- Sunday, December 03, 2023
Rishi Sunak said on Friday (1) that he had conversations with President Paul Kagame concerning plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as he finalises his response to the block on the policy in the London Supreme Court. Sunak's government has said it is working on a new treaty with…
A 23-year-old Indian student who went missing in the UK last month has been found dead in the River Thames. Mitkumar Patel arrived in the UK for higher studies in September and was reported missing on November 17. The Metropolitan Police discovered his body in the River Thames near the…
Bollywood star Katrina Kaif says rather than falling into a trap of repeating herself, she goes by her instinct when choosing a script. In her two-decade-long journey in the movies, Katrina has cemented her position as one of the most successful female stars in the Hindi film industry. Some of…
Leading Bollywood star Deepika Padukone is on holiday with her friends Sneha Ramachander and Divya Narayan in London. Sneha took to her Instagram Stories and wrote, "Getting hair done by the one and only Deepika Padukone, assisted by Divya Narayan." Deepika can be seen fixing her friend's hair in the…
ANY “drastic” measures to cut immigration to the UK have the potential to “kill the economy”, a leading businessman has told Eastern Eye. Annual net migration hit a record of 745,000 last year and has stayed at elevated levels since, data showed last Thursday (23). Prime minister Rishi Sunak came…
YouTuber, television host, comedian, actress, and writer Lilly Singh has joined hands with actress Charithra Chandran, who played one of the leads in Bridgerton 2, for a new series. Singh is developing the series based on the novel Arzu, written by Mumbai-based author Riva Razdan. Writer Geetika Lizardi, whose writing…
BRITISH ASIAN BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake expressed concerns about the overwhelming lack of diversity in the network's newsroom, highlighting its impact on his mental health. Addressing a journalism diversity conference on Wednesday (29) at Media City in Salford, he expressed concern about the absence of Muslim employees in the "senior…
Singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan, the legendary frontman of the Irish band, the Pogues, died early Thursday, his family announced online. He was 65, reported the New York Post. The songwriter of 'Fairytale of New York' died at 3 a.m. with his wife and family by his side, his band reported online.…
MAYOR Sadiq Khan has declared the 'severe weather emergency protocol' for London as the possibility of snowfall looms over the city later this week. He is also implementing measures aimed at protecting rough sleepers amidst freezing temperatures. Khan explained that the procedure involves activating emergency shelters throughout the city to…
The Bhavan hosted its annual Diwali Gala on November 25, 2023, at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, attended by patrons, supporters, and artists. The event commenced with a warm and receptive audience. Vikram Doraiswami, the High Commissioner of India to the UK, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest,…
During a brief hearing at Thames Magistrates' Court in east London, Sofina Begum, 50, and Aminur Rahman, 53, the landlords of an east London flat where a deadly fire occurred in March, pleaded guilty to a total of nine criminal charges. The fire at 18 Maddocks House in Shadwell led…
A MEMBER of the Bank of England’s (BoE) monetary policy committee said UK businesses have reasons to be “optimistic” over future growth. Dr Swati Dhingra said she believes the UK has “come out of the worst of the inflation and cost of living crisis” and the country will return to…
PERHAPS the most unique creative partnership of the year has seen Canadian Oscar-nominated director Deepa Mehta teaming up with India-based transgender woman Sirat Taneja. They have collaborated on I Am Sirat, which has delighted audiences at major film festivals like London and Toronto. The acclaimed documentary film follows Delhi-based Sirat…
The Greater London Authority (GLA) has launched a campaign to help all eligible Londoners access their right to vote, in collaboration with Shout Out UK, London borough electoral services and a coalition of civil society organisations South Asian faith leaders, public figures and community groups are supporting the campaign which…
THE British Asian business community clearly has done well, as the Eastern Eye Asian Rich List 2024 shows. The entry point to get onto the list 13 years ago was £25 million. Last year it was £120m, and this year the figure has gone up to £125m. Even allowing for…
SAUDI ARABIA's sovereign wealth fund is to buy ten per cent of London's Heathrow airport from Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, whose departure from the hub after almost two decades leaves Qatar as its biggest shareholder. Ferrovial late Tuesday (28) said it was offloading its 25 per cent stake for nearly…
TALENTED newcomer Khushalii Kumar has followed up an impactful film debut in 2022 psychological thriller Dhokha: Round D Corner with the newly released Starfish. The daughter of late music baron Gulshan Kumar plays a professional diver in her new ocean-set action-romance. Based on author Bina Nayak’s book Starfish Pickle: A Goan…
The ride-hailing firm Uber, identified as UBER.N, announced on Wednesday (29), its plans to open up its platform to London's black cabs early next year. This move signifies a notable shift in its relationship with drivers of London’s iconic taxis. In recent years, London's black cab drivers - who have…
Well-known actor Sanjeev Bhaskar lost his father, Inderjit Bhaskar, on November 18. He was 93. The Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42 star took to X to share the news with his fans and well-wishers. Sharing his father’s great lesson for life, he wrote, “Work hard. Don’t…
A man, identified as Valdo Calocane, 32 and also known as Adam Mendes has admitted to killing three people in a series of attacks that occurred in Nottingham in June. Though Calocane has denied murder, he has admitted to charges of manslaughter and attempted murder on grounds of diminished responsibility.…
Stomach pain, blood in your poo and urgently needing the toilet can be embarrassing, scary and not easy to talk about. But these are some of the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Although these conditions stay with you…
A senior executive at a financial technology firm has emerged victorious in a discrimination claim against her boss who allegedly attributed her concerns about the company's finances to the menopause. Debbie Thomas, chief financial officer and director at London's Bibimoney since 2016, upset CEO Shiraz Jessa by warning about the…
A ZAMBIAN business magnate has sued Atlas Mara accusing the Virgin Islands-based banking group of failing to honour its payment commitment over an eight-year-old deal. Rajan Mahtani who set up the Finance Bank of Zambia in 1986, agreed to sell the lender to Atlas Mara in 2015 for $215 million…
RAJESH AGRAWAL, the deputy mayor of London for business, is stepping down from the role to focus on Leicester East, where he is the Labour candidate for the next general election. The 46-year-old India-born entrepreneur-politician announced his departure on social media on Monday (27) after serving two terms in mayor…
LONDON’S mayor Sadiq Khan has accused the government of keeping him “in the dark” about its early response to the coronavirus pandemic and claimed many “lives could have been saved” had he been in the loop then. He told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Monday (27) that Downing Street ignored…
She has seen it multiple times, her son has watched it, and his school friends too... Catherine Zeta-Jones says Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Om Shanti Om is one of her favourite films along with The Lunch Box. The Hollywood star on Monday attended the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in…
Prime minister Rishi Sunak unveiled on Monday (27) that the world's top investors have pledged £29.5 billion in new projects and capital, as a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK economy. Sunak, who welcomed CEOs of some of the world's leading businesses for a Global Investment Summit at Hampton…
Prime minister Rishi Sunak unveiled a £29.5 billion ($36.76 billion) influx of private-sector investments in Britain. Following this announcement, he convened with global executives as part of his initiative to re-establish the country as the primary destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe Australian funds IFM Investors and Aware…
Indian-American singer Anuradha Juju Palakurthi says music has always been a powerful tool for social change and with "Chal Phir Sajaayein", the theme song for the upcoming UN COP 28 concert in Dubai, she is trying to draw the world's attention towards the issue of climate change. The musical event,…
TENS of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through central London on Saturday (25) to call for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the latest in a series of weekend demonstrations in the capital since the seven-week war began. Saturday's rally, which involved 45,000 campaigners according to police estimates, took…
ARORA GROUP, one of the UK’s largest private operators of hotels, has bought the Heythrop site in London from Zenprop. The 2.7-acre site, just off Kensington High Street, is currently consented for a 320,000 square foot, 142-apartment senior living scheme, React News reported. Arora Group, which controls more than 7,000…
Oliver Dowden invoked the example of prime minister Rishi Sunak as the deputy prime minister paid tribute to the success and resilience of the British Asian community. Addressing the 25th annual Asian Business Awards last Wednesday (22), Dowden praised the Asian community for rebuilding post-war Britain and laying the foundation…
Phizzical Productions has announced the UK tour of Shahid Iqbal Khan's Olivier-nominated play, 10 Nights! Audiences will get to experience one man's spiritual journey of self-discovery after he decides to participate in Iʿtikāf - the Islamic practice of staying in a mosque and fasting for the last ten nights of…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has stated that he will stand with the British Asian community in lobbying the government for more flexible immigration policies. He emphasised that immigrants are not invaders; instead, they are innovators and wealth creators. Speaking at the 25th anniversary of the Asian Business Awards in London…
West Ham United is back in the UEFA Europa League for 2023/24, courtesy of winning the Europa Conference League last season. The Hammers join Olympiacos Piraeus FC of Greece, Germany's SC Freiburg, and little-known Serbian side FK TSC Bačka Topola in Europa's Group A this season. Freiburg reached the Europa…
As someone who started acting when she was just a teenager, actress Katrina Kaif says she is very driven and competitive but over the years, she has learned to enjoy the "wonderful journey" she has had in Hindi cinema. There are many films that helped her grow, says Katrina, who…
AN INSPIRATIONAL businessman whose company has donated over a billion pounds to charitable causes was crowned the Business of the Year at the 25th anniversary of the prestigious Asian Business Awards, held at the Park Plaza hotel on Wednesday (22). Nirmal Sethia is an internationally renowned entrepreneur whose business empire…
ASIAN entrepreneurs in the UK have increased their wealth by a staggering £6.8 billion in the past year, despite worldwide economic challenges, analysis by the Asian Rich List 2024 has found. Published by Eastern Eye, the list profiles the 101 richest Asian people in Britain. It was released on Wednesday…
INDIA played the tournament’s best cricket for nearly six weeks but it was the familiar sight of Australia celebrating with the trophy when the 13th edition of the ICC World Cup came to a close last Sunday (19). Just five months after beating India in the World Test Championship final…
BRITISH ASIANS are being encouraged to visit National Trust properties as the organisation is striving to improve diversity among its members, volunteers and staff, its director general Hilary McGrady told Eastern Eye in an exclusive interview. As Europe’s premier conservation charity, the trust safeguards more than 500 historic houses, castles,…
INDIA’S high commissioner to the UK has called on British businesses to make good of the opportunities south Asian economies are presenting. Vikram Doraiswami said India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal were moving forward through regional integration to drive growth which the UK “is poised to benefit from”. “It’s well…
THE Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the UK representing 95,000 members, has elected the first Indian-origin president in its 205-year history in professor Anusha Shah (top). As the institution’s 159th president, Shah took charge of her new role…
FORMER home secretary Suella Braverman said she was “confused” at the manner of her sacking, claiming that prime minister Rishi Sunak had agreed for her to write a newspaper column which he then pointed to as the reason for her removal from cabinet. In an opinion piece published in the…
WHETHER it is on stage, television, film or in a popular ASDA commercial, Muzz Khan has consistently shown off his impressive range as an actor and worked with many established names. The versatile British Asian, who is also an accomplished DJ, rcently joined the cast of West End show, The…
INDIA’S purchase policies “softened” the oil and gas markets by its decision to continue transactions with Russia, and New Dehi should be “thanked for managing global inflation” as a consequence, the country’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar said last week. His remarks came in response to a question of India…
SOUTH Asian families have been warned about potential hefty inheritance tax bills over their property portfolios. Ahead of the chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement on Wednesday (22), experts highlighted a lack of awareness among some first-generation British Asians about the tax rules on real estate. The average property wealth of…
DAVID BECKHAM, who was in India last week as a global ambassador for the United Nations children’s charity Unicef, has expressed confidence that positive social change is taking place in India, especially as young girls are demanding greater gender equality. The 48-year-old former football star met children at schools in…
Individuals facing mobility and mental health challenges will encounter a new policy requiring them to work from home or risk losing their benefits, a government minister said on Tuesday (21), underlining the concept of fulfilling "their duty." This initiative, to be unveiled during Wednesday's (22) autumn statement, forms part of…
THERE is a surge in Indian students accelerating visa applications to bring their dependents to the UK ahead of the government-imposed ban in January, The Telegraph reported. Education agents are capitalising on this trend, charging inflated prices to secure spots at UK universities before the impending Home Office deadline, which…
A Muslim officer has encouraged individuals from various communities, especially South Asians, to consider pursuing roles as prison officers. Hammad Butt, prison officer at HMP Norwich in Norfolk, has asked people to consider joining the service, as applications for the role of prison officer are currently open. The Lammy Review…
THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has censured the hospital operator NMC Health for misleading the market by understating its debt. However, the watchdog stopped short of imposing a financial penalty on the collapsed firm, saying no funds were anticipated to remain after creditors had been paid. The UAE-based firm, founded…
Rishi Sunak pledged on Monday (20) his readiness to "responsibly" reduce taxes after achieving his goal of halving inflation by year-end. However, he tempered expectations for the upcoming Autumn Statement budget scheduled this week, indicating that the government would not execute “everything at once.” Amid mounting pressure from sections of…
James Cleverly is the first-ever Black British home secretary, though no national newspaper noticed enough to devote even a sentence or two to that fact. It would surely have made headlines five years ago. No Black or Asian politician had held any great office of state before 2018. Yet Cleverly’s…
LONDON’S deputy mayor for business has been chosen as the Labour candidate for the Leicester East parliamentary constituency which has one of the largest south Asian populations in the UK. Rajesh Agrawal was chosen at a hustings held in Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday (18) to succeed incumbent MP Claudia…
According to a study published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine journal, over 1.3 million lives are lost annually due to tobacco-induced cancers across seven countries, including India. The researchers observed that the collective contribution of India, China, the UK, Brazil, Russia, the US, and South Africa accounted for over half of…
A S Byatt, one of the most ambitious writers of her generation, died on Thursday at her home in London. Her novel Possession won the Booker Prize and gained her international acclaim as a novelist. She was 87 years old, The New York Times reported. Chatto & Windus, her longtime…
FOUR men have been charged with the murder of a British Sikh teenager in Hounslow this week, a statement said. The Metropolitan Police charged Amandeep Singh, 21, Manjit Singh, 27, Ajmeer Singh, 31, and Poran Singh, 71, over the murder of 17-year-old Simarjeet Singh Nangpal. They will appear at Westminster…
Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond merchant wanted in India to stand trial on fraud and money laundering charges, told a UK court on Thursday (16) that he could be in England for years as some ongoing proceedings prevent his extradition. The 52-year-old former billionaire appeared for a hearing at Barkingside…
The High Commission of India in collaboration with the Ismaili Centre, and the Nehru Centre, London are jointly hosting an exhibition entitled “Delhi and Hyderabad: A Green Renaissance” from 18 to 25 November 2023. This exhibition will highlight projects in India by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a press…
The UK's medicines regulator has given approval for a groundbreaking gene therapy, Casgevy, to potentially treat two hereditary blood disorders. This innovative treatment, designed for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, marks a significant milestone as the first licensed therapy using the CRISPR gene-editing tool, pioneered by Nobel Prize-winning inventors…
The government on Thursday (16) said a fresh treaty for transferring migrants to Rwanda might be prepared for ratification within a matter of "days". This comes after a court deemed the previous agreement unlawful. The new treaty, which would then take at least three weeks to be approved by lawmakers,…
A teenager who died of stab injuries in a street fight in south-west London has been identified by the Metropolitan Police on Friday (17) as Simarjeet Singh Nangpal, a British Sikh. The Met Police said four men, aged 21, 27, 31, and 71, remain in custody after being arrested on…
