Yesterday, Akshay Kumar starrer Bachchan Pandey went on the floors, and today, the actor has shared his first look from the film.
Akshay took to Instagram to share his first look with his fans. He posted, “New year, old associations...begun shooting for #BachchanPandey, my 10th film with #SajidNadiadwala, and hopefully many more. Need your best wishes and do tell me your thoughts on the look. @farhadsamji @kritisanon @jacquelinef143 @arshad_warsi @nadiadwalagrandson.”
Well, Akshay plays the role of a gangster in the film and we must say his look is quite deadly in it.
Directed by Farhad Samji, Bachchan Pandey also stars Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arshad Warsi. While the details about Jacqueline and Arshad’s character are not yet revealed, reportedly, Kriti will be seen playing the role of a journalist in the movie.
Earlier, while talking about the film, Kriti had stated, “I am very excited about it. Also, I have heard the script, it’s very entertaining. The way Farhad (Samji) has written the script and also written my role, I am very thrilled to play that. It is something very different and it has got a lot to explore as an actor. Of course, the team is the same team I have worked in Housefull 4, so my comfort level is something else.”
“Housefull 4 didn’t have as many scenes with Akshay sir to explore, but whatever we had we realised that the give and take was very good. It’s fun to do scenes with him because the scene always turns out to be better than what you see in the paper. He always has that craving of finding something more to better the scene and I actually love that and this film has a lot more. So, I can’t wait to start shooting,” she added.
Bachchan Pandey was announced in 2019, and in April 2020, the film was going to start rolling, but, due to the pandemic, it was postponed. The movie was earlier slated to release on 22nd January 2021. The makers have not yet announced the new release date of the film.
TWO brothers have been fined £20,000 and put on the ‘rogue landlord’ database after 15 people were found crammed inside a seven-bed property in north London.
Council officers also found smoke alarms covered with aluminium foil and fire doors missing after being tipped off by a neighbour.
Housing enforcement officers from Brent Council paid a visit to the property on Ilmington Road in Kenton after reports it was operating as an unlicensed house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
Landlords in Brent can get an unlimited fine upon prosecution and a criminal record if they do not obtain a licence. Alternatively, they could receive a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence and be banned from running a rental property.
Brothers Vimal and Ravi Kanji Bhudia had rented out the seven-bedroom property to 15 people, all young students who were forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, two or three to a room. The house was also found not to meet fire safety regulations as the smoke alarm had been covered and safety doors removed, following the inspection in July last year.
Despite living locally, the landlords did not respond to notices from the council about the need for an HMO licence.
The council issued enforcement action and the brothers appeared at Willesden magistrates court last week, where they were told they had been given “a significant amount of time and opportunities” to respond.
They both pleaded guilty to the charges of breaching housing regulations and failure to have a licence, and were issued a £20,000 fine.
The cabinet member for housing and residents services, councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, said the brothers “acted as if they were above the law” and have ultimately paid “a heavy price for it”.
She added: “Every landlord in Brent is legally required to have a licence. The law exists to protect tenants from rogue landlords who overcrowd their homes and ignore fire safety regulations while pocketing their tenants’ money.
The aluminium foil covered smoke alarms
“Every Brent resident has the right to live in a safe and secure home.”
Borough-wide licensing became law in 2020, requiring all landlords renting out HMO properties in Brent, except Wembley Park, to obtain a licence. However, the five-year programme ended in January, during which 2,500 were licenced.
The council is currently running a consultation on plans to extend it which, if approved, will come into force in the autumn. The local authority claims the previous licensing scheme helped it “improve standards and management practices” of many HMOs across the borough, but acknowledges that a significant number are still “still substandard and potentially dangerous”.
The private rental sector is increasingly being used to address a shortfall in social housing, and the council wants to use tougher rules to “drive up standards” and make them safer.
Licensing imposes specific obligations on the landlord to demonstrate that their property is safe while enabling the council to enforce rules. The licence would cost landlords £1,040 for the application, processing and inspection of up to five habitable rooms – either a lounge, dining room or bedroom – and a further £25 per additional room.
If the property licence holder or managing agent is accredited to the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme, the council has proposed a £40 discount per property application.
TO MARK Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, documentary photographer Tom Bradley revisited Lepra’s ‘Mind to Heart’ project in Bangladesh, a lifeline in restoring the positive wellbeing of people affected by leprosy.
