Category: News

A Bihar MLA’s statement asking Muslims not to step out on Holi has drawn a sharp retort from Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who has asked if the state belongs to the MLA’s father and dared Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to rebuke the MLA and make him apologise.

Elaborating on his remark, Haribhushan Thakur Bachol, MLA from Bisfi in Madhubani district, told the media that Muslims must stay at home on Holi to avoid a confrontation.

This time, Holi is on Friday (March 14) and Muslims hold community prayers on Fridays.

“Holi comes once a year. It is a festival of colours. Muslim friends get upset if someone puts colours on them. That’s why I have said, if you have a large heart, then step out. Otherwise, stay at home so there is no confrontation. Jumma (Friday) comes 52 times a year. They talk about ganga-jamuna culture and brotherhood. Leave one jumma for Hindus then,” he said.

Asked about the Opposition RJD’s response to his remarks, the legislator said, “The Opposition wants conflict so that their vote bank grows. We don’t do vote bank politics.”

Responding to the MLA’s remarks, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav said, “The BJP MLA has asked Muslim brothers not to step out. Is this father’s state? Who is he? How can he make such a statement?”

Targeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he added, “The Chief Minister is unconscious. When Dalit women talk about their rights and honour, he scolds them. Does he have the courage to scold him (MLA)? JDU is now coloured in the hue of BJP and Sangh Parivar. And the Chief Minister cares about nothing other than his chair.”

“And what does this MLA know? This is Bihar. Five Hindus will protect each Muslim here. You want to engineer riots. But whether or not we are in power, as long as our party is here, we won’t let their agenda succeed. Mr Chief Minister, if you have guts, get this MLA to apologise in the Assembly. But the Chief Minister won’t be able to do it. The country is watching. During the Babri Masjid row, he called Lalu Yadav “courageous”. You must have learnt something from him,” he said.

Mr Yadav’s barbs at Nitish Kumar come against the backdrop of heated exchanges between the two leaders months ahead of Assembly polls in Bihar.

During the debate on Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s address, Mr Kumar thundered at the RJD leader and said he made Lalu Yadav the Chief Minister. “Even the people of Lalu Yadav’s caste (Yadav) had refused to make him CM, but I supported him. I made your father (Lalu Yadav) CM,” Mr Kumar said.

Mr Kumar, a key face of Janata Dal politics in the 1990s, was Lalu Yadav’s brother-in-arms before the two parted ways and Nitish Kumar charted his political journey, eventually becoming Chief Minister in 2000. Targeting Tejashwi Yadav, once his Deputy, Mr Kumar said he was a child who did not know anything. RJD and JDU have had an inconsistent relationship over the past decade, thanks to Mr Kumar’s repeated flip-flops across the political aisle.

Hitting out at the former ally, Mr Yadav has said RJD’s support made Mr Kumar Chief Minister twice and saved his party. “Yesterday, Nitish Kumar said in the Assembly that he made Lalu Yadav the Chief Minister. Forget about what Nitish Kumar says… But Nitish Kumar should remember that even before him, my father had already been elected as an MLA twice and once as an MP. Forget about Lalu Yadav, Lalu Ji has made many Prime Ministers. I made him (Nitish Kumar) CM twice and saved his party…,” he said.

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN

Published: 11:09 GMT, 10 March 2025 | Updated: 11:22 GMT, 10 March 2025

A police officer who crashed into a woman’s car while pursuing a suspected stolen vehicle has been charged with causing her death by dangerous driving.

The unmarked police car was pursuing an Audi A3 that was suspected to have been stolen when it crashed into a Peugeot 108 in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

The Peugeot’s driver, 53-year-old Heather Smedley, died at the scene, at the junction of Oldham Road and Otmoor Way on December 23, 2022.

PC Mark Burrows has been charged with causing her death by dangerous driving following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The watchdog said the 45-year-old officer, who serves with Greater Manchester Police, is due to appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

The IOPC said its investigation, which began following a referral from the force in December 2022, ended in October 2023.

It said a file of evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration of any potential criminal offence, and the CPS authorised the charge in February this year.

The collision happened shortly after 10am and mother-of-three Mrs Smedley was treated at the scene for her injuries but died.

A police driver who crashed into a woman’s car while pursuing a suspected stolen vehicle has been charged with causing her death by dangerous driving. The Peugeot’s driver, 53-year-old Heather Smedley, died at the scene, at the junction of Oldham Road and Otmoor Way on December 23 2022

The unmarked police car being driven by the officer was pursuing an Audi A3 that was suspected to have been stolen when the police car crashed into a Peugeot 108 in Oldham, Greater Manchester

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said an unmarked police car and a ‘car driven by a member of the public’ crashed.

