Sikh couple barred from adopting white child due to ‘cultural heritage’
Agency said only white children were available and couple should try to adopt from India instead
- Rachael Revesz
- @RachaelRevesz
-
Tuesday 27 June 2017 17:53 -
{{#singleComment}}{{value}} comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{value}} comments{{/singleComment}}
Click to follow
The Independent Online
The Independent Online
A Sikh couple have claimed they were not allowed to adopt a white child due to their “cultural heritage”.
Sandeep and Reena Mander said they were told not to apply to adopt a child as white British or European applicants would be given preference.
As a result, the couple who were both born in the UK and live in Berkshire, have started legal action.
They allege they were told that only white children were available for adoption and they should adopt a child from India.
The couple, who are both business professionals, are of Sikh Indian heritage but do not have other close links to India.
Agencies are required by law to give preference to prospective parents who would be the most suitable and that includes many factors, including cultural heritage.
Georgina Calvert-Lee, a barrister at McAllister Olivarius which is representing the couple, said that cultural heritage goes much further than race.
“It’s complex, it’s not just your race, it’s also about your values, your beliefs. Anyone would draw upon the many cultural reference points they had when growing up," she told The Independent.
Statutory guidance for local authorities and adoption agencies in 2011 stated that a child’s ethnicity should not be a barrier to adoption.
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
1/50
Anti-Brexit campaigners parked a removal van outside the Foreign Secretary's official home in central London in protest of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's continued residence there
PA
2/50 25 July 2018
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during his visit to HS2 trains bidder Bombardier in Derby, following the launch of the party's new Build it in Britain campaign
PA
3/50 24 July 2018
Great Britain's Geraint Thomas cleans his eyes after tear gas was thrown at the pelaton during a farmers' protest who attempted to block the stage's route, during the 16th stage of the Tour de France, between Carcassonne and Bagneres-de-Luchon. The race was halted for several minutes.
AFP/Getty Images
4/50 23 July 2018
Crime scene investigators at the scene near the Hilton Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester where a woman with serious injuries to her neck was found in the morning. Six people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the woman was attacked inside the hotel
PA
5/50 22 July 2018
Italy's Francesco Molinari kisses the trophy after winning the 147th Open golf Championship at Carnoustie, Scotland
AFP/Getty
6/50 21 July 2018
Great Britain's Tom Bosworth poses after winning the men's 3000m race walk with a new World Record time at the IAAF Diamond League athletics anniversary games meeting in London
EPA
7/50 20 July 2018
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a keynote speech at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Northern Ireland. During her visit, focusing on Brexit and the deadlock at Stormont, she will visit the Irish border and discuss the potential impact of Brexit with Northern Irish businesses
Getty
8/50 19 July 2018
Britain's newly appointed chief Brexit negotiator Dominic Raab, left, and EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier speak to the media ahead of a meeting at the European Commission in Brussels. Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Davis resigned less than two weeks ago and his successor Raab met his EU counterpart Michel Barnier for the first time late Thursday.
AP
9/50 18 July 2018
An emotional Sir Cliff Richard with his legal team outside the High Court in London after he was awarded £210,000 in damages in his privacy battle against the BBC over their coverage of a police raid of his home
EPA
10/50 17 July 2018
Pro-EU demonstrators wave flags outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
Reuters
11/50 16 July 2018
Theresa May arives to open the Farnborough Airshow
Getty
12/50 15 July 2018
Novak Djokovic lifts the trophy after winning the men's singles final match against Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon
AP
13/50 14 July 2018
Far-right protesters demanding the release of jailed EDL founder Tommy Robinson brought chaos to central London after blockading a bus being driven by a woman in a headscarf during the march
The Independent
14/50 13 July 2018
US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa during their meeting at Chequers in Buckinghamshire
Reuters
15/50 12 July 2018
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive in the UK
Reuters
16/50 11 July 2018
England manager Gareth Southgate and his players look dejected after they lost their World Cup semi final match against Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Getty
17/50 10 July 2018
Serena Williams celebrates after winning against Camila Giorgi during their women's singles quarter-final match on the eighth day of Wimbledon. Williams won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Getty
18/50 9 July 2018
Britain's new Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab leaves 10 Downing Street after it was announced he was appointed to the job. The former Housing Minister is to take up the post, after UK Brexit Secretary David Davis resigned from the Cabinet and said Monday that he won't seek to challenge Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership
AP
19/50 8 July 2018
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the British Grand Prix in front of second place finisher Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone
Getty
20/50 7 July 2018
Gareth Southgate, manager of England, celebrates at the final whistle following his side's quarter final victory over Sweden at the World Cup in Russia
Getty
21/50 6 July 2018
Forensic investigators wearing protective suits enter the rear of John Baker House, a supported housing scheme for the homeless in Salisbury after it was evacuated the previous day. Police are investigating the scene after a man and woman were exposed to nerve agent novichok and are in critical condition
Reuters
22/50 5 July 2018
German Chancellor Angela Merkel receives Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May in Berlin
Reuters
23/50 4 July 2018
British police officers stand facing a residential property in Amesbury. British police have declared a "major incident" after two people were exposed to an unknown substance in the town, and are cordoning off places the people are known to have visited before falling ill
AP
24/50 3 July 2018
England celebrate after beating Colombia on penalties in their round of 16 match at the World Cup in the Spartak Stadium, in Moscow
AP
25/50 2 July 2018
Floral tributes left at Gorleston beach in Norfolk where a girl was fatally thrown from an inflatable
on Sunday, as an MP calls for bouncy castles to be temporarily banned in public areas
PA
26/50 1 July 2018
A firefighter carries a water hose past sheep close to scorched moorland as it burns during a fire at Winter Hill, near Rivington
Reuters
27/50 30 June 2018
People march in central London to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS
PA
28/50 29 June 2018
People look at the damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat
PA
29/50 28 June 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May holds up a Belgium football shirt given to her by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, center left, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels. European Union leaders meet for a two-day summit to address the political crisis over migration and discuss how to proceed on the Brexit negotiations
AP
30/50 27 June 2018
The full moon rises behind burning moorland as a large wildfire sweeps across the moors between Dovestones and Buckton Vale in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester on June 26. Firefighters fought the blaze throughout the night and into the 27
Getty
31/50 26 June 2018
Prince William pays his respects during a ceremony commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem
Reuters
32/50 25 June 2018
Planes land at Heathrow airport ahead of the vote in parliament which decided Heathrow airport should have a third runway.
