The Indian Weekender, Friday 24 April 2020

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NEW ZELAND

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

MFAT deserves a pat on back for bringing Kiwis stranded in India home amidst complete lockdown SANDEEP SINGH

W

ith the news of the first charter flight bringing back stranded Kiwis from India having successfully taken-off from New Delhi earlier On Friday 2.30am, IST, it’s time to acknowledge the officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the ground staff at the New Zealand High Commission in India for successfully executing what can easily be termed as a truly complex mission.

While the decision of sending charter flights and bearing the cost, even if partially, rested with the government, the responsibility of first mapping the geographical distribution of Kiwis stranded in different parts of India, and then chalking out a strategy and the logistics of eventually getting them to the flight at one designated airport, was definitely going to fall into the lap of MFAT and its ground team.

In that regard, the success of the MFAT and the NZ High Commission team in India, in facilitating this complex mission, surely deserves an unreserved applaud, and more so because India - a vast country by any stretch of the imagination is also in complete-lockdown itself with all means of domestic travel under complete halt.

In such an environment of rigid closure of domestic travel, facilitating local travel of the stranded Kiwis from different corners of the country to the nearest port of travel was definitely going to be a challenging task that required some deft diplomatic work and the knowledge about how things work on the ground in India.

The fact that India is not only a vast geographical territory but also a federal-state with policing and law & order being a state-subject (outside the purview of central government at New Delhi) definitely made the task of getting the stranded Kiwis to one chosen airport a challenge.

However, the manner in which the NZ High Commission team managed to arrange busses for picking up Kiwis from the addresses where they were residing during the lockdown period and ferrying them right up to the airport in New Delhi is a commendable task that deserves appreciation.

A special mention of mettle and resilience of NZ Deputy High Commissioner A special mention is in order for the young and freshly appointed diplomatic officer Erin Duncan, the Deputy High Commissioner at the NZ High Commission in New Delhi, who has been thrown into the deep end in the absence of a full-time High Commissioner during this completely unprecedented crisis.

She has not only been manning the mission but has shown exemplary mettle, resilience and courage in coordinating one of the most complex evacuation missions that the MFAT has taken in recent times.

Indeed, Ms Duncan has

cemented her trajectory in the world of international diplomacy by stepping-up to this Covid-19 pandemic response.

In that regard, the goodwill of the Indian govt in facilitating the seamless travel of stranded Kiwis

to the international airport in New Delhi, while it continues to strictly control any local domestic travel is also commendable, as without it the entire evacuation plan would have been defeated.

It has to be acknowledged that the

Indian government in facilitating the evacuation of foreign citizens of many other countries had not to allow local domestic travel of this scale that crisscrossed the entire country - simply because either their citizens were concentrated in certain pockets from where connecting flights could be arranged for facilitating travel locally to connect with the outgoing flight.

Or even better the foreign countries had themselves arranged outgoing flights from local regional centres such as Amritsar (Punjab) from which does not require long local onroad travel to catch departing flights.

The Indian High Commission in New Zealand has also been facilitating the right connections with India’s Ministry of External Affairs and securing requisite permissions on the ground.

The mammoth task of evacuating all Kiwis who have expressed interest in charter flights has just begun with two more confirmed flights from Mumbai and New Delhi, where in the case of the former MFAT ground staff have even offered pick up by bus services to places in the deep southern part of India such as Hyderabad and Bangalore, which is indeed commendable.

Although, a press release the office of the Foreign Minister has since offered to consider the possibility of another charter flight from the distant regional centre in South and Eastern India to the cities of Chennai and Kolkata, yet that does not in any manner trivialize what MFAT has been able to achieve at the ground level in India.

The task has just begun and a lot has to be still achieved, yet MFAT deserves unreserved applause for bringing a smile to many distressed Kiwis by bringing them back home.

The Indian Weekender

Friday, April 24, 2020

COVID-19 Special Coverage

NEW ZELAND

3

One year and 95-year-old among

the first confirmed with seat in govt assisted charter flight from India

Punjab.

Speaking to the Indian Weekender his son Kharag Singh said, “My father has been anxious ever since the news of border closure and the lockdown was conveyed to him and we missed our scheduled flight to return back home on March 24.”

“He has been living in New Zealand since 1991 when he first arrived with mum and considers it as his home.”

“The news of border closure and travel restrictions has expectedly made him anxious,” Mr Singh said.

“We have planned this trip for him to meet his immediate sister (86 year old) and the extended family in Punjab,” Kharag Singh said.

Jagat Singh served in Royal British Air Force (before India’s independence) and the Indian Airforce before coming to New Zealand to live permanently with his son and the family.

Jagat Singh is deeply religious and community person who till date used to go regularly to Takanini Gurudwara for Sewa (community service).

SANDEEP SINGH

A

one-year-old boy and a 95-year-old granddad are amongst the first batch of Kiwis stranded in India who were confirmed with a seat in the govt assisted charter flight back home.

The first flight departed New Delhi at 2.30 a.m. on April 24.

Those in the flight are still not aware of the exact timings of the flight’s arrival at the Auckland airport and further quarantine plans.

Since April 9, the Government has announced that all incoming travellers will be quarantined away from their homes and families for a 14 day period.

One-yea rold Aadish Saxena who was travelling with his mum Anu Chandra leaving behind his sixyear-old brother and father Shobit Nirala back in Auckland, when they were caught up by the Covid-19 related NZ border closure.

The family had gone to India to participate in the funeral of their grandfather before the father and the elder son returned back to Auckland leaving behind the mother and the youngest son in the family.

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic related global travel restrictions set-in the family suffered from acute separation anxiety with mum and one-year-old stranded thousands of kilometres away while father and the elder son were left alone in their Auckland home.

The father Shobhit who works as a software development engineer for a major telecom told the Indian Weekender that it was deeply

"We have planned this trip for him to meet his immediate sister (86 year old) and the extended family in Punja."

–Kharag Singh

assuring to get his other half of family being finally able to return back home.

“I am really happy that finally, we are able to unite together,” Shobhit said.

95 early old Jagat Singh emotional on the

return flight to home Probably, the tag for the oldest passenger on the first charter flight from India would go to 95-year-old Jagat Singh who is currently locked with his son Kharag Singh in Chandigarh

He has travelled to Punjab, his ancestral home to meet his immediate and extended family members.

Sharing more details about his 95-year-old dad’s emotional and somewhat tumultuous journey to their ancestral home in India and then now back home to New Zealand Kharag Singh said, “This experience is going to be permanently inked in our memories now.”

A medical doctor has visited Jagat Singh’s home in Chandigarh and issued a medically fit certificate to take the return Air New Zealand flight on April 24.

The New Zealand High Commission in Delhi has organised ground transport for all passengers to Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi prior to the flight, including permission to travel.

Lockdown extended to one more week, Alert Level 3 to start Tuesday, April 28 IWK BUREAU

P

rime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday, April 20, extended the lockdown, Alert Level 4 to one more week and New Zealand will go into Alert Level 3 on Tuesday, April 28.

The country went into the alert level 4 lockdown at 11.59 p.m. on Wednesday, 25 March.

The country will stay in Alert Level 3 for two weeks before a further review and Alert Level decision on May 11.

“Going hard and early to stamp out the virus, backed by an effort of 5 million New Zealanders to break the chain of transmission, means together we have helped stop the uncontrolled explosion of COVID-19 in New Zealand,” Jacinda Ardern said.

“On the recommendation of the Director General of Health, who is confident there is currently no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand, today we are able to take a balanced approach

in transitioning through alert levels and restarting our economy.

“The sacrifices made to date have been huge. Cabinet wanted to make sure we lock in our gains, give ourselves some additional certainty, but take no more than two additional business days to do this before we restart our economy again.

“We want to see kiwis back in work as soon as possible and our economy rebound before others. At Level 3, 400,000 more New Zealanders will return to work, with key sectors for our recovery like construction, manufacturing and forestry starting up again.

Having our economy operating with a low threat of the virus is the competitive advantage we can seize if we get this next phase right.

And I believe we can.

“But at Level 3 we need to be even more vigilant and we must stick to the rules, continue to reduce contact and keep breaking the chain of transmission.

“And remember that we remain at Level 4 until you wake up next Tuesday. Let’s stick with our plan and the mission we have. Stay strong, stay home, let’s finish what we started.

“I couldn’t feel prouder of the start we have made together. But I also feel a huge responsibility to ensure we do not lose any of the gains we have made,” Jacinda Ardern said.

4

INDIA

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

AFTER DELAYED PARTNERSHIP VISA

PROCESSING, THE COVID-19 RELATED BORDER CLOSURE KEEPS OVERSEAS PARTNERS AWAY M SANDEEP SINGH

any overseas-based partners of New Zealanders (and NZ based temporary migrant workers) who were earlier caught-up in a sudden policy change in Immigration NZ’s assessment of partnership visa applications are devastated by the recent border closures that have once again created another roadblock in joining their partners, albeit this time, despite having their visas genuinely approved.

The frustration and the anguish within a small, but a “real” community who had earlier in 2019 endured the sudden changes in the manner Immigration New Zealand processed partnership visa applications, that had resulted in abrupt rejections of thousands of applications, is once again flaring-up after they were deemed ineligible to get an exception from strict border controls in place as a response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Border restrictions and exception to travel ban to NZ

The New Zealand border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. While New Zealand citizens and permanent residents are allowed to travel to and enter New Zealand, a very minuscule number of people will be selectively allowed an exception on a case by case basis with an exception to travel ban and allowed entry into the country.

The exception, however, will only be allowed to the critical workforce in health services, governmentapproved essential services, and Partners, dependent children (aged 24 years and under) and legal guardians of New Zealand citizens and residents who are travelling together to New Zealand.

New Zealand-based partners and dependent children (aged 19 years and under) of a work or student visa holder who is in New Zealand, are also eligible for seeking an exception from travel ban on entering NZ. Partners with legitimate visas travelling for the first time to NZ deemed ineligible However, sadly though, individuals who have recently applied and got General Visitor Visa approved to be able to come to NZ and join their partners (citizens, residents, and

temporary visa holders) and were supposed to travel NZ for the first time before borders were closed are not allowed to get an exception from entering NZ. Although this is in line with INZ’s decision to not grant an exception to the newly approved resident visa holders (off-shore based) who were supposed to enter NZ for the first time before the announcement on border closure, those with newly approved visas to join their partners in NZ are finding it slightly harsh and requesting the government for immediate intervention.

The Indian Weekender has been approached by many such affected couples who despite having a genuine understanding of the public health crisis and NZ govt’s response, are just pleading for a compassionate overview of their situation and allowing them an exception for entry into NZ. Poonam Dhanoa told the Indian Weekender that she was in a longdistance relationship with her husband who first arrived in New Zealand in 2015 before returning back to marry her in a culturally appropriate manner in February 2019. She applied for her partnership based visa in April 2019 and waited for six months till September 2019 when she decided to withdraw her application and re-apply.

It may be recalled that the issue of delayed and abrupt rejection of partnership visas by Immigration New Zealand had long hassled a big segment of the Kiwi-Indian community, which finally led the Immigration Minister Iain Lees-

Galloway to intervene in October 2019 and issue a new directive.

F o r uninitiated,

the issue of en-masse partnership visa declines for want of “living together” has recently jolted the KiwiIndian community, as the fate of thousands of Kiwi residents and citizens w h o had either married or planned to marry soon overseas, within their cultures were put on stake.

The issue had largely emanated after INZ’s internal directive in May 2019 to their frontline officers for exercising discretion unfavourably in their assessment of partnership visa applications.

Following community uproar and sustained media pressure, the Immigration Minister had intervened to fix the situation and assured the community of fairer treatment of their partnership visa applications.

The Minister had then announced that INZ could potentially re-open about 1200 applications previously declined who would qualify under the new guidance, and there would be

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another 1300 applications previously declined.

Poonam had then re-applied her partnership visa application and was subsequently granted a partnership b a s e d

g e n e r a l visitor visa (GVV) in March 2020.

“I received the most awaited news of the approval of my partnership based general visitor visa on March 19 this year and was extremely delighted,” Poonam said.

“However my happiness was shortlived as within the next 2 hours I heard about the decision of New Zealand’s border closure,” “Now I am devastated with the denial of exception to enter NZ and join my partner,” Poonam said exasperatingly.

Affected partners seek compassionate action

Shoraya Talwar, one such partner who is facing another bout of separation, the courtesy covid-19 enforced border-closure has been trying to bring together most of such

affected partnership visa holders who stand so close yet so far from joining their NZ based partners told the Indian Weekender about their collective plight and appealing the govt for an compassionate action.

“We already went through a very tough time with a deep desire to meet our partners, but now due to lockdown, we are not able to do so.

We have a condition on our visa to enter before a certain date to activate the visa which is approaching soon and will be expired if we are not allowed in, which is a huge cause of worry and some of the people already having a nervous breakdown as it is hard to go through the process again,” Shoraya said.

“We all do understand it is a difficult situation for everyone. Safety of New Zealander is paramount and should never be compromised but as I mentioned earlier that we are a very small number of group in this situation, therefore, considering us adding in the exception process will not put much burden. There is an already an exception process available for partners of NZ Citizen & Residents, but that exception is only for those partners who had lived in NZ before not the ones like us who were granted a GVV off-shore,” Shoraya said.

“Majority of us are already going through a lot and keeping us partners apart is really effecting us mentally, and therefore we are facing another worry after successfully getting a visa through INZ strict visa policies.

There should be an exception for all the partnership based GVV holder off-shore who’s visa was granted before the border closure on 19th March,” Shoraya said.

“We don’t have any health condition. We promise to adhere to keep New Zealand Safe and be quarantined. We are even willing to have ourselves tested from our point of origin if need be. We are agreed to pay for monitored quarantine so it will not be a burden in NZ taxpayers and the NZ government,” Shoraya said pleadingly.

While the covid-19 pandemic, and the accompanying extreme measures of complete lockdown and strict border controls and travel restrictions are affecting our communities in numerous ways, this small group of separated couples are feeling double whammy for their prolonged separation after they had to endure through.

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Friday, April 24, 2020

INDIA

COVID-19 Special Coverage

The dream of direct flight from NZ to India sees the light of the day in a Covid-19 affected world

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SANDEEP SINGH

S

adly, it has taken the current Covid-19 related pandemic and global travel restrictions to materialize the longcherished dream of direct flights between New Zealand and India as the first charter flight to bring stranded kiwis home landed in New Delhi in the early hours of Thursday, April 23.

The Air New Zealand’s Special flight NZ 1954 took off from Auckland Airport at 11 a.m.

(NZ Time) on Wednesday, April 22 and landed at New Delhi International Airport, Terminal 3 in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 24 (NZ Time) after a non-stop travel of 15.5 hours.

The Air New Zealand’s Special flight NZ 1954 took off from Auckland Airport at 11 a.m.

(NZ Time) on Wednesday, April 22 and landed at New Delhi International Airport, Terminal 3 in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 24 (NZ Time) after a non-stop travel of 15.5 hours.

The return flight is scheduled to depart from New Delhi at 2.30 a.m. Friday, April 24 and it is likely that that would also be a direct flight back home.

Although, this is not a moment to read too much from the events happening in the current unprecedented environment of complete lockdown in a vast majority of countries around the world, yet it brings some satisfaction to see a long held dream come to reality, even if for ferrying stranded Kiwis back home.

At least, it demonstrates that capability was never a challenge in running a direct flight between the two countries.

The question was always about market viability and the intent of the key commercial players (Air New Zealand/Singapore Airlines

or Air India) operating in the route.

Anyway, the post-Covid-19 world, as we are told by many experts busy in crystal-grazing the future, is going to be remarkably different from what we left before going into the lockdown, especially with our border closure likely to remain in place, and so the likely continuation of global travel restrictions.

In fact the future of the entire international aviation industry is also unclear in the immediate future, despite our collective wishful desire to return to normalcy at the earliest.

Yet it is the presence of capability (operating direct flights over long distances) that is important, as the Covid-19 affected world tells us that intentions can change dramatically.

In that light this Air NZ special direct flight to India augurs a lot of hope for the future, especially for the broader KiwiIndian community and the business travellers who have always batted for a direct flight between the two destinations, even if starting conservatively twice of thrice in a week before operating in full capacity.

Second expressions of interests for the next Mumbai flight sent Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s designated travel agent has started making contacts who have earlier expressed their interest for the Mumbai flight. The expressions of interest was open until 7.30 am IST(2 pm NZT) on Thursday, April 23.

“The order of preference to be prioritised for seats will be NZ citizens, NZ permanent residents and then the third country nationals will be considered in the event that there are unfilled seats,” an email letter sent out to stranded Kiwis said.

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NEW ZELAND

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Covid-19 lockdown extension: How NZ

industries, politicians and public reacted O RADIO NEW ZEALAND

rganisations representing New Zealanders in many types of work also called for greater clarity of the rules, including what they can do this week to prepare for level 3, and whether those at high risk would be supported to stay home.

This is some of the reaction so far.

Education

Educators have called on the government to release the health risk information it has used to decide that schools can reopen under level 3.

NZEI Te Riu Roa said the union had asked the Ministry of Education to release the full public health risk assessment that its guidelines to the sector were based on so that educators could be better informed.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said today that Covid-19 did not affect children and teenagers as much as others.

They had lower infection rates, were not as unwell if they did get the virus compared to other age groups, and did not tend to pass the virus on to adults.

The Early Childhood Council also wanted the Ministry of Health to show its working on carrier transmission in young children.

Its chief executive Peter Reynolds said the council would continue to call for centres to stay shut until level 2 until it had the assurances it needed.

“No one wants to become the next cluster and put communities or vulnerable family members at risk. We can’t find the evidence that it’s safe to open - and there are several reported cases of young children contracting the disease that are hard to ignore,” he said.

“There’s a huge amount of anxiety across the ECE community, who feel they’re being forced to open their doors when it’s not safe to do so.”

The council was also concerned about a lack of detail from the Ministry of Education on how to keep bubbles of under-5’s apart. “Do we put children in Zorbs?,” Reynolds asked.

