Proposed UK Islamophobia definition allows for right to criticise religion, source says

Proposed UK Islamophobia definition allows for right to criticise religion, source says

Source says working group stuck to requirement that definition must not interfere with freedom of speech

Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent

Mon 20 Oct 2025 16.11 BST 

A new definition of Islamophobia being considered by UK ministers is expected to protect the freedom to criticise Islam, the Guardian understands.

The government launched a working group in February to “define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.”

It is understood the working group submitted its report this month to the communities secretary, Steve Reed, laying out a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia.

The report is private and the government may choose not to publish it or to drop the project entirely. If it goes ahead, the proposed definition is expected to be put to a consultation.

Critics have raised concerns that the definition could limit freedom of speech and the ability to criticise Islam.

In 2019, the Labour party adopted a working definition of Islamophobia from the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims, which included the statement: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”

More than 50 English councils also adopted the APPG’s definition, research by the thinktank Civitas found, but the then Conservative government did not.

A source with knowledge of the matter said the 2019 definition “could be interpreted as being a mechanism by which freedom of expression to criticise Islam could be closed down” and that the working group knew it “must avoid” that.

The source said the working group stuck to its terms of reference that “any proposed definition must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression – which includes the right to criticise, express dislike of or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents”.

Chaired by the eminent barrister Dominic Grieve KC, who served as attorney general for England and Wales between 2010 and 2014, the working group on anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia definition comprises Muslim community representatives, experts and academics, including the crossbench peer Shaista Gohir and Akeela Ahmed, a co-chair of the British Muslim Network.

A source said: “This is a non-statutory definition and anybody who bothers to look at the terms of reference will that see that it is explicitly made clear that it must not interfere with freedom of expression and that it must not be a blasphemy law through the back door.”

Data released by the government this month showed hate crimes against Muslims had increased by nearly a fifth. In England and Wales, where 3.9 million people identify as Muslim, anti-Muslim hate crime rose to 3,199 offences in the 12 months to March 2025, from 2,690 offences in the previous year.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We do not comment on leaks. The department is carefully considering the independent Working Group’s advice on a definition of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia, and no government decisions have been made.

“We will always defend freedom of speech, including fiercely protecting the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and the beliefs and practices of those who follow them. This will remain at the front of our minds as we review the definition.”

Discussion part

1.      Read the article, write out words in bold, be ready to explain the meaning and give examples of your own with these words.

2.      Divide the text of the article into logical parts and write down the sentence that best expresses the very thought of each logical part. Make up a question to each logical part.

3.      Think of the rubric the information comes from and the author’s intention to inform the reader. Mind the key words.