The IOPC said Heather suffered ‘serious injuries…and died in hospital’, and confirmed she was not in the vehicle police were pursuing.

After her death, Mrs Smedley’s family paid tribute, in a statement released by Greater Manchester Police.

They said: ‘To the most wonderful mother to Benjamin, Olivia and Jamie, daughter to Hilda and Fred, sister, friend, and wife to Damian.

‘The world was a much better place with you in it. Our mum was the most kind, gentle, beautiful soul inside and out. 

The collision happened shortly after 10am and mother-of-three Mrs Smedley was treated at the scene for her injuries but died

‘She faced all of life’s challenges with her beautiful smile, and her bravery and courage never wavered.

‘We could not have asked for a better role model growing up, giving everything she had to all of those she loved, and always supporting those around her.

‘She was the glue that held our family together. Her resilience and kindness inspired us all to be better. She had the greatest sense of humour and contagious laugh that we will miss every single day.

‘You were too good for this world Mum, there will be a hole in our hearts forever. Heather’s family have asked for privacy while they grieve for their loss.’

This is a breaking news story, more to follow. 

A concerned dad shared photos of the ‘ridiculous and dangerous’ parking outside his daughter’s primary school

‘Absurd and hazardous’ parking outside a Liverpool primary school could result in ‘tragedy’. The ECHO published photos last week showing the extent to which ‘selfish and lazy’ parents are endangering children by consistently blocking pavements and roads near Hunts Cross Primary School in south Liverpool.

Liverpool Echo readers have been having their say on the issue, with many saying they think children should be walking to school. Bryan Hetherington, a concerned resident and parent, shared images with the ECHO, expressing his growing frustration and anger over the chaotic parking situation..

Mr Hetherington said: “These pictures showing the ridiculous and dangerous parking directly opposite the school entrance, parents speed up and down the road, block drive ways, park in resident’s spaces, park illegally and dangerously on double yellow lines and at the corners of junctions and directly opposite the school entrance.

“The school is doing its best and has written to parents but these messages are always ignored. I know a lot of these people and they actually live in Hunts Cross, so there is no need for them to even drive their kids to school. There is also an area nearby that could be easily used for parking but these people are too lazy and just don’t care.”

Liverpool City Council has pledged action against hazardous pavement parking, which has emerged as a significant problem across the city. In January, the council adopted a new parking strategy designed to address this issue more effectively.

Commenter Fibonacci says: “And I’ll bet approximately 90% of parents live within a half mile walking distance and radius from the school. That’s certainly the data at my wife’s school. It works like this; get up fifteen minutes earlier, enjoy the fifteen minute walk with your kids when you can have a chat. The kids burn off some breakfast calories too, and (there and back) walk a mile a day helping build stamina and endurance.”

Lovehandles1 agrees: “Same thing outside our local primary school. LCC, the Police and the school have been told repeatedly for a number of years without remedy. It is simply a matter of time until a tragedy happens. Apparently, LCC have plans in place which were supposed to have been implemented around Xmas 2024. Still waiting at the time of writing, no consultation having taken place with local residents. This council, who we will be paying more for, is a complete joke.”

Cobrakai1 writes: “We have a parking warden outside our school in Knowsley which has fixed the parking problem. However the other problem is cars doing 50-60 in a 20mph zone. When the council were asked for traffic management they replied that there hasn’t been enough accidents or children injured to authorise speed control. I’m more worried about that than the parking.”

Pensioner2023 says: “This happens daily outside every school in Liverpool. The Police and Council are fully aware of it and their solution is to put up posters. What is needed is double red lines outside schools, heavier fines, tow zones and vehicle impounding if fines are not paid.”

Littlenit asks: “Where are the traffic wardens? They’re everywhere in town! Start ticketing parents, enforce it, do it every day and it will soon stop. Get out of bed earlier, leave home earlier, park legally and walk with your kids. it’s all fine and dandy until something tragic happens and it’s your little one, just to save a 5/10mins walk which will do them good.”

Fanga remembers: “In the 70’s and 80’s parents walked with their children to school and the senior school kids walked and got on buses. Most of us back then were a healthy weight, the lazy idle attitudes of adults now, who won’t walk anywhere shows in their health. Stop the unlawful parking and get walking.”

Theoap writes: “St Paul’s in West Derby is an absolute nightmare with certain parents parking fully on the pavements. Traffic wardens are a joke, not seen outside of the city centre in the last decade.”

Chatrage suggests: “How about making somewhere for parents to park instead of calling for more taxes in the way of fines? Or make a drop off system like American schools? But oh no don’t invest, let’s just take people’s money off them!”

