LONDON(TIP): India is, once again, not included in an expanded list of countries from where students applying for visas will be subject to less stringent documentation requirements, details provided on Thursday, March 8, showed.
This follows last year’s controversy when China, Indonesia, the Maldives and other countries were included on the list. The failure to include India triggered much criticism, particularly after the U.K. sought to suggest that the exclusion related to New Delhi’s decision to pull out of a Memorandum of Understanding on the return of illegal migrants.
Among the new countries to which the “streamlined documentary requirements” apply are Peru, Kazakhstan, Mauritius and Oman. “This change will not only benefit students, who will be able to apply for visas through a more streamlined process, but also help to ensure that the U.K.’s world-leading education institutions remain competitive internationally,” the Home Office said.
“This adds insult to injury,” said Lord Karan Bilimoria, a cross-bench member of the House of Lords who has been critical of the government’s approach to immigration, particularly relating to students. “It is incredible to think that Britain still has the audacity to talk of a trade deal with India, while this is its approach.”
The changes are part of a wider update to Britain’s immigration system that will introduce two new visa routes for setting up businesses in the U.K. — including a “start-up” route and an equivalent one for more seasoned business people. In both cases, business experts will be involved in assessing the merits of the business ideas. “This will make sure that the routes are focused on only the most innovative, viable and scalable businesses,” said the Home Office.
The government has also updated its rules governing a fast-track visa scheme for wealthy investors – which has been used by many Indians. The scheme, which is open to those who invest at least £2 million in U.K. government, shares or businesses, offers a faster route to settlement in the country. Eighty-two Indian nationals applied for an investor visa through this route between 2008 and March 2018, according to Transparency International.
However, amid concerns that the route has been abused for illicit money flows, the government has been under pressure to either scrap or reform the system. Now, applicants will be “required to prove that they have had control of the required £2 million for at least two years, rather than 90 days, or provide evidence of the source of those funds”, the Home Office said.
LONDON(TIP): An Indian-origin man who was jailed for 13 years for killing three teenage boys in an accident in January has been given relief of two-and-a-half years on his sentence.
Jaynesh Chudasama, 29, admitted to driving at more than two-and-a-half times over the alcohol limit on January 26 evening, when the fatal collision occurred near a bus stop at Hayes in west London.
Traces of cannabis were also found in the car hire worker’s system following his arrest.
At the latest hearing, the Court of Appeal concluded that there had been an error in sentencing him to 13 years behind bars for the crime and cut his sentence down to 10 and-a-half years instead to take his guilty pleas into account.
“Prior to consideration of his guilty pleas, this was a case for the maximum sentence of 14 years. The appropriate discount for the pleas, however, was not one third but one quarter,” said Judge Brian Leveson at a judgment hand-down hearing, during which the victims’ families shouted slogans opposing the ruling.
“The death of each of the victims in this case is a disaster and tragedy of almost unimaginable proportions for them, their families and their friends. We have read many statements about the catastrophic impact each has had on so many lives. No sentence of the court can assuage that loss,” the judge noted.
The trial had heard how Harry Rice, 17, George Wilkinson and Josh McGuinness, both 16, were instantly killed as they were hit by Chudasama’s speeding car while on their way to a friend’s birthday party.
Family members of the boys were among around 30 members of the public who attended the Royal Courts of Justice in London for the decision and chanted “disgrace” as the judgment was handed down.
The judge had to move the hearing to a different court room due to the disruption.
Besides his jail sentence, Chudasama will also be disqualified from driving for 12 years and three months and have to pass an extended driving test.
He had been described as a “coward” in court for trying to escape the scene, leaving his victims to die on the road, but was chased down and caught by the boys’ friends.
Despite the efforts of paramedics, all three boys were pronounced dead at the scene. Photographs from the scene showed the smashed wreckage of a car, including a caved-in fence.
Some of the victims’ relatives believe the crash was deliberate and want Chudasama charged with murder.
LONDON(TIP): Indian-origin Nandita Parshad senior executive, has been announced as the head of consolidated new sustainable infrastructure group of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Ms.Parshad, currently Managing Director for Energy and Natural Resources at the EBRD, in her new role will lead the bank’s engagement in environmental, transport and energy sectors in 38 countries across three continents with a particular focus on decarbonization and sustainable financing, a statement said.
“Green investments increasingly require a complex approach combining energy, emissions, water and waste,” said Ms Parshad, who was born in Kolkata and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
“This integration is shown in the emergence of a number of important cross-cutting themes such as electrification of trains, buses and electric vehicles, water-energy nexus, including the growing role of desalination, as well as green, sustainable cities. By joining efforts of bankers structuring energy and infrastructure projects, we will capitalize on a common ethos and working model,” she said.
Nandita Parshad is a member of the Energy Transition Commission and of the World Economic Forum Council on Future Energy, where she represents the EBRD and shapes policy-making and thinking in global challenges of decarbonization.
The Bank’s new Sustainable infrastructure group has a portfolio of over euro 22 billion and invests yearly over euro 4.5 billion in new investments, or about half of the EBRD’s annual business.
Of her new team, effective from January 1 next year, Ms Parshad added: “Our consolidated team – with its extensive experience of structuring projects with public companies and private investors – will continue working with authorities to build confidence and promote enabling policies in both energy and infrastructure sectors, reinforcing the close integration of investment and support for reform which is at the heart of the EBRD’s mandate.”
The EBRD said Nandita Parshad has 30 years’ experience in investing in the energy sector in diverse emerging economies. She joined the EBRD’s Power and Energy Utilities team in 1993 and took over as Director of the team in 2007.
She was appointed as Managing Director, Energy and Natural Resources in January 2017 and continued driving the Bank’s increasing presence in renewables and strategic regional energy, in line with the EBRD’s Green Economy Transition initiative.
The London-headquartered EBRD is a multilateral development bank set up in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall to promote private and entrepreneurial initiative in emerging Europe.
It invests in 38 emerging economies across three continents, according to a set of criteria that aim to make its countries more competitive, better governed, greener, more inclusive, more resilient and more integrated.
India joined as the EBRD’s 69th shareholder earlier this year, with the membership opening up joint investment prospects for Indian companies in markets such as Central Asia, Egypt and Jordan.