Both NZEI Te Riu Roa and Auckland Secondary Principals Association said it expected most children to still be learning from home.

National and ACT respond

National leader Simon Bridges said the extension of level 4 showed the government had not done the ground work to be ready to move to level 3 this week.

“New Zealand is being held back because the government has not used this time to ensure best practice of testing and tracing and the availability of PPE hasn’t been at the standard it should have been.

“The rate of testing for the first half of lockdown was low, work has only just begun on surveillance testing to confirm whether community transmission is occurring. Tracing is the biggest challenge and experts have identified major shortcomings in the methods being used by the government.

“This is a real shame as businesses will suffer further damage and that will lead to poor health outcomes as a result of the huge stress this will cause for a lot of people.”

ACT leader David Seymour said New Zealand was spending another week in lockdown because the government could not do adequate contact tracing.

“Jacinda Ardern has said the Covid-19 transmission rate is now 0.48. So long as it’s under 1, the virus is dying out.

"This shows the government has actually been far too aggressive, at great economic and social cost.

“The delay is really because the government

has failed to bring its contact tracing abilities up to an adequate standard. It has nothing to do with extra certainty, because there’s no indication that this decision could change if our test results deteriorate between now and Monday.”

There now needed to be renewed focus on the sectors that remained severely restricted at level 3, he said.

“Sectors such as tourism, hospitality, some retail, and event centres will now bear the brunt of the cost for a wider public benefit. In these circumstances there is a stronger case for targeted support for those sectors which cannot operate even at alert level 3.”

Unions

The Council of Trade Unions said it was important workers at higher risk of severe illness could stay at home and remain in their safe bubble under level 3.

Its president Richard Wagstaff said the government needed to provide workers and employers with clear advice on what a shift to level 3 meant for those at high risk.

“Working people need the following assurances; that people can easily self identify if they are high risk, that the essential worker subsidy is extended to cover all employees so that any employer can apply for it, and that employers provide for increased Covid-19 related sick leave,” Wagstaff said.

“It is very important that no one is financially penalised for taking steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We all have our bit to do to assist in the eradication of Covid-19 including supporting those Kiwis who are at higher risk.”

Hospitality

under level 3 were doing their best to be ready, she said.

“It will take a big commitment from operators to pivot and put in place things like distribution systems and contactless payments.

It will also take buy-in from staff - for example baristas might have to become delivery drivers - and it will take support from New Zealanders patronising their local businesses, or it simply won’t be viable for most of these businesses to operate in these conditions.”

Industry

Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Brett O’Riley said the move to level 3 struck a good balance between New Zealand’s health and economy.

He said companies with international connections got an early start on crisis management and business continuity so were ready to go.

“For others, it’s now a matter of nailing down their process to be most profitable with what they can do, and ensuring their plan to keep their people safe is watertight.”

While manufacturers and construction workers would be pleased about the decision, the retail sector was disappointed at the restrictions under level 3. The retail sector must operate on a contactless basis.

“Many are confident they can manage with one in, one out policies and other management measures such as registration, and we hope the government is open to considering this,” O’Riley said.

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said the retail sector would struggle under level 3.

He told Checkpoint that online trading was often only a fraction of a retailer›s normal trade and about a quarter of businesses were not capable of trading online.

Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Julie White said level 3 restrictions would be too limiting for many businesses to survive and Road Transport Forum the government needed to step up with sectorThe Road Transport Forum said it was specific support, particularly with rent relief. disappointed businesses had to wait another “Even for those that can operate during level week before resuming under level 3.

3, it is very unlikely that their revenue "It Its chief executive Nick will cover costs like rent, and most is very Leggett also said more clarity are already carrying debts from important that was needed on how businesses losses they’ve been incurring since no one is financially could plan on being under tourist numbers started dropping in penalised for taking level 3, with the prime minister January.” steps to prevent the having said the situation would Those businesses that could operate spread of Covid-19"

be reviewed again after two weeks in level 3.

“What happens then? Business preparation is important, particularly around receipt of goods for businesses to be able to open and managing staff numbers.

“Like many businesses, particularly the small and medium sized businesses, road freight transport has suffered under the alert level 4 lockdown.

“Some of those businesses may not recover and unfortunately that will mean hardship for the business owners and the workers they will have to let go.

"The longer the lockdown, the more businesses that will fold and the more people that will be left unemployed.”

However, he said many forestry, wood processors, construction and manufacturing companies could resume under level 3 which “will mean a lot of freight moving”.

Forestry

The Forestry Owners Association said it supported the level 4 restrictions which deemed it a non-essential industry, but it was now time to get back to work.

Its president Phil Taylor said there had been a “collaborative process” to develop safety protocols right through the supply chain.

“The New Zealand timber processing industry has a whole month of virtually no production which it needs to catch up on.”

“Some processors have already started producing for essential industries, such as making pallets for fruit exporters.

"But there will be thousands of work sites around New Zealand which are anxious for new timber supplies and construction workers keen to get back on the job and earning incomes as soon as they can.”

Taylor said the association was seeking clarification from the government as to what work it could do in the next week to prepare for level 3.

The New Zealand public

The news was largely welcomed by New Zealanders on Twitter, with many saying it was a lightened-down version of level four and encouraging each other to stay safe and follow the rules.

Many also looked forward to takeaways.

The Indian Weekender

Friday, April 24, 2020

COVID-19 Special Coverage

NEW ZELAND

7

Man shot dead by Police in Papatoetoe identified as 43-year-old Kiwi Indian P RIZWAN MOHAMMAD AND SANDEEP SINGH

olice has officially released the name of the man who was shot dead by Police on Monday night, as 43-year-old Hitesh Navin Lal, a resident of South Auckland.

Police were called to a street in Papatoetoe on Monday 1 a.m. after reports of public disturbance in the area.

Hitesh, as identified by Police, went on a rampage with his machete damaging cars and powerlines.

He also used the machete to attack a number of houses by smashing in windows. Immediately prior to Police arrival, the man was at one address where he had smashed two large windows and was in the process of smashing the Venetian Blinds.

The occupants were home at the time and were terrified thinking that the man was going to gain access to the house and attack them. The man was unknown to any of the occupants at the address.

The first Police Officer arrived at this time and was able to prevent the man from gaining entry to this address.

“The man turned his attention on the Police Officer, and despite repeated requests from our officer to put down his weapon, he has continued to advance on the officer and has been shot,” a police spokesperson said.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family at this difficult time. Victim Support and Police are providing them with support.

Mr Lal’s family have asked that media respect their privacy at this time and allow them to grieve privately.

“We have no significant update to provide at this time. The officer involved is being well-supported by his colleagues, and his welfare is a priority for Police,” a police media released read.

Hitesh called his cousin over a drink just a few hours before being fatally shot by police Hitesh is said to have had a family dispute over a property in Ba, Fiji with his half-brother living there. His cousin Rajiv Raja told the Indian Weekender that he was often upset about the disputed property in Fiji and would get upset every time the subject came into the conversation.

Last evening, around 6:30 p.m., he called me home for a drink to which I refused saying its lockdown, and we should be staying in our respective bubbles,” Mr Raja said.

“What I know from what happened after that phone call is that Hitesh started drinking in his house and had a heated argument with his half-brother again who is lives in Fiji.”

“A little later, Hitesh got agitated and started smashing things inside the house. In a fit of rage, he picked a machete as well to which his partner living with him asked him to leave the house.

“Once outside the house, he started smashing the machete on to parked cars, windows and tried cutting the powerlines as well,” cousin Rajiv Raja added.

Police media confirmed that they received thirteen separate calls were made to 111 by fearful residents who were worried and scared about the man’s behaviour brandishing a machete and damaging things on the street.

Hitesh is survived by his wife and a daughter, who does not live with him. His mother died a long time back, and his father lives in Fiji.

Police dismiss suggestions of high-handed response Police have sought to dispel the suggestions going on in several social media posts that alleged a high-handed response leading to the shooting of a machete-wielding man in South Auckland.

Earlier on Tuesday, The Indian Weekender reported public on social media showing resentment on Police’s alleged high handedness.

An unrelated person, Neil Patel has sparked some emotions by putting a brazen post that raises a question on seemingly high-handed police response to a situation - that was far less threatening - to justify the use of firearms.

The social media post read - “Another Indian guy shot twice to death in Papatoetoe. Police with unjustified reasons for shooting to kill than to taser or fire to warn. Christchurch terrorist was never shot or tasered at. Explains a lot how different coloured criminals are dealt with in NZ. About time OUR COMMUNITY seeks answers.”(sic) The post was preceded by another related comment that said, “Question is why the gun and not a taser. He was only smashing windows of cars and not causing anyone bodily harm. Had he hurt someone intentionally would have made sense for any police to shoot at him. Seems like a biased act from the Police.

On the other note, the white supremacist was never shot or tasered at when he killed 51 people in Christchurch, sounds like

An old photo of Hitesh Navin Lal (right) with his cousin Rajiv Raja (Image: Faceboook)

a lot of non-white people are killed in the first instance than those who are white. Police in NZ will NEVER be investigated, that’s how thing roll here. Raises eyebrows, especially when he is shot TWICE.”(sic) The ensuing debate beneath this social media post by several members of public shows that the views and opinions were divided on both sides.

Arif Ali raised aspersions on Police actions saying, “Agree on Police actions. It is questionable. My concern is the mental health of the victim. Escalated by this lockdown. He needed help more than he needed a bullet. This is not the first case of such for Police but definitely a first how it ended. We are staying home saving lives while Police are out there taking them.”(sic) Another member of public (on social media) seem to support the argument by commenting “Self defence is not excessive force reasonable force police could have done a warning shot than shoot on the leg or something this wasn’t reasonable force this was excessive force cop should be stood down and sent back for training and have strict investigation if it was other race it might not have been dealt like this.”(sic) However, not everyone agreed with the alleged racist rant of Mr Patel and came up with a spirited defence of the Police.

Counties Manukau District Commander Jill Rogers said that Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident in Papatoetoe on Monday morning.

“As Police has previously said, we received multiple calls in relation to the man’s behaviour which included using a machete to damage cars and powerlines. He also used the machete to attack a number of houses by smashing in windows.

Immediately prior to Police arrival, the man was at one address where he had smashed two large windows and was in the process of smashing the Venetian Blinds.

“The occupants were home at the time and were terrified thinking that the man was going to gain access to the house and attack them. The man was unknown to any of the occupants at

the address. The first Police Officer arrived at this time and was able to prevent the man from gaining entry to this address.

“The man turned his attention on the Police Officer, and despite repeated requests from our officer to put down his weapon, he has continued to advance on the officer and has been shot.

“Our investigation continues, and we want to reiterate that this is a tragic outcome and we are supporting all of those involved.,” the press release attributed to Commander Jill Rogers said.

8

WORLD

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Travel to be limited during Alert Level 3, only essential: Auckland Transport T IWK BUREAU

he Government has announced that New Zealand will be moving to Alert Level 3 on Tuesday 28 April. While some restrictions will be relaxed, many lockdown conditions remain in place. People are asked to only travel or use public transport when their journey is absolutely essential.

While wearing of masks is not needed on public transport, AT suggest that customers consider using them as an added precaution against the spread of COVID-19.

Under Alert Level 3, journeys on public transport will continue to be free, but they’ll still need to use a HOP card to tag on and off - this allows us to monitor demand and make adjustments to services if required. To make contact tracing easy if needed, AT recommend to register their HOP card by visiting the website.

Trains and ferries will run to a reduced timetable. Buses will run to a near-normal timetable to provide enough capacity to allow two-metre physical distancing.

AT’s instructions to passengers travelling in Level 3:

Plan ahead

If you do have to travel, visit our website and use the Journey Planner. For bus and train service updates in real-time, you can use the AT Mobile app.

The AT Mobile app now has a feature that indicates how many people are on a bus or train service at any given time. This lets you know if

cleaning. You’ll find hand sanitiser stations at many locations, and we encourage you to use them.

Customer service centres

two-metre distancing is achievable before you board.

School buses

All Auckland Transport school buses will begin operating again from Wednesday 29 April. Buses will, however, have reduced capacity due to the need for physical distancing on board so we recommend that parents wait with their child(ren) at the bus stop until they can see if the bus has enough room on board for their child(ren).

What to do when you travel on buses: Cash purchases will not be accepted on board during Alert Level 3. You must use a HOP card.

You must use the rear door to get on and off buses.

Tag on and off using the HOP card reader inside the rear door.

If you use a wheelchair or mobility device or require driver assistance, you can still get on and off using the front door.

Customers will not be able to use the first row of seats behind the bus driver.

Please observe the signs on board which indicate two-metre distancing.

Once a bus is at capacity, drivers will only drop customers off.

Cleaning of public transport

The safety of our workers and customers is a priority, so we’re making sure all public transport is cleaned regularly. We’ve also stepped up our regime to include antimicrobial

NZ Blood Services encourage Kiwi Indians to continue

Some of our customer service centres will stay closed for now. Please use self-service options such as ordering an AT HOP card online. Our call centres are still open, however, and you’re welcome to phone us on 09 366 6400.

If you’re unable to access self-service options, the following customer service centres will be open but will have reduced staff numbers (see our website for opening hours): • Britomart • Manukau Bus Station • New Lynn • Panmure • Smales Farm • Newmarket On behalf of AT and all our hard-working staff, thank you for your patience and understanding.

We continue to support Government advice.

The best place to find the latest information about the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is on the Government’s special COVID-19 website.

One final thing

Auckland has been quieter during the lockdown, but under Alert Level 3 many freight and construction vehicles will be returning to our roads, so be aware of other road users while you get to and from your bus, ferry or train.

donating blood in Alert Level 3 RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

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Z Blood Services has thanked the Kiwi Indian community and people identifying themselves as Indians for their regular blood donations that help the greater community in need.

Speaking to the Indian Weekender, Marketing and Communications Manager from NZ Blood Services, Asuka Burge commended the Indian community for their continuous support and encouraged the community to keep donating blood even during Alert Level 3.

Ms Burge added that of the 110,000 blood donors registered with NZ Blood Services, Indians contribute roughly six per cent of all donors which is a good figure given Kiwi Indians comprise 5 per cent of the whole New Zealand population.

NZ Blood Services is deemed as essential services since the lockdown and has been operational in all its nine donation centres in the last four weeks.

Ms Burge added that in the initial days of the lockdown the blood donation numbers declined as people were unaware of the services continued but soon through social media messaging about its ‘Essential Service’ listing, the number of appointments went up.

“As for now, the stock with

inside to maintain social distancing.

NZ Blood Services is healthy as “We have hand sanitisers not just the demand for blood for elective for our staff but also for the visitors, surgeries have reduced now because all our beds are two metres apart, hospitals haven’t been doing the staff is geared in their PPEs, elective surgeries during this time,” and every single bed is cleaned after Ms Burge said. every single donation,” Ms Burge NZ Blood Services, even during added. this Alert Level 4 and transitioning As the shelf life of blood into Level 3 next week, "We collected in only 35 is encouraging particularly days, NZ Blood has community members monitor what blood been cautious while to check their groups do we have in the matching the demand eligibility on its bank so that we know what from the hospitals and website and book we need more in terms monitor the supply on appointments, so of demand from the a daily basis so that the flow of blood hospitals" they can avoid by over donations continue as and under-collection of the country has entered blood. into the winter months.

“We particularly monitor what “Regular blood donations will blood groups do we have in the match the donors coming in and bank so that we know what we need the demand for blood we see,” Ms more in terms of demand from the Burge added. hospitals,” Ms Burge added.

Ms Burge affirmed that all its Ms Burge further added that blood donation centres, even mobile making all forms of donation, blood, centres practised every precaution plasma and platelets is essential, but protocol given by the Ministry of the most demand from hospitals in Health during this Covid-19 Alert plasma.

Level 4 lockdown.

“The blood donated can be “We now have a donor host to separated into red cells, platelets every donor who comes to the and plasma, and one donation can centre. They are immediately save three lives. But currently, NZ checked if they are healthy and well Blood Services is encouraging the and if they have travelled in the last community to donate plasma, and 28 days, and if they have been in they can be done through donation contact with a confirmed Covid-19 centres only as it requires a special patient and then they are instructed

machine for extraction.

“Plasma donors need to meet extra criterions such as height, weight and strong veins. Platelets last for only seven days, and we have a register for them as well and collect them accordingly from donors having high platelet count,” Ms Burge added.

Ms Burge added that NZ Blood Services is looking more for plasma donors these days as they are in more demand and they can be made into up to eleven blood products and has a wide-ranging treatment uses in particular for people with immune deficiency.

“Patients receiving plasma need it for a long time and some for

a lifetime. The antibodies from plasma can give those immunedeficient patients immunity like stronger people, and some even require this transfusion every six days,” Ms Burge added.

Ms Burge encouraged the Kiwis, especially the Kiwi Indian community, to continue donating blood as it saves lives.

“Please donate blood as it saves lives. Your blood can be used for cancer patients, women giving childbirth, in elective surgeries, people with weak immunity and there is a range of treatments where your blood can be used for,” Ms Burge appealed the Kiwi Indian community.

The Indian Weekender

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

Border closure to continue even in Alert Level 3: PM Jacinda Ardern RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

P

rime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reiterated that strict border rules will remain in place at alert level 3.

Today Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said of the six new confirmed cases of Covid-19, three were from overseas travel.

Ardern said 2403 people are in government-provided facilities. The number in quarantine is 97, with the remainder in isolation.

“Regardless of moving to alert level 3, New Zealanders returning home will continue to be quarantined and isolated at alert level 3,” she said.

“We have given no end point.”

Update till Lockdown Day 29: 1451 total cases, 16 deaths and 1065 recovered Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield on Thursday, April 23 announced three new cases, and two deaths reported. The new cases reported comprise of two confirmed and one probable.

Dr Bloomfield said that despite the three new cases, the total number of confirmed and probable Covid-19 cases remains at 1451.

“There were three cases we reported yesterday who were confirmed cases off the Greg Mortimer ship, where people had been repatriated from Uruguay, however we understand that their original testing was done in Uruguay and we are checking

NEW ZELAND

9

with the authorities there as to whether they have already reported them to the WHO to make sure the World Health Organisation totals are accurate,” Dr Bloomfield added.

