The Indian Panorama

Tag: London

  • UK aircraft carrier in Indo-Pacific soon

    London (TIP): The UK Government has announced its plans to deploy a new Carrier Strike Group led by aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth later this year as part of its “renewed focus” on the Indo-Pacific region, following talks with Japan. “The Indo-Pacific tilt of Britain demonstrates our shared priorities and common strategic interests from issues ranging from maritime security to climate change and free trade,” said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. — PTI

  • First Indian-Origin Sikh Female Cop Honored by Scotland Yard

    First Indian-Origin Sikh Female Cop Honored by Scotland Yard

    LONDON (TIP): Scotland Yard has celebrated the 50th anniversary of Karpal Kaur Sandhu joining its ranks as the first South Asian and Sikh female police officer, paving the way for others to follow in her footsteps.

    Police Constable (PC) Sandhu served the Metropolitan Police in London between 1971 and 1973 and has been dubbed as a “true pioneer” for police forces across the UK.

    “PC Karpal Kaur Sandhu was a true pioneer and ahead of her time. I have no doubt that her decision to join the Met Police in 1971 was a brave one and she would have faced considerable challenges along the way,” said Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball on Monday.

    “As Britain’s and the Met’s first Asian female officer, Karpal paved the way for so many others who have gone into policing since 1971. Fifty years to the day (Monday) after PC Sandhu joined the Met, I am pleased that we are able to remember her life, her career and the legacy she has left policing,” she said.

    The National Sikh Police Association UK joined forces with the Met Police Sikh Association for a special virtual event in memory of PC Sandhu on Monday.

    “Today, together with representatives from the Met’s Sikh Association, Met police officers and staff and the wider Sikh community, we remember Karpal’s special contribution to policing, as the UK’s first female Asian and Sikh police officer,” said Ravjeet Gupta, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association.

    “Karpal was an invaluable ambassador for the Met who helped break down barriers with London’s communities and will always be remembered for being a trailblazer of her time,” said Mr Gupta.

    PC Sandhu was born to a Sikh family in Zanzibar, East Africa, in 1943 and came to the UK in 1962, where she got a job as a nurse at Chase Farm Hospital.

  • World faces around 4,000 COVID-19 variants as researchers explore mixed vaccine shots

    World faces around 4,000 COVID-19 variants as researchers explore mixed vaccine shots

    London (TIP): The world faces around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, prompting a race to improve vaccines, Britain said on Thursday, Feb 4, as researchers began to explore mixing doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots. Thousands of variants have been documented as the virus mutates, including the so-called British, South African and Brazilian variants which appear to spread more swiftly than others.

    British Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said it was very unlikely that the current vaccines would not work against the new variants. “Its very unlikely that the current vaccine won’t be effective on the variants whether in Kent or other variants especially when it comes to severe illness and hospitalisation,” Zahawi told Sky News.

    “All manufacturers, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and others, are looking at how they can improve their vaccine to make sure that we are ready for any variant — there are about 4,000 variants around the world of COVID now,” Zahawi added.

    While thousands of variants have arisen as the virus mutates on replication, only a very small minority are likely to be important and to change the virus in an appreciable way, according to the British Medical Journal.

    The so called British variant, known as VUI-202012/01, has mutations including a change in the spike protein that viruses use to bind to the human ACE2 receptor — meaning that it is probably easier to catch.

    “We have the largest genome sequencing industry — we have about 50 per cent of the world’s genome sequencing industry — and we are keeping a library of all the variants so that we are ready to respond — whether in the autumn or beyond — to any challenge that the virus may present and produce the next vaccine,” Zahawi said.

    VACCINE RACE

    The novel coronavirus — known as SARS-CoV-2 — has killed 2.268 million people worldwide since it emerged in China in late 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

    Israel is currently far ahead of the rest of the world on vaccinations per head of population, followed by the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, the United States and then Spain, Italy and Germany. Britain on Thursday launched a trial to assess the immune responses generated if doses of the vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca are combined in a two-shot schedule.

  • Poor air quality killed 4,000 people in London in 2019

    London (TIP): In 2019, around 4,000 deaths in London could be attributed to air pollution, with the highest number of fatalities recorded in the city’s outer boroughs, according to a new study. “This calculation is for deaths from all causes including respiratory, lung cancer and cardiovascular deaths,” Xinhua news agency quoted the study published on Monday by researchers from the Imperial College London. Commissioned by the Transport for London and the Greater London Authority, researchers from the Imperial’s School of Public Health’s Environmental Research Group found that “if London is enabled to meet the WHO (World Health Organization) guideline for PM2.5 by 2030, the population in London would gain a 20 per cent increase in life-years saved over the next 20 years”. The researchers predicted in the report that London specific air quality policies, alongside wider improvements in air quality, “will increase the average life expectancy of a child born in London in 2013 by six months, compared with 2013 concentrations remaining unchanged”. Calling the report as “a stark reminder”, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said air pollution in the city still represents a public health crisis and urgent action is needed. According to a City Hall spokesperson, 99 per cent of London does not meet WHO recommended limits for PM2.5. The PM2.5 reading is a gauge monitoring airborne particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter, which can penetrate deep into people’s lungs.

    The  air pollutant is a concern for people’s health when levels in the air are high. –IANS

  • Europe’s vax row deepens

    London/Brussels (TIP): Europe’s fight to secure Covid vaccine supplies intensified on Thursday when the European Union (EU) said it would tighten oversight of exports after a row with AstraZeneca. Britain demanded that it receive all the shots it paid for. The EU, whose member states are far behind Israel, the UK and the US in rolling out vaccines, is scrambling to get supplies just as the West’s biggest drugmakers slow deliveries to the bloc due to production problems. As vaccination centres in Germany and France cancelled or delayed appointments, the EU publicly rebuked AstraZeneca for failing to deliver and even asked if it could divert supplies from Britain. Britain, which has repeatedly touted its lead in the vaccine rollout race since leaving the EU, said its deliveries must be honoured. — Reuters

  • UK bans direct flights from UAE, shutting world’s busiest international route

    London/Sydney (TIP): Britain is banning direct passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates from Friday, shutting down the world’s busiest international airline route from Dubai to London. Britain said it was adding the United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda to its coronavirus travel ban list because of worries over the spread of a more contagious and potentially vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variant first identified in South Africa. “This means people who have been in or transited through these countries will be denied entry, except British, Irish and third country nationals with residence rights who must self-isolate for ten days at home,” UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Twitter on January 28. Emirates and Etihad Airways said on their websites they would suspend all UK passenger flights from 1300 GMT on Friday when the ban takes effect.

