ROYAL MAIL has issued a new set of 13 stamps to honour Freddie Mercury and his rock band Queen, but it is worth recalling a little bit of history.
English Heritage put up a blue plaque at 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham, west London, on September 1, 2016, to remember one of the most flamboyant and greatest lead singers in the history of rock music.
It says: “Freddie Mercury (Fred Bulsara) 1946-1991 Singer and Songwriter lived here.”
Actually, Mercury’s real name was not “Fred” Bulsara but Farrokh Bulsara, for he was born into an Indian Parsi family in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946. He spent most of his childhood attending schools in Bombay (now Mumbai).
Feltham was where his parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, settled with their son and daughter, Farrokh and Kashmira, when they first arrived in London in 1964.
Mercury changed his name to “Freddie Mercury”, formed the Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, and gained global fame as the band’s lead singer.
He wrote numerous hits, including Killer Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody to Love, We Are the Champions, Don’t Stop Me Now, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
In the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, there is a scene in which a family member scolds Mercury.
“So now the family name is not good enough for you?”
“I changed it legally,” Mercury responds. “No looking back.”
However, his sister Kashmira explained in 2014: “I think what his Zoroastrian faith gave him was to work hard, to persevere, and to follow your dreams.”
And now Royal Mail has brought out the stamps to honour Queen, whose success would not have been possible without the genius of Mercury. Indeed, one of the stamps shows Mercury live in concert in 1986.
“Celebrating their 50th anniversary, Queen becomes only the third music group to have a dedicated stamp issue – following on from the Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016,” Royal Mail has pointed out.
It said: “Few bands can match the breadth of creativity on display in Queen’s discography. Dominating over four decades with their cutting-edge music, the band’s legacy continues to inspire.”
Rusi K Dalal, trustee of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds Europe, has written to members of his faith, to draw attention to the stamps which will become available on Thursday (9), and which “celebrate the forthcoming 50th anniversary of the legendary band Queen and their masterful leader Freddie Mercury”.
He added: “I am also pleased to let you know that a museum has now opened in Zanzibar in the very house that Freddie (Farrokh) lived with his parents Jer and Bomi Bulsara and sister Kashmira.”
Philip Parker, of Royal Mail, said: “With their truly original, theatrical sound and effortless ability to mix musical styles, Queen are rock royalty. We pay tribute to one of the most loved bands of all time with these stunning stamps.”
Mercury’s former bandmate, Taylor, 70, said: “Wow... stamps featuring our albums! What an honour. We must be really part of the furniture now!”
And May, 72, added: “Since we precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held – we have become a national institution!
“It’s particularly poignant to look at this collection of images – now that we are all in a world dominated by a coronavirus, in which none of this could have happened. Somehow it will be a way of persuading myself that it really did all happen!”
Eight stamps feature images of some of the band’s most popular and iconic album covers – Queen II, 1974; Sheer Heart Attack, 1974; A Night at the Opera, 1975; News of the World, 1977; The Game, 1980; Greatest Hits, 1981; The Works, 1984; and Innuendo, 1991.
Renowned for the extravagance of their stage shows, Queen’s live performances are celebrated in a miniature sheet of additional stamps, with images from: Wembley Stadium, 1986; Hyde Park, 1976; Hammersmith Odeon, 1975; and Budapest, 1986.
Royal Mail has provided a history of the band.
“Queen were in their formative stages when they were hired to play their first gig: a charity event at Truro City Hall, in June 1970, while still performing under the name Smile. By the time John Deacon joined the following year, the group had changed their name; the four-piece line-up that would remain together for the next two decades made their first live appearance at Surrey College on July 2, 1971.
“From the outset, the theatricality of Queen’s music found a natural outlet in their stage shows. As glam rock flowered alongside Queen’s rise to fame, the group would tap into the extravagance of the era – and then very quickly outstrip it.
“The band’s list of musical achievements is rivalled by few – countless platinum, multi-platinum and gold albums; numerous Ivor Novello and BRIT awards; induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Queen also hold the record for the biggest selling album of all time on the official UK charts with sales of over six million copies of their Greatest Hits album. With their 2018 feature film, Bohemian Rhapsody, they reinvigorated their core fan base and generated a whole new audience the world over. The film became the biggest music biopic in history and swept the Golden Globes and Oscars, with the soundtrack topping the charts the world over.”
