The Indian Panorama

Tag: King Charles III

  • UK Prime Minister Sunak announces election on July 4

    UK Prime Minister Sunak announces election on July 4

    LONDON (TIP): Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday ended frenzied speculation by announcing that the UK’s general election will be held on July 4, saying it is time for Britain to choose its future. In an address from the lectern on the steps of 10 Downing Street on a rainy London evening, Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage confirmed a summer poll in six weeks’ time and that the Parliament would soon be dissolved after he formally informed King Charles III of the election timeline.

    The 44-year-old leader laid out his record dating back to his term as finance minister during the Covid lockdowns in his pitch to the British electorate, who will soon give their verdict at the ballot box.

    “Earlier today, I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament and the King has granted this request and we will have a general election on the fourth of July,” said Sunak. In his pitch to the voters, he said: “As I did then, I will forever do everything in my power to provide you with the strongest possible protection I can. That is my promise to you.”

    (Source: PTI)

  • Dr Samir Shah is the first Indian – origin Chairman of BBC

    Dr Samir Shah is the first Indian – origin Chairman of BBC

    The 72-year-old has now been confirmed in the 1,60,000 pounds per year and four-year term role to take charge from March 4

    LONDON (TIP): India-born media executive Dr Samir Shah was on Thursday confirmed as the new BBC chairman after his selection cleared the stages of scrutiny to be approved by King Charles III this week.

    Shah, who has worked in UK broadcasting for over 40 years, was picked as the government’s preferred candidate in December last year and went on to be quizzed by cross-party MPs of the House of Commons Media Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for his pre-appointment scrutiny.

    The 72-year-old has now been confirmed in the 1,60,000 pounds per year and four-year term role to take charge as the public broadcaster’s first Indian-origin Chair from March 4 and running until March 2028.

    “With a career spanning more than 40 years in TV production and journalism, Dr Shah has a wealth of experience to bring to the position of BBC Chair,” said UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer as she announced his selection.

    “He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scrutiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future,” she said. Shah, who was honored with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to television and heritage, will replace Richard Sharp who had been forced to resign after a communication with former prime minister Boris Johnson came under scrutiny.

    The government has said that Shah’s knowledge of BBC and his belief in its role as a national broadcaster alongside his extensive work to promote diversity in broadcasting will be invaluable in helping to ensure that BBC reflects, represents and serves communities across the whole of the UK.

    “BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power. If I am able to put what skills, experience, and understanding of public service broadcasting I have built up during my career to help this brilliant organization meet the complex and diverse challenges it faces over the coming years, it would be an honor,” said Shah.

    “BBC has a great place in British life and a unique duty to reach a wide audience right across the country and I will do all I can to ensure it fulfils this in an increasingly competitive market,” he said.

    Born in Aurangabad, Shah came to England in 1960 and has previously been the head of current affairs and political programs at BBC. Before taking up the role as BBC Chair, he was the CEO of Juniper – an independent television and radio production company, since 1998.

    He was elected a fellow of Royal Television Society in 2002 and appointed visiting professor of creative media at Oxford University in 2019 and the University of Nottingham appointed him to a special professorship in Department of Post-Conflict Studies. Besides, the Oxford University alumnus is a race relations expert who co-authored the government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report in 2021.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Sikh medic Dr. Amritpal Singh Hungin knighted by King Charles III

    Sikh medic Dr. Amritpal Singh Hungin knighted by King Charles III

    LONDON (TIP): A British Sikh senior medical professional with over 30 years of general practice (GP) experience has been knighted by King Charles III in the 2024 New Year Honors list. Dr Amritpal Singh Hungin, Emeritus Professor of General Practice at Newcastle University, received a Knighthood for services to medicine on Friday night, including nearly 30 Indian-origin healthcare professionals, philanthropists and community activists honored for their selfless service to society.

    Selfless service

    Dr Amritpal Singh Hungin, Emeritus Professor of General Practice at Newcastle University, received a Knighthood for services to medicine
    Nearly 30 Indian-origin healthcare professionals, philanthropists and community activists honored for their selfless service to society
    Professor Pali Hungin, as he is known, was the founding Dean of Medicine at Durham University and a former president of the British Medical Association (BMA). “The New Year’s Honors List recognizes the exceptional achievements of people across the country and those who have shown the highest commitment to selflessness and compassion,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “To all honorees, you are the pride of this country and an inspiration to us all,” he said.

    Among the British Indian Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBEs) include Baldev Parkash Bhardwaj for services to the community in Oldbury, West Midlands; Dr Dipankar Datta, Chair of the South Asia Voluntary Enterprise, for services to charity; Munir Patel, CEO of XRAIL Group, for services to rail exports; Dr Shriti Pattani, President of the Society of Occupational Medicine, for services to occupational health; Rajwinder Singh, Principal Project Sponsor of the Prison Infrastructure Team at the UK’s Ministry of Justice, for public service; Vinaichandra Guduguntla Venkatesham, CEO of Arsenal Football Club, for services to sport.

    The Cabinet Office said more than 1,200 recipients had been awarded this year for their exceptional achievements, including Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs) conferred upon a cross-section, including British Indians such as Dr Sanjay Bhandari, Chair of anti-racism charity Kick It Out for services to sport and Jayshree Rajkotia, Trustee and Vice Chair of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, UK, for services to Indian culture.

    Other Indian-origin recipients of MBEs include Tajinder Kaur Banwait for services to business and to the beauty industry; Dr Manav Bhavsar for services to healthcare, particularly during Covid-19; Nilesh Bhasker Dosa for services to social equality; Dr Dinendra Singh Gill for services to pre-hospital and trauma care in Wales; Dr Gian Parkash Gopal for services to the Hindu community and to multi-faith Cohesion in Oxfordshire; Jasdeep Hari Bhajan Singh Khalsa for charitable services to the Sikh community; Dr Meenakshi Nagpaul for services to the NHS; and Satish Manilal Parmar for public service, among others. Healthcare and charity work also dominates among the Indian-origin Medalists of the Order of the British Empire (BEMs) such as Chandra Shekhar Biyani for services to medical education and Harbaksh Singh Grewal for services to charity.
    (Source: PTI)

  • King Charles III supports probe into British monarchy’s slave ties

    King Charles III supports probe into British monarchy’s slave ties

    LONDON (TIP): King Charles III for the first time has signaled support for research into the British monarchy’s ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on April 6. Charles takes the issue “profoundly seriously” and academics will be given access to the royal collection and archives, the palace said.

    The statement was in response to an article in The Guardian newspaper that revealed a document showing that the deputy governor of the slave-trading Royal African Company transferred 1,000 pounds of shares in the business to King William III in 1689.

    The newspaper reported on the document as part of a series of stories on royal wealth and finances, as well as the monarchy’s connection to slavery. Charles ascended to the throne last year after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His coronation is planned for May 6. Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their sorrow over slavery but haven’t acknowledged the crown’s connections to the trade.

    The king has said he’s trying to deepen his understanding of “slavery’s enduring impact” that runs deep in the Commonwealth, an international grouping of countries made up mostly of former British colonies.

    During a ceremony that marked Barbados becoming a republic two years ago, Charles referred to “the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history.” English settlers used African slaves to turn the island into a wealthy sugar colony.

    The research into the monarchy’s ties to slavery is co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces and Manchester University and is expected to be completed by 2026. (AP)