4.      Study the plan of rendering and provide a rendering of the article.

5.      Learn by heart the new vocabulary.

Аббревиатуры и сокращения в английском языке

n. (noun) — cуществительное
v. (verb) — глагол
adj. (adjective) — прилагательное
adv. (adverb) — наречие
prep. (preposition) — предлог
conj. (conjunction) — союз
e.g. (for example — от лат. exempli gratia) — например
p. (page) — страница
pp. (pages) — страницы
p.t.o. (please turn over) — перелистните, смотрите на обороте
par. (paragraph) — параграф, раздел
etc (от лат. etcetera) — и так далее
arr. (arrival) — прибытие
dep. (departure) — отбытие
Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, Jun., Jul., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. — месяцы
Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., Sun. — дни недели
in. (inch) — дюйм
sec. (second) — секунда
gm. (gram) — грамм
cm. (centimetre) — сантиметр
qt (quart) — кварта
cc (cubic centimetre) — кубический сантиметр
m.p.h. (miles per hour) — миль в час
kph (kilometres per hour) — км/ч
ft. (foot) — фут (30 см 48 мм)
lb (libra) — либра (400 гр)
oz (ounce) — унция (28 гр)
Tel. (telephone) — телефон
No., no. (number) — номер
a.m. (от лат. ante meridiem) — до полудня, в утренние часы
p.m. (от лат. post meridiem) — после полудня, пополудни
i.e. (от лат. id est) — то есть
A.D. (от лат. Anno Domini) — нашей эры, после Рождества Христова
B.C. (от лат. before Christ) — до нашей эры, до Рождества Христова
AC (alternating current) — переменный ток
DC (direct current) — постоянный ток
A 1 — первоклассный
a/c (account current) — текущий счет
ad (advertisement) — объявление
app. (от лат. appendix) — приложение
Co. (company) — компания, общество; (county) — округ, графство
Ltd. (limited) — компания с ограниченной ответственностью
C.O.D. (cash on delivery) — наложенным платежом
deg. (degree) — степень
Dept. (department) — отдел; управление
Ed. (editor) — редактор; (edition) — издание
esp. (especially) — особенно
F.A.P. (First Aid Post) — пункт первой помощи
hr (hour) — час
Hy (heavy) — тяжелый
ib.; ibid. (от лат. ibidem) — там же
id. (от лат. idem) — то же самое
IOU (I owe you) — долговая расписка
ital. (italics) — курсив
N.S. (new style) — новый стиль
obs. (obsolete) — устаревший
p.c. (per cent) — процент %
pl. (plural) — множественное число
quot. (quotation) — цитата
S.O.S. (save our souls) — международный радиосигнал бедствия
Sr. (senior) — старший
Jr. (junior) — младший
vy (very) — очень
wt (weight) — вес
attract. (attractive) — привлекательный
corresp. (correspondent) — ведущий переписку
div. (divorced) — разведен(а)
f'ship (friendship) — дружба
gd-lkng (good-looking) — привлекательный
gent (gentleman) — мужчина
gfrnd (girlfriend) — подруга
GP (general practitioner) — практикующий врач
med (medium) — среднего роста
mting (meeting) — встреча
N/D (no-drinker) — непьющий
N/S (no-smoker) — некурящий
pls (please) — пожалуйста
poss. (possible) — возможно
U (you) — ты
LTR (long-term relationship) — длительные отношения
WLTM (would like to meet) — хотел(а) бы встретиться
yr (years) — год, годы
sis (sister) — сестра
Dr., doc (doctor) — доктор
telly (television) — телевизор
phone (telephone) — телефон
vator (elevator) — лифт
zine (magazine) — журнал
specs (spectacles) — очки
fridge (refrigeration) — холодильник
flu (influenza) — грипп
comfy (comfortable) — удобный
imposs (impossible) — невозможный
mizzy (miserable) — жалкий
St (Street) — улица
Rd (Road) — дорога
c/o (care of) — заботиться о
Mr (Mister) — обращение к мужчине
Mrs (Mistres) — обращение к замужней женщине
Ms (Miss) — обращение к девушке
Pref. (preface) — предисловие
P.S. (от лат. post scriptum) — послесловие, постскриптум
w/o (without) — без
w/ (with) - с 

https://skillset.ru/abbreviaturyi-i-sokrashheniya-v-angliyskom-yazyike

Prince Harry says ‘sources intent on sabotage’ behind reports of strained meeting with King

Prince Harry says ‘sources intent on sabotage’ behind reports of strained meeting with King

Spokesperson says claims Harry felt like an ‘official visitor’ were fabricated as duke seeks reconciliation with father

Kyriakos Petrakos

Sat 27 Sep 2025 17.15 BST

Prince Harry has suggested that people are seeking to sabotage his reconciliation with King Charles as he hit back at “invention fed” media reports on the pair’s recent meeting. Harry met the king for the first time in almost two years at Clarence House in London on 10 September.

The Sun reported on Saturday that the meeting was “distinctly formal”, claiming that Harry joked he felt more like an “official visitor” rather than a member of the royal family.

The newspaper also cited sources close to Harry which denied he said he felt like an “official visitor”. A spokesperson for the prince went further, describing the quotes attributed to Harry as “pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son”.

