Tag: British

In a first, British govt issues guidance on Eid Al-Fitr 2023 marking

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For the first time in its history, the British government has issued guidance for the sighting of the moon for the marking of Eid Al-Fitr, and has concluded that it cannot be before next Saturday, April 22.
The British government in its guidance states that for those observers in the Middle East, North Africa and the United Kingdom (UK), easy sightings of the crescent moon should be possible with the naked eye on Friday, April 21, Saturday, April 22, and Sunday April 23.
Here is the British government’s detailed breakdown of the arrival of the new crescent moon visibility
Thursday, April 20, 2023
The actual arrival of the new moon will take place on Thursday, April 20, but viewing with telescopes will only be possible from northeastern Canada and northern parts of South America.

Optical aids may be needed to find the crescent moon from the southern Caribbean region, north-eastern parts of North America, north western parts of South America and southern Polynesia.
Photo: astro.ukho.gov.uk/
Naked-eye sightings under excellent conditions are possible from the northern Caribbean region, Central America and southern and western parts of North America. Easy sightings are possible from northern Polynesia including the Hawaiian Islands and some of the Aleutian Islands.
Friday April 21, 2023
A telescopic sighting of the crescent moon with small, conventional amateur-sized telescopes will be possible from northern New Zealand and south-easternmost parts of Australia.
Optical aids may be needed to find the crescent moon from south-eastern Australia and southernmost parts of South America.
Naked-eye sightings under excellent conditions are possible from central parts of Australia and southernmost parts of South America.

The rest of the world should be able to make easy sightings of the crescent moon. Easy sightings with the naked eye should be possible from the Middle East, North Africa and the United Kingdom in particular.
Saturday April 22, 2023
The crescent moon should be easily visible on a global basis with the possible exception of Antarctica. Easy sightings with the naked eye should be possible from the Middle East, North Africa and the United Kingdom in particular.
Photo: astro.ukho.gov.uk/
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#British #govt #issues #guidance #Eid #AlFitr #marking
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023
‘Grooming gangs’ row: British Pakistani group writes to Sunak over Braverman’s remarks

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London: A British Pakistani diaspora group has written an open letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging him to clarify the remarks of his Home Secretary Suella Braverman which, they say, stigmatised their community in relation to grooming gangs behind child sexual exploitation.
The British Pakistani Foundation (BPF), which claims to represent 18,000 Pakistani diaspora members, called on Sunak to ask his Cabinet minister to withdraw her “irresponsible words” as it would be perceived as normalising bigotry against the community.
Similar letters have also been issued by other Pakistani diaspora groups, all calling for the Indian-origin Cabinet minister’s comments to be withdrawn.

In a series of television interviews earlier this month ahead of the launch of a new Grooming Gangs Taskforce, Braverman said that the perpetrators of such crimes are “groups of men, almost all British Pakistani”.
“We are writing to you to share our deep concern and disappointment at the Home Secretary’s recent comments and for you not speaking out against them,” reads the open letter issued on Tuesday.
These comments singled out only the involvement of British Pakistani males in so-called grooming gangs’ and holding cultural values totally at odds with British values’, it said.
“Words have consequences by stigmatising an entire community, and making it the face’ of child sexual exploitation, the Home Secretary’s remarks will detract attention from perpetrators who don’t meet her stereotypes, harming the very victims the Home Secretary ostensibly set out to protect but also further perpetrating violence against minorities,” it reads.
The letter references a report commissioned by the UK Home Office in 2020, entitled The characteristics of group-based child sexual exploitation in the community’, which had concluded that despite some high-profile cases, links between ethnicity and this form of offending cannot be proven.

