Certificate, they said. The possession of a valid health pass should in principle be sufficient when traveling during the pandemic, and any additional quarantine and testing requirements should be abolished, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Commissioners urged EU governments to follow up on the agreement, which comes into effect on February 1, and implement the

common rules without delay "to ensure coordination and clarity for citizens and travelers."

"Each member state decides based on the circumstances it is facing. But Omicron has by now spread across Europe, and it is time to look at the discontinuation of the additional travel measures that a number of member states have introduced in the past weeks," they added.

More than 1.2 billion certificates have been issued, they said, adding: "It is a true European success story that has gone global."

Imran Khan govt most corrupt in Pakistan's history: Maryam Nawaz IANS

New Delhi, Jan 26: Pakistan Opposition politicians have called the corruption index report "a charge sheet against PM Imran

www.indianabroad.news

Khan" and calling upon him to resign, Dawn reported.

Leader of the Opposition in the Pak National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said the PTI govt "has broken all records of corruption in the last 20 years. Among the Asia-Pacific region, Pakistan has unfortunately been ranked as the 5th most corrupt country."

He tweeted that under his brother Nawaz's rule, corruption had decreased despite massive development projects being undertaken.

This, Sharif said, was down to "transparency, good governance and legal reforms", adding that corruption was rampant under Imran Khan even though he had not carried out any major development works.

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz declared the Imran Khan government "the most corrupt

government in Pakistans history", claiming that every sector had witnessed a decline during his reign.

Punjab Assembly opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz said that Imran Khan's anti-corruption slogans were merely a front for targeting the opposition after coming to power, while the party's information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb asked the premier to address the nation and answer their questions over the latest TI report.

Zulfiqar Ali Bader, spokesperson for Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that after the publication of this report, there was no justification for Imran Khan to remain in government.

"Imran Khan came to power with the slogan of ending corruption but now, with corruption increasing, he should go home," he said.

Washington/London, Jan 26: Upping the ante amid prevailing tensions over Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be sanctioned personally if he sends troops into Ukraine even as representatives of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany were due to meet on Wednesday for talks.

In a brief interaction with mediapersons on Tuesday, Biden said "Yes" when asked if sanctions could be imposed on the Russian President personally if his country invades Ukraine, adding that such a move would mean "enormous consequences worldwide".

He also said that the US could commit more military strength in eastern Europe in case of any Russian invasion, but ruled out sending them to Ukraine itself, though military supplies, including anti-tank missiles, have been sent.

The US has also put around 8,500 troops on alert.

The UK has also been hawklike on the situation and on Wednesday,

1 body found, 38 still missing after boat capsizes off Florida Washington, Jan 27 (IANS): The US Coast Guard has said that they had recovered the body of one of the people that were missing after a vessel capsized off the southeastern US state of Florida, while the search for the rest of the 38 people was underway.

"We did recover one deceased body who will be transferred to shore today in Fort Pierce, and we continue to search for other survivors," Jo-Ann Burdian, the Coast Guard's sector commander for Miami was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

She said the Coast Guard cutter crew and aircraft had been searching for survivors throughout the day on Tuesday and into the night, and had searched an area of roughly 7,500 nautical miles, or about the size of the state of New Jersey, adding that searching conditions on Wednesday "are very good."

The Coast Guard in a statement on Tuesday said "a good Samaritan" rescued a man clinging to a capsized vessel approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet in Florida.

"The survivor reported he left Bimini, Bahamas, with 39 other people Saturday night and encountered severe weather, causing the vessel to capsize. According to the survivor, no one was wearing a life jacket," the statement said.

Burdian said the survivor was retrieved by Coast Guard vessel and transferred ashore for medical care.

The survivor's condition was stable.

The Coast Guard suspected that it was a "human smuggling venture."

Burdian said the Department of Homeland Security is leading an investigation of the facts and backgrounds surrounding the incident.

/IndianAbroadNews

its Foreign Minister Liz Truss told the BBC that the Boris Johnson government has "ruled nothing out" -- including sanctions against the Russian leader -- adding that the UK is looking to "toughen up" its sanctions on people, banks and businesses.

Reacting to Biden's threats, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such sanctions would not be "painful" for the President but would be "politically destructive", the BBC reported.

At the heart of the dispute is Russian

troop concentrations on Ukraine's borders, with the West claiming Russia is poised to invade, but Russia has denied any such intent.

On the other hand, Russia demands that Ukraine not be inducted into NATO, like many other ex-Soviet states and formerly Communist countries of Central and East Europe, and the alliance should not station advanced weapons near its borders, but NATO says it cannot accept a Russian veto over its functioning.

Chinese authorities have their way, force new ending for 'Fight Club'

IANS

New Delhi, Jan 26: More than two decades after its release, cult film 'Fight Club' has been given a very different ending in China -- and this time, the authorities win, CNN reported.

Chinese fans of David Fincher's cult classic were enraged over the weekend when they noticed a version of the movie available on popular Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video completely removing its iconic ending, the report said.

The finale of 'Fight Club' had shocked audiences when the film hit theatres in 1999. In a massive twist, the narrator, played by Edward Norton, realises that Brad Pitt's slick-talking Tyler Durden character is his imaginary alter ego, and kills him off.

In the final scene, the narrator stands with his girlfriend, played

by Helena Bonham Carter, as they watch explosives blow up a cluster of skyscrapers -- all part of what was originally presented to the audience

/indianabroadnews

as Durden's plan to destroy consumerism by erasing bank and debt records, the report said.

CNN reported that the amount of anarchy -- and the government's inability to stop it -- doesn't appear to have passed muster with China's notoriously strict censorship rules, though.

In the version available on Tencent Video, which CNN Business was able to view on the platform, the entire scene featuring the explosions has been cut out. Instead, it has been replaced with a caption explaining to audiences that the authorities arrived just in time to save the day.

"Through the clue provided by Tyler, the police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all the criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding," the caption read, adding: "After the trial, Tyler was sent to [a] lunatic asylum receiving psychological treatment.

He was discharged from the hospital in 2012."

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Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Padma Bhushan for Nadella, Pichai top recognition of India's tech talent CNBC

BBC

New Nelhi, Jan 25: In a big honour for the top India-origin tech prowess that has virtually taken over the Silicon Valley in the US, the Indian government on Tuesday awarded

Padma Bhushan to Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and Alphabet and Google's Sundar Pichai among the 17 awardees.

Padma Bhushan is the third-highest

civilian award in the country, after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.

Born on June 10, 1972 in Madras (now Chennai), Pichai Sundararajan -- better known as Sundar Pichai

-- earned his degree from IIT Kharagpur in metallurgical engineering.

Moving to the US, he earned an MS from Stanford University in

materials science and engineering and further earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Pichai began his career as a materials engineer. After a short stint at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co, he joined Google in 2004, and the rest is history.

Pichai was picked up as the next CEO of Google on August 10, 2015, after previously being appointed Product Chief by CEO Larry Page. He was appointed to the Alphabet Board of Directors in 2017.

He was included in Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2016 and 2020.

Pichai is married to Anjali Pichai and has two children. His recreational interests include cricket and football.

On the other hand, Satya Narayana Nadella was born on August 17, 1967 in Hyderabad (present-day Telangana).

His mother Prabhavati was a Sanskrit lecturer, and his father,

Bukkapuram Nadella Yugandhar, was an IAS officer of the 1962 batch.

Nadella studied at the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, before receiving a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in Karnataka in 1988.

He then moved to the US to study for an MS in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, earning the degree in 1990.

Later, he received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1997.

He is currently the Executive Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, succeeding Steve Ballmer in 2014 as CEO and John W. Thompson in 2021 as Chairman.

Before becoming the CEO, he was the Executive Vice President of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company's computing platforms.

Gujarati family that froze to death US SC to consider challenge to university 'reservations' affecting Indian-Americans on Canada-US border identified IANS

IANS

Toronto, Jan 28: The four members of a Gujarati family, who froze to death in minus 35 degrees temperatures on January 19 near the Canadian town of Emerson while trying to cross illegally into the US, have been officially identified after autopsies.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which discovered the bodies on the Canadian side of the border, identified the four as Jagdishkumar Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37, daughter

Vihangi Patel, 11 and son Dharmik Patel, 3.

The family belonged to Dingucha village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district. Jagdish Patel reportedly paid Rs 70 lakhs to human smugglers to help him cross into the US from Canada.

The RCMP said: "The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Manitoba has confirmed that the cause of death was due to exposure."

It added that the family landed in Toronto from India on January 12. They travelled to the town of Emerson on the Canada-US border in Manitoba on, or about about January 18.

Since no vehicles were found abandoned near the spot where the four bodies were found on the Canadian side of the border, the RCMP said someone drove them to the border and then left.

"We know the Patel family moved around Canada for a period of time and we are looking for anyone that may have had encounters with them," the RCMP said.

It is not yet known when the bodies will be flown to India.

The Indian High Commission on Ottawa, which sent a team from the Consulate in Toronto to Winnipeg on January 20 to assist the Canadian authorities in the investigations, said the next of kin of the family in India have been informed.

Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Police's Crime Branch has picked up a man, who is believed to be an agent that sends people to Canada in exchange of a consulting fee, from Paliyad village for questioning.

Jagdishkumar Patel and his family had gone to Canada on a visitor visa.

According to his relatives,the family was there as tourists.

Indian-American cop hailed as hero for neutralising gunman who killed officer IANS

New York, Jan 24 (IANS): An Indian-American police officer, who has been on the job for just over six months, is being hailed a hero for rushing to neutralise a gunman who shot a police officer and wounded another.

Sumit Sulan, 27, shot the assailant who surprised the officers opening fire on them in his mother's flat on January 21 where police were called because of a domestic dispute.

Jason Rivera, 22, was killed and Wilbert Mora, 27, was wounded, but Sulan who was in the police party advanced and shot the alleged gunman, Lashawn McNeil, 47, according to police.

McNeil is in hospital with serious injuries.

Before taking on the gunman, Sulan had moved the mother and her other son to safety, police said.

www.indianabroad.news

Sulan and his two colleagues had gone to the flat in the Harlem neighbourhood in response to a call

by McNeil's mother that her son was threatening her.

He had a close escape when he rushed to take on McNeil as the man allegedly was firing with a super-charged weapon - a modified Glock pistol fitted with a high-capacity drum with 50 rounds, turning it into a virtual machine gun.

His mother Dalvir Sulan told the New York Post: "I'm proud. Everyone (says) he did good."

She said that he was still struggling to deal with the events and "his brain is stuck on the situation".

According to her, the family had immigrated to the US about 15 years ago from India.

Sumit Sulan, who entered the police force only in April 2021, has been nicknamed "Super Rookie", according to the Post.

He had worked for the city as a taxi and limousine inspector before joining the police.

Sumit Sulan had responded earlier this month to a domestic violence incident during which a gun was seized, his police station tweeted with a picture of him holding the weapon.

In a city caught in a wave of escalating violence, Friday's incident was the third gun attack on police officers this month.

They are a direct challenge to Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain, who took office on New Year's Day

with a promise to crack down on crime.

He called the shooting of the police officers an "attack on the city".

Police have come under sustained attack around the country from the Democratic Party's left and its supporters with a sustained movement to either abolish or cut the police force in a campaign that started in May 2020 after the killing of an African-American by police in Minnesota.

While Adams, who is a Democrat, has pledged to take a hard line against crime, others in his party have taken the opposite tack.

His party colleague Avin Bragg, who was elected the public prosecutor for Manhattan, where the January 21 attack took place, has announced that he would not prosecute several categories of offences like most assaults; theft without guns that would affect Indian news-stand operators and Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants running grocery stores; not paying fares on the metro rail system, and resisting police, which in effect would decriminalising them.

So far the Black Lives Movement and the Democratic party's left have been silent on Sumit Sulan and have not attacked him for shooting McNeil, who is African-American, as they often do when a Black person is shot by police.

The slain officer and his wounded colleague are both Latinos, members of a minority community.

New York, Jan 25: The US Supreme Court has decided to consider a challenge to the affirmative action programmes at universities reopening an issue that adversely affects Indian-American students.

The court said on Monday that it will take up the appeal against rulings by lower federal courts upholding the affirmative action programmes of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC).

The affirmative action programmes virtually have effects similar to reservations in Indian institutions, except that here Indian-Americans and other Asians are considered the privileged groups and have to perform to higher standards for admission than all the others.

The case was brought by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), which was joined by the Global Organization of Persons of Indian Origin, National Federation of Indian-American Associations, American Society of Engineers of India Origin, and BIT Sindri Alumni Association of North India in bringing the original case against Harvard.

SFFA asserted that the private Harvard University's affirmative action programme violates a 1964 civil rights law because it receives federal funds and the state government-run UNC violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of laws for all.

The appeal is scheduled to be taken up in the next session of the Supreme Court starting in October with the verdict likely towards the middle of next year.

Previously the Supreme Court has narrowly upheld the legality of affirmative action programmes, but its composition has taken distinctive rightward turn under former President Donald Trump and supporters of affirmative action programmes fear it could rule against them, setting back African Americans and Latinos who have suffered centuries of discrimination.

The case plays into the political

divide in the nation.

Trump's administration had backed the SFFA in the lower courts asserting that there was evidence "that Harvard's process has repeatedly penalised one particular racial group: Asian Americans" and that it "concedes that eliminating consideration of race would increase Asian-American admissions".

But under President Joe Biden the federal government has made a U-turn and opposed SFFA's appeal.

Asking the court to reject the appeal, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said in her brief that Harvard's use of race was "narrowly tailored" and met constitutional standards.

The SFFA asserted in its appeal, "Harvard's mistreatment of AsianAmerican applicants is appalling".

Harvard denied in its submission to the court that it discriminated against Asians and said that it "considers race only in a flexible and non-mechanical way" and that it "benefits only highly qualified candidates".

Harvard College, which is the university's institution for undergraduates and is directly involved in the case, is headed by an IndianAmerican, Rakesh Khurana who is its dean.

Although these programmes were ostensibly meant to provide greater access to higher education for nonAsian minorities, Whites also benefit

because of the higher requirements set for Asians.

A study by a Princeton University academic found that to gain admission to elite universities, Asian students had to score 140 points more than Whites in the SAT, a common entrance test.

Harvard announced last year that it will not require scores from SAT or another common entrance test, ACT, for admission for the next four years.

One of the methods Harvard had allegedly used to keep down Asians who are otherwise qualified was to give them lower scores on personality traits used to assess applicants.

An academic expert who analysed Harvard's admissions records on behalf of SFFA found that it consistently rated Asians lower on "positive personality," and as less "widely respected".

Edward Blum, the founder of SFA, asserted that Harvard and UNC have manipulated the admissions process "to achieve prescribed racial quotas".

Harvard University President Larry Bacow said that the Supreme Court decision to "review the unanimous decisions of the lower federal courts puts at risk 40 years of legal precedent granting colleges and universities the freedom and flexibility to create diverse campus communities".

has started to push back against anti-India forces.

At the heart of this push back is Southall in London, which remains among the largest hubs of the Sikh community in the UK and has a distinction of hosting UK's largest and most prominent gurdwaras.

Earlier, in an unprecedented move, the community leaders gathered at Gurdwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha, Park Avenue, and challenged the prevailing anti-India narrative propagated by Khalistanis and their backers.

They passed a resolution thanking

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his current government for doing so much for the Sikh community and helping to bridge the misunderstandings. They especially thanked the PM for announcing December 26 as Bir Bal Divas and declaring it as a public holiday.

In a congregation, community leaders and gurdwara committee office-bearers challenged those who are pushing factually incorrect t narrative about India and its current govt under Narendra Modi. They also challenged them to disprove their views, which have no political agenda or motive.

British Sikh Association lauds BJP govt for welfare measures New Delhi, Jan 19: The British Sikh Association said on Wednesday that the BJP-led government at the Centre has done more than most governments for the welfare of Sikhs.

"BJP Govt is not responsible for the massacre of innocent Sikhs. BJP Govt had done more than most for the Sikhs, Kartarpur Corridor, Baal Veer Diwas, repeal of the farm bills.

Sikhs can be against a Govt but not against India the Motherland of the Sikhs and their Gurus," the British Sikh Association said in a tweet.

Amid heightened activities by Khalistanis, the UK Sikh community

/IndianAbroadNews

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Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

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Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

'Wants to be Azad, not Ghulam', Jairam Ironic when nation recognizes Ramesh takes a jibe at party colleague Azad's services, Cong doesn't: Sibal

IANS

New Delhi, Jan 25: After former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya on Tuesday refused to accept the Padma Bhushan bestowed upon him the government of India on the eve of Republic Day, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has taken a jibe at party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad, who has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Ramesh tweeted on Bhattacharya's refusal to accept the award, saying:

"Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam."

The comment was indirectly aimed at his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was conferred the Padma Bhushan in the field of Public Affairs.

Azad is also a former Union minister and till recently, he was the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Azad was one of the first in the Congress to stoke the leadership issue in the party.

Former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, on Tuesday refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award conferred upon him by the government of India.

Bhattacharya was given the award for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs.

A statement issued by the veteran CPI-M leader read: "I don't know anything about the Padma Bhushan award, nobody told me about it. If I were awarded the Padma Bhushan, I would reject it."

Minutes later, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri confirmed the statement.

Bhattacharya, 77, who is suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), hardly gets out of his house for the past few years now. Even during last year's Assembly polls in Bengal, the veteran leader did not campaign for his party. He was hospitalised twice in the last six months.

New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS): The Congress seems divided on the Padma Bhushan award conferred to its leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, party leader Kapil Sibal has come out in open support of Azad after cryptic tweets by Jairam Ramesh.

Sibal tweeted, “Ghulam Nabi Azad conferred Padam Bhushan, Congratulations bhaijan, Ironic that the Congress doesn’t need his services when the nation recognises his contributions to public life”.

After the announcement of Padma awards, Jairam Ramesh taking a cue from the rejection by West bengal former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya took a jibe at his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad, who has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Ramesh tweeted on Bhattacharya’s refusal to accept the award: “Right thing to do. He wants to be Azad not Ghulam.”

