AV 21st March 2026

Your Party dominates Asian donations, data shows

British Asian donors made s ignif icant contributions to

the f inal quarter of 2025,

Liberal Democrats, and the newly formed Your Party

The largest share went to Your Party, the left-wing

g

y Jeremy Corbyn and former Labour MP Zarah Sultana

M O U O p e r a t

t

s L t d , where Sultana is the sole director, donated £400,000

L t d

These contributions coincided with internal disputes over funding and member-

s h i p d a t a w i t h i n t h e fledgling party

Labour received notable

b a c k i n g f r o m P G Pa p e r

C o m p a n y L i m i t e d , a Scotland-based global trad-

i n g f i r m fo u n d e d

Po

P u n e e t Gu p t a O B E T h e

company donated £233,950

i n D e c e m b e r a l o n e Businessman Harish Sodha

also contributed

£150,000

October

The Conser vatives benef ited from donations by Westcombe Developments

L i m i t e d , l i n ke d t o t h e

Pankhania family, totalling £150,000, alongside smaller contributions from individu

Dominus UK Holdings Ltd

Liberal Democrats also a

longstanding party backer

Su d h i r C h o u d h r i e , w h o g

£ 2 1 , 4 6 6 , a

contributions from Tushar S Prabhu, Ramesh Dewan and Ahmed AA Hindawi

A

t i o n s included £54,000 to Labour

Limited and smaller sums across parties from various businesses and individuals

Overall, political dona-

n g t h e period, with £15 45 million recorded in Q4 2025 more than double the same quarter in 2024 Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, dominated fundraising with £5 5 mill io n i n t h e q u a r t e r, c o ntributing to more than £18 million raised over the year

A n E l e c t

a l Commission off icial highlighted the importance of t

l funding, while noting that further reforms to strengthen the system are still under consideration

Watford surgeon receives prestigious national award

A co n s ul tan t a t Watfo rd General Hospital has been h ono ured with one of the m ost respected accolades in

B ri ti s h su r g er y fo r h i s "exemplar y " co mmitment to m entoring the next g eneration o f d octors Va n a s h Pa

C o n s u l t a n t C o l o r e c t a l Su r g e o n , w a s p r e s e n t e d w i t h t h e Si l v e r S c a l p e l Award by the Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT)

T h i s n a t i o n a l h o n o u r i s uniquely signif icant within

t h e m e d ic a l p ro fe s s io n a s nominations are submitted directly by trainees, rather than senior peers Patel was selected for his transformative approach to e d u c a t i o n , s p e c i f i c a l l y h i s role in establishing a structured training pathway that integrates colorectal cancer

s u r g e r y w i t h a d v a n c e d robotic techniques and simulation The award recognises Patel’s efforts in developing well-rounded speciali s t s c a p a b l e o f d e l i v e r i n g complex, minimally invasive surger y Under his guidance at We s t He r t fo r d s h i r e Te a c h i n g Ho s p i t a l s N H S

London grooming gangs face statutory inquiry

Th e Metro politan Police has launched a comprehensi ve rev iew of ap proximately 12, 00 0 h i s to ri c ch i l d ex p lo i ta ti on c as es as M Ps demand that a new national statutory inquiry focuses sp ecif ically on the cap ital

A cross-party group of eight Conser vative MPs and three London Assembly members wrote to Home Secretar y Shabana Mahmood and Mayor Sadiq Khan calling for urgent action following a harrowing BBC investigation

This report exposed how gangs in London have been luring girls as young as 14 into forced sexual acts to pay off unpaid drug debts Baroness Anne Longf ield , who was appointed in December 2025 to chair the £65 m i l l i o n i n d e p e n d e n t i n q u i r y, i s c u r r e n t l y f inalising the terms of reference, which are due to be published by March 31

While initial investigations are slated for Oldham, the signatories insist that the sheer scale of abuse in London necessitates a dedic a t e d l o c

n q u i r y a

p e c i a l i s t Metropolitan Police unit Currently, the Met is reviewing 15 years of data to uncover missed investigative opportunities, with f indings due by April 2026

Around 2,000 child exploitation cases are reported annually, amid concerns over inconsistent recording, unequal protection, and systemic failures now under statutor y inquir y

I N B R I E F HEALTH CRISIS FUELS SURGE IN YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

The number of young people in Britain out of work due to long-term illness has reached record levels with nearly one million affected Almost half cite disability or illness as the main barrier, with mental health conditions and autism driving most cases Youth economic inactivity has doubled since 2015, signalling a major public health shift In response, the government has announced a £2 5 billion “youth guarantee,” offering incentives to employers and boosting apprenticeships However, Neet figures continue to climb, with further investment planned to tackle health-related barriers and create new job opportunities

MAJOR SICK PAY REFORMS TO ARRIVE THIS APRIL

From April 6 statutory sick pay becomes a “day- one right ” under the Employment Rights Act 2025 ending the three - day waiting period Removal of the Lower Earnings Limit extends eligibility to 1 3 million lower-paid workers Employees will receive £123 25 weekly or 80% of earnings, whichever is lower improving financial security and reducing presenteeism Paternity and unpaid parental leave will also be available from day one Employers view these reforms as highly impactful, while the National Living Wage rises to £12 71 for over-21s The new Fair Work Agency, launching April 7, will enforce compliance, ensuring sick pay, holiday pay, and broader employment protections are properly administered nationwide

Trust, trainees gain handson experience with cuttingedge platforms, such as the Ve r s i u s a n d d a V i n c i X i robotic systems One trainee who supported the nomination described Patel as an "innovator" whose consultancy ser ves as a "benchmark for others

Highlighting the importance of his role, Mr Patel stated that training is a fundamental responsibility for consultants, noting that the s u r g e o n s b e i n g m e n t o r e d today will provide patient care for the next thirty to forty years By prioritising high-quality education and c l i n ic a l j u d g e m e nt , Pa t e l’s p r o g r a m m e e n s u r e s t h a t safety and innovation continue to thrive within the N H S w o r k fo r c e o f t h e future

Hereditary peers come to an end

Th e centuries-old tradition allowing aristocrats to sit in the House of Lords is coming to an end, as ninety-two hereditary peers face imm inent rem oval und er th e House of Lo rds (Hereditar y Peers) Bill

This legislation, passed as part of Prime M i n i s t e r Ke i r St a r m e r ’ s 2 0 2 4 m a n i fe s t o pledge, will formally end the inherited right to legislate, a privilege dating back to the 14th centur y, at the close of the current parliamentar y session in May A cross-party compromise, however, allows a select group to retain seats by converting to life peerages, creating what critics call a “hereditar y lifeboat ”

Under this deal, the Conser vatives may nominate f ifteen hereditar y peers with a similar provision for crossbenchers to preser ve experience, expertise, and institutional memor y in Parliament

RECORD SURGE IN CITIZENSHIP APPLICATIONS

British citizenship applications have hit a record 291 971 in 2025 up from 253 757 the previous year as migrants rush to secure status ahead of stricter immigration reforms The Labour government s Restoring Order and Control plan will introduce an earned citizenship model doubling the qualifying period for indefinite leave from five to ten years, raising English proficiency requirements, and increasing financial contributions from April 2026 Rising fees and a new “visa brake” on several countries add urgency Experts say many applicants are acting now to avoid the tougher points-based system, while international factors, including increased US interest, also contribute to the surge

Jain Derasar, Nr Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380 015

Strength in numbers

The situation involving the Hindu temple in Peterborough has caused community concern, with many believing the council is putting undue pressure on a key religious and cultural centre

For many, a temple, mosque, or community centre serves purposes beyond its religious function These institutions foster a sense of belonging, preserve cultural heritage, and offer support to both families and individuals Consequently, the matter extends beyond any single building or faith tradition, touching upon the broader principles of tolerance, coexistence, and respect that have long been integral to British society

Meanwhile, numerous community members recognise that a primary challenge originates within the community itself: a lack of cohesion Various organisations have expressed their concerns, yet tangible actions remain limited When a community experiences fragmentation, it becomes increasingly difficult to address issues collectively, engage productively with authorities, and advocate for common interests

Support on community security matters has been provided by organisations such as the Community Security Trust, which has a long-standing role in safeguarding places of worship and community institutions

Peterborough City Council, the Hindu temple, and the Masjid Khadijah and Islamic Centre on Cromwell Road have all been directed to prepare submissions for a hearing expected in May or June A court order is currently in place preventing the council from proceeding with the sale of the site pending a “rolled-up” hearing to determine whether a judicial review of the council’s decision should proceed

The Masjid Khadijah and Islamic Centre had previously planned to purchase the site as part of proposals for a new Unity Centre a multi-purpose facility including prayer areas,

educational spaces, and sports and recreational amenities The mosque has stated that it has outgrown its existing premises after nearly 40 years of use

Telegraph, the mosque emphasised that it did not initiate the sale of the New England Complex but participated in a formal bidding process initiated by the council It rejected any framing of the matter as a conflict between faith communities, reaffirming respect for the long-standing contribution of the Hindu community in Peterborough

The mosque further stated that its intention is to develop an inclusive, multi-use community facility serving residents across the city, with faith-based activities forming only part of a wider community service model It confirmed its willingness to engage in dialogue and explore pragmatic solutions in the interests of social cohesion They also showed willingness to stick to the Court’s final judgement

Maintaining the social dimension of this situation is essential To date, the temple has raised more than £117,500, as we go to print These funds will support the Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir in their legal proceedings; however, broader support from both community members and influential stakeholders is necessary The principle remains clear: collective strength is vital The sale of the temple site to the highest bidder reflects commercial priorities, which may not always align with the goals of community development or cohesion Ultimately, the issue centres on moral and ethical considerations rather than purely financial ones, highlighting the importance of extensive public awareness The current temple leadership and the community must enhance their efforts to secure appropriate support and representation, including in court

India gears up for Assembly election battle

On March 15, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the timetable for Assembly elections in four States and one Union Territory West Bengal voters will head to the polls on April 23 and 29; Tamil Nadu's election is set for April 23; while Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry will vote on April 9 All votes will be counted on May 4, wrapping up elections in 824 constituencies

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, speaking in New Delhi, announced that around 174 million people are eligible to vote The final electoral roll shows that West Bengal has 64 4 million voters, Tamil Nadu 56 7 million, Kerala 27 million, Assam 22 5 million, and Puducherry nearly 944,000

Additionally, byelections will take place in eight Assembly s e a t s a c r o s s s i x S t a t e s G o a , G u j a r a t , K a r n a t a k a , Maharashtra, Nagaland, and Tripura in two phases

In West Bengal, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee voiced confidence in her party's prospects, predicting a win of over 226 seats TMC has nominated candidates for 291 out of 294 constituencies, with Banerjee running from Bhabanipur She lost the Nandigram seat in 2021 to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by 1,956 votes but later won Bhabanipur in a by-election, which she now represents Rumors about former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly joining TMC were refuted by his office, which called them

unfounded and confirmed he is not joining any political party

Looking back at the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, analysts found that most polls predicted the winner but tended to exaggerate the margin By partnering with a national party, BJP risks losing minority support and bolsters DMK’s image as Tamil Nadu’s defender These differences reflect the parties’ unique identities Actor Vijay, heading the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, refuses compromise or supporting roles, particularly alongside an AIADMK-BJP coalition However, Senior TVK leader K A Sengottaiyan has said the party would forge an alliance only with those parties that accept Vijay as the chief ministerial face

TVK could emerge as DMK’s main challenger, potentially overtaking AIADMK, though this remains to be seen While Vijay has strong public appeal, converting popularity into sustained electoral success poses its own hurdles

Also given situation, Kerala may face a fractured mandate, which could favour BJP and the CPI(M) by implying instability in government formation With concerns about instability heightened due to West Asia's situation and many Malayalis in the Gulf, this narrative may reinforce support for the incumbent Pinarayi Vijayan government Congress and UDF unity is key to countering such perceptions and alleviating fears of internal divisions Additionally, a shorter campaign (25 days) has lowered financial costs

When power overrides prudence

The war in the Middle East, now entering its third week, is a conflict that could and perhaps should have been avoided

What is most concerning is not just the conflict itself, but how it began, with the United States appearing to act without proper consultation, preparation or a clear long-term strategy History shows that relying on force, airstrikes and military action rarely brings lasting solutions

Similarly, in another tragic incident, at least 400 people were killed when a Pakistani airstrike hit a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan Across the world, voices of reason have consistently called for restraint This perspective highlights the broader global sentiment that diplomacy must take precedence over destruction

At the same time, responsibility does not lie with one side alone Iran, through its continued refusal to recognise Israel and its hostile rhetoric, has also contributed to the escalation Such positions, particularly in a volatile region, only deepen divisions and make peaceful resolution more difficult

The role of the US, especially under Donald Trump, has raised serious questions Inconsistent messaging and shifting approaches have created uncertainty and confusion Effective leadership in times of crisis requires clarity, stability and a willingness to engage constructively, qualities that seem lacking

Moreover, in projecting the authority of a superpower leader, Trump appeared to underestimate Iran’s capabilities, a miscalculation that now seems to be becoming evident

The human and economic costs of this conflict are already severe The war is causing collateral damage of innocent civilians Loss of life and widespread destruction have affected not only Iran and Israel, but also neighbouring regions, including the Gulf that have otherwise sought stability and balance The strategic importance of the Strait of

Hormuz further complicates matters, as geography continues to shape both economic realities and political decisions

PM Modi has clearly stated that this is not an era for war, but a time for dialogue, negotiation and mutual adjustment In line with this approach, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has engaged with Iranian authorities and through diplomatic understanding, the movement of several ships carrying vital LNG and diesel supplies for India has been ensured Iran has also clearly indicated that it will not target Indian vessels or ships unless they are linked to its adversaries, providing a measure of reassurance amid the ongoing tensions

Unfortunately, the situation has also exposed clear inconsistencies in the approach of President Trump At one point, he dismissed the relevance of NATO, even going so far as to undermine its member nations publicly Yet, by the second week of the conflict, he was seeking NATO’s support, particularly its naval strength, to help secure the Strait of Hormuz This shift shows a clear contradiction When the UK, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea were approached, they responded politely but firmly, making it clear they would not join a wider war

Today, this risk’s becoming a “Vietnam moment” for the US, a defining point where strategy and reality begin to diverge While there may be elements of legitimacy in the concerns of Israel as well as other countries, the situation has clearly worsened The greatest suffering continues to fall on innocent people, in Israel, Lebanon, Iran and beyond There is also a growing concern that Donald Trump has shown little willingness to acknowledge that things may be going wrong First, he lost respect, hence trust and now is losing senior leadership from his administration There is still time to correct course, but that window is closing fast

Thought for the week

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does Keep going ” – Sam Levenson

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

India's Finest Hour in the Iran Crisis

A month ago, I wrote in this column that India's ambition to be the "tech broker" between E as t and West was the geopoli ti cal story of our age In an AI world, whoever sits in the middle wri tes the menu Today, something more urgent has arri ved on that menu - the Strait of H ormuzand India is demonstrati ng exactly why it belongs at the head of the table

The UN Secretary General pointed out the UN Security Council lacks credibility and legitimacy because it only has one permanent Asia member – China He is obviously referring to no India When I was a Director of the UN Association (UK) it became clear there will never be a change to the Permanent Membership of the UN Legally it is near impossible Realistically it is entirely impossible

On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran They targeted Iran's nuclear sites, military bases, and top leadership, killing Supreme Leader Khamenei in the first wave Oil crossed $100 a barrel The Strait of Hormuz was partially blocked, and the world held its breath Most nations either c h

Tehran's India did neither - and that restraint is not weakness It is statecraft of the highest order India is the only founding BRICS member that has not condemned the attack on Iran a pointed reminder that New Delhi refuses to be conscripted into someone else's war When China's Wang Yi urged BRICS to close ranks against the US, India declined to be a pawn in Beijing's opportunism When Washington demanded absolute loyalty, India quietly reminded the Americans t

ideological purity Both superpowers got the message

gas transited the Strait of Hormuz

passage secured not by gunboats but by telephone calls and quiet negotiation As of today, India's foreign minister says diplomatic efforts with Iran are yielding results, with

insurance, escort protocols, port logistics rather than geopolitical theatre While others were writing op-eds, India was getting tankers through And thank goodness As I posted in a video from India, let’s hope the Indians do not buy oil from the open markets and lift up the cost of living for us Brits They have not Thanks to US asking them to buy from Russia and Iran asking them to buy from them If only the whole world were like India!

Critics will say India is merely hedging They miss the point entirely For decades, India maintained a delicate balance cultivating strong ties with Iran for energy security and regional connectivity, while maintaining cordial relations with Israel and the Arab Gulf states That balance is not cynicism; it is the sovereign right of a rising power that answers to its own people first India has invested nearly $500 million in Chabahar Port a strategic gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia that no sanctions regime should be allowed to strangle

The deeper truth is this: in a world fracturing into blocs, India's refusal to be sorted into one camp is not fence-sitting it is a strategic asset of enormous value Every government in the Global South is watching how New Delhi navigates this crisis If India succeeds in keeping shipping lanes open, oil flowing, and its own counsel, it will have demonstrated something that no amount of defence spending can buy: credibility as an honest broker

That is the prize worth pursuing And right now, India is winning it

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A R E F L E C T I O

N O N F A I T H A N

D

B E L O N G I N G T H I S E I D

As celebrations o f Eid alFitr mark the end of Ramadan in 2026, British As ian co mmu nities across the UK reflect no t only o n fai th, but o n identi ty, belo nging and resi lience in a rapi dly changing so cial landscape

From early morning prayers at mosques in cities like London, Birmingham and Bradford, to family gatherings filled with traditional dishes and laughter, the holy month became a powerful reminder of spiritual discipline and communal unity

Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, Asian Voice also brought forward different perspectives from within the community; be it food diplomacy, meaningful inclusion at workplace, observing the holy month amidst global tensions, mental resilience during fasting, and much more

Reflecting on what Ramadan means to her and the importance of Eid, Dr S ara Saigo l o f th e Islamic So ciety of Britain said, “I describe it as a turning to God, a turning to our higher selves as we try to work on our characters and self-discipline as well as turning to those less fortunate than ourselves

“Before we even celebrate Eid, we give charity to help those with less celebrate the day alongside us

“Eid is a collective time that, for many, starts with communal prayers in the mosque Children will receive presents and it is encouraged to eat something before attending the prayer

This is very welcome after a month of fasting! Many will wear from amongst their nicest clothes and listen to the imam’s speech Meals will be prepared for the joyous day

“Many will be asking, what lessons they’ve learnt that they can continue to practise?

“Eid is a time to celebrate with family,

These stories were particularly important as the last few years have not been without their challenges Against a backdrop of rising social tensions and conversations around immigration and multiculturalism, this year ’ s festivity was a moment of reaffirmation of generosity, compassion

relatives and friends whilst bearing in mind those who are lonely; refugees, converts, the elderly, etc Many of us will open our homes so that no one is alone over Eid and a friend of mine is organising a party for those who find themselves alone

“At times of particularly heightened global tensions and war, many of us will be thinking about those who have lost so much and live under fear and insecurity Some of our friends will have lost loved ones or be extremely worried about them We will try to give in charity, remember them in our prayers and have solidarity with all innocent people ”

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and unity Acts of charity were visible through community food drives and fundraising efforts supporting both local causes and global humanitarian crises

Interfaith engagement also played a growing role this year, with open mosque initiatives and community events welcoming neighbours of all backgrounds

For many families, Eid remains rooted in simple yet profound moments: visiting elders, giving Eidi to children, and coming

Mahmo od Rafiq from th e Ahmadi yya Mu slim Community UK also shared his reflection, saying, “As the celebrations of Eid draw to a close, Muslims reflect on how to ensure we continue to reap the blessings of the month of Ramadan that led to the joys of Eid

The month-long discipline of fasting, prayer and self-reflection offers more than personal spiritual benefit; it reminds us of our wider obligations to society Ramadan calls on us to embody humility, compassion and service, values central to the teachings of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

“Eid, is not simply a moment of festivity but a reaffirmation of our moral responsibilities and the need to make sure that those less fortunate are also helped and supported - this is part of

together over meals that blend South Asian flavours with British influences These traditions, while familiar, continue to evolve, mirroring the community itself

The holy month ultimately stood as more than a celebration It was a reflection of how a community continues to navigate faith and identity with confidence, honouring their roots while shaping a future grounded in unity, resilience and hope

the true, lasting objectives of Eid

“Guided by the principles taught by the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, we are reminded that faith is demonstrated not in words but in acts of kindness and humanity It is in this spirit that we look outward, conscious of the suffering and uncertainty many continue to face across the world Our prayers are with all those enduring hardship, that they may find relief, stability and hope in the days ahead

“As we conclude this holy period, we do so with a renewed commitment to fostering peace, promoting understanding and contributing positively our wider society - so that the blessings of Ramadan and Eid extend far beyond this blessed period ”

As we mark the joyous occasion of Eid al-Fitr, we wish you and your loved ones peace, happiness and good health. May the spirit of Eid fill your hearts with hope and unity.

Mubarak!

Thousands break fast at Trafalgar Square

Thousand s gath ered in T rafalgar Square to break their fasts tog ether as Ram ad an drew to a close in Londo n

The gathering was part of the Ramadan Tent Project’s (RTP) Ramadan Festival, held during the final week of Ramadan 2026, with around 3,000 people attending the Open Iftar

Volunteers carried food as crowds came together for the communal meal, sharing in the spirit of the holy month

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said, “I’m delighted that T r a

Ramadan Tent Project’s hugely successful Open Iftar programme Londoners from all faiths, races, and backgrounds united in the heart of our capital to break their fasts, honour the values of this holy month, and send a message of hope Together we showed the world that London will always be a city that celebrates and champions our diversity, as we build a better and fairer London for everyone ”

The event also featured Little Amal, the 12-foot puppet symbolising a young Syrian refugee, greeting guests as a gesture of hope and compassion for displaced communities Omar Salha, founder and CEO of the Ramadan Tent Project, added, “Ramadan Festival 2026 has once again highlighted the extraordinary power of community when people come together with open hearts From Trafalgar Square to cities across the country, our Open Iftar events have welcomed thousands from every background to share a meal, a conversation, and a moment of reflection ”

Islamic Relief calls for Eid ceasefire

As Ramadan draw s to a close, Islamic Relief World wide h as urg ed world leaders to ag ree on an im med iate ceasefire ahead of Eid al-F itr, as v iolence across th e M iddle East co ntinues to escalate

Millions are facing displacement, food insecurity, and ongoing fear, while the crisis is also disrupting global supply chains, worsening famine in vulnerable regions, and affecting families worldwide

In an opinion piece, CEO Iftikhar Shaheen highlighted the struggles of civilians in Lebanon and Gaza, where families are seeking safety and critically ill patients cannot access medical care due to restricted crossings The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has further strained global food and fuel supplies, intensifying crises in countries such as Sudan and Somalia Shaheen emphasised that the values of compassion, s

Ramadan, must guide global leadership He urged swift action to allow people of all faiths to observe upcoming festivals, including Easter and Passover, in peace

Despite rising aid cuts, Islamic Relief praised the generosity of Muslim communities, whose donations during Ramadan have provided food assistance to hundreds of thousands across 34 countries An urgent ceasefire, the charity stressed, is essential to save lives and deliver aid to those in greatest need

THE CARE CAREER CONNECTION

H OW JO BCEN TRE P PLUS IS H HELPING BU SINESSES T TAC KLE R RECRUITMENT C HALLENGES A AND T TRA NSFORM L LIVES

When Alex O’Neil founded Embark Learning Care Academy, his mission was clear: connect people seeking meaningful work with a care sector urgently in need of skilled, compassionate staff.

But as demand grew, so did the challenge. Safwan Hanash, Head of Partnerships, who also leads recruitment for the organisation, said:

“As we scaled, sourcing consistent, work-ready candidates became increasingly difficult. We were spending huge amounts of time advertising roles, reviewing applications, and inviting people to interviews who didn’t attend or weren’t suitable. Meanwhile, over 250 care employers across the West Midlands were relying on us to supply trained, reliable staff.”

The ambition was there. The workforce demand was there. What was missing was a streamlined recruitment pipeline.

That’s when Embark turned to Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

A different experience than expected

Like many recruiting employers, Safwan admits he initially had assumptions about government-led support.

“I thought it would be very process-driven, rigid, and difficult to navigate,” he says. “But the reality was completely different.”

From the first conversation, Jobcentre Plus Employer Advisers focused on understanding Embark’s specific needs. They explored the skills required, the attitudes valued, and the progression opportunities available.

Rather than simply sending CVs, they referred pre-profiled candidates aligned to Embark’s requirements, saving time and improving suitability.

Recruitment events were organised locally, job fairs were coordinated, and tailored support

offered at no cost to the business.

“The communication was open and transparent,” Safwan explains. “They genuinely wanted to collaborate and help us meet our workforce goals.”

Delivering measurable results

The impact has been significant.

To date, Embark Learning, in partnership with Fairway Healthcare and associated care employers, has recruited more than 2,000 people into paid employment through its employability programmes, supported by Jobcentre Plus.

The partnership has not only improved hiring outcomes but strengthened long-term workforce development.

Through collaboration with Jobcentre Plus, Embark has delivered structured employability programmes, helping candidates gain sectorspecific training and recognised qualifications, including Level 2 and Level 3 certifications. This creates clear career pathways rather than short-term placements.

“We’re not just filling vacancies,” Safwan says. “We’re building sustainable careers.”

Opening doors for young people

A key focus of the partnership has been supporting young people aged 18–30 who are not in education, employment or training.

Working alongside Jobcentre Plus and in partnership with The King’s Trust, Embark delivers tailored employability programmes designed to remove traditional barriers and provide entry into health and social care work.

“We train them, build their confidence, and give them realworld experience,” Safwan explains. “Many just need the right opportunity and someone to believe in them.”

In the past three years, more than 300 young people have progressed into employment

through this route.

Additionally, under the Youth Guarantee, the government is bringing together new and existing support to ensure all young people aged 16 to 24 are earning and learning. It offers employers access to training, financial incentives and a pipeline of young talent to help businesses fill skills gaps and build their future workforce.

Jobcentre Plus has supported Embark to access wider and more diverse talent pools, including individuals with health conditions or disabilities. In the last two years alone, more than 100 people facing health-related barriers have moved into work through Jobcentre referrals.

