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Category: UK News

  • Trump could be offered second state visit to UK  

    Trump could be offered second state visit to UK  

    Trump was hosted at Buckingham Palace for a state visit by Queen Elizabeth in 2019, while Theresa May was prime minister. ..reports Asian Lite News

    Donald Trump could be offered a second state visit to the UK, it has emerged, because of the change of both the government and the monarch since he was last invited. 

    However, government sources have denied claims from Nigel Farage that an invitation has already been extended by the House of Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, for the US president-elect to address both Houses of Parliament. His predecessor, John Bercow, had said he would block any invitation to Trump to address parliament during his state visit in 2019. 

    Trump was hosted at Buckingham Palace for a state visit by Queen Elizabeth in 2019, while Theresa May was prime minister. No other world leader has been hosted twice for an official state visit though the French president Jacques Chirac was hosted by the Queen both in 1996 and 2004, the latter called a “special visit” commemorating the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. 

    But government sources said a second state visit for Trump should not be ruled out because of three differences since 2019 – the gap between his presidencies, the change of government from Conservatives to Labour, and the new monarch, Charles III. 

    It is not routine for US presidents to be asked to address parliament during state visits, however. The last US president to do so was Barack Obama. Joe Biden, as US president, did not even receive a full state visit hosted by the monarch – though his presidency included the last year of the pandemic and the death of the Queen and Charles III’s subsequent coronation. 

    Farage told his Reform UK party’s Welsh rally on Friday: “I do think having Sir Lindsay Hoyle there as the speaker compared to that ghastly little pipsqueak Bercow that went before is an improvement. And indeed, he’s already invited Donald Trump to come and speak to both Houses of Parliament next year.” 

    However, Farage has not repeated the claim since. State visits for any head of state are usually issued by the UK government, with itineraries set by No 10, Buckingham Palace and the visiting dignitaries. Though the speaker has the ceremonial role of issuing the invitation to speak in parliament, in practice it would be requested and agreed between the two states. It is understood the speaker has received no request so far. 

    Farage has repeatedly renewed his offer to act as an intermediary between the UK government and the incoming Trump administration, a prospect Labour ministers have rejected. “If I can in any way help to mend fences between this Labour administration and the incoming Trump administration then I would do so,” he said. 

    But on Sunday morning the chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, said that would not be happening, saying his constituents in Clacton “deserve a bit of a full-time MP as opposed to a transatlantic commentator”. 

    ALSO READ: Starmer has no plans to meet the Taliban at Baku 

  • NHS hopes to save thousands with pill that helps smokers quit 

    NHS hopes to save thousands with pill that helps smokers quit 

    Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, hailed the pill as a potential “gamechanger” in the fight to tackle smoking and the huge harm to health it causes. ..reports Asian Lite News

    Hundreds of thousands of smokers will be given a pill that increases people’s chances of quitting, in a move that NHS bosses believe will save thousands of lives. 

    About 85,000 people a year in England will be offered the chance to use varenicline, a once-a-day tablet that experts say is as effective as vapes at helping people to kick the habit. 

    Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, hailed the pill as a potential “gamechanger” in the fight to tackle smoking and the huge harm to health it causes. 

    The drug helps people to quit by reducing their cravings for nicotine and ensuring that it cannot affect the brain in its usual way. It has also been found to reduce the side-effects smokers can experience when they stop using tobacco, such as trouble sleeping and irritability. 

    The NHS in England will give varenicline as part of its efforts to keep driving down the number of people who smoke. A decline in smoking rates over the past 20 years means that only 11.6% of adults in England still have the habit – about 6 million people. 

    Health service bosses hope its use will lead to 9,500 fewer smoking-related deaths over the next five years. The drug – known at the time as Champix – began being used in 2006 and was taken by about 85,800 people a year until July 2021. It then became unavailable after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates drugs, found impurities in it. 

