Monarch occupies front pages of most newspapers
Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday began four days of celebrations to mark her Platinum Jubilee, the first British monarch in history to achieve such a feat. As thousands converged on central London to mark the historic milestone, messages of congratulation poured in for the 96-year-old queen.
Most of Britain’s print media dedicated their major spaces to the queen and the commencement of the jubilee. Here is a look at how newspapers covered the celebrations.
The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the UK’s permanent secretary David Williams. (Photo: X/@UKDefenceIndia)
INDIA and the United Kingdom reviewed their defence relationship at the 24th Defence Consultative Group meeting held in London this week, with a focus on strengthening defence industry collaboration and supporting the 'Make in India' initiative.
The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the UK’s permanent secretary David Williams. Both sides discussed ways to deepen bilateral defence cooperation.
The defence ministries of India and the UK confirmed the completion of the dialogue through updates on social media.
"The 24th India-UK Defence Consultative Group meeting in London saw defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and UK counterpart David Williams co-chair discussions, aimed at deepening bilateral defence cooperation,” the Indian Ministry of Defence said.
"Key focus areas included expanding defence industry collaboration and promoting the 'Make in India' initiative, especially in niche and emerging technologies,” the statement added.
The meeting comes ahead of the UK’s deployment of its aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is set to sail from Portsmouth on April 22 for an Indo-Pacific mission that includes a planned port visit to India.
The Carrier Strike Group deployment, named Operation Highmast, will involve UK armed forces conducting operations and joint exercises with partners and allies, including India.
"The group will transit through the Indian Ocean, conducting exercises and port visits with partners including the US, India, Singapore and Malaysia, before joining 19 partner nations for Exercise Talisman Sabre near Australia, and then training alongside the Japanese Self-Defence Forces and conducting a port visit to India,” stated the UK Ministry of Defence.
The Indo-Pacific region is considered important for UK trade, with imports and exports valued in billions of pounds. The deployment will also allow UK companies to participate in trade events during the port visits.
(With inputs from PTI)
Passengers prefer taxis with clear company and licensing signs
PRIVATE hire drivers in Bradford will still be required to display decals on the side of their cars, despite claims that they make them targets of attacks.
Dozens of drivers piled into Bradford City Hall last Thursday (10) to hear councillors discuss plans to make changes to its taxi licensing conditions.
Changes include the scrapping the requirement for a “topographical knowledge” test for potential new drivers, and the addition of new decals on the side of private hire vehicles to highlight that they were licensed in Bradford.
It would mean vehicles would now require a decal saying they are registered in Bradford, and another stating what company the vehicle is registered to.
Members of Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee heard that although the local knowledge test would be dropped, drivers would still be given training on Bradford’s landmarks, events and important buildings like hospitals.
During the meeting, some drivers claimed that the existing requirement to display private hire decals on their vehicles made them the target of vandalism and abuse.
One of the private hire spokesmen, Raja Khan, said: “There have been serious safety issue for drivers over recent months.
“We’re seeing an increase in private hire vehicles being targeted and vandalised, with windows being smashed.
“It is unsafe because vehicles are easily identified.
“Other drivers are subject to abuse because we have stickers on our cars.”
Carol Stos, Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Manager, said: “Not all private hire operators have the technology to provide passengers with all these details by phone. “When we speak to the public they tell us they want to see decals.”
Councillor Shakeela Lal (Lab, City) said: “Personally I wouldn’t feel safe getting into a taxi without any markings on.
“I understand there are some no-go areas for Asian taxi drivers. But I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting into a taxi without a decal, I would wonder how official they were.”
Four members of the committee voted to approve the changes – and keep decals on vehicles, and three voted against.
FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak rewarded his former cabinet colleagues, Downing Street aides and advisers in his resignation honours list released by the government last Friday (11).
The former housing secretary Michael Gove and former transport secretary Mark Harper were among seven allies elevated with life peerages, while former ministers Andrew Mitchell and Theresa Villiers were conferred with Knight and Dame Commander honours, respectively.
