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UK MP Bob Blackman, after a meeting with the all-party delegation led by BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad in London, urged the international community to stand with India in its fight against terrorism.

Branding Pakistan as a “failed state”, UK MP Bob Blackman on Tuesday launched a scathing attack at India’s neighbour, questioning if either “democracy or generals” was in charge of Pakistan, referring to the country’s unchecked military influence in its governance.

Speaking to ANI following a meeting with the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad in London, the UK MP urged the international community to stand with India in its fight against terrorism while blisteringly critiquing Pakistan for its encouragement of terrorism in sovereign Indian territory and its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

He further slammed the nation for fostering a breeding ground for terror that undermines regional peace and stability, while calling for the reunification of Jammu and Kashmir under India as intended in 1947.

“Pakistan is a failed state. We don’t have democracy in Pakistan. We have the people of parts of Pakistan, who are suffering under Pakistani military rule. So who’s in charge? Is it the democracy or the Generals? And it’s quite clear that terrorism is encouraged from Pakistan into sovereign India,” Mr Blackman stated.

“And so we’ve got to make sure we have to call out the message that the illegal occupation of part of India in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan should end. Those troops should leave, and the whole of Jammu and Kashmir should be united as one principal state, as was intended back in 1947. And then we can lead to the eradication of terrorism and make sure that the people of that great state can celebrate the beauty of the valley,” he added.

Mr Blackman further raised critical concerns over Pakistan’s use of international aid money, questioning whether funds meant for the country’s development were being diverted to purchase Chinese weapons for terrorism against India.

He also expressed the UK’s condolences and support for India’s anti-terrorism actions, emphasising India’s desire for peace and questioning Pakistan’s misuse of aid for military purposes, advocating for its use in health initiatives like polio eradication.

“We had a meeting and it’s great to see the delegation from all parts of India… Everyone from the United Kingdom expresses their condolences and support for the people of India who’ve suffered this terrorist outrage… India wants peace and tranquillity between the two,” Mr Blackman stated.

“The money that’s sent to Pakistan, what is it used for? What it shouldn’t be used for is buying Chinese weapons that would then enable terrorists to attack India, and I take a very strong view that our international aid money that should go to Pakistan should be going for the eradication of polio and other infectious diseases that benefit the people of Pakistan rather than it being used illicitly for military purposes,” he added.

The BJP MP-led all-party delegation earlier held a meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)-India, which Blackman was a member of.

During the meeting, the UK MPs affirmed the country’s solidarity with India in isolating Pakistan and enhancing security cooperation.

Key figures like House of Lords MP Lord Karan Bilimoria and former member of the UK Parliament Shailesh Vara also expressed unanimous cross-party support in the UK for India’s response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, alongside discussions on deepening India-UK ties in trade, security, and education, despite last-minute camera restrictions leading to phone recordings.

This marks the end of a years-long battle over Taylor Swift’s masters, which were originally sold without her knowledge in 2019

Taylor Swift has officially acquired the rights to her first six albums in a new deal with Shamrock Capital. 

What 

• This reunites Taylor Swift with her original catalogue six years after it was sold to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings. 
• The announcement was made via a handwritten letter posted on the singer’s website.
• This marks the end of a years-long battle over her masters, which were originally sold without her knowledge in 2019. Financial details of the new deal have not been disclosed.

“Hi. I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news. All the times I was this close , reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now,” Swift wrote. 

“I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me,” she continued.

The original sale of Taylor Swift’s masters to Braun’s Ithaca Holdings was a flashpoint in the music industry. The singer, who was signed to Big Machine Records, said she tried to buy back her work for years but was denied a fair opportunity. 

Instead, she was offered a deal to “earn” each album back with every new one she delivered.

“I learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world. All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years,” she said in 2019. 

She added, “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy… Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.”

Braun later sold Swift’s catalogue to Shamrock Capital in 2020 for a reported $300 million. In her letter, Swift thanked Shamrock for approaching the deal with sensitivity and understanding.

“This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what was to me: my memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams,” she wrote.

Since the original sale, Braun sold his company, Ithaca, to Hybe, the South Korean firm behind BTS, and became CEO of Hybe America. He has since stepped back from artist management. Braun told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday that he’s “happy for her.”

Swift began re-recording her old albums in 2019 to regain control over her music. So far, she has released re-recorded versions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989. The only two albums left are her 2006 self-titled debut and 2017’s Reputation.