For employers in the care sector — and beyond — this demonstrates how tailored recruitment support can unlock motivated, capable candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.

Saving time, reducing costs, strengthening communities

For Safwan, the operational benefits are clear.

“Jobcentre Plus saves businesses enormous amounts of time and resource,” he says. “Instead of advertising repeatedly and interviewing unsuitable applicants, we receive candidates who are ready and motivated.”

Employer Advisers can facilitate recruitment events, coordinate candidate shortlisting, and provide ongoing support — creating a more efficient and cost-effective hiring process.

Beyond efficiency, the partnership has strengthened Embark’s connection to its local community.

“As a community-focused organisation, it matters to work with partners who understand the people we serve,” Safwan says. “This partnership has helped us reflect our community in our workforce and create real social impact.”

The relationship has grown into a two-way collaboration.

Safwan has contributed insights on workforce development in adult social care at senior-level discussions, reinforcing the shared goal of reducing unemployment while strengthening essential public services.

A message to businesses who feel government support isn’t for them

For employers who may feel hesitant about engaging with government services, Safwan is clear:

“There’s a perception that support like this isn’t designed for businesses like ours, or that it will be complicated. That simply hasn’t been our experience,” he says. “It’s practical, responsive, and built around what employers actually need.”

His advice? “Take the first step. Make the call. Start the conversation. The support is there to help you grow.”

Backing businesses to build the workforce of tomorrow

Jobcentre Plus offers employers tailored recruitment support, including help to recruit young people, access to wider and more diverse talent pools, opportunities to create apprenticeships or training opportunities, and the chance to strengthen long-term workforce pipelines. The Youth Guarantee can also offer employers access to training, financial incentives and a pipeline of young talent to help you fill skills gaps and build your future workforce.

For Embark Learning Care Academy, Jobcentre Plus support has translated into thousands of people moving into work, hundreds of young lives redirected towards sustainable careers, and a stronger care workforce across the West Midlands.

Behind every placement is a person gaining confidence, stability and purpose — and a business gaining the talent it needs to thrive.

NORTH/MIDLANDS

Urgent warning after fatal Meningitis outbreak

The gove rn ment has confir med that a dev asta ting Men ingitis B out bre ak in Kent has t rag ica lly cla imed two live s, prom pting a 19ye ar-old survivor to issue a vita l public hea lt h wa rn in g Ketia Moponda, origin a l l y f r o m Wolverhampton, survived a life-altering battle with m e n i n g o c o c c a l s e p t icaemia in September 2024, w h i c h r e s u l t e d i n t h e amputation of her lower l

n g h e r symptoms as "freshers’ flu" just one week after starting at De Montfort University, her condition rapidly esca-

l a t e d i n t o a f i v e - m o n t h hospitalisation

H e r e x p e r i e n c e c o i ncides with an unprecedented cluster in Canterbury

w h e r e t h e H e a l t h Secretary, Wes Streeting, confirmed to the House of Commons, that an eighteen-year-old pupil and a t w e n t y - o n e - y e a r - o l d u n iversity student have died

T h e U K H e a l t h Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed four cases of the Group B strain, with a

further 11 under investigation Most cases have been

l i n k e d t o t h e C l u

C

between March 5 and 7 In

announced a targeted vac-

students in halls of residence and has asked the JCVI to re-examine wider vaccine eligibility The current university-age cohort remains largely unprotected as the MenB vaccine was only added to the routine infant schedule in 2015

four antibiotic treatment centres across the region

Canterbury Hospital, the

University of Kent cam-

Health Hub in Broadstairs

Health officials urge any-

nightclub or shows symptoms to visit these sites

like Meningitis Now continue to provide support as the UKHSA monitors the situation daily, reminding

y antibiotic treatment is the only effective way to prevent permanent disability

Veteran dies after random walking stick attack

The Bir mingha m com munit y mour ned for Allen Ka ra m

C hand , an 82-y ear -old a rmy v ete ra n who die d following a se nseless r an dom at tack on Soho Road , Ha ndswor th, on Ja nuar y 14

l y a

r 3 : 3 0 p m , Chand disembarked from a n u m b e r 7 4 b u s a l o n g s i d e M u n t a h a r A h m

x e d address who was unknown to him Within a minute of stepping onto the pavement, Ahmed snatched the grandf

t h e ground

The unprovoked assault

left the veteran with a fractured skull and a significant brain haemorrhage, injuries that proved fatal when he passed away in hospital the following weekend Ahmed was apprehended by West

M i d l a n d s P o l i c e t w o d a y s after the incident when he returned to the scene of the crime

A l t h o u g h i n i t i a l l y charged with wounding, the p r o s e c u t i o n u p g r a d e d t h e charge to manslaughter following Chand’s death On 9 March 2026, Ahmed pleaded guilty to the charge and currently awaits sentencing at a later date

F a m i l y m e m b e r s h a v e paid emotional tribute to the "loving and caring" veteran, noting his life of integrity and deep faith Police investigators confirmed there was no known motive for the fatal encounter

Leicestershire drug smuggler dies in prison

T he P riso n and Probation

O m b ud sm an re c ent ly released a report detailing

t h e d eat h o f 4 8 - yea r- o ld

T u r o n M i ah , w h o p as s ed

a w ay i n D ec e m be r 20 24

w hilst serv ing a sentence for

h i s r o le i n a m aj o r L eicestershire d rug s operation Miah had been jailed for six years and nine months in February 2024 after the East M i d l a n d s S p e c i a l Operations Unit dismantled a high-value Class A drug

r i n g l e d b y h i s b r o t h e r

I n i t i a l l

H M P Leicester, he was transferred to HMP Fosse Way in Glen P

until his health deteriorated The inquest concluded that Miah died at Glenfield Hospital following a poste-

which occurred as a direct complication of a necessary coronary angiography procedure required to treat his s e v e

High Demand for faith schools in Blackburn

So me o f Bl ackbur n ’ s le ad ing fa ith -ba se d seconda ry schools hav e once a ga in see n a surg e in d ema nd , le av ing many pa rents strug gling t o secur e p lace s for the ir childr en

With a limited number of spots available, competition for entry into topperforming schools has intensified, prompting officials to urge parents to carefully review admissions criteria before applying

Faith schools in the town continue to prioritise applicants who meet specific eligibility requirements, a longstanding practice that significantly narrows access for many families Despite this, many parents continue to list these schools among their top preferences, even when their chances of securing a place are low

According to figures from Blackburn with Darwen Council, 1,758 pupils (77 2%) were offered their first-choice secondary school for this September While this marks a slight decrease from 2025, it is an improvement compared to 2024

However, the number of children allocated schools outside their listed preferences has risen A total of 174 pupils (7 6%) were not offered any of their chosen schools, up from 140 the previous year

In total, 2,277 applications were submitted, with every child ultimately allocated a school place

Father found guilty of murdering daughter

The father of a five-week-old infant was convic ted of murder at Stafford Crown Court, fol lowing t he cat ast rophic death of his daughter

Sean Jefferson, 31, of Birch Court, Walsall, was found guilty of killing Darcy-Leigh Jefferson, who died on March 29, 2022 after suffering a fatal brain injury at the family's then-home in Hudson Drive, Burntwood

disease

Despite concerns raised by Miah's partner regarding his medical management, a c

d that the care he received was

man's findings, finalised in March 2026, noted that preexisting conditions, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, significantly contributed to the fatal outcome

Investigators found no evidence of non-clinical failings at the prison facility and issued no formal recommendations

A jury of eight women and four men delivered a unanimous verdict after an eight-week trial, which detailed how the infant had also suffered more than 40 rib fractures and broken legs in the ten days preceding her death The prosecution, led by Harpreet Sandhu KC, argued that Jefferson violently shook his daughter or struck her head against a surface to stop her from crying between 7:00 am and 7:18 am on March 27

The infant’s mother, 34-year-old Amy Clark, was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and two counts of causing or allowing serious harm Although she was acquitted of murder, the court heard that she failed to protect Darcy-Leigh from her partner’s despicable violence

Both defendants, who were arrested in March 2022 and officially charged in May 2025, declined to give evidence during the trial

I N B R I E F

INVICTUS GAMES FLAG BEGINS

NATIONAL VOYAGE

The official Invictus Games flag departed from Falmouth Cornwall, marking the commencement of a historic twelve-week maritime expedition around the United Kingdom Two traditionally rigged tall ships the Spirit of Falmouth and the Pellew set sail on the 2 000-nautical-mile Full Circle journey to build momentum for the upcoming Birmingham 2027 Games Co-ordinated by the sailing charity Turn to Starboard in partnership with Invictus Games Birmingham, the voyage is crewed by a rotating team of seventy wounded, injured, and sick veterans and serving personnel Sailing anti-clockwise, the vessels will visit twenty-two ports across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with the first leg including stops in Plymouth, Weymouth, and Portsmouth

HUNGER PERSISTS DESPITE DROP IN FOOD BANK USE

The Trussell Trust distributed nearly 230 000 emergency food parcels across the West Midlands in 2025 around 628 daily highlighting ongoing hardship despite a 12% drop from 2024 as inflation eased Demand remains 41% higher than pre-pandemic levels with families receiving 60% of parcels while making up 43% of the population Poverty among over-65s has surged, with parcels for this group tripling since 2019 Policy director Helen Barnard called the situation “appalling as many struggle to afford essentials, prompting continued calls for a social security system that meets real living costs

SAFETY FEARS GRIP DUDLEY

Residents in Dudley have raised growing safety concerns after Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council revealed fewer than half feel safe locally A record “Safe and Sound” survey of 843 people found only 48% consider the area safe, while just 39% feel secure outside, citing anti-social behaviour, dangerous driving, and burglary Despite low official crime rates, the findings highlight a gap between data and perception Housing director Kathryn Jones has proposed a zero-tolerance policy including patrols and surveillance as community confidence and cohesion continue to decline across the borough

DEPRIVED AREAS FACE RISING CRIME AND JOBLESSNESS

Deprived communities across the Midlands and North of England face rising crime and joblessness without urgent government action, a major study by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods warns Of 613 “mission critical” areas, most are concentrated in northern regions, including Liverpool with crime projected to rise by 27% by 2030 These neighbourhoods, home to around one million people, already face poor health outcomes and high economic inactivity, driven by long-term illness and postindustrial decline Researchers caution that without significant investment inequality across the Midlands and North will deepen further isolating communities from jobs and opportunity

Victims still denied justice as Post Office blocks appeals

that th e 1990 s accounti ng s ystem w as fu ndam entally d efectiv

l stance was revealed as at least 29 victims remain in a legal limbo, unable to clear their names or access full redress While the government has accepted that the Capture system was flawed, the Post Office continues to argue in the Court of Appeal

t h a t t h e s e i n d i v i d u a l s received fair trials Central to this battle is the case of Patricia Owen, a sub-postmistress convicted of theft i n 1 9 9 8 A l t h o u g h M r s Owen died in 2003, her family continues to fight a prosecution based on software that the Post Office conceded contained over 200 identified faults

The devastating human cost of these delays is highlighted by the recent death of Parmod Kalia, a former

O r p i n g t o n s u b - p o s t m a s t e r who passed away without receiving full compensation Kalia, 67, was wrongly jailed for six months in 2001 after h i s u n i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e

advised him to plead guilty to theft Although his conv i c t i o n w a s q u

s h e d a t Southwark Crown Court in 2021, the Post Office refused a full pay-out for wrongful prosecution, arguing there r e m a i n e d a r e a s o n a b l e chance he could have been found guilty at a new trial

His death has sparked fresh outrage among campaigners who describe the slow pace o

shame," particularly as Kalia kept his conviction a secret for fifteen years out of profound distress

m h a s been directed at the government by Seema Misra, who was famously jailed while p r e g n a n t i n 2 0 1 0 a n d cleared in 2021 Misra, who ran a post office in West Byfleet, stated that the scandal has taken 21 years of her life and described Britain as a "land of two laws" where

mon citizens While the Post

totalling £882 million, the

"undervalued"

Widow fights dramatic £5m inheritance battle

T he Hig h Co urt in L ond on

h as co mmenced hearing a d ramatic £5 million inh eri-

t anc e d i sp ut e i n v o lv i n g a yog a teacher who claim s she w as u nfairly exclud ed from h er late husband’ s fortune

Gabriela Teixeira, a 41-year-

o l d b ir th d o u la o ri g i nal ly from Brazil, is challeng ing t h e f i na l w il l of w e al th y p r o p ert y in v es to r A b ba s M oaven, who died o f cancer in May 20 12

Teixeira alleges that her husband was pressured into altering his testament shortly before his death due to unfounded fears from his family that she would "disappear to Brazil" with their

two children and his assets

The legal battle pits Teixeira against her brother-in-law, who currently manages the e s t a t e c o m p r i s i n g l u x u

Notting Hill properties and restaurant interests

The dispute centres on

his widow compared to previous drafts Legal represen-

tycoon lacked the necessary testamentary capacity and

influence during his final ill-

defence maintains that the changes were made voluntarily to protect the family’s

interests in the UK

Taxpayers foot bill as Fujitsu avoids £2bn Horizon compensation

Fujits u has yet to pay an y part of the £2 b illion compens ation owed to vi ctims of the Pos t Of fice Horiz on s c an dal, d es pite ac kn owledgi ng a moral obli ga ti on ov er t wo ye ars ag o, M Ps revealed

A C o m m o n s b u s i n e s s and trade committee report h i g h l i g h t e d t h a t w h i l e more than 11,300 claimants

h a v e r e c e i v e d p a y m e n t s totalling £1 44 billion, “seri-

o u s s t r u c t u r a l

remain in the redress system The committee condemned Fujitsu for failing even to make interim con-

tributions, leaving taxpayers to shoulder the cost The Japanese tech firm, w h i c h s u p p

i e d t h e H o r i z o n a c c o u n t i n g s y stem, benefited from public s e c t o r c o n t r a c t s e v e n a s faulty data led to wrongful accusations of theft, fraud, a n d f a l s e a c c

n g a g a i n

s u b - p o s t m a s t e r s Some employees reportedly k n e w b e f o r e r o l l o u t

false data, and Fujitsu also provided expert witnesses in prosecutions The Post Office has identified 700 c o n v i c t i o n s l i n k e d t o

British Sikh community leader awarded Freedom of the City of London

B ri ti s h S i kh co m m u ni ty leader Param Singh M BE has b een

oldest

Sikhs, was nominated for the

Dhruv Patel CBE, founder of

Clothworkers’ Company The ceremony admit-

h a l l , t h e h i s t o r i c centre of the City’s civic institutions The honour symbolises a connection

t o t h e t r a d i t i o n s a n d institutions of the City a n d c o n t i n u e s t o b e a w a r d e d t o i n d i v i d u a l s from a wide range of professional and community backgrounds

studies in the UK in 1926 and his father also working as a mechanical engi-

ceremony, Singh said

great honour” to receive the recognition “For nearly two thousand years, since the days

Horizon evidence, with the

9 8 3 when all cases are included Fujitsu maintains subs

await the full publication of Sir Wyn Williams’s public i

have not forced payments,

ducted most prosecutions Liam Byrne, committee c h a i

c

while the company continues profiting from government contracts

A l o n g s i d e h i s c o mmunity work, Singh holds a s e n i o r r o l e i n g l o b a l programme and project leadership across data, artificial i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d o r g a n i s ational systems for a Fortune 500 company He was previously awarded an MBE for s e r v i c e s t o d i v e r s i t y a n d i n c l u s i o n , r e c o g n i s i n g h i s efforts to support mentoring, leadership development a n d c o m m u n i t y e n g a g ement

E n g i n e e r i n g a l s o r u n s across three generations of

Remembering Shri Joginder

Sanger: A pioneer of enterprise and community leadership

CB Patel

The li fe story of Late Shri

Joginder Sanger reflec ts a journey that is familiar to many members of the Indian dias pora It i s the story of leaving one ’ s homeland, venturing abroad with hope and determi nati on, striving for success through hard work, and at the same time contributing meaningfully b oth to the coun try of on e ’ s origi n and to the country of settlement

Shri Joginderji came to the UK from Jalandar, Punjab as a very young man, full of enthusiasm and ambition His professional journey began modestly when he started working as a travel agent

Through sheer determination, long hours of work and an unwavering belief in his vision, he gradually built his business from humble beginnings, what was once a small “bucket shop” travel operation eventually grew into a substantial enterprise

Over time, his entrepreneurial instincts and willingness to take bold decisions led him to expand beyond travel into the hospitality sector

Joginderji possessed a keen sense of observation and an exceptional ability to recognise opportunities His courage and business acumen became particularly evident when he acquired the Washington Mayfair Hotel in the heart of Mayfair, a landmark step that signalled his entry into the world of international hospitality

As the founder and chairman of the Mastcraft Group, he built a respected portfolio of hotels and businesses over the years Later, his children, Girish and Reema, joined him in the enterprise and together they continued to expand the group ’ s presence with several prominent hotels and hospitality ventures

Yet Joginder Sanger’s achievements were not limited to business success alone Equally notable was his deep commitment to community life In the early years, particularly in West London, his contributions to Kabaddi, sports initiatives and wider community development activities were widely recognised and appreciated He was a man who believed in bringing people together

He was actively

involved with several important community institutions, including the Shree Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple in Dudley and the Indian Gymkhana Club in Osterley Beyond these, he extended his support to numerous temples and gurdwaras across the UK and India, quietly contributing to religious, cultural and charitable initiatives that strengthened community life

Another important dimension of his life was his close association with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London Over the years, Joginderji became one of the institution’s valued supporters and wellwishers, contributing generously to its cultural and educational initiatives

His wife, Sunitaben, whom I know and deeply respect, also played a significant role in supporting the Bhavan’s activities, way from its beginning, particularly by helping to raise substantial funds during important occasions such as Diwali events when the institution needed community support

Sunitaben herself comes from a distinguished family background with deep roots in community service and leadership Her family’s association with the Arya Samaj in Mombasa goes back many decades Her paternal grandfather, Shiv Chand Bowry, arrived in Kenya around 1900 during the early period of British administration Her father Vishnu Bowry emerged as an important leader within the Hindu and Punjabi community and was actively associated with the Arya Samaj during the early decades of the twentieth century

Sunita Sanger herself belongs to the second generation of the family born in Mombasa, where she was born in 1950 In May 1964, she came to London with her father,

mother, and two siblings to begin a new chapter of life in the UK Like many immigrant families of that time, the early years in London were not easy However, her mother, Sushma Bowry, proved to be a constant source of strength and inspiration She managed the household with dedication while ensuring that the children received a good education and remained firmly connected to their cultural and spiritual values, particularly their faith and involvement in the Arya Samaj In this way, the family’s longstanding values of service faith, and commitment to the community continued from one generation to the next

Personally, I had known Joginder Sanger for many years On several occasions when challenges arose within the community, he would telephone me, arrange meetings and work together with others to find constructive solutions His instinct was always to engage, to contribute and to help strengthen the bonds within the wider IndoBritish community while promoting the relationship between India and the UK

When I learned of his passing, which is now nearly a year ago, I reflected on the reality that people come and go, as life follows its natural course Yet there are some individuals who leave behind memories and contributions that endure far beyond their lifetime

Joginder Sanger was certainly one of those individuals

To respected Sunitaben and to Reema and Girish, I would say that Joginder has left behind a remarkable legacy, a legacy of enterprise, community service and commitment to shared values It would also be fitting to acknowledge Kanika, his daughter-in-law, and his three grandchildren, who together form the next generation of the family They too will carry forward his legacy, continuing the spirit of service, supporting the community and ensuring that our rich Indian culture and heritage remain alive for future generations I have every confidence that the foundations he built will continue to grow and flourish in the years ahead

Balbir Singh receives MBE for services to dance

received an MBE at Windsor C

than tw o d ecades of contributio n to dance and cultural life in the UK

Singh, the artistic direc-

Singh Dance Company, was honoured after being named

Honours list earlier this year

South Asian dance traditions in dialogue with contemporary British culture Born in India and raised in Bradford, he trained at the Northern

Dance and in Kathak under Pratap Pawar before founding the Balbir Singh Dance Company in 1995

His productions, including Reflections of an Indian

Dancer, Love and Spice and The Wise Ones, blend classical Kathak with contemporary movement Beyond performance, Singh has worked on research and community p

University and Guy’s and St T

Trust He has mentored over

Nayak, a digital platform for classical dance training The

company became a National Portfolio Organisation with

Reflecting on the honour, Singh said discovering

out,

didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, ” he said “I thought about the journey, the early days of building the

and communities who have shaped the work This honour feels like

moment to

journey

Chief executive of Arts

Henley, congratulated Singh on the recognition, describing it as “richly deserved” and praising the company ’ s role in connecting communities, bridging cultures and enriching lives through creativity

Event celebrates reflection and wellbeing on International Women’s Day

Mo re than 90 p eople g athered at Global Co operation House on 7 March to mark International Wom en ’ s Day wi th an afternoon focu sed o n r ef lec ti o n , co n nec ti o n and personal wellbeing

T h e e v e n t , h o s t e d b y Kanan Patel, opened with a song and a reflection on the UN theme “Give to Gain”, encouraging participants to recognise the importance of making time to receive in order to give with greater strength and balance

Kalpana Chandran led an interactive session exploring how individuals can cultivate inner wellbeing Participants

r e f l e c t e d o n t h e i r “ i n n e r weather”, shared moments of joy, and took part in exercises designed to identify the v

, respect, calm and honesty

Following a short break,

Sister Jagruti Patel energised the audience with a short session of joyful movement

A panel discussion introduced by MC Toots Beckett featured Raja Yoga practi-

Goodman, BK Pearl Jordan, BK Sharon O’Regan and BK Diya Rewani The speakers emphasised that healthy giving begins with the ability to

A d el eg a ti o n f ro m th e Institu te of Jainology particip a ted i n th e “ Y o u th i n Dialog ue ” conference, hosted b y th e D i c as ter y fo r I nterr eli g io u s Di alo g u e, in Turin from March 6 to 8, 2026

three-day gathering brought together young representatives from Jainism, Judaism, C

i c

, I

l a m a n d Buddhism to promote interfaith understanding and collaboration

The UK Jain delegation i n c l u d e d S h a n d i p S h a h , Hirak Doshi, Veer Sheth and Yash Shah The group highlighted core Jain principles s u c h a s A h i m s a ( n o n - v i olence), Anekantavada (plurality of viewpoints) and compassion, demonstrating their relevance in addressing con-

tices such as setting boundaries, spending intentional time on self-care, connecting with nature and cultivating inner calm

itude and the importance of recognising personal blessings The session concluded with

guided reflection and

leaving participants with

Jain youth represent UK at interfaith conference in Turin

temporary global challenges

Discussions centred on four themes inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s call to youth: care for the environment, peacebuilding, universal fraternity and political responsibility Shah also moderated a session on environmental chall e n g e s , e n c o u r a g i n g s o l utions through interfaith dialogue

Delegates contributed to group discussions, presented findings and engaged in a

“Best Practices” expo, fostering cross-cultural exchange A reflective session on peace included a Jain perspective emphasising inner harmony T h e c o n f e r e n c e a l s o served as a preparatory platform for World Youth Day 2 0 2 7 , e n c o u r a g i n g y o u t h leadership and global solidarity The Jain delegation’s p a r t i c i p a t i o n u n d e r s c o r e d the growing role of young v o i c e s i n i n t e r r e l i g i o u s diplomacy

T R A C I N G T H E C H A N G I N G S P I R I T O F N A V R O Z

Swathi Anil

T h e sa c red fi r es o f Jamshedi Navroz flickered into life marking a celestial mom ent where

Zoroastrian New Year T his " Ne w D ay " re p

nt

a profou nd sp iritual v icto ry of ligh t over winter’s shad -

o w s , a tr ad i ti o n ig ni ted ov er 3, 000 years ago by the legendary King Jam shed of Iran wh o, accord ing to the

S h ah n am e h , as c end ed a bejewelled throne to d efeat

a d em onic w inter

F o r t h e g l o b a l P a r s i c o m m u n i t y , t h e d a y i s

a n c h o r e d b y a r h y t h m i c cycle of renewal It is the holiest festival of the year, f r o m t h e h i s t o r i c A t a s h Behrams of Bombay to the contemporary Zoroastrian Centre in London at the exact moment of the vernal

e q u i n o x t o c e l e b r a t e t h e t r i u m p h o f A s h a ( t r u t h )

t h r o u g h r i t u a l c l e a n s i n g , the fragrance of frankincense, and the setting of the Haft-Sin table

S p e a k i n g w i t h A s i a n

V o i c e , S a r o s h Z a i w a l l a , founder of Zaiwalla & Co and a respected elder in the Z o r o a s t r i a n c o m m u n i t y talks about how Navroz has b e e n g o i n g t h r o u g h changes and how it’s the t h o u g h t w h i c h s h o u l d remain intact rather than t h e c e l e b r a t i o n s M r

Zaiwalla has also represented the President of India

a n d e v e n f a c i l i t a t e d d i alogues for the Dalai Lama, yet he remains deeply conn e c t e d t o t h e s p i r i t u a l heartbeat of his ancestral roots

Evolution of Nav roz traditions across decad es

The ways in which the Z o r o a s t r i a n c o m m u n i t y

o b s e r v e s N a v r o z h a v e u n d e r g o n e a d y n a m i c transformation, particularly as families migrated from t r a d i t i o n a l h u b s l i k e Bombay and Surat to the United Kingdom

S a r o s h Z a i w a l l a , t h e first Indian-born solicitor to open a firm in the City of

London's financial district, notes that while his childh o o d i n I n d i a i n v o l v e d mandatory visits to highgrade fire temples, his children in London now exper i e n c e a d i f f e r e n t a t m osphere

Mr Zaiwalla has witnessed a shift from mandatory ritualism to social celebration Reflecting on his y o u t h i n B o m b a y , h e

Wishing all Asian Voice readers a joyful Navroz filled with renewal, prosperity, and hope. May the new year bring happiness, good health, and success to you and your loved ones. Happy Navroz

recalls, "My mother used to cook all good food, goodies a n d w e u s e d t o a l l p r a y together and go to the Parsi Fire Temple " He notes the shifting landscape for the younger generation: "Now, the spiritual side of it is probably not recognised by

t i o n we celebrate Navroz now as an event, which is like a

m

l y e v e n t " D

s p i t e fewer fire temples in the U K ,

British Indian and Jewish leaders unite for BIJA event

Prominent figu res fro m the British I nd i a n

gathered for a special “Enterprise and C ommu nity ” ev ent hosted by th e Br it i sh I n d i an J e w

