By the early 2000s, British Asian culture was breaking into the mainstream.

In the middle of that shift was Bobby Friction, who now presents on BBC Asian Network.

“The revolutions of the 1990s paved the way for the riches of the early noughties,” he remembers.

” ‘Goodness Gracious Me’, for us, was monumental – that specific British Desi humour was on national TV.”

Seeing members of the cast who were from the same parts of London as he was felt, he says, “like the revolution wasn’t just in my head, it was happening across the country”.

“In 2002, Radio 1 decided to do a South Asian music show, and Nihal Arthanayake and I were chosen to present it.

“My ambition since the age of 15 was to be on Radio 1 playing South Asian music.”

That same year, Asian Network went national, and Desi DNA launched soon after.

“Suddenly you’re in this new era which has already started when the other era hasn’t even finished yet.

“At that time, if you were young and South Asian just coming of age, it was very, very different compared to even 10 years before.”

She made a direct plea to the new Prime Minister

Andy Burnham has acknowledged a plea from a bride not to ‘ruin’ her wedding which is happening in the shadow of the new Number 10 North.

The government’s new northern headquarters, currently based in Heron House facing Albert Square in Manchester city centre, was officially opened by the new Prime Minister who made his first visit on Friday (July 24).

He is expected to work from the new hub at least once a week whilst other cabinet ministers are expected to work there on a regular basis.

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There was a police presence outside the building, which also houses GCHQ’s North West base, throughout the week. This then ramped up on Friday with a large police presence including armed officers patrolling the area around it.

Mr Burnham’s security convoy was driven straight into the building in the morning and metal fencing was also erected around the front entrance. He did however come out to greet crowds who had gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of him, telling them: “I love you Manchester.”

The registry office is based in the same building, with the entrance being around the corner on Lloyd Street.

A number of bridal parties could be seen making their way into the building as police stood guard nearby.

And one bride-to-be has issued an emotional appeal to Mr Burnham ahead of her nuptials. In a video posted on TikTok, titled ‘Andy Burnham please don’t ruin my wedding’, Saz Burwin said: “I saw you set up your new gaff, Number 10 North, at Heron House. I saw it on the news, gorgeous, love what you’ve done with the place.

“But I’m actually getting married there on the 21st of August and on the news today, the place was surrounded with police, bollards, all sorts. A lot of stuff that wasn’t there before.

“My trouble is, I was planning to get nice photos like after, the registry office, outside, and I’m just a bit worried that all of this is kind of ruining the vibe.”

Saz, who has been documenting her wedding preparations on the social media site, continued: “So I would really appreciate it if you were maybe not there that day. I mean, you’re welcome, you’re invited. But maybe without the escorts, the police escorts. The guys with the rifles and s**t, because I’ve got a content creator coming.

“So I don’t really know what we’re gonna do if it’s surrounded by the military and police, you know. Just something to think on. No pressure. But if you could, you know, give them an hour off. I am just a little bit concerned about that, if you could let me know.”

Mr Burnham responded to her post saying: “Noted Saz.”

A 39-year old man was arrested after calling for help after the two-year-old began struggling to breathe, with paramedics administering a NARCAN nasal spray which the boy responded to

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A toddler has nearly died after overdosing on cocaine, with first responders forced into action after the two-year-old was found struggling to breathe. Police on the Jersey Shore in the United States confirmed they have arrested a man, 39-year-old Alexander T. Moles, on charges of child endangerment after a July 20 callout in relation to a sick toddler. When first responders arrived, it was discovered that had been on his way to hospital, driving the two-year-old to A&E as he was having difficulty breathing. Paramedics administered two doses of Naloxone nasal spray – also known as NARCAN – to the boy, to which he responded. NARCAN is an anti-opioid drug which has no effect on a patient if there are no opioids in their system.

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The two-year-old boy was then transportedto Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional for further medical attention, with blood tests later confirming the tot had tested positive for cocaine.

Police officers later found a pill, tinfoil packets labelled “tapentadol hydrochloride,” a clear plastic bag containing a white, powdery substance, and several short plastic straws following a judge-ordered search of Moles’s Airbnb, according to an affidavit.

As per a statement released by prosecutors in New Jersey, a joint investigation was then initiated by the Wildwood Police Department and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit. A spokesperson said: “Through the investigation it was determined that Alexander T. Moles was vacationing at a residence in Wildwood, New Jersey when the two-year-old male became ill.

