Whether you are involved in cricket or not; you could be a community leader, regular player, volunteer, coach, school teacher, an armchair fan or a parent of a cricket mad child – everyone is welcome to attend.

As well as London, the workshops will take place in seven other regional venues in Birmingham, Bradford, Dewsbury, East London, Leicester, Manchester and Sheffield. They are designed to encourage local communities to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on playing, attending or following the game.

People interested in attending can register by visiting ecb.co.uk/southasiancricket or emailing rsvp@ecb.co.uk.

Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, independent director at the ECB, said: “We know that there is an incredible passion for the game within South Asian communities nationwide. Cricket is in their DNA and we want them to help shape our future plans for the game.

Today we are only scratching the surface of the potential engagement with cricket from the UK’s South Asian communities. This is a huge opportunity to grow the game and we want to hear from people in South Asian communities who play or follow cricket, but also from those who don’t. Get involved, tell us what you think and contribute to deliver a change and help make cricket a better experience for all.”

Kicking off at London’s Kia Oval on Thursday 13th July, the workshops will take place throughout July and August, and will not only offer guests an opportunity to have their voices heard, but also give them the chance to get a taste for the sport both at a local level through tickets to local NatWest T20 Blast matches as well as being entered into a draw to win four VIP tickets to England vs India or England vs Pakistan in 2018.

Thursday 13th July 6-8.30pm      The Kia Oval Cricket Ground, London
Sunday 16th July 12-2.30pm       Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham
Monday 17th July 7-9.30pm        Dewsbury Town Hall, Dewsbury
Tuesday 18th July 7-9.30pm       Carlisle Business Centre, Bradford
Wednesday 19th July 6-8.30pm   Fischer County Ground, Leicester
Thursday 20th July 6-8.30pm      Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester
Tuesday 25th July 7-9.30pm       Jack Carter Pavilion, Ilford
Wednesday 23rd August TBC       Sheffield – location TBC

This is your chance to make your voice heard, and ECB are looking for your support.

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Now that the holy month of Ramadan has come to an end and Eid is upon us, for many children this season marks the beginning of excitement, receiving Eidi and enjoying their favourite delights cooked by mums. It is also a time when families across the UK will visit and wish each other a year full of goodness, well-being and prosperity.

Traditionally, Eid is celebrated by attending morning prayers at the mosque followed by spending time with loved ones over a sumptuous feast and exchanging gifts. Sympathetic to the significant role a gift can play during this festive period and empathetic to the fact that not everyone will be able to celebrate Eid the way they would like to; this year Asda partnered with the Amirah Foundation to make Eid special for mothers and children who have escaped violent pasts from abusive partners or come from an impoverished background.

On the 24^th of June 2017, the Amirah foundation held an Eid card making workshop where a group of children came together to create bright and colourful Eid greeting cards for their mothers as a sign of appreciation for all they have done for them. At the end of the Eid card making workshop each child that participated in the event received a Eidi bag from Asda filled with snacks, drinks and a toy for all their hard work, in an endeavour to make their celebration special.

Saraya Hussain, a spokesperson from The Amirah Foundation said: “Every day we work with women who are struggling to provide for themselves and their children, it warms the heart to see companies like Asda come and celebrate Eid with the children of the community in such a creative and interactive way that allows each child to feel special and gives them a chance to express themselves.”

Speaking about the event, spokesperson from Asda said: “Every year we endeavour to make Eid special for the community by adding new offers and products, but we also ensure that in the spirit of togetherness we continue to support the community with events that promote tradition and culture.”

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Jeremy Corbyn last week made a speech linking British foreign policy to home-grown terrorism of the kind perpetrated by Salman Abedi, the 22-year-old suicide bomber who was of Libyan heritage but born and brought up in Manchester.

Boris Johnson, now foreign secretary, condemned the speech as “monstrous” while others accused Corbyn of being “the terrorist’s friend”. But Corbyn, who is new to the foreign affairs game – witness his naïve comments on Kashmir and Operation Blue Star in the Labour party manifesto – was merely repeating what Boris himself had said in the aftermath of the 7/7 suicide bombings in London which were carried out by four young Britons, three of them of Pakistani origin and one of Jamaican heritage.

