Kenneth Branagh is to star as King Lear in a production that he will also direct in London and New York.
The play will run for 50 performances at Wyndham’s theatre in the West End from October and then transfer to the Shed’s Griffin theatre in the US in autumn 2024.
It is produced by the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company (KBTC) which presented a season of seven plays at the Garrick theatre in London from 2015-16 including John Osborne’s The Entertainer with Branagh in the lead role. In 2017, Branagh directed Tom Hiddleston as Hamlet in a limited-run production to raise funds for Rada. In 2021, KTBC’s planned production of The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan, starring and directed by Branagh, was cancelled due to Covid-related absences during rehearsals.
Branagh, who played Edgar opposite Richard Briers’ Lear in a 1990 touring production of Shakespeare’s tragedy, said in a 2019 interview that King Lear has a “sense of contained outrage by previously voiceless people” that remains pertinent in the modern political climate. The play, he added, explores a “tremendous lack of forgiveness … that is perhaps also something that our world is experiencing – a savage and judgmental and instant and violent division”.
It is the second star-powered, transatlantic Shakespearean production announced this week. Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma will perform in a new version of Macbeth, staged by director Simon Godwin in warehouses in Liverpool, Edinburgh, London and Washington DC.
The full cast for King Lear, presented by Fiery Angel and the Shed, is yet to be announced. Tickets for the London run – which previews from 21 October and has an official opening night on 31 October – will go on sale on 5 June.
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Climate protesters have disrupted BP’s annual general meeting where the oil company faced a backlash from some shareholders over its decision to water down its climate commitments.
At least four demonstrators were forcibly removed from inside the shareholder meeting within 10 minutes of BP chair, Helge Lund, beginning his opening remarks.
The protesters, organised by the campaign group Fossil Free London, repeatedly interrupted Lund’s address by calling for the company to take responsibility for its role in the climate crisis.
Lund also faced growing dissent from BP investors angered by the company’s decision to weaken its climate policies, with almost 10% of shareholders voting against his re-election as chair. That compares with just 3% who voted against him last year.
“You need to be taking action right now, today,” said one female protester. “It’s not enough. It’s just not good enough. People are dying because of your operations now. Step up and take responsibility. Stop your drilling. Stop your lies.”
The campaigners were warned by BP’s company secretary, Ben Mathews, to wait until the question and answer segment of the meeting, or risk being removed by security. The protesters were carried out – one still remaining in a chair – to a smattering of applause from some shareholders.
“This is an emergency,” one woman shouted as she was removed. Another protester, dressed in a smart suit and tie with neatly combed grey hair, was carried out on his back by four security guards.
Joanna Warrington, a spokesperson for Fossil Free London, said: “BP needs to stop drilling and pay up for the damage they’re doing globally. Big oil is making record-breaking billions off the back of people’s excruciating energy bills. Meanwhile, the oil and gas they sell fuels extreme weather and climate collapse.”
The group said 25 protesters attempted to enter the central London meeting, which was only open to BP investors, after buying individual shares in the company. Many were barred from entering after being found with banners.
The meeting was marked by a heavy security presence, including metal detectors and security searches, as the company prepared to face growing criticism of its plans to backtrack on its green pledges.
BP was also challenged over its record on gas “flaring” in southern Iraq. The avoidable burning off of gas released from oilwells results in large plumes of fire and has led to dangerous levels of air pollution in the area.
The father of Ali Hussein Jaloud, who died days before the meeting from a form of leukaemia that has been linked to chemicals released by flaring gas, asked BP why it could not use its profits to help save his son’s life.
Its chief executive, Bernard Looney, expressed his condolences. He said the field was operated by Rumaila Operating Organisation and BP was part of a group of partners that were “making progress” on reducing the flaring and black smoke.
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BP won cautious praise from climate campaigners in 2020 after setting out a “net zero carbon” plan that included a goal to cut the company’s oil and gas production by 40%, compared with 2019, by the end of the decade. But it reset the target to 25% by 2030 after reporting the highest profits in its 114-year history thanks to soaring oil and gas prices linked to the Ukraine war.
At least four large UK pension funds – the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest), which represents about 11m individual workplace pensions, the Universities Superannuation Scheme and the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership – voted against the re-election of Lund in protest against the strategy change.
