A man who murdered a doctor and her daughter has been sentenced to jail for life.
In "a brutal, shocking attack", Shahbaz Khan drugged Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and Vian Mangrio, 14, before killing them and setting the house on fire in Burnley in 2020.
Khan, 51, had told police that spirits, known as jinns in Islamic faith were responsible for the deaths. After pleading guilty for the murders at Preston Crown Court, he was jailed for a minimum of 34 years.
According to a report in the BBC, Judge Mr Justice Goss said the murders "were planned and determined in their execution" and "motivated by financial gain".
The court heard Khan of Burnley drugged Dr Sacharvi and then strangled her in her home on Colne Road in Reedley on September 30, last year. Then when her daughter Vian returned from school, she too was drugged and killed before the house was set on fire to cover the tracks.
"My mum is evil" and "this is a Covid house" were written on the walls, which the prosecution said were to suggest a dispute between the two victims.
Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi and her teenage daughter Vian Mangrio. (Photo: Lancashire Police)
According to the post-mortem report, it was likely that Dr Sacharvi had been strangled with a ligature. While Vian's body was so badly damaged that the pathologist could say that she died of asphyxiation.
A quantity of jewellery worth about £27,000 belonging to Dr Sacharvi was found in Khan's loft by the police.
At the start of the trial, he had initially denied two counts of murder and one count of arson but changed his plea in between to guilty.
Khan's wife, Rabia Shahbaz, 45, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by giving a false alibi for her husband and jailed for 15 months, BBC has reported.
Speaking after sentencing, Det Ch Insp Pauline Stables said the mother and daughter "lost their lives in a brutal, shocking attack, killed in their own home, by someone they knew and trusted".
Senior crown prosecutor Katie Marsden said the victims had "moved to the UK from Pakistan to further Vian's education".
"They relied heavily on Shahbaz Khan and Rabia Shahbaz to build their life in this country and that trust was breached in the worst way imaginable," she added.
THE UK has recorded its first increase in births since 2021, with a notable rise in babies born to fathers over 60 helping to lift the numbers, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In 2024, there were 594,677 live births in England and Wales, up 0.6 per cent from the previous year. While this is a modest increase, it marks a change after several years of decline.
The ONS highlighted that the number of births to fathers aged 60 and above jumped by 14.2 per cent compared with 2023, rising from 942 to 1,076.
This group of older fathers has played a key role in pushing up the birthrate, even as the number of younger parents continues to fall, reported the Times.
The data also showed that almost a third of all babies born last year had mothers who were born outside the UK. In 2024, 33.9 per cent of live births were to non-UK-born women, the highest proportion since records began in 2001.
Despite this small increase, the overall number of births remains historically low. Last year’s total was the third-lowest since 1977, reflecting a long-term trend of fewer young people having children.
The average age of both mothers and fathers continues to rise. The number of babies born to mothers under 20 fell by 4.6 per cent, and there was also a drop for mothers aged 20 to 24. Births to fathers under 20 also fell slightly, while the biggest increases were seen in parents aged 35 and over
Regional differences were also clear. While England saw a small overall rise in births, some areas, such as the North East, East Midlands, East, South East, and South West, actually experienced a decline. The West Midlands and London saw the biggest increases, with birthrates up 3.4 per cent and 1.8 per cent respectively. In contrast, Wales recorded a two per cent fall in live births compared to 2023.
Bridget Phillipson, secretary of state for education, has urged young Britons to consider starting families sooner, warning about the “worrying repercussions” of a falling birthrate. She pointed to the rising cost of housing and childcare as reasons why many young people are putting off having children, saying, “Young Britons are thinking twice about having a family because of the rising costs of housing and childcare,” The Times reported.
Greg Ceely, head of population monitoring at the ONS, said, “In 2024, the annual number of births in England and Wales reversed the recent trend of declining births, recording the first increase seen since 2021. Despite this overall rise, the number of births to mothers under 30 fell as people continue to put off having children until later in life. The largest decrease is seen amongst those under 20 years old, which fell by almost five per cent, while the number of mothers aged 35 to 39 grew the most.