The spokesperson did not specify who the information might have come from. The Sun said Harry had confirmed parts of its report, telling the Guardian he “was given full right of reply yesterday in advance of publication and opted not to give a response to the Sun’s carefully sourced account of the meeting”.

Harry’s spokesperson also corrected part of the Sun’s report about gifts that had been exchanged between the king and him. The Sun had initially said a framed photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s family was exchanged.

But Harry’s spokesperson denied the claim, saying: “While we would have preferred such details to remain private, for the sake of clarity we can confirm that a framed photograph was handed over, however the image did not contain the duke and duchess.”

The duke carried out several charity events in Nottingham and London during his recent four-day visit to the UK this month. The private tea between Harry and Charles, which lasted 54 minutes, came after the Duke of Sussex told the BBC in May he would “love a reconciliation” with his family.

Harry attended the Invictus reception at the Gherkin in London after the meeting. Asked how his father was during the event, he replied: “Yes, he’s great, thank you.” The pair’s last engagement together took place in February 2024, soon after the king’s cancer diagnosis last year.

Harry, Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, now live in California. The last known meeting between Charles and his grandchildren was at the late Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee in June 2022.

 

Part I

1. Read the article, write out words in bold, be ready to explain the meaning and give examples of your own with these words.

2. Divide the text of the article into logical parts and write down the sentence that best expresses the very thought of each logical part.

3. Think of the rubric the information comes from and the author’s intention to inform the reader.

4. Study the plan of rendering.

Planet names

Functional styles

Genres

UK government urged to introduce GCSE in Ukrainian for child refugees

UK government urged to introduce GCSE in Ukrainian for child refugees

Children’s commissioner joins Kyiv in asking DfE to create new qualification to cope with ‘immense upheaval’ of fleeing war

Matthew Weaver

Thu 22 May 2025 11.00 BST

The children’s commissioner has joined Kyiv in lobbying the UK government to introduce a new GCSE in Ukrainian to help child refugees cope with the “immense upheaval” of fleeing war in their country.

In December, the Guardian revealed that Ukraine was “deeply concerned” to discover many Ukrainian teenagers are being pressed into learning Russian in British schools because no GSCE in Ukrainian is available.

Since then Ukraine’s education minister, Oksen Lisovyi, has met the UK education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to underline his government’s fear that being taught Russian is retraumatising Ukrainian teenagers who have fled Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Vitalii, now 18, who fled to London from Ukraine in April 2022, said: “Why should I study Russian – I’m Ukrainian and I want to show it. The language is paramount for all us.”

Since the meeting with Lisovyi, Phillipson confirmed on Instagram this week that she has written to exam boards urging them to reintroduce an exam that was scrapped in 1995 owing to a lack of demand. The Department for Education (DfE) has also set up a working group to help implement the move. One of the exam boards, AQA, said it was carefully considering reintroducing the qualification. But education sector insiders are sceptical about the practicalities of the move.

It has also emerged the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza, has been urging the government to reintroduce a GCSE in Ukrainain.

She intervened after visiting St Mary’s, a network of 13 Ukrainian language schools in the UK, founded at the trust’s headquarters in west London.

De Souza said: “I’ve seen for myself the great work St Mary’s Ukrainian School is doing with the children who attend. It has become a sanctuary for families, helping displaced children reach their goals and aspirations in spite of the immense upheaval they’ve experienced.

De Souza said she was encouraged by the DfE’s decision to take up the issue with exam boards. She said: “I have long called for the DfE to consider making qualifications available in Ukrainian for these children, who rightly want an opportunity to feel proud of their culture and their language, so I am really pleased to see this.

“Ukrainian children living here in the UK are the future of their country and will play a vital role in its recovery, so we must match their level of ambition and make sure they receive all the support possible to thrive in their education.”

An AQA spokesperson said: “We’ve every sympathy with Ukrainian students who, through no fault of their own, find themselves many miles from home and want to gain formal accreditation of their language.

