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Highlights: The ONS does not publish divorce rates by ethnicity. The Forced Marriage Unit supported 407 cases in 2025. 40 per cent of supported victims were aged 17 or under. Pakistan was linked to 35 per cent of cases receiving support. Community leaders say wedding culture can overshadow preparation for marriage. Marriage is often described as a celebration that brings two families together. But for some British Asian couples, the pressures surrounding marriage can continue long after the wedd

GLOBAL leaders, diplomats, entrepreneurs and professionals from more than 30 countries gathered at Oxford Town Hall for the Oxford Diplomat Summit & Nelson Mandela Leadership Awards 2026. Held on September 7 under the theme Shaping the Future: Global Leadership, Diplomacy & Inclusive Progress, the summit brought together figures from politics, public service, business, healthcare, technology and the creative industries for discussions on leadership, international cooperation, innovation and soci

Climate volatility is reducing tea yields and damaging crops in major producing regions. Only one in five Kenyan tea farmers surveyed by Fairtrade said they earned enough each month to cover essential family costs. Lidl has launched a new Kenyan tea designed to pay growers an additional living-income premium. Kenyan farmers supply around half of the black tea consumed in Britain, yet many are struggling to earn enough to cover basic household costs as unpredictable weather damages crops and rais

The couple visited Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple on Friday, dressed in matching purple, as they prepare to welcome their second child. It's the same temple, the same kind of visit, they made in September 2024, weeks before their daughter Dua was born right down to Ranveer's parents, Jagjit Singh Bhavnani and Anju Bhavnani, joining them both times. What they wore Deepika had worn a green saree on that earlier visit. This time she chose a heavily embroidered salwar kameez, while Ranveer wore a pu

Highlights Nani says he wants The Paradise to be recognised as a Telugu film rather than labelled pan-Indian The actor questions why films such as Jawan and Pathaan are still identified as Hindi films when they succeed across India Nani says this is the last time he will address the debate and claims parts of the media take his comments out of context Nani is once again addressing the debate around the term pan-Indian, saying he would rather T he Paradise be recognised for the language it was ma

MPs want the government to reject a 10bn rescue proposal from Thames Waters creditors. The company has more than 20bn of debt and serves around 16 million customers. The EFRA Committee says Thames Water is trapped in a doom loop and wants stronger powers for earlier government intervention. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has urged the government to reject a 10bn restructuring proposal from London & Valley Water, a consortium of more than 100 Thames Water creditors. The

Alexander-Arnold is an England international again, on paper at least, after fifteen months out of the picture. Thomas Tuchel named his squad for this month's Nations League fixtures with both Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer back in, the two most notable absences from England's World Cup run this summer, and the two names every conversation about this squad was always going to start with. Eight changes separate this squad from the one that took England to a third-place finish at the World Cup i

Highlights Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran play two police officers with very different ideas of justice Meghna Gulzar turns a controversial encounter into a wider examination of law, conscience and accountability Kshitee Jog delivers one of the film's most affecting performances as a grieving mother Meghna Gulzar 's Daayra does not make it easy to decide where justice begins and where it crosses a line. Starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the investigative drama

Japans policy rate has reached 1.25 per cent, its highest level in 31 years. The BOJ is increasingly focused on preventing inflation from moving above its 2 per cent target. The weak yen, higher energy costs and pressure on borrowing costs could complicate the next phase of rate hikes. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.25 per cent on Friday (18), taking it to its highest level since 1995. The seven-to-two decision was widely expected, but the speed of the mov

British Steel is costing taxpayers about 1.3 million a day, according to the Public Accounts Committee. The government had provided 555 million in funding by June, while spending was expected to reach 642 million by the end of June. MPs say there is still no credible plan for the companys long-term business model, decarbonisation or finances. Britains decision to rescue British Steel was meant to buy time. More than a year later, MPs are asking what that time has actually bought. The Public Acco

Highlights Ranveer Singh has pledged to support the education of 1,000 girls Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are reportedly backing the refurbishment of 20 schools The Bollywood stars are among film personalities supporting the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan Ganesh Chaturthi is often a time for prayers, celebrations and seeking blessings from Lord Ganesha. For Ranveer Singh , Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt , this year's festivities have also become an opportunity to give back. Ranveer visited Mumbai's iconic L

