Thousands of British Indians celebrated Vaisakhi at a grand mela organised by the Indian High Commission in London, with over a dozen UK-based gurdwaras and Sikh organisations supporting the event.
Vaisakhi, which fell on April 14 this year, was marked with the mega event in so-called India Gardens in Northolt, north-west London, and included live music by popular British Punjabi singers like Channi Singh and the Heera Group, who prompted lots of bhangra and gidda dancing.
The celebration yesterday coincides with the UK-India Year Culture and India's 70th year of independence celebrations in the UK throughout 2017 and was described by Sinha as the "biggest" community event to be organised by the Indian High Commission so far.
"We are delighted to be organising this event with the help of so many gurdwaras. I hope we can do this every year," said Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, who joined in the festivities adorning a turban.
The day-long mela, which was billed as a celebration of the "warmth and richness of Punjabi culture", also included an elaborate langar, gatka or traditional Punjabi martial arts, turban tying, kabbadi and free introductory bhangra lessons.
The event was followed by the annual Mayor of London's Vaisakhi event at Trafalgar Square on Saturday.
"I am determined to build a country that works for everyone; a country where no matter who you are, you can achieve your goals ? and the Sikh community is a vital part of that mission. So as the dancing and the festivals begin, at home and abroad, Id like to thank you for all that you do and to wish you a very happy," British Prime Minister Theresa May had said in her annual Vaisakhi message last week.
Britain is home to over 430,000 Sikhs and their representative organisations are very active in the country.
The UK government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first-ever woman to head its MI6 spy service as the country faces "threats on an unprecedented scale", Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday.
The MI6 Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) achieved global fame through Ian Fleming's fictional agent James Bond.
Metreweli will be the 18th head of the service, Starmer's Downing Street office said in a statement.
"The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital," Starmer said.
"The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale -- be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services," he added.
The MI6 chief is the only publicly named member of the organisation and reports directly to the foreign minister.
The person in the post is referred to as "C" -- not "M" as in the James Bond franchise, which already had a woman, played by Judi Dench, in the role.
Metreweli will take over from outgoing MI6 head Richard Moore in the autumn.
Currently, she is MI6's director general -- known as "Q" -- with responsiblity for technology and innovation at the service, the statement said.
She is described as a career intelligence officer who joined the service in 1999 having studied anthropology at Cambridge University.
Metreweli held senior roles at both MI6 and the MI5 domestic intelligence service and spent most of her career in "operational roles in the Middle East and Europe", the statement added, without giving further biographical details.
The appointment comes over three decades after MI5 appointed its first female chief.
Stella Rimington held the position from 1992-1996, followed by Eliza Manningham-Buller from 2002-2007.
The UK intelligence and security organisation GCHQ appointed its first woman chief, Anne Keast-Butler, in 2023.
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Soldiers carry the coffin of Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of India's Gujarat, who was killed in the Air India flight 171 crash, during his funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 16, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIAN health officials have begun returning bodies to families after the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 270 people, but most relatives were still waiting for confirmation through DNA testing as of Monday.
Of the 279 total deaths, including casualties on the ground, 87 DNA samples have been matched and 47 bodies handed over, according to officials. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 people on board when it crashed on June 12 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad for London, killing 241 of them. Another 29 people died on the ground, including five medical students.
“They said it would take 48 hours. But it's been four days and we haven't received any response,” Rinal Christian, 23, whose elder brother was a passenger on the jetliner, told AFP. “My brother was the sole breadwinner of the family. So what happens next?”
Authorities said victims were from different districts of Gujarat including Bharuch, Anand, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Arvalli and Ahmedabad.
Several families have begun holding funerals. In Anand district, crowds gathered for the procession of 24-year-old passenger Kinal Mistry. Her father Suresh Mistry said she had delayed her travel, adding, “She would have been alive” if she had taken her original flight.
In Ahmedabad, the funeral of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was held with full state honours. His body was identified through DNA testing, and a day of state mourning was declared in Gujarat on Monday. His remains were taken to his hometown Rajkot, where chief minister Bhupendra Patel met the family.
“The DNA sample of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani matched at 11.10 am,” said India's minister of state for home Harsh Sanghvi.