“As a result of the initial investigation, on July 21, 2026, Alexander T. Moles was arrested and charged with one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a crime of the second degree; one count of Possession of Cocaine, a crime of the third degree; one count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a Disorderly Persons Offence; and one count of Possession of Prescription Legend Drugs, a crime of the fourth degree.

The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office added: “Prosecutor Sutherland advises persons convicted of a second degree crime are subject to a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. A person convicted of a third degree crime are subject to a term of imprisonment of three to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison.” The 39-year-old was arrested and placed in the Cape May County Correctional Facility, but was released three days later on bail with conditions.

The footage shows Louise Harris screaming: ‘I hope you die in your sleep’

A carer was caught on camera abusing an 81-year-old woman with dementia. The family of the victim, Elizabeth Anne Shipton, have shared with WalesOnline their footage of the disturbing meltdown by carer Louise Harris, who drunkenly screamed at the pensioner: “I hope you die in your sleep you f***ing horrible cow.”

As Elizabeth lay in the bed of her Pontardawe home, Harris knelt down and put her arm on the elderly woman’s chest, demanding to know where her money was. Elizabeth complained the arm was hurting her but the carer yelled: “I don’t care, where’s your money?”

Last week at Swansea crown court the 42-year-old was jailed for three months, a sentence that the victim’s family believe should be significantly longer. Elizabeth is “horrifically traumatised” following her two-hour ordeal and her mental scars “will never go”, her daughter Tracy Faram told us.

Tracy has filed an appeal arguing the sentence was unduly lenient. She had known Harris, a former neighbour, for many years and had trusted her, never imagining she was capable of such cruelty.

“She’d been a carer since she was 18. I checked everything with her – she was trained on dementia, manual handling, incontinence. I’ll never get my head around how she could do this.”

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Tracy had made the carer aware her mother was already in a fragile state having recently been in Morriston hospital for seven weeks with sepsis. She was also grieving the death of her husband whom she had been with since the age of 16.

“My mother had come out of hospital in December, my dad’s funeral was in January, and then this happened in February. Louise knew everything my mother was going through.

“I’d explained to her that knitting was the only thing helping my mother through the grief – it was giving her something to live for – and after I left the house Louise got drunk and ripped up my mother’s knitting. It was just cruel.”

While waiting for a care package to be put in place by social services, the family had advertised on Facebook for a sitter, which was answered by Harris. The abuse happened on the first and only occasion she cared for Elizabeth, whose family were treating it as a trial shift.

Tracy said: “She was meant to stay for four hours. I was there for the first hour and Louise seemed amazing. Almost as soon as I left she turned.”

After Tracy’s departure, Harris found a bottle of vodka in the fridge and downed it. The court later heard she was a recovering alcoholic who had “succumbed to temptation”.

Harris’ rage appeared to be sparked by Elizabeth accidentally pressing her Lifeline button, which triggered a phone call to a crisis response helpline.

This happens often, said Tracy, and the helpline operator quickly ended the call after Harris said everything was fine. But this innocuous moment seemed to infuriate Harris to the point she began screaming in the victim’s face.

The carer shouted that Elizabeth was “a horrible cow” and repeatedly hurled obscenities in a guttural scream at the top of her lungs.

At one point Harris went into the kitchen and waved a large kitchen knife around while trashing the property, the court heard.

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Tracy was horrified when she accessed the security system’s camera to check how things were going, and witnessed Harris abusing her mum.

“The police had to break the door down because she’d been waving a knife,” said Tracy.

The court heard the inebriated carer was “slumped on the floor” when police entered the property.

Prosecutor Abud Hussain said the victim lay helpless in her bed thinking she was going to die. All she had wanted was to be left alone to sleep but instead Harris’ relentless aggression ruined her memories of her family home of some 60 years.

Harris, of Cwrt y Waun, Rhydyfro, Pontardawe, had no previous convictions. She pleaded guilty to being a care worker who ill-treated the victim and to criminal damage.

She had originally been charged with attempted robbery because of her demands about Elizabeth’s money, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped that charge.

WalesOnline has seen a letter from the CPS explaining this decision was made because the CCTV did not show there had been “an application of force” when Harris put her arm on the victim and asked where her money was.