"A couple of other long-term trends are continuing, such as seeing around half of live births within marriage or civil partnership, and an increase in births to non-UK-born mothers.”
Experts have warned that if the birthrate continues to fall, the UK could face long-term challenges, including a shrinking workforce and rising national debt. The Office for Budget Responsibility has previously said that without a recovery in the birthrate, government debt could soar over the next 50 years.
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The foreign ministers of the Quad — India, the US, Australia and Japan — met in Washington DC on Tuesday to outline priorities for the bloc’s annual summit to be held in India later this year. (Photo credit: X/@DrSJaishankar)
THE QUAD grouping has called for the perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the Pahalgam terror attack to be brought to justice without delay. The group also urged all UN member states to cooperate in the process.
The foreign ministers of the Quad — India, the US, Australia and Japan — met in Washington DC on Tuesday to outline priorities for the bloc’s annual summit to be held in India later this year.
In a joint statement, the ministers condemned the April 22 attack in strong terms and called for firm action against cross-border terrorism. The statement did not mention Pakistan or the four-day military conflict between Indian and Pakistani forces in May.
Condolences and call for justice
“We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extend our heartfelt wishes for a swift and full recovery to all those injured,” the ministers said.
“We call for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard,” they said.
The meeting was attended by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.
Concerns over maritime security and China’s actions
The ministers also expressed serious concern over growing military activity in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Without naming China directly, they said, “We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
They referred to “dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels.”
In this context, they pointed to “unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea”, saying such actions threaten peace and stability in the region.
“We are seriously concerned by the militarisation of disputed features. We emphasise the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” the ministers said.
They said that maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully and in line with international law. They also underlined the 12 July 2016 ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal, calling it a “significant milestone and the basis” for settling disputes between the parties. The tribunal had ruled against China’s claims in the South China Sea in a case filed by the Philippines.
Supply chain reliability and critical minerals
The Quad ministers also raised concern about the “abrupt constriction and future reliability” of global supply chains for critical minerals, referring to China’s role in the sector.
“This includes the use of non-market policies and practices for critical minerals, certain derivative products, and mineral processing technology,” the statement said.
They stressed the need for diversified and reliable supply chains. “Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harms our economic and national security,” they said.
The Quad also announced plans to launch a “Quad Ports of the Future” partnership in Mumbai later this year.
Myanmar crisis and regional stability
The foreign ministers expressed concern over the “worsening crisis” in Myanmar and its regional impact.
“We call on the regime to adhere to its commitment to a ceasefire, and call on all parties to implement, extend and broaden ceasefire measures,” they said.
“We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN’s efforts, including calling for the full and effective implementation of the Five Point Consensus in seeking an inclusive, durable, and peaceful resolution to the crisis,” they said.
The statement also called on all sides to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance. “We are also concerned about the impact of the crisis on regional security and the spread of transnational crimes,” the ministers added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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FILE PHOTO: Airplanes remain parked on the tarmac at Heathrow International. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
A FIRE that shut London's Heathrow airport in March, stranding thousands of people, was caused by the UK power grid's failure to maintain an electricity substation, an official report said on Wednesday (2), prompting the energy watchdog to open a probe.
The closure of Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, cost airlines tens of millions of pounds. It also raised questions about the resilience of Britain's infrastructure.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband called the report "deeply concerning", after it concluded that the issue which caused the fire was identified seven years ago but went unaddressed by power grid operator National Grid. Energy regulator Ofgem said it was "a preventable, technical fault".
As a result of the report, Ofgem launched an enforcement investigation into National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), which owns and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales.
Heathrow said via email that it was considering whether it wanted to pursue legal action, and that it expected National Grid to take "accountability for these failings." Heathrow itself, along with airline companies, could potentially face a hefty compensation bill for the disruption caused to travellers.
