Prasun Sonwalkar

Stories by Prasun Sonwalkar

UK pilots threaten strike over identity cards

UK pilots threaten strike over identity cards

Rediff.com   18 Nov 2008

The pilots and aviation workers, who would be among the first UK citizens to be issued with the controversial national identity card, have threatened to go on strike if they are forced to apply for the cards.The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which represents 10,000 of the 12,000 commercial pilots and flight engineers in Britain, said its members were being treated as "guinea pigs".

Jaguar Land Rover to cut 200 jobs

Jaguar Land Rover to cut 200 jobs

Rediff.com   17 Oct 2008

Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to shed 200 jobs across its UK operations but claimed that the redundancies were not connected with the economic downturn or slump in car sales.

UK firms urged to invest in India

UK firms urged to invest in India

Rediff.com   17 Oct 2008

Indian high commissioner Shiv Shankar Mukherjee has asked the British companies, based in Birmingham and other towns in the West Midlands, to expand and avail of opportunities offered by India.

UK: Cautious response to 'Mahatma Gandhi Marg'

UK: Cautious response to 'Mahatma Gandhi Marg'

Rediff.com   17 Sep 2008

The appeal by GMC was made to the mayors of 10 cities that include London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Leicester to name one of their major streets as 'Mahatma Gandhi Marg'.

Indian chefs welcome, not IT pros: UK panel

Indian chefs welcome, not IT pros: UK panel

Rediff.com   9 Sep 2008

Indian chefs will be allowed to work in Britain's multi-million pound Indian restaurant industry, but Indian IT workers are no longer required in the UK, a key government committee on immigration said on Tuesday.

Indians better at English than the British

Indians better at English than the British

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2008

An Indian-origin university lecturer told PTI that British students even in their second year of degree study, use "atrocious" English language in their assignments. He said that he often found it challenging to figure out what students wanted to express in English. International students, in contrast, had better English language skills, he added.

Raja Rammohun Roy's tomb restored in Bristol

Raja Rammohun Roy's tomb restored in Bristol

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2008

The tomb is located in Arnos Vale Cemetery on the city outskirts. It was built in 1843 by Dwarkanath Tagore, who along with Roy founded the socio-religious reform movement Brahma Sabha (later became Brahmo Samaj). Carla Contractor, a local historian who has interacted closely with the Indian high commission and others to preserve and cherish Roy's association with Bristol, told PTI that the restoration and repair was complete.

Brits rally behind Kerala granny's stay in UK

Brits rally behind Kerala granny's stay in UK

Rediff.com   25 Jul 2008

A campaign has been launched by a British daily asking the Home Office to allow her to continue stay in the UK and legal experts offered free service to her in the case.

3 Indians for PM's Cambridge scholarships

3 Indians for PM's Cambridge scholarships

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2008

The three scholars, who will pursue doctoral study at the St John's College of the Cambridge University, are: Niladri Banerjee, 24; Nitu Duggal, 31; and Manasa Patnam, 24.

Court allows Indians to return to UK

Court allows Indians to return to UK

Rediff.com   11 Jul 2008

Over 5,000 highly skilled migrants, most of them Indians, left Britain following the changes that were challenged in the high court. The court ruled on April 8 this year that the November 2006 changes could not be applied retrospectively.

Britain, a hotspot for Indian tourists

Britain, a hotspot for Indian tourists

Rediff.com   5 Jul 2008

Indian visitor numbers rose from 205,000 to 367,000 in 2006 and are expected to increase at a greater rate. The average spend by an Indian tourist is 793 pounds, compared with 710 pounds by an American tourist.

Rushdie leads 'Best of the Booker' race

Rushdie leads 'Best of the Booker' race

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2008

India-born controversial author Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children' has established an unassailable lead over five other contenders in global public voting for the Best of the Booker award.

Now brain drain from Britain to India

Now brain drain from Britain to India

Rediff.com   3 Jul 2008

Thousands of people face the prospect of losing their jobs due to the current credit crunch and a downturn in the British economy. A steep rise in the cost of living in recent months has further prompted professionals to look beyond borders. Fresh MBA graduates from the University of Oxford's Said Business School have taken the initiative to organise a recruitment fair in Mumbai on July 30 and 31. They have already received an enthusiastic response from potential recruiters.

UK: Sikhs upset over desecration of war memorial

UK: Sikhs upset over desecration of war memorial

Rediff.com   27 Jun 2008

The large Sikh community in the west Midlands town of Coventry is outraged after a memorial in honour of Sikh soldiers was desecrated by miscreants who tied a pig's head to the structure. The war memorial was put up near a central roundabout by the community in 2005 to honour the 83,000 Sikh soldiers who fought in the British army during the two World Wars.

UK eyes India to meet staff shortage

UK eyes India to meet staff shortage

Rediff.com   25 Jun 2008

India is one of the top three sources of international recruitment for British employers struggling to meet talent shortages, according to a major industry report.

UK students outsource 'homework' to India

UK students outsource 'homework' to India

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2008

British students are using Indian expertise in information technology to complete their course assignments by posting them on outsourcing websites and buying the completed coursework.Called 'contract cheating' in academic circles, lecturers in computing department in universities are in a tizzy since such coursework is of high quality and difficult to detect through normal plagiarism detection software.The students pay amounts ranging from 5 to 50 pounds for the complete work

Indian woman threatens to sue UK minister

Indian woman threatens to sue UK minister

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2008

An Indian-origin civil rights campaigner has threatened to sue a cabinet minister for allegedly insinuating that her relationship with former shadow Home Secretary David Davis was inappropriate.Shami Chakrabarti, 39, the prominent director of civil rights group Liberty, has demanded a public apology from Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, who she accuses of tawdry character assassination and innuendo.

Indian doctor in UK banned from practice

Indian doctor in UK banned from practice

Rediff.com   18 Jun 2008

An Indian doctor working in Britain's National Health Service has been prohibited from treating female patients except in emergencies after complaints of 'inappropriate' examination of two women patients in August 2002.

Indian doc barred from practising in UK

Indian doc barred from practising in UK

Rediff.com   8 Jun 2008

British authorities have barred a middle-aged Indian doctor from practicing for a year and threatened to revoke his license permanently after he was accused by a woman patient of behaving indecently during a breast examination. At the general Medical Council hearing in Manchester, it was ruled that Pattar's fitness to practice had been 'impaired' and that a 12-month suspension was imposed on his registration with the GMC.

Losses spoil Bilimoria's India dream

Losses spoil Bilimoria's India dream

Rediff.com   6 Jun 2008

The company's statement of accounts filed at the Companies House reveals that its losses have nearly trebled despite a 42 per cent rise in revenues. The company acquired its first brewery in India in January as part of its efforts to capture 10 per cent of the booming market. Pre-tax losses at the UK-based company hit 13.1 million pounds in the 12 months to the end of July last year against a loss of 4.4 million in the same period a year earlier, The Daily Telegraph reported.