The funds also voted in favour of a resolution put forward by climate campaigners at the shareholder group Follow This, which called for BP to align its emissions reduction plans with the 2015 Paris agreement. In total, 16.75% of BP shareholders backed the resolution. This was higher than last year when 14.9% backed the resolution, but it fell short of the 20.6% garnered in 2021.
Mark Van Baal, the founder of Follow This, addressed BP’s executives at the meeting, saying: “Science and responsible investors are clear: to achieve the goal of Paris to limit global warming to 1.5C, the world must almost halve emissions by 2030. BP has many aims, but none of these covers BP’s total emissions by 2030 in absolute terms.”
He added: “Promises for 2050 are empty without meaningful interim targets. Therefore, BP’s overall aims are not Paris-aligned yet.”
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
Over the past year, the number of schoolchildren enrolled at schools in inner London boroughs has been falling at an alarming rate. Headteachers in areas such as Lambeth, Camden and Southwark are finding that it is hitting their funding and making it impossible for some schools to remain open.
The Guardian’s senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty set out to discover why and found that at the heart of the story was gentrification. He tells Nosheen Iqbal how young working-class families are being priced out of these areas in ever greater numbers. Unable to afford to live in such areas, they are moving to further boroughs such as Barking and Dagenham. And all this is leading to a transformation of the city – and raising questions about who has the right to live and work in it.
It’s a pattern that is being repeated across the country. But what will it mean if the centre of cities become childless? One headteacher discusses how it feels to be running a school in an area ‘hollowed out’ by gentrification, and tells us his fears for the future.
Photograph: UK Stock Images Ltd/Alamy
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
London: A UK-based charity working on a project to build Britain’s first temple dedicated to Lord Jagannatha in London has welcomed a pledge of GBP 25 million from an Odisha-origin entrepreneur and hopes to get the first phase of construction completed by the end of next year.
Shree Jagannatha Society (SJS) UK, registered with the Charity Commission in England, said that global Indian investor Biswanath Patnaik made the pledge at the first Shree Jagannatha Convention held in London on Sunday.
Patnaik, the founder of FinNest Group of companies, joins the company’s managing director, Arjun Kar, who is the UK-based principal donor of the project.
“Speaking at this occasion, Shri Kar announced that Shri Biswanath Patnaik has pledged a sum of GBP 25 million towards the construction of a magnificent temple for Lord Jagannatha in London, which will be facilitated by FinNest Group of Companies, of which he is the Managing Director,” the charity said in a statement.
The FinNest Group is an early-stage private equity investment firm that invests worldwide in renewables, electric vehicles (EVs), hydrogen locomotives, innovative technology and fintech. Kar also revealed at the event that the group has committed GBP 7 million towards the purchase of nearly 15 acres of land for the new temple to be known as Shree Jagannatha Mandir London.
“A suitable land has been identified and is currently in the final stages of purchase, and a pre-planning application has been submitted to the local government council to secure permission for the Mandir’s construction,” the charity said.
In his message to the convention, which coincided with celebrations of Akshaya Trithiya over the weekend, Patnaik pledged his financial support for the construction of the temple and exhorted devotees to “work together with faith in Lord Jagannatha to make the dream of a Mandir a reality at the earliest”.
The convention, attended by Deputy Indian High Commissioner to the UK Sujit Ghosh and India’s Minister (Culture) Amish Tripathi, celebrated the UK tour of Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the maharaja of Puri, along with Maharani Leelabati Pattamahadei.
“The most significant aspect of the tradition of Lord Jagannatha is its all-encompassing universality. He is invoked and worshipped by virtually all the diverse religious sampradayas each in their own way. Lord Jagannatha is also worshipped by Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs,” said Gajapati Maharaja.
As the Aadya Sevak, or first and foremost servitor of Lord Jagannatha, and the Chairman of the Shri Jagannatha Temple Managing Committee at Sri Mandir in Purushottama Kshetra, he also expressed his support for the temple project. In his keynote address entitled Traditions of Lord Jagannatha and the Significance of Purushottama Kshetra’, he noted that the tradition of Lord Jagannatha represents “great harmony” for the planet.
Dr Sahadev Swain, Chairperson of SJS UK, expressed the hope that the new Shree Jagannatha Mandir London will become an epicentre of Jagannatha culture in Europe and a prominent pilgrimage site, attracting thousands of devotees and tourists from around the world.
