TheNewsGuru

Tag: UK

  • Death toll in London tower block fire rises to 17

    Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said on Thursday that the death toll in the blaze that engulfed a residential tower in west London has climbed up to 17 lives and is expected to rise further.

    “Thirty-seven people remain in hospital, including 17 in critical condition, Cundy said.

    London Fire Brigade Commissioner Dany Cotton said it “could take weeks” for firefighters to complete a search of the gutted, 24-storey Grenfell Tower.

    “I want to be realistic, this could be a long process,” Cotton said, speaking alongside Cundy.

    Cotton said that many of the 250 firefighters who tackled the blaze were traumatised by the “horrendous” scenes they found.

    He said that the officers had seen people jumping and throwing children from windows at the 120-home social housing block.

    “I spoke to one of my officers who was very near when someone came out of the window, and he was in tears, and he is a professional fire officer.

    “We like to think of ourselves as roughy, toughy, and heroes, they are heroes, but they have feelings, and people were absolutely devastated by yesterday’s events.

    “It was the worst thing I have ever seen, it was a horrendous, major incident of a large scale that involved so many people, and it was beyond belief.

    “Words cannot describe it, it was just that truly awful,” Cotton said.

    He said that the firefighters have not been able to conduct a comprehensive search of the 24-storey block of flats that went up in the flames because it is not safe for them to walk to the edges of the building.

    Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Theresa May and other politicians have paid tribute to the firefighters.

    The Fire Brigades Union, which represents most of Britain’s firefighters, earlier said the firefighters and other emergency personnel were “doing a particularly difficult job.”

    The union said, “the firefighters are witnessing brutal and tragic scenes with the professionalism we have come to expect from them.”

    NAN

  • Online dating fraud: Nigerian women convicted in UK

    Two Nigerian women have been convicted of being part of a romance fraud which tricked seven men into handing over more than £100,000.

    Grace Akintaro, 24, of Pettacre Close, SE28 pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, 12 June.
    At the same hearing, Victoria Nwogu, 22, of Piedmont Road, SE18 pleaded guilty to a charge of acquiring criminal property (money laundering). The women will both be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, 20 June.

    Officers from the Met’s Fraud and Linked Crime Online (FALCON) began an investigation in December 2014 following a referral from Action Fraud.
    Four men, living in different areas of the UK, had contacted Action Fraud to report the fact they were victims of a romance fraud scam.
    A further three victims were later identified as a result of the Met’s investigation.
    The men had all been using the Match dating website and believed they had struck up a relationship with a woman called Amanda Jenson.

    After being asked if they could cover her travel costs to meet up, the men agreed to pay money directly into her bank account.
    Various different excuses were then given to each man to explain why Amanda could not see them on the set date.

    However, she would ask for more money and promise to meet up another time. None of the men ended up meeting Amanda, despite transferring thousands of pounds to her bank account.
    Akintaro admitted she spoke to at least two of the victims on the phone pretending to be Amanda Jenson.

    As well as travel costs, the men were also asked for other short term loans to pay for rent or other costs and would be given different bank account details they were told belonged to her mother or landlord.

    Fake documents were used to provide evidence that Amanda Jenson was due to receive an inheritance from a relative and would then be able to pay the money back.
    Met detectives carried out analysis of the bank statements related to the account numbers the
    men had been asked to pay money in to and uncovered links to Akintaro and Nwogu.
    One of the victims identified by Met officers had been tricked into handing over a total of more than £46,000.

    Another victim of the fraud sent money from his wife’s death in service insurance policy from her employer.
    Others have lost proportions of their pension and another took out an equity release on his house.

    In one case, a victim was told to go to a London airport to meet Amanda Jenson.
    Whilst he was standing outside the arrivals lounge, he was sent pictures of himself from the phone number he had used to communicate with her.

    The man was told Amanda Jenson could see him waiting but had been held up by customs officials and needed more money before she could be released. He refused to pay and went home.

    All the men ceased contact with Amanda after it became apparent they would never meet her and were unlikely ever to receive their money back.
    Most of the bank accounts involved in the fraud had an address of Pettacre Close, Woolwich, where Akintaro lived.

