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Tag: UK

  • Microsoft to buy ‘Call of Duty’ maker, Activision, for $69 billion

    Microsoft to buy ‘Call of Duty’ maker, Activision, for $69 billion

    Xbox-owner Microsoft is edging closer to finalising its $69 billion acquisition of the video game giant Activision Blizzard, the creator of ‘Call of Duty.’ The UK regulatory body, on Friday, gave its approval for the revamped deal, addressing previous regulatory concerns.

    Microsoft, a US tech giant, initiated this bid early last year, aiming to secure its position as the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, following China’s Tencent and Japan’s PlayStation maker, Sony.

    This acquisition has undergone rigorous scrutiny from both US and UK regulators. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK had previously blocked an earlier version of the deal in April. However, the CMA, in its recent statement, mentioned that the “restructured deal makes important changes” and paves the way for potential clearance. The CMA will now consult on the required “remedies” before making a final decision.

    Microsoft’s Vice Chairman and President, Brad Smith, expressed optimism about the CMA’s review process, stating, “We presented solutions that we believe fully address the CMA’s remaining concerns related to cloud game streaming, and we will continue to work towards earning approval to close the deal by October 18.”

    Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, which also produces popular games like ‘Diablo’ and ‘Candy Crush,’ hailed the UK regulator’s announcement as “a significant milestone for the merger.”

    The revised proposal submitted by Microsoft to the CMA last month significantly alters the deal. Notably, it ensures that the cloud distribution of these critical games remains with a strong independent supplier, Ubisoft Entertainment, instead of coming under Microsoft’s control. Colin Raftery, Senior Director of Mergers at the CMA, emphasised this change.

    The original concerns of the CMA have been addressed, according to its Chief Executive, Sarah Cardell. She noted, however, that presenting this restructuring during the initial investigation would have been preferable, emphasising the costs and delays incurred when effective remedies are not proposed promptly.

    Outside the UK, the European Union approved the deal in May, while the US antitrust regulator temporarily halted its efforts to block the acquisition after a legal setback.

    Regulators have been concerned about Microsoft potentially restricting access to highly popular games by making them exclusive to the Xbox platform. In July, Microsoft and Sony reached an agreement to continue releasing the ‘Call of Duty’ video game on the PlayStation console, resolving previous disputes where Sony sought to oppose Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.”

  • ‘Constellation’ of injuries found on Sara Sharif

    ‘Constellation’ of injuries found on Sara Sharif

    Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle appeared at the Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court of England on Tuesday. As per orders, they will face a murder trial next autumn.

    The father, Urfan Sharif; Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, appeared in court via video link.

    The trio have been charged with “causing or allowing” Sara’s death.

    According to details provided in court, Sara had a “constellation” of healed and healing injuries including a broken collarbone, multiple rib fractures and a brain haemorrhage.

    Prosecutor Giles Bedloe stated that they are to continue to probe into how Sara died.

    Sharif, Batool, and Malik only spoke to confirm their names and dates of birth: 41, 29, and 28, respectively.

    They will now appear on December 1 for a plea hearing, and will stand trial in September 2024.

  • Four women accuse comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault

    Four women accuse comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault

    In a shocking expose by the Sunday Times, four women have publicly accused comedian Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse during the years 2006 to 2013, when his career was on its peak. The publication said all the women had chosen to remain anonymous, and felt ready to speak after being approached by reporters.

    A joint investigation carried out by Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatch said that two of the women, Los Angeles residents, alleged being raped and sexually assaulted by the comedian, with the second woman revealing that Brand threatened to take legal action against her if she went public with her allegations.

    Another woman revealed she was 16-years-old when Brand assaulted her, at a time when hewas in his early 30s, referring to her as a “child” during their emotionally abusive and controlling relationship.

    “Russell engaged in the behaviors of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like,” the woman said.

    The fourth woman alleged she was assaulted by the comedian.

    A day before the allegations by The Times were to be released, Russell released a video where he slammed the “serious criminal allegations” that were about to be made against him.

    The former husband of singer Katy Perry said in the video released on X, formerly Twitter:

    “Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.

    “These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I’ve written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous.

    “Now during that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely, always consensual.”

    In light of the rape accusations, several users have reshared a clip from a 2013 Vogue interview of Katy Perry, who married and then divorced the comedian in 2012. Brand had publicly divorced the singer with a breakup text, which was shown in the singer’s ‘Part Of Me’ documentary.

