AN AIR INDIA flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to London on Monday (20) due to a medical emergency, an official said.
According to data available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the flight was operated with a Boeing 777-337 (ER) aircraft.
It was diverted to London due to a medical emergency onboard and the passenger concerned was taken to a hospital, the official said.
Later, the flight took off from London around 23.30 hours IST (17:00 hours GMT), according to another official.
Details about the medical emergency could not be immediately ascertained.
(PTI)
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Tulip Siddiq self-refers to ethics watchdog over property claims
Jan 07, 2025
TREASURY minister Tulip Siddiq has asked the prime minister's ethics watchdog to examine claims about her use of two London flats, amid growing questions about property arrangements linked to her family's connections in Bangladesh.
The minister, who oversees anti-corruption efforts in Britain's financial sector, has stepped back from a planned China visit to assist with the inquiry.
The investigation will be led by Sir Laurie Magnus, who advises prime minister Sir Keir Starmer on ministerial conduct, reported the Telegraph.
At the heart of the matter are two properties: a flat in central London and another in Hampstead. The central London property was reportedly gifted to Siddiq's family by Abdul Motalif, who has ties to Bangladesh's Awami League party.
The Hampstead flat was transferred to her younger sister Azmina by Moin Ghani, a lawyer with connections to Bangladesh's former government.
These revelations follow news that Bangladesh's anti-corruption body is investigating Siddiq and several family members over alleged embezzlement. Siddiq's aunt is Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's former prime minister who lost power in 2024 following public protests against her leadership.
Addressing the concerns, Siddiq wrote to Sir Magnus: "I am clear that I have done nothing wrong. However, for the avoidance of doubt, I would like you to independently establish the facts about these matters."
The property arrangements have raised eyebrows, particularly regarding the Hampstead flat's transfer to Azmina when she was just 18 and about to start university at Oxford. Land Registry records show no money changed hands for this transfer.
Starmer has backed his minister, telling reporters, "Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, and that's why we brought into being the new code. Yes, I've got confidence in her."
However, the opposition has criticised the prime minister's response. Shadow Home Office minister Matt Vickers said: "It is disappointing that Keir Starmer has allowed scandal in his Government to overshadow today's announcement. There are clear questions for his friend and anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq to answer."
While Sir Magnus will investigate whether Siddiq has broken ministerial rules, the final decision about her future rests with the prime minister. The case presents a test for Starmer, who campaigned on a promise to clean up British politics.
Questions have also emerged about inconsistencies in Siddiq's explanations. She initially said her parents purchased the central London flat, but Labour sources later clarified it was given as a gift from "an acquaintance".
The minister's connection to Bangladesh's former government has drawn particular attention. During Hasina's leadership, her administration faced accusations of suppressing opposition through arrests, attacks and secret detentions.
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Earthquake in Tibet kills 95, tremors felt in Nepal and India
Jan 07, 2025
AT LEAST 95 people were killed and many buildings collapsed after a powerful earthquake struck China's Tibet region on Tuesday, state media reported. The tremors were also felt in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India.
Videos shared by state broadcaster CCTV showed buildings with walls torn apart and rubble strewn across the ground. Rescue workers were seen helping locals and providing thick blankets to keep them warm in freezing conditions.
The earthquake, which struck Dingri County near the Nepal border, was recorded at a magnitude of 6.8 by the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The US Geological Survey reported it as 7.1 magnitude. It hit at 9.05 am (0105 GMT).
"A total of 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured," Xinhua news agency said.
Over 1,000 houses have been damaged to varying degrees, according to local authorities.
State broadcaster CCTV said, "Many buildings near the epicentre have collapsed."
Chinese president Xi Jinping urged full-scale search and rescue efforts, emphasising the need to minimise casualties, ensure safety, and provide winter relief to affected residents, CCTV reported.
Temperatures in Dingri are expected to drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius by evening, according to the China Meteorological Administration. Disaster relief supplies, including cotton tents and quilts, have been sent to affected areas.
The high-altitude region, home to around 62,000 people, lies on the Chinese side of Mount Everest. According to CENC, the earthquake was the strongest in a 200-kilometre radius in the past five years.
Tremors in Nepal and India
The quake was also felt in areas around Lobuche in Nepal, near Everest. "It shook quite strongly here, everyone is awake," said Jagat Prasad Bhusal, a government official in Nepal’s Namche region.
Nepal home minister spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari said no damage or deaths had been reported in Nepal, though security forces were deployed to affected areas.
Tremors were reported in India’s Bihar state, but no injuries were recorded.
Earthquakes are common in the Himalayan region. In 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people in Nepal.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Conservatives oppose proposed Islamophobia definition
Jan 06, 2025
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY has called on prime minister Keir Starmer to abandon plans for an official definition of Islamophobia, warning it could undermine free speech and hinder actions against wrongdoing.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticised the proposal, claiming that a "false label" of Islamophobia had obstructed investigations into child abuse grooming gangs involving men of Pakistani heritage.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Jenrick said, “The government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia.”
