Three cheated of Rs 43L in UK visa fraud
Surat: Three people were cheated of Rs 43.33 lakh by a Mumbai-based father-son duo who promised to arrange UK visas for them.The accused, Mohammad Tarik Gaur and his son Mohammad Akif Gaur, own a visa office in Jogeshwari area of Mumbai. A year ago, they came to Chikhli and met Javed Pathan, who runs a coaching class in Chikhli town. The accused assured Pathan of UK work, study, and visitor visas.Lured by the promise, Pathan and his friends Aiyaz Kazi and Shahrukh Shaikh gave the father-son duo a total of Rs 54.43 lakh for UK visas. When the victims objected, accused Akif threatened to kill them if they demanded the visas.When the victims asked for the return of their money, the accused returned only Rs 11.1 lakh. Chikhli police on Sunday booked both the accused for criminal breach of trust , cheating, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy, and started an investigation.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 09:54 UTC
The UK’s 72 best places to live in 2025
The Times ended up with a total of 72 places, including neighbourhoods, villages, towns and entire cities. Named the best of the best was Saffron Walden. County Down’s Dundrum was named the regional winner for Northern Ireland. Britain’s best places to live in 2025, according to the Sunday TimesHere’s a full list of the best places to live in the UK right now, according to the Times. But the Sunday Times aren’t the only ones with things to say about the UK’s best places to live.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 09:36 UTC
Labour’s proposed cuts to education will be the ‘worst in a generation’
Labour’s proposed education cutsThe Times claims that education secretary Bridget Phillipson has “offered” to cut programmes like free period products, dance, music, and PE schemes. This was drastic for school sixth forms that underwent cuts of 26%. The lack of funding forced 47 school sixth forms to close from 2016-2019. The private school shamOne way to improve education would be to stop diverting resources to private schools that function to unfairly reproduce a ruling class. On top of that, private schools receive double the teachers with classes around half the size.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 07:55 UTC
It’s official: 7 London neighbourhoods are the UK’s best places to live in 2025
The Sunday Times has released its selection of the very best places to live in the UK in 2025 to help you pick a place that’s right for you. Seven areas in London made the cut for things like their green spaces, cultural offerings, friendly residents and culinary scenes. The paper called this central neighbourhood the ‘brainiest place to live in London’, owing to the University of London and British Museum. Twickenham and WembleyThe final two spots on the Times’ pick of London’s best places to live are way out west. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 07:32 UTC
Vandals target Peterborough community centre five times in a week
The Peterborough City Council-owned centre on Fleet Way is run by the Italian Community Association. Ms Caruso said nine windows and a door had been smashed and the attacks had left centre users "very upset". "Some of the culprits have been caught in the act on the centre's CCTV, but they don't seem to care," she said. "One night they smashed three windows while there was a Zumba class ongoing inside." "I have even camped out for few hours in the evenings to try and catch or deter them, but I miss them."
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 07:17 UTC
Jail for former boxer who fled UK after supplying drugs
A former boxer who fled to Ireland, Thailand and Mexico to avoid being arrested for supplying cocaine to a dealer in Cheltenham has been jailed. Lennox Clarke, 33, from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison after Gloucestershire Police found he had met Ben Goff, a Cheltenham drug dealer, at least 12 times. The former British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion had a previous conviction for supplying Class B drugs in 2012 and was told by the judge at Gloucester Crown Court that he had not learned his lesson. Det Insp Matt Phillips said he hoped Clarke's sentencing "gave confidence to the community" in reporting drug concerns.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 07:01 UTC
Dowry, domestic abuse, body dumped in car boot: Delhi woman Harshita Brella strangled by husband in UK after months of harassment, family fights for justice
"We were told Pankaj worked for a good company," her sister recalls. A few days later, Pankaj left for the UK, and Harshita joined him a month later in April. "She told my mother that she should sleep as they had to attend a wedding the next day," Sonia recalls. Investigators believe she was strangled by Pankaj on Nov 10, 2024, in Corby, Northamptonshire.The family claims they were being pressured for dowry. Both Harshita and Pankaj were missing, yet Pankaj's family did not file a missing person report.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 06:59 UTC
Glowing spiral mystery: Orb spotted twisting across UK skies
A strange glowing orb was seen spiralling through the night sky over parts of the UK this evening, leaving many residents baffled. Witnesses from Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, and beyond took to social media to share their astonishment, with some describing the sighting as "beautiful. "Photos and videos posted online show a luminous circular object spinning through the darkness before gradually fading away. The mysterious sighting sparked curiosity and confusion, with social media flooded with questions from those who had witnessed the phenomenon. "The same glowing spiral was spotted in Bredbury, Stockport, where one local asked, "Did anyone else just see this swirling thing in the sky?
