Architect of Tamils defeat enters Sri Lanka presidential race
‘For Sri Lanka to grow, we need to crush corruption. We need to leverage our natural resources to boost income generation.’
By Eastern EyeJul 25, 2024
Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka's former Army chief known for his pivotal role in the military campaign that defeated the LTTE, formally announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election on Thursday (25). Fonseka vowed to eliminate corruption and revitalise the economy as key pillars of his campaign.
The presidential election in Sri Lanka is set to take place between September 17 and October 16, with the official date to be announced on Friday (26).
"I wish to announce my candidacy for the presidency to the people of Sri Lanka," Fonseka said in a post X.
"For 76 years, we have been led by an inept political group that has driven us to bankruptcy. For Sri Lanka to grow, we need to crush corruption. We need to leverage our natural resources to boost income generation. This is my formal and official announcement as the presidential candidate of Sri Lanka for the 2024 presidential election," he said.
Fonseka, who defeated the LTTE’s separatist campaign to create a Tamil state, was the opposition's main challenger in the 2010 presidential election against the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. He suffered a crushing defeat then.
Fonseka, 73, said he was inviting all Sri Lankans to make the forward march to make the island a corruption-free nation.
Justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe also announced his candidacy for the election.
“This election would be crucial for the nation’s future”, Rajapakshe said making a statement. He said he would continue to hold his ministerial job while announcing his candidacy.
Already the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and the Marxist JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake have said they would be contestants.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe will also be seeking re-election.
The Elections Commission announced on July 19 that the date for the presidential election will be declared on Friday.
The commission said that it holds no responsibility for remarks made by various individuals and parties on the day of the presidential poll, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported. (PTI)
ONS said population growth was fastest in England at 1.2 per cent, compared with 0.7 per cent in Scotland, 0.6 per cent in Wales and 0.4 per cent in Northern Ireland. (Photo: Getty Images)
UK population grew by 755,300 to 69.3 million in the year to mid-2024
Net international migration accounted for 98 per cent of growth
Births exceeded deaths by 16,239, but natural change was negative in Scotland and Wales
Net migration has since declined to 431,000, ONS figures show
THE UK population grew by 755,300 in the year to mid-2024, reaching an estimated 69.3 million, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was the second-largest annual increase in more than 75 years, driven mainly by immigration.
Net international migration accounted for 98 per cent of the growth. An estimated 1,235,254 people immigrated to the UK, while 496,536 emigrated, resulting in net migration of 738,718. Births exceeded deaths by 16,239, with 662,148 births and 645,909 deaths recorded.
ONS said population growth was fastest in England at 1.2 per cent, compared with 0.7 per cent in Scotland, 0.6 per cent in Wales and 0.4 per cent in Northern Ireland. Natural change was negative in Scotland and Wales, where deaths outnumbered births. The proportion of people aged 65 and over continued to rise across the UK.
The ONS noted that net migration has since declined, with updated data showing it fell to 431,000 last year. The reduction was linked to fewer non-EU nationals arriving on work and study visas and more departures of people with study-related visas.
Nigel Henretty of the ONS said: “The UK population has increased each year since mid-1982. The rate of population increase has been higher in recent years, and the rise seen in the year to mid-2024 represents the second largest annual increase in numerical terms in over 75 years. Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century.”
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said: “The Labour government are continuing the Boriswave and our lives are all getting poorer because of it. Only Reform will control our borders.”
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Incidents included kicking a young boy in the face
Nursery worker Roksana Lecka abused 21 babies across two nurseries
Abuse included kicking, pinching, and scratching children
Parents report lasting trauma and increased caution with childcare
Abuse uncovered through CCTV
Families of 21 babies in southwest London have described the “horrifying” experience of seeing CCTV footage showing their children being abused. The perpetrator, 22-year-old nursery worker Roksana Lecka, was employed at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham and Little Munchkins in Hounslow.
Incidents included kicking a young boy in the face, pinching children repeatedly, pushing babies headfirst over cots, and covering toddlers’ mouths when they cried. Several children were left with bruises and scratches, causing parents long-term concern.
