- Wednesday, July 06, 2022
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces what looked to be the final blow for his premiership as two senior ministers resigned after trying to apologise for his administration's latest scandal. Below May 28, 2020 - 'Minor' breach of lockdown by PM adviser British police say Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings…
HERE are five facts about Britain's new finance minister Nadhim Zahawi, appointed by prime minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday (5) following the resignation of Rishi Sunak. Zahawi, 55, was born in Iraq and moved to Britain in the mid-1970s when his Kurdish family fled the rule of Saddam Hussein. A…
Britain's finance and health ministers resigned in quick succession on Tuesday, in moves that put the future of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in peril after a series of scandals that have damaged his administration.Below is a summary of some of those who could be in the frame to replace him…
Britain's finance and health ministers resigned on Tuesday, in what looked to be the final blow for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's premiership after he had tried to apologise for the latest scandal to dog his administration. Both finance minister Rishi Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid resigned in what appeared…
THE Conservative Friends of India recently held a farewell reception in honour of the outgoing high commissioner of India, Her Excellency Gaitri Kumar Issar. High commissioner Issar began her service in May 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. She not only represented the high commission at the best…
The owner of an Indian restaurant in Wales has been placed under nine-year bankruptcy restrictions after reportedly spending most of the taxpayer support from a COVID fund on drinking and gambling. Rathudi Mahesh Manglanand, 47, was a sole trader who ran the Chutney Roti Indian Restaurant in Cardiff. According to…
NINE-year-old Milan Paul Kumar from Bolton has been recognised with the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts – The Diana Award. Established in the memory of Diana, the Princess of Wales, the award is given by the charity by the same name and…
The number of pubs in England and Wales has plunged to its lowest ever level, according to analysis published on Monday which blames the coronavirus pandemic and soaring costs. In the first half of this year, pub numbers dropped below 40,000 -- a fall of more than 7,000 since 10…
DEDICATED mental health staff to help children and young people in GP practices and blood pressure checks in betting shops are among initiatives devised and delivered by new integrated care systems that come fully into force on Friday (1). Boosting health checks in the community to find people with health…
A British member of parliament resigned from Boris Johnson's government on Thursday after he "drank far too much", local media reported, the latest in a string of scandals and setbacks for the prime minister. Christopher Pincher, who had been serving as Deputy Chief Whip, wrote in his resignation letter that…
Senior criminal lawyers in England and Wales on Thursday vowed to plough on with strike action, despite a government commitment to raise their fees. Barristers began a series of escalating walkouts on Monday, planning to stop work by one extra day a week until a full five-day strike from July…
The chancellor must do more to help families and business. The call comes from Lord Karan Bilimoria, who is stepping down as the president of the Confederation of British Industry after two years at the helm. In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, the peer said the cost of living…
It is critical for the world to prevent the overuse of antibiotics and the India-UK collaboration in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the next big frontier after the vaccine partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday. His comments at the India Global Forum’s UK-India Week…
True love can be found in the most unlikely places and with someone you least expect. For Dipti Sharma and Dipen Sharma, there were many coincidences that connected them, and having the same surname along with living in Leicester are just a few. She had moved to Mumbai in 2016…
Boxing Ring Legend turns a year older on Thursday. For the unversed, Tyson is making his Bollywood debut with Dharma Productions’ much-anticipated action flick Liger, which also features Ananya Panday and Vijay Deverakonda in lead roles. And as he celebrates his birthday today, team Liger has a special message for…
Ahead of the upcoming fifth Test against England beginning July 1, India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that skipper Rohit Sharma is yet not been ruled out. Rohit Sharma tested COVID-19 positive following a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on Saturday. Since then there has been speculation about him…
Former Pakistani Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday asked the Punjab police and bureaucracy not to follow any illegal orders of the provincial government during the upcoming local elections. Imran Khan claimed that despite the pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), his government had…
IN a first since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, Raj Aggarwal OBE, India’s honorary consul in Wales, recently led celebrations on the occasion of the International Yoga Day at Cardiff Castle. He was joined by several yoga enthusiasts on the occasion. Aggarwal, who organised the event, said, “It was a…
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans on Tuesday for a second referendum to be held on Scottish independence in October 2023. In a referendum in 2014, Scots voted 55%-45% to remain in the United Kingdom, but both Brexit and the British government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis have bolstered…
The monkeypox virus strain that has emerged across the world in recent weeks may be evolving at an abnormally fast rate - making it more infectious than previous versions of the virus. Researchers believe that the reason this version of the virus has managed to spread so rapidly is because…
British doctor and award-winning TV presenter Ranj Singh said taking breaks became key to his wellness routine after he had suffered burnout five years ago.Singh, known for ITV's Dr Ranj: On Call and CBeebies show Get Well Soon said health professionals hesitated to ask for help when they experienced burnout…
Croydon in south London is the best place in the UK for first-time buyers to look for flats, according to the online property guide Zoopla.Its new research found that flat prices across the UK have risen by 1.2 per year over the last five years compared with 4.2 per cent…
The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department has warned tax credits customers to be aware of scams and fraudsters who imitate the department in an attempt to steal their personal information or money. About 2.1 million tax credits customers are expected to renew their annual claims by 31 July 2022…
BRITISH Muslim travel companies have complained that they are having a tough time after Saudi Arabia launched a new system for applying for the hajj pilgrimage, according to a report. This month the Saudi government announced that pilgrims from Europe, the US and Australia could no longer book through travel agencies…
India is one of the world's single largest opiate markets in terms of users and likely to be vulnerable to increased supply as there are already signs that an intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place, according to a new report. According to the UN…
PATIENTS are being offered faster treatment in different parts of the UK as part of an NHS (National Health Service) ‘final push’ to virtually eliminate the number waiting for two years or more. The NHS Elective Recovery Plan, published earlier this year, set out how the health service would address…
PEOPLE experiencing a mental health emergency will be able to access more care in the community, such as through crisis houses and safe havens, and those detained under the Mental Health Act will benefit from landmark reforms which provide patients with more control over their care and treatment. A £150…
British lawyers involved in criminal trials will stage a walkout on Monday in a dispute over government funding, refusing to take on new cases or cover cases for colleagues which have overrun. Barristers voted for action earlier this month with more than 80% of its 2,055 members backing walkouts, the…
The inability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds in middle-aged and older people is related to a higher risk of mortality and a shorter life expectancy, a study has concluded.According to the research carried out by experts from universities and clinics in the UK, US, Finland, Australia and…
Only the brave would bet against Novak Djokovic retaining his Wimbledon title or Rafa Nadal keeping his calendar-year Grand Slam hopes alive, but the form and fitness of the duo offers others a rare opportunity at the grasscourt major this year. A stop-start year due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19…
While the fortunes of world number one Iga Swiatek and home hope Emma Raducanu are set to dominate the early headlines at Wimbledon this year, a quartet of former champions will be eagerly eyeing the wide-open women's draw. French Open champion Swiatek arrives at SW19 in a rich vein of…
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…
UK HEALTH and social care secretary Sajid Javid on Friday (24) set out actions being taken to prevent suicides and urged men to talk about their mental health in a speech at suicide prevention charity Papyrus’s headquarters in London. In his speech, spurred by his own family’s experience of suicide…
Qmin was born from a vision fuelled by guest feedback and IHCL’s drive towards ensuring complete guest satisfaction. As the pandemic gripped the country in March 2020, the need for the familiar taste of the food from our signature restaurants began to generate queries on how one could enjoy these…
The trailer of the much-awaited film Shamshera has been unveiled and it's no less than a treat for Ranbir Kapoor's fans. The actor is playing his first double role in the film. At the end of the trailer, Ranbir's appearance in a double role is confirmed as they appear in…
SOCIAL MEDIA personality Khaby Lame has achieved a new record of garnering 142.8 million followers on the short-form video hosting service, TikTok. Lame, has surged past popular Tik Tok video creator Charli D'Amelio who currently has 142.3 million followers, reported Variety. The 22-year-old's video content includes reacting to absurd life-hack…
BRITISH retail sales by volume dropped in May as soaring inflation caused consumers to limit spending, especially on food, official data showed Friday (24). Sales fell 0.5 per cent compared with a rise of 0.4 per cent in April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. April's data was sharply…
Nick Kyrgios could finally be ready to deliver on the promise he has flashed throughout his turbulent career when he brings his powerful game to the grass courts of Wimbledon next week, tennis great Chris Evert said. While the hugely talented Australian often bamboozles opponents with an array of incredible…
Hollywood star Johnny Depp is ready to embark on an overseas tour with his rock band Hollywood Vampires next year. Apart from Depp, the overseas tour will include band members Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen, reported Variety. Previously, according to an official statement written by the band members,…
SOUTH ASIAN mental health experts and survivors are urging the government to provide care specifically to meet their needs. They warned that the Covid pandemic has highlighted the lack of “culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive” services, and people are “suffering in silence”. As part of its 10-year mental health strategy,…
A Dubai-based Indian yoga teacher has created the Guinness World Record for holding a yoga pose for 30 minutes, according to media reports. Yash Mansukhbhai Moradiya has held the scorpion pose for 29 minutes and four seconds. The video of Moradiya has been posted by Guinness Worlds Records on their…
SURGING debt interest costs triggered by the leap in inflation forced the British government to borrow more than expected in May at £14 billion ($17.14 bn), according to official data published on Thursday (23). Economists polled by Reuters had a median forecast of £12bn for borrowing excluding public sector banks.…
Monkeypox may soon have a new name after scientists called for a change to dispel stereotypes of Africa being seen as a crucible of disease. The World Health Organization announced last week that it is "working with partners and experts from around the world on changing the name of monkeypox…
India supports innovation across every sector and its digital sector valuations will cross USD 1 trillion by 2025, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday as he underlined the role of BRICS countries amid the global focus on post covid recovery. The Prime Minister made these remarks at the opening…
THE latest annual abortion statistics report has revealed that a record number of abortions took place in England and Wales last year, according to a report. There were 214,869 terminations in 2021, the highest number since the procedure became legal in Great Britain through the 1967 Abortion Act. Almost nine…
Most recently seen in Yash Raj Films’ Samrat Prithviraj, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar is now looking forward to the release of his next Raksha Bandhan. The trailer of the much-anticipated film was unveiled on Tuesday, June 21. Akshay was in Delhi for the trailer launch where he spoke about Raksha…
Moderna and the UK government on Wednesday announced a deal for the US biotech firm to build a cutting-edge centre to develop and produce mRNA vaccines for respiratory diseases, including Covid.The company and the health ministry said in a joint statement that work could start on the manufacturing and research…
British annual inflation has hit a fresh 40-year high, official data showed Wednesday, further eroding workers' wages and pressuring the Bank of England to keep on raising interest rates.The rate edged higher to 9.1 percent in May from 9.0 percent in April, remaining at the highest level since 1982, the…
British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.L said it was offering a cash lump sum of 2,000 pounds ($2,458) to about 70% of its UK workforce to help them navigate high living costs. Britain's economy initially rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic but is now battling high living costs worsened…
A misconduct hearing has heard that a trainee police officer drew red lines on a Covid-19 test strip to get time off work. The Lancashire Constabulary officer Ahmed Anwari told his training officer in December last year that he had to stay at home because of a positive lateral flow…
STUDENTS are set to benefit from a better integration of mental health services to prevent them falling through the gaps at university. The new scheme will bring together university, National Health Service (NHS) and mental health services to create regional partnerships that could include physical hubs that students can visit…
Ashish Jha, the Covid-19-response coordinator at the White House, said it would take more than a year from now to get the disease to fade into the background with a new generation of vaccines that block the transmission of the coronavirus.The Indian-American general internist physician said with herd immunity building…
RUSH-HOUR commuters in the UK faced chaos on Tuesday (21) as railway workers began the network's biggest strike action in more than three decades, with a cost-of-living crisis threatening wider industrial action. Last-ditch talks to avert the strike broke down on Monday, meaning more than 50,000 members of rail union…
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…
Amid the unprecedented fuel crisis in the country, former Lankan cricketer Roshan Mahanama was spotted serving tea and buns to people waiting in lines outside the stores to buy fuel and cooking gas. "We served tea and buns with the team from Community Meal Share this evening for the people…
Britain faces its biggest rail strike in 30 years this week when tens of thousands of staff walk out in a pay dispute that unions warn could lead to coordinated action across other industries due to the mounting cost of living crisis. British households are already experiencing the biggest economic…
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had a "very minor routine operation related to his sinuses", his official spokesman said on Monday. "He went to the hospital around 6:00 am (0500 GMT) and the operation was carried out first thing this morning," he told reporters. "He was back in Downing…
Amid the unprecedented economic crisis, the Sri Lanka government on Saturday announced to shut down all the schools for the coming week, a local media reported.Sri Lanka Education Ministry announced that "all government and government-approved private schools in Colombo city limits, as well as schools in other main cities in…
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…
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has warned against a "global mental health crisis," while launching a report on mental health. "We are living through a global mental health crisis," the top UN official said in his video message to launch the World Mental Health Report 2022: Transforming Mental Health For All.…
A BIG highlight of this year’s London Indian Film Festival is the world premiere of Little English. The British Asian comedy based on hit play There’s Something About Simmy marks the directorial debut of acclaimed theatre maestro Pravesh Kumar and sees rising star Rameet Rauli take on the challenging lead…
RECENTLY concluded TV serial Aggar Tum Na Hote entertained audiences and became a big turning point for lead star Simaran Kaur. The actress won acclaim for her performance as Niyati in the dynamic drama filled with twists and turns, which ran for more than 120 episodes. She is clearly proud…
The Omicron variant of coronavirus is less likely to cause long COVID than previous variants, according to the first peer-reviewed study of its kind from the United Kingdom.Researchers at King's College London, using data from the ZOE COVID Symptom study app, found the odds of developing long COVID after infection…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson suffered a further blow to his authority when his second ethics adviser in less than two years quit his post. Johnson last week survived a confidence ballot that saw 41 per cent of his lawmakers vote against his leadership after months of scandals and gaffes…
THE number of people on the waiting list for diagnostic tests has dropped and two-thirds fewer people are waiting for more than two years for elective care, new figures have shown, as the National Health Service (NHS) continues to make progress in the biggest catch-up in health service history. The…
