- Saturday, September 30, 2023
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak has expressed his admiration for the country's 'fantastic multicultural democracy', directly contrasting the recent comments made by home secretary Suella Braverman, who claimed that multiculturalism had failed. Braverman faced criticism from fellow Tory MPs after she asserted during a speech to a right-wing US thinktank that…
THE just-announced shortlist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2023 includes Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Indian-origin author Siddharth Kara. According to the FT, “Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the…
THIS could feel like a long year for Keir Starmer. The Labour leader seems ever more likely to emerge as prime minister once the general election is eventually held, but whether he can seal the deal with the British public is unlikely to be put to the test any time…
HOME SECRETARY Suella Braverman will call on Tuesday (26) for governments to consider rewriting global refugee rules so they are "fit for the modern age" and do not deem being gay, or a woman, enough of a reason to qualify for asylum. Addressing the American Enterprise Institute think-tank in Washington,…
HOME secretary Suella Braverman will raise the "the unsustainable pressures" created by illegal migration when she makes a three-day visit to the US this week, her office said on Sunday (24). In a keynote speech, Braverman will present a blueprint for how countries can combat the crisis and highlight how…
Opposition leader Keir Starmer announced on Thursday (14) that under a Labour government, a new police unit would be established to address illegal migration. Additionally, he indicated an openness to exploring a returns agreement with the European Union as a potential solution to the crisis. How to tackle illegal migration…
FAMILIES seeking asylum in the UK face inadequate living conditions in government-provided temporary housing, affecting their mental and physical health and access to children's education, Human Rights Watch said Thursday (14). Releasing a new 100-page report based on joint research with UK human rights group Just Fair, HRW said they…
THE government said it is introducing legislation allowing bone and teeth X-rays to verify the age of asylum seekers suspected of falsely claiming to be minors. The government is trying to curb what it calls "illegal" migration to the UK -- a highly contentious political issue. Legislation unveiled this week…
The realm of migration and asylum has long been a topic of heated debate in the UK. The recent spike in the number of people awaiting decisions on their asylum claims underscores the situation's complexity. As of June 2023, more than 175,000 individuals were in the queue, marking a 44%…
BRITAIN's backlog of asylum applications awaiting a decision hit a record high in the year to June and the number of those applying was the highest in two decades, according to official figures published on Thursday (24), in a blow to the government. The Home Office said 78,768 asylum applications…
THE government’s recent anti-lawyer rhetoric is not new. It has used this in the past, unfairly describing lawyers as “lefty” and “activist.” This loose language is damaging to the vast majority of lawyers who work hard to uphold the rule of law and act in the best interests of their…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak blamed the "criminal gangs" facilitating small boat Channel crossings for the "horrific" deaths last weekend of at least six migrants, his spokesman said on Monday (14). Six Afghan men died and dozens more required rescuing after a small vessel bound for the southeast English coast from…
BRITAIN began moving some migrants on to a large residential barge on its southern coast on Monday (7), as part of plans to save money and remove what the government called the "pull" of hotels for those arriving in small boats. Prime minister Rishi Sunak has made cracking down on…
THE UK government on Sunday (6) announced increased fines for employers and landlords who allow migrants without papers to work for them or rent their properties, as part of measures to deter migrant arrivals. The Conservative government, languishing in the polls ahead of a general election due next year, wants…
IF there's one thing that unites the people of Portland, south-west England, it is opposition to the UK government's plan to house 500 asylum seekers on a large barge in its harbour. From a vantage point at the top of this small town of 13,000 inhabitants, the 93-metre- (305-foot-) long…
THE Conservative party’s controversial immigration policy could ultimately be the reason they lose power at the next general election, a group of leading academics have predicted. Plans to stop thousands of migrants landing on British shores in small boats were last month approved by the House of Lords. The bill…
THE British government insisted a barge set to house around 500 asylum-seekers was not "a floating prison", amid concern at the plan from rights campaigners and some Tory MPs. The "Bibby Stockholm", which is now docked in Portland on the Dorset coast in southern England, will controversially begin hosting the…
PRIME Minister Rishi Sunak's highly contested plan to make it easier to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is set to become law after the government defeated attempts by parliament's upper house to make changes to the legislation. The Illegal Migration Bill had been stuck in a battle between parliament's House…
FORMER prime minister Theresa May took the lead on Tuesday (11) in opposing Rishi Sunak's small boats Bill, accusing the government of consigning more people to slavery if it goes ahead without any changes. May expressed her continuous disagreement with ministers who declined to safeguard individuals who become victims of…
WHEN Rishi Sunak first heard about the Rwanda plan, he had his doubts. Since he was Chancellor then, he had a responsibility to scrutinise the cost. But the bigger question was whether the plan would work. Though of questionable legality and significant expense, the scheme was limited in its scale.…
The UK government said it would challenge a court ruling issued on Thursday (29) that blocks its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a set-back to its controversial bid to cut migrant numbers. Three Court of Appeal judges ruled that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country,…
BRITAIN'S plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful, London’s Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday (29), in a major setback for prime minister Rishi Sunak who has pledged to stop migrants arriving across the Channel in small boats. Under a deal struck last year, Britain's government planned to send tens of…
LONDON'S Court of Appeal will rule on Thursday (29) if a British plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful, in a verdict that could make or break prime minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to stop migrants from arriving by boat. Under a deal struck last year, Britain's government plans…
TODAY'S Britain is a much less racist society than the one which I grew up in. Yet I undoubtedly receive much more racial prejudice in 2023, more often, than I did thirty years ago. This is the paradox of racism in Britain today. There are fewer racists, because social norms…
BRITAIN'S plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost £169,000 per person, according to the first detailed government assessment of a high-stakes promise to tackle record numbers of people arriving in small boats. Prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government wants to send thousands of migrants more than 4,000 miles…
THE number of people arriving in the UK in small boats has reached over 10,000 since the start of the year, UK government figures showed. The provisional total covering the period up to Saturday (17) stands at 10,139, according to data released by the interior ministry, the Home Office. The…
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…
HOME SECRETARY Suella Braverman has said that the Home Office is unlikely to achieve prime minister Rishi Sunak's objective of resolving a backlog of 92,000 asylum claims by the end of the year. She added that there should be a significant improvement in the speed at which claims are processed.…
HOW do you solve a problem like Boris? Rishi Sunak will hope to have fewer political headaches once the former prime minister leaves parliament, but will know we will all be hearing much more from Johnson. His statement resigning as an MP was one of his more Trumpian moments -…
