Author: Fatimah Idera

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is facing growing criticism after analysis revealed he has clocked over 73,000 miles of international flights, enough to fly to the moon and back while attending climate conferences and global events over the past eight years. Despite championing environmental policies such as the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) and campaigning against airport expansion, the mayor has flown with his entourage across four continents, generating an estimated 43.6 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from 13 international trips. When team members are included, the air miles soar to 473,000 miles, equivalent to flying around the Earth…

The UK is set to deport the first group of Channel migrants back to France as early as Monday, under Sir Keir Starmer’s newly signed one-in, one-out migration agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron. Asylum seekers who arrived by small boats in early August have been issued formal removal directions, with deportation flights expected throughout the week. The UK government confirmed that 100 individuals detained upon arrival had their details shared with French authorities for clearance. In return, a similar number of asylum seekers currently in France with family ties in the UK will be resettled in Britain. This reciprocal…

MPs have voiced outrage after the reported racially motivated rape of a 20-year-old Sikh woman in Oldbury, near Birmingham. The incident is alleged to have occurred on Tuesday morning off Tame Road. Police say two white men are suspected of carrying out the attack, during which racist abuse was hurled at the victim. One suspect is described as having a shaved head and wearing gloves. According to a Sikh community group that spoke to the victim, the attackers told her, “You don’t belong in this country, get out.” West Midlands Police confirmed they are treating the case as a racially…

Hundreds of foreign prison officers working in England and Wales could lose their jobs and be forced to leave the UK following a recent visa rule change by Labour, governors and unions have warned. More than 1,000 officers, mostly from African countries, are currently employed in UK prisons on skilled worker visas. However, since July, new rules mean that any officer earning below £41,700 is no longer eligible for a visa renewal. Most officers are paid around £33,000, well below the new threshold. The national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA), Mark Fairhurst, called the decision scandalous and accused…

He emphasized that there is no case for the UK to withdraw from the ECHR entirely, a move supported by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Nine Metropolitan (MET) police officers have been suspended amid serious allegations of misogyny, excessive force, and discriminatory behaviour linked to Charing Cross police station in central London. The force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which confirmed it is investigating the actions of 11 serving or former officers. The alleged misconduct occurred both on and off duty between August 2024 and January 2025 and was reported by a third party. In a statement, IOPC regional director Amanda Rowe said, “These are concerning allegations involving a large number of individuals. We understand there will be public…

Universities in the UK are being forced to cut back on vital research projects, including work on serious illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and dementia, because of falling funding from both the government and charities, a new report has warned.

An asylum seeker living in a hotel in Falkirk is set to stand trial after being accused of exposing himself and performing sexual acts directed at local residents. Said Ageed, 23, is alleged to have masturbated on multiple occasions while looking out of a hotel window at a man and a woman in the area. He is further accused of intentionally exposing his genitals in a sexual manner and making an obscene gesture at the same two people on August 16. The incidents are said to have taken place at the Hotel Cladhan in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, between June 1…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has rejected plans for a major hydrogen plant on Teesside, dealing a blow to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s net zero strategy. Instead, the Government has thrown its support behind proposals for Europe’s largest data centre on the same site, designating it an “AI growth zone” central to Britain’s artificial intelligence ambitions. The hydrogen scheme, known as H2Teesside and proposed by BP, aimed to produce blue hydrogen that could supply up to 10% of Britain’s needs by 2030. But the site overlaps with land earmarked for the Teesworks data centre, backed by Tees Valley mayor Lord…

Musician and songwriter Phil Coulter has called on the UK to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to take part. Coulter, who co-wrote the UK’s 1967 winning entry Puppet on a String, said he was 100% behind Ireland’s state broadcaster RTÉ, which has already threatened to pull out of Eurovision over the war in Gaza. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster, Coulter said musicians and performers are human beings with consciences and argued that allowing Israel to compete while Russia was banned in 2022 for invading Ukraine was a double standard. “What’s the difference between that…