A second-half brace from Omang Dodum guided India to a convincing 3-0 victory over Pakistan in their opening Group B match of the SAFF U20 Championship, securing a semifinal berth on Thursday. Dodum scored in the 64th and 88th minutes after Vishal Yadav had given the Blue Colts an early lead in the
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has drawn a parallel between her party's fight against the BJP and the epic battle of the Pandavas and Kauravas. She expressed confidence in public support even if President's rule is imposed. The Election Commission is preparing supplementary voter lists
Meta, YouTube negligence: Years of evidence underpins Big Tech addiction fineThe bulk of the internal documentary evidence presented at trial related to Meta. Updated on: Mar 27, 2026 6:21 AM IST By HT Correspondent Share via Copy link New Delhi : A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and
Deepak Tijori questions CBFC's logic behind ‘half-muted’ cuss words in Dhurandhar The Revenge: ‘Who are we protecting?’Deepak Tijori criticised the CBFC's half-muting of cuss words in the adult film Dhurandhar: The Revenge, questioning the rationale behind such censorship. Mar 27, 2026
Posters have surfaced across Lucknow comparing the Samajwadi Party’s rule in Uttar Pradesh to Pakistan’s “Lyari Raj", targeting Akhilesh Yadav with a reference to its depiction in the film Dhurandhar. The development comes days after a separate political jibe by Parvesh Verma
THE BELL HOTEL in Epping is a drab 80-bedroom coaching inn 20 miles as the crow files from Westminster. Since April it has housed up to 138 male asylum-seekers on behalf of the Home Office. Epping Forest District Council, which is controlled by the Conservative Party, contends that doing so constitutes a “material change of use” and the hotel's owner should seek planning permission to convert it to a hostel. The owners of the hotel, on the advice of the Home Office, disagree. As there is a fine line between a hotel and a hostel it is for a court to decide, in the legalese, the “balance of convenience”.
THE BELL HOTEL in Epping is a drab 80-bedroom coaching inn 20 miles as the crow files from Westminster. Since April it has housed up to 138 male asylum-seekers on behalf of the Home Office. Epping Forest District Council, which is controlled by the Conservative Party, contends that doing so constitutes a “material change of use” and the hotel's owner should seek planning permission to convert it to a hostel. The owners of the hotel, on the advice of the Home Office, disagree. As there is a fine line between a hotel and a hostel it is for a court to decide, in the legalese, the “balance of convenience”.
On August 19th a High Court judge, Mr Justice Eyre, sided with Epping council. He granted an interim injunction against the hotel, which means that all asylum-seekers will have to leave by September 12th. The injunction will be in place until a final judgment, which will consider the merits of the case more thoroughly, is heard in the autumn. The decision in Epping, a sleepy town of 12,000, will have ripple effects on law, government policy and politics.
The case is not the first of its kind to be heard. The Home Office's use of hotels for asylum-seekers over the past three years has irked plenty of local planning authorities. In May 2023 the High Court granted an injunction to Great Yarmouth Borough Council in Norfolk against a seafront hotel. Requests for other injunctions in Fenland, Stoke-on-Trent and Ipswich—all in 2022—were dismissed. Although Mr Eyre said that there is “simply no general rule” to apply to these cases, the Epping case will give like-minded councils hope.
Andrew Fraser-Urquhart, a barrister at Francis Taylor Building, says the judge cited several factors that are “pretty readily transferable to other situations”. First, that owners were forewarned by the council in 2020 that housing asylum-seekers constituted, in their view, a change of use. Second, that the judge said the owner's decision not to seek planning permission “side-stepped the public scrutiny and explanation which would otherwise have taken place”. Finally, the judge thought the underlying merits of the case were strong.
The hotel could now seek planning permission, yet the council's position is abundantly clear: Chris Whitbread, its leader, has called the hotel's usage for asylum-seekers “totally unsuitable”. That is, in part, because on July 8th a 41-year-old Ethiopian resident of the hotel was arrested after he allegedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl on the high street (he denies this). Protesters—some of whom were violent—amassed outside the hotel for a number of weeks. The council's strand of argument that housing asylum-seekers “poses a clear risk of further escalating community tensions” was dismissed by the judge.