BRITAIN has ordered two more accommodation barges to house asylum-seekers, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday (5). Sunak has pledged to stop crossings of the Channel from northern Europe made in small boats, after record numbers of people arrived last year. But huge backlogs in the processing of applications…
The UN human rights chief has said that he has formally conveyed his concerns over a new British migration law to the government, saying he was worried it would bar people from seeking asylum. Stopping small boat arrivals across the Channel from France is a priority for prime minister Rishi…
BRITAIN on Tuesday (23) announced a package of measures aimed at international students, including a ban on some family members, as ministers come under growing pressure to cut immigration. After a drop during the pandemic, net migration has been steadily on the rise and is reportedly expected to hit a…
Sundaram Tagore, one of America’s most important art dealers, last week opened a new gallery in London to add to the ones he already owns in New York and Singapore. The “Sundaram Tagore Gallery” in Cromwell Place in South Kensington attracted hundreds of art lovers and collectors at its formal…
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has criticised the UK government's plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda. He called the policy 'morally unacceptable' and urged the government to abandon it. Welby spoke out in his role as a lawmaker in the House of Lords, where the government's plans are being…
The government on Friday (21) announced its intention to introduce measures aimed at restricting the power of courts to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants. These measures are part of proposed legislation that will be presented to parliament next week. Prime minister Rishi Sunak has identified the prevention of the…
Britain's home secretary Suella Braverman said she was convinced Rwanda was a safe country to resettle migrants who had arrived in Britain illegally but she declined to set any deadline for the first deportations to the country. The UK government is hoping to send thousands of migrants more than 4,000…
India displayed its indigenous helicopters, drones, and artillery to army chiefs and officials from 31 African nations in a bid to become a significant arms exporter. Being the largest arms importer globally, India has invested significantly into its defense sector to reduce its reliance on imports, especially from Russia, as…
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has struck a 'temporary ceasefire' with Tory rebels as he agreed to look at tougher measures in migrants bill to prevent the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) from blocking deportations to Rwanda, The Telegraph reported. The twist happened when more than 60 Tory MPs threatened…
Home secretary Suella Braverman came under fire Monday(20) for laughing uproariously in front of a future migrant camp and asking for tips on interior design during a trip to Rwanda. She was also criticised for taking only right-leaning media outlets on the weekend trip, refusing access to the BBC's London…
HOME SECRETARY Suella Braverman visited Rwanda on Saturday to expand a deal under which the east African country will accept migrants who arrive in the UK without permission, if British courts confirm that the proposals are legal. Britain's government wants to send thousands of migrants more than 4,000 miles away…
British home secretary Suella Braverman will travel to Rwanda over the weekend to discuss a proposal whereby the UK will transfer unauthorized migrants to the African country. Despite the plan facing legal challenges and controversy, Braverman is reinforcing the strategy, which involves sending tens of thousands of migrants to Rwanda…
“I NEVER wonder to see men wicked. I often wonder to see them not ashamed.” Had Jonathan Swift been alive today, he might well have had our home secretary in mind. Last week she showed no shame as her inaccurate assertion that “100 million people could qualify to come here”…
A former Home Office adviser has branded home secretary Suella Braverman's migration policy as 'racist', adding that it will make the Tories seem 'cruel and heartless'. Nimco Ali, a one-time campaigner for the Tories who left her job as a government adviser in December last year, told the Guardian that…
The UK has recorded last year, there was a surge in the number of Indian nationals illegally crossing over into Britain through the English Channel. The latest "Irregular Migration to the UK" statistics from the UK Home Office for the year ending December 2022 reported that 683 mainly Indian men…
TIM DAVIE, the BBC's director general, has said he will not resign after the public broadcaster's sport service was decimated on Saturday (11) by a backlash over Gary Lineker's removal as Match of the Day host. "Everyone wants to resolve the situation calmly," Davie said in an interview with the…
RISHI SUNAK paid tribute to his family as his elevation to become Britain’s first Asian prime minister kept him on top of the 2023 GG2 Power List for the second consecutive year and was also recognised with a coveted award in London on Tuesday (7). Sunak tops the ranking of…
ANYONE arriving illegally in Britain will be prevented from staying, prime minister Rishi Sunak said in an interview published on Sunday (5), ahead of new legislation which is expected to be set out next week. Under pressure from his own lawmakers to find a solution to the flow of migrants…
A NEW law to crack down on migrants arriving in Britain in small boats from Europe across the English Channel will be unveiled on Tuesday (7), with a senior minister saying "enough is enough", the Sun on Sunday newspaper reported. The British government has been promising to step up action…
AS PARLIAMENT returns from recess, the government will bring forward a new asylum bill to deliver the prime minister’s pledge to “stop the boats”. The bill will say that nobody who comes to the UK via a third country deemed safe, such as France, will be eligible to claim asylum…
At the height of apartheid, young South African lawyer Navi Pillay made history by securing better conditions for political prisoners incarcerated on the infamous Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela. Today, at 81, the retired judge remains a feisty fighter for rights. A bus driver's daughter who became a judge and…
INDIA batter Shubman Gill was on Monday (13) named ICC Men's Player of the Month for January, while England U-19 skipper Grace Scrivens became the youngest player to be named for the women's honour. Gill enjoyed a record-breaking month in white-ball cricket in January. The free-scoring batter was a prolific…
UK police on Sunday charged a teenager with violent disorder and assault after an anti-immigrant demonstration at a hotel housing asylum seekers, which saw protesters throw fireworks and set alight a police van. Merseyside Police said they had charged 19-year-old Jarad Skeete over the beating of an emergency worker, after…
“I WAS clear when Wendy Williams published her Windrush Lessons Learned review that I would listen and act. I will be accepting the recommendations she has made in full”. That was what home secretary Priti Patel told the Commons three years ago. But last week, her successor, Suella Braverman, withdrew…
Britain's government Monday enacted new measures to accelerate the deportation of foreign criminals, clamping down on some who have claimed protection under UK law as purported victims of "modern slavery". It cited the case of one convicted rapist who appealed against a decision by the Home Office (interior ministry) to…
Britain's government came under withering criticism Friday after retreating from reforms it had promised to prevent a repeat of the "Windrush" scandal affecting black immigrants. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that three of the changes previously promised were unnecessary. Baroness Floella Benjamin, a former TV presenter who chairs the government's…
London’s High Court on Monday granted permission to a group of asylum seekers to appeal against a ruling that Britain’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda is lawful. Judges Clive Lewis and Jonathan Swift allowed a bid to take a legal challenge over Britain’s policy to the Court of Appeal.…
