A 22-year-old nursery worker has been sentenced to eight years in prison for carrying out what a judge described as sadistic abuse against 21 babies in her care at two London nurseries. Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, admitted seven counts of child cruelty and was convicted of 14 more at Kingston Crown Court in June. Her crimes included pinching, scratching, pushing and slapping children, kicking a toddler in the face, and…

Former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair has offered to help govern Gaza under a proposed UN-backed transitional authority, should a ceasefire be agreed in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. According to diplomatic sources, Blair has been engaged in high-level talks with regional leaders, the United States, and the United Nations on plans for Gaza’s post-conflict future. Central to the proposal is the creation of a temporary body,…

Falling birthrates across UK in England could leave the equivalent of 800 primary schools empty or closed by the end of the decade, according to new research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI). The thinktank found that the decline in pupil numbers at state primary schools is primarily driven by lower birthrates but is particularly severe in London, where more families are leaving the city, moving abroad, or switching to…

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an urgent review into the use of taxis for asylum seekers after a BBC investigation revealed journeys costing the Home Office hundreds of pounds. The probe found some migrants were being transported long distances to attend medical appointments, with one asylum seeker reportedly taken on a 250-mile round trip to a GP at a cost of £600. Although asylum seekers are issued weekly bus…

Fake Labubu dolls now dominate the UK’s counterfeit toy market, accounting for 90% of all illegal toy seizures at the border this year, according to new figures from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). Border Force officials seized almost 259,000 fake toys worth more than £3.5m, including 236,000 imitation Labubu dolls. Safety testing revealed that three-quarters of the counterfeit toys contained banned chemicals or choking hazards, while nearly half of buyers…

A family of three, including a young child, has become the first group to arrive in the UK from France under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new “one in, one out” immigration agreement with President Emmanuel Macron. The move follows the deportation of four asylum seekers from the UK to France over the past week, despite ongoing legal battles. Under the July agreement, the UK returns Channel arrivals in exchange for…

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged sweeping reforms to the UK’s modern slavery laws after the Court of Appeal rejected her bid to deport an Eritrean asylum seeker under Labour’s new “one in, one out” migration scheme. Mahmood had sought to challenge a High Court ruling that granted the Eritrean man 14 days to gather evidence in support of his trafficking claim before removal to France. But three senior judges…

The Home Office has suffered a setback after the Court of Appeal rejected its bid to overturn a High Court ruling halting the deportation of an Eritrean asylum seeker under the government’s “one in, one out” migration scheme. Three appeal judges,Lord Justice Arnold, Lord Justice Lewis, and Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing dismissed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s application, upholding an earlier order granting the asylum seeker 14 days to gather further…

The Prince and Princess of Wales have made a return visit to Southport to show continued support for the community still grieving the loss of three young girls murdered at a dance class in July 2024. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed during the Taylor Swift-themed class. Eight other children and two adults were seriously injured. Their killer, Axel Rudakubana,…

The UK is set to record the highest inflation among G7 nations this year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Paris-based body forecast UK inflation averaging 3.5% in 2025, well above the US at 2.7% despite President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imports. The OECD expects UK inflation to ease to 2.7% in 2026 but remain above the Bank of England’s 2% target. Rising food…

Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are preparing to reopen membership registration for their new political party (Your Party) this week, despite failing to agree on a joint statement. The move follows weeks of tension after Sultana unilaterally launched an online portal that drew 20,000 sign-ups but was denounced by Corbyn and other Independent Alliance MPs as unauthorised. She later backed down, cancelling legal threats and admitting the row had demoralised…

New Zealand is set to make it easier for migrant workers to settle in the country, in a bid to strengthen its workforce and stimulate economic growth. On Tuesday, Minister for Economic Growth Nicola Willis announced two new residency pathways aimed at attracting skilled and experienced migrants to fill gaps in the labour market. “Businesses told us it was too hard for some migrants to gain residence, even when they…