A ssociation (BIJA) at leading Cit

Paisner

The evening featured keynote a d

Lord Jitesh Gadhia, who were in

Shivani Sanghi Discussions centred on shared values between the two

cation, aspiration The list goes on "

always evolves and gets better "

Preserving the essence in a mod ern w orld

As technology and global mobility redefine community life, the preservation of the spiritual heart of Navroz, the principles of truth and honesty remains t

"in righteousness lies real happiness "

In his memoir, Honour Bound, he details a career built on these Parsi values

fundamental prayer of the

remain May no table for food remain empty for the

unheard, and every heart

March "

While he acknowledges the challenges of maintaini

n country, he remains optimistic about the future of t h e f a i t h " T h e t r a d i t i o n must remain, but we may not have the same celebration like prayers, religion a n d s p i r i t u a l i t y h a s t o evolve," Mr Zaiwalla states Ultimately, the survival o f J a m s h e d i N a v r o z depends on a commitment to its ethical foundation, "The importance of truth a n d r i g h t e o u s n e s s a n d truth and honesty is one of the most important principle the Parsis are taught " Through these values, the c o m m u n i t y c o n t i n u e s t o make an outsized impact on the global stage

MUSIC FOR A CAUSE

Harrow Arts Centre came alive as 500 guests enjoyed “The Golden Hits of Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar & Rajesh Khanna”, a special Bollywood music concert celebrating timeless classics Organised by Glitz Events, founded by 18-year-old Karishma Raichada, the event also raised awareness and funds for Dementia UK and Ovacome, supporting families affected by dementia and ovarian cancer The evening combined nostalgic music with a meaningful cause, leaving attendees entertained and inspired to give back

family foundations

C

Opening the event, BIJA co-chair Zaki

interfaith engagement He said, "In these difficult times with geopolitical conflict raging around the world and many of us in this room concerned for family and friends in Israel and elsewhere we need more interfaith engagement, not less That is precisely why tonight's event, showcasing the

friendship between the Indian and Jewish communities, is so important BIJA exists as the organisational home for the relationship between our two communities

Our communities may differ in size

300,000 British Jews but we share so much in common: family, community, edu-

Awards were presented to Lord Stuart Polak and Lord Krish Raval in recognition of their contributions to fostering inter-community relations

Black highlighted the importance of solidarity between minority groups, noting that both communities share common values such as hard work and enterprise He also

alliances, particularly at a time when smaller communities can feel isolated

Lord Gadhia echoed similar sentiments, p

between British Indians and British Jews He pointed to the mutual support both communities have offered each other, particularly in tackling prejudice and protecting places of worship He also stressed that cultural and religious identity can coexist harmoniously with a strong sense of Britishness

Accepting his award, Raval spoke about t h e s t r e n g t h o f p e r s o n a l c o n n e c t i o n s between the communities, noting their ability to foster dialogue and maintain friendships even amid differing viewpoints

The event served as a platform to celebrate the enduring partnership between the two communities and reaffirm BIJA’s role in strengthening ties through dialogue, collaboration, and shared purpose

Jain leaders gather for OneJAIN Presidents’ Conference 2026

C o m mu n i t y l e a d e r s f r om a cross the UK g athered at A vanti House School on 8 M a r ch f o r th e N a t i o n a l O n e J A I N Pr e s i d e n t s ’

C on f e r e n ce 2 0 26 , a d a ylon g ev ent focus ed on gove rnan ce, community

Britai

Institute of Jainology and t h e O n e J A I N p a n e l , t h e conference brought togethe r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f J a i n organisations, researchers, p o l i c y m a k e r s , p a r l i a m e nt a r i a n s a n d l a w - e n f o r c e -

m e n t o f f i c i a l s t o d i s c u s s challenges facing the community and opportunities for greater collaboration

S p e a k e r s i n c l u d e d Baroness Shama Shah, Lord Krish Raval, Lord Michael

K a t z , B o b B l a c k m a n M P , M a t t T u r m a i n e M P ,

O p e n i n g t h e c o n f e re n c e , c o m m u n i t y l e a d e r s emphasised the importance of collaboration among Jain institutions and the continued relevance of the teach-

need for strong organisational structures, improved reporting of hate incidents and closer engagement with law enforcement

ings of Mahavira, particularly the values of non-viol e n c e , c o m p a s s i o n a n d respect for different viewpoints

A p r e s e n t a t i o n b y D r Mehool Sanghrajka of the I n s t i t u t e o f J a i n o l o g y r e v i e w e d t h e p a s t y e a r ’ s work to strengthen the visibility of Jain values in public life Initiatives included celebrations of Mahavir Janma

K a l y a n a k a t 1 0 D o w n i n g

K r u p e s h H i r a n i A M a n d A n j a n a P a t e l , M a y o r o f H a r r o w , a l o n g s i d e r e p r es e n t a t i v e s f r o m p o l i c i n g and community organisations

Addressing the conference, Baroness Shah reflected on becoming the first Jain member of the House of Lords, describing it as an o p p

stronger voice in national life

T h

cluded with discussions on the future of Jain identity in B

of engaging younger

that Jain principles continue to contribute positively to wider society

S t r e e t a n d e n g a g e m e n t e v e n t s a t t h e H o u s e o f Commons Sessions during the day addressed governance standards for charities, community safety and the import

The spiritual parallels between Lent and Ramadan

Lent and Ramadan are among the most sacred seasons in Christianity and Islam Though rooted in different religious traditions, both observances invite believers into a period of deep spiritual reflection, self-discipline, prayer, and generosity For millions of Christians and Muslims around the world, these weeks become a time to pause from ordinary routines and renew their relationship with God

At the heart of both Lent and Ramadan lies the practice of fasting Fasting is understood not merely as abstaining from food but as a spiritual discipline that helps believers control bodily desires, cultivate humility, and focus on the divine Through restraint and sacrifice, individuals are reminded of their dependence on God and are encouraged to grow in compassion for those who are less fortunate

Despite this shared purpose, the structure of the two observances differs Ramadan is a sacred lunar month in Islam during which all healthy adult Muslims fast every day from dawn until sunset During daylight hours they abstain from food, drink, and smoking, breaking the fast each evening with the meal known as iftar

Ramadan commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, making it a central religious duty for Muslims

Lent, on the other hand, is a forty-day period observed by many Christians in preparation for Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ Traditionally beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting until Easter Sunday (with Sundays excluded from the count), Lent focuses on repentance, prayer, and reflection on the sacrifice of Jesus

Unlike Ramadan, the form of fasting during Lent varies across Christian traditions

Many Christians abstain from meat on Fridays, skip certain meals, or give up particular luxuries such as sweets, entertainment, or social media as an act of spiritual discipline

Another important dimension shared by both seasons is charity Muslims emphasize zakat (obligatory charity) and sadaqah (voluntary giving) during Ramadan, ensuring that the poor and needy are cared for Similarly, Lent encourages Christians to practice almsgiving and acts of service, reflecting the call to love and care for others

Both periods also emphasize repentance and forgiveness Believers are encouraged to examine their lives, seek forgiveness for their shortcomings, and renew their commitment to living according to their faith Increased prayer, reading of sacred texts, and participation in communal worship become central practices during these weeks

In 2026, the calendars of these two traditions overlapped closely, with both Lent and Ramadan beginning around mid-February This rare alignment created a shared season of devotion for Christians and Muslims worldwide For many communities, it became a powerful reminder that, despite theological differences, both faiths value humility, compassion, generosity, and a sincere search for God

Ultimately, Lent and Ramadan demonstrate how spiritual traditions across the world use similar practices fasting, prayer, repentance, and charity to guide believers toward personal transformation and deeper faith

J

ubel D'Cruz

Washington’s war narrative unravels

When a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, was destroyed on 28 February, killing more than 160 people, many of them children, the reaction from Washington was immediate and uncompromising Donald Trump declared that Iran itself was responsible, insisting Iranian weapons were very inaccurate Evidence was thin, but the accusation was delivered with absolute certainty Within days, however, preliminary analysis by United States officials and independent investigators began pointing in a far more uncomfortable direction Satellite imagery, blast patterns and munition fragments suggested the strike may have been caused by a United States Tomahawk missile, possibly launched using outdated targeting intelligence The contrast between the president’s accusation and the emerging evidence was impossible to ignore The White House rushed to pin blame on Tehran, the Pentagon adopted a more cautious tone and said the incident remained under investigation

Only days earlier Trump had declared the war effectively won, portraying American power as decisive and uncontested Yet within a short time the tone changed The administration began urging allies, including the United Kingdom and Germany, to help secure the vital shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz The narrow waterway carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply, and rising attacks on tankers have slowed commercial traffic and shaken global energy markets

Whether these contradictions reflect the chaos of wartime messaging or something more calculated remains unclear Strategic ambiguity has long been used in international politics, but declaring victory one moment and calling for allied intervention the next sends a different signal It suggests a narrative being rewritten as events unfold, shaped as much by political pressure as by battlefield reality Allies who rely on American leadership need clarity, not competing stories In the tense waters of the Persian Gulf, confusion is not just embarrassing, it is dangerous, because when the message shifts too often the credibility of the messenger begins to erode

Dr Narsin hbhai Patel

Four men injured in Alperton stabbings

T h e M et ro p o li t an P o l i c e

tab be

during a vi olent inci dent o n E aling Ro ad, Alperton, near Wembley

E

g reports of a group disorder

Two victims, aged 19 to 25, were treated at the scene

b e f o r e b e i n g r u s h e d t o major trauma centres, while two others self-presented at a local hospital with similar injuries Thankfully, medical staff confirmed none of the injuries are life-threatening or life-changing

e reviewing CCTV to identify the suspects, who fled the scene The attack coincided with reports of nearby business vandalism, prompting a heightened police prese n c e a n d r e a s s u r a n c e patrols across Wembley and Alperton

T h e m o t i v e r e

appealing for witnesses on Ealing Road between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm A crime scene remains in place as f

Northolt man convicted of serial hotel rapes

A Northolt man has been c o n v i c te d of a s e ri es o f rapes and sexual ass aults after systematically deceivi ng women throug h a chi lli ng Whats App scheme

Gurwinder Singh, 37, of Kingshill Avenue, was f o u n d g u i l t y a t Southwark Crown Court on February 18, following a trial that exposed the extent of his predatory behaviour

caring for an injured sportsman in Paddington on June 21, 2025

o n a woman seeking care work, who believed she was communicating with a female employer to arrange a shift

Upon arrival, Singh met her at the station, posing as a fellow care assistant Once inside a hotel room, he falsely claimed to be the patient before carrying out a pro-

warn that Singh’s offending may be far wider and

appeal for further victims to come forward, particularly from the Indian com-

Southall Singh, arrested in August last year, remains in custody

UK Biobank health records exposed online

identified data can be rei d e n t i f i e d u s i n g b a s i c d e t a i l s s u c h a s b i r t h month, year, and a single surgery date

The leak coincides with the government granting

An investigation found

o U K

Biobank data had mistakenly uploaded datasets to GitHub, exposing millions of hospital diagnoses and dates for over 400,000 volunteers While names were n o t i n c l u d e d , e x p e r t s d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t d e -

U K B i o b a n k e x p a n d e d access to GP records for its 500,000 volunteers on 10 F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 6 , a i m e d a t d o u b l i n g d o c u m e n t e d c a s e s o f c o n d i t i o n s l i k e dementia and arthritis

E

U K B i o

P

o f e

S

Rory Collins stressed that t h e r e i s n o e v i d e n c e o f

tion, though 80 legal takedown notices were issued t o G i t H u

prevent further breaches, Biobank has implemented mandatory security training and is moving all scient i s t s t o a s e c u r e c l o u dbased platform Privacy advocates caut i o n t h a t A I a n

Heathrow welcome campaign portrait sparks backlash

A British businessman has received wid espread support after becom ing the target o f a w av e of racist abuse following h is selection to feature in Heathrow Airport’s “Welcome to the UK” campaign

Syed Usman Shah, 35, a London-born entrepreneur from Forest Gate, was one of thirty-eight people chosen t

portraits went live in late 2025, Shah faced thousands of hateful social media mess a g e s t e l l i n g h i m t o “ g o home,” despite his lifelong British citizenship

In a remarkable act of

grace, he publicly forgave his trolls and invited them to v i s i t h i s B o r o u g h M

stall, Date Sultan, for free

Some online critics accepted

women presenting him with flowers and apologies The controversy also unexpectedly boosted his business as h

v

d o v e r five million hits and hundreds of supportive emails nationwide

W h i l e H e a t h r o w i n itially considered removing the portrait, Shah insisted it remain, recently taking h

e i t Despite the abuse, he says

pride in the UK as a place of opportunity

A decade since Newhaven mother vanished without trace

willing to pay upwards of £5,000 per week to secure

g However, tax experts have warned that this "flight to safety" could trigger significant capital gains tax liabilities for those returning to the UK within five years of their initial departure

As the UAE Ministry of Defence confirms the interception of over 20 drones in a

x o d u s marks a pivotal shift for the a

0 British nationals residing in the Emirates who now face

scape

A Susse x m an has made a heartfel t pl ea for inf orm ation on the tenth annivers ary of his wife’s m yste rious disa ppearanc e Fatima Mohamed-Ali, 52, a devoted mother of three, vanished from their Newhaven home one morning, leaving behind her handbag, mobile phone, and grandchildren she adored Her husband, Mohamed, 66, had left for work at 7:30 am after a routine breakfast, only to return at 1:30 pm to an empty house CCTV showed Fatima walking briskly away from the property wearing a dark coat and traditional headscarf, but no further trace has ever been found Despite a decade of investigation by Sussex Police, there have been no confirmed sightings or financial activity Mohamed, who met Fatima in Tanzania in the 1980s, describes the ir thirty-eight-year marriage as happy and says he has lived in seclusion, waiting for news He had even prepared a Valentine’s gift for her hours before discovering her absence Authorities recently re-examined local woodland and coastal areas near the East Sussex cliffs, but the reason for her disappearance remains unknown As the tenth anniversary passes, the family urges anyone with information, however small, to contact police to bring clarity and closure to their ten years of uncertainty

REACHING FOR THE SKY

A daughter’s 15,000ft tribute to her father lost to mesothelioma cancer

On 4 Ju ly 20 26, Rad hika Gheewala will undertake a

1

Kirtikumar Gheewala, wh

t

m esotheliom a,

ed primarily by asbestos exposure A year after losing her father, their family suffered

a

tragedy when she lost her niece to this cruel disease as well The grief was over-

w

affects around 2,500 people in the UK each year, often

n g impact, the disease remains r e l a t i v e l y u n k n o w n a n d still has no cure

Tiny asbestos fibres are inhaled and become per-

d e s t h e

slowly cause inflammation, s c a r r i n g , a n d i r r e v e r s i b l e

c e l l u l a r d a m a g e

E v e n t u a l l y , t h i s l e a d s t o cancer The disease most commonly affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma) but it can

a l s o d e v e l o p i n t h e abdomen or, more rarely, around the heart

Early symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain, p e r s i s t e n t c o u g h i n g , a n d overwhelming fatigue are

o f t e n v a g u e B e c a u s e o f

t h i s , d i a g n o s i s f r e q u e n t l y comes far too late, when the disease has already progressed

Tragically, there is currently no cure

What makes mesothel i o m a e s p e c i a l l y h e a r t -

breaking is its long latency period Many people diagnosed today were exposed

d e c a d e s a g o a t w o

k , i n schools, or even at home without ever knowing they were at risk

A s b e s t o s w a s w i d e l y used in construction and manufacturing in the UK until it was banned in 1999 Yet it still remains hidden

insulation, floor tiles, and textured coatings such as A r t e x W h e n d i s t u r b e d during renovation or damage, asbestos releases invis-

Those fibres can cost someone their life decades later

Behind every statistic is a family whose world has

been turned upside down Mesothelioma does not just affect the person diag-

families It brings emotional strain, physical suffering

being one of the most devastating cancers, mesothe-

research funding compared

support is desperately needed for patients and families

raise £100,000 for HASAG

Hospice, charities that provide essential support, care, and research for patients

asbestos-related diseases

The skydive is inspired b

“Think high ” Through this tribute, Radhika hopes to raise awareness of mesothelioma and support organisations working tirelessly to help those affected by the disease

Donations and support will help fund vital services f

while contributing to ongoing efforts to improve treatment and awareness

Classical Indian dance celebrated in London

A p r es ti g i o u s c u lt u ral sh owcase at the Nehru

C ent re i n L o nd o n recently captivated au diences w ith a soph isticated exploration of India’s m o st r ev e red cl as si c al d ance traditions

The event, held on March 13, was organised under the auspices of the H

I n d i a i n t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m t o p r o m o t e

and celebrate the diaspo-

and Amrita Bandopadhyay delivered masterful solo performances in the Sattriya,

Harrow family seek life-saving donor match

A family fro m Harrow has launched a desp erate interna

t

nd

m atchi ng

em cell d ono r for a grandfather d iag nosed with a rare and aggr

blo od cancer

Harish Nersian, 72, was

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) earlier this year, and doctors at Northwick Park

H

that a transplant remains his only hope for survival

The search, intensified by an appeal from family m

P

t e r Andre on March 9, faces

DKMS, aims to address the critical

styles, respectively

This curated evening at the historic Mayfair venue brought together prominent members of the diplomatic and arts communities to witness how these ancient move-

adapted within a British context

Distinguished guests in attendance included Rakesh Kumar, Deputy

Bharatnatyam artist Anusha Subramanyan

COMMUNITIES MUST UNITE AGAINST HATE

What began as redevelopment plans for a prominent city site has spiralled into a high-stakes legal and social confrontation

Worshippers from the Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir, currently based within the councilowned New England Complex, took decisive legal action, securing a High Court injunction that brought the proposed sale of the site to an abrupt and dramatic halt

At the same time, Masjid Khadijah mosque has stepped forward with a bold and ambitious proposal of its own, unveiling plans to transform the New England Complex into what it describes as a flagship “Peterborough Unity Centre ”

The vision, positioned as a space for shared community engagement, has added another dimension to an already sensitive situation

Al pesh Patel OBE counters that “Judicial review is not about defending Hinduism or opposing a community centre

It is about ensuring that a public authority does not casually extinguish a longstanding religious facility used by thousands without lawful reasoning, consultation, and equality assessment

“All communities are welcome to the Hindu mandir to prayer It’s not an exclusive faith where only believers are permitted Adding to the irrationality of the sale ”

Now, both the Mandir and Masjid Khadijah have been instructed to prepare for a full hearing, expected to take place in May or June (see p3 for more)

While the future of the New England Complex remains uncertain, hanging in a delicate and highly charged balance, for many observers, the issue transcends bricks and mortar A temple, mosque, or community centre is rarely just a building; it is a living symbol of identity, belonging, and continuity

These spaces serve as anchors for cultural heritage, places of solace, and hubs of support for families and individuals alike

As such, what is unfolding in Peterborough is not simply a dispute over land, but a test of broader societal values: tolerance, coexistence, and mutual respect, principles long held as cornerstones of British life

Voices connected to the proposed purchase have been quick to emphasise that this should not be interpreted as a clash between faiths They argue that the heart of the matter lies in ensuring a lawful, fair, and transparent process in determining the future of a shared community asset At the same time, support for the Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir has surged across the country

Major Hindu organisations, temples, parliamentarians, and influential community leaders have rallied behind efforts to retain the site, turning what was once a local issue into one of national resonance

And yet, beneath this wave of solidarity lies a more uncomfortable truth, one increasingly acknowledged within the community itself

Unity, many now admit, is not the norm but the exception

While concern has been widely voiced by various organisations, meaningful, coordinated action has often fallen short A lack of cohesion continues to present a significant internal challenge, raising difficult questions about collective strength and longterm resilience

At the same time, a series of deeply disturbing incidents elsewhere has only heightened anxiety and underscored the urgency of these concerns

An in creasin g s tring of attack s on the community

Just over the past few days, a string of unsettling events has sent shockwaves through Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities Disturbances, targeted attacks on businesses, and a violent stabbing have fuelled growing fears about safety in areas once celebrated for their diversity and harmony

In parts of Wembley and Harrow, districts known for their thriving Indian businesses and vibrant cultural life, residents have witnessed a troubling escalation of disorder

The sense of unease is palpable, with many describing a community increasingly on edge

As reported last week by Asian Voice, a peaceful Holika

Abuse is not “part of the job”

Krupesh Hirani , Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

From 2022 to 2025, there w ere 295, 000 violence-related incidents tow ards h ealth p rofessio nals across England The latest NHS Staff survey showed that these rep orted incidents have risen stead ily since 20 23, more th an half of wh ich were rep orted as targeting staff becau se of th eir eth nic backg round What’ s more is experts say this increase has rose stead ily in line with anti-immig ration sentiments and the 20 24 summ er riots in last few years

This is absolutely unacceptable With many members of our community being established healthcare professionals, it is vital that we not only raise awareness of this issue but provide tangible support for those that face abuse and discrimination I know from speaking with residents who are healthcare workers that these experiences are all too familiar

Dahan celebration at Harrow Civic Centre was disrupted when a group of young men descended on the gathering, sparking panic among attendees Local MP Bob Blackman condemned the incident in strong terms, calling such behaviour at a religious celebration “completely unacceptable ”

The newsweekly also highlighted that Harman Singh Kapoor, Sikh owner of London’s Indian restaurant Rangrez, faced protests from Muslim groups after refusing to serve halal food He was briefly detained by police following a threatening video, but no action appears to have been taken against those responsible for threatening him

The days that followed have brought further cause for alarm At Traders Wembley, three men from Daman and Diu were reportedly assaulted inside a washroom area by a group of individuals, adding to fears that businesses were being deliberately targeted

Soon after, the well-known Manek Chowk restaurant on Ealing Road became the scene of repeated attacks Witnesses recounted how groups of masked individuals, estimated to number between 15 and 20, stormed the premises, causing extensive damage and allegedly striking a person with a bottle

The violence did not stop there

Panesar Food & Wine on Harrow Road was also targeted, with masked men reportedly destroying produce while filming their actions before fleeing the scene

Perhaps most alarming of all was a late-night stabbing on Ealing Road, in which a Gujarati man was seriously injured and rushed to hospital Police have confirmed that investigations into all of these incidents are ongoing, but for many, the damage, both physical and emotional, has already been done

A c ommun ity on edge yet frayed

Community leaders warn that while the visible destruction is deeply concerning, the psychological toll may be even more profound Business owners now speak openly of fear fear

The Health and Safety Executive define work-related violence as ‘ any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work’ This includes verbal abuse, threats and face to face interactions, online or via the telephone The impact of these incidents on our healthcare workers across London has been profound and lasting Worse yet is that this is often seen as simply ‘part of the job’ when working in the healthcare environment But this cannot continue as the norm

During the pandemic, we all saw firsthand just how important healthcare professionals are to our everyday wellbeing In many ways, they are the backbone of our society But their value is not reflected in the way they are treated Their dedication is far too often met with hostility which can, in some cases, even put them in danger One report I recently heard even described a paramedic being assaulted whilst tending to a patient, and another where a brick thrown through the ambulance window

At a recent Health committee session, we welcomed health professionals from around London to hear accounts of the shocking incidents key workers face on a daily basis Most shocking of all was how frequent and extreme these experiences are

I know that many of you will, at some point, have faced incidents very similar to these At a time when division feels very deep, it is more important than ever to stand together in defence of healthcare professionals Their dedication, compassion and resilience keep our city running Only through creating a culture where this treatment is never tolerated can we protect our vital healthcare workers

of keeping their doors open late, fear for the safety of their staff, and fear that they may be singled out again Residents, too, have voiced concerns that some of the attackers appeared organised, even calculating, often recording their actions before disappearing

In this climate, the UK’s identity as a multicultural society built on coexistence and mutual respect is being tested in real time Voices from across communities are calling for calm, for unity, and for solidarity in the face of rising tension

There have been efforts to respond In Harrow, more than 35 religious leaders from across faith traditions came together for a powerful interfaith roundtable titled “Standing Together Against Hate and Divisiveness,” organised by local police Representatives from churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship stood side by side, delivering a unified and unequivocal message: hate and division have no place here

At the same time, there are growing calls for action from authorities Local MPs, councils, and police forces are being urged to increase patrols, provide clear safety guidance to vulnerable businesses, and ensure that investigations are conducted swiftly and transparently

Some point to existing models of community protection for inspiration Organisations such as the

Community Security Trust have long played a vital role in safeguarding Jewish places of worship and institutions There is now a growing belief that similar frameworks, both within individual communities and across them, are urgently needed to ensure collective safety

Because when a community becomes fragmented, its ability to respond effectively is weakened Engagement with authorities becomes more difficult, advocacy loses its strength, and shared concerns risk going unheard By contrast, a united front, within and across communities, can serve as a powerful force for protection and change

Whether fully recognised yet or not, the underlying message is becoming impossible to ignore When one community feels under threat, the ripple effects extend far beyond its boundaries Stability itself is put at risk

The stark reality is that hatred rarely remains contained What may begin as hostility directed at one group can quickly spread, drawing in others and deepening divisions

In recent years, tensions once largely focused on Muslim communities have extended to Jewish communities, and are now increasingly being felt among Hindu, Sikh, and Jain groups

In the face of this shifting landscape, one truth stands above all others: the first and strongest line of defence is solidarity

“Action on maternity and neonatal care cannot wait”

Expert weighs in as review finds racism and bias worsening outcomes in NHS maternity care

Anusha Singh

M aternity s ervic es ac ross

England are fai ling “too many ” wome n, babi es an d fam ilies , ac cording to a n in terim re port from an i ndependen t review exa mini ng the s tate of c are in the National Health Servi ce (NHS) The i nvesti gation, led by Valerie Amos, has iden ti fied deep- rooted s truc tural prob lems rangi ng from racis m a nd staf fing iss ues to poor ac countabi li ty and crumb li ng in frastructure