As Britain's economy grapples with the impact of a record number of job vacancies, a labour market expert has warned that the problem may continue for another three to five years. The impact of Britain's departure from the European Union, and of the COVID-19 pandemic, have sparked one of the…
BANKRUPT Sri Lanka will reserve a portion of its scarce fuel supplies for the cremation of Buddhists, whose funeral rites have been disrupted during a dire economic crisis. The island nation's 22 million people have faced months of food, petrol and medicine shortages after traders ran out of money to…
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…
THE House of Lords on June 9 hosted a lunch in the honour of Indian filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and actor-producer Pallavi Joshi, his spouse. The luncheon party for the makers of Bollywood film ‘The Kashmir Files’ was hosted by Lord Rami Ranger CBE. In his welcome address, Lord Ranger said,…
RECORD fuel and energy costs are dragging regular pay in the UK at the fastest rate in more than a decade, data has revealed. According to the Office for National Statistics, pay excluding bonuses was down 2.2 per cent from a year earlier when adjusted for inflation between February and April.…
AIR travel chaos in Britain is purely down to Brexit "shambles" by hobbling recruitment at airports, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said on Tuesday (14). The CEO of Europe's biggest airline also dismissed threats of summer strike action by what he called "Mickey Mouse" unions in Belgium and Spain covering some…
ROLLING Stones singer Mick Jagger is in quarantine in the Netherlands after testing positive for Covid-19, a spokesperson said on Tuesday (14), adding the band will miss a second show on its "Stones Sixty" European tour. Jagger experienced symptoms after arriving at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena and Monday's performance was…
Ahead of the upcoming England tour, former India skipper Virat Kohli is off for a vacation.Taking to his Twitter, Virat posted a picture of him, sitting on a beach and relaxing.Virat was rested for the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, following his lean patch in the Indian Premier League…
The debilitating crisis in Sri Lanka has left nearly half of the children in the country in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The UN has launched an appeal to address the urgent needs of the most vulnerable population within the next four…
FRONTLINE low-paid health and care workers who were branded heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic suffered racism, harassment and bullying, Britain’s top equality body has uncovered. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), *It may have underestimated the extent of the abuse because employers were not collecting relevant data.…
England reported a jump in Covid-19 cases for the first time since March, as the virus appears to be bouncing back after a months-long lull.According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 797,500 people tested positive for the disease on June 2, accounting for 1.46 per cent of…
THE annual Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022 bring with them an added fervour since this year also marks the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years in service. To give the 96-year-old monarch a tribute, noted personalities from various walks of the society have been chosen to be awarded for…
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the second Test against England here at Trent Bridge, New Zealand Cricket confirmed on Friday.Williamson took the Rapid Antigen Test after experiencing minor symptoms on Thursday. He started a 5-day isolation period while the rest of the…
India is considering restricting imports of refrigerators to promote local manufacturing, two industry sources told Reuters on Thursday, potentially freezing out shipments from Samsung Electronics Co and LG Electronics Inc in the $5 billion market.The sources, who declined to be named as the talks were private, said the government was…
A toxic cocktail of sluggish growth and high inflation, plus Brexit and fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, is set to weigh on the pound in the coming months, economists warned. Since the start of the year, the sterling has fallen by more than seven per cent against the dollar, which…
A trainee GP working for the NHS has been fined a total of £200 for driving out less than 10 minutes late after completing his night shifts on two occasions.Having been issued two parking tickets of £100 each for leaving the car park late after his 12.5 hour night shifts,…
THE British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned that the economic growth in UK will "grind to a halt" in 2022 before briefly falling into negative territory, according to a report. It downgraded the growth forecast to 3.5 per cent from from 3.6 per cent, and said inflation would reach…
INDIA reported 7,240 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday (9), its highest number of daily cases since March 2. India's financial capital Mumbai, which has seen a rapid rise in cases, reported 1,765 new infections late on Wednesday (8), an increase of…
ROCKED by a major revolt against his leadership this week, British prime minister Boris Johnson will on Thursday (9) promise to rejuvenate a flagging economy and make it easier for young people to buy homes. Johnson will pledge "fiscal firepower" to help ease a worsening cost-of-living crunch for households, in…
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is set to return to the big screen after a hiatus of more than three years, never misses an opportunity to delight his fans. This year, King Khan has announced three big releases and while his fans are waiting with bated breaths for the…
A new study has revealed that NHS nurses from minority ethnic backgrounds were overlooked for promotion due to structural racism, according to a report. It added that white nurses are twice as likely as black and Asian colleagues to be promoted in the NHS, the Guardian reported. A survey of almost…
Britain's railway network faces its biggest strike action in more than three decades later this month in a row over pay as inflation erodes earnings, a union has announced. Rail union RMT said more than 50,000 workers will take part in a three-day national strike coinciding with major events including…
VERSATILE ARTIST DISCUSSES HIS FORTHCOMING ROMANCE-FILLED UK TOUR A MARVELLOUS music career has seen Shaan mix up magnificent movie songs with melodious pop hits that have delighted multi-cultural audiences across different generations and languages. Although he is superb in the studio, the versatile singing sensation is at his best performing…
RETAILER Mukesh Patel, who has been honoured with Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Surrey Certificate over the Platinum Jubilee weekend, has dedicated his award to fellow residents of Capel village in Surrey. Patel is given the recognition for his service to the village during Covid-19 pandemic. He kept his grocery…
Spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev whose fondness for motorcycles is well-known recently completed 100 days of solo biking, traversing 27 nations as part of his 'Save Soil' campaign.The 64-year-old is aiming to cover a distance of over 30,000-km in the journey that he began in the United Kingdom. Sadhguru hopped…
A survey published on Tuesday (7) revealed that shoppers in the UK cut their spending in May by the most since the coronavirus lockdown in early 2021. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said total retail spending was 1.1 per cent lower than a year earlier, the biggest fall since January…
Little more than two years after winning a landslide election victory, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a no-confidence vote among Conservative MPs following months of growing pressure. Here are key questions around the crisis confronting the UK leader: Where did it go wrong? Brexit cheerleader Johnson joined other Tory…
DANCE is being used to break stigmas and help disabled people to become more active at a studio in London. Dr Rashmi Becker founded Dance Dosti, with Metro Blind Sport and Vision Foundation, during the Covid-19 pandemic, after seeing the disproportionate impact that Covid had on both the south-Asian community…
A Conservative Party confidence vote later Monday (6) in UK prime minister Boris Johnson is a chance "to draw a line and move on", a Downing Street spokesperson said. "The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused…
Toplined by Kartik Aaryan, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) is having a dream run at the domestic box office in India. Helmed by Anees Bazmee, the horror-comedy film hit cinemas on May 20 and has been earning steadily ever since. The film has now crossed the much-coveted ₹150 mark in India…
Horse-loving Queen Elizabeth was thanked for being "in the saddle" for 70 years as head of state at a service on Friday to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, an event she missed due to her "mobility issues". Other senior members of the royal family joined a congregation of politicians, charity figures…
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…
While former prime ministers received gentle applause as they arrived at the service, Johnson and his wife Carrie were met with boos and jeers from the large crowd of royal fans waiting outside the cathedral. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was met with boos, jeers, and some applause as he…
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…
HARINI LOGAN, a 14-year-old Indian-American eighth-grader from Texas, spelled 21 words correctly to win the prestigious 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She defeated Vikram Raju in a marathon, first-of-its-kind spell-off, a format that tested the contestants on how many words they could correctly spell within 90 seconds. Logan took home the…
DIAGNOSTIC companies are racing to develop tests for monkeypox, hoping to tap into a new market as governments ramp up efforts to trace the world's first major outbreak of the viral infection outside of Africa. The scramble started last month, much like early 2020 when companies rushed to make kits…
For the first time since the Taliban's capture of power in Kabul, India has sent a team led by a senior diplomat to Afghanistan to oversee the delivery of its humanitarian aid and meet with senior members of the Taliban. The team, led by JP Singh, the external affairs ministry's…
A 26-year-old Indian-origin doctor who played an important role during the coronavirus pandemic securing early access to vaccines and therapeutics for Singapore, is among the three recipients of the bond-free Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship given to outstanding Singaporeans to help them pursue postgraduate studies. Dr M Premikha will get an…
IN an unusual attack on Pakistan's powerful military, ousted prime minister Imran Khan has admitted that his government was a "weak one" which was "blackmailed from everywhere" as the power was not with him and "everyone knows where that is" Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a…
Daniel Silverstone, a professor of criminology and an expert in policing studies, attended the Champion’s League final in Paris and witnessed chaotic scenes. Here, he and Jan Ludvigsen examine what the latest research can tell us about how to tackle an issue that continues to bring football – and the…
Durham pace bowler Matthew Potts will make his international debut in the first of three tests between England and New Zealand at Lord’s starting on Thursday in what will also be his inaugural first class match at the world’s most famous ground. Potts, who has been the outstanding bowler in…
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has slammed Lord's for the "astronomical prices" charged for tickets to the first test against New Zealand, saying fans were being priced out amid a cost-of-living crisis. The first test of the English summer at the 'Home of Cricket' begins on Thursday but hundreds of…
A growing number of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative lawmakers have withdrawn their support for the British leader after a damning official report detailed a series of illegal parties at his Downing Street office during Covid-19 lockdowns. More than 25 Conservative lawmakers have publicly called for Johnson to quit, with…
Britain's communications regulator Ofcom launched a probe on Tuesday into Royal Mail's failure to meet targets in the past year, the latest hurdle for the post and parcel delivery firm as it also grapples with union disputes. Royal Mail said earlier this month it did not meet delivery targets for…
An estimated two million people in the UK, which represents around three percent of the population, have reported experiencing so-called long Covid, official statistics showed Wednesday. Around 1.4 million of them said they first had Covid-19, or suspected they had the virus, at least 12 weeks previously, according to the…
No petrol means no work for Sri Lankan delivery rider Michael Sathis, and getting supplies has become a challenge as fuel stations run dry amid a devastating economic crisis.Sathis sometimes had to queue all night to fill his tank until he found a Facebook group sharing regular updates on fuel…
SOUTH KOREAN K-pop band BTS didn't sing a word but in a White House visit Tuesday (31) to meet president Joe Biden the supergroup's message against anti-Asian racism came loud and clear. The seven stars, dressed in matching dark suits and ties, with white shirts, joined White House press secretary…
India has cautioned over the “heightened” threat of misuse of biological agents and chemicals as weapons against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and called on the international community to address the rapid evolution of proliferation risks. It said new and emerging technologies may increase the risk of Weapons of…
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…
HERE is a rundown of the four days of festivities that start Thursday (2) to commemorate the 70-year reign of Britain's longest-ruling monarch: Troops and horses Around 1,500 soldiers, 400 army musicians and 250 horses will take part in the traditional "Trooping the Colour" parade Thursday, which returns after a…
BRITAIN is "very unlikely" to hold an early election, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said, as speculation swirls about the future of the government following growing criticism of prime minister Boris Johnson. Johnson is facing a mounting threat of a confidence vote from his own lawmakers, prompting some commentators to…
BRITAIN's transport secretary Grant Shapps has told airlines to stop selling tickets for flights they cannot staff after a spate of airline cancellations caused widespread disruption for holidaymakers. Airports across Europe have struggled to cope with the rebound in demand but British airports are facing a particularly difficult week as…
Cancelled flights, long queues and staff shortages have disrupted the travel plans of British holidaymakers during the half-term break, a grim sign of possible summer strife for a global sector battling to rebound from a two-year COVID slump. The next few months will be the first time since 2019 that…
There is a gradual build up of members of Parliament from within the UK's ruling Conservative Party who have voiced their concerns over the partygate scandal, calling for party leader Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister. The total number of openly critical MPs has risen to 27 since the…
On the eve of World No Tobacco Day, they also asked the Centre to ensure that tobacco control laws and policies are made stronger and implemented effectively. Noted epidemiologist and public health expert Chandrakant Lahariya pointed out that children and non-tobacco users too visit the point of sale (POS) and…
A Pakistani woman separated from her family during the 1947 India Partition met her brothers after 75 years in April, according to a media report. Mumtaz Bibi met her brothers Gurmukh Singh and Baldev Singh at the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, the BBC reported. The Partition of India was…
CONSERVATIVE lawmaker Jeremy Wright, a former British minister and attorney general, said that prime minister Boris Johnson should resign, joining a growing number of MPs who have withdrawn their support over the "partygate" scandal. A damning official report published last week detailed a series of illegal parties at Johnson's Downing…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson is reportedly set to announce a return to imperial measurements of pounds and ounces as a post-Brexit move away from the European metric system to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this week. As part of a series of announcements to celebrate the 96-year-old monarch's 70…
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…
For all those Indian fans who cannot get enough of K-pop artists, we have an exciting piece of news to share. Odisha girl Sriya Lenka officially became the first K-pop star from India on Thursday when she was named the fifth member of the renowned K-pop group Blackswan. Their producer,…
AS prime minister Boris Johnson successfully delivered Brexit and won the 2019 election, 2020 started with great hope and optimism. However, the outbreak of Covid-19 came as the biggest watershed in recent global history. Two years later, we now hope to have the pandemic under control in the country, while…
Here is a selection of extracts from speeches, addresses and contributions to documentaries given by the queen: "It's inevitable that I should seem a rather remote figure to many of you, a successor to the kings and queens of history. "I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give…
IN his monthly Mann ki Baat radio broadcast, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said that the number of unicorns in India reached 100-mark. Noting that the number of unicorns in India has reached the 100-mark this month, Modi on Sunday (29) said that even in the phase of the Covid…
We join together as NHS and charity leaders to encourage people with a weakened immune system to continue to book in or visit a walk-in centre for their COVID-19 vaccines. All individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed are advised to receive a Spring booster dose of the…
The UK’s non-emergency medical helpline NHS 111 is flooded with phone calls from anxious people who have rashes, as the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in England has crossed 100.Mateo Prochazka of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said people could get local sexual health services instead of resorting to…
A Conservative lawmaker has submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson and another quit a role as an assistant to Britain's interior minister, putting new pressure on the prime minister over illegal parties at his Downing Street residence during Covid-19 lockdowns.Bob Neill, the chair of parliament's justice committee,…
Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani regrets leaving Manchester United without being able to repeat his scoring form from his debut campaign during his second season in front of full crowds. Cavani signed for United from Paris Saint-Germain in October 2020 and made a big impact in his first term at Old…
RESTRICTIONS being eased has led to a surge in travel bookings. While some just want to get away for a break after being locked down during the pandemic for so long, Jaya Sibia has used travel to fulfil a dream of visiting 40 countries before she turns 40. It has…
THE latest play from acclaimed writer Satinder Chohan was supposed to run in May-June 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid pandemic, and finally premiered at Hampstead Theatre in London, where it’s currently being staged. Salon owner Reita has worked hard all her life and dreams of moving away…
A Conservative lawmaker quit his role as an assistant to Britain's home secretary on Friday (27), saying his work had been tarnished by the "toxic culture" in Downing Street that was detailed by investigations into lockdown-busting parties. A damning official report on Wednesday (25) documented a series of illegal Covid-19…
A London resident is saddling up for British Heart Foundation’s London to Brighton Bike Ride to help raise money for people with heart and circulatory diseases, just like him. Deepak Kapoor, 42, from Coulsdon, will be taking on the iconic 54-mile ride from Clapham Common to Brighton seafront on Sunday…
Alzheimer’s Research UK has today announced that Biotech clinical development leader and former UK Vaccines Taskforce member Divya Chadha Manek OBE and former BBC executive Amanda Farnsworth have joined its Board of Trustees. In their voluntary roles they will provide strategic leadership, governance, and insight into the charity’s running, and…
There was an environment of "indifference" towards the use of technology in governance before 2014 due to which the poor and the middle class suffered the most, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. He asserted the current government has ensured last-mile delivery of services with the help of technology, including…
FOUR lawmakers from Britain's governing Conservatives have pulled their support for Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a damning report that detailed a series of alcohol-fuelled parties at 10 Downing Street that broke Covid-19 lockdown rules. A day after the report was published, describing a boozy culture at his Downing Street…
A new research has revealed that 75 per cent of women of colour have experienced racism at work in UK, with 27 per cent having suffered racial slurs. The report released on Wednesday (25) by the gender equality organisation the Fawcett Society, and the race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust…
THE past decade has seen Ayushmann Khurrana become an in-demand actor, who has had a transformative effect with game-changing films that have expanded the horizons of Hindi cinema and redefined the Bollywood hero. The increasingly unpredictable actor headlines this week’s big Bollywood release Anek, which is an action-thriller that sees…
Actor Darshan Kumar, who made his acting debut opposite none other than Priyanka Chopra in Omung Kumar’s Mary Kom (2014), is presently basking in the earth-shattering success of his recent release, The Kashmir Files (2022). Helmed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, The Kashmir Files sheds light on the killings and exodus…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson defiantly rejected calls to resign after an internal inquiry on Wednesday (25) found he presided over a culture of lockdown-breaking parties that ran late into the night and even featured a drunken fight among staff.Johnson is among dozens of people in Downing Street to have…
A YOUNG Indian-origin research fellow at the University of Oxford has been nominated for the Member of the British Empire (MBE) award.Nikita Ved, 32, is chosen for the honour because of her services to public health, particularly in tackling the vaccine hesitancy during the Covid-19 pandemic. She has co-founded the…
The Mind mental health charity said mainstream services often fail to provide therapies that meet a person’s cultural or language needs and they are not referred to the right support. It comes after a study in May by the Mental Health Foundation found that people from a black, Asian or…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson presided over a culture of lockdown-breaking parties that featured drunken fighting among staff, according to a long-awaited inquiry Wednesday (25) that prompted renewed calls for his resignation. "Many of these events should not have been allowed to happen," the report by senior civil servant Sue…
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 QUAD leaders have launched a slew of new initiatives, ranging from maritime security to healthcare, to benefit the alliance partners and the wider Indo-Pacific. During their Tokyo summit of the grouping, the member states - India, the US, Japan and Australia - vowed to deepen their long-term cooperation.The scope…
THE mother of an autistic, mixed-race girl has said that the Metropolitan Police handcuffed her child and had her underwear cut off in the presence of male officers while on her period, according to a report. She added that the 15-year-old was left traumatised by the incident in December 2020…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has said that the Metropolitan Police must “explain” why prime minister Boris Johnson was not fined for attending a party during the Covid lockdown, according to a report. Khan's comments came after Britain's ITV news channel on Monday (23) published new photographs of Johnson drinking at…
Leaders of the Quad alliance said on Tuesday (24) they opposed all attempts to "change the status quo by force, particularly in the Indo-Pacific".The statement, which followed a summit meeting of the four members of the grouping - India, Japan, Australia and the United States in Tokyo - comes with…
They have revealed the shortage of talent has led to “rampant poaching” and bigger eateries offering salaries of around £85,000 salaries, £5,000 sign-on bonuses and family holidays. On the Indeed job website in May, an Indian restaurant in London was looking for a Sous Chef offering £45,000 annually while another…
Recently after JD.com announced it would donate millions of Yuan worth of Covid 19 relief supplies, it's now carrying the first batch of supplies to Hong Kong. The company has ensured the availability of various vital resources that have been important in addressing the Covid 19 pandemic. These have included masks,…
INDIA's Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi has said that democracy in India is a global public good and a central anchor for the planet. "If that cracks, it is going to cause a problem for the planet," Gandhi said at the 'Ideas for India' conference in London on Friday (20).…
Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna in lead roles, Anand (1971) is one of the most celebrated Bollywood films, which has attained cult status over the years. Now, 51 years after its release, the Hrishikesh Mukherjee directorial is set for a remake. Producer Sameer Raj Sippy, who is the grandson…
A review by a doctors' union has revealed that the UK government failed to protect doctors and the wider healthcare staff at the start of the pandemic, according to a media report. The British Medical Association review said staff were desperately let down by the lack of protective equipment, the…
THE vast majority of Britons say they are comfortable with having a south Asian as their prime minister. A survey by the think-tank, British Future, found that a third of the British public would see an Asian prime minister as a good thing for our country. At least eight in…
IN 2021, nearly half of the new nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK have come from abroad, with India and the Philippines supplying the most, a media report said. Last year, a record high of more than 23,000 nurses and midwives joined the workforce when the country…
THE Queen’s platinum Jubilee, marking the longest reign in history, is a chance to reflect on how Britain has changed over the last seven decades. A more diverse Britain is a society of more faiths but is felt to be a less religious place too. The somewhat disunited Kingdom is…
BRITAIN'S unemployment rate fell to its lowest since 1974 in the first three months of this year, but soaring inflation led to the biggest annual fall in real earnings for most workers since 2013, official figures showed on Tuesday (17).The jobless rate dropped to 3.7 per cent from 3.8 per…
INDIAN state-owned insurance giant LIC slumped on its market debut on Tuesday (17) following the country's biggest-ever initial public offering, closing nearly eight per cent below the IPO price.Prime minister Narendra Modi's government raised $2.7 billion (£2.16 bn) by selling 3.5 per cent of Life Insurance Corporation of India as…
THE shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and his Labour front-bench colleague, Preet Gill, the shadow international development secretary, have both dismissed Boris Johnson’s recent trip to India as being of little consequence. But Grant Thornton’s report, India meets Britain Tracker: The latest trends in Indian investment in the UK 2022,…
Improved demand helped India's Tata Motors narrow losses, the carmaker reported Thursday, even as chip shortages continued to hurt sales at British subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover. The Mumbai-headquartered automaker reported its fifth straight quarter of losses for the three months ended March 31, but said it was able to manage…
SAUDI ARAMCO on Wednesday (11) dethroned Apple as the world's most valuable company as surging oil prices drove up shares and tech stocks slumped. The Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company billed as the largest oil-producing company globally was valued at $2.42 trillion based on the price of…
Australia's Mitchell Marsh smashed 89 after striking twice with the ball as Delhi Capitals stayed in the IPL play-off hunt with an emphatic eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. Chasing a tricky 161 for victory, a 144-run second-wicket partnership between David Warner (52 not out) and Marsh helped Delhi…
HEAD of state Queen Elizabeth II missed Tuesday's (10) ceremonial opening of the UK parliament for the first time in nearly 60 years, handing the duty to her heir Prince Charles in a clear sign of the looming transition of power. The 96-year-old monarch usually presides over the pomp-filled event…
COGNITIVE impairment resulting from severe Covid-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age, a new study has found.According to a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, this cognitive impairment is equivalent to ageing 20 years or losing 10 IQ…
GFG ALLIANCE faces insolvency hearings after Credit Suisse ended settlement talks with the troubled British metals and renewable energy group, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday (10).The holding company of British Indian billionaire Sanjeev Gupta, which was rocked by last year's collapse of its main lender, Greensill Capital, owes more…
THE bells at Washington National Cathedral rang out 1,000 times Monday (9), with each toll representing 1,000 deaths from Covid-19, as the US closed in on the grim milestone of almost one million Covid dead. The US has suffered the most Covid deaths of any country in the world, ahead…
THOUSANDS of people attended Eid celebrations in Trafalgar Square on Saturday (7) which featured live music, children's activities and food stalls. It was the first Eid in the Square since 2019, after the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to Covid. London mayor Sadiq Khan said it was "wonderful"…
QUEEN Elizabeth II will miss Tuesday's (10) ceremonial opening of Britain's parliament, as prime minister Boris Johnson tries to reinvigorate his faltering government by unveiling its plans for the coming year. The 96-year-old monarch, who usually presides over the pomp-filled event and reads out her government's legislative programme from a…
A NEW UK-India Industry Task Force, a joint commission to increase cross-industry collaboration and push the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) over the line, was launched on Monday (9).The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have created the new task force as part of…
BRITAIN'S opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer will offer to resign if he is found by police to have broken Covid rules at a gathering last year, Sky News reported on Monday (9) without citing sources.The 59-year-old, who previously served as the country's top prosecutor, has led calls for prime…
LABOUR politician Lisa Nandy has not ruled herself out of contention for her party’s top position even as its leader Keir Starmer is facing a police probe for potentially breaching lockdown rules a year ago.The alleged offence involving Starmer took place at a gathering in Durham, northern England, in April…
PHARMACISTS are being forced to offer extra services including botox and skincare in order to survive amid a drop-off in government funding. Chemists are turning to providing ear wax removal, lip fillers and travel vaccination clinics to “make ends meet”, and have urged more financial support as they deal with…
PRIME Minister Boris Johnson was on Friday (6) left reflecting on a string of losses at local elections in England, in a mid-term test of his popularity after a string of scandals. Johnson conceded Thursday's (5) vote had produced a "mixed" set of results for his ruling Conservatives, including the…
THE UK'S state-funded National Health Service (NHS) said it is rolling out the use of the arthritis drug Baricitinib after it has proven to save lives when given to the most seriously ill Covid patients in hospitals. A trial carried out through the NHS and the University of Oxford found…
KEIR STARMER, leader of the UK's opposition Labour Party, will face a police probe into whether a campaign gathering in 2021 breached lockdown rules, weeks after prime minister Boris Johnson was fined for breaking the rules. "We can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations relating to…
A NEW analysis released on Friday (6) revealed that the unemployment gap between black and minority ethnic (BME) and white workers has widened from 69 per cent to 120 per cent through the pandemic. An analysis of ONS data by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) stated that the unemployment rate for…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party lost control of traditional strongholds in London and suffered losses elsewhere in local elections, early results on Friday (6) showed, as voters punished his government over a raft of scandals. Johnson's party was ousted in Wandsworth, a low-tax Conservative stronghold since 1978, part…
PRINCE CHARLES has praised the “dedication and professionalism of pharmacy staff” at an event held in London to celebrate the work of community pharmacists during the Covid-19 pandemic.Some 200 pharmacists, pharmacy staff and other health service representatives were invited to attend a special reception hosted by His Royal Highness at…
AN NHS nurse is set to trek to the Everest base camp to raise money for medical staff whose mental health was affected by the pandemic. Sukdeep Dhadda, TB nurse specialist at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, will hike for 11 days to reach Everest base camp at an altitude…
BRITISH health secretary Sajid Javid has warned of action against hospitals which refuse to return to normal despite the government significantly lifting the pandemic restrictions.Last month, fresh guidelines were issued to the healthcare sector to enable hospitals to attend to patients on waiting lists - which crossed 6.2 million in…
INDIA registered about 475,000 more total deaths in 2020 than the previous year, government data released months ahead of schedule on Tuesday (3) showed, as the World Health Organization readies its estimates of excess Covid-19 deaths whose methodology New Delhi has opposed. Some experts estimate India's actual Covid death toll…
SALARIES in Britain's financial sector have surged in recent months, widening inequality amid the nation's cost-of-living crisis, a study showed on Wednesday (4). Average monthly pay in the industry jumped 31 per cent in February from December 2019, propelled by high-earners, the Institute for Fiscal studies (IFS) said in a…
A BRITISH-ASIAN entrepreneur and vaccination role-model is running for a seat on the Brent Borough Council. Sapna Chadha will contest the Brondesbury Park ward for the Conservative party in the local elections which take place on Thursday (5). Last year, Chadha was part of the local Conservative party team which…
A record three million people have received vital NHS cancer tests from March 2021 to Feb 2022 compared to 2.4 million people referred before the pandemic, the latest data revealed. Even at the peak of the Omicron wave, referrals for suspected cancer were at 116 per cent of pre-pandemic levels…
A BRITISH high court will hear a continuation appeal in the extradition case of Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond merchant wanted in India to face charges of fraud and money laundering, in London on June 28. Modi is accused defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB), one of the India’s largest banks,…
EID IN THE SQUARE will return to London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday (7) after two years.The post-Ramadan celebrations, which Mayor Sadiq Khan said signify London’s diversity, feature Islamic inspired art, culture and comedy with contemporary and traditional performances on the main stage alongside food stalls.The event, running from noon until…
THE International Monetary Fund said last Saturday (23) it held “fruitful technical discussions” with Sri Lanka on its loan request, while the World Bank said it was preparing an emergency-aid package for the crisis-stricken country. Sri Lanka is struggling to pay for imports amid a crushing debt crisis and sharp…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson landed in Gujarat last Thursday (21) as he began his two-day India visit. He said he felt like Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, as hundreds of people lined the streets and dozens of billboards depicted his image. “I had an amazing reception,” he said. “My face…
The upcoming Bollywood film Tiku Weds Sheru, which marks actor Kangana Ranaut's production debut, will premiere on the streaming platform Prime Video. The film stars seasoned actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur. It is directed by Sai Kabir who directed Ranaut in the 2014 film Revolver Rani. Calling the…
APRIL is a time of many religious and cultural celebrations. As many of us come together to celebrate our different faiths, some have questions about how we can see our loved ones, without passing on coronavirus. Riyadul Karim, assistant director of primary care, Enfield, at NHS North Central London CCG,…