In a characteristically eloquent article in The Spectator on July 16, 2005 – nine days after the carnage in which 52 people died – Boris admitted that “we are novices not just at dealing with suicide bombers, but with suicide bombers as British as the fish-and-chip shops in which they grew up. They were born in our NHS, these killers”.

“So we have to focus… on what we should do now to stop people like them hating us so much that they want to kill us,” he continued.

“In groping to understand, the pundits and the politicians have clutched first at Iraq, and the idea that this is ‘blowback’, the inevitable punishment for Britain’s part in the Pentagon’s fiasco. George Galloway began it in Parliament; he was followed by Sir Max Hastings, with the Lib Dems limping in the rear. It is difficult to deny that they have a point, the Told-You-So brigade. As the Butler report revealed, the Joint Intelligence Committee assessment in 2003 was that a war in Iraq would increase the terror threat to Britain.”

Boris also wrote that “the Iraq war did not create the problem of murderous Islamic fundamentalists, though the war has unquestionably sharpened the resentments felt by such people in this country, and given them a new pretext. The Iraq war did not introduce the poison into our bloodstream but, yes, the war did help to potentiate that poison.

“And whatever the defenders of the war may say, it has not solved the problem of Islamic terror, or even come close to providing the beginnings of a solution. You can’t claim to be draining the swamp in the Middle East when the mosquitoes are breeding quite happily in Yorkshire.”

Is this so different from what Corbyn said?

He said: “Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services, have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries, such as Libya, and terrorism here at home.”

“That assessment in no way reduces the guilt of those who attack our children,” Corbyn emphasised.

“But an informed understanding of the causes of terrorism is an essential part of an effective response that will protect the security of our people, that fights rather than fuels terrorism,” he said.

He added: “Protecting this country requires us to be both strong against terrorism and strong against the causes of terrorism. The blame is with the terrorists, but if we are to protect our people we must be honest about what threatens our security.”

Corbyn argued that “we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working. We need a smarter way to reduce the threat from countries that nurture terrorists and generate terrorism”.

There are many others, both on the right and left in British politics and among ordinary members of the British public at the moment, who don’t disagree with what Boris and Corbyn have said.

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If there is one thing that Asians pride themselves on, it is owning their own homes. Now Theresa May appears to have halved the Tory lead over Labour at a stroke by promising social care policies that may have the effect of robbing ordinary voters of their homes.

The Tory lead of nine per cent should still give Mrs May a reasonable majority on June 8 but she can no longer be certain of getting a landslide.

Even Tories think that a majority of 100-150 may not be good for democracy. Probably a majority of 20 or so would keep the checks and balances so that hers is not a Ukip government in Tory clothes.

In the early 1970s, Margaret Thatcher was education secretary and came to be pilloried as “Milk Snatcher” when free milk was abolished for over-sevens at school. Now Mrs May, who has been compared to Britain’s first woman prime minister, may be remembered as “lunch snatcher” if she gets rid of free school meals.

Of course, any British government has to cope with the consequences of an ageing population.

One solution is to let in young immigrants as Angela Merkel has done in Germany by admitting one million refugees. But this government is committed to reducing net migration to “tens of thousands” from the current figure of 273,000.

The government has to find the money for increasing social security costs but taking away people’s homes is not the solution. On various radio stations, people have been ringing in with the same message: “I will never vote Tory again.”

Quite a few callers accused the Tories of being “arrogant”.

In working out people’s assets, a future Tory government will include the value of their homes. This seems unfair if elderly people are being looked after in their own homes by their relatives.

Asians will not vote Tory if the consequence is they will no longer be able to pass on their homes to their children. That is about as certain as anything can be.

The triple lock on pensions is also being removed along with winter fuel payments, which will be means tested.

All in all, this is turning out to be quite a “punish the pensioners” package. But it is the threat to people’s homes which is the most insidious – especially for a Conservative government.

However, it may all prove to be a blessing in disguise. With a small majority of, say, 20 seats, Mrs May will not be able to push through her planned putsch on pensioners. If she is wise, she will scrap the plans. Mrs Thatcher was stubborn about the poll tax – and look what happened to her.