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 06:43 UTC
WWE star Drew McIntyre calls out John Cena for taking credit in bringing WrestleMania to the UK
(Image Via WWE/Getty Images)Drew McIntyre calls out John Cena for taking creditThe Daily Star. Drew McIntyre unleashes brutal attack after Damian Priest’s tag team pin: SmackDown, March 21, 2025Also ReadWWE star Drew McIntyre has recently called out John Cena for taking credit in bringing WrestleMania to the UK. As per reports, a spokesperson of London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that he remains determined to bring WrestleMania to the city. The meeting came after Sadiq Khan went public with his desire to bring WrestleMania to London.However, it has been revealed that Drew McIntyre was the first person to initiate the plan. So if you want your headline, John Cena tried to claim credit for it when we came to London a couple of years back.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 06:31 UTC
Trump’s Moves on Greenland Appear to Be Backfiring
For more than 150 years, U.S. officials have been trying, as President Trump puts it, to “get” Greenland. The idea came up in the 1860s, then again before and after the world wars. But President Trump seems to have overplayed his cards — big time. His decision, announced this weekend, to send a high-powered U.S. delegation to the island, apparently uninvited, is already backfiring. But instead of winning the hearts and minds of Greenland’s 56,000 people, the move, coupled with Mr. Trump’s recent statement that “one way or the other, we’re going to get it,” is pushing Greenland further away.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 05:47 UTC
National Grid boss says Heathrow had 'enough power' after substation fire
She added: "The individuals who need to ask themselves whether they have full confidence in Heathrow management are the Heathrow board." More than 63,000 homes also lost power in the outage caused by the fire, according to energy supplier Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. Substations, operated by National Grid, are designed to produce, convert, and distribute electricity at suitable voltage levels. "Any steps that need to be taken to protect our critical national infrastructure will be taken if those reports recommend particular courses of action," she added. Simon Gallagher, managing director of UK Network Services, a consultancy specialising in power grids, said every airport in the UK had the same "vulnerability" to National Grid faults.
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 01:09 UTC
Tom Adeyoola to lead Innovate UK
A technology entrepreneur is set to become the head of the government’s £1.1 billion a year innovation funding agency, Innovate UK, ahead of potential cuts to its budget. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said Tom Adeyoola is its preferred choice to replace Indro Mukerjee, who left last September, in the £195,000-a-year role. Adeyoola’s selection comes at a crucial time for the agency, which supports the research and development efforts of 450,000 organisations a year. Its budget increased significantly under the last government but it faces scrutiny as part of the government’s spending review. • Innovate UK puts grant scheme on hold for small businessesAdeyoola, 47, worked at the mobile operator Three
Source:The Times
March 25, 2025 00:10 UTC
Bird Flu Found in Sheep in U.K., a World First
Bird flu has infected a sheep in Britain in what the government on Monday described as the first case of its kind reported anywhere in the world. While avian influenza had already been detected in cattle and other mammals, including in the United States, the infection of a sheep will increase concern over the potential impact of the disease’s spread. In a statement, Britain’s government said that avian origin flu (or H5N1) had been found in a ewe during what it called “routine surveillance” of livestock in Yorkshire in the north of England, where cases had been confirmed in captive birds. “All affected birds and the infected ewe were humanely culled to mitigate the risk of further disease spread,” the statement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said. “Further official testing of the remaining flock of sheep at the premises, including the lambs of the affected ewe, were negative for the presence of avian influenza virus.”
Source:The Times
March 24, 2025 18:23 UTC
Russia and Ukraine Hold U.S.-Mediated Talks in Riyadh: What to Know
Ukrainian and U.S. officials on Tuesday held a second session of negotiations in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible limited cease-fire, a day after Russian and American delegations held similar discussions that lasted more than 12 hours. Kyiv and Moscow have been holding separate U.S.-mediated talks in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to discuss a temporary moratorium on strikes on energy sites, as well as a cease-fire in the Black Sea, a vital route for both nations to export commodities — in what could be a crucial step toward a full cessation of hostilities in Russia’s war with Ukraine. Ukraine held its first session of talks on Sunday, followed by Russia on Monday. A Ukrainian official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, said talks continued on Tuesday morning, and Ukrainian news media said they had ended after about one hour. The discussions have been aimed at finding common ground between Kyiv and Moscow, but both sides have cautioned against expecting an imminent deal.
Source:The Times
March 24, 2025 17:16 UTC
Housing affordability is back to similar levels seen pre-pandemic, says ONS
Housing affordability in England and Wales has returned to similar levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic, helped by wages rising faster than property values, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). A sharp worsening in affordability had been seen in the early 2020s, as the financial impacts of the coronavirus were felt by households. Last year, the median average home in England cost around 7.7 times average full-time employee earnings, at £290,000 versus £37,600. At the same time, average earnings rose a much faster rate, by 20%. Housing affordability has improved in 91% of local authorities in England and Wales and worsened in 9% since 2023, the report found.
Source:The Times
March 24, 2025 13:52 UTC