EUROPE will make sure that Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified” aggression against Ukraine will be a “strategic failure”, though the Indo-Pacific region has started feeling the impact of the crisis, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday (25). She also said energising the partnership with New Delhi is…
A LEADING Indian comedian has criticised the country’s alleged “censorship of comedy” ahead of the launch of his Amazon Prime show. Anuvab Pal, 45, has become popular in the UK since his first performance in this country five years ago. His most recent show, Empire, which debuted at the Edinburgh…
UNILEVER announced a jump in revenue after the British consumer goods giant passed on higher costs to customers. The maker of a vast amount of products including Magnum ice cream, Cif surface cleaner and Dove soap said revenue increased nearly 12 per cent to £11.5 billion in the first quarter…
AN Indo-British bilateral free-trade deal could be wrapped up by October, prime minister Boris Johnson said in New Delhi last week, as he concluded his much-delayed visit to India. Britain and India also agreed to step up defence and business cooperation, Johnson said, adding that London would support Delhi’s goal…
IN 2019, Johnson upended conventional British politics by winning in both the traditional Conservative southern heartlands and more industrial areas in central and northern England. But his support has waned as the government grapples with a cost-of-living crisis and revelations about his conduct. Now many Conservative lawmakers are wondering if…
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…
THE big Pakistani Eid film release is taboo-busting comedy Parde Mein Rehne Do. The stereotype smashing story revolves around a married couple unable to have children and how their happy life starts falling apart when the wife asks her husband to get an infertility test. Ali Rehman Khan takes on…
BARCLAYS on Thursday (28) announced an 18 per cent drop in net profit during the first quarter on litigation and bad debt charges.Profit after tax declined to £1.4 billion compared with £1.7 bn in the first three months of 2021, the British bank said in an earnings statement. "We remain…
AN East London solicitor died from a rare blood clot weeks after taking the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, an inquest heard this week. Oli Akram Hoque, 26, from Ilford, received a dose of the vaccine on March 19 last year before suffering increasingly 'excruciating' headaches, reported the MailOnline. After a seizure,…
Speed demon Umran Malik is being backed to win a place in India's bowling attack after lighting up the IPL with deliveries of more than 150kph (93mph) and wickets galore. The 22-year-old returned figures of 5-25, becoming the first player on a losing team this season to be awarded man…
I HAVE been present in India with every UK prime minister since 2005 – from Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron to Theresa May. Being in India last week with Boris Johnson and with Indian business leaders was a crucial visit. It was the first UK prime ministerial visit…
A young accountant has won a disability case against his middle-aged boss, but lost an age discrimination case, it was reported this week. Jay Patel, 26, was sacked by Insurance boss Lucy Raymond-Williams saying that he was"too demanding" and "expected things to be handed to him on a plate", reported…
BRITAIN said on Wednesday (27) it will set up a new authority to crack down on financial frauds as chancellor of exchequer Rishi Sunak admitted that the government’s pandemic assistance schemes were abused.The announcement comes amid a series of reports that economic offenders milked the government’s low-interest loan scheme at…
US vice president Kamala Harris tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday (26) but is asymptomatic and not considered a current close contact of president Joe Biden, the White House said. "Today, vice president Harris tested positive for Covid-19 on rapid and PCR tests. She has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate…
INDIAN tycoon Mukesh Ambani is betting a shopping palace within a $1 billion Mumbai business showcase will tap into surging demand for Western luxury goods, installing his Reliance empire as a portal through which most of the biggest brands must pass. Though still small for a country of its size,…
A Myanmar junta court on Wednesday sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in jail for corruption, part of a barrage of criminal cases that could see the deposed civilian leader jailed for decades. Since a military coup ousted her government in February last year, plunging Myanmar into upheaval,…
THE top 5 military spenders in 2021 were the US, China, India, the UK and Russia, which together accounted for almost 62 per cent of the world military expenditure, data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed on Monday (25). India's military spending was recorded to be…
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Monday (25) announced the setting up of an India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), a strategic mechanism to tackle key trade, economic and technological challenges.India is the second country after the US to have such a…
EUROPE will make sure that Russia's “unprovoked and unjustified” aggression against Ukraine will be a “strategic failure”, though the Indo-Pacific region has started feeling the impact of the crisis, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday (25). She also said energising the partnership with New Delhi is…
BRITISH researchers believe they have documented the longest-known Covid-19 infection, in a patient who tested positive for a total of 505 days before their death. The previous record for persistent infection -- rather than repeated bouts of Covid -- is thought to be 335 days, the team from King's College…
THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND said on Saturday (23) it held "fruitful technical discussions" with Sri Lanka on its loan request, while the World Bank said it was preparing an emergency aid package for the crisis-stricken country.Sri Lanka, an island country of 22 million people, is struggling to pay for imports…
MASSIVELY popular movie star Ram Charan has had some remarkable landmarks in his distinguished career. Perhaps the biggest so far has been his recently released 1920’s-set period action drama RRR becoming one of the highest grossing Indian films in history, since it released in multiple languages on March 25. The…
Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant on Wednesday said they overcame "nervousness" after a Covid outbreak in the camp to keep their focus and hammer Punjab Kings by nine wickets in the IPL. Delhi's New Zealand import Tim Seifert tested positive for Covid-19 just hours before the start of the match…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson hopes to defuse a parliamentary showdown on Thursday (21) by asking lawmakers to delay a decision on whether he should be investigated over accusations that he misled parliament about breaches of Covid-19 rules. He faces a test of Conservative party loyalty on Thursday when MPs vote…
BORIS JOHNSON was accorded a cordial welcome when he landed in Gujarat on Thursday (21) as the British prime minister began his two-day trip to India. But the pomp and publicity that generally marks top world leaders’ visits to the south Asian country was conspicuously missing.Johnson was received at the…
POPULAR Indian actress Shama Sikander got married to longtime partner James Milliron in Goa in March. The couple, who met through a mutual friend in Mumbai and have been together since 2014, were originally supposed to have a destination wedding in Turkey, but Covid-19 forced them to postpone it by…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson arrived in India Thursday (21) touting job-creating investment but facing long odds to get his reluctant counterpart Narendra Modi to back Western action against Russia. Johnson arrived in Gujarat -- Modi's home state and the ancestral home to half of the United Kingdom's British Indians…
Australia's David Warner smashed an unbeaten 60 to lead the Covid-affected Delhi Capitals to a thumping nine-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday. Delhi's New Zealand import Tim Seifert tested positive for Covid-19 just hours before the start of the match at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium.…
Skipper Faf du Plessis on Tuesday said an elusive IPL century is "around the corner" after his 96 helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs. The South African made Bangalore fight back with his 64-ball knock after they lost two wickets, including Virat Kohli for a…
Sakshi Chabbra Mittal thought she was health-conscious. She ate well, worked out regularly and meditated everyday. So it came as huge shock when during her first pregnancy she was diagnosed with a rare liver disease which can be linked to premature or stillbirths. Told by doctors that there was no…
THE couple behind a new start-up using adult toys and cheeky adverts to challenge long-held taboos say they want to take the "shame, guilt and fear" out of sex in India. Despite its heritage as the land of the Kama Sutra, open discussions around sexuality and intimacy are often regarded…
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…
THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND will consider providing quick financial assistance to debt-burdened Sri Lanka following representations by India, the island nation’s finance ministry said on Tuesday (19).A delegation headed by Sri Lanka's finance minister Ali Sabry kicked off formal talks with the IMF in Washington on Monday (18) for a…
ON ITS news website, the BBC, in an article entitled Why did Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars? discusses various theories, including ‘There were elements of performative alphamale behaviour at play here. An instinctiveness for a man to harm another man who insults his partner’. In fact, this particular…
India has sharply criticised a forthcoming World Health Organization study which reportedly claims coronavirus killed four million people nationally, the latest analysis suggesting a significant undercount of the pandemic's death toll. The New York Times reported last week that New Delhi had stalled the study's release after disputing that India's…
Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has tested positive for Covid-19, along with several other members of his IPL side Delhi Capitals, and admitted to hospital, said a statement on Monday. The Delhi Capitals medical team is closely monitoring the condition of Marsh, who played his first match of the Indian Premier…
TWO spiritual leaders of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan (BAPS) Sanstha met Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi recently. The trio prayed for the welfare of Indians worldwide. HH Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami honoured Modi with a garland, while Brahmavihari Swami updated the prime minister on Sanstha’s Covid-19 pandemic…
THE BILATERAL trade between India and China increased 15.3 per cent to more than $31 billion (£23.82 bn) in the first quarter of this year, despite strained relations.During the three months from January to March, China's exports to India zoomed to $27.1 bn (£20.82 bn), while its imports from India…
BORIS JOHNSON will become the first British prime minister to visit Gujarat when he lands in Ahmedabad this week for a two-day visit to India for “in-depth” talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.Johnson's visit will begin on Thursday (21) with a trip to Ahmedabad in Gujarat, which is Modi's…
Pakistan's new prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said Thursday the country's economy had stagnated under his predecessor Imran Khan, setting the tone for possibly months of bitterness before an election that must be held by October next year. Sharif, sworn in Monday after Khan was ousted by a no-confidence vote in…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to arrive in India next week with a wide-ranging schedule in New Delhi, according to Indian government sources.The visit, which is yet to be formally announced by Downing Street, follows the successful completion of four out of 26 chapters in the ongoing India-UK…
BRITAIN has approved a new coronavirus vaccine by the Austrian-French drugmaker Valneva, the UK regulatory authority MHRA said on Thursday (14). "An approval has been granted after the Valneva Covid-19 vaccine was found to meet the required safety, quality and effectiveness standards," the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said…
I AM so excited the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi is back this week after two years of Covid. Vaisakhi, also called Baisakhi, falls on Thursday (14). It is often mistaken as the Sikh New Year, but in actual fact, is a celebration of the founding of the Sikh community, the…
THE UK on Tuesday (12) started a call for evidence to form a new 10-year mental health plan to level up mental health across the country and put mental and physical health on an equal footing. People with lived experience of mental health conditions and those who support people with…
A NEW study has revealed that even mild or moderate Covid-19 might modify the number of proteins essential to male reproductive function, thereby impairing fertility. Published in the ACS Omega journal, the study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, looked at protein levels in the sperm of men…
THE NUMBER of visitors to the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas is expected to be the “biggest ever” this year, according to the Jammu and Kashmir administration.Officials said on Monday (11) that the administration is preparing to welcome about 800,000 pilgrims to the shrine during the…
After impressing critics and audiences with his power-packed performance in the recent release Salute (2022), Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan will next be seen in an upcoming Telugu-language film. The producers announced the official title of the film on the occasion of Sri Rama Navami on April 10. The film has…
THE NHS has started providing a new antiviral treatment against Covid for high-risk patients at home that improves symptoms “within hours”, the health service said in a statement. Known as Paxlovid, has been given to more than 6,000 patients already – with over 1,400 patients benefitting in the last seven…
INDIA's Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover has said that its supply of semiconductors had improved in the first quarter, according to a report. It is viewed as a sign that a global shortage of computer chips is slowly starting to ease. The British manufacturer reported sales of 76,526 vehicles during…
THE PASSENGER traffic at London's Heathrow Airport in March this year was the highest since the pandemic began, driven by outbound leisure travel and the removal of all Covid restrictions.Heathrow, however, said in a statement on Monday (11) that inbound leisure and business travel had remained weak due to high…
GROWING up in different places perhaps prepared Nimrat Kaur for her great global acting career that has seen her skilfully balance work in India with high-profile international projects. That versatility has given her a diverse body of work, which ranges from super-hit Indian films like The Lunchbox and Airlift to…
HAVING trained extensively under leading names and educational institutions, award-winning composer and vocalist Yadav Yadavan has been connected to music from a very young age. Although he has performed live globally, some of his most enduring work has been in the UK. Since 2002, Yadavan has collaborated with his wife…
India will make Covid-19 booster shots available to all adults for a fee from Sunday, officials said, as the number of new virus cases in the country drops sharply. The nation of 1.3 billion has administered 1.85 billion shots so far, giving 96 percent of the population a single dose…
Fresh off the success of her recent film Jalsa (2022), Vidya Balan has now signed on to star in a new project. According to reports, the National Film Award-winning actress is set to collaborate with successful filmmaker Laxman Utekar on a film titled Waiting Room. Dinesh Vijan is attached as…
BRITAIN’S arm of the charity Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) participated in a tree planting event at Whalebone Park in the London borough of Barnet as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.Green Canopy is a pro-environment initiative undertaken to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee by inviting communities across the UK…
INDIA's Kashmir region is attracting record tourists after the easing of pandemic restrictions and some improvement in the security situation, bolstering local businesses. Tourist arrivals are set to touch a ten-year high this year after more than 340,000 tourists have come since January, local tour operators and government officials said,…
The wife of Britain's chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak is treated as non-domiciled for UK tax purposes but pays taxes in Britain on all her UK income, her spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Akshata Murthy is the daughter of Narayana Murthy, the billionaire co-founder of IT services company Infosys, and…
Australia's cricketers were heading home Wednesday after completing their first tour to Pakistan since 1998. Pat Cummins' side won the three-Test series 1-0, lost the one-day internationals 2-1 and rounded off an incident-free trip with victory in the lone Twenty20 international. Eastern Eye highlights five things we learned from the…
Pat Cummins was an unlikely star with the bat as he smashed a joint-fastest 14-ball IPL fifty to power Kolkata Knight Riders to a stunning victory over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. The Australian Test skipper joined Venkatesh Iyer with Kolkata on 101-5 while chasing 162 and tore into the Mumbai…
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is studying XE, a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron strains, and 637 XE cases were detected in England as of March 22, according to official figures. A NEW Covid-19 variant called XE has been found in the UK and early indications suggest…
Bangladesh called for the return of neutral umpires in international cricket after claiming "inconsistent" decisions put them at a disadvantage in the first Test against South Africa currently being played in Durban. Umpires from host countries have been used exclusively since 2020, when the pandemic imposed worldwide travel restrictions. South…
THE NHS has started vaccinating five million children aged 5 to 11 as part of the next phase of its immunisation drive. Hundreds of sites will be providing vaccinations with more sites coming online throughout the week, the health service informed on Monday (4). According to the statement, vaccines will…
A court in the UK has heard that a British MP sexually assaulted a man at a guest house in Pakistan around 12 years ago, according to media reports. Imran Ahmad Khan, the Conservative MP for Wakefield, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court, where he denies sexually assaulting a…
