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The Standard
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Standard
UK to lower voting age to 16 in landmark electoral reform
A woman attaches a sign on the wall of a polling station, during the local elections in London, Britain May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
The Star
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
UK to lower voting age to 16 in landmark electoral reform
A woman attaches a sign on the wall of a polling station, during the local elections in London, Britain May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -The British government said on Thursday it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country's democratic system. The government said the proposed changes, which are subject to parliament approvals, would align voting rights across the UK with Scotland and Wales, where younger voters already participate in devolved elections. "We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy," Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said in a statement. Turnout at the 2024 general election was 59.7%, the lowest at a general election since 2001, according to a parliamentary report. According to the House of Commons library, research from countries that have lowered the voting age to 16 shows it has had no impact on election outcomes, and that 16-year-olds were more likely to vote than those first eligible at 18. Labour, whose popularity has fallen sharply in government after being elected by a landslide a year ago, had said it would lower the voting age if elected. The reforms would also expand acceptable voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards and digital formats of existing IDs, such as driving licences and Veteran Cards. To tackle foreign interference, the government said it also planned to tighten rules on political donations, including checks on contributions over 500 pounds ($670) from unincorporated associations and closing loopholes used by shell companies. ($1 = 0.7462 pounds) (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti and Muvija M; Editing by Kate Holton)
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Peacock terrorises town: Families living in fear of feathered thug ravaging vegetable patches and waking neighbourhood with mating calls
A peaceful market town is being terrorised by an antisocial thug tearing apart vegetable patches and waking up the neighbourhood at the crack of dawn with ear-splitting noise. The perpetrator, a peacock handed the name of Percy by the locals it targets, first makes itself known at 4.30am each day with a mating call heard for miles. The lovesick bird then moves on to devouring meticulously planted lettuces and courgettes, occasionally tucking into some runner beans on the side. Hazel Harvey, 67, has been particularly exposed to Percy's prattling, with her roof in Marlborough, Wiltshire one of the peacock's favoured vantage points. The retired accountant said: 'It walks along our roof and starts calling at around half past five in the morning, which is not the sort of time that I really want to be woken up at. 'I have been told it is an adolescent male and that the sound is a mating call. But the mating season ended at the end of June. 'It doesn't have a hope in hell of finding a mate - its tail feathers are very tatty.' Peter and Carolyn Nicholls, 78 and 75, recalled finding Percy making himself comfortable in their garden when they got back from holiday. Carolyn, a retired nurse, said: 'It acted like it owned the place. I found little peck marks on our courgettes. 'We sort of shooed it away but then it just went up on the roof.' Mr Nicholls added: 'It must have come from somewhere. Either somebody kept it as a pet or there must be some sort of specialist living nearby.' Eric Gilbert, 83, a retired headteacher born and raised in the area, said he had seen the peacock eating his beloved hand-grown vegetables. 'I saw it biting into my runner beans. I was at my bedroom window and saw it standing in the middle of my lettuce patch. It had decided to have a different menu for breakfast I think.' He added: 'Another time, it buried itself in my lettuce patch, working itself down into the soil, presumably to look after its feathers or to keep itself cool. 'When I went up to it, it fluffed up its feathers and ran in circles - going a bit berserk.' Brendan Palmer, 54, a teacher from Somerset, said he had grown fond of the bird, particularly his 'cheeky' personality. Hazel Harvey, pictured, has been particularly exposed to Percy's prattling, with her roof in Marlborough, Wiltshire one of the peacock's favoured vantage points 'His early routine suits me just fine,' he admitted. 'I get up early to do weights in the morning at around 4.30am. 'He's my workout alarm. If I hear him crow before I get started, I know I'm running late. 'Percy is a bird with a serious sense of routine. He comes out of that big tree and goes on to next door's roof to crow at 4.30am and 9.30pm. Always exactly the same. 'The only thing is he winds up our dogs, Maggie and Luna when he goes on our back lawn and our front lawn. My dog Luna wants to eat him.' Alfie Game, 71, a retired botanist, has also had Percy perching on his roof and described how the peacock almost got stuck on his solar panels when reciting his signature mating call. 'I don't want him up there because he rolls around trying to wrestle his way out,' he said. 'If you chase him around he just looks at you with this astonished expression. I once shooed him away from my garden and he went back up like a balloon onto my roof. 'He screams for about 20 minutes in the hope that a lady peacock will hear him. His dog Luna is far from a fan of the feathered fiend and 'wants to eat him' 'But you would have thought that by now he would have realised that there aren't any other peacocks in Marlborough.' Peacocks were first introduced to the UK in the 14th century when aristocrat Sir John de Foxley brought a couple back from the Holy Land, according to Peacocks UK. Native to India and Sri Lanka, they have long been kept as status symbols in Britain with many arriving as gifts from foreign rulers. They became more widely available by the 1600s after a spell of being bred in captivity and remain popular today.
