Bollywood stars break stigma and speak out about having thalassaemia minor
Whilst this may sound serious, having thalassaemia minor does not generally incur health issues other than moderate anaemia.
By Neelam DonghaJun 23, 2022
What do Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroff have in common? The obvious answer is that they are famous Bollywood actors but did you know that both of them also have thalassaemia minor?
Whilst this may sound serious, having thalassaemia minor (or thalassaemia trait as it is often referred to) does not generally incur health issues other than moderate anaemia. The risk arises when two people, both with thalassaemia minor, have children together.
There is a 25% chance that the child will be born with a much more serious, lifelong genetic condition called thalassaemia major. People with thalassaemia major cannot make enough haemoglobin in their red blood cells and are dependent on regular blood transfusions – usually every three to four weeks – throughout their lives.
If left untreated, a child born with thalassaemia would die in early infancy. Thalassaemia minor developed as an evolutionary response to malaria; people with thalassaemia minor have greater resistance to malaria. That is why it mainly affects those from regions along the equator. It is estimated that 10,000 thalassaemia major babies are born every year across the globe, but these births are no longer confined to equatorial regions because of increased international migration and inter-racial relationships.
Bollywood stars support campaign by the Wishing Factory
India has a high number of people with thalassaemia major although exact numbers are difficult to gauge through the lack of adequate reporting and monitoring systems.
What is known is that sadly, a high percentage do not make it to adulthood due to poverty and a lack of access to healthcare. There is also the age-old problem of stigma associated with having a health condition.
It is very sad that many families will not disclose that a child has thalassaemia as they do not want to ‘tarnish’ the family name or jeopardise future marriage prospects. Having stars like Amitabh Bachchan talk about having thalassaemia minor can help to eradicate the stigma.
He has made university visits urging students to get tested to find out if they have thalassaemia minor. Jackie Shroff is Brand Ambassador for the charity Thalassemics India and has been vociferous in increasing awareness about the condition and the need to get tested.
Due to his own personal experience, he feels a real affinity for the cause and said: “My daughter Krishna could have been a thalassaemia major if my mother-in-law wasn’t aware of it. When my wife was pregnant, she only suggested to us to check our blood and we found out that both of us are thalassaemia minors. The little awareness of my mother-in-law saved the life of our daughter. I thought the best way to bring a new thalassaemia-free generation is by creating awareness among new couples.”
Shroff recently appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire) hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, to spread awareness and raise funds for Thalassemics India. Shroff was accompanied by his good friend and fellow actor Suniel Shetty; together the pair won Rs 25 lakh for Thalassemics India, a local group helping to provide medical necessities for people living with thalassaemia in some areas of India.
Sonakshi Sinha with young people supported by the Wishing Factory
World-famous singer, Pankaj Udhas, is also heavily involved with raising awareness of thalassaemia and has addressed students at awareness and blood screening camps at various colleges across India. He was also a patron of the United Kingdom Thalassaemia Society in the UK for a number of years.
Also supporting people with thalassaemia in India is the not-for-profit organisation The Wishing Factory (TWF). It was founded by Partth Thakur in 2015 and its work is really making a difference to the lives of many people with thalassaemia. An incredibly inspirational young man, Partth was just 19 when he started TWF. As a person with thalassaemia, he wanted to make treatment accessible to all and to eradicate the condition by ensuring people were informed and screened.
Amongst its services, TWF has established eight thalassaemia wellness centres in cities including Vadodara, Jaipur and Pune which provide impoverished patients with subsidised or free access to blood transfusions and other healthcare facilities. TWF is on the verge of opening a new centre in Madhya Pradesh. In a bid to encourage people to take the screening test, TWF runs awareness programmes in universities and corporate organisations.
TWF also has the support of famous actors and actresses; in its recent ‘Aadhiwali Zindagi Mitao’ campaign, celebrities including Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bacchan, Hrithik Roshan, Farah Khan, Raj Kumar Rao and many others used social media to raise awareness about the importance of taking a thalassemia test. The campaign reached over 70 million people and apart from being featured in all the prime newspapers of India, TWF received four awards for its overall impact. You can find out more about the work of TWF at www.thewishingfactory.org
In the UK, the national charity for thalassaemia – United Kingdom Thalassaemia Society (UKTS), advocates on behalf of people living with thalassaemia. UKTS is part of a major initiative along with the NHS to screen all young people, so they know their thalassaemia carrier status before embarking upon parenthood. All it takes is a simple blood test that can be organised by your GP.