Jenrick argued that the label had been used to silence discussions during the grooming gang scandal. “It appears that the government has learnt nothing and is determined to press ahead with a definition that will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech,” he said.
In a social media post, Jenrick further alleged that crimes committed by predominantly British-Pakistani men had been “legalised and actively covered up” to avoid social unrest. He wrote, “The rule of law was abandoned to sustain the myth that diversity is our strength, destroying the lives of thousands of vulnerable white working-class girls in the process.”
Jenrick also linked the issue to mass migration, saying the foreign nationals involved must be deported, while officials who covered up the crimes should face jail time. His comments were partly in response to criticism by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who condemned the UK government’s handling of cases of sexual exploitation from over a decade ago.
Meanwhile, sources in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) reportedly confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that officials were examining a formal definition of Islamophobia. Although non-binding, such a definition would require adoption by organisations.
The debate over defining Islamophobia has been ongoing. In 2018, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims described it as a “type of racism” targeting expressions of Muslimness. Critics, including Fiyaz Mughal of Tell Mama, have raised concerns about the potential misuse of this definition.
“Bad behaviour, wherever it is, needs to be called out. But when issues are concentrated within a certain group, we must uphold our core values,” Mughal told The Daily Telegraph.
The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) also cautioned against the APPG definition, arguing it could stifle free speech and hinder discussions on issues such as the history of the Indian subcontinent and the persecution of minorities.
“Adopting this contested definition into law would have serious implications on free speech,” the NSO said in a letter to deputy prime minister Angela Rayner last year.
In response, faith minister Lord Wajid Khan acknowledged the complexity of defining Islamophobia and said the government was working on a “more holistic” approach. “We want to ensure that any definition comprehensively reflects multiple perspectives,” he said, adding that further updates would follow.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Musk says Farage should quit Reform leadership
Jan 06, 2025
ELON MUSK has called for Nigel Farage to step down as leader of the Reform UK party, marking a sudden withdrawal of support for the Brexit campaigner by the US billionaire.
"The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes," Musk said on his social media platform X on Sunday.
The statement came hours after Farage described Musk as a friend and credited him with making Reform "cool."
Musk, known for his connections to US president-elect Donald Trump, had previously appeared to back Farage, including posing for a photograph with him last month.
Reform UK secured 4.1 million votes, or 14 per cent of the total, and won five seats in parliament in last July's national election.
Farage has said he was in talks with Musk about potential financial support for Reform, aimed at challenging the dominance of Labour and Conservative parties.
However, Farage has distanced himself from Musk’s comments supporting anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, who is currently serving a prison sentence for contempt of court.
Responding to Musk's comments, Farage said on Sunday: "Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles."
Last month, Musk endorsed Germany's Alternative for Germany party, a group labelled as right-wing extremist by German authorities, ahead of their national elections. He has also been vocal about British politics, frequently criticising prime minister Keir Starmer since last summer's anti-immigration riots.
Recently, Musk backed calls for a national inquiry into the handling of rape cases involving men of Pakistani heritage by the government's prosecution service, which Starmer previously led. This follows a 2014 inquiry that revealed at least 1,400 children were victims of sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Starmer criticises online 'misinformation' after Musk's criticism
Jan 06, 2025
KEIR STARMER on Monday criticised those "spreading lies and misinformation" online, following a series of attacks from Elon Musk over historical child rape crimes in northern England.
Speaking to reporters, Starmer said: "Those that are spreading lies and misinformation as far and as wide as possible, they’re not interested in victims, they’re interested in themselves."
Musk, the US tech billionaire, recently called for a new public inquiry into how cases involving grooming gangs were handled during Starmer’s tenure as director of public prosecutions.
The decades-spanning scandal involved the abuse of vulnerable girls in towns such as Rotherham, Rochdale, and Oldham, leading to convictions of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian Muslim origin.
Official reports criticised police and social workers for failing to act, with some accused of turning a blind eye to avoid being seen as racist.
Responding to questions about Musk’s posts, Starmer said: "I’m not going to individualise this to Elon Musk," but added: "A line has been crossed" by some of the criticism. "We’ve seen this playbook many times: the whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence, hoping that the media will amplify it," he said.
Starmer also condemned the "poison of the far-right," referencing threats made against safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. Musk had referred to Phillips on his platform X as a "rape genocide apologist."
"When the poison of the far-right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book a line has been crossed," Starmer said.
He added: "I enjoy the cut and thrust of politics, the robust debate that we must have, but that’s got to be based on facts and truth, not on lies."
Musk’s comments have reignited calls for a fresh inquiry into the grooming scandals.
Far-right figures, including imprisoned agitator Tommy Robinson, whom Musk has praised in the past, have long used the issue to amplify their agenda.
(With inputs from agencies)
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