Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Buckinghamshire school pays tribute to “constantly smiling’ four-year-old boy who died of Strep A

Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, 4, of High Wycombe died of the bacterial infection on November 14.

Buckinghamshire school pays tribute to “constantly smiling’ four-year-old boy who died of Strep A

A Buckinghamshire school has paid tribute to its four-year-old pupil who died of Strep A last month as the bacterial infection has resulted in six fatalities in the UK this season.

Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, who was studying at Oakridge School and Nursery, died at his home in High Wycombe on November 14 after experiencing a cardiac arrest.

As his family is struggling to come to terms with the irreparable loss, his school said it was working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to prevent the further spread of the infection and its classrooms had been deep-cleaned.

Its head teacher Stuart Cook described Ali as a "friendly” and “constantly smiling” boy who was always active and who had “lots of energy”.

Recalling how the “kind” child loved to help his friends, he said the school would “miss him terribly”.

"We have been touched by the response from the Oakridge School Community who have shared their condolences and laid flowers,” Leicestershire Live quoted the head teacher as saying.

Crowdfunding platform JustGiving raised £4,513 as of Monday evening to create a "lasting memorial" for the child at the school.

Cook said the memorial would make sure the boy “will always have a place here.”

“The children have had some lovely thoughts about how we can remember and celebrate Ibrahim’s time here at Oakridge, he said, adding “we will miss him dearly.”

The school was working closely with the Health Security Agency officials “who have done a thorough risk assessment of the school and we have been following their advice in order to keep everyone safe,” the head teacher said.

He said the school was advising parents to monitor their children for Strep A symptoms - sore throat, headache and fever along with pinkish or red body rash.

“We have deep cleaned the classrooms,” Cook said.

The UKHSA said on Friday that there had been five Strep A-related deaths in England in the preceding seven days.

It, however, said there was no evidence that showed a new strain was circulating.

More For You

Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. (Representational image: iStock)

Woman raped in racially aggravated attack in Oldbury

A WOMAN in her 20s was raped in Oldbury in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. Officers said the men made a racist remark during the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tommy Robinson

The event, which Robinson has promoted for months, is being billed by him as the 'UK's biggest free speech festival.' (Photo: Getty Images)

London prepares for rival demonstrations, police deploy 1,600 officers

Highlights

  • More than 1,600 officers deployed across London on Saturday
  • Far-right activist Tommy Robinson to lead "Unite the Kingdom" march
  • Anti-racism groups to stage counter-protests in Whitehall
  • Police impose conditions on routes and timings of demonstrations

LONDON police will deploy more than 1,600 officers across the city on Saturday as rival demonstrations take place, including a rally organised by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, and a counter-protest by anti-racism campaigners.

Keep ReadingShow less
Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mandelson-Getty

Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Minister says Mandelson should never have been appointed

A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.

Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.

Keep ReadingShow less