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Monday teased that he is planning to restart his routine Sunday meet-and-greet with his fans as Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted in Maharashtra. Bachchan, who used to meet and greet his fans every Sunday at his house Jalsa in Juhu, had called off the weekly activity…
For the longest time, Poles were used to cash transactions whenever they carried out shopping or any other money-related activity. But over the years, the game has changed with the introduction of cards and online payments. The latest technology that completely changed the game was the introduction of BLIK. The…
Lockie Ferguson claimed four wickets and Shubman Gill hit 84 to help newcomers Gujarat Titans remain unbeaten in two IPL matches after a 14-run win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday. Ferguson returned figures of 4-28 with his express pace in Pune to keep Delhi down to 157 for nine while…
REGARDED as a wily cricket captain during his playing days, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan appeared on Sunday (3) to have stumped his political opposition as well.The country's president dissolved the national assembly just hours after the deputy speaker declined to accept a no-confidence motion that would likely have seen…
THIS week marks the start of Ramadan, a unique and special time for Muslims in Britain and across the world. It’s a time to reflect on and renew their faith, through devotion and spirituality while fulfilling the five pillars of Islam. The strength of devotion exemplified in fasting as the…
LEADING Muslim doctors have urged those eligible to have a spring booster jab this Ramadan as it does not break the daylight hours fast, NHS said in a statement. Resident TV doctor Dr Nighat Arif, a GP in Buckinghamshire, and Dr Farzana Hussain, a senior GP in East London and…
RATES of Covid infection have hit a record high in the UK, official data showed, just as free government testing ended for millions in England. Some 4.9 million people in the UK are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week ending March 26, or 600,000 more than the previous…
People with the "hybrid immunity" of having been both fully vaccinated and previously infected with Covid-19 have the strongest protection against the virus, two new studies said on Friday. After two years of a pandemic that has seen nearly 500 million people infected and billions vaccinated, the studies highlighted the…
Australia's Mitchell Marsh will join IPL side Delhi Capitals after being ruled out of the remaining limited-overs matches in Pakistan following a hip injury, his country said Wednesday. The 30-year-old all-rounder was expected to play a key role in the three-match ODI series but missed Tuesday's first game, won by…
AN alleged sexual assault victim has said the actions of Tory Wakefield MP Imran Ahmad Khan were “pretty clear signs of a child molester”, according to a report. He told Southwark crown court he had alerted the Conservative Party headquarters about the abuse three days before Khan’s election in 2019,…
BIRTHDAY SPECIAL TO CELEBRATE THE VERSATILE STAR’S ENTERTAINING PERFORMANCES POPULAR Bollywood star Ajay Devgn has had a glittering 31-year Bollywood career loaded with memorable performances and a wide array of films in diverse genres. He will receive good wishes from around the world this week as he celebrates his 53rd…
LIVE PERFORMANCE SEVENS When: Saturday April 2 Where: The Place, 17 Duke’s Road, London WC1H 9PY What: An ensemble cast of UK-based Indian classical dancers and musicians share the stage in this triple bill show conceptualised by award-winning Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer Nina Rajarani MBE, which explores the sacred, and…
Sri Lanka announced nationwide 13-hour daily power cuts from Thursday and more hospitals suspended routine surgeries after running out of life-saving medicines, as the cash-strapped island's economic crisis deepened. The South Asian nation of 22 million people is in its worst economic spiral since independence in 1948, sparked by an…
Getting screened and tested early for cancer is a personal battle, Sajid Javid revealed. Speaking to Eastern Eye, the health secretary, disclosed how his late father was diagnosed too late for the illness. “My father died from cancer, but he died from, firstly, lung cancer, then it spread everywhere,” Javid…
Ed Sheeran and Camila Cabello were among the leading music stars who performed on Tuesday night at a televised concert aiming to raise funds for a Ukrainian humanitarian appeal. Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran joined forces to perform their new collaboration “Bam Bam” live together for the very first time.…
INDIA's digital inclusion might get momentum due to recent policy moves including easier approvals for satellite broadband network rollouts, and the imminent launch of satellite broadband from India's Bharti Airtel and Jio Platforms, Elon Musk's Starlink, and others. There are currently more than 800 million internet subscribers in the nation…
BRITAIN said that healthcare workers, social care staff and the most vulnerable will still get Covid-19 tests without any charge when it ends free testing for the general public next month. When he announced all coronavirus restrictions would be scrapped in February, prime minister Boris Johnson said free tests would…
LABOUR MP for Brent Central "Dawn Butler" recently had a mastectomy at Royal London Hospital after being diagnosed with breast cancer, reports said. Butler is now taking time off work to recover from surgery. However, the MP said she wants to raise awareness about breast cancer and has urged women…
THE Queen on Tuesday (29) made her first major public appearance in months, at a thanksgiving service for her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99. The monarch, who turns 96 next month, has not attended a high-profile event outside her homes since she spent a night…
Mohammed Shami's three wickets and a batting blitz by Rahul Tewatia helped Gujarat Titans begin their IPL journey with a thrilling win over fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants on Monday. Chasing 159 for victory, Gujarat were in trouble at 78-4 but Tewatia smashed an unbeaten 40 off 24 balls to…
LONDON’S Met police probing the alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown laws by prime minister Boris Johnson and his staff in Downing Street said Tuesday (29) that 20 initial fines will be issued."We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations,"…
Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu clinched her second women’s singles title of the season with a straight game win over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan but HS Prannoy went down fighting in the men’s singles final at the Swiss Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Basel on Sunday. Playing her second…
British Asian star and musician Riz Ahmed stressed the unity of humanity in his acceptance speech as he won his first Oscar for the live-action short film, The Long Goodbye, at the 94th Academy Awards, last Sunday (27). Ahmed and director Aneil Karia were presented the award as the glitzy…
One of Sri Lanka's biggest fuel suppliers hiked the price of gasoline by nearly 20 per cent on Saturday, the second increase in as many weeks, as the country struggles to import oil without dollars. Lanka IOC, a fuel retailer which accounts for a third of the market, said it…
When Covid-19 ripped through India in 2020-21, several million people are thought to have died. Desperate efforts to stem the pandemic hurt the battle against another huge killer: tuberculosis. India is the home to a quarter of the world's TB infections and an estimated half a million people died of…
THERE was a huge increase in the number of overseas patients travelling to India for medical treatment in the recent past, according to a media report. Between 2016 and 2019, the number of foreign patients to India increased from 430,000 to 700,000, and the sector was estimated to be worth…
M S DHONI rolled back the years with an unbeaten 38-ball 50 but his team Chennai Super Kings went down to Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets in the IPL opener. The 40-year-old Dhoni, who passed on the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja on Thursday, lifted holders Chennai from a precarious…
Actor John Abraham says he wanted to amp up the Indian action genre with his latest film Attack and break the mould of playing safe with a “routine” project. Abraham features in Attack as a “super-soldier”, who can operate “beyond normal human limits”. For the actor, who has also…
CORONAVIRUS levels reached all-time highs in Scotland and Wales and are nearing record levels in England, with around 4.2 million people infected across the UK last week, official figures showed Friday (25).The steep rise in infections is due to Omicron BA.2, a more transmissible variant of Omicron, said the Office…
ONE OF Britain’s leading restaurateurs (Asma Khan) has urged Asian women to consider a career in the industry, saying that the skills needed in a professional kitchen were “intuitive” to south Asian females. Asma Khan runs the popular Darjeeling Express in Covent Garden, having moved to the bigger site in…
THE son of an Asian doctor who died in the pandemic said Covid has united communities as he explained his family was one among many who had suffered the loss of loved ones in the past two years. Dr Yusuf Ismail Patel, founder of Woodgrange Medical Practice in east London,…
AN INFLUENTIAL doctors’ leader has raised concerns about the pressure GPs are likely to face as the imminent cost of living crisis bites, while a leading business figure said higher taxes will stifle economic recovery as he also urged ministers to continue free lateral flow tests beyond March. Dr Chaand…
AN INDIAN-ORIGIN soft drinks businessman from central England has been banned from holding any company directorship for nine years after admitting inflating figures to secure a loan under a Covid-19 pandemic support scheme.Inderjit Singh Dadial, whose ban comes into effect from this week, was the sole director of Cali Juices…
Bestway Wholesale has seen a 10 percent growth in revenues during 2021 to £2.66 billion – an increase of £220 million, returning an operating pre-tax profit of £37.2 million. The strong performance has been attributed to the agility of the business in responding fast to changing customer behaviours. Bestway Wholesale…
THE Indian Premier League (IPL) returns for its biggest season on Saturday (26), with a galaxy of top names and two new franchises expanding the world's richest cricket competition to 10 teams for its 15th edition. But crowds in the cricket-mad nation will, initially at least, be limited to 25…
SHAMITA SHETTY TALKS ABOUT HER BIG REALITY TV SUCCESS ACTRESS Shamita Shetty skilfully turned the tables on lockdown by following up a memorable turn on Bigg Boss OTT with a popular appearance on Bigg Boss 15. Both reality shows, which involve celebrities being locked up, enabled the actress to show…
LIVE PERFORMANCE MID-DAY MANTRA SPRING SERIES FINALE: SWATI NATEKAR When: Saturday March 26 Where: Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space, Symphony Hall, 8 Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA What: Acclaimed singer Swati Natekar will present a special collection of songs celebrating Holi, ranging from semiclassical to film songs. She will…
LORD DHOLAKIA has questioned the government's commitment to levelling up and equal opportunities for ethnic minorities in the Parliament. According to him, the actions set out by the government's levelling-up plan do not go nearly far enough to create a more inclusive society. While responding to the minister for work…
BRITAIN'S economy will grow more slowly this year than previously predicted and inflation will be much higher, chancellor of exchequer Rishi Sunak said as he gave a budget update which included measures to ease a cost-of-living squeeze.Sunak, announcing forecasts drawn up by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), said on…
The release of the government’s response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was warmly welcomed by doctors and medical professionals across the country like myself. I was delighted to see the government finally getting to grips on addressing health disparities within ethnic minority communities. The report titled “Inclusive…
THE Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has alleged that Indian agency workers hired to replace P&O Ferries crews in Dover are being paid £1.81 an hour, reported the BBC. Terming the low pay as a 'shocking exploitation', the union added that the firm also betrayed the sacked employees. P&O…
FOREIGN ministers of Muslim nations began meeting in Pakistan on Tuesday (22) as the country's leader trumpets his Islamic credentials while at the same time battling the most serious challenge to his rule in four years.The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is meeting in Islamabad with an ambitious agenda that…
By: Sunil Kataria Bollywood's drama thriller Jalsa, which premiered on March 18 on Amazon Prime Video, features a role of a child with cerebral palsy played by an actor with the same disability, in what the film's director and cast called a rare sign of inclusivity in the world's largest…
A former London police officer, who was jailed for life last year for a rape and murder that horrified the nation, was charged on Friday (18) with four new counts of indecent assault which took place just weeks earlier. Wayne Couzens, 49, whose job was to guard diplomatic premises, abducted…
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi and other leaders on Friday (18) wished the country on the occasion of Holi. He called on Indians to promote brotherhood as millions celebrated Holi, the festival of colours, amid a sharp dip in Covid-19 cases in the country. The festival saw restricted celebrations last year…
ENGLAND will begin rolling out its fourth coronavirus vaccine shot this week, the National Health Service (NHS) announced Sunday (20), with millions of the country's most vulnerable people being offered jabs.The latest booster shot will be made available to care home residents, people aged over 75 and the immunosuppressed.Around five…
INDIAN AMERICAN public health expert Dr Ashish Jha will take over as president Joe Biden's Covid-19 response coordinator next month, the White House announced on Thursday (17). The current coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy Natalie Quillian are leaving the administration next month, it said. Jha is the dean of…
A SCULPTURE in memory of the healthcare workers who lost their lives during the pandemic was unveiled at the British Medical Association (BMA) headquarters in central London on Wednesday (16) ahead of the two-year anniversary of lockdown next week. At least 50 doctors, most of them from black, Asian and…
POPSTAR SAYS HER ACTING CAREER IS ‘DIVINE TIMING’ PAKISTANI pop icon Hadiqa Kiani has left a permanent mark on the music industry with her path-breaking achievements, popular songs and inspiring journey that has empowered a generation. After a lifetime of hit tunes, unforgettable live concerts and a thriving beauty business,…
BRITAIN's medicines regulator has approved AstraZeneca's antibody-based Covid-19 treatment for adults with poor immune response, marking a major step in the fight against the pandemic as infections surge globally amid the spread of the Omicron variant. The decision to grant approval for the treatment was endorsed by the government's independent…
BREAKOUT STAR DISCUSSES HER THRILLING JOURNEY HISTORICAL drama series Vidrohi may have recently come to an end, but it made a huge impact with its highly charged storyline, memorable characters, and impactful performances. The Star Plus serial’s breakout star has been actress Hemal Dev, with her portrayal of a fierce,…
LIVE PERFORMANCE KATTAM KATTI When: Tuesday March 22 – Wednesday March 23 Where: Cambridge Junction, Clifton Way, Cambridge CB1 7GX What: The Pagrav Dance Company presents a contemporary Kathak production that taps into the competitive chaos, creativity, and colour of Uttarayan, the world-famous international kite festival of Gujarat. www.junction.co.uk NITIN…
FACED with a bombed-out House of Commons after the Second World War, Winston Churchill could have had the heavily damaged, long-outgrown Victorian-era chamber rebuilt to accommodate the correct number of MPs. Instead, it remained the same size – seating just 420 out of 650 to retain the cosy atmosphere. I…
UK health secretary has said that an increase in Covid infections following the easing of coronavirus restrictions was ‘expected’. Sajid Javid told Sky News that there is no “cause for concern” despite the number of people in hospital with Covid climbing back above 10,000. Daily Covid cases in the UK have…
THE US, European Union, India and South Africa have reached a consensus on key elements of a long-sought intellectual property waiver for Covid-19 vaccines, according to a proposed text. Sources familiar with the talks described the text as a tentative agreement among the four World Trade Organization members that still…
THE NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a new project bringing together Commonwealth nations to share expertise in organ donation and transplantation to increase ethical organ donation and transplantation. The 'Tribute to Life' project, launched on Commonwealth Day on Monday (14) by health secretary Sajid Javid, is the culmination of…
A SURVEY of judges has revealed bullying, harassment and discrimination in the judiciary. The Justice Office has also admitted it is investigating further the “issues relating to” these claims. This about-face comes two years after the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, denied bullying existed when asked by a journalist at…
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…
SRI LANKA'S ongoing forex crisis may further hit its tourism industry as the UK and Canada have warned their travellers to be aware of the current economic situation in the island nation.According to the latest advisory issued by the British government, the economic situation is deteriorating in Sri Lanka with…
THE UK government will lift all its remaining Covid-19 pandemic-related international travel restrictions from Friday (18), including the requirement for travellers to fill in a compulsory Passenger Locator Form prior to entering the country.From 4 am GMT on Friday, arrivals into the UK will no longer be required to submit…
ELON MUSK, the world's richest man, on Monday (14) challenged Russian president Vladimir Putin to a fight, with nothing less than the fate of Ukraine, scene of Moscow's brutal invasion, at stake.The eccentric billionaire and founder of aerospace company SpaceX took to Twitter, where his messages are notoriously erratic, to…
JOANNA SCANLAN, who won the best actress award at the BAFTAs for her role in After Love, paid tribute to the film director Aleem Khan and his mother. Scanlan, 60, plays a widow who discovers her late husband’s secret family in the drama, which she said was made with “blood,…