It also references the most recent conviction of 21 men and women of “white British ethnicity”, who were last week found guilty of sexually abusing young children in Walsall in the West Midlands region of England over a decade.
“The divisive and dangerous way in which the Home Secretary is seeking to portray all British Pakistani males and insinuating that the community is complicit in their actions is reprehensible,” the BPF open letter notes.
“We, therefore, ask you to immediately clarify the Home Secretary’s claims and ask her to withdraw her remarks. We also ask for your prompt engagement with the British Pakistani community, and others, on this issue to ensure that the Home Secretary’s irresponsible words, and a government led by you, are not seen as encouraging and normalising bigotry targeted at British Pakistanis,” it concludes.
Earlier this month, Sunak had condemned the political correctness which prevented action against “vile” criminals as he unveiled his new taskforce to go after grooming gangs.
“The safety of women and girls is paramount. For too long, political correctness has stopped us from weeding out vile criminals who prey on children and young women. We will stop at nothing to stamp out these dangerous gangs,” he said at the time.
Led by the police and supported by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Downing Street says that data analysts will work alongside the new Grooming Gangs Taskforce using cutting edge data and intelligence to identify the types of criminals who carry out these offences, including police recorded ethnicity data.
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#Grooming #gangs #row #British #Pakistani #group #writes #Sunak #Bravermans #remarks
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 12, 2023
Generous Givers: British Muslims Give Rs 10,000 Crore In Charity In A Year

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SRINAGAR: The British Muslims are Europe’s generous givers as far as charity goes. A survey report made public early this year said that British Muslims give nearly one billion pounds a year, which is more than Rs 10,000 crores.
A research report published by the London-based think tank, the Ayaan Institute, reports that UK Muslim humanitarian charities raised £708M for causes in 2020. It also estimates that this amount, combined with Muslim giving to UK charitable causes (including 2752 mosques and prayer venues), means UK Muslims generously give at least £1Bn a year to charity, projected to reach £4Bn by 2050.
Ramzan, the Muslim month of fasting, is a major contributor to charity across Europe and especially in the UK. A report said UK Muslims give on average more than £130 million to charity this month.
The donations are so hugely expected that the Charity Commission for England and Wales issued an advisory. “Ramadan is a time of huge generosity among British Muslims, and the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, as well as the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis, make it especially important that their charitable contributions support good causes through registered charities. Regulators are therefore issuing advice to remind British Muslims to make checks, ensuring their donations reach registered charities.”
Early March, William and Catherine, the prince and princess of Wales, showered praises on British Muslims for raising record funds to aid victims of the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria. The royals, with the princess wearing a headscarf, visited the Hayes Muslim Centre to thank volunteers who raised 30000 pounds within a few hours. Late last year, they raised more than 13 million pounds for flood-devastated Pakistan.
Part of the charity goes to the relief and rehabilitation of refugees across the world. A report by Brown University in the United States said that around 37 million people (3.70 crore), mostly Muslims, have become refugees or displaced since the start of the War on Terror in 2001.
This year, local issues will remain the key pressure on Muslim charities in the UK. Islamic Relief, the London-based major Muslim charity said that an estimated 16 lakh British Muslims have landed in poverty and deprivation because of the cost-of-living crisis. This makes up almost half of the British Muslim population.

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#Generous #Givers #British #Muslims #Give #Crore #Charity #Year
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 2, 2023
British Indian medic backs legal review of COVID vaccine in South Africa High Court

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London: Leading UK-based Indian-origin consultant cardiologist Aseem Malhotra is among a group of international experts backing an approach to the High Court of South Africa, calling for an urgent judicial review of Pfizer’s mRNA COVID vaccine products which he fears may be “harmful”.
Lawyers representing the human rights group Freedom Alliance of South Africa (FASA) say the show cause notice was filed on Monday at the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, along with real-world data analysis, which is claimed to show an association with increasing death from both COVID and non-COVID causes in the vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated.
FASA has approached the court to review and set aside the authorisation of Pfizer’s vaccine products on the basis that the authorisation was “unlawful”.
If successful, this could result in the removal of COVID mRNA vaccines from the South African market and also have global implications.
“Having critically appraised the literature and the Pfizer trial data, the evidence is unequivocal,” Malhotra said.
“For the overwhelming majority of people, the Pfizer COVID mRNA vaccine is significantly more harmful than beneficial and likely should never have been approved to be administered to a single human being,” said Malhotra, who himself took two doses of the Pfizer vaccine and is now backing the show cause notice.
“It is alarming to me that the local regulators are encouraging the vaccination of young children in the circumstances. The rollout of the Pfizer vaccine products should, in my opinion, be halted pending a full investigation into how we got this so very wrong. That is, without question, the responsible and ethical move,” he said.
The FASA case, among the first of its kind, is being handled by advocate Erin-Dianne Richards, briefed by Daniel Eloff of Hurter Spies Incorporated in South Africa and is supported by leading medical and scientific professionals from around the world.