Negligence and substance use
Investigations revealed that Lecka smoked cannabis before shifts and vaped near young children. Parents reported her showing “total disregard” for the safety of the children under her care. The abuse took place between October 2023 and June 2024.
Detectives discovered the pattern of abuse after she was sent home from Riverside Nursery for pinching children and appearing “flustered.” Subsequent CCTV review revealed the full scale of the assaults.
Impact on families
Parents described the trauma of watching their children suffer and the ongoing effects on their wellbeing. Several children experienced sleep problems and separation anxiety, while parents reported feeling mistrustful of childcare services.
One mother said: “I cannot get over how an adult could have done that to a child. My biggest worry is that my son will think that’s something adults do to children. It will live with me forever knowing that my son and 20 other children had to go through this.”
The closure of Riverside Nursery forced parents to find alternative childcare, often at significant financial and emotional cost.
Legal proceedings and sentencing
Lecka admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under 16 and was convicted of a further 14 counts by a jury at Kingston Crown Court. The case highlighted the need for accountability and stricter safeguards in early years settings.
Senior crown prosecutor Gemma Burns said: “Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her treatment of these babies. She was placed in a position of trust and instead caused lasting harm.”
Calls for reform
Local MP Munira Wilson emphasised the importance of ensuring children’s safety in nurseries. She called for no-notice Ofsted inspections, mandatory CCTV reviews, and stronger safeguarding measures.
“Every parent should know their child is safe when left at nursery,” she said, urging immediate reforms to prevent similar tragedies.
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Tony Matharu (second from right) with Asian Media Group Managing Editor Kalpesh Ramniklal Solanki (R) and Executive Editor Shailesh Solanki (L)
AN INFLUENTIAL London hotelier won the top prize at the second annual Eastern Eye Property Awards in London on Thursday (25) night.
Tony Matharu is the founder and chairman of Integrity International Group, which has acquired some of London’s most iconic buildings, among them Atlas House near the Guildhall, the Crescent Buildings in Tower Hill and 55 Broadway and Albany House.
Matharu was named Eastern Eye’s property developer of the year, along with nine other winners across different categories.
He was praised for his business achievements as well as philanthropy, sport and community engagement.
In all, 10 prizes were presented at the event at Park Plaza, Riverbank, hosted by the Asian Media Group, publishers of Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat news weeklies.
Now in their second year, the awards celebrate and recognise key players in the property industry – from developers and financial lenders to interior designers and technology disruptors.
Matharu also took part in a masterclass with compere Nihal Arthanayake and discussed his views on the UK economy and prospects for real estate in the country. Among other winners were OakNorth, named Eastern Eye bank of the year.
Since its launch in 2015, it has lent more than $16 billion to scale-ups, and been instrumental in creating 56,000 jobs and helping build 34,000 new homes across the UK and US, the majority in affordable and social housing. OakNorth was co-founded by Asian businessman Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman.
Baroness Sharon Taylor speaks during the event
Chief guest Baroness Sharon Taylor, minister for housing, communities and local government said, "Britain is a proudly diverse country. We're all proud of that. As business leaders, your work has been absolutely vital in rebuilding Britain."
"The UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half of this year. Now, we're not going to reverse a decade of stagnant growth at the flick of a switch, but there are some very important signs of recovery."
She added, "Our mission signals our commitment to the country and to the market, and that we are serious about solving the housing crisis. We can't do that unless we work in partnership with the housing industry."
Lord Ahmed highlighted the defining characteristics of British Asians at the event, stressing their hospitality, hard work driven by "determined, ambitious, aspirational parents," and natural affinity for property investment.
He described how "property ownership very much is within the British Asian DNA," noting that when buildings become available, "chances are one of our communities has already made an offer."
The peer praised the community's contributions across sectors, from pharmacies that "dispense wisdom" alongside prescriptions, to builders and developers who have "contributed to building communities" and "built futures."
Addressing recent social tensions, he acknowledged conversations about "racial slurs and bigotry that we thought rightly had been put in the dustbin of history" but insisted Britain remains resilient. He declared: "We are not defined by one community alone. Tonight demonstrates that we are not defined by one race alone."
