APRIL is a time of many religious and cultural celebrations. As many of us come together to celebrate our different faiths, some have questions about how we can see our loved ones, without passing on coronavirus.
Riyadul Karim, assistant director of primary care, Enfield, at NHS North Central London CCG, outlines practical steps that health professionals recommend to reduce the risk of infection. He also explains how it is important to get advice from health professionals for Muslim readers around the Ramadan fast.
In the past few weeks, we have wished Thai people a happy and peaceful Songkran, Tamil people Puthandu Vazthukal, Sikhs a healthy Vaisakhi, Jains Mahavir Jayanti, our Jewish neighbours a peaceful Passover, and wished Christians a happy Easter. And for Muslims, Ramadan continues. This is a holy month of prayers and fasting.
Can every Muslim fast during Ramadan?
It’s important to remember that sometimes, Muslims are advised not to fast, but to practise their faith in other ways. For example, Islamic scholars maintain that where fasting could make an existing medical condition worse, or affect a treatment, their continued good health must be a priority.
The Qur’an says we must not act in a way that harms our body. Your imam can advise you about fasting and valid alternatives to fasting during Ramadan. If you have a medical condition, please talk to the health professional who helps you to look after your health. Ideally, you will have already had this discussion at least a month before Ramadan started, but if not, it’s still advisable to get advice as soon as possible.
Health professionals recommend that prescribed medicines should ordinarily be taken during Ramadan. They also recommend that the timing or dose of your medication (including any injections) might need adjusting to ensure they continue to be as effective as possible. Islamic scholars agree medicines and injections are not nutrition and therefore won’t invalidate your fast.
If you have a condition such as diabetes, your health professional will discuss your type and how well-controlled it is, as well as the risks posed by fasting on both the management of diabetes and any other conditions you might have.
With your health professional you can also discuss what is best to eat and drink before and after your fast, and whether the timing, dose and type of your prescribed medication and any insulin needs to change. Your health professional will also advise you on when and how frequently to check your blood sugar levels, ensuring you know what to do if your blood sugar is too low, and signs and symptoms to be aware of.
If you get poorly and/or symptoms of Covid such as fever during Ramadan, this could lead to fatigue and dehydration and health professionals would advise to stop fasting until you are fully recovered.
Celebrations during the pandemic
Since the outbreak of coronavirus, many celebrations have been scaled back in size. In the UK, we have seen places of worship closed, parades cancelled and restrictions on how many people from outside our household we were permitted to meet. While most restrictions have now been lifted, Covid is not over, and we have a personal responsibility to our loved ones and neighbours, to come together safely.
If you have symptoms of coronavirus or respiratory infection, you are asked to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. The virus affects people individually. If it is mild for you, it doesn’t mean it will be mild for someone else. In fact, it could be fatal or lead to long Covid which can, for example, mean extreme tiredness or difficulty sleeping.
Vaccinations are the best line of defence against Covid-19 (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Other steps to celebrate safely include wearing a face covering/mask in public or enclosed spaces, opening a window when guests visit your home or business, continuing to wash hands regularly and thoroughly, and catching all coughs and sneezes in tissues before throwing them away. It is also important to have your Covid-19 vaccinations. This is our best line of defence and has reduced both deaths and hospitalisations from Covid-19.
More than 121 million Covid-19 vaccination doses have been given in England alone. Whether you are coming for your first, second or booster vaccination, you will be welcomed by staff. Please talk to staff if you have questions about the vaccine or a phobia of needles, so we can give you the help you need.
The vaccines used in England have been supported by scholars from across many different faiths, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity and Islam. They do not contain any animal products and any alcohol is less than that found in a banana or slice of bread. As already mentioned, an injection is not nutrition, so you can be vaccinated during Ramadan, and it won’t invalidate your fast.
A second booster – or spring booster –is offered to people aged 75 and over, people living in care homes for the elderly and those aged 12+ who are immunosuppressed.
Vaccinations for your child
All children aged five and over can now get the Covid vaccine too, to increase protection for them and their families. To find out more and book online, visit www.nhs.uk
It’s also important that children are up to date with their routine NHS vaccinations to help protect them against a range of serious illnesses such as polio, measles and whooping cough. Find out more about what vaccinations are offered at what age by visiting www.nhs.uk and typing ‘NHS vaccinations and when to have them’.
If your child has missed any routine vaccinations, you can check your child’s red book or contact their GP practice.
When your child is at secondary school they will also be offered vaccinations through their school, including a booster to protect against diseases like tetanus, diphtheria and polio as well as a vaccine to help protect against human papillomavirus, which in some cases can lead to certain types of cancer, so we would strongly encourage them to have these vaccinations too.
Of course, even as an adult, if you think you may have missed some of your childhood or adult vaccinations, it’s never too late to check. You can speak to your GP practice about what you might need.
