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India crosses landmark 1 Billion COVID-19 vaccine inoculations

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with India 1 billionth dose resipiant: Image Source: Twitter @PIB
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with India 1 billionth dose resipiant: Image Source: Twitter @PIB

In a landmark achievement, India’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 100 crore doses on Thursday.

A total of 1 Billion (100 crores) vaccine doses have been administered so far to eligible beneficiaries, as per the CoWin portal of India on Thursday morning.

The feat was achieved in over 10 months of the starting of India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16. Today, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “India scripted history” and expressed his gratitude to doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat.

“India scripts history. We are witnessing the triumph of Indian science, enterprise and collective spirit of 130 crore Indians. Congrats India on crossing 100 crore vaccinations. Gratitude to our doctors, nurses and all those who worked to achieve this feat. #VaccineCentury,”

PM Modi tweeted.

However, the journey of the COVID-19 vaccine in India started soon after the first case of viral infection was reported in December 2019 in China’s Wuhan.

By March 2020, the world witnessed the collapse of numerous industries, closure of international and local borders, and disrupted global supply chain, after some of the biggest economies in the world were forced to go into lockdown.

Researchers worldwide raced against time to develop a vaccine against the deadly virus that was claiming the lives of millions across the globe.

As per a report of the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, as of December 2020, there were more than 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the development stage across the world, of which, at least 52 candidates were undergoing human trials.

To inoculate the country’s huge population of some 900 million people, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave the green light to Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine–Covishield (manufactured under licence by Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (India’s indigenous vaccine developed locally by Bharat Biotech), on January 3, 2021.

In phase 1 of the vaccination drive which was launched on January 16, all health care and frontline workers were eligible to take jabs.

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On March 1, the next phase of the inoculation programme started, making the population over 60 years, and those above 45-years of age with co-morbidities eligible for vaccination. The programme was extended to all above 45 years of age on April 1.

On April 13, the DCGI also approved the use of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine (manufactured under license by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories).

The national immunisation programme against the COVID-19 vaccine was expanded for the entire adult population, that is everyone above the age of 18 on May 1.

With this, India became one of the first countries in the world to allow all adults to seek a vaccine.

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Since then, India has also granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to three other vaccines by Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Zydus Cadila.

On October 12, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the drug regulator also recommended granting an emergency use authorization to Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children aged between 2-18 years as well.

The latest addition in India’s vaccines basket is Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D. The Ahmedabad-based pharma company announced has received EUA from DCGI for the country’s second indigenous vaccine, and the world’s first plasmid DNA vaccine–ZyCoV-D on August 20.

Indian Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the citizens of India on crossing 100 crore COVID-19 vaccination coverage and attributed the achievement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Congratulations India! This is the result of the able leadership of visionary Prime Minister Narendra Modi. #VaccineCentury,”

Mandaviya tweeted in Hindi 

PM Modi said, “Today, this day of October 21, 2021, has been recorded in history. The nation now has strong armour of 100 crore Covid vaccine doses to combat this biggest pandemic in 100 years. India has crossed the 100 crore vaccine dose mark sometime back.”

The Prime Minister further said that this achievement belongs to every citizen of India.

“I express my gratitude to all the vaccine manufacturing companies of the country, workers engaged in vaccine transportation, health sector professionals engaged in vaccine development,”

Prime Minister Modi added.

World lauds India’s landmark achievement of 100 cr COVID-19 vaccinations

T20 WC: Ashwin, Rahul and Rohit standout as India defeat Australia in warm-up

Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma were the standout performers as India defeated Australia by eight wickets in the warm-up match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup here at the ICC Academy Ground on Wednesday.

While Ashwin took two wickets, Rahul and Rohit played knocks of 39 and 60 respectively as India chased down the target of 153 quite comfortably. Suryakumar Yadav also chipped in with an innings of 38 runs.

Chasing 153, India got off to a steady start as openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma put together 42 runs inside the first six overs. Both batters stitched together an opening stand of 68 runs and it finally ended in the 10th over as Ashton Agar had Rahul (39) caught at the hands of David Warner.

Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav did not let the asking rate creep up, and the duo kept on registering boundaries at regular intervals, keeping India ahead. Both batters ensured that India does not suffer from more hiccups, and with the side 26-run away from the target, Rohit decided to retire hurt after playing a knock of 60.

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Rohit Sharma; Picture Source: @BCCI

In the end, India registered a comfortable victory with Suryakumar (38) and Hardik Pandya (14) remaining unbeaten at the crease.

Earlier, Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis played knocks of 57 and 41 respectively as Australia posted a total of 152/5. Opting to bat first, Australia got off to the worst start possible as David Warner (1), Aaron Finch (8) and Mitchell Marsh (0) lost their wickets cheaply. Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Warner and Marsh while Ravindra Jadeja sent Finch back to the pavilion, reducing Australia to 11/3 in the fourth over.

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Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith then got together at the crease and the duo revived the innings for Australia. Both batters put on 61 runs for the fourth wicket, but as soon as Australia started gaining an upper hand, Rahul Chahar dismissed Maxwell (37) in the 12th over, reducing Australia to 72/4.

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Marcus Stoinis then joined Smith in the middle and the duo accelerated the innings for Australia. Smith went on to bring up his half-century in the 17th over of the innings. In the final two overs, 21 more runs were scored and as a result, Australia posted a total of more than the 150-run mark.

Brief Scores: Australia 152/5 (Steve Smith 57, Marcus Stoinis 41; Ravichandran Ashwin 2-8) vs India 153/2 (Rohit Sharma 60, KL Rahul 39; Ashton Agar 1-14).

Remaining and expanding: what the Taliban’s return mean for jihad terrorism

Representative Picture for Terrorism: Source: @CANVA
Representative Picture for Terrorism: Source: @CANVA

Greg Barton, Deakin University

Spoiler alert: we are not winning the global war on terror. If the past 20 years of fighting terrorism by military means have shown us anything, it is that going to war makes things worse.

The direct costs in terms of human suffering – lives lost, societies destroyed and trillions of dollars spent – are multiplied by unintended consequences and cascading problems.

Invading Iraq in 2003 created a vacuum quickly filled with violent insurgencies that led directly to the rise of the Islamic State and indirectly to a devastating decade of civil war in Syria. It did not make sense at the time and it certainly does not make sense now.

Launching a military campaign in Afghanistan weeks after the attacks of September 11, however, started out looking like a sensible response. Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda had planned and directed the attacks from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

It was there in the late 1980s, during the struggle of the Afghan mujahideen against the Soviet military, that al-Qaeda – “the base” – had been formed to support foreign mujahideen. The mission was to further radicalise and equip them to take jihad to the world.

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The initial US special forces operation, which then Prime Minister John Howard insisted Australia join, had the goal of capturing or killing bin Laden and the al-Qaeda leadership. It also aimed to deny al-Qaeda a safe haven in Afghanistan to launch further attacks.

The Taliban regime that had come to power in Kabul five years earlier chose to protect al-Qaeda and suffered the consequences. Mullah Baradar and other Taliban leaders yielded power in Kabul in November, much more quickly than anyone had anticipated. They then staged a strategic retreat to insurgent mode.

In 2002, mission creep saw an international coalition doing what many said should have been done a decade earlier when the Soviets left. For a moment, nation-building seemed to be working, but then attention turned to invading Iraq.

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Even without the distraction of marching on Baghdad and sinking into a rapidly expanding quagmire of our own making, pretty much every mistake in counter-insurgency and nation-building that could be made in Afghanistan was made. A brittle, corrupt, incompetent and highly centralised government in Kabul presented opportunities on all fronts to the Taliban insurgency.

Even after a massive military surge early in the second decade of the 21st century that saw 140,000 International Security Assistance Force NATO troops enter the conflict, the patient Taliban remained. Then, after the sharp drawn-down of international troops in 2014, the Taliban insurgency expanded.

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Long story short, the war on terror, and fighting terrorism by military means, has been a largely unmitigated failure. Even in Africa, where failing states and jihadi insurgencies have demanded military responses, victories have been short-lived. At best, as in Somalia, they have resulted in costly stalemates.

Military interventions have been costly and counter-productive

This is not to say the struggle against global terrorism has been complete without result. Elaborate terror plots targeting cities around the globe, first by al-Qaeda and then by IS, have been defeated and prevented on an impressive scale. But this has been achieved primarily by police-led counter-terrorism intelligence operations, working with communities, intercepting communications in terrorist networks and disrupting plots.

Military successes, such as the destruction of the IS caliphate in Syria and Iraq, have come not only at an enormous cost but also as corrections to problems created by military interventions.

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Now in Afghanistan, there is the only failure. Two decades of significant achievement in transforming Afghan society, if not building a robust government, have been washed away.

Not only that, the original success in defeating jihadi terrorism is also at an end, with the return of the Taliban and the success of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan project.

Developments in Afghanistan will be significant for at least three key reasons.

First, the triumph of the Taliban after two decades of struggle against the combined forces of NATO and the US is being seized on as evidence of divine approval for the global jihadist cause.

Ironically, although declaring a global war on terror proved to be a monumental mistake, jihadi movements such as al-Qaeda, the Taliban and IS are defined by their commitment to what they claim to be a holy war. That is why the success of the Taliban, after 20 years of struggle, resounds around the world. And that is why, for all of their post-victory rebranding and social media information campaign, the Taliban, as a jihadi movement, remains bound to al-Qaeda.

Second, the mountains of Afghanistan will once again become home to mujahideen from across Asia and around the world. Jihadi camps in Afghanistan will return to making a significant contribution to the recruitment, radicalisation, training and networking of new generations of jihadi fighters and movements in South-East Asia.

The mountains of Afghanistan will again become training grounds for jihadi terrorists from around the world. AAP/Australian Department of Defence handout

The Taliban regime in Kabul (or Kandahar) will, despite the Taliban’s existential commitment to global jihad, likely seek to distance itself from such camps. It will exploit plausible deniability, as it focuses on rehabilitating and reinventing its international reputation and securing the long-term viability of the Islamic emirate. This will potentially have the not insignificant benefit of restraining the Taliban from some of the brutal excesses of the past, particularly with respect to the oppression of women and the persecution of minority groups like the Hazara.

But it will also contribute to a third, more insidious challenge. As world powers like China and Russia, neighbours like Iran and Pakistan, and Muslim nations like Indonesia and Malaysia seek to engage with the emirate in order to moderate the Taliban regime, local Islamist groups will exploit the opportunity to push the boundaries of the permissible in South-East Asia. This is already on display with statements congratulating “our brothers the Taliban” from radical Islamist political groups such as the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

The threat in southeast Asia

Over the past two decades, jihadi extremism with origins in the Afghan alumni – mujahideen trained and radicalised in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s, and groups formed in Afghanistan such as Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf Group – has been foundational to violent extremism in our region. This was amplified by a new generation of South-East Asian mujahideen returning from Syria and Iraq.

The stage is set for a new era of terrorist growth in South-East Asia and around the world. The IS motto of “remaining and expanding” rang hollow in the wake of the destruction of the caliphate.

Now, as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is set to eclipse the caliphate in scale and longevity, the jihadi catch-cry appears to have been met with divine vindication.

Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison writes a heartfelt letter to Victorians

PM Scott Morrison; Picture Source: PMOffice
PM Scott Morrison; Picture Source: PMOffice

Over the past almost two years, Victoria, like so much of the world, has been engaged in the battle of our generation. Beating COVID-19.

With the state reaching the 70 per cent double dose vaccination milestone, victory is in sight.

I want to thank each and every Victorian for the incredible job you’ve done.

Again and again, Victorians have stepped up. Thank you to all Victorians who have had a double dose of a COVID-19 vaccine – and to those who have a first or second dose booked in.

I welcome Premier Andrews’ announcement to safely reopen as part of the National Plan. 

Bringing down state borders and bringing down the international border. 

Reuniting families and friends. Getting businesses going again. Firing up jobs. 

And I look forward to the safe easing of more restrictions across Victoria as the vaccination rate continues to surge.   

Victorians have sacrificed so much over the course of extended lockdowns.

Crucially, you’ve rolled up your sleeves, with a first dose vaccination rate of almost 90 per cent – that’s higher than the United Kingdom.

If Victoria was a country it would be the 12th most vaccinated in the OECD on first doses. 

Having reached  70 per cent double dose – a critical early mark of the National Plan – you’re about to start reclaiming your lives.

It’s a new chapter, as you begin to open up safely. And stay safely open.

We’ll see relaxations for the fully vaccinated at restaurants, cafes, cinemas, gyms, religious gatherings, weddings, and funerals.

Children are heading back to school.

Next month, when the 80 per cent fully vaccinated target is met, Victorians will enjoy even more freedoms.

We’re taking our lives back.

And it’s been achieved by Victorians – and Australians and their governments from all states and territories – signing up to the National Plan.

Working together.

The Morrison Government rolled up its sleeves with significant vaccine supply and record economic support. 

We have provided Victorians with more than 10.8 million COVID-19 vaccines, including almost 685,000 doses that were brought forward to deal directly with outbreaks

Our Government has provided Victorians with over $51 billion in economic support to date,  the highest per capita support of any state.

Over $28 billion in JobKeeper Payments, over $5 billion in Coronavirus Supplement, and to combat the impact of Delta, over $3.7 billion in COVID-19 Disaster Payments and over $2.4 billion as our half of Business Support Payments.

We’ve saved lives and livelihoods the Australian way, and now Australians are reclaiming their Australian way of life.

Whether you’re in Victoria or NSW, Queensland or Western Australia, we can feel proud.

We have now administered more than 33 million vaccines around the country.  

That’s over 85 per cent of eligible over 16s who have had a first dose and the 70 per cent double dose mark now also achieved nationally (70.01 per cent).

Australia’s double dose vaccination rate has surpassed the United States, and over the coming month, we are on track to overtake Israel, France, and Germany.

And with first doses administered to around two-thirds of 12 to 15-year-olds, thank you to all those parents and kids for responding magnificently to the challenge.

I can understand in Victoria how tough the lockdowns have been.

However, vaccinations are clearly winning the fight.

The vaccines are doing their job. The vaccines are working. 

As a result, freedoms are very close for every state or territory that has at some stage been subject to lockdown, or for those states locked in and wanting to see loved ones interstate.

Planes are ready for take-off again, as we prepare to reignite international travel and bring Australians home.

All of this has been achieved by following the National Plan, and Australians getting vaccinated at record rates. 

We understand that every state is starting at a different point, but we all want the same ending – to bring our country together again, and join the rest of the world. 

I know all Premiers and Chief Ministers want this. It’s what the National Plan that we agreed to is all about.

For locked-down states, it’s been about winning freedoms back.

For others, it’s about protecting the freedoms you’ve been fortunate to enjoy by safely reopening as a nation.

But for everyone, it’s about getting back to living our lives as we once did, as best we can.

The vaccine supply is there for everyone. Right now.

So please, go and get your second jab. If you haven’t already, please get your first dose. Encourage your friends and family to also get vaccinated.  

Victoria, you know this has been the battle of our generation. It’s been long and tough. There have been many sacrifices. 

We can’t be complacent. We still have to take one step at a time safely and ensure we always put that safety goal first as we reopen our country.

So thank you again. For rolling up your sleeves, not just in terms of getting the vaccines, but for the sacrifices you’ve made and the resilience you’ve demonstrated.

And thank you to the thousands of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and health care workers who have cared for us protected us, and vaccinated us. 

Let’s bring this home – that 70 per cent has to become an 80.

And most importantly, ensure that we are back together with our families, friends, and loved ones this Christmas.

Making this Christmas the best ever.

Written by Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia

Iqbal Hossain planted ‘Quran’ in Puja pandal, ‘Hindus Genocide’ followed in Bangladesh

Image source: CCTV footage - Dhaka Tribune screenshot.

Police have identified the culprit behind the Comilla incident that sparked violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, according to a report published in Dhaka Tribune.

Image source: Twitter.

Seven people were killed, temples and puja pandals vandalized, hundreds of Hindus lost their homes and businesses following the Comilla incident.

In total, 101 Hindus religious sites were desecrated and 181 Hindu shops or establishments were attacked all in the timeframe of just 6 days.

Image source: Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Ahmed

Comilla Superintendent of Police (SP) Farooq Ahmed has told the local media that a man named Iqbal Hossain, 35 yo, son of Nur Ahmed Alam from the Sujanagar area of the city has been identified through CCTV.

Iqbal kept the Holy Quran at Nanua Dighir Par puja mandap in Comilla on October 13.

In the CCTV footage, it was seen that Iqbal took the Quran from a mosque and walked to the Puja venue. Later, he was seen walking away with the Hindu God Hanuman’s club in his hand.

Comilla SP confirmed that Iqbal is absconding and could not be arrested as of Wednesday.

Image source: Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has earlier said that authorities had identified the person behind the Comilla incident.

“I hope the prime suspect in the Comilla incident will be arrested soon… he has been changing locations frequently to avoid getting caught. We’ll be able to unfold the Comilla incident once he’s arrested.”

Meanwhile, Dipu Moni, the most powerful minister of the Hasina government has hinted at Pakistan’s hand without taking its name. She told the media:

“These attacks were pre planned. It is very evident that foreign players are trying to conspire against us, sitting there. But, we have to be vigilant”.

Till now, police have filed four cases over the Comilla incident and arrested 41 people. The arrested includes four of Iqbal’s known associates.

Police arrested another person Md Foyez Ahmed, 41 yo, on October 13. He had posted a Facebook live from the Puja venue on that day.

Open photo

Based on allegations of defamation of the Holy Quran at a Hindu puja mandap, violence broke out at several districts in Bangladesh during the Durga Puja celebrations.

Iqbal’s family stated that if Iqbal was really guilty, then he should be punished.

2020 Presidential candidate & former Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, has condemned “hate and violence directed towards devotees of God in their temples in Bangladesh.”

Meanwhile, Twitter has suspended/deleted the official accounts of ISKCON Bangladesh and ‘Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council’.

Many people believe that this step was taken as they posted gruesome and horrific images and videos of violence against Hindus.

Image source: Twitter.

Many social media users have tweeted their disappointment on Twitter.

Well-known writer Tasleema Nasreen tweeted in astonishment “victim Iskcon’s account was deleted”!

Many protest rallies have been organised around the world coming together in solidarity with ISKCON members and Hindus in Bangladesh.

Former Aussie cricketer Michael Slater arrested over alleged domestic violence incident

Former Aussie cricketer Michael Slater arrested over alleged domestic violence incident: Picture Source: Twitter @MichaelSlater
Former Aussie cricketer Michael Slater arrested over alleged domestic violence incident: Picture Source: Twitter @MichaelSlater

Former Australian cricketer Michael Slater has been arrested on Wednesday, after an alleged domestic violence incident last week.

The 51-year-old was taken on Wednesday morning to Manly police station, where he remains, in the custody as per media reports.

New South Wales police confirmed that they received reports of a domestic violence incident alleged to have occurred on October 12.

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Image by | @Joelcarrett – AAP

“Officers attached to the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced an investigation yesterday [on Tuesday] after receiving reports of a domestic violence incident alleged to have occurred on Tuesday 12 October 2021,”

NSW Police said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Following inquiries, detectives attended a home at Manly about 9.20 am and spoke with a 51-year-old man. He has since been arrested and taken to Manly police station,” the statement added.

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Mr. Slater was scheduled to be one of the Prime commentators for the upcoming Ashes series between Australia and England. However, this dogma of Domestic violence accused will not his case.

People close to Cricket Australia have hinted that it’s very unlikely Michael Slater will be seen in the commentary box this summer.

Slater played in 74 Test matches and 42 One Day Internationals for the men’s Australia national cricket team. During his test career which lasted for close to a decade, he smashed 5,312 runs before his 2004 retirement.

“Indian girls’ power shine on stage” as Apple celebrates its women techies

Susmita Dutta and Shruti Haldea; Image source: Apple Inc/Handout
Susmita Dutta and Shruti Haldea; Image source: Apple Inc/Handout

Tech giant Apple unveiled its next line-up of MacBook Pro with new M1 chips, next-generation AirPods, and other products.

This was also the time for Apple to celebrate the contribution of its Indian-origin women techies.

Image source: Apple CEO Tim Cook – Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook set the tone of the show detailing its latest products and services during the ‘Unleashed’ event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

Image source: Apple Unleashed – Apple/Handout.

The new M1 chips have helped propel Mac sales, which were up 32% to $26 billion in the first nine months of Apple’s fiscal 2021.

Image source: Apple’s Susmita Dutta – Apple Inc/Handout

After Cook, Susmita Dutta who is the engineering program manager for SoC (system-on-chip) for audio products, introduced the next-generation AirPods.

Dutta’s Linkedin profile says that she is a Madras University graduate in engineering and joined Apple nearly four years ago as a system test design lead.

Prior to this, she had worked at GE Healthcare for more than seven years as a lead system designer (ABUS Ultrasound) in California.

Image source: Apple’s Shruti Haldea speaks about the MacBook Pro – Apple Inc/Handout

After Dutta, Shruti Haldea from the Mac team joined the stage with top company executives.

She presented Apple’s new and all-powerful MacBook Pro with next-gen M1 chips.

She took the audience through the machine that is meant primarily for developers, filmmakers, creators, and innovators.

Haldea has been working at Apple for more than 12 years.

An MBA from Harvard Business School, she joined Apple as a global supply manager and became product line manager for Pro Mac in 2019.

In April 2021, Navpreet Kaloty had presented iMac at Apple’s ‘Spring Loaded’.

A Bachelor of Applied Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo, Kaloty is an engineering programme manager at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters.

This was a proud moment for Indian people and many took to Twitter to show their happiness.

Multicultural Minister Alex Hawke served notice for omitting ‘material facts’ on Vishal Jood issue

Federal Multicultural Minister Alex Hawke is in the middle of a social media storm for allegedly omitting ‘material facts’ about Indian International student Vishal Jood’s departure from Australia.

Vishal Jood boarded a flight for India on Friday 15 October, after which Minister Hawke released a statement and wrote on his social media account on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Many in the Indian Australian community believe the statement and posts were not in good taste and allegedly had many insinuations towards the Australian Hindu community.

First, let’s understand Vishal Jood’s saga.

Australia is home to over 50,000 Indian International students among which majority live in two big cities Sydney and Melbourne. A large number of these Indian international students come from the State of Punjab and Haryana.

People who have studied in Universities in India or Australia and lived away from home know most students have their own large groups based on like-unlike, University, course, region, religion, language, filmstar, cricketer and these days politics.

Here in Sydney within the last year and a half, two groups of students originating from the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana fought among themselves and with each other over “Girls and regional supremacy in India.”

Vishal Jood was also part of one such group, out of six fights Vishal’s group was involved in they were dominant in five fights and suffered in one of them.

These fights and their results became a matter of social media humiliation on “TicTok.’ Just like Bollywood movies, both groups were putting traps on lonely opposite side members coming back from University and work. One step further a honey trap was also drawn by a Punjabi origin group to lure a Haryanvi boy, which resulted in an online video of him being thrashed.

Late last year when the Indian government introduced ‘New Farm laws’ new groups emerged on the basis of their family support on the issue. It is very important to point out that a lot of Haryana groups were opposing Farm laws along with Punjabi groups.

However, when Khalistani elements of Sydney entered the protests on Indian Farm Law’s things changed for Haryanvi student groups.
Haryanvi groups requested to keep protests against Farm laws rather than against India, But Khalistan supporters made it a point that protests be a tool to their propaganda against India and its elected government.

Khalistan supporters were disrespecting India tricolour in Canada, Britain, the USA, and Australia during Indian Republic day week. And the incident at Delhi’s Red fort disgusted most Diaspora members.

Indian Australian groups organised the “Tiranga Rally” to show their support for the Indian national flag in multiple cities of Australia. However, the Sydney rally got maligned by the nexus of actors from academia, media, and politics.

At the end of this rally, Vishal Jood was attacked by a group of people who were allegedly abusing India, the Indian Prime Minister, and the Indian flag. Video of this attack on Mr. Jood was circulated on social media.

The spin masters of Sydney Indian Diaspora with the help of a section of local media and few manipulative politicians painted the participants of ‘Tiranga Rally’ with some sinister motive.

There was no proof to their claims but still, their propaganda was treated as the only truth.

Vishal Jood was arrested and slapped with eleven charges by NSW police. Which made headlines in Australia as well as Indian.

Besides Vishal two other international students of Punjabi background were arrested by NSW police, they are also facing the same charges but no one cared to report on them.

Vishal was not sentenced for “Hate Crime.”

Australian and Indian media claimed in their reports that Vishal Jood attacked Sikhs due to his religious hate. This was proved as a fake claim in NSW Court, Magistrate Price rejected any such charge.

“The learned magistrate did not accept that Vishal’s conduct was motivated by animosity towards Sikhs.”

Anyway, in a plea bargain, Vishal pleaded guilty to engaging in a fight that had nothing to do with the Sikh community but was a young boy’s street fight.

He pleaded guilty to being armed with a weapon (a baseball bat) with intent to commit an indictable offense and damaging property (the car window).

“The learned magistrate found that these offences were below the medium range of objective seriousness.”     

Social commentators said that in Australia generally, such street fights result in nothing more than community service sentences but in Vishal Jood’s case, he was sent to jail.

Few media outlets still tried to portray that he pleaded guilty to attacks on Sikhs, they can potentially be sued for defamation.

Vishal Jood was released on the morning of 15 October 2021.

He was interviewed by Australian Immigration officers after his release. As at the time of his release Vishal’s Visa had expired Immigration officers offered him a ‘Bridging Visa’ so that he could get time to apply for an appropriate visa for himself.

Vishal Jood was not deported from Australia

Vishal Jood refused bridging Visa and told immigration officers that he intend to return back to India immediately.
He was provided a Visa that legalised his status in Australia.

Vishal traveled to India from Australia while on that visa.

His Lawyer Barrister Amendra Singh told The Australia Today,

“Everyone should know that Vishal Jood was not deported from Australia.”

Australia’s Federal Minister for Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke is an MP from Sydney’s electorate of Mitchell. His constituency has a large population of Indian Australians both from Hindu and Sikh backgrounds.

What did Multicultural Minister Hawke say?

Minister Hawke issued a statement that read, “Attempts to undermine Australia’s social cohesion will not be tolerated.”
 
“I am pleased that this unfortunate event has seen our resilient local Hindu and Sikh communities unite. In particular, I want to thank community leaders who have worked hard to support their communities in the face of these unfortunate events. Their efforts to build cross-community unity and resilience against the attempts by a small minority to incite discord and disharmony have demonstrated the importance and benefit of our nation’s strong social cohesion,” the statement further reads.

A lot of Australian community members objected to this statement. One of them wrote on social media calling it “Casual racism to create social disharmony and drive a political wedge because they see votes in this dog-whistling.”

Minister Hawke didn’t stop there, he posted a link on his Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin account from a website whose story was full of inaccuracy about Vishal Jood’s case and departure from Australia.

Twitter account of Minister Alex Hawke

Facebook Page of Minister Alex Hawke:


Linkedin account of Minister Alex Hawke:

Federal Multicultural Affairs Minister Alex Hawke’s actions resulted in a social media storm of misinformation and accusations towards the Australian Hindu community.

Vishal Jood’s Lawyer Amendra Singh said, “It is incumbent on a Cabinet Minister issuing a statement to provide a complete, balanced and objective account of the issue he is communicating about.”

AUS Minister's misinformed tweet puts Vishal Jood's life in danger: Lawyer sets the record straight.

Mr. Singh also said Minister Alex Hawke’s approach to this issue is highly unusual.
As Minister Hawke…

  1. Tweets a link from private news portal carrying a picture of Vishal Jood.
  2. States that Vishal was an unlawful non-citizen at the time of his arrest.
  3. States that “attempts to undermine Australia’s social cohesion will not be tolerated.”
  4. Refers to an “unfortunate event that has seen our resilient local Hindu and Sikh communities unite” 

Here is are the screenshots of misinformation published in the article shared by Minister Alex Hawke.

Federal Multicultural Minister Alex Hawke has a responsibility and duty of care towards the Indian Australian community still, he chose to amplify factually and legally inaccurate information to his thousands of followers on social media platforms.

Vishal Jood receiving threats and abuse

Barrister Amendra Singh says, “Hundreds have now joined the dots in the Minister’s tweets and are using it to conclude that Vishal was convicted of hate crimes against Sikhs and was deported because of this. He is receiving threats and abuse, and is being called names such as “terrorist.”

Mr. Singh says what the Minister omits to tweet is more significant.

  • That Vishal Jood was not dealt with by the court on the basis that his actions were motivated by animosity towards any community.
  • That Vishal Jood did not leave Australia because he was deported for committing criminal offences.  

Only Minister Hawke can answer why he posted an article with inaccurate information on his social media accounts.

The Australia Today has seen a notice which Vishal’s solicitors have sent to Minister Alex Hawke inviting him to clarify his position.

The Australia Today wrote to Minister Alex Hawke for his response, he has not provided it at the time of publishing this article. We shall update the article once we receive his reply.

Three Indian-Americans appointed as White House Fellows

Image source: Dr Sunny Patel, Joy Basu, and Dr Aakash Shah - White House Fellows 2021-22 - Linkedin.

The US President’s Commission on White House Fellows has announced the appointment of 19 young emerging leaders as its class of White House Fellows for 2021-22.

This includes three Indian Americans: Dr Sunny Patel, Joy Basu, and Dr Aakash Shah.

Image source: White House – Wikipedia.

According to the White House:

“The prestigious White House Fellowship program embeds professionals from diverse backgrounds for a year of working as a full-time, paid fellow for White House staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other senior government officials.”

The President’s Commission on White House Fellows described it as the most diverse class in the history of the programme.

Image source: US President Joy Biden – Wikipedia.

Selection into the program is based on a record of professional accomplishment, evidence of leadership skills, the potential for further growth, and a commitment to service. 

Image source: Dr Sunny Patel – Linkedin.

Placed at the Department of Homeland Security, Dr Sunny Patel is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and public health physician.

He has an MD from the Mayo Clinic, an MPH from Harvard, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and physiology, respectively, from UCLA with college and departmental honors.

Dr. Patel has recently completed his fellowship at NYU and volunteered as a palliative care physician at Bellevue Hospital and his adult psychiatry residency at Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School.

He also launched a comprehensive mental health response for thousands of frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and spearheaded health interventions for vulnerable populations in the United States and abroad, including in India, Thailand, and the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Patel has served as a resident tutor in medicine at Adams House of Harvard College and his research has been published in numerous journals and informed policy initiatives, including work presented at the United Nations General Assembly.

Image source: Joy Basu – Linkedin.

Joy Basu from San Francisco has been placed at the White House Gender Policy Council.

Joy earned her BA in Public Policy and Economics from Duke University and JD and MBA from Stanford University with a certificate in public management and social innovation.

While at Stanford, she served as co-president of the Women of Stanford Law, as an Arbuckle Fellow, and as a leader of the Afghanistan Legal Education Project.

Earlier, she served as a senior adviser to innovative businesses seeking authentic and impact-integrated growth. She was also the first chief of staff at TPG Growth.

She has served as The Rise Fund’s global sector lead for food and agriculture; a consultant at McKinsey & Company; and a project manager to the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture.

She currently serves as a trustee for the Heifer International Foundation and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Image source: Dr Akash Shah – Linkedin.

Dr. Aakash Shah has been placed at the Department of Health and Human Services.

He is a practicing emergency room doctor at Hackensack Meridian Health and has helped treat some of the earliest confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic in the US.

Dr. Shah also serves as the Director of Addiction Medicine and the Medical Director of Project HEAL at Jersey Shore University Medical Center as well as the Medical Director of New Jersey Reentry Corp.

He previously served as the Founder and Executive Director of Be Jersey Strong and as an adviser to several locals, state, and federal campaigns and policymakers.

The prestigious White House Fellowship program was created by President Lyndon B. in 1964, to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal Government.

I risk my life for Australians but your rules don’t allow me visit my mother: An Open letter to PM Morrison

Ujjwal, temporary resident Nurse: Picture Source: Supplied
Ujjwal, temporary resident Nurse: Picture Source: Supplied

This open letter is written by an international student who is away from his family hasn’t seen them for years because of this situation and border closure.

He requests PM Scott Morrison to treat temporary residents with the same rules as Australian citizens and permanent residents.

“Dear PM Scott Morrison Sir,
Do you care about an international student from India who is studying for 3 days and working the rest of the week vaccinating at the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne to make the Australian community safe and help people on the way to their freedom?

Yes, I am talking about myself, my name is Ujjwal. I am an international student who hasn’t seen his mum for 3 years now.
I am literally in tears writing this letter to you. Let me tell you what I do. My work is as an Enrolled Nurse Vaccinator at ***** Hospital, Melbourne helping in the COVID-19 clinic.

In the last few months, I have looked after so many people and interacted with them while vaccinating duties.

There are many people with multiple perspectives.
Some drive me crazy when they say “throw the vaccine in the bin and update it in the system that you jabbed me.” Due to coronavirus circumstances, many people are mentally unwell as they share their stories with me.

At certain points, I also struggle with my mental health and consult with internal support persons. I am fully vaccinated and doing my part to help Australia in vaccinating community.

However, Respected Prime Minister sir, you made a statement that from 1st November all fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents can travel anywhere in the world. What about temporary visa holders? Are we more prone to coronavirus than Australian citizens or permanent residents?

Why this discriminatory treatment to us?

I don’t think this is fair to a person who is working with no days off to help everyone to be safe and take them towards freedom from lockdowns.

“I also have family like citizens and permanent residents. I also have feelings for them. I am speechless now I don’t know, I can’t continue writing this as I am crying now.”

Sir, I get bruises on my nose and ears due to the mask and other PPE I wear for my 8-10 hours shift. I don’t mind these bruises and tell myself I am a healthy soldier and they are my badge of honor.

My mother who lives in a small village in India tells me over the phone, “Do everything to help your chosen country Australia to be proud of you.”

But, It looks like you are still not satisfied with our hard work or you just don’t care about us.

As I am in this situation so many other people are as well. That’s why I want to make all anti-vaxxers and protesters think about the health staff and families of those who suffered from this situation.

I want to say to them that there is NO CHOICE, you must be vaccinated to secure your jobs and to go out. DO NOT DELAY IT you need it today or tomorrow. Please understand, no matter what you need vaccines to be safe and free.

I urge each and every eligible Australian to get vaccinated as soon as possible do not delay and do not worry about side effects as COVID is worse than side effects.

And think about health care workers like me, if you just want freedom then we temporary Visa holders also want the same to see our mother and father. It will only happen when everyone is vaccinated.

I request everyone with my folded hands and the last word I would say is “LET’S GET IT DONE”

Ujjwal
Nurse, on a temporary visa

NSW government unveils almost half a billion-dollar plan to support survivors of domestic violence

Domestic Violence: Picture Source: @CANVA
Domestic Violence: Picture Source: @CANVA

The New South Wales government has unveiled a record support package of $484.3 million for victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Image source: NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet – Twitter

In a statement detailing the record investment, Premier Dominic Perrottet said:

“Everyone has a right to live a life free from violence and abuse, a right that is far too often callously eroded by those who perpetrate domestic violence.”

Premier Perrottet announced a nearly half a billion dollars package which will be delivered over the next four years to achieve the following:

  • $426.6 million – to expand “Core and Cluster” arrangements and to deliver and operate an additional 75 refuges for women and children escaping domestic violence.
  • $52.5 million – to the Community Housing Innovation Fund partnership with community housing to provide about 200 sustainable and affordable houses for women suffering domestic violence.
  • $5.2 million – to trial dedicated support for accompanied children and young Australians – in two districts – at risk or experiencing homelessness.

In addition to counselling, legal assistance, education and employment support to women and children escaping DFV, the core sites mentioned in the plan will also provide meeting rooms, audio-visual equipment for court appearances, kitchen facilities and playgrounds.

Image source: Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor – Facebook.

Revealing that nearly 40 per cent of people who accessed specialist homelessness services in NSW from 2019-2020 has experienced domestic abuse, Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor said:

“One of the most important things we can do in government is to ensure that when a victim-survivor makes the courageous decision to leave a violent home – a time when she actually faces the greatest risk – that there’s a secure, supportive environment waiting to help her.” 

Image source: Mark Speakman – Twitter.

Minister for Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence Mark Speakman said the trial – outlined in the package – would help support an additional 3,200 children and young people who he said were often the silent victims of DFV. 

Image source: Chair of Domestic Violence NSW Annabelle Daniel – Twitter.

Chair of Domestic Violence NSW Annabelle Daniel welcomed the NSW government’s investment.

“We are pleased to see this new funding announcement recognising the urgent need for refuge supports in rural, regional and remote area and across NSW.” 

NSW Police are called to more than 140,000 domestic and family violence (DFV) incidents per year.

Meanwhile in Australia, on average one woman is killed every nine days by a former or current partner.

‘Fabindia’ copes severe backlash for appropriating Deepavali as ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz,’ deletes tweet

Image source: Fabindia promo - Twitter.

Fabindia, an Indian traditional garments retailer, faced severe backlash online for its latest Deepavali collection called ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ (celebration of custom).

Image source: Wikipedia.

This new collection has also been featured by the popular magazine Vogue.

Image source: Fabindia – Twitter.

To reach a wider audience, Fabindia tweeted:

“As we welcome the festival of love and light, Jashn-e-Riwaaz by Fabindia is a collection that beautifully pays homage to Indian culture.” 

The advertisement depicted several male and female models donning sarees and kurta pyjamas. 

Image source: Fabindia – Twitter.

Many social concentrators said that with missing bindis and tilak on the foreheads of the models, one thing is clear that Fabindia is not celebrating a Hindu festival but it’s secularised version.’

Few even claimed it is a deliberate attempt to appropriate Hindu festivals by a lobby that is working in India and overseas to undermine everything Hindu.

Some users pointed to FabIndia’s audacity of not even mentioning the word Diwali or Deepavali in their latest promotional campaign.

In fact, they just referred to it as the ‘festival of love and light.’

Image source: Tejasvi Surya, Twitter.

Indian ruling political outfit Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader and National President of BJP Yuva Morcha (Youth Wing), Tejasvi Surya, took to Twitter and objected to the clothing brand’s ad campaign. 

Image source: Chairman of Manipal Global Education, Mohandas Pai – Twitter.

Chairman of Manipal Global Education, Mohandas Pai, also slammed the brand for its choice of words.

“Maan you do not get it! Use of Alien terms for a Hindu festival is a deliberate attempt to take away our heritage and subvert it! You can use any brand name you want post-Diwali but at this time, linking it to Diwali shows a perverted mindset!” 

Image source: Rajkumar – Twitter.

MLA of Purola, Rajkumar, tweeted:

“Deepavali is not Jash-e-Riwaaz…Period!!! Seems like Fab India has done this deliberately to hurt Hindu Sentiment.”

Many other social media users pointed that Hindu festivals bear the same significance as Muslim and Christian ones.

Some even said that making such self-depreciating and whitewashed advertisements was nothing short of disrespecting Hinduism.

Following a severe backlash online with #BoycottFabIndia trending, the tweet was promptly removed by Fabindia.

Australia needs two million migrants in the next five years

Australian Citizenship Ceremony in Canberra, PM Scott Morrison; Picture Source: Facebook @ScoMo
Australian Citizenship Ceremony in Canberra, PM Scott Morrison; Picture Source: Facebook @ScoMo

NSW government advice to new Premier Dominic Perrottet is that Australia needs two million migrants over the next five years.

This was revealed by an Australian newspaper that had accessed a “top-secret, politically sensitive” advice written by top NSW bureaucrats.

Image source: Premier Dominic Perrottet – Twitter.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Perrottet confirmed he wanted immigration increased.

“I think that’s important – I’m somebody who believes in a big NSW, I think that provides greater opportunity and prosperity for people right across the state.” 

The advice prepared by the Department of Premier and Cabinet as part of an incoming premier’s brief encouraged “an aggressive resumption of immigration levels as a key means of economic recovery and post-pandemic growth.”

The document further stated:

“An ambitious national immigration plan similar to Australia’s post-World War II approach would ensure Australia would benefit from skills, investment and population growth.”

This explosive post-World War II-style immigration is needed to rebuild the economy and address labor shortages as NSW emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image source: Peter Shergold, chancellor of Western Sydney University – website.

Peter Shergold, the Chancellor of Western Sydney University, told AFR:

“There is a need to return to higher levels of migration across the board, both in terms of skilled migration and being more generous to people coming in under specialist humanitarian visas and, indeed, international students returning on temporary visas.”

Image source: Dick Smith – screenshot.

However, speaking to Sky News businessman Dick Smith said it was a “ridiculous” plan.

“No one wants 100 million, it’s an arid country, we’d be crazy to go to that size.”

Image source: Simon Kuestenmacher, Co-Founder & Director at The Demographics Group – Screenshot.

Simon Kuestenmacher, Co-Founder & Director at The Demographics Group, told 3AW Drive that this intake can work on just one condition.

“Infrastructure growth must keep pace with population growth. And we haven’t done this.”

The NSW government’s advice advocated for a “doubling” of pre-Covid immigration levels for the next five years.

Mr. Perrottet clarified to reporters that the first priority was on bringing home stranded Australians and then international students.

“What’s the next stage after returning Australians? You move to tourism and you move to labour, and immigration will be a key focus.

I want to have those conversations with the federal government as quickly and as early as possible. The earlier we have those discussions the brighter our future will be.”

Net overseas migration reached 240,000 in 2018-19, before falling sharply to around 194,000 in 2019-20.

Market Mantra: Australian shares rise to three weeks high as risk sentiment rebounds

Market-Mantra-Stocks; Picture Source: @CANVA
Market-Mantra-Stocks; Picture Source: @CANVA

Australian shares rallied for a second week in a row with travel stocks taking off after New South Wales announced the resumption of international travel from 01 November.

With COVID 19 restrictions starting to ease and the US entering into earnings season with solid profits from Morgan Stanley and Citi group it seems that the capital markets are picking up steam as we head into the Christmas period.

A heavily oversubscribed Judo Bank was also welcomed positively by the investors as ASX recorded its first week-on-week gains since September. The SME lender is listing on 01 November and set a record in bidding value.

The announcement by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet also put a spring up in travel stocks with Flight Centre jumping 3.77%, Regional Express rallying 6.12%, Webjet gaining 4.05%, Corporate Travel Management lifting by 2.69% and Qantas rising 1.97%.

Qantas also added that it would also bring forward the restart of its international flights by two weeks to November 1.

Even though Prime Minister Scott Morrison somewhat spoiled the party by clarifying it would be only Australian citizens, residents and their immediate family members who would be allowed in, rather than tourists, students and skilled workers, it did not reduce the momentum.

The travel stocks in Australia have been rising for a couple of months in Australia anticipation of the opening of international borders and we believe they may continue their journey North as more and more restrictions are eased.

The week also saw a rise in mining giants BHP and FMG as iron prices continued to firm again. Rio Tinto however missed out on rally and dropped after posting its third-quarter production results and downgrading its full-year Pilbara shipping guidance. Rio Tinto also cut guidance on iron ore production in Canada.

The banks also recovered after dips in the week before. With inflation being the talk of the town any increase in interest rate rise should be beneficial for banks and thus we can see any dips in banking prices to be quickly bought up by investors looking to bag a blue-chip stock on discount.

The investors will be keeping a close watch on banking stocks with three of the four banks reporting annual results end of this month, while Commonwealth Bank of Australia will provide its quarterly update in November.

Moving forward continuing progress in the battle to contain COVID-19 infections and opening up further will be vital in helping to continue the market momentum.

In regards to gold, it was another week of aggressive swings. A dip in US Dollar Index and falling Treasury bonds helped gold gain ground during the start of the week. As the week closed, however, gold’s historical investment function, as a hedge against inflation, returned to relevance to pull the yellow metal down.

With investors lacking conviction during the start of the week gold found buyers around $1760 region and briefly went above US$1800/ounce. However, a rebound in US bond yields as the week closed and a surprise increase in September retail sales dented traders confidence in the precious metal.

As per Phillip Streible, chief market strategist at Blue Line Futures in Chicago ‘Gold has everything going against it. Real rates are rising, equities are higher, so is Bitcoin.”

Reduced stimulus and talks of interest rates rise also go against the bullion as the opportunity cost of holding the precious metal goes up. Moving forward, investors will be keeping a close eye on the physical gold market and hoping that the festival season in India will bolster the demand for gold and in return flip the prices back up for gold.

Oil extended its gains for an eighth consecutive week, to reach new multi-year highs. The eight straight weeks of gains also marked the longest streak of weekly gains for the black gold since 1999.

Image source: mines.gov.in

A massive shortage of coal and natural gas in Asia and Europe has left the power plants reluctantly having to choose crude oil over natural gas. This is a pattern not seen in over a decade and a stark reversal from the foregone conclusion of natural gas being the preferred fuel for power generation.

The current increase in oil demand from power producers has further squeezed the already tight oil supplies. With OPEC nations in no hurry to increase oil prices, Valendara Energy Partners have forecasted that crude oil prices to test US $90 level or higher by next month.

Given the rise in natural gas prices recently they believe even if crude oil prices climb above $100 per barrel, they would still be more economical than natural gas. Thus exerting upward pressure on oil prices.

Many analysts believe that even if oil output is further ramped up in the coming months the oil market will remain undersupplied by roughly 1 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter. With Northern Hemisphere entering into the winter months this should continue to boost oil prices shortly.

In regards to the local currency, the Australian Dollar rallied for a third consecutive week as investors were buoyed by easing COVID restrictions.

Despite another disappointing Australian labour market report, the commodity-based currency was able to capitalise on increasing risk sentiment. The labour report might have been disappointing, however, the traders were looking at the future and with Australia now unwinding restrictions and moving forward with reopening we should see more upward movements in the Aussie dollar.

Having said that the situation remains fluid as COVID cases continue to be on the rise. A reintroduction of lockdowns in case the delta cases explode could derail the optimism. The Australian currency is one of the most sentiment sensitive currency can be left vulnerable if lockdowns make a comeback.

Moving forwards traders of Australian currency will keep a close eye on Chinese GDP data, due this week. China is Australia’s largest trade partner and softer growth for China negatively impacts the Aussie. Having said that power crisis in Asia has meant that China has started to buy Australian coal again. While Australia is also capitalising on coal demand from India to combat power shortages.

For the Indian currency, the week has not been as positive. While the Rupee did make a mild gain against the US Dollar on risk-on sentiment, it fell against a basket of other currencies such as the Euro, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar and Pound Sterling.

As per the data released by the government, India’s trade deficit widened to record levels in September, reaching $22.6 billion as crude oil and gold imports surged.

The widening trade deficit however has currently been cushioned by an inflow of foreign funds in the stock market and IPOs in India, thus keeping the Reserve Bank of India calm.

However, rising oil prices continue to impact the Indian currency. India has about 77% dependency on oil imports and rising oil prices have resulted in Rupee falling about 3.3% against the US Dollar since 1st September. Other major Asian currencies have depreciated only about 1% against the greenback during the same period.

In the world of Cryptocurrencies, the cryptocurrencies surged for the second week in a row to go past the $2.5 trillion mark after expecting to green light from the US regulator.

Bitcoin blazed through the US $60,000 and hit highs of $63,000 on Saturday before falling back slightly. It however was enough to move the combined cryptocurrency market to over $2.5 trillion, thus returning to its May peak.

With Bitcoin, Ethereum and most other altcoins rocketing higher, the analysts are predicting a ludicrously strong rally through the rest of 2021.

As per Nick Spanos, creator of Bitcoin Centre NYC and co-founder of Zap.org, Bitcoin is expected to hit $100,000 before the end of the year. Mr Spanos also expects Ethereum price to more than double to between US$10,000 and $20,000.

Last week also saw Ripple, move back over the US $1. XRP has endured major losses recently and has amassed immense hate from the SEC. It was also shown the door by many exchanges. Despite this, the citizens of the UK invested heavily in Ripple. As per a report published by Finance Magnate, Ripple was the most sought after cryptocurrency in the UK, followed by Cardano.

In agricultural products prices of wheat has continued their record march higher as drought fears in the Northern hemisphere continue to bite. Iran placed an order to buy a record 8 million tonnes of wheat after its domestic crop was hit by drought.