Tracy, who was outraged by this decision, said: “Louise’s arm was on my mum’s chest and she could be heard saying, ‘You are hurting me.’ It beggars belief that they couldn’t see any physical assault there.”

During the sentencing, Harris’ lawyer Andrew Evans said his client was genuinely remorseful for her “wholly unacceptable behaviour”, which he said was the result of her finding the vodka in the fridge.

Judge Huw Rees imposed a three-month jail term, of which 40% will be served in custody, a sentence that felt wholly inadequate to Tracy, although she said: “The judge’s hands were tied by the sentencing guidelines. You could see he was raging.

“For her to be serving just over a month is unbelievable when you think what we’ve had since February. We’ve been living this day in, day out, with my mother getting worse.

“Louise told my mum she lived up the road and would be coming back. My mum can’t be left on her own at all now. She keeps thinking Louise is going to come back and she has such vivid flashbacks that she’s been put on sedatives.

“The effect is my mum will not wear the Lifeline device because she thinks if she presses it the same thing will happen. We’ve had to fit a new front door with glass in the middle so she can see if someone is on the other side.

“I want to advocate for cameras in homes where there are carers, because what if we didn’t have this camera?”

Judge Rees said elderly people were entitled to be treated with “respect, dignity, and humanity” but that the defendant had been “heartless and cruel”, showing a “callous disregard” for her welfare.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned to attend the UN General Assembly in New York City this autumn, despite the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, making threats to arrest him.

Mamdani walked back that threat last week, acknowledging he lacked the legal power to arrest Netanyahu on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the world’s top war-crimes court.

The Israeli leader told Fox News on Sunday that he was “not concerned” about Mamdani’s previous pledge and accused the mayor of “fomenting hate”.

“He’s supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers, Jews, Christians, Muslims, everyone, but he’s trying to turn one group against the other,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu referenced a pair of stabbings in New York on Thursday, in which a suspect stabbed a Jewish man and an Asian man just blocks apart.

The suspect allegedly shouted the phrase “Allahu akbar” while committing the stabbings, according to police. He has been charged with hate crimes relating to each victim.

Both men survived the attacks, which drew condemnations from the city’s Jewish and Asian American leaders.

In the aftermath, Netanyahu said Jewish New Yorkers were “afraid right now.”

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mamdani, a staunch supporter of Palestinian rights, made his opposition to the Israeli military operation in Gaza a central plank of his campaign last year. In an address last week, he called Netanyahu a “war criminal.”

As part of that platform while campaigning, Mamdani promised to enforce a 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accused the prime minister of committing war crimes in Gaza.

Israel has denied charges that it has committed war crimes in Gaza, and Netanyahu called the charges “bogus”.

The Israeli military entered Gaza after the Hamas-led attack in Israel on 7 October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

Over 73,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, including more than 21,000 children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

Last week, after the New York Times pressed Mamdani on his pledge to arrest Netanyahu, Mamdani said his administration had reviewed the law and found: “We do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant”.

Mamdani urged the federal government to arrest the prime minister, and said: “Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City.”

The 44th US president has visited Belfast and Ireland before

Former US president Barack Obama is to tour the UK in a series of on-stage interviews.

The 64-year-old, who became the first black president of the United States in 2009, will take An Evening With President Barack Obama to Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester, following shows at The O2 in London and the 3Arena in Dublin last year.

The 44th US president will appear at The O2 in Belfast on October 13, Glasgow’s Ovo Hydro on October 14 and Manchester’s Co-op Live on October 15, with guest moderators to be announced.

Organisers said Mr Obama will speak about “what comes next for America, and for all of us” in the live interview format.

Robin Sherry, founder and chief executive of organiser Seat Unique, said: “Following the phenomenal response to last year’s events, we are delighted to bring three new opportunities for fans to experience An Evening With President Barack Obama.”

Mr Obama was interviewed by British TV historian David Olusoga at The O2 in London in September.

After his two-term presidency ended in 2017, Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, signed a deal with Netflix to produce documentaries, series and features for the streaming platform under their Higher Ground Productions company.

In 2022, Mr Obama won the Emmy for best narrator for his work on Netflix documentary series Our Great National Parks, and he has won Grammy Awards for his audiobook readings of two of his memoirs: The Audacity Of Hope and Dreams From My Father.