    That problem has now been addressed to the MHRA’s satisfaction and it has recently approved a generic version of the drug, which NHS England will use. It cited research by University College London that found it would save £1.65 in healthcare costs for every £1 it spent on the pill. The pharmaceutical firm Teva UK will provide the generic version of the drug. 

    Smoking experts welcomed varenicline’s return. Dr Nicola Lindson, an associate professor at Oxford university, said: “[It] is one of the most effective ways to quit smoking, especially when combined with behavioural support, such as counselling.” 

    Hazel Cheeseman, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, welcomed the move but said the NHS also needed to improve the help it gives to smokers to quit. Meanwhile, hospital bosses in England have said Labour will fail in its mission to get NHS waiting times back on track by the end of this parliament. In a survey by NHS Providers, the bosses of all acute health trusts that took part said they thought it was unlikely or very unlikely that waits for routine hospital care would be back to 18 weeks – the maximum set out in the NHS constitution – by mid-2029. 

    One trust boss said: “The government have got the most focus on getting back to 18 weeks, which is the hardest standard to meet of all. If you think, there were seven million people on a waiting list, and as fast as you take them off, currently we’re putting more people on.” 

    The £22bn extra guaranteed to the NHS by the chancellor over the next two years will not be enough to overcome the service’s deeply ingrained problems, such as lack of access to GPs, an increasingly sick population and difficulty discharging patients who are medically fit to leave, trust bosses say. 

    Saffron Cordery, NHS Providers’ deputy chief executive, said: “There will be progress [on the 18-week target] but can trust leaders, with hand on heart, say that they’re going to meet that 18-week standard [by 2029]? I think that is really difficult and challenging to predict.” 

    The survey of 171 trust leaders from 118 trusts also identified nervousness about how the NHS in England would cope with the coming winter. 

    ALSO READ: Starmer has no plans to meet the Taliban at Baku 

  • Justin Welby refuses to resign over ‘child abuse cover-up’ 

    Justin Welby refuses to resign over ‘child abuse cover-up’ 

    Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men to “appalling” sexual violence, but died in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Constabulary..reports Asian Lite News

    The Archbishop of Canterbury has rejected calls to resign after a report found the Church of England covered up the “abhorrent” abuse of more than 100 boys and young men for years. John Smyth’s abuse could have been exposed in 2013 if Justin Welby had followed up to ensure the police investigated concerns. 

    Smyth is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men to “appalling” sexual violence, but died in Cape Town in 2018 while under investigation by Hampshire Constabulary. Three members of the General Synod have launched a petition that calls on the Archbishop to resign following the report. 

    The Rev Richard Coles, the radio presenter, is among those calling for the Archbishop’s resignation. In a post on social media, he said: “Anyone in authority who knew about an abuser and did not act properly so that abuse continued should resign. Then [we need] a reset that begins with making safeguarding in the CofE independent of the CofE.” 

    The Rev Giles Fraser, the vicar and columnist, said it was “unlikely” he could remain in post. Rev Fraser posted: “I think it seems increasingly unlikely that the Archbishop of Canterbury can survive in post, given the growing chorus of calls for his resignation from amongst his own clergy.” 

    A Lambeth Palace spokesman said that the Archbishop “reiterates his horror” over Smyth’s abuse and has “apologised profoundly both for his own failures and omissions and for the wickedness, concealment and abuse by the church more widely”. She added: “He had no awareness or suspicion of the allegations before he was told in 2013. And therefore, having reflected, he does not intend to resign.” 

    It comes after the Archbishop said on Thursday, the day of the report’s publication, that he had thought about resigning that morning. He told Channel 4 News: “I have given it (resigning) a lot of thought and have taken advice as recently as this morning from senior colleagues, and, no, I am not going to resign.” 

    Asked if he considered resigning on Thursday morning, the Archbishop said “yes”. The Archbishop said he had “no idea or suspicion of this abuse” before 2013 but acknowledged the review had found that after its wider exposure that year he had “personally failed to ensure” it was investigated. 