Commissioned by the UK government, the review has already received more than 8,000 submissions from patients, families and healthcare professionals The final report is expected to be published in June, with the UK Health

Secretary Wes Streeting pledging that the government will act on its recommendations

The interim findings paint a troubling picture of a system under strain, where problems occur “at every stage” of the maternity journey, from antenatal care to delivery and postnatal support

One of the most concerning findings of the review is the presence of racism and discrimination within maternity and neonatal care According to the report, families from ethnic minority backgrounds frequently encounter stereotypes and bias during treatment

Baroness Amos identified six key areas where problems persist across England’s maternity services: severe capacity pressures, poor relationships within maternity teams, structural inequalities within healthcare systems, lack of compassion and transparency, infrastructure and lack of personnel to deliver safe care

Re storing trust i n ma ternity s ervic es

The crisis has also raised concerns about trust between families and the NHS

Allegations in recent years that some hospitals altered medical records or attempted to cover up errors have damaged public confidence

Speaking to Asian Voice, NHS cons ulta nt obstetri cian and fe ta l medi cin e spec ialis t Lori n Laka sing said such practices could have a devastating impact on trust

“Very,” she said when asked how damaging altered records or cover-ups are to public confidence “Women and families are right to be concerned but they should probe deeper ”

Dr Lakasing argues that the problem is partly driven by financial incentive systems within the NHS Hospitals can receive favourable ratings or funding when they meet certain targets, which may discourage staff from revealing shortcomings in care

“These behaviours are the result of financially driven incentive schemes which reward units for meeting targets and returning favourable compliance data irrespective of patient outcomes,” she said “Revealing deficiencies risks poor ratings and withdrawal of funds ”

The staff ing paradox

Although staffing shortages are frequently cited as a cause of maternity care problems, Dr Lakasing believes the issue is more complex “Numerically, we have more maternity staff than ever before and the birthrate is falling,” she explained “Staff-to-patient ratios are favourable by international comparisons ”

Yet more than 30% of midwifery graduates in the UK are unable to find jobs despite these reported shortages

According to Dr Lakasing, the real issue lies in how staff are deployed Many clinically trained professionals are working in administrative or non-clinical roles, meaning fewer staff are available on the frontline

“The frontline staff-topatient ratio suffers,” she said, adding that tensions can also arise between frontline clinicians and staff working in non-clinical positions with different priorities

The challen ge of politica l reform

Health an d Social C are Se cretary Wes Stre eting addressed the findings stating,

“I will shortly launch and chair a new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a new national action plan, which will draw on Baroness Amos’s interim findings and will be further informed by the recommendations of her final report due in the Spring

“Action on maternity and neonatal care cannot wait, however, which is why this government has recruited over 800 more midwives, is investing over £140 million to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, and is rolling out guidance to tackle the leading causes of maternal death ”

However, Dr Lakasing believes that decades of political reform have also complicated efforts to improve NHS services

“In the UK, healthcare is highly politicised,” she said Successive governments have attempted to demonstrate their commitment to the NHS through reforms aimed at proving value for taxpayers and ensuring safety through regulation

While these goals are reasonable in principle, the cumulative effect has been a system layered with bureaucracy “The result is a bureaucratic mess which absorbs huge amounts of resources, leaving diminished amounts for frontline services,” she said

Short electoral cycles, she added, also discourage longterm reforms Practi cal s teps for i mprovement

Despite the challenges, Dr Lakasing believes meaningful improvements are possible

She suggests several urgent changes that could improve safety in maternity wards, including building strong multidisciplinary teams led by experienced clinicians and offering better pay for clinical work, particularly during unsocial hours

She also calls for more realistic public messaging around pregnancy and childbirth, grounded in NHS outcome data, and for the overhaul of safety strategies that consume resources without improving outcomes

Nine-year-old smashes 5km world running record

A Year 5 pupil, from Stanmore h as set a sensatio nal new world record fo r her age g rou p after completing a 5km run in just 1 9 minutes and 45 se co n d s L il y J anm oh am ed , achieved the rem arkable feat at the Batters ea P arkru n

t London By shaving 31 seconds off her previous personal best, Lily broke the existing British record for a nine-year-old girl and is believed

Accompanied by family friend and pacer Julia Bijl, Lily maintained a blistering pace to secure her position as one of the fastest young athletes in the country

London Mini Marathon, scheduled for 25 April 2026, where Lily hopes to represent the London Borough of Barnet in the Under-12 category Candidates were required to submit their fastest 5km times by 15 March to be considered for the four available spots Her father, Faizal, expressed immense pride in her determination, noting that Lily o n l y t r a i n s t h r e

Records does not officially track this specific age category, Lily’s time of 19:45 significantly surpasses her previous world-leading time of 20:16 set as an eight-year-old in April 2025 With her eyes now set on the prestigious race in April, the young star remains focused on her lifelong ambition of becoming a professional runner

Royal exhibition honours exiled princesses of Punjab

The extraord inary liv es o f three exiled Indian princesses will be celebrated at Kensington Palace this month in a landm ark exhibition revealing their co urageous contribu tio ns to Bri ti sh p o li tic al an d h u m an it ari a n h i s to ry E nt i tle d

‘The L ast P rincesses of P unjab’, the showcase opens o n March 26 and fo c u s es o n th e d au g h t ers o f M ah a raj a h D u le ep S in g h : Catherine Duleep S ing h , Bam ba S u th erl and , an d S o p h i a D u lee p Sing h

Nazi persecution In 1938, after a c h a n c e m e e t i n g i n a d o c t o r ’ s surgery, she sponsored the escape o

months before the outbreak of the S

M

c h a

Bowles, the youngest son of survivor Ursula Hornstein, described the opportunity to share this history as an "honour and a privilege," noting that the pendant symbolis-

es "what kindness and generosity mean "

The exhibition also explores the defiant spirit of the eldest sister, Bamba Sutherland, who considered herself the rightful heir to

Putnam noted that by focusing on

family, the Palace can touch on diverse aspects of global history, from the fall of an empire to the fight for votes Through personal

spoiled 1911 census form, the exhibition brings these three remarkable figures back to the forefront of the capital’s cultural narrative

As the final descendants of the Sikh Empire’s last ruler, who was deposed in 1848, the sisters spent much of their lives in British exile While Sophia is widely recognised f o r h e r m i l i t a n t s u f f r a g e t t e activism as Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, the exhibition highlights the equally profound legacies of Catherine and Bamba, whose stories have remained largely in the s h a d o w s o f t h e i r b e t t e r - k n o w n sibling A central feature of the display is a 19th-century pendant belonging to Catherine Duleep Singh, which serves as a testament to her b r a v e r y d u r i n g t h e H o l o c a u s t Living in Kassel, Germany, with h e r p a r t n e r L i n a S c h ä f e r , Catherine acted as a guarantor for m u l t i p

Subhasini Naicker

A su r g eo n in L o nd o n, P ro fessor Prokar Dasg upta OB E, p erfo rm ed th e U K ’ s f irs t lo ng -d i stanc e ro bo tic surgery on a p atient 1 ,500 m iles aw ay in Gibraltar

The operation was carried out from The London Clinic using a 3D HD, fourarmed robot with just 0 06s e c o n d c o n s o l e d e l a y H e repeated the procedure on 14 March, which was livestreamed to 20,000 urologi-

c a l s u r g e o n s a t t h e

E u r o p e a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f

Urology congress

P r o f e s s o r D a s g u p t a spoke to Asian Voice about the milestone, his inspiration for robotic surgery, and more

1What inspired you to specialise in robotic surgery, and when did you realise its potential to transform the field?

I was inspired by the late John Wickham, the father of minimally invasive surgery, who, along with engineer Brian Davies, performed the first robotic procedure for b e n i g n p r o s t a t e e n l a r g ement in the early 1990s at Guy’s Hospital, London I now have the privilege of performing robotic surgery in the same historic operating room Wickham and I became good friends, and he sent me a signed copy of his

a u t o b i o g r a p h y b e f o r e h i s passing

I n t h e l a t e 1 9 9 0 s , I

r e c e i v e d a s c h o l a r s h i p t o visit Louis Kavoussi at Johns Hopkins and, in 2002, conducted the first randomised controlled trial of robotics

a n d t e l e r o b o t i c s b e t w e e n Guy’s and Hopkins I also v i s i t e d M a n i M e n o n i n Detroit as he began using t h e d a V i n c i s y s t e m Returning to London, my

O T I C S U R G E R Y

team secured a major grant from the Thomas Guy charity, acquiring the first da V i n c i s y s t e m a t G u y ’ s i n 2003 and building a multidisciplinary program

2You recently performed the UK’s first longdistance robotic surgery from London to Gibraltar How significant is this milestone, and how long did the preparation take?

T h i s i s a h i s t o r i c m o m e n t f

n d recognises the partnership between The London Clinic, S t B e r n a

d s H o s p i t a l i n Gibraltar and the patients who have put their faith in us It has taken us a year of planning and determination

then we have successfully removed prostate cancer in two other men, most recently, during a live transmission to the European Association of Urology

3What were the biggest technical or medical challenges in performing a surgery nearly 1,500 miles away?

The main technical challenge was the time lag, as the human brain adapts to a b o u t 1 0 m i l l i s e c

n t m o v e

m e n t l a g w a s r e d u c e d b y enhancing the robot’s computer vision Using the UK-

robot from Microport, the c

Clinic was connected to the

(VPN)

VPN

masking the IP address and

reduced the latency between L

tance It felt like I was in the o p

team in Gibraltar As a back-

was ready to complete the

s

pened We offered patients

L o n d o n f o r t

a d i t i o n a l surgery, but they chose to have it closer to home, saving multiple trips and 2–3

c

weeks in hotels

4In your view, how could remote robotic surgery transform healthcare access for patients in remote or underserved regions?

R e m o t e s u r g e r y c o u l d not only have a humanitarian purpose but also bring equity of access to remote l o c a t i o n s w i t h i n a h e a l t h

s y s t e m T h e p a t i e n t s i n Gibraltar are NHS patients but did not have access to such specialised care until now The hope is that this model can be used in underserved regions in the UK and other countries Operating across borders brings addit i o n a l e t h i c a l , l e g a l a n d social issues which can be o v e r c o m e w i t h t i m e a n d effort Through the Society of Robotic Surgery, an intern

, w e are establishing guidelines with patient safety and trust being at the heart of everything that we do

5What future do you foresee where surgeons routinely operate on patients across different countries using robotics and AI?

I s o l a t e d c a s e s h a v e already happened between E U a n d C h i n a , U S A t o Africa, Indonesia, China and I n d i a a n d i n t h e M i d d

n d u

t

o w latency 5G networks already exist as do new robots which are telesurgery compatible, the transnational cases have b e e n a h a n d f u l t h u s f a r including a FDA approved p r o c e d u r e r e c e n t l y T h e s e programs will evolve with time The most important aspect is to understand the views of the patients and public and ensure that the doctor-patient relationship is never compromised and remains at the heart of it

Surge in antisemitism alarms British University peers

The British gov ern men t ha s pled ged t o inve st £7 million in to t ackling cam pus a nt i-

s e mi t ism a ft e r a sh oc k in g r epor t r ev ealed tha t a fifth of s t u d e n t s w ou ld r e fu se t o h ouse -sha re wit h a Je wish pe rson

Ketan Dattani

Multi-Generational Living: A British South Asian Tradition That Could Help the Planet

For many British Sou th Asian fam ilies, liv ing with grandparents, p arents, and children under one roof is not unusual it’s simply the way life has always been But beyond culture and fam ily ties, there’s another lens wo rth consid ering : th e env iro nm ental im pact of m ulti-generational living

As the UK grapples with climate change, rising energy costs, and a housing shortage, could these traditional households offer a quieter, greener solution?

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 28 6 million households in the UK in 2024, with almost 30% occupied by a single person While solo living is on the rise, many families continue to live across generations, sharing space, energy, and resources a simple step that can significantly reduce the environmental footprint per person

At first glance, a full house may seem resource-intensive But when six people share one home rather than live separately, energy use becomes far more efficient Shared kitchens, appliances, and living areas mean fewer ovens, heaters, and gadgets running at the same time, cutting energy consumption per person

Multi-generational households also ease pressure on housing supply Making full use of existing homes reduces the need for new developments, an energy-heavy process from construction materials to transport This approach aligns with sustainability goals promoted by bodies such as the UK Green Building Council

The benefits go further Bulk cooking reduces food and packaging waste Shared childcare and eldercare cut transport emissions Living close to community networks in c i t i e

reliance, making everyday life greener without extra effort

Of course, there are trade-offs Larger or older homes can consume more total energy, particularly in poorly insulated properties Overcrowding in high-demand urban areas can strain local infrastructure But with mindful energy use, simple home improvements, and sustainable travel choices, multi-generational living can be a surprisingly climate-friendly model

For British South Asians, a practice rooted in tradition may also be quietly contributing to sustainability As the UK debates housing policy and climate action, perhaps the answer lies not only in cutting-edge innovations but also in the enduring practices that communities have long valued

Arrest follows tensions over non-halal policy at London restaurant

A Sikh restaurant owner in west London who said he fac ed death threats and hostile crowds after refusing to s erve halal meat at his establis hment faced arrest over a video he posted

During a House of Lords debate, peers warned that anti-Jewish hatred is being normalised across UK univ e r s i t i e s R e s e a r c h b

(UJS) found that 23 per cent of students have witnessed peers being targeted for their ethnicity, while nearly half

Foreign office issues urgent travel warnings

T h e F o rei g n , C o m m o n w ea lth & D ev e

p m

nt O ff i ce ( FCDO) h as issu ed a " do no t trav el" warning for 25 countries following a drone strike at Dubai International Airp ort that g rou nd ed thousand s of passeng ers

The alert comes after an explosive Shahed-type drone hit a fuel tank near the world’s busiest international hub on March 16, forcing a precautionary suspension of all flight operations While limited flights resumed on March 17, the FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates, with 25 other nations, including Israel, Lebanon, Russia, and Afghanistan remaining on the strict "no-go" list due to escalating regional conflict Over 112,000 Britons in the UAE have registered for emergency updates as authorities warn that travel against official advice invalidates most insurance policies

T

scheme as commercial options reappear, but it urges citizens to shelter in place during active missile alerts

reported seeing the glorificat i o n o f p

p

such as Hamas In response, Equalities Spokesperson Ray Collins announced plans to simplify the higher education complaint system and introduce new staff training by 2027 W h i l e t h e g o v e r n m e n t maintains that students have a right to debate Zionism, it stressed that inciting hatred i s i l l e

follow terrifying incidents, including Jewish students in Birmingham being stalked at their private residences

Government unveils £53m support for heating oil

The B ritish government has l aunched a £53 mill ion emergency support package to assist 1 5 million rural households st rugglin g wit h skyr ock eting heatin g oil pr ices following the outbr eak of conflict bet ween the U S, Isr ael, and Iran

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the funding, targeting low-income families who rely on unregulated oil supplies Unlike gas or electricity, heating oil is not capped by Ofgem, leading to reports of costs trebling for some residents Under the new scheme, England will receive £27 million via local authorities starting 1 April, while Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales will be allocated £17 million, £4 6 million, and £3 8 million respectively through devolved administrations

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband warned that further intervention may follow if crude prices continue to surge

Harman Singh Kapoor, who runs Rangrez on Fulham Row in Hammersmith, endured months of harassment after publicly declaring the restaurant would not serve halal food

Kapoor said his decision was rooted in his Sikh beliefs He claimed the backlash he received included fake online reviews, threats and confrontations outside the restaurant In fact a crowd reportedly gathered outside Rangrezwith social media posts suggesting more than 100 people had surrounded the premises In videos shared online, Kapoor described the situation as worrying for him and his family and said he had taken his Kirpan (holy dagger) to protect themselves

he warned he would defend himself if necessary and made remarks about using violence against anyone who harmed his family

He later claimed he was arrested after the crowd dispersed, stating police detained him for carrying his religious dagger The Metropolitan Police said he was arrested in connection with a threatening video, not his refusal to serve halal meat

In one clip posted on X,

Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary among outstanding winners at this year’s India UK Achievers Honours

Union Ministe r of Sta te for S k il

of India

le ade rs in politics, scien

oured in Lond on

Cla ss of 2026

This recognition celebrates Indian students and alumni from UK institutions making a significant

Achievers Honours represent the highest accolade that can be awarded to an Indian who has studied in the United Kingdom

icy author who has worked with the United Nations across three continents

Dr S huchin Bajaj – founder of the Ujala Cygnus healthcare network operating 26 hospitals across India Niti Paul – executive advi-

The Class of 2026 features 42 individual achievers, with 7 individuals distinguished as Outstanding Achievers across key sectors such as government, business, innovation, culture, and public policy In addition, 14 organisations were recognised under the new categories of ‘Agent of the Year’ and ‘Best Student Society’

T h e h o n o u r e e s w e r e announced during a special r e c e p t i o n a t t h e U K Parliament, followed by the O u t s t a n d i n g A c h i e v e r s p r e s e n t a t i o n a t t h e Achievers gala ceremony in London

These awards were presented as part of a threeday India–UK programme,

w h i c h a l s o i n c l u d e d t h e annual India UK Education

C o n f e r e n c e T h e c o n f e rence brought together policymakers, university leaders, investors, employers, a n d s t u d e n t r e p r e s e n t atives from both countries

O utsta nding A chie ver s 2026

Seven individuals were named winners from the wider outstanding achievers, recognising exceptional global impact

Among t hem wer e: Jaya nt Cha udhar y – Union Minister of State for Skill

D e v e l o p m e n t a n d

E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p a n d ; Education

K ara n Go k ani –Cambridge-educated chef, author and co-founder of t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y acclaimed Hoppers restaurant group Rajesh Talwar – global pol-

National Spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and a Rhodes Scholar, and Oxford alum Dh

National Spokesperson of

Kazhagam (DMK)

New research maps St Andrews’ historical ties to colonialism

G ro u nd b re aki n g re se arc h from the U niv ers ity of S t A nd rews has v isualised the c o lo n ia l c o nne c ti o ns o f

m o r e th a n 9 0 0 s tu d e nts wh o studied at the university d uring the eigh teenth and ni n ete en th c ent u ri es

P u b li sh ed i n H is t or y o f Ed ucation, th e study sheds light on both stud ent liv es and th e broad er entw inement of th e British Empire with hig her ed ucation R e s e a

fied 901 alumni who either came from, or later lived or worked in, British colonies

b

They developed a web-based interactive visualisation to explore chronological, geographical, and career trends

while some graduates emigrated to Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, most pur-

many with no prior connections there

T

and one student of African

Sierra Leone, who earned an MD at St Andrews before 1897 Intriguingly, 40 South

A

for the Lady Literate in Arts degree from 1885 onwards, a pattern not mirrored elsewhere in the colonial world

These colonial links had l

Andrews Alumni contribut-

ed money, art, and scientific specimens, while their presence brought international e

tives to the small Scottish town Follow-up studies are examining how the social and intellectual culture of St Andrews was shaped by students connected to the East India Company and other colonial networks P

, lead author, said, “The visualisation vividly illustrates

was entangled with British

Andrews’ meant in earlier periods and is already stimulating further research into the early twentieth century ”

MPs launch inquiry into record student debt

sor and founder of MohPra Advisory with global leade

financial institutions

Dr Arun P rasad – pioneering robotic surgeon credite d

world’s first robotic mini gastric bypass

A d i ty a T

inclusion advocate recognised for his work advanci n g s

d inclusive leadership Emerging Political Voices

T h e h o n o u

a l s o recognised emerging political voices shaping India’s

including A nish Gaw ande,

Ag ent of the Year Award

Ro ehampton Desi So ciety was named Best S tu dent Society L ord Krish Raval and L o rd U d ay Na

during the awards

S anam A rora, Chair of NISAU and Founder of the

“The India UK Achievers programme was created to

Indians who have studied in the UK The Class of 2026 reflects the scale of

, entrepreneurs and cultural innovators Their journeys show how education continues to power the Living Bridge between India and the UK and produce leaders who are shaping the future of both nations ”

Aditya Tiwari honoured for journalism work In

o et and bro a d c as ter A d i tya Tiwari has been hono u red w i th th e Outstand ing A chiev er (Media & Journalism ) aw ard at the India–U K A c h ie v er s Ho n o ur s , recognising h is contributions to journalism and h

sented v oices across Ind ia and the U K

Speaking after receiving the award at the UK P

the recognition held special significance Growing u

described the moment as a testament to how storytelling can transcend bord

from smaller towns into global conversations

cultural commentary His work frequently explores themes of identity, migration, memory and queer visibility, establishing him as a distinctive voice in contemporary Indian and diasporic literature

T h e T reasu ry s elect c ommittee has launched a parliam entary inquiry into the mo unting student loan crisis after new figures rev ealed that a single grad uate now o wes a reco rd £ 3 14 , 356 i n debt

whether current repayment t e r m s

p r o p o r t i

e r e a s o n

t e f o l l o w i n

s e r i e s o f c r i t i c a l r e p o r t s regarding the financial burden on workers

T h e c r o s s - p a r t y g r o u p will specifically examine the impact of high interest rates and marginal tax burdens, with the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, confirming that any subsequent reforms must be fully costed and funded As o f J a n u a r y , t h e S t u d e n t Loans Company confirmed that ten graduates now hold

debts exceeding £267,000, a f

e s t h e average UK house price of £301,151 This probe comes amid growing concern that m a n y b o r r o w e

implications of their repayment terms

The scale of the crisis is further illustrated by data showing that 5 3 million stud

repayments began, primarily because interest is accruing faster than it can be paid off For the 2 8 million graduates w

debt, an average Plan 2 bor-

begin reducing the principal balance rather than merely servicing the interest Those on Plan 2, which applies to

between 2012 and 2023, face interest rates of RPI plus up to three per cent

Though the repayment threshold is set to rise from £28,470 to £29,385 in April 2026, it will subsequently be frozen until 2030, further

incomes Currently, a gradu-

School readiness crisis forces teachers to parent

Squared

4 hours of instructional time every day, over an hour of which is dedicated solely t o h y g i e n e a n d t o i l e t i n g severely impacting the educ a t i o n a l p r o g r e s s o f t

entire classroom The crisis is particularly acute in the North East and W e s t M i d l a n d s , w h e r e teachers have observed child r e n l a c k i n g t h e c o r e strength to sit at tables or

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, DL

“My father was a distingu ish ed general, and comm anded 350 ,00 0 troops when h e led Central A rm y Bu t my mother com manded ev en more because sh e lo oked after th e welfare of all the sold iers ’ fam ilies

“Her responsibility was to care of the wives and children of those soldiers

When you add it all together, she was effectively responsible for the welfare of nearly a million people And she did it all without pay, simply out of dedication and commitment

“My father taught me a great deal about leadership, but the person who taught me my values is my mother ”

suffered a devastating accident, falling from the balcony of our home in Cape Town She sustained a severe spinal cord injury and doctors believed she would be paralysed for life

“But at 27, she showed extraordinary grit Initially unable to move her arms or legs, she fought through

“If someone asked me

‘What is the greatest moment of your life?’, I would say it was meeting my wonderful wife, Heather She stood by me through ups and downs while I was building my business, a business that I nearly lost three times “ Just before Christmas 2024, my eldest daughter

months of intensive physiotherapy while I stayed by her side in the ICU

Though doctors expected three months of rehabilitation, she walked out after just nine days

“Last week, she ran a 10kilometre race I thank God every day for that miracle and I will never stop being inspired by her ”

Squadron Leader Margaret Welton

"Across the RAF, development opportunities are extensive; from vocational qualifications through to doctoral-level study, thus, from NVQs to PhDs, pathways for learning and advancement are available to those willing to pursue them My career has shown me that when institutions create opportunity and individuals commit to excellence, remarkable journeys become possible "

“I th ink recognising the role of bio log y is essential: preg nancy, perio ds, menopau se and more workplaces are beginning to understand the im portance of supporting w omen th roug h these stages o f life

In terms of wellbeing, organisations are starting to th ink more seriou sly about wh at they can d o to help wom en who are experiencing m enopause

After all, it’s som ething every woman g oes through at some point

“Because of that, there are now more open conversations around the subject When workplaces create spaces for those discussions, it helps colleagues across different generations understand the issue better Being able to talk about these realities openly and thoughtfully in the workplace is a very positive step forward ”

POWERFUL VOICES, SHARED PU

Key takeaways from Women in Conversation 2026

The annual ‘Women In Conversation’ panel discussion, organised by Asian Voice in partnership with the Royal Air Force, was held on 13 March 2026 at the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, House of Lords

The event is hosted each year to coincide with International Women’s Day, providing a platform to celebrate the achievements of women while encouraging dialogue around

“I’ve been mentoring other female entrepreneurs, many of w hom are very different from m e That surprised me, because I had always assumed w e wo uld all be cut from the same mould Clearly, that isn’t the case

For some reason, in my mind, a female entrepreneur looked very much like me but that assumption has quickly changed

“What I’ve realised is that every woman I’ve mentored faces her own unique challenges Many deal with mental health struggles, family pressures, financial concerns and the stresses of

leadership, representation, and opportunities for women across sectors

Bringing together professionals, leaders, and advocates from a range of fields, the panel discussion explored key themes surrounding women’s empowerment, progress in gender equality, and the importance of inclusive leadership in today’s society

Speakers shared their personal experiences and insights, highlighting both the challenges women continue to face and the strides being made toward greater

running a business Through those conversations, I’ve learned a great deal myself ”

“When it comes to shared responsibility and balance, there has to be a genuine balance, w ith responsibilities sh ared betw een both men and wom en

“At times, however, the pendulum can swing too far in the other direction We sometimes see a generation of men who feel that things have shifted so much that they are unsure where they stand Some feel emasculated, or feel unable to express their own concerns about work–life balance because the expectation has shifted heavily onto them to support others in achieving that balance

representation and o

The panel discus meaningful engagem panellists and the au the conversation dur reception on the terr canapés were served

The reception pro ideal opportunity to and build relationshi overlooking the icon House of Lords

“I don’t think we ’ ve quite reached that sweet spot yet where responsibility is truly shared and where both men and women feel equally supported Finding that balance is still a work in progress ”

pportunity sion was followed by ment between the dience Guests continued ring a networking ace, where drinks and d. ovided attendees with an connect, exchange ideas, ps in an informal setting ic surroundings of the