The ex-England cricketer James Anderson and filmmaker Matthew Vaughn are among those granted knighthoods in the honours list.
Anderson, 42, retired from Test cricket in July 2024 having taken 704 wickets, the most by a fast bowler in the history of the fiveday format.
“Congratulations Sir Jimmy Anderson. This is a really well-deserved honour for an England legend who has given so much to our sport,” said Richard Thompson, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Michael Gove
“His skill, determination, and sportsmanship have inspired millions of cricketers and fans alike, in England and around the world.”
It is customary for an outgoing prime minister to ask the monarch to grant peerages, knighthoods, damehoods or other awards in the honours system to their chosen political allies and aides.
These recommendations are reviewed by the Cabinet Office before being released.
The parallel peerages list is also vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
“The King has been graciously pleased to signify his intention of conferring peerages of the United Kingdom for life upon the undermentioned,” the honours notification read.
Jeremy Hunt
Others receiving peerages include Simon Hart, former chief whip of the House of Commons; Sir Alister William Jack, ex-secretary of state for Scotland; Stephen Massey, former chief executive officer of the Conservative party; Victoria Prentis, former attorney general; and Eleanor Shawcross, former head of the No 10 Downing Street Policy Unit.
On Sunak’s recommendation there were also knighthoods for former secretaries James Cleverly (home), Grant Shapps (defence), Mel Stride (work and pensions) as well as ex-chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
The former prime minister’s private secretaries and advisers while at Downing Street are among those conferred with honours including Commanders of the British Empire (CBE) and Orders of the British Empire (OBE).
Sunak, 44, having kept his Richmond and Northallerton seat in last year’s election, is now a backbench MP.
Vance’s visit comes amid growing global concerns over president Donald Trump’s tariff policy. (Photo: Getty Images)
US VICE PRESIDENT JD Vance and his wife Usha will visit India from April 21 to 24. During the visit, Vance will meet prime minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to discuss the proposed bilateral trade agreement and ways to strengthen India-US ties.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the visit on Wednesday. Vance's office also released a separate statement confirming the trip.
Vance’s visit comes amid growing global concerns over president Donald Trump’s tariff policy. Both sides are likely to discuss the trade deal, which aims to address issues related to tariffs, market access, and supply chains.
"This will be vice president Vance's first visit to India. During the visit, he will be meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi on April 21," the MEA said.
"The vice president and his delegation will have other engagements in Delhi and are also scheduled to visit Jaipur and Agra before departing for Washington, DC on April 24," it added.
Vance will be accompanied by his wife Usha, their children Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel, and senior members of the US administration.
According to the MEA, the visit will allow both countries to review progress in bilateral relations and implementation of the outcomes from the India-US Joint Statement issued on February 13, during Modi’s visit to the US. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments.
Vance’s office said he will visit both Italy and India from April 18 to 24 to discuss "shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country." In India, he will visit New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra and will hold meetings with prime minister Modi.
The US statement also said that Vance and his family will take part in cultural engagements in India.
People familiar with the visit said Vance and his family are expected to visit the Red Fort soon after their arrival. Later in the day, he will meet India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and BJP president JP Nadda.
Modi will interact with Vance and his family — wife Usha, sons Ewan and Vivek, and daughter Mirabel — and host them for a formal dinner in the evening, the people said.
The Vances will travel to Jaipur on April 22 to visit key tourist sites and attend engagements, they added. The next day, they will travel to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.
Vance’s visit takes place as the US faces global reactions to president Trump’s tariff decisions, which have caused trade disruptions and raised concerns about a global economic slowdown.
Earlier this month, days after reciprocal tariffs were introduced, Trump announced a 90-day pause on them for all countries except China.
US national security adviser Michael Waltz had also planned to visit India early next week, but the trip has been postponed, according to people familiar with the matter.
Before arriving in India, Vance will visit Rome, where he is scheduled to meet Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin. He will also participate in Easter ceremonies.
Vance’s visit follows a recent trip to India by US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. During her visit, Gabbard met Modi, India's defence minister Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar, and NSA Doval.
