Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
A Bradford Crown Court has held that five men and a woman would face trial for charges including assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice in the brutal murder of Mohammed Feazan Ayaz, reported the BBC.
They have denied helping to cover up the murder in court, the report added. A seventh male defendant did not attend the hearing.
Ayaz, 20, was tortured before his body was found on Saffron Drive, Allerton, on 1 July 2019.
In March last year Raheel Khan, 27, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to serve a minimum of 30 years in jail for the murder of Ayaz.
Suleman Khan, 20, of Sandford Road, Bradford, and Robert Wainwright, 26, of Mannville Terrace, Bradford, were also found guilty of murder and each sentenced to a minimum of 25 years behind bars.
During the trial, jurors heard Ayaz was "systematically and sadistically beaten" at an industrial unit in Halifax Road, Denholme, the report added.
A woman and one of the men charged are accused of an attempt to pervert the course of justice by cleaning the inside of the unit at the Denholme Business Centre.
Three of the men are accused of assisting an offender by enabling a murder suspect to leave the country.
A fifth man is accused of perverting the course of justice by deleting CCTV footage between 30 June 2019 and 3 July 2019.
Those charged in the case are-Waqas Ahmed, 25, Sarfraz Ahmed, 32, Hassan Ali, 26, Iqrab Choudhury, 29, Kaukab Khan, 33 and David Burnett, 39.
The trial would start on 27 June next year and it could last up to four weeks, the BBC report added.
All six defendants who attended court had their unconditional bail extended until the trial date.
Nursery worker Roksana Lecka abused 21 babies across two nurseries
Abuse included kicking, pinching, and scratching children
Parents report lasting trauma and increased caution with childcare
Abuse uncovered through CCTV
Families of 21 babies in southwest London have described the “horrifying” experience of seeing CCTV footage showing their children being abused. The perpetrator, 22-year-old nursery worker Roksana Lecka, was employed at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham and Little Munchkins in Hounslow.
Incidents included kicking a young boy in the face, pinching children repeatedly, pushing babies headfirst over cots, and covering toddlers’ mouths when they cried. Several children were left with bruises and scratches, causing parents long-term concern.
Negligence and substance use
Investigations revealed that Lecka smoked cannabis before shifts and vaped near young children. Parents reported her showing “total disregard” for the safety of the children under her care. The abuse took place between October 2023 and June 2024.
Detectives discovered the pattern of abuse after she was sent home from Riverside Nursery for pinching children and appearing “flustered.” Subsequent CCTV review revealed the full scale of the assaults.
Impact on families
Parents described the trauma of watching their children suffer and the ongoing effects on their wellbeing. Several children experienced sleep problems and separation anxiety, while parents reported feeling mistrustful of childcare services.
One mother said: “I cannot get over how an adult could have done that to a child. My biggest worry is that my son will think that’s something adults do to children. It will live with me forever knowing that my son and 20 other children had to go through this.”
The closure of Riverside Nursery forced parents to find alternative childcare, often at significant financial and emotional cost.
Legal proceedings and sentencing
Lecka admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under 16 and was convicted of a further 14 counts by a jury at Kingston Crown Court. The case highlighted the need for accountability and stricter safeguards in early years settings.
Senior crown prosecutor Gemma Burns said: “Lecka repeatedly showed exceptional cruelty in her treatment of these babies. She was placed in a position of trust and instead caused lasting harm.”
Calls for reform
Local MP Munira Wilson emphasised the importance of ensuring children’s safety in nurseries. She called for no-notice Ofsted inspections, mandatory CCTV reviews, and stronger safeguarding measures.
“Every parent should know their child is safe when left at nursery,” she said, urging immediate reforms to prevent similar tragedies.
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US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Keir Starmer.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Thursday (25) dismissed US President Donald Trump's claim that London's mayor plans to impose Islamic law on the British capital as "nonsense".
Trump made his comments in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (23) in which he took aim at Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to become Mayor of London.
"I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it's been changed, it's been so changed," Trump said.
"Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can't do that," he added, referring to the Islamic law code based on the teachings of the Koran.
Starmer told reporters in London there were "a few things" on which he and Trump disagreed, despite a successful and amicable state visit by the president earlier this month.
"This is one of them. The idea of the introduction of sharia law is nonsense, and Sadiq Khan is a very good man and actually driving down serious crime," he said.
"We had a good state visit last week, but on this I disagree with him... the sharia law comments were ridiculous," he added.
Khan, from Starmer's centre-left Labour Party, has had a long-running feud with Trump.
In office since 2016, he criticised Trump that year over the then-presidential hopeful's proposed travel ban for people from some Muslim-majority countries.
Before Trump's first state visit to London in 2019, Khan also likened him to "European dictators of the 1930s and 40s".
Following Trump's latest broadside, Khan branded the president "racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic".
(AFP)
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Migrants wade into the water to get to a 'taxi boat' to take them across the channel to the UK at dawn on September 19, 2025 in Gravelines, France. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A FAMILY of three have become the first migrants to arrive in the UK under the so-called "one-in one-out" deal struck with France, a government official said on Wednesday (24).
"A family of three, including a small child, are the first to have arrived" under the deal, said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.
No further details were available, but the arrival follows the removal of four migrants from the UK to France as part of the agreement aimed at deterring an unprecedented number of migrants making the perilous journey by boat from northern France to the UK's south coast.
Under the UK-France scheme, Britain can return small-boat migrants after they arrive across the Channel if they are deemed ineligible for asylum, including those who have passed through a "safe country" to reach UK shores.
In return, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who are likely to have their asylum claim granted.
The Home Office described the exchange as "critical first steps" following the announcement of the deal during a state visit to Britain by French president Emmanuel Macron in July.
"This is a clear message to people-smuggling gangs that illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated," it said in a statement.
"We will continue to detain and remove those who arrive by small boat. And we will work with France to operate a legal route for an equal number of eligible migrants to come to the UK subject to security checks."
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived annually on UK shores in recent years, fuelling domestic anger and the rise of Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK Party.
The journeys across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes have repeatedly proved fatal for migrants. At least 23 people have died so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on official French data.
Prime minister Keir Starmer took power in July 2024 vowing to "smash the gangs" behind the journeys, and scrapped a costly scheme planned by the previous Tory government to send some migrants to Rwanda.
The opposition Conservative party has dismissed the "in-out" treaty as tinkering around the edges and unlikely to have the desired deterrent effect.
The exchange follows demonstrations outside hotels being used by the government to house migrants.
Locals in the town of Epping, northeast of London, took to the streets after an Ethiopian asylum seeker sexually assaulted a teenage girl and a woman in July.
The case ignited weeks of protests and counter-demonstrations, there and outside other migrant hotels.
In Scotland, anti-immigration protests have been taking place every weekend at different locations, national police chief Jo Farrell said in a report.
"The volume of people attending has recently grown," the chief constable added.
(AFP)
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A police vehicle torched by the demonstrators is pictured along a street near the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Leh on September 24, 2025. (Photo by TSEWANG RIGZIN/AFP via Getty Images)
FIVE people were killed in India on Wednesday (24) as police clashed with hundreds of protesters demanding greater autonomy in the Himalayan territory of Ladakh, leaving "dozens" injured, police said.
In the main city of Leh, demonstrators torched a police vehicle and the offices of prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, while officers fired tear gas and used batons to disperse crowds, police said.
"Five deaths were reported after the protests," a police officer in Leh said, on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to journalists. "The number of injured is in the dozens."
Another police officer, Regzin Sangdup, said that "several people, including some policemen, were injured."
Authorities later imposed restrictions on gatherings, banning assemblies of more than four people. The sparsely populated, high-altitude desert region, home to some 300,000 people, borders both China and Pakistan.
Around half of Ladakh's residents are Muslim and about 40 per cent are Buddhist.
