The High Commission of India in Canberra, Australia has issued a press release covering the re-issuance of OCI Cards.
Australian Federal Police uncover more than 10 million dollars scam
Six people allegedly involved in a Western Sydney crime syndicate have been arrested by the Australian Federal Police.
These arrests were made over a multi-million dollar fraud against the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
This was updated in a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), AUSTRAC and Services Australia.
According the AFP, the value of the fraudulent claims are alleged to be in the millions.
“It will be alleged the syndicate has claimed more than $10 million since 2017 in NDIS funding. Police inquiries identified a syndicate allegedly operating across three companies to defraud the NDIS.”
More than 100 AFP investigators, forensic specialists and more than 50 partner agency members conducted operational activity across Sydney.
A 34-year-old man and 30-year-old woman from Lidcombe and a 32-year-old Monterey man are alleged to be the company operators.
Police said the first two engaged a 22-year-old Merrylands man to withdraw cash from approved claims on their behalf.
A fifth member, 24-year-old man from Granville, was paid at least $40,000 to set up a bank account in his name to facilitate one company’s claims.
The group allegedly obtained NDIS funding for people who do not have a genuine disability.
During 11 search warrants, police seized flashy cars, cash, jewellery, cryptocurrency and 8kgs of gold bullion worth approximately $600,000.
The cars include a BMW M3, Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.
The police also found “a significant amount of jewellery.”
AFP investigators and forensic specialists are continuing to examine the evidence and work closely with the NDIA to identify any further alleged offending.
NDIA Chief Risk Officer Mel Woodburn said:
“Fraud is a crime, and the agency will not tolerate the misuse of funds. One dollar fraudulently obtained is one dollar that isn’t received by those for whom it was intended – our participants.”
Investigations to date uncovered allegations that the criminal syndicate:
- obtained NDIS funding for people who do not have a genuine disability (false entitlement);
- skimmed NDIS funding from genuine NDIS participants without their knowledge (false invoices for services not provided);
- conspired with NDIS participants or their families/nominees and other ‘sub-contracted’ NDIS service providers, to obtain NDIS funds that they are not entitled to receive;
- conspired with NDIS participants or their families/nominees to monetarise their genuine disability; and
- over-claimed for services provided to genuine NDIS participants.
AFP Commander Kirsty Schofield alleged they were driven by money and anticipates more arrests.
Anyone with information about suspected fraud involving the National Disability Insurance Scheme should contact the Fraud Reporting Hotline on 1800 650 717.
IPL 2021: CSK survive Cummins scare to register 18-run win over KKR
A late onslaught from Pat Cummins (66*) and Andre Russell (54) went in vain as Chennai Super Kings registered a thrilling 18-run win against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Batting first, CSK posted 220/3 in their allotted 20 overs riding on a brilliant 95 not out from Faf du Plessis and a well-compiled 64-run knock from Ruturaj Gaikwad. In response, knocks from Cummins and Russell kept the KKR alive till the last over of the match but the Kolkata-based franchise failed to cross the line. Chasing a mammoth target of 221, KKR had a horrible start as both the openers Shubman Gill (0) and Nitish Rana (9) went back to the dressing room inside the first three overs. Deepak Chahar bagged both the wickets for CSK with the new ball.
Skipper Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi also couldn’t stay long in the middle. Chahar first removed Morgan (7) and then Sunil Narine (4) in the fifth over to leave KKR reeling at 31/4.
Things turned from bad to worse very rapidly for KKR as Tripathi (8) was picked by Lungi Ngidi in the last over of the powerplay.
After Tripathi’s dismissal, Russell joined forces with Dinesh Karthik and took on the CSK bowlers. He scored 54 off 22 balls with the help of 6 sixes and three fours.
Russell and Karthik accumulated 81 runs off just 39 balls for the sixth wicket. The partnership kept KKR’s hope alive in the encounter but just when things seemed to go in favour of Morgan and boys, Sam Curran clean bowled Russell in the 12th over.
Pat Cummins joined Karthik in the middle and kept the run-rate at par with the required rate. The duo added 34 runs for the seventh wicket before Ngidi scalped the wicket of Karthik (40) in the 15th over.
The match was all but gone for KKR. However, Cummins had other plans. He kept on smashing boundaries and was in no mood of giving up on the total. He scored 30 runs off Curran in the 16th over.
In the last two overs, KKR needed 28 runs.
In the penultimate, Curran gave eight runs and took a wicket but Cummins kept the strike with him on the last ball of the 19th over. In the final over, Prasidh Krishna got run out as KKR got bundled out for 202 in 19.1 overs. Cummins remained unbeaten on 66 off 34, smashing six sixes and four fours.
For CSK, Chahar bagged four wickets while Ngidi grabbed three scalps.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Gaikwad and du Plessis provided a solid foundation to CSK. The openers gave a flying start to the side and played their shots freely all-around the park.
They added 115 runs before spinner Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Gaikwad at his individual score of 64. The right-handed batsman smashed four sixes and six fours.
After Gaikwad’s dismissal, Moeen Ali joined the party and kept the scoring rate ticking. Moeen scored 25 off 12 and stitched a 50-run partnership with du Plessis. The England international became Narine’s victim in the 17th over.
CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who promoted himself up in the order, played a quickfire knock of 17 off seven balls before he was sent back to the pavilion by Russell in the 19th over.
Ravindra Jadeja scored a six off the one ball he faced as CSK’s inning came to an end at 220/3. For KKR, Narine, Russell, and Chakravarthy bagged one wicket each.
Brief scores: CSK 220/3 (Faf du Plessis 95*, Ruturaj Gaikwad 64; Sunil Narine 1-34); KKR 202/10 in 19.1 overs (Pat Cummins 66*, Andre Russell 54; Deepak Chahar 4-29).
Adding solar panels at Perth Airport could power a whole Australian city, says experts
A recent study by RMIT University researchers have calculated the potential production of solar power at Australia’s twenty-one leased federal airports.
In Australia, right now only four leased federal airports use electricity from solar farms: Brisbane, Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.
The researchers have found Western Australia’s Perth and Jandakot airports have the highest and fourth-highest potential in generating power through solar energy.
In fact, Perth would equal the combined production of Adelaide, Sydney, Moorabbin and Townsville airports.
This was closely followed by Melbourne and Brisbane coming second and third respectively.
The RMIT study, lead by Athenee Teofilo, showed potential electricity production in each airport was affected by panel arrangement and tilt.
Researchers have determined that panels installed across all 21 sites would generate enough electricity to power 136,000 homes.
This is about a third of the central Perth sub-region, a rural town or powering 71,000 cars.
Dr Chayn Sun told the Age that airports were ideal for solar panels as they were not shaded by tall buildings or trees.
“Airports with decent solar systems could not only be self-sufficient but would generate enough electricity to send the excess back into the grid.”
Dr Sun adds that Australia also has more than 150 privately owned airfields where such solar panels could be installed.
Australia cancels Belt and Road deals; China warns of further damage to ties
Australia has cancelled the controversial Belt and Road (BRI) agreement with China saying it goes against its national interest, in a decision that will further increase tensions between Canberra and Beijing.
In an official order issued on Wednesday, the Scott Morrison government scrapped the agreement signed between the state government of Victoria and the National Development and Reform Commission of China, which was signed on October 8, 2018. It also cancelled a framework agreement signed between the two sides on October 23, 2019. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that the BRI deal has been cancelled under the Commonwealth’s new foreign veto laws. This scheme requires the federal government to cancel agreements that states, territories, local governments, and universities enter into with an overseas government if they contradict the country’s national interest, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Initiated in 2013, the BRI is Xi Jinping’s grand plan to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime trade networks to create new routes for China.
The Australian Foreign Minister said she considered the agreements to be “inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations”.
The Sydney Morning report said that the Morrison government and national security experts were concerned that China was using the agreement with Victoria as a propaganda win to claim the that state government had broken ranks with Australia’s China policy.
Moreover, they are also worried that China was using the BRI to load up poorer countries with debt and reduce Australia’s influence in the region.
Sino-Australian relations have been in a downward spiral since April last year when Canberra infuriated Beijing by proposing an independent international inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Canberra has been locked in an ongoing trade war with Beijing for several months, which has seen China slap sanctions on various Australian products.
Beijing has slapped several restrictions amounting to billions of dollars of Australian exports, including beef, barley, and wine, citing dumping and other trade violations that analysts widely view as pretexts to inflict economic retaliation.
China has unofficially banned Australian imports of coal, sugar, barley, lobsters, wine, copper, and log timber since November 2020. It has also imposed anti-dumping duties on barley.
Pregnant Indian police officer stands in heat for hours to ensure public follows COVID-19 protocol
The photographs of a dedicated female Indian police officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), has gone viral on social media platforms.
A 5-months pregnant DSP Shilpa Sahu was spotted on duty ensuring the COVID-19 mask and lockdown adherence on the streets.
“Shilpa Sahu, DSP of Dantewada, who is also 5 months pregnant, in the scorching sun and amidst the second wave of Corona, has come on the streets explaining to those who are needlessly leaving the houses, that we are on the streets so that you can Stay Safe in the houses.”
She stood there despite the high temperature for over several hours.
She was seen performing her duties as a frontline worker in the Maoist-infested town, Dantewada of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh.
DSP Sahu ensured that the traffic rules are followed and civilians move safely despite her health condition.
DSP Sahu’s photo was circulated on Twitter as people called her a living inspiration and acknowledged her ‘Nation before self’ spirit’.
Police smash international drugs and weapons smuggling ring, 25 people charged
Canadian police has smashed an all Punjabis drugs and weapons syndicate, with ties to the U.S. and India.
This according to insauga has led to charges against 25 people in Ontario.
These people belong to South Asian dominated suburb of Brampton.
According to reports, the police found some of the drugs hidden at kids indoor playground.
York Regional Police and other law enforcement agencies started “Project Cheetah” a year ago.
This investigation began following a large network of drug trade that involved importing cocaine, heroin, opium and ketamine into Canada.
According to the police, the drugs were distributed across the country through a sophisticated system run by the traffickers.
On April 8, police in Ontario, British Columbia and California executed more than 50 search warrants, resulting in 33 people charged in total with more than 130 criminal offences.
Officers seized approximately $2.3 million worth of drugs including: Ten kilograms of cocaine, eight kilograms of ketamine, three kilograms of heroin and 2.5 kilograms of opium. Investigators also seized 48 firearms and $730,000 in Canadian currency.
York police Inspector Ryan Hogan said in a statement:
“Of particular concern when we look at heroin, a very insidious drug causing great harm to our community, a number of kilograms are alleged to be seized from a playland in Brampton. This puts children at risk.”
Police further added that the guns were lawfully possessed by a person who now faces charges.
“They have been seized as a result of a serious threat to public safety under provisions that are afforded to us by the Criminal Code.”
Most of the people charged are from the GTA:
- Rupinder Sharma, 25, of Vaughan;
- Prabhsimaran Kaur, 25, of Vaughan;
- Parshotem Malhi, 54, of Brampton;
- Rupinder Dhillon, 37, of Brampton;
- Sanveer Singh, 25, of Brampton;
- Haripal Nagra, 45, of Brampton;
- Hassam Syed, 30, of Brampton;
- Pritpal Singh, 56, of Brampton;
- Harkiran Singh, 33, of Brampton;
- Lakhpreet Brar, 29, of Brampton;
- Didy Adansi, 52, of Toronto;
- Sarbjit Singh, 43, of Woodstock;
- Balwinder Dhaliwal, 60, of Brampton;
- Rupinder Dhaliwal, 39, of Toronto;
- Ranjit Singh, 40, of Toronto;
- Sukhmanpreet Singh, 23, of Brampton;
- Khushal Bhinder, 36, of Brampton;
- Prabhjeet Mundian, 34, of Brampton;
- Vansh Aurora, 24, of Brampton;
- Simranjeet Narang, 28, of Brampton;
- Harjinder Jhaj, 28, of Caledon;
- Gaganpreet Gill, 28, of Brampton;
- Sukjit Dhaliwal, 47, of Brampton;
- Imran Khan, 33, of Toronto;
- Chinedu Ajoku, 51, of Brampton;
- Harjot Singh, 31, of Brampton; and
- Sukhjit Dhugga, 35, of Brampton.
Police are also searching for one other man, Gurbinder Sooch, 41.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police Organized Crime and Intelligence Services at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7818, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips.
Muslim boy starts funding page to study Sanskrit
Farhan Naeem, a fourth-year college student majoring in Mandarin Chinese and pursuing further studies in Computational Linguistics in the US, has started a GoFundMe page to enroll in Sanskrit programme at a US university.
He, who grew up in a Muslim household, says he was reading the Quran from the age of eight.
Farhan adds that he felt “a certain discomfort” in “rejecting the narrative about spirituality” that he was expected to adhere to.
“I have no one in my family that understands what I went through, and the trauma I still carry.”
During his college, Farhan was exposed to ancient Chinese history.
“I was surprised to see just what a profound effect ancient India had on China, especially with the influence of the Sanskrit Language.”
He soon realised that words like 茉莉/mòlì came from मल्लि/malli (Jasmine); 剎那/chànà came from क्षण/kshana (Moment).
“a lot of which were absorbed into the Chinese language along with the migration of Dharmic ideas.”
So, Farhan started doing his own own research and found out that well-known Sanskrit Grammarian Panini came from what is now modern-day Pakistan.
Farhan’s family from his father’s side is from Pakistan.
“I bought a copy of the Ashtadhyayi, and I realized just how sophisticated the Sanskrit Language is. I realized that learning this language would not just give me personal satisfaction, but it might have applications in my future career in Computational Linguistics.”
Recently, Farhan was accepted into the University of Wisconsin’s South Asia Summer Language Institute to study Sanskrit.
According to his fund page, this intensive program will last about 8-weeks, with four hours of instruction each day.
“We will also be translating a portion of the Bhagavad Gita as a final project.”
However, due to the pandemic, Farhan lost his job and currently does not have the means to pay in full for this summer program.
To pursue his dream course, Farhan started a GoFundMe page to meet a target of $4,800.
“I wanted to see if I could find anyone to support me through this journey.”
Indian origin Raja Chari could be the first person of colour to land on moon
NASA will land the first person of color in addition to the first woman on the moon with the Artemis program, NASA’s Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk announced.
American President Joe Biden’s administration in a new budget proposal increased funding that will support Mars sample return, research, climate science, and more at NASA.
Mr. Jurczyk responded to the news in a NASA statement and additionally revealed that the agency will be landing the first person of color on the moon with the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface.
This funding request “keeps NASA on the path to landing the first woman and the first person of color on the moon under the Artemis program. This goal aligns with President Biden’s commitment to pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all,” the NASA statement reads.
The statement marks the first time that the agency has specified it will land a person of color on the moon; previous comments about Artemis have only referred to landing the “next man and the first woman” on the moon.
Under the administration of President Donald Trump, NASA was aiming to complete the first Artemis lunar landing by 2024, but the Biden administration has not yet commented on whether it will keep NASA to this ambitious timeline.
“This $24.7 billion funding request demonstrates the Biden administration’s commitment to NASA and its partners who have worked so hard this past year under difficult circumstances and achieved unprecedented success.
“The president’s discretionary request increases NASA’s ability to better understand Earth and further monitor and predict the impacts of climate change. It also gives us the necessary resources to continue advancing America’s bipartisan moon to Mars space exploration plan, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon under the Artemis program.
“We know this funding increase comes at a time of constrained resources, and we owe it to the president and the American people to be good and responsible stewards of every tax dollar invested in NASA. The NASA workforce and the American people should be encouraged by what they see in this funding request. It is an investment in our future, and it shows confidence in what this agency has to offer.”
The ambitious mission is being regarded as a forward step for diversity. The ‘Artemis’ program is so named after the Greek goddess of the Moon and the twin sister of Apollo, the inspiration behind Nasa’s first moon landing mission. Last year in November, Nasa had introduced the 18 astronauts who will staff the human spaceflight mission. The group includes nine women and several people of colour, but it is not yet known who the actual “first woman” or the “first person of colour” to touch the lunar surface will be. The initial group of Artemis astronauts also includes Indian American Raja Chari.
The statement from NASA goes on to include details about the discretionary funding request, including the fact that it supports STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) engagement and “strengthens NASA’s ability to better understand Earth and how it works as an integrated system, from our oceans to our atmosphere, how it all impacts our daily lives, and how it all is impacted by climate change,” the statement reads.
Following this funding request, we will learn more about the administration’s overall goals with regard to space, science and NASA programs. Within the upcoming months, President Biden is expected to release a complete budget that will include a more detailed plan for that spending. However, budgets for NASA and the rest of the federal government are ultimately determined by Congress.
World’s most powerful passports revealed but no sign of unrestricted international travel
The most recent rankings for the world’s most powerful passports have been named.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions all over the world, it is unlikely travellers who hold them will be able to use its power as they were before the pandemic.
Japan has topped the list in the latest Henley Passport Index.
HPI ranks passports based on the number of countries travellers can visit without obtaining a visa or receiving one on arrival.
Japanese can visit 193 countries visa-free, followed closely by Singapore (192), Germany and South Korea (both 191).
Over the past years, the US passport has fallen from the number one spot to 7th place, a position it currently shares with the UK and New Zealand with visa-free travel to 187 countries.
Australia and Canada are both ranked at 9th place with access to 185 countries visa-free.
However, the 2021 rankings do not take into account COVID-19 restrictions around the world.
Dr Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of leading residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, says that the latest ranking provides an opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary upheaval that characterized 2020.
“Just a year ago all indications were that the rates of global mobility would continue to rise, that travel freedom would increase, and that holders of powerful passports would enjoy more access than ever before. The global lockdown negated these glowing projections, and as restrictions begin to lift, the results from the latest index are a reminder of what passport power really means in a world upended by the pandemic.”
India ranks at 84th place with visa-free travel to just 58 countries.
While over the last decade, China has climbed 22 places on the index, from 90th to 68th spot, increasing its access to visa-free countries from 40 to 77.
Afghanistan was at the bottom of the passport list, followed by Iraq and Syria.
The world’s most powerful passports
- Japan (193 destinations)
- Singapore (192)
- Germany, South Korea (191)
- Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain (190)
- Austria, Denmark (189)
- France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden (188)
- New Zealand, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States (187)
- Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Norway (186)
- Australia, Canada (185)
- Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia (183)
The least powerful
- Afghanistan (26)
- Iraq (28)
- Syria (29)
- Pakistan (32)
- Yemen (33)
- Somalia (34)
- Palestinian territories (37)
- Nepal (38)
- North Korea (39)
- Kosovo, Libya (40)
IPL 2021: Moeen, Jadeja spin web as CSK defeat RR by 45 runs
Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja shared five wickets between them to dismantle Rajasthan Royals as Chennai Super Kings registered a 45-run victory here at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
A spirited batting performance by Chennai guided them to a total of 188/9 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Rajasthan only managed to post 143/9 despite getting a decent start. Chasing 189, openers Manan Vohra and Buttler provided a 30-run stand for the first wicket before pacer Sam Curran picked the former in the fourth over. Vohra departed after scoring 14 runs.
Skipper Sanju Samson (1) failed to leave his mark on the scoreboard and lost his wicket cheaply in the final over of the powerplay. It was again Curran who took the wicket of Samson and brought Rajasthan under pressure.
Shivam Dube joined Buttler in the middle and the duo stitched a 42-run partnership for the third wicket. In the 12th over, Ravindra Jadeja sent both the batsmen back to the pavilion.
First, he picked well-set Buttler, who played a knock 49 off 35 balls including two sixes and five fours, and then on the last ball of the over he grabbed Dube (17). Dube was caught in front of the wickets. However, the all-rounder reviewed the decision but the on-field umpire’s decision stayed firm.
The trouble did not end for Rajasthan after losing two wickets at quick succession as Moeen Ali bagged new batsman David Miller (2) in the next over.
Fiery Moeen was again brought into the attack. In the 15th over, England all-rounder dismissed Riyan Parag (3) and last-match hero Chris Morris on a duck. CSK totally took the control of the game as they dragged Rajasthan from 87/3 to 95/7 in no time.
Rahul Tewatia kept the fighting spirit alive for Rajasthan but failed to put his side over the line. He played a knock of 20 runs. Jaydev Unadkat too contributed with the bat and scored 24 runs.
For CSK, Moeen returned with the figures of 3-7 from his three overs while Jadeja and Curran bagged two scalps each.
Earlier, Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu scored at a firing rate before Dwayne Bravo’s 20 runs off 8 balls came handy in the death overs as CSK posted 188/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, CSK was right on track for a big score before Chetan Sakariya dismissed both Suresh Raina and Rayudu in his third over.
Sakariya in the 14th over broke CSK’s momentum and came back to dismiss skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Most CSK batsmen got a move on but weren’t able to convert it in a big score. In the final four overs, CSK scored 55 runs despite losing four wickets.
Put in to bat first, CSK got off to a decent start before it was undone by Mustafizur Rahman, who dismissed opening batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad in the fourth over.
But Faf du Plessis continued his onslaught as he pulled off two back-to-back scoops for boundaries. The South Africa batsman then sliced a six over long-off before smashing another four as he took on Jaydev Unadkat in the fifth over.
Chris Morris ended Du Plessis’ stint before completion of the powerplay to reduce CSK to 45/2. Moeen Ali continued from he left the other night as he whacked the ball right from the word go.
However, Rahul Tewatia dismissed the England all-rounder in the 10th over against run of play as CSK lost the third wicket at the score of 78.
In the 11th and 12th over, CSK got a move on as Suresh Raina and Ambati Ambati Rayudu clubbed 30 off 12 balls. However, Rajasthan Royals again made a comeback as Chetan Sakariya dismissed both the batsmen in the same over to reduce CSK to 125/5.
The next few overs saw CSK scoring a sluggish rate and Dhoni (18) tried to free his arms by smashing two boundaries but wasn’t able to middle the next ball. In end, Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo’s contribution helped CSK get over the 180-run mark.
Brief Scores: CSK 188/9 (Faf du Plessis 33, Ambati Rayudu 27; Chetan Sakariya 3-36); Rajasthan Royals 143/9 (Jos Buttler 49, Jaydev Unadkat 24; Moeen Ali 3-7, Sam Curran 2-24, Jadeja 2-28).
Vaccinated Australians could be able to travel overseas “for essential purposes”, says PM Morrison
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said We are in no hurry to reopen our international borders and risk the country`s nearly coronavirus-free lifestyle.
Australia’s international borders were closed to all non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020 and have been permitting only limited international arrivals in recent months, mainly its citizens returning from abroad.
The border closure, together with snap lockdowns, swift contact tracking, and high community compliance with health measures, have made Australia one of the world`s most successful countries in curbing the pandemic, limiting coronavirus cases to under 29,500 infections and 910 deaths.
“Australia is in no hurry to open those borders, I assure you,” Morrison said at a briefing.
“I will not be putting at risk the way we are living in this country which is so different from the rest of the world today.”
For months now, except for some short snap lockdowns, Australians have been able to dine out, gather nearly freely and stop wearing face masks in most places.
They exchanged their international forays for local trips, with government figures showing big annual increases in intra-state travel in the first months of 2021.
From today (Monday 19th April), Australians and neighbouring New Zealanders will be able to travel in a babble between both countries without the need to apply for an exemption or spend time in mandatory quarantine.
New Zealand has had only 2,239 confirmed coronavirus cases and 26 related deaths.
Prime Minister Morrison flagged on Sunday that vaccinated Australians could be able to travel overseas “for essential purposes” and return via home quarantine in the second half of the year, but that possibility is only in “planning stages”.
Australia recently abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million population by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer`s COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca`s shot.
American actor apologises ‘to every Indian person’ in the world
Well-known 58-year-old American actor Hank Azaria has apologized “to every single Indian person.”
Azaria is famous for his portrayal of Apu in superhit animation TV series The Simpsons.
From 1989 to 2020, Azaria voiced the role of the Indian American shopkeeper Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
He left the role last year amid criticism of racial stereotyping.
Speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast, Azaria said that though he believed the show was founded on good intentions, it contributed to the “structural racism” in the US and has taken him some time to realize that his portrayal was offensive to the Indian American community.
“I really didn’t know any better. I didn’t think about it. I was unaware how much relative advantage I had received in this country as a white kid from Queens. Just because there were good intentions it doesn’t mean there weren’t real negative consequences to the thing that I am accountable for.”
To Monica Padman, an Indian American host of the show, Azaria said:
“I really do apologise. I know you weren’t asking for that but it’s important. I apologise for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels I need to go round to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise.”
In 2017, Indian American comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary – The Problem with Apu – as a look at “how western culture depicts south-east Asian communities.”
In tweets about the recent podcast interview, Kondabolu welcomed Azaria’s apology but saw it as a “comeuppance” – a punishment or fate that someone deserves – for the show.
“The ‘Apu Controversy’ is not real. Racism isn’t ‘controversial’, it’s a constant … Unless you think People of Color finally standing up for themselves is ‘controversial’. However, I suppose a word like ‘controversy’ is more clickable than ‘comeuppance’.”
In another tweet Kondabolu called Azaria “kind and thoughtful”, which he said proved that “people are not simply ‘products of their time’ but have the ability to learn and grow”.
Last year, Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, has announced that non-white characters would no longer be voiced by white actors.
He also told the BBC that hurting any ethnic minority is never the intention:
“All of our actors play dozens of characters each, it was never designed to exclude anyone.”
In the Armchair Podcast, Azaria said he had worked on understanding the issue with the help of his teenage son Hal.
“I was speaking at my son’s school, I was talking to the Indian kids there because I wanted to get their input. … [There was] a 17-year-old, he’s never even seen The Simpsons but knows what Apu means. It’s practically a slur at this point.”
Skilled Indian migrants stuck in jobs below their qualification in Australia
Recently, the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) has revealed that nearly one-in-four skilled migrants in Australia are over-qualified for their current job.
The report analyses data from the Department of Home Affairs to analyse how skilled workers are losing wages by taking jobs they are over-qualified for.
CEDA’s report estimates about 23 per cent of permanent skilled migrants in Australia are working in jobs beneath their skill level.
According to CEDA, migration has been a core key feature of Australia’s economic development over the last century.
Skills mismatch is costing Australia, $1.25 billion per year.
According to CEDA, 26 per cent migrants have faced major difficulties in finding the job as per their qualifications.
These include accountants, civil engineers and chefs who migrated to Australia and were among the least likely to find work in their profession of choice.
A lack of work experience, access to local networks in Australia, lack of jobs in the nominated field, and language difficulties are some of the most common reasons cited for the disparity in job market.
Of the migrants who cited not enough jobs as a reason for difficulty in finding a job in Australia, 28 per cent were state-sponsored migrants, 27 per cent were onshore independent and 17 per cent were offshore independent.
While, 53 per cent of permanent migrants surveyed appeared to have had no issues in finding their first job.
CEDA has suggested the following recommendations to help the migrants and economy:
- Establish a new government-regulated online skills-matching jobs platform;
- Comprehensively update the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations Codes (ANZSCO) to ensure that migrants with vital and cutting-edge skills can migrate to Australia;
- More transparency from the Federal Government about the data and methods they use to assess what occupations are in demand and included on the skilled occupation lists; and
- Reduce the Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period for unemployment benefits back from four years to six months.
CEDA believes that most of the new permanent migrants are younger than the Australian population.
This means that they are more likely to hold post-secondary qualifications and facilitate important foreign trade and investment relationships with their home countries.
CEDA chief executive Melinda Cilento said Australia’s skilled migration system has served the country well, but there are areas where it must be improved.
CEDA suggests that Australia needs a new system of skills matching.
In the new proposed Skills Matching visa would not require an occupation on the skilled occupation list, this is a requirement for both the Employer Nominated and Skilled Independent visas.
CEDA is hopeful this will improve the quality of job matches – both migrants skills and employers’ needs will be met.
Sikhs demand gun reforms and probe of possible ethnic hatred behind FedEx shooting
In the aftermath of the Indianapolis shooting attack, Sikhs from all over the world are in mourning and have shared messages of grief.
A Sikh advocacy group has called for an immediate probe of possible racial or ethnic hatred as a factor.
Law enforcement officials have confirmed that out of the total of eight people who lost their lives in the fatal shooting four belonged to the Sikh community.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), the eight victims include Amerjeet Kaur Johal (66), Karli Smith (19), Matthew R. Alexander (32), Samaria Blackwell (19), Jaswinder Kaur (64), Jaswinder Singh (68), Amarjit Sekhon(48) and John Weisert (74).
The police are yet to determine the motive of Brandon Scott Hole, the 19-year-old shooter.
Many Sikhs believe that the attack may be racially motivated – a possible hate crime against Asian Americans.
The Sikh community from New York has called for an investigation into the racial angle.
Channel News Asia reports that the organisation, in its plea, highlighted that a majority of FedEx employees in Indianapolis are non-English speaking Sikhs adding that the centre was known for hiring elderly Sikhs.