Nevertheless, the case has given encouragement to Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, who has championed the protesters' cause. Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Farage said that “Epping has shown the way to win.” Reform says it will now seek similar legal action against hotels across the ten councils that it controls. Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, has said he would welcome other councils doing the same.
For its part, the Labour government has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum-seekers, but only by 2029. Of the 107,000 asylum-seekers being housed by the government at the end of March, 32,000 were staying in hotels. As well as being political dynamite, there is a robust fiscal case for ending their use: hotels housed 35% of asylum-seekers but accounted for 76% of accommodation costs. In July there were 210 hotels in use, just three fewer than a year ago.
While the government tries to work out where to house the stock of asylum-seekers already in the country, it also has a problem with the flow. Small-boat migrants, the most visible source of new claimants, have increased by 50% over the past year to 45,000 and are soon likely to reach an all-time annual high. Labour has spent much of its first year promising to fix the “broken planning system”; now the planning system, via the courts, has bitten back where the government least expected.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Source: HindustanTimes
Related Posts: I flew 5,500 miles and paid £900 for a Premier League ticket but was turned away 100-yr-old woman says she walks 4 miles every day to stay fit Walking around Helsinki with Miles Davis David Hekili Kenui Bell cause of death Restored Nagasaki bell rings in 80 years since A-bomb School peon rings his final bell after 38 years of service Market in red at opening bell amid global tariff concerns and weak growth cues South Africa send warning bell to Team India after chasing 225 Stock Market Closing Bell Josh Bell bashes two homers as hot Nationals rout Marlins
Google India and BCCI are joining forces for IPL 2026, integrating AI-powered Search Mode to revolutionize fan engagement. Cricket enthusiasts can now access real-time tactical analysis, historical data, and AI-generated summaries of key moments directly through Google Search and broadcasts
6 hours ago
She hired workers to fix her roof, then allegedly reported crew to ICEThe Maryland resident called ICE on a crew of Guatemalan immigrants who were fixing her roof. Six workers aged between 18 and 40 were detained. Published on: Mar 27, 2026 7:07 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link A woman
6 hours ago
Samantha Ruth Prabhu dreams women negotiating contracts across film industries becomes 'most boring headline' somedaySamantha Ruth Prabhu shared how women adjust, sacrifice and apologise in their careers. The actor expressed her dreams for women in cinema. Mar 27, 2026
6 hours ago
A $100 crude scenario could trigger deep earnings cuts across Indian stocks UBS lists Tata Motors, IndiGo and OMCs as most vulnerable UBS highlights Indian stocks facing biggest earnings risk in a $100 oil scenario India sits among the markets facing pressure in a $100 per barrel oil world
6 hours ago
The interruption of oil and gas supplied through the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Israel war with Iran has dramatically pushed up global energy prices. Petrol has gone up already and UK domestic heating bills are almost certain to follow. But it's not just fuel that's been impacted by the
6 hours ago
Meet the A-list lawyer Luka Doncic is counting on to win his legal battle with Anamaria Goltes Updated on: Mar 27, 2026 7:28 AM IST Edited by Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan Share via Copy link Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles the ball down court during the second half against the Indiana
6 hours ago
Fasting can offer several health benefits, but knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to start. “People can gain health benefits from fasting, but they must understand both the right time to begin and the right time to end it," says Dr. Sameer Bhati, Public Health Analyst
6 hours ago
The campaigning in poll-bound West Bengal is in full swing, and amid the preparations, Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh on Thursday promised a complete transformation and “Uttar Pradesh-style encounters" against criminals if the saffron regiment comes to power in the state
6 hours ago
Iran on Thursday rejected the US’ proposal to end the war, referring to it as “one-sided and unfair". The proposal was “reviewed in detail on Wednesday night by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader," reported Reuters, citing an official
6 hours ago
The initiative builds on existing SEBI measures, including validated UPI handles and a whitelist of stockbrokers’ mobile applications maintained by exchanges. New Delhi: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey launched the Verified App Label Initiative on
6 hours ago
