British Asian candidates across both the Conservative and Labour parties on Friday (13) registered strong results in the UK's general election, with around a dozen MPs retaining their seats alongside some new faces.
Prime minister Boris Johnson clinched an emphatic victory in Thursday's election, setting the UK on course for an exit from the European Union (EU) in the New Year.
All the British Asian MPs from the previous Parliament were successful in clinching their seats, with Gagan Mohindra and Claire Coutinho for the Conservative Party and Navendru Mishra for Labour among the first-timers.
"Time to Get Brexit Done and get on with investing in our schools, hospitals and police to keep our streets safe," said Goan-origin Coutinho, in reference to the central Conservative Party message which clearly resonated with the voters in the polls.
She won the Surrey East Tory-held seat polling 35,624 votes, with an impressive majority of 24,040 for the party. Mohindra also won his Hertfordshire South West seat decisively with 30,327 votes and a majority of 14,408.
The other Tories to return to the Commons with comfortable wins include Priti Patel, the home secretary who is likely to remain in Johnson's top team in the new Cabinet as well.
"This has been a hard-fought election in a very cold time of the year because we needed a functioning Conservative majority,” said Patel, who polled 32,876 votes at her Witham constituency in Essex and held on to a majority of 24,082 for the party.
"We are committed to deliver on priorities and getting Brexit done is a priority. The deal is there, we want to move forward," she said.
Chancellor Sajid Javid, too, is likely to remain in Johnson’s top team. Javid was re-elected in Bromsgrove, won a majority of 23,106 over Labour's Rory Shannon.
He said he was "thrilled" with the result.
Javid’s fellow Cabinet colleagues in the previous Johnson-led government also had a good night, with Rishi Sunak the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy clinching 36,693 votes, marking a majority for the Tories of 27,210. Alok Sharma, the former international development minister, polled 24,393 votes to win from Reading West.
Shailesh Vara won his North West Cambridgeshire seat with a solid majority of 25,983, polling 40,307 votes and Goan-origin Suella Braverman clinched Fareham with 36,459 votes, registering a majority of 26,086.
The pro-Brexit MP thanked her constituency team for its unstinting support and hard work.
"Great teamwork in the rain, the cold and the dark! All patriots who want to Get Brexit Done with Boris Johnson," she tweeted soon after the result was declared.
The Labour Party had a disastrous night overall, losing key seats in its heartlands in the north, but for all the British Asian MPs from the last Parliament there was a reason to celebrate.
Navendru Mishra bagged 21,695 votes to clinch the Stockport seat and become a first-time MP for the party. Preet Kaur Gill, who had made history in the last election as the first British Sikh female MP, was re-elected from Birmingham Edgbaston with 21,217 votes.
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, the first turbaned Sikh MP, will also return to the Commons with an impressive 13,640 majority, having polled 29,421 votes from Slough in south-east England and beating Tory Indian-origin rival Kanwal Toor Gill.
Veteran MP Virendra Sharma, who had been under pressure by forces within his own party, had a comfortable win from Ealing Southall with 25,678 votes. The others holding on to their seats included Lisa Nandy who won Wigan with 21,042 votes and Seema Malhotra clinched Feltham and Heston with 24,876 votes.
Valerie Vaz, the sister of scandal-hit former MP Keith Vaz who had stepped down ahead of the election, held on to her Walsall South seat with 20,872 votes, beating Tory candidate Gurjit Bains.
Labour's Tulip Siddiq, Rushanara Ali and Rupa Huq were all re-elected from their respective constituencies.
Siddiq retained her Hampstead and Kilburn seat with a margin of 14,188 votes bagging 28,080 against her Conservative rival Johnny Luk, and Ali was re-elected as the MP of Bethnal Green and Bow with a majority of 44,052 votes.
Haq retained the Ealing Central and Acton seat for Labour, bagging 28,132 votes against her Conservative rival Julian Gallant's 14,832 votes.
The far-right Brexit Party, which had fielded a number of Indian-origin candidates, failed to make a dent in the election, which marked the biggest win for the Conservatives since the 1980s.
THE US State Department on Monday said it was imposing visa restrictions on owners and staff of travel agencies in India who it says knowingly facilitate illegal migration to the United States.
An unspecified number of individuals associated with these travel agencies are being subjected to visa bans under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The action is based on information collected by the US mission in India, according to department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Washington often imposes such visa restrictions without naming the individuals involved.