The comment was indirectly aimed at his party colleague Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was conferred the Padma Bhushan in the field of Public Affairs.

Azad is also a former Union minister and till recently, he was the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

IANS

Azad was one of the first in the Congress to stoke the leadership issue in the party.

Former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, on Tuesday refused to accept the Padma Bhushan award conferred upon him by the government of India.

Bhattacharya was given the award for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs.

A statement issued by the veteran CPI-M leader read: “I don’t know anything about the Padma Bhushan award, nobody told me about it. If I were awarded the Padma Bhushan, I would reject it.

The Congress division with reagrds to Azad’s award is witness to the internal rift within the party as Azad was one of the leaders who had raised the leadership issue in the party and had demanded organizational elections.

Amit Shah meets Jat leaders ahead of UP polls Almost all Congress 'Baba Brigade'

IANS

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS): In a bid to woo voters from the Jat community ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday met Jat leaders and said that his relationship with the community goes back a long time.

Shah interacted with over 200 leaders from the Jat community in the national capital.

He said that both the BJP and the Jat

community have similar views on important issues.

Describing Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav as an outsider, Shah asked the Jat leaders "why do you bring outsiders in a fight within the house?"

Taking a note of the soft corner among the Jats for RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary, Shah said, "Jayant has chosen the wrong house this time."

Expressing gratitude to the Jat voters for always supporting the BJP, the Home Minister claimed that no one, except Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave respect to farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait.

During the meeting, issues related to the situation in western Uttar Pradesh before 2017, Muzaffarnagar riots during the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government, the grand Ram Temple being built in Ayodhya during the Modi-Yogi government and Jat reservation were also discussed.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Union minister and Lok Sabha MP from Muzaffarnagar, Sanjeev Balyan, said that the Jat community has always supported the BJP. Some people also raised the issue of Jat reservation, to which the Home Minister said that it is also in his mind.

Balyan also claimed that no one in western Uttar Pradesh wants Akhilesh Yadav to be the next Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

leaders now in BJP, except a few IANS

New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS): After RPN Singh joined the BJP almost all the leaders who were termed as the 'Baba Brigade' have shifted to the saffron party except a few who are still with the Congress.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh who were once considered close to Rahul Gandhi have left the party. Only Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot are left in the party who are close to Rahul. Another leader Depender Hooda is in the party but he was not a minister in the UPA government.

RPN Singh, who was close to the Gandhis, was also a legacy holder as his father was a senior Congress leader. Singh was MP, MLA and Union State Minister of Home, CWC member and was given the crucial task of looking after the affairs of the party in Jharkhand. The party leaders are saying that RPN had all that the Congress could give him ,and this is because of the legacy he carries and the support of the party.

The Congress is not able to stop the exodus and Priyanka Gandhi in her

recent interviews has said that the party is not stopping anyone, neither is any effort being made by the top leadership because its ideological fight.

Earlier Jitin Prasada left the party and is a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. He is the son of Jitendra Prasada who was once a senior leader of the party. Scindia Junior too left the party and is now part of the Union Government.

RPN Singh after joining the BJP said "I worked hard for 32 years in the Congress but it is no longer what it used to be. Many asked me to join the BJP for a long time, but I can only say 'Der aaye durust aye (better late than never)'. I will work as a 'Karyakarta' (worker) towards fulfilling Prime Minister Modi's dream of nation building."

The former Union minister said that the way the BJP government has worked hard to improve the law and order situation in UP is commendable.

"I will do everything that is assigned

to me as a small party worker for the development of Uttar Pradesh and the country," Singh added.

Before officially joining the BJP, Singh tweeted, "This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to my contribution to nation building under the visionary leadership & guidance of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, BJP President Shri @JPNadda ji & Honourable Home Minister @ AmitShah ji."

It hardly matters who is leaving Congress, says Ashok Gehlot Goa CM files nomination papers; ex-CM, Parrikar's son to contest as independent candidate IANS

Jaipur, Jan 26: Taking a jibe at some senior leaders leaving the Congress, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Wednesday that it hardly matters who is leaving the party.

"Rahul Gandhi had once said that those who want to go should go so that the rest can at least work. Even if you stay in the party, you will continue speaking bad about it. So, it's better if you go out. Anyone who

wants to join the party is welcome, and anyone who wants to go is also welcome," Gehlot said while interacting with the media at the Congress headquarters here.

Gehlot's comments came a day after R.P.N. Singh, one of Congress' prominent faces in Uttar Pradesh, quit the party and joined the BJP, days ahead of next month's Assembly elections in the state.

Gehlot said that Congress has a history of 135 years and it is like an ocean. Many people left the party and had to come back later, he added.

Gehlot also said that Congress is the only party which has a pan-India presence, while the rest of the parties wield power in some pockets.

"No one speaks of the BJP in the northeast. In the southern states too, the saffron party has no presence.

The Congress may not be in power, but it has marked its presence in every house. That's why it doesn't matter who deserts the party," the Chief Minister said.

IANS

Panaji, Jan 27: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday filed his nomination papers from the Sanquelim constituency in North Goa for the February 14 Assembly polls.

"We will win 22 plus seats in these 2022 elections," Sawant said after filing his nomination papers in the company of Bharatiya Janata Party's Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis.

Thursday also saw two other significant former BJP personalities filing their nomination papers as independent candidates.

Former BJP Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who resigned from the BJP last week filed nomination papers as an independent candidate from the Mandrem Assembly constituency.

Parsekar said that any dialogue with the BJP was not an option anymore.

He also said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was living in a fool's paradise to expect any form of discussions any further.

"People are free to live in fools' paradise, work their brains, make assumptions they are free to... Those who claim that talks are on, should come before me and raise their head and start talking to me by looking at me in the eye. I am not the one to succumb to the pressure of party seniors," Parsekar said.

Former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal also filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate.

Utpal had resigned from the BJP after he was denied a ticket by the ruling party, which opted for sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate instead. "...my father had worked in Panaji.

I want to follow his footsteps. I will give 200 per cent hardwork. This is what I want to tell the people of Panaji," Utpal Parrikar said.

Battle for UP: Ex-Cong MP Rajeev Sachan, SP leaders join BJP ahead of polls New Delhi, Jan 27: Ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, former Congress MP Rajeev Sachan, former minister and Samajwadi Party leader Shivkant Ojha on Thursday joined the BJP. Another Samajwadi Party MLA Sharatveer also switched to the saffron party.

Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, former Uttar Pradesh party president Laxmikant Bajpai and national media head Anil Baluni welcomed www.indianabroad.news

the three into the BJP fold at the party headquarters here.

"These leaders are prominent figures in political and social circle of Uttar Pradesh. People are strongly standing with the BJP after seeing the positive changes in the states under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and our state election in-charge Pradhan. We welcome them in BJP family," Naqvi said.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said: "They are prominent name

fighting for social justice and joined BJP to contribute in development of state under leadership of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Adityanath."

Introducing the leaders, Baluni said: "People can judge in which direction wind is blowing with joining of so many people."

Sachan is former Congress MP and two term MLA. In 2009, Sachan elected to the LoK Sabha from Fatehpur Parliamentary Constituency.

Ojha was a four-time MLA and former minister in Akhilesh Yadav government.

Sharatveer is third term sitting MLA from Samajwadi Party.

On January 25, former union minister and senior Congress leader R.P.N Singh had joined BJP. Earlier, Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughterin-law Aparna Yadav also joined the party.

/IndianAbroadNews

IANS

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16

SCI-TECH

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Tesla officially enters Turkish market TOI

San Francisco, Jan 26: Elon Muskowned electric vehicle company Tesla has officially entered Turkish market.

According to GizmoChina, Emir Tuncyurek, a former consultant of InsideEVs Turkey and co-founder of E-Garaj, will be managing Tesla

Turkey's operations.

In 2021, nearly 4,000 electric cars were sold in total in Turkey.

The EV maker is also currently working on developing a Supercharger network in the country.

Tesla's website lists that it is coming

up with Superchargers in Ankara, Antalya, Aydin, Bursa, Edirne, Istanbul and Konya, to name a few regions of the country.

Recently, Musk informed that the EV-maker is facing a "lot of challenges" for its car launch in India.

"Still working through a lot of challenges with the government," Musk tweeted.

Musk was replying to a Twitter user, who asked: "Yo @elonmusk any further update as to when Tesla's will launch in India? They're pretty awesome and deserve to be in every corner of the world!"

Tesla wants to begin selling imported cars in India this year but says taxes in the country are among the highest in the world.

Currently, India levies 100 per cent tax on the imported cars of price more than $40,000 (Rs 30 lakh) inclusive of insurance and shipping expenses, and cars less than $40,000 are subject to 60 per cent import tax.

Instagram's new feature to display users' upcoming live streams San Francisco, Jan 27: Meta-owned photo-sharing Instagram is rolling out a new profile banner that will display a user's upcoming live streams.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri noted that users can now display a badge on their profile to let others know that they have a live stream coming up, TechCrunch reported on Thursday.

Once the banner is up, followers can subscribe to get reminded about the live stream. Users can create as many scheduled Lives as they would like. If there is more than

one upcoming Live, they will be displayed as a side-scrolling list.

Mosseri noted that in the past, users would notify their followers about upcoming Lives through a post or Story. With this new feature, Instagram is launching a dedicated way for users to notify others about scheduled Lives, the report said.

The badge will not only be visible to the followers, but also to anyone else who may come across a profile, which could attract more viewers.

In the same video, Mosseri also outlined that users can now remix

any video content on the app, which is a change that Instagram announced a few days ago.

The company officially launched Remix, which is its version of TikTok Duets, in March 2021. The feature lets users record their Reels video alongside a video from another user.

In addition to these new features, Instagram also recently launched an early test of creator subscriptions in the US. Select creators are now able to offer their followers paid access to exclusive Instagram Live videos and Stories.

BHU develops onboard chargers for e-vehicles Varanasi (UP), Jan 27 (IANS): Researchers at the department of electrical engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) have developed a new technology for onboard chargers for vehicles.

They have claimed that this technology costs about half of the current onboard charger technology and can reduce the cost of two and four-wheeler electric vehicles.

Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh, associate professor and chief project investigator, said: "Amid the rising cost of petroleum products and rising pollution levels, electric vehicles (EVs) are the best alternative to conventional IC engines, but lack of high-power offboard charging infrastructure forces automakers to incorporate on-board chargers into the vehicle itself. The vehicle owner can charge the vehicles through the outlet. In such a situation, electric vehicles become very expensive."

He said that with the new technology developed in the institute, the cost of on-board charger can be reduced by about 50 per cent.

"This will also significantly reduce the cost of electric vehicles. The technology will be completely indigenous and will have a significant impact on driving electric vehicles on Indian roads in a big way," he said.

"Lab scale development has already been done at IIT (BHU) and upgradation and commercialization are in progress. A country's leading electric vehicle manufacturer has

IANS

also shown interest in this new technology and is ready to develop a full-fledged commercial product that can be applied to existing electric vehicles. Experts from IIT Guwahati and IIT Bhubaneswar have also collaborated for this technology development," he added.

Dr Singh said that this research is financially supported by the ministry of electronics and information technology.

This innovative technology of the institute will also contribute to the e-mobility mission of the government. With the help of this new technology, the charging infrastructure of vehicles in the country will be improved and the access of the general public to electric vehicles will be possible easily.

He explained that the electric vehicle contributes to sustainable development as it improves community health by eliminating tailpipe emissions, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and, with the integration

of renewable energy into existing electricity networks.

IIT (BHU) director Prof Pramod Kumar Jain said: "The technology will help in production of cheap electric vehicles, which will be beneficial for the common man.

The technology will support the government's mission to bring electric vehicles on Indian roads in a big way."

Prof Jain added that a few projects on developing autonomous vehicle, connected vehicles are already underway at IIT (BHU).

One such project is Averera, that has already won first prize globally in the Shell Eco Marathon last year.

He further said that the IIT (BHU) is planning to set up an interdisciplinary centre on EV technologies to carry out design, fabrication, and testing of battery management systems, commercialise research, provide solutions to R&D problems and develop human resources in area.

Tesla Cybertruck production Microsoft Teams surpasses 270mn monthly active users delayed to 2023

IANS

The Sentimental Assam

New Delhi, Jan 26: Microsoft has added 20 million more users to its video collaboration tool Teams to surpass 270 million monthly active users, as Omicron-triggered Covid wave spread across the globe.

The company has surpassed 270 million monthly active Teams users as of its second quarter that ended December 31 — up from 250 million monthly active Teams users it announved in July 2021.

According to Satya Nadella,

Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, organisations are using Teams to run their business with collaborative applications that bring business process data right into the flow of work.

"Monthly usage of third-party applications and custom-built solutions has grown 10x in the last two years, with new and updated apps this quarter from Atlassian, Monday.com, SAP, and Workday," Nadella said during the company's

earnings call late on Tuesday.

"With Teams Rooms, we're bringing Teams to a growing ecosystem of devices to help people stay connected and participate fully in meetings from anywhere. The number of active Teams Rooms devices more than doubled year over year," he informed.

With Mesh for Teams, Microsoft is bringing the metaverse to Teams, helping employees at organisations like Accenture access a shared immersive experience where they can have watercooler-type conversations, and even whiteboarding sessions.

"Teams is rapidly becoming the standard for unified communications. Over 90% of Fortune 500 companies used Teams Phone this quarter," said Nadella.

Microsoft has integrated a Teams Chat button into the Windows 11 taskbar to get more people to try Teams' consumer capabilities.

It also introduced a new standalone Teams Essentials SKU for smalland-midsize businesses.

Over 1.4 bn devices running Windows 10 or 11: Satya Nadella IANS

San Francisco, Jan 26 (IANS): Tech giant Microsoft has revealed that there are now 1.4 billion monthly active Windows 10 or Windows 11 devices globally.

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, revealed the latest numbers during the company's earnings call late on Tuesday.

"There are now more than 1.4 billion

www.indianabroad.news

monthly active devices running Windows 10 or Windows 11, and they're a powerful on-ramp for both our first-party and third-party services. Windows 11 users engage with the Windows app store at nearly 3x the rate of Windows 10," Nadella noted.

Meanwhile, driven by online work and learning amid the ongoing pandemic, Teams surpassed 270 million

monthly active users globally.

"Teams is rapidly becoming the standard for unified communications. Over 90 per cent of Fortune 500 companies used Teams Phone this quarter, and we continue to take share across PSTN and VOIP as organizations like Bank of Montreal, Chevron, General Motors and more," Nadella added.

According to the company, Windows 11 features powerful new experiences whether users are working on a school project, collaborating on a presentation for work, building a new app or creating your next big idea.

Windows 11 comes with redesign Taskbar icons and Start menu. It also comes with rounded corners for all program windows and builtin Teams chat.

Windows 11 also includes support for DirectStorage, a feature first introduced on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.

San Francisco, Jan 27: Elon Muskowned electric vehicle company Tesla has delayed production of its much-awaited Cybertruck, aiming to start in 2023.

The electric vehicle manufacturer's CEO Elon Musk confirmed during Wednesday's fourth-quarter earnings call that production and first deliveries of the futuristic pickup are not expected this year.

"As the Cybertruck, Semi, Roadster optimists, we'll be ready to bring those to production. Hopefully, next year. That is most likely", said Musk.

Tesla recently removed the dates about Cybertruck production from its website.

The order page on Tesla's Cybertruck site previously told buyers: "You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears in 2022." Now, it just says: "You will be able to complete your configuration as production nears."

The Cybertruck was originally announced in 2019. In August 2021,

the production of the Cybertruck was moved to 2022 as the EV firm decided to focus on producing its Model Y. Recently, a new Tesla Cybertruck prototype with an updated design was spotted on the automaker's Fremont factory test track.

According to the auto-tech website Electrek, a YouTuber's drone spotted the new Cybertruck prototype on

the test track behind the plant.

They managed to capture 10 minutes of footage of the automaker testing the new electric pickup truck.

The prototype appears to be brand new with some tape holding some of the trims and cables together.

The new Cybertruck also features side mirrors, something the prototype did not have.

6 mn electric cars likely to be shipped in 2022: Gartner IANS

New Delhi, Jan 27: Six million electric cars (battery electric and plug-in hybrid) are likely to be shipped globally in 2022, up from 4 million in 2021, a Gartner report showed on Thursday.

The number of global public EV chargers will rise to 2.1 million units in 2022, up from 1.6 million units in 2021.

The market research firm forecasts that electric cars will represent 95 per cent of total EV shipments in 2022 and the remainder will be split between buses, vans and heavy trucks.

For the full year 2021, Tesla alone delivered 936,172 vehicles, just short of the promised 1 million vehicles but still an increase of 87 per cent over the previous year.

At 'COP26' in November 2021, the Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council agreed that vehicle manufacturers will commit to selling only zero emission vehicles by 2040, and earlier in leading markets, putting pressure on the automotive sector to prepare for the decarbonization in transportation.

/IndianAbroadNews

"EVs are an important powertrain technology to help reduce CO2 emissions from the transportation sector," said Jonathan Davenport, research director at Gartner.

"The ongoing shortage of chips will impact the production of EVs in 2022, and while shipments of vans and trucks are currently small, their shipments will grow rapidly as commercial owners see the financial and environmental benefit of electrifying their fleets," Davenport added.

With China imposing a mandate on automakers requiring that EVs make up 40 per cent of all sales by 2030 and automakers establishing new factories for manufacturing electric cars, Greater China will account for 46 per cent of global EV shipments in 2022.

Western Europe is on pace to ship 1.9 million units in 2022, ranking No 2 in EV shipments.

North America is expected to be the third highest region in shipments at 855.3 thousand EVs in 2022.

"The EU's plans to cut CO2 emissions from cars by 55 per cent

/indianabroadnews

and vans by 50 per cent by 2030 is a catalyst to the uptake of EVs in Europe," said Davenport.

