26 Indian-origin MPs elected to UK Parliament
A record number of around 26 Indian-origin members of Parliament were elected to the House of Commons in the UK’s general election as results were announced in July 2024 handing a landslide victory to the Labour Party after 14 years.
Several Conservatives survived an overall brutal outcome, and notable among them was outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a decisive win in his Richmond and Northallerton constituency in Yorkshire. Barrister Suella Braverman won from the newly-created Fareham and Waterlooville constituency. She has represented the people of Fareham since 2015, being re-elected in 2017 and 2019.
While Priti Patel secured a win in Witham in Essex, Goan-origin Claire Coutinho secured a win from East Surrey. Gagan Mohindra held on to his South West Hertfordshire seat for the Conservatives and Shivani Raja registered a gain for the party in the keenly watched constituency of Leicester East where she was contesting against fellow Indian-origin Labour candidate Rajesh Agrawal.
Reflective of the overall election results tally, it was the Labour Party that saw the maximum number of winning Indian diaspora candidates, starting with party veterans such as Seema Malhotra – who held on to her Feltham and Heston constituency with a comfortable margin.
Valerie Vaz won in Walsall and Bloxwich, Sojan Joseph was elected from Ashford, Sonia Kumar from Dudley, Gurinder Josan from Smethwick, Warinder Juss from Wolverhampton West and Harpreet Uppal was elected from Huddersfield. While Lisa Nandy won with a big margin in Wigan, British Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill defeated Tory first-timer Ashvir Sangha in Birmingham. Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi won back his seat for Labour in Slough and Navendu Mishra registered a win from Stockport.
Labour's Nadia Whittome won from Nottingham East, Jas Athwal was elected from Ilford South and Baggy Shankar secured a win from Derby South. For the Liberal Democrats, who had a good election gaining over 60 seats, Munira Wilson won back her Twickenham constituency.
Attacks on Hindu Mandirs in Brampton
In October 2024 the quiet suburban city of Brampton, located just outside of Toronto, Ontario became the epicenter of a disturbing series of attacks on Hindu temples. These attacks, which included vandalism, defacement, and violent protests, sent shockwaves throughout the local and global Hindu communities. However, the deeper question behind these incidents is not just about isolated acts of hate but about the disturbing rise of anti-Hindu sentiment in Canada, fueled in part by political forces and a lack of accountability at the highest levels of government.
Brampton, home to one of the largest Hindu populations in Canada, witnessed multiple attacks on its Hindu temples, with incidents ranging from graffiti, broken windows, and statues being vandalized, to larger-scale violent protests against Hindu religious gatherings. These acts of desecration have been particularly alarming due to their organized and seemingly coordinated nature. But even more troubling was the apparent lack of immediate and decisive action by the authorities to prevent or punish the perpetrators.
Indian Ambassador to Laos Prashant Agrawal (center) with the rescued workers. (Photo courtesy: X@IndianEmbLaos)
The attacks were widely attributed to radical elements within the Sikh separatist movement, particularly those pushing for the creation of a Khalistani state. These groups, operating with the support of several foreign entities, have repeatedly targeted Hindu institutions in Canada, Brampton, with its large Indian diaspora, became a focal point for their campaign.
47 Indians rescued from ‘cyber scam centers’ in Laos
At least 47 Indians who were trapped in ‘cyber scam centers’, were rescued from Bokeo province in Laos in September 2024. The Indian embassy in the Southeast Asian nation assisted in rescuing 635 Indians from Laos and ensured their safe return home.
The Indians caught in cyber scam centers were within the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Bokeo province. Of these, 29 were handed over to the Embassy by Laos authorities after their crackdown on illegal activities in Golden Triangle SEZ, while other 18 had approached the Embassy in distress, seeking help.
The scammers would impersonate women on dating apps to chat with potential victims. After some time, they would convince the target to invest in cryptocurrency trading. Many were duped in India this way. The “cyber slaves” were deprived of food and rest if they failed to meet their daily targets.
10-year-old British Indian outranks Einstein in IQ
Krish Arora, a 10-year-old Indian-British boy from Hounslow in West London, stunned the world by achieving an IQ score of 162, outranking the estimated IQs of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. This score places Krish in the top one per cent of the most intelligent people in the world.
Krish has been accepted into Mensa, a society for highly intelligent individuals. He is also set to join Queen Elizabeth’s School, a highly regarded grammar school in the UK. Speaking about his experience with exams, Krish said, “The 11-plus exams were too easy.” He expressed excitement about starting at his new school, hoping it will provide a better challenge for his abilities. “Primary school is boring, I don’t learn anything. All we do is multiplication and write sentences all day. I like to do algebra,” he said.
Krish Arora has been accepted into Mensa, a society for highly intelligent individuals. (Photo courtesy: X@UKinIndia)
Krish’s parents, Mauli and Nischal, both engineers, first noticed his abilities when he was four-years-old. Mauli, who works in IT firm. At four, he completed an entire math book in three hours. He was doing decimal divisions at the age of four.
At the age of eight, Krish completed a full year’s worth of curriculum in a single day.
In addition to his academic achievements, Krish is also an accomplished musician. He has won awards as a pianist and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame by Trinity College of Music after completing four grades in just six months. He currently holds a grade 7 piano certificate.
Street named after Kerala-born doctor in Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) named a street in Abu Dhabi in July 2024 after an Indian-origin doctor as part of the “Honoring UAE’s Visionaries: Commemorative Streets” project initiated by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT).
The George Matthew Street is located near Sheikh Shakbooth Medical City in Al Mafraq, honoring the 57-year-long service to the UAE’s healthcare system.
Dr George Matthew contributed to the growth of modern medicine in the UAE. (Photo courtesy: dmt.gov.ae)
Arriving in the UAE at the age of 26 in 1967, Dr Matthew started his service as a general practitioner and was affectionately called “Matyous” by the locals. He contributed to the growth of modern medicine in the UAE and held several key positions throughout his career, including Medical Director of Al Ain Region in 1972 and Health Authority Consultant in 2001.
He pursued specialized studies in tropical diseases in England and hospital management at Harvard. He also served as a valuable educator, training healthcare workers and earning the trust of colleagues and the community. His dedication earned him the privilege of serving the royal family, including the late Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. In recognition of his service, the UAE granted Dr Matthew and his family citizenship ten years ago.
Originally from Thumpamon, Pathanamthitta in Kerala, Dr Matthew graduated from Trivandrum Medical College in 1963.