    He knew Smyth because of his attendance at the Iwerne Christian camps in the 1970s, but the review said there was no evidence that he had “maintained any significant contact” with the barrister in later years. 

    It said while he knew him and “did have reason to have some concern about him” this was not the same as suspecting he had committed severe abuses, and concluded it was “not possible to establish” whether the Archbishop knew of the severity of the abuses in the UK before 2013. 

    But the report said Smyth “could and should have been formally reported to the police in the UK, and to authorities in South Africa (church authorities and potentially the police) by church officers, including a diocesan bishop and Justin Welby in 2013”. It said, “had that been done, on the balance of probabilities” Smyth could have been brought to justice “at a much earlier point” than the Hampshire Constabulary investigation in early 2017. 

    It added: “Opportunities to establish whether he continued to pose an abusive threat in South Africa were missed because of these inactions by senior church officers.” The report also stated: “In effect, three and a half years were lost, a time within which John Smyth could have been brought to justice and any abuse he was committing in South Africa discovered and stopped.” 

    Its authors concluded that, in their opinion: “Justin Welby held a personal and moral responsibility to pursue this further, whatever the policies at play at the time required.” Others have warned against treating the Archbishop as a “scapegoat”, noting that some church officials knew far more than he did about Smyth’s abuse for decades but covered it up. 

    ALSO READ: Starmer has no plans to meet the Taliban at Baku 

  • ‘AI tool could influence Home Office immigration decisions’ 

    ‘AI tool could influence Home Office immigration decisions’ 

    Migrant rights campaigners called for the Home Office to withdraw the system, claiming it was “technology being used to make cruelty and harm more efficient”…reports Asian Lite News

    A Home Office artificial intelligence tool which proposes enforcement action against adult and child migrants could make it too easy for officials to rubberstamp automated life-changing decisions, campaigners have said. 

    As new details of the AI-powered immigration enforcement system emerged, critics called it a “robo-caseworker” that could “encode injustices” because an algorithm is involved in shaping decisions, including returning people to their home countries. 

    The government insists it delivers efficiencies by prioritising work and that a human remains responsible for each decision. It is being used amid a rising caseload of asylum seekers who are subject to removal action, currently about 41,000 people. 

    Migrant rights campaigners called for the Home Office to withdraw the system, claiming it was “technology being used to make cruelty and harm more efficient”. 

    A glimpse into the workings of the largely opaque system has become possible after a year-long freedom of information battle, in which redacted manuals and impact assessments were released to the campaign group Privacy International. They also revealed that people whose cases are being processed by the algorithm are not specifically told that AI is involved. 

    The system is one of several AI programmes UK public authorities are deploying as officials seek greater speed and efficiency. There are calls for greater transparency about government AI use in fields ranging from health to welfare. 

    The secretary of state for science, Peter Kyle, said AI had “incredible potential to improve our public services … but, in order to take full advantage, we need to build trust in these systems”. 

    The Home Office disclosures show the Identify and Prioritise Immigration Cases (IPIC) system is fed an array of personal information about people who are the subject of potential enforcement action, including biometric data, ethnicity and health markers and data about criminal convictions. 

    The purpose is “to create an easier, faster and more effective way for immigration enforcement to identify, prioritise and coordinate the services/interventions needed to manage its caseload”, the documents state. 

    But Privacy International said it feared the system was set up in a way that would lead to human officials “rubberstamping” the algorithm’s recommendations for action on a case “because it’s so much easier … than to look critically at a recommendation and reject it”. 

    For officials to reject a proposed decision on “returns” – sending people back to their home country – they must give a written explanation and tick boxes relating to the reasons. But to accept the computer’s verdict, no explanation is required and the official clicks one button marked “accept’ and confirms the case has been updated on other Home Office systems, the training manuals show. 