For the past six years, Tom Bradley and leading leprologist Professor Diana Lockwood have collaborated on The New Face for Leprosy project. Aiming to dispel the myths surrounding the curable disease and challenge negative stereotypes, the project captures positive and empowering images which help to change our collective understanding of this often misrepresented disease.
The portraits and stories from India and Bangladesh have since been exhibited at venues across the UK, including Westminster Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, during Lepra’s centenary year in 2024.
In March, Tom returned to the small city of Bogura in Bangladesh, where Lepra’s Mind to Heart project is transforming the lives of vulnerable people.
At its heart is the belief that alongside treating the physical symptoms of leprosy, it is essential to address the emotional scars left by discrimination, fear and isolation.
In rural communities where access to formal mental healthcare services remains extremely limited, Mind to Heart provides a critical bridge to support.
As many as one in two people diagnosed with leprosy will experience significant mental health concerns. Positive mental health is crucial for people’s recovery; as such, Lepra provides professional counselling sessions for people affected by leprosy and their families.
Trained community volunteers provide ongoing support and guidance, visiting people in their homes, listening without judgement, and offering practical strategies to rebuild confidence and resilience. Many of Lepra’s volunteers have recovered from leprosy themselves.
Since 2023, over one hundred people affected by leprosy have received professional counselling, and an average of 1,200 house visits are made annually by community volunteers, providing ongoing encouragement and personalised care. An overwhelming 98 per cent of participants who engaged with Mind to Heart’s mental health support reported tangible improvements in their emotional wellbeing.
Photographer Tom Bradley (centre), Professor Diana Lockwood (right) and the Lepra Bangladesh team in Bogura
Understanding and empathy
Firoza, from Bogura in Bangladesh, is featured in the latest iteration of the New Face for Leprosy project.
When Firoza was diagnosed with leprosy, her husband divorced her. She was depressed and suicidal, but through Lepra’s Mind to Heart project, she has found a vital line of support which has helped her gradually regain her confidence and improve her emotional wellbeing.
“I didn’t want to live with this sort of pain. People gossiped behind my back. I also felt bad for myself because of the worsening leprosy – it was difficult to do daily tasks. I didn’t eat or wash properly, or do any kind of work.”
Firoza’s turning point came when she was referred for counselling, followed by support from a Mental Motivator – a community volunteer with mental health training. Rupali has recovered from leprosy herself and shows great compassion for the people she supports. Over the past eight years, Rupali has visited Firoza two to three times a month.
“It helps to have someone to listen. These days I’m feeling better and more motivated.”
Watch an exclusive interview with Tom Bradley and hear about his experiences in Bangladesh and the New Faces for Leprosy exhibition: https://bit. ly/4jSY7lt
INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (12) vowed to respond forcefully to any future “terrorist attack” after days of escalating tensions with Pakistan.
In his address to the nation, Modi warned New Delhi would not accept “nuclear blackmail” if further conflict with Pakistan were to occur.
A weekend ceasefire between the two countries appeared to be holding this week, after four days of heavy fighting. Last week’s conflict involved jetfighters, missiles, drones and artillery attacks, marking the worst violence between the countries since 1999.
Global leaders, including UK foreign secretary David Lammy, said the current tense situation requires “sustained dialogue between both sides” to prevent further hostilities in the region.
The UK welcomed the ceasefire agreement last Saturday (10) and encouraged both countries to continue working towards deescalation. Urging both India and Pakistan to “sustain the ceasefire”, Lammy said he had chaired a COBRA meeting on the situation and that maintaining the truce was a priority.
“I know the images from India and Pakistan have been deeply worrying for many communities in Britain, and for those living and working in both countries,” the foreign secretary said. “Given our strong and close relationships with India and Pakistan, the UK stands ready to work with both sides to make lasting peace a reality.”
He said he had spoken to India’s external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, and Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar.
“My message to both was the same – ensure this ceasefire agreement is extended and sustained. Further conflict is in nobody’s interest,” he said.
Lammy also said the UK was working with the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and EU counterparts to support peace. Foreign Office teams were in touch with airlines and advising British nationals in the region.
“We value the contribution of British Pakistani and British Indian communities to this country, and their long and proud history of living here side by side,” he said.