To foster the transition to EVs, automotive manufacturers will have to address several factors such as lowering the price of EVs and batteries, recycling EV batteries and offering a wider selection of vehicle models.

"Additionally, a major issue that must be addressed is lack of fastcharging availability for home and public charging," said Davenport.

17

SPORTS

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

BBL 2021-22: Perth Scorchers thrash Sydney Sixers to clinch record fourth title IANS

Melbourne, Jan 28: A stunning fightback from Laurie Evans and skipper Ashton Turner with the bat followed by a clinical show with the ball helped Perth Scorchers thrash Sydney Sixers by 79 runs in the final and won the 2021-22 Big Bash League title, here on Friday.

With this win, Perth Scorchers became the first team to lift the BBL Trophy for the fourth time in the competition's 11-season history.

They earlier had won titles in seasons 3, 4 and 6 of BBL. At 4-25, Scorchers were in deep trouble and Evans (76 not out off 41) and Turner (54 off 35) helped them recover from the collapse as they put on 104 runs for the fifth wicket to help their side to 171 for 6.

In reply, Daniel Hughes top-scored for the Sixers with 42 but it was not enough.

Chasing a challenging target, Hayden Kerr (2), who scored an unbeaten 98 against Adelaide Strikers to help the Sixers into the final, could not replicate his heroics as he fell in the second over to Jason Behrendorff slicing a catch to short third-man.

Daniel Hughes and Nick Bertus (15) tried to build a partnership but their association ended on 27 runs as Turner dismissed the other opener.

With skipper Moises Henriques also falling cheaply, leg-before to Ashton Agar, the Sixers slipped to 46 for 3 after seven overs.

From there on, the game began to rest largely on the bat of Hughes, who despite passing a pre-match fitness test, appeared to be significantly hampered running between the wickets. He tried to hold the innings together but didn't receive support from the other end as Dan Christian and Peter Hatzoglou fell in quick succession.

Hughes (42) was the next to fall, run out after a poor call from Sean Abbott in the 13th over as the Sixers slumped to 6-77. Only 25 more runs were added for the last four wickets as the Sixers were bowled out for 92 in 16.2 overs, losing the final by a huge margin of 79 runs.

Andrew Tye picked up a three-wicket haul (3/15) while Jhye Richardson bagged a couple (2/20).

Earlier, the Scorchers innings was in disarray after they were asked to bat, with only 25 runs coming in the first six overs at the cost of four top-order wickets.

Kurtis Patterson (1) was the first to depart, top-edging a pull-off Jackson Bird. Inglis (13) then joined the inform Patterson back in the shed and

he was quickly followed by Mitchell Marsh and Colin Munro.

Marsh (5) and Munro (1) got out to Nathan Lyon in the sixth over, failing in their attempts to play the loft and reverse sweep respectively as the Scorchers slumped to 4-25 in the sixth.

That was when Turner was joined by Evans and they shifted the momentum with a brilliant match-winning partnership across the next 10 overs.

Both Turner and Evans brought up their half-centuries with powerful sixes over mid-wicket before veteran tweaker Steve O'Keefe (2-43) broke through to send the Scorchers skipper on his way in the 16th over.

Evans, meanwhile, collected two more sixes and remained unbeaten on 76 from 41 balls, his highest score of the tournament, with a tally of four boundaries and as many maximums. Ashton Agar also struck three fours as Scorchers finished with a remarkable total of 171-6 that had earlier looked impossible.

Brief scores: Perth Scorchers 171/6 in 20 overs (Laurie Evans 76 not out, Ashton Turner 54; Nathan Lyon 2-24, Steve O'Keefe 2-43) beat Sydney Sixers 92 in 16.2 overs (Daniel Hughes 42; Andrew Tye 3-15, Jhye Richardson 2-20) by 79 runs.

Shafali Verma back on top in latest Mitchell Starc, Ashleigh Gardner receive top Australian cricket awards ICC T20 rankings for batters IANS

The Gaurdian

Dubai, Jan 25: India's opening batter Shafali Verma is back on top in the latest ICC T20 rankings for women released on Tuesday. Shafali has overtaken Australia's Beth Mooney, who was out of the T20I series against England due to an injury.

Verma, who attained No. 1 position for the first time during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020, is now two rating points ahead of Mooney at 726.

Australia captain Meg Lanning and all-rounder Tahlia McGrath have advanced in the T20I Player Rankings after helping their team clinch the three-match home series

against England 1-0 with outstanding performances in the first match in Adelaide.

The pair was associated in a 144-run unbroken stand for the second wicket in the only match that saw a result, Lanning's 44-ball 64 helping her overtake India's Smriti Mandhana to third place and McGrath's 'Player of the Match' effort of 91 off 49 propelling her 29 places to 28th position.

In the latest weekly update that includes performances in the just concluded five-team ICC Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu has progressed six places to eighth after aggregating 221 runs in the tournament. Bangladesh's Murshida Khatun is up 35 places to 48th after totaling 126 runs.

England openers Danni Wyatt (70) and Tammy Beaumont (30), who were associated in an 82-run stand in the first match, have also moved up. Wyatt is up three places to 13th and Beaumont up two places to 16th with captain Heather Knight also joining them in the top 20.

Athapaththu, who was named 'Player of the Series' in the Kuala Lumpur tournament that also featured Bangladesh, Scotland, Kenya and hosts Malaysia, has moved up four places to 52nd among bowlers.

Her four wickets in the tournament included a three-wicket haul in the decisive last match against Bangladesh on Monday.

Athapaththu is also up one place to seventh among all-rounders in the list led by New Zealand's Sophie Devine.

As far as the bowler's rankings go, the top three remained unchanged with England's Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn occupying the first and second spots respectively while the third place stayed with South Africa's Shabnim Isnmail. India's Deepti Sharma gained one position to displace Australia's Megan Schutt from the fourth place.

The all-rounders rankings didn't see much change either with Sophie Devine and Natalie Sciver holding on to their first and second places respectively. Deepti Sharma again gained one place to third.

Dhoni is one of the sharpest cricket minds I have encountered: Greg Chappell IANS

Adelaide, Jan 26 (IANS): Former India head coach Greg Chappell heaped praise on MS Dhoni, saying the ex-captain of the national side was one of the sharpest cricket brains he had ever encountered.

He added that Dhoni played the game on various pitches early on, which resulted in him developing decision-making and strategic skills, setting him apart from his peers.

"The Indian subcontinent still has many towns where coaching facilities are rare and youngsters play in streets and on vacant land without the interference of formal coaching. This is where many of their current stars have learned the game," wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNCricinfo on Wednesday.

Taking Dhoni as an example of learning batting naturally, Chappell remarked, "MS Dhoni, with whom I www.indianabroad.news

worked in India, is a good example of a batter who developed his talent and learned to play in this fashion.

By competing against more experienced individuals on a variety of surfaces early in his development, Dhoni developed the decision-making and strategic skills that have set him apart from many of his peers.

His is one of the sharpest cricket minds I have encountered."

Chappell went on to say that the flair in England's batting has been missing due to emphasis on learning via a prescribed textbook. "England, on the other hand, have very few of these natural environments and their players are produced in a narrow band of public schools, with an emphasis on the coaching manual. This is why their batting has lost much of its flair and resilience.

"The games that young people make

up and play are dynamic and foster creativity, joy, flexibility in technical execution, tactical understanding and decision-making, which are often missing in batting at the highest levels. The greatest batters developed their talent over long periods of time by playing and learning in creative, informal learning environments from young ages without an excessive focus on perfecting someone else's idea of what an ideal technique should look like."

The 73-year-old signed off by saying that England need to reset their thinking on how they develop batting techniques, especially after a 4-0 thrashing in the Ashes.

"England would do well to look at their coaching methods and how the best batters develop their skills as part of any review that they initiate on the back of another resounding defeat in Australia. The England batting was bereft of class, short on imagination, and lacked resilience throughout this tour.

"If I was in charge of English cricket, I know what I would do first - but I won't be giving that information away for free! If they don't do something drastic, they will be accused of behaving as in the aphorism that has often been mis-attributed to Albert Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Sydney, Jan 29 (IANS): Australian pace bowling stalwart Mitchell Starc and women's all-rounder of Indigenous origin Ashleigh Gardner were rewarded for their consistent performances at the annual Australian Cricket Awards, emerging the country's leading male and female players for 2021.

Starc, whose all-round performance during the recently concluded Ashes was the key to the hosts winning the series 4-0, became just the fifth pace bowler in 22 years to win the Allan Border Medal as the country's leading male cricketer, edging out Mitchell Marsh by one vote.

The 24-year-old Gardner became the first Indigenous person to win the Belinda Clark Award as the country's leading female player.

According to cricket.com.au, the award winners were decided by votes from players, umpires and media representatives throughout the year and they received their medals and trophies during the lunch break of the Women's Ashes Test at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Starc got 107 votes for the top award and was ahead of Marsh by just one vote, while 'Player of the Series' during the Ashes, Travis Head, got 72.

According to the report, it is only the second time in three years that the men's top award has been decided by just one vote after opener David Warner beat Steve Smith by a similar margin in 2020.

Starc played a key role in Australia's maiden ICC T20 World Cup title

win in the UAE and the tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh. He also played all five Ashes games, coming up with one of his best Test series with 19 wickets at an average of 25.37.

Starc also won the Men's ODI Player of the Year award having taken 11 wickets -- including five in the opening game -- of Australia's only ODI series during the voting period, a 2-1 win over the West Indies. The left-arm pacer joins Test skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath as the only fast bowlers to win the top award since it was introduced in 2000.

Mitchell Marsh was named Men's T20 Player of the Year after a superb 12 months that included a 'Player of the Match' performance in the T20 World Cup final. Marsh scored a total of 627 runs from 21 T20Is during the voting period to finish with 53 votes, far ahead of pacer Josh Hazlewood (29) and Ashton

Agar (26).

Leading award winners for 2021/22: Belinda Clark Award: Winner: Ashleigh Gardner (54 votes); Runners-up: Beth Mooney (47), Alyssa Healy (39).

Allan Border Medal: Mitchell Starc (107 votes); Mitchell Marsh (106), Travis Head (72).

Men's Test Player of the Year: Travis Head (12 votes); Scott Boland (10), Mitchell Starc (7).

Women's ODI Player of the Year: Alyssa Healy (13 votes); Rachael Haynes (10), Megan Schutt (10).

Men's ODI Player of the Year: Mitchell Starc (15 votes); Matthew Wade (6), Adam Zampa & Alex Carey (4).

Women's T20 Player of the Year: Beth Mooney (13 votes); Tahlia McGrath (10), Ashleigh Gardner (6).

Men's T20 Player of the Year: Mitchell Marsh (53 votes); Josh Hazlewood (29), Ashton Agar (26).

U-19 CWC: Australia cruise into semis with crushing win over Pakistan IANS

North Sound (Antigua), Jan 29 (IANS): A fine batting performance from Australia's top order, especially Teague Wyllie and Corey Miller, helped them defeat Pakistan by 119 runs to secure a Super League semifinal berth in the U-19 ICC Cricket World Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium here on Saturday (IST).

The Cooper Connolly-led Australia became the third team to make it to the last-four after England and Afghanistan secured their berths earlier.

Half centuries for Wylie and Miller, as well as 47 from Campbell Kellaway, helped Australia to 276/7 from their 50 overs and that proved far too much for Pakistan. Barring a 50-run partnership for the third wicket, Pakistan were always behind in their chase and eventually crumbled to 157 all out.

Pakistan won the toss and elected

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to bowl, but soon regretted that decision as Kellaway and Wylie (71) put on 86 for the opening wicket.

Kellaway was stumped off the bowling of Qasim Akram (3/40), but that brought Miller to the crease and he accelerated the run-rate on his way to a 75-ball 64.

Their stand of 101 was broken by Awais Ali, who had Wylie bowled, with Miller following soon after to leave Australia 203/3 with just under 10 overs remaining. Skipper Connolly chipped in with 33 and William Salzmann smashed a quick-fire 25 off 14 balls from No.7 to set a competitive target.

It soon became clear that it would be tough Pakistan, with Muhammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan both caught behind to leave their side 27/2 in the fifth over. Abdul Faseeh (28) and Irfan Khan (27) started to rebuild before the latter was bowled

by Salzmann (3/37), and the wickets

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fell at regular intervals from then on.

Australia will now face the winner of the final Super League quarterfinal between India and defending champions Bangladesh later on Saturday.

Brief scores: 276/7 in 50 overs (Campbell Kellaway 47, Teague Wyllie 71, Corey Miller 64, Cooper Connolly 33; Qasim Akram 3/40) beat Pakistan 157 in 35.1 overs (Tom Whitney 2/31, William Salzmann 3/37, Jack Sinfield 2/34) by 119 runs.

18

BUSINESS & INVESTMENT

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

James Murdoch, Uday Shankar likely Nine Padma awards for industry doyens, including vaccine pioneers to acquire 40% stake in Viacom18 IANS

New Delhi, Jan 26: US-based media conglomerate ViacomCBS Inc is likely to sell a significant stake in its joint venture with the media and entertainment arm of Reliance industries to Uday Shankar, the former Chairman of Star India and President of Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, and James Murdoch,

son of media baron Rupert Murdoch, media reports said.

ViacomCBS will retain only 10 per cent stake in the joint venture in which TV18 is the majority owner with 51 per cent. The remaining 39 per cent will be sold to the investment firm Lupa Systems, the

private investment company run

by Shankar and Murdoch, as per reports.

James Murdoch and former Star & Disney India chairman, Uday Shankar along with Reliance Industries plan to invest over Rs 12,000 crore in the entertainment and sports broadcasting businesess, as per media reports.

Murdoch and Shankar plan to acquire nearly 40 per cent stake in Viacom18.

The company is also planning to raise funds upwards of Rs 12,000 crore from financial investors, according to industry sources, to beef up the media business. Reliance will also invest its own capital into the domain, reports said.

A joint venture of Network18, which owns 51 per cent, and ViacomCBS, with a 49 per cent stake, Viacom18 offers 53 channels and reaches to around 600 million Indians monthly, the report said.

71% jump in India's gems and jewellery exports

New Delhi, Jan 25: India's exports of gems and jewellery shot up by a whopping 71 per cent during the first three quarters (April-December) of the current financial year, over the same period of the previous year.

The sector clocked $28.9 billion exports as compared to $16.9 billion during the same period in 2020.

Compared to the same period before the Covid pandemic struck, the gems and jewellery sector registered a growth of 3 per cent over $28

billion achieved in April-December 2019.

In December 2021 alone, India exported gems and jewellery worth $2.99 billion, registering a growth of 16.38 per cent over $2.57 bn in December 2020.

With record exports already achieved during the first three quarters of the current financial year, the sector has already surpassed $26.02 bn exports registered during the last FY (2020-21) and is likely to

better the previous high of $35.89 bn scaled during the FY (2019-20).

The gems and jewellery sector made up 9.6 per cent share of India's entire exports basket during the period (April-December 2021), accounting for the third largest commodity share, after engineering goods and petroleum products.

The top 5 export destinations in April-November 2021 were the US (38.7 per cent), Hong Kong (24.6 per cent), the UAE (11.9 per cent), Belgium (6.6 per cent), and Israel (3.9 per cent).

Gems and jewellery industry contributes about 7 per cent of India's total GDP and employs the largest skilled and semi-skilled workforce of more than 50 lakh workers. More than 450 organised jewellery manufacturers, importers, and exporters are based in Surat, making the Gujarat city the jewellery manufacturing hub of the world.

BITCOIN UPDATES IMF warns El Salvador from using Bitcoin as official currency IANS

Washington, Jan 26: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned El Salvador to no longer use Bitcoin as a legal tender, citing large risks for financial and market integrity, financial stability and consumer protection.

El Salvador in September last year became the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as an official currency.

The central American nation

announced that it plans to buy "a lot more" bitcoins soon. It purchased 200 tokens earlier and another 200 more ahead of its rollout as a legal tender.

In a statement, the IMF said that the adoption of a cryptocurrency as legal tender can also create contingent liabilities.

The IMF agreed on the importance of boosting financial inclusion and noted that digital means of payment -- such as the Chivo e-wallet -- could play this role.

However, the IMF urged the authorities to narrow the scope of the Bitcoin law by removing Bitcoin's legal tender status.

Some IMF directors also expressed concern over the risks associated with issuing Bitcoin-backed bonds.

El Salvador is accepting payment

in bitcoin alongside the US dollar, which has been El Salvador's official currency since 2001.

Bitcoin, along with other digital cryptocurrencies, has crashed to its lowest levels and the continuing meltdown has wiped out over $1 trillion from the global crypto market value.

Bitcoin was hovering around $37,000 per coin on Wednesday and the largest digital asset by market value has lost nearly 50 per cent since reaching its peak in November 2021.

Bitcoin hit an all-time high of roughly $69,000 in November.

The crypto crash came as the US Federal Reserve raised the possibility of boosting interest rates as soon as March and withdrawing stimulus from the market.

New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS): Of the total 128 Padma awardees announced on the eve of Republic Day on Tuesday, nine are from the field of 'trade and industry', including the Founder of Serum Institute of India, Cryus Poonwalla, and Krishna Ella and his wife Suchitra Ella of Bharat Biotech, the pioneers of Covid vaccines in India.

Both Poonwalla and Ella duo will be conferred with Padma Bhushan -- the third highest civilian award in the country.

The two pharma companies played a big role in developing and manufacturing low-cost Covid vaccines -- Covaxin and Covishield -- for India as well as the world.

Poonawalla's (80) Serum Institute of India was founded in 1966 with the aim of manufacturing life-saving immuno-biologicals, which were in shortage in the country and were imported at high prices.

Krishna Ella is the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech, while his wife Suchitra Ella is the Joint Managing Director of the company. They together founded the company in 1996.

Bharat Biotech was responsible

New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) India's 'Buy Now, Pay Later' sector is poised to grow to $56 billion by FY26, said HDFC Securities.