    Dubai airport, in a statement, advised passengers booked on flights due to arrive in the UK after the ban comes into effect to not go to the airport and instead contact their airline.

    The UK Transport Department advised British nationals currently in the United Arab Emirates to make use of indirect commercial airline routes if they wished to return to Britain.

    Due to border closures caused by COVID-19, Dubai to London was the world’s busiest international route in January with 1,90,365 scheduled seats over the month, according to airline data provider OAG. Emirates and Etihad normally carry large numbers of passengers connecting from Britain to destinations sucha as Australia through their airport hubs, meaning the decision to cancel those flights will have far-reaching implications. The Australian government said it would add more charter flights from Britain if needed as a result of the Emirates and Etihad cancellations. Eran Ben-Avraham, an Australian stranded in Britain due to strict limits on the number of arrivals in Australia, said his options for getting home were continually shrinking. “At the moment, it is only giving us three options of flying Qatar, ANA or Singapore Airlines,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “Every day, it is making it more difficult to get home. The flights back are anywhere from like 4,000 pounds ($5,487),” he added. Reuters

  • China derecognises British passport amid row over HK

    China derecognises British passport amid row over HK

    Beijing/London (TIP): Britain on Friday hailed a new visa offering Hong Kong citizens a route to citizenship after China’s crackdown but Beijing said it would no longer recognise special British passports offered to residents of the former colony. Britain and China have been bickering for months about what London and Washington say is an attempt to silence dissent in Hong Kong, though Beijing says the West’s views are clouded by misinformation and an imperial hangover. Britain says it is fulfilling a historic and moral commitment to the people of Hong Kong after China imposed a tough new security law on the city that Britain says breaches the terms of agreements to hand the colony back in 1997. “I am immensely proud that we have brought in this new route for Hong Kong BN(O)s to live, work and make their home in our country,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, referring to a special British National Overseas (BNO) passport. But China and the Hong Kong government hit back by saying neither would recognise the BNO passport as a valid travel document from January 31. “Britain is trying to turn large numbers of Hong Kong people into second-class British citizens. This has completely changed the original nature of BNO,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing. Beijing’s decision not to recognise the travel document is largely symbolic as Hong Kong residents would not normally use their BNO passports to travel to the mainland. A BNO passport holder in Hong Kong could still use their Hong Kong passport or identity card. Beijing’s imposition of a national security law in the former British colony in June last year prompted Britain to offer refuge to almost 3 million Hong Kong residents eligible for the BNO passport from January 31. The scheme, first announced last year, opens on Sunday and allows those with “British National (Overseas)” status to live, study and work in Britain for five years and eventually apply for citizenship. — Reuters

  • Historic India Club in London to prevent closurethrough Crowd Funding

    Historic India Club in London to prevent closurethrough Crowd Funding

    Nirpal Singh Shergill

    LONDON (TIP): The historic India Club in London, a hub for Indian nationalists during the Indian independence movement in the 1930s and 40s, has launched a crowd funding drive to raise legal costs for a fight to prevent its closure. The venue, which had won its battle to prevent the building in the heart of London’s Strand from demolition a few years ago, has been served a notice by the landlords to make way for a more modernized hotel.

    The proprietors launched a “Save India Club” online appeal this week, which has already raised over 4,300 pounds (USD 5,883) on the UK’s Crowd funder platform.

    “As an Indo-British institution which has survived for over half a century, this is a tragedy. It is also particularly painful as it comes at a time when we have worked tirelessly to survive the pandemic, like many other local independent businesses,” said Phiroza Marker, the manager of India Club whose family has been associated with its running for over 23 years.

    “We have been served a notice by the landlord on the grounds that they wish to run their own business from the premises. The particulars of their claim outline that this will be a hotel and that they will modernize the interior. If the landlords latest attempt fails, they want an 80 per cent increase in rent. We have, to date, met all our rent obligations,” she said.

    The India Club has its roots in the India League, which campaigned for Indian independence in Britain with its founding members including Krishna Menon, who went on to become the first Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

    Besides housing one of the UK’s early Indian restaurants, the Club quickly transformed into a hub for a rapidly growing British South Asian community in the aftermath of India’s independence and Partition in 1947.

    “Menon intended the India Club to be a place where young Indian professionals living on a shoestring could afford to eat, discuss politics and plan their futures,” says Parvathi Raman, Founding Chair of the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), who worked on the exhibition ‘A Home Away from Home: The India Club’ in 2019, curated by the UK’s conservation charity National Trust. “The India Club holds a special place in the hearts of many people and remains a vibrant hub for Anglo-Indian communities to come together,” said Nicola Briggs, National Trust’s Regional Director for London and the South East. The club, which has functioned as an Indian restaurant on the Strand near the Indian High Commission since 1946, is located on the first floor of the 26-room Strand Continental hotel.

    The freeholder of the building, Marston Properties, had earlier put in an application with Westminster City Council for a “partial demolition” to create a new hotel. The Council unanimously turned down the application in August 2018, noting the venue’s importance as a cultural institution in the heart of London.

    “Fighting the landlord—a multi-million-pound property developer—for three years, combined with the pandemic, has taken a financial toll. We now need to raise at least 50,000 pounds (USD 68,407) for legal costs to continue the fight,” reads the Crowdfunder.co.uk appeal. “Any surplus funds or costs recovered will go towards our rent costs and be a much-needed lifeline during these uncertain times. Together we must ensure the India Club does not fall victim to another profit-grab in the guise of modernization,” it adds.

  • Two British Sikhs in UK charged with street fight with swords and knives

    Two British Sikhs in UK charged with street fight with swords and knives

    LONDON (TIP): Two British Sikh men have been charged following what Scotland Yard described as a large altercation involving swords and knives in Southall, west London. Sukwir Singh, 22, and Lakha Singh, 29, both residents of Southall here, appeared at the Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with affray and threatening a person with a blade/sharply pointed article in a public place. “Police were called at around 00:20 hrs on Sunday, January 17, to reports of a large group of around 30 men fighting with various weapons, including knives and swords, in the area of King Street,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. “Officers attended and arrested two males, both aged in their 20s, on suspicion of violent disorder and affray. There were no reported injuries,” the statement added. The two men have been remanded in custody and will appear at the Isleworth Crown Court on February 15. The Met Police is appealing to witnesses to come forward as their enquiries in the case continue.

