A politician was shot dead in Bangkok. Did another country do it?
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel A politician was shot dead in Bangkok. Did another country do it? Banzai Japan Music Video It had all the hallmarks of a cold-blooded, professional assassination. Next to a well-known temple in Bangkok’s historic royal quarter a man is seen on a security camera video parking his motorbike, removing his helmet, so that his face was clearly visible, and walking calmly across the road. A few minutes later shots are heard. Another man falls to the ground. The assassin walks quickly back to his motorbike, appearing to throw something away as he does, and drives off. Book Novotel Hotel The victim was Lim Kimya, a 73-year-old former parliamentarian from the main Cambodian opposition party, the CNRP, which was banned in 2017. He had been hit in the chest by two bullets, according to the Thai police. He had just arrived in Bangkok with his wife on a bus from Cambodia. A police officer attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. “He was courageous, with an independent mind,” Monovithya Kem, daughter of the CNRP leader Kem Sokha, told the BBC. Asked if she thought there was anyone apart from the Cambodian state who would want to kill him, she replied: “Absolutely no-one.” Banzai Japan Music Video Lim Kimya had dual Cambodian and French nationality, but chose to stay in Cambodia even after his party was outlawed. The CNRP – Cambodia National Rescue Party – was an amalgamation of two earlier opposition parties, and in 2013 came close to defeating the party of Hun Sen, the self-styled “strongman” who ruled Cambodia for nearly 40 years before handing over to his son Hun Manet in 2023. After his close call in the 2013 election Hun Sen accused the CNRP of treason, shutting it down and subjecting its members to legal and other forms of harassment. In 2023 Kem Sokha, who had already spent six years under house arrest, was sentenced to 27 years in prison. High-level political assassinations, though not unknown, are relatively rare in Cambodia; in 2016 a popular critic of Hun Sen, Kem Ley, was gunned down in Phnom Penh and in 2012 environmental activist Chut Wutty was also murdered. From the security camera video the Thai police have already identified Lim Kimya’s killer as an ex-Thai navy officer, now working as a motorbike taxi driver. Finding him should not be difficult. Whether the killing is fully investigated, though, is another matter. In recent years dozens of activists fleeing repression in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand have been sent back after seeking sanctuary, or in some cases have been killed or disappeared. Human rights groups believe there is an unwritten agreement between the four neighbouring countries to allow each other’s security forces to pursue dissidents over the border. Last November Thailand sent six Cambodian dissidents, together with a young child, back to Cambodia, where they were immediately jailed. All were recognised by the United Nations as refugees. Earlier in the year Thailand also sent a Vietnamese Montagnard activist back to Vietnam. In the past Thai anti-monarchy activists have been abducted and disappeared in Laos, it is widely presumed by Thai security forces operating outside their own borders. In 2020 a young Thai activist who had fled to Cambodia, Wanchalerm Satsaksit, was abducted and disappeared, again it is assumed by Thai operatives. The Cambodian authorities did little to investigate, and announced last year that they had closed the case. It is possible the same will now happen in the case of Lim Kimya. “Thailand has presided over a de facto ‘swap arrangement’,” says Phil Robertson, director of the Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates in Thailand. “Dissidents and refugees are traded for political and economic favours with its neighbouring countries. The growing practice of transnational repression in the Mekong sub-region needs to be stopped in its tracks.” When the US and UK-educated Hun Manet succeeded his father as Cambodia’s prime minister there was some speculation over whether he might rule with a lighter hand. But opposition figures are still being prosecuted and jailed, and what little space was left for political dissent has been almost completely closed. From his semi-retirement the figure of Hun Sen still hovers over his son’s administration; he is now calling for a new law to brand anyone trying to replace him as a terrorist. Thailand, which lobbied hard for, and won, a seat on the UN Human Rights Council this year, will now be under pressure to show that it can bring those behind such a brazen assassination on the streets of its capital to justice. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Trump targets ‘anti-American ideology’ at Smithsonian museums
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Trump targets ‘anti-American ideology’ at Smithsonian museums Banzai Japan Music Video US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution, which operates more than 20 museums and research centres visited by millions yearly in Washington DC and New York City. The order directs the vice-president to “eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from the institute’s museums, centres and the National Zoo in Washington. It also directs the interior secretary to restore federal properties, including parks, memorials and statues, which “have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history”. The move is part of Trump’s effort to shape American culture, in addition to politics. The order is titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”. It says that Vice-President JD Vance, who became a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents due to his position in government, will lead the purge. Book Novotel Hotel Trump’s order says that Congress should not fund Smithsonian exhibits and programmes that “divide Americans by race”. It alleges that the American Women’s