Burglary risk You may think it safe to keep your valuables at home. But burglars know the areas, communities and homes likely to have jewellery. They could be watching to see when you go out then break in and ransack your home. Or if they catch you in, could force you to hand over your valuables.

Most of our customers have a small amount of jewellery passed down the family, maybe intended as a dowry, so this would be a devastating loss. Much safer to keep your valuables secure away from your home.

Weddings Lots of Asian homes get targeted when there’s a wedding as some celebrate by lighting up their houses. This makes them a beacon for burglars as weddings are a time when jewellery is worn and gifted.

Keeping your valuables safe Here at Neelkanth Safe Deposit we’ve been keeping people’s valuables safe for many years within our highly-specialised safe deposit centres. Using the latest technology we offer a highly reassuring service at affordable prices. All our profits go back into communities we serve.

We evolved out of Bank House Lockers which opened in Wembley in 1988. Our flagship centre in Southall was set up in 2014. With a capacity of 15,000 lockers it’s now one of Europe’s largest safe deposit centres. To meet the growing demand in 2019 we opened a branch in Croydon.

Find out how we can give you peace of mind. Call us now on:

020 8843 9920 (Southall)

020 8702 8888 (Croydon)

EUROPE’S LEADING SAFE DEPOSIT CENTRES

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Several months into the pandemic, many women now have second-trimester pregnancies because they could not find care in time.

Across 37 countries, nearly 2 million fewer women received services between January and June than in the same period last year, Marie Stopes International says in a new report — 1.3 million in India alone. The organization expects 900,000 unintended pregnancies worldwide as a result, along with 1.5 million unsafe abortions and more than 3,000 maternal deaths.

Those numbers “will likely be greatly amplified” if services falter elsewhere in Latin America, Africa and Asia, Marie Stopes’ director of global evidence, Kathryn Church, has said.

The World Health Organization this month said two-thirds of 103 countries surveyed between mid-May and early July reported disruptions to family planning and contraception services. The UN Population Fund warns of up to 7 million unintended pregnancies worldwide.

Lockdowns, travel restrictions, supply chain disruptions, the massive shift of health resources to combat Covid-19 and fear of infection continue to prevent many women and girls from care.

A surge in teen pregnancies was reported in Kenya, while some young women in Nairobi’s Kibera slum resorted to using broken glass, sticks and pens to try to abort pregnancies, said Diana Kihima with the Women Promotion Center. Two died of their injuries, while some can no longer conceive.

In parts of West Africa, the provision of some contraceptives fell by nearly 50 per cent compared to the same period last year, said the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

“I’ve never seen anything like this apart from countries in conflict,” said Diana Moreka, a coordinator of the MAMA Network that connects women and girls to care across 16 African countries. Calls have increased to their hotlines, including those launched since the pandemic began in Congo, Zambia and Cameroon. More than 20,000 women have called since January.

Like others, Moreka predicts a coming baby boom in some parts of the world. “The pandemic … has taken us many years backwards” in family planning services, she said.

Some countries didn’t deem sexual and reproductive health services as essential under lockdown, meaning women and girls were turned away. Even after NGOs in Romania pressured the government to declare the services essential, many hospitals still weren’t providing abortions, said Daniela Draghici, a member of the IPPF European network’s executive committee.

“The impact in some cases is like what used to happen to young women during Communism, to get an abortion from somebody who claims to be a medical provider … and pray,” she said.

In India’s megacity of Mumbai, one woman was unable to find a pregnancy testing kit after the lockdown started in March, and then couldn’t find transport to reach care in time, said Dr. Shewetangi Shinde, who attended to her in a public hospital. By then, medical abortion wasn’t an option since the pregnancy was too advanced.

India listed abortions as essential services under lockdown but many weren’t aware, said Shinde, who is part of the India Safe Abortion Youth Advocates organization.

The pandemic has highlighted how difficult it already was for many women to safely access abortion services, said Dr. Suchitra Dalvie, a gynecologist in Mumbai and coordinator of the Asia Safe Abortion Partnership.

“All these people … the marginalized groups, the vast invisible majority. This is how life is,” she said.

In January, India began amending laws to allow certain women to obtain abortions up to 24 weeks instead of 20. But the pandemic interrupted it.

No one expected the lockdown to continue for months, Dalvie said. Now many women face second-trimester abortions, which are more expensive and complicated, especially “because everyone who is involved needs to wear PPE.”

Abortion access has improved in India, but the pandemic resulted in abortion pill shortages in several states surveyed by Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India. Only one per cent of pharmacies in northern states like Haryana and Punjab had them, 2 per cent in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and 6.5 per cent in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. In Delhi it was 34 per cent.