The Hawaii-born former president has also hosted a 2021 podcast called Renegades: Born In The USA, alongside rock singer Bruce Springsteen, which also resulted in a book.

Tickets for the UK shows will go on sale on Friday July 31 at 10am from Myticket.co.uk and SeatUnique.com, with 100 tickets set aside for charitable organisations.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The UK’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, laid out a radical agenda in his short speech upon taking office. He called for a long-term strategy to reverse 40 years of Thatcherism, and the privatisation and centralisation that resulted. Wisely, he put a ten-year horizon on these objectives and it is now up to his new chancellor, John Healey, to realise his ambitions.

Sensibly, Burnham has also announced less costly but limited measures to deal with the cost of living and the housing crisis – intended to convince the public that he understands their concerns. So far these include a pledge to cap single bus fares in England at £2, cut VAT on electricity bills from October, and end rough sleeping (with no time frame specified).

The government said that the cut in energy bills is fully funded by scrapping plans for digital IDs. But spending watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has pointed out that the funding for this was set to be covered by further, albeit modest, cuts to other government departments.

À lire aussi :
John Healey is the UK’s chancellor: what Burnham’s surprise pick says about his style of government

By appointing Healey, Burnham has reassured the bond markets, which feared the more leftwing Ed Miliband would become chancellor. Healey resigned as defence secretary in June, which played a major role in Keir Starmer’s resignation. His exit was caused by the Treasury refusing to find the funds to allow the UK to reach Nato’s defence spending target of 3% of GDP. Now it will be Healey’s job to find this money.

Other long-term goals will be just as expensive. Building council housing, fixing social care and acquiring privatised companies will all make a considerable dent in the government’s finances. These have already been weakened by the effects of the Iran war, with growth this year projected to be just 1%.

Like all chancellors, Healey’s central aim must be to boost long-term growth and productivity. This is the only way to ensure prosperity for voters and enough funds to improve public services without increasing government debt.

Although Burnham has pledged to abide by the fiscal rules and Labour’s promise not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance, the chancellor will be able to find a number of tweaks that give him room for manoeuvre – just as chancellor, Rachel Reeves revised the fiscal rules in a way that eased restrictions on borrowing money in order to invest.

Many new policies, from building council housing to funding social care and training for young people, have long-term benefits to the economy. There could be an argument for reclassifying these as investment spending. In the case of council housing, it is actually providing the government with a valuable physical asset.

Time for a wealth tax?

Meanwhile, there are also many ways to increase revenue without breaking Labour’s taxes pledge. Burnham’s main focus is likely to be further taxation of wealth, which might aim to equalise rates with taxation on earned income. Tax relief on private pensions, which mainly benefit the better-off, could also be a target. And changes to the top rate of income tax, if it was balanced by an increase in the personal allowance to ensure people on the basic state pension do not pay income tax, could be popular.

The most contentious issue will be the taxation of property. Broadly, the reform of council tax – the system introduced by the Thatcher government and still based on property valuations made more than 30 years ago – would sharply increase costs in rich areas like London and the south east, while easing burdens further north. But that would have to be accompanied by a redistribution of funds to northern councils, which would otherwise see their revenues fall sharply.

This points to the broader question facing the Treasury – and the government – on how to carry out a meaningful devolution to the regions. It is likely to mean giving some of central government’s revenues – such as income tax – to regional authorities. They could also be given powers, like in Scotland, to raise income tax in their region.

There are also some fixes that could reduce the government’s deficit – the difference between what it brings in and what it spends. Firstly, key policies such as social care could be funded by a special tax on housing, as Burnham himself proposed in 2010 when he was health secretary. And some of the huge increase in defence spending might be funded jointly by a number of Nato countries issuing a common defence bond, which might lower borrowing costs and may not be counted as part of UK government debt. Finally, the government could gain effective control of failing private utilities, such as Thames Water, without fully nationalising them.

Like all chancellors, Healey will have to balance the need for more spending with voters’ desire for lower taxes. It will take a clever politician to square this circle, given the weakness of the UK economy and that of its key trading partners.

One route to achieving these objectives without upsetting the markets is to put forward measures that show it is on the side of the people, while announcing revenue-raising measures aimed at more unpopular targets. For example, a cut in rates for small businesses (especially pubs) in northern cities could be popular, and might be funded by higher taxation of warehouses owned by retail giants.