A total of 1065 COVID-19 infected have recovered, 29 since Wednesday.

One of the deaths was of a woman in her 60s in Dunedin.

The second was a man in his 70s from Rosewood. This brings NZ’s total number of COVID-19 deaths to 16.

Dr Bloomfield said one of the two new deaths was a female patient in her 60s who died in intensive care in Dunedin Hospital and had a underlying health condition.

He said arrangements were made for her family to be with her last night as she passed away.

The second death was a "Regardless resident at Rosewood Rest of moving to Home, who was in his alert level 3, New 70s and passed away Zealanders returning in the hospital wing of home will continue to Rosewood, as he had be quarantined and not been transferred to isolated at alert Burwood Hospital. level 3."

He had an underlying condition and while he had tested negative for Covid-19, he was treated as a probable case, Dr Bloomfield said.

Govt’s media support package delivers India suspends visas granted to foreigners industry request for assistance IWK BUREAU

$

21.1 million to completely cut transmission fees for 6 months $16.5 million to cut by 80% contribution for NZ On Air screen content in 2020/21 $1.3 million for government departments to purchase organisation wide news service subscriptions The Government has announced a suite of initiatives valued at $50 million that have been developed with the media industry to help them get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This package is about freeing up cash in the short term to assist the industry get through the immediate crisis and dramatic drop in advertising revenue experienced since the start of COVID Alert Level 4,” Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi said. time for work to be done on longer term “The proposals in this package were strategies to ensure future sustainability in generated by the industry themselves in New Zealand’s news media a recent series of workshops to identify “The media sector is only the third means of delivering immediate support to sector, after primary health care and the sector. We have chosen the proposals aviation, to receive a specific pool of that have a relatively quick impact to get funding over and above the wage subsidy support out the door as fast as possible. to help it get through the COVID-19 “By cancelling transmission fees we are crisis. freeing up cash the media companies “This support reflects the "By can use to help them in the short essential role media play at cancelling term. This is in addition to the this time in delivering access transmission fees wage subsidy and other tax we are freeing up cash to reliable and up to date measures. the media companies news coverage and keeping “Initiatives in this first can use to help them in New Zealanders connected stage aim to provide some the short term." while in lockdown. immediate relief and allow

“There is evidence New Zealanders are turning to trusted news sources in record numbers at this time so it is critical the media is supported to keep doing the great job they have been doing.

“We will continue to work with media organisations to make sure assistance is targeted and appropriate.

“However, I want to be very clear that this first phase of support alone will not be sufficient to see the sector through a prolonged period of restrictions and reduced advertising. A second package of support is being developed and will be submitted for the COVID-19 budget discussions in May,” Minister Faafoi said.

Full details of the package are: • $20.5 million to cut 100% of Kordia TV/FM transmission fees for 6 months • $600,000 to cut 100% of RNZ AM transmission fees for 6 months • $16.5 million to reduce, by 80%, media organisations’ NZ On Air content contribution fees for the 2020/21 financial year.

• $1.3 million to purchase central government news media subscriptions in advance for the 2020/21 financial year and encouraging Crown entities to increase their uptake of news media subscriptions.

• $11.1 million for specific targeted assistance to companies as and when needed.

• Commitment to build on the Local Democracy Reporting pilot as part of longer term support

till May 3 IWK BUREAU

T

he Government of India has suspended all existing visas granted to foreigners and all incoming passenger traffic into India through Immigration Check Posts (ICPs) till May 3.

The rules will be applied to all except certain categories, an order issued by the foreigners’ division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

The ministry decided to extend the suspension of all existing visas granted to foreigners, except to those belonging to diplomatic, official, UN or international organisations, and employment and project categories, till May 3 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The ministry further directed that all incoming passenger traffic into India through any of the 107 ICPs shall remain suspended till May 3, which is the last date of the second phase of countrywide lockdown imposed to break the chain of transmission of Covid-19.

Similar restrictions were earlier issued by the Home Ministry when the first 21-day lockdown was announced

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the midnight March 24.

Modi extended the lockdown for another 19 days on Tuesday as the pandemic is still growing in India, claiming 452 lives and the number of active cases going beyond the 11,500-mark.

However, no such restriction would apply on vehicles, planes, ships and trains carrying any goods and supplies, whether essential or non-essential, the government order said.

“Their crew, sailor, driver, helper and cleaner shall also be subjected to thorough medical screening for Covid-19,” it said.

10

NEW ZELAND

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Kiwi Muslims look forward to a very different Ramadan this year RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

T

he Muslim community in New Zealand will witness a very different month of Ramadan, perhaps, something they might not have seen in their lifetime.

The holy month of Ramadan this year will see mosques closed, no gathering for Iftar parties, no congregational prayers outside, or in a community centre, and two most important things missing- no Taraweeh prayers at the mosque and probably no Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the end of Ramadan as well.

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, a holy month where Muslims all around the globe observe fast from dawn to dusk for 30 days, make special prayers and at the sight of the crescent moon on the 29th or 30th night and observe Eid-ul-Fitr the next day. The main activity for Eid involves making the Eid prayers that commemorate the 30 days of Ramadan fasting.

Fasting is obligatory and one of the five pillars of Islam. Those exempt include young children, anyone who is sick, travellers, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating.

“For the first time in New Zealand’s history, mosques will be closed for the Holy month of Ramadan, and this is one of the most significant faith changes for NZ Muslims, brought on by COVID-19 this year,” president of International Muslim Associations of New Zealand (IMAN), Tahir Nawaz told The Indian Weekender.

The significance of fasting and making special prayers during Ramadan is not just to abstain from food and entertainment, but to also strengthen the faith, take some time for self-reflection and get closer to the creator.

Muslims observe extended prayers in the night (Taraweeh), Zikr (Remembrance of Lord) and recite the holy book Quran during this month. However, this time, Muslims will have to observe all their prayers at home, including Friday and daily evening Taraweeh prayers, in their bubbles, with their families.

Council Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale takes pay cut IWK BUREAU

C

hristchurch City Council Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale will take a 10 per cent cut in her salary for the full 2020/21 financial year.

The reduction in her pay equates to a 20 per cent cut over a six-month period.

Mrs Baxendale says she discussed her decision with Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who has also signalled that she wants to take a pay cut. The Mayor is expecting the Remuneration Authority will give elected members authorisation to do that, at the same time as it gives authority to the Prime Minister and Cabinet to take a pay cut.

“The Council’s finances, as well those of our Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs), have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 lockdown. Many of our ratepayers are also suffering financial hardship.

This is the right thing for me to do on a personal level,” Mrs Baxendale says.

“I have the full support of my family, recognising these are difficult times for everyone.”

Mrs Baxendale says the Council is now considering the impact that the Covid-19 lockdown will have on the Council’s Annual Plan 2020/21.

Savings are being looked for from every part of the organisation.

“So much has changed in such a short time and we are now having to

“This year, those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms are exempt for fasting as it may affect their recovery,” Mr Tahir said.

Speaking from IMAN, Mr Tahir said that sadly, family and friend gatherings will not take place, which in normal times is an essential part of Ramadan, to share blessings.

“Iftar (daily communal fast opening meals) will likewise not be able to take place. No tarawih (late night prayers) in non-bubble gatherings. Distribution of charities (obligatory in Ramadan) will most likely go towards COVID-19 causes,” he added.

Muslims this year will not be able to travel to Mecca to perform Umrah (pilgrimage) as Saudi Arabia too has closed its borders for both international and domestic pilgrims and ceased all prayers and activities in Mecca.

“One thing that will remain the same, however, is that the faith of Muslims will remain steadfast; indeed it will be fortified by doing more Ibadah (Prayers),” Mr Tahir said.

Ramadan is expected to begin on Friday, April 24 or Saturday, April 25; the exact date will be announced by moon sighting closer to these dates.

Muslim leader appeals community to have a more cohesive home environment during Ramadan Senior Analyst for Muslims based in Wellington has appealed the Muslim community to have a more cohesive and friendly environment at homes during Ramadan as lockdown; Alert Level 3 will see families staying together all day

under one roof.

Analyst and president of International Muslim Associations of New Zealand, Tahir Nawaz in an interview with the Indian Weekender earlier this week asked the Muslim community to observe peace and happiness within families during this Ramadan as stress and anxiety are prone to be high during fasting hours of the day.

“Families will be staying together all day, some members of the family will be working from home, children might not go to the schools too during this Alert Level 3 close down, and when people are fasting and hungry during the day, and in these times anxiety and stress level tend to go up.

“We request elders of the family to engage themselves in activities, especially with children, so that stress level is down. Go out for a walk, take a stroll to a park with your kids, or your spouse but observe a peaceful and happy environment in the family as Islam means peace and peaceful family environments will bring more blessing to the house and family members” Mr Nawaz said.

Mr Nawaz appealed families to use this time recite and learn Quran and Hadith with family members especially children, to pray together, cook and clean together, as even tasks as mundane as cleaning together while fasting is also considered as an act of Ibadah (prayer) in the eyes of the creator, Allah.

Stranded New Zealanders to depart India for NZ IWK BUREAU

T deal with an unprecedented financial crisis, which directly impacts on the finances of both the Council and that of our CCOs. “It is important that we address the situation in a considered way and in making decisions understand the impact of that decision in the short, medium and long term and what it means for our levels of service.

“To put it simply, we have a very complex financial conundrum and we need to find savings right across the organisation.

“We have to look at everything – there are no ‘no-go’ areas. We are working in a constantly changing environment but we have been doing detailed work for the past few weeks so that we provide advice to elected members that will help them to make decisions on the Annual Plan and how they shape next year’s Long Term Plan.’’

hree Air New Zealand flights will bring New Zealanders home from India over the next week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced.

“On 19 March, we advised New Zealanders around the world that the window was closing for them to return home and that they should consider getting back to New Zealand immediately.

“India’s 25 March lockdown has recently been extended to 3 May, leaving New Zealanders with no commercial flight options to depart the country.

The decision to charter flights at huge expense was not taken lightly, but the New Zealand Government is seriously committed to assisting New Zealanders to return home where all other options have been exhausted.

“Our first flight will leave New Delhi on 24 April, arriving in Auckland on 25 April. A second flight will depart Mumbai on Monday, 27 April, arriving in Auckland on 28 April,” said Mr Peters.

A third flight is still being finalised but is expected to depart New Delhi on Thursday, 30 April. New Delhi and Mumbai have been chosen as departure points because the vast majority of New Zealanders in India are located near these centres.

“We are conscious that there are significant numbers of New Zealanders currently in India who are stranded a long way from New Delhi and Mumbai, especially in southern and eastern India. We are looking into flight options for them, including with partners, from Chennai and Kolkata,” said Mr Peters.

MFAT will continue to provide consular assistance to any New Zealanders who cannot take these flights.

“This has been an extraordinarily complex operation.

Nearly 1300 registered an interest in the flight, spread out across the country. This included a large number of non-eligible people, which added an additional layer of "We complexity as MFAT worked are conscious with relevant agencies to ensure that there are that only those who would be significant numbers of allowed back into the country were permitted on to the New Zealanders currently in India who are stranded a flights,” said Mr Peters.

The Air New Zealand long way from New Delhi flights will fly directly from and Mumbai, especially in southern and eastern India to New Zealand, without India" stops, avoiding any additional difficulties around transit for New Zealanders returning home.

The decision to use Air New Zealand for flights helps meets the NZ government’s strict health and safety standards, and ensure that the public health of New Zealanders is maintained both on the flight and when a charter flight arrives back in NZ.

The Indian Weekender

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

Alert Level 3: FAQs for New Zealanders observing ANZAC Day and Ramadan RIZWAN MOHAMMAD

N

ew Zealand will on Monday night, April 27, 11:59 p.m. steer into Alert Level 3, but the social distancing protocol and trade closures will apply to most businesses.

Contactless businesses will be able to operate and will under strict regulation of maintaining social distancing.

New Zealand Muslims will start observing the holy month of Ramadan, beginning Friday evening when the moon is sighted. During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the day hours and open their fast with family and friends with a meal at sunset.

Muslims also gather for congregational evening prayers and Friday prayers, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mosque around the globe has closed its doors and encouraged the community to stay home and pray with the family.

New Zealand mosques too are closed during this period, and Imams and FIANZ have encouraged the Muslims observing Ramadan to

continue staying in their bubble and pray for the community.

The government on Thursday, April 23, answered to some of the frequently asked questions of the communities especially surrounding ANZAC Day commemorations on Saturday, April 25, and the basic do’s and don’ts during this new Alert Level 3.

Q. How will ANZAC Day be commemorated this year?

A. ANZAC Day commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war and honours our returned servicemen and women.

ANZAC Day 2020 services – including the National Services at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park and Atatürk Memorial – will not be going ahead this year due to the restrictions in place in response to COVID-19.

This is the first time since Anzac Day services began in 1916 that New Zealanders are not able to gather nationwide to mark the anniversary.

Instead, we’re encouraging New Zealanders to find other ways to remember and honour all those

who served and are still serving New Zealand in conflict and peacekeeping, including the Stand At Dawn initiative.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has ideas for how people can safely commemorate ANZAC Day this year, go to mch.govt.nz/ anzac-day.

Q. Can Muslims extend their bubbles, or gather up to 10 people during Ramadan?

A. Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend your bubble further to bring in extra people to celebrate or mark religious events.

Muslims are encouraged to observe Ramadan at home, with their own bubble.

Q. Can Muslims come together for iftar (the meal to break the fast at sunset) and isha (the last prayers of the day) A. You can come together within your bubble for iftar and isha, but unfortunately not with people outside your bubble.

As with all religious groups, gatherings for religious activity

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present a very high risk of transmitting COVID-19, even at Alert Level 3.

Muslims are encouraged to hold iftar and isha within their bubble.

Q. Can mosques and other religious venues open during Level 3 if social distancing rules are observed?

A. Unfortunately no. All venues must stay closed to the public under Alert Level 3, including mosques and other faith-based venues.

Workers from the mosque can go into mosques and other religious venues to work, e.g. to conduct online religious services. Many places of worship are catering for communities using a variety of online methods.

Q. Can Imams, and other religious leaders visit people and perform last rites personally in hospitals and hospice facilities during Level 3? And can they officiate at funeral gatherings personally?

A. Guidance is being developed about providing last rites under Alert Level 3, and will be released soon.

Funeral directors will work with

NEW ZELAND 11

Muslim communities to identify people who can carry out ghusl (ritual washing) and janaza (prayer over the body), and will advise and supervise them to ensure it is done in a safe way.

Imams can officiate at funerals during Alert Level 3. Please work with your funeral director to make sure that all Alert Level 3 requirements are met, including a maximum of 10 people at the funeral.

Q. Will halaal butchers be able to open?

A. Yes, halaal butchers can open under Alert Level 3. Like all businesses they must operate under the requirements at Alert Level 3.

Halal butchers can take orders online, or over the phone. And they can deliver, or have their customers pick up from outside the store.

Customers cannot enter the premises.

Like all workplaces, halal butchers must operate safely.

That means meeting appropriate public health requirements and fulfilling all other health and safety obligations.

12

NEW ZELAND

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

'WHY MFAT COULD NOT ARRANGE FOR A MERCY FLIGHT IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF INDIA,' ASKS MANY FRUSTRATED STRANDED-KIWIS SANDEEP SINGH

Mumbai.

"If accepted for the flight, our High Commission in New Delhi will organise transport from your place of residence to Bangalore or Hyderabad to connect with these buses. We understand that some people may not wish to undertake such a long journey to the airport. Please think about it.

A

group of about 107 Kiwis stranded in different parts of the southern parts of India are exasperated by the explicit inability of the MFAT in giving them a fair chance to catch the charter flight home.

As reported earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is undertaking an evacuation plan in India - which by its own admission is one of the most complex and comprehensive evacuation plans for overseas stranded Kiwis and had so far arranged for potentially three flights catering the north and the central region of India only - leaving nothing on the itinerary for those stranded in the vast Southern region of India.

The Indian Weekender has been in constant contact with many such Kiwis stranded in the southern part of India who are equally keen to get back home, if not more than the others who have been lucky enough to be stranded in the northern or central regions of India and be served by at least one charter flight back home from proximity.

“It’s not fair that the Kiwis stranded in the vast Southern region could not be offered an option of at least one return flight from any of the four prominent international airports in the region,” Pooja Shah, one such Kiwi stranded in Chennai asked exasperatingly.

Notably, the Southern region of India has four prominent international airports Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Bangalore (Karnataka) and Thiruvanthapuram (Kerala).

" Pooja has been coordinating with most of the other stranded Kiwis, primarily in these four major cities in the Southern part of India, told the Indian Weekender that they were scattered all around the region 41 in Kerala, 26 in Tamil Nadu, 20 in Karnataka and 17 in Andhra Pradesh.

“We could have easily travelled to any one of these local regions if one of the special flight homes could have been scheduled in this part as well,” Pooja said.

Many stranded Kiwis coordinating within themselves on social media have argued that their numbers (107) are more than 61 stranded

Kiwis in Peru from where earlier MFAT has arranged a similar mercy flight.

MFAT arranges for connecting busses for stranded Kiwis from the deep south Meanwhile, MFAT has reached out again to several Kiwis stranded in the southern part of Indi and have expressed their interest to catch charter flights with details of the new arrangement for a bus connection to the nearest airport - Mumbai - from where a charter flight home is scheduled.

“If you selected Bangalore or Hyderabad as your closest airport: we will be running buses from these cities to connect to the flight from

It’s not fair that the Kiwis stranded in the vast Southern region could not be offered an option of at least one return flight from any of the four prominent international airports in the region

"If you are in or near Bangalore or Hyderabad and would like to be considered for a seat on the Mumbai flight, please send a short email to DM-CONS@mfat.govt.nz, including your EOI application number,” the new email said.

This is not a viable option for many of us as the bus journey from Chennai to Mumbai is 23 hours and from Kerala to Mumbai even more.

Many of us have infant, kids, a pregnant lady and people with a recent heart and knee surgery and taking such a long journey on the bus may not be an option,” another stranded Kiwi said.