LONDON /NEW YORK(TIP): The G7 Foreign Ministers, of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, condemn in the strongest possible terms the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed took place in its consulate in Istanbul, according to a press release issued here today by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The confirmation of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi’s death is a first step toward full transparency and accountability. However, the explanations offered leave many questions unanswered.
“We reiterate our expectation for a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation by Saudi Arabia, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities, and a full and rigorous accounting of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s death. Those responsible for the killing must be held to account. Saudi Arabia must put in place measures to ensure something like this can never happen again.”
The circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death reaffirm the need to protect journalists and freedom of expression around the world. “We also extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Khashoggi’s family, his fiancée, and his friends.”
LONDON (TIP): An Indian-origin UK based couple were slashed in a knife-point robbery at their fruit and vegetable shop in Handsworth, in the West Midlands region of England.
Chaman Lal, a local politician, and his wife Vidya Wati were taken to a hospital with minor cuts and injuries after the armed robbery at their shop Uplands Fruits on Sandwell Road.
West Midlands Police said a 45-year-old man and woman aged 33 were arrested on suspicion of the robbery and remain in police custody for questioning.
“We don’t underestimate how distressing this would have been for the two victims. We have managed to quickly identify and arrest the suspects who will now be questioned,” said Detective Inspector Gemma Currie of West Midlands Police.
Chaman Lal, a Labour Party Councillor for Soho and Jewellery Quarter in Handworth, near the city of Birmingham, runs the fruit and vegetable business with his family. The couple’s son, Bal, had released CCTV footage of the attack and offered GBP 1,000 reward to anyone with information about the attackers.
“We are still shocked at the moment. It was a bad experience,” Councillor Lal said.
“We have had very good support from our family and the community. We are grateful for all the support we have been getting,” he said.
The shop reopened as usual and attracted a number of well-wishers.
LONDON(TIP): The 22-year-old Sikh soldier Charanpreet Singh Lall, who created history by becoming the first to wear a turban during an annual parade to mark British Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday ceremony, could be kicked out from his post after he was tested positive for cocaine, according to a media report.
Singh made headlines across the world for wearing the turban during Trooping the Color in June.
However, last week he failed a random drugs test at his barracks, with insiders claiming he registered “high levels” of cocaine, according to media reports.
“Guardsman Lall has been discussing it openly in the barracks. The Guards carry out public duties at the Palace, it’s disgraceful behavior,” a source was quoted as saying by the report.
Brigadier Christopher Coles, Head of Army Personnel Services Group, said: “I can confirm that a number of soldiers from the Coldstream Guards are under investigation for alleged drugs misuse.”
Mr Lall, who was born in Punjab, moved to the UK with his family as a baby. He later joined the British Army in January 2016.
He hit the headlines in June after he made history as part in the 1000-strong ceremony marking the Queen’s 92nd birthday.
While Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her actual birthday on April 21, the Trooping of the Color ceremony takes place on any Saturday of June.
The ceremony has commemorated the birthday of the sovereign for more than 250 years and also functions as a display of army drills, music and horsemanship.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian- origin British Sikh woman was handed down a two-year suspended jail term by a UK court for launching a campaign of racist abuse and harassment against her Hindu ex-boyfriend and his family over a period of five years, including posting beef through their door as an attack on their faith.
Amandeep Mudhar had pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment and was handed down a two-year sentence at Swindon Crown Court in south-west England on September 25.
“Most people from religious backgrounds seek to find a common ground on what they share, be it a faith in god or human nature. Not from you: your behavior was unrelenting, provocative and extremely frightening,” said Judge Robert Pawson during the sentencing hearing.
The court was told of Amandeep Mudhar orchestrating a series of attacks on the unnamed family of her former boyfriend, including abusive and threatening phone calls and attacks on social media.
The court was told that the 26-year-old had a brief relationship with the man, which was “never fully intimate”, over a few weeks in 2012.
But after he ended the affair citing cultural differences, Amandeep Mudhar and her family launched into the attacks which included threats of rape against his sisters and mother and also to blow up their home and cars, the local daily reported.
Prosecutor Sue Cavender told the court that after 2015, she was made subject to a harassment warning by the police and a civil injunction brought by the family, which prevented her from contacting them.
However, she breached that with a social media message two minutes before it expired, saying to one of his two sisters “now watch what happens”, the report said.
Amandeep Mudhar then enlisted the help of a friend, 30-year-old Sandeep Dogra, to send numerous “offensive” Facebook and Instagram posts directed at the family. As well as threats to kill them and rape them, one of the comments branded them “fat, like your elephant god”.
The duo also went to the temple the family frequented, where they harassed the man’s parents, the report said.
In another incident, a parcel of beef was put through the door of the family home which, being Hindus, they found very upsetting, the prosecution said.
In victim impact statements, the man’s two sisters said they had suffered great stress for many years because of the harassment and one of them claimed that Amandeep Mudhar even got another child to bully her six-year-old son at school as part of her campaign of abuse.
Amandeep Mudhar and Sandeep Dogra had both pleaded guilty to harassment but avoided time behind bars as they were handed down two-year suspended jail sentences, which refers to a deferred custodial sentence on strict conditions.
She also faces a six-month curfew, during which her movements will be curtailed. She has also been directed to complete 100 hours of unpaid community service, attend rehabilitation days and pay 750 pounds towards legal costs.
The judge also imposed a restraining order banning Amandeep Mudhar and Sandeep Dogra from contacting the family, going to the roads they live on or the temple they visit.
“I hope this sentence draws a line in the sand and there will be no repetition. You have been warned, both of you,” the judge said.
Amandeep Mudhar’s lawyer highlighted her difficult childhood, during which her mother treated her harshly, and Sandeep Dogra’s lawyer said that he became involved after he felt the victims had racially abused his mother.
The court was told that they both had been shunned by their local community after the details of the case had emerged earlier this year.
LONDON(TIP): Two Indian-origin individuals are among 10 shortlisted by Britain’s ruling Conservative party as prospective candidates to run for London Mayor in 2020 against Labour’s Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan.
Lucknow-born businesswoman Ruby McGregor-Smith joins the race alongside British Sikh politician Kulveer Ranger, both of whom will go head to head with the others at hustings next month before a vote on the final candidate by October.
“It’s time for a Mayor who will re-ignite the possibility, opportunity and the confidence of the greatest city on earth. That’s why I’m running to be London’s Mayor,” McGregor said in reference to her bid on Wednesday.