History Museum, which is in development, plans to “recognize men as women”. It also singles out the National Museum of African American History and Culture, saying that the museum “has proclaimed that ‘hard work,’ ‘individualism,’ and ‘the nuclear family’ are aspects of ‘White culture’.” The museum opened in 2016 in Washington as former President Barack Obama, America’s first black president, was leaving office. The Smithsonian museums offer free entry to some 15 to 30 million visitors, external each year. It operates 21 museums in Washington, Virgina and New York. They include the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery, the American Art Museum, the National Zoo and more than a dozen others. The order also instructs Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to complete “restorations and improvements” to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It comes ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which took place within the building. Banzai Japan Music Video Trump has set out to radically reshape American culture, which he says has been contaminated by “woke” left-wing ideology. He has signed several orders that are intended to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes from the federal government – some of which led to legal challenges. Shortly after taking office, Trump fired the board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, and installed himself as chairman. The move led to widespread criticism from actors and directors, causing several to cancel upcoming performances. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Greenlanders prepare for uncomfortable visit from US vice-president
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Greenlanders prepare for uncomfortable visit from US vice-president Banzai Japan Music Video A high-powered delegation of US officials will spend Friday at a remote military base on Greenland in what is being viewed as the latest move by the US as it amplifies its desire to acquire the Danish territory. The US group includes Vice-President JD Vance and his wife Usha, White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah. The trip marks the latest twist in what has become a tangled diplomatic journey that began with what was originally billed as a private tour by the US second lady. Book Novotel Hotel Usha Vance was only supposed to travel to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, with her son to attend cultural events, like a dog-sledding race, and to spend some time visiting the capital of Nuuk. But the visit quickly attracted scrutiny. While the trip was originally framed as a cultural tour, the scale of the security preparations made it clear that this was something bigger. Greenlanders made clear they would protest Mrs Vance’s presence. The visit raised eyebrows in light of President Donald Trump’s repeated comments that he would like to annex mineral-rich Greenland, which he says is critical for US security. Then when it was announced that Waltz, Trump’s national security advisor, would join the delegation visiting the island, the people of Greenland and Denmark appeared to grow even more uncomfortable. The American visits began to look less like a cultural interaction and more like an effort to meddle in the island’s internal politics by rallying support for closer ties to the US among the local population – at the expense of Danish sovereignty. Banzai Japan Music Video Greenland’s Acting Prime Minister Mute B Egede said it was a “provocation” and “demonstration of power”, and asked the international community to step up. “Just for the record, the government of Greenland has not extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official,” Egede said. Ordinary Greenlanders also made their displeasure known, promising that the American delegation would not receive a warm welcome. In Sisimiut, where the annual dog race is held, the mayor declined to set up a meeting with the second lady, citing next week’s municipal elections as a reason. A silent protest had been planned too, which would have seen locals turn their back on the American visitors – a potentially publicly awkward situation and poor optics for Mrs Vance. “The US administration could see they were heading for PR catastrophe,” political analyst Noa Redington said. “They were heading for a charm offensive without charm,” he said. “With people absolutely not happy to see Usha Vance or any other American politicians.” A mere two days after Usha Vance’s trip was announced, the cultural itinerary was dropped, replaced by a single visit to a remote US military installation – Pituffik Space Base. And now, Vice-President Vance would be joining his wife. Waltz was no longer listed on the itinerary, though he was added again later. “Leaders in both America and in Denmark, I think, ignored Greenland for far too long,” JD Vance said, announcing his visit. “That’s been bad for Greenland. It’s also been bad for the security of the entire world. We think we can take things in a different direction.” Despite his comments, political leaders in Denmark cautiously welcomed the change of plan, and especially the limiting of the itinerary to just the US base. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that while the vice-president’s presence may increase the formality of the visit, it was actually “masterful spin” which made the US “look like they’re escalating when they’re actually deescalating.” “I actually think it is very positive that the Americans are cancelling their visit to the Greenlandic community. Then they will instead make a visit to their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that,” he said. Vance is the highest-ranking US official to ever visit Greenland and while the limited scope of the trip has pleased Denmark, the fact that he is going at all underscores the high level of interest the Trump administration has in the island. The US president himself has continued to reiterate his desire to acquire Greenland for national security reasons, saying on Wednesday that the US will “go as far as we have to go” to accomplish that goal. According to Michael Williams, a professor of international politics at the University of Ottawa, Trump’s focus on Greenland appears to reflect a larger international strategy that involves exerting US influence over key territories within its sphere of geographic influence. Canada and Greenland, both early targets of interest for the administration, occupy key Arctic waterways that are being contested by other global powers, like Russia and China. Recent US moves could be viewed as an attempt to gain the upper hand in these strategic North Americans regions. “You want to amp up the American presence in the north and its control over those northern reaches,” Williams said. “If you can do that, then you can actually potentially control those northern waters in a much, much more direct way than has ever been necessary before.” Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Schools urged to talk about upskirting and sextortion
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Schools urged to talk about upskirting and sextortion Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Schools are to be encouraged to teach young people about topics like upskirting, downblousing, cyberflashing and sextortion, MLAs have heard. An official from the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) told a Stormont committee that teachers were “crying out” for relationships and sex education (RSE) teaching materials. Roisin Radcliffe from CCEA told assembly members that there were “units coming out on upskirting, downblousing, cyberflashing and sextortion”. CCEA provides online resources and lessons for schools on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 “We’re not telling everybody ‘go out and have sex,’ that is not the case,” she said. “I think everybody thinks they’re talking about sex all the time but most of the young people we meet are interested in the relationships and how to talk to someone,” she said. “That’s how basic it is. “They don’t know how to talk to each other.” Ms Radcliffe told MLAs about other units: “We’ve perimenopause, menopause, masculinity and the influence of positive role models.” Police in Northern Ireland can now charge people with upskirting, downblousing and cyberflashing after changes to the law. MLAs on Stormont’s Education Committee have started an inquiry into the provision of relationship and sex education in schools in Northern Ireland. They heard from a number of witnesses about RSE on Wednesday. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s CCEA recently removed guidance to primary schools that children could become aware that they were transgender “between the ages of three and five” from their RSE Hub. Teachers ‘crying out’ for sex education resources Ms Radcliffe told MLAs that teachers were “crying out” for tailored support to teach RSE. She said that CCEA was also working with Cinemagic to provide schools with short films on the topics of consent and period dignity. But the Sinn Féin MLA, Cathy Mason, questioned whether support and training for teachers would accompany the resources. “There’s a difference in a teacher being given the resource and actually having the confidence to deliver that resource,” she said. MLAs also heard that religious beliefs should not affect “scientifically accurate information” taught to pupils in RSE. They were, though, told that changes to RSE to include teaching pupils about abortion provoked “nervousness” and “concern” among some teachers. Post-primary schools in Northern Ireland are now required to teach pupils about access to abortion and prevention of early pregnancy in RSE. The chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), Alyson Kilpatrick, was also among those questioned by MLAs. She was asked a question by DUP MLA Cheryl Brownlee about how different religious beliefs were acknowledged within RSE. “The scientifically accurate information that’s given should not differ depending on the religious belief,” Ms Kilpatrick replied. “What may differ is their attitude to, for example, abortion, attitude to prevention of early pregnancy on faith grounds. “But it shouldn’t affect the scientifically accurate information that’s given to children. “That’s going to be the same whether it’s a Muslim family, a Christian family, a Jewish family.” Previous research from the NIHRC suggested that some schools in Northern Ireland were teaching pupils that homosexuality was wrong. Ms Kilpatrick said that research had also found there was “no consistency” across schools in the teaching of RSE. Ms Brownlee’s DUP colleague David Brooks MLA, however, said RSE could veer “into elements of morality and faith that are usually set in the home”. The UUP MLA, Robbie Butler, said that some “young people have suffered horrendously” because RSE had not been handled well in some schools. ‘Shoehorned into a school curriculum’ Principal of Lisneal College in Londonderry, Michael Allen said feedback from teachers and some young people shows that relationship and sex education (RSE) teaching materials does not meet their needs. Mr Allen said Stormont’s support and advice on RSE to schools “is not where it should be”. “There is a feeling amongst educators that where society needs to address something, it is shoe-horned into a school curriculum,” he said. “Often many components of RSE policy comes down to ethical and moral debate and dilemma, and that should not just be shoehorned into schools to deal with without the proper support and without the proper staff training. “We shouldn’t really be seen as the easy vehicle to perhaps address many of the issues – we seem to have forgotten that parents want to play a large role in the education of their children around these issues and that should not be bypassed.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
When is the Spring Statement and what could Rachel Reeves announce?