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The Indian Weekender

Friday, April 24, 2020

COVID-19 Special Coverage

NEW ZELAND 13

Stand At Dawn, Anzac Day to be

commemorated in our bubbles, at home A IWK BUREAU

nzac Day is a time to reflect on the servicemen and servicewomen, past and present, who have displayed courage and self-sacrifice serving our country.

We can’t attend Anzac Day parades and services during the COVID-19 lockdown, but here are some ways to commemorate Anzac Day at home.

Stand together, apart.

The call has come from across the Tasman to ‘Stand At Dawn’ on Anzac Day. The Returned and Services Association (RSA) and the New Zealand Defence Force are responding to the call with New Zealand’s Stand At Dawn at 6am on Anzac Day, Saturday 25 April.

They are asking Kiwis to join our Australian friends to commemorate Anzac Day while staying safely in our bubbles – in doorways or windows, or from front porches or balconies.

At 6am, a virtual Anzac Day service will begin on Radio NZ National, bringing New Zealanders elements of a traditional Anzac Day service including The Last Post. Those who join Stand At Dawn can listen live on their phones/devices.

District President of the Auckland RSAs Graham Gibson says: “We will be delighted if people stand together in their bubbles at home to pay tribute to our fallen as the sun comes up.

We urge everyone to stay at home, away from the street and observe physical distancing.

“This Anzac Day will feel different but the sentiment will be the same.

"We are grateful to Auckland Council, Auckland War Memorial Museum and SkyCity for initiatives that we believe will inspire our young people to carry the torch into the future.

“I know Kiwis will wholeheartedly pay tribute to our men and women who served and sacrificed. From the New Zealand Wars in the 1800s to those who died in Afghanistan, we will remember them,” he says.

Teddies wear poppies this Anzac Day

Teddy bears in windows have become a beacon of unity in our neighbourhoods. For Anzac Day, Auckland Council is inviting families to make a poppy for their teddy bears

"I know to wear, or dress the window Kiwis will itself in something red. wholeheartedly pay In the week before and after tribute to our men and Anzac Day, bear hunts will women who served bring poignant new meaning. and sacrificed" As whanau walk with children around the block and notice poppywearing teddies in neighbourhood windows, grown-ups can tell stories of family war-time heroes and convey the significance of this day for New Zealand.

To help explain what the red poppy means, here’s an excerpt from the RSA website: ‘The use of the red poppy – the Flanders’ Poppy – as a symbol of remembrance derives from the fact that the poppy was the first plant to re-emerge from the churned-up soil of soldiers’ graves during the First World War.’ Share a photo of your Anzac bear in the window on Instagram: #AnzacBearAKL. Landmarks light up to commemorate our heroes

It’s for our heroes – past and present.

Vector Lights will shine poppy-red on the east side of Auckland Harbour Bridge (city facing) from 7.30pm to midnight from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 April to commemorate Anzac Day. Te Ara I Whiti – The Lightpath will also light up on those evenings.

Auckland War Memorial Museum will shine in a uniform display of red light from dusk on Friday 24 April until dawn on Sunday 26 April

as a commemorative tribute to this important day.

And, all four landmarks – the east side of the bridge, Lightpath, museum and SkyTower – will light up in unison from 3am to 7am on Saturday 25 April, ushering in the dawn on Anzac Day. It is hoped that our hard-working essential workers will be able to see them at dawn or in the evenings as they travel to hospitals, clinics and workplaces in the city.

Lay a digital poppy with Auckland War Memorial Museum Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira will commemorate Anzac Day in 2020, albeit in a different way.

The Dawn Service on the Cenotaph outside the museum and installation of the Fields of Remembrance will not take place. However, while closed to the public, The Last Post still plays daily prior to 5pm and the flags are raised at dawn and lowered at dusk.

The museum will also mark Anzac Day by lighting up in poppy red as a symbol of commemoration and remembrance from dusk on Friday 24 April until dawn on Sunday 26 April.

In absence of a physical gathering, the museum’s Online Cenotaph will be a place for people to come together, lay a virtual poppy and leave messages for loved ones who have served, as well as read stories about returned service people.

The museum’s Commemorating Anzac Day at Home online hub has Anzac Day specific stories, an Anzac biscuit recipe, activities and videos for the whole family to enjoy for free.

Live Webinar: New Zealanders at War – Stories from the Military Collections Hosted by Auckland Libraries in association with Ancestry, New Zealand’s leading historians, military and family-history experts will give free live presentations online to the public during Anzac Day week 2020 (20-24 April, 11am daily).

Police position on COVID-19 checkpoints P IWK BUREAU

olice is committed to ensuring our communities are safe and feel safe.

Police understands that some small and isolated communities feel they have a particular vulnerability to COVID-19.

However, Police do not encourage community checkpoints.

Police and other agencies remain responsible for ensuring that people comply with the restrictions under the different COVID-19 Alert Levels.

Where communities have determined to undertake checkpoints to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Police is working with those communities and other agencies to ensure checkpoints are safe and not preventing lawful use of the road.

Working in partnership with the local authority, the local Civil Defence Emergency Manager, local Iwi, community groups and Police, we will assess whether checkpoints are needed or if there are other solutions.

If COVID-19 checkpoints for vulnerable

communities are deemed necessary for the overall safety and wellbeing of a community, they: • Will be operated by district Police alongside community members • Will be conducted in a safe manner, according to Police operational guidelines and practices • Will be guided by the relevant alert level

status as set out in the Government’s COVID-19 response • Will not restrict access for people moving through for legitimate purposes • Police will continue to work with those communities and local agencies in Alert Level 3 and 4 to understand their concerns and needs. Police do not envisage a need for COVID-19

checkpoints to operate at Alert Level 2.

Every person in New Zealand has a right to freedom of movement, including to travel along the roading network and in any public place, and this fundamental right may only be restricted through the law.

Currently movement around our regions must comply with the settings allowed under COVID-19, set out at COVID-19.govt.nz.

We recognise that community efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 are motivated in the interests of the wider community.

However, Police must protect people’s fundamental right to freedom of movement around their region for legitimate purposes.

14

NEW ZELAND

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Royal Commission of Inquiry into the attack on Christchurch Mosques IWK BUREAU

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he Royal Commission welcomes a Government decision to extend the inquiry deadline to 31 July 2020, allowing for delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch Mosque attacks has been affected by the pandemic and Alert Level 4 lockdown, at a time when individuals and organisations across New Zealand and the globe are dealing with extraordinary challenges. Like all those who can work safely under Alert Level 4, the inquiry team has been working remotely, to progress work on an authoritative, final report.

“While everyone at the Royal Commission is very much committed to getting the job done, there are considerable limitations to what can be achieved remotely,” says Commissioner Sir William Young.

“One of the main limitations we face is that we cannot access some parts of our draft report which are currently stored on a secure and classified network,” says Sir William.

The Royal Commission is also in a natural justice process which includes seeking comment on adverse findings, seeking consent to the use of quotes, fact checking and classification matters.

“As a part of that process we have sought feedback from hundreds of individuals and organisations named in the draft report,” says Commissioner Jacqui Caine.

“Some of the individuals and organisations we have sent material to, have understandably had to divert attention and resources to Covid-19 work. In addition, we have not been able to complete our natural justice process in respect of those parts of our draft report that are on the secure and classified network.”

The Royal Commission is therefore expecting some delays in these responses, which are vital to the natural justice process. Commissioners sought an extension to the 30 April 2020 reporting deadline and the Government has now confirmed a new date of 31 July 2020.

Along with other New Zealanders, the Royal Commission will continue to keep a close eye on Government announcements regarding lockdown levels, with each level having a different impact on the work programme.

Visit www.christchurchroyalcommission.nz for more information on the Royal Commission and its work.

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The Indian Weekender

Friday, April 24, 2020

FIJI

COVID-19 Special Coverage

15

COVID-19: Virus is still out there in our communities, says PM Bainimarama

F

iji’s latest COVID-19 positive case goes to show that the virus is still out there in our communities, says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

“Our 18th case has been present in Fiji for almost a month – while her transmission risk is low, she was certainly not the only unconfirmed coronavirus case in the country,” Mr Bainimarama said.

He said the virus was a complex and contagious one, and no matter the strength of our safety nets, cases could slip through the cracks, as in other countries.

“This virus is proving as stealthy as it is unpredictable, but it can be beaten. Not by some magic cure – but by keeping to the simple strategy of physical distancing,” the PM said.

“The difference of two metres of physical distance between us means the difference

“This weekend, aside from dozens more arrests, we’ve received reports across the country of blatant violations of our "But physical distancing directives.” if people Mr Bainimarama said keep crowding in public places, gathering too many Fijians were still socially, or otherwise behaving as if the virus wasn’t acting like these are among us. normal times, there’s “Thank God, there are no no question, we will deaths due to the virus in Fiji. lose lives" “But if people keep crowding in public places, gathering socially, or otherwise acting like these are normal times, there’s no question, we will lose lives.

“The possibility of a 24-hour curfew is not off the table – the power to avoid that drastic alternative rests with every Fijian watching, between victory and defeat in this campaign. It listening to or reading this address. So, means the difference between life and death for please, do the right thing today, and spare us vulnerable Fijians.

I try to keep my distance from all of the major markets and just sell from this stall on the side of the road.

suffering down the road. “All of us need to seize ownership over our health and by taking responsibility for the laws designed to keep this virus at bay. Don’t push the burden of recovery entirely on the shoulders of our doctors, nurses, and disciplined forces – they deserve far better than anyone’s apathy or ambivalence.”

He said supermarkets, retailers, and shops should have hand sanitiser available and prominent signage instructing physical distancing.

“Children should not be out and about – they must stay home, as should the elderly.

“Social gatherings are banned, and the 8pm to 5am curfew remains in effect. And all of us should stay in our homes as much as possible.

“If you see someone violating our directives, do not stay silent – pick up the phone and call number 158 or the dial the police.”

COVID-19: Fiji declares pandemic as a natural disaster

T

he Fijian Government has declared the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural disaster for the whole country.

In a Government Gazette dated April 15, 2020, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the declaration was made by Cabinet in exercise of the powers conferred on them by section 17 of the Natural Disaster Management Act 1998 and on the advice of the Emergency Committee. The declaration is effective for a period of 30 days with effect from Wednesday, April 15, 2020.

Mr Bainimarama said the Government made the declaration because it was clear “we need to bring every resource in Government to bear to take on the crises of contagion and climate change before us”.

Fiji records one new confirmed case, totals 18

P

rime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has confirmed Fiji’s 18th positive case of COVID-19.

The latest victim is a 51-year-old woman from Ba. According to the Prime Minister, she traveled to Fiji from USA on March 22. She was cleared after 14 days in isolation, but later developed COVID-19 like symptoms.

Eight recover from COVID-19 as curve continues to flatten

Farmer upbeat amid struggles E Sunil Dutt and Lata Raj sell organic vegetables by the roadside in Nadi, Fiji .

S

igatoka vegetable farmer Sunil Dutt believes people should not let the tough times discourage them from working hard to feed their families.

Perched along the Queens Rd in Malolo, Nadi, Mr Dutt’s makeshift market stall is filled with what he says is “his last supply of fresh produce.”

“I lost everything in TC Harold. What I’m selling now was my last harvest before

the cyclone hit. Once I finish selling these, I will not come back here for another three or four months,” he siad He said the COVID-19 restrictions had also placed a major burden on his business.

“I try to keep my distance from all of the major markets and just sell from this stall on the side of the road.

“But that has also affected my business

because not many people stop at my stall.”

However, Mr Dutt believes his struggles were nothing compared with other families.

“I am still grateful despite everything. If you can still work or still do things that put food on the table then keep going.

“Everyone is struggling. All we can do is work for the days ahead.”

– The Fiji Times

Seruiratu said.

“This donation will greatly assist the Fijian Government in combating COVID-19 and provide immediate response to our families who have been severely affected by TC Harold.”

Australian High Commissioner to Fiji John Feakes assured Fijians yesterday that “help is on its way to those affected”.

“Today’s delivery is proof we stand with

Fiji through these challenging times,” he said.

New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji Jonathan Curr said these were challenging times and we ought to look after each other.

“This co-ordination between the three governments in responding to this natural disaster has been exceptional,” Mr Curr said.

The supplies brought for TC Harold response include hygiene kits, blankets, kitchen kits, sleeping mates, tarpaulins, solar lanterns, bed nets and others. Supplies for COVID-19 response included personal protective equipment (PPE) shoe covers, gloves, isolation gowns, hand sanitisers, masks and other things.

Relief supplies arrive for NZ, Australia

G

overnment’s response efforts for those affected by Tropical Cyclone Harold and the present COVID-19 pandemic has been boosted with the arrival of relief supplies, courtesy of the Australian and New Zealand governments.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force flight and a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17A Globemaster brought in the muchneeded humanitarian and disaster supplies.

Fiji’s Minister for National Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu commended both countries, saying the assistance by both governments would greatly assist Fiji during this time.

“We particularly are doing our best now, to stabilise the situation in Fiji,” Mr

ight out of the 18 patients who had contracted the deadly COVID-19 virus in Fiji has now recovered.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been briefed by the Minister for Health, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete on the matter.

The Prime Minister says this means our recovery rate is now at 44 percent. There are now only 10 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

52 tests were conducted last night and all came back negative, which includes 23 sailors, who will now go into home isolation. Three cases were tested twice and have also returned negative samples on both occasions.

COVID-19: Fiji schools to reopen in June

S

chools were scheduled to open next week Monday, April 20, but that has been extended.

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said instead, schools would not open until June 15, 2020. Classes will resume on June 16, 2020. He said this was an extension that recognised that t h i s virus would be part of our lives for the "The foreseeable future, and we must plan date schools accordingly. reopen is subject to change based “The date schools reopen is subject to change based on the situation on the on the situation on ground at the time,” Mr Bainimarama the ground at the time" said.

Thought of the week "Knowing is not enough; we must apply.

Willing is not enough; we must do."

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

24 April – 30April 2020

Editorial

Exceptions to border closure - An emotional issue for stranded temporary migrantworkers

I

mmigration New Zealand has received expressions of interest from 4356 people seeking an exception from the border closure that is currently in place to prevent the spread of covid-19 virus in the country.

As of April 22, INZ has only approved 883 and have invited them to further apply for an appropriate visa leaving a large number of visa hopefuls high and dry.

Majority of visa-hopefuls among them are likely to be the temporary migrant workers who were living and working in NZ for years and were temporarily travelling overseas when they were caught-up on the wrong side of the border closure.

Since March 20, the New Zealand border has been closed to all but citizens and residents, and immediate family members travelling with them.

There are a limited number of exceptions for any other traveller wanting to enter (or re-enter in case of temporary migrant workers) that INZ is considering on a case by case basis.

The Indian Weekender has been approached and is in constant contact with many such stranded temporary migrant workers and their immediate families who had a life here in New Zealand with homes, rents, bank loans, car loans, jobs and most importantly dreams of a Kiwi-life.

Unfortunately, the government is yet undecided on letting them in the country, unless they have a critical reason to travel to the country.

Exceptions to the current border restrictions, which are set by the New Zealand government, may be considered for Health and other essential workers, Citizens of Samoa and Tonga for essential travel to New Zealand and Humanitarian reasons.

Given that this is a fast moving space with clarity emerging slowly on what actually constitutes essential work for the immigration purposes, there has been much confusion and desperation among these overseas-stranded temporary migrant workers.

The Indian Weekender has spoken to many such migrant workers who normally worked in NZ in supermarkets, telecommunications, district health boards, primary industries and many more sectors and businesses deemed as “essential services” have been denied exception to border closure.

Apparently there has been confusion around “essential services workers” and essential workers for immigration purposes that needs to be further clarified.

For someone who was working as medical administrator in any District Health Board before current lockdown, they can still work as essential services if they are in New Zealand.

However, for those who are stranded outside New Zealand they are not allowed back in the country as they are not deemed as essential services for immigration purposes under current Covid-19 lockdown environment.

Temp migrant workers faces multitude problems related to wage, employment and visa status The temporary migrant workers are facing a multitude of problems ranging from wages, employment status and most importantly visa status as most of their visas are related to employers or the business they are currently working in, and in the current environment many of the businesses are either falling apart or their future is bleak.

This is despite them living and working in New Zealand for quite some time and trying to build a permanent life in this country.

There is lack of clarity or roadmap for them of what will happen if their current work visas expire and they remain stranded overseas, except being repeatedly told to wait while the government eventually decides on this important matter.

To be fair to the government, it already has a lot on the table, ranging from handling the public health crisis to managing the lockdown and eventually preparing the country out of Alert Level 4 lockdown.

However, that should not be an excuse from failing to act decisively to safeguard the interests of temporary migrant workers - who seemingly might be at the lowest level of skilled workforce - but as the covid-19 lockdown tells us can be quickly turned into the most essential and the most desirable workforce.

Anyway, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had said while addressing the Australian Prime Minister Scot Morrison supporting the case of Kiwi workers in Oz that when the economy will come out of this downturn “you will need a trained workforce,” it applies the same for New Zealand workers.

Let’s not leave our trained temporary migrant workers out of the country and let them in the country - where they were before the onset of border closure due to Covid-19 pandemic.

It is to say that while in New Zealand during the Alert Level 4 lockdown many businesses were allowed to remain operational as “essential services,” the temporary migrant workers who usually worked in those areas and were currently stranded overseas are still not being allowed back in the country.

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu On-and-off rain and drizzle

Partly sunny

Parlty sunny

21° 14°

23° 13°

24° 16°

Clouds and A touch o dafr sun

23° 15°

Sunshine and pactcy clouds

A few morning showers

24° 16°

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This week in New Zealand’s history 24 April 1920 Prince of Wales arrives for New Zealand tour

K

ing George V’s son, Edward, Prince of Wales (who later reigned briefly as Edward VIII), visited New Zealand partly to thank the Dominion for its contribution to the Empire’s war effort. After arriving in Auckland aboard the battlecruiser HMS Renown, he spent four weeks travelling the country aboard a lavishly appointed Royal Train and by motor coach, visiting 50 cities and towns from Auckland to Invercargill.

