LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has won a third term at City Hall, it was reported on Saturday (4).
Khan polled 106,861 votes, while the Conservative candidate, Susan Hall, received 26,347.
The son of Pakistani migrants and the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when first elected in 2016, Khan, 53, becomes London's first leader to secure three terms since the post was created in 2000.
Tulip Siddiq
MINISTER Tulip Siddiq has been named in an investigation by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations her family embezzled approximately £3.9 billion from infrastructure projects in the country.
The probe focuses on claims she helped broker an overpriced nuclear power plant deal with Russia in 2013 during her aunt Sheikh Hasina’s tenure as prime minister, reported the BBC.
The allegations, described as "politically motivated" by a source close to Siddiq, come as Bangladesh's newly installed government investigates corruption under Hasina’s two-decade rule. The ACC is scrutinising several family members, including Siddiq’s mother, Sheikh Rehana, alongside senior officials from Hasina's administration.
Court documents allege that Siddiq, Labour MP and economic secretary to the Treasury, mediated meetings for Bangladeshi officials with Russian representatives during the Rooppur Power Plant Project negotiations.
The deal reportedly inflated the project's cost by £1bn, with 30 per cent of the funds allegedly funnelled to Siddiq and other family members through a web of offshore accounts. Video footage from the time shows Siddiq alongside Hasina and Russian president Vladimir Putin at the signing ceremony in Moscow.
Bobby Hajjaj, a political rival of Hasina, brought forward the allegations. He claims the misappropriated funds, amounting to £3.9bn, were siphoned off through multiple infrastructure projects under Hasina’s government.
Tory MP Matt Vickers criticised Siddiq’s continued ministerial role, stating, "Labour’s anti-corruption minister embroiled in such allegations is a stain on Keir Starmer’s judgement."
Despite this, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has expressed confidence in Siddiq, who has denied the allegations. However, she has temporarily recused herself from UK government decisions involving Bangladesh.
Hasina, ousted from power in August after 20 years, faces mounting accusations from the new Bangladeshi government, including "crimes against humanity" during her administration. Her regime was marked by crackdowns on dissent, extrajudicial killings, and alleged corruption. After fleeing to India, Hasina now faces arrest warrants alongside 45 former officials.
Anti-government protests earlier this year saw her residence stormed and over 300 deaths in clashes between protesters, government supporters, and police. The ACC’s investigation into her family’s finances comes amidst broader judicial and political reforms in Bangladesh.
The Telegraph earlier reported that Siddiq’s family retreat in Bangladesh was vandalised after Hasina left the country.
According to reports, the case has the potential to strain diplomatic ties between the UK and Bangladesh. Siddiq, who has served as the MP for Hampstead and Highgate since 2015, has not been contacted by Bangladeshi authorities or the Labour party regarding the allegations, which her supporters label as "spurious."
Corruption allegations against outgoing Bangladeshi governments are not uncommon. Hasina’s predecessor, Khaleda Zia, faced similar accusations, as did ex-president Hussain Muhammad Ershad. The Bangladeshi judiciary's independence has long been questioned, with ruling parties often accused of targeting political opponents.
The UK government agreed to transfer the convict following an appeal filed by his parents
A MURDER convict sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment in the UK in 2020 has been brought to Gujarat to serve the remaining sentence under an India-UK agreement, officials said.
The UK government agreed to transfer the convict following an appeal filed by his parents that their son, a native of Gujarat's Valsad district, be allowed to serve the remaining sentence in the state, they said.
The Surat police on Tuesday (17) brought Jigukumar Sorthi (27) to the Lajpore Central Jail in Surat from Delhi.
He was sentenced to 28 years in jail in 2020 by a court in the UK's Leicester city for killing his former fiancee, Surat Commissioner of Police Anupamsingh Gehlot told reporters.
On Monday (16), British officials landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi with Sorthi, a native of Kalgam village under Umargam taluka in Valsad.
He was subsequently brought to the city and handed over to jail authorities by a Surat police team, led by an assistant commissioner of police, Gehlot said.
"Sorthi, a native of Kalgam in Valsad, was convicted in 2020 by a court in the UK for the murder of his former fiancee. He served four years of his sentence there. Under an agreement signed between both the governments, he will serve the remaining sentence (of 24 years) in the Lajpore jail," he said.
During the trial held in the UK in September 2020, Sorthi was found guilty of the murder of her estranged fiancee Bhavini Pravin.
Sorthi stabbed her multiple times at her house in Leicester in March 2020 over some differences regarding their marriage plans. Hours later, he surrendered before the local police and admitted to his crime.
As per the UK media reports, Sorthi had a civil ceremony with Bhavini Pravin in India in 2017. He went to England on a spousal visa in August 2018 and had planned to marry Bhavini in a Hindu wedding ceremony, but her family called it off a day before the murder, the reports said.
(PTI)
Manisha Knights
A PROMINENT London criminal lawyer has criticised prosecutors for pursuing thousands of "rubbish" cases while the courts face massive delays, with some trials being scheduled eight years after the alleged crimes.
Manisha Knights, a criminal defence specialist and founder of MK Law, revealed about half of the 73,105 cases currently waiting to be heard in crown courts should not be prosecuted at all.