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Nayan Kulkarni is being hailed as “the new Anish Kapoor” after his dramatic artwork – a 75 metre (250ft) wind turbine blade – was installed in the East Yorkshire city of Hull.

It has taken a major feat of engineering to manoeuvre the 28-tonne Blade, as the installation is called, diagonally across Queen Victoria Square in the centre of Hull, which the government has decreed the “UK’s City of Culture 2017”.

More than 50 items of street furniture, including traffic lights and lamp posts, have had to be removed to facilitate its journey into the city centre.

The Blade is positioned a metre from the ground at one end rising to 5.5 metres at the other, so “that a double-decker bus can pass underneath it”.

“Carefully positioned, it forces us to drift around its arabesque edges, our sight taking the place of the breeze,” said Kulkarni. “The twisting wing although inert and at rest in the street, speaks of movement, but not of freedom.”

Talking about the influences on his life, Kulkarni said: “I am a classic child of the diaspora – my father, Deepak Kulkarni was an architect from Bombay who worked all over the world. My mother is from the Wirral. I was born in Norwich in 1969.”

The Blade commission arose “from a conversation I had with curators involved in the Hull City of Culture”, he explained.

The Blade recalls some of Anish Kapoor’s biggest installations, notably the 500ft Marsyas, which occupied the entire length of the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern in 2002.

The city authorities described Kulkarni as “a multimedia artist, whose work is generated from specific concepts, processes or places through diverse media such as light, video, installation, sculpture and photography”.

“Blade is a dramatic addition to Nayan Kulkarni’s ongoing engagement with ideas of place, time, technology and perception,” they added. “Kulkarni’s recent works include Hryre, a major lighting installation in Chester and The Three Graces, commissioned to Illuminate York 2015.”

The rotor blade has been manufactured in fibreglass locally by the German firm Siemens, which has made a £310 million investment in Hull’s economy.

“Blade is a dramatic, yet graceful addition to Hull’s city centre.”

Siemens UK chief executive Juergen Maier said: “Blade brings to life the engineering and manufacturing excellence of which we are so proud. We hope people enjoy it. When people see our blades close up they often comment on how beautifully crafted they are. This installation will enable many thousands of people to appreciate that beauty and scale in the very heart of the city.”

Blade was returned to Siemens on March 18. Martin Green, CEO and director Hull 2017, commented: “Nayan Kulkarni’s Blade is a dramatic, yet graceful addition to Hull’s city centre.

“Despite its size, what is striking about the sculpture is its elegance. It’s a structure we would normally expect out at sea and in a way it might remind you of a giant sea creature, which seems appropriate with Hull’s maritime history.”

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What should be done with a young Asian man who defrauds pensioners by pretending to be a police officer?

Scotland Yard has issued a photograph of the man who is 5ft 8in tall and in his 20s.

The chances are that he was born in Britain of immigrant parents. When caught, the courts should make an example of the fraudster by stripping him – and his parents – of their British nationality and deporting the lot to his parents’ country of origin.

This might seem unduly harsh but really they have deprived themselves of the privilege of being a part of British society where the far right is looking for ammunition.

Take, for example, this man who has been responsible for two elaborate scams targeting elderly victims.

In both cases, according to Scotland Yard, the suspect contacted his victims pretending to be a police officer investigating a fraud at their bank and asking them to help catch the perpetrators by withdrawing large sums of money.

The first incident happened on March 27 and resulted in the 73-year-old victim handing over her life savings. At about 6.30pm, the victim from Dulwich received a call on her mobile phone from a man who said he was a police officer investigating a debit card fraud.

He told the victim to buy €5,000 and a £25,000 watch as part of an elaborate plot to catch the fraudsters. A courier then went to the victim’s address and collected the items.

Then on April 19, an 85- year-old victim received a telephone call at her home in Clapham from almost certainly the same man.

The caller told the woman that he was a police officer investigating a serious fraud at her bank and had two suspects in custody. He explained that two bank staff members were under suspicion and asked the victim to attend a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court the following day as a witness. The confused victim agreed to the request.

The suspect then asked that she go to her bank and withdraw £5,000, which she did. He waited on the phone while she did this. Fortunately, as she returned from the bank the victim told her neighbour about the telephone call.