She-Hulk actor Jameela Jamil on Friday (6) came up with an explosive post on her Instagram account where she blasted UK prime minister Rishi Sunak calling him "Unelected, out of touch, right wing, TOSSER". She started off the post with "I cannot stress this enough... F*CK RISHI SUNAK" before taking…
British home secretary Suella Braverman's "crazy rhetoric" on the issue of immigration is fuelling racism and "normalising" the politics of Nigel Farage, a senior home office aide, who is on her way out, has alleged. According to a report by The Independent, Nimco Ali, a campaigner against female genital mutilation…
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has said he is “determined” to tackle the migrant crisis which is eating into the UK’s taxpayers’ money.As the number of migrants and asylum seekers illegally crossing the English Channel in small boats has already reached record levels, the government’s policy to deport them to Rwanda…
Britain’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda is lawful, London’s High Court ruled on Monday but upheld eight asylum seekers' individual legal challenges. The policy, which was announced in April, would involve Britain sending tens of thousands of migrants who arrive on its shores more than 4,000 miles away (6,4000…
Britain on Tuesday (13) said it planned to bring in new legislation to prevent migrants who cross the English Channel from remaining in the country, as the government tries to control a surge in people arriving in small boats on its southern coast. The number of people arriving in England…
Lord Dolar Popat, the prime minister's trade envoy to Rwanda and Uganda, recently returned from a ministerial visit to Uganda announcing a 99 per cent duty-free deal for the east African nation's exports to the UK's trade market starting 2023. The envoy's visit focused on a series of deals that…
Home secretary Suella Braverman has said the UK will bring operational and legislative changes to stop illegal migrants from abusing the asylum system.“We are finalising our plan”, she said without specifics in her foreword to a Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) report which proposes “indefinite detention” of all asylum seekers…
1. Dr Nik Kotecha OBE for outstanding contribution to business and philanthropy: Dr Kotecha established Morningside Pharmaceuticals to help developing countries get western medicines more easily. He launched the business from the garage of his home and with the help of his wife Moni and their family, grew the company…
Britain’s former counter-terrorism head Neil Basu has criticised home secretary Suella Braverman’s “inexplicable” and “horrific” comments on migrants, drawing a parallel between her remarks and the ‘rivers of blood’ speech. “I find some of the commentary coming out of the Home Office inexplicable,” the most senior British Asian police officer…
The UK's most senior police officer of colour has said the duchess of Sussex faced "disgusting" threats to her life during her time in the royal family. Neil Basu said that as head of counter-terrorism, he had to deal with credible threats from far-right extremists against Meghan Markle and her…
This week marks the first anniversary of the biggest human tragedy in the English Channel for decades. On 24th November last year, a fishing boat spotted dozens of bodies floating in the icy water. A rubber dinghy had left the French coast the previous evening but capsized before reaching England.…
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Monday signed a new agreement with neighbouring France, which will see enhanced French patrols to curb the rising number of illegal migrants crossing the English Channel into England in dangerous small boats. The Indian-origin minister is in France to finalise the new arrangement, which…
Nimisha Madhvani, the Ugandan high commissioner to the UK, on Thursday (10) met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London and presented her letters of credence as the African nation's high commissioner in London. The monarch, who took over following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in…
Having begun his premiership with a public pledge to put integrity, professionalism and accountability at the heart of his government, Rishi Sunak’s decision to reappoint Suella Braverman as his Home Secretary, just a week after her resignation, plunged his government into its first major controversy. This was the deal that…
An attacker on Sunday threw firebombs at an immigration office used to process asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats and was later found dead. The attack came as the government seeks to curb record arrivals. Kent Police said that on Sunday morning "two or three incendiary devices" were…
A lawmaker from the opposition Labour party in UK has sparked online outrage after claiming Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister is 'not a win for Asian representation' as he is immensely rich, according to reports. Nottingham MP Nadia Whittome said that Sunak was 'not on your side' as Britain’s first…
Since entering the contest to be British prime minister, Rishi Sunak has said little publicly about how he intends to run the country and how he would address multiple economic and political crises. Sunak ran unsuccessfully to be prime minister earlier this year, setting out a full policy platform. Although…
The British government is preparing a Rwanda-style plan to deport Tamil refugees seeking asylum from the British-claimed Chagos Islands to an undisclosed country, according to reports. Asylum seekers were told by government lawyers that they can either go back to Sri Lanka or to a third country, The Guardian reported.…
The Truss experiment is over. Her premiership may now prove the shortest in modern history. Yet its legacy in shifting the tectonic plates of British politics might endure for much longer. The mini-budget, pitched as an audacious break with Treasury orthodoxy, proved a reckless gamble. Its result was the triple…
Home secretary Suella Braverman is considering strengthening legislation to further deter companies from employing illegal migrants, a media report said as Britain grapples with a wave of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel dangerously. Under the existing laws, employers hiring illegal migrants can be jailed for five years and fined…
A former Metropolitan Police officer has been suspended for posting 'vile and deplorable' racist and derogatory comments on a WhatsApp group, which included former Met officers, media reports said. Rob Lewis, who has been working on contract with Border Force, has allegedly created the group. According to the BBC, his…
Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has blamed the recent “riots” in Leicester following an India-Pakistan cricket match on uncontrolled migration into the UK and the failure of newcomers to integrate. In her first speech since being appointed home minister at the Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham on Tuesday…
British interior minister Suella Braverman will set out plans on Tuesday for new powers which would ban migrants who cross the English Channel from claiming asylum, a government source said. The government has been under pressure to deal with the rising number of people making dangerous journeys despite plans to…
British home secretary Suella Braverman may ensure suspects anonymity before they are charged in a radical change to the existing criminal justice system, according to reports. The minister told a Young Conservatives event on Monday (3) that the government is considering such a proposal due to concern over the identification…
Britain has intercepted more than 1100 migrants illegally crossing the English Channel, taking the total number of people making such journeys to the UK well past 31,000 so far this year. According to the Ministry of Defence, 1,150 people travelling in 21 small boats were detected on Thursday. The figure…
UGANDA'S high commissioner to the UK, Nimisha Madhvani, has paid tribute to the Queen following her death last Thursday (8). Guests who gathered last weekend in Denham to mark the 50th anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda also paid tribute to the late Queen who Madhvani described as…
The Britain that mourns the end of the longest reign in history is a different country from the one in which a 26-year-old Elizabeth was crowned. So the Queen was mourned this week with condolences in churches and synagogues, temples, mosques and gurdwaras, reflecting how a 99 per cent white…