Members of Indianapolis’ tight-knit Sikh community have demanded strict action that would prevent such attacks from happening again.
Speaking at a gathering in Indianapolis park on Saturday evening, Aasees Kaur said:
“We must support one another, not just in grief, but in calling our policymakers and elected officials to make meaningful change. The time to act is not later, but now. We are far too many tragedies, too late, in doing so.”
Indiana has 10 gurdwaras and about 8,000 to 10,000 Sikh Americans.
IPL 2021: Dhawan fires as Delhi Capitals register easy win over Punjab Kings
Mayank Agarwal’s masterclass had put Punjab Kings on the course of victory but Shikhar Dhawan’s ferocious knock took the game away from the KL Rahul-led side as Delhi Capitals registered an easy win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Mayank’s sensational knock and a final over cameo by Shahrukh Khan had propelled Punjab Kings to put an impressive 195 for four. In response, Dhawan’s firing innings and Stoinis’ onslaught helped Delhi Capitals get over the line with 10 balls to spare. Dhawan failed to score a century as he got out on 92 off 49 balls but the opening batsman ensured Delhi Capitals were right on track for a victory. After Dhawan’s departure, Stoinis’ cameo steered Delhi Capitals to a comfortable win despite the side losing skipper Rishabh Pant in the 18th over.
Chasing 196, Delhi Capitals got off to a solid start as openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan fired the side to 57 in the first five overs.
However, Arshdeep Singh ended Shaw’s short stint at the crease as the opening batsman departed after scoring 32 off 17 balls in the sixth over.
Steven Smith, who came into bat at number three failed to leave a mark. The Australian batsman’s sluggish knock ended when he tried to break the shackles but was caught in the deep.
But Dhawan continued his onslaught and smacked a Mohammad Shami’s slower ball for six. The left-handed batsman three back-to-back fours in the 14th over but got out in the next over.
With Delhi Capitals still needing 44 in five overs, Rishabh Pant played a cautious knock but Marcus Stoinis bludgeoned the Punjab Kings bowling attack thanks to two no-balls from Shami in the 17th over.
Earlier, put in to bat first Punjab Kings got off to a flying start with Mayank and KL Rahul firing on cylinders right from the word go.
Mayank hit his first fifty of the season in just 25 balls as Punjab Kings got over the 90-run mark in 10 overs. However, Meriwala provided Delhi Capitals the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Mayank in the 13th over ending the 122-run partnership for the first wicket.
Rahul tried to change gears but Kagiso Rabada dismissed him in the 16th over as Marcus Stoinis took an easy catch. Six balls later Chris Gayle sliced the ball in the air but failed to get any distance as Chris Woakes took his first wicket of the day.
Deepak Hooda and Nicholas Pooran then whacked what came in their slot before Avesh Khan ended the West Indies batsmen knock in the penultimate over.
In the final over Shahrukh Khan scored 15 runs to take Punjab Kings close to 200 in their allotted 20 overs.
Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 195/4 (Mayank Agarwal 69, KL Rahul 61; Lukman Meriwala 1-32); Delhi Capitals 198/4 (Shikhar Dhawan 92, Prithvi Shaw 32; Jhye Richardson 2-41)
Family’s scenic route detour from holiday leads to $1 million lottery win
Dhrupal Patel was returning to Northern Virginia with his wife and child after a vacation in the Smoky Mountains.
Rather than drive the interstate, he decided to take some less-traveled roads and see the countryside.
That’s how he ended up at the Stop & Save on Riverside Drive in Tazewell, Virginia. He got some coffee, groceries, and snacks, and he also bought an Electric 7s ticket from the Virginia Lottery.
Later, when he got home to Herndon, he scratched the ticket and discovered he’d won the game’s $777,777 top prize.
“I was not able to talk!” he later told Lottery officials. “I couldn’t believe it!”
He had just become the first top prize winner in Electric 7s (game #2067), one of dozens of Scratchers available from the Virginia Lottery. The game features prizes from $10 to $777,777. Since he is the first person to scratch to win the top prize, two more $777,777 tickets are unclaimed. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 1,224,000. The odds of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.94.
Mr. Patel, who is an IT consultant, said he intends to take care of his family with the winnings.
“I feel very blessed,” he said.
Indian Pharma companies reduce prices of Remdesivir amid rising COVID-19 cases
Amid the shortage of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 infections in the country, seven major pharmaceutical companies have reduced the maximum retail price (MRP) of the drug on the intervention of the Union government.
The announcement comes days after the Central government held a meeting with all-existing manufacturers of the drug and other stakeholders in order to discuss steps taken to increase production and supply and reduce prices of Remdesivir. In an office memorandum issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said, “with reference to the ongoing efforts for enhancement of availability and affordability of ‘Remdesivir’ injection. On the intervention of the government, the major manufacturers/marketers of ‘Remdesivir injection’ have reported voluntary reduction in maximum retail price (MRP).”
As per the revised price of major brands of Remdesivir injection 100mg/Vial’, Cadila Healthcare Ltd’s REMDAC which was earlier available at Rs 2,800 have been reduced to Rs 899. The price of Syngene International Ltd’s RemWin is reduced to Rs 2,450 from Rs 3,950. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd’s REDYX will be available at Rs 2,700 instead of Rs 5,400. Cipla Ltd’s CIPREMI will now be available at Rs 3,000 instead of Rs 4,000, Maylan Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd’s DESREM will be available at Rs 3400 instead of Rs 4,800, Jubilant Generics Ltd’s JUBI-R will be available at Rs 3,400 instead of Rs 4,700 and Hetero Healthcare Ltd’s COVIFOR will be available at Rs 3,490 instead of Rs 5,400.
Informing about the reduced price, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertiliser Mansukh Mandaviya in a tweet thanks pharmaceutical companies for joining hands with the government in the fight against COVID-19.
“Due to Government’s intervention, the price of #Remdesivir Injection is now reduced! I am thankful to pharmaceutical companies for joining hands with the Government to fight against COVID Pandemic,” he tweeted.
IPL 2021: Rahul Chahar, Boult shine as Mumbai Indians beat SRH by 13 runs
Pacer Trent Boult and spinner Rahul Chahar both picked three wickets each as Mumbai Indians registered an easy win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma played knocks of 40 and 32, but SRH managed to maintain a stranglehold as Mumbai Indians were restricted to 150/5. In response, SRH was bundled out for 137 despite a flying start given by Jonny Bairstow. SRH needed 47 runs in the last five overs and Vijay Shankar whacked back to back sixes in Krunal Pandya’s third over to reduce the gap. But SRH was again put on the back foot when they lost two wickets in the 18th over and the team’s hopes were finally down when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Shankar with 17 required off seven balls.
SRH collapsed from 129/5 to 137 in nine balls as Boult and Jasprit Bumrah denied the batsmen any chance of slogging in the death overs.
Chasing 151, SRH had a decent start but opening batsman Jonny Bairstow took the charge and smashed 18 runs in the third over. The English batsman didn’t stop and continued his onslaught as he whacked two consecutive six in the fourth.
While David Warner played a sluggish knock, Bairstow was in top form as he hammered Mumbai Indians bowlers all around the park to take SRH over the 50-run mark before completion of the fifth over.
However, the England opener brought his own innings to an end as he disturbed the stumps while attempting to hit the ball towards the fine leg.
Manish Pandey failed to leave a mark as he hardly timed the slog down the ground and Kieron Pollard made no mistake. Warner changed gears in the second half of the SRH’s innings but a sensational direct hit from Hardik Pandya ended his stint leaving SRH reeling at 90/3.
The wicket of Warner triggered a middle-order collapse as SRH lost two quick wickets. Rahul Chahar, who had dismissed Manish, sent both Virat Singh and Abhishek Sharma back in the hut to pile further misery on SRH.
Shankar tried his best to take SRH over the line but was dismissed in the penultimate over by Bumrah. In the end, Boult cleaned up SRH’s tail to hand Mumbai Indians their second win of the season
Earlier, opting to bat first, Mumbai Indians got off to a brilliant start as openers Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock put on 53 runs inside the first six overs.
SRH got the much-needed breakthrough in the seventh over as Vijay dismissed Rohit (32). Suryakumar Yadav (10) played two stunning shots but that was what he managed to do in totality as he was dismissed by Shankar in the ninth over, reducing Mumbai to 71/2.
Ishan Kishan (12) failed to get going with the bat and at no point, he looked comfortable in his 21-ball knock.
In the final two overs, Hardik Pandya (7), Pollard, and Krunal Pandya tried their best to register big strikes, but SRH managed to keep them in check. In the final over, Pollard hit two sixes and as a result, he registered his 200th sixth in the IPL.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 150/5 (Quinton de Kock 40, Kieron Pollard 35*, Vijay Shankar 2-19); SRH 137 (Jonny Bairstow 43, David Warner 36; Rahul Chahar 3-19)
The government keeps shelving plans to bring international students back to Australia. It owes them an explanation
Christopher Ziguras, RMIT University
Victorian universities recently re-proposed a previously conceived plan to get international students back under a similar model used to fly in tennis players for the Australian Open. Under the proposal, universities would help pay for around 1,000 foreign students to be flown into Melbourne every two to three weeks and placed into special lockdown arrangements.
Similar plans to get international students back have been considered in various states since borders closed in March last year – and then quietly shelved. So far, only the Northern Territory has been able to bring 63 students to Australia.
But 63 students is an almost negligible number compared to how many visa holders are still stranded outside the country — an estimated 30% of 542,106 (or around 160,000) student visa holders were outside Australia as of January 10 2021.
In February, Phil Honeywood, the CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, expressed uncharacteristic desperation in his monthly email to members. He wrote:
When we directly lobby our federal politicians to promote student return plans, we are told that state/territory governments have full control of quarantine and we have to persuade them first. However, our discussions with state and territory politicians invariably produce the response that because the federal government controls Border Force, the ADF and international airport arrival caps, they are the ones actually in control!
Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino last week also blamed Canberra for the lack of progress to bring students back:
If you don’t get that from the federal government then it doesn’t matter what other ideas, whether it’s the City of Melbourne, SA, NSW or ourselves, doesn’t matter what idea you have to deliver it, if you can’t get people [students] on the flights, it’s a no-goer.
But Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge is on the other side of the blame game, saying, at the end of March:
there is still the opportunity to bring students back in small, phased pilots. This could occur if an institution works with the state or territory government and presents a plan to us for quarantining international students […] I have discussed various plans with government and university leaders but to date have not received any concrete proposal.
This is all very confusing for the international education sector, which has come up with a number of concrete plans. Neither level of government seems to be able to either offer a sufficient explanation for why a plan it was considering was abandoned or, when an explanation is offered, when that plan may be resumed.
This creates the perception, among those working in the sector and international students, that no governments care about their fate.
South Australian and ACT plans shelved
The Australian Capital Territory and South Australia were the first jurisdictions to announce plans to bring back international students. In June 2020, they proposed pilots that would bring in 350 and 800 students to Canberra and Adelaide respectively. But both these plans were put on hold after Victoria’s second wave hit at the beginning of July.
The South Australian pilot was resuscitated in November — with preparations reportedly well advanced — before an outbreak later that month sent Adelaide into a snap lockdown and the pilot was again put on ice.
Not to be deterred, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr announced in December he had requested Commonwealth approval to bring students back by February this year, but this too was quietly shelved with no explanation given.
Victoria and NSW try and try again
In Victoria universities and student accommodation providers have put a series of proposals to the state government, the first of which were scuppered when Victoria went into extended lockdown from July during the second wave.
In December the Victorian government was considering a plan to fly in up to 23,000 international students early in 2021, who would serve out their quarantine in student accommodation. By January the state government was upbeat saying it was “working closely” with the federal government to finalise the plan.
But that all changed in February. In a national cabinet meeting at which an international student return plan was to be agreed, Prime Minister Scott Morrison instead said:
It was agreed once again that the return of Australian residents is the priority in terms of arrivals to Australia. We must remember that our borders are actually shut. No one can just come to Australia.
Within weeks, a small number of cases of community transmission from a Melbourne quarantine hotel caused a snap lockdown and the cessation of incoming international flights, which only resumed in April.
Now that the dust appears to have settled once more, Victorian universities are trying again, with a proposal to fly in 1,000 students each fortnight. The state government’s response so far appears lukewarm at best.
New South Wales has also had its share of pilot announcements. A well-developed scheme to start returning 1,000 international students to Sydney each week was shelved in January after the outbreaks in the northern beaches and Western Sydney.
The NSW government subsequently tried for international NSW university students to quarantine in Tasmania before coming to Sydney. Unsurprisingly the idea was quickly quashed by the Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein.
So, what now?
Only 63 international students have come to Australia through the Northern Territory in November 2020. They were quarantined in the Howard Springs facility. In March 2021, Scott Morrison announced the Howard Springs facility’s capacity would increase to 2,000 people per fortnight. But there is no suggestion any of those places will be available for international students.
A recent study I was involved in identified nearly 12,000 beds in student accommodation facilities in the City of Sydney and nearly 19,000 in the City of Melbourne. Using some of these properties could provide a parallel quarantine pathway for international students – without taking hotel quarantine spaces away from returning Australians.
New South Wales recently launched the International Student Accommodation Quarantine program. The NSW government has invited student accommodation providers to apply to be assessed for eligibility (based on things like location and building layout) to house international students.
This is promising. We all agree bringing Australians home is a priority. But we have the capacity to bring back both. We know costs will be borne by students and education providers, and students will be subject to the same quarantine requirements and testing regimes already in place for returning Australians.
It’s just not good enough for the education minister to keep parroting the line returning Australians “remain the priority” over international students. If the government refuses to continue plans to bring students back, it must show them respect by providing a clear reason.
Christopher Ziguras, Professor of Global Studies, RMIT University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
COVID-19: India reports highest-ever one day spike with 2,17,353 new cases, 1,185 deaths
India reported its highest-ever single-day spike in COVID-19 cases with over 2.17 lakh new cases and more than 1,100 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry on Friday.
In the last 24 hours, 1,185 COVID-related deaths were reported in the country taking the death toll to 1,74,308. As many as 2,17,353 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in India in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of cases has gone up to 1,42,91,917. The active number of cases stands at 15,69,743.
In the last 24 hours, 1,18,302 people recovered from the disease. With this, the total recoveries reached 1,25,47,866.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 14,73,210 samples were tested on Thursday. And, as many as 26,34,76,625 samples have been tested across the country till April 15.
Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 11,72,23,509 till today.
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus in the country on Monday. Now, India has three vaccines Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V for its inoculation programme against COVID-19.
From April 2, the government started vaccinating all people above 45 years. India started its vaccination drive on January 16 with priority given to all healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. The second phase started on March 1 where doses were administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 years with specific comorbidities.
Canada becomes Best Country in World for ‘Quality Of Life & Social Purpose’
Canada has secured the number one position in the 2021 Best Countries Report.
This is a ranking and analysis project conducted by US News & World Report; BAV Group, a unit of global marketing communications company VMLY&R; and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The ranking was based on cultural, financial, political, and technological influences, as well as two new parameters, social function, and agility.
Japan and Germany secured the number two and three positions, whereas Switzerland, which is often on number one country, slipped to fourth over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
Australia meanwhile was placed at number five, while the US and New Zealand gained sixth and seventh positions in the world on the report.
According to the report, Canada was named the best country in the world for the high quality of life and social function.
It was also rated top in terms of the job market, human rights, and dedication towards social justice. The rate of corruption in the country was recorded as very low and the country was ranked high related to respecting the property rights of the citizens.
The report emphasized the parameter of social justice where most countries struggled.
The world’s largest democracy, India is ranked at number 25.
34-year-old Indian-origin Arora Akanksha running for UN Secretary-General
Arora Akanksha, a 34-year-old Indo-Canadian, has declared herself a candidate to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
“people in my profession aren’t supposed to stand up to the ones in charge.”
She is challenging Secretary-General António Guterres, who is running for another five-year term starting in 2022.
She told New York Times that like many Hindus, her grandparents fled from Pakistan to India after the 1947 partition, a fact that colors her outlook on the world.
“Refugees have no plan B, hence I have no plan B.”
Arora Akanksha was born in Haryana and spent her early life in Saudi Arabia, where her parents, both doctors, had relocated.
From age 9 to 18 she was back in India attending boarding school and later she decided to move to Canada.
Here, after graduating from the prestigious York University with honours, she worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada as an auditing manager.
In 2016, She was recruited from this firm to work as an audit coordinator for the United Nations Development Program for four years.
On February 17, Arora, submitted a formal letter of application for the 2022-27 term.
To prepare for this position, she has also attended Columbia University’s graduate program in public administration.
Her campaign message is that the United Nations is sclerotic, wasteful, adrift, paternalistic and patronizing toward many of the younger members of its staff of 44,000 people around the world.
In an interview to the New York Times, she said:
“We spend our resources on holding conferences, writing reports. All these frivolous activities that are advertising. We have lost course on why we exist, what we’re supposed to do.”
No country has yet formally endorsed this self-nominated candidate but Arora is hoping to make her case to UN ambassadors in the next few months.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (the ministry of foreign affairs) told PassBlue that Canada’s top diplomats – Ambassadors Rae, Arbeiter and Blais – have met with Arora to discuss her potential candidacy.
It is believed that this meeting could be a game changer for her and Arora Akanksha’s campaign.
‘Where’s my house?’ Bishnu Aryal’s dream home cut down the middle
A Current Affair has highlighted how a Sydney family has been left in shock after discovering the home they invested hard-earned $700,000 into over a decade was only half of what they were expecting.
Bishnu Aryal, the father of two moved to Australia from Nepal, couldn’t believe his eyes when he realised that his dream home was cut down the middle.
In 2016, Bishnu employed the services of Zac Homes for a custom off-plan build worth $322,400.
In 2019, he checked the progress and admitted that he “nearly fainted.”
Bishnu realised his free standing build had been turned into a duplex taking up half the block.
As is visible in the photographs, his house sits on the right hand side of the block with a giant windowless wall facing the empty half.
Bishnu told A Current Affair:
“I called the supervisor and asked him what’s going on, why is the house like this? And he said “it’s a duplex, semi-duplex”, and I nearly fainted that day. Where’s my house? I want the rest of my house. It’s not a freestanding house, it’s not a duplex, it’s half a house. And it looks embarrassing.”
Zac Homes said the build initially began as a single freestanding home.
However, according to A Current Affair, they claim it later had to be altered to fit with Liverpool Council regulations.
The regulation stated the block had to be an attached dwelling.
A spokesman for Zac Homes told the Daily Mail:
“Zac Homes appreciates the frustrations of Mr and Mrs Aryal surrounding the delay in the issue of the Occupation Certificate, these delays are not caused by Zac Homes. Instead, Zac Homes has worked diligently and at its own cost to attempt to remedy the outstanding matters so that the Occupation Certificate can issue.”
Zac Homes claims Mr and Mrs Aryal were made aware of the change of plan and were given opportunities to pull out of the contract more than once.
The building company also said that they have done everything required to secure an Occupation Certificate for the block.
Bishnu told A Current Affair that his family was forced to move into the house with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic limiting their options.
He shared his story with the media to raise awareness to make sure no one has to deal with the same thing.
However, since the A Current Affair episode went to air, Zac Homes has been bombarded with one star reviews.
Zac Homes has released a lengthy statement on their Facebook page.
They want to “provide some context to the dreadful situation”.
“The disagreement that’s causing the holdup is between the certifier and Liverpool City Council and we’re working hard with them both to try and rectify the situation as quickly as possible. The fact is the owners of the lot next door have failed to proceed with building their home and that’s why the certifier has continued to refuse to issue an Occupation Certificate. It’s a mess. We know that. Even though this situation hasn’t been caused by us, we are doing what we can to ensure that the right thing is done by Mr Aryal and his family. We feel for them.”
France to have 20,000 Indian students, while Australia unsure about the entry
In order to boost the student exchange program, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, on Tuesday said his country targets to enroll 20,000 Indian students in higher institutions by 2025.
“We set ourselves a target – it is to have 20,000 Indian students in higher education institutions in France by 2025. And we will make it. We will make it, thanks, in particular, to you, and to your dynamic experience and energy. And as you know, we will support these students during their stay in France so that as they may fully live this intellectual, cultural, and human experience,” Le Drian said while addressing student mobility and the appointment of 15 Alumni Ambassadors of Higher Education in France.
The French Foreign minister also stressed his relationship with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and called it a strong bond.
“I apologise for arriving late but I was with my colleague, Minister Jaishankar, your External Affairs Minister, and we had so many things to discuss and our relationship is so strong that we got late. However, I very much wanted this latest visit, which is my 17th official visit to India. To begin with, you because the history, the background of our cooperation, of our partnerships has always been based on sharing knowledge, sharing ideas, and academic exchanges,” he added.
Mr. Drian is on an official visit to India from April 13 to 15.
On Tuesday, During his stay in New Delhi, Minister Le Drian held talks with Indian Minister Jaishankar on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest.
He will also meet Prakash Javadekar, Indian Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change at a panel discussion on climate change. He will also participate in the Raisina Dialogue.
India and France enjoy a strategic partnership since 1998 which has been marked by regular high-level exchanges and growing cooperation in diverse areas.
Melbourne truck driver Mohinder Singh jailed for 22 years after killing four police officers
48-year-old Melbourne truck driver, Mohinder Singh, responsible for the deaths of four Victoria Police officers on Eastern Freeway has been jailed for 22 years.
He was sentenced in Victoria’s Supreme Court this morning.
Justice Paul Coghlan has described the footage of the horror crash as “chilling” during the sentencing.
“I have viewed the footage on a number of occasions and it is chilling.”
According to reports in the Australian media, Mohinder Singh pleaded guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing death, three charges of trafficking a drug of dependence, and one charge of possession of a drug of dependence.
Mohinder Singh must serve at least 18 years and six months behind bars before he is eligible for parole.
On April 22 last year, he was high on drugs (ice) and stopped on his route to do a drug deal.
Later he veered into the emergency lane of the Eastern freeway near in Kew killing four officers.
Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney all died in this incident.
The officers had pulled over Porsche driver Richard Pusey for allegedly speeding at the time.
According to reports, CCTV cameras showed footage of Mohinder Singh “repeatedly drifting” into the emergency lane.
Justice Coghlan added that Mohinder Singh was clearly “unfit” to drive.
“It has been put that the threat to you was that you might lose your job. You were simply unfit to do the job and had little legitimate claim to keep your position.”In the sense you drove to keep your job – that decision was selfish.”
According to Nine News, Mohinder Singh, father of two, remained silent throughout the hearing.
He was led out of the courtroom directly in front of the victims’ families.
Andrew Prestney, the father of Constable Josh Prestney, read out a statement in court following the sentencing.
“We would like to thank the people of Victoria, the people of Australia, and those from around the world for their outpouring of love and for embracing us with their hearts. We are consoled by the fact that our four will not be forgotten as we continue to carry them in our hearts.”
Australian High Commissioner says he is “impressed” with PM Modi’s reform agenda
Barry O’Farrell, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, says he is “impressed” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reform agenda.
He said this in an interview session organised by the Indian Express.
The session was moderated by Associate Editor and Deputy Chief of National Bureau Shubhajit Roy.
Here are some of the key questions that they asked the Australian High Commissioner.
“SHUBHAJIT ROY: Was China the glue that brought the Quad nations close?
Barry O’Farrell: I think the Quad was developed very nicely before China decided to change the way in which it interacted publicly with the world, and bilaterally with a number of nations. It is not that long ago that we had our foreign ministers’ meeting at the United Nations, and we have now had our first Quad meeting… It predates China’s changing posture. Power and wealth is shifting from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific. The Indian Ocean continues to be responsible for half of global trade, and it is important to each of the players in the Quad. China’s change of attitude in recent times probably has, to some extent, created an extra incentive, but I think the glue was there before.”
“ANIL SASI: The negotiations between India and Australia on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) have been underway since 2011. Will there now be an attempt to revive it perhaps through more strategic tools or even the Quad?
Barry O’Farrell: Yes, our two countries tried to negotiate what is colloquially called a free trade agreement. We got well down the path and then it stalled. We are now in 2021. The good news is that both our prime ministers, on June 4 last year, agreed to reengage on CECA. That essentially means in the language of politics that we are about to have another go at it. That reflects the commitment from both sides to try and improve the trade and economic relationship between both countries, because we understand that it is commerce, investment, business that underpins both our economies and determines the living standards of our citizens. A key part of the comprehensive strategic partnership was to promote trade investment between our countries and see opportunities in India, opportunities that have been opened up by reforms undertaken over the past 12 months, particularly around foreign direct investment… If India wants to have the world’s largest electric vehicle industry, if India wants to have a large battery industry, Australia has the critical minerals that it needs to develop those industries. And the good news is that some of those are already owned by Indian investors. The car world is looking for other opportunities to invest in similar sources of those minerals around the world, but equally in Australia.”
“SUNNY VERMA: The Indian government has been raising tariffs on a lot of items in line with the ‘vocal for local’ and self-reliant India campaigns to promote domestic manufacturing. What has been the position of Australian companies on this?
Barry O’Farrell: Of course, industries that are affected by changes in tariffs or non-tariff barriers will always raise those concerns with their government. But, over the past four months, I’ve been impressed by Prime Minister Modi’s reform agenda… From time to time, there will be, even amongst the closest of friends, the odd difference of opinion, and through the World Trade Organisation and other vehicles we peacefully, harmoniously, have to resolve that matters. I don’t think any nation is without issues that sometimes irk other countries. But I have to say, I’ve witnessed since I’ve been here over the past 13 months now, a closeness in the relationship with Australia. I have been coming here for 10 years, I have been a critic of the lack of consistency of the Australian government in their dealings with India. And at the risk of perhaps exciting some interest back home by this comment, I say, genuinely, that in Prime Minister (Scott) Morrison, in foreign minister (Marise Ann) Payne, and in our commerce minister, we have three individuals who have shown a constancy to this relationship. And I believe in any relationship, private, business or government, constancy is a key.”
“MANRAJ GREWAL SHARMA: Not many people know that Australia helped Punjab develop the happy seeder, which is a zero-tillage machine. Are we looking forward to more such initiatives?
Barry O’Farrell: I hadn’t heard of the happy seeder until six months before I came to India. When it was first mentioned to me by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, which has been cooperating here in India for over 25 years, I immediately thought they were talking about Lebanese cedar trees… What the happy seeder does is to do away with the need to remove stubble. It harvests and replants in the same movement. Having been to Punjab a few months ago and having seen it in operation and been told about the way in which it is slowly but surely moving across agriculture in India, I’m pleased by that. We know that change is hard in any organisation. And it’s hardest of all, I suspect, in agriculture in India and Australia. But hopefully, there’s some progress… I think what it reflects is that mining a relationship is often not just about the import of products to India but also about the provision of technology, services and expertise to assist India to develop its markets. In agriculture, we’ve been working together on research projects like the happy seeder. I think one of the lessons out of the past four months, and this has been reinforced to me by technology experts, investors and governments, is that two of the hot areas where I think we are going to see this (collaboration) happening is education and telehealth… or the remote to use of technology for people who… may not be close to a hospital, or a clinic.”
“NIRUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN: Do India and Australia know each other any better beyond the three cliches of cricket, Commonwealth and curry? You have come up with the four Ds, which are dosti (friendship), defence, diaspora and democracy….
Barry O’Farrell: I think we have advanced because the size of the diaspora is now significant. One in 35 Australians are of Indian origin, either born in Australia or have a parent or grandparent who was born in India… Indians in Australia join us and participate in local communities and sports and the like. So that is people-to-people. Then at a business-to-business level, just as most US technology companies are run by people of Indian origin, we have similar experience in Australia. I think that has helped to open up the eyes of many in business in Australia to the opportunities that exist in this country. So yes, it (the relation) has progressed….The thing that frustrates me is the media. Firstly, because of the economics of the media, there is only one Australian news representative in India. That means, therefore, when I read Australian newspapers… I am more likely to read articles… that have come from the The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post written by, in many cases, people of Indian origin or citizens living in America or Britain… If Australian newspapers and media organisations can’t afford to have their own representatives in India, I’d like them to take copies from.”
IPL 2021: Chahar, Boult, Bumrah turn tide to hand Mumbai Indians a thrilling win over KKR
Rahul Chahar spun a web while Trent Boult executed perfect yorkers in the death overs to snatch victory for the Mumbai Indians from the jaws of defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
Andre Russell’s five-wicket haul had bundled Mumbai Indians out for 152 after batsman Suryakumar Yadav’s gutsy knock. In response, KKR was restricted to 142/7 thanks to an all-rounder bowling performance from Mumbai Indians. KKR were right on the track for an easy win but Chahar spun a web and removed the top four batsmen before Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult’s fiery spell handed Mumbai Indians the match.
Chasing 153, KKR got off to a perfect start as the openers Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill stitched a 72-run stand for the first wicket. The duo made full use of the powerplay and smashed 45 runs in the first six overs.