The segment provides short-term financing to make immediate purchases and the credit can be paid back at a later date.

"India's BNPL is at an inflexion point with rising ecommerce and digital P2M payments fuelling deferred payments. BNPL GMV is poised to exhibit 74 per cent CAGR and account for 5 per cent of digital P2M payments by FY26E," HDFC Securities said.

"The proliferation of BNPL as a

San Francisco, Jan 26 (IANS): Facing regulatory hurdles, Meta (formerly Facebook) is reportedly winding up its ambitious yet controversial cryptocurrency project that its CEO Mark Zuckerberg once defended in front of the US Congress.

Originally launched as Libra and later renamed as the Diem Association, the cryptocurrency initiative "is weighing a sale of its assets as a way to return capital to its investor members," Fortune reported on

www.indianabroad.news

Prahlad Rai Agarwala, Chairman of Chardikala Time TV Group, Jagjit Singh Dardi, and entrepreneur from Manipur, Muktamani Devi.

Muktamani Devi started making shoes for her children when she couldn't afford to buy new ones, and today she's the owner of a large company by her name which produces unique woollen shoes. She has been continuously designing and producing woollen shoes for everyone since 1993.

mode of credit-based payment is gaining significant traction, particularly amongst the millennials and Gen-Z population within a short span of time."

According to the brokerage house, the growth of BNPL segment is expected to be triggered on the back of rising ecommerce and digital payments penetration.

"BNPL players are exploring multiple business models and are yet to establish economic viability with limited revenue drivers and high delinquencies."

Besides, the brokerage house's report cited that although 'FinTech

BNPLs' enjoy favourable regulatory arbitrage, incumbents have an opportunity to expand their customer funnels either through in-house offerings or partnerships.

"We expect regulatory convergence on the back of the RBI's recent narrative for digital lenders although 'FinTech BNPLs' are likely to sustain their superior user experience."

"Within a bouquet of BNPL options, credit cards remain the most exhaustive and profitable and, in fact, offer an up-sell opportunity for credit-tested top-of-the-BNPL-pyramid customers."

Delhi man's Rs 4.5 Cr cryptocurrency fraudulently transferred to Palestine's Hamas wing New Delhi, Jan 24: A Delhi resident's cryptocurrency worth Rs 30 lakh (current value Rs 4.5 crore) was fraudulently transferred to three different foreign accounts of which one belonged to Al-QassamBrigates, a military wing of the Palestinian organisation, Hamas.

"The complainant had reported that some unknown persons had fraudulently transferred his Bitcoins, Etherum and Bitcoin cash, worth Rs 30,85,845 at the time of incident, from his cryptocurrency wallet," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO, Special Cell) K.P.S. Malhotra told IANS. The victim owned cryptocurrencies (6.2 Bitcoin/9.79 Etherum/2.44

Bitcoin Cash) of blockchain mobile wallet.

The DCP said initially the case was registered at Paschim Vihar police station, on the orders of the local Court. Later on, the investigation of the case was transferred to Cyber Crime Unit, Special Cell, Delhi.

During the course of investigation, the cryptocurrency trail led to startling facts, that the cryptocurrencies have ended in the wallets maintained by Al-QassamBrigates, which is a military wing of the Palestinian organisation Hamas and to the wallets which have already been seized by Israel, National Bureau for counter Terror Financing.

"The seized wallet belonged to

Crypto.com users not able to access accounts after $34 mn hack IANS

IANS

The Diem Association (Diem means day in Latin) also had its subsidiary called Diem Networks to serve as the payment system operator.

Facebook and 20 partner organisations formally joined the digital currency project during a meeting in Geneva in October 2019.

In a move to win regulators' hearts, the association had announced that its cryptocurrency will offer stable coins backed by just one nation's currency, meaning some coins offered would serve as the equivalent value of a dollar or a Euro.

However, several heavyweights pulled out of the Libra project, like PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, Mercado Pago, eBay, Stripe and Booking Holdings and Vodafone over privacy concerns.

for developing India's indigenous Covid-19 vaccine -- Covaxin.

The other awardees of the Padma Bhushan in the trade and industry category included Chairman of Tata Sons, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, and CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai.

Besides, Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, will be conferred upon the Executive Chairman of knitwear company Rupa,

India's 'Buy Now, Pay Later' segment poised to reach $56 bn by FY26

Meta winding up its ambitious cryptocurrency project: Report Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Diem is reportedly in discussions with investment bankers about "how best to sell its intellectual property and find a new home for the engineers who developed the technology".

The association apparently made an arrangement with Silvergate Capital Corp to issue Diem digital token, but "resistance from the US Federal Reserve dealt the effort a final blow".

The Diem Association as well as Meta didn't immediately respond to the report.

Facing regulatory backlash, the Libra Association in December 2020 decided to change its name to Diem Association in a bid to reinforce its organisational independence.

The News Minute

San Francisco, Jan 23: After several users complained about issues with logging back to their accounts on Crypto.com after the platform was hit by a $34 million hack, its CEO Kris Marszalek has been forced to respond on social media how best they can get back their accounts.

Thousands of people took to social media to complain that they could not get back into their accounts, begging for help.

In a tweet thread, Marszalek finally

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responded, saying if you can't get back into our app following access reset this week, "in 95/100 cases you are simply using the wrong email to login".

"We don't allow duplicate accounts with the same phone number, so you will get stuck if you are using the wrong email," Marszalek posted late on Saturday.

"We are helping users with these cases one by one, but it takes time given the scale of our platform," he added.

Leading cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com last week admitted that 483 users on its platform lost almost $34 million in various digital coins owing to a compromise in two-factor (2FA) authentication.

Overall, the unauthorised withdrawals had over $15 million worth of ethereum, $19 million worth of Bitcoin and $66,200 in "other currencies".

Marszalek said in a latest tweet: "Rest assured your funds are safe and waiting for you to log back in.. with the right email."

/indianabroadnews

Mohammad Naseer Ibrahim Abdulla," the official said.

The other wallets in which a major share of cryptocurrencies have been transferred were being operated from Giza, Egypt. One such wallet belonged to Ahmed Marzooq, a resident of Giza Egypt. Another wallet, in which cryptocurrencies were transferred belonged to Ahmed Q.H. Safi , a resident of Ramallah, Palestine.

New NY Mayor takes his first salary in cryptocurrency New York, Jan 22 (IANS): The newly elected Mayor of New York City Eric Adams has received his first paycheck in crypto via Coinbase's Direct Deposit, media report says.

According to ZDNet, Adams received his first paycheck in cryptocurrency -- specifically, in a combination of Bitcoin and Ethereum coins -becoming the first mayor of the Big Apple to have his check converted to crypto.

Unlike those grand symbolic gestures associated with mayors -- be it breaking ground with a golden shovel, posing with a 24-karat gold key, or cutting a ribbon with an oversized pair of silver-plated scissors -- Hizzoner's payout is symbolic for a bigger reason.

There is hope that an innovation like digital crypto payments will give a shot in the arm for job creation, the economy, and fostering tech talent, the report said.

And with New York City still regarded as the top financial centre of the world, the gesture is apropos, it added.

"This step taken by the mayor provides a leading example of how we can empower people through tech with a more diverse set of options to manage their finances," Matt Fraser, CTO of New York City, was quoted as saying.

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HEALTH

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Omicron not result of recombination HEALTH BLOG between previous variants: Study A Non-Judgemental World – A better world for positive mental health IANS

New York, Jan 27: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 diverged from the previous SARS-CoV-2 variants as a result of adaptive evolution, in which beneficial mutations are passed onto future generations through natural selection, rather than through recombination between previous variants, according to a study.

The study, published in the journal Nature, is the first to describe the genomic profile of Omicron and explore the origins of the variant.

"We have seen SARS-CoV-2 generate three major variants -- Alpha, Delta and Omicron -- in about 16 months, which is very surprising because other viruses do not make such repeated big evolutionary leaps," said lead author Maciej Boni, Associate Professor of biology, Pennsylvania

State University.

"The latest variant -- Omicron -- is extraordinary because of the even bigger jump it made in the evolution of its spike protein," Boni said.

Boni noted that compared to previous variants, Omicron's spike protein has more than 30 mutations, many of which are known to influence host antibody neutralisation.

The team analysed all 686 Omicron sequences that were available by December 7, 2021.

They found that Omicron falls within the B.1.1 lineage, which also includes the Alpha variant. However, the team found that Omicron is genetically distinct from Alpha, as well as any other known variants of interest.

Further, the team applied a selection analysis to the 686 Omicron sequences and found evidence of positive natural selection in many genes since the variant split from other B.1.1 lineages.

"This finding suggests that Omicron is likely the result of an evolutionary process that created a highly transmissible virus that partially evades

our antibody responses," Boni said.

Additionally, the finding ruled out recombination of previous variants in the origin of Omicron.

"We found no convincing evidence of Omicron being a recombinant of previous SARS-CoV-2 variants," said Boni.

The team did find that some samples of Omicron displayed weak evidence of having inherited genetic material from a Delta virus, but statistical analyses could not rule out random chance or small sequencing errors as causes of this curious recombination signal.

"Given the recent misinformation suggesting that the Omicron and Delta variants have recombined to create a aDeltacron' super variant, it is important to note that such recombination is in fact possible, but there is currently no evidence that this has occurred," said Boni.

"Additionally, if it does occur, there's no telling what the properties of such a virus would be in terms of its ability to transmit and/or cause severe disease, among other factors."

Two-thirds of Omicron cases are reinfections: UK Study IANS

London, Jan 27: About 65 per cent Omicron cases are from reinfection, according to a study based in England.

The study led by Imperial College London researchers found that almost two out of every three Covid-positive participants reported having had Covid before.

The team concluded that past infection was associated with a high risk of reinfection with Omicron.

However, more work is needed to determine how many of the results are true reinfections or PCR tests which may have picked up old traces of the virus.

Risks of infection were found to

increase among people living in large compared to single-person households, those in more deprived areas and among people of Asian, Black and other ethnicities, according to the findings.

"There is good news in our data in that infections had been rapidly dropping during January, but they are still extremely high and may have recently stalled at a very high prevalence," said Professor Paul Elliott, director of the REACT programme from Imperial's School of Public Health.

"Of particular concern is that there is rapidly increasing prevalence among children now they are back at school and, compared with

December, prevalence in older people aged 65+ has increased seven- to 12-fold, which may lead to increased hospitalisations," he added.

The REACT (REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission) research team swap-tested thousands of volunteers across England.

Among the 3,582 swab-positive individuals reporting whether or not they had had previous infection, 2,315 reported a confirmed previous infection.

Further, the researchers also looked at existing, publicly available data on Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths and compared these with the REACT data on infection rates.

They found that between February and May and September and December of 2021, there was a reduced risk of hospitalisation, and between February and December inclusive there was a consistently lower risk of death.

This is likely due to the impact of the vaccination programme and improved treatment.

"Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself from severe disease and hospitalisation from Omicron, and I would urge anyone who has not done so to come forward for their first, second and third doses as soon as possible," ," said Dr Jenny Harries, Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency.

"The impact the vaccination is having on preventing severe disease and hospitalisations is clear to see," she said.

Explained: How Omicron is able to evade antibodies, remain contagious New York, Jan 26: An international team of scientists has determined the precise structural changes in the spike protein of the Omicron variant.

Their observations explain how the virus is able to evade antibodies against previous variants and still remain highly infectious.

"The findings provide a blueprint that researchers can use to design new countermeasures, whether they be vaccines or therapeutics, against omicron and other coronavirus variants that may emerge," said David Veesler, Associate Professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.A The researchers report their findings in the journal Science.

The Omicron variant, which was first identified in November 2021 in South Africa, is causing a surge of infections around the world. In addition to being highly infectious, the variant can evade antibodies against earlier variants leading to breakthrough infections among those who have been vaccinated and those who have been infected previously.

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The infectiousness of the virus is thought to be at least in part due to the large number of mutations in the amino acid sequences of the virus's spike protein.A The virus uses the spike protein to latch on to and enter the cells it infects. The Omicron spike protein has 37 mutations that distinguish it from the first SARS-CoV-2 isolates in 2020.

To understand how Omicron accumulated so many mutations while retaining efficient interactions with the host receptor ACE2, Veesler and his colleagues used cryo-electron microscopic and X-ray crystallographic studies to unveil the 3D organisation of the Omicron spike protein.A Using these techniques, the scientists reveal how the mutations changed how the protein interacts with antibodies so that the ability of almost all monoclonal antibodies against it is reduced, while, at the same time the ability of the spike receptor-binding domain to bind ACE2 is enhanced.A The overall effect has been to make it possible for the receptor binding domain to evade antibodies

targeting it and to bind to ACE2 even more tightly.

The findings demonstrate what a formidable opponent SARS-CoV-2 is, Veesler said.

"This virus has incredible plasticity: It can change a lot and still maintain all the functions it needs to infect and replicate," he noted. "And it's almost guaranteed omicron is not the last variant we're going to see."

The goal going forward should be to focus on and identify additional regions on the spike protein that cannot be changed without causing the protein to lose function, Veesler said.A Because of their importance, these areas tend to remain conserved even as other parts of the protein mutate.

Such conserved regions of viral proteins are therefore likely to remain unchanged in any new variant that might emerge.A These regions would make ideal targets for new vaccines and therapeutics that could be effective not only against new variants but new sarbecoviruses, the group of viruses comprising SARS-CoV-2 and SARSCoV, Veesler said.

Pexel

By Vahini Panda was speaking to a friend who was mentioning that she is annoyed about a colleague who cannot stop talking about other colleagues in a negative way, specifically targeting one.

This got me thinking about how our perceptions change towards others based on what we hear, sometimes even before we have ever met that person.

Yes, the right way is to not judge anyone by other people’s views on them nor their experience but base it solely on ours.

But do we really do that?

Subconsciously do we form an opinion on hearsay?

Probably yes. Irrespective of our best intentions.

As a society we are already extremely judgemental from the way we need to look, dress, eat, live etc. we are expected to fit into the ‘norms’, if God forbid we don’t and try to do our own thing out of the box we are labelled as eccentric, different, not sophisticated and even weird and if we are in the unfortunate category of not fitting into the perceived perfect body type? shock horrors! this is something where we are always made conscious of by shop assistants, friends and even our own family.

It is also common that a physically attractive person gets more attention naturally than a person who might not be as attractive, again it is the deep-rooted conditioning which makes us more attracted to someone who presents well or looks good in the traditional sense of the way.

Slim, tall, well dressed etc. In the process we could be missing out on the person who has lot more to offer us on a psychological level which is more valuable in the long run.

Be mindful not to discuss others in a derogatory or a judgmental way in front of your kids. As their

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impressionable minds take it on and it stays with them for a long time and sometimes even changes their perceptions forever. It could unconsciously perpetuate bias in their thinking based on physical attributes, race, religion etc.

It is also important not to tease our kids even in a playful way making them feel less, especially if you are teasing them about something which they are already sensitive about. It might be a joke to you but could have a deeper impact on the child. They also might perceive it that teasing is acceptable behaviour which could lead to bullying behaviour towards other kids which they might think is ok. Accepting differences starts at home.

The bottom line is let us try to rise about the psychological conditioning, Give people a chance, question what you hear and have confidence in your own judgement.

Mental health awareness should become an important part of our way of life, as a society we must be mindful of the impact our words

and actions have on others mental health.

A fellow human to another the least we can do is not to form any judgement or opinion before knowing or meeting the person. Let them make an impression on us. Use your first-hand experience with that person to make your perception. We both deserve that chance. Don’t you think so?

At Health Academy we offer over 30 courses in Psychology, mental health and Counselling, feel free to check them out!

Psychology courses Counselling Courses About the Author: Vahini is the CEO and Founder of Health Academy Australia and Health Courses Australia. She is multi faceted in her skills and expertise which is backed by 20 years experience in the areas of education, health, ecommerce and Information Technology. She is a CEO, Passionate business owner, Author, Blogger, Nutritionist, Digital marketing expert and a Mum.

UK PM welcomes police probe into Downing Street lockdown parties London, Jan 26: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers in the House of Commons that he welcomed a police investigation into alleged parties at Downing Street during the national lockdown.

Johnson faced calls to resign from opposition politicians during an urgent debate on Tuesday following the announcement by the Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, that a police investigation has been launched into "a number of events that took place at Downing Street and Whitehall in the last two years in relation to potential breaches of Covid-19."

"I welcome the Met's decision to conduct its own investigation. I believe it will give the public the clarity it needs and draw a line under matters," Johnson told the lawmakers.

The Prime Minister said he had commissioned an independent inquiry into a series of events at Downing Street, which "involved

sharing information with the police continuously."

Senior civil servant, Sue Gray is conducting the said inquiry into these alleged lockdown parties at Downing Street, though the date for its release has yet to be announced, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the debate about the police investigation, politicians from the main opposition Labour Party, the minority Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party called on Johnson to step down as Prime Minister.

Liberal Democrats leader, Ed Davey told lawmakers that the government was in meltdown, adding: "We can't go on with this chaotic government."

He called on Johnson to "do the right thing and resign."

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan also welcomed the investigation into the Downing Street parties by the Metropolitan Police.

"The public rightly expect the police to uphold the law without fear or

IANS

favour, no matter who that involves.

The public must be able to expect the highest standards from everyone, including the Prime Minister and those around him. No one is above the law. There cannot be one rule for the government and another for everyone else," Khan said.

Covid to remain around until next century: Mayo Clinic expert New York, Jan 26 (IANS): Even as many countries are seeing a peak in Covid cases and some experts predicting the end of pandemic, an epidemiologist at Mayo Clinic in the US claimed that the infectious virus will remain around until the next century.

According to Gregory Poland, epidemiologist for the Mayo Clinic and editor-in-chief of the scientific journal 'Vaccine', the virus could be affecting humans for the next century, countering what some worldwide global health experts are saying, the Daily Mail reported.

"We are not yet at any stage where we could predict endemicity. We're not going to eradicate it," Poland was quoted as saying.