Malhotra, among the supporters, believes the case is “factually, medically and scientifically sound”.
Dr Herman Edeling, a specialist neurosurgeon with over 40 years of experience, notes in the founding affidavit that the mRNA vaccine administered as Comirnaty in South Africa should “never have been branded as safe’ and effective’”.
“The applicants in this application call on Pfizer to explain their conduct; they call on the South African regulators and government to hold Pfizer to account and to act in the best interests of the South African public, and they humbly request this Honourable Court to come to their aid in achieving these calls in the interests of the health of the South African public,” said Edeling.
While the notice of the motion was recorded by the South African court registrar on Monday, FASA hopes to announce a date of hearing in due course.
Pfizer’s media office has been approached for a response and it is yet to comment on this development.
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#British #Indian #medic #backs #legal #review #COVID #vaccine #South #Africa #High #Court
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 29, 2023
Kejriwal says even British had never booked those who put up posters against their rule

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New Delhi: Lashing out at the Centre over the action against display of “Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao” posters, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said even the British had never booked those who put up posters against them during the colonial rule.
“Even before independence when freedom fighters used to put up posters, there were no FIRs or action against them by the British,” Kejriwal said.
“Bhagat Singh had pasted a lot of posters during the British rule, not a single FIR was lodged against him,” he said.
Addressing a public meet at Jantar Mantar, the AAP supremo said he has “no objections” about the posters that were put up against him and that those behind the same “should not be arrested”.
“Why is the prime minister so scared? I saw that posters were put up against me and I do not have any problem with that. There won’t be any FIR or arrest. Some people are taking the country towards dictatorship. Together, we have to save the country’s constitution and democracy, we have to save the country,” Kejriwal asserted.
He urged the Centre to release those who were arrested in connection with the “Modi hatao, desh bachao” (Remove Modi, Save the Nation) posters.
The chief minister further said governance gets “complicated” when a leader is “uneducated”.
“How can a leader who is uneducated make decisions for the country? When a leader is uneducated, governance is bound to get complicated. I want to ask the citizens, do they think an educated prime minister is required to run our country in this 21st century?” he asked.

Kejriwal also alleged that corruption cases have been “closed” against those leaders who switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The meeting organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was attended by Kejriwal, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, Education Minister Atishi and AAP MP Sanjay Singh.
Targeting the central dispensation, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the saffron party can be thrown out of power even if it had won two Lok Sabha elections.
“The Union government has sold the country. They might have won the Lok Sabha elections twice, but they can also be removed from power. One should not be too arrogant. Arvind Kejriwal has always said that no matter which chair you hold, you should always be humble,” Mann said.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged that the financial situation in the country is in the doldrums due to “rising inflation and unemployment”.
“We will crush the arrogance of the central government. Inflation is touching new heights, unemployment is rising. Agniveer scheme was another loss for our youths. Farmers are forced to commit suicide. We are working for the betterment of people, but the Centre is working only for (industrialist Gautam) Adani,” he said.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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#Kejriwal #British #booked #put #posters #rule
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
More Borgen, less Sherlock: Europe cracks down on British TV

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Press play to listen to this article
Voiced by artificial intelligence.
It’s a question worthy of a great TV detective: can streamers like Netflix still guarantee a certain proportion of European content if the goalposts are suddenly moved to exclude hits like Sherlock and Doctor Who?
They may soon have to, as the European Commission is considering removing the U.K. from the list of countries recognized as providing “European” content, according to a policy paper seen by POLITICO. That would put broadcasters and streaming platforms in a tight spot, as the U.K. is among the biggest contributors to their European catalogs.
“The need to re-define the concept of European works has been raised in the context of Brexit. It is arguable that, since the U.K. is no longer a member of the EU, works originating in the U.K. should no longer be considered as European,” said the paper. It also raised the idea of cutting Switzerland from the scope of European works.

