India News June 1-15, 2021

India News Web: www.indianews.com.au Email: info@indianews.com.au

KEEPING YOU AHEAD

Phone: 1300 859 066 : @indianewsaustralia

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

GREATER SPRINGFIELD MEDICAL & OFFICE SUITES

Inspect Today More on Page 32

Be part of Australia’s largest integrated health and wellness precinct.

Sale I Lease I Invest www.gssuites.com.au

'Jahan Bimar Wahan Upchar': Modi’s Australian universities new motto for Covid management issue plea for return of

Photo Courtesy: The Indian Express

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 21 provided a new mantra for Covid management -- 'Jahan Bimar Wahan Upchar'. (Where there is illness, there is remedy as well) Modi said that bringing Covid treatment to the patient's doorstep will reduce the burden on the health system.

The Prime Minister interacted with doctors and officials of Varanasi through video conferencing.

Continued on Page 3

international students Adelaide, May 24 (IANS): Universities in the state of South Australia (SA) have issued a plea to the federal government to allow international students to return to the country.

According to data released on May 24, international enrolments in SA's universities have dropped by 33 per cent amid the coronavirus pandemic, crippling their budgets, reports Xinhua news agency.

University’s Vice-President and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), said the fall was “deeply concerning” for universities and the broader SA economy, calling for the “urgent activation” of a plan for the arrival of international students.

“This could include dedicated quarantining facilities for international students to ensure their return doesn’t affect general repatriation efforts,” he told News Corp Australia on May 24.

Continued on Page 3

First post-ban repatriation flight India witnesses significant

dip in Covid positive cases from India lands in Australia Sebastian Raneskold, Flinders

Canberra, May 15 (IANS): The first repatriation flight from India landed in Australia on May 15 after the government's controversial travel ban to the Covid-battered country ended.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): With 2,40,842 fresh cases of Covid-19, India on May 23 witnessed the lowest rise in infection since April 21, even as 3,741 people died due to the pandemic on May 22, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Student Visas I Skilled Visas I Tourist Visas Temporary Graduate Visas I Business Migration The Qantas jet carrying stream Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas Family approximately 80 Australians, India's overall tally of Covid-19 who were stranded in India, cases stood at 2,65,30,132 with Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT representation touched down at a Royal

28,05,399 active cases and 2,99,266 deaths on May 23.

Australian Air Force (RAAF) base in Darwin earlier in the day, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the Health Ministry, a total of 3,55,102 people have been discharged till May 23, with

Page 3 The Continued rightonguidance, at the right time.

Providing professional migration services since over a decade

2,34,25,467 being cured from Covid till date.

The Health Ministry said that a total of 19,50,04,184 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 16,04,542 who were administered vaccines till May 23.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 32,86,07,937 samples have been tested up to May 22 for Covid-19.

Of these 21,23,782 samples were tested on May 22.

Continued on Page 3

More on Page 5

PRATIBHA SHARMA

Principal Migration Consultant MARN: 0965020

Let our work speak for itself

5B 619 Logan Road, Greenslopes I 07 3324 2600 5B/ /619 Logan Road, Greenslopes Qld - Qld 4120-| 4120 07-3397 5581, 07-3397 5508 info@honestimmigrations.com.au I www.honestimmigrations.com.au info@honestimmigrations.com.au | www.honestimmigrations.com.au

Student Visas I Skilled Visas I Tourist Visas Temporary Graduate Visas I Business Migration Family stream Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT representation

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

The right guidance, at the right time.

Providing professional migration

1

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

EDITORIAL BOARD Professor Prasad Yarlagadda, Queensland University of Technology Ms Audrey Courty, Griffith University Dr Uttam Kumar Sinha, Senior Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, India Mr Shaun Star, Director, Centre for Australia India Studies, Jindal Global University, India

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS Institute for Australia India Engagement Australia India Business Council WEBSITE DESIGN & MANAGEMENT Cosmos Media www.cosmosmedia.info

China’s bid to increase Indo-Pacific influence backfires in Samoa

Abandon proposed protest, Punjab CM appeals to BKU

EDITORIAL TEAM Dr Ram Mohan, Chairman Dr Ashutosh Misra, Editor-in-Chief Ms Priyadarshini Rana, Bureau Chief, Victoria Ms Apoorva Raghubanshi, Bureau Chief, ACT Ms. Garima Sangar, Associate Editor

INDIA NEWS TV Mr Karthik Pratap Singh, News Director Mr. Agastya Yeturi, Cinematographer Mr Nishit Chandan, Special Correspondent WRITERS Mr Devashish Chakraborty Ms Deepika Banerjee Mr Rabindra Mukherji

WORLD THIS WEEK

News from India

Page 7

Page 15

India factor in the changing Australian geopolitical environment

China: Global Health Summit, Xi Jinping offers USD 3 billion for COVID response

Page 16

World this week

World News

Page 18

Editorial New cases in India drop to month’s lowest even as death toll rises

Page 20

Make In India

Page 21

Health

Page 29

Travel

Page 34

Bollywood

DESIGNER Reetu Yadav, Cosmos Media PUBLISHING & DISTRIBUTION Star Promotions ADDRESS India News Unit 49, 391, WICKHAM TERRACE, Ground Floor, Spring Hill, Brisbane, QLD – 4000 WEB: www.indianews.com.au FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

For comments, queries, and submission of articles please write to info@indianews.com.au. For advertisement please write to sales@indianews.com.au or call at 1300 859 066

INDIA NEWS GROUP is looking for Interns with an interest, expertise or skills in journalism, information technology, video editing, copy editing and social media management.

If interested please write to info@indianews.com.au

Student Visas I Skilled Visas I Tourist Visas Temporary Graduate Visas I Business Migration Family stream Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT representation The right guidance, at the right time.

Providing professional migration services since over a decade

PRATIBHA SHARMA

Principal Migration Consultant MARN: 0965020

www.indianews.com.au

Let our work speak for itself

5B 619 Logan Road, Greenslopes I 07 3324 2600 5B/ /619 Logan Road, Greenslopes Qld -Qld 4120- |4120 07-3397 5581, 07-3397 5508 info@honestimmigrations.com.au I www.honestimmigrations.com.au info@honestimmigrations.com.au | www.honestimmigrations.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

2

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

COVER STORIES

India witnesses significant 'Jahan Bimar Wahan Modi’s dip in Covid positive cases Upchar': new motto for Covid Continued fromPage 1 India registered record deaths due to Covid on May 19with 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection in any country since the coronavirus outbreak was reported in China's Wuhan in December 2019.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

management

Continued fromPage 1 During the interaction, the doctors and officials thanked Modi for his continuous and proactive leadership that helped in ramping up health infrastructure and ensured adequate supply of necessary medications and critical equipment like ventilators and oxygen concentrators.

It surpassed 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12, and earlier 4,211 in Brazil on April 6. These three are the worst-hit by the pandemic.

After battling a brutal second wave for weeks, fresh Covid cases came down below the three lakhmark for the first time on May 17 after touching record high of 4,14,188 on May 7.

The Prime Minister hailed the initiative of micro containment zones and appreciated the home delivery of medicines.

First post-ban repatriation flight from India lands in Australia Continued fromPage 1 The flight was scheduled to carry about 150 passengers but dozens were blocked from boarding after 40 tested positive for Covid-19 and 30 were deemed close contacts of the positive cases, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

surging coronavirus crisis in the South Asian nation.

Those that were able to board will quarantine for 14 days at the Howard Springs facility outside of Darwin.

"That pause has done its job. The number of cases that we had up in Howard Springs at that time was over 50. It's now down to four," he said.

"Regrettably those people will have to return home and deal with the COVID that they have, or continue to isolate to prove that they don't have COVID.

About 10,000 Australians, permanent residents and their immediate family members in India are seeking to return home.

"Until such time that they test negative they won't be able to fly on one of these facilitated flights," he added.

They are the first people to enter Australia from India since the federal government made it a criminal offence to do so at the end of April in response to the

The travel ban was condemned by human rights groups as racist but Prime Minister Scott Morrison on May 15 said it had effectively prevented the hotel quarantine system from being overwhelmed by positive cases.

Barry O'Farrell, Australia's High Commissioner to India, told the ABC that he was disappointed that people were blocked from boarding the flight.

"My team has worked hard across India to get them bookings on this flight because they are vulnerable," he said.

Australian universities issue plea for return of international students Photo Courtesy: IANS

Continued fromPage 1 Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, international students contributed A$2 billion ($1.54 billion) per year to the SA economy.

Enrolments in SA from China, the state's biggest international education market, have dropped 20 per cent and those from India, its second-biggest market, have fallen 35 per cent since

www.indianews.com.au

the beginning of the pandemic, according to News Corp Australia.

Projections included in the federal budget for financial year 2021-22 revealed that the federal government does not expect Australia's international borders to re-open until mid-2022.

Jacqueline Lo, Pro ViceChancellor (International) at the

University of Adelaide, said the news was "disappointing and very worrying" for the institution.

Education Minister Alan Tudge said in January that the government was open to "all options" for the return of international students and called for state and territory governments to submit proposals to the federal government.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

He also asked the health workers to make this campaign as comprehensive as possible in the rural areas.

"Bringing doctors, labs and e-marketing companies together to provide a tele-medicine facility named 'Kashi Kavach' is also a very innovative initiative," Modi said.

The Prime Minister was apprised of the efforts undertaken in the last one month to contain the spread of Covid, vaccination status, and the ongoing steps and plans to prepare the district for future challenges.

The doctors informed the Prime Minister that they have been vigilant about the threat of mucormycosis or black fungus and have already taken steps and created facilities for the management of the disease.

During the interaction, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of continuous training of the manpower fighting Covid and advised the officials and doctors to conduct training sessions and webinars, especially for the paramedical staff and doctors serving in the rural areas.

He also asked the officials to work towards bringing down vaccine wastage in the district.

Modi praised the speed with which the number of oxygen and ICU beds have been increased in such a short time in Banaras and the way the Pandit Rajan Mishra Covid Hospital has been activated at such a short notice.

He also expressed happiness that the Integrated Covid command system in Varanasi worked very well and said Varanasi's example inspires the world.

The Prime Minister gave the example of substantial control of encephalitis cases in children in the Purvanchal region due to active efforts of the UP government and urged the officials and doctors to work with the same sensitivity and vigilance.

He cautioned against the new challenge posed by black fungus in the battle against the pandemic.

"It is important to pay attention to the precautions and arrangements required to deal with it," Modi said.

The Prime Minister hailed the leadership provided by public representatives of Varanasi in the fight against Covid.

He urged the public representatives to remain connected with the public and advised them to show full sensitivity towards their concerns despite criticisms.

"If any citizen has any grievance, then it is the responsibility of the public representatives to be concerned about it," Modi added.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Call us at 1300 859 066

3

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

ADEVRTORIAL

Brookwater poised to become south-east Queensland’s next million-dollar suburb

B

rookwater on Brisbane’s doorstep is fast approaching the status of becoming a milliondollar-suburb, with almost half of the houses sold in the first four months of 2021 fetching more than $1 million.

“In the first four months of 2021, the Brookwater suburb recorded 16 house sales worth more than $17.1 million, with seven of those each bringing in more than a million dollars, or a total of $9.35 million.”

Brookwater Residential Senior Sales Executive, Irena Marasea said seven of the 16 houses sold between January and April resulted in million-dollar-plus totals.

“People tend to think the suburbs where the median house price is a million dollars are concentrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane’s booming suburbs like Norman Park and Yeronga – however we’re extremely confident Brookwater is on track to join this elite club later this year,” Mrs Marasea said.

These included a record $2 million for a luxury architectdesigned five-bedroom golf frontage home on a 1100 square metre block in Augusta Point, which was $420,000 above the previous Brookwater record of $1.58 million achieved last November.

“This is a wonderful achievement for our team, with the increase in homes being sold for more than a million dollars becoming the norm not the exception as the suburb continues to ride Queensland’s red-hot property boom,” Mrs Marasea said.

www.indianews.com.au

One of the suburb’s newest million-dollar buyers are the Wilson family, who describe their purchase “as a long-term investment in our future”.

Greg, a doctor, and his wife Nadia, a nurse, and their two teenage children upgraded in March to a $1.4m house fronting the GregNorman designed golf course in Birchwood Crescent – the same street they’d been living in since

2007 when they bought there after returning from the US. “We’d always had our eye on this particular three-level house, and when it come onto the market we were ready to move-in – the timing was right. We didn’t even look at any other properties,” Greg said. ”We knew we just had to buy it, and I know it’s a cliché but we absolutely love living here.

We don’t see ourselves leaving anytime soon – we plan on retiring in this home.

“Apart from the absolutely stunning setting, completely surrounded by green open space, we’re part of a friendly community which includes plenty of families.”

New figures reveal the median house price in the blue-chip suburb – which celebrates its 20th anniversary later this year – jumped from $857,500 last year to $961,500 in the first four months of 2021.

Median price of houses fronting

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

the 18–hole golf course increased from $979,000 in 2020 to $1.21million – with the median price for non-golf course frontage houses increasing from $789,000 to $940,000 in the first four months of 2021.

as there isn’t a lot of opportunities for people to purchase premium land so close to the CBD and have the confidence to build their architecturally design forever home, so we definitely fill that gap.”

Mrs Marasea said the surge in top-shelf sales signalled tremendous confidence in the exclusive owner occupier golf community.

Around 3000 people now call Brookwater home since the community began in 2001.

Within a 10-minute drive of Brookwater are 11 schools, a hospital, universities, a shopping centre and multiple shopping villages, Queensland’s number one golf course, and abundance of restaurants and entertainment choices.

“The bar has well and truly been raised to a whole new level by reaching these record price points, which certainly aligns with our vision of ensuring Brookwater remains a premium destination for homeowners.”

Mrs Marasea – who has been part of the Brookwater story for more than 14 years – said most of the recent sales were to “local buyers from the Brisbane area”.

“Brookwater has become a major draw card for aspirational families and empty nesters,” she said. “The scarcity of land is also a big issue in the Brisbane market –

Brookwater stands out from typical suburbia through its strong focus on Design, Landscape Architecture, the Brookwater Homeowners’ Club, forty-five per cent of open green space with walking trail networks which surround the suburb, and a strong sense of community where owners take pride in their homes and surrounds.

4

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

LOCAL NEWS

Springfield welcomes Queensland Government announcement of new Public Hospital Hospital and Health Service for their cooperation in servicing the current demand from this region.”

Mr Sinnathamby recognised that Greater Springfield had been a large contributor to the population growth with 48,000 residents now calling it their home. He expects the Greater Springfield population will be 60,000 by the time the new hospital opens.

“The region has experienced a population explosion with new frontiers such as Ripley, and Greenbank and Flagstone adding significantly to the population of the region,” he said.

Springfield, May 31: Springfield City Group Chairman, Maha Sinnathamby today welcomed the State Government’s announcement of a new public Hospital to service the fast growing population between Brisbane and Ipswich.

Assistant Treasurer (the Member for Jordan Charis Mullen) have been on the ground, seeing firsthand the rapid growth of this corridor and we appreciate their support that will now guarantee the delivery of further health services for the region.

postcode.

Speaking at a media conference at the Mater Private Hospital Springfield, Mr Sinnathamby said: “We know the Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Health and the

“This expansion will not only service the 585,000 people who live within a 22-minute drive, but also the parents of the 1000 plus babies born every year in the 4300

“The new public hospital will help address the increasing demand for public hospital services in South East Queensland. We also extend our thanks to Metro South

“We also thank the West Moreton Hospital and Health Service for the work they have done across this rapidly growing corridor, which has enabled health providers to step up and service the population.

“Being the master planner for this corridor, we always knew that health had to be an integral part of the services offered.

“Nearly 15 years ago, we engaged Harvard Medical International to work with us to plan “Health City” – a 50-hectare precinct that will provide for the health and wellness of this rapidly growing region.

“This isn’t just about hospital care, but seniors living, respite, purpose built residential accommodation for people with

special needs, a medi hotel, research, a medical innovation precinct, specialist care providers and health education. This precinct will also provide 19,000 full time jobs on completion.”

Mr Sinnathamby welcomed the important role played by Mater, a not-for-profit health care provider, in the Greater Springfield community since 2015.

Hospital Fast Facts: The Mater Public Hospital Springfield will deliver: ➡ 174 public overnight and sameday beds ➡ Intensive Care Unit and Maternity Services ➡ A much-needed Emergency Department in the region ➡ Increased interventional spaces, such as operating theatres and endoscopy suite ➡ Increased clinical capability of the service, meaning more complex care can be treated locally ➡ Increased private bed capacity and services in the region Work on the new Hospital will begin immediately and is expected to officially open in 2024.

Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golf-side living and natural bushland beauty.

With over 800 families already calling Brookwater home, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle.

We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — with all architectural fees complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.

READY TO BUILD ON LARGE PREMIUM HOMESITES FROM $566,000

Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is within 10 minutes of everything you need — commuter rail to the city, private and public schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct.

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

5

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

12 opposition parties to support farmers' May 26 protests Photo Courtesy: IANS

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): Twelve opposition parties, led by the Congress, have extended their support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) for a countrywide protest on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of their agitation against the the Centre's three farm laws.

"We extend our support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to observe a countrywide protest day on May 26 marking the completion

Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemany Soren, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, J&K National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Communist Party of India chief D. Raja and Communist Party of IndiaMarxist's General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

of six months of the heroic peaceful Kisan struggle," said the statement.

Other signatories included former Prime Minister and Janata Dal-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu Chief

Opposition leaders, including Congresss' interim chief Sonia Gandhi had, on May 12, jointly written to Prime Narendra Minister Modi, demanding repeal of the farm laws to "protect lakhs of our 'annadatas' from becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people".

"We demand the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

"The Central Government must stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines," they had said.

Two Khalistan Tiger Force activists apprehended in Punjab Chandigarh, May 23 (IANS): Two activists of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), involved in several heinous crimes including the murder of a 'Dera Premi' and firing on a priest, were arrested in Punjab, Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said on May 23.

The two were acting on the directions of KTF's Canada-based chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose name incidentally figured in the list of Khalistani operatives that was handed over by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the latter's visit to India in 2018.

With the arrest of Lovepreet Singh and Ram Singh late on May 22 night from Mehna village in Moga district, police also foiled a plan to kill another Dera Premi, who they were targeting to take revenge in the Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege cases.

Three 0.32 bore pistols with 38 live cartridges and one 0.315 bore pistol with 10 cartridges, along with two magazines, were seized from them.

"The cargo only flight (BA257F) departed London at 5 p.m. on 21 May and landed in Delhi at 5.45 a.m. on May 22."

According to the airline, the total weight of the medical aid was 18 tonnes, made up of five thousand pieces.

Amongst the medical equipment the airline cited were hundreds

of oxygen concentrators from charities including Oxfam, Khalsa Aid, Christian Aid and LPSUK. Besides, it said the flight was supported by fuel partner Air bp and British Airways ensured the flight was carbon offset.

"Earlier this week, we welcomed customers back on board as international travel starts to open up, but we are mindful that the fight against Covid-19 is not over yet," said British Airways' Chairman and Chief Executive Sean Doyle.

"Our business has a deep

The airline said the special charter flight was funded by British Airways, Air bp, NATS, HAL and Indian ground handlers.

"Over the last 10 days, British Airways has been coordinating with charities and aviation partners both in the UK and India to plan the meticulous load of this aircraft."

Photo Courtesy: IANS

"Mohan (75) was undergoing treatment at the St Stephen's Hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. He passed away on May 21 morning following a cardiac arrest," IIT Delhi Director V. Ramgopal Rao said in a statement.

Mohan was the founder of Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) and was a worldrenowned expert on traffic safety.

"It is a huge loss for all the faculty, students and staff at TRIPP, IIT

www.indianews.com.au

Delhi and all those known to him at the institute and the traffic safety community in India and the rest of the world. We all pray to the almighty to give his family the strength to overcome this huge loss," the statement added.

An alumnus of IIT Bombay and University of Michigan, Mohan was known for his research on road safety and work in areas of advancing motorcycle helmet design.

His research significantly helped develop advanced motorcycle helmet design, pedestrian and bicyclist safety and child restraint regulations. The IIT professor had also pushed for more sustainable modes of public transport in India.

He said while Arshdeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh went to Canada legally in 2019 and 2017, respectively, Charanjit Singh had gone there illegally in 2013-14.

According to initial investigations, led by Senior Superintendent of Police (Moga) Harmanbir Singh Gill, Gupta said Lovepreet Singh and Sharma were known to Arshdeep Singh, as they all belonged to the same village, since childhood.

Investigations were in progress to unravel further links of the accused and trace other previous crimes in which they might have been involved, he added.

A hunt has been launched to arrest the absconding accused Sharma, while a Red Corner notice was issued against Nijjer, who has also been put on the "no fly list" by the Canadian authorities, the DGP said.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

connection with India, it is only right that we continue to support by joining our travel and charity partners to transport much needed medical equipment to India."

Eminent road safety expert Dinesh Mohan falls prey to Covid New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): Dinesh Mohan, an honorary professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and one of the leading experts on traffic safety issues, succumbed to Covid-19 on May 21.

Besides Nijjar, three of their other KTF co-conspirators -- Arshdeep, Ramandip and Charanjit -- are hiding out in Surrey in Canada, while Kamaljeet Sharma is still absconding, DGP Gupta said.

Congress leaders accuse govt of suppressing data on Covid deaths

British Airways flight carrying 18 tonnes of medical supplies arrives in India New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): British Airways on May 22 said that another one of its relief flight has touched down in India for the second time recently as the crisis continues to grip the country.

NEWS FROM INDIA

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS): Citing reports in international media, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on May 26 accused the Central government of suppressing the data on Covid related deaths in the country.

"We will never know the true number of COVID related deaths as the government has worked harder on suppressing this

data than they did fighting the pandemic," Priyanka Gandhi tweeted.

"Numbers don't lie... GOI does," tweeted her brother Rahul Gandhi.

As per the latest data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on May 26, India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases stands at 2,71,57,795 with 24,95,591 active cases and 3,11,388 deaths.

Centre directs social media to remove posts referring to 'Indian Covid variant'

A Volvo Chair Professor Emeritus of IIT Delhi, Mohan was part of the Bus Rapid Transit project in the national capital.

The project was implemented during the Congress-led Sheila Dikshit government in 2008, but it was scrapped by the Aam Aadmi Party government in 2016, with the claim that it is likely to lead to massive traffic jams instead of easing them.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked all social media platforms to immediately remove all content that refers to or implies "Indian variant" of coronavirus.

In an advisory to social media platforms, MEIT said this is in line with earlier advisories to curb fake news, misinformation concerning coronavirus on platforms.

The Ministry said it has come to its notice that a false statement is being circulated online which implies that an "Indian variant" of

coronavirus is spreading across the countries.

"This is completely false. There is no such variant of Covid 19 scientifically called as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO has not associated the term "Indian variant" with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports", the Ministry said.

This has already been clarified by the Health Ministry on May 12 and now social media platforms have been asked to remove all contents which refer to an "Indian variant" of Covid.

6

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

Abandon proposed protest, Punjab CM appeals to BKU Chandigarh, May 23 (IANS): Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday urged the Bhartiya Kisan Union (EktaUgrahan) not to go ahead with their proposed sit-in protest, which could turn into a "superspreader of the contagion".

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Pointing out that even during the peak of the second Covid surge in Punjab, things had not gone out of control here as they had in several other states, the Chief Minister said the state had been one of the best performing so far as the management of the pandemic was concerned.

The Chief Minister said his government had fought hard to prevent Punjab going the way of some other states, such as Delhi, Maharashtra and even Uttar Pradesh, where bodies floating in the Ganga river had exposed the total pandemic "mismanagement" by the BJP-ruled state.

Any event, such as the proposed three-day 'dharna' of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) in Patiala, had the potential to negate the gains made by his government in tackling Covid in the state, he said.

Amarinder Singh urged the farmers' group not to "jeopardise the lives of their own people with such reckless behaviour" amid the pandemic, especially when there is a complete ban in the state on all gatherings and any violation of the ban would be highly detrimental to the interests of Punjab and its people.

Such a 'dharna' would draw people mainly from the villages, which were in any case going through a crisis during the

with that of Punjab, so was Punjab's interest dependent on the farmers' support to his government in the battle against Covid-19.

second wave of the pandemic, he pointed out.

The group's action was also completely unwarranted considering the total support the state government had extended all these months to the agitating farmers on the issue of the Centre's 'black' farm laws, said Amarinder Singh.

His government was the first to pass amendment laws in the state Assembly to negate the farm laws, he pointed out. "It is time for the farmers now to reciprocate by supporting the state in the fight against the pandemic," he said, adding just as the farmers' interests were inexorably linked

There were no widespread shortages of oxygen in hospitals despite shortfall in supply, as the state government had ensured judicious management of the critical commodity, he noted, adding that even availability medications, beds, etc., had been continuously ramped up to keep pace with the spiralling cases.

This, he pointed out, was in sharp contrast to states like Delhi, Maharashtra and UP, among others.

The only serious problem being faced by Punjab was the shortage of vaccines, which was not due to any mismanagement of the state government but that of the Centre, said Amarinder Singh, rejecting all charges of his government failing to tackle the pandemic effectively.

