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Starmer to ‘offer to resign if fined for Covid rule breach’

Starmer to ‘offer to resign if fined for Covid rule breach’

BRITAIN'S opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer will offer to resign if he is found by police to have broken Covid rules at a gathering last year, Sky News reported on Monday (9) without citing sources.

The 59-year-old, who previously served as the country's top prosecutor, has led calls for prime minister Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak to resign after they both received fines relating to a birthday party celebration thrown for Johnson by staff in his Downing Street office in June 2020.

Starmer was then dealt a blow last week when British police said they would investigate him over a potential breach of Covid-19 lockdown rules in 2021 after receiving significant new information.

Footage from April 2021 shows him drinking a bottle of beer with colleagues indoors during a visit to the northeast of England. He has previously denied any rules were broken at what he has called a meal during a work event.

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy defended Starmer, saying he “does not break the rules”.

Covid rules at the time banned people from gathering indoors with others from outside their household, although there was an exception where gatherings were reasonably necessary for work purposes.

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Shafik served as deputy governor for markets and banking at the Bank of England between August 2014 and February 2017.

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Starmer appoints Minouche Shafik as chief economic adviser in reshuffle

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  • Minouche Shafik named chief economic adviser to Keir Starmer.
  • Darren Jones moves into Downing Street role; James Murray replaces him.
  • Wider reshuffle includes changes in Starmer’s private office and communications.
  • Appointment comes ahead of a budget expected to include further tax rises.

Prime minister Keir Starmer has named Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, as his chief economic adviser. The appointment comes as he looks to strengthen his team ahead of what is expected to be a difficult end to the year.

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INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi met Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.

Modi pressed for ending the Ukraine conflict at the earliest, reaffirmed India’s long-standing ties with Russia, and discussed trade and border issues with Xi.

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Afghanistan earthquake kills more than 800, thousands injured

A MAJOR rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful earthquake and several aftershocks destroyed homes in a remote mountainous region, killing more than 800 people, according to Taliban authorities.

The quake struck just before midnight and was felt as far as Kabul and in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

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Hindu community centre in London damaged in fire after Ganapati Visarjan event

A HINDU community centre in east London caught fire on Saturday evening, causing major damage to the building. The London Fire Brigade brought the fire under control and confirmed that no injuries were reported.

The incident took place at the Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road in Ilford, which had been decorated for a Ganapati Visarjan event attended by members of the Hindu community.

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  • SCO condemns terror attack in Pahalgam and echoes India’s stance on “double standards”.
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THE SHANGHAI Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and agreed with India’s position that “double standards” in tackling terrorism are not acceptable.

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