PA
33/50 24 June 2018
Harry Kane celebrates scoring his second goal and England's fifth with teammates during their World Cup group game against Panama. England won 6-1
EPA
34/50 23 June 2018
Demonstrators at the People's March demanding a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in London, on the second anniversary of the 2016 referendum
Getty
35/50 22 June 2018
Andria Marsh, 63, holds up photographs of her parents and her original British passport, following a Windrush service at Westminster Abbey in London. A service was held at the Abbey to commemorate the arrival to Britain of Caribbean migrants on the ship, Empire Windrush, 70 years ago. The migrants were recruited to rebuild post-war Britain
EPA
36/50 21 June 2018
Revellers watch the sunrise as they celebrate the pagan festival of Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The festival, which dates back thousands of years, celebrates the longest day of the year when the sun is at its maximum elevation. Modern druids and people gather at the landmark Stonehenge every year to see the sun rise on the first morning of summer
Getty
37/50 20 June 2018
Family members of those who died in Gosport War Memorial Hospital gather today after a public inquiry found that up to 650 patients died between 1989 and 2000 from lethal doses of opiate medication that was delivered “without medical justification”
PA
38/50 19 June 2018
Former TV presenter John Leslie leaves Edinburgh Sheriff Court, he is accused of putting his hand down a woman's trousers as they danced at her hen night
PA
39/50 18 June 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May finishes speaking following visiting patients at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Ms May announced a new package of £20 Billion worth of funding for the NHS
Getty
40/50 17 June 2018
Competitors begin the race after a rolling start during round two of the 2018 Championship, the F1H2O UIM Powerboat World Championship Grand Prix of London, at the Royal Victoria Docks
Getty
41/50 16 June 2018
Fire fighters attend the scene of a second fire at Glasgow's School of Art four years after part of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed building was destroyed by fire. The blaze spread to nearby buildings including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue
SWNS
42/50 15 June 2018
Dean of Westminster, John Hall, accompanied by first wife Jane Hawking, watches as daughter Lucy Hawking, places flowers at the site of the internment of the ashes of Stephen Hawking in the nave Westminster Abbey. The world renowned physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, died early in the morning of 14 March 2018, at the age of 76. Professor Hawking's ashes will be laid to rest close to Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin
Getty
43/50 14 June 2018
British singer Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Reuters
44/50 13 June 2018
Prince Charles uses a power drill during a visit to the Owenkillew Community Centre in Gortin, as part of his tour of Northern Ireland
Getty
45/50 12 June 2018
England manager Gareth Southgate, his players and coaching staff pose for the official England squad photo ahead of traveling to the World Cup in Russia
The FA
46/50 11 June 2018
Play was suspended during the match between Lancashire and Essex as an Air Ambulance landed on the pitch after one of the spectators was taken ill on day three of the Specsavers County Championship, Division One match at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
PA
47/50 10 June 2018
Marchers hold up banners as they gather to mark 100 years since women won the right to vote in the UK
Getty
48/50 9 June 2018
The parade makes its way up The Mall from Horse Guards Parade to Buckingham Palace, central London, following the Trooping the Colour ceremony, as the Queen celebrates her official birthday
PA
49/50 8 June 2018
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec
Rex
50/50 7 June 2018
Brexit Secretary David Davis, right, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox leave 10 Downing Street. Prime Minister Theresa May held an emergency Brexit cabinet meeting in an attempt to resolve tensions over the UK's Irish border plan
Getty
1/50
Anti-Brexit campaigners parked a removal van outside the Foreign Secretary's official home in central London in protest of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's continued residence there
PA
2/50 25 July 2018
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during his visit to HS2 trains bidder Bombardier in Derby, following the launch of the party's new Build it in Britain campaign
PA
3/50 24 July 2018
Great Britain's Geraint Thomas cleans his eyes after tear gas was thrown at the pelaton during a farmers' protest who attempted to block the stage's route, during the 16th stage of the Tour de France, between Carcassonne and Bagneres-de-Luchon. The race was halted for several minutes.