It is classed as a "Union Territory" -- meaning that while it elects lawmakers to the national parliament, it is governed directly by New Delhi.
He is demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment.
"Social unrest arises when you keep young people unemployed and deprive them of their democratic rights," Wangchuk said, in a statement posted on social media.
He appealed to people to avoid violence "whatever happens".
India's army maintains a large presence in Ladakh, which includes disputed border areas with China.
Troops from the two countries clashed there in 2020, leaving at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
Modi's government split Ladakh off from Indian-administered Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both.
New Delhi has yet to fulfil its promise to include Ladakh in the "Sixth Schedule" of India's constitution, which allows people to make their own laws and policies.
"There is no platform for democracy here today," Wangchuk said. "Even the Sixth Schedule, which was promised and declared, has not been implemented."
Indian TV channels showed an abandoned police vehicle with flames emanating from its front. Local media reports said some young protesters pelted stones at police and tear gas was used to disperse them.
Kavinder Gupta, Ladakh's lieutenant governor, appealed for an end to violence and restoration of peace in a video message circulated by his office.
Demonstrations, public gatherings and inflammatory speech were being banned to maintain peace, district administrator Romil Singh Donk said in a public notice.
India's home ministry has been in talks with Ladakh's leaders since 2023 and has said it is looking into their demands.
The next round of discussions is scheduled for October 6.
(Agencies)
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The Bantam of the Opera choir at King's Cross London
Thousands of pupils will attempt the ‘Largest Air-Drumming Session’ and ‘Largest Body Percussion Lesson’.
The event on 11 November is a centrepiece of Bradford's UK City of Culture 2025 celebrations.
It partners Bradford Music & Arts Service with the BBC Radio Leeds choir, Bantam of the Opera.
The record attempt doubles as a fundraiser for the BBC Children in Need appeal.
Schools across Bradford are preparing for a monumental session with a purpose. On 11 November, thousands of children will converge at the Bradford Live venue to attempt two official Guinness World Records. The event, aiming for the largest air-drumming session and largest body percussion lesson, is a flagship project for the city's cultural programme. This ambitious endeavour also serves as a major fundraiser for BBC Children in Need, highlighting the Bradford City of Culture year's focus on youth and music.
The two records chosen are all about inclusive participation. The ‘Largest Air-Drumming Session’ requires participants to mimic drumming motions in unison for a sustained period. The ‘Largest Body Percussion Lesson’ involves a structured class where students use clapping, stomping, and thigh-slapping to create rhythm. Guinness World Records has strict guidelines, meaning every participant must be registered and the attempts closely monitored. It’s not just about making noise, but about precision and scale.
The Bantam of the Opera choir at King's Cross London BBC Screengrab
How is the event linked to BBC Children in Need?
The connection is fundamental. The annual BBC Children in Need appeal show airs on 14 November, and this record attempt on the 11th is designed to kickstart local fundraising efforts. Schools involved are encouraged to run their own sponsored activities around the theme "Challenge Yourself." Money raised will support the charity’s work with disadvantaged children across the UK. So, while the kids are focused on making history, their efforts will directly contribute to a well-known national cause.
Who is behind the organisation of the record attempts?
Pulling this off is a collaboration between the Bradford Music & Arts Service and the BBC Radio Leeds community choir, Bantam of the Opera. Adding expert credibility is Tim Brain, a world-record holder himself from 2023 for the largest recyclable instrument percussion ensemble. He’ll be leading the children on the day. Bradford Council sees this as a major event, showcasing the city's investment in youth arts. Councillor Sue Duffy called it a "joyful opportunity" for children to make history in the newly restored Bradford Live venue.
What is the long-term impact on music education in Bradford?
Beyond the single day, the project has a legacy component. The Bantam of the Opera choir is launching an outreach programme in partnership with the Priestley Academy Trust, which serves some of Bradford's most deprived areas. Tom Fay, a Learning Officer at the trust, noted that while children have a deep love for music, many have limited exposure at home, making school-based programmes vital for emotional well-being and community spirit.