The report said a "catastrophic failure" on one of the transformer's high-voltage bushings at NGET's 275 kilovolt substation caused the transformer to catch fire, most likely due to moisture entering the bushing, sparking an electrical fault.
Despite detecting an elevated moisture reading in one of the bushings in 2018, which indicates an imminent fault that requires the component to be replaced, the company did not fix the issue, the report said.
The controls in place were not effective and failed to identify that no action had been taken, including during an opportunity in 2022 when NGET decided to defer basic maintenance, letting the issue go unaddressed, it added.
A National Grid spokesperson said that the company had a comprehensive asset inspection and maintenance programme in place and that it had taken further action since the fire.
"There are important lessons to be learnt about cross-sector resilience and the need for increased coordination," the spokesperson said.
Ofgem plans to review whether National Grid complied with the relevant legislation and licence conditions relating to the development and maintenance of its electricity system close to Heathrow.
The regulator will also commission an independent audit into National Grid assets to review whether the failings were a one-off or systemic, it said.
In an earlier response to the report, Heathrow blamed the incident on a "combination of outdated regulation, inadequate safety mechanisms, and National Grid’s failure to maintain its infrastructure".
Its own review found in May that the airport had responded well to the power outage, saying alternative choices would not have materially changed the outcome on the day.
(Reuters)
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington. (Photo: Reuters)
THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF) has completed the fourth review of Sri Lanka’s USD 2.9 billion bailout programme, allowing the country to access the next tranche of USD 350 million from the four-year facility.
The IMF had approved the nearly USD 3 billion bailout in March 2023 to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to restore macroeconomic stability, including fiscal and debt sustainability, during an unprecedented economic crisis.
The programme has helped Sri Lanka rebuild its foreign reserves and carry out debt restructuring negotiations with external creditors.
“The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the fourth review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement, allowing the authorities to draw SDR254 million (about USD 350 million),” the IMF said in a statement.
With this latest disbursement, the total financial support provided so far under the facility stands at SDR1.27 billion (about USD 1.74 billion).
Economic reforms required under the IMF programme have resulted in widespread hardship, which the global lender has said is necessary to ensure long-term growth and stability.
The measures have been unpopular and contributed to the change of government in 2024.
The current administration, led by the National People's Power—which had earlier criticised the IMF's reform conditions and promised to review them—continues to adhere to the IMF-supported programme.
A SOLICITOR from Birmingham has won the Volunteer of the Year award at the King’s Trust and TK Maxx Awards for her work with young people.
Nabila met the King at Buckingham Palace last Wednesday (25) before receiving her award at the ceremony in London last Thursday (26).
She was presented the award by broadcaster and Good Morning Britain presenter, Kate Garraway and radio presenters Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo.
Nabila, who grew up in Small Heath, in Birmingham, said she wanted to give young people the professional mentor she did not have.
The 32-year-old has spent more than 10 years volunteering with The King’s Trust Mosaic programme, which helps secondary school pupils in cities across the UK build confidence and job skills.
She said, “Mentoring for The King’s Trust has had a really positive impact on me. I see myself in every one of my mentees and it’s a great feeling knowing that you have helped someone. I hope to continue volunteering for as long as I can.
It’s been over ten years, and although it can be challenging, I still enjoy it.”
The Mosaic programme runs for eight weeks in schools, with volunteers working with groups of pupils to develop their confidence and understanding of the workplace.
Nabila organised visits to the Solicitors Regulation Authority in Birmingham city centre, where students can learn about different careers including law, HR, and communications.
She described watching one shy student transform over the eight-week programme, eventually giving a speech to parents and teachers at the final session.
“The transformation of young people can be incredible,” Nabila said. “It’s important I set a good example and show my mentees what it’s like in the real world of work.”
Garraway said Nabila had inspired hundreds of students across Birmingham through the programme, “Her mentees see someone they can relate to, who is successful, which enables them to believe there are no limits to what they can achieve.”
The King’s Trust helps young people get into work, education, or training. Three in four young people helped by the charity in the past five years have moved into employment, training, or education, a statement said.