Latest news with #UniversityofBedfordshire
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
YouTuber 'stabbed wife to death' as she pushed their baby in pram
A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his wife who was stabbed as she pushed their baby in a pram on the street. Kulsuma Akter died after being stabbed several times in Bradford city centre on April 6 last year. Today, the 27-year-old woman's husband Habibur Masum, 26, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a knife. He denies murder, and is due to go on trial at Bradford Crown Court on Monday. The judge, Mr Justice Cotter, remanded him in custody until then. Masum, who followed proceedings with the help of a Bengali interpreter, denied two charges of assault, one count of making threats to kill and one charge of stalking at an earlier hearing. On that occasion the court heard the allegations of assault and threats to kill relate to two days in November 23. He is accused of stalking Ms Akter between November and April, with the charge alleging he 'tracked her movements and located her at a safe house, sent her messages of a menacing nature which contained threats to kill another and photos and videos of the area and premises where she was residing'. He is also alleged to have 'loitered in the area of her temporary residence'. The charge alleges he caused her 'alarm or distress' and to 'fear that violence would be used against her'. Ms Akter was taken to hospital after being stabbed several times during the incident. She later died from her injuries. The baby was not harmed in the incident, police said. Masum, originally from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh, studied for a masters in digital marketing at the University of Bedfordshire. He has shared travel vlogs of his 'adventures' and life in the UK on YouTube.
ITV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Under-threat University of Bedfordshire staff join mass lobby in Westminster
University staff have been lobbying MPs in Westminster as part of a campaign to save their jobs, amid warnings "students are sure to suffer."Staff at the University of Bedfordshire joined other higher education workers from across the country, to highlight the scale of the "funding crisis" facing the sector. The University has told around 240 staff from the Luton and Bedford campuses that their jobs are at risk as it seeks to make £5 million in savings this year. The university is inviting staff whose jobs are under threat to apply for around 160 new roles being created. Loretta Gora, a learning and teaching administrator at the university, said: "It's about funding. "We're in a funding crisis, we're cutting jobs, we're cutting opportunities for students in the future and very importantly, we're affecting the economy in our hometown. "Once the students have gone, they won't be coming back and we need to see another way of funding the universities." A spokesperson for Bedfordshire University said, "Like many universities, we face financial challenges due to frozen tuition fees, rising costs, and declining international student numbers. "Despite cost-saving measures such as a voluntary severance scheme, pausing recruitment to vacant posts, and reducing non-pay expenditure to save millions, further steps are needed for long-term stability. 'These changes will not affect students, as they focus on the management and organisation of our faculties and professional services. We remain dedicated to providing students with the resources and support they need to succeed.' The University of Bedfordshire is one of 70 across the country cutting staff numbers to save cash, according to May, the University of Suffolk announced it was considering cutting 35 jobs as it needed to take immediate action to save £3.5 million. In November 2024, the University of Essex joined other higher education institutions trying to balance the books, by announcing plans to cut 200 jobs. UNISON Eastern regional organiser Teisha Leigh said: 'Universities across the country have suffered years of underfunding leaving them unable to weather the storm of falling student numbers.'At the University of Bedfordshire, this means hundreds of experienced and dedicated staff being told their jobs could be going. "Students are sure to suffer if these jobs cuts go ahead.' The Department for Education said it is committed to the future of higher education and that it recognises the economic importance of universities. It added that it will set out plans for the reform of higher education later this summer.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
British Sikh hopes to spark Nanded's clean-up revolution from Hazur Sahib
For decades, litter strewn across the roads of Nanded had ended up in the city's drains, causing waste pollution in the sacred Godavari river and leading to water-borne illnesses such as diarrhoea. But now, finally, a solution is in sight: British Sikh Gurch Randhawa, professor of diversity in public health at the University of Bedfordshire, is on a mission to help the Nanded-Waghala city municipal corporation (NWCMC) clean up the river, with funding from the UK Economic and Social Research Council's Brown Gold project. The project team recalled he had hosted King Charles at Guru Nanak Gurudwara in Luton in 2022, which made history as it was the first time a British head of state sat on the floor. That combined with his public health expertise, made him the perfect person to manage the complex dynamics in Nanded, a city which hosts one of the holiest place for Sikhs, Hazur Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Gobind Singh. "The Nanded govt has always recognised they have a huge water pollution problem in that river. But it's about where do you start? In a way, the best place to start is, to start where you have the biggest pull. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Hazur Sahib attracts 50,000 pilgrims a day. If you can get that gurudwara to want to do something about tackling waste management, the rest of Nanded is likely to follow," he told TOI. When he first went to Nanded in Dec, everyone knew who he was because of a photo of him sat with the King on the floor that went viral among Sikhs. "That really helped," he said. What struck Randhawa was how spotless the gurudwara was, yet rubbish was strewn all around the rest of Nanded, clogging up drains and polluting the river. "They have bins everywhere in the gurudwara and yet as soon as you step outside, there are barely any bins and piles of waste and that's how it ends up in the sewers and drains and in the river," he said. At 2.30am every day, thousands of pilgrims walk 1km bare-footed from Hazur Sahib to a site next to the Nagina Ghat Gurdwara where the priest collects water in a gagar (pot). After ardas (prayers), they walk back and use the holy water to wash the sacred parts of the gurdwara. "The gurdwara has created a structure next to the river with a filter pump and so water they get is clean. Yet right behind the structure, the riverbank is full of rubbish," Randhawa said. He returned to Nanded in March with samples of British recycling bins and met the superintendent of the gurudwara, Gurbachan Singh, who agreed to install recycling bins around the 12 gurdwaras in Nanded. "The idea is that if the gurdwara visitors start using these bins, then mosques, temples and churches will follow," he said. He also met the commissioner of NWCMC, Maheshkumar Doiphode, who agreed to pilot these bins every 100 metres along the 'Gagar Seva' procession route and, crucially, ensure they get emptied. Brown Gold project will secure funding for the bins and Randhawa plans to return before the end of the year to install them. The NWCMC is also going to invest in new pipework along the riverbank with filters to prevent rubbish entering the river. The focus of World Environment Day on 5 June is on ending plastic pollution, which is integral to this project, Randhawa said. "It's such a privilege to contribute to this initiative to clean up the Godavari river to ensure the health of locals improves and the Gagar water ceremony is sustainable for years to come," he added.
