International

JUST IN: Keir Starmer’s Labour Wins UK General Election

Published

1 year ago

July 5, 2024

Charles Flames

200 Views

by Wale Ewedimi

Keir Starmer on Friday will become Britain’s new prime minister, as his centre-left opposition Labour party swept to a landslide general election victory, ending 14 years of right-wing Conservative rule.“The Labour Party has won this general election, and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory,” a sombre-looking Rishi Sunak said after he was re-elected to his seat.

“Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner with goodwill on all sides,” the Tory leader added, calling the results “sobering” and saying he took responsibility for the defeat.At a triumphant party rally in central London, Starmer, 61, told cheering activists that “change begins here” and promised a “decade of national renewal”, putting “country first, party second”.

But he cautioned that change would not come overnight, even as Labour snatched a swathe of Tory seats around the country, including from nine Cabinet members, and former prime minister Liz Truss.Truss’s disastrous 49-day tenure effectively sealed the Tories’ fate with the public two years ago, when her unfunded tax cuts spooked markets and crashed the pound.She had been facing a campaign to oust her by grassroots activists — dubbed “the Turnip Taliban” — in her rural constituency and lost by just 630 votes.

‘Keir we go’Labour raced past the 326 seats needed to secure an overall majority in the 650-seat parliament at 0400 GMT, with the final result expected later on Friday morning.An exit poll for UK broadcasters published after polls closed at 2100 GMT on Thursday put Labour on course for a return to power for the first time since 2010, with 410 seats and a 170-seat majority.The Tories would only get 131 seats in the House of Commons — a record low — with the right-wing vote apparently spliced by Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party.In another boost for the centrists, the smaller opposition Liberal Democrats ousted the Scottish National Party as the third-biggest party.

The results buck a rightward trend among Britain’s closest Western allies, with the far right in France eyeing power and Donald Trump looking set for a return in the United States.British newspapers all focused on Labour’s impending return to power for the first time since Gordon Brown was ousted by David Cameron in 2010.“Keir We Go,” headlined the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror.“Britain sees red,” said The Sun, the influential Rupert Murdoch tabloid, which swung behind Labour for the first time since 2005.

Tory futureSunak will tender his resignation to head of state King Charles III, with the monarch then asking Starmer, as the leader of the largest party in parliament, to form a government.The Tories’ worst previous election result was 156 seats in 1906. Former leader William Hague told Times Radio the projections would be “a catastrophic result in historic terms”.But Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary, University of London, said it was “not as catastrophic as some were predicting” and the Tories would now need to decide how best to fight back.Right-wing former interior minister Suella Braverman and Mordaunt, who was leader of the House of Commons, both said the Tories failed because they had not listened to the British people.

But Brexit champion Farage, who finally succeeded in becoming an MP at the eighth time of asking, has made no secret of his aim to take over the party.“There is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it,” he said after a comfortable win in Clacton, eastern England. To-do listLabour’s resurgence is a stunning turnaround from five years ago, when hard-left former leader Jeremy Corbyn took the party to its worst defeat since 1935 in an election dominated by Brexit.Starmer took over in early 2020 and set about moving the party back to the centre, making it a more electable proposition and purging infighting and anti-Semitism that lost its support.

Opinion polls have put Labour consistently 20 points ahead of the Tories since Truss’s resignation, giving an air of inevitability about a Labour win — the first since Tony Blair in 2005.Starmer is facing a daunting to-do list, with economic growth anaemic, public services overstretched and underfunded due to swingeing cuts, and households squeezed financially.He has also promised a return of political integrity, after a chaotic period of five Tory prime ministers in 14 years, scandal and sleaze.

International

JUST IN: Bangladesh war Crimes Court Sentences Ex-PM Hasina to Death

Published

3 days ago

November 17, 2025

Charles Flames

53 Views

A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death.

The verdict, delivered on Monday, November 17, 2025, follows a months-long trial that found Hasina guilty of ordering a lethal crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. She received a death sentence for the killing of several protesters and a life sentence on charges of crimes against humanity.

The ruling marks the most significant legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes ahead of parliamentary elections expected in early February 2026. There was cheering and clapping in the courtroom as the death sentence was pronounced. The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court, though Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, said they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government, including the Awami League, is in office.

Prosecutors told the court that evidence showed Hasina directly ordered security forces to use lethal force to suppress protests in July and August 2024. A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the demonstrations, with thousands more injured, making it the deadliest unrest in Bangladesh since its 1971 war of independence.

Hasina, represented by a state-appointed defense lawyer, denied the charges, calling the tribunal proceedings unfair and claiming a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”

Tensions in Bangladesh had escalated ahead of the verdict, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched in recent days, though no casualties were reported.