“ Chase im pact, take one

p erson and use your p riv ilege, use the position you are in right now to m ake a difference in th eir life T hat could mean help ing their career, am plifying th eir story, or supporting their family and comm unity

“Impact doesn’t come from doing many things at once Sometimes it comes from doing one meaningful thing well If that action genuinely changes someone ’ s opportunities or outlook, then it matters

Squadron Leader Amir Khan

“Our collaboration with Asian Voice and A BP L has no w entered its fifth year growing from a simp le idea into a h ighly successful and anticipated annual event The Wom en in C onversation initiative has expanded not only in size but also in its influence and popu larity

“The RAF recognises that our greatest strength lies in our people, and this is fundamental to our operational success Women in Conversation provides a valuable platform for open discussion, sharing experiences, exploring challenges, and identifying learning opportunities It also enables our team to bust myths, shift perceptions, and

promote the RAF as a truly diverse, inclusive, and forward looking organisation

“Many thanks to the whole team at Asian Voice and ABPL”

CB Patel, Chairman, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar

In our culture, w e say

“Matru Dev o Bh av a ” the mother is divine Whether a woman is a mother physically or not, wom en are the foundatio n of civ ilisatio n Without women, civilisation w ould not exist and to sustain that civ ilisatio n, conversatio ns like this are essential

I also recognise that the journey is not easy

Whether someone is a CEO or working in any other role, women often begin life with certain disadvantages, sometimes because of society, sometimes because of expectations placed upon

“It’s wonderful that we celebrate women who have achieved remarkable success in business and finance, but it’s equally important that those leaders keep the door open for others coming behind them ”

them They must have the courage to demand what they deserve and to create their own future

Your mission is not yet accomplished Satisfaction is not the destination; it is

something we experience along the journey New challenges will always arise

But this discussion gives me hope hope through innovation, competence and courage

Dear

Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel OBE

Why Your Pension Is Probably Losing You Money

And What TikTok Taught Me About It

I filmed my latest stock market update from TikTok's headquarters last week The irony was not lost on me

Here I was, in the gleaming offices of the world's mostwatched short-form video platform, talking to an audience about long-term wealth building - a subject that, by definition, cannot be compressed into fifteen seconds And yet, that tension is precisely the point

TikTok has 23 million users in the UK The average British adult spends over an hour a day on it Meanwhile, surveys consistently show that fewer than half of UK adults understand how their pension actually works We have found infinite time to watch strangers dance We have found no time to understand the single largest financial asset most of us will ever own

That is not laziness It is a failure of financial literacy -and it costs British savers billions every year

Here is what most people do not know about their pension The default fund your employer puts you in when you join a workplace scheme is almost certainly not optimised for your age, risk appetite, or return expectations It is a one-size-fits-all product designed for admin-

repeatedly show that employees who engage actively with their pension allocation outperform passive default savers by meaningful margins over a working lifetime The difference between a 5% and 7% annual return, compounded over 30 years, is not marginal It is transformational the difference between retiring comfortably and retiring anxiously

Then there is the fee question, which nobody wants to discuss at dinner parties A difference of just 0 5% in annual management charges, maintained over 40 years, can reduce your final pot by 10–15% That is not a rounding error That is a decade of retirement income Yet most people have never once looked at what their pension provider charges them They would check the price of a coffee before buying it They will not check the cost of managing a pot that may be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds

This is why I was at TikTok Not for the aestheticthough their offices are considerably nicer than the average financial adviser's waiting room I was there because if financial education is going to reach the people who need it most, it has to go where they already are Young professionals in their twenties and thirties who are not reading the Financial Times are absolutely on TikTok

If we want them to understand compounding, pension contributions, and the difference between an ISA and a SIPP, we have to explain it in their language, on their platform, in the time they are prepared to give us Financial literacy is not a luxury for the wealthy It is infrastructure for everyone else The wealthy already have advisers The rest of us have TikTok - and I intend to use it

Free pension review: www cam paig nforam illion com

Initiative equips entrepreneurs with start up skills

A group of asp iring entrepreneurs in Leed s has com pleted a sp ecialised training program me d esigned to equip them with the skills and co nfidence to launch sustainable businesses

The ‘Steps to Business’ initiative, organised by Unity Enterprise (UE), the not-for-profit arm of BME housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise, was delivered over two weekends Participants began with an icebreaker session before exploring the key components of a strong business plan The programme also examined the distinction between business aims and objectives, highlighting how multiple objectives contribute to achieving an overall goal

Hosted at Leeds Media Centre in Chapeltown, the course covered topics including the provision of goods and services, the practical value of SWOT analysis, and essential financial planning Sessions on pricing, marketing, budgeting and cash flow concluded the training

Revolut wins UK banking licence

Revolut has received regulatory approval to launch a UK bank after a five-year wait, enabling Europe’s most valuable fintech start-up to compete directly with high-street banks in services such as current accounts and consumer lending

According to Charles Rogers, senior solicitor at Harper James, the approval marks a major milestone for both the company and the wider fintech sector He said the decision shows regulators are willing to support innovation, provided firms meet strict standards on governance, reporting and risk management

Rogers added that Revolut’s journey highlights how gaining full banking status is a lengthy and evidence-driven process, requiring strong compliance systems to keep pace with rapid business growth

board

UK boardrooms become more diverse, but gaps remain

by

Parker Review Com mittee

warns that progress remains

senior management and in the representation of black professionals The 2025 vol-

diversity across companies in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, as well as 50 of the UK’s largest private firms

D

Conducted with the UK

and Trade and sponsored by

ethnic minorities now hold 20 per cent of board posi-

tions in FTSE 100 companies, up from 19 per cent in 2024 A total of 98 FTSE 100 firms now have at least one e t h n i c m i n o r i t y d i r e c t

compared with 47 when the review began tracking data in 2015

Fourteen FTSE 100 companies are currently led by ethn

tives, alongside eight board chairs and nine chief financial officers Meanwhile, 56 firms now have two or more ethnic minority board members

among large private firms has been slower, with only 42 per cent meeting the target so far Despite gains at board

senior management remains

hold around

per cent of

companies and about 10 per cent in both the FTSE 250

Companies have set

tary targets to raise these figures by 2027

Progress in the FTSE 250 has also continued, with 82 per cent of companies now meeting the target of at least one ethnic minority director and minorities holding 16 p e

Luxury brand East India Company enters insolvency

The mod ern incarnation o f the East India Com pany, the h is to r ic E ng li s h tra d i ng enterp ri se th at o nc e co ntrolled v ast p arts of Ind ia with a p rivate army larger than th e British military, has fi le d fo r ba nkr u p tc y i n Eng land

Revived in 2010 as a luxury goods brand, the cont e m p o r a r y v e r s i o n o f t h e company has sought protection under insolvency laws after accumulating significant debts

D e s p i t e t h e p r e s t i g e associated with a high-end retail label, the 21st-century

business bore little resemblance to its powerful predecessor The revived brand s o l d t e a s , c h o c o l a t e s a n d spices, along with nostalgic replicas of historic ships, far removed from the era when the original company maint a i n e d i t s o w n a r m y a n d dominated trade in tea, cotton and spices between Asia, Europe and the Americas I n d i a n b u s i n e s s m a n Sanjiv Mehta acquired the dormant trademark in the 2000s for around £10 mil-

UK’s Fintel announces tie-up with India’s Intellect

In di a n fi n te c h l ea de r Intellect D esign Arena h as annou nced a strategic partne rs h i p wi th UK - li s te d Fintel PLC th rou gh a 50:50 j o i nt v en t u re ai me

UK Wealth Management sector The new UK-based enti-

globally proven enterprisegrade Agentic AI platform

market leadership in adviso-

venture combines Intellect’s A

r y k n o w l e d g e , d i s t r i b u t i o n reach, and ecosystem intelligence

T h e p l a t f o r m l a u n c h e s w i t h U K - a l i g n e d a d v i s o r y capabilities and will expand continually as new Digital Experts are introduced Over time, the system is designed to operate as a full AI layer, supporting advisory relationships from client acquisition to ongoing supervision and

Asda awards staff bonuses despite missing targets

Asda is awarding bonuses to th ousands of empl oyees desp it e parts of t he business m issing key perf ormance t ar gets du ring it s ongoing tur naro und Around 9,500 salaried staff, including head office workers and senior store managers, have been told they will receive a “thankyou ” bonus in their March pay packets In an internal m

ments recognise employees ’ efforts during what he described as a challenging year All salaried staff who j

2025 are expected to qualify

Those who met their objectives will receive the

role, while others will still receive just over

The move follows a turbulent period for the super-

year The latest payments appear aimed at boosting

recovery strategy

The retailer has faced pressure in the competitive UK grocery market, with its share declining in recent months However, recent sales data suggests the rate of decline may be slowing, which executives view as an early sign of stabilisation

engagement Banesh Prabhu, C E O o f I n t e l l e c t A I , described the venture as a s h i f t f r o m l e g

c y a d v i s o r y platforms that merely record activity and manage workflows, toward AI-first infrast r u c t u r e

t s u p e r v i s

s , guides, and enhances execution in real time Embedding intelligence into the operating fabric allows advisers to scale capacity without prop o r t i o n a l c o s t s ,

s proactive compliance, and improves client outcomes

Bentley is set to cut 275 jobs in the UK, citing a “ challenging global market environment” as it navigates the shift to elec tric vehicles

Volkswagen, is preparing to launch its first all-electric model but acknowledges it

affect about 6% of Bentley’s

side vacancies that will not be filled or r e p l a c e d T h e a n n o u n c ement follows a 42% drop in

viewed as symbolic, given that the original company had been dissolved by the British Parliament in 1874

Reflecting on the irony, Mehta remarked in 2020, “A company which once owned India is now owned by an I n d i a n a f e e l i n g o f t h e empire striking back ”

Despite the symbolism a n d l u x u r y b r a n d i n g , t h e business struggled for years before ultimately collapsing under mounting debt

eMACH ai architecture with Fintel’s market insight, the joint venture aims to augment human advisers, building trust, resilience, and prod

o f Agentic AI

£176,000 Bentley to cut hundreds of UK jobs

annual operating profit to £187m in 2025, impacted by US tariffs, weaker sales in C

duces vehicles at its Crewe factory, remains profitable for a seventh consecutive year but is taking “difficult decisions to ensure longterm competitiveness,” said C

Bentayga SUV continuing as the brand’s top-selling

Estée Lauder to fully acquire Forest Essentials

bringing Luxury Ayurveda to a wider audience

Shantanu Narayen to exit as Adobe CEO

remain as board chair

Reflecting on his tenure, N

billions through

products and experiences He emphasised AI as key to the next era of creativity:

A y u r v e d

p r i n c i p l e s w i t h

m o d e r n f o r m u l a t i o n s a n d operating nearly 200 stores nationwide

K u l k a r n i a n d h e r s o n

Samrath Bedi will continue to lead the brand from its

and manufacturing

ELC CEO Stéphane de

acquisition a “ new chapter” in their 18-year partnership,

Kulkarni added the deal will

One of India’s leading

Forest Essentials expects low

presence in the country The

founder-led, culturally rich brands with global potential

India-US trade deal awaits new tariff plan

T he Indi a-US tr ade deal wi ll be signe d once Washington’s new

tar iff fr amew or k is in place, w hile both sides continue to f i ne -tun e oth er e le me n ts of t

g n s must account for the tariff

c

n the US market,” the official added

The February deal had cut India’s reciprocal tariffs f r o m 2 5 % t o 1 8 % a n d

removed 25% penal tariffs

India an edge over rivals like China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh Commerce S e c r e t a r y R

A

a w a l said India remains engaged with the US for a mutually beneficial agreement

The deal stalled after the US Supreme Court struck d o w n c

and purchase commitments

Following the ruling, the U S i m p

y under Section 122, capped at

launched probes into India, the EU, and 14 others over excess manufacturing

A separate Section 301(b) p r o b e w i

v i e w 6 0 countries, including India,

preparing

for the AI era,

board’s focus on selecting the right next CEO Narayen t

support the transition and

Adani raises $500m through private bond

A uni t of the Adani Group raised around $500 mi llion th rough a 15 - yea r pri va

to

managed by Apollo Global Management I nc With a rupee-equivalent cost of about 8 5%, proceeds w i l l r e f i n a n c

dollar debt, reflecting the g

markets

Adani’s shift in financing strategy, as the group, one

seeks funds for ambitious projects amid high public dollar borrowing costs and growing US legal risks It is

and US issues are settled

rupee, and Adani plans to

IEEPA tariffs It could move f o

d

n c e t h e U

finalises a new global tariff framework, covering Indian

forced-labor lapses, with the US expediting it to maintain tariffs until July 24

India starts trade talks with six countries

c ov e ri n g A us t ra l i a, Sr i

L an k a , P er u, C hi l e , t he E urasian Economi c Union (E AEU) , and Israel

T h e I n d i a - A

Lanka ETCA negotiations started in 2015, totaling 14 rounds, the latest in July 2024 India-Peru FTA talks, launched in 2017, have held nine rounds, most recently in November 2025 IndiaC h i l e C E P A n e g o t i a t i o n s began in April 2025, with four rounds completed, the latest in December 2025

with the first round held f

2 6 – 2 8 , 2025, and with Israel, whose first round took place in February 2026 These talks

are part of India’s efforts to strengthen global trade ties and expand market access

with the UK (July 24, 2025) and Oman (December 18, 2025) are under ratification,

w

Z e a l a n d a n d t h e E U a r e complete The India-Korea CEPA, under review since 2016, has held 11 rounds, the latest in Seoul from July 17–19, 2024

It also noted that Terms o f R e f e r e

n

g o t i a t i

, i n c l u d i n g a PTA with the Philippines, FTAs with the Maldives and G C C , a n d a C E P A w i t h Canada

Assam’s GI-tagged Joha rice exports hit UK, Italy

T he A g r ic ul tu r a l a n d P r oc e s s e d Fo od Pr od uc t s E x p or t De v e l op m e n t A ut ho r it y (A PE DA ) f acilitated the first export of 2 5 m e tr i c t on n e s of G Itagged Joha ric e from As sam t o t he UK a nd I ta l y , t h e Com me rce Minis try said Dispatched on March 12 with the Assam government, t h e m o v e h i g h l i g h t s t h e region’s export potential and p r o s p e c t s f o r b o o s t i n g farmers’ incomes APEDA has p r e v i o u s l y s h i p p e d s m a l l e r consignments, including one tonne to Vietnam and two t o n n e s t o M i d d l e E a s t e r n c o u n t r i e s l i k e K u w a i t ,

Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia

T h e c o n s i g n m e n t w a s f l a g

Bora, with officials including A g r i c u l t u r e P r o d u c t i o

Commissioner Aruna Rajoria, A

Virendra Mittal, Director of A

Tejas Networks secures 4G RAN order in South Asia

Tejas Networks has won a purchase order t o s u pp l y 4 G R a d i o A c ce ss N etw o rk (RAN) solution s to a South Asi an mobile operator, the company said The 4G multiband radio products will be deployed across multiple sites, t h o u g h f i n a n c i a l d e t a i l s a n d t h e operator’s

Chaudhary

Guwahati

registered Safe Agritrade Pvt Ltd and processed at Pratik Agro, the initiative aims to b o o s t N o r t h E a s t e r n agricultural exports, promote India’s GI-tagged products, and ensure better returns for farmers

In

Anant Ambani, Executive Director, called the partnership a major step in India’s cleanenergy transition Reliance is building the D h i r u

g y G i g a Complex in Jamnagar with gigafactories for solar modules, batteries, electrolysers, fuel cells, and power electronics The Samsung C&T deal is the first of several long-term offtake agreements to scale Reliance’s green

position

recently launched the TJ1400 UltraFlex

, broadband, transport, and IP capabilities in one compact solution “Our South A

provisioned accounts after four years, as per RBI guidelines and board-approved policies This does not waive borrower liabilities,” the minister said

Borrowers remain liable, and banks continue recovery actions Recovery of written-off loans is ongoing through various available mechanisms

AFRICA

East Africa’s NMG sold to Tanzanian billionaire Rostam Aziz

group by a wealthy, politic ally conn ected busines sman , conce rn s are risi ng over the future of independen t j ournali sm in the region M

Rwanda rely on Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets, such as

Uganda’s Daily Monitor, for trusted news NMG now has a new majority shareholder

Rostam Aziz, announced that his company, Taarifa Ltd, has

stake in NMG, pending regional regulatory approval A for-

mer CCM MP with close ties to politicians, Aziz has faced concerns over potential editorial influence At a Nairobi press conference, he pledged support for “credible and independent journalism” and emphasized the partnership’s commitment to editorial professionalism

Founded in 1959 by Aga Khan to give Africa’s majority population a voice, NMG has long been part of East Africa’s

Akfed sold its stake to focus on other sectors, sparking debate

independence

Churchill Otieno and former editor Bernard Mwinzi say NMG’s ownership change rais-

influence, ending the insulation once provided by Akfed

in brief JAY ISH’HAQ RAJOO FACES POFMA PROSECUTION

Communications and Habari Corporation

Bobi Wine escapes Uganda following Museveni’s win

Bobi Wine, the po p star turned

o p p o si ti o n l ead e r

M u s ev eni ’ s c o nt es ted reelection in January, extend ing his 4 0-year ru le

Wine denounced the results

a s “ a f i c t i o n ” a n d d e s c r i b e d fleeing from a military general above the law

W i n e , 4 4 , a n n o u n c e d h e was leaving Uganda for a brief

p e r i o d , s p e a k i n g w i t h a

U g a n d a n f l a g b e h i n d h i m , though he did not reveal his destination Ahead of the polls,

a u t h o r i t i e s c r a c k e d d o w n o n

o p p o s i t i o n , a c t i v i s t s , a n d j o u r n a l i s

arrests and at least 30 deaths

Museveni, in power since 1986, claimed 72% of the vote, a result d i s m i s s e d b y W i n e , h i s s u p

observers as fraudulent

B o b i W i n e s p

e k s evading security forces, pursued by men loyal to Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba,

home was raided and his wife

B

Kainerugaba shared images of

Edward Sebuufu, who remains imprisoned

helicopters, but Wine credited

sheltering him and vowed to

Amsterdam, called his exile

Museveni junta” and welcomed the Commonwealth’s review of Uganda’s rights record Wine criticised the UK for backing Uganda militarily, though the F

Taliban condemns Kabul hospital strike

A t le ast 400 pe ople we re k illed a nd ne arly 250 injure d whe n an a irstr ik e hit a dr ug re habilita tion h ospit al in Ka bul

The 2,000-bed facility was largely destroyed around 9 pm (3:30 pm GMT) local time, sparking massive fires as rescue teams

s e a r c h e d t h e r u b b l e f o r s u rvivors

S e c u r i t y s o u r c e s s a i d t h e s t r i k e , c o d e

accused Pakistan, which denied hitting the hospital, saying its

s t r i k e s f o c u s e d o n m i l i t a n t infrastructure linked to attacks inside Pakistan Videos showed smoke rising as rescue efforts continued and casualties were still rising

T a l i b a n s p

Zabihullah Mujahid condemned

Ravi Bellamkonda named Ohio State University president

T he Ohio State U niv

appo inted Dr Ravi V Bellam ko nd a as th e institu tion’s 18th president T

president Ted Carter, which was

relationship with a podcast host

B

from his role as executive vice p

university bypassed

leadership stability for its 67,000 students An eminent biomedical engineer and neuroscientist, Dr Bellamkonda has been a pivotal figure at the university since January 2025, spearheading the "Education for Citizenship 2035" strategic plan and major artificial intelligence initiatives

Born in India, Dr Bellamkonda earned his engineering degree from Osmania University before completing a PhD at Brown University and a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT His distinguished academic career includes serving as the Vinik Dean of Engineering at Duke University and provost at Emory University

A s a r e n o w

developed the "Tumor Monorail," a breakthrough device designed to manage aggressive brain tumours As president, he will oversee 15 colleges and 8,800 faculty members, earning a base salary of £1

million ($1 4 million)

A 59-year-old Indian national Jay Ish’haq Rajoo appeared in a Singapore court marking the first criminal prosecution under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) since its 2019 inception Rajoo faces six charges, including three counts of communicating false statements, two counts of defamation and one count of attempting to promote racial ill will The legal action follows a series of TikTok videos posted between 2023 and 2025 In an August 2023 video he allegedly defamed Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong by suggesting nepotism in the appointment of the Attorney-General Further charges involve an August 2025 post where Rajoo falsely claimed the government used resources solely to groom Chinese-race leaders, an act authorities say was intended to stir racial animosity Prosecution began after Rajoo breached a 24-month conditional warning from July 2024 for failing to comply with earlier correction orders on false claims about housing and voting secrecy

NASA SPACECRAFT TO RE-ENTER EARTH

v i o l a t i o n o f humanitarian principles, calling it a “crime against humanity” since most victims were patients at the hospital P

civilians, saying the strikes hit militant infrastructure used for c

Information Minister Attaullah

claims that a hospital was targeted Islamabad said the operation, dubbed Ghazab lil-Haq, aimed to a v o i d c i v

d accused the Taliban of spreading misinformation The strikes targeted militant logistics, drone workshops, and weapons storage linked to groups operating near the border

Nithya Raman emerges as top mayoral contender in LA

Surveying 350 likely voters ahead of the 2 June primary, the

This late entry has reshaped the contest, as the 44-year-old urban planner positions herself to the left of her former ally,

accountability Raman, the first

America (DSA) backing, argues the city is at a breaking point

regarding the cost of living and homelessness

As 49% of Democrats remain uncommitted, her campaign is

coalition to force a November r

qualified for the ballot, the next three months will determine

A Van Allen Probe spacecraft weighing more than 1,300lb (600kg) is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere nearly 14 years after its launch NASA said The US Space Force predicts the spacecraft will re-enter though there is a 24-hour margin of uncertainty Most of the Van Allen Probe A launched in 2012 is expected to burn up during re-entry although some fragments may survive NASA said the risk to people on the ground is very low, estimating a one in 4,200 chance of injury It is not yet clear where the spacecraft will reenter, but NASA and the US Space Force said they are monitoring the situation and will update predictions The mission, originally planned for two years, lasted nearly seven before ending when the spacecraft ran out of fuel From 2012 to 2019, the probes studied the Van Allen belts, rings of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field that shield the planet from harmful cosmic radiation and solar storms

CHINESE NATIONAL HELD OVER 2,000 QUEEN ANTS

A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, has been arrested at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of Kenya Authorities found live ants in his luggage during a security check as he prepared to fly to China Prosecutors said some were stored in test tubes while others were hidden in tissue paper rolls In total 1 948 garden ants were packed in specialised tubes and about 300 more concealed in tissue rolls Officials have sought permission to examine his phone and laptop Kenya Wildlife Service said more arrests are likely as investigators suspect Zhang was the mastermind behind a trafficking network linked to last year s ant-smuggling case

SOUTH KOREA ORDERS

ACTION OVER JEJU AIR CRASH DELAYS

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered strict disciplinary action against officials over delays in recovering victims’ remains from the 2024 Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people An investigation revealed that nine body parts from seven victims were found over a year after the December 2024 Boeing 737-800 crash at Muan International Airport along with hundreds of personal items and aircraft debris left behind Caused by a bird strike the crash led to a belly landing and runway overshoot killing nearly all on board except two flight attendants President Lee expressed regret offered condolences and ordered a probe into the delay while the transport ministry apologised amid criticism from victims families

Indian-origin engineer joins Elon Musk’s xAI

A ma n G o t tu m u k ka la , a

T exas-based software engineer and fou nder of AI codi ng startu p Firebender, h as announced th at h e is jo ini ng Elon Musk’s xAI

F i r e b e n d e r , d e s i g n e d

s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r A n d r o i d developers, helps program-

m e r s w r i t e , m a n a g e , a n d

o r g a n i s e c o d e m o r e e f f iciently, running within popular platforms like Android Studio and JetBrains IDEs

Despite a team of just three, the startup quickly gained

p o p u l a

n d s c a l e d

o millions in revenue

Sharing the update on social media, Aman said he will now focus on building advanced coding AI systems alongside teams connected

to SpaceX He called xAI

frontier computing, top tal-

recursive superintelligence

He added that solving the challenges of advanced AI is “the most important problem in history” and requires

achieve Aman has joined xAI to help build the next generation of AI, focusing on coding tools that assist developers in programming, problem-solving, and automating software development

& M University (2017-2021) after

and Science Before founding Firebender, he worked at Paradigm on tech and

Kleiner Perkins Fellowship,

with Silicon Valley venture capital

Developer Rishi Kapoor charged over £65 million fraud

The pr ominen t Florida re al e st a t e d e v e lo p e r , R is h i

Ka poor, was ar re st ed in Fort

L auder dale, following a fe d-

e ra l ind ict ment unsea le d by

lifestyle, including the purc

Cocoplum

Miami Beach and Coconut

Indians detained for four years for defrauding elderly

T w o Gu j ar ati s , C h i nta n

Parekh, 52, and Meh ul Darji, 42, w ere sentenced to four years in th e U S fo r thei r roles in a $6 6 million gold bar scam targ eting eld erly v ictims, authorities said

The men, living illegally in the US, Parekh overstayi n g h i s v i s a a n d D a r j i deported in 2014, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud They acted as “handlers” for an overseas network, convincing victims

to convert savings into gold bars or coins and handing them to couriers

US prosecutors said the s c a m

and

claim

$9

million for the overseas operators

Parekh and Darji coordinated gold pickups from

Trump ally cites Pakistan links to global terror attacks

Far -right a ct iv ist a nd Trump loyalist La ura Loomer said Pa kistan ’ s

Shehba z Shar if gov ern men

2

proof of Pakistan’s role in t e

i s m S h e c a

e d Pakistan an openly jihadist, pro-Sharia state and stressed strong US ties with India and Israel

A m i d c h a n g i n g U S -

a

t he US Att or ne y ’ s Office for t he S o ut he r n D

Florida

c t o f

The 41-year-old former CEO of Location Ventures is accused of orchestrating a massive £65 million ($85 mill i o n )