Among the British nationals, 42-year-old Elcina Alpesh Makwana became the first to be identified and her remains returned. Her funeral was held in Vadodara. Her husband and two children, aged seven and 11, attended a Roman Catholic service.
Air India said the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. There were 12 crew members on board.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash. The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, crashing into a medical college complex and bursting into flames. At least 38 people were killed on the ground.
Witnesses reported seeing badly burnt bodies and scattered remains. An AFP photographer saw dozens of workers in yellow hard hats clearing debris from the site.
“This is a meticulous and slow process, so it has to be done meticulously only,” said Dr Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad’s civil hospital.
One survivor, British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was pulled from the wreckage. His brother was also on the flight.
Another person, Bhoomi Chauhan, said she survived after missing the flight. “The airline staff had already closed the check-in,” she told PTI. “If only we had left a little earlier, we wouldn’t have missed our flight.”
Black box recovery and aircraft inspections
Authorities announced on Sunday that the cockpit voice recorder — the second black box — had been recovered, offering potential insight into the crash. India's aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday that decoding the flight data recorder should “give an in-depth insight” into the circumstances.
Indian authorities have not yet identified the cause and have ordered inspections of other Dreamliner aircraft in Air India's fleet.
One of Air India’s Dreamliners returned to Hong Kong airport on Monday after the crew “requested local standby” shortly after takeoff, the Airport Authority Hong Kong told AFP.
Imtiyaz Ali, who is still waiting for a DNA match for his brother, said the airline had not acted quickly enough.
“I’m disappointed in them. It is their duty,” he said. “Next step is to find out the reason for this accident. We need to know.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Chief adviser to the Government of Bangladesh Professor Muhammed Yunus speaks during an live interview at Chatham House on June 11, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
BANGLADESH's interim leader Muhammad Yunus has drawn criticism from two of his government’s major allies after holding a meeting with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London.
The student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat-e-Islami have both accused Yunus of favouring a particular party, raising concerns over the neutrality of the upcoming elections.
Yunus, who returned to Dhaka on Saturday (14) after a four-day trip to London, met Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and current acting chairman of BNP, during his visit.
Following the meeting, BNP leader Amir Kharsu Mahmud Chowdhury and Yunus' security adviser Khalilur Rahman held a joint press briefing, suggesting that elections might be held in February next year. This sparked immediate reactions from his allies back home.
Both Jamaat and the NCP have strongly criticised the meeting, calling it a clear sign of bias. The BNP remains the main rival of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, which was ousted last year following student-led protests.
In a statement on Saturday, Jamaat called the joint press briefing a "breach of political norms" and accused Yunus of undermining his impartiality. "Through this, he has expressed special affection for a party (BNP), which has undermined his impartiality," the statement said. Jamaat also criticised Yunus for discussing election dates abroad rather than consulting all parties upon his return.
The NCP, which emerged as a political force following the student uprising that toppled Hasina’s government, voiced similar concerns. In its statement, the NCP said: “The people will not accept any election date before the implementation of the proposed July Charter.”
The party argued that the meeting focused mainly on setting an election date rather than addressing the people’s main demands for justice and reforms. “The NCP finds this very disappointing,” it added.
Acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, poses for a portrait in a hotel in south-west London on December 30, 2023. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
Yunus’ interim government has faced pressure from several political parties, including the BNP, to hold elections as soon as possible. Initially, Yunus had announced that elections would be held between December 2024 and June 2025, depending on the progress of reforms and trials of former Awami League leaders. However, under continued pressure, he recently suggested that polls could be held in April 2025.
During the London meeting, BNP leaders pushed for an earlier date, proposing elections before the start of Ramadan in mid-February. Khalilur Rahman, a senior figure in Yunus' government, indicated that this might be possible if significant progress was made on reforms and trials. BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury also expressed hope that a consensus could soon be reached.
Jamaat’s statement further warned that Yunus' actions could raise doubts among the public about the fairness of the upcoming elections. “It is morally inappropriate for Yunus, as head of the interim government, to hold a joint press briefing with a single party,” the party said.
The NCP also stressed that Yunus’ government appeared to be giving priority to one party’s demands, warning that an election without a clear reform roadmap could turn the people’s uprising into a mere power transfer. “We believe that holding the National Assembly elections without implementing the July Charter will suppress the people’s desire for state building,” its statement said.
