Low-caste males in India’s western Gujarat state have been attacked for wearing moustaches, prompting the Dalit to launch a social media campaign in support of growing whiskers.The crusade was initiated in the state capital, Gandhinagar, after one young Dalit man was stabbed and others beaten up by Rajputs.Police said the assailants objected to their moustaches, which they believe are the sole preserve of their upper-caste martial clan.“One of the attackers told me that I cannot become a Rajput by just growing a moustache” Krunal Maheria, one of the teenage victims, told NDTV news...…Low-caste males in India’s western Gujarat state have been attacked for wearing moustaches, prompting the Dalit to launch a social media campaign in support of growing whiskers.The crusade was initiated in the state capital, Gandhinagar, after one young Dalit man was stabbed and others beaten up by Rajputs.Police said the assailants objected to their moustaches, which they believe are the sole preserve of their upper-caste martial clan.“One of the attackers told me that I cannot become a Rajput by just growing a moustache” Krunal Maheria, one of the teenage victims, told NDTV news...WW…

n additional 778 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals in the UK to 12,107, the Department of Health has said.It comes as care home deaths related to the coronavirus increased tenfold in a week, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.In the week ending April 3 there were 217 deaths in care homes related to coronavirus, up from 20 in previous week.During the same period, 16,387 deaths were registered in England and Wales, the highest death toll since...…n additional 778 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals in the UK to 12,107, the Department of Health has said.It comes as care home deaths related to the coronavirus increased tenfold in a week, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.In the week ending April 3 there were 217 deaths in care homes related to coronavirus, up from 20 in previous week.During the same period, 16,387 deaths were registered in England and Wales, the highest death toll since...WW…

                                                                                                   &nb...…                                                                                                   &nb...WW…

When listing his regrets about the pandemic, Boris Johnson has started to tell friends that he was let down by his own liberal instincts. That he hoped for too long that Britain could, like Sweden, fight the virus through consent rather than diktat – getting through this without abolishing basic freedoms. His fear at the time was irreversibility. If sacred principles were jettisoned in an emergency, would they ever be restored? Might he end up unleashing something he’d struggle to control?It was a good question. Covid levels are now so low in Britain that the Prime Minister could have...…When listing his regrets about the pandemic, Boris Johnson has started to tell friends that he was let down by his own liberal instincts. That he hoped for too long that Britain could, like Sweden, fight the virus through consent rather than diktat – getting through this without abolishing basic freedoms. His fear at the time was irreversibility. If sacred principles were jettisoned in an emergency, would they ever be restored? Might he end up unleashing something he’d struggle to control?It was a good question. Covid levels are now so low in Britain that the Prime Minister could have...WW…

With a warm weather front promising to bake Britain over the Easter Bank Holiday, Government ministers blitzed the media with the clearest of warnings: "Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives."Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, as the Queen stepped in thanking Britons for staying at home to protect the vulnerable. "Many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones, but we know deep down that it is the right thing to do," Her Majesty said.The coronavirus death toll and hospital admissions were rising and the economy nose-diving in what was seen as an acceptable cost in...…With a warm weather front promising to bake Britain over the Easter Bank Holiday, Government ministers blitzed the media with the clearest of warnings: "Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives."Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, as the Queen stepped in thanking Britons for staying at home to protect the vulnerable. "Many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones, but we know deep down that it is the right thing to do," Her Majesty said.The coronavirus death toll and hospital admissions were rising and the economy nose-diving in what was seen as an acceptable cost in...WW…

