Author: Fatimah Idera

Seventeen people were injured after a double-decker bus mounted the pavement and crashed outside Victoria Station in central London. The number 24 bus veered off the road near the Victoria Palace Theatre on Victoria Street at around 8:20am. Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene, with roads cordoned off and the London Air Ambulance landing in nearby St James’s Park. According to police, two people were treated on site while 15 others, including the driver, were taken to hospital. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Witnesses described the terrifying moment the crash happened. Passenger Lionel Khoo, 57,…

A former Solomon Islands footballer who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl has avoided prison, instead receiving a community order. Moffat Konofilia, 48, kissed the teenager twice on the lips after telling her he had never been so close to a white woman. The assault happened in Weymouth, Dorset, on December 15, 2023, while he was living on the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge. The distressed victim reported the incident to police the following morning. Konofilia denied sexual assault but was convicted after a trial. In court, he begged magistrates not to jail him, claiming he needed to support his wife and…

A Jamaican man who avoided deportation on human rights grounds has now been ordered out of the UK after committing more crimes just days after winning his asylum appeal. Jevaughn Williams, 28, came to Britain in 2001 with his mother and was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2008. But from 2012 onwards, he began a life of crime, starting with possession of a sawn-off shotgun and later a knife offence that led to three years’ detention. Over the years, he was convicted of burglary, drug possession, and voyeurism. The Home Office first moved to deport him in 2014, but…

British billionaire trader Alex Gerko is turning heads in the tech and finance world after announcing that interns at his firm, XTX Markets, will earn an eye-watering £26,000 ($35,000) a month during their placement. The 12 to 14-week research internship, advertised on XTX’s website, is aimed at postgraduate students and could see participants pocket between $105,000 and $122,500 in total. The role, based in New York, includes a generous sign-on bonus to help with accommodation costs. XTX said it is seeking highly skilled PhD candidates in computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, or related fields, with strong research backgrounds in artificial…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that the government’s budget will be delivered on Wednesday 26 November, setting the stage for tough choices on tax and spending. The statement will outline how the government intends to fund essential services such as the NHS, schools, policing and defence, while balancing strained public finances and trying to reassure investors. Reeves told the BBC that her priority was to turn the economy around by investing in growth and ensuring working people “have the tools, training and opportunities to fulfil their potential.” She confirmed the Budget will focus on investment and reform while sticking to…

Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner after she admitted underpaying tax on her second home. Rayner confirmed reports that she failed to pay the full tax owed on her Hove property, a shortfall estimated at £40,000. The Labour deputy leader has since referred herself to the government’s ethics adviser and said she had even considered resigning. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Badenoch challenged Sir Keir: “She has admitted she underpaid tax. So why is she still in office?” She accused Starmer of hypocrisy, saying: “I’m not sure we’d hear all…

The UK government is preparing to introduce a law that will prevent anyone under the age of 16 in England from buying energy drinks . Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, and Prime are those the ban would apply across shops, cafés, restaurants, vending machines, and online sales. Research suggests that up to a third of children in the UK consume energy drinks every week, despite many supermarkets already operating a voluntary age restriction. Read also: England resident doctors demand 29% pay rise amid renewed strike threats Also, some products contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee, with excess…

As part of efforts to reduce the number of migrants housed in hotels, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has revealed that the government is exploring the use of industrial and military sites, including warehouses as alternative accommodation for asylum seekers. During an interview, Cooper confirmed that warehouses are one of the things being looked at as the government ramps up plans to phase out the use of costly hotel accommodation.  This development comes ahead of a cross-government ministerial meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, focused on expediting the closure of asylum hotels.  A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed…

Britain’s government bond markets came under renewed strain on Tuesday, with yields on long-dated debt rising to their highest levels in decades and the pound weakening. These challenges facing Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepares for the autumn budget. The yield on 30-year gilts surged to 5.723%, the highest since 1998 signalling higher borrowing costs for the UK. The 10-year gilt yield, closely watched by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) for long-term forecasts, also climbed to its highest level since January. Officials insisted the latest moves were part of a wider global trend, as yields jumped in the US,…

A senior Reform UK figure is demanding that the Ukrainian flag be taken down from outside Warwickshire County Council’s headquarters, newly released correspondence has revealed. The row comes after previous disputes over the Progress Pride flag, which the party also wanted removed. Over the summer, three flags flew above the council offices in Warwick: the Progress Pride, the Ukrainian national flag, and the county banner. While the rainbow emblem was lowered once Pride Month ended, the Ukrainian flag has remained in place ahead of a formal council vote this week. Council leader Cllr George Finch has argued that only the…