Bread is a staple in Iran and jumps in food imports and high global grain prices are expected to hit the country finances hard. The country is currently suffering its worst drought in 50 years and continue to reflect global food security concerns fuelled partly by economic hardships caused by COVID.

With supply in Russia also hit by drought-like conditions, and the arrival of La Nina conditions the food prices across the globe are now at their highest in 46 years.

September 2021 was Earth’s fifth warmest September since record-keeping began in 1880. This also brought with it drought-like conditions in Russia and Canada, two of the largest wheat producers in the world. As such the 2021 harvest is not expected to meet consumption requirements in 2021/22 thus keeping the price for food grains higher in the foreseeable future.

Author: Ateev Dang is a trader and trading coach by profession. He runs his own business called Glow trades Pty Ltd where he teaches anyone interested in starting on their trading journey on how to trade. He can be contacted at adang@glowtrades.com.au.

Disclaimer:

The writers’ opinions in the above article are their own and do not constitute any financial advice whatsoever. Nothing published by The Australia Today constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content publication be relied upon for providing any investment activities.

We strongly recommend that you perform your independent research and/or speak with a financial advisor or qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

India’s top medical institute apologises for derogatory and Hinduphobic Ramlila skit

Image source: AIIMS RAMLILA SKIT - Screenshot.

The Student Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi has issued a formal apology after a video clip of an allegedly derogatory Ramlila skit went viral.

The skit was performed by some students of AIIMS and it drew widespread criticism on social media for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments.

It is reported that the skit was performed by first-year MBBS students near the hostel quadrangle at the AIIMS campus on the occasion of Dusshera.

In the contentious skit’s opening act, the student playing Bhagwan Ram could be heard as saying: “I am committed to Sita for life. If you (Shurpanakha) are so lustful (tharki), here is my brother.” A girl playing Shurpanakha goes on to objectify Laxman on the tune of a popular Bollywood song: “Tu cheez badi hai mast mast.“

While the actors mocked the Hindu epic of Ramayana, AIIMS students watching the skit merely cheered and hooted in unison rather than standing up and stopping the disrespectful act.

Many social media users demanded strict action against the students for the ‘disrespectful portrayal’ of Hindu gods and goddesses.

AIIMS Student Association apologised in a tweet:

“A video clip of a Ramlila skit done by some students of AIIMS has been circulating on social media. On behalf of the students, we apologise for the conduct of this skit which was not meant to hurt anyone’s sentiments. We will ensure that no such activity takes place in the future.”

The first-year student who played Bhagwan Ram in the mockery of Ramayan released a video apologising for his “childishness.”

“I and all of us want to apologise and assure that something like this will never happen again. It is being said that the AIIMS is Hinduphobic and that here Hindu festivals are not respected which is not true.

We celebrate all Hindu festivals here with grandeur….so it’s not true that we are against Hindus. We respect all our gods and goddesses.” 

The AIIMS administration also held a discussion with the students on the matter and told PTI:

“The students realising the sensitivity of the issue have apologised issued a tweet. They have assured that such an incident won’t recur.”

The video of the Ramlila skit was uploaded by 2020 Topper Soyeb Aftab on his Youtube channel ‘AIIMS Insider.’

Following social media outrage, Aftab made the video private and later hid/remove it.

Victoria opens just before festivals, Here is what you can do

Hindu Festival of Karva Chauth: Picture Source: @CANVA
Hindu Festival of Karva Chauth: Picture Source: @CANVA

Victoria is set to hit its 70 per cent double dose vaccination target in the Roadmap nearly a week early as a result significant restrictions are set to be eased.

Premier Daniel Andrews says this week state will hit a significant milestone on the Roadmap, with 70 per cent of Victorians 16 years and over having received both their vaccine doses.

At the movement, Victoria’s first dose vaccination rate is at almost 90 per cent,

From 11.59 pm on Thursday 21 October, Victoria will move forward in opening up and more restrictions will be eased.
Festivals which you will be able to celebrate with friends and family at home.

Karwa Chauth on Sunday 24th October
Ahoi Ashtami on Thursday28 October
Dhanteras on Tuesday 2nd November
Choti Diwali- Kali Chaudas on Wednesday 3rd November
Diwali- Laxmi Pooja on Thursday 4th November
Govardhan Pooja on Friday 5th November
Bhaiya Dooj on Saturday 6th November

Up to 10 people (including dependents) per day will be able to visit homes in both regional and metropolitan Melbourne.

To ensure this is done safely, it’s highly recommended that Victorians only permit people aged 12 years and over who are fully vaccinated to visit them at home.

Premier Daniel Andrews said, “Victorians have sacrificed so much to protect their families, friends and the whole community from coronavirus – and have saved countless lives because of it.”

“The milestone we’re about to hit marks a new and hopeful path for the whole state – allowing businesses to reopen and Victorians to get back to things they love.”

In metropolitan Melbourne,

The curfew and the 15km travel radius will be lifted, however, movement between regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne will only be allowed for permitted reasons.
This is to ensure Melburnians don’t spread the virus further into regional Victoria while we push to our 80 per cent double vaccinated target.

People in metropolitan Melbourne must continue to work from home if they can. Anyone on the authorised workers’ list is required to have had at least one dose of the vaccine in order to work on-site.

Childcare will be open to children who are already attending, as well as children whose parents or guardians are fully vaccinated.

The return to school plan will also be brought forward in line with the rest of these settings, with the start of the staggered return of Grade 3 to Year 11 in metro Melbourne commencing on Friday 22 October.

Religious gatherings, weddings and funerals: Will be able to take place with up to 50 people outdoors and 20 people indoors subject to density limits and only if all attendees are fully vaccinated. Or, if vaccination status is unknown, 10 people are permitted indoors for funerals, weddings and religious gatherings.

Most outdoor settings – outdoor cafes, cinemas, and physical recreation facilities like pools – will open with up to 50 people per venue but are subject to density limits and only for those fully vaccinated.

Indoor settings – Restaurants and cafes will be able to reopen with up to 20 people indoors with density limits, and only if all attendees – including workers – are fully vaccinated.
This is a higher cap than planned in the initial Roadmap and the change has been made after discussions between the sector and the public health team.  

Large scale construction sites will increase to 100 per cent capacity but only if all workers are fully vaccinated.

Masks will still be required both indoors and outdoors for all Victorians.

In regional Victoria:

Indoor settings – like restaurants, cafes and gyms – will increase from 10 to 30 people per venue, if everyone is fully vaccinated.

Outdoor venues will increase from 20 to up to 100 people per venue, but only if everyone is fully vaccinated. If vaccination status is unknown, the venue can only have a total of 20 people.

The next milestone in the Roadmap will be when Victoria hits the 80 per cent double dose vaccination target, which is predicted to be the first week of November.

Minister for Health Martin Foley said “The rate at which Victorians have been getting vaccinated is nothing short of incredible, but if we want to ensure our health system isn’t overwhelmed and our hospitalisation rates aren’t too high as we open up, we need to keep that momentum going. Today is the day to book that vaccine appointment.”

If you haven’t booked your appointment, please book it today. Over the next week, there are 52,465 first and second dose Pfizer appointments available, 6,244 first and second dose AstraZeneca appointments available and 15,477 first and second dose Moderna available. Victorians can also book a vaccine appointment through their trusted GP or pharmacist.

For more info on the Roadmap or to book a vaccination visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covidsafe-settings.

Understanding Caste and Untouchability in Sikhism: In shadow of lynching of Dalit by Nihangs

Sikhism Rejects Caste System, Sikhs Follow; Picture Source: @velivada
Sikhism Rejects Caste System, Sikhs Follow; Picture Source: @velivada

Let us venture to dwell on this caste malaise prevalent in the Sikhs, both in India as well as abroad. It is noteworthy that the origin of Sikhism started with their Gurus from Nanak Saheb to the tenth Guru Gobind Singhji aka Gobind Rai Ji.

Guru Nanak Ji (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539) was the founder of the lineage or religion of Sikhism; was born in the Hindu Khatri family of the Bedi clan and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. He preached equality of all humans including women and irrespective of any societal discrimination.

When in the Middle East, the West and the rest of Asia – slavery, varna/class and race discrimination was rife and respect between the different classes and caste was at low ebb, Guru Nanak preached against discrimination and prejudices due to race, caste, status, etc. More athttp://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Guru_Nanak

The tenth Guru was Gobind Singhji aka Gobind Rai who ultimately laid the foundation of “Khalsa Panth (the Granth and the Panth)” and had also declared that the Holy Book called “Guru Granth Sahib” will be their final Guru and guide from now on, i.e. after his departure; there will be no more human Guru. This is their ‘Panth’ i.e. the ‘path’ to follow.

The meaning of Khalsa translates to “Sovereign/Free”. Another interpretation is that of being ‘Pure’. A Sikh who has been initiated into the Khalsa is titled Singh (males) and Kaur (females) and commonly referred to as Amritdhari.

Guru Nanak: Where Hinduism and Sikhism meet
Guru Nanak Ji (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539) Picture Source: @CANVA

Sikhs believe that no matter what race, sex, or religion one is, all are equal in God’s eyes. Men and women are equal and share the same rights, and women can lead in prayers.

The traditions and philosophy of Sikhi were established by ten specific gurus from 1469 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion.

It is noteworthy that Guru Nanak was born in the era when the cruellest and barbaric Mughal invader Baaber aka Baabur was repeatedly inflicting his tyrannical atrocities to expand his empire in the Indian subcontinent from present-day Uzbekistan. Baabur also had a great passion to kill people, cut heads of people and create pillars out of the cut head. He claimed to have created several such pillars in his autobiography. More athttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babur

Prof. Baldev Singh ‘Panthi’ has expressed it fairly well in his long researched essay in these words, “The issue of caste in Sikhism is quite complex, always inviting a diversity of impassioned opinions. One thing we can be certain about is that Guru Gobind Singh had abolished all caste inequality with the inception of Khalsa on 13 April 1699 and with the institution of Khanday-Ki-Pahul or the Baptism of Sword.”

Ten interesting facts to know about Sikhism | India News – India TV
Golden Temple, India: Picture Source: @CANVA

“Faithful Sikhs do not practise caste discrimination but this is not to say that all Sikhs necessarily act following their faith. Consequently, the caste does exist in Sikhism, though in a diluted form than found in the rest of Indian society.”

“But at the outset one thing can be confidently stated which is that there is no clearly defined caste hierarchy in Sikh society, leave alone a vertically ordered one. Any layperson or author giving a clearly ordered Sikh caste hierarchy is himself mistaken or is purposefully misleading others.”

This statement is self contradicted by Baldev Singh himself in his same article. We shall refer to it later. As regards misleading is concerned, it is the same concern that has prompted me.

Sikhism and beginnings of Caste curse:

During those days in Asia as well as in Europe, the local kings and rulers used to fight among themselves for most of the time on one or the other pretexts. This was also the case in the lifetime of the evolution of Sikhism in just less than a century and a half of the lives of their ten Gurus.

Prof. Baldev Singh ‘Panthi’ has written a long document elaborating extensively on the castes in Sikh society. Here are some extracts from his essay.

“…the Sixth Guru and his successors found that most of the Rajputs of their time were only interested in petty fights and intrigues and had all but abdicated their responsibilities as Kshatriyas. While they toadied up to the Mughal rulers to protect their petty fiefs, they not only did not defend the rank and file of the Hindu society but were often themselves engaged in the oppression of lower caste Hindus.

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Sant Ravidas ji; Picture Source: Dalit Sikh Panth De Rakhe

Having failed to get the desired response from Rajput rulers after prolonged diplomacy and persuasion, the tenth Guru finally decided to institute a new Order in which each initiated Sikh could play the role of all the four castes. As a Shudra, a Sikh is to believe in the dignity of labour. As a Vaishya, Sikh is meant to engage in commerce with honesty and work for the prosperity of society. As Kshatriya, the Sikh is meant to carry weapons and not shy away from a just fight. And finally, as a Brahman the same Sikh – who has simultaneously all varnas in his being – is to recite Sri Guru Granth Sahib and also play a priestly role whenever needed.

Fighting for both one’s life and faith was the greatest need in the era of Gurus. Therefore, the Kshatriya part of Sikh’s identity got more highlighted in Sikh society but it does not mean that the Shudra, Vaishya and Brahmin aspects of his personality were to be devalued. The dignity of labour is the cornerstone of the Sikh faith and Maryada (prestige or honour). Each Sikh is to take pride in doing service or Seva.”

It is this very assertion by Baldev Singh that is self-contradictory to his earlier boastings above as regards the caste issue. At the same time, it also proves my contention that Sikhs were forced to bifurcate out from their Hindu community to protect them from the atrocities by invading Islamic plunderers and nomadic barbarians. It is certainly disappointing to see that the same class of people who once acted as protectors of Hindus have become disaffected and turned their back against the parent society.

All of the Sikh Gurus were born in the Khatri caste. Guru Nanak’s father Mehta Kalu was also a shopkeeper and he tried his best to make his son follow his caste profession of shopkeeping.

Baldev Singh further extends his apologia, “The reasons for such petty arguments about each others’ relative social status are unfortunate and are to be seen in the backdrop of the colonial era when the trading castes like Khatri and Baniya were perceived to be usurers and exploiters of the misery of indebted farmers from these landowning and agricultural castes. British policies also played some role in fostering already existing schisms among the Indian castes.

For some reason, British army recruiters considered all of these mercantile castes unfit for military service. Khatri Sikhs were sometimes recruited when they happened to have taken up farming and sometimes because of their knowledge of Pashto, which came in handy to the British to deal with the unruly Pathans… While Bhatias mostly did not even find a mention in recruitment manuals of Royal Indian Army, the Aroras were contemptuously dismissed with comments… by the likes of Barstow: “The Arora, whether Sikh or Hindu, is generally unsuited for military service, and men of this class should never be enlisted except under special circumstances.”

Professors Niranjhan Singh and Baldev Singh ‘Panthi’ have both done extensive research on this sensitive issue of castes in Sikhs as well as they also mention its ramifications in other religious communities e.g. Muslims and Christians. However, the work done by Baldev Singh appears more extensive than Vis a Vis Niranjhan Singh. Both have given their detailed accounts in their separate works independently. Both of them have first segregated the various major castes in Sikhs; then enlisted the various subcastes in alphabetical order.

It counts in thousands and is mind-boggling.

It is bewildering that in Sikhism, which is now claimed to be a religion, in such a short period of mere three centuries, the caste in Sikhs is far more deep-rooted than Hindus. Baldev Singh has tried to extend various excuses, apologias and causes for this caste practice in Sikhs; hideously incriminating the British Raj politics also. It certainly was a major factor indeed.

Baldev Singh and Niranjhan Singh have painstakingly tried to enumerate the groups and subgroups in Sikhs, which will be briefly elaborated on herewith.

Various castes and subcastes in Sikhs:

Sikh castes have been grouped under nine major heads altogether with thousands of further subgroups. Anyone interested in detailed bifurcation is requested to ctrl+click on the hyperlinked names which direct to their respective webs with extensive names of various castes and subcastes.

As originally enunciated by Guru Nanakji, it should have been a casteless society. By the time of Guru Gobind Singhji, only in a span of one hundred and forty years, it became imperative for the last Guru Gobind Singhji to accept and perpetuate the four Varna systems as enunciated in ancient Hindu tradition which got corrupted over the time.

Baldev Singh mentions a debate on castes in Sikhs and states, “There has been a vibrant debate within the Sikh Panth on the issue of the caste since late 19th century. Generally, this debate has been shaped by two broad lines of argument.” (1) Castes Exist But All Castes Are Equal. (2) Caste Should Not Exist At All.

Who would disagree on it?

This is a helpless cry towards an indirect debilitating apologia while accepting the caste malaise and suggesting remedies simultaneously. But the remedies have been tried by the Hindus also over centuries, if not millennia; nay there have been painstaking hard societal battles fought by many Hindu socio-political and religious reformist leaders with sincere intention to eradicate it without any fruitful results.

The causes have been both intrinsic as well as extrinsic from the vested interests of the few powerful institutions or individuals or groups whose benefits were/are linked in its perpetual maintenance. The interests may have been either direct fiscally linked or predatory conversions indirectly or for continuing the clandestine rule by divide et impera.

Thus the very existence of caste and its multipronged bewildering subdivisions in small Sikh and Jewish communities could be a very good module to study, first the existence of castes; next to evolve the effective means to eradicate it.

Caste and subcaste groups in Sikhs:

I have been able to access two leading Sikh scholars on this issue; I shall try to briefly touch on their descriptions separately. Both are going to overlap each other slightly.

Professor Niranjhan Singh: Anyone wishing to peruse details of his descriptions is requested to peruse the hyperlinked name. He states the various castes under the following heads.

1. Brahmin surnames: Under two alphabets B and R – 2castes

2. Kshatriya surnames: Under alphabets A, B, C, K, M, S – 21 castes

3. Jatt surnames: Under A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y, – 949 castes

4. Ramgharia surnames: Under B, C, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, S, V – 42 castes

5. Chimba, Darsi, Thank-Kshatriya and Halvyi surnames: Under B, D, G, J, N, T, V – 9 castes

6. Chamaar, Lohaar and Churrah surnames: Under B, D, G, K, R, S – 20 castes. This section also has one separate group with ‘M/L i. e. Moonlighters’ who are counted as a higher class in this otherwise low caste group.

It totals 1043 (One thousand and forty-three) names of castes.

Niranjhan Singh thinks that Gobind Singhji abolished the castes in Sikh communities and it restarted from the period of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Missls (from the Persian word “misl” meaning “similar” or “alike” generally refers to the twelve sovereign states in the Sikh Confederacy). However, his statement is at variance with the view held by Professor Baldev Singh ‘Panthi’.

Baldev Singh feels that the four castes/Varnas were started by Guru Gobind Singhji. He thinks that caste was banned by Guru Nanak Devji from its very inception. But for certain reasons beyond his control, Guru Gobind Singh himself created this system in Sikhs during his lifetime like the four Varnas in Hindus as explained earlier.

Professor Baldev Singh ‘Panthi’ states in the introductory section of his essay under the section of “Major Sikh Castes and Subcastes” e.g. Arora, Khatri, Ramgarhia, Jat, Saini, Kamboh, Mahton, Chhimba, Mohyal, Chamar, etc. Each caste has its sphere of influence and specialization (same as in Hindus – Author). The order of castes… has been randomly mentioned one before the other.

Commercial Castes: Arora, Khatri and Bhatia Sikhs

Aroras and Khatris      

In the cities, Khatri and Arora dominate the sphere of business activities. Khatri and Aroras are essentially identical caste and are primarily a caste of traders, shopkeepers and accountants. Sometimes people belonging to these castes are called “Bhapa Sikhs”.

Bhatias

Another minor Sikh commercial caste is that of Bhatias. Bhatias claim origin from Bhati Rajputs who had taken to shopkeeping.

Zamindar and Agriculturist Castes

Following Sikh castes are essentially agricultural and landowning castes: Jat, Kamboh, Mahton and Saini. In the estimation of the British, only these Sikh castes were temperamentally and physically suited for active military service and warfare like the hardy Scottish Highlanders back home who also made excellent soldiers. The glorious Sikh Regiment, the most decorated regiment of the Indian Army, consisted of these castes primarily, although Labanas and Kalals were also sometimes recruited.

Artisan Castes

Ramgarhia is also a prominent Sikh caste. According to McLeod, the present-day Ramgarhias are a caste formed by the merging of Nais (barbers), Raj (blacksmiths) and Tarkhans (carpenters). They are primarily expert carpenters and blacksmiths.

Brahman Sikhs

Brahman, supposedly the highest caste among Hindus, does not have the same rank in Punjab, especially among Sikhs. In rural areas, most of them are ordinary farmers and generally not as prosperous as Jats, Mahtons and Sainis etc. They also used to work as cooks in villages… In the urban area, they also do shopkeeping.

Nomadic and Wandering Castes

Another caste within Sikhs worth mentioning is that of Saansis. It is not a Sikh caste with significant numbers but they have produced one of the greatest Sikh personalities, i.e. Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This is a caste of vagabonds and gypsies. They claim origin from Bhati Rajputs and were enlisted as a criminal tribe by the British.

Labana is another Sikh caste. They were considered to be akin to Banjaras or gypsies but a considerable number of them are also settled in agricultureLabanas engaged in agriculture are also called Labana Jats.

Service Castes

Among the Dalit caste groups are prominent ones – Chamars and Chooras. Both communities are called Mazhabi Sikhs. The word Chamar is derived from Charmakar or leather tanner. They used to be expert shoe-makers. Some poor men and women of this caste also work as labourers on the farms…

Discrimination against them as stated before unfortunately still exists in Sikh society. For this reason, Mazhbi Sikh brethren are extended reservation as scheduled caste in India. Mazhbi Sikhs have in the past made a sterling contribution to Sikhism both as mystics and soldiers. 

Bhagat Ravidas belonged to the Chamar caste but is accorded the highest respect in Sikhism with his poetry being included in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. In recent times Sardar Buta Singh is a well-known Mazhbi Sikh politician.

Baldev Singh makes a detailed dissection and the above extract does show the real menace on account of castes in the Sikh community. Here is a brief list of the Castes he further dwelt upon in his next section in Sikh Caste Names.

1. Bhatia Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, G, J, K, R, S, W – 18 castes

2. Jat Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y – 995 castes. This group is the largest of all, perhaps due to their agriculture profession.

3. Mahton Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, G, H, J, K, L, M, P, S, T, W – 48 castes

4. Kalal or Ahluwalia subcastes: A, B, C, D, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, Y – 67 castes

5. Kamboh Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, S, T – 104 castes

6. Khatri Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, G, H, J, K, L. M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W – 144 castes

7. Arora Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W – 310 castes

8. Ramgarhia Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W – 454 castes

9. Saini Sikh subcastes: A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, S, T, U, V – 193 castes

All these numbers add to a staggering figure of 2643 (Two thousand six hundred forty-three). This is no mean figure. Thus this menace of caste curse is as bad in the contemporary Sikhs as it is in any other society. It should be noted that Baldev Singh spells ‘Ramgarhia’ while Niranjhan Singh has spelt it ‘Ramgharia’ and both are the same except for the individual variant in its spelling. Perhaps my inclination would be for Baldev Singh’s spelling.

It is pointed out that Sikhism is only a toddler in religious history. Jews are only a few million in number and are fighting for their establishment in Israel; yet both have, more or less, been stung by the hornet of castes. One only needs to stretch their imagination to think of an order vibrantly flourishing since times immemorial, for countless millennia despite being persecuted from time to time by rapacious savage profligates of barren deserts and beyond.

Author: Dr O. P. Sudrania

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The Australia Today is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of The Australia Today and The Australia Today News does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

This article was first published in The Chakra and we have republished it with their kind permission.

Filed Under: Dharmic InsightHinduism Tagged With caste all religions, casteism, castes, castes in all religions, Hindu castes, Hinduism, religion castes, Sikh casteSikh castes

Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings wins 4th IPL title

Faf du Plessis’ 86-run knock backed up by a spirited bowling performance helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.

With this, MS Dhoni’s lineup won the IPL trophy for the fourth time, having previously won the tournament in 2010, 2011, and 2018.

Chasing 193, KKR got off to a rollicking start as the opening duo of Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill put on 55 runs inside the first six overs.

Iyer continued with his form and he brought up his half-century off just 31 balls in the 10th over of the innings. It seemed like the opening stand was finally broken by Ravindra Jadeja as he had Gill caught, but the replays showed the ball hit the ‘spider-cam’, and hence it was deemed as ‘dead ball’ and the batter got a reprieve. At the halfway mark, KKR’s score read 88/0.

However, Iyer (50) was finally sent back to the pavilion in the 11th over by Shardul Thakur and the 91-run opening stand came to an end. In the very same over, Nitish Rana was dismissed for a duck, and KKR was reduced to 93/2, still needing 100 runs for the win from 54 balls.

The next to fall for KKR were Sunil Narine (2), Shubman Gill (51), Dinesh Karthik (9), and Shakib Al Hasan (0) and the innings quickly derailed with Eoin Morgan’s side left at 120/6 in the 15th over, still needing 73 runs for the win. In the end, the task proved too much for KKR, and CSK ended up winning the IPL 2021 title.

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Earlier, Faf du Plessis brought his A-game to play a knock of 86 runs and help CSK post a total of 192/3 against KKR.

Sent into bat, CSK got off to a steady start as openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis put on 50 runs inside the first six overs. During this course, Gaikwad went on to leapfrog KL Rahul to become the leading run-scorer in this year’s IPL.

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The much-needed breakthrough to KKR was provided by Sunil Narine as he dismissed Gaikwad (32) in the 9th over, ending the 61-run opening stand.

Faf du Plessis continued on his merry way and he completed his half-century in the 11th over of the innings with CSK nicely poised at 97/1. Robin Uthappa scored 31 off 15 balls and he proved a perfect foil to Faf and the duo put on 63 runs for the second wicket.

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However, Narine once again got among the action as he dismissed Uthappa in the 14th over, reducing CSK to 124/2.

Moeen Ali next came out to bat and he also played the very same way and KKR bowlers were left searching for answers. In the final three overs, CSK managed to add 39 more runs, taking the score past the 190-run mark. For Dhoni’s side, Moeen remained unbeaten 37.

IPL 2021: Gaikwad wins Orange Cap, Harshal Patel takes Purple

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, Ruturaj Gaikwad held the Orange Cap, while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowler Harshal Patel took the Purple Cap in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 24-year-old Gaikwad registered a total of 635 runs in 16 matches in the IPL 2021. On the other hand, the 30-year-old Harshal scalped 32 wickets in 15 matches of this IPL season. During the course of this season, Harshal tied the record of CSK bowler Dwayne Bravo of taking the most wickets in a single IPL edition.

RCB ended its IPL 2021 campaign in third place with 18 points on the points table. RCB lost against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator game of IPL 2021 on October 11.

Brief Scores: CSK 192/3 (Faf du Plessis 86, Moeen Ali 37*; Sunil Narine 2-26) vs KKR 165/9 (Shubman Gill 51, Venkatesh Iyer 50; Shardul Thakur 3-38).

Vishal Jood onboard flight to India will be with his family within hours

Vishal Jood: Picture Source: The Australia Today
Vishal Jood: Picture Source: The Australia Today

Indian International student who entangled in a vicious conspiracy of Khalistan supports in Sydney will finally be united with his mother.

Sources have confirmed to The Australia Today that Vishal Jood is onboard a flight to Singapore accompanied by two Australian Border officers for his safety.

One of the officers who was closely working on the case told The Australia Today on the condition of anonymity that Mr Jood was immediately sent back to India as per the legal requirements.

Vishal Jood was lodged in a Sydney jail after he was accused by Khalistanis, He was released from custody earlier today. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Vishal-1.jpg
Vishal Jood: Picture Source: The Australia Today

“Vishal Jood’s lawyer Amendra Singh from @OpalLegal tweeted, “I am pleased to advise that Vishal Jood is currently onboard a flight to India.”

The Australia Today has reported how Khalistani elements attacked Indian International students including Vishal Jood for opposing insulting Indian tricolour.

Ravi Jood brother of Vishal told The Australia Today, “My mother is looking forward to seeing him as he is the eldest son who fought for the pride of India.”

“This Diwali will be special, our whole village is preparing to welcome him. We will decorate every house to showcase our respect for Vishal.”

Sandeep a social activist told The Australia Today, “We are organising three welcome programmes for Vishal Jood on Sunday, 17 October.”

We will start from Panipat, the second stoppage will be Karnal and finally reach Kurukshetra for a community meeting where Vishal will expose Khalistani conspiracy.”

Barbarism at farmers’ protest in India: Man’s body with wrist chopped left hanging at Police barricade

Image source: Singhu Border - Twitter video.

In a most barbaric and shocking incident, the body of a 35-year-old unidentified man was found near the main stage of protesting farmers at Singhu Border near Kundli in Haryana’s Sonipat district.

The man was brutally murdered, his left wrist chopped off and his body left hanging from a barricade near farmers’ protest site.

The incident has caused outrage among the various farmers’ groups who were initially not allowing the police to visit the protest site.

The officials of the Kundli police station were allowed to take the body to the nearby civil hospital.

Image source: Twitter.

According to available reports, the Nihangs beat the young man to death for allegedly on suspicion of desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs’ holy book.

Nihangs who are considered armed groups within the Sikh religion are being accused of murdering the young man.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions leading the agitation against the three new farm laws, distanced itself from the entire incident.

SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal told Indian Media,

“Nihaangs behind the incident. They have accepted it. Nihaangs have been causing trouble to us from the beginning.”

In the video, Nihangs who are carrying spears can be seen surrounding the young man’s body.

The Nihangs could be clearly heard demanding the man tell them his name and native village.

The height of barbarity and cold-bloodedness can be seen as none of the men in the video make any move to help the young man.

Earlier this year in March, two police officers were seriously injured in a brutal incident in Sur Singh village of Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.

Image source: YouTube.

According to police, this confrontation had erupted after police received information that two Nihangs had entered the area after carrying out a murder in Maharashtra.

In this incident, the Nihangs attacked the cops and were shot dead eventually.

The Kundli police have not yet commented on the gruesome incident that has just happened at Singhu border.

However, this incident has taken the social media by storm.

As always people in India are hopeful that the really perpetrators will be soon arrested by the police. However, they are asking who will bring to justice those masterminds who have enabled this lawlessness under the ruse of farmers’ protest?

No Quarantine – No caps on International arrivals: NSW opens from 1 November

Australian Airport: Picture Source: @CANVA
Australian Airport: Picture Source: @CANVA

The real freedom for NSW residents comes from 1 November.
NSW Government will remove all quarantine requirements and caps for overseas arrivals who the Federal Government recognises as fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine.

The NSW government has not provided advice about testing requirements for arrivals. However, Health authorities will be provided with a separate guideline about it in the coming days.

Fully vaccinated travellers already in quarantine will also complete their quarantine requirements on November 1, even if it is less than 14-days.

International travellers who are not fully vaccinated will be capped at 210 people per week and will be required to undergo mandatory 14-days hotel quarantine.

However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has clarified this opening of unrestricted International travel is only for Australian citizens, Permanent residents and close family members.

Travel within NSW:

Travel between Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast) and Regional NSW will also be permitted from 1 November, to allow people in the regions more time to receive their second vaccine.

To support regional businesses likely to be impacted by this change the NSW Government will defer the second taper of the JobSaver program until October 31.

“Eligible regional businesses will receive 30 per cent of weekly payroll, before tapering payments to the scheduled 15 per cent from November 1.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the easing of restrictions and return of overseas travellers would help reunite families and be a significant boost for the economy.

“We have reached this vaccination milestone quicker than anyone thought we could, and that is a testament to the hard work of people across the State turning out to get vaccinated,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Welcoming back fully vaccinated travellers will not only mean families and friends can be home in time for Christmas, but it will also give our economy a major boost.”

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the tough decision had been made to delay travel between Regional NSW and Greater Sydney, by 1 November, it’s expected more than 77 per cent of regional LGAs will be fully vaccinated.

Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres welcomed the 80 per cent reopening and recognised it as an important step on the road to recovery.

“We are opening up locally and we are opening up to the world. Now is a time for people to come together in a safe way whether it be returning home from overseas or enjoying your favourite local venue.”

All premises continue to operate at one person per 4sqm indoors and one person per 2sqm outdoors.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the NSW community had done an extraordinary job to reach the 80 per cent double dose vaccination target and was leading Australia out of the pandemic.

“The people of NSW have pulled together to achieve this fantastic outcome and bring us closer to life as we knew it before the pandemic, but we’re not there yet,” Mr Hazzard said.

“We can’t forget that COVID is still circulating amongst us in NSW and we need to keep getting vaccinated to push the double dose rates even higher. We want to get as close to 100 per cent double vaccination as possible to keep everyone safe.”

NSW residents will still need to comply with COVID-Safe check-ins and provide proof of vaccination to staff in most settings.

More restrictions will be relaxed on 1 December, as previously announced in the Reopening NSW Roadmap.

To find out how to download a copy of your vaccination certificate visit the Services Australia website. If you are not booked in for a COVID-19 vaccine, please book an appointment as soon as possible.

For the latest information and to view the 80 per cent Roadmap and lifting of restrictions, visit nsw.gov.au

Khalistani’s attack Hindu leader Yogesh Khattar’s business in Sydney, Police looking for culprits

Khalistani's attack Hindu leader Yogesh Khattar's business in Sydney; Picture Source: The Australia Today
Khalistani's attack Hindu leader Yogesh Khattar's business in Sydney; Picture Source: The Australia Today

President of New South Wales Arya Pritinidhi Sabha Yogesh Khatar’s business in Sydney’s North Mead is allegedly attacked by Khalistani elements.

Mr Khattar told The Australia Today, “I generally work till late at my business but left a little early yesterday. looks like the attackers didn’t find me so angrily destroyed our vehicles.”

But why would someone attack a Hindu leader?

The story goes a few months back when violent Khalistani elements of Sydney attacked Indian International Students for opposing their propaganda.

Mr Khattar helped and supported one such student Vishal Jood to fight his legal case who got entangled in a conspiracy of Khalistani elements.

After a successful plea bargain, Vishal Jood is supposed to be released from NSW Prison on 15 October and the whole Khalistani gang is angry about it.

Mr Khattar told The Australia Today, “On Wednesday 13 October afternoon I received a call from NSW Police Multicultural liaison officer about a video floating on a social media platform.”

“I told her on the phone that I had no idea about any video and have not seen it.”

“This video apperently had appeal for a ‘Victory rally’ on Vishal Jood’s release. And surprisingly it had my picture and phone number,”

added Mr Khattar.

“I am mostly aware of what’s going on in the community but if other community leaders and I didn’t know about this video that means someone has purposely made it to malign the Hindu community,” explained Mr Khattar.

Mr Khattar told NSW Police’s multicultural community liaison officer that he had no plan to organise any victory rally however requested her to look into who has uploaded and who were circulating such a video.

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Representative Picture of NSW Police; Picture Source: @NSWPOLICE

After consulting with his lawyer Mr Khattar has already filed a Police complaint about maliciously using his phone number and photo in the alleged video.

“These Khalistani elements are vicious, they plan, plot and execute to propagate their hate-filled agendas. This time they tried to trap me the way they did to Vishal Jood,”

said Mr Khattar.

Unfortunately, this is not the end of the story.

Mr Khattar suspects the ‘extremist Khalistani gang’ is doing the mischief and targeting him to physically harm.

Representative Picture of Khalistan; Picture Source: @CANVA

Ramesh Singh (name changed) is a Hindu community activist in Sydney. He told The Australia Today, What if these people would have found Yogesh Khattar at his business and attacked, their agenda to spread hate and animosity between communities would have been successful.

This fear is not unfounded, Khalistani elements have attacked multiple Indian International students in Sydney who opposed them during the peak of the Farmers protests in India. Many are still being investigated by NSW Police.

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Representative Picture of NSW Police; Picture Source: @CANVA

Mr Khattar says,

“I and my family are living in fear of an imminent attack. I suspect my business was also attacked by the same Khalistani group.”

Parramatta Police Commander had a meeting with Mr Khattar this morning where he was assured that extra vigilance will be done and Petrol car frequency will be increased around his business.

Police Commander has also deputed an IT team to urgently look into the digital footprints of the Video.

Ramesh Singh says unless NSW police take strict action against these extremist Khalistani elements community will not feel safe.


Hockey India slams Belgium federation’s racist’, ‘mental intimidation’ after Indian players winning awards

Indian men's hockey team clinch bronze, win medal after 41 years; Picture Source: Hockey India
Indian men's hockey team clinch bronze, win medal after 41 years; Picture Source: Hockey India

Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningobam has written to International Hockey Federation telling that Hockey India is disappointed with the reaction shown by some of the national associations on Indian athletes being handed by FIH Hockey Stars Awards.

Earlier, International hockey’s European bloc, led by the Belgium federation, criticised the sport’s global governing body (FIH) and its voting system over the choice of winners for this edition’s FIH annual awards where Indian players swept the top honours across different categories.

Mr Gyanendro Ningobam said in a statement, “I write to you today on behalf of the Hockey India Executive Board that is very disturbed by the reaction of some National Associations and athletes to the announcement of the Indian nominees as the winners of the recently announced FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2021.”

“We believe that the public statements of displeasure at the announcement of the Indian winners is highly disrespectful and not in the spirit of sportsmanship and the sport of Hockey,”

said the Hockey India President in his letter.

The Indian athletes and Coaches were nominated by a panel of their peers and are just as deserving of the awards as any of the other nominees. The criteria for the selection of the winners of the awards were clearly shared with all National Associations including Hockey India along with the nominees.

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‘Hockey India made great efforts to ensure good participation across all categories from our country and now feel publicly penalised for the full-hearted participation and support of the Indian nominees,” he added.

FIH Hockey Stars’ ceremony handed out awards to Gurjit Kaur (FIH Player of the Year, Women), Harmanpreet Singh (FIH Player of the Year, Men), Savita (FIH Goalkeeper of the Year, Women), PR Sreejesh (FIH Goalkeeper of the Year, Men), Sharmila Devi (FIH Rising Star of the Year, Women) and Vivek Prasad (FIH Rising Star of the Year, Men).

“It is disappointing that the Belgium Federation would prefer to question the voting system and the legitimacy of the Indian winners then actually take responsibility for not encouraging more voting and supporting their athletes in the first place. There is no doubt that any of the nominees would have been suitable winners however the voting system has been clear from the start and those that had put in the effort to vote have made their preferences clear,” wrote Ningobam.

“The core of the matter is that these national associations need to first introspect to see their actual level of participation and interest right from the start instead of now questioning the system once results are announced not in their favour. lt has already been stated by FIH that the Asian continent facilitated by the Asian Hockey Federation was very active in ensuring their “National Associations” vote counted,” he added.

Hockey India President also said that it is quite shameful to see European Hockey Federation sitting quiet and not taking any responsibility for the lack of seriousness in voting.

“lt is shameful in contrast that the European Hockey Federation is sitting quiet and not taking responsibility for the lack of activation and seriousness in voting by that their Member Associations while also allowing their athletes and Member Associations undermine the results and showing disrespect to the winners,” said the Hockey India President.

The Indian athletes have legitimately won the polls, in most cases across all three categories yet the shine of winning has been totally undermined by such negative comments by fellow athletes and National Associations. ls it fair that the hard work and efforts of these athletes are being scrutinised and they are being put through such harassment and mental intimidation because they and their National Association made a full commitment to the market and promote themselves,” he stated further.

Signing off, the Hockey India President stated: “We are with this letter requesting the FtH CEO, Thierry Weil to either kindly request the Belgium Federation to issue an official public apology for the demeaning comments on the achievements of the Indian athletes and coaches on social media and if not then refer this matter to the FIH Governance Panel for a thorough investigation into what is discrimination.”

Australia’s peak Islamic council cancels online forum with extremist ‘Taliban’ after backlash

Image source: AFIC website.
Image source: AFIC website.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) has now cancelled a special online forum that would have included two senior Taliban representatives.

AFIC describes itself as the peak group representing Muslims in Australia.

Image source: AFIC website.

AFIC was holding the event on Saturday (16th October 2021 at 5.30 pm ADST) to discuss the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Muslim diaspora.”

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is the extremist outfit Taliban’s official name for their country amid the chaotic withdrawal of US-led forces.

Australians have raised concerns over this online session and condemned AFIC for supporting it online.

A senior member of the Muslim community told The Sydney Morning Herald that this event “throws the whole Muslim community under the bus just to get some attention.”

An online petition demanding an apology from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils has got almost one hundred and fifty thousand signatures.

In another post, AFIC blamed the Australian Hazara community for the backlash.

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AFIC’s promotional social media post for the event states:

“AFIC has brought together a stellar panel of speakers for an online forum on the future of Afghanistan and our role regardless of whether we are in favour or against recent developments.”

Image source: Imam Abdul Quddoos Al Azhari – AIIC.

Among the “stellar speakers” were AFIC’s President Rateb Jneid and Imam Abdul Quddoos Al Azhari.

Al Azhari was declared to be Australia’s grand mufti by AFIC despite the role already being filled by another Imam.

He holds a Diploma of Education and two Masters in Sharia and Arabic language.

Image source: Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen – Wikipedia.

Amongst the six speakers also include Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen and Sayed Abdul Basir Sabiri.

These two senior figures are representatives of the hardline Islamic group.

Members of the Afghan Australia Cultural Council Inc. have raised concerns over silencing of Afghan community in Australia.

“What is the Afghan community doing in silencing this event and having it cancelled? How can we let another corrupt organisation like AFIC give these terrorists a platform?”

Some have cliamed to even reported AFIC’s event to the National security hotline.

Image source: NSW Labor’s police and counter-terrorism spokesman Walt Secord – Twitter.

NSW Labor’s police and counter-terrorism spokesman Walt Secord has called the online event “irresponsible.”

Speaking in the NSW Parliament, Secord said:

“This event looks like a road map to radicalisation. I am absolutely disgusted that any organisation in Australia would provide a platform to the Taliban and their primitive views.”

Image source: One Nation Leader Mark Latham – One Nation.

One Nation Leader Mark Latham told Sky News it is “completely unacceptable” that the AFIC is promoting such a forum.

“Australian soldiers lost their lives combatting them, they seem to be unrepentant in terms of the sort of discrimination and oppression they force upon their own people in Afghanistan and we don’t want those messages coming into Australia.”

He added that “Someone’s got to step in and bring some common sense to it.”

Image source: Nazeem Hussain – Wikipedia.

Well-known Australian comedian Nazeem Hussain commented on a Facebook post promoting the event:

“Ummm … Is AFIC hosting a Zoom call with the Taliban? Or is this a joke post?”

Broadcaster Justin Smith told Sky News that the Taliban speaking at an AFIC event is “not a free speech issue.”

“These are some of the worst people in the world. This is a little bit like if a Christian organisation decided to get three members of the KKK to speak at an event.”

Image source: AFIC chief executive Keysar Trad – AFIC website.

AFIC Chief Executive Officer Keysar Trad has defended the event citing the ‘Taliban’ as the recognised government of Afghanistan.

“Our members have serious concerns about and for the future of Afghanistan. We have many members who are Afghan-Australians and they want to hear directly about what the future holds.” 

He further claimed that the vast majority of community members support this online event.

“We are migrants not virus. Allow us back”: Visa holders stage protest in India

Image source: NZOffshoreMigrants - Twitter.

Recently, a group of 80 Indians who live in New Zealand either on migrant or student visas staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

In a tweet, the protestors claim that despite paying thousands of dollars and having a valid work visas, Indian offshore migrants are fighting for their rights.

“Because The PM of New Zealand @jacindaardern and Immigration Minister keep ignoring these migrants for more than 19 months.”

For the past 18 months, these people have been stranded in India as New Zealand has suspended travel from India due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Image source: NZOffshoreMigrants – Twitter.

The group is led by Jagdeep Singh who worked at a healthcare logistics company in New Zealand.

Jagdeep Singh has been stuck in India since 2020 following a family visit with his newborn daughter.

“I had come with my wife and daughter after the baby’s birth, but then got stranded here due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, our temporary visas expired, and now neither the Indian nor the New Zealand government are helping us return to our homes.”

Jagdeep Singh told the media that all of those who returned to India for various personal reasons are now in a similar situation.

“Many of the protesters are students who are unable return to complete their education. Our entire lives, work, properties, everything is there,” said Mr Singh.

“Eighty per cent of people’s temporary visas have expired in the last one year, and the New Zealand government has closed all offshore file processes,”

added Mr Jagdeep Singh.

The protestors have written to  written to both the Indian and New Zealand governments but but no one has bothered to resolve their problem.

Image source: NZOffshoreMigrants – Twitter.

Rini Mohandas has tweeted that due to the delays in opening borders between India and New Zealand, many migrants and students’ visas have expired.

“Many of us visas are expired including split families, post study wrk visas due to border closure for no reason. Other valid visa holders are stuck. We are suffering for mor than 20 months now.”

Another protestor, Harpreet Singh, has tweeted to the leaders of India and New Zealand highlighting his despairing situation.

“Life is destroyed, disturbed and depressed due to corona virus.”

In his tweet, Pritpal Chopra has summed up the frustration felt by these stranded migrants.

“We are migrant not virus. Allow us back.”

The protestors tweeted that the NZ Government and Immigration promotes work rights after study and an easy residency pathway after study. However, the reality of New Zealand immigration is very different.

“In reality, they are fighting for rights but didn’t get a single word from @jacindaardern or @KrisinMana for 19 months.”

Image source: New Zealand PM Jacinda Arden – Twitter.

In a statement, the protestors said that they will continue to protest every day until they get some assurance from these governments.

“Please understand every migrant stuck offshore has worked hard and paid lots of taxes for the growth of the New Zealand economy.

So please give us the same respect, value and support as the New Zealand government has given for current onshore migrants.”

The protesters demanded that the New Zealand government immediately allow them to return.

Image source: NZOffshoreMigrants – Twitter.

Is ‘Asylum’ real reason why Australia is likely to postpone Afghanistan Test?

Afghanistan Cricket team; Picture Source: ACB Media
Afghanistan Cricket team; Picture Source: ACB Media

Cricket Australia is all set to officially postpone the one-off Test Afghanistan later this week.

“We’ve made our position very clear that we support cricket as a sport for both women and men,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley as saying.

“We’ve been trying to get clarity on what the situation is. It’s obviously a difficult, complex, and challenging situation,” said Mr Hockley.

“It’s most likely we’ll postpone the Hobart Test match until such time that there is greater clarity, and we’ll be making some announcements in the coming days,”

he added.

Sydney based Mr X (Who doesn’t want to reveal his identity) is a security consultant working closely with multiple agencies on the Afghanistan situation.

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Afghanistan Cricket team leaving for T20 world cup officials; Picture Source: ACB Media

He told The Australia Today, “Cricket Australia has been briefed on potential asylum applications in Australia by a large part of Afghanistan’s test team and support staff once they finish the one-off Test in Hobart.”

“In light of ICC’s go-ahead to Afghanistan to participate in upcoming T20 World Cup, I think this briefing will have a big a role on Cricket Australia’s decision about Hobart Test,”

explained Mr X.

On Sunday, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Acting CEO Geoff Allardice had said that the apex cricket body is keeping a table on change of regime in Afghanistan, however, he confirmed that Afghanistan will indeed take part in the T20 World Cup.

“They are a full member of the ICC and their team is preparing for the T20 World Cup. In terms of their preparation for the event, it is proceeding as planned,”

he added.

“Yes, when the change of regime took place in Afghanistan in August, we have been in regular contact with their cricket board, our primary involvement is to support cricket in that country through the member board, we have said all along that we are waiting to see how things unfold under the different regime in that country,” said Allardice.

Melbourne based lawyer Molina Asthana is the Founder of Multicultural Women in Sport.
She told The Australia Today, “I think sport should take an active role in upholding human rights considering the international reach most sporting codes have. 

“If the opportunity presented itself to a sporting code or the government to support players seeking Asylum, it should be embraced. We have seen that with the massive effort made by Craig Foster and others to evacuate the Afghan female athletes and resettle them in Australia,”

said Ms Asthana.
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Afghanistan Cricket team; Picture Source: ACB Media

Earlier, Cricket Australia (CA) had said that the planned men’s Test match against Afghanistan in November would not go ahead if the country does not support women’s cricket following the Taliban takeover.

“Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia. Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level,” Cricket Australia said in its official statement.

“If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart,” it added.

With 500,000 free visas, India ready to welcome Australian tourists

Delhi Airport; Picture Source: @CANVA
Delhi Airport; Picture Source: @CANVA

In view of the improved COVID-19 situation in India, the Government of India has decided to commence issuing Tourist visas.

The visas will be issued for tourist groups from 15 October 2021 and for individual tourists from 15 November 2021.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official statement says:

“All Covid-19 protocols and norms notified by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to be adhered to by foreign tourists, carriers bringing them into India, and other stakeholders at landing stations.”

The Indian government has also announced that the first 500,000 visas would be issued free of charge.

Further, from November 15, tourists could travel via non-chartered flights, particularly those run as part of Vande Bharat Mission or under ‘air bubble’ arrangements with different countries.

Popular Indian tourist destinations such as Goa, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Sikkim have vaccinated 100% of their populations with the first dose.

