A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT MEP (Member of the European Parliament), who has just returned
from a trip to Kashmir, appears to have rejected negative portrayal of the policies of India’s
prime minister Narendra Modi.
Bill Newton Dunn, who represents the East Midlands, told the BBC’s Today programme that having spoken to a number of people, he had concluded that the “general feeling was Delhi is trying to help Kashmir”.
At one point, the programme’s presenter Mishal Husain expressed her exasperation with Newton Dunn that he had gone to Kashmir with 22 other MEPs on a trip where they had to be escorted by the Indian Army.
“It seems as though you don’t have much of a problem with the restrictions under which this visit took place?” she said.
“Well, I think I understand them,” he responded.
“When there is killing and tensions and civil unrest, I think Modi, the prime minister in Delhi, and the army are trying to calm things down. So, the shops are now open, the internet is open, the telephones are open, things are easing off and getting better.
But there is still a long way to go.”
Last Friday (1), Husain had interviewed Iltija Mufti, daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of Kashmir who is currently under detention. Mufti said that Modi’s govern
ment “has lost all moral authority”.
“My mother is extremely distressed about the unilateral and illegal decision that the gover-nment of India has imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” said Mufti. “And she thinks it’s terribly unfair that our rights, our wishes, our consent has been violated and it is something that the entire country is gloating about and getting some sort of sadistic
pleasure, I would say.”
The government’s point of view was put forward by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Nalin Kohli, who was asked for “the justification for keeping Kashmir
in a state of partial lockdown”.
Kohli responded: “Life has started coming back to normalcy. Telephones lines in terms of landlines were first restored.
“Internet services are still to be reviewed in terms of whether it should be permitted or not immediately, because we know that terrorists tend to use those networks through the internet and social media which obviously the state has a responsibility to protect the
lives of its citizens.
“With regard to political leaders the vast majority of people who were taken in preventive custody, they have been released since then. Now it would be down to maybe 200 or 300 as compared to over 1,000 in August.”
Newton Dunn appeared on the programme last Sunday (3) when he was reminded by Husain: “Another MEP Chris Davies (who presents NorthWest England), who was initially due to go on this trip, said his invitation was rescinded after he sought unfettered access
to go anywhere and speak to anyone he wanted.”
Newton Dunn made it clear he saw the Kashmir situation rather differently: “Well, the trouble with Chris ... I know him well, he is my pal …but you can’t do that in such
a tense area. The very night we were there six young Bangladeshi workers were lined up and shot. So security is still very tense. Of course, it would be nice to talk to everybody but you can’t do that.”
He was lyrical in describing the beauty of Kashmir: “Well, [it is] a beautiful country. It’s a little bit like Switzerland in the Himalayas: wonderful scenery, trees, lakes but a very troubled difficult thing and a real hotspot.
“What I hadn’t realised before was Kashmir is partly occupied by China, partly by India and partly by Pakistan. So three major countries all competing for this beautiful lush place where the soil is rich. So a lot of tension – a potential world trouble spot.”
He talked of one meeting that the MEPs had in Kashmir: “We were surrounded by security, vast numbers of soldiers protecting us, but I think also keeping order in the street, so that restricted us a bit. But the shops were open part of the time, and we had one very good session in the grounds of a big hotel when civic society were invited to come and meet us.
“And about 200 shopkeepers, teachers, lawyers, businessmen, all sorts of people (came)…we could talk to whoever we liked… it was very much in the open air and there was nobody listening with microphones… I think they were real people.”
Newton Dunn added: “The teachers said they got very excited about their school, they were telling me (about) the kids.
“One businessman said ‘the real problem is Delhi is trying to help us but there is a vast amount of corruption and the money from Delhi doesn’t reach us. It goes off into sticky hands somewhere.’
“But I think the general feeling was Delhi is trying to help Kashmir. It’s had a very hard time for 60, 70 years. [People said] ‘They [Dehi] want to make things better. But we are waiting to see will it actually work or not.’”
Asked by Husain whether the MEPs had asked to talk to opposition leaders in detention, such as two former chief ministers of Jammu & Kashmir, Newton Dunn said they had. But “the general in charge of the army whom we met said, ‘I am not going to allow it,’ so
there was no possibility to argue with him. I would love to go back, but it’s not possible. We were lucky to even get there – we were the first parliamentarians. We were there for just 24 hours. It was something but not nearly enough.”
This point was reiterated by Newton Dunn when he spoke to Eastern Eye: “We didn’t get to talk to many ordinary people because we were surrounded by the army. I asked the general, ‘Is it necessary?’ and he said, ‘Yes, if we lose one of you that would be a major
incident. We don’t want to do that. So we are taking every precaution.’”
However, he said of the meeting with the 200 civic members of society: “I got a feeling that they were optimistic and hopeful that the change that Modi had made might make life better for them.”