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel When is the Spring Statement and what could Rachel Reeves announce? Banzai Japan Music Video The chancellor will set out her plans for the UK economy during the Spring Statement on Wednesday 26 March. Rachel Reeves has ruled out further tax rises, but faces difficult choices because of the weak performance of the UK economy and world events. What time is the speech? Reeves is due make her statement in Parliament at about 12:30. Afterwards, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – which monitors the government’s spending plans – will publish its forecast for the UK economy. It will also say whether it thinks the government will stick to its self-imposed rules on borrowing and spending. Reeves will present the watchdog’s main findings alongside her economic plans. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride will respond for the Conservatives. Book Novotel Hotel What is the chancellor expected to announce? Reeves has committed to one major economic event each year – the Budget. She has already signalled that she will neither raise taxes nor government budgets in this statement. However, with the government under pressure over its finances, she is expected to update her growth forecast, and provide more detail on policies already announced. Welfare spending Cuts designed to save £5bn year by 2030 from the welfare bill were announced on 18 March. These include stricter tests for personal independence (Pip) payments, affecting hundreds of thousands of claimants, and a freeze on incapacity benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will publish details about who will be affected. Civil service Banzai Japan Music Video The chancellor has pledged to reduce government running costs by 15% by the end of the decade. About 10,000 civil service jobs are expected to go, including staff who work in HR, policy advice, communications and office management. Aid and defence The chancellor is expected to argue that “the world has changed”, and the government must respond. It has already pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2027, and she may say more about this. Tax changes Personal tax rises have been repeatedly ruled out. But UK taxes on big firms may change as part of a deal to avoid US trade tariffs. This could include the 2% Digital Services Tax (DST) which raises about £800m a year from global tech giants like Amazon and Meta. What are Reeves’s borrowing rules? Reeves has two main fiscal rules: Not to borrow to fund day-to-day public spending To get government debt falling as a share of national income by the end of this parliament She has repeatedly said her rules are “non-negotiable”. However the OBR’s forecast is expected to confirm that low financial growth and higher government borrowing costs are making it much harder to meet these rules by the 2029-30 financial year, as planned. How is the UK economy doing? In February the Bank of England halved its growth forecast for the UK in 2025. The economy grew by just 0.1% between October and December 2024, while the latest monthly figures show it shrank by 0.1% in January. When an economy is growing slowly – or contracting – businesses may not take on extra workers or give pay rises. Lower profits mean firms pay less in tax, which funds government spending. Business costs will also rise in April when minimum wage rates increase and National Insurance contributions paid by employers rise. This could be passed on to consumers. Meanwhile inflation is rising faster than wanted. The current 3% rate is above the Bank of England’s 2% target – and is expected to increase in 2025. The Bank moves interest rates to try and keep inflation on target, and cuts are less likely when prices rises are above 2%. Higher interest rates make loans, credit cards and some mortgages more expensive, but mean better returns for savers. Reeves has also warned that a potential global trade war – as a result of new worldwide US tariffs, would further lower growth and raise inflation. Book Novotel Hotel Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Cladding tax on new homes delayed for a year
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Cladding tax on new homes delayed for a year Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Ministers have delayed a tax to fund the removal of unsafe cladding from homes after developers warned it could hamper the government’s housebuilding plans. The Ministry for Housing said on Monday the Building Safety Levy would be introduced from autumn 2026, rather than this year. The tax on new homes is expected to raise £3.4bn to be spent on building safety, including efforts to take down dangerous cladding. The delay comes after developers said the tax could increase building costs and result in the government missing its target to build 1.5 million homes by 2030. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook told LBC the government was still committed to the tax and insisted the delay would not slow down the pace of improving building safety. “The previous government left us with an unpalatable inheritance in that respect,” Pennycook said. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 “We’ve got to increase ther pace of works being done. Leaseholders are still trapped in these buildings.” Neil Jefferson, chief executive of the Home Builders Federation, welcomed the delay as “recognition from government that these additional costs will inevitably constrain housing supply”. But he suggested the “grossly unfair” tax on housing developers should be scrapped altogether. He said: “As proposed it will add thousands of pounds to the cost of new homes, threatening the viability of sites across swathes of the country at a time when industry is striving to reverse the decline in homebuilding numbers that we have seen in recent years.” Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s The tax was first announced in 2021 by the then-Conservative government. Some of the money raised from the tax will go towards the removal of dangerous cladding from buildings, following the deadly fire at Grenfell Tower. Ministers have set aside £5.1bn to resolve the cladding crisis, expecting developers, building owners and social housing providers to pay the rest. Thousands of homes have been made safe, but as of December last year, work had yet to start on a quarter of the 1,323 tall buildings requiring attention. Up to 12,000 buildings and three million people could be affected. The lengthy process of identifying what work needs to be done and who should pay for it has left many residents living in fear of fires or with worries over costly repair bills. In its general election manifesto, Labour pledged to “take decisive action to improve building safety” and to “put a renewed focus on ensuring those responsible for the building safety crisis pay to put it right”. Last year, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the government was planning to introduce the Building Safety Levy in September this year. But in a letter to Rayner, external, dozens of developers said “the ability of the industry to invest in increasing the supply of new homes to meet the government’s 1.5 million target is being threatened by the imposition of new taxes”. Housebuilders say they are already paying £6.5bn towards improving building safety through corporation tax and argue makers of unsafe cladding should bear more of the costs. Home Builders Federation estimates, external the tax could add £1,580 to the cost of building a home and lead to the loss of about 70,000 affordable homes over 10 years. A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “This government is determined to make Britain’s homes safer by making developers pay their fair share to fix unsafe buildings through the Building Safety Levy. “We have extended the timeline to give developers more time to factor levy costs into their plans while continuing to support them to build safe homes, and at the same time we are continuing to work quickly to fix buildings with unsafe cladding through our Remediation Acceleration Plan.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Calls for student visa rules to be scrapped
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Calls for student visa rules to be scrapped Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo The government should scrap a rule which prevents some international students bringing their families with them to the UK, a senior university official has said. Professor Jennifer Watling, of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), said the restriction, introduced in 2024, has led to a fall in the number overseas admissions. She said international students brought “value in terms of cultural richness and diversity” but were also important sources of funding which many universities rely on. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 A government spokesman said while the UK values the contribution international students make, “net migration must come down”. The Labour government has previously said it has no plans to lift the ban on relatives arriving with international students, which was brought in under the Conservative government, external to curb migration. International student visa applications have fallen across some universities since the change was introduced according to Home Office figures. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s Prof Watling said the cap on fees for domestic students meant universities “have to obtain income from sources other than UK students”. UK undergraduates fees are set to rise to £9,535 a year from September. International students studying at the same level pay an average of about £22,000 annually, though some pay as much as £38,000, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) said. ‘More welcome’ There are more than 51,000 international students at universities in the north west of England, according to 2024 admission figures from advocacy group Universities UK. A study by think tank the Higher Education Policy Institute found income from these fees can be vital to universities. Rose Stephenson from the Institute, said: “For Manchester, there was an economic benefit of £450 million which actually translates to over £3,500 per resident, again per cohort of international students coming in.” Despite the falls in admissions, international students are still attracted by opportunities in the UK, Margarida Vasconcelos, a digital marketing student at MMU, said. She said: “There are a lot of international students and opportunities, people from different cultures, religions, so it makes it us feel more welcome – it was why I wanted to come to Manchester.” “This government strongly values the contribution that international students make to our economy, to our education institutions and to our society,” a Home Office spokesman said. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Middleton banned as company boss over £1m unpaid tax