Under the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, television and streaming must include a share of “European works” in their transmission schedules or on-demand catalogues. These are defined as programs originating in, and produced mainly by nationals of, EU countries or those that have ratified the Council of Europe’s European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ECTT), which includes neighbors such as the U.K., Turkey and Ukraine.
The Commission is now considering how to tighten these criteria.
In the approach laid out in the paper, dated December 2022, countries that have signed up to the ECTT should also have close ties with the EU and its internal market, singling out members of the European Economic Area, EU candidate countries, or potential candidates and sovereignties which signed agreements to use the euro like the Holy See and San Marino.
Move over, Fleabag
That would be bad news for broadcasters and streamers. The U.K. gobbled up about 28 percent of platforms’ European investments in 2021, compared to about 21 percent for German productions and 15 percent for French, according to the European Audiovisual Observatory.
“It is a wrong discussion, at a wrong time,” Sabine Verheyen, chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education, told POLITICO in response to the Commission document. She warned against excluding such an “important partner, even if they are not a member of the Union anymore.”
As early as June 2021, the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) warned against any move to exclude U.K. productions. “Despite Brexit, the audiovisual community continues to work hand in hand across the channel,” it said. “We should focus on building bridges, not burning them.”
In a reaction to the Commission paper, a spokesperson for the U.K. Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said: “the U.K. remains committed to European works. We continue to support its contribution to cultural enrichment across Europe and to provide audiences access to content they know and love.”
The Commission hasn’t yet indicated how it might roll out the changes, and it hasn’t made a definitive proposition to exclude U.K. content; any such move would no doubt trigger opposition from industry. The EU is due to evaluate the audiovisual directive by the end of 2026.
A Commission spokesperson said in a statement that the EU executive “is currently undertaking a fact-finding exercise” to make sure European works benefit from a “diverse, fair and balanced market.”

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#Borgen #Sherlock #Europe #cracks #British
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

March 23, 2023
Khalistani attack: Delhi Police remove extra barricades outside British High Commission

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New Delhi; Delhi Police have removed barricades “that created hurdles” for commuters outside the British High Commission here but the security of the diplomatic mission remains intact, officials said on Wednesday.
The move by Delhi Police has come days after the Indian tricolour at the country’s High Commission in London was pulled down by pro-Khalistan activists.
“The security arrangements outside the British High Commission here are intact. However, barricades placed on the pathway towards the commission that created hurdles for commuters have been removed,” a senior police officer told PTI.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the British High Commission said, “We do not comment on security matters.”
India on Sunday night summoned the British deputy high commissioner and demanded an explanation over the complete “absence of security” after videos of pulling down of the Indian flag at the Indian mission in London during a protest by pro-Khalistan elements emerged on social media.
Top British officials have said the UK government will take the security of the Indian High Commission “seriously”, as they condemned as “disgraceful” and “completely unacceptable” the vandalism at the Indian mission by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags.
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#Khalistani #attack #Delhi #Police #remove #extra #barricades #British #High #Commission
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
Kashmiri Roganjosh Lands Celebrated British Chef In Controversy

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SRINAGAR: Celebrity chef and television host, Gordon Ramsay found himself in controversy after he tried his hands on rogan Josh, a mutton dish that traces its origin to Kashmir.
Rogan josh is a staple of Kashmiri cuisine and is one of the main dishes of the Kashmiri multicourse meal (the wazwan).
“Introducing the new, fragrant Lamb Rogan Josh from @breadstreetkitchen – served with saffron rice and warm garlic naan!” the chef wrote as he shared a video on his instagram on March 12.
Chef Ramsay can be seen plating lamb rogan josh that he served with naan.
The video has garnered millions of views since being posted on the social media with people criticising Ramsay for ‘ improperly’ cooking the mutton delicacy.
Awww Ramsey! Looks nothing like a rogan josh, instagram users quipped.
A Kashmiri instagram user was quick to point out the problems in this dish and wrote, “That’s not rogan josh. The cut of the meat is wrong. The gravy is wrong. Even the naan is wrong. Being a Kashmiri who cooks and loves rogan josh, I can’t accept this dish, especially the gravy.”
“If I am served this I will just leave. You are not even close to Rogan Josh. The consistency makes me feel sick,” wrote another user pointed out.