The suspicious neighbour quizzed the courier when he arrived at around 5.15pm that day to collect the money. As a result he left empty handed. DC Michael Esangbedo of Southwark CID said: “We would urge anyone who recognises the man pictured to get in touch with police.”

He added: “I would like to remind the public that police will never call members of the public and ask them to withdraw money or take part in a police ‘sting’ operation and anyone with suspicions about such requests should call 101 right away.”

The Asian community’s reputation for being law abiding – apart from those involved in terrorism – is well deserved. It is also easily lost.

The post Amit Roy: Send criminals back to their ‘motherland’ appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

A parliamentary official earlier said two people had been shot outside parliament and the building was in lockdown. The House of Commons session was suspended and members of parliament who were in the chamber were told to remain there.

Police said they had been called to an incident at Westminster Bridge, officers were on the scene and it was being treated as a firearms incident.

A reporter inside the building said medical staff were treating two people inside the gates of the parliamentary estate.

Nearby Westminster underground train station was closed at the request of police.

(Reuters)

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More than a dozen commandos scaled down ropes from helicopters hovering over the nets at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, which is hosting the first two games in a three-match series beginning on Friday night.

The side is being skippered by Jos Buttler after regular one-day captain Eoin Morgan decided not to go on the tour in the wake of an attack by jihadists earlier this year on a cafe full of foreigners.

Twenty-two people were killed in July’s assault on the Holey Artisan Cafe in Dhaka’s upmarket Gulshan district, casting doubt over whether Bangladesh’s security forces could guarantee the England team’s safety.

But speaking to reporters on October 6, Buttler insisted there had been no sense of unease among the players since they had arrived last weekend.

“Everything has been in good order. Travel to and from the ground has been great for us although I’m sure it’s been a bit frustrating for the locals,” he said in reference to road closures ordered on security grounds.

“Security has been great so far, I think the guys within the group haven’t even mentioned it. That’s fantastic for us as the guys in the group are very settled and focused on cricket.”

Reg Dickason, the England board’s security chief who endorsed the tour after a field trip to Bangladesh, expressed his satisfaction on October 6 with the safety measures.

“It gives a lot of confidence,” he told reporters. “The security overall … in Bangladesh is outstanding.”

Bangladesh is desperate to avoid the fate of Pakistan who – apart from a lone series against Zimbabwe – have not hosted any international cricket since gunmen attacked Sri Lanka’s team bus during a 2009 Test in Lahore.

Australia pulled out of a planned tour a year ago after their cricket board cited a “risk of terrorism” while Australia’s football team was only persuaded to travel to Dhaka for a World Cup qualifier last November after authorities drew up an extensive security plan.

While Morgan has stayed home, Alistair Cook will fly out later to take charge of the team for two Test matches that follow the three ODIs, the last of which is being held in the port city of Chittagong.

Buttler, who hit an unbeaten 80 in their only warm-up, said his team would start as “underdogs” against a side which has won home ODI series against India, New Zealand and Pakistan in the last few years.

“They are very strong at home in their own conditions,” he said.

With opener Alex Hales also staying home on security grounds and Joe Root being rested for the ODIs, Buttler indicated that batsmen James Vince and Ben Duckett would be in the starting XI.

England were soundly beaten by Bangladesh in Adelaide during last year’s World Cup but they have improved dramatically since and recently broke the record for the highest ODI score by spanking 444 against Pakistan.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said England were now a very different proposition from the team they humbled in Adelaide.

“If you look at the makeover of England team I think we are going to play one of the best team in the world. Since the World Cup they’ve played like champions,” said Mortaza.

Bangladesh have recalled paceman Al-Amin Hossain in their 14-man squad after he was left out for the recent home series against Afghanistan.

Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain, who played his first ODI in more than eight years against Afghanistan last Saturday, has been retained for the England ODIs.

The post Bangladesh: War games ahead of England cricket battle appeared first on Bangladesh Weekly.

The ruling Conservatives had promised to cut annual immigration to under 100,000 but have failed to fulfil their pledge partly as the number of European new arrivals continued to rise, spurred on by factors such as better job prospects.