For more information about coronavirus see https://www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
Fragments of Belonging is Nitin Ganatra’s first solo exhibition
Opens Saturday, September 27, at London Art Exchange in Soho Square
Show explores themes of memory, displacement, identity, and reinvention
Runs from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM, doors open at 3:15 PM
From screen to canvas
Actor Nitin Ganatra, known for his roles in EastEnders, Bride & Prejudice, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is embarking on a new artistic chapter with his debut solo exhibition.
Titled Fragments of Belonging, the show marks his transition from performance to painting, presenting a deeply personal series of works at the London Art Exchange in Soho Square on September 27.
Exploring memory and identity
Through abstract forms, bold colour, and layered compositions, Ganatra’s paintings reflect themes of memory, displacement, and cultural inheritance. The exhibition has been described as a “visual diary,” with each piece representing fragments of lived experience shaped by migration and reinvention.
What visitors can expect
The exhibition will showcase original paintings alongside Ganatra’s personal reflections on identity and belonging. The London Art Exchange promises an intimate setting in the heart of Soho, where visitors can engage with the artist’s work and connect with fellow creatives, collectors, and fans.
The event runs from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM on September 27, and is open to all ages.
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£1 tickets available for families receiving Universal Credit
The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure runs at Hampton Court Palace from 25 July to 7 September 2025
Trail includes interactive games, riddles and character encounters across the gardens
Children can meet a larger-than-life Peter Rabbit in the Kitchen Garden
Special themed menu items available at the Tiltyard Café
£1 tickets available for families receiving Universal Credit and other benefits
Peter Rabbit comes to life at Hampton Court
This summer, families visiting Hampton Court Palace can step into the world of Beatrix Potter as The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure takes over the palace gardens from 25 July to 7 September 2025.
Explore the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard and WildernessHRP
The family trail, officially licensed by Penguin Ventures on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co., combines the palace’s historic gardens with the much-loved tales of Beatrix Potter. Visitors will encounter interactive activities, puzzles and games while exploring the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard and Wilderness.
Interactive activities and wildlife learning
Along the trail, children can try Mrs Tiggy-winkle’s washing equipment to make music, search for Peter Rabbit under wheelbarrows, or test their hopping skills alongside Beatrix Potter’s characters.
The experience also highlights Potter’s role as a committed environmentalist. Young visitors are encouraged to look for real wildlife such as hedgehogs, squirrels and toads while learning about habitats and conservation in the palace grounds.
Children can meet a larger-than-life Peter Rabbit HRP
Meet Peter Rabbit and enjoy themed treats
Peter Rabbit himself will make appearances in the Kitchen Garden at set times each day, where families can take photos among the seasonal produce. Fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the gardens will feature in special Peter Rabbit™ menu items at the Tiltyard Café.
After completing the trail, children can also explore the Magic Garden playground or visit Henry VIII’s Kitchens inside the palace, where live cookery demonstrations take place each weekend.
Tickets and access
The Peter Rabbit™ Adventure is included in general admission:
Off-peak (weekdays and bank holidays): Adults £27.20, Children (5–15) £13.60, Concessions £21.80
Peak (weekends and events): Adults £30.00, Children £15.00, Concessions £24.00
HRP Members go free
Families in receipt of Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits can access £1 tickets throughout the summer (advance booking required).
Membership offers unlimited visits to Hampton Court Palace and other Historic Royal Palaces sites, including seasonal events such as the Hampton Court Palace Food Festival and Henry VIII’s Joust.
For more details and booking, visit
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The former Match of the Day presenter was voted best TV presenter by viewers at the ceremony on Wednesday
Gary Lineker named best TV presenter, breaking Ant and Dec’s 23-year run
Former Match of the Day host left BBC after social media controversies
Netflix drama Adolescence wins two awards, including best drama performance for 15-year-old Owen Cooper
Gavin & Stacey takes home the comedy award
I’m a Celebrity wins in the reality competition category
Lineker takes presenter prize after BBC departure
Gary Lineker has ended Ant and Dec’s record 23-year winning streak at the National Television Awards (NTAs). The former Match of the Day presenter was voted best TV presenter by viewers at the ceremony on Wednesday.
Lineker stepped down from Match of the Day in May after 26 years, following controversy around his social media posts. Accepting the award, he thanked colleagues and said the prize showed “it is OK to use your platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.” He added: “It’s not lost on me why I might have won this award.”
Asked if he might work with the BBC again, Lineker said he was uncertain but was “really looking forward to working with ITV.”
The last winner before Ant and Dec’s run was Michael Barrymore in 2000.