AFP/Getty Images
4/50 23 July 2018
Crime scene investigators at the scene near the Hilton Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester where a woman with serious injuries to her neck was found in the morning. Six people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the woman was attacked inside the hotel
PA
5/50 22 July 2018
Italy's Francesco Molinari kisses the trophy after winning the 147th Open golf Championship at Carnoustie, Scotland
AFP/Getty
6/50 21 July 2018
Great Britain's Tom Bosworth poses after winning the men's 3000m race walk with a new World Record time at the IAAF Diamond League athletics anniversary games meeting in London
EPA
7/50 20 July 2018
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a keynote speech at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Northern Ireland. During her visit, focusing on Brexit and the deadlock at Stormont, she will visit the Irish border and discuss the potential impact of Brexit with Northern Irish businesses
Getty
8/50 19 July 2018
Britain's newly appointed chief Brexit negotiator Dominic Raab, left, and EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier speak to the media ahead of a meeting at the European Commission in Brussels. Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Davis resigned less than two weeks ago and his successor Raab met his EU counterpart Michel Barnier for the first time late Thursday.
AP
9/50 18 July 2018
An emotional Sir Cliff Richard with his legal team outside the High Court in London after he was awarded £210,000 in damages in his privacy battle against the BBC over their coverage of a police raid of his home
EPA
10/50 17 July 2018
Pro-EU demonstrators wave flags outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
Reuters
11/50 16 July 2018
Theresa May arives to open the Farnborough Airshow
Getty
12/50 15 July 2018
Novak Djokovic lifts the trophy after winning the men's singles final match against Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon
AP
13/50 14 July 2018
Far-right protesters demanding the release of jailed EDL founder Tommy Robinson brought chaos to central London after blockading a bus being driven by a woman in a headscarf during the march
The Independent
14/50 13 July 2018
US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa during their meeting at Chequers in Buckinghamshire
Reuters
15/50 12 July 2018
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive in the UK
Reuters
16/50 11 July 2018
England manager Gareth Southgate and his players look dejected after they lost their World Cup semi final match against Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Getty
17/50 10 July 2018
Serena Williams celebrates after winning against Camila Giorgi during their women's singles quarter-final match on the eighth day of Wimbledon. Williams won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Getty
18/50 9 July 2018
Britain's new Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab leaves 10 Downing Street after it was announced he was appointed to the job. The former Housing Minister is to take up the post, after UK Brexit Secretary David Davis resigned from the Cabinet and said Monday that he won't seek to challenge Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership
AP
19/50 8 July 2018
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the British Grand Prix in front of second place finisher Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone
Getty
20/50 7 July 2018
Gareth Southgate, manager of England, celebrates at the final whistle following his side's quarter final victory over Sweden at the World Cup in Russia
Getty
21/50 6 July 2018
Forensic investigators wearing protective suits enter the rear of John Baker House, a supported housing scheme for the homeless in Salisbury after it was evacuated the previous day. Police are investigating the scene after a man and woman were exposed to nerve agent novichok and are in critical condition
Reuters
22/50 5 July 2018
German Chancellor Angela Merkel receives Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May in Berlin
Reuters
23/50 4 July 2018
British police officers stand facing a residential property in Amesbury. British police have declared a "major incident" after two people were exposed to an unknown substance in the town, and are cordoning off places the people are known to have visited before falling ill
AP
24/50 3 July 2018
England celebrate after beating Colombia on penalties in their round of 16 match at the World Cup in the Spartak Stadium, in Moscow
AP
25/50 2 July 2018
Floral tributes left at Gorleston beach in Norfolk where a girl was fatally thrown from an inflatable
on Sunday, as an MP calls for bouncy castles to be temporarily banned in public areas
PA
26/50 1 July 2018
A firefighter carries a water hose past sheep close to scorched moorland as it burns during a fire at Winter Hill, near Rivington
Reuters
27/50 30 June 2018
People march in central London to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS
PA
28/50 29 June 2018
People look at the damage to the outside of a high-rise block in Wellington Way, Mile End, in east London, after a fire broke-out in a 12th floor flat
PA
29/50 28 June 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May holds up a Belgium football shirt given to her by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, center left, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels. European Union leaders meet for a two-day summit to address the political crisis over migration and discuss how to proceed on the Brexit negotiations
AP
30/50 27 June 2018
The full moon rises behind burning moorland as a large wildfire sweeps across the moors between Dovestones and Buckton Vale in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester on June 26. Firefighters fought the blaze throughout the night and into the 27
Getty
31/50 26 June 2018
Prince William pays his respects during a ceremony commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem
Reuters
32/50 25 June 2018
Planes land at Heathrow airport ahead of the vote in parliament which decided Heathrow airport should have a third runway.