Yunus, who took charge after Hasina fled to India in August last year, has previously said he does not intend to remain in power long term.
(Agencies)
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National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) carry out a rescue operation after a helicopter carrying seven people on board, on its way to Guptkashi, crashed near Gaurikund, in Rudraprayag. (@uksdrf X/ANI Photo)
SEVEN people including a toddler were killed on Sunday (15) in India when a helicopter ferrying Hindu pilgrims from a shrine crashed in the Himalayas, officials said.
The helicopter crash left the pilot and all six passengers dead when their chopper came down during the flight from Kedarnath temple, in Uttarakhand state, said disaster response official Nandan Singh Rajwar.
It was likely caused by bad weather, according to state tourism official Rahul Chaubey.
The incident prompted Indian civil aviation authorities to suspend chopper services to shrines in the Himalayas, Chaubey said.
The state's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said there will be "zero tolerance for any compromise with passenger safety" in a post on X.
Pilgrims flock to Kedarnath, which stands at an altitude of 3,584 metres (11,759 feet), and other revered Himalayan shrines during the summer when it is possible to access them.
Helicopter charter firms serve wealthy pilgrims who want to visit mountainous shrines while avoiding arduous trekking.
But there have been multiple mishaps already this season, including a crash last month in which six people were killed.
In a separate incident this month, a pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on a highway after their helicopter developed a technical fault.
(AFP)
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Photo by JORDAN PETTITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has announced a full statutory national inquiry into child sexual abuse, reversing his earlier position following months of mounting pressure, including criticism from US billionaire Elon Musk.
The decision comes after an audit conducted by Baroness Louise Casey recommended a national investigation into the scale and nature of group-based child sexual abuse. The inquiry will cover England and Wales and will have statutory powers under the Inquiries Act, allowing it to compel witnesses to provide evidence.
Speaking to reporters on his way to the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer explained his change of stance: "I have never said we should not look again at any issue. That's why I asked Louise Casey, who I hugely respect, to do an audit.
"Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry. But she has looked at the material and has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry. I have read every single word of her report, and I am going to accept her recommendation."
The scandal, which came to public attention over a decade ago, involves the sexual exploitation of thousands of girls, mostly white and from disadvantaged backgrounds, by gangs of men, often of Pakistani descent. These gangs operated in several English towns and cities, including Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford, and Bristol, for nearly forty years.
Baroness Casey’s audit was commissioned in January by home secretary Yvette Cooper, who requested a "rapid audit" into the data and evidence around group-based exploitation.
Cooper said the review examined both the demographics of the gangs and the victims, as well as cultural factors driving the crimes. Although originally intended to take three months, the review was delayed. Earlier this month, Home Office Minister Jess Phillips apologised for the delay, saying Casey had requested a short extension.
At the beginning of the year, the government had resisted calls for a national inquiry, arguing that the issue had already been examined during the seven-year inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay.
Nick Tenconi, Interim Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Chief Operating Officer of Turning Point UK (centre) poses with banners during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
Instead, Cooper announced five local government-backed inquiries, one in Oldham and four others in areas yet to be named. These local investigations will still proceed, but now form part of the wider statutory national inquiry.
Saturday’s (14) announcement follows growing public and political pressure, intensified by interventions from Musk. In January, Musk used his social media platform X to criticise the British government for failing to launch a national inquiry. On Saturday, Musk responded to the announcement by reposting a comment thanking him for raising awareness, saying he was "glad to hear this is happening."
The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians, who accuse Starmer of delaying action. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has long pushed for a national inquiry, said: "Keir Starmer doesn’t know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so. I've been repeatedly calling for a full national inquiry since January. Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening. But they need a resolution soon, not in 10 years' time."
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also welcomed the decision but warned against any attempt to water down the investigation. "A full statutory inquiry, done correctly, will expose the multiple failings of the British establishment. This cannot be a whitewash. It’s time for victims to receive the justice they deserve and for perpetrators to face the full force of the law," he posted on X.
Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe credited Musk’s involvement as pivotal in forcing the government’s hand. "None of this would have happened without Elon Musk. No inquiry, no justice, nothing. He deserves huge credit for that," Lowe said. Musk simply replied with a heart emoji.
Cooper is expected to address Parliament on Monday (16), with Baroness Casey’s full report scheduled to be published at the same time.