The Bank of England voted 63 to keep Bank Rate at 3.75 per cent. UK inflation rose to 3.1 per cent in August, driven partly by higher energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict. Governor Andrew Bailey warned that rates could rise if elevated energy prices begin feeding more strongly into wages and other prices. The Bank of England has chosen to wait rather than raise interest rates, even as inflation moves further away from its 2 per cent target. The Monetary Policy Committee voted by six t

Highlights Ali Zafar has spoken out after Katrina Kaif faced body-shaming online The actor urged men to examine how they judge women and their bodies He called for greater kindness and told people to let her live Ali Zafar has spoken out against the online body-shaming faced by Katrina Kaif following her recent public appearances, using the conversation to call on men to reflect on how they view women and unrealistic beauty standards. Katrina, who welcomed her son with husband Vicky Kaushal last

Highlights Waiting Hai turns India's familiar Tatkal ticket struggle into a quirky crime drama Divyenndu Sharma and Bhuvan Arora deliver strong performances as a railway cop and a young hacker The series loses momentum because of uneven writing and distracting tonal shifts Waiting Hai takes one of India's most familiar travel frustrations, the struggle to secure a confirmed Tatkal railway ticket, and turns it into a crime drama about technology, ambition and an expanding ticketing racket. Set in

McLaren plans to invest 500m in its UK operations and create up to 1,000 jobs by 2032. The company will build its future engines in-house for the first time in its history. Its South Yorkshire composites centre will be expanded alongside greater vehicle assembly in the UK. Britain's supercar industry is getting an unusually large vote of confidence from McLaren. The luxury carmaker plans to invest 500 million in its UK operations, expand its research and development work in South Yorkshire and o

Canada could become the EUs first-ever associate member under a status that does not currently exist. The proposed partnership could cover defence, AI, energy, critical minerals and advanced technology. The offer comes as Canada looks to reduce its dependence on US trade and build closer ties with Europe. Something unusual happened in the European Parliament on Wednesday: the European Union offered Canada a relationship that the EU does not currently have a formal category for. European Commissi

Highlights Tilly Norwood repeatedly turns questions back on a journalist during a virtual interview. The AI actor delivers carefully prepared answers while avoiding several sensitive topics. The unusual press junket raises questions about how convincing AI performers can really be. Tilly Norwood , the AI-generated performer created by Particle6 , has taken part in a virtual press junket, but the interview quickly became an unusual experience for journalists. Rather than simply answering question

Highlights Jyotika and Suriya renew their wedding vows as they celebrate 20 years of marriage. Jyotika says their milestone is about embracing imperfections, sacrifices and understanding. She calls Suriya her equal, confidant, gossip partner and best friend. Jyotika and Suriya have marked 20 years of marriage by renewing their wedding vows, but the actress made it clear that their milestone was not about celebrating a perfect relationship. Instead, Jyotika chose to celebrate the imperfections, a

JLR is talking to NATO countries about its new Defender Wolf Series II military vehicle. The carmaker is bidding for a 900 million UK Ministry of Defence contract. The move comes as JLR cuts costs and plans 4,000 job cuts globally. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is looking beyond the traditional car market as it explores selling its revamped Defender military vehicle to NATO countries. The UK-based carmaker, owned by India's Tata Motors, has established a new Defender defence division to look for partn

Revolut has contacted 680 customers believed to have been affected. The information reportedly included passport and bank account details. The UK's data watchdog is investigating the incident. A genuine government email address was reportedly used to trick Revolut into handing over sensitive customer information in a data breach that has affected hundreds of people. The fintech company has contacted 680 customers following the incident, in which a hacker allegedly used a legitimate government em

Highlights Hanuman Ansh director Vishal Chaturvedi announces Rambola The film will explore the life of poet and saint Tulsidas Chaturvedis debut has reportedly crossed Rs 250 crore domestically Rambola is being produced by Mahaveer Jain and Chaturvedi Vishal Chaturvedi is following the success of his directorial debut Hanuman Ansh with another story rooted in Indian spirituality. The filmmaker has announced Rambola , a new feature based on the life and teachings of Mahakavi Goswami Tulsidas, the

