Author: Fatimah Idera

Contactless card payments in the UK could soon go above the current £100 limit and may even become unlimited under new plans from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If approved, shoppers could pay for bigger purchases, such as a weekly supermarket shop or a large family meal, with just a tap of their card instead of entering a PIN. The changes could be introduced as early as next year. When contactless payments were launched in 2007, the limit was just £10. It has gradually increased over the years  to £30 in 2015, then £45 in 2020 during the pandemic, and…

Four people, including two children, have died in separate attempts to cross the Channel to the UK in the past 24 hours, while three others remain missing. On Tuesday night, three people died off the coast of Sangatte, France, after a dinghy carrying 38 passengers ran into trouble. In another incident near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, three people went missing from a boat carrying 115 people. Earlier on Tuesday, a woman was airlifted to Dover from UK waters but could not be saved. French officials said attempts to cross have surged in recent days, with more than 1,000 people reaching the UK on…

The University of Kent and the University of Greenwich are set to merge in 2026 to form what is being described as the UK’s first super-university. Operating under the proposed name London and South East University Group, the new institution will span multiple campuses across Kent, Medway, Greenwich, and south-east London, with a student population of nearly 50,000. It will be led by Professor Jane Harrington, current vice-chancellor of Greenwich, once the merger takes effect. The Office for Students (OfS) has welcomed the move, describing it as a potential model for other universities struggling financially. Almost 40% of institutions in…

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his government’s controversial Chagos Islands agreement with Mauritius. The complaint was filed on Monday evening by a group of indigenous Chagossians who argue that the deal continues the historic forced displacement of their community. The group has also named Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey in the referral. The campaigners accuse the UK government of perpetuating deportation or forcible transfer of population  by denying native Chagossians the right to return to Diego Garcia, the…

Lawyers representing the migrants say their clients were detained in cold, unsanitary tents, often forced to sleep on the floor with only thin blankets and little access to hygiene facilities.

The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police have arrested and charged 37-year-old Andre Wright-Walters in connection with the death of Nigerian national, James Gbadamosi, 67. According to a police statement released on Monday, Gbadamosi was assaulted on Balham High Road at approximately 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, August 24. He sustained severe injuries and was transported to the hospital, where he died on Friday, September 5. Initially, Wright-Walters was arrested on August 27 and charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a Class A drug. He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court the following day and was granted bail ahead of…

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned.

She said the government was ready to cut visas for workers, students and visitors if countries did not play by the rules and accept citizens who have no right to stay in Britain.

Baroness Harriet Harman has said Labour’s next deputy leader must be a woman. Her comments come as the party prepares to replace Angela Rayner, who resigned last week after an investigation revealed she had underpaid stamp duty on a house purchase. Harman, who was deputy leader from 2007 to 2015, told BBC Radio that the role should go to a woman outside London. Labour MP Lewis Atkinson also backed the idea, saying the party must represent all regions of the UK. The National Executive Committee confirmed that nominations will open on Tuesday and close Thursday evening. A hustings for MPs…

Steve Reed, the newly appointed Housing Secretary, has vowed to launch one of the most ambitious housebuilding drives in UK history, pledging to pull every lever to meet Labour’s target of building 1.5 million homes during this Parliament. In his first meeting with civil servants since taking over from Angela Rayner, Reed declared his mantra would be build, baby, build, signalling a proactive approach to tackling the country’s worsening housing crisis. “We are moving into the next stage of unleashing one of the biggest eras of building in our country’s history,” he told officials. Despite the bold pledge, the construction…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled plans to boost the UK economy by creating thousands of new jobs in the defence sector, as part of a broader strategy to drive national growth. Defence Secretary John Healey is set to launch the Government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) on Monday, backed by an initial £250 million investment. Central to the plan are new defence growth deals to be rolled out across key regions of the UK, including Plymouth, South Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Government ministers estimate the strategy could generate demand for up to 50,000 new defence jobs…