PA
33/50 24 June 2018
Harry Kane celebrates scoring his second goal and England's fifth with teammates during their World Cup group game against Panama. England won 6-1
EPA
34/50 23 June 2018
Demonstrators at the People's March demanding a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in London, on the second anniversary of the 2016 referendum
Getty
35/50 22 June 2018
Andria Marsh, 63, holds up photographs of her parents and her original British passport, following a Windrush service at Westminster Abbey in London. A service was held at the Abbey to commemorate the arrival to Britain of Caribbean migrants on the ship, Empire Windrush, 70 years ago. The migrants were recruited to rebuild post-war Britain
EPA
36/50 21 June 2018
Revellers watch the sunrise as they celebrate the pagan festival of Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The festival, which dates back thousands of years, celebrates the longest day of the year when the sun is at its maximum elevation. Modern druids and people gather at the landmark Stonehenge every year to see the sun rise on the first morning of summer
Getty
37/50 20 June 2018
Family members of those who died in Gosport War Memorial Hospital gather today after a public inquiry found that up to 650 patients died between 1989 and 2000 from lethal doses of opiate medication that was delivered “without medical justification”
PA
38/50 19 June 2018
Former TV presenter John Leslie leaves Edinburgh Sheriff Court, he is accused of putting his hand down a woman's trousers as they danced at her hen night
PA
39/50 18 June 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May finishes speaking following visiting patients at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Ms May announced a new package of £20 Billion worth of funding for the NHS
Getty
40/50 17 June 2018
Competitors begin the race after a rolling start during round two of the 2018 Championship, the F1H2O UIM Powerboat World Championship Grand Prix of London, at the Royal Victoria Docks
Getty
41/50 16 June 2018
Fire fighters attend the scene of a second fire at Glasgow's School of Art four years after part of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed building was destroyed by fire. The blaze spread to nearby buildings including the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue
SWNS
42/50 15 June 2018
Dean of Westminster, John Hall, accompanied by first wife Jane Hawking, watches as daughter Lucy Hawking, places flowers at the site of the internment of the ashes of Stephen Hawking in the nave Westminster Abbey. The world renowned physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, died early in the morning of 14 March 2018, at the age of 76. Professor Hawking's ashes will be laid to rest close to Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin
Getty
43/50 14 June 2018
British singer Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Reuters
44/50 13 June 2018
Prince Charles uses a power drill during a visit to the Owenkillew Community Centre in Gortin, as part of his tour of Northern Ireland
Getty
45/50 12 June 2018
England manager Gareth Southgate, his players and coaching staff pose for the official England squad photo ahead of traveling to the World Cup in Russia
The FA
46/50 11 June 2018
Play was suspended during the match between Lancashire and Essex as an Air Ambulance landed on the pitch after one of the spectators was taken ill on day three of the Specsavers County Championship, Division One match at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
PA
47/50 10 June 2018
Marchers hold up banners as they gather to mark 100 years since women won the right to vote in the UK
Getty
48/50 9 June 2018
The parade makes its way up The Mall from Horse Guards Parade to Buckingham Palace, central London, following the Trooping the Colour ceremony, as the Queen celebrates her official birthday
PA
49/50 8 June 2018
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May at the G7 Leaders Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec
Rex
50/50 7 June 2018
Brexit Secretary David Davis, right, and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox leave 10 Downing Street. Prime Minister Theresa May held an emergency Brexit cabinet meeting in an attempt to resolve tensions over the UK's Irish border plan
Getty
Her clients will claim in court that they have been discriminated against in the provision of services after receiving an assessment and home visit from Adopt Berkshire, an agency run by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
After Ms Calvert-Lee filed the case, she said Adopt Berkshire told the Manders they could register for adoption, but she said her clients’ trust had been eroded and they had “no option but to look abroad”.
Adopting through the US, where the same cultural heritage barrier has not been applied, could cost around £60,000.
“They are still a long way away from having a child they can take home and adopt,” Ms Calvert-Lee said. “They hope to adopt in the US but do think they would consider adopting child from local borough.”
