- Saturday, July 27, 2024
Singer-songwriter Charli XCX is among the nominees for this year's Mercury Prize, as announced by the organisers of the British music award on Thursday. The Mercury Prize, first awarded to Primal Scream in 1992, annually shortlists 12 albums released by British and Irish acts in the United Kingdom. The prize…
FORMER home secretary, Priti Patel, is expected to contest the Tory leadership race to replace Rishi Sunak as opposition leader in the House of Commons. According to media reports, the 52-year-old British Indian MP is considering throwing her hat in the ring after she won her Witham, Essex, seat with…
YOUNG Asian artists have urged established figures from the industry to help support aspiring creatives from minority backgrounds to nurture their talent and have a “network of people from a similar background”. International drama graduates Saadiya Ali and Noel Prasad will feature their double show, Hot Goss, based on the…
“Change”. That was what this election was about. Change, above all, from Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party. Fourteen million voted Conservative last time. Fewer than seven million did this time. The Conservatives lost a quarter of the vote to Reform on the right and another quarter to their left. The losses…
AN ASIAN-ORIGIN lifestyle coach with type 2 diabetes hosts six short films on the illness and how to cope with it. The films are produced by The Adda Club, featuring lifestyle coach Monir Ali, and cover various topics, including diet, exercise, and lifestyle. The films are in English and have…
Reform UK, the right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage, looks set to emerge as a new force in British politics, winning its first seat in an election and squeezing the Conservative vote in the early results declared. Farage, a driving force behind Britain's decision to leave the European Union,…
ASIAN households have been urged to take extra precautions when cooking for family gatherings this summer after a spate of fires. Cooking is the number one cause of accidental house fires in the UK. Of the 24,083 accidental dwelling fires in the year ending March 2023, 44 per cent were…
With pollsters forecasting a resounding defeat for the Conservative party in the July 4 elections, speculation is rife about a Tory leadership contest after the election. If Labour wins by a landslide, Sunak is expected to give up his leadership position in the Conservative party. Former home secretary Dame Priti…
ONE of the 12-year-old boys who was found guilty of murdering a 19-year-old youth using a machete in a Wolverhampton park last November had an obsession with blades. Hours before the killing Shawn Seesahai, along with an accomplice, the boy had posed for a picture with the murder weapon tucked…
THE English county cricket team Essex face a possible points deduction and heavy fine after being charged with alleged “systemic” racist language and conduct over a nine-year period. The charge, brought by the independent Cricket Regulator, has echoes of the racism row involving former Yorkshire bowler Azeem Rafiq that caused…
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has said that Britain should aim for net zero migration - it should allow up to 600,000 migrants a year as nearly that many people annually leave the country. He said this after taking over as leader of the Reform party and announcing that…
FAMILIES across the country are trapped in a state of uncertainty as the Home Office grapples with a massive backlog in handling their requests for visa fee waivers, reported the Guardian. The backlog, the largest ever recorded, has left around 33,000 applications pending, causing distress and instability among vulnerable families,…
UK BROADCASTERS do not want to make programmes on the Bengal Famine of 1943 for fear it might tarnish Sir Winston Churchill’s reputation, a British Asian museum curator has told Eastern Eye. Sona Datta said that Kavita Puri had made a “remarkable breakthrough” by getting BBC Radio 4 to commission…
The MasterChef 2024 champion has been announced after eight weeks of increasingly tough challenges. Veterinary surgeon, Brin Pirathapan, has won the 20th series with dishes that included octopus and venison. Pirathapan, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex, and now lives in Bristol, beat his fellow finalists at French fine dining…
Families of knife killings want people to understand the tragic consequences and more stringent measures be taken to curb the menace. Barely a year ago, 25-year-old Ashish Nahar was stabbed at a park in Bedford. His mother Anita Nahar remembers him as a "fun, happy, cheerful and very caring boy",…
Labour party on Thursday set out its stall for this year's general election, outlining six key pledges to voters in a de-facto campaign launch. The vote is likely months away but the UK's two main parties are already positioning themselves to the electorate in what is looking like a long…
A raft of “serious concerns” – including instances around bullying and self-harm – have been levelled at an Essex secondary school. The issues were raised by Witham MP Priti Patel in the House of Commons who said there were ongoing concerns raised by parents of children attending Maltings Academy around…
The allure of saving money on cosmetic treatments by taking a DIY approach is understandable, especially in today’s economic climate. Professional salons and services can be expensive, and unregulated products, often available through online prices at a fraction of the cost, can be attractive. But when it comes to cosmetic…
An “incompetent” UK Passport Office is letting down Britons stranded in Cyprus, a south Asian father of a new born surrogate baby has told Eastern Eye. Raj Gill, 49, from Essex, has told his MP he is being “held hostage” in Cyprus because the government has spent weeks sitting on a…
The British Wildlife Photography Awards for 2024 showcase an array of captivating images capturing the essence of Britain's wildlife and habitats. With over 14,000 submissions, the winning photographs depict everything from urban wildlife to mesmerising courtship rituals and microscopic organisms, highlighting the diverse tapestry of life in the region. [caption…
COUNCILLORS in the UK's second-largest city Birmingham on Tuesday (5) approved tax hikes and deep cuts to public services including arts funding and rubbish collection, as the city fights to avoid bankruptcy. The city council, which needs to save £300 million over two years to survive, voted to increase local…
Renowned for her eclectic style and infectious personality, Iris Apfel, the fashion maven, has passed away at the age of 102 in her Palm Beach home in Florida. The news was confirmed by Stu Loeser, a spokesperson for her estate, marking the end of a remarkable life that spanned fashion,…
In the face of two significant defeats that cast a shadow over his leadership before the upcoming general election, prime minister Rishi Sunak pointed to "low voter turnout" on Friday (16) as the reason for the Labour Party's success in overturning substantial Tory majorities to win the by-elections in England.…
LABOUR is “haemorrhaging” the Muslim vote, which will have a negative impact when Britain holds the general election, expected later this year, party MPs have told Eastern Eye. Late on Monday (12), Labour withdrew its support and suspended for its candidate for Rochdale, Azhar Ali, following criticism of remarks he…
DRUG abuse is fuelling cases of domestic violence in the Asian community in Britain, experts and support services have told Eastern Eye. Recent data showed that 59 per cent of domestic abuse suspects arrested in seven police force areas in the UK tested positive for cocaine or opiates. In one…
The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards announced on Friday 24 categories worth of longlists of films that will advance to final round voting. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon are leading with 15 longlist spots each, while other films appearing in various categories…
A group of alleged fraudsters of Indian origin, among them a woman, who was arrested and charged concerning a high-value fraud, are set to face trial in a Scotland court in the upcoming weeks after they declined to enter a plea. According to Police Scotland, the arrests took place as…
THE Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is under scrutiny for its failure to appoint black and minority ethnic directors to its board, reported ThisIsMoney. The top accountancy body, representing one of the industry's largest sectors, is also facing criticism for its apparent lack of diversity in…
SEVERAL cricketers who played for English county side Essex were subject to racist abuse and discriminatory treatment, according to an independent report released on Friday (8). References to players' ethnic, racial and religious origins were "entirely normalised and tolerated behaviour" within the dressing-room culture between the mid-1990s and around 2013,…
Dana Conway, 25, has been eliminated from The Great British Bake Off 2023. She became the sixth baker to leave the tent, as announced by presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond. Dana, a database administrator from Essex, said, "I knew it was me that was going to go home, I…