    In total, Akintaro received £104,962.88 into accounts she directly controlled.
    Analysis of Akintaro’s mobile phone revealed a photo of Amanda Jenson used in the fraudulent profiles sent to the victims.

    A car, which is owned and used by Grace Akintaro, was directly bought with funds from one of the victims. In total, Nwogu received £3,490 into accounts she directly controlled.
    The money was sent to Akintaro and Nwogu during a period between August 2014 and December 2015.
    The police investigation revealed no evidence of Amanda Jenson’s existence, other than as a fake dating profile. The picture used on Match is believed to be of a woman who is entirely unaware of the fraud.
    Akintaro was charged on 26 October 2016. Nwogu was charged the following day.
    Detective Constable Mark Cresswell, of the Met’s Fraud and Linked Crime Online (FALCON) unit, said:

    “We managed to identify seven victims of this fraud but I suspect there are many more who have not contacted police. Romance fraud is often an under-reported crime as victims can be left feeling embarrassed about the sum of money they have handed over to someone they have never met. One of the victims we identified in this case said he had not reported it to police because he thought he felt he had been a ‘foolish old man’.

    “I would like to appeal to anyone who believes they have been a victim of this crime to contact their local police force or Action Fraud. We will investigate these allegations and, as these prosecutions show, we will ensure that the perpetrators are unable to commit similar offences against anyone else.

    Source: Newsshopper

  • ‘Aisha Buhari did not see her husband when she visited him in UK’

    ‘Aisha Buhari did not see her husband when she visited him in UK’

    President Muhammadu Buhari was not allowed to see the first lady during her recent visit to the UK.

    “The information came from presidency sources on Tuesday, affirming that the president has been kept away from several of his aides and even those bodyguards who supposedly traveled with him.” Online news site, SaharaReporters claimed.

    The President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari is the ‘manipulator-in-chief’, according to the sources.

    The report also says that Buhari has not spoken to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for several weeks following his departure from Abuja for a second round of medical treatment.

    Also, that the public declaration by former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, that he met Buhari in London is a complete fabrication as Buhari did not at any time receive Kalu.

    It was also confirmed that Buhari is in a non-speaking mode, and is only reached by two aides, Tunde Saburi and Sarki Abba, who haven’t mentioned any improvement.

    Aisha Buhari returned from her UK trip, we would recall, sending messages to her family members in Adamawa claiming her husband was recovering fast but asked for continuous prayers.

    Kyari is said to be the brain behind all the underground moves. It was he, they claimed, who a few days ago passed a fake document to Garba Shehu, one of Buhari’s spokespersons, claiming that Buhari had given Osinbajo the go-ahead to sign the 2017 budget.

    According to their sources, Osinbajo had already decided on the date he would sign the budget, a decision that was delayed only by a last-minute discussion to include some projects such as the Lagos-Apapa Port road repairs. They said they were not surprised at Shehu’s fake statement claiming Buhari sent a letter granting the Acting President the right to sign the budget.

  • We’ll start exporting yams to US, UK soon – FG

    We’ll start exporting yams to US, UK soon – FG

    The Federal Government has said it will start exporting yams and other locally produced food items to the United States,United Kingdom and other countries soon.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh stated this on Friday. The minister said the first consignment of certified yams will be exported to their respected countries of destination (US and UK) by the end of June.

    This is contained in a statement on Friday by Olukayode Oyeleye of the Media and Communication department in the ministry.

    Ogbeh said that the Federal Government was committed to restoring Nigeria’s place in agro-commodities export market, which had been lost for decades as a result of poor quality control.

    ‘‘This exportation will mark a milestone in the efforts we are making to bring Nigeria back into reckoning in the agricultural export market.

    ‘‘We lost this, decades ago, as a result of poor quality control and subsequent rejection of our agricultural exports.

    ‘‘Among a number of initiatives to fast-track these interventions and solidify our base, the Federal Government has empowered the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), to make it more responsive to issues of safety and phytosanitary standards in food exports.

    ‘‘The NAQS reports will become acceptable globally and this will forestall the national embarrassment arising from the rejections of food exports on account of quality deficiency,’’ he said.

    He disclosed that the Federal Government had also established a standing inter-ministerial technical committee on zero-reject of agricultural commodities/produce and non-oil exports in Nigeria.