"We will continue to take steps to impose visa restrictions against owners, executives, and senior officials of travel agencies to cut off alien smuggling networks," Bruce said. She did not provide details on how the travel agents had facilitated illegal migration.
The action is part of a broader effort under president Donald Trump's administration to curb migration to the United States and deport undocumented immigrants already in the country.
The US embassy in New Delhi has also issued repeated warnings on its social media platforms, advising Indian nationals visiting the United States not to overstay their authorised period of stay. It warned that overstaying could lead to deportation and a permanent ban from entering the country.
The Spain Airbnb crackdown has led to more than 65,000 holiday rental listings being removed from the platform, as the Spanish government takes firm action to address breaches in national regulations and respond to growing housing concerns.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs ordered the mass delisting due to thousands of properties lacking valid licence numbers, having unclear ownership records, or showing discrepancies between listed information and official housing databases. The government said these violations warranted immediate removal from Airbnb’s platform.
This action is part of a wider effort to bring order to Spain’s short-term rental sector and alleviate the country's worsening housing affordability crisis, especially in major tourist destinations such as Madrid, Andalusia and Catalonia, where the volume of tourist rentals has surged.
Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy said the government aimed to end what he described as a “lack of control” and growing “illegality” in the holiday rentals market. “No more excuses. Enough with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing in our country,” he said during a press briefing.
The decision follows a broader trend of local authorities in Spain cracking down on tourist rentals. In 2023, the city of Barcelona announced a plan to eliminate all 10,000 of its licensed short-term lets by 2028, arguing that housing must be prioritised for long-term residents rather than tourists.
The Spain Airbnb crackdown reflects rising pressure on public officials to act, as protests continue over high rents and property prices, particularly in cities with large tourism industries. Many residents and campaigners argue that the expansion of short-term rentals has significantly reduced the availability of affordable housing.
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According to official data, there were approximately 321,000 licensed holiday rental properties across Spain as of November 2023, representing a 15% increase compared to 2020. Authorities believe many more operate without licences, prompting the Consumer Affairs Ministry to open a formal investigation into Airbnb in December.
In response to earlier scrutiny, Airbnb said it requires hosts to confirm they have permission to rent their properties and that they follow local laws. However, the company also claimed the government had not provided a clear list of non-compliant listings. It added that not all owners are required to hold a licence and questioned whether the ministry had the authority to regulate digital platforms.
Airbnb has yet to issue a formal response to the latest action.
The Spain Airbnb crackdown aligns with similar efforts across Europe, including in Portugal, the Netherlands and parts of Italy, where governments are introducing stricter regulations on short-term rentals in a bid to balance tourism with long-term housing needs.
As Spain continues to grapple with housing shortages and rising costs, the government has made clear that further measures may follow to ensure platforms and property owners comply with national laws.
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The man stood up during a Teams call to adjust a cable behind his computer, without wearing any trousers.
A MANAGER was sacked from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) after accidentally flashing his genitals during a video call, an employment tribunal has ruled.
The digital production manager, referred to as DB in the tribunal’s ruling, was earning £58,580 a year when the incident occurred. He stood up during a Teams call to adjust a cable behind his computer, without wearing any trousers, The Telegraph reported.
The tribunal said: “During the call, after approximately three minutes 26 seconds, the claimant stood to adjust a cable behind the computer and revealed he was wearing nothing from the waist down. His genitals were visible.”
Two Capgemini consultants based in India, who were on the call, complained to the FSCS the following week. An internal investigation concluded the staffer was “inappropriately dressed” and “naked from the waist down.”
DB, born in India, in the employment tribunal’s ruling, told his line manager in an email that he did not realise his camera was on and closed his laptop when he noticed. He was dismissed in January 2024 for breaching FSCS rules requiring employees to be dressed appropriately.
He later filed a complaint for unfair dismissal and racial discrimination. The tribunal ruled the dismissal was lawful and said his discrimination claims were not well founded, The Telegraph reported.
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He was jailed in October after admitting to breaching an injunction that barred him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee who had successfully sued him for libel. (Photo: Getty Images)
STEPHEN YAXLEY-LENNON, also known as Tommy Robinson, is set to be released from prison within a week after the High Court reduced his 18-month sentence for contempt of court.