24 April 1922 New Zealand's first poppy day

A

total of 245,059 small poppies and 15,157 larger versions were sold, earning £13,166 (equivalent to more than $1.3 million in 2019). Of that amount, £3695 ($372,000) was sent to help war-ravaged areas of northern France; the remainder went to unemployed New Zealand returned soldiers and their families.

25 April 1915 Gallipoli landings

E

ach year on Anzac Day, New Zealanders (and Australians) mark the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings of 25 April 1915. On that day, thousands of young men, far from their homes, landed on the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsula, in what is now Turkey.

25 April 1916 First Anzac Day

P

eople in communities across New Zealand and overseas gathered to mark the first anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. New Zealand observed a half-day holiday from 1 p.m. The mood was solemn; race meetings were postponed and cinemas stayed shut until late afternoon.

25 April 1963 New Zealand medics start work in South Vietnam

O

n Anzac Day 1963, a six-strong New Zealand civilian surgical team arrived in Qui Nhon, South Vietnam as part of the Colombo Plan assistance programme. Their deployment – two years before New Zealand combat troops were sent – marked the beginning of this country’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

Indian Weekender : Volume 12 Issue 6 Publisher: Kiwi Media Publishing Limited Content Editor: Sandeep Singh | sandeep@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Reporter: Rizwan Mohammad | rizwan@indianweekender.co.nz Chief Technical Officer: Rohan deSouza | rohan@indianweekender.co.nz Sr Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | mahesh@indianweekender.co.nz Graphic Designer: Yashmin Chand | design@indianweekender.co.nz Accounts and Admin.: 09-2173623 | accounts@indianweekender.co.nz Media Sales Manager.: Leena Pal: 021 952 216 | leena@indianweekender.co.nz Sales and Distribution: 021 952218 | sales@indianweekender.co.nz Editor at Large: Dev Nadkarni | dev@indianweekender.co.nz Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Kiwi Media Publishing Limited - 133A, Level 1, Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland.

Printed at Horton Media, Auckland Copyright 2017. Kiwi Media Publishing Limited. All Rights Reserved.

The Indian Weekender

Friday, April 24, 2020

FEATURES

COVID-19 Special Coverage

17

Plastics -- the saviour of billion human lives from COVID-19 D.D. KALE

T

he deadly coronavirus pandemic, that originated from China, has so far killed over 1.35 lakh people across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic will leave severe scars on the economies across the world, as life has come to a standstill post lockdown announced by most of the countries. As per UN estimate the pandemic has wiped $50 billion off global exports in February alone.

In India, the first case of the coronavirus was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. As of April 16, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has confirmed a total of 12,380 cases and 414 deaths in the country.

As the cases of COVID-19 positive patients are rising in India, the demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), made from Single Use Plastic (SUP), used in preventing COVID-19 is rapidly increasing.

Considering the importance of gearing up to meet the pandemic of COVID-19, the government should provide incentives to the industry so that adequate supplies are manufactured in the time bound manner.

Many countries globally and India, has made the use of mask, generally made from SUP, mandatory to curtail the spread of the deadly virus among people. The SUP gears -- such as

mask, gown, coat, eyewear, gloves - used by doctors, nurses and other medical staff to avoid spread and infection from deadly bacteria and virus. In a few European countries and the US many doctors and medical staff fall prey to COVID-19, while serving their duties.

The government, regulators, environmentalist and citizens should recognize the immense utility of the plastic gears, that too made of SUP and should do away with the thoughts of blanket banning moves and instead the industry should be encouraged and provided with adequate support to meet the unprecedented demand

increase.

The use of disposable masks, gloves, gowns, goggles etc.are proving to be the bigtime saviours of human lives by preventing the transmission of disease from one person to another.

As per WHO modelling, an estimated 89 million medical masks, 76 million gloves and 1.6 million goggles will be required every month. WHO has supplied around half a million sets of protective equipment to 47 affected countries, but supplies are rapidly running out.

Even the US and European countries seeing acute shortage of

PPE and they are looking outwards to secure supply.

Even China, one of the largest producer of PPE, witnessed shortage of adequate Personal Protective Gears. To save lives, people in China have created makeshift alternate safety gears which includes; plastic water bottle jars, plastic sheets, plastic laundry bags etc to keep themselves safe.

The SUP protective gears should be disposed-off systemically and incinerated at high temperature, to avoid any further spread of virus and it will help redeem the bad name that SUP is generally assigned with.

Since several decades, plastics has been the only material convenient and viable in medical field and has once again come to the fore of human kind in this pandemic to contain the virus and saving so many human lives.

Plastic plays pivotal role in healthcare industry Protective garments used by health workers such as mask, caps, goggles and gowns are generally made from plastics and are used by health professionals in such outbreaks to reduce the risk of infection as it work as a barrier from bacteria and virus.

Furthermore, IV bags and tubing, IV Canula and Disposable Syringes used for infusion of IV fluids are all made from medical grade plastics to avoid any contamination going through the blood stream. The disposable plastic syringes have completely replaced alternative options.

So far there are no alternative material has proven at par with the ease of utility and economics of all these varieties of medical grade plastics.

With increasing use of plastics in healthcare industry, the government and regulators should enforce right disposal and recycling practices to avoid contamination and spread of COVID-19 infection.

Since plastics are very useful material with immense utility the future course should on SUPs should be left to technically experts.

‘Lockdown an opportunity to reinvent India’s top literature awards’ VISHNU MAKHIJANI

I

n the midst of the gloom caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the countrywide lockdown, there is at least one bright sport, the administrators of Indias top two awards for literature – the DSC prize that has completed a decade and new entrant JCB Prize – say, adding it gives them an opportunity to re-think and reinvent to keep up with the changing times.

“COVID-19, along with its negativity has also provided a huge opportunity to rethink everything. It is a pause to think about the direction and speed of one’s journey through life, and literary prizes are no exception,” Surina Narula, co-founder of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, told IANS in an email interview.

Literary prizes were once given as a gesture of appreciation from patrons of the art. They were not considered glamorous even a few years back; it was only after the popularity of the Jaipur Literature Festival that literature became fashionable and came closer to the masses.

The mystery of the writer was shattered because one could meet them and becoming like them became a possibility.

To this end, the DSC Prize was initiated in 2010 to enhance the telling of South Asian literature to a global English reading audience.

The pandemic has severely affected

publishing, and literary prizes depend on the publishing industry to enter the best books published by them and the DSC Prize, being open to authors and publishers from across the world as long as the writing is about South Asia, is “better insulated” against a country specific publishing downturn, Narula pointed out.

The prize receives more than 30 percent of its entries from publishers beyond the subcontinent from countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia “and quite a few publishers from these countries have already written to us

regarding entries that they wish to submit this year”, she added.

Elaborating on the aspect of re-invention, Narula said a Trust has been set up to do more than just administer the prize; it aims to take literature through its outreach programmes to a wider audience including the underprivileged and empower young men and women in the region through the reading of South Asian literature.

“There are inspiring stories of women overcoming patriarchal challenges as well as society battling poverty, war and displacement,

and these stories need to be told and shared.

After the tenth year we will see how the DSC Prize can be a beacon of such social initiatives through the activities of the Trust,” Narula said.

The virus might have halted people in their tracks and given them a lot of time to think but “I see literature becoming more important to remind people of the world before the pandemic, and perhaps show the inequalities that are further going to arise due to self serving governments around the world.

Literary prizes will always exist because patrons will find ways of contributing to society and also furthering their marketing and philanthropic needs,” Narula noted.

Mita Kapur, Literary Director of the JCB Prize, that has entered its third year, said the pandemic and the lockdown, had provided “an opportunity to re-invent several aspects of our year-long calendar”.

“The lockdown has given us an opportunity to build on the JCB Prize’s vision of creating new readership, building on inclusivity within the writers’ community and the publishing industry to reach out to the rest of the world.

"The faith in literature being a bridge, story telling that makes us survive makes the JCB Prize carry on its work in the right spirit, being socially conscious and sensitive towards the times we are all facing,” Kapur added.

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INDIA

COVID-19 Special Coverage

PM Modi ranked top among global leaders in fight against Covid-19:

Friday, April 24, 2020

Sitharaman cites survey

I

n the fight against the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the most popular among 10 global leaders, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claimed.

As per a recent analysis done by a US-based research firm, PM Narendra Modi has secured the top position, with an approval rating of 68, followed by Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the United Kingdom’s Boris Johnson and Australia’s Scott Morrison. US President Donald Trump was the eighth position, with an approval rating of -3.

Public opinion based approval ratings of world leaders shown

in the charts. @PMOIndia leads #IndiaFightsCorona from the front.

Consistent high approval ratings for @narendramodi.

"ConNation has confidence in its sistent high leadership in an extraordinary approval ratings for situation due a pandemic.

PM Narendra Modi.

Canadian Prime Minister Nation has confidence Justin Trudeau was ranked in its leadership in an 5th, followed by German extraordinary situation a pandemic,” due a pandemic" Chancellor Angela Merkel, Sitharaman tweeted.

Brazils’ Jair Bolsanaro, Many Union ministers France’s Emmanuel Macron and and other party leaders also Japan’s Shinzo Abe. tweeted about the highest approval “Prime Minister leads India’s fight ratings of Modi amidst the global against coronavirus from the front. fight against the pandemic, saying "Consistent high approval ratings the country has full confidence in his for PM Narendra Modi. Nation leadership at the time of this crisis. has confidence in its leadership “Prime Minister Narendra in an extraordinary situation due

Modi leads the world in combating COVID-19.

"Ensuring safety and security for the Indian people on one hand and lending all necessary support to other nations on the other, he has been ranked number one amongst world leaders in the fight against the pandemic,” BJP president JP Nadda said.

India moves to Coronavirus update:Funds to India may drop by 23% procure more in 2020 due to Covid-19 crisis, says World Bank Covid-19 test kits s a result of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, from Korean firms which has resulted in a

A

O

ver the past few weeks, several Indian agencies and private companies have sourced 4.5 lakh testing kits from South Korea.

With Chinese testing kits having come under the scanner, India is stepping up procurement and production of testing kits from South Korean companies.

Officials on Tuesday said that a South Korean company has agreed to make and supply 5 lakh rapid antibody testing kits at its facility in Manesar, Haryana.

India’s ambassador to South Korea Sripriya Ranganathan visited the firm’s — SD Biosensor — facility in north Chungcheong province in South Korea and has tied up the arrangements.

The company has decided to manufacture these kits in a week, and will make more in the next few weeks. This comes as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday advised states not to use the testing kits for the next two days, stating that it will issue an advisory after medical teams carry out field validation of the kits.

Besides, India is procuring another 5 lakh coronavirus testing kits from South Korea to meet their growing demand in view of rising cases of the infection.

The Indian embassy in Seoul inked a deal with South Korean pharma giant Humasis Ltd to procure the kits, sources said. The company is sourcing raw materials for production of the testing kits from India, officials said.

global recession, remittances to India are likely to drop by 23% from $83 billion last year to $64 billion this year, the World Bank has said.

“In India, remittances are projected to fall by about 23% in 2020, to $64 billion – a striking contrast with the growth of 5.5% and receipts of $83 billion seen in 2019,” the World Bank said in a report on impact of Covid-19 on migration and remittances released on Wednesday.

Globally remittances are projected to decline sharply by about 20% this year due to the economic crisis induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and shutdown.

The projected fall, which would be the sharpest decline in recent history, is largely due to a fall in the wages and employment of migrant workers, who tend to be more vulnerable to loss of employment and wages during an economic crisis in a host country, the bank said.

“Remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries.

The ongoing economic recession

caused by Covid-19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass.

“Remittances help families afford food, healthcare, and basic needs. As the World Bank Group implements fast, broad action to support countries, we are working to keep remittance channels open and safeguard the poorest communities’ access to these most basic needs,” he added.

Remittance flows are expected to fall across all World Bank Group

regions, most notably in Europe and Central Asia (27.5%), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (23.1%), South Asia (22.1%), the Middle East and North Africa (19.6%), Latin America and the Caribbean (19.3%), and East Asia and the Pacific (13%).

In Pakistan, the projected decline is also about 23%, totalling about $17 billion, compared with a total of $22.5 billion last year, when remittances grew by 6.2%.

In Bangladesh, remittances are projected at $14 billion this year, a likely fall of about 22%. Remittances to Nepal and Sri Lanka are expected to decline by 14% and 19%, respectively this year.

The Indian Weekender

Coronavirus has mutated into at least 30 variants: China study

T

he Wuhan-originated novel coronavirus that globally killed around 180,000 people so far, has mutated into at least 30 different genetic variations, according to a new study in China.

The study conducted by professor Li Lanjuan and others from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, was published in a non-peer reviewed paper released on Sunday. The researchers have detected 30 different mutations out of which 19 were new and previously undetected.

The study revealed that healthcare practitioners have vastly underestimated the ability of the virus to mutate. Incidentally, Dr Anthony Fauci, the famous immunologist and the leading member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, very early on in his presentation about the virus to US President Donald Trump had stressed the rapid mutation of the virus.

This characteristic of the virus, makes it extremely challenging for scientists to find a cure for the disease Covid-19 attacking the respiratory system, which the virus causes. The Zhejiang university study shows that different strains have affected different parts of the world, which will make it even more difficult to develop a vaccine for it.

The research study is based on the analysis of the strains from 11 randomly chosen coronavirus patients from Hangzhou, which were tested for their potency to infect and kill cells. "Here we report functional characterizations of 11 patient-derived viral isolates, all of which have at least one mutation.

Importantly, these viral isolates show significant variation in cytopathic effects and viral load, up to 270-fold differences, when infecting Vero-E6 cells," the paper said.

Corona count in India 19,984; 50 deaths in 24 hours

T

he Union Health Ministry said a total of 19,984 people have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 across the country, and 3,870 people have been cured with a recovery rate of 19.36%.

In the past twenty-four hours, 1,383 new cases have surfaced and 50 new deaths have been reported, said the ministry.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the formation of antibodies in individuals. These test Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) results are also dependent on field conditions. has forwarded a protocol for using rapid As noted by ICMR, these tests cannot "All antibody test to all states, saying that replace the RT-PCR test to diagnose citizens antibody rapid tests are largely to be COVID-19 cases. The ICMR has are requested to used as a tool for surveillance. participate to help get promised assistance to collect data proper feedback on the "Globally also, the utility of this from various States to assess the scope test is evolving and it is currently prevalence and distribution and extent of utility of these rapid of COVID-19 symptoms" antibody test in field conditions. being used for detecting the

"The ICMR will keep advising the states on a regular basis", said the Health Ministry.

The Centre will be conducting a telephonic survey where citizens will be contacted on their mobile phone from the number 1921. "This is a genuine survey.

"All citizens are requested to participate to help get proper feedback on the prevalence and distribution of COVID-19 symptoms", said a statement. Taking cognizance of attacks on doctors involved in the fight against coronavirus outbreak, the Cabinet has recommended an ordinance to ensure the safety of the doctors under the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897. The Home has Minister assured deoctors and health workers that government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring their well-being and security.

The Indian Weekender

Friday, April 24, 2020

Global hunger could double due to COVID-19 blow: UN

T

he number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) said.

The impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category.

“COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,” said Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP).

“We all need to come together to deal with this because if we don’t the cost will be too high – the global cost will be too high: many lost lives and many, many more lost livelihoods,” he told reporters at a virtual briefing

in Geneva. Husain said it was critical to act quickly in order to prevent people already living hand-to-mouth, such as food vendors in Kenya, from selling their assets as it could take them years to become self-reliant again.

In some cases, such as when farmers sell their ploughs or oxen, it could have knock-on effects for food production for years to come, he added.

meaning a “critical lack of food access and above usual malnutrition”.

Category 5 means mass starvation.

U.N. officials did not give a geographical breakdown of the growing needs, but said that Africa was likely to be hardest hit.

WFP expects to need $10$12 billion to fund its assistance programmes this year compared to a record $8.3 billion raised last year, Husain added. It plans to pre-position food stocks over the coming months in anticipation of growing needs.

Of those already deemed acutely hungry, many are in conflict “These were the people "These zones such as Syria or in we were concerned about were the countries badly hit by – those who were OK people we were the impact of climate before COVID and now concerned about – change, according to a they are not,” he said, those who were OK U.N. report. adding he was “really before COVID and Even before the worried” about people now they are coronavirus pandemic, living in countries with not" desert locusts in east Africa little or no government had destroyed crops and boosted safety nets. the number of people reliant on food “Acute food and livelihood crisis” aid. is category three of five UN phases

Doctors identify skin problems as another odd potential symptom

M

onths after COVID-19 appeared on the world stage, the deadly disease is still prompting medical mysteries, and doctors have identified another odd potential symptom: skin problems.

Media reports a growing number of prominent dermatologists treating suspected and confirmed coronavirus-positive patients are reporting patterns and trends of skin conditions, suggesting the skin could be a kind of window about what may be happening with COVID-19 inside the body.

Italian doctors published a series of cases signaling a trend about the skin in late March.

In that study, one in five patients had a skin issue, most commonly a red rash or a hive-like eruption.

According to ABC News, Dr. Misha Rosenbach, Associate

Professor of Dermatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania says it has been dubbed “COVID toes” by the dermatology community because frostbite-like areas of typically red or purple discoloration can appear on the feet can also be seen on the fingers as well.

She says the discoloration doesn't appear to have anything to do with

WORLD

COVID-19 Special Coverage

the weather.

Rosenbach said these findings so far have been reported to be seen more in kids and young adults, which is a population that can be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms more frequently than older individuals, though more cases would have to be examined to determine which population is affected by this condition.

There have also been reported cases of skin conditions such as measles-like rashes or hives associated with COVID-19. But, complicating matters, these kinds of rashes are also commonly seen with reactions to medications or in other viral infections.

Rosenbach said because these are indeed common rashes, “there doesn’t seem to be a helpful pattern," meaning it’s harder for doctors to tell whether coronavirus or a more mundane issue is to blame.