Mercury’s interest in music goes back to his days in Bombay where he attended two schools – St Peter’s School, a British-style boarding school for boys, in Panchgani, and St Mary’s School. He showed an early passion for western pop music and also started calling himself “Freddie”.
After arriving in England, 17-year-old Farrokh took an A-level in art at Isleworth Polytechnic followed by a diploma in graphic art and design at Ealing College of Art, supporting himself with a variety of jobs, including washing dishes in the kitchens at nearby Heathrow Airport.
Gladstone Avenue was where Farrokh really began to explore his musical talent, listening to the likes of Cream and his hero, Jimi Hendrix in his bedroom at the back of the house. It was while studying at Ealing that Freddie met May and Taylor, and the rest is musical history.
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office for large parts of southern England, the Midlands, and south Wales, with the alert in effect from 09:00 to 18:00 BST on Saturday, 8 June.
According to the UK’s national weather agency, intense downpours could bring 10–15mm of rainfall in under an hour, while some areas may see as much as 30–40mm over a few hours due to successive storms. Frequent lightning, hail, and gusty winds are also expected to accompany the thunderstorms.
The Met Office has cautioned that these conditions could lead to travel disruption. Roads may be affected by surface water and spray, increasing the risk of delays for motorists. Public transport, including train services, could also face interruptions. Additionally, short-term power outages and damage to buildings from lightning strikes are possible in some locations.
This weather warning for thunderstorms comes after what was the driest spring in over a century. England recorded just 32.8mm of rain in May, making it the driest on record for more than 100 years. Now, forecasters suggest that some areas could receive more rainfall in a single day than they did during the entire month of May.
The thunderstorms are expected to subside from the west during the mid-afternoonMet Office
June has so far brought cooler, wetter, and windier conditions than usual, following a record-breaking dry period. The Met Office noted that thunderstorms are particularly difficult to predict because they are small-scale weather systems. As a result, while many areas within the warning zone are likely to experience showers, some locations may avoid the storms entirely and remain dry.
The thunderstorms are expected to subside from the west during the mid-afternoon, reducing the risk in those areas as the day progresses.
Other parts of the UK are also likely to see showers on Saturday, but these are not expected to be as severe as those in the south.
Yellow warnings are the lowest level issued by the Met Office but still indicate a risk of disruption. They are based on both the likelihood of severe weather and the potential impact it may have on people and infrastructure. Residents in affected areas are advised to stay updated and take precautions where necessary.
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India's prime minister Narendra Modi. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)
CANADIAN prime minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the upcoming Group of Seven summit in a phone call on Friday (6), as the two sides look to mend ties after relations soured in the past two years.
The leaders agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 summit later this month, a readout from Carney's office said.
India is not a G7 member but can be invited as a guest to its annual gathering, which will be held this year in Kananaskis in the Canadian province of Alberta, from June 15 to 17.
"Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister (Carney) ... thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit," Modi said in a post on X.
Modi also stated in his post on Friday that India and Canada would work together "with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests."
Bilateral ties deteriorated after Canada accused India of involvement in a Sikh separatist leader's murder, and of attempting to interfere in two recent elections. Canada expelled several top Indian diplomats and consular officials in October 2024 after linking them to the murder and alleged a broader effort to target Indian dissidents in Canada.
New Delhi has denied the allegations, and expelled the same number of Canadian diplomats in response.
India is Canada's 10th largest trading partner and Canada is the biggest exporter of pulses, including lentils, to India.
Carney, who is trying to diversify trade away from the United States, said it made sense for the G7 to invite India, since it had the fifth-largest economy in the world and was at the heart of a number of supply chains.
"In addition, bilaterally, we have now agreed, importantly, to continued law enforcement dialogue, so there's been some progress on that, that recognizes issues of accountability. I extended the invitation to prime minister Modi in that context," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Four Indian nationals have been charged in the killing of the Sikh separatist leader.
(Reuters)
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Foreign secretary David Lammy. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
FOREIGN SECRETARY David Lammy arrived in Delhi on Saturday (7) for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening economic and security ties with India, following the landmark free trade agreement finalised last month.