A 22-year-old self-confessed Canadian white nationalist, who intentionally drove his truck into a Muslim family in 2021, was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday (16). The killings shocked Canada, a country that encourages mass immigration and takes pride in its multiculturalism. The jury took around six hours to convict Nathaniel…
INDIAN external affairs minister S Jaishankar has said that India is not ruling out an investigation into Canada’s allegations about the involvement of the government’s agents in the killing of a Khalistani separatist in that country but wants it to provide evidence to back its claims. Jaishankar made the comments…
The prime minister has shown that “he has a backbone” by sacking his controversial home secretary, south Asian Conservative parliamentarians and grassroots members have told Eastern Eye. Rishi Sunak fired Suella Braverman on Monday (13), five days after she wrote a Times newspaper article in which she criticised the Met…
Bollywood couple Akshay Kumar, his wife Twinkle Khanna, and actress Preity Zinta celebrated Diwali this year with the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at his official residence in London. Zinta took to social media to share a set of pictures from the celebration. In the pictures, the trio is seen…
INDIAN external affairs minister S Jaishankar has raised the country's long-standing concerns about pro-Khalistan extremism in the UK during his meetings with the country's leaders. He stressed that they should be on guard against the misuse of freedom of expression and speech. Jaishankar concluded his five-day visit to the UK…
To mark his 75th birthday, King Charles III hosted a special reception at Buckingham Palace to honour Indian nurses, midwives, and global medical professionals dedicated to the NHS. Indians lead the estimated 150,000 international nurses and midwives currently working in the NHS, which is also celebrating its 75th anniversary year.…
THE charity arm of Bestway Group has donated £100,000 to The National Brain Appeal. The Group CEO of Bestway Group, Lord Zameer Choudrey CBE SI Pk, has handed over the amount to the CEO of The National Brain Appeal, Claire Wood Hill, at a function held in Park Royal, London.…
Actress-producer Anushka Sharma on Thursday said she is grateful to watch her husband, ‘God's child’ Virat Kohli grow from strength to strength while being honest to himself and to the sport of cricket. Virat became the first batter in the history of the game to score 50 ODI centuries, going…
MAGNIFICENT songs, multiple awards and amazing musical achievements mean Kumar Sanu needs no introduction. The massively popular music star ranks among the most celebrated Indian playback singers of all time and is the voice behind songs that defined a generation. The once-undisputed ‘king of romance’ is currently judging the 14th…
THERE is enough compelling evidence to suggest that V Shantaram was perhaps the most important Indian filmmaker of the 20th century. Whether it was technical innovations, pathbreaking work, expanding the horizons of Indian cinema or an incredibly fearless approach, he left behind an impressive body of work and countless magic…
The UK is facing increased pressure to contribute additional evidence against individuals linked to the protests outside the Indian High Commission in London in March. This urging coincides with a meeting between the new foreign secretary, David Cameron, and the Indian external affairs minister, S Jaishankar. Jaishankar is supporting the…
ABORTION laws in America taking away women’s fundamental rights over their own bodies has turned it into a hot topic and inspired Nazrin Choudhury to make an important short film inspired by the subject. Her directorial debut Red, White and Blue tells the moving story of a young mother forced…
BRITAIN's Sikh population, whose ancestors first migrated from the Punjab more than a century ago, have long been admired as a model of integration and for maintaining a strong identity. Lauded in their country of origin and beyond for their valour, industriousness and charity, Sikhs took those values to Britain,…
A DEEP desire to put a smile on people’s faces prompted Varun Thakur to pursue stand-up comedy and the adrenaline of being on stage consolidated that career choice. Falling in love with laughter has resulted in many memorable moments, including being a part of a pioneering group that helped to…
CORRUPT Asian elites are exploiting Britain’s property market and the City of London to launder the proceeds of drugs smuggling, a new report warned. The report published last Friday (10) by the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) underscored the UK’s failure to prosecute money laundering crimes and emphasised its involvement in…
MOST stand-up comedians start off their set by interacting with the audience for a relatively brief period, before commencing on their preprepared set. Some have turned that interaction into a full show, with mixed results. Indian act Abhishek and Nirmal have injected a high dose of energy, originality, and fun…
In the UK, the state of cancer care has reached a critical point, and experts in the field are warning that patients may face fatal consequences due to the government's decision to eliminate a dedicated plan aimed at addressing the disease. With waiting times for NHS cancer treatment hitting a…
A MOLE has been kind enough to send Eastern Eye a transcript of Monday’s (13) telephone conversation between Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman. Rishi: Morning Suella, I have something to say to you… Suella: Who’s that? Rishi: Rishi…. Suella: Which Rishi? Rishi: Rishi Sunak, prime minister….. Suella: Oh, that Rishi.…
CAMPAIGNERS have expressed disappointment over new research showing that one in four women feel they cannot progress in sport due to a lack of role models. The study, by the London Lions basketball team, found that 25 per cent of females believe becoming a professional player or at management level…
THE early 1990s set Indian spy thriller had its European premiere at the recent London Indian Film Festival. A sign language expert is brought into interview a deaf man, who is accused of spying, under the watchful gaze of competing Indian security factions, ahead of the Russian president’s visit. All…
TO HER party, Suella Braverman was able to say things which the prime minister thought but could not voice. To his critics, Rishi Sunak was the man who stabbed Boris Johnson in the back and someone whose party did not elect him as its leader. Braverman gave him a shield…
BRITISH audiences are set to witness a unique experience through a never-seen-before amalgamation of Igor Stravinsky’s iconic ballet with Bharatnatyam, created by award-winning dancer and choreographer Seeta Patel. Russian composer Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is being revisited this week, this time through the lens of an Indian classical dance…
EMBATTLED Sahara conglomerate chief Subrata Roy died on Tuesday (14) due to cardiorespiratory arrest, the company said in a statement. He was 75. Roy was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Sunday (12) and died following complications arising from metastatic malignancy, hypertension and diabetes, according to the company. "It…
DAVID CAMERON has replaced James Cleverly as Britain’s foreign secretary, but just how the job is done at the coal face is explained by Andrew Fleming, who took over last week as the new British deputy high commissioner in Kolkata. Just before leaving for India, Fleming sat in the Page…
FIVE members of a family, including a woman and her three children, were killed in a house fire in west London last Sunday (12) evening. The woman has been identified as Seema Ratra, but the three children have not been named. Their father, Aroen Kishen, who survived the fire, was…
PROMINENT British Asian GP, Dr Nikki Kanani, has announced that she will step down from her current role at NHS England next month after serving six years. She worked as the medical director for primary care overseeing the establishment of Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and the formulation of a fresh…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has formed a new partnership to celebrate the capital’s major cultural and community festivals, a statement said. Khan announced a tie-up with digital exhibition space, Outernet London, to showcase and celebrate key moments in the year on giant screens. The campaign started with Diwali celebrations last…
Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, visited BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple) in North West London to partake in the Diwali festival on Monday (13). During this busy period, the Labour Leader received a guided tour from senior swamis and trustees, interacting with volunteers supporting the temple as…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan celebrated Diwali at Neasden Temple with thousands of others from the local community. Khan inaugurated the fireworks display on Sunday (12) evening, which brought a fusion of light and sound into the night skies, a statement said. Inspired by the selfless service and charity of His…
India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Monday (13) that India and the UK are presently concentrating on a free trade agreement and expressed optimism that the two parties will identify a "landing point" that benefits both. Jaishankar, who is in London on a five-day official visit to the…
KING CHARLES III turns 75 on Tuesday (14), showing no sign of a let-up in activity just over a year since he became king after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. Halfway through his eighth decade, the head of state is due to spend the day carrying out…
Communications regulator Ofcom has imposed a £5.6 million fine on Royal Mail for significant and unexplained deviations from its first- and second-class delivery targets. The regulator highlighted that this failure caused considerable harm to customers, The Guardian reported. In the 2022-23 financial year, Royal Mail delivered only 74% of first-class…
As Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) opens, Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham announces her final season for the company, completing her 12-year tenure at the helm of the North West London powerhouse. Talking about the same, Indhu Rubasingham said, “Tinged with many emotions, I am…
In a recent Met Police operation, homeless people's tents in central London were destroyed on Huntley Street, Camden on Friday (10). Refuse workers, reportedly working with the police, threw the tents into a lorry. Elodie Berland, a volunteer with the outreach organisation Streets Kitchen, recorded the scene after being called…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty on Sunday (12) hosted Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his wife Kyoko Jaishankar for Diwali tea at Downing Street. “Delighted to call on prime minister @RishiSunak on #Diwali Day. Conveyed the best wishes of PM @narendramodi. India and UK…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has said that the story of Diwali is a source of lasting inspiration for all. He added that the festival teaches us that 'good will always prevail over evil'. “I would like to wish all Londoners and everyone celebrating around the world a very happy Diwali.…
MORE THAN 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday (11), with police arresting over 120 people as they sought to stop far-right counter-protesters from ambushing the main rally. Skirmishes broke out between police and the far-right groups gathered to protest against the demonstration taking place on Armistice Day,…
King Charles will grace the cover of the Big Issue, a magazine sold by homeless and vulnerable individuals, to mark his 75th birthday on November 14. His appearance on the cover aims to draw attention to the pressing issues of food insecurity and wastage. Charles has also authored an article…
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are anticipated to participate in a pro-Palestinian march in London on Saturday (11). The event, criticised by prime minister Rishi Sunak as disrespectful, raises concerns about potential violence on the day dedicated to the remembrance for war veterans. The "National March for Palestine" is the…
A POST shared on social media purporting to show the mayor of London saying pro-Palestinian marches should take priority over Armistice Day events is fake and police are investigating, a spokesman for the mayor said. The social media clip could further inflame tensions in the capital, in light of a…
During the Covid inquiry, Priti Patel, the former home secretary said that the £10,000 fines for violating Covid laws on large gatherings were excessively high. She said that the penalty, introduced before the August bank holiday in 2020, was not proportionate. Patel, along with her officials at the Home Office,…
CORRUPT Asian elites are exploiting Britain's property market and the City of London to launder the proceeds of drugs smuggling, a new report warned. The report published on Friday (10) by the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) underscored the UK's failure to prosecute money laundering crimes and emphasised its involvement in…
The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, recognised as Vaxzevria in Europe and licensed as Covishield in India, is confronting a legal challenge in the High Court in London, a media report said on Thursday (9). According to ‘The Daily Telegraph', UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca could face a number of further claims based…
THE Supreme Court said on Thursday (9) it would deliver its ruling next week on whether the government can go ahead with its controversial plan to deport migrants to Rwanda. In April, London's Court of Appeal said the scheme was unlawful because the east African country was not a safe…
Rishi Sunak is facing mounting pressure to dismiss Suella Braverman over her comments about the Metropolitan Police which were made without the approval of the prime minister. Opposition parties are demanding removal of the home secretary as investigations are launched into her article on the pro-Palestine march. Braverman had suggested…
DOZENS of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the entrances to a BAE Systems factory on Friday (10), targeting Britain's biggest military supplier to call for an end to arms sales to Israel. Holding up a sign saying "Stop Arming Israel" and waving Palestinian flags, about 50 people stood in front of one…
Online travel and leisure retailer lastminute.com's London Eye will transform the night sky with a burst of colour on Sunday, November 12, 2023, to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. From 4 pm on Sunday, the London Eye will be illuminated with a special display of dazzling lights and colourful…
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has sparked controversy with accusations that the Metropolitan Police are "playing favourites" in their handling of pro-Palestinian protests. In an article published in The Times, Braverman alleged that while right-wing protests that turned aggressive were often stopped, "pro-Palestinian mobs" were allowed to continue. The Met Police…
HAILING from India originally, Joshua Bethania has been making a big impact on the UK stand-up comedy scene in the past few years with winning performances, great acclaim and recognition for his talent. The young London-based funny man is joining an impressive line-up of comedians on The Indians Are Coming…
WHETHER it is web serials or films, Hansal Mehta has been daring to do things differently as a director and producer. He continued that run of unique projects with his latest movie The Buckingham Murders, which had its world premiere at the recent BFI London Film Festival and marks the…
A HIP HOP revolution in the past decade transformed all areas of commercial Indian music. A new wave of rappers has impacted everything, from single releases and film soundtracks to live shows, with their cutting-edge beats, lyrical flow and intense live performances. One of those leading the way has been…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak has urged pro-Palestinian groups to call off a march against the Israel-Hamas war scheduled to take place in London on Armistice Day. The organisers of the rally have so far defied pleas from the British capital's Metropolitan police force to postpone the demonstration planned for this…
THERE is one fascinating aspect about this week’s big Bollywood release Tiger 3 you may not have realised and revolves around fortunes changing over time. Back in 2014, Arijit Singh was a newcomer, who had suddenly found fame after his fabulous Aashiqui 2 song Tum Hi Ho became a worldwide…
BESTSELLING author Amish Tripathi has concluded his tenure as Director of the Nehru Centre and Minister for Culture and Education at the High Commission of India in London. Over the course of four years, he actively coordinated numerous India-focused cultural events in the capital. The 49-year-old diplomat oversaw the Nehru…
CULTURE clashes over Remembrance Day date back to its beginning. There was a protest rally on the eve of the first anniversary of the Armistice in 1919, demanding the government bring home the bodies of the million soldiers who had died abroad. The devastating scale of death demanded new rituals…
THE Metropolitan Police has ended its relationship with an adviser after the revelation of a two-year old video of him leading a pro-Palestine chant. The recording, first reported by The Telegraph, shows London Muslim Communities Forum chair Attiq Malik instigating chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will…
Filmmaker Deepa Mehta, who is presently in the news for her multiple award-winning documentary film I Am Sirat, is set to begin work on her next project. The renowned filmmaker has teamed up with actress Freida Pinto for her next, which is the film adaptation of author Avni Doshi’s novel…
METROPOLITAN Police on Monday (6) urged organisers not to go ahead with any protests planned this weekend when Armistice Day will be marked after prime minister Rishi Sunak slammed plans for a pro-Palestinian march. Authorities asked unidentified organisers to consider postponing any demonstrations in London over the weekend, including Saturday's…
A British Sikh retired postmaster has been jailed for at least 15 years for murdering his wife with a rounders bat. Tarsame Singh, 79, was sentenced on last Wednesday (1) at Snaresbrook Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Maya Devi, 77, in May. The incident took…
AROUND 100 British nationals have left Gaza for Egypt via the Rafah border crossing and 14 UK citizens have died in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a minister said on Monday (6). There were also "three British nationals who are unaccounted for", said energy security secretary Claire Coutinho, adding…
Bestselling author Amish Tripathi has concluded his tenure as Director of the Nehru Centre and Minister for Culture and Education at the High Commission of India in London. Over the course of four years, he actively coordinated numerous India-focused cultural events in the capital. The 49-year-old diplomat oversaw the Nehru…
Four police officers sustained injuries when pro-Palestinian demonstrators launched fireworks into crowds in central London. Law enforcement made 29 arrests on suspicion of racially motivated crimes in connection with the incident. The Metropolitan Police said more than 1,300 officers were on duty on Saturday (4) as tens of thousands of…