Chahar provided Mumbai Indians the first breakthrough as Gill in an attempt to go for back-to-back sixes got out in the ninth over.
Minutes later Chahar picked his second wickets for the day as he dismissed Rahul Tripathi for a paltry five in the 11th over to reduce KKR to 84/2.
Nitish and Eoin Morgan scripted a brief partnership of 20 runs. However, Chahar wreaked havoc and dismissed the KKR skipper in the 13th over.
With Nitish’s wicket, Chahar removed KKR’s top order to turn the game in Mumbai Indians’ favour in the 15th over.
In the next over, Krunal Pandya joined the party and dismissed Shakib Al Hasan as KKR lost half of their side with 31 runs still needed in 28 balls.
Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik then played sluggish knocks in order to not lose any wicket but the batsmen still failed to get KKR over the line.
Earlier after being asked to bat first, Mumbai Indians suffered an early jolt as the side lost opener Quinton de Kock in the second over. Varun Chakravarthy bamboozled the South African batsman on the last ball of his first over.
Rohit played a cautious knock but Suryakumar dealt in boundaries as he brought up his half-century with a six. However, after smashing the fifty, ‘SKY’ got out in an attempt to whack the ball around but failing to get all of it.
And in the death overs, Mumbai Indians failed to get going and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Russell dismissed Kieron Pollard and Marco Jansen in the 18th over as Mumbai Indians collapsed from 115/3 to 126/7.
Krunal Pandya tried to hit some shots towards the end of the innings but he faltered in order to whack every ball in the final over as Mumbai Indians touched the 150-run mark.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 152 (Suryakumar Yadav 56, Rohit Sharma 32; Andre Russell 5-15); KKR 142/7 (Nitish Rana 57, Shubman Gill 33; Rahul Chahar 4-27)
Chaitra Navratri 2021: Delicious, easy-to-make dishes for 9 days of fasting
Chaitra Navratri or Vasant Navratri is celebrated during the spring season in India, however in Australia in autumn. This year, it will begin on April 13, 2021, and end on April 22, 2021.
Considered to be an important nine-day celebration for the Hindu community, the auspicious festival, much like Maha Navratri, is dedicated to the nine different forms of Goddess Durga, collectively known as Navdurga. While the festivity is all about heightening one’s spiritual credence by observing fast for nine consecutive days, it may turn out to be enervating for those who only stuff them up with the traditional aloo ki sabzi with kuttu or singhara atta puri.
During the pious days of Navratri, the Hindus skip or alter several ingredients from their meals, according to their family traditions. During the fasting process, people completely avoid onion, garlic, and more. From an ayurvedic perspective, these foods attract and absorb negative energies and should be avoided during this seasonal change as the human body tends to have low immunity around this time.
So as you prepare for the nine-day fasting period, here are some quick to make and yummy to eat recipes:
1. Sabudana Thalipeeth:
Sabudana Thalipeeth is crisp and soft pancake made with tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes, ground peanuts and spices. They are also called Upvasache Thalipeeth in the Marathi language and can also be referred to as Sabudana roti.
2. Millet Uttapam:
These uttapams are made from sama ke chawal or vrat ke chawal flour (barnyard millet flour). Sprinkle chopped tomatoes and serve hot with mint-yogurt dip.
3. Kuttu ka Dosa:
What can you relish more than having a crispy dosa with potato filling during your fast? Serve it hot with coriander chutney. Move over usual kuttu ki puri and rustle up something new this Navratri.
4. Aalu ki kadhi:
This is a unique dish that you can make by replacing the usual besan with singhade ka atta. All you have to do is to follow the usual steps that you do while making the besan ki kadhi, but replace the besan batter with singhade ka atta batter.
Few people don’t use red chili powder during Navratri so you can replace it with green chilies also. This is a light and yummy snack to satiate your cravings during fasting.
5. Dahi arbi (Taro):
This is the same as the delicious dish mentioned above. The only difference is that you have to add the soft arbi instead of potato while cooking this item. In contrast with the aalu kadhi, this dish is to be made with a thin gravy. This is a perfect dish for those who want to cut on carbs during fasting.
6. Sukhi arbi (Taro):
Crispy, fried, and tasty spiced arbi dish is all you need to satisfy your cravings during the Navratri fast. This arbi recipe is also known as Brindavani ghuiya. This dish is easy to make and is also equally yummy to eat. Follow the same steps that you do while preparing french fries. Just make sure to add only those spices that are permitted in your family while fasting.
7. Banana dry fruits lassi:
Tired of eating raw bananas? Try this Lassi made with the goodness of yogurt, bananas, honey, and walnuts. Drink up this healthy lassi and keep yourself energised through the day. This will also serve as a perfect smoothie for your summertime fast and will keep you full for the entire day.
8. Arbi (Taro) kofta with mint yogurt dip:
Bored of eating the traditional potato vegetable during Navratri fast? Make this Arbi kofta recipe which is the perfect tea time snack for you to try out during the festival. This dish, prepared with kuttu ka atta and accompanied with the ever-versatile mint-yogurt dip, will leave everyone asking for more.
9. Sama chawal idli:
Well, this dish is a perfect example of what can be achieved if you are well aware of the substitutes available to you. Who will not like to gulp hot idlis with the ever-versatile mint-yogurt dip? Just replace your usual rice batter with sama rice batter to make these idlis and you are ready to eat it as your ‘fast food’ for dinner or breakfast.
While observing fast and welcoming the deity in your house, don’t forget to pray for the healing of the world from the deadly coronavirus, this year. A very happy Chaitra Navratri 2021!
Are you looking for a job, hurry up Australian Bureau of Statistics requires 20,000 Census Field Officers
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is currently recruiting 20,000 Census Field Officers.
These appointments are across the country to help deliver the 2021 Census.
These roles are among 38,000 temporary jobs created to successfully deliver the 2021 Census.
Field Officers are a crucial workforce that help people throughout Australia to participate in the upcoming 2021 Census.
Field Officers assist the ABS at a local level by delivering Census instructions and forms and by visiting households that have not yet responded.
The roles are short-term and available in all cities, towns and regional areas nationwide.
The ABS will recruit locally to ensure Field Officers are familiar with the local area.
The flexible working hours are variable and will include weekdays, weekends and evenings.
Andrew Henderson, Census Executive Director and National Spokesperson said;
“Field Officers play a vital role as they promote Census participation and answer peoples’ questions. Helping members of the public who need special support to complete the Census is a key role for our Field Officers. We want to recruit motivated people who are keen to tell their community’s story through the successful collection of Census data. Previous experience isn’t a requirement and training will be provided prior to commencing the job. We are also recruiting people who can speak a language other than English as part of the job.”
Applicants are encouraged to view the applicant information kit and apply early as jobs are expected to fill quickly.
It takes approximately 15 minutes to apply at www.censusjobs.adecco.com.au.
The 2021 Census is on Tuesday 10 August 2021. It is Australia’s 18th Census.
Is Lentils As Anything, a pay-what-you-feel restaurant chain, in trouble?
Lentil As Anything has fed the disadvantaged and let customers pay whatever they feel a meal is worth for almost two decades.
It was was created by Shanaka Fernando for his local community in St. Kilda around.
Shanaka set up the first Lentil As Anything as “Australia’s first modern social enterprises.”
In 2007, Shanaka was also awarded Australia’s Local Hero/Social Challenger at Australian of the Year Awards.
It became famous as a restaurant that provided food to anyone who dropped in and payment was based on a contribution model.
Lentil as Anything encouraged patrons to donate what they could either through a gift of labour, skills.
But it was soon marred by investigations of Fair Work Ombudsman into wage underpayment and the Australian Tax Office into unpaid superannuation bill.
According to the Age, the enterprise owed staff at least $155,000 in unpaid superannuation.
In 2020, the enterprise was almost on the brink of insolvency.
It was luckily bailed out by a GoFundMe campaign.
Thousands of Australians donated over $370,000 via GoFundMe during October to save Lentil As Anything from closing their doors due to the economic uncertainty of COVID-19.
To give back to the community, Shanaka Fernando said:
“We’ve seen first-hand the impact of economic hardship faced by many Australians this year with the demand for our community outreach programs significantly increasing since the pandemic took hold.”
Shanaka quit the board last year and Megan Evans was made the new Chair.
Megan admitted to the Age there had been problems in the social experiment but they were working with the authorities.
“It’s been a very awful, tricky situation … lack of expertise or capacity to meet regulatory deadlines.”
According to Megan, the enterprise is staffed by volunteers and paid staff who were “short-changed because they were paid under the wrong workplace award.”
On April 1, Lentil As Anything posted something on their Facebook page that raised many eyebrows about the enterprise.
People were devastated by this news and their comments showed the appreciation they had for this social enterprise.
This news of the St. Kilda restaurant closing down turned out to be an April Fool’s joke to raise awareness about the enterprise.
Due to the COVID pandemic, the number of Australians seeking food relief at least once a week has doubled.
Shanaka has rejoined the organisation and looking for all the support to help the enterprise.
With its core value to serve and create ‘healthy human community’, Lentil As Anything in Melbourne and Sydney is working on providing meals for the homeless.
Hindu New Year – History and significance of the festival
The Hindu New Year is celebrated in accordance with the Almanac or the Panchanga, that is, the Hindu Lunar Calendar. The Hindu New Year is also known as the start of Vikram Samvat. The current era of Vikram Samvat is believed to have begun in the year 57 BCE. This day also marks the end of one agricultural harvest and the beginning of a new one. Hence, this event is concerned with the sowing and reaping of crops.
On this day, the sun is found to be at the point just above the intersection of the equator and the meridians. This day also marks the beginning of the season of spring or the Vasanta Ritu.
The exact day of the Hindu New Year changes every year, in accordance with the calculations in the lunar calendar. Each state in India celebrates the New Year in its own unique way, following customs and traditions that are exclusive to that particular region. We now take a look at the way in which this event is celebrated in different parts of the country.
Legend behind the New Year Celebrations
The origins of the Hindu New Year revolve around the legend of the great Hindu King, Vikramaditya, who ruled in 57 BC. It is believed that King Gardabhilla, who ruled in 12th Century CE, once seized a sadhvi named Saraswati. She was the sister of the Jain monk, Kalakacharya. The monk then took the help of the ruler of Saka to conquer Gardabhilla. The former eventually defeated the latter.
A defeated Gardabhilla went to the forest, where he was killed by a tiger. His son, Vikramaditya, grew up to be a great King. He invaded Ujjain and defeated the Sakas. This new era of the King’s victory, it is said, is celebrated as the Vikram Samvat.
According to the Brahma Purana, the New Year marks the day when Lord Brahma recreated the entire world after the previous Pralaya or Great Deluge. Time, hence, was created anew on this day.
Let us now look at how each region in India celebrates the Hindu New Year.
Ugadi
Ugadi, Yugadi or Samvatsaradi as per the Telugu and Kannada Hindu calendar, is celebrated on the first day of the waxing phase of the moon in the month of Chaitra. This day is also called the Chitra Shukla Paksha Padyami – this falls in March or April, as per the Gregorian Calendar. In fact, this day is considered the New Year day for Hindus living between the Vindhya-Kaveri belt.
The name Ugadi or Yugadi is derived from the Sanskrit roots of Yuga or “age”; and Adi, which means, “beginning” – combined together, this word means “the beginning of a new age”. The term Yugadi especially refers to the start of the current epoch or Yuga we are living in now, the Kaliyuga. This Yuga is believed to have started the day Lord Krishna left his mortal coil and ended this particular avatar on Earth. Hence, the Kaliyuga is supposed to have commenced on the midnight of February 17, going into February 18, 3102 BCE.
Celebrations
The Kannada, Marathi, Telugu and Konkani celebrate this event with great verve. The day begins with an elaborate oil bath ritual, followed by a visit to the nearby temple. This is followed by a feast of a certain dish including all six tastes, called the Ugadi Pacchadi in Telugu and Bevu-Bella in Kannada. This is symbolic of accepting and enjoying life in the year ahead, which is a mixture of all different tastes or experiences, including happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise.
The inclusion of neem signifies sadness, as it is bitter in taste. Jaggery and ripe bananas indicate sweet happiness. Green chili and pepper are hot and therefore, indicate anger. Salt signifies fear and the sour tamarind juice indicates the emotion of disgust. Unripened mango is also added for its tang, adding that emotion of surprise.
A special dish called Bobbatlu (also called Bhakshyalu, Polelu or Puran Poli) is prepared on the New Year’s Day. In Karnataka, this is referred to as Holige or Obbattu. This is basically a filling of gram flour and sugar or jaggery paste, stuffed into balls made of flour, then given a roti-like round shape. It can be eaten either hot or cold and is served up with ghee, milk or even coconut milk.
Post the feast, people gather to listen to the recitation of the Panchanga of the new year, followed by a forecast of the year ahead. This is called Panchanga Shravanam. Telugu people greet each other saying, “Yugadi Shubhakankshulu” and Kannadigas wish each other saying “Yugadi Hubbada Shubhashayagalu”.
Gudi Padwa
Gudhi Padwa or Gudi Padwa also referred to as Samvatsar Padvo (among the Hindu Konkanis residing in Goa), is celebrated by Maharashtrians, on the day of the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. This is also the first day of Chaitra Navratri and is known as Ghatasthapana or Kalash Sthapana. The word “Padwa” is taken from the Sanskrit word, Pratipada, the first day of the lunar month.
On this day, an ornamented Gudi is hoisted and worshipped, which is what gives the festival its name. This festival is celebrated at the very end of the Rabi season. It is one of the Saade-Teen Muhurtas, or the 3 and a half auspicious days of the Hindu Lunar calendar. The other similar Muhurta days include Akshaya Tritiya, Vijayadashami (or Dusshera), and Balipratipada.
Erecting the Gudhi
All over Maharashtra, the Gudi is prominently displayed in all households. A long bamboo stick is fixed onto the ground or a fixed surface and the tip is tied with a brightly colored brocade or zari cloth, and some gaathi (sugar crystals), neem leaves, mango leaves, and a garland of red flowers is tied over it. A copper or silver pot is placed in an inverted position over the tip of this stick. This is referred to as the Gudi.
Significance of the Gudhi
- Maharashtrians consider this as the symbol of the victory of Chhatrapati Shivaji, as also the victory of King Shalivahana over Sakas.
- It also signifies the Brahmadhvaja or Brahma’s flag, or the Indradhvaja, or Indra’s flag.
- It indicates Rama’s victory over the demon King, Ravana.
- People believe that it also wards off evil and brings good luck in the household.
Celebrations
Multicolor Alpana Print on Round Sticker – Paper StickerPeople clean their households before the big day. Houses in villages are swept clean and are plastered with fresh cow-dung. Women create rangoli designs on the doorstep of their homes, using vibrant colors, which are associated with the abundant colors of spring. People take an elaborate bath and wear new clothes. This is also a time for family get-togethers.
A paste of neem leaves, tamarind and sugar or jaggery is made and all family members consume the same. This is believed to be capable of strengthening the body’s immune system. Women also make Pooris, Shrikhand and Pooran Polis on this day. Konkanis make Kanangachi Kheer, which is made of sweet potato, jaggery, coconut milk, rice flour and Sanna.
Putthandu
Putthandu, also known as Chitthirai-Tirunaal, is celebrated as the New Year day across Tamil Nadu. This day falls in mid-April and is usually celebrated around the 14th or 15th of April each year. incidentally, this is regarded as the first day of the Tamil New Year among all Tamil people living in Singapore, Malaysia, Reunion and Mauritius.
The Tamil people follow the vernal equinox or Nirayanam. According to this, the first day of the new year usually falls on 14th April, in the month of Chitthirai. On this day, people greet each other by saying, “Putthandu Vazhtthukkal” or “Iniya Tamizh Putthandu Nallvaazhtthukkal”, meaning, “best wishes for a sweet (prosperous) New Year”.
Festivities
The people of Tamil Nadu celebrate this day in a big way. In the temple city of Madurai, the Chitthirai Thiruvizha is celebrated at the Meenakshi Temple there. A massive exhibition, called Chitthirai Porutkaatchi, is also held in the premises.
In some parts of Southern Tamil Nadu, this day is also called Chitthirai Vishu. The entrances to homes are decorated with elaborate kolams or rangolis and the women of the house get busy preparing a great feast. Some households also include neem flowers and raw mangoes, which symbolize growth and prosperity. In some regions, they also conduct a Car Festival during this time of the year.
In Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Tamils celebrate this day, by performing a unique financial transaction of sorts, which is referred to Kai-vishesham. Here, elders gift money to the younger members of the household, particularly to children, as a blessing for their prosperity in the coming year. This event is followed by “Arpudu” or the ploughing of the ground in order to prepare for the brand new agricultural cycle. This time of the year is considered to be a Punya-kaalam or auspicious time to start any new activity or venture.
Beginning with a ritual herbal bath called the maruthu-neer, people visit temples to seek the blessings of the Almighty in the New Year. Youths play a game of “por-thenkai” or a “war with coconuts” and cart races are also held in some regions. People then get together with their family members for a sumptuous feast.
Incidentally, the Sinhalese New Year also falls on the same day, and hence, the entire country celebrates this day in a great way.
Vishu
Vishu is an important festival for residents of Kerala, as also in Mangalore and Udipi. In fact, this day is second only to Onam for Malayalis from around the world. This day also marks the New Year day according to the Kolla Varsham or the Malayalam calendar.
Vishukkani
The most important ritual on this day is the “Vishukkani”, which literally implies the “first thing seen” on the morning of Vishu. For this ritual, people arrange articles such as raw rice, fresh vegetables and fruits, coconut with betel leaves, arecanut, the sacred Konna Poo (the bright yellow Cassia fistula variety of flowers), sacred texts, gold, silver, coins and money; in front of a metal mirror. A nilavilakku or lighted lamp is placed beside this arrangement.
This Vishukkani is prepared the previous night, just before going to bed. The custom is to get up from bed before dawn and proceed towards the arrangement with closed eyes, only opening them to look at it. This is done so that one sees only good and auspicious things first thing in the morning, on the day of the New Year.
Festivities
Malayalis take a ritual oil bath, after which they visit temples in the vicinity. Many of these temples also maintain a Vishukkazhcha for the devotees to take a look. Later, verses from the Ramayana are read out before a gathering of family members.
Then the day is celebrated with much fervor with people lighting the Vishuppadakkam or firecrackers, wearing and gifting new clothes (Puthukodi) younger family members and elders giving Vishukkaineettam (giving money) to youngsters, including children; even including the domestic helpers of the household.
Family members then assemble to partake of a grand Saddhya or feast, consisting of equal quantities of salty, sweet, sour and bitter food items. The Vishu Kanji and the Thoran are the two most important items served during the Saddhya. The Kanji, which is nourishing and very tasty, is prepared with rice, coconut milk and some select spices.
Maha Vishuva Sankranti
In Orissa or Odisha, the New Year day is referred to as the Maha Vishuva Sankranti or the Pana Sankranti. The Oriya month of Mesha starts from this day on and that is why it is also called Mesha Sankranti.
Celebrations
People fill a small pot with Pana or a sweet drink. There is a tiny hole at the bottom of the pot, which allows the fluid to fall from it. People first offer a mixture made of horse gram, banana and curd to the sacred Tulsi plant in their homes, before consuming the same. They then make special offerings to the Shivalinga, Shalagrama, Hanuman, the various forms of Devi Parvati and other deities as well. Many also undertake Jhaamu Yatras to major Devi temples in Odisha.
The tribals in Odisha perform a ritual called Danda Nata, Danda Nacha, or Danda Jatra, which goes on for a period of 13 days. This is one of their most ancient traditional forms of welcoming in the New Year. This ritual, dedicated to Goddess Kali, is a group event, where devotees invoke Her grace and blessings. People believe that performing this ritual destroys negativity and sin and brings peace and prosperity, along with a good harvest all year round.
The end of the last day is referred to as Pana Sankranti or Meru Sankranti. People undertaking this ritual completely avoid non-vegetarian food during these 13 days, even avoiding the intake of onion and garlic.
Cheti Chand
Cheti Chand is an important festival for Sindhis and is also celebrated as the New Year’s Day by Sindhis hailing from both India and Pakistan. This festival is celebrated by Sindhis from around the world as well. This day for Hindus falls on the second day of the month of Chaitra. Sindhis refer to this month as Chet, and hence the name, Chet-i-Chand.
The Sindhi community celebrates this day to commemorate the birth of their Ishtadeva, Uderolal, more popularly known as Jhulelal, who is regarded as the Patron Saint of the Sindhis. On this day, people worship water, the giver of life.
Many Sindhis take the Baharana Sahib to a nearby lake or river. The Baharana Sahib comprises a Jyot or oil lamp, Phota or cardamom, Misiri or sugar crystals, Fal or fruits and Akha. Behind all these sits the Kalash, with a coconut, covered with cloth, flowers and leaves. Sindhis also place an idol of their Pujya Jhulelal Devta and offer prayers to him.
Chaliho Sahab
Devotees of Jhulelal offer their obeisance to Chaliho Sahab. Traditionally, they undertook rituals for forty whole days and nights and stood vigil on the banks of the river Sindhu. The men did not shave, use soap or detergent and did not wear new clothes either. They would just wash their clothes, leave them to dry and then wear them again. in the evenings, they would worship Lord Varuna, the God of water and rain, singing songs in his praise, praying for salvation. Even today, those who follow the traditional ritual of Chaliho, celebrate this day as a day of thanksgiving to Jhulelal.
Chaitti and Basoa
Chaitti and Basoa are celebrated as part of the festivities to usher in the New Year in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Chaitti is the first day of the Chaitra month and so, it considered to be very important and auspicious for people residing in this part of India.
Basoa, also referred to as Bishu, is celebrated on the first day of the Baisakh month. On this day, the farmers and aboriginals living in this region participate in this festival with great joy and enthusiasm. Three days prior to this festival, people start making small cakes called Kodra, and then wrap them up in leaves, leaving them to ferment.
On the day of Bishu, they invite their relatives to break these cakes and eat them with honey and sweet water mixed with jaggery.
Pohela Boisakh/Juir-Sheetal
Pohela Boisakh, also called Poila Boisakh, is the Bengali New Year’s Day, which is celebrated all over West Bengal, extending to the Bengali people in Assam and Tripura; even crossing national borders and influencing the residents of Bangladesh.
This festival falls on the day after Vishuva Sankranti and is also called as the Choitro Sankranti in Bengali – hence, it usually falls on the 14th or the 15th of April. As seen above, this festival brings together all Bengalis, irrespective of their regional location.
In Bangladesh, this day has been fixed and falls on the 14th of April each year. This day has also been declared as a national holiday in this country.
Cheiraoba
Cheiraoba is the New Year’s Day festival, celebrated by the people of Manipur. This elaborate and joyous festival is celebrated with much verve all over the state. The name “Cheiraoba” is actually a combination of two words, namely, “Chahi” or “Year” and “Laoba”, which means “Declaration”. So this festival declares or announces the New Year, also bidding goodbye to the past year.
This day falls on the same day as Gudi Padwa, and so this state too celebrates the festival along with the rest of the Indian states.
Navreh
Navreh is celebrated as the New Year’s Day in Kashmir. This day too coincides with the first day of Chaitra Navratras. The people residing in this part of India consider this day to be as sacred and holy as the Shivartri day. In fact, this day is even mentioned in the Nilamat Purana and the Rajtarangini of Kashmir.
The people here celebrate this second Navratra (the first one is during the 9 days of the festival of Navratri, concluding with the Dusshera) in commemoration of the victory of their great King, Lalitaditya. Navreh falls on the same day as Gudhi Padwa or Ugadi.
The Maithili New Year
Juir Sheetal, which is also referred to as Baisakhi or Pahil Baisakh, is observed as the first day of the Maithili New Year. This day normally falls on the 14th of April as per the Maithils residing in the Mithila region of India and Nepal. They also sometimes refer to this day as Nirayana Mesh Sankranti or Tirhuta New Year.
This day is also referred to as Hanumat Dhwajadanam; the day when Hanuman’s flag, that is, Mithila’s flag, is to be flown. Incidentally, people additionally consider this as the birthday of Raja Shailesh or Salhesh, the King of the Himalayan region of Mithila, who was victorious in several battles and also conquered several regions in that area. In fact, every village of Mithila even now, has a “Rajaji’s Gahwar”, which is worshipped by all the people, especially by the Paswans. This day, hence, symbolizes community harmony as well.
This day also holds great significance in the present-day Indian cultural milieu. The Maithili New Year has been declared as the Mithila Diwas by the Government of Bihar in India.
Significance for Other mythologies
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Ganga had descended to Earth on this very day. In her honor, people gather along the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) to take their ritual bath.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj on this day, in the year 1875. Hence, this is a big day for that community as well.
Even Buddhists celebrate this day as Vesakha, Vesak, Wesak, or Vaisakha. It commemorates the Birth, the Awakening, and the Passing Away of Gautama Buddha.
Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)
Vaisakhi Festival of Punjab – PosterBaisakhi, Vasakhi or Vaisakhi is the festival celebrated in Punjab, by the Sikh community residing there.
This event is in commemoration of the establishment of the Khalsa. The 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, had laid the foundation of the Panth Khalsa in the year 1699. The day is also celebrated by farmers as a way of giving thanks for the abundant harvest during that year, also praying for future prosperity.
Festivities
In East Punjab, especially in Talwandi Sabo, in a Gurudwara in Anandpur Sahib and also at the Golden Temple at Amritsar, people celebrate this festival with great vigor and verve. In West Punjab too, the festival is widely celebrated by Sikhs.
Hundreds of Sikhs from all over the globe undertake pilgrimages to sacred Sikh places of worship including Nankana Sahib and Hasan Abdal. Even Sikhs living abroad celebrate the festival in an elaborate manner. They hold daylong Kirtans in their local Gurudwaras, with hordes of people pouring in to attend the same. Many communities also hold Nagar Kirtan, which involves the participants going around the streets, singing Kirtans. In some places, Vaisakhi Melas or fairs are also conducted in order to celebrate this festival with even greater cheer.
Sikhs living in India traditionally visit Gurudwaras prior to dawn, along with flowers and other offering. In rural Punjab, people get together to do the vigorous and very joyous Bhangra dance. Then revelers partake of an elaborate feast and make merry, while also praying for a fruitful and profitable year ahead.
Happy New Year!
Here is wishing all our readers a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. May peace, prosperity, joy and health abound and may you achieve all that you can ever desire for. Happy New Year!
Author:
Priya Viswanathan, a teacher/performer of Bharata Natyam, Classical Music, and Classical Instrumental Veena. A recipient of several awards for both music and dance, Priya is also a freelance writer online.
Cyclone damages Western Australian towns, Power cuts in 31,500 homes
A destructive cyclone damaged several towns on Australia’s western coast, shattering windows, snapping trees, and knocking out power. Tropical Cyclone Seroja crossed the Western Australia state coast south of the tourist town of Kalbarri with winds gusting up to 170 kph (106 mph) shortly after dark Sunday, officials said on Monday.
Around 70% of buildings in Kalbarri, a town of 1,400 people 580 kilometers (360 miles) north of the state capital Perth, had been damaged, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said. About 30% of that damage was “significant,” Klemm said.
Other coastal towns sustained less damage. Government utility Western Power reported 31,500 customers had lost power. There have been no reports of serious injuries Such powerful cyclones are rare in subtropical Australia. The damage was worse in some parts of Kalbarri than others, but the whole town had been impacted, local State Emergency Service manager Steve Cable said.
Powerlines and trees were toppled, homes lost roofs and streets were strewn with debris. “Some of the older buildings didn’t stand up very well. But even some of the modern buildings, they just couldn’t hold it,” Cable told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “Large trees with quite substantial limbs just snapped off like carrots,” he added.
Debbie Major weathered the storm in a room of a Kalbarri tourist trailer park that she manages, clutching a door to prevent it blowing open as broken tree limbs shattered windows. “I’ve never experienced anything in my life that we experienced last night,” Major said. ”It was terrifying.”
Cyclone Seroja lost power and was downgraded to a tropical low before blowing out to sea near Esperance on Monday. The same cyclone caused flooding and landslides that killed at least 174 people and left 48 missing in Indonesia and East Timor last week.
Does Australian Defence Force need to attract more multicultural talent to help them succeed?
Flight Lieutenant Soumya ‘Sam’ Chowdhury was born and raised in India and moved to Australia in 2007.
“Growing up in India has shaped my perspective and attitude to others.”
Flight Lieutenant Chowdhury is posted as an electrical engineer at the Defence Aviation Safety Authority (DASA).
The DASA is responsible for enhancing and promoting the safety of military aviation.
Flight Lieutenant Chowdhury works with people across Air Force and Defence in his daily work.
He told Defence News that he has always been encouraged to listen to others.
“When you hire people from diverse backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures, you’re bringing a fresh array of perspectives to the table. This can lead to benefits like better problem-solving and increased productivity.”