Zydus, TLC sign agreement to sell critical drug to treat Black Fungus New Delhi, May 26 (IANS): Zydus and TLC, a specialty pharmaceutical company in Taiwan, announced on May 26 the signing of a license supply and commercialization agreement to commercialize AmphoTLC (Amphotericin B Liposome for Injection 50mg) in India.

AmphoTLC is a critical drug to treat Mucormycosis or Black Fungus in India. Under the terms of the agreement, TLC will manufacture and supply AmphoTLC on a non-exclusive basis to Zydus, and Zydus will commercialize AmphoTLC in India.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization of India has approved the New Drug Application of TLC for Amphotericin B Liposome for Injection 50mg or AmphoTLC for immediate importation as per approved usage and indication.

AmphoTLC is the first and only complex generic drug to have achieved bioequivalence to Gilead's AmBisome, proving its sameness to the safest form of amphotericin B in the world.

With the surge of infections in India in recent days, AmphoTLC will address the country's acute liposomal amphotericin B

www.indianews.com.au

its quality performance in the developed markets. The steep Mucormycosis is a serious increase in price and the financial fungal infection also known burden it brings is forcing as black fungus, and COVID patients to opt for conventional Associated Mucormycosis amphotericin B, which is known (CAM) is a life-threatening for its nephrotoxicity, with many form of mucormycosis which patients having to discontinue has emerged as a post-COVID usage due to renal toxicities. complication, infecting about Speaking on the development, 30% of COVID patients who Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, are diabetic or otherwise of Cadila Healthcare Ltd, said, immunocompromised. If "With India facing an acute progression of the infection is not treated early, over 60% of patients shortage of the drug to treat mucormycosis, we are making could die. The increasing number this critical drug available in India of CAM cases has resulted in on an immediate basis. The need unprecedented demand for of the hour is to tackle this lifeliposomal amphotericin B, the threatening infection with safe key drug to treat mucormycosis, Photo Courtesy: IANS and effective therapy." causing an acute shortage of the drug.

Commenting on the speed of the

NEWS FROM INDIA

SC stays Allahabad HC directions, stresses against passing orders impossible to implement Photo Courtesy: IANS

after orders were passed by various High Courts, it said that the courts should also look into the submissions made by the government.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): The Supreme Court on May 21 stayed the directions issued by the Allahabad High Court in connection with Covid-19 management in Uttar Pradesh, stressing that the high courts should not pass orders "that are impossible to implement".

While passing its directions, the Allahabad High Court had observed the entire medical system of the state, especially in smaller cities and villages, can only be taken to be like the famous Hindi phrase "Ram bharose" (at the mercy of god).

An apex court bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and B.R. Gavai observed that the High Courts must ponder over the practicality of implementation of their orders. Noting that governments became active

The top court also asked the High Courts to not pass orders having national and international ramifications, and leave these matters for the top court to examine.

"Courts should also have some judicial restraint and not pass orders which are difficult to be implemented," said the bench during the hearing of a plea filed by the Uttar Pradesh government challenging the High Court order.

During the hearing of a PIL on the Covid-19 situation in UP, the Allahabad High Court had passed a slew of directions on May 17 in connection with providing ambulances with ICU facilities in all villages, making oxygen beds available in all nursing homes, upgradation of medical college hospitals in the state etc, on an urgent basis.

But the top court said the High Court should consider the possibility of directions being implemented and avoid passing the orders which are impossible.

Tauktae final toll in Maha 86, all bodies recovered from Arabian Sea Photo Courtesy: IANS

shortage.

AmphoTLC is a liposomal amphotericin B injection indicated for severe systemic fungal infections such as mucormycosis. The drug is approved in Taiwan and has been manufactured and sold

by Yung Shin Pharmaceutical Industrial Co. (YSP) for several years. The approval of AmphoTLC in India follows the conduct of comprehensive due diligence by regulators in India based on the numerous years of development TLC has dedicated as well as

process, George Yeh, President of TLC, said, "We would like to thank Zydus for their quick action and cooperation in enabling a swift commercialization process.

TLC is glad to be able to assist in the humanitarian crisis in such a quick fashion, and as our corporate tagline – Delivering Hope for Life – depicts, we will be delivering the first batch of AmphoTLC to India to help assuage the urgent need for one of the safest and most effective antifungal drugs very soon."

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Mumbai, May 23 (IANS): Exactly a week after the devastating Cyclone Tauktae struck Maharashtra, a total of 86 bodies have been recovered from the Arabian Sea, including 70 from the two vessels that sank near Bombay High Fields, an official said here on Sunday.

Barge Papaa-305 and tugboat Varaprada sank in the Arabian Sea during the cyclone fury and a total of 86 crew members and oil workers died.

While there were 261 persons on board Papaa-305, 13 others were on board Varaprada, an anchorhandling vessel.

A total of 188 survivors - 186 from Papaa-305 and two from Varaprada -- were picked up at sea during the massive India Navy-led search and rescue (SAR) operations which lasted for seven days, the first half being in

extreme weather conditions.

In the past week, 70 bodies were recovered from the Arabian Sea by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.

Besides, over the last couple of days, eight bodies have been recovered, after they were washed ashore on the Raigad coast of Maharashtra, while another eight were found from the Valsad coast in Gujarat.

"All 274 reported missing have been accounted for. Final confirmation, however, will be pending till the identification of all bodies are complete," the officials said.

The navy's teams of expert divers and specialist ship INS Makar located the wreck of Papaa-305 late on Saturday, and a search is still on for tracing the wreckage of the tugboat.

7

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

ABF accused of racism over travel exemptions Photo Courtesy: IANS

from the US and the UK between August 2020 and March 2021, reports Xinhua news agency.

Anyone trying to enter Australia who is not a citizen or resident of Australia amid the pandemic has had to apply for an ABF exemption to do so.

Canberra, May 23 (IANS): The Australian Border Force (ABF) has been accused of racism over travel exemptions enforced after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to government data released on May 22, the ABF was significantly more likely to allow people to come to Australia

More than 23 percent of applicants from the UK and one fifth of those from the US were granted exemptions to travel to Australia despite the pandemic raging in those countries.

By comparison, only 14.9 percent of applicants from China and 7.2 per cent of those from India were approved.

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

Australian youth go on climate strike expand the gas industry.

The rejection rates for prospective travellers from South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal were twice as high as those from the US and the UK.

Canberra, May 21 (IANS): Youngsters across Australia staged strikes on May 21 in a push for the country to take more action against climate change and halt plans to expand the gas industry.

Nick McKim, the immigration spokesperson for the Greens Party, said that the data proved that applicants from mostlywhite countries were approved at higher rates.

School Strike 4 Climate listed dozens of locations including the national capital Canberra and state capitals Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, reports dpa news agency.

Strikers are calling for the government to fund projects that transition the economy towards renewable energy by 2030.

"Ultimately, if Home Affairs can't explain this discrepancy, then they need to urgently review their exemption system to ensure that there is no racial bias influencing decisions," he told Nine Entertainment newspapers.

Organisers tweeted images of crowds with placards across the country alongside the hashtag "FundOurFutureNotGas".

Government in talks with airlines on digital vaccine passports Photo Courtesy: IANS

on May 20, he said holders of vaccination passports could be allowed to be exempt from domestic travel restrictions.

"That is likely to see more strains, more variants, come through, so we have to be exceptionally cautious," Morrison told radio station 3AW.

Thousands were leaving their classrooms to march, broadcaster ABC and Guardian Australia reported.

The protest comes after the country's budget announcement recently, which saw the federal government pledge more than A$58 million ($45 million ) to

Recently, the New South Wales state government announced up to A$600 million of taxpayer money would go towards building a gas-fired power station in the state.

For the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the global energy sector must undergo a massive transformation and new investment in projects using fossil fuels must stop immediately, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in an earlier report.

Climate change has contributed to a series of natural disasters in Australia in recent years, including the 'Black Summer' bushfires of 2019-2020 and flooding earlier this year.

Not yet safe to allow quarantine-free travel to Aus, says PM Photo Courtesy: IANS

"That's why the borders remain closed, and that's why we look to further liberalize things that are safe."

Canberra, May 20 (IANS): The Australian government has opened talks with international airlines on digital vaccine passports for people who have been inoculated against Covid-19, a media report said on May 20.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents about 290

airlines, have been in discussions about the vaccinated Australians using the IATA Travel Pass, Xinhua news agency quoted the Guardian Australia report as saying.

It comes a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged the idea of a digital vaccination passport.

Vinoop Goel, IATA's Asia-Pacific director for airports, told the Guardian that its digital pass was secure and simple.

"Our goal is to try and make sure that borders reopen, and that too without quarantine because you know if you're looking at a 14-day or 21-day quarantine, it does not work for business travel, nor does it work for leisure travel," he said.

Speaking to a radio station

New extinct crocodile species found in outback

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Canberra, May 18 (IANS): A new extinct crocodile species dating back to millions of years ago has been discovered in the sparselypopulated Australian Outback.

A team from the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (NT) on May 17 announced that they have identified the new species belonging to the Baru genus but have not yet named it, reports Xinhua news agency.

Adam Yates, the senior earth science curator at the museum, said the best example of the crocodile's skull was found northeast of Alice Springs in central Australia in 2009.

Based on the skull, which is 8 million years old, Yates said the Baru was comparable in size to a saltwater crocodile but

www.indianews.com.au

significantly heavier.

"This particular specimen is one of the last of its kind. It is by far the nicest and most complete skull of a Baru crocodile that's ever been found," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

He said the crocodile probably weighed more than an equivalent length to a saltwater crocodile, or probably hundreds of kilos.

"It's really strongly built thick, heavy, deep jaws, and really massive teeth all indicate that this was a crocodile that was specialized in taking megafauna," he said. "(Modern crocodiles) subsist mostly on small fish and small prey. This guy didn't subsist on small things. It was specialized for

taking big things all the time."

Baru crocodiles have inhabited Australia for up to 25 million years while modern crocodiles arrived on the continent from Africa a few million years ago.

"The Australian crocodiles are actually recent arrivals on the Australian continent. They belong to the genus Crocodylus, which probably has an origin in Africa," Yates said.

"Whereas Australia's original endemic crocodiles, like this one, have gone extinct completely."

The name of the new species will be announced in 2022.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Canberra, May 18 (IANS): Prime Minister Scott Morrison on May 18 reiterated that it is not yet safe to allow quarantine-free travel to the country, amid increasing pressure to re-open the borders earlier than the mid-2022 date currently planned for.

"I'm not going to take risks with Australians' lives," Xinhua news agency quoted Morrison as saying to reporters here.

On May 17, Jayne Hrdlicka, the Chief Executive of Virgin Australia Airlines, said at a business event that the reopening of borders should be considered when the most vulnerable people are vaccinated against Covid-19.

She acknowledged that "some people may die" but it would be

"way smaller than the flu".

While addressing the media on May 18, Morrison described the comments as "insensitive," saying the pandemic was still raging overseas.

He confirmed that the government is working on a plan that will give vaccinated Australians greater freedoms during future coronavirus outbreaks.

As of May 18, more than 3.18 million Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered in Australia.

At the current pace of roughly 447,000 doses a week, Australia could reach the 40 million doses needed to fully vaccinate the adult population in mid December 2022.

8

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA

Qantas to lay off hundreds Morrison visits NZ for annual meeting of staff Photo Courtesy: IANS

Canberra, May 20 (IANS): Australian flag carrier, Qantas announced on May 20 that it will cut the airline's workforce by several hundred due to the heavy impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its business.

In announcing the proposed staff cutbacks, Qantas boss Alan Joyce said the airline was expecting to have lost about A$16 billion ($12 billion) by the middle of this year, reports Xinhua news agency.

Joyce said the subsequent costcutting measures would include a two-year wage freeze and a voluntary redundancy program for cabin crew on international flights.

Qantas expected several hundred crew members to take the redundancies, which would come on top of 8,500 job losses since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, about 6,000 Qantas workers remain stood down, which means they have stopped working and are not being paid

but remain as employees.

Of approximately 22,000 roles across the group, some 16,000 are currently stood up, including all domestic crew, all corporate employees and some international crew.

"We have to stay focused on managing our costs, especially given the competitive environment, but ultimately, this is part of being able to one day grow again," Joyce said.

Amid the gloomy forecast, he saw some bright signs for the airline, saying "we're slowly starting to turn the corner" and noted that

domestic travel was recovering well.

"Qantas and Jetstar are on track to reach a combined 95 percent of pre-Covid domestic capacity for the quarter ending in June, and well over 100 percent next financial year," he said.

"We've adjusted our expectations for when international borders will start opening based on the government's new timeline, but our fundamental assumption remains the same - that once the national vaccine rollout is effectively complete, Australia can and should open up."

Australia's endangered wallaby population bounces back

Wellington, May 17 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited New Zealand for the annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders' Meeting on May 30-31, it was announced here on May 17.

Prime Minister Morrison back to New Zealand following a difficult year for both our countries through the pandemic," Xinhua news agency quoted Ardern as saying prior to the planned visit.

Morrison and his wife arrived in Queenstown on May 30 and the talks took place the next day, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in the announcement.

According to Ardern, the two Prime Ministers also engaged with Australian and New Zealand business, tourism, and community leaders during the visit.

"I'm looking forward to welcoming

Community-based hubs to assist in vaccine rollout

Brisbane, May 14: The State Government will open 14 Community-Based Vaccination hubs by the end of July helping to make the COVID vaccine rollout easier.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the centres will be established to coincide with increased vaccine supply announced by the Federal Government.

Members of the general public aged 40-49 who may want to receive a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccination will be able to register for vaccination.

“Our job so far has been to vaccinate the 1a and 1b groups that include our workforce in hotel quarantine, health, police and other emergency services,” the Premier said.

“Queensland Health has sufficient Pfizer stocks to continue that work and open up to the 40-49year age group who may want to register to be vaccinated.

“We do not want an ounce of vaccine to go to waste.”

Canberra, May 27 (IANS): A population of the bridled nailtail wallabies in Australia's Queensland state has been brought back from the brink of extinction, after conservation scientists tried a never before used intervention technique on land-based mammals.

This new conservation strategy was conducted by scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), giving the bridled nailtail wallaby a head starting in life, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

Using this method known as 'headstarting', the researchers rounded up bridled nailtail wallabies under a certain size and placed them within a protected area where they could live until adulthood without the threat of their main predators - feral cats - before being released back into the wild.

The Avocet Nature Refuge in

www.indianews.com.au

central Queensland, where scientists chose to conduct the research has only 16 wallabies in 2015.

But after three years of gradually releasing headstarted wallabies that had reached the right size, the estimate of the total population of bridled nailtail wallabies both inside and outside the headstarting exclosure was 47.

The lead author Alexandra Ross described how they decided on the strategy to only focused on the juvenile wallabies from feral cats, saying juvenile wallabies under 3 kg, or smaller than a rugby ball, are easy prey for feral cats, while the survival rate of adults is much higher than juvenile wallabies.

"So we figured if we can just get them through that tough period - when they're still little and an easy size for a cat to prey on - by putting them in feral-free

protected areas, then we could make a positive difference to the population numbers," said Ross.

Bridled nailtail wallabies were even believed extinct from 1937 until 1973 when a fencing contractor reported he had seen a population living on a property near Dingo of Queensland.

Up until now, headstarting has been successfully used with some birds, fish and seals, and scientists believed it should also be implemented for terrestrial mammals.

Mike Letnic, a co-author of the article, said one of the drawbacks with separating animals for longer periods in feral-free enclosures was that animals unlearned their fear of predators on the outside, but she believed that headstarting could avoid this problem, as animals are only separated from predators for a few months or a year at the most.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Four community-based vaccination locations have already been set up across the Wide Bay and Mackay regions at: Central Queensland University City Campus (Mackay) Bundaberg TAFE

Hervey Bay TAFE

Maryborough City Hall Three community-based vaccination locations in southeast Queensland will be set up in the coming weeks.

An additional seven communitybased vaccination locations will progressively be opened.

The state is preparing for mass vaccination when supplies of Pfizer vaccine are expected to increase in the last quarter of 2021.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the community hubs would assist Queensland’s recalibrated rollout.

“Since the TGA’s advice regarding AstraZeneca, Queensland has had to adapt its approach to the vaccine rollout,” the Minister said.

“We’re making the vaccine as accessible as possible and maximising our vaccine administration capacity.

“Already, we have stood up Pfizer hubs at hospitals in every HHS across Queensland to provide greater vaccine accessibility.

“The Palaszczuk Government will ensure that our vaccine rollout is accessible as possible, and these community vaccine hubs will further assist Queenslanders, no matter where they are, to get access to the vaccine.”

ADVERTISE WITH US

Call us at 1300 859 066 9

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

Victoria to go into week-long lockdown Photo Courtesy: IANS

connecting the SA case to the Melbourne family.

As of Thursday, contract tracers had listed almost 80 exposure sites where at least one of the infected people had visited.

One helpful consequence of the outbreak is that there has been an upsurge in Victorians getting vaccinated with 15,858 people receiving their jab on Tuesday, whereas the previous average daily uptake was less than 6,300.

Melbourne, May 27 (IANS): Health authorities struggling to contain a fresh Covid outbreak in the Australian state of Victoria have imposed a seven-day lockdown from midnight Thursday.

The state-wide restrictions, announced by the state's Acting Premier James Merlino on Thursday morning, followed a cluster of 26 new local cases centred around the capital city of Melbourne this week, reports Xinhua news agency.

One of those cases is now in intensive care in hospital and on a ventilator.

The "circuit-breaker" restrictions, which will be in place until 11.59 p.m. on June 3, include the compulsory wearing of face masks except at home, and the closure of schools, except to care for the children of essential workers.

Supermarkets and banks will remain open but cafes will be limited to take-away.

Victorians will need five reasons to leave their homes including

food and supplies, care giving, authorised work, exercising for two hours with another person (within 5 km from home) or getting vaccinated.

Merlino said it was essential to act decisively, saying "unless something drastic happens, this will become increasingly uncontrollable".

"If we make the wrong choice now, if we wait too long, this thing will get away from us," he said.

The outbreak was detected on Monday when four members of the same family from Whittlesea in north Melbourne tested positive and then on Tuesday a man with connections to that family was also found to be infected.

Genomic testing has connected the cluster to a case of the Indian strain of the virus earlier this month at a quarantine hotel from the neighbouring state of South Australia (SA).

Authorities, however, have yet to locate the "missing link"

That figure should now increase with Merlino announcing on Thursday that every Victorian aged 40 to 49 would be immediately eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, while those aged over 50 would still be offered the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"We need you to make a booking, so I really encourage everyone, if you are eligible, get vaccinated," he said.

Meanwhile, authorities in other Australian states and territories have responded to the growing Victorian crisis.

Queensland and SA have closed their borders to more than 200,000 people from Whittlesea, while Western Australia on Thursday banned Victorians from entering the state unless they can obtain an exemption.

New South Wales has closed its border to non-residents who have visited exposure sites and Tasmania has banned anyone who has visited the exposure sites to travel to the island state unless they are classified as being essential travellers.

PM backs dedicated quarantine facility in Victoria

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Melbourne, May 28 (IANS): Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated support for a dedicated quarantine facility in Victoria after the state was placed under a seven-day coronavirus lockdown.

The state government of Victoria in April asked for federal government funding for a proposed 500-bed facility for returning travellers 30 km north of Melbourne CBD, reports Xinhua news agency.

Morrison on Thursday gave the strongest indication yet that support will be forthcoming, flagging an earlier start to construction than the September date set by the state government.

We are highly favourable towards this. We think it can be done actually quicker, that's one of the things we're working through with them now," he added.

The announcement came hours after Merlino announced that Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, would go into lockdown for seven days after a Covid outbreak that started with a hotel quarantine breach in South Australia (SA) grew to more than 20 cases.

It is the fourth time that Victoria, the state hit hardest by the pandemic, has been placed under a lockdown.

"We are working with the Victorian government," he told reporters.

Morrison has faced strong criticism throughout the pandemic over his failure to establish a specialized quarantine facility for returning travellers.

"They've put forward a few weeks ago, I think a very useful proposal.

I discussed this yesterday with (Acting Premier) James Merlino.

Since March 2020, citizens and residents returning to Australia from overseas have been subjected to 14 days of mandatory

www.indianews.com.au

NEWS FROM VICTORIA

Government aids rural and regional Victoria’s recovery May 20, 2021: The Andrews Labor Government is backing rural and regional Victorians with investments in schools, hospitals, roads and rail – helping keep communities strong and growing local jobs.

The Victorian Budget 2021/22 provides almost $3.7 billion for regional initiatives, taking the Labor Government’s total investment in regional Victoria to $26 billion since 2015. Some $129 million in regional development and agriculture investments will deliver local solutions to local problems and advance a 10‑year plan to strengthen agriculture in Victoria and the 77,000 jobs that it supports. The Budget will grow local economies and jobs across the state, with dedicated support for projects and programs that make the regional communities even better places to live, work and invest.

The government is backing the Latrobe Valley, where a $10 million investment in the Morwell Food Manufacturing Precinct will provide crucial services and better access to fast‑track development of the site, which is forecast to support up to 1,700 ongoing manufacturing jobs when up and running. In Victoria’s southwest, the Budget invests $17.4 million towards job creation and economic diversification in Portland and communities across the Glenelg Shire – including funding for local freight road upgrades, Stage 2 of the Henty Employment Precinct Infrastructure Upgrades, a new Portland Diversification Fund and a new Victorian Government office in Portland. In Northern Victoria, the Government is investing $1.6 million in the design and construction of preliminary infrastructure at the Hilldene Employment Precinct in Seymour to address the shortage of industrial land in the town and pave the way for more jobs.

Investment is also being made in strong local communities. The Budget supports programs like Go Goldfield’s Every Child, Every Chance program with a $1 million

investment to bring together community, business, and government and not‑for‑profit partners to support children in Maryborough – so they can grow up safe, healthy, and confident. Government is also providing assistance to create jobs for people who experience barriers to employment while investing in local leadership to support recovery with $2 million for the successful Community Leadership program and $3 million in the Growing Regional Opportunities for Work (GROW) program. Operating in five locations across the state, GROW has created more than 480 employment opportunities, with 370 businesses signed up. Regional Partnerships continue to play a critical role in helping develop opportunities and overcome challenges in the local communities. An investment of $5.1 million will further strengthen Regional Partnerships so they can continue to elevate regional voices, insights, and issues. The Budget delivers on the Labor Government’s transformative 10‑year agriculture strategy with $46.4 million to strengthen, grow and protect the sector so it continues to be a cornerstone of the economy. Victoria has built a reputation across the globe for high‑quality produce – the Budget will further boost the state’s standing by investing $11.7 million to strengthen agriculture traceability systems and protect Victorian jobs. This includes the establishment of a traceability information hub, the development of new systems to prove the origin and quality of Victorian produce, and campaigns to promote Victoria’s paddock to plate journey. Improved Australian and Victorian traceability standards will ensure Victoria is in a leading position with overseas markets, furthering the demand for the produce. The Budget provides $19.9 million to fast‑track the agriculture sector’s response to climate change.

quarantine in hotels.

However, flaws in the system have been exposed with, according to the Guardian Australia, 16 leaks across the country linked to breaches.

Victoria's second wave of infections, which caused more than 800 of Australia's 910 Covid-19 deaths and triggered a 112-day lockdown in Melbourne last year, began with a hotel quarantine breach.

Morrison has repeatedly rejected criticism of the system, saying it has been "99.99 per cent effective" at stopping the virus from entering the Australian community.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

10

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

NEWS FROM VICTORIA

PM acknowledges Indian community Restrictions imposed to break Covid chain, only for Australia’s multiculturalism essential activities allowed during visit to Melbourne temple they’re suffering hardship and going through great difficulty, particularly when you have so many family and friends who are in other places, a long way from where you are. It's tough.

And in those times, you don't look to governments, you look to each other. You look to your community, you look to your faith, and it has been your faith and it has been your community, it has been your friendships that have sustained you so magnificently over the course of these last 18 months.”

P

rime Minister Scott Morrison visited the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Melbourne on 19th May and reached out to the Indian community. This visit comes close on the heels of Australia lifting its ban on repatriation flights from India. The ban which lasted till 15th May was widely criticized for being unnecessarily harsh and discriminatory. The PM’s visit to the temple comes at an appropriate time to reinforce India and Australia’s profound ties.

Drawing parallels between multiculturalism and masala (blend of spices), the PM said in his speech, “When I talk about multiculturalism in Australia I often talk about it in the context of masala. And you’ll think about a masala, a wonderful masala and how it brings together all the different spices and the smells and the colours. And they all come

together, the different tastes, the bitter and the sweet, and then it makes something as you taste it, and you smell, and the aroma is something wonderful. And then you mix it in with your onions, and your chillies and your garlic, and I'm looking forward to the cooking. And it creates something absolutely magnificent. And this is, I think, a wonderful metaphor of what multiculturalism is in this country. And in particular, I think about what the Hindu community and Sikh communities and so many other communities of faith bring to this country.”