If you would like more information, please visit www.ukts.org or call the UKTS office on 0208 882 0011.
TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.
The pair deny the charges and claim they were defending themselves.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the trouble started when their mother, shortly after landing, pointed out a man she had an issue with - Abdulkareem Ismaeil - who was inside a Starbucks café with his family.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said the younger brother, Amaaz, approached Ismaeil, shouted at him, then headbutted and punched him in front of his children.
Starbucks manager Cameron Cartledge said he heard loud voices and saw a man in a blue tracksuit—later identified as Amaaz—arguing closely with another man.
"Blue tracksuit man seemed quite aggressive. He got in the man’s face and shouted. Then he headbutted him, which made him stumble back," said Cartledge, adding that he called police immediately.
Another witness, barista Justine Pakalne, said the violence came from Amaaz, not Ismaeil. "Even if the other man stepped forward, he didn’t touch him. It was Amaaz who headbutted him," she said.
After the café incident, police officers found the brothers near the car park payment area of Terminal 2. According to Greaney, three officers - PCs Zachary Marsden, Ellie Cook, and Lydia Ward - approached to arrest Amaaz. When they did, he resisted and Amaad stepped in.
The court heard that both brothers attacked PC Marsden. Amaaz is also accused of assaulting PC Cook and breaking PC Ward’s nose during the struggle.
"The level of violence was very high," said Greaney. "Amaaz held PC Marsden by the neck, pulling him to the ground. PC Marsden managed to break free and later kicked Amaaz in the face to protect himself."
The prosecution acknowledged that the officer’s actions might appear “shocking” in isolation but argued they must be seen in the context of an armed officer facing a serious threat. "This happened in a busy airport where officers feared their weapons could be taken," Greaney said.
CCTV and police bodycam footage were shown to jurors, showing the incident unfold.
The defence claims both men acted in self-defence. However, Greaney dismissed that argument: "What the footage shows is not defensive behaviour, but offensive and violent conduct."
The court also heard that Ismaeil declined to give a police statement and is not part of the trial.
Both defendants deny all charges. The trial will continue on Monday (7).
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THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
The boy, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, was found guilty of carrying out an "unprovoked" attack on Kohli as he walked his dog in a park in Leicester, eastern England, in September last year.
The review follows a detailed assessment by Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP to determine whether the case met the threshold for referral.
“The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli’s friends and family at this difficult time,” said a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office.
“After a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old could be referred to the Court of Appeal. The court will now determine whether the sentence should be increased.”
A 13-year-old girl, who was also convicted of manslaughter for her role in the attack, avoided a custodial sentence. She had filmed the assault while laughing and encouraging the boy, the court heard.
At a sentencing hearing on June 5 at Leicester Crown Court, Justice Mark Turner described the attack as “wicked”. He said he was legally bound to consider the defendants’ ages.
The boy, referred to as D1, was convicted of physically assaulting Kohli, while the girl, referred to as D2, received a three-year youth rehabilitation order with a six-month curfew.
Addressing the girl in court, Justice Turner said that a custodial sentence would likely cause “more harm than good”. It is understood that her sentence will not be referred for review as it did not meet the legal threshold.
During the trial, the court was told that Kohli had been racially abused and repeatedly punched and kicked. His daughter, Susan Kohli, found him lying on the ground after the attack.
“They chose to attack a defenceless pensioner and for that I cannot give them any of my sympathy,” she said after the sentencing.
Kelly Matthews, senior district crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, called the incident “tragic” and said it had deeply affected the Leicester community and beyond.
“Kohli set out to walk his dog in his local park, as he did every day, but lost his life in what followed,” she said.
(PTI)
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Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis
THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.
"I have been able to serve the Buddhadharma (the teachings of Buddhism) and the beings of Tibet so far quite well," he said between prayers, clearing his throat now and then.
"And still, I hope to live over 130 years," he said, sparking applause and cheers among his followers.
The 14th Dalai Lama, already longest-lived head of Tibetan Buddhism, spent about 90 minutes at the prayers in his temple. The ceremony was attended by thousands of followers from around the world who gathered in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, where he has lived since fleeing Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
"We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can," he said in Tibetan, which was translated simultaneously in English and other languages.