Earlier, in interaction with Goa’s political leaders and health workers Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said:

“Travel and tourism stakeholders will be given loans of up to ₹10 lakh with a 100% guarantee by the government. Tourist guides are being given the facility of taking a loan of up to ₹1 lakh.”

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all visas granted to foreigners were suspended last year.

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The Indian government had slowly lifted restrictions on most categories of foreign visas, such as diplomats and businesspeople.

This would be good news for many Indian-origin citizens of Australia, Canada, the US, the UK, and other countries who do not have an OCI card and rely on tourist visas to travel to India.

Indian-origin Girl from Ludhiana Shree Saini becomes Miss World America 2021

Image source: Shree Saini - Facebook.
Image source: Shree Saini - Facebook.

Shree Saini, a 25-year-old from Washington State, has become the first Indian-American to win the crown of Miss World America 2021.

Her family has various business ventures including Shree’s Truck Stop.

Shree has studied journalism at the University of Washington, and non-degree courses in acting at Yale School of Drama, non-profit management at Harvard and social entrepreneurship at Stanford University.

After winning the contest, Shree wrote on Instagram:

“I am the first American of Indian origin and first Asian to be crowned Miss World America.”

Shree’s story is very unique amongst the pageant winners to be crowned.

Image source: Shree Saini – Facebook.

She was born in Ludhiana and has lived in the United States since the age of 5.

Shree is an advocate for heart health as she herself has had a permanent pacemaker since she was 12.

According to her website, Shree began dancing at age 3 and continued to dance, even after receiving a pacemaker at 12.

“To regain her strength, Shree took extra dance classes and danced up to 6 hours a day for years. Shree is trained in ballet en pointe, contemporary, jazz, clogging and she even danced in her college hip hop team.”

Apart from being bullied as a child for her ethnic background, in her freshman year of college, Shree also overcame a major fatal car accident which left her with burns all over her face.

At the young age of 15, Shree with the help of her family created a non-profit dedicated to advocating and raising money for heart health, mental and emotional health.

She told ABC7:

“My parents really helped me in that moment of adversity. They told me to constantly choose resilience. And I think in our life, we are going to be always, be met with hardships but what truly defines our life is our choices that we make.”

Image source: Shree Saini – Facebook.

In addition, Shree holds the prestigious position of “MWA National Beauty with a Purpose Ambassador.”

Image source: Shree Saini – Facebook.

This is a position that Shree earned by working tirelessly to help those less fortunate and in need.

In 2021, Kittitas County commissioners announced April 21 as “Shree Saini Day” as a way of honouring her community service.

In her statement after winning Shree Saini said:

“I am happy and quite nervous. I can’t express my feelings (in words). All the credit goes to my parents, especially my mother because of whose support I am here. Thank you Miss World America for this honour.”

Image source: Shree Saini – Facebook.

The official social media handle of Miss World America wrote:

“We are certain Shree will continue to immaculately embody Beauty With A Purpose, and no doubt will be successful in raising awareness and attention to the Miss World America mission. Stay tuned and follow the Miss World America 2021 journey!”

Shree says being Miss World America was her childhood dream and she wishes to inspire others to rise above their challenges.

“My family is an immigrant family and we know the amount of resources, love and opportunities America has to offer. Truly, anyone can come here and start from the bottom and really go after any dream they aspire to.”

She was crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018 at a pageant held in the Fords City of New Jersey.

Image source: Screenshot – ABC.

Indian beauty queen and Bollywood actor Diana Hayden crowned Shree Saini at the event, which was held at Miss World America headquarters in Los Angeles. 

WATCH VIDEO: Miss World America 2021 Shree Saini on ABC!

No more crores from pan masala brand for Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, steps down as face of Kamla Pasand

Amitabh Bachchan -Kamla Pasand Masala controversy; Picture Source: Twitter @harit_hk
Amitabh Bachchan -Kamla Pasand Masala controversy; Picture Source: Twitter @harit_hk

Bollywood’s veteran Super Star Amitabh Bachchan on his 79th birthday announced his withdrawal from the advertising campaign of pan masala brand Kamla Pasand.

He said that he wasn’t aware that it ‘falls under surrogate advertising’

In a recent blog post, Mr Bachchan revealed that he stepped down as the face of a paan masala brand as he was “unaware” of some of the details.

The statement shared on his blog said “From the office of Mr Amitabh Bachchan”, read, “Kamala Pasand … a few days after the commercial was aired, Mr Bachchan contacted the brand and stepped out of it last week.”

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The statement continued,

“Upon checking why this sudden move – it was revealed that when Mr Bachchan became associated with the brand, he wasn’t aware that it falls under surrogate advertising Mr Bachchan has terminated the contract with the Brand, has written to them his termination and has returned the money received for the promotion.”

This move comes weeks after India’s national Anti-tobacco organisation had reportedly requested him to refrain from endorsing pan masala as it could help prevent youngsters from getting addicted to tobacco.

Earlier Mr Bachchan replied to the organisation, “If some people are getting benefits from an industry, we should not think as to ‘why am I getting associated with it?’ If it is an industry, then we too should think of it as our industry. Now, you may think that I should not be doing it, but I get paid for it.”

Social commentators in India were against Mr Bachchan’s stand and were running social media campaigns against the celebrities endorsing such products.

Meanwhile, on the work front, the actor has been busy hosting the new season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. Speaking of films, he will be seen in ‘Good Bye’, ‘Brahmastra’, and ‘The Intern’ remake.

Eight Bravehearts with disabilities scale Siachen Glacier to make World Record

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)
Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

A team of eight Indians created a new world record for the ‘largest number of people with disabilities to scale the world’s highest battlefield, the Siachen Glacier.

History was created when these eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet on 11th September 2021.

This group was trained and led by Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW), a team of Special Forces Veterans from the Indian Armed Forces. The expedition was actively supported throughout by the Indian Army, helping make this unique and powerful expedition, a success.

The Champions

This expedition known as ‘Operation Blue Freedom’ included Havilder Ajay Kumar, Mahesh Nehra, Lobzang Chospel, Pushpak Gawande, Chhonzin Angmo, Akshat Rawat, Maj Dwarakesh and Irfan Ahmed Mir, who have created history with their incredible achievement.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

1- Pushpak Gawande is a right-hand amputee from Nasik, Maharashtra. He lost his right hand to an electric shock at the age of 12. After being hospitalised for over four months, for the next two years he was not able to come out and face society. With his family’s support, he finally decided to step outdoors and test himself. Since then, he has never stopped. Pushpak has been a junior national football player, a state athlete in hurdles, 400m, and 200m. This gave him the confidence and belief that he is no less than anyone else.

“I just lost a hand, not my courage,”

SAYS PUSHPAK GAWANDE.
Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

2- Lobzang Chospel is a resident of Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre in Ladakh. He is 100% blind. Yet, one of the happiest persons on earth. His disability has not stopped him from doing things that he loves. Lobzang is a candle maker, a massage therapist, and a music lover who walks around with his radio, listening to music and humming his songs.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

3- Mahesh Nehra: A 36-year-old right-hand amputee from Rajasthan lost his hand during a machinery accident in the year 2015. After the accident, he worked very hard with just one hand and went on to become the first-ever disabled PTI Physical teacher in Rajasthan. He has trained over 3000 disabled students over the past few years. He joined this expedition with only one goal in his mind- to achieve the world record and motivate and help other disabled children achieve great things in their lives.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

4- Chhonzin Angmo: A 25-year-old from Himachal Pradesh, lost her eyesight at the age of 8. But this braveheart never let her disability stop her from exploring her life to its fullest. As an avid adventure seeker and a para-athlete, she completed her Basic Mountaineering Training and two-cycle expeditions from Manali to Khardung La. Ms Angmo is also a national judo player.

”My blindness is not my weakness, it’s my strength,”

says Chhonzin Angmo.
Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-10-05-at-5.04.25-PM-1-1024x682.jpeg

5- Akshat Rawat from Uttarakhand is a solo traveller and an artist. He lost both his hands in an accident. He is living his life without prosthetic hands for the last 13 years. Despite innumerable challenges and difficulties, Akshat didn’t lose hope and started doing everything in his own way.  He is a determined 19-year-old, who did what only a few could ever do, by climbing the world’s highest battlefield- Siachen Glacier.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

6- Havildar Ajay Kumar from Haryana is a Gallantry award-winning soldier who suffered a leg amputation due to grievous injuries in combat while protecting the nation. But his amputation has never deterred him from pursuing his dreams or his duties as a soldier standing guard for the country.

A true son of India and a pure expression of the power of human determination, he was one of the fastest and fittest in the expedition team, despite being the only participant with a leg amputation. He wishes to convey the power of human will to everyone through his ability to overcome his own disability, his heart and mindset.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

7- Maj Dwarakesh hails from Tamil Nadu. He sustained injuries in an accident early in his career which led to complete loss of eyesight in both eyes. He remains the first officer in the Indian Army to be retained in service with 100% physical disability. Besides proving his mettle in academics at par with his able-bodied counterparts, he has been actively involved in office administration with the help of hi-tech assistive gadgets.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

His tenacity to overcome hurdles on account of injuries sustained has not only made him stand on his own feet but has empowered him to be the first visually impaired army officer to undergo training at the Army Paralympic node. Today, he heads an office under the aegis of the Army Welfare Placement Organisation. He aspires to motivate people by action. “I am a soldier, I will always be one. There is no defeat unless you accept one”

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

8- Irfan Ahmed Mir who hails from Jammu and Kashmir lost his eyesight in his childhood. He learnt about ‘Operation Blue Freedom’ through social media and immediately decided to join the expedition team for the Land World Record at Siachen Glacier exemplifying grit courage and determination. He is also a national level blind cricketer.

The expedition team climbed a total distance of 60 km atop the Spine of the Siachen Glacier over a period of five days from 7th Sept to finally reach Kumar Post on 11th Sept. The team ascended 4,000 ft, gradually, while scaling the Glacier. The route involved crossing several deep crevasses, icy glacial water streams, hard-ice stretches and undulating rocky moraines.

This not just tested the physical endurance and mental stamina, but also the ice-craft skills of the participants, like – use of ice axe, crampons, ladder crossing and rope skills. The expedition of 60kms from Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post tested the mental and physical limits of the expedition team.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

The extremely rough, rocky and undulating terrain along the moraines of the glacier made the climb particularly challenging for the visually impaired and the leg amputees. They displayed phenomenal grit despite the challenges. The participants with hand amputation had to constantly work on their balance, managing the rope and work on adaptations for emergency rescue procedures.

The nerves of steel and sheer will displayed by the people with disabilities on the expedition moved the soldiers who saw them in action along the Siachen Glacier. At all the intermediate camps where the expedition team stayed en route, the soldiers displayed pure love and affection born out of respect after seeing them in action along the obstacle-ridden moving block of glassy ice.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

Besides the ever-emerging icy obstacles, the expedition team had to face erratic and fast-changing weather challenges too. Dry throats as a consequence of Glacier winds, dehydration owing to constant sweating, alternating scorching sun and bone-chilling cold conditions kept the expedition team on tenterhooks.

With the weather changing faster than cricket scores, the team had to constantly adjust the protective clothing while on the Glacier march

The expedition team had to climb roughly 15 km on the Glacier each day to reach the next camp en-route, where they would halt the night before resuming the march on the next day. Built atop glassy hard ice, these en-route camps are the only logistical pit-stops on the glacier for all survival needs of food, shelter and water.

Eight champions reached Kumar Post on Siachen Glacier at an altitude of 15,632 feet; Picture Source; Team Conquer Land Air Water (CLAW)

Time was the next challenge that needed deft planning and careful execution to overcome the speeding glacier winds. One has to wake up early, start the march on time and complete the day’s route before 4 pm to evade the bone-chilling glacier winds.

Operation Blue Freedom is proud to have been a catalyst for the Indian Army’s Operation Sadhbavna by enabling this rare opportunity for the people of Kashmir to undertake the World Record Expedition to Siachen Glacier.

Participants – Operation Blue Freedom

Team C.L.A.W and ‘Operation Blue Freedom’

Team C.L.A.W is a team of Indian Special Forces veterans, set upon a global mission to shatter the common perception of pity, charity and inability associated with people with disabilities and recreate it to one of dignity, freedom and ability.

With this goal in mind, they launched ‘Operation Blue Freedom’ in 2019. It is founded by Major. Vivek Jacob (Retd) served with the Indian Army’s elite Parachute Regiment – Special Forces for 14 years.

Team Claw aims to create a triple world record on land, air, and water. They created their historic world record on land on 11th September 2021 with the largest team of People with Disabilities climbing the Siachen Glacier.

Their next missions will be to have the largest team of People with Disabilities to Skydive (Accelerated Free Fall) in Dubai, UAE and have the World’s Largest SCUBA Occupational Therapy and skill training programme for People with Disabilities (Adaptive scuba diving) in the Maldives.

Team CLAW expressed gratitude to Team Mahindra for their unflinching support for this expedition and thanked Exxon Mobil and Car India for walking strong with Team CLAW on Operation Blue Freedom.

Team C.L.A.W

Australia Women v India Women: Australia wins series in style as India fail despite Mandhana factor

IndVsAus Women Series 202; Picture Source: @BCCIWomen
IndVsAus Women Series 202; Picture Source: @BCCIWomen

Australia landed a crushing blow to India as visitors failed to finish the tour on high after suffering a loss by 14 runs in the third and final T20I here at the Metricon Stadium in Carrara on Sunday.

With this victory, Australia claimed the multi-format series 11-5. India wasn’t able to chase the target of 150 in the allotted 20 overs after a spirited performance from Australian bowlers.

Nicola Carey scalped two wickets while Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, and Annabel Sutherland returned with one apiece.

Earlier, put in to bat first, it was again a crucial inning of Beth Mooney (61 off 43) and Tahlia McGrath (44* off 31) that proved the thorn in India’s side, propelling Australia to a competitive total of 149/5.

Chasing the target of 150, India had a horror start as Shafali Verma was dismissed in the second over of the innings by Ashleigh Gardner. Smriti Mandhana was then joined by Jemimah Rodrigues on the pitch and the duo made sure the visitors don’t lose any more wickets in the power play.

Image

After six overs, India’s score read 28/1.

The duo continued with their cautious approach as India score read 54/1 at the halfway mark in the innings. However, Jemimah Rodrigues was removed by Georgia Wareham in the 11th over of the innings. Rodrigues walked back after scoring 23 off 26 balls.

Meanwhile, India’s most consistent batter this series, Smriti Mandhana brought up her half-century (off 46 balls) with a lovely lofted paddle over the head of a short fine leg in the 15th over. Later, in the same over of Nicola Carey, the Indian opener walked back to the dressing room after scoring 52 off 49 balls.

Hosts then completely gained the momentum of the match as wickets kept falling on the other end for India. Harmanpreet Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar and Harleen Deol were back to hut in space of 10 balls for India. With 41 runs needed off 12 balls, visitors managed to gather 26 runs in the last two overs.

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Lanning: India really tested us and gave us a great challenge

Australian skipper Meg Lanning said the Indian side tested and challenged the hosts during the multi-format series.

“We were looking forward to today, knew India would come back hard. Been a great series, both sides have had momentum. India has really tested us and given us a great challenge,”

said Lanning after the win.

“Tahlia McGrath, Player of the Series, is a great effort to dominate the series and a number of young players have contributed at different times,” She added.

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Brief Scores: Australia 149/5 (Beth Mooney 61, Tahlia McGrath 44*; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 2-37) vs India 135/6 (Smriti Mandhana 52, Richa Ghosh 23*; Nicola Carey 2-42) 

Indian-Australian researchers leading a study to cure Tinnitus affecting almost 15% population

Image source: Professor Giriraj Singh Shekhawat and Dr Deepti Domingo - Flinders University
Image source: Professor Giriraj Singh Shekhawat and Dr Deepti Domingo - Flinders University

A new pilot study aiming to assess the use of HD-tDCS – a type of non-invasive brain stimulation – to reduce the white noise levels of tinnitus is underway at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia.

This study is led by Indian-origin researchers – Professor of Audiology Giriraj Singh Shekhawat and postdoctoral fellow Dr Deepti Domingo.

According to experts, many people will experience some sort of short-term tinnitus at least once in their lives.

It affects about 15% to 20% of people and is especially common in older adults.

This is usually after a loud music concert or following exposure to a sudden loud noise.

In rare cases, as per experts, tinnitus can also occur as a whooshing sound, often in time with a person’s heartbeat.

Image source: Tinnitus – The Conversation.

According to Eldre Beukes who is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Audiology at Anglia Ruskin University this could lead to depression and other issues.

‘People with tinnitus are found to be at higher risk of lower emotional wellbeing, depression and anxiety, possibly because of people’s frustration with their inability to escape or control the condition.

Tinnitus may also make it difficult to sleep and concentrate, which can affect daytime functioning.’

For one in six people in Australia tinnitus is constant and very limited research has been done to find solutions.

Professor Adrian Linacre OAM has been coping with constant buzzing in his ears for almost three years.

‘It began at home one evening when I started to hear a buzzing noise. After a while, it dawned on me that the sound was internal in my head.

I hoped it would disappear but with tinnitus the constant buzzing white noise continues every moment of every waking day.”

Professor Shekhawat has 15 years of audiology research experience at University College London and the University of Auckland.

In addition, he has valuable clinical experience in the US, Singapore, and India.

Professor Shekhawat observes:

“Our inner ear has thousands of hair cells that transfer sound energy into electrical impulses to our brain via the auditory nerve.

Any damage along this pathway will disrupt or dull the sound signal reaching the brain – which then tries to compensate by essentially listening harder.”

In an attempt to work hard to pick up sound, overfiring neurons within certain networks in the brain can result in error signals being interpreted as additional sound.

This happens even when no sound is present around a person and thus results in ‘ringing’ that tinnitus sufferers hear.

Image source: Dr Deepti Domingo – Flinders University.

Dr Domingo who relocated from rural South Australia to pursue her love of science completed a PhD in 2020 from the University of Adelaide. 

She says:

“Hearing impairments can make learning difficult and negatively impact the overall quality of life for people at all ages.”

She is hopeful that their pilot study has the potential to bring long-term relief to tinnitus sufferers around the world. She adds:

“Given tinnitus is caused by disrupted neural networks, through this trial we are aiming to use a safe, low amplitude direct current stimulation to the brain, to correct those networks.”

Funded by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and Rosetrees Trust in the UK, the three-year pilot study includes research partners in the UK, Europe, and the US.

Further supported by neurological experts at SAHMRI, the study is being conducted at Flinders University’s Health2Go clinic and the University’s Tonsley campus.

Market Mantra: Market recovers despite Australia making Home loans difficult

Market Mantra: Australia makes Home loans difficult; Picture Source: @CANVA
Market Mantra: Australia makes Home loans difficult; Picture Source: @CANVA

Australian shares rose for the first time in five weeks powered by iron miners on the back of firm iron prices. Bullish sentiment following the United States reaching a truce on debt ceiling also helped with stock optimism.

While the US effectively kicking their debt ceiling crisis down the road till December wasn’t the most positive news for investors, it was enough to lift the mood of global investors.

Also helping the mood for investors in Australia was news from New South Wales where Sydney reached its important milestone in loosening COVID-19 restrictions.

As per Kunal Sawhney, CEO of Kalkine Group “Stock market optimism appears to have returned ahead of easing of coronavirus restrictions starting Monday.” Stay-at-home orders in Sydney are due to be lifted after NSW hit the 70% target of fully vaccinated adults.

Firming of iron ore prices through the week, surging energy prices and coal prices meant that BHP and Rio were some of the best-performing stocks for the week. Energy sector which analysts believe is the only segment in the Australian equity market which is undervalued also benefited from rising energy prices.

Collins Food also rallied almost 10% after striking a deal to run KFC in the Netherlands. With a plan to open almost 130 new stores over the next 10 years the investors lapped up the shares.

On the downside, however, EML’s share fell sharply by almost 14% after Ireland’s central bank issued regulatory warnings related to its Irish business.

Moving forward this week investors in Australia will be keeping a close eye on the speech from Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Guy Debelle. On climate risks and the Australian Financial System.

September jobs data and business and consumer sentiment and inflation expectations may also impact the Australian equities market this week.

Looking overseas both US and China inflation numbers are out this week and will impact global risk sentiment. With China, Evergrande worries are also not settled yet the volatility may return on slight bad news.

In regards to gold, the precious metal gave up gains during the start of the week to end the week lower after US September employment results disappointed.

While the analysts were expecting the US economy to have created 500,000 jobs in September the data from US Labor Department revealed that the US economy created only 194,000 jobs. The news usually would mean that it would be harder for Fed to taper with interest rates and send the gold higher.

The gold investors however took into account that pricing pressure in the US is still elevated and it seems taper announcements is still happening in November. A rise in US Treasury yields rising to their highs not seen in months also made gold lose its appeal during the week.

A rising yield usually undercuts buying the gold because the strength in the currency can make gold more expensive for overseas buyers. After US employment data the Treasury yields strengthened thus sending the precious metals lower.

Oil rallied for a seventh consecutive week, gaining nearly 5% for the week after touching highs of US $80 per barrel in almost seven years while natural gas also touched a 13 year high.

Even though Russian President Putin announced on Wednesday that Gazprom would increase natural gas exports to Europe, sending oil prices lower, US officials however indicating no intention to release crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Marshal Steves sent oil prices back up.

Natural gas also rallied to the highest close since 2008 last week with European inventory levels standing at historical lows ahead of winter heating season. With the energy crunch also in China, India and Europe analysts understand that global crude and natural gas inventories are running tight and the production growth may not be able to meet the growth in demand.

More importantly, there are three reasons why prices in oil look like will continue to keep growing.

First, the oil production from OPEC countries is still restrained. The oil-producing nations continue to be extremely conservative in adding to oil production for fear of another COVID related slowdown.

Second, the economies in the US and Europe continue to recover and open. The consumption in the US is back to pre-pandemic levels with Europe also catching up the demand is back to pre-pandemic levels.

Finally, the production growth in US shale is still not fast enough to reach the 2019 levels as investments in the new well is significantly lower.

All in all, given the increasing demand for oil, the winter season in Northern Hemisphere, plus restrictive OPEC+ production policy means the oil prices may continue to rally until years end. Having said that rising oil prices may prompt the US authorities to release some of the strategic oil reserves.

In regards to the local currency, the Australian Dollar rallied for a second consecutive week as investors moved towards risk assets following the news that US Senate has agreed on the debt limit.

The Reserve Bank of Australia also had a monetary policy meeting on Tuesday. While the interest rate in Australia remained at a historic low of 0.1% the accompanying statement showed the policymakers remain committed to maintaining highly supportive monetary conditions.

The central bank also expressed views that the economy will bounce back in the final quarter of the year on the back of higher vaccination rates. The statement was quite encouraging and provided further support to the Aussie.

Market Mantra: Representative Picture; ; Image Source: @CANVA
Market Mantra: Representative Picture; Image Source: @CANVA

Technically speaking the daily AUD/USD chart offers a bullish stance for the local currency as the pair moves above 20 SMA. The longer-term trends, however still maintain a bearish slope.

With AUD trading between 38.2% and 50% Fibonacci retracement levels, measured between 0.7477 and 0.7169 the traders would need to capture the 0.7360 levels for bulls to take control. A failure for bulls to take control may result in bears taking the Australian currency back to falls below 0.7250.

The week, however, was not so positive for the Indian Rupee, as rising oil prices weighed on investor sentiment to take the Indian currency below 75.00 level against the US Dollar.

Handsome gains in domestic equities were also not enough to boost the falling Rupee. A rise for the seventh consecutive week in oil prices and US policymakers refusing to release strategic oil reserves weighed heavily on Rupee which registered its worst weekly loss since April 09. The Reserve Bank of India also had their meeting on Friday and decided to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4%.

In the world of Cryptocurrencies, it was a green week across all crypto land as positive sentiment and big gains returned to the market. Leading the scene was Bitcoin which surged 25% to reclaim the mid-May highs.

Bitcoin reached the high of US $56,000, the mark we have not seen since the middle of May, shortly after the all-time high and right before the huge 50% crash. Many analysts believe that this marks the end of the bear trap and validates the continuation of this year’s bull market.

The rally in crypto land mainly happened on the back of positive news from the United States where The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, confirmed that they have no plans of following China in banning Bitcoin.

The positivity managed to spread across the entire cryptocurrency market. The most impressive performer however was Shiba Inu which rallied 290% and topped the US $18 billion in trading volumes.

Bitcoin also managed to reclaim the $1 trillion market cap and will be testing resistance between the $56,000 and $58,000 mark. Once that mark is broken there is not any considerable resistance until the previous all-time high of $65,000. A rise in Bitcoin is expected to flow across to other crypto assets.

Given the meme coins were first to break out of the bearish cycle we are relatively confident in Shiba Inu continuing the rally and should be a good addition for investors looking to diversify their coin holdings. Algorand is another coin we have a positive bias towards.

Algoand has traded between the range of $0.10 and $3.56 during the past 52 weeks and with it reclaiming mid-year high of $2.38 on the back of news that it has made a strategic partnership with El Salvador to build a blockchain infrastructure for the remittance dependant Latin American nation, it seems Algorand is likely to recapture its previous highs.

Having said that when it comes to the crypto world there is nothing guaranteed and it has historically been known to catch investors unawares especially when everything seems great.

In agricultural products prices of wheat reached a seven-week high on global demand. Tightness in the supply of food grains and speculation that Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter could add further curbs on exports as it battles domestic inflation further sent wheat prices higher.

The tightness of the food supply also flew into other edible grains and soy and corn also followed wheat higher. Moving forward traders will be keeping an eye on harvest reports from the US where weather has been favourable for production in the Corn Belt and as such may help reduce some of the supply concerns.

Author: Ateev Dang is a trader and trading coach by profession. He runs a business called Glow trades Pty Ltd where he teaches anyone interested in starting their trading journey on how to trade. He can be contacted at adang@glowtrades.com.au.

Disclaimer:

The writers’ opinions in the above article are their own and do not constitute any financial advice whatsoever. Nothing published by The Australia Today constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content publication be relied upon for providing any investment activities.

We strongly recommend that you perform your independent research and/or speak with a financial advisor or qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

World Postal Day: From pigeons, letters to texting, a system that develops with science and needs

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA
World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

In the modern world, we communicate with a touch of a button to friends, relatives and family members; the postal letters have lost some space to be the sole medium of conversation with the near and dear ones. Some consider them as an old fashioned method, but they carry their own charm and vital significance.

Postal letters had a history of connecting the people before the technological revolution. They have been operational for many centuries and made practical innovations. 

Therefore, every year on 9 October, World Post Day [WPD] commemorates the anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in Bern, Switzerland. The UPU Congress in Tokyo, Japan, proclaimed it World Post Day in 1969.

An Indian delegate known as Anand Mohan Narula had submitted a proposal. Since then, nations all around the globe have joined in the festivities to organise WPD on an annual basis.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

Many nations’ post offices utilize the occasion to launch or promote new postal goods, products and services. Many special stamps exhibitions are also organized to commemorate this day.  WPD raise awareness of the importance of the postal sector in the lives of people and in national growth.

The day is celebrated in over 150 countries, as many nations issue new stamps.  WPD in 2021 has adopted the theme of “Innovate to recover”. The op-ed makes a synoptic overview of the postal letters history and its current usefulness.  Before the digital revolution, it was a tedious task to communicate letters and packages worldwide, but the postal services made a charisma to give a solution to the world, and this continues forever.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

Innovate to Recover: COVID-19

Postal services had spearheaded to communicate and connect people worldwide during the lockdowns enforced due to COVID-19. There has been a disruption of many global postal letters due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it has shown resilience and began the recovery mode to resume the services.

Thus they adopted new innovative ideas to sustain and grow, creative ways of delivering mail were adopted, and adoption of e-commerce. As postal services began with personal and official letters and essential papers to make innovation towards e-commerce and online shopping packages due to the digital revolution. Postal services have shown resilience in serving the communities with their creation.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

Besides communicating the information, postal letters have stamps that carry historical significance. As on many occasions, stamps are issues of historical personalities, events, heritage, national symbols and others.

Before the coming of the postal letter system, Egypt, in 3000 BC, employed pigeons for pigeon posts, where the birds used to carry the information and remember the direction to come back to their nest when left away from their original homes.

The messages were wrapped to their legs and were released, and these pigeons returned to their own nests. These pigeons also acted as spy pigeons, but postal letters gradually gave the entire world a more authentic and regular means of communication. There have been reforms in the postal system with the course to time, as the distance determines the cost of postal letters from sender to recipient.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

The postal system also saw changes like  “government monopoly (partial or complete) over postal delivery, universal coverage of post offices throughout settled territories, and cheap pre-paid postage with uniform rates” (Rogowski et al., 2016).  The national government subsidised the mail services and extended its services to provide rapid and dependable written communication. This displaced the long private mail system and temporary means of correspondence.

There came the pre-printed envelopes and sticky postal stamps, where the sender paid the amount of mail-carrying charges. During the industrial revolution, the mail system played a pivotal role.  Rogowski et all (2016) stated coming of the postal system reduced transaction costs, facilitating contracts and establish business relationships; facilitated the diffusion of new ideas and technology; made a contribution to the development of social capital. 

Development of modern form of transport, i.e. railways and air transport of mail, while coming of the Internet gave a stiff competition to physical mail but coming of Internet shopping gave the new business to mail to deliver the products bought through online shopping.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

History of Postal Letter

Postal letters are the iconic symbol of a global communication revolution. Mail word comes from the English word male, which refers to a travelling bag or pack. The word began to be used in the 17th century about containing letters “bag full of letter”. Later the word ‘Post’ was derived from French, which means ‘to lay down or place’.

The history of postal letters began from the time when people began to communicate via writing. The process of the postal system is a systematic way of transferring the letters, birthday cards, official documents, greetings and private documents around the globe after the pasting of the stamps.

The origin of postal services can be traced back to ancient Egypt, about 2500 BC, when their rulers began to use couriers to distribute their decrees across their state. References of oldest existing mail dated back from 255 BCE.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

Further, Iran (Persia) made claims for the creation of the first genuine postal system in 550 BCE, several other claims were made to be the earliest postal system during that time, as many believe that mail may not be the reason behind starting of the postal services, but it was to maintain a system of intelligence and gathering information led to the origin of a postal system. Later uses of horses were made to carry the mail in a speedy manner from one location to another to enhance the performance and delivery time.

Mauryan empire in ancient India began to develop early Indian mail services, and mail chariots were brought underused. There was a systematic postmaster as the head of intelligence to overlook the courier services.

The beginning of the printing press and the expansion of education made a drastic reform in the postal system.  In the late 18th century, India had a functioning postal system that was totally modernized by the establishment of British rule in India.

World Postal Day; Picture Source: @CANVA

Similarly, many civilizations used courier services to send letters, news, messages, greetings, private information and other valuable parcels around the globe. This transformed into a modern concept of the mail system.

Conclusion

The postal letters have been a part of our lives for centuries now that need to have rejoiced and remembered forever through WPD and their innovations amid COVID-19. The historicity of postal systems, post offices and postmen need to be remembered due to their unforgettable contribution of connecting the people around the globe to their near and dear ones, and social, economic and national growth.

Author: Dr Sakul Kundra, A.HOD Department of Social Science, College of Humanities and Education, Fiji National University.

Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied
Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied

Disclaimer: The views expressed are his own and not of The Australia Today or his employer. For comments or suggestions, email. dr.sakulkundra@gmail.com

How Indian Acharyas Controlled Epidemics in China earlier

Indian Acharyas Controlled Epidemics in China earlier; Picture Source: esamskriti.com
Indian Acharyas Controlled Epidemics in China earlier; Picture Source: esamskriti.com

Coronavirus, a disease has terrorised the world struggling hard to find its cause and remedy. It emerged suddenly, infected lakhs and even killed thousands. The media brings shocking news, every day. Thousands in critical condition are to be treated; medical facilities are crumbling; the world is up in arms to stop the contagious disease trying hard to find causes behind it.

Destruction of ecological balance, violation of ozonosphere, shortage of freshwater, and extinction of biological species is endangering human existence. The world accepts that following the western philosophy of accepting man as master of nature, we have damaged the fabric of nature and have even intruded into the animal world.

It is a world of scientific advancement with an open mind. Let us pause and think if there was or can be any possibility of any solution in the Eastern mode of thought and practice. The question is— are there any leads to researches to find remedies in such situations.

When I received a message from a friend in Singapore that people in Chinese monasteries are performing homam to contain the disease, felt duty-bound to write this article as an answer to the question— do we need to have faith in Indian medical science, its scientific culture, practices, and connect between science and spirituality.

Where science stops spirituality begins to work. Many scientists are doing research on ancient Indian practices, mapping them scientifically, and showing positive results, acknowledging ancient Indian ways and means to protect the environment to save humanity from infections and viruses through havan/homa, planting specific trees and plants, boosting immunity to fight diseases through pranayama and yoga etc.

The list is long but here I am focusing on the Chinese historical chronicles that acknowledge Indian sciences and scientists controlling contagious diseases and epidemics.

DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS

There has been a dialogue among civilizations over the past centuries. Chinese historical chronicles refer to curing diseases, stopping storms and epidemics, protection from fatal strikes of lightning etc. by Indian Buddhist masters.

It happened with the entry of Buddhism which was taken to China to mitigate suffering and make the people happy wiping tears of agony and distress from the eyes of the people.

Apart from sowing the seeds of love and compassion, meditation and enlightenment, democracy and equality, social reforms and imperial virtue, cheering up the downtrodden, introducing temple culture and monastic structure, medical science penetrated deep into the Chinese system.

INDIAN BUDDHIST ACHARYAS CONTROLLING EPIDEMICS IN CHINA

An Indian Acharya presented a perfume to the Chinese Han Emperor Wu during 2nd-1st century BC. At first, the Emperor was not much attracted to the egg-like presents. Just then a severe epidemic broke out in Ch’ang-an taking away many lives.

The Indian asked the Emperor to burn that. Its fumigation stopped the epidemic and even resurrected the dead. Its perfume spread to an area of 50 kilometres and its effect lasted for three months.

The Emperor was grateful, conferred great honours on the Indian guest, presented a special dinner, and bid farewell to him. This is given in the “Collection of Information on Things of Universe” written by Zhang Hua (232-300AD).

A Chinese historical record “General Records of Buddhist Patriarchs” was compiled in 1296. It gives details of the activities of Indians in China. According to it a monk from India, Hala Haraka/Hari Vikrama helped the Chinese to stop a terrible epidemic with medicine and charms/mantras in Loyang, an Imperial city of Northern China in 287. It stopped a devastating epidemic in the Imperial capital Chang-an and saved thousands of lives. Such events indicate a great reputation of Indian perfume medicine and fumigating with them in ancient China.

INDIANS CURING INCURABLES IN CHINA

An Indian Acharya Jivaka went via sea route and arrived in Loyang. He became famous as a doctor who could cure incurable diseases around 306 AD. He treated the Governor of Hengyang province Teng Yongen. He was not able to walk because of a problem in his foot being paralyzed for many years.

This is detailed in the historical work “Biographies of Eminent Monks”, an important work on Indo-Chinese relations. It contains information about 257 monks, both Indian and Chinese who played a key role in the dissemination of Indian culture to China.

Apart from curing incurable diseases, there are references to Indian magicians performing rejoining of the severed tongue, spitting fire, swallowing a knife and rejoining broken cloth.

CURING CHINESE SUFFERING OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES

Another Indian Acharya Buddhchinga was a great doctor, an astronomer and an astrologer. Looking at his capacities he was known as a magician. He had studied in Kashmir under famous Buddhist masters. He could recite scriptures in millions of words. He had reached the then capital of China Loyang in 310 AD.

At that time the ruler Shi Le was helped by Buddhachinga to win battles and get his army cured suffering from a contagious disease. When he cured Shi Le’s army of infectious disease people were so impressed that they embraced Buddhism en masse.

Shi Le appointed Buddhachinga as Rajya Guru. Shi Le’s successor was bestowed even greater honours and patronage on him. He used to attend court sessions, crown prince and top courtiers used to escort him, was given a standing ovation when entering the court and was offered a seat by the side of the Emperor. Courtiers used to address him as a great monk. There was so much enthusiasm that Buddhaching could build 893 temples in North China. The Chinese historiography remembered him as “Shengsheng” meaning ‘divine monk’. His disciples actively worked in China following the footsteps of their guru.

FUMIGATION BY INDIAN ACHARYA IN CHINA SAVED MANY LIVES DURING AN EPIDEMIC

Indian perfumes began to enter China in 98 BC when the Kushana Empire presented a magic incense to the Imperial court of the Han Dynasty.

A guest from India to China presented three pieces of incense that resurrected many dead to life in the capital of Ch’ang-an during an epidemic. Chinese began to use Chandan calling it zhantan; turmeric and coriander became a part of Chinese cuisine. Turmeric was called yujinxiang meaning fragrance that gathers gold.

In Chinese Buddhist literature Buddha’s country is called ‘fragrant land’.

Buddhism introduced the ritual of incense burning and filled Chinese life with the concept of fumigation. Buddhist temples were designated as ‘houses of fragrant fire’ (=havan) and Buddhist organizations as ‘society of fragrant fire’ (hotri sangha). Money donated by people was called ‘money of fragrant fire’ (=havan nidhi).

Chinese began to burn incense for a good cause. The expression ‘fragrant for burning fiercely’ indicated ‘thriving religious activities’ and ‘fragrant fire extinguishes’ meant religious activities coming to a halt.

Pilgrims, donors and lay disciples engaging in religious activities were called ‘having a date with fragrant fire’. People addressed each other as ‘brothers in the fragrant fire’. There is a clear indication of performing havans, acceptance of their impact and popularity in China.

INTRODUCTION OF AYURVEDA IN CHINA

Medicine in India was a well-developed science and it reached China.

Great Indian acharyas translated medical texts and prescriptions from Sanskrit into Chinese.

Acharya Dharmarksha edited and translated ‘Classic on Four Hundred and Four Diseases of Human Body’ and ‘Classic on the Path to Cultivation’. He also recorded the pathogenesis theory of Buddhist medicine. It was followed by several other works including those compiled by Chinese Emperor Wu.

The Indian masters were welcomed because of their curing skills.

China had developed its medical system and it could be benefitted from the Indian prescriptions extensively. Wang Tao (670-755 AD) compiled ‘Important Secret Prescriptions’. During Sui and T’ang Dynasties many Indian medical theories reached China.

Chinese were impressed by the Indian treatment of cataract extraction with needles often performed by Brahmana monks, meaning non-Buddhist. Poet Liu Yuxi even wrote a poem in praise of a doctor when he was treated for his eyes.

AYURVEDIC TEXTS ON MEDICAL SCIENCE

The Discovery of Sanskrit manuscripts called Bower Manuscripts from Kucha, now in the Chinese Xinjiang region opened up a new path of researches in Central Asia.

It is a fifth-century medical manuscript written on birch bark in Brahmi script in the Sanskrit language. The second is on predicting the future by dicing- Pashak Kevali and the third is on remedy from a snake bite – Mahamayuri-vidya-ragyi. Like Jivaka Pustaka and Siddhasara Bower manuscript also plays an important role in researches on Chinese medicine.

Astro-medicine was practised in India and travelled abroad. It is still practised by Tibetan doctors. In the period of the Northern Dynasty, the Chinese Dharma Branch translated 20 volumes of Brahmana Astronomy.

A volume in Book of the Sui Dynasty describes ten medical texts of India including four volumes of Prescriptions by Nagarjuna, 23 volumes of ‘Medicinal Prescriptions of Fairies in the Western Regions’, One volume of Catalogue, ten volumes of ‘Medicinal Prescriptions of None Fairies of Fragrant Mountain’. China has preserved a long history of acceptance of Indian prescriptions.

MEDICINAL VALUE OF AROMATIC PLANTS – FROM INDIA TO CHINA

Chinese medical science solicited the Indian supply of fragrant plants from very early times. Indian Buddhist monks carrying aromatic plants and plant products were known as men of skills of curing and healing people from incurable and contagious diseases.

Knowledge about aromatic plants reached China when Indian medicinal texts were taken and translated over the centuries. They played an important role in the development of Chinese medicine. It resulted in Indian Acharyas being revered as gurus and even worshipped gods.

In China saffron was used for medicines, flavouring and colouring during religious ceremonies. It could expel all foul odour, and get rid of impure air, and diseases in the body.

Itsing, a Chinese pilgrim to India describes that haritaki grew mostly in the west, saffron grew in the north and the west abounded in asafetida. He has also recorded many fragrant medicines and cardamom. Kashmir was famous for dragon stud horses, saffron, fireballs and herbs.

Garuda

LAW OF GARUDA

The Indian myth of Garuda was prevalent in China because of faith in its power of protecting from calamities and diseases.

There is a chapter on the ‘Law of Garuda’ in a Buddhist text of Arya-manjushri-mulakalpa. It was popular in China for many centuries.

One of the Chinese pilgrims, coming to India in search of scripture, Itsing translated it. Dharmabhadra, an Indian acharya of the tenth century and several others also translated it. Garuda became a symbol in Chinese painting. One can see it painted in the Yonghe Palace temple in Beijing. Many Ming dynasty temples have also preserved this theme. The ruling elite liked to subsume the power of Garuda to strengthen the political authority.

BOOKS ON PRESCRIPTIONS

The Annals of Sui Dynasty mentions that a book entitled “Prescriptions of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna”, a text on astronomy and Indian medicine were presented to the T’ang Emperor Xuangzong I in 719 AD by an envoy from Kapisha.

A famous classic on Chinese medicine contains a discourse on Indian medical theories and prescriptions. It states that prescriptions given by Brahmanas were quite attractive for the Chinese. In 752 AD Wang Tao collected all the available prescriptions that were used till then. They were meant for curing diseases of ears and eyes and could turn grey hair into black.

Annals of the Sung Dynasty are valuable to search India’s contribution to Chinese science and technology. It was the time when contacts between Cholas and Sung China were at their peak. It has a chapter specifically on Cholas.

There are other books i.e. calendar by Gautama Siddhartha, a treatise written on a pulse by Jivaka, sixty-four question answers by him, a treatise on eye diseases, important prescriptions, and treatise on the entrails. This was a time of much interaction.

Even Indian games like throwing dice and others reached China. Itsing has mentioned prescriptions to cure diseases like deafness and blindness using lotus herbal ointment. In some prescriptions, basil leaf, green cinnamon, and sweet gum are mentioned with other herbs.

There is a lot of archival material to search and translate into Hindi and English to highlight India’s contribution to containing epidemics and contagious diseases. It may be helpful in future.

AuthorProf. Dr SHASHIBALA, is DEAN, CENTRE OF INDOLOGY, BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN, New Delhi.

This article was first published in the May 15, 2020 issue of the Bhavan’s Journal and we have republished it from esamskriti.com. The article is courtesy and copyright Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai 400 007.

Diwali, Dushera, Navratri and Karva Chauth: With restrictions in NSW and Victoria, Here’ what you can/can’t do

Indian Australia family celebrating Diwali; Picture Source; Manoj Mansukhani
Indian Australia family celebrating Diwali; Picture Source; Manoj Mansukhani

As Hindu festivals seasons starts today with the nine-day long ‘Navratri’ festival, Australia’s third-largest religious community is worried. The festive season is one of the busiest times in the calendar year for Hindu community members, businesses and temples.

However, lockdown and restrictions on movements in COVID19 hit states of Victoria and NSW are worrying for them as they might miss out on the festivities.

Victoria restrictions at the time of festivities:

Navratri:
All nine days up to Ashtami and Navami celebrations are to be done within a Home setting with no visitor allowed. There can be no Garba gatherings as no outdoor activity is allowed other than up to 5 fully vaccinated adults meeting in a park or other outdoor settings.

A stay-at-home curfew is in place for Metropolitan Melbourne, Moorabool Shire, City of Greater Shepparton and Mitchell Shire: Between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am, you cannot leave your home.

1- Social gatherings are permitted outdoors between two people from a maximum of two households.
2- Up to five people can socialise outdoors (excluding dependants), from two households, if every person over 18 years is fully vaccinated.

Manoj Mansukhani is National Manager with a multinational company in Melbourne. Every year his two daughters look forward to this time of the year to explore their Hindu identity.

Mr Mansukhani told The Australia Today, “Looks like this year too we are going to miss the festivities the way we know them. My older daughter wants to go to Garba programs and my younger one wants to see ‘Ravan-Dahan’ at Sri Durga Temple.”

“We understand the necessity of these restrictions but all the planning by the governments is around Christmas without even thinking or considering other cultural religious communities needs.”

He is not alone a three hundred thousand strong Hindu community (from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Malaysia, Singapore etc.) in Victoria is working out the ways to celebrate their festivals within the guidelines of the state government.

Victoria is expected to reach 70% (16+) fully vaccinated at the current rate on 13th October.

VijayDhasmi – Dussehra on Monday 15 October
Karwa Chauth on Sunday 24th October
Ahoi Ashtami on Thursday 28 October
Dhanteras on Tuesday 2nd November

Metropolitan Melbourne:
1- No Home visit is allowed.
2- Out-Door Public gatherings: Up to 10 fully vaccinated people allowed to meet.
3- Hospitality venues can open outdoors only to up to 50 fully vaccinated people, with DQ4.
4- Religious services will be allowed outdoors only with DQ4 limits and a cap of 50 people if fully vaccinated. 

Regional Victoria:
1- Home visits or Private gatherings not permitted – intimate partner visits and single-person bubble visits are allowed.
2- Out-Door Public gatherings: Up to 20 fully vaccinated people outdoors will be allowed.
3- Religious services will be allowed outdoors only with DQ4 limits and a cap of 50 people if fully vaccinated.

Victoria is expected to reach 80% (16+) fully vaccinated at the current rate on 3rd November after which the following festivals will come.

Melburnians should finally be free to travel anywhere within Victoria.

Choti Diwali- Kali Chaudas on Wednesday 3rd November
Diwali- Laxmi Pooja on Thursday 4th November
Govardhan Pooja on Friday 5th November
Bhaiya Dooj on Saturday 6th November

Metropolitan Melbourne:
1- Home visits allowed: Up to 10 people including dependants. Vaccination status is not mentioned in the roadmap
2- Out-Door Public gatherings: Up to 30 fully vaccinated people are allowed to meet. 

Diwali parties are also a possibility as up to 150 fully vaccinated people will be allowed indoors with DQ4 and 500 outdoors, DQ2 at any hospitality venue.

Regional Victoria:
1- Home visit or Private gatherings permitted: Up to 10 fully vaccinated people including dependants.
2- Out-Door Public gatherings: Up to 30 fully vaccinated people outdoors will be allowed.

NSW restrictions at the time of festivities:

As NSW is currently on: 70.32% fully vaccination level on Navratri
Fully vaccinated NSW residents will be able to enjoy Navratri a bit more from Monday, 11th October.

1- The new changes will allow up to 10 visitors (not counting children 12 and under) to a home.
NSW residents will be allowed to have nine girls for their ‘Kanya pooja for Durga Ashtami (13 October) and Navami (14 October) during Navratri.

2- If you are planning an outdoor gathering you can have up to 30 people for a small Garba celebration.

Bhavna Patel an Architecture student who lives in Sydney’s western suburb told The Australia Today, “We are in talks with our local community centre to organise Garba in parking space from Monday night.”

“At least we can have four Garba night festivities this year. Ma Durga is kind to us as most of my family and friends are fully vaccinated.”

3Hindu weddings can also have up to 100 people (Not counting children 12 and under).  

Bhavana says, “I don’t have any weddings to attend but it’s good for people who have been waiting for months to tie the knot.”

VijayDhasmi – Dussehra on Monday 15 October 2021

The setting for Dussehra will remain the same as Navratri because the state is predicted to hit 80% fully vaccinated status in the next 10 days on October 18.

Karwa Chauth on Sunday 24th October

Women will miss by one day for large gatherings as the new changes will come into force only on the next day.
However, 10 visitors in home settings (Not counting children 12 and under) can celebrate the festival together. In case you can arrange an outdoor facility up to 30 people are allowed to come together.

On Monday 25th October: One week after the State clears the 80% double vaccination hurdle following restrictions will be relaxed for fully vaccinated people only.