Some contraceptives are still delayed by supply chain disruptions, said Chris Purdy, CEO of the DKT International social marketing organization for family planning products. Production is back online, but shipping routes are crowded and ports clogged with back orders, he said.

Meanwhile, women’s health providers have scrambled to find solutions such as telemedicine, home deliveries of contraceptives and home-based medical abortions.

But even now, “we’re hearing everywhere that numbers are down” as public health facilities struggle because thousands of staffers have been infected with the virus, said Marion Stevens, director of the South Africa-based Sexual & Reproductive Justice Coalition. Her group and others wrote to the health minister about women turned away from care.

The real global measure of lockdowns’ effects will come when health ministries report annual data, experts say. But it will be incomplete. In Haiti, the health ministry reported a 74 per cent drop in births at health facilities in May compared to the same period last year. Many women are delivering at home, but deaths there are not reported.

“Small examples can tell us a lot,” said Nondo Ejano, coordinator for the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights Africa. In Tanzania, he said, a major maternity hospital in Dar es Salaam was converted into a COVID-19 response center. “You can ask yourself,” he said of women seeking care, “where would they go?”

At a school he visited last week in the town of Kigoma, five girls had become pregnant in the past few months. “One school. Five girls. Definitely the rate of pregnancy is up,” he said.

“I feel like right now we just have a tip of the situation, and when lockdowns are lifted we will see things clearly,” said Phonsina Archane, a coordinator of the MAMA Network. “We should prepare ourselves for that time.”

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After Supreme Court’s verdict was announced many Bollywood celebs took to social media to react on it. Kangana Ranaut tweeted, “Humanity wins, congratulations to each one of SSR warriors, first time I felt such strong force of collective consciousness, AMAZING #CBITakesOver.”

Akshay Kumar wrote on Twitter, “SC directs CBI to investigate Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. May the truth always prevail #Prayers.”

Sushant’s Raabta co-star, Kriti Sanon, posted on Twitter, “Last 2months have been extremely restless with everything being so blurry. Supreme Court’s order to let the CBI investigate Sushant’s case is a ray of hope that the truth will finally shine Crossed fingers Lets all have faith, stop speculating & let the CBI do their work now! #CBIForSSR.”

Ankita Lokhande, who was earlier in a relationship with Sushant, posted on Instagram, “Justice is the truth in action Truth wins …. #1ststeptossrjustice.”

Parineeti Chopra wrote, “This is a positive step Please let’s respect this moment, and let the CBI do their work now! Please let’s stop speculating and coming to conclusions on our own .. #CBIforSSR #SushanthSinghRajput.”

Sushant’s Sonchiriya co-star, Ranvir Shorey, tweeted, “Pleased with the SC verdict to have #CBIForSSR. We all need to know the truth about the circumstances surrounding #SushanthSinghRajput’s death. .”

Mukesh Chhabra, who directed Sushant starrer Dil Bechara, wrote on Twitter, “We can finally see a ray of sunshine Folded hands The truth will prevail.waheguru #CBIForSSR.”

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In an interview with PTI, Cotton Corporation of India Chairman Pradeep Kumar Agarwal said the exports would take place on a government-to-government basis and the shipments could start from next month onwards.

He said India’s closing stock of cotton is likely to touch 9 million bales by the end of the current marketing year 2019-20 (October to September). One bale is equal to 170 kg.

“It is in G2G (government-to-government) agreement mode. Some quantity we have sold through tender but under G2G, it will take time because the MoU (memorandum of understanding) which is to be signed between both countries is in the vetting stage,” Agarwal told PTI over phone.

Asked if the sale can take place by September before the new crop arrives, he said, “I think so”.

Agarwal said he expects 1-1.5 million bales of cotton to be sold under the proposed agreement with Bangladesh.

He said India is likely to have a record surplus closing stockpile of 9 million bales of cotton by September-end, adding that the State Trading Corporation of Bangladesh will subsequently sell the cotton to the country’s mills.

Talking about his company, Agarwal said CCI”s total procurement this year was 105 lakh bales, plus 9 lakh bales from 2018-19, which put the total stock at 114 bales, out of which, some stock has been sold.

“By September-end, I am expecting it (CCI”s net stock) may be around 3 million bales,” he said.

Agarwal said India”s total production estimate as per the Cotton Advisory Board was 360 lakh bales. However, Cotton Corporation of India estimates the country”s overall production at around 350 lakh bales, he said.