The 55-year-old peer in the House of Lords made history as the first Indian-origin woman to run a FTSE-250 company, Mitie Group, nearly a decade ago. She was awarded a Commander of British Empire (CBE) honor by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 for services to business and promoting diversity.
Ranger, a former transport adviser in the London Mayor’s office, also made the Tory shortlist for the mayoral race held every four years. “I was born here, grew up, studied, have worked in and for London. I am proud and humbled to be part of this list,” he said.
LONDON(TIP): The second Indian Awards, organised by the India Business Group (IBG), a leading business advisory consultancy took place last night (17thMay) in the Palace of Westminster.
The awards, attended by UK Home Secretary, Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, recognise UK-‐based individuals, businesses and organisations that have contributed to furthering the relationship culturally, socially or economically, between India and the UK.
The Awards were founded by Amarjit Singh,Chief Executive Officer of the India BusinessGroup (IBG), an established thought leader on UK -‐ India business affairs and Special Advisorfor India to the University of Southampton.
The UK Home Secretary, Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP said:
“As Home Secretary, I am delighted to be able to attend the 2018 Indian Awards ceremony, which recognises outstanding contributions to the UK-‐India relationship. The UK is one of the world’s oldest democracies, and India the largest. Our collaboration is a force for good – our shared values magnified by the ‘living bridge’ formed of a breadth of personal, professional, cultural and institutional ties. With so much in common, it’s only natural that Britain and India continue working together to make our people, and the world, safer and more prosperous”.
H.E. Mr Y.K. Sinha, The High Commissioner of India said:
“Commencing last year, The Indian Awards recognises and celebrates the outstanding workdone by individuals, businesses and organisations in the UK, who have contributed to strengthening the UK-‐India partnership in recent years.I had the pleasure of presenting the Special Recognition Award to the former Prime Minister David Cameron last year. I would like to extend my best wishes for the second edition of these Awards.”
Following last month’s successful UK visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gala invitation-‐only dinner and ceremony featured senior business leaders, Government officials, opinion formers and prominent members of the Indian community and guests from India and other parts of the World. Nominations were invited by members of the public and the handful of winners were chosen by a panel of esteemed judges and announced on the evening.
The UK’s International Trade Secretary, The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP said:
“India is the world’s seventh-‐largest economy and the fourth largest investor into the UK, while UK investment in India grew by 8.8% in the year to 2016. As an international economic department, the Department for International Trade continues to work closely with our Indiancolleagues to maximise trade between our nations and I welcome this fantastic initiative, celebrating the historic trading ties between the UK and India.”
The Awards ceremony was supported by a range of high profile partners, including Associated British Ports,Heathrow Airport,Invest India, the Institute of Directors Hampshire Cricket,the Lalit Hotel,Niine and Star TV Networks was the official media partner. The awards werealso supported by Indus Net Techshu, Chivas Brothers, HCL, Here&Now365 and Taylor Wessing.
The esteemed judging panel was made of up senior figures, including: Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, Chair of IBG, Virendra Sharma MP, Chair of the Indo-‐British APPG, Baroness Prashar CBE, Deputy Chair of the British Council, Rajiv Luthra, Founder and Managing Partner of Luthra & Luthra Law Advocates, Dr Catherine Raines, Former Director General of Department for International Trade, and Alan Fitzwater, Director of Regional Engagement at the Institute of Directors.
The Rt Hon Mark Field MP, FCO Minister of State for Asia said:
“As the Minister for Asia, I am delighted that the Indian Awards ceremony is happening again this year to recognise outstanding contributions to the UK-‐India relationship. While there is plenty in our shared culture that binds us closely together, what excites me is the relationship we can forge for the future, in technology, in tackling the many global challenges we face. Working together, the UK and India can be a powerful force for good in the world.”
The Special Recognition Award which applauds ‘an individual’s outstanding commitment to building UK-‐India relations’ was presented to Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman of Sun MarkLimited.
On receiving the award, Dr Ranger said:“It is a great honour to receive this special recognitionaward from the India Business Group. I am grateful to the judges who considered me worthy of this accolade. I am privileged to receive the award as last year the same recognition was bestowed upon my hero, the Former Prime Minster of the UK, The Rt. Hon. David Cameron. This award also represents India’s emerging stature and standing in the world as a positive economic and political force. The partnership between India and Britain is based on similar values and as a result, it will go from strength to strength”.
“The India Business Group is delighted to present the second Indian Awards initiative,” says Mr Singh. “The modern relationship between the UK and India is at a key juncture. Through The Indian Awards, we aim to inspire and encourage the next generation of UK and Indian entrepreneurs, facilitators and bridge builders who will take the bilateral relationship to greater heights.”
THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
Larger Business Award -Rolls-Royce PLC
Larger Business Award -Rolls-Royce PLC
SME Award - EnergyPro Limited
SME Award - EnergyPro Limited
Professional Adviser Award - Deepak Lalwani OBE, Founder and Chairman of LalcapLimited
Professional Adviser Award - Deepak Lalwani OBE, Founder and Chairman of Lalcap Limited
Entrepreneur Award - Alpesh Patel, Founder of Praefinium Partners
Entrepreneur Award - Alpesh Patel, Founder of Praefinium Partner
Arts & Culture Award- Gurinder Chadha OBE
Arts & Culture Award - Gurinder Chadha OBE
Special Recognition Award - Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman of Sun Mark Limited
Special Recognition Award - Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman of Sun Mark Limited
Professor, The Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, Chairman of India Business Group said:
“This special initiative celebrates, for the first time, the efforts of outstanding organisations and individuals (based in the UK) who have worked over the years to strengthen the bond between the UK and India. This influential awards ceremony is a timely reminder about the mutually beneficial, evolving and special relationship between our two great nations.”
Lord Deighton KBE, Chairman of Heathrow Airport, one of the partner organisations for the awards said:
“Heathrow is the UK’s gateway to India with more connections to the country than any other UK airport. It plays a key role in maintaining Britain’s links to India with flights to six destinations, carrying 2.5 million passengers and more than 127,000 metric tonnes of cargo to and from the country via Heathrow last year alone. We’re proud to be attending the India Business Group Awards, recognising the groups and individuals who have contributed to strengthening the UK-‐India partnership. Having recently received India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April, we understand the important role that India plays in the UK’s economy and are working to see that grow.”
