Headline
Sunak Sacks UK Interior Minister Suella Braverman Amid Reshuffle
Published
6 months agoon
By
EditorBritish leader Rishi Sunak on Monday sacked controversial interior minister Suella Braverman, as he reshuffles his top team ahead of a general election expected next year.
Sunak had come under growing pressure to axe Braverman, an outspoken right-winger, after critics accused her of heightening tensions during weeks of contentious pro-Palestinian demonstrations and counter-protests in Britain.
It was not immediately clear who will replace Braverman, who was appointed to the post when Sunak became prime minister just over a year ago.
Following her dismissal, Braverman said, “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary.”
READ ALSO: Why I Won’t Attend COP27 Climate Summit – Sunak
“I will have more to say in due course,” she added.
The firing comes as the ruling Conservatives confirmed a major reshuffle of Sunak’s top ministers was underway — his first since becoming the country’s leader on October 25, 2022.
“Here we go,” the party said on X, formerly Twitter.
“Today @RishiSunak strengthens his team in government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future. Stay tuned for the latest.”
The changes, set to be announced through the morning, are expected to reward loyalists and younger emerging MPs, after nearly 14 years in power takes its toll on the Tories’ popularity.
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The party has trailed the main Labour opposition by double-digit margins throughout Sunak’s time in power, and is widely tipped to lose the next election due next year.
Braverman had stoked controversy throughout her tenure, taking a hardline stance on immigration in particular and regularly wading into so-called culture wars issues which are seen as dividing the electorate.
The right-winger attacked her critics as liberal “tofu-eating wokerati” while saying shortly after she was appointed that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda was her “dream” and “obsession”.
But her position became increasingly untenable after she last week wrote an explosive newspaper article, apparently without Sunak’s approval, accusing police of bias towards left-wing causes.
It was blamed for stoking tensions ahead of a weekend of protests over Israel’s war in Gaza, which coincided with Armistice Day events, and prompted calls for her to be sacked.
AFP
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Headline
32-year-old Nigerian Doctor Killed In US, Father Mourns
Published
5 hours agoon
May 14, 2024By
EditorA 32-year-old Nigerian doctor, Uzochukwu Davis Igboanugo, has been killed by a drunk driver in the United States of America.
Uzochukwu, the son of prominent Igbo businessman, Chief I.K.B. Igboanugo, the founder of I.K.B Industries Limited, was killed while driving home after work three weeks ago.
The grieving father who confirmed the tragic incident in a Facebook post on Monday, May 13, 2024, said the drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel while speeding on the highway and rammed into his son’s car.
He described his son as a very happy, intelligent, friendly, caring, nice and loving boy.
READ ALSO: Miss USA Teen 2023 Runner-up Declines Title After Winner Stepped Down
“I lost my son 3 weeks ago, I have been crying like a baby. A medical doctor ( Ophthalmologist) in America,” Chief Igboanugo wrote.
His post reads further: “An accident victim of a drunkard who fell asleep while speeding on the highway, jumped his lane in the opposite direction and hit with speed force on the driver’s side door where my son was as he was driving home after work.
“We can’t question God as He has the final decision.
“Always pray as a parent not to loose any of your child irrespective of his behaviour because loss of a child can kill any parent.
READ ALSO: Columbia University Student Rips US Diploma At Commencement Ceremony In Solidarity With Palestine
“Uzochukwu my son was a very nice boy, always happy, intelligent, friendly, caring, loving, sociable etc.
“He was 32yrs old, not yet married despite my nagging, he sacrificed all his time and achieved Ophthalmology which is a very difficult medical course in the history of reading medicine to become a medical doctor.
“Since his death I have been going through mental and psychological trauma as my doctor has been warning me.
“My wife also has not been her self. Pls don’t wish your worst enemy this type of tragedy, now I pray for anybody who has not lost his child never to experience it. It is hellish and a disaster.
“Uzochukwu my son you are now in God’s bosom and working for Him that was why he took you this early. As your soul will rest in God’s bosom in Jesus name.”
Headline
Miss USA Teen 2023 Runner-up Declines Title After Winner Stepped Down
Published
5 hours agoon
May 14, 2024By
EditorThe news comes after a shocking beauty pageant scandal, which saw both Miss USA 2023 and Miss Teen USA 2023 announcing that they were resigning within days of each other amid reports of bullying and harassment.
Miss USA Noelia Voigt, 24, first shared her surprise resignation via Instagram, explaining that she wanted to focus on her “physical and mental well-being.”
It was then followed by 17-year-old Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava announcing she too was stepping down because her personal values “no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Now, Miss New York Teen USA Stephanie, 19, who was the first runner-up of the Miss Teen USA pageant, has revealed that she was offered the crown but ultimately refused it because she can’t “give up [her] character.”
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Stephanie, 19, told People in an interview published May 13: “I worked so hard and sacrificed so much for this goal to become Miss Teen USA and although this title was a dream of mine, I believe one thing I will never give up is my character.”
While the Miss New York Teen USA admitted that it was an “extremely difficult” choice to make, she said she was confident that it was “the right decision.”
Stephanie’s rejection of the title arrives less than a week after UmaSofia, 17, shared that she was leaving behind her Miss Teen USA role in the wake of Miss USA 2023 winner Noelia Voigt’s resignation.
“After careful consideration,” UmaSofia wrote in a May 8 Instagram post, “I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Her statement further adds to the speculation about the dark underbelly surrounding the pageant.
“Hi everyone. As many of you know, on August 6, 2023, I was crowned Miss New York Teen USA 2023,” Stephanie wrote on Instagram on Sunday, May 12.
She went on to note that she had put “every ounce of [her] being” into achieving her dream of winning and “sacrificed” many things in her life.
The 19-year-old explained that her life changed when she was awarded Miss Teen USA runner-up and was given the opportunity to take up the crown when UmaSofia stepped down.
She added: “In light of recent events, I have decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA 2023. This was not an easy decision. I hope for respect of my choice as this was a decision I never asked to make. My word is my everything.”
In her announcement, Stephanie made her opinions on the previous winners extremely clear as she noted that she stood with them.
“In addition, although I don’t know what Uma and Noelia went through to lead them to resign, I am sending them immense love and support. What I do know is that my core values are integrity, honor, kindness, and most importantly, I will always stand for female empowerment,” she said.
Headline
Columbia University Student Rips US Diploma At Commencement Ceremony In Solidarity With Palestine
Published
5 hours agoon
May 14, 2024By
EditorA Columbia student has ripped up her diploma during a graduation ceremony, in a pro-Palestinian protest.
Tarsis Salome, a Columbia social work graduate, tore up her certificate while on stage, after weeks of protests at the university over investments linked to Israel.
Other students zip-tied their hands and showed pro-Palestinian signs.
This action by the students comes a fortnight after police were brought in to disband the occupation of a university building and close down an “encampment” on one of the institution’s lawns.
Columbia opted for a smaller graduation ceremony, cancelling its usual university-wide event, in anticipation of more protests.
A university spokesman said that ceremonies would be held at a sports complex five miles from the campus, due to security concerns.
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Columbia, one of the elite group of Ivy League colleges, became the epicentre of a nationwide student protest movement last month, when students pitched tents on the university’s South Lawn.
The protest was copied at other institutions across the world, including Oxford and Cambridge, before being closed down by police.
Baroness Shafik, the British-American peer who serves as Columbia’s president, has called for a “healing” process. She refused student demands for Columbia to divest from Israel companies and cancel a planned foreign centre in Tel Aviv.
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