Symptoms more commonly associated with coronavirus include fevers, upper respiratory problems like coughing, and fatigue. But more unusual symptoms have been seen in some cases, such as a lost of taste, kidney issues and blood clotting.

Experts suggested the blood clotting could be related to the skin issues.

19

Human trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine to begin in the UK

H

uman trials of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 will begin in the UK this Friday.

Oxford University Health Secretary, Matt Hancock says they hope that delivering this into the body will enable the immune system to fight off the real disease without needing to become infected with COVID-19.

Hancock says the plan is to test it on around 500 volunteers by mid-May and if that work proves successful then they will give it to more volunteers.

He says finding a vaccine is the top priority and adds he is delighted that they are going into human clinical trials this week.

There are now more than 2.5 million COVID-19 cases worldwide with 175,759 deaths.

The United States still has the highest number of confirmed cases with 805,980 and 44,240 deaths.

Australia has 6, 645 confirmed cases with 71 deaths while there are 1,107 cases in New Zealand and 13 deaths.

WHO chief calls on US to reconsider funding freeze

T

he World Health Organization (WHO) chief called on the United States to reconsider its decision to freeze funding to the organization, and hoped that the US will once again support WHO's work and continue to save lives.

"The US has been supporting WHO and it's number one donor (of WHO). We value that, we appreciate that," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Having appreciated the US funding for helping build the national health system in Ethiopia where he used to be the minister of health, Tedros said he has also been a live witness as the WHO chief of the US support to his organisation.

"I hope the US believes that this is an important investment not just to help others, but for the US to stay safe also," he said.

Trump's executive order suspending entry of immigrants 'drastic and damaging': Top US attorney

"

Drastic" and "damaging" is how a top US immigration attorney is describing Donald Trump's latest executive order, which takes a sledgehammer to the entry of immigrants "who present risk to the US labour market" and goes into effect from midnight on April 23.

The executive order does not apply to H1B workers in the United States.

The executive order applies to three categories of "aliens". It bans those who are outside the United States on the effective date of the order, which means 11:59 pm on April 23, those who do not have an immigrant visa that is valid on the effective date and those who do not have an official travel document other than a visa, such as an advance parole document.

With consulates closed, almost all visa processing by the State Department has been suspended for weeks anyway.

"If you have been sponsored for a green card through a family member, you're now going to be banned for 60 days, unless you are a spouse or minor child of a US citizen," Cyrus Mehta, New York based US immigration attorney, said.

"If you are the spouse or minor child of a green card holder, you're banned. If you are the adult son or daughter of a US citizen or adult single son or daughter of a green card holder, you're banned. If you are the sibling of a US citizen, and you waited 10 plus years to come in and you are still waiting for a visa interview at a consular post, you're

to the US Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak," Trump's latest executive order with a 16 word headline comes with a 60 day sunset clause, for now. Trump said his decision is essential to help Americans get back to work in an economy ripped apart by the coronavirus.

"This will ensure that unemployed Americans of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens," Trump said.

"This "If you read the will ensure fine print, on day that unemployed 50 of the 60 Americans of all day period, the now banned." backgrounds will be first President can Called "Proclamation in line for jobs as our once again make Suspending Entry of economy reopens" an assessment Immigrants Who Present Risk

and decide whether to continue with it," Mehta explained.

The few exemptions that exist now are for spouses and minor children of US citizens, people coming on an immigrant visa as a physician, nurse or other health care professional to perform medical research related to COVID-19.

The order also exempts people approved under the EB5 immigrant investor program who have invested more than a million dollars to get a foothold in the US. "On the other hand, the spouse of a green card holder or parent of a US citizen has been banned," says Mehta. He says Trump's use of authority under Section 212F of the Immigration Act is a standout case in American history.

20

SPORTS

Friday, April 24, 2020

Post-COVID world could be a blessing in disguise for Indian sports: Bindra

L

egendary shooter Abhinav Bindra believes once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, it could be a blessing in disguise for Indian sports due to absence of much foreign exposure.

"The post-COVID-19 world could be a blessing in disguise for India. There may not be so much foreign exposure and this may allow India to build proper sporting infrastructure.

We need to build our own coaches and our own support staff," Bindra said on Monday.

The entire sporting calendar has come to a grinding halt across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. Major sporting events, including Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon, have either been postponed or cancelled.

Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold medallist, alongwith Nandan Kamath, lawyer and managing trustee GoSports Foundation, on Monday addressed the newly-appointed assistant directors and other senior officials of Sports Authority of India (SAI) during a special session.

Bindra said that as sports administrators they need to work towards creating an alternate skill development programme for athletes to ensure their well-being in the long run.

"We need to look after athletes because the very nature of sport is that more will fail than succeed. It is important that athletes have backup plans in case their sports career doesn't work out," he pointed out.

Bindra further said that sports administrators need to understand the psychology of an athlete

India limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma I

Australia tour when the team management ndia limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma has said the presence of David gave him enough hints.

Warner and Steve Smith will make the "I was told you might be opening in tour of Australia, scheduled later this year, Tests as well. It was two years ago. I was more challenging. preparing myself from then onwards," he India bagged the 2018-19 Test series said.

2-1, their first in 71 years of touring "You wanted an opportunity, everybody Australia but there was no Smith and wants to be out there in the middle. I Warner as they were serving a one year wanted to play and not watch the game," ball-tampering suspension. he added.

"I was looking forward to the New "When the chance came along, I was Zealand series but unfortunately, injury ready. There were some technical aspects (calf muscle) happened at the wrong I needed to be aware of," he said. time," Rohit told ‘India Today'.

"As a team, we are playing best cricket "I can't wait to go to Australia and play right now, everybody wants to the Test matches there. Australia in "I take the game back to the can't wait Australia with those two guys will opposition. If it happens to go to Australia be a different ball game," said and play the Test (amid the COVID-19 dashing opener Rohit. matches there. Australia On him opening the batting in Australia with those two pandemic), it will be a great series to be part in Tests, Rohit said he has been guys will be a different of," he added. ball game," ready for the job since the 2018

to be able to build them up because athletes pass through different phases because of the nature of sport and the probability of failure.

"An expert can give a larger overview of the various elements that go into sporting performance and that's where you will understand where performance is built and what are the various elements that go into performance and then you will start to have a better and deeper understanding of where performance is built. Results at a competition cannot be the only denominator when planning for an Olympic Games or an Asian Games," he added.

Bindra spoke at length on his experience as an athlete and also on the future of sports in India.

"The one per cent (of athletes) makes all the difference in sport, and as our sports ecosystem starts maturing, we need to start focussing on that one percent for all athletes," he said.

Stressing on the need to build a strong talent identification and nurturing programme, he added, "Getting foundations right is important, a lot of work on that has already been started with the Khelo India programme and also emphasis placed on junior programme of different sports.

Never met anyone quite like Dhoni: Hussey

F

ormer Australia and Chennai Super Kings batsman Michael Hussey said that M.S. Dhoni and Murali Vijay are the two batsmen that he likes batting with towards the end of an innings and at the beginning respectively among those he played with at CSK. Hussey would have been in the CSK camp as their batting coach had it not been for the postponement of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He did a live video interaction on the Chennai Super Kings' Instagram page on Thursday.

Hussey said the pair were his favourite because they do well to level out his own "panicky" nature in the middle. "Love batting with Vijay at the top of the innings. I am a bit

panicky in the middle where Vijay likes to stride around and be relaxed. I would tell him come on Vijay concentrate, but he would go about it at his own pace," said Hussey.

"MS is always very calculative. I would want to finish the match as early as possible but MS would say no because there is this bowler who is coming up to bowl or someone else that we need to see out," he said.

Hussey said that he has never met anyone like Dhoni. "Don't think I've met anyone like MS in that respect.

Yes he has got a calculating brain but he has also got that unbelievable power. He knows when he wants to hit a six he can, which is something I didn't have," he said.

The Indian Weekender

Kohli the most consistent performer in ODIs: Rabada

S

outh Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada heaped praise on India captain Virat Kohli and called him as the most consistent performer in the 50-over format of the game.

He also named England all-rounder Ben Stokes, Australia batsman Steve Smith and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as the players whom he likes in world cricket.

Kohli is currently the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world while he is placed at the second spot in Test rankings led by Steve Smith. Williamson is placed at the fourth spot in this particular list.

"If you look at one day cricket, I'd say Virat Kohli is the most consistent performer, he is consistent in Test cricket as well. I even like the work of Ben Stokes, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson," Rabada said during a chat show.

In normal circumstances, Rabada would have been currently up against the aforementioned big names of world cricket in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), however, due to coronavirus pandemic the tournament has been postponed by the BCCI. Rabada has been a revelation since making his debut for South Africa a few years ago. He has scalped 117 wickets in 73 ODIs and 197 wickets in 43 Tests for the Proteas and is the leading fast bolwer of his country in all three formats at just the age of 24.

No chance of further postponing Tokyo Olympics: Games chief

T

here are no plans in place for a second postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Games organisers have said.

The 2020 Olympics was postponed to July 23-August 8, 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic but several health experts have questioned if it will be possible to hold the Games even next year.

Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee president Yoshiro Mori said in a teleconference that there is "absolutely no" chance of postponing the Games beyond the new time period.

Masa Takaya, the spokesman for the Tokyo Olympics, said that there is "no B plan" in place for a further postponement and the work is progressing on the assumption that the Games will start on July 23, 2021.

"We are working toward the new goal," Takaya said, speaking in English on a teleconference call with journalists. "We don't have a B Plan." Earlier, a leading health expert had said that it is unfeasible to hold the Olympics from July 23 unless a vaccine is found for the coronavirus pandemic.

"If we do get a vaccine within the next year then actually I think that (Olympics) is realistic.

The vaccine will be the game-changer -- an effective, affordable, available vaccine," said Professor Devi Sridhar.

"If we don't get a scientific breakthrough, then I think that looks very unrealistic."

The Indian Weekender

FEATURE

Friday, April 24, 2020

21

ubi proximus or where to

for Nutrition post COVID19 Will this change the way we eat and drink to fill an old wine in a new bottle?

ignore their regular check ups or fail to test their markers Therefore, if you are immune compromised or at risk due to any lifestyle related issues • Regularly monitor your blood sugar, blood pressure to do a course correction in your diet if required and be in control • Eat moderate amounts of fat and oil • Eat less salt and sugar and limit your daily salt intake to less than 5 g (approximately 1 teaspoon) and use iodized salt • Be careful not to consume too much caffeine, and • Avoid sweetened fruit juices, syrups, fruit juice concentrates, and fizzy and still drinks as they all contain sugar.

• Avoid eating out • Wash you hands and keep your kitchen Breathe Easy WHO on its website has clearly crafted the need to be physically activity to help both your body and mind. Being active even at times of lock down can help • Reduce high blood pressure • Help manage weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2diabetes, and various cancers.

• Improves bone and muscle strength and increases balance, flexibility and fitness. For older people, activities that improve balance help to prevent falls and injuries.

• Also activity improves mental health and can reduce the risk of depression, cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia and improve overall feelings of wellbeing.

BY MALLIKA JANAKIRAMAN NUTRITION STRATEGY CONSULTANT

Navigate from point A

A

s I begin to pen my thoughts, let me begin at the very beginning by decoding what is said on COVID-19, also known as novel coronavirus disease 2019 and map what we know from World Health Organisation (WHO) and the U.S Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) • Air borne - this respiratory illness can spread from person to person • Affects communities and humanity throughout the world • Any individuals at high risk for complications and who need to take extra precaution to safeguard their health can be identified as • Older adults • Individuals with serious chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease

Pause at point B

Balance, variety and moderation in what you eat and do and watch out for wisdom from tradition, which goes beyond the much-hyped Namaste.

Choose a variety of fresh foods every day to get the vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, protein and antioxidants your body needs and thereforeBe basic: Making healthy choices from the 4 food groups to include fruits, vegetables, legumes (e.g. lentils, beans), nuts and whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice or starchy tubers or roots such as potato, yam, taro or cassava), and foods from animal sources (e.g. meat, fish, eggs and milk) to get all the nutrients you need each day every day.

Plan to use what is available in your pantry and refrigerator too visits to the supermarket are neither so safe nor sensitive.

Balance your plate and make it easy by counting your serves and portions the easy way • Fill up colour with ½ your plate with vegetables and fruits.

• Fuel 1/4th of your plate with breads and cereals choosing wisely from whole food options • Fare well with protein to complete the balance 1/4th • of your plate.

• Forget not to hydrate yourself with at least 8 – 10 cups of water everyday Build Immunity: While they are no magic bullets to cure let the wisdom in traditional foods bring new sense and sensibility to find solace in times of crisis, chaos and confusion.

What harm can foods do in balance, I wonder?

A few foods often pop on a search as immune boosters and while including them in your diet is often a debate, at least a placebo effect is a possible outcome in times where we don’t know what we don’t know?

My pick personally and again in balance and

A new meaning at point C

Come to think of it, there are no magic bullets. Let us open our minds to engage in the tested and tried reliance on food and farmers.

Reflect for a moment on how for centuries in crisis like scurvy and vitamin C, malnutrition and protein energy, cholera and zinc to name a few, food and its benefits have far out weighed its value.

Do a total of at least 150 minutes of moderate -intensity physical activity throughout the week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week, including musclestrengthening activities 2 or more days per week.

Older adults with poor mobility should do physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls on 3 or more days per week.

moderation would include - Ginger, Garlic, Walnuts, Spinach. Broccoli, Kiwi fruits, oranges, grapes, super berries, oats and the list can go on Really is this not what we have any ways from Italy to India and why then this noise on bursting myths?

Power yourself with quality proteins, from low fat and low salt options, guard yourself with antioxidants rich fruits and vegetables and sustain with energy from whole grain foods and let essential fats do their work plus a boost of

probiotics cannot go wrong and occasionally pep yourself with little treats!

Least to say, cook safe and do not overcook vegetables and fruit as this can lead to the loss of important vitamins Be aware: Watch out for empty calories and going slow on sugar, fat and salt to significantly lower your risk of overweight, obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Makes sense as the vulnerable groups can

Times now for a mind shift change in the way we adapt, address and account each day for another lease of life.

Count on the trust in the fundamental belief that, “Let Food be thy Medicine and Medicine not thy Food” (Hippocrates) and open up your eyes to this rage old vision and toast to the known elixir for good health.

Caring for your health over wealth, caring for the community beyond your family, caring for the world beyond your country may be the new found meaning of life for times to come. ubi proximus in Latin or where from now and will the Circle of life be our teacher like no other and will the time to learn be right NOW?

22

FEATURES

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Lock Down Fashion Trends W

N

FOZIA YUSUF

o doubt this pandemic has halted, our daily routine, is not the norm anymore, I haven’t dressed up in days, but that’s another story, during this hard times we have had a few daredevils take on the fashion industry with creative ideas of maybe what future fashion will venture into it. If are to live in this strict lockdown rules were social distancing is a norm.

Exploring the few trends that have been taking social media by storm Socks Are An Unexpected Fashion Hero

ith Couture season being cancelled, people who were delighted to see the fashions most extraordinary and sometimes hideous designs won’t get the chance to explore and feast their eyes but fear not thankfully thanks to few creative individuals there has been a solution to this problem. #homecouture, the idea is anyone who has the itch to dress up in fantasy can do so in the comforts of their own home. Quarantine Diva’s across the world have turned their pillows and bedsheets into scouring- pad ball gowns, toilet paper has deemed a luxury, and saucepan fascinators, it’s amazed me to see such creative outlook of fashion never in a million years I thought I could wear my pillows.

Us” The trend may seem stupid to some, but it has connected people around the world, using Social Media Platforms, So many people have lost their jobs, taken pay cuts, are unable to see their loved ones or are dealing with other stresses, that have have been weighed on people with this global pandemic.

Lots of things have changed in so many people’s lives and the only thing that has stayed constant the Trash has to go out. I at this point have felt a gleaming laugh lite my face whenever I see such videos and posts, After all, guys Laughter is the Best Medicine.

showstopping outfits people are wearing to work from home.

Exceptionally Proud of you ladies unlike me, I need to get on to my matching lipstick and nail polish to match my slippers go Polkadot Havaianas.

Desi Divas

Superheroes Are In Fashion

Trash Fashion

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L

auren Bravo describes socks are the new shoes as we are not going out most people on Instagram and tik – tok and Facebook are seen putting their best foot forwards what better way to do this by modelling you stylish looking socks. Socks have long been the shuffled back in the fashion agenda but now we notice the socks are finally climbing up this monstrous ladder in this toppled world.

We get to see trendy fluffy socks gracing the insta the thick, Hiking socks, little lace socks, glittery neon babes, people are even dressing up their socks.

F

rom Comic books to street hero’s, as part of this adventures, fashionable drive why should our kids be left behind does it feel like Halloween in middle of Autumn, it’s nice to see superheroes, picking mail, taking out the trash , giving a smile and keeping the environment clean I say shout out to all the creative superhero’s who take on to social media in their dress-up costumes to brighten a dimming light at the end of the tunnel.

Go, avengers, I personally love superman though. You never know kids you might meet Iron man taking the bin out.

DIY Home Couture

Dress To Nowhere

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here is only so much you can do while in Quarantine, so many people are getting excited about the basic things in life. It’s become a fashionable trend on Tik- Tok and Insta for people to dress up and Take out the trash.

Many people are sharing out their funny videos and photos on social media, and the quote goes “The Trash Goes out More than

I

feel like celebrating the Women in lockdown who get all dresses up to go nowhere. I miss going out and dressing up or even dancing to music once in a while. What’s happening now I work from home in a polyester durag and oversized t-shirt believe I love comforts, but I miss those days.

There is a lot of hashtag declines on insta but hats off to people who dress formal. the trends like #DontRushchallenge, which showcases

follow a bunch of makeup artists worldwide, and this trend to entertain people is my favourite, by far in touch with desi roots oh how I loved to dress in my desi outfit the colour. the makeup pallets.

Thank you #MakeupBrushChallenge, where it showcases makeup artist in lockdown and after transform into desi divas, totally love these videos on Tik-Tok and Insta, Facebook, gives me inspiration to trial making videos with my fellow makeup divas.