The MEPs had a meeting with the Indian prime minister in Delhi, which Newton Dunn said had gone “very nicely”.
“He was very proud that after his first term, he had been reelected. He said proudly that 600 million people had voted which one cannot but be impressed by. More women than ever before (had voted), more women MPs than ever before (had been elected). He said, ‘My ambition for the next five years is a roof for every Indian, electricity for every Indian
and clean drinking water for every Indian.’ And these are very good goals. He is trying hard, I think.
“But, of course, he has got a lot of opposition. It’s very difficult when you have a state of emergency since August, where a lot of people in Kashmir have been locked up or prevented from carrying out their normal business. It’s very difficult for him but having started, I hope he succeeds in finishing.”
Newton Dunn denied he was doing propaganda for Modi: “I am a seeker after truth.”
King Charles, wearing a black armband to pay respects to the victims of Air India plane crash, attends the Trooping the Colour parade on his official birthday in London. (Photo: Reuters)
A MINUTE's silence for the victims of the Air India plane crash was observed on Saturday during the Trooping the Colour parade in London marking King Charles's official birthday. Some members of the royal family wore black armbands during the ceremony.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles, 76, had requested changes to the parade “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy”.
The crash on Thursday involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was taking off from Ahmedabad in eastern India and heading to London's Gatwick Airport. A total of 279 people, including passengers, crew and individuals on the ground, were killed.
Among the victims were 52 Britons. The only survivor identified so far is British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from Leicester.
Following the disaster, King Charles said in a written statement that he was “desperately shocked by the terrible events” and extended his “deepest possible sympathy”.
Royal family attends parade
Trooping the Colour is a military tradition that dates back over 200 years and marks the monarch's official birthday. The event begins at Buckingham Palace, proceeds down The Mall, and concludes at Horse Guards Parade, where the King receives a royal salute and inspects the troops.
Hundreds of people gathered along The Mall and outside the palace to view the event. A small group of anti-monarchy protesters were present, carrying yellow signs that read “not my king” and “down with the crown”.
King Charles, who continues weekly treatment for an unspecified cancer, was accompanied by Queen Camilla. Also present were Prince William, 42, his wife Catherine, and their children George, 11, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven.
No appearance by Harry and Meghan
Catherine, 43, the Princess of Wales, had earlier announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer. In January 2025, she said she was “in remission” and has since gradually resumed public engagements.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan did not attend the event. The couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and now live in the United States. Reports in the UK media suggest that relations between Harry and other members of the royal family remain strained, with minimal communication between him and his brother William.
Although Trooping the Colour is held in June, King Charles was born in November. The tradition of a second birthday celebration was introduced in 1748 by King George II to ensure the monarch’s birthday could be marked in better weather.
Saturday's parade coincided with a major military parade in Washington led by US President Donald Trump on his 79th birthday.
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They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)
SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.
Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.
Mohammed Zahid, 64, Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, Kasir Bashir, 50, Mohammed Shahzad, 44, Naheem Akram, 48, Roheez Khan, 39, and Nisar Hussain, 41, will be sentenced at a later date, but judge Jonathan Seely warned that they face “lengthy prison sentences”.
They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began.
Operation Lytton and police investigation
The men were prosecuted as part of Operation Lytton, an investigation launched by Greater Manchester Police in 2015 into historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, a town near Manchester.
The issue has long been seized upon by far-right British figures, including notorious influencer Tommy Robinson, but has also been adopted as a rallying cry by the Conservatives and Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party.
The issue of grooming gangs received international attention earlier in the year when US tech billionaire Elon Musk launched incendiary attacks on his X platform against the UK government after it resisted calls for a national inquiry.
Over the course of several decades, men of mostly South Asian origin in various English towns are suspected of having sexually abused thousands of mostly white girls from working class families, often from troubled homes.
Court testimony on abuse
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella said during the trial that the men had abused the two girls for several years from the age of 13 — between 2001 and 2006.
“They were often forced to have oral sex and vaginal sex with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses,” he said.
“On other occasions they would be required to have sex in cars, car parks, alleyways or disused warehouses. Wherever and whenever these men wanted it.
“They were children passed around for sex; abused, degraded and then discarded,” he added.
One of the alleged victims was also “being exploited and abused by many other Asian men” not in the dock, said Scamardella.
Police response and apology
Following the verdicts, detective superintendent Alan Clitherow, of Greater Manchester Police, apologised for not acting earlier.
“There was information at the time that police and other agencies could, and should, have done something with, and we didn’t,” he said.
“The way those victims were dealt with at the time is indefensible and inexcusable. We have made comprehensive apologies for that.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles
THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.
The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.
Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles. He began collecting in the early 1980s and has built an extensive private collection ranging from 14th-century Indian trade cloths to West African loom weavings.
“From July 2021, The Karun Thakar Fund will offer scholarships to student practitioners and researchers studying any aspect of Asian or African textile/dress design or history,” the fund states. “Awardees’ work will be shared here, creating a platform for international conversation and knowledge exchange.”