  • Indian-Origin Woman Killed by Suspected Drunk Driver in UK

    Indian-Origin Woman Killed by Suspected Drunk Driver in UK

    Nirpal Shergill

    LONDON (TIP): Scotland Yard launched an appeal on Thursday, Jan 21 for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward as it named a 61-year-old Indian-origin woman as the victim of a fatal collision in north London. Vimla Matai was found by Metropolitan Police officers and London Ambulance Service at the collision site in Harrow on Tuesday and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. A 27-year-old male driver of the car that collided with the pedestrian was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, drunk driving and driving with no insurance. “This was a tragic incident that has taken the life of a woman who should have been celebrating her 62nd birthday today,” Detective Sergeant Chris Martin of the Met Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit said on Thursday. “I urge witnesses and anyone who has footage of the events leading up to, during or immediately following the collision, to contact police immediately. No matter how insignificant you think your information may be, please get in touch without delay,” he said. The driver of the vehicle was taken to a north London police station to be interviewed and has been released on bail to reappear in court by mid-February.

  • UK TO HOST G7 SUMMIT IN CORNWALL FROM 11-13 JUNE 2021

    UK TO HOST G7 SUMMIT IN CORNWALL FROM 11-13 JUNE 2021

    • PM will use the UK’s G7 Presidency to unite leading democracies to help the world build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future.
    • Australia, India and South Korea invited as guest countries

    Nirpal Singh Shergill in London

    LONDON (TIP): The G7 Summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall from 11-13th June 2021.

    Prime Ministers and Presidents from the world’s leading democracies will come together inCornwall in June to address shared challenges, from beating coronavirus and tackling climatechange, to ensuring that people everywhere can benefit from open trade, technologicalchange and scientific discovery.

    Prime Minster Boris Johnson will use the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years to ask leaders toseize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer,greener and more prosperous.

    The G7 – which is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the USA andthe EU – is the only forum where the world’s most influential and open societies andadvanced economies are brought together for close-knit discussions. The Prime Minister’s ambition is to use the G7 to intensify cooperation between the world’sdemocratic and technologically advanced nations. To that end, he has invited leaders fromAustralia, India and South Korea to attend as guest countries to deepen the expertise andexperience around the table. Between them the 10 leaders represent over 60% of thepeople living in democracies around the world.

    The choice of Cornwall as the location for the Summit will mean the eyes of the world are onthe beautiful, historic and innovative region. The leaders’ meeting itself will be held in thecoastal town of Carbis Bay, supported by neighboring St Ives and other towns acrossthe region. The whole of Cornwall will reap the benefits of hosting the G7.The region is already a powerhouse for green innovation, providing an ideal setting fora Summit focused on building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.

    Visit Cornwall estimates the total economic impact for the county will be £50 million,including through an increase in future tourism. The Government will also work closely withCornish leaders and institutions to ensure the Summit leaves a long-term legacy for theregion, reaping the benefits of hosting the G7 for years to come.

    The UK will also host a number of meetings throughout the year between GovernmentMinisters from the G7, both virtually and in different locations across the UK – ensuringmany areas of the country experience the benefits of the UK’s G7 Presidency. Theseministerial summits will cover economic, environmental, health, trade, technology,development and foreign policy issues.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

    “As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been thecatalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face. Fromcancelling developing world debt to our universal condemnation of Russia’s annexationof Crimea, the world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomaticmight to create a more open and prosperous planet.

    “Coronavirus is doubtless the most destructive force we have seen for generations andthe greatest test of the modern world order we have experienced. It is only right that weapproach the challenge of building back better by uniting with a spirit of openness tocreate a better future.

    “Cornwall is the perfect location for such a crucial summit. Two hundred years ago Cornwall’stin and copper mines were at the heart of the UK’s industrial revolution and this summerCornwall will again be the nucleus of great global change and advancement. I’m very muchlooking forward to welcoming world leaders to this great region and country.” 2021 marks a crucial year of international leadership for the UK. In addition to the G7 Summit,during February the UK will assume the Presidency of the UN Security Council, and later thisyear the UK will host COP26 in Glasgow and a global education conference aimed at gettingchildren in the developing world into school.

  • Chris Evans denies being in talks with Marvel to return as Captain America

    Chris Evans denies being in talks with Marvel to return as Captain America

    Chris Evans has crushed a million hearts after he denied returning to Marvel for another Captain America film. He took to Twitter on Thursday, Jan 15,  to put an end to the rumors. “News to me,” he wrote in a tweet and added a ‘shrug’ emoji. In another tweet, he mentioned that he was amused with all the reactions by fans. “Some of the gif responses are priceless. good work, everyone,” he wrote. Other celebrities such as Billy Eichner and Jamie Lee Curtis also reacted to his tweet. Jamie, who played his mother in Knives Out, said, “Can I play your mother? In every film you do?” Billy was ready to be Captain America in Chris’ absence. “I’ll do it,” he wrote. As per a report in Deadline, Chris was sure to return as Steve Rogers in at least one more film while a second one was still being debated. Sources told the publication that he will not have his own solo movie but something like what Robert Downey Jr. did after Iron Man 3: Appearing in other films such as Captain America: Civil War, Avengers movies and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

  • Third lockdown begins in UK, stay-at-home order till mid-February

    London (TIP): Britain began its third Covid lockdown on Tuesday with citizens under orders to stay at home and the government calling for one last major national effort to stem the virus before mass vaccinations turn the tide. Finance minister Rishi Sunak announced a new package of business grants worth 4.6 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) to help keep people in jobs and firms afloat until measures are relaxed gradually, at the earliest from mid-February but likely later. Britain has the second highest death toll in Europe. Its economy suffered the sharpest contraction of any in the Group of Seven during the first wave of infections last spring.
    PM Boris Johnson announced the new lockdown late on Monday, saying the highly contagious new Covid variant first identified in Britain was spreading so fast the National Health Service (NHS) risked being overwhelmed within 21 days. In England alone, some 27,000 people are in hospital with Covid, 40% more than during the first peak in April, with infection numbers still expected to rise further after increased socialising during the Christmas period.
    A Savanta-ComRes poll taken just after Johnson’s address suggested four in five adults in England supported the lockdown. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 75,000 people have died in the United Kingdom within 28 days of testing positive, according to official figures. — Reuters

  • UK PM Johnson backs Priti Patel as minister despite bullying claims

    UK PM Johnson backs Priti Patel as minister despite bullying claims

    London (TIP): UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Nov 20 backed his Cabinet Minister Priti Patel, despite a Cabinet Office inquiry into allegations of bullying concluding that she had breached the Ministerial Code, albeit “unintentionally”. While ministers are usually expected to resign if they breach the code, it ultimately rests with the Prime Minister on whether to take any action on the independent Ministerial Code adviser’s findings.

