It&rsquo;s been only a week since the UK took the decision to Brexit but that one vote has altered the Britain I thought I knew. Born and raised in Canada, I have spent most of my professional life in the UK. It was my adopted home. I loved it and, in turn, I hoped it loved me.&nbsp; 
 
It doesn&rsquo;t. 
 
The vote to leave was largely an anti-immigrant vote and the Leave campaign seems to have given legitimacy to the ugliest facets of society &ndash; xenophobia and racism. 
 
I have spent the week interviewing experts on what the vote means for Britain. It turns out some of the brightest minds are foreign-born &ndash; an American risk analyst, an Indian economics professor, a Belarussian negotiation expert, and a Slovenian international economics expert. 
 
We had all considered the vibrant international capital of London home... but there&#39;s doubt seeping in now. Our beloved city has grown an ugly underbelly. The Slovenian economics expert put it best.&nbsp; 
 
His 26-year-old son, raised in Britain since he was a year old, called him after the vote. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t like us. They don&rsquo;t want us,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp; 
 
We are &ldquo;the other&rdquo;. 
 
The American is considering returning to New York or perhaps Frankfurt; he has German roots and can get a passport. The Indian says she might take European job offers more seriously, and the Belarussian believes England is an uglier place now and wonders if it is the right place to raise her son. 
 
It has gotten ugly &ndash; fast. There has been a 57% rise in racist abuse after the Brexit vote, according to the National Police Chiefs&rsquo; Council. &nbsp; 
 
There&#39;s been racist graffiti scrawled on a Polish community centre in London. Letters stuffed through the doors of Polish families calling them &ldquo;Polish vermin&rdquo;, Muslims threatened with violence, an African American man verbally abused by teenagers in Manchester, a woman of South Asian descent born in Britain told to &ldquo;go home&rdquo; -- she swiftly retorted, &ldquo;I AM HOME&rdquo; -- and children of foreign parents taunted at schools.&nbsp; 
 
It all makes me sick. 
 
Then I wonder if this &ldquo;sudden&rdquo; surge of hatred for immigrants &ndash; &ldquo;the other&rdquo; &ndash; has always been there. Bubbling under the surface. Do the postman, the bartender, and the saleswoman all quietly judge me as soon as I open my mouth? Are they also wishing I would just go home? 
 
If this is the real Britain, well, I don&rsquo;t love you either and in this break-up, it&rsquo;s not me &ndash; it&rsquo;s you.

UK has seen a 57 per cent rise in racist abuse since it decided to exit the EU and Clark, a Canadian, suddenly finds herself as 'the other'

It’s been only a week since the UK took the decision to Brexit but that one vote has altered the Britain I thought I knew. Born and raised in Canada, I have spent most of my professional life in the UK. It was my adopted home. I loved it and, in turn, I hoped it loved me. It doesn’t. The vote to leave was largely an anti-immigrant vote and the Leave campaign seems to have given legitimacy to the ugliest facets of society – xenophobia and racism. I have spent the week interviewing experts on what the vote means for Britain. It turns out some of the brightest minds are foreign-born – an American risk analyst, an Indian economics professor, a Belarussian negotiation expert, and a Slovenian international economics expert. We had all considered the vibrant international capital of London home... but there's doubt seeping in now. Our beloved city has grown an ugly underbelly. The Slovenian economics expert put it best. His 26-year-old son, raised in Britain since he was a year old, called him after the vote. “They don’t like us. They don’t want us,” he said. We are “the other”. The American is considering returning to New York or perhaps Frankfurt; he has German roots and can get a passport. The Indian says she might take European job offers more seriously, and the Belarussian believes England is an uglier place now and wonders if it is the right place to raise her son. It has gotten ugly – fast. There has been a 57% rise in racist abuse after the Brexit vote, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council. There's been racist graffiti scrawled on a Polish community centre in London. Letters stuffed through the doors of Polish families calling them “Polish vermin”, Muslims threatened with violence, an African American man verbally abused by teenagers in Manchester, a woman of South Asian descent born in Britain told to “go home” -- she swiftly retorted, “I AM HOME” -- and children of foreign parents taunted at schools. It all makes me sick. Then I wonder if this “sudden” surge of hatred for immigrants – “the other” – has always been there. Bubbling under the surface. Do the postman, the bartender, and the saleswoman all quietly judge me as soon as I open my mouth? Are they also wishing I would just go home? If this is the real Britain, well, I don’t love you either and in this break-up, it’s not me – it’s you.