The far-right anti-Islam activist was jailed in October after admitting to breaching an injunction that barred him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee who had successfully sued him for libel.
The Solicitor General had taken legal action against Yaxley-Lennon for comments made in online interviews and a documentary titled Silenced, which was viewed millions of times and shown in Trafalgar Square in July.
The sentence was made up of a 14-month punitive element and a four-month coercive element. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson had said the four-month part could be lifted if Yaxley-Lennon complied with the court order to remove Silenced and related content from social media and other platforms.
On Tuesday, Yaxley-Lennon appeared via video link from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes. His lawyer, Alex Di Francesco, told the court that Silenced had been removed from accounts under his control and that requests were made to remove other interviews where the false allegations were repeated.
Judge Johnson ruled that Yaxley-Lennon had “purged” his contempt. “The practical effect is that the defendant will be released once he has completed the punitive element, which I understand will be within the next week,” he said. The original release date had been set for 26 July, but it has now been moved up to 26 May.
The judge noted that while there was “an absence of contrition or remorse”, Yaxley-Lennon had given assurances that he would comply with the injunction in the future and understood the consequences of breaching it again. The court accepted that he had shown a “change in attitude” and had taken steps to comply with the order.
Yaxley-Lennon, 42, was jailed for 10 admitted breaches of the injunction after two contempt of court claims were brought against him by the Solicitor General. The injunction was first issued in 2021 after he falsely accused a Syrian teenager in a viral video of being violent. The teenager later won a libel case against him.
He was accused by some media and politicians of inflaming tensions that led to riots across Britain in July and August last year, following the murder of three girls at a dance workshop in Southport.
In January, a post from his social media account claimed that US billionaire Elon Musk was paying some of his legal fees. Musk has not confirmed this.
(With inputs from agencies)
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The first lady described the law as a "national victory"
US First Lady Melania Trump has welcomed a new law criminalising the non-consensual sharing of explicit images, including AI-generated deepfake content, calling it a major step towards protecting children and families from online exploitation.
The Take It Down Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, makes it a federal offence to post "intimate images", whether real or digitally fabricated, without the subject’s consent. Under the legislation, individuals found guilty of intentionally distributing such content could face up to three years in prison. The law also compels technology companies to remove the offending material within 48 hours of notification.
The bill, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, 409 votes to 2 in the House of Representatives and unanimously in the Senate in February, has been one of the most widely backed pieces of legislation during Trump’s second term in office. It marks the sixth bill signed into law since his re-election, with the administration often favouring executive orders to implement its agenda.
Melania Trump, who has largely kept a low public profile, played a key role in advancing the legislation. The first lady described the law as a "national victory" and stressed its importance in shielding children from harmful online behaviour.
“This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused,” she said. “It will help parents and families safeguard children from online exploitation.”
Melania Trump first appeared publicly in support of the legislation in March during a solo roundtable event on Capitol Hill, where she urged lawmakers to pass the bill. “It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes,” she said at the time.
The law addresses two main forms of abuse: revenge porn the non-consensual sharing of intimate real images and deepfake pornography, where AI is used to create fake explicit material by inserting someone’s face into pornographic content. These practices have become increasingly common, particularly targeting women and public figures.
Paris Hilton, businesswoman and DJ, publicly supported the legislation, calling it “a crucial step toward ending non-consensual image sharing online”. Major tech firms, including Meta, TikTok and Google, have also backed the new law.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the first lady was “instrumental” in rallying support for the bill and ensuring its passage through Congress.
Despite the strong support, the legislation has attracted criticism from some digital rights organisations. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) warned that the law’s broad scope could have unintended consequences for free speech and privacy.
“While protecting victims of these heinous privacy invasions is a legitimate goal, good intentions alone are not enough to make good policy,” the group said. “As currently drafted, the Act mandates a notice-and-takedown system that threatens free expression, user privacy, and due process, without addressing the problem it claims to solve.”
The Internet Society, another advocacy group for digital privacy, raised concerns that the law could undermine encryption and pose “unacceptable risks to users’ fundamental privacy rights and cybersecurity”.
Critics argue that the bill, while well-intentioned, lacks adequate safeguards to prevent misuse and could result in overreach, affecting legal online content, including LGBTQ+ material, adult entertainment, and political commentary.
Nonetheless, supporters maintain that the new law fills a critical gap in US legislation by targeting a growing form of online abuse and sending a strong message against digital exploitation.