    Asked if this introduced a bias in favour of accepting the AI decision, the Home Office declined to comment. Officials describe IPIC as a rules-based workflow tool that delivers efficiencies for immigration enforcement by recommending to caseworkers the next case or action they should consider. They stressed that every recommendation made in the IPIC system was reviewed by a caseworker who was required to weigh it on its individual merits. The system is also being deployed on cases of EU nationals seeking to remain in the UK under the EU settlement scheme. 

    Jonah Mendelsohn, a lawyer at Privacy International, said the Home Office tool could affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. “Anyone going through the migration system currently has no way of knowing how the tool has been used in their case and if it is putting them at risk of wrongful enforcement action,” he said. “Without changes to ensure algorithmic transparency and accountability, the Home Office’s pledge to be ‘digital by default’ by 2025 will further encode injustices into the immigration system.” 

    Fizza Qureshi, the chief executive of the Migrants’ Rights Network, called for the tool to be withdrawn and raised concerns the AI could lead to racial bias. “There is a huge amount of data that is input into IPIC that will mean increased data-sharing with other government departments to gather health information, and suggests this tool will also be surveilling and monitoring migrants, further invading their privacy,” she said. 

    ALSO READ: Ishaq Dar calls on Trump admin to work for peace in West Asia 

  • NatWest buys back £1bn of its shares from govt 

    NatWest buys back £1bn of its shares from govt 

    The government and NatWest said on Monday that the Treasury’s holding will drop from 14.2% to 11.4%, after the sale of shares at a price of about £3.81, the bank’s closing price on Friday. ..reports Asian Lite News

    NatWest has bought back shares worth £1bn from the UK government, as the privatisation of the bailed-out bank continues after a plan to offer a chunk of the stock to retail investors was abandoned. 

    The government and NatWest said on Monday that the Treasury’s holding will drop from 14.2% to 11.4%, after the sale of shares at a price of about £3.81, the bank’s closing price on Friday. 

    The government’s shareholding has reduced by more than two-thirds in 2024 from about 38% in December 2023. The sale means the government has now recouped more than £20bn from the sale of shares that it has held since a £46bn bailout in 2008 during the financial crisis, when the Treasury was forced to step in to prevent the bank, then called Royal Bank of Scotland, from going under. The government owned 84% of NatWest when it was part-nationalised. 

    In the years since, the bank has returned to a more stable footing and the Treasury has tried to recoup what it can from sales of shares to return it to private ownership. 

    The former Conservative government also tried to use the stake to further other policy goals. Under the former chancellor Jeremy Hunt that included a push to encourage British people to invest more in UK stocks through a privatisation campaign aimed at retail investors. 

    The planned retail sale, promoted through an advertising campaign starring newsreader Trevor McDonald, would have tried to emulate the “Tell Sid” campaign to privatise British Gas in the 1980s under the then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. However, NatWest was left with costs of £24m spent on the campaign, which was left unused after the Conservatives called a general election in May. 

    At the budget last month under the new chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the Treasury said it was “stopping programmes that are no longer priorities, such as the retail sale of NatWest shares”. 

    Instead, the Treasury intends to sell its stake by 2025 or 2026 “utilising a range of disposal methods, subject to market conditions and achieving value for money for taxpayers”. It sold more shares a day after the budget, on 31 October. 

    The £1bn share purchase announced on Monday was the second off-market “directed buy-back” of the year, after NatWest shareholders voted in favour of allowing the bank to buy up to 15% of shares a year from the government. 

    The Treasury has also been selling shares gradually via the stock market. Shares in NatWest have risen nearly 20% since Labour’s election victory in early July. 

    Gary Greenwood, an analyst at Shore Capital, said: “This directed share buy-back has come a little sooner than we expected and so brings forward the likely point at which the government will have fully exited its shareholding – we assume it will be all out by the middle of next year or possibly sooner.” 

    Paul Thwaite, the NatWest chief executive, said: “As a result of NatWest group’s continued strong performance, we are pleased to have today completed our second buy-back of government shares of 2024, further reducing HM Treasury’s shareholding. 