King Charles will bring together leaders from Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown in the development of advanced AI models. The push for common principles faces resistance from the US and China. The race to develop increasingly powerful artificial intelligence is entering a more uncomfortable phase, with some of the people building the technology warning that its rapid progress could create risks that are difficult to control. King

Frasers Group plans to increase its Hugo Boss stake from 48 per cent to more than 50 per cent. Chairman Stephan Sturm will step down as the British retailer seeks greater representation on the supervisory board. The move comes as Mike Ashleys retail empire expands further into premium and luxury fashion. Hugo Boss chairman Stephan Sturm is stepping down as Frasers Group pushes to take greater control of the German fashion house, marking a significant shift in the balance of power between the two

Around one in eight UK adults have never checked their State Pension forecast. Almost 6.9 million people could be missing information about their retirement entitlement. Checking the forecast can also reveal gaps in National Insurance records and whether eligible contributions can be topped up. Almost 6.9 million UK adults may be going into later life without knowing what they are currently on track to receive from the State Pension. Research commissioned by HM Revenue and Customs found that 12.

Highlights A.R. Rahman gives Jai Jai Ram a fresh take on the traditional bhajan Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal lend their voices to the song Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi feature as Rama and Sita The song offers a glimpse into their relationship in Ramayana Ramayana has given audiences their first taste of its music with Jai Jai Ram , a new take on the traditional Jai Siya Ram bhajan. Composed by A.R. Rahman and sung by Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, the song accompanies Ranbir Kapoor and Sai

Hayden Panettiere 's death was announced on 17 August, the day after she was found unresponsive in a Greenville, South Carolina apartment. Nobody knew why at the time. Weeks on, according to multiple law enforcement sources cited by TMZ, investigators believe they've narrowed it down to one tablet, taken the morning she died. The account they've pieced together goes like this. Panettiere flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death, and is believed to have taken several drugs

The National Theatre is helping to change society for the better, according to its executive director and co-chief executive, Kate Varah. She spoke on Wednesday (9) in the Cottesloe Room in the Dorfman Theatre, with Indhu Rubasingham, the National Theatres artistic director and co-chief executive seated next to her. Varah also set out how the National Theatre was going out of its way to engage with young people. British Asian parents will certainly take note of her comments because even now the

Indhu Rubasingham , artistic director and co-chief executive of the National Theatre, has announced her choice of plays and musicals for 2027. She also revealed that the National Theatres production of The Jungle Book will be free to view online anywhere in the world free of charge for a week in March next year. It will be captioned in Hindi and Tamil. The programme was announced on Wednesday (9) in the Cottesloe Room in the Dorfman Theatre, with Kate Varah, the Nationals executive director and

Highlights iOS 27 arrives on September 14 with a redesigned experience and new AI features Siri is getting deeper Apple Intelligence integration, while Screen Time is also being revamped New personalisation options, Handoff features and Wallet tools are coming to compatible iPhones Apple is preparing to roll out iOS 27, bringing a series of changes that could make the iPhone look and work differently. While the new version puts more focus on artificial intelligence, some of the most noticeable u

Britain has around 1 million young people not in work, education or training. More than 40 retailers are offering placements lasting two to four weeks. Each participant will receive an interview at the end of the placement. For thousands of young people , getting a first job can feel like a catch-22. Employers want experience, but gaining that experience is difficult when nobody is willing to offer the first opportunity. Britain is now trying to tackle that problem through its retail sector. Mor

Highlights: Liverpool have been offered free agent Dani Carvajal, the former Real Madrid right-back, according to TEAMtalk, with Manchester City and Fulham also given the chance to sign him. Carvajal, 34, left Real Madrid this summer after 13 years and 29 trophies, including six Champions League titles, but Liverpool haven't made any firm commitment to a deal. Liverpool's non-homegrown squad quota is already full for this season, meaning even if they wanted him, registering Carvajal before Janua