Highlighting the indispensable role of the community and its members, he commented, “This has been a very difficult time for Australians over the last 18 months, but not just here as we know, all around the world.

And, you know, when things are difficult, when peoples patience are tested, and when

Stating further on the grim status of the third wave of the pandemic, the PM emphasized, “The tragedy that we see in particular in India, at the moment, and throughout the developing world, is so hard.

It is so hard to see. And for so many of our family and friends caught up in what is a terrible humanitarian tragedy, all I can say is that Australia will continue to do all we can to provide support to our friends, not just in India, but in other places where we know that we can provide some support. Our consular staff are providing support right now to roughly 11,000 Australians who are registered to return to Australia, including 970 who we know are particularly vulnerable.

But over the course of the pandemic, more than 20,000 Australians we’ve been able to bring home from India, 20,000.

And that has included almost 40 facilitated flights to bring Australians who have been in India back home to safety here.”

Victoria requests more defence staff for Covid response Melbourne, May 28 (IANS): Victoria on Friday asked the federal government for additional defence personnel to help its coronavirus response.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

"We will be putting a formal request through for additional Australian Defence Force (ADF) staff. The request will be for around 160 ADF staff for at least the next fortnight to assist our authorised officers in doorknocking," said the state's Acting Premier James Merlino.

Merlino told the press on Friday that with the additional ADF staff pairing up with authorised officers, the state could effectively double its capacity to conduct door-knocking on positive cases and primary close contacts, which are "really important work over the next few weeks", Xinhua news agency reorted.

"The Commonwealth are looking at this and I want to again thank the Commonwealth for their efforts in supporting Victoria in any way that we need," he said.

www.indianews.com.au

Merlino's remarks came as the state entered the first day of a seven-day lockdown from midnight Thursday.

the lockdown would impact on families, business and broader communities.

It is also the fourth lockdown the state experienced since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As of Friday, Victoria has recorded four new local cases, which are all related to current outbreak, bringing the total number of active cases to 39.

Merlino said the government would work on business financial support package in the coming days in this "more difficult" period, as it was expected that

A record number of 47,462 tests were processed on Thursday, along with a rising demand for COVID-19 vaccinations and forward bookings.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

May 30 2021: On the advice of the public health team, Victoria moved to circuit breaker restrictions from 11:59pm on May 30. These settings will remain in place until 11:59pm on 3 June – but if possible, it can be ended sooner. As seen here, and across Australia, this kind of short, sharp action is effective in stopping this thing in its tracks.

The public health experts’ prime concern is as to just how fast the B1.617.1 variant is moving.

Overseas, they haven’t been able to track how quickly this version of the virus can move. Here in Victoria, though, it is being seen not only how quick it is – but how contagious it is too. The contact tracers are identifying and locking down first ring, second ring and third ring contacts within 24 hours. That’s faster than ever. And yet this variant is still moving faster. The time between catching the virus and passing it on is tighter than ever. The ‘serial interval’ – how long it takes between the onset of symptoms in the first and secondary case – is in many cases just over a day. It means that although these cases are all connected, this variant of the virus is making people more infectious, more quickly. If the wrong choice is made now, and if there is too much hesitation, this thing will get away from the residents. And lives will be at risk.

It’s why from 11:59pm on May 30, there are just five reasons to leave home: Food and supplies.

Authorised work. Care and caregiving. Exercise, for up to two hours and with one other person.

And getting vaccinated.

Exercise and shopping is now limited to five kilometres from home. If there are no shops in 5km radius, individuals can travel to the ones closest to them. Shopping is also limited to one person per day, per household. Face masks will also need to be worn inside and outdoors – everywhere except one’s own home. Private and public gatherings will not be permitted, although visiting one’s intimate partner continues to be okay. Single person bubbles are also allowed. Childcare and kinder remain open, but schools have closed other than for the children of authorised workers and vulnerable kids. Shops like supermarkets, food stores, bottle shops, banks, petrol stations and pharmacies also remain open. Cafes and restaurants are offering take-away only. Gyms, hairdressers, community facilities and entertainment venues have all closed. Non-essential retail may only open for click and collect.

Hotels and accommodation can only stay open to support guests already staying onsite. No new bookings can be made – unless it’s for one of the permitted purposes, like authorised work.

It’s clear – more than ever – this virus isn’t going away. And vaccines are the only way ever to get back to normal. Without full vaccination, this virus will just keep mutating – and just keep making its way back in. To that end, from May 31 and dependent upon supply from the Federal Government, all Victorians over the age of 40 have become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

May 27, 2021: The Commonwealth’s COVID-19 vaccination program has again expanded in Victoria to include everyone aged 40 years and over.

From May 28 more than half of all Victorians have become eligible to receive either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines – helping protect themselves, their loved ones, and our whole community.

vaccine available. Victorians aged 50 years and over will continue to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, either through a staterun vaccination centre or a participating GP clinic – as recommended by ATAGI. While many vaccination centres are accepting walk-in appointments for people aged 50 years and over, bookings via the 1800 675 398 hotlines are preferred. Since launching the first high-volume vaccination centres, the state-run program has expanded rapidly to more than 30 hubs across both metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Victoria has seen record demand recently for vaccinations and forward bookings, and the Victorian Government is grateful for the public’s response and patience.

Vaccine roll-out to expand to all Victorians 40 and above

Victorians aged 40-49 years can access the Pfizer vaccine at state run vaccination sites, in line with advice from ATAGI. People aged 40-49 years receiving the Pfizer vaccine must book an appointment by calling the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398 – and can do so now – this is essential as not all vaccination centres will have the Pfizer

11

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

Safety top priority as Canberrans welcome e-scooters alternative transport options.

The majority of people are using e-scooters for recreation and fun (84%), followed by getting to and from work (31%), going to the shops (25%) and getting to public transport (22%).

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Canberra, May 24: By now, purple and orange e-scooters are a familiar sight around town.

Since the shared e-scooter scheme commenced in September 2020, they’ve become a permanent fixture in town. New survey results have shown a high level of support for the shared e-scooter scheme in Canberra, with 27% of people reporting they have used a Neuron or Beam e-scooter to scoot around the city and Belconnen. The survey, which was completed by 1,907 people

as part of the YourSay panel, has shown two-thirds of respondents (65%) support the e-scooter scheme.

Canberra, May 21: After being on hold for five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Free Plant Issue Scheme at Yarralumla Nursery has recommenced. The Free Plant Issue Scheme has been running since 1930 to preserve the concept of Canberra as a ‘garden city’. The aim of the scheme is to provide new homeowners with plants to begin a thriving garden in their own backyard. The plants provided by the nursery will be suitable for Canberra’s climate and soil conditions. Stuart Cater, a recent customer of the scheme, heard about the free plants available through friends. He said that the scheme has greatly benefitted him by reducing the costs involved with landscaping his backyard. “Being a relatively new homeowner, the scheme has

really helped to get my garden established and takes the burden of cost away,” Stuart said. “The scheme has also benefitted the community and Canberra by greenifying new suburbs, particularly where there’s not a lot of plant coverage.” Stuart said that the free plant scheme is very important for Canberra. “It’s a good opportunity to see native plants and species thrive. It’s also great to see a lot more greenery in Canberra, particularly in new suburbs where garden beds would otherwise sit empty.” Out of the many plants available for customers to receive, Stuart said that his favourite plant are the native grasses. “The native plants are very durable and look nice all year round.” To be eligible for an allocation of trees and

Other key findings from the survey include: 95% of people found it easy to find an e-scooter.

63% of people feel the scheme should also extend into other areas of Canberra, most notably close to where respondents live – reflecting the desire by many people in the community for

The survey also found that the majority of people feel safe around e-scooters; however some members of the community feel unsafe around e-scooters or feel they are not being used in a safe manner. The ACT Government is taking this issue seriously and will continue to work with Neuron and Beam, the two shared e-scooter providers, to ensure ongoing community safety education and awareness is taking place.

A new safety campaign has been launched to educate e-scooter users on how to be a safe and considerate rider. A series of short videos are now available, which focus on road rules, riding and parking etiquette, wearing helmets and not riding after drinking alcohol. Whether you are riding a shared e-scooter, or your own, it’s important to know the rules and be a considerate rider.

It will keep yourself and others safe.

Free greenery for new homeowners

shrubs, new homeowners must make a booking with Yarralumla Nursery any time within two years of signing the land purchase agreement.

Homeowners can choose from a range of locally grown plants to the value of $220 per block, under one of the following three packages: Package A: 20 x 140mm pots Package B: 10 x 200mm pots Package C: 10 x 140mm and 5 x 200mm pots Bookings with Yarralumla Nursery are essential to receive the plants and can be made by calling 6207 7779. Bookings will be available between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday.

Truck art winners throw light on importance of recycling Photo Courtesy: IANS

Canberra, May 12: Bin collection day may not seem like the most

www.indianews.com.au

exciting item on the agenda, but on May 12 morning two Canberra

students had their eyes peeled for the recycling truck for good reason. Twelve-year-old Olivia Zhang, of Garran Primary School (now at Radford College), and 15-year-old Elwyn Copelin, of Orana Steiner School, were in for a special treat when they were able to see their artwork appear on two of SUEZ’s new waste collection trucks. The two talented students were the winners of an ACT NoWaste competition for local students to design the signage for two new recycling trucks. Held in November, the competition coincided with National Recycling Week. The competition had two

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

NEWS FROM THE ACT

Namadgi School students come up with new Indigenous-inspired uniform

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Canberra, May 21: “I got a chill – it was a proud moment.” This was the reaction from Namadgi School Principal Tiffany Mahon when the school’s secondary students stepped out for the first time in an Indigenous-inspired uniform which they designed themselves.

The group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students worked alongside Canberra Aboriginal design business Darkies Designs to design the new t-shirts and hoodies, which incorporate the school colours with traditional storytelling elements. Tiffany said the idea for the uniforms came “organically,” after it was found some of the school’s Indigenous students weren’t always wearing the school uniform.

“I really wanted all of our students in school uniform, and not all of them were,” Tiffany said. “When our Indigenous education officer talked to some of the Indigenous kids, they found the uniform wasn’t something they connected with. We’re a positive behaviour school, so we thought about how we can get the outcome we wanted through a really affirming, positive approach that taps into what students want and their values. The students came up with the idea of designing a uniform that they could connect with, and they followed it through right to the end.”

The process of designing the uniforms took about a year, with the students initially sharing their ideas with Darkies Designs owner Dion Devow. Dion then came categories for the two different types of collection vehicles: a recycling message design for the recycling specific truck, and a waste avoidance message for the mixed-use collection truck.

Olivia’s design will grace the recycling truck while Elwyn’s design will feature on the mixeduse collection truck.

Elwyn said she was looking forward to the Canberra community seeing her artwork.

“I think it will be cool to know that there is a truck driving around with my artwork on it,” she said. “I created this artwork because I thought that reducing waste matters to the whole world.

Not just Australia or the ACT, which I thought at first.” Olivia said coming face to face with

back to the students with four draft designs which they could choose from. Students Decoadah and Tyreece Lewis presented the designs to the school’s board recently, which approved them unanimously. Tyreece said he felt “proud” when he saw the uniform for the first time. “I’m proud of the design and that everyone’s wearing them,” he said. “A lot of students have come up to me and have said, ‘you did a good job.’” Tyreece explains the design on the back of the t-shirt means ‘meeting place,’ while the Eagle represents Ngunnawal land. “The pathways lead to the meeting place and represent education, and the snake’s just in there to look cool,” he said. The “one mob” slogan on the jumper means “we’re one community and supporting each other,” year 9 student William Ervin said.

While promoting inclusiveness, Tiffany said the process also taught students a valuable lesson in advocating for change. “For me as an educator I was proud watching them learn how to advocate for positive change and all the hurdles that come with that, including successfully working with organisations to get the outcome you want,” she said. “They had to work with me, the design company and the board, and these students have done that every step of the way. Now they can do that for themselves or others for the rest of their lives.” The uniforms are currently available to purchase for secondary school students. her design was “really cool.” “I loved seeing it on the truck, it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, so that was really cool,” she said. “I’m excited to see it driving around Canberra.” Just over 450 entries were received from ACT students aged between 4 and 18 years old from schools across Canberra. Majura Primary School, North Ainslie Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School and Burgmann Anglican School were among the schools that contributed a large number of entries from their students thanks to the hard work of their teachers. The ACT NoWaste Waste Education and Partnerships Team shortlisted 12 artworks for each of the trucks, a total of 24 shortlisted entries.

12

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND

Students urged to start reading Jobkeeper withdrawal again for 2021 Premier’s Challenge adversely impacts QueenBrisbane, May 19: Queensland school students are being encouraged to get reading as part of the 16th annual Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Education Minister and McConnel MP Grace Grace visited Brisbane Central State School on May 19 to officially launch the challenge, reading to year 1 students.

The Premier said the challenge put literacy front and centre for children in early childhood centres to students right through to Year 9.

“When I was at school, I loved reading and I still do. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book,” the Premier said.

“A love of reading starts at a young age and is something our students will need for the rest of their lives.

“This Challenge is a great way for our young people to build their confidence and improve their skills through books.”

The Premier said during last year’s Challenge, 2.23 million books were read by more than 161,000 children across more than 1200 schools and early childhood centres.

“It’d be great to see as many students, if not more involved this year, particularly after a challenging year with COVID last year.

“Good luck to all those taking part and remember, it’s not a competition, just enjoy the challenge of setting goals and reading great books.”

Brisbane Central State School principal Michael Grogan said he was confident in seeing an increase in student participation.

“Our students are voracious readers and learners, and we’re always at or near 100% participation in the Challenge,” Mr Grogan said.

“Anything that gets children reading more, and parents involved in reading with their children, has to be a great initiative.

“In my first year here in 2017, we had around 300 students and worked out that all the books they read would add up to a tower roughly one kilometre high!”

The Premier and Minister Grace also inspected construction of a new $16.9 million classroom building while at the school.

“Tradies are working hard on the new three-storey building which is expected to be finished in October this year,” Ms Grace said.

“It’ll be a state-of-the-art learning centre once it’s finished, featuring 12 classrooms, a library, admin area, canteen, uniform shop and outdoor learning spaces.

“Construction is supporting 50 local jobs which is a fantastic boost for our economy.

“This new building will totally transform Brisbane Central which is a popular, growing inner-city school.”

For more information on the Premier’s Reading Challenge, visit www.readingchallenge.education. qld.gov.au.

sland jobs’ performance

Brisbane, May 20: The first Labour Force data since the Morrison Government’s withdrawal of JobKeeper has ended a run of four consecutive months of jobs growth in Queensland.

Treasurer and Minister for Investment Cameron Dick said the loss of 7,400 jobs in April ran against the strong tide of recent employment data for Queensland.

“All the data shows Queensland is in a strong position when it comes to employment growth as we continue to deliver Queensland’s plan for economic recovery,” the Treasurer said.

“However, the April data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the abrupt end of JobKeeper was a setback.

“Since the pandemic first impacted Australia in March 2020, Queensland has seen the largest growth in jobs in Australia, with a 2.1% increase, or an additional

54,900 jobs.

“This means that 307,400 jobs have been created in Queensland since the election of the Palaszczuk Labor Government in 2015.

“Across the last 12 months we’ve seen nation-leading growth in employment (+7.8%), labour force (+6.5%) and the participation rate (+3.4%).”

“By comparison, New South Wales, which lost 36,700 jobs in April alone, is yet to recover all the jobs lost during the pandemic.”

“We know from the latest Federal Budget that Scott Morrison is sitting on an election war chest worth about $9 billion in ‘decisions taken but not announced’.”

“Scott Morrison must use this money to end his rip off of Queenslanders and to reverse the jobs lost following his abrupt end to JobKeeper.”

2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards finalists announced respectful state,” the Premier said.

“The finalists for the 2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards represent the best of our state – people coming together to improve the understanding of this country’s history and cultural heritage, connect communities, create opportunities for growth and build respectful relationships between Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous peoples.

Brisbane, May 21: Nineteen inspiring Queensland businesses, community groups, educational institutions and government entities have been named as finalists in the 2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards, acknowledging their achievements and contributions toward reconciliation, diversity and inclusivity.

The 2021 finalists include organisations helping to close the gap by improving access to health services, schools championing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and businesses increasing cultural competency training and employing more First Nations people.

Ahead of National Reconciliation Week, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the initiatives of the 2021 finalists promote and enhance reconciliation in their communities.

“Queenslanders continue to pave the path toward reconciliation, amplifying First Nations voices and creating a fairer, more

www.indianews.com.au

“I congratulate all our finalists in 2021 and thank everyone who submitted nominations for their commitment to education, connection and healing.”

Minister for Seniors, Disability Services and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Craig Crawford congratulated finalists in the Health and wellbeing category – a new category in 2021.

“After a year of strengthened partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, communities and government working together to keep Queenslanders safe and healthy, it’s fitting that a Health and wellbeing category has been added to the Queensland Reconciliation Awards,” Mr Crawford said.

“The Health and wellbeing category recognises the work of businesses, charities and community groups to optimise health responses and help close the gap between Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians, so more Queenslanders, families and communities have the opportunity to thrive.”

“This year we have selected three finalists – Ronald McDonald House Charities North Australia, Wheels of Wellness and Bama Services – whose programs and initiatives are enhancing access to medical treatments, mental health support and preventative services.

From health and environment, to education and employment, actions to support reconciliation across all sectors and industries are important as we progress a Path to Treaty towards a more inclusive and just future for Queensland.”

Queensland Reconciliation Awards Ambassador Johnathan Thurston said he had been greatly encouraged by the diversity and innovation of nominations.

“Seeing Queenslanders working towards a more respectful and dynamic community is gratifying, and I am continuously struck by this in my role as Awards Ambassador,” Mr Thurston said.

“Hearing about the varied initiatives that are taking place, most especially the initiatives making a difference in schools and educational institutions, highlights the caring nature of Queenslanders and their want to improve their community.

“I greatly anticipate the announcement of the winners for 2021 as the pool of finalists is very strong. It is a pleasure to have seen so many incredible initiatives throughout my time as Ambassador.”

The 2021 Queensland Reconciliation Awards will be announced at ceremony in Townsville this June, coinciding with National Reconciliation

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Week.

Education

Winning initiatives across the categories of business, community, education, health and wellbeing, partnership and the Premier’s Reconciliation Award receive a share of $30,000 in prize money.

Goodstart Early Learning Shailer Park for Our Nangara group

The Queensland Reconciliation Awards is an initiative of the Queensland Government through the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.

The awards are proudly supported by Bank of Queensland, The University of Queensland, the Queensland University of Technology, James Cook University and Santos.

2021 Finalists: Business Lendlease Queensland Multhana Property Services North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation for North Queensland Bulk Ports Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2020–22 Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union for Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union First Nations Branch Community Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane COOEE Indigenous Family and Community Education Centre for COOEE Elders Supply Aus for Supply Aus improves lives through business growth Of One Mind for WOW – Women of the World

Gracemere State School for Gracemere State School Watch this Space – Darumbal Wadya is HERE! Marsden State School Robina State High School for Robina State High School Yarning Circle project Health and wellbeing Ronald McDonald House Charities North Australia for Closing the Gap and cultural inclusion at Ronald McDonald House Charities North Australia Wheels of Wellness Bama Services for Bama Services support and wellbeing program Partnership Douglas Shire Council and Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation for Indigenous Language Signage program Wuthathi and Meriam Nation (Ugar, Mer, Erub), BHP, Department of Environment and Science, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Great Barrier Reef Foundation for Raine Island Recovery Project Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and Rainforest 4 Foundation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld), Northern Peninsula Area Justice Services Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (NPA Community Justice Group) and Queensland Police Service (Bamaga Station) for the Northern Peninsula Area Licensing Muster Initiative

13

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

African-Americans accounted for 27% of all police killings in 2020 Photo Courtesy: IANS

not discount the value of quality policing and the relative infrequency of excessive use of force.

Justice Department statistics for 2018 show that of some 61 million people older than 16 who had at least one contact with police, 1 per cent had a gun pointed at them, said Jim Burch, president of the National Police Foundation, a non-profit focused on improving policing.

Washington, May 24 (IANS): New data has revealed that 27 per cent of all the 1,127 people who were killed by the police last year in the US were African-Americans.

According to the data collected

by Mapping Police Violence, a research collaborative, just under 50 per cent of those killed were white people, a demographic that accounts for 68 per cent of the nation's 330 million residents, Xinhua news agency reported.

In contrast, as Covid-19 disproportionately killed people of colour, black people represented 27 per cent of all police deaths last year, although they are 13 per cent of the population.

Latinos comprised 21 per cent of those killed and are 17 per cent of the population.

The database does not break out police deaths of Asian Americans and Native Americans.

"In some of the cases, officers face murder charges. In others, their actions have been deemed within the law. In every case, family members say their loved ones did not deserve to die. They vow to pursue accountability so that others can be spared the same fate," a USA Today report said on May 23.

Law enforcement supporters said that while some reforms are necessary, citizens should

"While no one can deny that excessive force is a problem and in 2020 we saw this first-hand with the murder of George Floyd and the deaths of others, the majority of officers encounter the public every day without the use of force and in response to requests for their assistance," Burch was quoted as saying.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after being restrained for more than nine minutes by Derek Chauvin, a white former police officer, now a convicted murderer.

Video footage of Floyd's brutal killing by Chauvin and his three colleagues triggered nationwide protests over race, and the call for racial justice resonated all around the world.

Global Covid deaths at least double of official records Photo Courtesy: IANS

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): Multiple estimates now suggest a significant undercounting of Covid deaths globally.

WHO in a report "The true death toll of Covid-Estimating global excess mortality", says that preliminary estimates suggest the total number of global deaths attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 is at least 3 million, representing 1.2 million more deaths than officially reported.

With the latest Covid-19 deaths reported to WHO now exceeding 3.3 million, based on the excess mortality estimates produced for 2020, we are likely facing a significant undercount of total deaths directly and indirectly attributed to Covid-19.

WHO said Covid-19 deaths are a key indicator to track the evolution of the pandemic.

www.indianews.com.au

China cashes in on India’s vaccine diplomacy debacle Photo Courtesy: IANS

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): India's much-hyped 'vaccine diplomacy' has fallen apart after the country failed to send the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to many of the beneficiary countries which had received the first dose.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs which initiated the programme 'vaccine maitri' to showcase India's humanitarian approach even as it is an aspirational power, has lost face since the virulent second wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.

The government had to suspend the programme as it grappled with shortage of vaccines at home amidst rising Covid-19 cases and related fatalities. As a result, India has been forced to seek foreign medical aid from the US, EU, UAE, Singapore and even the Chinese Red Cross.

Domestically, the opposition parties criticised External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for giving away the vaccine to foreign countries when it was severely required at home.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury, whose young son Ashish died due to Covid-19 complications, attributed the rise in Covid-19 related deaths and shortage of the vaccines. "In a country where we had successful mass vaccination drives, 'vaccine diplomacy' and refusal to place timely purchase orders landed us in this gigantic human tragedy," he tweeted.

As per estimates of the World Health Organisation (WHO) the actual number of deaths could be even 2 or 3 times high.

"WHO estimates show that #COVID19 was responsible for at least 3 million excess deaths in 2020. That's 1.2 million more deaths than officially reported.

The actual number could even be two or three times higher", Samira Asma, Assistant Director General , @WHO for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact said in a tweet.

WORLD NEWS

However, many countries still lack functioning civil registration and vital statistics systems with the capacity to provide accurate, complete and timely data on births, deaths and causes of death. A recent assessment found that the percentage of registered deaths ranged from 98% in the European region to only 10% in the African region.

Countries also use different processes to test and report Covid-19 deaths, making comparisons difficult. To overcome these challenges, many countries have turned to excess mortality as a more accurate measure of the true impact of the pandemic, WHO said.

Excess mortality is defined as the difference in the total number of deaths in a crisis compared to those expected under normal conditions. Covid-19 excess mortality accounts for both the

total number of deaths directly attributed to the virus as well as the indirect impact, such as disruption to essential health services or travel disruptions.

For 2020, excess mortality attributable to Covid-19 is defined as the difference between the total observed deaths for the year and those expected in the absence of Covid-19. The measure cannot be determined for all countries due to data gaps within some countries.

WHO said at the regional level, Covid-19 excess mortality estimates range from 1.34-1.46 million in the Region of the Americas to 1.11-1.21 million in the European Region in 2020.

This represents about 60% and 50% more than reported Covid-19 deaths, respectively.

Other reports say that based on a comparison of Coronavirus deaths in 204 countries relative to

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Congress Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh, while questioning the government's vaccine their population, Hungary had the most losses to Covid-19 up until May 21, 2021.

The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine is projecting about 9.2 million deaths globally by September 1. "Cases globally are declining but mortality is stagnant. Still, the detection rate of Covid-19 infections is very low, about 7% globally. Based on the seroprevalence surveys that we track at IHME, we estimate about 24% of the public have been infected, so it means that many people are still susceptible out there. Effective R is above 1 in 63 countries, indicating that cases will increase in the coming weeks in these locations."

diplomacy, put up a poster on the issue outside his residence.