    Johnson, who has consistently supported Patel ever since the allegations first emerged earlier this year, declared that he still has “full confidence” in the 48-year-old Indian-origin minister, who holds one of the UK’s highest political offices as Home Secretary. It has, however, led to the resignation of Alex Allan, the independent adviser on the Ministerial Code, as the decision seems to go against the findings of his report.

    “My advice is that the Home Secretary has not consistently met the high standards required by the Ministerial Code of treating her civil servants with consideration and respect. Her approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals,” his report notes.

    “To that extent, her behaviour has been in breach of the Ministerial Code, even if unintentionally. This conclusion needs to be seen in context. There is no evidence that she was aware of the impact of her behaviour, and no feedback was given to her at the time,” it reads.

    The report takes note of the high pressure and demands of the UK Home Office role and the need for more supportive leadership from the top of the department as a “contributory factor”.

    “In particular, I note the finding of different and more positive behaviour since these issues were raised with her,” it adds. Patel, seen as a close and loyal ally of Johnson, released a statement saying she was sorry “that my behaviour in the past has upset people”. And, a Cabinet Office statement said the UK prime minister has “full confidence” in his Home Secretary and considers “this matter now closed”.

    “He [Johnson] is reassured that the Home Secretary is sorry for inadvertently upsetting those with whom she was working. He is also reassured that relationships, practices and culture in the Home Office are much improved,” reads the government statement.

    However, the issue is likely to continue to play out for some time, especially after Allan’s resignation.

    “I recognise that it is for the Prime Minister to make a judgement on whether actions by a minister amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code. But I feel that it is right that I should now resign from my position as the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on the Code,” reads Allan’s statement.

    The developments on Friday follow an eight-month-long saga, during which Johnson was accused of deliberately delaying action on the results of the internal inquiry which concluded a few months ago.

    An investigation into bullying allegations against Patel was launched in March, with the Cabinet Office asked by the Prime Minister to “establish the facts” over whether the Home Secretary breached the Ministerial Code.

    It followed the dramatic resignation of the UK Home Office’s most senior civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam, amid allegations of bullying. His departure as the Home Office’s Permanent Secretary is still the subject of an employment tribunal, with Rutnam pursuing a claim for constructive dismissal against the government department.

    -PTI

  • Indian origin Amritpal Sachdeva develops the World’s First Business Card Sharing App

    Indian origin Amritpal Sachdeva develops the World’s First Business Card Sharing App

    Chairman of the British Sikh Association Lord Rami Ranger CBE Launches the App named “Zozter”

    Nirpal Singh Shergill in London

    LONDON (TIP): Lord Rami Ranger CBE  launched “Zozter-the pioneering Business Card Sharing App”.  The concept has been developed by a long-standing employee of Lord Ranger’s company, Sun Mark Ltd, Mr Amritpal Sachdeva, fondly known as Lucky. Mr. Sachdeva  had started his working life at Sun Mark Ltd and progressed up the ranks to become the Distribution Manager, having worked at Sun Mark for over 18 years.

    Lord Ranger CBE, at the launch event, said to the  local media, “I am very proud to see how Lucky has developed his business acumen and customer service skills whilst at Sun Mark and I am very impressed with his Zozter App. The pioneering Zozter App developed by Lucky provides solutions in today’s digital world. It is reducing the need to use paper and to carry business cards to help the environment. It is challenging to manage so many business cards which one gets daily when going about the businesses. It is child’s play to store the information, all the information one needs to run an effective business. The app helps you network with like-minded professionals and also helps you find suitable employment and business opportunities.”

    Lucky said, “ I owe all my success to Lord Ranger who has been my guiding light and mentor and who has made me what I am today.  I am proud to have created the start-up Zozter; it is the world’s first online social card sharing application based on the idea of enhancing the sharing of business cards and services to a global community, it is the next level in marketing and business networking ”.

    Zozter’s unique features allow it to be used on all platforms. It is a digital business card holder for your old business cards. The mission is to create a global community to help facilitate business networking and to help both employers and employees connect in a seamless way.

    For further information, visit: www.zozter.com

     

  • Indian – Origin Sikh Taxi Driver Assaulted by Passengers in UK

    Indian – Origin Sikh Taxi Driver Assaulted by Passengers in UK

    LONDON (TIP): An India-Origin Sikh taxi driver was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by passengers he drove from a casino in the city of Reading in south-east England, prompting a UK police force to launch an investigation.

    Vaneet Singh, 41, said that a group of four men slapped and shoved him, and asked “are you Taliban” after he received them from the Grosvenor Casino in Reading, Berkshire, in the early hours of Sunday.

    One of the four also tried to remove his turban.

    “It was horrible, really frightening, I will never work the nightshift again. I”m still very scared,” he told the BBC.

    Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses as they investigate the report of an assault.

    Vaneet Singh, who worked as a music teacher at a school in Slough, Berkshire, turned to taxi driving after his teaching job was stalled during the coronavirus pandemic.

    The musician, who lives in Tilehurst with his wife and three children, said he has been left shaken up by the assault and will be avoiding night shifts.

    “It’s very bad experience. It’s my religion so I respect my turban,” he said.

    One of the four passengers, all described as white, pulled at his turban as he was driving and slapped him on the head, while others kicked and punched the back of the driver’s seat.

    He says he tried to explain the religious significance of the turban to them and asked them not to touch it.

    He recalled the passengers being well behaved at the start of the journey but “totally changed” as it went on.

    Vaneet Singh, who is suffering from aches and pains since the incident, is convinced the attack was of a racist nature and believes he was a victim of hate crime.

    Thames Valley Police are yet to confirm their line of inquiry in the assault case.

    (Source: BBC)

  • Indian-Origin Man gets Life for Brutally Murdering his Partner in UK

    Indian-Origin Man gets Life for Brutally Murdering his Partner in UK

    LONDON  (TIP): A 23-year-old Indian-origin man who stopped a police officer in the street and made comments implicating himself in an attack on his estranged partner has been sentenced to life imprisonment for her brutal murder by a UK court.