After two successful seasons, Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls is highly anticipated by the fans. The HBO Max series from Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble follows four freshman roommates at the elite East Coast Essex College, where there were illicit affairs, sexual awakenings, and identity crises…
A trial involving six Indian banks pursuing unpaid loans amounting to an estimated $2 billion, including interest accrued, from GVK Coal Developers (Singapore) Pte Ltd and associated companies opened in the High Court in London on Tuesday (10). Judge Dame Clare Moulder presided over the hearing at the Commercial Court…
A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Cambridge has discovered that smoking during pregnancy poses a significantly higher risk than previously estimated. The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, revealed that pregnant women who smoked were 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely compared…
THE use of laughing gas by young British Asians is a growing problem with tougher punishments needed for possession, according to doctors and community experts. Nitrous oxide, sold in small metal canisters or balloons, can lead to a host of health problems. After cannabis, nitrous oxide is the most commonly…
The Great British Bake Off is returning with 12 brand-new contestants. The popular baking competition, produced by Love Productions, has just announced its full cast for the much-anticipated fourteenth season. From a student to a chartered accountant and an intelligence analyst, The Great British Bake Off has once again brought…
The 67th BFI London Film Festival, which is scheduled to be presented over twelve days from 4 to 15 October 2023, has announced the full programme line-up. The London Film Festival will invite audiences to return to its flagship venues in the heart of London – BFI Southbank and the…
VARIETY is the spice of life, as the saying goes, and the restaurant sector is embracing this with new fusion cuisines and combinations. Palmito, an Ecuadorean-Indian restaurant in Brighton, Sussex, is among the businesses earning rave reviews with dishes such as grilled squid in a Keralan roast style sauce, and…
NEW figures have revealed that Slough in Berkshire is among the worst offenders for having the largest budget shortfall of any local authority in the country, writes James Moules. Data from the BBC’s Shared Data Unit compared local authority areas as the collective black hole in council finances has ballooned…
A former cricketer has criticised the prime minister’s decision not to intervene on Lord Botham’s comments about racism in the sport. The peer told a podcast that he thought the England and Wales Cricket Board’s inquiry into racism, misogyny and elitism was a “waste of money”. Eastern Eye reported earlier…
THE England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has failed to step up and investigate why Lord Ian Botham trashed an independent report which found cricket to be racist and misogynist, according to those close to the sport. Eastern Eye has spoken to several prominent cricket sources who have accused the…
Award-winning charity Open Door has announced applications for their Acting and Behind the Scenes programmes are open, with auditions and interviews set to take place in September and October. Boasting 178 offers at leading drama schools so far and with a growing number of Open Door participants securing roles across television, film…
In the Uxbridge by-election, the Conservative Party narrowly retained Boris Johnson's former constituency, defeating Labour by a mere 495 votes. The expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), proposed by Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, was cited as a contributing factor to the Tory victory, The BBC reported. The Ulez…
Renée Rapp has decided to quit Mindy Kaling’s hit series The Sex Lives of College Girls. She will exit the series during its upcoming third season. Though fans may be disappointed with the news, the 23-year-old actress will still appear as Leighton Murray in a couple of episodes, but as…
THE millionaire boss of a successful egg-free confectionery company has denied being responsible for cutting protected trees in Essex. Sukh Chamdal, the founder of Cake Box, is accused of causing or allowing the felling of at least 132 trees in woodland at Debden Hall for constructing a mansion, according to…
The contribution of migrants from the Caribbean and the rest of the Commonwealth is being celebrated on Thursday (22) as the UK marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship bringing workers from the West Indies. Known as the "Windrush generation", thousands of people came to…
FOR anyone who likes flowers, art and photography, there is the perfect exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in King’s Road, Chelsea, until July 9, which isn’t very long now, so it’s worth catching while you can. Last month, the Royal Horticultural Society partnered with Eastern Eye to produce the Garden…
ENGLAND’S world cup winning cricketer Adil Rashid is among the British Asian names recognised in King Charles’s inaugural Birthday Honours List announced today. With doctors, politicians, educators, authors, community leaders and philanthropists among the 11 per cent of recipients coming from an ethnic minority background, the list showcases the immense…
The city of Nottingham in central England is in mourning on Thursday (15) as it prepares for a second vigil in memory of three people killed in a brutal stabbing spree, including British Indian teenage medical student Grace O’Malley Kumar. The University of Nottingham on Wednesday (14) held a campus…
TRIBUTES have been paid to an Asian student who was killed in an incident in Nottingham on Tuesday (13). University of Nottingham student Grace Kumar, 19, was stabbed to death alongside fellow first-year student Barnaby Webber, 19, in an apparently random attack. Another 50-year-old man also found dead with knife…
A British teenager who detectives believe may have been just hours away from launching an attack on police or soldiers, was on Friday (2) sentenced to a minimum of six years in jail for terrorism offences. Matthew King, 19, who converted to Islam during the Covid-19 lockdown and then became…
Investigators probing alleged ‘false accounting’ in Post Office were asked to categorise suspects according to their racial backgrounds, a media report said. Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly subjected to investigation for ‘fraud’ based on information from the Horizon computer system which was later found to be faulty. More than 700…
Three teachers from a school in Essex will be allowed to continue to teach despite being found guilty of paying students to mark each other’s work. Faisal Iqbal, Inderjeet Panesar and Reiss Joseph, who were all teachers at Oaks Park High School in Ilford, have resigned from their post after…
Four members of an organised crime group who smuggled cannabis worth around £1 million into the UK from Canada have been jailed. Kuran Gill, Jag Singh, Gregory Blacklock and Govind Bahia, all in their early 30s, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import the class B drug. Their offence was discovered…
A local authority in the southeast of England failed in its attempt to prevent the British government from using a former military base to accommodate asylum seekers. The Braintree district council, located northeast of London in Essex, had requested a court order to block the Home Office from housing up…
IT will be thirty years this weekend since Stephen Lawrence was robbed, by racial hatred, of the life he should have led. The campaign for justice for Stephen was the news event in my lifetime that most influenced me, alongside the Hillsborough football disaster. We were the same age. He…
BRITISH Sri Lankan broadcaster and author Nihal Arthanayake has spoken of his desire to spend more time in the country of his origin where he sees people “who look like me” and connects “instantly”. The BBC Radio 5 Live presenter also revealed why it was “unsettling to be a minority”…
Former home secretary Priti Patel has backed a legal challenge against plans to turn an Essex RAF base into a migrant camp, the Telegraph reported. Patel has written to home secretary Suella Braverman to back Braintree Council's bid to scrap Essex migrant camp plan. The former minister's stand is a…
Increased childcare funding is expected to feature in the UK government's budget, in a bid to ease pressure on families and particularly women. Childcare costs in the UK are among the highest in the 38-nation OECD, accounting for nearly a third (29 per cent) of a family's income compared to…
A Leyton man has been jailed for life for murdering fellow hostel resident following a row over text messages in August last year. Mahi Noor, 25, of Lea Bridge Road in Leyton, has been sentenced for killing Abdi Khadar Adan, 32, after the former was found guilty following a trial…