While there are many other trends, out there and people cheering on each other, we do need to make sure, human race prevails. And doesn’t become pre-historic like our fellow dinosaurs.

We need to maintain social distancing. And care and love for one another will help us prevail in this difficult time. Will leave you with this thought “Live and let live”.

24

TIME OUT

CROSSWORD NO: 51

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S QUESTIONS

SUDOKU NO: 51

HITORI NO: 51

Hitori – a logic puzzle with very simple rules and challenging solutions. Can you eliminate numbers until there are no duplicates in any row or column? Objective / Rules. Eliminate numbers until there are no duplicates in any row or column. Eliminate numbers by marking them in Black. You are not allowed to have two Black squares touching horizontally or vertically (diagonally is ok). Any White square can be reached from any other (i.e. they are connected).

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE NO: 51

See how many differences you can find in the right or left photo.

1. Using only the letters in the words "EASTER EGG" make a word that describes a wall in China. .............................. ( One Word/5 Letters) 2. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word for what you might put into a car to make it go. .............................. ( One Word/3 Letters) 3. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG, make a word for the direction that is opposite of west. .............................. ( One Word/4 Letters) 4. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word for the raised platform on which a play is performed. .............................. ( One Word/5 Letters) 5. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG, make a word that means how old something is. ............................... ( One Word/3 Letters) 6. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word that means to take a nap. ................................ ( One Word/4 Letters) 7. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word that means to guide the direction of a car ............................... ( One Word/5 Letters) 8. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word that means to welcome somebody. .............................. ( One Word/5 Letters) 9. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word that describes a tall, woody plant, like an oak. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ( One Word/4 Letters) 10. Using only the letters in the words EASTER EGG make a word for a rodent. ............................... ( One Word/3 Letters)

Easter Bunny Colouring

Send us stories, drawings, poems and other contributions by your little ones along with their photographs for this page. E-mail us at reporter@indianweekender.co.nz

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Inviting nominations for

The guidelines, which need to be adhered to, for nominations, are as follows:

The Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2020

1.

The nominee needs to have an undisputable

2.

Should be nominated by a person of repute. Further,

3.

the nominee.

The nominator has to provide their full contact details. No anonymous applications will be accepted.

4. business, sports, art, culture, or any other profession).

5.

‘The Indian Weekender Honours’ recognises individuals who have built a road to glory for themselves and left a path for the coming generations to tread on; who have touched the lives of thousands and enriched the society with their being; who have brought fame and respect to New Zealand and the Kiwi-Indian community.

The Indian Weekender invites nominations for such personalities from the community for getting inducted into the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2020.

We also invite nominations for Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the Year and Kiwi Indian Community Service Exellence Award 2020.

Nominate Online: visit www.halloffame.co.nz Post your nominations: Fill this form and post it to the address given below.

ENTRY FORM: Nomination form for The Indian Weekender Honours 2020 |

Nominator Details

Nominee Details

Name of the nominator

Name of the nominee

6.

7.

8.

9.

Indian origin, from any part of the world, who has settled here in New Zealand. To be of Indian origin, at least one of the parents of the nominee have to be Indian, by blood, thereby making the nominee of Indian lineage.

The nominee must have either a Permanent Residency (PR), or Citizenship of New Zealand to be eligible for consideration.

The nominee should have no prior convictions.

For minors, under the age of 18, parental consent will be required.

The successful candidate will be required to attend the ceremony in person. In case a person is not able to attend, due to any unforeseen circumstances, the jury will use its discretion.

10. cannot be challenged.

Please fill and post it to the address below

About the Nominee For how long have you known the nominee?

Professional details of the nominator

Age of nominee

Gender

Address & Contact number of nominator

Category

Please state your reasons for nominating the above person. You may mention the achievements of the nominee in his/her profession.

M

F

Address & Contact number of nominee

How according to you has the Nominee brought fame and respect to the Kiwi-Indian community? (Add extra sheets to this form, if required)

Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the year (16 to 35 years only) Kiwi Indian Community Service Excellence Award

Declaration by Nominator the nominee for this application.

Yes

No

Nominee has accepted to appear in person for the ceremony, if he/she gets chosen for the nominated category for Kiwi Indian Honours 2020.

Yes

No

I hereby declare that the above information is true to the best of my knowledge. I also allow The Indian Weekender and the Jury to use the information provided for background checks and to contact either me or the nominee for the purpose of getting any more information.

Signed:

Date:

What to do next?

Please take a print out of this form, sign and send / or email at:

Jury Panel, Kiwi Indian Honours 2019 Level1,133A Onehunga Mall, Auckland 1061

(Add extra pages to this form if required.)

For details contact Indian Weekender on 09-217 3623 or go to: www.indianweekender.co.nz halloffame@indianweekender.co.nz

25

26

ENTERTAINMENT

Rani Mukerji reveals the reason she fell in love with

Aditya Chopra and it is simply endearing!

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ani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra are one of the Bollywood couples who are not active on social media. They are the ones who love to enjoy their private life and keep their relationship low-key despite being one of power couples we have in the industry. And one such couple is Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra. In fact Rani Mukerji had earlier revealed that one of the reasons why she fell in love with Aditya is because he is an extremely private person. Talking about the same to a news channel, Rani had said that if feel Aditya was to be like Karan Johar, she would have not have fallen in love with him.

According to her, Karan is everywhere, he is so social and he is the life of a party.

Every day he is doing something or the other. For her, she needs her family at home.

She revealed that she is a very family-oriented person and she would go mad if her husband was working half the time and having a social life in the other half. She also added that she is very happy and content that Aditya is not a social person. After his work, he comes back home to her.

Elaborating further, she reportedly added that for her, after being in the industry for so many years, he was one person she really respected.

According to her, it is very difficult to respect people in the fraternity as you know the inside and out of everything. So, Aditya was one of those rare people whom she really respected, who she still respects, because of his ethos, work pattern and the way he is. She also added that because she too is a private person, it makes them a really good couple because they are very happy going nowhere.

Vicky Kaushal: I was PRIYANKA CHOPRA'S homemade hair-pack never a 'horror-film solution for the scalp riyanka Chopra has turned friendly' actor beautician! The actress has

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come up with DIY tips to take care of your scalp and hair during the quarantine days.

The actress shared a video on Twitter where she can be seen preparing a hair pack with yogurt, egg and honey, the last one being her "secret ingredient". Priyanka suggested that this is a treatment for those suffering from scalp-related problems like dry scalp and dandruff.

Sharing the ingredients in a tweet, she wrote: "Full Fat Yogurt, 1 tsp honey, 1 egg. Let it sit in your hair for 30 min and rinse with warm water.

Disclaimer: while this works wonders (for me), it doesn't smell the best. You may need to shampoo twice to remove all the yogurt, and

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ctor Vicky Kaushal tried out the horror genre with "Bhoot � Part One: The Haunted Ship" earlier this year. He says there was a time when he was not a "horror-film friendly" actor.

The film tells the story of a young shipping officer, Prithvi, grappling with a personal loss. He takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery of a haunted ship.

"I was never a �horror-film friendly' actor before doing 'Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship'. I was someone who would step out of the room if a horror movie was on.

However, with this film, I was able to overcome my fear," said Vicky.

"With this movie, the endeavour has been to bring to the fans, a true experience of the genre through a genuine horror film which is not just filled with thrills, but which is honestly scary," he added.

It will now have its digital premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 22.

"I am happy that many more viewers across the globe can now stream the film and enjoy some edgeof-the seat thrill, from the comfort of their personal devices on Amazon Prime Video," said the actor.

The Bhanu Pratap Singh directorial also features Bhumi Pednekar and Ashutosh Rana.

then condition as usual."

Fans shared their inputs in the comments section. A user wrote: "Please do it on nick purely for our entertainment."

Another fan shared inputs regarding how to reduce the bad smell caused by egg and commented: "Using essential oil will reduce the bad smell. Works like a charm."

Another fan quizzed: "What is the remedy for gray hair?"

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Naseeruddin Shah: I am not done yet as an actor

F

rom theatre to television, cinema to digital platforms, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is constantly proving his relevance as a performing artist. Although there is nothing to prove as far as his skill as an actor goes, he dsays that he wakes up every day to the new sun with the belief that he has "something to give" to the audience.

"I think it is the suspicion that I still have function left to fulfil, I am not done yet as an actor. I still have something to give (to the audience) and I am lucky that people still want to watch me. I am lucky, and also the fact that I love my work, I love acting. There is something about performing. I can't explain the excitement, and I haven't got over it. I think I am obsessed with acting. I think when I wake up tomorrow morning if I am unable to perform, I probably will commit suicide. What is there in life without it?" the 70-year-old actor said.

Shah is one of the most revered faces of parallel cinema and has also tasted commercial success. Over the years, he has worked with the biggest of filmmakers across genres, and he says he has always been supportive of debutant filmmakers.

"When I interact with newcomer I have the example of people like Habib Tanvir, Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Shyam Benegal, Satyadev Dubey. When I was a youngster, they were ideals for me. When one struggles, encouragement is needed, and these people always guided us.

"Perhaps it is because of them, even in our darkest days, we stayed hopeful and continued our struggle to become the actor we are. So when I work with new actors and film directors, I try and encourage the story that is worth telling," he said.

Asked if the politics of an on-screen characters matters to him when he agrees to do a film, Shah said: " It is not always the character but what the intention behind telling the story is that matters the most."

Citing an example, the actor elaborates: " If the film Khuda Kay Liye were about glorifying the Taliban I "When would have not come on board to be part of the one struggles, story. encouragement is needed, and these people Coming from a very orthodox Muslim always guided us. Perhaps family, as a child I was told that Islam is the greatest religion and all non-Muslims are it is because of them, even in our darkest days, we stayed kaafirs. hopeful and continued our But those thoughts used to disturb me as a struggle to become the growing adult. I was like, ‘but my friend KC actor we are."

Singh is such a nice fellow, it was not his decision to born a Hindu, so why would he go to hell?' We do not choose our parents and the religion we are born into".

Why should music be banned?

All those questions were addressed in Khuda Kay Liye. So, as an actor, I had to agree with the ideology that the story was showing, not necessarily the character that I was portraying."

Amitabh Bachchan misses the crowds SRK claims he outside his bungalow on Sundays

B

ollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is missing the ritualistic thronging of fans every Sunday in front of his bungalow, Jalsa. Over the past 38-odd years, starry-eyed fans have crowded in front of his bungalow to catch a glimpse of the actor, who would emerge for a few moments to wave his hand at them.

The total lockdown owing to the COVID-19 pandemic has put an end to the frenzied ritual for now, and Big B seems to be missing it all.

"The Sunday does not mean the same as before .. waiting for the time to arrive .. the security in place .. that familiar sound of the step board being dragged into position .. that familiar scream of the well wishers at the gate as each domestic entrant enters and leaves premises .. of the knowing that ehe' comes," blogged the actor.

"Ecstatic wild faces and mobiles recording the moment .. those smiling hands and the designated positioning of the ef that shall eventually find space inside the home .. .. and that done they leave as do I inside the secure home moments of connect with the familiar and the informed Ef .. the ones on the buildings ahead .. precariously .. and the gifts that arrive kept away to be stored and positioned at vantage points .. the cheer and laments , the valued," he wrote. letters of recommendations , the out of the country guests "But none of that for the day today .. just the thoughts .. numerous gift s and handicrafts from the near that have and the reminders by the Ef on other platforms," concluded come within .. photographs .. return wave at the opposite the actor. The ritual of fans gathering outside his bungalow balcony as you walk in the front door .. and its done," he every Sunday started sometime in the early eighties, at the added. peak of Big B's superstardom as Bollywood's Angry Big B also misses giving autographs to fans and the Young Man. "But gifts that some of them brought for him.

The veteran actor reminisced about the none of that "A while more and the pages for the autograph, for the day today same in a tweet posted in January this year. pictures writings etc., all done with the care .. just the thoughts "And the Sunday well wishers at Jalsa gates with which they have remained so sincere and and the reminders .. my gratitude ever .. Every Sunday from long, arrives.. their personal equation with the by the Ef on other the year 1982 .. almost 38 years non stop .. maestro in tact they leave after this minuscule platforms" formality .. the heart of the Ef be of subtle grace no words to describe my affection," he wrote.

S

hah Rukh Khan claims he is not a superstar but a king! The actor who is often referred to as Bollywood's "Badshah" was at his sarcastic best while interacting with fans on Twitter in an online session titled "#asksrk" session on Monday.

A user tweeted to Shah Rukh Khan hinting that perhaps the superstar should retire now. The tweet reads: "Decline is inevitable in a life cycle. When/how do u know its right time to change careers/call quits if u are a superstar?? #asksrk" To this, SRK replied: "Wouldn't know....try asking a superstar. I am just a King unfortunately."

The actor also revealed how he is using the lockdown period to spend quality time with his three kids. Responding to a fan asking how he is spending the

Urvashi Raut

U

rvashi Rautela doesn't like being put a box as a screen personality, and ad that she is trying out different genr as an actor.

Her new song, "Beat pe thumka", wedding number in the upcoming film "Virg Bhanupriya", is part of her constant effort to t something that is not regular, she says.

How different is the song from other weddi songs? "The best part about 'Beat pe thumka' it is not a regular song that we see these day

The Indian Weekender

ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, April 24, 2020

27

Alia, Ranbir living together to Salman Khan's

song, news that hit headlines during the lockdown

T

he Coronavirus lockdown has brought about a lot of things to the fore and while we have all been at home during this time of crisis, a lot of news has made it to the headline from time to time. The entire country has come together against the pandemic and we are all trying to do our bit to make sure that we fight this together, and get through this. Meanwhile, it has also been interesting in the sense that a lot of news has made it big and how.

So we thought of listing down some of the most talked about headlines during the Coronavirus lockdown, and while we bet there are many, we have listed down 8 of them for you. Here's a list of 8 news pieces that made it to the headlines during this lockdown:

Alia and Ranbir living together

sort of a must-do for him thereon. None the less, when the lockdown had just been announced and people were not abiding by the rules, he went on rant mode in the monologue style. In fact, if that is not enough, the actor also went on to rap in another of his posts and both of them did receive a lot of love. And currently, he is also doing a series on his Youtube channel titled Koki Poochega where he has been interacting with people who have come in direct touch with COVID 19 in any form.

T

his is something that happened rather recently and has grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Rangoli is often in the news for speaking her mind out, and this time around, it looks like she took things too far as Twitter is concerned, thereby leading to her account getting suspended. She did, however, get a lot of support too, apart from the bashing.

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Kartik's monologue Pyar Ka Punchnama style

Salman and his farmhouse escapades

Kangana Ranaut's sister Rangoli Chandel's Twitter account suspension

Deepika cooking with Ranveer Singh and her lockdown series ot only have we managed to infer from all the photos and the kind of buzz that has been doing the rounds that the two of them are living together after all, but in fact, Alia's mother, Soni Razdan, did go on to confirm the reports about the same. Fans of the two are happy about this and are in fact looking forward to seeing at least one photo where Ranbir is not just the photographer but also inside it.

known. None the less, the two always attend movie screenings, often with each other, and as it turns out, they are living together right now.

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alman Khan has been sharing videos while he is at his farmhouse.

However, what did grab our attention is this video where rumored girlfriend Iulia Vantur is on an interview and Salman enters while she is at it, leaving her blushing of sorts.

Another reason why bhaijaan has grabbed the attention all over the internet is for his song that he released a day back and it is everywhere now.

Lockdown with the Johars

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eepika Padukone was amongst the first few celebrities to have started her series which she called productivity in the time of COVID 19 and while everyone had a fun time at it, the best part was when she got cooking along with Ranveer and all the fun they had while at it.

Photos and videos all have our attention and rightly so, it rightly makes it to the list here.

Tiger and Disha living together

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nother couple who managed to grab our attention is that of Tiger and Disha.

The two have been in the news for the longest time now, however, there isn't much that has been

K

aran Johar is here with season 2 of the series during the lockdown as well and it basically features his twins Yash and Roohi along with mommy Hiroo Johar.

Together, they all are seen having a fun time while at it and we are totally entertained.

Shah Rukh Khan's Twitter chat

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hah Rukh Khan has been in the news constantly for all the good work he has been doing to lend his support given the crisis we are dealing with, but recently, he did a Twitter chat with his fans and he got asked all sort of questions, and to some of them, he had the wittiest replies ever, for example, how when should one call it quits?

We love SRK for everything that he is, don't we?

K is not a superstar but a king Yami Gautam: 'Vicky Donor' taught artik did get popular post that one monologue that he had in the film and that later on became

lockdown period, Shah Rukh replied: "Inspite of contributing to the population boom, having three kids to be with is a treat. They r in all shapes and sizes, so the day goes by being with them each for a couple of hours. Then spend rest of the day cleaning up their toys!"

SRK also shared the lesson this

ongoing pandemic has taught him.

Replying to a fan, he tweeted: "That we all need to slow down a bit. Look and feel life and nature a bit more than just seeking instant gratification 24/7."

He also uttered words of prayer for the world to tide over the pandemic soon.

"Hope we overcome the virus...faster than the number of movies I have done.

Insha Allah" Shah Rukh concluded Monday's session with a message for his fans on how to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Thank you all for #AskSrk Need to get back to doing nothing. Please stay at home. Physical distancing. Hygiene. And respect all who r doing amazing work on ground. Just Love a lot more and do nothing...because ‘Jo kuch nahi karte woh kamaal karte hain," he wrote.

me to be fearless in my choices

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ctress Yami Gautam gets nostalgic looking back at her Bollywood debut film "Vicky Donor", which opened eight years ago on this day. She says the film that dealt with sperm donation and infertility, taught her to listen to her instincs and be fearless in her choices.

"What made the film so memorable is the team that collaborated together.

It was one of the most memorable shoots in terms of learning team collaboration. Everybody was so energetic, giving and supportive of each other," she recalled.

Yami shared that the film led her

to root for roles that have substance.