Following Modi and Trump’s talks in Washington DC in February, both sides agreed to begin negotiations on the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement by the fall of 2025.
(With inputs from PTI)
Russia is said to be recruiting south Asians to replenish its war ranks
YOUNG Bangladeshi men desperate for work have alleged they were tricked into fighting for Russia against Ukraine, with the reported death of a 22-year-old triggering anxious calls from relatives.
Bangladesh’s embassy in Moscow said around a dozen families have contacted them seeking to bring back their sons they allege were duped into joining the Russian army.
“We had no idea we would end up on the battlefield,” said Mohammad Akram Hossain, who claimed he and his brotherin-law had registered with a recruiting agency. They were first promised jobs in Cyprus, before being offered work in Russia. “
The recruiting agency said only work visas for Russia were available, and we agreed to go,” said the 26-year-old, who is now back home in the south Asian nation.
“But we never imagined we would be abandoned like that.”
Unemployment is high in Bangladesh and the economy was hit hard by protests last year that toppled the government.
Worried relatives messaged Bangladeshi diplomats in Moscow after one family said their son Mohammed Yasin Sheikh, 22, was killed on March 27 while serving in the Russian army.
Abul Hashem, Sheikh’s uncle, said the family was called by his friend during the Eid holiday at the end of March.
“Yasin’s friend, who is also fighting for the Russian side and a Bangladeshi, called us on Eid and informed us that Yasin had been killed,” Hashem said.
“Later, we received a call from a Russian commander.”
Sheikh’s family said they gave him money to travel when he left Bangladesh in September 2024, after a broker promised him work with a Chinese company in Russia as an electrician. But, they said, he ended up joining the Russian army in December. “We spent a lot to send him, and now we are waiting for his dead body,” Hashem said.
“We’ve requested the Bangladesh government to take steps so that his mother can bid him farewell.”
AFP could not independently verify the family’s claims.
But Farhad Hossain, Bangladesh’s charge d’affaires in Moscow, said the embassy was aware of the reported casualty. “We learned about Md Yasin Sheikh a few days ago, and have engaged with our Russian counterparts on the issue,” he said, adding that the embassy could not confirm his death, or any other Bangladeshi casualties, and was awaiting a response from Moscow.
But Hossain did confirm that other Bangladeshis had contacted the embassy.
“We’ve been receiving requests from parents seeking information about their sons, and so far we’ve responded to around a dozen requests,” he said.
The war in Ukraine has taken a heavy toll on Russian troops, and Moscow has been on a global quest for more forces to fight. Neither Russia nor Ukraine will say how many foreigners are serving in their militaries or how many they are holding as prisoners of war.
Recruits from south Asia – including India, Nepal and Sri Lanka – have already been reported to have fought for Russia, lured by promises of work.
Hossain said Russian authorities said those fighting on the side of Moscow had signed contracts, were on the payroll and were governed by the rules of war.
He could not confirm how many Bangladeshis were thought to have joined Russia’s army, although one Bangladeshi newspaper cited security sources suggesting there were more than 100.
In Dhaka, Mustafizur Rahman, the superintendent of police at the Criminal Investigation Department, said one Bangladeshi woman had been arrested in connection with alleged human trafficking, and six other cases had been opened. “Operations are ongoing to arrest the others,” Rahman said.
Mohammad Akram Hossain, the man who claims to have escaped Moscow’s army, was among the first to alert Bangladeshi police of the trafficking network he said brought him to Russia.
He said he was part of a group of 10 Bangladeshis who flew first to Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage visa in September 2024. “After staying there a few weeks, we flew to Russia,” he said, adding he was then given a contract in Russian that he could not understand, but signed anyway.
“From St Petersburg, we were taken by bus to a camp where we spent the night,” he added. “The next morning, they gave military uniforms to some of us and took them away for training.”
Before being taken to fight, Mohammad Akram Hossain said he escaped and managed to fly home.
“I returned after losing several thousand dollars,” he said, adding his brotherin-law remains in Russia in the army. “He calls home regularly, begging us to get him back to Bangladesh.” (AFP)