Virendra Sharma MP, Chair of the Indo -‐ British APPG
“The Indian Awards is an important UK wide initiative for recognising entrepreneurs, inspirational people and organisations that have championed international cooperation between the UK and India. This is an opportune moment to celebrate the dynamic UK-‐India partnership”.
Stephen Martin, Director General of the Institute of Directors, one of the partner organisations for the awards said:
“The IoD is delighted to have participated in The Indian Awards, particularly at a time when the UK needs to turn its idea of “Global Britain” into a tangible reality. Growing business and trade links between our two countries is essential as we prepare to exit the European Union.”
The India Business Group (IBG) is a leading advisory consultancy that specialises in helping organisations develop bilateral trade and investment opportunities between the UK and India markets. It is globally recognised as having specialist expertise and regional know-‐how designed to support organisations with market entry and cross border business transactions.http://www.theindiabusinessgroup.com/site/about/about-ibg/
The Indian Awards comprise a handful of six elite awards, with the following categories to the awards: larger business (annual turnover greater than £100m); SME business (annual turnover up to £100m); individual entrepreneur award, professional adviser; arts and culture and special recognition. http://www.theindianawards.com
The IBG is delighted to be supporting the Niine Movement, an ambitious India based initiative aimed at raising awareness of menstrual hygiene: http://www.niine.com
For further information, contact:
Amarjit Singh, Chief Executive Officer -‐ India Business Group: 0844 313 3133 or email: a.singh@theindiabusinessgroup.com
LONDON(TIP): The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on Friday, May 25, giving EU citizens new rights over how their personal data is used. It has been billed as the biggest shake-up of data privacy laws since the birth of the web
The pan-EU law aims to give its citizens more rights to control over their online information. It has a list of technically demanding requirements, and threatens fines of up to 4% of a company’s annual revenue for serious infringements
The law covers companies that collect large amounts of customer data, including Facebook and Google. It won’t be overseen by a single authority but instead by a patchwork of national and regional watchdogs across the 28-nation bloc
The new privacy law (GDPR) seeks to harmonize the scattered data protection laws in the EU and envisages stringent penalties under it. It replaces the existing EC Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC). GDPR seeks to enhance the data privacy rights of users and imposes certain new responsibilities upon data controllers and processors.
The new law endeavors to create a model for a data protection and privacy framework that will be able to keep pace with rapid advancements in technology. Most importantly, GDPR attempts to give back to individuals control over their personal data, while recognizing the protection of one’s personal data as a fundamental right. Here are some key elements of GDPR:
New definition of personal data
Under the GDPR, personal data is anything that relates to an identified or identifiable individual. For example: name, address, email address, location data or computer IP address. Sensitive data, such as religious beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or trade union membership, are subject to extra protections.
Higher penalties
The GDPR foresees fines of 2 to 4 per cent of a company’s annual revenues or 20 million euros ($24 million), whichever is higher.
Stricter rules on consent
Companies will need to get freely given, specific, unambiguous and informed consent from individuals to process their data. They will also need users to opt in to the processing of their data – simply giving them an opt out will not be valid. In other words, companies will no longer be able to ask consumers to tick a box after a long set of terms and conditions that most people never read.
Global scope
The GDPR will apply to any company that has customers in the EU, whether the firm was established in the bloc or not.
New rules for data processors
The GDPR distinguishes between data “controllers” and data “processors”. A data controller determines why personal data must be collected and processed as well as how. A data processor only processes personal data on behalf of the controller and is usually a third-party company.
For example: A retailer that hires a human resources company to handle payroll and other functions is the data controller, while the human resources company is the data processor.
Under GDPR, data processors must guarantee the same standards as controllers and ensure they meet the requirements of the law. There must be a legal contract between a processor and a controller, and a processor may not engage another company to process data without the controller’s consent.
Data breach notifications
Companies must notify data protection authorities of data breaches within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, if it is likely to impact the rights of individuals. If the breach carries a high risk for individuals, then the company must notify the affected people without undue delay.
One-stop shop
The GDPR introduces a “one-stop shop” mechanism to make it easier for companies operating across the EU, for example Facebook, Google and Mastercard. Companies processing data across the bloc will have a lead authority in the country where they have their main establishment, for example Facebook in Ireland.
The lead authority will be the main point of contact for the company and responsible for ensuring its compliance with GDPR. In cases involving citizens from several countries the lead authority will coordinate with other “concerned” authorities. If there are disputes between authorities, a new body, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), can make binding decisions. — Reuters
Lawfulness of data processing
Companies processing personal data must ensure it is lawful, fair and transparent. They may not use data for purposes other than those for which it was collected, with limited exceptions. Data processing is lawful if:
An individual has consented to it
It is necessary for the performance of a contract
It is necessary to meet a legal obligation under EU or national law
It is necessary to protect the vital interests of an individual
It is necessary to carry out a task in the public interest under EU or national law
It is in the company’s legitimate interest, as long as it does not override an individual’s fundamental rights and freedoms
If a company collected data on the basis of consent, then it may not use it for other purposes
Stronger rights for Europeans
People living in the European Union will get the right to:
Receive clear and understandable information about who is processing their data and why
Access data an organization holds about them
Ask for personal data to be erased if there is no longer any legitimate reason to keep it
Have data corrected if it is incorrect
Move data from one service provider, such as an email service or social network, to another
LONDON (TIP): Indian origin Jaynesh Chudasama, drunk-driver in the UK, who hit and killed three teenage boys as they walked to a birthday party in London, has been sentenced for a 13-year jail term. The victims’ parents, reacting to the sentencing, said the jail term was “an insult to the lives of their children”.
Jaynesh Chudasama, 28, had admitted to driving at more than two-and-a-half times over the alcohol limit on January 26 when the fatal collision occurred near a bus stop at Hayes, West London.
The court heard that traces of cannabis had also been found in his car hire worker’s system.
Chudasama had pleaded guilty to charges of three counts of death by dangerous driving after the road collision that killed three teenage boys.
Harry Rice, 17, George Wilkinson and Josh McGuinness, both 16, were instantly killed as they were hit by Chudasama’s speeding car.
“It is obvious that nothing any court can do can measure the loss of Josh, Harry and George for the obvious reason that their loss is immeasurable,” said Judge Wendy Joseph, during the sentencing hearing.