WHETHER it is a genre, a musical trend or a supposed hot new star, Bollywood loves jumping onto a bandwagon, and most of the time it just doesn’t work. In terms of ideas, this has been apparent with the awful number of cover versions of classic songs that keep ruining…
A British Asian BBC presenter has said that Asian families avoid visiting countryside in UK due to the impression that these areas are 'white and middle class' and are not 'minority friendly'. BBC Radio 5 Live host Nihal Arthanayke pointed out that social media trolls have created such an image…
The 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush in the UK, which marked a key moment in the country's history of migration, is a "Diamond Jubilee for modern, diverse Britain", according to campaigners. Voices from across British society – from sport and culture to politics, faith and business…
A Cambridge professor who is a leading global figure in the economics of the natural environment, Professor Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta; COP-26 president Alok Sharma and drinks company Diageo’s CEO Ivan Menezes are among prominent Asians who have been recognised in the New Year Honour’s List published late last Friday…
England have decided against taking teenage rising star Rehan Ahmed to New Zealand for their next Test series despite the 18-year-old leg-spinner's dramatic introduction to international cricket. Ahmed became England's youngest men's Test cricketer when he made his debut against Pakistan in Karachi last week, breaking a 73-year-old record set…
REHAN AHMED’S journey to becoming England’s youngest-ever male Test cricketer is amazing. He is, no doubt, an inspiration. The support he has received from his family, his immediate community and in particular, from Leicestershire County Cricket Club, has been immense. What he has achieved is just reward for the hard…
Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the well-received drama series The Sex Lives of College Girls has been renewed for Season 3 at HBO Max. The streamer announced the news on December 14, just ahead of the show’s season two finale. “Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble continue to brilliantly…
British supermarket group Asda said it planned to open 300 convenience stores by the end of 2026, aiming to become a player in the smaller shop market to help drive growth, and creating 10,000 new jobs in the process. The group, Britain's third largest grocer after Tesco and Sainsbury's, has…
“Wake up, time to do the paper round!” It was 6am, I was 11 years old, and my mother was tugging at our heavy duvets to get me and my siblings up at this unholy hour of the morning. The family had just bought a newsagents shop in Romford, Essex…
Twenty-three-year-old Anjali Sinha from Essex, who recently won Miss London 2022, is now gearing up for Miss England final 2022 in Coventry this year. The lucky winner of Miss England 2022 will qualify for the Miss World international beauty pageant. In a freewheeling interview with Eastern Eye, the beauty pageant…
A 28-year man who killed Sainsbury's marketing manager Amani Iqbal in her Walthamstow flat, seemingly claimed he “got rid” of his girlfriend and appeared “happy and upbeat”, an inquest heard. Iqbal was done to death with a dressing gown and was left in a bathtub after she was last seen…
Mary Reynolds who is famous for looking uncannily similar to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, has said that she will give up the job after 34 years, “out of respect” for the late monarch who passed away on September 8. Speaking to the PA news agency, Reynolds said she felt "lucky"…
Queen Elizabeth II’s love for India and the Commonwealth, shared by her son and successor King Charles III, were the recurring themes as Indian-origin members of Parliament, peers and diaspora groups paid tribute to the late monarch. In special sittings of the Houses of Parliament over the past few days…
Queen Elizabeth, Britain's monarch for more than seven decades, died on Thursday aged 96. The following is an explanation of the rules of the British court regarding the accession of a new sovereign and a description of the powers and responsibilities of the monarch. Under the British constitution, a sovereign…
The UK's leading animal charity on Tuesday blamed spiralling costs and the huge upsurge in pet ownership during the pandemic for a 24-per cent rise in pet abandonments this year. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) reported 22,908 abandonments in the first seven months of…
Home Secretary Priti Patel has urged police to act sternly on “lawless” pro-environment protesters whose actions disrupted vehicular traffic in Essex.Just Stop Oil activists have been tunnelling under road surfaces in Thurrock demanding that the government call off all new oil and gas projects. The burrowing forced the police to…
The grieving mother of Archie Battersbee who died after being in a prolonged coma in a London hospital this month has said social media companies should stamp out harmful online challenges.Hollie Dance said at least 82 children died globally because of the blackout challenge in the past 14 years and…
Pollution warnings were issued for nearly 40 beaches in England and Wales on Wednesday (17) as water companies discharged untreated sewage into rivers and the sea, media reports said. Downpour on Tuesday and Wednesday led to mass sewage dumps into the sea around the south coast of England. The Environment Agency warned…
British universities have axed several books from reading lists as the institutions sought to protect students from “challenging” content. An investigation by The Times revealed that the reasons for scrapping the books included concerns about graphic designs and discussions on suicide.Through freedom of information requests sent to almost 140 universities,…
As part of the supermarket chain’s drive to be directly supplied by net-zero emission farms by 2030, Morrisons has launched a new line of eggs from hens that are fed on insects and food waste from the company’s own bakery, fruit and vegetable sites, reports the Independent. Morrisons claims the…
National Crime Agency officers last week discovered more than half a tonne of cocaine worth £40 million found hidden in a Colombian banana shipment at Essex port, media reports said. Investigators intercepted a boat containing drugs from Colombia to the Netherlands at the London Gateway port in Thurrock. Officers said…
PATIENTS with long-lasting symptoms from COVID will have access to more convenient tests and checks closer to home, under new NHS measures announced on Thursday (28). Specialist clinics, dedicated to long Covid, will now be able to send people for tests at local one stop shops and mobile clinics, rather…
BRITISH PAKISTANI legal aid lawyer Zia Nabi has said that his profession let him to spend life doing something he really cares about, reported The Times. He recently received the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award during an event organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group. His work has…
The number of events rejected by England’s universities reached a record high last year, amid the concern that free speech was stifled on campuses.According to the Office for Students, 193 events were disallowed 2020-21 which was more than double the previous year’s 94. The number was the highest since 2017…
Controversial journalist Mazher Mahmood, who exposed many celebrities but ended up in jail himself for breaching the law, will be the subject of a new series on Amazon Prime.Mahmood, who had won several awards for investigative journalism, would often disguise himself as a rich Arab man because of which he…
FIVE people have been found guilty of murdering teenager Mohammed Usman Mirza in Redbridge, London, in an apparent revenge attack for the attempted murder of another man two months earlier. The defendants’ trials were split due to Covid-19 restrictions in place last year. Following a seven-week trial at the Old…
AS a new national monument was unveiled on Wednesday (22) marking the anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving in Britain, actor Lenny Henry, poet Benjamin Zephaniah, broadcaster Trevor Phillips, London mayor Sadiq Khan and cross-party parliamentarians including Steve Baker, Diane Abbott and Baroness Doreen Lawrence have joined a public call…
PHARMACISTS and nurses in UK can issue sick notes starting from July 1 as part of a new law that wants to unclog the appointments crisis, a media report has said. With the change in law, patients will no longer need to see their family doctor and GPs will get…
Charity supporter and IT chief, Ashok J Rabheru, has been awarded a Knighthood in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. He becomes Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in recognition of his work for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which he has supported in various capacities for over twenty-five…
Author Sir Salman Rushdie and cricketer Moeen Ali are among a number of British Asians honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List published on Wednesday (1). With doctors, politicians, educators, authors, community leaders and philanthropists among the 13.3 per cent of recipients coming from an ethnic minority background, this list showcases…