A MAN who set alight two men who were walking home from mosques in two British cities earlier this year was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, police said on Tuesday (7). Police said they found no evidence that Mohammed Abbkr, 27, was motivated by a particular ideology…
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators held protests in multiple cities, including London, Berlin, Paris, Ankara, Istanbul, and Washington on Saturday (4), demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and criticising Israel following an escalation of its military actions against Hamas. In London, television footage showed large crowds holding sit-down protests blocking parts of the city…
Kaza Business Consultants, operating under the banner of KBC Arts, organised an event at the East Ham Mahalakshmi Temple on October 29 2023 dedicated to exploring and acknowledging the works of 15/16th Century poets Kabir/Tulsi/ Surdas, highly-respected Indian saints/poets/composers. KBC organises two annual events at the Mahalakshmi temple in London,…
ZARA ALEENA's aunt is advocating for legal reform following her niece's killer succeeding in his appeal to decrease the minimum term of his life sentence. Farah Naz said that the court order conveys a signal to women that 'their pain will not be considered'. Jordan McSweeney, the man who stalked…
TWO women have been charged with terrorism offences after allegedly displaying pro-Hamas imagery at a London demonstration, police said, as they warned about possible radicalisation as a result of the Israel-Gaza conflict. There have been growing tensions in Britain and elsewhere since a deadly Hamas attack on Israel last month…
THE Tories are facing mounting pressure to return donations received from Lycamobile after its French entities were convicted of fraud in a Paris court, reported the Financial Times. The UK-based global mobile network operator had gifted £2.15 million to the Tories between 2011 and 2016, as per records from the…
A British lawmaker who once commanded UN peacekeeping troops in Bosnia was fined after being found guilty of racial abuse. Tory MP Bob Stewart, 74, was convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence on Friday (3) and ordered to pay £600 ($743) plus costs after a one-day trial at…
The support on offer for patients at their GP practice is expanding, thanks to thousands more healthcare staff working in local communities. NHS England is raising awareness of the support available, following a survey that reveals that almost one third (31%) of South Asian people in England are unaware of…
THE London Assembly has called on the Metropolitan Police to work with local Hindu communities to encourage them to report hate crimes targeting them. Hindus are the second most likely group to have been victims of religiously motivated hate crime, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. However,…
The prevalence of dementia in England and Wales is anticipated to nearly double, reaching 1.7 million by 2040, according to a study by University College London. This rise is occurring at a much faster rate than previously expected and is linked to widening social inequalities, obesity, and unhealthy lifestyles, The…
Lepra, a charity providing vital support to vulnerable communities affected by neglected tropical diseases, notably leprosy, is marking its nearly 100-year legacy with the launch of a significant touring photographic exhibition, 'A New Face for Leprosy.' The exhibition was inaugurated on October 26 at The Athenaeum, London, in the presence of…
US vice president Kamala Harris on Wednesday (1) called for urgent action to protect the public and democracy from the dangers posed by artificial intelligence, announcing a series of initiatives to address safety concerns about the technology. In a speech at the US embassy in London, Harris spoke of the…
Traveling between India and the United Kingdom is an experience that many people look forward to, whether it's for business, leisure, or visiting family and friends. However, there's a notable absence of direct flights connecting these two nations. If you've ever wondered why we don't have this convenient option, you're…
AHIR SHAH performed his Edinburgh Fringe-winning show Ends in front of a packed crowd at Soho Theatre in central London. Most didn’t realise that the comedian was walking among them and pumping himself up to perform, with a classic qawwali from Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan playing loudly in the…
AN INCREDIBLE career has seen Apache Indian become a great British music icon. Whether it has been creating a new musical genre, monster hits like Boom Shak-A-Lak, world-class collaborations, trailblazing moments or setting up an academy for new talent, he has had three decades of brilliance. The singer, songwriter and…
THIS powerful drama based on real life events had an award-winning world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and then screened at the recent London Film Festival. The story revolves around a Canadian girl from an affluent family, who, while on a trip to Punjab, falls in love with…
Countries including the UK, United States and China on Wednesday agreed the "need for international action" as political and tech leaders gathered for the world's first summit on artificial intelligence (AI) safety. The UK government kicked off the two-day event at Bletchley Park, north of London, by publishing the "Bletchley…
BEAUTIFULLY described as a Bollywood-infused tribute to queer Muslim joy, The Queen Of My Dreams has had successful premieres at major movie festivals in Toronto and London recently, and great acclaim. The feature directorial debut of Fawzia Mirza tells the story of Canadian queer woman Azra, who reconnects with her…
THE Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has an upbeat Diwali message for Eastern Eye readers – they, too, can be part of the fight against climate change in Britain if each one plants a tree and strives for a greater diversity of plants, vegetables, flowers and wildflowers as well as creepers…
WITH his award-winning short film Moshari, Nuhash Humayun announced himself as a writer-director from Bangladesh to look out for. That has been confirmed with his feature debut Pett Kata Shaw, which had its UK premiere at the recent Raindance Film Festival in London. Like Moshari, his Bangla feature film too…
MORE than a hundred pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at London's Liverpool Street station on Tuesday (31), hanging banners from balconies and occupying the main concourse while demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Videos posted online by the "Sisters Uncut" protest group showed a large group of demonstrators inside the station…
THE UK government will welcome foreign political leaders, tech industry figures, academics and others this week for a two-day summit billed as the first of its kind on artificial intelligence (AI). The gathering, set to be attended by prime minister Rishi Sunak, US vice-president Kamala Harris, EU chief Ursula von…
AS A SPECIAL treat in time for Diwali, the Royal Horticultural Society has given Kalpesh and Shailesh Solanki, Eastern Eye’s group managing editor and executive editor respectively, an exclusive guided tour of its famed garden at Wisley in Surrey. The idea is to encourage more British Asians to discover the…
TIKTOK can help make the next generation of British Asian musicians popular and the scene more ethnically diverse, according to leading industry figures. Highlighting the lack of support for south Asian artists, record label bosses believe social media can allow upcoming musicians to gain audiences and therefore become mainstream. New…
VERY few people in the Middle East will be familiar with Sir Keir Starmer, so whether or not the Labour leader calls for a ceasefire in Israel’s military action on Hamas in the Gaza strip is pretty much irrelevant. Even prime minister Rishi Sunak is not really a player. Starmer’s…
LABOUR leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday (31) sought to defuse an internal row about his stance on Israel's war with Hamas, after he refused to call for a permanent ceasefire. Starmer, whose party looks set to win the next general election, has come under pressure to demand an end to…
DIWALI – the story of good triumphing over evil – shows how multiculturalism is not failing but instead enhancing community relations in today’s Britain, prominent politicians and business leaders have told Eastern Eye. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, added their voices to the…
KING CHARLES said on Tuesday (31) that there could be "no excuse" for British colonial atrocities against Kenyans as he visited the country, but did not offer the apology demanded by some in the East African nation. "There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they…
FORMER Labour MPs, Keith Vaz and Claudia Webbe, may stand as independent candidates in the next general election for the Leicester East constituency, warned the city's mayor. Labour mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said that such a move could split the vote and potentially hand the seat to the Tories, reported…
Following the expansion of London's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), the volume of highly polluting vehicles in the city has drastically reduced by nearly half. This decline has resulted in the removal of 80,000 older cars from the roads. The expanded zone, operational since September, resulted in approximately 77,000 fewer non-compliant…
Suella Braverman has described the individuals participating in street demonstrations advocating for a Gaza ceasefire as participants in "hate marches." Braverman expressed her dismay at the large gatherings, involving "tens of thousands of people," where chants advocating for the elimination of Israel were heard. Speaking after a Cobra meeting chaired…
Bridgerton actress Ruby Barker has revealed that she suffered from "psychotic breaks" in the wake of the success that came with the Netflix show. During an appearance on the Oxford University's LOAF Podcast, Barker called out Netflix and Shondaland for not being supportive towards her. "Not a single person from…
WITH the Israel-Palestine conflict escalating so dangerously, its impact on British politics seems a rather local difficulty. When prime minister Rishi Sunak flew to Israel to tell prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “we want you to win”, he could not really claim to be speaking for his much more ambivalent country.…
The first look of Dev Patel from his upcoming film Rabbit Trap is out. The film also stars Rosy McEwen in the lead role. Set in 1973, the film follows a married couple who are both musicians, Daphne and Darcy Davenport. The duo has decided to move from London to…
BRITAIN's most senior police officer said he would support a review into the legal definition of extremism in response to criticism of the way his officers handled pro-Palestinian protests in London. Antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents have surged in Britain since a deadly rampage by Hamas gunmen in Israel on Oct.…
In an effort to bolster support for crime victims across London, the Metropolitan Police Service has introduced innovative measures, marking a significant step towards enhancing victim care. Therefore, three new services have been launched to facilitate improved communication with the public and provide essential information. 'My Met Service' allows victims…
British Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor is set to reveal a fresh collection of Vantablack paintings at New York’s Lisson Gallery. The exhibition, showcased from November 2 to December 16, will represent the New York City debut of Kapoor’s paintings created with Vantablack nano-technology—a substance that absorbs 99.965% of visible light. Alongside…
Scotland's first minister, Humza Yousaf, has finally established contact with his family in Gaza after a period of communication blackout. His in-laws have been stranded in the region since the attacks by Hamas in Israel. He said they managed to get in touch after two days without communication, reporting a…
A GROSS misconduct hearing has found that a former Scotland Yard sergeant would have been dismissed without notice were he still in his post after being found to have breached professional standards with "inappropriate behaviour" as a police officer. Former Metropolitan Police Sergeant Anish Sharma, who was based on the…
FIVE people were charged on Sunday (29) after their arrest during pro-Palestinian protests in London a day earlier, which saw tens of thousands march for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The Metropolitan Police arrested nine people - two on suspicion of assaulting police officers and seven for public order offences.…
A NEW seed fund aimed at awarding grants for joint projects between scientists in India and the UK has been launched by Imperial College London. The India Connect Fund, to be formally announced at events in New Delhi and Bengaluru next week, is designed to back projects that have the…
ANTISEMITIC and Islamaphobic incidents have almost doubled in just over a week in London, police data showed on Friday (27), in the wake of the attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel nearly three weeks ago and subsequent bombardment by Israel of Gaza. There have been growing tensions in Britain…
TWO senior Muslim politicians in Labour have urged party leader Sir Keir Starmer to call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Revealing the growing unrest within the opposition party over its position on the conflict, London mayor Sadiq Khan called on Friday (27) for a ceasefire in the conflict.…
ONE of Britain’s most successful Asian entrepreneurs has been named the executive chairman of GSF CAR PARTS, the UK’s second largest car parts retailer. Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia is best known for founding Euro Car Parts in 1978; he scaled it from a single car accessories store in London into the…
Newcastle-under-Lyme has clinched the RHS gold award and the title of Overall Winner in the UK finals of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Britain in Bloom competition 2023 which stands as the largest community gardening competition in the UK. Out of 44 community gardening groups nominated to represent their region…
OPPOSITION leader Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war, testing the leadership mettle of the favourite to become Britain's next prime minister. The 61-year-old is battling to dampen tensions within Labour's ranks over remarks he made about the Israeli response to Hamas's October 7…
American singer Beyonce is holding two premieres for her highly anticipated concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, reported The Hollywood Reporter. The world premiere will take place in London on November 30 and the U.S. premiere will be held in Los Angeles on November 25. Days before Beyonce's Parkwood…
FAITH and community leaders, activists and MPs have urged Britons not to let their anger and frustrations over the Israel-Palestine conflict to spill over into violence on the streets of the UK. On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on killing at least 1,400 people…
MONTHLY stand-up comedy night Brown Sauce is a spicy mix of tasty new talent, established names and raising money for good causes. The laughter-filled shows in central London, founded, hosted and curated by Sharlin Jahan, regularly light up the Bill Murray comedy club in Angel. The Bangladeshi, Canadian comedian based…
WHEN Urooj Ashfaq delivered shows in London followed by a month-long run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, she didn’t expect to create history. The young stand-up talent became the first Indian to win a prestigious best comedy newcomer award at the world famous festival. Her ac - claimed show Oh…
LAST year talented filmmaker Nuhash Humayun made history when his award-winning short film Moshari became the first from Bangladesh to officially qualify for the Oscars. He has followed up the critically acclaimed horror drama with his feature debut Pett Kata Shaw, which has its UK premiere at the Raindance Film…
LATE great maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan connected qawwali music to contemporary audiences in a way no artist had done before and took it across new horizons. Like much of the pathbreaking work he did, this unique collaboration has done just that since it first premiered and returned to…
SHE may have acted across diverse mediums, but Goldy Notay is arguably at her best on stage and has an impressive body of work to back that up. She recently starred in an epic production of Mahabharata and is currently on a year-long UK tour with the multiaward winning show…
BORIS JOHNSON’S sister, Rachel Johnson, who has a weekend slot on LBC, spent an hour last Sunday (22) discussing how families can be split by politics. She revealed that when Boris came to dinner, Brexit was off the menu. Boris’s siblings didn’t agree with him. One man rang LBC to…
MORE students from south Asia are living in overcrowded housing in the UK due to a rising demand for beds, which campaigners criticised as a “shameful indictment of our education system”. In one case, a student from Bangladesh was sharing a two-bedroom flat with 20 other men in London. On…
WHAT is the most important difference between Ireland and the United Kingdom? The answer is Brexit. Ireland is taking full advantage of its continued membership of the European Union – and seeking to attract new investment from India. This is why Ireland has opened a consulate in Mumbai, India’s commercial…
ANAS SARWAR said the Scotland Office in London would promote Scottish interests more effectively if a Labour government is formed after the next general election in the UK. The Scottish Labour leader said the office responsible for Scottish affairs would be “draped in a Saltire" in the event of Labour…
IN We Could All Be Perfect, actress Anshula Bain has taken on the mammoth task of playing 15 different characters. Based on a book by Hannah Morley, the play explores the experiences of girls through history – from the 1800s to an apocalyptic future – and featuring the likes of…
INDIAN-ORIGIN academics from the University of Oxford and a south Asian historian from King’s College London are among 30 winners of the UK’s £3-million 2023 Leverhulme Trust award, which recognises exceptional research across different fields. Professor Amia Srinivasan from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Oxford has been…
AN INVESTIGATION is on into the ballooning cost of building HS2, the highspeed railway between London and the north of England, the transport secretary said on Monday (23), after a newspaper report alleged that managers had covered up multi-billion pound budget overruns. HS2 (High Speed 2), the publicly funded company…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the annual Diwali on the Square festivities will be held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday (29). This festival of lights will bring together Londoners and visitors in the heart of the city, offering dance, music, cultural activities and food. The event will kick off…
TORY government announced that it will start reducing the number of hotels housing asylum seekers following a drop in arrivals of migrants. The accommodation is politically sensitive due to the high price of the hotel contracts, which costs taxpayers about £8 million per day, according to official figures. Immigration minister…