If this is the real Britain, then I don't love you

Declared a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case and wanted in India, liquor baron Vijay Mallya was spotted at a book launch event at the London School of Economics this week that was attended by Indian High Commissioner Navtej Sarna, causing flutters back home. 
 
Social media was in a frenzy after it emerged that Sarna, who was one of the special guests at the event on Thursday evening to mark the launch of socialite Suhel Seth&#39;s new book, was also present at the event when the business tycoon arrived. 
 
As television news channels showed pictures of Sarna and Mallya in the hall where the event was held, questions were raised over the presence of the high commissioner at an event where a personality wanted by enforcement agencies in India was also present. 
 
While Suhel Seth contended that it was an open event at the LSE, where anyone could come because of the open invitation, Mallya was not invited to the high commission reception nor was he present. 
 
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also got into the act when it issued a statement, saying Sarna left the event without waiting for the interactive session after he spotted Mallya. 
 
&quot;When the High Commissioner spotted Mallya in the audience he left the stage and venue immediately after making his comments and without waiting for the interactive session,&quot; the MEA said in the statement. 
 
The MEA said, &quot;there were two clear segments, the book launch by UK Minister Jo Johnson and discussion at LSE, and later a reception at the High Commission for select guests. 
 
&quot;The list of invitations for the LSE event was determined by LSE. They have written to the High Commissioner that Mallya was not on their list. They have also said that the event was advertised widely through social media and attendees were not required to register in advance. 
 
&quot;Mallya was certainly not an invitee to the reception at the High Commission for which the invitations were issued by the High Commission, and was not present.&quot; 
(PTI)&nbsp;

Questions are being raised after India's high commissioner and a man wanted by enforcement agencies appear in the same room on TV

Declared a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case and wanted in India, liquor baron Vijay Mallya was spotted at a book launch event at the London School of Economics this week that was attended by Indian High Commissioner Navtej Sarna, causing flutters back home. Social media was in a frenzy after it emerged that Sarna, who was one of the special guests at the event on Thursday evening to mark the launch of socialite Suhel Seth's new book, was also present at the event when the business tycoon arrived. As television news channels showed pictures of Sarna and Mallya in the hall where the event was held, questions were raised over the presence of the high commissioner at an event where a personality wanted by enforcement agencies in India was also present. While Suhel Seth contended that it was an open event at the LSE, where anyone could come because of the open invitation, Mallya was not invited to the high commission reception nor was he present. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also got into the act when it issued a statement, saying Sarna left the event without waiting for the interactive session after he spotted Mallya. "When the High Commissioner spotted Mallya in the audience he left the stage and venue immediately after making his comments and without waiting for the interactive session," the MEA said in the statement. The MEA said, "there were two clear segments, the book launch by UK Minister Jo Johnson and discussion at LSE, and later a reception at the High Commission for select guests. "The list of invitations for the LSE event was determined by LSE. They have written to the High Commissioner that Mallya was not on their list. They have also said that the event was advertised widely through social media and attendees were not required to register in advance. "Mallya was certainly not an invitee to the reception at the High Commission for which the invitations were issued by the High Commission, and was not present." (PTI)

Mallya seen at book launch event attended by India's UK envoy

Tearful residents laid flowers to their local MP, Jo Cox, on Thursday in the normally quiet Yorkshire village where the 41-year-old mother of two was gunned down, as armed police patrolled the area. 
 
As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week&#39;s EU vote, investigators sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and carried out a forensic search of his garden. 
 
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Cox&#39;s Labour Party, was expected in Birstall later on Friday after paying tribute to Cox at a vigil outside Parliament on Thursday. 
 
&quot;She grew up in this community, she lived for this community, she served this community, and in the end she gave her life for this community,&quot; Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield, told residents. 
 
Dozens of floral tributes could be seen at the foot of a statue in Birstall, a large village in a district of around 16,000 inhabitants. 
 