The accession of King Charles to the British throne has stirred renewed calls from politicians and activists for former colonies in the Caribbean to remove the monarch as their head of state and for Britain to pay slavery reparations. Charles succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who ruled for 70 years…
New UK interior minister Suella Braverman is admired by the right for her attacks on "woke" politics but her legal acumen will be put to the test when tackling one of the government's toughest jobs. Braverman, 42, was appointed attorney general a year ago, serving as the government's principal legal…
Liz Truss, Britain's next prime minister, is expected to begin making key ministerial appointments soon after her formal appointment as leader on Tuesday. Below is a brief overview of the people likely to serve in key roles in her government. FINANCE MINISTER - KWASI KWARTENG Truss is expected to appoint…
BRITAIN will not get its first Asian prime minister next week, unless every prediction and poll has got it wrong. Former chancellor and Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak found himself in the wrong economy at the wrong time. Though he was Britain’s most popular chancellor earlier in the pandemic, the…
The Home Office spent more than £2.5 million this year to charter boats and crew from private offshore companies to help it intercept migrants attempting to cross the English Channel, media reports said. Contract disclosures reported by the Guardian showed that Aeolian Offshore, which works with the offshore wind industry,…
Albanian police will be brought to the Kent coast to provide the UK authorities with intelligence and to help processing and removal of migrants. Britain on Thursday (25) said it would work with the southern European country to quickly process and repatriate the large number of Albanians who cross the…
Britain said on Thursday it would work with Albania to quickly process and repatriate the large number of Albanians who cross the English Channel in small boats, after a surge in the number of such migrants despite a plan to deport arrivals to Rwanda. The number of people arriving in…
EVERYONE now expects Westminster’s Game of Thrones to end with foreign secretary Liz Truss wearing the crown. The former chancellor and her opponent, Rishi Sunak, embraces his underdog status and pledges to fight to the end. The candidates’ fates are now sealed in the returned but unopened ballot papers. Top…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has made it clear that she wants to stay on in the role under the new leader, media reports said. She claimed that her 'record speaks volumes', adding that it's up to the next prime minister to take the decision. Boris Johnson’s successor will be…
To lure migrants to cross the English Channel, Albanian gangs are offering free minibus rides from southern Europe to the northern French coast, The Telegraph reported. The gangs promote the 'service' on TikTok with pictures of the minibuses, saying that the trip is '100 per cent secure'. An advert featured a…
Two of India’s leading spiritual leaders held an event for devotees in the UK last weekend, where they discussed the “secrets of happiness”. His Holiness Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, also known as Pujya Muniji, is the head of the Parmath Niketan in Rishikesh, north India; while Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati is…
The number of migrants crossing the English Channel to British shores reached a record single-day high this week bringing the spotlight back on the UK’s deportation plans. The Ministry of Defence said 1,295 migrants crossed the Channel from northern France in 27 small boats on Monday, surpassing the previous 24-hour…
The Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation is hosting a panel discussion with distinguished guests on September 1 to examine the expulsion of the Asian community from Uganda by then president Idi Amin Dada in 1972, the experiences of those who came to Britain and the contribution they have made to…
UK High Court heard that Foreign Office officials have tried to block the Rwanda asylum plan over alleged 'torture and killings' in the African nation, media reports said. A government adviser raised concerns about Rwanda's human rights record weeks before the British government tried to send asylum seekers to the country, The…
NIMISHA MADHVANI, whose appointment as Uganda’s high commissioner in London was reported in Eastern Eye last December, took up her post last week. She does so at an important phase in Uganda-UK relations. First, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Idi Amin’s expulsion of 90,000 Uganda Asians, nearly 30,000 of…
The Royal Navy will stop migrant patrols on January 31 next year and will hand over operational control to Border Force, according to a media report. The Ministry of Defence has conveyed its plans in this regard to ministers, The Telegraph reported. Currently, the Navy coordinates Border Force and Coastguard…
Housed in a detention centre in southern England, Aladeen says he risked his life to travel thousands of miles from his homeland of Syria to escape being forced to fight in the military of President Bashar al-Assad. Now the 21-year-old is battling to stay in Britain and avoid being sent…
At least 20,000 people have illegally crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, almost double the amount that had made the crossing last year at this point, government figures showed Sunday. Another 607 people were detected crossing the busy shipping lane between the UK and continental Europe on…
British attorney general has voiced her concerns against the European court of human rights, saying that extricating the UK from the influence of the court should be a ‘national priority’. Suella Braverman has also urged ministers to take 'radical action' to counter the influence of the ECHR, an international convention to…
The UK government will no longer try to house asylum seekers in a disused air force base in northern England following a backlash from local residents, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday (9). The home ministry had planned to place up to 1,500 asylum seekers at the site in the…
TRAFFICKERS are offering a TikTok 'summer sale' for a journey across the English Channel for migrants as the rate has been reduced to £3,500 per person from £5,000 earlier, it has emerged. This has resulted in an increase in channel crossings in recent weeks as another estimated 300 migrants reached…
Fifty years ago, dictator Idi Amin announced his intention to expel Uganda's thriving community of British South Asians. They were given 90 days to leave, or be rounded up in concentration camps. More than 27,000 ethnic Indian and Pakistani holders of UK passports made their way to Britain, which reluctantly…
Almost 700 migrants and asylum seekers crossed the Channel to Britain in a single day this week, a new record for the year, the UK government said Tuesday. The latest arrivals suggest the government's controversial policy to deport those attempting the dangerous crossing to Rwanda has so far failed to…
The Attorney General has warned government lawyers against dismissing policies as unlawful, according to a report. Last week, Suella Braverman asked lawyers to give a percentage chance that some policies may be challenged instead of rejecting them in full, The Telegraph revealed. The latest guidance is in the wake of…
Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has pledged that he would double the number of foreign criminals deported each year if he becomes prime minister, even as the former chancellor admitted that he is trailing Truss in the leadership race, media reports said. Under his proposed 'three strikes and you’re out'…
LIZ TRUSS or Rishi Sunak will become Britain’s next prime minister in September. A fierce ‘blue on blue’ contest is underway, though the two candidates actually have much in common. As Boris Johnson’s foreign secretary and chancellor, respectively, they were the more experienced leadership candidates against insurgent rivals. Both are…
TORY leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has pledged to fix the 'broken' immigration system in the UK and added that he will make tackling Channel crossings a priority in his first 100 days if he becomes the prime minister, reports said. He also declared plans to introduce an annual cap on…
Rwanda can accommodate up to 200 migrants from the UK, Kigali said, in contrast to the British government’s claim that thousands of asylum seekers illegally crossing the English Channel would be deported to the east African nation.Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Hope Hostel in Kigali was the only facility…