AN independent review of the government’s ambition to make England smoke-free by 2030 is considering a ban on under-25s buying cigarettes, The Times reported. Javed Khan, a former chief executive of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, is leading the review. He is now scrutinising whether national action on smoking goes far…
Britain has outlined the terms of reference of its planned inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic, looking into the preparedness of the country as well as the public health and economic response to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, England's Covid-19 prevalence rose to 1 in 25 in the week ending March 5, Britain's…
EDUCATION secretary Nadhim Zahawi on Friday (11) said one million courses have been started by children through the UK government’s flagship National Tutoring Programme (NTP).The NTP supports schools by providing access to tutoring to help pupils whose education has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.A little more than half of…
LONDON'S Heathrow said concerns from US travellers over the war in Europe, longer flight times to avoid closed airspace, and higher fuel prices had added to lingering worries about Covid-19, creating "huge uncertainty" over the recovery in flying.The UK's largest airport said it had not seen as many passengers return…
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi's party won India's most populous state with a big majority, according to the count on Thursday (10) of a state assembly vote that could offer clues to the national mood before a 2024 general election. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won or was…
A new season results in shops being filled with the latest trends, reimagined from high-profile catwalks around the world. This year after two years of loungewear, there is an added sparkle as we emerge from the darkened depths of Covid-19, with eye-catching colours, bold prints, daring styles and interesting revivals.…
THE new Trades Union Congress (TUC) report published on Wednesday (9) revealed that black and minority ethnic (BME) women are twice as likely to be on zero-hours contracts as white men (4.7 per cent compared to 2.4 per cent). Overall, BME workers are overrepresented on zero-hours contracts compared to white…
National Careers Week (NCW) celebrates career guidance for young people across the country, helping them to explore different career paths that match their interests. NCW provides a focus for careers guidance at an important stage in the academic calendar to ensure students get an insight into the future of work.…
INDIA is the second-largest global venture capital investment hub for digital shopping companies, according to an official analysis released in London on Wednesday (9).Such investments in the south Asian country grew by a whopping 175 per cent from $8 billion (£6.08 bn) in 2020 to $22 bn (£16.71 bn) in…
WOMEN are very much on the move – rising to roles not previously seen before and smashing glass ceilings in the process. The GG2 Power List was unveiled on Tuesday (8) evening at Eastern Eye publisher AMG’s high-profile and glittering GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards, where the role of highflying women…
INDIAN pharmaceutical major Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd said on Wednesday (9) it was focused on employee safety and business continuity in and around Russia, despite many Western companies pulling out from Russia in recent days.No Indian company has publicly withdrawn from Russia and New Delhi has declined to condemn Moscow's…
The Migration Museum in Lewisham on Monday (7) received a donation from an Indian entrepreneur to support its ongoing work and help fund costs for exhibitions, a statement said. Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia donated £25,000 to the facility and urged the Indian diaspora to back the Museum. He has been appointed…
Starring Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role, the much-anticipated crime thriller Salute is slated for its world premiere on streaming platform SonyLIV on March 18, the makers announced on Monday. The Malayalam film was previously scheduled to release in theatres on January 14 but was postponed due to…
'NEED a cab for four people in Kyiv.’ ‘Do we know someone in Poland who can drop food packets at the border?’ ‘A group is starting from Kharkiv, any updates on trains?’Thousands of such messages keep pouring in WhatsApp, Telegram and social media groups created by Indian medical students abroad…
Sri Lanka on Thursday ended a heavily criticised policy that required Muslim Covid-19 victims to be buried at a remote government-designated site in the absence of their families or final religious rites. Only a year ago, Colombo reversed an initial policy of enforced cremations -- prohibited by Islam -- under…
A regional Indian party has claimed it will unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in provincial elections in Uttar Pradesh state, the most crucial test for Modi before a general election in two years. The Hindu nationalist BJP has maintained it will retain power in the bellwether…
LIVE PERFORMANCES BOTOWN - THE SOUL OF BOLLYWOOD When: Saturday March 5 Where: Mystique Banqueting Suite, 928a Melton Rd Brittania Way, Leicester LE4 8GR What: Concert featuring the acclaimed multicultural soul band that reboots Bollywood classics with a unique soul funk twist, which takes you on a musical trip from…
A NEW study by a US-based think tank has revealed that majority of the Indian population feels that a wife must obey her husband and follow traditional gender roles. The new report by Pew Research Center, however, said that people favour women having the same rights as men. The report released…
A NEW study has revealed that Covid might reverse decades of progress made towards gender equality as women have been hit much harder socially and economically than men, according to a media report. Published in the Lancet, the research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University…
Popular actor Prabhas being the biggest Pan-Indian movie star means all eyes will be on this month’s big budget blockbuster Radhe Shyam. The hotly anticipated period romance headlined by Prabhas, and massively popular actress Pooja Hegde will be released globally in multiple languages on March 11. The larger-than-life drama’s trailer…
LEADERS of the Quad group of countries - the US, Japan, Australia and India - will hold a previously unannounced online meeting on Thursday (3), India and Australia said. US president Joe Biden, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida will…
SRI LANKA'S public transport was crippled on Wednesday (2) as buses ran out of diesel, officials said as the country's foreign exchange crisis worsened with no dollars to import fuel.The Private Bus Owners' Association said they were able to operate only about a quarter of their fleet of 20,000 vehicles,…
NEW research has revealed stark disparities in cancer rates between different ethnic groups in the UK, reported the Guardian. According to the study published in the British Journal of Cancer, black people are twice as likely to get prostate cancer while white people have double the chance of getting skin…
Directed by acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam, the much-anticipated magnum-opus PS-1 is set to enter theatres on September 30, 2022. PS-1 is the first part of a two-part multilingual film based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 classic Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan. Jointly produced by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, the high-profile…
NHS and social care workers in England will no longer have to have a Covid jab as a condition of employment from later this month, the government said. The UK government announced on January 31 that it intended to revoke the regulations that made vaccination compulsory, subject to the results…
INDIA’s abstention on the UN Security Council Resolution over Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is a significant yet surprising decision. Given that India has moved so much closer to the US by joining the Quad, is actively negotiating the EU India Trade Treaty and that Indian stock markets are receiving lot…
AN extended analysis of a late-stage study conducted in the UK showed that Novavax's Covid-19 vaccine provided long-term protection against the coronavirus. The protein-based vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, continued to provide protection and maintained overall efficacy of 82.7 per cent over a six-month period, the company said. Additionally, vaccine efficacy of 82.5…
HEALTH secretary Sajid Javid on Monday (28) launched England’s first rare diseases action plan which aims to speed up diagnoses and care.The initiative will allow the healthcare workforce to support patients better by leveraging the UK’s technology, Javid said.There are more than 7,000 rare diseases, affecting an estimated 3.5 million…
The biggest Bollywood trend is remakes of successful films from different genres, languages, and industries. Looop Lapeta, which was a remake of German film Run Lola Run has already released this year and there are many more Hindi cinema adaptations on the way. Eastern Eye decided to look ahead to…
Business and doctors’ leaders have criticised the government’s decision to stop free lateral flow tests in April. The prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced the decision in his “living with Covid” statement to parliament on Monday (21). He told MPs that all Covid restrictions would end in England on Thursday (24)…
THE excess covid-19 mortality among most ethnic minority groups in the UK has fallen over time compared with the White British group, according to a report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). During the start of the pandemic, mortality was highest in the black African group but in subsequent waves,…
CRICKETER Virat Kohli will play his 100th test behind closed doors with no spectators because of a coronavirus outbreak in the northern Indian city of Mohali, an official said on Sunday (27). The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) host the first of the two tests against Sri Lanka starting Friday and…
SHE IS a great grandmother herself, but it turns out the Queen is a fan of the grandmum portrayed by Meera Syal in The Kumars at No 42.Phil Jones, a former BBC journalist has revealed that the monarch could “recite some of the one-liners from the grandma character”.The Emmy award…
ONE of Sri Lanka's biggest fuel suppliers put up its prices by as much as 12 per cent on Saturday (26), as the cash-strapped island's energy crisis worsened.Lanka IOC, a fuel retailer which accounts for a third of the market, said it was increasing prices for diesel - commonly used…
COMMUNITY PHARMACIES saved 20,000 lives until September 2021 by vaccinating people with jabs against Covid-19, according to figures by National Audit Office (NAO) report. The public expenditure watchdog taking evidence from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), highlighted that community pharmacies and GPs went far beyond expectations in delivering the Covid-19…
THE Ministry of Education (MoE) appealed to the Indian students stranded in Ukraine on Saturday (26) to follow all the guidelines issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian embassy. It also assured the students that all possible efforts are being made by the government to bring…
INDIAN students in Ukraine have spoken of their despair as they hope to make their way out of the country following the military attack by Russia. It is estimated that some 16,000 Indians are currently stuck in Ukraine; New Delhi is making arrangements to evacuate them from the border regions…
AIR INDIA will operate two flights to Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday (25) to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine following the military offensive by Russia, senior Indian government officials said. Around 20,000 Indians, mainly students, are currently stranded in Ukraine, officials said. Indian nationals who have reached the Ukraine-Romania border…
HOW ALIA BHATT BECAME BROTHEL QUEEN GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI IN HER NEW UNDERWORLD FILM POPULAR actress Alia Bhatt is used to portraying emotionally demanding roles. Yet headlining Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Gangubai Kathiawadi offered a different set of challenges. The film, based on a real-life brothel madam, sees the versatile…
THE entire 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played in a bio-secure environment in the western state of Maharashtra from March 26, the organising Indian cricket board (BCCI) said on Friday. Mumbai will host 55 matches in three stadiums in and around the city, while Pune…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson unveiled Britain's largest-ever package of sanctions against Russia on Thursday (24), targeting banks, members of president Vladimir Putin's closest circle and wealthy Russians who enjoy high-rolling London lifestyles. Western nations are coordinating action to impose tough sanctions against Russia in response to its all-out invasion on…
THE spectacular successes of the vaccination and booster rollouts have gone a very long way in pushing omicron into retreat, allowing us to relax the ‘Plan B’ Covid restrictions imposed before Christmas. Yet, there are five million or so people in this country – many from our ethnic minority communities…
AN AWARD-WINNING young innovator said the experience of watching his mother on a ventilator in his childhood, as well as the difficulties faced by patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, inspired him to develop his product. Oxford-based Mihir Sheth, 28, developed RespiTrain, a device that keeps a patient’s muscles working when…
UN rights experts have called for an end to "misogynistic and sectarian" online attacks against a female Muslim Indian journalist, asking the authorities to investigate the harassment. Rana Ayyub, a fierce critic of prime minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist government of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been…
AN INDIAN delegation of 17 people led by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla visited the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (23). The delegation was accompanied by UAE Federal National Council Member Ayesha Mohammed Al Mulla. “The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is an ideal example of…
BILLIONAIRE philanthropist Bill Gates has praised India for its vaccine-manufacturing capabilities and applauded the country's manufacturers for supplying affordable vaccines globally. Addressing a virtual roundtable on the India-US health partnership organised by the Indian embassy on Tuesday (22), Gates noted that India delivered over 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines…
BRITISH finance secretary Rishi Sunak underscored his faith in low taxes on Wednesday (23) ahead of an increase in social security contributions in April that will take the government's tax take to the highest since the 1950s. "I firmly believe in lower taxes," Sunak, widely seen as a possible future…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Thursday (24) condemned Russia's "unprovoked" and "horrific" attack on Ukraine, as he prepared to chair an emergency meeting of top ministers and officials. Johnson spoke to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky overnight and vowed "the West would not stand by as (Russian) president (Vladimir) Putin…
BRITISH bank Barclays has announced that its 2021 net profit more than quadrupled as the economy recovered from coronavirus fallout.Profit after tax surged to almost £6.4 billion, helped by the release of £700 million that had been set aside for bad loans during the pandemic, Barclays said in a statement…
Largely owing to the pandemic, compensation planning is now fraught. But it still must be done. Organizations must reshape their rewards approach to accommodate the emerging needs of our new business and social environment. If anything, COVID-19 has accelerated an evolving focus on a total rewards strategy that encompasses factors…
VISTARA chief Vinod Kannan has emphasised that financial viability will be important in deciding on flying to new international destinations.The full-service carrier, which commenced its international operations less than three years ago, currently flies to 11 overseas destinations."For the remaining ones, I think it is really a matter of two…
SANJEEV GUPTA's GFG Alliance has launched legal action in London high court to reclaim an aluminium smelter in northern France from a US private equity fund, according to a report. A fund controlled by American Industrial Partners (AIP) run the smelter in Dunkerque since October after gaining approval from the…
INDIAN vaccine maker Biological E. Ltd said on Monday (21) its Covid-19 vaccine received an emergency use approval in the country for use in children aged 12 to 18. The company's shot, called Corbevax, is the third vaccine approved for use in children aged 12 and above in India, joining…
FORMER mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, has launched his campaign for re-election after being banned from office. Rahman served as mayor of Tower Hamlets from 2010 to 2015, but was found to be “personally responsible” for electoral fraud while in office and banned from standing in elections for five…
AN INDIAN-ORIGIN couple's divorce has been set aside by a UK court after the judge concluded that the wife had no notice of the proceedings as her signature was forged 12 years ago.Rachpal and Kewal Randhawa were married at a registry office in Slough, south-east England, in August 1978 aged…
REGULAR international flights are likely to resume from March 15 and will follow the standard operating procedures effective at Indian airports for foreign arrivals and departure, government sources said on Monday (21). Given the consistent decline in Covid cases, a decision on resuming scheduled international flights has almost been arrived…
A NEW study has revealed that mutated genes inherited from Neanderthals doubled the risk of severe Covid in South Asians, The Telegraph reported. The report added that these genes, which protected people from smallpox, could be the reason some ethnic groups are more at risk from Covid. South Asians in…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday said he would end all coronavirus restrictions in England including mandatory self-isolation for people with Covid-19 and free testing, drawing scepticism from some scientists and political opponents. Johnson's "living with Covid" plan has sparked alarm that it is premature and will leave the…
Kamal Haasan, who has been hosting the Tamil version of the popular reality show Bigg Boss for several years now, has opted out of the ongoing season of Bigg Boss Tamil Ultimate, which is the digital version of Bigg Boss Tamil. The National Award-winning actor took to social media to…
APART from the Downing Street garden party on May 15, 2020, there was another unreported event that took place on the same day when the country was under lockdown. According to a report in The Sunday Times, prime minister Boris Johnson's adviser and confidant Lord Udny-Lister was busy organising a…
