Author: Fatimah Idera

A pregnant British teenager, Bella May Culley, has been freed from a Georgian prison after spending nearly six months in custody on drug-smuggling charges, following a plea agreement with prosecutors. Culley, 19, was arrested in May at Tbilisi International Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish into Georgia. She was convicted by a Georgian court on Monday and sentenced to five months and 25 days the exact period she had already served in detention. As part of the plea deal, Culley’s family paid a fine of 500,000 lari (about £137,000). Georgian prosecutors had…

Britain’s Electric Vehicle (EV) charging industry could face an unexpected £100m tax bill if government plans to impose business rates on public charging bays. This prompted warnings that the costs may slow investment and push up prices for drivers. ChargeUK, the industry body representing charging operators, said the proposal would see businesses paying rates on about 64,000 parking bays linked to public chargers areas that have not previously been taxed. The group estimates the change could add up to £300 a year to some drivers’ charging costs if operators pass on the expense. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which sets…

The UK defence secretary has confirmed that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, formerly the Duke of York, will be stripped of his honorary naval title of vice-admiral as King Charles moves to close a damaging chapter in the royal family’s history. Defence Secretary John Healey told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that ministers are working with the king to remove the last of Mountbatten Windsor’s military honours. The move follows last week’s decision to strip him of his royal titles and require him to vacate Royal Lodge, his long-time Windsor residence. “In defence, as in all areas, we’ve been guided by…

RSPH boss said, adding that “employers must play a greater role in keeping people healthy.”

The evacuation follows the UK’s deployment of aid as part of a £7.5 million regional emergency package to assist countries hit by the category five hurricane, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Caribbean.

Wealthy Britons moving abroad could soon face a new 20% tax on their business assets under proposals reportedly being considered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. According to reports, the Treasury is exploring a settling-up charge that would apply to individuals who relocate overseas, bringing the UK in line with other G7 countries and potentially raising up to £2 billion in additional revenue. Currently, UK residents who become expatriates remain liable for capital gains tax on the sale of property and land worth more than £6,000 but are exempt from such taxes on other assets, including company shares. Under the proposed measure,…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been mounted pressure from within his own party to remove Prince Andrew from the royal line of succession, amid growing unease about a potential constitutional crisis.

The family of 70-year-old Peter Smith have issued a heartfelt tribute after he was killed when a helicopter crashed off Ings Lane in the Bentley area of Doncaster on Thursday morning. Smith was aboard the aircraft shortly after it departed from Retford Gamston Airport in Nottinghamshire. He died at the scene, while the 41-year-old pilot and two other passengers a 58-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy escaped with minor injuries. His family’s statement described Smith as “a beloved husband, father and grandfather who was devastated by this sudden loss”. They said he had “a real passion for aviation, which he…

An asylum seeker who strangled and sexually assaulted a woman as she walked home from a night out in Cardiff has been jailed for more than three years. Fawaz Alsamaou, 33, from Lockwood, Huddersfield, attacked the 24-year-old under a railway bridge in Cathays in the early hours of 12 May last year. The victim had left Pulse nightclub in the city centre around 4 a.m. when she noticed Alsamaou following her before he grabbed her by the neck, dragged her under the bridge, and sexually assaulted her. She managed to break free and call the police. After a public appeal,…

A new poll has revealed that most Britons do not view immigration as a pressing local concern, despite widespread political and media focus on the issue. According to a YouGov survey commissioned by Best for Britain, only 26% of respondents listed immigration and asylum as one of the top three issues affecting their communities half the 52% who said it was one of the biggest problems facing the UK nationally. The findings, published in Best for Britain’s latest report, suggest that while immigration ranks second among national concerns, it falls to seventh when people are asked about what matters most…