Even within the ruling party BJP, parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy in a scathing attack tweeted, "We patriotic Indians are sad that our country regarded as World's largest manufacturer of vaccines, and claimant for being Atmanirbhar Bharat nation, has fallen due to hubris, to sending External Affairs Minister on mission to the US and EU to plead for vaccines!!"

In its immediate neighbourhood in South Asia where India is seen as the top most leader, it had to cede space to the Asian giant China which saw an opportunity to do vaccine politics and assert its hegemonic influence. The Chinese Communist Party regime on May 18 convened a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from five South Asian countries assuring them that it will help them with Covid-19 vaccines.

There are also reports that China is targeting over 20 countries with vaccine diplomacy to get their support for its position on Taiwan. A US Congressional advisory panel on May 20 was told that China's distribution of its own vaccine in Latin America has helped it earn strong influence in the region.

The Bhutanese king has already conveyed that though India is a reliable friend but it won't pressure India over the vaccine and would instead approach other countries for the second dose of AstraZeneca.

According to media reports, Bangladesh foreign minister Abdul Momen has called Jaishankar and reminded him that Dhaka did not get Covishield vaccines from Serum Institute of India (SII) despite placing orders.

"Similar problems are reported from Nepal, Sri Lanka and African countries promised vaccine from SII," as per a media report.

Globally, Covid-19 has caused approximately 6.9 million deaths, more than double what official numbers show, IHME said.

The updated analysis shows that the United States has had more COVID-19 deaths to-date than any other country, a total of more than 905,000. By region, Latin America and the Caribbean and Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia were the hardest hit in terms of total deaths.

Many deaths from Covid-19 go unreported because countries only report deaths that occur in hospitals or in patients with a confirmed infection. In many places, weak health reporting systems and low access to health care magnify this challenge.

14

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

WORLD NEWS

Doubts over RCEP rise as EU halts China's bid to increase investment agreements with China Indo-Pacific influence backfires in Samoa New Delhi, May 21: Will the much-hyped Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) inked in November last year between 15 countries including China finally see the light of the day?

After the European Parliament voted to freeze investment agreements with China, doubts have now risen over RCEP. While India had opted out of the pact, 15 countries -- China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Brunei decided to go ahead with the deal.

However, experts said that a few countries including Japan, Australia and New Zealand may be unwilling to remain part of the RCEP - a deal which is being driven by China. They said while Beijing has now come under the scanner for gross human rights violation in Xinjiang, the military

aggression by China in the last few months has also led to a rise in concerns by many.

"When the agreement was envisaged and even signed last year, the geopolitical scenario was different. Today the global dynamics present a different picture. It is to be seen whether RCEP fructifies in its full form," DK Srivastava, chief policy adviser, EY told India Narrative.

Another analyst said that the decision of the EU will weigh in on the RCEP members.

"While a few immediate neighbours would want to go ahead with the deal, other countries may not be willing. We will have to wait and watch," the analyst said.

Last year after opting out of RCEP, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the trade deal would adversely impact the lives of all Indians.

Meanwhile, the European

Parliament's decision to halt investment agreements with China due to its record of human rights abuse has come as a big blow to Beijing.

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the in-principle agreement of the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment signed between the EU and China was considered a big success.

Xi personally intervened and held a video conference with the EU to ensure that the deal, signed on December 30, went through.

"The deal was sufficiently important for Xi to intervene personally. Clearly, he considered this a strategic issue and sensed that the deal needed to be struck within the window of opportunity before the end of the German presidency of the EU Council and during the lull between the Trump and the Biden administrations in the US," the Diplomat wrote.

Israel warned about actions against Palestinians in East Jerusalem

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Ramallah, May 24 (IANS): Palestine has warned Israel about actions against Palestinians, especially in East Jerusalem, noting they may lead to more tension in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The warning was issued by Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh here on May 23 after social media activists published short videos of Israeli police forces attacking Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, reports Xinhua news agency.

provocative Israeli actions and measures".

"The Israeli government is fully responsible for sabotaging the efforts of ending the Israeli aggression," Abu Rudeineh said.

Later, militant groups in Gaza fired barrages of rockets toward Israel.

Renewing the measures against the Palestinians in East Jerusalem "would sabotage the international and Arab efforts to reconstruct what had been destroyed in the Gaza Strip", he added.

Abu Rudeineh called on the US "to immediately intervene to stop the

On May 10, the Israeli police restricted Arab worshippers' movement in and around AlAqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem, stirring up tension and violence that soon expanded to the entire West Bank and Gaza.

In response, Israeli fighter jets carried out dozens of airstrikes on the Palestinian coastal enclave.

The trade of fire that lasted 11 days and ended on May 31 with an Egypt-brokered ceasefire killed 248 Palestinians and 12 Israelis, according to official figures from the two sides.

Lankan sovereignty under threat as parliament passes Colombo Port City bill New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): The long-term threat posed to Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and the possible de facto usurpation of the Lankan people's sovereign rights seem not to have been looked askance but tossed aside in the face of promised Chinese trinkets, a column in Sunday Times Sri Lanka said on May 23.

Sri Lankan Parliament passed the controversial Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill recently amid protests by the Opposition parties, which gives the Chinese 99 year rights over the port.

"The fear grows undiminished that with China's presence as a legal tenant, the island will soon be turned into a theatre of conflict, nay, an arena of war

www.indianews.com.au

when America and western powers, even Russia and Japan now replaced as the East's rising sun by China rush to stake their claim to this strategically located hub in the Indian Ocean. How will India react if she perceives the Lankan isle as a Chinese aircraft carrier anchored on her doorstep?" the column in the Sunday Times said.

"Perhaps the irony was lost, when the Sri Lankan People’s Front (SLPP) government chose May 18 as the day to present to Parliament the Port City Bill which, from whatever angle one looks at it, seeks to create on the island's capital shore, a separate entity possessing all the makings of a separate pseudo state, with its own set of rules

Photo Courtesy: IANS

and regulations, with its own established oligarchy in overall command; and, had it not been for the timely intervention of the Supreme Court, would have required a ‘visa' to enter for all Lankans", it said.

The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was presented to Parliament on April 8 by Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena.

The 20th Amendment to the Constitution had reduced the time within which a Bill could be challenged in the Supreme Court from 14 to 7 days.

The column said the Opposition also charged that the Bill had been presented in the backdrop of raging coronavirus resurgence.

With an unstoppable third wave sweeping across the land, the

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

New Delhi, May 20 (IANS): China’s bid to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific has taken a hit, with Samoa, a strategically located nation in the South Pacific, signalling that it would not go ahead with a Chinese port development project.

Samoa's new Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, whose election was upheld by the country's Supreme Court, has told Reuters news agency that she intended to shelve a $100 million Beijing-backed port development project.

The Chinese intended to construct a wharf in Vaiusu Bay - a move that was fully backed by long-serving leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who lost his parliamentary majority during the April elections.

Mataafa's decision is significant as it feeds into the China-US rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, a vast region of the Indian and the Pacific oceans linked by the strategic Malacca straits.

The Samoan Islands are in contention because they are located roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. Any rival Chinese military presence here can threaten some of the key shipping lanes of the area. After World War-2, the US has been the most dominant player in the Pacific.

In view of the brewing rivalry, the former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien had last October signalled that Washington intended to carry out a feasibility study of basing US Coast Guard vessels in American Samoa, part of US territory southeast of mainland Samoa.

"The United States promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific region where like-minded nations most virulent so far seen in the island, with the attention, energy and resources of the nation totally marshalled to meet the paramount threat, was this the time, was this the right climate, asked the opposition in unison, to hold a short two-day debate within 24 hours of receiving the Supreme Court determination of a Bill that sought to change the face of the land and, possibly,

uphold the international rulesbased order," O'Brien's office had said in a press statement then.

The US fears that after building a port in Samoa and elsewhere in the region, including Kiribati, the Chinese can send their paramilitary forces in the guise of fishing vessels, as has been done

by Beijing in the South China Sea. Chinese "fishing vessels" a front for its paramilitary have regularly harassed fishermen in contested waters, with Japan in the East China Sea as well as Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea. O'Brien had told Honolulu Civil Beat, that China's People's Maritime Militia - a paramilitary force of military-trained fishermen who occasionally work on behalf of the Chinese Navy, conducting surveillance and other operations are a major concern among the US and its allies.

The former US official said that warning signals that China may leverage its experience in Asian waters in the South Pacific as well.

He said that a suspicious - and aggressive - fleet of Chinese fishing vessels had clashed with the Ecuadorian Coast Guard last summer.

"It's just like a marauding band of fishing trawlers that come through and strip fish and then dump garbage and plastic all over the ocean," O'Brien said of China's sea militia, as quoted by the Samoa News website.

The US sensitivities to the Chinese moves in the South Pacific have heightened after reports that the Chinese are eyeing a World War-II vintage military airstrip, which is 3,000 kilometres southwest of Hawaii, in Kiribati. The location is not far from busy commercial shipping lanes running from the US to Australia and New Zealand.

Samoa's newly elected Prime Minister also signalled that her country was conscious about avoiding a Chinese debt trap, which Beijing can leverage for its political gains. "The level of indebtedness of our government to the government of China was a pressing issue for voters," said Mataafa, the country's first woman prime minister. endangered its territorial integrity and sovereignty of its people?

"But, in spite of opposition clamour to delay the debate in view of the compelling circumstances, SLPP party leaders stuck to their guns and steadfastly refused to allow the rising pandemic fires delay their journey to the Promised Land", it added.

15

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

WORLD THIS WEEK Contributed by the National Institute for Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

Compiled by Dincy Adlakha, Rashmi Ramesh, Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok

EU-China: European Union Parliament freezes CAI with China What happened?

On 20 May, the European Union Parliament passed a resolution to freeze the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) with China. It cites the crackdown on democratic opposition in Hong Kong, forced labour and other conditions of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as major reasons for the freeze. The Parliament halted any discussion or consideration of ratifying the deal because of the sanctions imposed by China.

The resolution "demands that China lift the sanctions before the Parliament can deal with the CAI". The Parliament also calls "to use the debate around the CAI as leverage to improve the protection of human rights and support for civil society in China."

It has cleared that the Hong Kong situation will be accounted for while considering any discussion on CAI. The resolution also called on the EU to "increase coordination and cooperation with the US within the framework of a Transatlantic Dialogue on China" and that "other trade and investment agreements with regional partners, including Taiwan, should not be held hostage to the suspension of the CAI ratification."

What does it mean?

First, China needs to open its economy, which is mainly restrictive and it requires the CAI more than the EU does. The EU has witnessed Chinese discrimination and is apprehensive of investing in a certified complication.

Second, these gaps in trust are not merely bilateral problems but have global roots lying in other links such as US-China, US-EU, and the Chinese perplexity with western democracies.

Cryptocurrency: The recent crash indicates a lack of maturity of the crypto market Photo Courtesy: IANS

What happened?

On 18 May, China prohibited its financial institutions from providing cryptocurrency-related services. Earlier on 13 May, Elon Musk stated that Tesla would stop accepting bitcoin as payment.

He tweeted: "We are concerned about rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel. Cryptocurrency is a good idea, but this cannot come at great cost to the environment."

The same day, the US officials revealed that it was investigating Binance, as the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, for tax fraud and money laundering.

What does it mean?

While the incident and its handling is a blot on BBC's credibility, the fact that they have owned up to their mistakes and apologized for them is a good sign. On 7 May, the Guardian had apologized for the errors in judgment that it had made during its 200 years of existence. These are indeed good precedents for media companies to follow when accountability has been sacrificed for a short-term gain.

ALSO IN NEWS

Photo Courtesy: IANS

What does it mean?

The recent volatility and the rise of coins with virtually no value have led experts to ponder whether a cryptocurrency will ever replace conventional currency. Stability is one of the most important hallmarks of a currency, and cryptocurrencies have so far lacked that. The crash has also raised questions about whether the rapid rise of cryptocurrencies in recent years has been a bubble that has now burst.

UK: The BBC apology for the 1995 Diana interview highlights the good and bad sides of the UK media What happened?

On 14 May, an inquiry found that the BBC acted in an unethical and deceitful manner to obtain a 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The inquiry, conducted by retired judge Lord Dyson, found that journalist Martin Bashir had "deceived and induced" Diana's brother Earl Spencer to arrange an interview with her by falsifying bank documents.

Dyson report said: "Without justification, the BBC fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark by covering up in its press logs such facts as it had been able to establish about how Mr Bashir secured the interview too and failing to mention Mr Bashir's activities or the BBC investigations of them on any news programme."

The BBC subsequently apologized to both Earl Spencer and Diana's son Prince William, but the latter hit out against the media outlet nevertheless. Prince William said: "The interview was a major

www.indianews.com.au

contribution to making my parents' relationship worse and has since hurt countless others."

Thein Soe, the Chairman of Union Election Commission, said: "NLD had committed fraud so we will have to dissolve the party's registration." He also stated members in election fraud "will be considered as traitors" and further action will be taken against them.

Sri Lanka: Port City Economic Commission Bill project passed with a majority On 20 May, the Sri Lankan Parliament passed the bill with a majority of 149 in 225 members in the House on the Colombo Port city project. The bill was opposed, and several leaders said that it harms the sovereignty of the country. At the same time, the government claimed it as a prospect for investment and job creation. The Hindu reported: "Tamil National Alliance MP stated, the Supreme Court had made merely cosmetic changes to the Bill, while its fundamental character remained unchanged."

The Colombo Port city project was initiated in 2014 during the Xi Jinping visit.

Nepal: President announces to dissolve the Parliament

China: Global Health Summit, Xi Jinping offers USD 3 billion for COVID response On 21 May, China announced an additional USD 3 billion for the next three years to the COVID-19 struck developing countries during the Global Health Summit. Global Times reported Xi stating: "China has already supplied 300 million doses to the world and will provide more, implement the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative for Poorest Countries and has so far put off debt repayments exceeding USD 1.3 billion, the highest deferral among G20 members." He also proposed five-point proposals for global solidarity and cooperation and urged the G20 members for global cooperation against the virus.

Myanmar: Election commission to dissolve Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy (NLD) Photo Courtesy: IANS

On 21 May, the Election commission announced the dissolution of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy for vote fraud in last year's election. Since the coup on 1 February, more than 800 people have been killed, and 5000 arrested. According to Reuters,

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

On 22 May, Nepal's President dissolved the House of Representatives and declared a mid-term poll as of 12-19 November with respect to Article 76 (7) of the Constitution. This is the second time Parliament was being dissolved. As per the press release: President's office said, "Neither K.P. Sharma Oli, the incumbent Prime Minister nor Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepali Congress president were eligible, as claims made by both to form a new government were insufficient."

Afghanistan: NATO alliance on the future of Afghanistan On 21 May, NATO SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg met French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders discussed the fight against terrorism in Iraq, the Sahel region, and Afghanistan.

Stoltenberg highlighted three major pillars, "First, we plan to provide advice and capacitybuilding support to Afghan security institutions. Second, NATO plans to provide military education and training outside Afghanistan, focusing on Special Operations Forces. Third, to fund the provision of services, including support for the functioning of Kabul airport."

On the same day, The Associated Press reported: "the US Central Command commander said negotiations with Afghanistan's neighbours for overflight rights and troop basing are moving forward but will take time." The withdrawal process, which began on 1 May and scheduled to be over by 11 September, has put forward various concerns on women's rights, education, and society, including free media.

Israel: Hamas agrees to a ceasefire mediated by Egypt On 20 May, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire which was brokered by Egypt. On 21

WORLD THIS WEEK

May, the truce was observed by both entities. Israel and Hamas warned that the ceasefire would be followed depending on the situation on the ground. On 21 May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country had achieved all its goals. He referred to the international criticism on the airstrikes in Gaza and said: "We acted with determination, wisdom and with supreme responsibility.

I regard it as my responsibility to protect the mothers, the sons, our soldiers and prevent unnecessary loss of life. Therefore, we caused maximum casualties to Hamas while minimizing Israeli casualties."

The US: House of Representatives pass a bill to appoint commission into Capitol insurrection On 19 May, the House of Representatives agreed to pass a bill to establish a commission to investigate the Capitol insurrection of 6 January. The final vote accounted for 252 in favour and 175 against. Over 35 Republicans joined the Democrats to approve the bill for the establishment of the commission.

The bill seeks to appoint a 10-person board that will look into "the facts and circumstances of the January 6th attack on the Capitol as well as the influencing factors that may have provoked the attack on US democracy."

The bill will now be passed to the House of Senates for voting.

The US: President Joe Biden comments on the ceasefire in Israel-Palestine On 20 May, President Joe Biden referred to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and called it "a genuine opportunity to make progress." He said, "I believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy. My administration will continue our quiet, relentless diplomacy toward that." Biden said that he communicated with Prime Minister Netanyahu six times in the past 11 days and promised to restock the missile defense system that protected Israel against the missile attacks

by Hamas.

About the Authors Dincy Adlakha and Vishnu Prasad are interns with the NIAS course on Global Politics. Rashmi Ramesh is a PhD scholar at the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Sukanya Bali and Avishka Ashok are Research Associates at NIAS. The report has been modified

by India News due to space considerations

16

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

ADVERTISEMENT

Shop #2, 493, Ipswich Road, Annerley QLD 4103

GET YOUR INDIAN BUSINESS

LISTED FOR JUST

$50 PER YEAR

Tired of searching all over the internet over and over again for your favouriteStudent Indian stores Visas I Skilled Visas I Tourist Visas shops and services?

Temporary Graduate Visas I Business Migration

Not anymore!

IndBiz isstream here.

Family Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas With IndBiz, you can browse for your preferred Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT representation Indian stores & services with ease and convenience from your mobile and tablet.

The right guidance, at the right time.

Providing professional migration services since over a decade

PRATIBHA SHARMA

Principal Migration Consultant MARN: 0965020

Let our work speak for itself

5B 619 Logan Road, Greenslopes I 07 3324 2600 5B/ /619 Logan Road, Greenslopes Qld - Qld 4120-| 4120 07-3397 5581, 07-3397 5508 info@honestimmigrations.com.au I www.honestimmigrations.com.au info@honestimmigrations.com.au | www.honestimmigrations.com.au

Student Visas I Skilled Visas I Tourist Visas Temporary Graduate Visas I Business Migration Family stream Visas I Partner Visa Specialist I Sponsored Visas Job Ready I Skill Assessments I AAT representation

ADVERTISE WITH US

The right guidance, at the right time.

Providing professional migration services since over a decade

Call us at 1300 859 066

PRATIBHA SHARMA

Principal Migration Consultant MARN: 0965020

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Let our work speak for itself

5B / 619 Logan Road, Greenslopes Qld - 4120 I 07 3324 2600 info@honestimmigrations.com.au I www.honestimmigrations.com.au

17

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

Australian embassy bids Kabul adieu

India’s potential in the changing Australian geopolitical and Reform Commission environment on Chinese participation in

Photo Courtesy: IANS

A

fter two decades of presence in the restive Afghanistan, Australia has announced the closure of its mission. The announcement comes at the heels of the withdrawal of the US troops ordered by President Joe Biden.

Following the September 2001 attacks, Australian Defence Forces had set foot on the Afghan soil in 2001 under Operation SLIPPER to support the Afghanistan government as a part of the NATO Resolute Support Mission.

The operations lasted until 2011 after which Operation HIGHROAD rolled out which included the Headquarter Task Group Operations, Headquarters Resolute Support, Kabul Joint Command, Role 2E Medical Facility and Special Operations Advisory Group, NATO Special Operations Component Command — Afghanistan and the Afghan General Command of Police Special Units Special Forces.

Between 2001 and 2012, 38 ADF forces were killed and 240 injured in the security operations.

The Australian decision is triggered by security threats and safety of the diplomatic and support staff following the US troop withdrawal. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the decision to shut the embassy has been taken “in the light of the imminent and international military withdrawal from Afghanistan…[and the US withdrawal] brings with it an increasingly uncertain security environment where the government has been advised that the security arrangements could not be provided to support an ongoing diplomatic presence”.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in a meeting with the Chair of the High Council for National Reconciliation, HE Abdullah Abdullah tried to assuage the concerns of the Afghan authorities saying, “We will continue our close friendship, and support our shared aspiration of peace, stability and prosperity.

We will continue our development assistance program to work to preserve the significant gains made by the Afghan people, in particular advancing the rights of women and girls”.

The Australian decision has unleashed security fears amongst

www.indianews.com.au

the 103 current and 70 former Afghan staff who were employed by the Australian mission. Fearing for their lives from a potential life-threatening reprisal from the buoyant Taliban, many of these Afghans have applied for an Australian visa on humanitarian grounds, which currently hangs in a limbo. The opposition in Australia has expressed its disappointment saying that it was not consulted before the government took the decision to shut down its mission, and advised Scott Morrison to speedup the visa process to rescue the current and former Afghan staff.

The Australian conundrum is indeed complex, and quite understandably not easy to resolve without serious repercussions for either side. On the one hand the security risk for the remaining 80 ADF troops and the mission staff remains very high, the withdrawal on the other hand exposes the Afghan staff as a target for the Taliban. There are discussions in Canberra going on the feasibility of moving the mission inside the US complex from where the US embassy had operated since 2001. Also, setting up a regional mission in the Middle East is being considered to facilitate a fly-in fly-out type of diplomatic operation, which Australia had in place between 1969 and 2006.

Moving inside the US complex makes Australia an extension of the American schema eroding any trace of autonomy in the Australian decision-making, a tag that Canberra has long struggled to shrug off. Similarly, a fly-in and fly-out mission would not have the same level of effectiveness and control over the local operations and humanitarian support that Australia is providing so far, as a local mission.

But frankly speaking, the blame cannot rest entirely on Canberra, and the Afghans should have been fully aware that sooner or later international troops would withdraw, and therefore, they needed to be prepared to face this day. The Afghan National Security Forces and successive regimes in Kabul should have been anticipating this day and preparing in all earnest to take on all responsibilities postwithdrawal. For the US, NATO and Australian troops their perpetual presence was never on the cards, and therefore, they cannot be blamed for their decisions, having paid a colossal human and financial cost over two decades.

For now when sceptics question whether all the sacrifices made were worth it when the Afghans had to be left in the lurch leaving the job ‘incomplete’, Washington, Canberra and Brussels will struggle to provide a convincing answer.

By Ambassador (Retd.) Anil Wadhwa

T

he deterioration in the Australian geopolitical environment dates to 2018 over growing concerns in Australia of Chinese influence in the Australian society, government, universities and media, as well as actions in the South China Sea, East China Sea and the Western and Southern Pacific. China has systematically invested in Australia in mining with a focus on lithium and rare earths, infrastructure like the Darwin port and LNG, agricultural land with water resources, electricity and energy grids, housing and real estate. In 2018, over security concerns Australia banned Huawei from its 5G network.

National Security laws were passed to stop overt foreign interference into domestic affairs of Australia and enabling enhanced oversight of foreign buyers of agricultural land and electricity infrastructure. In March 2020, during the Covid 19 pandemic, Australia had to promulgate rules to scrutinize foreign takeovers of Australian companies, taking into account vulnerability of companies to buyouts by state owned enterprises from authoritarian regimes.

Over the past year, without linking directly it with Australia’s demand for an inquiry into the origin of the Coronavirus by the WHO, China has targeted at least a dozen Australian exports — including cotton, coal, barley, beef, wine, lobster, sugar, copper and log timber — amounting to roughly $25 billion. However, overall exports of Australia to China are down by just $2 billion over the past year. Despite fears, given the dependence of China on Australian iron ore, it is unlikely to be a target sector.

China is dependent on cheap LNG imports from the Darwin port in Australia and cancellation of current contracts will draw heavy penalties. Australian coal exports to India have gone up.

China cancelled the meeting of the Economic Cooperation group called by Australia to review bilateral economic relations, but that group has not met since 2017.

In December 2020, the Australian Parliament passed legislation which allowed veto powers to the federal government over foreign arrangements by states, local bodies and universities in a broad range of sectors such as infrastructure, trade cooperation, tourism, cultural collaboration, science, health and education, including university research partnerships. This allowed Foreign Minister Marise Payne, on 21 April 2021 to cancel two MOUs signed by the state of Victoria under the Dan Andrews led Labor government in 2018 and 2019 with China’s National Development

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

infrastructure projects under China’s Belt and Road initiatives.

Theoretically, the legislation can now allow the federal government to review and overturn MOUs between China and the state governments of Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania in sectors ranging from investment, science cooperation and access to the Antarctic. An Australian parliamentary inquiry has called on the government to consider reversing the 99year lease for the port of Darwin from a Chinese company under the new Foreign Relations Law. Defense officials are checking if the Land Bridge Group, owned by Chinese billionaire Ye Cheng, with links to the Chinese PLA, should be forced to give up its ownership of the port of Darwin on national security grounds. Chinese government backed Confucius Institutes at Australia’s public universities which have also become a subject of controversy and put under scrutiny.