    Jigukumar Sorthi was sentenced to serve a minimum of 28 years behind bars before being considered for parole after he was found guilty of the murder of 21-year-old Bhavini Pravin, who was found stabbed at her home in the city of Leicester in March.

    “This was a horrific, brutal and merciless killing. You took the life of a beautiful, talented young woman, just 21 years of age,” Justice Timothy Spencer told Jigukumar Sorthi at the sentencing hearing at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday.

    During a murder trial earlier this month, the jury heard how he had felt jilted by Bhavini Pravin after she broke off plans for their wedding ceremony.

    At around 12.30 pm on March 2, Jigukumar Sorthi went to her home and once inside they talked for a few minutes before Jigukumar Sorthi stabbed her multiple times and left the property.

    Leicestershire Police and East Midlands Ambulance Service personnel were called to the address where the victim was pronounced dead.

    Less than two hours after the incident, Jigukumar Sorthi approached an officer outside Spinney Hill Police Station in Leicester and made admissions implicating himself in the stabbing of Bhavini Pravin.

    A post-mortem examination was carried out and concluded Bhavini Pravin died as a result of multiple stab wounds.

    “Bhavini was a young woman who had the rest of her life to look forward to. She was a gentle caring soul and came from a close and very private family. It is fair to say she was the apple of her parents” eyes,” said Detective Inspector Kenny Henry, the senior investigating officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major Crime team.

    “Losing Bhavini so early in life and in such tragic circumstances continues to take its toll on her parents and brothers – their lives have been changed forever. To have lost their beloved daughter to someone who they trusted to take care of her is something they will never recover from,” he said, adding that the sentence would hopefully be of some comfort to her family.

    “Being present during the trial was understandably difficult for the family and I must commend their bravery, courage, and dignity throughout. Nothing will bring Bhavini back but I can only hope that today’s outcome will, in due course, be of some comfort knowing that the man who ended their daughter’s life has been brought to justice,” he added.

    According to local ‘Leicester Mercury” reports, Jigukumar Sorthi had a civil ceremony with Bhavini Pravin in India in 2017 and followed her to England on a spousal visa in August 2018.

    However, the couple lived at separate addresses and the match did not seem to work out.

    Bhavini Pravin was to marry Jigukumar Sorthi in a religious Hindu wedding ceremony, but her family called it off a day before the murder.

    Bhavini Pravin’s life was cut short in a brutal, callous attack in her own home. The defendant took a knife to her house and yet tried to claim he was not in control of his actions,” said Lucie Boulter from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

    “We prepared compelling evidence that showed the court that this was clearly planned and premeditated,” she said.

    When he gave himself up to the police, Jigukumar Sorthi alleged that Bhavini Pravin had ruined his life.

    His lawyer told the court that his client had struggled to cope with life in the UK during the court proceedings which were translated into Gujarati for his benefit.

  • Indian-Origin London Mayor Candidate Geeta Dropped Over Anti-Semitism Remarks

    Indian-Origin London Mayor Candidate Geeta Dropped Over Anti-Semitism Remarks

    LONDON  (TIP): An Indian-origin entrepreneur-activist was on Monday dropped as a prospective London mayoral candidate to contest against Sadiq Khan next year after her past antisemitic comments came to light.

    Geeta Sidhu Robb, the founder of organic food and juice products firm Nosh Detox, had been shortlisted as the Liberal Democrat candidate to take on Labor’s Khan but was instead suspended from the party after a 1997 General Election footage revealed her making anti-Jewish remarks.

    “I apologize profusely for my actions in the 1997 General Election campaign. My behavior caused offence and hurt and I am deeply sorry,” said Sidhu Robb.

    “There is no room for any form of racism or antisemitism in society and as such I very much regret my conduct at that time. It is in no way an excuse, but the context was that I was on the receiving end of a consistent racist campaign and, wrongly, retaliated as I did,” she said.

    “I apologize profusely for my actions in the 1997 General Election Campaign. My behavior caused offence and hurt and I am deeply sorry. There is no room for any form of racism or anti-Semitism in society and as such I very much regret my conduct at that time.

    — Geeta Sidhu Robb (@GeetaSidhuRobb) September 14, 2020

    It is in no way an excuse, but the context was that I was on the receiving end of a consistent racist campaign and, wrongly, retaliated as I did.

    — Geeta Sidhu Robb (@GeetaSidhuRobb) September 14, 2020

    As a Conservative Party General Election candidate in Blackburn 23 years ago when she was contesting against incumbent Labor MP Jack Straw, Sidhu Robb was filmed saying: “Don’t vote for a Jew, Jack Straw is a Jew.”

    The London-based health food promoter, who came second behind Straw in that election, said she was “deeply ashamed” of the language she had used, which she is seen admitting in the footage was done in anger.

    “As shown in the footage, I instantly regretted my appalling behavior, which I continue to do. And I am actively reaching out to the Jewish community to listen and learn,” she said.

    “Two wrongs never make a right. I made a mistake and I take responsibility for my abhorrent actions 23 years ago; they were never repeated. I urge you to judge me on who I am today, a campaigner committed to eradicating inequality and discrimination in all its forms,” she added, in a lengthy Twitter statement.

    The London mayoral election was due to be held in May this year but has been postponed to May 2021 due to the coronavirus lockdown disruption.

    So far, incumbent Sadiq Khan is being challenged by Conservative Party candidate Shaun Bailey in the race. The Lib Dem choice has proved difficult as the party’s previous choice, Siobhan Benita, withdrew from the race saying she could not commit to an extra year of unpaid campaigning. The party is now back to seeking a prospective candidate after Sidhu Robb’s suspension.

    “Geeta Sidhu Robb has been suspended from the Liberal Democrats and will not be on the ballot paper to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for mayor of London. There is an investigation under way in accordance with due process,” a Lib Dem spokesperson said.

  • Indian-Origin Author among Six others on Booker Prize 2020 List

    Indian-Origin Author among Six others on Booker Prize 2020 List

    LONDON (TIP): Dubai-based Indian-origin author Avni Doshi is among the six authors shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize for her debut novel “Burnt Sugar”.

    The shortlist was unveiled virtually in London on Tuesday, September 15, after judges re-evaluated the 13 longlisted novels published in the UK or Ireland between October 2019 and September 2020 to whittle down the shortlist for the GBP 50,000 literary prize in November.