According to Australian Defence News, more than 25 per cent of the Air Force workforce identifies as being from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse background.
Flight Lieutenant Chowdhury says that it is important to use these varied experiences to help Air Force succeed.
“I think it is important to have a diverse workforce in Air Force as diversity helps us recognise and respect ways of being that may be different to our own. People from diverse cultures contribute language skills, new ways of thinking, new knowledge, and different experiences to our Air Force.”
Australian Defence forces offer roles across a variety of disciplines and professions.
It welcomes applications from all Australians as its selection processes are free from cultural, racial and gender bias.
Leaders slam New Zealand Prime Minister’s ban on travellers from India
Leaders have started questioning the decision of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government to temporarily halt the travel from India.
Jacinda Ardern on April 8 announced that New Zealand would temporarily suspend entry for all travellers from India.
This includes its New Zealand’s citizens for two weeks from April 11 after India appeared to be gripped in the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic with cases suddenly soaring.
Leaders believe that this could possibly lead to or may promote racism and stigma against the Indian community in New Zealand.
According to a report in the Guardian report, Sunil Kaushal, president of the Waitakere Indian Association has questioned why the New Zealand government applied the rule to India.
“We don’t feel like a part of the ‘team of 5 million’ when Indians are singled out like this.”
He asked why not nations such as United States, Brazil, France and the UK who when compared novel coronavirus cases per-capita are way ahead than India.
Member of Parliament Golriz Ghahraman (Green Party) also took this opportunity to post a question on Twitter for Jacinda Ardern.
Mandeep Bela, of the Indian Workers Association, said that the restriction implies that New Zealand citizens in India had been “left stateless”.
“It’s quite shocking, to be honest. Since Covid started, we were told that New Zealand cannot shut its borders to its citizens, regardless of where they are, how many cases there are – they cannot stop them coming back to the country.”
New Zealand has recorded 23 new positive coronavirus cases at its border facilities as of Thursday, of which 17 were from India.
On this Prime Minister of New Zealnd has said:
“If that number of people from any country were coming in with Covid that would give us cause to pause and look at mitigation to reduce that risk, so this is not country-specific, this is about the cases we are seeing currently from that region.”
The NZ Council for Civil Liberties said:
“While we recognise that the practicalities of managing an infectious disease can justify a limitation of this right, we also question whether the government has put in enough effort to avoid having to take this step.”
“Late-night snacks may affect workplace performance”
A recent study has found that unhealthy eating behaviours at night can make people less helpful and more withdrawn the next day at work.
The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. “For the first time, we have shown that healthy eating immediately affects our workplace behaviours and performance,” said Seonghee “Sophia” Cho, corresponding author of the study and an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University.
Cho added, “It is relatively well established that other health-related behaviours, such as sleep and exercise, affect our work. But nobody had looked at the short-term effects of unhealthy eating.”
Fundamentally, the researchers had two questions: Does unhealthy eating behaviour affect you at work the next day? And, if so, why?
For the study, researchers had 97 full-time employees in the United States answer a series of questions three times a day for 10 consecutive workdays. Before work on each day, study participants answered questions related to their physical and emotional well-being.
At the end of each workday, participants answered questions about what they did at work. In the evening, before bed, participants answered questions about their eating and drinking behaviours after work.
In the context of the study, researchers defined “unhealthy eating” as instances when study participants felt they’d eaten too much junk food; when participants felt they’d had too much to eat or drink; or when participants reporting having too many late-night snacks.
The researchers found that, when people engaged in unhealthy eating behaviours, they were more likely to report having physical problems the next morning. Problems included headaches, stomachaches and diarrhea.
In addition, when people reported unhealthy eating behaviours, they were also more likely to report emotional strains the next morning – such as feeling guilty or ashamed about their diet choices. Those physical and emotional strains associated with unhealthy eating were, in turn, related to changes in how people behaved at work throughout the day.
Essentially, when people reported physical or emotional strains associated with unhealthy eating, they were also more likely to report declines in “helping behaviour” and increases in “withdrawal behaviour.”
Helping behaviour at work refers to helping colleagues and going the extra mile when you don’t have to, such as assisting a co-worker with a task that is not your responsibility. Withdrawal behaviour refers to avoiding work-related situations, even though you’re at your workplace.
The researchers also found that people who were emotionally stable – meaning people who are better able to cope with stress because they’re less emotionally volatile – suffered fewer adverse effects from unhealthy eating. Not only were emotionally stable people less likely to have physical or emotional strains after unhealthy eating, but their workplace behaviours were also less likely to change even when they reported physical or emotional strains.
“The big takeaway here is that we now know unhealthy eating can have almost immediate effects on workplace performance,” Cho said.
Cho added, “However, we can also say that there is no single ‘healthy’ diet, and healthy eating isn’t just about nutritional content. It may be influenced by an individual’s dietary needs, or even by when and how they’re eating, instead of what they’re eating.
“Companies can help to address healthy eating by paying more attention to the dietary needs and preferences of their employees and helping to address those needs, such as through on-site dining options. This can affect both the physical and mental health of their employees – and, by extension, their on-the-job performance,” Cho further said.
The researchers also pointed to a variety of research questions that could be addressed moving forward.
“One confounding variable is that the way our questions were phrased, we may be capturing both unhealthy eating behaviours and unhealthy drinking behaviours related to alcohol,” Cho said.
“That’s something we will want to tease out moving forward. And while we focused on the evening diet, it would be interesting to look at what people are eating at other times of the day. Are there specific elements of the diet that affect behavioural outcomes – such as sugar or caffeine content? Can there be positive effects of unhealthy eating, such as when people eat comfort foods to help cope with stress? This promises to be a rich field of study,” Cho concluded.
Thousands of Hindu devotees and seers celebrate the Kumbh Mela
Thousands of Hindu devotees gathered by the river Ganges in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar on Sunday to offer prayers during the Kumbh Mela.
The Kumbh Mela is one of the largest religious gathering of Hindus in the world.
The Health Ministry has and the state government has made a negative RT-PCR result mandatory for those visiting Haridwar.
Hundreds of seers representing the thirteen Akhadas will also take the holy dip in the Ganges on Monday.
Monday is the day of the Shahi Snan which is considered to be an auspicious day to take holy dip in the river.
In Haridwar, there are 2056 active COVID-19 cases and SK Gunjyal, IG and Mela Police officer told NDTV:
”It’s a very challenging exercise to manage crowds. There are guidelines from the state and the Central governments. SOPs have also been issued to the general public that will be applicable till 30th April which require public to submit negative RT-PCR report, a medical certificate and identity card to generate e-pass to be able to access Haridwar Kumbh area.”
Held every 12 years, this year’s Kumbh Mela is taking place as India is gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts have urged the devotees and general public to avoid large gathering and maintain social distancing to avoid further spread of the coronavirus.
Police seize $3 million in cash from a car in Gold Coast
Queensland Police are investigating following the seizure of approximately $3 million in cash from a vehicle at Elanora.
According to the police a Nissan Navara four-wheel drive was intercepted during a routine traffic stop on the Pacific Motorway at about 4.20pm.
A subsequent search of the vehicle by the police uncovered approximately $3 million in cash notes stacked inside three bags.
The female driver and her male passenger are assisting police with enquiries.
The police say that investigations are ongoing to determine the origin of the funds.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.
International Student’s bicycle got stolen on Uber-eats delivery, this is how Indian Australian community responded
Prakhar Tewari is an International student from India and is studying in Sydney.
In the COVID19 affected market jobs are hard to come by that’s why to manage his expenses, he works as a delivery driver for Uber-eats. In a viral post on social media, he tells his story of his bicycle stolen, after which a stream of help and support from the generous Indian Australian community flowed for him.
On Thursday, when he went to deliver in a building on Bigge Street in Liverpool, he parked his bicycle outside. It took him 5 minutes and when he came back the bicycle was not there. Someone had stolen it.
Abhishek looked everywhere, talked to the building manager who showed him CCTV footage. In the footage, it is clearly seen a man taking away the bicycle.
He went to the police and registered a complaint. Police told him the case will be allocated to an officer and they will contact him as and when they have an update.
Prakhar agrees that he left his bicycle unlocked as there was no pole or bike stand where he could tie it. He also recalls parking bicycles many times in front of the building door and it remained safe.
He uploaded the picture and video of the person who took his bike on social media, taken from the building manager.
In the viral post, Prakhar requested the Liverpool community, if they know the guy who stole the bike please report.
He said, Uber eats is the only source of income and it was difficult for him to pay his bills without this work.
Within few hours Prakhar was overwhelmed by the support and help offered by Indian Australian community members on the Indians in Sydney page.
One of the members of Indians in Sydney, Yadwinder Sangha offered Abhishek his bike for free. He also wrote in a reply, “Happy to help anyother way.”
Yadwinder’s kind gesture was very much appreciated by the community. Avinash Thakur wrote, “You offering your bike is the best post I read today, Kudos to you for your generosity and selflessness.”
Others also appreciated it and offered to pool in some amount to help Prakhar.
Sanu Mandal also suggested to inquire with Prakhar Tewari that what kind of help he requires.
Offer to get him bike kept coming from community members.
Rahul Singh wrote, “Sorry for you loss. Just text me and I will get you a bike.”
Jitender Chhabra provided his phone number and wrote, He has two bikes and offered Prakhar to come and pick whichever is suitable for him.
Mohit Singh suggested how to move forward from here to get actual help via a secure web link. He also offered his spare bicycle without any question.
Kind hearted Tanmay Patel even offered him a job at Domino’s near Liverpool.
Overwhelmed with the kindness of Indian Australian community Prakhar Tewari updated is post.
He wrote, “Never expected such tremendous support. Thankyou for those who showed their concern and also those who offered their help. I have many options available. Will definitely go through some of them.”
We will update the story as soon as we here back from Prakhar Tewari on which bicycle he chose out of plenty of options.
IPL 2021: Harshal, De Villiers shine in RCB’s nervy win over Mumbai Indians
Harshal Patel delivered a stunning bowling performance before AB de Villiers’ masterclass helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeat Mumbai Indians by two wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 opening match here at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
Harshal Patel had picked five wickets (three in the final over) to restrict Mumbai Indians to 159 runs in the allotted 20 overs. In response, RCB got over the line on the last ball, courtesy of some fine hitting by De Villiers in the death overs. RCB needed 39 runs off the last four overs and De Villiers ensured his side was right in the game as he brought down the equation to seven runs of one over. But the Virat Kohli-led side did wobble in the end as the South African batsman was run out in an attempt to steal a double. Harshal and Mohammed Siraj got RCB over the line on the last ball in the IPL 2021 opening match.
Chasing 160 runs, RCB got off to a firing start with openers Washington Sundar and Kohli clubbing 35 runs off the first four overs.
However, Washington didn’t make his promotion count as Krunal Pandya dismissed him in the fifth over. In the very next over, Trent Boult bowled debutant Rajat Patidar to reduce RCB to 46/2 as the batting powerplay came to an end.
Kohli slowed down in the middle overs but Glenn Maxwell played his natural shots and whacked two glorious sixes and three fours.
Jasprit Bumrah plummed Kohli in front of the stumps and the skipper’s wicket triggered a middle-order collapse as RCB lost two wickets in the 15th over.
Marco Jansen first took the massive wicket of Maxwell and then turned the tide by sending Shahbaz Ahmed back to the pavilion. Daniel Christian too failed to leave a mark as RCB lost the sixth wicket of the day.
But AB de Villiers held his nerves and smashed some glorious shots as the equation, which was 39 runs off 24 balls, came down to 19 runs off two overs.
RCB did wobble as Kyle Jamieson and de Villiers were run out in the last two overs but the side still got over the line in the end.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Mumbai Indians got off to a good start with openers Rohit Sharma and Chris Lynn scoring regular boundaries. However, the duo only managed to form a 24-run partnership as Rohit (19) got run out in the fourth over.
Suryakumar Yadav then came out to bat and played brilliantly along with Lynn. Both played with an aggressive mindset and took the team’s score to 86/1 after the completion of 10 overs.
In the 11th over, Kyle Jamieson put an end to their impressive 70-run partnership as the pacer dismissed Suryakumar (31). Soon after that, Washington Sundar caught and bowled Lynn, who missed his half-century by one run.
Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya then came out in the middle. However, this partnership also did not last long as Harshal removed Hardik (13) in the 16th over, bringing Kieron Pollard on the field.
RCB bowlers continued their sublime bowling performance and did not allow Mumbai Indians batters to settle. Kishan (28) too was sent back to the pavilion in the 18th over by Harshal. Krunal Pandya then joined Pollard and the duo took the team’s score over the 150-run mark in the 19th over.
Harshal bowled the final over of the innings and dismissed Krunal and Pollard on the first two deliveries. Harshal then bowled Marco Jansen and Jasprit Bumrah got run out on the final delivery of the over.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 159/9 (Chris Lynn 49, Suryakumar Yadav 31; Harshal Patel 5/27); RCB 160/8 (Glenn Maxwell 39, AB de Villiers 48; Jasprit Bumrah 2-26)
Indian Software engineer gets one-acre land on the ‘Moon’ as bonus
An American company Luna Society International has gifted land on the moon to Iftikhar Rahmany a software developer in India.
Luna Society International deals in lunar real estate and has commissioned Mr. Rahmany’s company to design some specialised products.
Rahmani works with a software development company called AR Studios which specialises in Artificial Intelligence based at Noida.
According to Dainik Jagran, he developed one program for an American company Luna Society International that sells lunar estate. For his exemplary and hard work, Rahmani was gifted an acre of land on the moon by the American company.
Mr Rahmany says, this reward has made him extremely happy, when his family in Bihar heard the news, they distributed sweets in celebration.
Hailing from Benipur from Bihar’s Darbhanga district, Iftekhar Rahmani always dreamt of becoming an engineer. He completed his school in Benipur and did his B.Tech from a college in Udaipur. He was extremely good in his studies which made him dream big.
Gifting a lunar plot of land has become quite the norm these days. Recently, a businessman from Surat bought a plot of land on the moon for his newborn son.
Physically, one cannot own land there. Just a certificate is given to the buyer that is proof enough of the purchase.
Indian cricketers more tolerant than Australians, says Ganguly
With the coronavirus pandemic looming over the whole world, the game of cricket too has to adapt to the changing scenario.
Cricket boards and countries have created strict bio-bubbles for the safety of cricketers during overseas tours and tournaments.
Under this, cricketers are only allowed to move in a restricted area (hotels and stadium) and interact with a very limited number of people.
Prominent cricketers have spoken about how this is very tough on their mental health.
Team India too has been placed in bio-bubbles for months during their overseas tour.
Commenting on bio-bubbles, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that Indians are “more tolerant” to deal with mental health issues than cricketers from countries like England and Australia.
“I feel we Indians are a bit more tolerant than overseas (cricketers). I’ve played with a lot of Englishmen, Australians, West Indians, they just give up on mental health. “In the last six-seven months, with so much cricket being going on in the bio-bubble it’s so tough. Just going from the hotel room to the ground, handle the pressure and come back to the room and then get back to the ground again, it’s an absolutely different life.”
Citing the example of the Australian cricket team, Ganguly said in the virtual promotional event:
“Look at the Australian team, they were supposed to go to South Africa for a Test series after India played there. They refused to go there… And always there’s this scare of COVID. ‘Hope it’s not me the next time’. You have to stay positive, you have to train yourself mentally. All of us have to train ourselves mentally so that the good will happen. It boils down to training.”
Australia pulled out of their tour to South Africa following their defeat to India at home.
Australia were slated for a three-Test tour in March-April.
The team cited an “unacceptable level of health and safety risk to players, support staff and the community”.
Indian woman ‘kept as slave’ in Australia, case in court
It is alleged that an Indian woman was kept as a slave for eight years by a Melbourne couple.
The jury was told that this woman was a “tried and tested” good worker.
She was expected to be on call all hours of the day.
The Indian woman came to Australia from her home in Tamil Nadu first in 2004.
She stayed for two six-month stints before returning on a one-month tourist visa in July 2007.
The jury was told that the couple lied to her about overseas holidays and part-time work.
Once they got her into Australia, this Melbourne couple had no intention of letting her leave.
The Melbourne couple, known as KK and KK, is now on trial in Victoria’s Supreme Court.
Prosecutor Richard Maidment QC revealed that the couple’s payments to the woman amounted to just $3.39 a day.
This was in exchange for childcare, washing, cleaning and preparing meals.
“She was known to be a person who worked hard and would tolerate being at their beck and call 24/7 during the period she was with them. It doesn’t take much to compare that with what one might expect … to have to pay for a live-in housekeeper and childminder.”
The couple have pleaded not guilty to intentionally possessing the woman as a slave.
It was also revealed that this woman had four children and no formal education.
She had hoped to earn money in Australia to help support her family in India, Maidment said.
Maidment further added that the couple put controls and fundamentally deprived the woman of her rights and freedoms.
It is alleged that the couple even used to throw boiling water and tea at her and she was also hit with frozen chicken.
The Indian woman said through a translator:
“She will take a chicken, frozen chicken, and hit (it) on my head. She’ll be drinking and then she will throw it on my face. When it’s bubbling, she will put it on my leg. Then I would get big boils there and she won’t look at it.”
The woman was discovered by authorities in 2015 when she had to be taken to hospital.
The trial continues.
‘We will respond in kind’: China warns Australia against sanctions over human rights violations
China has warned Australia that it will “respond in kind” if Canberra sanctions Beijing over human rights violations against the ethnic minority Uyghurs in Xinjiang province, local media reported.
In a rare press conference, Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye said China will not “swallow the bitter pill of interfering or meddling in China’s internal affairs”.
Ambassador Cheng was joined by government officials beamed in via Zoom from Xinjiang for a two-hour media conference in Canberra, dismissing allegations of human rights abuses as “fake news” and “lies”.
The media event featured heavily-produced propaganda-style videos about how life could look in the autonomous region of north-western China.
The presentation on Xinjiang has been labeled as “preposterous propaganda” by members of the Uyghur community in Australia.
Ties between Australia and China are at an all-time low. Canberra has been locked in an ongoing trade war with Beijing for several months, which has seen China slapping sanctions on various Australian products.
This warning comes weeks after United States, European Union, United Kingdom and Canada imposed sanctions on officials responsible for human rights violations in Xinjiang. China is coming under tremendous international pressure over the Uyghur issues.
Australia is not the only country China has threatened. Early this week, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had a telephonic talk with Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi and warned Japan against imposing sanctions on China over human rights violations in Xinjiang province and Hong Kong.
China has been rebuked globally for cracking down on Uyghur Muslims by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities, and sending members of the community to undergo some form of forcible re-education or indoctrination.
Tarikjot Singh revealed as the alleged killer of nursing student Jasmeen Kaur
The identity of the man charged with the alleged murder of Jasmeen Kaur can be revealed by media after a suppression order lapsed.
20-year-old Tarikjot Singh faced the Port Augusta Magistrates Court on March 9, and he did not apply for bail.
The body of the 21-year-old aged care worker and nursing student was found buried in a shallow grave in the Flinders Ranges.
Police allege Tarikjot Singh took Jasmeen Kaur “by force” from the car park of her place of work and then allegedly murdered her.
She was reported missing at a city police station the next day by her relatives.
Police allege he was stalking the young university student and part-time aged care worker in the months leading up to her death.
Tarikjot Singh was interviewed by police and he allegedly led detectives to the site.
The police has charged Tarikjot Singh with murder, but he has denied any responsibility for her death.
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New Zealand suspends entry for travelers from India amid COVID-19 spike
New Zealand on Thursday temporarily suspended entry for all travelers from India following a surge in COVID-19 cases arriving from there, local media reported.
The ban comes after it was reported that 17 of the 23 new COVID-19 cases in managed isolation announced on Thursday had arrived from India. The ban will commence on Sunday and will remain in place until April 28, New Zealand Herald reported. The island nation has reported 2,531 cases so far.
While arrivals from India had triggered the risk assessment, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government would be looking at risks posed by other COVID-19 hot spot countries.
“This is not a permanent arrangement but rather a temporary measure,” she said.
The temporary hold would also help reduce the risk that travelers themselves faced, the Prime Minister added.
India has been witnessing a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases. The country has so far reported over 1.28 crore cases. The active COVID-19 caseload of the country reached more than 8,43,000 and the daily positivity rate is on a steady rise.
140 Indians in Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2021
The recently released Forbes’ 35th Annual World’s Billionaires List include a record-breaking 2,755 billionaires.
This is despite the unprecedented repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wealth of the world’s richest persons across the globe.
“Despite the pandemic, it was a record-setting year for the world’s wealthiest—with a $5 trillion surge in wealth and an unprecedented number of new billionaires.”
Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos, worth $177 billion, has topped the list for the fourth consecutive year.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, worth a $151 billion fortune, jumping to the second spot on the list from 31st position last year.
French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault holds onto his spot at No. 3 with $150 billion with Bill Gates at No. 4 and Mark Zuckerberg, at $97 billion at No. 5 with $124 billion and $97 billion fortune respectively.
There are a record high 493 newcomers to the list—roughly one new billionaire every 17 hours, including 210 from China and Hong Kong and 98 from the U.S.
Ranked No. 10 and worth an estimated $84.5 billion, India’s Mukesh Ambani has become the richest person in Asia.
“The three richest Indians alone have added just over $100 billion between them,” Forbes said.
Other notable Indian billionaires include Gautam Adani (ranked 21, $58.5 billion), Shiv Nadar (ranked 63, 25.4 billion) and Lakshmi Mittal (ranked 107, 17.2 billion).
The Serum Institute of India’s Cyrus Poonawalla is ranked 169th on the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires with a net worth of $12.7 billion.
Forbes noted that India has the third-highest number of billionaires with 140 people included in the list.
This is followed by Germany with 136 and Russia with 117.
Would you like regularly free Beer supplied? Here is how you can get it
Would you like a pack of cold beer in exchange to excess solar power produced by your rooftop system?
In the world’s first offer of its kind, Asahi Group’s Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) in Australia will be serving up ‘Victorian Bitter’ to households who have solar power to spare.
Along with putting solar panels on its Melbourne brewery and buying power from a solar farm, CUB is looking to buy excess solar power from households, paying in cans of beer instead of cash, to help meet its target to use 100% renewable power by 2025.
“The only thing better than drinking the Big Cold Beer in the Aussie sun is earning beer while you do it,” said Brian Phan, general manager marketing for Victoria Bitter.
However there is a catch, Beer drinkers would have to switch to energy retailer Diamond Energy to get in on the deal.
For every A$30 ($23) of credit Diamond Energy books for feeding solar power back into the grid, Asahi’s Carlton & United Breweries will deliver a slab of beer – 24 cans – worth A$50 to your home.
The offer is equal or better than the standard feed-in tariff across the eligible states, said Power Ledger, a blockchain-enabled energy trading platform, which will track how much power customers feed to the grid.
“You can see how many bottles of beer you’ve earned every 30 minutes,” Power Ledger founder Jemma Green said.
The standard feed-in tariff ranges between six cents/kilowatt hour and 10.2 cents/kWh, depending on the state.
Left-wing extremist attack: Sikh jawan took off his turban to bandage wounds of colleague hit with bullets
A Sikh security personal from CRPF took off his turban to cover the bleeding wounds of a fellow jawan even after a bullet pierced through him, both of them were among the police officers attacked by left-wing extremists in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Senior Police officer told a local journalist Ritesh Mishra that both of them had bullet injuries.
RK Vij is an Indian Police Services officer posted in Chhattisgarh. He talked about the comradery among the CRPF officers, We will go above and beyond expected of us. Sikh Commando Balraj Singh removed his turban (Symbol of Sikh faith: Something with the highest respect and not to be removed) to save the life of the fellow officer Abhishek Pandey. Both officers are safe now and recuperating in Hospital.
23 security personal have lost their lives in India’s Chhattisgarh in a Far left-wing extremists (Naxal) attack and around 31 officers sustained injuries.
An encounter broke out between security forces and left-wing extremists (Naxals) along the Sukma-Bijapur border in the state of Chhattisgarh on Saturday after a group of police personals was ambushed by Maoists left-wing extremists near Jonnaguda village around noon.
As Universities eye more ‘Instagram-worthy’ campus experiences, they shouldn’t treat online teaching as a cheap and easy option
Elisa Bone, The University of Melbourne
The times they are a-changin’ for higher education. Or so say a growing number of commentators. They see COVID-19 disruptions as a tipping point for universities, accelerating sweeping changes across institutions. These include not just a shift to online teaching and learning, but also a greater focus on industry links and employability skills, and accompanying campus design upgrades.
Many of these changes are arguably necessary in a world in which digital connectivity is the expected norm. It is crucial to understand what these changes involve for universities themselves, and what they mean for the next generation of students. For instance, online education, if done properly, isn’t necessarily cheaper or easier.
With many still in crisis mode, universities might not be ready for these predicted changes. Despite a touted recovery in Australia as COVID vaccines roll out across the globe, the higher education sector isn’t out of the woods. Some expect the impacts will be even greater in 2021 as job losses persist and international students stay away.
Universities suffered the double whammy of a huge decrease in international student revenue as borders closed, and a federal government that stubbornly refused to support the higher education sector and its workers. COVID restrictions have forced university teachers to make often radical shifts in their curriculum and teaching practices while implementing broader changes, all with reduced budgets. And that’s if they are lucky enough to keep their jobs.
Collaborative, evidence-based approach is vital
Proposed “Instagram-worthy” campus infrastructure projects aim to provide more flexible learning and study spaces, immersive classrooms equipped for virtual reality experiences and remote teaching, and “industry precincts” that encourage collaborations. These are worthwhile, forward-looking innovations. But these goals cannot be achieved without a deeper, evidence-based conversation about how this will be done in practice.
And this transformative work must be done in partnership with teaching academics. The very real challenges they face must be taken into account.
Some assume online learning and teaching are easier or cheaper, but that isn’t always the case. Teaching well online requires at least as much effort as face-to-face, and potentially more.
Academics require both initial and ongoing support to build their capacity in using online tools and adjusting their teaching practices. If this isn’t done, universities risk students disengaging.
Not everything works well online
The online/digital space can adequately replicate only some face-to-face interactions. Others can be difficult to reproduce. These include activities that develop manual and psychomotor skills, such as laboratory and field work in the sciences, and kinesthetic skills in the performing arts.
Even the robustness of tutorial debates might be altered as students move from a shared physical space to one dominated by the “Zoom gaze”.
Teaching academics will likely need extra support to implement such activities online or to find creative solutions. For either approach to be successful, institutions will have to invest more inappropriate technologies.
We are seeing an increase in the use of technology in teaching and learning at Australian universities. By necessity, the pandemic rapidly accelerated this trend. But an increase in online learning does not necessarily equate to a decrease in costs, or in the need for specialist staff.
Staff and students will likely appreciate the flexible learning offered by the predicted digitised future campus. But it is important to remember the benefits of in-person and on-campus interactions.
For students, these include fostering a sense of belonging to the university, which can increase resilience and retention. And the benefits for academic teaching staff include, for example, the fruitful conversations about teaching and learning that so often take place in informal settings.
With universities welcoming staff and students back to campus as COVID restrictions ease, many are seeing the value of the on-campus experience.
Transition will take a lot of time and effort
Digitisation and flexible learning models can help both students and academics collaborate with others across the sector. However, these changes won’t be instantaneous. Nor can they be driven solely by upgrades to campus infrastructure.
We also won’t see, in the near future, a complete shift in academics’ teaching and curriculum design practice. They are already stretched to their capacity in a sector under fire.
The continuing destabilisation of budget cuts, workload demands and an uncertain COVID situation mean the transformation of teaching practices may come in fits and starts. It will be an incremental process driven at first more by necessity and opportunity than by long-term strategy.
The challenge then for universities, and for their academic development and engagement units, is to define, validate and advocate for best practice in both online and face-to-face modes. Only then can they expect to meet the immediate, pressing challenges instructors face while building their future capacity to deliver collaborative, flexible and engaging online and blended learning.
Elisa Bone, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education, The University of Melbourne
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Washington Sunder names his pet dog after Australian stadium “Gabba”
India’s all-rounder Washington Sundar took to social media to share a picture of himself with his new pet dog.
The 21-year-old wrote, “Love is a four-legged word. World, meet Gabba!”
Sunder named his pet dog after the Gabba stadium in Australia, where he made his Test debut in January and helped India win on the venue after 32 years.
Coming with the touring Indian cricket team as a net bowler, Washington Sundar made an unexpected debut at the Gabba in the final India-Australia Test.
His debut story is like a romantic novel, He was picked ahead of a more experienced Kuldeep Yadav, apparently for his prowess with the bat. The move turned out to be the best decision as Washington Sundar dismissed Australian batting star Steve Smith for just 36 in the first innings and returned overall figures of 3-31.
In the second dig, when the Indian batting was reeling at 186-6, Sundar with fellow allrounder Shardul Thakur stitched an all-important 123-run partnership.
