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Leading groups from the Black, Asian communities, along with those representing disabled people and others, have joined with Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and others, to express their fears about the Government's plans to abolish the Commission for Racial Equality and replace it with a new multi-equality body - the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights.

MOVE YOUR MIND FORUMS

Parveen Batish, General Manager of Sales and Marketing Strategy at Saab Great Britain, has pioneered a series of groundbreaking new initiatives specifically targeted at the British Asian Community. The 'Move Your Mind' forums, which will be launched at City Hall on Wednesday 1st February 2006.

CRE CHAIR CALLS FOR NEW COMMISSION FOR INTEGRATION

Trevor Phillips, CRE Chair, last night called for a new commission to meet the integration challenges facing Britain. Mr Phillips, said: "We are faced with some very real challenges that need creative handling. For example: Sikh activists who think that their feelings of offence caused by a play are more important than the principle of freedom of expression".

THE ASIAN WHO'S WHO AWARDS 2005

The Asian Who's Who Awards this year celebrated its 30th anniversary of publishing the annual guide to the great and good of the Asian community. Asian Who's Who International was established in 1975 as a direct result of negative press associated with the perceived high levels of immigration at the time. The Asian of The Year 2005 accolade was awarded to leading charity worker Surina Narula.

IMRAN KHAN APPOINTED CHANCELLOR OF BRADFORD UNI.

Imran Khan receiving his Asian Jewel Award 2004

Former cricketing legend turned politician, Imran Khan, will become the University of Bradford's fifth Chancellor when he is officially installed at a special ceremony on Wednesday 7 December 2005. Before that, Imran Khan will lay a foundation stone for the University's new Institute of Cancer Therapeutics. Imran Khan succeeds Baroness Betty Lockwood as the University's fifth Chancellor since its foundation in 1966.

SNOW-PROOF SHELTERS NEEDED IN KASHMIR

CINI (the Child In Need Institute) is urgently calling for further donations to fund the provision of crucial supplies for Kashmir before winter closes in. According to CINI-India Director, Dr Samir Chaudhuri, "Whatever can be achieved in this limited time will make a huge difference in terms of reducing preventable deaths".

NAZIA HASSAN FOUNDATIONS AWARDS 2005

The Nazia Hassan Foundation Award ceremony was held at the House of Commons on 17 November 2005. The event attracted community leaders and MPs, the diplomatic community, heads of leading business and financial houses and representatives of British and Asian media groups.

SRI LANKAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

The UK Presidency of the EU noted the results of the Presidential election in Sri Lanka on 17 November and extended its congratulations to Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa. The statement added, "We condemn the violent incidents which marred what was otherwise a peaceful campaign. We also deeply regret reports that people in the north and east of Sri Lanka were prevented from exercising their democratic right to vote."

BUDDHIST, HINDU, MUSLIM & SIKH CHAPLAINS FOR MOD

Left to right: Chaplain General - The Rev. David Wilkes; Muslim Immam – Asim Hafiz; Buddhist Chaplain – Dr Sunil Kariyakarawana; Dr Reid SofS for Defence; Hindu Chaplain – Krishan Attri; Jewish Chaplain – Rabbi Malcolm Weisman; Sikh chaplain – Mandeep Kaur.

The newly appointed Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh Chaplains to the Armed Forces were today welcomed to their roles by the Secretary of State for Defence, John Reid. They are all civilians with cross-service responsibilities.

MAYOR SLAMS PLAN TO ABOLISH THE CRE

Government plans to abolish the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and set up a new multi-equality body may push the cause of anti-racism backwards unless significant amendments are made to the Equality Bill, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, warned today. He called on London's BME communities to make their voices heard.

ASIAN TAXI DRIVERS NEEDED FOR LONDON

A series of roadshows to encourage people from Black, Asian and ethnic minorities to consider becoming licensed taxi drivers was launched by the Mayor of London on 15 November. Presently only one in 20 existing taxi drivers is from Black, Asian and ethnic minorities.

WREATH LAYING CEREMONY HONOURS ASIAN VOLUNTEERS

The Memorial Gates Committee wreath laying ceremony on 11 November 2005 at the Memorial Gates paid special tribute to the five million men and women from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Africa and the Caribbean who volunteered to serve with the Armed Forces of Britain during the First and Second World Wars.