SHAMIMA BEGUM, who left Britain to marry a Daesh (Islamic State group) jihadist fighter when she was a teenager began her appeal against the revocation of her citizenship in a UK court on Tuesday (24). A lawyer for Shamima Begum, 24, told the Court of Appeal in London that the…
The first-ever stage version of The Hunger Games, a drama based on Suzan Collins' best-selling books and the Jennifer Lawrence-starring blockbuster film franchise, will be performed in London as a mark of respect, reported Variety. Matthew Dunster is directing and playwright Conor McPherson is adapting the live theatrical production. It…
Dev Patel has signed on to star alongside Rosy McEwen in an upcoming horror film, titled Rabbit Trap. If reports are to be believed, Rabbit Trap is set in 1973 and will star Patel and McEwen as Darcy and Daphne Davenport, married musicians who relocate from London to an isolated…
A man convicted of murdering aspiring lawyer, Zara Aleena, wants to appeal his life sentence, which he claimed was “manifestly excessive”. Jordan McSweeney had targeted at least five women before he attacked Aleena on the night of June 26, 2022, as she made her way home from a night out…
ADITI MANGALDAS may be known for boundary breaking work, but with Forbidden she has gone a step further and thrown dynamite at the rulebooks with an explosive dance production that can best be described as pure sexual fire from start to finish. The globally acclaimed Indian dancer and choreographer delivered…
Police forces need to ensure that the implementation of facial recognition technology leads to arrests and convictions of shoplifters, the head of independent retailers has told Eastern Eye. The Metropolitan Police last Thursday (19) announced that it will use facial recognition technology to tackle London's worst shoplifters by matching CCTV…
FORMER Barclays UK CEO Ashok Vaswani is set to take over the reins of India’s Kotak Mahindra Bank. The Indian banking regulator has cleared his appointment as the next managing director and chief executive of the country's fourth largest bank by market capitalisation. Vaswani will succeed Uday Kotak who resigned…
The earliest memory that UK musician Tanya Wells has is as a five-year-old in the foothills of the Himalayas where she and her sisters would start the day with meditation at a school, with Hindustani classical music at the heart of its Sahaja Yoga meditation practice. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi,…
A first anniversary in office is normally a moment for a leader to celebrate, but Rishi Sunak hits the milestone this week with a mountain to climb to retain power in a general election expected next year. Two by-election losses to the main opposition Labour on Thursday (19) underscored how…
THREE-TIME Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif ended four years of self-imposed exile on Saturday (21), launching his political comeback at a rally attended by thousands of rapturous supporters ahead of elections due next year. Fireworks marked his arrival at the event in a park in his power base of Lahore,…
ABOUT 100,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central London on Saturday (21), marching through the British capital to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel two weeks ago. Chanting "Free Palestine", holding banners and waving Palestinian flags, the protesters moved through London before massing…
THE US and Britain urged New Delhi not to insist Canada reduce its diplomatic presence in India and expressed concern after Ottawa pulled out 41 diplomats amid a dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist. Canada has alleged Indian involvement in the June murder in a Vancouver suburb of…
Actor Akshay Kumar-starrer Khel Khel Mein went on floors in London on Saturday. Taking to Instagram, Akshay took to Instagram and shared the particular update with his fans and followers. "Can't help but smile when the camera rolls! Day 1 in London for #KhelKhelMein, shooting begins Need your love and…
ANTI-SEMITIC and Islamophobic hate crimes in London have soared amid the Israel-Hamas war, the Metropolitan Police force said. Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. More than 4,130 Palestinians, mainly civilians,…
Leicester artist Subhash Viman Gorania, who is also a choreographer and dancer recently unveiled his debut exhibition, 'Marvel at My World', at the Watermans Arts Centre in London. The art exhibition which is open from October 13 to November 8, showcases Gorania’s profound connection to dance and the movement of…
THE man convicted of stalking and brutally murdering aspiring lawyer, Zara Aleena, is poised to appeal his life sentence, which he deems 'manifestly excessive'. Sexual predator Jordan McSweeney had targeted at least five women before he attacked Aleena on the night of June 26, 2022, as she made her way…
THE outlook is very bright for British Indian businessmen (and women) if a UK-India Free Trade Agreement is signed – as prime ministers Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi hope to do by the end of 2023 or at the latest by early next year. A senior Indian government source has…
Sadiq Khan has announced that the annual Diwali on the Square festivities will be held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, 29 October, offering a plethora of family-friendly entertainment. This celebration of the Festival of Lights will bring together Londoners and individuals from across the globe in the heart of the…
VOTERS went to the polls in elections to fill two vacant parliamentary seats on Thursday (19) that will be a test of how prime minister Rishi Sunak's Tories are faring in his party's heartlands before a national election expected next year. The by-elections were triggered by high-profile resignations of two…
A WOMAN who murdered her husband in a plot with her lover has been sentenced to death in India. Ramandeep Kaur Mann, 38, from Derby, found guilty of the murder of Sukhjit Singh whiile on a family holiday at his mother's house in north India in September 2016. Mann is…
Not since 1945 have anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Israeli/Palestine conflict been so predominant and divisive as they are today. As such, The Merchant of Venice 1936 is deeply apt and timely. Directed by Brigid Larmour, the production encapsulates the dangers of global fascism whilst at the same time providing a…
BRITISH arts organisation the Jaivant Patel Company has consistently broken new ground with dance productions that combine eye-catching performances with thought provoking narratives. One of the UK’s leading voices in the south Asian LGBTQIA+ space commences a tour of their new production Waltzing The Blue Gods, at Arena Theatre in…
LET’S allow ourselves a bit of artistic licence and imagine Queen Victoria has slipped into the Hammersmith Lyric to take a peek at Tanika Gupta’s play, The Empress, a retelling of the story of her relationship with Abdul Karim and her Indian subjects in general. “We are amused,” the Queen…
The heads of domestic intelligence and security service, MI5, and the FBI have jointly warned of an increased threat of domestic terrorist attacks due to the crisis in the Middle East. According to the counter-terror chiefs, Jewish communities, along with other groups, might face elevated risks from lone actors, Hamas…
PG WODEHOUSE’S step-great-grandson, Hal Cazalet, is going to India at the end of October for a month with a oneman show, Play on Words. Wodehouse’s brand of humour has special appeal for Indians. The show is meant to be “an evening of music, laughter, romance and glamour” to highlight Wodehouse’s…
IT MAY have been a smooth transition from winning prestigious beauty pageants Miss India and Miss World to becoming an actress, fashion icon and humanitari - an, but Manushi Chhillar didn’t plan anything. By combining hard work with following her instincts, the 26-year-old has made a big impact in a…
FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan said he is “stronger and fitter than ever” since being jailed two months ago, according to a statement released by his family last Thursday (12). Khan was convicted of graft in August and jailed for three years, with the election commission subsequently banning him…
The UK automakers industry on Wednesday (18) warned that they would soon face a detrimental 10-per cent increase in customs duties on electric cars crossing the Channel. Britain left the European Union in early 2021 after clinching a last-gasp free trade agreement that removed tariffs on cars. But under the…
QUANTEXA founder and chief executive Vishal Marria advocated that a domestic company with the “right intentions” should be hired to manage NHS data instead of awarding the contract to an American company. His London-based data analytics firm is attempting to strike a deal to link up hospital data where Palantir,…
YOUNG actors Kashif Ghole and Ibraheem Hussain dive straight into the deep end in their debut roles in the coming-of-age play, Brown Boys Swim. The pair play the lead roles of Mohsen and Kash, teenagers ready for university; but, before that, they’re desperate to get into the biggest pool party…
RESEARCHERS have called on the government to prioritise funding towards analysing the impact of racism on mental health, saying countries such as the US were “way further ahead” in this area. A study by the Centre for Mental Health and King’s College London found that both past and present experiences…
AMARJIT SINGH GUDAIL, who is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), agrees there is now a shortage of allotments in the country. Last Sunday (15), he showed Eastern Eye around the Bixley Fields Allotments in Southall in west London, from where it is possible to see “up to…
The police are on the hunt for a driver in Hounslow who severely injured a woman, leaving her unable to fully care for her child following a hit and run case. Rajdeep Kaur, 37, was pushing her 13-month-old daughter in a pram on North Hyde Lane and Raleigh Road in…
POWERLESS. That is how many people feel seeing tragedy unfold in Israel and in Palestine. Our sense of impotence is nothing compared to the powerlessness of those slaughtered in the Hamas massacre of civilians in Israel, or now the powerlessness of so many people in Gaza in the face of…
As part of the Bloomsbury Festival 2023, Conway Hall is gearing up to host a musical event on Friday, 20 October, featuring the Grand Union Orchestra which is known for celebrating the diversity of global musical traditions. The show, titled "From Bengal to Bloomsbury," commissioned by the festival, is directed…
British actress and comedian Nina Wadia has teased a possible return as Zainab Masood on the popular BBC One soap opera EastEnders. The said character was last seen on the show in 2013 when she left Walford with her young son Kamil, who she shares with ex-husband Masood Ahmed, played…
The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (October 27 to November 5) has announced that this year’s Opening Night film will be The Buckingham Murders, directed by Hansal Mehta, produced by Ektaa R Kapoor, and co-produced by Indian actress and star Kareena Kapoor Khan, who will all attend the film’s red-carpet…
Around 250 protesters gathered outside the BBC's main headquarters in London on Monday (16) to express their dissatisfaction with the British broadcaster's refusal to label Hamas as terrorists. Demonstrators at the event, organised by Jewish groups, chanted "Hamas, terrorists" and "Shame on You" at the broadcaster for making the editorial…
A LANCASHIRE man, jailed for killing a pregnant woman in a road accident in May this year, has had his prison term increased to 15 years. Adil Iqbal was sentenced by Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown in July to a 12-year jail term after he was found guilty of driving a…
With the aim to bolster security measures and foster unity, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has affirmed the continuation of increased security for places of worship in response to recent terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel. The tragic events in Israel and Gaza have deeply affected London communities, prompting…
Kareena Kapoor Khan says she has always been a fan of detective stories and her upcoming film The Buckingham Murders fulfilled her wish of starring in one. Directed by Hansal Mehta, The Buckingham Murders is billed as an "atmospheric thriller". The film had its world premiere at the 67th BFI…
TENS of thousands of people rallied on Saturday (14) in London and other UK cities at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, amid police warnings that anyone showing support for the militant group Hamas could face arrest. Protesters marching through the heart of the British capital were shadowed by a heavy police presence of…
AN asthmatic attorney who lost her high-paying banking position due to illness-related absences and requests to work from home, has received a £1.1 million settlement. Gulnaz Raja, 37, successfully filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, Starling Bank, reported MailOnline. She faced criticism from her demanding supervisor, Matt…
PUNJABI is the best-paying foreign language in London, boasting an average salary of £43,415, a recent study has revealed. Conducted by researchers at the language learning platform Preply, the study, however, said that Punjabi falls outside the top 10 languages in demand by London employers, with just 30 job openings.…
POLICE have arrested a 22-year-old woman in England suspected of having made a speech backing Hamas, despite laws forbidding explicit support for banned organisations, the local force said Friday (13). The woman was detained under the terrorism act Thursday (12) following an investigation into a speech given at a protest…
Researchers have discovered that common risk factors for dementia, like high blood pressure and diabetes, have a more significant impact on black and Asian individuals, according to a recent study. This finding has led to calls for increased efforts to address health disparities. The global number of adults affected by…
THE Bank of England’s actions to tame inflation have just begun to impact households and the effects will be felt to a greater extent next year, a policymaker has said. Last month, the central bank froze interest rates at 5.25 per cent following a surprise slowdown in inflation. Its decision…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak on Thursday (12) boosted funding to protect local Jewish institutions amid a spike in reports of antisemitism, while two Jewish schools said they would close until Monday (16) for children's safety. The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity that provides security at Jewish institutions including…
THERE are 635 UK companies operating in India with a combined turnover of approximately £51 billion and employing around 666,992 people, according to the 2023 edition of ‘Britain Meets India’ (BMI) report. The third edition of the report, launched by Grant Thornton Bharat in partnership with the Confederation of Indian…
A casino is a place where dreams can come true in an instant and where passions boil on the edge of excitement. The history of american slots in the UK is littered with successes and scandals that have created wealth and fame, but have also drawn attention to the downside…
The High Commission of India in London hosted a welcome event for newly arrived Indian students, aiming to provide them with guidance and counsel regarding life in the UK. The event aimed to extend support to the students as their “home away from home.” After completing a registration drive supported…
PAKISTAN’S Supreme Court has upheld a controversial law seeking to curtail the powers of the chief justice but barred its retrospective application. The law upheld by the majority of judges, including the sitting chief justice, deprived the chief justice of forming benches for different cases as the new law provided…
MASTER percussionist Gubzy Singh Lackhanpal has had a magnificent career filled with magical moments. The dynamite dhol player and tabla maestro has performed in over 46 countries, with leading artists that include Malkit Singh, DCS, Apache Indian, Beverly Knight, AS Kang, Sukshinder Shinda, Hans Raj Hans, Surinder Shinda, Balwinder Safri,…
THE UK and Ireland will co-host Euro 2028, while Italy and Turkey will be joint hosts of the 2032 tournament, UEFA announced. Both bids ran unopposed but still needed official approval from European football's governing body, which they received at a meeting in Switzerland. Turkey last week withdrew from the…
THERE have been a lot of home invasion thrillers across the decades. This particular British film premiered on Netflix recently and attempts to tell the story of an innocent man, who is falsely targeted after a social media storm. Harri goes to stay at his parents’ house in the countryside,…
BRITISH Indians are among the happiest people in the country, who feel they have worthwhile lives, according to government research. They scored 7.67 in their average happiness score which was the second highest after the Asian Other category - compared to 7.64 for those of Bangladeshi origin, 7.57 for people…
LONDON's mayor warned Tuesday (10) that a spike in bedbug cases across France "is a real source of concern", as fears grow of the blood-sucking insects spreading to Britain. Labour mayor Sadiq Khan said his officials were in touch with French authorities, as well as transport bosses in the British…
THE shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said pharmacists were key to the modernisation of the NHS as he paid tribute to the sector at the annual Pharmacy Business Awards last Wednesday (4). Independent community pharmacists were in the spotlight at the event, which recognises the contribution of the sector in…
MINISTERS and the media are contributing to hate crime against British Muslims, according to politicians and community leaders. Last week (5) saw a nine per cent year-on-year increase in reported religious hate crime figures. Politicians, religious leaders and campaigning groups are urging them to stop demonising Muslims. Of the almost…
LONDON Luton Airport suspended all flights until 3 pm on Wednesday (11) after a car fire triggered a wider blaze that led to a partial collapse of one of its multi-storey car parks. There were no known fatalities in the fire, which was first reported to emergency services late on…
A trial involving six Indian banks pursuing unpaid loans amounting to an estimated $2 billion, including interest accrued, from GVK Coal Developers (Singapore) Pte Ltd and associated companies opened in the High Court in London on Tuesday (10). Judge Dame Clare Moulder presided over the hearing at the Commercial Court…
INDIA’s Enforcement Directorate on Monday (9) said it has issued a fresh order to seize assets worth more than Rs 240 million of a hatchery company as part of an investigation relating to alleged violation of the foreign exchange law. Six immovable properties belonging to Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt Ltd in…
MINISTERS have been asked to remove barriers in the finance industry so that small and medium enterprises can access funds and grow to their full potential. In a submission to the Treasury Select Committee last month, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) made recommendations to support women and…
Amit Sharma has been confirmed as the new Artistic Director and CEO of the Kiln Theatre. Sharma, who is currently Associate Director at Kiln Theatre, and also works as a freelance director, will take up his new role on 1 December 2023. Sharing his excitement, Sharma said today, “Over the…
