Category: UK News

The trial of a British-Indian businessman, accused of having his wife murdered during their honeymoon trip to South Africa, began . British businessman Shrien Dewani has formally pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife on their honeymoon in South Africa in 2010. Mr Dewani, from Bristol, is accused of hiring a hitman to kill his…

India’s Jindal Group is considering the purchase of debt-ridden British firm London Mining, which is faced with crashing iron-ore prices and the ebola outbreak in Africa where it operates a mine, the Sunday Times reported. London Mining shares closed last week at just four pence after it said it was in talks with a strategic…

The first London telephone box to be transformed into a free, solar-powered mobile phone charger has been unveiled  on Tottenham Court Road in London. The solar-panelled phone boxes provide a clean, carbon-neutral source of energy for phones, tablets, cameras and other devices. Costs are covered through in-booth advertising space enabling the public to power-up free…

The British Indian businessman, accused of arranging the murder of his wife on their honeymoon trip to South Africa, is due to face trial Oct 6, BBC reported . The trial of Shrien Dewani, 34, will begin at South Africa’s Western Cape High Court. He was extradited from Britain in April and was held at Valkenberg…

Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable has launched a campaign to increase the number of ethnic minorities at the top of British FTSE companies. On the eve of launching the British Black Business awards in East London,  Cable revealed he is in discussions with Lenny Henry and former Chair of the Equalities and Human Rights…

Ten city leaders represented by the umbrella organisation Core Cities UK signed a strongly-worded letter to first secretary of state William Hague asking for devolution to cities across the UK to be enacted at the same speed as devolution to Scotland. The leaders welcomed a statement from Prime Minister David Cameron saying that the UK’s great cities…

A number of faith leaders, the three party group leaders on Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, issued a joint statement in response to the news the English Defence League plan to stage a demonstration in the city on October 11: “What the EDL just does not seem to understand is that Birmingham’s…

A tax tribunal has backed HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in yet another tax avoidance case – this time against a university which claimed over £610,000 in VAT. The University of Huddersfield used the scheme to recover more VAT than it was entitled to on the costs of refurbishing leasehold property. The case relates to…

Five areas of the UK will now need to include the area code when they dial a local number from a landline. Callers in areas including Bradford and Milton Keynes, will need to include the code for every phone call they make. The changes have been put into place to free up new telephone numbers…

  A gathering of Muslim and Jewish leaders took place in the European Parliament to denounce Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of bigotry. The gathering, organised by Afzal Khan MEP in conjunction with the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, was called in response to the searing clashes that took place over the Summer between Muslims…

British Prime Minister unveiled his election strategy for 2015 by pledging tax cuts  for 30 million people. The party will focus on strong economy, NHS, housing, EU referundum pledge besides the tax reforms to retain power. He told the Conservative conference in Birmingham that  if the Conservatives win next year’s election, the government will raise…

Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander attacked the tax proposals by David Cameron during the annual Conservative Party conference.  “The Tories shameless attempt to copy Liberal Democrat tax policy will be utterly incredible to the millions of working people who they have made clear will be their main target for cuts in the…

OVER 200 RUNNERS AND GARY LINEKER RAISE IN EXCESS OF £7,000 AT  MANCHESTER AIRPORT & BRITISH AIRWAYS FIRST RUNWAY RUN Over 200 runners raced over four kilometres around the UK s third biggest airport yesterday, raising over £7,000 as part of Manchester Airport and British Airways Runway Run. Joined by a stellar line up including…

To make devolution work there has got to be a culture shift away from London says Heseltine Lord Heseltine was in combative mood when he came to Birmingham to launch the Skills Hub, which will provide a vital link between business and academia. The Hub comprises colleges of further education and Greater Birmingham Chambers of…

HALIFAX SCHOOL LEADS 650 CHILDREN FOR PERFORMANCE AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL Parkinson Lane Community Primary School and Calderdale Music Service in Halifax have been given the prestigious job of writing the finale for the Royal Albert Hall Schools Prom. The 500+ school is a forerunner in many fields; they were national finalists in tag rugby,…

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP has praised the work of Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner in building safer communities. Speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, Ms Cooper confirmed that Labour will scrap police and crime commissioners if the party wins the next election and promised a system of ‘stronger accountability as…

A new ComRes / ITV News poll of the 40 most marginal Labour-Conservative constituencies, shows Labour holding an 11 point lead over the Conservatives. At the 2010 General Election the two parties were tied on 37% across these 40 seats. Labour currently has 41% of the vote in these battleground constituencies, an increase of five points since June, with…

Londoners have been urged to be “vigilant” on the Underground as the country begins military action against Islamic State militants in Iraq. London Mayor Boris Johnson told commuters to be cautious on London’s transport network, saying: “I would ask all Londoners to continue to do as they always do and remain vigilant, report anything suspicious to…