ROYAL MAIL TO AVOID SELLING OFFENSIVE 68P STAMP

The Hindu Forum of Britain today welcomed Royal Mail's decision to not issue the 68 pence Christmas stamp to customers unless specifically requested. The 68p Christmas stamp featured a picture of Hindus worshipping Baby Christ, and had led to calls for its withdrawal by the majority of Hindu organisations in the UK.

PROGRESSIVE BRITISH MUSLIMS GROUP LAUNCHED

Farmida Bi, co-founder of the Progressive British Muslim Group.

A new group calling itself 'Progressive British Muslims' was launched on 10 November 2005. The group has been formed in response to statements from mainstream media that they are not able to represent articulate, progressively minded Muslims in the media because they don't know how to find them. The founders of PBM comprise doctors, lawyers, journalists, civil servants and other professionals, based in London.

BRITAIN TO FUND FIRST HINDU STATE SCHOOL

The Government has announced that Harrow, a suburb of London, is to get the first state funded Hindu School in Britain. The funding of £9.8millon will be used to establish the school in Harrow which is likely to open in 2008 at the earliest. 20 per cent of Harrow residents are Hindu, some 40,000 people, the highest percentage in the country.

ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN THE CIVIL SERVICE

Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, today unveiled a 10-Point Plan to raise the pace towards a representative workforce. The Plan introduces a major programme of change aimed at achieving a diverse workforce at all levels of the Civil Service, including the most senior.

ETHNIC MINORITIES FEEL MOST BRITISH

Feeling British could provide the glue for a more cohesive society, new research issued today suggests. A survey by the CRE asked people from a variety of cultures 'What is Britishness?' The results showed Britishness represented very similar values and attributes to all sections of society, and that all groups identified in some way with being British.

HIGHWAY CODE FOR MULTI ETHNIC BRITAIN

Today Trevor Phillips, Chair, Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) spoke at the Conservative Party Conference Muslim Forum in Blackpool about the need for people to get along in a society which is increasingly multiethnic. Mr Phillips said: "Globalisation means that the rules of multiethnic Britain are under constant challenge as we encounter new cultures and our own culture changes.

SLEEPWALKING TO SEGREGATION

Britain is moving towards segregation, adding urgency to the need to drive forward the process of integration, the CRE announced today. Trevor Phillips, CRE Chair said "Post 7/7, the race relations industry has provided a vital post-emergency service which will have to be continued in the medium to long-term to address the increasing segregation of our communities."

TACKLING TERRORISM - BEHAVIOURS UNACCEPTABLE IN THE UK

Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, today published a list of certain types of behaviours that will form the basis for deporting individuals from the UK. It makes clear that those who would attempt to foment terrorism or provoke others to commit terrorist acts are not welcome in the UK.

END UK PAKISTANI & BANGLADESHI POVERTY SAYS TUC

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber is to visit the East London Mosque to launch a new TUC report calling for Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh to be made a major target for government programmes to create jobs and end poverty and poor health. Mr Barber is meeting community groups to promote social inclusion.

SHORTAGE OF ASIAN CHARITY TRUSTEES

Research has revealed that only 5% of people running the 190,000 charities in the UK are from an ethnic background. Volunteering charity TimeBank and the Charity Commission today launched the ‘Get on Board’ campaign to encourage more people from diverse communities to bring their passions and skills to the table by becoming a charity trustee.

SWARAJ PAUL TO ENSURE DELIVERY OF LONDON 2012 GAMES

Lord Swaraj Paul, the newly-appointed chair of the LDA's Olympic Delivery Committee.

Announcing the selected contractor for the power lines tunnel across the Lower Lea Valley, newly-appointed chair of the LDA's Olympic Delivery Committee Lord Swaraj Paul, has taken up the Mayor's direction to TFL & the LDA to prepare for the 2012 Games.

QED (UK) SUPPORTS LUTON'S DIVERSITY AWARDS

Bradford-based charity QED-UK is supporting the University of Luton's second Multicultural Awards for Competitiveness and Enterprise (MACE 2005). The Awards are open to all UK businesses that have embraced diversity in their business. Applicants must demonstrate their achievements through gender, ethnic or national diversity in the workplace.

JOHN ABRAHAM GIVES BIRDS THEIR FREEDOM

Standing tall, his sculpted body silhouetted against the blue sky, model-turned-actor John Abraham holds an empty birdcage, asking for independence for caged birds this week. John Abraham has been among the first to stand up for the rights of animals, whether that means reprimanding an errant tonga-wallah for whipping his overloaded horse or stuffing himself into a birdcage to pose for a PETA ad.

SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY LISTED IN TOP 3

Dr Pravinbhai Patel, Vice Chancellor of the Sardar Patel University

Sardar Patel University has been declared on of the three best Universities of India alongside the University of Pune and Manipal University (Karnataka). The University, won a double accolade when Dr. Pravin J. Patel, the Vice Chancellor of Sardar Patel University, was awarded the IBM 'Inspiring Vice Chancellor of the Year Award 2005' for his contributions in IT.

MAYOR REJECTS ATTACKS ON MUSLIM COUNCIL OF BRITAIN

The Mayor of London today condemned what he described as a 'witch-hunt' of the mainstream representative body of British Muslims, saying that attempts to paint them as extremists would damage community relations and hinder the fight against terrorism. The Muslim Council of Britain has come under fire this week in several newspapers.

MUSLIM RESPONSE TO ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES

Leading Muslim groups and personalities in the UK have come together to issue a six point statement in response to some of the recently proposed anti-terrorism measures in the aftermath of the London bombings. Signatories of the statement include Islamic Human Rights Commission and the Islamic Forum Europe amongst others.

HIZB UT-TAHRIR RESPONDS TO THE PRIME MINISTER'S BAN

Dr Imran Waheed, Media Representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir

Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers will sign a nationwide petition after Friday prayers today as part of a campaign opposing government proposals to silence legitimate political expression in the Muslim community including the banning of the non-violent Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir.

FAITH LEADERS CELEBRATE FRIENDSHIP

His Holiness 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinlay Thaye Dorje

The Hindu Forum of Britain hosted an evening of Friendship and Trust with leaders from the World’s seven largest Faiths; Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Jainism and Sikhism on 8 August. The event was a celebration of friendship and trust between faith communities in the presence of His Holiness 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinlay Thaye Dorje.

BOLLYWOOD STAR PROMOTES TRAVEL AWARENESS IN LONDON

Bollywood heartthrob Bobby Deol has become the first Indian actor to support the Mayor of London's travel awareness initiative, called 'good going: travel awareness in London'. The son of Indian screen legend Dharmendra, Bobby was in London promoting his new film Barsaat (Rainfall) which marks the first Bollywood film tie-in with a Mayor of London's scheme.

ROLE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN COUNTERING TERRORISM

Foreign Office Minister Ian Pearson today launched the FCO's Annual Report on Human Rights. Mr Pearson said: "Two weeks ago we watched and listened with mounting horror as the full scale of the terrorist attacks on London became apparent. The events of that terrible day remind us that there is no human right more sacred than the right to be alive."

IT'S RACISM, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

We must all wake up to the changing face of racism the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) announced. On the publication of its annual report for 2004, Trevor Phillips, CRE Chair, said: "The nature of racism is changing subtly, but critically. We cannot respond by recycling the slogans of the '70s and '80s when race was regarded as a black and white affair.

SIX CHILDREN AND A DEGREE!

Having six children has not stopped 36-year old Nasreen Ali from obtaining a degree. She graduated this week from Bradford University with BA in Social Sciences and Humanities. Nasreen, from Keighley in West Yorkshire, eventually plans to go into social work. She said: “Mature mums like me need to get back into education."

MUMBAI FLOODS HIT LIVELIHOODS OF THE POOREST

The recent flooding in Mumbai has destroyed thousands of peoples' livelihoods according to an assessment by Oxfam. Although the city of Mumbai is the worst affected area, tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land have also been flooded during the key rice planting season.

ASIAN HEADTEACHER WINS REGIONAL TEACHING AWARD

Yasmin Bevan of Denbigh High School, Bedfordshire was named the Regional Winner of the RAF Award for Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School for the East of England. She collected her award on 29 June 2005 in Norwich. The style of Yasmin's headship was described as outstanding by OFSTED.

OPENING OF LONDON TERROR MEMORIAL

The secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Ramesh Kallidai joined Cultural Secretary Tessa Jowell, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and leaders of the capital's faith communities to open the first memorial to the victims of the London terror attacks.

TONY BLAIR MEETS MUSLIM LEADERS

Tony Blair today discussed the UK's community relations in the aftermath of the London bombings. He met with senior Muslims, as well as representatives from the opposition parties, in Downing Street. Speaking afterwards, Mr Blair said there was a 'strong desire' from those who met to set up a task force to speak to young Muslims in the UK 'and confront this evil ideology and defeat it.

HINDU FORUM MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR BOMBING VICTIMS