How do you feel about this issue, should parent parking be provided or should children be walking to school? Have your say in our comments section.

Hailey Bieber is embracing motherhood most sweetly! The Rhode founder recently soaked up the sun with her 6-month-old son, Jack Blues Bieber, sharing a heartwarming glimpse of their bonding time on Instagram. Fresh off celebrating International Women’s Day, the model posted a series of snaps where Baby Jack appeared captivated by his mom’s hat, reaching out to grab it with his tiny hands.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DG9k4wDJGDa/?img_index=1
In the photos, Hailey radiated effortless style, while little Jack looked cozy in a red woolen cap and a white top. Though the proud mom refrained from revealing her firstborn’s face, a glimpse of his tiny hand was enough to send fans into a frenzy.
Justin and Hailey’s followers couldn’t contain their excitement, flooding the comments section with adoration. “I can imagine how adorable baby Jack is,” one fan gushed, while another swooned, “Those tiny hands, omg, I can’t!”
Before sharing the sweet mother-son moment, Hailey had taken to Instagram Stories to celebrate Women’s Day with a throwback photo of her flaunting her baby bump. Reflecting on her journey, she wrote, “Happy International Women’s Day,” adding, “Wildest, coolest thing I’ve ever done.”
The past year has been a whirlwind for Hailey and Justin, who welcomed their son in August 2024. While the couple has been private about revealing Jack’s face, Hailey has been treating fans to precious glimpses of their little one.
Meanwhile, Justin Bieber is already envisioning a future in sports for his son. The Peaches singer previously shared his excitement about training Jack for ice hockey, joking that it’s never too early to get started.
With each new update, Hailey and Justin continue to melt hearts, giving fans a peek into their joyful journey of parenthood.

Eddie Chau, father of Chau Tin-yu, met the press on Monday as he urged police to provide more details on its previous investigation and relaunch their probe into the medical incident that left his cancer-stricken daughter in a vegetative state for four years.

He said he wished to uncover the truth of what had happened, knowing he might not live long since his own cancer had spread to his brain.

“I hope I can find out the truth during my remaining lifetime. I may head to heaven and see Tin-yu soon,” he said.

“When I finally see her in heaven, I need to be able to look into her eyes and tell her I did everything I could.”

Chau and barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung said if police refused to reopen the case, they would consider launching a private prosecution against the doctor who allegedly deleted a record of glucose and saline injection as the indicated dose may have caused Tin-yu’s heart to stop.

Krystena Murray suffered incalculable loss after medical professionals admitted to an embryo mix-up that resulted in Murray giving birth to a child who was not genetically her own. The child she bore and loved was taken from her.

Although Murray had carefully selected a sperm donor to match her blonde hair and blue eyes, she nevertheless loved the child she bore who did not have those characteristics. After taking an at-home DNA test, Murray realized she shared no DNA with her newborn son and contacted Coastal Fertility Specialists, ABC News reported.

Coastal Fertility Specialists, which operates in South Carolina and Georgia, admitted it had transferred a different couple’s embryo to Murray, according to Fox News. That couple sued for child custody, and Murray had to surrender her five-month-old baby boy in May of 2024.

“I spent my entire life wanting to be a mom,” Murray told ABC News. “I loved, nurtured, and grew my child, and I would’ve done literally anything in my power to keep him.”

Murray describes the utterly unique bond between a mother and a child that develops throughout pregnancy and birth. While modern health-care advocates attempt to deny this bond in defense of abortion and invitro fertilization, Murray’s testimony destroys their argument.

Noah Brandt, vice president of communications at Live Action, told me in an interview that stories such as Murray’s demonstrate that IVF is dangerous, unethical, and unregulated. “The story is a cautionary tale that shows that the IVF industry needs serious and immediate regulation to prevent abuses like this from happening in the future,” Brandt said.

He said the fertility company should face full punishment under the law.

“I think this company should be shut down. I don’t know how there could be a more directly abusive and negligent action from an organization like this,” Brandt said. “And unfortunately, actions like this … are not as much an outlier as we would like to think.”

Murray filed a lawsuit Feb. 18 against Coastal Fertility Specialists, which has failed to locate her embryos.

“I’ll never be the same woman,” Murray told ABC. “I will never fully heal or completely move on, and part of me will always long for my son and wonder what kind of person he’s becoming.”

Murray’s story is about more than her heartache.

Murray’s heartache depicts the utter tragedy of in vitro fertilization. IVF severs God’s beautiful design of conception, pregnancy, birth, and rearing—a process that involves a biological father and a biological mother, who are present throughout the child’s life. Every child has a right to his biological mother and father, as child-rights advocate Katy Faust argues.