Project Grants of up to £5,000—and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases—are also available for projects focused on Asian or African textiles or dress. The last round of Project Grants was allocated in 2024. These grants are open to emerging and early-career researchers, curators, practitioners, community leaders, and small not-for-profit groups operating in the UK or internationally.
“I am really excited to see what light we can shine through this fund,” said Karun. “The committee is looking at innovative ways to reach potential applicants who have new and radical approaches.”
The Selection Committee includes Karun Thakar, Gus Casely-Hayford, Christine Checinska, Ben Evans, Avalon Fotheringham, Lulu Lytle, Divia Patel, and Siddhartha Shah.
Ambulance are seen parked near the post-mortem room at a hospital before transferring victims' dead bodies to a mortuary in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025, a day after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area.
GRIEVING families waited on Saturday for updates after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent decades, as the death toll from the Air India crash rose to 279.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call shortly before crashing around midday on Thursday. The aircraft burst into flames as it hit residential buildings in the northern Indian city of Ahmedabad.
A police source confirmed to AFP on Saturday that 279 bodies had been recovered from the site. The crash is among the worst aviation disasters of the 21st century.
There was one survivor among the 242 passengers and crew members on board. The tail section of the aircraft remained lodged in a hostel for medical staff.
At least 38 people on the ground were also killed.
"I saw my child for the first time in two years, it was a great time," said Anil Patel, whose son and daughter-in-law had come to visit before taking the flight.
"And now, there is nothing," he said, breaking down. "Whatever the gods wanted has happened."
Search for black box continues
Relatives of the victims have been providing DNA samples in Ahmedabad. Some family members have flown in to assist in the identification process.
The final casualty figure will only be confirmed once DNA testing is completed.
According to Air India, the aircraft was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian citizen, along with 12 crew members.
The victims included a senior politician and a teenage tea seller.
The only survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, spoke to national broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed. A British citizen, Ramesh said, "Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive."
Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Friday that a flight data recorder had been found. "It would significantly aid" the investigation, he said.
Forensic teams are still searching for the second black box as investigators try to determine why the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, reaching a height of only 100 metres (330 feet).
US aircraft manufacturer Boeing said it was in contact with Air India and "ready to support them" regarding the incident. A source close to the investigation said this was the first crash involving a 787 Dreamliner.
(With inputs from agencies)
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A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)
THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.
The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 242 people on board and headed to Gatwick Airport near London, began losing altitude shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. CCTV footage showed the aircraft crashing into a residential area and erupting into a fireball after hitting buildings.
Only one passenger survived. Local media reported that up to 24 people on the ground were also killed when the plane hit a medical college hostel during lunchtime.
This is the deadliest aviation accident globally in the past ten years.
Probe focuses on aircraft components
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters the investigation is examining several factors, including engine thrust, flap deployment, and why the landing gear was still down during take-off. The plane lost height and crashed moments after leaving the runway.
The probe is also looking into possible maintenance issues and whether Air India was at fault, the source said.
A bird-hit is not among the primary areas being investigated, the source added. Anti-terrorism teams are also involved in the probe.
The Indian government is considering whether to ground the Boeing 787 fleet during the investigation. Air India, Boeing, and the aviation ministry have not commented on this yet.
Air India operates more than 30 Dreamliners, including Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft. An Air India source said the airline has not received any communication about grounding the fleet so far.
Safety checks ordered on Dreamliner fleet
India’s aviation regulator has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft with GEnx engines. This includes a "one-time check" of take-off parameters before each flight starting from midnight on 15 June.
The regulator also asked the airline to add flight control system checks during transit inspections and to complete power assurance checks within two weeks. These are aimed at confirming the engine can generate the necessary power.
Flight data recorder recovered
The aviation ministry said investigators have recovered the digital flight data recorder from the rooftop of the building where the plane crashed. The cockpit voice recorder, the second black box, has not yet been found.
The Tata Group, which took over Air India from the government in 2022 and later merged it with Vistara, is part of the investigation. Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in an internal memo that investigators from India, the UK, and the US have arrived. “We don’t know right now,” he said. “We want to understand what happened and will be fully transparent.”
GE Aerospace, which manufactures the aircraft engines, said it supports the regulator’s actions. “Safety is our top priority,” a GE Aerospace spokesperson said. “We are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.”
Rescue operations completed
On Friday, rescue workers completed search operations at the crash site. Teams were searching buildings for missing people, bodies, and aircraft parts that could assist the investigation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site in Gujarat, where he was briefed on rescue operations and met some of the injured in hospital. “The scene of devastation is saddening,” he said on X.
This is the first crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner since the aircraft began commercial service in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The aircraft involved in Thursday’s crash first flew in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, according to Flightradar24.
The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.