Person rescued from house fire in Leicester caused by e-bike
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
Theft-hit Tesco store locks beer and wine behind the tills to counter ‘rife' shoplifting
A THEFT-hit Tesco Express has put all beer and wine behind the tills. Shoppers must now request all booze, which is locked away with spirits and cigarettes. 2 The move — thought to be a first for a major chain — was brought in to counter 'rife' shoplifting at the store in Brighton. The city council initially tried to stop it selling any alcohol due to crime. But it relented when told that Tesco would take extra security measures. A cashier said: 'Too many people were stealing. It's bad here.' We told last year how some Tesco branches kept doors locked until staff had checked shoppers outside on CCTV. Figures show 516,971 reported shop thefts last year, around one a minute. But the real total is said to be much higher. Tesco has been invited to comment. 2 How business owners are cracking down on shoplifting
The Guardian
24 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK visa services firm sues ex-boss for £6m over alleged improper use of profits
The company that runs visa services for the UK government is suing its former chief executive for £6m over her alleged improper use of profits earned during a period of record immigration. Cloud Bai-Yun, who once represented the UK on an international ethics and fraud advisory body, is accused by Ecctis of a breach of fiduciary duty, according to court filings. The company claims that she oversaw profit making on a not-for-profit government contract and this money was ultimately used in 2021 to pay her £17.587m for her shares in Ecctis's holding company. Ecctis's claim against Bai-Yun is for £4.63m, plus more than £2m in interest. Bai-Yun said: 'I wholly deny the allegations made against me by the new management of Ecctis and will be defending myself in court.' Ecctis runs the official language tests and qualification recognition services for those applying for certain UK visas or permissions. Under a not-for-profit contract with the Department for Education (DfE), it is claimed that Ecctis was obliged to reinvest any profit earned or to keep a maximum of half of the net gain in reserve. It is alleged that Bai-Yun, who was chief executive from 2014 and a director since 2006, instead improperly approved large dividend payments in 2016 and 2017 to a holding company. Bai-Yun was the sole shareholder of the holding company and in 2021 that money was used to buy her shareholding for £17.587m, it is claimed. The shares were then transferred to an employee-owned trust. Bai-Yun's defence claims there were no restrictions in Ecctis's articles of association on paying dividends and that it was for her as the shareholder to make the decisions on the payments. The legal action by Ecctis follows its repayment to the government of £13.64m after a DfE audit concluded the company had failed to reinvest profits in its services. Bai-Yun, who had moved from being chief executive to chief adviser on the sale of her shares, was asked to resign from the latter role after the 2022 audit. The Guardian revealed details of the scandal in January this year, leading the DfE's most senior civil servant to tell the Common's public accounts committee that officials had undertaken a 'very hard review' of 'serious failings'. The new legal row will be an embarrassment to the DfE, which renewed Ecctis's contract this year with changes that ensured all profits were directly paid to the government. Insiders at the company have voiced concerns that Ecctis continues to hold a monopoly on services they say would be better run directly by the state. Ecctis has seen a huge increase in revenue in recent years owing to historically high levels of immigration, particularly in the post-Brexit period. According to Ecctis's particulars of claim, the payment in 2016 of a £2.16m dividend to the holdings company was questioned at the time by the finance director at the company, Robert Wall. Wall wrote that his understanding was that they were supposed to operate 'as a not-for-profit business', it is claimed. Despite this, the board, with Bai-Yun in attendance, went on to approve a further dividend in 2017 of £2.5m. Ecctis claims the dividends were 'constituted almost entirely of net profit' from the government contracts, leaving it in breach of the agreement with the DfE. The company further alleges: 'In February 2021, funds including the 2017 dividends were passed to the defendant as part of the £17.587m sale price.' Ecctis's claim for £4.6m plus interest in 'remedy' covers only the 2016 and 2017 dividend payments. There is a time limitation on claims. The claim refers, however, to the DfE's audit which found that £16.63m in dividends were paid in total up to 2021 and that this money was ultimately 'put towards the purchase price' of £17.587m paid to Bai-Yun. Ecctis claims Bai-Yun failed in her duty as a director of Ecctis to promote the success of the company and avoid conflicts of interest. In her defence, Bai-Yun claims the price she received for her shares was £17.5m and not £17.587m. She claims there was no contractual restraint on the use of the balance of the net profit once appropriate investments in the services were made. She denies a conflict of interest as she approved the dividends as the shareholder of the holding company, rather than as a director of Ecctis. She claims Wall was mistaken in his understanding of the contract with the DfE. A DfE spokesperson said: 'Our new, strengthened contract, alongside a new leadership team at Ecctis, means the department can continue to work with Ecctis to provide a good service to the public on the recognition of qualifications, which is a requirement under international law.'
Sky News
40 minutes ago
- Sky News
Essex council asks High Court to stop hotel housing migrants
Why you can trust Sky News An Essex council has asked the High Court to stop the owners of a hotel housing migrants, following weeks of protests. Epping Forest District Council applied on Tuesday for an interim High Court injunction to prevent the Bell Hotel being used to accommodate asylum seekers. The council is requesting that the ban take effect 14 days after the injunction is approved. It is citing "the clear risk of further escalating community tensions" and calls for the present situation "to be brought under control" urgently. The council is also requesting a declaration that using the Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers is not the same as using it as a regular hotel, and therefore is not permitted under planning rules. "The current situation cannot go on. If the Bell Hotel was a nightclub we could have closed it down long ago," said Cllr Chris Whitbread, leader of Epping Forest District Council. "So far as the council is aware, there is no criminal record checking of individuals who might only have been in the country a matter of days before being housed at the hotel." Cllr Whitbread pointed out there are five schools and a residential care home within the vicinity of the hotel, and that the use by the Home Office of the premises for asylum seekers could further escalate community tensions that are "already at a high", as well as "the risk of irreparable harm to the local community". "This will only increase with the start of the new school year. We are frustrated that the Home Office continues not to listen," he said. Weeks of protests Demonstrations began on 13 July after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. An Ethiopian man, who had only recently arrived on a small boat, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault of a girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, denies sexual assault and is due to stand trial this month. 2:54 Essex Police recently implemented dispersal orders before some protests, allowing officers to order anyone suspected of causing anti-social behaviour to leave the area. The force said 25 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, and a total of 16 people have now been charged. 'Unprecedented' levels of disruption Epping Forest council said it has resorted to this latest action due to the "unprecedented levels of protest and disruption" in the community. The protests have placed the police "under severe pressure", as additional police officers had to be drafted in from other forces, it said. At a recent council meeting in July 2025, Epping Forest councillors voted unanimously to call on the Home Office to "immediately" close the Bell Hotel. They also called for the phased closure of the Phoenix Hotel in North Weald, which is also providing temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. "We are doing this on behalf of our local community. We are a small district council. We have tried to help the Home Office see the situation cannot go on, but central government is not listening," Cllr Whitbread said. "We should not have to take this fight to the High Court, but we are left with no choice. It is now up to the judge," he added.