The charity’s Indian-origin Trustees Bhakta Panda, Aditya Singh, Santosh Pattnayak, Chetan Shatapathy, Sukanta Sahu, Amita Mishra, Nidhi Kar, and Anjan Mishra famously performed a victory prayer for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and handed him gold-plated deities from India during his leadership campaign trail in London last year.
Hyderabad: Leading surgeon Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti has received lifetime achievement award by the Telugu Association of London.
Dr Raghuram is the founding director of AKIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases in Hyderabad. He is one of the youngest recipients of the award and the only person of Indian origin living outside of the UK to have been conferred the honour.
The award was presented to him during the glittering Ugadi 2023 celebrations organised by the Telugu Association of London (TAL) in London. Representing over 10,000 Telugu speaking people in and around London, TAL is the largest Telugu Charity Organisation in the UK.
“TAL has recognised Dr Raghu Ram with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution towards transforming Breast Cancer Care in India. His distinguished academic track record, love for his motherland and passion for social service are his trademarks and he has achieved at a very young age, what most cannot achieve in a lifetime,” reads the citation.
TAL founder chairman Dr Ramulu Dasoju and current chairperson Bharathi Kandukuri read out excerpts from the citation. Councillor Raghwinder Siddhu, Mayor of London Brorough of Hounslow, described Dr Raghu Ram as a perfect role model living bridge between the UK and India and has been an advocate of best practices in his chosen field coupled with human touch and many altruistic values.”
Tollywood actor Sai Kumar felicitated Dr Raghu Ram with a “Lifetime Achievement award Pagadi” during the event.
A Padma Shri and Dr B.C. Roy national awardee, Dr Raghu Ram revolutionised breast cancer care in India over the past 17 years through a series of innovative measures. He established South Asia’s First comprehensive Breast Health Centre and founded a charitable Foundation to raise awareness of the disease nationwide. He implemented South Asia’s largest population-based screening programme in the southern Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This programme is currently being rolled out nationwide.
Mumbai: Actors Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, on Tuesday, attended the grand premiere of the upcoming action thriller series ‘Citadel’.
The duo was seen twinning in black outfits.
The ‘Bhediya’ actor donned a black t-shirt paired with matching jeans, boots and a jacket. Samantha, on the other hand, looked gorgeous in a black co-ord set. Samantha donned a Bulgari neckpiece and bracelet with the outfit.
Varun and Samanta were seen posing with the director duo Raj and DK.
Soon after the celebs arrived at the grand premiere, several pictures and videos started surfacing on social media.
Created by the Russo Brothers, Citadel will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, April 28, with two adrenaline-fueled episodes, followed by a new episode released weekly every Friday through May 26.
The show stars Richard Madden and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the lead roles.
The action-packed show revolves around two elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka) of the global spy agency Citadel.
Sharing details about the show, Priyanka earlier said, “The story is closely interwoven with the stunts. What’s so exciting about these huge action pieces was that they are infused with drama and storytelling. We get to see a lot about these characters, how they physically interact, not just great action sequences but there’s drama at the heart of each one of them, so there’s a story sort of interwoven in all the stunts. And that was just very cool and new for me.”
Varun and Samantha will be seen in the Indian adaptation of the series.
New Delhi: Nearly a month after the national flag at the Indian high commission in London was pulled down during a protest by pro-Khalistan activists, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case to investigate the matter, sources said.
According to inputs, the case was handed over to the NIA by the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalization (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs a few days back.
The anti-terror agency registered a First Information Report (FIR) based on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and began its probe.
The agency took over the case from Delhi Police, which registered an FIR in the matter under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and is currently investigating it.
The MHA took the decision to hand over the case to the NIA following a meeting with UK representatives last week, the sources indicated.
It is learnt that a special team of the NIA, including a Deputy Inspector General rank officer, may visit London “very soon”, said a source privy to the development.
A tricolour flying atop the Indian High Commission in London was grabbed at by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags and chanting pro-Khalistani slogans on March 19.
The national flag was pulled down during the protest by pro-Khalistani elements. Videos of the incident showed several protesters carrying the yellow and black Khalistan flag and calling for radical Sikh preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh to be “freed”.
