Author: Fatimah Idera

Dame Emily Thornberry has pulled out of the race to become Labour’s next deputy leader after failing to secure enough support from fellow MPs. The senior Labour MP and chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee announced her withdrawal on Thursday, saying it had been a privilege to take part in the contest but that she had decided to withdraw. As of Wednesday evening, Dame Emily had secured backing from just 13 MPs, far short of the 80 nominations required to progress to the next round. By contrast, frontrunner and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has 114 supporters, followed by Lucy…

Pensions Minister Torsten Bell has refused to rule out possible new taxes on pensioners in the upcoming Budget, despite growing concerns that the Government may cut the tax-free lump sum retirees can withdraw. Speaking at an event in London, Bell praised last year’s tax rises on wealth and the middle class as difficult but fair choices, arguing they were needed to fix what he described as Britain’s economic doom loop. When asked directly about potential new taxes on pension income, he said: “I am not going to start commenting on budgets.” Bell, a former head of the Resolution Foundation think…

Following the high rate of banditry and killings in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has  recently directed a review of Nigeria’s security architecture to create state police that will address and defeat escalating waves of insecurity, particularly in the North-West. This policy direction signals a shift away from the centralised policing system that has exposed deep flaws of the country’s while the proponents of state policing argue that it would improve local intelligence gathering and response times by aiding security. Former Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, had alleged that the federal government is paying bandits to stop killings, a claim…

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.