    Ogbeh said the the committee is co-chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and technically supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

    Member-agencies are the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    Others are Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC).

     

  • UK goes to polls in general election

    UK goes to polls in general election

    Voting in the United Kingdom general election is under way at more than 40,000 polling stations across the country.

    Polls opened at 07:00 BST on Thursday, with counting starting once voting ends at 22:00 BST.

    A total of 650 Westminster MPs will be elected, with about 46.9 million people registered to vote.

    That is up from the last general election, in 2015, when there were 46.4 million registered voters.

    Some votes have already been cast, through postal voting, which accounted for 16.4% of the total electorate at the 2015 general election. People with an undelivered postal vote can still deliver it by hand to their local polling station.

    Overall turnout in 2015, when the Conservatives won 331 out of 650 seats, was 66.4%, up from 2010.

    Most polling stations are in schools, community centres and parish halls, but pubs, a launderette and a school bus have been used in the past.

    Police have increased security at polling stations, including patrols by armed officers in some areas, following the recent terror attacks.

    A handful of seats are expected to be declared by midnight, with the final results expected on Friday afternoon.

    Unusually, no local elections are taking place at the same time, so results might come through earlier than in recent general elections.

    In 2015 the first seat to declare was Houghton and Sunderland South, at 22:48 BST.

    To form a majority in the House of Commons one party must win 326 seats – in 2015 a Conservative majority was not confirmed until 13:34 BST.

    The weather forecast is for some rain in south-west England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales on Thursday, with south-east England remaining cloudy and dry.

  • Ibori wins legal battle over unlawful detention

    Ibori wins legal battle over unlawful detention

    Former governor of Delta State, JamesIbori has won a High Court declaration that he was unlawfully detained by Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

    But a judge ruled that Ibori, who claimed £4,000 in damages for breaches of his human rights, is only entitled to a nominal £1 of the sum.

    Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb declared he was unlawfully held for one day, 18 hours and 10 minutes between December 20 and 21 last year.

    She said the Home Secretary “failed to have regard to her limits to detain” as attempts were made to claw back millions from the fraudster.” Standard.co.uk reports

    But in rejecting Ibori’s bid for thousands in compensation, the judge ruled: “There is no compensatory loss to Mr Ibori and I fix nominal damages at £1.”

    Ibori was extradited to the UK for trial in February 2012 and prosecuted on the basis of evidence from the Metropolitan Police.

    He pleaded guilty to 10 serious criminal charges over the appropriation of massive amounts of public funds during his two terms as governor of Delta State, Nigeria.

    He was sentenced in April 2012 at Southwark Crown Court to 13 years imprisonment, and an order for his deportation as a foreign criminal was made in May 2015.

    Having spent time in custody in the United Arab Emirates, he was due to be conditionally released from prison on December 20 2016.

    But the Home Office indicated that there was no intention to deport Ibori to Nigeria until he handed over at least £57m “proceeds of crime”.

    An email stated “we cannot deport Mr Ibori until the confiscation matter has been resolved”.

    On December 21 last year, the day after his due release date, High Court Mrs Justice May ordered Ibori to be freed on conditions, describing the attempts to detain as “quite extraordinary”.

    The judge said: “You don’t hold someone just because it is convenient to do so and without plans to deport them.”

    A Home Office application that Ibori be electronically tagged and subject to strict curfew conditions was also rejected after the judge accepted arguments that the Home Secretary was attempting to misuse her immigration and deportation powers.

    Ibori left the UK under his own steam on February 3 2017, but also launched his claim for damages for false imprisonment and breach of his rights under the 1998 Human Rights Act not to be unlawfully detained.

    Ruling on Monday that Ibori had been held unlawfully for almost two days, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said it followed a failure to hold effective confiscation proceedings.

     

    The judge ruled: “In this case, the secretary of state has been wrong-footed by the failure of the prosecution to achieve determination of its confiscation proceedings against Mr Ibori prior to his release from prison on licence.”

    Ibori, was jailed for fraud totalling nearly £50m in April 2012.

    He evaded capture in Nigeria after a mob of supporters attacked police, but was arrested in Dubai in 2010 and extradited to the UK.