“As an education charity, we stand ready to do what we can to support Ukrainian students. We have received a letter from the education secretary about developing a GCSE in the Ukrainian language and are considering it carefully.”

But an education industry source said: “Realistically it takes two years to develop a qualification, it takes another two years to teach it. So a GCSE is not going to help students who are currently here who have fled Ukraine.”

St Mary’s has proposed becoming a hub for both GCSE and A-level qualifications in Ukrainian.

In a letter to Phillipson, Ukraine’s ministry of education backed this suggestion. It said: “Establishing a Ukrainian GCSE centre will provide these children with opportunities to take Ukrainian GCSE and A-level exams, supporting their educational and professional goals.”

It also pointed out that demand for the qualification has soared owing to the number of children that have fled to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

It said: “As of now, the number of potential students of Ukrainian descent interested in pursuing Ukrainian GCSE is at an all-time high: about 27,000 displaced Ukrainian children and around 7,000 diaspora children.”

It added: “Maintaining proficiency in Ukrainian is crucial for displaced children’s transition back to Ukraine, especially as many families may decide to reunite when it is safe.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “This government has set out our decisive support for our Ukrainian friends. That’s why we have, last week, asked exam boards to consider introducing a Ukrainian GCSE – giving these young people the chance to celebrate their heritage and their native language.”

UK to co-host global conference with aim of resolving Sudan’s civil war

 UK to co-host global conference with aim of resolving Sudan’s civil war

Foreign ministers will gather in London and seek to exert diplomatic pressure demanding a ceasefire

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Wed 9 Apr 2025 15.12 BST

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/09/uk-to-co-host-global-conference-with-aim-of-resolving-sudans-civil-war

The British government is bringing together foreign ministers from nearly 20 countries and organisations in an attempt to establish a group that can drive the warring factions in Sudan closer towards peace.

The conference at Lancaster House in London on 15 April comes on the second anniversary of the start of a civil war that has led to the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, but has been persistently left at the bottom of the global list of diplomatic priorities. Half of Sudan’s population are judged to be desperately short of food, with 11 million people internally displaced.

The initiative holds risks for the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, since it may require him to place pressure on some of the UK’s Middle Eastern allies to make good on their promises no longer to arm the warring parties.

The UK along with Germany and France, which are co-hosting the conference, have not invited to London the two warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces or the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has attacked non-Arabic groups in Darfur.

The two sides are judged to be a long way from seeking peace and it is thought diplomatic energy is best placed on securing a consensus among rival external backers that a ceasefire must be demanded and impunity for war crimes will end.

Sudan’s foreign minister, Ali Youssef, has written to Lammy to protest against his exclusion. Youssef also criticised invitations to the conference for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Chad and Kenya, which he termed “stakeholders in the war”.

Sudan’s government has accused the UAE, a close UK ally, of complicity in genocide by covertly arming the RSF, headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. The UAE has condemned as a publicity stunt the Sudanese government’s decision to take on 10 April its claim of UAE complicity to the international court of justice, saying Abu Dhabi helped the RSF commit genocide against the Masalit tribe in West Darfur.

The Sudanese government, itself backed by another UK ally Saudi Arabia as well as Egypt, has also been accused of war crimes. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have formally been accused by the UN of using starvation as a weapon of war.

A harsh spotlight is also very likely to fall in London on the impact of USAID cuts on the provision of humanitarian aid in Sudan as well as the withdrawal of funding from academic groups that have been monitoring war crimes and the build-up of famine. NGOs such as Human Rights Watch are also urging the ministerial conference to emphasise the importance of civilian protection, independent of a ceasefire.

At an event previewing the conference, Kate Ferguson, the co-director of the NGO Protection Approaches, said: “The conference comes at a critical moment for civilians in Sudan as areas of control under various armed forces rapidly evolve and civilians face an increasing spectrum of varied attack.”