World news in pictures
World news in pictures
1/51 26 July 2018
Former cricketer Imran Khan has claimed victory in Pakistan's general election, following the nation's violent day at the polls yesterday. His PTI party is expected to fall short of an overall majority in Pakistan's National Assembly and have to seek coalition partners
Reuters
2/51 25 July 2018
A man who was injured in a suspected suicide bomb attack outside a polling station, receives medical treatment at a hospital in Quetta. At least 25 people were killed and 30 injured in the incident. Polling stations in Pakistan opened for the general election for around 105 million constituents. Voters will have to choose from 11,000 candidates to elect 272 members of the Parliament for the next term. These elections are the second in Pakistan's history in which a government was able to complete its term to make way for another government after being ruled by military dictators for half of the 71 years of its existence since its founding in 1947
EPA
3/51 24 July 2018
A woman reacts as she tries to find her dog, following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece. At least 60 people are thought to have been killed
Reuters
4/51 23 July 2018
A house is threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens. More than 300 firefighters, five aircraft and two helicopters were mobilised to tackle the "extremely difficult" situation due to strong gusts of wind, Athens fire chief Achille Tzouvaras said
AFP/Getty Images
5/51 22 July 2018
Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows a smoke plume rising across the border in Quneitra in southwestern Syria, as rebels destroy their arms stocks prior to their departure
Getty
6/51 21 July 2018
A Syrian child looks through the window of a bus as displaced people from the Quneitra province wait at the Morek crossing point to be transfered in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, northwestern Syria. The transfers come under a surrender deal agreed this week between Russia and Syrian rebels in Quneitra province that will see the sensitive zone fall back under state control. Rebels will hand over territory they control in Quneitra and the neighbouring buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan, a war monitor and a rebel
AFP/Getty Images
7/51 20 July 2018
Men push a car past a flooded street in Ahmadabad, India. Hundreds of people have been rescued from flood affected areas in the past week as incessant rains continue to lash Gujarat state
AP
8/51 19 July 2018
Arab lawmakers stand up in protest during a Knesset session in Jerusalem. Israel's parliament approved a controversial piece of legislation that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people but which critics warn sidelines minorities
AP
9/51 18 July 2018
The 12 boys and their soccer coach who were rescued from a flooded cave arrive for a news conference in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand
Reuters
10/51 17 July 2018
President Barack Obama delivers the 16th Nelson Mandela annual lecture, marking the centenary of the anti-apartheid leader's birth, in Johannesburg, South Africa
Reuters
11/51 16 July 2018
French supporters celebrate on the Champs Elysees their team's victory after the World Cup 2018 final between France and Croatia
EPA
12/51 15 July 2018
Hugo Lloris lifts the trophy after France beat Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final in the Luzhniki Stadium in Russia
AP
13/51 14 July 2018
Germany's Angelique Kerber beat seven-time champion US player Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final. Kerber won her first Wimbledon title
PA
14/51 13 July 2018
Firefighters using fire helicopters fighting wildfires in Sordal in Setesdalen in the southern part of Norway. The fires are thought to be caused by lightning in the very dry landscape
EPA
15/51 12 July 2018
The Syrian national flag rises in the midst of damaged buildings in Daraa-al-Balad an opposition-held part of the southern city of Daraa. Syria's army entered rebel-held parts of Daraa city, state media said, raising the national flag in the cradle of the uprising that sparked the country's seven-year war, following a deal for rebels to hand over their heavy weapons in Daraa al-Balad and other opposition-held parts of the city
AFP
16/51 11 July 2018
US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a bilateral breakfast ahead of the NATO Summit in Brussels
Reuters
17/51 10 July 2018
The last four Thai Navy SEALs come out safely after completing the rescue mission inside a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. Thailand's navy SEALs say all 12 boys and their soccer coach have been rescued from a flooded cave in far northern Thailand, ending an ordeal that lasted more than two weeks
Royal Thai Navy via AP
18/51 9 July 2018
Indonesia worker and firefighters try to extinguish a fire on fishing boats at Benoa harbour in Denpasar, on Indonesia's resort island of Bali. A massive fire laid waste to dozens of boats at a Bali port as firefighters battled to bring the dramatic blaze under control
Getty
19/51 8 July 2018
Russia's football team are greeted celebrated by fans during a visit at the Moscow's fan zone after they were knocked out of the World Cup in their quarter final match against Croatia on penalties
Getty
20/51 7 July 2018
Residents look over the flooded town by heavy rain in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan. Heavy rainfall killed 47 people, missing more than 49 people and five others in serious condition in southwestern and western Japan, public television reported on 07 July 2018. Japan Meteorological Agency has warned record rainfall on 06 July for flooding, mudslides in southwestern and western Japan. In nine prefectures in western and southwestern Japan, authorities issued evacuation orders to more than one million of people in southwestern and western Japan
EPA
21/51 6 July 2018
An honour guard hold up a picture of Samarn Kunan, 38, a former member of Thailand's elite navy SEAL unit who died working to save 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped inside a flooded cave, at an airport in Rayong province, Thailand
Reuters
22/51 5 July 2018
The International Space Station, center, passes in front of the Moon in its Earth orbit as photographed from Salgotarjan, Hungary
MTI via AP
23/51 4 July 2018
Former Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) arrives at Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak appeared in court to face graft charges linked to the the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal
EPA
24/51 3 July 2018
Rescue workers come out from the Tham Luang cave complex, as members of under-16 soccer team and their coach have been found alive according to a local media's report, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand
Reuters
25/51 2 July 2018
Firefighters scramble to control flames surrounding a fire truck as the Pawnee fire jumps across highway 20 near Clearlake Oaks, California
Getty
26/51 1 July 2018
Presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador greets supporters as he arrives at a polling station during the presidential election in Mexico City
Reuters
27/51 30 June 2018
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un inspects Unit 1524 of the Korean People's Army (KPA)
KCNA via Reuters
28/51 29 June 2018
Mount Agung's crater glows red from the lava as it spews volcanic smoke on Bali Island. The Indonesian tourist island closed its international airport, stranding thousands of travelers, as the Mount Agung volcano gushed a 2,500-meter (8,200-feet) column of ash and smoke
AP
29/51 28 June 2018
The remains of market stalls smoulder after a fire swept through a marketplace in Nairobi, Kenya. Several people have died in the fire and about 70 are receiving hospital treatment, with rescue teams left searching through the scene
AP
30/51 27 June 2018
Smoke rises in the rebel-held town of Nawa in southern Syria during airstrikes by Syrian regime forces. Syria's army launched an assault on the flashpoint southern city of Daraa state media said, after a week of deadly bombardment on the nearby countryside caused mass displacement. Government forces have set their sights on retaking the south of the country, a strategic area that borders Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Getty
31/51 26 June 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron greets Pope Francis at the end of a private audience at the Vatican
Getty
32/51 25 June 2018
The frame of an abandoned Peugeot 404 rests in Niger's Tenere desert region of the south central Sahara on Sunday, June 3, 2018. Once a well-worn roadway for overlander tourists, the highway 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) are a favored path for migrants heading north in hopes of a better life and more recently thousands who are being expelled south from Algeria
AP
33/51 24 June 2018
Saudi women celebrate after they drove their cars in Al Khobar after the law allowing women to drive took effect. Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive from June 24, ending the world's only ban on female motorists
Reuters
34/51 23 June 2018
People gather as the injured are helped by medics at the scene of an explosion during a rally to support the country's new reformist prime minister Abiy Ahmed in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Reports say the blast occurred shortly after he addressed thousands of his supporters. He then spoke to the crowd afterwards, saying a people had been killed
EPA
35/51 22 June 2018
Participants of the Dark Mofo Nude Solstice Swim are seen in the River Derwent at dawn, in Hobart, Australia
Reuters
36/51 21 June 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in a mass yoga session along with other practitioners to mark International Yoga Day at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun.