Sundar was earlier asked to stay back with the side as a net bowler as injury concerns marring the tour.
After his heroics in Australia, Washington Sundar has cemented his place as one of India’s four top all-rounders in Test cricket.
Indian skkiper Virat Kohli has already clarified that Sundar is ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin in the pecking order for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
His precipitous rise began in IPL 2020, where he was the second most economical bowler (5.38). Sundar will be back plying his trade for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021.
Hindu groups did remarkable work during COVID19 with Federal partnership
Five Hindu organisations have received COVID-19 relief funding amounting to US$833,000.
This was revealed according to data released by the United States’ Small Business Administration (SBA).
SBA gave the funds as part of its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance (EIDLA), Disaster Assistance Loan (DAL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), based in Massachusetts, received more than US$150,000 under PPP and an additional US$21,430 under EIDLA and DAL programmes.
One of the key mission of VHPA is to “Cultivate a spirit of self respect for our way of life, our environment, our Dharma Gurus and institutions and respect for the people of all colors, creeds, races and religions.“
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA obtained a payment of US$7,000 and a loan of US$64,462 under PPP.
The Ekal Movement is a “non-profit organization on a mission to bring basic education to every child across rural India.”
Infinity Foundation and Sewa International received US$51,872 and US$150,621 in COVID-19 relief respectively.
Infinity Foundation is “focused on research and education” and Sewa specialize in disaster relief and rehabilitation.
Hindu American Foundation (HAF), based in Washington, received US$378,064 in PPP loans and another US$10,000 in EIDLA.
HAF “work towards an equitable and accurate portrayal of Hindus and Hinduism in K-12 textbooks and in classrooms.”
It has been striving towards improving “narratives about Hindus and Hinduism in media.”
From stirring the curry to steering the truck, Uni Patel’s story of self-reliance
Unnati Patel (Uni), the mother-of-two, is an Indian-origin female truck driver.
She arrived in New Zealand in 2001 and worked in McDonald’s.
Soon, she got her Class 2 license to drive a bus and later passed Class 5 driver licence.
This means her office is a 360 horsepower 18-wheeler Mainfreight truck.
In New Zealand, there are only 3 percent female truckies who hold a class 5 licence holders.
Uni told the NewsHub that driving the 46-tonne big rig takes all her concentration.
Especially with reversing and lane changing the most challenging aspects.
Auckland Chemcouriers branch manager Clinton Smith says Uni is very particular about her work.
“She likes to do it as the process should be, she doesn’t take shortcuts and she pushes herself and she strives to do it 100 percent every time.”
Uni says she moved into the big rig after driving buses for three years in Auckland.
In November 2020, Uni was awarded Driver of the Year from her company Chemcouriers.
She says that people are surprised to see her driving a truck.
“It’s a male-dominated industry but women can fit [in] very nicely.”
Uni Patel is demolishing stereotypes about both the male-dominated trucking industry and the ethnic-migrant woman identity.
Left-wing extremists (Naxals) kill 22 police officers in India
At least 22 security personal have lost their lives in India’s Chhattisgarh in a Far left-wing extremists (Naxal) attack on Saturday.
“22 security personnel have lost their lives in the Naxal attack at Sukma-Bijapur in Chhattisgarh,” said Bijapur Superintendent of Police, Kamalochan Kashyap.
Around 31 officers sustained injuries in the attack in Bijapur on Saturday, Chhattisgarh Police said.
Far left-wing extremists (Naxals) looted more than two dozen weapons from security personnel following the attack, according to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) sources.
As per local media reports, an encounter broke out between security forces and left-wing extremists (Naxals) along the Sukma-Bijapur border in the state of Chhattisgarh on Saturday after a group of police personals was ambushed by Maoists lest wing extremists near Jonnaguda village around noon.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said that operations against left-wing extremists/Naxals would continue and the work of establishing camps in Naxal-affected areas would be completed in an expedited manner.
“They are fighting the left-wing extremists/Naxalites in their den. This left-wing extremist-police encounter has caused huge damage to the left-wing extremists in Bijapur. We have received information that the left-wing extremists had carried their dead and injured fellowmen in four tractors from the encounter site.” Baghel said.
He said that the influence of left-wing extremists in Chhattisgarh was shrinking rapidly, and they are panicking and trying to make their presence felt through such violent incidents.
Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Kuldiep Singh, who is in Chhattisgarh to monitor the situation following the left-wing extremists attack, on Sunday said that there was absolutely no intelligence or operational failure in the operation.
Singh informed that around 25-30 left-wing extremists were also killed though the exact number is yet to be ascertained.
“There is no point in saying that there was some kind of intelligence or operational failure. Had it been some intelligence failure, forces would have not gone for the operation. And if there was some operational failure, so many left-wing extremists would have not been killed,” DG CRPF told media.
Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday held a top-level meeting with senior officers on the Bijapur left-wing extremist attack at his residence here.
Indian Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director IB Arvind Kumar, and senior CRPF officers are present in the meeting.
Mr. Shah said sacrifices of security personnel killed in Bijapur’s left-wing extremist attack would not go in vain. He informed that a search operation is underway for the missing police officers.
“Both sides have suffered losses. Our jawans have lost their lives. I pay tributes to them. I want to assure their families that their sacrifice will not go in vain,” the Home Minister said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that this sacrifice by police personels will never be forgotten.
He also wished for a speedy recovery for personnel injured in the encounter. “My thoughts are with the families of those martyred while fighting Maoists in Chhattisgarh. The sacrifices of the brave martyrs will never be forgotten. May the injured recover at the earliest,” PM Modi tweeted.
Political leaders from across the spectrum condoled the attack and death of the security personnel.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik strongly condemned the attack by left-wing extremists.
Indian National Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday paid homage to security personnel killed in Naxal attack at Sukma-Bijapur in Chhattisgarh and said that the Nation owes an enormous debt of gratitude to them.
In a statement, Gandhi wished complete recovery of injured personnel and said “we are united in our resolve to combat Naxalism”.
“The entire country bows before the martyrdom of 22 jawans in the gruesome Naxal attack in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh. I pay homage to these jawans who have given their lives and heartfelt condolences to their families. The Nation owes an enormous debt of gratitude to them,” she said.
French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain on Sunday expressed grief for the loss of lives of the security personnel in the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh.
‘Ram Setu’ shooting begins, Jacqueline Fernandez drops her first look on social media
Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, who has started shooting for her upcoming movie ‘Ram Setu’ on Saturday, revealed the first look of her character from the film on social media.
The ‘Race 3’ actor took to her Instagram handle and shared a glimpse of her look for the movie, along with the caption, “First day of #ramsetu extremely honored to be part of this prestigious film! Thanks to the ace photographer @akshaykumar for capturing this moment #ramsetu.”
The picture, which was clicked by Jacqueline’s co-star Akshay Kumar, was a stunning monochromatic shot of her wearing a headscarf and looking candidly sideways from the camera.
Apart from Jacqueline and Akshay, ‘Ram Setu’ also stars Nushrratt Bharuccha, who had shared her first look from the movie a day prior. Akshay too had earlier shared his look from the film and revealed that he would be playing an archaeologist in the movie.
‘Ram Setu’, which is being helmed by Abhishek Sharma and produced by Aruna Bhatia and Vikram Malhotra was first announced on Diwali last year. It will be an action-adventure drama, that will bring to light a story that is deeply rooted in Indian cultural and historical heritage.
Following the film’s theatrical release, ‘Ram Setu’ will soon be also available for Prime members in India, along with more than 240 countries and territories. Amazon Prime will also be the worldwide exclusive streaming partner for the film.
82-year-old Indian man reunites with Australian lover after 50 Years
An 82 year old man, gatekeeping India’s abandoned and haunted village- town of Kuldhara in the heart of the Thar desert in Rajasthan reunited with his “first love” after 50 years.
A post has gone viral on Instagram by the Humans of Bombay where this gentleman recalled that he was in his 30s when he met Marina, an Australian woman who had come to Jaisalmer from the foreign on a five-day tour. Opening up about what internet users are calling ‘magical love story,’
“I was in my 30s when I first met Marina–she’d come to Jaisalmer from Australia, for a desert safari. It was a 5-day trip & I taught her to ride a camel! This was the 1970s–un dino, pehli nazar mein pyaar ho jata tha!”
He further narrates, “That’s exactly what happened–for both of us, it was love at first sight. Throughout the trip, we couldn’t take our eyes off each other. Before leaving for Australia, she said, ‘I love you;’ I went red! Nobody had ever said those words to me. I was so shy; I couldn’t utter a word in response!”
“But she understood & we stayed in touch–Marina would write to me every week. Soon, she invited me to Australia–I was over the moon!”
It was not easy for him he took a loan of Rs 30,000 and bought a ticket, arranged for a visa, and flew to be with her, that too without informing his parents.
“Those 3 months were magical–she taught me English, I taught her to do the ghoomar. But then she said, ‘Let’s get married & settle in Australia!’–things got complicated, he told.
However, this love story came to a dead end as both of them were not ready to leave their respective countries.
“I wasn’t ready to leave my motherland & she wasn’t willing to move to India. I told her–‘This can’t work long term,’ & we parted ways. It wasn’t easy–she cried the day I left, but I had to let her go.”
Then, life moved on. A few years later, owing to family pressure, I had to get married. I took up a job as the gatekeeper of Kuldhara, an abandoned ghost town to fend for my family. But I’d often think about Marina–‘Would she has gotten married?’, ‘Will I ever see her again?’ but I never had the courage to write to her, explains the post.
“As time passed, memories faded; I got busy with family responsibilities. And then 2 years ago, my wife passed away. All my sons were married & had moved out. And here I was, an 82-year-old man, gatekeeping India’s haunted village.”
For him lucky surprise came exatly 50 years after his meeting with her.
“And just when I thought life couldn’t surprise me anymore, it did! A month ago, Marina wrote to me; she asked, ‘How are you, my friend?’ After 50 years, she found me! Since then, she calls me every day; we have so much to catch up on!
She told me she’d never gotten married & that she’s coming to India soon.”
“Ramji ki Kasam, I feel like I’m 21 again! I don’t know what the future holds, but knowing that my first love is back in my life & talks to me every day is a feeling I can’t explain.”
Bollywood actress & BJP MP Kirron Kher undergoing treatment for blood cancer, Anupam Kher calls her a ‘fighter’
Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Thursday shared a health update about his wife and actor Kirron Kher stating that she has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, and is currently ‘undergoing treatment’.
The ‘Hotel Mumbai’ star took to Twitter and released a statement which was from Anupam and his son Sikandar. The actor revealed that Kirron is undergoing treatment for the disease and ‘will come out of this stronger.
“Just so that rumors don’t get the better of a situation Sikandar and I would like to inform everyone that Kirron has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment and we are sure she will come out of this stronger than before,” wrote the ‘Saraansh’ actor.
Stating that the ‘Singh Is Kinng’ actor is under doctor’s observation, he added, “We are very blessed that she is being looked after by a phenomenal set of doctors. She’s always been a fighter and takes things head-on. She’s all heart and that’s why she has so many people that love her.”
Urging his fans to keep on showering love and prayers for Kirron’s speedy recovery, he said, “so keep sending your love to her in your prayers and in your heart. She is well on her way to recovery and we thank everyone for their support and love. Anupam and Sikandar”
Scores of fans of the celebrity couple expressed concern and wished Kirron a speedy recovery in the comments.
On the professional front, Kirron was last seen in ‘Khoobsurat’ directed by Shashanka Ghosh while Anupam was last seen in ‘One Day: Justice Delivered’ alongside Esha Gupta.
Brisbane’s lockdown to lift at midday, just one new community COVID19 case
Queensland COVID Lockdown will be lifted from midday today, after just 1 new case of community transmission however, that’s linked to an existing cluster of COVID-19.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said testing rates, low case numbers, and the fact that community transmission had been linked to existing cases, allowed authorities to give the green light.
“Easter is good to go,” she said.
Highlights:
1- 10 New COVID19 cases in last 24 hours.
2- One new community transsion
3- Lockdown lifted, some restrictions reamin
From 12 noon today until 15 April all Queenslanders will be required to carry a mask when they leave their home. Mask-wearing will be compulsory for shopping centres and supermarkets, indoor workplaces, public transport.
Easter church services in Queensland will be one person per two square meters but can be 100 per cent capacity if it’s seated.
OCI cardholders not required to carry old passports anymore for India travel
People of Indian origin and Indian diaspora who have Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card are now not required to carry their old, expired passports for travel to India, as required earlier.
This was revealed in a statement issued by the Embassy of Indian in USA.
“The requirement of carrying old and new passports, along with the OCI card, has been done away with.”
This statement will help address one of the major concerns of overseas Indians.
The embassy said:
“Henceforth, an OCI cardholder travelling on the strength of an existing OCI card bearing old passport number is not required to carry the old passport. However, carrying the new (current) passport is mandatory.”
According to the embassy, the Indian government has also decided to grant further extension of time till December 31, 2021, to get the OCI cards re-issued for those below the age of 20 years and above 50 years.
As per the current OCI guidelines that have been in force since 2005, an OCI card is required to be re-issued each time a new passport is acquired by the cardholder up to the age of 20 years or after completing 50 years of age.
The Indian government has relaxed the second provisions since last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
29-year-old Indian-origin man convicted of human trafficking in Australia
Australian Federal Police has released video footage to raise awareness of human trafficking crimes in Australia.
The video shows a woman having an argument with a man in the departures area of Sydney International Airport.
The video footage would go on to form part of the AFP’s Operation Eastwater.
This operation was launched in 2017 and culminated in January in the first conviction for an exit human trafficking offence in Australia.
A 29-year-old Sydney man was sentenced to 21 months in prison when he faced the NSW District Court on January 21.
The man was found guilty of using threats and deception to force the woman and child to return to India.
Operation Eastwater began with Anti-Slavery Australia alerted the AFP that the woman had been forced to India against her will.
It was revealed by the police that the man had in fact just purchased a one-way ticket for the woman to travel from Sydney to India in March 2017.
The woman told police she feared for her life and was threatened with murder if she did not comply with the man’s request.
AFP notes that after the woman had departed for India, the man contacted Australian immigration authorities.
He gave false information and adopted the identity of the woman in a bid to revoke her legal visa status to try and prevent her from returning to Australia.
Somehow, the woman managed to get to Australia two months later and contacted Anti-Slavery Australia.
The matter was referred to the AFP’s Human Trafficking team for further investigation.
The AFP executed a search warrant at the man’s Lidcombe home in September 2017 and served him with a court attendance notice.
Two months later, police arrested him at Sydney International Airport trying to board a flight to Bangkok, Thailand.
In a Victim Impact Statement provided to the court, the victim told of the severe impact the exit trafficking has had on her life and her young daughter.
“Because of his actions, I live in constant fear and stress knowing the lengths he will go to find us and harm us. This fear and stress impacts my physical, emotional and mental health. I have to be careful about who we talk to and where we go, to make sure that our private information is not shared with him. I am very careful when I leave the house. I avoid leaving the house unless absolutely necessary. Because of his actions and threats, I am constantly worried about my daughter. I am always thinking about how to keep my daughter safe. This is very stressful for me. Ordinary things like going out to the shops or to the park has become more difficult because I fear for our safety.”
AFP Commander Hilda Sirec said victims of human trafficking have many fears and vulnerabilities about coming forward to police, but it is important they know we are here to help.
“Human trafficking is not often discussed or even considered to be an issue in Australian society. It is often unreported, but the reality is that Australia is not immune to human trafficking and victims in our communities are suffering in silence. It is thanks to brave people like the woman involved in this matter that our investigators were able to work with her to see justice done.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, help is available. For information and confidential advice please contact Australian Red Cross. Call (03) 9345 1800 or visit the Red Cross website.
Australia sees population decline since World War I
Australia’s population has declined for the first time. In fact, such a drop has been recorded after more than a century.
Experts believe that the key reason for this is pandemic-induced border closures that have stemmed the flow of overseas migrants.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the population grew by less than one percent in the year to September 2020.
It has actually declined in the last recorded quarter.
ABS’ demography director, Phil Browning said:
“The last time we saw population decline was the year to December 1916, during World War I.”
Australia’s population is 25.7 million people and COVID measures including snap lockdowns have limited the number of arrivals.
“Decreases to overseas migration have been observed over the last two quarters. For this most recent quarter, the decrease was not outweighed by natural increase causing a small decline in population.”
Net overseas migration stood at 85,100 in year to September 2020.
Indian doctor and MP asks Modi not to waste Rs 35,000 Cr on COVID vaccines
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSR Congress Party) Lok Sabha MP Dr Sanjeev Kumar Singari (M.B.B.S., M.S., M.Ch) said that the government should not waste Rs 35,000 crore on the inoculation drive.
He presented these views in the Parliament during a discussion on demands of grants of the Health Ministry amid the ongoing Budget session of Parliament.
He argued that instead this money could be used in improving the health infrastructure in India.
Dr Singari also stated that the COVID vaccine drive is a waste of money, as it is not possible to vaccinate every single person.
He believed that this vaccination drive would be able to protect people against infection for 6-9 months only.
“After 6-9 months Rs 35,000 will be evaporated.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing Indians, underlined the need to scale up RT-PCR tests so that new cases can be identified as soon as possible and the spread of infection can be contained effectively.
“We have to finish vaccination as soon as possible, otherwise, it will keep spreading.”
In fact, during his meeting with Chief Ministers over resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the Prime Minister had highlighted vaccine wastage in Telangana, Andhra and UP.
“Over 10% vaccine wastage in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh. Vaccine wastage in UP is almost the same. It should be reviewed in states that why’s vaccine wastage happening? Monitoring must be done every evening & pro-active people should be contacted so that there’s no wastage.”
In April 2020, six members of Dr Singari’s family had tested Covid-19 positive. He is an MP from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.
Sydney man Kulwinder Singh found not guilty of murdering his wife Parwinder Kaur
In 2013, Kulwinder Singh, the 42 yo man had faced trial in the NSW Supreme Court accused of killing his wife Parwinder Kaur, 32 yo, by setting her on fire at their home in Sydney’s north-west.
He pleaded not guilty.
Now, more than seven years after his wife died, SMH reports that Kulwinder Singh has walked out of court for a final time.
He has been acquitted of her murder.
Mr Singh said to his supporters:
“I am very happy, thank you.”
The Crown case alleged Kulwinder Singh had poured petrol over Parwinder Kaur.
It was also alleged that he has set her alight within the laundry.
Neighbours informed the courtroom they heard a ‘bloodcurdling scream’ on the afternoon of December 2, 2013.
They also told the court that they then saw Parwinder Kaur engulfed in flames and Kulwinder Singh frantically attempting to pat them out within the driveway.
Parwinder Kaur suffered full-thickness burns to 90 per cent of her body and died in hospital the very next day.
The jury in the 2019 verdict was hung but this time a a jury of five men and seven women deliberated for a few hours and declared Kulwinder Singh not guilty of homicide.
#NandedAttack: जुलूस रोकने पर पुलिस पर किया हमला
कोरोना को लेकर लंबे समय से चले आ रहे प्रतिबंधों को तोड़ने का सिलसिला भी चल रहा है। होली को लेकर महाराष्ट्र सरकार की गाइडलाइंस को लेकर नांदेड में बलवा हो गया। वहां होली के दिन निकाले जाने वाले होला मोहल्ला जुलूस को निकलने से रोकने पर भीड़ ने पुलिसवालों पर हमला कर दिया। इसमें 4 पुलिसकर्मी घायल हो गए।
महाराष्ट्र में कोरोना के बढ़ते केस की वजह से धार्मिक कार्यक्रमों पर रोक लगी हुई है। सोमवार को होला मोहल्ला का आयोजन करने के लिए सैकड़ों लोग गुरुद्वारा परिसर में जुटे थे। बाद में जुलूस को लेकर वो पुलिस के रोकने पर वे भड़क गए। भीड़ ने बैरिकेडिंग तोड़ दी और सड़क पर खड़ी गाड़ियों में तोड़फोड़ की। उन्होंने पुलिस वालों को दौड़ा-दौड़ाकर पीटा। कई लोगों के हाथ में तलवारें भी थीं। मौके पर बड़ी संख्या में पुलिसकर्मी तैनात थे, लेकिन भीड़ के मुकाबले उनकी संख्या कम पड़ गई
नांदेड़ के SP ने बताया कि कोरोना के मद्देनजर लगाई गई पाबंदियों की वजह से होला मोहल्ला की अनुमति नहीं दी गई थी। इस पर गुरुद्वारा कमेटी ने भरोसा दिलाया था कि परिसर के अंदर ही कार्यक्रम करेंगे। लेकिन बाद में शाम 4 बजे जब निशान साहिब को गेट पर लाया गया, तो लोग जुलूस निकालने पर अड़ गए।
पुलिस ने रोकने की कोशिश की तो 300-400 लोगों ने गेट तोड़ दिया और पुलिस पर हमला कर दिया। इसमें 4 पुलिस वाले घायल हो गए। हिंसक भीड़ ने वाहनों में भी तोड़फोड़ की। इस मामले में FIR दर्ज कर जांच की जा रही है।
Watch Video: A sword-wielding mob injured four cops in the clash at Nanded Gurudwara
Four police personnel were injured when a sword-wielding mob consisting of Sikh youths broke the gates of a gurudwara in Nanded and allegedly attacked them after permission for the ‘Hola Mohalla’ tradition was denied due to COVID-19.
SP Vinod Shivade said, “Permission for Hola Mohalla (Halla Bol) wasn’t granted due to COVID-19. Gurudwara committee was informed and they’d said that they would do it inside Gurudwara.”
Highlight:
- At least 4 cops have been injured in a mob attack in Maharashtra’s Nanded
- One of them is said to be in critical condition
- At least six police van have been damaged in the attack
“The committee had said they’ll do it inside Gurudwara premises itself. But around 4 pm when Nishan Sahib was brought to the gate, they started arguing and 300-400 youth broke the gate and marched outside,” SP Shivade was quoted as saying by local media.
Four police personnel were injured and vehicles were damaged. An FIR has been registered and a probe is on,” SP added.
A viral video of the incident showed the mob storming the gurudwara, break barricades and attack the policemen.
Religious gatherings were barred in the area in view of the spike in COVID-19 cases. But the crowd of about 300 to 400 people tried to enter the gurudwara, breaking the police barricades.
Indian bride drives groom home after the wedding, smashes the stereotype
Kolkata’s now-viral bride Sneha Singhi has smashed the stereotype associated with the ceremony of vidai.
Sneha tied the knot with Saugat Upadhaya and was seen waving at her guests goodbye.
As the wedding guests cheered her, she took control of the steering attired in traditional bridal lehenga and jewellery.
Sneha shared the footage on her official Instagram handle.
Saugat confidently jumped next to her, in a heavily decorated car.
Sneha is 28-year-old chef by profession. She wrote,
“This actually was enjoyable!”
Sneha’s father-in-law can be heard asking her to adjust the seat.
Saugat replies that everyone relax:
“Sneha will handle it fairly straightforward”.
Sneha told local media outlets that she had informed her then-husband to be about her will to drive them both to the sasural nearly a month ago, and her husband had reacted positively saying “it sounds suburb”.
Indian-American healthcare workers protest over Green Cards backlog
A group of Indian-American frontline healthcare workers held a demonstration to protest over Green Card backlog.
This demonstration was organised in front of the US Capitol.
They urged US lawmakers to end the per capita country-specific quota.
Dr Raj Karnatak, an infectious disease and critical care physician, and Dr Pranav Singh, a pulmonary and critical care physician, the organisers of the peaceful protest said in a joint statement.
“We are frontline COVID warriors, and we are here to tell how we have been short changed into a life of perpetual indentured servitude. Each of us has a story. We are here from all over the country asking for justice. Most of us are from India. We trained in the US and took oath as physicians to serve the sick and needy. Most of us are serving the rural and underserved areas. We are in a Green Card backlog due to archaic country caps that allow no country to get more than seven percent of employment-based green cards.”
According to the protestors, due to decades of backlog, high-skilled immigrants are not able to change jobs.
These skilled immigrants fear of losing the spot in the Green Card line.
Because of this fear, many healthcare workers could not serve in COVID-19 hot spots as the visas are tied to the job and employer.
They demanded that President Joe Biden should direct United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to end the Green Card backlog for the frontline healthcare workers by utilising the unused green cards in the past years.
There was an HR 1044 fairness bill that was passed in the House of Representatives by 365 votes in 2019 and its senate equivalent S386 passed the Senate in 2020.
The protestors pointed that frontline healthcare workers need immediate relief as they have been suffering for a very long time.
“As frontline healthcare workers who are risking their lives in this pandemic, the least we deserve is a certainty. A certainty that if we die or get disabled, our children and spouses won’t be kicked out of the country.”
The US is currently facing a backlog of nearly 473,000 qualified family-based Green Card requests.
Does & Don’ts: Greater Brisbane is entering a three-day lockdown from 29 March to 1st April
From 5pm 29 March 2021, people who have been in the greater Brisbane region since the 20 March 2021 will be subject to home confinement restrictions. The impacted Local Government Areas are:
- City of Brisbane (PDF)
- City of Ipswich (PDF)
- Logan City (PDF)
- Moreton Bay Region (PDF)
- Redland City (PDF)
Anyone who has been in these areas on or since 20 March must follow the restrictions listed below.
Restricted areas movements – in and out
- People in the impacted local government areas (LGAs) will be required to stay at home except for essential reasons.
- Visitors to aged care facilities, disability accommodation services, hospitals and correctional facilities in the LGAs are restricted. This restriction is for all of Queensland, including Greater Brisbane.
- People can leave their home for a permitted purpose accompanied with people from their household or, alternatively, by one person who is not a member of their household.
- Individuals are able to leave the Greater Brisbane area to return to their home outside of Greater Brisbane or for essential reasons (see below) but must continue to follow the lockdown rules.
- Anyone who was in Greater Brisbane on or since 20 March but has since left must follow the same lockdown rules as for Greater Brisbane.
- Those who transit into Greater Brisbane from surrounding areas for work, healthcare, study or to support a vulnerable person may do so if it is not reasonably practicable to make other arrangement, such as work or study from home.
- People can enter Greater Brisbane to transit through Brisbane airport.
Reasons to leave home during the greater Brisbane lockdown period
- Shopping for essentials, food and necessary supplies
- Medical or healthcare needs, including compassionate requirements
- Exercise with no more than one other person, unless all from the same household
- Providing care or assistance to an immediate family member
- Work, or volunteering, or study if it is not reasonably practicable to work or learn remotely
- Child custody arrangements
- Legal obligations
- Visit for end of life
- Attend funeral or wedding in line with restrictions
- In emergency situations
- To escape harm
- If you entered the impacted area responding to an emergency as an emergency health services or emergency service worker or national defence, state security or police officer
- If required to allow an essential service to occur such as the transport of freight in and out of Greater Brisbane
- You’re directed to leave by an emergency health officer
- You have an exemption from the Chief Health Officer
Gatherings
- Visitors at private residences limited to two per day.
- A person who owns, controls or operates a premises, other than a residence, must not organise or allow a gathering to occur on the premises.
Schools
Schools will be closed from Tuesday 30 March until Term 2, Monday 19 April, except for vulnerable children and children of essential workers.
Weddings and funerals
- Weddings (ceremony) – maximum of 10 people, including celebrant and witnesses.
- Funerals – maximum of 20 people, excluding officials.
Because of restrictions on non-essential businesses, wedding reception or other events post weddings and funerals should be postponed.
Non-essential businesses, activities and undertakings
A person who owns, controls or operates a non-essential business, activity or undertaking in an impacted area, including operating at a private residence, must not operate the business, activity or undertaking, with limited exceptions.
- Cafes, pubs and restaurants no dine in customers – takeaway allowed.
- Boot camps and personal training to two people outdoors (including the trainer), with physical distancing observed.
- Social sport is permitted, such as golf and tennis, limited to two people outdoors, with physical distancing observed.
- Community facilities to remain open for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public services, such as food banks or homeless services. Community facilities may continue to operate if they provide formal out of school hours care. Physical distancing must be observed to the extent possible.
- Food markets and farmers markets to continue to operate.
- Real estate auctions and open house inspections to private appointments only.
Restrictions outside of greater Brisbane (rest of Queensland)
Gatherings
Gatherings in people’s homes are limited to 30 persons in total, including the people you live with.
Vulnerable populations
Visitors to aged care facilities, disability accommodation services, hospitals and correctional facilities across the state are restricted.
Non-essential businesses, activities and undertakings
Restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs can only open for seated eating and drinking, no standing allowed.
You can enter Queensland from any Australian state or territory
- There are no COVID-19 hotspots in Australia.
- The Queensland Border Declaration Pass system is not active. You do not need a border pass to enter Queensland from any Australian state or territory.