EXPERTS described the Dutch plan to house refugees arriving in the country on cruise ships as 'absurd and illegal', according to reports. The UNHCR Netherlands has also condemned the move as 'unacceptable'. In a controversial move, three large ships were commissioned by the Netherlands government commissioned for refugees. Reports revealed that…
An independent border inspection has slammed Britain's handling of migrants who arrive by small boats from France, calling it unacceptable, ineffective and inefficient.The number of people attempting the dangerous crossing over the Channel to enter Britain has risen sharply. The government is facing criticism from some quarters that border controls…
The race to succeed Boris Johnson as British prime minister was on Wednesday (20) reduced to the final two candidates, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, who will go forward for a summer of campaigning to win over the around 200,000 Conservative Party members who make the final decision. Below is…
BRITISH officials repeatedly warned the government not to pursue its plan to send migrants to Rwanda and the country was initially excluded from the shortlist of partner countries because of human rights concerns, London's High Court was told. Under an agreement struck in April, Britain will send tens of thousands…
The UK government’s headline-making Rwanda plan to relocate migrants has not stemmed the illegal movement of asylum-seekers across the English Channel, a parliamentary report has said, calling for greater clarity in the policy. The report, titled ‘Channel Crossings, Migration and Asylum’, has come up with figures to substantiate its observation…
Senior Conservative parliamentarians have told Eastern Eye the country is ready for its first south Asian prime minister. They believe the days of the Tories being considered as the “nasty and racist” party are over. Four candidates of colour were among the eight nominated in the leadership race as Eastern…
Home secretary Priti Patel declined to attend a hearing of the Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday, citing the “recent changes in Government”.She was expected to face tough questions on the UK’s controversial policy on asylum seekers from the cross-party parliamentary committee which scrutinises the work of the Home Office and…
BRITISH athlete Sir Mo Farah has revealed that he was a victim of human trafficking as a child. The six-time world outdoor champion said even the name that appears in the record books is wrong. He is Hussein Abdi Kahin. It will be interesting to know what will happen to…
Olympic great Mo Farah won praise from across Britain's political spectrum Tuesday after the shock revelation that he was illegally trafficked as a child to the country and forced to work in domestic servitude.The 39-year-old distance runner, one of Britain's best-loved and most successful athletes, told a BBC documentary that…
Britain's new prime minister will be announced on Sept. 5, with the first votes to begin eliminating candidates in a crowded and increasingly unpredictable and divisive contest to replace Boris Johnson coming this week. So far 11 candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to succeed Johnson as leader…
The race to succeed Boris Johnson as British prime minister has begun, with 11 candidates so far putting themselves forward for a contest which will ultimately be decided by around 200,000 Conservative Party members.Below is what the bookmakers' top three favourites have said on key issues:RISHI SUNAK - Current favouriteOn…
Prime minister Boris Johnson certainly went down fighting. Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak had decided that enough was enough, resigning last week from the Cabinet over Downing Street’s inability to tell the truth. Fifty ministerial resignations later, the refusal of the prime minister to accept that the game was up…
LORD Popat, the British prime minister’s trade envoy to the African nations of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has thanked Rwanda for playing host to 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that concluded last week. He was also a participant at the event. Lord Popat,…
Priti Patel may be moved “sideways” from Home Office to being Conservatives Party chief to replace Oliver Dowden whose resignation has taken the Tories by surprise.Dowden put in his papers as the Conservatives chair earlier this week after the ruling party suffered crushing defeats in the by-elections to two parliamentary…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing another brewing rebellion against his leadership of the Conservative Party after the governing party faced two crushing by-election defeats. In a triple blow, Johnson not only lost a Tory stronghold in the southern England constituency of Tiverton & Honiton and an important seat…
Prince Charles told Commonwealth leaders Friday that the choice to become a republic or abandon the queen as head of state was theirs alone, and expressed "personal sorrow" at Britain's legacy of slavery. The British heir to the throne addressed the opening of a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)…
Baroness Scotland of Asthal has won a second term as the secretary-general of the Commonwealth despite British prime minister Boris Johnson’s support for her challenger from Jamaica.Her re-election at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda on Friday came amid her allies’ allegation that the UK government was “sowing…
THE UK government introduced legislation allowing it to override rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), after a judge in Strasbourg blocked flights removing asylum seekers to Rwanda. Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said the new 'Bill of Rights' would 'restore a healthy dose of common sense' to…
Oliver Dowden, the chairman of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative party, resigned on Friday, saying it could not carry on with business as usual after two crushing by-election defeats and someone had to take responsibility."Yesterday's parliamentary by-elections are the latest in a run of very poor results for our…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday defended his controversial deal to expel migrants to Rwanda, telling critics to "keep an open mind". On the first day of a trip to Kigali -- which is hosting a Commonwealth summit this week -- he also heaped praise on Rwandan President Paul…
FOLLOWING high drama last week, a group of frightened, traumatised men seeking asylum in the UK received a last-minute reprieve from being shipped thousands of miles across the globe to Rwanda. But even with a legal injunction from the European Court of Human Rights, the UK government still hopes to…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson said he was looking forward to visiting Rwanda on Thursday (23) to help people shed their "condescending attitudes" to Rwanda after criticism of the government's plans to deport asylum seekers to the country. Johnson will meet with Prince Charles in Kigali on Friday (24) on…
ESTABLISHED more than 70 years ago, it has the stated aim of upholding democracy, rule of law and good governance around the world. Here are a few key things to know about it: Key facts Full name: Commonwealth of Nations Member states: 54 Head of the Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth II…
Britain will begin legislating on Wednesday for a new Bill of Rights to give the government the power to ignore rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which last week blocked ministers' plans to send migrants to Rwanda.Last Tuesday, the ECHR issued last minute injunctions to prevent a…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could this week lose two parliamentary seats that once illustrated his broad appeal, showing his declining popularity that could spur his party to try to find a way to oust him.His Conservative Party are contesting two by-elections on Thursday: one in Tiverton and Honiton, a…
THE number of migrants seeking to cross the Channel from France to England rose 68 per cent in the first half of 2022, the French interior ministry said Monday (20). From January 1 to June 13, there were 777 attempted crossings involving 20,132 people, up 68 percent on the same…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson's former ethics adviser said that he resigned his post because he "could not be a party to advising on any potential law-breaking". In a letter published by Sky News, Christopher Geidt, the second ethics adviser to quit under Johnson in two years, said he wanted…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson has defended government plans to electronically tag some asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in small boats or lorries, reports said. Earlier this week, the Home Office published guidance on a 12-month pilot using electronic tagging to monitor individuals who arrive in the country…