&quot;My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now,&quot; read one handwritten note left with the flowers. 
 
&quot;Jo, what a vile and tragic day,&quot; read another. 
 
Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting who had campaigned in the last election alongside Cox, told AFP he was still in shock at the killing, the first murder of a serving British MP since the Irish Republican Army killed Ian Gow with a car bomb in 1990. 
 
&quot;She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I hope we learn lessons from this,&quot; he added. 
 
Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to Parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union (EU). 
 
She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry. 
 
Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: &quot;It&#39;s atrocious. It&#39;s not something you expect around here. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not sunk in properly yet.&quot; 
 
In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge. 
 
Anne Wainwright, who lived alongside, told mourners: &quot;We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances.&quot; 
 
&quot;We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time. 
 
&quot;The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good.&quot;&nbsp; 
(AFP)

'Jo, what a vile and tragic day,' was one of the messages left for Jo cox at the foot of a statue in Birstall where she was killed

Tearful residents laid flowers to their local MP, Jo Cox, on Thursday in the normally quiet Yorkshire village where the 41-year-old mother of two was gunned down, as armed police patrolled the area. As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week's EU vote, investigators sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and carried out a forensic search of his garden. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Cox's Labour Party, was expected in Birstall later on Friday after paying tribute to Cox at a vigil outside Parliament on Thursday. "She grew up in this community, she lived for this community, she served this community, and in the end she gave her life for this community," Jonathan Gibbs, the Bishop of Huddersfield, told residents. Dozens of floral tributes could be seen at the foot of a statue in Birstall, a large village in a district of around 16,000 inhabitants. "My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now," read one handwritten note left with the flowers. "Jo, what a vile and tragic day," read another. Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting who had campaigned in the last election alongside Cox, told AFP he was still in shock at the killing, the first murder of a serving British MP since the Irish Republican Army killed Ian Gow with a car bomb in 1990. "She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on," he said. "I hope we learn lessons from this," he added. Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to Parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union (EU). She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry. Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: "It's atrocious. It's not something you expect around here. "It's not sunk in properly yet." In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge. Anne Wainwright, who lived alongside, told mourners: "We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances." "We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time. "The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good." (AFP)

English village in shock after British MP's murder

Oscar Pistorius shuffled through a Pretoria court without his prosthetic legs on Wednesday to show how vulnerable he is as the Paralympian seeks to avoid prison for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. 
 
The 29-year-old faces a minimum 15-year jail term for the Valentine&#39;s Day killing in 2013 in a case that has attracted worldwide interest and divided South Africa. He will be sentenced on July 6. 
 
Pistorius has always said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his Pretoria home, killing her almost instantly. 
 
During his closing arguments, defense lawyer Barry Roux asked the gold medalist, known as the &quot;Blade Runner&quot; for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, to walk on his stumps to show the difficulty he faced dealing with the threat of an intruder. 
 
The lower part of his legs were amputated when he was a baby. 
 
His body shaking with emotion, Pistorius removed his prosthetics and stood on his stumps for about five minutes in front of the court television camera, wiping tears with a tissue. 
 
&quot;The accused was vulnerable because of his disability,&quot; Roux said. &quot;His failure to conduct a rational thought process does not negate his vulnerability.&quot; 
 
The defense says Pistorius did not deliberately kill model and law graduate Steenkamp and was &quot;a broken man&quot;, calling for a non-custodial sentence that includes community service. 
 
A state prosecutor argued that Pistorius - who did not take the stand himself - had shown no remorse or told the court why he fired the shots, and asked the court jail the athlete for the prescribed minimum sentence of 15-years. 
 
Race debate 
 
The athlete originally received a five-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, that was upgraded to murder on appeal. 
 
The original trial judge, Thokozile Masipa, who presided at the hearings at the Pretoria High Court, on Wednesday set July 6 as the date for the sentencing. 
 
Roux asked the judge to consider that his client was vulnerable because of his disability and that the prescribed 15-year minimum sentence should give the court &quot;unease&quot;. 
 
&quot;The fact is that a disabled person in jail has a more difficult time,&quot; Roux said. 
 
The case has prompted a fierce debate in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women and still dealing with the legacy of decades of apartheid race-based rule. 
 