    “This transaction represents another important milestone on the path to full privatisation. We believe it is a positive use of capital for the bank and for our shareholders and we are pleased with the sustained momentum in reducing HM Treasury’s stake in NatWest group throughout this year.” 

    At the budget on 30 October the government said it had raised £19.1bn from sales of NatWest shares. Within that figure, £8.6bn was achieved through a trading plan announced in 2021 by the former Conservative government. 

    The regular share sales have provided a steady stream of work for bankers. The US investment bank Goldman Sachs is working as “privatisation adviser” for UK Government Investments, the body that manages the stake, while another, Morgan Stanley, manages the trading plan. Merrill Lynch is advising NatWest. 

    ALSO READ: Why Donald Trump won and Kamala Harris lost 

  • Starmer has no plans to meet the Taliban at Baku 

    Starmer has no plans to meet the Taliban at Baku 

    The militant group confirmed on Sunday that it will be sending delegates to the UN-led conference for the first time since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021…reports Asian Lite News

    Keir Starmer has “no plans” to meet with the Taliban during the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, Downing Street said. 

    The militant group confirmed on Sunday that it will be sending delegates to the UN-led conference for the first time since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, which took place as the US, UK, and their allies retreated from the country. 

    Asked what the prime minister thought of that, and whether he would come face to face with its leaders, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: “No plans to meet with them.” 

    She said that attendance was “a matter for the organisers”, adding: “More broadly the summit I think is bringing together 96 different delegations from across the world and the objective is obviously to strengthen global climate action and engagement on that issue. It is obviously vital that we approach the talks and the event with that common purpose (at the) forefront of our mind.” 

    COP summits are the world’s most important meetings on climate change and this year’s event, the 29th COP (Conference of the Parties), is taking place in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. 

    While Starmer is heading there, the US and Chinese presidents are not attending the talks. Several G7 leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the EU president Ursula von der Leyen, have also confirmed they will not be attending. 

    Afghanistan is one of the world’s most affected nations, with flash flooding killing over 300 people in March this year. Matuil Haq Khalis, who is head of the country’s environment protection agency, told The Associated Press that Afghanistan needs the world’s support to deal with its extreme weather, including erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts. 

    He added that the Afghan delegation was grateful to the Azerbaijan government for inviting them to the climate talks. 

    They will only have an observer status, as the group’s government is not formally recognised by the UN and the international community due to its restrictions on the basic rights of citizens, particularly women. The talks today begin amid a warning from the UN that the world is on track for a “catastrophic” 3.1C of warming. 

    However, with many leaders choosing not to attend the opening summit, and oil and gas-rich Azerbaijan hosting, it is unclear how much progress will be made on key issues, including emissions cuts and phasing out fossil fuels. 

    Countries will also be grappling with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, in what analysts say is a trend of climate scepticism in elections this year. The president-elect is expected to boost fossil fuels, roll back green incentives domestically and take America out – again – of the global Paris Agreement on tackling climate change, which commits countries to pursue efforts to curb warming to 1.5C. 

    ALSO READ: Why Donald Trump won and Kamala Harris lost 

  • UK PM to unveil new climate goal at COP29 

    UK PM to unveil new climate goal at COP29 

    The UK will pledge to cut emissions by 81% compared with 1990 levels by 2035, a target in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee…reports Asian Lite News

    Keir Starmer will announce a stringent new climate goal for the UK on Tuesday, the Guardian can reveal, with a target in line with the advice given to the government by its scientists and independent advisers. 

    The UK will pledge to cut emissions by 81% compared with 1990 levels by 2035, a target in line with the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee. 

    The goal will be one of the first national plans on cutting carbon, known as “nationally determined contributions” or NDCs in UN jargon, to be unveiled at Cop29, the crucial UN climate summit taking place in Azerbaijan this week, and is expected to be one of the most ambitious of any government at the talks. 

    The goal would be achieved by decarbonising the power sector and through a massive expansion of offshore wind, as well as through investments in carbon capture and storage and nuclear energy. 