Highlights: Selena Gomez shared an Instagram story this week showing her holding a newborn baby, captioned simply One day.. alongside a crying-with-joy emoji. It's not an isolated post. In October, she captioned a clip of her Wizards Beyond Waverly Place character becoming a mother with Hopefully one day that'll be me, and more recently told a podcast she wants four children. Gomez has spoken publicly about medical issues that mean she can't safely carry a pregnancy herself, and has said she's o

Highlights: Pinkie Roshan, mother of Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, has bought two luxury apartments in Mumbai's Seven Bungalows area for a combined Rs 67.30 crore, around 5.27 million. Both apartments sit on the 24th floor of Lotus Celestia, an ultra-luxury seafront tower in Versova that isn't expected to be ready for possession until 2029-2030. The deal works out to roughly 410 per square foot, and includes eight designated parking spaces across the two units. Pinkie Roshan has bought her way

Highlights The NTAs introduce a brand-new reality docuseries award. Clarksons Farm , At Home With The Furys and Stacey & Joe are among the nominees. Sir David Attenborough earns two nominations in his 100th birthday year. The ceremony features its first all-female drama performance shortlist. The National Television Awards 2026 nominations are in, and this years shortlist has thrown up some unexpected contenders, new categories and major milestones. From a brand-new reality docuseries prize to t

Highlights Nora Fatehi faces a 250,000 defamation lawsuit. The case stems from a seemingly harmless remark. An aviation firm claims her comments damaged its reputation. The company is seeking 250,000 in damages. Nora Fatehi is facing a 250,000 defamation lawsuit after an aviation company objected to remarks she made about one of its aircraft. The actor and dancer has been sued by Dunes Aviation, which is seeking 3 crore in damages, roughly 250,000. The company alleges that Fatehis comments were

Tesco and Waitrose issued new allergy recalls in September. Several major recalls involved Salmonella and E. coli risks. Some warnings affected products sold across multiple supermarkets. Food recalls have continued to hit British shoppers throughout 2026, with major supermarkets and food brands pulling products from shelves over contamination, foreign objects and undeclared allergens. The latest warnings involve Tesco and Waitrose, but they are far from the only major recalls this year. Here ar

Highlights: Ganesh Chaturthi 2026 begins on 14 September and runs for ten days, ending with Anant Chaturdashi on 23 September. The festival's closing ritual, immersing a clay idol of Lord Ganesha in water, is restricted in UK rivers and lakes under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Water Resources Act 1991. British Hindu communities have spent two decades building workarounds, from Environment Agency-permitted river sites to eco-friendly idols designed to dissolve safely at home. Eve

Christopher Rokos paid 330m in UK tax last year. Greece offers wealthy new residents a special foreign-income tax regime. Britain abolished its non-dom system in April 2025. Christopher Rokos has paid hundreds of millions of pounds into the UK tax system. Now, the billionaire hedge fund manager is moving his tax residence to Greece. According to figures reported by media outlets, Rokos was Britain's third-highest individual taxpayer in 2025, contributing around 330m to the Exchequer. His move ra

Burnham slams politics of poison after masked mob blocks Portsmouth migrant buses Home Office condemns intimidating and thuggish scenes; no arrests reported Second masked migration protest of the weekend, after Dover blockade Saturday Channel crossings down 40% this year, with 16,513 recorded since January PRIME MINISTER Andy Burnham lashed out at the politics of poison seeping into our streets after a masked mob tried to block the arrival of migrants in Portsmouth, a media report said Monday, i

Highlights: Richard O'Sullivan, best known for playing Robin Tripp in Man About the House and Robin's Nest , has died at 82. He passed away peacefully at Brinsworth House, the Royal Variety Charity's care home in Twickenham, where he had lived for the past 23 years, surrounded by family. Brian Murphy, who played landlord George Roper in the same show, died in February 2025, aged 92, making O'Sullivan the second of the sitcom's central cast to die within roughly 18 months. Richard O'Sullivan spen

