Lockdown rules

Filming for Great British Bake Off will be taking place in a brand-new spanking location this year, due to Covid bubbles no longer being needed. The Channel 4 show was one of the few that managed to continue going fairly normally, with the cast and crew sent off to Down Hall Hotel in Essex. They were all required to stay within a Covid bubble , which meant staying in the location for the whole six weeks the show took place. Contestants, crew and the judges were unable to go home at any point to visit their families while the process was ongoing. Now, it’s been reported Love Productions, who is behind the winning format, is on the hunt for a new location to prop up the Bake Off tent. An insider said: ’We won’t be filming in a bubble this year, but protocols will be in place to keep everyone safe. ‘All the team, particularly Prue [Leith], found it really tough not being able to go home each week.’ The source added to The Mirror : ‘They are delighted that … [Read more...] about Great British Bake Off to ‘relocate iconic tent’ as strict Covid rules dropped after 2 years of filming in bubbles

Boris Johnson on Wednesday opened the door to increased immigration from India to the UK in exchange for a trade deal, as he prepared to meet Narendra Modi , the country's prime minister. Speaking from his plane, the Prime Minister said he hoped to strike a trade deal "by the end of the year" and that he had "always been in favour of having people come to this country". He suggested more relaxed rules for Indian immigrants could be offered by the Government in exchange for a speedy deal that allows the two countries to trade without tariffs. "We have a massive shortage in the UK, not least in experts in IT and programmers," Mr Johnson said. "We're short to the tune of hundreds of thousands in our economy. "We need to have a professional approach but it has to be controlled." His comments come after ministers announced they would loosen visa restrictions for Indian students earlier this year. Easier immigration is a key demand of Mr Modi in trade negotiations, and could … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson opens door to increased immigration from India in exchange for trade deal

Since retiring from the Russian army in 2000, Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok has been an éminence grise of military affairs, regularly popping up on state television to give his analysis. He has been at it too long to be too afraid of the Kremlin. In February, he ridiculed as “fantasy” the idea that Ukraine could be easily conquered. On a primetime Rossiya-1 TV show earlier this week, he went further . “We are now in total geopolitical isolation,” he said. “We don’t want to admit it. But practically, the whole world is against us.” The host, Olga Skabeyeva, confronted him immediately. What about India and China, she asked: aren’t they worthy allies? “I’m looking at the bigger picture,” he replied. So is Joe Biden . This morning, he lands in Seoul as part of a five-day trip to salute the Asian flank of the new anti-Putin alliance. His visit makes a point that has not been lost on Colonel Khodarenok: this war is not (as Moscow TV so often says) Russia vs Nato, or Russia vs “the … [Read more...] about Vladimir Putin’s plot to dismantle the West has backfired spectacularly

Turkey on Wednesday vetoed a Nato decision on whether to accept Finland and Sweden into the military alliance in the first official vote on membership. At a “classified” meeting of Nato ambassadors in Brussels, the Turkish representative stopped a vote on their applications , which had been officially submitted earlier in the day, according to sources with knowledge of the discussion. The meeting was called in the hope of agreeing an accelerated accession process in order to head off Russian threats of aggression aimed at the Nordic nations. But the delay has thrown into doubt whether Nato will be able to approve the first stage of Finland and Sweden’s applications before a meeting of its leaders in Madrid on June 28. A source told The Telegraph that Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, has taken wider talks “offline” and will instead focus on smaller meetings in order to overcome Ankara’s opposition. The Turkish veto came hours after Mr Stoltenberg … [Read more...] about Turkey blocks Sweden and Finland’s bids to join Nato

India has arrested a 22-year-old climate activist and ally of Greta Thunberg after she promoted a so-called online "toolkit" that supports the country's protesting farmers. Disha Ravi, a leader from the Indian wing of Ms Thunberg's Friday for Future campaign, was arrested at her home in Bangalore on Saturday and taken to New Delhi for questioning after using social media to distribute the web document. Ms Ravi is accused of using the toolkit, an online document with advice on how to raise awareness about and take part in the farmer protests, for sedition against the Indian government. Her arrest is the latest escalation in India’s crackdown on free expression and political dissent as it seeks to stifle endorsements of the farmers’ mass protests. “She was one of the editors of the toolkit google document and a key conspirator in the document’s formulation and dissemination,” said a Delhi police spokesperson, referring to Ms Ravi. Ms Ravi appeared in a court in New Delhi on … [Read more...] about Indian environmentalist, 22, arrested over support of farmer protests