BY her own admission, home secretary Priti Patel's hard line on immigration would have stopped her own parents coming to Britain but it has made her a darling of the right. However, she is now in danger of alienating her conservative base after her plan to deter illegal crossings of…
Rwanda insisted Wednesday it was still ready to take in asylum seekers being deported by the UK under a controversial deal after a first flight was cancelled following a court injunction."We are not deterred by these developments. Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work," government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo…
Britain's government cannot give a fixed date for when it will first be able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday.Britain's initial attempt to deport asylum seekers - part of a policy designed to deter dangerous sea crossings of the…
A European court ruling sparked an embarrassing climbdown for the British government by forcing the cancellation of Britain's first deportation flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda. The British government expressed fury at the decision. But it is legally obliged to implement rulings by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights…
Commonwealth leaders have told Eastern Eye that the UK government is “hell bent on destroying the Commonwealth in pursuit of a colonial agenda”. This newspaper has previously reported on the campaign by Boris Johnson’s administration to oust the current boss of the organisation’s administrative arm, Patricia Scotland. But now her…
Britain is confident it can overcome legal challenges to its bid to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda following a last minute intervention by European judges that grounded the first flight minutes before it was due to depart late on Tuesday.The government had been forced to fight a series of legal…
THE UK government on Tuesday (14) defended its controversial policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, even as the entire senior leadership of the Church of England branded it shameful and immoral. According to Daily Mail, opening Cabinet this morning, prime minister Boris Johnson said, "What is happening with the…
SENIOR leaders at the Church of England have called the Home Office's plan to deport migrants to Rwanda 'immoral'. The Most Rev Justin Welby and the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, the senior leaders, alongside 23 bishops criticised the plan. "Whether or not the first deportation flight leaves Britain today for…
BRITAIN expects the first flight of asylum seekers to depart for Rwanda on Tuesday (14) and any person who avoids that flight due to legal proceedings will be put on a later one, foreign secretary Liz Truss said. London's High Court is due to hear final legal challenges against the…
NATIONS around the world are witnessing a sluggish growth and the UK is no exception. This is what Rishi Sunak, the chancellor to the exchequer, said in response to the official revelation that the British economy shrank unexpectedly in April which added to the fears of an acute slowdown just…
London's courts will hear two last-minute legal challenges on Monday to block the British government's controversial policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda before the first removal flight scheduled to leave on Tuesday.Britain has agreed a deal with Rwanda to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda in return for an…
Britain's Prince Charles has called the government's plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda "appalling", a report said Saturday after it cleared a legal challenge. The UK government intends to fly the first planeload of 31 claimants to Rwanda on Tuesday -- shortly before Charles is due to represent his mother…
The British government's controversial plan to send migrants arriving illegally in Britain to Rwanda is unsafe and irrational, lawyers seeking an injunction to stop the first planned deportations told the High Court in London on Friday. The government announced in April it had struck a deal to send potentially tens…
Britain's government overcame a legal challenge to its controversial policy to begin deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda as the High Court dismissed campaigners' attempts to win an injunction and said the first flight could leave next week.Charities and a trade union had launched a challenge earlier this week against the…
As Britain pushes ahead with plans to send migrants to Rwanda, Hadi, a gay asylum-seeker who fled Iraq, said he would rather be sentenced to death.Under a controversial law passed in April, the UK plans to send asylum-seekers deemed to have arrived illegally on British soil to Rwanda, an East…
CAMPAIGNERS on Wednesday (8) launched a court bid to block the UK government's plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as it attempts to stop migrant boat crossings from France. The government in London said last month that it intends to fly a first planeload of asylum-seekers to Rwanda on…
WRITER REVEALS HOW WORKING IN CONFLICT ZONES GLOBALLY INSPIRED HER DEBUT NOVEL IT WAS perhaps always going to be inevitable that Nandita Dinesh would write her newly published debut novel This Place/That Place. Hailing from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and now living in San Francisco, she spent years working on…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson convened his cabinet on Tuesday (7), vowing to "get on with the job" after surviving a confidence vote of Conservative MPs that has left him severely weakened. The beleaguered leader has claimed that Monday (6) evening's dramatic ballot, which saw 211 Tory party lawmakers support…
More than a dozen asylum seekers detained in southeast England reportedly went on a hunger strike after it was revealed that they would be sent to Rwanda as part of the UK government’s border control measure.Britain last week said it intended to fly a first planeload of asylum-seekers to Rwanda…
THE platinum jubilee of the Queen offers a unique and valuable opportunity for us to express our gratitude for her unparalleled service. Throughout her reign, Her Majesty has been the epitome of duty, stability and wisdom, inspiring profound global admiration and affection. The modern, connected Commonwealth of 2022 reflects the…
June 2nd 2022 marked the 70th Anniversary since Queen Elizabeth II became the Queen. This occasion was marked with the Jubilee celebration across the United Kingdom and her other realms and territories including the British Commonwealth from Australia to Zimbabwe, from the Global South to the Global North and from…
British-Asian political and business leaders have paid tribute to “their inspirational Queen” for her “selfless service” ahead of her platinum jubilee. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, told Eastern Eye that he remembered being a child celebrating her majesty’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, and he was “so excited to get a…
BRITAIN aims to send a first group of asylum seekers to Rwanda in two weeks' time as part of a policy which the government says is designed to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel.In April, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government announced plans to send…
SOUTH ASIAN men and women owe it to their families to get tested for cancer. That is the stark message from Britain’s top south Asian newsreader, George Alagiah. The BBC journalist, who was born in Sri Lanka, has lived with bowel cancer for nine years, and he told Eastern Eye…
THE first batch of asylum seekers sent to Rwanda from the UK under a controversial new deal will likely arrive in the East African nation "in the next few weeks", officials in Kigali said. Since being announced last month, the agreement enabling Britain to send migrants and asylum seekers to…
THE CO-FOUNDER of the fascist group National Action has been convicted of being a member of a proscribed organisation.Alex Davies, 28, had advocated the deportation of ethnic minorities to establish an “overwhelmingly white Briton”. National Action was jointly founded by Davies in 2013 and it joined the list of extremist…