    “This utterly compelling read examines a complex and unusual mother-daughter relationship with honest, unflinching realism – sometimes emotionally wrenching but also cathartic, written with poignancy and memorability,” the judges said of Avni Doshi’s entry.

    Avni Doshi, born in the US and now living in Dubai, has previously spoken about the long journey to her first novel, which was released in India last year as ‘Girl in White Cotton’ and for its UK release in July.

    The rest of the shortlist includes Diane Cook for “The New Wilderness”, Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga for the third novel in her trilogy – ‘This Mournable Body’, Maaza Mengiste for “The Shadow King”, Douglas Stuart for “Shuggie Bain” and Brandon Taylor for “Real Life”.

    Literary heavyweight and former double Booker winner Hilary Mantel, in the running for her final installment in her series set in King Henry VIII’s 16th century England ”The Mirror and the Light”, failed to make the shortlist cut.

    “The shortlist of six came together unexpectedly, voices and characters resonating with us all even when very different. We are delighted to help disseminate these chronicles of creative humanity to a global audience,” said Margaret Busby, literary critic and chair of the 2020 judges.

    “As judges, we read 162 books, many of them conveying important, sometimes uncannily similar and prescient messages,” she said.

    “The best novels often prepare our societies for valuable conversations, and not just about the inequities and dilemmas of the world – whether in connection with climate change, forgotten communities, old age, racism, or revolution when necessary – but also about how magnificent the interior life of the mind, imagination and spirit is, in spite of circumstance,” she said.

    The organizers said that readers of the chosen books will travel to India to unpick an unsettling mother-daughter relationship redefined by dementia with Avni Doshi’s entry; explore the tender story of a mother’s battle to save her daughter in a dystopian city made inhospitable by the climate crisis; witness a woman confronting the realities of life and morality in Zimbabwe as she descends into poverty.

    They will uncover the extraordinary tales of the African women who went to war during Italy’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia; find humanity and humor in the harsh realities experienced by a marginalized family in 1980s Glasgow; and question what “real-life” is in a fresh take on the campus novel, which offers a nuanced account of racism and homophobia.

    Gaby Wood, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, said: “Every year, judging the Booker Prize is an act of discovery. What’s out there, how can we widen the net, how do these books seem when compared to one another, how do they fare when re-read? These are questions judges always ask themselves, and each other.”

    “This year there has perhaps been more discovery than usual, both in the sense that debut novels are in the majority and due to the fact that the judges themselves were surprised to find that was the case. Why were they surprised? They were focusing on the books,” she said.

    “No one wins the Booker Prize because of who they are. A book wins because of what it does. What has transpired is a testament to the judges” faith in – among other things – first fictions: they have found these writers to have much to say, and found them to have said it in a way that became even richer on second reading.”

    The Booker Prize for Fiction is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English and published in the UK or Ireland. The shortlist of six books will be announced on September 15, with each shortlisted author receiving 2,500 pounds and a specially bound edition of their book at the prize ceremony scheduled for November.

    The 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction was won jointly by “The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo. First awarded in 1969, the Booker Prize is recognized as the leading prize for literary fiction written in English.

    The rules of the prize were changed at the end of 2013 to embrace the English language “in all its vigor, its vitality, its versatility and its glory”, opening it up to writers beyond the UK and Commonwealth, providing they were writing novels in English and published in the UK.

  • Indian-Origin Parents Plead for Return of Children from Foster Care in UK

    Indian-Origin Parents Plead for Return of Children from Foster Care in UK

    LONDON / CHENNAI  (TIP): An Indian-origin couple who won a major UK court appeal recently that prevented their children from losing their Indian citizenship are now appealing for authorities in Britain to allow their two minor children in foster care in Britain to be reunited with their family to live in India.

    The parents, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are originally from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and moved to the UK in 2004. They lost all contact with their children – a son aged 11 and daughter aged 9 – in August 2015 when they were taken into the care of the local childcare authorities in Birmingham.

    Their case has been going through the family courts in Britain and last week, a UK Court of Appeal judgment concluded that the Birmingham Children’s Trust must seek the court’s approval before any attempt to apply for British citizenship for the children in the face of “parental opposition”.

    “I am an Indian national. The children are Indian nationals too. We would love to go to India. We don’t want British citizenship for the children. We have made this clear,” said the 52-year-old father, a civil engineer struggling to make ends meet in Birmingham.

    “The Indian High Commission supported the return of my children in the court proceedings,” he said.

    The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Birmingham said it has been providing consular and legal assistance to the parents in their four-year-long legal battle.

    “We had submitted in the honorable Family Court in Birmingham that the Indian Consulate wishes to provide assistance for the children’s welfare needs and provide the necessary arrangements to provide the Indian passports for the children and will fund the costs of the flights and transportation to India and overseeing their care arrangements,” the CGI in Birmingham noted in a statement.

    The CGI said that it continues to offer support and monitor the progress in the case and had also assisted the parents to procure a home study report from the Child Welfare Committee, District Nagapattinam, regarding prospective custodians of the children in Tamil Nadu.

    “We must understand that the case is sub-judice and any comments on this case may not be appropriate,” the Indian consulate noted.
    The case was described by the UK Court of Appeal as a “challenging one for everyone”, with the Tamil-speaking parents requiring interpreters.

    In the latest appeal, the father was represented by prominent Indian lawyer Harish Salve, who argued that a change of citizenship marks a “fundamental change” and “matter of great moment”, which may or may not be in the children’s interests.

    The reasons behind the children’s removal from their parents” care were not revealed in court but a previous ruling in December last year determined that the minor boy and girl must remain in long-term foster care for the remainder of their childhoods.

    “My sole purpose of staying back here [in Birmingham] is to get my children released from the UK authorities and have them returned to India, whether with or to approved relatives… The children will lead a peaceful life with safety and security in India,” said the father, speaking in Tamil.

    His wife, a 45-year-old Indian national also from Tamil Nadu, is now living in Singapore with her mother and the couple’s four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, born after she left the UK while pregnant over fears of losing her third child to foster care as well.

    “Don’t I care for my third child well now? Their accusations are just false. They separated my children from me… I was not able to comprehend what was happening and I was just stunned. I asked for an interpreter since I could not understand English much,” said the tearful mother from Singapore, also speaking in Tamil.

    In court, she was assisted by Delhi-based advocate Nandita Rao, described as a legally qualified “McKenzie friend” – or someone who assists a litigant in UK court proceedings by giving advice.