IT WAS another day and another story for me to cover, as a trainee reporter, for a regional television audience hungry for more “news from where you are”. Words that the BBC One news presenters still say before handing viewers to a more local team for stories closer to home.…
ESSEX have been fined £50,000 by an independent Cricket Discipline Commission panel after the English county club pleaded guilty to two charges in relation to a racist comment made at a board meeting in 2017. Essex chairman John Faragher resigned from his role in November 2021 after the allegation that…
BRITISH INDIAN boxer Jordan Flynn-Dhanjal has said that he wants to be the first Sikh world champion. Flynn-Dhanjal, who loves Indian food, has racked up four professional wins, with his fast hands attracting large crowds. He is all set for his fifth fight on Saturday (30) at Bracknell Leisure Centre,…
THE Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) organised an event at Lord’s to celebrate Ramadan for the local community with a specially cooked Iftar on Friday (8). Over 150 people attended the event which included a discussion on ‘Cricket during Ramadan’ held after the first day of the season opener match between Middlesex…
ESSEX COUNTY have pleaded guilty to two charges of bringing cricket into disrepute over an alleged racist comment at a board meeting five years ago, a media report said. Former chairman of the county John Faragher allegedly used a racial slur during a 2017 board meeting that the county failed…
NHS on Thursday (31) said that it will provide flash glucose monitors to everyone living with type 1 diabetes to check their glucose levels more easily and regularly. The wearable gadgets, the size of a £2 coin, have a sensor that easily sits on the arm, allowing patients to check…
BRITISH lawmaker David Amess was "assassinated" while meeting constituents last year by a "fanatical, radicalised Islamist terrorist," a court heard as the accused killer went on trial. Veteran Conservative MP Amess was stabbed to death at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea in southeast England in October. Ali Harbi Ali, 26,…
WHEN people passed their time during lockdown by binge-watching Netflix or trying to pick some new skills. A couple in Essex along with their two daughters instead chose to build a four-seater aircraft from scratch. Ashok Aliseril bought a kit for a four-seater propeller aircraft. He and his family had…
By Nylah Salam Human rights campaigner and counter-terrorism commissioner Sara Khan, paediatric cardiology professor Shakeel Ahmed Qureshi, Leicester academic professor Kamlesh Khunti and actor Nitin Ganatra are among several British Asians who have been recognised in the New Year Honour’s List published tonight (31). Khan has been recognised with a…
GLAMORGAN wants to improve its diversity on and off the field, for which the county's chairman Gareth Williams has set out a plan. In order to tackle racism and discrimination in cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last week came out with a five-point action plan after Azeem…
AN ESSEX man has been sentenced to five years and eight months in jail for money laundering. Avtar Singh Mann, 50, who was the director of the cash and carry warehouse Glenn & Co (Essex) Ltd at Barking was handed the jail term on Friday (26) after a four-month trial…
ANOTHER former player of English county Essex has said he suffered racist abuse at the club following allegations made by Zoheb Sharif and Maurice Chambers in the last week. Jahid Ahmed, who bowled for Essex from 2005-2009, told The Cricketer he was bullied by a senior coach and that his…
ENGLISH county club Essex pledged on Monday (15) to investigate fresh allegations of historical racism made by their former Jamaican-born fast bowler Maurice Chambers. Chambers, who played for Essex between 2005 and 2013, told The Cricketer that he was so upset by the racist bullying he faced at the county…
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has "categorically" denied making an alleged racist comment to a former Yorkshire teammate, whose account was supported by current England player Adil Rashid on Monday (15). Azeem Rafiq, 30, was found by an independent report to have been subject to "racial harassment and bullying" at…
ESSEX chief executive John Stephenson has said he is "extremely shocked and saddened" by allegations the club's former batsman Zoheb Sharif received racist abuse that included being called "bomber" by his teammates. Sharif, whose parents were born in Pakistan, played for Essex between 2001 and 2004. He said the slur…
DESPITE being afflicted with polio from a young age, Arun Patel was undeterred by the disability; rather, he chose to take life head on. In his new book, In Out of My Way, Polio! - Patel narrates his life story, which was full of challenges, starting from meeting the expectations…
MPs from Friday (22) will be offered security guard while meeting constituents after being warned that their work puts them at risk from "a small minority of hostile individuals". This follows after the killing of Sir David Amess a week ago at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. In a…
THE teenage “boss” of a right-wing terror cell has been sentenced to more than 11 years in lock-up for plotting to eliminate his Asian friend. Matthew Cronjager, 18, from Ingatestone in Essex, attempted to find a 3D-printed gun or a sawn-off shotgun to kill his target who talked of having…
A Labour MP who was stabbed by an Islamic extremist has said that he wanted to meet his attacker and asked her why she did it, reported the BBC. Stephen Timms, 66, who has represented East Ham for 27 years, was stabbed twice in the stomach by Roshonara Choudhry in…
FROM his support for animal welfare to well-funded social care, Sir David Amess was known for championing several causes. One among them was his backing for the High Street and small shops. The Conservative MP for Southend West, who died last Friday (15) after being stabbed multiple times while in…
THE attacker who fatally stabbed British lawmaker David Amess was referred to an official counter-terrorist scheme for those thought to be at risk of radicalisation, according to media reports. Police said late Saturday (16) that detectives had until Friday, October 22, to question the suspect after he was detained under…
ENGLAND were able to name their strongest available squad for the Ashes tour to Australia on Sunday (10) as their stars committed to the trip after coronavirus quarantine fears. The Ashes tour had been the subject of tense negotiations after England's players and their families expressed concerns over tough Covid…
A company director and a cash and carry worker have been jailed for more than 11 years for laundering £25 million through a series of shell companies posing as legitimate alcohol businesses. Following a HMRC investigation, Avtar Singh Mann, 50, Mandeep Singh Dhillon, 40 and Santokh Singh Bharj, 54, were…
A British neo-Nazi teenager who wanted to shoot his Asian friend over boasts he slept with 'white chicks' has been found guilty of a terror plot, reported The Daily Mail. Matthew Cronjager, 18, of Ingatestone, Essex, tried to get hold of a 3D printed gun to kill his target, who…
TOP doctors and pharmacists have been praised for using quirky TikTok videos in order to pass on vital health advice to Asian communities. The medics have gained large followings on the video-sharing app for posting musical footage about issues including the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine, sleep tips and diet…
Mindy Kaling, who is presently basking in the global success of her Netflix show Never Have I Ever Season 2, has rounded out the cast of her upcoming HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls. Actors Isabella Roland, Kavi Ladnier, and Stephen Guarino are onboard to play important…
AN east London state school on Tuesday (10) outperformed Eton in securing Oxbridge offer as 55 of its pupils, seven more than Eton's 48, scored A-level grades that are needed to study at UK’s top two universities, stated media reports. Brampton Manor Academy is a state school in the…
SOME ethnic minority groups in England saw higher Covid death rates than the rest of the population, a recent report by Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday (3), which also highlighted that just 13 areas in England and one in Wales out of 7,201 total neighbourhoods have seen…
ENGLAND is facing weeks of disruption in bin collection, transport and food supply due to acute staff shortage caused by ‘pingdemic’, claimed media reports, days after the UK government announced a system to let more key workers in some selected sectors to take daily tests rather than isolate for 10-days.…
SERIOUS health challenges exist in Britain’s coastal towns- such as Blackpool, Hartlepool and Hull- which must be tackled soon by the government or they only “will get worse”, England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty has claimed in a recent report. He has recommended a cross-government strategy, greater coastal…
