News

The issue of deaths in custody has been on and off the agenda over the past year. Only last month, OBV covered the story of the annual United Friends and Family (UFFC) march against deaths in custody which took place in central London.

The march is a chance for all those who have lost a loved one while in custody to stand together in solidarity as well as raise a collective voice for justice. But it is only when you hear the stories from friend and families that helps raise the issue to prevent it happening in the future.

Kiran Bali MBE is an inspirational person who has achieved so much in such a short space of time.

The 33-year-old was the youngest magistrate to sit on the Huddersfield Bench, a member of the Police Ethnic Minority liaison forum for West Yorkshire and also the youngest ambassador for World Peace.

She has also dedicated nearly two decades of her life volunteering for a number of great causes as well as being a leading representative of the Hindu community in Britain.

A new Sikh temple in Manchester which has been in the pipeline for over 45 years was open for worship at the weekend.

The Sri Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara officially opened with a parade and celebration on November 11 in Manchester’s Old Trafford neighbourhood on Upper Chorlton Road. The Gurdwara (the name of the Sikh house of worship) was designed by the architect Amar Singh Egan and built at a cost of £2 million.

Student Saiman Miah has achieved his part in the 2012 Olympics legacy after his design was chosen for one of the official £5 coins for the London Games.

The 24-year-old won a student competition run by the Royal Mint, to see his design on the Olympic coin while Pippa Sanderson will see her design on the Parlympic coin.

Miah said his love of architecture spurred on his design for the Olympic coin which includes a detailed sweep of London’s skyline and pictograms of athletes running around the edge.

Over the past decade, there have been plenty of stories about the lack of Asian representation in football. How can it be that a community which has established itself in Britain in Business, Law, politics and other sectors has so far failed to make a contribution to the beautiful game?

On November 8, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights icon and tireless campaigner for racial and social justice turned 70.

This past week Jackson’s achievements were celebrated with a dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles that also included an awards ceremony by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

At another event last week at Georgetown University, Jackson was honoured with a forum organized by supporters and friends featuring speakers who recognized Jackson’s contributions to everything from civil rights for African Americans to gender equality.

The new screen adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights hit the cinema on Friday. Most people were pleasantly surprised to see anti-hero Heathcliff played by a Black actor and it has given some hope that more directors could take the somewhat bold move such as director Andrea Arnold to use Black or minority ethnic actors in lead roles and not typecasting them due to stereotypes or perceptions. But not everyone shares this view.