The judge also disqualified Chudasama from driving for 13 years and six months.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the drunk-driver had refused to say what he had been drinking but was estimated to have had a blood alcohol concentration of about 213 milligrams per 100 milliliters at the time of the crash.
The legal limit for driving in the UK is 80 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood.
“The decision by Jaynesh Chudasama, to drink far in excess of the legal limit and then drive his car at such a speed, needlessly ended the lives of three young men,” said Sally-Anne Russell of the CPS.
“Anyone who drives a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of excess alcohol should know they are putting not only their own lives at risk, but those of other motorists and pedestrians too. Chudasama faces the consequences of causing the fatal collision,” she said.
Chudasama was driving at 71 mph in a 60 mph zone and ended up mounting the pavement in his car as he attempted a dangerous man oeuvre to overtake another vehicle, killing the three teenagers walking home with five other friends from a birthday party.
The grieving families are planning online petitions to demand the conviction be reconsidered and a charge of murder applied to the dangerous driving charge, which would involve a tougher sentence.
LONDON (TIP): Scotland Yard’s newly appointed Indian-origin counter-terrorism chief, Neil Basu, has launched a new campaign to urge the public to help in the fight against terrorism.
The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner of Specialist Operations revealed that last year more than a fifth of reports from the public produced intelligence which is helpful to police.
“Since the beginning of 2017, we have foiled 10 Islamist and four right-wing terror plots, and there is no doubt in my mind that would have been impossible to do without relevant information from the public,” Basu said at the launch of Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) campaign in London, March 20.
“We have been saying for some time now that communities defeat terrorism, and these figures demonstrate just how important members of the public are in the fight to keep our country safe,” he noted.
According to the police data, of the nearly 31,000 public reports to the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism (CT) Policing unit during 2017, more than 6,600 (21.2 per cent) resulted in useful intelligence information which is used by UK officers to inform live investigations or help build an intelligence picture of an individual or group.
Research carried out by CT Policing suggests that while more than 80 per cent of people are motivated to report suspicious activity or behavior, many are unclear exactly what they should be looking for.
The ACT campaign, accompanied by a 60-second film based on real life foiled plots, aims to educate the public about terrorist attack planning and reinforce the message that any piece of information, no matter how small, could make the difference.
“Like other criminals, terrorists need to plan and that creates opportunities for police and the security services to discover and stop these attacks before they happen. But we need your help to exploit these opportunities, so if you see or hear something unusual or suspicious trust your instincts and ACT by reporting it in confidence by phone or online,” Basu said.
He detailed some forms of suspicious activity, which could involve someone buying or storing chemicals, fertilizers or gas cylinders for no obvious reasons, or receiving deliveries for unusual items, or someone embracing extremist ideology, or searching for such material online.
UK Security Minister Ben Wallace added: “The police’s fantastic ACT campaign is rightly highlighting the vital part that communities are playing in defending this country against terrorism.
“The public should remain alert, but not alarmed, and I urge anyone who is worried about suspicious behavior and activity to follow this advice and report their concerns to the police.”
LONDON (TIP): Jay Shetty ,A seven-year-old Indian origin, suffers from a debilitating form of cerebral palsy and autism since he was a baby, which means he cannot walk, talk or sit up unaided. He left with his family for the US on March 11th for a revolutionary treatment that has the potential to improve the quality of his life and give hope to others with neurological disorders.
He is now set to undergo a pioneering clinical trial at Duke University Medical Centre in North Carolina, which relies on the infusion of his younger brother’s umbilical cord blood frozen at birth.
After a lot of research on stem cells, we had decided before I got pregnant with Kairav, our younger son, that we would save our child’s cord blood. Then towards the end of the pregnancy in 2015, I got in touch with Duke University and they were planning on doing a sibling cord blood therapy trial, said Jay’s mother Shilpa.
She and husband Raj had the umbilical cord blood of their younger child frozen and stored by UK-based blood bank Cells4Life.
Umbilical cord blood is rich in a kind of stem cell that can, in theory, help heal most parts of the body, either by stimulating growth or by transforming into the required type of mature cell.
These can then be put back into the body, even many years later. It relies on a close tissue match for the recipient, to lower the odds of the body rejecting it.
When the Shettys contacted Duke University, they were told that Kairav’s blood was a match for Jay’s raising the prospect of the UK’s first such sibling cord blood therapy on Jay.
Stem cell is a cure for some and improvement for all, so we are pretty sure it will definitely have some improvement in Jay’s life, said Shilpa.
The family from Maharashtra, who have been based in London for over 15 years, are determined not to be put off by some dissenting voices within the medical community who cast doubts on the rare procedure.
According to Shilpa, because it is not an invasive therapy , they want to go into it with a positive nothing to lose attitude.
It is in its early stages and it has always been the norm that people will doubt treatments which have not been proved yet. But stem cells in general after years of proven research are known to have the ability to reach the damaged organ and regenerate new cells, she said.
Claudia Rees, Operations Director at Cells4Life, describes the procedure as a cutting-edge treatment , considered a cornerstone of a relatively new area of science known as regenerative medicine.
Stem cells and cord blood have already been used to cure diseases such as leukaemia, lymphoma and testicular cancer; in the near future it is likely that these treatments will provide hope for common and often life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, said Rees.
Jay will be in the US for the treatment for a week and undergo rehabilitation in the UK after the cord blood transfusion procedure. The family have managed to raise nearly 26,000 pounds through fundraising to assist with the massive costs involved.
Jay cannot express and communicate much but we are pretty sure he knows what’s going on as he is pretty bright.
Kairav is two and half, so doesn’t know much. But he knows a lot of travelling revolves around Jay for therapies. So, he is used to it, said their mother, who believes even a small improvement in Jay’s quality of life as a result of the therapy would be a success story for their family.
LONDON (TIP): Indian origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed by Britain’s Prince Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets program designed to nurture manufacturing skills.
Mr. Gupta was appointed to the flagship program to give children and young people direct structured experience of the industry while still at school or college.
The Industrial Cadets annual awards ceremony was held on March February 28th in London.
“Gupta is doing so much to apply real imagination, innovative thinking and sustainable rejuvenation to our nation’s heavy industries and I’m thrilled that he, through his GFG Alliance, has so enthusiastically become involved with Industrial Cadets as well,” said the 68-year-old Prince of Wales.