TOTAL cost of completing the Crossrail project will exceed the given funding, a report by the government spending watchdog revealed. According to the National Audit Office (NAO) estimates the cost of the new rail link will be between £30 million and £218m above the current funding of £18.8 billion. The…
A DIVERSE curriculum in British schools could help “foster a sense of belonging” in ethnic minority communities, a government advisor said during a virtual event on Monday (28). Organised by integration thinktank British Future, the Teaching Modern Britain event explored the importance of a more inclusive curriculum in schools and…
Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Zimbabwe's Andy Flower were among 10 new inductees into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame announced Sunday. The latest batch of players to be accorded the honour were unveiled just days before next week's inaugural World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand…
IN England for the first time the number of people waiting for hospital treatment has surpassed five million, according to latest NHS figures. The NHS England data reveals 5.12 million people had been waiting at the end of April. However, the number facing waits of over a year has fell…
EDUCATION leader Hamid Patel, charity boss Javed Khan and period poverty campaigner Amika George are among prominent British Asians named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List unveiled this evening (11). Patel, chief executive officer of Star Academics in Blackburn, a multi-academy trust which operates 30 free schools and academies, is…
By Nadeem Badshah A FAMOUS curry area in England needs “huge investment” to stop the decline of restaurants and cafes closing, according to business leaders. The face of Brick Lane has changed in recent years with barbershops, trendy artisan cafes and fried chicken shops replacing many Bangladeshi-owned eateries. A virtual…
FOLLOWING the collapse of its financier Greensill, Liberty Steel on Monday (24) launched a major restructuring plan to sell part of its UK assets. Liberty, which is owned by British-Indian billionaire Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance, said in a statement that it will look to sell its steel plant in Stocksbridge,…
A teenager who died in a head-on collision on April 7 after his car veered onto the wrong side of the road has been named. Shrae Patel, 18, was driving his silver Ford Fiesta on Main Road in Bicknacre, Essex, in the direction of South Woodham Ferrers, when he collided…
Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has agreed to join Kent for the second half of the English county's Twenty20 Blast campaign this season. Amir will be available for seven of Kent's group stage matches and will have an option to play in the knockout rounds if they qualify. The…
The Queen has been left bereft at the death of her husband, Prince Philip, said Prince Andrew on Sunday, as prayers were said at memorial services across Britain. Prince Andrew said his 94-year-old mother was "incredibly stoic" but had been hit hard by the death of the Duke of Edinburgh…
The UK government on Sunday (21) vowed to offer a first coronavirus vaccine dose to every adult by the end of July, as it readied to announce a gradual easing of its third lockdown in England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will outline the lockdown review in parliament on Monday,…
By Amit Roy THE vaccination situation in Colchester is best described as erratic. To be sure, I am concerned about my uncle who is 85 and lives by himself, but as of last week, had heard not a word about getting his first dose of the vaccine. The health secretary…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has said that discussions are underway for a bespoke post-Brexit partnership with India in the field of youth mobility, which would involve a two-way flow of students and experts between the two countries. As a result of Britain’s formal exit from the European Union (EU)…
BRITAIN opened ten new mass vaccination centres, including a rugby ground, racecourse, food court and a cathedral, on Monday(18) to deliver Covid-19 vaccines. With the new sites, there will be 17 such centres offering people an alternative to GP-led and hospital services, with more to follow, the National Health Service…
A UK court has sentenced an Indian-origin man to 11 years in prison for blackmail, voyeurism and cybercrimes. Akash Sondhi, 27, from Chafford Hundred in Essex, south-east England, hacked into the computer accounts of over 574 girls and young women to exploit them. He gained unauthorised access to hundreds of…
Bangladesh on Wednesday (6) appointed former English first-class cricketer Jon Lewis as their new batting coach, a statement said. The 50-year-old Englishman is a replacement for former South Africa batsman Neil McKenzie who stepped down in August following the worldwide virus crisis. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said in the statement…
Vasant Lakhani, owner of Millennium Cash & Carry, has passed away on Friday (25 December). He was 72. A resident of east London, Lakhani arrived in the UK from Blantyre in the east African country of Malawi. He is survived by his wife Pannaben and sons Rishi and Shyam and…
ITALY's Ferrero will buy Eat Natural, a British maker of cereal bars, muesli and granola, to expand into healthier snacks, the companies said on Thursday(17). As part of the deal, Ferrero will take over Eat Natural’s production facilities in Halstead, southeast England, and plans to retain the company’s management and…
London will move into England's highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said on Monday (14), citing an exponential rise in infection rates as one of the world's richest cities struggles to contain the disease. Health secretary Matt Hancock also said more than 1,000 cases of a new variant of…
By Barnie Choudhury BAL SAMRA was never a typical BBC ‘suit’, the term that is used for the corporation’s senior managers. He is a people person, willing to help, to volunteer for projects others did not wish to do, and always, unfailingly, crediting his team for success. Until he departs…
By Barnie Choudhury BAL SAMRA was never a typical BBC ‘suit’, the term used for the corporation’s senior managers. He is a people person, always willing to help, always willing to volunteer for projects others did not wish to do, and always, unfailingly, crediting his team for success. Until he…
The Big Walk for Shelter On 10 December, people across the country can join a nationwide effort in the fight against homelessness by taking part in The Big Walk for Shelter. Among them will be father and son TV personalities, Bradley and Barney Walsh - stars of the award-winning Breaking Dad television series…
A UK thinktank has urged the government to do more to protect black, Asian and ethnic minority communities as their finances have suffered more than those of white Britons due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While responding to a poll from YouGov 45 per cent of people from BAME communities said their…
UK trial on Friday(9) heard last desperate messages of Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found in the container in Essex, southeast England, last October 23 after it had been transported on a cargo ship from Zeebrugge in Belgium. "I am sorry. I cannot take care of you. I cannot breathe."…
Businessmen, frontline healthcare staff as well as charity workers and volunteers are among Asians in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List, whose publication in June was delayed in order to recognise “unsung heroes” of the coronavirus pandemic. Billionaire brothers Zuber Vali Issa and Mohsin Issa, who last week acquired Asda…
By S Neeraj Krishna THE UK Supreme Court president hopes to see a justice from an ethnic minority background before he retires in six years, observing that it will be “shameful” to ignore the lack of diversity in judiciary. Lord Reed, who succeeded Lady Hale earlier this year, also urged…
COUNTY CLUB Essex has said that it will improve 'cultural education' of players after the 'beer pouring' incident at Lord's. Essex player Will Buttleman poured beer over his Muslim team-mate Feroze Khushi on Sunday(27) during the Bob Willis Trophy celebrations. Khushi, 21, was 12th man in the final in which…
Thousands of innovative new coronavirus-safe face masks created by a surgeon and his colleague based in the UK are being offered free to the National Health Service (NHS) clinics to stop patients from accidentally spreading COVID-19 to ear, nose and throat (ENT) medics. Dr Ajith George, who is based at…
LEGENDARY pacer Waqar Younis is confident that the future of Pakistan's "trademark" fast bowling is in safe hands after overseeing the latest generation of quicks during their recent tour of England. Teenage paceman Naseem Shah and 20-year-old left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi both impressed as Pakistan lost the three-match Test…
TRAFFORD CENTRE is being put up for sale, after its parent company Intu Properties collapsed into administration two months ago. The coronavirus pandemic has left retailers struggling to pay rents as fewer customers visited stores, stoking some major high street names such as John Lewis and Debenhams to shut stores.…
