Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Charity brings Sikh scriptures rescued from Ukraine to UK

Charity brings Sikh scriptures rescued from Ukraine to UK

VARIOUS Sikh organisations have formed a team to retrieve Sikh scriptures from a gurdwara in Odessa, Ukraine and shifted them to the United Kingdom.

The items were brought to the UK by charity United Sikhs, which found a way to take them from Odesa to avoid them being destroyed in Russia's invasion of the country.


According to BBC, they will be kept at the National Sikh Museum in Derby until they can safely be returned. Members of the Sikh Dharma International, United Sikhs and Sikh Defence Network with the assistance of Ukrainians, have shifted these religious literature.

"We didn't want any desecration or disrespect to come to those scriptures. Once we saw the amount of bombing that was going on in Mariupol, and the chances of getting to Odesa, our main priority was to get those scriptures evacuated," Bhagvir Singh, a volunteer from United Sikhs, told BBC.

Reports said that the members first reached Romania, from where they went to Moldova and with help of some Ukrainians salvaged religious texts.

Simran Singh, a representative of the Sikh Dharma International, said that they learnt that the scriptures were no longer safe at a gurdwara situated in Odessa, a port city, which had come under heavy attack from Russian forces.

Singh claimed they heard loud explosions near the place during their stay in Odessa. They had also taken along food, medicine and warm clothes for the stranded Ukrainians, which they distributed among them.

According to reports, the scriptures included sets of Senchis, published in Hindi and Gurmukhi, over 30 ‘gutkas’ of Gurbani and other religious literature.

United Sikhs is a grass-roots organisation with chapters in the US, Asia and Europe that pursue projects for the spiritual, social and economic empowerment of underprivileged and minority communities.

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

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 Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

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

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • 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.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less