Tag: JULY

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-Top News UK News

Sunak Calls Surprise Early Election for July

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer for a bilateral meeting and press conference at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

Responding to the announcement, Labour party chief, Sir Keir Starmer called this a moment the country needs and has been waiting for…reports Asian Lite News

 In a surprise development, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday called an early general election in July.

Addressing reporters outside his 10, Downing Street residence, amid rain, he said that, earlier in the day, he had asked King Charles to dissolve Parliament on May 30 and this was granted, and thus the election will take place on July 4, the BBC reported.

Elections were slated for later this year.

Noting that the last five years have seen the country fight through the most challenging times since World War Two, Sunak, who chaired a Cabinet meeting before his announcement, said that the country has fought through those challenges and it made him proud to be British.

He stressed that the UK economy is still growing, inflation has returned to normal, interest rates have come down and the government’s plan is working, However, he acknowledged that he recognises things are not easy for many people currently.

Among a resurgent Labour Party seeking to return to power after 14 years in the wake of his Conservatives dismal performance in the recent Council elections, the Indian-descent Sunak told the people that the question now is “who do you trust”.

It is the moment to decide Britain’s future, he said, to decide whether you want to “build on the future you’ve made or risk going back to square one”.

Sunak also admitted that he cannot and will not claim they got everything right while in power, but he is proud of what they achieved and what can be done in the future, listing his achievements as giving “record funding” to the NHS, improving children’s reading, putting energy security over “environmental dogma” and increasing defence spending.

Responding to the announcement, Labour party chief, Sir Keir Starmer called this a moment the country needs and has been waiting for.

This is the time to change communities and the country, he said, terming the election campaign an opportunity to secure a better future.

Starmer said the Labour party has changed over the last few years and asks for a chance to do the same for the country, promising it will “return Britain to the service of working people”.

It will reverse things like sewage being pumped into rivers, people waiting for treatment in A&E, and reverse the trend of rising mortgages and food prices, he promised

A vote for Labour is a vote for stability, Starmer said, and a vote for “a politics that treads more lightly… and stops the chaos”.

“It is time for change,” he said.

Liberal Democrats leader, Sir Ed Davey said the general election will be a “chance to kick Rishi Sunak’s appalling Conservative government out of office and deliver the change the public is crying out for”.

“The NHS has been brought to its knees, people’s mortgages and rents have soared by hundreds of pounds a month and water companies have got away with pumping filthy sewage into our rivers and beaches.”

ALSO READ-Sunak backtracks

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Books Lite Blogs

Best books for your July reading list

The poems in the collection offer an artistic blend of tender response and thoughtful reaction to social realities, as well as an explosion of powerful emotions from a voice sought to be subdued…reports Asian Lite News

There’s nothing like a good read to get you through the sweltering days of July. Check out these titles:

India’s Secret War By Ushinor Majumdar

There are millions of tiny acts of resistance during any fight for liberation. Some of those result in victories and some in defeats. The Bangladesh Liberation War is full of such stories where India participated in these acts of resistance but till now, it has largely remained a secret, gathering dust in the BSF’ s archives.

India’s Secret War by Ushinor Majumdar is the first detailed, public telling of how India, through the BSF, trained, equipped and fought side-by-side with the regular and irregular forces of Bangladesh. This was above and beyond the paramilitary force’s mandate to guard borders. And the BSF did not fight with only guns-it also reached out to the Awami league leaders, arranged direct meetings with the Indian PM and helped set up the first and exiled democratic government of Bangladesh.

Dreams of a Healthy India | Edited by Syeda Hameed and Ritu Priya

Dreams Of A Healthy India looks at the state of health care in india and the means to democratize it with more pro-people design elements. it features the views of some of the foremost experts in the health field, demystifying the issues of health care systems for the general reader, and simultaneously provokes rethinking on several critical dimensions through writings by policymakers, practitioners and academics. this volume suggests that an indigenously developed health-care system, based on public-community partnerships, and respect for the plurality of needs, experiences and knowledges, can generate such health care for every Indian.

Office Secrets​ by Harish Bhat

Office Secrets offers a selection of fascinating and useful secrets that can help you be far more successful at your workplace. As a bonus, they can make you happier as well. You will find within a range of subjects-whether the best methods of fighting exhaustion, organizing your work desk, the power of listening, why kindness is so important, workplace lessons from Hercule Poirot and what you can learn from the cookies that your colleagues eat.​

Varavara Rao by N. Venugopal and Meena Kandasamy

Varavara Rao: A Life in Poetry is the first-ever collection in English of poems by the Telugu poet, selected and translated from sixteen books that he has published. Having begun to write poetry in his early teens, Varavara Rao, now in his early eighties, continues to be a doyen of Telugu modern poets.

He was a consistent comrade-in-letters to all the social movements from the 1960s to the 2010s, and this volume is a capsule of momentous social history captured in his poetic imagination.

The poems in the collection offer an artistic blend of tender response and thoughtful reaction to social realities, as well as an explosion of powerful emotions from a voice sought to be subdued. Varavara Rao’s poetry, more than anything else, is an offering of solidarity to the voiceless, the underdog and the oppressed.