    Source: Standard.co.uk

  • Buhari to undergo another penis surgery in UK

    Buhari to undergo another penis surgery in UK

    A little baby, Buhari Dauda, whose step mother cut off his genital few months ago, will be undergoing another phase of surgery in a UK hospital, where a genital implant would be carried out on him.

    This was disclosed to newsmen in Minna on Sunday by the Director General of Niger State Child’s Rights Agency, Barrister Mariam Kolo.

    According to Kolo, the state Governor, “Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has taken responsibility of the medical bills of the baby”.

    “The baby who just finished another round of surgery in Bida will be taken to the UK within the year”, she said.

    Kolo also said that, Buhari’s stepmother, Bara’atu, who chopped off his penis, would soon be arraigned at the State High Court, for prosecution.

    According to Kolo, the state Governor, “Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has taken responsibility of the medical bills of the baby”.

    “The baby who just finished another round of surgery in Bida will be taken to the UK within the year”, she said.

    Kolo also said that, Buhari’s stepmother, Bara’atu, who chopped off his penis, would soon be arraigned at the State High Court, for prosecution.

  • U.S., UK give conditions for peace over North Korea

    The United States and United Kingdom as well as their allies have given conditions for peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict over North Korea’s nuclear threats.

    The two countries gave the conditions at a high-level meeting on North Korea, attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 15-Member UN Security Council on Friday in New York.

    This was just as North Korea reportedly launched another missile test on Friday as a Security Council’s meeting chaired by the U.S. got underway at the UN.

    The high-level meeting was chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to end the country’s Presidency of the Council for the Month of April 2017.

    Tillerson said: “For the past 20 years, well-intentioned diplomatic efforts to halt these programs have failed.

    “It is only by first dismantling them that there can be peace, stability, and economic prosperity for all of Northeast Asia.

    “With each successive detonation and missile test, North Korea pushes Northeast Asia and the world closer to instability and broader conflict.

    “The threat of a North Korean nuclear attack on Seoul, or Tokyo, is real.

    “And it is likely only a matter of time before North Korea develops the capability to strike the U.S. mainland.

    “Indeed, the DPRK has repeatedly claimed it plans to conduct such a strike.

    “Given that rhetoric, the United States cannot idly stand by. Nor can other members of this council who are within striking distance of North Korean missiles”.

    The U.S. envoy warned that there was no reason to think that North Korea would change its behaviour under the current multilateral sanctions framework.

    “For too long, the international community has been reactive in addressing North Korea. Those days must come to an end.

    “Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences.

    “We have said this before and it bears repeating: the policy of strategic patience is over. Additional patience will only mean acceptance of a nuclear North Korea.

    “The more we bid our time, the sooner we will run out of it,” Tillerson warned.

    He added: “Lastly, as we have said before, all options for responding to future provocation must remain on the table.

    “Diplomatic and financial levers of power will be backed up by a willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action if necessary”.

    On its part, the UK, through Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, called for a change of approach by the Security Council, towards North Korea.

    “This Council must be united in its demand that the present course cannot continue and Britain is proud today to have joined its allies to lead the enforcement of sanctions and seek a peaceful solution.

    “We urge other partners with direct influence on North Korea to use their leverage to the full, with the aim of easing tensions and ensuring compliance with the expressed will of the UN.”

    The UK called on Russia and China and other Member States to use whatever influence they possess to restrain North Korea and guide its leaders towards a peaceful settlement.

    “Britain stands alongside our allies in making clear that North Korea must obey the UN and halt its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, disarming in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

    “Only then can this Council be assured of the peace and security of the region – and only then can the people of North Korea have the chance of a better future.

    “But the catastrophic effects of a North Korean nuclear strike outweigh any economic benefits.

    “We must be willing to face the hard truths and make hard choices right now to prevent disastrous outcomes in the future.

    “For years, North Korea has been dictating the terms of its dangerous course of action; it is time for us to retake control of the situation,” Johnson said.

    Other members of the Security Council that supported U.S. and UK included Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Italy, Sweden and Ukraine.

     

     

     

    NAN

  • U.S., UK give conditions for peace over N/Korea

    U.S., UK give conditions for peace over N/Korea

    The U.S. and UK as well as their allies have given conditions for peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict over North Korea’s nuclear threats.