"There's a lot of crimes being prosecuted that are a load of rubbish," Knights told the Times, pointing to cases involving minor drug offences, certain sexual offences and petty theft.
The British Indian solicitor-advocate highlighted how some people accused of crimes in 2020 are now getting court dates for 2028. "It's insane — the person you're going to end up trying after eight years is not going to be the same person they were when the alleged offence was committed," she said.
Knights, who founded her law firm from her conservatory in 2008, now employs 31 staff across three offices. She raised concerns about prosecutors bringing sexual offence cases without properly checking evidence and witnesses, leading to cases falling apart in court.
The government has promised to fund 2,000 extra court sitting days to tackle the problem, though this falls short of the 6,000 needed. Former judge Sir Brian Leveson is reviewing possible reforms, including setting up a new type of court and changing some jury trial rights.
Knights was born in Zambia in 1974. She came to England in 1979, aged five. She faced racism and family hardship while growing up in Basingstoke.
Knights endured both racial abuse and a troubled home life. She and her younger brother spent time in women's refuges with their mother to escape their father's violence. After her father died when she was 11, a legal battle with relatives over property rights meant many visits to lawyers' offices. These early encounters with the legal system inspired her future career choice.
Despite earning her law degree from Hull University, she received 400 rejections before finally securing her break in the legal world.
Starting as a paralegal on a murder case in Manchester, she impressed a defendant so much that he chose her to represent him mid-trial. This led to her training contract and eventual qualification in 2003.
Unlike many advocates, Knights chooses not to wear the traditional wig in court, believing it helps her connect better with juries.
She worries about the future of criminal law, noting that law schools are warning students away from the field due to poor pay.
Reflecting on her work's importance, she recalled representing a young boy whose mother forced him to rob people. "We represent some of the most vulnerable people in society — not for the money, but because we care about justice. Who is going to be there to fight their corner in the future?" she asks.
The Ministry of Justice is now considering several reforms to speed up the justice system, including changes to how long suspects can be held before trial and how evidence is recorded in sexual offence cases.
Analysis by the Institute of Alcohol Studies suggests that people aged 55-74 are the heaviest-drinking group, potentially driving the current trends. (Representational image: iStock)
DEATHS caused solely by alcohol have reached record levels in England, with over 8,200 fatalities reported in 2023—a 42 per cent increase since 2019, government figures show.
The North East recorded the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths.
The Alcohol Health Alliance UK has called for minimum unit pricing of alcohol to curb consumption, citing Scotland’s model, where such measures introduced in 2018 have been linked to reductions in alcohol-related harm, the BBC reported. The cost of a unit in Scotland was recently raised from 50p to 65p.
The government has acknowledged the severity of the issue, with a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson describing the record-high deaths as "unacceptable." The government plans to address public health challenges, including alcohol harm, in its 10-year NHS strategy.
The Covid pandemic accelerated the rise in alcohol-related deaths. During lockdowns, heavier drinkers increased consumption while moderate drinkers cut back or quit.
Many turned to drinking at home due to pub closures. Although the post-pandemic increase has slowed, the upward trend persists, particularly among men under 75, who are dying predominantly from liver disease, the BBC reported.
Analysis by the Institute of Alcohol Studies suggests that people aged 55-74 are the heaviest-drinking group, potentially driving the current trends. Economic pressures, including the cost-of-living crisis, may also have contributed to heavier drinking.
Colin Angus, an addictions expert from the University of Sheffield, told the BBC that economic hardship can lead to both reduced and increased drinking, depending on individual circumstances.
Amy Dickson, a trustee for Nacoa, shared how her father, an alcoholic, deteriorated rapidly during lockdown. She advocates for better rehabilitation and mental health services, noting that current support systems are severely underfunded.
The Alcohol Health Alliance predicts further increases in alcohol-related deaths unless decisive action is taken.
Southport murder suspect Axel Rudakubana appears via video link at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Britain, October 30, 2024, in this courtroom sketch.
A British teenager had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, on Wednesday (18) did not speak when asked at Liverpool Crown Court if he was guilty or not guilty of killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the town of Southport.
Not guilty pleas were also entered over charges of 10 attempted murders, producing the deadly poison ricin and the possession of an al Qaeda training manual, under a procedure known as mute of malice where a defendant refuses to speak.
His trial is due to start on January 20 and last for four weeks. Judge Julian Goose confirmed with Rudakubana's lawyer Stan Reiz that "there will be no positive case advanced" on Rudakubana's behalf.
During Wednesday's short hearing, British-born Rudakubana, who appeared by videolink from prison, showed no emotion, staring straight ahead and occasionally rocking from side to side.
Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was arrested shortly after the attack on the summer vacation event for children in the quiet seaside town north of the city of Liverpool. Police have said the incident was not being treated as terrorist-related.
Large disturbances broke out in Southport after false reports spread on social media that the suspected killer was a radical Islamist migrant.
The disturbances spread across Britain with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer blaming the riots on far-right thuggery.
More than 1,500 people were arrested, with prosecutors bringing over 1,000 charges as the authorities took tough action to curb the disorder.
A report by the police watchdog, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), said on Wednesday that officers had displayed immense bravery in the face of extreme violence.
But it added that intelligence failure meant the scale of the disorder was not predicted and forces needed to be better prepared to deal with serious violence.
(Reuters)