During an initial court

judge ordered Kapoor to be held without bail, identifying him as a significant flight risk Prosecutors say Kapoor

about his financial contribu-

which were never built The indictment also alleges he withheld £1 5 million ($2 million) in payroll taxes from employees and falsified bank statements to obtain over £7

wire fraud and money laundering, Kapoor could face up to 30 years in federal prison

Surge in violence against Bangladesh minorities

The Indian government has

o f fi c i al l y re p or te d t ha t a pp ro xi m at e ly 3 , 10 0 i n c idents of violence were per-

p e tr a te d a g ai n s t H i n dus

a n d o th e r m i n or i ti e s i n

B a n g la d es h b e t we e n August 2024 and February

2 02 6

D e l i v e r i n g a w r i t t e n

r e s p o n s e t o t h e R a j y a Sabha, Minister of State for E x t e r n a l A f f a i r s P a b i t r a Margherita confirmed that New Delhi is continuously

m o n i t o r i n g a d i s t u r b i n g pattern of attacks targeting

h o m e s , b u s i n e s s e s , a n d places of worship

This period follows the political upheaval and subsequent ouster of former P r i m e M i n i s t e r S h e i k h Hasina in August 2024 The data, compiled from various h u m a n r i g h t s o r g a n i s ations, highlights a significant escalation in commu-

n a l u n r e s t , w i t h n e a r l y 2,200 cases recorded in the latter half of 2024 alone

I n d i p l o m a t i c e n g a g em e n t s w i t h t h e i n t e r i m a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n D h a k a ,

I n d i a h a s r e p e a t e d l y emphasised that the primar y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r p r otecting all citizens, regardless of faith, rests with the B a n g l a d e s h i a u t h o r i t i e s T h e M i n i s t r y o f E x t e r n a l Affairs has urged thorough investigations into reports of arson and lynchings to

e n s u r e p e r p e t r a t o r s a r e b r o u g h t t o j u s t i c e

M e a n w h i l e , t h e I n d i a n Mission in Dhaka remains

a c c e s s i b l e v i

, Loomer alleged that many global terror attacks, including recent ones in India and t h e U K , t r

works

Laura Loomer, a close Trump ally, cited the convict i o n o f P a k i s t a

Asif Merchant, accused of plotting to kill Trump and other US leaders for Iran, as

helpline to support affected nationals T

Canadian Sikh mother, daughter donate hair to cancer patients

A S

heir hair to canc er patients

poignant tribute to

l oved one

G

Ruhbani, shared their emotional journey through the

c h a r i t a b l e p l a t f o r m CanadaHelps

The donation was timed to coincide with the birthday of Gagandeep’s father, who recently passed away following a battle with cancer For the family, originally from Chandigarh, Punjab, the act carries immense weight; in

the Sikh faith, maintaining uncut hair (Kesh) is a sacred tenet representing devotion and respect for the natural form

The 11-year-old Ruhbani a d m i t t e d t o f e e l i n g o v e rwhelmed during the process, yet she remained determined t o s u p p o r t h e r m o t h e r ’ s vision of helping others face

the disease with dignity By providing their long, natural hair for the creation of high-quality wigs, the pair hope to restore c o n f i d e n c e t o p a t i e n t s undergoing chemothera y Their story has resonated widely within the I n d o - C a n a d i a n c o m m unity, highlighting a modern intersection of ancient religious values and contemporary humanitarian service As they prepare for their next visit to their native Punjab, the Samra family continues to advocate for cancer awareness, proving that personal sacrifice can lead to a powerful legacy of kindness

Pakistan relations, Loomer noted Pakistan’s efforts to c o u r t T r u m p , i n c l u d i n g crypto deals, credit for easing India tensions, a $500 million minerals deal, and a private June 2025 meeting w i t h A r m y c h i e f A s i m Munir

She said she discussed “Islamic terror” with Trump a n d o p p o s e d w e l c o m i n g Islamic leaders to the Oval Office, while acknowledging diplomatic duties Loomer a l s o c r i t i c i s e d M u s l i m U S politicians like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, questioning their loyalty for swearing on the Quran, noting Trump took office without a Bible Laura Loomer

China University adds Punjabi to foreign language courses

(BFSU ) has expanded its linguistic repertoire by integ rating Punjabi into its official foreign lang uag e curriculum, marking a significant step in Sino-Ind ian academic

elations

i brings the prestigious institution’s total language offerings to 102, alongside established programmes in Hindi, Tamil, and Urdu

To lead this initiative, BFSU has appointed Professor Zameerpal Kaur Sandhu Bajwa, the former dean of the School of Language, L i t e r a t u r e a n d C u

University of Punjab Professor Bajwa is tasked with teaching the language, conducting specialised classes on Punjabi history and culture, and training Chinese faculty members to ensure the subject's long-term sustainability within the university

Targeted at Chinese students, diplomats, and officials, the course aims to deepen understanding of South Asia BFSU, China’s top foreign service training institute, added Punjabi to meet rising demand for regional expertise, following efforts to restore flights and normalise India-China ties

Bali observes Nyepi, the day of silence

B a l i, a p r e do m in a n t l y H in d u Is

annual Day of Sile nc e, Nyepi, marking the New Y ear with six days of rituals

For 24 hours, airports closed, the internet was cut, and streets emptied as residents stayed indoors with lights off Starting at 6 in the morning after the March new moon, public spaces, beaches, and hotels remained quiet, with patrols ensuring silence Tourists are required to stay inside, and radio and TV broadcasts are halted, with past violators having been arrested for venturing out during the

sacred day The night before Nyepi features loud “ogoh-ogoh” processions, where giant figures representing evil; once mythological, now also modern, are paraded and burned to symbolise the triumph of good over evil In the l e a d - u p t o t h e N e w Y e a r , s o m e B a l i n e s e Hindus enter trances, pierce themselves with swords, or take part in Lukat Gni, striking each other with burning coconut leaves On the same day, during Melasti, white-clad devotees carry idols to the beach, perform cleansing rituals in the Indian Ocean, and leave offerings, marking symbolic purification

Masked mob raids Indian family’s store

A gang o f nearly two d ozen masked robbers has carried ou t a brazen "mob-s tyle" rai d on a C a l i f o rn i a je we l l er y s to r e , es c a p i ng w i t h approxi mately £1 3 mi lli on ($1 7 mill ion) i n gold and d iamonds

The United States Department of Justice released surveillance footage of the incident at Kumar Jewelers in Fremont, which occurred on June 18, 2025 During the clinical 70-second operation, the suspects used a stolen Honda to ram the storefront before storming inside with hammers and picks While two gunmen held a security guard hostage, the rest of the crew shattered display cases and cleared out nearly

80 per cent of the inventory The store is owned by the Indian-American Verma family, who were present but fortunately unharmed during the chaotic theft Following the raid, the group fled in multiple stolen getaway vehicles, leading police on a high-speed pursuit through residential neighbourhoods Officers eventually apprehended four suspects who were indicted by a federal grand jury These individuals, aged 19 to 20, face charges of robbery affecting interstate commerce and potential 20-year prison sentences Despite these arrests, federal investigators are still searching for the remaining gang members

Dr Divian Patel honoured wit Denobi Award in dentistry

Co -Founder and Chief C linical Officer of Trust AI, Dr Div ian

Na ren d ra P at el rec ei v e

Denobi Award for Ou tstanding Co ntributio ns to th e Field of Dentistry in P ortland

Dr Patel wrote on LinkedIn, “

special was not the award itself,

b

salivary diagnostics and clinical intelligence, it’s clear dentistry is entering

w

He highlighted a discussion

Brett Kessler: “When leadership at that level is watching Trust AI

PracticeOS, it reinforces that

aligned with the future of our profession Bernard D Casse,

Indian nationals face prison in visa scam

T he United States Department

o f J u st ic e ann o un

I n d i an na ti o nal s h a v e be en c h a rg ed w i th c o n

ra cy to com mit v isa fraud following a s o ph i sti cat ed se ries o f s tag ed arm ed robberies

L i v i n g u n l a w f u l l y a c r o s s Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Ohio, the defendants allegedly collaborated with an organiser to orchestrate fake crimes at

n

food restaurants

T h e s e i n c i d e n t s , w h i c h

b e g a n i n M a r c h 2 0 2 3 , w e r e designed to allow participants to falsely claim they were victims of violent crime Such status would enable them to apply for a " U " n o n - i m m i g r a n t v i s a , a specific category providing work authorisation and a path to a Green Card for genuine crime

v i c t i m s w h o a s s i s t l a w enforcement

A c c o r d i n g t o f e d e r a l p r o s e c u t o r s i n B o s t o n , t h e conspirators paid an organiser named Rambhai to arrange the robberies, which were captured on surveillance video to provide f a l s e e v i d e n c e T h e 1 1 i n d

J

d r a k u m a r P a t e l a n d Sangitaben Patel, most of whom a p p e a r e d i n

proceedings While Dipikaben Patel has already been deported to India, others face up to five y e a r s i n p r i s o n a n d f i n e s o f $250,000

This crackdown follows the p r e v i o u s c o n v i c t i o n o f t h e getaway driver and the robber i n v o l v e d i n t

schemes

Sunny Naqvi alleged detention sparks row

T he Dep artment of Homeland

S ec u r i ty ( D H S ) h a s o f f i ci a ll y rejected claims that 28-year-old U S c i t i ze n S u n

S u n n y " Naqvi was detained for over 40 h ou rs after arriving at Ch icago O’ Hare International Airpo rt

While her family and legal representatives allege, she was held across multiple facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin due to a "curious travel history", federal authorities released surveillance footage to dispute this account

F

n entering Customs and Border Protection in the morning and leaving for the public airport a

This award is for

“These are

diagnose, and operate

On current dental systems,

constrained by endless clicking,

migrate but faced resistance Their time is up

He added, “We are taking

in brief ECUADOR DEPLOYS

75,000 FORCES IN ANTIGANG CRACKDOWN

However, her family claims her

detention centre in Broadview

Wisconsin, before her alleged release The incident follows a failed work trip to India, where Naqvi

Federal investigators cited her past legal history for

routine

Dodge County sheriffs report no records of her being held, while DHS maintains she was never taken into custody or sent to an immigration facility

earning his BDS from the Royal London Hospital in

University of the Pacific, where h

architecture, full transparency, no lock-ins Technology should empower teams and patients The momentum is undeniable The time is now ” Dr Divian Narendra Patel

Punjab man dies after forced Russian army recruitment

L udhiana, Samarj it Singh, was c

m onths after leav ing for Russia

technician, trav elled to Russia in July 2025 under the belief he

assistant

However, his family alleges

fraudulently conscripted into the Russian Army and sent to the frontlines of the Ukraine

training

The family lost contact with him in September 2025, shortly after he posted a desperate SOS video on social media alongside other Indian recruits pleading

officials notified the family of his death His remains arrived at

transported to his hometown Standing by the funeral pyre, his

Samarjit Singh

father, Charanjit Singh, issued a stark warning to other parents against the deceptive promises of recruitment agents

T h i s c a s e f o l l o w s a December 2025 report to the Rajya Sabha stating that at least 202 Indians had been recruited into the Russian forces, with 26

External Affairs, many families c

discharge of their relatives from the conflict zone

FBI intensifies hunt for Bhadreshkumar Patel

Patel, increasing

reward for his capture to $1 million Patel, a 35-year-old native of

remained

fugitive on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list since 2017 following the brutal murder of his wife, Palak Patel

The 21-year-old was found beaten and stabbed to death in April 2015 in the back room of

worked together on the night shift Investigators believe the

domestic dispute over Palak's desire to return home to India after the couple’s US visas had expired

allegedly fled to a hotel in New

Ecuador has deployed over 75,000 police and military personnel to four violence-hit provinces and imposed a night-time curfew as part of a new crackdown on criminal gangs, Interior Minister John Reimberg said Since taking office in November 2023, President Daniel Noboa has sought to curb drug-related violence, though the country saw a record murder rate in 2025 Ecuador, wedged between cocaine-producing Colombia and Peru, handles about 70% of their cocaine transit Noboa joined a US-led anti-cartel alliance with the FBI opening its first office to support joint counter-narcotics efforts At the Mar-a-Lago “Shield of the Americas” summit Trump called gangs a cancer” and urged military action while Noboa later posted that mafias could no longer operate with impunity Despite multiple states of emergency Ecuador s murder rate rose over 30% between 2024 and 2025

LARGEST FOOTBALL LESSON EVER HELD IN MEXICO

Thousands of Mexicans gathered at Mexico City’s Zócalo to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest football class, with 9,500 participants, smashing the previous record of 1,038 in Seattle Guinness judge Alfredo Arista confirmed the record while Mayor Clara Brugada said the event showcased Mexico City’s ability to achieve the extraordinary and highlighted football as a universal language of peace The class was part of the broader “Social World Cup” campaign The crowd included families in green white and red jerseys children with black and gold footballs and elderly participants stretching alongside professional coaches, all under a clear morning sky with cathedral bells ringing On stage were members of Mexico s 1971 Women s World Cup-winning team and former male players, including goalkeeper Oscar “El Conejo Perez

CHINA APPROVES FIRST COMMERCIAL BCI

disappearing Despite over 300 tips and extensive interviews,

confirmed sightings in nearly

Special Agent Jimmy Paul said the increased reward reflects the severity of the crime and the bureau’s commitment to justice f

Canada and India, is considered armed and extremely dangerous and may be using

China s drug regulator has approved the world s first brain-computer interface (BCI) system for commercial use Developed by Borui Kang Medical Technology (Shanghai) the device helps patients with quadriplegia from cervical spinal injuries regain handgrasping ability through a specialised glove, aiming to restore movement and communication The device is an invasive BCI system, with electrodes implanted directly into the brain rather than placed on its surface It uses minimally invasive extradural implantation and wireless technology The system is intended for patients aged 18 to 60

80% OF JAPANESE EXPECT ANOTHER MAJOR DISASTER

More than a decade after the devastating 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake the memory of the disaster still looms large in Japan Located along major tectonic fault lines, the country frequently faces earthquakes and has built strong disaster preparedness systems yet past catastrophes continue to shape public perception A Japanese Red Cross survey found over 80% believe a similar disaster could strike again, yet nearly 70% feel unprepared The 2011 9 0-magnitude earthquake in northeastern Japan triggered a deadly tsunami, leaving nearly 20,000 dead or missing, displacing hundreds of thousands and causing the Fukushima nuclear accident UNESCO says it exposed coastal vulnerabilities, prompting global improvements in tsunami warnings and disaster preparedness

LPG prices soar amid Middle East conflict

In South Asia, the US-Israe li war on Iran has cause d major ene rgy disrupt ions In India, cremat or iums hav e stopped using ga s and restauran ts halt ed de ep frying, while citizen s rush t o hoard sca rce LPG cyl in ders despite PM Na rendra Modi ur ging calm

In Pakistan, PM Shehbaz Sharif introduced a four-day workweek to conserve gas, warning prices could spiral if supplies worsen In Bangladesh, universities have closed and exams cancelled, while PM Tarique Rahman has cut office lighting and air conditioning, with similar austerity measures across government offices

India, the world’s second-largest LPG importer, gets 60% of its supply from the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia but faces shortages due to the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz and limited stockpiles

The government has allowed the use of polluting fuels like coal, wood, and kerosene after restaurants warned they could close without gas Manisha Shekatkar, chief engin

switched from gas to electric furnaces to cope with the shortage

In Mumbai, up to half of hotels could shut if supplies don’t improve, with one-fifth a l r e a d y c

Association urged its 500,000 members to shorten hours, avoid long-cooking or deepfried items, and use lids to save energy The gas cylinders are selling on the black market for double their usual Rs1,800 ($19 50) price,

said Vijender Naik, manager at Amrut Sagar

Street vendor Trinath Mahto in New Delhi has seen gas prices more than double in three days, forcing him to reduce tea quantities to cope Imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), used for power, fertilisers, and refineries, has also been disrupted Pakistan relies on Qatar for 90% of its LNG, India over half, and Bangladesh nearly three-quarters, prompting w i d

Petrobangla has cut daily gas supplies, closed universities, and moved Eid holidays forward, with many exams cancelled, said student leader Umama Fatema Sri Lanka faces LPG shortages, with long fuel queues and only a

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake In Pakistan, schools are closed, universities moved online, government offices follow a four-day week, and petrol prices rose 20%

India sends diesel to Bangladesh amid crisis

Ami d i mprovi ng

I ndia has s ent 5,000 ton nes of d

, whic h f aces a fue l shortage due to the Iran war, as part o f t he i

y trade B angladesh ha

requested

pt

supplies

India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline deal, India sup-

90,000 tonnes due in six

5,000-tonne consignment

with hopes to complete the s i x - m

months, said Muhammad

availability, and India has assured no domestic shortages No decision has yet b

energy crisis, Bangladesh has closed universities and imposed strict daily fuel limits after panic buying T h

mine-laying vessels, while Iran threatened to block o

President Donald Trump

Indian LPG tanker Nanda Devi reaches Gujarat Sri Lanka maintains neutrality amid tensions

T h e I nd ian tan ker Nand a D ev i , c ar ryi n g 4 6, 0 0 0 tonnes of LP G, arriv ed in Gujarat, marking th e seco nd L PG shipm ent after Shiv alik d elivered 4 0,0 00 to nnes to M undra Port

The Ministry of Ports, S h i p p i n g a n d W a t e r w a y s and Shipping Corporation

o f I n d i a c o o r d i n a t e d t h e passage, with support from t h e I n d i a n a n d I r a n i a n navies to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokep o i n t d i s r u p t e d b y t h e

Middle East conflict Tehran

Hormuz, a route carrying 2 0 % o f g l o b a l c r u d e a n d LNG I n d i a , t h e w o r l d ’ s

L P G buyer, depends heavily on the Middle East Oil prices have surged 40–50% as Iran targets shipping in retalia-

t i o n f o r U S - I s r a e l i s t r i k e s t h a t k i l l e d A y a t o l l a h A l i Khamenei

The LPG tanker Nanda Devi will offload offshore near Vadinar into MT BW Breeze and MT Jag Pratap, which will deliver the fuel to Tamil Nadu, saving transit time The operation is part o f w i d e r d i p l o m a t i c a n d n a v a l e f f o r t s T w e n t y - t w o Indian-flagged vessels with 611 seafarers remain in the P

from the UAE, is safely en route to India

Rescue t eams in Gal le were b r i n g in g wh i t e b od y b a g s con taining some of t he 84 victims of a US submarine at tack on the Iran ia n warship IRIS Den a, sunk 19 n autical miles off the Sri Lan kan coa st “I was in shock we have lived through so much war, and now another is coming to our shores,” said a 35-yearold resident

The US submarine attack on IRIS Dena, called a “quiet death” by Defence Secretary

Trump calls for coalition to secure Strait of Hormuz

U S P resident Donald T rump s aid th at he has asked around s even co untries to send war-

s hips to h elp keep th e Strait

o f Ho rm uz o p en amid th e c onflict with Iran

H e i n d i c a t e d a g l o b a l

c o a l i t i o n w i l l e s c o r t s h i p s t h r o u g h t h e s t r a i t , w h i c h handles about 20% of global oil exports, but did not name t h e c

rely heavily on Middle East oil

Trump claimed the US has largely defeated Iran, saying its air forces, air defences, missiles, and drones are “dec-

i m a t e d ” a n d T e h r a n c a n mount only “ a little bit of fight back ” He cited strikes on Kharg Island and suggeste d I r a n m a y e v e n t u a l l y b e ready to negotiate

I r a n ’ s F o r e i g n M i n i s t e r

A b b a s A r a g h c h i s a i d s o m e countries requested safe passage for vessels, which Iran’s military controls, and rejected US talks, accusing the US and Israel of initiating the conflict and stating Tehran has no plan to recover urani-

um destroyed last year

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will not be drawn into the wider war, though it is considering sending ships and mine-hunting drones to help reopen shipping lanes and protect global oil supplies He emphasised that the priority is a swift reso l u t i

while supporting households a f f e c t e

costs Starmer also stressed the decision would be guided

interest, and additional gov-

ernment support for energy bills could be considered if prices remain high European countries have refused to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump warning that

future” if allies do not help reopen the vital route Germany ruled out mili-

Pistorius questioning what a few European frigates could

Navy Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani emphasized diplomacy and said EU missions in the Red Sea are not intended for the strait

A u s t r a l i a , F r a n c e , a n d Japan also have no plans to send ships EU foreign minist e r s d

c l i n e d t o

n d Operation Aspides’ mandate to the strait, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noting there is no appetite to change it European leaders, i n c l u d i n g E s t o n i a a n d G r e e c e , s t r e s s e d t h e y n e e d clarity on US and Israeli war aims before taking action

M e a n w h i l e , D o n a l d Trump criticised NATO allies for not supporting the US in its war against Iran, calling t h e a l l i a n c e a “ o n e - w a y

street ” He said the US no longer needs NATO’s help, c l a i m i n g A m e r i c a n f o r c e s h a v e d e c i m a t e d I r a n ’ s a i r force and navy Trump noted on Truth Social that most N A T O c o u n t r i e s d e c l i n e

involvement despite agreeing that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons

Pete Hegseth, is among the first such strikes since World War II Sri Lanka, still recovering from civil war and econ o m i c c r i s e s u n d e r t h e Rajapaksas, now faces diplomatic challenges as a second I r a n

hundreds seeking refuge Its strategic location on a key east-west route makes S

Tehran The conflict threat-

m , a n d exports, with potential tea losses of $15mn per week S r i L a n

r t s ordered the repatriation of 8 4 k i l l e d s a i l o r s T h i r t ytwo survivors of IRIS Dena are hospitalised in Galle, and 200+ crew from IRIS B u s h

have visas President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed the country’s neutrality

Israel claims killing of Soleimani and top official Larijani

Iranian stat e me dia confir me d t hat Gholamreza Soleimani, commande r of the B asij mil it ia , has be en k ille d, hour s aft er Isr ael cl aime d responsib il it y for his death a long with top security official Ali La rija ni Iran’s Tasnim news agency said Soleimani was killed in an “

d Soleimani, head of the IRGC’s internal security, and Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, were targeted Iran has not yet confirmed Larijani’s death If verified, he would be the highest-ranking Iranian official killed since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated on February 28 Iranian state media shared a handwritten note by Ali Larijani, though it was unclear if it proved he was still alive

The note, posted on his social media, commemorated 84 Iranian sailors killed in a US naval attack, whose funeral is set for Tuesday Larijani was last seen publicly at an Al-Quds Day rally in Tehran with President Masoud Pezeshkian

Over 4,300

Indian flights cancelled amid West Asia crisis

Union C ivil A viation M inister Ram Mohan Naid u told th e Lok Sabh a that d ue to the West Asia crisis, Indian carriers hav e cancelled o ver 4 ,33 5 fligh ts, w hile foreig n airlines cancelled up to 1, 187 flig hts

He emphasised safety, noting that flights cannot operate if airspace is closed During this period, nearly 2 2 million Indian nationals have travelled amid the tensions “Our DGCA and Aviation Department are in constant contact with authorities,” he said, noting that travel is only possible once airspace reopens, which remains restricted in many areas The Ministry of Civil Aviation is closely monitoring the situation in West Asia, with airlines making operational adjustments to ensure passenger safety and smooth flight operations

South Africa’s High Commissioner explores bilateral opportunities with Himachal Pradesh

vis ited Himac hal Prades h to

partner ships

Emphasising the need to raise South Africa’s visibility,

deepen relations across India

During the visit, he met

Singh Sukhu, who, recalling his student days supporting South Africa’s anti-apartheid

country later this year with a business delegation

tourism and safaris,

Pradesh

Himachal, a major fruit producer, will host a Fruit SA delegation next month Data

discussed as potential areas for partnership

Starting in Chandigarh, Sooklal addressed a BRICS business forum ahead of the

Alliance visit from March 1925 He also gave a lecture at Himachal Pradesh University a

Institute for Advanced Study, which plans to host South African researchers

Savitri Thakur highlights women-led development at UN CSW-70

Yor k durin g the 70 th Session of the C ommission on

St at us of Women (CSW-70)

and legal reform, and

project in Jordan to

lakh crore) for gender budgeting, up over eight per cent She said the IBSA Fund

h cooperation and reaffirmed I

WforWoman becomes first Indian brand at Paris Fashion Week

WforWom an, part of A ditya Bi rl a Fa s h io n a nd Re tai l

Ltd , has become the first

In d i an w ear bra nd t o sh o w c as e i ts S p ri n gS u m m er ’ 26 co l le ct io n at

P ari s F a sh i o n We

Indian fash

n to a global stage The Paris debut signals WforWoman’s ambition for i n t e r n a t i o n a l e x p a n s

e d m

p

n i s t e r s a n d

e s e n t a t

s f r o m countries like Brazil, South Africa, Gambia, Fiji, Liberia, a n d o f f i c i a l s f r o m t h e

UNDP Thakur highlighted the role of Global South-led multilateral cooperation in p r o m o t i n g w o m e n ’ s e m p o w e r m e n t a n d sustainable development Thakur noted that the I n

women ’ s empowerment and sustainable development O n t h e s i d e l i n e s o f CSW-70, Thakur met South Africa’s Minister Sindisiwe C

I n d i a

c a (IBSA) Fund, established in 2004, has supported over 50 p

greenhouses and a nursery Thakur also underscored India’s domestic efforts in

the 2025–26 Union Budget

B r a z i l - S o u t h A f r i c a

D i a l o g u e F o r u m , a n d multilateral platforms like G20 and BRICS, focusing o n d i g i t a l p u b l i c infrastructure and womenfocused initiatives

Gen Z prioritises experiences and digital convenience

India’s consum er m arket is s e t f o r a sh i f t a s Gen Z

emerg es as a major spending

f o rc e, a R ed s ee r S t rat eg y

C o ns u lta nt s re p o rt s ay s

B o rn be tw ee n 1 9 9 7 an d

20 12, Gen Z will m ake up

2 7% o f th e po pu lati on by 20 30, with nearly $1 3 trillion in consu mption

Prioritising experiences,

Ind ia str ongl y r eje ct ed t he

U S C om mi ss io n o n

In t e r n a t io n a l R e l i g io u s

Fr e e d o m ( US C IR F) r e p or t , ca l l in g i t “ d is t or t e d a n d sele ctive ”

M E A s p o k e s p e r s o n

R a n d h i r J a i s w a l s a i d t h e report relied on questionable

T h e b e a u t y a n d p e r s o n a l care sector is expected to see significant impact, with Gen