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Middleton banned as company boss over £1m unpaid tax Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton has been banned from being a company director, after his company failed to pay more than £1m tax. The Insolvency Service said Mr Middleton and his wife, Emilie, “were taking millions of pounds out of” their company when it should have been paying the tax instead. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 The couple’s “media representation services” company, Sway and Starting, went into liquidation in 2022 owing £300,000 in VAT and £800,000 in corporation tax. It had had £4.5m income in the previous three years, “indicating it had enough income to pay the tax it owed in full”, the Insolvency Service said. Meanwhile, the couple had taken out a £3m directors’ loan from the company. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s ‘Financial duties’ The couple, both 44, from Essex, have been disqualified as company directors for four years. They have not commented. Insolvency Service investigation and enforcement services director Dave Magrath said: “Ant and Emilie Middleton had legal and financial duties as directors to ensure their company paid the corporation tax and VAT it owed. “Instead, they were taking millions of pounds out of the company at that time. “This disqualification should serve as a deterrent to other directors that if you do not pay your taxes while directing money elsewhere, you are at risk of being banned.” ‘Woke patrol’ Mr Middleton had agreed a payment plan with the liquidator to pay £300,000 to settle the outstanding directors’ loan. However, he made only the first payment and then put their home on the market in an attempt to repay the rest. The former United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) soldier was the chief instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins when it launched, in 2015. He left the gruelling reality show in 2021 over what Channel 4 called his “personal conduct off camera”, with press reports he had made inappropriate comments to a member of staff. In response, Mr Middleton said the “woke patrol” had taken over the series. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Apology over inside-out windows on tower blocks
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Apology over inside-out windows on tower blocks Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Residents of two tower blocks in north London have described their shock after discovering replacement window panes had been installed inside out. People living on the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage have endured years of building work to remove dangerous cladding the same as that used on Grenfell Tower. Maryan Nur, 33, told the BBC: “Imagine waiting for all of these years and you think finally you’ll come back to your room, your building, your flat and it’s inside out. It’s terrible, I can’t even imagine it.” Camden Council apologised, adding: “This is not a safety concern but will affect the reduction of overheating in the summer so we will be putting this right straight away.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 A council spokesperson added: “This corrective work does not extend the overall programme as it can be done simultaneously to the remaining work which needs to be done and will be of no extra cost to the council or the taxpayer.” The external cladding was removed from five tower blocks following fire safety inspections in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017. Tests had shown that the cladding used was identical to that at Grenfell. The local authority has since spent millions of pounds to rectify the cladding. The issue with the windows was first reported by the Ham & High newspaper, external. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s Another resident, Alketa Aykac, told the BBC: “It’s unbelievable. Where is the quality control before handing over the flats? “It gives me anxiety now due to thinking ‘will it happen again to my flat, will it get noticed?’ How many things have gone unnoticed? “It is quite worrying.” Kumari, who lives in one of the blocks affected, said: “Obviously I was shocked. “I’m not happy about it. When it’s windy, we can hear the howling. It’s not nice, especially at night when you’re trying to sleep.” A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We are contacting the residents who this issue affects to arrange for our contractors to install the glazing correctly. “Each reinstallation takes about 40 minutes and this will not be noisy work. “All works on the windows will be checked independently once completed. “We apologise to the affected residents for this additional work.” Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol
Reform UK row: Leaked messages reveal Farage fury with Lowe