COVID Safe celebrations and holidays
Easter
We want everyone to have a safe and happy Easter. We’d like to remind all Queenslander residents and visitors to stay up to date with the latest health directions that will be in place over the long weekend and school holidays.
Make sure you stay home when you’re sick and get tested (Opens in new window) if you have COVID-19 symptoms (Opens in new window), keep a distance of 1.5 metres from others– that’s two big steps – and wash your hands regularly.
If you are indulging this Easter, remember to drink water straight after eating any sweet treats help wash away residual sugars. Your teeth and your dentist will thank you!
If you are travelling this Easter, remember:
- If you are flying, you must wear a face mask at all times at the airport and on the plane
- If the space you are in is or becomes overcrowded, move elsewhere or choose to return at an off-peak time.
- Make hygiene your number one priority when travelling. This is recommended regardless of whether you are staying in a hotel or in a camping ground. Always carry tissues and hand sanitiser.
Anzac Day
Anzac Day commemorations, including marches, parades, dawn services and other commemorative events can take place this year.
Find out more about 2021 Anzac Day commemorations—including where to find commemorations in your area.
Masks for Queensland (all of Queensland including Greater Brisbane)
- You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave home, unless you have a lawful reason not to.
- You must wear a mask in indoor spaces, such as:
- shopping centres, supermarkets, retail outlets and indoor markets
- hospitals and aged care facilities
- hospitality venues such as restaurants and cafés (not required for patrons while seated; customer facing staff only)
- churches and places of worship
- libraries
- indoor recreational facilities and gyms (except if doing strenuous exercise*)
- indoor workplaces (where safe to wear a mask and you can’t physically distance)
- public transport, taxis and rideshare, including waiting areas and queues for this transport
- airports and travelling on planes.
- It is strongly recommended you wear a mask when outdoors if you are unable to stay more than 1.5m distance from other people, such as busy walkways and thoroughfares.
- Masks do not need to be worn in some circumstances, including children under 12 years, where people have certain medical conditions, and in workplaces where it is not safe to do so.
- You can remove your masks to consume food or drink.
*Strenuous exercise is exercise in or above the aerobic zone including high-intensity interval training, cycling, running.
Ind vs Eng, 3rd ODI: Pant and Shardul’s heroics help India win by 7 runs, clinch series 2-1
Sam Curran’s unbeaten knock of 95 runs went in vain as a spirited bowling performance by India helped the hosts to defeat England by seven runs in the third and final ODI here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday evening.
With this win, India has clinched the three-match series 2-1. Virat Kohli-led side has now won all the series’ in this England’s tour of India. India claimed the Test series 3-1 and then won the five-match T20I series by 3-2.
In the last four overs, England has required 41 runs while hosts just needed two wickets to win the series decider.
Curran accumulated 18 runs off the 47th over, needing just 23 runs off the last three overs. In the 48th over, Bhuvneshwar just gave four runs and almost a wicket of Wood, the decision was overturned by the third umpire after England took DRS. For India, Thakur bagged four wickets while Bhuvneshwar clinched three scalps.
Hardik came in to bowl the penultimate over of the match. India lost two back-to-back opportunities to dismiss Wood and Curran as first Shardul and then T Natarajan dropped the high catches.
Visitors were required 14 off the last six balls with Curran on strike. Natarajan bowled the final over for India. Curran played the yorker towards long-on and in search of two runs Wood (14) got run out.
Race Topley joined Curran in the middle and took a single on the first ball. Curran denied runs on the next two balls and it was enough for India to claim the match despite Curran smashed the boundary on the fifth ball.
England scored 322/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Curran remained unbeaten on 95 runs including three sixes and nine fours.
Chasing a giant target of 330, England openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow failed to give a steady start to the side and both the top-order batters were sent back to the pavilion by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the first three overs of the innings. Bhuvneshwar got hold of Roy (14) in the first over while in the third over he removed Bairstow (1).
Two new batsmen Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan came out in the middle. The duo played cautiously and kept the scoreboard moving.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya dropped Stokes at mid-on in the fifth over of the innings. Bhuvneshwar was denied his third wicket. But the 40-run danger-looking partnership for the third wicket was put to an end by pacer T Natarajan as he dismissed Stokes (35). After Stokes’ dismissal, England was at 68/3 in 10.3 overs.
Skipper Jos Buttler came in to bat at number five. Buttler along with Malan steer the side towards total and the duo had a brief 27-run stand for the fourth wicket.
This time it was Shardul Thakur who bagged Buttler (15) in the 16th over and put the visitors under pressure.
Buttler’s wicket saw Liam Livingstone’s arrival in the middle. Malan and Livingstone played attacking cricket and started taking charge of the Indian bowlers.
The duo added 60-run for the fifth wicket partnership. Malan and Livingstone guided the side to the 150-run mark. In the 24th over, Thakur caught swashbuckling batsman Livingstone (36) on his own bowling and gave the much-needed breakthrough to the side.
Moeen Ali came in to bat at number seven. Meanwhile, Malan completed his half-century, and just after that Rohit caught him at short mid-wicket off Thakur. Malan scored fifty off 50 balls including six fours.
India was in total control of the match after sending the top-five English batters back to the hut under 24 overs.
Malan’s wicket saw Sum Curran joining Ali in the middle. The duo tried the kept the scoreboard ticking with a decent run-rate. They added 32-run off 31 balls before Hardik got hold of Ali (29) in the 30th over.
Ali departed after scoring 29 runs studded with two sixes and as many fours.
Adil Rashid and Curran build a 57-run partnership but it could only delay England’s defeat as Thakur got the better of the former in the 40th over, reducing the side to 257/8 in 39.2 overs.
Skipper Virat Kohli took a stunner at the cover as he dived to his left and plunges superbly to grab the ball. Rashid departed after scoring 19 runs.
Wood arrived at the crease after Rashid’s dismissal. Wood and Curran kept the fight alive as Curran looked confident in the middle and completed his half-century. Curran played an anchor role and remained unbeaten with 95 runs but failed to put his side over the line.
Earlier, India’s batting unit displayed a change of approach and this ensured that despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the hosts posted a total of 329.
Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Shikhar Dhawan registered fifty-plus scores as India set a 330-run target for the visitors. From the very start, every Indian batter came out playing aggressively and this saw the hosts scoring runs at seven runs per over for the major part of the innings.
Put into bat, openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started right from the word go and played with more intent, compared to the previous two games. The duo put on 100 runs for the first wicket inside 14 overs, but as the partnership started looking ominous, Rohit (37) ended up losing his wicket to Adil Rashid in the 15th over of the innings. Soon after, Dhawan (67) and Kohli (7) were also sent back to the dressing room, reducing the hosts to 121/3 in the 18th over.
Dhawan was dismissed by Rashid while Kohli was clean bowled by Moeen Ali. This brought Pant and KL Rahul together at the crease and the duo put on 36 runs for the fourth wicket. However, the partnership was cut short by Liam Livingstone in the 25th over as he dismissed Rahul (7), reducing India to 157/4.
Pandya then joined Pant in the middle and both batters took a special liking to the England spinners. The 99-run stand for the fifth wicket between the duo saw both batters hammering the England bowlers and India looked set for a mammoth total.
However, the visitors got the wicket of Pant (78) in the 36th over. The left-handed batsman tried to work the ball to the on-side but ended up getting an edge, and skipper Buttler took a one-handed blinder. Soon after, Hardik (64) was bowled around his stumps, and India was reduced to 276/6 in the 39th over and the major workload relied upon his brother Krunal.
In the final overs, Shardul Thakur provided support to Krunal and the duo took India’s score past the 300-run mark. Shardul was dismissed after contributing with a valuable 30 and the hosts were not able to score runs freely after that, eventually getting bowled out for 329.
Brief Scores: India 329 all out (Rishabh Pant 78, Shikhar Dhawan 67; Mark Wood 3-34); England 322/9 in 50 overs (Sam Curran 95*, Dawid Malan 50, Liam Livingstone 36; Shardul Thakur 4-67, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-42).
Indian bowler who loves masala dosa and Brett Lee
The new pacer Prasidh Krishna is a huge fan of masala dosa and Bret Lee.
In fact, Prasidh Krishna has received guidance from none other than former Australian cricketer, Jeff Thomson ‘Thommo’.
Prasidh Krishna took up the game at the age of 11. His father, Murali Krishna, was a cricketer too. He says:
“Prasidh started playing at the age of 11 and did well in school cricket as an all-rounder. At the age of 14 he became serious about fast bowling. The family has supported him in his endeavours.”
In 2017, as part of the IDBI Federal Bowling Foundation, Prasidh Krishna travelled to Australia with 3 others to train under Thommo.
During the press meet, it was also announced that former India players, Roger Binnyand Raghuram Bhatt will be part of the Bowling Foundation.
Thommo who then was just inducted to the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, planned to select a few pacers to travel with him to Brisbane for a 3 weeks training.
Prasidh Krishna went on to work with Thommo and Glen McGrath.
On his first day as an international cricketer, Prasidh Krishna tweeted: “My first day at work was a roller coaster ride. Never over until it’s over. All’s well that ends well. Cheers to this special match and many more to come.”
According to Makarand Waingankar, a former cricket administrator and columnist, the training at the Cricket Australia Academy in Brisbane proved extremely beneficial for Prasidh Krishna.
Prasidh Krishna’s father told PTI:
“He is a huge fan of Brett Lee and likes to bowl fast and with fire like him. And, he loves masala dosa.”
Indian PM Modi, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina inaugurate train between Dhaka – New Jalpaiguri
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Saturday virtually inaugurated the ‘Mitali Express’ passenger train between Dhaka and New Jalpaiguri on Saturday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the Bangladeshi Prime Minister lauded India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and said that “India sending COVID-19 vaccines to its neighbours is a reflection of that policy. “To further strengthen the people to people connectivity, the two sides have agreed to start a new passenger train service which is called ‘Mitali Express’ between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka cantonment on the Chilahati-Haldibari rail link,” Shringla said.
“It is a very important rail link that connects north Bangladesh with north Bengal. Starting off this passenger service is really a recreation of what used to happen in 1965. The trains will commence operations once normal train services resume between the two countries,” he added.
The joint statement issued after talks between the two leaders said they inaugurated the train.
“Inauguration of ‘Mitali Express’ – passenger train service on Dhaka-New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka route through Chilahati-Haldibari rail link,” it said.
As per Bangladeshi media reports, the Mitali Express was jointly inaugurated by Modi and Hasina at 6:38 pm on Saturday from the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon via a video conference.
India, Bangladesh to recognise Dec 6 as ‘Maitri Diwas’
India and Bangladesh have decided to celebrate December 6, the day on which India formally recognized Bangladesh, as ‘Maitri Diwas’, a joint statement issued after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka on Saturday stated.
According to the joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, one of the greatest leaders of modern times, will be remembered for his courage and indelible contribution to Bangladesh’s emergence as a sovereign country. MEA stated that PM Modi also recalled the contribution of Bangabandhu in nurturing peace, security and development in the region.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked India for conferring Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards the social, economic and political transformation of Bangladesh through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.
“To mark the 50th anniversary of India-Bangladesh friendship, both sides released respective commemorative postage stamps. It was decided to commemorate 6 December as Maitri Diwas, the day when India recognized Bangladesh in the year 1971. The Indian side announced the establishment of Bangabandhu Chair at the University of Delhi,” the statement read.
In view of the 50th anniversary of the Independence of Bangladesh as well as the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, both sides have agreed to jointly commemorate these epochal events in 19 select countries.
“Both sides noted with satisfaction that the filming of the biopic on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, under the direction of Indian film director Shyam Benegal, has commenced and is expected to be completed according to schedule. Both sides stressed the need to commence work on the Liberation War documentary at the earliest,” MEA stated.
The ministry further noted that both sides noted with appreciation the participation of a 122-member tri-services contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces in the 2020 Republic Day celebrations of India.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended an invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit India in 2022 in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Both sides welcomed the port call by Indian Naval Ships Sumedha and Kulish on 08-10 March 2021 at Mongla upon the invitation of Bangladesh as part of the commemoration of the epochal occasions. This was the first-ever visit to Mongla Port by any Indian Naval Ship. Bangladesh Navy Ship is also scheduled to make a port call at Vishakhapatnam as part of the joint celebrations,” the statement read.
The Bangladesh side welcomed the decision of the Government of India to announce 1000 Shuborno Jayanti Scholarships for Bangladeshi students for pursuing education/courses in India.
Bangladesh Prime Minister thanked the Indian side for considering Bangladesh’s proposal to name the historic road from Mujib Nagar to Nadia on the Bangladesh-India border as “Shadhinota Shorok” commemorating the historic significance of the road during Bangladesh’s Liberation War. Both sides looked forward to inaugurating the road soon as part of the joint celebrations.
On the subject of water resources cooperation, the MEA said that Hasina reiterated Bangladesh’s long-pending request for concluding the interim agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Teesta river. She underscored that to alleviate the sufferings and save the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on the Teesta river basin, it is necessary that Bangladesh receives its fair share of the Teesta waters, the draft agreement of which has already been agreed upon by both Governments in January 2011.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s sincere commitment and continued efforts to conclude this agreement, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders. The Indian side also requested for early finalization of the draft of the interim agreement for sharing of water of Feni River, pending with the Bangladesh side which had been agreed upon by both sides in 2011,” the statement read.
The Ministry stated that to enhance trade between the two countries, both Prime Ministers underscored the need for the removal of non-tariff barriers. Bangladesh side requested for lifting the new policy of Indian Customs stipulating verification of certificates of origin issued from Bangladesh.
“The Indian side conveyed that under the provisions of the new Customs rules, in the event of a conflict between a provision of these rules and rules of origin of a trade agreement, the provisions of the rules of origin of the trade agreement shall prevail. Further, for bilateral trade to flourish, both leaders stressed the need for predictability of trade policies, regulations and procedures,” the ministry’s statement read.
The MEA said that both sides took note of the first meeting of the High-Level Monitoring Committee and directed the Committee to provide recommendations for the expeditious execution of projects under the Lines of Credit.
“Both sides expressed satisfaction at the robust cooperation in the power and energy sector, including between the private sectors. It was agreed to strengthen sub-regional cooperation, including with Nepal and Bhutan and in this regard cooperation in energy was underscored. The Indian side emphasized that the finalization of regulations and guidelines for cross-border trade in electricity would increase sub-regional cooperation. India requested early finalization of modalities for implementation of the Katihar – Parbotipur – Bornagar cross border electricity interconnection,” the statement read.
Both sides welcomed the establishment of a study team in this regard. Both sides took stock of progress in the implementation of the India Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and unit-1 of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Project and expressed hope that these projects would get commissioned soon, according to MEA.
Both sides took note of the first meeting of the High-Level Monitoring Committee and directed the Committee to provide recommendations for the expeditious execution of projects under the Lines of Credit.
New Delhi and Dhaka expressed satisfaction at the robust cooperation in the power and energy sector, including between the private sectors. It was agreed to strengthen sub-regional cooperation, including with Nepal and Bhutan and in this regard cooperation in energy was underscored.
The Indian side emphasized that the finalization of regulations and guidelines for cross-border trade in electricity would increase sub-regional cooperation. India requested early finalization of modalities for implementation of the Katihar – Parbotipur – Bornagar cross border electricity interconnection.
“Both sides welcomed the establishment of a study team in this regard. Both sides took stock of progress in the implementation of the India Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and unit-1 of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Project and expressed hope that these projects would get commissioned soon,” MEA read.
Bangladesh’s side highlighted that Biosecurity Cooperation is an area that may be explored by both sides as the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed that without meaningful biosecurity measures, economic prosperity is at stake, given the interconnected nature of trans-boundary trade and people to people contacts between the two countries. “The two Prime Ministers appreciated the collaboration and active participation under different mechanisms between the Indian Council of Medical Research, India and, Bangladesh Medical Research Council, Bangladesh,” MEA stated.
On the issue of new areas of cooperation, both sides acknowledged the potential of new and emerging areas of cooperation in bilateral cooperation and directed authorities on both sides to focus on and augment cooperation in cutting edge areas of science, artificial intelligence, peaceful uses of nuclear technology, big data, and technology-enabled services in health and education.
“To facilitate further youth exchanges between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited 50 young entrepreneurs from Bangladesh to visit India and present their ideas to venture capitalists,” the statement read.
10 iconic Holi songs that you cannot miss out on your list!
The vibrant festival of colours is just around the corner! As much as it is impossible to stay away from colours on this day, so is to restrain yourself from grooving to the iconic tunes of Holi songs.
This year Holi will be celebrated on March 29. Even though it is a predominantly Hindu festival, it is celebrated by people of other faiths as well. It marks the arrival of the spring harvest season in the country. The evening before Holi is known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi during which people light a bonfire to signify the burning of the demon Holika.
People celebrate the festival by binging on some lip-smacking sweets, thandai and splash coloured powder, water, and balloons while chanting “Holi Hai”. However, no celebration is complete without some songs that go perfectly with the occasion.
When it comes to festivals, Bollywood has always been at the forefront of providing the best songs for its audience. For Holi 2021, let’s create a euphoric playlist by revisiting all the melodies that are remembered by generations.
1. Balam Pichkari – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: The 2013 Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor-starrer gave this iconic Holi song to Bollywood. The track was sung in the soulful voices of Shalmali Kholgade and Vishal Dadlani.
2. Do Me A Favour Let’s Play Holi – Waqt: The Race Against Time: Music director Anu Malik has helmed and sung the song with Sunidhi Chauhan. The number, penned by lyricist Sameer, stars Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra.
3. Rang Barse – Silsila: Holi celebration is incomplete without this song which is from the 1981 film ‘Silsila’ sung by Amitabh Bachchan and penned by his father and legendary writer Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
4. Hori Khele Raghuveera – Baghban: From the 2013 movie ‘Baghban’, this song that stars Amitabh Bachchan, and Hema Malini is sung by Amitabh Bachchan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, and Udit Narayan.
5. Aaj Na Chodenge Bas Humjoli Khelenge Hum Holi – Kati Patang: The Holi special song ‘Aaj Na Chhodenge’ sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar from the super hit Bollywood movie ‘Kati Patang’ (1970) stars Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh. Music is composed by legendary R.D.Burman.
6. Badrinath Ki Dulhania Title Song – BKD: The new Holi song from the 2017 Hindi movie ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ starring Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt is enough to hit the euphoric nerves of people while playing Holi. The song is sung by Neha Kakkar, Dev Negi, Monali Thakur, and Ikka Singh.
7. Gali Gali – Pataakha: Penned by the legendary writer Gulzar, the song starring Sanya Malhotra, Radhika Madan, and Gulshan Grover, is sung by Sukhwinder Singh Choir – Mridul Ghosh, Sudhanshu Shome, Pankaj Dixit, and Divyaansh Mehta.
8. Mind Na Kariyo Holi Hai – Milan Talkies: From the 2019 rom-com film ‘Milan Talkies’, the song is sung in the soulful voices of Mika Singh and Shreya Ghoshal.
9. Gori Tu Latth Maar – Toilet: Ek Prem Katha: The song ‘Gori Tu Lath Maar’ from the blockbuster Hindi Bollywood movie ‘Toilet – Ek Prem Katha’, stars Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar playing the Latthmar Holi. The song is sung by Sonu Nigam and Palak Muchhal.
10. Holi Ke Din – Sholay: Sung by the legendary singers Kishore Kumar, and Lata Mangeshkar, the song stars Hema Malini, Dharmendra Deol, and Amitabh Bachchan. The song, penned by Anand Bakshi is still listed as one of the most iconic Holi songs of Bollywood.
So, as you gear up to celebrate Holi this year, add these peppy numbers to your playlist and dance like there’s no tomorrow.
Ind vs Eng: Stokes’ blitzkrieg and Bairstow’s masterclass helps visitors chase 337, the series level at 1-1
Ben Stokes’ swashbuckling 99 and in-form England opener Jonny Bairstow’s 112-ball 124 saw England register a six-wicket win over India in the second ODI here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.
Chasing a mammoth target of 337, the visitors crusied home with 39 balls to spare as they leveled the three-match series 1-1. If the Indian batsmen stole the show in the afternoon, it was the turn of the English batters under lights to showcase some quality strokeplay. The decider will be played on Sunday. The foundation of every successful chase is a strong foundation and England had the best possible start as openers Jason Roy and Bairstow scripted a hundred-plus partnership for the first wicket.
The duo started the innings cautiously but took charge after the initial spell from the Indian bowlers. The visitors looked to be in cruise mode before a piece of brilliance on the field from Rohit Sharma in the 17th oversaw Roy get run out after hitting a top-quality 55.
Stokes joined Bairstow in the middle and made his intentions clear from the word go as he went hammer and tongs from the word go. The duo added 175 for the second wicket and that set the momentum for the visitors.
Stokes missed out on a much-deserved ton as he got out on 99 off 52 balls — studded with 10 sixes. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant caught Stokes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 36th over but it was too late for India as England was only 52 runs away from the target with eight wickets remaining.
In the very next over, Prasidh Krishna picked two wickets as he first got rid of centurion Bairstow and then picked stand-in skipper Jos Buttler for a three-ball duck. But it didn’t make much difference to the chase. Dawid Malan and debutant Liam Livingstone stitched an unbeaten 50-run partnership to take the side home. Livingstone scored 27* while Malan returned unbeaten on 16.
Earlier, riding on the platform set by centurion KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, India scored 63 runs in the last five overs to finish on 336/6 in the allotted 50 overs.
While Rahul hit a classy 108 off 114 balls, it was all about brutal power for Pant as he hit a 40-ball 77 with seven hits out of the park. India was placed comfortably at 210/3 after the completion of 40 overs. But the duo ensured that the hosts hit overdrive mode and picked 126 runs in the last 10 as the England bowlers had no clue on the length to bowl.If Rahul and Pant set up the finish, Hardik Pandya hit a 16-ball 35 to keep up the tempo after their dismissal.
India had a poor start as in-form Shikhar Dhawan got out cheaply in the fourth over. Pacer Reece Topley scalped Dhawan (9) and provided an early breakthrough to his side. Skipper Virat Kohli joined Rohit Sharma in the middle. The duo added 28 off 29 balls before Sam Curran sent Rohit (25) back in the ninth over as the batsman hit one on his legs straight to short backward square.
Rahul, promoted up in the batting order, came in to bat at number four. Rahul and Kohli set the foundation of India’s inning as they scored all around the park. They mixed caution with aggression as they picked the singles and waited for the bad balls.
Between the well-planned partnership, Kohli was dropped by Jos Buttler in the 22nd over off Rashid. At that time, Kohli was batting on 35. The duo kept piling the runs and both Kohli and Rahul completed their half-centuries. But just when it looked like Kohli would break his hundred droughts, Rashid brought England back as he dismissed Kohli (66) in the 32nd over.
Rashid has now become the second-most successful bowler against the India skipper as he has had Kohli’s number nine times. Kohli’s dismissal saw Pant join Rahul in the middle. The duo accelerated and started taking on the English bowlers. Pant started hitting from the word go and scored all around the stadium with Rahul also joining the party. Rahul and Pant stitched a 113-run partnership off 80 balls for the fourth wicket.
Brief Scores: India 336/6 (KL Rahul 108, Rishabh Pant 77; Reece Topley 2-50); England 337/4 (Jonny Bairstow 124, Ben Stokes 99; Prasidh Krishna 2-58)
Indian-origin delivery driver found guilty of stealing 89 parcels in New Zealand
An Indian-origin courier driver failed to deliver 89 parcels in Wellington, New Zealand has now pleaded guilty in Wellington District Court to a charge of theft by a person in a special relationship.
It is reported that instead of delivering these parcels, Akash Arora took them home for himself.
Between June 6 and November 10 last year, Akash Arora, stole parcels when he was working as an independent contractor for New Zealand Couriers.
Akash Arora took parcels containing perfume, clothing and electronics, among other things valued at NZ$8098 ($7432.57).
In November, NZ Couriers National Operations Manager John Charles told media that the company became aware of the situation and the matter was referred to police.
NZ Police searched Arora’s home and stolen freight valued at NZ$7700 ($7067.28) was recovered.
The police sought a reparation order for NZ$398 ($365.30).
This was for the value of two icebreaker jackets which had been worn by Akash Arora and couldn’t be returned.
Mr Charles told media that Akash Arora’s contract was terminated soon after.
“All claims received from parcel senders were actioned appropriately, following our clear process for any issues where our contractors have fallen short.”
Akash Arora told police he had been going through some difficult times both personally and with his employment situation.
He is expected to appear in Wellington District Court on June 23 for sentencing.
Indian politician promises a free 100-day trip to Moon if he wins the election
Indian state of Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on April 6, 2021, to elect the 16th Legislative Assembly.
Key political parties such as AIADMK has promised washing machines for every household, along with free computers, salaries for housewives, among other things.
Its arch rival the DMK has said it will give free tablets to every student in the state with internet connectivity and will cut fuel prices.
To top these parties election promises, is 34 year-old Thulam Saravanan, an independent candidate fighting from South Madurai.
Saravanan, who is contesting in his maiden poll, is also promising many freebies to woo people into voting for him.
However, his election manifesto is so ‘out of the world’ that it contains a promise to send every person in the constituency for ‘a vacation to the Moon’.
In addition, he has also promised to provide every household in his constituency with free helicopters and robots.
He will give free iPhones, transfer Rupees 1 crore each in every person’s bank account, and give a three-storey house with a swimming pool.
He has said he will build a 300-feet-tall iceberg in South Madurai to deal with the scorching heat in the summer.
Saravanan told media that he has made these ‘outlandish commitments’ to remind people of the ‘phony promises’ politicians make prior to elections in Tamil Nadu.
“I wanted to create awareness among the people of Tamil Nadu and urge them to vote for those candidates who would serve people, rather than the freebies that big parties promise.”
On his unique polls symbol dustbin, he told media that it was the only option available.
“We’d like to clean up the literal (corruption, bribes) and political mess that Madurai has been reduced to.”
The results for this election will be declared on May 2.
Education funding is unfair — and public schools asking parents to chip in makes it worse
Anna Hogan, Queensland University of Technology
We have estimated around $8 billion of non-government or private funding flows through Australia’s school system each year — both public and private. The vast majority of this comes from school fees. The rest is from “other private sources”, including donations and community fund-raising.
Unsurprisingly, the independent school sector generates the most private income. But public schools also receive private income that goes towards things like refurbishing facilities.
We analysed private income in every Australian school using data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). At the time of our study, the latest figures available for school fees and income were from 2015.
We found independent schools totalled an average A$9,227 of private funding per student. This was followed by Catholic schools ($2,873) and government schools ($752).
What are parents paying for school?
We found school incomes from private sources increase with the relative advantage of a school.
Relative advantage is defined using ACARA’s Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA). This scale is a proxy for socioeconomic status used by education sectors in Australia.
ACARA calculates the ICSEA score for each school using factors such as students’ parental education and occupation, the proportion of Indigenous students at the school, students with a language background other than English and the school’s geographical location.
An ICSEA score above 1,000 indicates greater socioeconomic and educational advantage; an ICSEA score below 1,000 indicates greater disadvantage. In our analysis, we put schools into four categories:
- very disadvantaged (ICSEA 900 and less)
- disadvantaged (ICSEA from 901 to 1,000)
- advantaged (ICSEA from 1,001 to 1,100)
- very advantaged (ICSEA more than 1,100).
Parents in very disadvantaged independent schools paid an average of $1,225 in 2015 per student. This increased to an average of $14,624 in very advantaged independent schools.
Parent fees at the most advantaged government schools were $745 in 2015 per student. At the most disadvantaged government schools, parents paid around $299 per student.
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/L6Al8/1/
School fees on the rise
Private school fees are growing faster than inflation and are now one of the biggest financial outlays in the average Australian family.
Only 50% of families with children attending private schools pay fees from their disposable incomes. The rest, according to market-based research by Edstart, increase their credit card debt, take out personal loans, redraw on their mortgage, or borrow money — often from grandparents.
According to the latest financial data from ACARA, fees have increased in some public schools since 2015, too.
Using metropolitan Brisbane schools as an example, Macgregor State High (ICSEA 1,018) had a 19% increase in fees between 2015 and 2019 — from $576 to $715 respectively. Browns Plains State High (ICSEA 963) had a 10% increase from $273 to $305, and Bray Park State High (ICSEA 989) had a 6% increase from $387 to $415.
But many public school fees had a less than 2% increase, and some, like Kelvin Grove State College (ICSEA 1,129) actually reduced their fees from $1,714 to $1,532 per student between 2015 and 2019. Other very advantaged public schools also reduced fees.
A recent article in The Age showed families in Victoria spent a total of $400.1 million for the 2019-20 financial year in public schools.
The article said data from ACARA showed total parent payments to Victorian state schools have risen by $160 million since 2009.
What happened to free education?
Fees in public schools are often referred to as voluntary contributions. This is because government legislation prevents public schools attaching parental fees to student enrolments.