Tens of thousands of yoga practitioners worldwide on June 21 are expected to celebrate the fourth annual International Yoga Day, first proposed by the Indian PM in 2014 to the UN General Assembly and adopted unanimously
Getty
37/51 20 June 2018
A woman and child are told they will have to wait before crossing the US border as confusion sets in following the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on immigration
Getty
38/51 19 June 2018
People wave a banner with a picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a gathering of supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul, Turkey,. Turkish President Erdogan announced on 18 April that Turkey will hold snap presidential and parliamentary elections on 24 June 2018, after elections were scheduled to be held in November 2019
EPA
39/51 18 June 2018
Residents pass by a temple gate collapsed by an earthquake in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan. The earthquake, which struck western Japan, killed three people and injured more than 50
EPA
40/51 17 June 2018
Juan Carlos Osorio, manager of Mexico's national football team, celebrates their World Cup victory against Germany
Getty
41/51 16 June 2018
Kashmiri youths through stones during clashes between protestors and Indian government forces in Srinagar
Getty
42/51 16 June 2018
People are silhouetted on the flybridge of a yacht as fireworks illuminates the sky over the Yas Viceroy luxury hotel on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr at the Marina on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
EPA
43/51 15 June 2018
Somali Muslims take part in Eid al-Fitr prayer which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan at the football pitch of the Jamacadaha stadium in Mogadishu
Getty
44/51 14 June 2018
Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup in Russia ahead of the group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Getty
45/51 13 June 2018
Pope Francis arrives to lead the Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican
Reuters
46/51 12 June 2018
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their historic meeting at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore
Reuters
47/51 11 June 2018
US President Donald Trump looking at a cake being brought for him during a working lunch with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his visit to The Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, in Singapore. Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump will meet on June 12 for an unprecedented summit, with the US President calling it a "one time shot" at peace
Getty
48/51 10 June 2018
Muharrem Ince, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), delivers a speech from the roof of a bus during a campaign meeting in Istanbul
Getty
49/51 9 June 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking to US Presidend Donald Trump during the second day of the G7 meeting in Charlevoix, Canada. Looking on is US National Security Advisor John Bolton
EPA
50/51 8 June 2018
Former South African President Jacob Zuma sings and dances on stage after delivering a speech during a rally in his support outside the High Court, in Durban
Getty
51/51
1/51 26 July 2018
Former cricketer Imran Khan has claimed victory in Pakistan's general election, following the nation's violent day at the polls yesterday. His PTI party is expected to fall short of an overall majority in Pakistan's National Assembly and have to seek coalition partners
Reuters
2/51 25 July 2018
A man who was injured in a suspected suicide bomb attack outside a polling station, receives medical treatment at a hospital in Quetta. At least 25 people were killed and 30 injured in the incident. Polling stations in Pakistan opened for the general election for around 105 million constituents. Voters will have to choose from 11,000 candidates to elect 272 members of the Parliament for the next term. These elections are the second in Pakistan's history in which a government was able to complete its term to make way for another government after being ruled by military dictators for half of the 71 years of its existence since its founding in 1947
EPA
3/51 24 July 2018
A woman reacts as she tries to find her dog, following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens, Greece. At least 60 people are thought to have been killed
Reuters
4/51 23 July 2018
A house is threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens. More than 300 firefighters, five aircraft and two helicopters were mobilised to tackle the "extremely difficult" situation due to strong gusts of wind, Athens fire chief Achille Tzouvaras said
AFP/Getty Images
5/51 22 July 2018
Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows a smoke plume rising across the border in Quneitra in southwestern Syria, as rebels destroy their arms stocks prior to their departure
Getty
6/51 21 July 2018
A Syrian child looks through the window of a bus as displaced people from the Quneitra province wait at the Morek crossing point to be transfered in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, northwestern Syria. The transfers come under a surrender deal agreed this week between Russia and Syrian rebels in Quneitra province that will see the sensitive zone fall back under state control. Rebels will hand over territory they control in Quneitra and the neighbouring buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan, a war monitor and a rebel
AFP/Getty Images
7/51 20 July 2018
Men push a car past a flooded street in Ahmadabad, India. Hundreds of people have been rescued from flood affected areas in the past week as incessant rains continue to lash Gujarat state
AP
8/51 19 July 2018
Arab lawmakers stand up in protest during a Knesset session in Jerusalem. Israel's parliament approved a controversial piece of legislation that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people but which critics warn sidelines minorities
AP
9/51 18 July 2018