Poland noted that the virus has shown the ability to infect animals,

/IndianAbroadNews

meaning it can potentially circulate indefinitely as it transmits across species and continues to mutate, the report said.

He also believes that the virus will circulate for so long that people will still be receiving Covid shots for generations down the line.

"So let me make a prediction, which will be hard for any of you to hold me to because we will all be dead by then, but your great-great-greatgrandchildren will still be getting immunised against coronavirus.

"How can I even say such a thing? If you got your flu vaccine this fall you were immunised against a strain of influenza that showed up in 1918 and caused a pandemic," the expert noted.

Poland is not the only expert who

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has made such forecasts for the future.

Dr Anthony Fauci, US top infectious disease expert, warned last week that a new Covid strain could form that would dramatically alter the state of the pandemic like the Omicron variant did after Delta.

"I would hope that (Covid becoming endemic is) the case. But that would only be the case if we don't get another variant that eludes the immune response of the prior variant," Fauci said during a Davos Agenda virtual event.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, also warned this week that it would be dangerous to assume that Omicron is the 'endgame' Covid variant.

20

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Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

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21

TRAVEL

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Joshimath: Gateway to mesmerising places at the end of Uttrakhand Joshimath is a regional hub for travellers from across the nation, including youngsters and pilgrims, because it's a gateway to more than 15 travel spots in Uttrakhand

Backbencherboots

By Reetu khodiya never heard about this place until I decided to backpack for Mana- India’s last village. I don’t remember for how long I had been wishing to visit Mana, but in 2021, I finally decided to pack my bags and head for Mana. Then I figured, to visit Mana, the nearest stop would be Joshimath. And the journey began.

First, I and my friends reached Haridwar, and from there we got a bus to Joshimath. Overall, it took 25 hours from Delhi to Joshimath. The plan was to go directly to Mana, but as per the transport schedule, there was no further bus from Joshimath to other places after 4 pm. We reached there at 5.30 pm. So having no choice, we stayed there at a guest house in Joshimath. The next day, we were mesmerised by the views of peaks. As we beheld breathtaking views from the terrace of the guest house, we sipped our morning tea along with a peaceful Arijit’s playlist.

A perfect way to start the morning.

Then we step outside and roam around, trying to figure out a solid way to get to Mana. We then found out that Joshimath is a focal point for more than 15 travel places. Here are some of these major attractions.

Auli 15km Auli is an amazing place, located just 15km from Joshimath by road and 10km by ropeway. Ropeway not only makes for an easier transport, it has also created quite a buzz among tourists. If you are adventurous, you should go for the thrilling ride with the ropeway from Joshimath.

Auli is also famous for its artificial lakes and heavy snowfall. For tourists who are seeking snow, I'd suggest they visit Auli. It is also famous for its ski destinations and hiking, and Auli leads to several short treks like Auli Gorson Bugyal Trek, which is almost 4-7km from Auli.

Best time to visit Auli Auli is open in all seasons but to experience its best, I suggest you visit there in December to February to experience snow. Auli is one of those places that encounter major snowfall every year.

How to reach You can book a shared or private taxi from Joshimath, which will take 20-25 minutes to get you there.

Charges: Private taxi charges are about Rs800-1000, and shared taxi charges Rs400 per person Cable car / ropeway: Cable car is chargeable at Rs750 from Joshimath.

Things to do in Auli Skiing, hiking/trekking, camping, cable cars Badrinath 45km Badrinath is one of the Char Dham pilgrimages of Hindu culture.

Situated in Chamoli district, it is approx 45 km from Joshimath. It is a famous pilgrimage among Hindus and is open for just six months a year due to heavy snowfall from September till March-April, due to which it is open mainly from May to September. It’s named after the Badrinath temple, which is dedicated to Badri Vishaal or Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated at the

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Entrance of India’s last village - Mana

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Alaknanda river.

From left to the temple, a route leads to Neelkantha. It is said that a black stone idol of lord Badri Narayan was found in the Alaknanda river, and due to that the temple was established in the 8th century. Till then, Badrinath was named Adi Shankara as Lord Shankar used to live there for a few years for meditating. After the 8th century, Lord Vishnu meditated there below Badri trees, hence the name Badrinath.

Best time to visit Badrinath Badrinath is open from May to September each year How to reach Badrinath The best way to reach Badrinath is public transport, i.e., buses from Haridwar to Badrinath, which are available from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. Or you can book a shared taxi, which will cost you Rs100-150.

Mana 48km Mana is India’s last village at the edge of Uttarakhand and has become a major attraction among tourists in recent years. Just 3km from Badrinath, it is the place associated with Mahabharata. According to some stories, the Pandwas and Draupadi ended their last journey to the Himalayas at Mana.

Major attractions in Mana Ganesh temple is where 18 Indian epics and Mahabharata were composed by Lord Ganesha, which is recited by Guru Ved Vyas.

Vyas Gufa is associated with Guru Ved Vyas. When he was reciting Mahabharata to Lord Ganesh, he got angry on Ganesha and decided to write the last chapter on his own in Vyas Gufa.

Nearby Vyas Gufa, Hindustan ka Akhiri Dhaba and India’s last SBI ATM are situated.

The second and the main Hindustan ka Akhiri Dhaba is situated near Bhimpul. The story behind Bhimpul has it that when Pandwas and the Draupadi were heading towards heaven, they got stuck on the way due to the river coming in the way.

So Balshali Bhim came forward and made a bridge of giant stone. After that, it was named Bhimpul as it is made by Bhim.

Draupadi Temple is situated 200m from Hindustan ka Akhiri Dhaba. It is the place where Draupadi’s soul abandoned her body on her journey to the Himalayas. Then it was named Draupadi Temple.

How to reach Mana It is just 3km from Badrinath.

Shared taxies are easily available, and you can also take a walk as the road is built well.

Most travellers consider visiting Mana by a Bullet motorbike. You can hire a 'Bullet' from Rishikesh; it will cost Rs500-1000 per day.

Ghangharia village 17km Ghangaria is a beautiful, small village situated near Puspawati river. It is a stopover for trekkers as it leads to the famous pilgrimage of the Sikh community - Hemkund Sahib. Also, it is just 3km away from UNESCO-certified Indian heritage site, Valley of Flowers. The village is filled with maximum Sikhs pilgrims as Hemkund Sahib is where Guru Gobind Singh Ji meditated in his past life. Also in Hemkund Sahib,

there is Lakshman Temple, which is where Lakshman also did his tapt at the same peak in his past life.

The Valley of Flowers is situated approx 3km trek distance from Ghangharia village. There are about 500 species of flowers found in the Valley of Flowers. The area was also declared a national park area. The last entry time is 2pm so that you can come back before 5pm, because dangerous animals like bears and yaks could be found in the valley.

The perfect time to visit the Valley of Flowers is May to September.

How to reach Ghangharia village It is approx 13km from Govind Ghat.

It can be covered by trekking or a pony ride.

The only way to reach Ghangharia is from Govind Ghat, where you have to book a private cab from Govind Ghat to Pulna, which is almost 3km from there. Then afterwards, trekking starts towards Ghangharia.

You can opt for a pony ride.

Best time to visit Ghangharia village is April to October.

Nanda Devi National Park 16km Nanda Devi National Park is on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Also known as Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, it is situation around the Nanda Devi mountain, which is the second-highest peak of India. It is approx 16 km from Joshimath.

The trek starts from Lata village, which is 2 hours' drive from Joshimath. From Lata village, trek starts towards Lata Kharak and then to Dharansi Pass. Nanda Devi National Park is surrounded by the sanctuary wall. The place gives a spectacular view of Nanda Devi peak and preserves species of flora and fauna, like blue mountain goats.

How to reach Nanda Devi National Park The trek starts from and ends at Joshimath, which is around 16km from the park.

Valley of Flowers 20km Valley of Flowers is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is a beautiful place in the lap of mountains and consists of a variety of flora with more than 500 species of flowers. It is located at the high altitude of the Himalayas. Flowers, mostly orchids and marigolds, make a flowery carpet in the mountains.

It is approximately 3km from Ghangharia, which I mentioned before. The best experience seekers should go for a trek or take a pony ride.

How to reach Valley of Flowers The only way to reach the Valley of flowers is from Govind Ghat, where you have to book a private cab from Govind Ghat to Pulna, which is almost 3km from there. Then afterwards, trekking starts towards Ghangharia. You can opt for a pony ride.

When you reach Ghangharia, you may have to stay over at night. Then you have to take a trek towards Valley of Flowers, which is 3km away from there.

Best time to visit Valley of Flowers June, July and September are considered the best months to visit the Valley of Flowers because you want to experience the diversity of

flora there.

Hemkund Sahib 25km Hemkund Sahib is one of the most famous pilgrimages among the Sikhs community. As I consider myself a beginner trekker and Hemkund trek is, kind of, a difficult one, I had difficulty navigating through the trek.

It is 7-8km from Ghangharia village and situated at the peak of mountains, due to which it is difficult to breathe at the end of the trek. We were already tired as hell because we had trekked 8km the previous day from Pulna to Ghangharia. Our legs were swollen severely, but now that we were at Ghangharia we couldn't go back without visiting Hemkund Sahib. We had to soldier on, but as we were already tired, it was becoming more and more difficult to go on. Whenever we would see a dhaba, we would imagine this must be that 'halfway dhaba' we were told about. But we were disappointed as every time the dhabawalas told us theirs isn't the 'halfway dhaba'. Finally, when we did reach the halfway dhaba, we were able to see some tiny little humans at the peek, which gave us a little motivation. After halfway, I and my friends decided that this isn’t working and we had to trek efficiently and take some shortcuts to cover more distance. So post halfway, we started again.

By way of shortcuts, we had to climb through rocks. We were now covering more distance in less time but putting in more efforts, because it is more difficult to climb through rocks than moving slowly ahead the normal way. But as we were leaving more people behind us, it was thrilling. We covered the next 2km in just 45 minutes. But now, there were the stairs to the gurudwara, and the weather around became foggy and the peek become invisible.

Climbing the stairs was the most difficult part of the whole trek. All of us were terribly exhausted, but now there was no going back. Also, it was difficult to breathe due to decreased oxygen level, coupled with exhaustion. The never-ending stairs kept going on and on, with no gurudwara in sight. There was a point when we could see the Nishan Sahib, and we thanked Waheguru, but the gurudwara was still not there. Near the end, with neither courage nor energy left, we started almost crawling along the sidebars of the endless stairs.

Thankfully, we reached the darbar at last, took a deep breath and thanked God. Then we attended last ardas of the day and had kada prasad, which was the best prasad I have ever had and gave us the energy to walk in Hemkund. We took some photos and then had the langar. The whole trek was tremendously tiring but a heavenly experience nonetheless.

How to get to Hemkund Sahib The Hemkund trek also begins with Ghangharia village. It is approximately 8km from there.

You can opt for trekking if you are a trek-lover, but pony rides are also available from the village.

Best time to visit Hemkund Sahib Hemkund Sahib is open from May to October.

Ganesh Temple Mana

Joshimath

Badrinath temple

Hemkund Sahib

Hemkund Sahib

Draupadi Temple, Mana

Bhimpul, Mana

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22

SPIRITUALITY & DEVOTION

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Shunahshepa: Who is a real father?

The Mythology Project

By Paddy Krishnan here are two versions of the story involving Shunahshepa.

There is a popular one that appears in Valmiki's Ramayana and is about King Ambarisha's sacrifice.

The story presented here appears in the Aitareya Brahmana which is part of the Rig Veda.

King Harishchandra prayed to Varuna for a son. Varuna agreed provided Harishchandra would make a suitable sacrifice to Varuna in the future. Harishchandra soon has a son named Rohita. Varuna wanted Rohita to be sacrificed to him. Harishchandra postponed the sacrifice many times but in the end agreed to sacrifice Rohita.

Rohita did not want to be sacrificed and escaped to the forest. But he went and met his father every year.

Varuna got angry at this and curses Harishchandra to have some illness.

This upset Rohita but Indra advised Rohita that he should never agree to the sacrifice.

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While wandering in the forest, Rohita met Ajigarta who was a descendent of the sage Angiras.

Ajigarta was very poor and hence struggling to feed his family. Rohita offered Ajigarta lots of wealth if Ajigarta agreed to sacrifice one of his sons. Ajigarta did not want to sacrifice his older son while his wife did not want to sacrifice the youngest son. So the middle son, Shunahshepa was chosen for the sacrifice. Varuna accepted this deal and the rituals for the sacrifice got underway.

Four priests Agastya, Jamadagni, Vashishta and Vishwamitra, all well known sages, agreed to do the rituals but refused to bind Shunahshepa before the sacrifice.

Ajigarta agreed to do this in return for more wealth from Rohita and Harishchandra. Even after Shunahshepa was bound, the priests refused to slaughter him. Ajigarta agreed to slaughter his own son for more money. As Shunahshepa was about to be killed, Vishwamitra taught him various mantras so that he could escape. Shunahshepa prayed to various Gods including Indra, Varuna and Upendra. Because of Shunahshepa's prayers Varuna set him free. Vishwamitra, by teaching Shunahshepa, lost his own powers as they were transferred to Shunahshepa.

After Shunahshepa was spared he asked the assembled sages whose son was he now. Some sages asserted that one cannot disown one's biological father and thus Ajigarta will remain his father for ever. Others called Ajigarta a criminal and a pishaca (cannibalistic demon) as he tried to kill his own son for material gain. Some sages thought Harishchandra should

be the father as Shunahshepa agreed to sacrifice himself to save Rohita. But others argued that Harishchandra did not show any compassion to Shunahshepa and Harishchandra was not qualified to be Shunahshepa's father. In the end, Vishwamitra was deemed to the best person who could become Shunahshepa's father. This was because Vishwamitra had no intention of killing Shunahshepa and enabled him to escape. Vishwamitra agreed and adopted Shunahshepa as his son. This was not acceptable to some of Vishwamitra's sons. So Vishwamitra cursed his own sons for not accepting Shunahshepa as a brother. Vishwamitra also renamed Shunahshepa (which was very derogatory as it meant dog penis) to Devarata (meaning pious).

In the above story, Harishchandra is attached to his son and does not care for another person's life.

Harishchandra argument was that if had agreed to sacrifice Rohita, his praying to Varuna for a son would have been futile. This is because in the end, Harishchandra would not have a son. Varuna's demand that Rohita be sacrificed is supposed to indicate the universal law that what God gives, God can take away.

Clearly, Ajigarta is the worst of the lot. Not only did he agree to let others kill his son, he was willing to kill him for extra wealth. Vishwamitra is clearly the best person. Not only did he save Shunahshepa's life, he even cursed his own sons. The story also illustrates the conflict between Indra (who did not want the sacrifice to proceed) and Varuna.

The story also illustrates what is true sacrifice. A father who puts wealth above affection loses his son. Similarly, a father who binds

one's son with affection could not live with his son for a while. A true father is one who helps his son and also gives relevant knowledge without concern for himself.

Some question to think about.

1. Was Varuna right in asking Harishchandra to sacrifice Rohita?

Should he have made this condition clear before granting the boon?

2. Was Indra correct in advising Rohita to avoid sacrificing himself?

Is this to illustrate tension between Indra and Varuna?

3. Was Harishchandra right in avoiding sacrificing Rohita to Varuna?

4. Was Ajigarta okay to sacrifice his son to feed his family? Does this come under the definition of Aapadharma (see https://goldcoasthindu.wordpress.com/2020/02/29/ illustrating-dharma-using-incidents-from-the-mahabharata/ for a discussion)?

5. Were the four sages correct in agreeing to conduct the rituals although they did not agree with some of the procedures?

6. Was not giving Shunahshepa a say in his sacrifice right? Was he just chattel?

References: H. L. Hariyappa: Rgvedic Legends Through the Ages, 1953 The Illumination of Knowledge (available at https://ia903207. us.archive.org/21/items/the-illumination-of-knowledge/The%20 Illumination%20of%20Knowledge. pdf) Paddy Krishnan is a computer scientist, who got his BTech degree from IIT-Kanpur and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Being very interested in Hindu philosophy, he maintains a blog at www. goldcoasthindu.wordpress com

Purify and spiritualise your life

Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati et us learn to live our life with a sense of gratitude. Many of us forget the infinite blessings we have and tend to complain about our troubles, stress, various adversities we face, etc. We start seeing the glass as half empty instead of it being half full. Compassionate lord has created us as his perfect specimen. Human life is an incredible blessing and a golden opportunity

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to secure liberation. We are richer than we can ever imagine even though financially we may feel we do not have enough. Each sense we have been given is priceless and we would not trade it for anything. Let us pretend for a few moments we do not have our eyes. Imagine our world without them or without our sense of hearing, etc. What about our breath? Without it we cannot live for more than a few minutes. All these as you can see are priceless but yet within the scope of prakriti or nature.

The real treasure, much greater than all this, lies within our depths.

It is our “atma” or consciousness.

Yet most of us are unaware of how to tap into it. Even a glimpse of that light connects us directly with the divine energy we call God or whatever our concept of our religious belief is. That potential lies within us only. We do not have to travel all over the world to secure it.

We ourselves are a moving temple of God. However due to countless karmas over several embodiments that temple is presently covered with a lot of impurities such as lust, greed, anger, jealousy, attachments, unlimited desires, etc. Thus the light within is not visible. This is the reason sages and saints constantly guide us towards the process of inner purification and to regularly attend Satsang.

Let us put in our sincere effort to purify and spiritualise our lives. If we sincerely walk on this path soon we will emerge like a lotus flower, full of beauty and radiance. We will add joy to one and all and yet not be impacted by the marshy lands or the water of the world process. May we all be inspired to think positive and put in our sincere spiritual self effort. May Goddess Saraswati bless us with intuitive intellect. Om Aim Saraswatyai Namaha! Om Sri Gurubhyo Namaha! Om!

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23

ART & CULTURE

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Artistes view the master's legacy Soma Ghosh, Soma Ghosh remember the 'Emperor of Kathak' through their creative lens IANS

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or dancer Sonal Mansingh, it is still tough to believe that Pandit Birju Maharaj is no more. "It will take time to absorb the fact that he is physically no longer with us.