But public schools sometimes use various strategies to promote fee payment. For instance, schools may exclude students from extra-curricular activities and excursions if parents have not paid fees. This may compel parents to pay to avoid their child’s embarrassment.
There are other ways parents contribute money to public schools.
Bake sales, fetes and “democracy sausage” sizzles have always been a cornerstone of public schooling. And like their private school counterparts, public schools are now investing in strategic fundraising with parents and alumni, and sponsorship arrangements with businesses and philanthropists.
In our study, we found very advantaged independent schools received the most funding from “other” income sources, compared to all other independent schools. But in the public school sector, the very disadvantaged schools received the most from “other” income sources, compared to other public schools. This was the same in the Catholic school sector, where the very disadvantaged schools received the most from “other” income sources. This may be because disadvantaged schools are receiving targeted philanthropy.
For instance, Schools Plus is an intermediary organisation that works to connect disadvantaged schools with donors through a tax-deductible giving program.
Since 2015, Schools Plus has directed $17.8 million to both public and private disadvantaged schools in Australia. Most of these donations come from the corporate sector, large trusts and foundations, and high-net worth individuals.
According to the Schools Plus 2020 Impact Report, most schools apply for funding to help improve student engagement and performance. While all disadvantaged schools (with an ICSEA less than 1,000) are eligible for Schools Plus funding, the process is competitive, meaning not all schools that need extra funding receive it.
An equity issue
Income raising is a labour-intensive process that is re-imagining the role of school staff and parents. Raising money relies on entrepreneurial principals, savvy PR staff, engaged parents and parent committees, as well as the work of intermediary organisations like Schools Plus. This is a problem, especially when it comes to public schools.
Research from the United States and United Kingdom cautions that an over-reliance on private income could lead to governments shirking some responsibility for resourcing and supporting schools.
This has the potential, if it has not already, to produce a multi-tiered education system based on parental capacity and inclination to pay.
The ongoing issue here is one of equity. When schools start relying on private funding (both fees and philanthropy) to augment how basic education services are provided, schools in most need of extra support are the least likely to be able to afford it.
Anna Hogan, Senior lecturer, Queensland University of Technology
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
COVID19 second wave: India records 53,476 new COVID-19 cases, 251 deaths
India recorded 53,476 new COVID-19 cases, 26,490 recoveries, and 251 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.
With this, the total cases in the country mounted to 1,17,87,534 including 3,95,192 active cases and 1,12,31,650 recoveries. The death toll has gone up to 1,60,692. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 10,65,021 samples were tested on March 24.
“A total number of samples tested up to March 24 is 23,75,03,882 including 10,65,021 samples tested yesterday,” said ICMR.
Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat are reporting a surge in the new COVID-19 cases and together they account for 77.44 per cent of the new cases, informed the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday.
A total of 5,31,45,709 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the country.
Virat Kohli goes past Ricky Ponting to create world record
Indian Captain Virat Kohli became the fastest cricketer to score 10,000 international runs across formats on home soil.
With this he has bettered former Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s record.
Kohli got to the landmark when he scored his fifty in the series opener vs England.
He now has 10002 runs in international cricket on home soil in 195 innings at an average of 61.74.
Ponting had taken 219 innings to score 10000 runs across formats on home soil.
The third in the list and also the only other Indian apart Kohli, is the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin had taken 223 innings to reach the milestone.
Cricketers such as Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, and Jacques Kallis have also registered more than 10000 runs in international cricket on home soil.
However, none of them had done it in less than 200 innings like Kohli.
Australia’s Defence Minister pulls out of a high-profile conference in India
Australia’s Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has withdrawn from a high-profile international conference that was to be held in India next month.
It is said that she has taken this step because of the uncertainty that mounts over her future in the crucial frontbench role in the Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government.
Senator Reynolds went on leave in February after being admitted to hospital to receive treatment for a pre-existing heart condition.
She made this announcement after her handling of a rape allegation.
These allegations have been levelled by her former staffer Brittany Higgins.
Senator Reynolds has earlier revealed she would remain on leave until April 2.
She was expected to travel to New Delhi with Foreign Minister Marise Payne to attend the Raisina Dialogue on April 13.
However, Senator Reynolds office confirmed to the media that she was no longer taking the trip.
The Raisina Dialogue is one of Asia’s pre-eminent defence and strategic forums.
Australia’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, Barry O’Farrell, told India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh last month that Minister Reynolds “very much looks forward to the upcoming Raisina Dialogue and hopes to meet you there in person”.
Indian officials had planned a meeting between the two Ministers which has now been abandoned.
Pakistani national tragically dies in Sydney floods
A Pakistani national, Ayaz Younus, has become the first fatality in NSW floods.
Mr Younus, a 25 yo software engineering graduate, died in floodwaters in Sydney’s north-west while on the way to his first day of job as a truck driver.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, he called for help at 6.20am.
He said that his vehicle, a new Toyota Camry hire car, was sinking on Cattai Ridge Road in Glenorie.
The police told media that Mr Younus stayed on the phone to the triple zero operator for 44 minutes until contact was lost.
Mr Younus’ roommate Imran Ahmad told the Herald the pair had met about a year and a half ago but had started living together last year.
“He was very excited. I was the last person he met [before he left]. He said, ‘I am very excited.’”
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said Mr Younus’ death was the result of a dreadful set of circumstances.
He added that every effort was being made to contact his family overseas.
“This is a graphic and tragic reminder of the dangers across our roads as this crisis unfolds.”
Pakistan Association Australia president Farhat Jaffri wrote on Facebook:
Minister for Police David Elliott is expected to visit the Marsden Park Mosque next week to speak to the community.
$390,000 recovered in unpaid wages for 163 security guards
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has recovered $389,982 in unpaid wages for 163 security guards following an investigation into 19 security businesses in Queensland.
Businesses in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville, Maryborough, Gympie and Mackay were investigated between September 2019 and July 2020.
FWO received intelligence that raised concerns that some guards may have been incorrectly engaged as independent contractors rather than employees.
This intelligence included anonymous tip-offs and job advertisements.
Inspectors interviewed workers, managers and business owners and checked records and pay slips for compliance with the Fair Work Act, Fair Work Regulations and the Security Services Industry Award 2010.
The FWO found that 10 of the audited businesses (53 per cent) were non-compliant.
Of these, nine failed to pay workers correctly and two breached record-keeping and pay slip laws.
The most common breaches of workplace laws related to underpayments of weekend penalty rates and the minimum rate for ordinary hours.
No evidence of sham contracting was identified.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the regulator prioritised allegations of employees being misclassified as independent contractors, and she expected security employers to check their compliance with workplace laws.
“Too often we have found employees being underpaid in the security industry and we will continue to monitor the sector and act to ensure that lawful wages are put in workers’ pockets. The Fair Work Ombudsman is aware that many security guards are visa holders or from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, which can make them more vulnerable to breaches of their workplace rights. We urge any workers with concerns about their entitlements to contact us.”
Inspectors issued 11 Compliance Notices requiring nine employers to rectify breaches of the law.
This has resulted in the $389,982 in back-payments by eight businesses to 163 affected employees.
One of the Compliance Notice matters remain ongoing.
Recoveries from individual businesses ranged from $357,275 for 136 workers from a north Queensland business to $102 for one worker from a Brisbane business.
These businesses were put on notice that any future breaches may result in higher-level enforcement action.
Inspectors also issued two Infringement Notices resulting in payments of fines totalling $420.
Last year, a separate security business in Coffs Harbour received penalties in court for underpaying employees, while another principal security contractor entered into an Enforceable Undertaking after it admitted it was involved in the underpayments of guards in its supply chain.
The FWO has an agreement with the Department of Home Affairs where visa holders can ask for our help without fear of their visa being cancelled.
Employers and employees can visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 for free advice and assistance.
‘Sushant’s Point’ installed in Melbourne as part of ‘Celebrate India’ initiative
Recently, Sushant Singh Rajput’s work was recognised as his film Chhichhore bagged a National Award.
Tributes have poured in for the late actor from all over the world.
Indian-Australians showed their love by installing a bench called ‘Sushant Point’ in Melbourne.
This small contribution by the Aussizz Group is to support the innitiative in the memory of SSR legacy and contribution to Indian cinema.
The installation described the star, who passed away at the age of 34 last year, as ‘actor, keen astronomer, environmentalist & humanitarian’ and as a ‘soul that touched millions.’
Aussizz Group’s Dharmendrakumar patel said this was cultural organisation Celebrate India’s initiative.
The group has termed the gesture as a ‘small contribution to preserve nature.’
SSR was well-known to be a nature lover.
In fact, his ‘50 dreams’ list contained a wish to plant more trees.
Ind vs Eng, 1st ODI: Krishna, Thakur help India register a 66-run victory
Jonny Bairstow might have played a 94-run knock, but India bowlers came back strongly to hand hosts a 66-run victory in the first ODI of the three-match series against England on Tuesday here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
With this win, India has gone 1-0 up in the three-match series. Both teams will now lock horns in the second ODI on Friday. Chasing 318, England got off to an ideal start as openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow made full use of the powerplay overs and the visitors scored 89 runs without losing a wicket inside the first ten overs. Bairstow and Roy eventually put on 135 runs for the first wicket inside 15 overs.
Bairstow went past his half-century, but Roy (46) ended up missing the milestone as he was sent back to the pavilion by Prasidh Krishna. This was Krishna’s first wicket in ODI cricket. In his very next over, Krishna sent Ben Stokes (1) back to the pavilion, reducing the visitors to 137/2. Bairstow (94) also missed out on his century as he was dismissed by Shardul Thakur with England still needing 149 runs for the win.
England’s innings further derailed in the 25th over as Shardul helped the hosts see the back of skipper Eoin Morgan (22) and Jos Buttler (2), reducing the visitors to 176/5. Sam Billings and Moeen Ali then formed a 41-run stand for the sixth wicket but with 101 runs away from victory, Billings (18) ended up losing his wicket to Krishna, reducing England to 217/6 in the 33rd over.
Sam Curran and Moeen Ali put on 20 runs for the seventh wicket, but this stand was cut short by Bhuvneshwar Kumar as he dismissed Ali (30) and India looked set for a famous comeback victory in the first ODI. In the very next over, Krunal Pandya removed Sam Curran (12) and the hosts were looking to finish the match in a jiffy. In the end, the hosts won the match by 66 runs. For the hosts, Prasidh Krishna scalped four figures and he returned with the best bowling figures for an Indian debutant in an ODI.
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan (98) and Virat Kohli (56) might have set the platform at the top, but it was KL Rahul (62*) and Krunal Pandya’s (58*) blitz in the end that propelled India’s score to 317/5. The duo added 111 of their 112 runs in the last nine overs as they sent the English bowlers on a leather hunt.
Asked to bat first, India got off to a cautious start as openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan put on 39 runs inside the first ten overs. The score would have been more but England’s ground-fielding was up to the mark and the visitors clearly saved 20 runs in the first ten.
Stokes, who was playing his first ODI after the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand, provided the first breakthrough to England as he had Rohit (28) caught at the hands of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler in the 16th over of the innings, ending the opening partnership of 64. Skipper Virat Kohli next joined Dhawan in the middle and the duo started accumulating runs at a brisk pace. The left-handed Dhawan started off the 24th over with a six and as a result, he brought up his half-century. Both Kohli and Dhawan put on 105 runs for the second wicket, and it also saw Kohli going past his 50. But in trying to accelerate further, skipper Kohli (56) ended up giving his wicket away to Mark Wood, reducing hosts to 169/2 in the 33rd over.
Shreyas Iyer, who came out to bat at number four, was not able to impress with the bat and he departed after scoring just six runs. England managed to bog down Dhawan (98) when the left-handed was in his 90s, and this brought about his dismissal in the 39th over. Soon after, Hardik Pandya (1) also ended up giving his wicket to Stokes and this left the hosts in a spot of bother with 9.3 overs still left in the innings.
Making his debut, Krunal did now show any nerves and he smashed boundaries consistently to help India rocket along in the final overs. The left-hander also registered a half-century in his first ODI and he created the record for the fastest fifty scored by a debutant in ODI cricket — 26 balls. In the final five overs, the hosts managed to score 67 more runs and India cruised past the 300-run mark. Krunal and Rahul clearly took the English bowlers by surprise as they kept matching each other shot for shot.
Brief Scores: India 317/5 (Shikhar Dhawan 98, KL Rahul 62*, Ben Stokes 3-34) vs England 251 (Jonny Bairstow 94, Jason Roy 46, Prasidh Krishna 4-54).
India’s folklore to come alive at an exhibition organised by Indian-Australian artists
India is well-known for its cultural and traditional vibrancy that is particularly exhibited through its conventional arts and crafts.
In fact, every region in India has its pattern of folk and tribal arts.
Indian Australian Artists Incorporates (IAA), a Melbourne based not for profit artists community is striving to promote India’s rich art and culture.
It was established in 2017 in and currently has 24 artist members. This organisation is open for artists of all nationalities, gender and background living in Australia.
Their rural folk paintings bear distinctive colourful designs and often mystical motifs.
Sandhya Mohan Padma is a self-taught artist, emerging out of her hobby-painting phase into the real and fascinating world of art.
Her idea about art has been deeply influenced by her Indian upbringing, culture and tradition and hence her Indian background can be seen reflected in most of her works.
Senthil Vel R. S. is also a self taught artist who has worked with pencil sketches, water and oil mediums.
He learnt traditional South Indian Tanjore painting and worked with clay sculpting and is inspired by deep emotions of people, wildlife and nature.
Gayathri Vidhya is a Power Electronics Engineer for whom drawing and art was a world away.
She says:
“Having had an interest in history and drawings since childhood, I took up Tanjore Paintings because of its associated cultural heritage. I learnt it from a couple of teachers, my style of Tanjore painting is in its traditional form where I use poster colours as the medium along with 22 carat gold foil, AD stones and Pearls to bring out its richness. Over the last 3-4 years Tanjore Paintings has become my passion and having a highly supportive family helps; be it my understanding kids who give me the time as well as my husband who is my greatest supporter and also happens to be my hardest critique. I feel every new painting is another new beginning, a learning curve which teaches me that extra bit more, pushes me to strive for that extra bit of perfection.”
Bhadra Kaushik Thotath is a self-made artist who has specialized in Kerala Mural paintings.
By qualification, she is a post graduate in physics but has always held art very close to her heart since childhood.
“My love for art was passed on to me from her father as I grew up watching him paint.”
She went on to learn her basics in mural painting from Sri Dileep Swastik who is an artist at “Guruvayur Mural Painting Institute’.
These artists, under IAA, are organising a unique exhibition of their works at the Library at the Dock, Victoria Harbour Promenade
in Docklands.
This free exhibition will take place from Wednesday 24 March to Thursday 15 April.
As one student gets out of bed, another gets in: thousands are ‘hot-bedding’ in Australia
Alan Morris, University of Technology Sydney; Catherine Hastings, University of Technology Sydney, and Gaby Ramia, University of Sydney
International students commonly share bedrooms so they can afford the rent. What is perhaps much more surprising is that our research suggests thousands are “hot-bedding” – their beds are available to them for only some hours of the day or night so others can use them the rest of the time. If our survey of more than 7,000 international students renting privately in Sydney and Melbourne is representative of the 758,154 international students in Australia in December 2019, this equates to about 22,750 students’ hot-bedding.
In our survey, 3% of all students answered yes to the question, “Do you have to hotbed (i.e. our bed is only available for a few hours of the day/night)?”. The survey also found about four in ten of these hot-bedding students were going without meals. And this was before nearly two-thirds of international students lost their jobs in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another extraordinary finding is that 14% of hot-bedders said their employer had threatened them with visa cancellation (compared to 2% of non-hot-bedders). One in five (20%, compared to 5% of non-hot-bedders) answered yes when asked: “Has the landlord/real estate agent/property manager ever taken away your passport?”
These findings suggest a sizeable proportion of hot-bedders are struggling financially and in a vulnerable situation. Many said their circumstances were having a negative impact on their studies.
Despite this, almost eight in ten agreed or strongly agreed that they “enjoy living and studying in Australia”.
Who are the hot-bedders?
In our survey, 45% of hot-bedders were female. Just under two-thirds (65%) were university students, rather than studying at vocational or English language colleges.
Hot-bedding was spread across all age groups and countries of origin. Thus 4% were aged 18, a quarter were 19 to 21, 42% were 22 to 25, 18% were 26 to 30 and 11% were over 30.
Just under a third came from low-income countries, half came from middle-income countries, and 15% from high-income countries.
How do they feel about rent costs?
Hot-bedders were generally satisfied with their rent – 23% disagreed with the statement, “I think the rent I pay is fair.”
However, one in two (51%) strongly agreed or agreed they worried about paying rent each week (compared to 35% for non-hot-bedders) and only 21% (36% non-hot-bedders) disagreed.
Most students (58%) living less than 40 minutes away from their education provider paid more than $250 a week in rent.
About four in ten hot-bedders agreed they “go without necessities like food so I can pay for my accommodation” and had failed to make a rent payment because of a lack of funds. The rates for students who didn’t hot-bed were two in ten.
Almost half (48%) of hot-bedders agreed concern about paying the rent was having a negative impact on their studies.
How do they view their accommodation?
Despite having to hot-bed, just under eight in ten (78%) of these students said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the home they are renting.
Just over seven in ten (72%) agreed with the statement, “The home I rent is suitable for my needs.” Only 7% disagreed.
Only one in ten hot-bedders agreed the person they rent from did not keep the property well-maintained.
Just over one in four (27%) hot-bedders felt their home was overcrowded compared to 12% of non-hot-bedders.
The cramped situation appeared to have a negative impact on their academic work. About one in three (35%) agreed or strongly agreed that “the condition of my accommodation has a negative impact on my studies”, compared to 13% of those who didn’t hot-bed.
Remarkably, just under one in four (23%) hot-bedding students answered: “yes” when asked if the “balcony of the property is used as a bedroom”, compared to 5% of students who did not hot-bed. A similar percentage of hot-bedders (and 4% of non-hot-bedders) said the garage is used as a bedroom.
How secure do they feel?
Most hot-bedders reported they had a good relationship with their landlord or real estate agent. Only 6% said it was “bad” or “not very good”.
Close to half (45%) of hot-bedders said the person they pay rent to lives in the same accommodation. It’s unclear whether this is the actual landlord, or a person who sub-lets the property.
Two in three hot-bedders sensed they “could stay in this rental property as long as they want to”. Despite the seemingly good relationship of most hot-bedders with their landlord, just under one in three agreed that if they “complain about the standards of the property and maintenance problems [they] might be asked to leave”.
Although maintenance did not seem to be a major issue, just under four in ten hot-bedders agreed they were concerned the rent might be increased if they did ask for repairs. And 38% were anxious they “might be told to leave [their] property and be given a short time to leave”.
When asked, “In the last year, have you ever felt that you could become homeless?”, 37% answered yes. This compares to 17% of non-hot-bedders.
Just under four in ten hot-bedders agreed or strongly agreed that “stress around the possibility of losing my accommodation is affecting my academic studies”.
What is their employment status?
Half of the students who hot-bed had paid work at the time of the survey and of those employed 48% reported that their landlord employed them, compared to 17% of the other students in paid work.
A large proportion felt they were poorly paid and their job was insecure. Less than half of the hot-bedders felt they were well-paid. Only one in four disagreed with the statement, “My current job is insecure.”
Just over eight in ten said losing their job would cause them financial difficulties.
Financial stress is widespread
The chart below shows eight measures of financial stress adapted from the Australia Bureau of Statistics. We added an item on the affordability of textbooks.
On every measure students who hot-bed were two to three times more likely to have answered yes to the question, indicating financial stress. Perhaps the most alarming statistic is that 39% of hot-bedders went without meals. So did 20% of non-hot-bedders.
One in ten hot-bedders suffered from all eight indicators of financial stress. A worrying 34% of hot-bedders reported five or more indicators of financial stress. Only 9% of non-hot-bedders reported five stress indicators. Less than one in 100 endured all eight.
Alan Morris, Professor, Institute of Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney; Catherine Hastings, Assistant Researcher, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney, and Gaby Ramia, Associate Professor in Public Policy, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Rural Australian town hit by mice plague
Rural areas in New South Wales are infested with mice.
These rodents have invaded homes, entered farmer’s barns, destroyed shops and valuable machinery.
In the footage that emerged online through New South Wales Farmers, the panic-driven rodents ran haywire in farms in Gilgandra, northwest of Sydney.
These mice have not only destroyed harvest but also bit patients and electrical wires in hospitals.
In a statement to ABC, a farmer said that at night thousands and thousands of mice covered the floor, moving around rapidly.
Mice were found sailing inside water tanks, trapped in sealed food containers, pantries and wardrobes of homes, fouling the previously clean spaces with faeces and stinky smells as the mice plague, worst in decades, spread in NSW.
A local grocer in Gulargambone told Sky News that the staff was catching nearly 500 mice or sometimes 600 at night.
“It’s pretty gross.”
The NSW government’s Department of Primary Industries found that the on-farm rodent control programs that rely on rodenticides alone to control and manage rodent problems aren’t effective or sustainable.
NSW Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said:
“I have been meeting with NSW farmers frequently on this issue, and at our most recent meeting, they had no clear suggestions on how we can tackle this problem. This shows how difficult mice are to manage. Fundamentally, the regulation of what we are able to use against these pests sits with the APVMA. If we don’t have what we need, it needs to be sorted out at a federal level. If it was up to me, I would task my department with finding an off-label solution, so our farmers have what they need to fight back.”
Because of this mouse plague, New South Wales Farmers is also seeking financial assistance.
Sushant’s ‘Chhichhore’ wins Best Hindi Film and Kangana Ranaut Best Actress at the Indian National Film Awards
The winners of the 67th Indian National Film Awards have been announced.
This announcement has been delayed due to the pandemic.
The prestigious National Film Awards are given out by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
Director Priyadarshan’s Malayalam war epic Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea, that is headlined by Mohanlal, won Best Feature Film.
The best acting honours went to Manoj Bajapayee for Bhonsle, Dhanush for Tamil film Asuran, and Kangana Ranaut for two of her films: Panga and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.
Vijay Sethupathi (Super Deluxe) and Pallavi Joshi (The Tashkent Files) won the supporting actor awards.
Director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan was awarded for Bahattar Hoorain.
Here is the complete list of winners:
Feature Film Awards
Best Feature Film: Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (Malayalam)
Best Actor (shared): Manoj Bajpayee for Bhonsle (Hindi), and Dhanush for Asuran (Tamil)
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Panga (Hindi) and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (Hindi)
Best Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi for The Tashkent Files (Hindi)
Best Supporting Actor: Vijay Sethupathi for Super Deluxe (Tamil)
Best Director: Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan for Bahattar Hoorain (Hindi)
Best Debut Film of a Director: Mathukutty Xavier for Helen (Malayalam)
Best Child Artist: Naga Vishal for KD (Tamil)
Best Action Direction: Avane Srimannarayana (Kannada), Vikram Mor
Best Choreography: Maharishi (Telugu), Raju Sundaram
Best Special Effects: Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (Malayalam), Siddharth Priyadarshan
Special Jury Award: Oththa Seruppu Size 7 (Tamil), Radhakrishnan Parthiban
Best Lyrics: Prabha Varma for Kolaambi (Malayalam)
Best Music Direction: D. Imman for Viswasam (Tamil)
Best Background Music: Prabuddha Banerjee for Jyeshthoputro (Bengali)
Best Make-up Artist: Ranjith for Helen (Malayalam)
Best Costumes: Sujith Sudhakaran and V. Sai for Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (Malayalam)
Best Production Design: Anandi Gopal (Marathi), Sunil Nigwekar and Nilesh Wagh
Best Audiography (Location Sound Recordist): Iewduh (Khasi), Debajit Gayan
Best Audiography (Re-recordist of final mixed track): Oththa Seruppu Size 7 (Tamil), Resul Pookutty
Best Screenplay (Original): Jyeshthoputro (Bengali), Kaushik Ganguly
Best Screenplay (Adapted): Gumnaami (Bengali), Srijit Mukherji
Best Screenplay (Dialogue Writer): The Tashkent Files (Hindi), Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri
Best Cinematography: Jallikattu (Malayalam), Gireesh Gangadharan
Best Editing: Jersey (Telugu), Navin Nooli
Best Children’s Film: Kastoori (Hindi)
Best Film on Environment Conservation: Water Burial (Monpa)
Best Film on Social Issues: Anandi Gopal (Marathi)
Best Film on National Integration: Tajmahal (Marathi)
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Maharishi (Telugu)
Best Female Playback Singer: Savani Ravindra for Bardo (Marathi)
Best Male Playback Singer: B Praak for Kesari (Hindi)
Best Films in Each Language:
Best Hindi Film: Chhichhore
Best Telugu Film: Jersey
Best Malayalam Film: Kalla Nottam
Best Tamil Film: Asuran
Best Paniya Film: Kenjira
Best Mishing Film: Anu Ruwad
Best Khasi Film: Iewduh
Best Chattisgarhi Film: Bhulan the Maze
Best Haryanvi Film: Chhoriyan Chhoron Se Kam Nahi Hoti
Best Tulu Film: Pingara
Best Punjabi Film: Rab Da Radio 2
Best Odia Film: Kalira Atita and Sala Budhar Badla (shared)
Best Manipuri Film: Eigi Kona
Best Marathi Film: Bardo
Best Konkani Film: Kaajro
Best Kannada Film: Akshi
Best Bengali Film: Gumnaami
Best Assamese Film: Ronuwa – Who Never Surrender
Special Mentions: Biriyani (Malayalam), Jonaki Porua (Assamese), Lata Bhagwan Kare (Marathi) and Picasso (Marathi)
Non-Feature Film Awards
Best Voice-over/ Narration: Sir David Attenborough forWild Karnataka (English)
Best Music Direction: Bishakhjyoti for Kranti Darshi Guruji – Ahead of Times (Hindi)
Best Editing: Arjun Gourisaria for Shut Up Sona (Hindi/ English)
Best Audiography: Radha (Musical), Allwin Rego and Sanjay Maurya
Best On-Location Sound Recordist: Rahas (Hindi), Saptarshi Sarkar
Best Cinematography: Savita Singh for Sonsi (Hindi)
Best Direction: Sudhanshu Saria for Knock Knock Knock (English/ Bengali)
Best Film on Family Values: Oru Paathira Swapnam Pole (Malayalam)
Best Short Fiction Film: Custody (Hindi/ English)
Special Jury Award: Small Scale Societies (English)
Best Animation Film: Radha (Musical)
Best Investigative Film: Jakkal (Marathi)
Best Exploration Film: Wild Karnataka (English)
Best Educational Film: Apples and Oranges (English)
Best Film on Social Issues: Holy Rights (Hindi) and Ladli (Hindi)
Best Environment Film: The Stork Saviours (Hindi)
Best Promotional Film: The Shower (Hindi)
Best Arts and Culture Film: Shrikshetra-Ru-Sahijata (Odia)
Best Biographical Film: Elephants Do Remember (English)
Best Ethnographic Film: Charan-Atva The Essence of Being a Nomad (Gujarati)
Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director: Raj Pritam More for Khisa (Marathi)
Best Non-Feature Film: An Engineered Dream (Hindi)
Other Awards
Most Film Friendly State: Sikkim
Best Book on Cinema: A Gandhian Affair: India’s Curious Portrayal of Love in Cinema, by Sanjay Suri
(Special mentions: Cinema Paharana Manus by Ashok Rane and Kannada Cinema: Jagathika Cinema Vikasa-Prerane Prabhava written by PR Ramadasa Naidu)
Best Film Critic: Sohini Chattopadhyay
The awards are usually presented by the President of India.
However, the 66th National Film Awards saw Vice President Venkaiah Naidu honouring the winners while President Ram Nath Kovind had hosted the high tea for the winners.
Watch the 67th National Film Awards announcement of winners here:
Sydney Floods: Hindu community opens their homes and temples to help and support affected people
It has been a difficult few days for Sydneysiders because of the unprecedented rain and flooding as a result. Brave Women and Men of State Emergency Services are doing every bit to reach everyone who needs them.
However, there are a lot of people who have opened their homes for flood-affected families, Anand Manickam, joint secretary of Hindu Council of Australia’s NSW chapter is one of them.
Anand told The Australia Today, “After seeing the flood situation for last two days, I had volunteered to share my shelter with few people as my Hindu dharma tell me to always help people in need. By the grace of Shiva, we have a 6 bedroom house in Sydney (NorthWest) and can accommodate at least a couple of families.”
When we offer help, we never see what background a person is from. They could be from any ethnicity, religion, or language community, said Mr. Manickam.
“In fact today morning we hosted two families one Catholic and other Hindu as due to flood warnings they were asked to evacuate.”
He further explains a few families are still in touch with me caused by flood evacuation/warnings (they live very close to the Nepean River), we have talked to a lot of our volunteers who are ready to accommodate these families in their homes.
