Author: Fatimah Idera

All Eurostar services to and from London’s St Pancras International have been suspended following a power failure affecting trains operating through the Channel Tunnel. The Eurostar statement confirmed that all services have been halted until further notice but did not give a timeline for when operations might resume. The disruption has also affected Le Shuttle services, which transport cars and freight vehicles through the tunnel. Long queues of cars and lorries have built up at Folkestone, with the operator warning passengers to expect severe delays. The Channel Tunnel typically carries tens of thousands of passengers and vehicles daily during the…

Nigerians have criticized rampant reckless truck parking and overspeeding following a recent accident involving Nigerian-born boxer Anthony Joshua and his two friends. New Daily Prime earlier reported that the incident which occurred on Monday along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway claimed the lives of his two friends on the spot. A significant number of Nigerians have taken to social media to express their views. Many claimed the road is notorious for frequent accidents, while others attributed the situation to a lack of government enforcement. Olamide Lawrence, a Facebook user, described the Nigerian-born boxer’s survival as a miracle, emphasizing the situation as a…

Delays in finalising a key post-Brexit deal with the European Union are costing the UK up to £100m a week, according to new parliamentary analysis. The agreement, known as a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal, would reduce checks and paperwork on food and drink traded between the UK and the EU by aligning standards. Although Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a major reset in relations with the EU earlier this year, the SPS deal has yet to be completed. Research by the House of Commons Library suggests the deal could be worth up to £14m a day once fully…

The world’s largest accounting body, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), is pulling the plug on remote exams starting this March. After a few years of allowing students to test from home, a practice that began as a necessity during the pandemic, the organization has decided that the risks simply outweigh the benefits. The rapid rise of sophisticated AI tools that make it increasingly difficult to ensure everyone is playing by the rules. Helen Brand, the CEO of the ACCA, admitted that the technology used to cheat is now evolving faster than the safeguards designed to stop it. It’s…

Health experts have warned people against buying weight-loss injections from social media sellers or other unregulated sources, as demand for the drugs continues to surge. Medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have become increasingly popular, with studies showing Mounjaro can help users lose an average of around 20% of their body weight over 72 weeks. But limited NHS access, the need for a prescription and high private costs have fuelled a growing black market. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a fresh warning, urging people to only buy weight-loss medicines from registered UK pharmacies or legitimate…

A new plan aimed at transforming end-of-life care in south Wales has been launched by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, with a focus on giving people with life-limiting illnesses more personalised support closer to home. The health board will work in partnership with charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie and City Hospice to deliver the palliative and supportive care strategy. Around 3,900 people in the Cardiff and Vale area die each year from conditions requiring palliative care, a figure expected to rise to about 5,000 by 2040. Despite most people saying they would prefer to die at home,…

Angola and Namibia have agreed to take back illegal migrants and foreign national offenders after the UK government threatened visa sanctions for countries refusing to co-operate. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had warned in November that visa bans would be imposed on Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) unless they improved their returns processes. The Home Office said Angola and Namibia had now “met the gold standard” by agreeing to strengthen their systems. However, officials said the DRC had failed to make sufficient progress. As a result, preferential visa treatment for VIPs and senior decision-makers from the country…

The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury has been urged by Conservative MPs and peers to abandon plans for a £100m fund linked to the Church of England’s historical connections to slavery. According to Sunday Times, the group called on Dame Sarah Mullally to halt the spending, arguing that the money can legally only be used to support churches, maintain buildings and pay clergy wages. They claim the proposed fund risks diverting resources away from struggling parishes. The Church of England announced the plan in January 2023 after an independent report examined its historic ties to the transatlantic slave trade. The report…

Sir Keir Starmer has come under criticism after welcoming Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah to the UK, following the emergence of past social media posts in which the campaigner appeared to endorse violence against Zionists and police. Abdel Fattah, a dual British national, arrived in the UK this week after being released from prison in Egypt. He was jailed in 2021 for “spreading fake news” after sharing a Facebook post alleging torture in the country. The prime minister said he was delighted that the activist had safely arrived and been reunited with his family. However, shadow justice secretary Robert…

The UK government is imposing visa restrictions on people travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after failing to reach an agreement with its government on the return of illegal migrants and foreign national offenders. Ministers say the DRC has not made the changes required under tougher asylum rules announced in November. As a result, fast-track visa services for applicants from the country will be withdrawn, and senior figures such as politicians and VIPs will no longer receive preferential treatment when travelling to the UK. The Home Office said Angola and Namibia, which had also been threatened with sanctions,…