    “I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day,” the ‘Roar’ singer said. “I let go and I was like: This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that.”

    The BBC have meanwhile responded to the allegations, saying that they were “urgently looking into the issues raised” by the allegations. Brand worked as a radio presenter for the channel in 2006 and 2008, and The Times quoted a complaint made to the organisation’s management about the comedian’s “alarming display of aggression and disrespect”.

    Channel 4 released a statement saying that they “asked the production company who produced the programmes for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us”.

    The organisation added they were conducting an internal investigation and encouraged “anyone who is aware of such behaviour to contact us directly.”

  • British Prime Minister bans American dog breed

    British Prime Minister bans American dog breed

    British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said on Friday that American XL Bully dogs will be banned in the UK after a spate of dangerous attacks.

    The British Prime Minister expressed hope that the breed of dangerous dogs will be banned by the end of this year.

    In a video statement released on social media, Rishi Sunak said that these dogs have caused at least 14 human deaths since 2021 and are a threat to children and communities.

    Referring to videos of dogs attacking humans and spreading panic among people, Sunak has said that he has given instructions to act immediately to ban this breed of dogs to keep people safe, adding that it is now clear that the problem is not a few badly trained dogs but their behaviour.

    He stated that owners have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, assuring the public that work is underway to prevent future attacks and protect the public.

  • Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother arrested in UK

    Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother arrested in UK

    10-year-old Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool, and her uncle flew back to the UK as law enforcing agencies in Pakistan kept pursuing them. The trio has been arrested from Gatwick Airport where they surrendered to the police, BBC has reported.

    Raja Haq Nawaz, a lawyer for Urfan Sharif’s father Muhammad Sharif, told DAWN that the suspects were not arrested and that their flight left from Sialkot, Punjab.

    Previously, Jhelum police shifted Urfan Sharif’s five children to the Child Protection Bureau after a local court granted permission to the police to do so. The children were to be in the Bureau’s custody till the parents were found and arrested.

    A day before that, Sharif’s children, found in their grandfather’s house, were taken into protective custody by the police as the hunt continued for their father and stepmother.

    RPO Khurram Ali claimed that police is “conducting raids at possible hideouts for their arrests”.

    He had also clarified that the three suspects will not be able to flee Pakistan as FIA’s Immigration Wing had put staff on alert at all airports.

    The couple also released a video in which Batool touched upon media reporting of Sara’s death, claiming that they both will cooperate with UK authorities, and that they were on the run in Pakistan because the family feared that the Pakistan police will torture and kill them.

    The Case
    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years.
    During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked a one-way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

  • Sara Sharif case: Urfan Sharif’s five children sent to Child Protection Bureau

    Sara Sharif case: Urfan Sharif’s five children sent to Child Protection Bureau

    In a recent development in the Sara Sharif case, Jhelum police have shifted Urfan Sharif’s five children to the Child Protection Bureau in Lahore

    A day before, Sharif’s children, found in their grandfather’s house, were taken into protective custody by the police as the hunt continues for their father and stepmother.

    The children have been shifted to the Bureau after a local court granted permission to the police to do so. The children are said to be in the Bureau’s custody till the parents, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool, are found and arrested.

    Dawn spoke with Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Syed Khurram Ali, who stated that the parents as well as Urfan Sharif’s brother (and Sara’s uncle) are still on the run and the police is “conducting raids at possible hideouts for their arrests”.

    He also clarified that the three suspects cannot flee Pakistan as FIA’s Immigration Wing has put staff on alert at all airports.

    Additionally, the parent’s relatives have not been complying and have even approached Lahore High Court against the police, claiming that the police have illegally detained around 10 relatives of Urfan. “The court was being misled through fabricated information”, RPO added.

    Dawn highlighted that the police had interrogated 10 to 15 of the relatives on Saturday in the search to pinpoint the couple’s whereabouts, after which they were allowed to leave.

    The RPO said the relatives are playing a “dubious role” and contributing to the couple’s “trouble”.

    Urfan’s father initially claimed to not have any information about his grandchildren, however, they were found at his place after the raid.

    “If they did nothing wrong in London, they should feel free to hand themselves over to the police”, said the RPO, referring to the couple, hoping that they will surrender soon since the children should not be kept away from the parents for too long.