As the Executive Chairman of UK-based GFG Alliance, Mr. Gupta has been on an acquisition spree in the steel industry over the past few months which has helped secure hundreds of jobs.
“Coming from a family of industrialists, I had the opportunity while growing up to spend time in steel works and engineering plants. That left a lasting impression on me and really inspired me to pursue an active career in industry. I see Industrial Cadets fulfilling the same function and am very excited about the impact it is facing,” Mr. Gupta said.
His GFG Foundation is actively involved in funding and promoting the Industrial Cadets program, through a partnership with the Engineering Development Trust.
GFG Alliance companies, including Liberty House and SIMEC, currently support 1,300 cadets from 26 schools across Britain to participate in the scheme, with a target of 5,000 students by next year.
Around 26 GFG executives located at 13 industrial sites in the UK are regularly engaged in organizing work placements at their respective plants, helping the youngsters to maximize the benefit they get from time spent in the group’s steelmaking, engineering, power generation and manufacturing facilities.
Mr. Gupta said that the task of ensuring the next generation has the motivation and skills to enable the UK to remain competitive and successful on the world stage in manufacturing as one of the most important tasks facing modern society.
As part of his role as ambassador, the 46-year-old businessman has also been tasked with establishing Industrial Cadets in Australia, where the GFG Alliance already employs 6,000 people in its integrated mining, steel and energy businesses.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian origin Sikh law student in the UK felt “victimized” and “heartbroken” after he was dragged out of a bar because he was wearing a turban, media reports said.
Amrik Singh, 22, claimed that he was ordered to leave Rush Late Bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, for wearing his religious headgear.
Mr. Singh was told that the bar had a “no headwear” policy.
Mr. Singh was also allegedly told, “I didn’t think you were allowed to come in a pub and drink anyway.”
“I’m heartbroken. The reason why I was removed was because I refused to remove my turban,” he wrote on Facebook.
Mr. Singh said the bouncer had approached him saying that he needed to remove his turban, the report said. “I explained that a turban isn’t just headgear, but part of my religion and that it protected my hair – and that I was allowed to wear a turban in public,” he said.
“The bouncer ignored this and said I needed to take it off. I refused and was subsequently dragged away from my friends,” he added.
“The fact that I was being removed because of my religious views really upset me. My ancestors have fought for the British army previously,” Mr. Singh said.
“Furthermore, my parents and I were born in Britain and all uphold British values,” he said.
“The worst part of it was the fact he compared my turban to wearing a pair of trainers,” Mr. Singh, a final year law student at Nottingham Trent University, added.
The management, however, has apologized and said the staff involved faced suspension pending an investigation.
In a statement to the Labour councillor for Mansfield, Sonya Ward, Rush Late Bar said that it was not their policy.
“Good morning, this is absolutely NOT our policy. We are investigating this incident and the security member in question has been suspended,” Ms. Ward shared the statement on Twitter.
In February, an Indian Sikh environmental activist’s turban was ripped by a white man shouting “Muslim go back” during a racist attack outside the Parliament in UK.
London (TIP): Indian Origin Conservative party MP Priti Patel said that she had made it clear to her political colleagues and civil servants that she does not like the term Black, Minority Ethnic (BME). She was the first Indian origin member of the UK Cabinet until she resigned last year.
“I don’t like the labelling of people. I don’t like the term BME. I’m British first and foremost, because I was born in Britain,” she was quoted as saying by BBC.
“I challenge all my colleagues in the Conservative Party and in Westminster: Don’t label me as a BME. I’ve said that to people in the Cabinet. I’ve said that to civil servants. I think it’s patronizing and insulting, she said.
The 45-year-old former international development minister said the term was “totally unhelpful because we are people and everybody wants to be recognized for their individual merits”.
The MP who represents Witham in Essex also expressed doubts over whether the UK could one day have a minority ethnic incumbent in 10 Downing Street.
“Who knows?” she said, when asked if she could be Prime Minister.
Ms. Patel was forced to resign from her Cabinet post in November 2017 after revelations of a series of undisclosed meetings with Palestinian officials had made her position in government untenable.
In reference to the controversy, she said the “whole thing was incredibly messy” but that she had been “very clear with the Prime Minister and also I took responsibility for what she felt was not acceptable, so I think I did the right thing”.
Ms. Patel, now as a backbench MP, continues to be among the most vocal pro-Brexit voices in the Conservative party.
LONDON (TIP) : An Indian origin Birmingham man, Harry Athwal, who risked his life to help a fatally injured young boy in the last year’s Barcelona terror attack, has been selected for this year’s ‘Pride of Birmingham’ award.
Harry Athwal, a project manager from Great Barr area of north-west Birmingham, was in Spain on holiday with a group of friends and family, including his sister Kinde Dehr, when a terrorist drove a van into pedestrians on Barcelona’s famous Las Ramblas tourist spot, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds.
He ran to help seven-year-old Julian Alessandro Cadman, who was among those hit, and defied police orders to evacuate the area to keep holding on to him until the emergency services arrived.
The boy, who had dual British and Australian nationality, died on the spot but his family have since thanked Mr. Athwal for being there for him.
“I am a Sikh, and in Sikhism it is my duty to go and help somebody who is hurt or who is being bullied. That, in a sense, overtook me. I didn’t have time to think,” Mr Athwal said.
“At that moment you have a split second to decide what you are going to do. It was my instinct that I had to go and help somebody. I had to do something. It’s in my DNA,” he said.
The 45-year-old has since been in touch with the boy’s grandparents, Noreen and Tony Cadman, who have thanked him for his heroic actions.
He had arrived in Barcelona on August 17, 2017, the day of the attack along with his sister Kinde Dehr and a group of friends.
A week ago, he was in Barcelona for a family holiday with his wife Harjinder and two sons, 19-year-old Deirnn and eight-year-old Khye, to celebrate his younger son’s birthday.
The group was having lunch at a restaurant overlooking Las Ramblas when he heard people screaming and saw a van ploughing through them. He rushed down to the street to try and help.
“The noise was phenomenal as it [van] hit people thump after thump after thump. Straight away, I realized it was a terrorist attack,” he recalled.