China, keen to consolidate its control over Tibet, views the Dalai Lama as a separatist. Beijing insists its leaders would have to approve his successor, in a legacy from imperial times.
The Dalai Lama has previously said that he would reincarnate in the "free world" outside China and this week told his followers that the sole authority to recognise his reincarnation rests with his non-profit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust.
The Dalai Lama is a charismatic figure whose following extends well beyond the millions of Tibetan Buddhists living around the world. He won the 1989 peace prize for what the Nobel committee said was keeping alive the Tibetan cause and seeking genuine autonomy to protect and preserve the region's unique culture, religion and national identity without pressing for independence.
At the prayers on Saturday, he sat on a throne before a large statue of the Buddha, with dozens of monks seated in front of him. Marigold garlands hung from pillars as his followers and journalists crowded around the main temple area.
Oracles and other figures, shaking in trance, arrived to pay their obeisance to their guru. Monks struck cymbals and played ornate long trumpets in honour of the Dalai Lama and others.
The Dalai Lama said he prays daily to benefit all sentient beings and feels he has the blessings of Tibet's patron deity, Avalokitesvara.
"Looking at the many prophecies, I feel I have the blessings of Avalokitesvara," he said. "I have done my best so far. At the least, I hope to still live for 30 or 40 years more."
His birthday celebrations on Sunday will be attended by senior Indian ministers as well as diplomats from the US, along with thousands of his devotees.
(Reuters)
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Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C
Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria
Possible heatwave to return by mid-July
The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.
June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.
Heatwave thresholds and forecast temperatures
A heatwave in the UK is defined as three consecutive days with daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C in the west and north, and 28°C in London and surrounding counties.
According to Met Office meteorologist Zoe Hutin, “Whilst it is difficult this far ahead to determine exactly how hot things could get next week and weekend, there is the potential that some parts of the country could reach heatwave criteria.”
Early forecasts show that temperatures in the south east may rise to the high 20s on 9 July and could reach the low 30s on 10 July.
High pressure building over the south
The likely heat is being driven by a high-pressure system developing from the west, which is expected to extend across southern parts of the UK. This system may draw in warm air from the Atlantic and the Azores, increasing the chances of another period of hot, settled weather.
“Most likely it will be the south and east that see prolonged heat and thus could have another heatwave,” Ms Hutin said. “But it is too soon to say exactly how high temperatures could get.”
Cooler and wetter spell before the heat
In the meantime, cooler weather is expected across the UK this weekend and early next week. Cloudy skies and rain will affect western areas in particular, with temperatures forecast to drop slightly.
The south east is expected to reach 25°C on Saturday (6 July), followed by 24°C on Sunday and 23°C on Monday. Drizzly outbreaks are likely on Saturday, with showers expected on Sunday, especially in the east.
Rain warnings and flood alerts
A yellow weather warning for rain remains in place until Saturday afternoon across parts of Scotland, including Argyll and Bute, the south Highlands, Mull and Skye. Up to 60mm of rain is expected, with more than 100mm possible in mountainous areas.
The Environment Agency has issued flood alerts in Cumbria, including for rivers such as the Duddon, Crake and Mill Beck, following heavy rainfall on Friday. Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued six flood alerts for areas including Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Arran, Easter Ross and Great Glen, Skye and Lochaber, west central Scotland and Wester Ross.
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Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)
TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.
Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.
Bedi was sentenced on July 4 by judge Griffiths sitting at Southwark Crown Court to five years and four months, while Mavanga was sentenced to six years and six months.
Judge Griffiths said Bedi and Mavanga “were both leading players in a conspiracy whereby the victims of the fraud were persuaded to invest in crypto currency consultancy” and “you conspired to drive a coach and horses through the regulatory system”, according to the FCA.
It said anyone scammed by Bedi and Mavanga and who had not yet heard from the FCA should call 0800 111 6768 or email operationhickory@fca.org.uk.
Bedi on May 2, 2023, pleaded guilty to four charges – conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to breach the general prohibition under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and money laundering offences at an earlier hearing.
Mavanga pleaded guilty to three charges – conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to breach the general prohibition under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and possession of false identification documents with an improper intention – on June 9, 2023. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice on November 7, 2024, for the deletion of phone call recordings following the arrest of Bedi in March 2019.