On the other hand, Defense Minister Peter Dutton has recently warned that a conflict over Taiwan could not be overlooked. Chinese media has accused Australian politicians of colluding with “terrorists” in Xinjiang. Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited Darwin a few weeks ago where he promoted a $747 million upgrade of defense training bases in the Northern Territory. The Australian government defense strategic update last year had also warned that a “prospect of high intensity conflict in the Indo-Pacific, while still unlikely, is less remote than in the past and under its defense Strategic update, the defense budget of Australia has been increased by 40 % last year.

It is reviewing Australia’s $270 billion investment in attack class submarines, the future frigate programme and offshore patrol vessels over the coming decade.

The arrest of Cheng Lei, an Australian national and anchor for China’s English language state broadcaster, in February 2021, accused of “supplying state secrets overseas”; Australian statement on the “Five Eyes” over Chinese violations of its legally binding international commitments on Hongkong; the tweet late last year by Chinese spokesperson Zhao Li Jian of an image showing an Australian soldier putting a knife to the throat of a child in Afghanistan have all soured bilateral relationship.

China has also invested at least $1.7 billion in aid and loans to the Pacific Islands in the past decade in transport and utility infrastructure. In response, Australia unveiled a $1.5 billion infrastructure fund for the region in 2018. Now the Pacific Islands Forum based in Fiji is split, prompting five island states to

EDITORIAL Photo Courtesy: IANS

withdraw from the grouping, allegedly induced by China’s promise for loans for tourism and infrastructure.

As Australia looks elsewhere to hedge its interests India offers excellent prospects for collaboration in critical areas like science, vaccine development, pandemic management, space and defence, critical minerals and related technologies, water resources, training and education, the circular economy, waste to wealth processes, grains management and logistics, and cyber technologies. India needs Australian commodities like lithium and rare earths, coal and LNG, as well as technology to address challenges in financial inclusion, healthcare and education. Recent Indian reforms in the mining, healthcare, agriculture, power, defence, space, electronics and textile sectors, and incentives announced for 13 sectors under a Production Linked Incentive Scheme to boost manufacturing are good news for Australia.

Corporate tax rate has been slashed, as India simplifies difficulties in land acquisition, labor laws reform, and liquidity to attract foreign investments. Their trade ministers have met twice and formally launched a Supply Chains Resilience Initiative with Japan on 27 April 2021.

Australia therefore, needs to collaborate with a wider network of likeminded partners in the Indo Pacific, and must quickly advance practical cooperation in maritime safety and security with India and France in a trilateral framework. It needs to take forward the SCRI with Japan and India. Australia should also see the Quad as an important component of its foreign policy which can become a pivot for coordinating the vaccination response and roll out, maritime security, infrastructure, supply chain resilience, counter terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, cyber and critical technologies, while strengthening deterrence through a defensive posture with an emphasis on the core of the Indo Pacific (as Australia sees it) across South East and South Asia, the northeast Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.

Anil Wadhwa is a former Secretary (East) in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and former Indian Ambassador to Italy, Thailand, Oman and Poland. He is the author of the Australia Economic Strategy Report commissioned by CII and KPMG. The views expressed are personal.

18

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

SPECIAL FEATURE

The great Indian crypto conundrum

By Srinath Sridharan

A

mongst all its Indian stakeholders, there are strong undercurrents, deafening official-silence and unofficialposturing, all around. Over the past few months, the government has had its varying views & intent about crypto. The RBI has been silent about Crypto. The crypto investor community has been euphoric about the instrument and equally miffed with the Indian officialdoms behaviour. All this, when the topic of Crypto was purportedly solved last year with the Supreme Court of India lifting the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) crypto ban of 2018.

Concerns & common sense Is it the common-man who buys Bitcoin? Or High Networth Individuals, or someone who understands technology and/or has surplus funds to invest in it? Should we blame Crypto-investing for lack of other attractive-investment

instruments currently? Moralplacarders even compare crypto to gambling! Statistically, capital markets volatility has wiped out a larger proportion of retail investors' wealth in the past and could continue to do so in the future in a free-markets scenario.

Another narrative fears that cryptos could be used for money laundering and terror financing. A mal-actor would have to be naive to try terror financing on an immutable ledger which can be seen and must be authenticated by all nodes on a blockchain! According to a report

by Chainalysis, a company that specialises in cryptocurrency investigations for governments, exchanges and financial institutions, in 2020, the criminal share of all cryptocurrency activity globally fell to just 0.34 per cent ($10.0 billion value). The report also mentions that most cryptocurrency-related crimes are ransom-ware, darknet market deals, etc.

Both factions (Hamas and Fatah) have different ideologies and differences, but have formed a Palestinian Unity Government under President Mahmoud Abbas since 2014, negotiating peace through Quartlet (US, Russia, EU and UN).

T

he ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after 11 days of deadly hostilities is a welcome step for the innocent people suffering casualties in the crossfire, provided all sides observe this ceasefire judiciously.

The Israel- Palestine struggle is one of the oldest struggles in the world with Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza Strip 53 years back, interspersed with wars and conflicts at varying scale intermittently, with no signs of permanent peaceful solution so far.

This truce after the latest round of fighting, like previous wars, has ended inconclusively, with Israel claiming heavy damage to Hamas, but unable to stop their rockets (killing 12 Israelis and over 200 injured). Hamas also claims victory, despite heavy casualties (230 Palestinians killed, over 1900 injured), facing challenges of rebuilding Gaza, poor confidence with a troubled population (58000 Palestinians fled their homes) already suffering poverty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gaza is controlled by Hamas (post Israeli disengagement in 2005), which also operates the militant wing and West bank with 167 enclaves of Palestinians is governed by Fatah (claiming to represent erstwhile Palestinians Liberation Organisation) amidst 230 Israeli settlements governed

www.indianews.com.au

Confusion galore Of late, the banks have not been allowing crypto transactions on their gateways. The media reports speculate that the RBI "nudged" the banks to give them "coldshoulder" treatment.

The RBI has been reportedly working on building a central bank digital currency (CBDC), using many of the properties of cryptocurrencies including the blockchain technology. A good start is that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had recently made it mandatory for companies to disclose crypto trading/investments during the

financial year. Whenever the clarity comes through, if Cryptos were to-be treated under Law as "securities", then the regulatory control will be in SEBI's court.

If it's treated as currency (doubtfully so!!), then it would fall in RBI domain. (Technically Cryptocurrencies are unviable as a currency as of now, due to the massive changes in corrections and the time it takes for a transaction to get authenticated by the various nodes on the blockchain.)

"Stick no bill" Are the current "predatory" actions of the banks against the crypto-players to be seen as "appeasing their regulator"?

Is it a dereliction of commercial agreement between banks and the crypto players?

Can the affected crypto players seek redressal from the consumer grievance committees of the bank boards (chaired by independent directors)?

Can the crypto players seek Security and Exchange Board of India's help, as most of these banks are listed-entities and the consumers as stakeholders, have right-to-recourse for detailed disclosures, with their securitiesregulator?

Can they seek help and advice of the concerned ministries under #EaseofDoingBusiness?

(The author is an independent markets commentator)

Why is the Israel-Hamas ceasefire different this time?

by Israel.

By Major General S.B. Asthana

In India, traditional physical assets like real estate and gold still account for most money laundering operations and financing mal-actors. Real estate is still not covered under the Money Laundering Act while purchasing gold does not even require Know Your Customer (KYC).

The competing claims to Jerusalem, which is crucial to Christians, Jews and Palestinians is the heart of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and has repeatedly triggered incidences of violence in the past, like the present one.

Trigger for Current Crisis The renewed violence started on 6 May, when Palestinian protests began over an anticipated decision of the Supreme Court of Israel (yet to be announced), on the eviction of six Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, resulting in increasing skirmishes between Israelis and Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem.

On May 8, Palestinian Muslims streamed to the Haram alSharif for Ramadan prayers, in large numbers to mark the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, considered not only the most sacred night of Ramadan, but of the whole Islamic calendar. Simultaneously, some Israeli Jews were gathering ahead of Jerusalem Day (May 10) marking Jewish control over the Old City of Jerusalem secured during the 1967 war.

The focal point of those celebrations is the Western Wall of the Temple Mount (the holiest site in Judaism), the same elevated platform that Muslims call the Haram al-Sharif. Israeli police stormed the compound of

the al-Aqsa Mosque, the thirdholiest site in Islam where the confrontations occurred resulting in more than 300 people, mostly Palestinians, getting injured,.

Closure of Damascus gate was another irritant. This resulted in a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas on Israel which in turn was responded to in the form of repeated air attacks by Israel on Gaza, along with other arsenal, causing heavy destruction and casualties, which continued for the last 11 days.

Internal Dynamics This confrontation has happened at a time when there is political crises in Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel recently failed to put together a ruling coalition even after the fourth round of elections in just two years; hence lacks a popular mandate.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose term expired 12 years ago, also lacks popular mandate. He recently cancelled legislative elections, after his party was trailing badly in the polls. With leaders on both sides lacking legitimacy, any peace talks regarding such a complex situation may have little chances of success, with a risk of reckless action by either.

Moreover with the Arab population in Israel also coming out on the streets, incidences of lynching may have the potential to ignite if the pending Supreme Court decision is one sided.

The Hezbollah also came out in support of Hamas further adding complexity to the problem. The truce therefore is quite fragile.

International Reaction During UNSC resolutions, the USA found itself isolated in backing

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Israel. It was therefore in a tight spot to broker peace amidst growing pressure against Israel which is being seen to be using excessive force. It also needs to be noted that after erstwhile President Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, he shifted the US embassy there and offered an unviable peace solution, which was rejected by PA, but Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to have assumed that entire Jerusalem belongs to Israel and others need to slowly vacate it. This is disastrous because from historic and religious point of view Jerusalem is nonnegotiable to Christians, Jews and Palestinians, who have coexisted there since ages.

Although the International community recognises Israel's right to defend itself, it does not do so at the cost of pulverising civil areas of Gaza, causing heavy civil casualties, even if it accuses Hamas of basing itself amidst population (a tactic adopted by most terrorist groups in the world).

As per the UN, the truce seemed to be brokered by Egypt and Qatar (normally accused of supporting Shia based Hamas, along with Iran). What is grossly different this time was the overreaction by the Turkish President Erdogan, trying to pose himself as the new leader of Islamic world and Pakistan voicing its opposition loudly against Israel.

This confrontation happened when Israel was improving relations with some countries of Arab world, which may suffer a temporary setback due to their objection to Israeli actions on the Haram al-Sharif. Most Arab states otherwise are hostile to Hamas, and differentiate well between the Palestinian people and the Hamas

fighters.

Future peace prospects Fed up of insecurities, in 2007, according to a number of polls, the majority of Israelis and Palestinians, preferred the twostate solution over any other solution, as a means of resolving the conflict, which was initiated in Oslo Accords in 1993-95.

With complexities of entanglement of 167 Palestinian enclaves embedded in 203 Israeli settlements and related governance issues, it's not really practical that it may be possible for Israel to agree to vacate West Bank. I don't visualise any Israeli leadership ever agreeing to such a proposal.

Same is the case with Jerusalem.

Any attempt to push out any one religious community from its religious site is bound to have serious backlash. Peaceful coexistence may not be a preferred option but seems to be the only practical option.

There is also a possibility of outside peace spoilers like Erdogan igniting religious disharmony, which must be curbed.

There have been some voices from Palestinians expecting Indian mediation as India has good relations with Israel as well as Palestine, but the issue is so complex and sensitive that current Indian policy of maintaining independent relations with both with no interference in internal affairs of either, may be the best policy for India.

(Major General S.B. Asthana is a strategic and security analyst, a veteran Infantry General. He is the Chief Instructor, United Service Institution of India. The views expressed are personal)

19

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

MAKE IN INDIA

Partnerships of hope: Building resilience with support from UNICEF states in terms of FDI inflows, attracting FDI worth $40.7 billion between 2000 and 2019.

It is home to the Pavagada Solar Park which has an installed capacity of 2000 MW, the largest in the country of which 1400 MW is operational. The total installed power capacity in the state stands at 28,400 MW. KERALA

By Strategic Investment Research Unit

A

s India battles with the second wave of COVID-19, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is supporting India's Covid-19 response. The second wave is larger and is spreading more rapidly than the first and is affecting people across all age groups including children and infants.

The new wave has posed a significant impact on the lives of children in India in terms of access to essential health, social, protection, and education services, which are now constrained. The pandemic numbers have now started to plummet though it is still far from over, therefore, India continues to work with support agencies and take preventive action to contain it. The call for greater action has been continuously supported by UNICEF at the forefront.

UNICEF is working with its partner agencies in India to: Increase access to life-saving oxygen by procuring and installing oxygen generation plants in hospitals to treat severe and critical COVID-19 cases; Provide rapid, accurate testing machines in some of the most affected districts; Support communities and essential workers to weather this storm and prevent further disruption to outreach programmes and services for children.

UNICEF has also been sending face shields and surgical masks, to keep frontline workers safe as they work rigorously given the surge in cases. The agency supplied COVID-19 testing machines, which form a crucial part of the response to the pandemic. Moreover, it has supported the procurement and installation of 25 oxygen plants for hospitals in the northeast and Maharashtra.

At the central level, UNICEF and its partners continue to support the Government of India in the acceleration of its national vaccine rollout to equitably reach all population groups currently eligible. It is working on the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine communication strategy across the country, intensifying

www.indianews.com.au

community engagement and social mobilization. UNICEF along with its partner agencies have procured special refrigerators as part of cold chain strengthening and COVID-19 vaccine introduction in India since vials of the vaccine have to be packed at cold temperatures to ensure they remain effective when administered.

Alongside providing support to the healthcare system in India, UNICEF is also supporting the Government of India in ensuring critical services for the most vulnerable children continue functioning.

Since the incidence of the pandemic in India, UNICEF has played a key role in stopping the spread of COVID-19, including by sharing information with more than 660 million people on how to stay safe from the coronavirus.

It has been continuously working to counter misinformation and promote COVID-19 appropriate behaviours, including wearing masks, physical distancing, and hand-washing. Moreover, it continues to create new media content weekly in a multitude of regional languages for broadcast on digital channels and media, especially at the state level.

Opportunities in India KARNATAKA Knowledge, research and innovation hub of Asia, with over 400 high-end R&D centres, Karnataka is a leader in India’s technology sector, both in terms of investments and exports. It is also a popular investment destination for auto, electronics, food processing, heavy machinery and textiles industries.

Karnataka is well connected to all major markets with two international airport, 3,61,041 km of the road network and 6083 km of the rail network. The state has a coastline of 300 km with 12 minor ports and one major port in Mangaluru. The Bengaluru Mumbai Economic Corridor and Chennai - Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, pass through the state.

Karnataka stands fourth in merchandise exports in the national export basket. Exports from the state stood at around $17.4 billion in 2018-19, which is 5.3% of India’s total exports. The state stands third among Indian

Kerala is a highly advanced society and scores high on human development indicators with the highest literacy rate, highest life expectancy, lowest population growth and the highest ratio of females to males in India.

Kerala is one of the most scenic and popular tourist destinations in India. It is also famous for its special ayurvedic therapies and its backwaters. Kerala also leads other states in Industrial development and per capita income. Kerala is a major exporter of coir, spices, marine products, cashew, coffee and pickles. Two-thirds of the state's export income comes from food processing industry.

With a coastline of nearly 590 km, Kerala has a major port at Kochi (with a cruise terminal) and 16 smaller ports along the coast. The state is very close to global maritime trade route passing through the Indian Ocean region with Kochi International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICT) at Vallarpadam, which is India's first ICT. Kerala is the first state in India to have four international airports, namely in Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

LADAKH Ladakh is amongst the highest intensity of solar radiation locations in India. With more than 320 clear sunny days in a year, and average daily global solar radiation as high as 2022 kWh/m2/annum, Ladakh is a favorable hotspot for solar power generation in India.

Ladakh, the northern-most union territory of India, shares its international border with China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It lies in the Greater-Himalayan ranges with salt and freshwater lakes, sand dunes and camels. Indus, Zanskar, and Shyok are the major rivers that flow through the UT. It is well-connected with a domestic airport in Leh. LAKSHADWEEP With lagoon area of about 4,200 Sq. Kms, territorial waters of 20,000 Sq. Km, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 4,00,000 Sq. Kms and coastal line of about 132 Kms, Lakshadweep Islands, India’s only coral islands chain, have a high scope for the fisheries sector.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

The sea around Lakshadweep is rich in fishery resources and the main resource in the islands is Tuna. The estimated marine fishery potential resource in the sea around Lakshadweep is about 100,000 tons of tuna and tuna like fishes and about an equal quantity of shark.

The islands have a high presence of food products, beverage manufacturing, furniture and wood-based products manufacturing micro, small and medium enterprise units.

Lakshadweep Islands are the first Union Territory to become 100% organic. Abundant production of coconuts also provides investment opportunities in coconut-based products such as coconut oil, coir yarn, etc.

Small-scale service industries such as engineering workshops, Information Technology enabled services (ITeS), and autoservicing, which do not pollute the lagoons, are best suited on the islands. Concurrently, the islands have a very small but significant presence of local handicrafts.

Lakshadweep Islands, lying in the Arabian Sea, are a group of 36 islands. The islands are well connected with 10 minor ports and an airport in Agatti. The

Photo Courtesy: IANS

varied flora, fauna and coral reefs along the islands, attracts domestic and international tourists. The islands also offer a great destination for water sports. Ministry of Shipping has identified 10 locations in the UT to be developed in phase-I of its Lighthouse Tourism initiative.

MADHYA PRADESH Located in central India, Madhya Pradesh, the only diamondproducing state in India, is popularly known as the 'heart of India' and is a beneficiary of mega infrastructure projects, with both North-South and East-West corridor crossing the State.

Madhya Pradesh offers excellent support infrastructure for industrial growth. The state has Photo Courtesy: IANS

a robust rail network with 550 trains crossing daily, National Highway network of 5,000+ kms, 5 commerical airports operating 100+ flights and 6 inland container depots.

Indore has been rated the firstt and Bhopal has been rated second cleanest city in the Cleanliness Survey 2018 by Government of India.

Madhya Pradesh has a strong base of mineral resources and accounts for 14% of India's total cement production. The state has an oil refinery at Bina with an annual capacity of 6 MMT. The installed power capacity of the state is over 23,400 MW; 35% of which is contributed by renewable energy sources. The state is a leading producer of a variety of horticulture crops and offers lucrative opportunities for food processing industries. The state also offers opportunities in textile manufacturing, automobiles, food processing, soya processing, engineering and agriculture equipment manufacturing, among others.

MAHARASHTRA Mumbai, the state's capital is known as the financial capital of India and houses the headquarters of major corporate and financial institutions.

Maharashtra is the automobile manufacturing hub of the country.

Maharashtra lies on the western coast of India. It is the third largest state in India, occupying approximately 9.4% of the country's total geographical area. The state is well connected to all the major markets with 4 international and 7 domestic airports, over 309,000 km of road network and 6,210 km of rail network. The state’s coastline of 720 km and presence of 55 ports facilitate about 22% of the total cargo transport in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, the largest container port in the country, is connected to 34 Container Freight Stations and 46 Inland Container Depots. The state has a total installed power capacity of over 43,000 MW. Maharashtra has a good presence of industrial clusters, especially automobile, IT & ITeS, chemicals, textiles and food processing clusters and offers lucrative investment opportunities in these sectors.

Maharashtra has ranked number one in Export Preparedness Index in 2020. Moreover, the state has attracted over $10.8 billion of Foreign Direct Investments during Oct 2019 - Sept 2020.

Source: Invest India, Government of India

20

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

HEALTH

New cases in India drop to month's Railways carries 349 tonnes more oxygen to Karnataka lowest even as death toll rises Photo Courtesy: IANS

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): With 4,454 new deaths due to Covid-19, India on May 24 crossed threelakh mark of fatalities due to the coronavirus infections, thus becoming world's third country after the US and Brazil to cross three-lakh deaths.

On May 24, with 2,22,315 fresh cases in a day, India witnessed the lowest rise in infection since April 21, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,67,52,447 with 27,20,716 active cases and 3,03,720 deaths so far.

In the previous few days, India has recorded over 50,000 deaths.

According to the Health Ministry, a total of 3,02,544 people have been discharged recently, with 2,37,28,011 being cured from Covid till May 24.

The Health Ministry said that a total of 19,60,51,962 people have

been vaccinated so far in the country.

Wuhan in December 2019.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 33,05,36,064 samples have been tested up to May 23 for Covid-19.

Of these 19,28,127 samples were tested on May 23.

It surpassed 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12, and earlier 4,211 in Brazil on April 6. These three are the worst-hit by the pandemic. Now, India is behind the US and Brazil with highest deaths due to Covid-19.

India registered record deaths due to Covid on May 19 with 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection in any country since the coronavirus outbreak was reported in China's

After battling a brutal second wave for weeks, fresh Covid cases came down below the three lakhmark for the first time on May 17 after touching record high of 4,14,188 on May 7.

J&K to expedite Covid vaccination in 18-45 age group Jammu, May 23 (IANS): The Covid vaccination drive in the 18-45 age group will be accelerated in Jammu and Kashmir.

compared to the national average of 32 per cent.

Efforts are afoot for targeted vaccination programme from May 25 with a focus on high priority and high risk groups, officials said on May 23.

Within J&K four districts have so far achieved 90 per cent coverage in this age group. It is further expected that the remaining population in the 45 plus age category will be covered within a few days.

In a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam, it was informed that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has decided to accelerate the vaccination of people under the 18-45 age category in a focused and targeted manner.

Based on the likely flow of vaccine in the coming months, it has been decided that the vaccination programme for 18-45 age group with an estimated population of 60 lakh will be ramped up in a systematic and phased manner to prioritize coverage of high-risk and vulnerable groups.

Currently Jammu and Kashmir is among the leading regions in the country in vaccination of above 45 years age group by vaccinating 62 per cent of its eligible population

For the 18-45 age group, the higher risk and vulnerable groups have been identified which include - shopkeepers, dhabawallas, hotel waiters &

staff, services sector people engaged in door-to-door work and construction workers among others.

It was informed that to ensure proper outreach to the prioritized groups, special vaccination centres will be opened in specific locations such as RTO/ARTO offices, courts, municipal wards, construction sites, universities, and alike.

Deputy Commissioners were instructed to conduct surveys wherever necessary to ensure coverage of target groups within one month.

The excessive outreach programme began from May 25, 2021, with a targeted vaccination rate of 40,000-50,000 doses per day.

Passengers flee Assam railway station to escape Covid test

Guwahati, May 23 (IANS): The Assam Police launched a massive search operation on May 23 to trace around 500 people who fled from the state's Jagiroad railway station, skipping the mandatory Covid test, officials said.

Police and health officials said that around 500 passengers who came from south Indian states, overpowered health officials in the railway station, and fled, creating panic in the area, around 60 km from Guwahati.

Police said that of the around 500 people, including women and children, a majority are migrant workers, and had travelled by

www.indianews.com.au

the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express that had started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and traversed Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal over five days.

The Health Department had arranged Covid-testing for the aircraft passengers at a nearby hospital and made available transportation but over 600 passengers escaped.

The police and health officials could hold back only a handful of passengers after they had disembarked from the train.

The Assam government, modifying its earlier SOP, had in April made seven day home quarantine mandatory for the people coming to Assam by flights and trains even if the result of their Covid test is negative. However, government officials, those travelling for medical reasons, citizens of other northeastern states and people with bereavement cases shall be exempted, said the SOP.

This recent incident seemed like a replay of a similar one that was reported at southern Assam's Silchar airport where over 600 passengers escaped the mandatory testing for Covid-19 after they had arrived at the airport in different flights in April.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

Bengaluru, May 24 (IANS): The Indian Railways ferried 349 MT more of medical oxygen to Covidhit Karnataka from Jharkhand and Gujarat, an official said on May 23.

while the seventh and eighth freight trains to the state brought 120 tonnes from Tatatnagar and 109 tonnes from Gujarat's Jamnagar on May 22 night.

The ninth Oxygen Express brought 120 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen from Jharkhand's Tatanagar, a South Western Railway (SWR) zone official said,

So far, 1,062MT oxygen has been supplied to Karnataka since May 11 from Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Odisha, the official said.

Guwahati, May 23 (IANS): The first Oxygen Express train for the northeastern region carrying 80 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) arrived at the Inland Container Depot at Amingaon in Guwahati in the state of Assam on May 23.

and arrived at Amingaon on May 23 as the railway created a green corridor for its movement.

Oxygen Express train for North Eastern India completes maiden voyage

Receiving the area's first Oxygen Express, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma said that such trains carrying LMO would come twice in each week to Assam delivering 160 MT of oxygen and subsequently, this would be distributed among other northeastern states as per their need.

Northeast Frontier Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda said that the first Oxygen Express left Jharkhand's Tatanagar on May 22

The Oxygen Express covered a distance of 630 km from West Bengal's Malda Town to Amingaon in around nine hours, with an average speed more than 70 kmph which is more than the average speed of Rajdhani Express trains.

"In order to ensure that oxygen relief reaches in the fastest time possible, Railways is creating new standards and unprecedented benchmarks in running of Oxygen Express freight trains.

With the highest sense of urgency, operational teams of various zones are working round the clock in most challenging circumstances to ensure that Oxygen reaches in the fastest possible time frame," he said.