    “In my personal capacity, as a person interested in child rights, I would suggest that the Birmingham authority ought to assess its capacity to preserve the nationality of children (who are not citizens of the UK) in the foster care system,” said Mr Rao.

    “Nationality has a de jure part (i.e. identity in law) and a de facto part (cultural identity). The latter includes preserving the language, food habits, social and family contacts of the child. If the authority is not in a position to ensure the cultural identity of a child is preserved… the local authority should explore foster care for the child in his home country, unless the child is an asylum seeker or has a risk of persecution in its home country,” she said.

    The local authority, the Birmingham Children’s Trust, said it was considering the implications of the judgment handed down by the UK Court of Appeal on August 6.

    “We have received the judgement and we will be considering the outcome and implications in our future practice,” said a spokesperson for the Birmingham Children’s Trust.

    Last week’s ruling had acknowledged that changing a child’s citizenship was a “momentous step” and not a routine matter.

    “Changing a child’s citizenship is a momentous step with profound and enduring consequences that requires the most careful consideration… The local authority should now indicate whether it wishes to progress the matter, in which case we will give appropriate directions,” it noted.

  • Indian-origin author Avni Doshi on 2020 Booker Prize longlist

    Indian-origin author Avni Doshi on 2020 Booker Prize longlist

    The Dubai-based Indian-origin author is among the 13 authors longlisted for her debut novel ‘Burnt Sugar’

    LONDON  (TIP): Dubai-based Indian-origin author Avni Doshi is among the 13 authors longlisted for the prestigious 2020 Booker Prize for her debut novel ‘Burnt Sugar’, alongside double Booker winner Hilary Mantel for ‘The Mirror and The Light’.

    The so-called “Booker Dozen” was unveiled on Tuesday, July 28,  after judges evaluated 162 novels published in the UK or Ireland between October 2019 and September 2020, with a shortlist of six to be whittled down by September in time for the 50,000-pound literary prize in November.

    “This utterly compelling read examines a complex and unusual mother-daughter relationship with honest, unflinching realism — sometimes emotionally wrenching but also cathartic, written with poignancy and memorability,” the judges said of Doshi’s longlisted entry.

    Doshi, born in the US and now living in Dubai, has previously spoken about the long journey to her first novel, which was released in India last year as ‘Girl in White Cotton’ and gets a UK release this Thursday as ‘Burnt Sugar’.

    For the coveted Booker, Doshi goes head to head with literary heavyweight Mantel, who is in the running for her final instalment in her series set in King Henry VIII’s 16th-century England.

    “‘The Mirror and the Light’ completes a tragic arc in which Thomas Cromwell [Henry VII’s Minister] is finally brought down by the police state he designed. Mantel’s masterful exhibition of sly dialogue and exquisite description brings the Tudor world alive,” the judges said, in reference to her book.

    British and Scottish nominees this year include Gabriel Krauze for ‘Who They Was’, Douglas Stuart for ‘Shuggie Bain’ and Sophie Ward for ‘Love and Other Thought Experiments’. Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga is nominated for the third novel in her trilogy – ‘This Mournable Body’.

    The rest of the longlist is largely dominated by US-based authors, including Diane Cook for ‘The New Wilderness’, Colum McCann for ‘Apeirogon’, Maaza Mengiste for ‘The Shadow King’, Kiley Reid for ‘Such a Fun Age’, Brandon Taylor for ‘Real Life’, Anne Tyler for ‘Redhead by The Side of The Road’, and C Pam Zhang for ‘How Much of These Hills is Gold’.

    “Each of these books carries an impact that has earned it a place on the longlist, deserving of a wide readership. Included are novels carried by the sweep of history with memorable characters brought to life and given visibility, novels that represent a moment of cultural change, or the pressures an individual faces in pre and post-dystopian society,” said editor and literary critic Margaret Busby, chair of the 2020 judging panel.

    “Some of the books focus on interpersonal relationships that are complex, nuanced, emotionally charged. There are voices from minorities often unheard, stories that are fresh, bold and absorbing. The best fiction enables the reader to relate to other people’s lives; sharing experiences that we could not ourselves have imagined is as powerful as being able to identify with characters,” she said.

    Gaby Wood, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, said: “In this year of seismic change, visibility for new books published in the UK has been drastically low. So, however unintended the ratio, it’s especially heartening to know that some authors who have launched their careers in the midst of COVID-19 may now have a chance to reach the readers they deserve.”

    The Booker Prize for Fiction is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English and published in the UK or Ireland. The shortlist of six books will be announced on September 15, with each shortlisted author receiving 2,500 pounds and a specially bound edition of their book at the prize ceremony scheduled for November.

    The 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction was won jointly by ‘The Testaments’ by Margaret Atwood and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo. First awarded in 1969, the Booker Prize is recognized as the leading prize for literary fiction written in English.

    The rules of the prize were changed at the end of 2013 to embrace the English language “in all its vigor, its vitality, its versatility and its glory”, opening it up to writers beyond the UK and Commonwealth, providing they were writing novels in English and published in the UK.

    (Source:  PTI)

     

  • Oxford vaccine shows protection against COVID-19 in monkeys: Study

    Oxford vaccine shows protection against COVID-19 in monkeys: Study

    Preliminary results from this research were used to facilitate the start of clinical trials of the vaccine in humans, the researchers noted

    LONDON (TIP): A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford in the UK elicits an immune response and reduces the viral load in monkeys exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study published in the journal Nature on Thursday, July 30.

    The researchers from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US and the Oxford University found that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine protects the macaques from COVID-19 pneumonia — a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in which the lungs become inflamed and may fill with fluid.

    Preliminary results from this research were used to facilitate the start of clinical trials of the vaccine in humans, the researchers noted.

    ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus — a group of viruses that can cause a range of illnesses, including the common cold — that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, a structure that enables the coronavirus to enter human cells.

    The researchers show that a single dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, given to six macaques 28 days before exposure to SARS-CoV-2, is effective in preventing damage to lungs and drastically reduces the viral load, when compared with six control animals.

    A further six macaques were given a booster course of two doses of the vaccine, at 56 and 28 days before challenge, which increased the immune response, the team found.

    The vaccinated animals showed no evidence of immune-enhanced inflammatory disease, which has been observed in some preclinical studies of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, according to the researchers.

    They noted that there was no difference in viral shedding from the nose between vaccinated and control animals.