THE government has insisted that Rwanda is an appropriate place to deport failed asylum seekers, as it tried to overturn a court ruling that the policy is unlawful. Three Appeal Court judges in London blocked the controversial plan in June, assessing that the African nation could not be considered a…
THE Metropolitan Police arrested three people in Central London on Monday (9) involved in demonstrations following the attack in Israel and the escalation of conflict along the border with Gaza. Three arrests have been made for assault on an emergency worker, racially-motivated criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon,…
BRITAIN and India are looking at a possible visit to New Delhi by prime minister Rishi Sunak soon, but it may depend on whether the two sides can resolve the remaining differences to firm up the free trade agreement (FTA), people familiar with the matter said on Monday (9). Both…
The recently appointed free speech chief, professor Arif Ahmed at the Office for Students (OfS), which regulates the higher education system in England, has expressed “serious” concerns about the stifling of free speech in English universities. He emphasised his commitment to defending all views and addressing the issue of academic…
BRITISH ASIANS in England and Wales are least likely to be living in care homes, according to an analysis of Census 2021 data. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Monday (9) showed that less than one per cent (0.95 per cent) of the care home population…
BRITAIN said it had updated its travel advice for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, advising against all but essential travel as fighting continued near Gaza after a bloody incursion by gunmen from Islamist group Hamas. The UK already advised against all travel to Gaza, but on Sunday (8) also…
GOVERNMENT lawyers will on Monday (9) tell the top court that it should overturn a ruling which declared unlawful a plan to deport migrants to Rwanda, one of prime minister Rishi Sunak's key policies. In June, London's Court of Appeal concluded that the scheme to send tens of thousands of…
After a sell-out world premiere at Stratford-Upon-Avon, the well-received play Hamnet is currently enjoying its West End run. Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Neal Street Productions in association with Hera Pictures on Friday unveiled new images for the West End transfer of Hamnet, which is described as a love letter…
LABOUR hailed a "seismic" victory in an election for a UK parliamentary seat in Scotland, beating the Scottish National Party (SNP) in a sign of its recovery in the country before a national election expected next year. Labour is leading prime minister Rishi Sunak's Tories in the opinion polls, but…
A man who confessed to attempting to kill the late Queen Elizabeth II after being found on the grounds of Windsor Castle with a loaded crossbow was on Thursday (5) given a nine-year sentence. Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, will serve the first part of his term in the high-security Broadmoor…
Selma Taha, the director of Southall Black Sisters, a women's organisation, found herself in the midst of a racially-motivated attack in an incident that took place on Friday (29) in the London Underground. The altercation unfolded when Taha and her two friends were on a Northern line train and despite…
The Diwali Basket Brigade, an initiative organised by The Diwali Foundation, operates as a voluntary campaign dedicated to providing food hampers to vulnerable families from various faiths and backgrounds. These families, nominated by local charities and community organisations, are identified as those facing severe financial challenges, struggling to provide food…
Acclaimed filmmaker Gurinder Chadha has revealed that she is currently working on a sequel to her iconic British film Bend it Like Beckham. Starring Parminder Nagra, Archie Panjabi, Anupam Kher, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Juliet Stevenson, and Shaznay Lewis in principal roles, Bend it Like Beckham told the story…
THE Metropolitan Police has arrested a man on suspicion of “violent disorder” in connection with an attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March this year. The Met said the man, who was arrested during a protest outside India House on Monday (2), was held in connection with…
LABOUR gathers this weekend for its annual conference, with the centre-left party currently on course to return to power in a general election expected next year. Labour, led by Keir Starmer, goes into the four-day event -- which starts on Sunday (8) in Liverpool, northwest England -- well ahead of…
THE British government said on Thursday (5) that contested statues should be kept in place but complemented with a comprehensive explanation, in guidance reacting to a spate of statue removals during anti-racism protests that swept the world in 2020. What to do about statues of historical figures such as colonialists…
ACCLAIMED theatre director Milli Bhatia said the theme of how “empowering” representation is for marginalised groups is what drew her to debutant writer Mohamed-Zain Dada’s play Blue Mist. Set in the shisha lounges of northwest London, Blue Mist follows three south Asian Muslim men navigating a system that “isn’t built…
TUESDAY, September 26, 2023, will go down in the history of the Hinduja family as a spectacular night to remember. On that day, the Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to mark the reincarnation of the Grade II-listed Old War Office (OWO) in Whitehall, London, as the OWO Raffles hotel and…
INDIA’S Maharashtra state government on Tuesday (3) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London for the loan of a 17th century ‘Tiger Claws’ weapon for an exhibition in the country. Maharashtra minister for cultural affairs, Sudhir Munganitwar, signed the agreement with V&A…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak has scrapped the HS2 high-speed rail line from the West Midlands to Manchester during his Conservative Party conference speech on Wednesday (4). The cancellation includes everything beyond the London-Birmingham route, with the £36 billion saved set to be reinvested in transport initiatives across the North, Midlands,…
AA DHAND is making history as the first British Asian crime writer whose work is being adapted for a six-part BBC TV series. His tales are set in the dark, mean streets of Bradford and his main protagonist is a Sikh police officer, Detective Chief Inspector Hardeep Virdee. He doesn’t…
DIVERSE work across multiple platforms has established Raj Ghatak as one of the best British Asian actors. The versatile performer, with a chameleonlike ability to transform himself, is currently in the cast of The Father and the Assassin, which has returned for another successful run at the National Theatre in…
AN ACTION-PACKED year of live music has seen blockbuster concerts from huge international names and despite there only being three months left, there is still plenty to look forward to before 2023 ends. With that in mind, Eastern Eye prepared a preview of some great live music events to look…
LAYOFFS, working from home and misguided tips on how to get ahead are hindering moves by financial firms on inclusion and diversity, British industry executives said last Wednesday (27). The Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England last week set out proposals for the mandatory reporting of data on…
HOME secretary Suella Braverman warned on Tuesday (3) that Britain faces a "hurricane" of immigration, as she doubled down on her hardline rhetoric at the Conservative party's annual conference. Braverman, already a darling of the ruling party's right for her attacks on "woke" politics, used the keynote speech to launch…
WE SHOULD not forget that Covid took a terrible toll on the Asian community during the pandemic – and now, ominously, a new variant, BA.2.86, is making the rounds. “Honestly, we don’t know too much about it,” said my local pharmacist. Should masks again be mandatory on the London Underground…
A PROMINENT Conservative party commentator believes the Tories have become “complacent” in reaching out to ethnic minority politicians and voters. With Rishi Sunak as prime minister and ministers such as Suella Braverman, Kemi Badonech and James Cleverly, the Tory administration has one of the most diverse cabinets in history. However,…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak is set to fire the starting gun Wednesday (4) on Britain's next general election campaign, with a much-anticipated keynote speech closing his ruling Tories' annual conference. He faces a daunting challenge rallying his beleaguered Tories to win the election -- due some time in 2024 --…
THE Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has shut down the embattled law firm Axiom Ince with immediate effect, the regulator said on Tuesday (3). Axiom’s managing director Pragnesh Modhwadia was suspended in August on the suspicion of "dishonesty” after a £64 million hole had been detected in the firm’s client account.…
HERITAGE conservation charity National Trust has gained public confidence compared to the previous year, according to a survey. A poll conducted by think tank More in Common and University College London’s Policy Lab showed that 71 per cent of 2,000 respondents - British adults - trusted the National Trust, a…
A British government minister expressed concern that a visit by a senior Indian diplomat to a Sikh temple in Glasgow had been disrupted by protesters the day before. "The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and our places of worship in the UK must be open…
Chutney Mary, a distinguished Indian restaurant in London was recently honoured with the prestigious AA Hospitality Awards' Restaurant of the Year award. According to reports, this celebrated restaurant, is a favourite of prime minister Rishi Sunak, and was founded in 1990 by sisters Camellia and Namita Punjabi along with Namita's…
The Conservative government unveiled fresh plans on Friday (29) to "support drivers" and push back "anti-car measures," particularly in opposition-led areas where restrictions on motor vehicle usage are imposed under the guise of environmental protection. "The clamp down on drivers is an attack on the day-to-day lives of most people…
Investing in infrastructure to develop the tourism potential of Uttarakhand is a priority for the north Indian state, its chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has said. In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, Dhami revealed the state government’s plans to work with the hospitality sector to enhance the appeal of…
THE success rates of ethnic minority led businesses are lower compared to those of their white counterparts despite their enormous contribution to the economy, a new report has revealed. The report called for strong engagement between business leaders, the government and people from ethnic minority backgrounds to boost diversity in…
INDIA’S telecoms major Bharti Enterprises will have a 21.1 per cent stake in Eutelsat Group, formed by the merger of the European satellite operator Eutelsat and the UK’s OneWeb.Eutelsat Group, which will remain headquartered in Paris, has named Sunil Bharti Mittal as its co-chair.OneWeb will be a subsidiary operating commercially…
DISILLUSIONED retailers have told Eastern Eye they have stopped reporting crime after a lack of action by the police. Violence and abuse against those working in retail, including racial and sexual attacks, physical assault and threats with weapons have almost doubled from pre-pandemic levels to over 850 per day, according…
A teenager is scheduled to appear in court on Friday (29) to face charges of murdering a 15-year-old schoolgirl, bringing attention once more to the issue of knife crime in the UK. Elianne Andam was stabbed to death in Croydon, south London, as she went to school on Wednesday (27).…
NATURAL resources conglomerate Vedanta Ltd is planning to spin off its businesses into four entities, media reports said on Thursday (28). According to the plan, the company, controlled by billionaire tycoon Anil Agarwal, will be demerged into metals, power, aluminium and oil and gas businesses which will be separately listed…
THE London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the government to work with financial institutions to overcome barriers around access to finance to achieve diversity in business. The trade body made a submission to the Treasury select committee’s inquiry into SME finance with several recommendations to support women…
Almost a year into his role as prime minister, Rishi Sunak faces a shrinking timeframe to achieve an increasingly challenging endeavour: securing the Conservatives' continuation in power during the upcoming election. He will conclude the party's annual conference with a keynote address next Wednesday, aiming to galvanise the ruling Tories…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on her birth anniversary. He took to X and wrote a special message while recalling the contribution to Indian music of the late singer PM Modi wrote, “Remembering Lata Didi on her birth anniversary. Her contribution to Indian music…
Popular Bollywood couple Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar met UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during their London visit. Twinkle took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a video of their visit to London. She captioned the post, “As much as I dislike wearing heels and dressing up, this evening was…
NIRAV MODI, the fugitive diamond merchant wanted in India to stand trial on fraud and money laundering charges, has been transferred out of one of the largest and most overcrowded prisons in the UK to a privately-run facility in London, it emerged last Thursday (21). The 52-year-old former billionaire was…
BRITAIN's first official supervised drug consumption room was approved on Wednesday (27), seeking to reduce infectious diseases and overdoses in Scotland which suffers from the highest level of drug-related deaths in Europe. Following similar projects in Europe, Canada and Australia, Glasgow city council, which runs the largest city in Scotland,…
BRITAIN is keen on welcoming one of India’s most prestigious education institutes to set up an offshore campus in the country, top British government officials said. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is a premier university, with a presence in several Indian states and its graduates have gone on to…
BABIL KHAN has followed in the giant footsteps of his late great actor father Irrfan Khan. The 26-year-old made a winning acting debut with the critically acclaimed film Qala (2022), which garnered immense love and appreciation for his performance. Those who saw the film agreed that Babil had inherited his…
EXPERTS agree that good nutrition is the most important part of a fitness journey. Eating properly helps to increase energy, optimise exercises, burn fat, build muscle and aid in recovery. It can also help reduce the risk of injury, repair damage and promote overall wellbeing. With that in mind, Eastern…
THE annual BFI London Film Festival celebrates cinema from around the world and like every year there is strong south Asian representation, from diverse backgrounds. Eastern Eye decided to get you ready for the marvellous movie feast, which runs from next Wednesday (4) until October15, with a preview of south…
ROHIT SHARMA's India face "humongous" expectations from fans in their cricket-crazy nation to end a world title drought by winning the World Cup at home. India's last major title was the 2013 Champions Trophy, which came after Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted the 2011 World Cup in Mumbai. The 50-over marquee…
POLITICAL comedy The Foreigners’ Panto has its world premiere at Bold Theatre in London next Tuesday (3) and runs throughout the month. Written by Shani Erez, The Foreigners’ Panto is based on her personal experience of facing deportation and revolves around a group of immigrants trying to put on their…
A PIONEERING Asian doctor who served in the NHS for nearly four decades and was a respected community leader passed away last week at the age of 96. Dr Shivkumar Oza MBBS, FRCS (Lon), was the general secretary of the Overseas Doctors Association in Nottingham and was known for supporting…
The British Museum initiated a public hotline on Tuesday (26), seeking assistance in locating approximately 2,000 missing artefacts, primarily comprising ancient Greek and Roman gems and jewellery, it disclosed. The museum said last month it had sacked a staff member over stolen, missing, or damaged items in a crisis that…
LONDON's Drummond Street, known for its immigrant-owned businesses, is facing a severe economic challenge due to the HS2 high-speed rail project. Originally intended to improve connections between London, Birmingham, and Manchester, HS2's delayed and over-budget construction near Euston station has disrupted the once-thriving area, reported the Times. For many local…
In a historic achievement, India's dressage team clinched its first-ever Asian Games gold medal, marking only the second victory in this discipline's history. The quartet of Sudipti Hajela, Divyakriti Singh, Vipul Hriday Chheda, and Anush Agarwalla successfully lived up to the high expectations on Tuesday (26) in Hangzhou. The Indian…
In North West London, a group of Asian women are breaking down taboos surrounding cancer with the help of Macmillan Cancer Support. The Asian Women Cancer Group, recently awarded nearly £11,000 by Macmillan to fund a series of taboo-busting workshops is embarking on a mission to empower Asian women living…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday remembered the iconic actor Dev Anand on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Modi dropped a couple of pictures with the late veteran star and wrote, “Dev Anand Ji is remembered as an evergreen icon.…
The largest police force in the country announced on Monday (25) that it would no longer require military support, following an incident where armed officers protested by laying down their weapons due to a colleague being charged with murder. A decision to charge the officer from London's Metropolitan Police over…
Home secretary Suella Braverman has initiated a review of the legal protections for police officers engaged in firearms duties, in response to a rebellion within the ranks of Scotland Yard following the murder charge brought against a Metropolitan Police officer who discharged his weapon while on duty. The Ministry of…
A father of Indian origin, who tragically lost his son due to what he terms a series of medical errors, has established a new charitable foundation dedicated to advocating for patients' rights. Earlier this month, Jay Patel officially registered "Patients Lives Matter" an initiative that stems from the tragic loss…
Several London police officers have withdrawn from firearms duties following the murder charge against a fellow officer in the fatal shooting of a young black man, a spokesperson for the force said on Sunday (24). The highly unusual protest by officers prompted interior minister Suella Braverman to stress that firearms…
Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that there have been no alterations in party supremo Nawaz Sharif's intention to return to Pakistan next month. Shehbaz Sharif said that his elder brother is scheduled to present an 'agenda of progress' on October 21, the media…
LONDON-BASED author Chetna Maroo's debut novel Western Lane has been shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. Kenya-born Maroo's novel set within the context of the British Gujarati milieu has been praised by the Booker judges for its use of the sport of squash as a metaphor for complex human emotions. It…