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran says 'disturbed' by UK arrest of Iranians in terrorism probes
FILE PHOTO: A general view of a signage outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, in London, Britain March 21, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Iran says 'disturbed' by UK arrest of Iranians in terrorism probes CAIRO - Iran's foreign ministry rejected accusations brought by Britain following the weekend arrest of seven Iranians in two separate counter-terrorism operations, state media reported on Wednesday. Four of the detained Iranians were suspected of plotting to target specific premises, while the three others were suspected of involvement in foreign power threat activity, according to British police, who extended their detention until May 10 for questioning. "The unpleasant habit of some British officials in repeating baseless and undocumented claims against Iran is undoubtedly detrimental to bilateral relations and exacerbates Iranians' historical distrust toward the British government," said Alireza Yousefi, the Iranian foreign ministry's director general for Western Europe. Yousefi called for immediate information to be provided to Iran regarding the reasons for detaining the Iranian nationals. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that he was "disturbed" to learn of the arrests but that Tehran was ready to assist in investigations if "credible allegations of misconduct are established." British Interior Minister Yvette Cooper said on Sunday that the two counter-terror operations were "some of the biggest counter state threats" the country had seen in recent years. The arrests came as the UK government had placed Iran on the highest tier of its foreign influence register, requiring Tehran to register everything it does to exert political influence in Britain. The head of MI5 domestic spy agency, Ken McCallum, said last year that since 2022, officers have responded to 20 Iran-backed plots which posed lethal threats to British citizens and residents. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Seven Iranians arrested in British counter-terrorism probes
FILE PHOTO: A general view of a signage outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, in London, Britain March 21, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo LONDON - British counter-terrorism police have arrested eight men including seven Iranians in two separate operations, officers said, in what the interior minister called some of the biggest investigations of their kind in recent years. Five men, four of them Iranian nationals, were arrested on Saturday over a suspected plot to target specific premises, London's Metropolitan Police said on Sunday without naming the site. The men, aged between 29 and 40, were arrested in West London and the English towns and cities of Swindon, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester, police said. There was no information on the nationality of the fifth man. "We are exploring various lines of enquiry to ... identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter," Commander Dominic Murphy, who heads London police's Counter Terrorism Command, said. Iran's embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Three Iranian nationals aged between 39 and 55 were also arrested in London on Saturday in a second operation that was not related to the first, the Metropolitan Police said. They were detained for suspected involvement in foreign power threat activity under the National Security Act - legislation which came into force in 2023 to counter hostile states' actions in the UK, the force added. Searches were ongoing at their addresses, the police statement read. "These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter state threat and counter terrorism operations that we have seen in recent years," interior minister Yvette Cooper told reporters. "This reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security that we continue to face," she said. The arrests come at a time of intense scrutiny of suspected Iran-backed activities in Britain. Domestic spy chief Ken McCallum saying last year that since 2022, officers had responded to 20 Tehran-backed plots that potentially posed lethal threats to British citizens and residents. In 2023, an Austrian national was convicted of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" against the London headquarters of Iran International, a broadcaster which is critical of Iran's government. The following year, a British journalist of Iranian origin who worked for Iran International was stabbed in London. The government has placed Iran on the highest tier of its foreign influence register, requiring Tehran to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