The videos showed one of the protesters clambering onto a balcony and pulling down the Indian flag from a pole at the front of the high commission to cheers from the other men. British policemen arrived on the scene and prevented the protestors from approaching an entrance of the Indian high commission. The protesters shouted slogans and abused Indian officials within, the videos showed.
Centre amended the NIA Act in August 2019, empowering the agency to investigate terror activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad apart from cyber crimes and human trafficking.
In the fifth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue held on April 12, India raised concerns on the misuse of the UK’s asylum status by the Pro-Khalistani elements aid and abet terrorist activities here and requested better cooperation with the UK and increased monitoring of UK based Pro-Khalistan Extremists and take appropriate proactive action.
India also pointed out its concerns over the breach of security of the Indian High Commission.
Both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation and identified further steps that can be taken to explore opportunities and synergies in advancing cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber security and global supply chains, drug trafficking, migration, extradition, and anti-India activities in the UK including Pro-Khalistan Extremism among other issues.
The Indian delegation was led by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and the UK delegation was led by Permanent Secretary, of Home Office, Sir Matthew Rycroft. The meeting was also attended by other senior officials of both countries.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last month summoned the UK deputy high commissioner after pro-Khalistan protestors took down the Indian flag at the high commission in London. The pro-Khalistan groups were protesting against the Punjab police’s crackdown on Sikh hardliner Amritpal Singh.
New Delhi: An Air India flight to London returned to Delhi on Monday due to the “serious unruly behaviour” of a passenger onboard.
The Air India flight AI 111 scheduled to operate on the Delhi-London-Heathrow route returned shortly after departure.
An FIR was lodged as the accused person allegedly misbehaved and caused physical harm to two of the cabin crew members.
Officials said that the accused person continued to create a scene even after verbal and written warnings and the pilot-in-command had to return to Delhi. Subsequently, the accused person was handed over to the concerned security authorities and adequate action was initiated.
“Not heeding to verbal and written warnings, the passenger continued with unruly behaviour including causing physical harm to two of the cabin crew members. The pilot in command decided to return to Delhi and the passenger was handed over to the security personnel upon landing,” said an Air India spokesperson on Monday.
An FIR has also been lodged with the police. “Safety, security and dignity of all on board is important to us at Air India. We are providing all possible support to the affected crew members. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers and have rescheduled the flight to depart for London this afternoon,” added the spokesperson.
Airlines have witnessed many such incidents of unruly behaviour by some air passengers in the last few months.
Last week, a drunk flyer on board an Indigo flight from Delhi to Bengaluru tried to open the flap of the emergency doors. Subsequently, the matter was reported to the concerned agencies and appropriate action was initiated.
During the end of March, two passengers travelling on an Indigo flight from Dubai to Mumbai continued consuming alcohol onboard despite multiple warnings from the crew. They verbally abused the crew and co-passengers.
In order to deal withnunruly behaviour, DGCA has issued CAR, Section 3- Air Transport, Series M, and Part VI titled ‘Handling of unruly/ disruptive passengers’.
As per the procedure defined in the CAR, airlines are required to follow a prescribed procedure for holding passengers accountable before they are placed in the ‘No Fly List’ by the airline. Based on the information provided by the airlines, ‘No Fly List’ is maintained by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is aware of India’s security concerns following violent clashes at its mission in London and a security review is underway, Downing Street said on Thursday.
The security review was announced by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in a statement last week following windows being smashed and the tricolour being attacked by pro-Khalistan flag-waving protesters at India House.
The UK Foreign Office has since been leading on this review of the security at the diplomatic mission, along with the Metropolitan Police.
“Discussions are being led by the Foreign Office with our police in the UK and our Indian counterparts. The Prime Minister hasn’t been involved directly but he is aware of them [discussions],” Prime Minister Sunak’s spokesperson told PTI at a Downing Street briefing.
Asked if the issue is likely to impact the ongoing India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, which are now in their eighth round of talks, the spokesperson added: “The two issues are unconnected and the trade talks with India continue. Both sides want to see an enhanced relationship between our two countries.
“On security, we expressed our concerns about the scenes we saw outside the High Commission and a review is underway.”