She added: “A new vehicle is needed to take forward civilian protection. This is a moment here to create something new that is desperately needed – whether that is a coalition of conscience or a contact group.” Ferguson added that “citizens were facing an unimaginable triple threat of armed conflict, identity-based atrocity crimes and humanitarian catastrophe”.

Shayna Lewis from Avaaz said: “The solution that can yield the greatest impact for civilian protection is the restoration of telecommunication networks. More than 25 million people are cut off from the internet and cannot send texts or make phone calls. This is the equivalent of half of England’s population being cut off from the outside world and that explains why it is so difficult for the media to cover Sudan.”

Task 1. Comment on the title of the article.

Task 2. Read and translate the article paying attention to the words and phrases in bold.

Task 3. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases:

1) совместное проведение конференции

2) международный суд

3) выступать против исключения

4) дипломатический приоритет

5) союзник

6) вооружать воюющие стороны

7) осуждать

8) прекращение огня

9) гуманитарный кризис

10) совершить геноцид против

11) использовать голод как орудие войны

12) вывод финансирования

13) коалиция совести

Task 4. Make up some sentences of your own with the words and phrases in bold.

Task 5. Act out a dialogue using the new vocabulary.

Task 6. Read the article a second time and be ready to discuss in the classroom:

-           what was the author’s intention to tell the general public about

-           what is the main idea/ problem raised

-           speak on the logical devision

Make up and answer the questions.

Task 7. Write a rendering of the article. Mind the rules of a rendering writing. (second lesson)

For and Against writing

1. Go through the link below to read some instructions on how to write For and Against writing. 

https://youtu.be/2Czs4w8aI7M?si=lXn5E1T13rvN-u8S

2. Go through the link below and watch a short video explanation on how to write For and Against writing. 

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/b1-writing/against-essay

Mr Know-All by Williams Somerset Maugham

Go through the link below to watch a film "Mr Know-All".

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfO-6RP7mko

Indian cinema chain sued by film-goer over lengthy pre-film ads

Indian cinema chain sued by film-goer over lengthy pre-film ads

Court orders compensation to be paid to 30-year-old from Bangalore, saying ‘in the new era, time is considered as money, each one’s time is very precious’

Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi

Wed 26 Feb 2025 05.13 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/26/india-pvr-inox-cinema-chain-fine-preview-ads

 For some, the adverts that precede the start of a film are the bane of a trip to the cinema; for others, they are a useful buffer as you stand in the popcorn queue. But for one man in India, the lengthy marathon of cinema advertising was so infuriating that he took the matter to the courts – and won.

Abhishek MR, a 30-year-old man from the southern city of Bangalore, had booked a trip to the cinema with friends in December last year to watch wartime drama Sam Bahadur.

But while the scheduled time he had booked the ticket for was 4.05pm, he had to sit through 25 minutes of adverts for upcoming features and commercial items such as homewares, mobile phones and cars before the film actually began.

Having planned to return to work straight after the film, Abhishek MR was angered by what he felt was a costly disruption to his life. He filed a lawsuit against PVR Inox, India’s largest cinema multiplex chain, stating that: “The complainant could not attend other arrangements and appointments which were scheduled for the day and has faced losses that cannot be calculated in terms of money as compensation.”

The lawsuit also accused multiplex cinemas of prioritising advertising revenue over their customers, and forcing them to sit through adverts against their will.

In a ruling in February, the consumer court proved highly sympathetic to Abhishek MR’s case and ordered for the cinema to grant him 50,000 INR (£450) for wasting his time and 5,000 INR (£45) for mental agony, as well as cover his legal expenses.

“In the new era, time is considered as money, each one’s time is very precious,” the court ruling stated. “Twenty-five to 30 minutes is a considerable amount of time to sit idle in the theatre and watch unnecessary ads. People with tight schedules do not have time to waste.”

The cinema had defended itself, arguing it was legally required to show public service announcements. However, it was found that most of the adverts shown before the film had been commercial.