Goa, 1961: The Complete Story of Nationalism and Integration by Valmiki Faleiro

The subject of the liberation of Goa in 1961 and its integration into the Indian Union in 1962 is sparsely understood at best and misunderstood at worst. Faleiro lucidly outlines the prevailing political atmosphere and its changing character, the part played by indigenous independence movements and freedom fighters leading to the liberation of Goa, and the impact of its consequent assimilation into India. Extensively researched and extremely well-written, Goa, 1961 is a seminal book on an important subject and a must-read for anyone interested in Indian history.

This book starts with the background of occupation of Goa by the Portuguese in the year 1510 – the first foreign occupier in India, older than the Mughals. It deals with history of the resistance put up by natives of Salcete against the colonial occupier barely fifteen years from the time Salcete came under Portuguese rule. It provides a backdrop of life and politics in Goa, in the face of changing political and economic vicissitudes in Portugal, and the birth of local nationalism. From the time Portugal came under a dictatorship in 1928 to after India attained Independence in 1947, it deals with the local aspiration for freedom and India’s diverse non-violent steps for fourteen years (1947-1961), ending finally with a detailed account of India’s military operation that relieved the colonial yoke and its aftermath – locally, in India and across the world (Portugal was an European country, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO). It is the first book to shed light on all aspects of a story little understood at best or misunderstood at worst.

ALSO READ-‘Comic books capture the interest of wide audiences’

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Dubai

Dubai real estate sales reach new records in July

The value of monthly sales during July 2022 recorded an increase of about 44% on an annual basis compared to July 2021, which exceeded Dhs11bn, resulted from 4,414 real estate deals…reports Asian Lite News

“W Capital Real Estate Brokerage” report assessed the strong momentum and exceptional performance of the real estate market in the Emirate of Dubai, in the first seven months of 2022, exceeding Dhs130bn,with 48.000 transactions, thus making the largest sales value ever during that period, according to the latest data issued by the DLD.

The value of real estate units sold in Dubai for the period from January 1 to July 31 of each year exceeds Dhs100bn for the second time .The first time was in July 2009 when real estate sales recorded a value of about Dhs103bn.

The month of July 2022 ,also recorded the highest total value of real estate sales deals in the Emirate of Dubai, with a value of more than Dhs16bn, a result of about 5,359 deals, which is the highest value ever for the month of July, followed by monthly sales of Dhs15.4bn in 2009.

The value of monthly sales during July 2022 recorded an increase of about 44% on an annual basis compared to July 2021, which exceeded Dhs11bn, resulted from 4,414 real estate deals.

Walid Al Zarooni, Chairman of W Capital, said that the real estate sector in Dubai continues to break records in terms of sales and transactions time after time, which is a strong indication of the continued momentum and exceptional performance that started since late last year, and a strong evidence of Dubai real estate market attracting more investments.

Al Zarooni said that the real estate market has recorded unprecedented performance since the beginning of this year, amid record growth in demand driven by a number of positive factors. The expert’s expectations for positive indicators to continue so as to achieve steady growth in real estate sales to exceed Dhs230bn by the end of the year.

Walid Al Zarooni pointed out that this strong performance of the real estate market in recent months is due to foreign investors in light of the increasing demand, the high real estate prices and the high return on investment by a large percentage that encouraged the influx of foreign individuals to buy thanks to the stimulating measures, unlimited support and quality initiatives launched by the Dubai government recently. These included the policies supporting expatriates, the new residency rules, and the residence of entrepreneurs and investors, which contributed to strengthening Dubai’s position at the forefront of global destinations as the best place to live, work and invest.

Al Zarooni pointed out that the Dubai Expo 2020, event ending late March, had the greatest impact in promoting the good investment and residence in Dubai and increased the demand for buying real estate units.

He revealed that the real estate market in Dubai has witnessed a radical change, especially in the past few years that witnessed a remarkable shift in investments, as attracted foreign investors and capitals after it was focused on local investors. There was significant increase in the sale of luxury and distinctive properties in conjunction with the increase in the investments of owners wealth, high income, thanks to the presence of advanced infrastructure along with a distinguished lifestyle that includes the best hotels and restaurants in the world and the exceptional amenities Dubai offers, which made it the best destination for work, live and invest.

ALSO READ-Chinese developer defaults, deals new blow to ailing real estate

Categories
Books Lite Blogs

Post Pandemic Era: Must-Read Books For July

If you are reading this, then we have something in common…. Whether it’s a love of getting crafty, meticulously organizing or making fun-shaped snacks! …writes Siddhi Jain.

There is no speculated time for reading, but the pandemic era is surely a chance. As the world unlocks, there is a need to upgrade and upskill oneself. Let these books be your companions and coaches in a post-pandemic world.

‘Keep Sharp: How to Build a Better Brain at Any Age’ by Sanjay Gupta

An exciting new science-driven guide to protecting your mind from decline. This book includes a 12-week brain training program. An essential guide to keeping your brain young, healthy and sharp from neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta. Keep Sharp is the only owner’s manual you will need to keep your brain young and healthy at any age!