The 12 boys and their soccer coach who were rescued from a flooded cave arrive for a news conference in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand
Reuters
10/51 17 July 2018
President Barack Obama delivers the 16th Nelson Mandela annual lecture, marking the centenary of the anti-apartheid leader's birth, in Johannesburg, South Africa
Reuters
11/51 16 July 2018
French supporters celebrate on the Champs Elysees their team's victory after the World Cup 2018 final between France and Croatia
EPA
12/51 15 July 2018
Hugo Lloris lifts the trophy after France beat Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final in the Luzhniki Stadium in Russia
AP
13/51 14 July 2018
Germany's Angelique Kerber beat seven-time champion US player Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final. Kerber won her first Wimbledon title
PA
14/51 13 July 2018
Firefighters using fire helicopters fighting wildfires in Sordal in Setesdalen in the southern part of Norway. The fires are thought to be caused by lightning in the very dry landscape
EPA
15/51 12 July 2018
The Syrian national flag rises in the midst of damaged buildings in Daraa-al-Balad an opposition-held part of the southern city of Daraa. Syria's army entered rebel-held parts of Daraa city, state media said, raising the national flag in the cradle of the uprising that sparked the country's seven-year war, following a deal for rebels to hand over their heavy weapons in Daraa al-Balad and other opposition-held parts of the city
AFP
16/51 11 July 2018
US President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attend a bilateral breakfast ahead of the NATO Summit in Brussels
Reuters
17/51 10 July 2018
The last four Thai Navy SEALs come out safely after completing the rescue mission inside a cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach have been trapped since June 23, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. Thailand's navy SEALs say all 12 boys and their soccer coach have been rescued from a flooded cave in far northern Thailand, ending an ordeal that lasted more than two weeks
Royal Thai Navy via AP
18/51 9 July 2018
Indonesia worker and firefighters try to extinguish a fire on fishing boats at Benoa harbour in Denpasar, on Indonesia's resort island of Bali. A massive fire laid waste to dozens of boats at a Bali port as firefighters battled to bring the dramatic blaze under control
Getty
19/51 8 July 2018
Russia's football team are greeted celebrated by fans during a visit at the Moscow's fan zone after they were knocked out of the World Cup in their quarter final match against Croatia on penalties
Getty
20/51 7 July 2018
Residents look over the flooded town by heavy rain in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan. Heavy rainfall killed 47 people, missing more than 49 people and five others in serious condition in southwestern and western Japan, public television reported on 07 July 2018. Japan Meteorological Agency has warned record rainfall on 06 July for flooding, mudslides in southwestern and western Japan. In nine prefectures in western and southwestern Japan, authorities issued evacuation orders to more than one million of people in southwestern and western Japan
EPA
21/51 6 July 2018
An honour guard hold up a picture of Samarn Kunan, 38, a former member of Thailand's elite navy SEAL unit who died working to save 12 boys and their soccer coach trapped inside a flooded cave, at an airport in Rayong province, Thailand
Reuters
22/51 5 July 2018
The International Space Station, center, passes in front of the Moon in its Earth orbit as photographed from Salgotarjan, Hungary
MTI via AP
23/51 4 July 2018
Former Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) arrives at Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak appeared in court to face graft charges linked to the the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal
EPA
24/51 3 July 2018
Rescue workers come out from the Tham Luang cave complex, as members of under-16 soccer team and their coach have been found alive according to a local media's report, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand
Reuters
25/51 2 July 2018
Firefighters scramble to control flames surrounding a fire truck as the Pawnee fire jumps across highway 20 near Clearlake Oaks, California
Getty
26/51 1 July 2018
Presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador greets supporters as he arrives at a polling station during the presidential election in Mexico City
Reuters
27/51 30 June 2018
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un inspects Unit 1524 of the Korean People's Army (KPA)
KCNA via Reuters
28/51 29 June 2018
Mount Agung's crater glows red from the lava as it spews volcanic smoke on Bali Island. The Indonesian tourist island closed its international airport, stranding thousands of travelers, as the Mount Agung volcano gushed a 2,500-meter (8,200-feet) column of ash and smoke
AP
29/51 28 June 2018
The remains of market stalls smoulder after a fire swept through a marketplace in Nairobi, Kenya. Several people have died in the fire and about 70 are receiving hospital treatment, with rescue teams left searching through the scene
AP
30/51 27 June 2018
Smoke rises in the rebel-held town of Nawa in southern Syria during airstrikes by Syrian regime forces. Syria's army launched an assault on the flashpoint southern city of Daraa state media said, after a week of deadly bombardment on the nearby countryside caused mass displacement. Government forces have set their sights on retaking the south of the country, a strategic area that borders Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Getty
31/51 26 June 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron greets Pope Francis at the end of a private audience at the Vatican
Getty
32/51 25 June 2018
The frame of an abandoned Peugeot 404 rests in Niger's Tenere desert region of the south central Sahara on Sunday, June 3, 2018. Once a well-worn roadway for overlander tourists, the highway 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) are a favored path for migrants heading north in hopes of a better life and more recently thousands who are being expelled south from Algeria