    The case

    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

  • Sara Sharif case; five children taken into custody

    Sara Sharif case; five children taken into custody

    While Sara Sharif’s parents, Urfan Sharif and Beinash Batool are still on the run, Pakistan police took five of Sharif’s children into custody on Monday, District Police Office (DPO) of Jhelum has confirmed.

    Geo News has reported that Noman, Azlam, Ihsan, Hina, and Bisma Sharif are in police protection right now, while their father, the prime suspect, remains on the loose.

    Previously, Sara Sharif’s grandfather, Muhammad Sharif, had denied knowing where his son was or the family’s whereabouts but now, he revealed that he had been sheltering the children at his place in Jhelum.

    Geo reports that as per witnesses, police had been stationed outside Muhammad Sharif’s residence, with officers stopping the people from recording proceedings on their phones. On the other hand, Muhammad Sharif claims that during the operation, the police damaged the house’s gates and CCTV cameras.

    The family has alleged that the police have been terrorising them, subjecting some relatives to involuntary detention, conducting unwarranted searches of their residence, and in order to put pressure on the family, fabricated charges have been filed against them.

    The police, on the contrary, have denied all assertions and are determined to find Sara Sharif’s father, Urfan Sharif, who is allegedly the main suspect.

    Previously

    10-year-old Sara Sharif’s uncle and grandfather have been detained from Jhelum in a case pertaining to the child’s mysterious death in the UK.

    As per the police, 10 people in total have been arrested.

    Moreover, the detained persons have been kept at an unknown location, and three of the family’s vehicles have also been seized.

    Police say that Sara’s parents, father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool, are still on the run. Meanwhile, a case of kidnapping has been filed against two of Sharif’s brothers and his brother-in-law.

    The case

    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

  • Yoga class mistaken for ‘ritual mass murder’

    Yoga class mistaken for ‘ritual mass murder’

    Onlookers mistook a yoga class as a “ritual mass murder”, reporting it to the police in Lincolnshire, England.

    Five police cars reached the ‘crime-scene’ at North Sea Observatory in Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire, on Wednesday night.

    BBC spoke with 22-year-old Yoga teacher Millie Laws who found the whole incident “funny and surreal”. She initially thought that the report of her being a “mass murderer” was a “joke”.

    Laws was teaching seven students at the Seascape Cafe situated inside a building. She recalls two dog walkers peeking through the glass window while the class was at its Shavasana or relaxation stage. Additionally, the room was dark with candles lit, which made it more suspicious, she added.

    “They’re [students] laying down with blankets over them, their eyes are closed. It’s very dark in there. I just had candles and little tea lights lit the whole room, and I was just walking around playing my drum. I had a nice floaty top on with large bell sleeves,” she said.

    “A couple with some dogs just came up to the window and were having a look in, but they walked off really quickly and I didn’t think anything of it.”

    “I didn’t know until after we left that these people phoned in saying that there was a mass murderer; they were wearing a robe and they were walking over all of the people, and it looked like some kind of ritual, and that the people on the floor were actually dead.

    “I guess from the outside view it could look like that, because they’re all really still, very nice and relaxed.

    “I’m sure their imagination was running wild with what was going on.”

    “I feel really bad for whoever the person was who [phoned police] that would, of course, have been terrifying. So I do feel for them.

    “But at the same time you’ve got to see the lighter side of it.”

    Managers at Seascape Cafe posted a statement on Facebook to remove any doubts in the residents of the small village where police were ringing at night, stating everything in the area was good, jokingly adding that “We are not part of any mad cult or crazy clubs.”

  • Sara Sharif’s parents release video from hiding; say they’re willing to cooperate

    Sara Sharif’s parents release video from hiding; say they’re willing to cooperate

    A video has come to light in which Sara Sharif’s stepmother, Beinash Batool along with her husband, Urfan Shairf, can be seen together in an undisclosed location. Batool touches upon media reporting of Sara’s death, claiming that they both will cooperate with UK authorities, and that they are on the run out of fear of Pakistani police.

    While Urfan Sharif remains silent, Batool reads from a notebook. Speaking briefly of Sara, she says, “Firstly, I would like to talk about Sara. Sara’s death was an accident. Our family in Pakistan are severely affected by all that is going on,”

    Accusing the media of making up lies, Beinish says, “Imran [one of Mr Sharif’s brothers] did not give the statement that Sara fell down the stairs and broke her neck. This was spread through a Pakistani media outlet. I am very worried about Imran’s safety.”