Of course, his legacy will live on, thanks to his unmatched contribution to the art form," she said.

Stressing that he was a complete artist -- for whom Kathak was a vehicle, Mansingh recalled in a conversation with IANS, "He played different instruments, sang beautifully and had been instrumental in looking at Kathak with a very 'out of the box' vision. I still remember his jugalbandis with other prominent masters which were awe-inspiring."

Remembering their friendship, where there was mutual respect and admiration for each others' journeys, this Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhusan awardee said: "In the 80s, my friends threw a birthday party for me, and he also came. He sang and cracked jokes. His presence was always warm. He would

keep inviting me to the festivals he organised and vice-versa."

Shobha Deepak Singh, Director of New Delhi's Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, learnt dance from him, and also observed and photographed him extensively for decades. For her, Pandit Birju Maharaj's passing away marks the end of an era.

"I had been closely associated with him since the early '50s. We all know about him as an unparalleled performer. As a teacher, what was especially peculiar was the fact that he would not rest until you got the minutest movement right. There were just no shortcuts with him.

Everything would stop unless he was satisfied with your dedication," Singh said.

She added: "I remember him telling me to take his photographs for a calendar. And I am so thankful for that opportunity. After all, I got to look and capture him not just in his grand avatar, but also in some of the most candid moments which were so profound."

From Chandigarh, Shobha Koser, founder of the Pracheen Kala Kendra, pointed out: "We must remember that while there have been some great classical dancers, very few have been able to produce students of such stellar quality.

Pandit Birju Maharaj always understood his responsibility of giving back."

Koser added: "Also, his methodology was about doing everything properly. If you were his student, there was no chance that you could get away with superficiality. He was always conscious about the fact that his gharana's name should always shine."

Theatre director Neelam Mansingh

Chowdhry remembers him as someone for whom life and art did not fall in two distinct compartments. The Padma Shri awardee director remembers him from their days at the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal and the National School of Drama (NSD), which the late dancer would also frequent.

"I would sometimes just sit and see him interact with the students.

The sessions would be intense, but always with a certain air of informality. One would meet him at different festivals and art conferences, he would forever be in his 'abhinaya mudra'," she said.

"Seeing him on the stage was of course an otherworldly experience," Mansingh continued. "It was as if God had descended. His nuances and pauses are unforgettable. He could seduce even by that slight sound of his ghungroos."

Interestingly, a young contemporary dancer like Delhi-based Puneet Jewandah, who trained in New York, believes that Pandit Birju Maharaj's approach and philosophy towards the art form has taught multiple things to dancers like her.

"Let's not forget that he was a classical dancer with a contemporary vision. He broke so many fixed ideas and that point of intersection is very interesting for me as a contemporary dancer," Jewandah said.

She concluded by pointing out: "Also, how he honed his technique to develop classical thought further simplified the form and changed how classical dancers perceived the idea of a body in motion. His ideas were never fixated and there was constant evolution. If you see some of his choreographed pieces, they reflected the times he lived in."

Haribaabu Naatesan: A creator of artworks worth crores from 'kabaad'

IANS

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unking an empty chips packet, a water bottle or a juice can make Haribaabu Naatesan scowl and perhaps even pick it up carefully -- for, it could be a future piece of 'artwork' in his creative mind.

The Mumbai-based artist specialises in recycling all kinds of 'kabaad' (junk) -- organic, inorganic, metal, wood, plastic, e-wastes and even bird feathers -- to create some eye-popping masterpieces of artworks, stupefying the beholder.

Naatesan, 46, collects a staggering 6 tonnes -- or 500 kgs per month -- of all types of oddments as his cheap or virtually free raw material and then deploys his creative juices to convert them to treasured and coveted showpieces.

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The weird passion for the rejects came out of a dire need -- to secure admission to the prestigious NID, Ahmedabad, for a postgraduate course (2000 batch).

"I had no money for purchasing expensive raw materials to make an attractive art project, a prerequisite for the NID seat... So I just picked up some trash lying around, created a daddy long-legs (spider) and other creatures as my 'offering' for admission," chuckled Naatesan.

Needless to say, the selectors were zapped - and 'wasted' no time in awarding a prized seat to the newfound genius on the campus - who promised to be a valuable future asset for 'Save the Planet' efforts.

From January 25, Naatesan will unveil a major public exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, of a dozen stunning designs made entirely from e-waste -- already ranked as a major global nuisance.

Titled "Irreversible 2.0 Obsoleteness is Mukti" there are innovations, with certain interactive surprises in store for the unsuspecting visitors.

"When any viewer approaches it, one or other static component springs alive and moves... Some have light sensors that glow when someone is close. In others, discarded CPU fans start rotating, and

huge antique tape-recorder cassette wheels start churning if someone goes near," explained Naatesan with a glint.

The dozen arts to go on display are entirely created from e-scrap like motherboards, CPU cooling fans, CDs, floppy discs, laptop keyboards, tape-recorder cassettes, speakers, etc., 6x6 feet dimensions, around 50-60 kgs each, and took up to six months' tough labour to fructify.

Some of his other mega-creations include a 800-kg Lord Ganesh idol made from alum, a Volkswagen's Think Blue campaign resulting in a Beetle car made totally from e-scrap.

Then, there's the magnificent 'Make In India' logo of a 3-dimensional Lion -- commissioned by the Bombay Iron Merchant Association -- which stands on a pedestal at P.D'Mello Road, and a Golden Spiral for the Raheja Groups at Bandra Kurla Complex.

There's his biggest creation from waste till date -- a stupendous 17-metre long, 6-metre-tall whale, born from 10 tonnes of automobile junk -- standing on the Gujarat Science City campus.

Fortunately for Naatesan, his wife, Dahlea H. -- a graphic designer -- did not 'junk' him after his love for the junkyard came to the fore, and now their 10-year-old daughter Neinyaa H. has taken the first steps to save the Earth by carefully disposing off even choco-wrappers -- as her Papa beams with pride.

Contrary to perception that he goes hunting for 'kabaad', it's the reverse now, given his reputation for hoarding it -- all junk comes to him, even from his housing society, and he recycles it all into unrecognisable art-forms.

"Once, the TV remote at home went missing... My wife suspiciously asked me whether I had 'junked' it...

Well... I admitted the truth..." laughed Naatesan, explaining his obsession for any unwanted things lying around at home, garden, roadside, etc., and he devises ways to give it 'mukti' (salvation).

"When I recycle any unloved junk into art, it ends the recycling and 'liberates' them in the sense that those pieces now find an eternal place for themselves," said Naatesan, summing up his cranky but eco-friendly and money-spinner profession.

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TOI

n a video tribute to Pandit Birju Maharaj shared on Monday, the 'Mohan Veena' exponent, Grammy Award winner and Padma Bhushan awardee, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, remembered how he bonded with the Kathak maestro during an event at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai.

"I had an excellent relationship with him," Pandit Bhatt recalled. "I was fortunate enough to take part in a singing, instrumental music and dance programme at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai. It was entitled 'Triveni'. Pandit Jasraj was the vocalist, Pandit Birju Maharaj the dancer, and I the musician playing a Mohan Veena." The 'Mohan Veena', incidentally, is a slide guitar that Pandit Bhatt customised to play Hindustani classical music.

He added: "I was ecstatic to see Maharaj ji dancing to my music. It would probably remain the most extraordinary moment of my life. I pay my homage to him. This is an irreparable loss."

Describing Pandit Birju Maharaj as the "Emperor of Kathak", Pandit Bhatt praised his contributions to spreading the knowledge about this classical dance form among young people in India and around the world.

"Despite being an artiste, he placed great importance on teaching and I am sure that his hundreds of students will take forward his art in the country and abroad," Pandit Bhatt said in his assessment of Maharaj ji's everlasting legacy."

Maharaj ji attracted the general public towards Kathak by presenting it in a simpler and contemporary way, Pandit Bhatt said: "He aroused the interest of the public in Kathak by incorporating it in a popular peacock dance. Even the uninitiated would observe him spellbound."

For Hindustani classical vocalist and Padma Shri awardee, Dr Soma Ghosh, the demise of Pandit Birju

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Soma Ghosh

Maharaj has created a void that would be hard to fill. The adopted daughter of shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan said the "sudden departure" of Pandit Birju Maharaj was like the "fall of a pillar of the music world".

Ghosh added: "No one can take his place. He was an unmatched dancer. We can never forget his eye

movements. He was a great singer too."

Recalling her first performance in Mumbai with Maharaj ji, Ghosh said: "I was fortunate to have my first performance with him in Mumbai.

He sang 'thumri' in the style of the Lucknow gharana and I performed in the Benaras way. I can never forget that day."

'Blessed to have spent time with him': Papon recalls his meeting with Pandit Birju Maharaj

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andit Birju Maharaj transcended generations and geographies to touch a chord with different artistes in different ways.

One of them is the singer and composer Papon, which is how the world knows Angaraag Mahanta, who posted a heartfelt tweet after hearing about Maharaj ji's demise.

In his quest to popularise Assam's Xatriya dance form, Papon spent time with Maharaj ji and drew an immediate warm response from the maestro, which he has recorded in the second episode of his YouTube series, 'The Land of the Sacred Beats'.

On Monday, Papon tweeted: "Blessed to have spent time with this greatness of a personality with a heart of a child." He added that he regretted not being able to meet Maharaj ji

again "for what I dreamt with him".

He was referring to a possible collaboration with Maharaj ji to bring the Xatriya dance into the mainstream. Papon ended his tweet in Assamese: "Xaanti paok teur

aataamai! (May your soul rest in peace!)"

Along with the tweet, Papon carried a throwback picture in black-andwhite of him with Maharaj ji at the maestro's home in Delhi.

Theatre personality Shaoli Mitra passes away S IANS

haoli Mitra, famous theatre personality and daughter of 'legendary' Sambhu Mitra and Tripti Mitra, passed away at her Kolkata residence on Sunday evening. She was 74 and was suffering from age related ailments for long.

The gifted actor, director, and playwright, as per her last wish, like her father, was cremated at Siriti crematorium without much fanfare. She had been suffering from heart-related ailments but had refused to be hospitalised.

Subsequently, her condition worsened on Sunday.

Shaoli, who was the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2003, Padma Shri in 2009, and Banga Bibhusan in 2012, will be remembered by her fans and critics alike for her solo performances as Draupadi in "Naathvati Anaathbat" (which she also wrote and directed), and as Sita in "Sitakatha" or Bitata Bitangso.

She acted as "Bangabala" in Ritwik Ghatak's avant-garde film "Jukti Takko Aar Gappo" (Reason, Debate,

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and a Story).

After spending years in "Bahurupi," a famous theatre group founded

by Sambhu Mitra and Tripti Mitra, where she had immortalised the character of Amal in Tagore's "Dakghar", Shaoli founded "Pancham Baidik," which established a trailblazer repertoire by introducing widely acclaimed plays on women's emancipation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who had a very close association with Shaoli said, "I am deeply saddened by the demise of Shaoli Mitra, a prominent personality of Bengali drama and eminent theatre personality".

"Shaoli Mitra was my long-time colleague. She was with me in the Singur-Nandigram movement. He worked closely with me when I was the railway minister. Later, when we formed the government, she became the President of Bangla Academy and did valuable work with responsibility. The Government of Bengal awarded him Bangabibhushan in 2012 and Deenbandhu in 2014," she

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said.

Banerjee who also got the information of her death after her cremation, as per her last wish, said, "I remember her as a close person and as our long-time colleague and friend, she will always remain in in my heart. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and countless admirers of Shaolidia."

24

LITERATURE

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Unveiling the underbelly of Examining the evolution of the the Raj through British eyes constitutional right to liberty

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IANS

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his is not an account of Indians accusing British colonials of perfidies but of the rulers themselves laying bare the truth in their own words.

"The history of modern South Asia was determined largely by the intervention of British colonialism.

As you research British rule, information breeds more information.

I decided to tell the story of the culture and policy decisions of British rulers through their own experiences and perceptions, taken from their own accounts of their time in India," says distinguished writer and Member of Parliament representing the BJP from Madhya Pradesh M.J. Akbar.

"This is not an account of Indians accusing the British of some perfidy but of the British telling the truth in their own memoirs and in their own words. The narrative is sometimes bemusing, occasionally hilarious and alas too often brutal," Akbar told IANS of his book "Doolally Sahib And The Black Zamindar � Racism and Revenge in the British Raj" (Bloomsbury).

For instance, theosophist Annie Besant, an ardent supporter of Indian self-rule, had in 1915, counted 22 major famines under British rule, and this excludes the Bengal famine of 1940s.

"But to get the true perspective we must describe what we mean by 'major': the template was set in the first famine of the Raj, in 1770.

Warren Hastings, then governor of Bengal, writes that "one-third of the inhabitants" of Bengal died of starvation. One-third! After which, Hastings gloats in a note to East India Company directors written on 3 November 1772 that he actually increased 'the net collections of the year 1771' by using violence," Akbar pointed out.

"The numbers were in millions in every major famine; some of the pictures that we have reproduced are beyond belief. Instead of organizing relief the British gouged out greater revenue from the dying.

It was mass genocide by starvation," he added.

The first Famine Commission established the Indian Famine Code only in 1883, and even then Indians got more sermons than succour.

Lord Curzon, "although an undiluted imperialist, was the first Viceroy to do something significant when he

set up the Irrigation Commission as a long-term solution and passed legislation preventing moneylenders and merchants from seizing land in lieu of debt," Akbar noted.

Question: Why have post-Independence Indian academics not given this extraordinary crime against humanity the scholarship it deserves?

"Well, I can only say that I continue to be astonished particularly since Dadabhoy Naoroji's seminal study of colonial exploitation, published in 1901, became the intellectual spur which aroused the consciousness of an oppressed India. I wonder: did the legacy of British history, in which the empire was a force for good, outlast British rule? The facts and sources after all existed. Why did we never see a flood of research on famine as an instrument of exploitation," Akbar wondered.

He also contends that the "most productive area of Indo-British cooperation was in corruption".

Indian skills, he said, "Complemented British greed; both the Company rulers and the new comprador class they created, the 'Black Zemindars', became fabulously wealthy. It was as simple as that.

Some of the instances I have quoted from a wide and fertile field are not without a touch of humour. British merchants began by bribing Mughal officials in the 17th century, quite often with copious amounts of wine and liquor and cash."

Aurangzeb might have ordered prohibition, but his generals were toasting his health in Madras with foreign wine.

"When they became revenue collectors, the British needed intermediaries. Gobindram Mitra was the first 'Black Zemindar' and his 'charhi', or stick, passed into the language. The anecdotes, all from original sources, can be hilarious," Akbar stated.

Another worthy, Prankrishna Haldar, in the 1820s, became so rich that he used to smoke tobacco rolled in 100-rupee notes at his palatial mansion in Chinsurah and took out an advertisement in the papers when inviting 'Ladies and Gentlemen' to his nautch parties.

"There is a twist in the tale, however.

He was also forging currency on the side, so that 100-rupee note might not have been so valuable after all.

Everyone was on the take, not least

the judiciary.

"The first Chief Justice of Calcutta Supreme Court, Sir Elijah Impey, was nicknamed Justice Pulbandi because Hastings gave him a fat contract for repairs of roads and bridges as reward for hanging (tax collector) Maharaja Nandkumar.

Some of the stellar Indian names in Calcutta society became rich as agents of judges," Akbar maintained.

One of the saddest tragedies of British rule was the manner in which they treated their own children, their own flesh and blood, the Anglo-Indians only because the mother of their own children was an Indian.

"The racist imperialists introduced a strange doctrine during the time of Lord Cornwallis, the second Governor General: that children of mixed descent inherited the worst of the genes from both sides. AngloIndians were driven out of government jobs and the armed forces, and when space was made for them it was only at the periphery.

'The tragedy of Anglo Indians, who wanted to claim their paternal rights, is one of the most shocking examples of British racism. The Portuguese were not pleasant rulers; they could be ferociously cruel, but they gave rights to their children which continue. So did the French.

The British were in a class of their own," Akbar contended.

Thus came about the Doolally Syndrome.

"Doolally is now a word in the dictionary, meaning a bit drunk, or off-balance. It comes from Deolali, the city near Mumbai, where the British set up a cantonment for troops on their way back to England after their tour of duty. Naturally, the prospect of returning home induced some heavy drinking and much merriment.

"The only wail which could be heard in Deolali was that of Indian parents whose daughters had been girl friends of the troops and were now being abandoned. The parents would curse the soldiers: May your ship sink in the waters," Akbar noted.

This is possibly the first book that unveils little-known aspects of the downside of the British Raj. One earnestly hopes it will spawn many more because the truth can never be forever swept under the carpet.

Bengali cartoonist, writer and illustrator Narayan Debnath no more

Republic World

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amous Bengali cartoonist Narayan Debnath passed away at a South Kolkata nursing home on Tuesday morning. He was admitted to hospital several times last year and was suffering from age www.indianabroad.news

related ailments including kidney and heart problems. The state government took the responsibility of his medical treatment.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who was personally monitoring

Debanath's health since he was admitted to the hospital in the first week of January said in her message, "I am deeply saddened by the demise of eminent children's writer and cartoonist Narayan Debnath. He breathed his last in Calcutta today.

He was 96 years old".

"Narayan Debnath, the creator of characters like Bantul the Great, Handa Bhonda, Nante Fonte, Bahadur Beral, etc, gained a permanent place in the minds of readers of all ages," she said.

Extending her sincere condolences to the family of Debanth, the chief minister said, "The West Bengal government awarded him the 'Banga Bibhushan' in 2013. In addition to the President's Award, Padma Shri Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, he received his D.Litt degree from Rabindranath Tagore university. His death is an irreparable loss in the world of Bengali literature."