Ahoi Ashtmi on Thursday 28 October
Dhanteras on Tuesday 2nd November
Choti Diwali- Kali Chaudas on Wednesday 3rd November
Diwali- Laxmi Pooja on Thursday 4th November
Govardhan Pooja on Friday 5th November
Bhaiya Dooj on Saturday 6th November

1- You will be able to have up to 20 visitors (excluding children 12 and under) to a home.
2- Up to 50 people will be allowed to gather outdoors

For the Diwali Mela organisers, rules have been set.

Up to 3,000 people will be allowed to attend controlled and ticketed outdoor events. Masks will no longer be required in office buildings. 
All these freedoms are for fully vaccinated people only.

All school students will also now return to on-site learning with a range of COVID-safe measures in place by October 25.

Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 12 students will still return to face-to-face learning on October 18, with all other years now returning one week later on October 25.

NSW’s Premier Dominic Perrottet said the common-sense changes would help life return to normal as soon as possible. 

“Vaccinations are the key to life returning to normal and the changes today will help family and friends reconnect, get kids back to school and get businesses back up and running sooner,”

Mr Perrottet said.

“NSW is putting in the hard yards and it’s important people continue to turn out in droves to be vaccinated.”

If you are not booked in for a COVID-19 vaccine, please book an appointment as soon as possible.

Indian-Australian fireman to climb 100k steps for mental health awareness; Can you also help?

Karthick Thanigaimani, a firefighter with Point Cook Fire Brigade, a part of the Country Fire Authority (CFA), is completing his first-ever Firefighter Stair Climb in 2021.

The annual Firefighter Stair Climb, titled “MILLION STEPS FOR MENTAL HEALTH,” will raise funds for Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), depression and suicide.

Image source: https://www.firefighterclimb.org.au/

According to MFSC, 3 million Australians are living with depression and anxiety and 3,046 Australians lose their lives to suicide each year.

“So we are asking you to climb at least 3,046 steps over the next month…together we will climb a MILLION STEPS FOR MENTAL HEALTH…together we will make a difference…Whether it be your back steps, some stairs at the local park or even a milk crate in the lounge room we are asking you to “step up”…”

This year has an overall fundraising goal of $500,000 to donate to LifelineFortem Australia and the 000 Foundation.

These funds will be used to improve support services, research, remove stigmas and raise awareness of Mental health issues like depression, Post Traumatic Stress Injury and suicide, especially for those within the Emergency Service and Defence communities.

Image source: Karthick Thanigaimani – CFA – Facebook.

Karthick is setting a goal of completing 5,000 steps on his step ladder every day of the month and hopes to raise more than $1,000.

He said he was motivated to raise awareness and funds for mental health through his work as a CFA volunteer.

“First responders are involved in a lot of challenging – and sometimes traumatic – incidents.”

Karthick adds that firefighters understand the importance of mental health and are ready to create awareness.

“Everyone at our brigade understands the importance of mental health and we do everything we can to debrief after certain incidents and be open with each other. It’s important we continually generate broad awareness about all mental health issues across our emergency services and the community.”

He advises that during COVID times, it’s been increasingly important for people to speak up and connect with their family, friends and colleagues they trust.

“The pressures and challenges associated with the restrictions across Victoria has made it hard for people, but we must focus on what makes us happy and reach out to those we trust.”

So far, Karthick has raised $1,055 of his $1,000 fundraising goal and has completed 44,321 steps towards his overall goal of 1,000,000 steps.

Image source: CFA – Facebook.

Usually, 600 personnel would have climbed the 28 floors of Crown Metropol Hotel wearing 25kgs of turnout gear and breathing apparatus.

Unfortunately, the current COVID restrictions in Victoria prohibit this year’s Stair Climb event from taking place as it normally would.

The virtual Firefighter Stair Climb that started on 11 September will end on 10 October 2021.

Representative Image: Victoria Fire Department.

Those who wish to support Karthick in raising funds for PTSI, depression and suicide can donate at www.firefighterclimb.org.au/climber/karthickthanigaimani.

Some facts:

  • 3 million Australians are living with depression and anxiety
  • 1 in 4 Australians will suffer from a mental illness in their lifetime
  • Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44
  • Over 3,000 Australians die by suicide every year, an average of eight people every day.
  • 10% of our Emergency Services Members suffer from PTSI

“So standing up to Britain worked”: No quarantine for fully vaccinated Indians travelling to UK

British PM Boris Jonson: Picture Source: Twitter @nbenotman
British PM Boris Jonson: Picture Source: Twitter @nbenotman

Fully vaccinated Indian travellers will not require to be quarantined in the United Kingdom, starting from October 11.

The British Government had earlier tweaked its travel rules from October 4 and did not mention Covishield in the list of its accepted vaccines.

Then the UK government accepted the Covishield vaccine but did not accept India’s vaccine certificates, generated by CoWin. 

It must be noted that certification after coronavirus vaccinations in India is a centralised national system managed through the CoWIN app and portal.

This platform is entirely compliant with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.

The UK’s regulation meant Indian travellers vaccinated with both doses of Covishield have to undergo the mandatory quarantine in the UK.

India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called the UK government’s decision “discriminatory” and one that impacts the travel of Indians.

Image source: British High commissioner to India Alex Ellis – Twitter.

British High commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted a video on Thursday thus bringing an end to the ongoing India-UK tussle over recognition of vaccination against Covid-19.

“Good evening! From Monday, 11th October, travellers from India to the UK, double jabbed by Covishield or any other vaccine recognised by the UK regulator does not have to quarantine. So it will easier and cheaper to enter the UK. This is great news.”

Alex Ellis also thanked the Indian government for the continuous cooperation with the UK government.

Alex Ellis added that the UK is open for Indian travellers for months and has also processed thousands of visas to students, business travellers and tourists.

“Some of the noise about this issue in the last few weeks just shows how keen people are to travel to the UK and I am delighted by that… Let’s open up more flights between the countries…”

This is the result of several rounds of talks held between India and the UK government to recognise India’s vaccine certificate.

Meanwhile, India has also imposed a similar restriction on people coming from the UK to India.

Indian men's hockey team clinch bronze, win medal after 41 years; Picture Source: Hockey India
Indian men’s hockey team clinch bronze, win medal after 41 years; Picture Source: Hockey India

Further, the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams pulled out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham citing coronavirus concerns and discriminatory quarantine rules for Indians in the UK.

In response to Alex Ellis’ video, Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, tweeted: “So standing up to Britian worked.”

Referring to a clear win by Narendra Modi-led Indian government, Rishi Bagree, a political observer, tweeted: “This is new India.”

A British High Commission spokesperson told Indian media that the decision was taken “after close technical cooperation between our ministries taking public health factors into account”. 

120 International Students/week will be able to come back to Victoria from… Here’ details

International student at Airport; Picture Source: CANVA
International student at Airport; Picture Source: CANVA

International students will start returning to Victoria by the end of the year under the Victorian Government’s Student Arrivals Plan, which has been submitted to the Commonwealth for approval.

The Plan provides a graduated, safe return to study in Victoria for international students, and a pipeline for continued arrivals through 2022.

Students arriving under the plan will be in addition to Victoria’s existing international arrivals cap, which means they will not displace returning Australians.

The first stage of the plan:
A- 120 places will be available each week for Victorian university students, prioritising those who need to undertake practical work to continue or complete their degrees, such as health and medical degree students, as well as postgraduate research students.

International student at Airport; Picture Source: CANVA

B- Universities will provide funding towards the extra quarantine places for student visa holders, with students required to cover the cost of their flight to Melbourne.
Students will be quarantined in dedicated accommodation managed by COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria.

Victoria’s Minister for Trade Martin Pakula said “This sensible plan will progressively get students who are enrolled at Victorian universities, TAFEs and colleges safely into Victoria so they can undertake their studies.”

Airport; Picture Source: CANVA

“A gradual return of international students means we can keep Victorians safe and not affect places for returning Australians,”

added Mr Pakula

The second stage:
This will enable more places with larger-scale international student arrivals from across the sector, including those enrolled in TAFEs, English-language courses, private education providers and secondary schools.

Over 75,000 international students from 100 countries are currently studying in Victoria, around 47,000 more are enrolled with Victorian education providers but remain offshore while Australia’s international borders are closed.

The Airport; Picture Source: CANVA

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Professor Duncan Maskell says “Victorian universities have been working collaboratively with the Victorian Government on a plan to facilitate the return of international students to the state.”

“We are pleased the plan has now been submitted to the Federal Government – we look forward to Minister Tudge reviewing and approving the plan as soon as possible.”

International education is a critical services export and jobs provider for Victoria, contributing a peak of $13.7 billion to the state’s economy and supporting around 79,000 Victorian jobs prior to the pandemic.

More information is available at coronavirus.vic.gov.au/international-student-arrivals-plan.

British Minister Priti Patel invokes Hindu concept of ‘Sewa’, Opponents have meltdown

Image source: Priti Patel - Twitter

United Kingdom’s (UK) Home Secretary Priti Patel’s has made reference to her job as “Sewa” during her speech at the Conservative Party’s annual conference.

Image source: Priti Patel – Twitter.

During her keynote speech in Manchester, Priti Patel said:

“Our (Conservative Party) values ​​embody service before self and this can be clearly defined by the Hindu word ‘sewa’, which can mean service, commitment and dedication to others.

Ensuring that the best interests of our country come first is what drives me every day. That is my responsibility and that is my service and that is our party.”

While Priti Patel received praise from dharmic-minded people, her political opponents, Hinduphobic academics and many supporters of the violent separatist Khalistan movement have leapt on this opportunity to ridicule her on social media platforms.

Well-known Indian journalist Chandra Prakash pointed out in his tweet how “Khalistanis are going mad over this statement of Priti Patel” as “they think that the Sewa of ISI and Christian missionaries is the only true service.”

Making fun of the slight slip in Priti Patel’s speech, Amandeep Madra OBE, the founder of the UK Punjab Heritage Association, tweeted: “Oi buddy, do you speak Hindi?”

Labor MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi quoted Madra on Twitter, highlighting how Sikhs are angry with her for using “Sewa” as a Hindu concept:

“Her comment is just so wrong on so many different levels. No wonder many Sikhs and others are outraged by it!”

A Sikh gentleman even tweeted that Priti Patel doesn’t know what “Sewa” actually means?

Another Indian-born Labor MP Preet Kaur Gill tweeted in similar vain:

Many Indians are delighted that Priti Patel had highlighted the Hindu concept of “Sewa” in her speech.

For the ill-informed, Anil Bhanot, Interfaith director of the Hindu Council UK, highlighted that that “Sewa” is a Hindu word in the same way as “dharma”.

Anil Bhanot told Indian media that Priti Patel intended to use it.

“Sewa is an ancient Hindu concept of the Vedas. It is selfless service without expecting any recognition, and it is performed by Nishkam Karma, as mentioned by Bhagwan Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita.

It is a Sanskrit word, not Hindi. Hindi did not exist then. Sikhs do langar sewa but the concept originated in Hinduism. Many Hindus do sewa.”

Although the Sikhs claim that their spiritual tradition is separate from Hinduism, any learned scholar of religious study can tell that Sikhism was a movement born within the Hindu tradition

Guru Nanak, a Punjabi Hindu Khatri by birth, belonged to the Sant tradition of northern India. So, many of his early ideas are clearly from Hinduism, including the concept of “Sewa.”

Sant tradition itself drew heavily on the Vaishnava bhakti which presented “Sewa -dharma” and “Sewa-bhava” as the ultimate or most superior form of devotion to God.  

The Hindu concept of “sewa,” considered as one of the biggest dharma or religious duty, is not a religious obligation and is based on total anonymity.

The selfless action of “Sewa” in Hinduism should be performed without any hopes of monetary benefits or material awards.

British Indians Voice tweeted thanking Rt Hon Priti Patel for her “Seva” and pointed to how it is related to the Hindu concept of “Karma.”

WATCH VIDEO: “Hindu concept of Sewa drives me in my work every day”: Priti Patel

India’s Hockey teams pull out of Commonwealth Games sighting ‘discriminatory’ British policies

Tokyo Olympics: Indian women's hockey team make history, beat Australia 1-0; Picture Source: Twitter @HockeyIndia
Tokyo Olympics: Indian women's hockey team make history, beat Australia 1-0; Picture Source: Twitter @HockeyIndia

The Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams have decided to pull out of the Commonwealth Games 2022, which is set to be held from July 28 to August 8, 2022, in Birmingham, England.

Hockey India says, England’s policy to not recognise Indian Vaccination is discriminatory and 10 days quarantine requirement for vaccinated sportspersons will have negative effects on their performance.

Speaking about the decision taken to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games, Gyanendro Ningombam, President, Hockey India said,

“The Asian Games 2022 is certainly a very important tournament for us since it’s a continental qualification event for Paris Olympics 2024.”

It is a priority for the teams to win the gold medal at the Asian Games 2022, thus securing direct qualification for the Indian men and women teams for the Paris Olympic Games and allowing the teams almost 2 years to fully prepare for the Olympics.

The teams have decided to put their full focus on the Asian Games 2022, which will be hosted at Hangzhou, China, from September 10-25, 2022.

Since the Asian Games is a continental qualification event for the Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams will need to be at their very best when they take part in the Asian Games in September 2022.

Tokyo Olympics: Indian women's hockey team make history, beat Australia 1-0; Picture Source: Twitter @HockeyIndia
Tokyo Olympics: Indian women’s hockey team make history, beat Australia 1-0; Picture Source: Twitter @HockeyIndia

“The Indian men’s and women’s teams have to play at their optimum level and therefore it was important for us to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games 2022, which is being held just before the Asian Games 2022.

After a scintillating performance by both the Indian teams at the Tokyo Games, we are focusing on producing even better results at the Paris Olympic stage,” he added.

Ill-informed US Congressman condemned for objecting former US Ambassador’s meeting with RSS Chief

Image source: Atul Keshap with Mohan Bhagwat - Twitter.

David Trone, a USA Congressman (House of Representatives), has been criticised for writing a letter protesting former US Ambassador to India Atul Keshap’s meeting with India’s social and cultural organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Hindu Human Rights activists and Former Student President at the University of Oxford, Rashmi Samant pointed to David Trone’s ignorance highlighted via his own letter.

Actually, Democrat David Trone represents the 6th District of Maryland which has the tenth highest number of Muslims of all US states.

Image source: David Trone – Facebook.

Liquor retailer and politician David Trone in his letter said that he is writing on behalf of his constituents who have raised concerns over RSS’ ideology.

“As you know, the RSS has long promoted principles of Hindu nationalism, an ideology which threatens the Muslim community and other communities in India.”

Indian-origin US Ambassador has met with the RSS Chief to conduct a wide-ranging discussion.

“Good discussion with @RSSorg Shri Mohan Bhagwat about how India’s tradition of diversity, democracy, inclusivity, and pluralism can ensure the vitality and strength of a truly great nation.”

David Trone in his letter calling RSS a “radical nationalist” organisation adds:

“By engaging with RSS officials and discussing their ideology, the United States could lend legitimacy to this controversial group and further jeopardize the communities that the RSS has targetted.”

Image source: PAKPAC.

Under the influence of his constituents, David Trone has been critical of the RSS and BJP in the past too.

In 2019, David Trone had made statements that were critical of India’s use of “national security tropes to trample human rights” in Kashmir.

The same year, David Trone who was also a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee gave a speech at Pakistan American Political Action Committee (PAKPAC) meeting.

The Congressman this time spoke on the need for “increased trade” with Pakistan.

Prior to this, he had even established a fund to provide legal assistance to local Muslims who were affected by the Trump Administration’s travel ban.

Former President Donald Trump has issued Executive Order 13769, titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, to temporarily ban the entry of Muslims in America.

Image source: Twitter.

Atul Keshap, who was the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy, held a series of farewell meetings with prominent Indian leaders and heads of organisations as his tenure came to an end.

Before his departure, Atul Keshap said in a statement:

“The U.S.-India relationship has never been better. Working together, our two great democracies will continue to advance human happiness around the world for years to come.”

Image source: Rashmi Samant – Twitter.

Claims of ‘Dismantling Hindutva’: A Colonial theory pushed with Brown faces

Reprentative Picture of Hindu Rituals; Picture Source: @CANVA
Reprentative Picture of Hindu Rituals; Picture Source: @CANVA

Early in March of 2021, a group of Hindu students, from across the US, Canada, and the UK, started a Twitter handle @HinduOnCampus (HOC) documenting the repeated incidents of Hinduphobia by Professor Audrey Truschke.

The students asked Rutgers university to take action against the professor, in an open letter that was sent to the University President. The letter meticulously documented the pattern of how Audrey Truschke, a tenure track professor, has used her platform to push Hinduphobia, and how Truschke painted Hindu texts and deities as inherently violent and misogynistic; something that practising Hindus have refuted over and over again.

Any protest by Hindus was silenced by Audrey Truschke by crying Hindutva.  HOC rightfully asked the University to protect the minority Hindu Students on their Campus from bullying caused by the misrepresentation of their religious beliefs. 

HOC’s efforts mobilized a broad spectrum of Hindus who had experienced similar Hinduphobia but had previously stayed silent, due to the repercussions of speaking out or being labelled Hindutva. Efforts to recognize Hinduphobia had been going on for a long time, however, many who had stayed in the margins joined the fray seeing their children speaking out.

Audrey Trushke in the meantime stalked Hindu students and their parents and called them Hindutva fascists. Even as incidents kept escalating, Rutgers University used the excuse of upholding Academic Freedom to try and silence the Hindu Students. Audrey Truschke is a tenured track professor who was under no threat of being silenced.

Hindu students in the West, on the other hand, are from a micro-minority community with little institutional support and have suffered years of silencing and Hinduphobia in their public universities and schooling. In her study scholar, Dr Yvette Rosser found that: 

“When asked to list the topics that were emphasized in the study of India, most of the students listed these, enumerated by this American born student of South Asian heritage who had recently graduated from a high school in Houston, “Wars, disease, population, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, female infanticide, flooding, and starvation.” “India,” stated another student was “only thought of as a third world country–considered inferior and totally ignorant of world events.” Several students mentioned that the “economic backwardness of India” was “blamed on the superstitious and polytheistic nature of Hinduism.”

This essentialist presentation of Indic Civilization can be summarized as the standard pedagogic approach which runs quickly from the “Cradle of Civilization”–contrasting the Indus Valley with Egypt and Mesopotamia–on past the Aryans 3, who were somehow our linguistic (and/or racial!) ancestors–to the poverty-stricken, superstitious, polytheistic, “caste-ridden” Hindu “way of life”. . . and then somehow magically culminates with a eulogy of Mahatma Gandhi.

A typical textbook trope presents standard Ancient India Meets the Age of Expansion Approach with a colour photo of the Taj Mahal. There may be a sidebar on ahimsa or a chart graphically explaining samsara and reincarnation, or the four stages of life, or the Four Noble Truths, and amid the dearth of real information there may be found an entire page dedicated to a deity such as Indra or Varuna, who admittedly are rather an obscure vis-à-vis the beliefs of most modern Hindus.”

Dr Rosser found that American Universities were presenting Hinduism and India with a White Gaze that depicted Hindus as stereotypically caste-ridden backward people in need of civilizing and the Hindu Students attending these universities had little power to change the way their faith was being represented.

Dr Audrey Truschke’s claim, that her academic freedom was being impinged, is baseless as the power structures in American Universities are essentially tipped in her favour. 

Across the pond in the UK, another Hindu Student, Rashmi Samant, had been bullied into stepping down from her Student Union President position at Oxford University over 5-year-old Social Media posts and her usage of the phrase “celebrating women, trans women, men who support us”, due to their perceived offensiveness.

Rashmi explained in an interview given to SheThePeople, that this was due to cultural differences between India and the West and apologized for it. Unfortunately, the critique of Rashmi Samant didn’t stop at her Social Media but went on to denigrate her parents and her religious beliefs. One Oxford staff member, Dr Abhijit Sarkar, attacked her parents and their Hindu religion which caused her to step down completely and leave the UK temporarily.

Rashmi explained that

“In the chain of unfortunate events since what hurts me the most is that my parents were dragged into it in the most insensitive manner by a member of the university. Their religious sentiments and regional background were insulted in the public domain.

The fact that I am a Hindu in no way makes me intolerant or unfit to be the President of Oxford SU. Contrary to this, I understand the value of diversity in its true sense though my exposure to the intricacies of the developed world is limited,”.

Even the Oxford India Society, an organisation that is supposed to represent and protect Indian Students, failed to support Rashmi Samant. They whitewashed the role that White Supremacy continues to play at Oxford, a university that is still struggling with its legacy of Slavery while continuing to keep the statue that lionizes Cecil Rhodes, a man who is known to discriminate based on Race and Gender.   

These events against the Hindu students led Hindu scholars Dr Indu Viswananthan and Dr Parth Parihar to work with a Hindu Student-led group called Hindu Student Council to organize the Understanding Hinduphobia conference where they generated a working definition of Hinduphobia and made history by having the definition be accepted officially by the Rutgers Student Council.

THIS DEFINITION CLEARLY DEFINED HINDUPHOBIA AS:

“Hinduphobia is a set of antagonistic, destructive, and derogatory attitudes and behaviours towards Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) and Hindus that may manifest as prejudice, fear, or hatred.”

Hinduphobic rhetoric reduces the entirety of Sanatana Dharma to a rigid, oppressive, and regressive tradition.  Prosocial and reflexive aspects of Hindu traditions are ignored or attributed to outside, non-Hindu influences. This discourse actively erases and denies the persecution of Hindus while disproportionately painting Hindus as violent.  These stereotypes are used to justify the dissolution, external reformation, and demonization of the range of indigenous Indic knowledge traditions known as Sanatana Dharma. 

The complete range of Hinduphobic acts extends from microaggressions to genocide. Hinduphobic projects include the destruction and desecration of Hindu sacred spaces; aggressive and forced proselytization of Hindu populations; targeted violence towards Hindu people, community institutions, and organizations; and, ethnic cleansing and genocide.”

Back in the UK, a study released by the 1928 Institute, showed that a majority of British Indians experienced prejudice because of their Hindu Faith.

Hindus who have experienced Hinduphobia for generations were finally being heard and getting some institutional recognition for their experiences. Western Academics who had been free to peddle Hinduphobia, like Audrey Trushke, were finally being held accountable by their students and the wider community for silencing Hindus and erasing our experiences of genocide.

Hindus had made a small measure of progress towards being treated as actual human beings, rather than being treated as people in need of Civilizing. 

However, Colonial institutions rarely give up their power without a fight. The Dismantling Global Hindutva Conference is White Supremacist Colonial Institutions exerting their dominance to re-silence Hindus. They wish to disenfranchise and isolate us from the larger society so that our voices become whispers again.

As Edward Said argued in his seminal book Orientalism,

“The production of knowledge cannot be viewed independently of the power equations inherent in the production of such knowledge.”

This is the context in which the DGH conference needs to be understood. It’s an exertion of power to uphold the West’s hegemony over knowledge production about Hindus so their colonial project of destroying Hinduism can go on. 

Leading up to the DGH conference, its sponsors insisted to Western Media outlets like the WashingtonPost and to anyone who would listen, that their conference was not about Hinduism but only about Hindutva. Hindus protested by sending over 1 million letters and emails and contacting their representative, and asking for congressional support because as soon as the community looked at the DGH conference’s actual statements we understood that this was about Destroying Hinduism as it actively erased the genocide of Hindus and our experience of Hinduphobia. 

In an open letter signed by 8 Hindu Scholars, Dr Viswananthan and Dr Parihar quoted the DGH conference webpage as saying, “individual cases of discrimination, no matter how painful, do not amount to Hinduphobia since Hinduphobia rests on the false notion that Hindus have faced systematic oppression throughout history and in present times.”

This assertion actively erased Hindu genocide in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir, and Afghanistan, in addition to erasing the experience of millions of Hindus who live in Western countries and face daily harassment and bullying due to their religious beliefs.

The conference also asserted that Anti-Hindu bias and anti-Hindu violence are not linked, and lastly anyone who disagrees with their assertions is Hindu Supremacist or Hindutva. The Hindu scholars unpacking this explained

“Such an assertion is disturbing, and dangerous when put forth by those with academic credentials. As this scholarly definition notes, “outright denying or accusing Hindus or any people of inventing or exaggerating the persecution of Hindus, including genocide,” constitutes Hinduphobia.”

The Conference leaders continued to maintain that this was about Hindutva and not Hinduism. A post-conference analysis, however, proved the Hindu Scholars and Hindu community right. The conference was really about Dismantling Hinduism and not Hindutva.

Speaker after speaker at the Dismantling Global Hindutva conference made it clear that, in their view, Hindutva can’t be separated from Hinduism, if they wanted to Dismantle Hindutva, they insisted that Hinduism must be dismantled.

None of this is new of course. As Dr Arvind Sharma showed in his book Ruler’s Gaze, Western Academics produced Orientalist “knowledge” about Hinduism going back to the 1800s German Indologists and British Indologists. It’s just that Orientalism and Hinduphobia have found new homes in Western South Asian Departments where the same colonial theories get pushed with Brown faces. 


Hindus, like other marginalized people, resisted this oppression by simply being Hindu. By wearing a Bindi, by going to the temple, by calling out Hinduphobia, by sending letters, or by teaching our kids about Hindu Dharma and in a million big and small ways.

We resisted and we made ourselves heard.

However, these institutions that have upheld white supremacy for 200 years will always seek to silence us. What we need to do is continue to empower our people with knowledge to combat this Hinduphobia.

Tell out stories as Sankalp Gilda did. Advocate for equal treatment, protection, and recognition of our persecution from our political leaders at every single level. Lastly, we as Hindus need to build allyship with other marginalized communities in the lands we have chosen to immigrate to.

In the West, that means forming allyship with Black, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, and Indigenous communities and listening to their stories. It means showing up at school boards meetings and congressional hearings and town council meetings at every level! That means becoming allies against White Supremacists institutions that harm marginalized communities every day.

The Dismantling Global Hindutva conference is a call to action for Hindus around the globe, especially in the diaspora, to take a stand against Hinduphobia and keep speaking our truth. 

Author: Sneha Rao

Sneha is a Hindu American first-generation immigrant to the US. She moved to the US when she was 13 and has struggled with issues of Hinduphobia and Assimilation into the larger American culture.
After becoming a mother, she started deeply examining the ways in which American culture can be harmful to Hindu children. She found that Hinduphobia and Appropriation of Hindu Culture deeply affected her as a teenager growing up in the US.
Sneha started working on articulating and writing about these issues on her social media and is now a contributor to Shaktitva and Hindus for Decolonization Group

This Oped was first published on the India Facts, We have republished it with kind permission.

Disclaimer: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this Oped. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the Author, and neither The Australia Today News nor its partners assume any responsibility for them.


Further Reading 

1 – Altman, M. J. (2017). Heathen, Hindoo, Hindu: American Representations of India, 1721–1893 (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

2 – Sharma, A. (2017). The Ruler’s Gaze: A Study of British Rule over India from a Saidian Perspective (1st ed.). HarperCollins.

3 – Understanding Hinduphobia – Working Definition. (2021). Understanding Hinduphobia. https://understandinghinduphobia.org/working-definition/

British Indians protest against forced conversion of Hindu girls in Pakistan

Image source: Insight UK - Facebook.

British Indians took part in a silent vigil as part of an appeal to and violence against minorities in Pakistan.

According to reports, these peaceful protests especially highlighting forced conversions of Hindu girls in Pakistan were held across 40 towns and cities of the UK.

On October 2, People gathered in major cities such as Edinburgh, Leeds, Leicester, Salisbury, Cheltenham, Derby, and Slough to just name a few.

They distributed pamphlets about the allegedly forced conversion of Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls in Pakistan.

Image source: Insight UK – Facebook.

These protests were organised by Insight UK, a movement of British Hindu and Indian communities.

This human rights organisation now has a strong grass root presence in more than 100 towns or cities of the UK.

Image source: Insight UK – Facebook.

The organisers told TOI:

“The situation of Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan is increasingly dire. They face regular kidnappings, forceful conversion, attacks and persecution.”

The organiser added:

“Each year over 1,000 minor Hindu girls are abducted, forced to convert, married to people twice or thrice of their age or pushed into the sex trade. Some seminaries teach that forcibly converting Hindu girls is equivalent to the greatest religious duty. Minorities in Pakistan face the threat of blasphemy laws.”

In 1947, Pakistan had a minority population of about 31%. Of these, around 24% — or 7.5 million — were Hindus.

Today, after 75 years, the minority population has been reduced to 4%, of which Hindus account for 1.6% or 2.5 million people.

Insight UK is lobbying with British MPs to raise its concerns with Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia.

The organisers want the UK government to raise the allegedly forced conversion of Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls with Pakistan.

It is also urging the Indian government to ensure fast-track citizenship applications of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians from Pakistan.

Teacher’s Make a Human Capital: ‘Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery’

World Teachers Day' Picture Source: @CANVA
World Teachers Day' Picture Source: @CANVA

You may not either be a teacher or may not remember your teachers’ role in your life, but teachers are the ones who make the human capital for the nation.

Teachers devote their lives to teach the lessons of life to children, understand knowledge and grow into mature responsible citizens of a nation. They educate students of various ages, from young children to adults, in a wide range of subjects to make a difference in the life of many.

They act as a guardian, counsellors and mentors to give way to the passion of students and groom them to achieve their respective career. 

Teaching is a noble profession; although it may not be financially attractive it gives a sense of satisfaction and impact society as a whole.  A day is dedicated to honour, appreciate, support, recognise and celebrate the nation’s educators through World Teachers’ Day.

History of WTD

Thus, every year on October 5, World Teachers’ Day [WTD] is celebrated to honour all teachers throughout the world. It marks the 50th anniversary of adopting the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation related to the Status of teachers that emphasis the teachers’ rights and responsibilities.

As per UNESCO,

“This recommendation sets forth the rights and responsibilities of teachers as well as international standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, teaching and learning conditions.”

Since 1994, the WTD has been observed, as UNESCO had made inaugural of this day. WTD is co-hosted by UNICEF, International Labour Organisation and Education International.  2021 WTD remember the teacher contribution to recover the education system during and after the COVID-19 phase.

Global events are organised to highlight the impact of a pandemic on the teaching profession and the promising response of the teachers to bring the education back to normal.

Celebrating WTD

WTD should not be taken lightly, as the teachers make the future of the upcoming generations, appreciation of teachers effort only on a day seems a bit injustice to their contributions, as it should be celebrated throughout the year. 

The celebration of 2021 World Teachers day is done at Fiji National University, led by the intellectual dean of the College of Humanities and Education, Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba.

Similar events are celebrated across the world to understand the context of teachers contribution in the education sector and society at large.

image.png
Prof. Unaisi Nabobo-Baba, Dean of College of Humanities and Education, Fiji National University.

Appreciation of the teachers and their incredible role in the profession is the motto behind celebrating WTD.

The objective is to appreciate, assess and improve the conditions of educators around the globe. Thus addressing the issues of teachers and teaching through observing WTD. Different ceremonies and awards are bestowed to the teachers all around the globe to the outperformed teachers.

They make a difference in society by their contribution beginning from classroom to community service. The goal of this day is to enhance educational quality by increasing awareness of the importance of teaching and contemporary problems impacting the teachers.

WTD is commemorated with a new topic every year, as determined by UNESCO. WTD’s 2020 theme was “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future’ whereas 2021 is ‘Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery’. Their contribution towards the students and society has become the pillar of development and growth.

COVID-19 has been a challenge for teachers and students, as there has been unprecedented closure of schools, where teachers contributed to the transition of teaching pedagogy from face-to-face towards virtual teaching.

Teachers role has been outstanding in continue the journey of teaching and go beyond their official duties to support their children. Despite have huge workload stress and reducing their family time.  

Conclusion

After reading this op-ed, you may recall your favourite teacher that has moulded your future and encourage you to achieve your goals. An appreciation towards them in the best possible manner shall help to achieve the motto behind celebrating WTD.

Your word of appreciation shall make a difference. You may not be in touch with them, but a simple call to say ‘Thank you with a smile will bring an emotional touch and a smile on their face to give you a blessing that they had been given you since you were a student in their class. 

Disclaimer: Dr Sakul Kundra is a Head of Department, Social Science and Assistant Professor at College of Humanities and Education, Fiji National University. PhD History from JNU, and Gold Medalist in PGD in Education, USP. The views expressed are his own and not of this newspaper or his employer. For comments or suggestions, email. dr.sakulkundra@gmail.com

Market Mantra: Global worries send Australian market to a four-month low

Market Mantra: Down turn; Picture Source: @CANVA
Market Mantra: Down turn; Picture Source: @CANVA

Australian shares dropped to their lowest level in four months on persistent worries about rising inflation in Europe and the USA and uncertainty surrounding Chinese property giant Evergrande.

The Australian shares recorded a fourth consecutive week of decline the local market has pretty much given away all the gains it has made since early June.

A slew of weak economic data from China and the surprise resignation of Gladys Berejiklian due to the ICAC investigation added to uncertainty. Historically the month of October has seen some of the most famous market routes and the start of October this year was no different with the unwelcome fall of 2% on Friday accounting for most of the 2.1% weekly fall last week.

Australia’s biggest trading partner, China, is also in the middle of a power crunch which resulted in a surprise decline in Chinese factory activity in September. This, in turn, is expected to impact the resources and minerals sector in Australia which rely heavily on the demand for raw materials from China.

A softening property market in China amidst Evergrande missing another $180 million payment o foreign US bondholders also dealt a fresh flow to Australian shares with both financials and miners feeling the pain.

The ill-timed surprise resignation of the NSW Premier on Friday have also added to uncertainty in Australian markets. With NSW in the middle of a crucial re-opening phase, it will be important for the new Premier to hit the road running.

However, amongst all the gloom there were some bright points with the Australian PM announcing Australia’s opening plan. The announcement sent travel stocks higher with Hello World leading the rally. The power shortage in China has also helped push the price of thermal coal to record high, thus helping coal miners in Australia. Whitehaven Coal was the biggest benefactor of rising coal prices and added a handy 4% to its value.

The Australian gold miners also ended in the positive as gold prices rose on inflation fears. Newcrest Mining, Northern Star Resources and Evolution all rose healthily throughout the week.

Looking ahead at this week will be a big week with the Reserve Bank of Australia meeting on Tuesday. While no change is expected to historic low-interest rates of 0.1% the investors would still be on edge to hear about the Board’s view on the Australian economy. Other important data that will impact market movement this week will be the job advertisements, construction data, car sales data, jobs and wages data, services data and finally Reserve Bank’s semi-annual Financial Stability Review.

While it seems this week the market will try and recover some of its recent losses there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty regarding Australia’s economic reopening plan amidst rising Covid-19 cases.

In regards to gold, worries about rising inflation and risks to global growth helped the yellow metal record its first weekly gain since 03 September. Gold is often seen as a hedge against the inflation and falling stocks in Asia and Europe on inflation worries and a possible slowdown in growth sent investors back into precious metal.

Market Mantra:Gold; Picture Source: @CANVA

A dip in the US Dollar against a basket of other currencies and lower bond yields also added to appeal for gold. The continuing rise in energy prices in China and Europe and growth concerns in China will support gold. However, prospects that the US may wind down on fiscal stimulus this year may yet pressure gold.

Oil continued to rally for a fifth consecutive week with international oi benchmark Brent Crude hitting US$80 per barrel for the first time since October 2018. With both US Crude and Brent recording another week of gains, oil has now added more than 50% in prices for 2021.

There is a persistent supply deficit with OECD countries not increasing supply even as economies open up have aided oil prices. As oil continues to rally, Goldman Sachs hiked its target price for Brent from $80 by the end of the year to $90 by the end of the year.

In April 2020 when the pandemic hit and oil prices moved into negative territory, OPEC countries announced historical cuts in oil productions and removed nearly 10 million barrels per day from the market. However, with most economies now opening up the OPEC nations continue to hold back oil production. As such while demand for oil has since recovered the supply remains constrained.

oil price going up; Picture Source: @Canva
oil price going up; Picture Source: @Canva

The rise in oil prices and supply concerns have also forced nations to switch to other energy sources to meet the demand and have thus resulted in a rally in gas prices with Natural Gas Futures reaching their highest levels in the last 7.5 years. The price of Natural gas is up 40% alone in September with gas usage expected to increase as Northern Hemisphere heads into the winter season.

In a volatile week for the local currency, the Australian dollar hit a four week low before steadying during the end of the week and rallying on Friday to close the week on a high. A 6.6% rise in building permits in August, a 0.6% rise in a month on month Private Sector Credit and the announcement that NSW will ease restrictions for fully vaccinated persons earlier than expected all combined to improve sentiment towards the Australian Dollar.

However, with retail recording, a fifth consecutive monthly decline and uncertainty due to rising delta cases the Australian growth is expected to have a major hit. Traders will be waiting for GDP data to analyse the state of the local economy. It is widely expected that the GDP for the September quarter will show negative growth, which it does will start another decline for the Australian dollar.

In regards to the Indian Rupee, the rising oil prices resulted in Indian currency slipping against other major currencies. While Indian factory data expanded in September signalling economic recovery the employment data showing firms reduced headcount at the fastest pace since May.

Market Mantra: Representative Picture; ; Image Source: @CANVA
Market Mantra: Representative Picture; ; Image Source: @CANVA

India has a 77% dependence on oil imports and a rise in oil prices impacts the rupee negatively. With oil prices rising to their highest prices since October 2018, the Rupee slid below the 74.00 mark against the US Dollar.

In the world of Cryptocurrencies, the crypto investments picked up once again with investors buying the dip. Even though China once again reiterated that all crypto-related activities are illegal, a report from IMF stating investments in cryptocurrencies are growing at an unbounded rate, especially in emerging countries helped cryptocurrencies recover some of their recent losses.

While September had not been a good month for the cryptocurrencies with Ether recording a 16% decline for the month and Bitcoin losing 7%, the pullback is expected in light of the rally over the last 12 months.

Ethereum alone have added roughly 830% to its value in the last 12 months and the 9% rally on Friday night signals the currencies are ready to enter a bullish cycle again after the recent dip.

Market Mantra: Bit Coin; Picture Source: @CANVA

With Ethereum though still struggling with high transaction fees and slow network speed, we feel that some of the other coins such as Cardano or Solana dubbed as Ethereum killers may provide a better value for crypto investors.

Solana, which as per its company website processes 50,000 transactions per second compared to Ethereum which is limited to 13 transactions per second have already rallied 4,800% since September 2020. For investors looking to diversify from Bitcoin and Ethereum, we feel Cardano, Solana, Matic, Polygon and Tezos provide a great alternative.

Market Mantra: Down turn; Picture Source: @CANVA
Market Mantra: Dollar turn; Picture Source: @CANVA

In agricultural products, it was a mixed week. Wheat futures climbed to a six week high on tight supply concerns. Corn followed wheat higher. Soy however dropped after US data showed larger than expected soy inventories in the US.

With wheat stocks at a 14 year low in the US as per the report from USDA and also a decline in production wheat is in very tight supply and could lead the gains in grain prices till a new cycle of crops is available for exports.

Author: Ateev Dang is a trader and trading coach by profession. He runs a business called Glow trades Pty Ltd where he teaches anyone interested in starting their trading journey on how to trade. He can be contacted at adang@glowtrades.com.au.

Disclaimer:

The writers’ opinions in the above article are their own and do not constitute any financial advice whatsoever. Nothing published by The Australia Today constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content publication be relied upon for providing any investment activities.

We strongly recommend that you perform your independent research and/or speak with a financial advisor or qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

Over 300 Indians and 700 Pakistanis named in Pandora Papers investigation on offshore finance

Image source: Pandora Papers 2021 report.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a nonprofit newsroom and network of journalists, has just published its Pandora Papers investigation.

This investigation highlights secretive offshore finance and accounts of world’s wealthiest.

It includes revelations about the secret deals and hidden assets of more than 330 politicians and high-level public officials in more than 90 countries and territories. 

ICIJ shared the files with 150 media partners, that includes more than 600 journalists in 117 countries and territories.

This is claimed to be the broadest collaboration in journalism history with nearly 3 terabytes of leaked data.

Even bigger than the Panama Papers investigation conducted five years ago, which was based on a leak from a single law firm.

Image source: ICIJ – Pnadora Papers 2021.

The data include spreadsheets, tax declarations, invoices, PowerPoint presentations, emails and company records listing directors and shareholders.

It also include suspicious activity reports, sanctions lists, due diligence reports, know-your-customer forms, passports, utility bills and photos.

According to ICIJ, experts say owning an offshore company is legal but can give rise to other illegalities. 

“While owning an offshore company is legal, the secrecy it provides can give cover to illicit money flows, enabling bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, terrorism financing and human trafficking and other human rights abuses.”

Not surprisingly, the Pandora Papers contain names of over 300 Indians and 700 Pakistanis.

This includes many former Indian Member of Parliaments as well as names of former associates of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

According to a Guardian, prominent Pakistani politicians named in the expose include both civilian government and military leaders such as Wagar Masood Khan and Chaudhry Moonis Elahi among others.

A spokesperson for PM Imran Khan told media that if any of his ministers or advisors had offshore companies, “they will have to be held accountable.”

For these rich South Asians, Samoa, Belize or the Cook Islands are some of the preferred tax havens, apart from larger tax havens like the British Virgin Islands or Panama.

According to Indian Express that was part of the investigation, Anil Ambani who had declared bankruptcy in a UK court has 18 asset holding offshore companies.

The report states that Sachin Tendulkar asked for the liquidation of his entity in the British Virgin Islands three months after Panama Papers.

Tendulkar’s attorney told ICIJ:

“the cricket player’s investment is legitimate and has been declared to tax authorities.” 

The Pandora papers have also revealed that Bollywood star Jackie Shroff was the prime beneficiary of a trust set up in New Zealand by his mother-in-law.

The report added that Nirav Modi’s sister also set up a trust a month before he fled India.

Further, Biocon promoter Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s husband set up a trust with keys to a person who has been banned by the SEBI for insider trading.

I appears that the revelations from Pandora Papers would once again help restart debate over the fairness of the Indian and international tax system.

WATCH VIDEO: Pandora Papers: An unprecedented leak exposes the inner workings of a shadow economy – ICIJ

Will you send your child to school when 29% of cases are from under 19-year-olds

School Zone sign; Picture Source: Vic Traffic
School Zone sign; Picture Source: Vic Traffic

Victoria recorded 1,377 new COVID19 cases today with a seven-day average now at 1,211. The state government has already announced a detailed roadmap about what happens when different vaccination milestones are achieved.

To understand and make an informed decision about the real situation in Victoria here are some numbers.
New Cases in Victoria over the past 14 days are 12,718.

Victoria Cases over the past 14 days by LGA
1- Metro: 12278 (6190 Unknown Source)
2- Regional: 440 (140 Unknown Source)

Top LGAs:
Hume: 3602 (1527 Unknown Sources)
Whittlesea: 1278 (626 Unknown Source)
Moreland: 887 (380 Unknown Sources)
Wyndham: 809 (370 Unknown Sources)
Brimbank: 744 (414 Unknown Sources)
Melton: 651 (347 Unknown Source)
Casey: 526 (290 Unknown Source)
Darebin: 399 (232 Unknown Source)

Victoria Active Cases by Age:
0-9 years: 703 Boy 654 Girl
10-19 years: 1094 Boy 959 Girl
20-29 years: 1537 Man 1323 Woman
30-39 years: 1038 Man 948 Woman
40-49 years: 696 Man 708 Woman
50-59 years: 538 Man 530 Woman
60-69 years: 288 Man 280 Woman
70+ years: 178 Man 226 Woman

% of cases in the last 14 days tell us the real story.
29% of the new cases are from the cohort of under 19-year-olds.
Under 9-year-olds are 12 per cent new cases and 10-19-year-olds had 17% new cases in the last 14 days.

IT consultant, Sunnayna Sahu is a resident of Melbourne’s Northern suburb Craigieburn. As per the Victorian government’s roadmap, her 8-year-old daughter is supposed to attend school on 18th October.

She told The Australia Today, “I am fully vaccinated and working from home at the movement and there is no push from my employer to go back to the office once 80% vaccination is done.”

“How, can I send my 8 year old child with no vaccination to school while cases are surging in our area,”

said Ms Sahu.

She is not alone, a lot of parents are still contemplating whether to send their child to school or not as per the roadmap announced.

Rehbar Mumtaj is a long term resident of Truganina, a western suburb of Melbourne. Her four children go to Al-Taqwa college which was in the middle of a coronavirus outbreak.

Mumtaj told The Australia Today, “My 12 and 14-year-old daughters will have their first vaccine dose on 11th October. So maybe, I am thinking to send them to school.”

“But my under 12 year daughter and son can’t have any vaccine that’s why my husband doesn’t want to send them to school in the first few week,”

said Ms Mumtaj

The following chart tells us that only 13.80% of 12-19-year-olds have received both vaccines as of yesterday 3rd October.

Vaccinations By Age on 03/10/2021

12-19 years: • 50.89% 1️⃣ Vaccine • 13.80% 2️⃣ Vaccine
20-29 years: • 65.02% 1️⃣ Vaccine • 34.27% 2️⃣ Vaccine
30-39 years: • 73.64% 1️⃣ Vaccine • 44.19% 2️⃣ Vaccine
40-49 years: • 80.30% 1️⃣ Vaccine • 63.22% 2️⃣ Vaccine

16+ Australian population vaccine rollout progress on 4th October 2021:
First Vaccine to 79.36% population and both Vaccine (fully vaccinated) to 56.52% population.

According to the current rate 7️⃣0️⃣% (16+) Australians will be fully vaccinated in the next 18 days – that is on 22nd October 2021.
However, 16+ Victorians will be 70% fully vaccinated in 22 days that is on 26th October 2021.

Another landmark will be of 8️⃣0️⃣% fully vaccinated 16+ Australian population:
This will be achieved at the current rate in 32 days time on 5th November 2021.
Victoria will achieve this fully vaccinated 80% population tag in 35 days on 8th November 2021.

However, Victorian health departments data shows that 12+-year-olds will be 80% fully vaccinated in 43 days on 16th November 2021.

The bigger question is around the safety of under 12-year-olds as there is no COVID19 vaccine available for them.

As per the Victorian government’s roadmap for a return to school schedule:

Prep will return on Monday 18th October for two days a week (Monday-Wednesday)
Year 1-2 will return on Monday 18th October for two days a week (Thursday-Friday)
Year 3-4 will return on Tuesday 26th October for two days a week (Tuesday- Wednesday)
Year 5-6 will return on Tuesday 26th October for two days a week (Thursday-Friday)
Year 7 will return on Tuesday 26th October for all five days of the week.
Year 8-9 will return on Tuesday 26th October for two days a week (Tuesday- Wednesday)
Year 11 will return on Tuesday 26th October for all five days of the week.
Year 12 will return on Wednesday 6th October for all five days of the week.
All students will be attending face to face learning every weekday on 5th November 2021.

Victoria has 585 active exposure sites as of today out of the 146 are tier-1 and 435 are tier-2.

The Pink-ball Test: Dominant Indian girls shake hand with Australian Captain Lanning to end it in a draw

Dominant Indian girls shake hand with Australian Captain Lanning; Picture Source: Twitter @AusWomenCricket
Dominant Indian girls shake hand with Australian Captain Lanning; Picture Source: Twitter @AusWomenCricket

The one-off pink-ball Test between India and Australia ended in a draw after Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning shook hands in the final session of Day 4 at the Carrara Oval in Queensland on Sunday.

With this draw, both teams will get two points each. The multi-format series after the ODIs and a Test currently stands at Australia 6 – India 4.

The Pink Test saw fine performances from Smriti Mandhana with the bat in the first innings, Shafali in the second, with the ball – Jhulan was outstanding and the others chipped in.

For Australia, again it was Ellyse Perry who came to the team’s rescue with the bat while Stella Campbell on debut impressed with her attitude to charge in and try at all times.

Resuming the third session at 106/2, Georgia Wareham removed Shafali Verma quickly. And shortly after just 7 overs in the final session, Mithali Raj declared the second innings of India with a lead of 271, with 32 overs left in the match.

India enjoyed a great start in the final session as Jhulan Goswami bowled Alyssa Healy in the third over of the innings. It was a short ball outside off and Healy played a lacklustre shot as the ball hit the toe-end of the bat and back onto the stumps.