International

BREAKING: US House of Representatives Begins Investigation Into Alleged Christian Genocide in Nigeria

Published

3 days ago

November 17, 2025

Charles Flames

68 Views

The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will on Thursday, November 20, 2025, hold a public hearing to examine President Donald Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged violations of religious freedom.

The hearing, scheduled for 11 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and to be streamed live, will be chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a long-standing advocate for global religious liberty.

According to an invitation circulated to members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the session will feature two panels. The first will include senior U.S. State Department officials—Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

A second panel will comprise representatives of religious and policy organisations, including Nina Shea of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The review aims to assess the extent of religious persecution in Nigeria and consider potential U.S. responses, which could include sanctions, humanitarian support, or expanded collaboration with Nigerian authorities.

Trump’s Renewed Pressure

President Trump reignited tensions on October 31, 2025, when he restored Nigeria to the CPC list, a designation that allows punitive measures against foreign officials accused of religious repression. In a statement the following day, he warned that Christians in Nigeria faced an “existential threat,” and threatened to suspend all U.S. assistance to Nigeria if the killings continued. He also suggested possible military action, directing the “Department of War” to prepare for intervention.

Tinubu Rejects Allegations

President Bola Tinubu dismissed Trump’s claims, saying they do not reflect the realities of religious freedom in Nigeria. In a statement posted on X, Tinubu insisted that Nigeria upholds constitutional protections for all faiths and remains committed to religious tolerance.

Growing Scrutiny in Washington

Nigeria’s CPC redesignation has revived international attention on years of violent attacks in parts of the country, including killings, mass abductions, and the destruction of churches in northern and central regions. A companion bill backing the designation has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Ted Cruz.

One of the scheduled witnesses, Bishop Anagbe, has regularly highlighted the plight of Christian communities in Benue State, telling UK lawmakers in March 2025 that many families had fled to IDP camps following repeated assaults by extremists and armed groups.

Republican Lawmakers Apply Pressure

Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV), in a recent Fox News interview, said congressional committees had already begun evaluating the situation, working with the State Department and the White House. He argued that Christians in Nigeria face severe persecution and criticised Tinubu’s rejection of the allegations. Moore also claimed that preliminary congressional findings indicate Christians are being killed at a rate higher than Muslims.

He added that the CPC designation provides the U.S. with a range of options—including sanctions, freezing funds, and even potential military action—if conditions do not improve.

Crime

Robert Mugabe Jr. Convicted of Drug Offense, Says He’s a Single Father

Published

1 week ago

November 13, 2025

Charles Flames

68 Views

Robert Mugabe Junior, 33, the son of late former president Robert Mugabe, has been found guilty of illegal possession of drugs by the Harare Magistrates Court. Magistrate Lisa Mutendereki delivered the ruling on Thursday, 13 November 2025.

Mugabe pleaded guilty to possessing two grams of dagga, admitting the offence in open court. During proceedings, he appealed to the court for leniency, revealing that he is a single father of two.

“I am a single father raising two children. I ask the court to be lenient with me,” he said.

Sentencing is scheduled for later Thursday afternoon.

Found With Dagga During Traffic Stop

The case stems from a traffic stop on 1 October 2025, when police intercepted Mugabe’s silver Honda Fit in central Harare. Officers discovered a small quantity of dagga in his bag.

Prosecutor Mandirasa Chigumira told the court the search uncovered:

Two sachets of dagga
One pack of Rizla rolling papers
A white dagga crusher

The total haul weighed two grams, with an estimated street value of US$30 (R550). Chigumira also noted that Mugabe had initially refused to sign the seizure receipt issued by police.

Previous Court Appearance and Bail

Mugabe first appeared in court on 2 October 2025 and spent two nights in custody before being granted bail of US$300 (R5,500). Magistrate Mutendereki ordered him to report weekly to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and remain at his registered address until the case concluded.

The trial has attracted widespread attention on social media, with public reactions divided over his conviction.

Police Allegations of Wider Syndicate

Earlier, the Zimbabwe Republic Police suggested Mugabe might be connected to a larger drug network. Commissioner Paul Nyathi told reporters on 2 October 2025 that authorities had recovered 25 sachets of Indo hybrid dagga and six ecstasy pills linked to a syndicate allegedly involving Phillip Munetsi Chiyangwa, Mitchel Jackson, Simbarashe Kaseke, Wellington Icube, and Tanaka Kashamba.

However, prosecutors focused solely on Mugabe’s personal possession charge in court, leaving the wider syndicate allegations unaddressed.

History of Legal Trouble

This is not Mugabe Junior’s first legal issue. In February 2023, he was arrested for allegedly damaging property at a party in Harare. That case was later dropped following compensation. His lawyer, Ashiel Mugiya, who represented him in 2023, again defended him in this case, saying:

“He accepts responsibility for what happened and has cooperated with the authorities.”

Mugabe is expected back in court Thursday afternoon for sentencing, when Magistrate Mutendereki will determine his punishment.