The cross-border firing caused extensive damage to people’s homes
The ceasefire was announced last Saturday by US president Donald Trump. He said on Monday his country’s intervention had prevented a “bad nuclear war”.
“We stopped a nuclear conflict... millions of people could have been killed. So, I’m very proud of that,” he told reporters at the White House.
Top Indian and Pakistan military officials held briefings late last Sunday, with each side claiming the upper hand and warning they were ready to respond if there were fresh attacks.
“We have delivered on the promise that we made to our people”, said Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, calling it a “success on the battleground”.
“We have thus far exercised immense restraint and our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory,” said India’s Lieutenant General Rajiv Gha.
Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets, something New Delhi has not commented on.
People returned to Poonch earlier this week, a frontier town in Indian Kashmir and one of the worst-hit places.
But thousands of schools remained closed across Pakistani Kashmir as areas were cleared of debris from strikes and firing, said local official Naveed-Ul-Hassan Bukhari.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it hoped “India will prioritise regional stability and the well-being of its citizens over narrow, politically motivated jingoism”.
Modi, in a televised address to the nation on Monday, his first since hostilities began last Wednesday (7), said Pakistan has chosen to attack, rather than help it fight “terrorism”.
“If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.
The conflict followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, but Islamabad denied involvement.
However, before dawn last Wednesday, India launched a series of missile attacks destroying what it called “terrorist camps” in Pakistani Kashmir.
Each side then accused the other of launching waves of aircraft and drone strikes, as well as missile and artillery bombardments that killed at least 60 people on both sides.
“If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure,” Modi said. “India will strike with precision and decisiveness against the terrorist groups thriving under the cover of nuclear blackmail.
“India’s stand is very clear. Terror and talks cannot go together... Terror and trade cannot go together... Water and blood cannot flow together.”
On Tuesday (13), the prime minister delivered another message to Islamabad from Adampur Air Base, just 100 km from the Pakistan border. “Operation Sindoor has now drawn a clear Lakshman rekha [red line] for Pakistan,” said Modi, who was wearing a Western Air Command cap with its trademark trident emblem.
“When our armed forces take the wind out of nuclear blackmail, our enemies understand the importance of Bharat mata ki jai,” he said with an S-400 missile defence system visible behind him.
The prime minister praised the military for their recent success in the fourday engagement known as Operation Sindoor, which resulted in the destruction of nine terrorist sites and damage to eight Pakistani military installations.
“What you have achieved is unprecedented, unimaginable and amazing,” Modi told the soldiers, who had greeted his surprise arrival with patriotic chants.
Pakistan previously falsely claimed to have destroyed that particular base, including its S-400 missile launchers. Adampur is India’s second-largest air base, home to Rafale and MiG-29 squadrons. It has historical importance, having played crucial roles in the 1969 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.
The Pakistan army has widespread support in the country
Meanwhile, many in Indian Kashmir are demanding compensation for damages from cross-border firing.
Hundreds of villagers evacuated their homes as both countries targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones. Many returned to find their homes destroyed or roofless.
“Where will we go with our kids? We don’t have anywhere to live and anything to eat,” said Roshan Lal, from the village of Kot Maira in Akhnoor in India’s district of Jammu, about seven km (four miles) from the de facto border.
The shelling had left his home uninhabitable, the 47-year-old added.
“I want to ask Modi’s government for justice,” he said. “We need compensation for the damages.”
In the nearby village of Pahari Wala, farmer Karan Singh said he buried seven cattle in his field, while his family are living in makeshift shelters. “I left the village when the conflict began,” he said.
“We don’t have a place to stay.”
In Salamabad, a border village in the Kashmir Valley, shelling injured Badrudin Naik and his six-year-old son, but both returned home after five days.
“I am happy to return,” he said. “But my house is damaged. My two uncles’ houses were completely destroyed. We want permanent peace as it is we on the border who suffer more.”
Pakistan’s army said on Tuesday that more than 50 people were killed in military clashes with India.
India has said at least five military personnel and 16 civilians died.
Trump, meanwhile, said he promised to do a “lot of trade” with India and Pakistan, after which the countries agreed to a ceasefire, describing “the historic events that took place over the last few days”.
“We helped a lot, and we also helped with trade. I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it, let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade.
“People have never really used trade the way I used it. By that, I can tell you, and all of a sudden they said, ‘I think we’re gonna stop’, and they have,” he US president said.
