Tag: UK

  • ‘I grieve with you and stand with you’; British PM visits Israel

    ‘I grieve with you and stand with you’; British PM visits Israel

    British prime minister Rishi Sunak landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Thursday morning to meet his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu and President Herzog.

    He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I am in Israel, a nation in grief. I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism. Today, and always.”

    During his meeting with Herzog, he said that it is vital to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating, “Palestinians are victims of what Hamas has done. It’s important that we continue to provide humanitarian access,”

    He, nonetheless, stressed on his full support to Israel to “defend” itself, “to bring security back” in the country to its people, and “to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken”.

    As per reports of the meeting by Al Jazeera, “The Prime Minister and President Herzog stressed the imperative need to avoid further escalation of violence in the region. They agreed to continue working together to that end.”

    Later, PM Netanyahu, during his meeting with his British counterpart, said Hamas’ attack on October 7 was carried out to “destroy Israel’s regional peace moves in the region”.

    PM Sunak stated that the UK will provide increased aid to the region.

    “I’m proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour. As your friend, we will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people, and we also want you to win,” Sunak said.

    In a short press conference, PM Netanyahu said, “This is not merely our battle, it’s the battle of the entire civilised war, the battle of Israel, the battle of moderate Arab countries, the battle of the free world, the battle for the future,

    “We have two forces – one is an axis of evil run by Iran and supported by Hezbollah, Hamas and others that want to bring back the Middle East to the Middle Ages … to the age of war and slavery.

    “The other forces [are those] of progress and humanity who want to push for a world of peace and prosperity.”

    PM Rishi Sunak will depart for Saudi Arabia today to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

  • A man is a man and a woman is a woman, says Rishi Sunak

    A man is a man and a woman is a woman, says Rishi Sunak

    Rishi Sunak stated that it was “common sense” that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman.”

    On Wednesday, the British Prime Minister shared his stance on gender identity at a conference speech.

    “We shouldn’t be bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be, they can’t. A man is a man, a woman is a woman, that’s just common sense.”

    He announced a ban on trans women from female-only hospital wards.

    He also added that it “shouldn’t be controversial” for parents to be informed what their children were being taught about sex and relationships at school.

    “It shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships. Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women.”

    He laid emphasis on family, saying that Conservatives should “never be afraid” to advocate its importance for a stable society.

    His comments come about as the debate about trans rights gains steam in Britain, and the rest of the western world. Conservatives and liberals have squared off about trans issues, most notably allowing children to begin hormone therapy, the inclusion of biological men in women’s sports and the matter of allowing trans women to be kept in women’s hospital wards, jails and bathrooms.

    The crowd responded to him with a loud applause on his views over gender, whereas people on X (formerly Twitter) got divided on his stance.

  • Don’t miss this scholarship opportunity in the UK

    If you are planning to pursue further studies abroad, apply for this ongoing scholarship in the UK.

    In a recent post, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) announced Commonwealth Scholarships for masters and PhD programmes for the next cohort.

    The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) is a UK-based scholarship scheme led by international development objectives.

    The scholarship covers full tuition fees, airfare to and from the UK, and provides a living allowance to support you while you are there.

    Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) students are also eligible for the scholarships.

    The deadline to apply is October 17 (Tuesday) on the CSC portal.

    According to HEC’s website, 26 nominations are available for masters, 30 for PhD and 10 for teaching faculty PhD.

    For further details and understanding of the requirements, eligibility and more, visit their website:

    1. HEC
    2. British Council
    3. Commonwealth Scholarship
    4. Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC)
  • Microsoft to buy ‘Call of Duty’ maker, Activision, for $69 billion

    Microsoft to buy ‘Call of Duty’ maker, Activision, for $69 billion

    Xbox-owner Microsoft is edging closer to finalising its $69 billion acquisition of the video game giant Activision Blizzard, the creator of ‘Call of Duty.’ The UK regulatory body, on Friday, gave its approval for the revamped deal, addressing previous regulatory concerns.

    Microsoft, a US tech giant, initiated this bid early last year, aiming to secure its position as the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, following China’s Tencent and Japan’s PlayStation maker, Sony.

    This acquisition has undergone rigorous scrutiny from both US and UK regulators. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK had previously blocked an earlier version of the deal in April. However, the CMA, in its recent statement, mentioned that the “restructured deal makes important changes” and paves the way for potential clearance. The CMA will now consult on the required “remedies” before making a final decision.

    Microsoft’s Vice Chairman and President, Brad Smith, expressed optimism about the CMA’s review process, stating, “We presented solutions that we believe fully address the CMA’s remaining concerns related to cloud game streaming, and we will continue to work towards earning approval to close the deal by October 18.”

    Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, which also produces popular games like ‘Diablo’ and ‘Candy Crush,’ hailed the UK regulator’s announcement as “a significant milestone for the merger.”

    The revised proposal submitted by Microsoft to the CMA last month significantly alters the deal. Notably, it ensures that the cloud distribution of these critical games remains with a strong independent supplier, Ubisoft Entertainment, instead of coming under Microsoft’s control. Colin Raftery, Senior Director of Mergers at the CMA, emphasised this change.

    The original concerns of the CMA have been addressed, according to its Chief Executive, Sarah Cardell. She noted, however, that presenting this restructuring during the initial investigation would have been preferable, emphasising the costs and delays incurred when effective remedies are not proposed promptly.

    Outside the UK, the European Union approved the deal in May, while the US antitrust regulator temporarily halted its efforts to block the acquisition after a legal setback.

    Regulators have been concerned about Microsoft potentially restricting access to highly popular games by making them exclusive to the Xbox platform. In July, Microsoft and Sony reached an agreement to continue releasing the ‘Call of Duty’ video game on the PlayStation console, resolving previous disputes where Sony sought to oppose Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.”

  • ‘Constellation’ of injuries found on Sara Sharif

    ‘Constellation’ of injuries found on Sara Sharif

    Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle appeared at the Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court of England on Tuesday. As per orders, they will face a murder trial next autumn.

    The father, Urfan Sharif; Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, appeared in court via video link.

    The trio have been charged with “causing or allowing” Sara’s death.

    According to details provided in court, Sara had a “constellation” of healed and healing injuries including a broken collarbone, multiple rib fractures and a brain haemorrhage.

    Prosecutor Giles Bedloe stated that they are to continue to probe into how Sara died.

    Sharif, Batool, and Malik only spoke to confirm their names and dates of birth: 41, 29, and 28, respectively.

    They will now appear on December 1 for a plea hearing, and will stand trial in September 2024.

  • Four women accuse comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault

    Four women accuse comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault

    In a shocking expose by the Sunday Times, four women have publicly accused comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse during the years 2006 to 2013, when his career was on its peak. The publication said all the women had chosen to remain anonymous, and felt ready to speak after being approached by reporters.

    A joint investigation carried out by Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatch said that two of the women, Los Angeles residents, alleged being raped and sexually assaulted by the comedian, with the second woman revealing that Brand threatened to take legal action against her if she went public with her allegations.

    Another woman revealed she was 16-years-old when Brand assaulted her, at a time when hewas in his early 30s, referring to her as a “child” during their emotionally abusive and controlling relationship.

    “Russell engaged in the behaviors of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like,” the woman said.

    The fourth woman alleged she was assaulted by the comedian.

    A day before the allegations by The Times were to be released, Russell released a video where he slammed the “serious criminal allegations” that were about to be made against him.

    The former husband of singer Katy Perry said in the video released on X, formerly Twitter:

    “Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.

    “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I’ve written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous.

    “Now during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual.”

    In light of the rape accusations, several users have reshared a clip from a 2013 Vogue interview of Katy Perry, who married and then divorced the comedian in 2012. Brand had publicly divorced the singer with a breakup text, which was shown in the singer’s ‘Part Of Me’ documentary.

    “I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day,” the ‘Roar’ singer said. “I let go and I was like: This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that.”

    The BBC have meanwhile responded to the allegations, saying that they were “urgently looking into the issues raised” by the allegations. Brand worked as a radio presenter for the channel in 2006 and 2008, and The Times quoted a complaint made to the organisation’s management about the comedian’s “alarming display of aggression and disrespect”.

    Channel 4 released a statement saying that they “asked the production company who produced the programmes for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us”.

    The organisation added they were conducting an internal investigation and encouraged “anyone who is aware of such behaviour to contact us directly.”

  • British Prime Minister bans American dog breed

    British Prime Minister bans American dog breed

    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said on Friday that American XL Bully dogs will be banned in the UK after a spate of dangerous attacks.

    The British Prime Minister expressed hope that the breed of dangerous dogs will be banned by the end of this year.

    In a video statement released on social media, Rishi Sunak said that these dogs have caused at least 14 human deaths since 2021 and are a threat to children and communities.

    Referring to videos of dogs attacking humans and spreading panic among people, Sunak has said that he has given instructions to act immediately to ban this breed of dogs to keep people safe, adding that it is now clear that the problem is not a few badly trained dogs but their behaviour.

    He stated that owners have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, assuring the public that work is underway to prevent future attacks and protect the public.

  • Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother arrested in UK

    Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother arrested in UK

    10-year-old Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool, and her uncle flew back to the UK as law enforcing agencies in Pakistan kept pursuing them. The trio has been arrested from Gatwick Airport where they surrendered to the police, BBC has reported.

    Raja Haq Nawaz, a lawyer for Urfan Sharif’s father Muhammad Sharif, told DAWN that the suspects were not arrested and that their flight left from Sialkot, Punjab.

    Previously, Jhelum police shifted Urfan Sharif’s five children to the Child Protection Bureau after a local court granted permission to the police to do so. The children were to be in the Bureau’s custody till the parents were found and arrested.

    A day before that, Sharif’s children, found in their grandfather’s house, were taken into protective custody by the police as the hunt continued for their father and stepmother.

    RPO Khurram Ali claimed that police is “conducting raids at possible hideouts for their arrests”.

    He had also clarified that the three suspects will not be able to flee Pakistan as FIA’s Immigration Wing had put staff on alert at all airports.

    The couple also released a video in which Batool touched upon media reporting of Sara’s death, claiming that they both will cooperate with UK authorities, and that they were on the run in Pakistan because the family feared that the Pakistan police will torture and kill them.

    The Case
    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years.
    During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked a one-way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

  • Sara Sharif case: Urfan Sharif’s five children sent to Child Protection Bureau

    Sara Sharif case: Urfan Sharif’s five children sent to Child Protection Bureau

    In a recent development in the Sara Sharif case, Jhelum police have shifted Urfan Sharif’s five children to the Child Protection Bureau in Lahore

    A day before, Sharif’s children, found in their grandfather’s house, were taken into protective custody by the police as the hunt continues for their father and stepmother.

    The children have been shifted to the Bureau after a local court granted permission to the police to do so. The children are said to be in the Bureau’s custody till the parents, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool, are found and arrested.

    Dawn spoke with Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurram Ali, who stated that the parents as well as Urfan Sharif’s brother (and Sara’s uncle) are still on the run and the police is “conducting raids at possible hideouts for their arrests”.

    He also clarified that the three suspects cannot flee Pakistan as FIA’s Immigration Wing has put staff on alert at all airports.

    Additionally, the parent’s relatives have not been complying and have even approached Lahore High Court against the police, claiming that the police have illegally detained around 10 relatives of Urfan. “The court was being misled through fabricated information”, RPO added.

    Dawn highlighted that the police had interrogated 10 to 15 of the relatives on Saturday in the search to pinpoint the couple’s whereabouts, after which they were allowed to leave.

    The RPO said the relatives are playing a “dubious role” and contributing to the couple’s “trouble”.

    Urfan’s father initially claimed to not have any information about his grandchildren, however, they were found at his place after the raid.

    “If they did nothing wrong in London, they should feel free to hand themselves over to the police”, said the RPO, referring to the couple, hoping that they will surrender soon since the children should not be kept away from the parents for too long.

    The case

    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

  • Sara Sharif case; five children taken into custody

    Sara Sharif case; five children taken into custody

    While Sara Sharif’s parents, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool are still on the run, Pakistan police took five of Sharif’s children into custody on Monday, District Police Office (DPO) of Jhelum has confirmed.

    Geo News has reported that Noman, Azlam, Ihsan, Hina, and Bisma Sharif are in police protection right now, while their father, the prime suspect, remains on the loose.

    Previously, Sara Sharif’s grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, had denied knowing where his son was or the family’s whereabouts but now, he revealed that he had been sheltering the children at his place in Jhelum.

    Geo reports that as per witnesses, police had been stationed outside Muhammad Sharif’s residence, with officers stopping the people from recording proceedings on their phones. On the other hand, Muhammad Sharif claims that during the operation, the police damaged the house’s gates and CCTV cameras.

    The family has alleged that the police have been terrorising them, subjecting some relatives to involuntary detention, conducting unwarranted searches of their residence, and in order to put pressure on the family, fabricated charges have been filed against them.

    The police, on the contrary, have denied all assertions and are determined to find Sara Sharif’s father, Urfan Sharif, who is allegedly the main suspect.

    Previously

    10-year-old Sara Sharif’s uncle and grandfather have been detained from Jhelum in a case pertaining to the child’s mysterious death in the UK.

    As per the police, 10 people in total have been arrested.

    Moreover, the detained persons have been kept at an unknown location, and three of the family’s vehicles have also been seized.

    Police say that Sara’s parents, father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool, are still on the run. Meanwhile, a case of kidnapping has been filed against two of Sharif’s brothers and his brother-in-law.

    The case

    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.