Z p r o j e c t e d t o c o n t r i b u t e around $19 billion by 2030

T h e r e p o r t h i g h l i g h t s that half of Gen Z women

s p e n d o v e r 2 0 % o f t h e i r d i s p o s a b l e i n c o m e o n b e a u t y p r o d u c t s , u s i n g separate items for skin, hair,

a e s t h e t i c s , s u s t a i n a b i l i t y , a n d d i g i t a l c o n v e n i e n c e , they value self-expression, authenticity, and inclusivity

and body care Brand loyalty

i s l o w , w i t h c o n s u m e r s willing to try new products that suit their needs Beauty trends are also

b e c o m i n g m o r e g e n d e rn e u t r a l , w i t h g r o w i n g n u m b e r s o f y o u n g m e n adopting skincare routines Online searches for “ men ’ s s k i n c a r e r o u t i n e ” h a v e surged sharply over the past five years

T h e r e p o r t a l s o h i g h l i g h t s r i s i n g i n t e r e s t a m o n g m e n i n g r o o m i n g a n d c o s m e t o l o g y s e r v i c e s , s u c h a s a c n e t r e a t m e n t ,

f i l l e r s , h a i r r e m o v a l , a n d brow styling

In fashion, Gen Z is set to become a major force, e x p e c t e d t o d r i v e a r o u n d h a l f o f I n d i a ’ s a p p a r e l , f o o t w e a r , a n d a c c e s s o r i e s market by 2030

108 Maoists surrender in Bastar, recover arms and cash

In a significant development i n In d i a ’ s an ti -M ao i st c am p ai g n, 1 0 8 M ao i s ts s u rr end ere d i n B as tar , m arking one of the largest m ass s urrend ers in recent years Many belonged to the p

combined bounty of nearly Rs 3 95 crore T h e s

m

s just days before the March 3 1 , 2 0 2 6 d e

i n e s e

b y Home Minister Amit Shah to eliminate Maoists Acting o n t h e i r i n f o r m a t i o n , security forces recovered Rs 3 61 crore in cash, about 1 kg of gold worth Rs 1 64 crore, a n d a m a s s i v e w e a p o n s cache

The haul included 101

f i r e a r m s ; A K - 4 7 s , I N S A S rifles, SLRs, light and 303

r i f l e s , t w e l v e - b o r e g u n s , B G L l a u n c h e r

security forces and revealing

ceremony will present the s

valuables

At Shaurya Bhavan, DGP Arun Dev Gautam said the mass surrender shows the

2,714 Maoists laying down arms since January 1, 2024

Oyam, Ramdhar alias Biru, Mallesh, CYPC Commander Muchaki, and DVCM Kosa Mandavi

s o u r c e s a n d i d e o l o g i c a l narratives rather than facts, u n d e r m i n i n g t h e commission’s credibility

T h e U S C I R F ’ s a n n u a l r e p o r t r e c o m m e n d e d t a r g e t e d s a n c t i o n s a g a i n s t g r o u p s i n c l u d i n g t h e R S S a n d R & A W f o r a l l e g e d religious freedom violations a n d u r g e d t h e U S t o designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern ” The report claimed that religious freedom in India

w o r s e n e d i n 2 0 2 5 , c i t i n g stricter anti-conversion laws in several states, communal c l a s h e s i n M a h a r a s h t r a , Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, and criticism of the Waqf (Amendment) Act It alleged that authorities endorsed harsher penalties, d e t e n t i o n s , i l l e g a l e x p u l s i o n s , a n d t o l e r a t e d v i g i l a n t e a t t a c k s a g a i n s t religious minorities

NIA custody for 7 foreigners over drone warfare plot

S e v e n fo r e ig n n a t i o n a ls , in cluding a n Amer ica n, ar e in N IA custody after a De lhi court gr ant ed the ag ency 11 d ays t o probe a n a lleg ed plot t o t rain e thn ic ar med gr oups in d rone warfar e T h e s i x o t h e r s a r e U k r a i n i a n

e Patiala House Court; the NIA had sought 15 days They will be produced again on March 27

Government plans Green Express Highway from Surat to Kurnool

The

told the Ra jya Sabha He added that DelhiMumbai travel time will

congestion in Kolhapur Gadkari announced a n

G r e e n E x p r e s s H i g h w a y f r o m S u r a t t o Kurnool, passing through Nasik, Ahmednagar, and S h o l a p u r , e v e n t u a l l y

c o n n e c t i n g t o C h e n n a i , B e n g a l u r u , H y d e r a b a d , K a n y a k u m a r i , a n d

C o c h i n H e s a i d t h e

h i g h w a y w i l l c u t t h e Delhi-Chennai distance by 3 2 0 k m , r e d u c e t r a v e l costs, and bring MumbaiDelhi travel time within 12 hours

Gadkari highlighted its i m p o r t a n c e f o r n a t i o n a l connectivity, noting heavy traffic from North India

p a s s e s t h r o u g h S u r a t , A h m e d a b a d , M u m b a i , Pune, and Kolhapur

Kaminskyi Viktor Investigators said at least 14 Ukrainians had entered I

Mizoram, and crossed into M

The American, Matthew V a n D y k e , w a s a r r e s t e d i n K o l k a t a , w h i l e t h r e e Ukrainians were picked up i n L u c k n o w a n d t h r e e i n Delhi They are identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, I v a n S u k m a n o v s k y i , S t e f a n k i v M a r i a n , H o n c h a r u k M a k s i m , a n

The

Polling in five states and union territories set for April, counting May 4

T h e E lecti o n C o m m iss io n

h a s an no u nc ed as s em b ly

e le ct io n d a tes f o r Wes t

Beng al, Tam il Nadu , K erala, A ssam , and P uducherry Polling in Assam, Kerala,

a n d P u d u c h e r r y i s s c h e d -

uled for April 9, Tamil Nadu on April 23, and West Bengal in two phases on April 23

a n d 2 9 C o u n t i n g f o r a l l states will be held on May 4,

w i t h a p p r o

c

expected to cast their ballots (See page 3 for more details)

West Bengal’s 294-seat assembly sees a high-stakes

c

C o n g r e s s ( T M C ) a n d t h e

BJP In Assam, the BJP-led NDA faces Congress across 126 seats Kerala’s 140-seat

race pits the incumbent Left

D e m o c r a t i c F r o n t ( L D F )

with the BJP-led NDA contesting roughly 100 seats

election will be held in a single phase on April 23, while Puducherry’s 30 constituenc i

C

D M K - C P I

AIADMK, BJP, and the All India NR Congress The ECI h a s d e p

C

Observers under constitutional and legal provisions to ensure free and fair elections

A s s a m , K

Puducherry will hold singlep h a s e p

has completed key prepara-

l

electoral rolls, and assessing security, with special focus on West Bengal The Model Code of Conduct is now in effect

The BJP welcomed the schedule, expressing confidence that voters will support development, stability, and good governance Party

Bhandari, highlighted elec-

change in West Bengal, urging citizens to back the BJP

Vinod Tawde urged workers

for the party’s success

BJP offers Deputy CM post to actor Vijay

T h e BJ P h as o f fe red

T amilaga V ettri Kazhagam ( TVK) chief Vijay the post of T am il Nad u Depu ty Chief M inister if the NDA wins

t h e u p c o m i ng A s s em b ly electio n, sources said U nd er

t he p ro po s ed s eat- sh ari ng

d eal, TV K could get arou nd 8 0 seats

Negotiations are in the final stage, with Vijay also eyeing the Chief Minister’s post, a key point in discus-

s i o n s T h e B J P h a s b e e n actively courting the actorpolitician, whose party has q u i c k l y g a i n

since entering politics

A key negotiator in BJP’s outreach to Vijay is reportedly a deputy chief minister f

T

party is keen on the actorpolitician due to his massive Tamil Nadu fan base, believing even a small vote share c o u l d s w a y s e v e r a l c o nstituencies

Sources said BJP leaders feel “ even two per cent votes can change the outcome,” given the state’s history of narrow margins However, some of Vijay’s advisers are c o n c e r n e d t h a t a l i g n i n g

Vijay

with the NDA could affect the credibility of his new party, which was launched as an independent alternative in Tamil Nadu politics

President Murmu serves Akshaya Patra’s 5 billionth meal

P resident Droupadi Mu rmu said fig hting child hunger is k ey to bu i l d i ng a “ Vi k si t Bh arat, ” as well-nou ri shed ch ild ren form the p rod uctive workforce need ed for a U SD 30 trillion econo my by 20 47

S h e s p o k e a t t h e Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, marking 25 years of t h e A k s h a y a P a t r a Foundation and serving its 5 billionth meal

M u r m u s a i d , “ E v e r y meal is an investment in our nation’s human capital, cre-

a t i n g h e a l t h y , e d u c a t e d youth who drive socio-econ o m i c g r o w t h A k s h a y a Patra exemplifies compassion and social innovation, serving school lunches consistently for 25 years ” She noted the impact is evident as past beneficiaries pursue their ambitions

U n i o n E d u c a t i o n M i n i s t e r D h a r m e n d r a

P r a d h a n h i g h l i g h t e d t h a t

Akshaya Patra feeds 2 35 million children daily across 16 states and 25,000 schools,

p a r t n e r i n g w i t h t h e P M

P O S H A N s c h e m e T h e

f o u n d a t i o n b e g a n i n B e n g

Dasoha, reaching 1 billion meals in 12 years and 4 billion by 2024 at the UN

President Droupadi Murmu offers food to a girl during an event to commemorate five billion meals of the Akshaya Patra Foundation

Co-founder Chanchalapathi Dasa said, “Serving 5 billion meals in 25 years is a proud milestone Our partnership w

access nutrition and educa-

Sasikala launches AIPTMMK ahead of Tamil Nadu polls

Th e form er aid e to th e late Tamil Nadu C hief Minister J J ayalal ith aa, V

new political

arty, the All I

Kazhag am (AIPT MMK )

T h e n n a t h o p p u ( c o c o n u t grove), at her residence in Poes Garden, Chennai, she described the emblem as a representation of unity and a joint family structure

A l t h o u g h l e g a l l y d i sq u a l i f i e d

elections herself until 2027 following a 2017 corruption conviction, the 71-year-old leader confirmed that her outfit will field candidates

across all constituencies in b

Puducherry for the upcomi

elections

The launch follows the unveiling of the party flag on February 24, which features black, white, and red stripes with the portraits of D r a v

Jayalalithaa Sasikala stated that the AIPTMMK was registered by a loyal supporter,

Ramachandran

W

party as

tion, building a developed India We also urge the gove

Programme alongside midday meals ”

dev

tal pr oje cts wort h R s 4,570 cror e (£3 70 billion) in Kokr ajha r, Assam

Performing the inauguration virtually from Guwahati due to heavy rain, the Prime M i n i s t e r i n t r

C

E x p r e s s ,

Guwahati–New Jalpaiguri Express, and the Narangi–Agartala Express to the regional rail network

The new train services enhance connectivity between the North-East, Southern India, West Bengal, and Tripura, easing trave l

direct alternative to the ruling DMK, she also indicated a willingness to form strategic alliances with like-minded parties to consolidate the "Amma loyalist" vote bank This

and new formations ahead of the polls

Swami Bhadreshdasji wins 2025 Sahitya Akademi Puraskar

T he G o ve r n m e n t of I n di a h a s a n n o u n c e d t h e 20 2 5 Sah

Brahma ghoshah

The work, selected as a premier Sanskrit creation, offers a detailed exposition of Parabrahman, drawing on the Upanishads, Bhagavad G

Mahamahopadhyaya Swami Bhadreshdasji

Swaminarayan’s discourses in the Vachanamrut Scholars praise the text

as a philosophical treatise in verse, notable for its unique aphoristic style Recognised

and philosophical depth, a committee selected it as the top Sanskrit work of 2025 Authored in 2018 under H

form, inspiring admiration among scholars and literature enthusiasts

Maharashtra passes controversial anti-conversion law

M a h ara sh tra ’ s as s em b ly p a ss ed th e F re ed o m o f Religion Bill 20 26, making it the 13th Indian state with an anti-conv ersion law The bill w i ll b ec o m e la w o nc e approved by th e Legislative C ouncil and sig ned by the go vernor

The BJP-led government said the law targets conversions by force, fraud, coercion, inducement, or misrepresentation, with penalties including seven years ’ jail and a Rs 100,000 fine for u n l a w f u l c o n v

i n c r e a s i n g f o r m i n o r s , women, or Dalits, and up to 10 years ’ imprisonment for repeat offenders

C h r i s t i a n l e a d e r s a n d opposition parties criticised

a p

u

e p r o v i d

a direct link to Telangana, while the others strengthen inter-state ties in eastern and north-eastern India, as part of a broader plan to develop the Bodoland Territorial Region A

P

Minister laid the foundation for the 900 km Assam Mala 3 0 road project and a POH Workshop at Bashbari Ahead of mid-April elections, these initiatives, including flyovers and bridges, aim to reduce traffic and improve access, with additional Silchar projects bringing total investment to over Rs 23,000 crore (£18 65 billion)

the law, warning it could be misused to harass Muslims, C h

couples John Dayal of the A l

said there was no evidence of a rise in forced conversions to justify such strict measures

John Dayal said the bill f a v o r

and reflects political bias

Dolphy Dsouza termed the bill “dra-

K Dr Jayendr Kotak ota

With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Dr Jayendra Kotak, who peacefully passed away beside his family on 12 March 2026 a 83 His funeral service will be held on 20 March

CB Patel and the entire ABPL family pay homage to the noble soul. May his soul rest in peace and may God grant strength to his

e at the age of at Mortlake e noble soul. and s family 83. 2026 from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM Crematorium, Richmond TW9 4EN.

Court approves passive euthanasia for long-term coma patient Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu wins Jnanpith award

T h e S u p r em e C o u rt o f

Ind ia de liv ered a h i sto ric verdict, perm itting p assive

eu th anas ia for 3 1 -year-o ld

Ha ri sh Ran a, w h o h as

rem a i ned i n a v e g et ati v e state for tw elve years

Following a tragic fall from a fourth-floor balcony

i n 2 0 1 3 a t h i s P u n j a b University accommodation,

t h e G h a z i a b a d

e s i d e n t suffered irreversible brain damage

After a decade of futile

petitioned the judiciary to

a

withdrawing life-sustaining nutrition and hydration

Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan ruled

t h a t A I I M S D e l h i m u s t e x e c

structured withdrawal plan

t o m i n i m i s e p a i n , a s medical boards confirmed a

family

This decision reinforces

regarding the "right to die with dignity " By allowing nature to take its course, the court has prioritised the

Th e 60 th Jnanpith Aw ard, I nd i a ’ s h i g h e s t li te rar y honour, w as conferred up on th e d is ti

and l yr ic i s t R Vairamuthu

T h i s p r e s t i g i o u s r e c o g n i t i o n , p r e s e n t e d annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, acknowledges his f i v e - d e c a d e c a r e e r a n d p r o l i f i c c o n t r i

Tamil literature

literary career in 1972 with Vaigarai Megangal and has

neurological improvement

The court's December 2025

mere medical prolongation

Indian medico-legal ethics

patients

CBI nabs suspect in major cryptocurrency scam

T h e Ce n t r a l B ur e a u of Inve st iga tion (CBI) has made i t s fi r st a r r e s t i n wh a t i s suspected t o b e one of India’s b ig g e st c r y pt ocu r r e n cy frauds, al lege dly invol ving Rs 20,000 crore (£1 62 b il lion) in B it coin

A y u s h V a r s h n e y , c ofounder of Darwin Labs, was arrested at the airport while a l l e g e d l y t r y i n g t o f l e e t o

C o l o m b o , S r i L a n k a

O f f i c i a l s s a i d h e w a s detained based on a Look Out Circular issued against him

G a i n B i t c o i n s c h e m e l a u n c h e d i n 2 0 1 5 b y A m i t Bhardwaj and Ajay Bhardwaj, w h i c h p r o m i s e d 1 0 % m o n t h l y r e t u r n s t h r o u g h Bitcoin mining and ran on a m u l t i - l e v e l m a r k e t i n g m o d e l P a y o u t s i n i t i a l l y c a m e i n B i t c o i n b u t l a t e r

s h i f t e d t o a l e s s e r - v a l u e d

c r y p t o c u r r e n c y , M C A P , c a u s i n g m a j o r l o s s e s a n d turning the scheme into a Ponzi operation

D u r i n g t h e p r o b e , t h e C B I s e a r c h e d o v e r 6 0 locations nationwide, and in

I n v e s t i g a t o r s s a i d t h e c a s e i s l i n k e d t o t h e

December 2023, the Supreme C o u r t h a n d e d a l l r e l a t e d c a s e s t o t h e a g e n c y T h e

Enforcement Directorate is a l s o i n v e s t i g a t i n g u n d e r m o n e y - l a u n d e r i n g l a w s , attaching properties in India

a n d a b r o a d , i n c l u d i n g s i x

Dubai offices

The main accused, Ajay

B h a r d w a j a n d M a h e n d r a

B h a r d w a j , r e m a i n absconding The case could

b e o n

around 29,000 Bitcoins and thousands of investors, with more arrests expected

Pothole jolt revives declared brain-dead woman

T he sudd en physical imp act o f an am bulance striking a

p o t h o le l ed t o th e m ir ac u lo u s re v i v al o f 5 0y ea r- o ld V i n eet a S h u k la, w h o h ad b ee n c li ni c al ly d ec lar ed b ra in - d ead ju s t d ays earlier

This extraordinary event

f o l l o w e d t h e j u d i c i a l a s s i s t a n t ’ s c o l l a p s e a t h e r Pilibhit home on February 22, after which specialists in Bareilly recorded a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3 and an

a b s e n c e o f b r a i n s t e m reflexes Believing she had passed away, her husband,

Kuldeep Kumar Shukla, was transporting her body home for funeral rites along the B a r e i l l y – H a r i d w a r N H - 7 4 when the vehicle hit a severe

d e p r e s s i o n o n V I P R o a d T h i s j o l t t r i g g e r e d a n i m m e d i a t e p h y s i o l o g i c a l r e s p o n s e , s t a r t l i n g h e r family as she began to show signs of life

Emergency treatment at a P i l i b h i t f a c i l i t y l a t e r u n c o v e r e d s i g n i f i c a n t

bloodstream, which medical

Director of the state government’s Finance Development Corporation

A c t i n g o n a

i p

o f f , p

a i d e d a farmhouse in Awalipura village, about 50 km from the district headquarters, detaining 18 people for alleged gambling while six others escaped Officers seized 30 mobile phones, playing cards and Rs 13 68 lakh in cash from the premises

o l o g i c a l s h u t d o w n mimicking death Following a fortnight in intensive care,

S h u k l a h a s r e m a r k a b l y regained her ability to speak and walk While Dr Rakesh Singh confirmed the initial Bareilly diagnosis followed

s t a n d a r d p r o t o c o l s , t h e presence of these toxins has raised questions regarding t h e c o m p l e x i t y o f s u c h declarations The patient is n o w r e c o v e r i n g a t h o m e , marking a rare instance of s u r v i v a l a g a i n s t o v e r w h e l m i n g m e d i c a l odds

A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Gambling

Chaudhary and others fled during the raid

F

Vandana Vaidya told police that unknown individuals had illegally entered her family’s farmhouse and suspected theft, requesting a

(Rural) Yangchen Dolkar Bhutia said the complaint will be investigated and confirmed that the Manpur station house officer, a subinspector and an assistant sub-inspector have been suspended in connection with the case

The 72-year-old author, born in 1953, is the third Tamil writer to receive the accolade, following Akilan in 1975 and Jayakanthan in 2002 Notably, Vairamuthu is the first Tamil laureate to be honoured specifically for h

recipients were recognised for their prose The award includes a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a citation, and a bronze replica of Vagdevi

V a i r a m u t h u b e g

Sonam Wangchuk released from NSA detention

T h e U n i o n G ov e r n m e n t has revok ed the detenti on of clim ate activis t Sonam

W an gc h u k u n d e r t h e

N a t i o n a l S e c ur i t y A c t ( NSA), le ading to his releas e from J odhpur Central J ail W a n g c h u k , 5 9 , h a d been in preventive custody for 170 days following his arrest on September 26

His detention occurred t w o d a y s a f t e r v i o l e n t protests in Leh, which were d r i v e n b y d e m a n d s f o r

L a d a k h ’ s s t a t e h o o d a n d i n c l u s i o n i n t h e

C o n s t i t u t i o n ’ s S i x t h

S c h e d u l e T h o s e c l a s h e s tragically resulted in four d e a t h s a n d d o z e n s o f i n j u r i e s , w i t h a u t h o r i t i e s

i n i t i a l l y l a b e l l i n g t h e

Magsaysay Award winner a "chief provocateur " The Ministry of Home A f f a i r s s t a t e d t h a t t h e revocation, exercised under Section 14 of the NSA, aims to foster an environment of " p e a c e , s t a b i l i t y , a n d mutual trust" to facilitate meaningful dialogue This d e c i s i o n c a m e j u s t d a y s b e f o r e a s c h e d u l e d Supreme Court hearing on 17 March, where his wife, G i t a n j a l i A n g m o , w a s challenging the legality of his incarceration While the government maintains that prolonged strikes have hampered the region's economy, the Leh Apex Body has hailed the r e l e a s e a s a " v i c t o r y f o r L a d a k h " A l t h o u g

Indian Navy officer arrested for alleged ISI espionage

T h e U tt ar P rad es h A n tiT e rro ri s m S qu ad ( A T S ) ar res te d a 2 4 - yea r- o ld I nd i a n Na v y L a nc e N ai k, A darsh Kum ar, on ch arges o f s p y in g fo r P a ki s tan ’ s I nt er- S er v i ce s I nte ll ig enc e (ISI)

K u m a r , k n o w n a s "Lucky", was apprehended i n h i s n a t i v e v i l l a g e o f C h i t p u r , A g r a , j u s t t h r e e days after returning from a honeymoon in Dubai

S t a t i o n e d a t t h e Southern Naval Command in Kochi, Kerala, the sevenyear naval veteran allegedly s h a r e d p h o t o g r a p h s a n d d e t a i l s o f s t r a t e g i c a l l y sensitive warships and naval

i n s t a l l a t i o n s I n v e s t i g a t o r s believe Kumar was honey-

t r a p p e d t h r o u g h s o c i a l media profiles nearly three years ago, leading him to transmit classified data in

e x c h a n g e f o r f i n a n c i a l inducements

Authorities initiated the arrest following months of

e l e c t r o n i c a n d p h y s i c a l surveillance that confirmed

K u m a r ’ s o n g o i n g

c o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h a

P a k i s t a n - b a s e

m i n a t

h i s s e i z e d d i g i t a l d e v i c e s r e v e a l e d e v i d e n c e o f f i n a n c i a l t r a n s a c t i o n s a n d the leakage of critical naval

a s s e t s F o l l o w i n g h i s

Wangchuk has stepped out of prison, he has affirmed that his commitment to the c

unchanged

p r o d u c t

n c o u r t o n March 11, he was remanded to judicial custody Security a g e n c i e s a r e n o w scrutinising his recent travel history and communication records to determine the full extent of the security breach a n d w h e

Census to include transgender heads

Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha that the sex of the head of household will now be recorded as male, female, or transgender during the initial phase of the exercise

coverage The two-phase process will begin with house listing from April 2026, followed by the final population enumeration in early 2027, marking a significant shift towards inclusive demographic reporting T

trained enumerators

This

PM Modi inaugurates infrastructure projects in West Bengal

B engal by unveil in g connec-

Addressing a major gathering in Kolkata, the Prime

laid the foundation stones

Key to this development i

h t hours of journey time The corridor will pass through s

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

major national highways to i

entire region

upgrades, the Prime Minister

Express, offering direct rail connectivity to the national capital for the first time He

ernised stations under the

including Haldia and Siuri,

state elections, these projects

enhance local services, and revive West Bengal’s industrial prominence

Supreme Court warns menstrual leave could harm careers

T he Sup reme C ourt of India

d ec li ne d t o en ter tai n a

P u b li c I nte res t L it ig ati o n ( PIL) seeking a nationw ide m andato ry m enstrual leave p olicy

A b e n c h l e d b y C h i e f

J u s t i c e S u r y a K a n t a n d Justice Joymalya Bagchi cau-

t i o n e d t h a t s u c h a l e g a l requirement might unintentionally harm women ’ s professional prospects by dis-

couraging employers from hiring them

The court acknowledged menstrual health as a legitimate concern but cautioned that mandatory paid leave could create “psychological barriers” in the job market and reinforce gender stereotypes It dismissed a petition

b y a d v o c a t e S h a i l e n d r a Mani Tripathi but asked the W o m e n a n d C h i l d

consult stakeholders While praising voluntary schemes in Karnataka, Odisha, and Kerala, the bench noted they are not statutory Karnataka

court stressed a policy-drive

workforce participation

Bhavnagar Co-op bank halts operation after cyber attack

C ybercrimin als siphon ed off

n ea rly R s 7 cr ore (£0 6 million) from four bra nches of Bhav nag ar District Co-opera tive Ban k by ga ining access

t o it s s o ft w a r e sy st e m

t h ro ug h a mo bi le a p plicat ion The fr audulent tra nsfe rs, lin ke d to a ccount s in

T a l a j a , Bh a r a t n a g a r , S u bh a s h n a g

n d S i d sa r bra nches, w ere carr ied out on Sund ay when the ba nk wa s close d

O f f i c i a l s s a i d f o u r mobile phones were used in

the operation, and a probe is

Centre in Gandhinagar The fraud was detected during i n

g , prompting the bank to halt operations across all branches to prevent further losses

tions were immediately suspended after the breach He said the bank will replace its

software with a more secure

Wednesday

CID cyber officials said a complaint will be registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act Police are

involved, while also probing

Further details are awaited after technical analysis

NDA wins 21 seats in Rajya Sabha

The NDA won 21 of the 37 Rajya Sa bha seats, b oosting

t he B JP ’ s s t r e n g t h i n t h e

U pp e r H ou se , w hi l e t h e IND IA b loc secur ed 13 and the B JD one Counting for t wo s e a t s in H a r y a n a remains sta lle d