An alleged US mercenary captured in Venezuela has been paraded on state TV,  where he claimed he was part of a plan ordered by Donald Trump to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro.Luke Denman, a former Green Beret who was arrested on Monday trying to “invade” Venezuela, said he was instructed to seize control of Caracas' airport and bring in a plane to fly Mr Maduro to the US, which has put out a $15 million (£12m) bounty on his capture.He claimed he signed a contract with Florida-based private security firm, Silvercorp, to train rebel troops and carry out the assault in exchange for up to...…An alleged US mercenary captured in Venezuela has been paraded on state TV,  where he claimed he was part of a plan ordered by Donald Trump to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro.Luke Denman, a former Green Beret who was arrested on Monday trying to “invade” Venezuela, said he was instructed to seize control of Caracas' airport and bring in a plane to fly Mr Maduro to the US, which has put out a $15 million (£12m) bounty on his capture.He claimed he signed a contract with Florida-based private security firm, Silvercorp, to train rebel troops and carry out the assault in exchange for up to...WW…

otels in the smaller islands of Spain, including Formentera in the Balearics, and La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa in the Canaries, have been able to reopen from May 4 at 30 per cent capacity as part of a  introduced by the Spanish government to get the country – and its vital tourism industry – back on track. There's a significant problem, however – travellers have no way of reaching them, even from mainland Spain.Larger islands such as Majorca will be able to reopen a week later, from May 11, in line with the rest of Spain, but Spanish citizens will only...…otels in the smaller islands of Spain, including Formentera in the Balearics, and La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa in the Canaries, have been able to reopen from May 4 at 30 per cent capacity as part of a  introduced by the Spanish government to get the country – and its vital tourism industry – back on track. There's a significant problem, however – travellers have no way of reaching them, even from mainland Spain.Larger islands such as Majorca will be able to reopen a week later, from May 11, in line with the rest of Spain, but Spanish citizens will only...WW…

Coronavirus cases in France continue to fall one month after ending the strict eight-week lockdown, with no 'second peak' in infections as restaurants open, children return to school and families travel for weekend breaks.The figures offer a rosy picture for Emmanuel Macron, the president, to present to the nation in an address on Sunday night that will attempt to reassure an anxious public that the government has a viable “post-virus” plan to put the country back on its feet.Authorities say there are only 933 virus patients in intensive care across the country, down from 7,148 in April....…Coronavirus cases in France continue to fall one month after ending the strict eight-week lockdown, with no 'second peak' in infections as restaurants open, children return to school and families travel for weekend breaks.The figures offer a rosy picture for Emmanuel Macron, the president, to present to the nation in an address on Sunday night that will attempt to reassure an anxious public that the government has a viable “post-virus” plan to put the country back on its feet.Authorities say there are only 933 virus patients in intensive care across the country, down from 7,148 in April....WW…

So loathed is Donald Trump by Western liberals that one suspects he could ban guns, introduce a universal basic income and allow gender self-ID on the census, and they would probably still find something to condemn. Even so, the President’s from the World Health Organisation has sparked a remarkable level of outrage given this is a temporary freeze.This is not to say that Mr Trump’s detractors are wrong to question his motives. The President, a consummate electioneer, is clearly trying to divert attention away from . But even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and Mr Trump is right...…So loathed is Donald Trump by Western liberals that one suspects he could ban guns, introduce a universal basic income and allow gender self-ID on the census, and they would probably still find something to condemn. Even so, the President’s from the World Health Organisation has sparked a remarkable level of outrage given this is a temporary freeze.This is not to say that Mr Trump’s detractors are wrong to question his motives. The President, a consummate electioneer, is clearly trying to divert attention away from . But even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and Mr Trump is right...WW…

When I was a boy in the 1960s, very old people used to talk about the joys of travel before the First World War. You could go from London to St Petersburg without a passport, they recalled. One could understand their nostalgia. Even in the peaceful Sixties, and even when a traveller was entering allied countries, the formalities of entry were tedious (often including strict currency controls). As for the hostile countries of the Communist bloc, entering and moving round them was such a struggle that most people avoided that half of Europe altogether.With the end of the Cold War, and the EEC...…When I was a boy in the 1960s, very old people used to talk about the joys of travel before the First World War. You could go from London to St Petersburg without a passport, they recalled. One could understand their nostalgia. Even in the peaceful Sixties, and even when a traveller was entering allied countries, the formalities of entry were tedious (often including strict currency controls). As for the hostile countries of the Communist bloc, entering and moving round them was such a struggle that most people avoided that half of Europe altogether.With the end of the Cold War, and the EEC...WW…