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The company currently manufactures its popular Range Rovers in Solihull, West Midlands
JAGUAR LAND ROVER's chief executive has left open the possibility of building cars in the US as questions remain about the newly announced UK-US trade agreement, reported the Telegraph.
Adrian Mardell said that while there are no immediate plans to shift manufacturing across the Atlantic, he couldn't dismiss the idea completely given the ongoing trade uncertainties.
"We had and currently have no cause to build cars in the US at this time, but we cannot discount that it could be the case at some point," Mardell was quoted as saying.
His comments will worry government officials who are rushing to finalise practical aspects of the trade deal announced last week by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and US president Donald Trump.
The agreement has reduced tariffs from a potential 27.5 per cent down to 10 per cent for the first 100,000 vehicles exported from the UK to the US. This has already prompted JLR to restart US shipments after previously pausing them.
JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, currently manufactures its popular Range Rovers in Solihull, West Midlands, while producing models like the Land Rover Discovery and Defender elsewhere in Europe.
North America represents a crucial market for the luxury carmaker, with 129,000 vehicles sold there in the year ending March — roughly a third of its worldwide sales. Most of these sales occurred in the US.
However, car manufacturers are still awaiting key details about how the agreement will work in practice. Bentley's chief executive Frank-Steffen Walliser expressed concerns at a Financial Times conference about the current uncertainty.
"The worst thing that can happen to a running business is the announcement of lower tariff," Walliser explained. "It means all your customers say 'I won't buy a car now', especially our customers, our clients don't need a car at the moment."
He added that the lack of clarity was seriously affecting business: "It is super hard on the business at the moment, nobody's moving."
One major question remains about how the tariff-free quota of 100,000 vehicles will be divided among different car companies.
"Is the 100,000 for Bentley? I can live with that," Walliser remarked. "But I assume our colleagues from JLR would also like to have a chunk."
Bentley, which sells around 4,000 cars annually in the Americas with the US being its largest market, has so far avoided price increases by shipping vehicles to America before tariffs were imposed. However, Walliser warned this strategy was becoming unsustainable as stock levels decreased.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining," he said about the trade deal. "But it is not operational."
Despite these concerns, Starmer has defended the agreement, insisting it "delivers for British business and British workers protecting thousands of British jobs in key sectors including car manufacturing and steel."
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Trade unionists in front of Arcelor Mittal headquarters in Saint Denis in France on May 13, 2025. (Photo by DANIEL PERRON/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
UNIONS in France fighting to save 600 jobs at ArcelorMittal operations in the country called for the government to take control of them, along the lines of what has happened to British Steel.
CGT union chief Sophie Binet promised hundreds of workers demonstrating outside ArcelorMittal's offices of its French subsidiary in France that she would press the issue with president Emmanuel Macron.
"I will deliver to him the CGT proposals to nationalise" the group's French operations, she told the protesting workers.
ArcelorMittal announced plans last month to cut 600 jobs across the seven sites it has in France, from a total workforce in the country of around 7,100 people. It is in the process of negotiating the job reductions with unions.
The group -- the second-biggest steelmaker in the world, formed from a merger of India's Mittal Steel with European company Arcelor -- has warned of industry "uncertainty" after the US imposed 25-per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
Yet the group in April posted a quarterly group net profit of $805 million (£633m). To shave costs, it is shifting some support jobs from Europe to India, and last year it suspended a $2 billion (£1.57bn) decarbonisation investment in France.
French unions believe Macron's government can follow the lead of its British counterpart, which last month passed a law allowing it to take control of ailing British Steel.
Italy last year also ousted ArcelorMittal as owner of its debt-ridden ex-Ilva plant, accusing the company of failing to prop up the operation after buying control in 2018.
"The Italians have done it, the British have done it... so why aren't we French able to also do it?" asked a regional CGT head, Gaetan Lecocq.
But a junior French minister for business, Veronique Louwagie, told parliament that "nationalisation is not a response in itself to the difficulties faced by the European steel industry".
She also said, however, that the government expected the company "to give what its mid-term strategy in France is".
A lawmaker with the hard-left France Unbowed party, Aurelie Trouve, has put forward a bill for the nationalisation of ArcelorMittal in France.
Trouve said the company "has clearly been organising the offshoring of production for years, and now we are faced with an emergency".