It came as the latest set of protests outside India House in London are expected over three days until Saturday, with a demonstration also planned outside the Indian Consulate in Birmingham on Sunday.
There has been a very visible Met Police presence around the Indian High Commission in London since the violent disorder on March 19, with protesters now confined behind barricades across the street from the mission premises.
During a planned demonstration there last Wednesday, protesters hurled coloured flares and water bottles towards the mission. They have since taken to social media to allege that the objects were hurled by the Indian mission instead, allegations which have been countered by India House.
India had registered a strong protest with the UK government and the issue was also raised in the House of Commons.
It followed UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s statement to condemn the “unacceptable” acts of violence and an assurance to conduct a security review.
“We will always take the security of the High Commission, and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this,” said Cleverly.
Meanwhile, government ministers have also been holding talks with Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami to reiterate plans to review the security measures at India House.
London: Around 2,000 protesters waving Khalistan flags descended upon the Indian High Commission here on Wednesday for a planned demonstration and hurled objects and chanted slogans amid a heightened security presence and barricades.
The Indian High Commission countered by unfurling an additional humongous tricolour on the roof of its building, which seemed to rile the protesters further who then hurled coloured flares and water bottles towards the mission building and at police officers and media covering the protest.
Scotland Yard reacted by further blockading the area outside India House and several additional uniformed and mounted officers on horseback were deployed immediately to the area.
Unlike the violent disorder on Sunday when India House came under attack, the protesters were barricaded across the road with uniformed officers standing guard and patrolling the area throughout. The protesters, including turbaned men, and some women and children, had been bused in from different parts of the UK and chanted pro-Khalistan slogans.
The organisers used mikes to make anti-India speeches and attack the Punjab Police for alleged human rights violations. The speeches switched between English and Punjabi to make allegations of Indian media bias for calling them fringe elements and backed by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
Banners for the so-called “National Protest”, organised by groups such as the Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO) and Sikh Youth Jathebandia, have been circulating on social media since before a protest on Sunday, which ended in violent disorder at India House.
The Indian government had registered a strong protest over the lack of security measures at its diplomatic mission, which ended in Khalistan flag-waving protesters smashing windows of the Indian High Commission and attempting to pull down the Tricolour.
Since the weekend, several uniformed officers have been patrolling the area in Aldwych and Metropolitan Police vans have been stationed at India Place.
Wednesday’s planned demonstration claims to be in response to alleged discriminatory actions of the police in Punjab.
The Indian High Commission in London has been working to counter disinformation circulating around developments in Punjab, related to enforcement action against the separatist group ‘Waris Punjab De’.
“Let me assure all our friends here in the UK, especially brothers and sisters with relatives in Punjab, that there is no truth to the sensationalist lies being circulated on social media,” Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami said in a video posted on Twitter.
“The situation in your ancestral homeland is not what is being reported. The elected chief minister of the state and the local police authorities have put out detailed information, including interviews on television, please watch these. Do not believe the small handful of people putting out fiction and disinformation,” he said.
In an update on the enforcement action since March 18, Doraiswami said that the Punjab Police launched an operation against elements of ‘Waris Punjab De’ against whom criminal cases have been recorded, in particular against Amritpal Singh, the chief of this organisation. He added that the constitutional rights to a legal defence for all those arrested will be protected and reiterated that all communication services, including mobile telephone networks and internet, are up and running in the state.
British Sikh MPs, Labour’s Tanmanjeet Singh and Preet Kaur Gill, were among those to express concern for their UK constituents with relatives in Punjab.
“Monitoring developments surrounding the Punjab. So many of my constituents are concerned for their loved ones given an internet blackout. Ministers should engage with Indian authorities so UK families who can’t reach their relatives regain contact as soon as possible,” Gill tweeted on Sunday.
On being alerted to the violent protest at the High Commission, she added: “No one should resort to such attacks. This is unacceptable.”
An attempted pull down by the extremists of the Indian tricolour that flies at the Indian High Commission was quashed by an official and has been followed up by an additional larger Tiranga on the main facade.
Several diaspora groups gathered for a “We Stand By High Commission of India” festive demonstration outside India House in London on Tuesday as a show of solidarity following vandalism.
The Metropolitan Police said its “enquiries continue” and one person arrested on suspicion of violent disorder has since been bailed to appear in court in mid-June.