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday fielded the mother of the doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital and Medical College in August 2024 as a candidate for the West Bengal Assembly elections. The mother of the doctor will contest the polls from the Panihati constituency
6 hours ago
Not every Bollywood story is glamorous, and Aarti Chabria is saying it as it is. The actor recently spoke about how several of her roles were reduced or removed from films, calling it a part of industry realities she had to deal with during her career.Not every Bollywood story is glamorous
6 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned that the consequences of the escalating conflict in West Asia could be difficult to predict and may end up having a global impact comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking amid growing international concern over the Iran-US-Israel conflict
6 hours ago
PMC to expand healthcare network even as existing facilities remain underutilisedPMC has announced plans to expand its healthcare network with new cancer and multi-specialty hospitals, even as many of its existing facilities continue to remain underutilised Published on: Mar 27
6 hours ago
The latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 confirm India’s growing strength on the global stage. This year, 12 Indian institutions have secured 27 positions in the global top 50 across various subjects – more than double the number in 2024
6 hours ago
US president Donald Trump says he will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping in China on 14-15 May, after delaying the landmark trip amid the US-Israel war with Iran. This would be the first visit to China by a US president in nearly 10 years. Trump is also set to host Xi in Washington DC later this
6 hours ago
US mortgage rates jump to 6.38% as Iran war rattles housing marketBorrowers with a $1 million loan would now pay about $6,242 per month, not including insurance and taxes. That is up from $5,983 in late February. Published on: Mar 26, 2026 10:51 PM IST Bloomberg Share via Copy link US mortgage
6 hours ago
Nemom constituency is not stronghold of any party: V SivankuttyCPI(M) legislator V Sivankutty faces tough competition in Kerala's Nemom from BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Congress's KS Sabarinadhan in upcoming polls. Published on: Mar 27, 2026 7:04 AM IST By Vishnu Varma
6 hours ago
Who is Ana Montana? Inside LaMelo Ball’s relationship, the 'toxic' post, and parenthood rumors Published on: Mar 27, 2026 7:13 AM IST Edited by Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan Share via Copy link Ana Montana is a successful model with over 3 million followers on Instagram
7 hours ago
A former Indian Supreme Court Justice has informed the UK High Court about the risks faced by Nirav Modi. Justice Deepak Verma stated that Modi faces prolonged interrogation and a significant risk of custodial torture in India. This opinion was provided in response to Modi's plea to reopen his
7 hours ago
Vaccination is often associated with childhood, but experts say protection against infections must extend far beyond the early years. From safeguarding newborns to protecting ageing adults, immunisation plays a critical role across every stage of life.Vaccination is often associated with childhood
7 hours ago
Fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's former company, Firestar Diamond International, is set to auction its precious inventory of gems and jewellery on April 27. The e-auction, under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, will feature natural loose diamonds and finished pieces
7 hours ago
American Coco Gauff cruised past Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her first Miami Open final. The Florida-born 22-year-old dropped only two games to triumph 6-1 6-1 in one hour and 30 minutes. Having been broken in the first game, Gauff won 10 games in a row to take control of the match
7 hours ago
The day before Wales faced Bosnia-Herzegovina in their World Cup play-off semi-final, their head coach said: "Do not get involved in chaos. A chaotic game will not suit us, it suits them." When the moment came to pass, when Wales had control, they did not heed those words
7 hours ago
This is the second part of a debate on whether Hindi or English are weakening other Indian languages and constricting linguistic diversity. Read the first part here. English has done remarkable damage to India’s linguistic progress by stifling other Indian languages. Instead
7 hours ago
When Ranvir Singh Yadav was sacked in 1976, he was a young bus conductor in Delhi with two sons to raise. The reason? The courts vindicated him four decades later, but not before he and the system had spent nearly ₹5 lakh in legal fees over a trivial sum.When Ranvir Singh Yadav was sacked in 1976
7 hours ago
Royal Challengers Bengaluru is a prominent IPL team. They are recognized for their strong fan base and talented players. The team plays at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. They are known for their aggressive batting style. Rajat Patidar leads the team this season
7 hours ago