Prideview Group, which successfully competed 76 high value transactions in 2024, won Eastern Eye advisor of the year. Its deals in the London region were estimated to be worth £250 million.
One of India’s leading banks scooped the prize for Eastern Eye commercial lender of the year.
State Bank of India UK, with 11 branches across the country, works with its clients on serving their commercial property financing requirements.
The Eastern Eye rising star award went to Sachinkumar Gupta, director of Property Hub Limited, for building on his previous travel enterprise and diversifying to serve them with property-related services.
Oraanj Interior Design, which has transformed homes, offices, restaurants and hotels, won Eastern Eye Interior Designer of the Year.
Founder Rachana Gupta’s company offers clients a range of services, from space planning to custom furniture and landscape design.
Manni Chopra of the Chopra Property Group scooped the Eastern Eye property entrepreneur of the year award.
Along with her husband, Romey, she runs The Chopra Property Group, finding unloved properties and executing conversions and developments using their own and private investor funds.
Other winners were Paresh Raja of Market Financial Solutions, who won the Eastern Eye Award for disruptor of the year, Valos, named Eastern Eye technology company of the year and Aldermore Bank, which won the Eastern Eye Specialist Lender Award.
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US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Keir Starmer.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Thursday (25) dismissed US President Donald Trump's claim that London's mayor plans to impose Islamic law on the British capital as "nonsense".
Trump made his comments in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (23) in which he took aim at Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to become Mayor of London.
"I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it's been changed, it's been so changed," Trump said.
"Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can't do that," he added, referring to the Islamic law code based on the teachings of the Koran.
Starmer told reporters in London there were "a few things" on which he and Trump disagreed, despite a successful and amicable state visit by the president earlier this month.
"This is one of them. The idea of the introduction of sharia law is nonsense, and Sadiq Khan is a very good man and actually driving down serious crime," he said.
"We had a good state visit last week, but on this I disagree with him... the sharia law comments were ridiculous," he added.
Khan, from Starmer's centre-left Labour Party, has had a long-running feud with Trump.
In office since 2016, he criticised Trump that year over the then-presidential hopeful's proposed travel ban for people from some Muslim-majority countries.
Before Trump's first state visit to London in 2019, Khan also likened him to "European dictators of the 1930s and 40s".
Following Trump's latest broadside, Khan branded the president "racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic".
(AFP)
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Seema Malhotra (L) receives the award from Lord Patel during the event
AN EVENT in London showcased the growing partnership between India and the UK, recognising people and organisations driving stronger links in trade, business and culture.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was among this year’s recipients of Living Bridge awards by the India Business Group (IBG). He was recognised for his role in championing closer bilateral relations and securing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Britain and India.
Equalities minister Seema Malhotra received the award on his behalf by at the event in the House of Lords complex on Monday (22) evening.
The trade deal is expected to double bilateral trade to $120 billion by 2030 once it completes the UK parliamentary ratification process. Trade between the UK and India already reached more than £44 billion in the four quarters to Q1 2025, marking a rise of over 10 per cent.
A spokesperson from Downing Street said the agreement would allow businesses to trade with “confidence and security” while boosting growth in both economies.
Other winners included New Delhi-based multinational conglomerate GMR Group, billionaire businessman GP Hinduja, KPMG UK chair Bina Mehta, educator Dr Vishwajeet Rana, the Science Museum, digital consultancy de Novo, and the University of Southampton.
Professor Lord Patel of Bradford, IBG chairman and head of the judging panel, said: “These awards celebrate individuals and organisations that fuel our shared prosperity and embody what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described as the special friendship between our two countries.”
The judging panel also included Natasha Kaplinsky, former television presenter and current president of the British Board of Film Classification.
Trade commissioner for South Asia and deputy high commissioner for Western India, Harjinder Kang, and Indian high commissioner, Vikram Doraiswamy, have also attended the event.
IBG founder and CEO Amarjit Singh said: “We champion those who drive this special relationship forward. This platform gives invaluable insights into new investment opportunities, empowering the next generation of UK–India business leaders and cementing our bond in this historic new era of trade.”