Highlights: Russell Howard has revealed that his son Felix died shortly after birth earlier this year, in a statement shared on Instagram. Howard and his wife, NHS doctor Cerys Morgan, had not publicly announced the pregnancy beforehand. The couple are setting up The Felix Foundation, to support families affected by miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and neonatal death. Howard has since announced a charity gala at The O2 on 8 February 2027, featuring Michael McIntyre, Jimmy Carr, Greg Davi

Palantir is suing MOPAC after the 50m proposed contract with the Met was blocked in May. The mayor and more than a dozen officials will have relevant digital communications searched as part of the case. The dispute centres on whether the Met followed proper procurement procedures and whether MOPAC acted lawfully in stopping the deal. The legal battle began when MOPAC, the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime, blocked a proposed 50m, two-year contract between the Metropolitan Police and Palantir.

RISHI SUNAKS premiership ended in disastrous fashion when he led the Conservative Party to the worst result in its history after the Tories lost 251 MPs in the general election of July 4, 2024, and were reduced to a rump of 121 seats in the Commons. And yet, Sunak receives a remarkably positive assessment from the author Sir Anthony Seldon, who suggests that after the decline that set in following the premierships of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, probably no one could have done any better. Sunak

For nine days, deep inside a flooded tunnel in Nepal, Sanjay Sah had little idea whether he would make it out alive. With darkness around him and the rescue operation unfolding somewhere beyond the tunnel, the 30-year-old employee of the Nepal Electricity Authority held on to one thing he could still do, chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra. On Friday, Sah was finally brought out alive. The timing carried an extraordinary significance. His rescue came on Krishna Janmashtami, the Hindu festival cele

For nine days, deep inside a flooded tunnel in Nepal, Sanjay Sah had little idea whether he would make it out alive. With darkness around him and the rescue operation unfolding somewhere beyond the tunnel, the 30-year-old employee of the Nepal Electricity Authority held on to one thing he could still do, chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra. On Friday, Sah was finally brought out alive. The timing carried an extraordinary significance. His rescue came on Krishna Janmashtami, the Hindu festival cele

GITA GOPINATH, one of the most influential economists in the world, has spoken of the challenges that India faces because of the advent of AI. Gopinath, who held the number two position at the International Monetary Fund, but returned to academia last year, also expressed deep concern about how the trade wars unleashed by US president Donald Trump are damaging the world economy. Gopinath was born in India and now lives in America as a US citizen; she was picked out by the Financial Times in 2021

THE spiritual leader of BAPS, His Holiness Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj, arrived in Bussy-SaintGeorges, France, last Saturday (29) ahead of the inauguration of a new temple on Sunday (6). His arrival marks the start of the Paris Mandir Mahotsav, a 13- day cultural festival organised around the opening of the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mandir, a statement said. HH Pujya Mahant Swami Maharaj visited the newly completed mandir and the 10-acre festival site, known as Swaminarayan Village, set up for the

GENEVA-BASED SP Hinduja Banque Prive is adopting the name ARYA Banque Prive and has appointed Pascal Botteron as its new chief executive, it was revealed last month. This new chapter carries our heritage forward while creating a strong foundation for future generations, said Shanu SP Hinduja, chairwoman of the board. Asian entrepreneur and philanthropist Nirmal Sethia has joined the bank as a minority shareholder. The bank has not disclosed the size of Sethias stake or the financial terms of the

Nvidia has agreed to acquire AI platform Hugging Face for $12.9bn, one of its biggest deals yet. The acquisition gives Nvidia access to a huge community of AI developers, researchers and companies building with open models. Hugging Face will remain an open platform, with Nvidia insisting developers will not be required to use its hardware. Nvidia has built its dominance in artificial intelligence around the chips needed to train and run increasingly powerful models. Its proposed $12.9bn acquisit

Highlights: 1,252 people have died 4,216 remain missing Families perform symbolic funeral rites 1,500 Nepalese remain stranded in Tibet Glaciers face growing instability Eight days after devastating flash floods swept through northern and central Nepal, families are beginning to perform symbolic funeral rites for relatives who remain missing, as hopes of finding them alive continue to fade. The death toll from the disaster has risen to 1,252, while 4,216 people remain missing, according to figur