Festival opens with World Premiere of Minimum on 2nd May, BFI IMAX, London Closing Film to welcome actress, Rasika Dugal, at UK Premiere of Lord Curzon Ki Haveli, on 11th May, Regent Street Cinema Veteran actress, Karisma Kapoor, among luminaries attending Closing Gala on 12th May, Kiln Theatre Legendary actress, Supriya Pathak Kapur, to attend World Premiere of Baby Crasto on 8th May, Harrow Arts Centre 50 industry years marked at Celebrating The Golden Girl: Shabana Azmi on Tuesday 7th May, Somerville College, Oxford Festival runs 2nd -12th  May in venues across London, Leicester ..read more

Birmingham Phoenix celebrated the conclusion of the Ramadan Midnight Cricket League with Jacob Bethell and The Hundred trophy attending finals night in the Edgbaston Cricket Centre. With sessions run over three weeks until Eid ul-Fitr, the Ramadan Midnight Cricket League was developed through the Warwickshire Cricket Board’s (WCB) Chance to Shine Street Programme in 2021 with free sessions for 16–24-year-olds. Bethell, who held a Q&A and offered a masterclass, assisted with the umpiring and scoring as four local teams battled it out for the right to call themselves champions in the early ..read more

Tributes are pouring in following the passing of the ‘inspirational’ former councillor Zaheer Khan. The father of three, who served as the representative for the Small Heath ward, passed away at the age of 46 after a courageous battle with leukaemia. Messages of sympathy poured in on Wednesday 17th April from political allies, friends, and colleagues for the ‘Labour Legend’ who will be deeply missed. Majid Mahmood, Cabinet member for Environment and representative of Bromford and Hodge Hill ward, shared his sadness, saying, “I am saddened by the passing of former @BhamCityCouncil Cllr Haji Za ..read more

NASA has been directed to create a standard time zone for the moon to make sure communications are synchronised and data transfers in space are secure. But the same clock on Earth would move differently on the moon – making the time zone both vital and complicated to develop. The moon will get its own time zone after the White House directed NASA to develop a unified lunar time standard by the end of 2026. The Coordinated Lunar Time, or LTC, would provide a time-keeping benchmark for lunar spacecraft and satellites that will require extreme precision for their missions. Having a standard luna ..read more

Michaela School’s founder and head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh A Muslim student has lost a High Court challenge agains her school’s prayer ban. The High Court heard that about half of the school’s 700 students are Muslim, and in March 2023, approximately 30 students began praying in the schoolyard, using blazers as prayer pads. The student, attending Michaela School in Brent, took legal action against the policy, arguing it constituted a discriminatory ban on prayer. The non-faith secondary school, led by it’s founder and head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh, defended its position in court, st ..read more

Nazim Ali and Mohammed Azeem made 8-year-old Faizan Raza’s day with an Avengers helicopter toy In his second round of toy distribution this year, once again, Nazim Ali created smiles for poorly children at Airedale Hospital. Handing out over gifts in the spirit of Eid-Ul-Fitr, the prolific fundraiser marked the end of Ramadan with his good friend Mohammed Azeem. This now makes it his 41st ‘Creating Smiles’ toy distribution over the last eleven years. Having raised an astonishing £900,000 for charity over the last decade alone, his recent bout saw him hand out over 30 toys for poorly children a ..read more

Did you know diabetes can cause sight loss? Dr Evelyn Mensah, Clinical Lead for Ophthalmology at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust explains: “If you have diabetes, you’re at risk of a diabetic eye disease called diabetic retinopathy.” Screening helps to protect your eyes Diabetes causes the level of glucose in our blood, also known as blood sugar, to rise. “When it’s high for a long time, blood sugar can damage blood vessels, arteries, organs and tissues, including those in the retina, at the back of the eye,” says Dr Mensah. “When the blood vessels in our eyes are affected ..read more

World Premiere of The Accountants at Manchester’s new cultural landmark space Aviva Studios  From 4th May – 11th May 2024  Book your tickets here The cultural superpowers of China and India go head-to-head in The Accountants, a high-tech, multimedia stage production about navigating cultural expectations and finding one’s own path in life. Factory International presents the World Premiere of Keith Khan’s The Accountants (7-11 May) a brand new stage production combining dance choreographed by global dance icons Terence Lewis and Xie Xin, transnational soundscape, and innova ..read more

The much-awaited trailer of Do Aur Do Pyaar has finally graced our screens, with a delightful blend of romance, humour, and infectious music! Presented by Applause Entertainment, an Ellipsis Entertainment production, Do Aur Do Pyaar is a celebration of love, laughter, and the complexities of modern relationships. Directed by award-winning ad filmmaker Shirsha Guha Thakurta, the film marks her feature debut, and is set to hit the silver screen on 19th April, 2024.   With its witty humour and relatable take on modern relationships, Do Aur Do Pyaar strikes a chord with audiences of a ..read more

Rehearsal images have been released from Wise Children and the RSC’s adaptation of Hanif Kureshi’s The Buddha of Suburbia, adapted by Wise Children Artistic Director, Emma Rice, with Kureishi. The production runs at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) as part of Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey’s inaugural season as Co-Artistic Directors. Rice directs Dee Ahluwalia, Ankur Bahl, Raj Bajaj, Tommy Belshaw, Rina Fatania, Natasha Jayetileke, Bettrys Jones, Simon Rivers, Lucy Thackeray and Ewan Wardrop. The production opens on 30 April ..read more