Asked about the price at which cotton will be sold under the agreement, Agarwal said it will not be less than the domestic price in India and depends on the variety of cotton they are likely to purchase, adding that the minimum rate is Rs 35,000 a candy.

“(By September), some quantity will go out. It will continue, but after the agreement, we have to watch the progress, what is their demand, what is the price coming, everything has to be watched,” he said.

Agarwal said the price of sale will depend upon various factors, including the variety, quantity and quality parameters of the cotton as the price differs with its quality attributes and is not uniform.

He shared that CCI paid Rs 5,500 per quintal to farmers for buying the raw kapas (cotton), at the minimum support price which is more than the market rate.

Cotton Corporation of India procures cotton from farmers at the minimum support price and sells it to mills.

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Sayeeda, who had been suffering from old age complications, breathed her last at her residence in Banani, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Born on December 29, 1937 in Pabna, she started her career as a photojournalist in 1956, in ‘Begum’, the only newspaper dedicated to women at that time.

Being inspired to pursue photography from her aunt poet Mahmuda Khatun Siddique, she started photography at the age of only 13.

She took her first picture in Kolkata and her first subjects were two Kabuliwalas, passing by the Victoria Memorial, she had told the Daily Star in an interview.

Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Kabuliwala’ had made an impression on her mind and she wanted to take a picture of a Kabuliwala, she had said.

Sayeeda’s obsession with photography grew with time, and she covered many national and international events. She also worked as a photographer with legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray in three of his films.

While pursuing two master’s degrees in Bangla Literature and Library Science at Dhaka University, she started capturing time, people, history and narratives with her camera.

Her photographs were published in many national and international newspapers including the Observer, Morning News, and Ittefaq. She also captured many important events of the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

She worked as a librarian in seminar library of Bengali Literature Department of the Dhaka University from 1974 to 1986.

She received many awards from several national and international organisations.

In 2019, the government awarded her ‘Ekushey Padak’ for her contribution to photography.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Sayeeda and said that she will live forever in the heart of people through her works.

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Recent reports said that Tata had ended talks about government-backed bailouts for JLR. While responding to reports in the Indian media, Tata Motors said that it has ‘no such intent’.

“Unconfirmed and unsubstantiated reports have been published by some media alleging that Tata Motors may sell a stake in JLR. JLR is and remains a key pillar of Tata Motors and the wider Tata Group,” said the company in a statement.

“Recent results shows that we are maintaining solid liquidity despite Covid-19 and expect to be cash positive from the second quarter onwards. JLR remains strong as it transitions to new electrified, autonomous and connected technologies”.

JLR sunk to a £1.1 billion loss over the first quarter when posted results last month after sales fell more than 40 per cent to £2.9 billion.

According to reports the car maker sought aid under ‘Project Birch’, the government scheme to support structurally important companies.

Bur the government decided the car maker would have to rely on funding from its owner or commercial sources, reported The Telegraph.

Reports said that the funding under the project comes with tough conditions such as controls on executive pay, dividends and strict decarbonisation requirements.

The British car maker is moving towards building more electric vehicles but the pandemic has seen it slow down investment and plans for the green vehicles to bolster the balance sheet.

The company is working with BMW on electric drive trains and internal combustion engines. Reports said this partnership could be extended to sharing vehicle platforms.

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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said 19 per cent of adults reported some form of depression during June, compared with 10 per cent in the nine months to March 2020. Stress and anxiety were the most common symptoms listed by people, it noted.

The data raises questions about the wider public health costs of a pandemic that has already left Britain with the highest excess mortality rate among major European countries.

“Adults who were young, female, unable to afford an unexpected expense or disabled were the most likely to experience some form of depression during the pandemic,” said Tim Vizard, ONS principal research officer.

One in eight adults developed moderate to severe depression during the pandemic, the ONS said. Only one in 25 saw an improvement.

“This report from the ONS presents some worrying data on the rise of depressive symptoms during the pandemic,” said Elaine Fox, professor of cognitive and affective psychology at the University of Oxford.

Adults who told the ONS they would be unable to afford an unexpected expense of £850 were more likely to experience some form of depression, the data showed.

“These economic factors are likely to play an important role in the nation’s mental health in the coming months and years,” Fox said.

A surge in depression is also likely to further harm the economy, which has already suffered an historic blow from the pandemic and the national lockdown it prompted in March.

A 2018 study from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development put the cost of mental health problems in Britain at around 4 per cent of its annual economic output.

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Bangladesh has registered 46 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus infection in a daily count, taking the death toll to 3,740.

The tally of infections surged to 282,344 after 3,200 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8 am Tuesday, the health directorate said in a statement.

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