Meg Lanning then joined Beth Mooney on the pitch and started stabilising the ship for hosts. However, Pooja Vastrakar struck in the 10th as she dismissed Beth Mooney after Aussie edged to Gayakward at fine leg.

After five overs, just as they were walking away for some drinks, Mithali Raj and Meg Lanning came together and agreed that it was enough for the day.

Smriti Mandhana rates her 127-run knock in pink-ball Test as ‘top three’

Indian cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana became the first Indian woman to score a century in a pink-ball Test and on Australian soil on Day 2 of the Test. She has rated her 127-run knock as one of the top three.

Mandhana was adjudged player of the match for her triple-figure mark. During the post-match presentation, she said: “It’s definitely in the top three (asked to rate this hundred). First time playing a day-night Test, really happy that I gave good pace (start) to the team.”

“Most nervous night I have ever had – after the first day. Lucky with that no-ball on 80. That sort of cleared my mind after that. To wear whites and go into the field is the top-most thing. The different situation today to bat than the first day and that happens only in Tests.”

“To bat with slips, the gully is a different feel. We just have three days before the T20s. Rest for a day and get back to business with the T20s coming up,” she added.

India played really well and put us on the back foot, says Meg Lanning

Australia skipper Meg Lanning admitted that the hosts were put on the backfoot by the Indian team in the one-off pink-ball Test.

“We certainly came to win as did India. India played really well and put us on the back foot, we had to fight it out. They ran in hard and gave it their all. We fielded every day in this Test,”

said Lanning during the post-match presentation.


The match was hampered by the rain several times and Lanning feels if not for the weather, the pink-ball Test would have witnessed the result.

“Without the weather, we would have got a result in four days,”

said Lanning.
It was a mixed feeling: Mithali Raj 

Indian captain Mithali Raj expected the new ball to move quite a bit in the day-night Test as she described her experience of playing the first pink-ball game.

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Interacting with the media in the post-match press conference, Mithali Raj talked about the positives from two Tests that the team has played this year.

“In England, we were on the verge of losing and the lower-order put on a brave performance. Coming to Australia Smriti has played well, her hindered was fabulous. Seamers have bowled well. Jhulan is obviously an experienced player and she has been in a good rhythm. Along with her [Jhulan] the two young seamers has stood out,” she said.

“It was a mixed feeling. I expected quite a movement with the new ball but it didn’t happen. In the latter half of the 1st innings, there was a bit of a movement. For my first experience, I thoroughly enjoyed being on the ground,”

said Indian captain.


Raj also opened about the last-minute change of the call at the toss against Meg Lanning as she said, “You know with the history of me losing the toss I don’t want it to become my legacy.”

“And the way the girls have been pulling my legs for that so I thought let me change [the toss call] but clearly I think I need to take a cue from MS Dhoni regarding how to win the toss,” she quipped.

Brief Scores: India 377/8 d and 106/2 (Shafali Verma 52, Punam Raut 41, Ashleigh Gardner 1-31); Australia 241/9 d and 36/2 (Meg Lanning 17, Beth Mooney 11; Jhulan Goswami 1-8)

Radical Islamists targetting India through sponsored fake news, hashtags and propaganda, says report

Image source: DisinfoLab Report - https://thedisinfolab.org/muslim-brotherhood-arrives-in-india/

The latest report entitled “Muslim BrotherHood Arrives In India” published by thedisinfolab.org details how the Muslim Brotherhood has launched a campaign targeting India.

The Society of Muslim Brotherhood (Jami’at al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun), also known as the Muslim Brotherhood or Muslim Brothers, was born in 1928 in Egypt.

It has projected itself as democratic but in reality, is responsible for many attacks and sowing deep hatred among a large part of the Muslim population.

The report notes that the Muslim Brotherhood was conceived as a mimicking instrument to ‘infiltrate’ Western society to provide an intellectual framework to its radical Islamist discourse.

“The objective has been to monopolize the discussion of Islamic world and Muslim affairs by drowning the other voices. It has done so by adopting the ‘appearances’ and ‘mannerisms’ of the western world, including Western costumes (though essentially men).”

The Real Target of this MB led and QTP (Qatar-Turkey-Pakistan) executed slander campaign is Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS). 

Image source: Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman – Wikipedia.

However, according to the report, the #BoycottIndianProducts hashtag was widely shared on Twitter as part of including India in this campaign.

This hashtag was started after an eviction drive by Assam Police against illegal encroachers.

This drive had turned violent as illegal encroachers attacked the police.

Soon after, Twitter accounts from Pakistan and middle eastern countries launched the social media campaign to boycott products made in India.

According to DisinfoLab, the Assam incident was a mere excuse to run the campaign which was being planned since 2018.

“While on the face of it, the #Boycott_Indian_Products felt like it was a reaction to the most unfortunate and condemnable incident in Assam (and we hope that the culprit be brought to justice soon), it became apparent that the trigger wouldn’t have mattered.”

DisinfoLab report clearly states that most of the prominent handles promoting a campaign against India were directly related to the Muslim Brotherhood.

These accounts posted several videos and images that were unrelated to real incidents and aloes debunked by reputed fact-checkers in India.

The report further claims that many major news portals such as Al Jazeera, TRT World, Rassd News Network, Arabi21, Al-Araby News, and Watan Serb promoted the biased campaign by tweeting about it.

“AJ’s perspective towards India has been less than transparent, to say the least. It has had a history of sharing fake news, particularly targeting India. The anti-India slant of AJ was also visible, where it did not show the J&K as part of India, which is followed by all media houses publishing in India.”

According to the report, this social media trend was interesting, as it reminded of a similar campaign launched through trending #IslamophobiaInIndia in 2019, in the aftermath of the Tablighi Jamaat incident.

“The Pakistani info-war machinery had impersonated scores of prominent Arabic royal families, including women, and creating fake handles in their name, was pushing this coordinated campaign.”

The report observes that no amount of argument or fact-check would be able to counter this sponsored fake agenda of Islamists.  

As the key idea behind it all is to keep repeating the lies until it becomes an established narrative.

“The idea is to flood the media space with so much content that it would look ubiquitous. This will create an impression of large-scale violence.”

A good example of this is the success of #IslamophobiaInIndia campaign, a narrative that is still being cited by well-known journalists and academics.

The report clearly points to Pakistan’s role, especially its ministers, ISI, journalists and strategic analyst, in fake social media campaigns against India.

Image source: DisinfoLab Report 2021.

The worrying trend is that most of these fake handles, accounts or bots are newly created in 2021. 

Image source: DisinfoLab Report 2021.

The report notes that at present Twitter hashtag trend is the single biggest instrument for information warfare and Twitter doesn’t seem to have any measure or even care about such fake anti-India propaganda.

Image source: PM Narendra Modi – Twitter.

It concludes that this fake propaganda and social media war should be a wake-up call for the govt of India as well as for Indian social media users.

“With arrival of Muslim Brotherhood openly in South Asia, this could mark a watershed moment for info-war in South Asia, for which India seems rather ill-prepared.”

The report publisher DisinfoLab.org has been created with the motive of unveiling fake news and propaganda that intend to create turmoil among people in Asia.

Their previous report entitled ‘Kashmir Inc: a Conflict Industry’ had indicated that Qatar-Turkey-Pakistan nexus with the blessings of the Muslim Brotherhood is becoming the new hub for radical Islamists.

Bollywood Star Shahrukh Khan’s son in Narcotics Bureau’s custody

India’s Narcotics Control Bureau has detained Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan. He will be questioned today by the (NCB) after a cruise rave party was busted on Saturday night off the Mumbai coast.

The drugs raid was carried out by NCB officials onboard the Cordelia Cruises’ Empress ship and several people were taken in for questioning.

According to local media reports, the Zonal Director of NCB, Sameer Wankhede said that Aryan Khan has not been arrested or taken into custody yet. The anti-drug agency has only brought him in for questioning.

The videos on the incident where the NCB office was seen taking in youngsters for questioning are going viral now.

The NCB reportedly got information about the cruise party that was set to sail at 2 pm on 2 October and return to Mumbai around 10 am on 4 October. The raid was carried out by NCB officials led by zonal director Sameer Wankhede after they received a tip-off. 

It is learnt that the NCB team disguised themselves as passengers and boarded the cruise in order to carry out the raid. The team revealed that the rave party began as soon as the cruise reached mid-sea.

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Reports suggest that Aryan’s phone has been seized for the NCB to investigate the chats in connection with the case.

Eight persons — Aryaan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra — are being questioned in connection with the raid at an alleged rave party at a cruise off Mumbai coast said NCB Mumbai Director Sameer Wankhede.

NCB chief SN Pradhan told ANI, “It’s a result of a painstaking investigation that went on for two weeks. We acted on specific intelligence inputs, involvement of some Bollywood links has come to light.”

Australia Women vs India Women, D/N Test, Day 3: Jhulan, Pooja put visitors on top

Meg Lanning and Jhulan Goswami; Picture Source: @BCCIW
Meg Lanning and Jhulan Goswami; Picture Source: @BCCIW

Indian bowlers put on a spirited display on Day 3 to put the visitors in control in the one-off pink-ball Test against Australia here at the Carrara Oval on Saturday.

At stumps, Australia’s score read 143/4 after 60 overs in their first innings — trailing the visitors by 234 runs with six wickets in the bag.

Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner were unbeaten on 27 and 13 respectively. The Aussies are still 85 runs behind the follow-on target.

The third day started with India adding 101 runs to their overnight score in the first session (thanks mainly to Deepti Sharma’s 66) and the visitors declared shortly after the dinner break. From there it was all about the veteran Jhulan Goswami. The experienced campaigner thrived with the pink ball under lights.

Dismissing both openers, Jhulan (2-27) led the way for India, before Pooja Vastrakar (2-26) followed her lead, showing excellent control throughout an extended spell. Both finished the day with an economy rate of fewer than two runs per over.

Resuming the third session on 69/2, the Aussies moved with caution as Lanning and Perry gathered 11 runs in the first seven overs of the session.

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However, in the 32nd over of the innings, Pooja Vastrakar struck to get the big wicket of the Australian captain. Lanning was given LBW after the ball nipped back late and tapped her bang on the pads. But replays suggested there was a slight inside edge. Lanning was not happy but there is no DRS in this Test match.

Tahlia McGrath then joined Perry in the middle and steadied the ship for hosts. Australia crossed the 100 runs mark in the 42nd over of the match.

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With the stand between both Aussie players going strong, Vastrakar struck again in the 50th over as she sent back Tahlia McGrath. The Australian walked back to the dressing room after scoring 28 off 68 balls.

Ashleigh Gardner then joined Perry on the pitch as the Aussie duo ensured no more wickets fell for the hosts on a penultimate day.

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Brief Scores: India 377/8 d (Smriti Mandhana 127, Deepti Sharma 66; Sophie Molineux 2-45) vs Australia 143/4 (Meg Lanning 38, Alyssa Healy 29; Jhulan Goswami 2-27, Pooja Vastrakar 2-31).

#Hinduphobia: Fiji Pastor demolishes Bhagwan Hanuman idol, apologises after video goes viral

FIji Hindu Idol broken: Picture Source: The Australia Today
FIji Hindu Idol broken: Picture Source: The Australia Today

Indo-Fijian Pastor Rajesh Goundar of El-Shaddai Assemblies of God Church in Lautoka is seeking forgiveness for his actions in demolishing a Hindu God’s idol from a home.

A video of this incident has gone viral in Fiji where some people can be clearly seen breaking and removing the idol of ‘Bhagwan Hanuman.’

Image source: Poster.

Pastor Goundar told Fijivillage the owner of the house, a new convert to Christianity, gave him the consent to demolish the Hindu idol.

He added that the Hindu woman was sick for a while and she asked him to pray for her.

Image source: President of the Shree Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji, Sarju Prasad.

The President of the Shree Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji, Sarju Prasad has condemned the act labelling it as “shameful and intolerable.”

He further adds that if the Hindu idol was not acceptable to the owners of the property, they should have not destroyed or caused it to be destroyed.

Prasad told FBC News:

“Even if such an act was committed by a person in a private property and authorised by that person (by whom the deity was installed) – I would have thought that that person would have asked a person of Sanatan faith or those who are devotees of Hanuman ji to take that deity away and install in somewhere else. But to do such a shameful act is beyond tolerance.”

Speaking to FBC News, the owner of the house in Lautoka, Veena Wati, claimed that proper rituals were followed before they decided to remove the idol.

“I had prayed over the idol before following the proper procedures of releasing it. However, prior to that, we tried to remove it but the foundation of the statue was so strong that we had to break it.”

Hindu leaders have requested the Fijian government and other religious leaders to take this act as an attack on humanity.

Image source: Ashwin Raj, the Director of the Fijian Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission.

Ashwin Raj, the Director of the Fijian Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, has urged all religious leaders to foster respect and tolerance.

The Fiji Police Force has told local media that they have yet not received any official complaints on the matter of demolishing of Bhagwan Hanuman idol.

By the constitution, Fiji is a secular state and everyone has the freedom to follow and practice their own religion.

Image source: Girmityas – Wikipedia.

Hindus first arrived in Fiji as indentured labourers in 1879. 

After a period of persistent coups and persecution, which included burning of Hindu homes and arson of temples, Fiji witnessed a wave of emigration of Hindus to countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

According to the census, at present, most Indian Fijians, who account for 37 per cent of the total population, are Hindu, while an estimated 20 per cent are Muslim and 6 per cent Christian.

Aus W vs Ind W, D/N Test: Mandhana hits maiden ton but Punam stole hearts

Smriti Mandhana -- her maiden Test ton Vs Australia in Pink Test; Picture Source: Twitter @BCCI
Smriti Mandhana -- her maiden Test ton Vs Australia in Pink Test; Picture Source: Twitter @BCCI

The first session on Day 3 has ended with #TeamIndia making 359-7 after 142.3 overs. Earlier, persistent rain once again forced play to be called off early on the second day of the pink-ball Test as India ended on 276/5 against Australia at the Carrara Oval on Friday.

Riding on a brilliant hundred from Smriti Mandhana — her maiden Test ton — the visitors are clearly calling the shots in the D/N Test.

At stumps, Deepti Sharma (12) and Taniya Bhatia (0) were unbeaten at the crease. For Australia, Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, and Sophie Molineux picked a wicket each on the second day.

India scored 45 runs in the second session before play was suspended due to persistent rain. The game was eventually called off as no play was possible due to the weather.

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Resuming the second day on 132/1, Mandhana and Punam Raut continued with their A-game as they frustrated the Australian bowling attack. The first big highlight of the day came when Mandhana was caught by Beth Mooney at a score of 80. But turned out it was a no-ball from Ellyse Perry.

After that gift by hosts, Mandhana continued taking the attack to the opposition as she reached the three-figure mark in the 52nd over of the innings after smashing two fours off Ellyse Perry.

After the centurion was dismissed, India lost wickets quickly as Punam Raut, skipper Mithali Raj, and Yastika Bhatia all failed to score big. Interestingly, Raut decided to walk back even though the umpire hadn’t raised the finger.

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Speaking at the end of the game, Mandhana said Raut has earned a lot of respect after her decision to walk.

“First we reacted, like, ‘Oh, why did she do that?’ But, then, of course, it’s something that we all respect a lot. I think she has earned a lot of respect from all the teammates that she actually walked out,”

Mandhana said.

“And I don’t know how many people would actually do that in cricket at the moment — men’s or women’s. “Nowadays people walk out because there is DRS. But when there is no DRS and to walk out… I don’t know.

“So, definitely, she has earned a lot of respect from us.”

The incident took place in the 81st over of the India innings when Sophie Molineux’s delivery took a thin edge and landed into keeper Alyssa Healy’s gloves. Not only was the appeal from the Australian placers weak, but also the umpire didn’t raise the finger. But Raut decided to walk off.

Brief Scores: India 276/5 (Smriti Mandhana 127, Punam Raut 36; Sophie Molineux 2-28, Ashleigh Gardner 1-26) vs Australia. 

Who was Mahatma Gandhi: Symbol of Non-Violence, Harmony and Human rights or…

Mahatma Gandhi; Picture Source: Twitter drawing by Rahul
Mahatma Gandhi; Picture Source: Twitter drawing by Rahul

UN celebrates 2nd October as International Day of Non-Violence, and in this regard, the whole World is about to celebrate the Birth Anniversary of the most admired political and spiritual personalities of the twentieth century named Mahatma or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi.

Due to his stature, he is venerated and admired by the greatest personalities of the world i.e. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Aung San Su Kyi, Einstein and also contemporary leaders like Barack Obama consider Gandhi as an inspiration.

He is a source of inspiration and spread the message of equal rights for their people, human life and human rights. His principle of global peace, harmony, respect for all beliefs and respect diversity.

He practised the principle of Satyagraha which comes from the Sanskrit word Satya (truth) and Agraha (holding firmly to, or adherence or insistence) or “holding fast to the truth”. He dedicated his life to discovering truth or Satya, his message was “God is truth. The way to truth lies through ahimsa (non-violence)”.

See the source image

He believed Satyagraha as a means of self-control and an effective mean used as a social force against oppressors.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong,”

He stated.

He used three forms of Satyagraha i.e. non-cooperation, civil disobedience and fasting during the freedom struggle in India. This article gives glimpses of Gandhi’ vision and principles that have inspired millions.

Principles that Inspire

Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”. His basic principles that changed the lives of countless people were truth, non-violence, Satyagraha, morality and religion, and Sarvodaya (rise or welfare of all).

Gandhi applied the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience in the freedom movement in India against British domination and showed resistance against the oppressor and injustice, with his method of non-cooperation and peaceful means in both countries i.e. South Africa and India.

See the source image

His principles of non-violence include affection, sympathy, mercy, tolerance, forgiving, mutual aid and constructive programme. His message to resist injustice was through non-cooperation. Due to his contribution, Gandhi is honoured in India as the father of the nation. He inspired many on the principles of truth and non-violence (Ahimsa). His personality reflects many facets of Patience, perseverance, principled, peace lover and pious golden rules.

Simplicity or inheriting a simple way of way was preached by Gandhi, he renounced the western lifestyle and advocated the use of homespun cloth (khadi), and adopted the practice of weaving own clothes from a threat he spun on charkha which was the principle of Swadeshi movement. He wore dhoti which is a sign of simplicity and believe in self-sufficiency.

Further, he promoted fasting as a means of exerting mental control over base desires; practised strict vegetarianism and abstaining from alcoholic drinks and tobacco. His views on sanitation, decentralization of power, women empowerment, education for all and equality for all are followed by countless people.

See the source image

Priority to Human Rights

Gandhi fought for the rights of women and the untouchables. He was against poverty, rights of workers and believed in self-reliance based on cottage industry. He condemns politics based on religion as he believed in the equality of all religions.

He believed,

“True knowledge of religion breaks down the barriers between faith and faith”.

The priority was given to individual dignity and rights, a supporter of dignity of every human being irrespective of person’ religion, economic status or caste. He considers untouchability as a major social evil.

See the source image

He was a great social reformer and raised his voice against social evils through this speeches and writing, as he edited three journals i.e. Indian Opinion, Young India and Harijan. He had a vision of his writings. His writing reflects his stand for truth, his wrath against injustice, and his defender of self-respect.

He strongly denounced child marriage and detested the dowry system. His humanism means the devolution to the human welfare and benefit of the human race which he believed to be the service of God and humanity. He was a man of substance and had a vision of farsightedness. He said, “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty”.

Conclusion

Despite some criticism of his principles and vision from different corners, millions still admire him as one of the greatest world leaders of the last century. His multifaceted principles reflect his vision to be an ardent admirer of human rights. His principles are of utmost importance not just in the last century but also in the contemporary era.

In the current scenario, Gandhi words suits appropriately “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind”, so “peaceful coexistence, economic independence, respect for women, child-centred education and basic education for everyone, universal brotherhood” are the principles that is the cradle of humanity for better tomorrow.

I shall sum up with Gandhi inspirational two quotations “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” and “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.

Author: Dr Sakul Kundra, A.HOD Department of Social Science, College of Humanities and Education, Fiji National University.

Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied
Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied

Disclaimer: The views expressed are his own and not of The Australia Today or his employer. For comments or suggestions, email. dr.sakulkundra@gmail.com

Australia, India agree to finalise free trade agreement by end of 2022

Australia's Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal; Picture Source @PIB
Australia's Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal; Picture Source @PIB

Australia and India have agreed to conclude the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of 2022 during the 17th India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission meeting. The announcement was made at the end of a meeting between Australia’s Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

Hailing the development as a big day for the economic partnership between the two countries, Minister Tehan said, the two sides agreed on a roadmap towards finalizing the FTA after the discussions.

Speaking to the media, Mr Tehan affirmed the 2022 deadline for the conclusion of the FTA.

Key issues included the expeditious negotiation of a bilateral CECA, resolution of tax-related issues faced by Indian software firms in Australia, ensuring increased two-way trade and the 12th Ministerial Conference of the WTO scheduled to be held at the end of this year.

Both India and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to conclude a CECA, including to reach an interim agreement by December 2021 to liberalise and deepen bilateral trade in goods and services, and to conclude the negotiations on a full CECA by the end of 2022.

Australia’s Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal; Picture Source @PIB

The Joint Ministerial Commission detailed the areas that will be covered by the interim agreement consistent with Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, including goods, services, investment, energy and resources, logistics and transport, standards, rules of origin, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Ministers also agreed to explore government procurement.

It was agreed that there would be an exchange of offers by the end of October 2021.

Looking to build on the progress made by both countries on earlier bilateral negotiations, both Ministers agreed on the need for a balanced trade agreement that encourages expanded trade and investment flow to the benefit of both of our economies, and that reflects a shared commitment to the rules-based international trading system.

Australia’s Trade Minister Dan Tehan and his Indian counterpart Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal; Picture Source @PIB

India-Australia bilateral trade exceeded AUD$24 billion last year. Major Indian exports to Australia are petroleum products, medicines, polished diamonds, gold jewellery, apparel etc, while key Australian exports to India include coal, LNG, alumina and non-monetary gold.

In services, major Indian exports relate to travel, telecom and computer, government and financial services, while Australian services exports were principally in education and personal related travel.

In 2020, India was Australia’s seventh-largest trading partner and sixth largest export destination, driven by coal and international education.

Article 24 of the World Trade Organization (WTO) allows countries to form customs unions (CUs) or FTAs under two conditions. First, members should eliminate, substantially all internal barriers to trade inside the union, second, external trade barriers should not be increased on average.

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Indian Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal; Picture Source @PIB

Speaking at the joint press briefing in Indian Industry Minister Mr Goyal stated that the deal leverages the complementarities between the two countries and would unlock the trade potential between them.

Responding to a question on India’s decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, RCEP, the Minister said that India did not join RCEP because it was not in the economic interest of RCEP.

The development comes days after the Prime Ministers of the two-nation, Scott Morrison and Narendra Modi met in Washington as part of the QUAD leaders meet.

Australia ready to open International travel to and from India by mid-November, with ‘recognised’ Covishield, Here’ details

Representative image of Airport; Picture Source; @CANVA
Representative image of Airport; Picture Source; @CANVA

Australia is ready to take its next steps to safely reopen to the world, with changes coming to the international border. Within weeks, large parts of the country will be moving to Phase B and then to Phase C of the National Plan to safely reopen Australia.

Under Phase C, International travel is on track to reopen safely to fully vaccinated Australian travellers. Many countries around the world have now safely reopened to international travel and it will shortly be time for Australia to take the next step.

To enable fully vaccinated Australians to travel, the Morrison government is finalising new arrangements.

Following completion of home quarantine pilots in New South Wales and South Australia, it is anticipated that states and territories that are ready to do so will roll out:

PM Scott Morrison; Picture Source: The Australia Today
PM Scott Morrison; Picture Source: The Australia Today
  • Seven day home quarantine for Australian citizens and permanent residents fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use in Australia or ‘recognised’ by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
  • 14-day managed quarantine for anyone not vaccinated or vaccinated with a vaccine not approved or recognised by the TGA.

Australian citizens and permanent residents who cannot be vaccinated – for example, if they are under 12 or have a medical condition – will be treated as vaccinated for the purposes of their travel.

States and territories will begin this program at different times given their varying vaccination rates but it is expected that the system will commence in November.

Under Phase B and C of the National Plan,
14-day managed quarantine caps apply to unvaccinated arrivals. These will return to previous levels at Phase B of the National Plan. The federal government will work with states and territories to remove all travel caps on vaccinated Australians.

The Government’s intention is that once changes are made in November, the current overseas travel restrictions related to COVID-19 will be removed and Australians will be able to travel subject to any other travel advice and limits, as long as they are fully vaccinated and those countries’ border settings allow.

Border settings and quarantine requirements in other countries continue to change and the government strongly encourage all Australians to closely monitor DFAT travel advice, available on smartraveller.gov.au.

“These changes mean there will be no travel restrictions if you are a vaccinated Australian entering or leaving Australian shores.”

The federal government will also work towards completely quarantine-free travel for certain countries, such as New Zealand when it is safe to do so.

Picture Source: Facebook page Sydney Airport
Picture Source: Facebook page Sydney Airport

Testing is expected to continue to be a requirement of international travel, but subject to further medical advice, Rapid Antigen Tests may be used.

Australians who want to travel overseas once restrictions are removed will be able to access an internationally recognised proof of vaccination document in the coming weeks to prove their vaccination status abroad.

The proof of vaccination for international travel will include a QR code that is readable globally and will comply with the standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Engagement with commercial airlines and foreign governments has already begun to ensure they are familiar with the system.

“To maximise the number of Australians who can return, the government is also offering facilitated flights into any state or territory that agrees to commence seven day home quarantine trials for returning Australians.”

Australian citizens and permanent residents who have been vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine overseas can already visit their GP or local pharmacist in Australia to have their COVID-19 vaccination status updated in the Australian Immunisation Register, to be able to show proof of vaccination in Australia.

In the coming weeks, the government will finalise the processes for people to be able to show their vaccination status if they have had a TGA ‘recognised vaccine’. People who have received vaccines not recognised by the TGA, or who are unvaccinated, will be required to undertake 14 days of managed quarantine on arrival.

In addition to the four COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved and registered for use by the TGA – Pfizer (Comirnaty), AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Moderna (Spikevax) and COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen – the TGA has also been reviewing other vaccines in widespread use around the world for the purposes of determining ‘recognised vaccines’.

Indian Covid, Picture Source: Twitter MHA
Indian Covid Vaccine , Picture Source: Twitter MHA

Mr Morrison says we need to ensure that we keep Australians safe without creating unnecessary obstacles to people who have been fully vaccinated overseas from coming to our country.

Today, the TGA has published its initial assessment of the data on the protection offered by the Coronavac (Sinovac) and Covishield (AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India) vaccines and has advised that these vaccines should be considered as ‘recognised vaccines’ for the purpose of determining incoming international travellers as being appropriately vaccinated.

Declaring certain COVID-19 vaccines as ‘recognised vaccines’ is separate from a regulatory decision on whether they are approved for use for vaccination in Australia, which has not been made by the TGA.

The recognition of these two additional vaccines is a major milestone towards more Australians vaccinated overseas getting home sooner.

The TGA will continue its assessment of other vaccines for the purpose of determining ‘recognised vaccines’ based on the available data and data that is provided.

In the coming weeks, the Minister for Health will consider updates to the Biosecurity Act Emergency determinations to facilitate some of these changes for fully vaccinated Australian travellers as the government moves forward on the National Plan to get Australia back to normal and reopen the country safely.

With 1,143 new cases, Premier Andrews announces mandatory vaccination for all authorised workers by 15 October

Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews; Picture Source: The Australia Today
Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews; Picture Source: The Australia Today

The Victorian government will make it mandatory for all on-site authorised workers to be vaccinated by mid-October, as the state has recorded 1,143 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths.

Premier Daniel Andrews said we will see more pressure on our health system than we ever have. It is still crucial we continue to protect our health system from being overwhelmed.

“Our nurses, doctors, ambos and all of our health workers are working their guts out to be there for us and they need us all to do our bit.”

“All workers – in Melbourne and regional Victoria – on the Authorised Worker list will require their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by Friday, 15 October in order to continue working on site. They will need to be fully vaccinated by 26 November.

The advice from the Burnet Institute and Victorian public health officials is that vaccination remains the best protection. As authorised workers are currently moving around Victoria the most, it’s vital they get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and all of Victoria.  

Victoria COVID 19 Vaccination; Picture Source: Twitter @VicDHS
Victoria COVID 19 Vaccination; Picture Source: Twitter @VicDHS

The 15 October deadline will not apply to workers who already have existing requirements under CHO directions – groups like construction, freight, healthcare, aged care and education will still have to comply with previous advice.

To help ensure these workers can receive their vaccine in time, the government is expanding GP and pharmacy grant program to priority LGAs in regional Victoria and doubling the number of grants available for the existing LGAs – providing more to primary care network with $4,000 and $10,000 grants to boost their hours and staff and ultimately, get more vaccines into the arms of Victorians. 

A walk-up Moderna blitz from 4 October to 10 October will be conducted at the following sites:

  • Melton Vaccination Hub (Bunnings)
  • Sunshine Vaccination Hub
  • Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
  • Royal Exhibition Building
  • Sandown Racecourse Vaccination Centre
  • Frankston Community Vaccination Hub
  • Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre
  • Dandenong Palm Plaza
  • Former Ford Factor Campbellfield
  • La Trobe University site in Bundoora
  • St Francis Xavier College Officer Campus

As there is a need to ensure the virus does not travel further into regional Victoria, which is why businesses that are open in regional Victoria – restaurants or beauty, for example – must continue to check the IDs of everyone they serve.

“Over the next week, there are 13,000 first dose Pfizer appointments available and 8,000 first dose Astra Zeneca appointments available through the state-run system.”

Victorians can also book a vaccine appointment through their GP or pharmacist where many more appointments are available.

Victorian pharmacists are now also offering the Moderna vaccine, which is a safe and effective mRNA vaccine. This vaccine is now also on offer at select state sites for anyone aged 12 to 59.

GPs and pharmacies are now providing both Pfizer and Moderna to all ages, including those above aged 59.   

To book a vaccination through state-run centres – or to see links for how to book at your local GP or pharmacy – visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine

COVIDSafe Reopening For Victorian Construction

Restrictions on the Victorian construction industry will ease from 11.59 pm on Monday, 4 October, with a Construction Sector Roadmap setting a way forward for the sector to stay open and keep the community safe.

Highlights:

1- In order to work onsite, all workers will need to continue to carry an Authorised Worker Permit and have had at least one vaccine dose.
2- Every construction site in Victoria must also have a designated fully trained COVID Marshal to ensure compliance with the Chief Health Officer‘s directions.
3- Prior to reopening, operators will be required to attest that they have implemented the CHO directions and every site will need to have an up to date vaccination register available for compliance checks at all times.

Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews; Picture Source: The Australia Today
Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews; Picture Source: The Australia Today

An online portal will soon be available on the Service Victoria website so these documents are accessible for both the operator and compliance teams.

Crib facilities may be used for the consumption of food and drink with strict density requirements and additional ventilation.

Up to five workers and a supervisor will be able to work onsite for small scale construction projects, and large scale sites can have up to 25 per cent of workers on site. If crib rooms meet best practices and the entire workforce is fully vaccinated, large scale construction sites can have up to 50 per cent of workers on site.

Projects on the State Critical Infrastructure list will operate at 100 per cent as long as crib rooms follow best practice guidelines.

Subject to continued high levels of compliance by the industry, workforce caps will progressively increase. At Victoria’s 70 per cent double dose milestone, large scale construction can return to 100 per cent of its workforce.

Caps will be removed when Victoria reaches its 80 per cent target, and in addition, all onsite workers must be fully vaccinated by 13 November.

Fully vaccinated workers can travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria in order to work onsite.

Workers on state critical projects or large scale construction can also travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria if they have had a single dose, take an initial test before their first travel, then test twice per week until fully vaccinated.

To allow all sites to remobilise, workers who have had at least one vaccination dose will be able to enter a site prior to 5 October in order to undertake crib facility improvements, participate in a reinduction or receive deliveries.

As part of the re-opening, we expect the construction industry to comply with directions in full.

Teams of Authorised Workers will conduct checks to enforce directions, and penalties will be in place for builders and site operators that do not comply – including site shutdowns for significant or repeated breaches.

Treasurer and Minister for Industrial Relations Tim Pallas said, “We’ve worked really hard with the industry to ensure they can reopen safely – but the message is clear: we won’t tolerate it operating in a way that puts the rest of our community at risk.”

#Hinduphobia: PNG officer calls Durga Puja morally inappropriate; after criticism apologises to Hindus

Image source: Durga Puja - Wikipedia.

Small Pacific nation Papua New Guinea’s Police Commissioner David Manning has recently denied permission to Hindus from organising Durga Puja prayers.

Image source: Image source: Ben Peckham – Twitter.

Manning is also PNG’s designated COVID19 Pandemic Controller and his letter addressed to Mr Puspendu Maity, President of Port Moresby Durga Puja Committee, says:

“Your request has been considered and we note that this is a form of idol worshipping which is morally inappropriate and against our Christian values. As such, approval is not granted to host this event.”

The above letter signed by Manning was shared by Ben Peckham, Foreign affairs and defence correspondent of The Australian.

PNG does not have an official state religion. Although, the preamble to the PNG constitution pledges: “to guard and pass on to those who come after us our noble traditions and the Christian principles that are ours now”.

After criticism, Manning has issued an apology letter, terming his earlier statement “a grave and unfortunate error” and claiming that he is not the author of the first letter.

Image source: Ben Peckham – Twitter.

In his apology letter, Manning says:

“I humbly seek your forgiveness for this unfortunate error and I hope that you accept this was not in any way deliberate.”

Manning has now asked the Hindu organisation to send further details of the proposed Durga Puja event so he can “personally make another assessment”.

He further claims to have ‘disciplined’ the author of the original letter.

Image source: Wikipedia.

Prior to this, in August 2021, Manning has also banned all flights from India citing “deception” on the part of the Indian Government.

PNG claimed that Indian authorities helped unauthorised passengers, including four people who were infected with Covid-19, arrive in Port Moresby.

“India must respect Papua New Guinea as a sovereign nation, and not participate in actions involving unscrupulous people, to violate our laws and undermine public health and safety measures.”

High Commission of India in Port Moresby strongly denied this claim and said in a statement:

“All foreign national passengers onboard the aircraft destined for Port Moresby held valid SOE [state of emergency] approvals, COVID PCR test and vaccination certificates. Passengers were only given tickets once they had provided the SOE approval, in line with the prescribed guidelines set out by the controller.”

Diplomatic relations between India and PNG, both Commonwealth countries, were established when the latter got independence from Australia in 1975.

As part of the Regional Assistance Initiative for Pacific Island countries, the Indian government offers grants-in-aid, humanitarian aid and disaster relief to PNG.

PNG has a total population of nine million with 3000 Indians who are mostly working in the LNG sector.

Image
Sasindran Muthuvel celebrating the Hindu festival

In 2016, Sasindran Muthuvel became the first Indian-origin Governor for West New Britain Province and a Minister of State-Owned Enterprises in PNG.

He was also awarded the ‘Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award’ by the Indian Government in 2012.

Aus W v Ind W, D/N Test: Smriti Mandhana puts India off to flying start before rain plays spoilsport

Aus W v Ind W, D/N Test; Picture Source: Twitter @ICC
Aus W v Ind W, D/N Test; Picture Source: Twitter @ICC

Rain played spoilsport at the Carrara Oval even as India opener Smriti Mandhana showed glimpses of her capability to take the attack to the opposition on the opening day of the pink-ball Test against Australia on Thursday.

The first day ended with India on 132-1 and Mandhana and Punam Raut unbeaten on 80 and 16 respectively. The only wicket that fell was of Shafali Verma in the opening session.

The rain had forced an early call for tea before the day was eventually called off. The remaining days of the ongoing pink-ball Test will begin 30 minutes earlier.

Resuming the second session at 101/1, the visitors managed to add 13 more runs before rain once again interrupted play. No more play was possible in the second session and the players had to remain off the park for the rest of the day.

Image

Earlier, India openers Mandhana and Shafali brought out their attacking game to the middle to frustrate Australia in the opening session.

Sent into bat, the visitors got off to a rollicking start as openers Shafali and Mandhana put on 43 runs inside the first ten overs.

Image

Mandhana made full use of wide deliveries being bowled to her and she kept on dispatching the loose balls for boundaries. She kept on marching ahead and brought up her half-century in the 15th over of the innings.

Image

This was Mandhana’s third score of fifty-plus in Test cricket. In the first two overs, Australia’s fielding was dismal, to say the least, as they dropped quite a few chances and both openers got quite a few reprieves.

Image

The 93-run opening stand finally came to an end in the 26th over as Sophie Molineux sent Shafali (31) back to the pavilion. In the end, Mandhana and Raut ensured that the visitors do not lose any more wickets before the interval.

Brief Scores: India 132/1 (Smriti Mandhana 80*, Shafali Verma 31; Sophie Molineux 1-18) vs Australia.

Australia and India sign ToR for Navy-to-Navy Talks

Image source: Rear Admiral Christopher Smith, DCNS - Twitter.

On 29 September 2021, Australian and Indian navy has signed the ‘Terms of Reference for the Conduct of Navy-to-Navy Talks between the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.’

The signing ceremony was held virtually between Rear Admiral Jaswinder Singh, ACNS (FCI), IN and Rear Admiral Christopher Smith, DCNS, RAN. 

Image source: Twitter.

Prior to this, on 18 August 2021, the Chiefs of the Indian Navy (IN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) had signed ‘Joint Guidance for the India – Australia Navy to Navy Relationship’ document.

Images source: Twitter.

The ‘Joint Guidance’ document sets forth the Navy to Navy (N2N) Talks  as the ‘Principal’ medium for the guiding the bilateral relationship. 

Image source: Twitter.

The press release notes that the bilateral defence relations between India and Australia have strengthened over the years.

“‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’, Mutual Logistics Support Agreement, conduct of trilateral Maritime Security Workshop and RAN participation in Exercise MALABAR are significant milestones which underline the role played by both Navies in bolstering this relationship in recent times.”

This document would be pivotal in consolidating the shared commitment to promote peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indo – Pacific region. 

Image source: Twitter.

Since the inaugural Navy-to-Navy Talk, held in 2005, the two nations and Navies have continued to grow closer at all levels.

Australia’s High Commissioner to India, the Hon. Barry O’Farrell AO, tweeted about the signing of this important document with hashtags: #Dosti #HarKaamDeshKeNaam.

Both India and Australia, with over a decade of bilateral talks in this area, remain committed to strengthen and deepen this important Navy to Navy relationship. 

“The document underpins the broad objective of deeper mutual understanding, trust and transparency, improved goodwill and understanding of each other’s concerns and future directions, and provides detailed guidance for the conduct of IN – RAN N2N Talks.”

This signed document also provides flexibility to both India and Australia for implementation of separate agreements based on the specific outcomes of the Talks.

After a massive surge in COVID cases, Victoria decides to give second dose in three weeks from 4 October

Victoria COVID data; Picture Source: Twitter @covidbaseau
Victoria COVID data; Picture Source: Twitter @covidbaseau

On a day when Victoria recorded a shocking 1438 COVID19 new cases and 5 deaths, the Victorian Government has decided to shorten the interval between Pfizer doses to reach double dose targets faster.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced that the Pfizer interval will be reduced to three weeks – commencing 4 October.

This means that anyone who has received their first dose of Pfizer will be able to bring forward their second dose – if they choose to.

“Changes in the vaccine booking system will be made overnight on 3 October and on 4 October people will be able to make a second dose booking from three weeks after they had their first dose,”

said Premier Andrews.

Premier argued that being fully vaccinated is the best defence against this virus. Unfortunately, there are limited appointments available in our state system due to supply – so we encourage anyone wanting to book an appointment to check with their GP and pharmacy too.

Melbourne’s Northern suburb Craigieburn’s resident Sandeep Narayan Singh’s 17-year-old daughter had her first Pfizer Vaccine on 18 September 2021 with Victorian state health systems.

He told The Australia Today, “We waited almost 10 days for Premier Andrews to reduce the second dose interval before booking it for 20 October.”

“We called our GP for booking the second shot of the vaccine, they told me they got spots and vaccine but can’t book an earlier day for my daughter as rules don’t permit,

Said Mr Singh

“I don’t understand how can they play politics over vaccines, it’s like putting someone’s life in danger. Put your differences aside for once and work together to save lives,” Mr Singh said.

Victoria has achieved the 80 per cent first dose milestone yesterday.

The next threshold in the Roadmap will be reached when Victoria hits its 70 per cent double dose vaccination target, which was projected at or around 26 October without the reduction in dosage interval.

There will continuously be first dose appointments released into the system to make sure that everyone who wants to get vaccinated and receives the associated freedoms and benefits – is able to do so.

Premier Daniel Andrews said,

“We reached our first stop on the Roadmap, but we need to keep the momentum going and today’s change will help us reach those double dose targets as soon as possible.”

Over the next week, there are 10,479 first dose Pfizer appointments available and 8,856 first dose Astra Zeneca appointments available through the state-run system.

Premier Andrews stressed that If you haven’t booked your appointment or are waiting for a particular vaccine, do not wait – the best vaccine is the one you can get today.

Victorians can also book a vaccine appointment through their GP or pharmacist, and many more appointments are available.

Victorian pharmacists are now also offering the Moderna vaccine, which is a safe and effective option for any Victorian under the age of 60. This vaccine is also on offer at select state sites.  

To book a vaccination through state-run centres – or to see links for how to book at your local GP or pharmacy – visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine

‘How’s the tea?’ Netizens ask as Indian army shows captured Pakistani terrorist

Image source: Ali Babar Patra - Twitter.

Recently, a 19-year-old Pakistani terrorist arrested by the Indian Army during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri Sector on September 26 was shown to the media.

Ali Babar Patra admitted that he was paid Rs 20,000 by his Pakistani handlers to cross over to India for arms supplies.

“I took a job in a garment factory in Sialkot where I met Anas who used to recruit people for the LeT. Due to my situation, I went with him. He paid me Rs. 20,000 and promised to pay another Rs. 30,000 later on.”

Image source: Twitter.

Babar said he lost his father seven years ago and had to drop out of school due to financial constraints.

He claimed that ISI handlers, take advantage of the poor young men in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir and send them to India.  

Image source: Twitter.

In the video, Babar pleads with his Pakistani handlers to take him back to his mother, the way he was sent to India.

“I appeal to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) area commander, the ISI and the Pakistan Army to take me back to my mother just like they sent me here (India).”

Babar can also be seen sitting in a chair with two microphones and a tall glass of tea.

This picture of tea kept near the terrorist has now elicited hilarious reactions from netizens.

Social media users are asking Pakistan Army: “How’s the tea?”

In February 2019, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistani authorities, a day after the Balakot airstrikes.

Image source: Wikipedia.

At that time, Pakistani netizens have trolled India with “Tea is fantastic” comments.

This was clearly a reference to the IAF brave pilot’s reaction when he was asked how the tea was served to him by the Pakistani army.

Under PM Narendra Modi and the Indian army’s pressure, Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was immediately released on March 1 by Pakistan.

However, his video featured in a spoof of a Pakistani tea advertisement.

Now, Babar in his video message has said that the Pakistan Army, the ISI and the LeT were spreading lies about the situation in Kashmir.

“We were told that the Indian Army is carrying out a bloodbath, but everything is peaceful here. I want to tell my mother that the Indian Army has taken good care of me.”

Babar added that the behaviour of the officers and jawans of the Indian Army, unlike the Pakistani army and ISI handlers, with the locals who visit the camp where he was lodged was extremely good.

“I can hear the azaan (call for prayers) on the loudspeakers five times a day. The behaviour of the Indian Army is completely opposite to that of the Pakistan Army. This makes me feel that there is peace in Kashmir.”

Hundred years of MOPLAH HINDU GENOCIDE of 1921: How thousands of Hindus were slaughtered

MOPLAH HINDU GENOCIDE, 1921: 2500 HINDUS SLAUGHTERED; Picture Source: Hindu Genocide
MOPLAH HINDU GENOCIDE, 1921: 2500 HINDUS SLAUGHTERED; Picture Source: Hindu Genocide

Perpetrator: Moplah/ Mappila Muslims of Kerala
Year: 1921-22
Number: 2500 Hindus slaughtered, at least 26000 fled as refugees, at least 2500 forcibly converted, sexually assaulted, and more than 100 Hindu temples destroyed.

The Moplah Hindu Genocide, or the Malabar Rebellion, or the Mappila Rebellion, or the Moplah Riots refer to a series of incidents in the history of mankind, where Hindus were not only butchered, but the entire incident was either wiped out from history in entirety or twisted to fit a pre-decided story. 

The Moplah Rebellion of 1921-22 was a rebellion gone wrong, where the rebels targeted Hindus, apart from attacking the British Establishment.

It is important to know who were Mappilas, how and why the Malabar Rebellion started, and why it went wrong.

Who Were Mappilas?

The term “Mappila” is from Malayalam and translates to “honoured/great child,” referring to all the “guests” or invaders to Kerala, especially in the Malabar region. Mappilas were some of the earliest Muslims settled in South Asia, and had a direct connection with Arabs, through spice trade routes with the Gulf. Till 1498, the Mappilas lived & grew their trades in the region, due to the tolerance shown by Hindus. During this period, inter-faith marriages between Hindus & Muslims were common, and many Hindus converted to Islam due to marriages (whereas there is no account of Mappilas converting to Hinduism).

On the arrival of Europeans like Vasco da Gama in 1498, Mappilas were sidelined, their trade & commerce squeezed, and Arab trade routes curtailed. Mappilas were not entitled to inherit any lands, which were owned by Hindus. Mappilas were shown no tolerance by European imperialists, who persecuted them commercially and otherwise, leading to a growing animosity in the Mappilas towards Hindus, who they started to see as their rivals, as well as towards Europeans.

“The Portuguese attitude reflected the medieval European tradition, and was well represented by the governor of Goa, Afonso Albuquerque (d 1515), who dreamt of destroying Mecca and who bitterly persecuted his Mappila opponents.”

The Supreme Muslim Council: Islam Under the British Mandate for Palestine , p 459, Uri M. Kupferschmidt

This brand of “pepper politics” shown by Portuguese, then Dutch (1656), then British (1662), then French (1775), led to militancy and religious fanaticism in Mappilas, who were now landless & poor & persecuted by Christian lords. During the reign of Hyder Ali (1782) and Tipu Sultan (1799), the Mappilas gained some prominence, but the hatred towards Hindus, sown by Islamic invaders, took permanent ground. When the British gained full power (1792), the hopes of the Mappilas to prosper were squashed, and they were more bitter than ever before.

During the period 1821-1921, there were 51 militant outbreaks of the Mappilas. These outbreaks were not fueled just by agrarian discontent or commercial interests but were waged in the spirit of Jihad, against everyone they saw as their opponents–be it Christian rulers or Hindu landlords (jenmis).

Khilafat Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement Instigated The Moplah Rebellion

The Khilafat movement was an uprising of Indian Muslims in support of the Islamic caliphate, in the wake of World War I. It was aimed at Islamic dominion over India, by destroying the British empire, with support from the Ottoman Empire (which was eventually exterminated in late 1922).

The Khilafat Movement, led by the Ali brothers, had the full support of M. K. Gandhi, who promised the support of Hindus as well to the Ali brothers—Shaukat Ali, Mohammad Ali Jauhar and Abul Kalam Azad—knowing fully well that they would attack Hindus should they fail to support them. The Ali brothers had clearly informed M. K. Gandhi that if the Afghans invaded India to wage “holy war” or Jihad, they would fight not just the British, but the Hindus as well. Gandhi agreed to this and asked Hindus to support the Khilafat Movement and to submit to the dictates of the Mohammedans in matters of controversy.

“The Imperial Government have knowingly flouted religious sentiments dearly cherished by the 70 millions Mussalmans…If the Mussalmans of India offer non-cooperation to Government in order to secure justice on the Khilafat, it is the duty of every Hindu to cooperate with their Moslem brethren.”