A LARGE number of illegally imported drugs in Switzerland are found to have been sent from India, a Swiss government agency said on Monday (21).They included medicines connected with Covid-19, ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as also erectile stimulants.In its annual update, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) said it, along…
HINDUJA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS (HGS) said its UK arm has bagged a contract worth Rs 21 billion (£210 million) to provide critical customer support to British citizens for two years.HGS UK Ltd bagged the contract from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which is responsible for NHS Test and Trace.The contract will…
THE Queen tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday (20) but her symptoms are "mild" and the 95-year-old intends to continue with light duties at Windsor Castle, aides said. The news comes after Prince Charles tested positive on February 10, two days after meeting his mother at Windsor. No information was…
PRIME minister Boris Johnson intends to set out plans next week to remove self-isolation requirements for people infected with Covid-19, his office said on Saturday (19).Britain would become the first major European country to allow people who know they are infected with Covid-19 to freely use shops, public transport and…
INDIAN AMERICAN US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy has said that he along with his wife and two young children have tested positive for Covid-19. In a series of tweets on Friday (18), Dr Murthy said that his four-year-old daughter last week tested positive for the virus first with fever…
Sri Lanka's state-run petroleum company has run out of cash to buy oil, and fuel shortages across the country could get worse, the energy minister said Friday. Udaya Gammanpila said the loss-making Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) continued to haemorrhage cash and could no longer afford to procure supplies from abroad.…
EXPERTS have raised concerns around access to Covid jabs for young children as a school-based programme is not likely to be the primary route in England, according to a media report. The Guardian reported that the jabs for kids will be offered from April at pharmacies, vaccination centres and, where…
RECKITT’S net revenue rose 3.5 per cent to £13.23 billion in 2021, driven mainly by its hygiene products. The consumer goods company expects a "mid-single" growth in its net revenue during the current year on a like-for-like basis.Its chief executive officer Laxman Narasimhan said it targeted growth in 2022, “despite…
BRITISH retail sales grew faster than expected in January, recovering about half the losses suffered when a wave of coronavirus cases caused many shoppers to stay at home during December. Retail sales volumes rose by 1.9 per cent in January after a 4.0 per cent decline in December, the largest…
ENGLISH medical leaders on Friday (18) urged Boris Johnson not to be too "gung-ho" with the nation's health when he moves to end all pandemic restrictions with his plan to live with Covid-19 next week. Having scrapped virtually all Covid-19 restrictions in England already, Johnson on Monday (21) will set…
UK health secretary Sajid Javid has thanked NHS staff across the North West and West Midlands for their tireless efforts to provide care during the pandemic during his visit to the region. Javid as part of his ‘Road to Recovery’ tour across England on Wednesday (16) visited Deeplish Community Centre,…
By Kemi Badenoch THE spectacular successes of the vaccination and booster rollouts have gone a very long way in pushing omicron into retreat, allowing us to relax the ‘Plan B’ Covid restrictions imposed before Christmas. Yet, there are five million or so people in this country – many from our…
LIVE PERFORMANCE MAGNIFICENT 4 RELOADED When: Saturday February 19 and Sunday February 20 Where: Indigo at The O2, 205 Peninsula Square, London SE10 0ES and De Montfort Hall, Granville Road, Leicester LE1 7RU What: Popular Indian Idol 12 finalists Arunita Kanjilal, Nihal Tauro, Shanmukha Priya and the winner Pawandeep Rajan…
A new study has revealed that the most deprived areas in England and Wales were more severely affected than first thought, reported The Guardian. The north-west lost three times more years of life than the south-west due to the pandemic. According to the study led by the University of Manchester…
PAKISTAN will allow India to use its territory to transport 50,000 tons of wheat and medicine to Afghanistan, beginning this month, Pakistani customs officials said on Tuesday (15).The permission of such a convoy is rare by Pakistan, which has barred the entry of goods from India for years as the…
Britain's chancellor Rishi Sunak is on a meteoric trajectory that could, if Boris Johnson is forced out, propel him next door to 10 Downing Street to become Britain's first Hindu prime minister. It would mark a historic landmark, for a descendant of immigrants from Britain's old empire in India and…
THERE are "overwhelming" minority ethnic health inequalities in the NHS, experts have said adding radical action is required to tackle the problem. The study for the first time has revealed the true scale as well as "vast and "widespread" inequality in every aspect of healthcare it reviewed. According to the…
INDIA is embarking on the listing of the country's largest insurer as part of a wider privatisation drive to bolster public coffers drained by the coronavirus pandemic and fund new infrastructure.While the pricing has not yet been set, analysts expect the IPO of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)…
Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in their popular roles as Avinash Singh ‘Tiger’ Rathore and Zoya Rathore, Tiger 3 is one of the most-awaited films of 2022. It also stars Emraan Hashmi in the lead role. The Murder (2004) actor will be seen playing the lead antagonist in the…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson has received a legal questionnaire from police investigating claims of lockdown-breaking parties in his Downing Street office, his spokesperson said on Friday (11). "We can confirm the prime minister has received a questionnaire from the Metropolitan Police. He will respond as required," his spokesperson said…
UK education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has said that vaccines prevented him from potentially dying after a bad case of Covid left him struggling to breathe last week, according to a report. Zahawi told Sky News that doctors had told him he could have ended up in hospital on a ventilator…
A company backed by Rishi Sunak's wife is on the verge of collapse due to the challenges faced by Covid-induced lockdowns, reported The Telegraph. Gym chain Digme Fitness, in which the chancellor’s wife Akshata Murthy holds a 4.2 per cent stake, has filed a notice of its intention to appoint administrators…
THE United States, Australia, Japan and India on Friday pledged to deepen cooperation to ensure the Indo-Pacific region was free from "coercion", a thinly-veiled swipe at China's growing economic and military expansion, as their top diplomats convened to also tackle climate change, Covid and other threats. Foreign ministers of the…
THE dramatic resignation of the London Met Police chief has sparked a row between mayor Sadiq Khan and home secretary Priti Patel as Khan did not warn the Home Office or Queen he was going to get rid of the commissioner, according to a media report. The MailOnline reported that…
INDIA is among the top five easiest places to start a new business, a global consortium of over 500 researchers said on Thursday (10) in its latest report.The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2021/2022 report, unveiled at the Dubai Expo, puts India on top amongst low-income economies on different entrepreneurial framework…
WHEN India’s cricket captain Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup on the Lord’s balcony in 1983, the erstwhile cricket board president and one of the powerful ministers in the Indira Gandhi cabinet, the late NKP Salve had a different worry. Members of the team needed to be celebrated but the…
WHEN Lata Mangeshkar passed away aged 92, a tidal wave of sadness swept across the globe in a way never seen before for an Indian music icon. A state funeral for the legendary Indian singer was followed by two days of national mourning. It is no surprise that so many…
YOUNG Londoners in need of support will have access to “dedicated mentors” by 2024 to help them reach their potential, the city’s mayor announced on Wednesday (9). A manifesto pledge of Sadiq Khan, the initiative aims to cover children who have been excluded from school or college or impacted by…
LABOUR leader Keir Starmer has blamed prime minister Boris Johnson’s slur about Jimmy Savile for inciting a mob that accosted him outside parliament on Monday (7), according to a media report. In an interview with the Times, Starmer said he had never before been accused in public of being a ‘paedophile…
MORE THAN 50 people believed to have attended lockdown parties at British prime minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street will be contacted by police to explain their involvement, officers said, as they considered widening their investigation. A statement from the Metropolitan Police said officers would start contacting people from the end…
PRINCE CHARLES has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said on Thursday (10), the second time he has contracted the disease. "This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now self-isolating," Clarence House said, adding he had cancelled his planned engagements for later in the…
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak and home secretary Priti Patel joined Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at an event hosted by the British Asian Trust (BAT) in London last night (9).Leading business, political and community leaders from the subcontinent attended the trust’s annual dinner at the British Museum, where Lord Jitesh…
Health secretary, Sajid Javid and London mayor, Sadiq Khan, have led tributes to Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away on Sunday (6). The Bollywood legend and playback singer died after a long illness caused by contracting Covid. She was afforded the sobriquet of the “Nightingale of India”, and the popularity of…
INDIA's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh began voting on Thursday (10) in the first of a series of local elections that will be a key test of the popularity of prime minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party. With a population almost as big as that of Brazil, keeping…
LIVE PERFORMANCE THE FOUR ACES When: Friday February 11 Where: Symphony Hall, 8 Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA What: Concert headlined by iconic artists Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Rakesh Chaurasia and Louis Banks, which mixes up a musical melting pot of world influences. They are supported by…
ARCELORMITTAL, the world's leading integrated steel and mining company, on Thursday (10) reported a three-fold rise in its net income at $4.04 billion (£3.24 bn) for the fourth quarter ended on December 31, 2021.It had posted a net income of $1.2 bn (£880 million) in the year-ago period.Sales rose to…
SUMMER holiday bookings at TUI were approaching pre-Covid levels on pent-up demand, the world's largest holiday company said on Tuesday (8), with a steady recovery in Britain since restrictions and testing rules were lifted. TUI, which runs hotels, airlines, cruises and travel agencies, said 3.5 million customers had booked a…
'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…
Legal advice on resolving disputes with tenants and how the eviction process works DURING the lockdown due to Covid-19, private landlords were hindered from evicting their tenants for more than a year and-a-half due to successive bans, while notice periods were extended to take into account the impact of the…
A quarter of British employers have cited long Covid as the main cause of long-term sickness absences, a survey by a professional body found on Tuesday (8), adding that it raised questions over how workers with the condition were being supported in their jobs. British prime minister Boris Johnson is…
HINDU hardliner Yogi Adityanath, who is seeking re-election as chief minister of India's most populous state, touted his record on fighting crime and putting law and order above religion and caste in a rare interview with Western media. The 49-year-old monk from prime minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party…
AFTER protesters hounded Britain's Labour leader Keir Starmer, prime minister Boris Johnson faced pressure on Tuesday (8) to withdraw a claim that the opposition leader had failed to prosecute one of the country's most notorious child abusers "Jimmy Savile". Johnson, who won a landslide in a 2019 election, is facing…
South Korea's Hyundai Motor faced calls on Monday (7) for a boycott of its cars from Indians incensed over a tweet from the account of its Pakistan partner that expressed solidarity for the people of Kashmir.The row erupted last Sunday (6), a day after Pakistan marked the annual Kashmir Solidarity…
Veteran singer Asha Bhosle remembered her elder sister and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who breathed her last on Sunday, 6 February. Sharing a black-and-white childhood picture of the duo on Instagram, hours after the 92-year-old melody queen was cremated with full state honours on Sunday evening, Asha wrote what a…
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. on Monday (7) announced that the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted approval to the single-shot Sputnik Light vaccine for restricted use in emergency situation for Covid-19 in India. A statement from the drug maker said Dr. Reddy's had submitted its application for approval…
A full-fledged women's Indian Premier League (IPL) could begin as early as next year, with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) saying it is working on delivering the tournament "soon". A three-team Women's T20 Challenge is staged alongside the men's IPL, but many believe women deserve their own expanded tournament with…
As the volatile Westminster mood shifts daily, predictions are perilous. But the bookmakers odds capture the fragility of the prime minister’s position, giving Boris Johnson a one in three chance of remaining in office to the end of this year, and only a one in five chance of fighting a…
By Asjad Nazir How the Indian nightingale went from working to feed her impoverished family as a 13-year-old to becoming a global singing sensation and music icon! When Lata Mangeshkar passed away aged 92, a tidal wave of sadness swept across the globe in a way never seen before for…
MILLIONS of music fans are mourning the loss of Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away on Sunday morning (6). The legendary singer was laid to rest at Shivaji Park maidan in Mumbai with full state honours on Sunday evening. Prime minister Narendra Modi flew down from Delhi to pay his respects…
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital this morning after suffering from multi-organ failure and chest congestion. The 92-year-old singer was in the hospital from January 8 after she tested positive for Covid-19 and pneumonia. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray has declared a…
TRIBUTES poured in from all corners of the society after legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away on Sunday (6) at a hospital in the western Indian city of Mumbai. Indian president Ram Nath Kovind and prime minister Narendra Modi mourned the artiste’s death who was put on ventilator support…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Saturday (5) hired a new chief of staff as he rebuilds his top team following a series of scandals that have left him fighting to shore up his authority. Cabinet minister Steve Barclay, formerly Brexit minister under Theresa May's administration, will head Johnson's staff,…
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak has admitted to attending prime minister Boris Johnson's lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room and claimed that he was there for a meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation. His comments came after Johnson's five aides, including longstanding…
BOLLYWOOD superstar singer Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the "nightingale of India" and a regular fixture of the country's airwaves for decades, died Sunday (6) at the age of 92.She passed away in a Mumbai hospital after being admitted to its intensive care unit on January 11 with Covid-19…
A) Governance All Central laws have been extended to the UT including legislations meant for protecting and promoting social, economic and political rights of women, children, under-privileged sections as well as those for ensuring transparent and accountable governance. These include the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act,…
CONSERVATIVE Member of Parliament (MP) and former schools minister Nick Gibb has called on British prime minister Boris Johnson to resign in an opinion piece published in The Telegraph newspaper on Friday (4). Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, said his constituents are "furious about the double standards" exposed…
THE US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic surpassed 900,000 on Friday (4), according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker. The toll had hit 800,000 dead in mid-December, just a month and a half ago. New cases linked to the Omicron variant are falling, but daily deaths are still…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson invoked Disney's "The Lion King", insisting "change is good" as he rallied his dwindling inner circle in the fallout over lockdown-breaking parties held in his Downing Street office. Chief policy advisor Munira Mirza unexpectedly quit on Thursday (3), delivering a serious blow to the embattled…
The NHS is encouraging the public to use NHS 111 online to get urgent medical advice quickly – in addition to existing services – ahead of what England’s top doctor has said will be a ‘winter like no other’. With more people predicted to suffer from flu this year and…
SRI LANKA was handed temporary relief from energy shortages and rolling blackouts with a $500 million loan from India to finance urgent oil purchases for the cash-strapped nation. The island's economic woes have left thermal power generators unable to keep the lights on and disrupted transport networks, as traders run…
INDIA's official Covid-19 death toll crossed 500,000 on Friday (4), a level some data analysts said was breached last year but was obscured by inaccurate surveys and unaccounted dead in the hinterlands, where millions remain vulnerable to the disease. The country, which has the fourth-highest tally of deaths globally, recorded…
IN a shocking development, frontline health workers engaged in India’s Covid vaccination drive have said that people are being officially certified as double vaccinated even when they have not completed the course of two jabs in order to meet government targets. According to a report by The Guardian, the workers…