IANS

t's a provision that has made possible the right to privacy - as well as the decriminalization of homosexuality. Rohan Alva's 'Liberty After Freedom' explores the origins and evolution of what is today considered the most important fundamental right in the Indian Constitution - the right to life and personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21.

Without a doubt, this Article has had the most outsized influence on the progressive development of rights in India. But the story of how it was birthed is deeply controversial and its passage in the Constituent Assembly divided opinion like no other feature of the Constitution.

When India gave herself the Constitution on January 26, 1950, both life and liberty were thought to be in peril because the Constituent Assembly decided not to grant due process protection to them. 'Liberty After Freedom' (HarperCollins) explores the intellectual beginnings of this paramount fundamental right in order to decode and unravel the controversies which raged at the time the Constitution was being crafted.

Written in lucid prose and drawing extensively on the Constituent Assembly debates as well as a wide array of scholarly literature, the book questions long-held beliefs and sheds new and important light on the fraught history of due process and Article 21. It will be indispensable for the legal community and for anyone interested in the genesis of

the Constitution.

The right to life and personal liberty, says the author, "is that one fundamental right which impacts the life of every single Indian, and its growing salience is represented by the fact that in recent years this right has become part of our daily conversations, in terms of the recognition of the right to privacy and the decriminalization of homosexuality".

"Given its high importance, I believe the story of how this right came to be and the women and men who shaped its destiny deserves to be told. Exploring its origins informs us not only of the controversies which arose at the time the Indian Constitution was crafted, but holds important lessons for the progressive realization of this right in contemporary India," Alva adds.

Alva's debut work, says Attorney

General K.K. Venugopal, "is an eye-opener... an important addition to the existing academic writing on Indian Constitutional history. Alva has brought to bear an impressive grasp of legal history to shine light on the arduous journey that Article 21 undertook to reach its present form. Through meticulous research, Alva shows how fragile the Article was at its inception, and how important it is for citizens to continue to ensure that this most important of rights remains protected."

Rohan Alva is a counsel practising in the Supreme Court. He earned his LL.M. from Harvard Law School, which he read for as a Tata Scholar and on a Harvard Law School Scholarship. He lives in New Delhi with his wife, Nina, two children, Zarina and Cyrus, and two dogs, Jerry and Jackie.

Pandit Birju Maharaj, still a boy, took up tuitions to make ends meet

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ith the untimely death of Achhan Maharaj, over were the days of childhood fun and frolic, kites, cinemas and so on. The only priority for Maharajji now was to look for work, to earn money. It had become difficult to meet their everyday needs and his mother Ammaji was extremely concerned about his career and well-being.

She escorted him to all possible places where there was scope for meaningful work and a respectable income. They stayed in Kanpur for four-and-a-half years with the support of Maharajji's eldest sister, Vidyavatiji, and he studied privately with the help of Sitaram Baglaji, an older friend. Baglaji used to teach him English while Maharajji taught him dance.

Maharajji took up two dance tuitions of twenty-five rupees each. Often he walked long distances and requested passersby to help him cross the graveyard as he was afraid to do so alone. At times his mother skipped meals as there was not enough for both and when he asked her she would say she was fine in order not to bother the child. There were days when they slept almost half-starved.

As for school, it was proving to be a big luxury for Maharajji. There was a decision by the Education Board to make vocal and instrumental music two separate subjects at the Intermediate level. At this stage Ammaji forced him to clear his

school-leaving exams. When the results were declared, he excelled in both vocal and tabla. However, owing to his poor performance in English, he failed miserably on the whole.

When Maharajji was about 12 years old, he and his mother travelled to Nepal to participate in the celebrations of the marriage of the King's nephew. Those were times when travel was not easy. Several other artistes also joined them in the hope that their works would be rewarded handsomely.

Pandit Hanuman Prasadji, Pandit Kishan Maharajji, Tara Deviji (Sitaraji's sister) and Shri Hari Shankarji were among them. They walked for days and nights on foot, crossing several mountains— Chandragarhi, Sisagarhi, Ekdanta and Dodanta—stopping in tents for a few hours at night.

They hired a stove and a small kerosene lamp as Ammaji usually cooked 'khichdi'. It was a life of struggle and determination that finally led to Maharajji dancing in the royal courts as well as for the women in the interiors of the palace. They loved his dance and he managed to collect a fair amount of money as well as gifts from this trip.

Around the age of 13, Maharajji, along with his mother, his Sutto Jeeya and brother-in-law, went to stay with his uncle, Lachhu Maharajji, in Mumbai. They lived with him for less than a year in Dadar. It was here that Maharajji learnt from his uncle the intricacies of his lyrical style.

His uncle also arranged for private tuitions for him in English, though it certainly was not his favourite subject. The lady who came to teach him was helpless as he wrote dance bols (rhythmic words) in place of his homework.

During his stay in Mumbai, Maharajji also enjoyed meeting cinema artistes such as Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Jeevan, Sheikh Mukhtar, Motilal, Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar.

Once, Maharajji was listening to a music recording at Bombay Talkies with his uncle, when he saw a young man rehearsing some lines in the adjoining room.

Maharajji found this rather funny as the man was repeating the words very fast and was acting weird.

Ashok Kumar suddenly appeared and introduced the man as Kishore, his younger brother. That was probably the legendary Kishore Kumarji's earliest audition with Shri S.K. Ojha. Even though Mumbai was good fun, the search for a proper means of earning a livelihood was bothering Maharajji.

Around 1953, Kapila Vatsyayanji, who had learnt under Achhan Maharajji and remembered young Birju, called him to Delhi to work at Sangeet Bharati -- the same place where his father had taught. The job was a temporary one as he had been taken on a trial basis. The young boy was extremely excited and promised to work hard to prove his talent; it was a big boon but very challenging for him.

Along with Ammaji, they rented a small 'barsati' (attic) in Daryaganj from where he commuted by bus.

Later they moved to Minto Road Railway Quarters, then stayed at Raja Bazar for a while, and finally shifted to a place near Hanuman Mandir. From here he walked to school at five every morning.

Maharajji had his first coffee at Madras Hotel, where one of the waiters was his favourite as he showed an interest in playing the tabla.

Maharajji narrates how he once was in a hurry and forgot to carry his wallet, which he realised after drinking his coffee. He felt awkward, so he made a quick plan. He removed his jacket and threw it over his shoulders, stooped a little, squinted his eyes and made a weird face.

Then slowly he moved out of the room limping on his left leg. No one really noticed. The next morning he went to the cash counter almost imitating himself from the previous day and paid the money.

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25

BEAUTY

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

A new beauty flagship store in NCR IANS

Vaani Kapoor turns to natural products for hair care #HairOnHigh campaign intends to connect with the new age users bringing the age old tradition of hair oiling back to life

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oddess.com, a beauty retailer, has opened its first flagship store in Gurugram's Ambience Mall. It now has 1700 square feet of beauty area dedicated to top international brands in skincare, make-up, haircare, and body care, following its successful online launch with over 100+ beauty brands. The store smoothly integrates its features to create a genuinely unique customer trip, powered by Digital Tools, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Shopping experiences.

Supermodel Miranda Kerr's Kora Organics, Korean Luxury Skincare brand Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Innisfree, Natural Skincare brand; Caudalie, the Cult Make up brand; Anastasia Beverly Hills, Cruelty Free & Vegan Skincare and Body care brand; The Body Shop, luxury Haircare brands Kevin Murphy and Olaplex are among the brands featured in the store. Issey Miyake, Carolina Herrera, Mont Blanc, Paco Rabanne, Burberry, Givenchy, Salvatore Ferragamo, and others are among the premium names represented.'

Juice Beauty, an award-winning international farm-to-beauty company, makes its debut retail appearance in India here. Over the coming few weeks, it will introduce a number of unique international brands to its online and offline stores, giving customers a true Omni-channel experience.

Men’s grooming has been given its own section for the first time to cater to this fascinating segment of the beauty business. The store also features a number of well-known D2C native companies such as Minimalist, Dot & Key, and The Man Company.

The brand encourages its audience to take a look into the future of digital beauty retail in India, using Augmented Reality Technology and Virtual Beauty Tools. From

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skin analyzers and make-up try-on mirrors to interactive screens and immersive zones, to several strategically placed contact points, clients are given a seamless digital and physical experience.

The Boddess Store is the Ultimate Product Destination, with curated beauty ranges, touchless technology, smart personalization, and elevated service stations staffed by best-inclass specialists such as skin experts, make-up artists, hair experts, and beauty advisers.

Speaking at the launch Ritika Sharma, Founder and CEO, Boddess [House of Beauty] ‘With the opening of our first flagship store, we are excited to bring a one-of-a-kind beauty retail experience to all beauty enthusiasts. From launching Boddess as a multi-beauty wellness platform in the digital space to seeing it manifest in the physical realm in the second year, it has been an incredible journey. The experiential-led store is an amalgamation of technology, services, and personalization and is fully equipped to answer all your beauty queries. The seamless integration of the physical and digital touch points will deliver a captivating in-store experience, benefiting consumers and bringing us one step closer to them. Keeping customer satisfaction and safety paramount, we have implemented all essential hygiene protocols to safeguard the health of our customers and employees. Our touchless digital beauty tools enable us to maintain the right safety for our consumers. We are excited and ready to welcome shoppers to the new store.’

Key Features of the store: First ever entry of D2C brands in an experiential & premium retail space: Minimalist, Dot & Key, The Man Company & mCaffeine.

Dedicated men’s grooming section: Capitalizing on the most evolving

segments in the beauty industry, for the first time in retail, a dedicated men’s grooming section has been created to cater to the growing needs of male consumers.

Experiential Zones : Nail Bar: Ensuring high-quality nail services, the nail bar includes nail extensions and nail art with the option of getting embellished, ombre designs, and more. One can swing by for a quick touch up or ease into the section’s tranquil environment.

Hair Bar: The in-store hair care section displays the brand’s endeavor to approach holistic well-being by offering their customers a spa-like treatment with a dedicated area for hair washes, styling and massages.

Not only this, the bar also provides the choice of hair s tyle specifically suited as per one’s facial features and hair texture.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Bar: This unique Brow Bar features Anastasia Beverly Hills patented Golden Ratio Brow service.

Anastasia Beverly Hills brow experts are equipped to help customers discover the perfect brow shape according to their face structure.

Physical Touch-points Magic Mirror: Powered by Machine Learning Technology, the Magic Mirrors installed in the store allow consumers to have a touchless and Virtual Skin Diagnosis and provides access to a tailor-made skin- care regime. The Magic Mirror screen also substitutes as their advanced Makeup Try-on feature that allows consumers to scroll and skim through a wide range of beauty products and find their perfect shades that they can try on virtually.

Click & Collect: To round up a seamless and technologically interactive shopping experience, the store provides a “click and collect” system where the customer can buy or order products from the website and collect them from the store.

App In Store Screens: The Store also hosts Boddess.com interactive APP that enables customers to digitally navigate, surf product catalogue and place orders. The inbuilt application visible on the screen further informs the user of events and happenings, new and exclusive product launches, latest promotions and trending.

QR Codes: QR codes are placed across the store on bestselling products to enable customers to scan and explore the products online

he wide range of products available in the personal care segment confuses consumers in differentiating between natural and synthetic products. I am happy to be the face of Brillare, a home grown brand that is making it easier for consumers to choose 100 percent natural products with zero dilution promise. With a hectic work life and continuously changing schedules, I have always preferred natural products for my hair care regime and Brillare’s science backed products made with thoroughly researched formulations is something I deeply resonate with,” stated Vaani Kapoor, who has been roped in as brand ambassador for Brillare.

The brand offers an innovative concept of Oil Shots with powerful blend of rich active oils. Further, it also offers Real Mahabhringraj Oil as holistic oil to fight hair fall, dandruff & dry hair all at once after completing Oils Shots ritual.

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Jigar Patel, CEO of the brand said, “The brand is constantly challenging the status quo by creating innovative products that are made with real natural ingredients. We are the first zero dilution, all natural brand in India to provide dermatology grade results without chemical abuse.

With #HairOnHigh campaign, we would like to create a strong

connect with millennial audience in the language that they would strongly resonate. The brand plans an aggressive growth in the coming year. Vaani Kapoor fits perfectly well with the brands ethos & her persona augurs positively with our consumers providing both, credibility and salience to the brand.”

Glam up in minutes Katrina Kaif style!

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concealer is that one trustworthy product to ace all your base needs. From concealing dark circles to brightening dull skin and adding a sharp dimension to your face, it does it all. With the Kay Beauty HD Liquid Concealer, we have created a formula that can be built up to give you customized coverage. You can take your pick from our range of shades that cater to every Indian skin tone & undertone. So, say hello to your skin-twin & conceal like a pro to switch up your beauty game,” says Katrina Kaif about her latest Kay Beauty launch.

The HD Liquid Concealers come in 13 shades and are #ForAllSkin.

Specially curated for a diverse range of Indian skin tones and different undertones, you will find a skin twin that blends with your tone each time. These super light concealers are designed to give a creaseless and seamless HD matte finish for a completely natural look. n line with the brand's #MakeupThatKares promise, the formulation is enriched with Marula & Rosehip Oil to provide extreme hydration to prevent any creasing or flaking on the skin and suits all skin types.

These concealers render medium to high buildable coverage with a unique applicator that makes them super easy to apply. Simply #ScoopandSculpt as the scooped applicator helps in lifting the desired quantity of the product and the tapering end helps in reaching

any corner of the face for seamless application. Hard working and versatile, these concealers have multiple uses for highlighting and contouring as well.

Reena Chhabra, CEO, Nykaa Brands says, “Kay Beauty Liquid HD Concealer will definitely prove to be a star product in our repertoire.

A concealer is a key step in makeup

routines and after two years of perfecting the formulation, we are proud to offer a product that is not only high on performance but also features a range of 13 shades that makeup pros, or beginners can choose from. We recognise the beautiful diversity of Indian skin tones and have created this range to offer a perfect match for everyone.”

Beauty giant shows commitment to its consumers

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hen the brand says, ‘You’re Worth It’, they really mean it! In the recent Global Summit, held by L’Oréal Paris, its experts aimed to acquaint consumers with the science behind the products.

The summit highlighted the state-ofthe-art technology that lies behind its products and services and gave consumers a peek into ‘The Other Side’ of the brand story.

Global Experts such as Elisabeth Bouhadana, Global Scientific Director of L’Oréal Paris and Dr Ophelia Veraitch, an official dermatologist for L’Oréal Paris India, L’Oréal Paris UK alongside L’Oréal Paris’ international board of dermatologists revealed some of the most in-depth research carried out by the scientific teams, for a superior understanding of skin biology to developing formulas.

During the submit Elisabeth walked attendees through the safety protocols taken by L’Oréal Paris, the superior science of the key actives, sustainability aspects of the brand

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as well as the flawless digital consumer experience and services. The program revealed the pioneering role of the brand in promoting its internal experts to advocate formulas, safety, and efficacy. Furthermore, it showcased the alternative methods to animal testing in a very educational way so that consumers know everything about how their favourite

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products are made and studied before arriving in the market.

While science and innovation are part of the brand's DNA, women are at the heart of it. The brand strives to be more transparent with consumers as part of the commitment to a more sustainable future with partnerships that benefit the community.

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FASHION

2022

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Alia Bhatt-led playwear-for-children launches ‘Buy1Give1’ initiative

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BRIDAL TRENDS of Instagram

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d-a-Mamma, a conscious clothing brand for children, kicks off 2021 by furthering its commitment towards enabling conscious clothing and giving back to the community. The Alia Bhatt-led playwear-for-children enterprise launched a ‘Buy1Give1’ initiative, which will provide basic clothing for underprivileged children, spreading the Joy of Giving.

For this initiative, every purchase made on the website will be matched with a garment donated

by Ed-a-Mamma for a child in need.

The brand has partnered with Goonj - a renowned NGO working across India that focuses on clothing as a basic, yet unaddressed need.

Alia Bhatt, Founder of Ed-a-Mamma, said, “With Ed-a-Mamma, I set out to create a world that nurtures in children, a love of nature. Knowing full well that they will look after what they love. The Buy1Get1 initiative will be used to gift garments to children in need and we hope to make kids understand the joy of

sharing with people who are less fortunate.”

The brand’s very first offline pop-up at The White Crow at Jio World Drive in Mumbai is another venture to extend this initiative. This pop-up is a unique opportunity for customers to interact with the brand and it’s merchandise. Having already hosted a puppet show aimed at teaching kids about ecological balance, the pop-up promises to be an inviting and invigorating experience for kids and their parents!

The sensations of love, passion, and fire feature in this collection

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verything Ekaya produces revolves around textile engineering. Tanchoi, Jamdani, and Phekwa weaving techniques are used to bring the topic to life.

Engineered jacquards, particularly in the Banaras atelier, are used to create intricate motifs. Mother of pearl stones, brass coins, and hand-woven embroidery accentuate the handwoven katan silk and zari textiles, which serve as a canvas for digital prints. Consider the words "dubbka sona charming flowery grid," "resham," and "French knots."

Ekaya Banaras's latest ready-to-wear collection 'EverAfter' evokes notions of romantic oddity. The dense undergrowth is pierced by bright scarlet. Cloud pinks and vibrant Turkish blue, complimented by gold zari, set the tone for a fantasy story.

The motifs of Ever After have their origins in a Victorian background, yet they are interpreted whimsically.

Tags and flamingoes play peek-aboo with ornate candelabras and chandeliers. Prints and woven designs feature peonies, swallows,

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very bride in India wants to be picture-perfect on her wedding day. Exquisite jewellery, vibrant colours, and royal attire are all part of the ritual.

Mohey has put together a stylish wedding collection with stunning embroidered work set in premium quality craftsmanship and design.

To ensure that you look your best at all of your nuptial events, here are the bridal trends of 2022 from the brand's new wedding collection: Colorful Embroidery While monochromatic lehengas are beautiful in their own right, multicoloured lehengas call attention to and highlight the bride's vibrant and jazzy side, letting her to stand out among the crowd. Traditional functions such as Haldi and Mehendi ceremonies are all about colour and intricate décor, so choose a colourful drape, skirt, and lehenga to go with it. Keep it discreet with light floral jewellery or accessories.