Of these, 26 candidates

w e r e e l e c t e d u n o p p o s e d , including seven from the BJP a n d s e v e r a l a l l i e s T h e C o n g r e s s w o n f i v e u n o pposed seats, followed by the T r i n a m o o l C o n g r e s s w i t h four, DMK with three, and NCP(SP) with one

Among the 11 contested seats across Haryana, Bihar and Odisha, the BJP won two

i n O d i s h a a l o n g w i t h a n Independent it backed, while the BJD retained one In Bihar, the NDA won

four seats, while the INDIA b l o c l o s t t h e f i f t h d e s p i t e s u p p o r t f r o m A I M I M a n d BSP due to cross-voting by s o m e C o n g r e s s a n d R J D MLAs Rajya Sabha elections follow a proportional representation system with a single transferable vote

T e j a s h w i Y a d a v c o nf i r m e d t

alleging the opposition fell short due to betrayal The BJP and JD(U) won two seats e a c h , w h i l e t h e R a s h

r i y a Lok Morcha secured one In Haryana, counting remains s t a l l e d i n a c l o s e c o n t e s t between the Congress and a B J P - b a c k e d I n d e p e n d e n t , amid allegations of voting i r r e g u l a r i t i e s b y t w o Congress MLAs A Congress delegation led by Abhishek

Ex J&K Chief Minister survives assassination attempt

T h e N at io n al C o nf ere nc e presid ent and fo rmer C hief M i ni s te r o f J am m u an d Kashmir, Farooq A bd ullah, s u rv i v

o in t- bl an k assassination attem pt du ring a w ed ding recep tion in Jammu

The 88-year-old veteran leader was exiting the Royal

Greater Kailash area when

behind and discharged a 32calibre licensed revolver

Security Guard (NSG) detail

s u c c e s s f u l l y d e f l e c t e d t h e shot, ensuring Abdullah and D e p u t y C h i e f M

personnel and handed over to the local police

Following his arrest, the s u s

told investigators that he had harboured

perimeters to reach such proximity The Union

ordered a high-level investigation into the breach

Gujarat launches first sounding rocket in Dholera

T he s t at e of G u j ar a t achieved a significant milestone i n i ts aeros pace sector with the suc cessful launch of it s f i rs t- ev er s oun di n g roc ket

D e v e l o p e d b y t h e A h m e d a b a d - b a s e d s t a r t u p

O m s p a c e R o c k e t a n d

Exploration Private Limited (OSRE), the 4 2-metre single-stage sub-orbital vehicle lifted off in the afternoon from a temporary launch site at Bavaliyari, near the Dholera Special Investment Region

The rocket reached an

a l t i t u d e o f a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h r e e k i l o m e t r e s b e f o r e deploying a dual-parachute

r e c o v e r y s y s t e m t o l a n d safely four kilometres away

T h i s m i s s i o n s u c c e s s f u l l y v a l i d a t e d c r i t i c a l i n d i g enous technologies, including a sugar-based solid propellant motor, 3D-printed i g n i t e r s , a n d a n a i r f r a m e c o n s t r u c t e d f r o m c a r

fibre and advanced composites

A r j u n M o d h w

nessed the

aligns with the newly

M a n u S i n g h v i a p p r o a c h e d t h e E l e c t i o n C o

with Karamveer Boudh allegi n g i

and seeking video evidence for review

ATS arrests student linked to ISIS module

T h e Ut t ar P ra d e s h A n t i -

Te rrorism Sq uad (A TS) has arre sted a 19- yea r-old BDS s t u d e n t , Ha r i s h A li f or alle ged lin ks to an onli ne modu le of b an ne d te rror group I SIS, accus ed of radicalis ing youth an d recruiti ng th rough s oci al med ia an d en cry pted pla tforms

Officials said the agency had received intelligence about individuals operating an ISIS-linked network across Uttar Pradesh and o t h e r p a r t s o f I n d i a , spreading extremist ideolog y a n d a t t e m p t i n g t o recruit supporters to establish a global Sharia-based Caliphate

Investigators found the

group used platforms like I n s t a g r a m , S e s s i o n a n d Discord to spread propaganda, ideological content and operational guidance

t o e x p a n d i t s r e a c h i n India

Acting on intelligence inputs, the ATS conducted

su rvei llanc e be for e registering a case in Lucknow under the Bharatiya Nyaya

S a n h i t a a n d U A P A a n d later Harish was arrested from Moradabad

Officials said he was in c o n t a c t w i t h I S I S - l i n k e d handlers and used anonymous, encrypted accounts, often via VPNs, to run proI S I S g r o u p s a n d r e c r u i t members He allegedly followed outlets like Al-Naba and Dabiq, rejected democr a c y , s u p p o r t e d a g l o b a l Caliphate, and encouraged “fidayeen” attacks He has b e e n p r o d u c e d i n c o u r t , and further investigations are ongoing to trace others linked to the network

Chandigarh bizman held in massive fund diversion

The ar rest of Cha ndiga rhbased businessman Vikra m Wa dhwa by the Economic Offen ce s Wing has broug ht focus to a m ajor fin ancial fra ud case in n orthe rn India

A h

estate developer, Wadhwa is accused of involvement in

and built a strong presence in the Tricity’s hospitality and property sectors Police said he had been absconding since February 2 2 , 2 0 2 6 ,

e b e i n g arrested in Kharar, Mohali A luxury Range Rover, suspected to be bought with illicit funds, was also recovered The case emerged after discrepancies were found in deposits linked to Haryana government bodies

(£47

million) was siphoned off from multiple department accounts, with funds meant for fixed deposits at IDFC First Bank allegedly diverted

accounts Irregularities were also found in entities

Screens trigger midnight hunger

Exposure to blue light from phones, tablets and laptops in the evening can interfere with hormones that regulate appetite It suppresses leptin, which signals fullness, while increasing ghrelin, the hormone that triggers hunger This hormonal disruption can lead to late-night cravings and overeating Reducing screen time before bed or using blue-light filters can help regulate appetite and improve sleep quality

The modern quest for perfect sleep

The rising popularity of wearable sleep technology has transformed the traditional bedtime routines of millions across the United Kingdom. While previous generations might have relied on a warm beverage or a book to unwind, approximately 20 million British adults, representing more than two in five people now utilise rings, bracelets, or watches to monitor their nocturnal habits

rest

particularly evident

as sleep

affordable £30 trackers to premium models exceeding

motivated half of their users to improve their habits, yet

anxiety

By tracking heart rate, r

temperature, these gadgets

a t t e m p t t o p r

v i d e a mechanical answer to the complex human need for

score

"good" threshold of 70 can n e g a t i v e l y i m p a c t t h e i r mood and productivity for the entire following day

M e d i c a l p r o f e s s i o n a l s from health organisations a n d m e n t a l h e a l t h platforms such as HelloSelf h a v e o b s e r v e d t h a t t h i s

T he d igital paradox of dozing

The integration of these

d e v i c e s i n t o d a i l y l i f e i s driven by a desire for better h e a l t h o u t c o m e s , w i t h

m a n y i n d i v i d u a l s n o w r e v i e w i n g t h e i r s t a t i s t i c s e v e r y m o r n i n g R e c e n t findings from the insurer

A v i v a i n d i c a t e t h a t f o r a significant portion of the p o p u l a t i o n , a l o w s l e e p score, anything below the

c o n s t a n t m o n i t o r i n g c a n f u e l h y p e r - v i g i l a n c e , making it harder for people to actually drift off This pressure to perform during sleep has led approximately one-third of users to reduce their reliance on tracking technology to alleviate the p s y c h o l o g i c a l b u r d e n o f meeting specific targets

B e y o n d p e r s o n a l t e c h n o l o g y , t h e b r o a d e r landscape of sleep health in

the UK is being shaped by v a r i o u s i n f l u e n c e s , including social media and t r a

one in six people turn to social media influencers for i n s p i

March 2026 suggests that

health is specifically seven hours and 18 minutes of rest per night

For some, returning to basics proves more effective

nearly one in six adults still rely on the age-old method of counting sheep to fall asleep Experts suggest that rather than relying solely on

individuals should focus on how they feel during the

personal requirements As the technology continues to evolve, the challenge for the

finding

healthy balance

d ensuring that the quest for a perfect night's rest does not become the very thing that prevents it

New prostate cancer MRI screening for men over 50

c e s s involves an initial PSA blood

test followed by an MRI if levels are elevated, helping doctors distinguish between h a r m l e s s a n d d a n g e r o u s growths

Prostate cancer remains t h e U K ' s m o s t c o m m

n cancer, claiming 12,000 lives annually from 64,000 new cases Despite being the only c

NHS approves new non-hormonal menopause pill

A g ro u nd - b rea ki ng d ecision h as been made a s t h e N HS h a s ap pro ved fezo linetant, the first non-horm onal d ai ly tab

re at m enopause-related hot f lu s h es a nd ni g h t s w e ats fo r approximately 500, 000 w omen Dev eloped by

A st ell as P h ar

s Veozah, this d rug offers

a v ital al ternativ e f or t h o se u na bl e to us

h o r m o ne rep l ac em e nt th er ap y ( HRT) due to health risks like blood clots or cancer

B y b l o c k i n g b r a i n n e r v e p a t h w a y s r a t h e r t h a n r e p l a c i n g oestrogen, the 45 mg tablets regulate body temperature This 2026 rollout follows Nice's confirmation of its

c o s t - e f f e c t i v e n e s s a n d c l i n i c a l efficacy In the UK, where 13 million w

menopausal, symptoms affect threequarters of individuals Clinical trials r

needed relief" for those previously left with limited options Patients will require regular liver function monitoring during treatment

routine screening, a previous

population-wide PSA testing d

latest research advocates for screening men aged 50 to 70, or starting at 45 for black men With the committee's f i n a l

n d a t

o n expected at their March 26

Simon Grieveson of Prostate C

health

Blood test predicts dementia decades early

The Uni versi ty of Calif orn ia Sa n D iego r

predict

woman's dementia risk 25 years b efore symptoms appear By meas uring the

the Women’

i dentified those at elevated risk decades in advance

This breakthrough, published in JAMA Network Open, used samples from the late 1990s to show that higher protein levels strongly correlate with future cognitive decline

This non-invasive method offers a vital

painful spinal taps Data indicate the test is particularly effective for women over 70, those with the APOE ε4 gene, or those using specific hormone therapies While 1,311 participants developed impairment during the 25-year follow-up, the study found the protein's predictive power was consistent across diverse groups Although not yet approved for routine clinical use, experts believe this long lead time is crucial for early prevention and targeted monitoring This discovery marks a significant step in the global effort to delay or prevent dementia altogether

to sue over misinformation Rashmika Mandanna

The Indian actor Rashmika Mandanna issued a stern warning against digital platforms and individuals, following the circulation of a leaked private conversation In an emotional statement shared on Instagram, the 29-year-old actor claimed that a recorded interaction from nearly eight years ago had been strategically edited and taken out of context to manufacture a false narrative

This recent controversy, which she describes as a serious invasion of privacy, involves an old audio clip featuring her mother, Suman Mandanna, discussing the actor's past relationship and broken engagement with Rakshit Shetty from 2018 Rashmika’s legal warning comes just two weeks after her wedding to actor Vijay Deverakonda, which took place in Udaipur on February 26 She noted that the timing of the leak appeared intentional, coinciding with this major development in her personal life The actor has demanded that all media platforms and influencers remove the defamatory content within 24 hours

Failure to comply will result in immediate legal proceedings, incl d h issuance of formal notices Having endured what, she termed a "sus of misinformation" for eight years, the actor stated she is now draw to protect her family and dignity from further harassment

Hansika Motwani and Sohael Khaturiya divorce after 4 years

The Bandra Family Court in Mumbai officially granted actor Hansika Motwani and businessman Sohael Khaturiya a divorce by mutual consent. The 34-year-old actor, who has been living separately from her husband since mid-2025, reportedly waived all claims to alimony and streedhan to ensure a dignified and peaceful closure to the marriage. Represented by advocate Adnan Shaikh, the couple stated in their petition that significant differences in temperament and lifestyle made it impossible to continue their union Despite several attempts at reconciliation by family and friends, both parties ultimately agreed that the relationship had irretrievably broken down after four years together

This legal conclusion follows a highly publicised relationship that began with a romantic proposal at the Eiffel Tower in November 2022 and a grand wedding at Jaipur’s Mundota Fort on 4 December 2022 The celebrations were notably documented in a reality series titled Hansika's Love Shaadi Drama Following the court order, Hansika shared a message of resilience on social media, signifying optimism for her future Professionally, the actor remains focused on her upcoming projects, including the Telugu film ‘Nasha’, following her recent appearances in the 2024 films ‘Guardian’ and ‘ 105 Minutes’

Varalaxmi Sarathkumar sparks family planning debate

The

South Indian actor-director Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has ignited a fierce social media debate following her comments on financial responsibility and parenting

While promoting her directorial debut, S Saraswathi, she criticised the lack of family planning in India, suggesting that many individuals are "popping out kids like a factory" without considering the high cost of raising them She further highlighted the irony of a nation that remains the world's most populous while maintaining a cultural taboo around discussing sex and reproductive health

According to the UN’s 2025 State of the World Population report, India’s population reached approximately 1 46 billion in April 2025 and is projected to hit 1 476 billion by mid-2026 Despite Varalaxmi’s concerns regarding a population explosion, the report confirms that India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has actually dropped to 1 9, well below the replacement level of 2 1 While states like Bihar (3 0) and Uttar Pradesh (2 7) maintain higher rates, the national trend is toward smaller families, with 36% of pregnancies being unintended

Varalaxmi clarified that she does not oppose having children but advocates for financial stability to prevent families from falling into avoidable hardship, a stance supported by colleagues like Priyamani and Lakshmi Manchu

Priyanka Chopra recalls "Demigod" experience on her Tamil debut

The global star Priyanka Chopra Jonas shared candid reflections on her early career and the nature of superstardom during an interview on the ‘Not Skinny But Not Fat’ podcast, released on March 10

Recalling her cinematic debut at age 18 in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan, she described how witnessing the massive popularity of her co-star, Vijay, initially "skewed" her perception of fame She remembered hundreds of fans gathering on set simply to watch the actor dance, a phenomenon she described as a "demigod feeling " The 43-yearold actor admitted that, as a teenager, she mistakenly believed fame was the primary goal of the profession, only later realising that it is merely a byproduct of dedicated craft

This retrospective comes as Priyanka promotes her latest action-thriller, ‘The Bluff’, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on February 25 The actor is currently balancing an intensive global schedule, including filming for S S Rajamouli’s highly anticipated epic Varanasi alongside Mahesh Babu, which recently completed portions in Kenya and is set to film in Antarctica With other projects like the comedy Judgment Day in post-production and a scheduled 2027 release for ‘Varanasi’, Priyanka emphasised that her current focus remains on the power of the work itself rather than the celebrity status she first witnessed over two decades ago.

Kapoor family copyrights

Rishi Kapoor’s name

The family of the late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor officially secured legal rights over his name to safeguard his enduring legacy and prevent posthumous misuse According to reports from India Today, the family obtained formal permission to copyright the "Rishi Kapoor" identity, ensuring that any commercial, professional, or public use of the name now requires prior approval from his estate.

This significant legal step, taken nearly six years after the actor's death, aims to protect his reputation from unauthorised exploitation in merchandise, digital recreations, and advertisements

By obtaining these personality rights, the Kapoor family, including his wife Neetu Kapoor and son Ranbir Kapoor joins a growing list of Bollywood celebrities who have sought judicial protection for their identities Legal experts note that this move follows landmark precedents set by actors like Anil Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan to control their likenesses in the age of artificial intelligence and deepfakes

While the copyright does not prevent journalistic or personal tributes, it grants the estate the power to block entities from profiting off the legendary star's name without consent This development ensures that the memory of the "Bobby" star remains under the strict supervision of his kin to maintain his professional dignity.

outh Asians steal the spotligh at Oscars red carpet

The 98th Academy Awards on 15 March 2026 in Los Angeles featured notable presence of Indian and Indianigin talent, despite no India-backed film ceiving final nominations South Asian eators left their mark on key moments, d designers made a strong impact on e red carpet

A standout moment was filmmaker exandre Singh winning Best Livection Short Film for Two People xchanging Saliva, co-directed with atalie Musteata, in a rare tie with Sam Davis’ The Singers Born in Bordeaux Indian-origin parents, Singh is nown for blending visual art, theatre, nd cinema in his work

Documentary filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir stood out with two nominations in the same year, while Priyanka Chopra Jonas returned to the Oscars stage as a presenter alongside Javier Bardem, nearly a decade after her 2016 appearance Actors including Charithra Chandran and Kumail Nanjiani were also present, with Simone Ashley and Mindy Kaling attending the after-party Industry figures such as Bela Bajaria, along with Anand Piramal and Isha Ambani, were among the notable attendees Indian designers shine bright Indian fashion made a striking mark on the Oscars red carpet, with jewellery and ensembles by top designers shining at the Oscars Li Jun Li stunned in a sculpted red

satin corset and draped skirt by Gaurav Gupta, while Rei Ami wore a blackand-gold embellished mini dress with an embroidered cape by Rahul Mishra

Several Hollywood stars chose jewellery by Sabyasachi Mukherjee, including Ginnifer Goodwin’s emerald choker and Rachel McAdams’ morganite-anddiamond earrings

Journalist Zanna Roberts Rassi dazzled in a beaded ikat-inspired crop top by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, while stylist Law Roach accessorised with a bespoke Swadesh brooch

Tamron Hall wore a subtle white gown

by India-born Bibhu Mohapatra

Indian influence extended to afterparties: Maggie Kang wore a custom Rimzim Dadu ruby metal corset gown,

Isha Ambani sported a Swadesh gown blending Benarasi brocade with gothic corsetry, and Bela Bajaria chose a black Manish Malhotra sari Priyanka Chopra Jonas added feathered detailing to her red carpet look, highlighting Indian embellishment as a defining motif of the evening ‘One Battle After Another’ wins best picture at 98th Oscars At the 98th Oscars, One Battle After Another won Best Picture and five other awards, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn Andy Jurgensen took home Best Film Editing, and Cassandra Kulukundis won the inaugural Best Casting award

Sinners won four Oscars, with Michael B Jordan as Best Actor, Ryan Coogler for Best Original Screenplay, Ludwig Göransson for Best Original Score, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw as the first woman to win Best Cinematography Jessie Buckley won Best Actress (Hamnet), Amy Madigan Best Supporting Actress (Weapons), and KPop Demon Hunters took Best Animated Feature, with its song “Golden” becoming the first K-pop track to win Best Original Song Frankenstein claimed three technical awards, while Sentimental Value won Best International Feature and Mr Nobody Against Putin Best Documentary A rare tie occurred in the Live-Action Short category, with live performances of “Golden” and “I Lied to You ” Tributes were paid to stars who passed away in the past year, including Rob Reiner, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara, though Indian actor Dharmendra was notably absent

Anurag Kashyap breaks silence on brother’s feud

The renowned director Anurag Kashyap addressed the public rift between his brother, Abhinav Kashyap, and actor Salman Khan during a candid interview on March 11 Speaking on Midday’s Sit with Hitlist, the 53-year-old filmmaker revealed that he had intentionally remained silent on the matter for years because Abhinav specifically asked him not to intervene or speak publicly about him

This controversy stems from a series of scathing interviews given by Abhinav between 2025 and early 2026, in which the Dabangg director accused Salman and his family of professional harassment and sabotaging his career These remarks culminated in the Khan brothers filing a 9 crore defamation lawsuit, which led to a Mumbai court granting an interim injunction against Abhinav on January 31

The court previously observed that Abhinav’s comments were "prima facie defamatory" and used "abusive language" that harmed the reputations of Salman, Arbaaz, and Salim Khan Anurag, while acknowledging that he knows "exactly what is happening" behind the scenes, maintained that he must respect his brother's autonomy and prior request for distance Despite the legal setbacks and public friction, Anurag clarified that his silence is a sign of brotherly love and professional boundaries

As legal proceedings continue, the industry remains focused on whether this long-standing battle will see a final resolution during the next court hearing scheduled for April 8

BCCI honours cricket stars at Naman Awards 2026

Th e Board of Co ntrol for C ricket in

I nd i a ( BC C I) c el eb rat ed th e achiev em ents of Indian cricket stars and co ntributors at the p restigi ous Nam an Award s 2026

Cricket legends Roger Binny and Rahul Dravid were honoured with the Col C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the BCCI’s highest recognition f o r e x c

cricket, while former India women

s captain Mithali Raj received the BCCI

L

contribution to women

cricket

The ceremony also recognised top performers from the 2024–25 season

S

Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer (Men) for the second time, while Smriti Mandhana won the Best

) award for the fifth time In domestic

c r i c k e t , I r a J a d h a v r e c e i v

d t h e Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy for Best

W o m a n C r i c

n d Shafali Verma was honoured as the

Domestic One-Day tournaments

Meanwhile, Ayush Mhatre won the Lala Amarnath Award for Best AllRounder in Domestic Limited-Overs C r i c

Dubey was named Best All-Rounder in

trophies and finished runner-up in

two tournaments

A highlight of the Naman Awards 2026 was the felicitation of five Indian

including the men ’ s teams that won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the women ’ s team that lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, and the men ’ s and women ’ s teams that triumphed at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup

Sunrisers Leeds face backlash over signing Abrar Ahmed

S u n ri s ers L eed s, an England -based team owned by India’s S un Group (w hich

a ls o o w ns S u n ri se rs H yd era ba d in t h e I nd i an P remier League), has faced strong social m ed ia backlash

a ft er s i g ni ng P a ki s tan sp inner A brar A hmed in The Hundred auction

D u e t o l o n g s t a n d i n g political tensions, India and Pakistan rarely play bilateral

c r i c k e t , a n d P a k i s t a n i players have not featured in the IPL since 2009

players could face

shadow

franchises in The Hundred However, Sunrisers Leeds, o n e o f f o u r t e a m s p a r t l y owned by IPL companies,

s i g n e d P a k i s t a n s p i n n e r

Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 at the London auction

T h e a n n o u n c e m e n

t r i g g e r e d t h o u s a n d s o f angry reactions online, with some fans questioning the patriotism of the franchise’s

Matthew Hayden joins Gujarat Titans coaching staff

G u j ara t T it ans h av e appo inted former Matthew

H ay d en as th e i r ba tti n g coach for the 2026 Ind ian

P r em i e r L ea g u e s ea so n , w hile ex-Ind ia wicketkeeper

V i j ay D ah i ya

anchise as assistant coach

H a y d e n , o n e o f Australia’s most dominant openers, will be part of a coaching staff that includes A s h i s h N e h r a , V i k r a m Solanki and Parthiv Patel

He previously served as a batting consultant for the P a k i s t a n n a t i o n a l c r i c k e t team “ G o o d b a

n g owns the game, ” Matthew

H a y d e n s a i d a f t e r h i s appointment, while Vikram Solanki noted that Hayden’s experience and mentoring

s

g approach

A two-time ICC Cricket

Matthew Hayden

World Cup winner and ICC Hall of Famer, Hayden also played for Chennai Super Kings, winning the IPL in 2010 and finishing as the t o u r n a m e n

scorer in 2009

F o r m e r I n d i a

wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya, who played 19 ODIs and two Tests, later coached Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, leading Delhi to the Ranji Trophy title in 2007-08 He has also served as assistant coach for Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants

Indian owners and pointing to Abrar’s past social media

p o s t s d u r i n g t h e 2 0 2 5 tensions between India and Pakistan, when he allegedly mocked India and called for a b o y c o t t o f S u n r i s e r s H y d e r a b a d i n t h e I n d i a

Premier League A

said selections were based solely on performance, the decision sparked widespread c r i t i c i s m o n l i n e T h e X account of Sunrisers Leeds

Public voting opens for the 9th Sporting Equals Awards Winners

inclusion and race equity across the sporting system

Voting closes on 26th March at 23:59, and Sporting Equals is calling on the public to champion shortlisted entrants, help shine a national spotlight on the individuals and communities driving real change in sport and to determine the winners across the nine categories

The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 18

changemakers, system partners and governing bodies and trailblazers for an evening of celebration and connection

The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 18

changemakers, system partners and governing bodies and trailblazers for an evening of celebration and connection

Awards recognise individuals, organisations and initiatives

opportunities for ethnically diverse communities across sport and physical activity

Members of the public are invited to cast their vote via the online voting portal - sportingequals award vote/ by 26th March at 23:59

Sinner beats Medvedev to win Indian Wells title

comments on its pages, and t h

focus on Abrar’s signing Abrar Ahmed

Assam’s Mayank Chakraborty makes history as Grandmaster

Mayank Chakraborty, a 16-year-old International Master fro m So uth P oint

Sch ool, has beco me the first chess Grandmaster f ro m As s am an d t h e N o rt h ea s t, ma rk i ng a h i

to

the region

Chakraborty secured his final GM norm at the Stockholm First Hotels

GM Round Robin Tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, becoming India’s 94th Grandmaster He also crossed the 2500 Elo rating mark required by FIDE, finishing the event with seven points from nine games to clinch the title ahead of Aksel Bu Kvaloy

Chakraborty earned the International Master title in 2024 and has been a standout in his age group A former India and Asia No 1 in the Under-11 category, he rose rapidly in 2021, boosting his Elo rating from the 1800s to nearly 2200 He also won medals at national events and the Asian Youth Chess Championship in Sri Lanka

He began playing at the Assam Chess Club, a unit of

Grandmaster from Northeast India since Viswanathan Anand became India’s first in 1988 Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam, called it a proud moment for the state

Daniil Medvedev for the ninth time in their last 10 meetings to secure his first title at the BNP Paribas

Medvedev had earlier knocked out top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, handing the Spaniard his first loss of the year

Sinner also congratulated fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli, who won the Chinese Grand Prix in Formula One, calling it “ a special day for Italy

Indian jumper Selva Prabhu claims NCAA silver

S elva Prabhu pro duced a personal best to win silver in the m en ’ s trip le jum p at the

teville, A rkansas

The 21-year-old, a student at Kansas State University, cleared the 17m mark for the first time with a jump of 17 05m, setting a new Indian indoor record Prabhu

However, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has strict rules for ratifying national records and often does not recognise performances achieved in overseas competitions, including those organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, if they fail to meet its

and