TWO British Asian men have featured on the list of 36 nominees elevated to the House of Lords. While Aamer A. Sarfraz, is a social entrepreneur and treasurer of the Conservative Party, was part of the dissolution peerages list, academic Prem Sikka was nominated by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Sarfraz…
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria, who has been trying get his life ban for spot-fixing lifted, on Thursday (30) said PCB's decision to reduce Umar Akmal's suspension for failing to report corrupt approaches smacks of double standards. The likes of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, who too were…
Pakistan's cricket board on Friday (10) rejected pleas by two former national players for help in overturning lifetime bans for charges related to match-fixing. Former spinner Danish Kaneria was banned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2012, while ex-skipper Saleem Malik was struck off in 2000 by…
A serving Metropolitan Police officer is accused of joining a conspiracy to steal cash being handed between crime gangs. Kashif Mahmood, 31, from Harlow, Essex appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (8) along with four others. He is charged with conspiracy to acquire criminal property, contrary to the Criminal…
Dr Anton Sebastianpillai, Kingston Hospital Dr Anton Sebastianpillai was a “hugely respected” NHS geriatrician and author in his 70s, who died on April 4 at Kingston Hospital, where he served as a consultant. President of the British Geriatrics Society, Professor Tash Masud, said Sebastianpillai’s death was “heartbreaking”, adding that he…
By Amit Roy IF THESE months of living through the lockdown have demonstrated anything, it has been about the fragility of human life. It is also about the importance of putting down family histories, because stories should be passed on from one generation to the next before they are lost.…
By Sunder Katwala Director British Future thinktank HOW do we defeat racism? What makes change happen? There is no single ‘silver bullet’ answer. Tackling discrimination requires institutional change, but reducing prejudice is about social attitudes too. Different audiences matter for these different goals. The current anti-racism protests, on both sides…
THE British government said on Monday (22) it was determined to "right the wrongs" of its treatment of Britons of Caribbean origin who were detained or deported as illegal immigrants. Home Secretary Priti Patel and Bishop Derek Webley, a senior church leader, will chair a cross-government working group to address…
THE coronavirus crisis is exposing Britain's existing inequalities -- between low and high earners, young and old workers and for ethnic minorities -- which could be aggravated without reforms, a leading think tank said on Thursday (11). People on low wages are most at risk of losing income and their…
PEOPLE from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds in Britain have been hit harder by job losses during the coronavirus crisis than the population as a whole, researchers have found. The share of BAME people in employment fell to 67.4 per cent in April from 72.0 per cent in February, researchers from…
By Amit Roy EASTERN EYE was considering doing an interview with the Indian-origin entrepreneur Nirmal Sethia when he hit the national headlines last Monday (25) for quite an unexpected reason – there was panic in north London when a “big cat” was spotted in the garden of his spacious home…
By Nadeem Badshah COMMUNITY leaders have welcomed the change in the law on organ donation, but cautioned against people “scaremongering” over the issue. All adults in England will now be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die, unless they have registered a decision to “opt…
By Harris Bokhari [caption id="attachment_91900" align="alignleft" width="300"] Harris Bokhari (Photo credit: Alastair Fyfe)[/caption] The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed some of the pressing racial inequalities in our society. BAME individuals have been over-represented; in Covid-19 related deaths; working in professions which put them at greater risk of contracting the virus; and…
AN NHS dentist has initiated legal action against Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Public Health England over his father’s death due to Covid-19. Dr Minesh Talati’s father Navin Talati, 80, had died on April 18 at the Royal London Hospital after a 28-day battle for life. The implant surgeon claimed…
By Dr Heer Shah THE Covid-19 crisis has placed us all in unnatural circumstances and we are slowly adjusting to the new normal. As a 24 year-old newly qualified junior doctor, I have seen the virus impact some of the most vulnerable members of our society and have watched as…
India's Ravichandran Ashwin will not play for Yorkshire this season after the English county announced on Monday they were cancelling their overseas player contracts for the 2020 campaign by mutual consent following the coronavirus outbreak. Off-spinner Ashwin and South Africa slow left-armer Keshav Maharaj were meant to share duties in…
A GP, who came to the UK in 1973 after completing his medical training in India and was working as a doctor in East Africa, has died of COVID-19. Dr Kamlesh Kumar Masson, 78, described as an "excellent clinician", lost his fight against the deadly virus at University College London.…
By Sunder Katwala Director, British Future I AM a child of the NHS. Like millions of people in Britain I took my first breath in an NHS hospital; in my case, the Doncaster Royal Infirmary, on a cold April day in 1974. If it hadn’t been for the National Health…
England all-rounder Ben Stokes was named the 'Leading Cricketer in the World' in the 2020 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the publication said on Wednesday. The 28-year-old played a leading role in England's 50-over World Cup victory at home last year while his brilliant unbeaten knock of 135 helped…
AREEMA NASREEN, an “amazing nurse on the front line”, has passed away after battling for life at the hospital she worked in. The 36-year-old mother of three had been put on a ventilator after testing positive for Covid-19, and being attended to by fellow-medics at Walsall Manor Hospital. Areema, who…
A “highly revered” GP, with 45 years of service, has died after being under treatment for COVID-19. Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, died in intensive care at Southend Hospital, Essex, after he fell sick on Tuesday. Dr Zaidi’s family said he “sacrificed his life for his job” as reports noted that…
By Nadeem Badshah HEALTH chiefs have been urged to relax the rules for dentists from overseas who want to work in the UK to tackle the staffing crisis. Some practises are not accepting new NHS patients due to growing waiting lists - forcing some to pull their teeth out…
A PAIR of fraudsters who bought and sold over 50 properties but failed to pay nearly £1 million in tax have been jailed for over eight years on Friday (17). Madhu Bhajanehatti, 45, of London and Himat Chana, 59, of Ilford, Essex, sold dozens of properties over an eight-year period and evaded…
Asserting that religion-based discrimination has never been part of Pakistan cricket team's culture, former pacer Shoaib Akhtar has clarified that only one or two of his teammates subjected Danish Kaneria to prejudice. Akhtar on Thursday had claimed that a few Pakistani cricketers were reluctant to even eat with Kaneria because…
Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that his teammate Danish Kaneria faced discrimination at the hands of a few Pakistani cricketers, who were reluctant to even eat with him because he was a Hindu. Kaneria supported Akhtar's claim. Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan after his maternal…
British Asian candidates across both the Conservative and Labour parties on Friday (13) registered strong results in the UK's general election, with around a dozen MPs retaining their seats alongside some new faces. Prime minister Boris Johnson clinched an emphatic victory in Thursday's election, setting the UK on course for…
by NADEEM BADSHAH TOUGHER punishments are needed for people trafficking gangs after 39 people were found dead in a refrigerated trailer, lawyers and charities have urged. They have called for a fresh clampdown on criminals convicted of making a fortune from smuggling migrants to the UK, and more investment towards…
Sri Lankan cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara, the first overseas president of the Marylebone Cricket Club, will captain the MCC against English county champions Essex in Sri Lanka next March, it was announced on Thursday. The 42-year-old batting great -- whose 15 year international career encompassed 134 Test appearances and over…
A GANG of 13 from Birmingham who brought crack cocaine and heroin into Staffordshire have been jailed for a total of 36 years, it was reported on Wednesday (23). Faizan Khan, 31, of Longbridge, believed to be the leader of the gang, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and…