He is not alone to answer the call to humanity in this hour of need.
A lot of members of the devoted Hindu community in Sydney have come forward to provide support for the flood-impacted communities around Sydney and other parts of NSW.
Ankur Patel is member of Australian Hindu Foundation.
He took it to social media to publish an appeal.
“We are met with yet another challenge in the form of a once-in 100 years flood event. It’s an ever-changing situation and let us all be vigilant and help each other. I live in Marsden Park. If you need shelter, food, or any other support, please reach out to me via DM without any hesitation. Prayers for all Sydneysiders to quickly overcome this. Hare Krishna”
Diksha Varun Sharma lives around Penrith with her family.
She was panicking as the situation was quickly deteriorating and she was concerned about the safety of her nine-month-old child.
Social Media page Sydney Hindus reassured her and arranged accomodation near Blacktown.
Arya Samaj Temple is situated in the flood-affected area of Sydney. Temple is partially inundated in floodwater and can’t be accessed.
However, this has not dempened their spirits, they are persistently trying to organise help for community.
Suresh Chandra, President of Arya Samaj Temple said, “Our temple is inundated in flooding but our spirits of helping the community can never be drowned. Our temple community is ready to help and support anyone who needs shelter or food in case they had to leave their homes.”
Vishva Hindu Parishad Volunteers and Hindu Social Services Foundation is working closely with emergency relief services to provide food and accommodation.
VHP Australia said We monitoring the situation and our members are ready to act on the directions of the authorities where ever required.
Community members were quick to respond to the calls for support.
Anandsinh Jhala said, “I have two bedroom vacant at my house in Harris park, please feel free to contact me.”
On the other hand, Hindu benevolent fund and Karma kitchen teams are engaging with SES state emergency services teams from different regions to provide the support they need.
Sanjeev is a volunteer with Hindu Benevolent Fund.
He said, “We are already in touch with two regions and approaching others. We will do what we can as our motto is “Vasudhav kuttumbkam” which means we all are one family.
Indian Australian shopkeeper stabbed by a girl in Adelaide CBD
An Indian Australian shopkeeper Yash Gupta running an Adelaide city convenience store was stabbed after an argument over a damaged product on Sunday night.
Security cameras captured the aftermath of the horrific attack, allegedly carried out by two teenaged girls.
He was taken to hospital and both teenage girls arrested following a this serious assault in the CBD.
As per details shared by SA Police, Just after 1 am on Sunday 21 March, patrols and paramedics were called to the convenience store on Hindley Street, after two girls were disturbed in a back room of the business by a worker.
Police will allege one of the girls stabbed the worker in the back with a small knife before they both fled.
Patrols were quickly on scene arresting one of the teens nearby while the second suspect was located in the bathroom of a nearby business and arrested.
The victim was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment of a minor stab wound his back.
A 15-year-old from Auldana and a 16-year-old from Cumberland Park, have both been charged with assault cause serious harm and bailed to appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on 30 April.
Be prepared NSW: Here is what to do guidelines for a flood emergency warning
Current weather across eastern parts of coastal NSW are seeing significant impacts from flood and storm conditions. Some areas have seen floods of record and with saturated catchments and further predicted rainfall, this is a potential life-threatening weather event.
The NSW SES is asking all people in areas impacted by floods and storms to monitor the situation closely and act on all advice given by emergency services immediately.
A coastal trough has resulted in heavy rain over the northern half of the NSW coast. Flash-flooding and riverine flooding is occurring. The accumulative effects of heavy rainfall on now soaked catchments has increased already flooded rivers, rates and rises.
Severe Weather Warnings are current for people in Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands, Australian Capital Territory and parts of Mid North Coast, South Coast, Central Tablelands, South West Slopes and Snowy Mountains locations. Saturday is likely to be the wettest for Sydney and the Illawarra.
Since 18/03/2021 the NSW SES has received over 2700 jobs across NSW during this significant weather event, with just over 800 jobs overnight. Our volunteers are attending properties with leaking roofs and fallen trees due to the strong winds. Communities were working at sandbag collection points to prepare for the flash flooding overnight however significant rainfall has seen 135 Flood Rescue activations for this period.
Across the state we have 8 Evacuation Orders issued in:
- Low lying areas of North Haven, Dunbogan, and Laurieton
- Low lying properties in Port Macquarie
- Low lying properties on the Lower Macleay
- Low lying properties in Kempsey CBD
- Low lying areas of Wauchope and Rawdon Island
- Low lying properties of Bulahdelah
- Low lying properties in Kings Point and Macksville CBD
To view all current Evacuation Orders and Flood Bulletins head to the NSW SES website here https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/
On Monday and Tuesday in Western NSW, another trough is forecast to slowly cross the state. This system looks likely to bring significant rainfall totals to most inland districts during Monday and Tuesday. This includes the far west, which has so far missed out on recent rainfall events.
NSW SES urges communities to never enter floodwater. Prepare for this morning’s commute and avoid all unnecessary travel. Make safe decisions if you are on the roads and visit Live Traffic NSW for current road conditions. https://www.livetraffic.com/
The major cause of death during floods is from people entering or travelling through floodwater.
- Floodwater may be deeper or faster flowing than it appears and contain hidden snags or debris.
- Floodwater may contain chemicals, raw sewage, snakes, spiders and much more that could cause illness and even death.
- Roads and surfaces underneath floodwater often wash away, and may not be visible from the surface.
When an Evacuation Order is issued, and you leave your house:
- Turn off the electricity and gas at the mains before you leave and turn off and secure any gas bottles
- Take your pets with you
- Never enter or travel through floodwater
- Keep listening to your local radio station for information, updates and advice
- Follow your Home or Business FloodSafe Plan
- Follow all instructions given to you by emergency services
Democratic Values rally behind the QUAD Alliance
Op-ed: In the post-corona world order, countries are willing to give a shot to Globalisation pivoted on democratic values and not profits alone. The recent QUAD meeting of the heads of the states is a symbol of democratic powers aligning to economic and social avenues of collaboration. The long-term move could be to keep out non-democratic powers from deriving the benefits of free economics. The US under Biden has taken a keen interest in assuming the leadership. QUAD is one of the few forums where the US can show-case leadership and garner the support of its allies. The Vaccine Programme is one of the biggest outcomes from the latest meeting. While military actions requirement by QUAD appears distant, economic decoupling with rogue regimes is the least democratic powers can start with.
The United Kingdom appears keen to join the forum in some or the other format. EU powers like Germany and France are considering bilateral collaborations in the Indo-Pacific concept in the same area. The only ocean named after a country, the Indian ocean, hosts the majority of the exchange of goods, raw materials, oil, gas, and resources of the world. In the words of Mr. Boris Johnson, Indo-Pacific is increasingly becoming the geopolitical center of the world. Democracy has stung communism big time in Galwan debacle at the ongoing standoff between India and China. The status of Delhi has shot up multiple times with the massive Vaccine diplomacy and a chance of 5G Diplomacy from next year end.
The global flow of communication and transactions faces serious threats with the actions of the Chinese communist party regime. Australia has long been at the receiving end of the autocratic behavior of the Chinese from trade to diplomacy. There is no principle of equity or reciprocity in trade or diplomacy with China. Perhaps, this is the reason that the Scott government has taken an about-turn from Kevin Rudd’s cold response to the warm embrace of QUAD now. Economic might eventually turn into defence might. But war is a dead-end to healthy economics. When the World says Rules-based or Rule of Law, what CCP hears is Rule by Law. The world must decide if it wants to restrict trade in pre-emption or risk corporate interests importing this dangerous ideology back home in nexus with political elements. The CCP continues to lay traps of joint industrial parks, sister city MOUs, and economic promotion conferences to lure the profit-seeking businessmen from democracies.
The vigilant Indian government banned several Chinese applications on time. Chinese applications are well-known weapons of suppression and manipulation. With apps such as Tiktok and WeChat, China can access a massive, less-literate population and misuse the emotional and social profiling data bank created over time. The ability to talk to the enemy’s population directly, by-passing the enemy’s leadership is a lethal weapon of war. Imagine mobilizing a huge crowd with a fake narrative. China handles electricity grids and power distribution contracts in a few of the South China Sea countries under BRI. Besides the belligerence in the South China Sea, these few also face the trauma of allowing dams over rivers flowing to them from China for the sake of electricity and let China also control their water taps. This Chinese concept of Unrestricted Warfare will force QUAD nations to bond further and take actual defence actions on the ground in the future. Economic and social collaborations of the QUAD should go ahead with the isolation of rogue regimes in the back of mind in the short to medium term.
From the QUAD, Australia can be the first casualty when China resorts to any belligerent move in the region. From the possibility of cutting off sea routes to shunting down education business to banning crucial exports to Australia, it can play all the moves. The freedom of navigation of the seas is universal and accepted by all and QUAD can help preserve it. The QUAD nations must also collaborate diplomatically. Be it India’s claim to Pakistan occupied Kashmir and terrorism or China’s predatory take over of ports like Gwadar, Hambantota, Senkaku islands, or activities in the 9-dash line. The link of the Indian ocean with the pacific is inevitable and a common front of a tussle for democracies with the communist mainland of China. The Chinese navy is visibly becoming lethal with time. Islands of the critical Malacca straits should be considered for setting up a QUAD headquarter as the gatekeeper of the Indo-Pacific.
The future of the QUAD alliance will extent to QUAD plus and a separate South East Asia alliance under the leadership of India. About 10 nations depend on waters flowing from China occupied Tibet. Waters drive the economics of industry, electricity, and human survival. QUAD must consider supporting these nations diplomatically against this probable weapon which can cause flood or famines or hamper electricity supply. Every bilateral and multi-lateral agreement proposal involving rogue members must undergo security scrutiny, be it RCEP or Trans-Pacific Partnership. The hard-earned taxpayers’ money or wealth of democracies must not flow out to enrich rogue elements anywhere under the pretext of free trade.
Author: Ankit Shah, A South-Asia Security & Foreign Policy Analyst, Ph.D. scholar & Past Academic & Research Associate of IIM Ahmedabad. He also runs “The BHAARAT KSHETRA” YouTube Channel. Tweets @ankitatIIMA.
Australian disability services provider to back-pay employees more than $2.7 million
Disability services provider Breakthru Ltd is back-paying employees more than $2.7 million and has entered into an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) with the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The registered charity, which operates in NSW, Victoria and Queensland self-reported underpayments to the workplace regulator in March 2020.
During the process of negotiating a new enterprise agreement, Breakthru became aware that it had incorrectly classified a number of employees under the applicable awards and industrial agreements, resulting in an underpayment of base rates for those employees.
The error led to Breakthru underpaying employee entitlements under the applicable industrial agreements and the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 and the Labour Market Assistance Industry Award 2010.
Underpaid employees were at various locations in Australia.
These include Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Atherton, Melbourne, Sydney, Coonabarabran, Dubbo, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Taree, Tuggerah and Tuncurry.
Affected workers were in disability support and training-and-placement roles.
In total, Breakthru is back-paying 649 current and former employees $2.75 million (including interest and superannuation) after underpaying them between 2014 and 2020.
Individual back-payments range from less than $1 to more than $34,000.
As at 19 February 2021, the company had back-paid 616 workers, with less than $47,000 still owing to 33 former employees who must be back-paid by 31 March 2021.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said that an EU was appropriate as Breakthru had demonstrated a strong commitment to rectifying all underpayments.
“Under the Enforceable Undertaking, Breakthru has committed to implementing stringent measures to protect the rights of its workforce. These measures include engaging, at the company’s own cost, audits of its compliance with workplace laws over the next two years. This matter demonstrates how important it is for companies to check that they have classified every employee correctly. Any employer who needs help meeting their workplace obligations should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free advice and assistance.”
Under the EU, Breakthru is also required to display an online notice detailing its workplace law breaches, apologise to workers, commission workplace relations training for human resources, recruitment and payroll staff and provide evidence that it has developed systems and processes for ensuring compliance in future.
Employers and employees can visit www.fairwork.gov.au or contact the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 for free workplace advice.
6 COVID vaccines will come up in India
Recently, the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan announced that more than 6 COVID-19 vaccines will come up in India.
He also informed the media that 1.84 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered to people so far.
In addition, India has conducted 23 crore tests.
Dr Harsh Vardhan was speaking on the occasion of inaugurating a new green campus of the National Institute of Research in Environmental Health.
The Health Minister said:
“India has developed two vaccines, which have been given to 71 countries. Many more nations are seeking the vaccines, and these are not little-known nations…Canada, Brazil, and other developed countries are using Indian vaccines with great zeal.”
The Health Ministry informed that as many as 78,66,241 senior citizens and 13,86,305 aged 45 and above with specific comorbidities have received vaccine doses.
A total of 9,74,090 vaccine doses were given by the 57th day of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 and the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on March 1.
Tamil-Australian singer’s tribute to the dispossessed tea plantation labourers
Enjoy Enjaami, a collaboration between Arivu, Dhee and Santhosh Narayanan has taken over the music world with surprise.
It has over 29 million views – a major achievement for independent Tamil music!
Dheekshitha Venkadeshan, popularly known as Dhee, is a Sri Lankan-Australian playback singer who has also worked in Tamil cinema.
Valliamma, the grandmother of Chennai-based singer-rapper-lyricist Arivu, descended from plantation workers.
She was taken from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka as a bonded labourer to work in the Tea estates.
These workers returned to Tamil Nadu to find no land to belong to.
Enjoy Enjaami is produced by Santosh Narayanan under the label of AR Rahman’s Maajja, which was formed to promote independent musicians.
Dhee’s distinctive alto voice gives ‘Enjoy Enjaami’ the much needed rustic flavour.
The song has been great reviews from celebs and singers including Chinmaya Sripada, Siddharth, Pa Ranjit and Dulquer Salmaan.
WATCH: Dhee ft. Arivu – Enjoy Enjaami (Prod. Santhosh Narayanan)
Australia to build the world’s first platypus sanctuary
Recently, the Australian conservationists unveiled that Taronga Zoo will build the world’s first platypus sanctuary.
This aims to promote breeding and rehabilitation as platypus face extinction due to climate change.
The Taronga Conservation Society Australia and the New South Wales State government told media that they would build the specialist facility.
This will include ponds and burrows at the zoo 391 km from Sydney.
This could house up to 65 platypuses by 2022.
The platypus is classified as a protected species in Australia. Taronga CEO Cameron Kerr told media:
“There is so much to learn about the platypus and we know so little. These facilities will be critical in building our knowledge so that we don’t let this iconic creature slip off the earth.”
Concerns about the platypus going extinct have been heightened as scientists estimate nearly three billion animals died due to warming temperatures caused by summer bushfires.
“The 2019-20 bushfires followed several years of drought, and Taronga had noted beforehand an increased number of platypuses with “climate-related injuries and illnesses.”
Do you have a claim in $13.8 billion lost Australian super money?
Australia’s Superannuation Minister Jane Hume told Sunrise that the federal government is hoping to reunite workers with $13.8 billion of lost and unclaimed superannuation.
According to the Australian Tax Office, super payments sometimes get “lost.”
This usually happens when when people change their names, jobs, addresses or do not update their details.
There are a number of types of unclaimed monies that the ATO may hold on a person’s behalf:
- Unclaimed super money for a member 65 years old or older, or a non-member spouse, or a deceased member
- Unclaimed super money of former temporary residents
- Lost accounts with balances of less than $6000 (small lost member accounts)
- Lost accounts that have been inactive for a period of five years and have insufficient records to ever identify the owner of the account (insoluble lost member accounts)
- Accounts that are inactive low-balance accounts
Minister Jane Hume said that finding out if a person has any lost superannuation is easy.
“I encourage all Australians to take a moment to log in to the ATO via MyGov and check if it’s yours. In as much time as it takes you to eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, you can find out whether some of the super is yours.”
ATO’s data shows $13.8 billion is waiting to be claimed by its rightful owners with New South Wales in over $3 billion; Victoria and Queensland having around $2 billion; Western Australia with over $1 billion; South Australia with $798 million; ACT having $231 million; Tasmania with $135 million; and the Northern Territory just short $161 million.
The ATO advises that a person can check for lost super online via MyGov (Log in to your myGov account linked to the ATO and then click on Manage my super) or on the phone (by calling the automated super search line on 13 28 65) or completing a paper form.
Ind vs Eng, 4th T20I: All-round performance helps India win series-levelling match
A blistering half-century from Suryakumar Yadav, followed by a brilliant performance from the bowlers, helped India win the fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match series against England here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday evening.
With the eight-run win over England, India has levelled the series 2-2 with the series decider to be played on Saturday at the same venue. Chasing 186, Jason Roy and Jos Buttler opened the innings for the side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar started with a maiden over just the way India wanted. From the other end, skipper Virat Kohli brought Hardik Pandya into the attack. Pandya also did not concede many runs in his over.
Buttler was not able to soak the pressure and got out against Bhuvneshwar in the third over after scoring nine runs off six balls.
Dawid Malan, who came in to bat at number three, along with Roy kept the scoreboard moving and made full use of the powerplay overs. The duo added 45 runs for the second wicket stand before Rahul Chahar removed Malan (14) in the eighth over.
In the next over, Pandya sent Roy back to the pavilion. The right-handed batsman played a fiery knock of 40 runs off 27 balls. After Roy’s dismissal, England’s score read 66/3 in 8.5 overs.
However, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes continued scoring runs at a brisk pace and kept England in the hunt. The duo smashed the ball to all parts of the ground and added 65 off just 36 balls for the fourth wicket.
In the 15th over, much to India’s respite, Washington Sundar removed Bairstow (25). Skipper Eoin Morgan joined Stokes in the middle.
Pacer Shardul Thakur brought the hosts back in the game as he scalped two crucial wickets of Stokes and Morgan on successive balls in the 16th over. Thakur picked Stokes (46) on the first ball and on the next delivery, he removed Morgan (4) to leave the visitors reeling at 140/6.
Stokes’ knock came off 23 balls, studded with three sixes and four fours.
Sam Curran (3) and Chris Jordan came to rescue the side but the former failed to get going and was dismissed by Pandya in the 18th over.
In the last over, England needed 23 runs, and the visitors accumulated 11 of the first three balls but Thakur came back strong and gave three runs off the next three balls, including Jordan’s (12) wicket. Jofra Archer remained unbeaten on 18 off eight balls as England reached 177/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
For the hosts, Thakur bagged three wickets while Pandya and Chahar claimed two scalps each.
Earlier, batting for the first time in international cricket, Suryakumar hit a classy 31-ball 57 to ensure India posted a competitive 185/8.
If Surya showed nerves of steel as he hit the first ball he faced — off Archer — for a six, Rishabh Pant (30) and Shreyas Iyer (37) played fearless cricket as the hosts looked in complete control with bat in hand. The score could have gone over the 200-run mark, but Archer’s four-wicket haul restricted the hosts from running away with the game.
Put into bat, Rohit Sharma made his intentions clear from ball number one as he smashed the first ball of the match bowled by Adil Rashid for a six over the long-off boundary. The first over saw 12 runs being scored and the other batter KL Rahul also opened his mark after registering two ducks in this series.
However, Archer and Mark Wood were able to create pressure in the next two overs and this brought about Rohit’s (12) dismissal in the fourth over of the innings. Suryakumar announced his arrival in international cricket with style as he sent Archer into the stands off the very first ball. After the end of the sixth over, India’s score read 45/1.
The right-hander kept on attacking from one end, but Rahul (14) stayed in his shell and this brought about his dismissal, reducing India to 63/2 in the eighth over as the opener looked to hit out. In the very next over, Rashid had Kohli (1) stumped and the situation asked for the hosts to rebuild their innings. This was the eighth time in international cricket that Rashid got the better of the talismanic Indian batsman.
The biggest turning point came in the 14th over of the innings as Surya (57) was sent back to the pavilion by Curran. The right-handed batsman tried to play a ramp shot but Malan ended up taking the catch. Replays indicated that the ball might have hit the ground when Malan was taking the catch, however, as the soft signal was out, the third umpire stayed with the on-field call citing “lack of conclusive evidence”.
In the final four overs, Iyer continued to march on, but he did not find much support at the other end, and Archer showed his class and in the end, the hosts were restricted to under the 190-run mark.
Brief scores: India 185/8 (Suryakumar Yadav 57, Shreyas Iyer 37; Jofra Archer 4-33); England 177/8 (Ben Stokes 46, Jason Roy 40; Shardul Thakur 3-42, Hardik Pandya 2-16).
Participate in ICCR’s international video blogging contest “My Impressions of India” and win prizes
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is organizing an International Video Blogging Contest.
The theme of this contest is “My Impressions of India” or “What India means to me”.
This will coincide with the celebrations of the 71st Foundation Day of ICCR.
The ICCR was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who was independent India’s first Education Minister.
“Its objectives are to actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India’s external cultural relations; to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries; to promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people, and to develop relations with nations.”
The Video Blogging Contest is open exclusively to foreign participants residing outside India and is being organsied as part of ICCR’s Alumni Connect Programme.
Please remember that the entries should not contain any offensive or provocative language or content.
The prizes are as follows: First Prize US$ 2000; Second Prize US$ 1000; and Third Prize US$ 750.
The last date to send a video blog entry is 4th April 2021.
Local IT services business in court for wage theft
The Fair Work Ombudsman has commenced legal action in the Federal Circuit Court against the operators of an IT services business in Melbourne.
Facing court are The Backup Bloke Pty Ltd, which is based in Moorabbin, and company director Paul Loiacono.
The regulator commenced its investigation after receiving a request for assistance from an employee.
This employee had been engaged to work full time for The Back-up Bloke as a salesperson and service technician.
A Fair Work Inspector issued a Compliance Notice to The Backup Bloke in September 2020.
FWO issued this notice after forming a belief that, due to being paid only sporadically, the employee was owed 107 weeks of unpaid wages under the General Retail Industry Award 2010 for work performed between 2015 and 2019.
Annual leave entitlements were allegedly also underpaid.
The FWO alleges The Backup Bloke, without reasonable excuse, failed to comply with the Compliance Notice, which required it to calculate and back-pay the worker’s outstanding entitlements.
Mr Loiacono was allegedly involved in the breach.
In line with the FWO’s proportionate approach to regulation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FWO made several attempts to secure voluntary compliance before commencing legal action.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the regulator would continue to enforce workplace laws and take businesses to court where lawful requests are not complied with.
“Compliance Notices are important tools used by inspectors to deal with apparent contraventions of the Fair Work Act or industrial instruments, most typically Modern Awards. Where employers do not respond to or comply with these Notices, we will take appropriate enforcement action to protect employees. A court can order a business to pay penalties for not complying with such a Notice, in addition to back-paying workers as appropriate. Any employees with concerns about their pay or entitlements should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman for free assistance.”
The FWO is seeking a penalty against The Backup Bloke Pty Ltd and Mr Loiacono.
The company faces a maximum potential penalty of up to $33,300 and Mr Loiacono faces a maximum potential penalty of up to $6,660.
The regulator is also seeking a court order for The Backup Bloke to take the action required by the Compliance Notice, which includes calculating and rectifying any underpayments in full for the employee, plus superannuation and interest.
A directions hearing is listed in the Federal Circuit Court in Melbourne on 1 March 2021.
Employers and employees can visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 for free advice and assistance about their rights and obligations in the workplace.
Why India should decolonise writing its own history
Many of us like travelling but then there are some who are explorers, safe-keepers of history.
I am Anuradha Goyal writer of the travel blog, ‘IndiTales: Travel Blog from India’and it’s my story.
My father worked in defence so I grew up in multiple towns in India. This meant I got to travel throughout my childhood and I think travelling is in my family genes. I started working around the age of twenty-two. However, I had already decided then that I will work till I am thirty-five, build my base and thereafter follow my passion for travel and writing. And that’s exactly what I did.
‘Travel has been the biggest University in my life’
I started discovering places, especially in India as I travelled. Initially, I used to travel simply out of curiosity probably for entertainment, just to travel, see new things. But as I started travelling more I started discovering places, got interested in knowing their history so it became a kind of a spiral. The more I travelled, the more I read, the more I explored, the more I observed. I have discovered India’s history, art history, spirituality, India’s spiritual heritage, pilgrimage heritage, everything I have discovered by travelling. So travel has been the biggest University and continues to be the biggest University in my life.
‘Yet to visit a destination that has not surprised me, every place gives you some magic!’
When I go with the intention of studying a destination, I read a lot, A lot more than most people would. I make a detailed list of all the places that I want to see. For example, when I visited Ayodhya, I spent a week or so there, I studied the whole Ayodhya Mahatmya from the Skanda Purana and I read all possible books on Ayodha to figure out the places I wanted to see, places which were written about let’s say around 2000 years ago. I structured my visit to encompass all of those ancient sites. But then for my blogs, I also do leave an unstructured space, for the place to give you some magic! No matter how much you read there is always something that no one has written about as yet, always. So you have to keep some unstructured time as well to just roam around and let the destination surprise you and I’m yet to visit a destination that has not surprised me.
‘The moment we have a rendezvous with our heritage, the rest will fall in place ’
I think it is important to tell the next generation about the breadth and depth of our heritage so that every generation does something to preserve it. Today the biggest problem is that people are not even aware of their own heritage, most of us are not aware of our own heritage. We don’t even know about the richness of our past. The moment we know it, the moment we have a one-on-one rendezvous with that, the rest of it will fall in place. Today our heritage knowledge is limited to seeing the top 20 places in India, but every part of India has so many layers of history. We need a huge effort to document that and that’s exactly what I’m doing through the blog. We are trying to document the ancient history and living history that we have and hopefully if it is documented it will be preserved.
‘India has not invested in writing its own history’
You can read what is available but it is important to note that almost 90-95% of the stuff has not yet been written about. So first of all we need to make a huge effort to document the history that remains undocumented. Thanks to technology today documentation can be done in multiple ways including making audios, videos, or using still pictures, but it needs to be done. In history, it may be difficult to ascertain facts. Even hundred-year-old things, we really don’t know what the facts were, we only know what was written about it, so to that extent we have to agree that there will be a kind of ambiguity in the historical accounts.
But having said that, India has not at all invested in writing its own history. What has been written about has been written by the Westerners primarily the British. So it’s written by somebody who has an outsider’s perspective, not an insider’s sensibility. It is not written by somebody who understands the nuances of culture or the value of that culture. And when it was written post-independence it was pretty much written by the same people. They may have had Indian names but they were pretty much trained and raised in a very western way. Also, the focus has been more on recent history (last three-four hundred years) but there again certain pockets have been written about.
Let’s say the whole Mogul rule has been covered extensively but at the same time, at the same period, Ahom’s were ruling in Assam but they have not been written about. A lot of other places and regions that were ruled by different kingdoms have also not been written about. So in space and time, both, a lot of things have not been documented and pre-Mogul history has rarely been researched or studied or written about. So we have not really invested in writing our own history. So the documentation that we refer to again goes back to Western writing of our history which is bound to be incomplete because it was not their culture, you cannot expect them to understand it the way you understand it.
‘The world is a far happier and a far nicer place than the media would like you to believe’
There has been a lot of learning. One big thing I learned is that our education is such a waste, apart from the technical things that we learn. What you learn on the road is the biggest learning. Every step on the road is learning. Also, the world is a far happier and a far nicer place than the media would like you to believe. It’s a much safer place as well. There are ample examples of kindness on the road. People who really travel on the road and especially women who travel on the road, I meet a lot of them, I am one of them, let me tell you we have one million stories of kindness on the road. The media would like us to believe that it’s a very bad place for solo women travelers but it’s not. That’s my biggest learning.
‘It’s impossible to hate the people you have visited’
Travel brings people together. It’s impossible to hate the people you have visited. It is something that brings people together, cultures together. And while you appreciate the differences between cultures, you also realise that the underlying philosophies of most ancient cultures or cultures that have existed for a long time are very similar. How you express them or how they manifest in terms of rituals or customs in the community may be different. Many times they are dependent on things like climate or what grows where, but most of the time the underlying philosophies are the same
‘Every place I have visited has been fascinating’
Someone who has travelled to five places can tell you the five best places to visit in the world but somebody who has travelled to five thousand places will never be able to point out. So I will not be able to point out one site or one place that stands out because I can see the good and bad of every site that I visit. And I can find something interesting in every place I visit. Every place, even the smallest of villages, I have found something that is fascinating.
Author: Anuradha Goyal is one of India’s best-known bloggers, Her award-winning travel blog, ‘IndiTales: Travel Blog from India’, covers Indian and International destinations and gives readers mesmerizing insights into Art, History, and Culture, often unravelling untold stories about our ancient heritage. Ms. Goyal has also worked in the IT Industry for 12 years before pursuing her passion and is also the author of the book ‘The Mouse Charmers – Digital Pioneers of India’. She recently penned three more books ‘Lotus in the Stone – Sacred journeys in Eternal India’, ‘Unusual Temples of India’, and Ayodhya Mahatmya. Ms. Goyal shared her fascinating journey with us.