Maharashtra Covid deaths reach new peak, toll over 88K Mumbai, May 23 (IANS): Maharashtra's Covid-19 daily deaths shot up to a new record high and the state toll zoomed above 88,000 but new infections dropped and remained below the 30,000 level, health officials said on May 23.

Compared with 682 deaths on May 22, the state fatalities shot up to 1,320, including 726 old deaths, to race past the previous peak of 1,263 (May 21) and take the toll to 88,620.

The number of fresh cases increased slightly from 26,133 on May 22 to 26,672, with the tally rising to 55,79,897.

In Mumbai, the new infections increased from 1,268 on May 22 to 1,427, taking the city's tally to 696,910 till date. Daily deaths fell from 52 on May 22 to 49, to take total fatalities in the country's commercial capital to 14,565, The number of active cases fell from 352,247 to 348,395.

Again surpassing the new infections, 29,177 fully cured patients returned home, taking the total to 51,40,272, while the recovery rate further improved

from 92.04 per cent to 92.12 per cent.

The Mumbai circle - comprising Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts - recorded an increase in new cases, from 3,603 to 3,678, taking its tally to 15,08,663 and with 87 more deaths, the toll stood at 26,855.

Of the day's deaths (including 726 previous fatalities), Pune led with 93, while there were 49 fatalities in Mumbai, 47 in Ahmednagar, 45 in Solapur, 39 in Sangli, 28 in Beed, 23 in Kolhapur, 21 in Aurangabad, 20 each in Thane, Satara, and Gadchiroli, 19 in Nashik, 18 in Amravati, 15 in Akola, 13 each in Ratnagiri and Wardha, 12 in Nagpur, 11 each in Palghar and Sindhudurg, nine in Chandrapur, eight in Jalgaon, seven each in Raigad, Parbhani, and Osmanabad, six each in Yavatmal and Washim, five each in Latur, Nanded, and Bhandara, four each in Jalna and Gondia, three in Nandurbar, and one in Hingoli.

Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home isolation stood at 26,96,306 and those shunted to institutional quarantine at 21,771.

21

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

Equities to bounce on reopening hopes, declining Covid trend (Market Watch) Photo Courtesy: IANS

Mumbai, May 23 (IANS): Hopes on a gradual unlocking of the economy as Covid's second wave subsides will support the domestic equity indices' upward trajectory in the coming week.

According to market observers, other factors such as expectations of a fresh stimulus as well as healthy quarterly results will further push the key indices' higher.

"Partial lifting of lockdown will raise hopes of early resumption of economic activities across the country, though gradually. The second Covid wave seems to be coming to an end over the next couple of weeks. This expectation has lifted sentiments in the equity markets," said Deepak JasaniHead of Retail Research at HDFC Securities.

"Hopes of a fresh stimulus, encouraging PMI data from across the globe and some bright

spots in Q4 results have also helped stocks to continue their uptrend. All these could help Nifty gain some more in the coming week and probably reach a new high over the next few weeks."

According to Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services: "The overall structure of the market remains positive from the long term perspective."

Last week, domestic equities logged robust returns led by broad-based buying across sectors.

"Global economic revival, the risk of pickup in inflation and development on the Covid-19 front domestically would decide the market direction going ahead."

In the just concluded weekly trade, better-than-expected corporate earnings and positive global cues boosted sentiments.

Consequently, the NSE Nifty50 rose by 3.4 per cent over the week, similarly, the S&P BSE Sensex gained by 3.7 per cent.

Nevertheless, a sharp selloff across crypto assets capped gains.

"The equity market closed on a stronger note with continuing improvements in the number of fresh cases and recoveries, which is a clear indication that probably the pandemic is peaking out, and we may see the economy coming out of the lockdown earlier than expected," said Joseph Thomas, Head of Research, Emkay Wealth Management.

"The more or less upbeat results season also has endowed the markets with enough reasons to gather comfort about the future."

Recently, the number of new Covid-19 infections have come down, whereas, recovery rate has picked up pace.

Investors believe that the trend will lead to a gradual lifting of regional lockdowns.

Besides, it is expected that higher vaccine supply in the coming days will accelerate the revival process.

In addition, Geojit Financial Services Research Head Vinod Nair: "The entry of new vaccines in the market which will ease supply crunch and a steady decline in the new covid cases are factors boosting investor confidence in the market."

"Hence the market will continue to focus on covid numbers to pump in more optimism into the market due to a relatively quiet week for economic data."

AIBC launches AIBC India COVID Relief Fundraising Drive to combat India’s second wave A

IBC launches AIBC India COVID Relief Fundraising Drive to combat India’s second wave

Melbourne, 12 May: Australia India Business Council Ltd (AIBC), the peak functioning body for promoting and enhancing the bilateral trade relations between the two countries, has launched the AIBC India COVID Relief Fundraising Drive to help India fight the second wave of the pandemic. The drive will collect money as well as materials/ relief.

India is going through an unprecedented health crisis with the second wave of the COVID 19 virus affecting millions.

As the Indian Government and international agencies

Equity indices in green, banking stocks rise www.indianews.com.au

are dealing with this crisis to provide immediate relief, many countries including Australia have commenced supporting such relief measures.

AIBC is inviting financial donations to https://aibc.org.au/ aibc-relief

Mr Jim Varghese AM, National Chair – AIBC, said “The second wave of the pandemic has put a strain on the citizens of India. The bilateral business relationship between the two countries is strong, and I am sure the Australia India Business Council India COVID Relief Fundraising Drive will further strengthen that tie. Australia and India share a strong relationship, which grew stronger in recent times. AIBC

believes in facilitating a stronger relationship and this fund will aim to do just that.”

Mrs Sheba Nandkeolyar, AIBC India COVID Relief Fundraising Drive Coordinator and AIBC Immediate Past National Chair said: “AIBC is calling on the bilateral business community to extend aid and relief measures to India, to help combat the virus. Through the AIBC India COVID Relief Fundraising Drive, we hope to influence more Australian companies, businesses, and individuals to donate and contribute to the cause. I have no doubt that India will succeed in meeting the demand rates with enough support measures and international aids.”

Mumbai, May 24 (IANS): The key Indian equity indices traded on a positive note on Monday morning led by healthy buying in banking stocks.

points

Around 10.50 a.m., Sensex was trading at 50,681.29, higher by 140.81 points or 0.28 per cent from its previous close of 50,540.48.

The top gainers on the Sensex were State Bank of India, Larsen & Toubro and Maruti Suzuki India, while the major losers were Titan Company, UltraTech Cement and Hindustan Unilever.

It opened at 50,727.28 and has touched an intra-day high of 50,855.32 and a low of 50,465.90

The Nifty50 on the National Stock Exchange was trading at 15,205.30, higher by 30.00 points or 0.2 per cent from its previous close.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

BUSINESS & TRADE

POCO registers 300% growth in India in Q1 2021 New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): Smartphone brand POCO India on Monday said it has registered a massive 300 per cent growth in the first quarter (Q1 2021), becoming the fastest growing brand in the country.

The brand is now among the top 3 online smartphone players in the country in just 10 months.

"Our rise to the top 3 in the online smartphone space in just 10 months was a testimony of the love and trust we have received from our fans and consumers. This trust has helped us achieve yet another milestone by achieving the highest growth among the top 10 smartphone brands in the first quarter of 2021," said Anuj Sharma, Country Director, POCO India.

Last year, POCO X2 became the best-selling smartphone on Flipkart under the price segment of Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 in March within one month of its launch and POCO X3 was featured as one of the best phones under 20K segment.

POCO continued to cement its online position, driven by affordable models like POCO C3 and M3.

Launched in February this year, POCO M3 sold 500,000 units within 45 days of the launch, the company informed.

"As we continue to grow in the market, we aim to focus on delivering the best and compelling proposition, without compromising on the quality of the devices," said Sharma.

Substantial stimulus needed for futuristic economic growth trajectory: PHD New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): A substantial stimulus would be required to create effective strides for futuristic economic growth trajectory amid the pandemic, said Sanjay Aggarwal, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The partial or complete lockdowns in many states and strict restrictions in various regions across the country have created an uncertain economic environment, with depressed demand and investment scenario, said Sanjay Aggarwal.

Though economic activity recovered to pre-Covid levels in March 2021, the rapid re-spread of corona cases in second wave of Covid and resultant strict restrictions in many parts of the country have posed severe challenges to double digit economic growth in FY 2021-22, Aggarwal said.

The supply chain disruptions are causing skyrocketing commodity prices, which have severely impacted the price cost margins of the businesses in the difficult pandemic time of coronavirus.

The increase in costs of raw materials is affecting the MSMEs which are already struggling because of pandemic impact and squeezed working capital, said Sanjay Aggarwal.

"A substantial stimulus to create effective strides for futuristic economic growth trajectory would be crucial in this extremely difficult time," he said.

There is a need to lower interest rates for consumers and businesses, lesser compliances for MSMEs vis-a-vis ease of doing business at the ground level and a lower tax regime to increase the personal disposable income of the people, Aggarwal added.

PHDCCI Economic & Business Momentum (EBM) Index of 25 lead economic and business indicators has registered an increase in March 2021 to the level of 99.9 as compared to 99.5 in February 2021 and 99.7 in January 2020, said statement by the chamber.

Lead economic and business indicators such as cement, steel, consumer durables, GST collections, external commercial borrowings and FDI equity inflows have shown a marvelous improvement in March 2021, said Sanjay Aggarwal.

"However, the second wave of Coronavirus has swamped the country at a rapid rate with more severe impact than the previous wave in 2020," Aggarwal said.

Households are shifting their savings towards fulfilling the medical needs of their family members along with deferment of their expenditure on nonessential items, he added.

According to him, at this juncture, the government has to step up with proactive and calibrated measures to mitigate the daunting impact of Coronavirus 2.0 on people, industry, trade and economy, as it did during the last year in 2020.

On the basis of recent movement of PHDCCI EBM Index, PHD Chamber projects more than 1 per cent growth rate of GDP in Q4 FY 2020-21 and overall GDP growth of FY 2020-21 at (-) 7.9 per cent.

Going ahead, to attain a higher growth trajectory, effective policy measures are needed once again to support demand creation and to have a multiplier effect on enhanced production possibilities, expansion of employment in factories, expansion of capital investments and overall virtuous circle of growth and development of Indian economy, said Aggarwal.

22

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

ENERGY & RESOURCES

ONGC extends logistical help to India's oil imports MoM families of barge crew members remains flat in April New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) is extending logistical help to families of affected crew members of Barge P-305.

In a statement, the company said it is providing all necessary logistical help and support for the dependent family members to travel to Mumbai and back. It is also making arrangements for families to take back the mortal remains of the deceased persons to their hometowns.

To facilitate the dependent family

members, ONGC has also set up a help desk. ONGC Helpline Numbers for families of crew of Barge Papaa-305 are -- 02226274419, 022-26274420, 02226274421.

On May 16-17, Cyclone Tauktae crossed Mumbai offshore where ONGC's major production installations and drilling rigs are located, and three construction barges of Afcons working on a project of ONGC in Western Offshore fields in the Arabian Sea and one floater drilling rig of

ONGC were severely impacted.

Out of these, Barge P-305 sank.

The Indian Navy, along with the Coast Guard and the ONGC, are continuing with extensive search and rescue operations for the crew members who are still missing.

ONGC management has also decided to extend an immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh to the survivors and Rs 2 lakh for the BNVs and missing persons' families.

Adani Green Energy to acquire SB Energy's renewable power portfolio for fully completed EV of $3.5 bn New Delhi, May 19 (IANS): Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) on Wednesday signed the share purchase agreements for the acquisition of 100 per cent interest in SB Energy India from SBG (80 per cent) and Bharti Group (20 per cent).

SB Energy India has a total renewable power portfolio of 4,954 MW spread across four states in India. The transaction marks the largest acquisition in the renewable energy sector in India.

The transaction values SB Energy India at an enterprise valuation of approximately $3.5 billion. The target portfolio consists of largescale utility assets with 84 per cent solar capacity (4,180 MW), 9 per cent wind-solar hybrid capacity (450 MW) and 7 per cent wind capacity (324 MW).

The portfolio comprises 1,400 MW operational solar power capacity and a further 3,554 MW is under construction. All projects have 25-year PPAs with sovereign rated counterparties such as Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), NTPC Limited and NHPC Limited.

With this acquisition, AGEL will achieve total renewable capacity of 24.3 GW (1) and operating renewable capacity of 4.9 GW. This acquisition demonstrates AGEL's intent to be the leader in sustainable energy transition globally and makes it one of the largest renewable energy platforms in the world. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary approvals and conditions.

Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, said: "This acquisition is another step towards the vision we stated in January 2020, wherein we laid out our plans to become the world's largest solar player by 2025 and thereafter the world's largest renewable company by 2030. India, without any doubt, has been one of the few nations that has accelerated its global commitment towards climate change and we intend

www.indianews.com.au

to do our part to execute on the promises made.

"The renewable energy platform that we are building will lay the foundation for attracting several other global industries that are increasingly looking to reduce their carbon footprint (as well as lay the foundation for opening up adjacent platforms that include hydrogen and storage).

"We are well on our way to achieve our stated solar portfolio targets four years before the deadline we set for ourselves. The quality of assets that SoftBank and Bharti Group have built is excellent and I compliment their efforts to support India's renewable energy transition. We are proud to take their legacy forward."

Masayoshi Son, Representative Director, Corporate Officer, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp, said: "We established SB Energy India in 2015 with the goal of creating a market-leading clean energy company to help fuel India's growth with clean and renewable sources of energy.

"We are immensely proud of all that we have accomplished. As SBG continues our transition to a global investment holding company focused on accelerating the deployment of artificial intelligence, we believe now is the right time to bring in the Adani Group to help drive the next phase of SB Energy India's growth."

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said: "I am delighted that SB Energy has found a good home to carry on its pioneering journey of building a foremost renewable energy company in India. Adani Group has an outstanding track record of building a green energy powerhouse which will get further acceleration with the combination of SB Energy into its fold. I am glad that Bharti could play a constructive role in partnership with SoftBank."

Adani Group secures position as the largest solar company in the

world

The Adani Group has secured its position as the world’s largest solar company, following today’s announcement that Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has acquired SB Energy Holdings Ltd, which will see AGEL achieve a total renewable energy capacity of 24.3GW. The 24.3 GW would be enough energy to power more than 8.5 million homes, or nearly all the households in Australia (*9.2 million) each year.

Adani’s solar farm at Rugby Run in central Queensland is part of this portfolio, with a total capacity of 65 MW going into the regional Queensland grid, equivalent to powering about 27,500 homes each year.

CEO and Country Head for Adani Australia, Mr Lucas Dow, said today’s announcement from Adani Green Energy Limited demonstrated that as a global company they were walking the talk when it comes to delivering a sustainable energy mix.

“We have always said that both coal and renewables are needed to provide a reliable and affordable energy mix in order to meet current and future global energy demand,” Mr Dow said.

“The solution to the world’s energy needs is not one form of energy – it’s a combination of many energy sources.

“Having both renewables and fossil fuels in our businesses means that we can sustainably deliver energy to people in developing nations who are trying to improve living standards to the same level that we have enjoyed in western countries for decades.

You can read the full statement from Adani Green Energy Limited on the website. *Source for average number of Australian households – Australian Bureau of Statistics https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/ people/population/householdand-family-projections-

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): Hit by demand slowdown in wake of Covid-19 induced mobility restrictions in various parts of the country, India's import of crude has plateaued in April, 2021.

India imported 18.26 million tonne (mt) of crude oil paying about $8.5 billion in April 2021, almost the same level as 18.24 mt tonne crude oil import in March, 2021, according to Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) data.

In the first month of the financial year there is normally an increase in imports depending on prevailing oil prices as oil companies stock to meet the needs for the entire year. but this year, owing to almost 10 per cent fall in demand, imports had been restricted.

Also, the current crude is priced around $68-70 a barrel and oil companies are expecting this price to fall in coming months

owing to Covid induced demand suppression and entry of Iran back into international trade of oil that could increase supplies and soften oil prices again.

The April crude import, though at almost the same level as the previous month, is actually 10.3 per cent higher than April of 2020 that for the first time witnessed nationwide lockdown owing to Covid -19. However, in April, 2021 India's oil import bill at almost the current level of oil imports stood at a mere $3 billion as prices had crashed during that period due to glut like situation.

Oil products', including petrol and diesel imports rose about 24.1 per cent YoY to 3.50 mt in April, 2021.

But even product import was down 14.6 per cent from March, while exports slumped 35.8 per cent to 3.9 mt in April, 2021 as against imports of 6 mt in the same period of previous year.

Solar PLI scheme to benefit incremental demand till FY30: Ind-Ra Mumbai, May 11 (IANS): Centre's solar modules manufacturing production linked incentive scheme will benefit incremental panels demand till FY30 said India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra).

8-13 per cent of this planned requirement is going to benefit directly from this PLI scheme till FY30, apart from improving the domestic manufacturing capacity."

According to the ratings agency's estimates, the allocation of Rs 45 billion towards modules manufacturing by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) can benefit the sales of 20GW from the capacity developed under the PLI scheme.

Furthermore, the report cited that on the execution side, winning bidders may lose on the committed timelines in case they slip on the commissioning timelines of 1.5-3 years from the date of PLI sanction.

"It also means sanction of the PLI facility which will benefit 4-6GW of sales annually over five years from commissioning of the beneficiary manufacturing facilities," the agency said in a report.

"The scheme can facilitate additional 8-12GW annual solar cell or module manufacturing capacity in India. Sales up to 50 per cent of the manufacturing capacity set up by the winning bidder will benefit from PLI. This estimate assumes the base PLI rate of Rs 2.25 per watt power and entirely greenfield expansion."

As per the agency, bidding players may choose to restrict the level of backward integration, given the stringent timelines.

Moreover, the PLI benefit will be available till five years from the scheduled date of commissioning only, meaning that winning bidders will be at risk of losing benefit of the scheme, if they overcommit on the level of integration.

Besides, the report said the capacity to benefit under the scheme may further reduce from the stated 20GW level in case of the plants achieve better module efficiency and temperature coefficient than the minimum requirement defined in the notification.

"Backward integration may take some time, given the already established procurement contracts and supply chains internationally. Also, in case a selected manufacturer fails to meet the promised integration or capacity or minimum module performance after his selection, he will not get any PLI till he overcomes these deficiencies, and/or performance guarantees can also be liquidated by India Renewable Energy Development Agency in the meantime."

"India has set a target to install 280GW of solar power plants by FY30 out of which about 240GW is under pipeline or yet to be implemented, which means just

"If the manufacturer achieves the promised levels subsequently, he will be eligible for PLI from the next month after which the performance measures are met."

23

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

SPORTS

Indian Olympic medalist Sushil Indonesia plans Kumar sent to police custody to bid for 2032 Olympics

Photo Courtesy: IANS

also the mobile phones are yet to be recovered by the police as he sought 12 days custody.

Sushil Kumar was evading arrest and he has been on the run for close to three weeks. According to the police, he and his associates allegedly assaulted fellow wrestler Sagar Dhankar and his two friends Sonu and Amit Kumar at the stadium on May 4 night. Dhankar succumbed to his injuries later.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): A Delhi court on May 23 sent wrestler and Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, arrested in connection with his alleged involvement in the death of a 23-year-old old wrestler at the city's Chhatrasal Stadium, to six days police custody.

The police questioned Sushil Kumar inside the court and then sought his custody for 12 days for further interrogation in the matter. Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra, however, granted six-day custody of him, along with co-accused Ajay.

Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, representing Delhi Police, submitted that some CCTV footage, the alleged weapon used for committing the offences and

Shrivastava added the accused would have to be taken to various states for the purpose of interrogation and the 12 day remand was justified against the backdrop of Covid-19 guidelines.

Sushil Kumar's counsel contested this argument and submitted that non-bailable warrants were issued against the accused persons which shows police have already identified all of them.

Police cannot seek Sushil Kumar's custody for the purpose of identification of other persons when his client had already stated he was falsely implicated in the case, he said.

Shrivastava, however, insisted that Kumar's custodial interrogation was required to unearth the conspiracy and the motive for the offence.

The police in the status report

challenging Sushil Kumar's anticipatory bail plea cited the autopsy report, which claimed that cause of death to be "cerebral damage due to dande ki pitaayi (beating with wooden staves)".

In the anticipatory bail plea, Sushil Kumar said: "The victims are falsely implicating the applicant because he had asked Sagar to leave his property as the same was being misused by him. It is also known to everyone associated with the Chhatrasal stadium that the purported victims were trying to defame and fix the applicant for a long time and are trying to falsely implicate the applicant in the present matter." Kumar's anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the court.

The Delhi Police have filed an FIR under Sections 302 (murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 365 (kidnapping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

They have also included Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of IPC and various sections under the Arms Act.

The ACC said that the tournament cannot be held at any earlier date due to the lack of a window for it during a packed cricket calendar.

confirmed in due course," said the ACC in a statement.

The tournament had originally been scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan but India's unwillingness to travel to the country led to the event being shifted to Sri Lanka, where it was scheduled to be held in September 2020. However, the tournament was postponed for the first time due to the pandemic.

Jakarta, May 23 (IANS): Indonesia on May 23 said that despite Brisbane's strong bid for hosting the 2032 Olympics, it would continue to push for the quadrennial games, as a final decision had not yet been taken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Reports suggest that Brisbane could be confirmed as the 2032 Games host as early as at the Tokyo Olympics in July.

The last multi-discipline sports event Indonesia hosted was the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.

President Joko Widodo had reportedly ordered his Cabinet to prepare a dedicated plan for the bid last year, according to The Jakarta Post. A Presidential decree was issued in April this year to form a Bid Committee for the Olympics.

However, the odds are stacked heavily against Indonesia as the IOC had announced Brisbane as its preferred bidder in March.

project is now underway. If this diligence yields a positive final report, the proposal to host the Games in 2032 will go to a vote of the full IOC membership," Australian Olympic Committee chief John Coates had said recently.

"This is the pathway for Brisbane to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032."

National Olympic Committee of Indonesia (KOI) President Raja Sapta Oktohari is, however, targeting the Tokyo Olympics as an opportunity to promote a potential bid by his country.

"We already have many plans to promote (Indonesia as an Olympic host) but we have to realise as well that we cannot be so intrusive as we face this extraordinary (pandemic) situation," said Oktohari.

"IOC's due diligence testing of every element of the Brisbane

"We will still find ways to maximise our chances with lobbying. Tokyo will be a great opportunity to interact with other National Olympic Committees and draw some sympathy, as well as to prove that Indonesia is ready to host the 2032 Olympic Games," he said.

to postpone the Asia Cup 2020 to 2021. Since then, the ACC has been working with its participants and stakeholders to try and ensure that the event is held in the year," said the ACC.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS): Arun Mendiratta, chairman of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) medical commission, passed away on May 21 due to Covid-19. He was 60 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Mendiratta was associated with AFI for more than 25 years and was instrumental in framing AFI policy on age-fraud and doping.

He also served on the Asian Athletics Association medical panel.

"However, on account of a packed FTP [Future Tours Programme], it has been concluded that there is no practical window in the year when all the teams would be available to participate. The Board has accordingly considered the matter very carefully and determined that the only way ahead would be to postpone the event," it added.

Mendiratta was admitted to hospital in the second week of April.

"He didn't recover after being admitted to hospital and breathed his last on May 21 morning. He will be remembered for his contribution to Indian athletics, particularly for weeding out overage athletes," AFI said in its condolence message.

He accompanied the Indian contingent several times during international competitions, including at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.

Rod Bransgrove, the chairman of the Hampshire Country Cricket Club has been quoted as saying by a section of the media that out of the 4,000 tickets, 50 per cent will go to ICC for its sponsors and stakeholders while they will be selling the remaining 2,000 tickets.

Deferred Asia Cup 2021 to be held in 2023 New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): The Asia Cup 2021 will be held in 2023, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said on May 23. The tournament, which was scheduled to be held in June this year in Sri Lanka, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

"It would therefore only be feasible for this edition of the tournament to be held in 2023 as there is already an Asia Cup in 2022. Dates for the same will be

"The ACC Executive Board, in face of the risks and restrictions posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, had made the difficult decision

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): For the first time in 89 years of their Test cricket history, India will play a Test match at a neutral venue when they lock horns with New Zealand in the World Test Championship final in Southampton, though a limited number of Indian fans there could make it home away from home.

international cricket teams have played series against Pakistan at a neutral venue since there was no cricket in Pakistan. The series were mostly in the United Arab Emirates, with almost no crowd for either side as Test matches found few takers in the Emirates.

India had an opportunity to play at a neutral venue, back in 1998-99 during the Asian Test Championships. The final was played in Dhaka but India failed to reach it and Pakistan and Sri Lanka were involved in the title clash in Dhaka.

No country has visited Pakistan for 10 years since early 2009 when the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gunmen. Since India have not played a Test match against Pakistan after the 2007-08 home series, they have not got to play any match at a neutral venue.

The WTC final at Southampton though will most likely be played in front of a crowd of 4,000 and there could be plenty of Indian fans, though not as many as India are used to at home or even overseas nowadays.