Mr. Athwal says he is speechless to be selected for the Pride of Birmingham’s Outstanding Bravery Award. The annual awards, organized by the Birmingham Mail newspaper and partners TSB, to recognize courage, caring, compassion and community.
Mr. Athwal is among 11 winners who will be presented with their awards at a ceremony at the University of Birmingham on March 8.
CWEIC is organiser of Commonwealth Business Forum, April 2018, London
LONDON (TIP): Award winning London-based global strategist, director and CEO Natasha Mudhar has officially been appointed to the Advisory Board for Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), an organisation facilitating trade and investment throughout the 53 states of the Commonwealth and supporting private sector companies and governments to promote economic activity.
India is the Commonwealth’s most populous member and has been a key member since Independence in 1947. As the world’s largest democracy, India plays an increasingly important role on the world stage and is set to play a key role in the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), taking place in in London for the first time in 20 years.
The CWEIC will run the Commonwealth Business Forum, to be held on 16th-18th April in London. The event forms a unique platform for dialogue, bringing together a range of industries and economies and will be organised alongside CHOGM. With the government supporting enterprise and business in the country, Indian business will also be an essential part of the Commonwealth Business Forum.
With offices in India and UK, Natasha is also the CEO & MD of the awarding multi-disciplinary, international business and communications consultancy Sterling Media, which has also announced a partnership with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, as the official global communications partner for on-going activities.
Sterling and Natasha are renowned for its work in being the first international communications consultancy to take Bollywood global. Some of the hero campaigns she has spearheaded include Pad Man, Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Dangal, the IIFAs in the UK to name but a few.
Natasha is also the India Director of the UN’s Global Goals campaign, launched by filmmaker Richard Curtis to popularise the Sustainable Development Goals globally to end poverty, reduce inequalities and tackle climate change. She was also part of the team to launch one of India’s largest public health campaigns to eliminate filaria in India by 2020.
The Commonwealth announcement is the latest addition to a long-standing commitment of Natasha to work on some of the most relevant campaigns. Whether it’s taking Bollywood global, be breaking the Internet with over 100 million views for the explosive release of the remake of Spice Girls Wannabe video for the UN’s Global Goals to empower females or lobbying governments to end world hunger to launching iconic British brands internationally, Natasha is recognised across continents as a global campaign expert and entrepreneur in her sectors.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian origin family is among five people who are missing in a major fire that claimed five lives in the city of Leicester on February 25th evening.
Mary Ragoobeer, 46, and her two sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17, who lived in a flat in the destroyed building have been named as missing by the Leicestershire Police.
The Indian origin owner of the affected building, Hardeep Singh, said that the Ragoobeer family had moved into the flat, above a Polish supermarket, around a year ago.
“I called Jose after I heard about the blast. He was at work and he was safe, but I don t know about the rest of the family. There was a gas boiler in the flat, in the bathroom at the back of the property, and a gas cooker,” he said .
Leah Beth Reek, 18, who is Shane’s girlfriend, is also missing, as is 22-year-old Viktorija Ljevleva who is thought to have been working in the supermarket at the time of the explosion.
Police said: “Human remains relating to five people have been recovered from the wreckage but given the devastation caused by the blast and subsequent fire, it may be some considerable time before the bodies can be formally identified.
“The relatives of all five missing people have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers at this desperate time.”
Matt Cane, Group Manager from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said that the focus of the work was now a search for any other human remains over and above those already recovered from the scene.
Despite the ferocity of the explosion on Sunday evening, and the intensity of the ensuing fire, there was always a slim chance that, if there had been someone else in the building at the time of the explosion, they may have been found alive,” he said.
We cannot rule out the possibility of other people having been in the premises at the time of the explosion and whom we have yet to locate. While we have no intelligence to suggest this is the case, we cannot rule out that possibility until the search is over,” Cane added.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian origin man has admitted killing three teenage boys as they walked to a birthday party while he was driving more than two and a half times over the alcohol limit in London last month.
Jaynesh Chudasama appeared at the Old Bailey court in London on February 26th , where he pleaded guilty to charges of three counts of death by dangerous driving on January 26 evening when the fatal collision occurred near a bus stop at Hayes, West London.
The court heard that traces of cannabis had also been found in the 28-year-old’s system.
The London-based car hire worker was travelling at 71 mph on a 60 mph zone when he hit the teenagers, who died instantly.
The Metropolitan Police had earlier named the victims of the crash as Harry Rice, 17, and 16-year-olds George Wilkinson and Josh McGuinness. The boys were part of a large group on their way to a friend’s birthday party when they were killed.
Chudasama was attempting to overtake another car when he lost control and struck the boys head on, the court heard.
The victims were propelled into the air and Chudasama’s Audi spun round.
He and his passenger got out and ran off but were chased by two of the boys from the group, who dragged the driver back to where their friends lay.
One of the boys later admitted that he had hit the driver over the head with a bottle to prevent him from getting away.
The three victims were walking to a 16th birthday party at a local football club.
Judge Wendy Joseph said the loss of life was “appalling”.
Chudasama, who faces a maximum of 14 years imprisonment for causing death by dangerous driving, will be sentenced on March 9.
Despite the efforts of paramedics, all three boys were pronounced dead at the scene. Hundreds of people had gathered at the site of the crash a day later to lay floral tributes and held a minute s silence and released balloons.
A friend of the dead boys who narrowly missed being hurt said the accident was like a “blur”.
“Five of us were walking to the party and the next moment three of my friends were dead on the ground. The car lost control,” he said.
Photos from the scene showed the smashed wreckage of a car, including a caved-in fence.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian origin woman was found murdered in her Wolverhampton home, in the West Midlands region of England , after what is suspected to be a burglary gone wrong.
Sarbjit Kaur’s body was discovered by her family members at their home in the town of Wolverhampton on February 16th .
West Midlands Police said they are keeping an open mind on the motive of the 38-year-old’s murder as it released the victims name on February 19th as part of a public appeal for information.
Kaur was attacked inside her own home. This is a shocking case, the likes of which are extremely rare, and we have a team of officers working on this murder inquiry to establish what happened and to finding the person or people responsible, said Detective Chief Inspector Chris Mallett, who is leading the West Midlands Police Homicide Teams murder investigation.
He confirmed that early inquiries have revealed that some items were taken from the home but added that the motive so far remains unclear as his team continues to investigate several lines of inquiry, including whether this was a random burglary or if the address or Kaur were deliberately targeted.