M. K. Gandhi’s speech to 20,000 people. Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair, p 19-22

Khilafat Movement gained force in Malabar as well, due to his patronage, and fueled the Malabar or Moplah Rebellion.

“Last month Gandhi wrote in Young India: “For himself he can clearly see the time coming when he must refuse obedience to every single State-made law, even though there may be a certainty of bloodshed.” The Ali brothers, who were kept under restraint during the Great War and the Afghan War, for being in traitorous correspondence with our foreign enemies—a crime for which they should have been tried and punished—have been set free, and openly state that they would do all they can to help the Afghans in the event of a Jehad against the British in India, calling upon all true Muhammadans to do likewise. They have been allowed to preach that doctrine in Malabar in spite of the protest of the District Magistrate, who was not allowed to prohibit the seditious meetings. Can there be any reasonable doubt that this was the main cause of the Mapilla rebellion?”

Extract of letter by Sir Michael O’ Dwyer to Daily Telegraph.

The Congress, under the leadership of M. K. Gandhi, supported the Khilafat Movement, under the garb of the non-cooperation movement, which spread to Malabar.

“The Congress had adopted the principle of non-co-operation; Khilafat and non-co-operation movements were indistinguishable;…Every Moplah centre had a Khilafat association, with a Moplah president, a Moplah secretary and a majority of Moplah members.”

Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair, p 19

The Moplah rebels were armed with knives and ammunition and had planned the attack on the British, and Hindus, lest they fail them. They asked the Hindu landowners to give them weapons, and the trusting Hindus, not knowing what was headed their way, gave them knives that would eventually slit their own throats.

Mappilla Rebellion—An Outcome Of Jihad

Many scholars have argued that the Mappila rebellion (and earlier outbreaks) were an outcome of agrarian troubles and economic distress. But this was not the case. If that were so, Hindus who were working as peasants had the same opportunity and motive to rebel against the jenmis, or against the earlier Islamic rulers while they were in power and oppressed Hindus. But instead, Hindus of Malabar had fled and abandoned their homes during the reign of Hyder Ali & Tipu Sultan.

“Agrarian grievances were obviously not sufficient to spark violence in the rural Malabar among the Mappillas, or the agricultural population in general. It is the Islamic character of the Mappilla outbreaks that suggests why they cannot be tied to the eviction rate, and why none occurred among the Hindu population. All of the outbreaks, even those that had agrarian grievances as the immediate cause, were conducted in an unmistakable Islamic idiom – the Jihad. Each was expressed as a religious act because the Mappillas were inspired by the militant teachings of a small group of Mappilla religious leaders.”

Dale, S. (1975). The Mappilla Outbreaks: Ideology and Social Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Kerala. The Journal of Asian Studies, 35(1), 85-97. doi:10.2307/2054041

The Mappilla rebellion was a bigger catastrophe for Hindus than the earlier outbreaks because it was an organized movement, amplified by the Khilafat movement, which made it a planned crime, rather than discrete outbreaks by discontent religious militants.

“…in 1921, the Khilafat movement added the crucial elements of ideology and organization to the pre-existing traditions of religious militancy and social conflict. It was this addition, more than anything else, that distinguished the Mappilla rebellion from all the earlier outbreaks.”

Dale, S. (1975). The Mappilla Outbreaks: Ideology and Social Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Kerala. The Journal of Asian Studies, 35(1), 85-97. doi:10.2307/2054041

The Moplah Rebellion Gone Wrong

The few Hindus of Malabar who had joined the non-cooperation movement were not prepared for the violence & wreckage the Mohammedans had planned.

“Distressed by the violence, most Malabar Hindus withdrew from the struggle, which, by default, became the Mappila revolt.”

The Supreme Muslim Council: Islam Under the British Mandate for Palestine by Uri M. Kupferschmidt, p 459

Hindus withdrew from the Malabar rebellion almost as soon as it broke out. This incurred the wrath of the Jihadi Mapillas on the Hindus apart from the British, who were trying to contain the troops of rebels.

The rebellion continued for 6 months, during which period, atrocities of every kind were meted out to Hindus. It had severe fallout for the Mappilas as well. More than 200 Mappilas were executed, 502 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and approximately 50,000 were imprisoned or exiled to Andaman, and heavy fines were levied on them by the British government. The zealotry exhibited by the Mappilas was shocking, and it was evident that their war was not just for liberation from the British, but for Islamic dominance.

Atrocities On Hindus In The Moplah Rebellion

During the entire Moplah Rebellion, unspeakable, unimaginable atrocities were committed against Hindus, which is why it should rightly be called the Moplah Hindu Genocide. By not doing so, a severe injustice is done to those who gave their lives and livelihoods due to the Islamic Jihad waged on them.

The total figure of at least 2,500 Hindus brutally slaughtered, and another 2500 forcibly converted, is quoted in several accounts. Other brutalities include violating the modesty of women, butchering children, and forcing Hindus into submission and death. These atrocities were reported in international news dailies and accounts of the district magistrates and other police officials.

“In the Arya Samaj registers alone 1766 cases of forced converts have been recorded and if the figures from all relief committees were collected, their number is sure to exceed 2500.”

Pandit Rishi Ram’s Letter, Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair , p 119

It was confirmed on an international level that the Moplah Rebellion was, indeed, a “holy war” or Jihad, in accordance with the Khilafat movement.

“The Malabar Rebellion. Primarily a Holy War.

Allahabad, Sunday Morning— The Malabar rebellion is primarily a holy war. Green flags have been planted and there is forcible conversion of Hindus. Wholesale arson and looting is continuing and more murders have been committed. The non co-operation fanatics are proclaiming a complete swaraj and a famine is threatened consequent on the great destruction of the lines…”

Daily Telegraph (Launceston, Tas. : 1883 – 1928), Monday 29 Aug, 1921. Retrieved via http://bit.ly/2XEMwwa

Hindus were exterminated systematically, to the shock of the British officers as well. They did not anticipate such mass violence against Hindus by the Moplahs.

Malabar Rebellion

Moplah Atrocities

Allahabad, Wednesday. At Kuttipuram, 200 Moplahs, with swords and knives, raided the police station and wounded five constables. Diabolical atrocities are reported. Hindus being forced to dig their own graves before they are butchered. One was flayed alive for helping the troops, and two policemen were hacked to death near Nilambur.

Refugees are pouring into the troop centres, but there are difficulties in provisioning even for the military. They report that the extermination of Hindus is proceeding systematically but favoured women and girls are retained.”

World (Hobart, Tas. : 1918 – 1924), Friday, 7 Oct, 1921. Retrieved via http://bit.ly/2XE4cbd

Moplahs committed every type of atrocity on Hindus, from slaughtering their cattle, to murder, arson, loot, and sexually assaulting women.

“Moplah Rebellion. Reckless Butchery.

Hindus Refusing Islam. Allahabad, Thursday

“….The rebels are conducting a reckless butchery of all Hindus refusing Islam. Some districts are empty of Hindus…”

Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 – 1954), 8 October, 1921. Retrieved via http://bit.ly/2XBDq3x

The situation for Hindus kept getting worse, as the days progressed.

“Malabar Rebellion

Slaughtering Hindus | Unrest at Madras

Allahabad, Friday—Calicut is overflowing with refugees reporting that the Moplahs are now not offering the choice of conversion, but are slaughtering Hindus indiscriminately. A reinforcement for the British troop guard is arriving…”

World (Hobart, Tas. : 1918 – 1924), Monday, 10 Oct, 1921. Retrieved via http://bit.ly/2XEMCnw

The Moplah rebellion turned most of the Hindus in that region into refugees. As the rebellion progressed, more and more Hindus were internally displaced and took refuge in the refugee camps or in the jungles.

Malabar Rebellion | Hindus Forcibly Converted

Lahore, Monday— The number of refugees in the various camps on the Malabar coast is now nearly 10,000, and they are still arriving. Native troops reconnoitering killed six rebels…Ernad refugees report that 31 Hindus were seized, and 23 forcibly converted to Islam, while one was killed…”

World (Hobart, Tas. : 1918 – 1924), Wednesday, 9 Nov, 1921. Retrieved via http://bit.ly/2XD3tHt

The total number of Hindu refugees is estimated at more than 26,000. Accounts of Arya Samaj, which arrived in Kerala to provide relief to Hindus, reports a number of 26,000 in their relief camps alone.

“From October, Concentration Camps were formed with kitchen relief in Calicut and rice doles in the mofussil. As the numbers of refugees increased, day by day, new camps were opened. Within a few weeks there were 22 camps in all with about 26,000 refugees of all castes and creeds.”

Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair, p 96

But the Moplah atrocities were not limited to butchering Hindus. Moplahs made it their mission to defile and destroy every Hindu temple in the Malabar region.

“No statistics have been compiled, but the number of temples destroyed or desecrated must exceed 100. The number is probably large, but for obvious reasons the Government have purposely refrained from attempting to collect accurate figures.”

Legislative Council interpellation, November 14th ’22, quoted in ‘Moplah Rebellion 1921,’ C. Gopalan Nair, p 88

No village was spared, and all temples in the area were either razed to the ground or defiled.

“There is hardly a village that has not its own temple, in the majority of villages there is more than one, and almost every temple in the rebel area has been desecrated.”

Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair , p 89

The women of Malabar wrote to the Countess of Reading, apprising her of the ruthless butchery of Hindus and religious defilement of Hindu temples and places of worship.

“Your Ladyship is not fully apprised of all the horrors and atrocities perpetrated by the fiendish rebels: of the many wells and tanks filled up with the mutilated but often only half dead bodies of our nearest and dearest ones who refused to abandon the faith of our Fathers; of pregnant women cut to pieces and left on the roadside and in the jungles, with the unborn babe protruding from the mangled corpse; of our innocent and helpless children torn from our arms and done to death before our eyes and our husbands and fathers tortured, flayed and burnt alive; …of thousands of our homesteads reduced to cindermounds out of sheer savagery and wanton spirit of destruction; of our places of worship desecrated and destroyed and of the images of the deity shamefully insulted by putting the entrails of slaughtered cows where flower garlands used to lie, or else smashed to pieces; of the wholesale looting of hard earned wealth of generations, reducing many who were formerly rich and prosperous to publicly beg for a pice or two in the streets of Calicut…”

Memorial submitted by Hindu women of Malabar to Countess of Reiding, quoted in Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair

There is no shortage of accounts of Hindu refugees reporting their plight, of lives, destroyed, of a kind, lost, of religion, defiled. It is incontrovertible that the Malabar Rebellion of Moplahs, was, indeed, the biggest assault on Hindus in the history of British India yet.

The volunteers of Arya Samaj performed the sincere task of reconverting those Hindus who were forcibly converted by Moplahs. A simple “prayaschitta” was given to them by the priests of Arya Samaj, upon which they were once again accepted back as Hindus. But the wounds of the deadly Hindu Genocide take longer to heal, and leave scars. The demography and turmoils faced by Kerala, along with the irreligious sentiment of many Hindus of Kerala, is, in some ways, related to the gory history of Malabar and attacks on Hindus.

Author: Arti Agarwal is a Writer, Researcher, Author and Data Analyst.
This Oped was first published on the #HinduGenocide, We have republished it with kind permission.

Disclaimer: The #HinduGenocide is solely responsible for the views expressed in this Oped. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the Author, and neither The Australia Today News nor its partners assume any responsibility for them.

References:

1- Khilafat Movement in India | Wikipedia
2- Malabar Rebellion | Wikipedia
3- Gandhi and Anarchy by C. Sankaran Nair
4- The Mapilla Rebellion 1921–22, Printed by the Superintendent, Government Press 1922
5- Moplah Rebellion 1921, C. Gopalan Nair
6- The Supreme Muslim Council: Islam Under the British Mandate for Palestine by Uri M. Kupferschmidt
7- The Mappilla Rebellion, 1921: Peasant Revolt in Malabar by Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr, published by Cambridge University Press
8- Dale, S. (1975). The Mappilla Outbreaks: Ideology and Social Conflict in Nineteenth-Century Kerala. The Journal of Asian Studies, 35(1), 85-97. doi:10.2307/2054041

Victoria takes over NSW in daily COVID19 cases despite Dan Andrews hard lockdown

Victoria Lockdown; Picture Source: The Australia Today
Victoria Lockdown; Picture Source: The Australia Today

Victoria recorded 950 new local cases of COVID19 today and 7 people have died. This is 87 cases more than what NSW recorded. In the 24 hours to 8:00 pm, yesterday NSW’s locally acquired COVID-19 cases number is 863 cases and 15 deaths.

Both states recorded the highest daily number ever in terms of daily deaths due to the current outbreak. This brings the number of deaths from the third wave in Victoria to 36.

Due to the soaring new infections, today’s 950 is the highest number ever recorded in a single day in Victoria. It is in line with projections over the next month, with a peak expected in late October.

VICTORIA COVID Hospitalisations as of Today,
371 in hospital (-4)
81 in ICU (+0)
55 on a ventilator (-6)

Image
Picture and data source: Twitter @covidbaseau

Acting CHO Ben Cowie says 88% of people in Victoria who have contracted COVID-19 since July 12 were unvaccinated. 98% of people admitted to Victorian intensive care units with COVID-19 during the same period were unvaccinated.

VIC Cases over the past 14 days by LGA

Metro: 8752 (6287)
Regional: 221 (94)

Top LGAs:
Hume: 3070 (2249 unlinked)
Whittlesea: 932 (714)
Moreland: 780 (420)
Wyndham: 628 (432)
Brimbank: 444 (355)
Melton: 379 (287)
Darebin: 286 (214)
Casey: 281 (187)

On the other hand, NSW Hospitalisations are down 73 overnight,
1082 in hospital (-73)
212 are in ICU (-1),
108 on a ventilator (-5).

Image
Picture and data source: Twitter @covidbaseau

10.1% of active cases in NSW are in the hospital. 2% of active cases are in ICU.
15 deaths today, total at 331.

Victoria’s Latrobe Valley in the middle of a COVID outbreak

All 22 cases in the Latrobe Valley are linked to an illegal gathering over the AFL grand final weekend. The cases are spread across 19 households.

Earlier yesterday Victoria’s Acting Chief Health Officer declared that the City of Latrobe to enter a seven-day lockdown commencing at 11:59 pm, 28 September. And same restrictions were imposed as those in metropolitan Melbourne.

In the daily press conference, Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley apologised for the short notice, saying the situation “deteriorated quite rapidly”.

Minister Martin Foley also said they are waiting for the Federal Government to confirm Pfizer supply for the last week of October before they reduce the time between vaccines from 6 weeks to 3. That announcement is expected on Friday.

In a triumph to contact tracing, 99.7 per cent of positive cases in Victoria are being contacted within 24 hours.

If you have not forgotten the ugly scenes of protests at CFMEU Head Office by the construction workers. Another bad news came when CFMEU Head Office was declared a COVID-19 tier-one exposure site.

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16+ population Australian Vaccination rollout progress 29/09/2021

Already had First Vaccine = 76.68%
Already had Second Vaccine = 52.57%

80 % fully vaccinated at current rate:

National: 39 days – Nov 7
NSW: 17 – Oct 16
VIC: 41 – Nov 9
QLD: 62 – Nov 30
WA: 64 – Dec 2
SA: 56 – Nov 24
TAS: 38 – Nov 6
ACT: 23 – Oct 22
NT: 54 – Nov 22

Doherty modelling clearly says there may be a need for lockdowns beyond 80% vaccination unless we have the “low” level rules ongoing Which mean crowd restrictions, so industries like entertainment or hospitality stay affected for a while.

Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots were “preplanned conspiracy to dislocate functioning of Government”: Delhi High Court

Anti Hindu Delhi Riots were preplanned Conspiracy, Delhi High Court; Picture Source: The Australia Today
Anti Hindu Delhi Riots were preplanned Conspiracy, Delhi High Court; Picture Source: The Australia Today

Delhi High court while rejecting the bail application of Mohd Ibrahim (one of the accused in the Delhi riots case relating to the murder of Police Head Constable Ratan Lal) said riots “evidently did not take place in a spur of the moment.”

Hon Justice Subramonium Prasad observed that the riots which shook the national capital of India in February 2020, “the conduct of the protestors visibly portrays that it was a calculated attempt to dislocate the functioning of the Government as well as to disrupt the normal life of the people in the city”.

The single-judge bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad further observed that the systematic disconnection and destruction of the CCTV cameras also confirms the existence of,

a preplanned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city”. 

The bench said this was evident from the fact that innumerable rioters ruthlessly descended with sticks, dandas, bats etc. upon a “hopelessly outnumbered cohort of police officials.”

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Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots 2020; Picture Source: Twitter

The court was of the opinion that even though the petitioner was not seen at the scene of the crime, he clearly was a part of the mob for the sole reason that,

“the Petitioner had consciously travelled 1.6 km away from his neighbourhood with a sword which could only be used to incite violence and inflict damage.” 

In light of this, the court also rejected Ibrahim’s stand that he was brandishing a sword in personal defence and for the safety of his family. The court observed that this was doubtful as he was at least 1.6 km away from his place of residence and was in no imminent danger.

Image
Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots 2020; Picture Source: Twitter

With regard to the right to personal liberty and the right to protest, the court said that in a democratic society “individual liberty cannot be misused in a manner that threatens the very fabric of civilised society by attempting to destabilise it and cause hurt to other persons.”

With regard to the right to personal liberty and the right to protest, the court said that in a democratic society “individual liberty cannot be misused in a manner that threatens the very fabric of civilised society by attempting to destabilise it and cause hurt to other persons.”

Image
Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal, who was killed in the Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots 2020

The court also said that the footage of the petitioner with the sword is “quite egregious”, and is therefore sufficient to keep the Petitioner in custody.

“In view of the facts and circumstances of the cases, without commenting on the merits of the matter, this Court is of the opinion that the Petitioner is not to be granted bail,”

said the Court.

Eleven accused had filed bail applications before the Delhi High Court in the same case.

On September 14, the court had granted bail tShahnawaz and Mohd Ayyub and dismissed the bail application of Sadiq and Irshad Ali also accused in the same case.

Image
Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots 2020; Picture Source: Twitter

Facts

The facts leading to the case are that on Feb 24, 2020, at about 01:00 PM, the protestors had mobilized near the Chand Bagh area and 25 Futa Road, and were moving towards the Main Wazirabad Road.

When they assembled near Main Wazirabad Road, it is stated that the complainant and other police officers present attempted to convince the protestors to not move towards the Main Wazirabad Road.

Image
Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots 2020; Picture Source: Twitter

It is stated that though the ACP Gokalpuri and DCP Shahdara warned the protestors via loudspeaker of a government vehicle, that lack of adherence to legal warnings would necessitate strict action against the crowd, some people amongst the crowd started pelting stones and beat them with weapons that had been hidden.

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Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots 2020; Picture Source: Twitter

This resulted in injuries to several police officers on duty and one of the Head Constable Ratan Lal succumbed to injuries.

The Court was of the view that the sole act of protesting should not be employed as a weapon to justify the incarceration of those who are exercising this right.

Disclaimer
: With kind inputs from @LiveBeat

India vs Australia Hockey match in Kashmir: Modi government’s new sports infrastructure announcement makes it a possibility

Image Source - Anurag Thakur in J&K - Twitter.
Image Source - Anurag Thakur in J&K - Twitter.

Would you like to see a India vs Australia Hockey match in Kashmir?

India’s Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has said that the Modi government has allocated Rs 2 Billion (AUD37 Million) for the developing sports infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Thakur is in J&K as part of the Government’s Public Outreach Programme – Khelo India.

#KheloIndia programme is a Govt. of India initiative to strengthen the sports ecosystem by encouraging mass participation and promotion of excellence.”

Mr Thakur made the announcement while addressing a gathering of sportspersons, players, and students at Budgam.

He informed that the investment will be done to create one highly equipped indoor stadium in each district.

The Minister added that the government is going to start procedures for the upgradation and renovation of all existing sports infrastructure at par with international standards.

Image Source – Anurag Thakur in J&K – Twitter.

He stressed the training of youth on scientific patterns to achieve desired results.

“Our players shall not feel disappointed on account of non-availability of sports infrastructure.” 

Mr Thakur also e-inaugurated three highly equipped indoor stadiums in Budgam, Pulwama and Anantnag.

Image

He said that he aims to visit each district in the UT and personally assess the requirements on the ground.

Mr Thakur appealed to people of other states to visit J&K and enjoy the beautiful green pastures, clean atmosphere and hospitality of the people of Kashmir are not to be missed.

Image Source – Anurag Thakur in J&K – Twitter.

People from Kashmir shared on Twitter a video of the sports festival in Srinagar.

“The youth of Kashmir embracing the opportunities and moving forward towards better future and progress.”

Prior to this, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had announced plans to establish 1,000 Khelo India Centres across the country.

South Australia ‘Skilled Migration Program’ adds 70 occupations for offshore applicants but with a catch

An additional 70 occupations will be open to applicants currently residing offshore from Tuesday 28 September 2021.

This announcement is made to manage South Australia’s COVID recovery response.

However, to maintain the quality of applicants minimum requirements for state nomination will include at least 8 years work experience in the occupation or closely related occupation and a proficient plus English level.

Full requirements for each occupation will be shown on South Australia’s Skilled Occupation list from 10 am, ACST, Tuesday 28 September 2021.

For South Australian state nomination, prospective applicants must meet the Department of Home Affairs requirements, state-specific occupation requirements and have skills in an occupation that is available on our Skilled Occupation List.

No photo description available.

Offshore applicants meeting the minimum published requirements can lodge a Registration of Interest (RoI) from 10 am, ACST, Tuesday 28 September 2021.

Full details of South Australia’s state nomination requirements can be viewed here.

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The statement provided by MigrationSA says state nomination is a competitive process.  There is no guarantee of receiving an invitation to apply for state nomination after lodging an RoI, even if the minimum requirements are satisfied.

NSW freedom roadmap: Here’ details of what you can do from 11 October, 1 December and in between

NSW Freedom Roadmap: Picture Source: @NSW Government
NSW Freedom Roadmap: Picture Source: @NSW Government

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that from the Monday after NSW hits the 80 per cent (aged 16 and over) double dose vaccination target, eased restrictions will allow a number of freedoms to those who are fully vaccinated.

1- Up to 10 people will be able to visit homes,
2- Participate in community sport and,
3- Access hospitality venues (where drinking while standing up will be allowed indoors).

All premises will operate at 1 person per 4sqm indoors, and 1 person per 2sqm outdoors.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the 80 per cent roadmap will also remove the limit of fully vaccinated guests for weddings and funerals, and remove customer caps for personal services such as hairdressers.

“I know people are counting down the minutes until we reach 70 per cent double dose and the freedoms that will provide, and today we are providing further certainty by announcing the 80 per cent roadmap and future settings,”

Ms Berejiklian said.

“Vaccination remains our ticket to freedom so we need to work even harder to get jabs in arms, to help stop the spread, minimise outbreaks and ensure people are protected when we open up,” She added.

NSW Premier’s COVID-19 update; Picture Source: The Australia Today
NSW Premier’s COVID-19 update; Picture Source: The Australia Today

Updated health advice, adjustments have been made to the 70 per cent roadmap.

Regional travel will now not be allowed until 80 per cent (fully vaccinated only), and a booking cap has been introduced for hospitality venues of 20 people per booking.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the NSW Government is considering changes to incoming international arrival caps, so more people can return home for Christmas.

“The NSW Government’s 70 per cent roadmap lifts fully vaccinated people out of lockdown and when we reach 80 per cent, restrictions will ease even further,”

Mr Barilaro said.

“I must also clarify that travel between Greater Sydney and regional NSW will only be permitted when the state reaches 80 per cent double dose.”

This is necessary to give some regional areas the time they need to increase local vaccination rates.

NSW’s 80 PER CENT ROADMAP

Under the Reopening NSW roadmap at 80 per cent, the following freedoms will apply only to fully vaccinated adults (16+) and those with medical exemptions (staff and patrons).

Gatherings in the home and outdoor public spaces

  • Up to 10 visitors will be allowed in a home (not including children 12 and
  • under)
  • Up to 20 people can continue to gather in unregulated outdoor settings
  • Up to 200 people can attend COVID Safe events
  • Up to 500 people can attend controlled (ticketed and seated) events Community sport permitted
  • Those who are not fully vaccinated may only gather outdoors in groups of 2 people.

    Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms
  • Retail stores can operate at one person per 4 sqm (those who are not fully vaccinated will continue to only have access to non-critical retail via click-and collect)
  • Personal services such as hairdressers, spa, nail, beauty, waxing, tattoo and massage) can operate with one person per 4 sqm (uncapped)
  • Hospitality venues can operate with one person per 4 sqm inside and one person per 2 sqm outside, with the requirement to be seated while drinking indoors removed. Group bookings will be limited to 20 people. Those who are not fully vaccinated can only access hospitality settings for takeaway
  • Gyms and indoor recreation facilities (excluding indoor pools) can operate with one person per 4sqm, capped at 20 people per class.

    Major outdoor recreation facilities
  • Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme
  • parks and zoos can operate with one person per 4 sqm, capped at 5,000
  • people (or by exemption).
  • Entertainment, information and education facilities
  • Entertainment facilities (including cinemas, theatres, music halls) can operate with one person per 4 sqm or 75 per cent fixed seated capacity (whichever is larger)
  • Information and education facilities (including libraries, galleries and museums) can operate with one person per 4 sqm
  • Amusement centres and nightclubs will remain closed. Working from home
  • Employers must continue to allow employees to work from home, if reasonably practicable
  • Employers must require employees who are not fully vaccinated to work from home, if reasonably practicable.

    Education
  • Return to school with COVID Safe measures on 25 October (as previously announced).

    Weddings, funerals and places of worship
  • One person per 4sqm (uncapped) for weddings with dancing permitted and eating and drinking allowed while standing. Those who are not fully
  • vaccinated may only attend weddings with a maximum of 5 guests (no receptions)
  • One person per 4 sqm (uncapped) for funerals. Those who are not fully vaccinated may only attend funerals with a maximum of 10 people
  • Churches and places of worship can continue to open with one person per 4 sqm, with no singing. Those who are not fully vaccinated will be allowed.

    Travel
  • Unrestricted trips between Greater Sydney and Regional NSW will be permitted
  • Caravan parks and camping grounds can operate, including for those who are not fully vaccinated
  • Carpooling is permitted. Those who are not fully vaccinated can only carpool with their household.

    Masks
  • Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor premises and settings, except children under 12
  • Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask while outdoors

    CHANGES FROM 1 DECEMBER 2021
    On Wednesday 1 December 2021, the following settings will apply to all NSW citizens, regardless of their vaccination status:

    Gatherings in the home and outdoor public spaces
  • No limit on the number of visitors to a home
  • Density will shift to one person per 2 sqm for indoor and outdoor settings
  • No limit on the number of people who can attend informal outdoor gatherings
  • COVID Safe plan required for outdoor events with more than 1,000 people
  • Community sport permitted for all people.

    Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms
  • Retail stores can operate at one person per 2 sqm
  • Personal services such as hairdressers, spa, nail, beauty, waxing, tattoo and massage can operate with one person per 2 sqm
  • Hospitality venues can operate with one person per 2 sqm inside and outside, with no seating required for eating and drinking
  • Gyms and indoor recreation facilities, including indoor pools, can operate with one person per 2 sqm (uncapped)
  • Intimate services can open with one person per 4 sqm

    Major outdoor recreation facilities
  • Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can operate with one person per 2 sqm.

    Entertainment, information and education facilities
  • Entertainment facilities (including cinemas, theatres, music halls) can operate with one person per 2 sqm
  • Information and education facilities (including libraries, museums and galleries) can operate with one person per 2 sqm
  • Amusement centres and nightclubs can open with one person per 4 sqm.

    Working from home
  • Working from home will be at employer’s discretion.

    Education
  • All year groups return to face-to-face learning.

    Weddings, funerals and places of worship
  • One person per 2 sqm for weddings with dancing permitted and eating and drinking allowed while standing
  • One person per 2 sqm for funerals
  • Churches and places of worship can operate with one person per 2 sqm, with singing permitted.

    Travel
  • Domestic travel, including trips between Greater Sydney and Regional NSW
  • Caravan parks and camping grounds can operate
  • Carpooling is permitted
  • Quarantine settings for vaccinated arrivals will be altered. A cap on unvaccinated travellers may remain.

    Masks
  • Masks wearing will be mandatory while travelling on public transport, on planes and at airports, and for front-of-house hospitality workers
  • Mask wearing is not required when outdoors.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard thanked the people of NSW for their sacrifices.

“It’s the dedication of our health workers which allows us to ease some of the restrictions again and to begin the process of opening up the state,” Mr Hazzard said.

It is currently estimated at Monday 11 October will mark 70 per cent double dose vaccination for NSW. This will allow some opening and lifting of restrictions for those who are vaccinated.

This is what 70 per cent freedom will look like.

Gatherings in the home and public spaces

  • Up to 5 visitors will be allowed in a home where all adults are vaccinated (not including children 12 and under).
  • Up to 20 people can gather in outdoor settings.
Weddings, funerals and places of worship
  • Up to 50 guests can attend weddings, with dancing permitted and eating and drinking only while seated.
  • Up to 50 guests can attend funerals, with eating and drinking while seated.
  • Churches and places of worship to open subject to 1 person per 4sqm rule, with no singing.
Venues including hospitality, retail stores and gyms
  • Hospitality venues can reopen subject to 1 person per 4sqm inside and 1 person per 2sqm outside, with standing while drinking permitted outside.
  • Retail stores can reopen under the 1 person per 4sqm rule (unvaccinated people will continue to only be able to access critical retail).
  • Personal services such as hairdressers and nail salons can open with 1 person per 4sqm, capped at 5 clients per premises.
  • Gyms and indoor recreation facilities can open under the 1 person per 4sqm rule and can offer classes for up to 20 people.
  • Sporting facilities including swimming pools can reopen.
Stadiums, theatres and major outdoor recreation facilities
  • Major recreation outdoor facilities including stadiums, racecourses, theme parks and zoos can reopen with 1 person per 4sqm, capped at 5000 people.
  • Up to 500 people can attend ticketed and seated outdoor events.
  • Indoor entertainment and information facilities including cinemas, theatres, music halls, museums and galleries can reopen with 1 person per 4sqm or 75% fixed seated capacity.
Travel
  • Caravan parks and camping grounds can open.
  • Carpooling will be permitted.
Masks
  • Masks will remain mandatory for all indoor public venues, including public transport, front-of-house hospitality, retail and business premises, on planes and at airports.
  • Only hospitality staff will be required to wear a mask when outdoors.
  • Children aged under 12 will not need to wear a mask indoors.

The roadmap may be fine-tuned by NSW Health as we monitor the COVID-19 situation over the coming weeks.

If you are not booked in for a COVID-19 vaccine, please book an appointment as soon as possible.

Indian PM Modi pays surprise visit to check progress at Central Vista Project site

Image source: PM Narendra Modi at Central Vista Project - Twitter.

Less than 24 hours since his return from the US, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to the construction site of the new Parliament building.

This visit was to a first-hand look and inspection of the construction status at the Central Vista Project site.

PM Modi addressed the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly and attended the first in-person Quad summit meeting.

PM Modi addressed the UNGA session and cautioned about countries with “regressive thinking” that are using terrorism as a “political tool”. 

He also held bilateral and multilateral engagements, including with US President Joe Biden, US vice president Kamala Harris and his Australian and Japanese counterparts—Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga—respectively. 

After his discussions at the QUAD meeting with leaders of the United States, Japan and Australia, PM Modi tweeted:

“The discussions with @POTUS@JoeBiden, PM @ScottMorrisonMP and PM @sugawitter were extensive and productive.”

Image source: PM Narendra Modi – Twitter.

The US visit marked the first visit of the Indian Prime Minister since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On his return, Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju, tweeted:

“The sudden visit of Prime Minister @narendramodi ji at the Central Vista site just after returning from his US visit will motivate the engineers and the whole team who are working day and night.”

The Centra Vista Avenue redevelopment project was announced by the Centre government on September 13, 2019.

It aims at redeveloping 86 acres of land in Delhi with a new triangular Parliament building, a common Central secretariat, revamping of the 3-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new Prime Minister’s residence and office, and a new Vice President Enclave.

The estimated cost of the Central Vista Project has been revised to Rs.20,000 crore.

Image source: Central Vista Project – Wikipedia.

PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 10, 2020. 

PM Modi arrived at the Central Vista Project site at 8.45 pm without much security details.

He spent almost an hour at the under construction parliament building.

In the photos from the site, PM Modi could be seen wearing a safety helmet and interacting with the engineers.

Before visiting the site, PM Modi attended more than twenty official meetings with USA government and Fortune 500 CEOs.

Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had earlier described that PM Modi’s visit to the US has been “very successful.”

Market Mantra: Should we be worried as Australian shares post a third weekly loss amid China’s Evergrande woes

Market Mantra: Picture Source: @CANVA
Market Mantra: Picture Source: @CANVA

Australian shares marked a third consecutive weekly decline as property developer Evergrande’s debt crisis continued to capture attention worldwide and spark concerns of a fallout in China’s financial systems and other markets.

Evergrande, China’s second-biggest property developer, missed an interest payment on Thursday and has entered a 30 day grace period. World markets have been on tenterhooks all week on debt payment obligations for Evergrande, crumbling under $400 billion mountain of debt.

Investors are concerned that a failure to pay their debt by Evergrande will result in a slowdown in China which in turn will impact commodity prices. As such Australian miners, who are dependent on Chinese demand for raw materials were heavily sold down with BHP, Rio and FMG leading the losses.

Concern over whether distress could spill into the broader economy continues to hover over the markets as this week opens. In a clear sign of worsening liquidity crisis in other parts of Evergrande’s business, the property developer has warned that its electric car unit faced an uncertain future unless it got a swift injection of cash.

Image

Last week on Monday alone, Australia suffered its biggest single-day loss since February. The markets, however, recovered most of the losses once Evergrande committed to making bond payments on Thursday. However, the markets again got jittery once the news came on Friday that the property giant has missed its payments on Thursday.

With supply chains under intense pressure, labour markets not in the healthiest condition and the virus still laying waste to some economies the Evergrande situation could act as a catalyst that could damage market optimism.

The construction sector in China accounts directly for almost half of all steel consumption. There will be some spillover effects on commodity prices going forwards and the iron miners in Australia such as BHP and Rio may continue to suffer in short term.

Image

We also think a weakness in the property sector will spill over to other related sectors such as furniture and electronics. A lower iron price is also expected to leave a big dent in the Australian economy and cause significant pain for not only the Australian miners but also government budgets.

This week Australia will enter into the final quarter of the year with a heap of data that will provide information on the damage from continuing lockdowns in our two largest states. Retail sales are expected to show a decline, however, it is Core Logic’s home value index that will be most awaited by traders in Australia. The data is expected to show the impact of ongoing lockdowns on property prices.

In regards to gold, US Federal Reserve’s plans on reducing stimulus to the US economy ensured the bullion recorded its third straight week of declines.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell last week said that the tapering process could conclude around the middle of next year, as long as recovery remains on track. The US central bank policy statement last week also suggested it may lift interest rates earlier than expected. Thus pushing the yellow metal down.

Gold is often seen as a hedge against higher inflation, however, a Fed rate hike increases the opportunity cost for holding gold, which pays no interest. Gold could remain under pressure in the near short term with the US Dollar index also rising against a basket of other currencies.

Oil climbed for a fourth consecutive week to settle at a nearly 3-year high. Oil continued to soar high as data from the US revealed a drop in US crude inventories to their lowest levels since 2018, along with strong refinery demand, as crude production continued to see a slow recovery in the US following Hurricane Ida which landed on the Louisiana coast on 29th August.

With another storm, Sam, expected to become a major hurricane in the Atlantic the long term track for oil is still uncertain at this point. As such with the uncertainty of storms in the long term we expect the energy market to maintain its strength until more clarity is achieved. Several forecasts also call for a much colder winter in several areas of Europe and the North American continent which could further lift energy demand.

The Australian Dollar also declined for the week as Evergrande’s failure to pay its bond interest weighed on the local currency. According to ING, Australian currency is the most Chinese dependant currency in the G10 and hence is most exposed for any spillover from a potential Evergrande default.

A collapse in the real estate market in China would further raise demand concerns in the iron ore market, generating another sell-off in commodity’s prices and the Australian dollar.

Technically speaking the latest price action on the daily chart suggest that a bearish engulfing candle may be forming for AUD/USD pair. We would need a close below 0.7245 to confirm its validity. If that is to happen the price is expected to go down to first support at 20 September low of 0.7219. A decisive break of this support could see the Australian dollar fall further to a 2021 low of 0.7105.

The Relative Strength Index also continues to point lower thus supporting the downtrend.

In regards to the Indian Rupee, with market sentiment dwindling amid anxiety over Evergrande, Indian Rupee too declined against the greenback.

The comments from China’s National Development and Reform Commission suggesting power to control rising raw materials also dented trader confidence in risk currencies such as the Indian rupee.

At home in India, rising coronavirus cases where the official numbers were back above 31,000 cases a day and an increase in Covid led deaths also contributed to Rupee’s sluggish performance.

In the world of Cryptocurrencies, the week gone by turned into a complete rollercoaster following yet more fear, uncertainty and doubt coming from China.

The week before last week Bitcoin consolidated by 3% and was sitting close to $49,000. Then on Monday as fears from Evergrande fears started to take shape Bitcoin started plummeting and fell as low as USD 40,000 on Wednesday.

The bulls then started recovery for the digital currency to pull it back to $45,000 before China announced more regulatory efforts to crack on BTC mining to send it back to $40,000. At the time of writing this report, the cryptocurrency recovered back to about $42K.

This was the fate of almost all altcoins as well with most of them charting notable weekly losses. Etherium was down about 19%, Cardano about 7%,  Ripple recorded a fall of 15% and so forth.

It is interesting to see how China clamping on cryptocurrency has an impact on the currency market compared to other news. Previously too China has made efforts to clamp down on cryptocurrencies and every time it does the price of digital coins go down. Whereas other news such as Twitter announced this week that users can now send tips over the social media using BTC, which was a huge case for cryptocurrencies, does not have much impact.

In agricultural products, it was a mixed week. Wheat recorded its second consecutive weekly gains driven by concerns about tighter global supplies due to adverse weather conditions. Corn declined on US harvest pressure and soybeans remained flat for the week.

Abnormal weather conditions in Russia, Canada and European Union raised concerns about grain supplies as wheat production takes a hit.

Moving forward global grain supplies stemming from adverse weather may continue to push grain prices higher.

Author: Ateev Dang is a trader and trading coach by profession. He runs a business called Glow trades Pty Ltd where he teaches anyone interested in starting their trading journey on how to trade. He can be contacted at adang@glowtrades.com.au.

Disclaimer:

The writers’ opinions in the above article are their own and do not constitute any financial advice whatsoever. Nothing published by The Australia Today constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content publication be relied upon for providing any investment activities.

We strongly recommend that you perform your independent research and/or speak with a financial advisor or qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

Shafali, Yastika and Sneh shine as India end Australia’s unbeaten 26-match run in ODIs

Yastika Bhatia and Shafali Verma played knocks of 64 and 56 respectively as India defeated Australia by two wickets in the third and final ODI here at the Harrup Park on Sunday.

With this defeat, Australia’s unbeaten 26-match run in ODI cricket came to an end. However, the hosts won the three-match ODI series by 2-1.

Chasing 265, India got off to a steady start as opening batters Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put on 59 runs for the opening wicket. However, the stand did not last long as Ashleigh Gardner dismissed Mandhana (22) in the 11th over.

Yastika Bhatia next joined Shafali in the middle and the duo did not let the momentum drop for the visitors.

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Yastika was the aggressor of the two, while Shafali played the second fiddle. Both batters brought up their respective half-centuries as India was poised well in their chase at 153/1 by the end of the 28th over. A 101-run stand for the second wicket came to an end in the 30th over as Sophie Molineux bowled Shafali (56).

Richa Ghosh (0) and Bhatia (64) fell shortly after and India was reduced to 180/4, still needing 85 runs to win from 96 balls. Mithali Raj (16) and Pooja Vastrakar (3) departed in quick succession, and the hopes of India’s victory rested on Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana’s shoulders.

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Deepti was sent back to the pavilion after playing a knock of 31 runs, but Sneh Rana kept India in the game. However, the right-hander was dismissed in the penultimate over after playing a knock of 30 runs and India needed 4 runs from the final over to register a win. Jhulan Goswami (8*) showed her experience to finally take the visitors over the line.

Earlier, Ashleigh Gardner and Beth Mooney played knocks of 67 and 52 respectively as Australia posted a total of 264/9. Opting to bat, opening batters Rachael Haynes and Alyssa Healy put on 41 runs for the opening wicket, but this stand was broken in the ninth over as Jhulan Goswami dismissed Haynes (13).

Indian bowlers then managed to get on top of Australia as Meg Lanning (0), Healy (35), and Ellyse Perry (26) departed in a matter of few overs and the hosts were reduced to 87/4 in the 25th over.

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Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner then got together at the crease and both helped the hosts in retrieving the innings. Both batters went past their respective 50-run mark and put up a fifth-wicket stand of 98 runs. India was finally able to break the partnership in the 40th over as Sneh Rana got the better of Mooney (52), reducing Australia to 185/5.

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Gardner (67) was eventually sent back to the pavilion by Pooja Vastrakar in the 45th over and hopes of Australia reaching a score of more than 250 relied heavily on Tahlia McGrath. In the end, McGrath did not disappoint scoring 47 off just 32 balls, helping the hosts post a score of more than the 260-run mark. For India, Jhulan and Pooja scalped three wickets each.

Brief Scores: Australia 264/9 (Ashleigh Gardner 67, Beth Mooney 52; Jhulan Goswami 3-37) vs India 266/8 (Yastika Bhatia 64, Shafali Verma 56, Annabel Sutherland 3-30). 

QUAD Summit: Complexities, Challenges and Cooperation for Security and Survival

We, the leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, convened in person as “the Quad” for the first time. On this historic occasion, we recommit to our partnership, and to a region that is a bedrock of our shared security and prosperity—a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is also inclusive and resilient.

Just six months have passed since our last meeting. Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused continued global suffering; the climate crisis has accelerated; and regional security has become ever-more complex, testing all of our countries individually and together. Our cooperation, however, remains unflinching.

The occasion of the Quad summit is an opportunity to refocus ourselves and the world on the Indo-Pacific and on our vision for what we hope to achieve. Together, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. 

We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity of states. We commit to working together and with a range of partners.

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We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and we underscore our dedication towards working with ASEAN and its member states—the heart of the Indo-Pacific region—in practical and inclusive ways. We also welcome the September 2021 EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Since our first meeting, we have made considerable progress in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and critical and emerging technologies.

Our partnership on COVID-19 response and relief marks a historic new focus for the Quad. We launched the Quad Vaccine Experts Group, comprised of top experts from our respective governments, charged with building strong ties and better aligning our plans to support Indo-Pacific health security and COVID-19 response.

In doing so, we have shared assessments of the state of the pandemic and aligned our efforts to combat it, reinforced shared diplomatic principles for mitigating COVID-19 in the region, and actively improved coordination of our efforts to support safe, effective, quality-assured vaccine production and equitable access, in close collaborations with multilateral efforts including the COVAX Facility.

In addition to doses financed through COVAX, Australia, India, Japan, and the United States have pledged to donate more than 1.2 billion doses globally of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

And to date, we have delivered nearly 79 million safe, effective, and quality-assured vaccine doses to countries in the Indo-Pacific as part of those commitments.

Thanks to the Quad Vaccine Partnership’s financing of increased manufacturing capacity at Biological E LTD, additional production in India will come online later this year. In line with our March announcement, and recognizing the continuing global supply gap, we will ensure this expanded manufacturing is exported for the Indo-Pacific and the world, and we will coordinate with key multilateral initiatives, such as the COVAX Facility, to procure proven safe, effective and quality-assured COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries. We also recognize the importance of open and secure supply chains for vaccine production.

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We have accomplished much to date despite months of pandemic hardship throughout the region and world. The Quad leaders welcome Biological E LTD’s production, including through our Quad investments, of at least one billion safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.

We are proud to announce an initial step towards that supply that will immediately help the Indo-Pacific and the world to end the pandemic. The Quad also welcomes India’s announcement to resume exports of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, including to COVAX, beginning in October 2021.

Japan will continue to help regional partners purchase vaccines through $3.3 billion of COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan. Australia will deliver $212 million in grant aid to purchase vaccines for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In addition, Australia will allocate $219 million to support last-mile vaccine rollouts and lead in coordinating Quad’s last-mile delivery efforts in those regions.

We will also strengthen our Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation in the areas of clinical trials and genomic surveillance so that we can accelerate our efforts to end this pandemic and build better health security. We are committed to aligning around shared global targets to help vaccinate the world, save lives now, and build back better, including by strengthening global health security financing and political leadership. Our countries will also conduct a joint pandemic-preparedness tabletop or exercise in 2022.

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We have joined forces to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the urgency it demands. Quad countries will work together to keep the Paris-aligned temperature limits within reach and will pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. To this end, Quad countries intend to update or communicate ambitious NDCs by COP26 and welcome those who have already done so.

Quad countries will also coordinate their diplomacy to raise global ambition, including reaching out to key stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region. Our work is organized across three thematic areas: climate ambition, clean-energy innovation and deployment, and climate adaptation, resilience and preparedness, with the intent to pursue enhanced actions during the 2020s, contributing to the aim of achieving global net-zero emissions preferably by 2050, and taking into account national circumstances.

We are pursuing nationally appropriate sectoral decarbonization efforts, including those aimed at decarbonizing shipping and port operations and the deployment of clean-hydrogen technology. We will cooperate to establish responsible and resilient clean-energy supply chains and will strengthen the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and climate information systems.

Quad countries will work together for successful outcomes at the COP26 and G20 that uphold the level of climate ambition and innovation that this moment requires.

We have established cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, to ensure how technology is designed, developed, governed, and used is shaped by our shared values and respect for universal human rights.

In partnership with the industry, we are advancing the deployment of secure, open, and transparent 5G and beyond-5G networks, and working with a range of partners to foster innovation and promote trustworthy vendors and approaches such as Open-RAN.

Acknowledging the role of governments in fostering an enabling environment for 5G diversification, we will work together to facilitate public-private cooperation and demonstrate in 2022 the scalability and cybersecurity of open, standards-based technology. Concerning the development of technical standards, we will establish sector-specific contact groups to promote an open, inclusive, private-sector-led, multi-stakeholder, and consensus-based approach. We will also coordinate and cooperate in multilateral standardization organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union.

We are mapping the supply chain of critical technologies and materials, including semiconductors, and affirm our positive commitment to resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains of critical technologies, recognizing the importance of government support measures and policies that are transparent and market-oriented.

We are monitoring trends in the critical and emerging technologies of the future, beginning with biotechnology, and identifying related opportunities for cooperation. We are also launching today Quad Principles on Technology Design, Development, Governance, and Use that we hope will guide not only the region but the world towards responsible, open, high-standards innovation.

Going forward, we will not only deepen our cooperation in these critical areas, but we will broaden it to new ones. Building upon each of our regional infrastructure efforts, separately and together, we are launching a new Quad infrastructure partnership. As a Quad, we will meet regularly to coordinate our efforts, map the region’s infrastructure needs, and coordinate regional needs and opportunities.

We will cooperate to provide technical assistance, empowering regional partners with evaluative tools, and will promote sustainable infrastructure development. We support the G7’s infrastructure efforts and look forward to cooperating with like-minded partners, including the EU. We reconfirm the G20 Quality Infrastructure Investment Principles and will re-energize our efforts to provide high-standard infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific.

We reaffirm our interest in continuing our engagement with the Blue Dot Network. We emphasize the importance of supporting open, fair, and transparent lending practices in line with international rules and standards for major creditor countries, including on debt sustainability and accountability, and call on all creditors to adhere to these rules and standards.

Today, we begin new cooperation in cyberspace and pledge to work together to combat cyber threats, promote resilience, and secure our critical infrastructure. In space, we will identify new collaboration opportunities and share satellite data for peaceful purposes such as monitoring climate change, disaster response and preparedness, sustainable uses of oceans and marine resources, and responding to challenges in shared domains. We will also consult on rules, norms, guidelines and principles for ensuring the sustainable use of outer space.