    The UK is one of the first countries to announce an NDC, which are not due until February next year. Campaigners have found the NDCs submitted so far “underwhelming”. The NDC submitted by the previous Cop host, the United Arab Emirates, was described as “greenwashing” by 350.org. A submission by the next host, Brazil, was also criticised for being insufficient and called “misaligned” by Climate Observatory. 

    Friends of the Earth’s head of campaigns, Rosie Downes, said: “With the warning signals flashing red, a planet battered by increasingly severe floods, storms and heatwaves, and the election of climate denier President Trump, the need for climate leadership by the UK has never been more urgent. Starmer’s 2035 carbon-reduction pledge is a step in the right direction but must be seen as a floor to the level of ambition, not a ceiling. Deeper, faster cuts are needed to help avert the climate collision course we are on. 

    “Furthermore, if these targets are to be credible, they must be backed by a clear plan to ensure they are met. The UK’s existing 2030 commitment is currently way off course.” 

    On Monday, the World Meteorological Organization followed the EU space programme in saying 2024 was on track to become the hottest year on record. 

    Few big countries have yet come up with NDCs. The Cop29 talks opened on Monday, but will ratchet up a gear on Tuesday when scores of heads of state and government fly in from around the world. 

    Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey and Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, are among the other leaders attending. Joe Biden of the US, Xi Jinping of China, Olaf Scholz of Germany and Emmanuel Macron of France will not be at the talks, with the latter two preoccupied by domestic political crises. 

    On Monday, delegates heard stark warnings from the UN climate chief, Simon Stiell, and the Cop president and Azerbaijani environment minister, Mukhtar Babayev, urging countries to step up with strong commitments on the climate before it is too late. 

    This summit, at which nearly 200 countries are expected to be represented, will focus on climate finance – ways of getting poor countries access to the money they need to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of extreme weather. 

    About $1tn (£780bn) is expected to be needed each year by 2035, but developed countries have agreed to ensure only $100bn a year from public funds. 

    The host country claimed an early win in the talks by signing off on a deal intended to make carbon offsets work for the planet, and as a source of cash for poor countries. 

    Diplomats have given the green light to rules that govern the trade of “carbon credits”, breaking a deadlock that has lasted years and paving the way for rich countries to pay for cheap climate action abroad while delaying expensive emission cuts at home. But critics warned the rules were rushed through without following proper process. 

    Carbon offsets, or carbon credits, are awarded to countries with large forests that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as wind or solar farms. Selling them should be a source of cash for the developing world, but years of argument over how exactly such a system would work have prevented the widespread uptake of trading systems. 

    The beginnings of a potential system for trading were set out in article 6 of the Paris climate agreement in 2015, but countries have struggled to put the idea into practice, owing to disagreements over technical issues, such as how to avoid double counting, and ideological differences, as some countries are wary of using carbon offsets. 

    Azerbaijan hopes the progress on article 6 will clear the way for more substantive talks, for the rest of the scheduled fortnight, on a goal of making $1tn a year in climate finance available to poorer countries by 2035. 

    However, many civil society groups remain concerned about article 6. Erika Lennon, an attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, said: “We’ve seen over and over again how carbon markets are not doing what they claim to be doing, as well as market projects that violate people’s rights. If they don’t have strong rules in place to prevent all of the abuses, it can totally undermine the integrity of the Paris agreement.” 

    ALSO READ: Bank of England cuts interest rates by 0.25 points to 4.75%

  • Portrayal of Cultural Landscape at the House of Lords marking World Heritage Week

    Portrayal of Cultural Landscape at the House of Lords marking World Heritage Week

    The Sanskruti Centre marked World Heritage Week at the House of Lords with an event on cultural diversity, hosted by Baroness Verma…reports Asian Lite News

    An entrancing event marking the World Heritage Week was organised by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence at the House of Lords recently.

