It seems that Hindus are outraged at the killing of a 'sacred' cow at the Bhaktivedanta Manor this week. While I abhor the manner in which it was done, it seems that the authorities did have a warrant to "put down" the sick cow and as issues of Public Health and Bovine TB are of concern, particularly at a heavily visited temple, perhaps there is more than one side to this story?

Still it has come at rather an opportune time, particularly in taking the "heat off" the Hindus behind the Krishna-Avanti school - the first state-funded Hindu school in the UK - who have revised their discriminatory admissions policy. It seems it is now going to be up Hindu Priests to determine who is deemed "religious" enough to qualify for admission. I've got a better idea - why not stick all the names in a hat and pick out the lucky winners!

Honestly, when it comes to discrimination let it not be said that Hindus can't discriminate with the best of them! As I will now get emails of criticism for my stance, perhaps it is opportune to say that this will be the last enewsletter this year. I am now off for a much-needed break, or as luck would have it, an ill-timed collapse onto a sun lounger (I hope!)

Until next year,
Lopa Patel (Editor - Redhotcurry.com)

Hindu outrage at killing of sacred cow
The National Council of Hindu Temples UK is outraged after a cow was killed at the Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford at 9.00am while Hindu worshippers were at prayer. The temple claims that the cow was sick but had no disease. read more

British priests to define 'practising Hindu'
Britain's first state-funded Hindu school has revised its admission policy following criticism of its attempt to define practising Hindus, and has now made temple authorities responsible for determining the religious status of families applying for admission. read more

India to raise HSMP changes in trade talks with Britain
A powerful Indian delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath is expected to tell Britain that its sudden backdated tightening of visa rules is a protectionist barrier that severely disadvantages thousands of highly skilled Indians living and working in Britain. read more

Asian named in Britain's party funding scandal
Imran Khand paid more than £300,000 to the Labour Party, but instead of disclosing his identity, the party only declared that it received £312,000 from a group known as the Muslim Friends for Labour, the Daily Telegraph reported. read more

Al Gore & Rajendra Pachauri receive Nobel Peace Prize
Former US vice president Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN climate panel, received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to highlight man-made climate change. The award is worth 10 million kronor ($1.53 million). read more

HSMP rules changed to protect British values
The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced changes to the UK's immigration regime to ensure the system is firm but fair and supports Britain's shared values. read more

New study into Asian women leaders
The Women's minister, Harriet Harman has welcomed a report which defines the 8 characteristics that make Asian women successful leaders in the workplace. read more

Vikram Pandit named Citigroup CEO
Citigroup, the world's largest financial services company, has appointed Nagpur-born Vikram Pandit as the company's new chief executive officer (CEO). read more

British consumers victims of credit card fraud in India
Hundreds of British citizens of Houghton on the Hill in Leicestershire have become victims of international gangs who manage to clone credit card details here and withdraw money from their accounts in India. read more

Vodafone to outsource jobs to India
Mobile phone giant Vodafone Essar will outsource its entire IT operations to IBM India in a bid to cut costs and develop its business in India, Vodafone announced Monday. read more

Scottish Asian Business Awards 2007
The UK's first Muslim MP Mohammed Sarwar, scooped the coveted 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the 2nd Annual Scottish Asian Business Awards. Entrepreneur of the year was Dr Rabinder Buttar, president and founder of ClinTec. Businessman of the Year was scooped up by entrepreneur Sanjay Majhu, Businesswoman of the Year was Nasreen Aksi and Young Achiever of the Year was Umer Ashraf. read more

Asian Businesses key to London's Economy
Asian-owned firms provide nearly 210,000 jobs for London's economy - according to a new report from the Greater London Authority’s Economics Unit. The new report shows that in 2006 there were over 41,000 Asian-owned businesses in London - representing 13% of the capital’s businesses. read more

Tata wins key union backing in Jaguar, Land Rover sale
Britain's largest manufacturing union that represents Ford has backed a bid by India's Tata Motors to buy out the luxury car brands Jaguar and Land Rover. Merrill Lynch, earlier this year estimated that joint sales of Jaguar and Land Rover would fetch Ford between $1.3 and $1.5 billion. read more