Netflix drama Adolescence scores double win
Netflix’s hit drama Adolescence won best new drama and best drama performance for 15-year-old Owen Cooper. The show, which follows the story of a teenage boy accused of murder, became a national talking point earlier this year.
Cooper beat fellow nominee Stephen Graham, who plays his on-screen father, though neither attended the event.
Gavin & Stacey named best comedy
Gavin & Stacey’s Christmas finale, watched by more than 20 million viewers, was named best comedy. Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa, accepted the award and joked: “Alright, calm down. I’m going to the bar now for a pint of wine.”
Backstage, Jones paid tribute to co-writer and co-star James Corden, who could not attend, and addressed reports of a new Apple TV+ project, saying nothing had yet been confirmed.
I’m a Celebrity beats The Traitors
In the reality competition category, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! triumphed over The Traitors, Love Island, and Race Across the World. Presenters including Coleen Rooney and Oti Mabuse collected the award.
Other winners of the night
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show won the Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award
Molly-Mae Hague’s Behind It All won best authored documentary
Wallace & Gromit received a special recognition award
Gogglebox won factual entertainment, while Call the Midwife secured returning drama
The NTAs remain unique in British television for being entirely voted for by the public.
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UN human rights office urges India to drop cases against Arundhati Roy
ARUNDHATI ROY’S forthcoming memoir, Mother Mary Comes To Me, is about the author’s close but fraught relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, whose death in 2022 her daughter has likened to “being hit by a truck”.
Mary Roy, who insisted her children call her “Mrs Roy” in school, belonged to the Syrian Christian community. She does not seem a very nice person.
The Financial Times, which interviewed Arundhati at her home in Delhi, reveals: “In an episode to which the writer makes oblique reference early in the book but withholds until later — because of the pain it caused — she returned from boarding school for the holidays, aged 13, to find that Mrs Roy had had her beloved pet dog, Dido, shot and buried as ‘a kind of honour killing’ after Dido mated with an unknown street dog.”
In 1996, someone tipped me off that a publisher had won an auction by paying £1 million for The God of Small Things by an unknown Indian writer. This was unprecedented for a debut novel. But the buzz among the bidders was that the novel was a possible contender for the Booker Prize.
As I was writing my story at the Daily Telegraph, the night editor, Andrew Hutchinson, leant over and quipped: “Writing about your sister again?” As we know, Arundhati Roy did win the Booker in 1997. I had actually met Arundhati two years previously when she had stuck up for Phoolan Devi, the subject of Shekhar Kapur’s movie, Bandit Queen, based on Mala Sen’s biography.
Phoolan had been repeatedly raped by upper class Thakurs (the men were later lined up in the village of Behmai and executed by Phoolan’s gang in 1981). The film was exploitative, claimed Arundhati, because for Phoolan, it was like being raped again. She wrote a piece in Sunday in Calcutta (now Kolkata), headlined, “The Indian rape trick”.
Mala arranged for me to interview Phoolan who was refusing to talk to Channel 4 which was making a documentary in India on the controversial movie. In public, she supported Arundhati, but behind the scenes did a deal with C4 which paid her £40,000.
The FT interview says Arundhati “left home at 16, putting the length of the subcontinent between her mother in Kerala and herself in New Delhi, where she was admitted as one of the few women students at the School of Planning and Architecture. ‘I left in order to be able to continue to love her, because I knew she would destroy me if I stayed,’ she says.
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The mural has been covered and is being guarded by security
A new mural by street artist Banksy has appeared on the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London.
The artwork depicts a judge hitting a protester, with blood splattering their placard.
It comes days after nearly 900 arrests at a London protest against the ban on Palestine Action.
The mural has been covered and is being guarded by security; Banksy confirmed authenticity via Instagram.
Banksy’s latest work at the Royal Courts of Justice
A new mural by the elusive Bristol-based street artist Banksy has appeared on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London.
The artwork shows a judge in traditional wig and black robe striking a protester lying on the ground, with blood depicted on the protester’s placard. While the mural does not explicitly reference a specific cause or incident, its appearance comes just two days after almost 900 people were arrested during a protest in London against the ban on Palestine Action.
Security and public access
Social media images show that the mural has already been covered with large plastic sheets and two metal barriers. Security officials are guarding the site, which sits beneath a CCTV camera.
Banksy shared a photo of the artwork on Instagram, captioning it: “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.” This is consistent with the artist’s usual method of confirming authenticity.
Location and context
The mural is located on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex. Banksy’s stencilled graffiti often comments on government policy, war, and capitalism.
Previous works in London
Last summer, Banksy launched an animal-themed campaign in London featuring nine works. The series concluded with a gorilla appearing to lift a shutter at the London Zoo. Other notable pieces included piranhas on a police sentry box in the City of London and a howling wolf on a satellite dish in Peckham, which was removed less than an hour after unveiling.