    The two countries gave the conditions at a high-level meeting on North Korea, attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 15-Member UN Security Council on Friday in New York.

    This was just as North Korea reportedly launched another missile test on Friday as a Security Council’s meeting chaired by the U.S. got underway at the UN.

    The high-level meeting was chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to end the country’s Presidency of the Council for the Month of April 2017.

    Tillerson said: “For the past 20 years, well-intentioned diplomatic efforts to halt these programs have failed.

    “It is only by first dismantling them that there can be peace, stability, and economic prosperity for all of Northeast Asia.

    “With each successive detonation and missile test, North Korea pushes Northeast Asia and the world closer to instability and broader conflict.

    “The threat of a North Korean nuclear attack on Seoul, or Tokyo, is real.

    “And it is likely only a matter of time before North Korea develops the capability to strike the U.S. mainland.

    “Indeed, the DPRK has repeatedly claimed it plans to conduct such a strike.

    “Given that rhetoric, the United States cannot idly stand by. Nor can other members of this council who are within striking distance of North Korean missiles”.

    The U.S. envoy warned that there was no reason to think that North Korea would change its behaviour under the current multilateral sanctions framework.

    “For too long, the international community has been reactive in addressing North Korea. Those days must come to an end.

    “Failing to act now on the most pressing security issue in the world may bring catastrophic consequences.

    “We have said this before and it bears repeating: the policy of strategic patience is over. Additional patience will only mean acceptance of a nuclear North Korea.

    “The more we bid our time, the sooner we will run out of it,” Tillerson warned.

    He added: “Lastly, as we have said before, all options for responding to future provocation must remain on the table.

    “Diplomatic and financial levers of power will be backed up by a willingness to counteract North Korean aggression with military action if necessary”.

    On its part, the UK, through Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, called for a change of approach by the Security Council, towards North Korea.

    “This Council must be united in its demand that the present course cannot continue and Britain is proud today to have joined its allies to lead the enforcement of sanctions and seek a peaceful solution.

    “We urge other partners with direct influence on North Korea to use their leverage to the full, with the aim of easing tensions and ensuring compliance with the expressed will of the UN.”

    The UK called on Russia and China and other Member States to use whatever influence they possess to restrain North Korea and guide its leaders towards a peaceful settlement.

    “Britain stands alongside our allies in making clear that North Korea must obey the UN and halt its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, disarming in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

    “Only then can this Council be assured of the peace and security of the region – and only then can the people of North Korea have the chance of a better future.

    “But the catastrophic effects of a North Korean nuclear strike outweigh any economic benefits.

    “We must be willing to face the hard truths and make hard choices right now to prevent disastrous outcomes in the future.

    “For years, North Korea has been dictating the terms of its dangerous course of action; it is time for us to retake control of the situation,” Johnson said.

    Other members of the Security Council that supported U.S. and UK included Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Italy, Sweden and Ukraine.

  • UK general elections to be conducted June 8, Theresa May assures

    UK general elections to be conducted June 8, Theresa May assures

    British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has called for a general election to be held in the country on 8 June.

    In a speech at Number 10 Downing Street, May expressed her resolve to cement her party’s grip to power.

    The Prime Minister said she would go to Parliament and ask for the national vote on June 8, adding: “We need a general election and we need one now”.

    She explained that she had only come to the conclusion an election was needed “recently”.

    Theresa May’s statement reads in part: “I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet, where we agreed that the Government should call a general election, to be held on June 8.

    “I want to explain the reasons for that decision, what will happen next and the choice facing the British people when you come to vote in this election.

    “Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership, and since I became Prime Minister the Government has delivered precisely that.

    “Despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high, record numbers of jobs, and economic growth that has exceeded all expectations.

    “We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result.

    “It was with reluctance that I decided the country needed this election but it is with conviction that I say it is necessary…so tomorrow let the House of Commons vote for an election, let everybody put forward their proposals for Brexit and their vision for Government.”

    “It will be a choice between strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your Prime Minister, or weak and unstable government under a coalition led by Jeremy Corbyn…every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger when I negotiate for Britain with the European Union.”