    She further claimed that they have run out of food, are unable to leave home because of security concerns, and the children are unable to attend school out of fear.

    Furthermore, she explains that they are in hiding because the family fears that the Pakistan police will torture and kill them.

    BBC, however, reports that according to police chief Mehmood Bajwa, the allegations of “harassment and torture of family members are false”.

    Urfan Sharif’s father had petitioned the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court against the harassment of his family members. While the court barred the police from detaining them again, the officers said questioning will continue.

    The Case
    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years. During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked one way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

    A few days later, the Pakistani police arrested Sharif’s brother Imran and also spoke with some of the family members.

    Sharif’s parents and a number of other relatives are also missing, with the family home and shop in Jhelum locked up and empty. While everyone insisted on not knowing the family’s whereabouts, the police remains unconvinced by their claims.

    “We managed to get hold of Imran, but the rest of his family have gone missing. They clearly have something to hide. We got hold of one of them and will be interrogating him until he tells us the truth.”

    As reported by Arab News, Imran did confirm to MailOnline that his brother had been in Pakistan on August 9 however, he was alone. He added that he disappeared right after.

    BBC also spoke with Urfan Sharif’s father, Muhammad Sharif. According to him, “It was an accident, he didn’t tell me how it happened,” and that the family fled the UK out of fear.

    He, however, urged his son to return to the UK and defend himself.

    Sara’s mother
    Sara Sharif’s mother Olga said in an interview to a Polish channel that Sara was so severely injured that she “did not recognise her” in the mortuary.

    “One of her cheeks was swollen and the other side was bruised. Even now, when I close my eyes I can see what my baby looked like,” Olga said.

    As per the post-mortem examination by Surrey Police, Sara “suffered multiple and extensive injuries”, that seemingly were “caused over a sustained and extended period of time”.

    Olga also revealed that she herself was subjected to mistreatment while she was married to Urfan Sharif. When she separated from him in 2015, Sara and her older brother lived with her until 2019, when the family court ordered for them to live with their father while giving equal rights to Olga.

    Olga states that the children’s stepmother told her off.

    “It’s not normal that once the children were happy, and arguing about who would talk to Mum first, and then the kids don’t even want to talk to me on the phone and are calling me the worst names,” she said.

  • Young Pakistanis in the UK lead in unemployment, govt stats confirm 

    Young Pakistanis in the UK lead in unemployment, govt stats confirm 

    Official data from the United Kingdom’s government shows that among different ethnic groups in the country, young Pakistanis are the least active in terms of work and education. 

    The dataset in question is categorised as “unemployment,” encompassing individuals aged 16 to 24 who are neither employed nor engaged in any form of training or educational pursuits. This data was systematically collected over a three-year period spanning from 2017 to 2019. 

    Notably, within the spectrum of ethnic backgrounds in the UK, individuals of Pakistani origin stand out with the highest unemployment rate at 14.3 per cent, surpassing their counterparts from nine other nations. The next highest rate pertains to individuals of Bangladeshi descent at 12 per cent, while young individuals of Indian heritage exhibit a comparatively lower inactivity rate of 7.3 per cent, as indicated by the data. 

    A similar pattern is discernible when examining the overall employment data for the country, which encompasses individuals aged 16 to 64. In this context, Pakistani and Bangladeshi individuals are grouped together and collectively exhibit the lowest employment rate, standing at a mere 58 per cent, the lowest among ten defined categories. In contrast, individuals of Indian descent display a more favourable employment rate at 78 per cent, trailing only those of non-British white origin, of whom 82 per cent are gainfully employed. 

    It is worth noting, however, that the observed trends in employment and unemployment figures do not appear to have a conclusive impact on the overall happiness score, as the data does not differentiate by age and represents the broader community. The happiness index assigns a score on a scale of 10, and according to the data, individuals of Pakistani descent in the UK have a happiness score of 7.57, ranking as the fourth highest among the ten surveyed ethnic groups. 

    While individuals of Indian, Bangladeshi, and other ethnic backgrounds report higher levels of happiness than those of Pakistani origin, individuals of Arab, black, Chinese, and even white ethnicities exhibit lower happiness scores in comparison.