AP
33/51 24 June 2018
Saudi women celebrate after they drove their cars in Al Khobar after the law allowing women to drive took effect. Saudi Arabia will allow women to drive from June 24, ending the world's only ban on female motorists
Reuters
34/51 23 June 2018
People gather as the injured are helped by medics at the scene of an explosion during a rally to support the country's new reformist prime minister Abiy Ahmed in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Reports say the blast occurred shortly after he addressed thousands of his supporters. He then spoke to the crowd afterwards, saying a people had been killed
EPA
35/51 22 June 2018
Participants of the Dark Mofo Nude Solstice Swim are seen in the River Derwent at dawn, in Hobart, Australia
Reuters
36/51 21 June 2018
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in a mass yoga session along with other practitioners to mark International Yoga Day at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun.
Tens of thousands of yoga practitioners worldwide on June 21 are expected to celebrate the fourth annual International Yoga Day, first proposed by the Indian PM in 2014 to the UN General Assembly and adopted unanimously
Getty
37/51 20 June 2018
A woman and child are told they will have to wait before crossing the US border as confusion sets in following the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy on immigration
Getty
38/51 19 June 2018
People wave a banner with a picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a gathering of supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul, Turkey,. Turkish President Erdogan announced on 18 April that Turkey will hold snap presidential and parliamentary elections on 24 June 2018, after elections were scheduled to be held in November 2019
EPA
39/51 18 June 2018
Residents pass by a temple gate collapsed by an earthquake in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan. The earthquake, which struck western Japan, killed three people and injured more than 50
EPA
40/51 17 June 2018
Juan Carlos Osorio, manager of Mexico's national football team, celebrates their World Cup victory against Germany
Getty
41/51 16 June 2018
Kashmiri youths through stones during clashes between protestors and Indian government forces in Srinagar
Getty
42/51 16 June 2018
People are silhouetted on the flybridge of a yacht as fireworks illuminates the sky over the Yas Viceroy luxury hotel on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr at the Marina on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
EPA
43/51 15 June 2018
Somali Muslims take part in Eid al-Fitr prayer which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan at the football pitch of the Jamacadaha stadium in Mogadishu
Getty
44/51 14 June 2018
Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2018 World Cup in Russia ahead of the group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Getty
45/51 13 June 2018
Pope Francis arrives to lead the Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican
Reuters
46/51 12 June 2018
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their historic meeting at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore
Reuters
47/51 11 June 2018
US President Donald Trump looking at a cake being brought for him during a working lunch with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his visit to The Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, in Singapore. Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump will meet on June 12 for an unprecedented summit, with the US President calling it a "one time shot" at peace
Getty
48/51 10 June 2018
Muharrem Ince, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), delivers a speech from the roof of a bus during a campaign meeting in Istanbul
Getty
49/51 9 June 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking to US Presidend Donald Trump during the second day of the G7 meeting in Charlevoix, Canada. Looking on is US National Security Advisor John Bolton
EPA
50/51 8 June 2018
Former South African President Jacob Zuma sings and dances on stage after delivering a speech during a rally in his support outside the High Court, in Durban
Getty
51/51
The Manders tried to change the agency’s decision through the council’s complaints procedure and through the Local Government Ombudsman, the verdict of which is still pending.
Mr Mander, a 35-year-old Vice President of a payments technology company, told The Times that he and his wife had tried to conceive for seven years, including 16 sessions of IVF treatment.
“Having attended introductory workshops organised by RBWM and Adopt Berkshire, giving an adopted child — no matter what race — the security of a loving home was all we wanted to do,” he said
“What we didn’t expect was a refusal for us to even apply for adoption, not because of our incapability to adopt, but because our cultural heritage was defined as ‘Indian/Pakistani’.”
Their case, supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, was pursued by their local MP and Prime Minister Theresa May, who sent letters and put the couple in touch with the then children’s minister. He suggested they hire a lawyer.
A spokesman for Adopt Berkshire said: "We do not comment on ongoing court cases."
On its website, the agency says children available for adoption “will reflect the racial, cultural and religious backgrounds of the populations within the areas from which they originate”.
It adds the agency will “first try to identify prospective adopters for each child who reflect the child’s culture and religion of heritage” but would not keep a child waiting to “achieve a direct match”.
Comments
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Community Guidelines
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.