Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Prime minister May says she’s concerned for safety of Pakistani mother who faces lynch mob over 'blasphemy'

Prime minister Theresa May on Wednesday (13) pledged to protect Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, but stopped short of offering her asylum in the UK.

May said her "primary concern" was the safety of Bibi and her family, but Britain is yet to grant them asylum, their lawyer Saif ul Mulook was quoted as saying by Mail Online.


Mulook said: "Right now, she is safe, she is being kept secure by the Pakistan armed forces. But she will leave the moment a country offers her a visa. So far, the UK has refused. One of the British MEPs I spoke to here said it was a case of the UK government saying 'No, no, no, we have to spend a lot of money, and we’re not ready.'

"But something must happen soon."

Mulook said he wants foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt to be "bold and courageous and take her and her family to safety."

According to reports, talks are currently underway with Canada to secure a safe future there for Bibi and her family.

"We are in discussions with the Pakistani government," Trudeau said in an interview with Agence France Presse. "There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I don't want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country," he added.

Bibi spent eight years on death row in Pakistan after she was convicted of blasphemy following a row with Muslim colleagues over a cup of water. Last month she was acquitted on appeal and has been in hiding to avoid being lynched by Islamic extremists.

More For You

care workers

New report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil. (Photo for representation: iStock)

Carer's allowance penalties trap many in debt: report

HUNDREDS of thousands of unpaid carers have been hammered by harsh penalties for minor rule breaches, a damning national audit has revealed.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report exposed a system that has pushed vulnerable carers into financial and emotional turmoil.

Keep ReadingShow less
Urfan Sharif

Urfan Sharif had signed agreements prohibiting 'any physical chastisement' of children after facing multiple accusations of abuse.(Photo: Reuters)

Urfan Sharif had signed agreements prohibiting 'any physical chastisement' of children after facing multiple accusations of abuse.(Photo: Reuters)

Urfan Sharif was accused of abuse before Sara's birth: Report

SARA SHARIF’s father, Urfan Sharif, was repeatedly accused of abuse in the 13 years leading up to her murder, according to family court documents.

These records, according to The Times, reveal a history of physical abuse, neglect, and domestic violence within the family, with multiple interventions by social services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less