Cinema is seen as a highly effective medium for advertising in India, and its share of the advertising sector is on the rise. Unlike western cinemas, in India, adverts are shown both before the film and during a 15-minute ad break in the middle of the feature.

Task 1. Comment on the title of the article.

Task 2. Read and translate the article paying attention to the words and phrases in bold.

Task 3. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases:

1) быть юридически обязательным

2) рекламная пауза

3) идти в гору/повышаться, улучшаться

4) суд по защите прав потребителей

5) покрывать юридические расходы

6) судебный процесс по обвинению

7) подать иск против

8) терпеть убытки

9) годовой доход

Task 4. Make up some sentences of your own with the words and phrases in bold.

Task 5. Act out a dialogue using the new vocabulary.

Task 6. Read the article a second time and be ready to discuss in the classroom:

-           what was the author’s intention to tell the general public about

-           what is the main idea/ problem raised

-           speak on the logical devision

 

Answer the following questions:

1. What was the main reason Abhishek MR decided to file a lawsuit against PVR Inox?

2. How long did Abhishek MR have to sit through adverts before the film started?

3. What compensation did the consumer court award Abhishek MR for his time and mental agony?

4. What argument did the cinema chain use to defend their practice of showing adverts?

5. How does the advertising practice in Indian cinemas differ from that in Western cinemas?

 

Task 7. Write a rendering of the article. Mind the rules of a rendering writing. (second lesson)

London’s first Roman basilica found under office block

London’s first Roman basilica found under office block

Archaeologists hail discovery of near-2,000-year-old remains as among most significant recent finds in the city

Esther Addley

Thu 13 Feb 2025 14.22 GMT

The remains of London’s earliest Roman basilica have been discovered under an office block, in what archaeologists have described as one of the most significant recent discoveries in the capital.

The almost 2,000-year-old structure was part of the forum, the Roman capital’s social and administrative centre, and built around the late 70s or early 80s CE, just a few decades after the Romans invaded Britain and 20 years after Boudicca sacked and burned the city in 60CE.

Situated on a high point in the city on a raised platform, the forum was a large open space about the size of a football pitch, lined with shops and other buildings. The basilica, at its heart, functioned as a kind of town hall, in which important political and judicial decisions were made.

Intriguingly, archaeologists believe the excavated section contains the tribunal, a designated part of the basilica where important officials would have sat on a raised stage to adjudicate on the main issues affecting the capital of the new Roman outpost.

The structure was short-lived, however, being replaced in about AD100 by a much bigger forum built on the same site.

Describing the find as “one of the most significant discoveries made in the city in recent years”, Sophie Jackson, the director of development at Mola, the Museum of London Archaeology, said: “It’s like discovering the speaker’s chair and chamber of the House of Commons, 2,000 years into the future. The levels of preservation of the basilica have far exceeded our expectations, and we have possibly the most important part of the building.

“Excitingly, we’ve only just scratched the surface of this site’s potential through our initial investigations.”

The remains were discovered in 2023 as part of the redevelopment of an office building at 85 Gracechurch Street, next to the entrance to the historic Leadenhall market at the heart of the City of London.

Task 1. Comment on the title of the article.

Task 2. Read and translate the article paying attention to the words and phrases in bold.

Task 3. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases.

1)  разграбить и сжечь город

2) вторгаться в

3) зал для заседаний

4) археолог

5) находка

6) перепланировка

7) выносить решения по основным вопросам

8) руины

9) принимать политические и судебные решения

10) Римская базилика

11) раскопанный участок

Task 4. Make up some sentences of your own with the words and phrases in bold.

Task 5. Act out a dialogue using the new vocabulary.

Task 6. Read the article a second time and be ready to discuss in the classroom:

-         what was the author’s intention to tell the general public about

-         what is the main idea/ problem raised

-         speak on the logical devision

Task 7. Write a rendering of the article. Mind the rules of a rendering writing. (second lesson)