Swift has owned the rights to her master recordings starting with her 2019 album Lover, which was released through Republic Records, a part of Universal Music Group.

In A Nutshell

Taylor Swift has regained ownership of her first six albums in a new deal with Shamrock Capital, six years after they were sold to Scooter Braun without her consent. In a heartfelt letter, she thanked fans and Shamrock, calling it a full-circle moment in her fight for artists’ rights.

The training will cover three key focus areas: Core Values and Ethics (12 hours), Knowledge and Practice (24 hours), and Professional Growth and Development (14 hours).

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued fresh directives mandating professional development for school leaders and teachers across all affiliated schools. In two official notifications dated April 1, 2025, the Board outlined a structured training framework aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST).

According to the guidelines, all educators must complete at least 50 hours of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) every year-half through CBSE or government training institutes, and the rest through in-house or local collaborative programmes. The training will cover three key focus areas: Core Values and Ethics (12 hours), Knowledge and Practice (24 hours), and Professional Growth and Development (14 hours).

The Board has also recognised a wide range of academic and evaluative tasks-such as board exam duties, research work, CBSE conference participation, and digital content development-as part of CPD hours.

For 2025, CBSE has announced STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) as its annual training theme. Schools have been encouraged to conduct District Level Deliberations (DLDs) to promote discussion and innovation in STEM teaching, with an emphasis on inquiry-based and interdisciplinary approaches.

All affiliated schools must comply with these updated norms. CBSE urged Heads of Institutions to lead the change by fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional excellence.

Further details and access to the official notifications are available on the CBSE website.

Citing two people with direct knowledge and a former U.S. official, NBC also reported that the plan is under serious enough consideration that the U.S. has discussed it with Libya’s leadership.

The Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate as much as one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, NBC News reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter.

Citing two people with direct knowledge and a former U.S. official, NBC also reported that the plan is under serious enough consideration that the U.S. has discussed it with Libya’s leadership.

In exchange for resettling the Palestinians, the administration would release to Libya billions of dollars of funds the U.S. froze more than a decade ago, according to NBC and citing the same three people.

The Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate as much as one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, NBC News reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter.

Citing two people with direct knowledge and a former U.S. official, NBC also reported that the plan is under serious enough consideration that the U.S. has discussed it with Libya’s leadership.

In exchange for resettling the Palestinians, the administration would release to Libya billions of dollars of funds the U.S. froze more than a decade ago, according to NBC and citing the same three people.

The Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate as much as one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, NBC News reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter.

Citing two people with direct knowledge and a former U.S. official, NBC also reported that the plan is under serious enough consideration that the U.S. has discussed it with Libya’s leadership.

In exchange for resettling the Palestinians, the administration would release to Libya billions of dollars of funds the U.S. froze more than a decade ago, according to NBC and citing the same three people.

“It is my good fortune that the Prime Minister always encourages me to have knowledge on various subjects. He said studies should not be limited only to one’s department,” Smriti Irani said

Union minister Smriti Irani, who visited Amethi today for the first time since the Lok Sabha election, shared that she has been asked to be a guest lecturer at University of California, Berkeley. Asked about the ongoing buzz about her “study break” in political circles and when she is expected to get her degree, the actor-turned political leader laughed. 

“It is my good fortune that the Prime Minister always encourages me to have knowledge on various subjects. He said studies should not be limited only to one’s department,” Ms Irani said.  

“I am fortunate that I have been able to study fin-tech in Berkeley and studied Business Ethics from Judge Business School in Cambridge University. I have been asked to be a guest lecturer in Berkeley and have been a guest lecturer at both IIM Bodh Gaya and Udaipur campuses for two-three years. However, my political career and field of study are different,” she said. 

Smriti Irani has completed an online course from Berkeley titled “Berkeley Fintech: Frameworks, Applications and Strategies”.

In February 2022, she shared a photo of her certificate of completing the course from Cambridge University’s Judge Business School on social media. The course was titled “Business Analytics: Decision Making Using Data”.

Ms Irani, the former representative of Amethi in the Lok Sabha, had gone to her old parliamentary constituency after nearly 11 months to participate in a seminar. To the party workers and local residents who had come to meet her, she said she would not wait for 11 months for her next visit, reported news agency Press Trust of India.

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