THE first-ever scheduled flights to India from London Stansted will start from October 31. Air India’s three times a week flight will fly from London Stansted to Amritsar, India’s northwestern city. The new service will be the only direct service between London and Amritsar, operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners offering…
AN Essex-based store has been accused of cultural appropriation for selling salwar kameez, a traditional dress worn by women in South Asia, as vintage clothing. Thrifted.com, which started out as a university sideline business in 2015, courted controversy after it displayed a range of salwar kameez tops as vintage Boho…
by LAUREN CODLING AN ASIAN woman rally driver has admitted that most people are surprised when they find out what she does for a living, as she called for more female participation in the sport. Nabila Tejpar, 26, has been a full-time rally driver since 2015. The two-time British champion…
A MAN has accused the Conservative Party chairman of being "dishonest" and a "liar" following a crash near Braintree in Essex on Friday night (16). James Cleverly was involved in a “minor accident” on the M11 motorway, and the driver of the other vehicle has slammed the MP for not…
by NADEEM BADSHAH URGENT action is needed by community leaders and families to address the numbers of British Pakistani men being jailed for class A drugs offences, experts have said. They have blamed a failure of “community leadership and parents” for allowing the situation to escalate, and have called for…
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday to concentrate on the limited-overs game, nine years after a spot-fixing ban halted his burgeoning career. The 27-year-old, regarded as one of the best left-arm pacers after countryman Wasim Akram, said he wants to move away from…
Priti Patel, an ardent Brexiteer who was among the most vocal critics of Theresa May's Brexit strategy, took charge as Britain's first Indian-origin home secretary as part of prime minister Boris Johnson's top team on Thursday (25). She replaces Sajid Javid, who moves to the Treasury department as the first…
Priti Patel could return to the cabinet as home secretary if Boris Johnson is elected the new prime minister, reports said. Patel has been an early supporter of the likely new prime minister, and with her appointment, Johnson seeks to convince the public that he is not a "British Donald…
by NADEEM BADSHAH BRITISH INDIAN and Bangladesh-origin school children are outperforming their white peers in the classroom, latest government figures show. Some 76 per cent of British Indian 10- and 11-year-olds met the “expected standard” in reading, writing and maths, compared to 64 per cent of white pupils. The figure…
AN Air India passenger plane flying to the US was escorted by British fighter jets to land in London on Thursday (27) after what an official at the airline later said was a hoax bomb threat. An Air India official said flight AI 191 from Mumbai to Newark had made…
The UK on Saturday (22) marked the first-ever National Windrush Day in honour of the Windrush generation of migrants who were brought to Britain to address labour shortages in the wake of the World War II. The Windrush generation refers to citizens of former British colonies who arrived in the…
A magistrate and her boyfriend have been found guilty of trying to fleece her landlady out of more than £60,000, it was reported on Tuesday (11). Alia Arain, 38, along with her boyfriend Ashad Adams, 40, and his friend Mohammed Shalim Ahmed, 40, forged the landlady's signature on a checque…
A University of Essex lecturer who opposed the creation of a Jewish society has been fired. Dr Maaruf Ali, a computer and electronics lecturer, was suspended earlier this year after he opposed the creation of a Jewish society on the grounds that "Zionists" were behind it. The lecturer had also…
FORMER England spinner Monty Panesar has opened up about his struggles with mental health issues in a revealing conversation with ex-England captain Nasser Hussain. Panesar has opened up about some of his darkest days, including the time he urinated towards a bouncer and when he fought against his Essex teammates…
by LAUREN CODLING BRITISH MUSLIMS have been urged to donate to causes overseas during Ramadan, as a leading charity revealed details of its work with young Bangladeshi cancer patients. The UK charity, World Child Cancer (WCC), launched the Gift of Growing Up appeal in April. It aims to increase survival…
Seven of India's Test specialists may play a few games for various English county sides to prepare for the inaugural World Test Championship series in July and August. The players that BCCI have zeroed in are Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant…
A jobless Londoner who enjoyed a sociable lifestyle of golf and exotic holidays by dodging tax on smuggled tobacco has been jailed for 46 months. Dhanji Varsani, 56, from Mill Hill, North West London, shipped in 6,930 kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco worth £1.2 million in unpaid excise duty, an investigation…
by HOWARD ROBIN A GROWING number of Londoners are forsaking the capital to seek better value for money by moving to other parts of the UK. A report by leading residential property firm Hamptons found that Londoners bought £30 billion worth of property outside the city last year, the most…
by Lord Bourne FOR many people across the country, religion remains the most important and influential part of their lives. Whether Muslim, Hindu or Sikh, Christian, Jewish or Jain, faith shapes the beliefs and principles of many and guides their sense of compassion. The role of religion extends beyond the individual…
India's Murali Vijay is ready to capitalise on a horror injury to young gun Prithvi Shaw, declaring he has no fear of Australian conditions after almost certainly securing his spot for this week's first Test. The veteran opening batsman smacked an entertaining 129, including 16 fours and five sixes, in…
by LAUREN CODLING AN ‘absurd’ comedy show, complete with dance numbers and anecdotes about what happens when you accidentally make your mum famous, is coming to London next month. Mawaan Rizwan is a comedian and famous YouTuber. Fresh from his Edinburgh Fringe stand-up run over the summer, he announced he…
by LAUREN CODLING MORE needs to be done in the workplace to support those with mental health difficulties, a former school leader has said, as a report last Thursday (1) suggested mental illness cost UK employers up to £42 billion a year. Recent statistics from the Money and Mental Health…
A new UK India Business Council report, ‘Beyond the Top 200’, sets out how India’s new higher education policy could accelerate India’s rise to superpower status by enabling young Indians to receive the world’s best higher education in India through greater availability of the top courses provided globally. The report,…
Banned Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on Thursday (18) said he finally confessed to spot-fixing after years of denial to get closure for his mistakes and sought forgiveness from the country's "shocked" cricket community. "I just want the cricket board, my fans and the Pakistani people to understand my situation and…
By PRIYA MULJI. Taking a bite out of the Big Apple. POPULAR Eastern Eye columnist Priya Mulji was recently invited to a wedding in New York and she took the opportunity to give her own unique guide to the city that never sleeps. Accompanied by her close friend Urvashi Lad, she took in the sights,…
Priti Patel, one of the most outspoken British politicians in favour of Brexit, on Monday (1) called on prime minister Theresa May to be less defensive in her strategy for the UK's exit from the European Union. The former Cabinet member and senior Conservative party leader spoke out at the…
by HOWARD ROBIN AND SHIVANI GOVINDIA. DECIDING ON A BUDGET FOR THE BIG DAY WILL REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF THINGS GOING WRONG. HE POPPED the question, you said “yes”, and now you’re picturing the big day in your mind. There’s a white horse for him, a jewel-encrusted lehenga for you, and a cake the size…
By Andy Marino With private property in London’s fashionable East End Hackney, Bow, Whitechapel, Shoreditch– now pretty much out of reach for sub-millionaires, it’s worthwhile looking at the places where Cockeys dreamed of escaping to in past times, when the ambition was not moving into, but instead fleeing the East…
by ANDY MARINO WITH private property in London’s fashionable East End – Hackney, Bow, Whitechapel, Shoreditch – now pretty much out of reach for sub-millionaires, it’s worthwhile looking at the places where Cockneys dreamed of escaping to in past times, when the ambition was not moving into, but instead fleeing…
by NADEEM BADSHAH A PROJECT using cricket to tackle sexism in India’s schools has been praised by sports chiefs in the UK. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), coaches and charities have hailed the British Council-funded scheme where thousands of girls in India play the sport while boys learn…
Alastair Cook marked his final England innings with a "dream come true" hundred before James Anderson became the joint most successful fast bowler in Test history by sparking an India collapse at the Oval on Monday. Cook made 147 and Joe Root, his successor as England captain, 125 as the hosts piled…