We are proud to begin a new chapter of educational and people-to-people cooperation as we inaugurate the Quad Fellowship. Stewarded by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative, and with generous support from Accenture, Blackstone, Boeing, Google, Mastercard, and Western Digital this pilot fellowship program will provide 100 graduate fellowships to leading science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduate students across our four countries.

Through the Quad Fellowship, our next generation of STEM talent will be prepared to lead the Quad and other like-minded partners towards the innovations that will shape our shared future.

In South Asia, we will closely coordinate our diplomatic, economic, and human-rights policies towards Afghanistan and will deepen our counter-terrorism and humanitarian cooperation in the months ahead following UNSCR 2593.

We reaffirm that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or to finance terrorist acts, and reiterate the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan. We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasized the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terrorist groups which could be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks.

We stand together in support of Afghan nationals and call on the Taliban to provide safe passage to any person wishing to leave Afghanistan and to ensure that the human rights of all Afghans, including women, children, and minorities are respected.

We also recognize that our shared futures will be written in the Indo-Pacific, and we will redouble our efforts to ensure that the Quad is a force for regional peace, stability, security, and prosperity. Towards that end, we will continue to champion adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the East and South China Seas.

We affirm our support to small island states, especially those in the Pacific, to enhance their economic and environmental resilience. We will continue our assistance with Pacific Island countries on responses to the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and on quality, sustainable infrastructure, as well as a partner to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, which poses especially serious challenges for the Pacific.

We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea by United Nations Security Council resolutions and also confirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the issue of Japanese abductees. We urge North Korea to abide by its UN obligations, refrain from provocations.

We also call on North Korea to engage in substantive dialogue. We are committed to building democratic resilience in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We continue to call for the end to violence in Myanmar, the release of all political detainees, including foreigners, engagement in constructive dialogue, and for the early restoration of democracy.

We further call for the urgent implementation of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus. We will deepen our cooperation in multilateral institutions, including at the United Nations, where reinforcing our shared priorities enhances the resilience of the multilateral system itself. Individually and together, we will respond to the challenges of our time, ensuring that the region remains inclusive, open, and governed by universal rules and norms.

We will continue to build habits of cooperation; our leaders and foreign ministers will meet annually and our senior officials will meet regularly. Our working groups will continue their steady tempo to produce the cooperation necessary to build a stronger region.

At a time that tests us all, our commitment to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific is firm, and our vision for this partnership remains ambitious and far-reaching. With steadfast cooperation, we rise to meet this moment, together.

Power of communication and its impact: Reflections on Modi- Biden meet

Indian PM Narendra Modi meets US President Joe Biden; Picture Source: Twitter @POTOUS
Indian PM Narendra Modi meets US President Joe Biden; Picture Source: Twitter @POTOUS

Eyes of the global diplomatic community were on Indian PM’s three-day visit to the United States. The bilateral meeting of Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden to address the world with issues of significance and strengthen bilateral relations between two nations.

Indian PM talked in Hindi that was translated into English for the media, which reflect the patriotism of using the mother language at this vital juncture. If you have noticed Indian PM’s communication style closely, before and during his visit to the US, the readers must have realised the sophisticated manner of the Indian PM to address the Indian diaspora in all his opening remarks.

The media usually asks tough questions during the interviews, and usually, these questions are not extempore goes through series of preparation. This op-ed highlights the significance of different interviews methodology that is used to conduct interviews

Interviewing: A sophisticated art

Interviewing is considered to be the most crucial part of extracting the information from the guest. It is verbal interaction with others to gather information from them. Interviewees’ replies to the interview are an essential source of primary information rather than the interviewer’s views.

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Kavle (1996) stated, “interview seeks to describe and the meaning of central themes in the life world of the subjects. It aims to understand the meaning of what the interviewees say”. Interviews are useful to know the story behind a participant experiences and the interviewer can try to find in-depth information around the topic (McNamara, 1999).

The interviewer should have basic general traits knowledge, structuring, clear presentation, gentle, steering, critical, remembering and interpreting.  Preparation for an interview is highly imperative, that has some sequence pattern of questions and procedure of conducting an interview. Interviews as art can usually be divided broadly into four categories: Structured interviews, Semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews and lastly, non-directive interviews and informal conversational interviews.

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Structured Interviews

It is known as a standardized interview. During this process, interviewers ask set patterns and structures of questions from every respondent. They cannot do any modifications in these questions. The tone of the voice while asking questions is mostly maintained the same in order to maintain objectivity. To ask questions from the individuals, they prepare an interview schedule which is a kind of valuable tool used to collect the information.

Interviewer set pattern of questions, either open-ended or written questions in written form are prepared by the interviewer\s, and they use any mode of communication, e.g. face to face, telephonic or any other electronic media to gather the statistics. The purpose of this interview is to aggregate the interviewees’ replies and questions that are usually very specific and there is a fixed range of answers. The structured interview has some rigidity where probing can be a problem area, and respondents may hear and interpret the questions in a different manner. The positive point of this kind of interview is that interviewer has complete control over the topic and format of the interview.

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Semi-structured interview

It is non-standardized and mostly used for analysis. It is a kind of interview during which different questions are prepared by the interviewers, but they may not deal with some questions during the time of the interview in order to assemble the information about some problems or issues.

The interviewer has a list of themes, questions and issues to be covered. The sequence of questions can be varied, as additional questions can be asked. It’s not necessary for the interviewers need to follow the set pattern of asking the questions; they may change the order of the questions according to the situation. During this type of interview, the also interviewer gathers the information by preparing notes or using recorders during the time of the interview.  This interviewer gets the opportunity to probe for views and opinions of the interviewee and through probing, new answers can be derived.

The interviewer of semi-structured interviews is freer than a structured one. In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer has the liberty to do a detailed interview guide. This helps the interviewer to explore, probe and ask questions that will elucidate and illuminate that particular subject. The interviewer can prompt and probe deeper into a given problem. An interviewer can explain the questions if the interviewee is not able to understand any questions.

Unstructured interviews

This interview pattern is a non-directed, flexible method and more causal. By its name, an unstructured interview means there is no set pattern or structure to conduct the interview from the individuals. During this process, the interviewer is flexible to follow any structure and use any content. They also have the freedom to formulate their questions and ask the questions in any way they want from their respondents. Interviewees in this method can speak openly, frankly and in a detailed way. The interviewer does not receive professional training for conducting unstructured interviews.

Informal conversational interviews

Non-directives interviews are used to do an in-depth investigation about the topic and in this form, interviewers do not prepare pre-planned questions. In this, interviewers have the freedom to answer the questions around the issue. During this type of interview, it is the work of the interviewer to check on the unsure points and try to rephrase the answers to make them more understandable and accurate.

An informal conversational interview is a process the interviewers use to ask open-ended questions from the respondents. They start by asking some general questions and freely generate more questions as further development in the interview.

Conclusion

Indian PM has been an expert orator, and a leader who knows the sophisticated art to reply as per the nature of the question and his facial expression says volume during the interview. Overall, the interviewer needs to do his/her homework to conduct an objective interview, especially when taking of leaders like the status of Indian PM.

Lastly, the interviewer must keep aside personal biases and interview on merit. Interviewers do not emerge from a vacuum, as they have some predefined notions, but a rational professional will use interview methodology as a powerful weapon to discern the truth.

Author: Dr Sakul Kundra, A.HOD Department of Social Science, College of Humanities and Education, Fiji National University.

Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied
Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied

Disclaimer: The views expressed are his own and not of The Australia Today or his employer. For comments or suggestions, email. dr.sakulkundra@gmail.com

Modest easing to restrictions in Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria, Here’ all details

Victoria is set to hit its first vaccination target and as a result, modest easing of restrictions will be able to occur this week. The state has reported 779 new COVID-19 infections and two deaths today.

On Tuesday, Victoria will pass its first threshold on the Roadmap with 80 per cent of Victorians having received their first vaccine dose.

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that at 11.59 pm on Tuesday 28 September there will be a modest easing to restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

In regional Victoria,

1- Outdoor settings for restaurants and cafes will have their outdoor venue cap increase from 20 to 30 people.
2- Masks may be removed if the service requires them in hair and beauty salons, so facials and beard trimmings can recommence.

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews

Residents of metropolitan Melbourne and regional areas in lockdown will be able to undertake ‘contactless’ recreation at outdoor facilities, such as boating, tennis or golf.

The gathering size outdoors can increase to up to five adults, from two households, if all adults are fully vaccinated.

The 10km radius will also expand to 15km – so exercise and shopping can take place up to 15km from your home.

Personal training will be able to take place with five fully vaccinated people outside plus a fully vaccinated trainer.

The additional restrictions on playgrounds will be lifted – normal public gathering limits apply, and masks can be removed to eat and drink at the playground.

Melbourne Lockdown; Picture Source: Twitter
Melbourne Lockdown; Picture Source: Twitter

Premier Daniel Andrews said, “We’re about to hit our first stop on the Roadmap, which is a fantastic achievement – but we need to keep the momentum going. Today is the day to book that vaccine appointment.”

Separately, Premier Andrews announced that the City of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire can exit lockdown at 11:59 pm tonight, 26 September – with public health teams confident that caseloads, which are largely contained to existing contacts, can be well managed by the local public health unit.

Mitchell Shire – Will remain in lockdown due to its close proximity to areas of highest concern in metropolitan Melbourne.

The next milestones in the Roadmap will be when school begins to return to onsite learning on 5 October and when Victoria hits that 70 per cent double dose vaccination target – in late October.

Reprentative picture of regional Victoria: Picture Source: Ravi Singh
Representative picture of regional Victoria: Picture Source: Ravi Singh

Vaccinated Economy Trials

Up to 20 vaccinated economy trials will test systems and support in the fortnight before Victoria is aiming to reach the key 70 per cent full vaccination mark on 26 October, triggering greater freedoms for vaccinated people.

Scheduled to start from 11 October, it is anticipated the trials will cover hospitality, hairdressing, beauty services and tourism businesses, and events such as race meetings, community celebrations and concerts – allowing higher patron numbers with all attendees confirmed as being fully vaccinated.

As regional areas with high vaccination rates and low or no COVID-19 cases the Bass Coast, Greater Bendigo, Pyrenees, Warrnambool, Buloke and East Gippsland municipalities will be the first invited to participate in the trials.

The Government will work with local councils and industry bodies to help identify suitable businesses and events for the important fact-finding exercises.

The trials will confirm the best processes for establishing vaccination status, with work underway on how Commonwealth vaccination data can be best integrated with the Service Victoria app.

Pending the outcomes of the first phase, a second phase of trials using 80 per cent double dose settings will be held, prior to Victoria achieving that threshold.

The progress of these trials will be subject to health advice and ensuring the safety of regional communities from any potential COVID-19 infections. These trials will be used to hold larger events in metropolitan Melbourne to test the systems and technologies with larger crowd sizes.

Training for staff, supports for business owners and public communication of vaccine requirements will also be part of the trials. Support officers will be deployed on the ground to ensure trials run smoothly and participating businesses receive the assistance they need.

As Victoria reaches the key vaccination thresholds of 70 per cent and 80 per cent double dose in Victoria’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan, greater numbers of fully vaccinated people will be able to participate in many settings including outdoor gatherings, funerals, weddings, religious gatherings and entertainment and hospitality venues.

In regional cafes and restaurants, the patron cap increases to 30 people for indoor spaces and 100 people for outdoor spaces once they reach the 70 per cent double dose vaccination – on the basis that all patrons and staff are fully vaccinated.

Without confirmation of vaccination status, there is no change to existing settings.

Premier Andrews urged, “Getting vaccinated has never been more important – it reduces the risks to you and your family of serious illness from COVID-19 and it allows greater freedoms for all Victorians as we re-open together.”

“These trials are an important step as we move towards a vaccinated economy, supporting businesses to open safely and recover strongly and individuals to play their very important part.”

If you haven’t booked your appointment or are waiting for a particular vaccine – do not wait. The best vaccine is the vaccine you can get today. Over the next week, there are 3,495 Pfizer appointments available and 6,984 Astra Zeneca appointments available at state hubs.

Victorians can also book a vaccine appointment through their trusted GP or community pharmacist by visiting www.health.gov.au – and it’s important to remember Victorian pharmacists are now also offering the Moderna vaccine, which is a safe and effective option for any Victorian under the age of 60.    

For more info on the Roadmap, or to book a vaccination, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

Iron door that doesn’t let Brown women cross over to white women’s exclusive space

Women of Colour missing from sport light; Representative picture source; @CANVA
Women of Colour missing from sport light; Representative picture source; @CANVA

We are two women. Both women of colour, both lawyers, both who have collectively put in a couple of thousands of hours of volunteer work for our communities.

Both have had to work hard to create a space for themselves. One is the first woman of South Asian background to be elected the Vice President of any Law Society and the other had the potential to be the first Federal Parliamentarian of Vietnamese heritage.  

Yet we are struggling to shatter the double-glazed glass ceiling that women of colour face. Many women of diverse backgrounds like us are well qualified, hard-working, conscientious and community-minded. But we have to work doubly hard to prove ourselves, our mistakes are picked up and scrutinised more so than others and our efforts are constantly undermined.

We are not often directly told to go back to where we came from. These kinds of racist attacks mostly happen on the street, by an unknown person, and not in the professional legal, board and political circles that we frequent through work. But what happened last week, without really saying that, meant exactly that.

Molina Swaroop Asthana and Tu Le; Picture Source; Supplied
Molina Swaroop Asthana and Tu Le; Picture Source; Supplied

Former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s comments are a testimony to the devaluation of the talents of women of colour in discounting them as well-meaning intentions that cannot ‘ever get there. So if we can never get there because we are not good enough compared to our more privileged compatriots, where does that leave us? Should we just pack our bags and go back home to achieve our ambitions? But wait, this is home.

When we have such rhetoric from a former Prime Minister, it validates, albeit, unfound, sentiments of many who think we are incompetent, inferior and unworthy of leadership positions. This is not the first time it has happened.  We are constantly excluded from contributing to anything meaningful, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously.

We are continually sidelined for leadership opportunities. If we raise issues, we are trouble-makers, if we bring a diverse viewpoint, we are not considered team players, if we seek a leadership position, we get comments about spreading ourselves too thin and our competence is constantly scrutinised.

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Crixtover Edwin, A young black visual artist from Lagos

Achieving diversity targets means more than just replacing white men with white women. The excessive focus on gender equality creates greater inequity for women of diverse backgrounds. Whereas quotas and targets are set for gender equality, there are no such quotas for cultural diversity. Institutions may appear to have met their goals for diversity if they have appointed enough women in leadership positions, but that completely ignores the need for an intersectional approach to diversity.

No matter how much you sympathise, you can’t equate acquired experience with lived experiences. It is similar to the distinctions made between ‘Asia capable leaders’ and leaders of Asian background. The former has acquired theoretical and perhaps limited practical knowledge whereas the latter has lived and breathed the experiences. 

To suggest that the level of understanding of issues facing the Asian communities is the same for both, is preposterous and delusional, particularly for political representation that also requires a certain level of connection with the community you represent.

On the topic of political representation, the imposition of an Anglo-Celtic candidate who does not reflect the community they seek to represent and has little to no connection to that community is an added level of privileged arrogance stemming from the belief that marginalised minority communities lack the evolution to understand what is best for them.

But unfortunately, this is not the first time local voices have been stymied by so-called faceless men,  nor will it be the last (for any party). Till a commitment is made to move away from the monochromatic view of diversity, it is unlikely that we will see this double-glazed glass ceiling for women shattered.  

We often hear, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see”. But we’ve been invisible for too long. We’ve been underrepresented, sidelined and underestimated. We may not feel a small ripple, but no one can miss a tsunami. The waves of change will continue to smash the hegemonic systems that have been stacked against us women, particularly women of colour, for centuries.

It will take all of us to keep fighting. Together, we will ride the wave into a better and brighter future for all women and girls from all walks of life.

“We are not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from our own.”

Authors:
Molina Swaroop Asthana: Commercial lawyer and Co-founder and lead Victorian Convenor of the Asian Australian Alliance.
Tu Le: Program Director at Migrant Employment Legal Service, the Co-Founder of The Youth Co-Lab, and a Youth Leader at the Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Association.

Disclaimer: This Oped was first published in Women’s Agenda. We have republished with the kind permission of the author.

UK Parliament praises India for keeping democracy alive in Kashmir despite sinister attempts by Taliban/Pakistan sympathisers

Image source: MP Bob Blackman - Wikipedia.

It is only the Indian Army and the sound footing of the Indian democracy that has stopped the region of Jammu & Kashmir from resembling Taliban occupied Afghanistan said British Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman during a discussion on a motion on the Indian union territory of Jammu & Kashmir in UK Parliament.

The debate proposal was tabled by Parliamentarian Debbie Abrahams and Pakistan-origin MP Yasmin Qureshi in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

Speaking in the debate in the House of Commons, Pakistan sympathiser British Labour MP Tahir Ali and Imran Hussain called upon the UK to take action against India by barring the Indian High Commissioner from Parliament.

Hussain said the UK and other countries needed to speak up and end their silence because of the military occupation of Kashmir.

Claims were destroyed by Imran Hussain’s fellow Labour MP Barry Gardiner. He even pointed out the terrorist camps that have been nurtured by Pakistan to destabilize the Kashmir region.

“Over the years Pakistan has harboured Taliban leaders and the ISI, their security services, provided other forms of support to them and to other terrorist organisations.”

The Minister for Asia in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Amanda Milling, responded to the debate on Thursday by reiterating the UK government’s unchanged stance on Kashmir as a bilateral issue.

Further, the British government expressed its dismay at some of the language used by participating MPs, specifically Pakistani-origin or Pakistan sympathisers.

The Indian High Commission in London condemned the attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlighted Kashmir’s status as an integral part of India.

“As on previous occasions, the High Commission of India reiterates that any assertion made in any forum on a subject related to an integral part of India needs to be duly substantiated with authentic verifiable facts.”

However, in the whole debate hearts were won when Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman spoke about India’s democratic credentials.

He flagged the completion of local elections in Kashmir last December despite pandemic-related adversities.

“We should remember that while Kashmir Valley may be probably Muslim (dominated), Jammu is predominantly Hindu and Ladakh predominantly Buddhist. And the fact is, historically persecuted religious minorities of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, women and children have unfortunately suffered in the Valley.”

Blackman added that it is because of the Indian military that the region of Jammu and Kashmir has not resembled Taliban-occupied Afghanistan as yet.

“It is only the Indian Army and the sound footing of the Indian military democracy that has stopped the region of Jammu & Kashmir resembling Taliban occupied Afghanistan … the region is legally and rightfully an integral part of the Republic of India.”

British MPs during the debate raised concerns on the terror attacks in Kashmir by Pakistan based terror groups such as Jaish e Muhammad, Lashkar e Tayyiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The key person behind this debate, Debbie Abrahams was deported from India for travelling to the country on an invalid visa.

It was also highlighted that her organisation APPG on Kashmir (APPGK) allegedly received money from Pakistan Government between £31,501 (Rs 29.7 lakh) and £33,000 (Rs 31.2 lakh) on February 18, 2020, for a visit to Pakistan. 

Indian-Australians dismayed by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s insensitive and discriminatory comment

Image source: Annastacia Palaszczuk - Twitter.

Many Indians origin residents living in Australia have not been able to travel home to see their families and friends in India for almost two years.

They have been requesting both the state and federal governments to ease their tough border measures.

Meanwhile, Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made some highly questionable comments about international borders possibly reopening in Australia.

When asked about international travel, Palaszczuk told reporters sarcastically:

“Where are you going to go? Are you going to go to India?”

Indians who live in Queensland have in the past appreciated her efforts to prevent extended lockdowns like in NSW and Victoria.

In May 2021, Palaszczuk Government even donated $2 million to the Australian Red Cross on behalf of all Queenslanders to aid the response to the COVID-19 crisis in India.

However, her recent comments are loaded and ignore the real sentiments of Indians.

More than 74,000 Queenslanders were either born in India or have Indian heritage and many are waiting eagerly to see their loved ones.

Crickey news columnist, Kishor tweeted:

Pooja Manchanda who hasn’t been home to see her family in nearly three years told ABC:

“Just to pinpoint one nation out of the others, I don’t think that was really called for, and in a position like hers.”

In a statement to the media, a spokesperson for the Premier’s office said Ms Palaszczuk was highlighting “the problem of approving international travel anywhere.”

“As general examples of countries, which unfortunately have had high levels of COVID cases, she mentioned India and Japan, but there are many countries with COVID outbreaks which would similarly make travel problematic.” 

Akashika Mohla is Brisbane based Head of Media Diversity Australia – Asian Chapter.
She says, “Looks like Premier has forgotten the pains her family experienced being torn apart as migrants. Unfortunately, Her insensitivity towards Indian Australians wishing to meet their loved ones is bordering hate and discrimination if not racism.”

“These Queenslanders of Indian heritage are saving lives every day -Doctors, nurses, paramedics, Police, aged care workers. We deserve better treatment from Premier of the state.”

This is not the first time Ms Palaszczuk has used such a tone and words. In the 2017 campaign, she smeared the entire India accusing Indians of taking jobs from Australians.

“An apology is appropriate.”

World record: Indian-Australian sisters sing national anthems of 193 countries in 100 languages

Image source: Augnes Joy and Teresa Joy, Facebook.

Do you know all the words to Jana Gana Mana or Advance Australia Fair?

Augnes Joy and Teresa Joy, Indian-origin Brisbane-based sisters have created a new record by singing the national anthems of the 193 sovereign states in 100 languages by heart.

All the countries selected are members of the United Nations and the sisters went in alphabetical order.

Their six-hour attempt took place at an event organised by held by the United Nations Association of Australia at St John’s Cathedral to mark International Day of Peace.

This day is also known as World Peace Day and is celebrated every year on 21 September. 

 

Image source: Poster – Facebook.

21-year-old Teresa and 18-year-old Augnes shared in their social media post that they have been researching the national anthems of all the countries of the world for the past 9 years.

They have been singing the national anthems of all the countries of the world off-by-heart to promote world peace and a heightened sense of humanity.

The sisters called their special international event ‘Salute the Nations’.

Image source: Teresa and Augnes with Clem Camphell (Order of Australia), past president of United Nations Association of Australia – Facebook

Originally planned for 2020, the sisters decided to cancel the event due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  

The proud sisters have now been presented with a ‘Record Breakers’ certificate from the Australian Book of Records.

In addition, Teresa and Augnes have also been awarded a 2021 Word Record certificate from the Universal Records Forum.

The family originally hails from Cherthala in Kerala’s Alappuzha district.

Teresa and Augnes’s father Joy is a filmmaker and her mother, Jaqueline, is a nurse in Queensland.

The sisters run Augnes and Tersa Peace Foundation and all proceeds from this event will go to charitable activities run by the United Nations

WATCH VIDEO: Salute the Nations

 

At meet with Indian PM Modi, Harris refers to Pak terror role, agrees to monitor its support to terrorism

PM Modi, Kamala Harris exchange views on global, regional developments; Picture Source: Twitter @MEA
PM Modi, Kamala Harris exchange views on global, regional developments; Picture Source: Twitter @MEA

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, a day ahead of his highly anticipated bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden.

This was PM Modi’s first in-person meeting with Ms Harris after she made history by becoming the first Indian-origin person to become the Vice President of America.

During the meeting Vice President Kamala Harris “suo moto” referred to Pakistan’s role with regard to terrorism and agreed on the need to rein-in and closely monitor Islamabad support for terror groups, informed Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla.

Harris acknowledged the presence of terror groups in Pakistan, said Shringla when asked whether the issue of Pakistan emboldening Taliban came up during the discussion between PM Modi and the US Vice President.

“In that context when the issue of terrorism came up. The Vice President suo moto referred to Pakistan’s role in that regard. She said that there were terror groups working there. She asked Pakistan to take action so that these groups do not impact on US security and that of India,”

the Foreign Secretary said during a special briefing.

“She agreed with Prime Minister’s briefing on the fact of cross-border terrorism and the fact that India has been a victim of terrorism several decades now and the need to rein in and closely monitor Pakistan’s support for such terror groups,” he added.

Pakistan has been accused of providing overt and covert support to the Taliban. Early this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that Pakistan has “harboured” members of the Taliban including the terrorists.

PM Modi praises Kamala Harris as ‘source of inspiration’, invites her to India

“Your election as Vice President of USA has been an important and historic event. You are a source of inspiration for many across the world. I am confident that under President Biden and your leadership our bilateral relations will touch new heights,” PM Modi said in a joint press conference with Harris after the two leaders met.

“Continuing on this journey of victory, Indians would also want you to continue that in India and therefore they are waiting to welcome you. I extend you an invitation to visit India,”

PM Modi added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Washington for his much-touted US visit. He had earlier addressed the Global COVID-19 Summit called by US President Biden.

Biden is scheduled to host PM Modi at the White House on September 24. This is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.

Biden will host the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, which will be joined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

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PM Modi’s US visit will conclude on September 25 with an address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues.

PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and senior officials.

The high-level session of the UNGA began on Tuesday in New York. The theme for this year’s General Debate is ‘Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations. 

PM Scott Morrison, PM Modi review progress in India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

PM Scott Morrison and Indian PM Narendra Modi meet in Washington ahead of QUAD; Picture Source: @Twitter @MEA
PM Scott Morrison and Indian PM Narendra Modi meet in Washington ahead of QUAD; Picture Source: @Twitter @MEA

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which the two leaders reviewed the rapid progress in India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including through the recent 2+2 Dialogue.

The two leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional developments and the forthcoming Quad meeting.

“Was happy to speak with my friend Scott Morrison. We reviewed the rapid progress in the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including through the recent 2+2 Dialogue. We also exchanged perspectives on regional developments and the forthcoming Quad meeting,” PM Modi said in a tweet.

Both leaders stressed on regional & global developments as well as ongoing bilateral cooperation in areas related to Covid-19, trade, defence, clean energy.

PM Morrison did briefly mentioned the rationale of the “Australian side on AUKUS alliance” to PM Modi during the bilateral, says Indian Foreign Secretary Shringla

Prime Minister Morrison said, “We were able to agree to some important new initiatives.”

“At our meeting today we agreed to go forward with a low emissions technology partnership, a partnership that will focus on hydrogen development, ultra-low-cost solar programs, to support their energy transition.”

“If we want to address climate change, then we need to address the change that is necessary in developing economies, so they can grow their economies, build their industries, make the things the world needs.”

“We’ll work together closely with our good friends in India, to work with the comparative advantages that Australia has, particularly in the area of hydrogen, and working together with their manufacturing capabilities so they can realise that in their own country,”

added Mr Morrison

Indian FS Shringla also said PM Modi mentioned that the Indian community was very looked after during the ‘Covid Crisis’ to Mr Morrison.

PM Scott Morrison would be participating, along with Indian Prime Minister, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and US President Joseph R Biden, in the Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework in Washington on September 24.

During the discussion, the leaders will discuss regional issues of shared interest and will also review the progress made since their first virtual summit that was held on March 12.
Recent developments in Afghanistan are also expected to figure prominently in the deliberations.

Indian PM Modi is also likely to have one on one meeting with Quad leaders including US President Joe Biden. 

Vaccinated Victorians will be able to come back home but conditions applied

Melbourne; Picture Source: Twitter @darren_levin

Victoria’s domestic travel permit system will be modified to allow Victorians in Greater Sydney and the ACT to come back home from 30 September.

Under current rules, Victorians in Extreme Risk Zones can’t return home unless they obtain an exemption, have another valid permit (such as for specified workers) or are exempted for limited reasons.

New changes to the rules:

Victorians in an Extreme Risk Zone will be eligible to return home to Victoria if they are fully vaccinated.

“They must test negative 72 hours before their departure, quarantine at home for 14 days upon arrival, and get tested again at the start and the end of their quarantine period.”

The current Extreme Risk Zone rules will remain for Victorians who aren’t fully vaccinated. Those who are not currently fully vaccinated can still apply for an exemption to enter Victoria under the existing limited criteria.

To ensure people from extreme risk zones are meeting their quarantine obligations, Authorised Officers will conduct at-home spot checks on Victorians quarantining.

Vaccinated permit holders returning to Victoria will be required to attest their vaccination status on their application and may be asked to provide proof of vaccination when requested by an Authorised Officer.

Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said, “This change will allow Victorians to return home from Extreme Risk Zones – but you have to be vaccinated.”

“Given our increasingly high vaccination rates and the direction we’re headed in the roadmap, this is a safe and appropriate decision and it’s made on public health advice,”

Mr Andrews added

Anyone providing false or misleading information will face fines. Every traveller will have to carry proof of their vaccination status so it can be checked at airports, seaports or borders.

Service Victoria is developing a solution for Victorians to show their vaccine certificate and vaccination status in the Service Victoria app. They are also looking at how this can be linked to an individual’s Victorian travel permit application.

Victorians can currently prove their vaccination status by downloading their vaccine certificate from MyGov.

Current border permit rules still apply until these changes come into place at the end of this month. For more information about the system, visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-travel-permit-system

With ‘Taliban’ in its backyard, Pakistan engages in baseless propaganda blaming ‘Hindus’ for terror threat to New Zealand cricket team

iMAGE SOURCE: Pakistan's PM Imran Khan & Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry - Twitter
iMAGE SOURCE: Pakistan's PM Imran Khan & Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry - Twitter

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has claimed that people with ‘Hindi names’ [Hindus] from India are behind threatening emails that caused New Zealand to abandon its cricket tour of the country.

In a media conference, Pakistan accused an Indian named ‘Om Prakash Mishra’ from Mumbai, Maharashtra, of threatening the New Zealand team by creating fake email addresses and sending such emails using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Pakistan information minister Fawad Chaudhry told reporters:

“The email was sent from an associated device in India using VPN, showing IP address location of Singapore.”

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He alleged that the same device had 13 other IDs, all of which were Indian names.

“The device used to send the threat to the New Zealand team belonged to India. A fake ID was used but it was sent from Maharashtra.” 

Chaudhry claimed that New Zealand received threatening emails before it arrived in Pakistan.

He claimed that a fake Facebook post was created in August under Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan militant Ehsanullah Ehsan’s name which warned the New Zealand Cricket Board and government to refrain from sending their team to Pakistan as it would be “targeted” by IS (Deash).

Chaudhry said that a day later, another threatening email was sent to the New Zealand team using the ID, Hamza Afridi.

He added that an email was also sent to the wife of New Zealand player Martin Guptill detailing a death threat.

Image source: New Zealand cricket team – Wikipedia.

New Zealand dropped its plans to play with Pakistan abruptly a few hours before the match citing a specific security threat to its players.

“Following an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground, it has been decided the Blackcaps will not continue with the tour.”

New Zealand Cricket said they were aware of a “specific and credible” jihad terrorist threat but did not give details to the media.

This withdrawal lead to a chain reaction whereby England subsequently called off its tours as well by citing “mental and physical well-being”.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement:

“The Pakistan Prime Minister spoke personally to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and informed her that we have one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team.”

While former Pakistani cricketer and PCB Chair Ramiz Raja had then tweeted in frustration:

“Walking out of the tour by taking a unilateral approach on a security threat is very frustrating. Especially when it’s not shared!! Which world is NZ living in?? NZ will hear us at ICC.”

Pakistan now claims that its detailed investigations have revealed that the device from which emails were sent is registered in India and they will seek help from the INTERPOL to probe this matter.

“This is unfortunate. We believe this is a campaign against international cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and other bodies must take notice.” 

In July, when similar allegations were made against India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has told the media:

“It is not new for Pakistan to engage in baseless propaganda against India. Pakistan would do well to expend the same effort in setting its own house in order and taking credible and verifiable action against terrorism emanating from its soil and terrorists who have found safe sanctuaries there.”

Bagchi had added:

“The international community is well aware of Pakistan’s credentials when it comes to terrorism. This is acknowledged by none other than its own leadership, which continues to glorify terrorists like Osama Bin Laden as ‘martyrs’.”

Such withdrawals have further damaged Pakistan’s already deteriorating reputation and dealt a massive blow to its hopes of staging regular international cricket tournaments.

For almost a decade, after terrorists attacked and injured Sri Lankan players in 2009, top cricket teams have shunned Pakistan and considered the country that is a terror hub as a no-go zone.

Pakistan’s support to the Taliban and other listed terrorist organisations and the recently cancelled tours have given rise to the fears amongst its citizens that they will once again be deprived of quality international cricket.

SAARC foreign ministers’ meet cancelled as Pakistan insists on Taliban participation

The annual South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled for September 25 stands cancelled.

This decision has been taken after most member states refused to entertain Pakistan’s request to allow the Taliban regime to represent Afghanistan in the meeting.

SAARC is the regional intergovernmental organization of eight countries of South Asia: India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The grouping also has nine observers: China, the European Union (EU), Iran, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar and the US

Image source: SAARC – Wikipedia.

The last annual SAARC meeting was held virtually in 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic.

The 2021 annual meeting was to take place on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Image source: Imran Khan – Wikipedia.

However, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government demanded the member states to allow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to send a representative at the SAARC.

In addition, Pakistan also insisted that none of the representatives of the former Afghan government be allowed at the SAARC meet.

It is reported that Pakistan’s demand was unanimously opposed by all SAARC member countries.

Image source: SAARC Chair Nepal – SAARC.

The SAARC Chair Nepal refused to entertain Pakistan’s request or even give any guarantee to Pakistan or Taliban leadership.

The Nepalese Foreign Ministry issued a communiqué saying that the meet stands cancelled owing to “lack of concurrence from all Member States.”

Amir Khan Muttaqi has been named the acting Foreign Minister in the Taliban regime led by Mullah Hassan Akhund.

Very few countries have officially recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan as the legitimate government representing the Afghan people.


Magnitude 6.0 earthquake hits near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia, Here’ details

Melbourne Earth Quake; Pictures Source: Screenshot of video
Melbourne Earth Quake; Pictures Source: Screenshot of video

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday morning, Geoscience Australia said, one of the country’s biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in Melbourne and sending tremors throughout neighbouring states.

The quake’s epicentre was near the rural town of Mansfield in Victoria, about 200 km (124 miles) northeast of Melbourne, and was at a depth of 10 km (six miles). An aftershock was rated 4.0.

Images and video footage circulating on social media showed rubble blocking one of Melbourne’s main streets, while people in northern parts of the town said on social media they had lost power and others said they were evacuated from buildings.

The quake was felt as far away as the city of Adelaide, 800 km (500 miles) to the west in South Australia, and Sydney, 900 km (600 miles) to the north in New South Wales, although there were no reports of damage outside Melbourne and no reports of injuries.

More than half of Australia’s 25 million population lives in the southeast of the country from Adelaide to Melbourne to Sydney.

“We have had no reports of serious injuries, or worse, and that is very good news and we hope that good news will continue,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Washington.

“It can be a very disturbing event, an earthquake of this nature. They are very rare events in Australia and as a result, I am sure people would have been quite distressed and disturbed.”

Quakes are relatively unusual in Australia’s populated east due to its position in the middle of the Indo-Australian Tectonic Plate, according to Geoscience Australia.

The quake on Wednesday 22 September measured higher than the country’s deadliest tremor, a 5.6 in Newcastle in 1989, which resulted in 13 deaths.

The mayor of Mansfield, Mark Holcombe, said he was in his home office on his farm when the quake struck and ran outside for safety.

“I have been in earthquakes overseas before and it seemed to go on longer than I have experienced before,” Holcombe told the ABC.

“The other thing that surprised me was how noisy it was. It was a real rumbling like a big truck going past.”

He knew of no serious damage near the quake epicentre, although some residents reported problems with telecommunications.

No tsunami threat was issued to the Australian mainland, islands or territories, the country’s Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement.

The quake presented a potential disruption for anti- lockdown protests expected in Melbourne, which would be the third day of unrest that has reached increasing levels of violence and police response

1st ODI: Brown and Haynes star as Australia-W register nine-wicket win over India-W

Mithali Raj and Yastika Bhatia rebuilding @BCCIWomen ’s innings steadily as the total passes the 100-run mark in the 23rd over; Picture Source: Twitter @ICC
Mithali Raj and Yastika Bhatia rebuilding @BCCIWomen ’s innings steadily as the total passes the 100-run mark in the 23rd over; Picture Source: Twitter @ICC

Darcie Brown’s four-wicket haul and a 126-run opening stand between Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes helped Australia thrash India by nine wickets in the first ODI here at the Harrup Park in Mackay on Tuesday.

With this win, Australia has not only taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series but also Meg Lanning’s side has extended its unbeaten run in ODIs to 25 matches. Chasing 226, Australia got off to a solid start as opening batters Haynes and Healy put on 52 runs inside the first ten overs.

The duo brought up a 100-run opening stand in just the 18th over of the innings with Healy being the more attacking of the two.

India finally got the breakthrough in the 22nd over as Poonam Yadav dismissed Healy (77) and this brought an end to a 126-run opening stand between Healy and Haynes. Australia captain Meg Lanning then came out to the middle to join Haynes. Both batters ensured that the Southern Stars do not lose momentum and they kept the Indian bowlers at bay.

In the end, Haynes (93*) and Lanning (53*) took Australia over the line with 54 balls to spare. The second ODI will now be played on Friday.

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Earlier, Mithali Raj might have played a 61-run knock for the visitors, but Darcie Brown’s four-wicket haul helped Australia restrict India to 225/8. Apart from Mithali, Yastrika Bhatia also chipped in with an innings of 35 runs with the help of two boundaries.

Sent into bat, Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana provided a quickfire start as the opening duo put on 31 runs inside the first four overs. However, Australia stormed right back as Brown dismissed both Shafali (8) and Mandhana (16), reducing India to 38/2 in the sixth over.

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Yastika and Mithali then got together at the crease and both batters put on 77 runs for the third wicket, but as soon as India started to gain an upper hand, the side lost the wicket of Bhatia (35) to Brown in the 26th over. Deepti Sharma (9) failed to leave a mark with the bat, handing Brown her fourth wicket and India was reduced to 129/4 in the 31st over.

Mithali’s strike rate was again a slight worry as she hit her runs off 107 balls and just when it looked like she would change gears, she was dismissed by Sophie Molineux in the 38th over. Molineux had Mithali stumped and this brought Richa Ghosh and Pooja Vastrakar together at the crease.

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The lower-order was not able to contribute much, and in the end, India had to settle with a score of 225. In the final overs, Richa Ghosh and Jhulan Goswami played cameos of 32 and 20 respectively.

Brief Scores: India 225/8 (Mithali Raj 61, Yastika Bhatia 35; Darcie Bown 4/33) vs Australia 227/1 (Rachael Haynes 93*, Alyssa Healy 77; Poonam Yadav 1-58). 

Channi’s elevation as Punjab CM is Congress’s masterstroke in Punjab

Charanjit Singh Channi's appointment as Punjab chief minister; Picture Source: Twitter @SevadalSTA
Charanjit Singh Channi's appointment as Punjab chief minister; Picture Source: Twitter @SevadalSTA

Charanjit Singh Channi’s appointment as Punjab chief minister has taken all by surprise. He belongs to the Chamar community (of Ramdasia Sikhs) and will obviously be presented by the Congress as its Dalit Face. Chamars are followers of Sant Ravidas.

From the time Punjab State was formed in 1966, he is probably only the second non-Jat Sikh to become CM, the first being Giani Zail Singh who belonged to the carpenter community (of Ramgariya Sikhs).

The Ramgariyas trace their descent from Jassa Singh Ramgariya, who was a great leader, organiser and warrior.

Will the Jat Sikhs take this loss of power in Punjab lying down?

Will the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee that is dominated by Jats accept the downgrading of their political status?

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Charanjit Singh Channi’s appointment as Punjab chief minister; Picture Source: Twitter @SevadalSTA

Will the Akalis, who have counted on Jat Sikh support for nearly a century now, accept the diminution in the importance of Jat Sikhs?

To assuage the feelings of the Jat Sikhs Congress leader Harish Rawat said the 2022 assembly election will be fought under Navjot Singh Sidhu’s leadership, clearly indicating that the Congress wants both Jat Sikh and Dalit votes.

In a way, Channi’s appointment is a message to Sidhu, too. The Congress’ central leadership is willing to go only this far to support a local leader whose ability to win elections is not proven. It has also allowed Captain Amarinder Singh a graceful exit.

Sidhu’s appointment as CM meant inviting an open revolt by Captain’s camp, which has been avoided with Channi’s selection.

Does this imply that Punjab will cease to have a Jat Sikh as chief minister?

It is unlikely that Congress will unseat a Dalit CM once he is appointed for fear of losing Dalit votes across the country, just as they hope that with this appointment Dalits will vote for the Congress in Punjab and, more importantly, in Uttar Pradesh next year.

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Charanjit Singh Channi’s appointment as Punjab chief minister; Picture Source: Twitter @SevadalSTA

It is possible that Congress will let Channi be CM till the February 2022 assembly elections and take a decision post the declaration of the results.

All in all, a smart move by the Congress.

It has clearly taken the Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party by surprise. It will strengthen Mayawati’s hands who will now push for a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate as CM, something the Jat-dominated Akalis will never agree to. So also the Bharatiya Janata Party’s plans of projecting a Dalit as CM need to be reworked.

How will the Jat Sikhs react to this move, only time will tell.

Will it result in the revival of the Khalistani movement? It is worthwhile to remember that it was mostly the Jat Sikhs who were behind the violent movement of the 1980-1990s.

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Charanjit Singh Channi’s appointment as Punjab chief minister; Picture Source: Twitter @SevadalSTA

There is not much love between the Chamar Sikhs (Ramdasias) and the Jats. Hope this Congress move does not lead to social tensions in the state.

We must also, however, remember that all the Sikh Gurus were Khatris and not Jats. The Jat community became powerful in Sikh affairs only with the advent of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and more so during British rule.

Besides Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand go to the polls in early 2022. The Congress will surely use making a Dalit as chief minister in Punjab as a propaganda tool to woo the backward classes and Dalits in these states.

The focus could also shift to Varanasi because Sant Ravidas, who the Chamars follow, was born there and there is even a white temple erected there in his memory.

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Charanjit Singh Channi’s appointment as Punjab chief minister; Picture Source: Twitter @SevadalSTA

This will force Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Lok Sabha constituency is Varanasi, to visit the temple in order to woo his followers. The plans to develop his birthplace on the lines of the Golden Temple will need to be expedited too.

All in all a smart move by Congress. As they say, Ek teer aur multiple nishan.

Having said that, how things will pan out, only time will tell.

For now, Congress has got its opponents thinking seriously about their next move.

Author: Sanjeev Nayyar is a chartered accountant and founder, www.esamskriit.com

Disclaimer: The article was first published on rediff.com, We have republished it with kind permission from the author.

Indian-origin Rocket woman Priya Patel helping desi students’ space dreams

Image Source: Priya Patel - Rocket Woman.

Priya Patel is a 25-year-old Indian-origin space scientist with experience working at the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Systems Engineer trainee on key inter-planetary missions.

In an interview to the Times of India, Priya said that aspires to be a full-fledged astronaut in order to become the first Indian to reach Moon and Mars.

Image source: Priya Patel – ESA – Facebbok.

Recently, this rocket woman, has also set up an NGO Sharda Foundation in the US.

“the aim is to provide resources to young Indian students from low socio-economic strata to give them exposure to space facilities abroad”.

Priya was born in Gujarat’s Kadi town and did her schooling from Gandhinagar.

She moved to London in 2005 and earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Imperial College London.

Later, Priya did her masters in space sciences engineering from the University College London in 2017.

She is currently pursuing her PhD from the same university in coordination with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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“My parents gave me these opportunities through the sacrifices they made as they moved out of India. I was fortunate enough to have this experience but now I want to ensure that such experiences are shared with those that are truly passionate about space, but do not have the resources to follow their passion”.

She is currently working on collecting atmospheric data from NASA’s Perseverance Rover to study the presence of water on Mars.

“Working with NASA on a fantastic mission (Perseverance) is truly a dream come true and I am happy to be representing Indian women in STEM”.

Besides her space projects, Priya has also been training in Bharatanatyam and has participated in various national and international performances.

Australia at 25th rank while India climbs to 46th rank in Global Innovation Index

India climbs to 46th rank in Global Innovation Index; Picture Source: @PIB
India climbs to 46th rank in Global Innovation Index; Picture Source: @PIB

India has climbed to 46th rank in Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 report released by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

It has jumped 35 places since 2015 and is top-ranked in Central and Southern Asia. From 81 in 2015, it has moved to 46 in 2021.

This report ranked Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Britain and South Korea as the most innovative economies. China and France edged up in the rankings which continue to be dominated by Asia, Europe and North America.

“The consistent improvement in the GII ranking is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant start-up ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public and the private research organizations,” the Indian government’s Niti Aayog said in a statement.

“As we progress further towards saving lives and livelihoods and shaping the national economic growth trajectory, the GII-2021 will be a significant reference point for all the countries to assess their innovation capabilities and readiness, which will go a long way in boosting economic recovery.”

said the statement.

The think tank conveyed that the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has also been leading from the front as a torchbearer of India’s journey towards an innovation-driven economy. NITI Aayog stated that it is hosting the India Launch of the GII and the Global Innovation Conclave in partnership with CII and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The event will be held on September 21-22, 2021.

“India climbs to 46th rank in Global Innovation Index of @WIPO, reflecting its success in transforming itself into an innovation hub, for a #AatmanirbharBharat,” tweeted Permanent Mission of India at UN in Geneva.

“India has jumped 35 places since 2015 and is top-ranked in Central and Southern Asia, demonstrating India’s success in creating a conducive ecosystem, enabling India’s emergence as a global hub for research and development and innovation,” added India at UN.

In its report, WIPO said that that innovation marched forward last year despite the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak. Technology, pharmaceuticals and biotech industries boosted their investments, even as hard-hit sectors like transport and travel eased back on spending.

Global Innovation Index provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 131 countries and economies around the world.

Its 80 indicators explore a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication.

My Voice season 3: New Era of Musical Reality a contest!

MyVoice Season2 Winner; Picture Source: Supplied
MyVoice Season2 Winner; Picture Source: Supplied

After two successful seasons, Me-TV is presenting My Voice to the global audience and participants in its Season-3.

My Voice – Season-3 is a competition not to be missed by talented singers because the singers from any part of the globe can now participate in this mega event.

Highlights:

A- The new avatar of the show allows participants to sing in English and any Indian language of their choice. 

B- This show leaves the field open for participants of all age groups, and allows you to participate from the comfort of your own home!

This is precisely why My Voice – Season 3 stands in a league of its own.

With about 15000 AUD worth of prize money to be won, My Voice – Season 3 opens registration for the contestants from Sep 1, 2021, till Oct 10th.

There will be four categories for the contestants.
1- Silver (6-14 years),
2- Gold(15-23),
3- Diamond (24-40) and
4- Platinum (40+)

This means age shall not be a barrier at all!

No need to stand in long queues as contestants can upload their performances online! All registration process and details can be found on www.MeWorldet.com

MeWorld – A Global OTT Plus free App is the exclusive streaming partner for My Voice Season-3. Which can be downloaded at http://onelink.to/y2mht3

The event presents itself as a wonderful opportunity for partners and brands that are looking for a global reach and that are looking for creating an inroad to a global market.
The scope of publicity of branding will be very high as thousands of contestants from across the globe are expected.

About Streaming Partner MeWorld:

MeWorld is a ME-TV venture- a Media and IT conglomerate with group companies in Television, Media, Content Production, Event Management, Digital Marketing and IT Services.
It was born out of a commitment to redefining the infotainment landscape through bespoke offerings. It is Australia’s first OTT platform catering to the multicultural and multilingual audience across geographies.

Market Mantra: Australian market down for second week in a row

Australian shares recorded a second straight weekly drop after a fall in iron ore prices dragged the miners to multi-month lows and surging Coronavirus cases across the eastern coast of the country raised concerns over delay in Australian economic recovery.

China has recently continued its crackdown on steel production ahead of the Winter Olympics in February 2022. The prices of iron ore continued to decline all through the week as China mulled to add more cities under its environmental control.