A British Indian teenager, who died from a rare disease while in a legal fight with the NHS trust in the UK to allow her to travel abroad for an experimental trial that she hoped could prolong her life chances, has been named for the first time after court restrictions…
Charithra Chandran, along with India Amarteifio, PinkPantheress, and Yara Shahidi, is presently filming a secret project in London. Chandran was spotted in a chic wine-coloured jumper and matching baker-boy style hat as she chatted away to the others while making her way down the streets of the British capital. She…
HAROLD BENJAMIN organised a summer bash at Somerset House in London to mark the 70th anniversary of the law firm. About 400 people, including its staff and guests, gathered at the event which also featured a live band. Harold's managing partner Vijay Parikh said he was proud to have celebrated…
A PIONEERING ‘reprogramming’ of a girl’s immune system has spared her from taking drugs lifelong to stop her body from rejecting a kidney transplant. Aditi Shankar, 8, has become the first in the UK to undergo the surgery that ensured her body accepts a donor kidney as its own. In…
VEDANTA RESOURCES is holding talks with private equity firms to raise funds for partial repayment of the company’s bonds maturing in the next two years, according to media reports. The London-based conglomerate, led by billionaire tycoon Anil Agarwal, is in advanced discussions with Cerberus Capital, Ares SSG Capital, Bain Capital…
CANADA this week divulged it had intelligence possibly linking Indian government agents to the murder of a separatist Sikh leader, the kind of news that usually sparks uproar among democratic allies. Not this time. India is being courted by the United States and others as a counterweight to China, and…
THESE make-up picks are at the top of the drugstore bunch and have my seal of approval. Here’s my top five I would recommend for a fraction of the price. Maybelline Fit Me matte and poreless powder: I’m not a huge fan of pressed powders, but I don’t go anywhere…
THE lead of an independent review investigating into clashes in Leicester last year has refuted suggestions that the authorities overlooked decades of deepening divides in the city. Dozens of people were arrested after community tensions erupted in August and September 2022 and led incidents of vandalism and attacks on places…
FROM tapping out rhythms as a baby to pursuing a professional career as a composer, sound artist, producer, performer, and educator, Jason Singh has had a lifelong connection to music. By using drums, percussion, voice, nature, electronics, DJ culture and technology across all art forms, he has used his obsession…
IT IS NO surprise that Sumukhi Suresh delivered one of this year’s best stand-up comedy performances. Her critically acclaimed show Hoemonal at Soho Theatre in central London demonstrated her incredible ability in front of a live audience and immense skills as a writer because it combined magnificent entertainment with meaning.…
A CONCERTED effort to increase ethnic minority representation is part of cultural reforms within the Metropolitan Police service after it emerged that more than 1,000 officers are currently suspended or on restricted duties. Out of the Met’s workforce of about 34,000 officers, 201 are suspended and around 860 are on…
AFTER entertaining cinema audiences for 23 years, Kareena Kapoor Khan is now stepping into the streaming world with the new Netflix thriller Jaane Jaan, which had its global premiere on her birthday on Thursday (21). Helmed by Sujoy Ghosh, the acclaimed director of Kahaani (2012) and Badla (2019), the film…
A London restaurant is exploring the potential of consuming invasive species like grey squirrels, American Signal crayfish, and Japanese knotweed to combat their proliferation. However, scientists maintain a skeptical stance on this approach. The idea behind several "invasive species supper clubs", the last of which was served on Tuesday (19)…
SAINA NEHWAL is aware that qualifying for the Paris Olympics will be “tough” for her but the injury-ravaged Indian shuttler has no plans to quit badminton. Laid low by a spate of injuries, including a recurring knee issue, the 33-year-old from Hyderabad has found it tough to stay fit to…
THE use of laughing gas by young British Asians is a growing problem with tougher punishments needed for possession, according to doctors and community experts. Nitrous oxide, sold in small metal canisters or balloons, can lead to a host of health problems. After cannabis, nitrous oxide is the most commonly…
A SHOPKEEPER from Peckham, south London, has gone into hiding after protests erupted over a video surfaced of him “choking” a female customer when an argument broke out over a refund. Sohail Sindho said he was “forced” to pull his three sons out of school following growing protests at his…
Rishi Sunak is set to announce the delay of certain government policies aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 in an upcoming speech this week, citing the need for a more "proportionate" response to climate change. In a highly unusual late-night statement after reports that he was planning to row…
A coroner has urged to implement the Martha's Rule following the tragic death of nine-year-old who succumbed to a Strep A infection shortly after being sent home from the hospital with a diagnosis of tonsillitis. Riya Hirani was discharged from Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow with instructions for over-the-counter pain…
THE father of a 10-year-old girl whose death sparked an international manhunt in Pakistan will face trial for her murder next year. Sara Sharif's body was discovered at the family home near Woking on August 10, the day after her father, Urfan Sharif, flew to Islamabad. An early morning emergency…
SS Rajamouli on Tuesday announced that he will be presenting the upcoming feature film Made In India, a biopic on 'Father of Indian Cinema' Dadasaheb Phalke. The RRR filmmaker said the script moved him emotionally when he heard the narration. "When I first heard the narration, it moved me emotionally like…
Tanika Gupta and Anupama Chandrasekhar are among the 60 award-winning playwrights who are donating very special first-edition copies of their plays to raise money for refugees in the UK. The plays are being donated to the Out of the Margins online auction in partnership with Christies Auction House which will…
The High Commission of India in London in association with the London School of Trends and International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD), presented a unique showcase titled "Celebrating LiFE Lifestyle for Environment at London Fashion Week" on "INDIA DAY" – Saturday (16). This event was part of London Fashion Week,…
Nero Ughwujabo, a senior strategy adviser at the Prince’s Trust, has received an honorary doctorate in equality, diversity, and inclusion from the University of East London’s Royal Docks School of Business and Law. The award was presented to him during a ceremony held at the University’s Docklands campus. Ughwujabo's distinguished…
SIXTEEN members of a West London crime group involved in international money laundering and people smuggling have been jailed for up to 15 years. National Crime Agency (NCA) officers seized £1.5 million - believed to be proceeds of class A drugs sale and immigration crime - from the organised network…
Former Miss World and Bollywood actress Manushi Chhillar is set to make her debut at London Fashion Week 2023. She will be walking the runway in creations by renowned designer Rocky Star. Excited about her debut at the London Fashion Week, Chhillar said, "I am thrilled about my debut at…
FOUR people have been charged over the collapse of the bakery chain Patisserie Valerie, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said. In January 2019, the company collapsed into administration after a £40-million hole was found in its finances. A month later, Dublin-based Causeway Capital Partners purchased 96 sites of the firm.…
SMALL SHOP owners across the UK are voicing growing concerns over an alarming increase in shoplifting incidents, with many citing a lack of police response and a rising sense of impunity among criminals as the root causes of the issue, reported the BBC. Benedict Selvaratnam, a convenience store owner in…
Pragnesh Modhwadia had been riding high just six weeks ago. The managing partner of what had recently transformed into Axiom Ince threw a lavish party at a Mayfair club in London, far from the usual atmosphere of a City legal practice. At the time, Modhwadia held the position of managing…
A British Sikh crossbow-armed intruder who has admitted to committing treason after telling royal guards at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 that he was there to kill Queen Elizabeth II has apologised to King Charles III and the royal family, a UK court heard on Friday (15). Jaswant Singh…
Veteran star Anil Kapoor added his special touch to the gala premiere of his son-in-law Karan Boolani's directorial Thank You For Coming at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Thank You For Coming actresses Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill, Shibani Bedi, Dolly Singh, and Kusha Kapila hit the red carpet of…
THE father, stepmother and uncle of a 10-year-old girl whose death sparked an international manhunt in Pakistan have appeared in court in the UK charged with her murder. The court hearing came after the three were arrested on Wednesday (13) after disembarking a flight from Dubai after spending a month…
RESEARCH by a campaign group has revealed that Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for London mayor, has liked tweets praising controversial figure Enoch Powell and tweets containing Islamophobic abuse directed at her Labour opponent, Sadiq Khan, reported the Guardian. In February 2020, Hall liked a tweet praising Powell, a former…
POLICE investigating the death of a 10-year-old girl said Friday (15) they had charged her father, stepmother and uncle with murder after they returned to Britain from Pakistan. Sara Sharif's body was discovered at the family's home near Woking, southern England, on August 10. A post-mortem examination revealed she had…
THE India Club, a historic London curry house with links to India's freedom struggle, will close its doors for the last time on Sunday (17) after failing to stop a hotel redevelopment plan. With a non-descript entrance up a precipitous stairway on a busy stretch of The Strand in central…
LONDON's police force has apologised and paid "substantial damages" to two women detained at a vigil held in memory of Sarah Everard who was raped and murdered by a serving officer, their lawyers said on Thursday (14). Marketing executive Everard was abducted off a street in London as she walked…
Leander Paes is regarded as one of the best doubles tennis players of all time. The Calcutta-born ace, who retired in 2021, won several doubles tournaments after turning professional in 1991. We look back on Paes’ sensational career. 2023 Grand Slam Season Ends Paes won five US Open titles in…
Actresses Bhumi Pednekar and Shehnaaz Gill are set to present their film Thank You For Coming at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The two along with co-stars Kusha Kapila, Shibani Bedi, and Dolly Singh left for Canada on Wednesday night. They all shared snaps and videos from the…
Stolen, an edge-of-the-seat thriller from India, is set to be screened at the 67th edition of the BFI London Film Festival in October. Directed by Karan Tejpal and produced by Gaurav Dhingra of Jungle Book Studio, the Hindi film recently had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Set…
THERE is no denying that Lucky Ali is one of the finest music talents India has produced, but he is also someone who hasn’t delivered nearly enough songs or live performances in recent years. While on one side, it has left his fans frustrated, but at the same time given…
QUEEN frontman and rockstar Freddie Mercury’s Parsi heritage was celebrated more than 30 years after his death, as Sotheby’s in London conducted the first of six auctions of his belongings last Wednesday (6). A 16th-century Indian miniature depicting A Prince on Horseback With His Entourage sold for £266,700, against an…
“WHO was Churchill?” This was the question debated at the inaugural Chartwell Literary Festival last week at Sir Winston Churchill’s home in Kent. It was held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for Literature that Britain’s wartime leader was awarded in 1953. Introducing three historians on the…
THE Indian comedian returned to the Soho Theatre in central London after a month long run at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. At the beginning of his show, he made the interesting revelation that it was hard to draw roaring laughter from British audiences, even when they were appreciative of a…
RISING British star Dane Buckley has made good use of the fact that he is (probably) the only half-Indian, half-Irish, gay stand-up comedian in the world. By mining comedy gold from the three identities, the sparkling London-based talent regularly makes cross-cultural audiences of all ages roar with laughter. The award-winning…
THE greatest difficulty in the earliest days of Indian cinema was to get local women to act in films. For India’s first film Raja Harishchandra (1913), producer/director Dada Saheb Phalke had to get a man in a sari (Salunke) to play the leading lady. Although women slowly started to step…
PAKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to the country from London on October 21 to lead the party's political campaign in the upcoming elections, ending his over four years of self-imposed exile in the UK. "Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan on October 21," his younger brother…
“IT IS not just the responsibility but the right of every poet andwriter to speak freely, challenge the status quo and usher in social change in the world”, proclaimed the Indian poet, lyricist, screenplay writer and activist Javed Akhtar. He was speaking after being honoured for his contribution to the…
HUNDREDS of articles praising Bangladeshi government policies apparently by independent experts have appeared in national and international media but the authors have questionable credentials, fake photos, and may not even exist, an AFP investigation has found. Commentators say it is evidence of a sustained campaign of disinformation by unknown actors…
WITH the provision of a swathe of new oil and gas exploration licences and a crisis in offshore wind energy, clouds are gathering over the UK’s net zero promises. The Conservative government of Rishi Sunak in July promised “hundreds” of new licences for oil and gas exploration and production in…
THE Old War Office (OWO) of Britain's World War II era prime minister Winston Churchill is all set to open its doors to the public this month as a brand-new luxury hotel in the heart of London, after a multi-million-pound makeover in keeping with its historic setting by the Hinduja…
Nandini Das from the UK and Kris Manjapra from the US, both with Indian heritage are among the six global writers announced on Tuesday (12) for the 2023 British Academy Book Prize, for Global Cultural Understanding, a prestigious international non-fiction award valued at GBP 25,000. Nandini Das, originally from India,…
PASSENGERS and crew members of a British Airways flight who were taken hostage in Kuwait in 1990 are intending to take legal action against the British government and the airline, a law firm said Tuesday (12). Passengers on BA flight 149 were taken off the Kuala Lumpur-bound plane when it…
India, one of the largest nations on earth, is a well-known center for the industrial and service industries. People in urban regions work in the IT industry, the food processing industry, the jewellery industry, and many other industries, even though agriculture is the main source of income for those who…
INDIAN Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals is understood to have launched a bid to take over Yorkshire Club as the ECB intends to open up cricket to overseas investment. The winner of the 2008 IPL title offered £25 million to take full control at Headingley, Mail Sports reported. If…
ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor near Watford celebrated the temple’s 50th annual Krishna Janmashtami last week with thousands of pilgrims attending the event over three days.The festival featured live music, performances and a hand-decorated forest depicting scenes from Lord Krishna’s childhood pastimes.The shrine at the spiritual sanctuary was adorned with flowers and…
THE BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London, popularly known as Neasden Temple, celebrated Krishna Janmashtami (birth celebrations of Lord Krishna) with a host of devotional festivities on 7 September, a statement said. Devotees and visitors arrived at the temple throughout the day to offer prayers and respects as well as…
Finalists for the 2023 World's Best School Prizes were revealed in London on Tuesday (12), including an independent international school in Gujarat and a charity school in Maharashtra, representing institutions from across the globe. The five World's Best School Prizes, which include categories such as Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation,…
The Canadian man charged with the murder of four members of a Muslim family acted intentionally and with premeditation, the prosecutor said. The man whose trial began on Monday (11) faces accusations of driving his pick-up truck into the family, leading to their tragic deaths in what is being characterised…
India’s yearlong presidency of the G20 came to a climax last weekend as world leaders gathered in Delhi for the annual summit of the world’s leading economies. Against the perceived odds, India was able to forge consensus among a group of nations increasingly divided along geopolitical fault-lines. The official communique,…
A British Indian police officer has been dismissed from Scotland Yard after a misconduct hearing found she had used “unreasonable force” on duty while arresting a man in north London two years ago. Police Constable Mandeep Dharni, attached to the Metropolitan Police’s north west Basic Command Unit (BCU) in London,…
The conclusion of the G20 summit marked important political milestones and offered a plethora of fashion moments for inspiration. Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty’s wardrobe garnered much attention, making her elegant looks the talk of the town. She was seen at various events in India’s capital city showcasing her traditional…
The renowned actor and producer, Anil Kapoor, is confirmed to attend the 46th Toronto International Film Festival 2023 with his presence. The anticipation rises as Anil Kapoor's upcoming film, Thank You For Coming, is set for a glamorous World Gala Premiere at the distinguished and luxurious Roy Thompson Hall in…
Popular Irish music group Westlife is set to enthrall fans in India as the band travels to the country for its much-anticipated "The Wild Dreams" Tour this November. The global bestselling pop band, consisting of Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Mark Feehily, will perform live in Mumbai, Bengaluru,…
China has lashed out at media reports alleging a man who was arrested on suspicion of espionage was gathering intelligence for Beijing, labelling the claim a "political farce". UK police said over the weekend that they had arrested a man in his twenties at his home in Edinburgh for spying,…