"It helped me explore myself as an actor. I remember the process of preparing for 'Vicky Donor'. We had workshops and we were so thorough with the script. After packing up we would sit with Shoojit da (Sircar) and Juhi (Chaturvedi) and work on upcoming scenes. It taught me to listen to my instincts and be fearless in my choices. It was a pathbreaking script. I credit the film for strengthening my desire to be part of such stories that have depth and impact," she said She said the film's director Shoojit Sircar was one of the main reasons

why she had said yes to the movie.

"I had watched 'Yahaan' and I thought it was a beautiful film. When I had just heard the concept of 'Vicky Donor' and I had auditioned for it, my instincts said 'I wish I get this part'.

The concept was so fresh and the script was so funny," Yami recalled.

"Not many newcomers get to play such roles. When I got the part I was so happy and I knew it was going to be something special. I was very fortunate to have been directed by Shoojit da in my first film. He is so passionate and calm; he effortlessly takes you through the journey of the world that he creates," she added.

tela: I don't agree with the notion of putting women in a box

t in dds res

a gin try

ing ' is ys.

It's very much like a nineties song, which is kathak. I want to have different varieties kind of rare to listen to in 2020. It has an old catering to different genres." and classic vibe to it," Urvashi said.

"This will help me to connect with all the girls The former beauty queen, who has who'll be getting married as it has "As featured in movies like "Hate Story 4" and the special nineties vibe to it," an actor, I'm "Pagalpanti", said: "As an actor, I'm she added and shared that trying different genres trying different genres and different her look has been inspired and different styles and styles and exploring my versatility. I by the "Nimbooda" song exploring my versatility. don't agree with people's notions of that was picturised I don't agree with people's putting women in a box. on Aishwarya Rai notions of putting women in a box" In this song, you'll see me doing Bachchan.

Urvashi enjoyed shooting for the song.

"My character is very 'chulbuli' and out of the box, and is excited as she is finally getting married. I'm playing a character who is very excited like every young woman about her marriage, she's dancing and enjoying with her friends to the fullest," she said.

"I had a great time shooting with my choreographer Shabina Khan. It was quite tough as the jewellery and lehenga were quite heavy," she added.

28

FEATURE

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

Healthy cooking

Lemon-garlic shrimp and grits

Chicken Fingers w curried ketchup Ingredients • Nonstick cooking spray • 2 large eggs • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard • 2 teaspoons curry powder • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • Kosher salt • 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) • 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch-wide strips • 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets • 3/4 cup ketchup • Juice of 1 lime Directions • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set a rack on a baking sheet and mist with cooking spray.

• Whisk the eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon curry

Ingredients • 3/4 cup instant grits • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact • 2 large cloves garlic, minced • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) • Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley Directions • Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

• Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

• Stir in the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter.

• Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

• Cover to keep warm.

• Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

• Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

• Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce.

• Serve with lemon wedges.

• 1/2 cup black beans, drained and mashed • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 large egg • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 pound spaghetti, cooked • 2 cups jarred marinara, warmed Directions • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and coat with cooking spray. Cook the frozen collards in a large bowl in the microwave according to package instructions. Let cool slightly.

• Add the beef, black beans, Italian seasoning, garlic, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the collard greens.

• Mix with your hands until just combined. Mix with your hands until just combined. Scoop mounds of mp up spaghetti night with these clever veggiethe meat mixture (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the packed meatballs. Convenient frozen collards prepared baking sheet. and canned black beans are easy to sneak into the mix.

• With damp hands, roll the mounds into balls and space Ingredients them evenly apart on the baking sheet. Bake until • 2 cups frozen chopped collards completely cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes.

• 1 pound lean ground beef • Serve the meatballs with warm pasta and sauce.

Eat-your-veggies Italian meatballs A

powder, the cumin and 1 te shallow bowl. Mix the panko w curry powder in another bowl • Dip the chicken strips in t letting the excess drip off, th panko. Place the chicken on t all over with cooking spray.

• Bake until golden brown and about 20 minutes.

• Meanwhile, bring about 1 in boil in a large pot with a steam in place.

• Add the broccoli, cover and s tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

• Mix the ketchup, lime juice a 1/2 teaspoon curry powder in • Serve the chicken strips w ketchup and broccoli.

Broccoli-Walnut Pesto with Pasta

Ingredients • 1/3 cup walnut halves • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few sprigs, for garnish • 1 clove garlic, smashed • 1 1/2 cups chopped raw broccoli florets and tender stems (about 4 ounces) • 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional • Kosher salt • Juice of 1/2 small lemon (1 tablespoon) • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Romano or grana padano cheese • 10 ounces whole wheat or tri-color fusilli Directions • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts out on a small baking pan and toast lightly, about 5 minutes.

Set aside to cool.

• Pulse together 1/4 cup of the walnuts

and the garlic in a food processor; a the broccoli, basil, broth, nutmeg, pepper flakes if using, 3/4 teaspo salt and the lemon juice, and pu until just combined. Slowly drizzle the oil through the feed tube with processor running and puree unti slightly chunky sauce forms, scrap down the sides of the bowl as need Add 2 tablespoons of the cheese a pulse until incorporated.

• Cook the pasta in a large pot salted water according to the packa directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup the cooking liquid.

• Toss the pasta with the pesto in the pot or a mixing bowl, along with so of the reserved cooking liquid. A the remaining cooking liquid if need and additional salt to taste.

• Transfer the pasta to individual bow and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon cheese. Chop the remain walnuts and scatter on top. Garn with basil leaves and serve.

Spicy Kale and Corn Stuffed Chic Ingredients • 4 teaspoons olive oil • 5 1/2 ounces frozen chopped kale (about 2 cups) • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • Kosher salt • 1/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn • 2 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup) • Four 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast halves • Freshly ground black pepper • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions • Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the kale, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the kale is softened and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes.

• Add the corn and cook, stirring, until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes more.

• Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly, and then stir in the cheese.

• Insert a thin paring knife into the thickest part of

the chicken breast and cut down the side to make a 3-inch pocket. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Then evenly stuff with the kale mixture.

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Rub the chicken breasts with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with a total of 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

• Add all 4 chicken breasts to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Then lower heat to medium. Continue cooking, turning once halfway through, until just cooked through, about

14 minutes more.

• Insert a small paring knife chicken to test for doneness remain, cover the skillet and c opaque.

• Transfer the chicken and any b into the skillet onto 4 plates. St together in a small bowl and th • Cook, stirring, until thickene Remove from the heat, stir in season with salt and pepper. S over the chicken.

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Teriyaki Hens with Bok Choy Ingredients • 2 Cornish game hens (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper • 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce • 1/4 cup rice vinegar • 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced • 2 small red chile peppers, halved (remove seeds for less heat) • 1 bunch scallions • 1 grapefruit, halved • 1 medium head bok choy, thinly sliced • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish Directions • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the hens with salt and pepper and place skin-side up in a roasting pan. Roast until the skin is slightly crisp, about 25 minutes.

• Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, ginger, 1 chile pepper and 1/4

cup water in a pot. Cut half of the scallions into large pieces, and zest and juice half of the grapefruit; add to the pot.

• Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Brush the hens with a few tablespoons of the sauce and continue roasting until golden, about 8 more minutes.

• Peel and segment the remaining grapefruit half and place in a bowl.

• Thinly slice the remaining scallions and mince the remaining chile pepper; add to the bowl along with the bok choy, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

• Place half a hen on each plate.

Stir any pan drippings into the remaining sauce and drizzle over the top. Serve with the bok choy salad and garnish with sesame seeds.

cken Breasts

into the top of the s. If any pink areas continue to cook until

bits of filling that fell tir the broth and flour hen add to the skillet. ed, about 2 minutes. n the lemon juice and Spoon the pan sauce

29

Lighter Takes s ip T y s a E & Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients • 1 lemon • 1/2 cup low-fat milk • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus 2 whole sprigs • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed • 2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken legs and thighs • 2 slices whole wheat bread, (3-ounces) • 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, optional • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions • Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the lemon; set aside. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk, sugar, and cayenne until the sugar and cayenne are dissolved. Add the sprigs of rosemary and garlic.

• Pierce each chicken piece several times with a fork, add to the milk mixture, turning to coat well. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lay the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer.

• Bake, turning a few times, until the bread is crisp and dry, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely.

d cooked through,

a

FEATURE

Friday, April 24, 2020

• Break into large pieces and pulse in the bowl of a food processor until it forms coarse crumbs.

• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a shallow dish combine the bread crumbs with the corn meal, Parmesan (if using), chopped rosemary, reserved 1 teaspoon zest, and season with salt and pepper.

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Coat the rack well with nonstick cooking spray.

• Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off.

Press into the bread crumb mixture until the chicken is well coated and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining chicken and crumbs. Mist the chicken with nonstick cooking spray.

• Bake until the chicken is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 degrees F, about 50 to 55 minutes.

• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients • 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves • 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce (or other hot sauce), plus more to taste • 2 teaspoons olive oil • 2 hearts Romaine, cut into 1-inch strips (about 8 cups) • 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced • 2 carrots, coarsely g rated • 2 scallions, green part only, sliced • 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Dressing, recipe follows • Blue Cheese Dressing: • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise • 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk • 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt • 1 tablespoon white vinegar • 1/2 teaspoon sugar • 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese • Salt and freshly ground pepper Directions • Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet or hammer so the chicken is an even thickness of about 3/4-inch,

then cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips.

In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce and the oil, add chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated.

Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and broil until it is cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.

• In a large bowl combine the Romaine, celery, shredded carrots and scallions. Toss with the dressing. Divide the greens between 4 plates, top with the chicken.

Serve with extra hot sauce.

• Blue Cheese Dressing: • Yield: 3/4 cup • Fold a full sheet of paper towel into quarters and put it into a small bowl. Spoon the yogurt onto the paper towel and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to drain and thicken.

• In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and thickened yogurt into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to whisk until all the ingredients are well combined.

• Stir in the blue cheese and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

30

FEATURES

COVID-19 Special Coverage

Huawei P40 Pro+

Friday, April 24, 2020

The Indian Weekender

(Plus) vs Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra:

Battle of the ‘premium’ smartphones

H

uawei has just unveiled its brand-new camera-centric smartphones, Huawei P40, P40 Pro and the P40 Pro Plus.

In the trio, the Huawei P40 Pro Plus is the company’s more powerful smartphone of 2020 and was also one of the most anticipated one not only because of its processing prowess but for camera specs as well.

With as many as seven cameras in total, the P40 Pro Plus has nothing but Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy S20 Ultra as the only worth competitor for now.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is also the company’s camera-centric flagship of the year that comes with top of the line specifications.

So, for those who are dying out of curiosity to know which one is better in terms of specifications, here’s a comparison.

Cameras

We have to start with the cameras this time because of the smartphones are being heavily marketed for their photography and videography prowess.

The Huawei P40 Pro Plus has a total of seven lenses with five at the back and two at the front. At the back you have a 50-megapixel with f/1.9 aperture and OIS + 40-megapixel ultra-wide camera (f/1.8) + 8-megapixel super zoom camera with 10x optical zoom and f/4.4

aperture + 8-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture, OIS, and 3x optical zoom + 3D sensor.

At the front you get a 32-megapixel camera and an IR depth sensor for better selfie portraits.

On the other hand, you have Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra that has four cameras at the back including a powerful 108-megapixel (f/1.8) sensor with hybrid 10x zoom and 100x digital zoom (same as P40 Pro Plus) + 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera (f/2.2) + 48-megapixel telephoto camera (f/3.5) and a VGA depth vision camera.

At the front, there’s just one camera with a 40-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture.

model.

While you can get the Galaxy S20 Ultra in three iterations including 12GB or 16GB RAM options and 128GB or 512GB inbuilt storage options, the P40 Pro Plus can be purchased in 8GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB inbuilt storage.

Battery

Display

On the display front, the Galaxy gets the edge over P40 Pro Plus.

The Huawei P40 Pro Plus has a 6.5-inch OLED screen with 2640x1200 pixels resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a slightly taller 6.9-inch screen with Dynamic AMOLED screen and QHD+ (3200x1440 pixels) resolution screen. It also has 120Hz display refresh rate.

Performance

As for the performance, while Huawei P40 Pro is powered by company’s own Kiri 990 5G processor, Samsung has used the old formula

24 April – 30 April 2020 | By Manisha Koushik

of launching smartphones with two different processors.

While the India and other select regions get the one with Exynos 990, which also supports 5G, other Galaxy S20 Ultra variants get the Snapdragon 865 processor versions. Although both are top of the line processors, we are yet to see which one performs better in rea life usage.

RAM and storage

When it comes to RAM and inbuilt storage variants, both the smartphones come in just one

Backing the Huawei P40 Pro Plus is a 4200mAh battery with the support for 40W fast charging tech. Galaxy S20 Ultra on the other hand includes a slightly larger 5000mAh battery with support for wireless charging and PowerShare feature.

Price

Since both the smartphones are powerful and fall in the ‘premium’ category, they cost more than ever. The starting price of the Galaxy S20 Ultra Rs 92,999. Since the P40 Pro Plus has not yet launched in India, its European price is EUR 1399 which roughly means Rs 1,15,000.

Manisha Koushik is a practicing astrologer, tarot card reader, numerologist, vastu and fengshui consultant based in India with a global presence through the online channels. She is available for consultations online as well. E-mail her at support@askmanisha.com or contact at +91-11-26449898 Mobile/Whatsapp: +91-9716145644 • www.askmanisha.com

ARIES (MAR 21-APR 20) You will be much in demand on the social front. A heart-to-heart talk with lover will prove most gratifying and help strengthen the loving bonds. Much fun awaits those who are planning a short vacation.

Those surveying for accommodation are likely to find a suitable one. An important task will be completed in a timely manner. Team members are likely to keep you motivated at work. You are likely to derive much pleasure from a hobby. Lucky No.: 7 / Lucky Colour: Magenta

LEO (JUL21-AUG 20) You may be required to complete something this week at work, before you are let off. Someone who had helped you professionally may put you in a spot by seeking reciprocation. At work, you will have to learn to give the due where it rightfully belongs. You will manage to curtail extra expenses on the home front. Remaining active will be the key to your good health. Lover may appear extra nice, but it won’t be unconditional! Lucky No.: 4 / Lucky Colour: Yellow

SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23-DEC 21) You may find yourself under piles of work, but you will manage somehow. Some differences are likely to crop up with other members on the home front and are likely to spoil your week. You may have to cater to some relations at the expense of your other plans.

You will manage to win over the one you desire, as you turn on your charm. Some pending work at home may keep you involved. Health remains satisfactory. Lucky No.:6 / Lucky Colour: Rust

TAURUS (APR 21-MAY 20) You gain much by interacting with others on the academic front. Much effort is required to bring positivity back into your life. Analyse all aspects of a complicated issue at work before you give a decision.

Your desire for some monetary perks may not be immediately fulfilled. Finding a client for selling property may not be as easy as it seems. Those finding themselves drifting apart on the marital front will manage to come together. Health remains satisfactory. Lucky No.: 6 / Lucky Colour: Orange

VIRGO (AUG 23-SEP 23) You may have to cater to someone whom you are trying to avoid. Those heavily into fitness may require a break before they burn themselves out. This is not the week to take things lightly at work. You can be blamed for something you have not done. Parents or a family elder will be supportive of your endeavours.

The importance of conserving money can finally dawn upon you. Don’t travel by road, if you have a better option. Lucky No.: 3 / Lucky Colour: Forest Green

CAPRICORN (DEC 22-JAN 21) Things are likely to move smoothly on the professional front. If you are good at something, don’t feel shy of announcing it to the world. You will be able to enhance your career prospects by doing so. A marital problem facing someone in the family may be resolved by you.

Taking the plunge may be on the minds of those in a long-term relationship. Travelling and meeting those you had neglected will help in building bridges. Lucky No.: 8 / Lucky Colour: Turquoise

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUN 21) You are set to enjoy the week. This is an excellent time to catch up on things that you were lagging behind in on the academic front. New opportunities are likely to come your way on the professional front. Keeping a close watch on the market may translate into big bucks for some speculators. You may find a family elder much more receptive to your ideas and even let you have your own way.

Health remains satisfactory. Lucky No.: 1 / Lucky Colour: Sky Blue

LIBRA (SEP 24-OCT 23) There is someone who wants to approach you, so appear approachable! You are likely to find things easing a bit at work. A good deal is in the offing for those in the creative field. Business brings profits as you implement new ideas to attract consumers.

Joining a gym or starting a new exercise regimen is on the cards for some. A family youngster is likely to put your mind completely at ease by doing your bidding. Lucky No.: 7 / Lucky Colour: Sandy Brown

CANCER (JUN 22-JUL 20) Someone may give you a helpful tip regarding a financial matter. You may be too late to make amends for something you have committed at work. There is a good chance of getting hauled up by a senior for those erring on the professional front. Some differences may crop on family front that may leave a bad taste in the mouth. You needn’t show off your monetary strength or those around you are certain to lighten your wallet this week. Lucky No.: 9 / Lucky Colour: Peach

SCORPIO (OCT 24-NOV 22) This is not the best time to change things on the home front, so postpone your ideas. You may be in for a hectic time at work. Those feeling stuck in a groove may manage to bring positive changes in their work sphere. Tactful handling of a family issue will avoid confrontation. This is the time to influence a family elder for something that you want done. This week may find you improving your love life! Lucky No.: 2 / Lucky Colour: Teal

AQUARIUS (JAN 22-FEB 19) There is a sudden rise in your popularity at work. You can organise something on the social front with self-promotion in mind. You will succeed in your attempts to shield your family life from outside interference. Those eligible may begin bride or groom hunting in right earnest. Romantic ties are likely to get strengthened as you make efforts towards this end. Those planning a vacation are likely to welcome the change. You will manage to keep yourself financially secure. Lucky No.: 4 / Lucky Colour: Navy Blue Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20) You may be required to accompany someone to someplace. Buying a new car or two-wheeler is on the cards for some. Plans for overseas travel are likely to materialise. Property will give good returns. Current residence is likely to be renovated. You are likely to try for a breakthrough in whatever you are engaged in on the professional front. Improvement on the academic front is foreseen and will motivate you to put your nose to the grindstone. Lucky No.: 3 / Lucky Colour: Red

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