Net migration to Britain from the EU, those arriving minus those leaving, reached a new record of 189,000 in the year to June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Overall net migration was 335,000, just 1,000 short of the previous high.

Prime minister Theresa May has promised to control immigration as part of a Brexit deal. Many voters blame the EU’s freedom of movement rules for the increase in new
arrivals, which the government said it may now be able to limit.

“Brexit gives us the opportunity to be able to control numbers coming in from Europe,” immigration minister Robert Goodwill said on Thursday (December 1).

“We want to return to sustainable levels and that’s all about… the pressure it puts on the health service, the pressure it puts on education, the pressure it puts on housing and that was very clear during the referendum,” he said.

Britain has yet to detail its aims ahead of EU divorce talks, but many European leaders have already said it should not expect to keep unfettered access to the single market, key to many businesses, and be able to limit freedom of movement at the same time.

Just over half of net migration to Britain came from non-EU nations, but Romania became the most common country of last residence for immigrants arriving in Britain in 2015, accounting for 10 per cent of all new arrivals, the ONS said.

Until 2013, Romanians and Bulgarians had been limited in the types of work they could do in Britain.

The presence of large minority communities and the English language have long made Britain an attractive place, but high unemployment and lower wages in southern Europe have helped spur on recent waves of immigration.

Employment opportunity was the key factor, according to the ONS’ head of international statistics Nicola White.

“The main reason people are coming to the UK is for work, and there has been a significant increase in people looking for work, particularly from the EU,” she said.

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The 32-year-old, who returned matching career-best figures of 6-35 in both innings for a maiden 10-wicket test haul, shone with the ball after his skipper Steve Smith had recorded his first test century on Indian soil to anchor Australia’s batting.

India, who had not lost a home test in 20 matches since a 2012 defeat to England in Kolkata, were once again unable to cope with O’Keefe’s probing lines after they were bundled out for a paltry 105 in the first innings.

Chasing a massive victory target of 441, India scored just two more runs in their second innings to capitulate inside three days at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, making its debut as a test centre.

“We’ve got to hold our heads high, take it on the chin and accept the defeat, they completely outplayed us,” home captain Virat Kohli said after India fell 1-0 behind in the four-match series.

“That was probably our worst batting display in the last two years. I’m sure the guys will bounce back strongly but the batting was more disappointing than the bowling.”

Arriving in India on the back of nine straight defeats in Asia, Australia were in control of the contest once they scraped together 260 in the first innings and tasted victory in India for the first time since a 342-run Nagpur victory in 2004.

“I’m really proud of the way the boys have performed in this test match,” Australia captain Smith said.

“Steve O’Keefe was absolutely outstanding throughout. I think it’s been 4,502 days since Australia’s won a test here in India. I know it to the day and I’m really proud of that achievement.”

SLOPPY FIELDING

Four of O’Keefe’s six wickets in the second innings were leg before dismissals while he also got the prized scalp of Kohli, who completed a forgettable display when he shouldered arms to a straight delivery and saw his off-stump uprooted for 13.

Spin colleague Nathan Lyon provided able support, picking up the other four wickets in India’s innings for 53 runs.

Earlier in the day, Smith capitalised on India’s sloppy fielding with a brilliant century to help his team make 285 in their second innings after the visitors had resumed on 143 for four.

Smith, the world’s top-ranked test batsman, was eventually out leg before to left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja for 109 after he compiled his 18th test ton to guide Australia to a winning advantage.

The 27-year-old right-handed batsman, who was unbeaten on 59 overnight, was dropped three times on Friday and was handed another lifeline on 67 but maintained his concentration on a tricky surface to bring up his 18th test hundred.

He also enjoyed another slice of fortune on 73 when a strong appeal for leg before off Jadeja was turned down by the umpire with replays indicating the decision would have been overturned on review had India not already used up their two referrals.

After Smith reached three figures with a couple of runs off Jadeja, he punched the air and planted a kiss on his helmet before soaking up the applause from the sparse morning crowd and his team mates.

Smith and Mitchell Marsh added 56 for the fifth wicket and the Australia captain contributed to two more significant stands with Matthew Wade (20) and Mitchell Starc (30) as Australia piled on the runs.

The second match starts in Bangalore from next Saturday.

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