Buy Now An error occurred. Buy Now An error occurred. Book Novotel Hotel Reform UK row: Leaked messages reveal Farage fury with Lowe Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPElmgQJGBo Nigel Farage called the behaviour of suspended Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe “disgusting” and “contemptible” in private WhatsApp messages seen by the BBC. In the messages, which were sent after Lowe criticised the Reform leader in a Daily Mail interview, Farage accused him of “damaging the party just before elections”. Reform has always denied there was any connection between Lowe’s suspension and his criticism of the party. In his Mail interview on 5 March, Lowe called Reform a “protest party” led by “the Messiah”. He was suspended on 7 March and reported to police over claims he had made threats of violence against party chairman Zia Yusuf. Reform said it had also received allegations of bullying in Lowe’s MP offices. Lowe strongly denies all the allegations. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJsGZL-zb54 He has since accused Farage, external of a “malicious witch hunt” and being motivated “to remove me because I dared to ask questions”. Responding to the latest development, external on social media, Lowe said: “These messages unquestionably prove that the Reform leadership has zero integrity. “Nigel Farage must never become prime minister.” Farage told the BBC: “The suspension was to protect the party, simple. The newspaper attack on Reform UK is separate but dreadful.” He has previously insisted the party was duty bound to look into any allegations of wrongdoing. Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice previously told the BBC there was “absolutely no truth” in claims of a link between the decision to suspend Lowe and the allegations being made public. But a series of messages between Farage and someone who has worked for Lowe in recent years reveals Farage’s personal anger with Lowe about his comments to the Daily Mail. Banzai Japan Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3syHHGzkF_s In one message, Farage says Lowe is “contemptible”. When asked by the activist, who is not currently a party member, why Reform had not allowed a lawyer to complete an investigation before suspending him Farage said: “Because he is damaging the party just before elections. Disgusting.” When it was suggested the investigation into Lowe was a response to his criticism of the leadership, Farage replied on WhatsApp: “We are definitely damaged and within two weeks of nominations. Awful.” Farage went on to say the Mail interview was a “side issue” and that the party had to investigate the claims against Lowe. But the messages reveal a level of animosity between the suspended MP and his team and the Reform UK leadership, alongside the claims about his behaviour, which Lowe vehemently denies. The BBC’s source is themselves the subject of an allegation of bullying, which they strenuously deny. The BBC has spoken to several members of Rupert Lowe’s team. Among them are people who have worked alongside Nigel Farage for years and admired him. But many now are deeply critical. One said: “Nigel is thin skinned and egotistical. I have spent years defending him but the aura has gone for me now. Reporting Rupert to the police? Come on. They’re trying to put him in prison!” The staff member went on to claim that the root of this whole row was Elon Musk’s praise for Lowe on X, saying: “Nigel is very sensitive about his American contacts.” Another staffer said: “It is absolutely terrible the party going to the police. “You’d never find someone more kind and considerate than Rupert. “If you don’t have policies as a party, you’re a joke and that is what Rupert was pointing out.” The BBC has also seen evidence of lengthy and detailed exchanges between Lowe’s offices and Parliament’s human resources team over the alleged conduct and subsequent departures of two members of staff. Lowe has long insisted that he and his staff diligently followed the due process parliament requires of them and there was no need for the party, or a senior lawyer hired by the party, to get involved. Reform UK has expanded rapidly, now boasting more than 200,000 members and regularly topping or coming second in national opinion polls. But Nigel Farage has publicly acknowledged that infighting has damaged the party’s chances of progress. Rupert Lowe told the BBC: “Farage has admitted himself, in writing, that the motivation behind my removal was the Daily Mail interview, in which I raised reasonable and constructive questions of Reform structure, policy and communication – following months of pushing for change behind the scenes. “That interview is why they designed and launched their horrific smear campaign against my name. It is evil behaviour. Nigel Farage must never be Prime Minister. All I have done is tell the truth, and I will continue to do so.” In the WhatsApp exchanges, Farage is asked whether the row could have been better handled. He says that given the allegations of bullying “in the current world we have to take this seriously and to be seen to take this seriously”. Book Novotel Hotel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8YYeb4PMk Banzai Japan Social Media Fumi Fujisaki Idol Riko Ueno Idol Rino Ibusuki Idol Yunagi Nino Idol Shiori Fujisaki Idol Kana Ichinose Idol Hoshino Arice Idol Sasa Sasagawa Idol Kosaka Yuu Idol Tsukumo Aira Idol Maika Ando Idol Yuuki Mochimaru Idol