Love for Red and Maroon Red is one of those colours that will never go out of style. Use a combination of threadwork embroidery on red or maroon velvet lehengas with floral patterns and designs to make your bridal ensemble breathtakingly lovely.

Drape a Lehenga Dupatta Do you appreciate dupattas and wish to make them the focal point of your ensemble? The sight of a voluminous veil or dupatta falling down a bride's gown is breathtaking. The dupatta adds a well-designed touch to your wedding gown by emphasising the classic and current style of a bridal lehenga. For an attractive and classy look that may make or break your wedding ensemble, choose a dupatta that contrasts with the lehenga or go monochrome.

Shades of Pink Choosing a wedding lehenga colour is a difficult task for any bride who wants to avoid the traditional red.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, go for a bright and cheerful pink wedding lehenga. This vibrant colour looks great on all skin tones and gives the bridal look a unique twist. These colours range from soft pastel pink to dusty pink and are suitable for both daytime and evening ceremonies.

Plunging Neckline Brides are opting for a deep neckline, which provides a whimsical twist and grace to traditional wedding attire while also adding a hint of seduction to the traditional style.

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and delicate flora.

“Ekaya this season conjures a multi-sensorial carnival inspiring curiosity, honouring love, and kindling passion,” says CEO Palak Shah of the new collection. EverAfter begins a thorough discussion between techniques, workmanship, and civilizations, staying loyal to our basic design philosophy of ongoing textile reinventions. “While the Fall collection is inspired by traditional

Indian clothing, it is twisted with a subversive sense. Straps are added to a lehenga blouse, and anarkalis are inspired by mid-century corsets. The major takeaways are big V necklines, and a voluminous flare. A variety of silk lehengas and flexible tunics are punctuated with signature brocade over layers and co-ordinates.

The collection will be available online at ekaya.in

Slay the Work from Home look

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rends come and go, but some stick around for a while, such as the Work from Home look.

Forget wearing casuals and try some new styles that are both comfortable and appropriate for online meetings www.indianabroad.news

and calls.

Being in style is always great, whether it's at the office or at home.

Naveen Mahlawat, co-founder of StalkBae.com, a fashion e-commerce site owned by MadBow Ventures

Ltd, offers some new style advice for working from home: The black and white top This timeless combination never goes out of style. A black and white shirt teamed with a black trouser or skirt creates the perfect style, whether it’s at your office desk or in your favourite chair at home.

Olive Green What better way to show off your professional yet trendy side than with an olive-green full-sleeves top? In a Zoom meeting or during a virtual chat with your client, the all-time favourite olive colour is great to capture eyes.

Classy Cargo trousers Old is gold, and Cargo tracks are the most comfortable and easiest to style. Pair them with sweaters or sweatshirts for a full day in front of the computer.

The Shirt dress For your virtual presentations on your office project, the shirt dress gives you a formal yet trendy look.

The blue shirt seems comfortable enough to wear all day, but it also gives the impression that you didn’t just get out of bed.

Checkered Blue Skirt Match your favourite sleeveless tops with the lovely knotted checkered blue skirt for a stylish look for your long day at work. With this outfit, you may show your eccentric side while yet maintaining a professional demeanour at work.

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27

WHAT’S ON

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

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WHAT’S ON

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

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29

ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

Parineeti Chopra is grateful to directors Swara Bhaskar: Post-Covid fatigue is a real thing who have brought the best out of her Instagram

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Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra feels lucky to have worked with filmmakers who have brought the best out of her and helped her in honing her craft.

In her opinion, it's important to collaborate with people who push an artiste to do better.

Parineeti says, "I'm lucky to have been directed by some of the best cinematic geniuses in Indian cinema. Such experiences have only enriched me and made me a better performer. As an actor, one needs to constantly evolve and collaborate with people who can push you to excel, who can open horizons for you and make your craft better."

She adds, "From being groomed

by Aditya Chopra, to working with filmmakers like Rohit Shetty (Golmaal Again), Maneesh Sharma (Shuddh Desi Romance), Dibakar Banerjee (Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar), Amole Gupte (Saina), Habib Faisal (Ishaqzaade), Vinil Mathew (Hasee Toh Phasee), Anurag Singh (Kesari), Ribhu Dasgupta (The Girl On The Train), I couldn't have imagined a more fulfilling journey in cinema for myself."

This year, the actress will be seen in two big-ticket releases: Sandeep

Reddy Vanga's 'Animal' opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Sooraj Barjatya's 'Uunchai' in which she will be seen with Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani.

Sharing her excitement, she says, "The fact that I'm now working with Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Sooraj Barjatya sir in the same calendar year is incredible. Working with Sooraj sir has always been a dream for any actor, including me. He is the maestro of family entertainers and I know that my parents were thrilled when I told them that Sooraj sir has cast me in 'Uunchai'".

About being directed by Sooraj Barjatya, who has made films like 'Maine Pyar Kiya', 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun', 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' and 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo', Parineeti says, "I can't believe that Sooraj sir, who has worked with the best of the best and created milestones in Indian cinema, has chosen me to be a part of his cinematic vision."

She concludes, "Sooraj sir is even better a person than I had imagined.

Simply by being himself, he is a masterclass in humility. I am beyond blessed to be directed by him. Being his heroine is another blessing that 2021 gave me."

Sunny Leone: I take great pride in my songs becoming raging hits

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unny Leone, who had incredible dance number hits with tracks like 'Auntiyaan Dance Karengi', 'Machli' and 'Panghat, for which she reunited with Baby Doll singer Kanika Kapoor, is in a happy space. The actress maintains that all the songs pushed her to do her best as all of them were very different from each other.

Elated with the love pouring her way, she says, "I see myself as an entertainer and I take great pride in my songs becoming raging hits. People have been loving the number. It's so overwhelming that my hard work has paid off."

Considered among the industry's most effortless dancers, Leone says she remembers training for most part of November to make sure each of these numbers have a different vibe to them.

She adds, "Sometimes there is a tendency to replicate steps but each of these songs were designed so differently. It meant working on a different track every few days but I consciously wanted each of these to stand out. I am so happy with the response."

Ask her if there's a favourite and she signs off with a smile, "Why pick when you can groove to all?"

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ctress Swara Bhaskar, who suffered from Covid, has recovered and is now back in the studio for the dubbing of her upcoming film 'Jahaan Chaar Yaar'.

She says even though she feels happy to be back in work, her body requires more rest.

Swara said, "I was supposed to dub for this film earlier, but unfortunately, it got delayed due to COVID-19. I have been feeling very pressured about having to complete my work for the movie. As soon as I tested negative for COVID, I flew to Mumbai and headed for the dubbing straight from the airport. I am glad to be back at work and I am really enjoying dubbing as it is a process I enjoy in general too."

However, she also mentioned how she is still taking more time to deal with the fatigue that happens post-Covid.

"Covid fatigue is a real thing and I have realised that while being back at work; the weakness that it leaves is very real so I am trying to rest adequately and also ensuring that I continue working. I dub for 3-4 hours and rest for the entire day making sure I don't overwork myself," shared the actress.

The film 'Jahaan Chaar Yaar' is directed by Kamal Pandey, and it also features Meher Vij, Pooja Chopra and Shikha Talsania.

Vaani Kapoor wants her filmography to be as diverse as possible Instagram

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ctress Vaani Kapoor, who recently essayed a trans woman in 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui', is consciously working on shaping up her filmography by

choosing scripts and characters that are different from the league.

She hopes that her work in 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' and

her upcoming release 'Shamshera' where she will be seen opposite Ranbir Kapoor, will incite the confidence in film-makers about her craft.

Talking about the same, she says, "I would like my filmography to be as diverse as possible and after showing my range as an actor in 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' and 'Shamshera', I can only hope that filmmakers would feel extremely confident to approach me with any challenging role. I have always wanted to win over their trust and be a part of interesting cinematic visions of powerful film-makers."

She adds, "I know that I will give it my everything to pull off any character that I'm approached with to play on screen."

Stating her opinion on the best thing about the profession of acting, the actress says, "The best thing about our profession is that one can get to become so many characters and live so many lives. I want my journey in cinema to be filled with varied films and genres and characters that light up the screen to entertain audiences."

Ranveer Singh: As a creative person, I Sushmita Sen wins International Association would like to believe that I have no limits of Working Women Award for 'Aarya 2' Instagram

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ollywood star Ranveer Singh, who was most recently seen in cricket drama '83', refuses to be put in a box creatively.

The 'Bajirao Mastani' actor likes to be limitless and explore his craft in his constant pursuit for artistic excellence.

Ranveer reveals, "My constant endeavour is such that you cannot put me in a box. You can't define me.

I don't wish to be defined because I feel defining something by its fundamental nature would be limiting me.

As a creative person I would like to believe that I have no limits. That I the possibilities within my craft are limitless, that they be infinite."

The actor adds that there's no end to how many characters he could play for the screen, "There is no end to how much I can explore and how many different people I can become.

I hope I continue that and if I keep doing the same thing, then I am stagnating. I should probably take a sabbatical, gather more life experiences, put more different characters into my jholi and then come back to work."

On the work front, he has a string of upcoming releases including YRF's 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar', filmmaker Shankar's remake of his blockbuster 'Anniyan', Rohit Shetty's 'Cirkus' and Karan Johar's 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahan'.

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ollywood actress and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen is elated on being conferred the International Association of Working Women Award for an outstanding performance by a female actor in a TV series for her show 'Aarya 2'.

The award is presented by the DC South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF), which is currently underway virtually starting from January 16 to January 30.

The actress credits the team of 'Aarya' for working tirelessly for the show that is now gaining global recognition. Sharing her excitement, the actress said in a statement, "I am overwhelmed with all the love and appreciation being showered on 'Aarya 2'. The entire team has worked strenuously to put together a work of art that would be loved by everyone."

"It's euphoric to win the International Association of Working Women Award for an outstanding performance by a female actor in a television series. I would like to thank the organisers of the DC South Asian Film Festival for bestowing this honour on me and the entire team. This is surreal!" the statement further said.

Talking about DCSAFF, the film fest which started in 2012 featuring Shyam Benegal's classic film 'Mammo' as the opening title, is currently in its 10th edition and will feature films from India, Pakistan,

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Nepal, Canada, and the US and many regional languages.

The 2022 edition of the film fest opened with a book discussion with writer, director, and actor Ananth Mahadevan about his new book 'Once Upon A Prime Time' and the

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Nepali feature film 'Mahanagar/ One Night in Kathmandu', directed

by Mohan Rai. Filmmaker Vishal Chaliha's Assamese film 'Sijou' will be the closing film of DCSAFF 2022 on January 30.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Vol 1, Issue 24 Feb 1-15, 2022

I will get to learn a lot from Remo as this is my first show as a judge: Mouni Roy

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opular actress Mouni Roy has been roped in to join renowned choreographer Remo D'Souza in the panel of judges on dance reality show 'Dance India Dance Li'l Masters Season 5'.

She says it is surely going to be a learning experience for her.

Mouni says: "I am sure I will get to learn a lot from Remo sir since this is my first show as a judge, and I am very eager to meet the contestants. I know for a fact that judging talented kids won't be an easy task, but I will try my best and I hope I will be able to do justice to the responsibility."

The actress started her acting career with TV shows like 'Kyunki… Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' and 'Devon Ke Dev… Mahadev'. She finally rose to fame with her performance in the supernatural thriller 'Naagin'.

Mouni adds in her new role as a judge she has to be careful while making comments on the contestants.

"I am very excited to meet the super talented Li'l Masters who are known to floor everyone with their unimaginable dancing prowess at such a tender age. One really needs to take care of their emotions and I personally love kids a lot. So, I will be extra careful with my words while making my comments."

The auditions for 'DID Li'l Masters Season 5' have already started.

Participants between the age group of 3 to 13 years will compete against each other to become the ultimate Li'l Master.

'DID Li'l Masters Season 5' will be coming soon on Zee TV.

'Jai Bhim', 'Marakkar' make it to Oscars 'submission list'

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os Angeles/ Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21 (IANS) Two Indian films -- the controversial Tamil film 'Jai Bhim' starring Suriya and Lijomol Jose and Priyadarshan's Malayalam period drama 'Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham' (Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea), with Mohanlal playing the titular character -- are on the list of 276 movies eligible for this year's Academy Awards.

The voting for the Oscar nominations is set to begin on Thursday, January 27, and it will continue until Tuesday, February 1. The announcement limits the eligibility year to 10 months. Last year, the Academy had extended it until February 28, 2021, because of the pandemic.

All of the presumed Oscar contenders, reports 'Variety', are on the list. These include 'Being the Ricardos' (Amazon Studios), 'Belfast' (Focus Features), 'CODA' (Apple Original Films), 'Dune' (Warner Bros), 'Encanto' (Walt Disney Pictures), 'House of Gucci' (MGM/ United Artists), 'The Power of the Dog' (Netflix), 'A Quiet Place Part II' (Paramount Pictures), 'Spencer' (Neon/Topic Studios), 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (Sony Pictures) and 'West Side Story' (20th Century Studios).

Some of the international features from the Oscar shortlist are also eligible for best picture, in addition to the best international

feature category, such as Japan's much-awarded 'Drive My Car', Italy's 'The Hand of God', Iran's 'A Hero' and Norway's 'The Worst Person in the World'.

Directed by Priyadarshan, 'Marakkar' is one of the most expensive films in the history of Malayalam cinema. It narrates the epic tale of Kunjali Marakkar IV, a Malabar sea lord and his epic battles against the Portuguese. The movie had won three National Awards -- Best Feature Film, Best Special Effects and Best Costume Design.

'Jai Bhim', which raised the hackles of the PMK, a political party in Tamil Nadu that represents mainly the Vanniyar community, is based on a true incident in 1993, involving a case fought by former Madras High Court Justice K. Chandru, when he was an advocate. Behind him in this legal battle was Sengeni's wife,

Rajakannu.

The only other film to make the cut from South Asia is Bhutan's 'Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom', a 2019 film directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji.

It had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

The film was selected as the Bhutanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but later disqualified. It was resubmitted as Bhutan's entry for the 2022 Oscars and was shortlisted for the awards.

Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards, according to 'Variety', will be announced on Tuesday, February 8. The ceremony is scheduled to be held on Sunday, March 27, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will be televised on the American network ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Bhumi Pednekar on why she took up 'Badhaai Do' role

It's a packed year for Rakul Preet Singh with 7 releases

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ctress Rakul Preet Singh has all her fingers in the pie as she will have seven massive releases up her sleeve for the year 2022, out of which six are in Hindi cinema.

Her titles in Bollywood include names like 'Doctor G' with Ayushmann, 'Runway 34' with Amitabh Bachchan & Ajay Devgn, 'Thank God' with Ajay Devgn & Sidharth Malhotra, 'Chattriwali', 'Attack' and an untitled film with Akshay Kumar.

An excited Rakul shared, "Well I'm hoping that 2022 will be one of my best years. I'm really looking forward to 2022 because there are 7 films which are lined up for release, 6 in Hindi. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that people appreciate the films. I've had an amazing experience shooting for all of them and once the films start coming out you'll see that each character is very different from each other, each film is a different genre."

She continues, "If there is an 'Attack' which is a Sci-Fi action then there is 'Runway 34' where I play a pilot then there is 'Doctor G' where I play a gynecologist, 'Thank God' is your commercial slice of life film and then there is Akshay sir's film which is your thriller commercial zone, then 'Chattriwali' which I am heading where I play a condom tester. So yeah its a year filled with this labor of hard work from the last 2 years shooting in and out of the pandemic."

She adds, "I'm just hopeful that

people really like it, it's been an amazing experience shooting for these films and now the time is for them to come out. I've just been waiting for these films to start

rolling out, people to see more work that I have done so yeah keeping my fingers crossed for 2022. I'm excited about it and excited to see people's reaction"

Actress Aishwarya Dutta's prayer on Insta wins the appreciation of fans

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Instagram

prayer posted by actress Aishwarya Dutta on Instagram is winning her appreciation from fans and followers.

The actress, who has been a part of critically acclaimed films like 'Tamizhukku En Ondrai Azhuthavum', said: "A journey of so many days. A journey of so many years. A journey of my hard work. A journey of my success."

A journey of my memories. A journey of mine from a different city.

A journey of my transformation. A journey of transforming from every bad to good.

"Thank you God for everything.

Thank you for holding my hands and never letting me go off. Thank

you God for giving me all the strength to rise, to wake up every day with a new hope. Thank you God for being my parent."

The actress, who shot to fame after

her participation in the television reality show Tamil Bigg Boss, ended as the runner up in the second season of the show.

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ollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar has revealed why she took the decision to star in

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'Badhaai Do'. She says her decision to do the film was based on the fact that she gets to sensitively portray a character and give voice to a subject that will be an eye-opener.

Bhumi said: "I'm really proud that content filmmakers, making differential and clutter-breaking subjects, feel I can helm a project that is unique and bring their vision to life.

"I thrive on pushing myself constantly and my decision to do 'Badhaai Do' was based on the fact that I get to sensitively portray a character and give voice to a subject that will be an eye-opener for India."

The versatile actress added: "'Badhaai Do' is a hot franchise that balances commerce with content.

It is really exciting to be an actor in these times because such subjects

are being backed by big producers who want to create a change in society.

"As a "human being, I'm drawn to subjects that can lead to a positive impact on people and be a catalyst for social good. I hope 'Badhaai Do' does just the same. I can't wait for people to watch this film because it is truly, truly endearing."

Directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, 'Badhaai Do' pairs Rajkummar Rao opposite Bhumi.

The film releases in theatres on February 11.

Bhumi will next be seen in Anubhav Sinha's 'Bheed', Ajay Bahl's 'Ladykiller', Shashank Khaitan's 'Govinda Aala Re' and Akshay Kumar and Aanand L. Rai's 'Raksha Bandhan'.

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