One of the users reminded Gordon Ramsay of not using microgreens in Rogan Josh, “This is not rogan josh. This is mutton served in gravy. Also,authentic Kashmiri Rogan Josh is never garnished with microgreens.”
Some even accused the chef of “whitewashing” their cuisine.
Another netizen said, “Rogan literally means the pool of oil in which the dish is cooked and at the end of the cooking, it is supposed to float on top of the dish when served. The one shown here looks like some generic gravy made with tomato.”
Traditionally, rogan josh is made with lamb, mutton, or goat meat and is coloured and flavoured primarily by alkanet root and Kashmiri chilies. It is one of the signature recipes of Kashmiri cuisine.

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#Kashmiri #Roganjosh #Lands #Celebrated #British #Chef #Controversy
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 17, 2023
Mikes in our Parliament are silenced, Rahul Gandhi tells British MPs

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London: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told British parliamentarians in the Houses of Parliament complex in London on Monday that functioning microphones in the Lok Sabha are often silenced against the Opposition.
During an event organised by veteran Indian-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma in the Grand Committee Room within the House of Commons, Gandhi also shared experiences from the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ which he described as a “deeply political exercise in mass mobilisation”.
In a lighter vein, he used a faulty microphone in the room to make his point about what he described as a “stifling” of Opposition in India.
“Our mikes are not out of order, they are functioning, but you still can’t switch them on. That’s happened to me a number of times while I am speaking,” the 52-year-old Wayanad MP told the gathering, in response to a question about sharing his experience of being a politician in India with his counterparts in Britain.
“Demonetisation, which was a disastrous financial decision, we were not allowed to discuss. The GST we were not allowed to discuss. Chinese troops entering Indian territory we were not allowed to discuss. I remember a Parliament where there were vibrant discussions, heated debates, arguments, disagreements but we had a conversation. And, that’s frankly what we miss in Parliament. We have to use debates to fit in other debates. There is a stifling that is going on,” he said.
The BJP has accused Gandhi of maligning India on foreign soil while praising China.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hit out at Gandhi for his remarks and asked the Congress leader not to betray the nation.
“Don’t betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India’s foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil,” Thakur told reporters in New Delhi.

Thakur said Gandhi has resorted to “maligning India” from foreign soil as part of a conspiracy to hide his failures.
“Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India,” Thakur said.
Gandhi took questions from the group of MPs and peers from the House of Lords to also highlight the importance of India-UK relations to create greater employment opportunities and also to protect Indian democracy.
“Democracy in India is a global public good. India is big enough, where if democracy is weakened in India, it is weakened on the planet. India’s democracy is three times the size of the US and Europe and if this democracy crumbles, it will be a huge setback for democracy on the planet,” he said.
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#Mikes #Parliament #silenced #Rahul #Gandhi #tells #British #MPs
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023
British rule ruined India’s education system: RSS chief Bhagwat

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Karnal: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has accused the British rulers of ruining India’s education system and said “70 percent” of the population was literate before they dominated the country.
Bhagwat addressed a gathering here on Sunday after inaugurating a multi-specialty hospital at the Aatam Manohar Jain Aradhana Mandir complex.
“…Before British rulers dominated this country, 70 percent of our population was literate, educated. And on the basis of that education, everyone used to find ways to earn their livelihood and unemployment was almost negligible,” he said.
“At that time, as per the education system prevalent in England, their literacy rate then was around 17 percent. After the British came, they dumped our education model here but implemented it in their own country…,” the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader said.
He said the education system which existed in India when the British started to rule the country not only made people self-reliant and employable, but was also a medium of knowledge. But the British rulers ruined that system, Bhagwat said.
The RSS chief also stressed on the importance of health and education for all in society, underlining that these should reach everyone and be affordable.
He claimed that earlier, people used to take to these two sectors as a sense of duty but in the present time, these have become businesses.
Bhagwat also lauded the work done by Aatam Manohar Muni Ashram.

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#British #rule #ruined #Indias #education #system #RSS #chief #Bhagwat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023