TWO major charities have raised red flags over Britain’s controversial plans to deport unauthorised immigrants reaching its shores to Rwanda.Under the new scheme announced by prime minister Boris Johnson, people claiming asylum in the UK are to be relocated to Rwanda, where their cases will be processed. If they are…
THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM said 100 new startups, including five from India, have joined its Technology Pioneers Community and these include entities from healthcare and financial services to the metaverse.Among the five Indian entities, Vahan is building a full-stack labour marketplace for blue-collar workers; SmartCoin Financials is a tech-driven financial…
A FASCIST group co-founder has said he wants to see a pre-World War era Britain when it was “overwhelmingly white”. Alex Davies, who set up the now-proscribed outfit NS131, told Winchester Crown Court that his goal can be achieved by "compulsorily deporting" ethnic minorities from the UK “along the lines…
THREE-QUARTERS of asylum seekers in northern France said that they would still try to cross the Channel in small boats, according to a survey. The survey of more than 60 asylum seekers in Calais and Dunkirk was carried out by the charity Care4Calais, which provides practical support to asylum seekers…
BARRISTERS who do criminal legal aid work in court were designated “front-line workers” during Covid lockdown periods. Like doctors and nurses who helped to ensure the NHS continued to function, legal aid lawyers ensured our justice system continued to function. These are not the “fat cat” lawyers of the civil…
An asylum reform bill proposed by the British government is set to become law after overcoming a final hurdle in parliament on Wednesday. The House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament, passed the bill and rejected a last-minute amendment to the text, meaning it will now become…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel has slammed the critics of her government’s controversial immigration deal with Rwanda and the BBC’s “xenophobic” overtones in reporting the matter.She was "taken aback" by the tone of BBC journalists' references to Rwanda after the agreement with the African country was announced, she told The…
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Kigali was not "trading in human beings" when it agreed to a controversial deal allowing Britain to send migrants and asylum seekers to his country. The agreement announced last week has attracted a chorus of criticism from rights groups, opposition figures in Britain and Rwanda…
IT HAS been called illegal, immoral, and unworkable. So what does the UK government’s Memorandum of Agreement with Rwanda actually say, what are its stated objectives and what is the politics behind it? The agreement is about “the prevention and combating of illegally facilitated and unlawful cross-border migration by establishing…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson on Tuesday (19) apologised to MPs after he became the first British leader fined for breaking the law, but faced opposition calls to quit for the sake of integrity in politics. Addressing parliament for the first time since the April 12 fine, he reiterated that he…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson will face angry lawmakers on Tuesday (19) for the first time since being fined for breaking his own coronavirus laws by attending a party at his Downing Street office.An embattled Johnson last week became the first modern British leader to be fined for breaking the…
Britain's prime minister said Rwanda is well-equipped to 'resettle' migrants and asylum-seekers to the UK despite some human rights groups describing the project as 'inhumane'. The controversial deal, announced on Thursday, is part of the government's strategy to clamp down on record numbers of people making the perilous journey across…
Rwanda has inked a multi-million-dollar deal with Britain to host asylum-seekers and migrants to the UK, the East African country announced on Thursday, as part of the British government's bid to crack down on illegal migration. "Rwanda welcomes this partnership with the United Kingdom to host asylum seekers and migrants,…
QUEEN Elizabeth II has called on the Commonwealth to show unity in troubled times, as she sat out a major event for the organisation after a period of fragile health. The event on Monday (14) with some 1,500 guests at Westminster Abbey in central London had been due to be…
'UK export finance provides attractive funding terms to companies' POST Brexit, we are now in a new sovereign United Kingdom with enormous opportunities for free trade, which we must realise to jump start our economic recovery. In doing so, the government has announced an ambitious target for UK exports to…
Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, a veteran of the fight against apartheid who spent years imprisoned on Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela, died Monday (6) aged 84, South Africa's ruling party announced. Ebrahim passed away at his Johannesburg home after a long illness, the African National Congress (ANC) said in a statement.…
SPYWARE Pegasus, which is sold by the NSO Group of Israel, may have been used to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians, including 40 journalists, three opposition leaders, two cabinet ministers along with several prominent officials and businessmen, reports claim. As per Paris-based outlet Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International,…
By Amit Roy INDIA is one of the unhappiest countries in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2021, which was compiled by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Finland is said to be the world’s happiest country, with the…
By Rupa Popat and Rupal Sachdev Kantaria WHEN we were both due to speak as part of an International Women’s Day (IWD) debate at the House of Lords in March 2017 hosted by Lord and Lady Popat, we arrived not really knowing what to expect. We had not previously attended…
By Lord Dolar Popat I WAS delighted to read the joint statement on the enhanced trade partnership made during our international trade secretary Liz Truss’s recent visit to New Delhi. India is a country with which we have a huge amount in common, and deepening ties with vast and attractive…
THE bilateral relationship between India and the UK has been further strengthened by the collaboration to help fight the Covid-19 virus, a Foreign Office minister has said. Speaking ahead of India’s 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday (26), Lord Tariq Ahmad, the minister for south Asia, said he was “absolutely delighted”…
By Barnie Choudhury SENIOR South Asian staff, with more than 200 years of combined experience working for the BBC, have accused the corporation of decades of “systemic, structural and institutional racism”. Eastern Eye has spent the past week speaking to about 20 current and former south Asian reporters, correspondents, producers…
The UK has launched a £6.85 million aid to protect high street supply chains in developing countries. The funding will focus primarily on supply chains and workers in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana. These countries provide huge proportions of the world’s food, flowers and clothes. Ghana…
THE coronavirus pandemic chalked up another horrific milestone Monday as the world surpassed 20 million recorded cases of infection from the tiny killer that has upended life just about everywhere. The number as on Tuesday (11) was 20,002,577 cases, with 733,842 deaths recorded, according to official sources. In yet another…
More than 580,000 planned surgeries in India might be cancelled or delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study conducted by an international consortium. The study, published in the British Journal of Surgery, has projected that, based on a 12-week period of peak disruption to hospital…
INDIA on Wednesday (18) said that a total of 276 Indians are infected with coronavirus abroad. This includes 255 in Iran, 12 in UAE, 5 in Italy, and 1 each in Hong Kong, Kuwait, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka, external affairs ministry said. Those who have tested positive for coronavirus are not…
THE Conservative Party has appointed councillors Reena Ranger OBE and Ameet Jogia as co-chairs of Conservative Friends of India (CF India). Ranger was elected a district councillor for Moor Park & Eastbury in 2014, and re-elected in 2018. She had also contested as a parliamentary candidate in 2017. She had…