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

With an IKIGAI like magic, Matt Haig’s reflections on hope, survival, and the messy miracle of being alive wraps around us like a warm blanket on an ice-cold night. The book is a collection of life rafts that have kept the author afloat and he hopes with utmost sincerity that some of them would carry us to a dry land too.

‘You Can Coach’ by Siddharth Rajsekar

Currently ranking in the top Amazon Book Bestsellers, You Can Coach aims to redefine the education system by creating a new breed of teachers, coaches, and mentors who will be implementers. The book decodes all the steps for experts to successfully plan, launch, and grow a digital coaching business to six-figures a month. Siddharth is one of India’s top digital coaches and wants to change the way we learn after his own experience as a student. Filled with practical strategies and principles, this information has already helped over 11,000 experts from across the world and created numerous success stories. Apart from his own experience in digital coaching, the book also draws on the experiences of the world’s best coaches and mentors through interviews with Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Blair Singer and Dr Demartini among others.

‘Tap to Tidy: Organising, Crafting and Creating Happiness in a Messy World’ by Stacey Solomon

If you are reading this, then we have something in common…. Whether it’s a love of getting crafty, meticulously organizing or making fun-shaped snacks! I find it hard to sit still but losing myself in a craft project or tidying a drawer is my form of meditation. It’s a chance for me to forget about the things going on in the world around me for a minute. I hope this book helps you to lose yourself for a moment, too — and that you enjoy reading it and even having a go at some of the bits inside.

‘Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behaviour’ by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg

In Get Out of Your Own Way, authors Goulston and Goldberg unmask deep-seated self-defeating behaviours rooted in our childhood experiences of being alone and defenceless. The underlying causes of self-defeating behaviours are explained with simple action tips to achieve the victory of impulse over awareness, immediate gratification over lasting satisfaction and relief over resolution. While it may not be easy to recognize or admit that we get in our own way, and harder still to take responsibility for getting out of our way, if we are smart, resolving life issues can be achieved with simple, yet powerful and proven strategies without visiting an expensive therapist!

ALSO READ-Five books for your summer reading list

READ MORE-Have a brand new beginning with these books

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

July 19 is End of Lockdown: Javid

The new Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who took office after the resignation of Matt Hancock, told the House of Commons that ministers “see no reason to go beyond” that “target date, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Health secretary Sajid Javid has announced that the final easing of lockdown measures in England is still set for 19 July.

The easing of lockdown measures in the UK was pushed back by four weeks from June 21 amid concerns over the spread of the Delta variant.

The new health secretary, who took office after the resignation of Matt Hancock, told the House of Commons that ministers “see no reason to go beyond” that “target date”, according to a BBC report.

Javid said that while cases were rising, the number of deaths “remains mercifully low”.

In a statement, he said no date for lifting restrictions would come with “zero risk” and that “we have to learn to live with” Covid-19.

“We also know that people and businesses need certainty, so we want every step to be irreversible,” BBC quoted Javid as saying.

“The restrictions on our freedoms, they must come to an end.”

Javid also added that the government was aiming for “around two thirds of all adults in this country” to have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine by 19 July.

Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said the UK is “very likely” to ease Covid measures and people will be able to go back to life “as it was before Covid” on July 19.

“Although there are some encouraging signs and the number of deaths and hospitalisations remains low — though both are going up a bit — we are seeing an increase in cases,” Johnson was quoted as saying by the BBC.

“So we think it’s sensible to stick to our plan to have a cautious but irreversible approach, use the next three weeks or so really to complete as much as we can of the vaccine rollout.

“And then with every day that goes by, it’s clearer to me and all our scientific advisers that we’re very likely to be in a position on July 19 to say that we can go back to life as it was before Covid as far as possible,” he noted.

Britain has reported another 18,270 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, the highest since early February, and 23 coronavirus-related deaths, according to official figures released on Saturday.

The government’s decision on lifting measures is based on the progress of the UK’s vaccine rollout.

According to latest figures, across the UK, 44 million people — or 84.1 per cent of adults — have had their first jab and more than 32 million people — 61.6 per cent of the adult population — have had their second dose, the BBC said.

“I want to see the restrictions lifted and life going back to normal as quickly as possible. That is my absolute priority. I want to see those restrictions lifted as soon as we can,” Sajid Javid was quoted as saying.

After his statement at the Commons, Javid was asked what he would do to help parents who were having to stay home repeatedly because their children were being told to isolate.

Javid said a pilot was under way to ascertain whether “tests can be used in lieu of isolation,” the BBC reported.

Labour’s shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, suggested the government should not be so confident about the date, warning that cases were on the up.

“We’ve seen around 84,000 cases in the last week, an increase of around 61%. Today we’ve seen the highest case rate since January,” he said.

“So what is he going to do to push infections down? Vaccinations will do it eventually but not in the next four weeks,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

ALSO READ-‘UK lockdowns take heavy toll on mental health’

READ MORE-UK lockdown easing at risk over variant threat