The renaming of the world's largest cricket stadium after India's prime minister, has renewed accusations of narcissism and a growing personality cult around the nationalist leader, in the latest row over politically-driven name changes in the country. The announcement that the 132,000-seat venue formerly known as Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad would be become the Narendra Modi Stadium sparked delight in his supporters and scorn from political opponents. Mr Modi's gift for oratory and keen populist instincts have made him by far the most popular politician in India, and in 2019 won his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a second term. Yet he has also attracted accusations of vanity and attempting to glorify himself as the founder of a new Hindu India. Critics last week asked whether the stadium's new name was an attempt to bolster his legacy with a relabelling spree. Dedicating sports stadiums to former prime ministers is common in India, but renaming such a high-profile venue for … [Read more...] about Modi accused of remaking India in his image after renaming world’s largest stadium after himself

Facebook has been found censoring posts calling for the resignation of embattled Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. The social media firm briefly blocked users in multiple countries from searching for content with the hashtag #ResignModi, claiming that "some content in those posts" broke its rules. A spokesman said on Wednesday that the block had been reversed and that the company was investigating why it had happened. But the move sparked anger and confusion from Indians, who have suffered a spike in coronavirus cases and deaths and allegations of a government cover-up over the real statistics. The crisis has loosened Mr Modi's traditional grip on the Indian media even as his government uses new laws to force Facebook and Twitter to block specific posts that criticised his response to the pandemic. Hey @Facebook what is this ? pic.twitter.com/reQi0QZGtq — Dr. Srinivas MD (@srinivasaiims) April 28, 2021 Hey @Facebook what is this ? … [Read more...] about Facebook blocks posts calling for Indian prime minister Modi to resign

Boris Johnson has been embroiled in controversy on the first morning of his long-awaited diplomatic visit to India after inaugurating a new JCB factory, one day after the company’s machines were used to illegally bulldoze Muslim homes and businesses in Delhi. JCB is owned by Lord Bamford , who is close with the Prime Minister and backed his Conservative leadership bid in 2019. Through his business interests, he has also donated at least £10 million in cash and gifts to the Conservatives since 2001. On Thursday, civil society activists and members of the Indian public accused the under-fire Mr Johnson of carrying out an ill-timed visit to the plant in Gujarat, the home state of Narendra Modi , the Indian prime minister. Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, a Delhi-based think tank, said: “The people working in Boris Johnson’s office are clearly unaware of the major human rights controversy over the use of JCB machinery in the bulldozing of … [Read more...] about JCB demolition row threatens to bulldoze first day of Boris Johnson’s India trip

Not believing in very much is usually a strength in a politician, and it has served Boris Johnson well. But there are times when it is a weakness and now is one of those times. He had to pretend to be Conservative to get himself out of a hole earlier this year, only to find that he was like a worm that went down when it thought it was coming up. In order to buy off a rebellion among Conservative MPs, who came close to getting rid of him in January, Johnson changed the team in No 10, appointing a cabinet minister, Steve Barclay, as chief of staff to replace Dan Rosenfield. Rosenfield was a political appointment but had been a civil servant, whereas Barclay was a political appointment of an actual politician. Andrew Griffith, a Tory MP, was brought in to head the No 10 policy unit. And David Canzini, a more “political” special adviser than Rosenfield, was brought in as deputy chief of staff. Canzini was quickly credited by Tory MPs with repairing a connection between the … [Read more...] about It won’t be long before Boris Johnson does the popular thing, and adopts Labour’s policy

In his first trip to Asia since taking office, President Joe Biden laid out conditions for meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. "With regard to whether I would meet with the leader of North Korea, that would depend on whether he was sincere and whether he was serious," Biden told reporters on Saturday as he appeared alongside South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at a press event. MORE: Biden embarks for Asia with a heavy focus on China and North Korea Biden campaigned on taking a tougher stance on the North Korean leader than his predecessor. Former President Donald Trump frequently praised Kim, once saying he had a "great and beautiful" vision for his country. Trump and Kim held three high-profile meetings during his presidency. Biden said last year he'd only meet with Kim so long as he committed to a discussion about dismantling North Korea's nuclear arsenal. Yoon, South Korea's newly elected president, reaffirmed Saturday that their shared goal is the … [Read more...] about Biden says meeting with Kim Jong Un would depend on North Korean leader’s seriousness