Some rights groups have said Pistorius, a wealthy white man, has received preferential treatment. 
 
Roux said the publicity surrounding the case led to it being portrayed as an incident of gender-based violence, despite the facts showing it was not. Pistorius had now &quot;become the face of gender violence&quot;, he said. 
 
Shortly after Roux asked Pistorius to walk without his prosthetics, prosecutor Gerrie Nel requested that the judge allow photos to be shown of Steenkamp&#39;s bloodied head and torso. Masipa later granted the request and ruled that the photos be made available to the public upon request. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a chasm between regret and remorse,&quot; Nel said. &quot;Real remorse would have been the accused taking the court into his confidence, telling the court why I fired that shot, why I did what I did. We don&#39;t have that.&quot; 
 
Earlier, Steenkamp&#39;s cousin Kim Martin, fought back tears saying she found it hard to cope with the killing and wondered why Pistorius had given a television interview rather than testify at the pre-sentencing hearings. 
 
&quot;I just think its very unfair to want to talk to the world about your version when you have the opportunity in court to do so, it&#39;s very hurtful, I can&#39;t understand why,&quot; she said. 
 
Pistorius&#39; hour-long interview with Britain&#39;s ITV is due to air next week. 
(Reuters)

The paralympian?stood on his stumps for five minutes and could be seen wiping his tears

Oscar Pistorius shuffled through a Pretoria court without his prosthetic legs on Wednesday to show how vulnerable he is as the Paralympian seeks to avoid prison for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. The 29-year-old faces a minimum 15-year jail term for the Valentine's Day killing in 2013 in a case that has attracted worldwide interest and divided South Africa. He will be sentenced on July 6. Pistorius has always said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder when he fired four shots through a locked toilet door in his Pretoria home, killing her almost instantly. During his closing arguments, defense lawyer Barry Roux asked the gold medalist, known as the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetics, to walk on his stumps to show the difficulty he faced dealing with the threat of an intruder. The lower part of his legs were amputated when he was a baby. His body shaking with emotion, Pistorius removed his prosthetics and stood on his stumps for about five minutes in front of the court television camera, wiping tears with a tissue. "The accused was vulnerable because of his disability," Roux said. "His failure to conduct a rational thought process does not negate his vulnerability." The defense says Pistorius did not deliberately kill model and law graduate Steenkamp and was "a broken man", calling for a non-custodial sentence that includes community service. A state prosecutor argued that Pistorius - who did not take the stand himself - had shown no remorse or told the court why he fired the shots, and asked the court jail the athlete for the prescribed minimum sentence of 15-years. Race debate The athlete originally received a five-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction, that was upgraded to murder on appeal. The original trial judge, Thokozile Masipa, who presided at the hearings at the Pretoria High Court, on Wednesday set July 6 as the date for the sentencing. Roux asked the judge to consider that his client was vulnerable because of his disability and that the prescribed 15-year minimum sentence should give the court "unease". "The fact is that a disabled person in jail has a more difficult time," Roux said. The case has prompted a fierce debate in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women and still dealing with the legacy of decades of apartheid race-based rule. Some rights groups have said Pistorius, a wealthy white man, has received preferential treatment. Roux said the publicity surrounding the case led to it being portrayed as an incident of gender-based violence, despite the facts showing it was not. Pistorius had now "become the face of gender violence", he said. Shortly after Roux asked Pistorius to walk without his prosthetics, prosecutor Gerrie Nel requested that the judge allow photos to be shown of Steenkamp's bloodied head and torso. Masipa later granted the request and ruled that the photos be made available to the public upon request. "There's a chasm between regret and remorse," Nel said. "Real remorse would have been the accused taking the court into his confidence, telling the court why I fired that shot, why I did what I did. We don't have that." Earlier, Steenkamp's cousin Kim Martin, fought back tears saying she found it hard to cope with the killing and wondered why Pistorius had given a television interview rather than testify at the pre-sentencing hearings. "I just think its very unfair to want to talk to the world about your version when you have the opportunity in court to do so, it's very hurtful, I can't understand why," she said. Pistorius' hour-long interview with Britain's ITV is due to air next week. (Reuters)

Pistorius walks on stumps in court, seeks to avoid prison sentence

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