Former British soldier suspected of terrorism offenses, who had escaped from prison earlier in the week, was arrested in London on Saturday (9), police said. The absconder, 21-year-old Daniel Abed Khalife, had fled from Wandsworth prison in London on Wednesday (6) morning. He managed to slip out of the prison…
Prime minister Rishi Sunak, accompanied by his wife Akshata Murthy, visited BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi, on Sunday (10) as part of their official trip to the city for the G20 summit. They were warmly welcomed in a traditional Hindu manner symbolising goodwill and friendship. Sunak was then greeted…
PRIME minister Rishi Sunak was greeted with the salutation of "Jai Siyaram" by Indian minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey who received the visiting dignitary upon his arrival in New Delhi on Friday (8) to attend the G20 summit. Choubey informed Sunak that he is an MP from Buxar which, he noted,…
Charles III commemorates his first year as king today (8). Here are five pivotal moments from his first year on the throne. - Inaugural address - Following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 on September 8, 2022, Charles assumed the throne. During his…
His Holiness Swami Swaroopananda, the esteemed global head of Chinmaya Mission, will lead a series of talks titled "Beyond Moods" from September 9-14 in London at the Sattavis Patidar Centre, Wembley. These enlightening sessions will delve deep into Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita, a revered scripture that explores the…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak has said the country is working towards a trade deal with India but cautioned that reaching a final agreement was "not a given", the Daily Mirror reported on Friday (8). Sunak arrived in New Delhi on Friday for the annual gathering of the Group of 20…
Rishi Sunak said on Friday (8) that his trip to New Delhi for the G20 Leaders' Summit is "obviously special". He jokingly mentioned the nickname "son-in-law of India," as the first British prime minister of Indian heritage and being married to Akshata Murty, an Indian. Speaking to reporters in a…
FIVE former Metropolitan Police officers have been found guilty of sharing “grossly offensive racist messages” including mocking prime minister Rishi Sunak and other British Asian politicians. Peter Booth, 66, Robert Lewis, 62, Anthony Elsom, 67, Alan Hall, 65, and Trevor Lewton, 65 retired from the UK’s largest force between 2001…
The Metropolitan Police announced on Friday (8) that the ongoing searches within London's Richmond Park were connected to the pursuit of a former army soldier suspected of terrorism offenses. Daniel Abed Khalife, aged 21, is thought to have escaped London's HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday (6) morning. His escape reportedly involved…
King Charles expressed gratitude to the public for their "love and support" on Friday (8) the first anniversary of his mother Queen Elizabeth's passing and his ascension to the throne. He echoed her sentiments, pledging to be of service to all. Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning sovereign, died aged 96 on September…
Women in England are being encouraged to actively participate in shaping reproductive health policy by sharing their personal experiences related to various issues. The government's initiative to conduct this survey follows a commitment made by ministers over a year ago to seek women's input on matters including periods, contraception, fertility,…
Rishi Sunak finds himself confronted with another challenging vote to fill a vacant parliamentary seat, following an announcement by a lawmaker who had been handed an eight-week suspension for groping two men at a London club last year, revealing his intention to resign. Chris Pincher, who now sits as an…
THE City of London called in a report on Thursday (7) for a new council which would allow Britain's financial sector to drive through "big moves" needed to boost the economy by £225 billion by 2030 and beyond. Britain is implementing a range of financial reforms after its exit from…
BRITISH police said they had issued an urgent appeal to find a former soldier suspected of terrorism offences who went on the run after escaping from a London prison on Wednesday (6). Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, who was being held in prison while he awaited trial, is believed to have…
AFTER the huge critical and commercial success in 2022, hit theatre play The Father and the Assassin returns for another run at the National Theatre in central London from Friday (8) until October 14. The gripping five star rated play based on historical events revolves around the life of Nathuram Godse,…
MOST top stand-up comedians will perform for an hour, including those who have specials on streaming sites. Sumukhi Suresh delivered an effortless 90-minute set at Soho Theatre in central London and could have quite easily carried on for another hour because she was that good. The high-energy Indian stand-up talent…
LABOUR has pledged to clamp down on costly hidden fees associated with international remittances from the UK to countries, such as India, as it makes its pitch to voters in the lead up to a general election, expected next year. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy hosted a special “Connecting Communities”…
AFTER many years in journalism, Suchandrika Chakrabarti found her true calling with comedy in January 2020. Since then, she has beautifully balanced stand-up comedy with writing for popular shows like Radio 4’s The News Quiz and BBC One’s Have I Got News For You. She took her live debut I…
IT IS not often you meet a university dropout who returned to the company he started at as a graduate civil engineer – and is now the group chief executive of one of Britain’s best-known and most successful construction and infrastructure companies. Leo Quinn, who heads Balfour Beatty, is a…
A CANADIAN man accused of slamming his pick-up truck into a Muslim family, killing four people in an alleged terrorist attack, pleaded not guilty to murder on Tuesday (5). Nathaniel Veltman, 20 at the time of his arrest, appeared in court in Windsor, southern Ontario province, during the opening of…
LONDON’S Barbican Theatre will soon reverberate to the sounds of “operatic telling” and dramatic, ancient Indian dances as it is set to host a fresh two-part adaptation of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, on October 1. Canada-based Why Not Theatre has adapted this ancient work into a “more accessible form…
IN TERMS of ability, longevity, versatility, body of work and global impact, Asha Bhosle is regarded by most as India’s greatest singer of all time. Born on September 8, 1933, the most recorded artist in history changed the face of commercial music in India and entertained countless people across different…
Bridgerton star Simone Ashley recently enjoyed a meal at Darjeeling Express, a restaurant in Covent Garden, London. The wildly popular restaurant is owned by Kolkata-born British chef and restaurateur Asma Khan and is run by nine women. Ashley, who became a household name after playing Kate Sharma in Netflix’s globally…
The Royal Court Theatre today announced Salman Akhtar, Omar Bynon, and Arian Nik as the cast for Mohamed-Zain Dada’s debut play Blue Mist. It is directed by Royal Court Associate Director Milli Bhatia, who has previously directed such successful plays as Baghdaddy, Maryland, Living Newspaper, My White Best Friend (and…
This week marks the first-year milestone of King Charles III's reign, marked by a seamless transition from the late Queen Elizabeth II's rule. The anniversary on Friday (8) is anticipated to be observed privately, considering it coincides with the date of his mother's passing at the age of 96. Charles,…
HOME Secretary Suella Braverman said on Saturday (2) she has ordered a watchdog to review "political activism and impartiality" in the police after an independent review found the force racist, sexist and homophobic. Braverman, who has earned criticism since taking up the post nearly a year ago with her "anti-woke"…
The 67th BFI London Film Festival commences on Wednesday, October 4 with Emerald Fennell’s new thriller Saltburn at the Royal Festival Hall. From there, the prestigious film festival will continue its post-pandemic revival with 11 days and nights of galas, screenings, and events. BFI London Film Festival recently announced its…
The 67th BFI London Film Festival, which is scheduled to be presented over twelve days from 4 to 15 October 2023, has announced the full programme line-up. The London Film Festival will invite audiences to return to its flagship venues in the heart of London – BFI Southbank and the…
The third London Interfaith Fun Run is scheduled to happen on Sunday 3rd September at StoneX Stadium in North London. The Fun Run is more than just a race; it's a day of family fun, connection, and fundraising for London's amazing charities. The London Interfaith Fun Run 2023, hosted by…
Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan is set for her next film with Hansal Mehta to be premiered at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival 2023. The film marks the debut of Kareena as a producer. Helmed by Hansal Mehta, the yet-to-be-titled film is co-produced by Ektaa R Kapoor. An announcement made…
A new pilot project supported by the NHS Race and Health Observatory was announced today (31) to increase the number of Black, Asian, and ethnic minority patients taking part in potentially life-enhancing breast cancer clinical trials. The project is in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, Roche Products Ltd, and two…
THE government on Thursday (31) named Claire Coutinho as secretary of state for energy security and net zero, replacing Grant Shapps who was named defence secretary. Coutinho, who is the first member of parliament elected in 2019 to be promoted to the cabinet, was previously a junior minister in the…
FORMER energy minister Grant Shapps replaced Ben Wallace on Thursday (31) as Britain's defence secretary, a promotion for a man relied upon by the government as a good media communicator but lacking in direct experience of the military. An ally of prime minister Rishi Sunak, Shapps takes on the brief…
BRITISH foreign secretary James Cleverly said he had raised human rights concerns at "every single one" of his meetings with top Chinese officials, as he made a state visit to Beijing on Wednesday (30). Cleverly, the first UK foreign minister to visit China in five years, held talks with Chinese…
Deepa Mehta, Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, Lukas Moodysson, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi are among the filmmakers whose titles have made it to the official competition section of the upcoming 67th edition of the British Film Institute’s (BFI) London Film Festival. Eleven films have been selected to screen in the official competition, competing…
QUEEN Camilla has unveiled a new portrait of the Indian-origin spy and descendent of Tipu Sultan, Noor Inayat Khan, at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Club in London to honour her sacrifice as an undercover agent for Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the World War II. Camilla on Tuesday…
SHATTERING glass ceilings, breaking boundaries and deliv - ering path-breaking performances have defined the dance journey of Aditi Mangaldas. Instead of dwelling on past achievements or being satisfied with her incredible body of work, the forward-thinking Indian Kathak maestro is continuing to have a fearless approach. That is why her…
THE prime minister, Rishi Sunak, could face some transparency questions related to wife Akshata Murty’s Infosys shares, which are worth an estimated £500 million, in a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India, according to a media report. The Observer last Sunday (27) claimed that Labour and trade experts were…
A REMARKABLE new book tells the untold story of India’s first female doctors. Lady Doctors by Kavitha Rao combines history with accounts of six incredible pioneers, who battled extreme sexism, caste prejudice and misogyny to realise a seemingly impossible dream, in an unforgiving man’s world. The stories of doctors,…
THE forgotten history of the Indian Army soldiers who camped in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, southwest of London, in the early 20th century is set to be uncovered in a new exhibition opening this month. The Indian Army at the Palace will explore the story of the encampments…
VARIETY is the spice of life, as the saying goes, and the restaurant sector is embracing this with new fusion cuisines and combinations. Palmito, an Ecuadorean-Indian restaurant in Brighton, Sussex, is among the businesses earning rave reviews with dishes such as grilled squid in a Keralan roast style sauce, and…
BRITISH Asian stand-up Ahir Shah won the best show award at the 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards for his show Ends. Shah, who was previously nominated for the top comedy prize at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2017 and 2018, dedicated the prize to his wife-tobe, and to his late director…
GATE Theatre’s Brassic FM, which opens next Monday (4), will showcase an “unfiltered and unique” take on the working class, as seen through the lens of a pirate radio station. Co-created by poet Zia Ahmed and artistic director Stef O’Driscoll, Brassic FM is described as a love letter to working…
THE UK government was working with airlines on Tuesday (29) to help ensure passengers stranded in airports across Europe, after an air traffic control glitch the previous day caused widespread disruption to flights that is expected to last for days. More than 1,500 flights were cancelled on bank holiday Monday…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion to cover every borough of the city came into force on Tuesday (29). Drivers must pay a charge of £12.50 per day to drive a non-compliant vehicle anywhere in the city now. Those driving in the zone in a high…
ASIA'S richest man Mukesh Ambani has begun executing a succession plan for his $200-billion (£159.08 bn) energy-to-technology conglomerate Reliance Industries. He appointed his three children - Isha, Akash, and Anant - to the board of the company which he will continue to chair for five more years. Till now, the…
A BANGLADESH court ordered the state-run telecoms regulator to delete speeches of an exiled opposition leader from social media as the country readies for general elections, officials said on Monday (28). Tarique Rahman, 55, acting chairm of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is a leading figure and staunch critic of…
A commonly prescribed blood-thinner, clopidogrel (Plavix), may not be effective for individuals of South Asian descent due to a genetic mutation, a study suggests. The research reveals that over half of those with Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage have a genetic mutation that hinders the proper function of clopidogrel, the Daily…
A 16-year-old British Pakistani student, Mahnoor Cheema has set a record in the UK and internationally after passing a total of 34 subjects at the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level. This accomplishment is the result of Mahnoor passing 17 GCSEs in the previous year, coupled with an additional…
British Asian stand-up Ahir Shah has won the Best Show award at the 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards for his show Ends. Shah, who had previously been nominated for the top comedy prize at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2017 and 2018, dedicated the prize to his wife-to-be, and to his…
London mayor Sadiq Khan has accused government ministers of “weaponising air pollution and climate change” alleging that they are not endorsing the expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), The Guardian reported. As the Ulez expansion is set to encompass all London boroughs, Khan has expressed his dissatisfaction with the…
A LONDON-BASED firm founded by former Reckitt Benckiser CEO Rakesh Kapoor seeks to become a consumer investment platform in India. The 12 Flags Group launched an £80 million fund to support promising, early-growth businesses that it believes can scale up to “deliver superior returns.” According to the firm, the 12…
The annual Vogue 25 list has been a platform to honour remarkable women who are driving British society forward since its establishment in 2018. According to British Vogue, this year's lineup is not only incredibly impressive but also features pioneering individuals achieving success on their own terms, including some renowned…
MORE than 640,000 students received their GCSE results today, while an additional 390,000 pupils got their vocational qualifications. The distribution of top grades (grade 7 and above) and standard passes (grade 4) remains consistent with the figures from 2019, reflecting the return to normal grading standards, the Department for Education…
THE next big Bollywood blockbuster release is action entertainer Jawan. Shah Rukh Khan headlines the unique looking film and will be hoping to carry on the momentum generated by his super hit thriller Pathaan earlier this year. The September 7 release has been shrouded in secrecy since it went into…
LABOUR’S shadow business minister, Seema Malhotra, has backed calls for greater trade links between Britain and India on a visit to Tamil Nadu and Kerala this month. Malhotra, who represents Feltham and Heston in London, visited both states ahead of India hosting the G20 summit in September. In June, party…
INDIA’S High Commissioner to the UK has expressed optimism that British and Indian officials will be “able to get something working” and find a “right fit” towards a mutually beneficial free trade agreement. Vikram Doraiswami said he was positive as both countries seem keen to make necessary adjustments, recognising the…
Bollywood star Alia Bhatt recently opened up about a cherished gift from her husband Ranbir Kapoor that dates back to the time when they were still dating each other. It was during the filming of Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra (2022) in Bulgaria that Ranbir surprised her with a special milk cake…
KRISHNENDU MAJUMDAR has called a wrap after three years as chair of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta), to be succeeded by his deputy, Sara Putt. Majumdar was the first nonwhite person to occupy the post since Bafta was set up 76 years ago on April 16,…
PRAFUL PATEL, who has died in Mumbai, aged 84, made a startling claim about the Ugandan Asian crisis in his last interview with Eastern Eye. He revealed that the British government was aware that Idi Amin was planning to expel Uganda’s entire Asian population before the African dictator made his…
THE India Club, a London landmark with links to VK Krishna Menon, the India League and the fight for Indian independence in the UK, is to close permanently. The historian Kusoom Vadgama, who frequented the India Club on first arriving in London from Kenya in 1953, said: “I went there…
INDIA-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations are now laser-focussed on goods, services and investment, UK officials said on Wednesday (23) ahead of business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch's visit to India. After the G20 trade and investment ministerial meeting in Jaipur, which is scheduled for Thursday (24) and Friday (25),…