During his visit, Lammy will hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and is scheduled to meet prime minister Narendra Modi, as well as commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
According to a statement, the discussions will focus on bilateral ties in areas of trade, defence and security, building on the ambitious free trade agreement (FTA) finalised on May 6.
The FTA represents the biggest deal the UK has finalised since leaving the European Union. Under the agreement, 99 per cent of Indian exports will be exempt from tariffs, while making it easier for British firms to export whisky, cars and other products to India.
"India was one of my first visits as Foreign Secretary, and since then has been a key partner in the delivery of our Plan for Change," Lammy said. "Signing a free trade agreement is just the start of our ambitions - we're building a modern partnership with India for a new global era. We want to go even further to foster an even closer relationship and cooperate when it comes to delivering growth, fostering innovative technology, tackling the climate crisis and delivering our migration priorities."
The minister will also welcome progress on migration partnerships, including ongoing efforts to safeguard citizens and secure borders in both countries. Migration remains a top priority for the government, with Lammy focused on working with international partners to strengthen the UK's border security.
Business investment will also feature prominently in the discussions, with Lammy set to meet leading Indian business figures to explore opportunities for greater Indian investment in Britain.
The current investment relationship already supports over 600,000 jobs across both countries, with more than 950 Indian-owned companies operating in the UK and over 650 British companies in India. For five consecutive years, India has been the UK's second-largest source of investment projects.
The talks will also address regional security concerns, with India expected to raise the issue of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan with the foreign secretary. The UK played a role in helping to de-escalate tensions during last month's military conflict between India and Pakistan, following the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir.
Lammy had previously visited Islamabad from May 16, during which he welcomed the understanding between India and Pakistan to halt military actions.
His visit is also expected to lay the groundwork for a possible trip to New Delhi by prime minister Keir Starmer. This is Lammy's second visit to India as foreign secretary, following his inaugural trip in July when he announced the UK-India Technology Security Initiative focusing on collaboration in telecoms security and emerging technologies.
(with inputs from PTI)
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Seema Misra was wrongly imprisoned in 2010 after being accused of stealing £75,000 from her Post Office branch in Surrey, where she was the subpostmistress. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
SEEMA MISRA, a former sub-postmistress from Surrey who was wrongly jailed in the Post Office scandal, told MPs that her teenage son fears she could be sent to prison again.
Misra served five months in jail in 2010 after being wrongly convicted of theft. She said she was pregnant at the time, and the only reason she did not take her own life was because of her unborn child, The Times reported.
Speaking at a meeting in parliament on Tuesday, she said, “It affects our whole family. My 13-year-old younger son said, ‘Mummy, if the Post Office put you back in prison don’t kill yourself — you didn’t kill yourself [when you were in prison] because I was in your tummy. What if they do it again?’”
Misra, who wore an electronic tag when giving birth, supported a campaign to change the law around compensation for miscarriages of justice.
In 2014, the law was changed under Lord Cameron, requiring victims to prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt to receive compensation. Campaigners say this has resulted in only 6.6 per cent of claims being successful, down from 46 per cent, and average payouts dropping from £270,000 to less than £70,000.
Sir David Davis called the rule change an “institutional miscarriage of justice” during prime minister’s questions and urged the government to act.
Dame Vera Baird, interim head of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, has also announced a full review of the body’s operations, following years of criticism over its performance.
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Habibur Masum pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)
A MAN has admitted killing his wife as she pushed their baby in a pram through Bradford city centre, but has denied her murder.
Habibur Masum, 26, pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article. He denied the charge of murder. The victim, 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter, was stabbed multiple times on 6 April last year. The baby was unharmed.
Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, was remanded in custody by Justice Cotter and is due to stand trial for murder on Monday.
He also denied two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking. During a previous hearing, the court was told those charges relate to incidents over two days in November 2023.
The stalking charge alleges Masum tracked Akter between November and April, found her location at a safe house, sent threatening messages including photos and videos, loitered near her temporary residence, and caused her alarm or distress and fear of violence.
Akter was attacked at around 15:20 BST on Westgate near Drewton Road. She later died in hospital. Masum was arrested in Aylesbury after a three-day manhunt by West Yorkshire Police.
Her mother, Monwara Begum, speaking from Bangladesh last year, said: "I am in shock. She was my youngest daughter and I adored her greatly... The only day I didn't hear from her was the day she was attacked."