Brisbane's bid received a shot in the arm recently when Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said that the Federal Government would cover half the cost of the Games.

Chief medical officer of Tokyo-bound Indian contingent succumbs to Covid

The Indian Olympic Association nominated Mendiratta as chief medical officer of the Indian contingent for Tokyo Olympic Games starting July 23.

Team India set to play first ever Test match at a neutral venue

Among nations with Test status, India and Bangladesh are the only sides who haven't played Test cricket at a neutral venue.

Over the last decade, most

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

He has been quoted as saying

by Cricbuzz that there is a huge demand for tickets.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has termed it an exciting prospect.

"I suppose having a different opposition, playing in a neutral country is an exciting prospect," the New Zealand skipper said.

Unlike India, New Zealand have already set up a base in Southampton where they have got used to the conditions. The players are even going to stay in the same rooms.

For India, though, the advantage is that they played a Test back in 2018 which they could have won had they not succumbed to Moeen Ali.

24

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

ICC pushes for inclusion of cricket in 2028 Olympics, relies on Indian subcontinent fandom New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): The International Cricket Council (ICC) has cited the Indian subcontinent's enormous cricket reach, 92 per cent of the one billion global cricket audience, in its push for the sport's inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28).

The ICC has underlined that if LA28 embraced cricket it would "provide the Olympic movement unrivalled opportunity to drive fan engagement" in the Indian subcontinent, a region where cricket followers outnumber those of any other sport.

To further stress cricket's wide reach, it pointed out that the 2019 World Cup, held in England, attracted 545 million fans.

An ICC document prepared on the proposal to inclusion in LA28, a copy of which is available with IANS, has thrown up some more remarkable viewership numbers about the 2019 World Cup: 4.6 billion video views; 3.5 billion

minutes watched across Facebook and YouTube; 31 million #CWC10 tweets and; 14 million new followers of cricket.

The ICC has compared these figures with those of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

"Rio 2016 attracted 191 million viewers in India. ICC World Cup 2019 attracted 545 million," it has said.

The ICC's LA28 proposal received a big boost in April when the Indian cricket board agreed to send its men's and women's teams to the 2028 Olympics, if cricket is included. Greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting have backed the ICC proposal.

By way of some more mind boggling facts, the ICC has cited its young cricket audience, compared to the older ones that watched the 2016 Olympics.

"Average age of a viewer of Rio

Sydney, May 22 (IANS): India and Australia women's cricket series should have a perpetual trophy designed and named on past women cricketers just like men's series has in the form of BorderGavaskar Trophy, said Mel Jones, former Australia woman cricketer and member of International Cricket Council's (ICC) women's committee.

"It's certainly great to have something like the BorderGavaskar, but that's the men's lens of what's happened in the past. So we should just do it our way for the women's game, and maybe we can come up with something a little bit different," Jones told cricket.com.au.

India and Australia women played their first Test back in 1977 at Perth which the host won by 147 runs.

Over the next 44 years, the teams have played eight more Tests. In

Photo Courtesy: The Hindu

India will play a one-off Test against Australia in Perth in September-October.

Jones feels the history of cricket between the two nations needs to be acknowledged.

"This is why we love the game of cricket, because of the history attached to it. Both the men's and women's games have got these magnificent storylines behind their Ashes trophies, and maybe

Photo Courtesy: IANS

The couple held a fundraiser earlier this month in collaboration with crowd-funding platform Ketto for the campaign #InThisTogether and donated Rs 2 crore towards the initiative.

If included in LA28, cricket development in the US could be accelerated while an American team could be included as a competing team, the ICC has said.

It also pointed out 87 percent of fans want to see T20 cricket in the Olympics.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): India captain Virat Kohli's ex-girlfriend Izabelle Leite's photos are going viral on Instagram. Kohli, who has been India's Test captain since 2014 and took over as captain in all formats in 2017, dated Izabelle for about two years.

The ICC is confident that cricket's inclusion in the Olympics would attract partners from new markets and bring about financial sustainability to its member countries. The world governing body said that the win-win cricket-Olympics combination would diversify its member countries' income and reduce their reliance on the ICC for income.

Izabelle made her debut in Bollywood in the Aamir Khanstarrer 'Talaash - The Answer Lies

we can create one just as special that is being talked about in 100 years' time with the same sort of reverence as the Ashes.

Jones, a former right-handed batsman, who played five Tests and 61 Women's ODIs, said that women's cricket should see more and more Test matches.

"It's been an ongoing conversation across every woman cricketer, across every country for so many years, to play more Test matches.

"You speak to the Kiwis and they're just dying for it, the fact that players like (White Ferns' stars) Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates have never played one, and we've got this wonderful Ashes format that allows us to play one every two years.

Within'.

Kohli, meanwhile, married Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma in December 2017 and the couple had their first child in January 2021.

It also emphasised that 39 per cent of cricket fans are females.

"To tell the story of the history of the game between the two countries and who's involved, that would be magnificent. all, the Aussies and Indians have played nine Tests, with Australia leading the head-to-head 4-0.

Five matches have ended in a draw.

Kohli's ex-girlfriend Izabelle trending on Instagram

2016 was 53; 32 percent of viewers of the 2019 50-over World Cup in England were aged between 18-32 years; and, the average age of a cricket fan is 34 years," the ICC pointed out.

India-Aus women series requires a perpetual trophy: former cricketer

SPORTS

They had aimed to raise Rs 7 crore for Covid relief in India but it ended up reaching Rs 11,39,11,820.

Kohli will next be seen in action during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton between June 18 and 22. This will be followed by a five-Test series against England.

FIFA to look into holding World Cup in 2-year cycle

Berlin, May 21 (IANS): Football's world governing body Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) has been given the mandate to make a feasibility study of hosting the men's and women's World Cups every two years instead of its current fouryear cycle.

Domestic federations voted 16622 at a virtual congress of the ruling body on May 21 in favour of a motion from Saudi Arabia's national federation on the impact of holding the events every two years, reports DPA. FIFA has in several stages increased the numbers of teams at the World Cup, with 48 teams instead of 32 at the men's event from 2026 and the women with 32 teams from 2023, up from 24.

But the four-year cycle itself has never been touched as the international match calendar also includes continental tournaments, the Olympics, qualifiers, plus domestic and international club competitions.

However, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said on May 21 that a full review of the calendar from 2024 is needed to help make football truly global, saying that talks must start from "a blank sheet of

Photo Courtesy: www.fifa.com

paper."

Saudi Arabia federation president Yasser Al Misehal spoke of "a critical juncture" for football and "a time to review how the global game is structured" as he outlined the motion in a video message.

"It is important to review how the global game is structured, which should include whether the current four-year cycle remains the optimum basis for how football is managed both from a competition and a commercial perspective as well as overall football development."

Al Misehal also said the review should also touch on qualifiers because "having fewer yet more meaningful competitive national team matches could potentially address concerns regarding player welfare" and enhance the value of the events.

There are also plans to look into a possible annual staging of junior World Cups to give more players a chance to feature there.

Smith toughest, Kohli & Rohit easy pickings: Amir

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Karachi, May 21 (IANS): Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammed Amir has picked Steve Smith over both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, calling him the toughest batsman he has bowled to unlike the Indian duo who he feels are easy pickings.

Amir, who retired from international cricket in December, 2020 after differences with the team management was one of Pakistan's star performers in the 2017 ICC Champions

www.indianews.com.au

Trophy final, dismissing both Kohli and Sharma early.

"I haven't found it tough bowling to either. In fact, I find it easy to bowl to him (Rohit Sharma). I feel that I can get him out both ways. He struggles against the inswinger from a left-armer and as well as against the ball that goes away early on. I may say that I find bowling to Virat slightly tougher because he revels in pressure situations, but otherwise I've

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

never found it difficult bowling to either of the two," Amir said in an interview with Cricwick.

The left-arm pace bowler, who served a five-year suspension for match-fixing early last decade, said that Australia's Smith is the most difficult batsman to bowl to because of his different technique.

"I find it most difficult to bowl to Steve Smith. Because his technique is very difficult [to

comprehend]. He stands in such an angle that you don't understand where to bowl to him," Amir said before explaining why Smith's technique makes it difficult for bowlers to bowl to him.

"If you bowl an outswinger, he raises the bat and leaves it. If you bowl on the pads, his flick is a solid shot for him. I find his technique really difficult while bowling," added the former Pakistan pacer.

25

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

ART & CULTURE

Kalinga Lit Fest's 'KLF Bhava Samvad': Delhi's Madam Tussauds to reopen from April 2022 Literature in the time of a pandemic Photo Courtesy: IANS

Ghazala Wahab, Sandeep Agarwal, Amish Tripathi, Devdutt Pattanaik, Ram Madhav, Arundhati Subramaniam, Haldhar Naag, Pt Kunj Bihari Mishra, Rasheed Kidwai, Geeta Shree, T.T. Ram Mohan, Atul K Thakur, Shobha Akshar,Keshava Guha, etc.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

KLF also hosted four special sessions to give tribute to legendary writer Manoj Dash.

By Sukant Deepak New Delhi, May 26 (IANS): Even as the pandemic and consequent lockdowns eclipsed art and culture activities, Kalinga Literary Festival decided to continue the celebration of literature and spirit digitally. On May 17, 2020 Kalinga Lit Fest announced its virtual platform- 'KLF Bhava Samvad'.

Now, a year down the line, KLF Bhava Samvad has completed one year with more than 200 successful sessions with 500 Speakers and more than 15 million audience engaging.

KLF Bhav Samvad's sessions focus on literature, public policy and thinking in multiculturalism, humanism and contemporary issues of society in large.

"With over 200 sessions we have come a long way. It is people's love for literature that made this happen," said Rashmi Ranjan Parida, founder-director of Kalinga Literary Festival, Mystic Kalinga Festival.

KLF Bhava Samvad has collaborated with leading publishing houses including Penguin Random House, Westland, HarperCollins India, Roli Books, Rajpal & Sons, Vani Prakashan, Rupa & Co. and Niyogi Books.

KLF Bhava Samvad went live on May 17, 2020, with a poetryreading panel. That was a cold breeze to summer heat for the KLF fanbase. Soon after the first virtual session of South-Asian literature, the gradual growth of KLF Bhava Samvad began to mark its slot, putting an end to speculations.

Eminent personalities of literature, business, culture, law makers, spirituality, such as Amitav Ghosh, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Dr Pratibha Roy, Mamta Kalia, Lord Meghnad Desai, Bibek Debroy, SY Quraishi, Pt. Hari Prasad Chourasia, Geeta Shree, Prabhat Ranjan, Durjoy Dutta, Sandeep Bamzai, Swami Mukundanand, Sarah Joseph,

"The heart speaks and the mind listens, the eyes tell the stories and silence raises our consciousness. As we know that literature always reflects society and sometimes guides as well, we at KLF are going to connect with poets, philosophers and writers, to know how literature has captured this pandemic and how successful it has been in reflecting the contemporary and ongoing reality of life," said Ashutosh Kumar Thakur, Advisor and Curator of KLF. The festival made another big announcement about the launch of 'Mystic India Festival'. MKF focuses on literary celebration on a pan-India basis which is soon to be commenced.

"KLF Bhava Samvad was initiated to keep the literary spirit intact during lockdown because of the pandemic. The rapid growth of the platform and after receiving immense love from the audience, KLF Bhava Samvad has reached at a remarkable point having legendary literary figures, artists across the globe on board and will continue to live as a permanent platform," Parida added.

Natya Rasa on Koodiyattam enthralls audience Photo Courtesy: IANS

Thiruvananthapuram, May 24 (IANS): The Sanskruti Centre for cultural excellence based out of London conducted a webinar highlighting the ancient Kerala art form of Koodiyattam which is officially recognised by the Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Eminent Koodiyattam artist and teacher, Painkulam Narayana Chakyar spoke about the origin and history of Koodiyattam.

He said that Koodiyattam is considered to be the oldest living theatre tradition globally and this is the first art form recognized by Unesco for its exceptional value.

He explained at length on Koodiyattam as the only surviving Sanskrit theater in India and its journey through the past 2,000 years.

The four types of Abhinaya in classical dance were explained with the help of powerpoint slides and videos and the audience were enthralled to see the live demonstration of the "Navarasas", the nine different emotions and expressions and some of the specific hand gestures used in the art form.

www.indianews.com.au

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): Though the Madame Tussauds' wax museum in Delhi's Connaught Place is closed for the last one year, it will once again be opened for the public at a new place in the national Capital in April 2022. The company running it has decided to give special discounts to frontline workers and those who have been vaccinated.

London's famous Madame Tussauds is run by a company called Merlin Entertainments India Private Limited. The renowned wax museum will be opened at a new venue in one of the top malls in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). All the formalities regarding the new place have been completed, though some issues are yet to be resolved.

Madame Tussauds was closed in March 2020 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, after which the process of finding a new place for it had started from December 2020.

After discussing several aspects, the company has finally decided to reopen Madame Tussauds in April 2022 and to give special discounts to those who have been vaccinated.

Frontline workers will be given special discounts on tickets for the visit.

Anshul Jain, Director of Merlin Entertainments India Private Limited, told IANS, "We are looking for another place for Madame Tussauds in Delhi-NCR. Our negotiations with some of the top malls in Delhi-NCR is in the final stage. However, we will choose the mall where we will get better facilities. The chance is -- we will start the Madame Tussauds again in April 2022."

Mukundan Menon, retired General Manager of State Bank of India and deep fan of Koodiyattam while speaking to IANS said, "The web performance was exceedingly well and the artists explained the nuances of the oldest theatre form with ease using slides and videos. A great experience."

The programme commenced with the a welcome speech by dancer and founder of Sanskruti Centre, London, Ragasudha Vinjamuri followed by introductory lines about the work of one

of the greatest exponents of Koodiyattam, Late Padmasri Mani Madhava Chakyar by artist Manju Sunil and the English version was done by Salini.

He said, "Frontline workers have done a commendable job during

the Covid-19 pandemic, we will give them special discounts on tickets to visit the wax museum.

Also we will give extra discounts to those people who have got themselves vaccinated. This is to encourage people to get vaccinated."

"To look after the wax statues, we have a special team of makeup artistes, studio stylists, technicians and hairstylists. Every week our special team examines the statues closely and have kept them at a safe place in Delhi."

Before the reopening of Madame Tussauds, the company considered all aspects keeping in view the coronavirus pandemic, including how many vaccinations have been done so far, how many more vaccinations may take place in urban-rural areas in the coming months. All these aspects were taken into consideration.

The company has also decided to reopen the wax museum in April next year keeping in mind the school timings of children because January, February and March are the months for holding examinations due to which less children are likely to pay a visit.

According to Anshul Jain, it is most likely that by the end of this year, most of the people will be vaccinated. Economic activities will also resume by this time, as per estimate.

Madame Tussauds contains wax figures of 50 famous personalities to which people from all over the world pay a visit. This wax museum comprises statues of celebrities like Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hollywood pop singer Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Father of the Nation -- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, former India captain Kapil Dev etc.

Ragasudha told IANS: "Sanskruti Centre is established to promote the traditional art and musical forms in India and we are glad that we could conduct a programme on Koodiyattam, the oldest theatre form of the globe."

Several Europeans and Indians joined the virtual Koodiyattam performance from across the globe.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

26

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

BOOKS & LITERATURE

Agonising journey home Applying Sun in the midst of a pandemic Tzu's strategies to New Delhi, May 25 (IANS): As the nation marks the first anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown, comes journalistturned-filmmaker Vinod Kapri's compelling book, "1232 km: The Long Journey Home" (HarperCollins), a true account of human grief, grit, and gumption.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Said Ridhima Kumar, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins India: "The painful images of labourers (often with children) walking or cycling home at the peak of summer will long remain implanted in my memory.

Here's an incisive reportage of the seven of them, angry and frustrated yet full of hopes and dreams, on their way home - 1232 kilometres away."

The lockdown left millions of migrant labourers without jobs, food and home. Desperate and helpless, most took to the road, embarking on a long, often fatal journey home.

This is the account of one such journey that seven migrants from Bihar - Ritesh, Ashish, Ram Babu, Sonu, Krishna, Sandeep and Mukesh - undertook on their bicycles that lasted for seven days and seven nights. Accompanying them was National Awardwinning filmmaker Vinod Kapri.

The book records their journey on the road from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to Saharsa in Bihar, spanning 1,232 kilometres. It is a story of courage as well as the desperation of the seven men braving police batons and insults, battling hunger and exhaustion to reach their destination - their home.

A documentary based on this journey, directed by Vinod Kapri, has just been released on Disney+ Hotstar.

"When I set out on this journey," Kapri said, "I had a deep curiosity about what makes the migrant

our working classes and the callousness of our State. It says that people will outlive all rulers, however, powerful".

labourers' bicycle 1,232 kilometres without food or any help in such extreme circumstances. I wanted to know who these people are. I wanted to see them up close."

"This is not a journey about courage, willpower or grit. It is about good and bad people in our society. The migrants I filmed were getting unexpected help from strangers, while the authorities, who one would expect cooperation from, were harassing them.

"These people built our homes, our cities. Do we care to know their names? About their families?

The way I look at them now is entirely different," he added.

Social scientist, poet and author Kamla Bhasin has described the book as "a testament to the resilience and resolve of

Vinod Kapri won a National Award for his 2014 documentary "Can't Take This Shit Anymore" about a group of gutsy women who wrested their right to dignity from society that was cited as the Best Film on Social Issues. His critically acclaimed film "Pihu", a two-year-old girl who gets into an unexpected situation where she is all by herself, opened the 48th International Film Festival of India and won two awards at the 14th Trans-Saharan International Film Festival at Zagora (Morocco) the same year.

Before venturing into filmmaking, Kapri spent 23 years as a journalist with media organisations like Amar Ujala, Zee News, Star News, India TV and TV9.

Captions: Vinod Kapri The cover of the book

'Amazon Unbound' an unvarnished look at its unprecedented growth dollars. Whereas Amazon used to sell only books, there is now little they don't sell, becoming the world's largest online retailer and pushing into other markets at warp speed.

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): With the publication of "The Everything Store" in 2013, Bloomberg journalist Brad Stone revealed how the unlikely Seattle start-up Amazon became an unexpected king of ecommerce. Since then, its founder Jeff Bezos has led Amazon to explosive growth in both size and wealth.

In less than 10 years, Amazon has quintupled the size of its workforce and increased its valuation to well over a trillion

www.indianews.com.au

Between Amazon's 40 subsidiaries - like Whole Foods Market, Amazon Studios in Hollywood, websites like Goodreads and IMDb, and Amazon Web Services cloud software unit, plus Bezos's purchase of the Washington Post - it's almost impossible to go a day without encountering their goods. Amazon provides us opportunities to shop, entertain, inform, communicate, store and, one day, maybe even travel to the moon. We live in a world run, supplied and controlled by Amazon.

In "Amazon Unbound" (Simon & Schuster), Stone offers the mustread follow-up to "The Everything Store", detailing the seismic changes that have taken place at Amazon over the past decade as it became one of the most powerful and feared companies in the global economy, led by one of the most powerful and feared leaders in business.

He shows the acquisitions and innovations that have propelled Amazon's unprecedented growth, and the turn in public sentiment that criticises Amazon's monopolistic practices. As he charts the company's meteoric rise, Stone probes the evolution of Jeff Bezos - who started as a geeky entrepreneur but who transformed to become a fit, famed, disciplined billionaire, a man who runs Amazon with an iron fist but finds his personal life splashed over the tabloids.

the business world New Delhi, May 22 (IANS): Based on author/broadcaster David Browns chart-topping "Business Wars" podcast re-imagined using Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War" as a guide, "The Art Of Business Wars" features stories and lessons from history's greatest business rivalries revealing why some companies triumph while others crumble.

Business is a fight for survival. In business as in war, leaders match their wills in pursuit of opposing outcomes; they devise strategies and marshal resources for victory.

Success can turn on the smallest of details; a single tactical blunder can topple an empire. Ultimately, one side triumphs - and victory is all that matters.

Brown masterfully frames some of the biggest business rivalries in history using revered Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu's insights and pragmatic advice.

Each rivalry tells a story of combined wits, strategies, and resources. Brown chronicles the rise of companies as they vanquish rivals, formulate innovative plans, and adapt to keep up with shifting needs.

The goal? Stay ahead of the competition and emerge victorious.

By compiling powerful insights uncovered over hundreds of podcast episodes and more than a year of in-depth research, Brown has developed a formula for business intrigue rich in popular history. The stories in "The Art of Business Wars" will inspire you, and the lessons you can draw from them - about determination, ingenuity, patience, grit, subtlety,

Photo Courtesy: IANS

and other traits that contribute to a victorious enterprise - are invaluable, whether you're a creative freelancer or the CEO of a multinational manufacturer.

David Brown is the host of the hit podcasts "Business Wars" and "Business Wars Daily". He is also the co-creator and host of "Texas Standard", the Lone Star's statewide daily news show, and was the former anchor of the Peabody award-winning public radio business program "Marketplace".

He has been a public radio journalist for more than three decades, winning multiple awards, and is a contributor to "All Things Considered", "Morning Edition", and other NPR programs.

Brown earned his PhD in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctor from Washington and Lee University School of Law. He lives with his wife and two children in Austin.

Definitive, timely and revelatory, Stone has provided an unvarnished portrait of a man and company that we couldn't imagine modern life without.

Brad Stone is senior executive editor of global technology at Bloomberg News. His book, "The Everything Store" was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into over 35 languages.

His other books include "The Upstarts: Uber, Airbnb, and the Battle for the New Silicon Valley".

He has covered Silicon Valley for more than 20 years and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

ADVERTISE WITH US

Call us at

1300 859 066 27

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

TRAVEL

5 precautions to keep in mind for air travel in the times of COVID-19 Photo Courtesy: Pexels

Photo Courtesy: Pexels

state that double masking can reduce one’s exposure to the virus by up to 95 percent. The CDC recommends layering a cloth mask over a surgical mask.

Avoid combinations such as two surgical masks, or a K95/N95 and any other mask.

Minimal contact clothing:

A

lmost a year ago, one of the busiest airports in the worldIndira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi had a deserted look brought about by the coronavirus. A year later, the airport has terminated operations on terminal 2 as a result of the reduced number of flights due to the second wave, which is turning out to be more deadly than the previous one.

due to which flights are being considered as a safer travelling option, however, it is always good for travellers to be extra cautious and look out for their own safety and practice precautions while boarding a flight. While it is imperative to mask up, regularly sanitise and avoid unnecessary contact with people and surfaces, there are other things as well to keep in mind while taking a flight.

The air travel industry has witnessed significant changes since the pandemic, even as two things remain constant the threat from the virus and the effort to ensure a safer surrounding. While leisure travel has taken a halt, air travel still remains unavoidable for some – many people are returning home amid the second wave-to be with their families during these times or for other personal or family health emergencies

With the current safety concerns set to stay for the foreseeable future, EaseMyTrip.com shares with IANSlife list of precautions that a passenger should keep in mind while travelling by air.

Cases reported on air travel spread have been minimal

Double Mask up for maximum protection: With the second wave of coronavirus spreading ferociously, people have realised the importance of doubling up the protection. Is double mask safer than a single mask?

Indeed, studies done by Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Such testing times require cautious approach even while choosing your outfit for air travel.

It is advisable to cover your body as much as possible, so track suits are a good option. Travelers should also avoid wearing open toed shoes to ensure minimal contact. Wearing goggles can also add a protective layer for your eyes. It is also advisable to wear socks so that your bare feet don’t touch the airport floor during security check.

Reduce, Disinfect your baggage: The more the merrier? This saying has gone for a toss, at least while travelling during the Covid crisis. Despite safety protocols in place, your bag will pass through several channels and people from check-in to the final destination.

It is advisable to check-in fewer bags. In the event that reducing the baggage is unavoidable, it should be thoroughly cleaned using disinfectant wipes after the journey. Apply sanitizing gel to a tissue and make sure to wipe the handles and bottom of the luggage.

Edging towards the window seat: A window seat could come with an extra jab of protection

owing to the less exposure and movement of passengers, and thus avoiding unnecessary contact. A person sitting in the window seat will essentially reduce the number of people within your 6-foot exposure radius by half. An aisle seat should be avoided as travelers tend to visit washrooms, touch surfaces and walk by, increasing one’s exposure to the virus. So make sure that you book your ticket and seat way in advance from a travel portal such as EaseMyTrip.com.

Maintaining distance and hygiene over the course of the journey: It is difficult to give up on a sip or two of water throughout the course of the journey. With Covid around, it is advisable to carry your own bottle to minimise contact with people, which is a possibility at the point of sale.

While there is very little you can do on the plane to maintain distance, ensure that you keep your distance from people in the terminal. Walk around the terminal while you’re waiting for

your flight as the seating area could be a point of infection. It is also advisable to clean and use disinfectant wipes for surfaces such as the tray table or in-flight entertainment systems that you will be using in the flight.

Similarly, precautions should be taken while accessing washrooms at airports and on flights, including using elbows to open the doors. It is advisable to stay away from washrooms that are crowded.