    This finding indicates that ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 may not prevent infection or transmission, but may reduce illness, the researchers noted.

    The study has led to clinical trials of the ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine, which have enrolled more than 8,000 volunteers as of the beginning of July 2020, they said.

    Another study on 52 adult rhesus macaques published in the journal Nature on Thursday found that a single dose of a vaccine made from an adenovirus, a group of viruses that are linked to illnesses such as the mild cold, protected the animals against SARS-CoV-2.

    The optimal version of the vaccine is currently being evaluated in clinical trials, said the researchers of this study from Harvard Medical School in the US.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian-origin Jayant Krishna appointed as new CEO for UKIBC

    Indian-origin Jayant Krishna appointed as new CEO for UKIBC

    LONDON, UK (TIP): The UK India Business Council has announced that Jayant Krishna has accepted the invitation of the Board to become its new Group Chief Executive Officer. He will take charge from August 3.

    “Jayant brings a wealth of senior-level corporate and governmental experience from India and the UK to UKIBC, having previously led key initiatives of the Prime Minister’s Skill India mission as CEO, and Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC),” the council said in a statement.

    Krishna, who will be the first UKIBC Group CEO to be based in India, will be replacing the current Group CEO, Richard Heald, OBE after a term of 10 years. Richard will step up to the role of Chair from September 1, 2020, succeeding the current Chair, Lord Davies of Abersoch, CBE who will retain a close association with the UKIBC by assuming the position of President of a new UKIBC Senior Leadership Council.

    “I’m pleased to accept this extraordinary opportunity to work towards further strengthening UKIBC’s support to UK and Indian industry, encouraging bilateral investment, and helping businesses succeed. UKIBC will continue to bolster two-way trade and investment flows between UK and Indian businesses,” Krishna said.

    Prior to this, Jayant was with the Tata group for over two decades. A British Chevening Scholar, he held various leadership roles at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), including Director, Life Sciences & Healthcare (UK & Europe), Regional Director (UK & Ireland), Regional Manager in London, Global Delivery Centre Head in India, and Global Relationship Manager for one of TCS’s top five accounts worldwide, while based in London.

    Earlier, Krishna was a management consultant at a division of Tata Sons. More recently, he has been Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC and Executive Director, Public Policy at the Wadhwani Foundation, focusing on Indian economic reforms and US-India bilateral business ties. He has chaired and served on multiple committees of the Government of India, chaired several taskforces of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and is an Independent Director on the Boards of various companies.

    Over the past years, UKIBC has grown in size, scope, impact, and sustainability, expanding its presence in both the UK and India through the development of a range of advisory, support and consultancy services supporting both Indian and UK companies operating in the UK-India economic corridor.

    Group CEO & Chair (Designate), Richard Heald, OBE said, “The combination of Jayant’s insights of India, his extensive networks within government in India as well as his knowledge of UK and Indian corporates are unique. The appointment of our Group CEO in India underscores our ambition to make the UKIBC more bilateral in nature.”

     

  • 2 Indian-origin men jailed for ‘largest’ bust with 20 million pounds of drugs in UK

    2 Indian-origin men jailed for ‘largest’ bust with 20 million pounds of drugs in UK

    LONDON (TIP): Two Indian-origin men have been sentenced to a total of 34 years in what Scotland Yard described as one of its biggest drugs busts in the UK, worth more than 20 million pounds.

    Shakti Gupta, 34, from Birmingham and Baldev Singh Sahota, 54, from Oldbury in West Midlands was jailed for 18 years and 16 years respectively following a haul of 172 kg of cocaine, one of the largest land seizures of Class A or illegal drugs in the country.

    “This operation has resulted in one of the largest land seizures of cocaine within the UK, ever,” said Detective Superintendent Neil Ballard, from the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command.

    “It is an extremely significant amount of Class A drugs that indicates the scale of this organized drug supply, which the Met has successfully dismantled,” he said.

    On December 11 last year, a team of the Met’s Specialist Crime officers, supported by West Midlands Police, carried out a stop of a vehicle on the A45 highway, which was being driven by Sahota.

    On inspection of the van, officers discovered a large quantity of Class A drugs (cocaine) had been mixed among pallets of frozen food. The total weight of the cocaine discovered was 168 kg.

    A further search was carried out at an address in Olds Trading Estate Park in Hockley, Birmingham, the same day.

    A further 4 kg of Class A drugs (cocaine and MDMA) and 1 kg of the cutting agent were discovered inside the address. Gupta was arrested following the second raid and both men were taken into custody within the West Midlands Police jurisdiction.

    They were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely cocaine and appeared at Birmingham Crown Court in January this year, where they pleaded guilty to the offence.

    The duo was sentenced at the same court earlier this month.

    “This sentencing result is due to the hard work and commitment from those involved in dismantling drugs networks that are intrinsically linked to the violence that we have seen playing out on our streets throughout the country,” said Ballard.

    “This result should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in the supply of drugs in London and the rest of the UK that we will do everything we legitimately can to bring you to justice,” he said.

    “The Met will continue to work with, and assist, our colleagues in other forces around the country, who are all dedicated to removing the drugs from our streets and reducing the serious violence associated with drugs supply, to protect the public,” he added.

    The Met Police released the details of the case this week as part of an appeal for information on anyone suspected of similar criminal activity.

    (Source: PTI)

     

  • India is doing more to tackle climate change than any other country, says India’s Railway Minister in London

    India is doing more to tackle climate change than any other country, says India’s Railway Minister in London

    LONDON (TIP) The Indian High Commission in London in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and India Inc. on July 14 hosted an event in honor of India’s Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal in London during his UK visit. This was the Minister’s first visit to the UK since taking office in the new Government.

    India Inc. Founder & CEO Manoj Ladwa conducted an in-depth Fireside Chat with Piyush Goyal, which involved a wide-ranging interaction between the minister and representatives of the Indian diaspora in Britain.

    The Minister in his own words:

    • The norm across government is transparency and more transparency
    • This government has proved that it is willing to take on black money head on
    • India is doing more to tackle climate change than any other country despite not being responsible for the problem
    • The per capita consumption of coal in India is what the US consumed 150 years ago
    • At no point of time any more can there be any trade pact which will be at the cost of India’s interests
    • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has laid out a truly remarkable roadmap in her Budget for India to move towards the goal of becoming a $5-trillion economy by 2024
    • I don’t agree with the naysayers who say there hasn’t been job creation because the nature of job creation has changed

    (Courtesy – India Inc.)