    Hosted by Baroness Verma, the event titled Cultural Landscape and Understanding Diversity: SETU had Army Officers, poets, doctors, students, several members of the community, and Diplomats Minister-Counsellor Ruslan Karabulov and First Secretary (Trade) Ms. Yvone Zulu in attendance.

    In her opening speech, Baroness Verma highlighted the importance on Cultural Diversity in building stronger societies and enhancing mutual understanding.

    Baroness Verma rendering opening words at SETU

    She commended Sanskruti Centre for the consistent efforts in trying to preserve aspects of invaluable intangible heritage of India and South Asia.

    Her Excellency High Commissioner of Zambia Ms Macenje Mazoka and Ambassador of Kazakhstan His Excellency Magzhan Ilyassov have eloquently spoken on cultural diversity in their countries, and appreciated Sustainable Goals and culture dimension.

    H.E. High Commissioner of Zambia Ms Mazoka and Parliamentary Host Baroness Verma

    Major Munish Chauhan from British Army spoke on Diversity, Enrichment and Leadership. Diverse art forms were presented on the occasion that offered visual delight, aiming to increase awareness about different cultures and traditions.

    Young performers Adithi Mote, Ayati Yuvaraj, Kaavya Rapatwar and Swechaa Manikireddy presented the invocation.

    This was followed by a short historical account on Afro-Indian Siddi community, with the dance presented by Sree Lalitha Kotla. Kuchipudi by Sanvika Kommineni, Kummi by Lakshmi Aveen, Mohiniattam by Manju Sunil, Limba dance of Sierra Leone by Cecilia Greene and Bharatanatyam dance on flowers by Ragasudha Vinjamuri have all captivated the attendees.

    H.E. Ambassador Magzhan Ilyassov speaking at the House of Lords event
    Invocation by young cultural ambassadors of Sanskruti
    Classical Dances of India
    Classical Dance Presentation
    Folk Dances of India
    Major Munish Chauhan from British Army speaking on Cultural Diversity
    Event on Cultural Landscape and Understanding Diversity- SETU

    BK Jaimini Patel of Brahma Kumaris UK rendered a Peace message and led a short meditation round. Vote of Thanks by Ragasudha Vinjamuri underscored the collective responsibility of parents in building a legion of next generation cultural ambassadors, fostering sense of pride and propagating art & heritage for posterity.

    The event marks 52nd anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage).

    ALSO READ: London Summit Bridges Ayurveda and Modern Medicine

    ALSO READ:  ‘Chalo India’ cultural event held in London

  • Portrayal of Cultural Landscape at the House of Lords marking World Heritage Week

    Portrayal of Cultural Landscape at the House of Lords marking World Heritage Week

    The Sanskruti Centre marked World Heritage Week at the House of Lords with an event on cultural diversity, hosted by Baroness Verma…reports Asian Lite News

    An entrancing event marking the World Heritage Week was organised by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence at the House of Lords recently.

    Hosted by Baroness Verma, the event titled Cultural Landscape and Understanding Diversity: SETU had Army Officers, poets, doctors, students, several members of the community, and Diplomats Minister-Counsellor Ruslan Karabulov and First Secretary (Trade) Ms. Yvone Zulu in attendance.

    In her opening speech, Baroness Verma highlighted the importance on Cultural Diversity in building stronger societies and enhancing mutual understanding.

    Baroness Verma rendering opening words at SETU

    She commended Sanskruti Centre for the consistent efforts in trying to preserve aspects of invaluable intangible heritage of India and South Asia.

    Her Excellency High Commissioner of Zambia Ms Macenje Mazoka and Ambassador of Kazakhstan His Excellency Magzhan Ilyassov have eloquently spoken on cultural diversity in their countries, and appreciated Sustainable Goals and culture dimension.

    Major Munish Chauhan from British Army spoke on Diversity, Enrichment and Leadership. Diverse art forms were presented on the occasion that offered visual delight, aiming to increase awareness about different cultures and traditions.