While it may not be possible to avoid all points of contact, the current global crisis merits a heightened sense of caution, and it is important for travelers to be aware of their surroundings and take all possible necessary precautions from their end to ensure a safe journey. It is also advisable to look up state wise air travel guidelines and notifications listed on https://www.easemytrip. com/covid19-help.html to ensure that one is up to date with all necessary travel and airline information.

'Indian hospitality industry declined 39% in RevPAR during Q1 2021'

T

he Indian hospitality industry witnessed a decline of 38.7 per cent in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) during the first quarter of 2021 as compared to

2020, said a report on Thursday.

According to JLL's Hotel Momentum India (HMI) Q1 2021, a quarterly hospitality sector monitor, RevPAR in the top six

Indian cities has decreased by 48 per cent in Q1 2021 as compared to Q1 2020.

Total number of signings in Q1 2021 stood at 28 hotels comprising

Photo Courtesy: IANS

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

2,064 keys, recording a decline of 53 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

Demand and supply of operational inventory in six major cities declined by 6.7 per cent and 4.2 per cent, respectively in the first quarter of 2021.

Jaideep Dang, Managing Director, Hotels and Hospitality Group, International operators South Asia, JLL said: "In Q1 2021, dominated signings over hospitality industry witnessed a domestic operators with the ratio revival, with most leisure markets of 54:46 in terms of inventory performing exceptionally well. volume.

The pace of recovery started Goa grew to be the RevPAR leader picking up due to increase in in absolute terms, despite the corporate travel, but it was short single digit decline of RevPAR by lived as the onset of Photo Courtesy: IANS 1.1 per cent in Q1 2021 second wave brought back compared to Q1 2020. This was travel restrictions and derailed due to a 6.4 per cent increase in the recovery. occupancy levels.

We expect that the hospitality Demand for domestic leisure sector in India will mostly remain travel amidst international travel under stress in 2021. However, restrictions continues to make the hotels are much nimbler Goa the fastest recovering market and better prepared in terms of in absolute term. their SOPs and cost structures to navigate business interruptions Bengaluru saw the sharpest decline in RevPAR in Q1 2021, with this year. A few trades may emerge in the hotel investment a 60.6 per cent decline compared to the same period of the previous space given the dynamic cash flow situations.. year.

28

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

TRAVEL

Accor's first Raffles Resort in the Middle East

R

affles the Palm Dubai will be the first ultra-luxury addition to Accor’s existing diverse portfolio in Dubai. With more than 600 hotels and resorts across India, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, this hotel on the iconic Palm Jumeirah is set to open in the last quarter of 2021.

The group is partnering with Emerald Palace group (EGP), which has been successfully developing and constructing residential projects in Ukraine, UAE and Russia since 1996.

providing the legendary Raffles butler service and offering eight new unique lifestyle food and beverage experiences.

Guests looking to relax during their stay will be able to indulge in Cing Mondes Spa, an award winning 3,000sqm Parisian brand with an iconic design, never before seen in Dubai, featuring 23 treatments rooms and two private spa suites, as well as the city’s largest indoor swimming pool.

Raffles the Palm Dubai will be situated within 100,000 sqm landscape on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island and archipelago. Its privileged location boasts panoramic sea views and vistas of the Dubai’s iconic skyline while offering a tranquil and private escape, just a short drive away from the city’s vibrant attractions.

Rising above the cobalt blue waters of the Arabian Gulf, the property is flanked by a 500 meter private white sand beach offering the perfect scene for an ultra-luxurious beach experience! Guests and residents will be introduced to a brand new concept beach club offering which will showcase Mediterranean cuisine, entertainment offerings and much more coming to the shores of the Raffles the Palm Dubai.

Once open, the resort will offer 389 luxurious rooms - starting from 65sqm, suites and villas, each of them featuring a balcony and terrace showcasing unparalleled sea views. Not only will this new property offer unrivalled hospitality, it will also go beyond expectations by

“We are pleased to partner with Accor to establish the first Raffles resort in the Middle East.

Our international expertise in developing and constructing hotel and residential projects combined with Accor’s knowledge, presence and prestigious brand portfolio set the grounds to open the best

hotel in town!” mentioned Dr. Nver Mkhitaryan, Owner of EGP Group.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

“This is a very exciting opportunity for us” says Mark Willis, CEO of Accor India, Middle East, Africa and Turkey. “There are very few beach resort plots left in Dubai and none on the Palm Jumeirah. The size of the property and its location perfectly lend itself to provide a prestigious address for the Raffles brand” Photo Courtesy: IANS

Dubai mandates hotels to comply with sustainability requirements by July 1 Photo Courtesy: Travel Pulse

D

a refresher webinar ahead of July 2021.

Under the directive, hotels must also resume monthly submission of carbon emission drivers. The system has the long-term objective of advancing sustainability performance across the sector. Back in 2019 Dubai Tourism led by DST trained 528 hotels on the implementation of these sustainability standards and currently inviting hotels for

Yousuf Lootah, Vice Chairman of Dubai Sustainable Tourism, said: “Over the past year, the strength of the city’s tourism industry is reflected in the safe and successful reopening of Dubai to domestic and international visitors. In alignment with the city’s wider carbon reduction strategy, we know that tourism

ubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) mandates that all hotels comply with the Sustainability Requirements for Hotel Establishments by the deadline of July 1, 2021, as set

by Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST), an initiative to further enhance Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations.

Photo Courtesy: Forbes

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline was extended for an additional 12 month, a decision that Dubai Tourism took to strengthen the foundations for recovery of the hospitality sector. The progress on implementation of the mandatory standards will be tracked by hotels and audited by DST.

can also be an area where Dubai truly sets the benchmark at a global level with forwardthinking sustainability and corporate social responsibility practices. We strongly encourage hotels to comply with the 19 Sustainability Requirements set

by Dubai Tourism and provide Carbon Calculator submissions by 1 July. We know that with the ongoing support of the relevant government bodies these hotel establishments can play a huge part in achieving the overall carbon emission reduction target over the next year and beyond.”

The 19 Sustainability Requirements include sustainable management approaches, performance metrics, energy, food and water management plans, guest education, employee training initiatives, the presence of sustainability committees within hotel establishments and corporate social responsibility programmes for local communities. Through improving internal sustainability operations, hotel establishments in turn will enhance the competitiveness of Dubai’s tourism-linked economy.

These requirements support Dubai’s Carbon Abatement Strategy 2021 target to reduce the carbon emissions by 16 percent by 2021, overall.

Since its inception in January 2017, the Carbon Calculator – part

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

of the Tourism Dirham Platform, is a tool that has been measuring the carbon footprint within Dubai’s hospitality sector. On a monthly basis, hotels submit their consumption of 11 carbon emission sources, including: electricity, district cooling, water, waste, fuel for transportation, fuel for generators, fire extinguishers, and liquefied petroleum gas for analysis. This information is aggregated and analysed to provide valuable industry

insights on the sector’s collective carbon footprint. In addition, by formulating a baseline along with consistent tracking, this information enables hotels to understand their energy, water and waste consumption and further identify successful costsaving opportunities.

DST will be hosting virtual information sessions for all hotels between May 23 – 27 , 2021 on the Sustainability Requirements.

29

INDIA NEWS

www.indianews.com.au

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

WHAT’S ON

30

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

COMMUNITY NEWS

Buddha birthday festival QACC hosts Africa Day 2021 Festival celebrated at Chung A Tian temple frica Day 2021 Festival (Fundraising Auctions) was hosted by Queensland African

O

n 15th May 2021, people from all walks of life gathered at South Bank Parklands to commemorate the birth of the Buddha.

"Red carpet functions have been an active part of this celebration for 6 years now. We recognise with the need to have compassion in all our practices and the importance of giving back to its community. We understand life and work have to co-exist with mother nature and we strive to bringing about the best in everything and everyone. We are the change we want to see in the world today," said Reena Augustine, founder, Red Carpet Functions.

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (popularly referred to as the Buddha), Buddhism is a faith in which the core values comprise

Communities Council at Acacia Ridge on May 29.

of training or disciplining one’s mind (soul) to enable individuals to practice compassion and non-attachment. The title buddha refers to an enlightened being who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and achieved freedom from suffering. It is believed Maha Maya (Mother of Lord Buddha) dreamt one night that an elephant entered her womb and 10 lunar months later, while taking a stroll through her gardens in Lumbini, her son emerged from under her right arm.

Buddhism has spread since then and comprises the third largest religion in Australia growing at 7% since 2011 as per census press release on January 18, 2018, by ABS.

By Kuenzang Choden

AfriQueensland Awards Night organised in Brisbane

Q

ueensland African Communities Councils (QACC) organised AfriQueensland Awards Night 2021 on May 22 in Brisbane to celebrate, appreciate, acknowledge all who contributed to the African community.

Besides Benny Bol, the President of QACC, and his team members, the event was attended by all the Multicultural Queensland Social Network (MQSN) leaders.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Call us at 1300 859 066

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

31

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

FASHION

Celebs twinning in same outfits Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

C

elebs put in a lot of efforts to finalise their look and deciding upon their OTT outfits.

But there have been several instances when celebrities were spotted wearing the same outfit.

The most recent one: Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Anne Hathway wore the same black bodycon by designer Alexandre Vauthier black for different photoshoots.

Priyanka wore the figureflaunting dress worth Rs 4 lakh for her photoshoot as the cover face of fashion glossy Vogue Australia. The silk embellishedtrim maxi silk dress had gem

embellishment, slim cut, square neck, and spaghetti straps and is from the French label’s SS21 collection. On the other hand, Anne wore the dress for her shoot for CR Fashion Book China.

is back on the red carpet

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

PeeCee’s look was also compared to one of Deepika Padukone’s old pictures in which she was wearing a black, floor-length Tom Ford gown. The comparison did not go well with Priyanka's mother Madhu Chopra and lashed out at a media outlet who asked its followers on social media for which actress pulled off the black gown better. Madhu reacted to the tweet by writing, “Only a blind will think they are wearing same outfit. Besides Pri always carries Haute couture better.”

Actresses Alia Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor were clicked by the paparazzi wearing the same Zimmerman dress. Shraddha styled the white and pink floral mini with plunging neckline and bell sleeves with a pair of off-white strappy heels and kept her makeup neutral and left her brunette mane down in soft waves.

Alia chose to do a bohemian braided hairdo that added extra oomph to her look. She then opted for glowy makeup while sticking to strappy heels and

accessorised it with a cross-body sling .

Experimenting with the ‘Desi Look’ Photo Courtesy: Pexel

Photo Courtesy: Pexel

P

riyanka Chopra Jonas has always managed to stir a conversation around her fashion choices. The actress never fails to impress with her bold style choices made headlines at the recently held Billboard Music Awards.

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

PeeCee’s appearance at the event held at the Microsoft theatre in Los Angeles, US, garnered a lot of attention, thanks to her ultra-glamorous look. She wore a custom Dolce & Gabbana dress, inspired by the brands Fall 2007 collection. The sheer gold ensemble featured a thigh-high slit and an accentuated waistline thanks a metallic gold belt by Dior.

T

he elegance and appeal of Indian ethnic wear have been maintained since days of yore, and the occidental culture has consistently been interested by the gloriousness of the famous ethnic outfits - saree, salwar suit and the lehenga. Fashion biggies have been mixing the western and ethnic sensibilities together to bring -- the rich patterns, cuts and comfort part of western wear were combined with the conventional luxury and style, and it normally indented up the fame of Indian ethnic wear in the worldwide market.

These tips by Anuj Mundra, MD and Chairman of Jaipurkurti.com will help you rock the ‘desi look: 1. While getting an ethnic wear

www.indianews.com.au

for working environment, consistently look sharp. Stay away from substantial flowy dupattas that are very diverting. All things being equal, choose a dupatta that has hand printed themes. Patiala pants are ideal workwear. Wear a botanical print kurti with fully spread solid Patiala salwar.

2. To break the tedium of ordinary western or ethnic wear, you can generally pick an Indo-western combination wear. Wear a short combination kurta and provincial dhoti-style salwar or bottoms embellished well.

3. Another method of pulling off an ethnic look without getting carried away with salwar kameez is to wear flared long dresses.

With strong themes, flower prints

and wide hemlines, these designs look stylish and are agreeable.

4. Multi-shaded palazzos with block prints matched with a plain kurta can add an alternate appeal to the entire outfit. On the off chance that you are not a kurta fan, these palazzos can be combined with tank tops or short kurtis.

5. Your ethnic wardrobe is incomplete without a few stunning anarkali pieces. From easygoing to celebrations, these anarkali kurtas look very lovely and comfortable to wear for a more extended time frame length.

The flared hem and the designed neck make these kurtas a top pick for everybody.

Diet Sabya has called her out for wearing a brand which (Dolce & Gabbana) was boycotted in 2018 by many for being “racist” and many ditched the brand altogether as part of the ‘cancel culture’. Be that as it may it doesn’t take away from her turning heads on one of the rare red carpet outings that fashion addicts have had the pleasure to see this season.

Priyanka teamed the nude gown with a classic jewels by Bulgari wearing a Serpenti bracelet, diamond drop earrings, and rings. Strappy metallic sandals, soft smokey eyes and silky hair extensions completed the transformation.

Priyanka was also on the cover of Australian fashion glossy ‘Vogue’.

Feeling comfortable in her skin, Priyanka looked incredible in a black gown which showed off what she has referred to as her “now body”.

Photo Courtesy: IANS

Also spotted at the event was Indian-American TV personality and author Padma Lakshmi, who wore a Christian Siriano pantsuit covered in crystals. Lakshmi chose to go shirtless beneath her plunging blazer. She accessorised the look with a layered, dainty silver necklaces by Jacquie Aiche and added a sparkly silver clutch.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

32

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

INDIA NEWS

Allu Sirish teases fans with pre-look poster of next film Photo Courtesy: IANS

Hyderabad, May 27 (IANS): Actor Allu Sirish on Thursday released a high-on-romance pre-look of his upcoming film on Instagram.

He said the name and look of this film would be announced on his birthday, May 30.

ENTERTAINMENT

Huma Qureshi: Moving from Delhi to Mumbai changed my life

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

The pre-look features a passionate romantic scene featuring a couple, with their faces hazed out and the focus on their entwined hands.

The poster has #Sirish6 scribbled on it, referring to the fact that this will be the actor's sixth film in the Telugu film industry.

"The title & first look of my next film will be announced on Sunday 11am, Sunday (30 May), which also happens to be my birthday. I am excited!" he wrote as caption with the poster.

According to sources, a second pre-look is also expected to release before the final title announcement.

The film stars Anu Emmanuel opposite Allu Sirish and is directed by Rakesh Sasi of and is being presented by Sirish's father, producer Allu Aravind.

Sirish was last on the big screen in the Telugu film "ABCD: American Born Confused Desi" in 2019.

More recently, he forayed the Hindi industry featuring in the music video of the song "Vilayati sharaab".

Arjun Bijlani posts pics with Nikki Tamboli, fans feel they look 'perfect together'

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS): Actor Arjun Bijlani and Nikki Tamboli may be rival contestants on the adventure reality show "Khatron Ke Khiladi 11", but they sure seem to have struck a bond while shooting for the show in Cape Town. A series of pictures Arjun posted on Wednesday shows the two stars are having a good time together.

Rani is an illiterate village woman, oblivious to most things in the world outside, and yet she finds herself in the centrestage of Bihar politics after a twist of fate, and ends up being chief minister of the state. Like Rani's ignorance about the world of politics, Huma says she had no idea what it meant to be a part of Bollywood when she was growing up.

In three pictures that Arjun posted on Instagram, the two can be seen posing in a park.

Arjun looks stylish in a sleeveless blue jacket with black jeans. He completes his look with shades and holds a black jacket in his hand. Nikki looked pretty in a white crop top, pink shorts and a black jacket.

"Rani Bharti has never stepped outside her village. To play her was a big challenge. She's absolutely opposite to how I am.

That was the exciting part. If you know something how, do you forget about it? How do I show in Rani's eyes if she doesn't know something despite me knowing it?

That was fun and challenging. The look and costume really helped," she told IANS.

"She has a funny bone !! #kkk11 #khatronkekhiladi #capetown @ colorstv," Arjun wrote on his Insta post.

The picture sure has impressed fans.

"Looks perfect together," wrote a fan.

Another posted: "You both look soo amazing together."

Meanwhile, Arjun has been posting pictures with the other constants of the show as well.

He recently posted pictures

www.indianews.com.au

Mumbai, May 27 (IANS): Actress Huma Qureshi says playing the protagonist Rani Bharti in the upcoming web series "Maharani" was exciting because it involved 'forgetting' a lot of what she knows, in order to become the character. She says moving from Delhi to Mumbai to be an actress was an experience that in some way helped her understand Rani.

with Divyanka, captioning them: "Always smiling!! #kkk11

#khatronkekhiladi #capetown @ colorstv."

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

"Moving from Delhi to Mumbai has been a turning point. It changed my life completely. I was living a different life in Delhi. I

never thought that this was the world I belonged to. I grew up in Delhi, my friends are also from there. I dared to be somebody I was told I can't be. For me and my family, me moving to a different city was a big change," she says.

The actress is happy to be able to entertain people during this tough time. "The world is shut down. I was talking to my cousins, and two years of the kids' lives are gone. They can't go out to play, meet school friends. Their childhood has gone. Theatres have shut down, the industry has shut down. Of course, it's sad but we have to make the best of the situation. I am happy that I am blessed that I can put out some work where people can forget all this for a while and watch something. So, maybe I can help in this way," she said.

In fact, she adds that social media has been a big help right now.

"This pandemic has shown us the worst that is there. It is heartbreaking and shocking.

This pandemic has also shown us humanity. So many people have used social media to help people, get someone a bed, get plasma.

I have done that for people on my social media. I have seen the goodness of human beings. That has been my one takeaway from this time," she says.

33

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

ENTERTAINMENT

Alia Bhatt backs series educating Ruhi Singh tries to decode why runaway bride stories people about Covid vaccine Photo Courtesy: Instagram

us vaccines and vaccines give us hope. Thanks to vaccines we now have a way of ending this pandemic and rebuilding our lives. But even though the vaccine is here and waiting, some of us are still hesitant."

are entertaining

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

"A great deal of this hesitancy is linked to misinformation, myths and rumours that are exchanged on social media and other messaging platforms. Yes getting the Covid-19 vaccine is a personal choice... (but) together we can learn about the vaccine from reliable sources and make the most informed decision about getting vaccinated," she added.

Informing about the content and format of the series, the actress further said: "Throughout this five-episode series, we will be speaking with reliable doctors and global health activists who will be sharing data and facts around the vaccine. The first episode will be released tomorrow and will be available in a podcast and video format. I hope this series will help address some of your concerns around the vaccine."

For the series, the actressproducer collaborates with podcast makers Audiomatic.

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS): Actress Alia Bhatt is backing a five-part series that aims to educate people about the necessity of Covid vaccination and addresses rumours and myths surrounding the vaccine. The series starts from Thursday and is backed by

Alia's newly-launched production house Eternal Sunshine Productions.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday evening, Alia shared a video where she said: "In the fight against Covid-19, science is our greatest ally. Science gave

Along with her video, Alia wrote on Instagram: "Shared knowledge is our greatest ally in this fight against Covid-19.

Together, @Audiomaticin and @ Eternalsunshineproduction are bringing to you a 5 part series that can help us understand the Covid-19 vaccines a little better."

Elnaaz Norouzi: Nobody functions well under pressure

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

Mumbai, May 27 (IANS): Actress Elnaaz Norouzi says she is not one to stress over performing well on screen or choosing the right project.

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS): Actress Ruhi Singh who plays the protagonist in her latest web series "Runaway Lugaai" feels she was mentally cheering for her character, who was bold enough to run away from her marriage.

From Julia Roberts in "Runaway Bride", to Kareena Kapoor's escape in "3 Idiots" or Diana Penty's run in "Happy Bhaag Jayegi" stories about brides-to-be running away from their weddings has always entertained the audience. Ruhi reasons why: "Stories of runaway brides might not be convincing for all, but there could be multiple reasons as to why a bride is fighting against this new chapter of her life."

She explained: "My character Bulbul is bold, 'bindaas' and,

as a smalltown girl, she goes through this dilemma of wanting to achieve and live her big dream even at the cost of running away from her life as a newlywed.

While enacting that scene, there was this sense of purpose and adrenaline rush through me, and I was mentally cheering on my character who so bravely decided to make an unconventional choice. Bulbul finds a different path for herself and she isn't afraid to go after it. This courage is what I love about her. It's the sheer thrill of being able to take a giant leap of faith that leaves most of us fascinated by these plots."

The show also features Sanjay Mishra and Naveen Kasturia among others, and it streams on MX Player.

The actress, who has been seen in the web series "Sacred Games" as well as the OTT-released film "Hello Charlie", feels if she takes on pressure, she won't be able to perform well.

"I believe that nobody functions well under pressure, especially me. So, I never put myself in a place where I feel the pressure of performance. That's detrimental, especially in a creative field like ours," she told IANS. Talking about how she comes on board with a script, she says that it all depends on if she likes it and how different it is from what she has done before.

"I read the script and if I like it, and if I feel that it has potential, then I go for it. I never go for what I've done before or what people expect of me. It's my career, and the first priority is always what I love to do, and something that

www.indianews.com.au

can be challenging for me as an actor. Hopefully, that's the right

script to choose," she says.

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

34

INDIA NEWS

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

ENTERTAINMENT

Randeep Hooda slammed for joke Nidhhi Agerwal to start on Mayawati as old video goes viral one-stop organisation for Covid-related aid Mumbai, May 26 (IANS): Actor Randeep Hooda has been facing flak online for an allegedly casteist and sexist joke he shared using the name of Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati in an old video that has gone viral.

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

The video did not go down well with a section of netizens who has called the actor's behaviour "casteist", "sexist" and also demanded an apology.

Sharing the video, a user tweeted: "If this does not explain how casteist and sexist this society is, especially towards dalit women, i don't know what will. the 'joke', the audacity, the crowd. randeep hooda, top bollywood actor talking about a dalit woman, who has been the voice of the oppressed." "@RandeepHooda This shows how sexist, casteist, and foolish you are!! #Casteist_Termites #Casteism #sexism," wrote another user.

"Mr Randeep Hooda will pay for this, Indian audience would not forgive him, I as an obc person strongly condemn his remarks," posted another user. "@RandeepHooda Miss Mayawati is considered "behan" by most of Dalit population of UP. She is not just a politician, a Dalit icon too. Anyway, it is very sexist and misogynistic comment. Suppose anyone saying saying this to your sister? Apologize," expressed

another user.

"It took me while to understand this, and I realised that We are still living in such a feeble society.

How casteist, misogynistic & sexist slur was that. @ RandeepHooda. Praising her strength in politics against all of

her odds wouldn't have caused you any harm," wrote another user.

On the work front, Randeep Hooda features alongside Salman Khan in "Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai", which dropped digitally on Eid.

Why Parineeta Borthakur finds giving auditions at home a burden

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS): Actress Parineeta Borthakur, who was last seen in "Gupta Brothers: Chaar Kunware From Ganga Kinaare", says giving auditions at home is fun but she feels lazy in removing make-up after the session.

Hyderabad, May 26 (IANS): Actress Niddhi Agerwal is set to launch an organisation called Distribute Love, which will be a one-stop destination for all requirements that are Covidrelated.

The actress, says she has put together a team to look into every request that comes through the website of the initiative.

"I am starting a charitable organisation. It's called Distribute Love. It's a website where people can put in their requests, and

I can provide them whatever help is possible. It could be basic necessities, medication, or whatever they might need," she told IANS. "This is especially for Covid. I have a team that is working with me, and we will be able to arrange things. Once we start rolling, we will look at the requests and decide how we want to take things further," said the actress, who made her debut in the 2017 Bollywood film "Munna Michael" and has since then worked in Tamil and Telugu films.

Jacqueline Fernandez soaks in the glow Photo Courtesy: Instagram

"I'm looking to get back to shoot as soon as possible. Due to the pandemic, we make our auditions clippings at home. It's fun to shoot at home and giving yourself the required look. But I feel quite boring and lazy in removing make-up post the shoot, " Parineeta tells IANS. Like many others, the actress is waiting for life to get back on track.

"I'm quite bored now with the new normal. Earlier I use to wait for holidays. Now holidays actually seem like a punishment to me. I'm just praying that the old normal return," she says.

Parineeta is known for featuring in television series like "Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani", "Pritam Pyare Aur Woh" and "Swaragini".

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

35

INDIA NEWS

Luxury, lifestyle, location — welcome to Dress Circle

June 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 23

Located in the heart of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, Brookwater is Brisbane’s best kept secret for luxury living. Crafted around the Greg Norman designed golf course, Brookwater provides a rare combination of prestige golf-side living and natural bushland beauty.

With over 800 families already calling Brookwater home, we are pleased to introduce the next stage of this exclusive community — your own architecturally designed piece of paradise — Dress Circle.

ADVERTISEMENT

We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — with all architectural fees complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.

READY TO BUILD ON LARGE PREMIUM HOMESITES FROM $566,000

Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is within 10 minutes of everything you need — commuter rail to the city, private and public schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct.

www.indianews.com.au

facebook.com/indianewsaustralia

36