The interior was in an untidy state – which could indicate it had been searched – and we believe that some items are missing. We are working with the family to understand exactly what items were taken, Mallett added.
Police have carried out CCTV and house-to-house inquiries as well as conducted an extensive forensic examination of the scene as they try and piece together Kaur’s movements throughout the day.
Kaur was assaulted during the attack and pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem has proved inconclusive on the precise cause of her death, with further tests being carried out by pathologists.
LONDON/SINGAPORE: Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya has lost another legal battle linked to his now- defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the UK High Court awarded Singapore-based BOC Aviation an estimated $90 million in claims.
The latest case involving the 62-year-old businessman, whose extradition case+ over alleged loan defaults amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores returns to Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on March 16, is related to the leasing of aircraft by Kingfisher Airlines dating back to 2014.
Justice Picken, in a judgment dated February 5 at the Business and Property Courts of the High Court in London, ruled that “the defendants have no real prospect of successfully defending the claim”.
The defendants in the claim brought by BOC Aviation in Singapore and BOC Aviation (Ireland) Ltd have been named as Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd.
“We are pleased with the judgment but would not like to comment further at this stage,” said a spokesperson for BOC Aviation in Singapore.
The legal claim relates to a leasing agreement between Kingfisher Airlines and aircraft leasing company BOC Aviation involving four planes, of which three were delivered.
The delivery of the fourth was reportedly withheld due to unpaid amounts due in advance under the lease arrangement. BOC Aviation claims that the security deposit, which is a course of redress in such matters, was also inadequate to cover the payments that Kingfisher was “contractually bound” to make, resulting in the High Court claim in London.
In his order, Justice Picken awarded BOC Aviation the amount overdue along with interest payments and legal costs, which overall amounts to nearly $90 million.
“The Second Defendant [United Breweries] shall be jointly and severally liable with the First Defendant [Kingfisher Airlines] to pay the Claimants [BOC Aviation] half of the said costs liability,” the court order notes.
LONDON (TIP): Britain says the Russian government was behind a cyberattack that hit businesses across Europe last year.
Foreign Minister Tariq Ahmad says “the UK government judges that the Russian government, specifically the Russian military, was responsible for the destructive NotPetya cyberattack of June 2017.”
The fast-spreading outbreak of data scrambling software centered on Ukraine, which is embroiled in a conflict with Moscow-backed separatists in the country’s east. It spread to companies that do business with Ukraine, including US pharmaceutical company Merck, Danish shipping firm AP Moller-Maersk and FedEx subsidiary TNT. Ahmad said Thursday that the “reckless” attack cost organizations hundreds of millions of dollars.
British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of “undermining democracy, wrecking livelihoods by targeting critical infrastructure, and weaponizing information” with malicious cyberattacks. Russia has denied responsibility.
LONDON (TIP): An Indian origin anesthetist who was heartbroken after receiving divorce papers from his wife committed suicide by taking an overdose of a cocktail of drugs in the East Midlands region of England, a probe into his death concluded.
The 41-year-old George Eapen had separated from his general practitioner wife Amy after undergoing counselling to deal with angry outbursts and mood swings that had strained their relationship.
Born in India George Eapen had completed his medical studies in Chennai and worked at a Mumbai hospital before moving to the UK in 2001.
The 41-year-old had separated from his general practitioner wife Amy after undergoing counselling to deal with angry outbursts and mood swings that had strained their relationship, ‘Daily Mirror’ reported.
“George made a number of attempts at reconciliation, with letters and phone calls, clearly he had a great deal of difficulty accepting it (separation), said Derbyshire Assistant Coroner Peter Nieto.
It was when he received divorce papers in the post in October last year, that Eapen text some friends to say he was going to kill himself. He drove to a secluded area of Derbyshire s picturesque tourist spot known as Peak District, where he was discovered too late to be resuscitated, Chesterfield Coroners Court was told.
Eapen worked as a consultant neuro-anesthetist at the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and was also a university lecturer.
It is said that he had been hurt when his first marriage ended within a year back in 2007. He met Amy in 2012 and the couple married two years later.
The widow sobbed in court as the details of Eapen’s suicide were recounted at the probe.
The couple had separated over his anger management issues, with Amy moving out of their home in the suburb of Totley, Sheffield, last year.
On October 14, when Eapen found the divorce papers from his wife, he went to work and then drove to the spot where he was later found dead.
He sent some texts to friends outlining his intentions, leading them to alert the police and form a search party to try and track him down.
Paramedics also arrived on the scene but they could not resuscitate the doctor, who was rushed to Chesterfield Royal Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“It was clear George was unhappy, but he had not contacted anyone prior to his actions or close enough to those actions to allow anyone to intervene. It‘s my view that he has done what he has done with the intention of committing suicide, said the coroner, who felt the anesthetist had the expert knowledge necessary to administer a toxic dose in the most effective way.
The combination of the drugs he took caused acute respiratory arrest, leading to his death. The coroner added that there was no proof he had taken the drugs from his hospital workplace earlier in the day, but it was “reasonable” to assume that was the case.
LONDON (TIP): An eight-year-old Indian origin school girl has entered the UK’s Mathletics Hall of Fame, an online mathematics based competitive tool aimed at primary school pupils.
Sohini Roy Chowdhury competed with primary school pupils from across Britain and other countries to also make it into the top 100 World Hall of Fame after solving mathematical puzzles with speed and accuracy.
“She feels really excited to solve math in an online learning environment to earn a place on the live World Hall of Fame,” said her father Mainak Roy Chowdhury, an accountant by profession with an MBA in finance.
“Sohini’s great grandfather, D N Roy, was a qualified locomotive engineer from Scotland and worked for the Indian Railways. I would say Sohini has inherited her interest in math genetically,” he added.
Mathletics is described as an engaging, supportive online learning resource targeted at primary school level math curriculum, allowing children to play live mental arithmetic games against other children from all over the world. Their scores are constantly updated and only the world’s 100 best make it to the leader-board.
New Delhi born Sohini joined in the competition this year as a student of Nelson Primary School in Birmingham.
“Sohini has displayed some higher-level understanding of the math covered this year. She applies herself to all her learning and this has been reflected in her attainment this year,” said her school teacher in reference to the Mathletics achievement.
The school girl wishes to become a doctor when she grows up.
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