    H.E. High Commissioner of Zambia Ms Mazoka and Parliamentary Host Baroness Verma

    Young performers Adithi Mote, Ayati Yuvaraj, Kaavya Rapatwar and Swechaa Manikireddy presented the invocation.

    This was followed by a short historical account on Afro-Indian Siddi community, with the dance presented by Sree Lalitha Kotla. Kuchipudi by Sanvika Kommineni, Kummi by Lakshmi Aveen, Mohiniattam by Manju Sunil, Limba dance of Sierra Leone by Cecilia Greene and Bharatanatyam dance on flowers by Ragasudha Vinjamuri have all captivated the attendees.

    Major Munish Chauhan from British Army speaking on Cultural Diversity
    Folk Dances of India
    Classical Dance Presentation
    Classical Dances of India
    Invocation by young cultural ambassadors of Sanskruti
    H.E. Ambassador Magzhan Ilyassov speaking at the House of Lords event
    .E. High Commissioner of Zambia Ms Mazoka and Parliamentary Host Baroness Verma
    Event on Cultural Landscape and Understanding Diversity- SETU



    BK Jaimini Patel of Brahma Kumaris UK rendered a Peace message and led a short meditation round. Vote of Thanks by Ragasudha Vinjamuri underscored the collective responsibility of parents in building a legion of next generation cultural ambassadors, fostering sense of pride and propagating art & heritage for posterity.

    The event marks 52nd anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage).

    ALSO READ: ‘Chalo India’ cultural event held in London

    ALSO READ: London Summit Bridges Ayurveda and Modern Medicine

  • Farage’s offer to help PM Starmer with Trump rejected

    Farage’s offer to help PM Starmer with Trump rejected

    The government brushed aside Brexiteer Nigel Farage’s offer to help build diplomatic relations with Donald Trump. Farage is a longstanding ally of the US president-elect and spent election night at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

    Despite being a political opponent to Britain’s center-left Labour government as leader of the Reform UK party, Farage has said he would be willing to help build bridges with the US for the UK’s “future survival.”

    But that offer was given short shrift by Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden Thursday. “I think we’ll have our own relationships,” McFadden told Times Radio. “The good thing about our friendship with the United States is it’s not based on any single individual, it’s much deeper than that.”

    He added: “‘Hasn’t he got a job working for the people of Clacton that he was recently elected to a few months ago?” McFadden told ITV, in reference to Farage’s day job as a member of parliament. Labour’s beef with Donald Trump goes way back. Long before taking office, Foreign Secretary David Lammy — Britain’s top diplomat — labeled Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer.”

    Even before taking power in a landslide in July, Labour worked to build bridges with Team Trump. Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Trump Wednesday and said “the U.K.-U.S. special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

    Farage has previously talked himself up as Britain’s next ambassador in Washington, an offer the UK government is all-but-certain to refuse as it mulls over who will occupy the crucial diplomatic post.

    Meanwhile, Farage will on Friday address his party’s first big rally since Donald Trump’s election win as Britain’s emboldened populist right seek to drive momentum and build on links with the US president-elect.

    Farage will make the speech in Newport in south Wales after attending a victory party in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, attended by Trump and other figures likely to be prominent in the incoming White House administration.

    Trump’s plans to radically slash the US public sector and appoint Elon Musk to “sack vast numbers of people” were a blueprint for what needed to happen in the UK, Farage has said.

    But while Reform is the closest British equivalent to the movement behind Trump, his win was also met with elation by the far right.

    A video message recorded by Tommy Robinson in anticipation of a Trump win, before his jailing last month on contempt of court charges, was posted on the activist’s X account, in which he said: “I’m in my prison cell doing cartwheels.”

    Close associates of Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, are using the social media platform to call on Trump to put pressure on Keir Starmer to release a man they described as a “political prisoner”.

    They also tagged X’s owner, Elon Musk, who permitted Robinson to return to the platform and has engaged with him on it.

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