ROOTS & CHANGES LIVE When: Saturday February 5 and Sunday February 6 Where: Sue Townsend Theatre, 16 Upper Brown Street, Leicester LE1 5TE and Chickenshed Theatre, 290 Chase Side, London N14 4PE What: Acclaimed British bhajan singer Bhavik Haria delivers a devotional music concert combining contemporary and classical influences, including…
HE MAY be one of the biggest TV stars of his generation, but that hasn’t stopped Vivian Dsena from being super selective about work he takes on. That desire to concentrate on quality over quantity has turned the actor into a small-screen icon and why his return with new serial…
FOUR Indian players, including senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan, have tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the home series against the West Indies, the country's cricket board said on Wednesday (2). Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and Navdeep Saini (standby player) returned positive tests along with three support staff members with…
BRITAIN vowed to repair the economic and social fabric of its "broken heartlands", as the government set out a long-awaited plan to flesh out promises that helped prime minister Boris Johnson win a big parliamentary majority in 2019. With Johnson now reeling from public anger over lockdown parties held at…
Senior Tory politician says ‘partygate’ apology is not enough PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has “lost the support of many parliamentarians” and needs to do more than just apologise for the “partygate” scandal, a senior Tory parliamentarian has said. Senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report, details of which were made public…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson will probably hold onto his job for now despite a scathing report about government coronavirus lockdown parties, but his long-term future is out of his hands as police probe claims of rule breaking, analysts said on Tuesday (1). Johnson on Monday (31) apologised after his…
BRITAIN plans to revoke its decision to make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for health workers in England after warnings that an already-stretched service could face serious staff shortages. The NHS race and health observatory, which raised concerns last year that any mandatory Covid vaccination policy could be potentially discriminatory, welcomed the…
BRITAIN'S young people were disproportionately hit by unemployment during the Covid-19 pandemic and many have since returned to work in more insecure jobs, a think-tank said on Monday (31). Three-quarters of Britons aged 18-24 who lost their jobs during the early stages of the pandemic returned to work by October…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday (31) apologised after his government was criticised for "failures of leadership and judgment" in allowing lockdown-breaching parties at his offices. Johnson's position has been hanging by a thread because of the steady drip of revelations since late last year, but he has in…
INDIA unveiled a bigger budget of Rs 39.45 trillion($529.7 billion) for the coming fiscal year on Tuesday (1), stepping up investment on highways to affordable housing to put growth on a firmer footing as the economy recovers from the pandemic. The government has projected slower economic growth of 8 to…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson suffered four staff defections on Thursday (3) as pressure intensified on the embattled leader over lockdown parties and his loose-lipped style of politics.One of the departures – that of the head of policy Munira Mirza - was linked to an inflammatory remark made by Johnson,…
A long-awaited report into claims of lockdown-breaking parties at British prime minister Boris Johnson's offices was published in part on Monday (31), criticising "failures of leadership" that allowed events to go ahead. Political and public anger at the revelations put Johnson's position as leader under threat, but senior civil servant…
A community centre in Crawley which hosted its final vaccination clinic on Saturday (29), has been praised for its efforts. Alliance for Better Care (ABC), a local GP Federation teamed up with Apple tree Centre and Gurjar Hindu Union to make a Hindu temple in early 2021 as its first…
NHS workers and staff who work on the frontline in England have been asked to get fully vaccinated by April 1 or will be redeployed or dismissed. However, on Monday (31) the ministers will be meeting to decide whether or not to scrap mandatory Covid jabs for NHS workers in…
BRITAIN will this week begin offering vaccinations to children aged between five and 11 who are most at risk from coronavirus, the state-run National Health Service (NHS) said on Sunday (30). Britain has been slower than some other countries in offering the shots to 5-11-year-olds, and is not planning to…
A THANKSGIVING letter written to a cabinet minister by GFG Alliance boss Sanjeev Gupta over the sanction of loans has kicked up a fresh controversy in the UK’s Covid assistance scandal.In 2020, Gupta wrote to Nadhim Zahawi, the business department minister at the time, and appreciated his “instrumental” role in…
THE findings of a British government investigation into Downing Street parties during Covid lockdowns has not yet been handed to prime minister Boris Johnson's office, a junior minister said on Friday (28). "I spoke to someone in Downing Street about half an hour a go and they certainly didn't indicate…
ETHNIC minorities with lower uptake of the booster are not seeing the same fall in Covid cases as the wider population in Manchester, public health bosses say. The recent rise in the city’s infection rate has mostly affected white British people who have accounted for more than 60 per cent…
Prime Video’s Hindi anthology, Unpaused: Naya Safar dropped just a week ago on the service. The anthology consists of five short films, directed by Ayappa KM, Nagraj Manjule, Ruchir Arun, Shikha Makan, and Nupur Asthana. Each film delves into relatable challenges that the pandemic inflicted upon everyone across the globe.…
Supermarket shelves are bare and restaurants can't serve meals, but Sri Lanka's economic crisis is a bonanza for used car dealers, with vehicle shortages pushing prices higher than a house in a nice area. The island nation of 22 million is on the brink of bankruptcy, inflation is red hot…
Sri Lanka's cricket board appointed two stand-in coaches Thursday to help the national team during their upcoming Twenty20 tour of Australia. Former Test player Rumesh Ratnayake, 58, was named interim coach, but will not travel with the team to Australia because he is in self-isolation after contracting Covid-19, the board…
HOW A HIT TV SERIAL TURNED TALENTED ACTOR KARANVIR SHARMA INTO HOT PROPERTY AND A HUGE FAN FAVOURITE 2021 was a transformative year for Karanvir Sharma. His drama serial Shaurya Aur Anokhi Ki Kahani became a big success and then one of the most talked about TV shows of all…
ROOTS & CHANGES LIVE When: Saturday February 5 and Sunday February 6 Where: Sue Townsend Theatre, 16 Upper Brown Street, Leicester LE1 5TE and Chickenshed Theatre, 290 Chase Side, London N14 4PE What: Acclaimed British bhajan singer Bhavik Haria delivers a devotional music concert combining contemporary and classical influences, including…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson has extended greetings to India on its Republic Day as he focused his message on the launch of free trade agreement (FTA) talks and the India-UK vaccine partnership.Johnson said he is proud of the friendship shared by the two “diverse democracies” and looked forward to…
As party faces Islamophobia allegations, Sunak touted as next leader THE Conservative party has a problem with black and Asian ministers, an influential Tory politician has said, after MP Nusrat Ghani’s claimed last week she was sacked in a reshuffle because of her ‘Muslimness’. Former junior transport minister Ghani, who…
One of the richest south Asian industrialists in the UK has told Eastern Eye that at least 30 companies have approached him for financial investment. They did so after Lord Swraj Paul revealed exclusively to the Asian Rich List, published by this paper’s parent company, Asian Media Group, that at…
ENGLAND on Thursday (27) lifted coronavirus restrictions imposed to tackle the Omicron variant, with masks no longer required in enclosed places and vaccine passports shelved. The number of positive Covid-19 cases has fallen sharply over the past two weeks, and although still at high levels, have plateaued in recent days.…
Renowned filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s upcoming film The Kashmir Files makes India proud at the global level on Republic Day as it dominates Times Square in New York. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri feels honoured and privileged that his hugely-anticipated film The Kashmir Files has become the first one to dominate the…
British prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday rejected opposition calls to resign for attending lockdown parties but accepted that a rule that ministers should lose their jobs if they had knowlingly misled parliament applied to him. Johnson, who in 2019 won the biggest Conservative majority in more than 30 years,…
Lumbering tanks and the deafening roar of fighter planes echoed through New Delhi on Wednesday as India's military showcased its might on Republic Day. The annual January 26 event marks the adoption of India's constitution with missile launchers, jet flyovers, motorcycle stunts and the brass band of the camel-mounted Border…
Angry mobs in eastern India set fire to train carriages on Wednesday in protests over access to railway jobs that have seen police violently disperse crowds with tear gas and baton charges. Bihar state has been on edge since the start of the week over claims by young job applicants…
A Texas couple has finished the adoption process of an Indian girl after a wait of more than two years, reports said. Johonna Jo Mylius and her husband Shane Michael Mylius faced lengthy paperwork, visa issues, and pandemic restrictions for more than two years to finish their daughter’s adoption. They…
AN Indian production house has made a $54 million deal with Amazon Prime and Netflix to push out movies and web series, Bloomberg reported. Karnesh Ssharma's Clean Slate Filmz will release eight films and series on these streaming sites as well as some others in the next 18 months, the…
THE threat to British prime minister Boris Johnson's position deepened on Tuesday (25), as police said they were investigating lockdown-breaking parties at his Downing Street office and government departments. Johnson's spokesman promised his full cooperation while the Conservative leader said he welcomed the probe as a chance to move on…
SRI LANKA announced compensation on Tuesday (25) for more than a million rice farmers whose crops failed under a botched scheme to establish the world's first 100 per cent organic farming nation.The island country is currently reeling from a severe economic crisis that has triggered food shortages and rolling blackouts.Agricultural…
FULLY vaccinated travellers arriving in Britain will no longer have to take a Covid-19 test, transport secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday (24), as the government sets out plans to move beyond restrictions and live with the virus. Currently, vaccinated people arriving in Britain are required to take a lateral…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson was on Tuesday fighting fresh allegations that he broke the Covid lockdown rules he imposed by attending a surprise birthday party in Downing Street when social gatherings indoors were banned. Johnson, who in 2019 won the biggest Conservative majority in more than 30 years, is…
The film traces the journey of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who selflessly fought to save the lives of people during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008. The much-anticipated multilingual film Major, based on the life of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack martyr Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, has been postponed due to the…
A pair of pharmacist brothers, who also own a popular restaurant in Kent, have started an innovative initiative ‘Jabs with Kebabs’ to encourage their community in England to come forward and take the Covid-19 vaccines. Rav and Raj Chopra, who own V’s Punjabi Grill, an Indian restaurant in Gravesend, established…
Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar, who is set to make her silver screen debut soon opposite superstar Akshay Kumar in the much-awaited Prithviraj, is launching a social media property named Limitless. Limitless will see her speak to the country’s most inspiring women icons. A young achiever herself, Manushi wants to…
INDIA'S Covid-19 infections, led by the Omicron variant, may see a sharp rise in the coming weeks, some top experts said, noting that the variant was already in community transmission and hospitals were seeing more patients despite a decline in cases in major cities. India reported 306,064 new infections over…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson has ordered an inquiry into claims by a Muslim former minister that she was sacked from his government because of her faith, a spokesperson said on Monday (24). The claims by Nusrat Ghani, a former junior transport minister, have stoked fresh controversy for Downing Street…
A WOMAN with Covid-19 and while in coma gave birth to twins, has encouraged people to come forward and take the jab. Sultana Ashiq, 34, from Luton, Bedfordshire, contracted the virus when she was nearly 31 weeks pregnant and had to remain in the ICU for 46 days, the BBC…
A British lawmaker has said she was fired from a ministerial job in prime minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government partly because her Muslim faith was making colleagues uncomfortable, the Sunday Times reported. Nusrat Ghani, 49, who lost her job as a junior transport minister in February 2020, told the paper…
ALLROUNDER Hardik Pandya will lead Ahmedabad and batsman KL Rahul will captain Lucknow when the franchises make their debuts in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in March. The 15th edition of the world's richest Twenty20 league will be a 10-team affair with the inclusion of the two new franchises. "I…
YOUNGSTERS from Britain and India have achieved a Guinness World Record by creating the “world’s largest bubble wrap painting” in London.The painting, prominently featuring Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, measures 16.01 square metres (172.33 square feet). It aims to inspire the “next generation” to help the Covid-affected families in India…
INDIA's capital Delhi will remain under curfew over the weekend and overnight to help curb the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the city's disaster management authority said, rejecting calls from businesses to ease restrictions. The authorities, however, said private offices will be allowed to be partially staffed but…
A British Conservative lawmaker said he would meet police to discuss his accusations that Boris Johnson's government had attempted to "blackmail" parliamentarians who were suspected of trying to force the prime minister from office. William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and a member of Johnson's…
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss offered her "100 percent" support for embattled Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday, backing him to remain in office "as long as possible." Truss -- who has been tipped as a front-runner to replace Johnson -- said she believed the 57-year-old Tory leader was…
WHEN England were getting battered in the Ashes series, an Englishman was doing well in the Big Bash League, featuring for Sydney Thunder. Saqib Mahmood, who plays for Lanchashire on his debut in BBL picked four wickets from 11 balls. He has taken 13 wickets in six matches for the…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson has dismissed new allegations that his aides had tried to "blackmail" and threaten Conservative rebels, in a potentially criminal twist to Downing Street's "partygate" scandal. Senior Tory William Wragg disclosed the alleged intimidation campaign as Downing Street battles to shore up Johnson against calls from…
BOOMING sales of home self-test kits for Covid are prompting Indian authorities to tighten the rules around their sale and fuelling long-held fears of underreporting as cases surge. In the last seven days, India recorded more than 1.9 million new infections -- an increase of 57 per cent on the…
Britain-India pact will open doors in every nation of the UK, Jayawardena says A BRITISH minister has made it clear for the first time that all parts of Britain will benefit from a UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Ranil Jayawardena, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department of International…
INDIA and Pakistan will lock horns in a blockbuster T20 World Cup group clash for the second year running after the fixtures for the October-November 2022 tournament in Australia were announced on Friday. The arch-rivals will lock horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23, a day after…
LIVE PERFORMANCE THE FOUR ACES When: Friday February 11 Where: Symphony Hall, 8 Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA What: Concert headlined by iconic artists Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Rakesh Chaurasia and Louis Banks, which mixes up a musical melting pot of world influences. They are supported by…
THE Indian drug regulator's subject expert committee on Wednesday (19) recommended full approval for Covishield and Covaxin, the two Covid-19 vaccines that have dominated the country's inoculation drive. Covishield, developed by the University of Oxford and Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc, is produced in India by the Serum Institute of India.…
THE UK government announced Wednesday (19) that restrictions reimposed in England last month to fight the surge in Omicron coronavirus cases would be lifted, citing data that showed infections had peaked. Guidance advising people to work from home was lifted immediately, while from the middle of next week they will…
TRAVEL plans for thousands of passengers, including those heading to India, were disrupted after airlines cancelled or curtailed some flights to and from the US over deployment of the new 5G service, which began on Wednesday (19). Air India was among several international airlines which cancelled flights to the US,…
INDIA reported new coronavirus infections at an eight-month high on Wednesday (19) and a government scientist warned it will take weeks before data on hospitalisations and deaths will show how severe the latest wave driven by the Omicron variant will be. The federal authorities have said Omicron was causing fewer…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (19) suffered an embarrassing defection from his Conservative party over revelations of lockdown-breaching events in Downing Street but vowed to fight on.Seven Conservatives said they had filed letters demanding a Tory vote of no-confidence in the embattled Johnson, and more than 20 others…