CHARLES DICKEN’S classic work, Great Expectations, has been adapted to an Asian setting in a new production to be staged next month at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Pooja Ghai, Tamasha Theatre’s artistic director, will helm a fresh adaptation of playwright Tanika Gupta MBE’s 2011 take on the 19th…
Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer Pooja Hirwade performed a Bharatanatyam piece on 'Namo Namo Bharatambe' and Chandrayaan Anthem on Wednesday. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Chandrayaan-3 is all set to create history by landing on the uncharted south pole of the moon today. Sharing her excitement, Pooja Hirwade told…
A STAND-OUT show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe is The Department of Britishness. The latest offering from acclaimed Indian stand-up comedian Anuvab Pal is a laughter-filled look at embracing Britishness and continues his strong run of live UK performances. It also adds to an impressive body of work that has…
A former officer with London's Metropolitan Police was on Tuesday (22) jailed for 16 years for a series of rapes, in the latest scandal to hit the force. Adam Provan, 44, was found guilty in June of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2010 and six counts of rape against a…
Celebrated filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is presently busy with pre-production work of his next directorial venture Masoom: The Next Generation. As the title aptly suggests, the film is a sequel to his 1983 film Masoom, which featured Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi in lead roles along with Tanuja, Supriya Pathak, and…
Bollywood star Sunny Deol spoke of his joy over the successful box-office run of his latest release, Gadar 2, as he introduced a special screening of the film in London. Organised by the Indian High Commission in London and its cultural wing, the Nehru Centre, the packed screening at Vue…
AN Ahmedabad-based businessman has embarked on a special journey in a cherished UK-made vintage car to mark 76 years of India's independence as well as a personal family milestone. Daman Thakore, 50, will be accompanied by his 75-year-old father, 21-year-old daughter, and a close-knit group of friends and family as…
The Bhaktivedanta Manor Krishna Temple marked its 50th-anniversary last weekend with a remarkable celebration. The temple, established by the Beatles' George Harrison in 1973 for the Hare Krishna movement, commemorated the occasion with a range of events, including a procession featuring 14 adorned oxen, parading through the temple's expansive 79-acre…
HUNDREDS of cameras installed on London's roads to enforce a clean-air zone that imposes a daily charge on some motorists have been vandalised amid fierce opposition to its upcoming expansion, police said. The Aug. 29 expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) has been championed by mayor Sadiq Khan as…
A one-day strike next month is set to be staged by thousands of train drivers, their trade union announced on Friday (18). This action, which is part of a pay dispute spanning over a year, will have repercussions for passengers across the country during the bustling summer season. Workers in…
Director SS Rajamouli, on Friday, shared several pictures from his vacation to Norway with his wife Rama. He visited the famous tourist spot, Pulpit Rock in Norway and posted photos on Instagram he all smiles with his wife Rama. He thanked his Baahubali team and wrote on Instagram, "Saw the…
INDIA replaced Romania as the most common birth country for non-UK-born mothers in England and Wales in 2022, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed. There were 17,745 live births to women born in India, a 16.3 per cent increase from 15,260 in 2021, the data…
A ‘slum landlord’ in London has been banned from letting houses in England for five years after being found guilty of multiple offences, including squeezing dozens of tenants into a home.Brent Council also barred Jaydipkumar Rameshchandra Valand, 48, from engaging in any sort of property management work in the country…
STUDENTS across the country have been celebrating their A level results announced earlier this morning, with many getting into universities of their choice or taking up apprenticeships or starting work. UCAS said 79 per cent of students secured their first choice, two percentage points down from 2022, when exams were…
The British Museum, a prominent tourist destination in London renowned for its vast collection of valuable artifacts, has taken the decision to expel an employee, pending legal action, following the discovery of theft of several treasures from a storeroom. The famous public museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture,…
THE son-in-law of Lord Patten of Barnes, the former governor of Hong Kong, was convicted for his part in the shooting at the PBK curry house in Greenford, west London, reported The Telegraph. Elton Charles, 51, who is married to Patten's daughter Laura, 48, was convicted of his part in…
WASHING hair to keep it clean, nourished, healthy and shiny may seem like a simple task, but many don’t know how to do it properly. With damage done by styling tools, products, braiding, extensions, sun damage, dirt build-up, uneven pH balance and other factors, it is important to talk about…
MIKE BREARLEY, a very successful England cricket captain from 1977 to 1980, has been a practising psychoanalyst in London for the past 40 years. Brearley very sportingly placed himself on the couch for the benefit of Eastern Eye – and answered questions on the many Indian connections that are mentioned…
SEVERAL British Muslims have raised concerns about debanking making their access to financial services difficult.Debanking became a hotly discussed issue after Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage claimed his account at private bank Coutts had been closed because of his political views.While several people complained about their debits being declined banks,…
STAR Indian doubles player Chirag Shetty wants to retire with a room full of medals from big tournaments and his mantra is to play “best badminton” which would take care of the results. Chirag and his partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who won the Commonwealth Games gold medal last year, have been…
A family in Berkshire ran a decade-long operation to defraud the Royal Mail of £70 million, a court heard. Three men reportedly gained millions of pounds by engaging in a scheme involving the deliberate under-reporting of mail in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, reported The Evening Standard. Parmjeet Sandhu, 56, along with…
WHEN Life Of Pi was first published in 2001, it became a literary phenomenon, selling millions of copies in many different languages and winning multiple awards, including the prestigious Man Booker Prize. The global success of Canadian author Yann Martel’s novel immediately led towards thoughts of a live adaptation. Aside…
Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami has said, the Group of 20 (G20) stands as the foremost platform globally for fostering inclusive growth. He remarked that India's current presidency of the G20 has played a pivotal role in amplifying the perspectives of the Global South, contributing to the…
INDIA’S High Commissioner to the UK has expressed optimism that officials of the two countries will be “able to get something working” in their Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Vikram Doraiswami said both countries seem keen to make adjustments, recognising the complexities involved with the different structures of the two similar-sized…
THOSE who pursue romantic love across boundaries of caste, religion or class in India are even today “just asking to be murdered”, says the historian Joya Chatterji, emeritus professor of South Asian History at Cambridge University. She has given several examples of love leading to murder in her new book,…
THE billionaire owners of B&M are believed to be in the running to buy collapsed retail chain Wilko, which announced last week it was closing its doors, putting 400 stores and 12,500 jobs at risk. B&M, which is owned by brothers Simon, Bobby and Robin Arora, has been told by…
GENDER-NEUTRAL or unisex toilets, where men and women mingle sometimes in intimate spaces, are not for British Asians, given they are conservative in such matters. The National Portrait Gallery in London, which had separate toilets, has come back after its £41.3 million renovation with unisex toilets. They have also been…
A CITY which has one of the country’s largest and youngest south Asian communities has become a hotspot for Hollywood producers and music chiefs. Bradford in Yorkshire, famous for its textile mills and the setting for Riz Ahmed film Four Lions, was named the UK’s City of Culture in 2025…
RISHI SUNAK has said his upcoming visit to India for a G20 summit early next month will be “special” as Britain’s first Asian prime minister returns to the homeland of his grandparents. Sunak is scheduled to travel to New Delhi in September – his first as prime minister since taking…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak on Tuesday (15) said that he was 'frustrated' over reports of a criminal winning funding to house migrants in Milton Keynes. The BBC on Monday (14) reported that the owner of Harben House Hotel in Newport Pagnell was convicted of offences linked to the operation of houses of…
Being an Indian, Grammy winner Ricky Kej says leading the UK's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) for a rendition of "Jana Gana Mana" was special as the national anthem has been the most "important piece of music" in his life. Kej on Monday shared the video of the national anthem, recorded…
THERE is a "huge" progress in the talks between India and the UK on the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) , a top official said in New Delhi. Commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal said the 11th round of talks in London was "very intense" and many issues were closed. Out of…
Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled a fresh addition of £3 million in funding aimed at supporting grassroots initiatives combatting violence against women and girls in London. This funding boost seeks to bolster projects offering essential services to women and girls dealing with domestic abuse and sexual violence, a press release…
THE number of black and minority ethnic (BME) workers in insecure work has more than doubled over the last decade, a new analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) revealed on Monday (14), calling for government action. The TUC, an umbrella group of 48 unions comprising more than 5.5 million…
PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak blamed the "criminal gangs" facilitating small boat Channel crossings for the "horrific" deaths last weekend of at least six migrants, his spokesman said on Monday (14). Six Afghan men died and dozens more required rescuing after a small vessel bound for the southeast English coast from…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reacted to three-time Grammy award-winning musician Ricky Kej’s instrumental rendition of the Indian national anthem which he created in collaboration with the 100-member British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi wrote, “Wonderful. It will certainly make every Indian proud.” https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1691101478293786624 Kej…
Aiming to enhance early cancer detection, NHS authorities are set to eliminate approximately two-thirds of their cancer waiting time targets. The intention is to streamline the existing nine targets down to three, with the support of renowned cancer experts and the objective of modernising outdated standards, the BBC reported. However,…
BANGLADESH has sought an extradition treaty with the UK, weeks after a court in the south Asian nation sentenced its exiled opposition leader in a money laundering case. Earlier this month, Tarique Rahman, 55, acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was handed a nine-year prison term and his…
To commemorate Indian Independence Day 2023, three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej released a teaser of the instrumental rendition of the Indian national anthem with the 100-member British Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Taking to Twitter, Ricky shared the video and captioned it, “A few days ago, I conducted a 100-piece British orchestra,…
Paris prosecutors on Sunday (13), took over the inquiry into the deaths of a minimum of six migrants, whose vessel sank during an attempt to cross the Channel connecting France and England. At the same time, the police initiated a pursuit of the traffickers believed to be accountable for the…
The safety and security of the Indian High Commission in London, as well as its personnel, are being safeguarded through essential measures by the UK, British security minister Tom Tugendhat said. This initiative comes approximately five months subsequent to an attack on the mission by pro-Khalistani groups, which had introduced…
LABOUR has ditched plans to roll out clean air zones across the country aimed at cutting carbon emissions after Uxbridge by-election defeat, reported The Telegraph. A narrow by-election loss last month in outer London has been blamed on London mayor Sadiq Khan's expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez),…
The government said the strike launched by hospital doctors in England on Friday (11) to demand a 35-per cent pay increase served "only to harm patients". The four-day stoppage comes with health chiefs estimating that the repeated industrial action had cost the health service £1 billion. The British Medical Association…
Headlined by Idris Elba and Archie Punjabi, the much-talked-about thriller series Hijack has come to an end on Apple TV+ and the streamer has not announced any plans for a second season of the series. However, Elba has said that he would like to return to Hijack Season 2 as…
Anthony Hopkins-starrer One Life will be screened at the 67th BFI London Film Festival. As per Variety, the film tells the true story of Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to WWII, rescued 669 children from the Nazis. Fifty years later, in 1988,…
During the ceremonial reception extended to India's Army Chief General, Manoj Pande on Thursday (10), the UK said that India holds a vital role as a partner in collectively promoting the rules-based global order. The Guard of Honour at Horse Guards Parade in the heart of the capital marked the…
The outgoing prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has announced that his brother and former premier, Nawaz Sharif, is set to make his return to Pakistan in the upcoming month. Nawaz Sharif's return aims to address his pending court cases and to spearhead the party's efforts for the forthcoming general…
ASIAN entrepreneur Karim Janmohamed has found a place in this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Cleveland list. Janmohamed, 24, is the co-CEO of Karali North America, a franchise of fast-food restaurants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. According to Forbes, the company owns 32 Burger King restaurants and over 700 employees. It is…
SCOTTISH comedian and celebrity chef Hardeep Singh Kohli has been arrested and charged with “non-recent” sexual offences. Police Scotland said in a statement that the 54-year-old man, “arrested and charged in connection with allegations of non-recent sexual offences,” was released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later…
Switching to a vegetarian diet for several months has the potential to decrease the susceptibility to heart attacks and strokes, a study shows. The research involved nearly 2,000 individuals with underlying health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, who abstained from consuming meat for an average period of…
A FORMER deputy head teacher at a London primary school who had pleaded guilty to paying and instructing teenagers in India to abuse younger children has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich in south London was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA)…
Three-time Grammy-award-winning musician Ricky Kej, who is set to come up with his own interpretation of the Indian National Anthem along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on the eve of Independence Day, spoke about how Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a ‘big influence’ on his music career. Speaking…
AN employment tribunal has ruled that a NatWest analyst who was sacked for advertising sex work online was dismissed unfairly, reported The Telegraph. Karim Ahmed was dismissed in October 2020 after bosses discovered that he offered sexual services from websites linked to his business profile on LinkedIn. According to reports,…
WHEN author Shelina Janmohamed couldn’t find any relevant books on the British empire for her two young daughters, she decided to write her own book, titled Story of Now – Let’s Talk About the British Empire. Her two daughters, aged nine and five at the time, were keen to learn…
Criminal gangs are profiting from aiding motorists in evading speeding fines and penalty points, a Daily Mail investigation has revealed. These gangs are resorting to using fake or stolen information to contest that someone else was driving the vehicle caught speeding on police cameras. The prevalence of such scams has…
HOW do you write about sex? This was the question put to Reshma Ruia, the co-founder of a south Asian women’s writing collective, The Whole Kahani (the complete story), when the group of eight authors launched their third anthology in London last week. Tongues and Bellies, a short story collection,…
THOUSANDS of people will head from the UK to Gujarat this October to enjoy the ICC Cricket World Cup; to celebrate Navratri and Diwali and for business, leisure and family visits. Without a rapid change in the attitude of some of our biggest airlines, for many the journey to and…
FROM fanciful costumes and working drafts of Bohemian Rhapsody to ashtrays and art, hundreds of items Freddie Mercury owned went on show in Britain last Friday (4) before being sold next month. Sotheby’s has transformed its central London gallery to resemble the Queen frontman’s former home in the city for…
Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the public to avoid participating in a TikTok-driven craze on Oxford Street, describing it as "nonsense". He advised individuals who had viewed the videos on the social media platform to refrain from visiting Oxford Street. According to media reports, amid speculation surrounding an event advertised…
INDIA will remain an “active and willing partner” to find a “lasting” solution to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the country’s national security advisor said, after attending a peace conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia last Sunday (6). Ajit Doval told delegates the responsibility to end the war was in the hands…
“RAISE your hand if you are a racist.” This is a question Saira Rao, an Indian American campaigner, poses at the start of the documentary, Deconstructing Karen. It features the work of Race2Dinner, an initiative by co-founders Rao and Regina Jackson, a black American, whose aim is to ultimately dismantle…
MIDDLESEX-BASED referee Surekha Griffiths was recognised as a community champion at the Grassroots Football Awards held at Wembley Stadium last Sunday (6). Griffiths, who has just completed her first season of refereeing for Middlesex Football Association (FA), was the recipient of the match official award. The 45-year-old takes charge of…