Alastair Cook marked his final Test appearance with a fifty before India's Jasprit Bumrah sparked an England collapse at the Oval on Friday. England only lost one wicket before tea and were making steady, if slow, progress at 131 for one on the first day of the fifth Test. But Cook's…
India captain Virat Kohli said being "competitive" was not enough after a 60-run defeat by England in the fourth Test at Southampton condemned his side to yet another away series loss. Sunday's result, achieved with more than a day to spare, left England an unassailable 3-1 up ahead of the fifth…
Adil Rashid has been recalled to the England squad for the first test against India, despite the leg-spinner saying he wanted to focus on limited-overs cricket. The 30-year-old signed a white-ball only contract with his county Yorkshire in February but said he "was not finished" with the longest format of the game.…
England could name an extended squad for their 1,000th Test when selection chief Ed Smith unveils on Thursday (26) the group chosen for next next week's series opener against India at Edgbaston. But while Smith has already shown himself to be unconventional by recalling Jos Buttler purely on the basis…
NEW HINDU PLACE OF WORSHIP WILL ALSO BE A COMMUNITY HUB A NEW Hindu temple was inaugurated in the presence of two senior saints visiting from India last Saturday (9). The celebrations of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chigwell, Essex, were held in the presence of Anandswarupdas Swami and…
Mohammad Amir has had some of the greatest and undoubtedly the worst days of his career in England -- sometimes during the very same match. But fresh from helping bowl Pakistan to a crushing nine-wicket win over England in the first Test at Lord's, the left-arm paceman hopes he can…
Pakistan pacemen Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali took four wickets apiece as England suffered yet another top-order collapse at Lord's on Thursday (24). Hopes that a return home and a rejigged top-order picked by new national selector Ed Smith would help rid England of the batting slumps that plagued them…
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur believes his "fearless" side have everything to gain when they face an "under the pump" England in the first Test at Lord's on Thursday (24). England will be looking for some much-needed home comfort after recent winless Test tours of Australia and New Zealand extended their…
By Sarwar Alam ECB action plan designed to widen south Asian appeal A NEW initiative by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) aims to increase the game’s appeal among south Asians and “transform” the game in the community, with the project’s head, Lord Patel of Bradford, describing it as…
BY LAUREN CODLING ONE of the country’s leading rice company, Tilda, has revealed, it risks losing market competitiveness in Europe if the UK withdraws from the customs union and single market. Umesh Parmar, joint managing director for Tilda Rice, one of the UK’s best-known rice brands, made the announcement on…
by LAUREN CODLING AN NHS doctor has said his new book is his “mission” to help spread awareness of healthy eating across the country. Dr Rupy Aujla, 32, hopes his debut cookbook, The Doctor’s Kitchen, will encourage the idea of using diet to manage one’s health. “It’s more of a…
Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon was left bemoaning an "impossible position" after confirming David Willey had signed for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League just days before the start of the English County Championship season. Willey, a big-hitting batsman and left-arm seam bowler who has taken the…
Prominent British Asian MP Priti Patel has rejected labels attached with the black, minority and ethnic population, calling them 'patronising and insulting'. Conservative party MP Patel, who was the first Indian-origin member of the UK Cabinet until she resigned last year, said that she had made it clear to her…
The hunt is still on to nab celebrity jeweler Nirav Modi, who is accused by the Punjab National Bank for swindling over Rs. 11,300 crore. Indian authorities do not know where Modi is, but some television channels say the billionaire diamond trader is holed up in a swanky hotel in New York's Manhattan.…
by NADEEM BADSHAH INDIAN and Pakistani visitors are combining a holiday to Britain with having cosmetic surgery, a top surgeon has revealed. Dr Munir Somji told Eastern Eye male and female patients are having hair transplants, laser treatments and skin brightening. Other procedures include a Loub Job – named after…
A 47-year-old family doctor on Thursday (31) appeared before court charged with 118 sexual offences, including sexually assaulting a girl aged under 13. Manish Shah, from Romford area of London, had been charged with 65 counts of assault by penetration and 52 allegations of sexual assault by Scotland Yard earlier…
Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal rejected rumours Wednesday (12) that he quit English county cricket club Essex because of a hate crime targeting his family and said it was down to personal reasons. The 28-year-old opening batsman cut ties with Essex after just one match, but dismissed suggestions his sudden departure was…
Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has left English County Essex after just one match for personal reasons the club revealed on Tuesday (11). The 28-year-old -- Bangladesh's highest international run scorer with more than 10,000 to his name in all forms of the game -- signed only last week for…
Pakistan paceman Mohammad Amir continued his rich seam of form from the Champions Trophy win over India, striking early for Essex using a pink ball on a landmark day for English county cricket. Amir trapped Middlesex Nick Gubbins lbw as the latest round of county championship matches got underway on…
Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir has praised the way former England captain Alastair Cook welcomed him to Essex ahead of his upcoming debut with the English county. Left-arm paceman Amir joined Essex after helping Pakistan win the Champions Trophy, with the 25-year-old taking three for 16 in Sunday's stunning 180-run demolition…
A leading gastroenterologist, academics and several professionals across different fields are among the various Indian-origin achievers in the UK named in the Queen's annual Birthday Honours list released today. Parveen June Kumar has been conferred the prestigious Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to…
Britain on Friday (9) elected two Sikh MPs as the general election results began pouring in with British Asian Labour Party candidates winning more seats than their rival Conservatives. Labour candidate Preet Kaur Gill won her Birmingham Edgbaston seat by polling 24,124 votes, defeating ruling Conservative party rival Caroline Squire…
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews hopes to utilise Mahela Jayawardene’s inside knowledge of the England set-up when the two teams meet in a Test series later this month. Jayawardene, one of Sri Lanka’s greatest batsman retired from international cricket after last year’s 50-over World Cup, recently acted as a batting…
MAZHER Mahmood, one of the UK’s best known undercover reporters, renowned for his “fake sheikh” sting operations which have even caught out royalty, stands accused of tampered with evidence in a criminal trial to protect his reputation, prosecutors said on Wednesday (September 22). Mahmood, who has worked for several of…
Dozens of British MPs, including secretary of state Priti Patel, face uncertain futures under proposals by an independent commission charged with cutting the number of parliamentary seats. The Boundary Commission for England unveiled its proposals on Tuesday (September 13) to meet parliament’s decision to reduce the number of constituencies, or…
Mike Stredder, director of blood donation at NHS blood and transplant said: “It’s vital that the blood donor community reflects the diversity of the population. “Patients in the South Asian community would have more chances of getting better matched blood and less chance of developing anti-bodies if there were more…
British journalist Mazher Mahmood, renowned for his “fake sheikh” undercover sting operations for media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s tabloids, was jailed for 15 months today for tampering with evidence in a high-profile trial. Mahmood, 53, whose elaborate disguises have duped criminals, celebrities, and even royalty, plotted to get his driver to…
Urgent action is needed to tackle the number of British Asian gangs defrauding insurance companies of millions of pounds each year by staging bogus crashes, experts have claimed. Leading crime fighters said the so-called “crash for cash” scam is a problem in the Asian community, with dozens of crooks working…
One of Britain’s leading Asian businessmen, Rashmibhai Narshidas Thakrar, whose family founded the Tilda Rice empire, passed away last Friday (3). He was 70. Along with his brothers Vipul and Shilen, Rashmibhai turned Tilda into a global food brand before it was sold in 2014 to the US food group…