Devolution could also help by pushing responsibility to the local level. Voters would then be able to see the benefits in their own communities. And giving councils a bigger role in welfare reform may pay off if investment in training and mental health support led to a national reduction in the welfare bill. This will be one of Healey’s key objectives, as well as being a major concern for the markets and the OBR.

So far the markets have adopted a “wait and see” approach to the Burnham government. The autumn budget could be crucial in determining whether the new administration has a credible long-term economic strategy that can win both public support and market acceptance.

Bosses at Britain’s second busiest airport issued the update late on Sunday, after most passengers had a disrupted start to their holidays when restaurants, cafes, and toilets closed

Gatwick Airport has issued an update to passengers over its Monday opening plans following major water supply issues.

Britain’s second-busiest airport lost its water supply for much of Sunday (July 26), prompting restaurants, cafes, and even toilets to close in both terminals. Passengers were given complimentary bottles of water by staff.

The water outage came at the start of the busiest period of the year to fly, so most had a disrupted start to their holidays.

Roger Wood, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, was one. He arrived at Gatwick South Terminal at around 11am on Sunday to fly to New York.

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He told PA: “There was no communication. We arrived at 11ish and it had only started recently.

“We met friends at the bar but they couldn’t serve us as they were unable to wash their hands.

“I’ve never seen Wetherspoons empty. No idea when it’ll be resolved, the toilets also lacked water to wash hands.”

The issue plagued the airport for most of Sunday, but shortly before 10pm yesterday evening, management said water supply has been restored for ‘most’ of its buildings. They hope to reopen the terminals as normal on Monday.

“Following an issue at the Bough Beech Water Treatment Works which impacted the local area today, we are pleased to report that the water supply has now returned to the vast majority of the London Gatwick campus,” the statement said.

“Most toilet facilities are now open and we expect all toilets – as well as food and beverage outlets – to be open for tomorrow’s first flights.

“Since becoming aware of the issue, we have been working closely with SES Water and our airport partners to help minimise the impact, and ensure all today’s flights departed as scheduled. Additional staff remain on hand across both terminals to support passengers and maintain operations as we return to normal operations.

“We recognise the inconvenience caused by today’s water shortage and thank passengers for their patience and understanding. We’d also like to thank airport staff and our partners, who have gone above and beyond to support passengers and keep disruption to a minimum.”

The first flights out of Gatwick leave at 5:20am on Monday. The North terminal’s first departure is easyJet’s service to Athens, while the south terminal’s first take-off will be Wizz Air’s jet to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

1. Praise effort, strategy and persistence

2. Let children do age-appropriate things for themselves

3. Use specific encouragement

4. Give children limited choices to build autonomy

5. Model confidence by showing healthy self-talk after mistakes

The Papua New Guinea swimming team were spotted at Glasgow’s Barras Market for Irn-Bru themed activities.

The Commonwealth Games’ Papua New Guinea swimming team have joined thousands at Glasgow’s iconic Barras Market for the official IRN-BRU games.

The aquatic sports stars visited the popular east end market just hours after competing in the qualifying heats at Tollcross International Swimming Centre on Sunday, July 26. They competed in a host of urban challenges set up by Irn-Bru despite falling short of booking a spot in any of this evening’s medal competitions.

The challenges included a 10 metre Bus Sprint along an orange running track, aiming to beat the number 61 service in less than 1.7 seconds and Bin Ball, where visitors scored empty cans of IRN-BRU into an orange and blue bin through a 3-metre high hoop. The other test was the 20kg bar bell Bag Lifting challenge, weighted entirely by cans of IRN-BRU.

Over 2,000 people of all ages turned up over the weekend to show off their girders as part of the celebrations of the sporting prowess that’s taken over the city.

The challenge caught the attention of keen competitors and famous faces alike, with Scots singer Josef and ex-England rugby international and sports pundit David Flatman also turning up.

To celebrate their wins, each competitor walked away with an ice-cold can of BRU, with some even lucky enough to win an iconic ‘Made in Scotland From Girders’ t-shirt.

Kenny Nicholson, Director of Brand at IRN-BRU, said: “Glasgow is welcoming some of the best sporting talent in the world this summer, but we wanted to champion athletes closer to home too; those people who show up with feats of endurance, strength and a whole lot of girders in the everyday.”

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