A NUMBER of angry high commissioners have turned on Australia, Britain and Canada for trying to get rid of Commonwealth secretary-general Patricia Scotland, it can be revealed. Commonwealth insiders told Eastern Eye that in a “fractious” meeting at the secretariat’s headquarters in London last Thursday (6), one envoy after another…
The UK government on Wednesday (12) confirmed that it has withheld its estimated £4.7 million voluntary contribution to a key Commonwealth fund amid concerns over procurement policies within the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said that funding to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC)…
By Imam Qari Asim, MBE Chair, Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board MONDAY (27) marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Germany concentration camp Auschwitz, where millions of Jews were systematically murdered because of their faith and identity. I recall the unforgettable experience of visiting Auschwitz…
BRITISH international development secretary Alok Sharma has pledged new UK aid to help build green cities across Africa with quality infrastructure. Sharma, who is on a visit to Kenya, announced he would set up a UK Centre for Cities and Infrastructure, which will turbo-charge investment in fast growing cities across…
By Amit Roy THE actor Sacha Dhawan has been ubiquitous on BBC TV in the past week, playing a baddie in Dr Who, and a goodie, Dr Sharma, in Dracula. In Spyfall – sounds a little like the 23rd Bond film Skyfall – which is the two-part opener to…
Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi rejected allegations of genocide against Myanmar in the UN's top court Wednesday, despite admitting the army may have used excessive force against Rohingya Muslims. Suu Kyi denied "misleading and incomplete" claims by The Gambia that a 2017 military operation had attempted to exterminate…
Myanmar faced accusations of genocide in a landmark lawsuit filed by Gambia at the UN's top court on Monday (11) over the Southeast Asian nation's treatment of Rohingya Muslims, Gambia's government said. Gambia said it was acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in bringing the case…
by ZAKI COOPER and DR PETER CHADHA EARLIER this month [on October 2], we marked the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. One of the interesting things about the Mahatma was the special connection he had with the Jewish community. He had a number of Jewish friends from the two…
Pakistan's foreign minister told the United Nations human rights forum on Tuesday (11) that India's military presence in the disputed Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir raised the spectre of genocide. India, which stripped Kashmir of its autonomy on August 5th, in response accused Pakistan of "offensive rhetoric..of false allegations and concocted…
India's threat to boycott the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham over shooting's absence in the programme has intensified after the country's Olympic association sought approval from the sports ministry for such a move. Media reports have cited a lack of suitable facilities as the reason behind Birmingham's decision to axe…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist NO MATTER how old your son or daughter, you don’t want to see or hear them cry in pain. It’s absolutely heart-breaking, and worse when you cannot physically comfort them. So, when Olivia, our Leicester-born, Cambridge-educated and absolutely resilient 22-year-old rang in tears, we…
Steve Waugh says England could go down as one of the greatest teams in one-day cricket history if they beat New Zealand to clinch their first World Cup on Sunday. Eoin Morgan's side are firm favourites to win the Lord's showpiece after thumping Australia by eight wickets in Birmingham on…
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM research experts gathered medical professionals from India and around the world in Dubai to finalise international surgical guidelines that will help to save thousands of lives in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) countries. The National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery (NIHR…
US president Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on Saturday (15) on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, backing a right-wing British columnist who has been widely accused of Islamophobia and once called migrants "cockroaches." Trump attached his latest denunciation of the mayor to a retweet by Katie Hopkins about crime in…
Muay Thai: I do muay thai and boxing. Muay thai and boxing clear my mind of any debris that weighs heavy and allow my energy to express itself, while learning an art form that improves my physical and mental health. Martial arts encourage me to be present, demanding focus and…
MOBILE PHONE users in India pay less for the data they use when compared to the UK, which has some of the most expensive prices in Europe, a report said . The research, from price comparison site Cable.co.uk, said that mobile users in India can have one gigabyte (GB) data at just £0.20, while…
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ninth edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit on Friday (18) at Gandhinagar, a city located in India’s westernmost state, Gujarat. Five heads of countries from Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Denmark, Czech Republic, and Malta along with the industry leaders from various sectors and over 30,000 delegates…
A nomadic English coach whose colourful career has taken him from Millwall to Malawi has got cricket-mad India dreaming of Asian Cup football glory. India stunned Thailand 4-1 in their opening match last weekend to record their first victory at the tournament in over 50 years and despite losing 2-0…
Sunil Chhetri overtook Lionel Messi in international goals as cricket-mad India stunned Thailand 4-1 at the Asian Cup football tournament on Sunday, the veteran striker scoring twice in their Group A opener to surpass the Barcelona superstar. Watched by the 12 Thai schoolboys rescued from a flooded jungle cave last year after…
GEORGE ALAGIAH RECEIVES TOP AWARD AT CEREMONY HONOURING ASIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS BBC BROADCASTER George Alagiah was the top winner at the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs) last Friday (22), where he received the prize for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. Meera Syal, Anoushka Shankar, Naughty Boy,…
The British Asian community’s incredible contribution to creative arts and culture industries were honoured on Friday, June 22, at the annual Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs). BBC broadcaster George Alagiah won the top award at the third edition of the glittering event that showcases the best of Asian talent and their achievements in the artistic fields, including film, TV, theatre, …
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres appointed Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai a UN Messenger of Peace on Monday (10) to promote girls education, more than four years after a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her school bus in 2012. At 19, Yousafzai is the youngest Messenger of Peace,…
British Asians have vowed they will protect David Cameron’s legacy as “Britain’s greatest prime minister” of recent decades. They made this pledge as political malcontents and the former prime minister’s enemies inside the Conservative party and far right lobbies sought to disparage his achievements. But the view that is likely…
NOBEL laureate Malala Yousafzai called on world leaders on Tuesday (September 13) to provide education to girls in refugee camps so they avoid being forced into early marriage or child labour. Yousafzai’s statement comes a week before US president Barack Obama hosts the first UN summit on refugees in New…
CONSERVATIVE PEER PAYS HIS PERSONAL TRIBUTE by LORD DOLAR POPAT THE referendum decision last week has had pro- found political consequences. The fallout is, at the time of writing, being felt in the Labour Party and the attempts to oust Jeremy Corbyn. Similarly the first minister of Scotland has started…
One of Britain’s rising entrepreneurs has signed a $10 million (£8m) agreement with the Ugandan government to provide its military facilities with off the-grid solar energy infrastructure. The contract marks the inaugural project of Nexus Green, which was founded in 2015 by Rikki Verma to facilitate green energy projects in…