With iron prices falling more than 20% for the week, a decline last seen during GFC in 2008, the move sent ripples across Australian miners with BHP, Rio and Fortescue all falling to multi-month lows. While BHP and Rio slumped to their nine-month low, Fortescue Metals declined by 12% to reach its lowest price in 14 months.

According to some of the analysts as more and more Chinese provinces look forward to curtailing steel production to meet their environmental targets there may be more weakness to come in iron ore pressure and as such any further weakness in mining stocks should not come as a surprise.

The rising Delta variant cases in Australia was also on the mind of investors all week. The weekly employment report though showed a dip in unemployment level to its lowest level in almost 13 years, it was majorly due to a sharp decline in several people seeking work.

The lockdown has forced many businesses to slash working hours right across NSW and Victoria and it would be interesting to see how the investors react to the re-opening roadmap in the coming weeks.

With US markets also turning south on President Biden’s plan to raise corporate taxes by 5.5% to 26.5%, there may be some weakness in Australian markets when the week opens.

In regards to gold, we mentioned last week how the gold investors were likely to remain on the sidelines till the next Federal Open Market Committee on September 21 and 22.

With most investors focussing on US Federal Reserve a firm US Dollar kept bullion on course for a second weekly decline.

The US Dollar rose to a three-week peak last week. The rise in US Dollar made gold unattractive and expensive for holders of other currencies and thus resulted in a 1.2% decline in the price of gold.

According to StoneX analyst Rhona OÇonnell “Everybody is watching Fed like hawks.” Investor’s looking to scour Jay Powell’s press conference for tapering a hawkish shift from the FOMC may result in another knee-jerk downward reaction in gold.

Oil posted its fourth consecutive weekly gain, thanks to unexpected supply shortages in the USA arising as an aftermath of Hurricane Ida three weeks ago.

Hurricane Ida forced the closure of 90% of oil-producing fields in the US Gulf of Mexico. As of last week, 28.24% of oil production in the US Gulf coast remained closed.

Oil continued to rally to record a third consecutive week of gains as investors focussed on tight US oil supplies with ongoing production shut-ins in the US Gulf of Mexico following Hurricane Ida. A move towards safer assets in the market on fears of economic recovery due to coronavirus fears may cap gains in oil prices.

A recent survey of economists by Reuters suggested that the economic recovery in the US may have been dented in the third quarter due to the spread of the Delta variant. Chinese data earlier last week also suggested growth slowing in the second half of the year for the World’s second-largest economy.

As such there is too much caution and if Europe also shows signs of slowing markets both oil and stocks may fall at a rapid pace.

The Australian Dollar kept falling all week against most currencies as traders looked for safer havens. China’s crackdown on iron ore has not helped the local currency recently. With Chinese retail and industrial production also falling in China, Australia’s largest trade partner and closures and lockdowns in multiple locations across the country the Australian Dollar has been under a lot of pressure all week.

In the recent Evergrande saga, with one of the largest property developers in China getting ready to default, the risks for China and Australia, the largest supplier of raw materials to the Red Dragon have significantly increased.

With no significant data coming out from Australia this week, the currency will be at mercy of news from China and the US. The Australian currency is particularly susceptible to a risk environment. With traders looking for next taper clues from the Fed, the risk is likely to remain off the table till at least Wednesday.

Moving forward should Powell announce Fed’s tapering plans the US Treasury yields may rise, which will result in the Australian dollar falling to 0.7200. His decision will however be driven by US data.

In regards to the Indian Rupee, the Rupee ended flat against the US Dollar as dollar buying by oil companies was balanced by strong corporate inflows. An increasing oil price negatively impacts the Indian rupee, however with India recently witnessing a strong inflow of foreign corporate earnings it helped the Rupee to counter any negative impact.

The Rupee is right where RBI wants it, trading at a range between 72 and 75 against the US dollar. A rise in imports, however, taper worries and persistently high crude prices all have Rupee traders on the edge.

As per Sejal Gupta, head of Forex and Rates at Edelweiss Securities, “Accelerated imports, increasing bond yields in India, global economic anxiety and rising crude oil prices over $75 per week is expected to weaken the Rupee.”

In the world of Cryptocurrencies, the week gone by saw consolidation for Bitcoin following a minor crash on September 7. At the time of writing the report, Bitcoin had risen 3% for the week. The optimism in the market returned as Cuba joined El Salvador to recognise crypto as a legal method of payment for commercial transactions in the country. El Salvador also announced plans to exempt investors from paying a CGT or income tax on Bitcoin.

Turkey, however, reiterated its ban on cryptocurrencies with President Erdogan declaring on Saturday that his country is at war with cryptocurrency.

With IMF also snubbing El Salvador and indicating it may suffer a rating downgrade there is concern that it would dissuade other developing nations from adopting crypto.

Technically speaking Bitcoin outlook looks positive with the 100/200 moving averages crossover forming. However, Bitcoin would need to break the $49,943 level to enter the Bollinger uptrend channel and start the next bull run.

Bitcoin crash: Picture Source; @Canva
Bitcoin crash: Picture Source; @Canva

In terms of altcoins, the week was a mixed bag. Solano had to shut down their network for some time following technical issues resulting in the coin getting sold heavily. Shiba Inu on the other hand rose by 40% on news that it is getting listed on Coin base.

In agricultural products corn, oil and wheat all consolidated from the losses the week before as grain traders await US harvest news and further clues on Chinese demand.

Harvest is getting ready underway in the United States and grain importer China is also preparing to gather its domestic crop. AS per grain traders, this is the time in the market when corn is about to come in, however, the corn prices need to be competitive against feed wheat for world markets to balance out.

Author: Ateev Dang is a trader and trading coach by profession. He runs a business called Glow trades Pty Ltd where he teaches anyone interested in starting their trading journey on how to trade. He can be contacted at adang@glowtrades.com.au.

Disclaimer:

The writers’ opinions in the above article are their own and do not constitute any financial advice whatsoever. Nothing published by The Australia Today constitutes an investment recommendation, nor should any data or content publication be relied upon for providing any investment activities.

We strongly recommend that you perform your independent research and/or speak with a financial advisor or qualified investment professional before making any financial decisions.

Indian Australian pilot Captain Ritesh Bhamaria receives United Nations award for exceptional bravery

Indian Australian pilot Captain Ritesh Bhamaria; Picture Source: Supplied
Indian Australian pilot Captain Ritesh Bhamaria; Picture Source: Supplied

Indian Australian Pilot Captain Ritesh Bhamaria’s actions have earned him a prestigious Certificate of Commendation from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as part of their Exceptional Bravery at Sea Award.

The Exceptional Bravery at Sea Award provides international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery and display outstanding courage.

In December 2020, Indian Australian Pilot Captain Ritesh Bhamaria was expertly piloting oil tanker MT Godam through the Torres Strait in adverse weather conditions when he and the vessel crew sighted a distant hand waving for help in the rough sea.

That movement turned out to be an uncle and nephew—both local fishermen—who had been clinging to the floating debris for close to 17 hours following the sinking of their boat, with no access to an emergency beacon or other survival equipment.

Captain Bhamaria recalled his surprise at seeing the two stranded men but wasted no time in taking action.

They struggled to maintain sight of the people, losing sight of them three times. Finally, when they caught sight of them again, the crew realised the two men were being circled by hammerhead sharks.

Rather than risking the ship’s crew, by launching a rescue boat in the prevailing weather conditions and potentially not getting to the stranded fishermen in time, the pilot made the tough decision to turn the 251-metre ship around in restricted waters.

“Without hesitation, I turned the ship to the side where I had clearance,”

Mr Bhamaria said.

“The two biggest issues were maintaining sight of the two men while we turned the ship around and then approached them safely—a huge ship arriving alongside a piece of wood with two men holding on, poses quite a risk to their safety.

“We couldn’t stop the ship near the survivors—the ship’s propeller would have posed too great a risk to the two men and the reef just behind them.

“On the first turn, we dropped a smoke marker with a lifebuoy as close as 20 metres from the survivors.

“The fishermen were then able to cling to the buoy, while the smoke helped the approaching rescue craft home in on the location of the survivors. Meanwhile, the movement of the ship in the water deterred the sharks away from the men.

“Then we circled again, keeping the reef behind us, this time with the intention of picking them up.  I manoeuvred the ship to within a distance of 1–1.5 meters of the survivors floating on the wooden plank, dropping the speed of the ship to a bare minimum—about two knots with the propellers stopped. We managed to get the uncle out of the water first. But by the time we were trying to get his nephew out, the rescue helicopter arrived, so we lowered him back into the water, so the helicopter could retrieve him safely.”

It was a harrowing ordeal for the survivors, but ultimately Captain Bhamaria’s quick-thinking and brave actions saved the lives of the two men. Without Captain Bhamaria’s decision making and exceptional navigation skills, these two fishermen would have endured an entirely different outcome. 

AMSA Chief Executive Officer Mick Kinley said international recognition of this level of bravery from one of Australia’s marine pilots is a significant accomplishment.

“Captain Bhamaria and the ship’s crew displayed outstanding seamanship, coming together to the aid of others,”

Mr Kinley said.

“The knowledge and expertise of our marine pilots is key to the safe arrival and passage of ships bringing supplies and trade with Australia. But in this instance, Captain Bhamaria’s knowledge of the surrounding area and quick thinking allowed him to make decisions that enabled the rescue of the two men.’

“Captain Bhamaria is certainly deserving of this accolade from the IMO for his exceptional bravery.”

Humbled and thankful for the honour, Captain Bhamaria was quick to share his commendation with the wider piloting community of Australia and the master and crew of the MT Godam.

“I am grateful and appreciative that AMSA nominated me for the award,” he said. 

“However, any pilot would have done the same thing, so this recognition is for the whole Australian piloting community.”

“Many thanks to the master and crew of MT Godam, Reef VTS, AMSA and the shore Rescue team, because it was an all-round team effort,” he said.

The IMO Awards ceremony will take place virtually from IMO Headquarters in London on Monday 6 December.

Victoria’s Roadmap until December: Plan for Party and Travel, Here are details you need to know

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews announced a new roadmap to free the state from lockdowns and restrictions.   

As Victoria reaches 70 per cent and 80 per cent double dose vaccination targets, the Roadmap lists certain venues for opening – but only on the condition that all eligible attendees to the venue are vaccinated.

When Victoria reaches 70 per cent double dose vaccination, changes will include an increase in numbers for public gatherings outdoors, funerals, weddings and religious gatherings – with larger caps for people who are fully vaccinated.

Creative studios, amusement parks, entertainment venues and hospitality will also reopen with patron cap and density limits but only to people who are fully vaccinated.

There is very little precedence in Australia for fully vaccinated events, which is why the Government will conduct trials to support businesses as much as possible in the lead up to transitioning to a ‘vaccinated economy’ in this state, and ensure we have the right systems in place.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the government is prepared to review the reopening plan as case numbers change.

“I want to make it very clear to all Victorians, particularly to those working in our health system, as we deliver this roadmap, we will monitor every hour of every day how many people are in hospital and how much pressure is on our health system,”

he said.

Both one-off events and specific venues will be considered – with businesses permitted to operate with higher patron caps if all staff and patrons provide evidence of full vaccination. Areas in regional Victoria with the highest vaccination rates and no COVID-19 cases will be the first to be considered for these trials.

Proof of vaccination options will also be part of the trials.
The Service Victoria app will be integrated with a Medicare Certificate that shows proof of vaccination and other proof of vaccination options may also be trialled to determine what works best for both businesses and patrons.

Another key part of the Roadmap is when Victoria hits 70 per cent double dose vaccination, getting more activities outside is a key part of keeping the community safe and slowing case numbers.

The government will be looking to provide additional funding to councils and businesses to get even more activities outside and more details will be released about this soon.

For the final phase of the Roadmap, Premier Andrews says, he will wait for more details to be developed as part of the National Plan as the community moves beyond 80 per cent double dose vaccination rates.

As Christmas comes closer government is working towards having 30 visitors to the home by late December – and with travel across both interstate and international borders open again, many families will be able to reunite.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer will assess vaccination requirements for all authorised workers in Victoria. These requirements and potential deadlines will be assessed progressively as the Chief Health Officer considers each sector. There are already vaccine requirements for aged care, construction, and freight workforces.

Following the recommendation from AHPPC to National Cabinet, Premier Andrews confirmed that healthcare workers will be the next workforce to have vaccination become a requirement to work.

“Healthcare workers will need to have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 15 October or provide evidence that they have an appointment to be vaccinated before 1 November to continue working.”

The next workforce group prioritised for assessment will be school staff and childcare staff. We will also have more to say soon about Victoria Police and disability worker vaccinations requirements.

For more information on Victoria’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

Positivism Theory: Evolving History of Mankind

History and how to understand it; Picture Source: @CANAVA
History and how to understand it; Picture Source: @CANAVA

Positivism refers to a philosophical movement that served as the foundation for an intellectual movement in the powerful Western countries; it helped to construct modernity in the late 19th and early 20th century in Europe and North America.

Positivists sought to integrate the scientific method into philosophy to make philosophy objective and to make social reality more predicted, and they also wanted to remove the metaphysical aspect from philosophy. Works of positivism can be related to British philosophers and theorists like Francis Bacon, John Locke, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

The industrial revolution of the 18th century is considered as the cultural background of positivism in Europe, considering technology and science that has brought social progress and advancement of human society. French scholar Claude-Henri Saint Simon (1760-1825) implied a scientific approach to understand social affairs and it was followed by Auguste Comte (1798-1857) (considered as the father of sociology) that popularized positivism by applying scientific methods to the social world.

This article gives a general perspective of positivism theory and Comte’s view on positivism.

At the time of the French revolution, Saint-Simon proposed positive reorganization of society controlled by the head of industries; with the objective of this society shall produce a thing that is useful for life in terms of universal association and under new social order, the men of science shall provide spiritual guidance to the society rather than religion.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is History-2-1-1024x576.jpg

As per positivism, knowledge derived from the scientific method of inquiry or practice of attaining the actual knowledge is related to positivism, relating to beyond the possibility of any doubt or dispute. This stands for absolute and dependable knowledge based on an actual sense of experience and its empirical collections.

This knowledge is deriving from an affirmation of theories through purely ‘scientific method’.  This is related to the philosophy of science that teaches the interpretation of the world is dependent on the human experience that emphasises the use of a scientific method of use of natural sciences to the study of the social world. The article highlights the principles of this theory of positivism.

Positivism in Social Science

It is concerned with the use of the scientific method by natural scientists to study human behaviour. This theory brought a revolution in the field of social science that blended faith in progress based on the idea of a scientific explanation of history that would provide the path to resolve every problem of society.

It is believed that the actual knowledge comes from fact or factual. Considering science is the legitimate source of knowledge and based on fact. The objective of this philosophy is to discover the universal principles shared by all sciences and the use of these principles are foundation guidelines for understanding human behaviour and the foundation of the social order.

This rejects intuition, theological and metaphysical knowledge and prior reasoning. It is used to reject the principles based on emotions and speculations before the French revolution by the practical questions to understand how things are in reality.  Positivism is not related to the supernatural but concern with real-world and natural laws that govern the universe. Scientific knowledge is based on direct observation as per positivism.

Comte’s Stages of Mankind History: “Law of Human Progress”

The philosopher brought the term ‘altruism’, stating the people to live for the sake of others; and his goal was to create a science of society, by explaining human development and future guidelines of humankind. The philosopher believes in method of natural science should be implied in social sciences to gain empirical knowledge, these method includes observation, experimentation, comparison and the historical method, as a method of inquiry.

Comte believed mankind history evolved through a progressive three-stage path, first is primitive societies or theological stage (19th century France preceding the enlightenment/generally considered before 13 century) that is related to religious terms like idols, gods and spirits. Under this stage, people believe that all-natural occurrences are the work of the divine or supernatural, as mankind is not able to identify the natural physical causes, thus they ascribed them to the divine or supernatural force.

 The second stage is termed as metaphysical phase (before the French Revolution/generally considered from 13 to 18th century) that is a further development of the theological stage, where God is regarded as an abstract entity/notion and the events of the world are guided and determined by abstract power or force. Natural forces were not imagined as superhuman forces. At this stage, one rejects faith in concrete God. This stage is supposed to be the stage of adolescence of a human being.

The third stage refers to the positive stage (after the eighteenth century) of the scientific or technological stage, based on scientific explanation based on observation, experimentation and comparing through mathematical techniques and statistics. This is based on a rational way to observe the world and its objective was to find solutions to social problems.

This stage is considered a stage of maturity of knowledge of mankind. Comte believed in the scientific empirical and inductive process of the natural sciences. It is believed that this three-stage of law is applied to all societies around the world and transition from one phase to another goes through crisis rather than progress.

Conclusion

Comte believed that natural laws govern society and human history. He stated that historians should discover these natural laws that regulate changes in societies. These laws help to predict human society’s future development. He thought about an ideal society where positivism and sociology are considered supreme based on the rule of reason. Positivism generally relates to ‘Naturalism (influence of external environment on actions), inductivism (supremacy of facts) and empiricism (observable)’.

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Some scholars raised the weakness of Comte’s work as his thinking was based on his own life experiences and away from reality; he was also disconnected from other intellectuals. Other criticised scientific explanations do not reach the inner nature of phenomena, so the humanistic knowledge gives an insight into thoughts and feelings, and it is also criticised for being different from historical studies.

Author: Dr Sakul Kundra, A.HOD Department of Social Science, College of Humanities and Education, Fiji National University.

Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied
Dr Sakul Kundra; Picture Source: Supplied

Disclaimer: The views expressed are his own and not of The Australia Today or his employer. For comments or suggestions, email. dr.sakulkundra@gmail.com

India administers 25 million Covid vaccine jabs to celebrate PM Modi’s birthday

Image Source: PMO India, Twitter.

In a record-breaking effort to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 71st birthday, India administered more than 25 million Covid vaccine jabs in a day on Friday.

This vaccination number is equal to the entire population of Australia (25.77 million), five times the population of New Zealand (5.09 million) and 25 times the population of Fiji (0.9 million).

Image source: Sand Art installation using 2035 sea shells with message #HappyBirthdayModiJi at Puri beach , Odisha, created by Sudarshan Pattnaik – Twitter.

PM Modi is also celebrating another milestone – 20 years in public office.

Since October 2001, PM Modi has been the head of a democratically elected government for straight 7,285 days.

In these 20 years of public service, PM Modi has also gone on to become one of the most popular leaders in the world with an approval rating of 70%. 

The Morning Consult, an American data intelligence firm, tracks the approval rating for governmental leaders in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

According to their graph, PM Modi’s approval rating reached a peak during May 2021.

This was the time when India was not only fighting a deadly second wave of Covid but also a deep-rooted and malicious misinformation campaign run by vested interests from both inside and outside India. 

Image source: Minister Mansukh Mandaviya - Wikipedia
Image source: Minister Mansukh Mandaviya – Wikipedia

Mr Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister for Health & Family Welfare of India, wrote on Twitter:

“Good health is indeed wealth and a great way to celebrate PM @NarendraModi ji’s birthday. My compliments to you for getting vaccinated and encouraging others to be a part of #VaccINESEVA.”

The countrywide vaccination drive in India was rolled in three phases earlier this year with healthcare workers (January), frontline workers (February), people over 60 years of age (March), and people over 45 years of age (April).

India has also given a boost to the ongoing vaccination programme by approving its first vaccine for those under 18 years of age (May onwards).

At present, India is using three key vaccines: the Oxford- AstraZeneca (also known as Covishield), Covaxin (made by Indian firm Bharat Biotech, and Sputnik V (Russian vaccine).

In addition, the Indian government has also authorised pharma company Cipla to import the Moderna vaccine.

Image source: India in Fiji

Most countries in the developing world have struggled to access vaccines.

India under the guidance and leadership of PM Modi has also gifted more than 66 million doses to 95 countries under its Vaccine Maitri initiative.

Taking to Twitter, well-known scholar Prof. Ananda Ranganathan said:

“Wait, what. 12.2 million vaccinated in 6 hours and more than half a day still to go. Forget New Zealand, we now have in sight vaccinating the equivalent of an Australia today – 25 million. This is PHENOMENAL. Congratulations to all involved. Congratulations to @narendramodi.”

The daily vaccinations in India have crossed the 10 million mark for the fourth time in less than a month.

This new record is more than two and a half times its previous daily record which was 13 million shots set on 27 August 2021.

Image source: https://dashboard.cowin.gov.in/

Recently, a senior Biden administration official was even quoted as telling Reuters that the US, which is lagging behind in vaccination, is communicating regularly with PM Modi and may enquire about a timeline for restarting vaccine exports from India.

With its ever-increasing vaccination numbers, India has already eclipsed Europe (777 million), North America (593 million) and South America (403 million).

India has now given more than 790 million doses and ministry officials are confident and plan to administer over a billion shots by mid-October 2021. 

PM Modi in his acknowledgement tweet thanked the people and all healthcare and front-line workers for making India’s vaccination drive a success.

Call Nazi symbol Hakenkreuz not the Swastika says, Minister Jason Wood

Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Community leaders working against a potential Swastika ban; Picture Source: The Australia Today
Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Community leaders working against a potential Swastika ban; Picture Source: The Australia Today

Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Community leaders working against a potential Swastika ban proposed by the Victorian government were pleasantly surprised by a phone call on Monday morning.

This call came from the office of Federal Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood. Mr Wood’s advisor Ranj Parerra advised community leaders that after the initial meeting of top Hindu community leaders on Friday Minister Wood has worked over the weekend to bring together Victorian Deputy Leader of the Opposition David Southwick and Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs Craig Ondarchie along with Co-CEO – Executive Council of Australian Jewry Peter Wertheim.

A joint meeting was scheduled for late Monday evening to find a common ground to negotiate with the Victorian Government on the Swastika issue.

More than fifty-five religious and community leaders from Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples and organisations presented their point on the Swastika issue. The common sentiment was that Swastika (a Sanskrit word) is a symbol of peace and well-being and has been used for centuries by these communities.

Minister Wood agreed and said,

“The actual correct word for the Nazi symbol is the Hakenkreuz and not the Swastika.”

“For most of us, the Nazi symbols are one of hate, horror, terror and nothing but evil,” added Mr Wood.

Victorian deputy leader of the opposition, David Southwick said, “I will not play politics in this and want to be clear with all communities. The Jew people are one of the worst affected by persecution for their religious beliefs however we will not in any way let another religious community suffer any persecution to practice their faith. We will certainly work with the Hindu community to have acceptable legislation.”

“We are not in favour of dropping the legislation after working on it to protect the Jew community from hate attacks, but he will certainly support removing references to Swastika and have consultations to refer properly as Nazi symbols.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry is elected peak representative body of the Australian Jewish community, with approximately 200 major Jewish organisations across Australia under its umbrella.
Its CO-CEO Peter Wertheim suggested advocating for a generic offence of displaying any symbol which in all the circumstances is reasonably likely to promote or advocate hatred on the grounds of race, religion, disability or sexual orientation or identity. 

“There could be express exclusions for the use of symbols reasonably and in good faith for any religious, educational or artistic purpose.”

Ramesh Rao, Joint Treasurer of the Australian Hindu Temples Council said, “Governments should educate children right from school, the differences between the Hindu Holy symbol Swastika and the Nazi Hate symbol Hakenkreuz (Hooked-Cross).”

“It is essential, so no one is persecuted for following their faith and the wider community will understand not only the difference visually but also the meaning and purpose of it,”

explained Mr Rao.

In the meeting, Minister wood was concerned with what he called a notorious reputation of the Victorian government for passing legislation through parliament without consultation.

He said, “At least on this occasion, I urge the Victorian government to consult all relevant communities.”

Victorian Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs Craig Ondrachie was very forthcoming and supportive to Hindu, Jain and Buddhist communities.

He said, “I will not support any legislation which affects the Hindu, Buddhist or Jain communities, I will push for proper consultation with the communities and only accepted legislation by all faith communities will be allowed in the Parliament.”

“We will not allow the State Government to pass the legislation before all communities are consulted and the legislation doesn’t affect any faith community,”

assured Mr Ondrachie.

Rakesh Raizada is the Founding Director of Vedic Global.
He told The Australia Today, “The Vedic communities including Hindus, Jains, Nepalese, Buddhist and others who use Swastika almost everywhere – at home, religious places, cars etc. may face constant problems and harassment if this legislation is passed the way it is currently proposed.”

“And the reason is simply because particularly law enforcing agencies and people from other religions and faith may not be aware of the importance of Swastika in our day to day life and may confuse us to be of Nazi ideology,”

added Mr Raizada.

Parth Pandya is a member of Melbourne’s BAPS Swaminarayan management committee.
He says “When you say drinking is prohibited, we all understand drinking alcohol is prohibited in that environment not drinking water or fruit juice. In the same way, when they say Nazi symbols are prohibited they should never relate that with Hindu Holy symbol Swastika, extensive education to all stakeholders should be provided by the Government”

Sateesh from Sree Narayana Mission told a very personal story.

“My daughter’s First name was Swastika, we moved to Melbourne from India when she was 4 years old, one of the school teachers (lovingly ) advised us to change it as it may offend the Jewish community. So we changed her name, with Births Deaths, and Marriages Victoria.”

Sateesh says, “I don’t want to offend any other community. But would like to request the Victorian government to educate the general public about whats the real positive meaning of how significant the Swastika symbol is for the Hindu Community.”

It was agreed by all parties that the new legislation that the Victorian government is looking to introduce to ban the Nazi symbol must allow for religious use in religions such as Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism and proper education should be programmed to educate the community.

Minister Jason Wood said, “I will be working with the communities closer to ensure we support them in achieving their objective of protecting their religious practices. This is what multicultural Australia and diversity are all about. Coming together and discussing issues and working together on reaching a common goal for the mutual benefit of all communities.

Indian university collaborates with ‘Garuda Prakashan’ to translate engineering books into Hindi/Regional languages

IIT JEE (Advanced) entrance test;Picture Source: K. Murali Kumar.
IIT JEE (Advanced) entrance test;Picture Source: K. Murali Kumar.

IIT-Bombay has launched ‘Project Udaan,’ a donation-based project, end-to-end ecosystem, which translates scientific and technical content from English to Hindi and all other Indian languages.

Image source: IIT-Bombay.

In India, more than 65 per cent of students who appear for board examinations study in non-English medium schools.

The AI-based translation software ecosystem can help them by translating engineering textbooks and learning materials.

Image source: Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), IIT-Bombay.

‘Project Udaan’ has been developed by Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan and his team at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE).

The key goals of this project are:

  • Web Platform with complete translation workbench
  • Machine Learning models for translation and post editing to augment human translators
  • Domain specific Linguistic resource (Dictionaries, translation memory) for efficient and consistent quality translation
  • To setup parallel corpus in technical domain (>30,00,000 words) to speed up the translation and post editing research
  • To translate and publish 500 books in native languages for engineering curriculum and make it accessible in cost effective manner
  • Active ecosystem of seed translators, reviewer, proof readers around the platform

The team began work seven years ago after noticing a wide gap in the availability of engineering and technical knowledge books in Hindi and other major Indian languages.

Image source: Project Udaan website.

According to Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, his team expects to achieve a much shorter turnaround time to produce quality translations.

“We are happy to state that by deploying our AI-based Translation Engine, we are now able to translate a technical book in less than one-sixth the time it would take for a team consisting of the domain and linguistic experts working manually.”

Image

This would be faster as well as in line with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) of the Modi government.

This policy, approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 29 July 2020, is a comprehensive framework for elementary, higher and vocational education and training in both rural and urban India.

Image source: PM Narendra Modi – Wikipedia.

The Indian government has been promoting imparting of higher education through Indian languages.

The NEP 2020 states:

“India will also urgently expand its translation and interpretation efforts in order to make high quality learning materials and other important written and spoken material available to the public in various Indian and foreign languages.”

Image source: Sankrant Sanu, Founder of Garuda Prakashan.

Well-known Indian publishing house Garuda Prakashan is publishing partner for Project Udaan

Sankrant Sanu, Founder of Garuda Prakashan, told Indian Media:

“Even in premier institutes like IITs, I find that students are struggling due to not having access to education in their own language.”

The current project aims to translate 500 engineering texts in Hindi in one year and in 15 Indian languages in 3 years.

The translation project started on September 14, 2021.

Victorian to enjoy freedom to picnic from Saturday, Here’ Details

Playground Victoria: Picture Source: The Australia Today
Playground Victoria: Picture Source: The Australia Today

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews has announced some modest easing to restrictions from 11.59 pm Friday, 17 September in lockdown areas of metropolitan Melbourne and Ballarat – expanding outdoor social interaction, exercise and the distance residents can travel from home and more.

Victoria will hit our 70 per cent first dose vaccination target tomorrow – becoming the second state in Australia to do so.

Premier Daniel Andrews said, “While these are modest changes, today is a positive day and sign of things to come for Victorians once we get our double dose vaccination rates up.”

“It’s also a signal: if you are vaccinated, you can get back to doing the things you love, sooner. If you aren’t vaccinated, then the safety of everyone else has to come first.”

The most significant change is that there will now be one other reason to leave home: outdoor social interaction.

1- This means one person may meet another person, not from their household for a picnic, a walk, or another outdoor activity.

2- Additionally, up to five adults (plus dependents) from two households will be able to gather outdoors if all adults present have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

3- The time permitted for exercise – and now outdoor social interaction – will increase from two hours a day to four hours.

4- The distance you can leave home for shopping for necessary goods and services, exercise and outdoor social interaction will increase from five kilometres to 10 kilometres.

5- As part of further changes to exercise, two people will now be able to train outdoors with a personal trainer. Skate parks and outdoor communal exercise equipment will reopen.

6- Child-minding for school-aged children will be permitted if only one parent is an authorised worker.

7- Up to five people will be able to attend an entertainment venue or physical recreation facility to broadcast a performance, class, or concert.

8- Real estate inspections will resume by appointment only. To ensure they’re COVIDSafe, only people from the same household can attend the inspection appointment and the real estate agent must stay outdoors during the inspection

While these changes can go ahead, public health officials have become increasingly concerned about COVID-19 transmission and exposure in construction settings, with evidence that it is emerging as a ‘vector’ of the virus into regional areas.

Changes will be made to limit the further spread in this industry, allowing people to keep working safely.

In order to continue working,

A- Construction workers state-wide will need to show evidence to their employer that they have had a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 11:59 pm Thursday, 23 September.

B- Limited medical exemptions and proof-of-booking exceptions will apply, in line with previous requirements for residential aged care workers.

C- In light of the cases seeding from Melbourne into regional Victoria, construction workers will now not be able to cross the metropolitan-regional boundary for work.  

D- Tea rooms will need to close and food or drink will not be able to be consumed indoors at work. Worker shift bubbles must be in practice and all sites will require a COVIDSafe Marshal on site.

From 11.59 pm tomorrow night, there will also be some changes to COVIDSafe settings in regional Victoria – excluding the City of Ballarat which entered lockdown yesterday.

In regional Victoria, gyms and outdoor and indoor pools (excluding spas, saunas and steam rooms) will reopen with limits and hydrotherapy and swimming lessons can occur. Tour buses can operate up to 10 people.

Victorians can book their vaccination appointment at a state-run centre by visiting portal.cvms.vic.gov.au or by phoning the Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

Construction workers can also access priority booking (phone only) and can walk up without a booking for Pfizer during key times at the old Ford Factory in Campbellfield, the former Bunnings in Melton West, Eagle Stadium in Werribee and the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital.

“With more than 6 million vaccine doses delivered in Victoria, we’ll continue to ramp up and do everything we can to keep this momentum going, so we can have Victoria open and thriving again as soon as possible,” said Mr Andrews 

If you’re yet to be vaccinated, please book your appointment today – either in state-run centres or at your GP or local pharmacy. The best vaccine is the vaccine you can get today. If have any questions or concerns you can talk to a GP, pharmacist or to a senior and experienced immuniser at our state-run sites.

Hindu Swastika defamed and associated as Nazi symbol despite Hitler never using it

Hindu Swastika; Picture Source: @CANVA

Introduction

In a Hindu household, a new car, irrespective of the model, sports this symbol of prosperity with pride.

New houses, apartments, places of residence are anointed with this symbol of prosperity and abundance.

Any auspicious ritual of Hindus, across the world, does not begin without drawing this symbol.

So how has such a benedictory symbol as Swastika come to be associated with Hitler, Nazis and genocide?

If no one else, this question must have at least bothered millions of Hindus who would have definitely, at one point in time or another, had to defensively, almost apologetically, clarify the difference between their beloved Swastika and Hitler’s symbol.

Nobody seems to have questioned how could Hinduism, which accepts myriad ways of worship and spiritual goals, that emphasises connectedness to the extent of proclaiming that the entire world is our family, be even associated with such a Nazi symbol. Not only did anybody question it, but it is apparent that the world has been all too eager to promote this blatant ignorance.

In a recent instance, a News agency removed a picture of U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley with a Swastika seen behind her at a Hindu temple in Delhi because, in their very words, ‘it was also used as a symbol by Nazi Germany’.

This post is an attempt to make people realise how such an incorrect and/ or motivated interpretation of the past can be a bane for billions in the present.

We begin with few questions that need to be answered at the very outset.

Why is Swastika considered a racist and detestable symbol in today’s western world?

It is because many people mistakenly think that Nazis used this symbol.

What was so bad about Nazis?

Nazis were anti-Semites who conducted genocide of 6 million Jews.

Where are the origins of Nazi antisemitism?

Of course, in the Bible!

Has anyone ever told you that? Read on.

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  
Adolf Hitler with Nazi party officials (1885-1946), circa 1937. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Roots of Nazi Antisemitism: The Bible

Jews as God Killers

The New Testament, as we know it, is composed of 4 canonical Gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

According to the Gospel of Mark, which is the oldest Gospel, Jesus Christ was crucified by Roman Governor Pontius Pilate at the instigation of a group of High-Priests who are called Sanhedrin [1].

But nowhere within the gospel of Mark are “all jews” seen as an outside group.

Nowhere in the gospel of Mark are Jews held responsible as a group for the “murder” of Christ.

In fact, it becomes clear in the earliest gospel that Christians were not yet differentiated from Jews as a group/religion. We can still see the entire episode as an intra Jewish struggle.

Now, let us see what later gospels have to say about “deicide” or murder of God.

In the Gospel of John, the word “Jews” as a group occurs in 63 instances [2]. In 38 of them, the connation is negative and derogatory[3]. In one instance, the Jewish scripture was referred to as “your Torah”’(John 8.17).

This clearly indicates that by the time of the Gospel of John, the separation between Christianity and Judaism has been complete(at least in the region where the author lived).

In the Gospel of John, the Jews are referred to as Children of Devil (John 8.44) and are collectively held responsible for deicide or “Murder of God”.

In the Gospel of Matthew (27.25), the Jews collectively say “his blood be upon us and our children”.

We can safely mark these passages as the origin of antisemitism.

This was the scriptural warrant for the denunciation of Jews for centuries as “God killers”. This had far-reaching consequences for centuries. Already in the fourth century, Gregory of Nyssa denounced Jews as “Murderers of God and …Confederates of Devil”.

Pope Saint Gregory, I famously referred to Jews as “A Sanhedrin of Satans, criminals, enemies of God and of all that is decent and beautiful[4].

Violent Church antisemitism: Proto-Nazism in medieval Christendom

Hitler was not the first self-proclaimed Christian(*) who violently persecuted Jews. It was no surprise that anti-semitism assumed violent forms in the medieval age. Institutional persecution of Jews was the norm in Christian countries. The Medieval saint St. Louis encouraged Christians to thrust a good sword into the Jewish belly as far as the sword will go[5]. Although this applied to Jews who ridiculed Christian beliefs, it was put into practice indiscriminately

Here are a few instances to illustrate this phenomenon.

During the Crusades, beginning in the 11th century, when Christian religious zeal reached epic levels, thousands of Jews on the Rhine and the Danube were massacred. Jews were accused of Kidnapping Christian Children (blood libel) and lynched by Christian mobs. In 1349, Jews in Strasbourg were accused of poisoning wells and 2000 Jews were burnt to death. Jews were often forcibly expelled from their countries by pious Christian rulers.

Here is a Christian painting depicting the burning of Jews.

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  

The Vatican Church was again the pioneer of Proto-Nazism. Pope Innocent III of Vatican convoked the Fourth Council of the Lateran. He ordered Jews to wear circular badges and distinctive clothing[6]. This was re-enacted in the Nazi holocaust of Jews.

Snapshot
  • The English evangelists affiliated the hooked cross to swastika to hide the fact that Nazism originated in Christian Socialism.

Violent Protestant antisemitism

A good example of Christian antisemitism can be seen in the works of Martin Luther who is the founder of Protestant Christianity. He wrote a 65,000-word treatise named “on the Jews and their Lies”[7]

In his treatise, he wrote that

1) Jews are a base, whoring, miserable and accursed people

2) Jewish temple is an incorrigible whore and an evil slut

3) Jews are a heavy burden, a plague, a

Pestilence, a sheer misfortune for our country

4) They are Murderers of God

5) Jews have been bloodthirsty bloodhounds and murderers of all Christendom

6) Devil brought Jews to Europe from Jerusalem

And so on

He advocated the following measures against Jews

Burndown Jewish synagogues and schools and warn people against them;

Refuse to let Jews own houses among Christians;

Jewish religious writings to be taken away;

Rabbis to be forbidden to preach;

Offer no protection to Jews on highways;

After his treatise, he advocated for the genocide of Jews. He wrote-

“We are at fault for not slaying them”[8]

Luther quoted John 4.45 to support his claim that Jews were children of the Devil. The influence of Luther on Nazi antisemitism can be seen from the fact that Hitler considered himself “second Luther” [9].

Luther was perhaps the most influential person in the entire medieval world. In his own lifetime, protestant kingdoms were formed in his native German country which followed his instructions. Luther spoke a dialect of German which had minor importance. He translated Bible from Latin into his native dialect. Owing to his influence, this dialect has today become Standard German. In Nazi Germany of 1933, 65% of Germans followed Lutheran Protestant Christianity. 95% were Christians [10].

What was the influence of Luther’s antisemitism on Nazis? On Luther’s birthday (10th November 1938), Nazis went on a killing spree. They demolished 267 synagogues across Germany and Austria. The pogrom against Jews left 91 people killed and 30,000 men incarcerated in concentration camps. These attacks are seen by modern historians as the beginning of the Holocaust.

Martin Sasse, a Nazi Party member and bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a leading member of the Nazi German Christians, applauded the burnings of Jews and published a compendium of Martin Luther’s aforementioned treatise on Jews after this incident.

Most Nazis identified their mission with that of Martin Luther. Erich Koch was a Gauleiter (second highest Nazi Paramilitary rank). He was also the elected president of the Provincial Protestant Synod. He claimed that the Nazis fought with the spirit of Luther. Koch later played a leading role in the murder of thousands of Jews in deportation camps.

In his excellent research citing many such examples of leading Nazis, Professor Richard Steigmann of Kent State unity proves that Nazism originated in a Christian frame of reference and understood their movement as a Christian movement. As he shows, Church Historians retrospectively tried to portray Nazism as a non-Christian moment and undermined the Christian roots of its antisemitism.

In the words of leading Historian Jacob Katz “Modern anti-Semitism turned out to be a continuation of the premodern rejection of Judaism by Christianity”

It is thus clear that antisemitism had its origins in the canonical gospels and was put into practice by Christian priests, rulers and lay followers across centuries from Apostle John to the Nazis.

Thus far, we have looked into the origins of antisemitism.

What was Hitler’s party symbol and where did he find it?

It is a common misconception that Hitler used the Swastika symbol. But Hitler himself never used the word “Swastika” to refer to his symbol. He called it “Hooked Cross”(“Haken Kreuz”).

Hitler first saw the Hooked Cross symbol in a Christian monastery (Lambach Abbey) which he attended as a boy[11]. He later adopted it as an emblem for his party. There is no evidence that he ever heard of the word “Swastika”. Hooked Cross had been a sacred symbol of Christianity since its inception in ancient days and it is very natural to find Hooked Cross symbols in old churches and chapels.

<i>Swastika in Lambach Abbey Christian monastery</i>
Swastika in Lambach Abbey Christian monastery

The hooked cross was seen as a Christian symbol in Nazi Germany.

From 1933 onwards, Catholic schoolchildren in Catholic schools of Nazi Germany were taught in their religious instruction about “the close affinity between Cross and Hooked Cross”.

Nazi SA (Sturmabteilung) members, often with the approval of their Protestant ministers, marched to worship in churches draped with the Hooked Cross[12].

Here is the image of the union of Cross and the Hooked Cross used by the Churches in the Nazi era.

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  

Hooked cross had nothing to do either with Hinduism or Swastika. It has existed as an important symbol of Christendom since its very existence. It was found in early Christian Graves of Rome in the 2nd century CE.

<i>Fresco from Via Latina Catacomb (2nd Century CE)</i>
Fresco from Via Latina Catacomb (2nd Century CE)

This fresco from the Christian catacomb of Via Latina depicts Biblical prophet Moses crossing the red sea. Notice the Hooked cross symbol on the tunic of Moses.

<i>Cross and hooked cross carved in walls of Lalibela Church</i>
Cross and a hooked cross carved in walls of Lalibela Church

Unfortunately, the hooked cross symbol was identified with Swastika and the antisemitism associated with the hooked cross has been falsely attributed to the name and symbol of the swastika.

What led to the false association of the Christian Hooked Cross with the Hindu Swastika?

If you were to go through the English translations of Mein Kampf (“My Struggle” an autobiography of Hitler”), you would find the mention of Swastika. Mein Kampf was translated into English by James Murphy, an English Christian Priest.

The English evangelists were opponents of Nazis and they tried to portray Hitler as a Pagan. The word Hooked Cross was conveniently translated as Swastika. When Hitler became extremely unpopular, the Evangelist lobby associated the Hooked Cross with Swastika to hide the fact that Nazism originated in Christian Socialism[13].

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  

Yet, it can be easily seen that Hooked Cross is NOT swastika. The Nazi hooked-cross was generally tilted 45 degrees from the horizontal and always oriented in the “S” letter direction for their “socialism” whereas Swastika sits flat to the base.

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  

On the left, in the picture above, you can see the symbol that all Indic people, irrespective of faiths, recognise as Swastika. A symbol that stands for the Sanskrit words Su Astu or let there be good, both literally and figuratively.

It is to be noted that Swastika has never been associated with violence and antisemitism.

On the contrary, swastika stands for peace and prosperity.

Swastika, in India, is also a symbol of extremely non-violent sects like Jainism whose core principles enjoin their followers not to hurt a fly.

Jews do not have a history of antisemitism experienced at the hands of Hindus.

This substantiates that the Swastika does not have a history of violence and antisemitism of hooked cross.

We hope you can see what has been done through a misleading sleight of hand. The Hakenkreuz or the Hooked Cross has been cunningly translated into Swastika and Hindus have been left to bear the cross of this distortion, both figuratively and literally.

Today, when you use Google translate to find out the English translation of the German word Hakenreuz, it gives Swastika instead of the Hooked Cross.

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  

And if you were to search for Swastika, it gives Hakenkreuz.

Hitler Never Used Swastika: Evangelical Defamation Of Hindu Symbol  

An online miracle in translation has been performed that has made all traces of the Hooked Cross disappear from the Hakenreuz!

We cannot immediately undo the years of bigotry that has come our way through such dishonest tactics, but we can definitely ensure that the translation is corrected. A Twitter user @AbhinavAgarwal has suggested a way to get the translation right. Hope people take few minutes of their time and contribute towards correcting the translation. This is a good time to show what a billion united Indians can achieve.

All you need to do is go to https://translate.google.com/.

  • On the left side, choose ‘English’ and write ‘Swastika’ and on the right side choose ‘German’ for translation. It will show ‘Hakenkeuz’.
  • On the bottom right , click on ‘suggest an edit’ and put the meaning as Swastik and click on ‘contribute’.
  • Now on the left side choose ‘German’ and write ‘Hakenkreuz’ and on the right side choose ‘English’ for translation. It will show ‘swastika’.
  • On the bottom right , click on suggest an edit and put the meaning as Hooked Cross and click on ‘contribute’.

All of us can right this wrong of Swastika demonisation by correcting the translation and raising awareness about Swastika’s centuries of association with welfare and prosperity.

And for anyone who invokes the Nazi symbol for the Swastika, send them to the Hooked Cross.

References

  1. Mark 15.1-15.15
  2. Reimund Bieringer and Didier Pollefeyt,Anti-Judaism and the Fourth Gospel,  Westminster John Knox Press, 2001 pp.61-82, p.64
  3. Ibid p.64
  4. Michael, R, Christianity, antisemitism and Holocaust, Palgrave Macmillan US 2006, PP.15
  5. Ibid PP.45
  6. Britannica Encyclopedia – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lateran-Council-Roman-Catholicism
  7. Martin Luther, on the jews and their lies http://www.prchiz.pl/pliki/Luther_On_Jews.pdf
  8. Ibid ,PP. 75
  9. Michael Berenbaum, Ed A Mosaic of victims 1990
  10. Richard Evans, The Third Reich In Power: Penguin, 2005
  11. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/party.htm
  12. Michael, R, Christianity, antisemitism and Holocaust, Palgrave Macmillan US 2006

[13] I Am Your Negro: Adolf Hitler, by Dead Writers Club, Ian Tinny

(*) In Mein Kampf, Hitler identifies himself as a Christian. There are some reports that Hitler was not a fan of some aspects of the Christian religion in private in his later life (however, he again became a hard-core Christian at the end of his life). Howsoever, that may be, it is clear that both Hitler and the Nazis publicly followed hard core Christianity. There is also no question that Nazis remained overwhelmingly protestant.

Author:  True Indology now know as @BharadwajSpeaks on Twitter.

This article was first published on Swarajya.

American think tank calls for urgent attention on Pakistan supported Khalistan movement

A leading American think tank, Hudson Institute, is calling for authorities to pay urgent attention to US-based Khalistan supporters.

The report entitled “Pakistan’s Destabilization Playbook: Khalistani Activism in the US” calls for the US to investigate the “likelihood of unlawful foreign funding of the Khalistan movement.”

“The US government cannot afford to allow separatist movements from India, including those with ties to militant and terrorist groups, to grow unchecked among its otherwise law-abiding Sikh community.”

Hudson Institute assembled a group of South Asia experts to evaluate the fifty-five interlinked Kashmiri and Khalistani groups.

These groups are currently operating within the US and their is a clear possibility that these groups receive funding, support, and military training from Pakistan.

It notes that these groups also have ties to militant and terrorist groups in India, and could detrimentally impact US foreign policy in South Asia.

According to the report, these Khalistani separatists are backed by Pakistan which also supports separatists in India’s Kashmir.

“Its experience with Islamist extremist groups must serve as a template for dealing with Khalistan extremists, and so recruitment or fundraising for militancy or ‘martyrdom’ must not be allowed on US soil, even if the actual acts of violence are to take place far away, in India. US authorities must not let ostensibly peaceful pro-Khalistan activism become the precursor of a new wave of violence in India’s Punjab state.”

The report notes that the Khalistan campaign’s most ardent supporters are located in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States.

Despite this, the report observes, US government has shown no interest in violence committed by Khalistan activists.

The report notes that Khalistani activists active in the US often use Sikh places of worship to attract followers and remember slain terrorists in Punjab.

The report call upon the US government to seriously dedicate the requisite intelligence and law enforcement resources to help India address the concerns associated with Khalistani movement.

“The Khalistan movement’s history and recent mobilisation should serve as a reminder that, unless the threat it poses is somehow preempted, it could expand to a level where action might be too late to prevent large-scale loss of life.” 

They suggest that activities of Khalistani groups located in the US should be investigated, within the limits prescribed by law, to prevent a reoccurrence of the violence orchestrated by the Khalistan movement in the 1980s.

The report adds that none of these groups has been accused of a crime in the US.

However, the report notes that the recent increase in Khalistan-related anti-India activism are occurring within the US.

In the past the Khalistan movement in the North America was linked to the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 from Montreal to London.This barbaric bombing had left 329 innocent people dead.

Another report by Terry Milewski for the MacDonald Laurier Institute provides details of recent Khalistani group activities in Canada. 

The Hudson Institute report has been jointly authored by leading experts on South Asia Husain Haqqani, Christine Fair, Aparna Pande, Sam Westrop, Seth Oldmixon and Michael Rubin.

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